‘I still can’t get used to it.’
Strangely, he always dreamed only of things he had experienced.
It felt like reliving those moments, beyond just recalling memories. The emotions were much clearer, and the sensations felt on the skin were vivid.
That’s why Hyunsoo hated dreams. They were so vivid that it was hard to distinguish them from reality, and he couldn’t choose which moments to relive.
‘Most of them end up being nightmares.’
It’s been two months since he returned.
Out of 47 years of life, he lived 30 years with complete paralysis, and the dreams made him relive the most vivid moments of his memory.
Naturally, he had frequent nightmares.
‘I still have a long way to go.’
As Hyunsoo tidied his bed, he made up his mind once again to create more happy memories.
About a week passed.
His father returned from China. As soon as his father saw Hyunsoo in the morning, he held his hand tightly.
“My son. Thank you. You’ve done a great thing.”
“Hehe, I don’t know what I did so well.”
Hyunsoo laughed awkwardly.
He tried to add a witty joke, but his heart swelled as he saw his father’s red, bloodshot eyes.
“You did what a useless husband couldn’t achieve in nearly 20 years.”
Hyunsoo, who had reviewed past memories, understood his father’s words precisely. But his father, who didn’t know this fact, took the opportunity to share his inner thoughts with his son.
“When I first met your mother, she was a really talented art student. The prettiest and most cheerful person I had ever seen. I pursued her diligently.”
It was the first time he had heard of the past directly from his father.
Their relationship progressed to marriage talks, but his maternal grandfather strongly opposed it.
“Though I didn’t say it back then, I felt very hurt. Was it because I was an orphan? Or because my circumstances were unimpressive?”
At that time, he felt some resentment, but now he said he understands a bit.
“Which father would want to send his beautiful and promising daughter down a path of hardship with a good heart?”
After persistent persuasion, his father married her, but he felt sorry for his mother who had to raise a child at a young age.
“Come to think of it, I was already a working man, but your mother was still a university student until yesterday. She wanted to work with big dreams, but her life turned 180 degrees.”
His mother, full of love, managed cheerfully, but watching her made his father uneasy.
“I said she didn’t need to give up her dreams, just endure until our circumstances improved. But those were just words.”
As their income improved, so did the working hours, and he felt guilty about neglecting the family.
“To make things right, I came to America. I judged it to be a better environment for the family, and I thought we could live the life we dreamed of once I settled down. Your mother could find a school here too, so I was quite satisfied with my decision.”
His father sighed deeply.
“It was a humble wish. In the meantime, our son enrolled your mother as an honorary student at the world’s most famous fashion school and gave her the opportunity to work as a designer for a luxury brand. Thank you, my son. It’s all because your mother is amazing and raised a son like you. I have a wife and son far beyond what I deserve.”
His father, seemingly at a loss for words, paused to calm his emotions.
Though the clasped hands felt awkward, the warmth was conveyed intact.
“I’m being silly from morning. Did I talk too much?”
“No, hehe. I’ve gotten so used to it that I’ve developed the skill of thinking about other things while listening attentively.”
“……Well done. Very much like my son. So how is school? Your mother says you’ve made many friends. If you have time on the weekend, invite them all. I should treat them to something delicious.”
“Ugh, maybe not. They were supposed to come over anyway, but you should know… these days, high school students don’t have skills like mine.”
His father looked genuinely hurt.
“Ah, this is similar to Korea. A boss should just pay and leave to be admired. I was working hard to build a young and trendy father image, but now my own son avoids me?”
“Oh, I think I hid it well thanks to the excellent education from my wonderful mother.”
“Oh, I didn’t know my son wanted to avoid me for a long time?”
His father immediately put him in a headlock and gave him a playful knock on the head. They talked about various updates and giggled like boys for quite a while.
‘Is it now?’
Continuing the mood, Hyunsoo asked playfully,
“Now that mom is doing great and we’re becoming rich, what kind of dreams will the boy hidden inside our father start to pursue?”
Hyunsoo had reviewed past memories several times, but couldn’t find any clues about his father’s dreams.
