Chapter 1:The book
THE LAST CHAPTER
Chapter One — The Book
The morning was beautiful.
A cool breeze drifted through Seoul as the city slowly awakened beneath the pale morning sky.
Sarang Han opened her bedroom window and let the cold air brush against her face. She closed her eyes for a moment, enjoying the freshness, before a small smile appeared on her lips.
Today felt strangely peaceful.
She turned away from the window and began getting ready for university.
Standing in front of her mirror, Sarang adjusted her bangs and smiled at her reflection.
At twenty, Sarang was a beautiful young woman with shoulder-length hair, soft bangs, and a petite five-foot frame. She was independent, confident, and sometimes adorably childish. Her greatest passion was art, and as a Fine Arts student, she could spend hours drawing without realizing how much time had passed.
She grabbed her bag and hurried downstairs.
“Sarang! Come downstairs, breakfast is ready!”
“Coming, Dad!”
She rushed down the stairs and entered the small restaurant attached to their home.
Her father, Mr. Han, was already preparing breakfast.
Mr. Han owned a small noodle restaurant that had become surprisingly popular in their neighborhood. He had raised Sarang alone for years after losing his wife, Lily.
“Good morning, Dad,” Sarang said, taking her seat.
“Good morning, sweetheart.”
Mr. Han placed her breakfast in front of her.
Sarang suddenly remembered something.
“Dad, do you know who’s coming to our university today?”
Mr. Han looked at her curiously.
“Who?”
“The CEO of Donghua Empire.”
Her eyes lit up with excitement.
“He’s giving a speech today!”
“Oh?” Mr. Han raised his eyebrows. “That’s interesting.”
“They say he’s extremely young and successful. Everyone at university is talking about him.”
Mr. Han smiled faintly.
“That sounds exciting.”
Sarang took another bite before hesitating.
“Dad…”
“Hm?”
Her cheerful expression slowly disappeared.
“Mom has been gone for so many years…”
Mr. Han's smile faded.
“Don't you ever get tired of being alone?”
The question hung heavily between them.
Sarang lowered her voice.
“I just… think you deserve to be happy too.”
Mr. Han looked away.
For several seconds, he remained silent.
Then he forced a small smile.
“Sarang, you're going to be late for university.”
“But—”
“Come on. Eat your breakfast and go.”
She immediately understood.
He didn't want to talk about it.
Sarang nodded quietly.
“Okay.”
After Sarang left, Mr. Han remained standing in the restaurant.
His eyes slowly moved toward an old photograph hanging on the wall.
It was a picture of Lily.
For a moment, memories of their life together came rushing back.
Mr. Han touched the photograph gently.
“Lily…”
His voice was barely a whisper.
“I just don't want our daughter to end up like you.”
He stood there for another moment before turning away and returning to the restaurant.
---
Later That Morning
Sarang rode her bicycle toward university.
The streets of Seoul were already busy.
As she approached a crossing, she noticed an elderly woman struggling to cross the road.
Sarang immediately stopped her bicycle.
“Ma'am, wait!”
She ran toward her.
The elderly woman smiled nervously as Sarang reached her.
“I'll help you.”
Sarang gently took her arm.
But before they could reach the other side—
A car suddenly came speeding around the corner.
Sarang's eyes widened.
“Watch out!”
Without thinking, she pulled the woman toward her.
The car rushed past them.
For a few seconds, Sarang's heart pounded violently.
The elderly woman stared at her in shock.
“Oh my goodness…”
Sarang smiled.
“Are you okay?”
The woman nodded.
“You saved me.”
“It was nothing.”
Sarang helped her safely cross the road.
Before leaving, the elderly woman reached into her worn-out bag.
“There is something I want to give you.”
She pulled out an old book.
Sarang blinked.
“A book?”
The woman placed it in her hands.
“I don't have much money, child. I can't give you anything valuable…”
She smiled softly.
“But I want you to have this.”
Sarang looked down at the book.
There was no author's name.
No publisher.
No date.
Only three words were printed on the old black cover:
THE LAST CHAPTER
Sarang frowned.
“What kind of book is this?”
But when she looked up—
The woman was gone.
Sarang's smile disappeared.
She looked around.
The street was crowded.
Yet the old woman was nowhere to be seen.
“What…?”
She searched for her for several seconds.
Nothing.
Then Sarang suddenly remembered the time.
“Oh no! I'm going to be late!”
She quickly put the book into her bag, jumped onto her bicycle, and hurried toward university.
---
At University
“Sarang!”
Sarang turned around.
Her best friend, Mimi, came running toward her.
“You're finally here!”
Sarang smiled.
“I'm not that late.”
“You are. Come on.”
As they walked toward the classroom, Mimi suddenly lowered her voice.
“By the way, did you hear?”
“Hear what?”
“The CEO who's coming today.”
Sarang immediately remembered.
“Oh, right.”
Mimi grinned.
“Apparently, he's extremely young.”
“How young?”
“Only twenty-three.”
Sarang raised an eyebrow.
“And?”
“And he's ridiculously handsome.”
Sarang laughed.
