On that snowy night, I opened my heart to a beautiful man. That Pandora’s box which could be either a divine gift or a disaster.
The trials that suddenly came after.
Knowing well that the hope I found within was not mine alone, but more precious than rare jewels, I still embraced it deep in my heart.
But to protect what you have, there must be responsibility and sacrifice. Perhaps because I willingly embraced even that, I had to endure all kinds of misfortunes and harsh realities that persistently sought me out.
Even as I swallowed those heavy times with patience, I waited. For Tae Seo Jun to return soon. For the day to quickly come when I could see him shining from afar, wherever he may be.
Though it was just one night, he had already become more meaningful than a first love.
Eom So Yeon gave up her spring semester of senior year and flew to Vancouver because she faced something too difficult to handle alone.
After spending a year with her parents in Canada, So Yeon returned to Korea the following year to finish her studies and resumed her entertainment activities, grateful even for minor roles.
It was from then on that Eom So Yeon faced endless setbacks, big and small.
Projects that were verbally agreed upon and only needed a contract signature would suddenly fall through, and she frequently found herself having to leave productions she was already appearing in.
So Yeon realized this was due to someone’s influence who didn’t look kindly upon her when that person visited her hospital room last year after a major accident.
Asking how dare she try to appear in the same production, saying this was the price for her arrogant attitude and a warning, that person didn’t hesitate to use chilling words that were either threats or advice to So Yeon.
At that time, So Yeon couldn’t say anything. There was nothing she could do. It was like the difference between a towering tree with lush leaves and a seedling just sprouting. Compared to their powerful position and influence in the entertainment industry, she was merely an aspiring actress.
If there was any luck in all this, it was that on Jo In Ha’s recommendation, who had established himself at CN first, and with the bold initiative of Do Soon who volunteered as her manager, So Yeon signed an exclusive contract with , a major domestic entertainment agency, at the end of last year.
She didn’t hesitate even knowing it was the agency Tae Seo Jun was with. Rather, it felt like luck was on her side, to the point where she wondered if being able to watch him up close might be a trace of divine sympathy for her plight.
Since Tae Seo Jun entered Eom So Yeon’s life, her time had been as precarious as walking a tightrope. However, she had the resilience to get back up no matter how many times she fell, which allowed her to endure until now.
But now, the cruel god says he won’t even allow the small wish of waiting and watching from afar.
That first kiss with him. No, all those firsts I shared with Tae Seo Jun, which I still cherish in my memories…
So Yeon had never once revealed who her first man was. Therefore, unable to show any reaction in front of Do Soon, she just sat blankly, casting a dazed gaze into empty space.
At times like this, Do Soon, fumbling with her phone screen with trembling hands, said tearfully:
“The fan club members have all gathered now. I should go and ask for more details about what happened.”
“Where is that?”
So Yeon’s lifeless eyes, like a nearly extinguished candle, lit up slightly. As if not wanting to miss even the tiniest hope.
“Can’t I come along?”
“Why would you go there?”
“How can you drive in this state? Your urgent matter came up and my work is done, so let’s move together. You don’t want to?”
“I don’t mind.”
“Then, let’s go!”
Despite the cold weather, she was still in the thin clothes she wore for filming.
So Yeon, who quickly moved out of the studio building with Do Soon, nimbly climbed into the driver’s seat of the van. Although driving was usually the manager’s job, Eom So Yeon, who could rival a race car driver in emergencies, often took the wheel.
Pushed to the passenger seat, Do Soon hurriedly fastened her seatbelt, still feeling dazed.
“We’re taking off!”
“Huh? Oh!”
So Yeon kicked off her high heels, throwing them into the back seat, and pressed the accelerator firmly with her bare foot.
There was no need to say ‘Hold on tight!’ As if out of habit, Do Soon’s hands were already gripping the handles tightly.
With a screech, the car swiftly pulled out of the parking lot.
[This is the timeline separator]A full 10 hours.
The large Chinook helicopter that flew from the Middle East to the Korean Peninsula landed on a military emergency runway.
As the two propellers fiercely cutting through the air slowed down, the fine dust gradually settled, and the figures of soldiers disembarking from the helicopter became increasingly clear.
Several soldiers on stretchers and bodies in coffins were transferred to military ambulances, while the remaining five warriors walked in a single file into the headquarters, their steps steady on the runway.
Despite the long flight that should have exhausted them, they maintained their dignified and unwavering appearance.
It was a partial return of the dispatched unit.
“Attention!”
Five officers, including the special forces team leader, gathered in the commander’s office to report the end of their mission. They had shed the grime of foreign lands and changed into dress uniforms.
“You have all worked hard. I’m sure nothing was easy in such dangerous situations.”
After the subordinates’ salute ended, the commander’s stern lips opened heavily.
“I’ve received reports that Major Tae, in particular, exerted himself the most despite being injured.”
“That is not the case, sir.”
