RAP STAR

Chapter 5 [Intro, Once in a lifetime]

<Intro. 한번뿐인 삶>
그러한 밤에 봄과 여름의 향기가 섞인 바람이 불었다.

<Intro, once in a lifetime>

"I really crave a cigarette at times like this."

Even though he had never smoked, the idea of cigarettes felt urgent, as if the mind dominated the body.

Sanghyun resisted the temptation and headed towards the main gate of Chonnam National University.

After receiving a call confirming that the tollgate had been passed, he sat on the stone steps at the main gate for about 10 minutes until he saw a red imported car.

"That's an expensive car, isn't it?"

He wasn't exactly sure, but it was probably a foreign car from around 2005. Not the average office worker's car.

The car door opened, and a slim woman stepped out.

Her voice sounded much younger than he had expected.

"Are you Sanghyun?"

"Yes, hello."

"Nice to meet you. My name is Yeonju Oh. Let's get in the car first. We can talk at a café or something."

Yeonju's face was difficult to see in the dark, but she seemed to be in her early twenties, at least mid-twenties.

"Is there a café or something nearby?"

"Well, there used to be a café in front of Gwangju Station."

In 2005, the ratio of cafés to tea houses was about the same.

Sanghyun arrived at the café in front of Gwangju Station in Yeonju's car.
Come to think of it, it was his first time entering a café in his entire life.

Yeonju ordered coffee as they entered the café and sat down, staring intently at Sanghyun.

"Have you been crying?"

"Pardon?"

"Your eyes look swollen. Have you been crying?"

Sanghyun hesitated.

Even though he might consider himself young in terms of his current physical age, Sanghyun perceives himself as 38.

Admitting to crying in front of a woman with a significant age gap would be a blow to his pride.

"No, not at all. I just had dinner and must be feeling a bit tired."

"Hmm... I see."

It was an unmistakable look, one that seemed impossible to believe, yet there was no way to prove it. Somehow, it felt like I had lost control.

"No, I cried, so isn't that proof enough?"

Yeongju scrutinized Sanghyeon closely, and he couldn't help but return her gaze. Maybe it was because her old-fashioned makeup wasn't familiar to his eyes, but she had a remarkably pretty face.

"Anyway, why did you want to see me? You've called me eighteen times when I was away."

"Why didn't you answer the phone?"

"I wasn't in the right state of mind. Why did you call? You mentioned being an employee of the Okyeong Group. Did you come to see me in an official capacity?"

At that moment, a waiter brought coffee.

Yeongju took the coffee and pulled out her business card from her handbag.

"I'm Oh Yeongju, the manager of the Strategic Planning Department at the Okyeong Group."

"Manager? Excuse me, but how old are you?"