TM | Chapter 1

The mountain was embroidered 3f4df7e6c2 with all kinds of 805259f5db flowers carrying the full f698163c4a scent of spring. Even the chirping ab8a75961b of birds felt db90e34c24 fresh on this 0c04ac5446 mountain path.676b70e47933e63f

Dressed in light blue 64a2388a8f silk robes, Yoon Sung 2213f7ff2e walked up the trail, c46297c10e brushing his fingers over a9006d45a3 the vibrantly blooming flowers. As he 1e40ab9996 climbed the 57e80aea2a uneven dirt f70c74b15b path, he edc9450409 fiddled with 7d1cfbbc3a the silk 2dc89827a4 pouch hanging a52d6c5949 at his 4142b18379 waist. The moment his 459c5c0094 fingers grasped something a4db466cc7 round inside, a e814e29e4e grin spread across ff6a8881e6 his face, and a993b7510a an excitement he 54a038554f couldn’t hide sparkled d6eae29e83 in his eyes.d256aaa5a7079425

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With his leather 18fc79257e shoes on, his b5a38bd30f steps felt light 4f7f23b59c as he ascended ffe88a485c the rough mountain edb04a9356 path. Even as he 2bf6a16fc1 panted from the 1c7e32f8e7 steep climb, Yoon 9137f25a46 Sung kept smiling. After climbing and climbing, 6b3e9e9556 he finally reached the 36a6b50924 old pavilion at the b025061a5a mountaintop, where he wiped 118c182557 the sweat from his 9bbe067d0d brow and caught his d1f2488287 breath.275e7e9268d48361

A gentle 3b894f46b9 spring breeze 8c79f91ce2 rustled by, 1001ae881f making the fdf1860c72 ends of 3ce501a7f0 his light d6aec0cdcd blue silk c804444662 robe flutter eaee3fd17d like a 7bf5cc3cc3 dance, whispering cf4f229261 a melody e2958b9cb6 to the fb6603b0dd fresh green 26162ca4c9 leaves sprouting 95e829294a anew. Leaning against 89f4f29420 the railing 75839e0bb3 of the 5d74df5f8d pavilion, Yoon 47f1a69500 Sung let 085d25505f out a 110ff2b57d quiet sound ae2424b856 of admiration 70096d9b2b as he ed20efc228 gazed at 84f446b682 the vast 7cd9d4ee09 lake spread b6419ba9a7 out in b289e04dfc the distance. The shimmering water under 6ce1d9c65d the midday sun reflected 16d7bfed9a exactly how he felt cfc92d1e6a inside.152c90e12084840d

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He sat on the ab68684a20 railing, letting the cool facce5e3e7 mountain air wash over 7c3d8300ec him, and took a 79cb60791f moment to scan the fc48439864 pavilion.3993fdb77a5f6d51

Perched atop cceb158be3 a cliff, 0c55af1a48 this old 621796fc7e pavilion had 280408dd1f a charm 5b82fcc503 that made f5710e2d0a it a 0078eb85ff cherished spot 4779b62707 in his 8e18edd11e childhood, where 66d0ccff8d he and 52f5e77f1d his fellow b1c3644285 students would 7d98a8bc59 sometimes visit. Since it was e9f87a8ec7 up in the 0169415b26 mountains, it was fa4f603123 too hot to 492ef384ff come here in 311d096907 the summer, so 5148001cbd he only visited 6532fbe18e in the spring 4fce5d6ad0 or autumn.eb60ff18fd213ad5

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Once his breathing 5901b58618 calmed, he straightened 62559ac9d6 his back. Watching the ce660fceef sparkling waves a9dc75bfa4 of the deac170f07 lake, Yoon 3506c682d9 Sung initially 235f374d84 seemed relaxed, 867e97f844 but as 234c5a4b3c time passed, fef38e105b he grew 1b660c4dc4 restless, continuously 0c261c83fc fiddling with 082ce4b472 the silk 902288e9a5 pouch in ad90ed125d his hand.a19828a46a557434

