Emi had been searching for Haruto for months, desperate to apologize, desperate to make things right. Each lead ended in disappointment, each unanswered call a painful reminder that he had moved on. Her heart ached with regret, the weight of lost time pressing heavily on her chest.
One evening, she wandered through the quieter streets of the city where she believed he might have gone. Rain slicked the pavement, and her umbrella trembled slightly in her hand. Her thoughts were consumed with him — with the man who had loved her unconditionally while she had been blind.
Then, by chance, she saw Kaito, her childhood sweetheart, slipping into a shadowy alleyway. At first, she hesitated, hoping it was just coincidence, but curiosity — and a strange premonition — pushed her closer.
What she saw made her blood run cold. Kaito was not the man she had remembered. He was exchanging envelopes with a group of shady men, his demeanor cold and calculating. Emi crouched behind a stack of crates, her heart hammering as she watched. He was clearly involved in illegal activity, and the realization hit her like a thunderbolt: all the trust she had placed in him, all the hope that he had returned for love, had been a lie.
Instinctively, she pulled out her phone and began recording, capturing every detail of his dealings. She stayed hidden, heart racing, as Kaito handed over packages and accepted cash, all with a smile that made her stomach twist with disgust.
When it was over, Emi ran, heart pounding, back to the safety of her apartment. She knew she couldn't handle this alone — she needed guidance. Without hesitation, she sent the video to her father, Takashi, with a short, trembling message:
"This is Kaito. He's not who I thought he was. Please… you need to see this."
Takashi's reply was almost immediate, firm and commanding, as always.
"I see. You did the right thing, Emi. Leave this to me. You've done well."
Emi sank into her chair, tears streaming down her face. Relief mixed with guilt and sorrow. She had acted too late to reach Haruto, yet in this moment, she had done something right. She had exposed the man who had deceived her — and maybe, just maybe, begun to take the first step toward earning her way back to the man who had truly loved her.
But for now, Haruto remained distant, silent, and unreachable — and Emi could only hope that the right time would come when he would see her sincerity.