The rain was a thick, silver curtain outside Xanadu, the sound a steady, soaking "SWAAAAA" as I stepped inside. I shook the rain from my umbrella, the faint jingle of a bell accompanying the move, and looked over the dimly lit cafe.
"It's been a while, Ms. Seo," I said, approaching the man seated at the small table, a mug of coffee in his hand.
He looked up, a pleasant, easy smile on his face. "May I sit?" I asked.
I sat down, feeling a certain sense of calm in the gentle atmosphere. "I had a feeling that I'd really regret it if I didn't come speak with you today," he began, looking at me with a steady gaze. "You probably know better than anyone else that you're very beautiful."
I felt my eyebrows raise slightly. "It sounds like you have a great first impression of me," I replied, taking a sip from the coffee I'd been handed.
He chuckled softly. "After having seen you today, I have a great second impression of you too. If you didn't look like you were wearing your dad's clothes, I wouldn't hesitate to put you in front of a camera right this moment." He reached out and tapped the mug I held. "Let me..."
"Ms. Baek, would you be interested in becoming an actress?" he asked, leaning forward, suddenly very direct. "I'd love to work with you."
I felt a knot of confusion and excitement tighten in my chest. "Why me...?" I managed, instinctively tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "Aren't there tons of other people who are dying to get into acting?"
"First, I think you're lucky," he said, holding up a finger. "Because you were born with something others don't have. Second, I think you have what it takes to make it in the field. Third, I trust my taste."
I paused for a moment, processing his three points. "Is there a fourth reason...?"
He smiled, a certain seriousness entering his eyes. "There is, and it's my biggest reason. I came to ask you one more time because I knew I'd regret it later if I didn't. I've been burned before because I hesitated."
He shifted in his seat, the rain falling steadily behind him. "It was when I first started the company. There was a trainer that I was about to sign when another entertainment company stole him away. He was training to become an actor but he debuted as an idol out of the blue." A deep sigh escaped him. "Plus, the contract they had him sign was so unethical. They were ruthless with him. I had to wait for his idol group to disband to bring him back under my management."
He looked back at me, his expression earnest. "I'm not making that mistake again
He finished his story with a final, firm statement. "That's why... I'm afraid that if I hesitate again, I might lose you, Ms. Baek." He gave the table a slight push, and it made a low slide sound as it moved fractionally closer.
He placed his business card on the table, tapping it with his finger. "Tap, tap. Be honest with me. You came out here to see me, so I take it that you aren't completely uninterested, right? To be completely honest..."
I met his gaze and spoke clearly, "I never tossed your business card, Mr. Seo. You gave me your business card on the night we first met. I never threw it away because I had a feeling I might want to contact you some day."
A wave of surprise washed over his face, and he ran a hand through his hair. "Wow. You have a knack for playing with people's hearts, Ms. Baek."
I couldn't help but smile. "I'm excited to work with you, Mr. Seo."
"I feel the same, Ms. Baek," he replied, his grin back. "Let's go over the details at my office soon."
I suddenly remembered something. "Oh, that reminds me... you said you had a flight to catch tonight. Are you sure you're not running late because of me?"
He leaned back, a smug look in his eyes. "Oh. Actually, my flight was cancelled. I wanted to give you a sense of urgency so I lied." He chuckled. "Plus, it's not like you're my date or anything. I didn't want to tell you that I'd wait here until you showed up like some sad puppy." He gestured toward the window where the rain was still pouring down. "It's really pouring out there, isn't it?"
I took a slow sip of my coffee and let the moment sink in, a private assessment taking place in my mind. She sure is a smooth talker... I thought. It wouldn't be a bad idea to learn a thing or two from her while working with her.
Outside, the heavy rain continued to drench the world, reflecting off the dark surface of a waiting car.
I got up from the table, a sense of nervous excitement thrumming inside me. I was leaving the cafe and walking into a new life. Mr. Seo waved me over to the entrance.
"Oh, what about Yusik, Mr. Choi?" I asked. "I was going to say bye."
"I sent him home early because of the weather," he replied. "What is it with this rain! I'm going to close up shop early too." He turned to the taxi that had just pulled up. "Sir, could you please take her to J Apartment?"
A man in a casual shirt and holding an umbrella, presumably Mr. Choi, approached me. "How did it go?" he asked. "She's not a weirdo, is she?"
"No," I replied, a light smile on my face. "She seems like a nice person."
"That's good. I called you a taxi, by the way. Why don't you get back to my place before it starts raining any harder?" He gave me his umbrella. "I'll see you at the apartment right after I make a quick stop at the baseball club dinner. I'll bring us take out, so don't eat without me!"
"Thank you for being so considerate," I said, feeling genuinely touched. "Drive safe in the rain, Mr. Choi."
I got into the back of the taxi, pulling the door shut. The car started, the engine rumbling to life with a quiet VROOOM, and began to move, the tires making a SWAAAA sound on the wet road. I watched the traffic light overhead briefly turn green.
I tapped the driver's shoulder and leaned forward. "Sir, I'm so sorry but... could you take me to Nojung Apartment on 13th Street instead?"
The older driver looked at me through the rearview mirror. "Huh? Oh, sure..."
I pulled out my phone and quickly sent a text message.
Me: Hey, Mr. Choi... I think I'm going to make a quick stop by my place to pick some things up.
