Chapter 1
Chapter 1 - THE CALL
The call came at 2:17 in the morning.
Anaya Sharma was half asleep when her phone began vibrating beside her pillow.
At first, she ignored it.
She turned to the other side and pulled the blanket closer.
The phone stopped.
For a few seconds, everything became quiet again.
Then it started ringing.
Anaya opened her eyes.
She reached for the phone lazily, expecting it to be one of her friends calling at the wrong time.
But when she saw the number, her sleep disappeared instantly.
South Korea.
Her heart suddenly skipped.
Her brother had called her from Korea many times before.
Usually at ridiculous hours.
Sometimes, Aarav called just to complain about university food.
Sometimes, he called to tell her some stupid story that made absolutely no sense.
And sometimes, he called simply because he was bored.
She smiled whenever she saw his name.
But this time, it wasn’t Aarav’s name.
It was an unknown Korean number.
Anaya stared at the screen.
Something felt wrong.
Still, she answered.
Anaya: “Hello?”
There was silence.
She frowned.
Anaya: “Hello?”
A man’s voice finally came through.
Man: “Is this Anaya Sharma?”
Anaya immediately sat up.
Anaya: “Yes. Who is this?”
The man hesitated.
There was something strange about the way he breathed before speaking.
Man: “I’m calling from Seoul.”
Anaya’s fingers tightened around the phone.
Anaya: “Where is my brother?”
Silence.
Longer this time.
Her heartbeat became faster.
Anaya: “Where is Aarav?”
The man took a deep breath.
Then came the words that changed her life forever.
Man: “Your brother... Aarav Sharma... has passed away.”
Anaya stopped breathing.
For a moment, she couldn’t understand what she had just heard.
The room around her seemed to disappear.
Anaya: “No.”
Man: “I’m very sorry.”
Anaya: “No.”
Her fingers began to shake.
Anaya: “You have the wrong person.”
Man: “Miss Sharma—”
Anaya: “My brother is twenty-seven. He’s healthy. He called my mother yesterday.”
Man: “I understand, but—”
Anaya: “No. That’s impossible.”
Her voice became louder.
Anaya: “Aarav cannot be dead.”
Man: “There was an accident.”
Anaya’s eyes filled with tears.
Anaya: “No.”
Man: “The police are investigating the situation.”
Anaya: “Put my brother on the phone.”
There was silence.
Anaya waited.
Anaya: “Put him on the phone!”
The man didn’t answer.
That silence told her more than words could.
Her hand trembled violently.
Anaya: “I don’t believe you.”
She ended the call.
For several seconds, she simply stared at her phone.
Her breathing became uneven.
Aarav.
Her brother.
Her best friend.
The person who had promised their mother that he would return home soon.
The person who had promised Anaya that they would go on a trip together after he finished his studies.
He couldn’t be dead.
He just couldn’t.
Then her phone rang again.
This time, it was her mother.
Anaya immediately answered.
Anaya: “Mom?”
There was no answer.
Only crying.
Anaya’s heart sank.
Anaya: “Mom, what’s wrong?”
Her mother’s voice finally came through.
Broken.
Weak.
Meera: “Anaya...”
Anaya closed her eyes.
Anaya: “Mom, someone just called me from Korea.”
Her mother began crying harder.
Anaya: “Mom?”
Meera: “Aarav...”
Anaya covered her mouth.
She already knew.
Meera: “Our Aarav is gone.”
Anaya couldn’t speak.
Her tears finally fell.
That night, their house became a place of silence and crying.
Their father, Rajiv Sharma, sat quietly in the living room.
He didn’t cry.
Not because he wasn’t hurt.
But because he couldn’t accept what had happened.
A father wasn’t supposed to hear that his son was dead.
A mother wasn’t supposed to lose her child.
And a sister wasn’t supposed to receive the news through a stranger’s phone call.
But life didn’t care about what was supposed to happen.
Three days later, Anaya stood inside Incheon International Airport.
Korea was colder than she had imagined.
The wind touched her face as she walked outside.
But she barely noticed.
She was carrying only one thought with her.
I came here to bring my brother home.
She looked around.
Everything felt unfamiliar.
The language.
The people.
The roads.
The buildings.
Even the air felt different.
But somewhere in this unfamiliar country was her brother’s final story.
And Anaya wanted to know it.
The funeral was held under a grey Seoul sky.
People came dressed in black.
Flowers covered the room.
Aarav’s photograph stood in the center.
He was smiling.
That same stupid smile he always had.
The smile that had irritated Anaya a hundred times.
The smile that had made her laugh even when she was angry.
Now, looking at it, she wished she could hear his voice one more time.
Anaya slowly stepped closer.
She touched the photograph with trembling fingers.
