SIDE STORY 1.1

Life was full of suffering.  

Even today, the act of breathing sometimes felt terrifying, and at times, taking a breath seemed utterly meaningless.  

When will I die?  

My end would surely be as distant and dark as the current reality where no one seeks me.  

But why, despite all this, do I still want to live, enduring each day like this?  

At twenty-three, Seojun’s appearance grew sharper with age.  

Although several years had passed since he arrived in Russia, he still lived cautiously, wary of the people around him, and indulged in solitude.  

During the day, he buried himself in lecture halls, and at night, he wandered aimlessly through dark alleys like a stray rat.  

After being attacked several times, he moved residences frequently and tried to regain a semblance of normalcy, but he still struggled to fall asleep at night.  

“Want to sleep with me?”  

Seojun, who had just subdued a Russian beauty who brazenly threw herself at him, raised his distorted eyes.  

“If you want to die right now, go ahead.”  

“I’m sorry, let me go. That hurts!”  

Seojun couldn’t understand the world of women who constantly tried to approach him.  

It wasn’t that he didn’t know how attractive his face and body were; it was simply that he had never seriously considered it.  

Having wandered close to the brink of death for so long, he distrusted everyone who came near him.  

It was a desolate life without friends, lovers, or family.  

One night, as Seojun wandered through the darkness, he moved as if hypnotized by a light.  

In Red Square, the pumpkin festival had tourists busily taking photos everywhere.  

The place where Seojun stopped was in front of the Resurrection Gate.  

There, one could stand at the circular center, make a wish, and throw a coin backward. If the coin landed within the circle, the wish would come true.  

Without any particular meaning, Seojun pulled a coin from his pocket and tossed it.  

“Wow, it went in! Your wish is going to come true now!”  

A voice accompanied by cheers made Seojun finally turn around.  

Looking at the coin perfectly placed in the circular center, Seojun let out a dry laugh.  

He hadn’t wished for anything.  

A life with no special desires or hopes. Seojun, with dry eyes, turned away without picking up the coin.  

It was only at dawn that Seojun returned home. He was about to eat the hamburger he had bought at a convenience store, without even heating it in the microwave, when his phone rang.  

The caller was Jeon Taepyeong.  

After their meeting in Japan, where Seojun had sought out his biological mother out of curiosity, Jeon often called to check in on him.  

“Yes.”  

– It’s still early morning there, isn’t it? Did you wander around all night again?  

“No, I was home. It’s morning now.”  

– Seojun.  

“This is a bit annoying. Please don’t call so often.”  

– ……  

“I’ll hang up now.”  

– I sent you some money. Don’t just eat junk; buy something good. Hanging up now.  

Despite his gruff voice, Seojun knew.  

The money Jeon sent wasn’t just an allowance; it was a mix of pity and sympathy for a young man steeped in misfortune.  

But Seojun didn’t have even the smallest space in his heart to accept such emotions.  

The parched ground of his soul had long since cracked and dried up.  

He couldn’t remember how to laugh or cry anymore.  

Why did I laugh?  

Why did I cry?  

The accumulating money in his account had made his life financially abundant to the point where he couldn’t even remember the numbers anymore.  

And yet, Seojun felt lonely every night. Terribly, unbearably lonely.  

***

Moonkyeong’s arrival in Moscow had started to twist Seojun’s life, albeit slightly.  

Seojun’s perspective on Moonkyeong hadn’t changed much from the beginning.  

She annoyed him, got on his nerves, and occupied his thoughts unnecessarily.  

[Moonkyeong, we’re going on vacation to Ibiza Island next week. Want to join us?]  

[Sure, I’ll think about it.]  

He trusted the words recorded through the listening device. So, when Lee Heejin hesitantly brought up the vacation, Seojun agreed.  

But when he boarded Lee Heejin’s private jet and found Moonkyeong absent, he realized things had gone awry.  

Since the plane had already taken off, there was no turning back. He could only stare blankly out the window.  

“Senior, what are you looking at?”  

“….”  

“Want some wine? I’ll bring it for you.”  

When he lightly nodded, Lee Heejin returned with a glass of wine.  

Before she could say anything more, Seojun put on his earphones.  

He wasn’t listening to anything, but he just gazed out the window indifferently, sipping his wine.  

