Epilogue
FIVE MONTHS LATER
FATED DESTINY ENDS UP BEING LABELED “THE most controversial show of the year” and ranked at the top of the ratings of its season.
Not all the attention is good—Minjee and I had to put our social medias on private to avoid some of the hate we got—but I do receive offers to audition for more movies and TV shows, which is more than I thought I’d be getting from this fallout.
In the end, though, Minjee and I both decide to take a break from the entertainment industry to focus on school. I love acting, but after all the craziness and drama related to Fated Destiny , I missed the relative peace of being a student.
“Now that the semester’s over, do you want to slowly ease back into the industry?” Sophia asks me on the phone. “I know Korean summer vacations aren’t super long, but maybe you can take some time to audition! You got some pretty amazing offers. Even ones from Hollywood!”
“Dang, you go, girl!” Minjee says, patting me on the shoulder.
I have Sophia on speaker, since Minjee and I are in her family’s car, driving to the beach where we shot the last scene of Fated Destiny . Neither of us had ever seen what the beach looked like in the summer before, so we decided to go on a road trip to get away from everything in the city.
I hesitate before giving Sophia a response. “I’ll think on it,” I say. “Can I give you my answer some other time? I want to enjoy my summer first.”
“Yes, most definitely!” Sophia says. “Enjoy being a kid. But also keep in mind that this buzz from Fated Destiny won’t last long.”
“Okay,” I reply. “Thanks, Sophia.”
I let out a deep sigh after we hang up.
“Hana!” Minjee cries out in frustration. “How long are you going to take a break from the industry? Hollywood wants you! You should at least audition.”
“I know, I know,” I reply. “But our lives pretty much blew up because of the show. I don’t really want to experience that again anytime soon.”
Minjee’s expression softens. “Okay, fair.”
Even though everything ultimately worked out, things were very stressful for a while.
Outside of all the chaos of social media and the news, I was lucky that my parents accepted me when I came out right away.
But Minjee’s parents didn’t talk to her for a whole month, avoiding her whenever they could.
For the longest time, we were afraid that she was going to get kicked out and were actually surprised when Minjee’s parents—albeit begrudgingly—accepted her sexuality in the end.
“What if me being in the spotlight again brings more attention to us? To you?” I ask softly, placing a hand on her cheek. Minjee looks down at my hand, her expression unreadable.
“Miss?” says the driver then. “We’re here.”
“Thank you.” Minjee pulls away from me to get out of the car.
I follow suit, getting out on my side.
We don’t say anything to each other for a while as we walk along the beach.
Everything else around us is totally different from the way it was when we shot scenes here several months ago.
Instead of being gray and stormy, the sky is bright blue with not a cloud in sight.
The sand, which looked so pale before, is golden with warm sunlight.
And probably the most striking is the number of people crowded along the beach, a stark contrast from how deserted this place was before.
Minjee stops so abruptly that I almost run into her.
“You shouldn’t let your fear of what might happen to us prevent you from pursuing your dreams,” she blurts out.
“I took a hiatus from the industry because I wanted to. It’s something I’ve been meaning to do for a long time.
I never loved acting like you do, and I want to find something else that I’m passionate about. Don’t worry about me.”
“I know that.” I sigh, looking down at the sand. “I appreciate you telling me that, though. I’m just... scared, I guess. What happened with our show was amazing, but then people started scrutinizing our every move. It made me wonder if everything we did was worth it.”
“It was,” Minjee says, sounding absentminded. “Hana, look.”
She points at the coastline, where we filmed the final scene of Fated Destiny . There are so many people along the beach, so at first I have no idea what she wants me to look at.
But then I spot them.
Two girls walk side by side, dressed in school uniforms, just like how Minjee and I were when we shot our scene.
They look like they’re in middle school, maybe a few years younger than us.
Even though they’re holding hands, at first glance, they look like they’re just friends.
But as I watch, the taller one leans down and kisses the other girl on the forehead, just like how I kissed Minjee in the last episode of Fated Destiny .
My heart feels like it’s grown five sizes. I’m filled with so much warmth and happiness that I can’t even say a single word.
“So, the real reason why I wanted to bring you here,” Minjee says with a sly grin, “is because I heard that ever since our show ended, this beach became a prime location for fans of the show. Namely the queer fans. Apparently, this was formerly a key location for Goblin and other K-dramas and even a BTS music video at one point. But now queer teens are claiming this beach as their own.”
“We did that?” I say when I’m finally able to speak. Tears prickle at the corners of my eyes as I spot yet another pair of girls walking side by side together.
“Yup,” Minjee replies. “Well, you did. Because it was your idea.”
“To be fair, it started off as a joke.” I laugh, my voice sounding weird and garbled since I’m trying so hard not to start bawling.
Minjee laughs. “As many ingenious ideas do. But don’t you see?
We need more queer content on TV, especially in K-dramas.
And we need queer actresses like you to help people feel seen.
This may be selfish of me, but I’m certainly not going to be one of them.
The more I spend time away from it, the more I realize acting really isn’t for me.
But you, Hana? You live and breathe acting.
I can see it every time we’re together on set.
You should see the way your eyes light up when you’re in character! Please don’t give this up.”
I laugh and pull Minjee into a hug. “I love you,” I say. “Thank you for everything.”
“I love you, too.”
She nestles her head against my shoulder. We stay there like that for a long moment, staring out into the turquoise waters.
And then, when I’m ready, I call Sophia back.