Late at night.

Yeoul laid out a bedding in the middle of the room.

Some time after lying down and closing her eyes,

the door slowly opened and a dark shadow entered.

The shadow had a sturdy build, much larger than the average man.

The shadow approached Yeoul and tapped her shoulder with its hand.

Startled by the sudden presence, Yeoul tried to scream.

The shadow covered Yeoul’s mouth with its palm.

Yeoul looked at the shadow’s owner with widened eyes.

It was difficult to see the face as the shadow’s owner had their back to the moonlight and was wearing a mask.

The shadow’s owner whispered in a low voice to Yeoul, who was breathing heavily.

“Shh. It’s me.”

It was Tae’s voice.

At the familiar voice, Yeoul’s pounding heart gradually calmed down.

As Yeoul nodded, Tae removed his palm from her mouth.

Yeoul sat up.

She took out a long towel prepared under the pillow and wrapped it around her lower face to cover her mouth.

Then she put her hands together and held them out to Tae as if asking him to tie them.

“Do we really need to go this far?”

Yeoul nodded with a determined expression.

Tae sighed as if he had no choice and carefully tied Yeoul’s hands with a string.

Only the sound of breathing could be heard in the quiet room.

As Tae’s hands touched Yeoul’s, she flinched.

Tae’s hands stopped.

“Does it hurt?”

Yeoul shook her head.

It wasn’t that it hurt, but she was just startled by the tingling sensation when Tae’s hands touched hers.

Yeoul herself didn’t know why she reacted that way.

Sometimes when touching things with dry hands, there would be a tingling feeling, but this sensation was different.

Tae tied Yeoul’s hands even more carefully.

After confirming that Yeoul’s hands were tied, Tae took out a large sack big enough to fit a person and spread it out in front of Yeoul.

“Remember. You are being kidnapped right now.”

Yeoul nodded and went into the sack.

Tae tied the opening of the sack and slung Yeoul over his shoulder, sack and all.

Then he quietly left the residence.

“I’ve done all sorts of things, but this is the first time kidnapping a woman.”

A few days ago, Yeoul had made a request to Tae.

– I have a request.

– What is it?

– Please kidnap me.

At Yeoul’s request to kidnap her, Tae let out an absurd laugh.

– I didn’t know you had such a hobby. How strange.

– No, that’s not it… Concluding that elder brother is the culprit based on testimony alone lacks evidence. If elder brother says he didn’t do it, then it becomes something he didn’t do. I also need clear evidence regarding this matter.

– The answer is to beat a confession out of him.

– Violence is not acceptable! Solving everything with violence is not the answer.

He was planning to get Sang Jin’s confession through his fists.

Yeoul wondered just what kind of thinking process this man had.

– Didn’t you say that originally, elder brother was planning to kidnap me? For elder brother, that method would be his last choice. At that time, he may be able to honestly speak his true thoughts. I also want to have a serious conversation with elder brother.

– If that is your wish, then so be it.

And so, Yeoul’s kidnapping act was decided, and today was the long-awaited day.

The only difference was that Tae would be kidnapping Yeoul instead of the Twin Hammers of the Sadupa.

Now that the situation was actually happening, Yeoul thought this charade was absurd enough.

As Yeoul nodded her head in embarrassment, Tae chuckled.

“What do you know to be nodding your head.”

Even without looking, Tae could tell she had an apologetic air about her.

It was obvious with her gentle nature. She suggested it herself and now feels sorry.

Sometimes she seems resolute, while other times she seems so soft.

Is her heart weak or strong?

Thinking she was amusing, Tae placed Yeoul on the saddle.

“If we’re doing this, let’s do it properly.”

Tae also got on the horse.

With one hand holding the horse’s reins and the other tightly embracing Yeoul,

before departing, he lowered his head towards Yeoul and whispered softly.

“It will be a bit bumpy.”

Yeoul’s face flushed hotly.

Once from Tae’s body heat felt through the sack, and twice from his low voice.

Tae’s voice seemed to seep into Yeoul’s ears.

Along with a ticklish feeling, a tremor arose in Yeoul’s heart.

On a night with such bright moonlight, her face would be completely exposed.

Yeoul was relieved that her face was covered by the sack.

.

.

.

How long had they been riding?

Their surroundings were quiet, and only the sound of insects could be heard.

Seeing the horse stop, it seemed they had arrived at their destination.

Yeoul’s body was lifted and soon moved to a quiet place where no sound could be heard.

The creaking of old wood and the sound of footsteps brushing the floor were audible.

Yeoul’s body was laid on a flat surface.

Soon, the voice of a man other than Tae was heard.

“You’ve worked hard.”

At the familiar voice, Yeoul’s heart began to pound unsteadily.

It was clearly Sang Jin’s voice.

“This is your compensation.”

The clinking sound of coins was heard.

“Still a friend of few words, I see.”

Sang Jin spoke as if talking to himself.

“Wait. Were you always this big?”

After a moment of silence, Sang Jin continued.

“Nevermind. That’s not important. If your business is done, you may leave.”

