after a scandal, wooyoung, a defunct k-pop idol, runs away to his sister's hometown. he craves anonymity, yet his quiet routine is disrupted by a chance encounter- a local with a warm presence, who offers him a glimpse of a life beyond the spotlight...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
there was a point in wooyoung's life when he had it all.
there was a time when, while everyone listlessly roamed around doing their own thing, working jobs they hated and pondering over how their life would have been had they done something different, he was high above in the clouds.
and he had his eyes closed as he took in the fresh air, resting assured that nothing could go wrong. he had somehow convinced himself that his life would only go uphill from that point onwards, without ever stopping to think that maybe, just maybe, there would be a steep fall on the other side.
like a free little bird that soared in the sky, oblivious to a hunter's aim at him, one day, he came falling quicker than he thought was possible. his wings and bones fell limp, his eyes helplessly lost on the clouds that grew further and further away.
he fell and he fell until he found himself on the wooden floor of his high-end condo, surrounded by neutral-toned suitcases and bags. he let his dejected eyes roam his surroundings—everything was crystal clean as if no soul had entered the room.
with no longer than a second's gap, his phone was blaring again. he was a little too lost trying to adjust to his new reality to be even slightly frustrated. instead, he silenced it, turning it over so the screen was on the ground. he'll admit, he winced a little when he saw the 50-something calls from his mom who lived in the village side with his dad.
he really didn't want them to see him like this.
so many questions were popping up in his head by the second, and at this point in his life where everything seemed to speed up a little too much, he failed to catch up. his primary concern wasn't, where was he going to live? what should he do about the reporters and journalists outside? what income did he have now? no, it was none of this (though the last one rang in the back of his mind a few times). his main concern was this—
what happens to his world now?
the only world he knew— was his career over for good? was it safe for him to cling to the hope that after a small hiatus, he could make his comeback again, and everyone would completely forget about what had happened?
behind the tall windows on his wall, golden lights from giant apartment rooms twinkled like stars in the night sky. the sky was a dull shade of blue as evening faded into night.
a miserable laugh escaped wooyoung's chapped lips.
when you live in the city for too long, reaping all its benefits and striding block-to-block with so much pride that you could rule the world, you don't really stop to think about anything but yourself. nothing matters more than a little rush of thrill that shoots through your veins like lightning.
but when your whole life crumbles before your eyes and you look up at the sky for consolation just to see a starless night for the hundredth time, you tend to feel suffocated.
when everything falls so quiet enough that you can hear trickling water from miles away yet the beat of your heart is inaudible. when the light has been drained from your eyes and your face and your smile. when your hands fall to your lap because they don't know where else to go.
this is the story of a boy, hopeless and faltering, fluttering down from the night sky like a fallen star.
and this is the story of a boy who just so happened to catch a falling star that landed in his bare hands.
