Side Story 3: Leila’s Story. Fate Like Coincidence (1)

After going through hardship, when I finally came to the world I wanted, the first thing I did was open the dressing table drawer.

As expected, there was a letter written by Yun-ah.

Though we had never spoken directly, I could understand.

Perhaps because we had shared a body, there was some connection.

Thanks to Yun-ah’s kind explanation, adapting didn’t seem like it would be difficult.

Plus, this place had a system where you could find anything just by searching!

“Sis, come eat!”

I ate with Mom, Dad, and Yun-seo.

Fortunately, the food suited my taste well.

After the meal, I spoke about what I had been thinking.

I called my parents seriously.

“Mother, Father. I have something to tell you.”

“What? Sis, are you suddenly filming a historical drama? Why the extreme formality?”

Then Mom slapped Yun-seo’s back loudly and asked with a worried face.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

“No, it’s not that. No.”

I was still confused with the speech patterns that weren’t yet familiar to me.

“I’m going to quit my job.”

My parents just nodded without saying anything, and Yun-seo looked at me with an incredulous expression.

“You stubbornly kept working when we told you to quit, and now you’re quitting?”

“I want to find what I really want to do.”

Having come this far with such difficulty, I had no intention of living the way Yun-ah had.

I planned to try everything I wanted to do as much as possible.

When I pressured them with a determined gaze, my parents easily gave permission.

The very next day, I submitted my resignation letter with a refreshing feeling.

After that, I watched television like crazy.

Thanks to television, I could easily learn the speech patterns and behaviors of this place.

Then for several days, I commuted to the library every day to read books.

And afterwards, I spent a long time exploring the world inside Yun-ah’s laptop.

Thanks to the convenient system of internet searching, it didn’t take as long as it would have in the empire to find what I wanted to do.

For once, I cleaned up properly and ate with my family.

It was quite troublesome to have to do things myself that I had previously taken for granted as being served.

But this small price was worth it for the freedom I enjoyed.

After much contemplation over the materials I had found, I reached a conclusion.

Wondering when to speak, I again declared after the meal was over.

“Mom, Dad.”

My parents and Yun-seo gave me tense looks.

“I’m going to prepare for the diplomat candidate selection exam.”

My family showed an even more surprised reaction than when I said I was quitting my job last time.

Dad choked, and Mom tried to pretend she was fine, but her pupils were visibly trembling.

And water dripped from between Yun-seo’s open lips.

It was like a scene from a morning drama I had watched recently.

“Sis, you barely passed the civil service exam after years of trying. And now you’re saying you’ll take another exam? And the diplomat selection exam at that?”

“Yes. I want to live experiencing various things around the world.”

Mom quietly exhaled and squeezed her eyes shut.

No, what was Yun-ah like for my family to react this way?

Since I had no intention of giving up anyway, I firmly conveyed my determination once more.

“I’ll do it for just one year. I’ll definitely pass, so don’t worry.”

“Sis, you’re not even good at English.”

“I’ll study that too. I’ve already started.”

Yun-seo looked at my confident appearance with disbelief, but I didn’t care.

“I’ll do it even if you oppose.”

Then Mom and Dad exchanged glances and nodded.

“Alright. Our daughter, do whatever you want.”

“It’s like having a daughter who has been reborn. We can’t stop her from doing what she wants.”

So I studied like crazy for a year.

I slept an average of two hours a day, four hours at most, and spent the rest studying.

Preparing for both the exam and language studies was hard, but enjoyable.

It was the first time I had directly experienced how wonderful it is to set a goal and work towards it.

* * *

A year later, I passed the exam as if it were the most natural thing.

My parents shed tears of joy, and Yun-seo sincerely congratulated me.

While dining with my family at a nice place, Yun-seo made a fuss, saying that my brain seemed to have improved after the traffic accident and that we should go on ‘Such Amazing Things in the World.’

Of course, she got slapped by Mom for being too noisy.

* * *

Thinking I wouldn’t have free time once training began, I left for a trip to Jeju Island.

Mom was worried just because I was traveling alone, but she eventually allowed it.

Instead, she emphasized safety until I was sick of hearing it.

It was my first time traveling alone since birth, so I was excited beyond words.

And since it was also my first time riding an airplane, my excitement was indescribable.

When I arrived at the airport, my heart started pounding.

But contrary to my clear mood, a light rain began to fall from the sky.

I was worried, but the plane took off safely.

Looking down at the world from the plane was thrilling and exhilarating.

Plus, seeing clouds this close was a first, so I couldn’t leave the window seat.

But the clouds, which had been like cotton candy, suddenly turned dark, and the wind began to blow fiercely.

Then the aircraft shook terribly.

At first it was okay, but as it got worse, it felt like riding a roller coaster rather than a plane.

Even with my strong heart, I began to get nervous.

“I didn’t come all this way just for my life to end like this.”

My thoughts came out as words without me realizing.

That’s how scared I was.

Then I heard a chuckle from beside me.

When I turned my gaze, I saw a neat-looking man.

“It doesn’t seem bad enough to end your life. But I think we won’t be able to land for about thirty minutes.”

I was annoyed by the stranger’s interference and glared at him once before turning my gaze back to the window.

With Jeju Airport ahead, the plane just circled for thirty minutes.

