Chapter 1 A Dying Fire and a Paper Umbrella

The sky was the color of bruised fruit murky, weeping, angry. Rain fell in impatient slaps, soaking the roads, the trees, and the shivering girl sprinting barefoot through the alleyways.

Yoon Ha-rin, eight years old, darted between puddles like a ghost, clutching a torn plastic bag that held vegetables barely worth the trouble. Her hair stuck to her cheeks, and her thin shirt clung to her bony frame.

She didn't mind the thunder or lightning. She was used to storms inside and outside.

She just didn't expect a car to come flying around the corner.

A screech. Headlights. A scream.

Ha-rin froze. The vehicle stopped inches from her body. Her knees gave out, and she collapsed into the muddy road.

The luxury sedan door burst open. The driver, a man in a crisp black suit, stormed out and towered over her.

"Are you blind, kid?! You want to die?! This is why street rats like you should stay off the road!"

Ha-rin blinked up, dazed and soaking.

Then, another door opened. Slower. Calmer.

Kang Jae-min, dressed in a navy-blue school blazer with a silver crest, stepped out. Nine years old, tall for his age, with charcoal eyes too serious for his young face.

"Stop," he said simply.

The driver scowled. "Sir...."

"She's bleeding."

Jae-min walked toward Ha-rin. She stared at his polished shoes, her eyes wide with disbelief. He knelt and offered his handkerchief.

"You shouldn't run like that," he said. "The city doesn't stop for anyone."

Ha-rin took the handkerchief slowly, unsure.

"What's your name?"

She hesitated. "Y-Yoon Ha-rin."

He nodded. "I'm Jae-min. Kang Jae-min."

Jae-min turned to the driver. "Take her to the hospital. Pay for everything. Wait until her parents arrive."

Ha-rin tried to object. "You don't have to-"

He looked at her. "Let me."

---

Later That Night...

Ha-rin sat silently on the hospital bench, her scraped knees bandaged. Her aunt burst in, furious.

"You're such a disgrace! Making me come here like this? Do you know how much this cost?! And where's the food?! You didn't even bring it back!"

The nurse tried to calm her. "Please ma'am, she had an accident-"

Slap. The sound echoed.

Ha-rin flinched but said nothing. Her aunt grabbed her by the arm and yanked her outside.

Across the street, inside the sedan, Jae-min watched through the window. His eyes narrowed. He said nothing, but something inside him tightened.

The car pulled away.

---

That Night

Yoon Ha-rin's room was a storage closet. A single mat. A cracked ceiling.

She lay on her back, the handkerchief still clenched in her fingers.

"Kang Jae-min," she whispered. "Like a prince from a book."

She smiled softly. Then flinched when her aunt banged on the door and yelled, "No dinner for you tonight! Serves you right!"

---

Somewhere Across the City...

Jae-min sat at a long marble dining table, untouched food in front of him.

His father, Chairman Kang Min-ho, was discussing business mergers on the phone. His mother, Madam Yura, flipped through a designer magazine.

"Father," Jae-min said suddenly.

Min-ho looked up, mildly irritated. "What?"

"I want to transfer schools."

Silence.

"Why?" Yura asked, her eyes sharp.

"I... I just want something new."

Min-ho narrowed his eyes. "You're going to Seongnam International. You will not change that."

"Father-"

"No discussion."

Yura studied her son. A smile curled her lips.

"Is it because of Sera?" she asked.

Jae-min didn't answer.

"Sera's attending Yeonhwa Elementary, isn't she? I could speak with the principal."

Min-ho growled. "That's a mediocre school."

"Even so, it's temporary," she said. "If he wants it, let him explore."

Jae-min gave a small nod. "Thank you, mother."

---

The Next Morning Yeonhwa Elementary School

The courtyard was full of noise-children running, gossiping.

Sera, daughter of a wealthy businessman, stood at the gate, flanked by her two best friends, Mina and Joo-mi. Her pink ribbon fluttered in the breeze.

"Did you hear? A new transfer student today," Mina said, checking her lip gloss.

"Probably some loser," Joo-mi smirked.

Then the black car pulled up.

Gasps. Whispers. The new transfer student.

Jae-min stepped out, adjusting his blazer.

Girls squealed. Boys stared.

Sera's eyes lit up. She rushed forward. "Jae-min?! You're here?! We're classmates now!"

He nodded politely. "Good morning, Sera."

As he walked, his eyes scanned the crowd. They landed on a girl by the garden wall.

She was in patched shoes, old uniform, holding a math book.

Yoon Ha-rin.

She froze when she saw him.

Their eyes locked.

He didn't smile. He didn't wave. He just looked.

She took a step back, confused, stunned.

Sera noticed immediately. Her face twisted with jealousy. She followed his line of sight and scowled.

"Why are you looking at that loser?" she snapped.

Mina blinked. "You mean that charity-case girl?"

Joo-mi sneered. "She probably smells like cabbage. Ugh."

Sera stepped closer to Jae-min, flipping her hair. "She's disgusting. Dirty. You shouldn't waste your eyes on people like her."

Jae-min didn't respond. Not a word. Not a glance at Sera.

His gaze remained locked on Ha-rin.

Ha-rin's heart pounded. Her fingers gripped her book tighter.

The bell rang.

But the tension didn't break.

Sera's jaw clenched as she watched the silent exchange.

"He's mine," she whispered under her breath.

End of Chapter One.