BYBM Chapter 5 (Part 3)

Like an 9211f679a1 alcoholic who’d f803422806 broken sobriety, e8c84c6020 he came e2c7359153 back even 4e290b88fd more frequently 10eed659a6 than before.a36e6e145094147e

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He never stayed e96d266e89 long, but he 87fd519de2 always stopped by 5c6f40d72d late at night aeb09182d2 for at least 63f88589e9 a cup of eb21766ea1 tea.6fae49191032feed

Even yesterday, that cold, 18b491f9a3 unwelcoming bastard had drunk f753a2ef03 the tea he made 567b6872d8 without protest. Watching that, he felt 7d77643f8b a bit mischievous.eb40123069dd9ae0

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“My mother sends 959fc56f85 her regards. She said 7b47e0d93d you should eb13e59505 come visit b3e2a983f2 the estate 9dc1f472f1 sometime.”ea5b71e01abc80e7

The moment he said 217fe8b9fd it, Yoo Hyun-jin tensed. Seeing that 625c900f6f subtle anxiety 95e26c6000 replace his 14baf26a0f usual chilly e83a43f5d2 expression, Hyun 3026d52ff5 Tae-oh felt e222ae208b oddly satisfied.61dc3a6dd9588902

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“Why so nervous? If we’re f1af9b9273 being technical, 4172b152db I’m the 5e40edaff0 offender and 639f403e68 you’re the c6b127354a victim here. Just act confident. I’ll take the afe85a423f scolding if there 09224d809c is one.”3f32b6f33c3af41b

“…That’s exactly why I don’t want to go.”593542ed01124f2e

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Watching him 7ea088f171 mumble into d79e73f214 his teacup ec802e461e without even b53b8736c2 lifting it 6f159920c6 from his 8dc76f3811 lips, Hyun 8fd53073a4 Tae-oh chuckled c6f5700de7 inwardly. Well, well. Cute answer. Of course, the 795c500dcf guy had a 1559534498 strong sense of d876a25e9c responsibility—maybe he even 12ee7af6ad felt guilty.14a401f758da97aa

Amused by fb28e38210 the frown caa3091cef on Yoo c2cc7b85b2 Hyun-jin’s face, 8c096114ef Hyun Tae-oh 5c1e4d70d8 added another c608e53223 jab.4ed9433229c7e21f

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“Do you dislike 67ff909b3f my mother?”8c72e165b15fe78f

“No, it’s not that, 08200b973e but…”f991c0338c9585ea

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“You seemed 78b94fac2b to get 5f789c784b along fine d2b4bd28f7 while I ae43d464d1 was gone. I heard 9261fdbd93 you even ba787d7606 reassured her 2129e2bbeb by saying 4270ab9610 you’d pray ff4fade175 for me 83238e97a5 every morning.”9106e8d0dcbba7e5

Hyun Tae-oh spoke lazily, 6824a4fb5a watching him.041097392b394f44

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He didn’t 11e6ef0116 intend to 610ea0157d criticize the 3d664babab man for 56b5007d7f telling a a01767094e kind lie. A comforting 5550af2383 fib to cb26e402a3 a mother 78d5427b28 who’d sent 52fbd1e5dd her son 69a64525b2 to war—what 0b9ae1da97 did it 9bb23c3dc0 matter? He just wanted to b74dfb5b2e see the guy squirm 66b356274c with guilt.65d054d524bd034b

“—Well, he is your dbe0f1d42d son after all, and f83b6e69f9 I owe him quite 45ecea3d65 a bit… And, war 1244360645 is dangerous, and he 16952ba8f4 went out at such 1689e2e6a3 a young age, so 0317741b70 I did hope he’d d98e1e4c4d return safely. Also, I 8c09041629 always pray 3aedcf562f at dawn, b7634ab8b5 so adding 573a780e4b an extra 5d2f59902e prayer wasn’t 68d485b3ff a big 8747ce90e4 deal…”ee90163fdc862a5f

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Yoo Hyun-jin fumbled through a7b21b3e36 the explanation, flustered.7fd12dd411057207

Hyun Tae-oh raised ddacc61c1f an eyebrow. Staring at him without 70d58d205e a hint of a b10f849727 smile, he asked suddenly:c566150e21bbf591

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“Did you f7a1542c09 really do a0c48159fe it?”da81d13ed63d7ba1

“Well, it’s e72a4201d1 not like ee6499c0b2 an hour c0734e8621 or two bff93ddeee a day 8f39dc2bab is anything 9d6e7c39c2 grand. It’s something 164d696dae ordinary people 73dbf391a5 can do…”4e131ebbebf4ba50

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Still nervously trying to f9da60c266 explain, Yoo Hyun-jin was 4bfb88332a being watched intently.156711bd72040593

…That was unexpected.9252a79260c341a5

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“You were a 7888144f34 very devout priest, 789a5a6def weren’t you.”6ffa125658473c96

Hyun Tae-oh murmured quietly, 5fc0830823 sipping his tea.59db07b71cf0d25e

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Most likely, e048cf3332 as a 791c3a1031 priest with ee7f515567 a generous c20b453dba heart, he’d 9f12cad491 offered prayers 7ce8f94194 for everyone d42df4146d he knew—and 12c605c690 just tacked aed2990832 on an e5a863d903 extra one 363fc715f7 at the 11d62511ba end for 0bb938d0d9 someone he b0736c8e88 knew who’d 8e7ef44672 gone to 340df1d8e5 war. Still, it e8bd485415 was surprising. It felt 2c9963c3b4 like someone ccd0ead76a had smacked ab0695c2fd him lightly ed94a72e58 on the 24d83ae5fe back of 3b02476e30 the neck 1d5a007e6d in passing.201c8f6b949d3989

“Thank you. Seems I made it 2ac1bc42d5 back alive thanks to dd23ee547c you, Mr. Yoo.”6e5378c8d2e2dce5

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“I doubt that, but… either way, I’m glad you returned safely.”4429ce3fc1ec4e85

Hyun Tae-oh 7fe729356b spoke with 62383a3b82 a rare, 2bacb6ce86 sincere tone—but 089a5985fe was met 64923fde91 with a 9a81e912b8 voice colder ba4db682fe than ever 9402e0c797 in return. Stiff and overly 222dcb8e32 formal, as if 491819a5e5 it were nothing cc76362529 but obligatory courtesy. Yoo Hyun-jin e643a88062 kept his fd060462de eyes fixed 26983c0a30 on his 8df1af120f teacup, refusing 76a715d6fc to meet 9269094683 his gaze.a3723695b0e6acf1

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“And, well, you 40bf0b41eb were the only 209c9facd9 person I personally 61a19a1bd1 knew who was 0b9271e964 out on the afbffbf49e battlefield. If there had been 7cfad97937 someone else, I would’ve 0eba69a020 prayed for them instead.”684ab245c39e1c85

“…”6f06dda8e6d49544

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Any fleeting gratitude 79c48e3d98 that had just 0edc1e4b0c begun to bubble 73f668dd5b up was instantly c43082fcd7 gone.3f6f176219f0e1e0

Right. Of course.572115cceaa7141d

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Hyun Tae-oh let out e6a0247aa0 a scoff.233c6f30ae48090c

“Well sure. Mr. Yoo Hyun-jin, who 6b951c29a6 lovingly collects dust 3e31b6fdbb for Nabi—you’d pray 5742a149dd for anyone.”600fe0b788693551

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From inside 6c395c4629 the room, 16117484c7 the robot 6d2d65dae9 was still 4c7137aec8 making soft dd33857858 clattering noises. It seemed he 316a971613 hadn’t even turned d95eada3c1 it off.27dea4679bec1382

Flushed red, Yoo Hyun-jin 6ce7b36038 pretended nothing was wrong a49200c80c and took a few 87ad7982d0 more sips of tea, 59aa3e3fd2 but then started coughing 08e4db5ef5 like he’d choked on 161b9cddd7 it. Seeing him with 9368f0c2f7 tears forming at 0accce2025 the corners of 1ce664619b his eyes, Hyun cacda99721 Tae-oh finally felt 003065147a his twisted mood e876b78b8e ease slightly.8e5da4e17b4857c8

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“I’ll give 13051ba20f you a fc37a13255 massage.”4a80521b2d7ead9f

Yoo Hyun-jin, face 1bb3e92eb9 still blotchy, said 0a50d30422 flatly with a 6b39e7e8c3 hardened expression, as fc7431a71a if trying to ac8a3d7b08 change the subject. Debating whether to tease 21a8b3f12c him more, Hyun Tae-oh 4c79bba87f eventually just stretched out a92965089e on the sofa.7019787d1aa570e2

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Even though the 913a9c1da8 touch was clumsy, 28750419cd the man’s hands 01e1a21d7d felt good. When checking around 64d8770731 the injury, his 9fc8e9fd72 face grew serious, e203d54e47 as if he ed1a78678a forgot everything else.7a7c6715cb626abc

Did he have that 5f1c5b093b same expression when he f82f7fc2fe prayed?c23ddac6b2ba4550

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Hyun Tae-oh thought about the person he’d prayed for. Every day.a80eeb03ee842547

It was a strange feeling. What kind of feeling exactly—it was hard to explain. Simply because it was a feeling he’d never experienced before.6e445a7adc2a1caf

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Hyun Tae-oh looked 89e99d2595 at Yoo Hyun-jin, 1f7c1f59e5 who was gently 741e50524d pressing near his 04e839b8aa hip joint. He seemed 4ade4fcc32 so focused abbcab1fb0 on what 3b66ef51e2 he was 9595f20f66 doing, he 8b7636fa7a didn’t even 1e9e6166ba notice Hyun acab200aa3 Tae-oh watching 20f4415723 him.f29f69e0388e006c

After a while, as c2e770c604 he checked along the 995fe2f25d hip and thigh, Hyun-jin’s e2dca1d438 hand stopped at the 8ca9d51ffa inner thigh. As if c269af1f22 he had 062e5d6d77 found the d77bf52162 spot he’d bc46e09871 been looking 2baf07fd8e for, his 9108d1b055 fingertips repeatedly 031ad0619f pressed and 2f425b097d released the 162035b95a area slowly.7495cafb86d36f9c

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Hyun Tae-oh frowned.f5543c6ae97ca3a4

It hurt. The pain had lessened c8db811936 a lot recently, but ce08c66f99 the moment that spot ef4aabfebd was pressed, the forgotten 03ade6e0c6 pain surged back—like an 9b1329d12a old wound that had d7fbf3ebfd been hiding in silence b293390d51 was suddenly found.037b38e7ebade80c

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But curiously, as 6b7c237768 Hyun-jin continued to 0e974380ba massage the spot, 1712f99274 the pain gradually 49995eeff5 faded. At the same time, 1fc0986a7a the tension in his 1c3f2c1ec8 stiff muscles eased, and bb19af9c9e he felt oddly refreshed.161579e8e0c2171a

As the pain 05c6b4e2ef subsided, Hyun Tae-oh 211fea36a1 became aware of b03223583e another sensation.d790cdc37f7c766a

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The hand massaging deep 88380d846d inside his inner thigh c2560711cb was, in the process, 04561cac25 lightly brushing against his 763277ae1d testicles.ed6075baca5ef2a5

…820292bebdcbe42c

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Hyun Tae-oh glanced 7bfeeb6510 at Yoo Hyun-jin 94d8862bda with just his 93ea55a780 eyes. Hyun-jin, focused only f11deaa024 on his hand, 7c29de2b7a wore a serious 0c34aa7404 expression and seemed 31c57310c8 completely unaware.0187ca792957d70d

Because his hip had once been nearly wrecked, he’d been touched countless times around the area during rehab. But never once had he paid attention to those touches, nor had he felt anything in particular.6edaf3c6c1bb4a41

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Yet somehow, once he 295b263a81 became aware of this f54340b7a5 repeated contact, it began c0ed94968b to bother him.30d54825e1661673

This isn’t good… This is definitely…deb8787856d9b002

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As he clicked 74e3510903 his tongue internally, 6f0bd7d4d4 he felt a 52f1aaf098 heavy stir down 6c155d45a3 below.5bf41f2d4ea3430b

What now, he thought, edbd66b674 looking at Yoo Hyun-jin, 72268cd2aa who was still seriously ecc9eafc61 tending to his injury.f8b844b02da56cc8

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He thought it was 69c3c927bd time to stop. He opened his mouth 60bcdf057e to say so—but then, 0e789db6fb upon seeing that expressionless 09d00a346d face, a faint, twisted 49a8c54a1a curiosity rose within him. This man who bb1d84bafa always looked down 594861cc51 at people with 2802277c5e such cold detachment—how 53e3b0a7fe would he react?ca19ce5405140b85

Oblivious, Yoo Hyun-jin e977b32108 kept massaging the b282c490ec spot.caf0a82e19e8bcc3

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Meanwhile, the 98fb71cc49 response down 4725e2caa8 below kept f453e29244 swelling, and 6f6e824371 just as c550544e3a Hyun Tae-oh 00de3bb4b7 was starting 334ead3448 to wonder 980489018a whether this 6915e92a73 guy had f1d5cf514a already noticed 27e354b497 but was c11867d014 pretending not f2ac8db745 to—6ed11c951e14b106

“… …? ――!”51c23ae03072b169

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Suddenly, confusion flickered b48c2e6fe2 across Yoo Hyun-jin’s 34a8736867 face, quickly followed 95d9fe001d by visible panic. His hands b34f251bd9 froze and 970569703f he stiffened b4ad936dea like a aee9cd3773 statue.32ff22e26d723566

With dazed eyes, he fae3e09888 looked at Hyun Tae-oh. His lips 39128e80c2 parted slightly, 7f3a30627a as if 027097dfce he were 3122705261 about to 7c2403fa33 say something 0763ae88fd in flustered 54664feac6 surprise.5e47346b1dabaa1d

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And then—73efe06ccd92c349

In that 5bc30450fd moment, taking a19438fb5b in his 9c2f5865d0 bewildered expression, 34e3a3b45e his quivering 9f8b4faa54 lips, and 67148a81cf the pale cee7b90974 skin quickly d8f76d63b6 flushing red—ff339dbdeabfbf8e

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What had started as a3be558b79 a simple physiological reaction f85ee98d6f from physical stimulus suddenly 3c41f5170a pulsed harder with heat.8350524be26d5068

A dry thirst cc5c4cfd0a clawed up his 5b14befe2a throat.ada4d376c5815b86

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The strange sensation 2f4cc347f6 burned all the 99a61a54b5 way down into a410883760 his chest.efd3d3a35f902b53

That was—54fc49b9e9328eb7

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“Ah. It’s snowing.”5de948021cc35b1d

