Chapter 147: Promise with the Stars

Eunseo looked up at me with wide eyes. Her mouth was open, and she was speechless.

Just a stunned expression.

But soon, her wide eyes filled with recognition instead of blankness, and a bright, sunny smile spread across her face.

At that moment,

It felt like the reason I was standing there was fully explained.

“You came! Elf Unni!”

Eunseo said, hugging me as if she was about to headbutt me.

I bent down and hugged her back.

“Eunseo, that’s a secret…”

“Ah! Sorry! I forgot!”

Eunseo gasped, covering her mouth with both hands.

The emcee spoke with a chuckle, looking at us,

“What a heartwarming scene. Some of you might be surprised by what you just saw.”

The emcee nodded slightly and turned towards the center of the stage.

“The person standing on stage right now is someone special we cautiously requested to invite. The adult who Eunseo opened her heart to and relied on for the first time outside the hospital is the person standing here on stage with her right now.”

Actually, the organizers hadn’t invited me. My parents had accepted my suggestion to surprise Eunseo, and the organizers had approved it. But it might be better to phrase it like this, considering the atmosphere.

“Eunseo opened her heart, calling her ‘unni,’ and although it was a short time, that encounter became a special, lasting memory for the child. And so, we’ve prepared this moment, hoping to share the experience of children who have battled illness, and their families who walked alongside them, ‘drawing strength from each other.’”

I made eye contact with the families in the audience, still holding Eunseo’s hand tightly.

“And now, on this stage, ‘unni’ will share the feelings she wanted to convey to Eunseo and all of you… through a song. By the way, Mr. Song Gihwan said she sings better than him. Let’s see if that’s true, or if Mr. Song Gihwan tends to exaggerate.”

Finishing his words, the emcee winked at me from an angle where the audience couldn’t see.

Since we had rehearsed, the emcee had heard me sing. He had a very surprised expression then.

Arriving early to plan the flow, singing the song, and waiting in a separate room until the right moment – none of it was inconvenient.

I was used to the dress, as it wasn’t my first time wearing one.

The most awkward thing was the full makeup.

I had never worn makeup, even in the other world. Even when attending the ball, no one forced me to wear makeup.

And after coming here… well, I gave up on makeup even for the Blooming Core audition. And I hadn’t practiced since.

So, experiencing full makeup for the first time… it felt less like wearing makeup and more like having something ‘placed’ on my face.

My eyebrows were the same shape, but more defined. Grayish shadows softly smudged below my eyes, giving them a haughty look.

My lips were dark and red, like blood. An artificial vitality, distinctly different from my natural complexion.

My cheeks, tinged with light pink, felt as though they had been slapped.

Not in a bad way. The extent of skin color change due to impact varied among elves. In my case, since it was less noticeable, I had wondered if getting slapped would be enough.

…I had such useless thoughts because I wasn’t used to my appearance.

But I was definitely beautiful. I couldn’t deny that. It was one of the best versions of myself I had seen in the mirror.

And this moment with Eunseo made the effort worthwhile. I definitely felt that way as I stood on stage.

Eunseo’s dad was sitting at the piano, preparing the accompaniment. I walked to the center of the stage and held the microphone.

The song I was going to sing was “Breath,” which was once a famous drama OST.

Since I had to appeal to the general public, I didn’t consider songs from the other world.

Since there were children present, I also considered children’s songs or cartoon theme songs. But I ultimately chose “Breath” because I thought the lyrics were more fitting.

It was a song about quietly enduring pain that seemed to have no end, but through the symbol of a ‘star,’ shifting the focus to a small but definite hope.

Of course, the children might not understand the meaning of the lyrics. So I had to convey that meaning instead.

Eunseo’s dad began the gentle piano accompaniment.

As if speaking to someone, I quietly began the first verse.

That it’s okay, that it’s all over…
I call out to the me of a certain day who wanted to believe that.

It might have been a difficult sentence for children to understand.

But there was something conveyed beyond the sound. I knew that emotions could spread faster and more accurately than words.

