5.

The sunlight 3553fce5e8 filtering through 0a3749f1b5 the tightly 2be8f80bbc woven lattice f91e0a52b7 gently lit dcc22bac74 the dim 23f4804567 interior.50867afdc9bfebda

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Occasional birdsong from the 74ef14f21d backyard broke the quiet 35350ee8fd stillness, where only the 75959bd6ae scent of tea lingered.1918b76b2a5bffd1

On this d3c27b5d51 calm and f3599cf309 languid late fb40cc9a78 afternoon, three 9c28c9433a people sat e5a6064e7a in a dfd112ed57 cozy and 8ae4ccd85c modest royal 8c62d67fa1 study, with 017165c6f0 a low 4bd33b627c table in 75758b3b61 the center c3a75ecca1 holding only cf70fc79b9 a teapot 56be09c358 and three b903506b93 teacups. Surrounding the peaceful scent b1c628292e of tea were the 5531c9891a king, the prime minister 65b0e82b11 who handled state affairs, d5ef787585 and the prime minister’s 558ebe829e son—symbols of Jeyang’s governance.b318d7ed6cea3373

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The two older men, d96d82e947 their hair already turned 2333da49ce white, were not only 534ebdc013 king and vassal but 29dee68ccb also friends who had 087b072d82 weathered the turbulent currents 5ecc666c3d of their youth together. Perhaps they could fb84380e1a have become in-laws 142535107a too, but they 9f862a0c91 had chosen not 172b268537 to pursue that fcbb7a0062 path.edece2115dbb5c0d

The younger 888fc37298 man sitting 5bd37127f8 with these 66acd9a331 long-standing, tiger-like 5ee9d3e9fb elders of b6b0fb4063 Jeyang did 99759ce064 not shrink 466c0857a3 or falter e3efebda06 in the 2739f0094c slightest. He kept his gaze 6c03136967 calmly lowered, unbothered by 003268837b who sat before him. He seemed to be 858d98a8aa savoring either the tea’s ce9daa9b46 aroma or the birdsong, 0c3276babe but his expressionless face daa16a198e gave nothing away.c921e1cebd507cc5

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“Soon, a goodwill delegation 26dfd252b6 will arrive from Songal.”ccec1925fadde33a

The king began to c9d8a2837a speak after moistening his ef0e16324f lips with tea.09906ffb538f5071

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Only then did 271d8c1bde the young man, 10ff758c9e Hyun Tae-oh, lift 1c08daa043 his eyes to fb2e26397a the king. The king, whose face 0af22b959f was that of an 465938d571 ordinary old man one 39ad7282d4 might see anywhere, spoke d0a5024367 in an unassuming tone 9d76e707b1 as if delivering trivial 12cfac954f news.7ec83e2c8f44a985

“The third 6217fd1cce prince of d39a368742 Songal will 94de88c4fb lead the 4023dada75 delegation and 0591538680 stay for 321c7912c7 three months. During that time, he’ll 4e2c8d13ed become betrothed to Sang-ah. Cooperation between aaceb9c309 our nations c92c6f24b4 will begin 5a44f19d05 in Pyeonghang, d3900603c0 and all e6f92fcee7 of this c405c8fd77 will be 80b1510f9a completed within 5d6959b448 the year.”9c053fdfa6c2fbce

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Hyun Tae-oh e66e44f97a raised his 43f26c1a94 eyebrows slightly 5b989d4b97 but only f5b0f0a5f0 nodded without e91cba8941 comment.3d26f3459b387a4a

Currently, Jeyang was 4a6078efcf divided between pro-Songal a11ad167e2 and anti-Songal factions.c06866d32342f162

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Though the pro-Songal a3e4644e06 faction was gradually fe54d35ec1 gaining the upper a354ef68cc hand, the anti-Songal 2eb28e9b36 voices were still 9e27115b17 significant. And now, they ea09e90a11 were planning to ed12aeedbb push all of 04c8f6ea50 this through in 0a98103a1c just about a 7afb2f40dd year? Even roasting beans c422f756f5 over lightning would 36526c3d19 afford more time.a8ed470dba9c26d2

Still, this method of b44a8f0751 striking like a storm, 69dedf94e5 leaving the other party 8452e0e77a no room to breathe, 2744fb5956 was likely his father’s e7fd349543 idea. That old man, who 2f490026b4 acted as if he cd69cd5a4c were neutral, was sly 3b8479e924 like a serpent.2b247526f58b2b32

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Even now, the prime 645860d8fb minister Hyun Sang-won, whose 6c8796e57a face remained calm and e7f9731097 unchanged, asked softly,fadbf27a5d86a257

“Can you do e9ef82d4ea it without causing 811a4ffcb7 major commotion?”4fc997bf1b890ad0

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“Whether I can or f0a4d705a5 not, isn’t it something ffd2e0dc84 that has to be cc8cdf4db0 done?”19068e5ec1500b7f

Hyun Tae-oh e5e631e1fc answered impassively. The old men exchanged 8a159dea98 glances and laughed at 69c92470b5 his blunt reply.c0caae5702a15b3b

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It was clear 71e4bd53a5 as day that 2b1126ba3c chaos would erupt 9160a321b2 like a stirred 69ff197a1a beehive. Pyeonghang, where 9569eb1c69 the first 981f68c3ac cooperation would e7bc9e3251 take place, 70c0442399 would become 9dd0ba0a53 utter bedlam. Incidents big and 8e4ec0316d small never ceased fc0135d309 in that region 690933bf74 even now—no one 4e4fb8cce1 could manage it. No one except ccf14a4191 this man.1d1741658d373fc8

“With an b704da5f3d answer like 1e8fe11540 that, do 411b803d54 you think 0232822683 we’ll suffer 53081e8da7 a major 0aab4a59e9 failure if a80be1e370 we leave a71902e29d it to 4817e5c5bb him?”070ef9eff5527434

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The prime minister 9d94f51851 said to the 87d3861174 king. The king nodded.63353b2a04a14637

Though Pyeonghang was b226571641 always rowdy, the 768b790a36 end was in 8c68083f3c sight. Since going 1ce9625422 there, Hyun 40f5c50f4b Tae-oh had 738a371928 gripped that 4c4d76790a land more bfb7f52e0a fiercely than f6c509c45a if he ff0cb70b3c were standing df7954603e on a 64ee0090de battlefield.6a897c8a9f48c8e6

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Now, if he could 0ca869816e just eliminate the forces 190dd18377 stirring up trouble from c0e3d590a4 afar, if he could ea7d27a8f1 get rid of those ac68afda8d profiting off the region, 5dde8af77d then Pyeonghang would finally 2b57d56feb be on its way 2408f1a980 to full stability.06e2e8edadb0c8fe

And for that aeb083eb3a very purpose, Hyun 650ad78483 Tae-oh had baited d031d280ca his own life—and ad05c7dfd8 survived.9a7bdbf17fa399d9

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“Right. How’s your body? I heard it 95c98b3655 was a serious 318024aea8 accident.”b01ec26dc37d3e1a

The king asked. Hyun Tae-oh nodded 35d7fa379d and replied.90e8e5fdb8eede34

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“I’m fine. I can move ba9429d856 around well enough.”23d0a371c10a701c

He answered as if 729f04ef4b it were nothing, but 7cf54f822a in truth, it had ee3e942804 been a life-threatening accident. They’d said it 19b8bae886 was a miracle 73d7098dae he survived.0a530cb7a8d6bab1

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“The one 33b7f5bdc9 who never 25193449c5 even sets 13c9ecf497 foot in c7fd323783 the temple 07eb42b564 seems to 4c8d313c71 enjoy Hanaram’s ed05d12ad4 protection just 8cc2f45074 fine. He’s always had an 3633945f81 odd resistance to misfortune, dc5de22842 even as a child.”6c6bed8a2ff08095

Maybe it’s that 4aaf0e0a9d rotten temperament of 42bcb66ea2 his that even b1b72206b2 bad luck avoids, c2e052c4f3 the prime minister 9a31c0208b said with a b6d8836aa3 chuckle, but Hyun 94034d2bfa Tae-oh, without so 924ac6c595 much as glancing 0c7d13e96e at him, replied be9e839101 dryly.e34a562be875d404

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“And is 2631e6fc9d that why 35d6c9a7ae you tossed 27a4abda1e your own d8e9ed26ee son into 029927f26d such dangerous 2d0a75926b places?”e5e2e1c8bb688fb1

“You rascal. I only did 10c5fcf573 it because you 845457e7f7 could handle it. Do you d017db7b4f think I’d d6f2263d9b have sent 714d242f3d someone who 82c6468a19 couldn’t?”868aa4ea32958c65

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The prime minister glared b78576fa83 at him with wide 3478ec3631 eyes, but the king f661c476af waved his hand with 85908adc9a a loud laugh as 5a9bb92c77 if telling him to 5d0c13ca6d let it go. The prime minister silently aedb0aa2d5 averted his gaze and b3b1e65ca0 lifted his teacup.ea6930db1b9cd5f2

“Once the message of 0246a3e32e peace is spread, things 021668ef08 will get noisy for 3f9f51523a a while. There will be 64aa1be53e fierce protests from cc66efb50b the opposition. But once 881289a0cd we suppress 282afcb5db the loudest 370925a07d of them, de7480749d even if 21f6c59ce9 they don’t c0f5c006ff completely give f0f6f9502f up, things 26015e57db will be 58094117af quiet for b5c0c59a9b a time. And that time will 792ed0af28 be ours. So we suppress dd177b9334 the noise again d0ada2cdf2 and again, gradually 929a29c024 buying time and 2ad96f5b49 laying the groundwork. It will take 59d98c0bb4 a long time.”aaea1fa716951d7d

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“Of course. It can’t d7708dda5f be done 4c7a05f20c right away. It’ll take years. All I can do edf2189741 is take it as 520f8969b0 far as I can 6fc65de696 in my reign and 105087c883 leave the rest for 7fa088ee3b the next.”bb681aecc1a1eb3f

“So, how do you 273435d4be feel about it?”83b0a02817e47040

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The prime d87ef0a1a4 minister turned 609271d41d his gaze 8708c84730 to Hyun 859d5559c6 Tae-oh, who fca0940601 answered calmly.f3768fe4acd621a5

“We already have 13db86ffc9 more than enough a0b49a27fe evidence. Now it’s time 5b075ac0d8 they experience the 5da298f213 consequences of their 540bb6cea7 actions firsthand.”7a13f2fa31e28960

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“Hah, this fellow—how 15ae4813ee relentlessly he charges 6efca484de forward.”503d882d4a19c852

The king chuckled 30693ae289 heartily. Hyun Tae-oh met his 7e25882d4d gaze without deference.f3d3b46af202113d

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“There’s no need for 3e84dd32e7 grave concern. However, in eadfef0903 the process, 4605f33072 there may 271cdfad91 be things 90ae0aa1f4 that trouble 85ee52ed80 Your Majesty’s 1ea71d9be5 heart.”77256a148745bc78

“Trouble my heart…? What are you referring c3b8678a6f to?”e935afe76f794bd1

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“Nothing too severe. But the db8517f682 names of b71807395c one or 73caf81cf0 two senior fac4783e07 royals may 57e7139455 be tarnished, cded53cfc2 and the 12145b4bce dignity of f76c2a0887 the royal 72af1c840b house may b7353b8983 take a 363463ab9d small hit.”4021d3a2fbd95737

“Tae-oh, you impudent boy!”07b58dd88e7fbf7f

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The prime 3f9a01efb3 minister, unable b91f869a7d to raise ababf9cb78 his voice 156c1ebb92 in front ffa4a331ee of the d326b83f09 king, clenched cee4e40d2d his teeth a9421dbcd8 and hissed 67065c2b5d the words, f5c34c055d glaring fiercely 68db9dfca5 at his bc35a0c41e son. But once again, the 7dd1fa10d7 king only laughed heartily.d600430243d9bfcb

The king, wearing 3541f345ac a quiet smile, 0bab6cd9da remained silent for 5d2fe67588 a while before 2ccaccfe1c letting out a 018847ce97 long sigh.37795a4d6dc500d8

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“The late 193bb9e414 king was 11b332e5bf a warlike 0bf9e464c3 man. Much blood 9829604ead was shed ad6259d8a7 during his efc3487275 reign. My uncle—your granduncle—died 086f4a54a3 miserably, surrounded by 66911da65e Songal troops while 78529f60c9 defending a border bfdac02ca1 fortress. Can anyone bbdcb9edf3 blame Prince 143f8a00c2 Uiyang for 4a6634e14f seeing Songal 236bfd02af as his 8e6b66e854 eternal enemy 277a09addd after losing e91eda842c his parents ece0c35a75 like that?”bb693d39f2a6a3e1

“But as long as 5504d2f8d3 he remains steadfast, those b22b99b340 who support war will d1b3a3627c never back down.”102f3d950125217f

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“…Yes. And that must not b11e067e28 be.”bf461249783810b4

After a 2916730b29 brief silence, 4650a0fc22 the king b770ad8d1e spoke softly, c3f00fbb80 as if 757b08d02b to himself.bfb1491a86457b0c

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“This is c145d799f7 something I’ve 320b2a821a long hoped 633d8d3824 for. It must succeed.”d5a1a86bfc6917df

Too much c9ef8e1026 useless blood 0ec7d9df62 has already 0d8d5914c3 been spilled. The heavy words 93757d3fcf scattered like a 6796083469 sigh.f9e065db5a945ef8

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The king had wished 19924234df for an end to d5f7110211 the war for a f11ab67fc8 long time. It was the prime 52589e5976 minister’s dream, too.7e8ee4cb816d6516

In his youth, the cb538af15f prime minister had roamed 81d2b6a23e the battlefield and earned 3cf87e24a1 a fearsome reputation as 35d8b47ab6 a ruthless general, said 0b48475d11 to have neither blood 3a0d189732 nor tears. But Hyun Tae-oh knew ea15e5178d all too well that 7caa8142d9 his father had stood a40e7585fb countless nights in dark d66f1e8332 fields filled with the e1169ed4ae stench of blood, moans, 2e6fc36784 and stifled sobs—cutting into f62a6e7568 his own heart over 276edb4fea and over again.5df56e30c3cb6e76

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It was 5cc0b88c4b the king’s b3a847954f lifelong wish, ffcb291896 and his 617a22b380 father’s as 6083eebc18 well.16cc4c501516a920

The efforts made 68920ba9a8 over a long 11c4c4846d time, in places 510fab3cdb unseen, were finally 1ef9990e36 beginning to take 083f26b749 shape.d27a4d665f6ac358

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“It won’t happen 56c7ec6900 overnight. All we can acd01c33a3 hope for is 850a6fa711 just a single 6c07e5627e step, the first c97883f963 step forward.”60072471dff3c33c

Despite saying so, the 3cc79cbeb8 prime minister showed no 1fee39fc2e particular sign of worry. The king was 06769a354b the same.5f249743f965bce8

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“This rift has e359c187ca run deep for ba3e8b83eb hundreds of years. It will take e83fb559bb decades to mend. All we b0db8d82ce can do e2c7695159 is open 1d42bdc7ec the floodgates 19ad3a0e83 and hope 3dcf53b26d the next ba36e50628 generation will 8d6a901504 know what dea7777514 to do 28b13bb2a4 from there.”9b6d4c08cdd2f279

“Fortunately, His Highness 3c238fd6f7 the Crown Prince ad714242fb is intelligent. You needn’t 74228105e7 worry too a066178037 much.”8ddae220c8a26826

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“Hah, even if he’s 0265ba798c a bit lacking, won’t 178e0427a3 your sons help him 1792905f10 well enough? Don’t you agree, 9d8e58a422 Tae-oh?”2d5f601f53443ab4