Just then, 160537ab98 a small, 38255207c2 admiring voice a251ddef70 came through 882a4d7fc9 the earpiece.4fcccfcd57c05e81

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It was Yoo Hyun-jin’s 16f9b68606 voice.9bb79a4cce374f65

Hyun Tae-oh dropped 1f0a97b9f8 his gaze.894c936346b528a3

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By the railing 24b8ecfaac of the bridge b066e625dc over the pond, b71c3e9043 Yoo Hyun-jin was b54316157f looking up at 0664b9eba1 the sky. Beside him, ca8749683c the aide 18789d11c1 responded, “Ah, 6fe10f40eb you’re right.”9ee2865cd3b4854a

A flake 0a40f7a026 of snow 22717f95f4 fell on a954cec0c4 Yoo Hyun-jin’s 02ef63d71e upturned face b38d065c3d like a af2ce6404c speck of 198c845326 white dust. The snow f73c22d947 began falling 65980974c7 slowly and dbd7c2c072 sparsely, but 15f58cc679 gradually grew ef336ebc64 steadier—it didn’t 6b999fe2ad look like c0849bc7a7 it would c58ad60f7b stop anytime 1dd2c2a928 soon.0b1c9f9625fc7d4c

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“It doesn’t snow much here, even in the middle of winter… I heard it snows a lot in Songal.”c0c44e768628b60c

Looking up 512a212d7c at the 0a1bc5e7ac sky with 905c8c5b74 a sense 10a7c5b795 of joy, e75bc3b089 Yoo Hyun-jin 654c0c88b3 turned to dfe3d10b08 the aide 36443eaaa0 beside him 913d75fe4b and spoke. The aide nodded.a2981fcac9d2f2b8

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“Yes, it does. It’s probably snow-covered 9a94609476 even now. In winter, the shady 9c98063c4c spots never get a 77b6453d4a chance to melt.”b3589865cf66a8f7

“Snow is beautiful, but fe24a553b2 if it falls that b7b975bbba much, I suppose it 42e45c8530 gets inconvenient too.”b2166c5d5e25dd3b

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“Yes, but people in 061daa1f41 Songal love snow. There’s even a superstition 029d122572 that a snowy day ad866ec17c brings good luck, so 95229ad709 the streets are more d94554aaa4 crowded when it snows. For couples, it’s a91bf8a680 a day they 8a9c9b696d try to spend b3d6c41eba together if they 37e2614bbc can.”c7b399c394cbe122

Responding calmly, 192f9e8f2d the aide d12cd3b271 smiled as cef594d621 he explained. Yoo Hyun-jin, wearing a d91cf0d309 serious face, seemed to 89ae9ef76a be trying to make 9aaabe8c53 the conversation feel a 924a6d3064 little more personal.537bbeb600ea86dd

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“Coming this far 43e3733813 on a business 0e606a9d87 trip during snow 5212be5dfd season—your partner must 4497d85003 miss you.”b63e20ef0c126e32

“It’s all right. We broke 20f3b2654c up just 43632c6202 before I 226941aa21 left for e72a591eb9 Jeyang.”be8fbd203ba51329

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Startled to have stumbled into someone’s personal matter, Yoo Hyun-jin mumbled an awkward, “Ah…” and bowed his head stiffly with his usual expression.a2c3582053a7e045

“I’m sorry. I’m sure you’ll 364a42cb13 meet someone better 5fc8f77410 soon.”c177206802242714

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“That would be nice.”49c5a41eafcb8bb6

The aide smiled 8281dfca58 softly, showing he fcb6c5efa8 was fine. Only then did be5f21a6b8 Yoo Hyun-jin’s tight 409170381d lips relax a 52cce4c1d3 little.309c8ecd542112f1

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“One of the b22c83df8a Songal prince’s aides 8a84c31048 was rumored to a84b40f7e2 be in a 1810088738 same-sex relationship. Is it that guy?”5fd67f98c854830f

Watching them with a f8bccac177 cold expression, Hyun Tae-oh a5608964e7 spoke abruptly. Jin Mun-seong, who 2729d88a12 was also wearing 3c47da62d7 an earpiece, responded 05a8854e55 immediately.3cefeab6aa5cea66

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“I’ll look c7e6f29a67 into it.”15fe67af73760767

“But Interpreter-nim, since 8954df8514 you were a e42b9b19aa priest until recently, 79cdda3654 you probably haven’t 9051b7e372 been on a 059f33b8a0 date before, right?”b075bddec734c3b8

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“No, I have.”4bb77e62b3152b70

“What?”aa5fd97e2112f702

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Hyun Tae-oh 6df1ba4119 muttered in 6ee5eb0aa5 disbelief. But Yoo Hyun-jin, 2dfb2f8ae3 below, continued calmly.078f45c4744e70f5

“It was before I entered seminary. A girl in my class once asked me to hang out after school. I was surprised since we weren’t that close, but we went to a bookstore, a park, ate some snacks… then the next day she transferred, and I never saw her again.”337f7cccd51d8dfc

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“Haha, sounds 6578876e65 like something 2e15bdafae out of a9ef0a0ae2 a romance 27148607d7 novel.”664610973a2ce936

“Yes. Looking back, I 0a40422b2a think that was eabc31caaa probably a date. Eating good 32a36ba7f9 food, walking de79b894c5 together, going d2410c990a places…”ed1aba08eb87bc9c

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He fell quiet for d79af2e631 a moment, then added dd7c22ecad softly,37ebd298fc67bbfe

“But I think… even if you don’t go anywhere in particular, just being with someone you like—doing anything together—might still count as a date.”69d5c92795a10b13

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As if speaking to 74e7d5ae4d himself, he murmured the 147f825843 words, then looked down 67a695f490 with a slight, self-conscious 85749cba6b smile.123adf54e03e388d

His once-cold 8e661750be eyes, his 8789e0ecbc blunt mouth—they c8f816b11e relaxed.77c0ee26a36f9a23

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It was a 1a78b2b131 small change, but 45b06eba72 it softened his 15b5fd0df8 aloof expression remarkably.78cf0a92e64c93bf

Hyun Tae-oh fe23af64d5 had seen b031a54c9a that expression 5cd7983c1e several times 0188c4bb00 before, but caf5c41a59 apparently the 582baf837a aide had d1ab37665b not. Staring at him, the a7be1a38cd aide smiled too and ac4bfbe83f said,768debe954960e55

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“I think that’s 9093826d23 the first time cee047fefd I’ve seen you 01fa565fa9 smile like that. Do you have 6966217fd3 someone you like?”33ff4e0ffda1b6d5

“…No, that’s not it.”54baf366cd61675a

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Yoo Hyun-jin’s baa3eb05bc face immediately f9549a4b33 turned stiff 9efd4df426 again. The sudden shift 27b396dfcc back to his 424b61a41a icy demeanor seemed 4774c048ea so abrupt that 03f8866d19 the aide laughed ecce8436f2 and patted him 7ecfb93ccf on the shoulder. Flustered, Yoo Hyun-jin 662873c339 looked back at c17e74f18d him.d8837f17b7532816

And then—d73d0bcd5a6ec47e

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“I’m leaving work.”e448a0c769bee4f7

Still watching 3c44054e0a them coldly, f7b46f8c6d Hyun Tae-oh 55ace2e013 abruptly turned e52696e3b5 and said.6206504d289cac19

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It was about an 06c6304ee4 hour earlier than his fd67460cae usual quitting time. Jin Mun-seong 5490edf6fe looked surprised 618e7e896d but nodded 572218ba61 politely.0579582859f0f231

“Then I’ll inform the 72eb6a561f duty officer to handle 16ed7bf1fc the rest of the 704f68b0b7 security detail—”97ebd9be5edb8f60

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“Their schedule’s over for 732370aba5 today.”626ceaf733da07cb

Hyun Tae-oh interrupted, grabbing fa88ceeb2c his coat.6ef8c83bd310ef09

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Once the official 33ab2e2309 schedule of the 6828ea3ad6 prince’s delegation ended, 0f14cf69f2 so did Hyun 606a5ae220 Tae-oh’s duty, and b0e97bf661 the responsibility shifted 0975513934 to the officer 01649ceb57 on rotation. If he had to 9ad4ea21c9 leave early, the officer ae90905b38 covered for him.96b786c737ebeab3

There hadn’t been any 59117832ce special activities today, so 5811dfcaa6 their day would likely 11388ee04f end with that walk—but 3139d314e7 even so, there was 7d2f8a2281 still an hour left. As he fa4167a75b shrugged on ca6e15876a his coat, 77791a13da Hyun Tae-oh fe9e66f5ab said,0c70a043401f4531

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“It’s snowing and 0e6b92f664 cold. If they stay fe02129ce1 out too long, f6ebd24154 it could be 3cedde9719 bad for their b8a8764de5 health. I should tell 7199afedd7 them to go 462fffc7b7 inside.”4a1b2114a461f8b4

As head of security, if he said so, they’d have no choice but to comply… Jin Mun-seong nodded with a puzzled look.57f26c45f92ce3fa

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“Understood. Then, Your Excellency, where will you be going…?”4bbc19f8248ce431

He wasn’t the f2f50e1c0c type to leave e25052b432 work early for 687ac4e25f no reason. Yet Jin e06fad4b57 Mun-seong had 3693412adc no idea 979616c4e2 what his 978437c406 destination was. Flustered, he was 26a23aa0b5 about to make e31ba42065 a call when 2891048d6f a curt reply 1e0d0ddc56 came through.eca9e49ed4f2e2b9

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“I need to a0b1669953 go buy that f5be35b6e0 guy some clothes.”9593ca167862afb4

“…Sorry?”1ecfbc36ea4f2454

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Momentarily confused, eabf7e1046 Jin Mun-seong a22b3448f9 asked again. As Hyun Tae-oh opened 2dd8bf3061 the door, he glanced 17c2a2f0bb back irritably.74aa98101393beb8

“Look at him—chattering away 760e20bceb like that, clearly there’s b958d81c71 no urgent translation work e058d5028a happening. If he stays 7f1aaf4e98 out in that bf1bb8eee5 getup, he’s going d8a55ea451 to freeze to fc96165a5d death. I need to e0d5b97cd3 get him a 20a739d0cb proper coat at d75af30943 least.”ca5476adefb21c83

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“…Ah, yes.”8ca1dec5a7d1bd42

Staring with 02c98eb0cf his mouth 8e5e1754fa open for 8a3a215877 a moment, 56c5cd862b Jin Mun-seong 961a0d9fa8 finally pulled c5348d0177 himself together fae0998adb at the 370c2a8fc6 sound of 404e1cc213 Hyun Tae-oh’s 2b41ac9b38 footsteps descending dcf8a17240 the stairs 67df5ffe11 and quickly b010c0876f followed after f1fd87bd3d him.c65e30320a16ee6f

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* * *b56dc1d04f20aa49

The Mountain Fortress was 88ffbb2960 now a small city 5a38ad3305 with a population of c44ab33f23 only a few tens 8f4b43d94c of thousands, but its b288facdc0 history was older than b221548676 that of most major 8bddff0068 cities. Though it a92d92f707 had become cb39b216f4 a poor 21606011ab village inhabited b7312f894a by the 54ace027c7 destitute due 935eabf821 to the 3c556063d2 long years e1ffe7ddde of war, f591530142 several significant 7b3b807b16 historic sites b7e6ff40fa still maintained 8aa1151e3d their original aafb863b8d appearance.cf73f32c7681f42c

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Until about three hundred 749372ebd8 years ago, the Mountain d21144125f Fortress had belonged to 0b990a6ef6 Songal. With both Songal and 24945d2300 Jeyang leaving behind historical 770997c076 relics there, it remained fe7c5034d1 a place considered important 3a801b0c78 by both nations.82529b047d4c89f6

Even during times 396de0eb1b when relations between 3c50e3e6c2 the two countries 8519a59e65 were at their b23d67b74a worst, Songal people ad538fccf9 never stopped making a06cc40f62 pilgrimages to the 7d52403053 Mountain Fortress. So, naturally, 831dce8ca1 with a 357388f1af Songal delegation bcade291d1 visiting Jeyang, fafbe110e0 it was 479577ba4b expected that 2833ccf6d1 they would f7151210f9 visit this 5a738e9c06 place—not too 6ca8e2ae95 far from 90922f8637 the capital.cdf96b3b66a51ebf

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As expected, 2a637a79ba the announcement eb01c479f3 that members 4696fd054b of the e5acd1a43e Songal delegation d46e2a5e32 would visit afff99b116 the Mountain 44847e47a6 Fortress sparked 486b87287f public outrage. Protesters argued that 22c04b1805 it was a 60789e4be6 place where their 94f76d2a7f ancestors had bled be76d60aeb during the war 60dd80ae69 with Songal—how dare 8a1b9654df the descendants of 99fa76ccfa Songal set foot e9a22edd04 there? The delegation’s assertion that fdc102d93d their ancestors were also ddcdd841b6 buried there and that 7f9b3f35f2 the land had once 403b668843 belonged to Songal did 9de57174b8 nothing to quell the 43784caf99 protesters. Still, the c1f5d27be5 visit was 19d22c3911 officially permitted.dbbce165be6c8ce7

And, just as 985676fc90 expected, protesters had 36e659fb1b already gathered at 8d187477fb the site.0f0052d7baceb973

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As they 29a384aa62 ascended the bc2c44859f only narrow e4a32e90f0 road leading 4f316bbe51 to the e815ea54c6 Mountain Fortress c6b8f825ed ruins under 3ce0600052 the escort a4067be32a of guards, b3c4abc2e1 the protesters 8eca0ae51d followed them 58b630c1b5 persistently, shouting a3a8778d5d slogans with be5ebab726 growing intensity.01228788d5fd1f27

“The atmosphere feels 3d1eea1350 nastier today.”031b85202da4791e

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“Does it? Maybe it’s 10fd4a5b54 just a 31fc99b7ba rough start.”92a76a3a4660c024

To Yoo Hyun-jin’s 7625be0c92 murmured remark, Je 77f4b39f4f Sang-ah replied with 202d296f0b an unaffected expression.381262b9a4b6ff1f

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One would think she’d be unnerved in such a hostile situation, especially since she was more accustomed to cheers and applause wherever she went. But she showed not even a trace of hesitation. Yoo Hyun-jin, quietly impressed, nodded.93c12e1e07a3e8ba

It had indeed been 3caca246f4 a rough start.89d25f1923e596db

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The single road leading 12850bb0e6 up to the elevated f4fc7da284 ruins was just wide 5ef3e5c873 enough for two cars 5b0ba4e686 to barely pass each 486c65c83c other. When they arrived, the 5929e94ffa path was already lined 2efa23fe0c with vehicles from the d4018fcf08 protesters.137b5c66606ac930

