I’m an Unknown Actress, But Everyone Knows Me - Chapter 271

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 271

* * *

It felt as if rough waves were crashing against his entire body. His heart kept churning like the sea. Under the pitch-black sky where he couldn’t see an inch ahead, the boy walked aimlessly forward, carrying the darkly swaying ocean in his chest.

Clank, clank. The metal necklace he had placed in his shirt’s front pocket scraped against the boy’s chest.

He wanted to grab anyone and ask them. Do you know where that girl went?

But if they asked who that girl was, what would I answer? There was nothing I really knew.

That girl had a pretty smile.

She always greeted me first, and because she was short, she often stood on her tiptoes. Her hands were cold and soft, and she seemed so light that I could carry her on my back all day without getting tired.

That girl’s name is Huijae.

I don’t know her surname. I don’t know anything about that.

And,

And…

I like that girl.

The seawater that had crashed against his entire body finally rose to the boy’s eyes. It flowed down his chin in streams.

The boy’s feet continued moving forward. His quickening pace was soon running.

No matter how much he tried to swim and swim and swim again, it was useless. Like a person drowning in the deep sea, Taeseok staggered.

The place he reached was the mountain where he had been with the girl. It was the first world they had explored together.

In the desolate mountain with nothing there, he could hear the sound of crickets chirping. Taeseok’s chest heaved. Taeseok’s eyes, staring blankly ahead, turned red.

Now, no matter how long I wait, you’re not here.

Between the beautiful night sky, several fireflies revealed themselves.

Don’t lose me.

In this quiet place, it seemed like he could hear Huijae’s voice. Fool, fool, fool, foolish girl. A stupid girl who couldn’t even properly distinguish between forgetting and losing. You have to have had something to lose it… Taeseok wanted to shout like that.

His mouth kept getting hot. He wanted to pour out all the words he had cherished his entire life. Was it resentment, or anger?

No, it was neither.

“Gitaeseogi!”

If I had known this would happen, I would have called your name.

“My name is Huijae.”

I should have called your name at least once too.

“…Ugh…”

A suppressed groan flowed from between the boy’s teeth. His vision blurred. All strength left his body.

Taeseok, placing his hands on his knees, struggled not to collapse. Tears fell drop by drop onto the grass.

What the boy wanted to pour out was only his feelings for the girl. It was his shabby and honest heart that he couldn’t even convey.

“…Huijae.”

Your name that I can no longer call.

“Huijae…”

That name I had written down countless times only in my heart because it was too precious.

“Huijae… Huijae, Huijae…!”

Taeseok called the girl’s name in the empty forest path. It was a painful cry, as if confessing a sin.

Staggering and finally raising his body, Taeseok called the girl’s name once more. Echoing back, that name reached the boy’s ears again and again and again.

“…Huijae…”

But no answer came back.

Taeseok raised his right hand to cover his eyes. He didn’t want to see anything. He hated to acknowledge a world without you. The boy’s jaw, clenching his teeth, trembled.

Under the hand that Huijae had written his name on, the hand they had hooked fingers with to make a promise, the hand he had waved saying “see you next time,” hot tears pooled.

“Huijae…!”

Above the crying boy, the music box melody that had once been heard descended again. It was the music that had played when the girl wrote his name on his palm.

The beautiful melody that seemed like clear glass beads with sunlight rolling around merged with sorrowful crying.

A lonely night in the forest where only moonlight shone brightly, with seawater endlessly flowing down the cheeks of the boy who covered his eyes with his large right hand.

The small fireflies shone brightly with all their might to illuminate the boy’s side. Like the nameless something the girl had mentioned, the fireflies made the dark sky bright and sparkling.

This was their eternal farewell.

* * *

The harsh winter passed and spring came. The boy still lived his life in Jinhae, while the girl lived hers in Seoul.

The boy, silently moving cargo, no longer took in the world with his eyes, and no smile appeared on the girl’s face.

