For a young man who has no concrete dreams yet, it’s difficult to search for one especially when the world is filled with confusing variables.

But they say fate works in the most unusual ways, and when that happens, that seed of hope begins to sprout. And everything seems much clearer than before.

                                 •••••

“Don’t you think building an entertainment company is cool?”

Sungjin, who was currently working under a prestigious company, chuckled to the idea.

“It is, but with the competition, it’s difficult. It requires a lot of investment and courage”

He responded to his friend, Bang Si Hyuk, who was shaking his head.

“It does, but imagine investing on people’s dreams to create music and spread love and hope through it. Isn’t that great?”

Sungjin stared intently at him, before drinking his third glass of soju.

“You’re drunk”

“No, you are, but seriously… it’s a good opportunity. We also have the funds to do so, we’ve earned enough”

Sungjin barely listened to him. Sure, the idea wasn't bad but handling a company of your own sounded tough.

“I’m going to build my own company, Sungjin-ah… and you are gonna build yours and we’ll be like parallel companies…”

Si Hyuk was certainly drunk, laughing at his own words while patting himself. Sungjin saw this and quickly paid and left the place. He called a taxi and they both rode in it, with Si Hyuk dropped off first.

When he reached his home, he dumped himself right into his bed. He shut his eyes closed, waiting for sleepiness to take over, but his mind was taken over by his friend’s suggestions.

In the end, he forced himself to remove the thoughts and just fall into slumber.

                                 ••••

“Why is this place so cold?”

He murmurs to himself, still half-asleep. But when he felt something was odd, he slowly opened his eyes to see more of the scenario.

“Whe-where on earth am I?”

Before him was a thick forest. There were chirps of birds, and gushes of cold winds. It felt like late fall but the luscious green leaves tell him otherwise.

He began walking off to no specific direction. ‘This is a dream, so maybe I’ll take time to look around’, he thought to himself.

Sungjin has been walking for 15 minutes or so, but his legs were already slowly collapsing. Did he miss out on exercise?

Few more steps forward, and he smelled a stench reeking out. To his curiosity, he followed that stench leading him to a body— not sure if it was dead or alive but it smelled, even without huge amount of blood he initially thought where the stench came from.

“What the heck is this dream? Someone’s playing with me…”

“He-help, anyone”

Startled, he momentarily lost his balance but regained it in a second. He came closer to the body to confirm his suspicions, and it really seemed like it was alive but was almost done.

“I’m here”

He calmly responded.

The woman could no longer move, but she was trying so hard to convey her thoughts.

“Please grant me… my last wish”

Upon hearing her request, Sungjin’s eyes widened. And he hesitantly nodded.

                                 ••••

“Sungjin! Sorry for yesterday, I troubled you”

Si Hyuk told Sungjin over the phone.

“It’s fine… and I also thought of what you said”

On the other line, he was confused as to what he told his friend. He tends to blank out the moment he becomes drunk.

“I will build my own company, and you will build yours… a parallel company, right?”

Sungjin was so eager, with fire burning in his eyes, he wanted to fulfill the woman’s wishes.

“Please let my passion live. I didn’t want to be killed over people’s desires, but I was.  And now, I will become nothing but dirt to where I was from. So please, let my death remind people of strength and passion… that whatever season it is, they will become unfaltered… please… please… let me become a remembrance”

                                 ••••

Perhaps it was his subconscious telling him that he should help build other people’s dreams, but he cannot deny that that bizarre dream gave him this push to support other people. Now, he and his company have come so far.

While entertainment field is a battlefield filled with constant shedding of blood and crushing of hope, he made sure the artists he handled would always come prepared. With their radiant smiles and growing hopes and faith, he knew he could fulfill the woman’s last wish— letting these girls live as she envisioned it to be. No, rather than that, they’ve transcended.

“They’ve become a wonderful Gfriend”, Sungjin smiles as he looks at the brilliant expressions stretching across the six young women’s faces.

fin。