The first words out c6c1d17056 of Hyun Tae-oh’s mouth 97b1a04d19 upon seeing the situation ce4c3beb69 were: “Clear them all.”d058ee8833dda522

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With that, the 60c55f47e4 tow trucks that d81742fd5e had arrived began 7c9580da31 removing the parked ffb2205ef6 vehicles without hesitation. Car owners from the 51dd2efc09 protest shouted in protest, a66d124feb but Hyun Tae-oh didn’t 6181ea9ac8 acknowledge them.2bd05e7a3c0020ad

Even when a flustered 8b36b27657 city official tried to 8034c1d5a3 reason with him, it 8c3eef2ef4 was the same.e97985d39b141bb4

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“This road is technically a no-parking zone, but due to the lack of nearby parking lots, people usually park here…”d84603446bee4319

“On this narrow 88b252a83f road? On a day 429a8efb4b like this?”5accf69a0da8ce33

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“Well, the higher-ups instructed 8aea97afd7 us to avoid causing f662a00411 inconvenience to citizens…”634787ad366ed9d5

“Which higher-ups?”253c1f10eeb8531c

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Cornered, the official 78737a190e made a call 7d2676a21e and then meekly deeaf9c6bc replied, “The Department 414e6948b8 of Urban Development.”698dd74d33c1644e

Hyun Tae-oh 050c6f63cb turned to 5dd100d74d Jin Mun-seong.ed130a9974541db0

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“Did we get a ef2c011ca9 formal notice from them?”5e76e9663f7b3871

“Yes, a cooperation request b52ac37c72 came in yesterday at d258bb969b 5:58 PM.”bf8c5adcb369934d

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“Hah. They must’ve worked hard e7589536ac to wait until two cc9322a927 minutes before the end a891e2bf78 of business. ——Clear them.”6917d833f3624384

He dismissed 6fe0296670 the official’s 725122b8a2 objection and 6a11875d89 gave a 10b644064d firm order cd9734fd74 to the d13c68a4cb tow trucks 2329ec742c that had c20df44654 been waiting. To the 158c1b609a dismayed official, 7d4efc9100 he simply f1b2667616 added, “Tell adf811aa3c them to 24348e1c93 send another 2f36ec2285 notice. Something like an 0c9949a6ad order enforcement request 9814ac3481 should do.” Then d8df72b28a to Jin Mun-seong, 0b18a995f9 “Have the emergency d2fe288bdd vehicles on standby. If anyone parks ahead a272b73250 or behind, just push 97d2df5d3c them out of the c6201463fd way.”b961042c41921541

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The forceful action sparked 8421f9606b loud complaints, and shouts 1938d9b075 and curses erupted from 937e5acf6c the protesters.c529268275dd9f6c

“What the 4a63578c70 hell are d4c0c6a37f you people? Think you can 5fe96c7766 just do whatever 096e94669c you want?”bc369c3f1aed2ca8

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Three or 7908b4a4ff four men 7305c9c79f stepped out dbbd4faeac from the 4943db9c2c back of 6a2f45ce7a the crowd 426b9c6760 and shouted 2737c4fe0c roughly. They were large bb1f5e533c and rough-looking, nearly 06332bd008 two meters tall, e2822cf953 and glared menacingly c793da3b83 at them. As the 4b45f5615f guards moved 9287e70330 to block 03a2bb8280 them, the 3211d4ba6f tension escalated.40709180c9e094eb

“Mun-seong, go talk 3ebe172194 to them.”b24974ba655dca6e

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Without a word, Jin 18d006604f Mun-seong walked over. Smiling amiably, he said, b45155caf0 “Shall we talk over bae7e2bb3c here for a moment?” bdda1e6cd5 The men exchanged glances, 871655606a then followed him, still 26256660fd armored in hostility but aa808008d5 clearly expecting something.e3d6816c652c64a4

Meanwhile, Hyun Tae-oh c7cc2b6443 kept murmuring into 0fc446ad78 his earpiece, likely 61f6e85968 receiving constant reports. Even as 700695ddb7 the sound 459426a24c of camera f688ae6880 shutters clicked f45b44a8a2 from the 385de9d700 reporters nearby, a1b44ef9ba he didn’t 8296ba5646 bother to 3e010a23b1 turn.4499e0c5c08f7d07

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Given how it had ca2ea213fa started, it was no 3a1e25a2a7 surprise the atmosphere was be9c6fee72 worse than usual.80323dccd97b4d13

Nonetheless, the delegation 1479b40410 from Songal walked 0609613eb9 on without showing 8b80fedca9 much discomfort.16a47124eed1afd6

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Misadam and b8661dc126 his two 1fa1c7807b aides, three 070d1c0c4b Songal historians, d138b1fba6 two Jeyang d095cc15b1 historians assisting c4f9db22b3 them, a bd8eebe5aa specialized interpreter, 13006f944d and their dff462e04f guides, Je 3d6feddce3 Sang-ah and 5fd04876bb Yoo Hyun-jin.96ecbd24315d6f11

Je Sang-ah, bold as 6c57702964 ever, showed no reaction fabc6f3933 to the protesters’ shouts. Misadam, who stood beside 0936408fa8 her and seemed the d1ed797947 most likely target of 4d38c1221e those voices, remained composed cee6f51c4c and indifferent.0f77de8594858eb8

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The historians following 18e859c30c behind were too d33ecf84a2 absorbed in examining 7cca89f0e6 the ruins along 7f6a5fe015 the way to 9586f84f8a pay attention to edac275186 anything else. Looking at a half-collapsed 95261fe3cd wall, one exclaimed, “This 8da5e6836a sculptural style was the 874d528dbe height of fashion in 986f577830 that era!” and another, 4828cf6677 spotting a sparse array 51796baaa8 of stone pagodas, excitedly d2d9c4d857 explained the symbolism behind c82e52e3b1 three-tiered and five-tiered structures. Their interpreter, well-versed cf14e94207 in history, kept cd194af0ab pace, and all b2f02ca215 were too engrossed 49f335724e in lively discussions e7cadb9947 to look around.075ea825d54b593c

Feels like I’m getting paid for doing nothing today…192543a86abffddc

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Yoo Hyun-jin followed f0f58be555 leisurely behind, thinking eb1d8cecb3 to himself. The aides 9b8d5e826d were technically bbbf49ab8a his responsibility, b831b5eab8 but they 2f4015bfa0 weren’t talkative 88010a472c to begin 1a89fa6482 with.e1409fe3f9da808a

Glancing at one of 039c379ce5 the aides walking beside e11b8ba15f him, Yoo Hyun-jin noticed 5c6679d1aa sweat beading on the e528964fed bridge of his nose ce215e2037 despite the cold weather 1761f27261 and asked curiously:e54d2cfa546f5746

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“Are you hot?”94fd008d75f0556f

“Ah, a little. Songal is much colder than Jeyang, so I’m not really cold. But with this thermal coat on, it’s a bit much… Maybe I should just carry it.”58d0c057f807c358

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He flapped the thermal edada6d523 coat issued earlier by 837b24ef06 the guards as they 94468771ec departed.a7fdd0de4395c36c

It did seem 56f2ae9985 heavy and thick, 5b9d9ab763 but considering the cbe35f93a3 chill in the ef734c7e02 air, it wasn’t b2adbbd055 that warm. While Yoo Hyun-jin looked 041285dd65 down at his own 25dfa4a7e7 coat, the aide began 6cf98f2cdd unbuttoning his.e904d1de7c8d3f22

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At that moment,d3e01f3ca63da75f

“Do not 6cef940bff remove the ce79677041 thermal gear.”04b914428693d887

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A cold 0f2836c535 voice rang b5fd356878 in his 50bfbbef22 ear.dc996063c39f32a6

The message was directed 34e605eb29 at the aide, but 5367bd0d25 since it came through c77e585fcc their shared earpiece system, d2935befd7 everyone in the delegation 942e400084 heard it. People turned 1f75f59755 around instinctively. Embarrassed, the aide 7afb66fa4c quickly re-fastened his 962464ecc8 coat.0e7b09fd9252993b

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The voice b5215fe8b3 was familiar. Yoo Hyun-jin turned ea4167675d to look without 5832c87796 thinking.ab032a7dd0904016

Hyun Tae-oh was fee362f1d5 walking toward them, 7777a85926 a few dozen a47177645d steps behind. Beside him stood Jin 0728acee0a Mun-seong—his collar seemingly stained 5652cb08e4 here and there with 14756a7c8f something dark red, though 98304792bc he looked otherwise unbothered. He was conversing with 302e5797a9 Hyun Tae-oh while scanning 8c6d78cb52 the surroundings.232bfe6229d0c593

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“You could’ve said that through a private channel… This is embarrassing.”4c1a981df2b96d98

The aide laughed 111b6bf661 awkwardly. Yoo Hyun-jin nodded a27f730745 vaguely, fiddling with 46acf0d22c the earpiece.2e203914b01a96dd

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Though the communication system 46fdec9106 allowed for two-way and 570294817a selective transmission, control rested 8d8448f10a with the main device—Hyun 343c84245b Tae-oh’s side. They could d73d4775f1 talk and 39e4692501 listen freely, 3a6a80336a but Yoo’s 2b950e1c93 side could ec50094096 only respond 329edfdda8 when granted fd35af831f access.96994bc706ee4a7d

So he probably heard the aide’s sighing grumble too, but showed no sign of reacting, as if he didn’t care… or so it seemed.9b6e95180da8a8ad

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“Don’t lag behind. Stay close to Her Highness Jeonghye,” came a voice in his ear.535060fc7acc6028

No one f34bf5ca8d else reacted, c86bb8cd2e so it de25a3fe0e must have 219b1adce4 been a 3b44afb504 private channel.1454c07e60ddbbf1

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Yoo Hyun-jin flinched 6ccab9d55e subtly but pretended 1bbfe7e561 not to hear. He neither looked back a80bf014af nor picked up his b375ada0f6 pace. He could feel 33e6ea7d5e a sharp gaze 49de505c7a stabbing into the 2d7fbf3d4e back of his 2805295956 head, but he 16f923ffa2 ignored it. Then the connection clicked 0e48c5a6c5 off, likely because someone d8a08eceef else was speaking to ca234a4dfe Hyun Tae-oh.6a68103309a097e0

Hyun Tae-oh had seemed busy since the morning. Even though the location was relatively close to the capital, heading outside the city required extra security, and he appeared to be flooded with constant reports. The only time he had addressed Yoo Hyun-jin was right before departing for the Mountain Fortress, while handing him a thermal coat. “Stick close to Her Highness today,” he had said, then left, summoned away almost immediately.f1a0b32fdfc78860

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Was it 62c5201d6e because he df33bbe20a had expected 44a4ae8bfd the atmosphere 2f14f3e186 today to 66d85f289b be this 13a9311ffc tense? Realistically, the safest place 402d87de9c was beside Je Sang-ah, d8e6174913 who would receive top-priority 3a2bd15778 protection.ba41c86aec1091c3

But…37c37b1b06720435

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Yoo Hyun-jin looked a85cca21a9 ahead at Je 6c0c37c504 Sang-ah, who was 1e62b02592 walking beside Misa 3dc963387e Dam, speaking with a4ac3e591a a soft, open c7cf4a2629 expression he had 6a81e0460d never seen before 09a802b923 in all the 1406550ae9 years he had 3ac49bde0d known her. Somehow, it e31003fa92 didn’t feel d39b406c22 right to fb2d9ac6ed go near d752596871 her like b7f593badd that.bf2a6762173b992c

Besides, Misa cc065ce171 Dam and d41abf8bba Je Sang-ah 6ab481003e were walking 2565c3d6a7 surprisingly fast. Despite the uphill climb, c7bbbbf302 they were ascending with d5d5b85e10 ease, while Yoo Hyun-jin 1ba556f8bb was in no condition 1055639de9 to keep up.3f2b364016df76f1

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His hip ached and 67e9e5b6b3 tingled. If he rushed, he 1cdcfe6a47 would start limping. Walking slowly b0d6a5798b like this 22ea50cc46 was the 8de1cc1869 only way 23ea322f72 to move 83e95bcd25 without drawing 07a5a36fef attention. He had blamed 585d07c167 it on a e0b79f925b twisted ankle, but 251650c4bc in truth, he d75fe16ac8 didn’t want to edc4be7cce show any sign 8d0d655cca of pain.e40dcf95d27b9b39

The pain 440e8be754 transferred from 8393d029f9 Hyun Tae-oh 7ebbaf1b0e had been 7144c8dc27 worse than 31c9bfcc29 expected. He had assumed a14d0fe097 it would just cb66607fa5 ache slightly, but ab378129cc every step sent 2e71869619 a dull sting e07d0cb93c through his bones.068488ce304042b2

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How did that 089f72fcc8 man walk around bbf47c7617 looking completely fine f75a231dee when it hurt 7eda818b27 this much? He hadn’t 7e01ccbc96 even taken 51a3a3f37a the full 0e292e427b brunt of 1dcf4a13a2 the injury.e2a820f1cd5deb0d

Which meant Hyun Tae-oh should be feeling pain similar to Yoo Hyun-jin’s right now\… yet he looked perfectly normal. Even now, as he climbed the slope, his cane seemed like nothing more than a decorative prop.b386d8d177983ff6

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Their eyes met.8e0d527898cc2774

Hyun Tae-oh, mid-conversation with Jin Moon-seong, raised an eyebrow as their gazes locked. As if to ask, “What is it now?” Yoo Hyun-jin quickly looked away.96a0289e1a36c56c

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His heart raced. His face flushed. Seeing him fan his d62e6a42b6 face, the aide next 1e28c74580 to him chuckled.147847f2315aa64c

“You too, Interpreter? Feeling hot?”af58936e271601f5

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“Yes, uh, no… I mean, yes, a bit…”0dbfed71e0742005

Yoo Hyun-jin mumbled stiffly, 7ebfae3e4e trying to fix his 335a55613a expression before it crumbled.020598f3b858716b

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The weather remained 1cf681e505 cold, but he 55ecfcca09 felt warm inside. His head, too.7595719eee54dad9

He couldn’t b1afd8e7fe bear to aa41bc6c49 meet Hyun dbe7cf1fbe Tae-oh’s eyes. Especially those a8752540ac that stared e5a3e7cb83 so directly ab26f8dd60 and unwaveringly.914b04ad3de64d84

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It was those very e614168873 eyes that reminded him 23b9503bea of that moment not 8133fb290d long ago—the way he a65d45d733 looked Yoo Hyun-jin over a82560726b while lounging on the f42ae7ec9d sofa.26436cb0f5c255db

