Present Time: Seoul, South Korea Korean Zone
The morning felt different.
Sixteen-year-old Soha, known by her nickname Ira, walked slowly in her school uniform. She was wearing the signature Korean school checkered skirt and a white top. Her father was the Bangladeshi ambassador, which made people look at her a little differently, but Soha preferred blending into the crowd.
On both sides of the road stood two massive twenty-story glass buildings.
Suddenly, a deafening crash echoed through the street.
Soha froze.
A black luxury car flew from the opposite building and smashed straight into the fifteenth floor of the one beside it, shattering the glass. Shards glittered in the air like falling diamonds. Smoke spread everywhere.
Soha stood stunned, staring upward.
Through the smoke and broken glass, she saw the silhouette of a man.
And at that exact moment, a memory from ten years ago flooded her mind.
Flashback: The Rain-Soaked Afternoon (10 Years Ago)
It had been raining heavily that day too.
Six-year-old Ira had let go of her father's hand in the crowd and stood alone, crying. The rain blurred everything around her. Then a twenty-year-old young man appeared in front of her, almost like an angel.
Seeing her trembling in fear, Adrik gently lifted her into his arms. The scent of his raincoat and the warmth of his body instantly calmed her. He pushed through the crowd until they reached her father.
Seeing Ira in Adrik's arms, her father smiled in surprise and said,
"Adrik? You are here? Thank God. My daughter was with you. I was so worried."
Adrik smiled shyly and put little Ira down. She looked up at him with wide eyes. Even at that age, she felt that this man was the safest place in the world.
Adrik was her father's favorite student, loved and respected by everyone.
Present Moment: Reunion
As broken glass landed near Soha's feet, a man stepped out from inside the shattered building. When the smoke cleared, she saw that familiar serious face and those haunting eyes.
The same eyes that had once protected her.
It was Adrik.
He looked older now, more mature, handsome, and mysterious. Standing high above, Adrik looked down at Soha.
Had he recognized his little Ira after ten years?
Why had the car crashed into the building like that?
Was Adrik in danger?
Within minutes, police cars arrived with sirens blaring. Officers surrounded the area. One Korean officer shouted through a loudspeaker in Korean,
"Hands up. You are surrounded. We know you are a member of the mafia."
Soha heard everything clearly. Being the ambassador's daughter, she understood Korean well. The word mafia made her heart pound.
Could her beloved Adrik oppa really be involved in crime?
She looked up again. Adrik stood at the broken edge of the fifteenth floor. His white shirt was stained with blood, yet his face showed no fear. He looked down at Soha. There was no criminal cunning in his eyes, only deep sorrow. As if he was saying, Ira, it is not what it looks like.
Suddenly, Adrik took out a small black box from his pocket and threw it toward her. It landed near her feet. At that moment, the police rushed into the building. Adrik disappeared into the smoke.
Soha quickly picked up the box. She knew he was trying to send her a message. The police thought Adrik was mafia, but she could not believe that the man who once carried her in his arms could be evil.
When she opened the box, there was no pen drive or electronic device.
Inside lay a blood-red ribbon.
Her heart nearly stopped.
Why this ribbon?
Did she recognize it?
With trembling hands, Soha lifted the ribbon. It was not ordinary. On one corner, her name Ira was embroidered in golden thread.
A memory struck her instantly.
Ten years ago, on that rainy afternoon, this very ribbon had been tied in her hair. When Adrik carried her, one side of her hair had loosened and the ribbon had remained in his hand.
Had Adrik kept this small memory carefully for ten long years?
Just then, a Korean officer shouted again,
"Catch him. He is escaping."
Soha saw Adrik climbing down the back of the building using a rope. His movements were fast and precise, like a professional criminal. But she knew one thing.
A mafia would never carry a child's ribbon for ten years.
When the police prepared to shoot, Soha could not stay still anymore. She realized Adrik was trapped in a huge conspiracy. She adjusted her school bag firmly on her shoulder. As the ambassador's daughter, the police would hesitate to stop her.
She thought,
"Adrik oppa cannot be mafia. I have to save him today."
The story now took a sharp turn.
As Soha stood trembling with the ribbon in her hand, the police suspicion shifted toward her.
Chapter 5: Soha Under Suspicion
The street was crowded with police and onlookers. When the officers realized Adrik had vanished, their attention turned to Soha standing in the middle of the road.
One officer noticed she was not an ordinary girl. She wore the uniform of a prestigious Korean school and held the mysterious red ribbon.
He approached her quickly. The sound of his boots snapped her out of her thoughts.
In a harsh tone, he asked in Korean,
"Hey girl. What did that mafia man give you? What is that in your hand?"
Panicking, Soha tried to hide the ribbon in her school bag, but it was too late. The officer grabbed her wrist.
