FIB Ch 12 part 1

PR by neji

A bead of sweat trickled down Hong-yeom’s forehead. Sweat dripped down from his chin and splashed onto his clothes. However, instead of wiping it away, he focused on the brush in his hand. He carefully finished writing and handed the paper to MoonWon.

“Huu.”

Seeing Hong-yeom’s reaction, MoonWon glanced down at the paper.

When their lives started getting a bit better, MoonWon began to teach Yeori and Hong-yeom how to read and write. Ever observant, Yeori caught on quickly. However, Hong-yeom continued to struggle with a few aspects.

“H-How is it?”

MoonWon methodically read the writing on the paper. Then she called Yeori over, who was standing nearby. MoonWon showed Hong-yeom’s paper to her.

“I can’t make out a few of the words.”

“Huh?”

“When I go from reading Yeori’s writing to Hong-yeom’s, I can’t understand what it says.”

“Mistress!”

MoonWon burst into laughter at Hong-yeom’s protest. The smile that she had lost began to gradually return, and her laughter could be heard from time to time. Compared to the time when she had been at death’s door, she seemed to have recovered from her wounds and was slowly returning to her past self. 

When MoonWon trembled from the chilly wind coming through the crack in the door, Yeori drew closer to her.

“Why don’t we stop here for today?”

“It’s still a bit early…”

“If you overwork yourself, you will catch a cold.”

As Yeori dragged MoonWon away, Hong-yeom prepared the bedding. When MoonWon laid down, he exited the room.

“Rest well.”

“Good night.”

When Hong-yeom and Yeori left the room, the smile on MoonWon’s face faded away. She sat up and stared out the window.

Those two would start worrying as soon as her face changed color, so she did her best to hide her true feelings from them. When the night came and she was left all alone in her room, her head was plagued with frustrating thoughts. And they were all about Heon.

“Huu.”

She believed Heon was doing well. However, for some reason, she was worried about him. Heon wasn’t one to pay much attention to his body, so he might have been getting injured often these days. 

‘But what mustn’t be can’t be.’

Recalling his cold gaze, MoonWon bit her lip.

He might hate her for leaving him. To Heon, what wasn’t right was always wrong. And he might never forgive her for going against her word to stay by his side.

“Why am I like this?”

Even though she knew it was all over, she couldn’t shake off the lingering attachment in her heart.

She had no right to miss Heon when she was the one who left him. She knew these feelings weren’t of any help to her.

A love she would have to carry for the rest of her life. She must never reveal her heart to anyone.

In the end, MoonWon gave up on falling asleep. She draped a thick cape around her shoulders and exited her room.

The incredibly cold wind helped clear her head, but the heaviness in her heart would not go away.

She pulled out the ring from her pocket and stared at it.

She tried to throw it away, but she couldn’t do it.

“It’s already over.”

She missed Heon.

If she could only see him for a brief moment, like that of the passing wind… Even if it was a wish that could not be fulfilled, she wanted to see him.

It was impossible.

No, she mustn’t even dream of such a thing.

The wind was cold, but her eyes were strangely hot.

MoonWon lowered her head and covered her face with her hands.

* * *

At the border, Heon stood at the prepared outpost and looked towards Yeon. The capital wasn’t very cold. However, it was so cold here that every breath that left his lips immediately faded away into white mist.

Very soon, snow would begin to fall in Yeon as well as SeoMoon. Yeon was accustomed to the cold, so this was a disadvantageous war for SeoMoon. Once they began, they needed to move quickly and end it as soon as possible.

“This place is really cold.”

Having encased his large body in a warm coat, the second prince panted as he approached Heon.

Just looking at the man made him feel frustrated. Heon let out a sigh.

“You should have remained at the camp, Your Highness. Why did you come all the way out here?”

“Father Emperor personally ordered me to come here. Don’t you think we should prepare for this together?”

Even though he was lying in his sickbed, the Emperor was still not an easy opponent. Even JaeHoon, who was slowly descending into insanity, refused to give up on anything.

And between the two, the second prince was like a thorn in their eye due to his support of Heon and Consort Yu.

“If something happens to Your Highness, I will be very perplexed.”