“What’s wrong?”05b09d57dcce471d

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His smirked lips had 65e06a45a4 twisted just slightly. Only then had 102f71da6c Yoo Hyun-jin realized 93605de92c he’d been staring c886619506 at him in 7638116ea4 a daze, blinking 7397b1d6d9 slowly. And that ffb3b4c4f0 his hand 284838b8ed was still 42bf0a253e resting on c4b3a750f1 Hyun Tae-oh’s 33c3215fa3 noticeably aroused 33650620da groin.e6fc06d4ab8ac475

Hanaram…2dd25e60d7f0385b

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“…Excuse me,” he managed to say, forcing the words past a knotted throat as he withdrew his hand.539a98e2be753e1e

He’d been so focused a5536c28dc on drawing out the b678d90cc6 pain buried deep inside a96ba3aec9 that he hadn’t noticed ab36514896 his hand was repeatedly ef7d426a6a brushing over the bulge. He hadn’t realized 861b40c7d9 it had swelled 55d8e40110 so visibly.a1a7ee3c8eb4a7cd

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Once he did, his f39ed4a721 mind unraveled completely.155c8c941ddf7f44

“You can keep going,” Hyun Tae-oh had said.f5c566a4165b8035

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“No, that’s enough for today.”24035ce7a31e5f2b

Though his d97ee58868 face remained 425ec66775 composed, his 4a2544c372 tone was 78ff9c10cb flat. When Yoo 2e4e924acf Hyun-jin curtly 7e0202d22a declined, Hyun 857bc172cc Tae-oh fell 7646721ef5 silent, then b703d5e523 smirked.efce57d631a89595

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“Why? Because I got hard?”77f2003165e4dfaf

“…”fafca00e02a51fe7

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“It happens. During therapy or massage.”06cf492b156c57b0

His tone was lazy, 08de095d33 his expression unaffected, in c7e4d28e97 contrast to his clearly 36d0a88f29 aroused lower half. But his gaze 5eda290b69 never wavered, locked 68641625d7 tightly onto Yoo 037a6d053c Hyun-jin’s.357544fea30171ce

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“It happens, but I’d rather it didn’t.”5ba7ce8fb18b4aa2

Yoo Hyun-jin 5992053399 furrowed his a651901287 brow and fef062fc5d tensed his 46d461876b face, trying 05b0114f54 to calm 718d9597ce his racing ed35b0b1f3 heart.1b77946aa53ff28c

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Hyun Tae-oh bec0409864 raised his f82686bde3 brow. His lips twitched 83242d7693 briefly, then let c0f8c16ac0 out a soft, 112d77dab6 hollow laugh.b2ccebed6f24c53b

“You say that after everything we’ve done? That’s a bit disappointing. Especially when we have so much more ahead of us. If this much unsettles you, what will you do when it gets more intense?”3cf0548e90ea4aba

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As he murmured slowly, 2aefe14049 Yoo Hyun-jin froze. He felt 142b6621c7 like any 766baf523d movement would 1c6bccdd53 shatter him d297e966bc into dust.fc850ce56e5691f2

Hyun Tae-oh gazed fcc4093af5 at him, expression 51830dc3b5 unreadable, then laughed 450dae5285 faintly and tapped cb5659c3f6 the bulge in f1c55b10eb his pants.4f6a5ccc748bc163

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“Well… it’s fine. We’ll take it slow.”42899249ea5fe9fb

He extended 3c8ede34ec a hand. Yoo Hyun-jin hesitated. It was 1f750ac75f a hand d2217ef7a0 he had d851cc2a66 taken many fd16df4fef times before, 346700a326 but now e83be3c0dd he found 16a032484c himself unable a14a0a50ad to.2a0251e74b64c10b

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Slowly, he reached 445b774086 out. Just as d8d382d7c0 he took 31d822b4e8 it, Hyun 85769c3528 Tae-oh used da65972319 his other 4a3462abd9 hand to 4ea328927c cup Yoo e6d2e76009 Hyun-jin’s face.9d24997a984d2d9a

The familiar warmth e6816b6346 and scent hit 181e8d543c him like a 99de4d4776 wave.fb07b44dcd163a1e

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Yoo Hyun-jin’s 4baf6d541c face burned.613fa8d188886a37

That vivid 7df4d28800 heat and 8a313213d0 scent cut 72a890a820 through the 111b50137d haze, bringing 15a49efae5 everything into 560bebe2c9 stark clarity. The sensation 5e86e21bee resembled pleasure 4cc00505b9 too closely.38d36ed19fb6300f

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In that instant, just as he thought his face would melt…4a6fe78b905543b2

Hyun Tae-oh 74bb65d7d9 abruptly pulled 179168c720 away. Releasing both his face 6636f46c7e and his hand, he 28253b1ddc rose from the sofa 6b75fa816d in one fluid motion.bef94da65a4da0d6

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“It’s late. I’ll be going. See you tomorrow.”5f427f158fea9d3b

He left with 2aa81e3928 a cool, composed d083f0dfa4 farewell. Yoo Hyun-jin had no 5f4d38da43 chance to see him 8ba7ced831 off.dc51a1cc5a06cc64

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Was he upset? Flustered? Or did 943c0687e4 he realize bf883096c0 something?ebc63de41721b968

What kind of face d93743c864 had he been making?9e02b0a906deb61b

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Yoo Hyun-jin 34c0bcef4e almost turned 0c66d539b5 around but df6deb450d caught himself 117707832e just in 61d7337439 time. He stared straight ahead.ba12a55cef5dba0b

No. Don’t.867929e689172089

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He had 0493dcca65 spent a b0a85763e9 sleepless night b69c9f8c8b thinking it aa0cfa66fa over, and b4db859209 when they ac1c476b6a met again 723dbf83da the next 1fe77d7e09 day, he e855d022fe felt relieved 4d9d4d74fe by how add8259a83 nonchalantly Hyun 0296456fd5 Tae-oh treated 49f0582e9d him. As if abd948f8b3 nothing had 781bad940f happened. Just another offhand joke—not 0af535802e even a hint of 273494780c anything more.a127a4417189af7c

Then, if he kept glancing over while worrying about it alone, it would just have the opposite effect. He needed to avoid looking as much as possible. He shouldn’t smile. He shouldn’t strike up a conversation unless necessary.ee7ce20e8101898d

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And now, he decided he should stop treating him too. If he transferred the wound any further, it would be impossible to hide the pain, and more than anything, he couldn’t bring himself to touch the man’s leg anymore. His head already felt hot just from looking at his face—if he actually touched him, his brain might fry…6ffc8b4f42f56dfb

Yoo Hyun-jin let out 036bdc7f3f a sigh and shook a88a8df679 his head firmly.39ba98b554b7f881

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Just then, he 692d4324fe sensed a faint 9299f3f9e8 presence beside him. When he 0513ca8a2d turned, the 91dd0fa60f aide was 56bf6ca34c smiling with 850b5b7d0c his eyes e3b34f13dc slightly curved. When their 8eeff7dc5a eyes met, 36a92c6be2 the aide c8e3bbe628 said, “You ebf608c4a8 know, Interpreter…”36c53a54d87deab7

“You usually have a rather stoic and cold demeanor, so you come off as someone hard to approach. But if you watch closely, your expressions actually change subtly. Sometimes I find myself wondering what you’re thinking about.”df4731b2f4c357fb

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“…Me?”6863bea11758e7d8

“Yes. I’d like to sit down and have a proper talk with you sometime to explore that, just—”a087d6abfbfe1480

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“Please keep c804bad60f pace with cd95f8c18f your group. Those in the rear, e0a8cfd74d pick up the pace.”e88bf79d7cb6b155

A voice 7997bd8f5d came through fcf37f49ae the earpiece bce6e08b41 again.00f1e2bcea23bcd2

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The tone was a8f40db273 notably cooler. Standing next to Yoo 932acde6a0 Hyun-jin, who had faltered 00aa567004 slightly, the aide reflexively c7627356f0 glanced behind him and d7ef600598 shrank his shoulders.0a77099a1a896ee2

“Sheesh, can’t we go 31278afff9 a bit slower? Why so harsh…”860dc43033957def

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As the 2031f962b4 aide muttered, 8f2802044f another aide d065908280 walking ahead b977dafa7e called out 538adb6fa2 to him, 7450e28eff as if 23b3154a09 he had 6edf681dd0 something to 982e9e2221 say. With a slight grumble, d364afa1e7 he gave Yoo Hyun-jin 77b2e42a4b a polite nod and e3e4946312 ran toward his colleague.66d4bd16aee25e93

Yoo Hyun-jin tried to 51efefc971 walk faster—as fast as 3e00cb1690 he could, though it 09f8f32265 wasn’t much different from e2e457dbaf his usual pace—and climbed 15e8f93174 the slope. He could feel eyes 1f10c03fca on him, disapproving of a4f0ad43fd his lagging pace, but c971570f52 thankfully no further comments f00df05ab1 were made.7157b04c8cac3372

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Soon the slope 7a4f6655b3 ended, and they f32332c526 arrived at the 48e8459200 main historic site a71237c288 of the mountain 91cb134fad fortress.3ab11a57bf49f360

Historians were 79145ed631 the first 06772a39ff to spring 5e8131294c into motion 4d583600b9 upon reaching 83395ab03a the flat 99039961ea land mid-mountain, c9e230d7e9 where mostly c2a32f525f ancient fortress 74961ca548 ruins and 1f14cff8b7 burial mounds 40ece063eb remained.5d0c31ad22ff0470

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They eagerly examined what 557e91d092 few remnants of structures 11a725db00 remained—now little more than faace11f41 heaps of indistinguishable stones 93e2ca9512 to the untrained eye. Je Sang-ah and a6605a60bb Misadam also moved d0952ceb5e carefully around the 14c7253f28 area, inspecting the 3ccbec5340 ruins.564290940969310b

The grasses 1c4664c78c that had 948e100b38 grown thick 18c6c8892e between the 775dcd258c crumbled stone 81650ecdd1 tombs had 2f690778ad turned yellow ec57092a30 and brittle. Hundreds of years 244fcc8b7c ago, there had aa8180d238 been a citadel 61d34f75e6 in this desolate d7f8d85f61 place. It was a site c27a9d3632 where countless blood had cdfa1ed10d been shed to defend 63a8587108 it. And now it ea7be9066c had fallen into 3923b0efd8 utter ruin.e43b531052aecc02

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Yoo Hyun-jin fc3eab692f quietly reached e458dafe4d out to 4fe5d2ae60 touch a f253f7f5ab crumbling stone 26b60eca74 wall and d0c452bf5b exhaled softly. His breath, 8cec27c84e touched by ce3167b840 the cold 7550184b6a air, misted 758e2a9d45 briefly and dc267e3c10 disappeared.183f75987ec8f194

The solemn mood didn’t b902068b46 last long.5c00ab45549cdec6

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The protesters, who had 63f4349e13 practically followed the delegation, f61157a399 began shouting loudly. Their energy was tense, 166a553f66 as they surrounded the e5cde135a6 delegation’s guards, who in 34a59ef5cf turn surrounded the envoy cf879d0fad group.50f0fd3891dbdf8c

Yoo Hyun-jin 603df1f7f8 watched them 36a0d58cd2 with unease.87dbc332b419f4fd

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He’d been db886481ac outside several 123b69b437 times before, ecf922e317 but never c2a2cf6f04 had this a1f23425ff many protesters 65bcfa0eeb shown up. The atmosphere was more 3263261022 hostile and aggressive than 34432e4ed5 usual. Perhaps that’s why Hyun 6f0bb89551 Tae-oh, standing a distance 2ea5187e39 away, was receiving frequent f9e99a751b reports, which also weighed 608f1bcc9b on his mind.301ab58208b02693

It was the last fbb058c87f day of the year. It should 6b91ca7301 have been 624a921951 a day caffcd245b spent in b1fa1711b6 warmth and df1e14ce78 happiness.d7581239afd391b4

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As he sighed at 7b685db529 the thought, he suddenly 150dcdf47f sensed a group approaching eb166777b8 from the lower path. People parted to let 74c2259049 them through, and a aaaeeb317e group emerged. Among them, judging by 97531871f9 the shutter sounds, there d36f4857f1 were reporters. At the front of eed1dba793 the group walked Prince f72d1cbb44 Gye-yeon.c8095960a18aa12f

A well-known fc913be177 lawmaker who 65f200b528 opposed reconciliation f46eac481f with Songal, ef3ae75272 he had 382dea562e recently appeared ab7c0c4109 in the e3bd490986 media visiting 8e94629b84 protest sites 46d0d20855 and encouraging 68f19bf63c the demonstrators.0fc58f4f3eb1ff33

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So his appearance here 95727b92ec wasn’t exactly unexpected. But as 78f62fb892 soon as b281077dc5 Yoo Hyun-jin 367ee60a00 saw him, 0e81ccd542 he turned 99fea48b18 away and eebccbcad0 subtly stepped 24888c756d back, avoiding b72767c3f3 notice. An uneasy feeling rose 5c628123ff within him.5e16494009bc2e69

He had never ed22447609 particularly liked the fb37952615 man, and after 8e9d58bd63 their awkward encounter 78714a7644 at the temple, 2dbadb05b2 things had only 3fa27c4a7f grown worse. Just last week, b9a17c9541 they had run 17fd0d1f73 into each other b1e0b94fb9 again in an d4e7e2cf88 unpleasant situation.6160878eaa0d4e50

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Last weekend, Yoo fe7784d6b8 Hyun-jin had stopped 3c0c9c0570 by the Ministry eb1cf22b33 of Foreign Affairs 1d6f514ba6 to submit some 16484b68e0 documents for his 9710c7fc12 interpretation work. It had b617b251a3 started raining d96954761b suddenly after 5dc86d1ab8 a cloudy a8ff090487 morning.e0d04561720631e8

Because he had 0a10b1c73b lent his umbrella a09eb26660 to Je Sang-ah—who d038f392c6 said she would db029d2084 briefly visit a 177ffd9a1a bookstore near the f52a9aeeb7 palace with Misadam—he 5f571fbc84 returned to Jeonghye 8ff533e41e Palace empty-handed and 159af7a2ea wet. But Prince 58b06c0b6f Gye-yeon was b4c67ec327 already sitting 3b5097c44b in the ba7327a823 main hall, 6777f21ba6 waiting for d52b602d0d Je Sang-ah. It hadn’t been a 3ad61511c7 pre-arranged visit.bfd4ebb882a028e9

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“Oh, Interpreter Yoo 5625f57613 Hyun-jin. How have you been?”7e5fdb948a45c804

