Chapter 33: The Ice Cream Girl

“Author-nim?”

I didn’t even notice someone calling out to me anxiously, lost deep in thought.

Then, a realization struck me.

Sitting in my studio, sipping coffee, I finally recognized the feeling I’d had when I saw that crazy part-timer at ‘Omega Coffee’.

It was the same sensation I’d gotten the first time I saw the adulteress in Love Affairs on Godflix.

“Ha. She’d be perfect for that role.”

“What? What role?”

Hong Joo-hee, who had come to my studio regarding casting issues for Our Precious Days, stopped drinking her coffee and looked at me strangely.

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

“So, you’re okay with Park Hyung-jun playing the lead in Our Precious Days, right?”

“Of course, absolutely.”

Park Hyung-jun is recognized by everyone as the best ‘father actor’ in Korea.

Originally, he took on big roles in movies, but a few years ago he transitioned to dramas and showed off his acting skills as the female lead’s father in the ‘Wise’ series.

Honestly, since dramas are usually watched mostly by women, it’s rare for a drama starring a man in his forties or fifties to succeed, or even exist at all.

So, I was quite curious who would be cast as the lead in Our Precious Days, but with Park Hyung-jun, I felt I could trust him with the success and quality of the show.

Personally, I also liked him a lot, so it felt like an honor to work together.

“Sunbaenim said he’d like to have a meal with you sometime. Are you free next week?”

“Just a second. Tuesday next week might be difficult…”

“Why? Are you meeting Cho Min-sung?”

Hong Joo-hee suddenly mentioned Director Cho Min-sung’s name, her eyes flashing.

She seemed embarrassed by her own question and quickly tried to play it off.

“Director Cho Min-sung is famous for being good at his job, but don’t get too close with him privately. He only cares about work, so warm-hearted people like you might get hurt.”

It felt as though Hong Joo-hee was thinking of someone else when she said “warm-hearted,” not really referring to me.

“By the way, CEO. Do you personally know Director Cho Min-sung?”

“No!!”

Hong Joo-hee immediately shouted and denied any personal connection.

Whatever the story, it was obvious there was some bad blood between them.

“Why, why? Did Director Cho Min-sung say something about me?”

“No, nothing like that. It’s just, you seem unusually worked up whenever Ten Enter comes up, even last time.”

“Oh come on, me? Heheh. No way. Hohoho.”

There it is. Definitely something there.

There was nothing more to dig out or do for her, so I gently changed the subject.

“By the way, among the actors you know, is there a female actor with ‘overwhelming beauty’?”

“‘Overwhelming beauty’…?”

Without much hesitation, Hong Joo-hee listed off famous and beautiful actresses like Jeon Tae-hee and Song Ji-woo.

“No, it can’t be someone like them. She has to be a rookie, someone unfamiliar to the public but almost unrealistically beautiful.”

“These days, there really aren’t many like that. If they’re that pretty, they’re usually already influencers, so they don’t feel fresh. Maybe if they have an especially charming face, but still.”

“Hmm. I guess you’re right.”

Even as I listened to Hong Joo-hee, I couldn’t help but think about the part-timer on the first floor of the cafe.

‘Is she an influencer, too? I don’t use social media, so there’s no way to know. Should I ask CEO Hong to come with me to check? No, that would be too rude…’

“Why, Author-nim? Do you need an actress with that kind of overwhelming beauty for your new work?”

“Yes. But it’s harder to find someone like that than I thought.”

“I’ll try to look into it, too. For your work, I’ll do anything I can to help.”

Hong Joo-hee, with her usual professional attitude, gave a cheerful ‘hong hong’ laugh.

Seeing such a meticulous woman get so worked up over Cho Min-sung, I was certain there was more to their relationship.

A place similar in name to Hadong, Gyeongnam, where, thanks to heavy dew and fog, Admiral Yi Sun-sin lured the Japanese fleet at dawn and utterly crushed them.

Now, a land of dreams, hopes, and also a grave for repeat test-takers.

Cross Yeouido Park, go over Olympic-daero, and this place appears right away...

Noryangjin.

Every morning at 7am, those retaking the college entrance exam pack up and head to their cram schools en masse.

Standing in front of the lecture hall, they stuff a triangle kimbap bought from a convenience store or a banana ordered from Coupang into their mouths, getting breakfast out of the way.

If you don’t eat, your brain won’t work, so they force something—anything—into their mouths, their hands all gripping English vocab books or math formula notebooks.

Classes start at 8am.

In the packed main lecture halls, if you can’t snag a seat at the front, you’ll have to watch the lecturer on a monitor in the middle of the room, like an online class—a harsh reality.

In the hall holding over 200 students, the only sounds are the lecturer, wired up with a mic, highlighting key problems, and the rapid scratching of pens from students desperate not to miss a word.

‘Will you get into college or not! You have to beat odds of dozens to one to pass!’

They accept this reality, fighting the world with pens instead of swords on their problem sets and notebooks.