The back seat of the bicycle placed at the old, rough port was stained with grime. It contrasted with the smoothly polished luxury car.

Huijae, wearing a white cape, now lived in a Western-style house instead of a traditional Korean house. As always, she applied rouge while looking in the mirror in her splendid room.

Clunk. Hanamura entered without knocking, deliberately making a stern expression and scolding Huijae.

“Today is an important day. Make sure you behave properly.”

“Yes.”

“If you do anything foolish, think about what will happen to the Koreans you used to associate with.”

Hanamura, gripping Huijae’s shoulders firmly and emphasizing this several times, looked at his daughter who bloomed like a beautiful flower. It was the eyes of a greedy merchant.

“I apologize for keeping you waiting so long.”

Hanamura approached the two men sitting there with a pleasant smile. One was a middle-aged gentleman, and the other was a man around Huijae’s age.

“Not at all. The reception room is so tasteful that my eyes are being treated.”

“Thank you for saying so, Mr. Lee. This is my daughter.”

Hanamura revealed his daughter’s face that he had hidden behind him. The man who had been quietly drinking tea was moved by her face that bloomed white like a pear blossom.

“Well now, I had only heard about her, but she has truly outstanding beauty. Isn’t that right, Taejin?”

“…Yes…”

The calm and quiet man’s gaze was still directed toward Huijae. Huijae slightly lowered her eyes and didn’t make eye contact with anyone.

“Let me introduce myself. I’ve lived in the United States for so long that my Korean might be poor, so please be understanding.”

The man stood up from his seat. He was as tall as Taeseok.

“You may call me Robert, or you may call me Taejin. It uses the character for joy and the character for advance. May I ask the young lady’s name?”

“I am Hanamuara Rio.”

Huijae spoke for the first time. Just that alone was enough to spread a smile across the kind man’s face.

“Yes. If it’s not rude, may I also ask your Korean name?”

At those words, Hanamura was flustered. If he said he had never given her a Korean name, he would surely find it strange.

Rio was valuable when she was a hothouse flower raised preciously. He had to think she was treasured to pay the proper price… It was when Hanamura’s mouth was about to open hastily.

“It’s Huijae.”

“It’s a beautiful name. The meaning is…”

“Woman hui and exist jae! Hui. Jae. With my surname attached, it’s Yeonhuijae. Hahaha.”

Before Huijae could explain the meaning, Hanamura interrupted. Huijae bit her lips for a moment.

“Yes. Miss Huijae. If it’s not rude, could you show me around the garden?”

The gentle man asked while looking at Huijae. Huijae still didn’t make eye contact.

Her own will didn’t matter anyway. She had to move according to Hanamura’s wishes.

Huijae, a flower blooming in a greenhouse, could be plucked carelessly, placed in a pretty vase, and her only use was to please the viewer’s eyes.

“Of course, why not! Huijae. Go and entertain young Taejin.”

Hanamura’s palm landed on Huijae’s shoulder. The hand that gripped tightly for a moment carried meaning.

Think of the Koreans.

* * *

“This is a rose imported from France. Isn’t the flesh-colored hue beautiful?”

Huijae introduced the garden to Taejin in a monotone voice.

Huijae’s Korean was no longer poor. The only thing she could do locked alone in her room was study Korean.

Taejin, who had been admiring the glossy rose vines with his hands behind his back, turned his gaze back to Huijae. His brown suit looked splendid.

“Would it be too presumptuous if I wished for the joy of picking one for the lady?”

His voice, filled with laughter, resembled sunlight. Huijae quietly shook her head.

“If you wish, by all means.”

Taejin carefully picked one flesh-colored rose. With neat hands, he meticulously removed the thorns and offered the flower to Huijae.

A gorgeous, beautiful, and expensive flower.

“Would you tell me your name once more?”

“My name is Yeonhuijae.”

“I would want nothing more if you would tell me the true meaning.”

At Taejin’s words, Huijae made eye contact for the first time.