At that moment, her personal bodyguard and her father's car arrived. The bodyguard rushed forward and said firmly,
"Be careful. She is the daughter of the Bangladeshi ambassador. You have no right to touch her."
The officer froze, but his eyes stayed fixed on her bag. He whispered to his colleague,
"This girl is connected to that mafia man. Keep her under surveillance."
Soha realized she was no longer just a normal schoolgirl. On one side was police suspicion, on the other was the unresolved memory Adrik had left behind.
She got into the car quickly, but the word mafia echoed in her ears.
She thought,
"If Adrik oppa really is mafia, why did he give me this ribbon? Does he know where I live now?"
As the car drove away, Soha looked out the window. Far away, on the rooftop of the twenty-story building, a shadow stood watching.
From the height, she was certain.
It was Adrik.
The six-foot-four figure stood above, silently guarding her.
Soha was asleep at the last bench of the classroom, her head lowered, wrapped in a deep, restless sleep.
The glass building accident from yesterday, Adrik oppa's mysterious gaze, and that blood red ribbon refused to leave her mind. She had not slept even for a moment the entire night, consumed by anxiety and unanswered questions.
Suddenly, her three friends Ji-su, Mina, and Sara appeared together in front of her desk. Mina, always playful, shoved Soha's shoulder hard.
Mina said,
"Hey! Who sleeps like this in the middle of class? You never do this!"
Soha jolted awake. Her eyes were red and swollen. She struggled to gather herself, unable to speak properly.
Ji-su asked in Korean,
"Soha, are you feeling sick? Or are you scared because of that huge accident yesterday?"
Soha forced a weak smile and replied,
"No, it's nothing. I'm just a little tired."
But her sharp and curious friend Sara noticed something else. The zipper of Soha's bag was half open, and from inside, a corner of a silky red ribbon peeked out. In one swift move, Sara pulled it out.
Sara exclaimed,
"Wow! What's this? Such a beautiful red ribbon! This isn't part of our school uniform. Who gave this to you? That mafia crush of yours?"
The moment the word mafia left Sara's mouth, Soha's heart skipped violently. She quickly snatched the ribbon back from Sara's hand.
Soha said urgently,
"Don't talk nonsense! This is something very old. A memory from a long time ago. Give it back to me!"
The girls exchanged glances and burst into laughter. They assumed Soha must be hiding a secret romance. But only Soha knew the truth.
Behind this ribbon lay a dangerously beautiful mystery.
Just then, the sound of heavy boots echoed outside the classroom. Soha turned toward the window and froze.
The Korean police officer.
He was walking down the school corridor.
Soha's hands and feet turned cold.
Had the police really followed her all the way to school?
As the officer raised his hand to knock on her classroom door, a deep and commanding voice echoed from the other end of the corridor.
"Officer, are you looking for something?"
Soha looked out through the window.
Her breath stopped.
Standing in the corridor was Adrik.
But today, he was not dressed like an ordinary man. He wore an elegant dark green blazer, silver framed glasses, and held a stack of documents in his hand. He looked exactly like a new professor at the school.
The six foot four man's presence was so overwhelming that the police officer seemed smaller in front of him.
The officer said,
"Yes. I need to question a student regarding yesterday's incident."
Adrik replied calmly,
"I am the new physics professor of this school. Mr. Kim is my name."
"This class is under my responsibility. If you want to interrogate a student inside the school, you will need written permission from the principal. Do you have that with you?"
Faced with Adrik's sharp logic and composed authority, the officer had no response. Irritated, he turned and left.
Adrik then entered the classroom.
Ji-su, Mina, and Sara stared at him with their mouths slightly open. Their eyes were filled with awe. They had never seen such a tall and handsome teacher before.
Adrik walked straight to Soha's desk and stopped.
Soha felt as if her heart would burst out of her chest.
Adrik leaned slightly toward her. Behind the lenses of his glasses, his calm eyes met hers. Those eyes instantly reassured her.
In a very low voice, in Bangla, he said,
"Don't be afraid, Ira. As long as I'm here, no one will hurt you."
Then, as if nothing had happened, he turned toward the blackboard and began writing.
Soha stared at his back, completely mesmerized.
At nearly six feet tall herself, Soha barely reached his shoulder. She wondered how the same man who had shattered glass walls like a mafia yesterday could stand here today as a flawless professor.
When the class ended and everyone headed toward the library, Soha stayed behind alone in the classroom.
Adrik returned.
This time, Soha could not hold herself together.
She stood up and grabbed the red ribbon hanging around Adrik's neck, worn like a tie. She pulled it tightly.
Crying uncontrollably, Soha hugged him.
Beside his massive frame, she looked small and fragile. Adrik wrapped his large arms around her, shielding her completely.
That same sense of safety from ten years ago returned once more.