Chapter 8 – God’s Gift (Part 2)

Finally, having received his discharge orders, Seo-jun climbed into the driver’s seat.

Though temporary, the military provided a car as a gesture of appreciation for his exceptional sense of responsibility and sacrifice, courtesy of the commander. He hadn’t informed anyone about his discharge, nor his return to the country.

To reset both the good and bad memories of society and recharge his somewhat weary mind and body, he had distanced himself. He had also avoided contact with acquaintances and family for the same reason.

Seo-jun turned on his phone, which had been off for three years.

His elegant fingers, exuding subtlety, paused at a certain point on the screen. Looking at the name at his fingertips, Seo-jun chuckled softly.

Yoo Jung-hwa. His ex-girlfriend, who could no longer even be a memory, was still in his phone.

After easily deleting that name, Seo-jun moistened his lips with a light smile and closed his eyes. Leaning his head back, his sharper and more distinct face than before showed traces of weariness.

‘They say you forget a person with another person. Even if it’s hard now, when you find someone you like more, it’ll naturally fade away. I hope the time we spent together remains a good memory for a long time. For both you and me.’

That might be true.

Because Yoo Jung-hwa’s dirty memories had been completely buried by Eom So-yeon.

That night was impulsive.

Intensely, like a madman, over and over.

It’s as if that long-ago event is as vivid as yesterday…

The countless stars covering the black sky of the foreign barren land shone so brilliantly. Looking at that beautiful night sky, what amusingly came to mind was her.

Every time, he laughed hollowly.

Those were countless days.

Eom So-yeon, who enchanted him to the point of losing his mind and then vanished while he slept, was undoubtedly a mirage created by winter. She appeared on a snowy night and disappeared on a snowless morning.

Anyway, she’s probably living well somewhere, so he should live his life too.

That’s all there was to it.

***

“Top star Tae Seo-jun has returned after completing his military service.”

This morning, it was reported in an exclusive article by a certain media outlet that Tae Seo-jun, who was thought to have died in the deployment area, had already been discharged and had been staying at his residence in Nonhyeon-dong for five days.

This came fifteen days after the world was shaken by a miscommunication from a war correspondent who mistakenly reported that there were casualties in the unit Tae Seo-jun belonged to.

When the false report broke out, Go Won-hoo, CEO of <CN Entertainment>, furious at the ridiculous rumors, held an emergency press conference and harshly criticized the journalists who spread the nonsense, calling them ‘trash journalists.’

At the same time, he boldly declared his confidence in the reliability of the media’s reports and boasted. He said Tae Seo-jun wasn’t someone who would easily go away. Even if he fell into hell, he would negotiate with the King of Hell and come back alive no matter what.

In this way, CEO Go Won-hoo played the role of both friend and supporter for Tae Seo-jun. And the fact that the two men were cousins was known only to their relatives.

“See! The CEO was right.”

“Exactly. Sending a perfectly fine person to the grave!”

“That’s the problem with these tabloids! They spread false news and don’t even know how to apologize!”

“I’m still shaking. What if it had been true?”

“I don’t know about other things, but I’m just glad our visual relief is back safe and sound.”

In the CN headquarters lounge, where idols and actors gathered, the talk about Tae Seo-jun was endless.

“But when will Director Tae Seo-jun come to the company?”

“He rarely visited even before, why the sudden interest? He’ll probably rest for a few days anyway.”

“It was reported today, but it’s been a few days since Director Seo-jun was discharged.”

“Come on. Even if he comes, the chances of us meeting him are slim.”

Although Tae Seo-jun held a title at CN, it was extremely rare for him to actually work in the director’s office. Even within the same company, seeing him was as unlikely as picking stars from the sky unless there was an official event.

The <CN Entertainment> building was a large structure with four basement floors and ten above-ground floors, and if you went up one more floor from the 9th floor, where the actor’s practice room was, you would reach the rooftop.

Having learned of Tae Seo-jun’s safe return from Do-soon’s text while practicing, So-yeon climbed the stairs and stopped at the end of the rooftop garden.

How much tension had she endured? Her heart pounded as she recalled the past few days of anxiety due to the bad news.

“Ha…”

So-yeon took a long breath in and out. The cold air of late winter deeply penetrated her lungs, clearing her airways.

‘I don’t know what kind of man he is, but he must be burning up inside.’

He was the one who drew a clear line even when they shared a bed.

For that reason, she wanted to pretend not to know. Herself, who still couldn’t escape from the first man she fell head over heels for at first sight. Her heart, which only wanted to see him at this moment.

But what could she do about the thorn named Tae Seo-jun poking at her heart? No, now it was more like a nail that had been firmly hammered in and wouldn’t come out.

Her large eyes were already moist.

Her big, soft eyes, with clear pupils inside, looked at the sun setting, painting the sky red. So-yeon also had only one sun. That was Tae Seo-jun, but it was a secret that should never be revealed from her heart.

Suddenly, she lowered her gaze to look at her phone’s wallpaper, which was a picture of a very small child.

The most precious jewel in her life, which she could never measure with the yardstick of regret or exchange for anything. Tears that she couldn’t hold back any longer, having endured until now, fell drop by drop over the picture as they flowed down her white cheeks.