Landing permission had not been granted.

“Excuse me. Here.”

The man next to me handed me a mini chocolate bar.

“You’ll feel a bit better if you eat it.”

I didn’t want to accept it, but I was hungry.

It was a mistake to come hungry, thinking of all the delicious things I would eat in Jeju.

So I reluctantly reached for the chocolate bar.

“Thank you.”

As I was about to finish eating the two chocolate bars, the man’s voice was heard again.

“I think we’ll be landing soon.”

While I was looking at him with a puzzled gaze, surprisingly, the landing announcement played.

We were landing after two hours since departing from Gimpo.

When the landing was successful, the people on the plane applauded.

It was an unexpected situation, but thinking of it as a memory, it wasn’t bad.

When I got off the plane, the airport was in chaos.

Due to weather issues, there were delays, many people, and it was chaotic.

It was too noisy, so I quickly left.

Until then, it wasn’t bad.

No, it was fun.

From the moment I moved to the parking lot to find the rental car, something seemed off.

I naturally thought I would receive it at the parking lot, but we were all loaded into a van and moved.

And in that car, I met the man from the plane seat next to me again.

The man recognized me first.

“Oh? Window seat.”

“Oh! Chocolate bar.”

After exchanging brief nods, I turned my gaze back to the window.

So we arrived at the rental car office.

But the moment I received the car and started the engine, it died.

I tried several times, but it was the same, so I went back inside and explained the situation.

“There’s something wrong with the car. Please check it.”

The car had completely died, and the rental car company said with an embarrassed face.

“I’m sorry. It doesn’t seem possible right now. I’ll cancel your reservation.”

“What? What did you say? Are you really saying that? Shouldn’t you borrow from somewhere else? How can you ruin someone’s trip like this? I don’t need an apology, and if you’re not going to rent me a car, you should carry me around.”

I strongly expressed that I had absolutely no intention of backing down.

The rental car office tried to contact other places, but it was impossible to rent.

It was peak season, and all reservations were already full.

Then I heard the familiar voice again.

“Where are you going? I’ll give you a ride to your accommodation. There’s no point in arguing here. Those people will never resolve it. Instead of wasting precious time, let’s move.”

Eventually, I got into the man’s car and showed him the address of my accommodation.

After seeing the address, the man laughed.

“Why are you laughing?”

“My accommodation is also here.”

When I gave him a suspicious look, the man took out his accommodation voucher from his bag and showed it to me.

It really was the same hotel as mine.

As I withdrew my suspicion, the man started the car.

The sound of rain tapping on the window was quite atmospheric.

After driving silently for a while, the man spoke first.

“You’re here to travel, right?”

“Yes. Are you traveling too?”

“Yes. What’s your schedule for tomorrow? If we’re going to the same place, I’ll give you a ride.”

“No, thank you. I think I’ve already received too much help. Just giving me a ride to the accommodation is more than enough. I’ll manage on my own.”

The man didn’t insist further.

He seemed like a neat person.

The car had already arrived at the hotel.

“Thank you so much. Before you leave, let me buy you a drink sometime.”

After saying goodbye, I immediately got out of the car and didn’t hear the man’s voice filled with regret.

“She says she’ll buy me a drink but gets out without asking for contact information.”

After checking in and entering the room, I felt drained and lay down on the bed, falling asleep.

When I woke up, it had already gotten dark.

I felt unfairly upset that it had gotten dark without me doing anything, and my stomach was also upset from fasting all day.

I hurriedly went to a famous restaurant selling black pork near the accommodation.

When I went inside, the restaurant was already full, and there were many people waiting, so they said I would have to wait more than an hour.

The smell of delicious meat grilling made my stomach growl, making it even more disappointing.

“Really, why is nothing going right.”

Without realizing it, she frowned, and then a voice called out.

“Excuse me!”

The restaurant was so noisy that at first, she didn’t know if someone was calling her.

“Excuse me! There, window seat!”

Looking in the direction of the voice, she saw the man from the airplane seat next to her waving and approaching.

“Did you come for dinner?”

“I did, but it seems I won’t be able to eat here.”

“I just ordered. If you’d like, join me.”

Just as she was about to refuse, feeling guilty about being indebted to him yet again—

“Growl!”

Her honest body sent a signal that was too loud.

Embarrassed, she deliberately spoke more coldly.

“I’ll buy you meat instead of a drink. I keep being indebted to you.”

“That would make me feel worse. We happened to be at the same accommodation, and I just happened to be at this restaurant first. Let’s each pay for our own meat, and you can buy me a drink another time.”

Perhaps because the meat was delicious, the alcohol went down smoothly.

While eating, they shared information about tourist spots, restaurants, and cafes.

They neither asked nor shared personal stories.

The man seemed to have visited Jeju Island several times, as he provided a lot of information.

“Thanks for the meal.”

“I enjoyed eating with you too.”

They walked back to the accommodation side by side.

The stars in the sky after the rain had cleared were beautiful, and the smell of grass laden with moisture was pleasant.

As they entered the hotel entrance, the man said goodbye.

“Buy me that drink the next time we happen to meet by chance.”

“What?”

The man replied with an attractive smile and a relaxed expression.

“It’s fun, isn’t it? I’m looking forward to it.”