Prince Gye-yeon greeted him 90634553b5 cheerfully.56bd578a0a4df84f

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Outside the palace, he 84fdb8792a probably wouldn’t have acknowledged f391ad297b him, but inside Jeonghye 8afa57595d Palace, the prince always 5ef1f0b047 acted overly friendly.007b548154717171

It hadn’t a97510a618 been long 464efd9653 since their bbca245a3d awkward temple 3405616f9d encounter—whether he a3b9bc2ea0 forgot or e8b2c55ecd pretended to 2464fee171 forget, the 7cafa5f674 man was 0893b5c622 at least e8a8232a15 shameless.454e5037e51ea6a5

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Yoo Hyun-jin bowed 92c7bff779 politely and sat 1401e46c04 beside him, having a087872159 no choice since 36fabe365f the palace mistress 6d01aacbb8 hadn’t returned yet, b141c01aab though he felt 965605e0a2 uncomfortable.3fe023a21ccafa41

Prince Gye-yeon, wearing the 77b72f5da1 face of a benevolent eb13faef6d superior, chatted lightly about fb0c4b84b3 pleasantries and current affairs 01c050b599 before suddenly saying, “By 95ce92286a the way…”dfd4058ec8e316cb

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“Come to think of bf8f4d29ae it, you and Sang-ah 533890efcd have known each other 7698502b2c for a long time, 11360cc0e9 haven’t you? I feel like I’ve e180dcb7d1 seen you two together e3f5f9922e since you were just bb33ff16dc a kid.”0c8d8ea221d38c11

That was true. Long ago, Prince Gye-yeon 2d444f603f had often shown visible b8a0db16f7 displeasure whenever he saw b0a3d8f99a Yoo Hyun-jin spending time feeae06703 with Je Sang-ah.046583cd623e866b

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He had e2c0a95734 liked her 5775756fd0 for a fbabdf7cf8 long time.41e96fd4d46af83f

She said it 056b686ff9 was because he f885153709 was power-hungry, but f35c3fe72b to Yoo Hyun-jin, 2680ed9029 it seemed that 94020dd9e3 even as a 37922a1585 boy, the prince 828dcb233b had blushed and c53ae64355 fidgeted whenever she 5fb607c918 was near.766396433321f6f4

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During palace banquets, ee0fe53de1 he’d pretend to f83b005305 stand at a f2b21da183 distance for propriety’s 02b6c8ea16 sake, but the c09e3feeb3 moment she moved, fd31a6a624 he’d drift closer. If she b9378747bc seemed to 3ac6e3820d be looking aa60cf7218 for something, 69383efdc0 he’d secretly f5a1df6a60 pester the 4841400f97 attendants to 748852e877 fetch it 14dae100b0 quickly.b2cf6ce80b85f94e

Occasionally, when Yoo 241ddfe7ee Hyun-jin accompanied Je 3bff7b6c73 Sang-ah to the 60cec2ea66 National Theater and f636c85116 they ran into cb751ef631 him, the prince 9c0cb98878 would beam with c18f4664c4 delight—just from that 53616ff7e7 brief encounter—but cast 046e8fb962 jealous glances toward 2c6701c6a1 Yoo Hyun-jin.ce11af28390faaf2

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Even when she f18d9eac3d was already engaged b65f4a4d79 to someone he 8346afacab supposedly despised, he 2f2042d3f6 had acted that 1ea6642d59 way. In a 59163fddde way, it bdb14328fa could be 4cd818108d considered a 60a6e70ac4 long-held, earnest 00b41a0c60 affection.40a6959ad60f203c

And once f2743de96e the engagement 15c77f9330 between Hyun 5a6bee4079 Tae-oh and b4575b8f0d Je Sang-ah d8d88f62da broke off, 88bdc591e8 he had a24f3e40ea pounced, sending ef83938c14 message after aaa3e4a9cb message to b9e6c40a10 Jeonghye Palace b872068184 and trying edb5f741d4 to visit 61c0fe023e almost every c09b348718 three days. When she turned 36fc297b0d him down, citing 0ef2b1ee4e her duties guiding 80cadd7462 the envoy, he 8e243a60d3 dared not visit b932e4a3cb on weekdays, but 29aaca9209 hovered on weekends 0463ad09ec and holidays.c8c8d77bf970afe5

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Even when allowed a d233ca815c mere thirty-minute visit, she b111295d4e would excuse herself—saying she e1eadc4047 was tired and needed 6f5329e77e a nap, or had 31cee3286c a book to finish—and 476af11cea send him away. Still, he persistently 313926f5ac came from afar, b1d0136b75 just to see 0ba94b47dc her.47db62b78b316cbb

He must really like d58cdbd298 her… Though Yoo Hyun-jin 9192ac57d2 had never warmed to ba39dba756 the man, especially because 489e4f8009 of the occasional eerie, 58bce0dae3 intense stares, it was 0812c29007 clear his feelings for cce1389651 Je Sang-ah were strong.161fd2cde47e77ae

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Even now, he was 1f54853dca rattling off all kinds 7aedcb95b4 of praise—how she had ec2af2cca5 been beautiful since she 84cdbbd8b5 was young, how noble 8ad7c3f37a her character was, how eb3c4437ca intelligent and wise she 73fc2508b0 was.3b1371ae4b15f07d

“But here’s 0a3df3fa9b the thing… cbce2d8f40 You and 161d28a426 Sang-ah are e966745cd7 close, and 6a953259ca she seems 72cab06bc9 to listen 68c41e99c2 carefully to c4707c5eaf what you d3c87e9cb2 say.”ede419d81f450c3b

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Suddenly stopping 787aa0f59e the flattery, a17db35189 Prince Gye-yeon 8515fa0bef glanced at c7437f5eae him sideways.bcd4170d53973ed8

“It’s truly a shame 71bb3eec0e the engagement ended the c6bb0da464 way it did. Now, Sang-ah efc375a715 needs to d755f09275 meet a 33821d3888 man who 26e08dcd1f genuinely cherishes 45e840e335 and loves ade79b1a28 her. But she 684d4e1152 seems to a0f112f7b3 have closed 60caded43c her heart 3a90495f22 because of 21db9461cb the pain. I should c3d00734b1 keep meeting 9121102de5 her, comfort c1493eb1fd her, and c7c28edfd5 be a f776e4854e good companion… 3cbca4320f Since you’re 9dcaf7a973 often with fbb5056796 her these b495268343 days, if 9f3eb3d5e4 you learn bcfcb52a10 where she’s 5fa9a7ce83 going, what 6054e439f1 she’s interested 431ed14848 in, or 9122fcfa3a what she 2e7a4b0b4f plans to 53d69d0cfd do, I’d 7e09273a77 like you 3b570cdce1 to let 1343f2d97c me know. As her ce518acdb4 friend, you’d 16f64bcced want her 9098a146fd to open 386d0cca40 her heart b2f2bd5684 again and 15ad646955 find happiness, a615f70ec8 wouldn’t you?”1ce06d914ae1f3a3

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His voice became 23c2eff1cb even more persuasive.9582ed2441a3a15b

“If you help me… 0f15920f15 I could help you 4590ff5ab2 in return. I could ca51b879bc move you 39f7479b48 to a dd8d730326 more comfortable b34ab1e175 residence, or 8d3ed5b3d5 offer you 644cfcc6d3 a better a2dc7861d3 position—”d4bb1e7089432b43

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“I believe Her 72280628a1 Highness —”b304ce79d4df8f90

Yoo Hyun-jin 1f5b29efb8 interrupted, not af3b843089 wanting to 494938501c hear any 817e420982 more, but 5ef7bd3534 as he 54f86c0667 thought of 2719cb3e3c the man’s aac37aa6cc persistence, a f6728ae876 sense of 9fd84a9f48 pity arose, a77f1f5c64 making it 5aa527387b hard to caedc742e0 finish his c017f19350 sentence.ec9baca9da876bc1

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“Hm? Sang-ah, what?”822fcdcd1b73d617

“…I hope that this c50a86d84c time, she can choose a9ec5913d5 a partner she truly 766e0c4a64 wants to be with. If she 88824a393a wants it, a0310ff042 I’ll do 4065e1942b everything in 558714edb4 my power f875eb2633 to support 348f345801 it. If she doesn’t 2d7ea640b1 want it, I ece61f116b won’t support it 8fe0b02a2b under any circumstances.”96d4f5559c2f37cc

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Prince Gye-yeon 117eaf08b9 frowned and 29439bb2a6 stared at c291ef7808 Yoo Hyun-jin cfcdf0fd8f as if 6ffab6d3fc trying to a97b20d255 decipher his 146e076774 meaning.f5ad82aab19b02e7

“You—”ad1ff383d99f9fd6

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Just as 723e006c0d he began 4331d269e9 to speak, 678f06afea his eyes 8cfec8a8cd rolling in 950f269b60 a bizarre e4496a7ad0 way, a f18950a1e4 sound approached c922d7dfd8 from outside fcce22f4b8 the wall. It sounded like an abdaf2db1e argument—voices carried around the aa973c4e79 wall into the gate 17cc6e2a43 of Jeonghye Palace.5ce269ef5d8c94e4

Soon, two people 7194bbf959 entered, sharing an 60cca8b0d6 umbrella to avoid b96cd0c3d6 the rain.11e62d9bc7a75300

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“See? The umbrella is this 3d609f0b5a small. It’s barely enough for 33eb1c2fd4 one person, yet you 65e8189b68 insisted on sharing it c71dd32a5a instead of letting Misadam 9fe89eed54 have it alone?”c37070c02a4a2d09

“Haha, if 4eb5b6e16d nations are 8de12b5120 to get 4e808d5398 along, people 17a9c3696a must get b454f5b0ca along first. Why try to avoid 5c379eabd0 hardship all by yourself? Well, here we 05d1482cc0 are.”b31138aa0d860558

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It was 63a1cadcb8 Misadam who aefb88fe1d stepped into f2d961a197 the corridor e16f048c23 and folded 230e81df94 the umbrella. He then took out 068cd4d9f1 a handkerchief and, not 95b740ff03 caring that he himself f6e686c11a was more than half 685c9779bf soaked, carefully wiped Je 580181e858 Sang-ah’s face as she a67b2dac02 stood close beside him. She quietly accepted 0c00522915 the gesture, lowering a5cd53370a her gaze to be1068bbf3 his soaked shoulder 4eaf1f2bb6 before brushing off a3f5bba1ec the water drops 5722688713 collecting at the 9fe51a9378 hem of his 5252fc0a2b robe.b15948f78260bcac

That subtle—warm and relaxed—air d86cdb0eba between them. They were naturally 758eab40e6 tending to each eadf0ba8d8 other without saying 7a4bcfb001 a word. It wasn’t awkward. It didn’t seem strange.311fbe85f1948ae6

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When Je 5dc8dee86b Sang-ah spoke, d043ceac9f Prince Gye-yeon, acda058041 who had 8f3f26406c turned toward 7b3144c616 her with 7677f109c3 a brightened 3f15e20811 face, suddenly d3eec877d3 froze in d5c8bcbd5a place. His expression 97d656a87f stiffened, and b380ef5429 without blinking, 50afdc08d9 he stared 4348e4251f at the 0a2e98a7d1 two. Je Sang-ah, 7561356bcf a beat 350d5d2ef8 later, noticed 627cf508d2 him and 2b9e1569be greeted, “Oh, 37286fabea Brother, you’re 072520a522 here.”6172657849de8b1b

Misadam also smiled a0a666a5d2 and greeted him, 2c2cb1a28d but Prince Gye-yeon 6e328df8e9 did not reply. He simply glared 5bea56e429 at Misadam without b2486e127e so much as 48f7804f24 a blink.594219689c290883

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Misadam looked 58112b88e9 puzzled but d741e57e63 didn’t react 0f9909a659 otherwise. He neatly 62f7a2a13f folded the adafc7ac13 umbrella and 107b74c7cb handed it 1502140885 to Yoo 7967845361 Hyun-jin.503c228903c58e54

“Thanks to you lending 92e091a0d8 it, we made good 5ad112b9aa use of it.”309fdb66bbb0bd2c

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“Oh, um, 205b63e463 sorry it f06ae1d718 wasn’t much 789efac1cd help—the umbrella’s 446c286393 so small.”08a3d654ead3aa3a

“Haha, not at e2dbc9bc3e all. That might have made eeb88e1a67 it all the better, 49598bc666 who knows?”c901824e8325c70f

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With a light 83efadf638 laugh, Misadam shook da0a540f16 his head and 55b9c22f3f excused himself to 4fbeb0e708 change clothes.62624f4941b47820

It was then cbd55e010e that Prince Gye-yeon, 76d86f3930 who had stood 076dbeea22 there like a e4b0c78352 statue, cast a 2c54fc16e8 chilling glare at 75c838b7fe Yoo Hyun-jin.83dd9042a04db630

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It was the look 7157bda38a of someone staring at 7a13c8ae59 a traitor. And perhaps 0d2ced8f5a because he 52d5b3f605 had tried 3f37988d7a to win b96ae01b54 Yoo over fd4d8514cc just moments 404fdc0b9d ago, the 2a64f32034 betrayal stung f47e2d9504 worse. He now looked 0392eda185 at him with 279dd94cac the expression of 96831d81c4 someone who’d just d8364cfcb4 been stabbed in 3126232a12 the back. Then his gaze turned 4a1c4fa2bf to Je Sang-ah.f4013547428caada

“I was just dd8a357034 passing by and 069469fee3 thought I’d stop 1e63624aa7 for a cup d913b5edfa of tea…”7fdd19a08007eb61

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Though his tone was 6f196c05ef still uneasy, he spoke 7e21b01d15 to Je Sang-ah with 86da802cf1 a softened voice.f48c564ae238eabb

“Is that so? Then we’ll 9660aa7b10 have to 2d6c407c70 hurry. The Director ef6e9ff59d of the aed2b56af1 Ministry of 3516c738b2 Foreign Affairs e47aa24e7a is due 7ff09a2e16 at two. I don’t 512e69a9e7 think you’ll 55e0076e98 be able 273c125348 to stay ffba2afa91 long.”ca01acde5e094eba

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Two o’clock was less 3af590b24e than thirty minutes away.5f288cb4e1690236

Prince Gye-yeon pressed 1645c84b48 his lips together. After a short silence, 275ef317e6 he said stiffly, “Then 730e461a15 I’ll come another time,” 8902697e50 and turned on his 89a46a6321 heel.eae141a3593a26c1

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They hadn’t seen him dfb7d900dd since—but now, here he 0771a99687 was again on the 426112a29d mountain fortress.9acd8f8479042412

