episode_0089

As the sun shone brightly,

In the karaoke room where Seo Yisoo’s heart was racing,

To be precise, the two hours spent there, which Seo Yisoo alone was excited about, were filled to the brim as calculated.

Most of the time was filled with Baek Soyun’s desperate singing, but even the awakened Baek Soyun couldn’t sing for two hours straight.

Therefore, Seo Yisoo ended up singing a few easy popular songs he had learned through streaming sites, humming along.

For Baek Soyun and Han Seonyul, who had very normal ears, it was truly a terrible and agonizing time.

And when that time came to an end,

Seo Yisoo tilted his head.

“Baek Soyun, Han Seonyul. It says 30 minutes free service on the TV? What does service mean?”

Could this be seen by the clueless manager?

Baek Soyun and Han Seonyul’s eyes were filled with despair.

Really…

No more.

They didn’t want it anymore.

Listening to Seo Yisoo’s singing any longer felt like their eardrums would burst.

“That’s right!”

Han Seonyul urgently shouted, covering the TV screen with his body.

“Ser-vice! Th-that means!”

Han Seonyul wasn’t a stupid person.

He desperately tried to think.

How to turn around the dreadful words ’30 minutes service.’

It didn’t come to him.

Sometimes, overwhelming despair can drive people to self-destruct.

That was the case for Han Seonyul.

He recalled the terrible and arduous suffering caused by Seo Yisoo and didn’t want to go through it again, but with his already shattered mental state, it didn’t seem good.

He started having those thoughts.

Self-destructing.

Han Seonyul chuckled.

And he began to reveal the forbidden truth to Seo Yisoo.

“Haha. So, Seo Yisoo. Service means, free…”

“Ugh!”

Baek Soyun shouted with a hoarse voice from singing for two hours.

She is an idol.

Singing is her profession.

She has heard countless songs.

Sometimes, there were songs that were so terrible that she couldn’t understand them on a popular emotional level.

So, Baek Soyun could keep her mental state intact better than Han Seonyul.

So, even in moments like this, she managed to keep her composure and desperately said,

“S-So… that means! Hurry up!”

“Hurry up?”

“Hurry up! It means to quickly get your stuff and leave smoothly within 30 minutes! It’s an abbreviation! You know 3-line poems, right? It’s a trend!”

“Out of the blue, 3-line poems….”

Han Seonyul felt so embarrassed just watching that absurd behavior that he covered his face.

Of course, that was a very normal reaction.

“Oh? Is that so? Is that what it means? 3-line poems. There are so many things on this earth that I don’t know.”

Seo Yisoo covered his mouth and laughed, saying he learned something new today.

Well…

If Seo Yisoo understood, then that’s fine.

The three of them quickly packed up and left the karaoke room.

And when they stepped outside,

“Oh, it’s already evening.”

It was completely dark outside.

Early February.

It must still be close to winter.

Because the days are still short.

That’s why evening was approaching already.

“Shall we call it a day then?”

Baek Soyun said it was getting late.

The three of them decided to head back to the filming set.

Seo Yisoo and Baek Soyun would go home with the managers.

Han Seonyul would drive the two actresses and then go to his personal schedule.

The three of them walked through the night streets towards the filming set.

…

It was a quiet night street.

The karaoke room they visited was located near the filming set in a residential area.

So, it was quiet and deserted around, making it peaceful.

The streetlights lined up along the road, casting light sparsely on the street.

In the middle of such a street, three people were walking.

With Seo Yisoo in the middle, Han Sunyul and Bae Soyun walked on either side, as if protecting her.

Walking with the two by her side.

“Hehe.”

Seo Yisoo laughed several times, as if the karaoke had been quite enjoyable.

Bae Soyun chuckled.

“Isu, was it that fun?”

“Yeah, yeah. Karaoke is really enjoyable. I hope we can come again next time.”

Next time…?

For a moment, the expressions of the other two stiffened, but they quickly brushed it off, pretending nothing had happened.

Anyway.

Wasn’t today supposed to be a time to lift Seo Yisoo’s spirits?

Even if the truth would be revealed later.

Until the end of today, they should try to preserve Seo Yisoo’s happy mood as much as possible.

In those moments when the two were considerate of Seo Yisoo.

Seo Yisoo, in those continuous happy moments.

