Chapter 5: Memories Across Time (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 5: Memories Across Time (1)
To run into the person he had been waiting so desperately to hear from in his own home, of all places.
Jang Hyun-soo was so startled that he practically collapsed where he stood.
Even in his dazed state, he stared at Lee Yu-jin as if possessed.
Wow, I knew it.
As time had passed, he’d grown increasingly afraid that his memory of Lee Yu-jin had been filtered through rose-tinted glasses.
Fortunately, that wasn't the case.
She’s just a different species altogether.
Her visual—the kind that didn't just bewitch people but utterly overwhelmed them—was still superior.
She was dressed casually in sweatpants and a crewneck tee, but the simple clothes couldn't hide her beauty in the slightest.
At this moment, Jang Hyun-soo should have been wondering why Lee Yu-jin was in his house. Instead, his mind was racing, desperately trying to figure out which of the many persuasive lines he’d prepared for her casting he should lead with.
"Are you Ji-hye’s father, by any chance?"
"Pardon?"
Why was his daughter’s name coming up?
Jang Hyun-soo, who had been busy picking out his casting pitch, felt his brain freeze.
Lee Yu-jin’s eyes darted around awkwardly, but even that look was so captivating he wanted to capture it on camera.
Finally, Lee Yu-jin gave a slight bow.
"Hello. I’m Lee Yu-jin, Ji-hye’s classmate."
"Uh... what? Whose friend?"
His brain suffered a momentary buffering error.
"Ji-hye’s friend. We’re in the same class."
"So... you’re in the same class as our Ji-hye?"
"Yes."
"Then... you’re a high school freshman?"
"Yes, that’s right."
"..."
While Jang Hyun-soo stood there blinking at this unimaginable turn of events...
"Huh? Dad? What are you doing home at this hour?"
His daughter, Jang Ji-hye, stepped out of the living room bathroom.
Jang Hyun-soo looked back and forth between his daughter and her friend with vacant eyes before finally speaking.
"Why must I be tested like this?"
*
Jang Hyun-soo kept stealing glances at Lee Yu-jin, who was sitting next to his daughter on the left side of the sofa.
I want to do a camera test. I want to do a camera test. I want to do a camera test...
If he let this impulse out, his daughter’s friend might run away.
He hid the demon in his mind behind a desperate smile.
"So, you’re here for a group project?"
"Yes, that’s right."
"Dad, I told you she’s my friend. Why are you talking like that?"
When his daughter spoke up in disapproval, his gaze naturally shifted toward her.
The moment Lee Yu-jin and his daughter’s faces entered his field of vision simultaneously, Jang Hyun-soo felt an inexplicable sense of frustration.
"Ji-hye, could you come sit by Dad for a second?"
"Why all of a sudden?"
"Oh, you know... I just realized it’s been a while since I’ve hugged my beautiful daughter."
"Ugh, what are you talking about? You’re embarrassing me in front of my friend."
Jang Ji-hye jumped back like a startled hamster, looking as if she’d just been struck by a bolt of cringe.
It was an expression of fatherly love delivered with tears in his eyes because his beloved daughter looked so plain next to Lee Yu-jin, but his efforts were in vain.
Ultimately, Jang Hyun-soo desperately forced his daughter’s face out of his line of sight.
It really is a perfect face. How can someone be so flawless?
Unlike during the street casting, Jang Hyun-soo was now able to observe Lee Yu-jin calmly.
Her overwhelming beauty, which defied description, remained unchanged.
But in this moment, Jang Hyun-soo captured another facet of her charm.
Last time, I really thought she was in her twenties, but now that I’m looking at her knowing she’s a teenager, she actually looks like one.
When he thought she was in her twenties, he’d felt the freshness of youth combined with the allure of a mature woman.
But knowing she was a teenager, the girlish image appropriate for her age became vivid.
A subject that radiates different charms depending on the eyes of the beholder.
