Episode 77: Holiday (2)
Drurrrr.
The dull vibration from the bedside table jolted me awake.
[Su-hyuk]
Squinting at the name on my phone, I glanced left.
Thankfully, only Zia’s steady “phew” breathing filled the air.
“Phew.”
Relieved, I slipped out of bed and the room to answer.
“Yeah, Su-hyuk.”
“Oh, were you sleeping? Sorry.”
“No, I was about to get up. What’s up?”
His voice, catching my grogginess, apologized. Checking the time—nearly 11 AM—it made sense. I chuckled and asked why.
“Uh… is it really okay for me to go?”
“Puhaha.”
His cautious tone chased away the last of my sleep.
“Where are you now?”
“Just about to head out with my sister.”
“Then it’s fine. She canceled your ticket to go with you.”
“But if I just drop her off and come back…”
“No. You’d just be idle with no schedules. Go, rest, recharge, and come back.”
Honestly, I’d completely forgotten about the Lunar New Year holidays — I hadn’t even thought about Suhyuk’s schedule.
Ailee mentioned our future SSS-grade manager planned to stay in Seoul.
With minimal company runs as his only task, and the company closed, what’s the point?
I urged him home, securing CEO Seo Yoonje’s car approval since tickets were scarce.
“But if I take the car, hyung…”
“Tsk. What do you take me for? Think I can’t go anywhere without you? Keep arguing, and I’ll get mad. Go when I say.”
“…Thanks, hyung.”
“Yeah. Have a happy New Year. Hit the road—traffic will be bad. Hanging up.”
I cut the call without waiting.
Sending Su-hyuk off stemmed from pre-regression memories.
“I’m in the U.S. now. Sorry, Mom. I’ll definitely come next holiday.”
I’d watched that youngest son break unkept promises for years.
“It’s just tiring with all the people. Following hyungs on overseas trips is nice, though.”
I wasn’t dull enough to miss his hidden longing.
Even post-promotion, he couldn’t visit for years.
Unsure when he’d get another chance, I pushed him to go.
Buzz.
[Hyung, have a happy New Year too! Zia noona as well! I’ll be back safe!]
His message, with a cheerful walking character emoji, validated my choice.
“Tch, crying about it then refusing.”
Smiling, I returned to the bedroom.
Careful not to wake Zia, I sat on the bed—
Srrk.
A soft hand wrapped around my waist.
“You’re up?”
Seems I misjudged her sleep.
Turning, I saw Zia, cheeks puffed, eyes barely open.
“Your reaction lacks effort… Always me getting surprised…”
Her pout hinted at playful revenge.
But—
Mwah.
I climbed back, kissing her lightly instead of apologizing.
‘As expected.’
Her shocked eyes opened briefly, then her cheeks softened into a smile.
‘Those lessons with Lee Ahjeong really pay off.’
Her face screamed anger, but I knew she wasn’t the type.
A risky peck proved right.
“But your body’s cold. Was it chilly out?”
“A bit. That cold?”
Her voice, post-kiss, paused me.
“Who was it?”
Shaking her head, she pulled me close, asking.
Unable to resist her warmth, I summarized,
“Su-hyuk. He asked if it’s okay to go. I told him to hurry before I got mad. He said happy New Year to you too.”
“I see…”
Her words stopped. Glancing up, her round eyes, now alert, fixed on me.
Silent, but the meaning was clear—my family.
‘Whether I can call them that is another story.’
My parents split when I started elementary school, each quickly forming new families where I was unwelcome.
With no grandparents to take me, I shuttled between them like a badminton shuttlecock—months with one, then the other.
Enduring that cold treatment, I demanded independence at sixteen and three months.
‘Cruel people.’
My father eagerly secured a studio for me; my mother hired a housekeeper until high school graduation.
Then, nothing.
Since then, I’ve had no contact with my parents.
The same held true pre-regression.
It likely won’t change now.
It’s a story not rare, yet not common.
Thus, my response to Zia’s gaze is set.
“I won’t go.”
Meeting her round eyes, I speak. She averts hers first.
“Still…”
Her trailing words reveal her longing for “family,” which I now see.
But I know.
My parents can’t fulfill that vision.
Proof is simple—call them.
Zia would face an unimaginable response.
Pre-regression, they contacted me once.
It was when Polaris hit No. 1 on Billboard, and Korea buzzed with us.
In some obscure hotel abroad, their request was:
“Don’t reveal we’re your parents.”
Couched in flowery excuses, it meant my existence embarrassed their new families.
If it was that then, how much worse now—without Polaris’ glory?
I spare Zia that truth.
‘I don’t mind.’
I wasn’t even angry back then.
Their treating me as an obstacle felt like fate.
Unlike Zia, whose departure left me shattered, erasing them was easy.
‘Liking something’s opposite isn’t hate—it’s indifference.’
At sixteen, demanding independence, they became strangers, their significance unchanged.
But Zia would be shocked.
I won’t expose her to their malice.
Instead, I’ll offer her family in another form.
“It’s okay. I just need you.”
Sadly, she misses that depth.
Unavoidable—despite her maturity, she’s only twenty-four.
“Yujin-ah…”
She skips the “but they’re family” line, knowing my story.
‘She probably sees it as a wound.’
Zia healed that long ago.
Though her own scar—larger, unhealed—lingers.
‘That’s on Lee Hee-kyung, that wretch.’
A year with Zia erased even that.
‘If my parents meant anything, maybe a slight guilt toward Zia?’
No shoulder-patting “you’ve been through a lot” like in dramas.
Worse, no parents with even a shred of openness—just “we won’t give our son to an orphan like you.”
I’ve wondered if Zia suffers for liking me.
Post-regression, Lee Hee-kyung’s betrayal adds to it.
With one adult to lean on, Zia might’ve avoided that choice.
But it’s fine now.
Zia has me—better than anyone—to fill that void.
[A star falling on the road home, You make a wish, and it comes to me.]
Shooting Star rings from Zia’s phone.
[The caller ID shows three characters: [CEO].
Moon Sookhee’s timing is a blessing.
This topic was draining, and she’s the “adult” we lack.
“Take it, quick.”
Zia catches my relief, her eyes narrowing.
Still, she can’t dodge it, rising to hit the green button.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“What? Why the delay? Something wrong?”
“No, just chatting with Yujin.”
I sit up, ear to her phone. She switches to speaker.
“Was it an important conversation?”
Before Zia answers—
“No, just… talking about what to do today.”
“Oh? So you’re saying you two don’t have any plans, then?”
“That’s right. We were just thinking of lazing around at home.”
“I thought so. If you’re free, how about lunch with me?”
We couldn’t help but smile.
We didn’t have anything planned anyway —
How could we possibly refuse?
“Though it might take us a bit to get ready…” Zia began, cautiously agreeing.
“I knew it! You two were still sleeping, weren’t you?! Honestly — even if it’s your day off, you can’t just sleep in this late!”
Her raised voice rang out through the speaker —
The unmistakable scolding tone of a mother worrying about her children.