Chapter 3

YNNAH

“Wow! Mom… did you really prepare all of this yourself?” I asked in awe as I stared at the dining table, which was absolutely filled to the brim with the most delicious-looking dishes I had ever seen. “Everything looks so luscious, mouth-watering, and absolutely yummy!”

My mother has always loved cooking for me. It was something she did every single day, and this habit of hers never faded or changed—not even when I was already in college, living away from home. She has always been, without a doubt, the best mother I could ever ask for in my entire life.

“Of course, baby. Mommy never fails to cook you the most delicious meals, no matter what,” she replied, beaming at me with the sweetest, warmest smile spread across her lips.

“That’s exactly why I always get so jealous!” my older brother, Francis, complained suddenly. He was pouting dramatically, his lips pushed out like a child who had been denied his favorite toy.

“Goodness, Francis! You are way too old to be acting like this! Shame on you!” Mandy scolded him playfully. At the same time, she gave him a light but firm smack on the back of his neck, making him yelp in surprise.

We all burst out laughing at his reaction—all except for my brother, who was now frowning deeply and looking even more sulky than before.

“Babe!” he whined, his pout growing even more prominent as he looked at his girlfriend with pleading eyes.

Looking at them, I couldn’t help but smile. They really were perfect for each other. A total sadist and a complete masochist. It seemed like the day would never end without the two of them teasing each other, bickering, play-fighting, or pulling pranks on one another. But deep down, I knew that was just their unique way of showing affection. It was their own special language of love. Honestly? It was so sweet to watch.

“Oh, look at these children… always fighting,” Mom said affectionately, shaking her head. “Come now, let’s eat before the food gets cold.”

She sat down first at the head of the table, taking the seat right next to mine. Mandy and my brother followed suit, finally ending their little quarrel session and settling into their chairs, though they were still shooting mock-glances at each other.

“So,” Mom started gently in the middle of our meal, breaking the comfortable silence. “How was life in Korea? I heard from your brother that you started doing so many new things there… like hanging out with people and making friends. Well, to be honest, that is actually the first time you’ve ever had friends, isn’t it?”

I hummed softly for a moment, pausing to chew my food, before my face lit up with a bright, excited smile as I looked at her.

“Everything was really fine, Mom. In fact, it was wonderful,” I replied enthusiastically. “And yes! I met someone very special there. Her name is Liza. She is incredibly nice, very talented, and her sense of humor is absolutely amazing—she always knows how to make me laugh. You two are going to get along so well, I just know it. And guess what? She will be coming here next month! She plans to stay here for good.”

“That is such exciting news! We absolutely can’t wait to meet her already,” Mandy chimed in, her eyes sparkling with excitement, clearly eager to meet the only friend I had ever managed to make.

I just smiled warmly at them and nodded, feeling happy and content, before we resumed our dinner, enjoying the warmth of family and home-cooked food.

After our meal and a long chat, I decided to go upstairs. I dragged my luggage with me as I walked toward my room. When I finally stepped inside and closed the door behind me, I pushed my luggage to the side of the room and immediately flopped down onto my soft, queen-sized bed.

Oh, how I missed this room. Even though I had been away for two whole years, nothing had changed at all. Everything was exactly where I had left it. The walls were painted in a shade of pure, bright white, which made the room feel open and airy, and it never looked dark or gloomy, even without the lights turned on.

My eyes scanned the room lovingly. I had so many precious things here: my collection of pink rabbit plush toys sitting neatly on the shelves, and right next to my cabinet of stuffed toys stood the only human-sized white teddy bear I owned, watching over the room. Nearby was my study table, with a large, cute Hello Kitty mirror hanging right above it. Even my private bathroom and bathtub were designed with the same theme—pure white, decorated with Hello Kitty details that I had loved since I was a little girl.

As I let my eyes wander around every corner of the familiar space, a heavy sense of peace washed over me, and I gradually began to feel drowsy and tired from the long journey.

•

I woke up to the loud, persistent ringing sound coming from my phone, which was placed on the bedside table right next to my head. I groaned softly, feeling groggy, and lazily reached out to grab the device, squinting to look at the screen.

8:00 AM.

It was my alarm.

I sat up straight in bed as the realization hit me. I almost completely forgot about my plan. Today was the day. This was my first day going out specifically to look for him.

