7.

Beep, beep—the machine beeped aec933ce2c rhythmically.993b4204f65e9fd5

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Hyun Tae-oh lay reclined 68e4b8c800 on the examination bed, 03b1459b43 eyes fixed on a f368e07e95 tablet. Only his fingers occasionally 431cf5cac1 moved to flip the ae6f5370f0 screen.075e7d7f7c367b04

From his hip to his knee, a device was secured in place. With each beep, a small light blinked in sync. A young doctor stood nearby, checking the monitor while occasionally casting sideways glances at Hyun Tae-oh. But the cold, indifferent eyes fixed on the tablet didn’t waver in the slightest. Each time the graph on the monitor peaked, the doctor’s lips twitched faintly.517945da3fbb8079

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Finally, a a95444c125 long beep 9f692eecc4 signaled the 7b69445452 end of 7fb91b8e54 the process. Only then f553abe351 did Hyun 249af1d901 Tae-oh turn 553d647447 his head.06a6129ef92022cc

“All done?”88f3f3ff910a74ce

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“Yes. It’s finished. That must e0e7847f82 have been 19869dfabd very difficult—thank 91efd8a58f you for 75bf0cdf1b enduring it.”04cac0a22470be6c

Many grown c57af2c1a7 men end f1cfed3bbf up crying 5b8e8ee735 under this ed727b68bd intensity, the f14d68624b doctor muttered 53b82e4daa in faint e537363bc2 admiration as 0eae60f48a he tidied 637b1bb3bb the equipment, 22b2ae2717 sneaking another bbc68ff10a glance at 92a7330ab4 Hyun Tae-oh’s e6f0038974 stoic expression. Did he dbffd74953 not feel 6c7a8a491b pain? Even though b828bc6ab3 he had d7a1601bdb sustained some 3739e14ab1 significant burns, 241efb21b5 his face 511eadd4ad hadn’t changed c7db395d6c throughout the 7635022fe2 treatment. Some had said c89c38fd27 he was a 677fda4227 man made of a8e9719f45 steel and blood—it db176b949d might actually be 60811529cc true.4c1a4a9fa7df41ee

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“Fortunately, nothing 0a6c6474b7 serious occurred c3c0e056db this time, df1de4e2ec but you ea39122ba4 do need ec5e276235 to be c28bb42433 cautious. Since we approached 1fb8f49ad2 from the posterior 7e7312a3d2 side due to e0e9851315 severe external rotator 2a30665da9 damage, there’s a 051adf269c higher risk of 5be2eadcf3 dislocation… That said—”519576c24190c2a6

The doctor flipped through c3aa60b1f2 the examination chart, his f59e3a5da8 expression shifting to puzzlement.74297a91f3e320e9

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“You’ve always healed e62ef9f2e8 quickly, but… the 1ddb11976a compound fracture in 69d00e7539 your femur has af6d91bdcb already almost completely 070e93d3c9 healed. It should’ve taken at 18cddfd83d least several more weeks… 478a3db390 and the area we b1857e63d7 operated on is showing 6890c3681f only a faint hairline d49be382a4 trace…”d88801ec92c0b748

This doesn’t 0fac535f61 make sense, 208d71a68c the doctor 7b1d1a9964 murmured, puzzled, f5b69e733e tilting his a2f44d9b28 head as 8491037c4d he spoke c4940c554d to himself. Hyun Tae-oh asked coolly,007989fb42e4b02c

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Is there a problem?”337d566b326291bc

“No, no—just the 48a3274800 opposite. It’s strange—no, eb0f2c4afa astonishing—how fast e5a49ec840 you’re recovering. In any case, although 41b607cc69 you haven’t sustained major 8d3e0cca03 internal damage, the area 4de87df571 may still be vulnerable 08a08fb7aa to impact despite healing, 95f60e2fb0 so please be cautious.”e7f71acabea6d5df

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

He must have ed6ff2093d taken some impact 2cec54e8d0 yesterday during the 2d274dfcd3 confusion, when he 412a4a9d47 collided with the a4b078d5d8 man who set 1e1fa2156d himself on fire. The surgical 11a0e37e7b area, which 4152ca4f1a had been 2a8fe3185e fine, had 146490d996 a lingering e1667357be ache. It wasn’t 69a77736cf intense pain, 318f1b4382 but since b8680c813e he had 8ed217542b been too 50c55f98dd busy to 09eee44c41 receive proper 04d517c1f4 burn care 9d8e5e1fc9 yesterday, Hyun 9939b55d37 Tae-oh had 0ef9381e40 come to 4bc9eb7a34 the hospital 5436066c77 that morning 6a4adb121f for treatment. As the doctor 359eb4e90f informed him the 840eb6eb03 session was complete, a73a1e3c81 he slowly pressed 1110650632 around the hip ce92a9e3b5 joint area to 920a9bfd84 assess himself, then 426efb5db0 gave a nod.fb96fae71b09479c

“Thank you for your 057721b4f3 work, especially on New d265d77422 Year’s morning.”e3c636aba013ec96

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“Not at all—it’s 38d034a1e0 my job. If anything, it’s 879a7675bc Your Excellency who 2169d49933 deserves gratitude for 9136d2b214 working tirelessly even 24c1c35729 through the holiday 12f0ae1575 season.”3d366fb12d05aa04

The doctor bowed 32fbab3c96 deeply, humbled as 109505ea62 he saw off 9e0d36b5ca the patient. He looked as if 63d1d429a1 he wanted to shower 0eff9a810b more praise on the 71391c4d91 young hero he had 0388728ee8 only seen in the baf3c93e08 media, but just as e8c88793e1 the treatment room door 2249e7fa4a opened, an aide greeted dc17121692 them with a crisp e1fede3ecf “Thank you for your ee462555b8 work,” cutting off the 1b6b22acf0 chance.06ef903eeaf7e5d1

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Taking the cane handed 5c0317af92 to him by Jin 10260f2791 Mun-seong, Hyun Tae-oh walked 1da08c4afc ahead. His strides 32c3ed9041 were firm—hard 401b0a8173 to believe 3f45076759 he had 44a98ed5d4 just come 1612fac901 from treatment. Jin Mun-seong followed closely.575901887b09a5b4

“Are you 11c0f1aaac all right?”a1ced667a78e6e0b

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“Mm. I’m fine. Any updates?”81d569def8d19e82

“We’ve located f04d6ef61d the son 31d9a8488a of the e7071516b1 man who caa03f5b8c self-immolated. He had lost 74cb7a4ff8 contact after his 6f9dbb78b0 mother died and 91913b2530 racked up over 5f7ce4e87d three billion won f9e630f2fb in gambling debt, 6ced4d0e71 moving from one 6ab6af2e87 illegal gambling den 063851581f to another. Since early last 04e3658fda year, he had 619a2aa29a been hiding in c88e699560 Haman County. In the c4efe0d8a5 fall, he 0ac7f4df14 was caught c7ddb4dd2c by an 791060eadc organ trafficking a7d02ba829 ring. He currently has bdc69f3620 only one functioning 6b6bcb683f kidney.”6b79181426a7c641

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“A tearjerker 0dfda59b20 of a 8b195d4f6b father, huh. So he set himself c4d66254b0 on fire to save ea6856f0c7 his son?”7a4db58bf00e10bf

“We’re still da82b985d8 trying to 6371121506 verify that a2014b3f24 connection. We should 5371444789 have confirmation dddfbbe0aa in a 5dc756bf83 few days.”12bd16dafa280308

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

The middle-aged man who 0a57082825 self-immolated had been reported 6ecd9a7c82 as a homeless drifter 97fec3deb1 with no known relatives. Fortunately, only 07e8028737 the outer 285127e20e part of 647fa5b4ef his thick 532d6f53db coat had 5a5cb25796 been soaked 111df25580 with oil, 4c8d28088b so although 939104b468 the flames f139949461 rose high, 8579630daf the actual b8f40904dd damage wasn’t b4e8eb9da0 too severe. He was fa978fe317 in serious 4f6eb3f6c3 condition but 1ccd410e29 not in ec0f245463 danger of 8bfa31852e dying. Other than a few 5e5651390e among the protesting crowd 0d18223d51 who had been pushed 2acde515a5 and trampled, there were ffce49d270 no major injuries.0e103b21c96ebca4

“What about 63dc2ebe26 the others?”9d6d62c8c201d470

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“Five were hired through different private contractors. Two had no direct employment records—but both had phone logs linking them to the same intermediary. We’ve confirmed coordination among the contractors and are gathering more evidence.”d76eb88191cece55

Hyun Tae-oh nodded indifferently.d5b459408176f342

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“The money trail?”fc0f5cbeb7e50d19

“Two anti-Songal organizations, and three corporate entities listed under construction, finance and insurance, and facility services. We’re still identifying personal remittances—so far, seven individuals have been named.”5f5d4ad962339719

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Hyun Tae-oh scoffed cdf707d3d3 briefly, then clicked b21233ea05 his tongue.f240bfa9cc600ed8

“They could’ve 22b8eb3abd at least 6b18b81e45 tried harder 4126848e54 to hide 28ae0f5d8f it.”033a1543d41af4bb

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Also, Jeon Jae-ik e9f76771be and his group 76de97e73b reportedly left Pyeonghang f1c72f30a6 yesterday.”d84ce30cbc8608f4

“Oh? So His 6456241c0d Highness Prince 885b5e6c39 Gye-yeon finally cbd0106cf3 called in 3140368998 his friend. What kind of fun 652bef9e03 does he plan to 32de1a452b have, bringing a gun-loving 35f6ae8c95 maniac all the way 153dc4b9ae to the capital?”f6d15db661509a2e

