“Could you explain in more detail?”
Unexpectedly, his voice was exceedingly calm. It even gave off a rather relaxed impression.
“…There was a time when Jaehyuk asked me to investigate matters related to your situation. From personal information to the circumstances behind the attack you experienced.”
Mok Jinwoo continued cautiously.
“While retracing the demons’ attack route at the time, I found some parts that felt unnatural.”
“…Unnatural parts?”
“The attackers back then were part of a large force that breached the wall. And as you know, your village was an isolated settlement built far from the wall in the northernmost region. It would take a normal person two full days of travel to barely reach it.”
“That’s correct. Thanks to that, I lived most of my life without knowing much about the outside world. Even the simplest common knowledge, I only learned after meeting my sisters…”
Lee Hyun nodded.
“But why is that…?”
“Between the wall and your village, there are at least dozens of pioneer villages. Considering the nature of demons, every settlement along their route, not just your village, should have been burned to the ground. You know, just as we despise them, those beasts loathe our very existence.”
However, after a brief pause, he spoke again.
“…But none of the other pioneer villages were attacked. In fact, they didn’t even see a single hair of the demons.”
“…”
“Among them were pioneer villages that were barely more than open fields with makeshift facilities. Yet the attackers bypassed those and specifically targeted your village, the one most deep and remote, even equipped with walls and a guard post? It’s utterly nonsensical.”
“You’re saying…”
Lee Hyun’s words trailed off as Mok Jinwoo slowly nodded.
“Someone within our own ranks orchestrated it. They incited the demons to attack your settlement.”
***
A heavy silence descended around them. It was quite some time before Lee Hyun spoke again.
“…We were just simple country folk.”
“…”
“Of course, there were people I couldn’t stand, but… not a single one of them committed a crime deserving death.”
“…”
“Then why… Who… For what reason…”
“I’m sorry. That much, we still don’t know…”
Mok Jinwoo shook his head.
“As soon as we identified the unnatural elements, we started an investigation. But they left no clues that could be traced back to them.”
“…”
“But in some cases, such perfect camouflage can become a clue in itself.”
“A clue, you say…”
“It’s easy to tamper with military records or evade the surveillance network of the Intelligence Bureau with an independently operating unit. There are only about ten families in the country with such power.”
A sensation crawled through his veins, like an insect wriggling inside. Something he had long forgotten began to stir again.
“Oh, and just to clarify, it’s not Heukryeon. While magicians are skilled in schemes and conspiracies, they stopped engaging in such activities long ago. If I recall correctly, the lady of that house used to be nicknamed ‘Vampire’…”
“…”
Even though he had tried to lighten the mood with a half-serious joke, the atmosphere remained heavy. Mok Jinwoo clicked his tongue.
“Hmph. Anyway… after narrowing down the suspects, we’ve been conducting a cautious internal investigation. One wrong step and we could end up stirring a hornet’s nest. None of these families are ones to be trifled with…”
He cleared his throat and returned to the main topic.
“And… we’ve finally found a critical lead.”
“…”
“We should soon be able to identify who was behind that incident completely. That’s why I’m telling you this now. Jaehyuk told me that if he’s not around, I should prioritize your opinion above anything else.”
He glanced at the boy in front of him and asked cautiously.
“So, what do you want to do…”
“Kill them.”
But his response came before Mok Jinwoo could even finish his sentence. The boy’s previously calm voice was now tinged with a slight tremor. It was proof that he could no longer suppress his emotions.
“…How?”
“They must feel the same pain my mother and friends felt, and the pain I felt as well.”
The boy scratched at the area under his left eye with his finger, as if something there burned intensely.
“No matter their reasons, it doesn’t matter. They must pay the price for the sins they committed. Whether they orchestrated the event or were merely involved in the slightest, it’s all the same.”
“…”
The boy’s reputation for his torture skills was already well-known since his time undercover in the 66th Regiment. If not for Sa Jaehyuk’s intervention, he would have long been disciplined by the higher-ups for his excessive cruelty.
He showed no sympathy or mercy toward demons and dark sorcerers. And Mok Jinwoo was one of the few who knew why.
If there was someone who orchestrated all the tragedies, there was no need to even ask about the treatment they would receive.
Mok Jinwoo closed his eyes tightly before opening them again. He gazed at the boy who was scratching at his scar and spoke calmly.
“…I see.”
***
After the boy left.
In the oppressive silence that followed, Mok Jinwoo let out a heavy sigh.
