chapter one

"It seemed like everyone is calm now" Emperor Yang Jang su said, protruding into his family members. " I have an important announcement to pass and I want everybody to listen attentively to me"

His eyes scanned over the faces of everybody present in the room, eventually landing on her.

"This is an important discussion and what I am about to say isn't something new to you. So listen attentively to me" Yang Jang su commands his daughter.

Yang min seol met her father piercing Amber's eyes and nodded her head, awaiting him to start speaking.

"I am all heard father" she replied confidently and confusedly simultaneously.

Yoo Na Young doesn't know what the discussion is about but she was eagerly curious to find out about it. She needed all the information she could get if she wanted to endure her time in this lion den she had found herself.

"It is about you and your fiance" Yang Jang su pointed at Prince Kim Yoon Jung.

So the manipulative bastard is her fiance, Yoo Na Young thought menacingly as she bore a gaze on Kim Yoon Jung.

She held her breath, her heat racing silently in her chest. " What is it about?." 

The negative feeling of her secret unveiling invades her mind.  

"In two days time, you are proceeding with your marriage"

Yang min seol stared at her father in surprise, her face turning white. 

Marriage? the mere sound of it turned the inside of her stomach into a knot.

Getting married at this young age of eighteen and most infruiatiate, she was supposed to be married to this bastard.

This must be a joke, an expensive one that she can never accept.

Even if it means for the secret of her not being their daughter but a soul living off her body getting revealed to them.

She is ready to bear the consequences but she can never accept this marriage.

~~Two weeks earlier~~

The loud siren of the police officers buzzed the road intersection at downtown Duboung in the city of Seoul. 

The roads bustled with reporters, police officers and passersby who had witnessed the death of Yoo Na Young, the popular genius eighteen year old student of Seoul Art High school.

Yoo Na Young is a born talented singer with the most divine voice that could put the whole city asleep. 

She is the intelligence brain behind Seoul Art High school Popularity, winning different awards within the country and international award, which make her the best student in her school and get the school the image of the best in the country.

She had been found by the first witness on the cold tile road of doubong street, and he immediately raised the alarm for other people. 

They had recognized her immediately given her popularity and had informed the police officers. And in just a few minutes the reporters have also arrived at the scene.

The police officers had put a red leather tape scribble with the warning 'DO NOT CROSS - POLICE LINE'  all around the premises to stop the reporters and those present at the scene from getting close to the victim. 

Yoo Na Young's body was laid on a stretcher with a white clothes hanging below her waist. 

The cool afternoon breeze caressed her face.

Despite being far from where the victim lay, the reporters were still taking pictures and some were trying to get information from those who had witnessed the accident.

The detective incharge Lee Yiwon went inside the restricted area, passing under the warning tape. He moved closer to the young lady lying on the stretcher and accessed her body carefully

Her entire body was covered in red bruises from when the car that hit her threw her up in the air before she landed on the floor. Blood drizzled down from her forehead and a stab injury on her arm which led to losing much blood and eventually to her death.

It was a very pitiful sight. She had died on spot before the passerby could call an ambulance to save her; an accident that had shortened her life. 

To make the matter worse the driver who had hit her didn't stop but made a run for it. 

Meanwhile a SUV car abruptly halted by the roadside. The door opened and a couple in their late thirty rushed out of the backseats and ran toward the scene. 

The woman pushed roughly through the crowd, tears rolled down her cheek continuously. She wouldn't stop shouting the name 'Na Young' attracting the attention of the crowd to her. 

Coming to a stop in front of the tape she tried forcing her way in but the police officers were quick to restrained her back.

"I want to see my daughter!" She shouted at the police officer holding her hand as she struggled to wriggle her wrist away from him.  

"Calm down ma'am" The police officer calmly stated, using his body as a blockage from the man standing beside the woman when he tried peeking in. 

The couple had received a call from an unknown number that their daughter was involved in an accident and here they were in a hurry but only to be stopped by this annoying force.

Tears burned in Yoo Bongpal's eyes. He brings his hand to clean his face but the tears tumble down before he can.

Noticing the police won't allow him to see his daughter he roared in a deep voice. "Get out of the way and let me see my daughter. We just want to see our daughter!"

Lee Yiwon, distracted by the noise from afar turned back toward the people shouting a few metres away from him. Looking at the couple he knows they are the victim's parents by their actions.

 "Let them in" He ordered the police officers hampering the couple.

The officers bow courteously to him and remove the tape from the way and the couple rushed in. 

it was closed back immediately.

Moving closer. Shin Sulan saw a body laying on the stretcher and no one needed to tell her before she knew it was her daughter. She shook her head frantically and almost stumbled but her husband was quick to steady her. 

She couldn't stop the hot tears that rolled down her cheek as she stared at her daughter's cold body and pale whitened face. 

Stopping in front of the stretcher, her head dropped low and she collapsed against the stretcher. 

The stretcher screeched forward at the impact of the figure collapsing against it but Lee Yiwon was quick to hold it back in place. 

She takes Na Young hand in hers while staring at her pink lip which has turned dry as if sun beaten leaves wavered on the floor.

"Na Young, Mom is here. Let's go to your favorite bakery shop and get your birthday cake. It's waiting there." Her voice was laid with pain at each word while talking to Na Young as if she was still alive. 

She assured herself that she is much more alive but with her daughter not replying to her, she released the most ear wrecking scream ever heard and tears tumble down her cheek like a race. 

