CHAPTER 22 — HER NAME
1063 Words
The room felt too small.
Too quiet.
Too suffocating.
Aarya stared at Jungkook.
Unable to breathe.
Unable to think.
Unable to process what he'd just said.
"Your name is in here."
Her name.
Inside a file connected to a conspiracy that started twenty years ago.
A conspiracy that began before she was even born.
It made no sense.
Absolutely none.
"Aarya."
Jungkook's voice pulled her back.
Slowly.
Reluctantly.
She looked at him.
Then at the folder in his hands.
Then back at him.
"What do you mean?"
Silence.
Dangerous silence.
The kind she had come to hate.
Because silence usually meant bad news.
Very bad news.
Jungkook exhaled slowly.
Then handed her the document.
Aarya took it immediately.
Her fingers trembling slightly.
The page was old.
Yellowed.
Official.
At first—
nothing stood out.
Just names.
Financial reports.
Meeting records.
Business agreements.
Then she saw it.
A single paragraph highlighted in red.
And beneath it—
a name.
Her name.
Her blood ran cold.
Not because of the name itself.
But because of the date.
Twenty-one years ago.
One year before she was born.
The paper mentioned a project.
A confidential project.
Its code name:
AARYA.
"What?"
The word escaped her lips.
Barely audible.
"What is this?"
Nobody answered.
Because nobody knew.
Not even Jungkook.
The room became silent again.
Aarya continued reading.
Every line making less sense than the previous one.
Project Aarya.
Protected Asset.
Transfer Agreement.
Confidential Beneficiary.
The terminology sounded strange.
Almost military.
Almost secretive.
Nothing about it resembled ordinary business documents.
"This isn't me."
Her voice sounded uncertain.
Almost pleading.
"It can't be."
Jungkook stepped closer.
His expression unreadable.
"No."
A pause.
Then—
"I don't think it is."
Relief immediately flooded her.
Only to disappear seconds later.
Because if the project wasn't named after her...
Then why did it have the exact same name?
The question haunted everyone.
Three hours later—
they sat inside Jungkook's private office.
The mysterious file spread across the desk.
Dozens of photographs.
Documents.
Records.
All connected to Project Aarya.
Yet none explaining what it actually was.
Or who it involved.
Or why it mattered.
Aarya rubbed her temples.
A headache was forming.
Fast.
Everything had become too complicated.
Too connected.
Too impossible.
"Maybe it's a coincidence."
The suggestion sounded weak.
Even to her.
Jungkook immediately shook his head.
"No."
She frowned.
"No?"
His eyes met hers.
Steady.
Certain.
"There are no coincidences anymore."
The truth of those words settled heavily between them.
Because he was right.
Every time they thought something was random—
it turned out connected.
Every single time.
A knock interrupted the silence.
Immediately.
A security guard entered.
His face pale.
Concerned.
"Boss."
Jungkook looked up.
"What?"
The guard hesitated.
Then handed over a tablet.
"We found surveillance records."
The room froze.
Aarya's pulse quickened.
Surveillance?
Of whom?
Jungkook took the tablet.
His expression darkened instantly.
Dangerously.
Aarya noticed immediately.
"What happened?"
No answer.
Jungkook simply turned the screen toward her.
And her stomach dropped.
The photographs showed her.
Not recently.
Years ago.
At school.
At university.
At cafés.
Walking home.
Standing with friends.
Living her life.
Unaware.
Observed.
Watched.
Documented.
Her breathing stopped.
Completely.
"What..."
The word barely emerged.
The images continued.
Page after page.
Year after year.
Someone had been monitoring her.
For years.
Long before she met Jungkook.
Long before Seoul.
Long before any of this.
Aarya felt sick.
Actually sick.
Because suddenly—
nothing felt real anymore.
The life she remembered.
The life she believed she'd lived.
It no longer felt normal.
It felt planned.
Controlled.
Observed.
Jungkook's expression became murderous.
Absolutely murderous.
"Where did these come from?"
The guard swallowed.
"Chairman Han's private archives."
The room froze.
Again.
Aarya stared at the photographs.
Unable to look away.
Unable to understand.
"Why?"
The question escaped her lips.
Broken.
Confused.
Scared.
"Why would he watch me?"
No one had an answer.
Not yet.
Jungkook moved beside her.
Immediately.
His hand found hers.
Instinctively.
The simple gesture grounded her.
Just enough.
Not completely.
But enough.
"We'll find out."
His voice was calm.
Certain.
Protective.
Aarya looked at him.
And despite everything—
despite the fear—
she believed him.
Because whenever Jungkook promised something...
He delivered.
No matter the cost.
Then—
a phone rang.
Unknown number.
Again.
The room immediately tensed.
Everyone knew who it was before answering.
Minho.
Jungkook placed the call on speaker.
Silence filled the office.
Then—
Minho's voice emerged.
Calm.
Almost tired.
"You found the surveillance files."
Not a question.
A fact.
"Start talking."
Jungkook's tone was ice.
Pure ice.
Minho laughed softly.
"You still don't understand."
His voice carried something strange tonight.
Not arrogance.
Not victory.
Urgency.
"Aarya."
The sound of her name made her freeze.
"What?"
Several seconds passed.
Then—
Minho spoke quietly.
Almost sadly.
"You were never supposed to know."
A chill ran through her body.
"Know what?"
Silence.
Long silence.
Then—
the answer came.
And shattered everything.
"Chairman Han isn't interested in you because of your father."
The room froze.
Aarya's heart stopped.
Just for a second.
Then started racing violently.
"What?"
Minho exhaled.
Slowly.
Painfully.
As if he regretted what came next.
"He's interested in you because your mother worked for him."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Aarya's world tilted.
Her mother?
No.
No.
That wasn't possible.
Her mother had been a teacher.
A normal woman.
A kind woman.
An ordinary woman.
Minho's next words destroyed that illusion.
"Your mother worked directly under Chairman Han."
The room stopped breathing.
"And before she disappeared..."
A pause.
A terrible pause.
The kind that changed lives.
"...she stole something from him."
The call disconnected.
Immediately.
Leaving behind silence.
Shock.
And a hundred new questions.
Aarya sat frozen.
Unable to move.
Unable to think.
Because one thought echoed through her mind.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Her mother had disappeared when she was a child.
Everyone told her it was an accident.
A tragedy.
A loss.
Something unavoidable.
But now—
for the first time—
Aarya wondered if that had been a lie too.
And if it was...
Then her entire life had been built on secrets.
Far away—
inside a dark room—
Chairman Han stared at an old photograph.
A woman smiled back at him.
Beautiful.
Young.
Holding a baby girl.
The baby was Aarya.
And the hatred in Chairman Han's eyes was unmistakable.
"Found you."
- Writer
