Lee Mansion - Study Room
Rain tapped softly against the tall windows.
Mr. Lee closed the file in front of him and looked at his lawyer. "Is everything ready?"
Mr. Tang adjusted his glasses, calm as always. "Don't worry, Mr. Lee. I'll take care of it. I'll inform you after I arrange the documents."
Mr. Tang bowed and left. A moment later, Grande, the senior caretaker, knocked gently.
"Sir."
"Where are my kids, Grande?" Mr. Lee asked, rubbing his temples.
"Young Master Jimmy went to meet his friends, sir. And..." Grande hesitated, then smiled. "Our Aara... she came back from London."
Mr. Lee's hand stopped. "Aara is back?"
"Yes, sir."
A long silence. Then, quietly: "Inform Tae Yang to keep watching them."
"Okay, Mr. Lee."
Empire Elite Basketball Stadium
The crowd was screaming.
"LEO! LEO! LEO!"
On the court, Leo Shin moved like light — fast, charming, every shot perfect. Flower boy of the school, and he knew it.
Jimmy Lee pushed through the crowd to the front row. "Sorry! I'm late!"
Leo grinned, wiping sweat. "I heard about your kidnapping news. How are you here like nothing happened?"
"Dude, it's normal in rich kids' life," Jimmy shrugged. "I'm here now, don't worry. The problem is not that. The problem is my little sister is here."
Leo froze. "What? Our Aara is here? Why didn't you inform me before?"
"From last year till now you're still asking about my sister," Jimmy warned, half-laughing. "I'm warning you, she's not easy. She's a devil."
Leo's eyes lit up. "I have to play. See you later."
The match started. As usual, Leo was the best player — the main lead on the court. Son of Mr. Tang, the Lee family's advisor. He wanted to be a lawyer like his father, to help innocent people in this cruel world.
He had no mother. She died when he was eight. His family was middle-class, but he was happy — surrounded by friends, loved by girls.
And since childhood, he had a one-sided crush on one girl only: Kim Aara Lee. He'd studied with her elder brother, watched her from afar, never able to forget her.
Gangnam Luxury Mall
"I want this, and this, and this too. Take that one and all of these."
Kim Aara Lee didn't look at price tags. She just pointed, and the staff rushed.
On the other side of the store, another girl was doing the exact same thing.
They turned at the same time.
Childhood enemies. Face to face.
Sana's eyes narrowed. She was now a famous actress. "I don't believe this. Wow, look at this shameless one."
Aara didn't blink. "If you call me shameless one again, you'll die."
Sana gasped. "Wahh, how dare you... Do you know who I am now?"
"I know you're a famous actress now," Aara said coldly. "But I don't care. And if you still try to mess with me... you already know who I am. Move away."
Aara walked past her, perfume trailing.
Sana clenched her fists. "How dare she... she's still a bitch."
Lee Mansion - Evening
In the living room, Mr. Lee sat with his second wife, Soo Young, and her son Jay.
Jay — step elder brother of Aara and Jimmy. A student at Empire Elite School with Leo and Jimmy. His girlfriend Yeri was Sana's best friend.
"We have wonderful sons and daughter," Soo Young smiled softly. "They are mature now."
"Yeah," Mr. Lee nodded. "That's a good thing for us."
Soo Young hesitated. "Ahh... I heard Aara is here..."
Mr. Lee's voice softened. "Yeah. After so long, my daughter is with me now. I hope she forgot everything and forgave me too..."
"Yeah, that's what I want too," Soo Young said. "So many things happened in her life. I hope she's happy now."
"I hope so."
Footsteps.
Aara stood at the doorway. She saw Jay and his mother. The air turned cold. Awkward. Heavy with old hatred.
Mr. Lee stood quickly. "Oh, Aara, come here. Meet your mother and your elder brother Jay. You know him already."
Aara's lips curled. "Of course I know him. How can I forget him?"
Jay forced a smile. "Yeah, right. How can she forget me... I'm her elder... brother too..."
Aara looked straight into his eyes. "I'm never going to call you that. I have only one elder brother in this world, and that's Jimmy oppa only."
Silence.
Behind that silence were three unanswered questions that would change everything —
What was that flashback between them?
Why did Sana call Aara a culprit?
And why was Aara sent to study in England, far from home?