“Han Sunyul, Bae Soyun. You know.”

Seo Yisoo hopped a few steps ahead, then turned back towards the two.

“Thank you so much.”

“Huh?”

“Thank you for bringing me to the karaoke. I’m really grateful.”

Seo Yisoo said with a bright smile.

At first, the other two simply smiled back at Seo Yisoo’s gratitude.

But then Seo Yisoo continued.

“Embarrassingly, today was my first time at a karaoke.”

“Yeah… was it?”

“Also, embarrassingly, this karaoke is not the only thing that’s new to me.”

…”

The world.

Still felt unfamiliar to Seo Yisoo.

Strange things could bring familiarity, mystery, and excitement, but sometimes they could also come cold and indifferent.

“Thank you for giving happy memories to the karaoke.”

Seo Yisoo.

Was grateful to the two for giving warm memories to the unfamiliar karaoke.

And,

Seo Yisoo.

“For me, the karaoke is a place where I can come with friends when I feel suffocated and stressed. Thank you for making it a place where I can relax.”

To a place that was originally meaningless.

She was grateful for being able to give it warm purpose and meaning.

“Thank you so, so much.”

With that feeling, Seo Yisoo smiled sincerely at the two.

A smile that shone like a star.

A fleeting smile like a flash of light.

“…”

“…”

Bae Soyun,

Han Sunyul also fell silent in front of Seo Yisoo.

At the same time, the two unknowingly thought.

‘What is she hiding inside.’

‘What can I do for her.’

Each of them murmured their thoughts silently.

But they couldn’t voice those thoughts.

Seo Yisoo.

“Indeed, that’s why, for me, memories of moments like this are the most precious.”

She had such a happy expression.

***

From the karaoke to the filming location was a short distance.

The three went their separate ways according to their schedules.

Seo Yisoo, with her manager, Shin Jihu, driving, headed home.

Seo Yisoo sat in the back seat.

She tried to sit in the front seat, but Shin Jihu said there was stuff there, so she couldn’t.

The two rode in the car like that towards Seo Yisoo’s villa.

When they arrived at Seo Yisoo’s one-room villa in the car.

“We’re here. Seo Yisoo. I’ll come pick you up again tomorrow morning. See you tomorrow.”

In the car.

Shin Jihu said to Seo Yisoo.

He didn’t look back.

Just sat in the driver’s seat, looking at the rearview mirror.

“…”

Seo Yisoo looked at Shin Jihu like that.

Since Shin Jihu didn’t look back, she could only see two things.

She saw Shin Jihu’s back.

And through the rearview mirror, she saw Shin Jihu’s eyes.

“Shin Jihu.”

Seo Yisoo said.

“Yeah… Seo Yisoo.”

“Talk to me while looking at me.”

Seo Yisoo asked him to speak while looking directly at her.

“…”

And Shin Ji-hoo fell silent.

Seo Ee-soo fixed her gaze sharply.

“Shin Ji-hoo. I may not know a lot, but I’m not a fool.”

“….”

“I know that something is off with you. Why are you acting like this?”

Seo Ee-soo looked at the mirror and said,

Because Shin Ji-hoo wouldn’t look at her directly.

Because she couldn’t meet his eyes.

Because there was nowhere else she could see his eyes.

But that place was too narrow.

So she focused and said,

And.

“Seo Ee-soo.”

Shin Ji-hoo bowed his head.

The pupils reflected in the mirror dimmed and disappeared downwards.

“I think I’m going to get promoted.”

“What?”

“Your popularity has been rising lately. Your schedule has increased. I think I can take off the road manager label now too.”

“….”

“I think I’ll get a new road. I’ll focus more on management.”

“….”

Seo Ee-soo didn’t know what a road manager was.

But, somehow, she felt like she understood what Shin Ji-hoo was trying to say from his context and the emotions he conveyed.

Shin Ji-hoo continued,

“I think this is the best answer for you to become a top star, Seo Ee-soo. I’m smart. I see the big picture. The new road manager will work hard. Like that.”

“….”

Even as Shin Ji-hoo spoke, Seo Ee-soo was only looking at the mirror.

In the empty mirror.

Shin Ji-hoo was looking at that mirror.

He was bowing his head, but.

A person can still glance sideways.

Pretending not to look.

While hiding the fact that he was staring at her.