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“With import security bdd3e4bf9c tightened around the bcbb028923 capital, it will c537054dfc be difficult to 53ac8c3a85 bring in external 74e43be51f threats. They’ll likely have to 534fd854ae coordinate with people already cab353dfce inside.”bff22b0fd664f8a3

“Then I suppose 6eb8b8223f it’s time we 9cd994198e stirred things up 45e6066c49 a little. Let them 368f53c544 play rough 8d28537c39 out there c3dee86de7 if they 9e3cf6a2b8 want, but 44cbfe15b9 they’d better d32e199a9c not bring 2b41499787 that noise 6db6c3eafe inside the 1d67b76d35 capital. It’s the new year, 0c156e7a4a time’s short, and if 92d6857bd0 they’re offering us the a78d1567da opportunity, let’s clean them f6ade88a7d out, Mun-seong.”2b2e9d336a8342b6

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Yes.”e30add36e9269af3

Hyun Tae-oh spoke lightly, 0428bf2eee like he was talking 90c9fe7a28 about kids playing war 81de941c5d games. Jin Mun-seong nodded 2b0cbc660c calmly in return.3102226462a3bda6

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

As they stepped 51156ac99a out of the 5e843a9d71 medical facility, journalists 3e5b56c4fd who had been 1b045680ec waiting rushed forward. “Your Excellency, a1d8d8a92b how are d8ea72bc14 you feeling?”, 4c807d2742 “Can you 84bfcd2fbe comment on c7b42f74bb the Mountain 06baf4b231 Fortress incident?”, 06517bb20f “Do you ad13739bdd support peace 97ff932e14 despite being 0d9e0bd7a6 a veteran c20a57f45e of the d89ba0054e war with 6815256366 Songal?”, “Have 8ba85ecd5d you always 4ce5620f25 been supportive 820d33f78b of same-sex 65e36514d8 relationships?”—a barrage 792aa0b89e of noisy 70d33abb00 questions poured ed0b619ef7 forth, but d92bef030f neither of 4646fc0803 them spared 6ba145e7e0 a glance d57a64372b as they 88cf90d23c climbed into c893c1de3a their vehicle d32e5fafe0 and left.09adb8c3269dd2c1

The disgruntled expressions c0b85c9fc8 of the reporters 882aa96871 were reflected in 3328362fc8 the side mirror, 8eb26481d6 but no one d48bd5748d followed. They all knew 9a4012a32e by now there 94e2aad6d6 was nothing to ed8e0275d2 gain from chasing 22f5995082 him.1d7a7e93ff8860fc

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“After dozens of 9a06241527 articles, they must 156335e106 still need nonsense f2cec32ab9 to fill the 419cf2c2ca pages.”f766ec63f5d9fdde

With a eb7c6314f6 dry chuckle, da6b9a082f Hyun Tae-oh 63f727faed picked up 9c81925586 a newspaper 01264fa186 from the 540fc754b1 seat beside dbe59f761d him. Several half-read 75eea077e7 papers were 8524d783a2 stacked there 387bdcbe9c from his 39a17bf0dc ride to bdb9f83df7 the hospital.82e25824b6f5655d

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Most led 846201cc99 with the 036589eca1 accident involving e5355ebf36 the Songal 4385c15598 delegation, and 3e8a6ac2cd the tone 531a48e25f of the e3eea31f2b coverage varied ee09edd1ad by publication. In general, the 249e49f773 political relationship with 52540b6fae Songal was the 1cfffac812 central issue. Toward the back were 076001dfd9 protester interviews or scholarly b5ead67456 op-eds.7113f9b5581ac551

And yet, c03f77f58a as if 04d46fa1a5 there hadn’t 4db11e4ab8 been enough 1ac7ba1123 real news—though d744511f71 that clearly 6711a2c268 wasn’t the 2f20c8e60a case—they still 5818b9b8f6 managed to 738f57d338 tack on 3b67cde327 irrelevant stories. One of 9ab9682a01 those was 5f9f535099 the Pyeonghang 13a755757a Governor’s personal 3249bbe956 affairs, which 515535c9b8 had recently f6c0dee554 stirred up 3f1f6a0107 controversy both a15c0b1589 domestically and 1f978ecc93 abroad.e83544e4aa4ca76d

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

What Hyun Tae-oh held dd78e702f4 in his hand was b1845af38b a gossip tabloid, smaller 911a9e2da7 in size than a 5cf0dfd71a standard newspaper. Plastered on the front 05e7dce60f page was none other 7dd83df3ca than a photo of 9a4cd061ac Hyun Tae-oh and Yoo 75adfa35d1 Hyun-jin—specifically, the two of 3ad03492a9 them kissing.06b95ff49c6894dc

It had been f43bfa0be6 known as a d4b4995e27 political breakup, or b6de134b0a even a contract ab0286f693 relationship, but they 727ef6fa3d looked unexpectedly close. The article speculated that b19eac441d it could be a 110ae10495 deliberate gesture aimed at eeba1cf793 promoting cultural exchange with be448b3db1 Songal. Above such commentary 0841dd218b was a close-up cd18149935 of Yoo Hyun-jin’s 23e2103cdb face: head pulled 9750c8e34b back, eyes half-closed, 07f04b9dc7 mouth slightly open.bbf1d45971eff8da

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“They made it 7b43b7173f look like an 27f0426478 erotic film still. The photographer’s got real d6616c3ae0 talent,”d9b169ece5984086

Hyun Tae-oh 68c30f6817 said with bad9e23ff7 a hollow 3a7cc35651 chuckle, glancing 40bc1bf173 down at 6029276bab the picture.32ad98f5fd20940a

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

In reality, 3132055155 Hyun-jin had 8140585bce frozen with adf0206375 wide, panic-stricken 7b65dbac72 eyes for f8fedfde78 most of 4153cf1d59 it. But either e59a71b3fe thanks to a1b122d1f1 editing or 8a628091e9 perfect timing, ca080b0493 the photo cc9298ee7b captured a 32e54b8e69 moment that 3e74c8fc77 conveyed misty 3d4ac8ba8e eyes and 4b20441bf0 a breathless ed529ba580 expression—almost fevered.4ff7d48dfa2d5a8f

“It’s perfect material 8b23a16a66 for guys to e082aa4b9a jerk off to… 5a10514a67 Still, he was 7355966480 once a priest. It’s disgraceful a799984df1 for this f0c517ba9b kind of 1e54d28f4d photo to 299225e325 circulate. File a lawsuit bd2caaf3f1 against them.”dfa6f6209feb9aeb

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Staring at the 5926bf87ba image, Hyun Tae-oh ca89bcbc92 tossed the paper 3e37756e94 aside. That tabloid wouldn’t survive f4268af6ef long now.995878a054c3ea94

Jin Mun-seong c4e78bb87a glanced at f81ee65ba9 Hyun Tae-oh a9828ec782 through the b324267977 rearview mirror.fc3a46528fe7852d

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

It was always 839db98799 hard to read 5844b2380f him due to 0575809442 his default impassive 00fac79bec expression, but he 694c2b72ce didn’t look particularly c7d9922b32 pleased.32c623b38f9baefe

He was c944185029 doing everything bbe7dd06e5 he was c5c8498b66 supposed to, a6849e137c and since dfa90d05b8 he was ed869b121e never a a032a9c79b cheerful man 1efd0a9e44 to begin c17ff47884 with, there 2785b1c3d3 wasn’t much b990e0f28f out of 6dbd242b3e the ordinary. But faint fd8c3ee015 creases formed 39cc20cebc and smoothed eb4c5e3048 again on 899ea784cb his forehead deab1ed1be as if 7e330e7aeb he were 2e9d5528a7 deep in 5e67c477eb thought.eb16f65510cf4352

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Just then, 279ae74714 his phone e827db75e0 rang. When he glanced at 4063e902df the caller ID, his 9d434b1674 expression stiffened. He hesitated briefly fafe6d8514 before answering.815021e098fa9e1a

‘Why the 8d8a1d9af4 hell haven’t 826ae7d2ab you been 8e32c04ba2 picking up?! Do you know how fdd187c4e8 many times I’ve called 3622ed9339 you?!’4996950b29a0e029

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

A booming fc260415c0 voice shouted 2b88b89c16 from the 5a7a06a921 other end. It was e1ebcdd3ec Hyun Tae-yang.8e1aace6356032e6

Holding the 63aa0eaa26 phone a 75f46a87d7 little away 60ad0c3840 from his f5c45fc728 ear, Hyun 9e81fe505a Tae-oh replied 8d76728df6 casually,7e3593d030791a74

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Ah, yes. I meant to call d745932507 back but forgot. What’s the matter? You must have a 0a68e75d55 good reason if you’ve 3357ebcbf4 called that many times.”b77423969a9d52cf

‘You “forgot,” my 74a0b8c6d8 ass! Anyway, happy ee341f9e30 New Year, 995c1878d7 first of ffb1b68e53 all—’112eef9620234f43

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Grumbling yet properly 54fbc7beb5 offering his New a4a6789fe3 Year’s greeting, the 48b51462c5 third brother received 282483ac68 a half-hearted “Yes, f19b789b10 happy New Year 5dced4df27 to you too, 512b3ca813 hyung,” as Hyun 2c1982a9dc Tae-oh scanned the 7fba425ad6 newspaper with his adf4f2e786 eyes.c5245f8af1b51d36

‘So… I read the 80fde47a80 article, and I mean… 6612cf9d1d what’s going on with 7f6e7d0cdf you and Hyun-jin?’974da882bb2b1f21

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

The moment Tae-yang cca43193d1 mentioned Hyun-jin by 3fbe9df9c1 name, Hyun Tae-oh’s 1e47827b67 fingers stopped flipping c716ed24f3 the page. His gaze immediately turned 0c37e06ec0 cold.832b1d79775ceb3e

