#29. Guiding Star (7)
After finishing filming preparations, we got in the van and moved, getting off in front of a park.
“Seowoo.”
I, who had been huddled up trying to avoid the cold wind even a little, reflexively responded.
“I’m fine……”
“Like hell you’re fine.”
Na Hyeonjun, who had returned after finishing parking, tried to snatch the coffee from my hand, but I gripped it tightly with my fingertips and resisted.
“I haven’t finished drinking it yet.”
Na Hyeonjun’s gaze flew at me as if it was ridiculous.
The aftereffects of losing sleep lasted longer than expected. Not only during the move but even after makeup, I kept nodding off whenever there was a chance, so I eventually asked for coffee as a special measure.
“Jihan told me not to give you coffee.”
Not only would I lose sleep at night, but if I drank too much, I’d be restless all day because of my pounding heart.
However, now wasn’t the time to worry about that. It was a reality documentary that would be released to coincide with our first activity period. I wanted to leave a better impression on even one fan who would watch it.
‘I want to do well.’
I didn’t want to drag down the members who were already doing their parts excellently. Furthermore, I wanted to prove that I was sufficiently qualified.
For that, this much wasn’t even an effort.
“Where did Jihan go?”
“He’s waiting separately. You can go first. Oh, they’re calling you over there.”
“Seowoo, are you all ready?”
“Yes!”
When I stood at the entrance of the maze park, a coordinator approached and gave my hair and makeup a final touch. I thought they were tapping around my eye bones particularly enthusiastically with fluffy powder, when suddenly something was put over me and my vision went dark.
“Huh?”
When I raised my hand in confusion, Na Hyeonjun tapped the back of my hand and stopped me.
“Don’t touch your hair. You’ll ruin the style.”
“What is this all of a sudden?”
“What do you mean what? Goggles.”
“That’s not what I meant……”
They were much heavier and darker than regular goggles. No, actually, I wasn’t even sure if they should be called goggles. The shape was definitely similar, but my vision went pitch black and I couldn’t see anything.
They weren’t even worn like glasses but fastened securely to my head like a belt. I tried closing and opening my eyes tightly, but there was still nothing to see.
Na Hyeonjun gripped my hand tightly and said in a calm voice.
“Staff will follow behind you, but still be careful not to fall.”
“I have to get through the maze like this?”
When I can’t see anything at all?
As if telling me not to stand here any longer, someone gently pushed my back. In the end, I had no choice but to grope forward.
I didn’t want to shrink back, but I couldn’t help being scared with my vision pitch black. I hesitantly stepped forward, then carefully felt the bushes that firmly filled their place like a wall.
It was when my hand, which had been walking while feeling the wall, first encountered a moment when nothing was caught. My vision suddenly brightened and letters appeared.
[Hello, Seowoo hyung.]
A message appeared on the monitor inside the goggles. I frantically read the content.
[I think it’s an honor that among all the countless people in this world, we happened to meet and can start anew together. So don’t be scared and let’s keep walking forward, shall we?]
Somehow I thought the person who sent this message might be Hapil Jae. Partly because of the expression “happened to,” which was one of his verbal habits, but……
‘Didn’t I hear similar words at the dorm?’
It was amazing. I’m clearly walking without being able to see anything, and no one is holding me or telling me the way.
But just seeing one message made my terrified heart ease a little. I even gained confidence that I could navigate this maze I’d never been to before.
Taking a deep breath, I reached out my arm more boldly. After walking a few steps, the bush wall touched my palm, and I began moving forward step by step while feeling the wall.
Finding an invisible path wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t impossible either. Since I wasn’t in a hurry, it was more walkable than expected, and most importantly, whenever I got lost, my vision would brighten and a message would appear.
[Even if you seem lost, don’t worry too much. We have plenty of time. First…… hmm, shall we turn around and go back the way we came?]
I thought of Ahn Haesol from the message that appeared when I reached a dead end.
[You’re doing well. Even if you fall, picking yourself up alone will only be this once.]
When my foot caught on a stone and I staggered, I couldn’t help but think of Joo Lee Seon from the quietly comforting words.
And when a fork in the road appeared:
[I believe. That you’ll always do your best. For yourself, and for us. So act like yourself. Can you do it?]
“Anyone can see that’s Na Jihan……”
At the words “like yourself,” I chose the left path without hesitation. It seemed like there was meaning in saying such words at this timing. Because I was left-handed and also left-footed.
‘Even if that’s not it, it’s actually fine anyway.’
As Ahn Haesol said, even if I seem lost, I can just come back out.
As I walked calmly in silence, I realized that I wasn’t really afraid of the darkness anymore. Rather, I was perceiving this vast darkness like a gap between light and light.
What message would appear before my eyes next?
Did the members know in advance that I would get lost like this?
Were the people I thought of really the ones who wrote for me?
……Is it really true that they’re genuinely happy and glad to be with me without a doubt?
[Do you know what ‘Arcus’ means?]
I know. I remember Na Jihan telling me briefly when the project name was just decided, and being curious about the unfamiliar sound, I looked it up.
It was Latin, and had several meanings, but the relevant meaning was……
‘Rainbow.’
[They say the number of colors in a rainbow varies depending on how much the observer perceives.]
Who is saying this? Unlike the previous messages, the gentle honorific language seemed both familiar and unfamiliar.