“Ahaha, but I’m being protected by none other than the Chief Commander. Who can harm me?”

Heon shook his head despite the second prince’s good mood. In the royal family, there was no such thing as fraternal camaraderie nor fatherly love.

If this was a prince that would bring harm to the nation, the utmost objective was to eliminate him. In the end, the second prince was right. The one who needed to protect him as Heon.

“If we manage to capture three border towns, it shouldn’t be difficult to make it to the capital. I will leave the central town to you, Your Highness. I will personally take care of the two towns flanking it.”

“Am I to spearhead this again?”

“You are not merely spearheading it, Your Highness. You need to lead it. I must not participate in this war.”

“But didn’t the Palace already announce that they sent you off…”

“The two main families who hold all the power in Yeon are neither afraid nor interested in our activities. This is because they know that SeoMoon will not be able to win through this cold. That is why it is imperative that we make a surprise attack and gain a quick victory.”

“I-Is that so?”

“Don’t you think you should ascend to the position of crown prince now?”

The second prince’s eyes gleamed at the words. It was what Heon had presented to him when he had first approached Heon for support. The hazy dream was now right before his eyes.

“I understand. I will put my faith in you, Chief Commander, and make my move.”

The second prince moved his large body with difficulty and disappeared. Heon covered his eyes with his hand.

It only lasted a moment, but he recently found himself losing his vision and growing dizzy from time to time. The doctor told him that his life would be in danger if he did not get some rest, but resting was painful for Heon.

‘If you’re that upset, find her yourself.’

When Heon, the Crown Prince, and even the Emperor’s men could not find any trace of MoonWon, Heon turned his attention to Doyoon.

If MoonWon was currently in a country that was under the power of Ju… If it was with the help of Doyoon’s power and wit, it could explain how MoonWon was able to hide so effectively.

‘As the Emperor of Ju, if I am keeping your wife hidden, don’t you think there’s a reason for it?’

When he saw Heon’s menacing glare, Doyoon merely fanned the flames by giving him a sly look. Although Heon could not find MoonWon, he knew that if she was under Doyoon’s protection, she would not be found by the Emperor or the Crown Prince.

Heon understood the meaning behind Doyoon’s words. He was telling Heon to make use of him, so Heon decided to take up his offer.

While Doyoon was protecting MoonWon, Heon used this time to begin his domination over SeoMoon. As he gained more of SeoMoon’s power, he was also strengthening his bond with Ju.

“Huu.”

He still didn’t know where MoonWon was, but all the preparations were complete.

Even though this was obviously a trick, Heon still followed the Emperor’s order, not just because he was hoping the conflict between the duke and the Emperor would grow worse, but because he hoped that MoonWon was hiding in Yeon.

Before the current conflict in Ju, Doyoon made a trip to Yeon once every three months. Yeon was a country by name only. Everyone knew that half of it was already swallowed up by Ju. Now that the country was well within his hands, there was no reason for Doyoon to make so many trips there. Heon believed that there was a high chance that the reason could be MoonWon.

“I can find her.”

Heon tamped down the overwhelming apprehension and consoled himself.

Heon stepped forward and frowned. He thought it had gone away, but the dizziness remained.

His body had reached its limit and was sounding an alarm. Heon grit his teeth.

* * *

“The soldiers will come down from the capital and stop this war, so you must not leave the village. If you get caught or are captured, then we won’t be able to help you. So if you don’t want to die, I’m telling you to be careful. Do you understand?!”

Everyone let out a sigh when they heard the village chief’s threats. After hearing what he said along with what the woman who had bought the medicinal herbs had told her, MoonWon looked at the surrounding soldiers with worried eyes.

This once remote, peaceful village was now filled with armed soldiers who seemed to be on edge. 

She didn’t really understand much of what was going on, but it didn’t seem like the soldiers were here to protect them. It was as if they were watching to see who would make an attempt to escape.

“Evil bastards. They came here so that they could prevent us from escaping, but they’re pretending they came for our own good… tsk, tsk. They are so wicked!”

“They really are.”

“We’re pretty much used to things like this, but it’s such a shame for you. You must be regretting your decision to settle down in this village, my lady.”

