Chapter 1
8 years ago.
On the outskirts of Hokkaido, Japan.
A crimson sunset fell over an abandoned hospital that even the local residents avoided.
Unlike the world touched by the warmth of spring, the old stone building seemed far better suited to winter.
The place where the hospital sign once hung was empty, stained with eerie green rust.
It was a scene perfectly befitting rumors of a haunted, abandoned hospital.
“Ahhh!”
A desperate scream echoed through the corridor drenched in the winter sunset.
The woman’s blood-curdling shriek filled the hospital room, already stained a vivid red.
“P-Please… save me!”
Her desperate cry carried a pain worse than death itself.
“Mom! Dad! Ugh— it hurts so much!”
The patient, most of her upper body wrapped in bandages, flailed her hand in the air.
A silver ring on her pale ring finger caught the sunset light, shining sorrowfully—
a deep crimson glow, as if foretelling the life that awaited her.
“Should we administer more medication?”
The doctor restraining the struggling woman turned to the side.
A middle-aged man stood there, shaking his head indifferently.
Despite his completely white hair, his face bore few wrinkles, giving him a youthful appearance.
Yet unlike his refined looks, the depth in his eyes resembled that of an old man who had lived a long life.
“Stop the painkillers.”
The one startled by his firm refusal was the doctor.
“…Excuse me? But—”
“The more pain she feels, the stronger her hatred will become.”
Cutting the doctor off coldly, the man stroked the handle of his wheelchair as he stared at the woman.
His emotionless gaze flickered with anticipation.
“The greater the pain, the more captivating her scent will become.”
A poisonous scent—one that would bring about their downfall.
After silently watching the woman writhe in agony, the man turned his gaze away.
“How long will the treatment take?”
“The surgery was successful, but even if her kidneys and legs recover, rehabilitation will take a long time. On top of that, reconstructing her collapsed facial bones and restoring her previous appearance with plastic surgery will take at least two years.”
“She must not have her old face.”
“…What?”
The doctor blinked in confusion.
His gaze shifted to the woman, who continued to groan in pain.
She must have been quite beautiful before the accident.
Now, half her face was wrapped in bandages, and her swollen eyes were covered in dark bruises.
Her broken nose wouldn’t stop bleeding, making it difficult to even control the hemorrhage.
No matter how many surgeries were performed, it was obvious—she would never look the same again.
That much didn’t require deep thought.
‘They said her whole family died, right?’
Well, surviving a head-on collision with a massive container truck was a miracle in itself.
But looking at the woman consumed by unbearable pain, calling it a miracle felt wrong.
‘Maybe it would’ve been better if she had died with them.’
The man added calmly, as if reading the doctor’s thoughts.
“Oh, and one more thing. I’d prefer her to be even more attractive than before. When a flower is beautiful, it attracts insects. Once they grow fond of its appearance and become addicted to its scent, they won’t be able to resist.”
“….”
“They’ll be completely captivated, without even realizing whether that scent is poison.”
The doctor stood there, mouth agape, before swallowing his shock.
There was only one answer he could give.
After all, it was this man who had covered up his fatal medical accident, saved his sick child, and elevated him to the position of hospital director.
“…Yes, Director.”
“Contact me when she wakes up. I’ll explain the accident myself. Until then, keep your mouths shut.”
“Understood.”
The electric wheelchair quietly rolled out of the hospital room.
Ignoring the screams that echoed even beyond the door, the man turned away coldly.
The woman’s screams stopped one year later.
The swelling in her reconstructed face had subsided after numerous surgeries, and most of the wounds across her broken and torn body had healed.
But her mind was far from intact.
“What about my family?”
“You asked that the day before yesterday, and yesterday as well. I’ll answer again—they’re all dead.”
The doctor in charge of her replied indifferently, clearly used to the question by now.
The woman stared blankly at him as he scribbled on her chart, tears streaming down her face once again.
Beep—beep—beep—
Her heartbeat became irregular.
Should he administer a sedative again?
As he hesitated, she spoke.
“I… I need to call my fiancé, Lee Han.”
“You already tried that a few days ago.”
“…I want to try again.”
“Ha… Miss.”
With a sigh, the doctor set his pen down and looked at her.
Through his glasses, her face was beautiful—but her eyes were soaked in despair and fear, tears endlessly falling.
For a moment, his resolve wavered.
‘At this rate… it’ll go just as he intended.’
The doctor took out his phone and handed it to her.
“This is the last time.”
She nodded and grabbed the phone.
Immediately, she dialed a familiar number and pressed call.
The lines on the heart monitor spiked sharply, reflecting her rising anticipation.
Finally, the voice she had been waiting for came through.
“L-Lee Han! It’s me! It’s Haru—Yu Haru! Your fiancée!”
Afraid he might hang up again, she hurriedly spoke.
[What now? Again?]
“Lee Han, please just listen to me. I’m in a hospital in Japan—please come get me—”
[Shit… you’ve got a damn long life, don’t you?]
The voice that came through stabbed into her heart.
It was undeniably her fiancé’s voice, but every word felt like it belonged to a stranger.
[Ha… just die already. If you come back, it’ll only be awkward for both of us, won’t it? I’m hanging up.]
“…No.”
This wasn’t Jin Lee Han.
That voice filled with contempt couldn’t possibly belong to the man she loved more than anything.
She never imagined that enduring all that pain just to stay alive would bring her this much regret.
‘I want to die.’
Her beloved family was gone.
The company she built with her father had been taken over by her fiancé’s family.
A white-haired gentleman had told her—she had fallen perfectly into the trap they had set.
And yet…
Even so, she couldn’t believe any of it.
“…I love you, Haru. I love you so much I could go crazy.”
“What is that?”
“It’s true. I feel like I’m going crazy because of you. I love you so much I could die.”
She could still remember those nights when they shared their feelings so vividly…
Even now, after being betrayed, she still missed him terribly.
Even after the call ended, she couldn’t let go of the phone.
“You need to accept it now, Miss Yu Haru.”
The doctor took the phone from her hand and spoke coldly.
“Face reality, and start deciding how you want to live from here on.”
“….”
“Don’t you want revenge? Against the people who killed your family and turned you into this?”
Revenge.
The moment she heard that word, her heart—once fallen to the depths—began to pound fiercely.
Her unfocused gaze sharpened again.
“…What should I do first?”
It was her first resolution in exactly one year since the accident.
Seven years later, on a rainy day in late spring.
At “Aromapiece,” an aroma blending research institute in Hokkaido, an unusually lively visitor arrived.
“Haruka!”
At the affectionate call, she lowered her mask and turned around.
Brushing back her softly swaying black hair, she smiled brightly.
“Ryota.”
“Haruka, you came early?”
“Yeah. I had something I couldn’t finish yesterday.”
After the cruel winter seven years ago, the name she received at the end of it all now felt completely natural.
No longer Yu Haru, but Haruka.
Her face had changed significantly from before.
Her shattered bones had been reconstructed, and after numerous plastic surgeries, her overall image had transformed.
Unlike the gentle-looking Yu Haru, Haruka Suzuki possessed a far more alluring and mature beauty.
Still, one thing hadn’t changed—she was someone people would turn to look at.
At her smile, her colleague Ryota blushed as he approached.
“Looks like something good happened, Haruka?”