[It could be three colors, or four colors, or seven colors. The world shows as much as you know, and will unfold more widely as much as you perceive.]
Someone gently pushed against my shoulder as if blocking me as I trudged forward. At first I thought it was staff following behind stopping me because I was going the wrong way, but I belatedly felt that the hand was reaching out from the front, not the back.
Blink. My darkened vision brightened again, and a polite yet kind message appeared once more.
[May Arcus become a wider world for Yoon Seowoo as time passes.]
Soon, the owner of the hand called my name.
“Yoon Seowoo junior.”
He was also the owner of the message that had just appeared.
“……Bae Dojin sunbae.”
“You found your way well.”
“Did I already make it to the exit?”
“You got lost less than I expected. I thought you might go the wrong way at the fork since there were no hints. Weren’t you scared?”
“Not at all.”
Maybe because I came here while reading messages the members wrote for me, I didn’t feel alone at all.
“How brave.”
Bae Dojin laughed quietly.
“Could you close your eyes for a moment? I’m going to remove the goggles, but your eyes might hurt.”
At those words, I urgently raised my hand.
“……Wait, just a moment.”
“Mm?”
“I want to take a deep breath.”
“Deep breath?”
It was because I remembered that I had teared up a little from being overwhelmed with emotion over something that wasn’t even a big deal. My eyes must have gotten red, and if I got caught……
“Ah!”
But Bae Dojin didn’t wait for me. The strap around my head was instantly untied, gentle hands ruffled through my hair, and bright sunlight poured into my vision.
“Did you cry?”
Bae Dojin’s face, which felt mischievous to the point of being annoying, was right up close. I blinked and answered.
“……I didn’t cry.”
“Your eyes are red though. Really didn’t cry?”
Before I could answer, a familiar voice suddenly interrupted.
“That’s not crying for him. If we’re being precise, more like slightly tearing up?”
“Na Jihan!”
Whether he had arrived at the exit before me, Na Jihan, who had been standing a few steps away, strode over.
“When did you get here?”
“I came with you.”
Bae Dojin handed me a small box and explained.
“Jihan was behind Seowoo the whole time.”
It wasn’t that it didn’t feel like I was alone—I really wasn’t alone. As if proving Bae Dojin’s words were true, Na Jihan laughed heartily.
“Open the present.”
Come to think of it, Na Jihan also had a gift box similar to mine in his hand. It seemed the Days members had prepared gifts for our members, specifically for their designated pairs.
I took a deep breath, then carefully opened the box.
Inside the large box were an hourglass with glittering sea-colored sand and a fountain pen.
“I had prepared several gifts, but since Seowoo junior said in yesterday’s survey that he values time, I decided on the fountain pen. It’s probably older than you.”
“Thank you.”
Although it was said to be quite old, it was neatly maintained.
A fountain pen. It was a gift I’d never thought of. I answered with a bewildered expression while fiddling with the pen.
“It must have been a precious item. I’ll use it well too.”
Bae Dojin smiled brightly.
“That’s not the end of the gift.”
Na Jihan gestured to the bottom of the box. Looking closely, there was something laid at the bottom.
It was neatly folded paper. There were notes and letters.
While I was flustered, Na Jihan held the box for me instead. Meaning I should read comfortably.
It was……
「Hello, Seowoo hyung.」
「I think it’s an honor that among all the countless people in this world, we happened to meet and can start anew together.」
「I believe. That you’ll always do your best.」
「May Arcus become a wider world for Yoon Seowoo as time passes.」
The words that had guided me here were written exactly as they were.
Ahn Haesol’s upright and neat handwriting. Hapil Jae’s hasty writing, Joo Lee Seon’s Korean that was slightly crooked from writing with emphasis, Na Jihan’s words as familiar to my eyes as my own writing.
Bae Dojin, Na Hyeonjun, trainers, even CEO Han Seonggyeong.
「Thank you for choosing Arcus.」
The words piled gently on top were all so warm.
「I’ll look forward to the path we’ll walk together with a joyful heart.」
“Ah, this time I’m really going to cry.”
The moment my vision was about to blur hazily, my shoulder was gently held. Soon my face was deeply buried in someone’s embrace.
“It’s okay.”
The familiar scent made my heart flutter more.
“It’s okay, Yoon Seowoo.”
Did he mean it’s okay so don’t cry, or that it’s okay to cry?
Actually, it was meaningless curiosity. In the end, I burst into tears, and Na Jihan held me like that for a very long time.
“Stop crying, fool. Your makeup will smear.”
“……I don’t know.”
“What don’t you know? Lift your head. Why are you crying over content you saw on the way here?”
“I didn’t know it was handwritten. How can you not say a word about something like this? You even silently followed along.”
“Would it be a surprise if I told you? Oh dear. Were you scared walking alone when you couldn’t see? No way. You were so brave.”
“……”
“Yoon Seowoo, are you sulking?”
“I don’t know.”
“Ah, you don’t know that either?”
I’m still crying but Na Jihan is laughing. Large, warm hands kept rubbing my cheeks and around my eyes.
Midday sunlight poured through my vision that had blurred and then cleared. Three colors, four colors, seven colors.
No, it was coming at me in thousands and tens of thousands of colors, brilliantly illuminating my world.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
thats so nice 😀