Chapter 1

“Hayden.”

As soon as Eden came out of the airport departure terminal, he turned toward the voice calling his name. His silver hair, styled in a soft perm, fluttered elegantly, scattering a graceful sheen.

Dressed in a white suit, he was a sculpted beauty with striking features.

Eden’s deep-blue eyes turned toward Cheon Myeong.

“It’s been a long time, Ji Cheon Myeong.”

A delighted laugh burst from Myeong.

“It has. Has it been a year?”

Ji Cheon Myeong, with his neat black cropped hair, had a calm and polished appearance. His looks radiated the unmistakable air of a chaebol heir. Eden glanced around before asking Myeong,

“Where is she?”

“I haven’t met her yet.”

“You said you found her. Didn’t you bring her with you?”

“I contacted you as soon as I found her.”

“You should’ve brought her over while I was on my way. It took me more than twelve hours just to get here.”

“You’re so impatient.”

Myeong draped an arm familiarly over Eden’s shoulder.

“It’s been such a long time. I’m still figuring out how she’s been living.”

“Why does it matter how she’s been living? She’s going to marry me anyway.”

At Eden’s matter-of-fact declaration, Myeong’s expression turned stern.

“Who said she’s going to marry you?”

“What do you mean, who said? You still haven’t given up?”

“Give up? She was originally my fiancée.”

“That was when we were kids. That’s not the case anymore.”

“That’s true, but…”

Myeong reluctantly acknowledged the point before continuing.

“Honestly, it’s not like we can just get married whenever we want…”

“I’m just saying that’s how I feel.”

“Ha. Of course it is.”

“That’s how it is.”

Eden hurriedly headed outside the airport.

“So where’s the car? What’s the address?”

At Eden’s question, Myeong slightly furrowed his brow.

“Don’t tell me you’re planning to show up at a woman’s house when she’s living alone at this hour?”

“She lives alone?”

Eden checked his wrist. The sapphire glass of his wristwatch gleamed stylishly. After confirming that it was past eleven at night, a look of disappointment appeared on his face.

“Ah, it is pretty late.”

“Yeah. She’d be startled if we suddenly showed up at her house. Let’s contact her slowly. It’s not like we won’t see her anyway.”

“Slowly?… Why not see her tomorrow?”

“I told you, I contacted you as soon as I found her. We need to see what her situation is like first. We also need to find out whether she even wants to meet us. Showing up without thinking it through isn’t the answer, Hayden.”

Eden crossed his arms and frowned.

“Of course she’ll be happy to see us. She was always like that.”

Myeong let out a deep sigh.

“It’s been twenty years. How can you be so sure? We’re the ones who’ll be happy to see her.”

“I’ve… really missed her…”

Eden swallowed a small groan, rolled his eyes for a moment, then asked Myeong again.

“Then how about pretending to be a mailman and going to see her?”

“Hayden.”

When Myeong narrowed his eyes, Eden awkwardly ran a hand through his hair.

“Fine. But…”

Eden couldn’t hide the smile naturally spreading across his face.

“You know too, don’t you? That I haven’t forgotten her for even a single day.”

“You’re hopeless.”

Myeong shook his head, then chuckled and walked ahead of Eden. A Maserati key dangled from his hand.

“But come to your senses. Let’s go to the research institute first. I’ve prepared accommodations for you.”

“Accommodations?”

“It’ll be better than most of the hotels you’ve stayed at. Look forward to it.”

“So you don’t intend to let me leave work on time.”

“Do you think I brought you here as head of research for no reason? Come and go as you please. Oh, and…”

“…?”

“The building will be put in your name, so all you have to do is stamp the paperwork.”

“Really?”

“Of course. I went to all this trouble to bring you here.”

Myeong smiled confidently.

“You’ll like it even more once you see it yourself.”

Eden walked alongside Myeong.

“Sniff, sob! You bastard.”

On the rooftop railing of a thirty-five-story building, Raine stood engulfed in deep despair beneath the darkness of night.

