As soon as that happened, a few fans who were stuck to the fan cafe like ghosts quickly left comments.

[OMG ㅠㅠ Da Jae, what’s wrong?ㅠㅠ Stay strong.] [Pat pat.] [Everything will be fine! We support you!]

They were people united by the bond of liking Lee Jae Ho, though they didn’t know each other’s names or ages. Da Jung liked this solidarity. The frequently seen IDs even felt like real close friends, making her heart twinge for no reason.

[Thank you! I’ll stay strong.ㅠㅠㅠㅠ]

What is this. A few words typed with fingers were actually comforting.

Kyung Mi, Kyung Jun’s older sister and Da Jung’s boss at work, asserted that it was simply because Da Jung was lonely. She nagged that Da Jung kept seeking stability online because she had nowhere else to attach her heart, and that she should stop following Lee Jae Ho around and go on blind dates to meet real men instead. She had even tried to set up actual blind dates.

Whenever that happened, Kyung Jun would frown and raise his voice.

‘Someone as naive as Yoon Da Jung shouldn’t carelessly meet men. Sis. What blind dates? I absolutely can’t stand to see that.’

Da Jung was simply dumbfounded by Kyung Jun’s statement treating her like a child. While he was the same age as her. While he also had no dating experience, yet acted like he was experienced.

That’s when it happened.

[OMG! Lee Jae Ho posted on SNS!] [This is the timeline separator]

Deep concern filled his furrowed brow.

“Byung Hoon.”

“Yes?”

The expression of the man holding the phone did not easily soften. It was because Da Jung’s post that had just appeared on his fan cafe was full of melancholy and sadness. Jae Ho stared deeply at the words ‘I’m depressed’ for a long time, as if they were her face. His gaze was tinged with regret.

“Should we take a picture together?”

“A picture?”

As he put his hand on SNS, which he had never used for personal purposes other than for work promotions by the company, Jae Ho spoke again.

“Yeah. A picture. To commemorate the end of filming.”

“I’m driving right now? Why so suddenly?”

“…Just. I was thinking of posting it on SNS.”

Recalling the words ‘I want to see even my actor’s shadow’, Jae Ho answered awkwardly. He knew. That taking selfies or sharing recent happenings wasn’t something he would normally do. Fans already knew well that he was extremely averse to exposing his private life.

Nevertheless, he couldn’t ignore Da Jung’s heart expressing deep depression today.

Did something difficult happen at the hospital?

In fact, he was at his limit now.

2 years ago. He couldn’t forget the day when Da Jung, whom he had been searching for for so long, appeared before his eyes as his fan. He was on the verge of tears from indescribable relief.

I’ve finally met you.

‘I’m Yoon Da Jung! Oppa! I’m a fan. I like you so much.’

But Da Jung didn’t remember her past self and only saw him as the celebrity Lee Jae Ho. Jae Ho was actually relieved that Da Jung didn’t remember him, but apart from that, he was frustrated that he had no excuse to approach her.

In his impatient heart, he tried to approach her a few times, but they all failed. It was more difficult than he thought to create a connection with Yoon Da Jung, who was just one of many fans.

“Hyung. It’s because of Noona Da Jung, right? The selfie.”

Byung Hoon, who had arrived at Jae Ho’s house and finished parking, checked the recent happenings on Lee Jae Ho’s fan club with his phone and said. He also added, ‘I knew it.’ His tone was matter-of-fact, as if all the causes of Lee Jae Ho’s capriciousness were due to Yoon Da Jung.

“I’ll take a handsome picture. Look.”

Byung Hoon got out of the driver’s seat and came to the back seat, sitting next to Jae Ho and smiling slyly. Jae Ho smiled along. The two men lightly put their arms around each other’s shoulders and took a few pictures.

“What’s this. Only you look handsome, hyung. I look like a squid. Let’s take it again!”

“Why.”

Jae Ho replied unnecessarily coldly.

“I think it’ll be the same no matter how many times we take it.”

Byung Hoon was annoyed but couldn’t find anything to refute, so he just frowned and tapped Jae Ho’s shoulder. Meanwhile, he began to diligently choose the one where he looked better among the few pictures.

“I can’t believe even the dinner event with fans failed.”

Byung Hoon muttered.

“It was such a good idea! Dating one person chosen by lottery! It wouldn’t have been that difficult to change that one person to Noona Da Jung.”

Byung Hoon already knew that Da Jung was Jae Ho’s first love whom he had been searching for for a long time, and was trying to be a matchmaker for them somehow.

“I can’t believe Noona Da Jung didn’t apply… Why did Lee Jae Ho’s biggest fan Da Jae miss such an opportunity.”

Jae Ho decided on the second picture and said indifferently.

“The hospital works in three shifts. She must be busy.”

But he was a bit disappointed because he had secretly looked forward to this event too. He was starting to get anxious. He couldn’t send DMs on SNS, he couldn’t send messages on the fan cafe, and small events were useless if Da Jung didn’t participate.

Will there be a chance?

Jae Ho hid his bitter feelings and started writing a few hashtags.

[This is the timeline separator]

A selfie was posted on Lee Jae Ho’s SNS, which only gets updated two or three times a year at most, and even then mostly with official materials like pictorials or posters. The fans went crazy. Especially since it was right after Da Jung posted ‘I want to see you’, even the fan cafe started buzzing.

