That Was When I Met Writer Park Geon
"Ah..."
Park Geon-woo was left speechless the moment Han Se-rin came running out to meet him.
With her long hair tied in a half-updo and wearing a pure white dress accented with frills on both shoulders, she looked like someone from another world.
Writer Dododo said Se-rin was an SSS-grade constellation.
Seeing her fully styled, Geon-woo realized those words weren't an exaggeration at all.
At this moment, Han Se-rin was a goddess incarnate.
"Wwiter...?"
Seeing Geon-woo lost in thought, Se-rin felt a wave of satisfaction.
It was clear that her look had hit the mark.
"Ah, yes. It's been a while, Se-rin," Geon-woo stammered.
"..."
Hearing him call her "Se-rin" brought a bright smile to her face.
"Se-rin?"
"Ah! Yes, Wwiter. Why don't you sit here?"
Following her lead, Geon-woo sat down on one side of the waiting room sofa.
Only after sitting down politely did he finally have the composure to look around the room.
So these are the other members of Serazade. They're all so beautiful.
There was Lim Yeon-doo, the oldest member and leader.
Ju Ja-yoon, the double center.
And Seo Ra-hee, the shortest member who boasted a massive following of older male fans.
As expected of a top-tier girl group, every single member was flawless.
Though, of course, the one who stood out the most to him was still Han Se-rin.
"Was the trip here difficult, Wwiter?"
"Not at all. It was actually quite fun."
"You're always so positive, Wwiter. Oh, should I introduce you to my members?"
"Ah, yes, please."
As Geon-woo nodded, Se-rin shot a look at her members.
It was a silent command for them to introduce themselves.
"Hello, Writer Park Geon. I'm Lim Yeon-doo," the leader said warmly.
"And I'm Se-rin's best friend, Ju Ja-yoon. Nice to meet you, Wwiter-nim?"
Ja-yoon playfully mimicked Se-rin's cute pronunciation.
"J-Ja-yoon...?"
Seo Ra-hee immediately glanced at Se-rin, checking her reaction.
"What? It's funny! Se-rin, you're not mad, right?"
"Huh? Why would I be mad, Ja-yoon?"
Although Se-rin was smiling, her eyes were shooting daggers at Ja-yoon.
"Hello, I'm Seo Ra-hee. I've heard so much about you from Se-rin, Writer-nim."
"From Se-rin?"
Geon-woo was surprised once again. Even though it was their first time meeting, the Serazade members already seemed to know all about him.
"I bragged about you to them all the time. Well? What do you think of my Wwiter in person?" Se-rin asked, looking at her members expectantly.
"He seems to have a really good impression, Se-rin," Yeon-doo said.
"He really looks like a writer," Ra-hee added.
To Yeon-doo and Ra-hee, Geon-woo's vibe was calm and deep, fitting for a writer.
Above all, he exuded a warm, gentle kindness.
"What about you, Ju Ja-yoon?" Se-rin prodded.
"He definitely has that handsome nerd vibe. A totally charming nerd."
To Ja-yoon, Geon-woo looked like the type who triggered a protective instinct.
"A-A nerd? Haha..."
Geon-woo scratched his head in embarrassment. He had occasionally heard that from female authors, but hearing it directly from the members of Serazade made him feel incredibly flustered.
But the members were being entirely sincere. Honestly, Geon-woo exceeded their expectations.
"Hehe."
Seeing Geon-woo get their stamp of approval put Se-rin in an exceptionally good mood. She felt incredibly proud of him.
"Ten minutes until recording!"
Just as they finished introducing themselves, the production staff knocked on the waiting room door. Since the shoot was about to begin, they needed to quickly review the script.
"Whew."
Naturally, Geon-woo began to feel nervous. Appearing on a major network variety show was something he, who had been just an ordinary web novel writer until recently, could never have imagined.
And Se-rin was not about to let Geon-woo suffer through his nerves alone.
"Wwiter, don't worry about today's recording at all. I brought Yeon-doo-onni and the others on purpose."
"Se-rin is right. We're here with you today, so you don't have to worry, Writer Park Geon," the oldest member, Yeon-doo, reassured him.
So that's why the rest of Serazade is here?
Only then did Geon-woo realize this was another one of Se-rin's thoughtful gestures.
"Thank you, Se-rin," Geon-woo whispered softly.
He hadn't expected her to go to such lengths for him.
