Kai stared at the message glowing on his phone screen.
"We've been watching. You're not alone. Come find us when you're ready."
He didn't reply.
Instead, he saved the number in a hidden folder. No name. No contact picture. Just silence.
The fireflies blinked around him as he sat on the old wooden porch, the cold countryside wind brushing against his skin. His grandfather's dog tag clinked gently in his fingers.
"I'm not alone, huh?" he murmured, almost to the stars.
And then—
Scene Shift: Three Months Later
The boy who once ran from pain, who nearly jumped from a rooftop, was gone.
In his place stood someone unrecognizable.
Kai now moved like a shadow in motion. His once thin frame was now forged—sculpted by fire, rage, and relentless discipline. His jawline sharper, his eyes colder, his back straighter. Even his aura had changed. Calm. Deadly. Focused.
But there was something else too—wealth.
In the quiet hours of the countryside night, while others slept, Kai had been grinding the digital battlefield. Studying, analyzing, risking. With a laptop and unstable internet, he had traded crypto, invested in overlooked tech stocks, used old forums and anonymous tips. His grandfather's notes even had a section on strategy in chaos, which oddly applied to market movement.
And it worked.
From barely affording rice to now holding a portfolio worth millions, Kai had built his empire brick by brick, in silence. No flex. No Instagram. Just preparation.
Today, he stood at the edge of the countryside road, wearing a black coat, hair swept back, duffle bag slung over his shoulder. A pair of wireless earbuds buzzed a low melody. The bus to the city approached in the distance.
Behind him, Nam's house door opened.
Miko ran down the steps. "You're really going?"
Kai turned. "Yeah."
Eva followed behind her. "Can't you stay for a few more days?"
Seo came too, this time without his usual attitude. He looked down, chewing the inside of his cheek.
Nam finally stepped out, arms crossed. "You've grown into something even your grandfather would respect."
Kai gave a small smile. "Thanks... for everything."
Nam approached and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You walk into that city, don't forget who you are. You've learned strength... now learn restraint."
Kai nodded once. "I know."
Seo stepped forward awkwardly. "Hey… If anyone messes with you… break their teeth."
That made Eva and Miko laugh through their tears.
Kai smirked, eyes narrowing. "Only if they start it."
The bus rolled up, brakes hissing. Kai climbed aboard, took the window seat, and didn't look back.
As the vehicle pulled away, Nam whispered, "Now the city will know… what they created."
Scene Shift: City – Late Evening
The city lights buzzed as a car rolled to a stop in front of a sleek apartment tower. The doors opened.
Kai stepped out.
He wore a tailored black jacket, his hair neatly combed, dark glasses hiding his eyes. His posture drew eyes even on a crowded sidewalk.
He wasn't the same.
He was a ghost returned with purpose.
A building doorman greeted him nervously. "M-Mr. Kai, your penthouse is ready."
Kai nodded and walked past him without a word.
His new place was clean, modern, tech-heavy. But none of it mattered.
He stood at the window, watching the skyline.
Tomorrow… he would return.
To the school.
To the lies.
To the stage where they broke him.
And he would smile through it all.
Scene Shift: Kai's Family – That Same Evening
The Nakamura house was big enough. Clean floors, polished cabinets, a sleek digital thermostat humming in the background. Well-off, yes — but not a home. It never had that feeling. Just space... and silence.
Kaito Nakamura, Kai's father, sat in the lounge, nursing a lukewarm cup of green tea he hadn't touched in hours. He wore his usual evening sweater, slippers on. The muted TV played finance news—background noise he pretended to care about.
In the kitchen, Reika, his second wife, chopped vegetables with a little too much force. Her lips were pursed, her earrings jingled softly as she moved. Perfect nails. Cold eyes.
On the couch, Yui, Kai's older stepsister, scrolled her phone, curled up in a silk throw blanket, legs crossed like royalty. Designer hoodie, expensive perfume, apathy in her bones.
At the corner of the dining table, Airi, the youngest, quietly practiced handwriting in a workbook. No one had spoken to her in twenty minutes.
Then the moment dropped.