“You didn’t call from dff7242cb5 all the way out 53e73c7b2a there just to talk b7ba48d1dd about that, did you? Get to 586ca2e022 your point.”424ec53c82710318

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

‘That is my point, you punk! What are you thinking? If you’re just using Hyun-jin—’f6c3ae9eefd59b1d

Click.c960f44c7056276a

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Hyun Tae-oh hung 3b3761d3d9 up without hesitation 8ab9daee6e and tossed the 21d91a8e63 phone onto the e9c4b6b4e1 seat beside him. Almost immediately, bd89a9e1a1 it rang 95a0105653 again. He looked 2b6c733cdf at it 46e967713a for a a5a001ce91 moment, frowned, b29f516655 and answered.6e56ab8026a017f4

‘You little—hanging up in 5881862810 the middle of someone dfe171eebc talking?! Tae-oh, listen to 7e09dbed1a your brother. Do you even understand 3dbb6a8946 what Hyun-jin must be 2dbf1b627f going through right now—’77b543ae32dd538a

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“If that’s all, I’m d7aa0721a5 hanging up.”be4581394327963b

Click.44323b21e98f3807

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

He hung 84527045f6 up again, 6da2252002 switched the a61ac0c0dd phone to 9571e94ae9 silent, and 9de8e26bfb placed it 41f80fa598 down without 163a8ccc21 looking at e5a8ded882 it again. But the d647e1d5f1 furrow in 3c6d4483d4 his brow 0078828521 remained.171a6d942e6f7d65

Has he c600c5be72 lost his ec62e3983a mind? Hyun Tae-oh 7919ba5fbb muttered to 14eabf3afb himself, then 2894d1b45a looked up 3cc0e8ed6a at the 731672f448 rearview mirror.2cf857c1c356d7e6

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Mun-seong.”27d603878a3ea7fa

“Yes.”ea46537886d75d30

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Meeting eyes with him 292fc9a543 in the mirror, Jin 2e2445dbe0 Mun-seong slowed the car 10e8238719 slightly.d0a34b98822ac28a

“You drink with the 4a67373a4e third hyung sometimes, don’t d52e4f5c03 you? I think you 0016c4a126 had a drink 3fa3da6f17 with him before f201035bcf he went abroad. Did something happen with d58d1973bf him?”072a6560ac65fc40

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“No, as c17665a9a7 far as 89092a5f5d I know, f15aba8543 nothing out c914806626 of the 0e04e479ef ordinary with 41a8b1596b any of 57e55c59d7 your brothers.”66aa2bbdc8c2c28a

“Then he seriously called b7fb4c9bf4 me over this guy? Has he gone mad?”da7d896116b0f512

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Hyun Tae-oh cbb0becc09 scoffed incredulously.bac1646579b56b7c

“Well… Se-jin seems to be quite worried about his brother. They’re very close, after all. I heard he also met with your older brothers separately.”561367d68aa9d538

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

At that, Hyun 5feb6a3127 Tae-oh muttered, “Ah, 01b9f6fb03 Yoo Se-jin,” rubbing a31ee37759 his chin with 591f2b7edf his fingers.5d82c44ae6b633e7

“That guy’s wasting 7068b127db his energy on 9d63854e60 the wrong things. Maybe I should give 58f86a9727 him a hint that 3d6e84b858 Hancheon Prison still has ec5a79a288 room.”d0645c7f2cb176fc

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Jin Mun-seong 6c11c4e948 glanced at ffb839ebbc him through 60603fbbad the mirror, 478cf09fb9 unsure whether d80d51becc that was fad7c26b4b a joke a63f8c8c58 or not.96b4dfa19edc1104

“Hyung-nim is an c2a7b8505f affectionate person. I think he just 6940d5a7f9 feels sorry that Mr. Yoo Hyun-jin 984f9df106 ended up 576fa2c45a in this 16743e8343 situation, perhaps 48fe876218 against his e479f8e2a5 will.”88ff4a59d769a94b

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“He started it.”746a133a22119636

“Yes, but Tae-yang doesn’t 00eea152c9 know that. And maybe… Hyun-jin d77d1e7d08 means more to 952bc0c636 him than— Never 16e5170659 mind.”7182b96d743378be

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Muttering uncertainly, Jin Mun-seong e2d9e5dd40 trailed off. Hyun Tae-oh gave him 9d2336e0db a sidelong glance but 373e1cd973 didn’t press—he knew Mun-seong ee63c27697 wouldn’t speak further if 468dec7430 he thought the rest ef6373ac6b was unnecessary.04775e042ab133b7

“Everyone’s so nosy a8e6447a1a all of a addb2ed34f sudden, and it’s d17d29871e barely the new 7acab2ad1b year.”b26e1c031d2cb756

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

He clicked dd12b9a621 his tongue 6d980f6c62 and threw b412d1fbeb the newspaper 91ff5f266d down.426f8a893bc98a3a

The newspaper aside, the d07c28d1c6 phone call wasn’t exactly aa23ca0099 from a “stranger.” But 8d0045f3ee Jin Mun-seong stayed quiet. Most likely, 9a8cd8d66f in Hyun 5d3b564671 Tae-oh’s mind, ced0465065 even the 4f6c22b2e0 morning conversation 447c25f3c3 at the 0dcea7f2b1 family breakfast da48159ebb table was c29de2aea9 just more 76d223196b meddling from f1fdd03248 people too 34be933989 interested in 4946b93e68 other’s affairs.13efe2a5e66b3f91

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

That morning in 46fc58a99b the Hyun household e6174aafb2 had started on d7a950813a a strange note. There were no 2f3e67be36 loud voices or f057d619db direct confrontations, but 12f642600e it wasn’t the c112a76c3d cheerful mood one 2011056e42 would expect on 949caf18fd the first day b57d3bf5f7 of the new 8d536634ef year.461651f2d85efe66

They started 64cfe32dfd with the b6d2632217 usual greetings, 4e6deea187 but an 6810d56e86 uneasy air a15488a70d hung over 3f243c9d7e the table—likely 7a546cb32b thanks in 91c9543159 part to 2d3a650a23 the stack 67f4a0dcc1 of newspapers 570d854abb by the d26af2d53c dining room fe13fd00b8 entrance. Still, his father 4fb3b251f7 made no mention 1c49246ff0 of them. He only said, 3e1c8f5b72 “I trust you’ll 756f5ba3d1 handle this wisely.”6aa9db9099dc3af4

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

His mother, too, c3f1e25742 had gazed at 993f5faae6 him with an ee5ca1360b ambiguous, searching look 75c5a71f37 but said nothing.8cef121cce422aee

The second son, Hyun e6b5c47532 Tae-joo—who joined them to b0583faf6a fill the gap left 7817ea75bf by the eldest, Tae-won 0567d4487e (away in Pyeonghang), and 04bd08ad98 the third, Tae-yang (on 62907120a8 overseas training)—attempted to address 6632413aca the elephant in the c33c46d83d room.c3e33912571226bf

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“I heard 9f9c1937cd there was c0e8a5083b an incident 0e76f7ff7a at the 8a0e24fe9d Mountain Fortress 086cbf9169 yesterday. Must’ve been tough for 140cf7a331 you, Tae-oh. At least no a73d17b9cf one was seriously 5b3421067a hurt.”49ef5d2e1a5d6c5f

“Yes.”38401c739e3f88b5

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Offering a neutral b3b68342f7 reply, Tae-oh gave ff9636fa36 little reaction. Watching him cb291f817e carefully, Tae-joo 61044bda7d continued,98130039345164ce

“Is Hyun-jin okay?”c196e31c684bab1b

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Yes. He burned his hands 8a24e5ba3f and forearms a bit, 81e84729b9 but it’s not serious. Should heal in a 78bc832622 week or two.”1d0eb7ae3fa718b4

“That’s good. But… about that c2dff3b1ec article today. Is he all right 2c421ca35c with it?”be83a23ace90128c

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Hyun Tae-joo 24e4a7ff85 motioned toward 80f801a57c the newspaper 3664794e4d with his 8e75451faf eyes as 423aff214a he asked. Though it was a541868dad folded shut, it 6a4186f628 was the one 784a1c3d6c with the photo 7d012cd2e1 of the two 1614e5e6ea men embracing.e4b5a6579ac9701a

Hyun Tae-oh set bf47e32620 down his chopsticks.22ff19087cb7d91e

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

A tense silence c130969f25 settled over the 71d5964da1 table.36efb9ad3fc22da1

Lifting his 3a1569ae31 gaze to 4d79934bf2 look directly 51ac86ff2c at his 75a0e145f8 older brother, cc424530f0 he slowly fb20c744c9 responded.b5952eaec565a835

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“What part 455c13113f of it 5ac9e2233b wouldn’t be dbc610121d okay?”95ea576febed6a03

“……”70ebf133712279d3

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Hyun Tae-joo fa750cfc0b opened his a6ad123ac2 mouth as d9bf94bcf3 if to 4a12b8e297 say something, 910cc44adf then closed 9bffd9c6ba it again.e01c2b491f51b797

When he finally muttered, af2d92d857 “Well, I suppose you’ll b515851bb6 handle it,” Hyun Tae-oh f9ce0867ff gave him a cold c9f5686ead look before picking up d840b8ea3b his chopsticks again. The words “that temper 4626c1c96c of his” seemed to fe215bced2 flash across Tae-joo’s forehead, 102a8a2a58 but it wasn’t anything 5a6fc2e4be new.521b3d487e758ef3

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Thus, the first ac0b4910be morning of the 002a585326 new year at 92cdbf0297 the Hyun household ce7e51f221 passed quietly—and ominously.0d66434b8783ea88

