Rockstar Again - Chapter 163



Only Noblemtl

Episode 163. Inspiration is filled with many things (2)

someday.

My father once said this to me.

―Don’t be complacent when good things happen. Don’t be too hard on yourself when sad things happen. Life is like the ocean, so it’s natural to have ups and downs. If you rock back and forth every time a wave hits, wouldn’t you get seasick?

I feel like I’ve been thinking about my dad a lot today.

Anyway, I think my father wanted to teach me a lot.

I’m not yet the same age as my father when he raised me, so I can’t fully understand what that means, but I think I understand it to some extent.

This is my life and my mood these days.

I get depressed and then something fun happens.

Whenever it seems like good things are happening, I feel like a ghost… …

So I think I had that feeling even more.

I was feeling deeply depressed thinking about my dad… … but thanks to Nureongi, I felt a lot better today.

I stared blankly at the Salvation Army car that had stopped just past the supermarket.

A faded supermarket sign that receives full sunlight as there are no tall buildings around.

That signboard probably isn’t much different from the one I had back in the 90s.

Passing the signboard, the Savior came walking, stepping on the dirt.

“Your father is here too? Hello.”

In response to the calm voice of the old man, the yellow-haired Beomseok bowed his head slightly.

and.

“Why are you here? What’s the big deal that you’re coming here in person?”

“Shall we walk together?”

“If you walk with shoes on, your heels will crack. Just say it.”

The Savior smiles faintly at my words.

What does it mean?

But, unlike usual, the old man grabbed my arm and gave me strength.

If you want to endure, you can endure, but if you pretend not to be able to win, you get dragged along, and the old man walks ahead, holding onto your elbow.

“Why are you like this? I’m scared that you might confess your love.”

Secretary Hong Seon-ah and Beom-seok are gradually growing apart. Gu Se-ryeong opens her mouth.

“I grew up in an orphanage when I was young. I don’t know my mother’s face.”

“… …Why are you doing this? You’re saying things I don’t want to hear.”

“Listen. I would have had both a mother and a father, right? That’s a prerequisite for being born. Well, it’s not like only married couples have children. But from the perspective of biological parents, it’s a prerequisite, so that’s what it means, right?”

“… … Just get to the point.”

“I found out later. My mother was an adulteress. At the time, they used to say things like concubine… Anyway, my mother was a concubine. My father was the chairman of a conglomerate. It was like a typical story from a drama. But do you know why I, who had both a mother and a father, grew up in an orphanage?”

to be honest.

I was very annoyed.

Not only was I not deep enough to listen to other people’s deep stories and empathize with them, but I also felt uncomfortable.

As I stopped, the old man who was walking a few steps ahead of me looked back and smiled.

“I heard the mother committed suicide. She left the child next to her. The police at the time said that she was left at an orphanage because she had no relatives?”

“It’s annoying, so just get to the point. I’m not interested in gossip about other people’s families.”

“So I’m a little jealous of you now.”

“… … .”

“Dong-ha, your mother. I found you.”

My heart didn’t drop with a thud.

Because I’ve had a really dirty feeling in my head since a while ago.

Instead, anger burst out of my mouth.

“This… …F*ck, really… …. This is useless… ….”

* * *

For the Savior, he was a special person who moved.

It wasn’t anything special from the start.

At that time, I just wanted it because it looked like a sparkling jewel.

The reason why gems are special is because they are valuable and beautiful. A gem becomes special when it is given meaning, such as when it is a gift from someone or contains memories of someone.

To the Savior, moving was such a being.

At that time, she found out that her older brother, who had saved her, had told her to move.

Becoming a special person, the presence that moves in your heart grows bigger and bigger… … .

As a man, I felt like I was growing bigger and bigger, so I also felt a sense of guilt.

‘Even though you were my older brother back then… … I’m much older now.’

Times have changed and there are more than a few age gap couples, but twenty-one was too much.

So the old man decided to think of himself as Daddy-Long-Legs.

He began to suppress his feelings of innocence by calling himself a sponsor.

That’s why.

For the old spirit, understanding the past of the movement was perhaps natural.

I need to know at least one more thing so I can give him what he needs.

And fortunately for the Savior, there was someone who could become his hands and feet.

“Seon-ah. Find out. Everything about Lee Dong-ha.”

“Aside from Dong-ha right now. Are you talking about the Dong-ha from the past… who is presumed dead?”

“Yeah. It’s nice because it’s not stuffy since you’re with me.”

“all right.”

Hong Seon-ah was competent.

And it was a good thing.

There is no one like the Salvation Army for Lee Dong-ha, so the records of the past are not erased or deleted… … because that didn’t happen.

“Dong-ha’s father passed away in the winter of 1999. He was a carpenter, and after Dong-ha went missing in an accident, he bought a truck and wandered around the country. He hung up banners and handed out flyers… Even though it was ruled a death, it seems like it wasn’t recognized because the body wasn’t found.”

“Why… … did you go back?”

“I don’t know for sure because you didn’t go to the same hospital regularly, but I heard that you had liver problems due to alcohol consumption. This is the doctor’s opinion at the time.”

A printed, clean document was handed to the Savior.

When I received it, there was nothing special about it.

Just… … a medical opinion stating that drinking alcohol is too much for your liver, so refrain from it.

You can tell just by looking at this.

It is said that Lee Dong-ha’s father lived in sorrow without thinking about his own health.

As we turn the page, family relationships unfold.

“Your uncle… … don’t you know where he is overseas?”

“Yes. It’s been over 20 years since we lost contact… … There are no records.”

“You’ve never been to Korea before?”

“Yes. When Dong-ha’s father passed away, he left Korea. The first country he left was Canada. All we know is that he lived there for about three years.”