I gradually put more power into my voice. But it wasn’t a rushed transition to high notes; it was a process of imbuing each note with emotion and tremor.

Before the wounds could even heal,
I realized that it could hurt even more.

As soon as the lyrics ended, a quiet sniffle could be heard from somewhere in the audience.

A very short, faint sound, trying to suppress tears.
It could have been a child, or an adult.

It was the early part of the song, where it was difficult to fully immerse oneself.

But there were people who were moved to tears by the emotions contained in these short lyrics.

I briefly looked away from the audience. Eunseo was quietly looking up at me.

Her small eyes were sparkling, as if she understood something, and yet, as if she didn’t know everything yet.

As I entered the second verse, the emotions soared even higher.
My breath trembled faintly, and my voice rose, very delicately.

And then came the climax.

I repeat the forgotten promise with the stars.
The promise that they would give me light too.
The warm breath that mingled with mine.

It was a high note. But I controlled it, so it wouldn’t explode. Just enough for the listeners to be enveloped, not overwhelmed.

The piano gradually faded.

The melody became almost inaudible, and I quietly delivered the final lyrics, as I had in the beginning.

…Today too, I wait for that tomorrow.

Silence fell over the audience.
Or rather, it was a time for unresolved emotions to flow quietly.

In the midst of that silence, someone sitting near the front of the stage stood up very quietly.

They didn’t say anything or make a sound.

Just slowly bringing their hands together in front of their chest,
they softly clapped once, twice.

The person next to them followed, and then the person next to them also stood up.

Those who couldn’t stand up clapped from their seats.

Each clap felt like a light flowing towards me.

Standing before many people was similar to giving a speech as a hero, and the attire and setting were similar to the ballroom.

But this emotion was something I was experiencing for the first time here.

On the way home in Eunseo’s dad’s car.

“Eunseo must have fallen asleep.”

Eunseo’s mom asked from the front seat. I wiped some drool from Eunseo’s mouth and replied,

“Yes. She’s sleeping soundly.”

“She must have been tired. She woke up early to get ready…”

“Still, it will be an unforgettable memory for Eunseo. Thank you so much, Choeun.”

Those were Eunseo’s dad’s words from behind the wheel.

“No, thank you. Thanks to Eunseo, it was a very special day for me too.”

“I always feel that you speak so thoughtfully, unlike someone your age, Choeun.”

Eunseo’s mom immediately retorted,

“Honey, that’s not a compliment. It sounds like you’re saying she seems old.”

“Oh dear, I didn’t mean it like that. Please don’t misunderstand.”

Eunseo’s dad hurriedly looked back through the rearview mirror.

“Yes, I know.”

Since Eunseo fell asleep early, we chatted on the way.

“By the way, did you know? My one and only hit song re-entered the charts after decades. Of course, at the very bottom… but it’s thanks to you singing it on your stream, Choeun.”

“I should be the one thanking you. You introduced my song on your radio show.”

“Oh, that’s thanks to our guest, Yoon Chaedam. I don’t have that kind of influence.”

Eunseo’s mom nodded from the side.

“That’s true.”

“No, well… it is true… but for you to agree so readily…”

Eunseo’s dad muttered.

“What are you going to do with more influence? It’s time for juniors like Choeun to step forward. You’re still the best dad to Eunseo.”

“And to Jian?”

“Yes. To Jian too.”

Jian was the name of Eunseo’s younger sibling, who they had left with someone else today.

It seemed Song Gihwan needed that confirmation to be satisfied.

It must be because of that side of him that Eunseo’s mom was so comfortable with him despite the age difference. I chuckled.

After spending such a memorable night,

I returned to my daily life.

Of course, my feelings towards Eunseo had definitely changed after that night.

But I wouldn’t express it outwardly or put it into words.

My goal was to simply cherish those feelings quietly and continue with my work, remaining a good unni, a good friend.

Receiving a call from my manager on Monday morning was, how should I put it, like a signal of returning to that daily life.

“An Origin Rift tournament… invitation?”