Anyone Can Tell Just by Reading Your Writing
A park bathed in the soft glow of a streetlight.
Pure white snowflakes falling silently in thick flurries.
And at the center of it all, Han Se-rin, looking as overjoyed as a child.
"Ah..."
Park Geon-woo suddenly thought that it looked just like a charming Christmas postcard.
"You're Writer Park Geon, right?"
How long had he been lost in thought?
It was only when she spoke to him that Geon-woo snapped out of his daze.
"Ah, yes. That's me."
"Um... Do you mind if I sit here too?"
"Of course. Please, go ahead."
Snow had already piled up on the bench.
Instinctively, Geon-woo unwrapped his scarf.
He carefully folded it and laid it down before Se-rin could sit.
"Thank you."
Without hesitation, Se-rin sat down on the bench.
"..."
Was it because he was intoxicated by the sweet scent of strawberries?
Or was he simply stunned by the sheer unreality of the situation?
Geon-woo found himself at a loss for words.
"I came here to apologize to you, Writer."
"An... apology?"
Surprised by the word, Geon-woo looked directly at Se-rin.
His pupils dilated instantly.
Would he ever again in his life meet a celebrity—let alone a top idol—at such close range?
Meanwhile, Se-rin quietly began to speak.
"Yes. I heard the broadcasting station contacted you to ask you to appear on the show. You must have been so surprised and put on the spot... I'm sorry. I only did it because I wanted you to be even more successful, but I think I was being inconsiderate."
Concern and regret washed over her small, beautiful face.
"It's alright. I know you did it out of pure goodwill, Se-rin. So really, it's okay."
"I had a feeling, but you really are as warm and gentle as I thought, Writer."
Se-rin smiled, her eyes curving into lovely crescents.
"..."
Geon-woo felt his breath catch.
Words like 'pretty' or 'beautiful' felt entirely inadequate to describe her.
"And I'm so proud of myself for recognizing you right away."
"Pardon...?"
Suddenly, Geon-woo grew curious.
How does she know me? Have we met somewhere before?
From Geon-woo's perspective, Se-rin was a complete stranger.
After all, a top idol from the television screen had suddenly materialized right in front of him.
Yet, from the moment they met, she had been overflowing with goodwill.
She was looking at him with such familiar, friendly eyes.
Se-rin quickly changed the subject.
"Ah...! That's right! Even if I know you, you wouldn't know me, would you?"
"I suppose not?"
"Oh, how embarrassing...! Acting like we're best friends all by myself... What am I going to do!"
Geon-woo let out a wry chuckle, while Se-rin's cheeks flushed a bright crimson.
"I guess I got carried away just thinking about meeting you... Writer, do you really not know who I am?"
Her embarrassment was short-lived. Under the glow of the streetlight, Se-rin's jewel-like eyes sparkled with anticipation.
It was right about then.
"Wait...?!"
Geon-woo's eyes widened in sheer shock.
"Could you be... Han Gyeo-wool?"
She was the loyal reader who had supported him from his very first debut work until now.
Se-rin seemed to pause for a moment, and then deep dimples carved into her cheeks.
"Yes! That's me! Han Gyeo-wool! Han Se-rin!"
"So that's what it was... It was you..."
To think that the loyal reader who used the pen name Han Gyeo-wool was actually the top idol Han Se-rin.
Surely, no one in the world could have ever guessed.
One by one, the countless days they had exchanged comments flashed through his mind.
He remembered the comment they had exchanged just a few days before Christmas.
Yes.
That was what it was.
"So you were my Santa Claus, Gyeo-wool?"
"Hehe, yes. It was a Christmas present. Did you like it, Writer?"
"More than I deserve. Haha."
Hearing her use her signature nickname for him, "Wryter," in person made Geon-woo burst into a warm laugh.
Se-rin beamed back at him.
"Phew, what a relief. I was worried you might find me hard to talk to now."
"Of course I did at first."
"And now?"
"It's still a bit overwhelming, but it's okay. Because you're Gyeo-wool."
If the top idol Han Se-rin was his loyal reader Han Gyeo-wool, then Geon-woo didn't need to feel so intimidated.
After all, she was the precious person who had given him so much comfort.
"I'm so glad~ But I already knew. I knew that no matter who I was, you would still just see me as one of your readers, Writer."
"Of course. Once a reader..."
"...always a reader!"
"Haha."
They were perfectly in sync.
Once a reader, always a reader.
It was an inside joke Geon-woo often shared with his readers.
"But is it really okay for you to come see me like this?"
Geon-woo's gaze drifted toward the van parked in front of the park.
Before she was his loyal reader, Han Se-rin was a top-tier idol among top idols.
She was a special figure who was not only incredibly busy but also constantly under scrutiny, where even the slightest action or word could spark a massive scandal.
"Hehe, it's Christmas! It's fine!"
"Is it? That's a relief. Ah, right."
Geon-woo stood up from the bench.
Then, he bowed deeply to her.
"Thank you. So many good things have happened to me thanks to you, Gyeo-wool."
Ever since the day Se-rin declared herself his fan on I Live Alone, Geon-woo's two novels had been selling like hotcakes.
"No, it's not! It's because of your writing, Writer! I just thought more people needed to read your stories. Your novels are absolutely worth it! It's all because your writing is so good!"