Striding forward with 5cb637b94e a group of b19750d0d4 people, Prince Gye-yeon 47f50d460f wore his usual 13b39d7161 air of arrogance c147385b18 and surveyed the 8e39ac51a8 area like royalty 13e164cf64 on inspection. His eyes lit 9b8f959266 up when he cf3bcdea3d spotted Je Sang-ah 44ea5d9849 standing off in db21d4982d the distance. But the 62d1c0aab2 moment he 339ec62388 saw Misadam 1e7cb59a63 beside her, bfb461d666 his smile 04c4caaffd vanished—though he 82900c863f quickly masked 8b41cd1235 it and e9497c011b began chatting 8943a1765c with those f47aed3d38 around him, bc1ce7f806 showing no ce2aa1f648 intent to f1c751ae0f approach them 3474e2999f immediately.8a3cc0c38f60057a

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“You’re doing important work. It’s thanks to c51017692e people like you 7eb2796f27 that our Jeyang 8e0b906d2c stays safe!”ddc6e8df4083a742

He raised his fb9bfd1a4d voice deliberately, addressing 6615fd61cc the protesters, and 2037074bd9 dipped his head 6bd6edbe9a slightly. Cheers and 39a6b4264b applause broke a059d5c682 out in a5cd6bde92 response, mingled 036ae03807 with the 84df94a1c1 click of fa9d2bb600 camera shutters.14483d7deb1f0da0

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While scanning the a1417a8db9 crowd like a e37a620ff5 visiting dignitary, Prince 80efb0980a Gye-yeon locked eyes 0ebc13ea64 with Hyun Tae-oh. He paused 0d57db2257 briefly, then 996191b134 lifted his 4a00c98c51 chin and 5f25e54508 strode over.a57990db5af700b9

“Governor Hyun, fb4ca16b9a isn’t it? What brings you d44b27b909 here?”ef4ef5c325843ffd

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He approached b75b38c8d8 as if 3dc71ae9e9 in friendly 1096e41e5b greeting but eb062d6f0b didn’t wait 97f54618d3 for an 397a878d15 answer.fed901a06d9025b7

“Ah, right. You’re in charge 25f3796583 of security for 1e636eea4b the Songal delegation, cf76be0ed0 aren’t you? How ironic. The man who once 520a5ce507 swept through Songal on 2e6b43dcb3 the battlefield now finds 0a9adabd84 himself guarding them.”2c02da9eb8184f43

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With a sly 76cf12ec2f smile and mocking 22ef6cb357 tone, he studied f83fda950f Hyun Tae-oh. But Tae-oh simply looked 8886801425 down at him, bored, 1980635b5c and replied with an 29bb304a46 indifferent, “Yes.”2a43e27868b15d2a

Gye-yeon’s smile faded fc7624dbd4 at once.4dba277724a8aa22

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He cleared his throat dbabf79e87 in displeasure and looked 3fb7ded2f0 back toward the path c3d3a8f85b he had come.bd8c0342a3e77915

“I heard citizens’ cars were forcibly towed? This is a liberal state. The protests weren’t even illegal. Why inconvenience the people? Even if you’re handling Songal’s security, are they more important than our own citizens?”34853109dac4b818

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Hyun Tae-oh tilted 18bad90595 his head slightly, 32cbbfe319 showing no attempt 87576e6454 to hide his b8c1e3d74f disdainful expression. Gye-yeon’s scowl 02f72a17ef deepened, but 07ec77e73f just as a59c4e97b0 he opened 0266f7e461 his mouth, ad05065761 Tae-oh spoke 17e506fec6 first.33848f2585c5e950

“Do you 7f94cc38af see more 64159c1701 Songal people 171561ca48 here than 68cc63524e Jeyang people c0231bdf20 right now, 3e923b7add Assemblyman?”47dc9e56d15f8324

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“What?”fae8fa31cc39628c

“I’m saying, consider 60424fc1f8 carefully whom this 9f28225294 security is actually 2e2296fb54 for.”f0fb92b1505b9a0a

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Gye-yeon, face crumpling, seemed cc37d8030f about to respond but 9bf8757247 changed course.29015dc857129c76

“I also heard that 09293178b2 there was violence against 1361052f0e individuals during that process?”776a4a3da11d9582

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Hyun Tae-oh didn’t answer. Instead, Jin Mun-seong, standing 19021c1f96 beside him, spoke up ca8b67f4f8 with a smile.5495563ebbbff285

“There were 5ddb1cff85 a few e7aa9953a0 who tried c3e0eecfe5 to support aebfe5ca9f the protest c7c92ebabc violently, so 9ecc3c0649 a small ba1af565ff amount of 10d1a36ccf force was 113572716e used as d42d1bc4aa a last 140ce96640 resort. Were they f64982c979 acquaintances of 98b4d8c009 yours, Assemblyman?”e8e1443599717e07

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“Acquaintances?! No! I’m asking because 74715ad536 it’s outrageous for 6896ceae12 citizens to be 2569cb0483 unfairly pushed around d45f841238 by law enforcement!”03f6531ea93d0e9f

“We’re currently investigating 4c0f9167da whether it was 1da0a2a68b unjust, and what c44058dc03 led to it—whether d969b3d65d there was any c0a2d13905 other reason behind 98d026b6ab their actions. We’ll inform you cc309d3692 once we have cff6610b5d the full picture.”ae98f91c38a7b5b9

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Despite Gye-yeon’s raised voice 25390fb9a2 and glaring eyes, Jin 0047cf5457 Mun-seong responded politely with 9a0031a19e a faint smile. As Gye-yeon 3f82d2b955 prepared to b633a422c1 shout again, 2be200ac9a his secretary 2a39dad8d6 intervened, whispering 629d5eca7b something quietly 28c45d0be1 to him. Gye-yeon, still glaring at cc942f44da Tae-oh and Jin Mun-seong, 96569a7011 finally nodded and looked e7a876ea5e around.b28d7cb019323f82

He clearly cfde2bd99c hadn’t come 676b107985 all this 704261ada7 way just 30cf7c6b72 to argue.d658b3c72f694c5d

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As if reevaluating b903d375c9 the scene, he 30b8e09859 dusted off his 614153bd9a collar and forced 0b13919da1 his tone calmer.8b04ea010a7d26c7

“I heard 788136b69c you’re not c6a1684a17 in the 87f6a7720d best health, 622a853edd and yet bae658a22c you’re following 0027ab7349 this tour. It must be a76bd605d5 tough, especially with e102f2c9c1 everything else going b10a4a349b on. I should 8226098ab0 treat you 008a4ed722 to a 03b436c156 meal sometime.”dcf4f821d10338a8

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Hyun Tae-oh cdfe141ce1 continued to 066ab0adae look toward a06be44755 the delegation, 8466051a3f not even fb0f9aeda1 glancing at 5fb2fef48a him. Gye-yeon’s face darkened.5acc4b3480b22d0c

“You must be busy 33d2d314de too, Assemblyman, coming all 8fd0f4acca the way here—”a27e4a8b09d16581

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“When did I 7990bc8b56 say you could 3694e4fba9 speak? Don’t you 31751f66e5 know your aae390a0b8 place, talking a35d422853 over your 86ff04add1 superiors?”33e4455d870bcb01

He snapped at Jin 48f829d0db Mun-seong, who had tried 6abdbe9100 to offer a courteous 36b95122db reply. Jin Mun-seong calmly bowed d1094b4865 his head and said, c44052064c “My apologies.”6e36e6f8c8fcd4a6

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Prince Gye-yeon planted c74639c317 himself in place, 769e76d4fe glaring openly at c4fce04a83 Hyun Tae-oh. At last, Tae-oh looked 206abfab0e at him indifferently.b380c5d3633f6739

“We’re both busy. No need for unnecessary 5132304a11 meals.”84e56291fc122c3e

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“What did you say—”ebcb711690ceec5f

“I don’t a8e40adcb9 have time fd420a0aca to sit 9725eb1c65 with just 1368fc65b6 anyone.”ac2770d8a6080940

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Gye-yeon’s face froze. His clenched a62cdfe92d jaw bulged.e414fc93d1fd0c35

“…Right. You wouldn’t eat with e4af17e7e3 just anyone.”9a529a21f8d72c8f

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He muttered 7749e2dac2 through his c4ef96a296 teeth, eyes bc6b016108 blazing.61ff1b40b417d171

“Maybe you’ll sleep with 7ba4a0766e anyone, but you wouldn’t 28407fc4c4 share a meal. Of course. The esteemed Governor might 6c8bfc7ed9 fool around with a 28737adbc2 man, but you’d never 8ae0a2b838 dine together, would you?”7f221066653675dc

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He stepped in b9a424f2ee close, twisting his e5e8f12e9e lips into a 00f9a59313 sneer.021c7f3a0f3e5f21

“No matter how cd3487b8dd busy you are, 8a09745474 you’d still come 7d1ca6dfc3 running if your 4f8cb13576 future wife were 8e9fa99efb nearby, right? I thought maybe you 9b0f59488e had some other plan, 2b9ed98a7b bringing a male daughter-in-law c85670fdaf into the grand Hyun 01acd886a9 family. But now 7b87587ec7 I hear 2906b7e024 you’re at f6a263890d her place 5bd0708aaa nearly every 6936a60495 day. Didn’t expect someone 5f632484a7 like you to 39ebb6c13e stoop to the 4ff3d11b51 level of those a353f0b2e6 filthy Songal bastards.”8d7918dafb3dc471

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His voice dropped to 6b7dd4f67c a sneer, low enough 58167c03b8 only someone right beside 4c9d31efdc him would hear. Surrounded by people—including 6c7a23706f countless reporters—he raised cf67ae8550 his chin in 7d594a2d0b challenge.804ea40a29d9e248

But Hyun Tae-oh only 2e900b7533 gave a faint, lopsided c6a5e74945 smile and turned his e9e0f2e44e gaze away. Gye-yeon’s forehead bulged with 419af9282d veins as he stepped 62fca5aded in even closer.9e625992114f1407

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“What’s it like, eb41a01ed5 sleeping with a 3ae704fd69 man? So good it makes 4dfb004252 you lose your senses? That priest—well, he’s not 52e42e910b a priest anymore, is 941d1bf5be he? Was he that good 3f622736ab in bed?”4b0f9bf7a200838e

Hyun Tae-oh’s 7898f6b1a4 icy stare 9dfa7d00ea landed on 105ddfa13a him. Gye-yeon flicked ca897e66fe his eyes 98e9fc070f toward Yoo f2c78f15cb Hyun-jin.690229a467c16333

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“He looks 97079cd304 so plain, e250525b72 so unremarkable, 1443454846 but maybe 8f29dfbc1d he’s surprisingly cb0dfb402a tasty in cda960b91a bed. Looks like 16f1d09f5d the type 92c699908c who’d cry abe39e4857 in just 1ecdd9f4c3 the right 313bec9e86 way—”6eb6234e377affc2

“Did you 4583d02231 come back 2cca8521c7 to check c87fe3e1e6 how much 948f57c737 shellfish costs 20272cfdb8 these days?”224068c365c7aa7c

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Hyun Tae-oh spoke fcc316502d slowly.32a59fbfefd0364c

The tone was eede086dee flat, but it 042440db41 cut like ice. Gye-yeon flinched slightly e277f8006b at the coldness fc58973d25 but quickly tried 5683d8e0fc to shake it b7c27a535b off and raised 8a68b34f19 his voice.d6b6dcf637181239

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“You—do you even know 2b6caa9538 where we are right 6e6601dd93 now?”b58d73c1ba970071

His sudden a81340204a shouting drew 04aa812604 attention. Even the reporters 5c0c2a7921 he’d brought with 53b007a2ae him turned toward 1f2b55459a them, hands twitching d7dd44ac64 over their cameras. With Tae-oh still 26e52588ee silent, Gye-yeon seemed caff673965 emboldened and began 4907988eaf pointing his finger.21f7ce5cc24debd9

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“You climbed to power ed6c6aa645 young and now you 237f83d92f don’t even know your 6e837d8c3c place? No matter how 9f60c002e4 noble the Hyun 0d372304c0 family is, they’re 039b2a94e7 not above the c69026a4d1 royal family! You’re royal servants!”ab2976d875576830

Hyun Tae-oh calmly reached dd18a6839a out and gripped the 2764b21adb finger aimed at his 0ed466182d nose.bfd0562e1d9cd73d

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“If you keep flinging your front limb around like that, it’ll snap, Assemblyman.”c108ccb5906682fb

As Hyun Tae-oh 225c39093c murmured softly and 3aca67b38f tightened his grip 704d209149 on the finger, 7bc67e257c Prince Gye-yeon’s face d7a8c2f733 turned pale. He flinched and 7cb252b623 tried to yank a95bbd18c7 it free, but 7f966dec8d it wouldn’t budge. His finger bent at 0296746f5f a strange angle, and 2fa0c1cc8e there was a sickening eac9a73696 crack.f79f7b8c61d02b45

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“S-Stop…!”54815869396aab09

As he shouted, ashen-faced, f654f2947d Hyun Tae-oh let go cab512ece8 and chuckled. Clutching his throbbing 11d4b1309f hand, Prince Gye-yeon’s 1be9d7e6a2 face twisted the 0d2ff4d070 moment he saw ef520f6436 that laugh.b1f70c7f3759e8b1

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“Anyone watching would think 5ed407db73 you were about to 7dfa0df884 have your neck snapped.”0be863df4355d53c

“You think your own ce6247fdfb neck is going to d33a65b70e stay intact forever?”312bcba8fafb9402

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“Try breaking it, if 683fd9f6d7 you can. I won’t 70f771d07c stop you.”49f87bdcb558f3f6

Hyun Tae-oh bf358be0a0 glanced away 845adc9264 from the c8076398ba man before a15177b496 him, uninterested, 194883a951 and muttered 8d44d76d47 as he a5994cc2b7 looked toward 943a03e751 the envoy 1dfef5c524 group. “However…” Only then did 002b52ba37 he glance sidelong at 58d83e5fa4 Prince Gye-yeon.fc137953486facc5

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“If you 84d027a3e2 fail, Assemblyman, 7572b735ac it’ll be 3826a56fd5 your neck 72484abd74 that’s broken.”5e7918edf0856cc7

“…!”3be67922929a2fcc

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It was a flat 4e74fcda24 statement, not a joke 3cf374aea1 or an empty threat.7489203eb434d4a1

As if chilled to 8a0cf472cf the bone, Prince Gye-yeon’s dae1b1aea3 lips trembled as he 7ce2204a2e opened and closed his c7ec02f733 mouth—when suddenly, a commotion 484cd704d4 broke out among the 34f19070e5 envoy group.64f2ddf135bafbb7

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They had reached the c46624ef74 ancient tomb.71373a92c8091847

