Chapter 2

The three years felt both short and long.

Especially those who have served in the military will understand what I mean.

How could 21 months feel so long?

I never thought that a mere 21 months would feel longer than six years of training as an idol.

- The military... no.

I finally understood what Seokhwan said before we parted at the terminal.

A lot has happened in three years.

I joined the military right after turning 18, helping at my grandmother's store.

I didn't want to waste money on food when I couldn't even earn any.

I also pondered my future then.

After my dream of becoming an idol was dashed, I wandered for a while before finally revising my aspirations.

To become a composer.

Perhaps because I inherited it from my parents, who were musicians, I had a certain musical talent, and I chose to become a composer to make the most of it.

If I couldn't be an idol, I could at least create idol music.

I also thought that starting as a composer and eventually becoming a producer would be a pretty cool career path.

That's why I prepared for the college entrance exam.

I believed that to become a composer, I needed to get into a good music university.

Of course, preparing for the exam while in the military was not easy.

There were many obstacles.

After six years of focusing solely on becoming an idol, the high school equivalency test and college entrance exam were a huge barrier for me.

Fortunately, I had mastered English and Chinese during my training days, or I might still be preparing for the exam.

Starting from scratch, I studied for two years.

After countless practice books and mock exams, I was now left with only the college entrance exam.

Winter 2013. Present.

Three years have passed since I left the company, and I, Seonwoo Joo, a 21-year-old who had just been discharged, was a college entrance exam candidate.

It was a cold day, and I could see my breath.

I finally understood why people say it suddenly gets cold on exam day.

Ugh, it's cold.

I was walking down the street, browsing the internet on my newly acquired smartphone after discharge.

It was still early in the morning.

The streetlights were still on.

[Which stars are taking the college entrance exam today?]

When I clicked on the article in the entertainment section, I saw familiar faces.

TNT's Han Tae-hyun, Labian Rose's Jeon Yubin, and others.

The faces I had seen around TJ Entertainment were densely packed on the screen.

They were all familiar faces.

Among them, my eyes were drawn to TNT's Han Tae-hyun.

TNT.

After I was cut and new members were added, TNT debuted immediately.

The result was a huge success.

Not just a success, but a massive hit.

They swept all the awards that year, including the rookie of the year, and were hailed as the best rookie idol ever.

Honestly, I didn't expect them to do that well.

Well.

It's not like it matters to me.

I took a deep breath and looked at the hill in front of me.

Was it because it had snowed yesterday?

The hill leading to the exam venue was covered in ice.

How am I supposed to climb this?

I was momentarily in a state of shock when I heard a strange sound.

Clunk-

It was the sound of a manhole cover and wheels colliding.

An old man was struggling to push a cart up the hill.

Maybe because he was around the same age, he reminded me of my grandmother in Gunsan.

I felt a pang in my heart as he struggled up the hill, swaying in the wind.

Should I help him?

It was still early, so I had plenty of time to get to the exam. I nodded after checking my digital watch, which I had used since the military.

If I'm going to do it, I might as well get some good karma.

Who knows?

Maybe the higher powers in the sky will see me and think, "What a decent kid," and bless me.

I smiled cheerfully at the thought.

"Sir."

"..."

"Sir."

"...Are you calling me?"

A weak voice replied.

"Are you tired? I have some strength left, so I'll help you up the hill."

"Help me?"

"Yes."

"You look weak."

"Don't worry. I may look this way, but I was just discharged, hehe..."

I grabbed the handle of the cart and pushed it, but I immediately realized something was wrong.

"...Huh?"

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, hahaha!"

I was smiling on the outside, but cold sweat was pouring down inside my padded jacket.

Is this thing seriously this heavy?

I soon realized two shocking facts.

"..."

First, I thought it was just a cart full of paper boxes, but it turned out to be filled with old radios and other junk.

Second, the old man pushing the cart had well-defined muscles in his arms.

And every time his pants flapped, his muscular calves were visible.

I felt foolish for offering unnecessary help to someone who could handle it on his own.

"Student, are you okay?"

"It's really heavy. It looked light, but..."

The old man burst into laughter.

"Student, is there anything easy in this world?"

"You're right."

"This isn't something anyone can do. You need know-how."

"How long have you been doing this?"

I blurted out, out of breath.

"All my life."

"Huh, huh... That's impressive."

A proud smile spread across the old man's face.

"I sent my son to college with this... Oh, are you already out of breath? What good is a young man like you?"

Finally, when the cart reached the top of the hill, I grabbed my knees.

Wow, this is crazy.

Steam was rising from inside my padded jacket, and sweat was dripping down my beard.

Today's lesson:

Never underestimate a cart again.

"Thank you, student. Your help didn't really work, but your heart is pure. You look good, too. You're very handsome."

"Thank you, sir."

"Where are you going now, student?"

"I'm going to the school ahead to take the exam."

"Oh, the college entrance exam?"

"Yes."

"Oh, a college entrance exam student helped an old man."

The old man grabbed my hand, and I felt a warm sensation.

"You did a good deed, so you'll be blessed."

"Thank you."

It didn't help much, but I felt a sense of accomplishment.

Is this why people do volunteer work?

After exchanging warm words with the old man and bowing, I headed towards my destination.

I was almost at the entrance to the exam venue.

But as I walked, rubbing my sore shoulders, I was drawn to another strange sound.

Vroom!

It was a car speeding from a distance.

What the heck? Is he out of his mind?

A white sedan was racing down a side street towards the school.

The driver's movements were erratic, as if he had been drinking.

And the direction the car was heading was clearly...

"Sir!"

The old man was standing by the cart, talking on the phone.

