TM | Chapter 10

The lips I had thought were red were now damp with tears. They glistened, swollen as if they might burst at the slightest touch. He must have been biting them down to suppress his sobs.

Feeling guilty, I walked a step behind him in silence. If he slowed his pace, I unconsciously slowed mine; if he quickened, I quickened as well. But as I trailed behind Lee Seol, I couldn’t tell at what point he had shed those tears—because the man walking ahead of me was now smiling so brightly.

As we neared the base of the mountain, Lee Seol bent down and plucked a cluster of small white wildflowers. Scattered across the ground like tiny stars, the delicate blooms sparkled under the sunlight. He carefully selected only the prettiest ones, gathering them into a neat little bundle.

After tying the stems together, he held them out to me. I looked down at the tiny bouquet resting in my palm, blinking in confusion, unsure of what he meant by it.

Seeing my puzzled expression, Lee Seol smiled faintly.

“I’d love to give you a big bouquet, but… I don’t think I should.”

His soft, whisper-like voice was swallowed by the chirping of birds. Watching his back as he slowly turned and continued down the path, an ache settled deep in my chest.

I knew how painful it was to have one’s feelings go unreciprocated. After all, hadn’t I spent countless nights crying over Kang Taegwon’s indifference? Lowering my head, I felt a wave of guilt toward Lee Seol.

His resigned expression didn’t suit him, yet somehow, it did. He looked like snow melting into the spring sunlight—so fleetingly beautiful that I could only stare in a daze.

I clenched the small bouquet tightly in both hands and silently followed him. As we entered the village and neared the gibang, where the gathering was being held, Lee Seol occasionally stopped to take in the scenery. It felt as though he was engraving these sights into his heart, knowing that once he left for Qing, he might never return. The weight of that realization made my chest ache.

“Isn’t that Lee Seol? I didn’t think you’d come to the gathering!”

A familiar voice suddenly called out, making my shoulders stiffen. The boisterous tone was full of delight. Standing along the path to the gibang, Kang Taegwon extended his hand in greeting to Lee Seol. Lee Seol, in turn, offered a polite nod and a faint smile. But when Kang Taegwon’s gaze shifted and landed on me, his expression hardened.

However, he quickly masked it and strode toward me.

“Sung-ah. Let’s talk.”

I immediately turned away and continued walking forward. But before I could take another step, a rough hand grabbed my arm.

“Ugh—!”

A sharp cry of pain escaped me, and in the next instant, Lee Seol roughly seized Kang Taegwon’s wrist. The fingers wrapped around my arm trembled as they lost color under the force of his grip.

Kang Taegwon flinched, startled by the unexpected strength. The pale, slender fingers clutching his wrist were surprisingly firm, pressing down with enough force to make his bones throb. He looked at Lee Seol in shock, but Lee Seol’s face remained utterly expressionless—only the faintest curl of his lips hinted at something else.

“For a warrior, you seem awfully careless.”

His cold reprimand made Kang Taegwon’s face go rigid. Unable to meet his gaze, he forced an awkward smile.

“Ah, it’s just… I had something to discuss with Sung-ah…”

“Let go.”

Yoon Sung harshly yanked his arm away from Kang Taegwon’s grip. His arm ached, and he instinctively rubbed the sore spot. Seeing this, Kang Taegwon reached out and lifted his sleeve, seemingly checking for a bruise on his delicate skin—but before he could see anything, Lee Seol struck the back of his hand.

A sharp impact made Kang Taegwon flinch and recoil, his eyes widening in confusion as he stared at Lee Seol.

“Regardless of whether you’re both men, you shouldn’t carelessly pull at the clothing of someone of marriageable age. Besides, Sung-ah is set to marry another man.”

Lee Seol’s calm voice carried a distinct clarity, his gaze shining with an eerie stillness. The quiet chill in his eyes made Kang Taegwon instinctively take a step back.

“I see. That was my mistake.”

Kang Taegwon had already struggled to get close to Lee Seol, but now, under that icy stare, his confidence faltered even further. He avoided his gaze, glancing instead at Yoon Sung, who was biting his lip, seething quietly.

Lee Seol, however, didn’t spare Kang Taegwon a glance. His concern was solely for Yoon Sung. Watching him massage his sore wrist, he extended his own palm in offering.

“Does it hurt? Do you want me to take a look?”

“…No. I’m fine.”

Yoon Sung shook his head and stepped forward, but Kang Taegwon blocked his path.

“Just for a moment. Let’s talk.”

Yoon Sung, who had been staring at the ground, slowly lifted his gaze to meet Kang Taegwon’s. His expression was serious, his eyes filled with a strong determination.

Yoon Sung clenched his teeth. He didn’t know what Kang Taegwon wanted to say, but he was certain of one thing—this would be the moment their connection was severed. It had to end here. He had made up his mind.

He nodded.

“Seol-ah. Go on ahead.”

“Hmm… Can I stay a little farther away instead? I’m worried Kang Taegwon might put his hands on you again.”

Lee Seol’s blunt words, treating Kang Taegwon like a common thug, made his expression twist in irritation.

“Lee Seol, you misunderstand. I only grabbed him because he kept avoiding me. I just wanted to talk.”