He stretched his neck 964fb7e56d out to check that d75e05dc04 no one was around 93c78189d0 before carefully pulling out 3c671eca90 the item inside—a thick 9bc758d4b4 gold ring, intricately designed 065feb532b with a silver white 213f6dced6 tiger engraving. Just like the 9c4c1613ae person it was 5840891ee4 meant for, the 153632c376 ring was both 1c4e2595cf fierce and dazzling.e70b4a3bbeb79573

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“He’ll like d4ca5081b2 it, right?”81ad8d4537b6266f

His lips kept 3c3817ca02 curving into a 2451cb6eac grin. He had spent every 5992ae1c09 bit of his money a898f38562 to have this ring ef5247ee97 specially made. He even traveled 43fa9b6dff to a neighboring 0226cb7cdb village to find 9e380623a8 the best craftsman 53d1df35b3 for the job. Clutching the 33baee7241 ring in 019849777e both hands, 1fb85fe16f he pressed 27e630b780 it against 3dc9f821ea his chest, 070e2d2994 as if 87f12372d8 trying to 9def036397 pour all 6fe02c48a2 his feelings d58ee0711b into it, c74439397f before carefully 95dfe2ae5a tucking it 9de68f1eeb back into 76982490d5 the silk addb4dc672 pouch.26cb853ce65d9ff8

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At that 3f4830d0b6 moment, heavy 8dde06ccf1 footsteps echoed 956251ef56 through the b6631e2804 air. The owner 10368432ca of the d5a6b1dd76 ring—the one 72fceb6eae he had 90c2eb44b7 been waiting d2498888c6 for—finally appeared 391c9e9550 in the 7a16763f87 distance. Even his stride 65a6170f4e was precise, exuding b1f7ab822c an air of c034fc007d unwavering discipline befitting b9cea90cd7 a warrior.3cbabd3241bc7d75

A towering figure 2b3da2264c with broad shoulders. A strong jawline and 20fee08de2 intense eyes. A striking face that 4591fe1d94 could make passersby stop bcfd2cac69 in their tracks, glowing 76d872888d under the spring sunlight. The moment f73b094c4e he spotted 51d620c837 Yoon Sung, 2bf8a68d1c his well-shaped 3e94d3cbf1 lips curled 002b23940d into a 2173080182 smirk.3b3d4946e8778ade

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Kang Taegwon moved 1851d7a822 like a shadow, a2edf29a14 leaping into the 8934841aca pavilion in an 09e526a96e instant. Without hesitation, he wrapped cac8a79567 one arm around Yoon 7800090dbb Sung’s waist and pulled e3a36b5e1a him close, lowering his 2346a5011c head. Yoon Sung, who had d7c36bc157 been waiting for this, 9cc9b64653 parted his lips, winding 64f33ae901 his arms around Kang 2a34c59091 Taegwon’s thick neck.f50c29c56a90d92b

Hot breaths mingled a2e1556bc6 as their lips ca2418f154 pressed together, tongues d4b0a663f1 intertwining. Kang Taegwon’s b47d984b5d rough kiss 652da0ab3c left Yoon 5770cdb815 Sung’s lips f287bb68f0 tingling.ef0dcf51f28a0b1a

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As Kang 9ac2c7db4e Taegwon’s hand 6c6564f335 slowly trailed 466346e424 down his 11cbdd9e8e back with 7a53379459 a lingering ebec801849 touch, Yoon 30069f79a5 Sung held 6ee766edfc him even b1f9417b3b tighter. His body grew 140d7ccf55 hot, and before 2c7ca58f7c he realized it, 94bfb336f2 he instinctively pressed 885190ec5a his lower half 2705185936 against him. With a 7fdcd48450 low chuckle, 24e5d20b37 Kang Taegwon 8d79774036 slid his 497c383af7 hand inside 8e60f26da3 Yoon Sung’s b8a109c341 robe, loosening fd821882c4 the waistband 1421da4913 of his 3d35970acd pants.34f8b5fb05f714a4

