A park located about a 20-minute walk from KBB Broadcasting Station.
There was a girl sitting on one of the benches.
A girl whose identity anyone in Korea would recognize just by looking at her face.
…Baek Ye-rin.
For some reason, she was there.
Fortunately, she was still not wearing her stage costume, and because she had her head bowed deeply, her identity remained concealed—for now, at least.
Baek Ye-rin had no reason to risk being there in such a situation.
She could have returned to the filming site right then and perhaps it would have been written off as a minor incident.
“Whatever should I do…?”
Yet, despite knowing she should go back, Baek Ye-rin couldn’t bring herself to return.
Was there something wrong with her body? In a way, that was only half correct.
Ever since she began feeling unwell earlier, she had been troubled by an uncontrollable trembling in her hands and an overwhelming heaviness in her chest, preventing her from taking a single step.
All of this stemmed from a mental burden.
Something that had been quietly growing in the corner of Baek Ye-rin’s heart since before her debut was now holding her firmly by the ankle.
And that was…
“Pressure… I guess.”
Baek Ye-rin carried the expectations of countless people on her shoulders.
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say these expectations had exceeded reasonable levels.
Now people scrutinized every move and action she took, and even her entertainment peers referred to her as a “genius singer,” treating her as something extraordinary.
Even so, Baek Ye-rin had managed to live up to those expectations until now.
She had consistently shown a performance worthy of the title “genius singer,” and through her efforts, she vowed to live up to the endless expectations of the people who supported her.
No matter what, she had pledged to never let them down and always succeed.
But perhaps this very resolution had become a shackle instead.
Even geniuses can’t always keep succeeding without the weight of the compulsion to do so becoming a burden.
Especially since Baek Ye-rin was just 16, a middle schooler, far too young to bear all the expectations thrust upon her.
In fact, things might have been fine until now.
That was because there was someone who was the root of much of the pressure that Baek Ye-rin felt.
Baek Ye-rin slowly closed her eyes.
Even now, as she did so, the voice of that person echoed sharply in her mind.
“Found you.”
“?”
In an instant, Baek Ye-rin doubted her own ears.
It wasn’t just echoing in her thoughts—she was hearing the voice, vividly, right here. His voice.
Surely, it couldn’t be… but Baek Ye-rin slowly looked up nonetheless.
And their eyes met.
…Ryu Won.
There he was, standing before her, despite no conceivable reason for him to be there.
Baek Ye-rin could only ask him in confusion,
“How…?”
“Took me to you? Hmm, guess I just got lucky.”
Ryu Won offered a light chuckle.
But Baek Ye-rin couldn’t bring herself to face his smile.
No matter how he had found her, the reason was obvious enough.
Perhaps Kang Beom-jun or Lee Ha-ri, her manager, had asked him for help.
To find her after she had fled from the filming site.
Hence, Baek Ye-rin felt ashamed.
Right now, she had displayed a truly unbecoming sight to the person who placed the most expectations on her as a singer.
With that bitter realization, she instinctively bowed her head again.
And—swoosh—something was draped over her head.
This…
“A hat…?”
“Right. Walking around with your face out in the open is like shouting ‘I’m Baek Ye-rin!’ to the world. So, let’s use that, too.”
Ryu Won bent slightly to meet her eye level.
Then he extended his hands and gently placed something else on Baek Ye-rin’s face.
Soon, the world began to darken in her vision.
It was because Ryu Won had placed sunglasses on her.
Now her appearance was clearly that of someone trying to disguise herself to avoid being recognized.
And—
“Alright, now that the preparations are done, let’s go?”
“W-What?!”
Without hesitation, Ryu Won took Baek Ye-rin’s hand and began steering her toward somewhere.
A short while ago, she was completely unable to move due to the weight of her anxiety, but now, as she was led by his hand, her steps were surprisingly light.
This incident occurred exactly two hours and 30 minutes before the final stage of Music Save.
*
To be honest, Baek Ye-rin felt uneasy.
What if, following his lead, she ended up back at the broadcasting station?
But that thought turned out to be unfounded.
“Mango or strawberry… That’s the question.”
While Ryu Won seriously pondered over the menu, Baek Ye-rin glanced around.
It was, unmistakably, a typical bingsu (shaved ice dessert) shop.
“Ye-lin.”
“Um?!”
“Do you want either of them?”
“I… mango bingsu….”
“Great! I wanted that one too. One mango bingsu, please.”
