Chapter : 05
“This Life Will Be Different (2)”
“Why are we doing an interview in the studio for an outdoor program?! It’s such a hassle.”
Yoon Ra-hee’s sharp, prickly tone immediately froze the atmosphere in the studio.
With a mix of irritation on her face, she sat in her chair, legs crossed, fidgeting with her phone as if she had no intention of doing the interview.
“….”
The three staff members, including me, stood in front of her, silently trying to read the situation.
This was tricky. We had to get the interview, but it was clear that a ruffled Ra-hee had no intention of cooperating.
“Senior, you’re having a rough start as soon as you arrive…”
Seung-hee, a junior writer on the same team, sidled up and whispered to me.
I whispered back while keeping an eye on Ra-hee.
“Where did Director Bong go?”
“Looks like he left it to us knowing this would happen.”
“Ugh, calling people here just to ditch them and leave Ra-hee hanging…”
Only the three of us—Seung-hee, cinematographer Won-ho, and I—were in the studio for the interview.
Naturally, the responsibility to control Ra-hee fell on the writer team, and as the senior, that meant me.
‘So that’s why Bong called me.’
I had a feeling from the start. They clearly needed a writer to handle Ra-hee.
Most writers wouldn’t survive working beside someone as difficult as her.
From Director Bong’s perspective, if he needed someone desperate for work, I’d be the perfect choice.
‘Well then, as a dad who needs to earn, what can’t I handle? Let’s do this.’
After coming back from the brink of death, what could scare me now?
I took a deep breath and approached Ra-hee.
She lifted her gaze from her phone and glanced at me sideways.
“What is it?”
“I’m Kang Sung-woon, joining the writer team starting today.”
“And?”
“Ra-hee, could I ask where you got those sunglasses?”
Her eyebrows arched slightly over the sunglasses.
“…Why the sunglasses?”
“I noticed them earlier—they’re really pretty. I’ve been looking for a nice pair myself lately.”
The casual compliment made the corners of her lips curl slightly.
“You have a good eye. I made these sunglasses myself.”
“Really?! Ra-hee, you’re running a business too?”
“Not officially released yet, but soon. You can tell, right? The frames are different from anything else.”
“Yes, really. They have a classy feel that sets them apart from other products.”
“Oh my, writer, you have quite the eye.”
Ra-hee smiled, showing her white teeth.
I smiled along, inwardly smirking.
‘I know all about your sunglasses obsession from the news.’
Before my regression, I’d seen a news interview of Ra-hee apologizing for her DUI incident, wearing sunglasses in front of reporters.
That news caused a huge stir—not because of the apology, but because of her sunglasses.
She had worn her brand in every post-incident interview to promote it, and that display of brand loyalty only angered the public, tanking her image.
Memes of her sunglasses were made and mocked online, even sparking a brief fall-season sunglasses trend.
‘The impact was legendary.’
I quietly chuckled to myself, recalling the scene.
‘Hmm… at least this memory seems to have put Ra-hee in a better mood.’
Earlier, she seemed unwilling to do any interview, but now she had called a stylist to touch up her makeup.
“Writer Kang Sung-woon, right? After the interview, I’ll give you a pair of our brand sunglasses.”
Ra-hee winked at me while fixing her makeup.
Receiving a wink from a top star like her left me both flustered and elated.
‘Haha… I don’t know how long this team will survive, but at least today, we’re alive.’
“Yurina, Daddy’s home~!”
“Daddy—!!”
I returned home in the dim evening after finishing work.
Yurina, who had been watching TV with her grandmother, leapt off the sofa and ran to the door to greet me.
“You kept me waiting~! Why were you so late?!”
She stomped her feet and spun around me like an excited puppy.
Her cute greeting instantly melted away the day’s fatigue.
“Seong-woon’s home?”
My mother, Mrs. Choi, who had been watching Yurina while I was at work, also came to the door.
“How’s work? No one giving you a hard time for quitting and coming back?”
Her face was full of concern as she fired questions even before I took off my shoes.
“Ah, no one does that these days. People can leave a job and come back. Those old days of scolding over it are long gone, Mom.”
“But you never know. Even if they don’t say anything in front of you, you can’t know what’s said behind your back. So, Sung-woon, make sure to stick close to the director for now and show that you’re working hard. Got it?”
“Yes, yes, understood~”
When I had told them I quit the film project, Mom had been the most disappointed of anyone around me.
