The bell, the garden, the woman – it was all real. It was her past, her family, her life.
"I… I don't remember," she whispered, tears streaming down her own face. "The fire… I don't remember anything."
The old woman reached out and took Ji-ah's hand, her grip surprisingly strong. "It's alright, child. It's alright. I'm here now. I'm your grandmother."
The reality of it all was overwhelming. Ji-ah had a family. She wasn't alone. She had a past, a history, a connection to something beyond the cold, sterile walls of the orphanage.
For the first time in her life, Ji-ah felt a flicker of hope.
But the hope was short-lived. As the days passed, and Ji-ah began to piece together the fragments of her past, she discovered a darker, more sinister truth. The fire that had taken her mother's life wasn't an accident. It was arson, deliberately set.
And the target wasn't just her mother. It was her.
Her grandmother, deeply saddened by the revelation of her granddaughter's trauma, decided to uncover the reason behind the fire. Together, Ji-ah and her grandmother embarked on a quest to unravel the truth. The investigation took them back to the house where the fire broke out, now overgrown and derelict. As Ji-ah walked through the ruins, faint memories began to surface.
She remembered overhearing hushed conversations between her parents, and glimpses of a man lurking around their property. Her mother seemed scared and had warned her to never open the door for strangers. She also had a vague memory of a treasure hidden somewhere in the house but was vague about it. Piecing the information together with the help of her grandmother, Ji-ah realized that her parents had been involved in something dangerous.Their search led them to an old friend of her late father, a retired police officer named Park. Park revealed that her father, Kim Jae-hoon, had been a talented architect. He had designed a building for a wealthy and influential businessman, Mr. Choi, a man known for his shady dealings. Jae-hoon had discovered that the building was being used for illegal activities and had threatened to expose Choi.
Park believed that Choi had ordered the arson to silence Jae-hoon and his family. Ji-ah was a witness and needed to be eliminated.
As Ji-ah delved deeper into the mystery, danger followed her at every turn. She received threatening phone calls, and strangers stalked her. She realized that Choi was still a powerful man and was determined to keep his secrets buried.
Determined to bring Choi to justice, Ji-ah sought help from a young, tenacious journalist named Min-ho. Min-ho had been investigating Choi for years and saw Ji-ah as the key to exposing him. Together, they gathered evidence and pieced together a solid case against Choi.
However, Choi was one step ahead. He framed Ji-ah for a crime she didn't commit, and she was arrested. Despair washed over her. It seemed like she was destined to be a victim of her past.
But Min-ho refused to give up. He worked tirelessly to prove Ji-ah's innocence and expose Choi's corruption. He uncovered crucial evidence that cleared Ji-ah's name and implicated Choi in the arson.
With the evidence in hand, Min-ho approached the authorities. Choi was arrested and brought to trial. Ji-ah testified against him, recounting the fragments of her memory and the horrors she had endured.
The trial was a media spectacle. The public was outraged by Choi's actions. In the end, Choi was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. Justice was finally served.
But the victory came at a great cost. Ji-ah had faced her demons, reliving the trauma of her past. The pain and suffering she had endured had left deep scars.
After the trial, Ji-ah decided to leave Seoul. She needed to escape the shadows of her past and find a place where she could heal. She sold her tiny apartment and used the money to buy a small cottage in the countryside, far away from the city.