Chapter 358 - Seo Arin's Desire (Part 2)
The world has changed since the angels appeared.
1.8 billion people were forced to participate in a deadly survival game.
As a result, life, the economy, and everything else in the human world have come to the brink of destruction.
It didn't take long for that to happen.
At most, 21 months.
In less than two years, 1.8 billion people vanished.
But that too has ended.
After completing the final round, the world entered a new phase.
97 players returned alive out of 1,801,029,290.
The winner of the survival game who endured the abysmal survival rate of 0.00000538%.
They began to attract public attention.
Various announcements arrived, and interviews and documentaries containing their experiences were mass-produced.
Some complained of post-traumatic stress disorder, received psychiatric treatment, and refused interviews or announcements.
Anyway, the world was recovering little by little.
Returning to daily life before the survival games.
In that sense, the world has changed.
Seo Arin's world too.
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The filming location of the drama 'Oh My Paljaya.'
"Hello, action!"
Seo Arin's eyes changed 180 degrees at the shout of the PD heard through the loudspeaker.
The same goes for the male actor in front of her.
"If we've talked this far, you should understand. Why can't you understand this? Are my words that difficult?”
“Yes, it's difficult. To be honest, I don't get it. Why do we suddenly want to break up?”
“Why? It's money. Are you asking because you don't know?”
“Hye-jeong.”
“Brother, you're a beggar. You have nothing. You have no academic background to brag about. I don't even have money to feed myself. Did you not know that simple thing?”
“You... … You've been patient for a long time, haven't you?”
“I endured. I endured it dozens of times while dating my brother. I can't count them. Good memories too... … Ah, I'll do it again. I'm sorry."
Seo Arin, who was writing her lines, repeatedly apologized to the staff.
Even to the male actor in front of her.
“Sir, I'm sorry.”
“No. That can happen if you're nervous. Take your time.”
The actor who smiled generously was Song Min-hyuk, one of the top actors these days.
He was in his early 30s and was a lucky man who escaped the deadly survival game.
Unlike Seo Arin.
"Hello, action!"
“I endured it. I endured it dozens of times while dating my brother. I can't count them. No good memories left, no bad memories left, nothing left. My brother is that kind of person to me.”
“You're so toxic.”
After just one NG, Seo Arin completed the scene safely.
“Thank you for your effort. Thank you for your effort."
Seo Arin, who had repeatedly greeted the PD, staff, and co-stars, was about to change her position.
“Arin.”
“Ah, senior.”
Song Min-hyuk patted me on the shoulder with a kind smile.
“We've worked together several times, but today's performance was really great. I felt so overwhelmed by the emotion that I immersed myself in it.”
“It's thanks to my senior who accepted me well. Thank you."
“Haha no. What did I do? Are there only a few lines left? Actually, Arin did everything.”
Seo Arin was caught by her senior's call and couldn't do anything.
“Ah, I don't know what we'd do without you, Arin. You've raised the ratings of our drama, which were in the dumps.”
“You flatter me, but it's also thanks to the efforts of others.”
“You're young and also very humble, have you always been like this?”
“Haha…”
“How did you manage to finish all those lines with just one error? Do all the players who survived have such good memories?”
“No… The skills I had at that time have disappeared.”
Although it's been almost a year since she returned from the survival game.
People still ask questions.
Questions related to the players.
Seo Arin didn't like those questions.
Because they forced her to recall an unpleasant past.
“Even if he's my senior, he doesn't seem very tactful... I need to go, but he keeps talking and holding me back.”
She felt uncomfortable.
That's why she wanted to leave quickly.
But Song Min-hyuk didn't let her go.
He had a purpose for talking to her.
“Arin, do you have time later? It's no big deal, but I thought we could practice the reconciliation scene. If we rehearse together, we might do it without mistakes. How about it? Can you make some time?”
“No, it's already late. And it's nighttime.”
“So what if it's nighttime? Does our profession distinguish between day and night? If it's for the drama, we can meet and practice the lines.”
“I'm sorry. I'll try to make time for next time.”
