Chapter 3

Standing in front of the old place, Li Chong was somewhat lost in thought. This was a café on the outskirts of Myeongdong, with a beautiful name, "Memories Drift with the Wind." Li Chong had known the café's owner, Hu Yuan, since he was very young. Hu Yuan was a Taiwanese man who had come to South Korea in the late 1960s. He was now nearly 80 years old... Hu Yuan and Li Chong's father, Li Changyu, were close friends despite their age difference. When Li Chong was a child, he often played in the café... especially on the balcony on the second floor with two rattan chairs, which was his favorite place... He had many wonderful memories there... When he was young, Li Chong had asked the café owner why he named it that. At that time, the old man wasn't too old yet. Looking at the young Li Chong, who seemed like a little adult, he smiled and said, "When you grow up and experience more, you'll understand naturally..."

Li Chong pushed open the café door. The European-style interior was painted in a bright yellow tone, with nearly 4-meter-high floor-to-ceiling windows that filled the café with sunlight. Near the bar, there was a small corner with a long table facing the window, and five high stools were quietly placed there. A long-haired girl in a white dress was sitting on the fourth stool from the left. Li Chong walked straight over and plopped down on the third stool in the middle, looking at the girl beside him, "Yin Yue, you're even prettier!"

The girl had already noticed someone beside her. Turning her head, she saw a pair of bright, smiling eyes. Her big eyes instantly filled with tears, looking pitiful. "Oppa, you're finally back..." The girl said, then threw herself into Li Chong's arms, hugging him tightly and crying softly. Li Chong looked at the girl in his arms, feeling somewhat helpless. Although he knew it would be like this, the scene still made him feel helpless.

"Alright, alright, you're already a famous writer, why are you still such a crybaby... If you keep crying, the other customers might think I did something to you," he said softly while gently patting her back. The girl, named Yin Yue, lifted her head, her tear-streaked face looking up at Li Chong, "Oppa, you're still the same after your military service, no change at all, still so handsome!"

Li Chong smiled bitterly. Could he really be unchanged? Physically, he was still recognizable, just a bit more muscular, but mentally? It had been more than two years. He had joined the military in a fit of anger, even taking on the tough job of guarding an island. The Pacific Ocean wasn't a place for jokes, but he hadn't shown it... "Alright, seeing me back must make you feel better. Everyone has to serve in the military eventually, better sooner than later... And I'm back in one piece, right?" Zheng Yin Yue wiped away her tears, giving him a watery-eyed glare, and took out a key and a bank card from her bag, "This is the key to your apartment, and this is the rent for the two years it was rented out. The tenants were a couple from a multinational company, their office is near your apartment, and they even wanted to buy it at a high price."

"Hehe, if I sell it, where will I live? Although it's a place of sorrow," Li Chong said, trying to sound casual. "By the way, is Uncle Yuan in the store today? I want to see him."

"He's not here. I haven't seen Uncle Yuan for a while. It's been about 3 or 4 months. If it weren't for the regular withdrawals from the café's profits, I would have thought something happened to him," Zheng Yin Yue shook her head and said to Li Chong.

"Alright, let's go to the apartment and see if I need anything," Li Chong got up and walked towards the door.

"Oppa, aren't you going home to see your parents?" Zheng Yin Yue followed Li Chong out of the café.

"Um... maybe not yet. I think my mom would kill me... I didn't even discuss it with her before joining the military, she's still angry. It's not a good time to provoke her," Li Chong rubbed his inner thigh, still feeling a bit scared... "But, Uncle and Auntie will miss you, you haven't been home for over two years..." Yin Yue felt Li Chong's reason wasn't sufficient... "Don't worry, I called Dad and told him I'll definitely go back once I finish my business..." Zheng Yin Yue had nothing to say. Thinking of Li Chong's father, Li Changyu, her face turned red. In those always-smiling eyes, there were no secrets, and Li Changyu knew all her little thoughts, from childhood to now...

This was a high-end residential area in Yeonhyeon-dong, Gangnam District. The complex had four 17-story apartment buildings, built in 2002. Although it had been five years, the area was still lush with trees, and the scenery was beautiful with small bridges and flowing water. Li Chong's apartment was on the 11th floor of Building 3, which he bought in 2004 for nearly 400 million won. It had doubled in value since then...

"Oppa, do you need anything else?" Zheng Yin Yue handed Li Chong a bottle of purified water and wiped the sweat from her forehead. Li Chong was sorting through a pile of papers that were neither waste nor drafts.

"It should be about right. Is this all that I mailed to you?" Li Chong looked at the papers in his hand, feeling something was missing...

"Oh, right, there's also the material for my next novel, the one about King Gwanghae. I'm still using it, so it's at home," Zheng Yin Yue suddenly remembered.

"Didn't I tell you not to write real history? Use history as a framework, but create a fictional legend. That way, it will be more interesting. The story of King Gwanghae isn't suitable for you. Didn't you have a good story about a fictional king and a shamaness?" Li Chong said to Zheng Yin Yue.

"I know, I just wanted to borrow your ideas. Your script ideas are so bizarre, you can come up with such plots. I've already designed the plot for my novel, I just need to start writing. And 'Embrace of the Sun and the Moon' was your idea, right? It was for Hyunjoo-ssi," Zheng Yin Yue realized she had said something wrong as soon as she finished speaking and quickly tried to change the subject, "Right, Oppa, now that you're out of the military, are you planning to make a movie?"

Li Chong's heart sank when he heard "Hyunjoo." He then smiled bitterly, thinking it didn't matter anymore since she was already married. He followed Zheng Yin Yue's lead, "I've already decided what to shoot. I just need to find investors. As long as someone funds me, this work will definitely be a hit." Li Chong was confident in his script ideas...

Zheng Yin Yue felt reassured when she heard this. This brother had never been stumped by anything from childhood. If he wanted to do something, he would definitely do it. That night, Li Chong and Zheng Yin Yue had dinner together, then went to a large supermarket to buy a bunch of instant food products. The script for the movie Li Chong wanted to shoot hadn't been written yet, but it was already formed in his mind and would be completed in a few days.

Next, he would need to find investors, actors, shoot the movie, wrap it up, edit it, and release it. But would it really be that simple and easy? Li Chong was about to pay for his impulsive actions from two years ago...

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