Chapter 1

Prologue

“I meet an incredible number of people. Vampires are always looking for fresh blood; I still have much to learn, and the world is brimming with things to learn.” - Robin Williams

“If you are unhappy, life will mock you; if you are happy, life will smile at you. If you make others happy, life will pay you its ‘tribute.’” - Charlie Chaplin

“One must willingly accept all the experiences that life has to offer. In fact, one must seek out more experiences than life can provide.” - James Dean

* * *

“Now that you’ve become a world-renowned actor, how do you feel?”

Someone from the crowd of reporters asked.

Kang Woo-hyuk smiled warmly at the reporter who asked the question.

“I am simply grateful.”

It was a cliché answer.

But it was Woo-hyuk’s sincere response.

Grateful.

He is grateful for everything.

The sky and the earth, the wind, the clouds, the trees, the birds...

And the people.

“I have been able to reach this point thanks to the help of many people. I am grateful to them.”

Woo-hyuk added, still wearing a warm smile.

If it weren’t for their help, he wouldn’t have made it this far.

Thanks to them, he opened his eyes to acting.

“Since you mentioned receiving a lot of help, is there someone you particularly want to thank?”

Many people come to mind.

If he had to pick just one?

He closes his eyes tightly.

‘Are you here?’

He feels a clear and beautiful soul.

It feels as refreshing as breathing in the cool air of a forest.

A smile naturally forms on his lips.

Life is truly wondrous and beautiful!

He realized this through acting.

‘Thanks to you! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to act properly. I would have just been an ordinary actor.’

Ten years ago, he was just an ordinary actor, but now he is a star. A world-renowned star.

Thanks to the gift from the clear and beautiful soul!

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Reason to Succeed

The autumn sun is warm.

Clouds drift lazily across the blue sky.

A peaceful day.

A day when even bitter enemies might call a truce.

“The weather is...”

...incredibly good!

Woo-hyuk swallowed the rest of his words, aware of his wife, Yeeun, standing beside him.

He felt a curse rising to his lips but bit down on his molars and closed his mouth.

It would be better if it rained.

Woo-hyuk looked at his wife’s wistful expression as she gazed at the autumn sky.

Yeeun had a miscarriage 49 days ago.

She lost the baby they had after just one year of marriage.

It was a baby she had desperately wanted...

Yeeun is an orphan.

She has no parents, siblings, or relatives.

Perhaps that’s why her dream since childhood was to have a family.

To be a wife and a mother.

A simple and humble dream.

Before they were married, when Yeeun was working as a server at a café in Daehak-ro, Woo-hyuk was performing in a nearby theater. He often visited the café where Yeeun worked, sometimes with colleagues and sometimes alone. At the time, he never imagined he would marry Yeeun.

Yeeun felt the same way. Initially, Woo-hyuk was just one of many customers.

But one day, Woo-hyuk entered Yeeun’s heart.

On the opposite side of the café, there was a neglected pot on the wall.

A withered lucky bamboo plant, with only the trunk remaining and all the leaves gone.

No one paid attention to the pot, but one day, a man passing by poured the leftover water from his bottle into it.

That man was Woo-hyuk.

Every time Woo-hyuk passed by, he would pour water into the pot.

After seeing this, Yeeun started to water the pot whenever she thought of it.

Surprisingly, the lucky bamboo, which was thought to be dead, sprouted new green leaves one day.

Woo-hyuk noticed this and stared at it in amazement, then smiled brightly.

Yeeun was captivated by Woo-hyuk’s smile.

From then on, her heart would race whenever she saw him.

Many men, including college and even high school students, approached Yeeun, attracted by her beauty, asking her out. But she never gave them a second glance.

She was often called snobbish.

Although Yeeun’s dream was to be a wife and a mother, at 25, she had no thoughts of marriage.

When Woo-hyuk caught her attention, she didn’t consider him a potential husband, just someone she was curious about.

On the other hand, Woo-hyuk never even glanced at Yeeun.

One day, while pouring leftover water into the lucky bamboo pot, a strikingly beautiful woman approached him.

“That pot, I’ve been watering it once a day. Me!”

“Oh, really?”

Woo-hyuk felt embarrassed and looked at Yeeun, who was standing awkwardly.

‘She looks familiar. Where have I seen her before?’

“I work at that café.”

Yeeun pointed to the café.

“Oh, I see.”

“My name is Jung Yeeun.”

“Oh, right.”

“Um...”

“?”

“...Can I come to your performance?”

“Of course.”

There was no reason to say no. It was a public performance.

