Chapter 628 (2/2)

Sunggoo refilled his glass. He didn’t drink it this time.

“He told me he finally found the one. You know? There was something he always mentioned. He said that there lies a true actor somewhere in this world. He wasn’t someone who liked idealism, but for some reason, he kept saying that. I think that you are the actor he’s been looking for this whole time, Miss Haejoo.”

“I’m nothing like….”

“I don’t know you that well, Miss Haejoo. However, I do know the man known as lee Junmin. He tried to protect you and based on the fact that he did that without hesitation, I believe that you’re worth trusting, Miss Haejoo.”

Sunggoo gave me a business card. The prosecutor mark and the word Seoul entered my eyes.

“If something happens because of this incident, call that number. I will help you as much as I can. Also, keep in mind that this isn’t your fault.”

I stared at the business card and the filled glass. Just then, my head felt cold. Water flowed down and dripped off my hair onto the table.

“Kang Seoyeon!”

“It’s all your fault. Because of you, Junmin is!”

“Hey, Kang Seoyeon!”

The smell of soju was ringing in the air. It entered my eyes, making my eyes hurt. I lifted my head up in a daze. I saw Seoyeon, venting her anger with a haggard face, as well as Sunggoo, who was trying to stop her.

“Seoyeon!”

“It’s because of her. It’s because of HER! You saw it, didn’t you? You saw the CCTV footage! Junmin died trying to save this girl. That foolish guy died! Just to save this girl!”

“Seoyeon, stop!”

“How can I stop? How could I possibly stop! Junmin was my… I… Junmin….”

Seoyeon fell down and curled up. She cried loudly as though she was trying to fill the funeral hall. I couldn’t say a word to her. I knew that anything that escaped my mouth - even my breath - would hurt her. I’m not someone who should be here. I’m like that piece of dried out rice cake….

“I’m sorry.”

I kneeled and lowered my head. Would my guilty conscience become better if she swears at me more? There was no reaction even after a few seconds. When I raised my head, what I saw was Seoyeon’s face, which had given up on scorning me. She was half-dead. She looked even more hurt than I was. That… that was what made me feel even worse.

“Miss Jung Haejoo.”

I left the funeral venue as I heard Sunggoo call out to me. Only after I left did I realize that I hadn’t brought an umbrella, forgot to wear shoes, and that my feet were bleeding. But who cares? What good was that? That didn’t kill people. A truck was required at least to kill a person.

I saw a 6-lane road in the distance. People that started up the morning were busily driving. If I throw my body there, will the busily working people clean me up? The moment I was about to let death take my body, the thought that it would inconvenience them woke me up. I wasn’t afraid of death; I was afraid of inconveniencing others with my death. The bitch that drove a man to death is now haunting people by committing suicide - I honestly didn’t want to hear something like that.

Is this why people went to one of the bridges over the Han river? There was no need for cleanup, and did not pain anyone either. It’s such a neat cleaner of death. I kept walking. I kept walking and walking without knowing where the bridge was. I could hear people murmuring around me. Look at that, it’s blood.

I kept walking down the road and eventually came across a bridge. I didn’t know what bridge it was, but I felt like I could jump off it. For this moment, I found it fortunate that I lived in Seoul. There was a quick and easy method to commit suicide so nearby.

I walked up to the bridge. I could see the river below. The river, which I never looked at closely before, was murky. Would this memory sink with my body so that it would never come up again?

“How charming is that.”

Not having any family members was convenient at a time like this. Perhaps it was a happy thing that there weren’t many people to grieve for me. I grabbed the banisters and lifted my legs.

“How about you live another life?”

Someone spoke from a distance away. I looked at that person for a while before putting strength into my arms. I didn’t want to think about it. I didn’t want to hear anything. What I want to do now is to throw my body into that body of water.

“Will dying change anything?”

Those words stopped me. What did that mean? Was this person a civil worker? The kind that is affected by people committing suicide? Is that why there was a patrol here?

“I’m sorry.”

“I didn’t intend for you to apologize. It’s just, I want to give you an opportunity.”

“An opportunity?”

“Yes, an opportunity. Well, to introduce myself briefly, I’m an entertainer of sorts.”

“Entertainer?”

“Yes. I provide gods with entertainment or something like that.”

What did that even mean? For some reason, though, my mind kept being attracted to that person. That person’s appearance was rather peculiar. I couldn’t discern whether it was a man or a woman. The person looked like a man, and yet a woman.

“I will bring Mr. Lee Junmin back to life.”

“What?”

“It’s just as you heard. I will bring Mr. Lee Junmin back to life. Not only that, I will hand him some things that might help him in his life. Furthermore, you will also return. Return to the time before that terrible traffic accident happened.”

Did this person even understand what was being said? Was this person some kind of lunatic? Or was this person just like me, someone that came to commit suicide? If this person was trying to play a prank just before committing suicide, well, the target was wrong.

“I’m not a lunatic, and this is not a prank either. I’m just offering you an opportunity. What do you think?”

“Bring that person back to life?”

“Yes.”

“Ha, haha. Go ahead, try all you want. If you can, I’d be willing to give you my soul or anything.”

“You’re rather straight to the point. But since this is for entertainment, there are a few things I must warn you about.”

That person came up to me and continued speaking,

“First up, you will lose your memories.”

[1] Spicy beef soup. Often served in Korean funerals. Wikipedia for more info

[2] Ricecakes. Also often served in funerals. Wikipedia for more info