After his discussion with his agent ended, Yuan Chuan You returned to his rented apartment, holding the printed 'Guidelines for Entertainers' he'd been given.
He had the next day off and would attend the script reading for the second episode of '49' the day after.
After eating dinner and taking a shower, the young man sat down at his desk and pulled a fresh stack of manuscript paper from the drawer.
"Alright, let's begin. The first chapter of Love Letter..."
Yuan Chuan You murmured to himself as his pen touched the paper, words flowing onto the page like water.
...
The story began with a snowfall.
Watanabe Hiroko stood before someone's grave, snowflakes landing on her black overcoat.
After paying respects on the anniversary of Fujii Itsuki's death, she secretly copied down his middle school address in Otaru. It was an address that no longer existed, but she still wanted to send a letter.
Clutching the slip of paper with the old address, Watanabe Hiroko finally dropped the letter into the mailbox.
It was a love letter addressed to heaven.
"Fujii Itsuki, how are you? I'm doing fine."
Watanabe Hiroko expected no reply; this was merely her final farewell to her fiancé, who had died in a mountaineering accident three years ago.
Strangely, however, she actually received a reply not long after, signed with the same name: "Fujii Itsuki".
The handwriting on the reply was delicate and elegant, and one could almost sense the other person's confusion through the words.
"Who are you? I'm doing fine, just have a bit of a cold."
Puzzled by this response, Watanabe Hiroko followed the address and discovered that there were two people named Fujii Itsuki in the world—the one who had passed away was the male Fujii Itsuki, and the one who had replied was a female Fujii Itsuki with the exact same name, who had also been his middle school classmate.
And so, within the back-and-forth correspondence, a story of unrequited love began to unfold.
...
After writing for an unknown amount of time, Yuan Chuan You glanced at the densely packed characters and paused his hand.
Although he had already decided to make this novel his debut work, he was still struck by the profound emotions contained within the text as he actually put pen to paper.
The magic of Love Letter's story didn't lie in ornate prose, but in the single theme that permeated the entire narrative—"unfinished love".
The male Fujii Itsuki had written his name over and over again on library checkout cards but had never truly confessed. Years later, the female Fujii Itsuki would discover that all those names on the cards were, in fact, love letters written to her.
Everyone's youth contains, to some degree, footnotes of regret, which is why Love Letter could move so many people.
Unrequited love is bitter, but the act of loving someone can also provide the continuous strength to carry on.
"Seriously, thank goodness I don't have to suffer the pains of lovesickness~"
Stretching with all his might, Yuan Chuan You glanced at the alarm clock beside him. It was almost midnight. He decided to turn in early for the day.
He still had all of tomorrow to write. This fulfilling life felt very satisfying.
----------------------------------------------------------
On Saturday morning, Yuan Chuan You woke up at six-thirty, having slept well the night before.
Starting today, he would begin his morning training; after all, he needed to run to gain experience points for the [Long-Distance Runner] entry.
After glancing at the system panel and washing his face, Yuan Chuan You left his apartment.
He crossed the sidewalk with an even pace, each of the young man's steps having just the right amount of spring.
His long legs, outlined in sharp lines by his black athletic pants, moved in a steady rhythm as he ran, the morning breeze lifting the hem of his shirt.
[Production Queue 1: Long-Distance Runner]
[EXP: 2/100]
[EXP: 3/100]
[EXP: 4/100]
Yuan Chuan You emulated the standard running form from a workout video, having heard it could reduce stress on the body.
His back was straight, his long arms swinging rhythmically at his waist, and the balls of his feet landed almost silently.
Beads of sweat from the exertion rolled down his defined jawline, paused briefly in the hollow of his collarbone, and finally disappeared into his sweat-soaked collar.
While waiting for a red light at an intersection, two high school girls were sipping milk through straws.
"Look... is he a model?"
"He's even better than the ones in magazines..."
Before she could finish, Yuan Chuan You raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead. The taut muscle lines of his forearm caused one of the girls—the one with short hair who had been stealing glances—to suddenly choke, splattering milk on her uniform skirt.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
"Aimi, are you okay?"
"I'm fine... hey, where'd that handsome guy go?"
The two schoolgirls looked around but found that the young man's figure was already long gone.
After a two-hour morning run, Yuan Chuan You returned to his apartment drenched in sweat. Numerous experience notifications had already popped up on the system panel.
[Production Queue 1: Long-Distance Runner]
[EXP: 11/100]
[EXP: 12/100]
[EXP: 13/100]
"Feels pretty good. At this rate, I might finish the [Long-Distance Runner] entry around the same time as Love Letter."
In high spirits, the young man headed into the bathroom.
After a shower, it was time to get back to writing his novel.
---------------------------------------------------------
On Sunday morning, after the script reading for the second episode of '49' concluded, the actors began leaving the conference room in small groups.
As a supporting actor, Yuan Chuan You sat alone in a corner of the room, continuing to outline the rest of Love Letter. He had already finished the first two chapters over the past two days.
"Yuan Chuan-san~"
A clear voice called out from behind him. He turned to find Sakurajima Mai leaning against the doorframe, the corners of her lips curved into a half-smile.
The dark-haired girl was dressed simply in a baseball jersey and jeans, her silky long hair cascading freely. Her fresh, beautiful face could still capture anyone's attention.
"What is it?"
Yuan Chuan You closed his manuscript and asked, a little puzzled.
Sakurajima Mai walked closer, her gaze falling on the manuscript paper in his hands. "Hmph, hmph, is this the official work Yuan Chuan-san is preparing to submit?"
"Yeah."
"Can I take a look at it first?"
"But I haven't finished it yet. How about you wait a bit longer, Sakurajima-san? I'll show it to you once it's done."
Following an unfinished work is painful. He didn't want Sakurajima Mai constantly thinking about the rest of the book; that would be a hassle.
"That won't do. Didn't you promise me, Yuan Chuan-san? I have to be your first reader."
The girl crossed her arms, refusing to back down, her beautiful violet eyes staring straight into his.
"...Alright, fine. But I've only written two chapters so far, so the plot hasn't really developed yet."
"That's okay! Quick, let me see."
She eagerly took the manuscript paper and casually flipped through a couple of pages.
And then—
Sakurajima Mai's expression began to gradually change.
At first, it was curiosity and anticipation, then a focused frown, and finally, her fingertips came to rest on a certain page, remaining there for a long time.
After another moment, Sakurajima Mai turned her face away, her voice somewhat muffled.
"Yuan Chuan-san, are you planning to write a tragedy?"
"I wouldn't call it a tragedy. I'm just writing about regret."
"..."
The girl lowered her head again, her fingers gently brushing over the three characters for 'Fujii Itsuki' on the manuscript. The rims of her eyes were a little red.
As an actress who had debuted as a child star, she had read countless scripts, but never had a story used such simple prose to depict the most moving 'empty spaces' of unrequited love.
Those unsaid words, those thoughts hidden in the details, were like the warm winter sun—so gentle it made one's heart ache.
The next moment, Sakurajima Mai suddenly leaned close to Yuan Chuan You, a fragrant scent washing over his face.
The girl whispered, "Next time, bring me the rest of the story to read."
"No refusals. You promised me!"
With that, Sakurajima Mai turned and left with a flourish, as if her emotional display just now had never happened.
"..."
Yuan Chuan You let out a long sigh of relief and then whispered to himself.
"At least... the reaction was pretty good."
________________________________________
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