“I’m just grateful you all accepted me.”

“Even though you are from a fallen noble family, it’s the first time I’ve met someone like you. I keep telling myself I need to watch my mouth when I’m around you, but I always forget and say something crude.”

“Please just act comfortably around me. That’s the only way I’ll feel comfortable as well.”

There was no need to stand out just because she was of noble blood. She did not plan to proclaim that she was a noble from SeoMoon after coming all the way here.

“What do we do if there really is a war…”

When MoonWon heard a young woman’s murmur, she lowered her eyes. As people began to return to their homes, MoonWon was left all alone. She silently raised her head.

The winter sky in Yeon was dark and difficult to see.

As a cold breeze brushed past her, MoonWon sighed. The deep breath seemed to clear her mind somewhat.

“Mistress! Why did you leave first?”

She could hear Hong-yeom’s voice from somewhere close by. When she saw that Yeori had followed him here, a smile stretched across her lips.

“They said that one member of each household needs to attend.”

“I could have come instead!”

“But you needed to help Yeori come here anyway.”

Hong-yeom let out a sigh as she tried to dodge the subject. Seeing this, MoonWon grabbed Yeori’s cold hand.

“Okay! Let’s go. It’s getting late.”

“It seems that the medicine lady was gossiping again. You don’t look very happy, Mistress.”

“It looks like someone known as the second prince is spearheading the troops. I don’t know much of the details, but it seems that he is known to be much more disorganized than the Crown Prince.”

Should she be relieved that there was no news that Heon had been sent here? She just hoped that a war would not break out.

“Mistress, I don’t think we should go to the doctor today. The situation doesn’t seem to be too good.”

As if she’d read the apprehension on MoonWon’s face, Yeori shook her head as she refused to go. They had traveled to many different countries and tried to find a doctor who could fix Yeori’s lame leg.

As if the Heavens had blessed them or if it had merely been fate, Yeori had managed to walk comfortably as long as the weather was fair.

“That’s why it’s even more important that we go now. If things get worse, it’ll be more difficult.”

Stranded in this village due to the surrounding soldiers, MoonWon nervously looked in the direction of the border. She was shaken by the fear of meeting Heon again as well as hope.

“The village is getting a lot more chaotic due to the war.”

Yeori murmured as she watched the soldiers march in a never ending line. MoonWon nodded. Now wasn’t the time to be thinking about Heon.

“If you’re feeling very nervous, we can just move. We’ll just go where our feet take us as we always did.”

When she heard Hong-yeom’s nonchalant remark, MoonWon’s head began to crowd with thoughts.

Moving so often wasn’t fair to Hong-yeom nor Yeori. They had wandered through several countries, but it was never easy to pick up their lives and move. Although their conditions weren’t the greatest, the people here were so kind and friendly to them.

“Let’s see how things go a few days from now.”

Even if it was for a moment, she wanted to wait and see.

These two had always stayed by her side and trusted her judgment. She didn’t want them to suffer anymore. And she also wanted to take a moment to figure out her feelings for Heon in a quiet place.

However, her wish dissolved like a dream.

The next day, the faint snowfall had turned into a full blown blizzard that glued her feet to the ground.

And the soldiers who she thought would protect them fell to SeoMoon, and SeoMoon’s troops began to attack the village.

* * *

The village was plunged into utter chaos as the air rang with shouts and the clang of weapons. As the snowfall grew heavier, the SeoMoon troops appeared and began to attack before the troops of Yeon could hardly take another breath.

“Mistress, go!”

The troops of Yeon hadn’t planned on fighting in such cold weather. The troops of SeoMoon came with the urgency of needing to end this war as soon as possible. Their morales were in such different places from the very start. When the Yeon soldiers began to try to escape alongside the villagers, the one-sided plundering and looting began.

When the soldiers made their way to MoonWon’s house, the three of them began to make their way up the mountain.

“Get them!”

The soldier’s roar seemed to shake the ground beneath her feet. MoonWon could feel that they were close.

“Ah!”

Startled, Yeori stumbled and fell. MoonWon, who was running behind Hong-yeom, stopped. Meanwhile, the soldier had caught up with Yeori and raised his sword. MoonWon turned around. After bringing her arrow to the taut bowstring, MoonWon aimed at the soldier.

