01

    Step One

    :: New Opportunity Part I::

    Two years later

    Airport in Country K

    ‘Ahhh! Yejun oppa! Yejun oppa!!’

    ‘Park Haewon’s airport fashion is insanely good. I need to search and buy some of those outfits.’

    ‘Oppa! Ahhh! Husband, please look this way!’

    ‘I love you, Jang Minjoo! Saranghaeyo!!’

    “This airport is as lively as they say. It would be great to see some handsome stars…” A young woman, having just disembarked, was surprised to see a large crowd surrounding a group of young men in the airport. Other than the men in the middle, it was clear that the others were there just to send them off, not to catch a flight themselves.

    She had seen this kind of scene on social media, so she turned to chat with her close friend who had traveled with her, hoping to pass the time until they reached the entrance.

    But the person she saw was a strikingly handsome young man. His facial features were a perfect blend of Western and Eastern, looking both fierce and gentle. If his slender lips curved into a smile, he would look even more attractive and beautiful.

    The most remarkable feature, however, was his clear blue eyes, shimmering like sunlight dancing on the water, more dazzling than any gem.

    He looked like a prince from a bedtime story.

    “Excuse me, miss.”

    “...” Even his voice was deep and soothing, dream-like.

    “Miss, please watch where you’re going.”

    “Oh!” The woman snapped out of her daze. “I’m sorry, I thought my friend was right behind me.” She apologized hastily, realizing she had spoken quite loudly earlier.

    “It’s alright. If the person you were with, I saw them turn into the restroom. If you don’t go back, you might get separated,” the young man explained, shaking his head to show he wasn’t upset.

    “Huh?” The woman paused and looked around, realizing her friend was indeed not there. “Oh, that idiot, why didn’t she tell me?” She was quite annoyed at being left behind.

    “Thank you so much for telling me. I’ll go now,” she said, turning around and running back the way she came.

    Jacan watched the woman leave for a moment before turning and heading outside the airport, avoiding the large crowd without anyone noticing.

    He stopped at the exit, tightened his grip on his backpack, and looked back at the group holding signs and cameras, following the celebrities at the airport today.

    A wave of emotion flickered in his beautiful eyes, and his lips tightened as he thought about the fan group he had shared so many ups and downs with.

    He wondered how his dear Candies were doing...

    Two years could be considered short, but for him, it felt too long. Eventually, his family couldn't bear to see him wilt away like a boiled vegetable and urged him to return to the spotlight.

    ‘If you want to be on stage, then go back. I’m tired of seeing your lifeless face,’ his middle-aged mother said, crossing her arms and blowing air out of her nose.

    ‘But I still...’

    ‘Still what? Still afraid of not being accepted if people see your face?’ his father asked, raising an eyebrow and hitting right to the heart of the matter.

    ‘Dad...yes,’ Even the former president had asked him to wear a mask on stage, which only reinforced how unaccepted his face and origins were.

    It had been almost two years since he returned from Country K. The break from making music had made him more anxious without realizing it.

    He suddenly feared that returning to the stage without a mask would not be welcomed by anyone, not even his beloved former fans, the Candies.

    ‘What are you afraid of? You’re stunningly handsome—no, beautiful—right, honey?’ Georgina cupped her son’s face in her hands, looking at him with admiration.

    She had done a good job, producing a son with her beautiful, sweet face and a touch of ruggedness from her husband, along with the bright blue eyes of his grandfather. When he was a child, dressing him as a girl fooled everyone into thinking he was a girl.

    Despite that, when she learned that Jacan would debut while wearing a mask all the time, she was furious. If her husband and granddaughter hadn’t stopped her, that company would have been in ruins!

    She would have exposed every historical wrongdoing of the company!

    Eventually, seeing her son’s career progress well, she refrained from doing anything. Until the incident where Jacan and Shinsu tore up their contracts, she almost took action again. Fortunately, her son managed to get the new president thrown in jail before she could do anything. Otherwise, even the former president, lying comatose in the ICU, would have been dragged down with his lousy son.

    'Sigh, I was a bit distracted, sorry.' He had never been like this before.

    ‘Then try going back to where you came from. Stay there for a week,’ Klaus suggested. Being in a familiar place might make the decision easier.

    ...

    Because of his father’s advice, the mixed-race young man found himself standing in Country K once again.

    ‘The airport is still like a fashion runway, just like before.’

    Jacan smiled at the chaos. However, the airport had good measures to deal with it, preventing tourists and other customers who come to use the service from being troubled by the chaos of the fans who come to send off the artists.

