Yoonah sighed as she put her phone back in her pocket. Dahyun might be the perfect distraction she needed to clear her head, even if she was a bit eccentric and, as Yoonah often joked, "useless" when it came to serious advice. Still, Dahyun's lighthearted nature could help her relax and maybe even figure out what to do about the strange message.
Yoonah glanced at the set one more time to make sure everything was running smoothly before heading to her office. She needed to finish up a few things before meeting Dahyun later. Despite the unsettling feeling in her stomach, she pushed thoughts of the mysterious message aside and focused on the tasks at hand.
The day went by in a blur as she juggled meetings, reviewed scripts, and dealt with minor issues that cropped up on set. By the time evening rolled around, she was more than ready for a break. She packed up her things, feeling a slight tension in her shoulders begin to ease at the thought of a relaxing dinner with a friend.
As she drove to the restaurant where she and Dahyun had planned to meet, Yoonah's thoughts drifted back to the message. She was still curious, but with some distance from the initial shock, she felt a little more rational about it. Maybe it was just some weird prank, or maybe the author of the book had some unconventional marketing tactic. Whatever it was, she would take a more cautious approach from now on.
When Yoonah arrived at the restaurant, she immediately spotted Dahyun waving at her with both hands, her grin so wide it could probably light up the entire room. Yoonah couldn't help but chuckle as she made her way over to the table by the window.
"Finally!" Dahyun exclaimed as Yoonah slid into the seat across from her. "You look like life hit you with a truck. Spill everything. What's got you all tense today?"
Yoonah rolled her eyes but let out a small laugh, already feeling the weight of her day starting to lift. "You have no idea, Dahyun. The set was an absolute nightmare—actors fighting, scripts being rewritten on the spot, tempers flaring. But that's not even the strangest part of my day."
Dahyun's eyes gleamed with curiosity as she leaned forward on the table, practically bouncing in her seat. "Oh, this is going to be good. Weird, you say? Weird is my specialty. Spill it."
Yoonah hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to put it into words. "You remember the book I bought yesterday?"
Dahyun nodded quickly, signaling for the waiter as she did.
"Well…" Yoonah began, fiddling with the edge of her napkin, "I started reading it last night, and it's unlike anything I've ever read before. For one, none of the characters except one have names. Not even the side characters. They're all just vague descriptions, and only one name is mentioned—Wonwoo."
"That's really weird," said Dahyun.
"And most of all the book cut of like there were so many empty pages at first i thought that maybe it's a printing problem but, you know what was written at the end"
"What?" She said ordering food.
"That's all you need to know Yoonah if you want to know more find him find Wonwoo"
Dahyun was drinking water and nearly choked on it. "What?! Yoonah, the book named you? And now it's telling you to find some guy? Who even is this Wonwoo? Do you know him?"
"I have no idea I've never met a Wonwoo in my entire life! At least, I don't think I have. I would remember something this bizarre."
"Dahyun leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms as she looked at Yoonah skeptically. "Okay, maybe it's just a really creepy coincidence. Like, the author used a common name and somehow it lined up perfectly with yours."
"That's what I thought at first too!" Yoonah said, nodding rapidly. "But then things got even stranger."
"Go on…" said Dahyun.
"So, naturally, I got curious. I started searching online for more information about the book—specifically about the second edition. You know, to see if anyone else experienced the same thing."
Dahyun nodded, signaling for the waiter to bring more water. "Makes sense so far."
"Well," Yoonah said, lowering her voice again, "I found the second edition listed on this random website. It looked legit, so I clicked on it. At first, it was just a basic recap of the story. But then my screen glitched—like, froze for a second—and this new message popped up."
Dahyun leaned forward, her expression serious now. "What did it say?"
Yoonah took a deep breath. "'Yoonah, go and buy the book. I need to earn money, you know. I'll text you the address to find it.'"
There was a long silence as Dahyun processed what she'd just heard. Finally, she said, "Okay. Nope. That's beyond creepy. You're telling me the book and some random website are now sending you personalized messages? That's not normal, Yoonah. That's some next-level horror movie stuff."
"Tell me about it," Yoonah muttered, rubbing her temples. "And it doesn't end there. Right after I read that message, my phone buzzed. It was a notification with a location pin and more instructions. Apparently, I'm supposed to go meet someone tomorrow morning at 8 AM."
"Wait, wait, wait," Dahyun said, holding up her hand. "You got an actual location sent to your phone? Like, GPS coordinates?"
Yes," Yoonah replied, her voice steady but her hands betraying her nervousness as she handed her phone to Dahyun. "Here. Look at this."
Dahyun took the phone, squinting at the screen as she analyzed the location. A slow frown formed on her face as she zoomed in on the map. "Hold on," she muttered, her voice suddenly serious. "Show me the location again."
Yoonah raised an eyebrow, leaning in closer. "Why? Do you recognize it or something?"
Dahyun didn't answer immediately, still staring at the screen with an expression that was half disbelief, half intrigue. Finally, she looked up, her tone cautious. "Yoonah… are you sure this is the address you were given? Double-check."
"Of course I'm sure!" Yoonah said, crossing her arms. "Why would I lie about something like this? Do you know the place or not?"
Dahyun sighed and placed the phone on the table, her fingers tapping against the screen. "Yoonah, this is where I work."
Yoonah blinked, caught off guard. "Wait… what? Are you serious?"
"Dead serious," Dahyun confirmed, leaning back in her chair. "And you know that cold, mysterious CEO I always complain about?"
"The one who allegedly never smiles and terrifies the interns?" Yoonah asked, tilting her head. "Yeah, what about him?"
"Well," Dahyun said, her voice lowering conspiratorially, "his name is Wonwoo."
"Okay, this just got super weird…your kidding right?"
"I'm not joking," Dahyun said, shaking her head. "Trust me, you can't make this stuff up. That's why I'm saying this is super weird."
"Super weird?" Yoonah repeated, her voice rising slightly. "This is beyond weird, Dahyun! It's like… like the universe is playing some sort of sick joke on me."
"Here's what I think. You should come tomorrow and see what this is all about. If it's legit, you'll get your answers. And if it's not… well, at least you tried."
"Alright~" Yoonah let out a sigh.
"Now that we've got that sorted, can we please eat? I'm starving."
Yoonah rolled her eyes, a smile tugging at her lips. "Sure, why not. We might as well enjoy the calm before the storm."
As the waiter approached with their food, Dahyun perked up. "Oh, and just to confirm—you're paying, right?"
"Yes, yes," Yoonah said with a mock sigh. "I'm paying."
"Yay! You're the best!" Dahyun said, clapping her hands together in delight before diving into her meal.
With that, the two friends dove into their meal, the conversation light and full of laughter. For the first time all day, Yoonah felt herself truly relax, the unsettling events of earlier pushed to the back of her mind.