Chapter 54 Filling the Void in the Large-Eyed Tall Girl Sector

The elder sister's sudden idea left Cha Lun-hoo somewhat surprised. Why had the thought of writing a book popped into her head out of the blue? Still, once he finished writing his own book by that time, he could always have Journalist Chen introduce a few literary professionals to her. After all, as a former popular member of the Empress group, there were likely still many people interested in her life story.

Lately, he had been getting accustomed to his work, and had even been officially dispatched to Buan County in North Jeolla Province—right next door to Gimje—to experience a local veterans' association event. It had to be said that the Honam region truly was a stronghold of the old guard and an ironclad constituency for the progressive camp; his actions in this hometown region had been met with boundless reverence.

The local county-level presidents of the veterans' association and the women's association inspected the local military forces with him and distributed consolation funds. Furthermore, to show their high regard for the arrival of this young hero, they had organized quite a few members to come and listen to his speech, though in truth, it was largely driven by a bit of curiosity about the young hometown boy who so frequently appeared in the media now.

Originally, this activity was not on the itinerary, but Buan County and Gimje City were inextricably linked territories. The citizens here had made him feel their warmth; they were indeed progressives requiring no mobilization, and the political leaning here offered absolutely no fertile ground for supporting conservative military strongmen.

Both the associations and the events here were on a very small scale, and the related venues and facilities were extremely rudimentary. Having grown used to Seoul, coming to these vast rural areas did not cause him any discomfort, especially when he conversed with this group of citizens using his local accent, which pushed the atmosphere to a climax.

It was originally meant to be a minor event, but the enthusiasm of the people seemed to have unlocked a switch inside his body. The hundred or so people before him seemed to multiply, becoming boundless, and that feeling seemed to set a fire burning in his heart.

When he finally accepted a bowl of home-brewed farm rice wine handed to him by an old man and drained it in a single gulp, his bold and unconstrained demeanor made these people harbor even greater affection for a fellow townsman who looked so much like them. The farming community of North Jeolla had long remained too silent—so silent that they could never voice their own thoughts. Up until today, it seemed as though there had finally emerged a tall, handsome social elite whose political spectrum was undeniably correct and who appeared utterly flawless.

Yet this social elite revealed habits identical to their own in his speech and deportment, making no effort to conceal his country accent. Many of his down-to-earth, instinctive responses genuinely made people feel an immense sense of warmth, further convincing them that this fine young man Cha Lun-hoo was truly one of their own.

On the car ride back, Cha Lun-hoo lay intoxicately in the back seat. The low-alcohol farm wine could not give him even a hint of drunkenness; rather, he now seemed to understand why some people genuinely loved the stage. This feeling of being surrounded by stars like the moon was really quite nice, and this was just the eager gazes of a hundred or so fellow villagers.

"Chief Cha's reputation back home is really quite good! Just now in the back, I kept hearing an old man saying, 'This is our Jeolla boy!' If we went to neighboring Gimje City, I suppose the citizens would go even wilder."

His colleague traveling with him was named Kim Sung-joo. He was a few years older than Cha Lun-hoo, but looked quite mature. Despite being born at the very tail end of the eighties, he practically looked like Yoo Hae-jin, prompting Cha and other colleagues to affectionately nickname him Brother Hae-jin.

Although Cha Lun-hoo had suddenly been promoted to a position higher than his, Kim Sung-joo did not seem displeased at all. He had only joined the association a few years prior, having just completed his military service and graduated from university before taking on various miscellaneous duties.

"If there's a chance, I'll take you to see the longest seawall in Saemangeum next time. It's said to be thirty-four kilometers long. In the past, I used to take my sister to watch them construction work, thinking that once it was finished, I'd definitely take her for a ride around it on a bicycle. Unfortunately, we moved away before construction was completed."

Gimje City, Buan County, and Gunsan City all belonged to the same National Assembly constituency. Aside from the period of the Three-Party Merger under President Roh, they had never left the embrace of the progressive camp, though the excessively low population density was indeed quite a problem.

"There will still be chances in the future! Chief Cha can take his sister to play there later on, too! But I'm just saying this—sometimes just running about for the sake of living is tiring enough."

Brother Hae-jin seemed like a good person, albeit a bit chatty, and maintained adequate respect for a young man like him. The association's decision not to let him manage core operations might not necessarily be a bad thing for him; perhaps waiting for the publication of his autobiography would connect him even more closely with the people of this land.

"Chief Cha, do you live here? It really is very modest indeed. The houses around here can..."

Watching Cha Lun-hoo step out of the car, wave goodbye to him, and sighing inwardly, Kim Sung-joo thought that if not for this sudden reversal of fortune, these heroes would still be struggling at the bottom of society. But such was fate—turning one's life around happened in a split second, and who knew, there might even be a chance to soar to great heights in the future.

His Sejeong sister had managed to snatch a moment of leisure amid her busy schedule, bringing back a few takeout meals to eat with him. Recently, during the busy early-year period, she simply hadn't had the time to cook for him.

"This is the complete set of albums from senior IU's debut until now. Oppa, how did you get your hands on this? Could it be that you know senior IU as well?"

Wiping her hands clean, she flipped through the signed albums and related merchandise one by one. This oppa was certainly thoughtful, though it was likely he had once again asked that Bae Suzy person for a favor, instantly making the treasures in her hands feel a lot less appealing.

"I know of her, but she doesn't know me. I did see her once back when I was working as a bodyguard. She looked very lively and cute, but gave the impression of being the extremely smart type."

Naturally, Cha Lun-hoo had no idea that this cute woman also knew of him, and even harbored immense curiosity toward him. In the man's impression, a woman who could stand tall and unshaken after enduring multiple massive cyberbullying campaigns was definitely no simple creature.

Seeing that she wanted to probe to the bottom of it, the man hurriedly used his itinerary from today as bait to shift the topic, expressing his wish to go on a trip to Saemangeum together when spring arrived. That caused Sejeong's eyes to light up instantly.

"Oppa, are you trying to make up for the regrets of your childhood? I'd really love to go, and I haven't been back to my hometown in a long time."

After her maternal grandparents passed away, she had never returned to that land from her childhood memories. If she could wander aimlessly on bicycles with him through that land of special emotional resonance, just like in childhood, thinking about it made it seem like a truly wonderful feeling.

"Somi told me last time that we should go together to her coming-of-age ceremony. This girl has grown up in the blink of an eye, and her figure has become super great, as if blown up like a balloon."

That little foreign-looking girl filled the void in the Kpop world where tall girls lacked big eyes, genuinely breathing a different kind of wind into the entire industry. Though praised and criticized in equal measure, she certainly could not be said to lack popularity nowadays.

That fellow still hadn't dared to confess to the older sister that circumstances had changed. Fortunately, there was still plenty of time, and where there was a will, there was a way; he believed he would find a proper solution.

"That fellow really woke up early only to arrive late at the market. She already had her own fandom at fourteen, but years later she's still trailing along the road. Maybe I shouldn't go after all; I don't know her friends either."

Cha Lun-hoo wasn't afraid that Suzy would find out and make things difficult for Sejeong—that woman didn't even know her good sister was also a debuted idol yet—and precisely because of that, he feared stirring up any unnecessary commotion.

As long as he didn't go, everything seemed like it could remain peaceful and sound, with everyone doing well. Yet his Sejeong sister didn't seem to think so, and Somi hadn't yet dared to tell her about this.

"Let's go, let's go! I don't really know her friends either, and going alone would be so awkward. Just think of it as accompanying me."

Sejeong looked at him with wide-open eyes. A woman so rarely making requests of him left him momentarily at a loss for how to refuse.