Prologue

She opened the window of her room, which was on the first floor. She put one leg out, but before going any further, she tilted her head to check if her room door was locked. Looking down, she saw that the pipe was just half a foot below her foot.

If it were the first time, she would have felt afraid. But she was used to doing this.

She placed one hand on the sidewall of the window for support and then set her foot on the pipe. With little effort, she stood on it and, after taking two or three steps, held onto the pipe for support.

Using the pipe as a slide, she descended and jumped to the ground. She sighed in relief when her feet touched the ground and looked up at her room window, a wide grin spreading across her face as she saw the accomplishment of her mission. It was as if the little daredevil had completed some impossible task.

She zipped her hoodie to her chin, covering her face with the hood, and turned around. As she stepped toward the front of her house, her feet halted when she saw the dark jungle in front of her on that eerie night.

The jungle was shrouded in darkness, with fog covering it from above and below, creating a spooky effect. Yet, for some reason, she felt fascinated by it instead of afraid. That was the only reason she had chosen the room facing the dark jungle.

She was glad they had allowed her to choose one thing on her own. Shaking off her thoughts, she stepped forward. Gazing at the jungle one last time, she approached the front of her house, made sure no one was watching, and ran toward the main road.

Checking the time, she saw it was 11:50 p.m. She quickened her pace and arrived at the only shop open on the street.

"Ice cream!" she squealed with joy. Clutching the small amount of money in her hand, she entered the shop.

(She had a craving for ice cream, but she knew she wasn't allowed to eat the ice cream kept in the fridge at home. So, she broke her piggy bank, and the money she found inside was enough for just one ice cream.)

She looked at her wristwatch and saw that there were only two minutes left before the shop closed. She hurried inside, bought the ice cream, thanked the shopkeeper, and stepped out. Just a few steps away, the shop's lights turned off.

Grinning widely, she began to enjoy her ice cream. But before she had even finished half of it, her foot tripped, and the ice cream fell from her hands. She made a crying face and gazed at the spilled ice cream with a sad pout. After giving her fallen treat one last sad look, she started heading home.

As she walked along the riverside, she noticed something unusual. She took a few more steps to get a better view and first frowned, but then her eyes widened, and she shouted, "Hey! Stop, why are you doing this?" She ran toward a man who was sitting on the river's railing, gazing down. "Are you out of your mind? You're built like a Hulk, and you're trying to commit suicide?" she blurted, pulling him by his arm.

In the struggle, both of them fell to the ground. "What the hell?" the man said irritably. "Ouch," she winced as her elbow hit the ground.

"Do you have peanuts instead of brains in your head?" the man snapped, getting up.

"How rude! I was trying to save you, and here you are scolding me, you human lift!" she retorted, giving him a pinch on the chest.

"What the—" The man stared at her in astonishment. First, a tiny girl had pulled him like that; second, she dared to pinch him; and third, she had just called him a "human lift."

"Do you know who I am?" the man asked, glaring at her. As his eyes met hers, his heart skipped a beat, but he quickly dismissed the thought and kept his stern look.

She gulped nervously and, for the first time, took in his appearance. He was a well-built man in an expensive business suit, with an aura of power and dominance. In the dark, she couldn't see his eye color.

"Umm... you are... umm..." she said with a sheepish smile, scratching her neck nervously.

He smirked slightly at her state and stepped closer. "Little girls like you shouldn't be out at this hour and talking to people about whom you have no idea."

"This world is full of demons, little Honey Bee. Angels like you will be tainted if you come in contact with them," he said, giving her a final glance before vanishing into the thick fog.

"Hey, I'm not a baby! I'm turning 18 in two weeks," she shouted after him, her voice tinged with a cute angry pout. "Bigfoot," she muttered, glaring at the spot where he had been standing. With a frustrated stomp of her foot, she turned and walked away like an annoyed child.

(She was a moth, and he was a fire. Their love was forbidden, yet fate had its plans for them.

As the saying goes, "Forbidden love brings happiness when there is no happiness.")

To be continued...