Role of a Lifetime

A car rolled to a stop at the shattered entrance of Ryo’s apartment building.

*****

John stepped forward, smoke curling from the cigarette between his fingers. He said calmly, “Now tell me,” he said calmly, “why did you want Aria dead… Rina?”

Rina reached for the switch and turned the lights on. “Well done, John. You really are smart.” She smiled faintly. “What gave me away? I was sure my crying today convinced everyone—including you. So tell me. I want to hear it.”

John studied her for a moment before speaking.

“The first day at your agency’s building,” he said. “You were constantly checking your phone, to kill time. I thought you were waiting for Aria—checking if she’d call. But you weren’t waiting for her. You were waiting for Vincent and his crew.”

Rina didn’t interrupt.

“Aria was never meant to call you,” John continued. “She was supposed to dance, get drunk, and get picked up by him. That alone wasn’t a solid lead but I kept that in mind.”

He took a step away from the wall.

“Then came the gala. You warned me to stay away from her. Right after that, a structure almost crushed her and Vincent conveniently showed up out of nowhere, stealing my attention because of our history.”

“Later, after Ryo’s party, I overheard you on the phone. You said you couldn’t leave things alone for even one day—not before everything went to hell. What could you possibly have done at work to ‘prevent’ any of it? So there were only two people you could’ve been talking to about that, Ryo or Vincent.”

He exhaled smoke slowly.

“And after that day when Vincent talked about his ‘boss’, I was almost sure your father was the one.”

He looked directly at her. “But two things convinced me.”

“Christmas Eve,” John said. “The night the paparazzi broke in. He was outside my window. I jumped out—didn’t run through the house, didn’t make noise, didn’t alert anyone. Your room was at the opposite end of the place. And yet the moment I caught him… you appeared right behind me.”

Rina said nothing. “You want to know the second clue?” John gave a short, humorless laugh. “I actually laughed when I realized it. It was right under my nose.”

“The white wine. Vincent offered me a bottle here once—said he brought some and gave away as gifts. It felt familiar, but I couldn’t remember that it was the same white wine you offered me. The gift from your eastern friends.”

“For two days I thought about all of this nonstop,” John said, stepping fully away from the wall, “Now, I just want to know why. Why did you want Aria gone?”

Ryo raised his gun. “Don’t move or I’ll shoot.”

John glanced at him and puffed smoke into the air. “If you want to be intimidating,” he said casually, “the least you can do is turn the safety off before threatening someone.”

“It is off,” Ryo snapped.

“Are you sure because you know it,” John replied, “or because Vincent told you?”

Ryo hesitated.

“Something tells me he likes messing with you. Up is off. Down is on.”

Ryo glanced at the gun, swallowed, then flipped the safety down and aimed again—hands shaking.

“Nice work, detective.” Rina folded her arms. “I’ll humor you and answer your question as a reward.” Her expression darkened.

“There was always hatred. Not because of Aria herself—but because of how everyone treated me after she was born. I went from the firstborn to the second best.”

She took a slow breath.

“After Mum disappeared, it got worse. Dad stopped paying attention to me. Whatever little attention he had left vanished—just like her. I tried everything. No matter how hard I worked, he just didn’t care. And on top of that,” Rina continued, “I had to take care of Aria.”

Her voice hardened. “But something pushed me past hatred. Something made me despise her beyond reason. Can you guess what my breaking point was?”

John met her eyes. “The only thing I never found,” he said, “was what your father kept in the safe in his room.”

Rina smiled. “Bravo, John. Bravo.” She nodded. “I searched for it with Aria for some time but when I found it, I couldn’t crack the code. Until years later.”

She laughed softly. “I tried Aria’s birthday.”

John didn’t blink.

“I found his will inside,” Rina said, her voice trembled with rage. “He left everything to her. Everything—except the house and the agency.”

She leaned forward. “All those years of hard work for nothing. That’s when I decided to kill her. I wouldn’t just inherit his positions—I’d make him suffer the way he made me suffer. For no reason at all.”

