Sarah had spent the past year in a state of panic ever since Hyunseung suddenly vanished without a trace.
At first, worried that he might be sick or even dead, she frantically searched for news of him.
However, unable to find anything, she eventually gave up. Still, she considered it a relief.
Right.
If he had died, word would have spread by now. The lack of news surely meant he was alive and well somewhere, didn’t it?
That was enough.
As long as he was alive.
That was all that mattered.
Yet, her head and her heart refused to align.
Clink.
Whenever Sarah had a spare moment, all she did was fiddle with the necklace Hyunseung had left behind.
Why did he give her something like this if he was just going to leave without a word?
Making it impossible to forget him.
Why did he have to tell her not to lose it, to wear it around?
Of course.
She couldn’t actually wear it out.
“Idiot…”
Who on earth could wear something like this casually?
A necklace that didn’t just sparkle, but practically radiated light, as if meant only for a gala or a wedding reception.
Seriously.
Music was truly the only thing he was good at.
What in the world made her fall for a guy like that? Enough to write a song herself, intending to confess her feelings.
Naturally.
She could have chosen not to release it. With the person it was meant for gone, what was the point of producing and releasing it? An impulse to scrap the track surged within her dozens of times.
However, every single time, the words Hyunseung had spoken held her back.
“Instead, once the song drops, I’ll be the first in line to listen to it.”
In the end, the song was released.
No. 1: Just wanna be by your side – Sarah Stewart
The moment it was released, it swept to the top of the Billboard charts.
However, as if she wasn’t the only one missing him, less than a month later, Daniel’s “and again”, a track Hyunseung had produced, reclaimed the number one spot.
Even so, she didn’t feel bad about it. In fact, she was glad.
She didn’t want Hyunseung to fade from people’s memories.
She feared that if that happened, even she might gradually forget him.
So.
She spent her days combing through ridiculous tabloids.
Rumors claiming Hyunseung was locked in the basement of the Unice Music Group headquarters, or that he was living as a recluse due to mental illness.
Honestly.
They were absurd rumors, but it didn’t matter.
Reading things like that was the only way time seemed to pass quickly.
However, it was an act of self-destruction. Eventually, consumed by panic, she became a total shut-in.
To survive, she had to stop hearing news about Hyunseung.
Only then did Sarah truly realize just how deep her feelings for him ran.
And so, she hid away.
The agency didn’t push her to resume activities either.
It was thanks to the thoughtful consideration of Joshua, who had risen to the position of CEO.
Yet.
Sarah lacked the peace of mind to appreciate such kindness. If anything, she resented him.
With Hyunseung’s sudden disappearance, the only person who would actually be happy was…
Him.
Or so she thought. The two had been bitter rivals, and Joshua had subtly harassed Hyunseung in the past.
Right.
Maybe Hyunseung’s disappearance was because of Joshua.
She entertained the thought for a moment.
Then, knowing Hyunseung’s personality, she realized he wasn’t the type to back down over something like that, and stopped her runaway imagination.
Instead, she embraced the thought that Hyunseung might never return.
Trying to live while clinging to a thread of hope was simply too exhausting and desolate.
Whenever she tried to work, she inevitably produced tracks dripping with a ruined, ominous atmosphere.
Now, even having misutgaru reminded her of Hyunseung and made her nauseous.
At first, she was worried.
Then, she was angry.
Now, she had given up.
No.
She wanted to give up; she wanted to forget him calmly, so she was desperately trying to deny and turn away from it all.
Other times, she would dream of clinging desperately to his pant leg, pleading with him to at least tell her why he had disappeared. Asking if he was sick.
Asking if there was anything she could do to help. Crying that she had done nothing for him, so why did he leave without giving her a chance to repay him?
Asking if he was ever going to come back.
Spending more than half of each day lying in bed like that, her body withered away, often leaving her dizzy.
“Ugh…”
As the floor seemed to sway like rough waves, she stumbled for a moment.
“Who is it…?”
Her phone, which rarely rang these days, began buzzing relentlessly, making it impossible to ignore.
Sarah dragged her dehydrated, emaciated body upright and searched for the phone she had carelessly tossed onto the floor.
[ Andrew ]
Seeing the name flashing on the screen, Sarah frowned.
What lecture was it going to be this time?
She tried to ignore it, but the moment it stopped ringing, another call immediately followed.
He was usually the type to send a text if she didn’t pick up after one call.
‘What’s going on?’
Full of doubt, Sarah brought the phone to her ear.
“Hell—”
Just as she forced her parched lips to speak.
— Where are you right now? Home, right?
“Where else would I be?”
— Turn on the TV right now.
“All of a sudden, what are you…”
— Hurry up and turn on the CNM channel!
Andrew hurriedly nagged her to turn on the TV immediately, then abruptly hung up.
“What is his problem…?”
Sarah stared down at the screen with a bewildered expression.
Partly because she rarely heard Andrew sound so frantic and flustered, and partly because she couldn’t understand why he would suddenly tell her to watch CNM.
That was a news channel.
With a faintly trembling hand, Sarah picked up the remote control.
Could it be?
Could it be news related to Hyunseung?
Still.
Terrified that it might be bad news, unwelcome news, news she didn’t want to hear.
She couldn’t easily bring herself to press the power button.
Tremble, tremble, tremble.
After shaking for a long while.
Click.
Sarah pressed the button, and on the massive TV screen appeared a reporter with a grave expression.