“Let me introduce myself again. My name is Lee Taejin, written with the characters for joy and progress. May I ask what your name is, miss?”

Taejin knew. From the very moment they first met, he had tried to remember everything about Huijae.

That face gently biting her lips. He wanted to wipe away with his own hands the loneliness that seemed tinged with familiar resignation.

The spring sunlight shone brightly over the beautiful lady’s head. Shadows formed at the tips of her long eyelashes.

A faint smile appeared on her expressionless face.

“…Joy for hui and presence for jae. Huijae.”

“What a beautiful name. Miss Huijae.”

Huijae felt awkwardly embarrassed and looked down at the rose in her hand. Come to think of it, this was only the second time she had introduced her name like this.

Because no one had ever asked for Huijae’s name.

“Me. Gi Taeseok. You? What is it. Name. What is it.”

Except for one person, that boy…

“My name. It’s Huijae.”

Come to think of it, she hadn’t properly explained the meaning either. Joy for hui and presence for jae. She should have told him it meant acting ability. What if he forgets me? Huijae fidgeted with the rose in her hand for no reason as well-fitted shoe tips approached her feet.

“I’m truly delighted to meet you.”

A hand was extended. Large, firm, without a single scar, with elegant joints. Completely different from the boy’s hands…

It was the hand of the man who would become her husband.

Huijae quietly took that hand. Lips gently settled on the back of her hand.

She remembered that day when they stood on tiptoes on the wall, hooking fingers to make a promise. When their thumbs touched like a kiss.

Still, out of habit, the girl thought of the boy.

Like flower stains that wouldn’t wash out, she was permanently dyed.

* * *

-North Korean forces have crossed the 38th parallel and invaded the south. This is a clear act of aggression. The government strongly condemns this, and we ask all citizens to remain calm and follow government instructions.

War had broken out. The cries of parents who had to send their sons to war echoed endlessly throughout Jinhae. Among the people who had to part in life, separating again and again.

Only Taeseok, calmly following the soldiers, had a face without any particular attachment.

Riding in a jeep to an unknown destination, Taeseok fingered the necklace around his neck. He couldn’t bring himself to open it. It was just habit. A habit ingrained in his body that couldn’t be fixed.

Bang-.

The sound of artillery could be heard in the distance.

-Citizens, Seoul is currently in temporary tactical retreat, and the Korean Army is building strong defensive lines south of the Han River.

Taeseok listened to the radio in the camouflaged military barracks. The military uniform he’d been issued wasn’t much different from the old clothes he used to wear.

-The government is doing everything possible to maintain order, and we ask evacuating citizens to follow the guidance.

Someone’s voice passing by the barracks pierced his ears.

“It’s true, I tell you. All the Han River bridges collapsed.”

Taeseok, who had been sitting quietly apart from others, suddenly stood up. Without hesitation, he went straight out.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Ah, Seoul has become a complete mess right now!”

“What nonsense… The president is there, the president is there, so how could it become a mess… You should say something that makes sense.”

“Didn’t you hear the bomb sounds yesterday? That was the sound of the Han River bridges collapsing!”

-This broadcast will continue to bring you news as soon as the situation in Seoul stabilizes.

Lies… Taeseok roughly grabbed the collar of the man spouting nonsense.

That couldn’t be true.

“The radio isn’t saying anything about it right now! What do you know!”

“I have relatives in Daejeon! People coming from Seoul are saying all the Han River bridges were destroyed!”

That couldn’t be.

“Hey! What time is this to be fighting here!”

A soldier blowing a whistle from far away approached and stopped Taeseok.

Countless hands grabbed Taeseok’s arms, shoulders, and the back of his neck to restrain him, but Taeseok’s hands still wouldn’t let go of the man.

As if that collar were a lifeline.

As if he didn’t want to let go of the hope that Huijae was still alive.

“How does that make sense! Seoul is where the president is! Why would the Han River bridges be destroyed!”

The area around Taeseok’s eyes was red as he shouted.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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