Chapter 1
Carol!” “Carolyn!”
It was bustling outside. The day the academy’s summer semester ended. Carolyn, a girl who was organizing her classroom belongings for the upcoming vacation, pulled her face out of her locker upon hearing the urgent voice calling for her.
“Anna?” “Carol, look at this.”
Having run in such a hurry, the girl panting and sweating profusely before her eyes was Carolyn’s friend, Anna. She held out the paper clutched in her hand.
[The greatest young actor, everyone’s male lead… A sudden declaration of retirement!]
As soon as she read the headline, it felt like she had been struck in the head. Although she desperately wanted to deny it, Carolyn bit her lip and lowered her gaze.
[The great actor Aiden Christian Darebell, who has captured the hearts of many since his days as a child actor, suddenly announced his retirement around 2 PM today. Many reporters and fans asked him for the reason as he stood at the official event, but no detailed information was revealed…]
“What does this mean?” “Carol…”
She understood all the black letters on the paper, but she couldn’t help grabbing Anna and asking again anyway. Carolyn’s friend couldn’t say a word and merely looked at her with a pitying expression.
“Carolyn, are you okay?”
Classmates who witnessed the commotion gathered around her one by one. They worried for Carolyn, who was just standing there blankly with a pale face.
“What in the world is happening…” “Why is he retiring so suddenly?” “This makes no sense!”
Even classmates who weren’t particularly close to her stroked Carolyn’s shoulders and offered a word of comfort. It was because they all knew. That Carolyn was a massive fan of Aiden Darebell.
A massive fan. Yes, Carolyn was a massive fan of that great actor. A person who watched every one of his performances, knew even his most trivial details, and collected all kinds of related merchandise. Yet, even she could not understand it.
‘This makes no sense. A sudden retirement?’
Her mind went blank. What could the reason be? Did he grow tired of acting? Did he hit a slump? Or was there some malicious group harassing him? Even though she had always sharply observed her actor, she couldn’t get a grasp on this. She couldn’t accept it.
‘I’m disqualified as a fan!’
Carolyn August, who could arguably be called the number one fan in the entire country, knew nothing about this matter regarding Aiden.
‘Should I ask him?’
According to the newspaper, he was a man who left the press conference without answering the questions of countless reporters and fans. There was no way he would reveal the reason in a reply to Carolyn’s personal letter. Besides, wasn’t Aiden Darebell famous for never replying to the letters sent to him?
‘If that’s the case, I have no choice but to beg.’
A letter that didn’t require a reply. Carolyn intended to earnestly beg him to please not retire.
[To my dear actor, Aiden Christian Darebell.
Hello, Aiden. I am your fan, Carolyn August. Normally, I would have written an introduction of myself and this and that as always, but to cut to the chase, I am writing this letter today to beg you to reconsider your retirement.
My beloved actor, why did you choose retirement? Even if this is a decision you made after deep deliberation, it is my wish that you would think it over one more time. I have no way of knowing the reason for it, nor do I have any intention of prying into reasons you do not wish to speak of, so all I can do is beg you not to retire.
I cannot live without your acting, Aiden. It is no exaggeration to say that I survived off the performances you put on since I was young. You probably don’t know, actor, that I was terribly sick when I was young. And that I found a reason to live because of you!!! Ever since then, my life has been completely filled with Aiden.
Therefore, my actor, I sincerely and earnestly beg of you. Please do not retire! It is okay if you take a long break and come back, it is okay even if you return when your hair is full of gray! Just please let me be able to see you again. I beg of you.
Sincerely, your fan, Carolyn August.
P.S. If by any chance the words or sentences I used in this letter have disturbed your mood, would you please understand with a generous heart? This is a scribbled letter written in haste to hold onto you as quickly as possible. If I was disrespectful, I apologize. But I truly love you, Aiden. Please just know this…
Sincerely, your fan, Carolyn August.]
She didn’t have the time to look for a gift to enclose or review the contents like she did for her usual letters. Because she was anxious that if she hesitated even a little, Aiden might change his address, close his mailbox, or leave for a resort for a long vacation. Thus, Carolyn sent off the letter expressing her raw emotions via express delivery.
However, the reason for his retirement wasn’t the only thing Carolyn August—the ultimate massive fan who knew Aiden best—didn’t know about.
The next day, Carolyn received a single black envelope with her name as the recipient. The color was too unique to be a regular promotional envelope, and it emitted an incredibly wonderful fragrance.
“Smells good.”
Having only thought of it simply, Carolyn placed it down on her desk to open later, but she couldn’t take more than a few steps before stopping in her tracks. It was a fragrance she had smelled somewhere before. A neutral and mysterious scent blending roses and oysters.
“!”
‘.’
The play she had watched several times naturally came to mind. The vividly changing character as time went on, and her actor who had performed it all. It was unmistakably the fragrance of that play.
“Ah!”
Opening her eyes—swollen like a goldfish from crying all night long—as wide as possible, she sprinted back to her desk. Her white hands trembled so much that she slipped from the edge of the envelope several times. When she finally tore the letter open after a struggle, what she saw was black paper and words shining in gold.
“Dear… Carolyn, August…”
[Dear Miss Carolyn August.
I received the letter you sent well. Though I couldn’t tell if it was warm due to the weather or because it was freshly delivered. The sun has been very hot these days, I don’t know if you are doing well. Be careful of heatstroke.
The reason for this letter is none other than to invite you to my mansion. It’s not just for a one-day visit; I am saying it would be fine for you to spend this summer here.
There is no need to reply. A carriage sent from this side will be waiting at 10 AM the morning after the letter arrives. If right away is impossible, tell the carriage driver your schedule. He will go to pick you up at the right time. If you cannot meet the driver tomorrow, I hope you will send a letter this way one more time.
Even if you haven’t prepared your luggage yet, I can provide various items on my end, so don’t worry and please fly over. What you need to bring is a comfortable mind, a healthy body, and your love for me. That is all.
Well then, let’s meet in the hotter summer.
Sincerely, Aiden Christian Darebell.]
The academy’s semester had ended, and the new term was two months away. Carolyn had no reason to hesitate.
‘Should I have at least told Anna?’
The day after receiving the letter, Carolyn scoured every daily newspaper published at 8 AM. However, not a single newspaper mentioned anything about Aiden Darebell inviting fans to his mansion. So, she wondered if it might be a scam impersonating Aiden’s name, but when 10 AM struck, didn’t a driver appear accompanying a familiar carriage?
Because of the carriage that Aiden Darebell always rode home in after his performances, Carolyn folded her suspicions.
“To get a reply, and even an invitation.”
It was an astonishing thing. Because Aiden never gave replies.
“Could it even be called a reply?”
Carolyn took out the letter he had sent, which she had tucked in her embrace, and read it again. In the golden letters, Aiden clearly recognized the recipient named Carolyn August, but there was no specificity to the contents. Therefore, she thought it might be a letter written not just for her, but inclusive of other people as well.
“And only my name was written in later.”
If it was Aiden’s heart wanting to treat the fans who loved him enough to send a letter until the very end, she couldn’t be more proud and touched. Was he trying to do his best until the very end, even if he was retiring? The tip of her nose stung with emotion.
‘My baby.’
Her actor was, of course, older than her… but a fan by nature does not care about such things. Carolyn wiped away the shallow tears that had pooled, hugging the letter to her chest. Then, she poked her head out at the rapidly changing scenery.
She had arrived at Aiden’s mansion.
