Chapter 49
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 49
After finishing her schedule for the day, Hae-young visited a small theater in Daehak-ro. She was there at the invitation of Kim Myeong-hak, an actor with whom she was quite close. Even now, well past seventy, Kim Myeong-hak poured his passion into his craft across both stage and screen, serving as a true role model for younger actors.
Exceptionally amiable and sharp-witted, Hae-young often kept busy long after her official work was done. She cherished the connections she made, even those that began professionally, and always made an effort to attend any event she was invited to.
People deeply appreciated her thoughtfulness; if she absolutely couldn't make it, she would at least send a flower basket.
"Hello, Yu-seong. It's been a while, hasn't it?"
After meeting with Kim Myeong-hak to give him his flowers and chat, Hae-young stopped by another waiting room before the play began. The actor, Yu-seong, who had just finished his makeup and was reviewing his script, saw Hae-young’s reflection in the mirror and shot to his feet.
"Oh, Director! Hello!"
"How have you been? Congratulations on the new show. Mr. Kim has been singing your praises so much that my expectations are quite high."
As Hae-young spoke warmly, a smile on her face, Yu-seong looked sheepish. Having spent years honing his craft in Daehak-ro, he had seen Hae-young at various performances over the years. They weren't close; they had simply become acquainted through brief greetings whenever she came to visit other actors, just like today.
"Is this for me?"
Yu-seong's eyes widened when Hae-young handed him a bouquet. Inside, wrapped in blue paper and tied with a peach ribbon, pale pink Pasta Gerberas were elegantly arranged.
He accepted it in a daze as he asked the question, and Hae-young nodded with a smile.
"I picked it up while getting Mr. Kim's. I wanted to congratulate you too, Yu-seong."
"Wow, thank you. I... I really wasn't expecting this."
"I'm planning to have dinner with Mr. Kim sometime soon. You should join us, Yu-seong. I'd be so grateful if you could bring him along."
"Ah... Director, seriously... wow..."
At Hae-young's words, Yu-seong let out a soft sound of awe. To him, an actor who drifted from one small theater to another without a single notable work to his name, Director Jin Hae-young was a colossal figure in the industry.
He had grown accustomed to a life of being overlooked, so the fact that someone like her was paying attention to him was a deeply moving gesture he would never forget. To receive congratulations from Director Jin Hae-young herself—this was a moment worthy of his life's highlight reel, one he would cherish forever.
"Thank you for always looking out for me. I hope I can become successful enough one day to officially ask you to be my stylist."
"Your style is already great. Honestly, I don't think there's much for me to touch up," Hae-young said with another smile.
Yu-seong glanced at the flowers, then looked around the room. Ah, I shouldn't just stand here. I need to offer her something.
"Have you had coffee, Director?"
"Oh, if you have some, I'd love a cup. I'm feeling a bit drained."
"I have some I brewed at home, if you don't mind. Coffee prices have shot up so much lately that I just brew my own and bring it in a thermos."
"That sounds wonderful. Handmade by Yu-seong? Even better."
Watching Yu-seong bustle about to get out his thermos, Hae-young raised an eyebrow. The cramped waiting room was cluttered with belongings, and the life of a theater actor who carried his own coffee to save a few dollars felt as constricted as the room itself.
Although Hae-young rubbed shoulders with the most prominent stars in the business, she never minded spending time like this with unknown actors who poured their hearts out on small stages.
"Oh, by the way, you're working with Eun-seong this time, right?"
Hmm? Hae-young turned her head. Yu-seong, who was searching for a paper cup, added that he had seen the articles.
"Eun-seong and I were classmates in the Department of Theater and Film."
"Ah... Oh, really? Yes, we're filming a movie together now."
"Is Eun-seong doing well?"
"He is. Well, I don't know all the details, but there haven't been any problems, so I assume so."
Having found a paper cup, Yu-seong opened the thermos. The space was so small that the rich aroma of coffee beans quickly filled the air.
"He seemed busy enough conquering Hollywood, so we were all surprised when he decided to shoot a film back home. All our old classmates were shocked."
"I take it you and Eun-seong don't keep in touch?"
"No. We used to, a little, back in the day. But once he blew up and became a world-class star, it felt awkward to reach out first. You need to be on somewhat equal footing to meet up for a drink and a chat, but we're in completely different worlds now."
"Yes, I understand completely."
Yu-seong handed her the filled paper cup, and Hae-young accepted it with a word of thanks. He poured a little coffee into the thermos lid for himself, took a sip, and continued.
"Still, it's nice having a classmate who made it that big. It's pretty cool, too."
"I'll pass along your regards."
"No, he probably won't even remember me. Or maybe he will? We were actually pretty close in college."
Hae-young took a sip of her coffee, lost in thought for a moment.
'Eun-seong. That person you said you remembered when you saw the marshmallow. When did you meet her?'
'A long time ago. Back in college.'
College.
"Um, Yu-seong."
"Yes?"
"Was Eun-seong that handsome back in college, too?"
