Chapter 1.
Please Let Me Go
Dreams are always built from memories, experiences, and the subconscious.
Among them, nightmares were the cruelest—and the most persistent.
Even when you knew it was only a dream, they made you feel every emotion as if it were real. Even knowing nothing could be changed, they still forced you to struggle.
In the dream, he groped his way through smoke so thick he couldn’t see an inch ahead.
He covered his nose and mouth with his hands, but his mind grew hazier by the second. More terrifying than the spreading flames was the fact that no matter how long he walked, he couldn’t find an exit.
Of all times, it had to happen in the middle of summer.
A fire in the suffocating heat, when simply standing still was unbearable.
With a deafening crack, one of the pillars supporting the amusement ride collapsed.
Scarlet flames surged as though ready to swallow him whole.
By then, even his tears had stopped.
Clenching his fists, he staggered backward, only for his shoulder to slam against a sheet of red-hot steel. Agony tore through him, and he screamed.
But in reality, no sound came out.
Perhaps he had already sensed his own death.
Even though he knew it was something that had happened long ago, the memory of being forced to give up on life was so vivid that overwhelming terror consumed him.
And then—
The person he had been waiting for appeared.
Fresh oxygen rushed into his nose and mouth, and a heavy firefighter’s jacket was draped over his shoulders. It was unbearably hot and heavy, soaked with the smell of sweat.
“Survivor found! Survivor found! Damn it, is nobody listening? Hey, kid. Look at me. Are you okay? Huh?”
Apparently the radio wasn’t working.
After cursing under his breath, the firefighter smiled brightly as if to reassure him and patted him on the shoulder.
“You must’ve been scared. It’s okay. I’m here now. Don’t breathe the smoke. Hold this over your nose.”
The broad-smiling firefighter handed him the entire oxygen tank.
He desperately inhaled the clean air, clutching the firefighter’s protective coat.
“First year of high school? Did your class come here on a field trip? Don’t worry. We’ve rescued all your friends. I’ve got a daughter even younger than you, and she’s one tough kid. So don’t cry. Once we get out of here, you’ll be embarrassed you cried this much. You’re going to live, so don’t worry.”
He remembered crying uncontrollably.
Through a blur of tears and soot, all he could see was the firefighter’s blackened face and his bright white teeth.
The firefighter had given him his own protective gear without the slightest hesitation.
But the farther they moved, the more the darkness swallowed them both.
The exit had disappeared.
Explosions echoed in the distance.
Every thunderous blast felt as though it would split his head open.
He wanted to give up.
The heavy fireproof suit and oxygen tank no longer felt capable of saving his life.
And it seemed the tall firefighter had reached the same conclusion.
He stopped moving forward.
After adjusting the signal on his radio, he tucked it into the boy’s arms.
Then he carefully zipped up the loose firefighting jacket, fastened every button, removed his own helmet, and placed it on the boy’s head.
“You’re going to live. Don’t worry… You will survive. I’ll save you. All you have to do is stay alive. No matter what.”
Nodding confidently a couple of times, he pulled the boy into a tight embrace.
“Mister…”
Seunghyun slowly opened his eyes, feeling someone gently shaking him awake.
A faint lime fragrance drifted through the air, and a cool hand towel rested against the back of his hand.
“Sir? Sir, are you all right?”
The airplane cabin was quiet.
A flight attendant, her face full of concern, smiled with relief when she saw his eyes open.
“It looked like you were having a nightmare, so I had to wake you. Are you feeling all right? Is the cabin temperature uncomfortable?”
Damn…
Did I talk in my sleep?
Running a hand through his sweat-soaked bangs, Seunghyun raised his seat.
“I’m fine. Just bring me a glass of cold water.”
“Right away, sir.”
The Korean Air flight that had departed from New York had already been in the air for twelve hours.
After calming himself with a glass of ice water the flight attendant brought him, Seunghyun pressed the cold towel over his eyes.
A menu for the in-flight meal was placed before him.
“This is our final meal service. Would you like to make a selection?”
He closed the menu and frowned.
“I’ll pass.”
“You haven’t eaten any of the meals since takeoff.”
“They all taste like hospital food. Coffee is enough.”
“Very well, sir.”
Not long afterward, a cup of freshly brewed hot coffee and a plate of fruit were set in front of him.
No matter how good first-class meals were supposed to be, airline food was still airline food.
Opening his laptop, he massaged the stiffness in the back of his neck before reopening the report he had been reviewing throughout the flight.
The contents were so mind-numbingly dull that he had fallen asleep halfway through reading it—
Only to end up having a nightmare.
To make matters worse, before boarding the plane he had received a gossip report from Korea that had utterly ruined his mood.
Leaning back deep into his seat, Seunghyun rubbed the corner of his mouth.
