It was around 2 AM.
The famous YP Entertainment company in the USA was completely silent.
Darkness filled the windows of the tall building.
But that night… the scene inside the company’s bar room was different.
Several dead bodies were lying on the floor.
Alcohol and blood were flowing together from broken bottles.
And in the middle of all that…
A man was sitting alone at the bar counter, drinking calmly.
There was no fear in his eyes…
No regret.
That man was — Ran.
He slowly placed his glass down.
“This all… started on that day…”
And the story goes five years back.
South Korea, Seoul — 5 Years Ago
It was morning.
The train was slowly moving toward Seoul.
The crowd was huge, and almost all the seats were occupied.
Ran was sitting near the window, quietly looking outside.
A faint smile was visible on his face.
After one whole year… he was finally going to meet his wife.
Suddenly, a little girl came near him and said in a slightly angry voice—
“Excuse me!
Please get up from this seat… my mom needs to sit.”
Ran looked surprised.
He looked ahead and saw the girl’s mother standing there in an exhausted condition.
She was pregnant and holding her stomach with one hand.
Ran immediately stood up.
“Sorry… I should’ve noticed earlier.”
The girl’s mother smiled lightly.
“You can sit too.
You look tired.”
But Ran shook his head.
“I’m fine.
You need it more right now.”
Hearing that, the little girl happily sat beside her mother.
Ran spent the rest of the journey standing quietly and watching the city outside.
Excitement was clearly visible in his eyes.
He was going to become a father.
The mother was gently stroking her daughter’s hair while the little girl laughed and talked happily.
Seeing them, Ran unknowingly smiled.
In his mind, he imagined himself with his wife and their future child.
It felt like, in just a few months, his life would also be filled with happiness like this.
That thought brought a soft smile to his face.
He was truly happy.
After some time, the train arrived at Seoul Station.
As Ran walked through the crowd and was about to leave the station, he suddenly bumped into someone.
An old woman.
She was holding tarot cards and small charms in her hands.
Her name was — Kohana.
She suddenly grabbed Ran’s hand.
“Show me your palm…”
Ran looked confused but still stretched out his hand.
The moment Kohana looked at his palm… the color on her face changed.
Fear was clearly visible in her eyes.
“What happened?” Ran asked.
After a few moments of silence, she spoke softly—
“Today… is the worst day of your life.”
Ran laughed lightly.
“It can’t be that bad.”
But Kohana’s eyes were saying something else.
She slowly stepped back.
“Some destinies… are written in blood…”
Ran looked at her in confusion.
Then Kohana spoke again in a low voice—
“And no matter how hard a person tries… they can never escape their fate.”
After a brief silence, she looked at his palm one last time.
“In the coming days… you will suffer a lot.”
After saying that, she turned toward the crowd.
Within seconds, Kohana disappeared among the people.
But Ran didn’t pay much attention to her words.
He smiled lightly, picked up his bag, and headed toward home.
Because at that moment, only one thing was on his mind—
After one whole year… he was finally going to meet his wife.
The streets of Seoul were glowing under the evening lights.
People were busy living their own lives, but for Ran, today was the most special day.
Looking outside through the taxi window, he kept smiling again and again.
His phone screen displayed a photo of his wife — Aiko Tanaka.
Looking at the photo softly, he whispered—
“Just a little longer…”
Excitement was clearly visible in his eyes.
He kept thinking about how happy Aiko would be to see him.
Maybe she’d even get angry… because he never told her the exact date of his return.
Thinking about that, Ran laughed quietly.
After some time, the taxi stopped in front of his house.
Ran quickly got out.
But the very next moment, the smile on his face slowly disappeared.
The house was locked.
“Locked…?”
He looked again.
Then immediately took out his phone and called Aiko.
The phone kept ringing…
But no one answered.
He called again.
Still no answer.
A strange uneasiness slowly started growing inside his heart.
“Maybe she went outside…”
He tried to convince himself.
Then suddenly, he remembered—
Aiko often visited her parents’ house.
And it wasn’t very far from here.
Thinking that, Ran picked up his bag and quickly headed there.
But as he got closer to the house…
The uneasiness inside him kept growing strangely.
A few minutes later, Ran stood in front of the house.
But the sight there made him freeze.
That house was locked too.
The entire street felt unusually silent.
Ran stared at the door slowly.
“Where did everyone go…?”
At that moment, an old man sitting nearby looked carefully at him.
As if he was trying to recognize him.
A few moments later, the old man slowly approached him.
“You… are Ran, right?”
Ran nodded slightly.
“Yes…”
The old man’s expression suddenly changed.
He took a deep breath.
“No one… told you yet?”
Ran looked confused.
“Told me what?”
After staying silent for a few seconds, the old man spoke softly—
“They all went to the funeral hall…”
“Funeral…?”
Ran’s heartbeat suddenly became faster.
He couldn’t understand anything.
Then the old man lowered his head and said—
“Two days ago… Aiko died in a car accident.”
At that moment, it felt like time had stopped.
Ran’s eyes went blank.
The sounds around him slowly became distant.
“N… no…”
His bag slipped from his hand.
“This… this is a lie…”
But the old man’s silence itself revealed the truth.
The very next moment, Ran started running.
His breathing became uncontrollable.
Only one thought kept echoing inside his mind—
“No… nothing can happen to Aiko…”
The funeral hall wasn’t far away.
But that day… every step felt unbearably heavy for Ran.
His breathing grew faster.
The voices of people, the traffic, the noise of the streets…
Everything slowly faded away.
Only one name echoed inside his head—
Aiko…
After some time, he finally reached the funeral hall.
Several cars were parked outside.
Soft prayers could be heard from inside.
Ran stood in front of the door for a few seconds.
His hands were trembling slightly.
As if his heart itself was afraid to go inside.
Then slowly, he opened the door.
The hall was filled with the scent of white flowers.
People sat quietly with sorrowful faces.
Some were crying…
Some were speaking in low voices.
Suddenly, many people noticed Ran.
Several of them looked shocked.
Perhaps no one expected him to be here today.
But Ran paid no attention to anyone.
His restless eyes searched through the hall desperately.
And then…
His eyes stopped on a photo placed in front.
Aiko Tanaka.
Her smiling photograph.
White flowers surrounded the frame.
At that very moment… Ran’s last remaining hope shattered.
His steps slowly moved forward.
His eyes couldn’t leave the photo.
“No…”
His voice trembled.
“No… this can’t be happening…”
The next second, his knees gave up.
He collapsed onto the floor.
Tears flowed endlessly from his eyes.
“I… came back…”
“Look… I’m back…”
“You said… you would wait for me…”
His broken voice echoed through the hall.
Nearby, Keiko Tanaka could no longer hold herself back.
She ran toward Ran, hugged him tightly, and burst into tears.
“Why did this happen to us…”
A little farther away, Shinji Tanaka’s eyes were also filled with tears.
He was trying to stay strong…
But his trembling fists revealed how broken he truly was inside.
And then…
From one corner of the room, the sound of crying was heard.
Ami Tanaka was sitting on the floor, crying uncontrollably.
Her eyes were completely red.
“Big sis… please wake up…”
“You promised we’d always stay together…”
Her voice shook with pain.
She kept staring at Aiko’s photo…
As if she would suddenly smile and come back.
But she never did.
And that truth was destroying the entire family from within.
© 2026 Rocky Aryan.
All Rights Reserved.
> Thanks for reading Chapter 1.
Ran’s journey has only just begun…