Chapter 175: The Genius Shut-In Writer

Chapter 175: The Genius Writer in His Room (Complete)

 

After safely finishing his date with Lee Yoo-jin, Kim Si-woo now had to face the most difficult opponent of all: Hong Soo-yeon.

 

Among the six women, she was the youngest and carried the most wounds.

 

Precisely because of that, he felt he needed to be even more resolute with her.

 

“Don’t waver.”

 

He steeled his heart and the moment they met—

 

“Oppa!”

 

Kim Si-woo was once again reminded just how vulnerable men could be to the word “Oppa.”

 

“Uh… you’re here?”

 

Hong Soo-yeon looked fully prepared, dressed and made up as if she were heading to shoot an advertisement.

 

“Isn’t it too flashy?”

 

“Is it? Still, isn’t being pretty and eye-catching better than looking plain?”

 

“…Who said you look plain?”

 

“No, I didn’t mean it like that… but Oppa probably prefers pretty too, right…?”

 

Seeing her lower her head shyly, Kim Si-woo shook his head firmly.

 

‘No. Don’t fall for it. She’s an actress. That could just be acting.’

 

He reminded himself once more that Hong Soo-yeon was a professional actress and forcibly withdrew the meaning he had started to attach to her behavior.

 

“Anyway, shall we get going now?”

 

“Yes!”

 

The date with Hong Soo-yeon was 100% tailored to her tastes.

 

It was exactly the kind of date a college student in her early twenties would enjoy.

 

They stopped by a trendy restaurant hotspot, then headed to a famous café.

 

And the final stop was Han River Park.

 

They simply walked and talked about light things.

 

About how they would live from now on.

 

How the cat was doing.

 

Whether living alone with Arimura Noa at home ever got boring.

 

Walking along Han River Park with Hong Soo-yeon, time flew by unnoticed.

 

Surprisingly quirky, Hong Soo-yeon would do odd things from time to time, making Kim Si-woo clutch his stomach laughing.

 

Hong Soo-yeon seemed embarrassed at first, but when he laughed, she ended up laughing along.

 

Before they knew it, the sun had set.

 

“Soo-yeon-ah. I had fun today.”

 

“Me too.”

 

“Get home safely.”

 

“Yes…”

 

Just as they were about to part ways in front of her house, Hong Soo-yeon suddenly turned back and called out to him.

 

“Oppa.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“You’re a precious person to me. That won’t change even if I’m not your girlfriend. Thank you… for discovering someone as pathetic as me… and for believing in me.”

 

Having finally said the words she had kept bottled up in her heart all this time, Hong Soo-yeon ran into the house.

 

Kim Si-woo felt a sudden lump in his throat at her words and stood frozen in place for a long while.

 

When he returned home, he once again reflected on the day’s date, lost in thought.

 

“How does this keep happening to me… Seriously, Kim Si-woo, you’re so consistent it’s pathetic.”

 

He was already tired of himself for feeling new emotions after every single date.

 

“Tomorrow is Noa-ssi.”

 

Arimura Noa had said she would prepare for tomorrow’s date and left the house.

 

But the world did not flow according to Arimura Noa’s wishes.

 

“…”

 

Kim Si-woo had been waiting at the appointed place for an hour, but Arimura Noa still hadn’t shown up.

 

“She’s not the type to do this…”

 

Normally, she would arrive earlier than him, smiling brightly and waving enthusiastically.

 

That was just how Arimura Noa was.

 

Yet strangely, she wasn’t answering calls or texts.

 

“What if something happened to her? An accident…?”

 

Kim Si-woo first went to Arimura Noa’s company to look for her, but the office doors were firmly locked.

 

“Haa… what the hell is this…”

 

About three hours past the appointment time, his phone finally rang.

 

“Hello! Noa-ssi. What happened?”

 

–        Writer-nim… I’m sick.

 

“Where are you right now?”

 

–        I’m at a hotel right now… cough cough

 

Arimura Noa gave him the hotel address between coughs. Kim Si-woo jumped into the car and sped over.

