“I’m crazy. I’m crazy.”

Without even knowing what she was saying, she blurted out whatever came to her mouth. She must have looked like a fool.

“This can’t be happening.”

Lee Jae Ho lives next door. At this isolated lodging with no other guests. Just the two of them. For a month.

For a month!

“Oh my goodness.”

She came with plans to kill time doing nothing but blinking her eyes. Wake up when her eyes open, eat when hungry, sleep when drowsy. She wanted to live like a natural person, but her favorite celebrity intruded like an uninvited guest.

In a country surrounded by sea on three sides, there are countless densely packed pensions by the water everywhere. Especially, how many seas are there close to Seoul!

Is it even possible to meet Lee Jae Ho in this remote countryside of Chungnam? It seems like an even rarer probability than winning the lottery. Is this really a coincidence?

“If not a coincidence, then what?”

Da Jung laughed dejectedly.

“If not a coincidence? Are you saying he followed me here?”

It’s absurd.

“That makes even less sense, Yoon Da Jung.”

There was no one to answer her.

“Wow. How can something like this really happen?”

Her mind was suddenly filled with people she wanted to discuss this with right away. The chat room members who are fellow fans, the cafe administrators, elder sister Kyung Mi, even Kyung Jun.

“I’m so flustered that even elder sister Kyung Mi comes to mind. Oh, what should I do? Who should I talk to about this? This is insane.”

At that moment, Jae Ho’s voice echoed in her ears.

‘I’ll be straightforward since you might know. I’d appreciate if you didn’t tell anyone you know that I’m here.’

Da Jung’s hand, which was about to open her phone to urgently send a message, suddenly stopped.

“No, no. Let’s think from Lee Jae Ho’s perspective.”

Lee Jae Ho hadn’t shown himself anywhere for the past few months. When he was in a good mood, he used to drop by the fan cafe and post occasionally, but it seemed like it had been at least three months since the last post she saw. As for SNS, well, he had never shared any personal news at all.

Ah. No, that’s not right. A feed was posted on SNS not long ago. #ImissyoutooIt was that selfie that made her heart flutter for no reason. Although the timing was strange, he had at least reported his survival to the fans.

Anyway, apart from that, he couldn’t be found anywhere, yet surprisingly, he came to this remote village for a retreat.

The fact that Lee Jae Ho came to a place like this must mean he really wants to rest. He might be full of things he wants to empty out, just like her. Maybe he even broke up with a long-time girlfriend.

He probably hid in this countryside with no buses because he didn’t want to be disturbed, but ended up meeting a young woman out of the blue. He might have been afraid of the excitement this woman could cause. Cafe, SNS, group chats, blogs, etc. If she were a loose-lipped woman, the coordinates of this place could be reported in an article as soon as tomorrow.

Ah……! That was it. That’s what it was. Da Jung sighed.

He must have been afraid. That’s why he was so nice.

He even treated her to coffee while making the request. Don’t tell anyone. He wants to hide quietly.

“Right. From his perspective, I’m the intruder.”

After finishing her thoughts, Da Jung abruptly stood up from the sofa.

“Even though it’s the same pension, the buildings are different. I can avoid disturbing him. After about a week, Lee Jae Ho will be confused whether I’m still here or not. Because I’ll mostly just stay put.”

That’s how it should be done. That way, neither of them would be disturbed and could fully rest.

She didn’t want to disturb Lee Jae Ho. She hoped that her precious favorite celebrity’s rest would flow smoothly and without incident as he wished. That was all.

[This is the timeline separator]

Jae Ho was lost in thought, staring at the empty coffee cup on the table.

Yoon Da Jung.

When Da Jung appeared before him as his fan, he quickly had Manager Jung investigate her background and found out that she was a fan club administrator. After that, whenever he had the chance, he tried to catch glimpses of Da Jung, but they were always fleeting moments, so he never had time to properly observe her. So, this was really the first time he had seen her properly in 13 years.

The girl in school uniform was very pretty too, but now Yoon Da Jung is…

Breathtakingly beautiful. He closed his eyes for a moment.

What routes are available for an actor to personally contact a fan? After meeting Da Jung, Jae Ho was half out of his mind and was about to send a direct message to Da Jung’s SNS that Manager Jung had found out. If Byung Hoon hadn’t stopped him, he might have really done something foolish.

[Hello, this is Lee Jae Ho. I apologize for the intrusion, but I fell in love at first sight when I saw you yesterday……]

“Hyung! Are you crazy? This isn’t right! If this noona goes public with this, you’re finished!”

Only after having his phone taken away did he finally start to think. That’s right. Privately contacting and approaching a fan could be seen as having quite sinister intentions.

“Then what should I do?”

“Either be honest about your past, hyung.”

“That’s not possible.”

“I figured as much. Then for now, there’s no way. Let’s think about it some more.”

He can’t reveal the past. How could he reveal that he was the cause of Da Jung’s life becoming unhappy? If she knew the truth, it was obvious that Da Jung would eventually close her heart. Jae Ho, while writhing in guilt, couldn’t erase his longing and suffered every day reading the posts Da Jung left on the fan cafe.

It had been like that for two years.

Jae Ho swallowed dryly as he recalled her expression, sitting like a picture and blinking her eyelashes. Although he had prepared himself for this meeting to some extent, he didn’t expect to be this shaken.

As she turned her brightly smiling face this way and that while talking about her impressions of the scenery here, he felt his heart constricting.

He couldn’t concentrate on the conversation at all because of his distracting thoughts. For example, what it would feel like to hold those white fingers that were now gesturing enthusiastically.

Jae Ho sighed briefly and got up to approach the mirror. He shook his head once and looked at the man in the mirror with dry eyes. Though not the type to overestimate himself, objectively, a man with superior visuals stood there with indifferent eyes. From his straight nose bridge to his sharp jawline, his intelligent eyes and overall aura.

