SIDE EFFECT

December 2013, Damyang University

"It's going to snow today, Hangyul. Wear warm clothes," Park Heejin handed a woolen overcoat to Hangyul as he prepared to leave for his morning lectures. Hangyul smiled faintly at his mother, who rarely showed concern. At least, he had that image of his parents in his mind. As he donned the coat, Heejin placed heat packs in his pockets.

"It's fine, Mom..." Hangyul hesitated, stepped back from her, and rushed out of the house. "Hangyul!!" Heejin called from inside, but he had already walked out of the main gate. "When will you understand me, my son?" she stood there with teary eyes.

Lee Hangyul reached the university. As he parked his car in the parking area, he saw Kim Haneul and Yoon Seong-ah walking into the campus entrance. He walked behind them at a distance, observing their every action as they laughed with each other. Something stirred within him as he saw them being so close to each other. He wanted to be part of it, part of their friendship, part of Seong-ah's life. He wanted Seong-ah to acknowledge his existence.

Kim Haneul noticed a shadow following them slowly. Seeing him suddenly go quiet, Seong-ah snapped her fingers in front of his lost face. "Are you lost, baby boy?" Seong-ah laughed at him. Haneul shivered as cringe crept all over his body. "What the heck, Seong-ah... Leave! Your lectures are about to begin!"

"You're vanishing me, huh? Meeting with your boyfriend?" Seong-ah teased. "Shut up!" Haneul ran behind her as she ran away, teasing him. Kim Haneul stopped and turned around. "Hangyul... you should've just called me... why were you following like a stalker..."

Lee Hangyul had nothing to say; he knew he was acting creepily, but he just didn't know how to act in situations like those. "Is that considered stalking?"

"Forget it. Just stop following Seong-ah. I've seen you walking behind her while returning home..." Haneul warned him.

"Why? Do you hate me being around Seong-ah?" Hangyul asked coldly.

"I don't hate it, Hangyul... But what if you're struck with your panic attacks when you're around her? Won't it be dangerous? That is the only reason I want you to maintain distance from her," Haneul lied. He lied because he was completely aware of Lee Hangyul's crush on Seong-ah. He had seen countless sketches of Seong-ah in Hangyul's bag. Kim Haneul was unknowingly jealous of his own friend. He never wanted Seong-ah to know about Lee Hangyul's existence because Haneul was insecure that Seong-ah would choose Hangyul over him.

"Okay, I won't go near her. If you're saying that it would be dangerous, then it definitely would be dangerous. I trust you, Haneul," Hangyul smiled at the only friend he had gained in his entire life. Kim Haneul smiled back at him sheepishly, and they both walked inside the university building.

...

12 PM, University Auditorium

The enthusiasm of students peaked as the annual festivals approached, followed by the autumn break. The university auditorium was filled with sparkles and the clutter of decorations, as students from different departments united for the preparation of various programs for the festival. Seong-ah was leading the director position for a short skit they were going to perform on the final day of the festival. She sat on the chair in front of the stage, directing the students acting in the skit.

"Take 15! Hey Minji-yah, can you please ACT!! Don't just stand there with your beautiful blank face! Are you here just to look pretty?" Seong-ah shouted over the actors. She was one fierce director, a nightmare for any actor.

"Have mercy on your actors, Miss Director. They'll forget their lines before going up on stage," Haneul interrupted her as he walked down the auditorium stairs. "Get lost! Don't disturb us!" Seong-ah pushed him away as he stood closer to her. He laughed at her angry face, finding her extremely adorable when she pouted in anger.

"Okay, fine... I'm leaving, but don't forget to eat your lunch; it's already noon." He handed her the lunchbox and patted her head lovingly. Seong-ah pushed away his hand. "Stop doing that! I'm not a child anymore!" she said annoyingly. Haneul left the auditorium, and Seong-ah returned to her seat.

Meanwhile, a large chandelier was being fitted on the roof of the auditorium. The people fitting it climbed up the ladders. Down there, a group of students holding a large poster in their hands walked slowly below the ladder. The poster accidentally hit the lightly placed metal ladder as someone from the group tripped, and within no time, the ladder began falling down to the floor.

Seong-ah, who was standing just a few centimeters away from the ladder, immersed in directing the skit, unaware of the huge metal ladder collapsing over her, was forcefully pulled back. Before she could grasp the situation, the huge metal thing collapsed right beside her feet, scratching her arms and causing them to bleed.

