Chapter 28: Going to Meet a Fan

Even after assembling the furniture for Yuri and Jiyu’s rooms, sleep didn’t come easily, perhaps because I’d slept so deeply that morning.

In the end, I turned on the coffee maker and the computer, staring at the unfinished file from yesterday.

Alright…

I slowly read what I’d written.

Before starting to write, I always reread my previous work.

Whether 10 characters, 100, or 100,000.

That way, I could remember the emotions, repeat them, and move forward.

Start with tragedy, I think.

The other Seven Virtues were the opposite.

To heighten the tragic ending, they began with hope.

A predictable plot, but also a reliable structure.

This time, though, I’d show tragedy from the start.

So hard to watch… so hard to read, thick and unrelenting.

Inspired by Hye-yeon, but I didn’t need to draw directly from her or our past.

A motif was just that—a motif.

To fit Temperance, I’d make it even more tragic.

More siblings.

Big sister, eldest daughter, firstborn.

Adding siblings would indirectly highlight her pitiable position.

Two? Three? Too few…?

As I pondered, a thought struck me.

Come to think of it, in old Korea… families had lots of kids.

No matter the reason, it was tied to productivity.

Transitioning from farming to information age, Korea had large families back then.

I remember my rural school being full of students.

“Era… era…”

The early draft was set in the modern day.

2020, in Harlem, New York, a white family’s life.

Era…

There’s a saying: “A dragon rises from a thatched roof.”

Less common now, but back then, more people dared to dream.

Or rather, hope was more abundant.

“Should I set it in the past…?”

Modern society felt harsher.

The internet brought convenience but also discrimination and hate.

Perhaps the romance and warmth of the past helped shape today’s world.

“…”

I shook my head.

With a cold gaze, I stared at the monitor.

It’s just… an era thing.

The past had warmth, sure.

But no discrimination or hate?

No.

It was just hidden, unseen.

Those existed too.

Stick with 2020.

The COVID era.

A tragic time when everyone wore masks.

In this era, warmth and romance are hidden, not gone. Just out of sight.

An era where discrimination and hate are exposed, warmth and romance concealed.

I’d show that reversal.

“Five kids.”

Two boys, three girls.

Five to span two years—the time for school changes and personality shifts.

Alright, let’s write.

As I geared up to dive in, I noticed my empty coffee cup.

“Hot water, maybe?”

Too late for more coffee—I’d never sleep.

I stood, thinking of hot water to soothe me.

Heading out, I glanced at the sofa without a word.

“Snore… snore…”

“Snoo… snoo…”

“Ugh…”

The kids were curled up, hugging each other in sleep.

I’d made them rooms, yet here they were.

Sweet dreams.

With a chuckle, I returned to my room.

Boiling water might wake them with the noise.

Back to it, then.

Sitting at the desk, I reverently flexed my fingers.

-Tap tap tap tap tap!

In the dark room, while everyone slept, a new gear began to turn.

Nicole Portman lived in Vancouver.

She flew to other countries often, but traveling by plane within Canada was rare.

With Canada’s vast land and sparse population, there was little need.

Is this the place?

It took three hours to get here.

Nicole calmed her racing heart and entered the promised spot, a Starbucks.

She ordered a simple drink and checked her phone.

Plenty of time.

It was far for her, but even farther for Yongsu.

Sipping her drink, Nicole took a deep breath.

Author Adele Louis…

She was a fan.

And she had no intention of denying it.

Just loving and supporting his work was happiness.

But that changed from the moment they met.

Those eyes…

Eyes are the windows to the soul.

Nicole’s favorite saying meant just that.

The only body part that couldn’t hide emotions, the most honest.

Eyes that didn’t like people…

Yongsu didn’t know, but Nicole had seen him once before.

At a Vancouver bookstore signing.

She’d arrived too late for an autograph but caught his face.

Eyes that disliked people, yearning to stay in his own world.

That’s what they were.

But they changed.

On the flight from Canada to Korea.

His eyes were still trapped in his world, filled with unspeakable sorrow.

But they changed again.

The way he looked at the kids…

Seeing that gaze, Nicole slipped him her SNS ID without thinking.

She couldn’t help but be moved by eyes emerging from isolation to embrace other children.

“Hoo…”

This feeling must be first love.

Most experience it in their early 20s, but Nicole had little interest in romance.

She’d dated, but nothing deep.

Never knowing true love, she had no way to handle this pounding heart.

She just breathed deeply, trying to calm it.

“Um…”

As she steadied herself on her phone, a voice spoke.

“Ah, ah! You’re here, Author!”

“Long time no see, Nicole.”

It was Yongsu.

He glanced around, then pulled out a chair and sat.

His presence made Nicole’s heart feel like it would burst.

His eyes…

They’d deepened further, more vivid.

I wore what Mijeong picked.

Not uncomfortable like fan meeting outfits, but casual and easy to move in.

The watch is a bit heavy.

Everything else was fine, but the watch’s weight bothered me.

After the long drive, I arrived and met Nicole.

She’s pretty.

She was beautiful as a flight attendant.

But dolled up like this, she looked like an angel descending.

Why would someone like her want to meet me?

Honestly, it felt off.

Our talks were fun and engaging, but she seemed approachable to anyone, and with our age gap, I couldn’t fathom it.

“How’s the writing from last time?”

I’m still working on it. Not sure where it’ll go.

“Oh? So the slump’s over?”

Dunno. It’s just…

Unlike before, words came now.

“I’m a bit uneasy.”

Just that it differed so much from my past work.

“Uneasy?”

Yeah. Feels like straying from my usual path.

Even with Loony and Mijeong’s encouragement, it was a new road, so anxiety lingered.

“Hmm.”

Nicole made a V with her fingers under her chin, a habit when thinking.

“I read this in a book once: The paths we take—left or right—are still straight toward our goal. People worry if they veer slightly, but they’re still heading true.”

I’d heard it somewhere.

No, I didn’t need to—it was mine.

“That’s from my book, isn’t it?”

“Hehe, yes! From Virus.”

Virus, about spreading rumors and distrust.

Not a disease, but the chronic illness of the human heart.

We easily fall to small evils but quickly forget great good.

“You already know the path you’re on is fine. You just forgot. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have written Virus. Right?”

Just forgotten.

The word “dream” Hye-yeon mentioned, which left me speechless.

Forgetting it, my original intent, myself—I’d been anxious.

“You’re not weak. Stronger and fiercer than anyone. That’s why you write like this.”

Even holed up writing.

Yongsu spoke his truth without caring for fame.

He preferred bold words over hidden ones.

“So don’t fear the path. You touch hearts like no one else.”

“Of course, it’s polarizing. Hehe.”

I was speechless.

Staring blankly at my hands.

Tremble tremble.

They shook.

I see…

Finally, I understood.

Why I enjoyed talking to Nicole.