Yoonah opened the book, her heart racing with anticipation. The first page greeted her with a recap of the previous volume, refreshing her memory about the intricate plot and, of course, the cliffhanger that had left her tossing and turning all night. She quickly skimmed through it, eager to dive into the continuation of the story.
Her eyes scanned the familiar text, and she couldn't help but smile at the excitement building within her. But as she flipped to the next page and began reading the first lines of the new chapter, something strange happened.
The words on the page started to blur. Yoonah blinked, thinking it was her tired eyes playing tricks on her. She rubbed them and looked again, but the text only seemed to shift further, the neat paragraphs unraveling into a chaotic jumble of letters.
"What the—?" she muttered, her brows furrowing.
Before her very eyes, the letters rearranged themselves, twisting and reshaping into new words. Within seconds, the page displayed a completely different message.
The elegant script, reminiscent of the font used in old fairytales, now formed a sentence that made her freeze in place:
"Yoonah, go and buy the book. I need to earn money, you know. I'll text you the address to find it."
Her pulse quickened, and she stared at the page in disbelief. "What the hell?" she whispered, her voice barely audible. This couldn't be real.
She was trying to cope with what she had just read, when, her phone buzzed. The sudden vibration startled her, and she nearly dropped it. When she unlocked the screen, a notification greeted her:
"New Message Received."
Her breath caught in her throat as she opened it. It wasn't from a familiar contact—it was an anonymous message containing nothing but a location pin.
Earlier that Day
"Mr. Yoon, I need you to sign these papers," said the worker, stepping into the office and holding a file.
"Sure, leave it on my desk," Wonwoo replied, barely glancing up from his monitor.
"Alright."
The worker placed the file neatly on his desk before leaving. Wonwoo leaned back in his chair with a sigh, grabbing the file and flipping through its contents. His sharp eyes scanned the details with practiced ease, his mind already processing the next steps he needed to take.
Just as he was about to set the file aside, the door to his office burst open.
"Wonwoo!!"
He didn't even need to look up to know who it was. That high-pitched voice and boundless energy could only belong to one person.
"What do you want, Cherry?" he asked, his tone heavy with resignation as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Hey! Don't talk to me in that tone!" Cherry huffed, her arms crossed as she stomped into the room.
"Just tell me what you want; I'm busy right now," he said, flipping another page of the document.
Cherry pouted, puffing out her cheeks before muttering, "Fine~"
Wonwoo glanced at her from the corner of his eye. She looked suspiciously chipper, which only made him more wary. "So?"
"You know how I have a human form now?" she began, her voice taking on a singsong quality.
"Mm-hmm," Wonwoo responded absentmindedly, still focused on the papers in front of him.
"Well, I met this girl…"
That made him pause. He set the file down and looked up at Cherry, raising an eyebrow. "If you're trying to set me up on a date, I'm going to say no right now."
Cherry's pout deepened, and she stomped her foot in frustration. "I'm not setting you up on a date! Hmph!"
"Then what do you want?" Wonwoo asked, exasperation creeping into his tone. He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms as he waited for her to get to the point.
"I want you to give her a job," Cherry said, her voice firm but still carrying a hint of her usual playfulness.
Wonwoo blinked, clearly taken aback. "What?"
"I want you to give her a job," she repeated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Wonwoo blinked, momentarily taken aback by Cherry's bold request. "A job? Cherry, I'm not running a charity here," he said, leaning back in his chair and giving her a pointed look.
Cherry rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed. "I know that, Wonwoo. But she's... she's different, okay? She's got this spark, something I think you could use around here."
"Spark?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, spark! She's an architect, a recent graduate, and she's really bright and sweet," Cherry explained, her voice brimming with enthusiasm.
Wonwoo leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk and clasping his hands together. "An architect? And what exactly am I supposed to do with a newly graduated architect, Cherry?"
Cherry's grin faltered slightly under his scrutinizing gaze, but she quickly recovered. "She's creative, and you're always complaining about how your projects lack a fresh perspective, right? Well, here's your chance!"
He sighed, rubbing his temple. "You're making this sound way too convenient. How do you even know her?"
Cherry avoided his gaze for a moment before answering. "I... might have run into her at the park. And we talked. And I might have accidentally gotten her invested in our work here."
"Accidentally?"
"Yes, accidentally!" Cherry exclaimed, putting her hands on her hips. "But trust me, she's got potential, Wonwoo."
He gave her a long, questioning look. "Cherry, you've never taken an interest in hiring anyone before. Why this girl?"
Cherry hesitated, biting her lip. Then, with a dramatic sigh, she clasped her hands together and pulled out her ultimate weapon: the puppy eyes. "Please, Wonwoo. Do it for my sake?"
Wonwoo snorted, unimpressed. "That's not going to work on me."
"But wait—there's more!" Cherry added quickly, a mischievous glint in her eyes. She leaned forward on his desk, lowering her voice. "If you do this, I'll take up the offer to find your uncle."