“Damn it. Feels like I poked at a hornet’s nest…”
No matter who the target was, there was no escaping the boy’s wrath. No magician breathing in this world could dare stand against him.
But as he scratched his head in frustration, he soon shook it.
“…It can’t be helped.”
Revenge was entirely the boy’s right. The favor Mok Jinwoo owed his old friend was to support him faithfully, and there wasn’t even a speck of hesitation in fulfilling that promise.
Mok Jinwoo considered himself a person of rational thinking. And there was one fact he could be certain of.
It was far better for an ancient family to disappear than for the boy’s anger to be provoked.
The former would bring chaos, but the latter would bring the destruction of all.
Under the grand premise of the returned witches and the Republic’s survival, the boy was practically indispensable.
Of course, the best course of action would be to quell the tragedies he had endured.
Reflecting on sorrow and grudges only corroded one’s mind. Sa Jaehyuk knew this better than anyone, which is why he sent the boy to the cradle.
And in truth, the boy, who had been close to a social misfit, was adapting to that environment much faster than expected.
He never once lost his position at the top. Although his social circle leaned more heavily toward women, his interpersonal relationships were stabilizing nonetheless.
It was in the midst of such rapid yet positive changes.
He hadn’t intended to keep the boy entirely in the dark about the progress, so he had merely tested the waters.
But who would have thought that a blazing anger still burned within that refined exterior?
“Truly, like teacher, like student…”
Unable to forget something from the past, both master and pupil were the same.
Mok Jinwoo thought so as he shook his head to clear his mind.
“Well, I have my own work to do…”
***
Returning to the dormitory, Yeon Minha had her hair tied tightly back.
She was engrossed in cooking, wearing an apron tied firmly around her waist.
After all, it was the day she had promised him to wipe away the humiliation of the previous Festival of the Falling Star.
Yet even amidst all this, she couldn’t help but recall the contents of the journal she had read earlier.
“Sigh…”
The revelation had been utterly shocking.
It was already too late to do anything about it.
To ensure no one else could see it, she had burned the journal immediately, leaving no trace. Yet the words written inside remained etched in her mind, as if glued there.
‘Why… Father…’
Of course, as Jeokhwa, there had been no other choice.
It was a distant memory to compete head-on with Paechun. Recently, Jeokhwa had been unable to fend off their relentless assaults.
To bribe a prominent successor of their opponents and help eliminate other competitors, thereby creating leverage to control them in the future.
From one perspective, it was a brilliant strategy.
But the problem was that the means employed involved demons.
Perhaps it was to avoid leaving any traces, but the collusion between the demons and Jeokhwa had already been revealed to the world. This led to attacks by Sungshan and Paechun’s private soldiers, leaving the family manor in ruins.
If not for the boy and Heukryeon’s help, she, too, would have been summarily executed for treason.
‘Even if it was due to Mental Pollution and desperation… of all things…’
Already knowing about the relationship between the boy and Baek Seoyeon, Yeon Minha quickly understood why the demons had attacked his village.
That place had been where Baek Seoyeon had spent her childhood.
And its residents had been sacrificed as collateral to silence any witnesses.
‘…I will never betray you.’
The words she had spoken to herself during the Social Gathering came to mind. The boy’s scar, etched with deep trauma, flickered before her eyes.
Of course, for Yeon Minha, it was an incredibly unfair situation.
They were parents who hadn’t even given her proper familial affection. Never in her dreams did she imagine her father would commit such an act.
In other words, it was as if she had been unintentionally swept into the situation.
Separate from her love-hate feelings, she did feel a longing for her departed father, but at this moment, she found him utterly hateful and detestable.
Of course, now she knew very well.
The boy, despite his curt tone, was someone with deep affection and remarkable consideration.
If she were to confess everything and take the lead in seeking her family’s forgiveness, he might embrace her tightly and offer consolation instead.
“But…”
However, regardless of such beliefs, at this moment, Yeon Minha couldn’t allow even the slightest possibility.
What if the boy’s wounds had not yet fully healed?
What if the pain from that tragedy, inflicted by her family—Jeokhwa—still lingered so agonizingly that he couldn’t accept her?
She had already heard about his desperate longing for family and friends.
That affection was so profound that she sometimes felt envious of it, and it made her feel all the more regretful.
Wasn’t that why she had resolved to heal the wounds Baek Seoyeon had left behind?
“Huff…”
Yeon Minha’s legs gave out, and she faltered for a moment.
The current her could no longer live without Lee Hyun.