“Get… Ugh!”

Before he could take another step forward, the bowstring left MoonWon’s hand.

Whether it was an arrow or a sword, both could take a life. Although the thought was so terrifying that it made her shudder, she couldn’t avoid it in this situation.

While Hong-yeom approached Yeori and helped her up, MoonWon aimed her arrow at the incoming soldiers.

This was the best she could do. She was trying to buy them time as she continued to aim her arrows at the soldiers. As her arrows struck the soldiers, their bodies seemed to float in the air as they fell.

“Let’s go.”

She hung her bow on her shoulder and turned away from the wretched corpses. If she hadn’t killed them, they would have been killed. They needed to live. They hadn’t been living on the run for this long only to die here.

She could barely breathe, but there was no time to rest. Her feet were so cold that they had gone numb, but she forced them to move forward.

A branch scraped her cheek, and a drop of blood trickled down her face. As they ran with bated breath, a group of soldiers appeared in front of them and blocked their path.

“They’re over here!”

While Hong-yeom blocked the nearest soldier, MoonWon took out her dagger. As the soldier began to aim for Hong-yeom, MoonWon plunged her dagger into the soldier’s arm. The bleeding soldier pulled away from Hong-yeom and fell to the ground. MoonWon leaped at the fallen soldier.

“Mistress!”

Her harsh breaths faded away into white mist. The soldier writhed underneath her as his breaths gradually came to a stop. MoonWon staggered as she got back on her feet.

“Haa. Haa.”

MoonWon clasped her trembling hand and forced it to steady. Meanwhile, Hong-yeom’s fist rendered a soldier unconscious. Hong-yeom then grabbed Yeori’s hand.

“Catch them!”

When they heard the soldier’s shout, their feet began to move once more. Their strides grew heavier as they began to make their way up a steep incline. As MoonWon aimed her arrow at the chasing soldiers, new batches of soldiers appeared from the front and flanked them on both sides. MoonWon turned her arrow to them.

“Ah!”

“Damn it!”

A man appeared from between the surrounding soldiers as he panted for breath. His face seemed to only consist of skin and bones, and his strange, gleaming eyes made MoonWon shudder.

Yeori enclosed her arms around MoonWon, and Hong-yeom stood in front of both of them to block them from view.

The man’s piercing eyes rested on MoonWon, who was hidden behind the two of them. He flashed a satisfied smile.

“I heard that I’d find a girl living here, and it seems that the rumors were true. If you all do not fulfill His Highness’s command, then death awaits you! Take them away!”

At the man’s order, the surrounding soldiers drew closer. Yeori’s body trembled against MoonWon’s. MoonWon tried to remain calm, but nothing would leave her lips.

She didn’t want to be taken away. She was so terrified that she couldn’t think.

“Mistress, I’ll do what I can to make a path. Please run away.”

MoonWon peeked out from within Yeori’s arms when she heard Hong-yeom’s voice. Hong-yeom’s eyes remained on the soldiers who were approaching them.

“We can’t all escape, but you may be able to escape alone, Mistress.”

Either way, Hong-yeom hadn’t lived a life that made him want to continue living. If it weren’t for MoonWon, he wouldn’t have lived as long as he had. The only thing he was glad about was the fact that he was no longer a child who couldn’t do anything.

Although he knew how reckless it would be to charge at a trained soldier, in their current situation, he was the only one who could stall for time.

“No.”

“Please do as Hong-yeom says, Mistress.”

“Yeori.”

Yeori’s arms loosened around MoonWon. Although she planned to die, she felt lighthearted. It wouldn’t have mattered if she had died back then, but the one who had saved her was MoonWon. And MoonWon had also been the one who had lightened the weight on her shoulders. She was glad that an opportunity like this had finally come.

“If you continue going up the mountain, it’ll be difficult for the soldiers to find you.”

“I’m not leaving by myself!”

“You must go. You must be the one to survive.”

MoonWon’s face paled when she realized what the two of them were thinking. She stared at the two as they turned to throw themselves at the soldiers. Then she looked down at the arrows she had left.

