A Gentle Intruder (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 8

“Crazy. I’m crazy.”

She’d babbled on and on without even realizing what she was saying. She must have looked like a fool.

“No way.”

Lee Jae Ho lives next door. In this remote guesthouse, with no other guests around. Just the two of them. For a whole month.

A whole month!

“Good grief.”

She’d come here planning to do absolutely nothing—just blink her eyes and kill time. Wake up when she opened her eyes, eat when hungry, sleep again when tired. She’d wanted to live like a true nature dweller, but her ultimate celebrity crush had crashed in like an uninvited guest.

The island is surrounded by sea on three sides, and pensions are packed tightly all along the coast. Of all places, why here? There are so many beaches close to Seoul!

Was it even possible to bump into Lee Jae Ho in this isolated countryside village in Chungnam? It felt like odds slimmer than winning the lottery. Could this really be just a coincidence?

“If it’s not a coincidence, then what is it?”

Da Jung laughed weakly.

“If it’s not a coincidence… does that mean he followed me here?”

Ridiculous.

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

There was no one to answer her.

“Wow. How on earth does something like this even happen?”

Her mind instantly filled with people she urgently wanted to consult about this right away: the members of her fan chat room, the cafe moderators, Kyung Mi unnie—even Kyung Jun.

“I must be really flustered if I’m thinking of Kyung Mi unnie right now. Wow, what should I do? Who should I talk to? This is insane.”

Just then, Jae Ho’s voice echoed in her ears.

“I know you’re discreet, so I’ll be direct: please don’t mention to anyone that I’m staying here.”

Da Jung’s hand, already opening her phone to send a hurried message, suddenly froze.

“No, wait. Let me think from Jae Ho’s perspective.”

Jae Ho hadn’t shown his face anywhere in the past few months. He used to drop by his fan cafe occasionally and post something whenever he was in a good mood—but the last post she’d seen must have been at least three months ago. As for social media, he’d never really shared any personal updates there.

Ah, actually—he did post something recently. That selfie with the caption #I miss you too, which made her heart flutter for no reason. The timing was odd, but at least he’d given his fans a sign he was still alive.

Aside from that, he’d vanished completely—no trace at all—and now, absurdly, he was vacationing in this remote village.

If Jae Ho came all the way out here, he must genuinely want to rest. Maybe he, too, had things he needed to empty out—just like her. Perhaps he’d even broken up with a long-term partner.

He’d deliberately hidden away in a rural spot with no buses, trying to avoid being disturbed, only to unexpectedly bump into a young woman. He must have been afraid of what she might blab about—fan cafes, social media, group chats, blogs. If she were the chatty type, tomorrow’s news article might already be pinpointing his exact location.

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

He must have been scared. That’s why he was so kind to her.

He’d gone out of his way to even offer her coffee just to ask her this one favor: please don’t tell anyone. He just wanted to disappear quietly.

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

Having reached this conclusion, Da Jung jumped up from the sofa.

“Even though we’re in the same pension, we’re in different buildings. I can avoid bothering him. After about a week, Jae Ho probably won’t even remember whether I’m here or not. After all, I’ll mostly just stay quietly in place.”

That would be enough. Neither of them would disturb the other, and both could enjoy their rest fully.

She didn’t want to disturb Jae Ho. All she wished was for her precious idol’s break to go exactly as he wanted—completely peaceful and undisturbed. That was all.

[This is the timeline separator]

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

Yoon Da Jung.

When Da Jung had appeared before him, revealing herself as his fan, he’d immediately asked Manager Jeong to check her background and learned she was part of the fan club’s management team. Since then, whenever he got the chance, he’d sought her out just to look at her—but those moments had always been fleeting, never long enough for proper observation. In truth, this was the first time he’d really seen her properly in thirteen years.

The girl in her school uniform had been breathtakingly beautiful—but the Yoon Da Jung now…?

She was stunning to the point of stealing his breath. He closed his eyes briefly.

