Chapter 1

July 29, 2019.

Seoul, South Korea.

Shilla Hotel.

"Mr. Lin Yiyang, welcome. The president received the news of your arrival today and instructed me to wait for you in the lobby. I am her secretary, Kim Se-mi. I will take you to her now." As Lin Yiyang walked into the hotel lobby, a young woman greeted him with a smile.

"Thank you." Lin Yiyang smiled and nodded.

The two took a private elevator to the 28th floor. Kim Se-mi led Lin Yiyang into a reception room and then left. A moment later, she returned with two cups of coffee.

The president smiled and nodded at Lin Yiyang, glanced through the resume on the table, and then said with a smile, "Leaving the Royal Hotel in Singapore to join us, you won't regret it. We look forward to working with you."

"Thank you for your trust, President So."

The two shook hands, and the president invited Lin Yiyang to sit down. After he sat, the president continued, "Last year, when I asked you to join us, you refused outright, but this year, you accepted readily."

"Because it has been 20 years. My late father and I had a pact that I would not return to Korea for 20 years. Last year was the 20th year, and this year is the 21st, so I can come now." Lin Yiyang smiled in response.

"Oh? It seems you have your reasons?" The president sounded surprised.

"It's not a real hardship like a crime or debt. It's more of a superstition, a way to ward off evil." Lin Yiyang smiled again.

"Oh, I see. The elders believe in such things, saying that certain years are unlucky and should be avoided. If it's considered inauspicious, then it's best to avoid it." The president laughed.

"Exactly." Lin Yiyang nodded. "By the way, is there a hotel in Seoul with ivy-covered exteriors, a sky bar around the 100th floor, and a surfing pool that looks like a beach? This was 20 years ago."

"Hmm?" The president was taken aback.

"Ha, probably not." Lin Yiyang muttered to himself, somewhat self-deprecatingly.

After a brief discussion about work, Kim Se-mi escorted Lin Yiyang out.

"Mr. Lin, have you found a place to stay in Seoul? Or will you be staying in the company's independent apartment?" Kim Se-mi asked as they walked to the lobby.

"I have a place, a friend's house for now. He picked me up from the airport yesterday after I returned from Singapore and took me to his place."

"Ah, so you just returned from abroad? No wonder your birthday gift was sent here. Happy birthday, it's your birthday today, right? The gift is at the front desk."

"Really? You knew I was here today? By the way, what was the gift?" Lin Yiyang asked, surprised.

"It's flowers, um... what kind of flowers?..." Kim Se-mi scratched her head.

"Probably... evening primrose." Lin Yiyang's face turned pale.

When they reached the front desk, Lin Yiyang saw a pot of bright yellow evening primrose. A thin white silk ribbon ran through the center of the flowers, naturally dividing them into two sides. On the left, it read "To Mr. Lin Yiyang," and on the right, "Happy Birthday." His expression turned anxious, and he quickly calmed himself before leaving the Shilla Hotel.

As Lin Yiyang walked towards the subway station, he muttered to himself, "It's been 20 years, why are they still sending it?"

He looked around, took a few deep breaths, and continued walking, trying to reassure himself, "No need to be nervous, I receive it every year."

This time, however, there was a red invitation card in the middle of the flowers.

"What is this?" Lin Yiyang took out the invitation and muttered. He flipped it over and saw "Hotel Full Moon" written in gold on the back.

Lin Yiyang's breathing quickened, and he hurriedly opened the invitation. Inside, a card read, "To Mr. Lin Yiyang, you have been hired by Full Moon Hotel. Please start work tomorrow. President of Full Moon Hotel—Lee Manwol." Below was a map of the hotel's location and the detailed address: 229-7 Myeongdong 8-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul.

Lin Yiyang looked at the invitation, lost in thought.

