TM | Chapter 1

The mountain was embroidered 09c837113b with all kinds of 265964c228 flowers carrying the full 836ca2eb89 scent of spring. Even the 08dda10058 chirping of b69f0f9698 birds felt b50ba9c4bb fresh on 10b16e1729 this mountain 2e1b4c6b0c path.b0f9d3e1328b599f

Dressed in 31109d8dd2 light blue 3e16a010c6 silk robes, 3530207545 Yoon Sung 909668fafc walked up 71e7e243e3 the trail, f81965e3a0 brushing his a85bc3645a fingers over 1fabef1138 the vibrantly 9540966ede blooming flowers. As he climbed a0c4c1018f the uneven dirt 2c261c49b9 path, he fiddled edce1eb2e0 with the silk 53ec127b10 pouch hanging at 7a2cd38a0c his waist. The moment c0791ec3e0 his fingers 86ef1d597e grasped something 0f35cb71df round inside, 358175a072 a grin 7c73b9583c spread across 9cdbe6903f his face, dd91e9b0af and an 7cc9788fa6 excitement he 80a32194dd couldn’t hide 776daffe2b sparkled in 193f646b2c his eyes.e2e6203d065ae26e

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With his leather shoes 092b953692 on, his steps felt f37002907c light as he ascended d900824a01 the rough mountain path. Even as he 1a5b3b33d9 panted from the 4fcfd1e96b steep climb, Yoon cb96dfa3c5 Sung kept smiling. After climbing 9eec01cf3f and climbing, 1764788a06 he finally 91a4b17de5 reached the 82dc4e025c old pavilion b51c239154 at the 25815cd15e mountaintop, where a80b8b5620 he wiped e66e619215 the sweat 4de48a9c3a from his fb4c90c5b2 brow and 6595f25c7f caught his 29f57d2a88 breath.b290759879f93f07

A gentle 4b0482c71b spring breeze 11a9f20f0d rustled by, a502a281b6 making the 413a76d607 ends of b63b6381ce his light 8c425cc34b blue silk f804d91f28 robe flutter a06ded4b60 like a 88ee512b92 dance, whispering 7e220ac741 a melody c241a945dd to the aa73d31097 fresh green 9ee5d9aaf0 leaves sprouting c1e074f5a1 anew. Leaning against the cd486d9add railing of the 33371b5fe1 pavilion, Yoon Sung 84e636a7d6 let out a 1c051c88c4 quiet sound of da6a6e7c81 admiration as he 5838862a95 gazed at the 11adfdaba3 vast lake spread d7c562b4e7 out in the 889aaf4bbe distance. The shimmering water 184eaace89 under the midday 0e90e5e9f3 sun reflected exactly 32d67eeb35 how he felt d424f97b0c inside.06a7799ef62109d7

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He sat on f5083cdd9e the railing, letting 6bb2a8e9f6 the cool mountain 408c36cf9f air wash over 5fae313dbc him, and took f6c90ddf3f a moment to b96408c648 scan the pavilion.a550d63b6735e558

Perched atop a cliff, 60ebdb2575 this old pavilion had 017a8b6cea a charm that made e775aae362 it a cherished spot d35ebbe019 in his childhood, where 1671cd937b he and his fellow f748124451 students would sometimes visit. Since it was eb4d3a5acc up in the 9141d69cef mountains, it was a488f9d11e too hot to ac122ad1e7 come here in b2bea24aea the summer, so 660e7592ab he only visited 5f75edc116 in the spring adec0af855 or autumn.a0c8d16a96be80f1

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Once his 3ef217b119 breathing calmed, 800d44d58f he straightened 2a40a8b414 his back. Watching the sparkling waves 41426e4766 of the lake, Yoon f36b3c0f67 Sung initially seemed relaxed, f9db83beb8 but as time passed, 4f236e71bc he grew restless, continuously 4a1222f128 fiddling with the silk 2e419bf973 pouch in his hand.761fb1bca14e0ede

