Episode 6
“Didn’t this studio move last year…?”
It was strange. The studio had already moved to another place last year, but it was still here like nothing changed.
Hyesoo quickly looked around.
“Why does everything look… different?”
She used to come here a lot when she managed Sea-Ah’s schedule before the studio moved, so she knew the area well. But now everything around her looked unfamiliar.
Feeling confused, she looked down at the notebook in her hand.
“This phone number…”
The number Sea-Ah had written earlier wasn’t the one Hyesoo remembered. If her memory was correct, it was a number Sea-Ah used before officially becoming a singer.
Still confused, Hyesoo reached deep into her bag and pulled out her phone.
“Wait… This is the phone I used years ago.”
And when she saw the date on the phone screen, her eyes widened in shock.
“September 2020?”
Was something wrong with her eyes? Or the phone? She blinked a few more times, unable to believe it.
Then, suddenly, her phone started ringing.
[Mom]
As soon as she saw the name, her hands began to shake.
“Mom…”
Her mom had passed away in the winter of 2020. After Christmas that year, her mom, Soonhwa, had died from a sudden brain hemorrhage.
While everyone else was enjoying the holidays, Hyesoo was preparing her mom’s funeral. She had never forgotten the emptiness of that time.
While she was lost in those memories, the call ended. A moment later, a text message popped up.
[Mom: Hyesoo, are you going to be late again today?]
Tears filled Hyesoo’s eyes.
Then more texts came one after another:
[Mom: I went to the supermarket and won pork belly in a lucky draw! I’m going to make your favorite kimchi stew tonight, so come home early.]
[Mom: I’m scared someone might take my daughter if she stays out too late.]
[Mom: I love you.]
As she read her mom’s texts, Hyesoo broke down, crying hard.
“Mom…”
Her mom was alive.
Somehow, Hyesoo had come back to 2020 — five years before that terrible day Sea-Ah killed her.
She hugged her phone tightly.
“I’m back.”
The more she realized it was real, the more her tears kept falling.
Especially when she thought of her mom, she couldn’t stop crying.
After finally calming down a little, she stood up and wiped her tears.
“I need to check again.”
With that, she entered the studio.
“Where is—”
“Oh! Hyesoo!”
Just as she was looking around inside the recording room, someone called out to her happily.
“Ah, hello PD-nim.”
The person who called her was the producer who used to work with Sea-Ah a lot before.
Even after Hyesoo became Sea-Ah’s manager, he often told her that she had talent and should sing herself.
“Good, you’re still here.”
He came up to her.
“Were you looking for me?”
“Yeah, I wanted to give you something. I almost forgot.”
He pulled something from his pocket.
“Here.”
It was a business card.
“I don’t usually give these out, but someone heard your demo song and asked me to pass it on.”
Hyesoo looked at it.
[SWAT Entertainment]
It was the company where she had worked before in her past life — and Sea-Ah’s agency.
On the back:
[CEO Heo Danwoo]
A familiar name.
She remembered this. In the past, the same PD had once offered her a card.
But at that time—
‘Ah, PD-nim… I can’t. I’m not good enough. Let’s pretend I never got it.’
She didn’t even look at the name. She just remembered her mom didn’t want her to go into the entertainment world, so she refused.
‘That company was one of the top agencies in Korea back then…’
And they had listened to her demo?
It felt surreal.
“Think about it, Hyesoo.”
The PD patted her on the shoulder and left.
She kept staring at the card.
‘Heo Danwoo…’
It was ironic.
‘So it was you who wanted to scout me.’
Back then, she hadn’t even thought about taking the chance.
But now, she held the business card tightly in her hand.
‘This is a chance.’
SWAT Entertainment – CEO’s Office
Only the sound of typing filled the quiet room.
Suddenly, the phone rang.
Danwoo frowned.
‘Danwoo, grandma found you a really good match. Just once, can’t you go on a date?’
He remembered his grandma begging him earlier on the phone and assumed it was her calling again.
But the screen showed an unknown number.
Curious, he answered.
“Hello, this is Heo Danwoo.”
– Hello, I got your card from PD Pyo Sunho and wanted to contact you.
It was a young woman’s clear voice.
As soon as he heard her voice, Danwoo felt… strange.
His chest suddenly ached with a sharp feeling.
‘What is this?’
He had heard many beautiful voices before, but this one gave him a strange emotional reaction.
– Hello?
She called again when he didn’t answer.
Trying to ignore the strange feeling, Danwoo spoke.
“If it’s from PD Pyo Sunho, it must be the singer of the ‘Who are we’ demo. I remember he was impressed.”
– Thank you for the compliment. I’m Ji Hyesoo, the one who sang that demo.
Ji Hyesoo.
When she said her name, Danwoo paused again.
‘Oppa, no matter what, find Ji Hyesoo and keep her.’
Suddenly, he heard the cold voice of a woman with long hair in his head.
And then a memory flashed in his mind—
A funeral.
The woman with long hair told a man, “Now’s your best chance. Win Hyesoo’s heart.”
Then the man nodded and walked into the funeral home.
He didn’t even bow to the deceased, just went straight to the grieving woman in a mourning dress.
“Hyesoo, you must be heartbroken.”
The woman cried as the man comforted her.
“How did you get here, Jaehyo?”
Though she was surprised, she seemed truly thankful.
Soon, she leaned into his arms and cried even harder.
The man frowned a little but gently patted her back.
“It’s okay. Cry. You need to let it out now more than ever.”
He comforted her with a sweet voice, but his lips curled into a cruel smile.
Meanwhile, the long-haired woman watched them from the entrance, clearly satisfied.
Danwoo remembered the dream clearly.
His face turned pale.
‘Why…? Why do I remember this so clearly?’
Normally, dreams fade after a while.
‘But this one… why is it so clear?’
