"Tell me the truth..." Amelia's voice trembled, her eyes full of tears. "You never really loved me, did you?"
"Yes." Daniel lied coldly. But he forced himself to continue. He had to protect her, even if it meant making her hate him. It was the only way to keep her safe from his father's threats.
They stood in the garden of her father's estate, the place where they first met. Cherry blossoms swirled around them, a stark contrast to the devastation that crumpled Amelia's face.
Daniel wanted to reach out to her, but he knew better. Instead, he said, "Because you were convenient, Amelia. A Beautiful woman, who wouldn't be too hard to trick, But I never meant for it to go this far."
Lies. All lies. He loved her deeply, more than she could imagine. But if he ever said it out loud there was no saying what his father would do.
"I see." Amelia's voice was steady now, eerily calm. "Well, thank you for your honesty, My Lord. I won't trouble you further."
She turned to leave, her white dress billowing in the wind. Daniel tried to call out to her, tried to tell her it wasn't true, that he loved her, that he had always loved her. But no sound came out.
As she walked away, the scene shifted. No longer were they in the garden. Now Daniel stood at the edge of a cliff, looking down at the churning sea below. And there, on the rocks, broken and still, lay Amelia, her white dress stained red with blood, her brown hair sprawling all around her.
"No!" Daniel finally found his voice, a scream tearing from his throat. "Amelia!"
Daniel jolted awake, his heart pounding, his body drenched in sweat. For a moment, he didn't know where he was.
Then slowly, reality started reasserting itself. He was in his penthouse apartment in Seoul. Not a nobleman in Thrae, but Daniel Kim, heir to the Kim Group. And Amelia was…
Amelia was gone.
Daniel sat up, running a shaking hand through his hair. The digital clock on his nightstand read 3:17 AM.
"This dream again," Daniel sighed. Lately, he had been having the same dream every night. Amelia laying on the rocks below and him screaming but unable to do anything.
'Is this a memory from my past life?' Daniel wondered, it felt too real to be just a dream, but his memories of his past life were still a blur.
"System." Daniel called.
[Mission: Reject Hana
Reward: fragment of Amelia's memory]
If it wasn't for this system, part of him may have considered that his past life was all a dream.
By the time the sun rose, Daniel had pushed the dream to the back of his mind. As he arrived at the brunch and opened the car door he saw hana getting out of the car behind him.
"Late again, I see." Hana smirked, closing the car door.
"You too?" Daniel asked.
"Yep." Hana answered.
"In that case, I suggest waiting a few minutes before entering so it doesn't look like we arrived together," Daniel said.
"Alright, you can enter first." Hana said, pointing at the door.
"What? Why me?" Daniel remarked, it would be better if hana entered first. "You go first. "
"excuse me?" Hana raised her brows. "You should go first, your car is in the front."
"That's stupid. What does the car positon have anything to do with it?" Daniel sneered, "ladies first as they say, so after you."
"No, you."
"Not happening, you first."
"Please, I insist. After you."
"Nope."
They continued arguing loudly in front of the door until Grandpa Kim opened it. Even as they argued the image of Amelia laying on the rocks haunted Daniel's mind.
"What are you doing arguing out here?" Grandpa smiled, opening the door "Come in!"
They gave each other a look before going in.
"Welcome!" Grandpa Yoon said, a glass of champagne in hand. "We were just starting to wonder where you were."
"The games are about to begin!" Hans, Daniel's younger brother, said excitedly.
"That's right." Hana's mom reassured. "In the Yoon family, we like to get to know each other over a quiz show."
'A quiz show?' Daniel thought.
Daniel forced a polite smile as he sat down beside Hana at the long marble dining table. Across from them, Grandpa Yoon grinned like this was the highlight of his week, while the rest of the family and guests gathered around, clearly entertained by the upcoming "show."
A large tablet was propped up at the head of the table, displaying the glowing words:
Yoon Family Compatibility Quiz: Couple Edition!
Daniel blinked. Oh, hell no.
"What is this?" he asked flatly.
"Something fun!" Grandpa Yoon said, clapping his hands. "You and Hana will compete to see how compatible you are! The perfect bonding experience for an engaged couple."
Hana forced a laugh. "Oh, that's… great."
"Fun," Daniel muttered under his breath.
He glanced sideways at Hana. She sat upright, poised as ever, though the corner of her lip twitched. She looked like she'd rather be interrogated by the CIA than play this game.
The first question flashed on screen.
> Question 1: What's daniel's favorite color?
Daniel exhaled. Easy enough.
"Black," he said immediately.
"White," Hana answered at the same time.
They both turned to glare at each other.
"Black?" Hana said incredulously. "You literally wear white every other day!"
"That's because white suits me better in photos. I like black," Daniel replied.
"Unbelievable," Hana muttered.
The screen buzzed red. ❌ Wrong answer!
The family burst out laughing.
"Oh, they've got spirit!" Hana's mom giggled.
Daniel leaned back, rubbing his temples. Kill me now.
The next question popped up.
> Question 2: When is your partner's birthday?
Hana straightened confidently. "June 14th."
Daniel smirked. "Wrong. It's June 13th."
"No, it's not! I literally saw your ID!"
"You saw my fake ID. The real one says 13th."
The tablet buzzed again. ❌ Wrong answer!
"Fake ID?" Grandpa Yoon raised an eyebrow, clearly amused.
Daniel coughed. "Long story."
Hana shook her head, exasperated. "We're off to a great start."
The questions continued. favorite food (wrong), favorite movie (wrong), dream vacation (wrong again).
It was chaos. At one point, Hana got so frustrated she snatched the tablet and muttered, "This quiz is rigged."
But through the laughter, Daniel found himself smiling, genuinely smiling, for the first time in weeks. For a moment, the image of Amelia's lifeless body drifted away.
Suddenly, images flashed across his face.
A woman in a white gown, not Hana, smiling shyly under falling cherry blossoms.
A voice, soft and familiar.
"promise me, you wont let anything get between us."
Daniel froze. The room spun for a moment, and his chest tightened painfully.
"Daniel?" Hana nudged him. "You okay?"
He blinked, the vision vanishing. "Yeah. Just… spaced out."
Before she could question him further, the screen lit up for the final question.
> Final Question: What's one word that describes your relationship?
The room went quiet. Even Grandpa Yoon leaned in.
Daniel and Hana exchanged glances.
She folded her arms. "Annoying."
He smirked. "Temporary."
The screen buzzed red one last time. ❌ Wrong answer!
The room erupted in laughter again.
"Looks like you two have some work to do!" Grandpa Yoon said, clearly delighted.
"Understatement of the year," Hana muttered as she stood up.
The game ended, and everyone began mingling again, but Daniel couldn't shake that moment — the flash of Amelia's face, her voice, her dying promise.
As the laughter faded behind him, Daniel stepped out onto the balcony. The morning air was crisp, Seoul's skyline gleaming in the distance.
[Mission Updated: Reject Hana Progress 12%]
[Hint: The closer you get, the more you'll remember.]
Daniel's grip tightened around the phone.
He glanced back through the door.
'The closer I get, the more I'll remember?'
Daniel exhaled shakily. "Then I guess I'll have to get closer."
He put his phone in his pocket and turned towards the city light.
Outside, the wind carried the faint scent of cherry blossoms.
And somewhere deep in Daniel's memory, Amelia's voice whispered again.
"Find me."