Defective Banana - Chapter 43

Ara quietly went over her next steps. If she went back to the Sang-ah Mansion, she’d have to face Donghee’s disappointed expression… and Kang Seohyuk would definitely come find her.

She now understood what it meant to live as the girlfriend of a celebrity — terrifying, exhausting. Even if Seohyuk clung to her, grabbing at her pants, she wasn’t sure she could take him back. She could picture it, him on his knees, begging her to stay, even with Donghee watching.

That wasn’t right. She couldn’t turn him into that kind of man… or that kind of son. Which meant she had to leave first.

Since she knew she couldn’t stay in the mansion, she decided to start looking for a new place and a moving company. She remembered Donghee unnie mentioning that she and her friends had booked a trip to Japan for the last weekend of December. Ara decided she’d hold out until then, then move out.

Luckily, the art pieces she’d been working on at Seohyuk’s place had already been sent to the museum before her trip to Busan. That was at least one relief.

But still… Seohyuk must be struggling a lot right now.

“…Haa…”

Ara opened the car door and stepped out. Standing there, she looked out at the vast ocean and let out a long breath.

The icy sea wind and the crashing waves stung her ears and chest. It was cold, dizzying… almost unreal.

Pulling herself back together, Ara got back into the car and started searching nearby real estate listings. After a quick look on her phone, she pulled out of the park’s parking lot and drove down the coastal road.

***

With the real estate agent, she visited a few houses near the sea. The last one they saw was her favorite — so she signed for it.

It was a quiet two-story home near the beach, surrounded by a low wall and a lawn. From its high location, the living room’s large window offered a full view of the ocean.

Behind the house, a dense mountain filled the back view, and through the trees, little yellow-feathered birds flitted about. Out of curiosity, Ara opened the window, and the tiny birds chirped softly, as if singing to each other. They were so small and adorable that she instantly fell in love with the place.

“I’ll take it,” she told the agent.

That afternoon, she met the landlord at the agency and signed a lease. She used most of her savings to get it for a surprisingly low price.

With what was left, she bought a mattress, blankets, bathroom necessities, some simple food, and then stopped by the art supply store to use up the rest of her money on canvases, paints, and brushes. Compared to the wide variety she had at the mansion, her new supplies were bare-bones — just a few basic paint colors and standard-size brushes.

Until she could move the rest of her things from Sang-ah Mansion, she’d live simply.

It wasn’t so bad, ignoring all the sticky emotions that tried to cling to her. It felt like something heavy had punched a hole straight through her chest, but she decided not to think about it.

If she was hungry, she ate. If she was sleepy, she slept. If she woke, she washed up. And the rest of the time, she painted.

She spent her days alone in the unfamiliar house without a second thought. When she couldn’t sleep, she worked on paintings until the red morning sun rose.

With no change in expression, as if she’d been born without emotions, Ara spent an entire month in silence.

***

One night, past midnight, Ara changed into outdoor clothes and slipped her car keys into her pocket. It was the day she planned to move her things out of the mansion. Worried about leaving her paintings to the movers, she decided to at least pack them herself and drove out.

Please… let Donghee unnie really be in Japan. Please, let me not run into Seohyuk. She repeated the wish over and over.

At that early hour, traffic was light, and it didn’t take long to reach Sang-ah Mansion.

Parking the car, Ara went up to her apartment, unlocked the front door, and stepped into the dark living room.

It had only been a month, but it felt like years had passed. She stood still for a moment, sighing softly as she looked around, then headed straight for her studio.

She took out a large roll of wrapping paper and spent hours carefully packing each painting by hand. They were the only possessions she truly cared about.

At 7 a.m., the movers arrived and began packing the rest of her belongings. It was still quiet, but Ara kept glancing toward the window, worried. If Donghee unnie wasn’t really on vacation, the sound of the ladder truck would surely bring her straight here.

A worker answered a call from the ladder truck driver, then stepped out to the balcony to open the wide glass doors.

A rush of freezing air hit Ara, her breath instantly turning white in the cold. She followed the worker and saw the moving truck and ladder already in place, ready to go.

They said it wouldn’t take long — there wasn’t much stuff. Ara stood off to the side of the living room, blankly watching her things being carried out.

Since Donghee unnie hadn’t shown up despite the noise, she felt certain now — she was away. Relieved, Ara kept out of the movers’ way, weaving around boxes and furniture.

While moving, her foot accidentally knocked into a potted plant a worker had pushed to the side. She caught it before it tipped over completely.

It was the eucalyptus plant Donghee unnie had taken such care of. Ara looked at it for a moment, then pulled a small notebook from her bag and scribbled a note.

[Unnie, it’s Ara. I’m leaving the tree you liked so much. Please take care of it.]

She tore out the page, folded it into a small note, and tucked it firmly between the branches before lifting the pot with both hands.

Carrying it down the hall, she placed it beside her sister’s front door and whispered, “Take care, all of you. Goodbye.”

Without anyone noticing, she finished the move and drove back toward her new home on Ganghwa Island.

Still cut off from the world, she had no idea that Kang Seohyuk’s biggest secret had just been spilled to the entire public.

***

At a glittering year-end film festival, Kang Seohyuk won Best Actor for a movie released earlier that year.

Onstage, dressed in a sharp black suit and looking even more refined than before, he drew everyone’s attention. Standing tall in the center of the quiet stage, he raised the microphone and bowed his head in greeting.

His voice was deep and smooth as he began with the usual thanks… but then he said something that made everyone freeze.

“Lastly, I want to say this before I go. I have someone I love. I hope they’re watching this broadcast right now. I miss you… a lot. I believe you already know how I feel without me spelling it out, and I’ll keep missing you and waiting for you every moment. Thank you.”

For a second, the hall went utterly still. The sudden confession had stunned them all.

Then, from the audience, a man shouted, “Kang Seohyuk, you’re a real man! That’s badass!”

The roar made everyone turn toward the voice, breaking into laughter, then cheers, clapping wildly until the whole place burned with excitement.

Camera flashes exploded. The MCs, briefly flustered, quickly congratulated him and moved on to announcing the Best Actress nominees.

But the reporters and industry people kept their eyes on Seohyuk, buzzing with activity, while viewers at home sensed the heat of the moment and dove into speculation.

He’d just admitted, in his own words, that there was already a woman in his life — silencing every rumor that had been swirling around.

From that night, countless articles about his acceptance speech flooded the internet. Photos of him on stage holding the trophy and bouquet dominated news sites and online communities, staying at the top of trending until dawn.

[Kang Seohyuk is not gay]
[Who’s the woman Kang Seohyuk misses?]

Fans swooned over his heartfelt side, calling him the ultimate one-woman man.

[He looks like a cold city guy, but he’s pure romance through and through ㅠㅠㅠ]
[Raise your hand if you’re jealous of his girlfriend… me, obviously…]
[So sweet. I’m melting!]

As comments piled up, his fan club lit up again — this time because, right after the ceremony, Kang Seohyuk had agreed to a rare entertainment interview on YouTube.

Normally, he only showed up for film premieres. For him to suddenly do an interview and say what he did… was enough to shock everyone.