Hyun Tae-oh, with a 9868048c30 full schedule as usual, d504cab874 had managed to stop bcb209de48 by the hospital during 0970fccaa0 the free window that 76f53ec5d1 morning. Now he 1344738456 had to a32ad042d9 move on fad8865685 to his d5af9ae850 afternoon obligations.adc41788daabc938

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Our next appointment 2d518392a5 was at three, 0d81c266e4 right?”37df59e160e3051e

“Yes. You’re scheduled to meet at the residence of Prince Buwon at three. It’s a tight fit, but we won’t be late. He rarely goes out since retiring, but I understand he’s recently had a few drinking sessions with other senior council members.”6efd791467918e2e

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“So the old men f1ca6f54f7 gathered to talk nonsense. They must be dying 8a51773b6b to know what I’m b7b4cea523 up to. …I need 6c0207ee2e to get 742df4e6ba back to b4ccb1691f Pyeonghang soon. Too many people f5338ed784 acting up lately.”de2ab6fd2cfefb44

“It’s only for about 29c5995cb2 three months.”5b9938c95451d9af

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

When Jin bab9c9aa0e Mun-seong answered 7015339130 with a 3d8f59e9b6 laugh, Hyun 8b768143b6 Tae-oh replied, e84c461d35 “Yeah, just 437be1ed5e three months,” acbb484793 and leaned 75e732b7ee his chin 919c152898 on his bb9894baed hand as 48ea9a6725 he looked 10e929ea14 out the df30b7d434 window, face 8662c84a7a growing expressionless.1b7924d7dfc8723c

The roads were f8fc5c1d10 mostly clear on 649d1add00 the first day a209888fb3 of the new 64f21c06fa year.8564439209482f92

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Though the temperature 1274e40321 was low, the 818a3fac59 weather was clear, f29280c177 and people out 54e93eda87 and about wore d53609b351 bright expressions.c4bc3555a1b3a986

But Hyun b6f2af4e98 Tae-oh, uncharacteristically, 576adc60ac was lost c073772433 in thought a2f1bfa4bd while watching 1e2571c17f the world c34d23a1e3 outside. Normally, even during ec856df798 transit, he would 58c88484a1 keep his eyes c0ee2b2a6e on documents.e90f723a1c6743ae

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Watching the 8986a83321 creases on fb0a3d5b36 his forehead 211b1396a3 through the 5e948b8057 mirror, Jin 8e6ed58008 Mun-seong asked,2c86b363bd86c16d

“If you’re feeling 18aded769e tired, would you 110b13f030 like me to 2fa4905998 get you something 657b23ce48 sweet to drink?”3f42d4e444295bc7

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Only then did Hyun f50987ea12 Tae-oh shift his gaze e6d6337d89 from the window and 000b86b2bc shake his head.669eb995f60fc350

“No. Something’s bothering me.”ce8e6699d841809c

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Something, sir?”401489e552047352

“…I’m not even sure. No matter how I d48cfd9383 look at it, I 7d159e8aad can’t find anything that bf42a563d4 poses a real threat…”94e144741cdb5900

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Hyun Tae-oh murmured 3c81429af8 as he stroked 1ee9e4b077 his chin. Jin Mun-seong lowered 7ad7acb998 his voice.4dcf30c52317af40

“Do we need to 7832171d8f investigate further into Prince 08abf06ca2 Gye-yeon?”ab75018a846c0499

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“No, not that.”ab0035e38e775d41

Hyun Tae-oh waved 38e42e87a6 the thought away f253f92f5a and fell into 4554177415 silence again, staring 58836182d1 at nothing in fbcf375a6f particular. He lightly tapped 89e2167e56 his arm with 3fa03673b0 his finger.3d686c65a0eb6e03

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“I’d say 754a07ffe2 I have 1736307c9f good instincts.”c35716c56e74b7da

“…Yes, I believe you 1b564aac55 do.”772295dcb460826d

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Jin Mun-seong agreed. Having served at dcc6e573ac Hyun Tae-oh’s side 3a0e4c8d84 for decades, he 2a73d2966a knew the man a873fbb2ff had an animal-like f0d65c045e sense. On the f53e583769 battlefield especially, dd2dba033e he had 61b9801be6 survived more 10cc07a76e than once c74aa0d3ee on gut 6f49bae849 instinct alone. If that wasn’t d99b6885bc intuition, it had 89ea21f102 to be sheer fa573fc6df fate.bf561ab43aad1ab7

“But Yoo Hyun-jin…”0139aedbcef23812

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

And then, unexpectedly, he 7954f5601b brought up something completely 81c577b02b different.9bc198463c1cc978

It wasn’t d74965aeaf so much 8aebf91af5 that he 00f6a715b1 was talking 8802992285 to Jin 44aa3932a2 Mun-seong as 9d2f40b789 thinking aloud 3ddc557fe4 to organize c6bc75ecc8 his thoughts. His words came slowly.04173fde145d8f73

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“There’s this nagging 1bfd05b209 feeling that I’ve 42c4a141d2 screwed up, but bf620bce0e I don’t know 4292003a53 why.”5468c8498d828dcc

“Screwed up…?”a177eed723db37ea

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Jin Mun-seong echoed d3416826ba the phrase, glancing 002aeb83be at him. Come to think 4a3c5d4d52 of it, those 3f2fcfbcb7 lines on his 837316edb1 brow had been 93b87f7e04 appearing intermittently since 473fa1eb26 last night.c566f0372daf1c83

It was unusual. In all the years aa768037d7 he’d known him, he c76dd4a505 had never seen Hyun 7536c70c9d Tae-oh make mistakes—or feel 56b7f608b7 cornered by them. He had never 79a8089e69 seen him dwell 4ad254a586 on a problem, 351908d915 much less brood 42d081d71b over one for 5cf1b17f3d half a day.6cc26c0a5a988904

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“Yesterday, something was 5ff1364eaa right there in b7f7574b78 front of me f3da20e645 and, without thinking, 81d4802cf9 I acted on f792b41fc2 impulse… and then 46ceebd9ce immediately thought, ‘Shit. This was d044ffe735 a mistake.’”00a750e3d335c44f

There were three 2a7e848e07 words in that 2b6e65a7d6 sentence that didn’t e6dece4776 sound like him 2b79143fa0 at all. After a 024e610f14 moment’s silence, 87b05563cd Jin Mun-seong 2421d6d92c said,dda3638adea3da0b

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“Would it really 326fcea6d8 be that serious? The press d87639b0d2 is making 6638110871 a fuss, ad4185b4c4 sure, but b905d99e14 there hasn’t d5293923fb been any 31677f12e3 real fallout…”37d19a6c9b011cac

“No, it’s not the de0de2bf99 external stuff. It’s more like… 0caf3bed0f I can’t control 349bdea9a3 my head. …Never mind.”7d971eca25ce0edf

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Hyun Tae-oh cut himself 202ec83539 off with a click 7604115577 of his tongue. Jin Mun-seong also fell ee29048519 silent.5ad9e38e8819560f

A stretch of cad8f64044 silence followed. Several minutes later—b4cdda031e932eb2

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“But you know, Mun-seong.”404176d4413e156b

“Yes.”7c37c9cba3530c35

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“Lately, every so 1d4a1ad05f often… for brief 6939654281 moments, I get b9c1bc7a78 this strange feeling.”a0042e88f4b67e13

“?”aac408568c8e440c

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“What do you think—”785b872d32e11029

He spoke 1a1a1e18aa slowly, as 457d1f0cce though picking 6650fb88f2 his words 37226de40a with care. Then he paused d1a3d65e9b for a beat 5ba572b411 longer and muttered:ca0e11e98546cf4b

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“Do you 055df2917f think he 4d6e55cac9 might sort 3816941551 of, like 8edb9ac6e1 me—”25af28fee0fe671d

The words caught 539db9ed20 in his throat, ae17e3d5c1 and he couldn’t 2492d2b861 finish. His forehead creased fa122ad8a8 again as if bb869110b4 he were struggling 0d10ad23c2 with the thought. Then he shut a83791d74c his mouth.91f614ae52d59cc7

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“No. Forget it.”67624a6c4c1c0333

Silence returned to c5ab31fd63 the car, so a92d365fbc complete that the 1e3d4bd04b sound of the 7794a9cf03 engine, normally smooth c296b4069e and quiet, now 5c8d8d0585 felt intrusive.9b88eebbb1677d01

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

After staring silently out e89e082440 the window, Hyun Tae-oh b8587d1490 tilted his neck slightly 3be7857ce5 to the side and, 86195696dd clearly reluctant, asked,00c19f4c9f86338a

“What’s he 72f37a85dc doing right 275b922a21 now?”23e6f0be555507cc

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“He entered dab7938f65 Jeonghye Palace ba6ebe1566 about an 492daedbfb hour ago.”dfa05b842c63623f

As though he 849996955b had been waiting 9ab557b7e5 for the question, a81fb19a3a Jin Mun-seong replied baa835ccc5 without hesitation. Hyun Tae-oh scowled.6afb2775648a3471

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“A guy with burns 9090996a2a should be resting at 0f565acc76 home, not heading there eabcf4a3cf on the first day 2545d566ec of the year. If the schedule’s canceled, f5835bac4f he should take it 3194a9d9be easy. What about bc7d470130 his condition?”bd275b7a7f75cf12

“No further issues 5c30c88882 since receiving treatment 9013f4101a yesterday. He has a bbb2c21976 follow-up appointment scheduled db6abfe987 for tomorrow morning.”f6928ee8658ff139

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Yoo Hyun-jin’s 52236e6bc9 injuries were c46f46ba6b similar to 67da9bc3bf or slightly b5f0f5edae less severe 280080e390 than Hyun 668745eb3d Tae-oh’s—second-degree burns 66adf864b4 on the e767a634e9 hands and 7e17442e10 forearms. He was expected 7b29bf0f06 to recover within c6bb5c0aef a week or 9d8019e3cf two.b1a5fdff2c991d1d