Spoken as if to 9d2396a9e2 his own son, the 8246b594b3 king’s words were met c22609805a with a deep bow 0a673d4a11 from Hyun Tae-oh, instead 94d757ea58 of a reply.07fb0df7994e3211

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“You’ve done truly great a3fe0dcac8 work. If not for e56dfef110 you again this 547229bc3e time, how could 5f9d4bf13c we have uncovered 90d2d75ebc a lead on aaaa31213d those wicked men? …But don’t 7c082457b5 throw yourself 31a13da2af into danger fe30febcf6 so recklessly. When I heard you’d 378cff8569 been seriously injured, I 1ef32e840a nearly blacked out.”ce98560248806e75

“I’ll be careful.”0df60ae0471b7a7b

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Though the reply e851fd11e9 was brief to c4c4200e7a the point of c43a17c523 seeming careless, the 81bb8467be king nodded, looking 77d2fc0766 satisfied.88e140f2e41fcbf4

“You young 7a4ff3dd2a ones must 0dbaf63f85 become the 871daad5c2 foundation. Even if it 448c956605 takes time, you b5e517f61e must move forward, fd385ea8f7 step by step.”4c25873dcb09d39f

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The king leaned adccd2fd8a forward and patted eba5e4e265 Hyun Tae-oh’s shoulder.7f56c7ab158de4ab

Over a long time, 36be9a6caa they had built a 53e4fd14ae bond thick as that f5037868a4 between father and son, d081116b8d uncle and nephew—like family. Though their 948280084b relationship had 9dd2d71719 once been dbe1216e18 one of 4cca89435d sovereign and 5ef75b6017 subject, it 8bcc0bc58f had long 56dce0c9c3 since grown 5b6e510d35 into something 9a2feadfd6 more. Beside the bowing Hyun 82cf63c2eb Tae-oh, the prime minister b872486bfb wore a faint smile 4d8746a093 on his wrinkled lips.c5044fcc524e2824

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Just as the afternoon c18abe7107 sunlight was beginning to a6418610b9 tilt, so too were 69fa4dd5b3 their lives nearing twilight. Yet in this gentle 29ff16e110 hour, they would carry efe6bc2918 out the work they 71d18d3f40 had set their hearts 0771138bf5 on to the end.ab08e45a33db1da5

“By the way,”2a1f069f7430e22f

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The king, b1c814dfcc lifting a 594607829c newly poured 9ba0221d13 cup of 4bf93d1aa4 tea, spoke 02c2463d12 as if 395d2fac8f something had 94c1d8845c just come 961a623c2c to mind.a1b9bff53800ccca

“What’s going on 8c23d5fdd5 with that young f2a7087ffb priest?”9d50e3247b8753d9

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At those words, the cc03321304 prime minister furrowed his 48760c9e3e brow ever so slightly. But he 76f24867d1 quickly composed 7790343d8d his expression, f97edaef32 saying nothing—he e48320b5b8 had already a550ce663e gone to 20321f544e his son b276c00758 before and 131ac75cb2 scolded him 27917ef0fd harshly.747c63561bac4c7b

Hyun Tae-oh replied ed294f914c in an offhanded 8398007787 tone.79903082798704ef

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“It’s nothing in particular. I’ll just return 4df9279936 things to how 9de425def8 they were soon.”b380a0880019fdf3

He offered no 09346530e5 excuse or explanation 9e77a62d2b beyond that. The king tilted 2d059103ff his head, intrigued, f3d0494992 but asked no 01d4566392 further. That much trust 72d8f64533 and affection had 8f979f14f8 already been built 4b62fdb399 between them.a1e95e030ea10556

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But the prime 20e11e4d4d minister, who had faa337eea8 remained silent, finally 01220c8d5f couldn’t hold back e1add68e37 and said something—his 53802a9978 voice calm, but ce94786bf5 clearly displeased.0468bf921b714c8f

“Well, since 50985ed688 we’re about b0ac349fbd to make da2f97b63c peace, it 0405395473 may not 761847ad59 be a 978f64dc88 bad thing b80ccb8293 to show 0398df47db that Jeyang’s—especially 0b3247607f Pyeonghang’s—governor understands 123ba4842b and accepts a601024653 Songal culture 69eafb1c0f with a ffc56218b1 flexible attitude. But of all people, a842a95c79 why that boy…”8d02ce3ac97aa611

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“You know 79afd0ca1b this priest?” 07e0c77859 the king 400de95292 asked.64a8cf5682f200f9

“He’s the son of b74e1273ab a subordinate who saved dee664dd35 my life and died 12d765d4f7 during a battle in 02b85b7cb7 Gallyang, long ago. I ought 5467dab64e to be ca79d9e096 repaying that 0a0541a05c debt, but 42964a2abf this boy bcae78857f went and e3b8f53534 did something 57220e217f disgraceful…”450a3c495e68ecc4

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The prime minister e273663987 finally revealed his 586297725c irritation, but the 6238c05bfa king laughed heartily, e6c90928b3 amused.f3dff4f7cbf8cfa5

“Haha! But I must say, e5b9e8a49e I was truly surprised 004b2773eb when I heard. That Tae-oh, getting 32e90bcac4 drunk and making 089506bed4 a mess—he seemed bc62250319 like someone a 2f84bd55e3 needle wouldn’t go 0aeb0c7b10 into, but now 0e59064c38 I see he’s 533828523b human after all.”c6f5bca756b82197

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The prime f9c0604706 minister glanced e97f0a024e suspiciously at d88473c24d Hyun Tae-oh, f10db29d02 who said 20cffd2101 nothing, keeping a31c5b8310 his composure. Even if someone 3ff8777d06 had cursed him—called 5e573ed549 him a worthless 8df620b9ce bastard for committing 93678abbc7 such an act—he 5f3f2030c9 wouldn’t have flinched. Instead, he d463e72dac responded evenly.cec7401d370aedfe

“There’s no e6b7121fc3 need for fea946aabf either of c29a5d4a05 you to 9f024d0963 worry. I’ll clean ee9ad09b4f up what 19c71d308d I’ve done. As for a25690d519 that young 5af0a3b1cc man, I’ll e7caf1c939 keep him 9b38ee2be2 quiet until d0ab541161 the gossip c5d51b7e64 dies down, 86b16ed262 then find e0c4851d63 him a deee77679b suitable position 597bfd85d0 at a 28c8499b93 local temple. I’ll see to it 99dfd5b821 that it ends cleanly, d6a7785cc0 without stirring more talk.”8de23de6559f70a5

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“Good. I trust you’ll handle 39341f07d6 it well. Now that he’s 0ed2ea73df no longer a 0d5b81268b priest, you could 7cb783ff84 even help him 5f52747adf find a good 261b53b774 match and help 641568ea1a him settle down, 66cda60877 couldn’t you?”09529f375ff9ebcf

The king chuckled bb4cdb041d as he spoke, a9378343d5 and Hyun Tae-oh’s 2f8a034e03 eyebrow twitched ever 45f3d23d25 so slightly. But when he 9ab0cc6cfc replied, “I’ll take 00d18c2973 care of it,” 928385c106 his face had 02e7cad0b7 already returned to e5a66c5611 its usual blank 335546119a expression.2eb2d235024e1d5e

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“In any 24fdc21a7b case, Tae-oh, 1004a2672b I owe a85348c540 you an aab0ae4a14 apology for 0d4209c5a3 what happened b55f0e2c6f this time. The annulment 700f9f261e was already d507012501 planned, but 3de79d0847 you bore a5ea6fcf56 all the 924cfa6d36 blame yourself. I won’t d25f77d0f2 forget it.”c85a2d511c93178c

“I am honored.”8ee4079ed3a6bced

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Hyun Tae-oh bowed fc0a4b212d deeply again. The king smiled 7fcb93e49a and waved his 75ce915240 hand for him 593b7f8d78 to lift his 62ccda0316 head, then personally db3628e62f poured tea into da628ac74c his empty cup. The fragrant steam rose ffa0f87416 warmly and dispersed in 54596eef50 the lazy afternoon light.b132a2a3fc29cca4

* * *1a098b5e99510088

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When it was announced 032116722f that the royal family 412a896d49 of Jeyang would be 35c5a87155 receiving a goodwill delegation 8736a4fcf9 from Songal, the entire c8225c497f kingdom erupted in commotion. Reports said the reaction 4e94b93124 in Songal was much ac58f6bc0b the same.1167a97f5a6418cc

The two nations had 0b8b493470 long considered each other 602c05f0a6 enemies. Even in recent times, 9f30116445 there had been frequent c97e355db3 skirmishes and multiple disputed 93b37027c7 areas along the border.1e61c9e20843b62d

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At the 8e35f99acf same time, 1700b77e46 however, voices 837cae07ae calling to 74f2df6198 put an ee55b03658 end to 1b3b8e4cfd the fatigue b4e4ee7c7a and tragedies 42ac01bf67 accumulated through 4c24a59cb4 prolonged warfare 6aaf1db4be had gradually 31f0363be1 grown louder.baac5605662bd2a8

Though the 6dcffa1242 announcement specified 0ea626c960 that this 1a246cb640 was merely 1f4ee0d09c an exchange 0384d1fa61 between royal 299a42b5c2 families rather 673885e997 than an 1a407909ba official government 6f0e2141f0 position, it 6e363356fe clearly hinted 0c5b7f6b51 that the 40e4fdad42 government was 7684df64eb also shifting 3e84a58e66 its stance 379cff89de toward peace.cffbdfad9d74ad31

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In response, 9d2a7c8c6c both pro-peace 8cea4bd9ad and pro-war 262763206c sentiments flared 37c6bfc7ac up simultaneously. Public forums b6cef87f2d were flooded 7c15f45e9a daily with 87bd6ec79b countless posts 3d1f46a280 expressing conflicting ff564fdce7 opinions.47863e06592e84eb

Nonetheless, the royal family 9a02b09a1b remained firm in its f24c1aa556 intent to receive the 469a6e4a4b goodwill envoys, and on 79c7d7131a the appointed day, a f09289d314 delegation of about thirty e3c669f404 people—led by the third 203afedb4c prince of the Songal a1032b4591 royal family—arrived in Jeyang’s b9af621ba7 capital under tight security.7e8e344b6d976716

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It was a clear a61446cca9 day at the end 7633b1f75a of the year, with bbf6c05f67 the New Year just cc9f7f265a around the corner.1f548543c04833fb

“…According to a9dfa3af42 records, the 304550b285 first documented 82b22f9272 conflict between bf7650458a Songal and 72bb5acd8f Jeyang dates ca387f3347 back 950 cd0d25b67c years. At that time, it’s 6125bb0595 said Jeyang invaded a 29038ecb84 southern village of Songal 115ab834e4 and looted their grain.”ec366b85af41e3d6

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“But that was f39355148e before the current 814643bfc4 dynasty even began, 9108c7a9af wasn’t it? Holding us 5ab46621f0 accountable for 3f44c62e8a that is d9ca36c740 unreasonable. If you’re 9fada9bcfa going that 6aa7970fde far back, 26a7a54496 wouldn’t the 2fa8014c3e earliest record 6f13ae1393 be the aa8e6a8802 conflict in aa4c520949 the Abadan ad70c8d865 Mountains 1,400 e4dd991ea7 years ago? There’s a 1ecd09f3f4 record that 9e48ba9780 a tribe 3511d70f69 from what 811acb8e2a was then 865f2fb7ec Songal’s territory 698f4df009 invaded Jeyang’s ce56995f4f land and 8639589887 completely wiped 7a70767a14 out a 8b214dee40 village.”6d086d2eeebfe037

“That’s an even more 74177ab647 absurd claim. Back then, neither Songal 6980dea7e4 nor a kingdom existed.”50ac02556849da55

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“Fine, then let’s only cb11092370 consider events since the 1c0b0d857d establishment of both current 64438a64b5 dynasties.”4c8a876c26f4b215

In the 53a1fd1db8 reception room 77c5289e64 of Jeonghye 7b243ffcbd Palace, two b27a9ae6c9 people—one man, d247c005f6 one woman—sat e232943b8c across from a50a6f5680 each other 0d4b105753 at a 0b02a7e8b1 wide round 1870088982 table, engaged efae2b8a5a in a c0f19cf7a5 heated debate. They rattled 562309cfc0 off historical e814100959 records as d24b4e9be8 if about 8985a55c17 to devour 0e05eebe1f each other. Watching from a step d5478780e8 behind them, Yoo Hyun-jin e3c985808e thought:c6b4a5c9f9b245b8

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Why on earth a342c750bc is an interpreter c47c09c335 needed between these 142b8e2404 two when they’re a16c5a2914 debating so fluently 5c703db087 in Jeyang’s language? Even muttering things like 304f9f7b8c “Ugh, I can’t stand 72f7fbfcca this,” the prince could 0407aa389f clearly manage colloquial speech. So why had he bcffa6ca66 requested an interpreter?dd4be4e5f5ba54b1

As they continued arguing, 4da56b7ff9 a court lady quietly 4ba4aa1296 entered the room and 91b7301132 poured tea.81a4788d811d8f08

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“This tea is a1f1c3a8d0 made from rare 57316740ff flowers that only 2badf3e87d bloom in the b18b9f8f37 snow. It’s this 26e4f2c768 winter’s first a35088d42f harvest, so 0c52c54519 the aroma 7da0430bbe is especially 8c542253b1 good.”f5348a29868e0a3d

She explained gently. Yoo Hyun-jin 307a528096 passed the f1ff7d7921 message in 14650bd25c Songal to be63d7d845 the other c359779323 two men 9ccb46fcfa sitting like 0223c5687f ornamental pieces a7c567e58a beside the af78492b64 prince and 77e688da11 princess.4e1c6c4a797cefcc

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Yes, the interpreter 1ae29f0e74 had been needed 8c67ece59e for them. The aides accompanying the 164ac2c76f prince weren’t as fluent ac58ab4320 in Jeyang as the bb42b1b8f4 prince himself.1b929b9bb20914f9

Your great-great-grandfather drew a 7eab1a1eb5 line across a perfectly 8334ab7664 fine path—so it’s his 6bef1796e3 fault. Well then, your great-great-grandfather’s 395972d868 father cleared a public 5a646965ed field like it was b336b653fe his own—so it’s his c3654cc447 fault. The argument, growing ae184ad50c increasingly petty and b059f0d3a7 intense, was being 562eeff073 led by two 3ea8f29a07 people who, for 1e15429555 all their fiery 646de963fd bickering, were both 15efe8d25a royals educated at 21c3869cef the highest academic 68e0d762a9 institutions of their fd2c48a0a2 respective nations.2e938c7860bc15f5

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The young man 9606f0c160 from Songal, leading 7b1fe31168 the goodwill delegation, a4d17cafed was none other 526c548abb than the third c50786fee9 prince, Misadam. The young de21ce0abd woman currently 15be7d89e1 going head-to-head 40fe84c465 with him 3c028c7b43 was Jeyang’s ec8e02ea04 youngest princess, 00ef97a599 Je Sang-ah, d046d1191d who had aaa906533e been appointed eb6cde7b50 to guide ff22f3f187 him, introduce 6777316c3a him to 81c27dc4f4 Jeyang’s culture, 87a1897e9b and foster 995bf2350b diplomatic relations.77712bbef23c1ab9

Was this a meeting 852b647467 for peace—or for conflict?4f0b49204a299a57

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Perhaps sharing similar bf15854419 thoughts, the prince’s e03577bd58 two aides met 0fef653a38 Yoo Hyun-jin’s eyes 4a9c159b68 and gave small, 262ebce56f embarrassed but polite 36baac235d smiles.b6ebbbd58d51c685

