Chapter - 3
Nani truly believed his life couldn't get any more chaotic.
He was wrong.
Very wrong.
After leaving North City, he finally boarded a train heading back home.
A normal train.
A peaceful train.
A train where nothing could possibly happen.
At least...
That was what he told himself.
Sitting by the window, Nani hugged his bag and stared outside.
"Okay."
"New plan."
"Go home."
"Argue with dad."
"Refuse marriage."
"Live peacefully."
He nodded proudly.
"Perfect."
For once...
His life was going according to plan.
Which meant...
Something was definitely about to ruin it.
---
A few hours into the journey...
The atmosphere changed.
At first, Nani didn't notice.
People became quieter.
A few passengers looked nervous.
Then suddenly-
A loud commotion erupted near the front of the train.
People started shouting.
Panic spread through the carriage.
Nani froze.
"..."
His brain took a few seconds to process.
"Wait."
"Why is everyone screaming?"
Someone shouted about a robbery.
Passengers grabbed their belongings.
Some hid.
Some called for help.
And Nani...
Just sat there.
Completely frozen.
His survival instincts?
Almost nonexistent.
He whispered to himself,
"Okay."
"Stay calm."
"Think."
A pause.
"...How?"
Because honestly...
Nani had no idea what to do.
His biggest battle before this was choosing between two skincare products.
Not surviving a dangerous situation.
---
Then he noticed someone nearby.
A man standing calmly despite the chaos around him.
Tall.
Confident.
Sharp features.
The kind of person who looked like he belonged in a movie.
Nani stared for a second.
"..."
"Oh."
"He's hot."
The thought appeared instantly.
Then his eyes widened.
"Wait."
"No."
He covered his face.
"Seriously, Nani?"
"Now?"
"The train is literally in chaos and you're noticing someone's face?"
He silently judged himself.
"My brain has the worst timing."
---
The situation continued until distant sirens could be heard.
Help was coming.
Police arrived quickly.
The tension slowly started to disappear.
Nani finally let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding.
"I'm alive."
He looked down at himself.
"My suitcase is alive."
"My phone is alive."
"My snacks..."
He checked.
"Also alive."
A small victory.
---
Later, sitting safely at the station...
Nani looked exhausted.
His first escape attempt:
Disaster.
His second attempt:
Almost disaster.
His entire life:
Questionable decisions.
He sighed.
"Maybe..."
"Maybe I should stop trusting my luck."
Because apparently...
His luck had one mission.
Making his life as dramatic as possible.
---
Meanwhile...
Far away in North City...
Sky stood in his office.
A report was placed on his desk.
His eyes scanned the information.
The runaway who entered his territory.
The boy who called him a manager.
The boy who complained about pillows.
The boy who left without fear.
His expression remained cold.
But something felt wrong.
A strange irritation.
A strange curiosity.
Then he saw the news.
A train incident.
A passenger list.
One familiar name.
Nani.
For the first time in a long while...
Sky's calm expression changed.
Only slightly.
But enough for his men to notice.
The room became silent.
Because everyone knew one thing.
Sky didn't care about strangers.
He never did.
So why...
Was he suddenly interested in whether one particular stranger was safe?
------------
The report was only a few pages.
A simple update.
A train incident.
A robbery attempt.
A passenger list.
Nothing important.
At least...
It should have been nothing important.
But Sky's eyes stopped on one name.
Nani.
The room became painfully quiet.
His fingers tightened around the paper.
"Nani was on that train?"
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
Everyone in the room knew that tone.
It was the dangerous kind of calm.
One of his men quickly nodded.
"Yes, Boss. But the police handled it. He is safe."
Safe.
The word should have been enough.
But Sky's mind ignored it.
Instead, it imagined every possibility.
A stranger hurting him.
A careless mistake.
A single injury.
Even a scratch.
His jaw tightened.
"Find his address."
The order was immediate.
His men exchanged looks.
Usually, Sky didn't involve himself.
Usually, people came to him.
People begged for his attention.
But now...
He was the one searching.
And nobody dared question why.
---
The information arrived quickly.
Nani's family home.
Sky looked at the location.
Seven hours away.
His expression didn't change.
"Prepare the car."
---
The driver looked surprised.
"Boss, it's already late."
Sky picked up his coat.
"Seven hours."
A pause.
"Not anymore."
And that was all he said.
---
The car disappeared into the night.
Sky sat silently in the back seat.
His eyes remained cold.
His thoughts weren't.
He hated this feeling.
The unfamiliar irritation.
The need to know where someone was.
The need to make sure they were safe.
It was inconvenient.
Annoying.
A weakness.
And Sky hated weaknesses.
Yet...
His hand tightened slightly.
Because the thought of Nani being hurt annoyed him more than anything else.
---
Meanwhile...
At the Nani household.
Peace lasted exactly three seconds.
The front door opened.
"Nani!"
His mother's voice immediately broke into tears.
"You scared us!"
His father appeared behind her.
His face was a mixture of anger and relief.
"You irresponsible child!"
And there it was.
The lecture.
Nani stood there with his suitcase.
Tired.
Hungry.
Traumatized from his train adventure.
And still somehow ready to fight.
"Oh."
"Hello to you too."
His father pointed at him.
"You ran away!"
"Yes."
"You took my card!"
"Temporarily borrowed."
"You disappeared!"
"Correct."
"You think this is funny?!"
Nani tilted his head.
"Actually, a little."
Everyone froze.
His brother Dew, sitting on the sofa, suddenly burst into laughter.
"Bro."
"You disappeared for days, entered some random luxury place, survived a train robbery, and came back looking like you went on vacation."
Nani pointed at him.
"Finally."
