The Popular Project

A sigh of relief escaped from her mouth while she leaned back against the chair.

The corner of her red lips was curled up to a smile as she lifted up her glass of wine and took a sip out of it elegantly.

She looked as if she was finally free. After all, all the burdens were lifted off of her shoulder, and for the first time in years, she felt like this. There was nothing suffocating anymore.

Finally, satisfaction came to her, and there was nothing left for her to regret. Everything ended well.

Even if she had to die at this moment, she wouldn't be hating it for she, Min Yura, had achieved everything in life.

Right now, she could relate to a caged bird who had been set free after years.

Softly she placed her glass on the table, and her gaze moved to the man before her. His eyes stared at her intensely.

As expected, she wasn't able to read those dark eyes of it. Despite of having to spend all the time with him, he remained to be a mystery to her. 

Now that she thought about it, this is part of his charms. The fact that no one was able to predict him added on to his allure.

Right now, she was able to discern a small frown that appeared on his face after a closer look. 

The black hair of his was styled neatly, and he was dressed formally in a navy blue suit. From the noble air around him, one was easily able to guess his status.

A beauty mark sat below his left eye, accentuating his looks, and if it wasn't for the strong pressure one felt around him, they wouldn't be able to avoid looking away from him. 

Everything about was like a magnet.

Pushing her chair back, Yura stood up. Her eyes appeared to be completely calm while she bowed at the man before her.

"This is our last meeting, President Ryu," she clearly said, "Thank you for everything. It was because of that I was able to achieve this, and nothing can compare to what you have done for me. In my heart, you will always be remembered."

After stealing one more glance of the male, she turned to walk away. Each of her steps showed how resolute she was.

"Wait up!"

Hearing the man call for her, she faced him. His chair was pushed back as he stood up, and she noticed how he was able to make his way towards her.

"Please don't take a step forward, President Ryu. I want this to be the last meeting between both of us. I beg of you to not make the things hard for me. I want to move on from the past. Forget about it and lead a peaceful life. I won't be able to do it if you are by my side," she expressed.

Once again, she moved away her gaze from him after exchanging her last words with him.

°°°

Min Yura was amazed at her courage to do so once she had exited the room, and a gleeful smile appeared on her face. Extending her hand towards her chest, she touched it.

Feeling her heart beat in it wildly, she felt invigorated, and for a second there, her mind went back to the days wehn everything was way too dull to her.

Back when she was sinking to the bottom of the dark abyss.

At that time, she hadn't expected to escape from it and end up getting to this point in life. Once she thought that she was forever destined a life trapped with sadness.

Looking back at the closed door behind her, her eyes were filled with gratefulness. She remembered about how Ryu Yejoon had made this new life possible for her.

The gratitude she had towards him wouldn't be erased no matter how much she wanted to erase the past.

Shaking her head, she started to walk forward elegantly while her mind felt completely free of thoughts. No longer did she feel as if she had to force herself to stay alert and feel anxious.

°°°

Opening the door, Min Yura stepped into her apartment and stared around it. A certain type of nostalgia hit her, and the rooms seemed to be exactly as how she has left them.

As Yura removed her shoes, a figure noticed her presence and peeked her head out from the kitchen to look at her. There was a infectious smile on her face while a twinkle was present in her eyes.

"Yura, you are early. I just started to prepare dinner for you; I doubt that you were able to eat anything with Ryu Yejoon," the girl said.

"Thank you, Mirae," Yura voiced out as she stepped into the kitchen.

The delicious smell of the food spread through the air, and it has been a long time since she has smelt Mirae's cooking. The warmth immediately filled her chest.

Moving her hands forward towards Mirae, Yura pulled her into a tight hug and whispered, "This is all over finally. I really missed you a lot."

Knowing the emotions the girl was feeling in this moment quite well, Mirae wrapped her hands around Yura and patted on her arm in order to provide comfort to her.

"Hmm, I know. I am really proud of Yura. Now, you can smile as much as you want without being worried. I am relieved that things went this way. Why don't we go on a small trip to celebrate this?"

Pulling back from the hug, Mirae stared at Yura with a questioning expression while she mumbled, "A trip?"

"Yeah, I think a trip would be perfect for this moment. How long had it been since you have last enjoyed yourself? 

We can go to anywhere you prefer and do anything you want. This is my gift towards you for hanging on to until now," Mirae expressed.

Clapping both of her hands together, she responded, "That sounds great. I have a couple more places to visit, and after that, let's go on a trip."

"Are you sure that you want to? Haven't you let go of the past?" Mirae vocalised— her voice showing her concern.

"Of course I did," Yura answered, "Don't worry. It's not as if I am depressed or something. You can call it something similar to curiosity. Just one last time I want to see them."

°°°

Picking up her spoon, Yura took a sip out of the spoon in front of her, and as the taste spread through her tongue, a content expression formed on her face. No words could describe how much she actually missed this.

"How did Ryu Yejoon react? After all, what you had between you two wasn't ordinary, and you really broke it off. He must have been shocked."

"I suppose so," she replied, "But I am glad that he did not push on the matter further. 

In the end, this relationship between us was akin to a contract one— both parties getting into it for the sake of their personal goals. I am sure that he would want to break free from me as well."

"Ryu Yejoon could be irritating, but you know, he wasn't a bad man. At one point, I even thought that you had some kinds of feelings towards him and vice versa. Both of you relied on each other a lot."

Min Yura laughed and vocalised, "We were just too dependent on each other. I might have fallen for him though if we were different situations."

"Forget about it all then. Although you are grateful towards him, there is no need to think about him any longer. You might get upset about the past," Mirae vocalised, "I am just happy to have you back like this."

°°°

As Yura was seated on the bed, her eyes stared at the photo in her hand, and a smile spread through her face. Never had she imagined she would be able to calmly stare at this photo again.

In the picture, she was holding hands with an attractive young man while a shy expression was present on her face. One could easily decipher how the two of them was a couple.

"Lee Youngjae," she enunciated, "You never imagined that I will win at the end, did you?"

As she closed her eyes, a memory flashed through her eyes.

°°°

Cheerfully, Mirae opened the door to the classroom the course was being held at and stepped into the room. Her eye wandered around the room in order to search for a familiar figure.

Upon noticing him, a wide grin appeared on her face, and she made her way over to him. But something then caught her eyes, causing her to stop in her steps.

She saw how he was holding on to the hand of some other woman, and a sharp ache went through her chest. Taking in a deep breath, she shook her head and tried to calm herself down before making his way over to him.

She convinced herself that there might be a reason behind it.