Chapter 153

“Hmm, you look worried about something.”

“I almost broke my friend’s tooth by mistake.”

“…Nowadays, high school girls fight really fiercely.”

“I told you it wasn’t a fight. It’s true!”

“There’s always only the one who got hit, not the one who hit.”

“…Baek Sunbae.”

“Okay, I get it. I’ll stop teasing.”

Just after that, Baek Tae-hoon’s question about whether the target of that mistake was Min Da-yeon reached Ha Eun’s ears.

In response, Ha Eun silently nodded her head slightly.

“Oh dear. Did you apologize?”

“I did it right away. But she keeps avoiding my eyes…”

“She might still be angry.”

Or maybe she’s scared of you.

Baek Tae-hoon’s casual remark somehow sounded convincing.

‘If only I hadn’t been messing around.’

Since it was Ha Eun who started the cookie prank, she scratched her head uselessly.

She thought she should buy some strawberry milk later at the snack bar to cheer up Da-yeon.

If by any chance Da-yeon held a grudge, it would be a big deal.

She had to watch out for Da-yeon in order to suffer less during their future collaboration.

Thus, feeling a bit regretful for playfully responding to Da-yeon’s kindness with a prank.

“Ha Eun, it’s time for makeup~.”

Only after hearing the familiar voice from beyond the actors’ waiting room did she rise from her seat.

She briefly said goodbye to Baek Tae-hoon, who had already finished his makeup and costume setup.

After a few steps, she arrived at the familiar dressing room.

However, the outfit she had to wear for today’s shoot was quite unfamiliar.

‘Was this what they called modern girl?’

A top hat adorned with a pink ribbon.

A white-toned high-neck blouse.

A light sky-blue long skirt.

Rather than an elegant hanbok or an assassin’s formal black suit, this outfit was, in a word, a representation of a woman during the enlightenment period.

Strictly speaking, it was a disguise as well.

Kim Jeong-hyun, disguised in a manner common to those around her during the late Joseon period, intended to head to Japan.

Her goal was to assassinate the Japanese officials who aimed to invade Joseon while concealing her identity.

‘A Joseon person assassinating a Japanese person right in the heart of Japan…’

It was an incredibly dangerous undertaking compared to the activities she had done as a righteous army member.

It was precisely because of this that the strong pleas from people like Crown Prince Hwang Tae-seong had hindered Kim Jeong-hyun.

Nonetheless, the scene she had to shoot today was one heading towards Japan.

A final step for the massive incident that would unfold at the very end of [The Sunshine].

-Swish.

-Tap tap.

“Alright, you’re all done.”

Thus, after finishing the final touches of makeup, Ha Eun slowly got up from her seat.

What followed was Ju Jung-yun’s remarks filled with admiration.

“This style is quite new, isn’t it? It’s really different, Ha Eun.”

Afterward, there was a request to slowly turn around in place for an Instagram photo.

Once she completed the turn as requested, an additional request for props was made.

“Hang on a moment, Ha Eun. Holding an umbrella like that would look really pretty, don’t you think?”

“An umbrella?”

Right afterward, Ju Jung-yun returned with a snowy white umbrella, and once again, Ha Eun struck a pose for the photo.

-Snap.

-Snap snap.

While Kim Jeong-hyun had been a Joseon-style lady until now, she exuded the vibe of a Western lady at present.

With an outfit so different from the usual, and holding an umbrella, she looked like a noble lady from medieval Europe.

Even though the truth was that she wasn’t actually a lady but an assassin, various thoughts crowded her mind.

‘…An aristocrat shooting a sniper rifle from the rooftop.’

After taking a few more photos for Instagram, she headed toward the set where the filming preparations were in full swing.

Not long after, she found herself in front of a quaint tram placed on a makeshift railway, a sight reminiscent of a museum.

Soon, she also met Bae Jin-hyeok, who played Hwang Tae-seong, with whom she was to film a conversation scene alone.

“Oh, Ha Eun, your outfit… it’s much more colorful than I expected!”

“…Does it not suit me?”

“No, no! It suits you well. It’s just a slightly different vibe from when you wore the hanbok, so I was a bit surprised.”

What followed was a discussion about Hwang Tae-seong’s costume.