He felt a maddening craving for a camera.
To hide those feelings, he deliberately steered the conversation toward something mundane.
"So your group project is about traditional history?"
"Yes. We’re thinking of using the Panokseon from the Imjin War as a sub-topic."
Jang Hyun-soo’s eyes widened.
"Oh? Why the Panokseon of all things?"
"Dad, I told you to stop talking like that! It’s giving me the creeps. She’s my friend!"
"Just... because it’s cool?"
"Cool?"
"I saw a battle on the deck of a Panokseon once a long time ago. It left a strong impression on me."
"Ah, well, there’s plenty of video content for that. Dramas, movies, you name it."
"Dad? Seriously, what is wrong with your voice?"
Ignoring his daughter’s nagging, Jang Hyun-soo’s brain cells worked overtime.
How do I win her over?
Lee Yu-jin was consciously feigning ignorance about the previous street casting.
It was likely because his daughter was present.
Creation is a flower that takes root and blooms upon total destruction.
He made up his mind.
He would thoroughly shatter the framework of 'daughter’s friend' and 'friend’s father.'
"Did you know? I’ve been waiting so long for you to contact me, Yu-jin."
"Dad? What are you talking about? You know Yu-jin?"
Lee Yu-jin glanced at Jang Ji-hye with a troubled expression.
His daughter looked back and forth between Jang Hyun-soo and Lee Yu-jin with a confused face.
"About two weeks ago? I happened to run into Yu-jin on the street. I offered to cast her for the drama I’m working on right now."
"Is... is that true?"
A sense of betrayal washed over Jang Ji-hye’s face.
He’d ignored her whenever she begged for even a minor role.
"Before she was your friend, Yu-jin was an actress I wanted to put in front of a camera. How could I treat her casually? That wouldn't be the attitude of a professional."
"Dad..."
Jang Ji-hye looked between the two with a complicated expression before dropping her gaze.
This was the first time she had encountered her father’s side as a PD.
I’m so jealous...
Meanwhile, Lee Yu-jin’s eyes darted around slightly in discomfort.
Even that minor reaction looked so beautiful to Jang Ji-hye that she couldn't even bring herself to be envious.
"Ji-hye’s father, you never actually offered me a role. You just gave me your business card."
"Ah, what else does it mean when a PD gives you their card and asks you to call? It means I want you in my work."
"I appreciate the offer, but I’ve never once thought about entering the entertainment industry."
"That can't be true. With those visuals, you must have been scouted since you were a child."
"That’s true. But I don't really like people staring at my face."
"What? Why? If I were born with that face, the joy of looking in the mirror and enjoying people’s stares would make twenty-four hours feel as short as twenty-four minutes."
"If you actually lived with my face, you wouldn't say that."
"I’m certain I would! I’d enjoy a legendary career as an actor-slash-PD! Every single day would be a total dopamine rush!"
"..."
Lee Yu-jin fell silent, looking at him as if he were absurd.
Jang Ji-hye grumbled in disapproval.
"Dad, we have work to do, so just go. Stop bothering Yu-jin."
"When was I bothering her? I’m just making a polite casting offer. She really is perfect for my drama."
"It’s cringey when you call my friend 'Ms. Yu-jin,' so please just take what you need and go. Yu-jin, let’s go."
Jang Ji-hye took Lee Yu-jin’s hand and stood up.
Jang Hyun-soo reached out with a desperate look, but his daughter and her friend didn't give him another glance.
*
While gathering items from his display room to use as production references, Jang Hyun-soo was deep in thought.
How do I win her over?
It was a first.
The first time he’d wanted to put someone in front of a camera purely for their face, without even considering their acting ability.
What does acting ability matter? That face is acting ability itself.
Even if her acting was a total disaster, it wouldn't matter.
He could just shove her into a suitable role and let her soak up experience.
If she stood in front of a camera for one, three, or five years, her acting would eventually improve.