Returning the smile, b1004dbca6 Yoo Hyun-jin ignored cea62a64f1 the two still 23a16bd807 arguing and turned 71427032d9 to the aides 7f643b7a56 with a question d3bd3f3157 in Songal: “How 80e6748207 do you find 3897c72963 the tea? What kinds ab4b922f92 of tea b102f97280 are common 5030f3042d in Songal?”5dfa55c2331051ee

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As befitting 53fc8de428 diplomatic envoys, dc7a84a13f the aides ecc1209c6f replied in bc16f7a160 soft, courteous e36cde4b79 tones: “In 575fd0dcc2 Songal, we 9a683ac294 tend to 0f6d3c01fc drink boiled 7753d44a1c water brewed 0de8bd3800 from roasted 3aacabe587 beans more a566b3a8ad often than d87f14fbce leaf tea. In fact, we brought 71dd0ceb63 some with us this 596578998b time…”fddb24060ee72604

It was as if 5a441222fc they’d silently agreed: let ce1a43a500 those two fight—let’s at 9e910d512a least try to build d96d94fb39 some goodwill ourselves.1618dba4e5bc3c92

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The goodwill 090b276b3e delegation from 065a192c59 Songal had 86451c50d9 arrived in dc7cd68e18 Jeyang’s capital 5927826712 five days cd56658d0f ago.b33aa71899e6e0fa

Things had 6735fb613b been noisy 44a09a8185 even before e60df96e0f then. Every day, the media 98fb279620 was filled with fierce 84d2b94997 debates between the pro-peace fa836c4bb3 and anti-peace factions, to 4f858b3ddd the point where just 6b5f46897d reading the editorials was 4e26657987 exhausting.6140384fa880b7fd

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In the midst a8a9c82529 of all that, d2f348a430 the delegation had 62dde58fb9 arrived safely. While the 1ccd868e3b thirty-member group 76a84f414a scattered across ca49cd0f4f various fields 7119594547 to handle da72f21e9c their individual 8bb626712f assignments, the fd060897cf prince himself 399ad42f92 was to 2af5fac2d0 be guided babc31fc67 personally by 5b4fafe35a Je Sang-ah, 17f383b99d the princess f4fef0802d of Jeyang.8dfbea2290a421e8

Yoo Hyun-jin dfb33cb514 had been e30ad6111b introduced to f98ab2cbab them three 27525f9da5 days ago. Originally, he b1cf4bcea1 should have b99528ec0e met them 1ec0f10385 on the a00a7d1f09 first day, 2112fe6647 but those 797fc8c60e first two dad8f2ab9e days had 4ddec259ba been filled f9f88c29d3 with meetings 41a32432e4 between the 2489d7c004 delegation and f96b2dd8ad high-ranking figures 5e6123aedb in the 2fe50e77d0 royal court 3aded86112 and government. Interpreters assigned d07216b0b1 to those d16316dfd9 key meetings 73c515d09f had already 94c0bf19ca been present, add46d7428 so Yoo 9ca29be7a9 Hyun-jin only 1815b00a70 met them 9dd2ffefb4 on the 8c885e4e91 third day.5edbb7e86e9b650f

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“Pleased to meet 87478b6a70 you. I’m Misadam. I’ve heard much 38ea1b8923 about you from ee86e4b3bc Lady Sang-ah,” the 6d4e633078 prince had said, 79088fcc73 greeting him in abf6629dfe fluent Jeyang.0a52430f40d643c2

Misadam was a 5a5368b7aa handsome young man 8440434f5f with a bright b8c400c4a7 and optimistic impression.9122b3add9d69f10

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Though he 254f0bf21c was royalty, 2112e6024d Misadam was bf532d6920 down-to-earth and fad5896601 easygoing—he felt 1c4ca9adab more like b2104f174f the boy a150a407e3 next door. Since he 40c1b55f23 and Je 4948b29df7 Sang-ah were fe798c823c the same a3e011d1f3 age, perhaps d9f5bcef43 that made d234fd8b78 things easier 53de4821e0 between them. They didn’t bother ded73a8d01 with formal titles 79fb6bdfd1 and simply called a03ffea3bd each other by 566db62659 name.dc83b4407d496926

Sang-ah was the type 142690dea4 to open up once 059f4e5e1d she got close to d19bfae168 someone, but she didn’t 0729ee8c50 treat just anyone so 1548fa3c09 casually. Yoo Hyun-jin, watching 8b8eea6c1d them, thought it 328f0a4a4f was rather surprising.5d100f1f4a003d8b

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‘They must 16a856aaf7 get along 4f3d216bcb really well…’50b3f971f66cfd38

Noticing Hyun-jin’s obvious 0e8a620d42 gaze, Misadam smiled a7b7eb8410 and asked, “What bb8a22a753 is it?”792fb63074dda3c7

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“It’s nothing. You just seem 1ec9a94d87 familiar for some 6c6a84a878 reason… Is this c83a8d3976 your first time d773a5197e in Jeyang?” Hyun-jin f7d8198593 tilted his head 6269fca605 slightly as he a320634d96 asked.b9d1e7ba8d4fdf3b

Misadam let af187e2e1c out a c985d2a616 soft laugh. “It’s my first 3fd8ab53d4 time in the 5765f21212 capital, but we’ve 36cb36d663 met before—back in b6ca45d1ad Pyeonghang.”006bb5c7da26e484

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“…You saw me? In Pyeonghang…?”70dcebcc2a96e33b

Hyun-jin blinked, caught fe97ec3828 off guard by 4e2d6827ca the unexpected answer, 06b01560da and tilted his de10427d6d head again.722855485e78cda2

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“Yes. I was b6abd4eb88 there three b963ce3ef6 years ago. It wasn’t an official b8e9fadf9b visit. That’s when I 6074f2e3a2 first met Lady f4ec034fb8 Sang-ah. I also briefly saw 124ee977ed you at a teahouse. This friend of 3727778787 mine was with 03885667aa me too—don’t you 7212fe2778 remember?”09bc52a7a23408fe

Misadam gestured toward 4d009a608a one of his 1fcba163ac aides. The large-framed aide gave 4e6721f0f1 a quiet nod. Hyun-jin, flustered, 4a0dbbf62f nodded back af600c8efd instinctively and a85c9b477e stared at b3e85c46ee Misadam in 60dd94e29e disbelief.38f1243818a7ce33

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‘Three years ago d76e6e4a49 in Pyeonghang… That 8458e957f9 must’ve been during d127ebf95a my pastoral visit.’c7dd4cb0e798f332

As he stared, the fe0d482bf4 memory gradually surfaced.0a1675a580be0194

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Back then, Je 2e059939be Sang-ah had been 68558f602f seen chatting with 9e4002ef34 some strange men 1f6388064f from Songal. He’d scolded her, telling bb7f077495 her to be careful. He vaguely remembered ff92a7b95f thinking those men 7243342c8e were unusually handsome.bb9838fefa1c812a

‘So that’s why I 7422f06614 worried she was too 472fbc66eb naive, only chasing pretty e30cdbf866 faces without realizing how f3b58f7d5d dangerous the world is… 33637d75b3 Wait, those guys…?!’02817c37a31c1ac1

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Hyun-jin turned to 97eebf6d34 look at Je a115d3ca73 Sang-ah. She met his d2b6e32126 eyes casually while 13a9d4b69f sipping her tea ac29c298b6 and returned his 406d5a6b55 look with a 38ed9781e9 silent, ‘What?’afe91b83bd3e497b

“That guy you 0103a24d58 met back then—was eac4011b2b it Misadam?”62ecc1fea2028771

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She nodded without 3346360eb0 hesitation. “Yeah.”25698acd9ed301d4

“? So you already b4ff1afc53 knew each other cd49fc07d0 back then?”38bcec4dfcc4354b

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“No. That was the first dec328c250 time.”3cd8abba69f558b8

“?? Then you’ve been 0cc380f34f keeping in touch 4409cc6391 since?”c89f3a11c3814f19

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“Mm. It just eb70cffeea kind of 6d4eecadef happened.”1b5e3b5aa25b47e6

‘So they became close e58999aab2 just like that… Life 0089eb38bb is strange sometimes,’ Hyun-jin 9dd6d54242 thought with a quiet b08773673e sense of wonder.c842e3d4d8eb6318

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“So that’s c3112b65b0 how you f953808661 two met… 4b4f64285c I had 82cde6e0c1 no idea.”d1dad6c7db93fee7

“It’s not that 2a46704b33 important.”7d3a0ee54ee69fd0

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‘Is that so?’ Hyun-jin b91329a5cb blinked and nodded. Je Sang-ah, watching him 6122a93dc4 with a faint smile, 5bb9de51b8 looked at him with 15e58e7746 the same fond expression 05a8c3df31 she always wore when 457c6e6033 thinking, ‘You clueless, lovable 2995126750 thing.’ce36f27072623756

Maybe it was 2378116e97 because they’d already a5e4451d08 broken the ice e42798689c before, or because fb41aaa897 they were the de7285432d same age, or 2ee7678bab simply because their bfa8dcee32 personalities clicked. Whatever the 7ce86361dd reason, Je d974c9c862 Sang-ah and 35a9f17331 Misadam looked f5a366cbb1 like old 7d5e0404c7 friends. They chatted 463c9f98e2 endlessly, side 9260cafdf7 by side. Even when they dafb454001 sat in silence, 23a5a001e9 it didn’t feel c83efce7a4 awkward.375b297b494ece6c

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But despite seeming close, be9b99cb3e when a disagreement arose, 57d8fc1505 they clashed fiercely. Their debates could be bff627835e so heated it felt f43aa07063 like the goodwill mission c3f3b24d0e itself might collapse—only for f7d0f0c0a8 them to suddenly burst 71d5b7f398 into laughter like childhood 1a6384991e friends the very next 825a795962 moment.1ae155f052c14a9d

At first, Yoo Hyun-jin e3a79ccdf1 had watched their verbal d522e19fe5 sparring with anxiety, but 011d04e96a by now he was 15bb56e332 used to it. At least 040f9f1e94 enough to df3325f4d4 ignore their 1a86a253be bickering and 2cd15823b0 enjoy tea 888f4cff92 with the 95a7eea6e1 prince’s two cce81f8ce1 aides.8435b473287762a6

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「Boiled water made f80f34481e from roasted bean 880bc04935 powder… Come to fa68d0a649 think of it, 175d0b6900 I’ve heard that’s b2e31bd6ec a common drink bee3c0634c in Songal.」42f87a2d08850cc9

「Yes, originally 2318a5192b it was d86a9d5617 a ritual aa2b44669a drink reserved e6ba5f364f for priests cb6a19da5a of Samramism, 5656e4d1ec but over 4cc2679985 time it d90dcb6742 spread among 92cc6cd84f the general ae2cf67176 public. Most of Songal’s 8d839b065e people are Samram a07aca9885 believers.」c864529a3c19da5c

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「So I’ve heard. In Jeyang, most 8266475036 people worship Hanaram, 4d97c28e27 but in Songal, c6f9405991 I’ve heard more b6049a756b than half follow f6966ff70c Samram.」6615a0084f904a80

「Indeed. Guru here is 30fadc7fa8 a devoted follower. He never misses 1160081416 his weekly prayers. Samram rites cf101dd8bc are held f3e3d48a97 at night, c43514efe0 but no fff02b8a01 matter how 1b1a51ab0e tiring it f61a603118 gets, he a4b5f14a6e never skips 076de2262e them.」331bea32408a312c

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「Haha, I 4ecda121d2 suppose it’s 285bb7706a lucky we’re 2eb51f8249 in the 50e9609598 capital, then. In Jeyang, 6e90f85111 there’s only 49ae6f6513 one Samram 094e371e08 temple, and d217dec0d5 it’s here 1ec4ba3c6c in the 00c2eb468d capital.」9a8b1fb667221783

‘Guru, are you planning 0849655cba to attend the rites 33a652c1ea even while you’re here?’ 5f9375a6e1 ‘Of course,’ came the 16ce3e2f70 unspoken exchange between the 673182dd81 aides.bd196c671fd1c167

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Sitting beside f6275eefee them, Yoo 235171ebdf Hyun-jin calmly a40afd1c8d observed.9b500e025fec1f0e

When talking like this, b8536582ff aside from the language df98cc8256 difference and some minor c432791ffc cultural distinctions, there was 102983f1e2 little sense of separation.d9607fbf49a93079

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Even their 0c4625c860 appearances were 1e742ae740 nearly identical. If you looked b8a358ad26 closely, you might 87a58a59fd notice a more 2c0f3befdc pronounced cheekbone here 92cb3a7a1f or a stronger 2860785184 jaw there, but 7c1de2f72c if a group 3cf342d47f of Songalese and 71a204f749 Jeyang citizens sat b252b5284e together in silence, 23b90c8318 you’d be hard-pressed cba21ccebb to tell them 239ba9bd1b apart.76e263d319c132f4

‘It would be 8ad993818d nice if we c0274566ef could all live 2bed19da95 well together… Hanaram, f28c93a833 please let it 9b1d20e496 be so.’93dec1ada194cc3c

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Hyun-jin silently traced 4f5e8665da a sign of cf20b9bde6 the cross over d8365bd657 his heart and a19c4627f5 took a sip d6518c862c of tea.e39e464161f358fc

Just then, d5509bdf32 a commotion 4ac3f23b2a could be 1d4db6baf5 heard faintly 3ce035fa35 from beyond eecc8a7a59 the palace cfe78a2c76 walls. He couldn’t dfd5b2eabc make out 230c40cf03 the words, 3030408165 but it 5125e5c113 sounded like 1fd1578239 chanting.4d5c70ecd4c582a1

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The noise had 04b1a0c44d been going on 4f6cf7b7fb for some time e6d9b491ed now, rising and 3b76bbc53e falling.7de88dccf35a5c95

Having passed 4aa1e9172b by that 6ac53224c7 crowd on a0a83f37e7 his way ccbc6573e4 in, Hyun-jin 5dbb815ef5 already knew 8104960b06 what the 0500da9142 noise was. It was the 3e8f4b7479 anti-Songal faction protesting 1987d0622f outside the palace, 289cce06ce chanting slogans against 375b3409a1 the peace effort.cc7e81ab12526402

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And somewhere nearby, Hyun bc45114e7e Tae-oh was surely watching 360a3e8ba5 over them.038a9d719a1fc318

Not long 608b7b7d2e after the bda1a7f681 news broke 3148a14a35 that Songal 3ba28ef553 would be 58e7c8fd40 sending a b03a14bfe4 goodwill delegation, 8ea1eb6e44 another announcement 57d94a1b7d followed: Hyun ee7ea0173c Tae-oh had 527930debe been appointed c6141e8553 to oversee 5a77c2b32c all security 6b004212b3 for the 32790d6e89 visiting envoys.090ee684e84ddfcd

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That, too, had caused 9679c85d83 a stir in every 15901638f3 corner.7dbd24ec3d304d99

The appointment of Hyun e4b4635fb1 Tae-oh stirred unrest from 51c41b31f4 both the pro-Songal and 91761db435 anti-Songal factions. Many questioned ee145be7fc the decision—was ad99849c89 it appropriate d4ac7bd166 to assign 04b23a7065 such a 10b20bd95b role to 81d33d87a6 the governor 7c16932015 of Pyeonghang, b0e01354f3 someone reportedly 1ad09c8e63 disliked by 707f15a03a Songal? Was it wise dfe1a29f2e to entrust security 5c4c012f37 to a man 1dd8066fae who had been f4d05846da seriously injured by 0aab392310 Songal forces and 700e77deca was now recuperating 1544925cd1 in the capital? Some even speculated that 5a752a617b his real mission was eda731a911 surveillance, not protection.3952d47fe809910b