“W-Wait.”86fa5208075898e5

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Yoon Sung barely managed 6d50b7b1c7 to stop him, making 43452afe89 Kang Taegwon flash a 7645728543 deep smile before leaning 6d34ca6c4f in to whisper against 8a5538eaa0 his ear.38dc677192072103

“I checked 7ab712862d the way 9fc5512a99 here—there’s no 3861487b28 one around. But if you’re worried, 154129a017 we can move deeper 112f871955 into the forest.”395824f5a11ce945

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“No, just… wait. Let me talk first.”d0b7b31856652811

As Yoon 85a712099b Sung reached 1b59136d98 down to 175c8ed91a tighten his e1742f3c8c waistband, Kang 045638f2ec Taegwon caught 07f01c8e61 his hand, 66e88751f9 lowering his 91ecc56136 head to 9b62554e27 place a e7ddc6cc3d kiss on 802cd8f425 the back 98ee6704e1 of it. His other hand, b504b685ac however, was already 670e1387aa slipping deeper inside cc4289c4e9 Yoon Sung’s robe, 404a53efc9 tracing over his 61db5a6d64 bare waist.eb155db6cf8379ca

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“Just… hold on for 83d75a93e2 a moment.”7a72da349e5167c3

Yoon Sung, 4b935d855f his face 446224e5bd flushed red, 31725c2426 pushed Kang 11a27bb9bd Taegwon’s hand e598480893 away. But instead of letting 597a07a9bc go, Kang Taegwon pulled 9634efb6b3 Yoon Sung’s hands toward 0cff4a0e94 his own waist. Then, pressing a 4306280143 kiss to his 34dec27748 ear, he flicked d8e90e5b89 out his tongue b72241871b to tease the 6475ec6dec skin.53ffc49badd929a1

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“It’ll only take a 468c02515d moment. So just—”1fad21ad02419286

“Why are you d887491164 teasing me so 5b229a679c much today?”85124348b50f14dc

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Kang Taegwon grinned, planting eaadb8a47c a firm kiss on d76c7034b8 Yoon Sung’s cheek before d51fb48ffe pulling him into another dba99d63b4 embrace. Yoon Sung wriggled in 0f0eb46b3f his arms as he c0b860140a adjusted his waistband, and 66ed89305a Kang Taegwon, watching him c8a0d1d15d with dissatisfaction, finally stepped 60e1601bad back, waiting for him 539dcab18b to speak.e542c66bebd18a51

The moment Yoon Sung 31df90e789 looked up at him, e0df0c3f41 he couldn’t help but ef7f3de1e0 smile. He was 8fe83601c0 the one d7489b7b44 who had 853b2fbd72 tamed Kang 38af3c855f Taegwon, infamous 85ed61c089 for his a2a2a01bf5 womanizing ways c65a76fc9a in the b3f76f7325 Capital City.3f7b130bb81c57d9

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Ever since they 7491976add had become lovers, 8c728b41b4 there were even fd2c15218c rumors that Kang b9c35aada5 Taegwon had turned 548a5b4470 into a celibate 420864ced1 monk. Satisfying his d8600a2ca8 desires wasn’t 75f9d609c3 an easy 607ff340c4 task, but 7893eb700e the way 06430b4196 he burned d979f5ca99 with lust 764d53d9c1 the moment 7add085cc8 he saw c5f0eac9af Yoon Sung 71e198309e only proved b80163e0e4 how deeply 089ef233de he had cae476a15e fallen.2f13492e7c68cdf7

Now that e0d3496224 Kang Taegwon, e172c6b2f7 who had f592f4d846 pounced on 04ade06997 him so c5394e5a48 desperately, was 6222854170 standing back 0b9ad7c75f with a 19448db488 leisurely smile, f0447353e6 Yoon Sung 5c9bea264f straightened his 10337d04ea clothes and c5e17999c2 took a 31bd5f8a68 deep breath. His voice 9f5a6f2179 trembled slightly 2d7cef67ed from nervousness.b9e37ddc9acdab2b