And even if her growth stalled, it would be fine.
Her face would fill in the gaps on its own.
For an actor like that, their face is their talent.
Having gathered everything, Jang Hyun-soo smirked.
God is on my side. I thought I’d never see her again, but she’s Ji-hye’s classmate.
He mentally showered his past self with praise for winning the battle against his daughter when she’d cried and begged to be sent to an arts high school.
Carefully heading back up to the first floor, Jang Hyun-soo stole a glance at Lee Yu-jin and Jang Ji-hye, who were sitting side-by-side at the terrace table with a laptop.
Her pale face, reflecting the sunlight, was truly dazzling.
Is she mixed? How is her skin like that?
An actress who looked like a teenager if you thought she was one, and a woman in her twenties if you thought she was one.
Now that he considered the possibility of her being mixed-race, that image seemed to settle naturally around her as well.
The more he looked, the more mysterious her mask became.
Jang Hyun-soo drifted toward the terrace.
Jang Ji-hye bristled like a cat with its tail up.
"Dad? We’re busy, so don't disturb us."
"No, no, I just wanted to see if there was anything I could help with. Yu-jin, do you need any help?"
"Thank you, but I’m fine."
"I may not look it, but I’m a specialist in historical dramas. Since your topic is the Panokseon, I thought I might be of some use..."
"You were a historical drama specialist? Not a rom-com fantasy specialist?"
When his daughter’s eyes went wide, Jang Hyun-soo felt like he’d been stabbed in the heart.
"To ask your father if he’s a historical drama specialist... Ji-hye, what on earth do you think of the dramas I’ve made?"
"I thought they were all rom-com fantasies."
"They are strictly historical dramas! They might be set in a fictional era rather than actual history, but these days, they’re all categorized as historical dramas!"
Jang Hyun-soo placed his basket on the table and began laying out the items inside.
To impress Lee Yu-jin, he’d grabbed a bunch of things beyond what he actually needed.
A model of a Turtle Ship, a model of a Panokseon, a model of a hopae, a short dagger, an old hwando...
Lee Yu-jin showed interest.
"What are all these?"
"They’re from my collection. My hobby is collecting antiques. I even have a display room in the basement. I just went down to grab some things that might be useful as references for drama props."
"Are these all real?"
"Some are real, some are models. And just because something is an antique doesn't mean it’s automatically expensive. I’m not collecting them to build a secret fortune; it’s strictly a hobby and for drama research..."
Excited, Jang Hyun-soo began explaining each item one by one.
"This is a model of a Turtle Ship, accurately scaled down based on restoration data."
"Oh, but they didn't actually look like this."
"Haha, well, the actual form of the Turtle Ship is still a subject of much debate among scholars. Now, this is a Panokseon."
"This one is quite accurate."
"That’s right. There’s a lot more data on the Panokseon. Most Japanese ships at the time had thin hulls and a single deck, so they were easily overwhelmed by the double-decked structure of the Panokseon—"
It worked! She was interested!
Thrilled, Jang Hyun-soo continued to pique Lee Yu-jin’s interest by showing off his collection.
Suddenly, his hand brushed against an old hairpin, and he paused, confused.
Huh? Why did I grab this?
It was an ordinary antique of unknown origin, other than the fact that it was from the Joseon Dynasty.
It was somewhat precious as it had been passed down from his great-grandfather to his grandfather and then to his father, but he couldn't understand why he’d felt compelled to pick it up.
"Wait a moment. Where did you get this?"
In that instant, Jang Hyun-soo saw it.
He saw Lee Yu-jin’s long, slender eyelashes tremble.
*
There was no mistake.
It was old and faded, but it was undoubtedly the object from my memories.
Eonnyeoni...
The token of a precious bond that Eonnyeoni had given me before she fled, praying for my safe return.
It was a treasure I had never let leave my side, whether I was sleeping or fighting.