 

When he arrived at the hotel, opened the door, and stepped inside, Arimura Noa was lying on the bed.

 

“You came?”

 

Without even answering, Kim Si-woo hurriedly placed his hand on her forehead.

 

“You’re burning up… We’re going to the hospital.”

 

“I took medicine.”

 

When Kim Si-woo turned his head, he saw a medicine box labeled as cold medicine on the side.

 

“It might not just be a cold. And injections work better anyway.”

 

“But injections hurt…”

 

“Haa…”

 

Kim Si-woo piggybacked Arimura Noa, who was still in her pajamas, and quickly moved to the car.

 

It was Sunday, so not many clinics were open. He headed straight to a 24-hour hospital.

 

After arriving and receiving treatment, she was diagnosed with a cold and body aches (flu-like symptoms from overwork and stress).

 

“Do you work a lot, patient?”

 

“Probably…”

 

“You’ve been under a lot of stress too… It seems like everything built up and exploded today. We’ll give you an injection and some nutritional IV. Get it done, then go home and rest thoroughly.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

After listening to the doctor, Kim Si-woo went to pay the bill.

 

Arimura Noa hurriedly grabbed him to stop him.

 

As a Japanese national, her medical fees were significantly higher, which was why she tried to stop him.

 

“I’ll pay.”

 

“Go lie back down over there. Before I get mad.”

 

“…Yes.”

 

Seeing Kim Si-woo’s stern expression, Arimura Noa wilted and obediently returned to the bed.

 

“Arimura Noa-ssi?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“I’m going to give you the injection now. It’ll sting a bit.”

 

“Hiii…”

 

When Kim Si-woo returned after paying, he saw Arimura Noa turning her head away in fear of the needle and trembling. He hugged her gently.

 

“Where did Osaka’s princess go?”

 

“Don’t call me princess…”

 

“Then I’ll come back in three hours.”

 

“Yes. Thank you.”

 

Once they were alone in the hospital room, Arimura Noa, lying down, spoke in a teary, aggrieved voice.

 

“Today’s date would’ve been so much fun…”

 

“Can’t be helped. You’ve got a bad cold…”

 

“I even bought clothes… and made reservations at shops…”

 

“We can do it next time. Just rest today.”

 

“It’s so unfair…”

 

“Think of it as a hospital date.”

 

Kim Si-woo spent the time busily comforting the sniffling Arimura Noa in the hospital room.

 

“More importantly, how about cutting back on work a little? Getting this sick from overwork isn’t normal.”

 

“But I have to… If I slack off like a figurehead, it’ll just become ‘that celebrity’s company,’ and then the employees will end up working for some empty, flashy brand run by an entertainer instead of a real fashion label…”

 

Arimura Noa explained that if she didn’t work seriously, the company she founded would lose credibility and become nothing more than a vanity project in people’s eyes.

 

“Then rest properly now, at least. I’ll wake you when it’s time.”

 

“Okay.”

 

For the next three hours, Kim Si-woo stayed by her side. When they were finally discharged, Arimura Noa returned to Kim Si-woo’s house.

 

“They said to eat dinner and rest, so even if you don’t have an appetite, eat this quickly.”

 

Kim Si-woo placed the porridge he had ordered on the way home in front of her.

 

Somehow the date had turned into nursing duty, but Arimura Noa seemed surprisingly content—she was grinning like an idiot.

 

“You’re sick—why do you look so happy?”

 

“Just… because Writer-nim is taking care of me.”

 

“Don’t get sick again. My type is healthy women…”

 

“I’m super healthy normally! This is just a one-time thing that happened today…”

 

Arimura Noa pouted her lips, looking aggrieved as she answered.

 

“Writer-nim.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Am I… not good enough?”

 

“I have eyes, you know. You’re Japan’s national actress… What room do I have to say you’re ‘not good enough’?”

 

“Then why did you reject my confession back then?”

 

“Because at the time, there was someone I liked more.”

 

“And now? We’ve lived in the same house for a while… We’ve gotten really close.”

