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Chapter 5
This Life Will Be Different
“Why are we doing the interview in the studio if this is an outdoor program?! What a hassle.”
Yoon Ra-hee’s sharp, prickly tone immediately froze the atmosphere in the studio.
With an annoyed expression, she sat with her legs crossed, playing with her phone as if she had no intention of doing the interview.
“….”
Three staff members, including me, stood in front of her, cautiously watching her mood.
This was awkward. We needed to film Yoon Ra-hee’s interview, but now that she was already irritated, it seemed impossible to get her to cooperate.
“Sunbae… you’re having a hard time as soon as you arrived.”
My junior writer, Seung-hee, quietly approached and whispered to me.
I also kept an eye on Yoon Ra-hee while whispering back.
“Where did Director Bong go?”
“He probably knew this would happen and ran away after leaving it to us.”
“Sigh… he called someone in and then dumped Yoon Ra-hee on us.”
In the studio where the interview was supposed to take place, there were only three of us: me, Seung-hee, and the cameraman Won-ho.
Among us, the person who had to handle Yoon Ra-hee was obviously someone from the writing team.
And as the senior writer, that meant me.
So this is why you called me, Director Bong.
I had suspected something when he accepted me so easily.
He probably needed a writer who could handle Yoon Ra-hee.
Most writers couldn’t endure her terrible personality.
From Director Bong’s perspective, someone like me—who desperately needed a job—would probably take the role.
Well… when you’re a father trying to make money, what can’t you do? I’ll do it.
I had already died once and come back to life.
What was there to be afraid of?
I took a deep breath and walked toward Yoon Ra-hee.
She finally looked up from her phone and glanced at me sideways.
“What?”
“My name is Kang Sung-woon. I’ll be working with the writing team starting today.”
“So?”
“May I ask where you bought those sunglasses?”
Yoon Ra-hee’s eyebrow lifted slightly above her sunglasses.
“…Why?”
“I’ve been looking at them since earlier. They’re really beautiful. I’ve actually been searching for nice sunglasses lately.”
My natural compliment slowly made the corners of her lips lift.
“You’ve got a good eye. I actually made these sunglasses myself.”
“Really?! You run a business too?”
“They haven’t officially launched yet, but they will soon. Since you’ve been looking at sunglasses, you probably noticed right away. Ours are different from the frame itself.”
“Yes, really. Compared to other products, they have a classy vibe.”
“Oh my, this writer has great taste.”
Yoon Ra-hee smiled brightly, showing her white teeth.
I smiled along with her, but inside I scoffed.
Your love for sunglasses is already famous thanks to the news.
Before my regression, I had seen a news interview about Yoon Ra-hee’s drunk driving accident.
In that interview, she wore sunglasses while apologizing to reporters.
That news had become extremely famous.
Not because of her apology—
but because of her sunglasses.
After the accident, Yoon Ra-hee wore her own brand’s sunglasses in every interview to promote them.
That shameless self-promotion angered the public even more, and her image fell endlessly.
As a result, the internet created countless memes mocking her sunglasses.
There was even a strange trend where people wore sunglasses in cool autumn weather.
That incident became incredibly famous.
Remembering those memes made me almost laugh, so I turned my head slightly to hide it.
Still… thanks to that memory, her mood seems much better now.
Just earlier she looked like she would never do the interview.
Now she was calling her stylist to fix her makeup.
“You said your name was Writer Kang Sung-woon, right? After the interview, I’ll give you a pair of our brand’s sunglasses as a gift.”
Yoon Ra-hee winked at me while touching up her makeup.
Receiving a wink from a top star wasn’t easy, so I smiled awkwardly.
Haha… I don’t know how many days this team will survive, but at least today we survived.
***
“Yurina, Dad’s home~!”
“Dad—!!”
By the time I finished work and returned home, it was already dark outside.
Yurina, who had been watching TV in the living room with her grandmother, jumped off the sofa and ran to the entrance.
“I was waiting for you~! Why are you so late?!”
Yurina stomped her feet and spun around me excitedly.
Her cute welcome felt like it washed away all the fatigue of the day.
“Sung-woon, you’re home?”
My mother, Mrs. Choi, who had been taking care of Yurina until I came home, also walked to the entrance to greet me.
“How is work? They’re not giving you a hard time because you quit and then came back, are they?”
Before I could even take off my shoes, she started asking questions with a worried expression.
“Come on, who worries about that these days? People can quit a job and come back again. Those old days are gone, Mom.”
“You never know. Even if they don’t say anything to your face, they might talk behind your back. So for now, stay close to the director and show them you’re working hard. Got it?”
