Startled by Geon’s sudden change, Yeonwoo returned to the stable with a bewildered expression. Initially, she was too taken aback to think about what had happened, but as time passed and she calmed her mind, a sense of sadness began to emerge.

‘What…? Why is he suddenly so angry?’

Yeonwoo began to carefully review if she had done anything wrong.

‘Did he get mad because I fell off the horse?’

Could he really be so reproachful just because she had fallen off? It didn’t seem likely.

Yeonwoo recalled the first encounter with Geon at the Gihyang equestrian club.

At that time, Geon had mentioned that he didn’t like it when someone touched his body. Was that why he pushed away Yeonwoo’s hand? It seemed odd to think so.
Yeonwoo had many instances of physical contact with Geon while spending time together, but there had never been a time when he showed such disgust and pushed her away. Considering there were even occasions when he embraced her against his bare chest, it didn’t seem like contact with Yeonwoo was unpleasant enough for him to react this way. Then why did he get angry and reject her hand so vehemently? ‘What’s going on? Why is he acting like this all of a sudden?’ Unable to understand Geon’s capricious behavior, Yeonwoo’s eyes turned red.

“Siiigh…”

Without having done anything wrong, why was he suddenly treating her harshly? Yeonwoo couldn’t adapt to Geon’s sudden change in temperature. Now that she thought about it, wasn’t it just a little while ago that Geon hadn’t hesitated to take Yeonho’s hand first? Yet now, he rejected Yeonwoo’s hand.

Surely, if it were Yeonho instead of Yeonwoo, Geon wouldn’t have treated her so harshly. “Discriminating against people… It’s so unfair… Sniff!” As a soldier named Hong Yeonwoo, she had spent quite a long time with Geon, but the days she had met him as a woman named Hong Yeonho amounted to only three. Could a person’s attitude change so much just because of a difference in gender? As she pondered this, a wave of sadness overwhelmed Yeonwoo, and tears she had been holding back since the training ground began to fall.

“If this is how it’s going to be… Sniff! Treat me well or don’t… Sniff!” With her head bowed low, tears like chicken droppings flowed down Yeonwoo’s reddened cheeks when a familiar voice stopped her in her tracks. “Yeonwoo…?” Surprised by the unexpected appearance, Yeonwoo widened her eyes.

“Bi, Biyeong Oppa?”

With a serious expression, Biyeong approached Yeonwoo, whose eyes had turned red.

“Are you crying right now?”

“Ah, no!”

Yeonwoo quickly wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

However, she couldn’t hide the traces of her tears, and she couldn’t avoid Biyeong’s gaze.

“Why were you crying, feeling sad? Who made you cry?”

Biyeong showed an attitude as if he would find and punish the person who made Yeonwoo cry right away.

Unable to say it was because of Soldier Geon, Yeonwoo made up an excuse.

“Just… I felt a bit melancholic today.”

“Melancholic?”

“Yes. There was no particular reason.”

“Hmm…”

Biyeong thought there was no reason for Yeonwoo to be melancholic without a cause, but he believed that comforting her should come first.

“How about we go out after today’s training?”

“Go out?”

“Yeah. If we lay a mat in a scenic place nearby and eat delicious food, your mood should improve.”

Yeonwoo contemplated for a moment.

Either way, returning home would inevitably lead to an awkward encounter with Geon, who had made her upset.

In that case, following Biyeong’s suggestion and enjoying the scenery while eating something delicious seemed like it would help change her mood.

“All right.”

“Good. You made the right choice.”

With a warm smile, Biyeong gently stroked Yeonwoo’s head.

Under that touch, Yeonwoo’s sad and melancholic feelings seemed to dissipate.
In that case, it seemed like it would be helpful to change the mood by eating something delicious in a scenic place, just as Biyeong suggested.

“All right.”

“Yeah. You thought well.”

Biyeong smiled warmly and stroked Yeonwoo’s head.

Under his touch, Yeonwoo’s troubled and melancholic feelings seemed to dissipate.

With angry strides, Geon entered the Gwangho Army Barracks, choosing to breathe disorderly.

When he almost embraced the falling Yeonwoo, he saw the face of Yeonho, her twin sister, overlapping with Yeonwoo’s face.

Whether it was because of the horse or not, looking at Yeonwoo’s face, which turned red, Geon’s heart raced as randomly as when he saw Yeonho. Surprised by this sight, Geon unintentionally pushed Yeonwoo away.

Even though the person in front of him was clearly Yeonwoo, why did he have a delusion as if he were looking at Yeonho? Geon’s emotions began to shake confusingly.

—How dare you throw a person away like this! Didn’t you almost get seriously hurt!

Yeonwoo’s voice had not reached his ears for a long time. Just to somehow calm his pounding heart, Geon took a deep breath, finding this situation confusing.

It was strange. Now that he had confirmed his feelings for Yeonho, he shouldn’t be fluttering about Yeonwoo.