She only had five arrows. There were more than fifteen soldiers around them.

She wanted to live.

But she didn’t want to survive like this again. She did not want to earn her life by losing everything she had left.

“Mistress! Go!”

Hong-yeom leapt at the soldiers, and they brandished their weapons at him. Suddenly, MoonWon fastened an arrow to her bowstring.

After YongUn had died from an arrow in her stead, she had been afraid to touch them. She had tried to completely give up on them, but the one who had taught her how to shoot an arrow had also been YongUn.

She was grateful that she hadn’t given up on this skill as she aimed her arrows at the soldiers and pulled the bowstring back.

“Agh!”

When the attacking soldier collapsed, Hong-yeom froze in shock. Meanwhile, MoonWon aimed her arrow at the man standing between the soldiers. The man sneered at her reckless actions. The arrow left the bowstring and brushed past his neck.

“Gaah!”

His shriek was more piercing than a woman’s as the man collapsed to the ground. If that man was the leader, it would be better to threaten him instead of killing him right away. That way, it would induce chaos amongst the soldiers.

Although the arrow had merely skimmed his neck, the man writhed as if it had pierced through it. Shocked, the soldiers displayed a moment’s hesitation. Not wasting this chance, MoonWon aimed her arrows at two of the soldiers behind them.

“Ugh!”

Now she only had one arrow left. But it was enough.

When an opening formed, MoonWon grabbed Yeori’s arm. As if Hong-yeom had understood what MoonWon was trying to do, he pushed the approaching soldiers away and ran.

“Get them!”

The death she had felt when YongUn had died was once again in front of her.

As she found herself being caught between life and death once again, the one person who popped into her mind was not YongUn. Nor her mother.

I miss Heon.

The one who had pushed his outstretched hand away and ended their connection had been her.

Although she knew she could not stay by his side, she at least wanted to be in the same world as him.

“Please! Please save us.”

She murmured as she clasped her hands together. She had barely managed to escape the soldiers, but she soon found another crowd approaching them from the side.

Did she have to die here?! All she wanted was to live in the same world as him, but the heavens did not plan on fulfilling her small wish!

MoonWon fastened her last arrow onto her bowstring and aimed it at the man who led the crowd. She pulled the string back until it was taut, but right before she let go, she gasped.

“Ah…”

She could not fire her last arrow.

If their first meeting had been fate, then what could she call this?

Fate had reared its cruel head into her life once again.

* * *

It wasn’t difficult to obtain victories in the two towns. However, he couldn’t shake off the strange feeling. 

Heon knew that if he was caught, the Crown Prince and the Emperor would use it against him. He knew he was being reckless. However, he stubbornly left the rest of his mission to his subordinates and only took a small group of men to the town that the second prince was attacking. 

“Haa.”

He let out a sigh.

His racing heart suddenly calmed.

The arrow that was aiming for him was slowly lowered.

The running woman came to a halt as her eyes landed on him.

“MoonWon.”

It didn’t matter if this was a dream. No, if it was a dream, he didn’t want to wake up.

The woman he desperately searched for but could not find was here in the bitterly cold country of Yeon.

“Hus…band?”

The voice he had wanted to hear left her lips. Suddenly, a chasing soldier grabbed her by the hair.

“Enough!”

When Heon roared out his order, the soldier stopped in the middle of dragging her away by her hair. Collapsed on the ground, MoonWon looked up at Heon.

This wasn’t a dream.

“Master?”

When Heon heard Junghwan’s voice, he swept his finger across his cheek.

It was blood. The bloody tears that had begun when MoonWon left him were trickling down once again.

Heon stretched out his hand and touched MoonWon’s cheek.

He enveloped her cheek ever so carefully and sat down in front of her.

“Finally…”

His soft murmur was swept away by the wind.

The love that had come to a stop began to flow once again.

* * *

After a long time had passed, as she spoke of whatever she had in her heart, MoonWon turned her head and gave JaeHoon a soft smile. When he stretched out his hand with a trembling heart, MoonWon hesitated for a moment before cautiously enclosing her hand around his.

Before her family had fallen, times like these used to hold so much meaning for JaeHoon.