"Don't mention it. Of course I have to take care of my Wwiter."
Se-rin sat close to Geon-woo and opened the script, pointing to the section where he would appear.
"Wwiter, look here. I'll help you with this part."
"Ah, okay."
With Se-rin's help, Geon-woo focused on the script.
"..."
The other Serazade members watched the two of them with warm, affectionate smiles.
The recording of MBS's hit variety show, I Live Alone, proceeded smoothly.
With all the members of Serazade appearing alongside Se-rin, the atmosphere in the studio was incredibly lively.
The VCR segment focused on Se-rin, showing the daily lives of the Serazade members as they prepared for the end-of-the-year season.
"..."
Left alone in the waiting room, Geon-woo watched the broadcast on the monitor.
Just like last week, the footage showed Se-rin reading Geon-woo's novel whenever she had a spare moment—whether in the waiting room or while traveling in their van.
"Se-rin really likes you, Writer-nim," Manager Kim Mi-seon said quietly.
She was staying in the waiting room with Geon-woo, having been asked by Se-rin to look after him while she was filming.
"I'm always grateful that she thinks so highly of someone as lacking as me, Manager-nim," Geon-woo replied humbly.
"Did you hear it from Se-rin?"
"Pardon?"
"The reason why she likes you and your writing so much."
"No, I haven't heard it. Actually, I've been curious myself. I've always felt that a reader like Se-rin is far too good for me."
For some reason, Geon-woo felt apologetic toward Manager Kim Mi-seon. He couldn't help but feel that Se-rin's affection for him was excessive.
"Don't think of it as too good for you, Writer-nim."
"Pardon...?"
"Because the reason Se-rin was able to make it this far... is largely thanks to you."
"...!"
Geon-woo froze. Kim Mi-seon only smiled and didn't elaborate further.
What does she mean, thanks to me?
The question that had lingered since their very first meeting grew even deeper. It seemed there was a story behind her kindness that went far beyond just being a devoted reader or fan.
The answer to the question he had harbored since their first meeting began to flow from the waiting room monitor.
The VCR showing the daily lives of Se-rin and the Serazade members ended.
Main MC Jang Hyeon-seong immediately turned to Se-rin to ask a question.
It was only natural, as Se-rin's appearance the previous week had caused a massive stir among viewers. The fact that the chic 'Ice Princess' Han Se-rin's hobby was reading web novels was the ultimate plot twist.
And now, a week later, not only Geon-woo but the viewers and Serazade's fandom were dying to know: why did Han Se-rin love the web novel writer Park Geon and his work so much?
"Could you share the reason with us, Se-rin?"
The atmosphere in the studio turned serious, but Se-rin did not hesitate.
"Because Writer Park Geon's work... was a guidepost for me when I was lost and wandering."
Se-rin's confession echoed through the monitor in the waiting room.
"Se-rin...?"
Geon-woo was genuinely shocked. She seemed so perfect—had she really gone through a period of wandering?
Manager Kim Mi-seon stood with her arms crossed, looking as though she had expected this all along.
"As you all know, I started working as a child actress when I was six years old. It was just fun when I was little, but during puberty, I hated everything. The expectations people had of me, the things they said..."
The excessive attention and popularity that began at the age of six had slowly consumed Han Se-rin.
The inflated fame caused her to lose her sense of self, and from a young age, she was showered with jealousy and envy alongside the popularity.
"So, to protect myself, I chose to close off my heart. I still feel sorry to Yeon-doo-onni and the other members. Ever since I started my trainee days at nineteen, I never really had personal conversations with them."
As Se-rin opened up about her past, the other Serazade members were lost in their own memories.
When they first met nineteen-year-old Han Se-rin, she showed absolutely no emotion.
It was just practice, practice, practice.
She was so detached that the agency staff even referred to her as a doll.
"Then, I had a fight with Ja-yoon. Of course, it was entirely my fault. I ran away from the dorm, but as I wandered around, it was winter and I got so hungry. I had rushed out without my phone or wallet. So I walked into a convenience store... and that was when I met Writer Park Geon."
"Ooh!" Gasps of surprise at the exquisite coincidence erupted from the studio audience.
While the studio was completely absorbed in Se-rin's story, Geon-woo, watching from the waiting room, felt entirely different.
"She met me before...?"
This meant that their meeting on that snowy Christmas Day was not their first encounter.
Geon-woo felt as if he had been struck on the head with a hammer.