 

“…”

 

Hearing the frail, pitiful tone from the usually energetic Arimura Noa, Kim Si-woo’s heart wavered.

 

Perhaps because she looked so different today—vulnerable and fragile—he felt her femininity more strongly than ever.

 

“I can’t give you an answer right now.”

 

“Okay. Then I’ll wait a little longer.”

 

“Sorry.”

 

Kim Si-woo apologized for not being able to answer immediately.

 

While Arimura Noa rested, Kim Si-woo prepared for the final date.

 

Shim Ji-young.

 

She wasn’t just someone who helped Kim Si-woo adapt to the film industry—she had also taken care of him the most in everyday life, which made her presence especially meaningful.

 

On the surface they bickered constantly, but deep down, Kim Si-woo knew that if he grew distant from Shim Ji-young, the psychological impact would be significant.

 

“Anyway… tomorrow I’ll have to make a decision…”

 

Like it or not, he had to choose.

 

He couldn’t date all six of them.

 

“Let’s just sleep already…”

 

Thinking about the busy day ahead, Kim Si-woo hurriedly went to bed.

 

***

 

When he woke up, Kim Si-woo rushed through his preparations.

 

“Phew…”

 

He put on the clothes, watch, and perfume that Shim Ji-young had bought him, finished getting ready for the date, set out some porridge on the table, and headed out.

 

“Where even is this place?”

 

Once in the car, he searched the address Shim Ji-young had texted him.

 

“It’s not even in Seoul… Gangwon-do?”

 

The address was deep in the mountains of Gangwon Province. Kim Si-woo scratched his head but started driving toward it anyway.

 

After three hours of driving, he arrived at a location in Taebaek, Gangwon-do.

 

At the entrance to the mountain path, he spotted Shim Ji-young standing there.

 

“Noona?”

 

“You’re here?”

 

“Where the hell are we?”

 

“You’ll see when we get there. Hurry up and pick me up—my legs hurt.”

 

“Ah… okay.”

 

They got in the car and drove farther up the mountain until a country house appeared.

 

“This is it. Let’s get out.”

 

“Where are we exactly?”

 

“My house. Well… it’s in my name, but my parents live here.”

 

“Huh?”

 

The situation suddenly felt more like meeting the parents than a date. Kim Si-woo’s face stiffened in surprise.

 

“Hey, relax. I just invited you for a meal. I won’t make it burdensome, so don’t worry.”

 

“Haa… okay, got it.”

 

As soon as Kim Si-woo agreed, Shim Ji-young shouted as if she’d been waiting for this moment.

 

“Mom! Dad! He’s here!!!”

 

At her call, a couple walked out from inside the house.

 

“Why did you come all the way—huh… who’s that next to you…?”

 

Her father, who had been about to ask why she bothered coming, quickly changed his tone upon seeing Kim Si-woo.

 

“The person I like.”

 

“What? Honey! Come quick—Ji-young brought a man!”

 

“What???”

 

At the word “man,” Shim Ji-young’s mother rushed out as well. Kim Si-woo glared at Shim Ji-young.

 

“Noona… you said there’d be no pressure. You said it was just a meal!”

 

“Of course that was a lie. And who knows? Maybe we really will end up together.”

 

Shim Ji-young smiled brightly, and Kim Si-woo let out a helpless laugh.

 

The important thing, though, was that he didn’t actually dislike the sight of her like this.

 

“Oh my, young man—what’s your name?”

 

“Kim Si-woo, ma’am.”

 

“Oh my!!! ‘Ma’am’? Hoho ho. Come in quickly—your legs must be tired from the drive.”

 

“Ah… thank you.”

 

Shim Ji-young’s parents treated Kim Si-woo like an honored guest.

 

Once inside the house, Kim Si-woo sat facing her father.

 

And then the interrogation began. Kim Si-woo was extremely tense.

 

“So, how did you meet our Ji-young?”

 

“Uh… we met at a movie casting audition.”

 

“I see. So you’re in the film industry too. Then you must know—how incredible our Ji-young is as an actress.”

 

“Yes… I know very well.”