“You won't make time. Come on, don't go now…”
“I'm leaving. See you at the next recording.”
“Seo Arin.”
Song Min-hyuk's expression hardened.
“What? Are you in such a hurry that you can't wait? If someone asks you to do something, you should do it, right? It's not like you're going to meet your boyfriend, right?”
Seo Arin also put on a serious expression.
In the past, she would have bowed her head and apologized.
Not even knowing why.
But now...
“Senior.”
“What?”
“Isn't it also a senior's duty to accept when a junior says no?”
“What? Who would think I'm trying to hit on you? Did I ask you to drink or go to a motel?”
“You asked me to go to your house. At this late hour.”
“…”
“Maybe there's some foolish actor who trusts that nothing will happen if they follow an unknown senior to his house at night, but I'm not that person. That's why I refused.”
“Listen, Seo Arin.”
“I don't want to hear more, so shut your mouth. Ah, and before I go, one last thing.”
Seo Arin took a deep breath and said.
“I have a boyfriend. And I have to go see him now.”
---------------
[Popular actress Seo Arin reveals her relationship with her boyfriend!]
[Seo Arin proudly: “I'm dating my boyfriend.”]
[Seo Arin frankly admits her relationship; her boyfriend is not a celebrity.]
“Look at this. If you search your name in trending topics, only news about this comes up.”
The voice of Ryu Min, her boyfriend, made Seo Arin sigh.
“Ah… I shouldn't have said it. What if the drama ratings drop because of me?”
Seo Arin's face was full of worry.
She was more concerned about causing trouble for others than her own image.
She didn't care what happened to her own reputation.
“Damn, I always mess up with what I say…”
“Eh, where are you going with that pretty mouth...?”
Ryu Min stopped Seo Arin, who was about to hit her own mouth.
But there was no going back, she couldn't retract what she had said.
Sighing once more, Seo Arin turned her gaze elsewhere.
“It's all that guy's fault.”
“Song Min-hyuk?”
“Yes! That senior proposed we rehearse at his house.”
“Are you sure he was really trying to hit on you?”
“Of course. What actress rehearses her lines at an actor's house in the middle of the night?”
“Come on, calm down. My dear Arin, calm down.”
Her excitement melted away as quickly as snow.
Ryu Min's warm touch enveloped Seo Arin's body.
“I like hugging you.”
“Me too.”
It's been almost a year since they started dating.
That also meant that a year had passed since they left the survival game.
Although it was a huge event and the recovery time was short, the world had started to find its way back to normal.
Seo Arin's world too.
“Min-ah, I've never been as happy as I am now.”
“Me too.”
“That's why I feel so uneasy... Thinking that this happiness could break someday...”
“What are you saying? Why would it break?”
Ryu Min jumped up, surprised to hear her, but Seo Arin, with a melancholic expression, looked away.
“Let's eat. I'm hungry.”
“Seriously, is it nothing bad, right?”
“No, it's nothing.”
She avoided answering with effort.
She had to.
Because there was a truth that, even if it was her boyfriend, she couldn't tell him.
“Min... Actually, I'm... really a bad person. Because I used your feelings.”
"Used" is a mild word.
"Manipulated" would be more accurate.
Ryu Min fell in love with her solely due to the effect of a wish.
That was the truth that had been torturing Seo Arin lately.
Because she had to bear the guilt of happiness obtained falsely.
----------------------
Returning home after an elegant dinner at a steakhouse.
Seo Arin reflected over and over.
"Should I tell him? If I tell him... What will happen to our relationship?"
Today marked one year since she started dating Ryu Min.
She thought she couldn't go on like this and made a decision.
She would be completely honest and tell everything.
At least that way, she could relieve some of her guilt...
When she started dating Ryu Min, she felt really happy.
As if she had the whole world in her hands.
But that only lasted a few months.
The more her happiness grew, the more her uneasiness increased.
The more her uneasiness grew, the more her guilt increased.
Making a wish to win someone's heart had that price.
She didn't understand it until after making the wish.
"I have to tell him. Today at least."
