~Chapter 02~
“So-hye.”
“……”
“So-hye. …Baek So-hye!”
“Huh? Yes?”
So-hye, who had been standing there with her mouth slightly open, suddenly looked up in surprise.
Gyeong-rim was staring at her as if asking what she was doing.
When So-hye looked around, everyone was busy preparing the modern café for business.
Only So-hye stood there blankly, holding a long sack in one hand.
“What are you doing? It’s a busy time.”
“Ah… I was just lost in thought.”
Lately, So-hye had been like this all the time.
She often spaced out, and she kept making small mistakes she never used to make.
Yesterday, she even made a mistake on stage.
It was because of Shin Woo-geon.
No matter where she looked, she saw him.
No matter what she heard, his voice stayed in her head.
His image replayed over and over in her memory.
The way he spoke casually, as if nothing tied him down.
His eyes, like a butterfly that never stayed in one place.
But when those eyes turned toward her, she couldn’t move at all, like she was caught in a spider’s web.
Because of that man who kept stealing her thoughts, So-hye felt very troubled.
“If you’re free, come help me fix my hair. The others aren’t careful enough.”
“Yes, unni.”
So-hye put the sack aside and followed Gyeong-rim.
Sitting at the dressing table, Gyeong-rim handed her several hairpins decorated with small flowers.
Her hair, covered by a wig, was tightly tied back.
“Roll the hair up, then stick these in between.”
“Tell me if it hurts.”
“It’s fine. Just put them where you think looks pretty.”
Gyeong-rim trusted So-hye completely.
Other dancers had helped before, but only So-hye ever satisfied her.
So-hye had a good sense of where things should go to look beautiful.
It was thanks to the art she had learned when she was young.
“Do you like it?”
After finishing, So-hye held up a small hand mirror.
Gyeong-rim looked carefully at the back of her head, then picked out a necklace and ring instead of answering.
From her expression, it was clear she liked it.
“Stop cleaning and get ready yourself. A dancer’s hands shouldn’t be dirty like a rag.”
“Yes, unni.”
Gyeong-rim left the dressing room without saying thank you.
But maybe because she lightly touched So-hye’s hair as she passed, So-hye didn’t feel bad.
Even without saying it directly, So-hye knew Gyeong-rim cared about her.
She often pulled her out early during cleaning time, or placed her nearby when planning dance positions.
Gyeong-rim seemed to think of her like a younger sister.
She had come here because of her father too.
“I should get ready as well.”
So-hye sat at the dressing table.
Thanks to being brought out early, she still had time even after getting ready.
Going back to clean would only ruin her hair and makeup.
After thinking for a moment, she brought some paper and a pencil and sat back down.
Scratch, scratch.
The pencil made soft sounds as lines appeared on the paper.
The vague lines slowly became a face.
Neatly combed hair.
Dark eyebrows slanting slightly upward.
Sharp yet gentle eyes filled with sadness.
A straight nose.
A slim jaw and slightly hollowed cheeks.
Smooth lips.
It was Woo-geon’s face.
The man who had awakened feelings she had never known before.
The shoulder he had touched felt warm again.
So-hye gently placed her hand on her own shoulder.
His hand had been larger than hers, warm, and strong, yet gentle.
Her calm heart began to flutter again, like a small bird.
The sweet feeling she had felt for the first time yesterday rose in her chest again.
“I wonder if he’ll come today… I haven’t seen him since that day.”
If only he would come just once more.
Then she could dance happily.
Even if she was only a background dancer, if it was for him alone.
Just then, the other dancers entered noisily.
So-hye quickly put the drawing away and left the room.
After the performance.
Changed into a shirt and pants, So-hye looked around the hall full of guests.
Before, she would have left immediately after performing.
But lately, she stayed and searched the room like this.
She hoped Woo-geon might be there.
‘What would I even say if I met him?’
She asked herself, but no answer came.
Maybe just, “Thank you for helping me that day.”
Honestly, even if she found him, she didn’t have the courage to approach him.
She just wanted to see him once more, even from far away.
‘He’s not here…’
Woo-geon wasn’t there today either.
Neither were the people who had been with him before.
Letting out a deep sigh, So-hye left the café.
Outside, the hot summer night air rushed at her.
She fanned herself as she walked, then stopped and looked down at her right foot.
Her ankle had been aching every step.
She must have strained it on stage.
‘I should go home and put a hot towel on it.’
She walked carefully, when suddenly she heard shouting.
“Stop right there!”