I wanted to see him again. I wanted to talk to him properly. And most importantly, I wanted to thank him, at least, for what he did for me exactly two years ago. I remembered that night clearly: instead of taking advantage of my helpless state or hurting me in any way—which so many others would have done—he didn't. Instead, he showed kindness and concern. He even brought me safely to my house and made sure I was okay before disappearing.

I knew it wouldn’t be easy. Finding someone I barely knew anything about was like looking for a needle in a haystack. I didn't even know his name, or where he lived, or what he did for a living. But even though two years had already passed, I still wanted to take the risk and try to find him. Why wouldn't I look for him? After all, if it wasn't for his presence and his help, something terrible might have happened to me that night. There are so many bad people roaming around the streets, and I was completely defenseless.

Also, I remembered clearly what the doctors said. On that very same day, my acute anemia had a severe attack, which was the real reason why I collapsed and lost consciousness. They told me that if I hadn't received immediate medical attention and care, my condition could have worsened drastically and eventually developed into leukemia.

But thank God, I was completely fine and healthy now. I was alive and well, and I owed a part of that safety to the mysterious man in black.

So now, I was determined. I was going to look for him, no matter how long it took.

I quickly got up from my bed and headed straight to the bathroom to take a refreshing shower and get ready for the day. After finishing my morning routine, I fixed my hair and dressed up nicely before heading downstairs to the living room and then toward the dining area to have breakfast.

When I arrived at the dining table, I found only our housemaid and my older brother there.

“Good morning,” I said as I walked over to Francis. I kissed him affectionately on the cheek and sat down in the seat right beside him—the spot that had always been reserved for me.

“Where’s Mommy?” I asked, glancing around.

“She left quite early this morning,” he replied, taking a slow sip of his coffee before returning his attention to the newspaper spread out in front of him. “I think she mentioned having a lot of urgent work to finish at the office.”

“How about you?” I asked, raising an eyebrow as I started eating my breakfast. “You look really well dressed and dapper today. Do you have a date with Mandy or something?”

“We have a photoshoot later, not a date,” he corrected me with a smirk. Then he looked me up and down, his expression turning teasing. “But how about you? You’re all dressed up and look very neat yourself. It seems like you are the one who has a date today, huh?”

He gave me his signature, very annoying smirk, raising and lowering his eyebrows repeatedly in a mocking way.

I didn’t like what he was thinking right now, and I definitely didn't like where his thoughts were going.

“Are you teasing me again?” I asked sharply, raising my own brow to challenge him.

He shook his head innocently, though the mischief was still dancing in his eyes. “Nope! Not at all!” he answered, clearly lying.

I rolled my eyes dramatically in the air. “Well, for your information, I have a date with myself today. Isn't that amazing?” I said, dripping my words with heavy sarcasm.

He just shook his head once again, and that irritating, teasing grin on his face refused to fade away.

“You know, you really should date someone new,” he suggested casually, leaning back in his chair. “Maybe it would help reduce all that bitterness you carry inside you a little bit. You haven’t really gotten over him yet, have you?”

This man! He really knew exactly which buttons to push to make me angry.

“I beg your pardon?” I asked coldly, stopping my eating and staring straight at him with a piercing gaze.

“Come on, Princess. You know exactly what I mean,” he said, shrugging his shoulders as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“You know what?” I snapped, losing my patience. “Just mind your own business. Honestly, I don't give a damn about what you think or what you assume.”

My words were sharp and unexpected, and I saw him freeze instantly, completely stunned into silence by my sudden outburst.

I stood up from my chair, ready to leave, but I turned back to face him one last time before walking away.

“And anyway,” I added firmly, my voice steady and confident, “for your information… I have already moved on. Long ago. And besides, there is already someone who has caught my interest and my attention, so why on earth would I still waste my precious time, energy, and effort on that stupid jerk, Xander? He doesn't deserve any single bit of it. He never did.”

With that, I turned around and finally left the room, leaving him behind.

I knew I had been a bit rude and harsh when I spoke to him that way, but honestly? He was being so annoying! He was my older brother, and he was supposed to be supportive and understanding, not bringing up painful topics from the past just to tease me or provoke me. He knew exactly how much I suffered and how tormented I was because of that breakup. Xander was my first boyfriend, and back then, I loved him as much as I loved myself. I trusted him completely… and then, everything just crumbled down just like that, in the blink of an eye.

If only I had known his true nature from the very beginning, I would have ignored him and walked away the moment we met!

But never mind. The past was the past. I had learned my lesson, and I was moving forward. Today, I had a much more important mission: to find the mysterious man who saved me.