— Composer Min Hyunseung, who had vanished without a trace, gave an exclusive interview today…
Soon, the remote control slipped from her hand and crashed to the floor.
Unless she had misheard, unless her ears were playing tricks on her.
‘Did they just say Min Hyunseung?’
Moments later.
As if to prove she hadn’t misheard, a very familiar back appeared, slowly revealing his face.
The face she had seen in her dreams until she was sick of it.
— I’ll be back.
Spiteful, arrogant, sharp, yet handsome.
“Gasp.”
Sarah collapsed right where she stood, weeping for a long time.
The very first emotion she felt was relief.
Thank goodness he wasn’t dead, thank goodness he wasn’t sick.
However, she couldn’t go see him right away. For some reason, she just couldn’t.
And with good reason.
First of all, he hadn’t set foot in the Unice building even once.
Articles were pouring out day after day about artists flocking to the VINCIS building just to catch a glimpse of him, yet…
Not a single call had come from Hyunseung himself.
Above all, he had stated in the interview that he intended to live freely.
Did he want to keep his distance because she had been a nuisance?
Or else.
Had he listened to the song she released and figured out her feelings?
Was that it?
Was it too uncomfortable to face her? Was he trying to avoid her?
Were they really…
Going back to being strangers?
‘No, that can’t be…’
Even as Sarah told herself it wasn’t true, the lingering anxiety kept her from finding the courage to face him.
For several days, she repeated the cycle: getting ready to leave the house, putting on the necklace, only to end up lying back down in bed.
Instead, she would lie in bed, checking the news to see who had visited Hyunseung that day, before falling asleep.
Truly, she had checked the news so much that her fingertips felt completely worn down.
Then an article was updated reporting that Jamal had come to see Hyunseung the moment his nationwide US tour ended.
Strangely enough, Sarah found Jamal far more bothersome than the other women.
How should she put it?
While other women looking at Hyunseung felt like a natural reaction—hearts swaying toward a man with sharp looks and undeniable talent…
Jamal felt more like madness.
At any rate.
An inexplicable wariness washed over her. Right then and there, Sarah bolted out of the house. It had been nearly half a year.
She had stepped out to visit the convenience store right in front of her home, but driving her car out like this was a first in six months.
And for good reason…
Whenever she stepped outside, reporters would chase her down to grill her on whether she knew anything about Hyunseung, even suspecting that the two had moved in together.
Having been caught in dating rumors several times, it was an unavoidable routine.
However, she had no answers to give them, and people spun ridiculous rumors every time photos of her looking increasingly haggard surfaced.
What was it they said?
That Min Hyunseung had dumped Sarah Stewart and disappeared to set up a home with another woman?
Absolute nonsense.
Whatever else might be true, that was definitely not it.
Yet, people seemed to prefer the provocative fantasies painted in their own minds over the truth.
No matter how much she denied it, the rumors refused to die down.
And with the missing Hyunseung remaining silent…
Sarah had no choice but to choose a life of seclusion. It was emotionally exhausting, but even more so, she hated the idea of Hyunseung facing bizarre misunderstandings because of her.
Screeech.
As she neared the VINCIS building where Hyunseung was reportedly staying, she saw reporters camped out in front of the main gate.
Sarah paused the car for a moment, assessing the situation.
Vroooom.
She boldly slammed on the accelerator, heading straight toward the gate.
Since it was her personal vehicle, the tint wasn’t heavily darkened, and the reporters quickly realized that Sarah was the one inside.
Click, click!
Camera flashes began exploding frantically.
With Sarah who had halted all broadcast activities, leaving behind only rampant rumors suddenly appearing, the reporters were swept up in excitement.
Perhaps, driven by the anticipation that if the rumors were true, they might walk away with an entertaining scoop today.
Thud!
Paying them no mind, Sarah kicked the car door open and stood before the press.
Wearing a simple black mini-dress that bared her neck and shoulders, Sarah seized the reporters’ attention.
Actually.
What truly captured their attention was the necklace radiating brilliantly around her neck.
‘Isn’t that a bit much?’
It was enough to make anyone think so; the necklace, densely encrusted with dazzling jewels, looked far more suited for a lavish banquet than this place.
Indeed.
In the eyes of the reporters, Sarah looked just like a vengeful ex-girlfriend showing up at her ex’s wedding.
However, rhe reality was entirely different. Right now, Sarah’s heart was pounding so hard it felt ready to burst, just like a young girl going to see her first love.
Thump, thump.
Anxious that the sound of her racing heart might be overheard, she swiftly pushed through the crowd of reporters and walked toward the building’s main entrance.
“Well, well, look who it is!”
Vincent, who happened to be tending to the garden, spotted Sarah and called out a greeting mixed with sarcasm and genuine welcome.
Step, step.
Sarah charged forward like a racehorse with blinders on.
Just like that, she arrived in front of the main entrance.
Overwhelmed by her sheer intensity, the security guard stationed at the door hurriedly opened it for her.
Then.
Sarah spotted Hyunseung, his hands resting on Jamal’s shoulders.
“Min Hyunseung!”
Contrary to her desire for a touching reunion, harsh words burst from her mouth.
“You absolute jerk!”
Ah, not like this…
She had wanted to call his name more tenderly, to ask what happened, if he had been sick, if he was all right.
Clearly.
The resentment born from a long-fermented longing was simply too overwhelming.
“You’re a bit late, aren’t you?”
And that resentment was an emotion that melted away like snow at the sight of Hyunseung’s single, mischievous smile.
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