DTM | Chapter 1.1

01. Three Years Later – A Handsome Disaster

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In the three-dimensional world, time flows endlessly.

On the line of time, we fill our days by encountering one of countless possibilities—like picking a coat from the wardrobe or choosing a mocha bun at the bakery near the broadcasting station. But unlike bread or clothes, which we can choose of our own will, there are things we’re forced to accept by some irresistible, absolute power.

Take, for instance, being roped into watching Kim PD’s one-man talk show. All because I happened to run into him in the elevator on my way to work, making me the unfortunate victim.

“…The world really can’t be this cruel to me.”

And thanks to that “irresistible, absolute power,” I was driven into a corner. I genuinely thought about ending it all—though I gave up because the Han River was still too cold. Still, the cruel reality that smacked me in the back of the head made me want to abandon everything and run away.

“Ugh, Kwon Yi-tae!”

I banged my forehead on my desk, pulling at my hair in frustration. Unsure whether to laugh or cry, all I could manage was a hollow, self-mocking chuckle.

The program was tanking. No—it was dead. We’d barely been keeping it alive with slashed production costs, but the ratings hit rock bottom, causing even the last remaining advertisers to pull out. With the final leaf falling, we received the termination notice amidst complete indifference. Just as everyone was sinking into despair, in this desperate situation, Kwon Yi-tae appeared like a hero in troubled times.

And it wasn’t even that we managed to recruit him; his agency approached us first. The everyday documentary <Comma>, which we’d been editing for its final episode, miraculously got a lifeline: a two-hour special featuring none other than Kwon Yi-tae.

As soon as news spread that he’d appear, major corporate sponsors and ads from Kwon Yi-tae’s fan club came flooding in.

If I were to evaluate it purely from the program’s perspective, Kwon Yi-tae’s arrival was a stroke of luck akin to winning the lottery. You could even call it a miracle that revived a stone-cold corpse. He’d brought the dead program back to life. Our team embraced one another and wept tears of joy.

“Huuuuhhh… sob…”

Caught up in the moment, I cried too—though for entirely different reasons.

Even as a freelancer, I’d grown attached to the program. Compared to other writers, the conditions were decent, and I had time to write my own work. The head writer and Kim PD often listened to my ideas, some of which had made it to air.

The work was hard, but it was rewarding. But why, oh why, did it have to be Kwon Yi-tae? If I’d known we’d reunite like this, I wouldn’t have dumped him so mercilessly. Regret surged through me too late.

Three years ago.

After breaking up completely with Kwon Yi-tae, I changed my phone number. I wasn’t confident I could hold out if he kept contacting me.

After I broke up with him, he came to my officetel several times, but I never opened the door. If he’d broken down and cried, saying he was sorry, I might have hesitated and pressed the unlock button. That’s how flimsy the wall I’d built was.

But Kwon Yi-tae never broke through that wall. He was too proud and didn’t know how to apologize, so it was inevitable.

“Hey, Yoo Eunha.”

“…”

“Yoo Eunha, are you really never going to see me again?”

“…”

“Fine. I’ll make sure you have no choice but to see me.”

On the third month of him trailing me like a stalker, he spat out those cryptic words and suddenly stopped coming around. Exactly a year later, he kept his word.

‘…Kwon Yi-tae.’

It was around the time I’d just started working as an intern on a program. At a bus stop on my way to work, I saw a familiar green bus approaching.

Bus No. 429. Even though it was my bus, I couldn’t move from my spot. The driver yelled, asking if I wasn’t getting on, but I was too stunned to answer.

“Am I dreaming?”

There, plastered on the side of the bus, was an ad featuring Kwon Yi-tae. He was holding a soda, smiling brightly with his mouth slightly open. The guy who didn’t even drink soda—why was he there?

Only after the bus puffed out exhaust and disappeared did I snap back to reality. Without bothering to check the next bus schedule, I whipped out my phone. I typed “Kwon” into the search bar, and his name auto-completed instantly.

The moment I saw his name, I shrieked and dropped my phone. What the hell is this?!

A chill ran down my spine, and goosebumps prickled my skin. No matter how much I tried to deny it, reality didn’t change.

“Ha…”

The bastard had debuted as a celebrity.

It was revenge.

This had to be revenge against me.

He’d always been indifferent when I gushed about the actors I admired even as a kid. A guy who cared not a bit about the entertainment world had suddenly debuted—why else?

There could only be one reason. The obsessively persistent Kwon Yi-tae had debuted solely to mess with me.

I prayed every day for him to fail. For him to lose his temper and kick a director. For a massive scandal to erupt and ruin him.

But no. The god who sculpted Kwon Yi-tae had other plans.

From his debut project onward, every one of his films became a blockbuster. His fame skyrocketed beyond Asia and to the English-speaking world.

He swept awards at year-end ceremonies, topped lists like “College Senior You’d Want a Crush On” and “Man You’d Want as a Son-in-Law”. Even bizarre polls like “Actor Most Likely to Look Good in a Watch Ad” or “Man You’d Forgive for Spilling Sweet-and-Sour Sauce in Your Car”—he dominated them all.

The more his popularity soared, the more I felt like a criminal awaiting execution. In the entertainment world where stars are kings, I never knew when or how Kwon Yi-tae would ruin me.

But even as one year, two years passed, Kwon Yi-tae never came for me. Over time, my anxiety naturally faded.

Though it seemed like he’d forgotten me, I couldn’t forget him. His news was everywhere, whether I wanted to hear it or not.

He lived his life, and I lived mine—or so I thought. When my vigilance and tension had completely dissolved, when I was least prepared, Kwon Yi-tae barged back into my life.

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