Here and Now: Hyojeong Diaries

Chapter 14 (Finale)

That night, The Present Company released the following handwritten letter from Hyoseop:

I am sure many of you have heard the recent news.  I am grateful for Pauljjak's continued love and support and  I am sorry to all who might have been worried about me after the reports of today's incident in Hong Kong.  I wanted everyone to know that I'm doing fine physically and mentally, and will continue to work hard on my upcoming projects.

I also wanted to take this opportunity to address recent articles about me and Sejeong. 

 Sejeong is an amazing person whom I met through our drama.  Although she is younger than me, she has always been someone I leaned on for support.  She is the kindest person I have ever met, and there is something about her that always makes me smile.  Since meeting her, I could feel myself changing, in a positive way.  She makes me want to be a better person.  I would like to continue to love, cherish and protect her for as long as I can.  I know some of you may feel upset or surprised by this sudden news, but I hope that you will continue to support us and cheer us on, as we continue our journey and our careers together.

Love you all.

Hyoseop

*  *  *

Both agencies had doubled their security detail following the incident three weeks ago.   Both Hyoseop and Sejeong were thankful that fans from around the globe were generally supportive of their relationship.  There were no significant backlash or malicious actions from anti-fans in the last few weeks.  They also received many congratulatory messages of encouragement and support.

Sejeong had not publicly discussed the pipe attack or addressed the dating news.  She chose to downplay it, and opted to maintain her bubbly and happy-go-lucky persona in front of her fans.  She had never liked talking about her love life in public.  This was her own way of maintaining her privacy, and keeping her personal life and her career completely separate.  Hyoseop respected her for that.  He was fine with whatever she chose to do.  He was always supportive of her decisions as long as they made her happy.

*  *  *

It was around the end of October.   Sejeong had not seen Hyoseop for three weeks as she had been hopping from one city to the next for her concert tour.

The stage lights began to dim, as Sejeong prepared to sing her final song at the Zepp Haneda hall in Tokyo.

She had invited Hyoseop to this concert and had reserved a front row seat for him.

Sejeong slowly took out a piece of paper and began to read it to the audience.  Japanese translations were shown on the screen behind her.

I wanted to write this letter, because I don't always get the opportunity to express my thoughts to my sesangs.  First of all, I would like to say how much I appreciate your love and support through the years.  Without you, I will not be able to stand here today.  Thank you for believing in me and being patient with me as I grow as an artist.   I hope that I can continue to stand on the stage and make music for you for many years to come.

I had began writing this album about a year ago.  A lot of sweat and tears have gone into making these songs.  But I would also like to thank a special person who is in the audience today.  Hyoseop oppa, I am very glad that you can come today.  You had given me a lot of inspiration as I wrote these songs.  One of those songs I want to sing for you now is called Indigo Promise.  The truth is, I was only able to write this song because of you.  Because of you, I finally know what true love feels like.  I hope we can continue our journey together, holding each other's hand every step of the way.  Jeongmal mani saranghae oppa!

The song Indigo Promise came on.  She looked straight at him as she sang.  He was smiling brightly as he proudly watched her girlfriend on stage.  Towards the end of the song, he could no longer resist it.  He ran up to the stage and tightly wrapped his arms around her.

Right at that very moment, pink and white confetti blasted through the entire concert hall.   The two of them held hands as they walked along the stage.  From afar it looked like they were walking along a flower path underneath a row of Sakura trees with falling petals.  They smiled widely while waving goodbye to the audience.  The audience erupted in thunderous applause as many fans cried tears of happiness.

*  *  *

"Congratulations, CEO of Clean Entertainment Company!"  Ji Hye said to Sejeong. "And just before your 30th birthday too!"

"I still can't believe it myself.  This is really happening!"

Sejeong had decided to set up her own company earlier that year.  The Clean Entertainment Company's mission was to provide training and mentorship to young idols, actors and actresses.  She had realized that although music would always be her number one passion, helping and mentoring others would come in at a close second.  Plus, since she had gone through the intense idol training process herself, she was able to apply her own experience while training others.  It was also something she genuinely enjoyed doing.

By now, Sejeong and Hyoseop have been living together for about a year.  The Present Company had expanded and there were now a few artists under its management.  Both Hyoseop and Sejeong continued to remain active as actors, while supporting each other with various ventures of their respective companies.

To celebrate the establishment of Sejeong's new company, Hyoseop brought her to a five star Michelin restaurant for dinner.

After dinner, they decided to go for a walk.  Hyoseop parked his car next to the Han River.

"Do you remember that time when we last parked here four years ago?"

"Yes of course."  Sejeong said, "That was the night you first confessed to me, with that Forest Blakk song you recorded."

"Actually I have that song still on my phone.  Want to listen to it again?"

"Sure!"  Sejeong laughed.

Hyoseop handed her one of his ear buds.  They held hands and walked along the Han river as the music played.

As the song ended, he took out a tiffany blue ring box from his right pocket and got down on one knee.

Needless to say,  she said yes.

And just as cliché as the story of  Business Proposal, these two lived happily ever after.

*   *   *

The End.

(Thank you everyone for reading and supporting this story as we finally reach the end of the story!  Regardless of what happens to these two, I will always support them both as a couple and as individuals!)