"Someone understands my suffering."
Dew wiped his eyes.
"I can't believe you."
"Your life is literally a drama series."
Nani nodded seriously.
"Exactly."
"Season one was horrible."
---
His father rubbed his forehead.
"You need to understand reality."
"Niran is a good choice."
"No."
"Nani."
"No."
"He can provide everything."
"I can provide myself."
"You ran away with a credit card."
Nani paused.
"...Financial support from family."
Dew laughed harder.
His mother tried not to smile.
His father looked like he was losing years from his life.
"You are impossible."
Nani crossed his arms proudly.
"And you are dramatic."
"I am your father!"
"And I am your son."
A pause.
"Unfortunately."
Dew covered his mouth.
"Bro, you're going to get killed."
Nani whispered,
"At least I'll die with confidence."
---
For the first time since leaving North City...
Nani felt normal again.
Annoyed.
Arguing.
Being teased by Dew.
Being scolded.
Home.
But somewhere far away...
A black car was cutting through the night.
And inside it...
A man who had never chased anyone...
Was driving seven hours for one person.
The person who called him a manager.
The person who insulted him as cold ice cream.
The person who walked into his territory without fear.
Sky didn't know what he was doing.
He only knew one thing.
He needed to see Nani.
And nobody knew what would happen...
When the runaway finally met the monster again.
----------
Nani thought surviving the train incident was the hardest thing he had experienced this week.
He was wrong.
Because nothing prepared him for his uncle.
The moment the door opened...
A loud voice echoed through the entire house.
"OMGGGGGG!"
"My babyyyyyyyy!"
Nani froze.
His soul almost left his body.
A second later, a dramatic figure rushed toward him.
"Nani! Look at you! You're so thin!"
His uncle grabbed his shoulders.
"Are they feeding you properly?!"
Nani blinked.
"...Uncle."
"You look tired!"
"I'm fine."
"You look exhausted!"
"I'm literally standing."
"You look like you need air conditioning!"
A pause.
His uncle suddenly looked around dramatically.
"Why is it so hot?!"
He wiped his forehead.
"Turn on the AC!"
Nani's father stood nearby, watching the scene silently.
His expression was unreadable.
He looked at his brother.
Then at Nani.
Then back at his brother.
How are these two related?
The same family.
Completely different levels of chaos.
---
Nani slowly picked up his suitcase.
"I'm going to sleep."
Everyone looked at him.
"But we were talking-"
"No."
"But Nani-"
"No."
He walked away with the last remaining piece of his dignity.
Which was barely surviving.
Behind him, Dew laughed.
"Welcome home, bro."
Nani didn't turn around.
"I hate everyone here."
"You missed us though."
"...Unfortunately."
---
Finally reaching his room...
Nani opened the door.
And instantly relaxed.
His safe place.
His kingdom.
His room was completely him.
Soft pink walls.
Fluffy blankets.
Cute decorations.
A huge pile of plushies sitting proudly on half of his bed.
His favorite Hello Kitty limited edition night suit was already waiting.
Nani smiled.
"At least something in my life is normal."
He changed into the pajamas and jumped onto his bed.
Immediately surrounded by softness.
"This."
He hugged a plushie.
"This is happiness."
The bedsheet was premium quality.
The pillow was perfectly soft.
The blanket was thick enough to make him comfortable.
Even though it was summer...
Nani couldn't sleep without a blanket.
Impossible.
A terrible quality bedsheet?
A nightmare.
A bad pillow?
A crime.
He turned on the AC, adjusted his blanket, and slowly closed his eyes.
Within minutes...
Nani fell asleep peacefully.
Like nothing in the world could disturb him.
---
Meanwhile...
Seven hours later.
A black car stopped outside the Nani residence.
Sky stepped out.
He looked at the house.
This was ridiculous.
Completely ridiculous.
He had never done something like this.
Coming to someone's home.
Waiting outside.
Looking for them.
And yet...
Here he was.
He walked closer.
The lights inside were on.
Voices could be heard.
But he couldn't see Nani.
His expression darkened slightly.
"Where is he?"
He looked toward the windows.
Nothing.
A rare feeling of frustration appeared.
He hated waiting.
He hated uncertainty.
And he hated that one person could cause both.
"This is ridiculous."
He muttered.
---
Then...
The power suddenly went out.
The entire house became dark.
Inside the room...
Nani slowly opened his eyes.
"..."
He looked at the silent fan.
Then at the AC that had stopped.
"...No."
A few minutes later, he dragged himself out of bed.
Sleepy.
Confused.
Annoyed.
He walked to the balcony, hoping for some fresh air.
The night breeze touched his face.
He leaned against the railing.
Half asleep.
Completely unaware...
Someone was standing below.
Sky looked up.
And finally...
He saw him.
Not the fearless runaway.
Not the loud troublemaker.
Just Nani.
Sleepy.
Messy-haired.
Standing under the moonlight.
For a moment, Sky forgot what he came here for.
Then suddenly-
Nani looked down.
His eyes widened.
A dark figure.
Standing silently.
Watching him.
His sleepy brain immediately reached the most logical conclusion.
A ghost.
Obviously.
Nani grabbed the railing.
"DEWWWEEE!"
His voice echoed through the night.
"GGHOSTTTTTT!"
Sky froze.
"..."
A ghost?
After everything?
That was his first reaction?
From inside the house, Dew's voice shouted.
"What happened?!"
Nani pointed dramatically toward the garden.
"There!"
"There's a ghost!"
Sky stared up at him.
Expression completely blank.
For the first time in years...
The feared ruler of North City had no idea what to say.
Because apparently...
The person he came seven hours to see...
Thought he was a ghost.