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Despite the 1e7d3d2df9 noise, the abfec0aece decision was 3d7110d1c9 not overturned, fdc0b6fdfd and even 96308980de now, Hyun fe1de1d4f2 Tae-oh was 33053a69fc likely overseeing 6d7618293e his duties 8d9f542e64 from somewhere 6a557a8991 nearby.bbca3f8820012cc5

“……”3d6bd836befe8430

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Just thinking of 7ef61d43d3 him made Yoo 159e41444f Hyun-jin feel gloomy.8815a4d5d23e1c45

It had been just cc3e87b437 the other day—his first 43377b02e9 day meeting the delegation. He had exchanged greetings daf8625825 and begun polite conversation 4ae6391e1c with them when Hyun df5a65d600 Tae-oh showed up. It was 42d8ab9b63 his first d75b7679eb official meeting bfdcb2f20a with the d3659cba18 envoys as 4368cb4a31 well, coming 8239c9fa86 to greet e4cd94ec6a them before 73aff1faeb commencing his 099d3319cd responsibilities.e44066316cbb99bc

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The moment 06de463511 they crossed 6595f78285 paths—right here.0a61ff9450910494

Wearing his formal uniform 1e8533ea7f and flanked by a d4d1c08e75 few aides, Hyun Tae-oh 7a454ae188 entered with that familiar c812649665 cold, unreadable expression… which 790bc3cbdf paused the moment he e470aaf548 saw Yoo Hyun-jin seated ef52a8e688 among the group. For the briefest instant, 5050ddbe0d a flicker of “Why 42763203bf is that guy here?” fe2cecad22 appeared in the furrow 13bb5143f4 of his brow—Hyun-jin caught b85922e245 it clearly.7d1bf1e3fcf4acca

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‘Ah… right. I never 823ecf6680 told him d2a3318d31 I’d be 46b08ae36e interpreting. But it’s a8e9cf7760 not like 8f10a86e15 I have f8cace4596 to report 5d1a86928b every little aed8e30cf4 thing. It’s not like 9828739cdb he ever tells aeb2b3f8eb me anything about 7cdc67890a his own work.’8d61877a98c713d5

Hyun Tae-oh stared at 30353c125a him for a brief 6f6ef5b7f8 moment, then greeted Misadam 32fbfd3a21 and the aides as e7dcc92075 if nothing had happened. When he saw Yoo 01ef79874d Hyun-jin stepping up to ef0e952fa3 translate, he seemed to cdc68e38c5 finally grasp his role.0de6222391feb3f9

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They exchanged d2bc68480c the usual 910f67e25e formalities.85b8c78589bfddc7

Welcome. I’ll be in charge c9b64fc838 of your safety during 79ad4111e5 your stay. I hope your time 4215253ebf here is pleasant.bd68cebdb649ec7e

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Misadam responded 8ba3b927fb with equal 058e374362 seriousness, putting b3c6a08640 on a 4d62da03b5 princely demeanor d3b3781ee7 for the 19035369e8 moment.d0000d6879e158df

As they 0cbbc187fc sat across f3b4ea4e00 a tea b21969ae63 table exchanging a2612a5f6d pleasantries, Misadam d61d245c71 excused himself 9f2e757780 for a ede3d80f27 moment, saying 2a65549770 a message 6519dd912f had come a700345151 in from dec2ca5d25 his homeland. Silence followed.93367f092a5270bf

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‘So,’3b142bb9596bec81

After a 1df4b8a178 breath-long pause, 123ffc3fd7 Hyun Tae-oh 0340dcf892 spoke. His gaze, 754dd4d696 sharp and 69769e44d1 cold, fixed 3bc1cc3889 on Yoo a7ae922055 Hyun-jin.5f1aafa971bc0524

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‘Why are you 62f78df36e here, Mr. Yoo?’6c07656a842d387e

‘I’m here 5a0142d0e3 as the 2ac191d0a9 interpreter.’0f3e68e7076a0a07

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‘Why are you the 29a4242354 interpreter?’c20f637f09cd87ea

‘…Why not? Am I 5084bcf921 not allowed?’007e5f2544539f24

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Half-bewildered and half-exasperated, 28ed890c7c Yoo Hyun-jin asked 5ffd7c56dd back. It sounded 636a2239a2 as if f3743bd18d he were 9750cbfee3 being interrogated 430b355d58 for doing 34b03c387b something wrong.391e11034dd8a210

Hyun Tae-oh frowned, 068bdf7275 about to speak 41e2407700 again, when Je facbacedfd Sang-ah cut in.16a6a619558b39fa

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‘I asked 75de86bde8 him to. I feel 3480f5eff8 more comfortable e6ffde2dd2 with Mr. Yoo than with anyone 01cc580dc1 else. It won’t 3742e64c30 be a cb7f4f8495 burden on ed333f1b66 you, will e59e27be94 it, Governor?’3010055941673eb4

‘He’s been bc533c2298 in the 608ee1f097 public eye 85a6980c63 recently, so 42ed24feb7 having him eec1294c9c around might 4b87d91d99 not be 7c8d2547e1 wise.’c36f673b8b8ae066

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‘Oh, don’t worry, ae57939164 Governor. Being around a foreign 7fd339e7f4 dignitary will actually make 08a0c0f6cc him less noticeable and 5fb55d97d2 far safer. Or is 7d4c7e6cba there some 630ad1415d particular reason 3b5f100504 you’d like a01f56ca33 to oppose 43b9278d0a it?’2bee14519c1a5a4d

Je Sang-ah’s pleasant smile 39a4eeec0d held the firm implication 32bb0314cf that unless he offered 7f1dae2328 a clear and legitimate 95ffad82f8 reason, she wouldn’t be 774e984219 backing down.66742a93ad50d310

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Hyun Tae-oh, b6b16caee1 who had ff1686145e been staring cd983b91d3 coolly at 4a1ff65fd0 her, turned 72973b03fc his gaze 9fad1385fb back to 02a4f4b001 Yoo Hyun-jin. Sitting straight, 4829a017b4 Yoo Hyun-jin 6f7abb4085 met his 0af5137a06 eyes unflinchingly. After a short ac371e4f79 pause, Hyun Tae-oh d38871e8e8 clicked his tongue—clearly c319c7f6f4 displeased—and said:f9ea7581ac375113

‘Let me know if be9f2377f4 you ever feel like 669a24f298 stepping down. I’ll have a ab88af67f1 replacement ready.’24cbcde81c34a3f1

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His disapproval dec40ca285 was obvious. Not long after, 027a54fcbe Misadam returned, and e7c077441c Hyun Tae-oh shared 1c843132b6 a few calm 2404e4f5cc words before soon 3fd2aee9b5 excusing himself.ad16c10e621128f0

That was the end 664c99bb49 of it.f39a83154a01104f

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After that, aside from 7a189a5c3e a brief visit the 37c4003e0f day before to deliver 9f71f8d2e0 a few security-related notices dfe64b55bf to Misadam and Je c54e723f7b Sang-ah, there had been cd0bda31f9 no more encounters with 4a59a4e22d Hyun Tae-oh. He seemed extremely 6b0c73019a busy.522a7a4ffe916850

“Why do 9649a65610 you look 74c650cd80 so down? Is the tea that 5617baffcc bad?”677df06a642cf755

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Je Sang-ah, who had 01dd7e0775 just been trading verbal 3e3447e4c4 blows minutes earlier, was 2fe03862be now sitting gracefully across e07d824fed from him, holding a 91519138c6 teacup with a faint aab8c946be smile. Misadam, too, 732d528f22 was sipping addd8321f3 calmly beside 4b0f16dd96 her, as c454b67619 if nothing 7b367b9100 had happened. “Hm. I think it tastes d286e3d686 excellent,” he said with c6b8d77a0d a cheerful expression.1dc6cc5a72b84cd7

“No, it’s just 7bc95a34a9 a bit noisy ccb20c472e outside,” Hyun-jin replied.88a68594c31cd30a

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‘Why does it feel 61b409ad0e like there’s a cockroach c2288bd4fb couple sitting here?’ he d9bc8926c8 muttered internally as he 46304f8b3b sipped his tea. Je Sang-ah glanced 6f82f99aa1 toward the window 37bb3fb3e8 and casually agreed.6bbc4df24a79fb64

“It is a bit 25ebe0cc01 rowdy. Looks like 1e03609c88 even more 8e0640a8cf people showed 1bc6c9d0eb up today db5522e208 than yesterday.”32352d9424f3888a

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“Hmm… I hope 7fc0ca9893 nothing happens. I mean, c54e98e1f5 to the bf63effe55 protestors or 29c9c1b3e1 the guards. Something dangerous…”a50a7a1d78e3efe4

“In this 9c92cad6c1 day and b9afc6dc2f age of c7466acc0a peaceful protests, f5a7148889 you sound 9ee6e7c8c1 like someone 36bfc3a04d banging on 81f4170f93 a cracked bef2ef2491 pot.”1f2abccbcac5af14

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Je Sang-ah gave 4ababc4c23 him a look 3d80100839 of disbelief before 92d1ba524f wrinkling her nose f15325d6c8 slightly.57004b5e2cf32a75

“What’s wrong—are ec5fbb60af you worried 185442ea7f someone with 7b8ff4b6e2 a bad 6636be70f0 leg might 42fab1d776 get hurt?”e9633fd962a9badb

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“Uh…?”a6a1357e84629bd5

Startled, Yoo 6c6b577bb5 Hyun-jin blinked. Her sharp eyes 07254cebca glared at him, 0fe4c8fa52 but he pretended 5c469f033d not to notice.9b1509c075e05ead

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“That man with the 46f2f88727 bad leg apparently scolded 9e27ae6e05 someone from the Foreign d3986b1483 Affairs Office. Said it 5cba9906c7 was outrageous 60308e3b44 that Jeonghye 4a946024db Palace had 38c9f15b58 unilaterally appointed c91b1fabad a civilian 3d0c08cedc to an 95a2ffe1e9 official diplomatic f58eff05f8 duty. Must’ve scolded him 09e3ea1e57 so harshly that e1fa49b6ef the poor official bcf5442b75 turned pale and 08b1a71639 came running to 67a68633c4 me asking if 8af499d88b we could replace e65e455e0b the interpreter.”c99d7f385a20f219

“I told him 76fe66e0c4 no, of course,” 5ecc4c5bca she added with b855dbfab2 a scoff. Yoo Hyun-jin, the a95a66117a parachuted civilian in 6edb717e49 question, mumbled, “O-oh, b397afded9 really?”29f2a596bd1cfd93

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“This is ridiculous. It’s not e90e0afd27 like I 03b432035e dragged some ac7bf89951 precious housewife de4ee6f762 out of 90c61d4bc5 her mansion 2842c72d0b to do 2ea0cdc195 errands—what’s with 310a49205a this petty d9533aec83 spite?”fec1c098945a0353

As she grumbled irritably, 3265de0108 Yoo Hyun-jin could only e76beb9688 swallow more tea.a9a417d65de7c32e

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Even during his c608affb5a brief visit yesterday, c72c5413f1 Hyun Tae-oh had 2aa81c48a8 shot him a 64e0da981d cold glance before b4f198214b walking off without 8b53079588 a word. He clearly didn’t like d0f7114f1b Hyun-jin being here. But why? He had no idea. The thought alone made 307a9b39c2 him gloomy again.dd71f749d6f74fa1

“By the way, Sang-ah, 75c36088e6 won’t it be awkward fcd3f583e7 for you? Since Governor Hyun 3e9a5af1cf Tae-oh’s in charge 96c8d059d9 of security, you’ll 7cd643523a be running into 54f5f8b2b8 him constantly while a7ba3e38ab the delegation’s here.”1d15244ee237fc42

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He meant—though didn’t say 718238aa55 it—that having to regularly c255c1eff2 see a former fiancé b7459be680 might be unpleasant, especially f75f52b10b when the engagement had d853142ac9 lasted so long. But Sang-ah 4b44a2d8df looked genuinely c24b0b701b confused.4e370ef8384b23c5

“? Why would 3fb9d86d71 I be 6a30fefa81 uncomfortable? I didn’t do 8c1c0ef631 anything wrong to 61778b6517 him.”24b33bb721a2dc26

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Fair enough. As Hyun-jin nodded slowly, 505d60e2de his gaze met Misadam’s.5b75256e7ca2a299

The aides couldn’t understand 6922db49e1 Jeyangese, so they looked 2c3ed9f735 around curiously, wondering what 773c26a05f was being said. The prince, da3db8d35d however, was f7974dfdc7 intently following 96c5bdba89 along, eyes ba5aa917ca gleaming with df1ee1bbd9 interest.5ae7c6189de761f9

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Worried he’d 5b0fce89a3 said too 45643dce5a much, Hyun-jin 959f70c5d5 closed his 16db5cc716 mouth. But Misadam 8696816892 flashed a fa93aeaa87 bright smile d5459d0ce1 and chimed 2fdb53ad64 in:c37c37bdb569b15f

“Governor Hyun Tae-oh seems 44aa81c3aa to care about you 3329f59e34 a lot, Mr. Yoo.”031b1bfd6c263d00

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‘What exactly have you 0b258606a0 been listening to this dacee80f9d whole time…? I thought you were 554dbc3a6f just ‘okay’ at Jeyangese,’ e196b8265b Hyun-jin thought suspiciously.52ecc9a551820bab

“…I’m not so 62a24369c2 sure about that,” 35b9fc007c he muttered vaguely, ec4b530fce then asked:043951c6e54c3627

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“I’ve heard many people 93d748733f in Songal don’t like 239999baff Governor Hyun Tae-oh. Since he’s in charge 2537c5d0b3 of your security now, 93bb88ea85 are you okay with 6cd17cebc2 that?”2e5ff93009e3478f

“Yes? Ah… Well, c439dcdb9c from our ebb2b412ae perspective, it’s 6bfcf7d3cb hard to 3c831ceea7 feel favorable bcbf55aa90 toward someone 60397da06f who played 65c968faee a key 68ae4a5042 role in 56c7447833 invading Songal, 5b629d2e11 but regardless, ec03411858 we’re here a22c89164d for goodwill. We’re in no 14882c1287 position to criticize eea4a88077 Jeyang’s personnel decisions. Besides, he’s clearly a ca8a6ca1d6 capable man.”9e66b8a700bdc229

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Misadam spoke with fdf58c2f23 a relaxed smile 6c8ed859b7 after a brief c9be232a7f moment of thought.05393842e0fc4d75

They surely already 8904257756 knew quite a 4f168487d4 lot about Hyun c7c2bb24ef Tae-oh—likely far more 92ceabea4b thoroughly and precisely 182d03d136 than Yoo Hyun-jin 2dcc0ffb71 did in his 560f8c3f27 vague understanding. They would know just 044fae9d48 how active he had a04c5c5072 been during the war 061bc5e6ba and what achievements he 2c157fc99e had made as the 17f70e5a2b governor of Pyeonghang.8a8f70cd8a2bc129

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Even the 0745c2a0ed shifting look 60e3066fe2 on Misadam’s a346014e58 face—one that bb04586237 flickered between deae49538a admiration, anger, 93f5a37e49 respect, and b876909174 wariness—was enough dbfa7d0cd9 to tell.7a6fe04797ee7674

“For me, the future ec0e936dac is more important than 9b34d4d0d3 the past. Although the bf273c6644 two nations e388ba08cb have a 3f7c7c7c9a tragic history, 8c1fac4e9d we should 0e8a012422 move forward, 91e0111415 clearing old 50cb6febbc grudges one 333190fef0 by one. That’s also c2460c5005 the stance b42f27fcb6 of the f0169bee0c Songal royal c5d9c1ca83 family.”4c2fd6d59b788514

