A Curse written in blood

Chapter 4

"Mom...!!"

I jolt awake, my heart pounding hard in my chest. What just happened? My eyes look around the room—the desk, the fan, the Ji Chang Wook poster on the wall. Everything looks exactly like my room.

Wait… this is my room, right?

Oh God. That means it’s just a dream.

I turn toward the clock. Midnight.

So… since when have I been asleep?

I let out a slow breath. Of course, it’s a dream. I’ve been buried in my fantasy novel for days, so it makes sense that my brain turns it into a movie every night.I covered my face with both hands and shook my head. My heart kept hammering, louder with every breath.

I get up and walk to the living room. My family is still there, my sisters dan broters smile at me when i approace them. "Hey, sweetheart, you’re awake,” my mother says with a warm smile.

Her voice feels like home. And suddenly, my chest tightens for no reason.

“Hey, what’s wrong, dear? Why are you crying?” she asks, noticing my trembling lips.

I quickly wipe my eyes and force a smile.

“It’s nothing, Mom. I just feel a little dizzy, that’s all." I say.

I sit down beside her and lean my head on her shoulder.

“Oh, my poor child,” she murmur and running her fingers gently through my hair. “How many times have I told you not to stay up too late writing?”

“Ugh, I know…” I mumble.

Her touch is soft. Her warmth seeps through me, steady and calm. In her arms, everything feels safe again—like no nightmare, no dream, could ever take that away. But, suddenly...

The sound makes my mother stop what she’s doing. I blink, trying to shake off the strange heaviness in my chest. “Wait a minute, dear?” my mom's voice sounds calm, but something in it feels off. She walks toward the front door while I stay still, my heart suddenly racing for no reason.

Then—

“Lyra, come here, sweetheart!”

Her voice calls out again, louder this time.

And I freeze.

Why does it feel like my chest is tightening? Why does my body tremble as if it already knows something I don’t?

Still, I move. Step by step, I walk toward the living room, my palms cold, my breath shaky.

There—by the doorway—stands a tall man, his back facing me. He’s talking to Mama, his voice deep, low, and calm… too calm.“What’s going on, Mom?” I ask, forcing myself to sound normal.

My mother turns to me and smiles, that soft motherly smile that always hides her worries. “Come here, sweetheart. Let me introduce you. This is Mister Riftan. He’s the one who owns all the land and the buildings before they were donated to our orphanage. He’s also been helping us in secret all this time. He came to visit.”

Her words hit me like thunder.

Riftan.

That name—why does it echo in my mind like an old, buried memory?

The man slowly turns around.

And the moment our eyes meet—

the world stops moving.

His gaze is calm, yet it cuts through me. His lips curl into a faint smile… that same smile I thought I would never see again.

“Ah…!”

My breath catches. My heart pounds so loud it drowns the silence.

No… this can’t be real.