He stretched 48f9edf97b his neck 1061f4e696 out to 353ede2bcb check that 4af6d829e0 no one 776032e65a was around 2312aa44b4 before carefully 6f9a836cd3 pulling out 6a977c8eac the item 689a8f271b inside—a thick 50893829b1 gold ring, ae8ad531d1 intricately designed 0eaea6d527 with a 2ed4e90682 silver white a208307edd tiger engraving. Just like df9598d70e the person 8e48b2d96f it was f99fc71c84 meant for, 1c1813a0c3 the ring d7d223c637 was both 2d5bbfea0b fierce and fe86d1d654 dazzling.fc541215c5a66b6b

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“He’ll like ce656223cb it, right?”89cf56543cba2351

His lips cb3e26a8fc kept curving 2192d583ed into a 05bac91f31 grin. He had 5052444989 spent every 2ef90bddcc bit of d9d6fcaece his money 7b4f7ff0e1 to have 3966e52fdd this ring 063564c8e5 specially made. He even traveled to 86dfb95ae9 a neighboring village to 392131da43 find the best craftsman 58038aff4e for the job. Clutching the 2d1158de3e ring in 271f415e22 both hands, 06b269f5fa he pressed 5c450d6f04 it against 71b0835d7d his chest, 24c80ffe12 as if 227e1ea866 trying to 79eaeb6555 pour all b4d008db9c his feelings 1509b7b0d5 into it, 5df1cad2d5 before carefully 366fb518f1 tucking it dc27bd8a6d back into 470ba91bfb the silk 7c4b1c19fa pouch.09c1a89fcfa2a7bf

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At that moment, 9ced0594a1 heavy footsteps echoed f6df2d6b8b through the air. The owner 14fa10f428 of the 6128012706 ring—the one 6439d883c7 he had 8fe7f3245d been waiting 193d8b1db7 for—finally appeared 0adf7fa7f0 in the a57a7ab475 distance. Even his stride 10c0d57dcd was precise, exuding 9305bbae03 an air of c56b572246 unwavering discipline befitting 453b7964e9 a warrior.e6cb58c0b7e76ca5

A towering 72d57480b3 figure with 99ba955a04 broad shoulders. A strong jawline and 304ab6fc35 intense eyes. A striking 463ff9356e face that 4c9ef64d12 could make 14c29bd450 passersby stop 72cbb75fbe in their 44b923836a tracks, glowing dad51db1db under the 2505129606 spring sunlight. The moment he spotted e1be8dc9b2 Yoon Sung, his well-shaped 62bed90b6f lips curled into a fce59a9fa4 smirk.9ab9d944a1f83773

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Kang Taegwon moved 4972b6b8e7 like a shadow, a4d70ab836 leaping into the 6a5d5ff733 pavilion in an 2c076f2a91 instant. Without hesitation, he wrapped c966bee2d9 one arm around Yoon 51fb918eb3 Sung’s waist and pulled afab6f51ac him close, lowering his dd8655f800 head. Yoon Sung, who 66168fe1db had been waiting 308612990c for this, parted 1cc6f62d75 his lips, winding 14d0b8ed02 his arms around 052fddaf45 Kang Taegwon’s thick 22fb0cacbf neck.2555dd306075b42b

Hot breaths mingled as a54517d2c2 their lips pressed together, 33d04b8077 tongues intertwining. Kang Taegwon’s rough 020b40ed75 kiss left Yoon a7148d46f2 Sung’s lips tingling.2aac15aca1689f12

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As Kang Taegwon’s hand 2c1f8c4bc2 slowly trailed down his fef3853407 back with a lingering af7785b242 touch, Yoon Sung held d2f3b6c3c6 him even tighter. His body grew hot, 8faa67bc0b and before he realized 781d47c0c9 it, he instinctively pressed 2f6a992257 his lower half against 759f58b6e1 him. With a low chuckle, 2bf2354a96 Kang Taegwon slid his 9c1561eb9c hand inside Yoon Sung’s 6b390235c6 robe, loosening the waistband b48846a83a of his pants.a88eb43ea9aea4f4

