Chapter 1 THE BOY BY THE RIVER
The summer sun was merciless, a golden orb pouring its heat over the sleepy riverside town. The air shimmered above the water, cicadas buzzed in the trees, and laughter rang out as a group of teenagers splashed around in the shallow currents. Among them was Bolt Lora, seventeen, cheeks flushed from exertion and heat, her oversized T shirt clinging awkwardly to her damp skin.
She wasn’t like the other girls who giggled confidently in their swimsuits. Lora had always been the chubby one, round cheeks, soft arms, a body she tried desperately to hide beneath layers of fabric. She envied how her friends waded into the water carefree, hair flowing, skin glowing under the sun.
For Lora, every moment felt like a silent comparison she could never win. Still, she came because she didn’t want to be left out. Because deep down, she wanted to prove to herself that she wasn’t always going to be invisible.
“Come on, Lora!” her cousin Baron Tina, lively and mischievous even at sixteen, waved from deeper in the river. “Stop standing there like a grandma! The water isn’t going to bite you!”
Lora rolled her eyes, forcing a smile, and stepped gingerly into the cool current. It wrapped around her ankles, refreshing against the scorching heat, and for a fleeting moment she relaxed. She laughed softly, shuffling forward until the water reached her waist. The current tugged a little stronger, but Tina was already farther ahead, diving under like a fish. Lora wanted to follow, to feel just as free, but a flicker of fear held her back. She wasn’t a strong swimmer.
“Don’t overthink it,” Tina shouted, water dripping down her chin. “Just float! The river will carry you!”
That was exactly what Lora was afraid of.
Still, the teasing stung. She inhaled, pushed herself off the riverbed, and let her body drift. For a few blissful seconds, she floated, her hair spreading out like seaweed around her. Then a stronger current seized her. Panic surged through her chest. Her arms flailed as the water rushed into her mouth. She coughed, spluttered, but the river was relentless, dragging her away from the laughter and into its deeper belly.
“Ji-woo!” she tried to scream, but the river swallowed her voice.
Her limbs grew heavy. The world blurred into sunlight and water. She thought, absurdly, that this was it..that she’d end her summer as the girl too clumsy to survive a swim.
Then arms…strong, steady, wrapped around her. She was pulled upward, out of the suffocating current, until her head broke the surface and she gasped raggedly for air. The sky had never looked so bright. The air had never tasted so sweet.
“Hold on,” a low voice said close to her ear.
Lora clung instinctively, her nails digging into skin. He swam with powerful strokes, guiding her to the riverbank. When they finally reached the shore, he laid her gently on the grass. Lora coughed out water, chest heaving, eyes blurry with tears.
“Are you okay?” the boy asked.
She blinked, and the world sharpened. Her breath caught not from fear this time, but from awe.
He was beautiful.
Tall and lean, his wet hair clung to his forehead, droplets sliding down sharp cheekbones. His dark eyes studied her with concern, framed by lashes too long for a boy. Sunlight kissed his skin, highlighting the curve of his jaw, the line of his lips. Lora forgot how to breathe all over again.
“I…” Her voice cracked. “I’m okay.”
He smiled then, small but devastating, and helped her sit up. As he turned slightly, Lora’s gaze fell on his back. There, just beneath his shoulder blade, was a dark mole so distinct, so perfectly placed it etched itself into her memory in that instant.
A mark. A sign. Something only she had seen in that fleeting, precious moment.
“What’s your name?” she blurted out, her heart racing.
But before he could answer, Tina came splashing back, shrieking, “Lora! Oh my God, are you alive? I told you not to go too far!” She rushed to her cousin, fussing dramatically. By the time Lora turned back, the boy was already walking away, water dripping from his clothes, shoulders straight, the mole vanishing with distance.
“Wait!” Lora tried to call after him, but her voice was hoarse. He didn’t look back.
And just like that, he was gone.
Five Years Later
Seoul glittered like a different universe compared to that sleepy riverside town. Neon lights washed over glass towers, and the hum of the city never seemed to stop. Lora had changed, too. At twenty four, she was almost unrecognizable from the insecure girl by the river.
Gone was the chubby body she used to hide. Years of determination, diet, and sheer willpower had sculpted her into someone new—slim, elegant, with long black hair that framed her delicate features. People noticed her now. Men turned their heads when she walked into a room. At work, her colleagues admired her efficiency and style. She wore confidence like a second skin, though sometimes she still felt the trembling girl inside.
But no matter how much she changed, she never forgot him. The boy by the river. His face, his voice, that mole on his back. In her loneliest moments, he became more than a memory—he was a dream, a symbol of the person who had once saved her. And perhaps, foolishly, Lora believed fate would bring them together again.
On a rainy Thursday evening, fate did.
She was waiting at the bus stop, her umbrella useless against the downpour, when her eyes caught on a massive billboard across the street. It loomed above the skyline, flashing an advertisement for the Simon Group’s newest luxury hotel.
And there he was.
Her breath faltered. The same jawline, the same eyes, the same devastating smile. The boy from the river—grown, sharper, dressed in a suit worth more than her entire salary. His name in bold letters beneath: Simon Zack, Executive Director of Simon Group.
Lora’s heart stuttered.
It was him. It had to be.
The rain no longer mattered. The bus could wait. All she could see was his face, staring down from the billboard like a sign from destiny. Her savior, her crush, her dream. She whispered his name aloud, tasting it, certain she’d never forget it again.
Simon Zack.
That night, Lora couldn’t sleep. She lay in bed, replaying the billboard in her mind, the years collapsing in on themselves. She wasn’t that insecure girl anymore. She was beautiful now. She had something to offer. If fate had given her this chance, she couldn’t waste it.
Her phone buzzed with a message from her best friend, Ross So-ra.
Still awake?
Lora typed quickly: I saw him, Sora. The boy from the river. He’s real. His name is Simon Zack.
There was a pause, then Sora’s reply exploded with emojis: 😱😱😱 Shut up!! The chaebol heir?? That Simon Zack??
Lora’s fingers trembled. Yes. It’s him. I know it’s him.
Lora, you’ve got to be careful. Men like him… Sora trailed off, then added: But maybe this is your chance. You waited five years for this. Don’t let it slip.
Lora stared at her reflection in the darkened window. A slimmer, braver version of herself looked back. She whispered into the night, “I won’t let it slip. Not this time.”
The Beginning of a Plan
Over the next week, Lora began to weave her world closer to his. She studied articles about the Simon Group, learned the places Steve was expected to attend, and prayed for an opportunity. Her colleagues at the PR firm gossiped endlessly about the chaebol heir—his arrogance, his charisma, his reputation for breaking hearts. But Lora clung to the memory of the boy who had once pulled her from drowning. Surely, beneath the billionaire polish, that savior still existed.
On Friday evening, she attended a high profile charity gala her firm had been hired to organize. She worked backstage, clipboard in hand, making sure everything ran smoothly. But her heart pounded for only one reason: the guest of honor.
When the doors opened and cameras flashed, Lora caught her first real glimpse of him—not on a billboard, not in a photo, but in the flesh.
Simon Zack.
He strode into the room like he owned it, confidence radiating from every line of his tailored suit. His smile charmed the cameras, his handshake impressed investors. The crowd parted for him as though he were untouchable. Lora’s breath caught in her throat. He was even more breathtaking than she remembered.
But as she watched him laugh, pose, and command the room, a sliver of doubt flickered. The boy who had quietly saved her and walked away…was this dazzling man the same person? Or had time and wealth changed him into someone else entirely?
Lora’s heart whispered the truth she wanted to believe: It’s him. It has to be.