Episode 168: Turning Point (1)
It was an hour so early that calling it dawn felt awkward.
I got out of the car and stepped into the darkness.
Now, after passing through autumn which had already become a passing season, it was full winter.
As I walked toward the splendid lobby emitting bright light that made the lengthened night seem colorless, someone immediately followed me.
“You’re here. They are waiting for you. This way, please.”
The face of the man who had passed middle age and was close to old age was definitely one I was seeing for the first time, but the other party already knew me.
Well, even if not as much as before my regression, by now there weren’t many people who didn’t know my face, but I was certain that the feeling right now wasn’t because of that.
Even if the current me had been a worthless third-rate singer, the person guiding the way would still have known me.
‘Because this is a meeting arranged with that kind of person.’
He only gave a slight nod and didn’t bother opening his mouth for that very reason.
He knew well that the awkwardness filling this not-so-short time of walking could not be dispelled no matter what words were spoken.
Of course, knowing that didn’t change the fact that the awkward time was uncomfortable, so he lightly recalled a different thought.
Just in time, there was one suitable topic — the day he had also spent the night on the sofa because Zia had fallen asleep curled up on it.
That soft sensation still remained vivid in his head.
‘Even now, it feels new again.’
The reason that temptation brought a smile to his inner self was simple.
Even though he had spent enough time to get used to it while living his second life, it was still a powerful temptation to him.
To the point where it turned his head completely white and he couldn’t even think of filling the score in his mind.
‘It’s a serious matter.’
In fact, making songs wasn’t that difficult.
He had actually completed the song that Team Y would perform on the final stage of Project Trinity before the sun set the very next day.
The combination of notes that sounded pleasant to people’s ears had already been standardized for a long time.
If a clear purpose and theme were added on top of that, the time needed to write the score for this song was only about half a day, just like Shooting Star had been before.
Of course,
“That’s only possible for a talent monster like you.”
There had been someone who said that.
‘Was it Ji-woo or Hyung Yul-bok?’
No, was it both?
What mattered wasn’t who said it, but that it had been possible for him.
It was almost natural that his head had been so full of melodies that even the two geniuses Gong Ji-woo and Heo Yul-bok — who calling them “talent monsters” would be close to nonsense — had no choice but to stick out their tongues in amazement.
But that had stopped.
Even though it had only been one night’s work, the function that someone had even described as a song-producing machine had come to a halt.
‘I wonder if I might really quit singing at this rate.’
Right now there was still the homework of the Daesang tied to the goal of marriage, but after solving even that, he might really let go of the microphone or the score.
Just like a certain actor who, after completing one masterpiece, never showed his face despite the outcry from countless fans and people in the industry.
‘Since I don’t know the circumstances on that side, I can’t say they’re exactly the same.’
The problem was that he didn’t feel particularly regretful about it.
Even now, after enough time had passed for him to grow used to the satisfaction brought by the time spent with Zia, it was already like this. If he took one more step forward from here?
‘For example…’
If the day came when someone who resembled him and Zia newly claimed that soft sensation that was allowed only to him in this world right now.
And if that completely filled the deficiency that had forced him to cling to melodies without a trace.
‘That makes… perfect sense…!’
The reason he could only laugh at the absurd assumption that he would let go of songs from his hands was now complete.
Of course, if the other party, Zia, heard this story, she might kick his butt while saying,
“What do you mean it makes sense.”
But…
“They will be waiting inside. There won’t be anyone to disturb the meeting, so you don’t need to feel burdened.”
Unfortunately, that thought was cut off by the voice coming from ahead.
He had already arrived at today’s meeting place.
After bowing his head once more in greeting, he opened the door and entered. Unlike the dry air outside, the air inside carried moisture and touched his skin.
At the same time, the tension he had put off for a while rushed over him.
‘Well… even in a 5-star hotel, the sauna locker room isn’t that different…’
He tried to accept it as if it were nothing, but that only lasted a very brief moment. He soon had no choice but to squeeze his eyes shut.
There was no way he couldn’t feel the greatness of the person he had an appointment with, who had reserved the sauna of one of the top hotels in Seoul, or even in all of Korea.
‘…Should I have refused…?’
On top of that, the fact that the first meeting with someone he had never seen before had to take place in a state of undress made the burden even heavier.
Of course, it was a meeting where he had almost no right to refuse, but the desire to run away right now did not fade easily.
And then,
Click.
The sound of the locker room door closing came from a place outside his field of vision.
The presence he felt at the perfect timing, as if it knew his heart, seemed to say that the chance to run away had already disappeared long ago.
‘Were they waiting outside…? Maybe that’s better.’
It might be better than facing them inside the sauna.
With that thought, he steadied his mind and walked toward the direction where the presence had come from.
The moment he faced the owner of that presence, his heart nearly broke.
