Every music has its own story(ies)
This works is dedicated for all the stories that inspired by the musics/songs that I listen and ignite some inspiration in me.
Hope whoever read this can enjoy.
This story inspired by the variety show Sea Of Hope.
Listening to the playlist of the songs that being performed in that show plus watching the cast, especially Lee Jiah and Lee Dongwook make me thinking what if they lead a romance drama together. Yes, the drama must be romance for them.
What kind of romance? Maybe something about people in their forties who finally meet the right one after had been through so much in life.
So here's my imagination of their first meeting. That I want to share to you as well.
I hope those who read this short story will enjoy. And thank you for coming here.
With love, Vita
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Sea of Hope
"He came again," Lee Jiah said in her mind as she saw someone walking closer to her stall.
That man walked straight to a small cooler and took one can of beer. He put his money on the makeshift bar table before Jiah who was standing inside her food truck. She took that money, and gave him his change, "Thank you," she said.
That man didn't answer, he just nodded and walked away.
Jiah's eyes followed him. "Turn." She said and right after that he turned his pace to the left. "Sit." She said again and like a spell he followed her instruction, sitting himself at a spot and facing the sea after him.
"Jiah-ssi, bring us soju!" Jiah's focus to that man was distracted by a shouting voice from one of her customers.
"Yes, right away!" She quickly got off of her food truck and took the soju before serving it to her customer.
***
It was almost midnight when Jiah decided to approach that man.
"Mind if I join?" she asked while crouching herself and sat beside him. She put two bottles of soju in the space between them.
That man didn't say anything, just following all her moves with his eyes.
"This is on me." she said. She then took one bottle and shook it before trying to open it. But darn! Her hand was so slippery and weak and suddenly opening soju became the most difficult thing for her to do.
Without a word, again, he took the bottle from her hands and opened it.
"How shameful." she muttered, more to herself actually. "Thank you," she took the bottle he held out to her, and quickly added, ""I'm a master of opening the soju bottles, but my hand just doesn't feel right now."
"Never mind." he finally said something to her before opening the other bottle for himself.
They sipped their soju right from its bottle while watching the dark ocean before them.
"It is so beautiful, right?" she asked. He turned his eyes to her, and she added, "The sea. It's so pretty, dark at night but really peaceful to see."
He looked back to the sea, "I think you're, right."
"That's why I decided to stay here since I first came to this neighborhood." She sipped her soju again, "Where are you from by the way?"
It was a few seconds of silence before he answered, "Seoul."
She nodded. She knew from the very first time he came to her stall and bought alcohol that he wasn't a local citizen of that neighborhood. She had already been a part of that neighborhood for almost ten years and that was the first time she met someone like him.
"This place seems to fit you better than the hustle and bustle life in Seoul."
She turned her head to him, "Do you know me?!"
"Used to watch your series. If I'm not mistaken." He said.
Jiah was a little bit surprised. After all these long years, she never imagined someone would tell her that he, or she, would say they used to watch her in her past works.
A bitter-sweet feeling suddenly formed in her heart, but she pushed that away to the corner of her mind. "I'll take that as an honor that someone still remembers me and my works. But you know what, one of the reasons why I moved here was because no one in this area knew that I was an actress before. So at that time, it was so makesense to start a new chapter of life here."
It was actually so strange. At that moment, she felt her heart was so light to talk about her past. She felt the bitter feeling of letting go of her dream as an actress, but it was no longer hurt as it before.
"How about you? What's brought you here? Did Seoul, and or its people also hurt you?" Jiah couldn't help herself from asking him too.
She had been observing him for the last ten days since his first appearance and did something that seemed like a ritual of buying alcohol and then sitting on the beach while watching the dark ocean till midnight.
"Would you be surprised if I said I just got discharged from the jail right before I came here?"
It took Jiah five perfect seconds before answering, "Everyone has their own past."
He looked straight at her eyes, sending her an intense gaze, "Don't you feel afraid now? I might be doing something bad to you."
His intense gaze gradually sent chill to her nape and down her spine, but she didn't feel afraid of him. So she shook her head, "No. I don't know. I don't feel danger from your existence now."
He snorted.
"Will you be here tomorrow?"
"I always be here. My stall opens every day."
"No. You didn't the day after yesterday."
"Ah, that was Friday, my holiday. But other than Friday, my stall opens everyday though."
For the first time, she saw him smile.
"Would you mind if I ask you to talk to me again after you close your stall?"
Again, he only threw questions to her. And that started to make her feel annoyed but poke her curiosity even more.
"No." she answered.
"Why, didn't you say you aren't afraid of my existence?"
Jiah couldn't help rolling her eyes. "Who can guarantee you won't do something bad to me next time we meet?"
"I can."
Her breath skipped a beat.
"So can you?"
She shook her head again, "No." and before he talked again, she quickly added, "I need to go home early tomorrow then go to the dawn market to hunt for a fresh supply of veggies and fish for my stall."
They just stared at each other for a couple of seconds.
"I would appreciate it if you offer some help."
"Then you know where I'm waiting for you tomorrow."
They both then turned their faces to stare at the waves on the oceans.
"My name is Lee Dongwook." he said.
"I bet you already know, but I'm Lee Jiah."
Their gaze met again, and they smiled at each other.