I called out urgently.

"Grandpa!"

But he didn't respond.

He seemed to be almost shouting into the phone, as if he couldn't hear well.

Meanwhile, the car was heading straight for the cart, and my heart started beating anxiously.

'No!'

There was no time to think.

I felt as if time had stopped as I ran with all my might towards the old man.

The car was closing the distance in an instant.

"Be careful-!"

As the license plate came into view, I pushed the old man away.

Crash!

The car, which had instantly destroyed the cart, crashed through the window of a beauty salon.

"Are you-."

The old man, who had fallen to the ground, was fortunately unharmed.

The problem was me.

"Ugh-!"

My feet slipped as I pushed the old man with all my strength.

What the-?

What's happening?

It was the ice that caused the problem.

My center of gravity shifted to my back, and my body entered a temporary state of weightlessness.

It felt like a roller coaster descending.

The next moment was a blur.

Thud!

My body, which had collided with something, rolled down the hill.

When the spinning stopped, I saw a sign for a meat restaurant with a smiling cow.

Ouch, my head hurts.

My vision was fading.

'Steak for three, 45,000 won...'

That was my last memory.

* * *

When I came to, I was in a hospital.

It was 10:00 AM.

When I heard that I had missed the exam because it was past the start time, I felt like the world was collapsing.

If there is a god, I want to ask:

What have I done to deserve this?

This always happens.

Just when things seem to be going well, I get hit with misfortune.

When I was 7, my parents passed away.

When I started practicing for a piano competition, my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer.

Just before my debut, I was cut from the debut group.

Now, on the day of the college entrance exam, I saved someone and missed the exam.

How do I explain this to my grandmother?

Thinking of her praying for my success at a temple, I felt lost.

I guess I'm used to it.

Thanks to years of misfortune, my mental resilience quickly recovered.

Actually, this time was better than usual.

In the past, misfortune struck without any sense of accomplishment, but this time, I saved a life, so I felt some satisfaction.

The only problem was that I only saved a life.

"Cough!"

The old man was lying in the bed next to the emergency room, curling up in pain every time he coughed.

His ribs were broken because I pushed him.

Feeling guilty, I spoke up.

"I'm sorry for causing you so much pain."

"Oh, don't say that."

A kind-looking woman, who seemed to be a family member, waved her hand.

Her husband, standing beside her, nodded.

"If it weren't for Seonwoo Joo, our father wouldn't be lying in this bed."

"I'm glad you think so."

The people at the hospital were the old man's son and daughter-in-law.

I had thought the son looked like a professor, and when I received his business card, he was indeed a university hospital professor.

The old man's name was Choi Ik-hyun, and his son's name was Choi Yong-jae.

"Is your last name Choi, and your first name Ik-hyun?"

"Yes, that's my father's name. Is there a problem?"

"No, nothing."

I suddenly remembered the famous figure from the Righteous Resistance Movement I had seen in my college entrance exam materials.

The son looked at me with concern.

"Are you okay?"

"The doctor said I'm miraculously fine. I'll be okay if I rest for a day."

"Why don't you stay in the hospital? We haven't even given you a proper thank you, and we can pay for your medical expenses..."

"That's not necessary. I didn't do it for a reward."

I waved off their offers to at least have a meal with them.

I felt uncomfortable.

I didn't feel like having a meal and laughing with them.

As I was about to leave after saying goodbye to the son and daughter-in-law, the old man, lying in bed, grabbed my wrist.

"Student..."

His voice was weak and hoarse, probably due to his broken ribs.

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry?"

"I've committed a great sin. You had an important exam, but you got caught up with an unlucky old man like me... I did something I shouldn't have. I'm really sorry."

"Don't say that."

With a sense of guilt, I held his hand tightly, trying to reassure him.

As if making a promise to myself.

"You can take the exam again, but you can't bring a life back."

"But still..."

"I'm really okay."

I smiled to reassure him, and he wiped his eyes. The son and daughter-in-law looked at a loss.

"See you later."

I sighed as I said goodbye to them and they disappeared from my sight.

Do I really have to study for another year?

Feeling lost at the unexpected turn of events, I noticed a TV in the hospital lobby.

An action movie was playing on a movie channel.

It was a movie I had seen in the military.

The protagonist was the world's best spy who had lost his memory and was on the run.

The scene was from the beginning of the movie.

A police officer pointed a gun at the protagonist.

The protagonist, having lost his memory, raised his hands in surrender.

The police officer approached and grabbed his shoulder.

And at that moment,

The protagonist, who had unknowingly mastered martial arts, reflexively threw the officer to the ground.

Hmm?

While watching the familiar scene, I felt something strange.

Not a visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, or tactile sensation, but a different kind of sense.

My thoughts were interrupted by my phone vibrating.

"Hello."

-Is this Seonwoo Joo?

A deep voice.

"Yes, who is this?"

-Greetings. I'm Inspector Jang Gyeong-il from the traffic investigation unit at Eunpyeong Police Station.

"Ah, yes."

-Yes, I need to take a statement from you regarding the traffic accident this morning. Could you tell me where you are?

I gave him the name of the hospital, and he responded with a bright voice.

-That's great. I'm in the hospital lobby right now.

"Really? I'm in the lobby too."

-Is this the tall man on the phone?

"Where are you?"

"I'm right here-"

A voice came from behind, and I felt a hand on my left shoulder.

At that moment,

My body started moving on its own.

Huh?

It felt as if someone else was controlling me.

I grabbed the hand, turned my body lightning-fast, and threw the person to the ground.

Thud!

A tense silence filled the hospital lobby.