The mention of his uncle stopped Wonwoo in his tracks. He paused, narrowing his eyes at Cherry. She knew exactly how to get to him, and she had just played her trump card.
"My uncle," he said slowly, his voice dropping.
Cherry nodded earnestly, her expression unusually serious. "Yes. I'll track him down for you. I swear."
"You'll actually help me find him?" His voice softened slightly, but his skepticism was evident. He leaned back in his chair, studying her carefully.
"I promise," Cherry said, her tone firm and her eyes unwavering. "But you have to help this girl first. Trust me, it'll be worth it."
Wonwoo's jaw tightened, and he tapped a finger on the desk as he considered her words. His uncle had been missing for years, and any lead—no matter how small—was something he couldn't ignore.
"If you're lying to me about this..." he began.
"I'm not," Cherry interrupted, stepping back and holding her hands up defensively. "I swear on everything that matters to me, I'll do it. Just... take a chance on her, okay?"
Wonwoo sighed heavily, leaning forward again and resting his forehead on his hand. "Fine," he muttered. "But only because you've never asked me for something this serious before."
"Yes!" Cherry cheered, clapping her hands together. "You won't regret this, I promise!"
"I better not," he replied, shooting her a warning look.
"Tomorrow, right?" Cherry asked, her tone unusually soft as she lingered by the door.
"Yes, tomorrow," Wonwoo replied, his voice laced with a mix of resignation and curiosity. He leaned back in his chair, closing the file he had been reviewing.
Cherry hesitated, biting her lip as though she wanted to say more. "Her name is Yoonah, by the way," she said, her eyes locking onto his.
"Okay," Wonwoo said with a slight shrug, his tone indifferent. He wasn't sure why Cherry felt the need to emphasize her name, but he didn't press further.
Cherry crossed her arms, tilting her head as she studied him. "You're really going to make this hard for me, aren't you?"
"What now, Cherry?"
"I'm just saying," she began, her voice light but with an undercurrent of meaning. "You should remember her name. You might be seeing it more often than you think."
Wonwoo raised an eyebrow at her cryptic comment but decided not to indulge her. Instead, he asked, "Is that all? Or is there something else you need to tell me?"
Cherry sighed, her demeanor shifting slightly. "You should go visit the cemetery today," she said quietly, her usual playful tone replaced with something more solemn.
Wonwoo froze for a moment, her words hitting him like a gust of cold wind. He didn't reply right away, his gaze dropping to the surface of his desk.
"I will," he finally said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Cherry nodded, satisfied. "Good," she murmured. She lingered for a moment longer, as if debating whether to say more, but eventually turned and walked out of the office.
As the door clicked shut, Wonwoo exhaled deeply, running a hand through his hair. The weight of her suggestion pressed heavily on him, stirring emotions he tried to keep buried. Visiting the cemetery was never an easy task, but something about today felt different—almost necessary.
"Yoonah," he muttered under his breath, testing the name on his tongue. It felt strange, unfamiliar, yet oddly significant. He shook his head, pushing the thought aside as he stood and grabbed his coat.
Without telling anyone, Wonwoo made his way to the graveyard, his steps slow and deliberate as if each one carried the weight of the past eight years. He held two bouquets of flowers in his hands—simple arrangements, but chosen with care. The vibrant colors contrasted sharply with the somber gray of the tombstones.
When he reached the graves, he knelt down silently, brushing away the wilted petals of the old flowers and replacing them with the fresh ones he had brought. The act felt almost ritualistic, a small gesture in an attempt to honor the memories of those he had lost.
For a while, he didn't move. He simply leaned against one of the tombstones, letting its cool surface ground him as his thoughts swirled. Eight years. Eight long years since the incident that had upended his life—since the time travel, since his parents' deaths. The memories were as vivid as if they had happened yesterday, haunting him no matter how far he tried to run or how much he tried to bury them beneath work and distractions.
He stared at the names etched into the stone, his vision blurring slightly as tears threatened to fall. He clenched his fists, forcing himself to hold it together. Crying wouldn't change anything, wouldn't bring them back. And besides, he thought bitterly, he didn't deserve to cry.
"What am I even doing?" he muttered to himself, running a hand through his hair in frustration. The words felt hollow, echoing in the stillness of the cemetery. He had built a life for himself—a business, connections, even a semblance of stability—but it all felt like a fragile facade. The emptiness inside him hadn't gone away; if anything, it had only grown, consuming him piece by piece.
He sank to the ground, his back against the tombstone, staring blankly at the sky. The clouds drifted lazily above him, indifferent to his turmoil. He wondered how he was still alive, what hope he had left. His uncle should have found him by now, should have finished what he started. The thought was both terrifying and strangely comforting. At least then, it would all be over.
A gust of wind swept through the graveyard, rustling the leaves and carrying with it a sense of melancholy. Wonwoo closed his eyes, letting the cool breeze wash over him, but it did little to calm the storm inside.
"Maybe he's just waiting for the right moment," Wonwoo whispered, his voice barely audible against the wind. "Or maybe... maybe I'm the only one waiting for him."