CHAPTER 1: BEGINNING
1579 Words
"I don't love you!"
The girl shouted, tears running down her cheeks.
"I will never love you, no matter what you do. I love Rai! Even if you lock me up for the rest of my life, I will never love you. Do you hear me, Kim? I hate you. I hate you more than anyone in this world!"
In front of her, the boy stood still. Tears fell from his eyes.
"WHY?"
His voice cracked. "Why do you hate me? I love you more than Rai. More than anyone. But you keep pushing me away. You always choose him. Why, Bella? WHY?"
Tears slid down his face.
---
"What a foolish girl."
Rose muttered, flipping through a bestselling novel in her hands.
The bookstore smelled like old paper. It was 8 PM. She was working her evening shift to earn her own money.
"What do these girls want with nice guys?" she whispered. "Kim loves her more than Rai ever could. He loves her more than his own life. And she still said no? So cold-hearted."
Stories were simpler than real life.
Rose lived in the city with her aunt. She lost her parents in a car accident when she was 4.
She’d been with her aunt ever since. The pain never fully left. Sometimes the emptiness came back. Sometimes the loneliness.
But her aunt loved her and took care of her.
Now she was 18. She didn’t want to depend on anyone.
She had no friends. She was quiet. Not the type people noticed.
Average height. Shoulder-length black hair. Black eyes. Warm caramel skin.
But her real beauty was inside. Gentle. Innocent. Kind. Too emotional.
A world obsessed with looks would never see that.
Rose didn’t believe in romance books.
But that didn’t mean she’d never loved.
She loved her cousin.
Her aunt’s second son. 25. A lawyer living in another city. He hadn’t visited in 2 years, not since he graduated. But he called her aunt every week.
Rose had loved him since she was 14.
But she was too scared to say it out loud.
"Finally. Time to go home."
It was almost 9 PM. Her shift ended.
Rose put "Sake of Love" back on the shelf, grabbed her bag, locked the store, and headed home.
She walked with her head down, thinking.
"How can girls decide so easily?" she wondered. "When two people love them, how do they just... choose one?"
"Maybe villains love the hardest," she murmured. "They know what it’s worth."
She laughed to herself. "When I fall in love, I won’t let go. Even if he’s bad. Especially if he’s bad."
No. Wait.
"When someone falls in love with ME... I’ll never let them go. No matter what."
She hadn’t realized how fast she was walking.
"I’m home, Aunt!"
"You’re back! Welcome home. Dinner’s on the stove. Warm it up first, then eat."
Rose kicked off her shoes and dropped her bag.
From the TV: "Tomorrow night. Lunar eclipse. 7 to 8 PM."
She barely listened. She hurried to the kitchen and grabbed the food right off the stove.
Suddenly her aunt’s voice came from behind her. She had a face mask on.
Rose jumped and clutched her chest. "Aunt! You scared me!"
"You troublemaker! Did you wash your hands? I told you to heat it first!"
Rose rushed to the sink. "Yes, Aunt, I was just—"
But her aunt was already walking away, scolding. "You’re a girl, not a boy."
Rose sat down to eat.
Then she heard it from her aunt’s room.
"How are you, Carl?"
Rose froze. Her heart started racing.
Carl?
Aunt’s second son.
The boy she had her first crush on at 14.
She ran to the door and pressed her ear to it.
"When are you coming back? Oh, that’s good. Nothing, I just miss you. Eat on time. Sleep well. Take care, son. Bye."
Rose was still smiling when—
"ROSE! ROSE! COME HERE!"
She jumped. "C-coming!"
She went to the room. Her aunt was sitting on the bed, smiling.
"Tomorrow, try to leave college early if you can."
"Why, Aunt?"
"Because Carl is coming home tomorrow."
Rose couldn’t believe it.
"Okay, Aunt. I will," she said, keeping calm.
Then she went to her room, shut the door, and screamed into her pillow.
"I’m so happy! I’ve waited forever! Finally!"
---
"Ma’am, may I come in?"
"Yes, Rose."
Rose stood in the staff room.
"Ma’am, this is my half-day leave form."
"Why, Rose? Why half day?"
"Ma’am, my cousin is coming home after two years. My aunt wants me home early."
"Hmm... alright, Rose. Approved. You can go."
"Thank you, ma’am!"
---
"I’m home, Aunt!"