Yoo Bongpal didn't realize he was crying until he felt his cold and wet tears run down his face. 

Grief builds in his heart. He feels like a thousand needles have pierced his heart. Being pierced by a thousand needles, imagine how painful it would be. That is exactly how he is feeling right now. 

His leg grew weak and he collapsed next to his wife while looking at his daughter's pale face. 

It was supposed to be a joyful day for them since it was Na Young's birthday. 

Their girl had woken up early this morning with a big smile plastered on her face as today was her eighteen birthday; the day she was officially becoming an adult. 

For the celebration of his daughter's birthday, he and his wife had decided to celebrate it at Na Young's favourite bakery shop but she had declined. 

Na Young had opted to go to church for a thanksgiving instead but they had also refused and decided to celebrate it for her in style. 

Regardless of that, She was still adamant on going to the church and had told them to get the place ready for celebration before she returned. Not wanting to go through the process of arguing with her, they had let her have her way. 

Everything was set and they were just waiting for her to return when they received the news of her accident. 

Their daughter's birthday has turned to her death day.

An occasion that was supposed to be joyful has turned sorrowful.

Did they make a mistake by allowing her to go when she insisted?. If only they had known this was what was going to happen they wouldn't have allowed her. 

They would have disagreed with her till the end but now that mistake had claimed their daughter's life.

No pain is greater than seeing your child die before you. Witnessing your child's death is the most painful, agony and sorrowful pain anyone could imagine.

Lee Yiwon wasn't supposed to show his sadness to a victim according to the nature of his job but looking at the couple crying over the loss of their daughter, something precious inside of him began to die. 

His eyes darkened as he stared in the other direction when he couldn't bear looking at the couple anymore. He clenched his fist tightly; his knuckle turning white. He huffed and stared back at the body of the young lady on the stretcher. 

Even in his distorted expression of rage, he still look handsome. A strand of his shaggy midnight dark hair had fallen out of the place and was primed to his forehead. His dark brown eyes brimming fire in them. 

Running away will be the driver's biggest nightmares. He will hunt him or her down to the end of the world and make sure the person is brought to justice. That was his promise.

The loud siren of the ambulance coming at a far distance jolted Lee Yiwon back to his senses. He looked at the couple still crying beside their daughter's corpse and shook his head pathetically. He can feel their pain, especially the mother whose sob had raked through her body.

The sound of the ambulance drew closer and Lee Yiwon turned to see the ambulance coming to a stop right outside the secured premises. 

Two ambulance attendants came out of it and headed toward the scene. They went in after gaining access from the police officers at the entrance.

Yoo Bongpal drew his wife away from Na Young's body when she refused to let her go at seeing the ambulance attendants ready to take her daughter's dead body away. 

He is a man and needs to be strong, at least for his wife. 

The attendants moved closer and covered Yoo Na Young's body all the way to her face with the white cloth hanging on her waist. 

Shin Sulan's tears increased when she saw the cloth covering her daughter's face. She slipped down crying in an irresistible manner. 

After making sure her body is properly covered, Yoo Na Young's body was stretchered off toward the ambulance and the police officers removed the warning tape from the way.

Na Young's body was put into the ambulance by the two ambulance attendants shutting the door behind them. And almost Immediately the ambulance took off blaring its siren loudly.

~~~~

The heaviness of the afternoon air settled on Ku byeon In, an unwelcome preview of the humid summer ahead. Sighing he leaned against the cool brick in the alley and looked down at his watch for upteent time.

He rolled his eyes and mumbled. "She is always late."

Why was Na Young always late? They'd confirmed their plan for lunch just a couple of hours ago and Na Young had promised to watch the clock this time. But it wasn't the first time Na Young had let him down and Byeon In knew it won't be the last as well.

He looked at his watch again and sighed deeply.

Today being his girlfriend's birthday he had made a reservation at a cafeteria to celebrate her birthday and they had agreed to meet at this spot. 

He had doubted at first if Na Young would be able to make it knowing how strict her parents are with her, but she had assured him that she would find an excuse for them. 

Did her parents not allowed to go out or they didn't buy her excuses?. Did she intentionally keep him waiting?.

Running out of patience and feeling bored, he extracted his phone from his pocket and unlocked it. 

Yoo Na Young's beautiful face appeared on the screen. He decided to scroll through the internet to pass time till Na Young arrived. 

Totally engrossed with the news he is seeing on the internet he smiles and rests his broad shoulder against the wall. His eyes suddenly quivered when a particular news caught his attention.

#THE BEST SINGER AT SEOUL ART HIGH SCHOOL WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT AT DUBOUNG INTERSECTION WHICH LEAD TO HER DEATH# 

That was the headline that bloomed at the top of the news but what surprised him is the fact that he is seeing his girlfriend Yoo Na Young in the picture of the dead girl. 

He opened the news and read through it.

What!. Na young is dead, that isn't impossible. How?. That must be fake news. He subconsciously placed his hand on his chest and took in a  deep breath but no matter what he did; whether it counted to three, take a deep breath in. He couldn't settle.

Condolences comments popping into his phone drifted him back to reality and he lunged forward heading to God knows where. 

He could feel the burning tears in his eyes with each step he takes. He knows he is running out of time before his emotion gets the best of him and immediately he takes into a run as if wind was carrying him.