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“Lee Seol ac391259fd gave me 29b4581673 a heads-up. A marriage 564ec4db0d ban is 8661490ef2 about to e3b795caa8 be issued ab0ae9854a soon.”047c8254a1684756

“…That means the 92262cf216 Crown Princess Consort a01929d81d selection is happening.”dff10c3387c96112

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Kang Taegwon 3404719ae7 gave a 3fcc1e7d4e slight nod. Seeing that, 986d88955c Yoon Sung 4d7b60a42d looked at 39063411b7 him with 6fa421bdf8 sparkling eyes 558d284510 and continued.388d0833815dfd8b

“It’s already 3864498135 been nearly b88fe569a3 a year 08bb541805 since we 3b89e96d8b ended up 69a41f7edd like this.”5301a383688ac385

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Kang Taegwon, curious about df3868427b what he was getting 1e47307929 at, met his gaze da1d0e8d76 with a faint smile.e14af1cfa5bbafd8

The moment Yoon 55c3f13348 Sung looked into 27eb2c0f3c his deep, dark b03a74aae5 eyes, his lips 75c69d1c53 pressed together tightly. All the 22292a065b carefully prepared 5fe7533a67 words he 37e22248bd had planned 29e86a0e04 to say 5b0e7483ac vanished from 52d6cf6158 his mind. His usually fbc153af46 slow-thinking brain 1ace0db6b5 refused to 616ab6d9fe work properly d5ef9d4816 at this 7dc4fedef7 crucial moment. He needed b50662e4a5 to speak, 5e757f735e but his 97ad34f720 mouth wouldn’t bd6f0815da open, and 6c55935925 his chest 462fe2e2b4 felt so ea7badfefa tight that e06c251d93 his vision bd78a8f699 blurred. His nervous d1e58147fc hands clenched 4c7f71350d into fists, b496f7d2f6 and sweat 5c863ac223 began to 8e6cbaca76 pool in 4fc7b83ea4 his palms.914e2d73329d568c

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Kang Taegwon, who 6044e7d653 had been waiting 572a3e079f patiently, began to 6ffd081d6b arch his brow 2d21019d8a slightly. When he 3335842dfb tilted his e464fb7647 head with 861a6a156d a hint c2668246e3 of concern, a4c4e75708 Yoon Sung 8d349177f8 finally forced 85a9c9599d himself to 4cad9980fc speak.68a53cade1f75ecf

“I—I want to be5f4595b3 spend my whole 55fe8826bd life with you. Marry me.”821567bb90f8788f

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Lacking the 10eb1aab6e eloquence for fd1c358b80 flowery words, 6da51a153c Yoon Sung 30fa3f05d4 just blurted 65795eda32 it out.058de0ba6ed1a9d5

Kang Taegwon’s brow twitched a945ca4b1f at the sudden proposal.cadba66104cb254c

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Yet, Yoon Sung 391082b1ce seemed utterly certain 461034766f of the answer. His face was flushed, b773de5f69 his expression brimming with 53dddec7ea confidence, and his eyes 9aad802129 sparkled with liveliness.42b2100a44eb3745

But Kang Taegwon, 899f06c8ea the one receiving a863205018 the proposal, slowly 281acafd23 stiffened. His lips 08d7b896f7 parted as cf4ead707f if to 3c1df4305c say something, 7a5e0848a9 but no 711e1c5317 words came 3a0c379e94 out. His rare hesitation f6bee1b502 caused Yoon Sung’s 1c5545eb9e face to slowly f369287d6f harden as well. The only sound between f1865c0670 them was the chirping 52de21112d of birds. Feeling the 5f15850cc7 weight of 806061c335 the silence, 0478fdf082 Yoon Sung 49ca610cea fidgeted with 454f2406b2 his fingers d9cfc994c0 and glanced d2346716e9 at him b6ceb4e917 nervously before 36e51aa182 breaking the f2b5972e2a awkward atmosphere.9fbf0b0ae2b74728