What legitimate way could an actor possibly have to contact a fan privately? After meeting Da Jung, Jae Ho had nearly lost his mind and impulsively tried sending a direct message to the SNS account Manager Jeong had tracked down for him. If Byung Hoon hadn’t stopped him, he might have actually done something reckless.

[Hello. This is Lee Jae Ho. Excuse me, but I saw you yesterday and fell for you at first sight…]

“Hyung! Are you crazy? You can’t do this! If this unnie makes it public, your career’s over!”

Only after his phone was snatched away did he finally regain his senses. His friend was right. Reaching out to a fan privately could easily be seen as having shady intentions.

“Then what should I do?”

“Either be honest about your past, hyung.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Thought so. Then there’s no way for now. Let’s think this over.”

He couldn’t reveal his past. How could he, when he himself was the reason Da Jung’s life had turned so unhappy? If she ever learned the truth, she’d surely shut him out forever. Jae Ho writhed in guilt yet couldn’t erase his longing—he’d spent every day reading Da Jung’s posts on the fan cafe, suffering silently.

Two whole years had passed like that.

Remembering again the way she’d sat like a painting, fluttering her eyelashes, Jae Ho swallowed hard. Though he’d steeled himself for this meeting, he hadn’t expected to be so utterly shaken.

She’d turned her bright, cheerful face this way and that, gushing about the view, and he’d felt his heart tightening.

He hadn’t been able to focus on their conversation at all, distracted by thoughts like, “What would it feel like to hold those pale fingers she’s gesturing with right now?”

Jae Ho let out a short sigh, stood up, and walked toward the mirror. He ran a hand through his hair and stared at the man reflected there with dry, detached eyes. He wasn’t the type to overestimate himself, but objectively speaking, a man with strikingly superior looks stood there, expression unreadable—his straight nose, sharp jawline, intelligent eyes, and overall aura all unmistakable.

“Yeah. I’ve changed a lot. It makes sense she didn’t recognize me…”

This wasn’t just a figure of speech—it was literally true. Everything about him had changed, from appearance to name to even his family registry, all because of “that accident.”

[Jeju Resort Fire Incident]

Thirteen years ago. A major tragedy where most of the students on a school trip died. And Jae Ho had been one of the survivors. His closest friend never made it back.

Jae Ho turned away from the mirror, having gathered his thoughts.

In any case, what mattered now was that Da Jung hadn’t recognized him. So he’d planned this fateful encounter. A magical moment unfolding on a remote seaside. If he could coincidentally meet his ultimate fan and fall secretly in love, how happy would Da Jung be? Jae Ho was determined to weave this situation of his own making into something truly fated.

By any means necessary. Even if it meant lying.

With every breath he exhaled, Da Jung’s shadow flickered before his eyes.

Her hair tousled by the sea breeze, her clear flushed cheeks, her pink lips, even her slightly stretched-out T-shirt—everything about her was effortlessly, naturally beautiful. He already wanted to see her again—just five minutes later.

“I’m still completely crazy about you, Yoon Da Jung.”

Jae Ho laughed weakly.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Crazy!”

Da Jung sank down onto the bathroom floor with a shout. She’d just looked in the mirror for the first time since arriving downstairs—and saw a monster staring back.

“Good heavens. I sat right in front of Lee Jae Ho looking like this?”

She looked like a madwoman. Frantically combing through her hair, she began to grasp the reality of her appearance.

No makeup at all. Just some sunscreen hastily slapped on before leaving. She hadn’t even touched her lips. With that face, she’d stood in the sea breeze—her hair now wildly messy and stiff. And to top it off, a stretched-out T-shirt and some lazy pants…

Just remembering Jae Ho, impeccably dressed in a crisp shirt and tailored slacks, made her want to erase her memory entirely.