 

“What exactly do you do in the film world?”

 

“Ah, I write.”

 

“Write? So you’re a writer?”

 

“Yes…”

 

“A writer… Does it pay well?”

 

For a moment, Kim Si-woo debated whether he should honestly tell them about his assets.

 

“Dad! Are you seriously interrogating him right now? If you keep this up, we’re just leaving.”

 

“What… what did you say! Honey! Stop talking! Do you want to get kicked out?”

 

At Shim Ji-young and her mother’s words, her father panicked and hurriedly threw out one last question.

 

“J-just one more thing. The very last one.”

 

“What is it!”

 

“How old are you, young man? You look quite young…”

 

“I’m thirty.”

 

“Passed.”

 

“Huh?”

 

Stunned by the sudden “approval,” Kim Si-woo stared blankly at Shim Ji-young and her father.

 

Shim Ji-young gave him a reassuring smile that said ‘it’s fine’, and soon her mother began setting the table with an abundance of dishes.

 

“Sorry there aren’t many side dishes.”

 

“Ah… no, it’s more than enough.”

 

Even at a glance, there were easily over twenty different banchan.

 

“So, are you making good money?”

 

“Mom… he earns more than I do.”

 

“…”

 

When it came to money, Shim Ji-young wasn’t someone who fell behind anywhere.

 

Yet here she was, bringing home a younger man who earned even more than her—her parents couldn’t help but feel grateful.

 

“You know those famous movies that came out recently? He wrote all of them. And my first 10-million-viewer film? Si-woo wrote that too.”

 

“Oh my… I didn’t realize we had such a benefactor in our home. Eat a lot. Wait—honey! Go bring it out quickly.”

 

“Huh? That one?”

 

“Hurry!”

 

“Alright…”

 

At his wife’s sharp command, Shim Ji-young’s father slunk away dejectedly and returned from the master bedroom carrying a large bottle of liquor.

 

“This is wild ginseng wine… and not just any ginseng. This is genuine 200-year-old wild mountain ginseng.”

 

“Ah… thank you.”

 

“Have a glass.”

 

Kim Si-woo hadn’t expected to drink and shot a glance at Shim Ji-young. She looked equally flustered and quickly averted her eyes.

 

In the end, he held out his glass and accepted the pour.

 

“I’ll pour for you too, sir.”

 

“Thank you. Hehe. Can you handle your liquor, young man?”

 

“I just… drink moderately.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

At the word “moderately,” her father smiled warmly. Shim Ji-young made a frantic gesture behind her father’s back, urging him to send the man away already.

 

Two hours later.

 

The ginseng wine burned pleasantly in the mouth and hit fast.

 

But Kim Si-woo—having been thoroughly “trained” by Park Woong-deok—had developed quite a tolerance (or perhaps his liver was already half-broken), so he managed to stay lucid. Meanwhile, Shim Ji-young’s father had collapsed face-down on the floor, snoring.

 

“Oh my… I knew this old man was overdoing it. Ji-young-ah, Mom will take your dad to the room. You and Si-woo can sleep in your room tonight.”

 

“Okay. I’ll clean up. Mom, you rest too.”

 

“Alright.”

 

After her mother dragged her father into the master bedroom, Shim Ji-young began clearing the table.

 

“I’ll help.”

 

“No, you drank a lot—sit down. And… thank you for today. I’m sorry I dragged you here by force. I just… really wanted to show my parents. That the person I like is someone like you…”

 

“No, it’s okay. I actually had fun. Hehe.”

 

“Really? That’s a relief…”

 

After spending the night at Shim Ji-young’s family home and returning the next day, Kim Si-woo spent a long time in deep thought before finally making his decision.

 

***

 

Two years later.

 

Kim Si-woo completed his first new movie script in two years.

 

This script was based on the true story of everything that happened from the day he first started writing until the day he chose one woman out of the six.

 

It told the story of a man who used to stay holed up in his room, how he began writing, met various people, and came to be loved by many.

 

The title of the film was…

 

‘The Genius Shut-In Writer.’

 

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