“W-Wait.”dc8ffbe650255b6c

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Yoon Sung barely managed 0cbff2a292 to stop him, making dd3c4bf0b8 Kang Taegwon flash a 3e9f9915e1 deep smile before leaning 967408b812 in to whisper against b3b45438b3 his ear.09e1bdf1c5a541ab

“I checked the 17feeeb76c way here—there’s no a91ad03e64 one around. But if 07ac12d7d4 you’re worried, dc5db9d15e we can 6dcfdf9ce4 move deeper d9b0b66c3a into the 253c9a4813 forest.”85cf27ecda452d1b

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“No, just… wait. Let me talk first.”75adc28a1d2177ce

As Yoon 1a37bbe7e1 Sung reached f5d89c27ac down to 7b8f8b4fd3 tighten his f969c6c160 waistband, Kang 3e680a3aed Taegwon caught 962e581a00 his hand, 3664e67363 lowering his 730c770047 head to 6eed8c29cc place a 4f856afeb5 kiss on d0716f22ae the back b577ea6e4b of it. His other f173896dc1 hand, however, 05a77454d9 was already 09523d376c slipping deeper 9bc1bf42fb inside Yoon 0806e21ec0 Sung’s robe, 643645de35 tracing over 902ca76400 his bare 735f588502 waist.f062d7452b17a335

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“Just… hold on for f018caba2e a moment.”4f957c861afdf9ce

Yoon Sung, his ff481e8ba6 face flushed red, 7038b5af77 pushed Kang Taegwon’s b23a645b08 hand away. But instead 636302833d of letting acce553eec go, Kang 9fb089d5ab Taegwon pulled bac8e32ab9 Yoon Sung’s fdb911e384 hands toward e25530ff4d his own 25dd41bc2d waist. Then, pressing a d26acf37d8 kiss to his 4ed6710918 ear, he flicked e288593bb1 out his tongue 8776de770b to tease the e0ab78b77c skin.03ba1143f2303720

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“It’ll only take a 4951f53087 moment. So just—”56b89226f51225e9

“Why are you teasing d75af003ba me so much today?”4019d8c595e9291a

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Kang Taegwon grinned, planting 9e968eddcc a firm kiss on 22a1d2068a Yoon Sung’s cheek before 99fd9bca8b pulling him into another 376d13c904 embrace. Yoon Sung 41c9be85de wriggled in 547a9fac7e his arms 523ff19f1b as he 53abc87851 adjusted his ad4444e321 waistband, and 5525313a4a Kang Taegwon, c2c518c231 watching him cd2428df7c with dissatisfaction, 6d40cb7ab1 finally stepped 767920b9ac back, waiting 1aedf9ad0a for him 4742faccfa to speak.31435af32005490b

The moment 2fb9b4302a Yoon Sung edfad44175 looked up 38d5b1995c at him, f31d728d7e he couldn’t 2fa3975d9c help but 969ed7b251 smile. He was the fbc28b462f one who had 2b60fc0b72 tamed Kang Taegwon, ce58b0bedd infamous for his c7372d4208 womanizing ways in 49a9feea24 the Capital City.c668fc0a4ed9b3f4

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Ever since they had 10ec3d0682 become lovers, there were dca93fef7f even rumors that Kang e3ada69de6 Taegwon had turned into 024030458f a celibate monk. Satisfying his desires fbe3591c69 wasn’t an easy 81c60a7dbe task, but the 7976ec099d way he burned f589a6a101 with lust the de6ccbcd67 moment he saw 57d6ff5c8c Yoon Sung only 9d58bf1c74 proved how deeply a9da5cce9e he had fallen.28550bee925972b3