Shin Ji-hoo looked at Seo Ee-soo.

‘Even in moments like this, she’s so beautiful.’

Seo Ee-soo was so beautiful that the words she wanted to say kept getting stuck.

Every time she wanted to say something, Shin Ji-hoo clenched his teeth.

Words she wanted to say had to come out when her emotions surged.

Words she had to say would come out no matter what.

Words she had to say.

Shin Ji-hoo thought that the words he was saying now were the right ones.

For Seo Ee-soo.

It felt like the right direction to guide her, like she was born to act.

He didn’t think his emotions were important in that direction. They were just the rest outside the core.

Shin Ji-hoo thought he knew the answer.

Because his mother had imprinted on him what the answer was for a shining life like hers.

By Hong Geun-sik, that imprinted answer had come to mind clearly again.

The answer.

For Seo Ee-soo, who should shine like his mother.

Shin Ji-hoo felt like he shouldn’t threaten Seo Ee-soo’s sparkle with anything outside the answer.

It felt like a significant sin to do that for Seo Ee-soo.

So.

With his head bowed.

But still looking at Seo Ee-soo on that subject.

He said,

“I hope you shine even brighter than you do now.”

Even as Shin Ji-hoo was caught up in that dilemma.

Seo Ee-soo remained.

Motionless.

Stoic.

Staring at the mirror.

With her lips pursed.

Her cute face.

Trying to look threatening, even though it wasn’t really intimidating.

As menacingly sharp as possible.

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

Seo Ee-soo said.

“Shin Ji-hoo.”

“Yes.”

“Is that what you want for me to become? The result….”

She was still focused on the moment.

Seo Ee-soo was a dragon living in the moment.

So only the moment mattered.

She didn’t know long and complicated things and didn’t want to think about them.

So, empty.

She stared at where the mirror reflected.

She did it as if she would remember that moment forever.

In that suffocating moment.

Seo Ee-soo said.

“Even if we end up parting ways, what will you say?”

Seo Ei-soo asked, as he did so.

He thought that this question and answer felt very familiar.

During the finale of .

Back then, Seo Ei-soo had asked Shin Ji-hoo the same question.

“Shin Ji-hoo. Is the way you treat me because you’re my manager?”

Hoping for a response like “No,” Shin Ji-hoo replied.

“Yeah.”

“Yeah,” he said.

But then, he added immediately.

“For now.”

“For now,” he said.

Seo Ei-soo.

Recalling that memory, he looked into the mirror where Shin Ji-hoo wasn’t visible.

And the invisible Shin Ji-hoo said.

“Yeah.”

“Yeah,” he said.

Seo Ei-soo continued to gaze into the mirror.

And.

Underneath the mirror where Seo Ei-soo couldn’t see.

Shin Ji-hoo kept biting his lips.

He looked tired.

He looked extremely distressed.

His face seemed so suffocating that it seemed like he might go crazy.

But.

In the empty mirror beyond the mirror.

No further words were added.

“Is that so?”

Seo Ei-soo pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows.

But he couldn’t say anything more there.

Because Seo Ei-soo was Seo Ei-soo.

A mere alien who wanted to become human on a topic that was not even related to Earth.

On a topic about Earth that he knew nothing about.

That’s why Seo Ei-soo, being who he was.

Entrusted everything to Shin Ji-hoo, the one who touched his heart.

He had decided to become the person that he was cast to be.

Even now, it was the same.

Seo Ei-soo had no other means to become human according to Shin Ji-hoo’s choice, and he didn’t really want to know.

So, Seo Ei-soo just said.

“Okay. I understand.”

He simply nodded at Shin Ji-hoo’s words.

“Alright, got it.”

That was the end of their conversation.

Time filled the gap in their conversation.

Filming and schedules continued.

Scenes accumulated and stories were created.

In the meantime, Seo Ei-soo endured hardships and occasionally made others laugh.

He met with Han Sun-yul and Bae So-yoon. Or with Gil Hye-yeon and Oh Kyung-bae…

He hung out with friends and had fun.

He took plenty of photos.

The album was gradually filling up.

Like that…

February 15th

…

February 20th

…

As the dates on the calendar passed.

The cold, harsh winter that chilled people’s bones came to an end.

March.

A warm and gentle air filled the atmosphere,

And a sunny spring day dawned.