“Thank you!”

Yeeun bowed to Woo-hyuk and ran back to the café.

That evening, after finishing his performance, Woo-hyuk was about to go home when he saw Yeeun waiting at the entrance with a bouquet of flowers.

She had been waiting for him after watching the performance.

Yeeun handed him the flowers but didn’t leave.

“Do you like dumplings?”

Woo-hyuk asked, and Yeeun nodded vigorously.

They went to a nearby dumpling shop and ate dumplings.

Then they parted ways.

That was their first date.

After that, they went on many more dumpling shop dates and eventually became a couple.

Over the course of a year, Woo-hyuk realized how precious and beautiful Yeeun was, and he secretly nurtured his love for her.

Yeeun felt the same way.

Every time she met Woo-hyuk, he was exactly the person she had imagined.

A quiet but warm man.

She didn’t want to let him go.

So she proposed, despite feeling incredibly embarrassed.

“I’ll cook for you. Live with me.”

Woo-hyuk didn’t understand what Yeeun meant.

“I’m proposing to you.”

Yeeun was serious, and Woo-hyuk was speechless for a moment.

At 28, Woo-hyuk was an unknown actor with an uncertain future. He didn’t even have an agency.

He loved Yeeun but felt unworthy of her proposal.

“I can’t get married!”

Woo-hyuk shook his head softly but firmly.

Yeeun couldn’t respond and lowered her head, feeling guilty.

‘What a greedy orphan. Why would a man like Woo-hyuk want to marry a woman like me?’

She had thought he might reject her, but when it actually happened, her heart felt like it was being torn apart.

“Why would you want to marry someone like me? You’re only 26, in the prime of your life!”

Hearing Woo-hyuk’s response, Yeeun looked up.

A tear fell from her eye.

She wanted to speak but feared she would burst into tears, so she just shook her head.

‘You are too good for me. I only finished high school and am an orphan with nothing.’

Another year passed.

Yeeun’s feelings hadn’t changed, and Woo-hyuk’s love for her had only grown deeper.

One day, Yeeun brought Woo-hyuk to her dormitory.

It was a small room without a window.

The soundproofing was poor, so they had to whisper, and the room was only slightly larger than a fingernail.

“Brother! Please save me from here.”

Yeeun pleaded.

Yeeun didn’t really mind living in the dormitory.

She was happy to return to her room after work.

Although it was tiny, it felt cozy and warm, like being inside a shell.

It was a space she had created on her own.

But she exaggerated her discomfort in front of Woo-hyuk.

She wanted to evoke his sympathy and keep him.

It worked.

A few days later, Woo-hyuk took Yeeun to meet his parents.

He had called them in advance to say he was bringing someone he wanted to marry.

He told them that Yeeun had only finished high school, worked as a server at a café, and was an orphan.

Woo-hyuk’s parents warmly welcomed the nervous Yeeun.

“What a lovely girl. Where did you find such a good woman?”

After a while, Woo-hyuk’s parents treated Yeeun like a daughter, and Yeeun called them Mom and Dad.

Yeeun was overjoyed.

She now had a husband and parents.

The in-laws wanted to provide a new apartment for the newlyweds, but Yeeun firmly refused.

She couldn’t enjoy luxury when she knew their financial situation.

Instead, they found a two-room semi-basement apartment as their new home.

To Woo-hyuk, who felt guilty, Yeeun said,

“The apartment is spacious, has two rooms, and even windows. Plus, there’s no lower floor, so the kids can run around freely. It’s perfect.”

She talked about a child they hadn’t even conceived yet.

Yeeun wanted a child quickly. It was her dream to be a mother.

They had a child after one year of marriage. Everything was going smoothly.

But she miscarried at four months.

Today marks 49 days since the child, whom they hadn’t even named, left the world.

A bird flies across the sky.

Yeeun smiles brightly.

“Have a safe trip. Drive carefully.”

Has she forgotten?

Please, let it be so.

But Woo-hyuk knows. His wife hasn’t forgotten; she’s just pretending.

“I’ll be back.”

Woo-hyuk also pretended to have forgotten, smiling brightly at his wife.

He got into his 15-year-old, worn-out compact car and started the engine.

Chug chug!

Chug chug chug chug...

The engine finally started.

He slowly drove out of the narrow alley where the multi-family homes were tightly packed.

Before turning the corner, he checked the side mirror.

His wife was still standing there, looking at him.

After turning the corner, he could no longer see her.

Her wistful smile lingers in his mind.

His nose tingles.

He must succeed as an actor.

For his kind wife, he must!