“MoonWon.”

As they walked along the path together, MoonWon turned her head and gazed at him with questioning eyes.

Her pert lips opened as she looked at him.

“Your Highness! Your Highness Crown Prince!”

JaeHoon’s eyes were closed, and an unpleasant voice rang in his ears. The shrill voice was very different from MoonWon’s. As he was broken out of his reverie, JaeHoon opened his eyes.

“Your Highness! What are you thinking about so deeply?”

“……”

“Your Highness! Your cup is empty.”

The woman’s skin felt slick as it touched his half-naked body. Her warmth seemed to heat his cold skin, but his eyes grew even colder.

“Your Highness… Aagh!”

JaeHoon pushed the woman in his arms and slapped her cheek. But it didn’t satisfy him, so he kicked her with his foot.

“MoonWon does not behave as vulgar as you!”

“Your Highness!”

When the woman screamed, the eunuch entered the room. However, when he saw the fierce look on JaeHoon’s face, he didn’t say a word and left the room again. JaeHoon kicked and kicked, but he didn’t feel any better.

How dare a woman who looked nothing like MoonWon interrupt his memories of her?!

“Your Highness! Please save me! You told me I was precious and beautiful as you showered me with love. Please save me! Your Highness!”

The woman didn’t bother wiping away the blood on her face as she clung onto JaeHoon’s leg. When he heard the word ‘love’, he looked down at the woman’s body.

Because her behavior and conduct had been similar to MoonWon’s, he had kept her by his side for a few days.

The anger that had calmed somewhat began to boil once again.

“Your Highness told me I just need to act as the woman named MoonWon, so that’s all I did. If I have done something wrong, please tell me, and I will fix it, so… Aagh!”

When she said she’d act like MoonWon, JaeHoon’s hands began to move once again. The woman screamed and begged for her life, but the violence that had begun could no longer be stopped. When the woman tried to escape, he grabbed her by her hair.

She dared to claim that she was following MoonWon with that dirty, vulgar mouth. The fact that she dared to act just like MoonWon in order to gain wealth and favor was unforgivable.

When the screaming woman fainted, JaeHoon’s hand froze.

“Drag her out!”

The eunuchs entered and dragged the woman away. Even though he had turned her into a bloody lump, JaeHoon did not spare her another glance. After cleaning up the room, a eunuch stood in front of JaeHoon and lowered his head.

“We received word that His Highness the second prince and the Chief Commander have successfully occupied Yeon’s border.”

JaeHoon’s smile faltered at the eunuch’s report. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that Heon was an unpleasant thorn in his side.

The only hurdle in JaeHoon’s smooth, peaceful life. Now that the Consort had disappeared, he had blocked her son.

‘Unlike Your Highness, I have not been able to find relief by using a substitute.’

“Is that why I’m suffering like this?”

“Your Highness?”

Despite the eunuch’s call, JaeHoon continued to glare into the distance.

The unquenchable thirst continued to plague him at every turn. What had he possibly done to deserve this? MoonWon had been taken away from him through no fault of his own, and his life was now turning into a mess!

The faint image of MoonWon glimmered in front of him, and he stretched out his hand towards it. However, before he could touch her, she vanished into dust.

“I don’t like any of it.”

Although he didn’t want to admit it, Heon was right.

He could not find relief by using a substitute. 

The one JaeHoon needed wasn’t a woman who was similar to MoonWon. It was MoonWon herself.

* * *

Inside a warm bedchamber, the woman sitting on the comfortable bedding could not stop shaking.

“Huu.”

Although she continued to take deep breaths, the dark shadow cast over MoonWon’s face did not go away. Because she had been dragged over here by Heon, she wasn’t able to find out what had happened to Hong-yeom or Yeori.

Junghwan had personally taken them away, so they should be fine. She tried to console herself, but she couldn’t help but feel worried.

“Why did he lose so much weight?”

She tried to keep her mind on Hong-yeom and Yeori, but it only ended up returning to Heon again. She had coldly abandoned Heon first. She had betrayed him like the Consort had done, but when they met, Heon didn’t get angry. Instead, he cried tears of blood and collapsed to the ground.