Anaya: “You promised you’d come home.”
Her voice broke.
She wiped her tears.
Anaya: “You promised me.”
She remembered their last conversation.
Aarav had called their mother first.
Then he had spoken to Anaya.
He had complained about his work.
He had laughed.
He had teased her about being too serious.
Nothing had seemed wrong.
Not even for a second.
So how could he suddenly be dead?
Anaya stared at his photograph.
Anaya: “What happened to you, Aarav?”
Nobody answered.
Behind her, someone quietly entered the room.
Anaya didn’t turn around.
Then she heard a familiar voice.
Seo-jun: “Anaya.”
She froze.
Her fingers slowly dropped from the photograph.
She knew that voice.
She had heard it through Aarav’s phone before.
She slowly turned around.
A tall man stood several feet away.
Black suit.
Neat black hair.
Cold eyes.
Perfectly calm.
Kang Seo-jun.
Aarav’s university best friend.
The heir to the powerful Kang family.
And, according to Aarav, one of the few people in Korea he trusted completely.
Seo-jun looked at Anaya for several seconds.
Then he gave her a small smile.
It was gentle.
Almost comforting.
But Anaya couldn’t understand why that smile made her feel uneasy.
Seo-jun: “You must be Anaya.”
She stared at him.
Anaya: “You’re Seo-jun.”
Seo-jun: “Yes.”
Anaya: “My brother’s best friend.”
For the smallest moment, his expression changed.
It was so quick that Anaya almost missed it.
Then he nodded.
Seo-jun: “Yes.”
Anaya stepped closer.
There was something about him that she couldn’t explain.
He looked calm.
Too calm.
Everyone around them was grieving.
But Seo-jun seemed to have complete control over his emotions.
Anaya looked directly into his eyes.
Anaya: “Then tell me.”
Seo-jun’s expression remained calm.
Seo-jun: “Tell you what?”
Anaya: “What happened to my brother?”
His smile disappeared.
For the first time, Anaya saw something different in his eyes.
Pain?
Fear?
Or guilt?
She couldn’t tell.
Seo-jun: “I don’t know.”
Anaya stared at him.
Anaya: “You were with him before he died.”
Seo-jun remained silent.
Anaya: “Aarav told me about you.”
Seo-jun: “He talked about you too.”
Anaya ignored his answer.
Anaya: “What happened that night?”
Seo-jun looked away for a moment.
Seo-jun: “The police said it was an accident.”
Anaya: “I didn’t ask what the police said.”
He looked back at her.
Anaya: “I asked what you saw.”
Seo-jun’s jaw tightened slightly.
Seo-jun: “I wasn’t there when it happened.”
Anaya watched his face carefully.
She didn’t believe him.
Not completely.
Anaya: “Then where were you?”
He didn’t answer immediately.
That hesitation made Anaya even more suspicious.
Seo-jun: “I had business that night.”
Anaya: “Business?”
Seo-jun: “Yes.”
Anaya: “And Aarav was alone?”
Seo-jun: “As far as I know.”
Anaya stepped closer.
Anaya: “You don’t know?”
Seo-jun looked at her.
Seo-jun: “Anaya, I know you’re hurting.”
Anaya: “Don’t tell me what I’m feeling.”
He became silent.
Anaya: “I want the truth.”
For the first time, something dark appeared behind Seo-jun’s calm expression.
It disappeared almost immediately.
Seo-jun: “Sometimes the truth doesn’t change anything.”
Anaya’s eyes narrowed.
Anaya: “It changes everything for me.”
Neither of them spoke.
Outside, the rain began falling against the windows.
Seo-jun finally looked toward Aarav’s photograph.
His eyes softened.
Seo-jun: “Aarav was my best friend.”
Anaya said nothing.
Seo-jun: “I wanted to protect him.”
Anaya’s heart tightened.
Anaya: “From what?”
Seo-jun looked at her.
He didn’t answer.
That silence was enough.
There was something.
Something about Aarav’s death that nobody wanted her to know.
Anaya looked at her brother’s photograph again.
She had come to Korea believing she would attend a funeral and return home.
But standing there, looking at Seo-jun, she realized something.
She wasn’t ready to leave.
Not yet.
Not until she knew what happened to Aarav.
Not until she found the truth.
And if the truth was hidden somewhere inside Korea, she would find it.
Even if it meant entering the world of the Kang family.
Even if it meant getting close to Kang Seo-jun.
Even if it meant risking everything.
She didn’t know it yet...
But the man standing in front of her was going to become the greatest mystery of her life.
The man whose smile she would learn to distrust.
The man whose secrets would pull her deeper into a dangerous world.
The man she was supposed to hate.
And eventually...
The man she would love.
Kang Seo-jun.
The suspicious heir.