“Forcing a conversation on someone who doesn’t want it is the same as violence.”

Lee Seol’s voice was as calm as ever, but the weight of his words struck like a blade. Kang Taegwon sucked in a sharp breath, his jaw clenching as he shot a frustrated look at Yoon Sung. His lips trembled, pressing together tightly.

Watching Kang Taegwon’s clenched jaw and sullen expression, Yoon Sung tightened his fist—only to feel the small bouquet still cradled in his palm. Startled, he quickly opened his hand, relieved to find the flowers unharmed. Clutching them with both hands, he turned to Lee Seol.

“I’ll just talk for a moment.”

Lee Seol nodded, taking long strides backward until he was about twenty paces away—far enough that he wouldn’t hear a whispered conversation.

Facing each other, Yoon Sung and Kang Taegwon locked eyes. Kang Taegwon was the first to speak, grinding his words through clenched teeth.

“Do you have any idea what this makes me look like?”

“Look like?”

“Yes. We’ve always been close, but now you suddenly turn your back on me like this. Everyone’s going to think I did something wrong.”

“So, are you saying I’m the one who did something wrong?”

At Yoon Sung’s sharp question, Kang Taegwon let out a heavy breath and bit his lip.

“What did I do wrong? I simply rejected you because I didn’t have feelings deep enough to consider marriage. We never promised each other a future! And what did you tell Lee Seol to make him so cold toward me?”

“Ha—.”

A hollow laugh escaped Yoon Sung. He was at a loss for words.

They had shared a year together—had touched, whispered, and shared the most intimate of moments. Yet now, Kang Taegwon dismissed it all as something trivial, as easily as flipping his palm over. Not only that, but he had the audacity to paint Yoon Sung as the villain, accusing him of turning Lee Seol against him.

He wasn’t concerned about the pain he had inflicted on Yoon Sung. He wasn’t worried about the heartbreak he had caused.

No—what truly mattered to Kang Taegwon was that he had lost Lee Seol’s favor.

A surge of rage boiled up to my throat, searing hot. I clenched the small bouquet in my hands, gripping it tighter as I bit out my words.

“You were never going to end up with Seol anyway.”

“Don’t dismiss my feelings so easily!”

Kang Taegwon’s voice turned rough, his brows knitting together as he spat out his frustration.

“Do you even understand what it’s like to want to stay by someone’s side, even if it’s just as a friend? To want to protect them? I can’t even count how many years I’ve had feelings for him! Do you know what it’s like to see him only three or four times a year and have your heart burn with longing?”

“And what about me?”

”…What?”

“What about my feelings? What about my body and heart that you toyed with?”

Kang Taegwon hesitated for a brief moment before sighing heavily. Then, as if irritated by the entire conversation, he spoke again.

“We both enjoyed it, didn’t we? How can you act like I’m some kind of scoundrel? You felt it too, every single time.”

His dismissiveness made my blood run cold.

“Alright, alright. I get it.” He let out another sigh, then smirked slightly. “Since you’re so hung up on me, I suppose I can start taking you more seriously. We can meet properly from now on. But in return, don’t go around saying unnecessary things to Lee Seol.”

My hands trembled with anger, and my face burned with fury. The bouquet’s delicate stems, still clutched in my fingers, began to crush under my grip. Kang Taegwon’s gaze flickered down to my hands.

It was Lee Seol’s heart in my palm. The one thing he would never have.

I lifted my head and met Kang Taegwon’s eyes with unwavering resolve.

“You’re not even worth keeping as a friend.”

”…What?”

I turned sharply toward Lee Seol. A voice tore from my throat before I could stop myself.

“I’ll do it!”

Lee Seol’s eyes widened in shock, snapping toward me. He looked so surprised that even his lips had parted slightly. Kang Taegwon, equally taken aback, turned to stare at him as well.

Suppressing the wildfire inside me, I forced my voice to sound gentle.

“Seol, I accept your proposal.”

“Sung-ah.”

His face filled with emotion. His name left my lips, firm and resolute.

“Let’s get married.”

For a split second, Lee Seol froze. Then, as if all the light in the world had gathered in his expression, his face bloomed into the brightest smile.

Before I could react, he rushed toward me and pulled me into his arms. In one swift motion, he lifted me off the ground and spun me around. The pale silk of his robes billowed in the air, curling around us like an embrace of its own.

“I love you, Sung-ah.”

His voice rang through the alley, gentle yet unwavering.

I looked down at him, the warmth of his arms surrounding me. Then, past his shoulder, I saw Kang Taegwon’s face—a sight so satisfying I almost laughed.

His eyes trembled violently, his expression utterly frozen in disbelief. He wasn’t even breathing, too stunned to move.

The wind brushed against my cheek, and Lee Seol’s hair fluttered against my jaw, tickling my skin. But even that delicate sensation felt sharp, scraping against my raw nerves. In the heavy silence, only Lee Seol was lost in pure happiness, his face buried against my chest.

And then—

“I approve of this marriage.”

The sudden voice shattered the quiet.

No one had noticed him approach, but about ten paces away, a man in green robes stood at the entrance of the alley, a faint smile playing on his lips.