Cool air flowed from the overhead vent, and outside the window stretched a flawless blue sky without a single speck of dust.
The scorching heat he had felt in the dream was nowhere to be found.
“Everything ready? You didn’t forget anything, right? You packed your passport?”
Standing in front of the apartment building’s entrance, Seo-ah absentmindedly wrapped her cardigan around herself once more.
Ji-hyun, who had just finished loading five enormous suitcases into the car, dusted off her hands and nodded.
“I think I’ve got everything. If I forgot anything, just mail it to me internationally.”
“Okay. Oh, did you exchange your money?”
“Of course. Seriously, Bae Seo-ah, what am I going to do when I miss my favorite nag?”
Ji-hyun lightly smacked Seo-ah on the backside and made a goofy face as if teasing a child.
Clicking her tongue, Seo-ah checked the time.
“You should get going. Make sure you call me when you arrive! If I didn’t have work today, I’d have gone to the airport with you…”
“It’s fine. Honestly, the fewer people who come to the airport, the better. I’m not immigrating—I’m just studying abroad. I’ll probably be back every four months or so.”
“You never know. If it’s your father, he might ban you from entering Korea until you earn your certification.”
Seo-ah had struck a nerve.
Ji-hyun dramatically clutched her chest.
“You’re so cruel! If that happens, I’ll die. I’ll come back just to eat your kimchi stew. Ugh… I don’t want to go.”
Seeing her whining, Seo-ah hurried her along.
“Quit complaining. Plenty of people dream of studying abroad but never get the chance. Go already. You’re going to be late.”
Pouting, Ji-hyun let out a deep sigh before wrapping Seo-ah in a hug.
“Don’t cry just because I’m gone. And don’t open the door for strangers.”
“I know, I know.”
Compared to Ji-hyun, who was unusually tall, Seo-ah was quite petite.
She hadn’t measured her height since high school, but she’d just barely passed 155 centimeters back then. Maybe she’d grown a little since.
Of course, being short was inconvenient sometimes.
Still, life wasn’t measured by height alone, and she’d never really complained about it.
In the end, after their long back-and-forth outside the apartment, Ji-hyun drove Seo-ah to work before finally heading to the airport.
Naturally, they were both reluctant to part.
They had been friends for eight years—from the age of twenty-one to twenty-nine.
Their friendship dated back to their first year of college.
Seo-ah had failed to get a dormitory room through the lottery, and rent near campus was outrageously expensive.
If she worked part-time to pay rent, she had no time to study.
If she focused on studying, she couldn’t afford rent.
Her family wasn’t completely unable to support her, but she didn’t want to burden her mother, who barely made ends meet running a small tofu stew restaurant with Seo-ah’s grandmother in Gangneung.
It was February, just before the spring semester began.
While walking around campus, Seo-ah noticed a handwritten note pinned to the bulletin board.
Looking for a Housemate
Rent: 200,000 won/month
Excellent location—right next to the subway, plenty of nearby shops.
Requirements:
- Professor evaluation grade: Level 1
- Straight A’s
- Perfect TOEIC and TOEFL scores
Applicants should contact Min Ji-hyun, Class of 2011, Department of Business Administration.
Fortunately, there weren’t many students at the university who could satisfy Ji-hyun’s absurd requirements.
Thinking she had nothing to lose, Seo-ah tracked down the owner of the note and presented proof that she met every condition.
Even as another woman, she had been intimidated by Ji-hyun’s model-like figure and striking appearance.
But contrary to her fears, Min Ji-hyun—whose first impression was anything but ordinary—accepted Seo-ah as her housemate that very day.
Ji-hyun had been the one who pulled her out of the pit she had fallen into as a poor student, practically living on the edge of poverty.
Back then, Seo-ah had no idea Ji-hyun was the youngest daughter of an incredibly wealthy family.
Nor had she imagined they would stay together for so many years.
With mixed feelings, Seo-ah continued walking.
Lost in memories, she absentmindedly nodded to herself when her phone suddenly began vibrating noisily in her pocket.
“Yes, Manager!”
“Seo-ah, did you forget? Hurry up! Today’s the inauguration of the new division director!”
“N-No! I’m already in the lobby! I’ll be right upstairs!”
“Damn it. Director Oh is already here too, so you’re on your own. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!”
Oh my God!
Startled, Seo-ah hurried through the revolving doors.
This was no time to take it easy.
If Director Oh had already arrived, then she was undeniably late.
People always said that when someone suddenly changed their habits, they died young…
So why had that man come to work so early today?
The lobby was packed with employees rushing in.
After quickly scanning her ID card at the security gate, she hurried toward the elevators, tapping her foot impatiently.
She had no idea…
That it was still 22 hours and 10 minutes before that incident would occur.
