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🌸 Bonus Chapter: A Year and a Blossom 🌸
Korea — Spring Festival, One Year Later
Cherry blossoms floated softly across the gardens of backwood's Legacy Foods Headquarters. Seoul's spring breeze carried the smell of cinnamon bread, dumplings, and blooming azaleas.
The annual Spring Wellness Gala had begun — now hosted by none other than Ray and his newly appointed cultural co-director… Milicent henshaw
She stood at the center of the flower-strewn courtyard, laughing gently as children tasted her strawberry tteok. Her hands still wore flour like jewelry. Her spirit, lighter than ever.
And then Ray's arm slid around her waist.
Ray, now twenty-one , had grown calmer, clearer, and quieter in strength. The board loved him. The employees followed him. His story had become one of Korea's most-read features of the young billionaire
He kissed Milicent's cheek before stepping to the podium
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🌟 Ryder
From the edge of the crowd, Ryder stood in a black shirt, now with softer eyes and no entourage.
He had finished six months in rehab and was attending a vocational arts college in Busan.
He came quietly, stood in the back, and nodded once to Ray — a silent olive branch.
Ray nodded back.
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🌟 Jasmine
Jasmine had not returned to the spotlight — but rumor had it, she had started a small anonymous food blog, teaching kids how to cook.
and she was also going viral Aided by her father's legacy
Her punishment had included community service and a suspended culinary license. But she was reportedly mentoring underprivileged girls now… slowly rebuilding her name.
She didn't attend the Gala — but a small bouquet of apricot flowers was anonymously left for Milicent that morning. No card. But the gesture was loud.
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🌟 Matilda
Matilda, n
had made peace with Emily — the friend she betrayed — and spent the year advocating for truth-telling and personal healing in family systems.
She smiled at the younger generation like someone who had finally exhaled after years of pretending.
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🌟 Amy
now a grade 10 had started a digital YouTube show called "Truth Table," where she shared unspoken stories of youth — bullying, drugs, pressure, expectations — featuring real Korea celebrities and also interested in modeling
she waved from behind the camera crew, filming Milicent and Ray for their "Where Are They Now?" feature.
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🌟 sir Backwood's
sir Backwood's sat quietly under a cherry tree, sipping warm tea.
His hair had grown grayer. His voice softer. But his smile — rare as it was — had returned.
Beside him sat the new company logo, rebranded in honor of truth and second chances:
"Backwood Legacy — Nourishing More Than Bodies."
just then his wife
mam Emily walking in gorgeous as usual giving that swagger vibes
she had just returned from a surgery
she
pecked him on his cheeks
she was now an ambassador of peace and Teen health in Korea
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🌟 The Final Moment
As lanterns rose into the sky, Ray turned to Milicent and whispered:
> "Last year, we were running from shadows. This year… we're dancing in the light."
She smiled, eyes glassy.
> "And next year?" she asked.
> "We build something even brighter," he said, holding her hand.
As the sky shimmered with floating wishes and fireworks, they stood at the heart of a story that had almost broken them — but instead had rebuilt them.
Together.
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THE END.
(Or… just the beginning of a better life.)
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Author's Note to You:
Dear Reader,
This story was more than fiction. It was a piece of me — my thoughts, my dreams, my voice.
If it made you feel, question, or hope… then it did what it was meant to do.
Stories are more than ink and imagination — they are echoes of truth disguised in fiction.
If this tale reached your heart, stirred your thoughts, or made you pause for breath,
then its purpose has bloomed.
Thank you for allowing these characters to live in your mind,
and for holding their joys, flaws, and fires with empathy.
In every sentence, I left a thread of myself —
woven gently, sometimes boldly — hoping you'd find it and feel less alone.
May you always choose truth.
May you heal where it hurts.
And may you rise, again and again, just like they did.
With sincerity and light,
– Kadiri Naomi