The reply came almost instantly, the phone buzzing against the seat. BZZZ. BZZZ.
Mr. Choi: what? right now?? are you sure? I can come with you tomorrow.
Me: It'll be super quick. Just need to pick up my wallet and ID. It's just that I feel a bit anxious without them.
TAP. TAP. I hit send.
BZZZ. BZZZ.
Mr. Choi: okay Ms. Baek. why don't you ask the taxi driver to wait for you while you pick your stuff up? call me if anything happens!
Me: Sounds good.
TAP. TAP.
I put my phone away and settled back into the seat, looking out at the rain-streaked window. I was heading home for a minute, then moving on. My first step into my new life as an actress was not to sign a contract, but to make sure I had my ID. Everything felt surreal, but the weight of my wallet was the only thing that would ground me right now.
The taxi pulled up to the Nojung Apartment complex, the engine humming before the driver cut it. "VROOOOM." I got out, pulled my umbrella over my head, and watched the car drive away into the downpour. The rain was a solid sheet around the front of building number 25.
I quickly made my way to my unit and unlocked the door.
Inside, the apartment was a mess-a scene of disarray with debris scattered on the floor. I stepped through the doorway, my running shoes silent against the tile, and saw him.
A man was sitting on a low surface, his back to the door. He was heavier, with a dark shirt and pants, looking weary. He turned when he heard me.
He saw my face, and his eyes widened in a mixture of anger and disbelief.
"How dare you keep me waiting... You've got a lot of gall, huh?" he spat out, his voice hoarse.
I stepped fully into the room, my own expression calm despite the adrenaline beginning to pump. "Jeez, you haven't even been here that long..." I countered. "Also, you're not the only one whose been waiting. You have no idea how much I've waited for this moment."
Outside in the Rain
Meanwhile, another man was walking through the rain near a building, hands shoved in his pockets. He seemed to be coming from a grocery store.
"At least I got off work early thanks to the rain," he muttered, a spring in his step and a tune humming in his head. "I should pick up a few cans of beer for myself! W-what should I have..."
He stopped near a doorway, his eyes catching something unexpected.
A figure in a dark hooded coat with a bandage on his cheek was fumbling with a door handle, a bag of takeaway food in his hand.
"...for dinner-?" the man finished his thought aloud.
The hooded figure looked up, his expression guarded.
The first man's eyes widened, a flicker of horrified recognition crossing his face. "WAIT... THAT FACE..." he gasped, recognizing him as the man I had called Mr. Choi earlier. "It's him!"
The bandaged man looked around nervously, mumbling to himself, "Mumble, mumble... but I need to see her." He then looked back at the first man, a desperate edge to his voice. "I-is Ms. Baek here...?"
The first man stared, clutching his umbrella and taking a step back as he saw the hooded figure advance with a predatory STEP... STEP... through the downpour.
The first man, now identified as my friend Jeongho, watched the bandaged figure enter the building's side entrance. He pulled his umbrella closer and began to follow the man, his footsteps barely a STEP... STEP... on the wet pavement. He ducked behind a tree, peering out into the pouring rain as the figure in the dark coat disappeared around a corner.
Who knew I'd ever stalk a stalker...? Jeongho thought, pulling out his phone. He crept along, following the direction the man went, until he came to a basement entryway. The door bore the sign B02. Does he live in this basement...? Jeongho took a quick, discreet picture of the door. CLICK.
He quickly typed a text message. TAP. TAP.
Jeongho: Hey boss, I figured out where that stalker a**hole lives. I need to let Mr. Choi know-
Before he could finish the thought, a high-pitched scream cut through the sound of the rain. "AAAAAHHHHHH!"
Jeongho jumped, his eyes wide with fear. The screams grew louder and more frantic, echoing from the basement unit. "SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!!" "AAAAAHHHH!!" "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"
Heart pounding, Jeongho quickly backed away from the doorway. He was trapped between the terror coming from the apartment and the impulse to run.
The Attack and the Aftermath
Inside the basement apartment, the air was thick with violence. There was a sound of desperate, ragged breathing: "HUFF... HUFF..." The camera cut to a splash of dark, wet crimson on a pale wall.
A moment later, Jeongho's body lay on the floor, still, a dark patch expanding on his red shirt. He was down.
From a different perspective-a TV interview shown much later-a man named Yusik Jo, labeled as a Former Coworker, spoke to a camera in a segment titled "DIM HEART" on "HBN."
"I got plastic surgery because I'm afraid that stalker is going to come after me when he gets out of prison. I'm even going to change my name soon. You know, people are the scariest things out there."
The anchor prompted, "So what happened after that...?"
"I called the police and barged in, umbrella swinging... Ugh, I still get the shivers when I think about that day," Yusik recounted, rubbing his arm.
He continued, his voice heavy with regret. "But now that I think about it, I feel really bad for my old boss. If only I sent that text message..." He paused, the remorse clear in his eyes. "...he wouldn't have gotten confused and made a mistake like that..."
The image shifts back to Jeongho's prone body, the blood on the floor and splattered on his shirt.
The former coworker's testimony implies a terrible mix-up and reveals that the bandaged man was a known stalker. It seems that Jeongho was mistaken for someone else, or perhaps he found himself in the middle of a conflict he didn't understand.
The most pressing question now is what happened to me after I confronted the man in my apartment, and how this relates to the attack on Jeongho.