That's Mine
Even as Yu Gaeul flailed her hands desperately, even when she dug her nails in and scratched with all her might, the hand choking her neck refused to loosen. Her father had completely lost his mind, consumed by alcohol and a festering sense of inferiority.
After being unable to breathe for so long, Gaeul moved past the pain into a strange, floating sensation in her head. She knew it instinctively. The limit was close.
In her fading consciousness, Gaeul thought, …Would Taeyang oppa be sad?
Thud!
At that moment, a heavy impact sounded and the strength drained from her father’s hand.
“…Haaak. Hak.”
Freed from his grip, Gaeul collapsed forward and gasped for air. Oxygen flooded her lungs, and it felt as if the blood that had stalled in her veins began to flow again. Her blurred vision sharpened, her pupils returning to focus.
Only then did she truly see the horror before her.
Her father, Yu Daecheol, lay sprawled on the floor, blood pouring from his head. The spilled blood had splattered across the ground and stained Gaeul’s own hands. Yu Gahyeon stood nearby, chest heaving, still gripping the folded dining table. Blood dripped steadily from its corner.
It was utter ruin.
Gaeul couldn’t bear the sight. Her mind shut down, and she lost consciousness.
The lawyer hired by Two Bear Entertainment spoke to Gaeul in a measured tone.
“The victim’s condition is extremely critical, so this won’t be easy. Still, we’ll do everything we can to argue self-defense.”
The words barely registered. It wasn’t just now. Ever since the incident, Gaeul had been unable to pull her mind together even once. She had simply been swept along by time until she found herself here.
Even so, she forced herself to focus and asked, “…What will happen to Gahyeon?”
She desperately hoped her sister could avoid prison. The lawyer shook his head with clear regret.
“It doesn’t look good. Right now, the odds that the judges will view it favorably are very low.”
Fear gripped her. She had a terrible premonition that she would be separated from Gahyeon.
Soon after, the trial began.
The judge looked down at Gahyeon and asked, “Do you reflect on your crime?”
“…”
After a brief silence, Gahyeon answered with a resolute expression. “I do not reflect.”
The lawyer let out a heavy sigh. Even without explanation, Gaeul understood perfectly. Those words would only hurt Gahyeon’s case.
Yet Gahyeon continued, as if such consequences meant nothing to her. “Even if the same situation happened again, I would do exactly the same thing.”
“…Gahyeon.”
Gaeul understood. That was simply who her sister was. The stubbornness and rigid sense of justice that didn’t match her age defined Gahyeon’s character. Gaeul had always cherished that part of her.
Still, she wished her sister would lower her head, just this once.
“…I’m sorry, sis.”
The verdict came down. Gahyeon was sent to a juvenile detention center. Gaeul couldn’t stop it. After being struck in the head, her father still hadn’t regained consciousness.
The family she had fought so hard to protect had crumbled far too easily, in the blink of an eye.
Gaeul walked without direction. She didn’t know where she was going; she simply kept moving. Only after entering a building and stepping into an elevator did she realize this was the hospital where her father had been admitted.
Even after realizing, she continued with heavy steps. She knew the only thing waiting for her was an unconscious man, yet she still went.
She walked down the wide corridor and turned into the smaller hallway lined with private rooms. There, she found Seon Taeyang slumped against the wall outside one of the doors, exhaustion written across his face.
“…Taeyang oppa?”
“…Gaeul!”
Taeyang’s face brightened as he quickly stood. His usually crisp suit and shirt were drenched in sweat, as if he had been running for hours. His neatly styled pomade hair had fallen into disarray, bangs spilling across his forehead.
“Are you okay? I was worried when you wouldn’t answer your phone.”
He must have searched everywhere for her, running until he looked like this. To Gaeul, Seon Taeyang shone unbearably bright. That light was too brilliant. Far too much for someone as broken and filthy as her.
She was certain. Taeyang was too precious to be tied to someone like her. So she spoke the thought that rose instantly in her mind.
“…Team Leader Seon. I’m sorry. I don’t think I can become an idol.”
Taeyang oppa… Is there anything else I can do that won’t burden him? …That’s right. The contract fee. There’s the contract fee.
“I’ll pay back every cent, no matter how long it takes.”
She resolved to repay the money even if it meant working four part-time jobs a day again. Taeyang looked at her with clear, unwavering eyes, as if money was the last thing on his mind.
“Is there anything I can do to change your heart?”
His voice, his gaze, they were so warm.
“I want you to become an idol, Gaeul.”
