BIUM Chapter 9

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They had to find a way somehow, but it was all too fast.  

 

They needed at least three months to act—right now, there was no answer.  

 

“Let’s go out.”  

 

“Huh?”  

 

“Let’s step outside.”  

 

It wasn’t Eun Yiwon who needed to agonize over what to do—it was Seo Hwan. Crucially, he didn’t want to trap Yiwon in the shackles of the Eun family.  

 

“Where are we—Ah!”  

 

Hwan embraced Yiwon, whose tears had just stopped. In one swift motion, he kicked off the ground and vaulted over the wall, startling Yiwon, who instinctively clutched his clothes.  

 

Breaking free from the stifling Eun estate, Hwan held Yiwon tightly as they stepped outside. 

 

The wind against her skin felt different than before.  

 

“It’s late today, so let’s save the worrying for tomorrow.”  

 

“What?”  

 

Seeing Yiwon back to her usual self, the corners of Hwan’s eyes curved.  

 

The suffocating pain she had felt just moments ago vanished as if it had never existed the moment she met Hwan. Even though she knew there was no solution in sight, just looking at him gave her an inexplicable comfort, as if an answer would somehow appear.  

 

“If we get caught, the mansion will be turned upside down.”  

 

“Who’d be awake at this hour? We won’t be caught if we’re quick.”  

 

It was a reckless thought, but she didn’t care if they were discovered. The past three days with Myung had been too horrifying.  

 

As if giving in, she hugged Hwan, and a low chuckle escaped him. Only then did her anxious heart slowly settle.  

 

The quiet streets suddenly echoed with voices, and Hwan, stopping in his tracks, gently set her down.  

 

“Ah…”  

 

Between the brightly lit lanterns, crowds of people had gathered. The usually deserted place was now bustling, startling Yiwon as she looked at Hwan.  

 

“Today’s the full moon.”  

 

“Ah!”  

 

“Let’s look around together.”  

 

She had always come out with the people of the Eun family—never alone like this.  

 

And especially not with a man. If Geonmyeong found out, it would cause an uproar.  

 

But for now, she didn’t care. When Yiwon reached out her hand as if asking him to hold it, Hwan smiled brightly and took it.  

 

She wished this night could last forever. No—if possible, she wanted everything to stop right here.  

 

They had only planned to look around briefly before returning, but their way back kept getting delayed again and again.  

 

Just walking hand in hand through the crowd was enough to make her happy. Every time they nearly bumped into someone, Hwan shielded her with his body, making it effortless.  

 

Whenever Yiwon grew curious about something, Hwan stopped and let her experience it firsthand.  

 

“Here.”  

 

“Ah…”  

 

“Still, it might be a bit too dirty to go inside.”  

 

At Hwan’s words, Yiwon shook her head as if to say it was fine. The place they had slipped away to was where Hwan occasionally stayed when work ran late.  

 

Hwan frowned, saying it might be too dirty for Yiwon, but she didn’t mind, stepping closer to him and taking his hand.  

 

Entranced by Yiwon’s smile, Hwan pressed his lips to the back of her hand.  

 

“That tickles.”  

 

Listening to her soft laughter, he sat her down on the wooden floor.  

 

When Hwan, seated across from her, reached out to cup her cheek, she leaned into his palm. 

 

Unlike his rough hands, her cheek was incredibly warm and soft.  

 

“Rough, isn’t it?”  

 

“Not at all.”  

 

“You’ve gotten good at lying so smoothly.”  

 

Whether teasing or mocking, Yiwon only smiled at his words.  

 

Affection filled Hwan’s heart faster than he had imagined. The only one who could make him feel this way—something he couldn’t experience with anyone else—was Eun Yiwon.  

 

He couldn’t send her to Myung.  

 

“Hwan?”  

“Yiwon-ah. Should we run away?”  

 

Every plan he had made until now felt utterly meaningless.  

 

“Let’s just give up on everything and run away together.”  

 

It was terribly impulsive, but compared to sending Yiwon to Myung, abandoning everything and fleeing with her didn’t seem so bad.  

 

They might spend the rest of their lives being chased, but the only solution left in his mind was to run.  

 

“Let’s escape now.”  

 

Yiwon didn’t even realize she had stopped breathing. Until she exhaled shakily and looked back at Hwan, he didn’t move at all.  