He had been in this parallel world for 21 years. In his previous life, he was a 26-year-old IT geek with a very monotonous life—home, work, home. He had never traveled anywhere and had no hobbies, not even a girlfriend. Most of his time was spent at the office, and he eventually fell into a coma due to overwork, leading to brain death.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a hospital, but this time, he was a five-year-old boy. Fortunately, he wasn't lying in the hospital bed; unfortunately, his father was.

He looked around in confusion, recalling the life of the little boy. A five-year-old doesn't have much of a life to recall, but a flood of memories filled his mind, though they were very vague.

He only knew that he was in Seoul in 1998, and his family was very poor. He had never seen his mother. Today was his birthday, and he and his father were watching the night view by the Han River. His father had fallen down the stairs, suffering severe head injuries, and was rushed to the hospital. The doctor had just told him that his father had no heartbeat.

The little boy fainted, tears streaming down his face. His soul somehow entered this body.

Suddenly, he saw all the data on the medical monitor slowly increase until it stabilized. His father opened his eyes and called out, "Yiyang..."

Without hesitation, he ran to the automatic door, which opened. He cried to the nurse outside, "My dad is not dead."

The doctor and nurse rushed over and examined the man in the bed. "Pulse is normal, and he's regaining consciousness. Prepare for surgery."

"Understood." The nurse ran out.

"Wait a moment." The doctor told Lin Yiyang and then followed the nurse out.

"Yiyang, come here, don't cry."

"Dad."

A few days later, his father was discharged from the hospital. As they were leaving, they encountered a group of police officers. The one in front was holding a woman's portrait.

"That woman..." His father's face changed when he saw the portrait.

"Dad, do you know that police auntie?" Lin Yiyang asked, puzzled.

"No... no, I don't." His father shook his head and muttered, "But I feel like I've seen her somewhere. Was that night really not a dream?" He then quickly grabbed Lin Yiyang's hand and left the hospital.

His father led him through the streets, frantically searching for something, muttering, "It should be around here, why can't I find it?"

At a three-way intersection, his father told him, "Son, stand here and don't move."

He then quickly walked down one of the roads.

Soon, a black car stopped beside him from another direction.

The window rolled down.

A woman in all black, wearing a black lace hat and looking about 20 years old, smiled at him. The elderly driver in the front also turned and smiled.

Lin Yiyang didn't look at the driver but stared at the woman for a moment. She had large, innocent eyes, a sweet face, and a charming smile. He smiled back at her.

The window rolled up, and the car drove away.

Soon, his father returned, holding a passbook. When he opened it, he saw 100 million won written inside. He muttered, "It seems that night wasn't a dream. It seems Dad really did sell you. I need to find that woman..."

Unfortunately, Lin Yiyang didn't hear this.

His father searched Seoul but couldn't find the place or the person he was looking for.

Eventually, his father gave up and took him to the United States.

After graduating from Harvard MBA, his father passed away, revealing all the events of that year on his deathbed.

Since then, to fulfill his father's last wish, Lin Yiyang never returned to Korea and worked at the Royal Hotel in Singapore. He waited until he was 26 before returning to Korea.

---

"1300 years have passed, and the gears of fate have turned again. I wonder if she can break free this time, whether she will let go of past grudges or start a new life. It all depends on her choice."

"Back then, to save her, you arranged for that child and his father to pass by and help her, but unfortunately, various reasons led to..."

"Back then, neither she nor he had the power to make their own choices. This time, they both have the ability to choose. It all depends on her choice..."

"That's why, to make his soul complete, I have made some preparations..."

Beside an ancient tree, an old woman in white holding a wine jug and an old woman in floral attire holding a basket of flowers looked at the moon, calmly conversing...

(ps: To explain the background, my previous book was set in China and was censored for several months. Even after it was released, some chapters were still censored, and some content was removed. So, I set this book abroad. I wrote this book because I like IU. Actually, the story is the same whether it's set in China or abroad. I just didn't want to set it in China, so I changed it to Korea when I uploaded it. Some people said they wouldn't read it because it started in Korea. I didn't post in the review section because I was too lazy to explain. Thank you for reading.)