Being set up as the wealthy young master who returned from studying in Tokyo, Hwang Tae-seong’s attire hadn’t changed much.

Was that why?

Bae Jin-hyeok expressed envy for Ha Eun’s colorful outfits.

“I’ll just be wearing similar clothes from episode 1 to the last episode.”

“Even if they’re similar, they suit you well. It really doesn’t feel cliché.”

“Haha, thank you.”

He had a friendly smile.

Perhaps because he had faced her throughout the filming of [The Sunshine] as a rich young master, there was an air of sophistication that seeped out.

However, since the next scene they would shoot was the farewell scene between Kim Jeong-hyun and Hwang Tae-seong, she needed to suppress the comfortable chatting they were having and prepare the emotional farewell in advance.

That was why she hadn’t spoken to anyone until the filming started.

Since every scene shot today would lead to the climax of [The Sunshine], she couldn’t afford to make any mistakes in depicting that emotional line.

Thus, with her own feelings as Kim Jeong-hyun firmly settled in, she waited and waited for the start of the first shoot of the day.

“Alright, if you two are ready, let’s begin. 3, 2, 1… Action!”

As soon as Kwon Jae-hyuk, the director, gave the signal, she took a step forward.

Eventually, she arrived inside the tram.

“………Hah.”

It was perhaps because Kim Jeong-hyun knew best how treacherous the journey ahead would be.

A deep sigh involuntarily escaped her neat lips.

However, now that she had begun to move toward Japan.

She also knew very well that stopping or turning back was not an option.

“…………………….”

Sitting still inside the rattling tram, carrying only a simple bag.

So, as time, which had never stopped, flowed particularly slowly today.

-Pat.

“I hoped not, but it’s true. The woman I know is indeed here.”

“…How did you get here?”

“It’s a coincidence. A stunning coincidence that happens once in a lifetime.”

From the moment the familiar voice approached her, everything changed as if time had completely stopped.

Then, the conversation began with ordinary small talk.

“That outfit… I thought I’d seen it somewhere. It’s from a tailor I know well.”

“The fabric is nice. I thought I might need at least one outfit like this, so I bought one.”

Then came a cautious question.

“You packed all your bags? Are you going on a trip or something?”

“A trip… Well, in a way, I guess you could call it a trip.”

In the end, it led to.

“In this wide tram, there are only you and me as passengers. Isn’t that strange?”

“…That too must be a coincidence.”

“No, I bought up all the tickets for the previous tram. Going forward, it’s just you and me here.”

The real reason Hwang Tae-seong acted as if it were a coincidence and appeared before Kim Jeong-hyun.

He himself revealed that he already knew of Kim Jeong-hyun’s destination.

“The servants of the Kim family have loose lips.”

“…I never told you.”

“How could there be any secrets if the Kim Jeong-hyun, who serves, is traveling alone without a single person?”

What followed was a brief, faint sigh.

Soon Hwang Tae-seong, sitting right next to Kim Jeong-hyun, attempted to do whatever he could to stop her steps.

“Whatever you plan to do in Japan, the moment you set foot there, your life is as good as over.”

“…By now, I’m no longer afraid for my life.”

“I am. Your life is precious to me, so I want to turn this tram around right now.”

Immediately, a hellish silence filled the space.

The stillness passing between Kim Jeong-hyun and Hwang Tae-seong pressed heavily upon the air around them.

However, the tram’s wheels continued to turn.

And the moment to let Kim Jeong-hyun go was gradually approaching.

-Swipe.

A ring case that hadn’t been taken out for a long time was slowly revealed before Kim Jeong-hyun.

It marked the moment Hwang Tae-seong began to express his true feelings.

“Stop this, please. I can’t bear the thought of the woman I love going off to die alone.”

“The woman you love, huh…”

“Don’t say you didn’t know. I’ve held enough resentment already.”

The resentment that had piled up, heavy with the same weight as his love for Kim Jeong-hyun.

The frustration towards the woman walking a path where her chances of survival were several times lower than her chances of death.

Yet, the conclusion reached after the continuous conversation turned out to be exceedingly bitter.

In the end, Hwang Tae-seong’s heart was torn apart until the very final moment.

“In the end, you’re set on dying. On foreign soil.”

“I’m only going to do what I must do.”

“…How cruel. Truly… cruel.”