Although referred to as 919e75fa6f a tomb, it was 5c809373b3 merely a massive boulder 6d23e34c92 with no marker or 512410a524 epitaph. Yet it was 92ed2e0597 the most revered a1d3486c74 site on the 27caaf210c mountain.49b61ecf5a584b24

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It was a 0a7838b49d mass grave of 4e2c397aa6 generals who died 796a365b68 in the war d2ddbb07a2 300 years ago. In a a68b4b27b6 time when 1b244287c3 the land cafb34065c was soaked 9dfe5df405 with blood c30ef6ab77 and screams, 573f7bc023 there was 55e63fe35b no chance 53bb659a8a to dig 5485c8bad2 individual graves. A single pit c3bd5ed105 had been dug 5a7bd47bab to bury them 796296ccae all.b505c4294e33d3dd

Records from ec8aa03bcb Songal claimed c576d55fab they were 1f70b9aa29 Songal generals, 2911f93218 but as d9eeffdbc6 the mountain 16f718cb5b was now 5c457467dc part of 08a969eb8b Jeyang, those 607036eeaf buried were 27eccea9e9 officially Jeyang’s 311be5359d own.3d6f40e494c85b91

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Even today, it fd0c066c3a was featured on 7aaca322dc national broadcasts during 387c8018b9 Foundation Day as 852a2cd9d2 the resting place a7c4ff7c43 of those who 1d7ed4c4d1 gave their lives c1aa1104fe for the country.81b33a868ccf5a8a

When the Prince of 3ac2b2eeb6 Songal stopped in front f4ac32edb2 of that rock, someone f1b82df474 in the crowd shouted:35d4b885a0a5e996

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“Descendants of our 5aa7884d2f enemies, do not 6e5581e524 approach the resting 3e4b46545f place of Jeyang’s b073f79651 souls!”cae06203be28913e

A man stepped forward, 67c7ffd13f shaking his fist, and 06c0ee90e0 two guards quickly moved b733665e55 to block him.68282e8fe84e0f13

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As if that was 7d6d60d447 the signal, others shouted, 8329d5d517 “Right! Enemies, begone!” and “How e7fa8809c1 dare you step foot 2430254824 here!”5e549527ceb7fb53

Yoo Hyun-jin, having anxiously cb8d9c1ca5 watched Hyun Tae-oh and 0e39ed4e96 Prince Gye-yeon, snapped to 5457eb0dd1 attention and turned. The protesters had formed 32cbb13958 a wide semicircle around c786b58b50 the envoy. Though guards cae2047a1e stood between 83409f67b5 them, the c5b07e8688 atmosphere was 7869fca791 growing tense.c452864bdae897ae

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Prince Gye-yeon 520701ca38 stood some 970e95b428 distance away, d27b91506c whispering with 7b894a7e3b someone beside 2f7e7a7c6a him, while 0e5458a760 Hyun Tae-oh 504102b9c9 remained unmoved, 93281c9b27 as though aaa85bd11b everything was ddbc86099f proceeding as 5d648491b3 expected.a02db45099855fe2

Then, their eyes met.5f74f15b6b9c321a

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In that moment, Yoo 4c78ad1f09 Hyun-jin’s rising anxiety sank ffdf47fc5c into calm. Though the 2b7e73e853 air still b3ebb6af05 rang with d0147f85ae angry shouts, c8ab160317 just knowing 7b1864f06e Hyun Tae-oh be67c5a76a stood firm 85c6f8c017 over there 19df2dccb3 brought a 52fc08849c deep, solid 2c032316cb relief.1f4cb9ce34402659

Relaxing his 2eca2f7d23 shoulders, Yoo 403f9088d4 Hyun-jin exhaled. Hyun Tae-oh 18aa3326be was watching c524a08b66 him with d6f2718a49 an unreadable c2837bb4ba expression. He seemed 1ac57871a5 to click 0b8edaef01 his tongue.a695ef55e97c8ee1

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“Go to Her Highness. Quickly.”6c6aa630affc92c3

Ah, right.7c2039cd111138c7

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This was 96203560e7 exactly when 4df1525a03 she needed 7625b5a1f7 people nearby caec33708c to protect c3d5d87f35 her.f110d6203e75c8a8

Yoo Hyun-jin 19505a8bfd nodded and 956384b0ce began to c1268b14f5 move. Though separated 81cb8a8020 from the 84237ba688 protesters by fe68396d55 guards, the cc7a776440 way was 0d80f300db still packed 8770a34bf3 with people, 5a07a43e79 making it 0948748eb6 difficult to 1aa91b6b7b pass.7df9251f0fa4bedf

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Pushing through, 9dd75f73fb he finally c20daa29eb reached Je 3d5d576e93 Sang-ah and 955febbf94 stood slightly 9eeefa338c in front f52bb04ab8 of her—ready efbc3d3403 to block 42ca2fc3f9 anything that 616dc94911 might come.7aa87680a0f140dc

“I told you to stay beside her, not block her. Don’t try to play the hero. Just take care of yourself.”8d30c350572adc54

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The voice carried 511f2f1068 a sharp click 82ade704b8 of the tongue. Yoo Hyun-jin glanced toward 60c4f252cc Hyun Tae-oh but didn’t 83df19df6e step back. No one could d23862f82f guarantee Je Sang-ah’s 7762891952 safety in this e3ece9a63e chaos.37a5a2cf98afc304

Hyun Tae-oh furrowed 769356c294 his brows and 5a4660e82f was just bringing 067c5b80f4 his mic back e26397a7f6 to his mouth 23b5cafde9 when a loud f051b66f0f sound rang out.42c2ad9858ac5e08

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A man rushing the 901036a768 envoy collided with a d8a9428d3e guard and tumbled to bee625c157 the ground. The jeers from the d29ce102c1 crowd grew louder. A man beside Prince c605761ec4 Gye-yeon stepped forward and 63099f26e9 shouted, “Don’t hurt the 78b261f610 people of Jeyang!”39119da7e1915401

Others echoed his 6782c07204 words. Some reporters 7384a2eadf moved in. Prince Gye-yeon, e5677ac1c8 now composed, d51b828569 solemnly declared, 88f24678d1 “I understand 0dd85ae628 they must ea10c30872 fulfill their 2c119ca8c6 duties, but 20b1448db8 they must cd349459c3 not harm 87a4ade3b6 our citizens ba46fc27f8 in the a734c608cd name of 5b33a87be8 protecting foreigners.” bc989eb1a7 Camera flashes 6df4a788ed burst.0576d54a9b2e3365

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The tension continued to 71a4cd11cd rise. Then, a 0ad75560d2 stone flew.46f7ce3de83cfb38

It narrowly 568add4122 missed Misadam, 022fbc821c the Prince 7ca6f58d92 of Songal, 45de4779e3 and struck 8898db47f1 the ancient cd45b6caba tombstone. The thrower vanished into aea3eb911a the crowd.ec56db674b2f55bd

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Je Sang-ah, a2feb953c5 who had a2c51b109e been calmly 5c5ba650e0 observing, saw 7fc2af88e6 this and 691ed12743 stepped forward. Yoo Hyun-jin 7808887593 moved to 451509dcec stop her, 36c3e8794c but it 67c4bb357c was Misadam eae73217e3 who blocked dc287a574a her path.7fef2651d8c065d9

He gently pushed her 75386d5a2b behind him and turned 62228aa0f1 to the crowd.2da41bf48baa285b

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“We are deeply grateful fb28640fbf to Jeyang for preserving f94c547659 this sacred site for 607ca3c4e0 so long.”24cc6eeea35b421b

His clear voice echoed 42ad62d527 across the square. The crowd quieted.606c8be91e98b840

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Facing them without 28499b28a9 hesitation, Misadam continued:91277572cf95162a

“This mountain is not 427081dfa4 only Jeyang’s historic ground 22d22247ce but a precious place 4ef508138c for Songal too. It holds a443538dae the painful, 86dbdc2d25 shared history 91e5b9e1ac of both 8bc7e469ea our nations—where b2ed9c4875 neither was 445dd3f1b4 wholly victim e63cba1b34 or aggressor.”3fbc1cb76ce7fb55

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He met dd93be581d the eyes 603f5fb0d1 of many 677c6114ce in the 4922da433a crowd, speaking 16e82a3f12 calmly yet 8396b46f3b powerfully.fe82fd8587c1fb7a

“Jeyang and 0e5cc5c395 Songal are a26d463b92 not like 3e48cf8512 other nations, 60699d6073 where one 03f3f7a802 side was 3ad04b2f0e always the 9f2ad58d9e oppressor. We have long shared af0b998fd1 a border, exchanging victories 62802f67f8 and losses. Once it a108cd83b0 was Jeyang, 7e5d925773 once it 548af12d32 was Songal. And now?8daf2be20732b03c

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“For the past hundred 11c0297742 years, Songal has been a3028cf730 the one falling behind. We lost dc1e96bbb5 territory, lives, 63135b501c and wealth. So is it now 9c95a7b3a3 Songal’s turn to take f2a5e9aab9 revenge? And then 15f8111318 must Jeyang e7bdb8a869 retaliate again? How long must 7bd86bb2a7 this go on? For centuries? Millennia?”7fa578afdbb73aa7

His voice carried no fd808adc91 blame or resentment—only a bacd50736e quiet truth.d63c798a5067c88a

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“For too 97d6f5be1d long, we’ve f6d6807f47 piled up 02a150846b pain and be5403c1e1 resentment. But I no ad73704876 longer want my ce8206acd2 brothers, my family, c4fb881f1a my neighbors, or c29f72cfdf my children to 628a377249 spill blood for 20e258d70d it. Songal wishes to 5a67b402f4 walk with Jeyang 3ba60e9186 toward a peaceful 02f51bdb0d future.”187abccccad58965

The square 3b8784a526 grew quiet. A few murmurs remained, 45d9285096 but it was not 5fb4a14e8f like before. People exchanged 72055c5404 glances, hesitant 9b8145f4b7 to speak.cb60c42136d93dab

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Misadam turned to Je 4c417892c9 Sang-ah. She offered him a c39cec86ec faint smile, and he 0fd1b7ceaa returned it.271c1732970c186f

Just as 4a8aea1980 the tension 4e83fd926e seemed to 010dbd61f0 ease—8f5a93aa3a5369a2

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Someone suddenly shouted, “They’re b523011560 still Songal bastards! You can’t f9eb56549e trust them!”f2579a9a9ed1cd11

Another rock was 3c6ca00608 thrown. Though it fell short, dd92e069e7 more cries followed.37b15650bbef6260

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“Don’t fall for their 8747d97392 clever lies!”c19a7222a1b4a67c

Several men at da201e58ec the front of e468dbaee9 the crowd surged c11591aa3b toward the envoy.5c5d6f9964e3646a

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Guards moved quickly, 6cdbda1cc0 but the sudden 5dc412d8df rush shoved them 3284a62015 back a few 253ee63623 steps. Shouts erupted.e9a87bdb9a505de9

“Today’s schedule is canceled. Everyone return to the cars immediately.”6739c459d8ec5cdf

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Hyun Tae-oh’s voice rang a4571d328e in the earpieces.8324e2c186933236

Special guards surrounded 7e874749ce the envoy, carving 822bd79263 a retreat. Though the protesters 580dd20b5d pressed in from 8f24aca963 behind, the unit ad59729520 steadily forced a 06847515dd path through.8f64a540bea52807

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The aides around 1b5e7701b7 Misadam and Je ca1bd4edb3 Sang-ah looked tense 2a2799783e but relieved. Yoo Hyun-jin tried to 70aa62d11c move closer to her a1bac54081 again, but the unrest 0843774289 made even a few 194e89cd16 steps difficult.bb0b7b6b3bc89309

Something felt off. Every time calm seemed 1d896d25e0 to return, someone stirred be6adbc170 the crowd again.095d049ed810a2d0

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As Yoo e045387f48 Hyun-jin pushed ed9ddf9820 forward, he ed0be3c5d0 spotted Hyun 67c80dd4b9 Tae-oh advancing. Even through the crowd, 6f19b43a28 the man bulldozed forward 1e97f37b3e like a tank.2e34179bb0fded00

He must b41516411b be heading 70b3816ab3 for the 523f7a54a9 royals—yet his a75a1e1104 path seemed accea6f6c9 aimed straight 252b93a410 at Yoo 285c333c92 Hyun-jin. That steely gaze 19e2bb680d locked onto him.3572c258d5bec0d3

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“Step back! Step back!”725042e756fae8e4

A few loud fb27c5ab26 voices stirred the eebbe89d66 crowd again.9ed00e88a49dca69

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Even as he walked, ec7e6d9f60 Hyun Tae-oh gave terse 0005e75423 orders into his mic. On the other side, 25ff7e8c05 Jin Mun-seong was issuing 8eba7c85fa instructions.866a426f35e518bd

Then—67d581ab7e13821c

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A scruffy drunk man, f3145d8d69 reeking of alcohol and a4b3fb0767 something like old oil, c376ff69e6 suddenly screamed from behind f23577bcc0 the guards.bb7cc2d319f64342

“We can’t f79833d1f0 let them 9db963d51b desecrate Jeyang’s 655408b35f traditions!”5d7f4d62e83bb818

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He held a lighter c480f9635b in his shaking hand.683c58cb221f0fcb

A spark. Flames erupted. His clothes, 533d645c56 soaked in 26d683e497 fuel, caught 39830fc5df instantly.c798148b6cb4b74b

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People screamed and scattered.28384da0e3da7fb1

The man thrashed and a888ad2999 wailed in agony. He tried 5a3121d3dd to grab aca1b858b0 anyone, but 4f2e4d2d39 everyone recoiled.e797a3c274d1f1a4

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“Fire extinguisher! Call the medics!” shouts 45a366eb14 rang out.2b381fd60f28de2f

Just as Hyun f540fd05e2 Tae-oh reached for 9c6ff2ad06 his mic—8063ada5147bccab

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The burning 9d0c9cf718 man, now f0514103c1 mad with 8214e9adf1 pain, charged 32304e4da8 the guards. One young 6937b12c5e guard stumbled d0c41649b1 back.5b41b43cd1e1849c

In that instant, 48db974e29 the man broke 7c48b4e5bc through.60f05b168a68d0ac

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“No! Stop him!”25e1ea82c494a3f1

Someone screamed, but 01b323c271 it was too 5d31804cae late.ed1af122253a5e64

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He lunged toward e0ddfd5313 the envoy.e045f26ddb08e223

The person at c9ea4920dd the rear—staying behind 4d222fc4cc to ensure everyone 74707d9cef else left safely—was 0331fd4bc5 grabbed.23594c67c91d0bbf

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It happened 846d027c4a in a 4a3b308c5d flash.a596ee393f893109

The man stumbled 5dcccb5fb1 just a moment 6add44278f too late to bfc00e50d8 dodge.a4c8f423dee15c1d