As for my uncle’s side, it’s the same as having no information at all.

Even if they are a conglomerate, they cannot track someone to the level of the National Intelligence Service.

Even if it is at the level of the National Intelligence Service, how can you find a hidden person?

Moreover, it is not in Korea but overseas.

The Savior focused on other parts of the document.

“Dong-ha… … Where’s your mother?”

“Hmm. That part… … is a little… … unsettling.”

“Are you reluctant?”

With that question in mind, Gu Seol-ryeong looked at Hong Seon-ah.

“… … .”

“Im Ji-yeon… … is here.”

“Im Ji-yeon?”

A question mark appeared in Gu Se-ryeong’s eyes again. But Gu Se-ryeong or Hong Seon-ah? They are not stupid. The fact that they suddenly threw out a name means that they know the person just by saying the name.

Moving age twenty-one.

But at the time of the time slip in 1994, he was 19 years old.

Starting from there, the estimated age at which Lee Dong-ha’s mother, Im Ji-yeon, gave birth to him is between twenty and forty.

Of course, it could be late in life. It could be that the baby was born at a younger age.

To sum up… As of 2026, Lim Ji-yeon’s age is between 60 and 80.

Then a person’s face appeared to the Savior.

“… … Could it be your godmother… … Im Ji-yeon?”

Hong Seon-ah laughed bitterly at the words of the Savior.

It means correct answer.

“That’s ridiculous.”

“I wondered if this was true… … I watched it for a long time. If Lim Ji-yeon is the biological mother, then it means she gave birth to Dong-ha when she was seventeen.”

Lim Ji-yeon is a national actress with the grand title of godmother.

She was called the queen of the silver screen in the 70s and enjoyed great success. Even in the 80s, she was classified as a top star of the time.

Since he is from such an old time, it may seem surprising that the old man knows anything. But it is not surprising at all.

Because Lim Ji-yeon is still an active actress.

That is why she was given the title of godmother.

Since my current age is when I play the role of the parent or grandmother of the main supporting actor, I often play the role of the main character’s mother.

He is a respected figure who has not only won awards but also received awards at international film festivals.

Gu Seol-ryeong held in his hand a photo of Lim Ji-yeon from her younger days, which was stuck on the last page of the documents.

“… … They look alike.”

“Yes. Especially the eyes.”

When I asked to find out, I thought she had already died. Even if she was alive, I expected that Lee Dong-ha’s mother would be an ordinary middle-aged woman or grandmother.

That’s because he knew earlier that Dong-ha’s father was an ordinary carpenter.

Other than checking the documents in detail like now.

There was something I heard as I came and went.

So, it’s natural to think that the mother is just an ordinary woman. How can you think that an active actress who is called a national actress would pop up?

“When Dong-ha’s father was young, he worked on setting up a drama stage. I think that’s when their relationship deepened.”

“… … .”

“When Lim Ji-yeon was at the peak of her acting career, she took a year off. At the time, I thought she wasn’t cast because she wasn’t a very well-known actress. During that time, she gave birth to Dong-ha.”

If I think about it carefully… … I wonder if this is right.

A completely unexpected person emerged as my mother.

It seems unrealistic to think that the character was created by ordinary parents.

If I say this, it may sound like I’m a blind believer in genetics, but that’s just how the old man rationalized it.

The Savior asked.

“Should I tell you?”

“I don’t know.”

“… … .”

“But now that I know, wouldn’t it be right to say it?”

The old man again focused on Im Ji-yeon’s profile.

“This lady… …was in this drama too?”

“Yes. Dong-ha participated in the OST… … .”

My head was pounding.

It’s exactly as Hong Seon-ah said.

If I didn’t know, I would have just pretended not to know, but once I know, it’s hard to pretend not to know.

If I pretend not to know and Dong-ha finds out later, I wonder how I will deal with the aftermath.

The worries caused by such relationships.

And from the perspective of someone who had a similar experience, the Savior made up his mind.

“I should call. I think I need to… tell you this.”

It is not you who should make the decision, but the person you are with.

The old man picked up the cell phone.

* * *

I’m stuck in the basement of the practice room, looking through the files that the old man gave me.

I’ve already seen it, so what’s the point of seeing it again… … I think.

But what can I do if my eyes keep going there?

“… … Nation’s mother… … F**k. This really pisses me off.”

Since she had time-slipped, I expected her to be a grandmother with white hair. Maybe she took good care of herself. Looking at the photo, she looks like a woman in her 50s.

“Two marriages… … and a divorce… … .”

No children.

It wasn’t anything major, but it was a little comforting.

Fortunately, I think there’s someone I know who’s in this misfortune together with me.

-Mother… …What do you want to ask me when we meet?

The words that the Savior said are spinning in my head.

I thought he was asking something obvious.

What would an abandoned child ask his parents when he meets them?

I wonder why it was thrown away.

I don’t think I can ask that outright.

I don’t know how much that woman really knows about Lee Dong-ha, but at least by current standards, she can’t possibly think of Twenty-One as her own child.

“F*ck, seriously… … it’s like X.”

I messed up my hair.

Recent pleasant events have disappeared like bubbles.

If I stay like this, my head feels like it’s going to explode.

I took out my phone and looked for someone’s number.

[Author Moon Soo-hyun]

There is a producer named Choi Pil-do, but I don’t have his number. Writer Moon Soo-hyun asked for my number because he was a fan of mine, so I gave it to him.

Thump thump.

After a few beeps.

-hello.

“Ah, I… … Author… … .”

– Are you Dong-ha? Oh my, what’s going on? Is it my birthday today?

Author Moon Soo-hyun, who is making a fuss, pulls me back to reality.

Rockstar Again Episode 164