Sitting next to her without reaching out to grab her hand or turning his back, he simply stayed by her side.

“Would you stop if I were to grab you?”

“Probably not.”

“…That’s probably true.”

As yet another profound silence began to swirl around them, the atmosphere became stifling.

“Last question, please answer me. Was I the only one you loved?”

At that moment, Hwang Tae-seong opened the most fearful question, sensing he would never meet Kim Jeong-hyun again.

What returned was neither a denial nor an affirmation, but a calm and tranquil answer.

“I never hated you for a single moment. Truly, not for a single moment.”

However, ultimately.

“The opposite of love isn’t hate. It’s ‘discard.’”

It was all too clear that he had not been chosen in the end.

As a result, the thread of reluctance that Hwang Tae-seong had barely held onto until just before gently unraveled and disappeared.

“I wanted to walk with you. Forever.”

“…It was a different path from the very beginning.”

“How clumsy. If you’re going to push someone away, you should at least do it more decisively.”

Yet, until the last moment.

Because he hated being hated by the woman he had loved for a lifetime more than dying.

“Have a good journey. Be sure to write letters in between.”

“…Okay.”

In the end, he had to take a step back, finishing with a promise that held no assurance.

Even though he sensed that she was someone he would never meet again, he couldn’t express it out loud.

Thus, Kim Jeong-hyun finally got off the tram.

Hwang Tae-seong sat silently in the empty tram, contrasting sharply with her.

However, Hwang Tae-seong was not standing still either.

There was still something he could do for Kim Jeong-hyun.

“It’s a crime to hold a cruel woman in my heart.”

Not long after, the tram, which had stopped at another station.

Hwang Tae-seong immediately got off the tram and headed towards the post office, sending a telegram to someone far away.

Quite some time passed.

“Hey, wait a moment!”

Just as Kim Jeong-hyun had arrived at the port and was finally moving toward the ship heading to Japan.

The Japanese soldiers, noticing her loitering alone at the port, called out to her.

What followed was the dull sound of military boots.

The heavy steps bearing an adversarial atmosphere slowly approached Kim Jeong-hyun.

And just as everything seemed to take a turn for the worse.

-Pat.

“Do you have business with my wife?”

Whether they were Koreans or not.

At least for this moment, Park Ju-ho stood in front of the Japanese soldiers as an American.

“Wife? This woman?”

“Watch your words. People of your low station should not speak so recklessly.”

While Park Ju-ho confronted the Japanese soldiers, a hand gradually reached toward the back.

His hand, which had been waiting to be seized, lightly shook as if urging Kim Jeong-hyun to move.

In the end, Sak.

Tightly clenched American fingers intertwined with the tiny Korean hand from the fingertips onward.

“How could you…?”

“There was a man wishing for your safe journey.”

With that, the two made their way past the Japanese soldiers toward the entrance of the ship, and cut.

The mixed emotions on Kim Jeong-hyun’s face were captured by the camera for the last time.

Thus, the foundation for the climax of [The Sunshine] was completed.

***

The time was one day before the last filming of [The Sunshine].

Simultaneously, it was the day before the rehearsal for the first-anniversary performance of the fantasy realm.

“I’ve arrived.”

“Oh, you look like a student in that school uniform.”

“It’s the best time, isn’t it?”

Ha Eun, wearing her school uniform, had to head to a certain park.

Because today was the first music video shoot for Pinocchio.

“Then for now, could you stand right there? The director said that tree has the best composition.”

“Ah, okay.”

And so, the first music video shoot for Pinocchio finally began.

And soon after that.

-Sak.

As the gentle breeze brushed past, cherry blossoms began to scatter.

Almost simultaneously, the camera operator’s pupils slightly widened.

In an unexpected angle, he was momentarily rendered speechless.

That was because the sight of Ha Eun he faced moments before was pure innocence itself.

Perhaps that was why.

“Wouldn’t this photo be great for the album cover? What do you think?”

The camera operator asked for feedback, sharing the caught moment with Daulby and Ha Eun.

He added that such moments were hard to stage artificially.

To conclude, there wasn’t a single person who opposed the idea.

The scene captured by the moment of coincidence perfectly matched the album concept.

“Ha Eun, you’ll surely succeed with this album!”

“Right? The signs are already looking good.”

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