The media destroyed her life, and Seo Hye Mi seeks revenge.
NETIZEN, a website where one can expose or reveal anything about anyone. It's the only place where no one wishes to become a hot topic, for it can be your rise or your downfall.
Unorthodox...
Unable to support his gaze any longer, Soo Yeon turned away and got up.
She seemed to sober up and regain her composure as he tilted her head from side to side like a boxer ready for combat.
"Ahem," Jun Ho cleared his throat. He reflected on what he was thinking in the last few minutes.
He found no answer.
"What do you want from me, Jun Ho?"
Suspicious Soo Yeon had returned, her question caught the man off guard, "I want you to smile and be happy. I just want you to know I'm here."
"I told you, you can't bring her back," Soo Yeon said.
"And I told you I would not give up. I promised you I would never leave your side."
Silence filled the room leaving only the plop sound of the drops of water from Soo Yeon's kitchen sink.
Soo Yeon couldn't remember having such a conversation, but Jun Ho clearly remembered intertwining his pinky finger with a seven-year-old girl promising her to always be by her side.
The only problem Jun Ho had now was finding a way to keep his promise.
"It's getting late. I should leave, eat the cake, oh, eh-," Jun Ho said, and he reached into his pocket.
"I didn't know what to get you. The women in the shop said they're appropriate for a young woman's birthday," he put a small box on the table. Jun Ho wanted her to open it in front of him and see her gleaming eyes, but he resigned, thinking perhaps it will push her too far.
Jun Ho walked to the door to put on his shoes while Soo Yeon unwrapped the present. It was a pair of earrings; one earring represented the sun and the other a half-moon. Mismatched earrings were the trend.
A prickling sensation filled Soo Yeon's abdomen before knocking on her heart, slowly melting its glace walls; it hurt.
She got up and ran to the door as Jun Ho was opening it.
"감사합니다 [Thank you=Kamsahabnida]," she said, making the man turn to face her.
Soo Yeon smiled; it was authentic, not her twitch.
Even Jun Ho saw Hye Mi's smile; she was still there somewhere.
The door, the man, grinned to himself once the door closed; he was one more step closer to Hye Mi. As he got in his car, he replayed every moment of the evening in his mind.
"Seriously, Kang Jun Ho, get a grip on yourself. Who are you fooling?" he said to his reflection in his rearview mirror as he backed out of the parking space to drive away. Jun Ho cut off the engine as a thought invaded him.
Something happened in Hye Mi's apartment.
Jun Ho wasn't the only one experiencing the odd effect. The girl who sank behind her door after seeing him leave holding her present in hand had felt it too.
"Igeot, beogi? [what's this?] They both said, respectively, putting their hand on their heart.
Soo Yeon got up thinking it was some weird indigestion and went to her bathroom to try on the earrings before taking them off and placing them in their box, feeling ashamed of being slightly happy.
The phone rang; it was that unknown number again.
Soon Yeon wasn't in the mood to speak to her mother; she let the call enter voicemail. Only to feel guilty thinking, maybe her mother needed help. She accessed the message:
"Soo Yeon, happy birthday, I wish we could be together, but I respect your will to be alone. You have a gift from your father."
What was her mother talking about?
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How could her father give her a gift?
"I imagine you still wear the necklace I gave you from your brother on your 15th birthday. I hope that, as I explained to you, you took it off every time you bathed."
The necklace was so precious to her Soo Yeon was cautious.
Why did her mother bring up now?
"I don't know how Kyung Gi made that pendant, but it's a key, a USB key. I'm sure you'll figure out a way to free it and read it. I hope you'll find comfort in your father's last words. I don't know what he said, but if you have any questions, I will answer them the best way I can."
It was insane. Soo Yeon immediately took off her pendant and put it under the light of her desk. Its shape had always intrigued her, but she had never pondered on it.
The pendant was just an accessory, so she thought. Sae Ha told her to never put on perfume with it on and to take it off whenever she felt it risked being damaged. The teenager saw simple rumblings of a mother, but it was to protect her father's words.
Eager to know what message her father left, Soo Yeon turned, twisted, and pulled on the pendant. And then she remembered something Jared had said when he trained her:
"Hye Mi, when nothing else works, slide and click or click and slide."
She took the key in her hands, placing her finger on the bottom she pushed upwards. The cover slid up, but the mini key was molded within, she pressed on it, and it popped up with a click. The pendant worked the same way as the old cellphone SIM card system.
Soo Yeon's heart raced, scared to have a panic attack. She put her inhaler next to her.
She first analyzed the key. It took a few minutes, and then she inserted it into her computer.
There were ten mini clips, she clicked on number one, and her father's face immediately appeared:
"Annyeong Hye Mi-"
Jun Ho drove off under the observing eyes of Jerome, "oh dear Inspector Kang, you really can't keep away from the girl, can you?" he said while making a combo on his Farm Heros game.
Meanwhile, on the other side of Seoul, a woman held her phone, wondering why Jun Ho wasn't answering.
Ga Eun's thoughts sprinted to a man whose views were still by Soo Yeon's side.
투 비 컨티뉴드>>>>To be continued
안녕하세요,
And today, I realized I included detail in the chapter, which isn't possible because of Soo Yeon's age. The same goes for the Nirvana Blue chapter. When I edit, Soo Yeon will have to be 18 going on 19; otherwise, it's not plausible. So I rewrote the part, but I was not too fond of it. Also, if I left the piece, that why it meant I had to go back and clear the other chapters too. I brought it back to its initial state.
I'll have to revise the character's age when I edit.
I'm not happy about this chapter :(
Our Jerome is sticking to Jun Ho like chewing gum, isn't he?
I'm quite scared of how all this is going to turn out.
You can feel it too.
We are close to the end :(
☟
Hack Fact:
Zero-day means that no bug has been publicly reported, and the computer is vulnerable. Here it's Soo Yeon who is experiencing being drunk for the first time and showing her vulnerability. Of course, uri Jun Ho isn't a hacker (though he could be considered Soo Yeon's White Hat since he wants to fix her).
Music:
Zico, she's a baby, which seemed appropriate, and Crush's mad vibes with Fall for the end.
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I hesitated to add this, but I thought I should; another Kpop star died yesterday. Kim Jong Hyun from Shinee, a group I also listen to.
People don't realize how lonely the road to stardom is and what sacrifices these idols do to bring us entertainment.
There are so many suicides in Korea, but people are too scared to talk about mental illnesses, which bring many tragic endings.
My prayers go out to his family and friends. Also, to all the people who are fighting alone against depression and anxiety.