“How did Ryo and Vincent get into this with you?” John asked.

Rina exhaled slowly, as if she had been waiting for the question.

“About two years ago,” she said, “while I was networking, I met Ayumi Sera—Ryo’s mother.”

Ryo stiffened.

“She was nothing like what people saw on TV,” Rina continued. “To the world, she was a legendary idol and actress. More than that—she was praised endlessly for being a perfect mother.”

“One day, Ryo invited me here to talk business. That’s when I saw something… very interesting.” Rina smiled faintly.

Ryo’s hands tightened around the gun. “When it came to the media,” he said quietly, “everything between us looked pure. Innocent.” His voice dropped. “In reality, it was anything but that. She abused me.”

Rina watched him closely.

“She hated me,” he said. “Because my face reminded her of a man she loved. A man who got her pregnant… and then left her for a younger rising star.”

His jaw clenched. “She did whatever she wanted to me in the name of discipline. And then, in front of cameras, she’d treat me with kindness and affection.”

“I used to wish the cameras would never turn off.” A bitter laugh escaped him.

Rina picked up where he stopped. Her tone was calm. Too calm. “That day, Ryo invited me over without telling her.”

“She found out. She told me to wait downstairs—then took him to the bedroom and started whipping him,” Rina said. “She didn’t even wait for me to leave.”

“I heard it,” Rina went on. “The noise. It got me curious. So I went upstairs.”

Her eyes hardened. “I saw everything. And I decided to film it.”

“As she was whipping him,” Rina continued, “she had a heart attack. She tried to call an ambulance,” Rina said softly. “He took the phone from her.”

Ryo spoke, voice hollow. “I watched her die.”

“And he didn’t help her.” Rina added.

Ryo looked at the floor. “I danced,” he said. “While she was dying.”

“And I filmed all of it,” Rina said. “Every second.” Her lips curled. “When I was done, I showed him the video. I told him exactly what would happen if it ever got out.” She turned toward Ryo. “And he chose to cooperate. Like a good boy.”

“Through his production company and industry connections,” Rina continued, “I met Baekhawa and Vincent became our bridge. I hired him as Ryo’s bodyguard. Paid him in crypto. Clean. Untraceable.”

“I was the one choosing the girls,” Rina said. “Ryo would seduce them—promise fame, money, status.” Her voice hardened. “And if that didn’t work… I sent Vincent.”

Ryo finally looked up. “They reminded me of my mother,” he said quietly. “Seeing them helpless… broken…” A slow, disturbing smile touched his face. “It satisfied me.”

Rina’s smile returned—twisted. “I’m glad how well things turned out. Can’t wait to see Dad's face.”

John noticed a sound coming from outside. Then the office door opened. Everyone froze.

Mei stepped inside, pushing a wheelchair. Aria sat in it—hospital clothes, IV in her arm—hugging the Apchoo plushie tightly.

“How is this possible?” Rina whispered, shock freezing her face.

Ryo stood pale, staring as if he’d seen a ghost.

John took a step toward Aria—then his legs gave out. He dropped to his knees. “Is this a dream?” he asked gravelly.

Aria shook her head, smiling softly.

Mei stepped forward. “She’s still recovering, John. I gave her my bulletproof vest that day. Even so, the impact cracked a rib when the bullet went in.”

She turned toward Rina and Ryo. “The police have surrounded the building. You should surrender now—before things get worse.”

Rina laughed sharply. “You’re bluffing.” She turned toward the window and saw the flashing red and blue lights.

Her smile vanished. “You have nothing on us,” she said, forcing confidence.

“Quite the opposite,” Mei replied calmly. “Thanks to Ryo.”

All eyes snapped to him.

“We had his phone under police surveillance,” Mei continued. “Warrant-approved. He never contacted Rina directly—only Vincent. Until the day he asked Vincent to take Aria out.”

