Reese, who showed an angelic smile that seemed far from ‘evil,’ spoke to the photographer in a cute voice. Her few words made everyone on set burst into laughter.
Reese was the mood maker on any set, never showing signs of struggle. She always encouraged and took care of the staff with her bright demeanor.
On days when the shoot dragged on, she was known in the industry as a wingless angel, often buying snacks out of her own pocket to ensure the staff had their meals.
“This is the last shoot, right? You’ve worked hard!”
Finally finished with the shoot, Reese got into the van under the guidance of her manager, Diego.
Diego had been supporting Reese since her debut.
“What time is it?”
Reese, erasing her soft demeanor, asked Diego for the time in a sharp voice.
“It’s midnight. Why, are you going to call again?”
“Ugh, I’m going crazy! I miss you so much, I really do!”
Reese roughly tousled her hair.
How many weeks, no, months had it been since she last saw him?
“Diego, you know, right? If I call, he might pick up once out of ten times. If I don’t go see him, there’s no news at all?”
Hmph! Reese’s plump lips pouted out.
“This shoot was long, so I haven’t been in Korea. I bet the vice president feels a bit empty without you.”
The new film she was working on was set in Canada, and she had just returned after over two months of shooting abroad.
Even then, she was so busy with her schedule that she barely had time to breathe after arriving in London.
And today, she had finally thought about visiting Ryan, but the shooting schedule changed, preventing her from going.
“Tomorrow, I’ll finally get to see him. Diego, make sure to come at the right time tomorrow!”
After sending Diego off, Reese entered the entrance of her apartment.
“I’m exhausted.”
As soon as Reese got into the elevator, she leaned her back against the wall. Letting out a deep sigh, she threw her bag onto the sofa as soon as she entered her home.
“Today was a bit tough.”
It had been a long time since she had seen Ryan’s face, which was healing just by looking at it.
Reese opened a square box on her desk and put a cigarette in her mouth.
Tap-tap.
She took a deep drag from the lit cigarette and exhaled the smoke.
“Phew.”
If Reese were seen smoking while looking out the window, all her fans would be shocked and faint.
It was because it was a look that didn’t match her current image at all.
“I thought I was going to die.”
Reese relied on only two things.
Ryan and cigarettes.
On days when she couldn’t see Ryan, the number of cigarettes she smoked increased.
She felt like she was going to die from wanting to smoke.
Yet, there was still something unfulfilled.
Loneliness.
Reese’s home was like an icebox in winter and cool in summer. It was that devoid of warmth.
Reese’s father, who suddenly became rich through real estate investment, couldn’t shake off his lowly character even after becoming wealthy.
Habitually hitting her mother, her father left her mother bruised and bleeding, crying.
With verbal and physical abuse, her mother couldn’t live a sane life. The only relief was that he never laid a hand on Reese.
For some time, Reese had faced her mother’s tears that flowed at any moment.
To Reese, her mother was a kind person like a friend, the only shield protecting her. Even when her mother wasn’t in her right mind, there was never a doubt about her love for Reese.
But the mother she trusted turned her back on this world, leaving only Reese behind. She couldn’t overcome her depression.
If she truly loved Reese, if she loved herself, wouldn’t she have endured no matter what happened?
At just 17 years old, Reese was left feeling lost and scared, wondering how she was supposed to live after her mother’s death.
Feeling a sense of betrayal, as if she had been abandoned, she missed her mother terribly.
When thoughts of not wanting to live filled her mind, Reese had a fleeting bad thought on the rooftop of her school.
She wanted to jump.
On the day she lost her rationality and thought about going to her mother, it was Ryan who held her back.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
That one phrase hit Reese hard. The words that told her not to do that still lingered deep in her heart.
It seemed to start from that moment. She thought that this man could protect her.
Reese, who didn’t want to live, gradually began to think she wanted to live. Just being next to Ryan made her heart feel at ease.
