FYN Chapter 7 | Landing Point
Chapter 7 | Landing Point
When he regained consciousness, the first thing Cao Yisen heard was the sound of the sea.
The sound came intermittently through the window.
He opened his eyes; the sky was gray, as if it had just rained.
The room wasn't big, but it was very clean. There was a Busan subway map on the wall, the edges of which were a little curled.
He paused for a few seconds, realizing this wasn't New York. It wasn't even similar.
There was a slight sense of unfamiliarity with my body, a weight that didn't feel entirely my own.
Cao Yisen sat up and looked down at his hands.
Her skin was light, and her fingers were long and slender, but she looked younger and thinner than I remembered.
He instinctively touched his chest; his heartbeat was steady.
There was a cell phone on the table, not the model he usually used. The screen was lit, displaying an unread message.
At the top of the lock screen, the time is clearly displayed:
7:10 AM
Ethan's breath hitched for a moment.
It's not because of the year. It's because of the Korean text below.
"Your Nuna said she'd be back tonight."
He stared at the line of text for a long time. He could read Korean, and that in itself spoke volumes.
He got out of bed and walked to the mirror. The man in the mirror looked very young.
He looked to be in his early twenties. His features were clean-cut, but he possessed a calmness that was not typical of a student.
Unfamiliar, yet not entirely unfamiliar.
They stared at each other for a few seconds, and suddenly a name popped into their minds.
Cao Yisen.
It's not Ethan Chow. But the pronunciation is almost the same.
His memories seemed to be slowly unlocked.
It doesn't all come in at once, but emerges little by little.
She grew up in Busan and was adopted. Her surname is Cao.
The original owner of this body was not an only child.
He has an older sister, but not by blood.
But in all the documents, in all the titles, it is clearly stated that—
sister.
Cao Rouli.
The moment the name appeared, Cao Yisen's mind went blank for a second.
He had certainly heard of that name.
Member of IZ*ONE.
Her group contract is about to expire, putting her at an extremely delicate juncture.
A career restart. High level of attention. Yet equally fragile.
Memories continue to surface.
This "he" was adopted into this family when he was very young.
Legally they are family, but in real life they have always maintained a certain distance.
They weren't mistreated, but they never truly integrated.
There was a light knock on the door, and then the door was pushed open.
"You're awake?"
The woman's voice was soft, tinged with weariness.
Cao Yisen turned around.
The person standing at the door was wearing a hat and a mask, with their hair casually tied up.
Even so, he recognized him at a glance.
Not the kind shown on stage.
Instead, it's more authentic—the feeling of someone who has just finished a trip and hasn't yet shed the weight of life.
"Come and get something to eat."
Breakfast was actually a little cold. The fried egg was a bit hard on the edges, and the toast wasn't spread with jam; it was just placed on a plate.
Cao Yisen sat at the table, eating very slowly.
Because this body was much lighter than he remembered.
He looked down at his wrist.
It's slender, with a distinctly bony shape. Even when holding chopsticks, it feels like you're not using much force.
No wonder it's easily overlooked.
The thought flashed through his mind, but he immediately suppressed it.
The sound of water coming from the kitchen.
Cao Rouli stood in front of the sink washing cups, her hair casually tied up, her hoodie loose, making her look a bit disheveled.
She seemed to have just come to the end of a very long period. It was an emptiness, like "finally coming to a stop."
What time did you go to bed last night?
She asked casually.
"I don't quite remember."
Cao Yisen replied that this was not a perfunctory response, but rather that he genuinely did not quite remember.
She put the cup down, leaned against the counter, and glanced at him.
Have you lost weight recently?
Cao Yisen was taken aback.
"That's how it is."
She frowned slightly, then quickly relaxed.
"Too."
"You don't eat much."
She turned around and took a bottle of water from the refrigerator. The movement was practiced, as if she did it every day.
"IZ*ONE is disbanding."
She suddenly spoke.
Cao Yisen looked up at her but did not reply.
He knew he shouldn't interrupt at a time like this.
"Actually, I knew this would happen."
She continued, "I've just been so busy that I haven't had time to really think about it."
She unscrewed the cap and took a sip.
"Now that it's really over, it feels a bit..."
She thought for a moment, then said, "Empty."
The kitchen was quiet for a while, with only the slight hum of the refrigerator.
Cao Yisen nodded.
"What are your plans for the next step?"
Cao Rouli smiled.
"Of course we should continue."
She said, "Otherwise, what does all these years mean?"
"We just have to find a new path."
She looked at Cao Yisen, her gaze lingering on him for a while.
It was as if she had suddenly remembered something.
"And you?"
She asked, "What are you doing right now?"
This is a very natural question.
But this made Cao Yisen pause for a moment.
His brain instinctively tried to provide a "reasonable answer".
But this body doesn't have a ready-made resume.
"It's not decided yet."
This time, he didn't force himself to make up anything.
Cao Rouli hummed in agreement.
No further questions were asked.
He just leaned against the table and thought for a few seconds.
Then, as if mentioning it casually, he said:
"How about I introduce you to a job?"