“Yes, yes, I understand~”
When I told people I had quit the movie project, the one who felt the most regret was my mother.
She didn’t say it outright, but I could feel that she had secretly hoped to see her son’s movie.
“Did you eat?”
“I already ate.”
“Good. Sometimes eat dinner with your coworkers and have a drink.”
“Today was just my first day. From now on, I’ll eat dinner at home with Yurina. So you don’t have to watch her every day.”
I changed into slippers and picked up Yurina in my arms.
“I’m going to be busy playing with Yurina from now on.”
“Hehe. That’s right. Dad is busy because he has to play with me.”
Mrs. Choi smiled warmly as she watched Yurina and me.
The worry on her face softened when she saw the affectionate father and daughter.
“Rina is lucky~ Now Dad will play with you every evening.”
“Grandma should play too! Rina wants all three of us to play!”
Mrs. Choi gently patted Yurina’s head with a smile.
But when she looked at me, her expression suddenly turned stern.
“Anyway! Work hard at the station, no matter what! Got it?!”
Even as she packed her things and walked toward the entrance, she continued nagging me.
Even though I was the father of a ten-year-old girl, to her I was still a son who might cause trouble at any moment.
“Take care, Rina~ Grandma is leaving now~.”
“Goodbye, Grandma!”
Yurina and I walked her to the door.
But just as she was about to leave, she suddenly stopped.
Then she quietly glanced at me.
What is it?
I looked at Yurina beside me and realized my mother probably had something she wanted to say privately.
“Yurina, Grandma has a lot of things, so Dad will help carry them. Can you go start drawing in the room first?”
“Okay!”
Excited about drawing together later, Yurina ran into the small room.
Only then did my mother speak.
“I almost forgot because I was busy.”
She took a thick envelope out of her handbag.
Inside the paper envelope, I could see stacks of cash.
She checked inside the house to make sure Yurina wasn’t watching before handing it to me.
“Here. Use this for Yurina’s art academy tuition. You said you’re going for a consultation this weekend.”
“That’s okay. You don’t have to give me this. We’re only going for a consultation, and this is too much.”
I waved my hands and tried to push the envelope away.
But my mother forced it into my hand and lightly smacked my shoulder.
“Who goes to the market without bringing money?! Art costs a lot. I know because I sent you to art school when you were young. Put it in your pocket before Yurina sees.”
She slipped the envelope into my back pocket herself.
Her gesture made me feel guilty.
At my age, receiving money from my mother made my chest feel heavy.
I should be the one giving her money…
But my mother smiled brightly for the first time that day, clearly happy to help.
“Make sure you find a good teacher for our Rina. Okay?”
“…Okay.”
“And Sung-woon.”
She hesitated before speaking again.
“I want you to keep writing.”
I flinched slightly.
“When you were young, you were really good at writing. Seeing you only working at the broadcasting station feels like a waste. Even if it’s later, when Yurina grows up a bit, try again. It doesn’t have to be movies. Your writing will shine anywhere.”
She gently brushed my shoulder with her warm hand.
“I know you made this choice because of Rina. Who would understand better than me? You made the right decision. Another chance will come.”
After saying that, she quietly stepped outside.
I stood there frozen, unable to even say goodbye.
Even after she left, I remained there for a long time.
…Mom.
The reason I couldn’t say anything was because if I opened my mouth, I felt like I would cry.
The warmth of her hand on my shoulder, the envelope in my pocket—
Why did they hurt my heart so much?
I clenched my fists and struggled to hold back my tears.
Her support filled me with gratitude.
Thank you, Mom…
***
Late that night, moonlight shone through the bedroom window.
I sat at my computer desk, unable to sleep.
Yurina was already fast asleep on the bed in the same room.
I didn’t expect to want to write this soon.
After returning to the past, I had planned to focus only on raising Yurina for the next few years.
But after hearing my mother’s words today, I suddenly wanted to write again.
I didn’t regret quitting the movie with Director Hwang.
Just like my mother said, I had no regrets about that choice.
But my decision to stop writing for a while had started to waver.
If there was even one person waiting for my writing…
I wanted to write.
“Maybe I’ll just scribble something.”
That night, relying only on the small desk lamp, I began typing on the keyboard.
I thought I would just warm up my hands for a bit.
But before I realized it, I had written all night.
Writing was so much fun.
I still had countless stories I wanted to tell.
And after learning so much from Director Hwang, my ability to express those stories had grown tremendously.
When morning finally came, I realized something.
I needed to write.
And I would keep writing.