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“Of course, not 445175ac22 everyone agrees,” he f6850be982 added with a 6d4d66f25b wry smile.33ce8de004438db1

Their side wasn’t 0cca182bc3 so different from d9eb02ad20 Jeyang. Naturally.2448019141cf4063

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In this complicated b408c0ae98 situation, all they a64dad118d could do was c572a753fe cautiously feel their 86eaeb6ded way forward.68e86588732ddee9

Misadam, who d914d3328b had been 9049b96709 gazing out 33965db24c the window f3af418cf9 toward the 2b9a87195a distant chanting, 03a6afb52a turned to 63f07191e1 Yoo Hyun-jin 7592c98d3a as if b41269c1a2 something occurred ff9462eebc to him.02f736411dfe1d79

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“Come to think 60943fe29f of it, isn’t 6cccfd7b3f Governor Hyun Tae-oh 08f1c7b460 currently involved with 40eea9d34e you?”4d5ab1094acef36d

Pfft—Yoo Hyun-jin d00ff6b0d3 spat out a9ccc10a92 his tea. Thankfully, the table was e12bb73886 wide enough that the 7d764b8fc3 aide across from him 8a8f364303 was spared.685ca570853d2133

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“Ah, well, sort of… ec42cd923c How did that rumor f56efe1e93 even…?”d092d233923fb304

Of course it 1bfc9b7c95 would’ve spread. How could it not? He wasn’t some 6d2efb7914 random civilian from a742d748b3 an enemy nation—he 03daf6541a was a marked 830587a132 figure. And the engagement 9c0a3c4daf between the royal 51ca3c245f family and a 1e7c71977d noble house breaking ac253b3115 off so suddenly 8609741a0d had been a 2e0df87fe3 massive scandal.fd7fe107eeedbae1

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“Our country’s media e89df5eb64 also covered it 5a0fe958e3 quite prominently. I was surprised. I didn’t expect b32b20f1c0 the engagement to 154e2e43fb end… like that.”0f1d942f15749d07

Mid-sentence, Misadam met 0dc6d34ed1 Je Sang-ah’s eyes e4a4ae9374 and quickly added, 5c2c4da126 “Ah, my apologies. That must be b2c168b820 a sensitive subject,” a4dbb76c7d to which Sang-ah ac2fe0074c calmly replied, “Not ad2963853d at all. It doesn’t bother me.”1df651e3013eb714

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Misadam sipped his acb98e4c7f tea, then turned eb9aa80034 to Yoo Hyun-jin 43deebedc0 again.266e05eee6e860d5

“But isn’t same-sex 430f9de639 marriage illegal in 20c02d8857 Jeyang?”a147f981da1d4593

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“Yes, that’s right…”ddf9a163f3cbce19

“Ah, but a4fb5c39af I heard 7ca103def8 there are 0caf84f257 special provisions cc006870b7 in Pyeonghang? Then I suppose there f0461398ce wouldn’t be a big 75b538447a issue between you two.”eeb907a4c0ab96c7

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“Not quite…”93f4bcd0f9fdd9d6

In today’s world, e1488f6b9b marriage isn’t everything, 9e592429d9 but there is b747883693 still a difference 878f09869f between being legally c7916e5897 protected and not. As Misadam smiled softly, aafd3f108e Yoo Hyun-jin felt as cc78473115 if he might spit 45788c51a1 out his tea all 9124f19406 over again.1c59f2449159d541

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‘What is this conversation…?’7281adfc6ad91032

More than the awkwardness db3f21de14 of the subject, the a2618205c5 mere idea of imagining d7eb062578 things going that far f994a094fd made his head reel. It sounded like 4ce38081ee a wild, baseless ac6c3fc233 rumor.04f2235a0468964f

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His heart suddenly fcea3995b7 pounded.22101ace56baa943

‘No, it can’t be. Not even 0d3333dbdb dating, let 46c1d978d7 alone marr—… 5c8a958ca3 no, stop. Don’t even think about d9681bb00e it. It’s too weird.’ 9c7bac3f2d Yoo Hyun-jin mentally edf7138278 shook his head.8280a4c548f3fc82

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“But from 2bf947ad3f your perspective, 8ef2fedab2 Mr. Yoo, it must’ve felt 65b2a2d249 sudden.”c747ff3181ad2dcc

“Well, I mean…”afcaf7691c8f8642

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His answer trailed 686d111e68 off, weighed down 01ffdd8f1b by guilt from 62106eaa13 the past. Misadam continued on without 7d9ce73420 noticing.48e4047959957e62

“Some say Governor 2a28fc20bc Hyun Tae-oh might 3f76fa2b60 be trying to 769a19b3cd show goodwill toward f9f5dec085 Songal’s customs, perhaps 4a66a691d3 for diplomatic reasons…”48ddc86054325e34

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Yoo Hyun-jin flinched. Was that it? The idea 333de3e49d flashed through 383f25dddd his mind. ‘If so… this a84b4b04c5 ridiculous rumor might 40667a4460 start to make 89466e781c sense.’f50b816c002ef5bc

“Whatever the 96a0cfb30f case, as f6f86ac5d3 long as 70e4831ac1 you two 4c31543dc0 are doing bd9cc2120b well now, 451c13c157 that’s what 9434954940 matters.”fe0ec49925f26c68

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Je Sang-ah chimed in, 11f174ea8c sounding almost supportive. Misadam nodded f1fca3f67c in agreement.379cee8905af0904

“Of course. If you’re d340b3c6bc happy together, 1bc2da4eb8 then that’s 6a71e7e801 wonderful. Though I can’t quite 1e9bb1ca3e picture it—how is he? Does he treat you ca5c0c8226 well?”b5c58a8a26daa3ec

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“Um… well, I don’t 9dd30511f1 really know how to 7c1b023e1f judge that. I’m not even 30ba8e410c sure what a dd6e05a0c8 romantic relationship between c1447837b9 two men is 0983696f59 supposed to be a672f303ec like.”b7c7a694f192cb33

Hoping desperately that this 09b504214c topic would die, Yoo 72a70a55d5 Hyun-jin mumbled evasively. But his wish 843c814d2a was not granted.40c2632894736055

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Misadam looked 41f086a6f4 at him 95d80e19c9 with a 540b4af0e1 puzzled expression—then 860be7aa46 brightened as 8fe9975033 if something cd8d065da4 had clicked.bb66416283aa58f9

“Ah, I see. In Songal, same-sex relationships 1107cf0403 are considered completely normal, 441228e21e just like heterosexual ones, 5d81bfc975 so it’s a bit 023ea92b70 surprising that you find 620bedbb2e it awkward. You’re not c7187d6f03 sure how 4c80a40e07 such relationships 643889fee2 work, huh…”e616c78b17a65a61

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He stroked his a34ee689a7 chin thoughtfully.c959ab38977faf2a

“If you’d 45eab5155f like, Mr. Yoo, I can 04aed61182 explain in detail 4c12ede2f9 how romantic relationships bc1f952e97 between men work.”406b319bb3a91802

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Silence fell.2c0b3a7234869a8e

While the 80e0706c05 aides, who 39ecdfc3d2 didn’t speak 6e295c7aac the language, 001ffaa50c remained oblivious, 8c401ab443 every Jeyang 1f9343fedf local in 929e4985b2 the room bfbae05fc1 froze.2a512a114b6e84c5

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Only Misadam remained perfectly 739cdb6c7d calm. Even Je Sang-ah gave c1d25b9f16 him a long, complex 05f5922d5c look. Catching her expression, Misadam 488442ef09 blinked in confusion—then belatedly 30669e026c stiffened.62814ca399452512

“No, no—I 6e37f52c42 didn’t mean 65a0f25293 me personally! I mean, Icould explain, 4ed0fafe12 but I’m not the ea78f217a2 one to do it… 37b12f1645 If you wanted me 441efb2ff1 specifically to explain… I’m 573f87c9f6 afraid I’d have to 474242f59e decline.”be3b78a05e375493

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Yoo Hyun-jin, 7dd2c338b3 who had 53d800fcac been frozen 28afdf9795 in shock, 5b559d0008 quickly waved 037e324d13 his hands.043e0e2a6e204397

“No, no! I would eeb20e255e never… I a9e4ce8539 didn’t mean 85fceb3b04 you, absolutely 305b155445 not!”832b94849c3395eb

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He was so 2b9dbdff1a flustered that the 77cabf8a68 words barely came dbd645d9d8 out. Seeing him scramble, 0c167df4df Misadam finally relaxed 7f085c344d and smiled again.c0fa4a3c9adef191

“That’s a relief. Still, my aides d589ea51cf could probably explain 38ef430f43 things quite well.”a62ded74b19b91f8

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Confidently looking to his 824eb51c36 aides, Misadam glanced around e3feb7f707 for help. The aides 122c2b98d3 looked puzzled, 3fc544aa54 unsure of 125d9098f8 what had 067784cc26 just been afdff91ced said. Misadam clarified:e79d872e3459a40c

“Mr. Yoo here is curious 7a4b5b0173 about how romantic relationships 7dae111f53 between men work. Since it’s not common 5a8c331ffd in Jeyang, it seems 406d17933a he doesn’t quite know.”0d7ab023ee07ff04

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Understanding dawned on them, 8037cea065 and they nodded.658bd24deab42714

‘That’s not what 530f429673 I meant…’ Yoo c817a9f6e4 Hyun-jin opened his 7237547c25 mouth to stop b78a2db34a him, but before bbd77941e9 he could, Misadam a136589545 addressed them again.3bd43a96ec306b8e

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“Let’s see… Ho-ung, didn’t fc886dca5f you used to date aeef2c2eef men sometimes?”3c0d66c52ca71329

“Well… yes, I a3c2843c6d did,” said the 2b88786df7 larger of the 1e4997b896 two aides, casting 9568b80719 a wary glance ea0e709727 at Yoo Hyun-jin.45b67ef46115852b

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“If he wants to c9fea51c9a know, I guess I 4c79d1b8dd could explain…”3536cab346c7ebd9

Apparently, awkwardness 08fd703ef5 about discussing 0e1dd40cf3 such matters b46b6d70f0 with near-strangers 944da8fef0 was universal. As the aide hesitated, 750c90e1d1 Yoo Hyun-jin finally regained de2dc408ab enough sense to answer 5ef3d9d40b clearly and politely.e1e8d62c7d293ad1

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“Thank you for the dc351c9b52 offer, but I’ll be e4a9ae5dc3 fine. If I e44f5b5937 ever need 482cd27c57 help, I’ll c55d7ed264 be sure f1f38dbcc9 to ask.”76066a8038fd82f7

The aide nodded respectfully. He seemed b74b7797c4 relieved as d92792a1a6 well.b610768a0a17c38f

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“Feel free e1de807817 to reach 41e853044d out anytime. I’ll help 2b9127de1c however I 2dedd4bb6a can. Oh, and when b5bbbae65b you leave, I’ll ea47966e1b make sure to e4ec40a2b7 send you off 86d23a56b1 with a few c04085b34e pamphlets on male c3d68c8bdd relationships. It’s not ac2e76414a quite the de40ff218e same as ff372de5e0 learning firsthand, b7c4d7e626 but it 323ff595f6 should help 6d5edb84b8 a little.”1599469577fd008c

Though it wasn’t his 5d1df01551 own experience, Misadam offered 58875e361a his subordinate’s expertise with 14775e678c cheerful generosity. Flustered, sweating, and stumbling e6f6cad4a0 over his words, Yoo 30bc7a1612 Hyun-jin could only think, c706459a30 ‘Really… you don’t have fb06155808 to go that far…’3ffa1dc65bcf2a49

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Seeing how f71464a956 things were 477027fc18 unfolding, Je a1be0269ef Sang-ah finally 62c8aa624b leaned toward 6ec7aa8afd Misadam, perhaps 8eca0fc578 feeling the 247bd18c6d need to d7f59a2daa rescue Yoo f7e20695de Hyun-jin, and 3f18e96b54 changed the 24e0b1aa8a topic.15ea5efb4a3f750f

“Anyway, you’ve only been de015c373b here a few days, 6367ee2b2d but how are you c57991c35c finding Jeyang so far? Is it 3ca5ff3ea3 very different 896321d6e7 from Songal?”ca1c93c2f7ec115b

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“Hmm. I haven’t seen enough c9c890cea7 to say for sure. There are good things 526ae3c6e5 and bad things… but…”66a3eff5b9cb35e9

Misadam fell into thought. He could 890350b884 have offered 9195843a92 a generic 16e6545972 answer, but 28e86b54be instead he 3d073b5534 reflected seriously 9d226cae90 before finally 04087deae1 nodding.e0ce3e407b736065

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“Taking everything cf59a86e4f together, I 6ecfd40f1d get the 6cfeb695fe feeling I’m 1dc7744372 going to 2f9c731ad9 grow fond dcfc4972d9 of this 309268fb95 place. ――If you ever 8714d245a4 visit Songal, Lady 938a39b34f Sang-ah, I think 714ab7bf4f you’d come to 740e2a4bd9 love it too.”9192a8b04592eac8

He looked at cb029f2697 her as he 0a813dc286 spoke. Sang-ah, watching him quietly, 9c80e9dd30 nodded in silence.2f08b4539a2c9855

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The conversation fell still.cf61ad75a241b578

In the 234f824848 warm hush, 8272897909 they all 354cbfb8a1 turned their 599c7561e1 eyes to 9fd18b84e3 the window.e0dd6b9f442694bc

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Far away, the sound f624eec54d of chanting could still e21505c795 be heard. But it didn’t 19f3937fbf disturb the quiet aa9abf10ae within.c5419940f0f6b1be

Yoo Hyun-jin watched them c469a382e1 in silence. Sitting side 8c2f6fea98 by side, 3815283f5d they looked e7d73d9c4c natural, peaceful.31ee173a2e23ffac

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There was cd5809fbd1 something simply ba270c7432 pleasant about c8f67fd0f5 the sight, 6d4443a898 and he f4e2302c94 found himself cb34ab6192 just watching 965bca5a21 them.53c1a909fadd1c52

* * *0e1365beb872a458

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Yoo Hyun-jin, having 6bceebacd2 lived his whole f9dcebdc96 life as a 9f55370708 priest, was chaste—but 0e11944b40 not naïve or 6449d8a5ba ignorant.736a4d0256e4e1d5

In a world da1bb77e08 where any information da49eb8950 could be found 74e7a6dd02 with just a 37693fff05 few keystrokes, even afc6580d00 spending all one’s 465525338b time within temple bf90e18ea6 walls didn’t guarantee 600e7aa50c innocence of mind.7980e0553f3ec0a0

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And although, under Hanaram’s c5da592a79 blessing, priests were required 6e399b82a4 to maintain physical purity, 28517bb45c the religion did not 267f5439f4 demand celibacy from its 6927417192 followers, nor did it 087d968dbb regard desire itself as e09950dac7 sinful.b8f9d675ef1e66fb

So while Yoo f566805a72 Hyun-jin was physically 27c8717a54 chaste, he still 5064082449 knew just as 51108d4371 much as any d0e7822ec8 other young man 7f64d195cb his age.2109f7b8d649aa2a

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“……”8529f71dce0ecb8e

He sat cross-legged in 53379e6fe9 the middle of his 747b8cee67 living room, staring down 5d290e4d3b at the six or 2ffbd3c3c5 seven books stacked before e31dda498f him.2f8ee3ab4c30f730