She never said it directly, but I could feel her quiet hope for my filmmaking.
“Did you eat?”
“I did.”
“Good, eat with the staff at the station sometimes, and have a drink occasionally.”
“Today was the first day, but from now on I’ll eat at home with Yurina. So Mom, you don’t have to watch her every day.”
I changed into slippers and picked up Yurina in my arms.
“I’ll be busy playing with Yurina from now on.”
“Hehe, yes. Daddy is busy because he has to play with me.”
Seeing the affectionate Yurina and me, Mrs. Choi smiled brightly.
Her worries were eased by the sight of our happy father-daughter bond.
“Rina’s lucky~? Daddy gets to play with her every evening now.”
“Grandma, play too! I want us three to play together.”
Mrs. Choi gently patted Yurina’s head with a bright smile.
Then, turning to me, her face grew serious and her tone warned me.
“Anyway! Work hard at the station, understood?!”
She continued lecturing me even as she gathered her things and prepared to leave.
Even though I’m a father to a 10-year-old, she still seems to see me as a young boy who might get into trouble anytime.
“Take care, Rina~ Grandma’s leaving now~.”
“Goodbye, Grandma!”
I saw them off at the door.
Then Mrs. Choi paused as she opened the door and looked back at me.
‘What’s this about?’
I wondered if she had something private to say to me.
“Yurina, Grandma has a lot of things to carry, so Daddy will help her. Why don’t you go start your drawing game?”
“Okay!”
Excited for her post-dinner drawing session, Yurina dashed to the small room.
Only then did Mrs. Choi take out what she had been holding back.
“I almost forgot in all the chaos.”
She pulled a thick paper envelope from her handbag.
The top was stuffed with bills.
She handed it to me as Yurina looked around inside the house.
“Use this for Yurina’s art academy tuition. You’re going for a consultation this weekend, right?”
“No, it’s okay. I’m just going for consultation, and this is too much.”
I waved my hand, trying to refuse the money, but Mrs. Choi forcibly placed the envelope in my hand and gave my shoulder a light pat.
“Who goes to the market empty-handed?! Art takes a lot of money. I sent you to art classes when you were young; you know how it is. Now, Yurina, put this in your pocket.”
She even helped tuck the envelope into my back pocket.
I felt an unexpected wave of guilt—receiving money from my mom at this age hits the heart.
‘I should be giving her money, not the other way around…’
But seeing her smile at me today made me happy.
“Make sure you take Rina to a good teacher, okay?”
“…I will.”
“And Sung-woon.”
Mrs. Choi hesitated, then spoke carefully.
“I want you to keep writing.”
My eyelids twitched slightly.
“You’ve been good at writing since you were a kid, and seeing you just work at the station feels like a waste. Later, when Yurina’s older, try again. Even if it’s not movies, your writing will be useful anywhere.”
She gently brushed my shoulder with warm hands.
“I know everything because of Rina. Who else would know if I didn’t? You made the right choice, my son. Another opportunity will come.”
She left without saying more.
I froze, unable to even say goodbye.
Even after she left, I stood there dazed for a long time.
‘…Mom.’
I couldn’t speak, afraid tears would follow my words.
Her warmth on my shoulder, the envelope in my pocket—it all hurt my heart.
I clenched both fists, struggling to hold back the tears welling in my eyes.
The heart she left behind made my chest ache with gratitude.
‘Thank you, Mom….’
Late at night, moonlight streaming through the bedroom window, I sat at my computer desk, unable to sleep.
Yurina was already asleep in the same room.
‘I didn’t think I’d want to write this badly.’
After my regression, I had planned to focus solely on raising Yurina for the next few years.
But after hearing Mom today, I couldn’t wait to write, even just a little.
I don’t regret the canceled work with Director Hwang In-wook at all.
As Mom had supported me, I had no regrets about that choice.
Yet, my resolve to refrain from writing was wavering.
If there’s even a single person waiting for my story… I want to write.
“Maybe I should just scribble something…”
That night, relying on a single desk lamp, I typed on the keyboard.
I meant to just warm up my hands, but before I knew it, I had written until dawn.
Writing was fun. I still had so many stories I wanted to tell the world.
Moreover, what I learned from Director Hwang had greatly improved my ability to express my stories.
When morning came, I finally realized:
I have to write. And I will continue writing.
