Chapter 1: Ryu Taesan

It was pouring, the kind of rain that swallowed everything around it, leaving only the sound of droplets crashing down. I stood there, frozen in place. My clothes clung to my skin, soaked through, yet I couldn't move. I didn't even run for shelter. It was as if my body had betrayed me, refusing to escape the thing I despised most—rain.

The cold water was everywhere, soaking my hair, my skin, my soul. But what hurt more wasn't the rain, it was the realization that I was crying. My tears mingled with the raindrops, disappearing before they could even hit the ground. It was almost cruel—this storm, hiding my grief from the world as if it didn't matter. The world blurred around me; my glasses, fogged and dripping, rendered everything into a smudged mess. Without them, I was blind.

I tried wiping them, but my hands were trembling, and it was useless. Frustration built up in my chest until it burst out of me in a scream. A scream for the pain I couldn't explain, for the loneliness that the rain made unbearable. I collapsed to my knees, head bowed, my voice lost in the sound of the rain.

I wanted someone, anyone, to hear me, but there was no one. No one except the rain, deafening and relentless.

Suddenly, in the cold, I felt something—a warmth. It wasn't much, but it was enough to make me look up. Through the blurred lenses, I saw a figure. Someone was standing above me, holding an umbrella.

"You can take it. I don't need it anymore."

Her voice was soft, like the rain was apologizing for everything. I couldn't make out her face, but I knew it was a girl. She set the umbrella beside me and, without another word, started walking away, towards the bridge. My heart twisted. Something was wrong. I could feel it in her quiet steps, in the way the world seemed to slow down as she moved further away.

I placed my glasses back on, blinking rapidly, trying to clear my vision. I squinted, but everything was still blurred—except for her. I saw her, standing dangerously close to the railing. My breath caught in my throat. And then… she climbed up. My heart pounded in my chest.

"No…"

I ran. Faster than I'd ever run before. My shoes splashed in the puddles, the rain blinding me, but I didn't care. I had to reach her. She turned around just as I got close. I'll never forget that smile—it wasn't sad, it was peaceful, like she had already made her decision.

And then she jumped.

"No!" I screamed, my voice tearing through the rain.

I didn't think so. I didn't hesitate. I dove over the railing, my body following hers into the abyss. There was nothing but the sound of wind rushing past my ears, the icy coldness of the rain, and the desperate need to reach her.

I wanted to save her.

The sharp ache in my head felt unbearable as I slowly opened my eyes, blinking at the sterile, white room around me. Confusion clouded my mind until I glanced down at my left hand and saw the saline drip attached to my vein. A hospital. I was in a hospital.

The door creaked open, and in came Yeo Dohyun, my best friend. He looked disheveled, as though he had just crawled out from the depths of despair. His eyes were puffy, and the weariness etched on his face made him look like he hadn't slept in days. He rushed to my side, his voice shaky with relief.

"Thank God you woke up, Ryu Taesan," he murmured, trying to muster a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes.

I struggled to focus. My mind was racing, and the only thing I could think about was— "Where's the girl?"

Dohyun's expression faltered. "Girl? What do you mean?"

I pressed on, my heart quickening. "The girl I tried to save... the one in the river. I... I dived in to pull her out."

His brow furrowed, and for a moment, he looked at me like I was delirious. "Taesan... were you dreaming?"

"What?" I sat up, despite the dizzying pain. "No! There was a girl. Where is she? Did they find her?"

Dohyun's gaze softened, pity swimming in his eyes as he slowly sat beside me, his voice barely above a whisper. "Taesan... you didn't jump into a river. You had a car accident last night."

His words felt like a slap, and I froze, trying to recall. "A car accident? But I... I was saving someone. I don't—"

"You were with your father, Mr. Ryu Jin," he interrupted, his voice breaking.

I stared at him, my chest tightening. "I was with Dad?" The memories started to slip in, piece by piece. "Where is he?"

Dohyun didn't answer immediately, and that silence—God, that silence—it said everything. His eyes brimmed with unshed tears, and the words he finally spoke shattered my world.

"I'm sorry."

I felt the air leave my lungs. "No..." I choked out, my voice barely audible. My hands trembled. "No... Where is he, Dohyun?"

He swallowed hard, fighting to keep himself together as he gripped my hands. "The doctors... they tried to save him. But... he didn't make it. I'm so sorry, Taesan. He's gone."

Gone.

The word echoed in my mind, bouncing off the walls of my soul, hollowing me out from the inside. My chest felt tight—too tight—like I couldn't breathe. I wanted to scream, cry, anything, but I couldn't move. I couldn't even summon the tears. It was as if my body was refusing to process the pain, the loss.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and my mother stormed in, her eyes wild with grief. She looked at me like I was a monster. Before I could say anything, she grabbed me by the collar, her nails digging into my skin as she shook me.

"You're the curse!" she screamed, her voice hoarse and filled with venom. "Why couldn't you die? Why your father? I lost my daughter because of you, and now I've lost my husband too! You... you're cursed. Don't you dare come back into my life! Just die and go to hell!"

Her words cut deeper than any wound ever could, each one a stab to my already bleeding heart. Dohyun scrambled to pull her off me, his voice shaking with anger. "Mrs. Ryu, stop it! You can't say that! He's your son—he's sick! For God's sake, please!"

The doctor rushed in, trying to restrain my mother, who continued to sob and scream as they dragged her out of the room. The cabin fell silent again, but the storm inside me had only just begun.

Dohyun placed a hand on my shoulder, his touch gentle. "Don't listen to her. She's hurting. She didn't mean it."

But I could barely hear him. Her words kept echoing in my mind. "She's right, Dohyun," I whispered, my voice hollow, devoid of emotion.

He blinked, stunned. "What are you talking about?"

"She's right..." I repeated, my lips trembling. "I'm cursed."