[Wow! Da Jae’s timing is insane!] [ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋAre you a prophet?ㅋㅋㅋ] [Wow, seriously amazingㅋ It feels like a reply to Da Jae’s postㅋㅋ]

Da Jung ignored the chatty comments quickly piling up on her daily post and reached for her phone. The phone she had thrown away earlier along with Kyung Jun’s message was half under the sofa. Her hand trembled as she closed her laptop and opened her phone.

‘Lee Jae Ho posted on SNS?’

It had been almost half a year since the last photo from the filming set of the drama that ended early this year. Da Jung checked SNS with a trembling heart. The selfie taken with his manager in his car captured Lee Jae Ho’s characteristic bright smile without reservation.

[The autumn weather is nice. Good morning everyone. #ProofOfLife #LeeJaeHo #SweetJaeHo #ThankYou #StayStrong #IMissYouToo]

Her heart raced as if it was broken.

Da Jung, who had been sipping beer, pushed it far away and lay face down on the sofa with her phone, kicking her feet. Oh my god. A selfie. Why such kindness at this timing.

It felt like all the fatigue that had been weighing on her heart was washed away. Right. Worrying and being depressed doesn’t make the situation better. Hae Sal will surely endure well, and eventually be discharged healthy and return to her mother’s arms.

Suddenly hope sprang up wildly.

‘So this is what Lee Jae Ho’s van looks like. First time seeing the inside, it’s totally luxurious. Black seats. Oh. It suits him. Where is that shirt from? It’s simple but perfectly matches Lee Jae Ho. He’s not wearing a ring. Does he not have a girlfriend? So he drinks that drink. I should buy that too now.’

Da Jung scrutinized the photo as if she was going to devour it. Since Lee Jae Ho rarely exposes his private life, everything captured in the photo was curious. And she wasn’t the only one with such curiosity, so the comments’ reactions were also explosive.

[OppaㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠWhat have you been up toㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ] [Byung HoonㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋThe manager is cuteㅋㅋㅋㅋ] [Oppa!!!Since it’s come to this, show us your house too!! Where is that shirt from!!!!!] [I love you!!]

It felt like she could look at Lee Jae Ho’s face all day if asked. Da Jung unnecessarily touched the screen once. Oh my. How can a person look like this? How can such a nose exist without surgery. And those eyes. Her heart fluttered again at the face where sexiness and kindness coexist.

Lee Jae Ho is, well, special.

She still remembered the day she first saw him about 3 years ago. Just thinking about that day makes her heart strange again. She had been so busy with hospital work that she couldn’t even watch TV, but why did she suddenly feel like turning on the TV that day? Lee Jae Ho was flowing from the TV she turned on after a long time.

The moment she saw him, her heart sank and tears welled up in her eyes. A strange feeling of joy and relief-like emotion rose up. It was an inexplicable feeling, feeling relief for someone she was seeing for the first time.

It only took 1 second to have her heart stolen by a man with a strange charm that deeply caught her eye.

Is this what they call love at first sight? Her heart was pounding as if it would burst, and tears kept flowing endlessly. How fortunate it was that there was no one watching.

A few days later, while talking about Lee Jae Ho to Kyung Mi, she was ridiculed for babbling that if past lives exist, they must have had a deep connection. Kyung Mi was the type of person who least believed in things like fated love.

‘Don’t talk nonsense, Yoon Da Jung. So, you’re saying you fell for him because he’s super handsome, right?’

Well… That’s not wrong. He was a sexy yet intellectual man with an overwhelming aura.

Da Jung searched about the man for days. Debuted in a movie last year. Past shrouded in mystery. Graduated from Wharton School. Rumors of being a third-generation chaebol.

Since then, as if drawn by something, she joined the fan club, actively participated to become a staff member, and started following his schedules.

Kyung Mi was displeased with all of this, but since it was the first hobby Da Jung was pouring her passion into, she didn’t stop her too much.

That’s how Lee Jae Ho took all of Da Jung’s heart.

So…

[#ThankYou #StayStrong #IMissYouToo]

Can I pretend it’s really meant for me? A smile automatically appeared on her lips.

When she opened the cafe app again, comments were still being added to her daily post. The reactions of overly immersed fans saying things like pilgrimage and prophet were exciting. With fans constantly encouraging like this, she wanted to misunderstand more.

Even though she knew it couldn’t be.

[#ThankYou #StayStrong #IMissYouToo]

Her heart kept racing at these few hashtag words.

[This is the timeline separator]

A few days passed.

Since that day, Kim Hye Jin couldn’t be seen on the 7th floor. Mothers who have given birth are moved to the 8th floor rooms. That’s where the nursery is.

For typical mothers, they could visit the nursery anytime they wanted to see their babies. Typical mothers meaning those who gave birth to healthy babies at full term.

Kim Hye Jin’s baby wasn’t there.

Kim Hye Jin would be thinking of her small baby hanging with tubes in the NICU while looking at the nursery full of healthy babies. She could see the baby only once a day. Even that could be canceled if the baby’s condition wasn’t good.

She would be pumping out milk that wasn’t coming yet, trying to collect even 10ml of colostrum somehow, and endlessly blaming herself for not being able to carry the baby longer. It crushed Da Jung’s heart.

Hae Sal had to live. That was why Da Jung applied to the high-risk obstetrics department.

She recalled her brother’s life that crumbled to ashes. Her father’s last face who ended his life with a thin hanger also flashed by. There had been too many deaths in Da Jung’s life. She wanted to live.

She came to this hospital on her own, wanting to know how great and dignified life is. Sanmyung University Hospital with the best high-risk pregnancy and neonatal intensive care unit in the country. This place was Da Jung’s reason for living.