“Why…”

Even though she knew she had no right to cry, her heart throbbed.

MoonWon gathered her legs together and buried her face against her knees. She couldn’t think of what to do now.

What could they do now that they’d met again?! What was true before was true now. Nothing would change if they started anew.

MoonWon straightened up and opened her eyes.

Her shaky breaths, her trembling eyes… All of it settled down completely.

“In the end, I’m the one that needs to…”

She swallowed the rest of the words.

She let out a tired sigh and turned her eyes to the closed door.

Heon entered her room late at night.

Sitting on the bed, MoonWon turned her eyes to Heon. Nothing had changed. When Heon saw her gaze, his heart began to race.

He observed her as she sat on the bed. Then he took her hand and frowned.

He saw that calluses had formed on her hands. They were much rougher than he remembered. He no longer felt nervous, but judging from her emaciated appearance, he could now see that she had lived a difficult life.

Where should he start? What should he say?

“MoonWon.”

The details she hadn’t been able to see when she had been so focused on running away were now appearing before her eyes.

He was still as cold as ever. However, he also gave off a strange aura that made it seem as if he were on the precipice of a cliff and in danger of falling at any moment. 

Only three years had passed since she’d last seen him. She could see the fatigue in his sharp eyes. There were scars on his body that hadn’t been there before. The only thing that hadn’t changed was the burn scar on the back of his neck.

Although she had been so resolute, she felt as if a dagger had pierced her heart.

When Heon approached her, MoonWon leaned back. Heon’s face grew pale at her rejection.

“Don’t go.”

Heon sat down next to her on the bed and stretched out his hand. MoonWon, who had always held his hand when he reached out to her, shook her head.

Heon gazed at her in disbelief as her body seemed to ask him to stay away.

“MoonWon, please…”

When she heard him say ‘please’, her body stiffened.

She had been the only obstacle in his way. When she had removed herself from his presence, he should have been in a better place as his hatred for her grew. She shouldn’t be seeing him so nervous nor did she want to.

What happened after she left? For a moment, she began to worry about him. However, she quickly caught herself.

“Are Yeori and Hong-yeom okay?”

“MoonWon.”

“Haven’t we already ended things? Please do not call my name like that.”

Even if her heart was ripped into a million pieces, she couldn’t let him know. She continued to remind herself of this before Heon had come.

If someone had to collapse, it wasn’t Heon. It was her. This was the best she could do for Heon. He was already tired of living his difficult life, and she did not want to add her problems to it.

“I’ve… remarried.”

When she saw how his eyes filled with despair and shock, her heart sank. However, no matter how she looked at it, this was the only way.

“Three years have passed. We met by chance and ended up getting married. I’m sure he’s waiting for me now.”

“……”

“If you could just show me some mercy, I’ll live as quietly as I can. Please help me do this.”

After saying her piece, MoonWon lowered her head.

Her body had stopped trembling, but she could not meet his eyes. She was afraid he’d see that she was lying if he looked into her eyes.

Please just let it go over like this… I hope you get angry and curse at me… Hate me…

“You are… no.”

Heon stopped speaking and grabbed MoonWon’s hand.

Startled by Heon’s unexpected action, she lifted her head and looked at him.

Their eyes met, and for a moment, they connected.

It was enough.

“You’re not good at lying about something like that.”

MoonWon tried to pull her hand away, but it remained tightly within Heon’s left hand. Heon began to caress her ring finger.

When she felt him touch her ringless finger, her face grew pale.

“If you had remarried, you wouldn’t have looked at me with eyes like that. And your ring finger would have had a ring…”

She forgot about taking her hand back. She should have told him he was wrong, but her head had gone blank and she couldn’t think of what to say.

When Heon saw how bewildered she was, he let go of her hand.

“If you¹ don’t want me to, I won’t come near you.”

He had always called her ‘you’, but now he was calling her ‘you’. 

The word made it seem as if they were intimately close. MoonWon tried her best to catch herself, but a soft warmth enveloped her.

She needed to try harder to keep her heart from going to him. She couldn’t let him sway her like this.

“So don’t tell such a scary lie.”

But her life never seemed to go as planned.