Se-rin proudly lifted her chin.
"I'm nothing special, Gyeo-wool."
"Don't say that. I don't care what anyone else thinks, but to me... your stories are more precious than anything. Every single line of dialogue, every single sentence."
Unlike Geon-woo, who had a self-deprecating smile, Se-rin was dead serious.
Her jewel-like eyes glistened slightly with unshed tears, revealing a whirlwind of emotions.
"Gyeo-wool...?"
Geon-woo was taken aback by the sheer depth of her sincerity.
"So... you have to hang in there, okay, Writer?"
These words, too, came straight from her heart.
"Yes. I'll do my best."
His chest, which had been swelling with emotion, now began to ache.
It wasn't the pain from his weak heart.
Just a few days ago, plagued by poor health and consecutive failures with his next projects, he had seriously contemplated quitting web novel writing altogether.
Yet, here she was, telling him that every single line and sentence meant the world to her.
It wasn't because she was the top idol Han Se-rin.
The simple realization that his writing could be of such profound comfort to someone's life felt like a greater reward than anything else he could have ever received.
"Gyeo-wool..."
The snow that had accumulated on Geon-woo's shoulders scattered onto the ground.
"Yes, Writer?"
"I think I can write again. Thank you. You really are my Santa Claus."
For the first time in a long while, a genuinely relaxed smile spread across Geon-woo's face.
"Yay! Then you'll write your next project even without being locked up with fried dumplings, right? The other readers will be so happy when they hear this!"
"Haha, is that how it works?"
He couldn't help but chuckle at the adorable sight of Se-rin pumping her fists in the air.
Just then.
Honk, honk—
The van waiting in front of the park sounded its horn.
"It looks like you should head out soon, Gyeo-wool."
"Yeah... I still have one live broadcast schedule left for the year-end music festival. But it's okay because meeting you has fully recharged my batteries!"
Seeing Se-rin bounce back to her energetic self after being downcast, Geon-woo couldn't wipe the smile off his face.
"I'll head out now, Writer."
"Alright. Take care."
Rising from the bench together, they walked side by side.
Crunch, crunch. The sound of their footsteps in the snow stopped in front of the van.
"Um... Writer?"
For some reason, Se-rin hesitated, fidgeting instead of getting into the van.
"Yes...?"
Not knowing what was wrong, Geon-woo blinked.
Did she have something else to say?
While Geon-woo waited patiently, Se-rin parted her pink lips.
"Can I keep leaving comments in the future?"
"Of course, as long as you're okay with it, Gyeo-wool."
Geon-woo nodded.
Se-rin, who had worked up the courage to ask, widened her eyes.
"Are you really okay with it? I caused you so much trouble before."
"It's fine now. Because I know it's you, Gyeo-wool."
"...!"
At those warm words, Se-rin's eyes trembled.
"And Gyeo-wool, about the variety show... I'm sorry. If I had known it was you, I probably would have agreed to appear."
Geon-woo expressed his own regrets.
"No, it's fine! I mean, it's a bit of a shame... but still!"
"Thank you. You should get going. You'll be late."
"Okay..."
With a look of deep reluctance, Se-rin climbed into the van.
The door slid shut, and the vehicle began to navigate its way out of the hilly neighborhood alley.
"..."
Geon-woo stood there as the heavy snow fell on him, but he didn't mind.
A cozy warmth had already settled in a corner of his heart.
It was then.
With a soft whir, the window rolled down, and Se-rin poked her head out.
She waved her hand frantically.
"I forgot to say it! Writer! Merry Christmas!"
Geon-woo chuckled.
"Merry Christmas."
"Se-rin, was it really that good?"
On the way to the broadcasting station for the live year-end music festival, Kim Mi-seon, the manager behind the wheel, asked.
"Yeah. It was great. And it was a relief."
Se-rin, staring out the window, replied quietly.
Her demeanor was completely different from when she was with Geon-woo, but Mi-seon seemed used to it.
"What was a relief?"
"That he was exactly as I had imagined. And... that he hasn't changed at all."
Se-rin had struggled with the decision to meet Geon-woo.
There was only one reason: her status as the nation's little sister and a top idol.
Before seeing her as Han Se-rin, the world had always judged her solely by those titles.
What if even Writer Park Geon, the person she had relied on for so long as the ordinary reader Han Gyeo-wool, was just like everyone else?
But Se-rin had decided to trust him.
And today, she confirmed that her decision was not wrong.
It's still a bit overwhelming, but it's okay. Because you're Gyeo-wool.
With a warm smile, Writer Park Geon had said those words.
"What kind of person is he? This Writer Park Geon."
"A warm, incredibly considerate person. Someone who puts others before himself."
"How do you know him so well?"
Mi-seon asked.
It was a question she had harbored for a long time.
"Because I've experienced it firsthand. And even if you've never met him, anyone can tell. Just by reading his writing."
"I see."
Mi-seon nodded in understanding.
Meanwhile.
"I want to see him again... When can I meet him next?"
Turning her gaze back to the window, Se-rin couldn't hide her longing.
The probability of snow on Christmas was only 28.9%.
And there was still far too much time left before next Christmas would come around again.