"Bring the first aid kit!" a scream echoed in the auditorium, which went into utter shock after the incident. Seong-ah, shocked, looked behind to see who held her—a man in a black cap, face covered with a mask, only his hazel eyes visible.

"Th- Thank you... Thanks for saving me..." she whispered to him. He nodded silently, and as the first aid kit arrived, he cleaned her wound and applied a bandage. Seong-ah kept looking at the stranger with awestruck eyes; she wanted to see his face. The grip of his hands over her arm felt rock-hard, yet his fingers cleaning her wounds were surprisingly gentle. Seong-ah was mesmerized by those hazel eyes.

"Your name?" she asked softly, her eyes fixed on him. He replied with silence. After finishing bandaging, he stood up and walked away. "Hey! Wait! Tell me your name!" Seong-ah ran behind him. He walked fast through the corridors, and Seong-ah pushed every person who came in her way as she pursued him.

He went out of the building, lowering his cap and tucking his hands inside the woolen overcoat pockets. Seong-ah reached the exit and saw him walking out of the gate. Tiny snow crystals fell from the sky slowly as Seong-ah stepped outside the building, looking at him standing at a distance. It was the first snow of that autumn season, and it covered the surroundings and settled on Seong-ah's hair as she paused between the campus, mesmerized by the stranger. He too stopped at the same place as he noticed her standing behind him; snow deposited over his coat.

Seong-ah walked towards him slowly. As she reached him, he turned around, removed his overcoat, and wrapped it around her. Seong-ah still stared at him with wide eyes. The stranger walked away from her, and she kept standing there, lacking the courage to hold his hands and stop him.

The first snow witnessed the first meeting of Yoon Seong-ah and Lee Hangyul. The first snow began to melt the ice-cold heart of Hangyul... The first snow bloomed a flower of love in the heart of Seong-ah... Unbeknownst to them, they were destined for each other, tied with the red thread of fate. However, as much as fate pushed them away, they were inexorably drawn together.

.

.

.

8 AM, 2023, Namyangju, Seoul

Seong-ah awoke in her bed, feeling exhausted. Kim Haneul had brought her back to the apartment after she fainted the previous day.

"Damn... what time is it... I had an interview scheduled today," Seong-ah muttered, reaching for her phone on the side table. To her surprise, she felt a cold water strip on her forehead. Removing it, she sat up, pushing away her blankets and stepping onto the cold floor. Another surprise awaited her – a pair of slippers placed conveniently beside her feet. Wearing them, she walked out into the living room and was greeted by a warm smile from someone cooking breakfast in her kitchen. It was Kim Haneul, dressed in a loose t-shirt and sport track pants, his hair falling over his forehead.

"Oh, you woke up? Go take a shower fast; breakfast is ready," he said, busy plating down a toast sandwich.

"You stayed here last night?" Seong-ah asked in shock as she sat down at the dining table.

"Obviously, you were knocked out with fever! How could I leave you alone?" he replied, serving breakfast on the table and sitting down in the chair opposite hers.

"And... these... clothes?" Seong-ah looked at him suspiciously, narrowing her eyes.

"What are you even thinking in that little brain?? I always have an extra pair in my car!! Rather than thanking your friend, you're looking at me with those eyes???" Haneul shouted at her.

"What the hell?! Why would I thank you?? I would've managed by myself!! Who told you to stay in a stranger's house?" Seong-ah said, stuffing her mouth with the sandwich. A smile appeared on her face as a familiar taste lingered on her tongue. "You never change, right? The sandwich still tastes the same," she said softly, reminiscing about the university days when Haneul always packed his handmade sandwiches for her.

"Hmm... nothing has changed... Seong-ah... even our friendship... it's still the same," Haneul said, looking at her with doe eyes. Seong-ah heard those words but chose to keep silent. They continued their breakfast quietly.

...

Seong-ah got down at the bus stop at Yongsan station, where Jung Bomin waited for her on his bike with his camera equipment. They looked at each other, and Seong-ah walked ahead without speaking to him; Bomin followed behind her.

"Are you okay, noona? Your house..." Bomin asked hesitantly.

"It's good that it was burnt down... I can build a new house there with no past memories haunting me," Seong-ah replied sternly. Bomin looked at her pale, cold face. There was no warmth left on her face – no anger, no rage, no adoration, no feelings at all. It seemed that Yoon Seong-ah had overcome all the emotional trauma of the past.