    It seemed like another famous feature of the country, as he saw several tourists stopping to watch and taking photos as souvenirs.

    His beautiful eyes glanced down at the floor before turning towards the exit. He walked along the familiar roads, his mind filled with memories.

    ‘Two years have passed, and not much has changed.’

    Honk honk honk

    Not far into the walk, a car honked its horn to call out to a young man from behind. The tall and slender man was slightly startled. He turned around and looked in bewilderment.

    “Get in, young man. Don’t walk in the sun; you’ll ruin your skin.” The tinted window rolled down slightly, revealing a familiar pair of sorrowful eyes.

    “Shinsu!!” How did she know? He hadn’t told her he was coming back today.

    “Get in quickly. The car behind us is about to honk at me.” The airport was quite busy today, and if they delayed any longer, an officer would probably come and chase me away.

    “How did you know I’d be here today? Don’t you have a shoot?” With only a backpack with him, he could quickly slide into the passenger seat before bombarding her with questions while buckling his seatbelt. “By the way, did you get your driver’s license?”

    “One question at a time!” The newly rising actress sighed, feeling a headache coming on from his barrage of questions. She stepped on the gas and steered the car towards her place.

    “Alright. How did you know I was coming today?” He was sure he hadn’t told anyone.

    “I tried calling you, but you didn’t answer. So I contacted your mom, and she told me you were on a flight here. When I checked the arrival time, I figured you’d be here today. As for the license, I just passed the test yesterday.”

    “Yesterday!” Oh no, no, no.

    “What’s the big deal? At least I didn’t get arrested,” she retorted loudly, finding his frightened expression amusing.

    “Shinsu, are you sure you’re good at driving now?”

    “Well, as you can see,” she sighed, her hands gripping the steering wheel a bit nervously when a car cut her off rudely, though it was actually because she was driving too slowly like a turtle.

    "Alright, I won't talk to you until we reach our destination," he said, tightening his seatbelt and keeping his eyes straight ahead, ready to react if anything happened.

    "You're being dramatic," Han Shinsu scoffed, turning her attention back to driving at a speed below the legal limit.

    Safety first; once she’s more confident, she’d show off her drifting skills!

    After almost an hour, they arrived at a villa in the suburbs. The strict entry and exit security reassured the residents of their safety.

    "Did you move? Oh, right, you’re a rising star now. Time to upgrade," Jacan teased, Because the girl's previous residence was a high-priced apartment in the middle of the city, near the former record label that the two of them used to belong to.

    "Just a little," she replied without modesty, shrugging as if to say she couldn’t help being so talented.

    “Please be a little more humble, sister.” She hadn’t changed at all from before until today.

    "When you’re confident, you have to show it. I remember teaching you that," she reminded him from their duo days.

     "Mom said you’d be staying here for a week, so you can stay at my place. No need to wander around," she added generously, opening the door to invite him in.

    "Not sure that’s a good idea. If it becomes news, it could be bad for you," he cautioned, knowing how quick the local paparazzi in this country were.

    "Let it be. I’ll just say you’re a friend from abroad." Shinsu was originally born and raised abroad before coming to study singing in Country K during high school. The idea was therefore somewhat outside the framework that young women in this country had been instilled with.

    At first, people criticized her, but over time, no one cared about her dating or dining with anyone, because the work she brought to light was real.

     No one could resist Han Shinsu’s singing. Anti-fans remained, but anyone who talked to her ended up unable to hate her.

    "Come on in," she urged.

    "Sigh, if it becomes news, don’t blame me” The young man sighed heavily, following her inside, swapping his sneakers for slippers as he followed her to the living room.

    "I thought you’d never come back," she remarked, referring to his two-year disappearance.

    "I’m still not sure if I want to return to singing here," he admitted, sinking into the sofa and taking in the simple decor that reflected her personality.

    "Why not? Before you left, you were sure you'd come back."

    "Well... just look at my face."

    "You're still as handsome as ever. No, actually, you've become even more beautiful. Did you secretly get some facial work done?" Han Shinsu frowned as she examined her partner's face, which she hadn't seen in a long time. He was already good-looking, but now he looked even more striking.

    "..."

    "I know," she said, waving her hand dismissively, "There are many foreign idols these days. The industry is more open now. Don’t worry about people ignoring you because of your mixed-race looks."

    "Have confidence in your work, so you don’t have to worry about your appearance."

    "I... sigh, I just need some more time to think."

    "Suit yourself. You're only 23, you still have plenty of time to figure it out." Unlike women who, at that age, were almost too old to debut in this industry.

    ---