Of course, Jae Ho had no idea—but Yoon Da Jung had never once met him bare-faced. Every time she’d gone to see him, she’d poured effort into her makeup and hair, striving to look her absolute best. Even if they only crossed paths for a single second, she’d wanted to look beautiful. All that carefully built-up dedication from three years of fandom—now utterly ruined.

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

Once she finished fixing her hair—tying it up neatly in a bun—and washed her face, she felt more awake and clearheaded. The sharp chill of cold water against her skin jolted her eyes wide open.

“Get a grip…”

Murmuring to herself, she did her skincare routine and returned to the living room. Yes—no matter how hard she tried to avoid it, the truth remained: she’d met Lee Jae Ho, and her heart was pounding like crazy.

Seeing him in person had been shockingly overwhelming—so blindingly intense. Those brief seconds glimpsed at event venues didn’t even count as “seeing him.”

Now, having sat on the same sofa and talked with him for over ten minutes, she finally realized just how extraordinary a being he truly was. She’d been so nervous she couldn’t even look directly at him, yet even his silhouette from the corner of her eye had drawn involuntary gasps of admiration.

“Phew.”

She grabbed a can of beer and settled onto the sofa. Restless, she turned on the TV. The currently hottest drama, , was on. She didn’t usually follow dramas, but she’d heard the title everywhere. The female lead was none other than Oh Chae Won—the most sought-after actress in Korea right now.

She had graceful, well-defined legs, a curvaceous figure, and lovely crinkling eyes that smiled adorably. Come to think of it, last year she’d starred opposite Lee Jae Ho. Da Jung recalled the drama , which she’d squeezed into her grueling three-shift work schedule just to watch. It was a sweet, nostalgic first-love story set against a lush summer backdrop.

“Yeah. They really did go unbelievably well together.”

Beautiful—no question about it.

And perfectly matched—with Jae Ho. Absolutely perfect.

As Da Jung took a small sip of beer, her gaze drifted absentmindedly out the window. Pitch-black darkness, like spilled ink, lay close at hand. Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t been haunted by frightening thoughts today.

It had been a long time since images of heartbreaking deaths, babies’ faces, or the weight of life had gripped her heart like this. Da Jung instinctively brushed a hand over her chest.

Of course, just arriving on vacation wouldn’t magically fix everything. She’d been too busy getting here, too overwhelmed—and after meeting Jae Ho, her mind had completely blanked out, leaving no room to think at all.

“And yet, in the end, I’m thinking about it again.”

She remembered Haet Sal Yi—still not properly laid to rest in her heart. She clearly saw Kim Hye Jin’s eyes, trembling with barely concealed despair. Since that day, she’d never seen her again, never even asked.

Had she recovered well? Did she enter a postpartum care center? What would such a place mean to her, without her baby?

And going even further back…

Her older brother’s death had come over the TV. Her mom had been kneading flour for knife-cut noodles, and her dad had been sorting recyclables—carefully separating plastic bottle caps from their bodies.

They’d called for Da Jung to help, but she’d been too busy chatting with friends to notice. It had just been one of those ordinary days—nothing special at all.

Without the news bulletin, she never would’ve remembered that her mom had been making knife-cut noodles that day—it would’ve just been another forgettable moment lost in time.

At that exact moment, her dad had been scolding her—”Your brother would’ve come running right away to help with the recycling. We’ve spoiled you too much; you really think you’re a princess now,”—when the bulletin interrupted:

[BREAKING NEWS: A fire has broken out at a lodging facility where high school students on a school trip were staying…]

—Knock knock knock.

A knock echoed, cutting off Da Jung’s thoughts. Realizing only one person could possibly be knocking at this hour, her heart leapt again.

“W-who is it?”

A voice, laced with a faint chuckle, answered.

“Who do you think?”

“…”

“It’s Lee Jae Ho.”

Da Jung quickly checked the mirror by the front door. Thankfully, she’d just washed her face. Since he’d already seen her bare-faced, that ship had sailed. Steeling herself, she opened the door.

“Dinner. Want to have it together?”