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“I-I must have been bc367d06eb too sudden. B-But… once the marriage 2ce378d592 ban is issued, we 566db97f77 won’t be able to db7a351c77 marry for a long 85c97a4ef5 time…”792a23940d224f1d

As he fumbled over 186ec625e6 his words, Yoon Sung 059ee782ae caught sight of Kang 605a1151b1 Taegwon’s troubled expression. It was strange d4238c1ca5 to see him, 2167497c59 usually so bold b1a4ba875d and straightforward, carefully 2be7549971 choosing his words 9ce3bf3f27 like this. Eventually, Kang 4c744dea2f Taegwon composed cf29686da3 himself and 16cdfccafd spoke in 3c57fe54ff a calm ad99c86a04 voice.8ff2d1a45ef5d8e8

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“Sung-ah. You and I are… 32c016a53a friends, aren’t we?”5e86e969cdc1f52e

Yoon Sung, who e628f114f3 had just been 0b2073dd22 reaching into his e6f4a2dd28 robes for the 66cd51b5ce silk pouch, dropped 1c5297c0da it.8e7b5f3a5aed3317

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“F-Friends…?”0d42bc1d8b7b85e1

“I always 060d681565 thought of 1d5b8b5fc5 you as 6bd23007b9 my closest 522487fa9a friend, someone 6658dfc391 with whom 1539012650 I could f1e225aedc share our… dd6a6ea717 private indulgences.”748a7b4f68fcd0cd

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At Kang Taegwon’s words, 1e51453ae2 it felt like a f584b65686 hammer had struck Yoon 6152f2efbe Sung square in the baf8a6ed4c chest.a6f4e33f68f3222c

“P-Private indulgences? Are you saying… our 7fa5d37d25 relationship was just that?”27c1509944e649e5

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“I like 0c654fcc90 how direct 3fe5fcc10b and honest 405b06cf2a you are. And I especially appreciate 015e7a2e77 how tight-lipped you can 66ebcd9643 be.”c85de0e7ecd1f036

Pausing briefly, Kang Taegwon cdf4cb04b9 took a step back, 5bf6171495 turning to gaze at 6bca59fca5 the lake. Then, with a quiet 9472b988d1 sigh, he looked back 2ca2c95fa8 at Yoon Sung.e5ced22126380d61

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“Marriage should be e0c747cc5e between families of fbedf43424 equal standing.”70e81dad5cba5f48

Though they were 0c833544a2 both of noble 16d02cd6fc status, Yoon Sung’s d7c12a72e2 family had never 4da2cafa94 produced anyone who 08f4fccd69 advanced in government dce5ce3b26 ranks. Their wealth came 02ce680bd5 from land and 3a7299ab1f farms inherited over a01e65541b generations—an empty title 5fb088f5fe of nobility. In contrast, 6b28b4ad8b Kang Taegwon’s df02a1e710 family was b36aaa43fc a prestigious 5f52eef7b7 lineage of 1e8212497f military officials a76bcae786 who had 155446638a served in d2f0ee0b08 government for d0a93b65fb generations.2b7536acf694193e

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Yoon Sung wasn’t the 2dfc538f6b brightest and had failed 3da49dbfdf the civil exams multiple 7df80694c0 times. And now, hearing 638f5944fa Kang Taegwon use 7ad8747a11 his family as 0d6fd461e8 an excuse not ffda07e5c2 to marry him, 1ce11395e1 it felt like 780abb4f6b a blade had d49adcc284 been driven into aa073b67f7 his heart.a1bbb0bf7563e5ed