“Ah. You’re here?”
The fact that the man who greeted him so warmly was not the person he had the appointment with.
For a moment, the tension that had made him swallow hard loosened forcibly, and he felt like his legs might give out as well.
“Hmm. I thought I might miss you. But the timing worked out nicely, didn’t it? We’ve met before, right?”
It didn’t take long for him to realize that the face of the man who hadn’t withdrawn his friendly voice was familiar.
“Uh…”
But his mouth remained blocked.
That was inevitable,
‘Didn’t they say there wouldn’t be anyone to disturb…?’
He couldn’t understand why this man was here.
“Can’t you remember…? Ah, that’s right. We didn’t introduce ourselves properly back then.”
But the other party misunderstood his reaction and scratched his head as if embarrassed.
Then he extended his hand and told him his name.
“I’m Woo Ji-hwan.”
“Ah.”
If he had heard the name when they first met at the Project Trinity filming site, he wouldn’t have made the connection.
‘Woo Zia, Woo Ji-hwan.’
In the current situation, there was no way he couldn’t understand the meaning of that name.
“I wanted to meet you again. But my aunt told me not to disturb a busy person, so I couldn’t find the right timing. The opportunity came like this.”
He didn’t ask, ‘Me?’
The situation had changed a lot since the first time he met Woo Ji-hwan.
“…”
For the same reason, tension seeped into his body again as he faced the man.
If he really was a member of Our Group’s royal family, he might not look favorably on him — or rather, on Zia.
“You don’t need to be so wary.”
But Woo Ji-hwan continued speaking with a smile still on his lips.
“Well, I can understand why you would be. But you really don’t have to. I plan to take over the family affairs after my aunt. To do that, I have to block anything that might go against her wishes. Hard to believe, but I mean I’m on your side — both of you.”
From Woo Ji-hwan’s words, he could feel sincerity.
Was it because he was smiling like a good person?
No.
‘He doesn’t even see Zia as a rival.’
It was because he could feel the confidence in his eyes that if Zia stepped into that world, he could crush her in one go.
‘This is more trustworthy than a clumsy mask.’
Rather, this type of person could become someone he could laugh and talk with as long as he didn’t cross their boundaries.
Perhaps because his wariness had naturally eased.
Woo Ji-hwan smiled brightly, straightened the coat he wore over his suit, and spoke again.
“Ah, right. Do you happen to know why she wanted to meet you here?”
He had thought of his own answer to the question Woo Ji-hwan had brought up to lighten the mood.
“You must have a much tighter schedule than me. This was probably the best time available.”
“Ah.”
At his immediate reply, Woo Ji-hwan’s expression changed subtly.
If he had to describe it, it was close to a bitter smile.
“Hmm, that’s not entirely wrong, but…”
Even though he said it wasn’t wrong, the words clearly implied that the answer he had given was close to incorrect.
“It’s just that… No. You should meet her yourself and feel it. And when you have time, let’s have dinner together. No matter how much I haven’t even seen my cousin’s face, if you’re the prospective husband of my cousin, we should at least be close enough to share a meal.”
But Woo Ji-hwan, who had started speaking as if he would give the correct answer, swallowed it and handed him his business card. He lightly patted his shoulder and left.
Left alone in the locker room, he took off his clothes layer by layer while pondering the meaning of those words.
Guessing the correct answer that Woo Ji-hwan had swallowed wasn’t very difficult.
In fact, when he first heard about this meeting place, he had thought of a different reason right away.
‘Surely not.’
Of course, there was a reason he had immediately denied it.
The other party was the very symbol of coldness, known as someone with neither blood nor tears.
She was far from the ‘sentimental and human reason’ he had first thought of.
But the time spent taking off his clothes wasn’t long enough to keep pondering it, so without reaching a firm conclusion, he walked toward the person who was waiting for him.
Inside the slightly hazy, steamy air.
A single silhouette soaking alone in the large bath came into his view.
“You’re here.”
At the same time as the wide surface of the water rippled, a deep voice rang out.
The tiles that spread sound widely made the voice even heavier, but his ears, which had heard countless sounds, did not miss the fact hidden within that heaviness.
The fact that the deep voice was trembling slightly.
‘So it really was for that reason…?’
The moment he saw the white hair that had turned whiter than the steam and the round, wrinkled shoulders revealed above the water, he couldn’t help but think again of the ‘human and sentimental reason’ he had thought couldn’t be possible.
‘This is a place where whether you are the chairman of a large corporation or a mere third-rate singer, you have no choice but to become equal in nudity.’
The person who had arranged this meeting was the chairman of Our Group, one of Korea’s leading conglomerates.
But,
“The weather outside was cold. Come in quickly and warm up first. We can talk slowly after that.”
What was waiting for him was one grandfather greeting the man who might become his granddaughter’s husband.
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