“We had coverage on every building,” Mei said. “But when that failed, we announced Aria’s death to see who would make the next move.”

Mei’s eyes locked onto Ryo. “And you did.”

Ryo swallowed.

“You messaged Rina,” Mei went on. “Said your plan finally worked.”

Rina slowly sank back into her chair.

“We tried tracking Vincent too,” Mei added. “But he never called you either.”

She gestured toward John. “And now, both of you have confessed—right in front of him. His suit has been recording everything.”

Ryo snapped. He screamed and raised the gun, pointing it wildly. “This isn’t legal!” he shouted. “You had no right to record me without my consent! Who do you think you are?”

His voice cracked into rage. “If you look at me and don’t like what you see, look again—because I’m a reflection of this industry!”

John glanced at Mei and gave a subtle nod. She rushed towards Ryo.

Ryo pulled the trigger but nothing happened.

Mei crashed into him, ripped the gun from his hands, and kicked him square in the face. He hit the floor hard. Ryo looked up at John, dazed.

John said calmly, “Handgun safeties work exactly like I told you.” He took a breath. “But that Beretta you were holding? Its safety is the opposite.”

Ryo’s eyes flicked to the gun in Mei’s hand. “Even if you arrest me,” Ryo spat, “I’ll still walk.”

Mei lifted her leg. Then brought it down in a brutal axe kick.

Crack.

Ryo screamed.

“You’ll walk,” Mei said coldly, “with a limp.”

She looked down at him. “How’s that for a gorilla?”

*****

As the police cuffed Rina and began dragging her toward the door, she twisted around and locked her eyes on Aria.

“I had to help you build a career,” she spat, “just so I could take it all away from you.”

Aria flinched.

“I wanted to see your face when you realized it was me—selling you off piece by piece. I wanted to watch you understand that I was the one handing you over to Middle Easterns like a toy.”

The officers tried to pull her forward, but she resisted, desperate to keep talking.

“That thought—that moment—that’s what pushed me forward.”

Her voice cracked into a scream. “I hate you!”

“You’re the reason Dad never looked at me, never showed up for me. The younger one. The sweetheart.”

She leaned forward despite the officers.

“What did he call you? His chocolate factory?” She scoffed. “Oh, give me a break. No matter how hard I worked, he never saw me like that. Never gave me credit for anything.”

She wrenched her arm, forcing the officers to stop again.

“Rika was my gift to you,” she continued, her voice dropping. “Just to mess with your head.”

Aria’s breath caught.

“I was there,” Rina whispered. “When Vincent was killing her. I stayed. I leaned close and told her exactly what was happening—because she couldn’t see anymore.”

Aria broke.

“Right before she died,” Rina said calmly, “I told her I was going to do the same to you.”

She smiled. “I even wrapped her in red velvet. I remembered how much you loved that colour.”

Aria’s knees trembled. Tears streamed down her face. “I’m sorry,” she whispered softly. “I’m sorry for all the pain I caused you. And thank you. For taking care of me all those years.”

Mei stepped forward, her voice sharp. “That’s enough, Rina.”

She looked directly at her. “Your DNA test results came back. You’re not Samuel’s daughter,” Mei said flatly. “Aria is.”

Rina frowned. “What?” Her face drained of color.

“I took samples from both of you,” Mei continued. “To test a theory.”

She paused.

“You’re Benjamin Kingsley’s daughter. Your mother’s affair—with your uncle.”

Rina’s mouth opened, but no sound came out.

“Samuel knew,” Mei said. “That’s why he treated you the way he did. Not because of Aria.”

Rina said nothing.

She didn’t scream. Didn’t fight.

She simply let the officers pull her away.

Mei turned back toward the room. John was slumped against Aria’s legs, unconscious, his head resting gently in her lap.

Mei exhaled. “You did great, John,” she said quietly. “Get some rest. You earned it.”

Medics lifted him onto a stretcher. Taking him to the hospital.