Rose changed her shoes and looked around. The house was quiet. Normal.
Then her aunt came out of the kitchen in an apron.
"You’re back, Rose."
"Aunt, where’s Brother Carl?"
"He’s on his way. Traffic. He’ll be late."
Her aunt turned back to the kitchen. "Rose, go to the market quickly. Get groceries. He’s bringing someone with him. We need to cook."
"Okay, I’m going."
---
"Hurry up! How much?"
"645, ma’am."
"Here you go. Thank you. See you again."
Rose grabbed the bags and ran.
"It’s getting late. Aunt’s going to be mad."
---
"I’m back, Aunt!"
Rose kicked off her shoes and rushed to the living room.
"Aunt, there were so many people at the—"
She stopped.
Her cousin was sitting on the sofa.
The world went quiet. Because the only person she ever wanted was sitting right there.
He stood up when he saw her.
"Rose, look. Carl’s here," her aunt said.
Rose instantly went shy. Low confidence. Heart pounding.
"Wow, Mom. She’s all grown up," Carl said, ruffling her hair.
Then he turned. "Rose, meet her. This is Caroline. My girlfriend."
Rose’s mind went blank.
A beautiful girl stood next to Carl. She must’ve been there the whole time.
"Caroline, this is Rose. My younger sister."
"Hi, Rose. How are you?" Caroline offered her hand.
Rose’s hand trembled as she took it. A shaky smile.
"H-hi Caro-line... nice... to meet you..."
She dropped her hand and looked at her aunt.
"T-these are the things you asked for... I-I’m going to the store. It’s late."
"What store? I’m here," Carl said.
"Yes, Carl’s right," Aunt and Caroline both said.
"No. There’s a special sale at the bookstore today. No day off. You all enjoy dinner. Thank you. Bye-bye."
Rose didn’t look at Carl. She grabbed her bag, put on her shoes, and ran out.
There was no sale.
She just couldn’t let anyone see her cry.
---
That’s how this world works:
We’re never given everything we want.
Sometimes someone gets, so easily, the one thing you’d give up everything for.
And watching them get it without trying makes you feel like the unluckiest person alive.
But the truth is, we can’t control anything.
Our fate and theirs is already written.
We only understand it after we lose the person we thought was everything.
Only then do we learn to move on.
In a world full of betrayal... where destiny asks for sacrifice.
---
Rose stopped running. She didn’t even know where she was.
Tears poured down her face.
She sat on the curb next to a bench, like a lost bird that fell from its nest.
"Now... now I know what loneliness feels like.
N-n-now I know why villains turn bad...
Because someone takes the one thing you love most... so easily.
B-b-but I really, really..."
Her voice broke. No one was there to hear.
She put her head on her knees and cried.
10 minutes later.
An old woman sat on the bench beside her.
"Child, why are you crying?"
Rose looked up, then down again.
"Why are you crying? It’s a lunar eclipse tonight. You should be happy. Make a wish."
"I lost everything," Rose sobbed like a little girl. "I have nothing to wish for."
"Oh, sweetheart. Don’t say that. You have your whole life for happiness.
At your age, falling for the wrong person is normal.
But trust me, dear... this wasn’t your destiny. Someone else is waiting for you."
The old woman stood.
"I have to go now, dear. But remember to make a wish.
Maybe someone’s waiting for you to wish for them."
She smiled and walked away.
Rose gave a small, shaky smile.
---
It was almost evening. The streets were empty.
Rose stood in her shop, staring out the window at the blood-red moon.
"This world doesn’t value anything until it’s gone."
She whispered. "I wish... I wish the one who needs me finds me.
I wish if he’s waiting for someone to love him... that someone is me.
I don’t care how dark he is. I’ll give him the love no one else did.
Please, God. Please. I can’t live like this anymore.
I hate this world. I hate being good."
She cried like a child.
She didn’t realize what she had just wished for.
---
Same time.
Different world.
Far, far away.
In a dark forest.
Cold wind. Fog. Smoke. Bats shrieking.
A black mansion. Terrifying as the woods. Dark as night.
Inside, pure darkness.
A green mist stirred.
A deep voice echoed: "It’s time to wake up."
In a dark corner, in another room, someone on a chair opened their eyes.
Bats screamed.
Cold wind howled.
_The Gates of Hell had opened._
---
comment: what is type of male lead??
- Writer