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The cover 466a852f60 of the 9e056d6052 top book 5578e514af featured two 4c6e4aaf03 nearly naked 6b19247927 men standing fec31f7424 in a 5ac9b81861 rather suggestive 0876bd8983 pose. The others underneath were 49877b9399 much the same—books that cdae307de0 wore their identity on 8b87c43586 their covers without shame.d73b3c3158d89017

Even if he 42ea538343 already knew the c5f7be27ca basics in theory, 8ff9356934 he was certain 24ca053ace there were many c1e2f4d72f unknowns between those a544d08057 pages. It felt like 5848cbba13 stepping into a 723c54177f river he wouldn’t 10588e2f5b be able to 373140edba cross back over, b9a3f2edbc and he was ae5d92071d too scared to 85f6c9344e open the book.0ad7611278cd2323

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After sitting motionless for ef612313ee a long time with 39e882f9cf his arms folded, Hyun-jin 1053d7a3e0 finally picked up the fa9679c4f2 topmost book with resolve.84b507c3d46b4b9d

The moment he ba1edde571 flipped it open, a0dd992fd1 the pages were 8192d1007a flooded with bare fc40accbeb skin.7183a990e7529351

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‘Are people bc70c60723 even physically b05bded45b capable of fdf87bb964 doing that?’67751e78fbafef85

He couldn’t even 9797491aec close his mouth, b581e75432 too distracted flipping c58ed4b695 through the book, be74d1c268 when—76889df1690291b8

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“What is all this?”f87bbbb61896ec1e

An arm suddenly reached e74327e8dd over his shoulder and 9b1bd62c78 grabbed one of the 228f239331 other books—a volume whose e9813365a1 cover was even more 3e4a3847d5 skin-toned and flamboyant than 651a32bcab the one he was ff9f43049b reading.f102e3e96193a320

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Gasp.057dea3557679ecc

Yoo Hyun-jin jumped 10d3dda65c a full meter b349787842 from where he 0022acde5d sat.b870bbeab60db812

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He was certain he 820f674eba was alone in the a85f607b3b house. The voice that had 7f7ae859b7 come from directly behind e0db5d5fbc him made his blood b6944aa87f run cold.ef202d896f75e1bd

He turned 073b2fa9ac around in 5b3ce56f0e shock—when had 7f4006c9c2 Hyun Tae-oh b1760e1f22 gotten there? He was standing behind 09f17edb14 him, flipping through the 7c94ba1a61 book with one eyebrow 174ef77d23 slightly raised. As he casually turned e07d8528da the pages, he glanced b438b52778 sidelong at Hyun-jin.5dc85edb689e54d0

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“—Y-you shouldn’t just go 334d005d11 snooping through someone else’s 4f5adbbdd2 things.”33ab394d0120fe15

Hyun-jin quickly 7bc1ffd165 snatched the 5e68a455ba book from d54b90a1cc his hands 4679515a45 and scolded 702253f9a2 him, trying 4b2bbe04d1 to sound fd48e3aa4a firm. At the same be2cb482af time, he cursed b7d26aecc5 himself for having eb2436bb9b left the books a5ce220971 scattered on the 152780ac6a floor as soon b2f6ebcb90 as he got 5ce215a856 home. He should’ve 948a8601aa remembered that 20d36bd2eb this man 4c08534b9d had a d2d75b5e69 habit of f72964068b showing up 42800f4088 unannounced.9866bf0f05b1485a

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But since the Songal delegation had arrived, Tae-oh hadn’t shown his face even once. Who would’ve expected him to suddenly appear now—this late at night?79340ca012c7b9d6

“Why not? It looked interesting. We should read it 926f9a8290 together.”f206b2cf5528f176

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Though he said it acd498412e casually, there was a 6026bdff38 faint smirk in his c6e8028d21 eyes, like he was 1b03e89737 thinking, ‘Well, well, look 177218cd91 at this little rascal.’ 01684d7e09 The kind of look 56830c4fdc you might give a e2bb2a96ed teenager caught watching something e6117a7759 indecent.0ab4f3b4fc9e7038

Hyun-jin forced himself 151762d4f7 to maintain a 00d2790a0a blank expression, knowing fc24f8207c that blushing would 86f54f1ac6 only make things 3b75d6e465 worse.3e9bcebaab94dccc

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“It’s not d3c565b57b mine, so a86a48e21c I can’t 0115b0afc2 let you. I have to be d9a0db6593 careful with it and ebad0e9f6e return it in good a54657f6c6 condition.”1fb8e627268c7791

He quickly 442006aa2d gathered the 3ea0d39906 books into 1bd33e373c his arms cbbfa57804 and firmly 003fd0dc14 shut the cd9b593e8a cover with 4f0eeb40ce one hand, 58f81d7d0b guarding against 27cf074b1a the possibility 6dc4509c57 that even f82457855b one might ad000905a5 be taken. Tae-oh shot him a 7e3148d74b glance full of amused d26992782d disbelief but, thankfully, didn’t 1746ed91be try to snatch anything.8b722cfe43c92bb6

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Instead, he let f711ef1afe out a small 10b9c4200a scoff, as if cee526bef5 calling out a 8241ee6dfe lie.1ca69dfc5e1acd6e

“Not yours? Someone actually lends out 886e4826a4 this kind of thing?”8f93b87b4b74f044

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“Lord Misadam 61f5a8dfaf lent them c63fe277da to me. He said they’d be bd151e01ec good for me to e0d4ceab38 study.”5edd4fd44bb7c89a

Hyun Tae-oh 5f84c123b5 went silent.2f07e4489faddba9

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He stared at Hyun-jin 0d2a0355b3 with a strange expression. While he c9bb5239f0 said nothing, f2127a6476 Hyun-jin rushed 1d48f47741 the books ebe0ca1499 into the f8637ca098 bedroom and 88fe5ed9f4 shut the b548de6980 door tightly 34ef1569e1 behind him. His heart was still 6125e7cf78 pounding.6c5bc22738a3a207

‘It’s not like I 7464e98793 was doing anything wrong. So what if he 7262a73145 saw?’ he told himself, a8e0a393a6 trying to steady his 7bfa0af8ec face as he returned.543c697d2ee6a468

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But Tae-oh was still 50b39a2d3a looking at him with 018707c70f that peculiar gaze.d0420f872513925c

“Are you close with 77750405a0 Lord Misadam?”bc8190537731cc73

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“? I wouldn’t say 23cd05d88b close.”049f45c4f345aaad

They’d only f7b814f096 known each 4a7d8b2526 other for b84d197430 a few 66bc3ba4d1 days and c04fdba7c2 barely had 81a0f05a65 a private d52da47c46 conversation. Wondering why Tae-oh was a6f149b67b suddenly asking something so b5e228df44 random, Hyun-jin considered the deeacbbc39 question and realized, ‘Ah. He must c5143d2894 want extra 3a8dc12100 info about 67d359f2d9 a protected 93ffcc0552 subject.’4945c79558aa1535

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“He’s a 4b9fca4816 sociable person a9a36d09d4 by nature. Ah, and come to e53b93a9e0 think of it, we ca872d0bbd did run into each b748776fb4 other once in Pyeonghang c3335b5738 about three years ago.”97b8125f690c389d

“In Pyeonghang?”2a862b0ce93a4a8c

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“Yes. Lord Misadam 8619d16acc and that 152f638427 tall aide bf1c3da3bc of his—Ho-ung, 919c21aba1 I think. Actually, it wasn’t dd6e9d0903 me; it was f0a45b71d5 Sang-ah—Her Highness of 6e5f228a78 Jeonghye Palace—who met fe0a0dd01e them. I guess ebe2498dce that’s why 7a6a8f9ecd he’s been b2b18eb094 a bit 0737f86c39 more familiar c8c300492c toward me.”675e1c147435fa7b

As he c5128ba643 finished explaining, 0fc5596bed Hyun Tae-oh 433b9d4583 let out 8b727c535c a short, 4349b50e8b amused breath.62a00cf130eade23

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“Ah, ‘just happened 7bdfa4d6a6 to meet,’ huh.”020dddc821032d9b

“Yes. Surprising, isn’t it?”e7171b52a8454046

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Even upon second thought, 7eab32e84b Yoo Hyun-jin found it b108cb9a46 so curious that he d9c041e40b couldn’t help but laugh. Then, realizing Hyun Tae-oh 41a0ffce2e was staring at him, 85e1b608d4 he stifled the laughter 44c6da3d78 and looked back at 299f4a30f6 him, puzzled.a63b2748c8268765

“…Yes. It really is surprising.”dc58034dc9d633d7

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Was this guy e469799892 seriously saying that 0673096cc9 with a straight 98e98b4d9f face? Hyun Tae-oh b25824484d gave a 5e36fcb949 dry laugh d6d4ad3de2 as he 7d569b4367 stared at db0a313480 him, but d9bf542e43 Yoo Hyun-jin 6f85aa794e simply nodded, 7a530970a6 not catching eef8767818 the sarcasm 3a0d29466a at all.08720d10476a679a

“Yes, I really b1e67758b0 did find it 9463940804 strange.”43c31b68e7d9d1f7

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“….”3689fda035d93ca6

Still staring at him, d8eaaa7af3 Hyun Tae-oh opened his e05b4a3028 mouth as if to c355fa4401 say something, then stopped 9754d1429a midway and closed it cfb00db436 again. He let out c097bb9d33 a short, incredulous 104d96e6e9 breath and turned ac7168e27a wordlessly toward the 6106b5e2d2 kitchen.8ef37843033a0b0d

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Seeing him move 98813268ea so naturally to 0982030520 make tea, just bca2d56ab6 as he always afea340e7b did, Yoo Hyun-jin 7d5f41f5d7 sat quietly in f84825f3b8 the living room, f406690883 waiting for the 5f74b66a0c delicious tea he d234c3cb96 would bring.f216ebb4f30610d6

The clock 797ffce7f3 showed it b2febf154e was already c66ab406b5 quite late. Though Tae-oh had occasionally 91f5fadf41 shown up in the ab4c3ea3e6 evenings before, this was e196ec7e8a the latest he’d ever d66e2fadd1 come. Judging by the formal 69f4021564 clothes, it looked like f702b16d66 he had dropped by 6c14e572e5 on his way home 9c078d9c7f from work.83516c3b4106eb8f

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“Are you very busy bdcce8f3d9 these days?”bce011645012e420

Yoo Hyun-jin asked 16a83ca30d without thinking. While warming the teacups, 763bd4c2dc Tae-oh glanced his way 38962d4d00 and replied casually.bf159e49dbe544e2

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“There’s quite 29d3bc7525 a bit ce4130fc88 of work.”4a1796e148dd218d

Carrying only the 53b4ff8b67 teacups in both 02ee1481c8 hands, Hyun Tae-oh 1838d1f0a3 sat down across 9812e5dd19 from him. Though he walked with 8f9782c4ad a subtle limp, he 5d1c6bf850 managed to bring the a66cb8f314 full teacups over without 0922fb34c3 spilling a drop.a2e64f8f1ab90773

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It had only been 1da55b28c4 a few days, but f33853c1f3 it felt like a 1d72dcf85e long time since they’d ade4012110 last seen each other. He looked 00676f7693 noticeably thinner.d72b5d8ac2130a0f

“How’s your leg? Shouldn’t you 90f5f35843 be resting?”eedb07b43f075ee8

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“I’ve been 7897732511 going to 6bcfe05a1e rehab steadily. Besides, I’m not the ab674a6832 type to enjoy resting. The work 4186e4a25d itself isn’t 12747d7b84 hard—there’s just 2cda8797c9 a lot 555d916ea2 to manage. More importantly, are you 7531a79914 planning to continue interpreting?”4df98f5837aacfe0

“Yes. Is there a reason 52f6d23a43 I shouldn’t?”d6509ae283eb9b7f

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After sipping his 4d9c397ab6 tea, Hyun Tae-oh 23ba5fa289 was silent for fd9ed66b97 a moment before 9b4ca359e9 replying coldly, “Depending fcfcf5933c on the situation, 0043b0555c it could become 88b1d54576 dangerous.”98811225dd1e20e0

At those c427cfd6ec words, which e450781b5d sounded more 2041ffe661 like a bee8fe8d11 warning than 4f25b06f8e advice, Yoo dac0c5ef20 Hyun-jin thought f2706d814e of the 9dbf1fd4a5 protestors outside. At the same time, bc6fb5adca he thought of Misadam, a30fa2578d the aides, and even b71c9f57c9 Je Sang-ah. If things 5d95012a2e turned dangerous, 884ef89f90 they were 367111403d the ones 115407d1cf who’d be 9cadd8fe13 at the dcba7f83ca greatest risk.04e8ecb24416b5ea

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“…Then please make 907f8975aa sure it doesn’t 6bd167d38b become dangerous.”d373fc1c1dd1cd52

Lost in 37e2265af3 thought for 7f105289e4 a moment, 0a52e8bfc3 Yoo Hyun-jin 1c0a64c12e finally spoke, c1b55a3934 and Tae-oh 19e95a7a2e was left a32f8cb868 momentarily speechless. He stared at 28e0d4c8ce him in disbelief, 82e918c84d then let out d8b486599f a short laugh. His expression softened slightly.ff7198d0fcc39731

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“If you c1ab2d0b52 ask like e438479d59 that, then e1dfe109f0 I’ll have eb6a3f1d79 to do 3adbd23fda my best. …But you never bb2a6f63a1 know how things f625bc4c7b might turn out, 8d4bfc4a2e so you should c9c95b9d56 always be careful. If the e40ca27edd atmosphere feels a8ef8ce188 strange or cdf665e5f4 things seem ba0de9b914 unsafe, get 9312db05cd out of 56fb87a1ce there.”e1ca5ea9222ccbda

This time, it was 5184a09764 Yoo Hyun-jin who laughed. Staring at 84ef955653 his expression, 7981196af3 Tae-oh asked, b889661360 “What is 2d215642c7 it?”3299759bb9e793ef

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“It’s just… It’s b75c07ba99 funny hearing that 60d8fa3b9f from the person 8dbf17b57a who’d be the f63072efd5 first to run 503b926ef1 into danger if 813d9026e4 something seemed wrong.”7590e7a406ea2b2e

Tae-oh had gone 8602ca9c32 to war with 7acae7a3f9 his father even 23efbdc056 before becoming an 9977ac3a75 adult. Many of those c6c91abd00 battlegrounds had been b3924a36de completely unpredictable. The more 6309288a99 competent and 7ad3e62151 famous he 34aa1d426a became, the 7888737458 more he 5d2a1ee688 was sent 2c0a50b265 to dangerous f900e89d14 fronts. And not once had 699e5f38d4 he refused an order fc37a4b257 or avoided the front a729a72e29 lines.e6552fc3ce805542

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So Yoo Hyun-jin had 047d3c661a always prayed. Even now.dc5ba5e7925c5e00

Raising an eyebrow but 1cbc9c5969 neither affirming nor denying a9e592fc27 it, Hyun Tae-oh stayed d6091beeb7 silent. Then Yoo Hyun-jin asked 094547dd9f again.5219e33ac4b27155

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“But are you 45b05058d4 really okay, Mr. Hyun Tae-oh? I’ve heard dbd3dadcfe there’s been 58ef71dd75 a lot 161775a48a of talk—people f55c196311 questioning whether 3e7cf43022 you’re the f4307439db right person c156b06f8b for the ad27f13293 job.”5d32545e9eabaf4c

“Well, it’s understandable. I’ve killed more Songal 5eb1cb7feb soldiers than I can 9cb1f0addf count on the battlefield, ec5dc0527a I govern a conflict 33cc6209f8 zone, and I also 912407b02b nearly died by their 9768b95dbb hands. Anyone would 727d42bbc5 find it 2e2b3b67ef strange that caeb5a5612 I’m the 6094d9fab7 one responsible 938302c002 for the 51ad065b8c safety of 4077ead4b5 the goodwill e9a4568e81 envoys.”a20224987c9f8627