"Can we just talk for a moment?" Bomin asked her hesitantly as they walked towards the tower.

"Later. After this interview," Seong-ah replied in a cold tone and walked ahead of Bomin, who looked at her straight back.

Yoon Seong-ah entered the Central City Tower, where she had a very important interview scheduled since she returned to Seoul. It was her old strategy to know her rival better, be it a criminal, a suspect, a victim, or a mysterious intimidating businessman like Hong Siwoo.

Seong-ah and Bomin entered the BlueChip Office on the 17th floor. As they walked out of the elevator, Bomin's eyes met with Secretary Jiwon. Bomin signaled him to keep quiet as Seong-ah walked in front of him, to which Jiwon nodded in agreement.

"Yoon Seong-ah, senior reporter, CBS news network. I've an interview scheduled with Mr. Hong Siwoo," Seong-ah told Secretary Jiwon.

"Yes. Please follow me," he walked in front of them as they followed behind him.

Seong-ah looked around his office; there were more than 200 employees working there, with a luxurious office setting. It was definitely not a mid-range finance company. But the most peculiar thing Seong-ah noticed was, beside their identity cards, every employee was wearing a nameplate with their names written in bold. Every document in that office, every notice board, instruction posters, the script was bolded. Seong-ah found it quite amusing.

"This way, please," Secretary escorted them to the cabin.

Seong-ah pushed the door and stepped inside Siwoo's cabin. Walked towards his desk, where he was seated engrossed in working on the laptop. Seong-ah stood in front and knocked on the desk twice to gain his attention.

Hong Siwoo looked up slowly at Seong-ah, and as their eyes met, a wave of fear passed throughout her body.

"Ohh... Interview..." he said tightly closing his eyes as he got up from the chair.

"Yeah, it will take only ten minutes. So if you're busy, don't worry, I won't waste much

of your time," Seong-ah said as Siwoo guided her to sit on the sofa until he wore his sky blue blazer over a white shirt.

"One hour? Would that be fine?" Siwoo said, looking at his secretary Jiwon.

"I will postpone the meetings," Jiwon replied, bowing down to him and walking out of the cabin.

Jung Bomin went to the front side, started his camera, and as he was about to begin recording, Siwoo interrupted, "Miss Seong-ah, can we sit facing the woodfire? I want that city view from the glass window behind me," he smiled while requesting. Bomin was annoyed at his request, and he rolled his eyes and fixed his camera according to their changed sitting positions.

"Roll camera... Action," Seong-ah prepared herself to face the camera with a smile on her lips. Siwoo noticed that and chuckled a little bit.

"Today we have Mr. Siwoo Hong, CEO of BlueChip Investment with us. He is known as the Phoenix of the Finance and Investment industry of South Korea, coming from Australia being a no one to soaring high in such a short time. Investing in big entertainment companies in mere six months was an exceptional achievement. Mr. Hong, could you please tell us about your journey from Australia to South Korea?" Seong-ah passed the recorder to Siwoo.

"You got straight to the point, Miss Yoon," Siwoo smiled at her warmly. "Okay, so my journey... it was a simple one. My father funded for everything, and I've been privileged for being born with a silver spoon. That's it," Siwoo finished the answer not intending to entertain any such questions from the reporter sitting before him.

"What about the charities you're doing for various orphanages around the country? The amount you're donating, even big conglomerates do not donate that in charity. How did you develop this selfless helping nature? Any special reason behind that?" Seong-ah, without losing any patience, asked him another question.

"Human nature is inbuilt, Miss Yoon. But the circumstances in your life decide what kind of turn you'll give to your inbuilt nature. Likewise... I was brought up in an extremely helpful, loving family... so, now I want to return back these favors in the form of good deeds towards the needy."

"Could you tell us something about your loving family? Your personal life is completely unknown to the public."

"Yeah, because as you said, it is 'personal' for a reason," Hong Siwoo looked into Seong-ah's eyes with his insanely psychopathic stare. Seong-ah observed the changes on his face. She knew it was time to stop.

"CUT! Bomin, stop recording. Hong Siwoo, this interview is going nowhere. If you didn't want to answer any of our questions, you could've directly rejected the offer from CBS," Seong-ah said as she sipped the juice placed in front of her, looking into Siwoo's eyes.