When she was young, Raine had been quite pretty, smart, and talented.

Although she had become an adult after weathering hardships she never asked for, Raine had always lived proudly as herself.

She trusted her abilities and had confidence in herself.

But recently, she had reached the conclusion that it had all been an illusion.

Especially now that she had to wear size 99 clothing.

What she had realized was that a fat woman like me has less value than a speck of dust.

Overwhelmed by severe depression and self-loathing, she lowered her head.

“It’s over. I’m really going to die.”

Raine repeatedly wiped her face, soaked with sweat and tears, with the back of her thick hand.

“It’s over. It’s really over.”

After repeating the same words, she eventually fell silent. She was gathering her resolve in her heart.

“Yeah.”

At last, she had made up her mind. Raine clenched her teeth and looked down.

“I’m going to end it in one go.”

She bent her knees to jump. She clenched her teeth even harder. She was determined to do it no matter what.

But contrary to what she had imagined, she somehow hesitated. Then she felt a familiar pain creeping over her and let out a groan.

“Ahhh, my knee.”

Unable to endure the pain, Raine eventually climbed down from the rooftop railing.

“Ugh, seriously.”

After clutching her knee for a moment, Raine let out a deep sigh.

A strand of hot summer-night air brushed stickily across her face.

I want someone to comfort me…

The thought suddenly made Raine choke up again.

What good is comfort to someone who’s about to die?

She had come to this place after making up her mind countless times. But the fact that she was alone even at the very last moment was unbearably sad and lonely. Her reddened eyes grew hot again.

How did things end up like this…?

She had only wanted to be happy.

She had only wanted to be loved…

Raine’s tears burst forth again like a broken faucet.

“Sniff, waaah!”

The dazzling neon lights of the metropolis created a hot and brilliant summer night. A black Maserati came to a stop in front of a sleek new building. It was the research institute Myeong had mentioned.

After getting out of the car and looking around, Hayden smiled in satisfaction.

“Good location, too… You put some thought into this.”

“That’s the bare minimum.”

“When can I see the laboratory?”

“You’ll have access to everything starting tomorrow. Right now, the only places you can see are the security room, the accommodations, and the sky garden.”

“So I can’t see inside the laboratory at all?”

“You can take a look around through the CCTV.”

The two headed straight for the security room. When Myeong turned on the lights in the empty security room, Eden asked in surprise,

“There’s no one else in the building?”

“The security guards have gone home. The rooftop sky garden is open to the public, too, but it’s only used during the day.”

Myeong soon switched on the power to the numerous monitors all at once. At the same time, his phone rang.

“Yes, this is Ji Cheon Myeong.”

After ending the brief call, Myeong handed Eden a key card.

“Something came up at the company, so I have to go. This is the master key for the accommodations. It’ll open all the rooms where you can stay. Use the CCTV here to look around wherever you want.”

As Myeong was about to leave, he stopped.

“Oh, right. All the CCTV cameras inside the building also record audio, so watch what you say depending on where you are.”

“Are you sure that’s okay?”

“We can’t have industrial espionage becoming a problem. Everyone signs a consent form when they first enter, so it’s fine.”

Thinking briefly about privacy exposure and the risk of industrial espionage, Aiden shrugged.

“Got it.”

“Anyway, take a look around and rest in whichever room you like.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll come by sometime tomorrow afternoon. Before that, I’ll send Secretary Kim Do-jin over, so tell him if you need anything.”

Myeong left.

“……”

Left alone in the now-silent security room, Eden checked the CCTV footage outside the building. He watched as Myeong’s sedan smoothly drove away.

He liked the sophisticated exterior, but the inside was even more luxurious. It was better than most five-star hotels. Eden nodded in satisfaction as he slowly examined each monitor.

“The fifth and fourth floors are accommodations…”

Eden was about to switch his attention to another monitor to look at the rooms on the fifth floor when something caught his eye.

“……?”

It was the rooftop sky garden.

Eden doubted his own eyes and stared intently at the monitor once more.