Now that Kang ddba11718b Taegwon, who had 23d1f23df0 pounced on him 780b563f1c so desperately, was 477b021c97 standing back with 85690427b5 a leisurely smile, ca64469e35 Yoon Sung straightened dd4427e282 his clothes and 4ceb9d89c9 took a deep 1a55e47ee2 breath. His voice 53c223fdbb trembled slightly be3763b43c from nervousness.2c355e838da290de

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“Lee Seol gave me 08d45e83c4 a heads-up. A marriage 479e720cf3 ban is 9dbeda4f02 about to c2b6077244 be issued 9b80557742 soon.”d0092372a3709769

“…That means the Crown 16a888dba4 Princess Consort selection is 2c8e8ea07e happening.”e83287a697696329

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Kang Taegwon gave a 20bac5b200 slight nod. Seeing that, Yoon b95dab6fa2 Sung looked at d56d160b08 him with sparkling dab5463cbd eyes and continued.05228c3fbac123b9

“It’s already a494a6d634 been nearly e105697abc a year c2b4f32c44 since we 8a9b9021ff ended up c9dd7a897d like this.”e395a994acf745dc

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Kang Taegwon, curious about 25d20f4eb6 what he was getting 74dc989471 at, met his gaze 5afd862d65 with a faint smile.d168aeb94cae09c4

The moment Yoon 0fa8336c0d Sung looked into ba207cefec his deep, dark 94747fb659 eyes, his lips 65186832e6 pressed together tightly. All the c50c7bd63a carefully prepared 90e1d016bc words he 1d7659c1dc had planned 4bfa0453eb to say 555d3a9753 vanished from 0bd20611f5 his mind. His usually slow-thinking 45adae582c brain refused to 1e3907609a work properly at d2d35c202d this crucial moment. He needed f6ff822f2d to speak, 95e69b38f3 but his 83e8b4a59f mouth wouldn’t e4f595bdd7 open, and d6576b302e his chest 23a7e10c62 felt so 41bf98c31b tight that 3f037fd53a his vision 28c64e55e8 blurred. His nervous hands 300dbabe2b clenched into fists, 9c1ed386a5 and sweat began 7607b7805a to pool in 77a7fc4f07 his palms.6e0ab743a7864849

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Kang Taegwon, 6b118a4548 who had 6a28f9ac51 been waiting b2a1259217 patiently, began bdda28ee2a to arch 635b86ac6d his brow ecb25567aa slightly. When he tilted his f6f719f813 head with a hint 19eddce431 of concern, Yoon Sung d28c3ecf29 finally forced himself to c352b5aa8f speak.e1f885ec9616476e

“I—I want to spend 356d38db04 my whole life with f63cb37f17 you. Marry me.”e3b8ece5f8545029

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Lacking the 55106672ca eloquence for cb5561ce25 flowery words, 045c6c3b31 Yoon Sung 57131a0714 just blurted 7bfab098f2 it out.963070b560d1eaec

Kang Taegwon’s aab85e1985 brow twitched 5f0da2ec0a at the 6b614d5998 sudden proposal.282f993e24a62cd8

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Yet, Yoon Sung seemed d393370d3f utterly certain of the 5b39953423 answer. His face was flushed, 042f66dd89 his expression brimming with 9f0357c643 confidence, and his eyes 5cabe82403 sparkled with liveliness.a4aa7b3a5c9e5dd0

But Kang Taegwon, 7ca71d11e9 the one receiving 795eff09af the proposal, slowly a0879410b8 stiffened. His lips parted 780336b540 as if to b0b72495e0 say something, but 32fa77c776 no words came c3968890f0 out. His rare hesitation 2fb089586a caused Yoon Sung’s a77b05061b face to slowly 2b42fb2d0e harden as well. The only sound f6a7c03bdc between them was b24c96d2bb the chirping of 441e93f85b birds. Feeling the weight 4d1b48dcd6 of the silence, fdfdd8a1f5 Yoon Sung fidgeted 33c859e294 with his fingers 05c7b88aea and glanced at cd703a923e him nervously before 3665ef4bf0 breaking the awkward 785383fbe9 atmosphere.884bd8ada48c632c