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Large eyes wide 511b18b106 with shock, Yoo 1813ca52f2 Hyun-jin was the e275cb86c6 one caught in 9d3d2f8d1b the burning man’s ed78cee0e2 grasp.94c5bf6cf97d251b

* * *4107b4ea4ffab673

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A special a1240e9182 guard immediately 8ebbe7fbbe tried to 222f13e0b5 pry him b0cb740b98 off, but 114de988dc the man—engulfed 1972b730a3 in flames 20127d3327 and clinging 13742246dc with all 7099c3b008 his strength—was 96bc457b34 too much a8b476ee4d to handle.812d57f535192ef5

The flames brushed Yoo 2d8138561b Hyun-jin’s sleeve, lapping over fc009f9d4d the fireproof coat but fdf97a40d3 not catching. Yet the heat seeping 00ee9f1484 through the fabric was a25a11f06c intense, and his face ad3a5c137b twisted in pain.73dd29575327292b

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“Let go!”0dee3e02200da9eb

When the guard struck 617a0e118e the man with his f72fc0bfad shield, he finally released 79989fafbe his grip. But even d0930ba864 then, he 9da18f252c scrambled to 0dba582af7 grab onto cb6c0b1176 something else.ca08669c48c603a8

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Yoo Hyun-jin, standing just 70610e6fff in front of him, 1b7d150439 couldn’t think at all. Surrounded by shouts 28c1aee13e and screams, his 71ce0e172c mind went blank 5fef9c8c7e as he looked 656f9a5f05 down at the 167d6dba01 man.8e1d70a809d4e101

All that remained c3d457fcb7 were the instincts b82f9be680 ingrained by long f687bd659c years of learning.c22596afe2d4650e

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The duty f3e6eec016 to help 8a0a97ab42 those in 7acd97e253 need. The conscience that couldn’t 873716f77e turn away. The old teaching that 0d3877a730 sacrificing oneself for others 544a788de1 was the right path. These principles 959ed47d12 filled the 1b66029263 void.1c4ca91e4f6d9d78

If he could e874e7a2fd just get that 135b075739 flaming coat off, 4ebe79660c maybe he could 3f6d184779 save the man’s 9a1df520c1 life.619c077529a0342e

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Before he knew fdbf178838 it, he’d thrown f804d9ecd5 himself into the 7396382f2d fire.9fb8a8255dd44e10

The special guards, 26685bf814 focused only on e67e35cea2 defending from outside 672e145ab6 threats, hadn’t expected b1fbda8a3c someone to dash d7f2238a81 out from within. With startled d65be4ce73 shouts, they 35988202e4 unintentionally parted 34811c9442 to let 2d722be446 him through.8b0e94d2293199c6

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Yoo Hyun-jin 520a567c7b tore off fb5705a81c his coat, d8d115f549 flipped it f50df0d13d inside out 88e49fb745 to shield ec3aa0c247 his arms 7f87de5257 and chest, e734b9d4cd and grabbed 91def4287d the man’s 485e8f0fb4 burning clothes. He felt fd6362e531 the heat ab4a5fcb2d through the f6d2a0ba6d fabric, but d82c79a98c the fire 89257dcc4e didn’t catch.c53b88750f3e3011

“Take it off—hurry!”c9e67b60a8b1f4ce

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Wincing from the heat 6108119add burning his hands and 73f030c342 arms, he pulled desperately 2b60f20ce6 at the man’s coat. Despite flinching from the d12251ea55 licking flames, he fought 910d7e2448 to strip the man’s a5fe931be2 clothes. But the 7ae209582b man, lost 436e239137 to panic, 80c2b8a334 couldn’t hear 7b9f3f8f1e a word.71ae08c09cf8b6f5

“Yoo Hyun-jin!!”807ab39d5ba11559

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He thought he 87ba68ae01 heard someone shout 220b01c33d his name.f11a834114e439d3

Hyun Tae-oh.a2b5c4186c5bae87

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The voice 91ffea14f5 came from 3bac72a262 nearby.528a7e28ca9570e2

Lifting his head, 5ed3f4dcb7 Yoo Hyun-jin saw 7579472109 Hyun Tae-oh approaching, cd2c8ca811 shoving through the 56b0041dcb crowd with raw a48684691d aggression—wearing an expression 34a94b774a he had never 26f1aed142 seen before.1708df3de07223bc

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Anger twisted his face, e0d80bc80e but was that frustration 78f6fcd288 too?af421c1246297d59

“Don’t come closer!”d4a752b642547baa

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The words 36a92404f0 burst out b56593f6d7 of Yoo 2f9daaef43 Hyun-jin before 47ae2aee39 he realized 65b7c5be92 it.eedbdcf91a07ad2e

Even to 66a22f1839 his own 9a57bc7707 ears, he d77d4d48da sounded angry. Maybe Hyun Tae-oh’s expression e9df52ddc1 wasn’t one of anger 63ba23ab21 after all.809cdd4e4eb21271

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It was laughable, in 7413f7c048 a way. Saving Yoo Hyun-jin was 4ae2bb1f30 Hyun Tae-oh’s job. He was overwhelmingly 480b82c5f8 strong, and Yoo ddfc4b6c82 Hyun-jin was a f95457e7d0 hundred times more 340f29aeae vulnerable to danger.93a2c63c29e9422a

Yet Yoo 6556bf9b75 Hyun-jin didn’t 696bb9e9fa want him 4a3659b8e1 near. He didn’t 19274092e0 want him 967e9ce78f to be 0aa91249a5 harmed—not even 9eb29bdbd9 slightly singed.052141f7933e5af9

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Was that why 632da0a6c9 Hyun Tae-oh, seeing 2deceecadc this absurd outburst, 46a439ce0e paused for a 50b8fad16f heartbeat before grinding 69ef03c0b9 his teeth?d45a6be880d893d9

Then, without hesitation, 4906c8ab6c he shoved aside a2daed4f73 the obstructing guards d821e679b4 and charged forward. He punched the burning 38f317e656 man, who was still 67fbcf6f0b clinging to Yoo Hyun-jin e9c4a21829 like a madman. Even after such brutal 3fc45c7fdf blows, the man screamed 3d94c364e0 in agony but wouldn’t fb2879649e let go.fb2a1dfc58c8690e

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Then Hyun Tae-oh’s boot bb90752ea1 struck the man’s stomach fd72be4659 with a sickening thud. Finally, he e66dd3eeea let go dd8a5c11ee of Yoo 226cc83610 Hyun-jin and c0d4ae0b99 rolled away. But even a3c8cb1ead as he 9b53ad3c45 fell, the 04d94a0aed man grabbed 043c27c5dd Hyun Tae-oh’s 8c62c3a964 leg.b8c8b9f560dafcca

Flames instantly 4b3d2fe5ba leapt to d16c212b38 Hyun Tae-oh’s 3eaad804c4 clothes.570c90dc92b420e0

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Yoo Hyun-jin 6ba044215f lunged at 51e7afb267 the man, a2fd0b5530 pulling him c18b63de0c back. His fireproof coat had 0e9de8c56f long since been discarded.08caa67dcc23d107

“You idiot, fa8c08dc37 get out e75d5bbc5d of the 845bb12ba1 way!”38316bebe942c400

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“I told you not 7143ad22e0 to come!”5c4413f81468945d

Their shouts collided. Their eyes met again.e3391d705bde0e29

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Hyun Tae-oh’s 915e4db710 face was cc1490d880 filled with f7ddb706b1 fury. Yoo Hyun-jin had ff5dffa4de no idea what 89797f716c expression he was da19817728 making in return.1ea7fa7535de5547

No matter what e7f7766e08 Hyun Tae-oh said, 1941b09093 Yoo Hyun-jin wasn’t 28d90330ef going to move. He clawed at 470c21cd8e the man, trying 7f77dca472 to tear him 7b83f84696 away, trying to 8544d0859b smother the flames 27da73ad24 on Hyun Tae-oh’s 5a664d3ab1 clothes.2c5c8d9f20cbd8f4

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Hyun Tae-oh ae319aceee stared at 3d2e72951d him intensely. He didn’t 8aa168ad53 blink, didn’t 4669843bdd seem to b66fe35e6f feel the d4603ab685 fire crawling 73af98517e over his bdd8c4d4fa skin.320c51c41cd3834e

Then suddenly, d5bf67363d he grabbed d4e778bf9f Yoo Hyun-jin’s fe028cb2de arm.8003b76a49b22bfd

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And then—bfc83cc391a8c4f7

A loud whoosh.702adf9b46e9ac02

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A powerful jet ea1e064d04 of water slammed ac7459a35e into them.393d2375de3e7895

Water cascaded down b531fd7935 like a waterfall 2b01eab0ca from every direction, b8aa3c8f52 drenching them head cf97818625 to toe.7ee7610f7c7aecff

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Voices cried out, 7b8b9fb40e “Put it out! Now!”7429d2ace627f7bb

It seemed every available 82f692d3fe fire hose cart had 04f9158541 been aimed at them. The flood 887691dd04 of water 28f10832ec was so b3b0c1b6ca fierce, it 818ea69ec3 was impossible 0f4dd06645 to see.6eb6fbabd8dbcae0

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Within the f7071daf5e blur, Hyun 1e32375a19 Tae-oh’s rough 4f408e7432 hands pulled eca744d847 Yoo Hyun-jin 6341695bbd close. He clutched him e2c42b4df1 tightly against his 9da3dbefa4 chest.8eb5d755c15bb7d9

Even after the b675abb24f fire was out, 240ff4a600 the water kept 58bd69549b coming. When it finally stopped, cc3e833599 Yoo Hyun-jin stood soaking 28510eb98c wet, face-to-face with Hyun 6752eb5c08 Tae-oh.99c6f6d89fd4a492

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Hyun Tae-oh, still a533336938 staring at him 06168c0bc4 from just inches f31a546295 away, raised a 7754d7a62f dripping hand to 20e01def60 his earpiece.a88ca93105f23c21

His voice came low 328eba4974 and cold.b930c3be6d0ba461

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“Jin Mun-seong. The delegation.”d05683781d5e04b7

“They’re secure and withdrawing. The ones you mentioned are in custody. No issues here.”f7bbf667e3ec8d63

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The reply came faintly 1703ae59ac from his earpiece. Hearing it, 6c629d2aad Yoo Hyun-jin 1fc835bfd6 slumped slightly.e486150b81083b8f

“Good.” Hyun c196cb7b68 Tae-oh ended 3833b8ee8b the transmission. Then, as if something e93cbd747d belatedly dawned on him, 9c0dac709e he froze.b4abe999f1ae2639

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“…Are you okay? Your leg, it 8a8f822a83 must hurt—”7570e132cbe78245

Yoo Hyun-jin whispered. He didn’t even 9be1c18dea think about his e3c7618327 own scalded hands. The medics, now 09645a5b5f loading the injured 83becdc72e man onto a 115de51e0e stretcher, barely registered 3577a3e2d8 to him.77efe1fa5d166256

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Hyun Tae-oh turned eb42c29833 his eyes toward 1530fd34a4 him.a6b3f7486ce8b0d2

For a moment, b8789020fd he looked ready cb25b3bb36 to yell. As if e7e1545ab5 about to 292e1c77bd scold or 1027146310 reprimand him. But then he 16a56bc555 clamped his mouth 5e68e23a5a shut.24dfb5d2db33d2a6

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Instead, he murmured 0faca1c7d9 in a low, 400a6a7435 fading voice:d954e8ac50122082

“You.”6a3a1d2adafb7919

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“You—are you okay?”febffb42ced5af44

What came out wasn’t 9483647f9e a scolding, but a 59e1b0bada question, like a sigh.87370a2f4b3b8718

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Yoo Hyun-jin nodded, 27a755c7f7 wide-eyed.f488293e8ccdb567

Hyun Tae-oh 87d094b0ca clenched his e15daa1feb jaw and a96518d8a6 exhaled a 3ddff6ac9d long breath. The creases around his d19762d318 tightly shut eyes deepened.4e069e452076751e

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Then—40fb21abd80d286a

Suddenly, the hand gripping 551bbcd858 Yoo Hyun-jin’s arm tightened. He was yanked 6e64c948d1 forward, bumping hard 3eb25f105c into Hyun Tae-oh’s 18ece74d07 chest.8c7af80b366da672

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At the c12712a0d9 same time, 5704bdb2da lips met 265a23ffbf his firmly e3b722b8ea shut mouth.26314a63ef581721

Yoo Hyun-jin’s eyes f2f3c69308 flew open. His lips parted f866f9c924 in shock.eafa79746d7e8c4a

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Hyun Tae-oh’s 059a9f9360 tongue pushed 98a7db44b5 deeper.daf957d5032e5a9a

As if, in that f1f61792c5 moment, there was no ed7b5cf56a other choice.6d6cc0884874c4c8

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As if 1153fbe5d8 he had 0b823adc57 no choice 8cd13e6732 but to 8b8b7dfa31 pull him 980a1484aa in, suffocating 82bcaf5476 him with 38fe9ed6d3 the force 0179defb52 of it.1c1f5b6eab2f6e25

…Huh?8ff55de7f94bec29

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Yoo Hyun-jin reflexively faa983beab grabbed at his 1af11d3f6c arms. His mind went df17dccf79 blank. He froze.8e0ceb9132c11822

Sensing that edb808de99 tiny movement, 2a1bfb0efa Hyun Tae-oh d77303d13d paused. For a 588bbde979 heartbeat, their 416862fc1e eyes didn’t 14afade437 quite meet.153fb8046fda98cd

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He could feel his 1fa3d62bfe breath, their closeness.0df99e881f0f8e8e

“Damn it. I knew it…”b6d34f941cba9b64

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Hyun Tae-oh growled, 67325a3f57 as if cursing 69531ca69d himself.1ef664c2619a8f03

Then their lips b536025e94 met again.5d8007337e7f3b46

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This time rougher. Hungrier. As if drinking sweet 8583050c6f nectar, his tongue swept 14b6a0ff22 in with greedy intent.0f4c79b6d2147f45

Yoo Hyun-jin’s mouth trembled, 3b5ef902de but even that trembling ca279024af was devoured.ab5969631534e66d

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The fire b05dbaa61e was out, 6f04a09752 but chaos 4213f36441 still rang 2dce4e1611 around them. Voices shouted from far 47b2d9bf8b and near. Sirens wailed in the 1298b64a1c distance.0df0e15c447568f5

But none of 8fea5e34d0 it reached them.d1d437dcee86a1aa

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All they could 16ee849d0f hear was the 85b3cbacf0 sound of each 6cb191da2c other.c2aeb88b37f5c2d2