And like that, their table was shortly presented with bingsu, and the two sat opposite each other enjoying it together.
“I figured you might be tired from waiting around all day. Thought something sweet might hit the spot.”
“…”
“Surely, you’re not planning not to eat, right? That would be quite disappointing, given that I’m the one treating you.”
Ryu Won wore a genuinely disappointed expression.
It used to be that he was always the one flustered in front of Baek Ye-rin, but now, the roles were completely reversed.
Hence, Baek Ye-rin wore an unusually flustered expression and hurriedly picked up her spoon.
She took a bite of the bingsu that Ryu Won had treated her to and her eyes widened.
It was delicious.
After all, from the morning until now, she hadn’t eaten anything; under these circumstances, it was bound to taste great.
Moreover, it was a sweet snack, which made it all the more satisfying.
In no time at all, the two of them emptied the bingsu bowl and moved on to the next location.
“Ah, excuse me, Ye-lin-ssi. Let me choose the songs first, alright?”
…And it was a coin-operated karaoke booth.
While Baek Ye-rin stood there with a dazed expression, Ryu Won picked up the remote and checked the popular chart.
Indeed, most of the songs at the top were by Baek Ye-rin, or rather, their songs.
Ryu Won selected one and started singing.
Once he finished singing a song, a moment of silence filled the karaoke booth.
That silence was finally broken when Ryu Won handed over the remote to Baek Ye-rin.
“Your turn.”
“…?”
“Isn’t it the rule that we take turns when doing karaoke?”
Hearing Ryu Won’s words, Baek Ye-rin looked at the remote handed to her.
She followed the same steps as he, accessing the popular chart on the karaoke menu, and, entranced, chose one of their songs to sing.
Perhaps it was a unique song selection method that only they could have.
“!”
Baek Ye-rin was surprised.
It had gone unnoticed, but an hour had slipped by as they took turns singing.
Unlike Baek Ye-rin, who seemed startled by this, Ryu Won’s expression remained perfectly calm.
Like someone who had no regard for the passage of time.
In fact, they stopped by a claw machine on the way next and Ryu Won even gifted Baek Ye-rin a rabbit plushie.
After leaving the shop, he casually looked back and asked her,
“Where to next? Any place you’d like to visit?”
Baek Ye-rin did not immediately answer but instead glanced up at the sky for a moment.
The sunset was on the horizon.
“…Is this okay?”
“What is?”
“I’m not sure if I should be doing this right now.”
While hugging the rabbit plushie gifted by Ryu Won, Baek Ye-rin replied in a trembling voice.
It was now 5:20 PM.
The main airing of Music Save had already begun, and only 40 minutes remained before Baek Ye-rin’s stage.
Simply put, this was her last chance to get on that stage.
Still…
“You don’t have to appear on Music Save if you don’t want to. That’s it.”
“Eh…?”
“Sure, you’ll probably get into some serious trouble, but listen. I’m in this with you.”
Ryu Won smiled faintly for some reason.
“Since we’re in this together, we’ll face the scolding together. So don’t worry too much.”
“Wait, why should you suffer because of me?! That’s absolutely unnecessary!”
“Hmm? Necessary? Didn’t you say so yourself during last year’s regular meeting?”
Baek Ye-rin’s eyes widened.
That was right, the regular meeting held last year.
At that time, he had said that he was slightly concerned that his personal greed might lead to bigger issues and cause her to feel overwhelming pressure.
And she had replied:
“If that’s the case, then it’s only right that you help lift that burden. What do you think?”
Exactly.
Only now did Baek Ye-rin understand why Ryu Won had taken her around today.
He had done his best, simply to lighten the burden she was feeling.
With that realization came a new question.
“Hey, I have something I want to ask you. And I’d appreciate a sincere answer.”
“What is it?”
“What would you do if I continue to feel overwhelmed by pressure and decide I don’t want to stand on stage anymore? If, by doing so, I end up unable to sing your songs?”
Baek Ye-rin knew.
Ryu Won, as a songwriter, genuinely loved the songs she sang.
Her question was quite malicious, but she had no choice but to ask.
Because in her current state, she felt she didn’t deserve to sing his songs.
He must have realized the sincerity in her sudden question.
‘Surely, he’s disappointed…’
To discover that the singer she represented was someone so limited.
With that thought, Baek Ye-rin allowed herself a bitter smile.
But then again…
She might have underestimated the situation too easily.
“If that happens, I will quit being a songwriter.”
Ryu Won’s sincerity as a songwriter came to the fore.