The sound of a door closing was heard.

As the opening of the sack was undone, a faint light began to seep into the previously dark interior.

With the sack removed, the surroundings became bright. Yeoul’s sight was filled with unfamiliar dirt walls and an old wardrobe.

And next to it was the face of the person she had hoped it wouldn’t be.

‘Elder brother Sang Jin…’

Despair flashed across Yeoul’s expression.

“Yeoul!”

Sang Jin tightly embraced Yeoul.

As Yeoul squirmed, showing discomfort, Sang Jin released her from his arms.

He removed the towel stuffed in Yeoul’s mouth and untied her bound hands.

“I’m sorry for bringing you here like this. But there was no other way.”

Yeoul exhaled the breath that had been blocked and then opened her mouth.

“Elder brother, what in the world is this…?”

“I’ll give you a detailed explanation later. There’s a more urgent matter at hand.”

Sang Jin set down a heavy gold bar and a pile of coins on the floor.

It was the missing property of the Han family.

“Let’s leave, Yeoul.”

Yeoul’s eyes wavered.

“I’ve prepared money. Let’s live with this money somewhere no one will bother us.”

“Why do I need to leave?”

“I can’t bear to see you living with another man.”

Sang Jin’s eyes were fixed on Yeoul.

“Do you know what I did to separate you from that man? And yet you’re trying to marry another man.”

“Are you the one who spread rumors about me?”

Sang Jin’s eyes widened slightly before soon returning to their original size.

“…How did you know?”

His voice was excessively calm.

“It’s really true…”

A hollow voice escaped Yeoul’s mouth.

Yeoul lowered her head.

“…So it really was you, elder brother.”

Sang Jin had come to settle things once and for all.

He no longer had any intention of hiding his true thoughts.

“I couldn’t imagine you by another man’s side. This was the best way to keep you by my side.”

“…Why did you do that?”

Yeoul’s voice trembled faintly.

“Why in the world…?”

The moments of hardship Yeoul had endured flashed through her mind – being pointed at and called a wench who slept with a low-born, being chased out of her home, nearly being raped, being imprisoned.

Most painful was the fact that Sang Jin, the person she relied on the most, had inflicted an indelible wound on her.

“Do you know… how much I’ve suffered?”

Yeoul raised her head.

She gazed at Sang Jin with reddened eyes.

“Why… Why did you do this to me?!”

“Because I’m in love with you.”

Yeoul’s body stiffened.

It was the moment her worst fear became reality.

“I can’t live without you. I’ll do anything to have you.”

Sang Jin looked at Yeoul with tranquil eyes.

“I’ve been in love with you for a long time, from the moment I first saw you until now.”

There was not a hint of guilt in his eyes.

“I love you, Yeoul.”

Goosebumps formed on Yeoul’s skin. Her body began to tremble.

Yeoul bit her quivering lips hard and managed to open her mouth to reply.

“…I have never thought of you as more than an elder brother.”

And she looked at Sang Jin with eyes brimming with tears.

“If you truly cared for me, you shouldn’t have done such a thing.”

“I did it to make you happy.”

“I was unhappy. Because of you, elder brother.”

The greater Yeoul’s trust in Sang Jin, the greater her sense of betrayal and hurt.

“How can an elder brother like you make me happy?”

“That’s because you’re still naive about the world, Yeoul.”

Sang Jin looked at Yeoul, who was trembling with anger, with pitying eyes.

“But don’t worry. From now on, I will protect you.”

Sang Jin began tying Yeoul’s hands with a rope he had prepared.

“What are you doing?”

“I found a place. If we go there, we can live without worrying about other people’s eyes. It will be uncomfortable, but please bear with it for a bit. When you open your eyes, we’ll have arrived.”

“Elder bro-”

“Listen!”

Sang Jin gagged Yeoul’s mouth.

Then he called for Tae, who was waiting outside.

Tae entered the room wearing a mask.

“We’re leaving. Put this child in the palanquin I prepared.”

Tae shifted his gaze to Yeoul.

He sat down in front of Yeoul and removed the gag from her mouth and untied her hands.

Relieved by Tae’s appearance, Yeoul’s body went limp.

Perhaps because of that, her body tilted to the side.

As Tae caught and embraced Yeoul, he replied.

“Why should I follow your orders?”

“That’s…”

At that moment, Tae pulled down his mask below his chin.

Seeing Tae’s face, Sang Jin’s eyes were filled with shock.

“Crown Prince Kang Sung…? Why are you…!”

“You may come out now.”

Tae’s gaze turned to the old wardrobe in the room.

The wardrobe door slowly opened, and Han emerged from inside.

Han looked at Sang Jin with a reddened face.

“Han Sang Jin. Is everything you just said true?”

“Fa-Father…?”

Han’s eyes fell on the gold bars lying on the floor.

It was clearly the gold that had gone missing from the house.

Han’s face began to contort.

“Speak the truth! Are you saying everything that came out of your mouth is true?!”

Sang Jin’s face turned pale.