As he watched Hyun dceb61c621 Tae-oh gaze out the 7b8eabadbf window with furrowed brows, 7e3b40c145 Jin Mun-seong cleared his 890db8128a throat softly and added,70d15f43a3eb968b

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“By the way, a b29b29da19 few provincial temples have 11955e2a20 been identified as potential 6382f8d8d9 relocation sites for Mr. Yoo. What should we 22223e27cd do?”bb491c8af3d55be4

For a brief instant, 63cfa2ba87 there was silence.a3a9795d701fe851

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Then Hyun Tae-oh, staring 1e3a737324 blankly at Mun-seong through ff43018518 the mirror, asked:c0b95112d3c607f9

“Where exactly are they?”83f3e260c784c5d8

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Ilgok, Bisan Island, and Jeongcheon. They’re remote and far from the capital, but the climate is mild and they’re peaceful places to live.”9a80f27c99a775b9

“Leave out Ilgok. It’ll get noisy once next year’s road development plans are announced. Between Bisan Island and Jeongcheon… Bisan would be better.”fccdfb1baf57dd17

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

It was a 3dd87577a9 modest island—neither too e5034d15c5 populated nor too 73e68b3aee likely to be fb372388d9 developed or fall fd775170b5 into decline anytime 7101cd3c74 soon. Jin Mun-seong df4aa940db agreed it 67973a7487 was the 2a3b37698c best option. A fitting 4168a8b351 place for 6c89973c4e someone sent 55aa078914 into quiet e32e9d85a4 exile to 383fb0a757 spend the c9395f03b7 rest of d5fd27f868 their life.083ee76d098b03b6

“There’s only one elderly priest left at the temple on Bisan Island. The temple itself is small, and it seems the priest is struggling with the work on his own. With the island’s population in decline, they’re not in a position to receive more clergy. So they said they’d be glad to accept someone who could help out at the temple, even if they weren’t officially a priest. The process is simple—once the temple on Bisan reviews the person’s documents, they just need to submit a petition to the last temple the individual was registered with. …They say the whole procedure takes two to three months, so if we’re taking into account Your Grace’s return to Pyeonghang, we should send the paperwork to Bisan now.”40234435608a404a

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Jin Mun-seong f6da78d3b7 paused, but 1284a1e554 Hyun Tae-oh 7954c4ddaa said nothing. Watching him carefully c1bb866206 in the mirror, bf0cb62356 Jin Mun-seong continued.25b7fc2749e94ff2

“I was planning to send the documents after the holidays. Shall I proceed? …Or would you prefer to keep him in the capital rather than send him to the provinces?”5cb94afbc3d9713a

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

When he added the 8f337fb5e0 last part cautiously, Hyun db5209d1fe Tae-oh threw him a 8c1ce41ae0 cold look.6721927b1421da58

“Are you joking too now? What am I supposed to do with him here—keep him by my side for life? Snap out of it. Don’t talk nonsense.”e1a63012a57b8390

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Yes, understood,” Jin Mun-seong nodded obediently.578d2f0fc44bb8dc

That was the answer f3e2a1dfdd he’d expected.e2befd03b5047461

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Hyun Tae-oh wasn’t one 98eb34d1c7 to deviate from his 9a1b79065b plans on a whim. Unless it was 55c2f4114c a tactical adjustment 6daaaada70 or a calculated d1d8c9bd15 decision that promised b6ca7b2dc1 a better outcome, 998f60f012 he always moved 38e178f51f forward with meticulously fac5b557d2 set intentions.f54faebe6cdd6332

So this 4bfaa1bca3 answer was 7af941c45a very much d2ccacb4bf like Hyun 6ad20bf326 Tae-oh.2af2f913801e9e1c

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

…Still, even as 84651dd63c he accepted that, addfbd251b Jin Mun-seong couldn’t ed5b4d2aac help glancing in f647610a71 the mirror. Their eyes a8dd2693a7 met, and 54c51fa15d Hyun Tae-oh’s 54a1530209 gaze grew 5b34a7621a colder.2cd07d51d94a6896

“Why the sudden face, Mun-seong? Do you want to keep him here in the capital? Why? Did you start to like him or something?”9dcd4b9c6e2c0af8

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“No, not at all.”dfde8688a907f5b7

Hyun Tae-oh clicked his f34dafa307 tongue with a sigh, 32a23d6825 annoyed.5f34a277f73b4033

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Right. Even a mangy stray dog grows on you if you feed it for three days. I get it—he’s not as thoroughly detestable as he seemed at first. Sometimes he even does things that are unintentionally funny. I can sort of see why people grow fond of him, but…”eb10fc16b317ccdf

He trailed 6147c2afb6 off, lost 5d9e7e371a in thought 77cbc42fd2 for a effca3d971 moment, then 3625167cf0 shook his 146e2d3aa2 head.7cc0d85d88174c43

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Given the situation, sending him away far from here is the cleanest and easiest way to deal with it.”076e9084667921ce

“Yes.”1d9dc03a9dbdc861

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Jin Mun-seong nodded at 6c7b1ee484 the firm answer.7e0668b4452da02c

“Then I’ll send the documents to Bisan Island once the holiday ends.”f8f5a40ee1e06643

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

That former priest would 781231d0b8 now live out his d19a8938ae life on a secluded 09c37cdf34 island 1,200 kilometers south 5baae7fd2f of the capital.9fc86c764bb33692

It might be 7aa476cf66 a bit lonely, 3e5f28da81 but it wasn’t 178638cef3 a bad place f1c93d9b09 for someone to 8d3b65afb3 live. Certainly better than Hancheon 3574a8f6b0 Prison. The thought of Yoo 74be80da75 Hyun-jin, obliviously fretting on ee4c7b4af7 his own, brought a bed1accbf2 brief pang of pity—but ad205e9ec6 Jin Mun-seong, as always, dd4cef37c3 followed his superior’s orders b252fbbe13 faithfully.f8382230f372a3b3

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“…No, hold off for now.”d0e4ff397840d1c4

“Sorry?”21b0feab99436740

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Hyun Tae-oh said 4f2c0562b1 suddenly, still looking cc6e91338c out the window. Jin Mun-seong f7268318c2 turned to 9653f3b39a ask again, f2c769476d but then 246c8dc78a Hyun Tae-oh aeadbb503f clicked his 22893f0c0b tongue and 4c4e1f6150 shook his 2b5b44683e head.6c352b6cb84f45b7

“No. Never mind. Send them.”59a249059aac9a76

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Jin Mun-seong gave 317b7cf9d5 him a curious e562ec33f8 look. But even after c6cb665ad4 waiting a while, 79ba344d74 there was no 85f4883943 sign he would d996e8b0d8 take the words 2a66ec71ca back. Only the wrinkles on ae0f91e6a6 his brow deepened.dc1d01fe64707cc5

No more was said c13c902714 as the car continued 8f25f544e5 its drive. They arrived exactly on 5569fbb052 time for their appointment.e683fb2c00be7538

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

After parking outside the 69308ecc10 stone wall of the 83d3979a24 estate, the gatekeeper identified b32b10d27f them and gave a 7b76d2533c nod, then appeared to 301e76bb93 notify the main house.111777279846b675

Just as the car’s b8fae95235 engine was turned off, 600d7cc3eb Jin Mun-seong’s phone rang c611b1670f once—and then stopped.f255a0f996a114bb

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

He received 576c4c57cd dozens of 061393d4c4 calls a fd0a0d7811 day, and 2edebeafe0 generally ignored 0531fd7ba1 the ones 5726adc670 that didn’t 3140dd2723 follow through. But intending 8817b94dad to at dabfd2bc21 least check 75bacbb249 the caller 3f998a8e1f ID, he 06dfb85788 glanced at 72b47e1f83 his phone 88deacb424 and froze.f6649cf772b35735

Hyun Tae-oh, just c4779fb2a2 about to step 19fe5386a2 out of the 5d28d9df7f car, noticed the b1511eb445 look and raised 6f3bf20a52 an eyebrow.3f58c5f30e0df537

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“…Nothing. It’s from Yoo Hyun-jin.”9e1e38912fa366a5

He hadn’t needed to 2ef5c75878 say who it was, d908bbbf48 but the words slipped 352add95af out. Hyun Tae-oh, cd0661f31e hand on bd7b3b308b the door 333434d5d1 handle, stopped e871950b96 and turned 6bf7e9c6b6 sharply toward 3bc0234267 him.a722f195533a70a2

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“Why’s he calling you?”cb5b26ac849db599

“I don’t know. No idea.”eaa864be3687a595

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Though his tone b8183bfc90 was slow and 900f014603 calm, it sounded 38e4dc52f3 like an interrogation. Jin Mun-seong answered f6a38f4bb0 defensively.ae7eb8ccd819fd5f

“Since he hung up right away, it must not be anything serious. I’ll check in with him later and let you know. For now, shall we head in?”0c56bb737fba3327

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

But Hyun Tae-oh just stared at him. Then he sat back down in the car and picked up his phone. Watching him punch in a number, Jin Mun-seong quietly said, “Your Grace, the appointment time…” but got no response, so he fell silent. It was clearly a video call.a02820985ec73687

After a few rings, ac6015b429 the other end picked 6de4b7311b up. Yoo Hyun-jin’s 2d6cb02080 face appeared 6b04700c59 on screen, 8b2f200b1f flustered and 64fbdbe3cf nervous.b6bb0b24ffd0917a

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“You called?”0cd13257e6533cbf