Middle Eastern rebels had carried out a retaliatory terrorist attack on the Korean military base. It was revenge for our military’s rescue of hostages, resulting in a heinous disaster with numerous injuries and six fatalities.
However, the armed group Tamayon did not touch the U.S. military base that had conducted joint operations. That was why our military had to grit their teeth even more.
The Korean-U.S. combined forces couldn’t just sit back after handing over the hostages intact, as their pride wouldn’t allow it. Moreover, with negotiations they had been expecting suddenly terminated by the Saudi government’s unilateral announcement, Tamayon felt they had to do something to vent their frustration.
But facing their own country or the powerful United States was too burdensome. Therefore, they made an example of our military to demonstrate their power.
How could we not understand this absurd chain of events? However, without UN approval, the Korean military, unable to even counterattack, had to silently grit their teeth and focus even more on repairing the painful scars left behind.
But it could have been an avoidable situation. If only they had passed on the information in advance that the Saudi king had led the negotiations with Tamayon to fail.
In response, the Arab prince expressed regret by simply signing a check instead of taking on that grave responsibility.
With mere money.
Sadly, similar heartless acts were also commonly committed within our own country.
From small-scale individuals who become dogs under money without hesitation for their own desires, to large-scale groups that place life and human dignity beneath their feet to maintain power and dignity, we’ve seen quite a bit.
Three years as a soldier.
Time was useful in its own way. Even though he left his homeland in disgust at irrational people, not even a small hatred remained to curse at them anymore.
He realized that having that subhuman woman at his center for just over two years was his own arrogance and wrong choice.
And Eom So Yeon. It was a meaningful time that newly awakened him to the fact that he could long for her, just one night, for years, that such pure emotions still remained in him, sometimes making his heart flutter.
Tae Seo Jun, who had returned to his homeland after fulfilling his duties and more, had reddened eyes. But his neat voice and expression did not lose their firmness.
“I only did what I could do. Our military, which united to overcome the chaos, was honorable.”
Everyone remained silent for a while at his solid voice.
A soldier never bows his head. But that wasn’t the case when mourning fallen comrades. The five men, including Tae Seo Jun, took off their officer caps and bowed their heads in silent tribute.
Each gathering their heavy hearts.
[This is the timeline separator]Seo Jun, finally discharged, got into the driver’s seat.
The military providing him with a temporary car was the commander’s consideration to honor his extraordinary sense of responsibility and spirit of sacrifice. He hadn’t yet informed anyone about his discharge or even his return to the country.
He had gone to a distant place to reset his good and bad memories from society and recharge his somewhat tired body and mind. It was for the same reason that he had avoided contact even with his family, as well as people he was close to.
Seo Jun turned on his phone that had been off for three years.
His elegant fingers with a trace of delicacy paused at a certain point on the screen. Seo Jun lightly chuckled seeing the name caught on his fingertip.
Yoo Jung Hwa. His ex-girlfriend, who could no longer even become a memory, was still in his phone.
After simply deleting that name, Seo Jun closed his eyes with a light smile on his lips. As he leaned his head back, weariness showed on his face, which had become sharper and more distinct than before.
‘They say you forget people with other people. Even if it’s hard now, won’t you naturally forget when someone you like more comes along? I hope the time we spent together remains as good memories. For both you and me.’
Maybe that’s right.
The dirty memories Yoo Jung Hwa left behind were completely buried by Eom So Yeon.
That night was impulsive.
So intensely, like a madman, over and over.
That incident from long ago is still as vivid as yesterday because…
In that desolate foreign land, how brilliantly the countless stars covering the black sky sparkled. Ridiculously, what came to mind while looking at that beautiful night sky was you.
Me, who kept laughing hollowly every time.
There were so many such days.
Eom So Yeon, who bewitched me senseless and vanished quietly while I slept, was surely a mirage created by winter. She appeared on a snowy night and disappeared in the morning when the snow stopped.
Anyway, she must be living well somewhere, so I should live my own life too.
That would be that.
[This is the timeline separator]“Top star Tae Seo Jun has returned after completing his military service.”
This morning, news broke through an exclusive report by a media outlet that Tae Seo Jun, who was thought to have died in combat, had already been discharged and had been staying at his Nonhyeon-dong residence for five days.
This came two weeks after the world was shaken by the mistaken relay of a war correspondent’s report that there had been fatalities in Tae Seo Jun’s unit.
At the time when the false report broke, CN Entertainment CEO Gu Won Hoo, angered by the groundless rumors, held an emergency press conference where he harshly criticized the journalists who spread the false information, calling them “trash reporters” without hesitation.
At the same time, he lambasted the unreliable mass media reports and boldly declared that his friend wasn’t one to go easily. Even if he fell into hell, he would negotiate with the King of Hell and return no matter what.