Even during slightly down times, his father was always a loving husband to his mother and a compassionate father to him.
A life where making money with utmost effort was a given.
“Your dad, you see.”
His father smiled faintly.
“Already achieved his dream by marrying your mother. And got a son as a bonus, so what more could I ask for? If I could be a bit greedy… it would be to become a stable support for my wife and son. To stand firm against any storms.”
“……”
While it was touching, Hyunsoo felt daunted about the future.
‘This won’t be easy?’
People feel a sense of accomplishment and happiness from building their own towers rather than sudden wealth.
Giving his father a large sum of money was easy for Hyunsoo. But reflecting on past experiences of great success, he knew that wasn’t the right answer.
Even though they spent more time together, his father was always looking for something to do. As if he denied his own existence when not working.
‘There must be something more…….’
For now, Hyunsoo decided to support his father’s various attempts a bit more.
Hyunsoo’s mother, Kwak Heeae, went to New York for a contract.
Hyunsoo meticulously reviewed the contract and its details, repeatedly requesting final modifications.
The strict officials were so overwhelmed that they eventually made the changes without much objection.
Thanks to that, Kwak Heeae could focus on touring the headquarters and signing the contract today. She had a very enjoyable experience, being treated with utmost hospitality.
“Ma’am. This way.”
At the airport, a man who still looked like an old Hong Kong movie star greeted her.
“You’re here? Tired?”
“You must be more tired. You came back late last night. The flight time was much longer.”
“Thinking about meeting you, all my travel fatigue vanished.”
“Ch. You talk so well.”
They lightly kissed on the lips and headed home. The sunset was beautifully setting.
“Why don’t you rest? You could’ve taken an Uber.”
“I wanted to see you a little sooner. How was New York?”
“It was great! Let’s go together next time. I have my office there, and they’ll soon provide accommodations, so we can have some private time.”
“Ahem. I don’t think I’ve seen eel in this neighborhood……”
Kwak Heeae frowned.
“Goodness, even as you age, you still don’t understand romance.”
“Hehehe. As I age, my wife only gets prettier.”
“Hmm, really? I did get a lot of compliments today saying I looked very young.”
“Of course. So, did the contract go well? Does it seem interesting?”
“Very! Let me tell you what happened…”
She passionately recounted the events in New York with a bright face and sparkling eyes.
“This time, they’re thinking of launching a new lineup including shoulder bags and wallets, not just small handbags. Considering the harmony, we might need to tweak the existing handbags a bit. Or, should we unify the image to highlight the identity? Or maybe, following the current trend, different designs come together to form a complete piece… Why are you laughing?”
“Just reminiscing. I fell for your passionate self back then too. Isn’t it unfair to be this cute in your 40s?”
“……You’re embarrassing me again. Oh? We’re already here. Why are the house lights off? Where’s Hyunsoo?”
They arrived at their home, 50 minutes away, much quicker than expected because they were having such a great time.
Even while unpacking, she looked puzzled as there was no sign of life in the house.
“Did he go out? I was planning to throw a celebration party together. Have some good food.”
She regretted not taking him to New York with her, as she wanted to share the good news. She felt even lonelier because she didn’t have close friends in the neighborhood yet.
“Oh, he said he was meeting his friends. Just a few months ago he was cooped up at home, now he goes out and all. It seems like he’s adapting well.”
She nodded in agreement, looking pleased.
“Oh, he’s doing so well. He’s made many good friends… Actually, this project was all Hyunsoo’s doing. Do you know how amazing our son is?”
Kwak Heeae raised her voice even more passionately than when she talked about New York, proudly boasting.
Her husband, Lee Junhyuk, listened quietly with a wistful look in his eyes.
‘Our Heeae is a mom after all. She loves bragging about our son more than talking about her designer dreams.’
He felt they had lived well.
Watching such scenes unfold beside him was his happiness and precious dream.
And so, they entered the dark house.
“Why is it so dark? You should’ve at least turned on some lights. It’s dangerous…… Ah!”
Suddenly, the lights turned on.