"Can we continue a day after tomorrow? I'm feeling a bit dizzy today," Siwoo said while holding his forehead.

"Okay. Fine. Whenever you're ready to answer the questions. Let's go," Seong-ah said as she turned to Bomin and signaled him to leave the cabin.

...

Jung Bomin and Yoon Seong-ah stepped down from the bus at CBS news station. Seong-ah quietly handed over the documents to Bomin and walked away from the bus stop.

"Noona! Aren't you coming inside to meet the director?" Bomin interrupted her walk.

"No," Seong-ah replied without turning around.

"Do you want to ask me anything?" Bomin walked ahead in front of her.

"You're anyways gonna lie," Seong-ah spoke sternly, staring into Bomin's eyes.

"Let me explain myself," Bomin pleaded to her with teary eyes.

"It's fine, Bomin. It was my choice to believe in you, even after you lied about your identity. Just keep in mind, the more you get engaged with these people for the sake of your stupid thrills, the more you'll be dragged into this game of death, and there's no escape out of it," Seong-ah's words pierced Bomin's heart. His gut feeling had come true; Seong-ah was well aware of his undercover activities behind her back. She patted him on the shoulder and walked away, leaving him alone. Bomin was regretting all of his decisions; dealing with Hong Siwoo was the biggest mistake he had to pay for.

...

8 PM, Han River Park, Seoul

A freezing cold breeze swept away the dry leaves fallen on the road. The night lamps, shining bright on the riverside, illuminated the city. Very few people strolled in the park as the temperature had dropped drastically in the past few days. Autumn was at its peak. The ice-cold wind tousled the silky black hair of Seong-ah, who sat alone on the bench. Her hands inside the pockets of the brown overcoat she donned, her pale face looking down at the wet grass. Lost in her own thoughts, she sat there for the past hour.

The autumn leaves fell at her feet from the tree beside, breaking her trance of deep thoughts. She looked up and was shocked to see that it was already 8 PM. Her nose had gone cold, and she stood up, but her legs felt weak after sitting in one posture for a long time. Seong-ah slowly walked ahead towards the iron railing separating the river from the land. She placed her bare hands over the frozen railing, her whole body shivering, but still, she wanted to take that shock to forget the sorrows of her life. Looking up into the cloudy sky with no stars in sight, as dark as her messed-up life, she was blankly staring into the distance when snow began to fall. Seong-ah spread her palms facing the sky; a tiny snowflake landed over her hand, and she smiled, watching it melt down slowly.

Turning around to leave, she was halted in the same position as Lee Hangyul stood before her a few steps away. "Hangyul?" Seong-ah was confused to see him there, expecting him to either run away from the cops or be arrested by then.

"You really thought I would run away? I won't repeat the same mistake after a decade," he said in a deep voice, walking slowly towards Seong-ah.

"But... Hangyul... You-" Seong-ah tried to make him understand.

"Shhhh. I said, I'm not repeating any mistakes. It took me long enough to realize and get back my memories. I won't waste any moment, not even a minute, to love you."

Hangyul's sudden confession left Seong-ah with no words. Her mind was spinning. The cold wind was not helping at all. She tried to keep her brain functional, but the man standing in front of her overshadowed her firm composure. Never had she thought she would receive such a confession from a person she had hated for over a decade.

The snow fell over them, standing a step away from each other. They stared into each other's eyes, the surroundings blurred into thin air.

"You know that I've used you for my revenge, right?" Seong-ah grabbed the collar of his black fur jacket, looking intensely into his eyes.

"You think I won't? I'm culpable for running away that day ten years ago... so use me all you want. Use me for your revenge," Hangyul said as he grabbed her hands on his collar and placed them on his throat, "kill me if you want to... if it could calm down your wrath... if it could finally give you happiness... you can't live like this anymore... so please use me as much as you want."

Seong-ah burst into tears hearing those words; the walls she had built collapsed down, her frozen heart melted into liquid, and her hands dropped down from Hangyul's neck, wrapping around his back as he took her into his arms. The snow falling over them had no effect; the warm embrace, the tight hug, was enough for them to forget all the struggles they went through in their lives. Two broken souls were breaking down their traumas into each other. Lee Hangyul and Yoon Seong-ah cried into each other's arms. The angst, resentment, and regret of all these years were pouring out. Their love seemed like a side effect of those dark memories, which they never wanted to get healed.