Episode 1

The clock showed 11:20 pm as a girl grumbled outside a convenience store, annoyed at having left her wallet at home.

Indeed, Chaca was famished with no one at home, and so she ventured out to buy some food. But luck was not on her side as she forgot her wallet. After making multiple trips between home and the supermarket, Chaca headed home once more.

"Darn, darn, darn!" Chaca kicked stones in frustration. "I feel like an orphan in situations like this," she muttered while walking back to her house, carrying a plastic bag filled with instant noodles and snacks.

"Everything on my own! Find food on my own, sleep on my own, alone at home, might as well make money on my own," she continued to mumble.

"Do you want company, miss, so you're not alone?" said a thug who suddenly blocked Chaca's way.

"No, thank you!" Chaca responded and tried to walk away, but the thug grabbed her arm.

"Come on, let me keep you company," the thug persisted.

"I said no, and that means no. Are you deaf or what?" Chaca shouted, shaking off the thug's hand.

"Wooo... quite fierce, aren't we!" said the thug, laughing. "But I like a woman who's feisty. Let's hang out, come on."

"Let go! Let me go, help!" Chaca screamed, but nobody passed by. Usually, her complex was bustling with street vendors, but due to government restrictions, the vendors no longer set up there.

"Help!" she cried again as the thug pulled her more insistently. "Let go, let me go, help!"

"Mama! Papa! Help!" Chaca screamed in tears, haunted by shadows of the past that set her body trembling.

"No need to scream, miss, I assure you you'll enjoy it," the thug sneered but suddenly, someone arrived and kicked him, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"Damn!" The thug got up and counterattacked the newcomer. But the stranger was more skilled in self-defense, leaving the thug with a bruised face and broken limbs.

"Get out of here, or I'll call the police," the stranger said in a cool, even tone.

Without a second thought, the thug scurried away to avoid further damage.

"Are you okay?" the stranger asked Chaca softly, but she could only shake her head and cry with her face buried between her knees.

"Hey, the thug's gone, why are you still crying?" he asked again. But Chaca couldn't stop crying, and the man knelt, embracing her.

Instantly, Chaca felt warmth in the stranger's hug. She felt safe and comforted. After a while, Chaca looked up to take in the face of the stranger who had calmed her.

Thump!

Chaca's heart raced, not with fear but enchanted by the handsomeness of the man before her.

"Feeling better?" the stranger asked, eliciting an affirmative nod from Chaca.

"Thank you," she said, wiping her tears.

"Hmm, where's your house? Let me walk you home," the man suggested with his impassive expression.

"No, it's okay. I can go by myself," Chaca demurred, but that seemed to irk the man.

"So you can be accosted by thugs again?" he scoffed.

"I just don't want to trouble you further," Chaca retorted, pouting slightly.

"No one feels troubled," the man insisted, standing up from his squat.

"But sir..." Chaca began feeling awkward.

"No buts. Let's go." He took Chaca's hand to his car and drove her home.

In just a few minutes, they reached Chaca's gateway.

"Thank you, sir," Chaca said earnestly before getting out of the car.

"Don't wander about late at night again," the man stated coolly.

"I wasn’t wandering. I went out because I was hungry," Chaca replied peevishly.

"Do you live alone?" he inquired, ignoring her complaint.

"No! I have a family, but it’s like I'm an orphan," Chaca let slip, inadvertently revealing personal matters she tended to keep private—even her closest friends were unaware of her family and home.

"Don't pout. Get inside, and try not to eat instant noodles too often," he said before departing, leaving Chaca frozen by the gate.

"Typical nosy man," she grumbled, then entered the house.

Chaca Anindita, a beautiful, cheerful, and kind-hearted girl. Although she lived with her family, she often felt alone and lonely due to her mother's disregard, leading her to grow into a strong and resilient young woman.

Chaca was adept at hiding her feelings, appearing tough and rarely crying, but in solitude, she poured out her heartaches—known only to herself.

Her recent encounter with the handsome stranger piqued her curiosity about him. Chaca, always up for a challenge, felt compelled to approach the man.

'I have to get to know him. Oh God, if he is meant for me, let us meet again, please reunite us,' Chaca whispered to herself with a private smile.

'Eh, why am I headed to my room? Wasn’t I hungry before? Ugh...' Chaca realized she was going to her room instead of the kitchen.

Feeling her hunger fade, she decided against cooking the instant noodles. She lay on her bed, continuing to daydream about the attractive stranger who had helped her.

'Goodness, why can't I stop thinking about him?'

'Is this what they call love at first sight?' Chaca mused to herself with a smile.

Lost in her reverie and thoughts about the handsome rescuer, Chaca eventually fell asleep dreaming.

To Be Continued 😊

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