The living room was decorated with various balloons and flowers, and a large “Congratulations!” banner was hanging…… Her son’s friends were making a ruckus congratulating her.
“Surprise!!”
“Congratulations! I’ll definitely buy a bag.”
“Auntie, you’re amazing. Beauty and talent? That’s cheating, isn’t it?”
And right in the center, her son stood, smiling brightly at her.
[Click]
Holding a fresh cream fruit cake from her favorite neighborhood bakery in Korea, which they likely made themselves, he approached.
“Mom, congratulations. I knew you’d do it.”
“……!”
Tears welled up in Kwak Heeae’s eyes as she barely managed to blow out the candles.
“Thank you. Thank you, everyone.”
A very happy moment.
‘I’m glad I returned.’
Hyunsoo smiled warmly as he watched Angela hugging his mother tightly.
Did his mother mention it before, when she had to give up fashion because she got too old?
-Do you know what makes me the saddest? My vision has deteriorated and my hands tremble so much that I can’t study fashion anymore, which I wanted so badly.
Today, he could cover painful memories from the past with precious new ones.
‘There’s still a long way to go.’
Hyunsoo decided not to be content here and to create even more happy memories with his family.
Photographer Nadine came up from LA for this video shoot after being contacted by Hyunsoo.
The concept of the video was good, and though she had refused persistently, the pay she was forced to accept was quite high.
Gratefully, she was given a room to stay comfortably while working, but she planned to go back tomorrow.
‘It was worth staying until today.’
[Click]
Nadine captured the moment Kwak Heeae entered the house and saw Hyunsoo holding the cake.
‘Nice.’
With a camera that had a slow burst mode, some prediction was necessary.
If you see and shoot, it’s late.
You have to watch the surroundings closely…… and just when you think a good scene will come up, you shoot in advance to capture the ideal photo.
[Click]
There were particularly many good scenes today.
Since she only clicked the shutter when her heart moved, she usually had fewer shots compared to other photographers.
-Hyunsoo, the recent video was quite good? I heard from Angela that most of the planning was yours?
-Angela did the hard parts like shooting and editing, so what.
‘A woman who tries to hide her expression, but her eyes never lie.’
[Click]
But now, she kept shooting without rest.
-You know the music class starts soon, right? Come to think of it, I’ve never seen you practice an instrument…… What did you originally play?
-A long time ago, I took piano lessons, but that was in elementary school……
The chemistry was good. This was a place comfortable for everyone, and their relationships were intimate. Above all, there was a reason to celebrate together, providing some direction.
It was Nadine’s favorite shooting environment.
She enjoyed capturing the scenes with a rare smile on her face.
As the party reached its peak, Hyunsoo approached.
“You’re leaving soon, so no need to keep taking photos. Come join us and have fun.”
“I do it because I like it.”
“No, the star of this video can’t just hide away like this.”
Not only Hyunsoo, but also Angela, who had become close in the meantime, came over and pulled his hand.
“Yeah, come on! You know I helped a lot this time, right?”
Thanks to her, her Instagram followers increased significantly. She even opened a separate artist sponsorship page, allowing him to focus solely on photography in the future.
To Nadine, they were like lifesavers.
He reluctantly joined them, mingling with people.
‘It would be nice to capture this too.’
When his attention was distracted, Hyunsoo quickly noticed.
“How about I hold onto the camera for a while? Hehe, you seem unable to let go of it.”
Nadine nodded reluctantly and handed over the camera.
‘I wanted to take as many photos of Hyunsoo as possible.’
He was someone who inspired her.
A person with extraordinary qualities hidden behind playful eyes.
A model hard to find again.
That night.
Nadine couldn’t sleep and got up to set up a darkroom.
It was one of her occupational habits.
If there was undeveloped film, she had to work on it before sleeping.
Only then did she feel the work was complete.
She couldn’t sleep peacefully unless it was properly finished.
She patiently prepared the chemical solutions.
As the work progressed, her fatigue faded, and her concentration sharpened.
Then she suddenly noticed something strange.
‘This is?’