 

To break free of all the restraints binding her and leave with Hwan—it was a dream so sweet she wished it could come true right this instant.  

 

“You know that’s impossible.”  

 

At Yiwon’s words, a bitter smile formed on Hwan’s lips. She had reminded him of the reality he had briefly ignored.  

 

Yiwon had her younger sibling, and Hwan had his mother. They couldn’t abandon the ones who mattered most to them.  

 

But neither could they allow Myung and Yiwon to marry. Just imagining Myung by Yiwon’s side now made him nauseous.  

 

“We should’ve met sooner.”  

 

At Hwan’s bitter words, Yiwon’s eyes grew misty.  

 

Once tonight ended, preparations for the selection decree would begin. Against her will, she would have to take Myung’s hand and enter the imperial palace.  

 

Hwan, who had always wanted to escape the palace, would leave without her knowing.  

 

Their reckless relationship had only ever been meant to go this far.  

 

“I’m not going back to the Eun estate tonight.”

 

Hwan’s eyes widened as he understood Yiwon’s meaning.  

 

In his mind, he screamed that this absolutely couldn’t happen—but more than ever, she was sincere.  

 

If she couldn’t change her circumstances, then at the very least, she wanted her first time to be with the man she desired. She wanted to leave herself with him, the one who had been there when no one else was.  

 

“No.”  

 

“Do you dislike me, Hwan?”  

 

“You know it’s not about that! I can afford to make mistakes, but you… you can’t!”  

 

Neither Myung nor Geonmyeong would ever forgive Yiwon if she lost her virtue. 

 

And if that happened, she couldn’t even guarantee the safety of the younger brother she so desperately wanted to protect.  

 

Hwan could roll in the mud and ruin himself all he wanted—but Yiwon absolutely could not.  

 

“Forget what I said earlier.”  

 

“Hwan.”  

 

“It’s late. Let’s go back.”  

 

“If you don’t hold me tonight, I’ll bite my tongue and die.”  

 

“Yiwon!”  

 

“Once I enter the imperial palace, I’ll be alone. I just want one memory… something I can endure and hold onto.”  

 

“…I’ll take you away.”  

 

Yiwon’s eyes widened at his quiet declaration. Meeting her gaze, Hwan repeated the words he had held in his heart.  

 

“No matter where you are, I’ll take you away.”  

 

No matter where, no matter whose wife she became—Yiwon was still Yiwon.  

 

If he couldn’t bring her back immediately, then in a few months. If not months, then years. It didn’t matter.  

 

It didn’t matter if she married. It didn’t matter if she was in Myung’s arms. She was the first woman Seo Hwan had ever wanted to be with. He didn’t want to lose her and spend the rest of his life in misery.  

 

“I know it’s a stupid, pathetic request, but hold on. No matter what, I’ll come for you—from the palace, from Myung. So…”  

 

“I don’t believe you.”  

 

“Yiwon!”  

 

“If you want me to believe you, prove it! Show me you mean it! Right now, it feels like I’m the only one desperate, the only one falling apart! No matter how much I hate being trapped in this role as a woman, I hate this even more—”  

 

Before she could finish, Hwan crushed his lips against hers. 

 

Startled, Yiwon pushed him away, but only for a moment before her arms wound around his neck, pulling him closer. Her slightly parted lips frustrated him, he gripped her chin and forced them open.  

 

This was nothing like his earlier careful kisses. The base of her tongue tingled, her bitten lips stung. Though she flinched at his roughness, she wasn’t afraid.  

 

Yiwon tried to endure until Hwan pulled away, but soon her breath hit its limit, and she clutched his shoulders.  

 

Just when she thought Hwan would retreat for her sake, his arm wrapped around her waist and yanked her closer.  

 

“Ah—”  

 

“Never say that to Myung. That bastard would only get more excited and pounce on you.”  

 

His low growl left her speechless, only ragged breaths escaping.  

 

This was the first time Yiwon had seen Hwan truly angry. Never before had he pushed her like this, so fiercely.  

 

“You think you’re the only one desperate? The only one struggling in this mess? Damn it! Half the time, I want to just take you and run away from the palace. The other half, I have to stop myself from driving my sword through Myung’s throat—hundreds of times a day!”  

 

“…Hwan.”  

