He couldn’t reveal the past. The cause of Dajeong’s unhappiness was him; how could he reveal that? If she knew the truth, Dajeong would surely close her heart. Despite his guilt, Jae-ho couldn’t erase his longing and suffered every day, reading the posts Dajeong left on the fan cafe.
It had been 2 years.
Remembering the expression she had sitting like a painting, blinking her eyelashes, Jae-ho swallowed dryly. Although he was somewhat prepared for this meeting, he didn’t expect to be this shaken.
His heart tightened as he watched her bright smiling face, turning this way and that, sharing her thoughts on the scenery.
He couldn’t focus on the conversation because of his other thoughts. Like, what would it feel like to hold those white fingers gesturing so earnestly.
Jae-ho sighed briefly and got up to go to the mirror. He ran his hand through his hair and looked at the man in the mirror with dry eyes. He wasn’t the type to overestimate himself, but objectively, he was a man with superior visuals, standing there with an indifferent gaze. From his straight nose to his sharp jawline, his intelligent eyes, and overall aura.
“Yeah. I’ve changed a lot. It’s understandable that you don’t recognize me…….”
It wasn’t just a metaphorical expression; it was literally true. Not just his appearance, but everything from his name to his family register, Jae-ho’s entire identity had changed. ‘That accident.’
13 years ago. It was a major incident where most of the students on a school trip died. And Jae-ho was a survivor. His closest friend never returned.
Gathering his thoughts, Jae-ho turned away from the mirror.
Anyway, the important thing now was that Dajeong didn’t recognize him. So, he planned a fate-like encounter. A magical moment unfolding by a secluded seashore. How happy Dajeong would be if she accidentally met her favorite celebrity and fell into a secret love. Jae-ho was determined to turn the situation he created into fate.
No matter what it took. Any lie was necessary.
With every breath, Dajeong’s shadow flickered in his mind.
Her hair disheveled by the sea breeze, her clear, red cheeks, pink lips, and even her slightly stretched t-shirt, all looked so naturally beautiful. He wanted to see her again in 5 minutes.
“I’m still crazy. Crazy about Yoon Dajeong.”
Jae-ho laughed helplessly.
“Crazy!”
Dajeong screamed and collapsed on the bathroom floor. Just now, for the first time since coming here, she looked in the mirror, and there was a monster in the mirror.
“Goodness. Was I sitting in front of Lee Jae-ho looking like this?”
It was the appearance of a crazy woman. She began to comb her hair frantically, coming to terms with reality.
She was bare-faced. Just a face with hastily applied sunscreen before leaving. She didn’t even get to put on lipstick. With that look, her hair became a mess in the sea breeze, sticking out everywhere. Plus, her stretched-out T-shirt and casually thrown-on pants…
Thinking of Lee Jae-ho, smartly dressed in a shirt and slacks, she wanted to erase the memory.
Of course, Jae-ho wouldn’t know, but Yoon Dajeong never went to meet him without makeup. She always put a lot of effort into her makeup and hair, trying to look her prettiest. Even if it was just for a second, she wanted to look beautiful. Three years of dedicated fandom seemed to fly away.
“Where’s a mouse hole when you need one.”
After finishing her hair, Dajeong tied it back tightly and washed her face. She needed to wake up and clear her head. The shockingly cold water made her eyes snap open.
“Let’s get a grip…”
Muttering to herself, she did her skincare routine and returned to the living room. Right. No matter how much she tried to avoid it, the answer was this. She was incredibly nervous about meeting Lee Jae-ho.
The real-life Lee Jae-ho was shockingly stunning. A few seconds at an event was nothing compared to seeing him in person.
After sitting on the same sofa and talking for over ten minutes, she finally realized how extraordinary a being he was. She was too nervous to look at him properly, but even a glimpse of his shadow was enough to make her exclaim in awe.
“Phew.”
She took out a can of beer and sat on the sofa. Feeling unsettled, she turned on the TV. The current hottest drama, , was airing. It wasn’t a drama she regularly watched, but she had heard the title here and there. The female lead was Oh Chaewon, currently the hottest actress in South Korea.
With her long, slender legs, voluptuous body, and the lovely way her eyes crinkled when she smiled, she was a charming woman. Come to think of it, she had starred with Lee Jae-ho last year. Dajeong remembered the drama , which she had squeezed into her hectic three-shift schedule. It was a fresh drama about first love set in the verdant summer.
“Yeah. They did look incredibly good together.”
Beautiful. Undoubtedly.
And they matched well. Lee Jae-ho and her. Exceptionally so.
Dajeong sipped her beer, then suddenly looked out the window. It was as if black ink had been spilled into the darkness. She realized that today, she hadn’t been haunted by scary thoughts.
Painful deaths, the faces of babies, the weight of life – it had been a long time since these thoughts hadn’t constricted her heart. Dajeong raised her hand and absently stroked near her heart.
Coming on a trip doesn’t mean things will get better instantly. She had been too busy coming here, out of her mind, and after meeting Lee Jae-ho, she had completely lost her thoughts.
“And in the end, I ended up thinking about it all again.”
She remembered Hae-sol, who hadn’t been buried in her heart yet. The desperate eyes of Kim Hyejin, a mother, were vividly clear. She hadn’t seen her since then, nor had she asked.
Did she recover well? Did she enter a postnatal care center? What would a postnatal care center mean to her without her baby?
And going even further back…
Her brother’s death was announced on TV. Her mother was kneading flour for noodle soup, and her father was busy sorting the caps and bodies of PET bottles for recycling.
Dajeong was supposed to help, but she was too busy chatting with friends. It was that kind of day. Just an ordinary day, nothing special.
If it weren’t for the news, she wouldn’t have remembered that her mother was making noodle soup dough, just another day that had passed by.
Her father was scolding her, saying that if her brother were here, he would have immediately come out to help with the recycling. He remarked that they had spoiled their daughter too much, making her think she was a princess.
[Breaking News. A fire broke out at the lodging where high school students on a field trip were staying…….]Knock, knock, knock.
The knock at the door interrupted Dajeong’s thoughts. Realizing there was only one person who would knock at this hour, her heart raced again.
“Who, who is it?”
A chuckle mixed with a voice came through.
“Who do you think it is?”
“…….”
“It’s Lee Jae-ho.”
Dajeong quickly glanced at the mirror near the front door. Fortunately, she had just washed her face. Her bare face had already been seen, so it was already over. She steeled herself and opened the door.
“Do you want to have dinner together?”
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
