Chapter 4 - Name
Harin glanced around her room, phone in hand.
Somewhere she wanted to go. When she'd been living as Yoo Hajoon, she hardly ever went out. Amusement parks, movie theaters, shopping malls—they all felt awkward to visit alone, and she had no one to go with.
Her eyes landed on the desk drawer.
...Ah.
She pulled it open. Amid the clutter sat a single plastic card. An Everland annual pass. She'd won it two months ago in a game event. No use for it, so she'd tried listing it on a secondhand site, only to get told transfers weren't allowed, and she'd shoved it in the drawer.
Mask and sunglasses, huh.
It was a little odd, but she probably had her reasons. Harin didn't dwell on why Ian hid her face. Everyone had their own circumstances.
Saturday morning.
Harin paused in front of her closet.
Men's clothes only. She pulled out an oversized hoodie, slipped it on, and tugged on jeans. She checked the mirror. The silver hair paired with the guy's hoodie gave off an oddly androgynous vibe. Not bad.
She grabbed the Everland annual pass from the drawer and tucked it into her wallet.
Cash? Nah, card's got me covered.
With that light thought, she headed out the door.
In front of Everland's main gate.
9:55 a.m.
Crowds were pouring in. Families, couples, groups of friends. Classic weekend amusement park scene.
Harin stood by the fountain, waiting for Ian.
Five minutes later, someone approached through the throng.
Black mask, oversized sunglasses, hat pulled low. But below that, the outfit was on point: ivory crop knit, high-waisted denim, light jacket draped over, slim silver chain at the neck, white sneakers on the feet.
Even with her face completely hidden, the refined aura from her clothes set her starkly apart from the crowd.
...Put so much effort into the outfit, but why hide the face like that?
The combo felt off. Stylish coordination clashing with full criminal-level face coverage on one body.
"Harina."
A familiar voice from behind the sunglasses.
"Ian?"
"Yeah."
Ian smiled with her eyes above the mask. No expression visible through the shades, but her voice was bright.
"Been waiting long?"
"Nah, just got here. But..."
Harin scanned Ian's outfit from head to toe.
"You really are dressed kinda weird."
"Sorry. Got my reasons."
"It's fine. The clothes are super cute."
Ian ducked her head slightly. The tips of her ears peeked red above the mask.
"...Thanks."
Harin caught sight of Ian's ears, then looked away.
Ears turning red from a compliment. Cute.
She chuckled lightly and headed toward the entrance gate.
"C'mon. With the pass, we can head right in."
Entrance gate.
The line was long. Typical Saturday morning at Everland's front gate. Harin stood midway, pulling the annual pass from her wallet.
Plastic card in hand, she shuffled forward bit by bit.
Ian stood beside her, scanning the surroundings. Harin could feel her gaze sweeping the crowd from behind those sunglasses.
...Does Ian have like, a fear of people staring or something?
There had to be a reason for covering up so thoroughly. Harin didn't ask. Asking might force an answer she didn't want to give.
The line thinned, and they reached the front.
The staffer greeted them with a bright smile.
"Hello! I'll check your pass for you."
Harin handed over the annual pass.
The staffer scanned it and checked the screen.
Once.
Twice.
Her expression shifted subtly.
"Ma'am, this pass is under Yoo Hajoon. Is that you?"
"Ah...!"
"Sorry, but annual passes require ID verification—no transfers allowed. Can't use it if you're not the named holder."
Harin's hand froze.
Oh crap.
Yoo Hajoon. Age 24. Male.
The person standing there was a silver-haired girl.
Of course ID wouldn't match. Name, age, gender—all wrong. Totally different person holding the card.
...Idiot.
"Oh, sorry. I'll just buy tickets then."
Harin hurriedly opened her wallet. Ian started digging for hers too.
"Two tickets, please."
Harin handed over her card.
The staffer took it, then paused before swiping.
Her eyes fixed on the card's surface.
Front of the card. Embossed name.
Yoo Hajoon.
The staffer's gaze flicked between Harin's face and the card.