 

“But I can’t! The moment I do, your brother, my mother, even you—we’d all be doomed to live this cursed life in misery until we die! Aren’t you angry? I’m so furious I could go mad! And the worst part is, no matter how much I rage, nothing changes. It just drags me deeper into the mud, helpless!”  

 

Yiwon bit her lip as she stared at him, stunned. She had hurt him by showing only her own desperation. She never meant to cause him pain. Now, seeing his wounds only made her ache too.  

 

Instead of apologizing, she buried herself in his arms. Hwan held her close, soothing her even as his own breaths remained uneven.  

 

“Give me Hwan. I want you.”  

 

“No.”  

 

“You said you’d come for me. That you’d take me back no matter what.”

 

“…”

 

“I’ll wait.”  

 

Cracks slowly formed in the resolve he had so firmly held onto. Yiwon closed the distance to Hwan, who hesitated until the very end.  

 

In the silence of their locked gaze, it was Hwan who finally broke. Lifting Yiwon from where she sat, he carried her into the room.  

 

As each layer of clothing fell away, the cool air that had brushed her face now seeped into her skin. The brief chill she felt was soon replaced by warmth as Hwan, now undressed, drew near.  

 

“Ah!”  

 

Stripped bare, Yiwon instinctively crossed her arms over herself in embarrassment. The moonlight streaming through the window illuminated her body in full—her flawless, porcelain skin stealing Hwan’s breath. His hand reached out, cupping her shoulder.  

 

The touch of his palm was so tender it felt like she might melt under it. When he pressed his lips to her shoulder, a faint shiver ran through her.  

 

“You’re beautiful.”  

 

“…”  

 

“You’re the only woman who has ever come this close to me.”  

 

“Me too.”  

 

“Hm?”  

 

“There’s only ever been you, Hwan.”  

 

Her unguarded confession shattered his restraint.  

 

His hand cradled the back of her head as he claimed her lips, swallowing her breath like a man starved. His fingers traced her damp lips before tilting her chin down, letting her sweet exhale wash over his face.  

 

When his hand wrapped around her slender neck, he could feel the pulse fluttering beneath his touch.  

 

“That tickles.”  

 

His fingers trailed down to her collarbone, and Yiwon let out a soft laugh. He adored her silent smiles, but the sound of her laughter—he wouldn’t trade it for anything.  

 

As if branding her into his memory—his sight, his touch, the body pressed against his—Hwan left his mark on Yiwon.  

 

His teeth grazed her bottom lip, now slick with his saliva, before he lowered his mouth to her throat. 

 

A sharp nip of his teeth sent the delicate scent of her skin flooding his senses.  

 

“Your’e so lovely.”  

 

Yiwon’s eyes softened as she lay beneath him. Her fingers brushed his lips, and Hwan caught one lightly between his teeth. Watching her lashes flutter, damp with heat, he bent his head again.  

 

His lips touched the corner of her eye just as his hands traced down her body. 

 

Every new sensation—the unfamiliar heat, the way her body responded—left her breathless. When she felt the slickness between her thighs, Yiwon flushed and tried to close her legs, but Hwan nudged them apart with his knee.  

 

“Th-that’s…”  

 

Her embarrassed protest was swallowed by another deep kiss. His fingers laced with hers as his arm wrapped around her slender waist. 

 

Even the act of spreading her legs was mortifying, but the strange sensation that followed made her tense.  

 

“They say it hurts less if you open wider.”  

 

“Hah…”  

 

“…I’ll be careful.”  

 

The lie slipped out effortlessly. Restraint had abandoned him the moment he touched her.  

 

Even as he whispered promises of gentleness, all he wanted was to mark her body—brand her with his scars, his claim.  

 

He had resisted temptation before, even under the influence of aphrodisiacs. 

 

But with Yiwon, his self-control was useless. He was utterly intoxicated by her. Holding her close, Hwan slowly pressed into her.  

 

“Ngh—!”  

 

She tried to endure, to accept him, but this pain was nothing like anything she had known before. 

 

A long exhale, an attempt to relax—yet tears welled up despite herself.  

 

When Yiwon sobbed, Hwan stilled. Swearing inwardly, he forced himself not to move further. 

 

Instead, he stroked her back, pressing kisses to her skin as he swallowed her shaky breaths.