A loud whistle and harsh voices followed.
Looking back, she saw several people running under the streetlights.
Japanese police were chasing three men.
At the intersection ahead, the three men split up.
One of them ran straight toward So-hye.
“Ah!”
Suddenly, the man grabbed her wrist and started running.
It happened in an instant.
“Hey, wait! Please!”
No matter how much she shouted, he didn’t let go.
“Run faster!”
He urged her instead.
What kind of person was this?
Grabbing her and telling her to run faster?
But the whistle behind them was terrifying.
If she let go now, the police would catch her.
And even if she explained, they wouldn’t believe her.
She would suffer terribly.
Maybe even be tortured.
Her feet moved faster.
‘My ankle…’
The pain grew worse as she ran.
Noticing her limp, the man turned into a nearby alley.
After weaving through narrow paths, he pulled her into the darkest, narrowest spot.
They hid together behind a large wooden crate.
“What are you— mmph!”
As she tried to protest, the man pulled her close and covered her mouth.
His large hand covered half her face.
He pulled her even closer so she wouldn’t be seen.
In the darkness, they were tightly holding each other.
So-hye froze.
The fear faded away.
All she felt was his rough breathing, his scent filling her lungs, his strong arms, his broad chest.
And her own heart pounding wildly.
His hand over her lips was warm and rough.
It felt like the world had disappeared, leaving only the two of them.
She felt trapped in that moment forever.
She could see his chest rising and falling as he breathed.
‘Too close…’
She was overwhelmed with embarrassment.
When she moved slightly, his arms tightened.
A sharp sensation ran through her whole body.
“Damn it, where did they go?!”
The police cursed in Japanese as they passed the alley.
Only after the footsteps faded did the man release her.
“Ha…!”
So-hye gasped for air.
She glared at him angrily.
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
“Shh— …oh?”
As he raised a finger to his lips, he froze.
So did So-hye.
It was Shin Woo-geon.
The man who had been haunting her thoughts stood right in front of her.
Woo-geon’s expression changed as he realized his mistake.
“My mistake. I thought you were with my companions.”
His tone made it sound like it was her fault.
That annoyed her.
She fixed her hat and replied coldly.
“You must have mistaken me for someone else.”
“You do look similar at first glance. Though that person was clearly a man.”
Before she could react, Woo-geon leaned down to meet her eyes.
His dark gaze trapped hers instantly.
Her breath caught.
With a slight smile, he said calmly,
“I meet the modern café’s butterfly again.”
Her face flushed.
He remembered her?
He remembered a background dancer?
Her heart raced.
“If I’m wrong…”
His voice was already certain.
When she stayed silent, he changed the subject.
“I apologize for earlier—”
Before he could finish, So-hye pushed him down.
“Be quiet!”
She threw a large mat over him just as a voice came closer.
“I heard something here…”
Footsteps approached.
So-hye pressed herself flat against Woo-geon, holding her breath.
Then another voice called out from elsewhere.
“Over here!”
The policeman left.
So-hye lifted the mat slightly.
They were gone.
She finally breathed out.
Then she realized—
She was sitting on him.
Her face turned red.
“I—I’m sorry!”
She jumped up and turned away, too embarrassed to look at him.
Behind her, she heard a small laugh.
“You can turn around now.”
“No… I’ll stay like this.”
“Are you planning to stay all night?”
“If you leave first…”
“It’s late. I can’t leave a lady alone.”
She was still embarrassed.
“I’m fine. Please go.”
“Well, considering how strong you are…”
He was teasing her.
“Don’t tease me.”
“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s night, it’s just the two of us, and it was that kind of situation.”
“What are you saying?!”
He smiled easily.
“Now I can finally see your face.”
He brushed the dirt off her shoulder gently.
The touch was careful and kind.
Her chest tingled strangely.
“I owe you. I didn’t expect help.”
His voice settled softly in the quiet alley.
So-hye looked at him.
Why had he been chased?
Was he part of the independence movement?
She didn’t ask.
She was afraid.
“It’s nothing. I didn’t choose it.”
People said the country had fallen.
But for people like her, life had always been hard.
Freedom felt distant.
She just wanted work today and food tomorrow.
She had fallen for him at first sight, but she didn’t want to be pulled into dangerous things.
“You can go.”
“This is my way of repaying you.”
He stepped forward and held out his hand.
A thought struck her.
If I take his hand, my life will be deeply tangled with his.
“I’ll protect you until the end this time.”
And it would hurt.