“Right. I’ve changed a lot. I understand why she doesn’t recognize me……”

It’s not just a figurative expression, but actually true. Not just his appearance, but everything about Jae Ho had changed, from his name to his family registry. Because of ‘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.

Jae Ho turned away from the mirror, organizing his thoughts.

Anyway, what’s important now is that Da Jung doesn’t recognize him. So he planned this fateful encounter. A magical moment unfolding at a secluded beach. How happy would Da Jung be if she accidentally met her favorite celebrity and fell into a secret love? Jae Ho was determined to weave this situation he created into destiny.

By any means necessary. Even if he had to tell lies. Without fail.

With every breath he exhaled, Da Jung’s shadow lingered.

Her hair disheveled by the sea breeze, her clear and rosy cheeks, pink lips, even her slightly stretched t-shirt couldn’t be so naturally pretty. He wanted to see her again after just 5 minutes.

“I’m still crazy. About Yoon Da Jung.”

Jae Ho laughed dejectedly.

[This is the timeline separator]

“I’m crazy!”

Da Jung shouted and collapsed onto the bathroom floor. Just now, for the first time since coming down here, she looked in the mirror and saw a monster.

“Oh my god. Did I sit in front of Lee Jae Ho looking like this?”

It was the appearance of a crazy woman. As she frantically combed her hair down, she began to realize the reality.

She had no makeup on. Just her face with sunscreen hastily applied before departure. She didn’t even put on lipstick. With that appearance, she faced the sea breeze, causing her hair to fly and stick out in all directions. Moreover, she wore a t-shirt with a stretched-out neck and carelessly thrown-on pants…

The memory of Lee Jae Ho stylishly dressed in a shirt and slacks made her want to gouge out her memories.

Lee Jae Ho probably doesn’t know, but Yoon Da Jung who used to go meet him had never been bare-faced before. She always put a lot of effort into her makeup and hair, trying to look her prettiest. Even if it was just for a 1-second encounter, she wanted to look pretty. Three years of carefully built fandom went up in smoke.

“Where’s a mouse hole when you need one.”

After finishing her hair, Da Jung tied it up tightly and washed her face. She needed to wake up and come to her senses. The cold water splashing her face made her eyes snap open.

“Get it together……”

Muttering to herself, she did her skincare and returned to the living room. Yes. No matter how much she tried to avoid it, this was ultimately the answer. That she was incredibly nervous about meeting Lee Jae Ho.

Lee Jae Ho in person was shockingly blinding. The few seconds of passing by at events didn’t even count as seeing him in person.

Sitting on the same sofa and talking for over ten minutes finally made her realize what an extraordinary being he was. She was too nervous to look at him properly, but even the glimpses of his shadow were enough to make her gasp.

“Phew.”

She took out a can of beer and came to the sofa. Feeling unsettled, she turned on the TV. The drama , which is said to be the hottest these days, was airing. Although it wasn’t a drama she was following, she had heard the title here and there. The female lead was none other than Oh Chae Won. Currently the hottest actress in South Korea.

A woman with long, slender legs, a voluptuous figure, and lovely eye-smile that folds prettily. Come to think of it, she co-starred with Lee Jae Ho last year, didn’t she? Da Jung remembered the drama that she somehow managed to watch by squeezing time out of her hectic 3-shift schedule. It was a sweet first love drama set against the backdrop of a lush summer.

“Right. They matched disgustingly well.”

She’s pretty. Without a doubt.

And they look good together. With Lee Jae Ho. Perfectly.

Da Jung, who was sipping her beer, suddenly turned her gaze towards the window. A pitch-black darkness like spilled ink was close by. Come to think of it, scary thoughts didn’t come to mind today.

It had been a long time since her heart wasn’t constricted by painful deaths, babies’ faces, and the weight of life. Da Jung raised her hand and absently stroked near her heart.

It’s not like everything would get better in an instant just because she came on a trip. She was too busy getting here, her mind was in chaos, and after meeting Lee Jae Ho, she completely lost her senses, so there wasn’t even time to think.

“And in the end, I ended up thinking about it again.”

Hae Sal, who she hadn’t yet fully buried in her heart, came to mind. The eyes of mother Kim Hye Jin, trembling with unconcealed despair, were also vividly visible. She hadn’t seen or asked about her since then.

Did she recover well after giving birth? Did she go to a postpartum care center? What meaning would a care center without a baby have for her?

And going further back into the past…

The news of her brother’s death came through the TV. Her mother was kneading flour to make knife-cut noodles, and her father was meticulously separating the caps and bodies of plastic bottles for recycling.

He told Da Jung to come and help, but Da Jung was busy exchanging chats with her friends. It was that kind of day. Just an ordinary day that could have been any day.

If it weren’t for the news, she wouldn’t have remembered at all that her mother was making knife-cut noodles, just one of those days that would have passed by unnoticed.

Her father was scolding her, saying that if it were her brother, he would have come out right away to help with the recycling, and that they had spoiled their daughter too much, making her think she was a princess.

[Breaking news. A fire broke out at a lodging where high school students on a field trip were staying……]

−Knock knock knock.

As if cutting off Da Jung’s thoughts, a knock resounded. Realizing there was only one person who would knock at this hour, her heart started racing again.

“Wh-Who is it?”

A voice mixed with a chuckle was heard.

“Who do you think?”

“……”

“It’s Lee Jae Ho.”

Da Jung quickly checked the mirror attached to the front of the entrance door. Fortunately, she had just washed her face. Her bare face had already been seen anyway, so that was over. She steeled herself and opened the door.

“Dinner. Want to eat together?”