The TV announcer's voice sharpened.
"Young investor 'K. Nakamura' shocks stock market—overnight millions. Sources confirm the ID to be linked with former student, Kai Nakamura."
A photo appeared.
Kai.
Hair slicked back. Strong jaw. Mirror shades. Getting into a matte black car that didn't belong in the countryside. His expression? Empty. Cold. Untouchable.
Reika froze mid-slice.
Yui dropped her phone. "Wait—was that...?"
Kaito sat up straight, blinking. "That's... no. That can't be Kai."
Even Airi stopped writing.
Reika scoffed, but her hands were shaking. "He vanished for months. Shows up with money and a makeover and now he's on TV? What is this, a drama?"
Yui stared. "No... he looks like a different person. Like... scary different."
"Maybe he finally got tired of being useless," Reika muttered, forcing a laugh. "Got lucky in crypto or something."
"Or he's coming back for something else," Kaito said quietly, eyes locked on the screen.
They all went silent.
Because they knew.
They remembered the way they used to talk about him behind closed doors. How Reika dismissed him as a burden. How Yui mocked him. How Kaito ignored him, too tired or too cowardly to confront the damage.
They hadn't called once.
They never expected him to rise.
And now he had — and he wasn't just coming back richer.
He was coming back reborn.
Scene Shift – High School
It started with a rumor.
No, a whisper.
A name.
Kai Nakamura.
In the hallway. In classrooms. The cafeteria. Even the teachers' lounge. The moment the broadcast clip hit the internet — Kai stepping out of a luxury car, face chiseled, cold, untouchable — the school practically stopped breathing.
"Did you see it?"
"It's him. No joke. Kai's back."
"He's rich now. Like filthy rich."
"Isn't he the guy who tried to—?"
"No, you idiot. That's what they said. The real story's way darker."
The same students who used to mock him now whispered with wide eyes, like speaking too loud might summon him.
Even the teachers looked uneasy.
Class 3-B, the room once filled with laughter at Kai's expense, now sat in stunned, anxious silence. The chairs felt colder. The air — heavier.
At the back of the room, Rem sat frozen, gripping his pen too hard. His jaw clenched, sweat beading down his temple. He remembered that day. The way they had cornered Kai. The way he twisted it later to make himself look like the hero.
He gulped.
He lied.And now the truth was walking back through the gates.
Across the classroom, Mai stared at her phone screen like it would change the headline if she blinked hard enough.
"K. Nakamura: Mysterious Crypto Prodigy Returns to Tokyo"
The image of him.Sharp features.Calm rage in his eyes.Not the boy she knew.
Not the boy she betrayed.
She pressed her lips together, suppressing something that clawed at her chest. Her friends leaned in.
"Omg, you dated that?"
"He's hot now, like insane hot."
"Do you think he's mad?"
Mai faked a scoff, tossed her hair.
"Tch. Whatever. He probably just wants attention. He always did."
But her hand shook under the desk.
Because she knew.
Because it wasn't just Rem who lied.
She did too.
She smiled in front of Kai. Pretended to care. Played nice — all for a stupid bet.
"I bet he confesses if you're just sweet to him for two weeks."
She remembered laughing with the others behind his back. Remembered the day he walked away, silent. The next morning, he was gone.
She never said sorry.
Now he was back — and she couldn't read the expression in his eyes.
Because maybe it wasn't there anymore.
Maybe he left his emotions in the dirt along with their friendship.
Even the faculty had gathered in the principal's office.
"Are we sure it's him?"
"It's him. Kai Nakamura. Same ID. He requested a transfer back as a student."
One teacher paled. "He's re-enrolling?"
"Why would he come back here?"
No one had answers.
Only dread.
Because deep down, every adult in that building knew they failed him.
Ignored the bullying.
Swallowed the lies.
Filed away the suicide attempt as a "mental episode."
By lunch, the school was chaos.
Students gathered in circles, replaying the same clip on their phones. Girls whispered in awe. Boys stared with unease. Even the delinquents that used to mock Kai now watched the gates with tight lips.
A storm was coming.
And it had Kai Nakamura's name on it.