After staring at him for a few minutes, Lee Heejin sighed softly and walked away.  

Only then did Seojun pick up his phone to tune into the frequency where he could hear Moonkyeong’s voice.  

[Moonkyeong, what are you doing tomorrow? Want to spend time with me?]  

It was a deep, husky male voice.  

It definitely wasn’t Dennis, who always pestered her to have meals together.  

Seojun irritably set his wine glass down.  

Even though he knew Moonkyeong wasn’t the type to leave room for other men, he felt a surge of anger boiling up inside him.  

He silently waited for Moonkyeong’s response.  

[No. I think I’ll be busy tomorrow.]  

[Hmm, do you have someone you like, by any chance?]  

[…Yes.]  

[In the ballet company?]  

[No.]  

[Then who?]  

[Sorry, I don’t want to say.]  

[…Alright. See you after the vacation.]  

To be honest, ever since Moonkyeong had arrived in Moscow, the men in the ballet company had been relentlessly courting her.  

Although she always firmly turned them down, Seojun found her beautiful yet irritating.  

He couldn’t help but wonder if she was unknowingly exuding charm in his absence.  

Objectively speaking, it was true that Moonkyeong was beautiful.  

Especially when she soared like a butterfly on stage; her performance was so breathtakingly beautiful that even the director who first brought her here had fallen for her.  

“Phew.”  

Through the listening device, he now heard her humming a tune alone at home.  

Even though he knew she was in a good mood, Seojun couldn’t feel any better.  

The anger that kept bubbling up inside him might explode one day.  

Seojun downed the rest of the wine in one gulp.  

Even after arriving on the island, Seojun insisted on being alone.  

Ignoring Lee Heejin and her group’s socializing, he ran along the beach.  

Under the scorching sun, the feeling of running until his heart was about to burst was something he hadn’t experienced in a long time.  

Sweat trickled down his back, flowing over the sculpted lines of his waist and soaking his underwear.  

“Wow, look at your body, Senior.”  

As Seojun was returning to the lodging, Lee Heejin approached, unable to hide her admiration.  

“Are you going to shower, Senior?”  

“….”  

“I want to shower too. How about we share the tub on the second floor? It’s spacious.”  

“Move.”  

“What?”  

“Move.”  

Seojun entered the bathroom on the first floor.  

Letting the cool water wash over him, he finished his shower and stepped out, only to come face-to-face with Moonkyeong.  

She was wearing a short white dress embroidered with delicate purple flowers.  

It was likely something close to Do Hyeran’s taste, but it suited Moonkyeong perfectly with her long, flowing hair.  

Her slender arms and smooth legs looked as though they could fit into one hand.

Her waist was so slender, it seemed as if it could break with a touch.  

“Senior!”  

Seojun was forced to look away from Moonkyeong when Lee Heejin interrupted them, her voice as sharp as a dolphin’s cry.  

Though he found her attempt to mimic a lover by linking arms with him distasteful, he let it slide.  

Moonkyeong tried to accommodate Lee Heejin, going out of her way to please her. Knowing this, Seojun decided to simply observe.  

He was curious to see just how far Moonkyeong would go, acting so pitifully foolish.  

That night, Moonkyeong didn’t attend the party.  

While the tourists indulged in a fantastical evening of foam parties and reckless passion, she stayed alone in the lodging, wallowing in solitude.  

Even knowing her stubbornness, Seojun couldn’t help but laugh.  

It seemed like both of them lived equally dull lives.  

“Senior, I really like you.”  

Lee Heejin, who had been dancing in front of him to the music, suddenly pressed her lips against his.  

Seojun, startled by the sudden kiss, shoved her away irritably and glared at her with icy eyes.  

“Stop it and get lost.”  

“What?”  

“Didn’t you hear me? I said, get lost.”  

“Ha. If you’re going to act like this, why did you even come? Didn’t you come here because you wanted to sleep with me?”  

“Don’t kid yourself. I didn’t come here because of you.”  

“Then why?”  

Seojun didn’t answer. He couldn’t give Lee Heejin a clear reply because he wasn’t sure himself.  

It wasn’t as if he didn’t understand what this vacation meant to her.  

He also wasn’t ignorant of what young people did on Ibiza Island under the guise of a summer holiday.