Perhaps construction had not been completely finished, because sacks of construction waste were scattered in one corner.

On one side of the rooftop, slightly farther away, a fat woman was standing with her arms resting against the rooftop railing.

What the hell? They said it was only open during the day. Then there shouldn’t be anyone here.

The woman on the CCTV was drinking straight from a bottle. Eden’s expression naturally hardened.

“Tsk. Should I call the police?”

That was when it happened.

The woman took off her shoes and tried to climb onto the rooftop railing.

“……!”

It was clearly an attempt to jump.

“Crazy!”

Eden frantically ran toward the elevator.

How long had she been crying?

By now, the night had grown deep, and even the noise of cars passing along the road had become infrequent.

“Hello. This is Harry, Kim Ju-ha.”

At the familiar voice that came from somewhere, Raine cautiously raised her head.

It was the electronic billboard on the H/N Entertainment building across the street.

The owner of that familiar voice was brightly illuminated within the billboard.

Kim Ju-ha, the top star who went by the stage name “Harry,” was still handsome, but he was so different from the person she knew.

Yet it felt as though the same voice, spoken in a completely different tone, was reaching Raine’s ears.

[Ugh, look at this pig. Do you have no eyes? Don’t even think about showing yourself in front of me looking like that. It’s disgusting.]

Kim Ju-ha was the main culprit behind Raine’s crushing despair.

Raine scowled and spat out a curse.

“You bastard.”

She wanted to throw every curse in the world at him.

Of course, he was considered a talented actor. But Raine had supported him through years of grueling effort until he could finally make his way into the industry.

It had taken a full eight years of obscurity before he finally landed supporting roles.

For someone who had been able to focus solely on improving his skills without worrying about money, his opportunity had finally arrived.

H/N Entertainment had taken notice of Kim Ju-ha’s acting and offered him an exclusive contract.

Kim Ju-ha became an exclusive actor under H/N Entertainment and was soon cast as the male lead in a heavily funded film.

The movie attracted tremendous public attention even before filming began.

The screenplay had been written by a famous author known by the pen name Diverse Grand Library. On top of that, the nation’s beloved actress Hyena had already been cast as the female lead.

But there was another reason it was the hottest topic.

The male lead had been changed from top star Kang Seo-jun to a rookie male actor.

People were most curious whether the newcomer would be able to deliver a performance on the same level as Kang Seo-jun or Hyena.

After the film was released, Kim Ju-ha rose into the ranks of top stars.

Just as Kim Ju-ha’s value was skyrocketing, dating rumors involving him and Hyena also broke out.

Entertainment articles featuring him on their front pages every day, enormous jealousy and enthusiastic praise.

Harry Kim Ju-ha became a celebrity wherever he went almost overnight.

If he had lacked talent, he would have quickly faded away. But he was a prepared actor.

A screenplay by a star writer, a major agency, solid acting skills, and trendy good looks.

Harry Kim Ju-ha soon swept up every award an actor could hope to receive. He even walked the red carpet at the Grand Bell Awards, which had once been his dream.

At the same time, Kim Ju-ha discarded Lee Raine, who had tirelessly supported him from the shadows, as though she were worthless.

In other words, Harry Kim Ju-ha had been Lee Raine’s ex-boyfriend.

Raine glared at the electronic billboard attached to the H/N Entertainment building across the boulevard and ground her teeth.

“I should’ve jumped from that building…”

She genuinely thought so.

Jumping from the building belonging to his agency would have been perfect.

But ordinary people couldn’t enter that building, not even during the day, let alone at night. So after considering her options, Raine had crossed over to the building opposite it.

It was a little disappointing, but she had concluded that jumping from here would be fine, too.

If she died here, it would become a major issue. The news would report why Lee Raine had died along with her suicide note.

She had written everything down in the note.

The thought of everything she had written becoming public made Raine feel strangely exhilarated.

“Kim Ju-ha.”

Raine’s eyes gleamed fiercely.

She raised her fist and clenched it tightly as she muttered,

“You’re finished now.”

This was the best revenge she could think of.