Unlike the usual high, blue autumn sky, it had been dark and cloudy since this morning. The weather wasn’t bad — fine dust had simply covered the sky like clouds[1]. The hazy air made it seem as though it would rain at any moment; it was one of those days when people felt down for no reason.

Woo-Jin felt relatively calm after the press conference, but that didn’t mean he was elated. Just like the gray sky, his chest was filled with fine dust. Perhaps, he looked somewhat sad. Before getting into the car after leaving the hotel where the press conference was held, Woo-Jin’s face didn’t seem to suggest he was the victor; instead, he looked dispirited and a little sad.

A video journalist happened to be in the right position at the right time and quickly captured the look on Chae Woo-Jin’s face. He didn’t look like the arrogant and cold-hearted Chae Woo-Jin throughout the press conference — he looked like a 24-year-old young man who had been wounded. Being strong didn’t mean he wasn’t in pain.

During the press conference, the steadfast young man was more confident than anyone else. Yet, as he stared blankly in front of him, it seemed as though he was feeling lonely and empty for a moment. He was still more beautiful than anyone else, but no, that was why he looked even more heartbroken.

<An unscathed reputation and hurt feelings>

Fortunately, that was the article's title that was published alongside the aforementioned photo of Chae Woo-Jin. Chae Woo-Jin looked very different from his usual self during the...