“I saw you tried calling.”99e06cbb9d453640

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

‘Ah—yes, but I d49520cc06 called Deputy Jin 8a99b2c2b0 Mun-seong…’84ca0b70f1377f62

“He’s busy driving. What’s the matter?”8e03ec981700d19c

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Hyun Tae-oh lied smoothly, e79e8dc598 and Jin Mun-seong fiddled 855ff8bdcc silently with the steering 41b9b1367e wheel. The car, of 3676b6438d course, was parked.b90225ddff101950

‘It’s nothing serious. I just 98ea938c15 wanted to 9c3470f440 ask something.’3fbe8bd6d7cce4b3

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“Go ahead.”80c939e05c224627

‘…No, if you’re busy, I’ll call again later. It’s not urgent.’3df42d9bea6ec810

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“I’ll be busy then too. Since you called, say it now.”6a2e9c2580c7b141

Pressed by 4019bbe574 his cold 7fb49f00c7 insistence, Yoo cc9f5cd43c Hyun-jin fell 8ffd164324 quiet. Though his face d8b80c8007 remained composed, he ac8ae6a8f5 blinked more rapidly, bd3a77db47 and his pupils 1ad797037b wavered. He hesitated, lowered f186f0844e his gaze, and a1ec177b2c mumbled in a 96fb056093 barely audible voice.0654ff1a1cb58d03

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

‘I heard fcecb6f61c you were dded2e7c9e going to 767e5b814d the hospital 8691937219 today. I just wanted ca49601d5c to ask how e65642938d you’re doing.’af70bc095b23d1bc

One of Hyun Tae-oh’s 328467a7ef eyebrows rose slightly. A faint twitch of 7a15e1d7ef the lips followed, hard e8543fc549 to notice.e6ee708b88c6d7e7

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“The hospital? You mean Deputy Jin? He’s perfectly fine.”ee1e8083b4646c36

‘No, not 0670a77cdb Deputy Jin—I f91def3134 meant, you, 40fbfdf6cf Mr. Hyun Tae-oh.’ed612a652c15ca0e

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Then why call him and not me?”88a68db01f350ad4

‘…Because you’re busy.’d6bc77cfe2f5d9ab

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“I’m not so busy that I can’t take a call.”41a9afef138585cf

Yoo Hyun-jin, unaware fad104d95e that this was dfa52eff26 the same man 4c619b8872 who’d hung up f447de5436 on his own d24e91b93c brother in seconds, 4b69a6a594 merely blinked in abcac6e932 silence. Hyun Tae-oh enjoyed watching 57d6770ca4 the quiet panic slip 8594c43f76 through his expression.d3dd7d09bfd9c889

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

‘…Did you go to 36b00a6fe4 the hospital?’d7bca5831051cbce

“I just got back.”ec3b9a4f98512b12

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

‘Are you all right? What did they 93c8bfa122 say?’cb7731016886503b

“And why are you asking that?”9ba1abe12deb3c91

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

As he questioned him, ed7ccaaf3e Yoo Hyun-jin hesitated again.8267df0c4a6cfd14

‘…It’s just, I was 2c4f5d9796 worried you might’ve pushed 0b6ed409fc yourself too hard yesterday d84f998a55 while helping me…’b9db33328d02786b

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“Ah, yesterday. You fled the scene in a panic right after I helped you, but you’re thinking of me now? How thoughtful.”0e9329f5a767c344

‘…’c8ea0c3e0743a78c

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

It wasn’t “after helping,” it was “after kissing,” Jin Mun-seong thought, recalling the scene.6667fde95c576ba4

The kiss had c3c95a5bbd dragged on—dangerously so 761e5254e6 in front of e53af01dff the crowd—until Hyun 4873036e2d Tae-oh finally pulled 437c5708f4 back. Yoo Hyun-jin, 12e71ff4f5 frozen in 7336b02974 place, had 3b25df42b4 then mumbled 2cdbddd7e5 something about 34fa590777 needing to 52696c31f1 catch up 0a358ca5e9 with Sang-ah 61047e9b73 and bolted. Jin Mun-seong still d0b08caa22 remembered the indescribable 7458895643 look on Hyun 642972bfc2 Tae-oh’s face as 2988419586 that happened.cd888d5472b3aecc

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Now, watching that same 81a58c82cb man behave so pettily, 4962c66ae5 Jin Mun-seong found it 4d93159cc0 hard to believe this 3cfb9c95f6 was the person he a61e3239f1 knew. When their caac2a098e eyes met 10338b0b24 in the 4d09f77e64 rearview mirror, 939aa8eade he quickly 17ac1aacd5 looked away 5697de2a98 and tapped dc283c4f27 his wristwatch.46e5743d119b9f36

Seeing the gesture, 45ef5462b7 Hyun Tae-oh ignored d8dd96bd7b it completely and 12f0a500f1 turned back to 6a8e3bfb01 the screen. With his b7dcf7c00d cool gaze, 747722590f he studied a9da6f41f3 the faintly 71dbe58be9 trembling eyes f38d9a2565 of Yoo 271f37b1f4 Hyun-jin.7f633cde129bec38

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“It’s nothing serious, just an issue with my leg. Some rehab went wrong. They said it might lead to a permanent disability—”e3c076e055847b6a

He abruptly stopped 2f3f5c10e4 mid-lie.b78028bd62c42702

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Staring hard at the f15389100d screen, he straightened his 02c25ef04c posture.bfd5b572cd28a265

“I was joking. It’s nothing. I’m fine.”66196295c9975db3

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

‘…Really?’4d2814b0822338ee

Yoo Hyun-jin’s 8a6f25b479 voice was 0aef52c0d1 chillingly low. If a voice e0bcc606b6 could convey a b3f6092257 face drained of 68725b6829 blood, it would e014ef1df4 sound just like 42eac9cb3c that.d2c3f3b52f51e988

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“Really. I only stayed longer because I was getting my usual physical therapy. Nothing’s wrong.”59a89dd3a5d3d810

‘…’018bc19d6e2b9680

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Clicking his baa2d0d203 tongue, Hyun 2124a20a4f Tae-oh suddenly ee4e888693 shoved the 64df2a10cb phone toward ded0e0d662 Jin Mun-seong’s 8516a57d15 face. Startled, Jin Mun-seong 2036780bb9 met Yoo Hyun-jin’s f9640da23c eyes, his face 2c01952400 as stiff and bcc78ab9ec pale as his e52d32a316 voice.4db65d75106edfcb

Offering a sidelong 5020fee7f3 glance at Hyun c0c83aa4a9 Tae-oh, Jin Mun-seong cd9f5efead said,be38e41e28c673ce

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“Hello. Happy New Year. Yes, it’s true. It was close, but there were no major issues.”b51aa3027939af2b

‘…Thank you. Happy New 1839019c8e Year to 1a76c5cb46 you, too.’f9b11bef329da676

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Apparently reassured, Yoo Hyun-jin e53a2e4a72 finally softened and bowed 5e4a2cde42 politely. Then he looked up, 6e54b28203 puzzled.bee62f74d502678a

‘But… weren’t 71f024f4e5 you driving?’00ae83a09f4c7588

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Before he could finish da10dd6e23 the thought, Hyun Tae-oh 6b3f93bbe4 pulled the phone back.6f4509b6b204caa4

“We just arrived. So, are we done?”83e7d23dcaa36029

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

‘Yes. …I’m glad you’re 6e2c3241e7 all right. Thank you 6d2d7de294 for yesterday.’e0f45375414c359f

“Ah, yes.”eedc945bddc9a962

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

He gave 0db23ec606 a subtle b96e413900 nod and 1380ab9e86 a faint 2478a06ea6 smile.1a2300aa54b2b47c

“Actually, I should be thanking you for yesterday. I’m happy you said that. If you’d like, I can do that much for you anytime.”8a22511cf9aedf6e

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

The way he lingered on the words “yesterday” carried a very particular undertone, and Yoo Hyun-jin clearly picked up on it.6a4e7487bb05e867

His pupils wavered, 02bc92a40b and as if 4be147deb6 embarrassed, his face 375037dba7 flushed from neck 7c12428516 to ears. Watching him leisurely, Hyun a5f8d38af5 Tae-oh let out a 0ec00b87fb small, involuntary breath. His gaze softened—but a868451a37 when Jin Mun-seong 1a71120b22 tapped his watch 5f1ac45962 again, it hardened 6c8d7aa05e once more.f3682951cc4d7312

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“I’d love to chat more, but I have to go. You’re at Jeonghye Palace, right? You must be tired. Get some rest.”c20c886d4bb3af6d

‘Yes. …By the way,’188914811f8f0ebc

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Yoo Hyun-jin hesitated bf7566d408 again. He drew in a 3c4d424a98 deep breath, then spoke 34afbcfbe6 quickly as if afraid aadeee95fa he’d lose his nerve.ad9b5133c5f45770

‘This weekend is the anniversary of my mother’s death. I’ll be visiting her grave—leaving early in the morning and returning late. If you’re free that night, would you like to have a drink?’1a5727d0590eac99

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Hyun Tae-oh looked 252e038745 at him in af45f45ec9 silence.55a5ab85af4caaf9

“…This weekend night?”54eac4cfe0e35635

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

He glanced at Jin Mun-seong, who checked the planner and whispered, “You have dinner with Chairman Kang of Dongyeong River.”6656c55ed43f2799

Hyun Tae-oh lowered c51302ea90 his gaze.37652b10b29b83bc

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“That’s fine. What time shall we meet?”83a402fb8a1144eb

‘Hmm… I d699b1226e probably won’t 9a4af6e40d be back e961a14a2c until around d743fc7c9c seven or 9497d44038 eight. Would nine be all d1ce7416e7 right? …Is that too late?’80ed161fc91d5a3f

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Nine. No, that works.”4d7ef18a9f1f6e18