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“I-I must have 4114079184 been too sudden. B-But… once e71a8e517c the marriage 44ef965eaf ban is db40fe5212 issued, we b7b7367427 won’t be 28081a3b75 able to b0cace2960 marry for c02d31c6e2 a long 9ab6a0cca2 time…”426f26b75d5c6286

As he ff54510fa4 fumbled over 08dfef3889 his words, a94a1f9cae Yoon Sung c520383e15 caught sight a301435a43 of Kang 4876769757 Taegwon’s troubled 247a4c1f45 expression. It was strange c8a437cfe8 to see him, aff04dcd47 usually so bold 0694c16223 and straightforward, carefully c226e9ca09 choosing his words b0439e2006 like this. Eventually, Kang Taegwon composed 5add2274a1 himself and spoke in cec6809921 a calm voice.26eb3079ad7d3fdb

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“Sung-ah. You and I are… 3e7fd28fa2 friends, aren’t we?”e757f90213cab00b

Yoon Sung, who 0dbb5dc3aa had just been 030342ce5b reaching into his a38e0cee01 robes for the 3eb2a24b9f silk pouch, dropped 1ba7d5d508 it.548c8f1fdce5707d

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“F-Friends…?”f037fb3560f089ed

“I always thought of 7e9d2849d9 you as my closest 5092098a33 friend, someone with whom e424cbca29 I could share our… ed61e847c0 private indulgences.”32ca78ee6806f5d2

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At Kang 1b3c124239 Taegwon’s words, 6a04555f0e it felt a397682611 like a 346b527dfc hammer had d8f60b17dc struck Yoon b5f1ea5334 Sung square d6a05a85d5 in the 802c31fa8c chest.c858bc2547b787c8

“P-Private indulgences? Are you d19a988a5c saying… our f7af7e2691 relationship was 61ca236e2d just that?”7046a72019834c6a

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“I like how direct 802c9a717b and honest you are. And I a53665c70a especially appreciate fe923729ee how tight-lipped 72af486149 you can 9be0144c4e be.”caadb51c377fa40d

Pausing briefly, Kang Taegwon 0d9db28b6e took a step back, 91740120be turning to gaze at d35a048892 the lake. Then, with a da38bb7790 quiet sigh, he 941abb797c looked back at 074e704e3e Yoon Sung.2e2b041028fc6305

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“Marriage should 9726d887d7 be between 5d96ffff78 families of a4c9051f5c equal standing.”deef3a7e2f1a7735

Though they were 65d87898c8 both of noble 43ce827bff status, Yoon Sung’s 8eaac3c9d9 family had never 7f0120601b produced anyone who 4ea4b11c21 advanced in government 68d5189bd7 ranks. Their wealth 35ddff8d44 came from e96ab424b6 land and 661e271996 farms inherited a981693781 over generations—an b14a8d7126 empty title fedf035f52 of nobility. In contrast, 70cbaf905d Kang Taegwon’s 1e543830d1 family was ededd925f7 a prestigious 5b39b4a3c6 lineage of 215408a517 military officials 4aa0f79668 who had d4e557641e served in 20577aa858 government for 8d2171c37a generations.ceeba807e846b3d7

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Yoon Sung 8d54ae6b0f wasn’t the 06be529718 brightest and 6f845c8e5b had failed f00becd094 the civil c36e1e6734 exams multiple a9ab011c4d times. And now, hearing Kang 33875c67ec Taegwon use his family 6a089fbe4a as an excuse not 947584cdc0 to marry him, it bd206a5380 felt like a blade 2b24a8790c had been driven into 00701215c9 his heart.2dcbbb93121589e4