Their current state of mind can’t be so different from soldiers firing arrows and cannons from Admiral Yi Sun-sin’s warships.

Today, too, they must defeat the enemy—those problems—and return home alive.

For those who despair today, there is no tomorrow!

“You there, student? Are you dozing off?”

All eyes instantly turned toward the spot.

A student, cap pulled down and mask on, snoring softly.

Head drooping to one side, arms crossed, fast asleep—until the student next to her nudged her awake and her head jerked to the right.

“Are you not going to get your act together? You want to still be here next year? If so, just quit studying already!”

At the teacher’s words, the other students shivered as if cursed.

Everyone was determined never to end up like that.

Third-year retaker Cheon Na-young slipped her mask down and quickly wiped away the drool.

She’d vowed not to doze off today, but after the morning shift called in sick yesterday, she’d covered both morning and afternoon shifts, then listened to online lectures at night—she was exhausted.

She twisted her neck gently, so as not to disturb the students around her, trying to shake off her sleepiness.

Just two years ago, she could pull two all-nighters and still be fine,

But a teenage body and a twenty-something body were definitely different.

After lectures ended at 3pm, she got on Line 9 of the subway.

The cafe owner let her skip her shift as a reward for yesterday’s hard work, so instead of getting off at Yeouido, she got off at Dongjak and headed home.

She decided to walk home to Yeongdeungpo for the exercise.

This route had already become her routine for two years.

This year, she would do well on the college entrance exam and get into her dream school.

She needed to, to be able to face her dad, who was still paying her cram school fees.

On her way home.

Just past the entrance to an old apartment complex, she noticed an ad video for a new flavor playing on the electronic signboard of the ‘Baskin Robinsons 32’ ice cream shop.

A cute little girl, about seven years old, held two pink ice cream scoops on cones, smiling brightly.

Cheon Na-young stood there for a moment, lost in thought—maybe because the girl was cute, maybe because the ice cream looked good—then started walking again.

“I’m home.”

Cheon Na-young opened the shabby Jugoong Apartment door and stepped inside.

Usually at this time, her dad’s shoes wouldn’t be there—he’d be out making deliveries—but they were neatly lined up, meaning he’d stopped by in the middle of work.

“Oh. Na-young, you’re home?”

“What, Dad, are you cooking again? I told you it’s fine.”

Cheon Na-young took off her hat and mask, placed them on the entry shelf, and headed to the kitchen, drawn by the savory smell.

Her father, Cheon Jin-man, was wearing an apron and cooking cheonggukjang stew.

“My Na-young works so hard studying, you need to at least eat well.”

“Tch. What’s so great about a daughter dumb enough to be retaking the exam for a third time?”

Cheon Na-young quickly dropped her backpack and pulled on rubber gloves to do the dishes piled in the sink.

“Hey! Don’t. It makes Dad feel bad.”

“It’s fine. If I don’t, your daughter feels even worse.”

“Huh? You’re the only one who gets a say? Dad’s feelings matter, too!”

“Ugh, why are you being so childish?”

Bickering back and forth, anyone watching would think they were shooting a commercial for cheonggukjang, that’s how warm and friendly they seemed.

Their situation aside, the aura of their appearances was also overwhelming.

Cheon Na-young, who always wore a hat and mask in public because of her striking looks, was finally free to relax at home, away from others’ eyes.

“Na-young, did your mom contact you at all? She called a few days ago, asking for your number.”

Cheon Jin-man came into Na-young’s room, where she was listening to online lectures on her laptop, bringing her an apple carved into a bunny shape.

On his way out, he carefully brought up the topic of his ex-wife.

Knowing what her father was worried about, Na-young spoke up bravely.

“Nope. I always wear my hat and mask, see? There’s no chance we’ll run into each other, so don’t worry.”

“Alright, my girl. Dad’s sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing? Mom’s the crazy one. Anyway, you’re divorced, so she’s not family, just a stranger.”

Feeling sorry for his daughter, Cheon Jin-man stroked her hair.

“If she tries anything, make sure you tell Dad. Got it?”

“Yes. Drive safe today, too.”

Na-young firmly insisted she was fine and saw her father out to the entrance before returning to her room.

She reopened the internet browser she’d hidden as her dad was coming in.

In fact, ever since she got home, Cheon Na-young had been thinking about that ice cream girl.

When she searched ‘ice cream girl’ on YouTube, videos of famous ice cream boys and girls from years past filled the results.

One video had an overwhelmingly high number of views.

The thumbnail was from over 15 years ago.

A six-year-old girl holding a two-tiered ice cream cake.

Greenish-gray eyes, a face perfectly formed even at just six years old, with the caption: ‘The legendary ice cream girl who melted the nation’s heart!’

Carefully, Cheon Na-young clicked on the video, and with falling-snow effects, an angelic little girl came to life, saying, “Buy some ice cream~”

That child was none other than her six-year-old self, Cheon Na-young from fifteen years ago.