The sky over Seoul was a deep gray that night—as if mirroring Leika Valentine's feelings, who no longer knew who to hope for. The winter wind stung her cheeks as she stood on the edge of the Gangnam sidewalk, in front of the old building that once belonged to her father's company. Now, the sign had been replaced. The new neon lights spelling out "Hwang Finance Group" reflected in the puddles of rainwater beneath her feet.
Her father sat in the beat-up car behind her, his head bowed in silence. Leika stared at her reflection in the window. She used to be a cheerful girl who was often the center of attention at school, with long hair and an easy smile. Now, her face looked tired, her beautiful eyes like a sea that had lost its light.
"Dad... we can still find another way," she whispered softly.
Her father did not answer. His sigh was heavy, as if carrying the weight of the world. "The loan shark... said tomorrow is the final deadline. If not, our house will be seized. And—" he paused, his voice breaking. "He said... if you are willing..."
Leika tensed immediately. She knew what he was going to say. Her body felt cold as ice. "No, Dad," she cut him off quickly, her voice trembling. "I won't give myself to that man."
Her father looked at her, his old eyes wet. "You're too precious for this, Leika... but I have nothing else left."
Leika turned her face away, biting her lip. She wanted to be angry, but she couldn't. All that remained was exhaustion and bitterness. It seemed as if the world had no room for good people who lost.
That night, she walked alone on the sidewalk, searching for air—or perhaps the courage to give up. The city lights reflected her shaky shadow in the windows of closed shops.
Her phone vibrated. A text message from an unknown number came in.
"I can solve your problem tonight."
"Come to the Azure Expanse Hotel, 45th floor. Alone."
Leika stared at the screen for a long time, her heart pounding. She didn't recognize the number. But for some reason, the message took her breath away. There was something in the line of letters—something that felt cold but... familiar.
A few hours later, the rain fell again. The Azure Expanse Hotel stood majestically, piercing the Seoul night sky. The marble floor of the lobby glistened under the crystal lights. Leika stepped hesitantly inside, her leather shoes leaving water marks.
A receptionist looked at her politely. "Good evening. Are you a guest of Mr. Regef Valerio?"
Leika froze. That name... hit her memory like a wave from the past.
Regef Valerio.
A name she hadn't heard in ten years.
Leika stood for a few seconds in front of the shiny elevator, staring at the digital numbers rising one by one.
Each "ding" sounded like a recount of steps she couldn't take back. She didn't know why she had come. Maybe it was out of desperation, maybe it was because a small part of her still wanted to believe that miracles could take the form of someone willing to help.
The elevator doors opened with a soft sound. The 45th floor felt different: quiet, with long silver-gray corridors, the smell of expensive wood mixed with the aroma of coffee. Only one door was open at the end, warm yellow light flowing out.
Leika took a deep breath and stepped inside.
The room was spacious; large windows displayed a view of Seoul drenched in rain. Standing in front of the glass was a tall man in a perfect black suit, his shoulders straight, his silhouette clear even though he had his back to the light. When he turned around, Leika's world stopped for a moment.
Regef Valerio.
His face had changed—it was harder, sharper. But his eyes... those eyes were still the same: dark, deep, and always staring at the floor whenever he passed through the school corridor. Now those eyes were staring directly at her.
"It's been a long time, Leika Valentine," he said softly, his voice heavy and calm like an underground river.
Leika stared at him without saying a word. "You... Regef?" her voice was almost a whisper.
"Yes." The corners of his lips lifted slightly. "I'm glad you still recognize me."
He walked closer. His steps were slow but sure. Each step made the space between them shrink, the air tense. Leika looked down, trying to calm herself.
"I got a message to come here. From whom?"
"From me," he replied briefly. "I heard your family... is having difficulties."
Leika swallowed. "You know?"
"It's hard not to know," he said, looking out the window again. "The loan shark you went to happens to have a small stake in one of the companies under my group."