When she saw Baek Seoyeon being rejected by him the other day, what Yeon Minha felt was a paradoxical mix of joy and fear.
She had even thought it would be better to die than to end up in such a state.
However, Yeon Minha quickly shook her head and steadied her heart.
“It’s fine. It’ll be fine…”
It had already been two years since that incident. Moreover, now she was the one by his side. She was the person who watched the boy’s brighter days closer than anyone.
Surely, even he must have escaped to some extent by now.
“Alright, I’ll tell him honestly…”
Just as she was about to think that way.
In the next moment, something suddenly grabbed her from behind—a man’s rough hands.
“Senior. I’m here.”
“Eek!”
Feeling the thick, firm arms wrapping around her shoulders and abdomen, Yeon Minha shuddered.
Because she had already tied her apron tightly to emphasize her curves, a sensation she couldn’t discern as suffocation or pleasure surged through her entire body.
Grasping her startled chest, she shouted.
“If you’ve arrived, you should say so…! You scared me…!”
“…I did say it. You just didn’t hear me, Senior.”
It seemed that she had been so immersed in her thoughts that she hadn’t even noticed the sound of his footsteps.
Even in such a situation, just hearing his voice brought her energy back.
Yeon Minha could feel it once again.
She had become someone who couldn’t live even a single day without him.
“Huh? But…”
However, soon enough, Yeon Minha realized something was off.
And the moment she became aware that he was closely pressed against her back, holding her tightly.
“Hic.”
She unknowingly swallowed a hiccup.
‘W-What is this… really…?’
Her face flushed red, and her heart pounded loudly.
‘Did the apron work…? But I didn’t expect him to get this worked up and pounce on me… What am I even wearing today… Calm down…’
Aside from the forceful first kiss under the Centennial Tree, physical contact had always been initiated by her.
Lee Hyun had merely fulfilled her requests as they came.
The fact that he was the one to make the first move today was monumental enough to be considered historic.
But separate from her joy, the idea of losing the initiative wounded her pride deeply.
While she was willing to let him have the lead on the bed, right now was a time when she, as his senior, should be present.
Determined, Yeon Minha tried to turn her body with some effort to feign a scolding stance.
“While cooking, what is this undignified behavior…! Behave yoursel—oh…?”
Suddenly, Yeon Minha was at a loss for words.
By then, he had already taken off his mask. His bloodshot eyes and the red, swollen scar beneath them.
With eyes glistening with moisture, the man was staring at Yeon Minha.
“You… You…”
“Sorry, Senior.”
He opened his mouth again.
“Just for a moment, let me stay like this…”
After finishing his words, he hugged her tightly again. She could only comply with his request, unable to resist.
His trembling body, and his voice that seemed to mix with sobs, made it immediately clear that something bad had happened.
“Why… Why are you acting like this…”
“…”
He had mentioned something about going out for military duty. Could it be that he had received some bad news?
Considering how dire the recent political situation had been, it wasn’t entirely implausible.
She had thought of him as a man made of stone, but as time passed, she came to notice his surprisingly tender sides.
Was this his true nature all along? Perhaps he acted tough to hide his real self.
Even such thoughts made her heart flutter.
It felt as though he trusted her enough to reveal his true self without reservation.
Just as she depended on him, it seemed he depended on her too.
After a long time had passed.
Once the trembling had somewhat subsided, Yeon Minha cautiously opened her mouth.
“…Are you feeling better now?”
And as he silently nodded, she let out a quiet sigh of relief.
“Good grief… What’s going on with you… I’m only tolerating this because it’s me, you know?”
“…”
“So, why are you acting like this all of a sudden? Did something bad happen…?”
But the man shook his head.
“…No. It’s the opposite. I heard good news…”
“Good news…?”
“Yes. The best news… such wonderful news…”
Yeon Minha couldn’t make sense of it at all. After a brief silence, the man finally spoke again, his voice still tinged with moisture.
“Senior.”
“Yes. I’m here.”
“My scar… Do you remember how it happened? I told you about it before…”
“Oh? Oh, yes… Of course, I remember…”
Yeon Minha replied hesitantly. The sudden, unrelated topic made her feel somewhat uneasy. The fear she had barely managed to suppress earlier began to creep back in.
“Why… Why do you ask…?”
“…That incident.”
She asked, trying to suppress her fear. His voice, still damp with emotion, remained calm.
“Actually… it wasn’t an accident… There was someone behind it…”
“…What?”
The next words that came from him made Yeon Minha clutch her chest, her heart sinking.