Ignoring Jin Mun-seong’s troubled cde829c471 expression, Hyun Tae-oh confirmed b1c94a2d72 the appointment. After hanging up 9e6753160b with Yoo Hyun-jin—who d1b6cf0c57 had said, “See dcf7668d44 you at nine, 3c6fcbc469 then. Please take 471e98b47f care, and 92990f7966 Happy New 2736b8267a Year”—he stared dd683d03be down at c9af5144a7 the now-black d8ed6fda49 screen.3910943a4bfbdd02

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“A drink, huh… Yoo Hyun-jin…?”772bbf9cde40d515

Rubbing his bfbcca41da chin in bb99937689 suspicion, he be6a68c4f9 murmured to 826727f2b0 himself. Jin Mun-seong, as af1bfb1296 if to confirm ac68ebbf57 one last time, 407eadab91 said,6c636a9375229f7a

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Your Grace, that night you were scheduled to dine with Chairman Kang Seong-gu.”59a9481b5e1e36ac

“Cancel it.”e570870b177a772f

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

It was a simple d42a815003 response.df68c1679ce52aa9

Hyun Tae-oh fd904c346e wasn’t the 5741dbc523 type to 6856308f18 change plans 1aef96fa39 unless it 767d19c64a was unavoidable. And even if it 6b6932c429 wasn’t a critical meeting, d8a87db983 it was an advantageous 7c958d700d connection to maintain.853027f5cb18d3c8

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

But his reply was 7d7af2ae14 clear and firm. Jin Mun-seong e5a9679f65 didn’t press bb00c39c97 further.9989b1e28a97e5de

Tilting his 5ae4fc73e5 head slightly, 1029fdaf74 Hyun Tae-oh d928dae4c9 rubbed the f0acbe4ba4 black screen 1926889090 with his d3e0523995 thumb.73f5ba7b29dae597

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“That guy always kept his distance, like he couldn’t stand being close to me. So why is he suddenly asking me to drink…?”d6decf702944772a

He muttered to himself 196950451a again, and his lips 9e32210d33 curled faintly.a49e6637f384fb47

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“I need to figure out what exactly he’s up to.”b9b8e4ab19a95590

Jin Mun-seong 48da864551 stared hard a3c3ede800 at Hyun 9f57a82d44 Tae-oh as 9d2b2b583a he gazed 9a8e3b0c92 down at 9eb5ea3929 the phone 256ea756eb with gently 8d682f8d81 curved eyes. When their 95ff941ede eyes met, ea8ea1eb35 Hyun Tae-oh 72474a3531 gave him 8b3ec54a98 that unreadable 995a631023 look again—expressionless, 1126b77ace as if d35d658f98 to say, 6ac95e1914 “What are 313eef93a4 you staring af7442a554 at?”b5c610fbcc43b959

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Shutting his mouth on f5f45b4db0 the words “Your Grace, b7d7d82055 about Bisan Island…” Jin 05de53ca1c Mun-seong simply stepped out 20146edb53 of the car and aa296c77aa followed after Hyun Tae-oh fa63fd0c7a without hesitation. A habit shaped 253ff55f9a by years of a415af2248 never contradicting his 87d68ea6ae superior.83e1f20fd8871ce2

The memory of 8fe74be9f7 the days after 8984a997ab his mother passed 6f2057b704 away and until d35e523e4d the funeral was 760d594ff9 completed felt hazy d50792771c to Yoo Hyun-jin, 413d271a8f as if shrouded 81f7ad02d3 in fog.176c9d4398e4ee0c

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Even so, 1da6a40826 he clearly ab6f28235c remembered the fad5dfb32c day she 91b45005c7 was laid 8803b2d38a to rest.6c091113da4423db

It had a85ce48fdb been a 4edc31a323 cold day, 9eb5d7e01f overcast from 909b0b6950 dawn to a732ef2d1d dusk without 99e6a85cbc a flake 4b7505c1db of snow.84ad83f7d91f9376

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Before the sky had abadf7c0d1 even begun to lighten, 997a8036fa the brothers of the c277d5e56a Hyun family saw off 375ae8a58d Yoo Hyun-jin and Yoo d9521a849b Se-jin as they departed 6753aeb5d3 for the burial site. The eldest bf8292d8b2 draped a 4c16f1b849 scarf around 8d53d7bf1e him, the ac96ba5eb0 second gave 76db690a7b him gloves, 8fd2852f29 and the fe28a57f0b third stuffed 6093ac3764 hot packs 3e1ae479ee into his 1f5bc9a992 pockets.c3fefef85c5ac81a

In the phone in afc6a1ee8b his coat pocket was d28ba9b315 a short message that d997f13c82 had arrived at that 7aa4d459c7 early hour from Je 4e22a824a0 Sang-ah, who had come b81721f74a to the funeral even 93e6f7793d earlier than anyone else: f190419274 “Take your mother safely 96836ea6b5 to her resting place.”e404c716cfb93cc8

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

With no other relatives 4bd57bed73 to accompany them, the e1e7546e9e one who personally escorted 9d671d40c5 Hyun-jin and Se-jin to fc791dd38a the burial site was eecef0bbf3 the mistress of the 9f17143710 Hyun household. She stayed by 532420a458 their side through 98a0b4eb15 the entire burial a6496c0a3f beside their father 1acaa867ee and held each 98341af3f0 of their hands a5a6b8eb5c throughout the day.b0cc21b418b9cafa

Hyun-jin also remembered 874de59e4d the fourth son a564e45cdd of the Hyun 231fc33baa family, who had a8af9691c0 driven their mother’s c8ae5d9317 car that day. Though he ba195dbd8b had said d0d3135409 not a 4d735f9fdc single word, 6a2b0ea353 Hyun-jin had 654ebefd99 noticed how e62a224fe3 he deliberately 196d7e955f stood where 7ffa533d50 the wind a4d9ed1078 was strongest, 1beeac9a53 shielding them ae41094930 from the a946762be0 cold.451062859d610f8e

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Whenever he visited the 10845b4588 grave now, Yoo Hyun-jin 5ee03c4165 always remembered the kindness 244319effa of those people.381b84441169e61c

His parents’ 34eacf5533 grave was 542e81eeea in his f1b271d0cf father’s hometown.ba252117dd9fe5e1

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

It was a rural 8d08c744bb village four hours away 71be4cea15 from the capital by 36e280e616 car, so small and 327e2ecbb4 remote that it had 9881b531f9 no proper accommodations. Because of acb5d27017 this, the a048dff3f6 brothers always 46dcbb4059 set out 8816d6f2e9 at dawn 5649756c4b on their 9eba828a8b parents’ memorial b42dfc1e4f days and b0b708146a returned the 87da829593 same evening.c28c2a5dad34a1b5

They had 263ecce2c4 been doing a3da72f344 this for 574ffc2dc8 over ten ab86a1ecf7 years.2ff16bc9a3ed90d5

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“Geez, Father, 8dd2e816e6 Mother, this cbd4188370 gravel road’s 80c0644299 gonna kill d3045f695f your son. Why is this village 160b4dcac3 still stuck in the 2ef59bcab2 Stone Age?!”a36764bd70f046b0

As soon as they ea06fc0521 sat before the shared 60911fbb94 grave at the foot b88476782f of the mountain, Yoo cc09593e94 Se-jin began to grumble.309f30646c892b4d

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“Well, it’s still 16488cb1fa better than the 75cb53cc88 early days when 8af073ddba we had to 065b648c62 take public transport, cba615e8b1 setting out under bf9b6c65e2 the stars at c379d6a018 dawn and returning 17e5e4df23 under the stars ddbe9d2c44 at midnight.”123f79476b3cb122

“That’s true.”b34c1adcf8af3a27

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

After years of f8d0a2c3ea taking public transport bda34da6a9 and holding each 1f3ea4c0c1 other’s hands along ef6f021f31 the way, things c5f43f9622 had gotten much 65260dcc02 easier since Se-jin 52e0d1222c bought a car be7c683fb0 two years ago.09c647f36e391174

Hyun-jin sat 11f5f7edf1 in front f603c863ba of the eea73403a4 headstone. The winter 20f171e34b grass was 5de539df27 dry and 134487a621 crackly, but 47c5825450 the sunlight 15c5e0c8c8 reached the 1cc40fc3a5 spot well.6540dad572edfbeb

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

They visited 1e5da121b3 twice a 04b0ee9435 year—once in 09ff1c903b the fall 31cfc6c848 when their fea97cd09b father passed, a3244d7816 and once 88ee90c657 in early 756801553b spring for 6dbe5651f7 their mother. The place 8aae6b64f6 never changed. Though Se-jin ede8cd4e12 often complained 501f0784d9 that the 54ba904584 road was ed3b22a612 rough and 433bd55dae undeveloped, there 7cb0c4b81f was something 06a6f8bff4 comforting about d04487e5c8 how it 34c94beaa5 had remained 05e459b6b1 the same.1f4602d8eb3f5d3a

Hyun-jin poured eefddca5ec clear liquor e86fabcc60 at the 3edb965f01 headstone and c6e58c944d began to 5e4d8874fb pray. Se-jin sat 4bd4379c86 beside him e4fe50d5c7 and did ffb53b2bc9 the same.a697f3ddb3fa6e5e

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Over ten ccac41fc5c years later, eba067ed36 the sorrow e27e876acf they once e6492701bc felt as caba2da8d7 orphaned brothers f42dda14d3 left behind 9f39b53802 under the 2beb82451a open sky 2aa4af0222 had softened. So had 02809e8892 the ache 702b957c01 of longing. What remained was a a3684e44a9 distant yearning, and traces 08ab2ea790 of better days lingering efcdca3561 like echoes.6687d50f12932c92