Yu-seong laughed, perhaps finding her question a bit random.
"He was gorgeous. He stood out even in the Department of Theater and Film, where all the good-looking people gathered."
"Then the plastic surgery rumors must be false?"
"Yeah, anyone who knew him back then knows that. If you compare his face now to his college days, he looks exactly the same. Please help squash those rumors for us, Director."
"He must have been very popular. Did he have a girlfriend?"
When Hae-young asked about a girlfriend, Yu-seong hesitated. Reading the room, Hae-young quickly waved a hand.
"It's just that the other day, Eun-seong mentioned he was reminded of a college girlfriend he used to roast marshmallows with."
"Ah. He must have been talking about Yeon-ju."
...Hae-young swallowed her coffee slowly.
"Well, yeah. He had one. A girlfriend he dated before he suddenly made it big. I think they broke up right around the time he became successful."
"Ah... I see. That's usually how it goes."
"Exactly. His girlfriend sacrificed a lot for him. She completely disappeared because of Eun-seong. Even dropped out of school. I wonder how she's doing now. I hope she's living well."
"..."
"Ah, it's an old story. We were just in college. It was all just playing house, like a fairy tale."
As Yu-seong shook off the nostalgic mood, Hae-young set down her empty paper cup.
"Indeed. Playing house. A fairy tale."
It wasn't playing house.
And it certainly wasn't a fairy tale.
"I think I've taken up too much of your time. I'll go wait in the audience, Yu-seong."
"Thank you so much for the flowers, Director."
"Of course. And thank you for the coffee."
Hae-young stood up hurriedly. She didn't want him to see her trembling fingertips.
* * *
It was a reunion after ten long years. No, to be precise, eleven.
In this moment, which seemed to hold the very same hot, sweet air of that tiny college studio apartment, Eun-seong found it impossible to stop.
When his lips touched the inside of her thighs, her back twisted and arched. Whenever her moans, unable to contain the dizzying sensation, brushed against his ears, he would capture her mouth with his, as if to drink the very sound, refusing to let go.
He kissed her relentlessly, his hands cradling her soft back. Feeling her senses scatter, Yeon-ju's expression crumbled. Wanting to claim her completely, he moved his hips more roughly between her tangled legs.
If only he could fill the void between them. If only he could erase the years they had spent apart.
But they both knew all too well that they couldn't.
He was already terrified that this desperate struggle to get closer would ultimately mean nothing.
With every deep thrust, her body moved with his in perfect rhythm. Fever flowers bloomed wherever his lips touched, feeling as though they would never fade. She wished he would swallow her whole, burn her to ash—for a brief moment, she wanted every part of her to become his.
As the stimulation intensified, her moans grew louder. She clung to his back, writhing in passion, unable to control her own body as she surrendered completely to his touch. This was not the clumsy, shallow coupling of their youth, driven by raw desire and ignorance, but a dance of perfect explosion and restraint.
As his gaze, blurred with heat, drifted down, Yeon-ju forced her heavy eyelids open to look at him. Her legs, slick with sweat, had lost all strength, and she gasped for air, unable to support herself.
Looking down at her quietly, Eun-seong brushed her hair from her face. It was the same gentle gaze he had given her all those years ago, and a strange, overwhelming emotion surged through her.
"It feels like time has turned back."
"..."
"I'm not the only one who feels this way, right?"
A time when "I love you" was as natural as breathing, when the word "marriage" would spring to mind just from locking eyes—the vivid memory of that time returned to them in breathtaking detail.
Once the friction of skin on skin ceased, silence fell between them. It was a silence so profound that their ragged breathing sounded loud in the stillness, but there was no awkwardness. They didn't want to return to reality just yet, and they dreaded the thought of the future even more.
"What have you been eating to stay exactly the same? Not a single thing has changed."
No trace of time could be found on her face, which was still just as sweet and smooth. As Eun-seong pressed his lips to her chest, as if to soothe the lingering afterglow, he shifted onto his side. Yeon-ju turned to face him.
Pulling the blanket over her bare shoulders, Eun-seong smiled warmly. He still looked as if he couldn't quite believe this was real.
"Can't you stay? I don't want to let you go."
"I have to go. I can't stay out all night."
"Ah. Right. You have to go. Yes, you should."
Holding her again—the woman he had yearned for even in his dreams—Eun-seong felt as if he possessed the entire world. It was that kind of moment. Had he known the depths of her suffering before she came to him, he might have been a little less happy.
Looking at his face, now free of worry, Yeon-ju smiled faintly. She held his gaze, wanting to cherish his peaceful expression for as long as she could.
"Even if you have to go, just stay a little longer. I won't hold you for long."
"Just a little, then. I'll stay just a little longer."
We could be the past, or we could be the present.
But one thing is certain—
We are not the future.
"I wish time would stop like this," he whispered. "Even if just for a moment."
"..."
"Even if just for a moment, I wish it would."
To know there was an end. To know she wouldn't stay.
For that, at least, she was grateful.