Chapter 1 – The Life He Left Behind
Death had come quietly.
Not with a dramatic crash or the sharp sting of pain, but with the hollow sound of twisted metal, the slow hiss of leaking air from the wreckage. A car crash — ordinary in its tragedy — had taken his life. But it wasn't just a car that had destroyed everything.
It was fate.
And in his final moments, as his body broke, Ryu Seungho — a name whispered in every corner of the world — thought of her.
He thought of her, as he had countless times before. The woman who filled his every waking thought, the woman he could never touch, never truly reach. His one love. The one he never dared to confess to.
He opened his eyes.
The sterile whiteness of the room, the faint hum of electricity, and the silence that blanketed the world outside told him something was wrong.
Something was different.
The phone on the desk blinked with a new notification. The date? March 2nd.
The year? 2004.
He was twenty-one again.
The mirror on the wall reflected the boy he had been. The face that belonged to a star who had already conquered the world. Black hair. Black eyes. Sharp, youthful features. His skin had not yet tasted the wear of stress, of the world's weight, of the fame he had once sought and now understood to be fleeting.
It had been so long since he'd seen himself this way — alive, untouched by time, free of the burdens of a celebrity who had spent his teens and twenties being worshipped by billions.
He hadn't asked for it. But it came anyway.
At sixteen, he'd become the face of a generation as an idol. His every move was broadcast live; his songs, his dance, his voice, all carried by a sea of devoted fans. At eighteen, he made the transition to film, his acting skills catching the attention of the world. A few years later, and he was already an actor at the top of the industry. His films made millions, his fanbase growing with every release.
He was the Ryu Seungho. The idol-turned-actor who was a household name in every corner of the world. The one whose face was on billboards, whose music was in every playlist, and whose every film premiere was met with an army of screaming fans.
By twenty-one, he was the best.
But none of it had meant anything.
None of it mattered when the one person who could make his heart beat faster didn't even know he existed.
Rihan stood, pacing across the cold floors of his bedroom. He felt a pressure in his chest. His old life, his previous existence, was still with him. The fame. The adoration. The sacrifice. It all lingered beneath the surface like a shadow that never truly left.
But he wasn't that man anymore.
He wasn't the star who lived in the limelight. He wasn't the one who took every opportunity to bask in fame, to build a world out of the applause of others. No.
He was here for something far more important.
Her.
Calista Vasilis.
Her name was like a whisper in a storm. The kind that struck deep inside him, one that no one else could hear. She was a legend in her own right, a genius in every sense of the word. Her family — the Vasilis family — controlled the global economy, politics, technology, and more. But none of that mattered to the world, because the world didn't know the real Calista. They knew only the surface.
She didn't need recognition. She didn't want it.
And yet, he wanted her. He wanted to be close enough to see her smile, just once. Not for him. Not for anyone. But for herself.
It was foolish.
He knew it.
But in this new life, in this new chance, he couldn't stay away.
The world still saw him as Ryu Seungho, the movie star with billions of fans. They worshipped his every step, but the truth was, no one had ever truly seen him. They never understood the man behind the smile, the eyes that had seen too much and loved too quietly.
So, why had he come back?
To see her.
To be near her.
To do something he never had the courage to do in his past life.
He stepped toward the door, grabbing his jacket and making his way down the hallway. The sound of his footsteps felt foreign, but also familiar, as if he'd never truly left.
When he entered the main living area, his brother, Jisung, was lounging on the sofa, his phone in hand. He looked up, eyes narrowing when he saw Rihan.
"Back from your little vacation, huh?" Jisung said, raising an eyebrow. "Didn't expect to see you here this soon. Thought you were still off in Paris, living the dream."
Rihan gave a casual smile, leaning against the doorframe. "Came back."
Jisung shook his head, half-amused, half-skeptical. "You're still the same, huh? No drama, no scandal. Just the same quiet guy."
Rihan let out a soft chuckle. "Some things don't change."
They were close. The brothers shared a bond stronger than most. They never fought over inheritance or control. Jisung was the heir, but Rihan never cared for the empire. He'd always been the one who sought his own path — fame, movies, music, the applause. But now… things were different.
"Why are you really back?" Jisung asked, putting down his phone and giving Rihan a serious look.
Rihan's expression softened. "I want to join the company."
The words came easily, like they had been waiting for years to leave his mouth.
Jisung frowned slightly. "You're serious? You've always hated this place."
"I have my reasons," Rihan replied, voice steady.
Jisung eyed him for a moment before shrugging. "Well, okay then. If that's what you want."
Rihan's gaze drifted to the window. His heart was quiet now, but the storm inside him hadn't gone away.
In his past life, he had never once opened up. Never once let anyone see the cracks in his perfect exterior. But this time, he wasn't just returning to his family. He was returning to something — someone — that made everything else pale in comparison.
He wasn't the same Ryu Seungho.
This time, he would find a way to walk into her world.
And if she rejected him? If she looked at him as nothing more than a stranger? He would love her from a distance — in silence, as he always had.
But he would have the chance.