Thus, Gu Won Hoo played his role as Tae Seo Jun’s friend and supporter well. And the fact that the two men were second cousins was known only to close relatives.
“See! The CEO was right.”
“I know. They almost sent a perfectly fine person to his grave!”
“Anyway, those tabloids are the problem! They report false news and don’t even know how to apologize!”
“I’m still so shaken. What if it had been true?”
“I don’t know about anything else, but I’m just glad my eye candy has safely returned.”
In the CN building’s lounge where idols and actors gathered, talk of Tae Seo Jun didn’t cease.
“But when will Director Tae Seo Jun come to the company?”
“He rarely came in before, why ask now? He’ll probably rest for a few days anyway.”
“The news came out today, but it’s been a few days since the director was discharged.”
“Oh, please. Even if the director comes, the chances of us meeting him are slim.”
Although Tae Seo Jun had a title at CN, it was extremely rare for him to come to the director’s office. Even being in the same company, seeing him, who was like a god-like existence, was as rare as catching a star from the sky, except maybe at official events.
The CN Entertainment building was large, with 4 underground floors and 10 above ground. The actor practice rooms were on the 9th floor, with just one more floor to the rooftop.
So Yeon, who learned of Tae Seo Jun’s safe return through Do Soon’s text while practicing, climbed the stairs to the edge of the rooftop garden and stopped her hurried steps.
How much her heart had ached all this time. Her heart, which had been recalling the past few days of worry and anxiety due to that false report, pounded heavily.
“Hah…”
So Yeon exhaled and inhaled deeply. The cold air of late winter seeped deep into her lungs, which felt cleared.
‘I don’t know what kind of man he is, but he must have been so worried.’
He was the one who drew a clear line even in the same bed.
For that reason, she wanted to pretend not to know. Herself, still not over her first man who she fell for at first sight. Her heart that still desperately wanted to see him even at this moment.
But what could she do about the thorn named Tae Seo Jun that kept pricking her heart? No, now it was like a huge nail firmly embedded, unable to be pulled out.
Her large eyes were already moist.
Her big, soft eyes and the clear pupils within gazed at the setting sun dyeing the sky red. So Yeon too had just one sun. That was Tae Seo Jun, but it was a secret that should never be revealed from her heart.
Suddenly lowering her gaze, she looked at her phone background which had a picture of a very small child.
A most precious jewel in her life that could never be judged by regret or exchanged for anything else. Teardrops that could no longer be held back after enduring for so long fell onto that photo.
__________
Ex-husband Wants Reconciliation (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: Chasing the wife to the crematorium (making an effort to attract someone who has become indifferent), the female lead doesn’t look back, the second male lead takes the position.
Synopsis:
To repay the kindness of the older generation, Su Mu crossed into a female-dominated world and became a live-in daughter-in-law of the Yan family, single-handedly saving the Yan family from fire and water.
But her husband, Yan Jiyue, the eldest son of the Yan family, treated her with sarcasm and never showed her a good face.
He even had his eyes on another woman.
It wasn’t until after Su Mu’s death that this pampered and arrogant young master shed a few fake tears and pretended to want to die for love.
Su Mu expressed her disdain.
This life’s kindness was enough. If there was a next life, she would definitely kick Yan Jiyue away.
She also wanted to embrace Xie Yi, who had silently stayed by her side in her previous life and committed suicide by taking poison after her death.
Who knew that the heavens would be so kind as to allow her to be reborn, returning to the time when she had just married into the Yan family.
Su Mu glanced at the Yan eldest son, who still spoke coldly to her, and threw a divorce letter in front of him.
“Let’s divorce!”
—–
Yan Jiyue never imagined that he would be reborn. He happily went to find Su Mu, wanting to make up for the mistakes he had made in his ignorant youth.
Wasn’t the reason the heavens allowed him to be reborn to let him reconcile with Su Mu?
But when he pushed open the door to Su Mu’s room, the person lying on the bed was another man.
Su Mu’s personal attendant, Xie Yi.
Yan Jiyue hated him so much that his teeth itched. In front of Su Mu, Xie Yi was a gentle and considerate whisperer of sweet nothings, but in reality, he was vicious-hearted and deliberately sabotaged their husband and wife relationship.
In the previous life, it was he who secretly hid in Su Mu’s coffin and committed suicide, stealing a step ahead of him to be buried with Su Mu.
Yan Jiyue’s eyes were filled with hatred as he cursed, “What kind of thing are you? Your background is lowly, what right do you have to occupy Su Mu?”
Xie Yi looked at the sleeping Su Mu and no longer pretended to be a whisperer of sweet nothings.
He proudly stuck out his belly, “I have the right because my belly is capable of giving the Wife-master a daughter.”
[Reading Guide]
1. True divorce, chasing the wife to the crematorium, the female lead doesn’t look back, the male lead is Xie Yi.
2. The ex-husband did not cheat, he just realized too late and didn’t realize that he liked the female lead.