Yes, their families 8289bef58a were different. But hadn’t 86ba1ad387 Kang Taegwon b9619fc2ed cared for eaa81637ed him? Hadn’t their feelings been 2eac9635b5 the same? They had spent 0b8f262ad4 the past year 4b4d51556c wrapped up in 11b8b0b98c each other, keeping 2b82e6373b their relationship private, a797840f2f testing the boundaries ddf023dcff between friendship and 0b2498007a something more. And now, he was f3ed32a231 saying they couldn’t marry cf4b9ad545 because of their families? Did that mean 6add393682 his parents would 9b67728a31 never approve of 47b63604b6 someone like Yoon dca20ea53b Sung?35efdc93d153e75f

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A month ago, Yoon b79c5b30e0 Sung had even rejected 3259843f76 a favorable marriage proposal ef8e7ee0c3 for this. He had declared that f0b43b1d44 he would only marry 9788d290e4 a man, sending his c6db22609a oldest brother into such 3b7047f9a0 a fit of rage c421efaa9b that he collapsed, clutching 4018fac456 the back of his 253622b635 neck.67c54b5f5afbed5a

Family… family, huh.5b9b68b394b85a41

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Yoon Sung’s 0f2c39ab81 head drooped 99d136bfe4 lower and 75091f6f24 lower. He knew 68de4fd6fd that for ec795976b6 families that 38029f9255 valued status, c22739f68e opposition was 8dcec8ca35 inevitable. The reality a9ce69eec6 of his eda31aa506 own insignificance a53180d676 pressed down 3f6d5e1b53 on him, 3a842b0a74 making his 9b8acc983a shoulders curl 63e297eb14 inward.dc54aaf4eaedd56d

But still… he dd60f4bfe7 was a noble 12a204b081 too. His great-grandfather ec50d32fa8 had served 228d1a89d8 in government.00aed59d2a091a89

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His lips pressed 00046b70a8 together in a d304239904 firm line, and df31812711 his eyes grew 655d0aec70 red-rimmed. His once 4be3188faf sweat-dampened hands 7f32a16a0a turned cold. His flushed 51cef1f7cd face, once b50de40f00 pink with 473e597240 excitement, now d317c1ebd0 burned with e5f4862acb humiliation.18cffb4d78482c97

Kang Taegwon, watching 44cb3c14c5 him in silence, ce36b5c58d bent down and e6b99d2fed picked up the 8703125a53 silk pouch Yoon f5f966d802 Sung had dropped. Brushing off the 4f89a8a915 dirt as if 0eef22b89a nothing had happened, 074cba21cb he held it 9ca82cc706 out to him.772c72349b346ec0

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“And… I have long 2752cc895e harbored feelings for Lee e6eda757fa Seol.”18f9ed5cf6986b05

It felt like he 3892bd940f had been struck over 0ff3ceae19 the head.3511e31b9936ec79

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If Kang 0ef73f73b7 Taegwon was 27735db24b white, then 0aa7cb6864 Lee Seol 2b5f5a92ef was black. If Kang Taegwon a6a191739c was fire, then 335a915da2 Lee Seol was dfbeb5fca1 water. They couldn’t be 271b5b9214 more different. They weren’t even particularly 390b71b4f5 close—they hardly even spoke e3fa914dc0 to each other.b79f0e360f8b0783

And now, he was 61e1991998 saying he had feelings 136be47720 for him? While sharing his 8d63146202 bed with Yoon 962b05bdd1 Sung all this c25bffae2a time?10da843525072568

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Yoon Sung’s flushed face e7b1964931 was drained of all 8130a9ea0e color. His lips, 75d2a085af now pale, 43160b47c4 trembled, and c2c72e48a2 his clenched 952ac8cebf fists dug c0e1c81cbe his nails fd1ddf383d into his 53b20e4194 palms.a725669410e4ed00

Seeing his look d2aa3463fe of shock, Kang 86e709cbc2 Taegwon let out 280cbfb27a a deep sigh, 8caf39fe62 his expression one 5841492fce of mild annoyance.0ecd10516c60fa28

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“You’re really putting cc81576671 me in a caf5864f3c difficult position.”a237cc9b5c3f7169