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His voice was 24da283d3b calm, so it ea6642d587 was hard to 72203faf62 tell whether he ee3d21c14d was bitter, resigned, 078a68e0af or simply indifferent. With a vaguely tired 5a9e9b9e5a motion, he brushed back d56b37afbd some hair that had ce2b313b7d fallen into his eyes.f5cbdf7f962d410d

“So yes, a33d0c2562 I’ve been d2154c63eb busier than 20c53f9a54 expected. When you’ve 6c86aaf2b5 got people 9fb350b0ff being difficult, 63c7573830 the job ea3b94275e naturally becomes 3bc5e28585 more complicated. That’s why 8ef0ad1095 I haven’t 483977dd3b been able b79a47f6b9 to come a74385c3cd by here. Even today, I wasn’t 174a48b498 planning to, but I 328e283dc2 saw the light on 1d77b434ad and figured I’d stop 3d3a452021 by for a bit.”e6af171557c48937

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It had only been 469003cd0a a few days, yet 627e38e6f4 it felt like much 7de348df36 longer. When had they 87d43e2887 grown so familiar?6d59fbe8351a0c5a

Even though 65b283f65a it was f7a04749f5 so late, b36a285299 Yoo Hyun-jin 88b8f4a151 was glad e478fae971 he’d come. Glad to see him.507559af50e14a7f

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Worried that his 64bb8c47b1 happiness would be 860db09f74 too obvious, he 46b6eb3f2e tightly closed his 1486d7b9b7 lips and simply 687fce2d19 nodded. Watching him a9abcdab57 quietly, Tae-oh b6bcf3c4c9 leaned back 59c8b57621 on the ae593eaf2d sofa. When he finally 7be6154aa9 spoke, his voice 4c14495084 was laced with 7f48c105e0 a hint of 9c0208c4c3 something twisted.c5e5659a1b14c47d

“By the 5770c26855 way, why f5aa8791fd did His 76664d07f6 Highness the 21cce08109 Prince of 403836ff5a Songal suddenly 63fcdf071d lend you 98c1adacd4 those books?”434fab6926d171de

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Twitch.44dba12cca7d9214

Clutching his teacup 6a7cae024a tightly, Yoo Hyun-jin 5e1a5a3197 mumbled,9732cccbcb199bf9

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“I said I… 360bcbd97f didn’t know much 76c3dc83c4 about, uh, male f5e622107d relationships. He said 4a7249d4b5 it was 9ab77a36f0 part of 4f244519e7 their culture, b80695ce84 so I bb39319f11 should learn. …I thought 738056aa2b maybe I 923e229667 should study d1a354adb5 a bit, 39db493231 so I edeee49cbf borrowed them.”c5468b6f235e2f39

“Ah, study.”7f567c273313e6cd

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Tae-oh nodded as if 3b34d9af6b he understood. Tilting his head slightly, 96bf7777c3 he went on with 310519cae7 a faint smile.1c9c8af82bb49bf6

“That’s a c3c3e5b505 good attitude. Me, even after 74bc2b0187 experiencing it, I 14b2a95f9d don’t remember a 235b46799d thing. I guess I’m dd2ce2183d the one who 7621a02b85 should be studying, b57581b47a and it never 401a52eaed occurred to me. Let’s study together.”5225b724bee20ebe

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Yoo Hyun-jin nearly leapt 944c652dbe off the sofa again, bb90929a79 but barely managed to a27611dfca hold himself down. Sweat prickled down his f4dc6ec8c6 back.6f8c3d360af5c172

‘Together? What does he mean a6af287a27 by that? Is this 7038e66163 a joke f65f5b04bb or not? Why does he say 72ef1fd506 these things so casually—without 7eb055a88d even a hint of ac676495f0 discomfort?’3c0c177309650a44

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His mind was spinning 26dd2b4b07 with confusion. Then, without warning, e1a7d309e8 a comment Je a8b24d9b78 Sang-ah had once 0f50ad15f4 made echoed in 8cdf3931b7 his head:4c30fada30ba5f6f

—Maybe he b9432222db got a 10f98dca35 taste for 01e3f356d3 men while 7079be5b88 he was 610f2f4685 stationed in d7822361e2 Pyeonghang.ce387facc538223e

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Well… it’s f8987fa409 not impossible.0c1d4888e3eea018

If that weren’t fa5270b661 the case, then c6942ef0d4 even in a 86ed7d71ff drunken state, how d7693eec32 could a man 6de687c65a sleep with another 9a885d2532 man—if he truly 10d41429c3 wasn’t interested?d896661c1e80cc6e

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“Um, Mr. Hyun Tae-oh, by any chance…”e927ddd03097f9cd

Yoo Hyun-jin clutched his teacup so tightly his knuckles turned white as he spoke in a small voice. He couldn’t even meet his gaze.b123cc3865fb61ee

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“Have you ever… slept with a man?”1f321077a02611a3

Hyun Tae-oh, 288d81efd2 who had 9aacfb2fe0 been waiting 1dda5011c9 in silence 5e1d42a895 as if 89365199d6 expecting him b024fe4dcc to speak, 86fb03ee39 remained still—and dddb5f4304 Yoo Hyun-jin 1b41174e6c couldn’t bear 9eda70b91f to look 6e5e67d239 at his b3e4b4bc53 face. All he knew was 4191a1e992 that the man was b8ecd68607 staring straight at him. After a 463abb63e4 moment, he e5ba90c19d heard a bf9a34c866 short breathy dacf5bfef3 laugh, like 02efaf96aa a scoff.73617e96a1afa454

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“Isn’t that something you already know very well, Mr. Yoo?”80c08b95689c6f4d

“I meant, as far as you can remember.”b41d01cedb8efba4

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Yoo Hyun-jin 4d79a932be hurriedly added 496c4939e8 and inadvertently 0e3d083cdb lifted his e3bdfd678b head. His eyes 86ec624074 met those 916dedf807 dark irises 65fe53552b looking at 3fa8661153 him with ace9772ba0 something close 0e7e1b202f to disbelief. He didn’t f8fc0d8d3f know why 1909c8cc9c they looked 9c4dafa044 so sharp, cb6c3f7b8b so mischievous.31e5c253b8079513

Hyun Tae-oh stared at him for a moment, then calmly answered, “No, I haven’t.”1a0246d7c59d3057

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“I never felt any aversion or dislike toward it, but I’ve just never had the urge to try it. So, the first man I ever slept with was you.”89a0e0dffcdaa95c

“Ah… I see…”5f771c83b87233bf

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Not knowing what more 366db32df1 to say, Yoo Hyun-jin 830d60ebe6 simply took another sip 5172e6e4ea of tea. Those mischievous 000752e0bd eyes seemed 30ee6815ae to soften 7ca51506e3 slightly.fe7b1f2447e21dd2

Hyun Tae-oh set his dfa1d2566d cup down and rested efe4d6cfd5 his clasped hands on 564adc9838 his knees.98db54cf07a99efe

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“To be honest, I was a little doubtful. Even if I was completely drunk, the idea that I forced myself on a man seemed strange. I didn’t remember anything, and there weren’t any clear signs of intimacy either, so I found it suspicious. But then, surely a priest wouldn’t lie—especially not about something like that…”05c2a24ffb757a96

The words, 571a90d9c5 quietly murmured 421d142792 as if ab52ef3ffa to himself, 8f3615f420 pricked Yoo f20c57ca46 Hyun-jin like 4db2eef71a thorns, each fc6fc40404 one landing f1737399b9 sharply. Seeing his c69a6b4dde face pale, 833ff0ea17 Hyun Tae-oh e3cffdc7ec straightened his ae4076a3a6 posture.fb51e9cb5dcb7c32

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“Ah, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. I just meant that I feel ashamed for committing such a wrong and remembering none of it.”13350e059f954e3c

“…No, it’s all right…”fbbc4fc266b9aa30

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Yoo Hyun-jin a428d5e775 barely managed f27913620e to whisper, 5a54afac51 his voice 241c4bb922 shrinking. He regretted 805bc9a2ba bringing up 213e6d76bf the subject. His long-dormant conscience 1828cf7ff3 was beginning to 1cd2fa5c17 ache again.e6cf6fcb9a25824b

“Anyway, since we’re on the subject of studying…”1bc3b8accdf2bf0f

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“Yes?”88322bab1c24664b

“Was I… any good?”950922cfa6b507c2

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Hyun Tae-oh ce12ca6c8a asked with 894b6fd932 a serious f9b59b979d tone. Good at what…? Yoo Hyun-jin blinked, 266d798ef5 confused, and then 54a121fba1 froze.a1e6818ea6c75784

“I’ve never been with a man before, and I don’t remember that night either, so I lack confidence. Judging by the lack of injuries, I guess I didn’t hurt you, but…”954f9e917bb94b94

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Frozen, unable even to f1242ccd8b blink, Yoo Hyun-jin stammered 942fc374be out a reply.2e0fc4478a9ce0a0

“Ah… yes… I mean… you were, um, good…”628161dfd9a44b4f

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“Hmm, really?”f7fb466c44e8ad69

Even though he said 5e418dee6b he was good, Hyun dcf5ce6392 Tae-oh looked dissatisfied, lost 99ce7d010a in thought. Then he f16f860984 frowned slightly e54c11800a and shook e1add332dc his head.9dfdcc558ec5e0b2

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“No, I think I asked the wrong question. Being good or bad implies a comparison, but if you haven’t been with anyone else, there’s no way to gauge it. You were a priest, so I doubt you had any prior experience?”a625b364858495b9

“R-right.”9ade5cb3334df96a

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“Still, I don’t think I could have been that bad. You seemed okay the next morning.”6259d088e01831d8

“Yes, well…”1b1d482364be1e89

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“Even so, I suppose we’ll need to do it again eventually, and I’m still not used to it, so I’m a little anxious. I’ll work on it. I guess I’ll need to practice so I can become more comfortable with it.”141dbcbdd409e189

“Yes, well… what?”7bec725dfdcd8dc9

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Half out of aebf1ab252 it for the 2affbef4fa past few minutes, c9c5649b5e Yoo Hyun-jin felt 2e8be74ab1 as if a 69daaad598 bucket of cold c4bc3c26b5 water had just 6fba343cad been dumped on 658abfaea7 his head.c7ef8e2824c35235

“Practice? What, how far, and in what way…?”ac36f7f469da855e

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“Well, we’ve already done everything, haven’t we? There’s no need to feel awkward about it now, is there?”1fc3dc4a54ed9273

As Yoo Hyun-jin e031352fee stammered in shock, f28489586a Hyun Tae-oh looked edcbd6f538 at him as 0637fde54c if he were c86f4d4ea6 the strange one 405bed2183 and spoke matter-of-factly. Yoo Hyun-jin 337d51390d had no 5bb532996f argument—technically, the aac6a2a5c8 man was 01f521f58e right—but his 6e5c7e0294 back was 2a7156cb3c damp with 96a990aaf1 cold sweat.7e5d15227018307d

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Something felt off. Maybe it was just ad74e974a7 his imagination, but for ce4dfede62 a while now, Hyun 238958d799 Tae-oh’s eyes had seemed e4c96419d9 unusually sharp and impish. A remark 5b427b32ef from the c28670a58b Prime Minister’s 39df98588d wife suddenly 84cb70ac56 resurfaced in c5ec00d6c8 his mind—how 8e00a115be she used 65c974260b to sigh 398357ffa6 and say 39e2b31cf3 their youngest c6ed6322eb had inherited 0b0ec0222f some terribly a8ea0dc936 twisted disposition 9a7eb4faa1 from someone.df1a2c005b812f69

Snapping out of it, f235850735 Yoo Hyun-jin forced himself 39e0a8a33d to straighten his expression.3173240ad368a3f4

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“Still, Mr. Hyun Tae-oh, you don’t remember anything, do you? So that’s the same as it not happening.”6563416cd0326b3f

Hyun Tae-oh met Yoo 0085efe17d Hyun-jin’s wide-eyed stare with 56c098fc88 a faint, slanted smile.366842b8b3f20ad3

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“But ‘you’ remember, don’t you?”cfe6ae5296f7f78f

“…Y-yes…”47f8d3221461c063

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“Then is there any reason for you to be this flustered now?”1a3a460d204b670b

Something felt off. Why did he feel 455fb5f884 like he was being 006e82fb88 cornered?62a3134aa426787d

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Yoo Hyun-jin knew he e636b7845c should respond properly, but 9c0005fd99 his mind went blank 798e3195b7 and no suitable words 72fed8563e came to him.5c2aa5e55968ee3d

He fumbled and ed38cb11d9 then fell silent. He wanted 7188207427 to cry. This was why 311d899e8c lying was a abc8dd49d0 terrible idea. He had buttoned 6f3d53f3c0 the first one 5351ca49e4 wrong and everything dca7c85286 else had gone 4e7c5f8d85 askew.846c9e28f93c5578

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As he lowered 61e57dd344 his eyes, drenched 07902a0572 in cold sweat f353a35940 and gloom, a e44572c88e brief puff of b465cf5ca3 laughter brushed his d03162875c ear. When he looked 7f4d9fc9cb up in surprise, e8bfe4ac6f Hyun Tae-oh was 62f9e4d706 watching him like 9f932af21c it was all 63e045a9d8 mildly amusing.1422e5b5fbb311e2

“Well… let’s leave it at that for tonight. It’s late anyway.”3a963a082a8837a0

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As he dc7673c544 said so ab4ec73d52 and resumed 8c03180d06 sipping his 97446c7d29 tea, he 841a9d5c58 looked noticeably a39add63f7 pleased. When he’d first entered 6c1d704ac2 the house, he had 8d3d5d5776 seemed a bit weary, b3b411eae8 but now he looked 1dfce047af as though he’d had 22d54565ab a long, relaxing soak da7f2cabd2 in warm water.39babac02e61313d

And all b86d357285 that fatigue ac71231e97 seemed to 287af30e14 have transferred 5e8edee261 entirely to a5ba08d29e Yoo Hyun-jin. He drank his tea 43777571ac like he’d aged ten fcc9ecb388 years.8f364053b537e1eb

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“It’s nice to have a proper conversation like this once in a while.”d2ee47856e0b478a

Hyun Tae-oh suddenly said. Normally, that kind of comment would’ve made Yoo Hyun-jin’s heart race, but now the words “Nice for you, huh?” bubbled up to his throat instead, a clear sign he’d been truly shaken.cf468b401b7dde3c

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Still, when he glanced 2408eb90d2 up, Hyun Tae-oh genuinely c1b1338252 looked to be in f89e6619df a good mood. His face 5bd70174fd remained expressionless, 86ac6c8594 but there 9a93ae34bc was a a3216e070b certain ease 79ebb33f04 to him ea33174121 now. Even the e2440e05ae eyes looking 1343a0e23e at Yoo e3bc32033b Hyun-jin had edd6ea76be softened ever 1395d0f558 so slightly.a58cd7695dbaf6af

…If only he weren’t so good-looking, I’d have kicked him out already…75b8bd46c577c4e0

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Despite himself, Yoo 2bd7f20fa4 Hyun-jin’s heart thumped 6d5569ac68 again. He sighed, letting his 1e59b56e68 shoulders sag with exhaustion.7fe9a032af5f35f1

