timeless hearts | woosan

𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕥 𝟙

𝐬𝐚𝐧, 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐲

the buzzing alarm ringtone on san's phone was the last thing he wanted to hear on a saturday morning. he groaned, turned off the alarm, and tried to go back to sleep. five minutes later, another buzzing sound disturbed his peace. san lifted his head to see who or what was interrupting his rest on a peaceful saturday morning. a familiar name flashed on the screen: mikael.

"have you found her?" san asked as soon as he picked up the call.

"good morning to you too. have you forgotten what day it is?" mingi replied on the other end of the line.

"uh, saturday?"

"and what were we supposed to do this saturday?" mingi pressed.

"shit." san cursed under his breath and jumped out of bed immediately.

he quickly told mingi that he'd be at the office as soon as possible and rushed to the bathroom to shower. he had completely forgotten that they had a couple of interviews scheduled today. san was in desperate need of an artist who could help adapt his books into manhwa series, and he was late to the first round of interviews.

as san hurried out of the bathroom, he almost stumbled and fell, catching himself just in time by grabbing the doorframe. muttering under his breath, he quickly threw on some clothes, a simple black turtleneck and jeans, before rushing to the mirror. he ran a hand through his hair, trying to tame the mess from his restless sleep, but settled for a slightly tousled look when time refused to be on his side.

satisfied enough, he grabbed his keys and phone, bolted out the door, and headed straight for the agency. at the agency, mingi stood near the entrance with his arms crossed, a displeased look on his face. as soon as san walked in, mingi glanced at his watch and said, "you're late."

san rolled his eyes. "let's just get started with the interviews," he replied, brushing off mingi's scolding.

the first few candidates came in one by one. their art was good, even impressive, but none of it captured what san was looking for. he needed someone who could bring his characters to life in a way that felt authentic, who could translate the emotions and depth of his stories into the pages of the manhwa. but so far, no one had managed to spark that connection.

as the last candidate left, san looked tired and annoyed. "we're adapting a romance series into a manhwa, not a thriller. the last guy's art was impressive, but it gave me the chills, honestly."

mingi nodded in agreement.

"how many do we have left for today?" san asked, rubbing his temples.

"two more, but i can handle those. you can go home for today," mingi replied.

san felt immediate relief wash over him. he thanked mingi and hurried toward the door. as he was making his way out of the agency, his shoulder brushed against a young man's. the man quickly apologized, bowing his head respectfully and quietly saying, "sorry."

although san didn't see the man's face, there was something about the encounter that felt strangely familiar. it was as if he had seen the man somewhere before. but, too tired to dwell on it, san decided to brush off the feeling and continued on his way.

it was a rather cold winter day, but the crisp winter air felt nice against san's skin, so he decided to walk for a while. as he strolled through the quiet streets, his mind began to drift to the past. this was san's third life, and he had yet to find his soulmate. long ago, he made a promise to himself that he would search for her in every one of his lives, no matter the cost.

in his previous lives, despite the hardships, he had always managed to find her. they had been through so much together—love, loss, and heartbreak. but in this life, she hadn't shown up yet. it gnawed at him, a constant, aching void that nothing else could fill.

the truth was, everything san had achieved in this life was because of his love. every success, every win, was driven by the hope that one day, he would finally find her and be able to take care of her the way he never could in their past lives. their love had been unfortunate back then, torn apart by things beyond their control. but in this modern day, things are different. here, he believed they had a real chance at happiness—if only he could find her again.

as san walked, his phone buzzed in his pocket. he took it out and answered.

"what's up, boss?" san said.

"i think i might have found you a perfect artist," mingi replied.

"that's... great. kinda hoped you called to tell me you found her," san said, his tone carrying a hint of longing.

"uh, about that... never mind," mingi started, but then seemed to hesitate.

san frowned. "what were you going to say? hello?"

he heard rustling on the other side of the line, almost as if mingi was deliberately making noise to avoid the conversation.

"ah, shit, i'm losing signal, talk to you later, bye." mingi quickly said before abruptly ending the call.

san stared at his phone, feeling a twinge of suspicion. that was weird. mingi wasn't the type of person who would hide something from him. or maybe he really had nothing to say.

that evening, mingi emailed san the resume of the artist he believed was perfect for the job. as san scrolled through the portfolio, he couldn't help but admit to himself: this was exactly what he had been looking for.

the young artist's name was jung wooyoung. he had graduated with a major in arts from a university in the us, and though he had experience with smaller manhwa series, this would be his first major project. wooyoung's work was impressive—his style was full of life, capturing the very essence san wanted for his adaptation.

san quickly confirmed to mingi that wooyoung was a fit, then decided to call it a day.

later, as he stepped out onto his balcony, the cold night air hit him, causing a shiver to run down his spine. the sky was clear, revealing a full moon that cast a soft, silvery light over the city. san found himself staring at it for a long time, lost in thought.

he couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing. it was as if a piece of his soul was out there, somewhere far away yet agonizingly close at the same time. the feeling gnawed at him, a subtle reminder of the void that lingered in his heart—an emptiness that could only be filled by one person. jung somin.

➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶➶

a/n: I truly hope you enjoyed reading the first chapter! Let me know what you think in the comments :3

~minmin