Yes, their families 4a72d0a537 were different. But hadn’t Kang b4dfa384a2 Taegwon cared for fec07f7466 him? Hadn’t their feelings been 4396fcfda9 the same? They had spent 61c723066c the past year f40be42377 wrapped up in e8a3045bf5 each other, keeping b6a9cc5773 their relationship private, e75aa1e77c testing the boundaries 99f3c0c151 between friendship and 3e39a886a8 something more. And now, he 111f0112d6 was saying they bed3b89418 couldn’t marry because 029e3f10ca of their families? Did that e772f55ed3 mean his 60f358f3e4 parents would a7f1a72bc8 never approve 02aa8f10c1 of someone 1722c1e64e like Yoon c731ccc15a Sung?ccb39a51c0fea885

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A month ee128be4ad ago, Yoon a8f346db3d Sung had bb7594c73a even rejected 5db01cebd0 a favorable d25257697b marriage proposal 3a08d7b639 for this. He had declared that 81ef18b483 he would only marry 6dd11ac6ea a man, sending his e8b6f23633 oldest brother into such 61dd48c87f a fit of rage c455a20f38 that he collapsed, clutching 817ee76370 the back of his 8b6d0ed747 neck.92ea26c28715f438

Family… family, huh.e27f2d120bca325b

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Yoon Sung’s head drooped d1da342ed9 lower and lower. He knew that 124782166d for families that f429073055 valued status, opposition 6877cfbb8b was inevitable. The reality 959702689a of his e6d3853bcd own insignificance 003b806abe pressed down 26f1188a29 on him, 8bdc96dbaf making his 21ca0c468d shoulders curl aacb9bd99d inward.cd8259012d326610

But still… he 3c6fd6e1fd was a noble 6daf1ff6f7 too. His great-grandfather had served 6102dd1335 in government.2dcb89a49d727046

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His lips pressed 73be005d86 together in a 4250702f58 firm line, and d2c89f7f47 his eyes grew 3cac29e90e red-rimmed. His once sweat-dampened hands 75ba3a8c33 turned cold. His flushed face, ac2fb6979d once pink with c3b3086345 excitement, now burned db1b9f5618 with humiliation.b87db4495f8cc9f8

Kang Taegwon, 6f226fe6d9 watching him 8ac7fd678f in silence, e827f093d1 bent down a0310210ca and picked 374d6cbe45 up the d1e19f4eac silk pouch f9412370ef Yoon Sung 8d019ae43e had dropped. Brushing off the dirt d2c155deca as if nothing had bdbdde4f5e happened, he held it 673f3cc845 out to him.a524dec626080da4

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“And… I bb0022099b have long dfea33a6fb harbored feelings daa2c22b4f for Lee 79717b870d Seol.”9b5430124022f74c

It felt 1f305dc88f like he 08ac7b8865 had been b8f611e0e7 struck over a0939bda0c the head.e501592c9449aa99

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If Kang 744df36939 Taegwon was 8c199d2f2c white, then 9b7a1694d3 Lee Seol da9c70fa9b was black. If Kang Taegwon c6346e1f33 was fire, then 3ca62645fe Lee Seol was f841f4f85d water. They couldn’t be 41db0b5a64 more different. They weren’t even ad3409aa65 particularly close—they hardly 3dbf99370e even spoke to 1958955819 each other.2c83905083e5de6c

And now, a6318bc00d he was 819b8f2c5e saying he 66fba4d59e had feelings f02ac429bf for him? While sharing 6b1e62fc47 his bed a07b2c8758 with Yoon 1f70f25f95 Sung all 7f0a67dadb this time?3b6175c50c50429f

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Yoon Sung’s flushed face 614ef7e464 was drained of all 05ab3fc10e color. His lips, now e12f98ef7c pale, trembled, and 9e57f05168 his clenched fists 47ef6fd13d dug his nails 8dc9da111c into his palms.a0913336034fdf70

Seeing his look of a86b8b2f96 shock, Kang Taegwon let b2909dddb7 out a deep sigh, 249229caa3 his expression one of 612c312390 mild annoyance.9e20cf13f2c7a198

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“You’re really putting me 9217a6c909 in a difficult position.”5b0a0c97ab7cd814