His words were calm, but the tone behind them made Leika grip her bag tightly. "Then why did you call me here?"
Regef turned his body again. "Because I can pay off all your father's debts tonight."
Leika was stunned. "What?"
"I just need your signature on this document," he said, placing a black folder on the glass table. "After that, your father will be free."
Leika approached, opening the folder with trembling hands. Legal papers, employment contracts. On top was written: Executive Personal Assistant – Regef Valerio.
She stared at it. "Personal Assistant?"
Regef looked back. "Yes, according to what's written on that paper."
Leika frowned. "This... is too sudden."
"Nothing is sudden," he said softly. "I've been watching you for a long time."
The tone of his voice made Leika straighten her shoulders. "What do you mean?"
"You don't even..."
"Don't even what?" he interrupted. "Don't you remember? You were the only one who lent me a pen when everyone was laughing at me in class." He smiled slightly, but his eyes didn't smile. "I remember the little things, Leika. Very clearly."
A long silence fell between them.
Leika stared at him for a long time. "Where have you been all this time? Did i do something wrong to you? I'm sorry if—"
"No need to apologize." He bowed his head slightly, his voice softer. "You never knew what happened to me after that."
"You also don't—"
"Enough." He raised his hand slowly. "What you need to know is: I can make all of this end. Your father, your debt, your fear." He stared at her intently. "But I need you by my side. Not out of pity. Because I want you to be."
Leika froze.
"Why me?"
"Because," he said in a voice that was almost gentle, "you owe me something, even if you don't realize it."
Leika stared at him for a long time. "What debt?"
Regef smiled slightly. "Time."
The rain outside turned into a thin curtain on the glass window. The city lights reflected on Leika's confused and tired face. She wanted to leave, but her steps seemed to be tied to the floor.
"How long?" she finally asked, her voice barely audible.
"About the contract?"
"Yes."
"About the time, i didn't write a deadline." He looked at her, then added softly, "Until i'm done with you."
Leika stared at the paper. The black ink on white seemed meaningless. Only the sound of breathing, the ticking of the clock, and the gaze of the man she might have accidentally ignored before—now standing in front of her, offering her freedom at a price she didn't yet know.
"What if i don't sign?"
Regef stared at her for a long time, then lowered his voice until it was almost a whisper. "Then we'll both go back to where we started—you'll lose everything, I'll lose my chance."
Regef continued,
"And besides...Harry Osman, that loan shark, isn't a patient man."
He wasn't threatening her. But something in the way he spoke made Leika's body shiver.
She closed the folder. "I need time to think."
"You have until sunrise," he said as he stepped onto the balcony. "After that, this offer disappears."
Leika stood alone in the middle of the large room. The wind from the window brought the sound of rain, and outside, Seoul continued to spin, oblivious to the person slowly sinking. She stared at Regef's silhouette behind the glass, standing tall in the blue light of the night.
For some reason, her fear was mixed with curiosity—about the man who used to be so quiet, but now could make the world kneel with a single signature.
"Alright, I agree, I'll sign this."
Leika's slender hand moved to sign the document, unaware that it would one day become a boomerang for her.
Regef smiled crookedly at Leika's words.
"Good decision, Leika Valentine."
"And one more thing, I have to be honest with you—I was the one who told the loan shark to give your father a large loan with high interest rates."
Leika was stunned to hear Regef's words. She never imagined that all of this was Regef's doing.
"...What?"
"You can't run away, because you already signed the contract."
"What did I do wrong for you to do all this?"
Regef smiled crookedly and grabbed Leika's chin roughly.
"Don't pretend to forget the mistakes you made yourself, Leika Valentine."
Leika sat down and cried after Regef left. The sound of his shoes touching the floor seemed to echo the sorrow in Leika's heart.
And that night, amid the soft glow of Seoul's lights, Leika realized—her past, which she thought had been buried, had now come back to haunt her with a new face—a face full of resentment and pent-up anger, without Leika knowing the cause.