Cao Yisen looked up.
Which one?
he asks.
"Go to Seoul."
she says.
It's just three very simple words.
Entertainment Company
"...?"
"Not as an entertainer."
She quickly added, "You're not suitable."
This statement was made very naturally, without any malice.
"The company is actually a bit short-staffed."
She continued, "Operations, planning, assistants, and things like that."
"If you don't mind, you can learn something by starting from the bottom."
She looked at Cao Yisen, not with anticipation.
More like a kind of—
The tone of "If you're lost, I can lend you a hand."
Cao Yisen did not answer immediately.
He looked down at his hands. His hands were still clean.
I have never wielded capital, nor crossed any ethical boundaries. I have never been tainted by the mire of capital.
Seoul…
He repeated it softly, in a very low voice.
Cao Rouli nodded.
"Yes, Seoul."
"You're not planning to stay in Busan forever, are you?"
Cao Yisen looked up at her.
"sure."
"When?"
Cao Rouli paused for a moment, then smiled.
"You agreed so quickly?"
He didn't laugh, but simply said calmly:
I want to give it a try.
She nodded.
"Then I'll ask around for you."
"But let me make this clear beforehand—"
She paused for a moment, then said, "It's not that easy over there."
Cao Yisen responded.
"I know."
Of course he knew, he knew it better than anyone else.
As breakfast was nearing its end, the kitchen became quiet.
The plates were stacked together, making a slight clinking sound.
Cao Rouli was washing the cups, keeping the water on a low boil, as if afraid of disturbing something.
She suddenly sighed, not a heavy sigh, but more like an unconscious one.
"actually……"
She paused for a moment, "I've really been struggling to manage my time lately."
Cao Yisen looked up at her.
She didn't look at him, she just stared at the flowing water.
"When IZ*ONE's contract was about to expire, their schedule suddenly became very strange."
She said, "Before, I was pushed forward, but now I have to make my own decisions."
She put the cup down and wiped her hands with a towel.
"They should be more free, right?"
She smiled, "But I'm even more nervous now."
Cao Yisen nodded.
"When there are more choices, people become more afraid."
He said.
She paused for a moment, then glanced at him.
"How come you've suddenly become so eloquent?" she said, half-seriously and half-jokingly.
Cao Yisen did not respond.
She didn't pursue the matter further, but leaned against the kitchen counter and scrolled through her phone a few times.
"Oh, right."
She looked up. "I have a lunch appointment."
Cao Yisen grunted in response.
"It's Yenayo's."
She added, "I thought we could have a meal together."
When she mentioned this name, her tone noticeably softened.
"She seems to be adjusting quite well lately."
Cao Rouli continued, "Variety shows, programs, invitations, they're constantly coming in."
Sometimes I envy her.
She was very frank, "At least the direction is clear."
Cao Yisen thought for a moment.
"She knows what she's suited for."
Cao Rouli gave a soft "hmm".
"yes."
"So this time she asked me if I wanted to come along too."
This time, she looked at Cao Yisen, as if seriously waiting for his reaction.
"You don't have to force yourself."
She added, "It's just about having a meal and chatting."
"I just feel..."
She paused for a moment, as if searching for a reason that wouldn't seem abrupt.
"You've been staying home a lot lately, it must be pretty boring."
Cao Yisen looked at her.
At that moment, he knew very well that she wasn't simply asking "Do you want to come together?"
She was trying to pull him back to reality in a clumsy yet gentle way.
"I don't have much to do at home," he said. "It'll be good to go out for a walk."
Cao Rouli visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
"That's great."
Then, as if suddenly realizing something, her tone softened.
"Actually, I don't really want to go alone either."
This statement was made casually, yet it was also very true.
"When the group was together, there were always lots of people wherever we went."
She said, "Now that it's suddenly less, something just doesn't feel right."
She lowered her head and smiled.
"Maybe I haven't gotten used to it yet."
Cao Yisen stood up and put away his cup as well.
"Let's do it together then."
She looked up at Cao Yisen. This time, her smile was genuine.
"OK."
When he went back to his room to change his coat, he could sense a subtle change. It wasn't a big deal, but the atmosphere just felt less open.
In the entryway, she had already changed her shoes, put on her hat, and adjusted her scarf.
"Don't be too reserved when you see Ruina later," she said. "She has a very straightforward personality."
"I know."
Cao Yisen answered.
She glanced at him.
"Have you really met before?"
"Hmm," he said, "Not exactly familiar, but not strangers either."
She didn't ask any further questions.
He simply uttered a soft "oh".
It was a bit cold in the hallway when the door closed.
Cao Rouli walked ahead, her pace slow.
Thank you for being with me.
She suddenly said.
Cao Yisen was taken aback.
"It's not just me accompanying you," he said, "it's together."
She paused for a moment, then smiled.
"Too."
When the elevator goes down,
She leaned against the wall, looking down at her phone.
Cao Yisen watched the constantly changing floor numbers.
He thought to himself. This meal wasn't a social occasion for him.
Rather, it's a way to reconnect the world.