“You're unbelievable.”
“I'm serious! He's also the global ambassador for several major brands. His company is famous internationally.”
“What's his name?”
“Kang Hari.”
Sarang shrugged.
“Okay.”
Mimi stared at her.
“That's it?”
“What do you want me to say?”
“You're impossible.”
Sarang laughed and walked into the classroom.
---
After the lecture, all the students gathered in the university's main auditorium.
The atmosphere was unusually excited.
Sarang and Mimi managed to get seats in the first row.
Soon, the principal walked onto the stage.
“Students, as you all know, we have gathered here today to welcome the CEO of Donghua Empire, Mr. Kang Hari.”
The room erupted in applause.
Then Kang Hari stepped onto the stage.
The noise instantly grew louder.
He was tall, sharply dressed in a black suit, with slightly messy dark hair, a defined face, and an intimidatingly calm presence.
Several girls whispered excitedly.
“Wow…”
“He's even more handsome in person.”
“Did you take a picture?”
“Please be quiet, students,” the principal warned.
Kang Hari reached the microphone.
“Good morning.”
His voice was calm and controlled.
“I am Kang Hari, CEO of Donghua Empire and the sole heir of the Donghua family.”
He paused.
“It's a pleasure to be here with all of you.”
Everyone listened attentively.
Everyone except Sarang.
She quietly pulled out her phone and started playing a game.
Mimi leaned toward her.
“Sarang!”
“What?”
“Are you seriously playing a game while he's speaking?”
Sarang didn't even look up.
“He's boring.”
Mimi stared at her in disbelief.
“You're going to regret saying that.”
Across the stage, Kang Hari's eyes briefly moved toward the first row.
They stopped on Sarang.
He noticed her.
More specifically—
He noticed that she wasn't listening to him at all.
His expression remained unchanged.
But his eyes stayed on her for a moment longer than necessary.
---
After the speech, the students began leaving the auditorium.
The principal walked beside Kang Hari, talking enthusiastically as he escorted him outside.
Sarang and Mimi happened to be walking in the same direction.
Suddenly—
Sarang's foot slipped.
“Oh!”
She lost her balance and accidentally bumped into someone's shoulder.
She looked up.
Kang Hari.
For one second, their eyes met.
Sarang immediately stepped back.
“Sorry.”
She didn't wait for a response.
Without even looking at him again, she walked away.
Kang Hari remained still.
He slowly turned his head and watched her disappear into the crowd.
There was something strangely familiar about her.
But he couldn't understand why.
---
That Night
After dinner, Sarang sat at her study desk with her sketchbook open.
She was halfway through a drawing when she suddenly remembered the old book.
“Oh…”
She reached into her bag and pulled it out.
The Last Chapter.
She stared at the cover.
Something about it still felt strange.
“Let's see what you're hiding.”
She opened the book.
The first page was completely blank.
Sarang frowned.
“What?”
She turned the page.
Another blank page.
Then another.
She flipped through several pages.
Nothing.
“No author's name, no date, and now no words either?”
She sighed.
“What kind of useless book is this?”
Just then, her bedroom door opened.
“Sarang?”
She quickly closed the book.
Her father walked in carrying a plate of fruit.
“Dad.”
Mr. Han placed the plate on her desk.
“You need to eat something.”
Sarang made a face.
“Dad, you know I don't like kiwi.”
“You're eating it anyway.”
“But—”
“No arguments.”
He pointed at the plate.
“Finish it. I'm going to watch the news. If you need anything, call me.”
Sarang sighed dramatically.
“Fine.”
Mr. Han smiled and gently tapped her forehead.
“My stubborn girl.”
He walked out.
Sarang waited until the door closed.
Then she looked at the book again.
She opened it.
Still blank.
She shook her head.
“I have no idea why that woman gave me this.”
She pushed the book aside.
Instead, she grabbed her fruit plate and climbed onto her bed.
A few minutes later, she was reading a web novel on her phone.
Then—
Something happened.
A faint sound came from her desk.
Scratch.
Sarang stopped reading.
She looked toward the desk.
Silence.
She shrugged.
“Probably nothing.”
She returned to her phone.
Scratch.
This time, she clearly heard it.
Sarang slowly sat up.
Her eyes moved toward the desk.
The book was still there.
Closed.
She climbed out of bed and walked toward it.
Her hand reached for the cover.
She opened it.
The pages were no longer blank.
Sarang froze.
There were words on the page.
Words that hadn't been there before.
Her heart began beating faster.
She leaned closer.
And then she read the first sentence.
“Tomorrow, Sarang Han will meet the man who will change her life.”
Her smile disappeared.
She turned the page.
A second sentence appeared.
“His name is Kang Hari.”
Sarang's eyes widened.
The book trembled slightly in her hands.
“How…?”
She stared at the words.
Then, slowly, another sentence appeared beneath them.
“But she must never fall in love with him.”
Sarang stopped breathing for a moment.
And beneath that sentence, as if written by an invisible hand—
a final line appeared.
“Because she has already died once.”
Sarang dropped the book.
To be continued…