She couldn't bear the torture any longer.
She decided to tell Ryu Min the truth and accept the consequences with humility.
Breaking up, breaking up, or breaking up...
"Why can I only think of negative outcomes...?"
"Sigh..."
"Seo Arin, are you okay? Why are you sighing?"
"Eh?"
It seemed the sigh she let out inwardly had manifested outwardly.
"No, it's nothing."
"Sure it is. Tell me honestly. Do you have any concerns?"
"There are no concerns. None of that."
"Yes, there are. Are you hiding things from me too? After officially announcing our relationship?"
-------------
Now everyone knows that Seo Arin is dating an ordinary guy.
That's why her popularity among her male fans had decreased, but she didn't care.
Now, instead of worrying about others' views, she decided to focus solely on her boyfriend, Ryu Min.
However, that resolution could break after today.
"Maybe it'll occupy a headline..."
The headline would probably be: [Exclusive! Seo Arin breaks up with her boyfriend after a year].
There's nothing that can be done about it.
"Arin?"
At Ryu Min's question, Seo Arin made a final decision.
"Min, I have something to tell you..."
"Yes, what is it?"
"......"
"......"
"......"
"I'm listening."
After a moment of mental preparation, Seo Arin began to speak.
"About the survival game a year ago... Even if you don't know it, there was a wish."
"A wish?"
"The angel said that whoever completed the survival game could make a wish."
"The angel said that? Why don't I remember that?"
"Because by making the wish, a new timeline is created and, except for the one who made the wish, everyone else loses their memory about it."
"......What are you talking about?"
Seeing Ryu Min's puzzled expression, Seo Arin's anxiety grew even more.
But there was no turning back now.
She couldn't retract what she had said.
"Listen carefully. I finished the last round and made a wish. My wish was that Ryu Min, you, would love me. And as if by magic, my wish came true."
"......"
Ryu Min looked at her with a face frozen in shock.
Seo Arin had no choice but to continue speaking.
"I bought your heart. I manipulated your feelings with my wish, and that has been tormenting me. I felt guilty."
Seo Arin lowered her head.
She was afraid of what would happen next.
She didn't dare look at Ryu Min's face.
"I'm sorry... for saying this suddenly. Did I cause you a lot of shock? If you decide to break up, I'll accept it. Whatever the outcome, I'll bear it. This is all my fault. It's something I must take responsibility for..."
"......"
Seo Arin didn't dare lift her head and turned around.
The lack of response indicated how much Ryu Min was affected.
It was the reaction she expected.
"You seem very confused, so I'm leaving... When you have things clear, send me a message. Whether it's to break up or whatever..."
"Arin."
She felt the warmth on her wrist as Ryu Min gently grabbed her.
He turned her around to face him.
Suddenly, he hugged her!
Seo Arin's eyes widened like a rabbit's.
"Thank you for telling me the truth. And also for having the courage to do so."
"Ryu Min..."
"To be honest, I still don't believe it. Wishes, really? No matter how hard I try, I don't remember hearing that."
"The system erases the memories..."
"I know. I understood. That there were wishes and that you manipulated my feelings. But...".
Ryu Min paused before continuing.
"So what? The time we've spent together in the last year wasn't a lie. It wasn't a created illusion."
"Ryu Min...".
"The happy moments we shared. For me, they're all precious memories. I don't want to discard them as false. Manipulated feelings? I don't care. Wish or not, the time we've shared was real."
"Then, our relationship..."
"We won't break up."
Ryu Min, determined, wanted to make sure of it.
He took out a small box from his pocket.
Click.
He opened the box and got down on one knee.
Inside the box was a diamond ring he had prepared in advance for their first anniversary.
"Marry me, Arin."
"..."
"I don't care about the wish or anything else."
Seo Arin, surprised, looked at the ring, unable to articulate a word.
She didn't expect it at all.
She wasn't prepared for that situation.
Her eyes soon filled with tears.
And the answer didn't take long.
"Yes. Of course, yes."
Seo Arin accepted the ring with a radiant smile.
Tears of joy fell along with her laughter.