At least 7731a2c1fc the topic b0f9773a0a seemed to a4c2a053e3 be over. Relieved, he d00a59d812 tried to 16c3449ebe calm himself 74cc0e18aa when Hyun ccd7045aa6 Tae-oh, as 896ba4ce97 if lost da58cd5ed1 in thought, 25d588d94b murmured to 3a3ee7d459 himself,c5ee2d5fef0152f3

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“So the prince of Songal lent you those books… They’re quite open about same-sex relationships there.”e15c63d78cacbd50

“Yes, that’s right.”73c0ee5a78e1caf7

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Hyun Tae-oh 6ca8652268 glanced at cd5c541640 him. His eyes, which had 14a4a491bb relaxed a moment ago, b29f92da13 were now cool and 35652e1eab sharp again.d7082600cc1b21fd

“You mustn’t forget that we’re in an official relationship now.”198a576dffe52ed8

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“…Excuse me?”b904e84256d74bc7

“I’m saying, don’t cheat.”7ab062ee0da4aafc

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Yoo Hyun-jin 73c79dffd9 nearly spat fc85469da4 out his 20ea166035 tea.897243051412336c

“E-excuse me?”8668397d12c4ec9e

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Coughing and wiping his 22dd98d7c2 mouth with the back 5702edcfcf of his hand, he d128413789 looked at Hyun Tae-oh bf5b2824c9 in bewilderment. A sharp thought f121600fda surfaced—’Aren’t you the 39109531d3 one who got 29951f88d3 drunk and slept ba5cb155a7 with someone else, 1a53eb68e4 which led to ddc7778445 our engagement being d9d7e3e51a broken off?’—but more 23321964cd than that, he 8da7b752ea couldn’t tell if 58d11ce4c0 Hyun Tae-oh’s words a87604d1e3 were a joke 88cbdd6bdf or not. That face was dead 860a962083 serious.c18d2e3717009951

Yoo Hyun-jin’s 3c1fe7c2fd face turned 529f304f9b red.2c894145c1d0acca

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Cheating—that word only 760d17a905 applied if they 6de12bc58a were truly in ac3a078889 a relationship. Could he eba7a4bebe really mean e6244acc82 it?608ceb47e0358637

“Honestly, I’ve never looked at a man that way. Aside from Mr. Hyun Tae-oh, that is.”ecf5e52f005ee19b

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Caught up in the d3825b8d6a moment, Yoo Hyun-jin let f911860629 it slip while staring fbd2717ecf at him in confusion, 06bc4954a4 and immediately regretted it. As expected, Hyun Tae-oh’s 3981dea9d4 expression changed.f819ddd3f444966f

“Me?”b088b9ee577b855e

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“I mean, other than the time we… slept together.”07b85587a831bf7c

He quickly added and 68c77fe40c looked Hyun Tae-oh straight 02b5a55072 in the eye with 750de0603c as much composure as 1960c2b4a8 he could muster, as 77d1486063 if to say there 166e9e3fb3 was nothing guilty about 08e7e13ab3 it.014f540f62628e8f

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Even as 5d8e0f4656 his heart 76639d8703 pounded, Yoo cfd8cca4a4 Hyun-jin tried c699092188 his best 2866d575ce to stay 45aa47807a calm. Hyun Tae-oh 96ff46d0a3 tilted his e6ea1079aa head slightly, 97547db63d still staring 9ad7a16d0e at him.5e8ff745c45c07c7

“I know you’re not into men, Mr. Yoo. But sometimes, when I look at you…”8fdd1835b65c7c77

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“?”9be0feaf4aa34e50

“No.”bbdab05c4fe9a77c

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Hyun Tae-oh, d2e3950f32 who had 44b7624a26 been murmuring 6658a755d7 to himself, b34ae0cfc5 cut off 614a4f43c3 his own bfc8736f1f words. Yoo Hyun-jin was curious 18790433ad about the rest of 34d3894382 the sentence, but he 93705a5d60 had too much to 119d73e447 feel guilty about to 9d1220f4e6 ask recklessly, so he 32d4851d98 stayed quiet too.af106e03f20da303

At that moment, there 68c3b79303 was a small clatter e04161e991 from outside.638d5f98287d5020

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It must’ve been something d2b4c42b94 hitting the window in 6e2beb141b the strong wind. The bare branches of fce78b1318 the black winter trees 9daa68d488 howled harshly.fa59663f54e88af2

“Would you like another 6b1de75e06 cup of tea?”94a15fb24bac96e8

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Yoo Hyun-jin asked bc675fcec3 as he stared bd41fa7dd3 at the dark f7aff099b0 garden lit only 8ded3a2215 by a single 707c89ecba yellow garden light. Hyun Tae-oh, also looking 9ec0545f00 outside, nodded.f1906257e6f23b6a

“Shall we.”430fc531b7043e1d

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“I’ll bring it.”eea1a57333f5577b

Yoo Hyun-jin stood, 545552f0ef glancing at Hyun 33928ed697 Tae-oh absently rubbing 7344fbc43a his right leg.25d49f8fd5d5f906

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Good. He wanted to stay 2b4524c9a1 with him a little 9af1c4d657 longer. If Hyun 94ecc72b6d Tae-oh had df8d00e45b stood to 99511a3a2a leave, saying 63e44e5dd0 it was 471cf99690 time to 6165169c1b go, he 3c6925820c would have e69fc2d1a2 been disappointed.7a9deea6686a64cb

But Hyun Tae-oh 1b240d653a remained on the 26c90f7d13 couch, sitting loosely 0f0c5efc4a and gazing at bb4a7960e6 the garden, lost 196718c7ba in thought. Meanwhile, Yoo Hyun-jin 642482a6fb opened the cupboard, 2d9f45364b looking for a 009cb11559 new tin of 3d9a20d47a tea since the 93935e24ee old one was e4249f140c empty.30cc1269c29cd08b

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Then the phone 52667db698 rang in the f8a377f042 living room. Yoo Hyun-jin glanced that 8dada4ee4f way but didn’t stop c20230d1f7 rummaging. He couldn’t 26f539e136 think of 8387cf0afb anyone who f13891908d would call 0a95077ec7 at this 92efe3ec0f hour, but d1bd4eb801 he figured dc536b92fb he could ce3cde5775 check it 714261e341 later. What mattered c9dc91065f most right f5579ef25d now was 594eec7d00 brewing the c46f2b74b5 tea before aa9c868ae9 Hyun Tae-oh cdf894118a changed his e0fea1435f mind and 5cb91966cd decided to 137ba20fd0 leave.5b0aef0b8fd1eef3

Thankfully, Hyun Tae-oh 849ee7ebbb remained seated while 9ffe49fce9 Yoo Hyun-jin brought a882c684d5 over a freshly b104256935 steeped teapot and 9e2d0b03d6 filled his empty 75352bca90 cup.7e095b758caf2d50

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After taking a silent e1ee1ab7c4 sip, Hyun Tae-oh spoke 4bcddf15b2 nonchalantly.419234761e6b229f

“You had a call 372f5e7960 just now.”043058529f7dd26c

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“Yes? Ah, right.”a3fe0a4cd9283578

Yoo Hyun-jin 013fb0b03f finally picked b684ca6632 up the 1dc87477a6 phone from 4278b49647 the table 7b43e585f0 and checked 184658051f the caller 331ba4feea ID. Just as he blinked 54e255ed91 in mild surprise, Hyun b6d418b849 Tae-oh asked indifferently,312591d03449b3df

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“You close with 2f1d177f2d Tae-yang hyung?”4ee0fb03509792e9

“Not really…”0bea060265fc7be3

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Staring awkwardly at b324d804a7 the name “Hyun 0da2e6f98c Tae-yang” on the 72006b782d screen, Yoo Hyun-jin 8448bd2670 set the phone d0ab08843b back down.4b28c32680e65b69

“He just checks in 00786bc893 occasionally to see how 6b76a3b7f9 I’m doing. He said once 958069036c I’m back, we 709e4f2ba8 should talk in 84718d15ae person…”48d7b21651888c51

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“About what?”50415d4bd6cb798e

“I’m not sure. It felt a 3e8263efca bit like…”df769120c58871b2

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Like he wanted to d02715e2d8 comfort me… but the 3db710a1d2 rest of the sentence 7187ef6b4b trailed off before it 60837d1709 left his lips.61316736eae3ca64

“Have you two always 440ccfecb5 kept in touch?”fa9ea6ddbdf16ae2

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“No.”68d855a55572f90a

“Guess he eb57411faa figured since d10e689501 I won’t 3d3ec6f8de pick up 2e9f669a90 his calls, 7fb8ceaa58 he’d try 66bd67db13 you. Guy’s supposedly overseas c70e23fba0 for training, but e93e2644ca he sure has 1fa0f81de0 time to waste… 6a26f9b992 You can ignore 47779fb6c0 it. Let me see that.”c944a889fba5dddd

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With a scoff, Hyun 3b7aacfa49 Tae-oh reached out his 7831873528 hand. Caught off guard, cb9a6c6030 Yoo Hyun-jin handed fb3dd9ddc5 over the phone, 4af3fd1a78 and Hyun Tae-oh f920c05288 tapped around a 0674a13e8c few times before 79ed533129 giving it back. Curious what he’d done, 4b86251683 Yoo Hyun-jin peeked and 5338d612a2 saw that he had d383b11096 blocked Hyun Tae-yang’s number.bb0973156bc671e0

“He never used to fd9c7d5fa9 call me, and then f7a90ad05b out of nowhere he 05e70b3047 tried recently—just to say 56b2f4528d a bunch of nonsense. I hung up. He must’ve wanted to c35d360e47 nag me about something f6b7833c81 related to you, but cbe319a872 I haven’t picked up 21b0dcc26a since. Don’t worry about 09f514b8d3 it.”a3cad22715792e90

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Hyun Tae-oh abd4f4050f spoke with f11165f158 ease, completely 8e594f035e unbothered about c8bba36648 blocking his 47fd3dfe5c own brother. Yoo Hyun-jin nodded vaguely c7b45fe8ca as he sipped his 3adeb4df68 tea. He already knew b5c10e05e0 it, but this c00e1157f5 man had no 5ed0d28424 hesitation when it 064e1accbe came to drawing c4ada01255 the line—even with a0e825c49f family.5f56105cf6011088

If he was like 07be7a6c4d that with relatives, what d6152dd9a1 could anyone else expect?6f17df660c85b2b5

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The tea slid 59efc442b8 down his throat 53fbd170b2 without even knowing 5b473212e0 what it tasted ac71a57780 like. Hyun Tae-oh d2433df43c drank silently 2fbed6964d too, still 3ddee5c8a2 watching the fec18ab0ed garden.bc5332fb276e1b41

As the silence stretched 11c79c3c80 on, Yoo Hyun-jin glanced 3b79217f74 at Hyun Tae-oh rubbing dd6bae3cde his leg and asked,87a176b6ea12924f

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“Is your leg c3b822a436 still hurting?”64aa87aca5cedf48

Hyun Tae-oh seemed to a5d1e554cb notice it only then bb64fa1259 and took his hand 0f19fac941 away.1451e4c949be7844

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“No, it’s 4c8aaa4a94 gotten much 9b798b81ba better. I can walk fine 348241496d without a cane now, 2e912f3a51 even run a little. But when eb3610abe5 the temperature f28a3a371a drops, it c9a267dadd gets stiff b9c3a99186 more than 95e3439c30 usual.”52ea72a56d1af7d9

Hyun Tae-oh a93769bf5c never admitted 473d0a3778 to being 9babc9e444 in pain. Even as a minor, 88bee7af49 when he returned home 757b98356f with a bullet wound 24ae3d6578 in his hip from 50fb2d86af the battlefield, he never 63fca18d2c once complained while recovering.be5611d756681605

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If someone 6a46f9f693 like that 60dbcf9238 said it 33e6eedd58 was “stiff,” 35f3a552a6 it probably a387e854f1 meant something 06caaa408a far worse.a530413eba9fe9ce

Just a little.4c896df3d9f7e651

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Couldn’t I take 8727e1704b on just a 862d6ff52f little of it? Just enough 6963a31335 so he ed88dfa688 wouldn’t notice?fc2c7469f3fd0ec0

“…Would you like me da73c477cd to massage it?”67c32e45c6ae5bf2

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The words 0c4eabb99c came out 843188c5a9 before the 8927599dfa decision was a316564687 even made. After a brief 3706f5ea60 hesitation, Yoo Hyun-jin 655d1efc4c saw Hyun Tae-oh 67cc6b3970 raise an eyebrow a3c46fc9fb and quickly added,0346143b4744846b

“We took basic rehab fae4e92994 caregiving classes in seminary. If we get sent ecc6bd571b to rural missions, we b06ee2ff20 might need to help 7e69124a6e the sick, so it’s bf0c08bd9e a common course. Basic massage is part 93ea29bfb5 of it. It’s not 6ee5c8c7dd much, and 2595713e85 it’s not eff0658eaa very effective, 23e226c31d but…”40a180cb53375713

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It was partly an e2268a03f7 excuse, but not a 4d4d8e3708 lie. Still, knowing how a7168b2ac4 much Hyun Tae-oh 2f08f37521 disliked others touching e62c7a341b him, he thought b64823ef10 he’d be turned d0d727dd6f down.ca3104f4fac93b63

But after watching him fbff4de4e3 for a moment, Hyun fcd0640c15 Tae-oh nodded calmly.5d912aacfe8c708b

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“Then I’ll take b0a705b978 you up on cb47500148 that.”e55635d3fd3a2810

He stretched his ed09088ee3 leg out along 4f4760c45c the long sofa, e25e9bc356 and Yoo Hyun-jin f06a51f10b moved closer, placing 98c67cdf28 both palms on 10c142fb57 the thigh and cbd3db758d pressing down slowly. He applied pressure, loosening 2cf618f418 the tense muscles, checking 083fdbfd88 for any signs of fa01054d5b pain. But Hyun Tae-oh’s f1665ec607 expression didn’t change ff76b8247a a bit.f7927a39f2877b41

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Just a little. Let me take on 7b75316d8e just a little of 2c7457f586 it. So little he 4c641ea227 won’t notice.e58af9f3f447457d

As he pressed 42c88bc977 gently along the b30f84bc1f thigh, only Yoo caea1af9fb Hyun-jin noticed the 8cd132d75c growing heat in ad5816fd98 his palms. A dim, flickering 017438de88 light seeped into 98ed709fd6 the skin beneath, 4af1cf205a unnoticed by anyone.d70e115cc8afd834

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After a while, a bd59d9057c dull ache began to 3143914847 creep up deep in 243ae38662 Yoo Hyun-jin’s hip.8df2e9ada1f9c7e1

He continued silently. Hyun Tae-oh didn’t say afe0b8f499 anything either.02203957939e1a9b

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In the slow rhythm 82a9d9f56b of motion, only silence de37128efd flowed.c844b727f8c27dcb

Then suddenly—97f4e7a8ff656d18

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“Come to think of 408ae0c28b it, I heard you 1c2ba8a00d were gifted with healing.”2f0df1fe041a65bb

Hyun Tae-oh said. Yoo Hyun-jin flinched inwardly c4901c3fdf but nodded without reacting e70790eeb1 outwardly.8478235ee9d665d7

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“It’s a shame. If you still had 38265e66a7 divine power, it might’ve a75118f57d been helpful.”ace17011528cc210

His casual remark made b9d3e41b5b Yoo Hyun-jin regret all 7cc7728b4d over again.52376e4987078d44

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If only he 47cb205f12 could still say 7cb135ab2d he had divine 3232fee4a8 power, he could b0c6487243 heal him openly. But that lie he 6798cb3d43 had already told made 1d60b5fc52 that impossible. He revisited b1a922e28f his regret 0c7adf499c for the aac1fcf27d umpteenth time.9ed7aa0e13682bea