Until the Star Stops Falling

PART 1: The Man Who Never Change Yoon Ha-rin don't believe in strange things, ever since she was young she dreamed of being actress, she wanted the attentions of the crowd. But there's something inside her heart that screams something else,a long lose love. She believed in work, schedules, cameras, and scripts. She believed that if you practiced enough lines, cried on cue, and smiled at the right angle, the world would love you. And so the world did. At twenty-eight, Ha-rin was one of the most famous actresses in Korea. People recognized her voice, her walk, even the way she laughed. Her life was always loud—flashy lights, reporters shouting her name, managers telling her where to go next. She lived her life being loved by a lot of people but also some hater. But this is all she wanted; attention. But is that really her dream? To be loved without returning the same thing. That night, after a long shoot that drained every bit of energy from her body, she asked her driver to stop early. “I’ll walk from here,” she said, pulling her cap lower to hide her face. It was raining. Not softly, but hard—like the sky was angry and wanted the city to feel it. The street was narrow and almost empty; few people and less noise. A few shops were still open, their lights warm behind foggy windows. Ha-rin walked faster, hugging her coat around herself. Then she saw him. He stood on the other side of the street, under the rain. At first, she did not think much of it. People stood in the rain all the time. Maybe he was waiting for someone. But something felt wrong. The rain fell everywhere—on the road, on the cars, on Ha-rin’s hair and shoulders. But not on him. The drops stopped just above his head, like an invisible wall surrounded him. His coat was dry. His hair did not move. He stood perfectly still, looking at nothing. Ha-rin slowed down, while looking at him. “Okay,” she whispered to herself. “I’m tired. That’s all.” She took another step, and still looking at him. That was when he looked at her. Their eyes met. Ha-rin felt her breath stop, a strange feeling emerged within her; standing still and not being able to move a feet. She didn’t move while looking at him not because he was handsome—though he was, in a calm and quiet way. His face looked serious, clean, and almost unreal, like he did not belong to the street. What froze her was his expression. His eyes looked old. Not tired. Sad. And Old. Like someone who had seen too much, lived too long_and suffered too much. “You,” he said suddenly. His voice was low, clear, and steady. “You should go home.” Ha-rin blinked. “What?” making an irritated face. “This place is not safe for you,” he continued, his eyes never leaving her face. “leave.” She frowned. “What are you talking about? Are you one of my stalker?...They never learned" she added. "Do you want to take a picture....?, come here so I can go on" she removed her cap. The man didn't speak for a moment, it's as if he has found what he have been looking for. He goes near to the girl and look at her more closely, as if searching for something in her face. For a moment, his calm expression cracked. Just a little. He didn’t move for a moment he stand steadily, while looking at her. But his eyes are about to cry. “You shouldn’t be here,” he said again, softer this time. “If you stay, you’ll get hurt.” Before Ha-rin could reply, thunder exploded in the sky. She flinched. And when she looked back— He was gone. Not walking away. Not running. Just gone. Ha-rin rushed forward, her shoes splashing in the water. “Hey! Where did you—” There was no one. No footsteps. No shadow. No sign that anyone had ever been there. Her heart started to race. “This is ridiculous,” she said out loud. “I’m imagining things.” But even as she said it, her hands were shaking. The next day she goes to the set, and still thinking about the man she met at the street, still wondering. And because of that she mess up a lot. As she was dressing in the changing room, there is a lantern to be use for the filming, as she go near it something came to her mind, a different memory entwined with her own memory, making her lost consciousness. ✦ ✦ ✦ Do Min-joon had lived on Earth for more than four hundred years. He did not come here by choice. Long ago, something fell from the sky. People called it a star. Others called it a miracle. Some called it a curse. Min-joon remembered the pain of impact. The burning light. The silence afterward. He lost his consciousness. When he woke up, the world was different. He was inside a hut. Beside him is a girl, who saved him. He wanted to express his gratitude but he can't speak the human language. He looked human. But can't speak their language . He could blend in, thanks for the girl who made him that. But he was not human. He is different. He did not age. His body healed too fast. He could hear sounds from far away, move faster than normal people, and disappear when needed. There was only one rule he had to follow: Do not interfere. Do not get attached. And when the time comes, return. But the girl whom she met made him break all this rules. But in this world nothing is forever. Just like that girl. At first, he tried to live like them. He made friends. He laughed. And he learned to love. But he paid the price. He watched everyone he cared about grow old. leave. And die in his arms. He moved on, but not on his lover, she was like a descending moon to the darkness of his night. But she died in his arms. He stayed alone all throughout his journey, not wanting to feel the despair again. Over the centuries, he changed his name, his job, his home. He became a doctor, a scholar, a professor. In the modern world, he became something even easier. A neighbor no one noticed. Until her. The moment Min-joon saw Yoon Ha-rin standing in the rain, his chest tightened. Because her face was different. But her eyes— Her eyes were the same. The same eyes as the woman who died in his arms four hundred years ago. ✦ ✦ ✦ The next day, headlines exploded. "FAMOUS ACTRESS YOON HA-RIN COLLAPSES ON SET" Ha-rin woke up in a hospital bed with a dull pain in her head. Her manager stood beside her, arms crossed, clearly angry and worried. Manager Kim has been with her since she started her career as an actress. “You fainted,” he said. “Doctor says it’s stress. You need rest.” But Ha-rin wasn’t listening. Her mind replayed the rain. The man. His voice. But she kept on thinking if it is true or not. "Do believe in magic Manager Kim? Like vanishing and barrier from the rain?" She said while looking at manager Kim making a poker face. "I don't " replied by Manager Kim. "Why" "Because that's not true and it would be impossible, I didn't even see one" "Yeah,that's true and even if that's true it would be unfair for other who get wet by the rain" said by her in a disappointed way. "Anyway, you have to rest first, I will cancel all your schedules today, and stop thinking about nonsense things" added by manager kim "Yes, I won't think of that cheat magic" When she returned home, she noticed something new. The apartment across from hers, which had been empty for months, now had lights on. Later, as she stepped into the hallway, a door opened. And there he was. The same man. Same face. Same calm eyes. Dry. Perfectly dry. Ha-rin’s heart dropped. “It’s you,” she said. “From the rain.” Min-joon stared at her, shock flashing across his face. “…You live here?” he asked quietly. She swallowed. “Yes, so you really are my stalker?” Min-joon didn't reply. For the first time in four hundred years, Min-joon felt fear. Fear of something that might happened again.. This girl in front of him resemble his first love. He firmly believe that she has come back for him. She was here. The one he has been waiting for. Alive. Looking at him. Waiting for answers.