Tears surged up, threatening to spill over. Yet she forced them down and spoke.
“It seems difficult. This is simply a problem with my own emotions.”
It was the truth. After the incident, Gaeul found she could no longer sing.
“The thought of smiling and singing in front of others feels repulsive now. My hands shake and my head spins. Quite badly.”
Even as she spoke, Gaeul’s hands were trembling. Taeyang gently stroked her hair, his touch careful.
“…I see. Then it can’t be helped. If you ever need me, just say the word.”
With those words, Seon Taeyang left. Alone in the hospital corridor, Gaeul finally released the tears she had been holding back. She whispered the words she had wanted to say.
“…Be happy, Taeyang oppa.”
After that, she never called for him. Not once.
A year passed.
Gaeul’s daily life had returned to what it was before she met Seon Taeyang. A hamster wheel of four part-time jobs a day, returning home only after midnight. She had grown numb so the life wouldn’t hurt, so she wouldn’t feel anything at all.
One year had been enough time to allow that numbness.
But it wasn’t as if there was no joy left in her life at all.
On her way home after finishing her shift, Gaeul watched AllTube on her cheap smartphone. The channel she watched most often these days was the one Two Bear Entertainment had created themselves. It was the only thing keeping her afloat after losing both Gahyeon and her father.
The videos showed the daily lives of the girl group Taeyang had debuted, their music videos, and original content. Watching them gave Gaeul a sense of vicarious fulfillment. Seeing Taeyang succeed even without her brought both happiness and relief.
She cheered for him. Sometimes she imagined herself among the members in those videos. Each time, she would shake her head fiercely, trying to erase the feeling.
That was a path she had already walked. A path she could never return to.
The four members in the videos were all talented and charming. Gaeul liked them. All except one.
“Team Leader Seon! I told you I wanted a vanilla latte! Why do you never remember what I say? Change it!”
That girl named Park Jinah never grew on her. The way she constantly snapped at Taeyang with such prickly irritation bothered Gaeul to no end. Taeyang didn’t deserve to be treated that way.
“Wait, didn’t you say banana latte? Want me to play the recording?”
“Eek… You’re seriously recording my voice now? That’s kind of creepy.”
“…It’s because you keep changing your order.”
If it had simply been because she disliked the person named Taeyang, Gaeul could have dismissed it as a lack of professionalism. But it wasn’t that.
Gaeul could tell. Park Jinah was using those reactions to draw Taeyang’s attention. The realization left a terrible taste in her mouth.
“Ugh, whatever! I’m drinking the vanilla latte!”
Park Jinah snatched a cup from off-camera and drank from it. Though it wasn’t shown, Gaeul was certain it was the drink Taeyang had been holding. She bit her nails without realizing, staring at the screen.
After the short skit ended, Park Jinah, acting as MC, began explaining the day’s content. It seemed today’s segment was about her singing a cover song. After listing the tracks, she cleared her throat and introduced the session.
“We’ve brought in a special guest for this cover. He’s not someone who deserves thunderous applause, so please welcome him with a modest round. It’s our very own Team Leader Seon!”
Seon Taeyang appeared on screen, looking slightly embarrassed as he greeted the camera before sitting at the piano. Taeyang at the piano two steps behind, Park Jinah holding the stand microphone, preparing to sing while MCing. The composition was painfully familiar.
The moment she saw it, Gaeul felt as if her breath had been cut off.
To the gentle sound of Seon Taeyang’s piano, Park Jinah began to sing. She glanced at him with a look of pure joy, her voice blooming.
An unbearable wave of nausea surged through Gaeul. Even though she had skipped both breakfast and lunch and had nothing in her stomach, she vomited.
A few passengers on the same subway car approached her.
“Student, are you okay?”
“Hold on. This girl is sweating buckets. I’ll call the station staff.”
Despite the concerned eyes around her, Gaeul’s gaze remained fixed on the smartphone screen. Within the building melody, Park Jinah and Seon Taeyang wore smiles they couldn’t hide, as if the moment was pure happiness.
Ah… Ah… That situation, that position, that spot beside him—
“That’s mine.”
It should have belonged to her.
“…Sob, it’s mine.”
Even if she couldn’t sing anymore, even if her body trembled at the mere thought of stepping on stage, even if she had been told she wasn’t needed, she should have stayed. She should have fought with everything she had, thrown tantrums if necessary. Gaeul would regret for the rest of her life that she hadn’t.
Only now, when it was far too late, had she finally realized her own true heart.
Possibility Memory usage has been completed!