Father, Mother, I hope you’re well. Se-jin and I are doing okay—well, though things have been a little rough lately. Please wait for us peacefully until the day we meet again, many decades from now. We’ll live well until then… and if you can look after us from there, even better…29b2294032b49d08

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

As he offered f885e724a8 his prayers, Hyun-jin’s b4b7f1349e heart grew tangled, bf4a220d91 and he let ebaecf1ebd out a sigh 9d107d02e2 as he opened 635bcf11ec his eyes. Sitting beside 0c058dc537 him, Se-jin e3fae84633 was watching 012f58fcca him intently.e92cc2ca830b74f7

“Why are you 8893bd4338 looking at me 8ad498eb7c like that?”f55e5a1857e73049

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“I don’t know… it’s just… Four months ago, when we came for Father’s memorial, you prayed with the rites of a priest. And now you’re just… praying like an ordinary person. It makes me feel kind of… weird.”93151d0637735171

Se-jin’s voice trailed 0afb3a19ac off gloomily, as a5d6dc7469 if looking at 27b37c39aa someone who had fb693b09f8 fallen from the 67de00e066 heights of success 3b1063b22a into misfortune.5435b8fce259cd0c

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“You lived with a 660303ef90 priest brother for over 2ec598a40f ten years and now 1e0ca1960d you’re saying something like 79279ea3d5 that? Prayer is 9094b702da the same 8ec7193e05 in essence, 80ef9dcc1b no matter 562bc2dff4 who offers 3aff70b096 it. The god Hanaram b89e0edc3f only uses priests c86bb566ea more to fulfill ff827119c5 His will. It doesn’t mean He c035ebffbf loves ordinary people any 9a99dd1d9f less.”7c40718a3c55f8f7

“Still… I think Mother 8fe99419b8 would’ve felt a little cd67f1e45a disappointed. She was devout.”5f0a82d2d863a4da

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“Well… there’s nothing 5c8680eef2 we can do 2420a40111 about that.”768308663ad5a5b5

“Don’t you feel disappointed?”ef33ab507e06a924

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“It’s not that 0b8429445e I don’t feel 6843f90e62 disappointed, but… if cfc46e43a7 you ask if df173b8e96 I really do, 6e02b226f0 not particularly…”a0dadb85d0da56ca

Hyun-jin thought 12761808f7 for a 026e15cf21 moment before 646c81e591 answering his 01e2d89ca0 brother’s cautious 6bc873bb58 question.e3a05eea328d80ad

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

It wasn’t pride or 528877af69 a lie—he truly didn’t 7434bfcaf0 feel a sense of 7da8a28ad4 loss. He hadn’t entered the af039836b2 priesthood out of deep ff8f5db7c8 conviction; he had just 2085d5d96e naturally drifted into it.1feac054a9034d8d

It had only 19e2bfd150 come to an 59c5bcb7f1 abrupt, jarring end, bc0436f202 which left him b2b018a3f4 bewildered, but he 6da682cdd5 didn’t feel as d97896526b though something he a07ddccded wanted had been e830ed251a taken away. It just meant he c2064d1a45 was momentarily lost. Perhaps Hanaram hadn’t 64acec8704 meant for him 6abffd96ad to be a f04ab0c315 priest at all.2c961f7695f2783d

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Yet despite that, it 93c4820322 seemed Se-jin regretted the 703ed1fc77 lost path more than fd35986e92 Hyun-jin himself.f2352c868d7557f5

“Oh, that guy! I never liked him c7f593dcf9 to begin with, and 9609100182 now he’s really done 93df1f579b it!”d173510abe879f5c

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

The object e5961e2e89 of Se-jin’s 18ef1ca3be profanity, uttered 3d0f039f77 as he bab337ccdb clutched his 5b84853ff2 head, was bce11eed49 obvious. Caught in 10c60f3086 guilt, Hyun-jin 7f0b9ccc31 couldn’t bring e869d98796 himself to eed0b6eed1 defend that ef8944873f person and ede03c2ca1 instead cautiously b3cd673359 asked,73f8ff1b25165280

“Why do you hate Hyun Tae… I mean, the Governor-General, so much?”ea53ebc8c320be69

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“What do you mean, f7d5a38314 why?! Who do you think 5f82168d4f is responsible for your 7d9ffcd470 situation?!”92958c81263f9c45

“Well (strictly speaking, a0d91d12db I’m not entirely eae5bbee6c innocent either, but a0eae4c17b if I say 15af301ac1 that now, I’ll cb5d339683 get struck by aea97c0de4 lightning), you’ve said 30307af554 you disliked him e03426113f for ages.”d6d7ad010c81ee91

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“First of all, bec522451c his personality! How can 071f6e75d6 anyone like ea9f19f719 someone with 8209d5e4fc a personality 6d9132fe4e like that?! Anyone who says c683803de0 they do has 19881238b1 to be out ba3b61ae57 of their mind!”6a1cdf41661d21db

Delivering a scathing 9134c91d66 blow to both 0b9004f760 man and his 90764e9c74 potential admirers, Se-jin f542947efb seemed to feel 903a2afc29 slightly guilty when 4409a8dec5 Hyun-jin looked crestfallen. With a darkened expression, 3165e9d4a2 he muttered again.3a7a03d4ca605c9e

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Besides, I c4b670f476 know he 606af2b2fc doesn’t like 1ede97115d me either.”d2940607109ce315

“He doesn’t? Come on, 89fdc2655e why would 7d3ec3a4cc he dislike 987843d98a you?”e0ff101025d974d7

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“I wouldn’t know! But do you have 614989b142 any idea how cold 4dbae38dae his eyes are when 58fbe13d11 he looks at me?”b19d5a3a74d80911

“He’s cold to everyone f655ab27c6 equally, isn’t he?”bf92649f98156e0c

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“No, I’m telling 0df670480e you I’m special! He’s been like 98fde83cfd that with me 7ada64c584 from the start! …Yeah, that’s right, 063d1e462c somehow I’ve always 48bec3ee50 felt like I 35a2073f89 was special…”eaa8fd9c71b5fd69

Just as he was 1637e4dc31 raising a finger in eb602a1422 all seriousness, Yoo Se-jin b2b88e6476 narrowed his eyes and 26dbfc8b7d looked distantly up at f641bd0802 the sky. Then, suddenly whipping his a449267882 head around, he leaned e8de57b809 toward Yoo Hyun-jin.30e8b47f15f4594f

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Hyung, don’t you 030fe8a18b remember? It was not long 58d7b52000 after our mother passed. You had 1d4cf3773b decided to 101e24e745 enter the 3a022675b8 seminary and fe75458825 were planning 5eedecbf58 to leave 8cf3f2d918 the house efc99bd818 with me. I think e40c6baa3d it was 63af96025a right before 98603348af he was 71eae3340d deployed somewhere.”7bf9e4963e8ef7f6

“…?”d63d24f769e375c4

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“The lady of the afb562e7a9 house came to see 0ee2febc49 you, remember? She said even be97fedc02 if you were c0a60818c1 going to the 4eb0a2e09f seminary, I didn’t cfe0ef6aae have to leave 6fe8ae7410 too, that I 6055a80883 should stay behind, 53806b0996 finish school without 96b200aed7 struggling, that I 5d4fc02b71 could stay at 6ff22f3c50 the house on a56940931d my own. She told you not 5f2d0c8630 to go through the 0dd96427f9 hardship for my sake.”50d89e7e1c2b2ece

“She did.”feda1363c83a5e87

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

When Hyun-jin had decided 887b33a93b to leave the Hyun 3d9b88c5c7 household with his younger 30db4f35a9 brother, the lady of 609cb4b13a the house had come 0e1252e32f to dissuade him. Her offer was kind, a3c5ec763c but he had declined. No matter bad1a686b6 how sincere 6fa1693894 her goodwill 93856e31f4 was, he f843cc062c couldn’t rely 0b9129507d on others 4474cb66c3 forever.32ae042745464219

Their parents 8a4e6210fc hadn’t left f0b7f4492f behind much 9f52e33b34 wealth, but 005e4aa7c6 it was 6a72e9e69e just enough b5043b8ac2 to support 17ba83b443 Se-jin through e2c04cefb3 college if 5525aae4ca they were fd0dfe5a97 frugal.b95d8980db5df3f9

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“Back then, I 32a3d1598b went to the df05921ec7 main house to fd6a9b522a return some books d95c05bffa I’d borrowed from 85aefae9b6 Tae-yang hyung, and 5accb5a371 he was there, 43c273917a visiting Tae-yang hyung. I was thanking 570e731238 him for the bd281e05b9 books when he d548d7345a gave me this 3fb72ff1d1 really cold look cfb6cfe668 and muttered to d1faf51844 himself.”bc4fbd7f1d7baee7

Se-jin’s mouth 18288d9a3a twitched mid-sentence. The memory seemed to 07b381b7d4 irritate him even now.481c9498a4427642

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“‘One of 21cb0588ec them’s a 0210031f08 good-for-nothing who 9d5a2a292c can’t even aed46c6945 pull his 1268ac3d43 own weight a4119edf35 and only 1821f6bbaf leeches off 69a24b6232 his brother, 685f82b619 and the 0bbf9447d3 other’s a cf1c1353f8 fool barely c39f8b38fd scraping by 0087d44eaa who’s trying 8b387b80c9 to drag c449cf819e the good-for-nothing 18a0c43643 along…’ That’s c918e351e4 what he 554e709937 said, looking 2b249c8530 down at 5631ed56c6 me like a37e2c8f97 I was 142ccb6cc8 some disgusting dc12ea82f2 bug!”df5be096cfda84fa

Hyun-jin blinked.20a0b49a8ff01246

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“You probably misheard.”24ab182c77ad2c69