The Beach

Guest's sister was terminally ill. Carrying a disease with a name that sounded like a tragedy, she lived counting her remaining time. Before leaving this world, she went to the beach with Kang Taejun. They weren't lovers, but they ran across the shore like lovers and took photos while laughing. Even small jokes, like picking up grilled clams with each other's forks. Though they didn't say it, it might have already been love. They liked each other, but because the end was set, they couldn't express it.

That night, they played one last movie at the lodging. While watching the movie, Kang Taejun gathered his courage for the first time. He confessed the feelings he had been hiding to Guest's sister. She laughed for a moment and proposed a promise.

'I'll give you the answer when the movie ends. The one who breaks the promise has to live forgetting the other.'

But as the movie progressed, her face grew paler. After the credits rolled, Kang Taejun saw a monologue video she had left behind on the screen.

Her voice from the screen filled the living room. It was the very same voice that had been whispering in his arms just moments ago. The video seemed to show her room. The sunlight coming through the window, a few books on the desk, and her sitting in front of them, staring at the camera. Because it was such a normal, everyday scene, it felt even more surreal.

When... did you film this?

He focused on the screen, holding his breath. Like an athlete watching the final round of an important match, his every nerve was on edge. Her lips opened again. What would she say? Would it be words of farewell again, or the sincerity she couldn't bring herself to speak? He felt as if his heart had dropped to his feet.

"I've been so grateful for everything, and I've never once resented you!" The moment he heard the first sentence, Taejun's heart sank with a thud. The words that she didn't resent him—that was the source of the guilt he had always carried for her. The self-reproach that if he had been stronger, if he had gained the power to face the world sooner, she wouldn't have been hurt so much. As if trying to lighten all that burden, she was speaking in a voice that was so bright and cheerful. "Even though we always fought, I'm so proud of you! And you looked so cool, you know? Seeing how much you've grown without me realizing made me smile despite myself." The words that followed tore through his chest. That she was proud. That he was cool. She had seen him that way—him, the monster-like man who fought and bled in the ring. It was a feeling she had never shown. She always acted indifferent or annoyed, but the fact that her eyes always held a proud friend washed over him like a wave. Something hot rose up his throat. The tears he had barely managed to stop flowed down his cheeks again. This time, they weren't tears of anger or sadness. They were hot, painful tears mixed with apology, gratitude, and the regret of a love realized too late.

When the video ended, silence fell over the living room again. The TV screen turned black, reflecting the two of them, but their gazes were fixed only on each other. He slowly turned his head toward her. The vitality that had been shining on the screen just a moment ago had vanished from her face. Like a doll whose power had been cut, she lay limply in his arms, fallen into a deep sleep. She didn't wake up even when he shook her. The woman who said she was terminally ill had disappeared so quickly. His hand hesitated in the air. This wasn't 'pretending to sleep.' A motionless body, a pale face drained of blood. The warmth that had been wrapped around his shoulders just a while ago was gone without a trace, and only a chilling coldness lingered.

Hey, wake up...!

He urgently grabbed her shoulders and shook them. His voice cracked with terror. Please, don't play around. Wake up. Wake up and finish what you were saying. You said you were proud. You said I was cool. Why so suddenly... why... 'But she only swayed like a ball of cotton, never opening her eyes.' When everyone called him a monster, she was the only person who believed in him until the end. And he carefully called out to her as she closed her eyes. He shook her shoulders. But she never opened her eyes again.

Her and Kang Taejun

She and he had loved each other since their orphanage days. However, they never managed to put that feeling into words. It was because of a miserable fear—the fear of what if this heart was just his own delusion. So, love always remained in silence.

They lived relying on each other and couldn't even imagine a life without the other. However, after he joined a large sports agency, contact became increasingly infrequent. Whenever that happened, he would visit her house without a word, carrying a necklace or a bracelet he'd bought, and sometimes they would spend a few days there together.

It wasn't because she grew to dislike him that she avoided contact. His agency had visited her and threatened her to cut ties. They claimed she could be an obstacle to his future. In the end, she couldn't say anything.

Then, she learned that she was terminally ill. While preparing for the end, she initially intended to leave alone. She didn't want to be a burden to anyone. But in the end, she made a selfish choice. For the final moments, at least, she wanted to be with him.

So, she spoke the heavy words. "Actually, I'm terminally ill."

He, who was called a monster for knocking down opponents in the ring, collapsed right there in front of her. He could do nothing but cry without saying a word. Just when he had finally started earning money and could talk about the future, he ended up losing the most precious thing first.

They went on a final trip to the beach. They laughed, they walked, and they spent time like people who had nothing wrong. And at the end of that trip, she never opened her eyes again.

Introduction

My sister's terminal illness was cruel and merciless.

I only learned of her absence a week before she passed away.

Separated at a young age and sent to different orphanages, I suddenly got back in touch with the sister I thought I'd never see again. I was so happy that we took photos together and visited unfamiliar places we'd never normally go. I never imagined those moments would be our last.

Then, my sister confessed she was terminally ill. She asked me to look after Kang Taejun. So that he could live without her even after she was gone. She asked me to go to him and act just like her.

In the end, I couldn't refuse that request.

I told Doyun everything first. He was silent for a moment, then said he would help. He didn't ask why. Doyun always stood waiting at a spot I didn't know he'd been at, every time I was on my way back.

At first, I believed this acting was the last promise between my sister and me. That I would never be caught.

But Kang Taejun knew. Because he was the one who shared the final moments with Guest's sister.