"Hey scum, your time has come."
A rough voice broke the silence of the cell. Ryu sat on the cold floor, a worn-out book resting in his hands from which half of the book pages were gone.
"Will you come by yourself, or do I have to drag you out?"
The same voice echoed again, colder this time. Ryu's hands trembled slightly, not from fear, but from the world's cruelty. But he didn't show it. There was no point in showing weakness.
With a tired sigh, he placed the book on the metal table, letting his gaze linger on it one last time before standing. The handcuffs put around his wrists as he stepped out of the cell.
"Tsk. Just a simple death sentence huh? That's too light for a bastard like you,"
The guard scoffed at him and shoved him forward.
As Ryu walked out of the prison gates, a wave of hatred greeted him.
People threw rocks and rotten vegetables.
They shouted, cursed, and called him names he no longer cared to hear.
"DIE, YOU SCUM!"
The words pierced the air, but not his heart.
His eyes stayed empty like a hollow, like a man who had already died long before today.
Then, in the crowd, he saw someone and for a brief moment, something flickered in his heart. Recognition. Pain. A spark of what used to be emotion.. But it vanished just as quickly, swallowed by the cold weight of reality.
The person sneered before disappearing back into the crowd.
His name was Ryu Walker, twenty-six years old,a man who had tasted betrayall and the cruelty of the world.
From birth, the world had rejected him.
His parents abandoned him because of a chronic illness that would slowly eat away at his life.
The treatment and medicine were too expensive, and his parents couldn't afford it. So instead of fighting for their dying son, they chose to walk away.
He clawed his way up from nothing, surviving through sheer will. With talent in marketing and programming, he built a career, earned money, and paid for his own treatment. He finally managed to afford his treatment and live a stable life something he built with his own hands.
Then came the woman who destroyed it all.
Sarah Williams.
The company's beauty, admired by everyone. But unlike the others, her eyes were always on him.
And one day—
"Ryu, would you go out with me?"
That single question changed everything.
For the first time in years, he smiled.
Months passed. They laughed, worked together, and built something that felt real. He had a stable job, a good home, and someone he loved more than anything.
He started to believe — maybe happiness wasn't impossible after all.
But fate had other plans.
But fate had other plans.
On his birthday, what should have been a day of joy became the day his world ended like aliving nightmare.
He came home early, holding a small box with a ring inside — only to freeze at the sight before him.
"S-Sarah…, what's the meaning of this?" Ryu's voice trembled as he looked at them in disbelief.
Sarah looked at him, unfazed, then let out a short sneer as if wasn't a little bit guilty.
"Oh, you found out," she said coldly, as if it didn't matter.
The man beside her frowned. "Who's this?"
"No one," Sarah replied without hesitation. Her words stabbed deeper than any knife.
Ryu's vision blurred for a moment. "No one…? After everything we've been through?"
he said in a hparse voice, taking a step forward. His voice cracked with pain.
Sarah's lips curved into a cruel smile. "Did you really think I loved you? It was all an act, Ryu."
Ryu's breath caught in his throat. "You're lying… right?" he said weakly. "You said you loved me. You said we-"
Her expression didn't change. If anything, she looked bored.
Her gaze was cold, sharp. "I'm from William's & Co. My job was to get close to you, the system manager, and gain access to your company's network. You were just convenient."
Ryu's world cracked. "You used me? For money?"
"Don't act pitiful," she sneered. "You were easy."
Ryu clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
"I'll report you to the police, Sarah! You won't get away with this!" he shouted, his voice echoing in the room.
But the look in her eyes turned into cold and dangerous that told him that this was far from over.
"You should worry about yourself first, Ryu."
Ryu frowned, confusion spreading across his face. "What… do you mean by that?"
The man beside her stood up, quietly pulling on his clothes, his face calm almost practiced.
Ryu's heartbeat quickened. "What are you planning?" he demanded, taking a wary step back.
Ryu's confusion deepened as Sarah reached for something sharp from the bedside drawer.
"Sarah—? What are you—"
Slash!
Before he could finish, she slashed the blade across her own arm.
"Sarah! What the hell are you doing!?" Ryu shouted, his voice rising with panic. He stumbled forward, trying to stop her, but she pulled away.
Blood trickled down her pale skin, dripping onto the floor,
Her torn dress now hung losely looking as if someone had ripped it apart in a struggle.Ryu's mind froze as realization hit him.
"No… no, no, Sarah, don't do this!" he stammered. "You're framing me—!"
Before he could say more, the distant wail of police sirens filled the air, growing louder by the second. Flashes of red and blue began to light up the room through the window.
Ryu's stomach twisted in dread. "This… this can't be happening," he muttered, stepping back.
Ryu stumbled backward, crashing against the table, gasping for breath.
"Stop! What are you—"
Before he could finish, Sarah's voice pierced the air.
"HELP! SAVE ME!" she cried, her voice full of terror a perfect performance.
Ryu's heart stopped. Ryu's eyes widened in horror. He finally understood.
He had walked straight into a trap one carefully planned from the very start.
Ryu struggled with all his strength, trying to free himself, but his weak body refused to obey.The world around him spun — panic, pain, and disbelief all crashing together.
He struggled, shouting, "You're insane! This is all a setup!"
But his weak body refused to move the way he wanted. His voice was drowned beneath Sarah's cries.
Bang!!
Then the door burst open with a loud bang! and several police officers stormed in.
"FATHER!" Sarah screamed, running toward a middle-aged man in a fine suit. She threw herself into his arms, sobbing — crocodile tears streaming down her cheeks.
Ryu froze, his heart pounding. Her father?
Seeing his daughter's torn dress and bleeding arm, Mr. William's expression twisted with fury.
He turned toward Ryu, his face red with rage.
"YOU BASTARD!!"
"Wait! It's not what it looks like—"
BAM!!
Mr William's fist crashed into Ryu's face. Pain exploded across his skull as he staggered backward, blood dripping from his nose onto the floor.
Ryu's voice trembled. "Please… I didn't do anything… s-she set me up!"
But no one listened. Not the officers, not her father. Only Sarah's sobs filled the room like the poisson mist.