The pass had been Yoo Hajoon too. Now the credit card. And the one handing it over was clearly a woman in her early twenties.
The staffer's face hardened.
"Ma'am."
"...Yes?"
"Is this card in your name?"
Sweat trickled down Harin's back.
Ah.
The pass issue had made the staffer name-sensitive. Normally no one checks the name on the front. But after the mismatch, she was on alert.
"You've got a Yoo Hajoon card, and the pass was the same name."
She didn't return the card.
"Sorry, but I need to verify. Mind if I see the rest of your wallet?"
Harin opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
What do I do?
Her wallet was stuffed: ID, cards, membership passes.
All Yoo Hajoon's.
People might lend cards or passes, but not a whole wallet with ID.
Conclusion: stolen lost wallet.
That's what the staffer would think. Probably already did.
No words came.
The staffer reached for her radio.
"Please wait a sec. Need to run a check..."
Static crackled from the radio. As she started to speak—
"Hold on."
Ian stepped forward.
Pulled off her mask.
Removed her sunglasses.
The staffer's hand froze over the radio.
Black hair cascaded down. Sharp jawline, striking features. That face, lit countless times by cameras, now under Everland's fluorescent lights.
The staffer gasped.
"...Seo Ian? Actress Seo Ian?"
Ian smiled. Bright, natural. The expression honed for eighteen years in front of lenses.
"Hi. The card's my manager's. Can I pay with mine instead?"
"Oh, yesyes! Of course!"
The staffer's attitude flipped 180 degrees. She released the radio, handed Harin's card back.
"Sorry! Didn't mean to suspect you..."
"No, it's fine. Just procedure."
Ian pulled out her own card, paid for two admission tickets. The staffer bowed repeatedly, handing them over.
Harin watched from the side.
Seo Ian?
The staffer had named her instantly upon unmasking. Proof of why she'd gone full disguise.
...She's a celebrity.
Now the puzzle clicked.
Cautious about offline meets, armed with mask and shades. All because she was famous.
Ian turned back with the two tickets.
"Let's go."
Bright voice. Like nothing happened.
Harin took her ticket, glanced at Ian's face. She was masking up again. Sunglasses on. Hat too.
For my sake.
They passed through the gate.
Inside the park.
Ian's steps slowed.
Once away from the gate and weaving through the crowd, her vibe shifted. Hard to believe it was the same person who'd smiled brightly at the staffer.
No eyes visible behind the shades, but her expression wasn't cheerful anymore—that much was clear.
Harin sensed the change as they walked side by side.
She's pissed.
Angry, tired, annoyed—couldn't pinpoint it. But the gate fiasco clearly wasn't a light matter for her.
Harin stopped walking.
"Ian."
"...Yeah?"
Ian turned.
"Sorry."
"For what?"
"The pass mess, and the card trouble—my fault. Who knows what would've happened without you."
Ian stared at Harin from behind her sunglasses.
"And you... showing your face to the staffer."
Harin chose her words carefully.
"You wear the mask and shades for a reason. Didn't wanna be recognized. But because of me..."
"Harina."
Ian cut in.
Harin fell silent.
Ian lowered her sunglasses slightly. Her eyes showed—dark irises fixed straight on Harin.
"It's fine."
"...It's not."
"It is. Really."
Ian smiled. Softly.
"You were in a bind. Staffer was about to radio in. Couldn't just stand there."
"..."
"Getting recognized sucks for me, honestly. But your trouble versus that? No contest."
Ian lifted her sunglasses back up.
"You'd do the same for me if the tables turned."
She asked like confirming.
Harin nodded.
"Obviously."
"Yeah. Knew it."
Ian started walking again.
"So don't apologize. No regrets here."
Harin watched her back a moment, then caught up.
...What a good person.
She meant it.
Ian murmured softly from behind her mask.
"Harina."
"Yeah?"
"But."
Her steps slowed.
"Who the hell is Yoo Hajoon?"
"Huh?"
"...Who is Yoo Hajoon?"
Ian's expression felt strangely ominous.