She had never encountered someone so impolite and lacking basic decency.
Yeon Woo continued to vent her frustration.
“How can one follow such a brute blindly? He doesn’t value people or food at all.”
“It’s not about blaming him,” Beyoung interjected.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, soothingly.
His calm tone made Yeon Woo simmer down.
Fidgeting with the teacup in her hands, she replied with a downcast look, “…I didn’t want to worry you.”
“…I figured,” Beyoung sighed, placing his teacup down.
He wished she would rely on him more, knowing he could help.
Yeon Woo had always been a tough child, hesitant to show her struggles from a young age.
While it was likely hard for her to depend on others, for Beyoung, it was a source of sorrow.
Beyoung was tormented by guilt, feeling he had failed to protect Yeon Woo from a potentially more dangerous situation.
“Didn’t you say you’re my family? You can rely on me anytime. Next time, don’t hide anything and tell me everything.”
Seeing Beyoung’s worried gaze, Yeon Woo felt guilty for causing him distress.
“Yes, don’t worry too much, brother. I didn’t expect the situation to escalate this much either.”
As Beyoung said, life in the army was not easy.
Yeon Woo thought that as long as her gender remained undiscovered, everything would be fine, but there were many other things to be cautious of in the Gwanghogun unit.
Seeing Yeon Woo’s disheartened face, Beyoung also felt uneasy.
He lifted his large palm and gently stroked Yeon Woo’s head.
“Are there any other issues? Anything else you want to ask?”
At his touch, Yeon Woo blinked her big eyes and looked up at Beyoung.
Beyoung, charmed by her gaze, smiled without realizing it.
His handsome face looked splendid as he smiled.
Seeing Beyoung’s warm smile, Yeon Woo’s mood lightened, and she chuckled.
“Not for now. I’ll ask if I have any questions.”
“Alright. I’ve kept you for too long. You should go back now.”
“Yes, brother. Have a good rest.”
Yeon Woo stood up to return to the trainee barracks.
Just as she was about to leave the training officer’s barracks, a question crossed her mind.
“Ah, brother! There is something I’m curious about.”
“What is it?”
Beyoung asked, and Yeon Woo hesitated before speaking.
“Who is Lord Gwanghogun?”
“Gwanghogun?”
Beyoung tilted his head, surprised by the unexpected question.
“He’s a stern person. He doesn’t mingle with his subordinates and speaks only about military matters. Why do you ask?”
“That is…”
When Beyoung asked about her intentions, Yeon Woo hesitated.
Since the gossip incident with Gun, Yeon Woo had been on pins and needles.
Moreover, the Gwanghogun was a prince of the nation, and she had carelessly uttered such rash words in front of him.
If he had taken offense, she could have faced punishment for insulting the royalty.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, Gun hadn’t appeared since the face-shaving event, so there was no chance of encountering him.
But on the other hand, Yeon Woo was constantly anxious that Gun might appear unexpectedly and cause trouble.
Yeon Woo shook her head and replied.
“No, it’s nothing.”
She decided not to bring up the gossip incident with Beyoung.
He must already be busy with training the new recruits.
After already causing him worry with the face-shaving event, she couldn’t burden him further.
But Beyoung, sensing her thoughts, asked again.
“Is it because of the rumors about the Lord?”
“…Yes.”
Yeon Woo affirmed, as Beyoung’s guess was partly right.
Her concern was indeed about the gossip regarding Gwanghogun.
However, the root cause lay in the rumors about his violent nature.
Beyoung, trying to reassure her, spoke in a gentle tone.
The senior soldier’s barracks were like a silent battlefield.
On one side, trainees were receiving punishment, their heads to the ground, while on the other, senior soldiers trembled in fear.
The floor was a mess with dropped beef pancakes and broken liquor bottles, and in the midst of it all, Gapdol was still holding onto Yeon Woo’s nape.
The sudden appearance of Gun brought a chilling silence to the barracks.
His presence alone heavily weighed on the soldiers’ hearts, as if an invisible hand was choking them.
It felt as if the air itself was heavy.
Gun, looking down at Gapdol beneath him, spoke in a low and threatening voice, “Go on.”
“Lo-Lord Gwanghogun…”
Just the sound of Gun’s voice made Gapdol’s body hair stand on end.
As Gun’s icy gaze met him, strength drained from Gapdol’s body.
Simultaneously, Yeon Woo’s nape was released.
In this situation, Gapdol knew he had only one option to survive.
“Please, I beg for forgiveness! I have committed a grave sin!”
Gapdol pleaded, prostrate on the ground, clutching at Gun’s leg.
Gun frowned in displeasure, though his face still maintained its handsome features.
Looking down at Gapdol like an insignificant insect, Gun spoke in a low voice, “If you’ve committed a crime worthy of death, then you should die.”
With that, Gun kicked Gapdol’s abdomen with the foot he was holding, sending Gapdol flying across the barracks corner.
The sound of crashing echoed as Gapdol collided with the furnishings.
No soldiers in the barracks moved to help Gapdol.
They were either unwilling to assist or too afraid of becoming involved themselves.
Gun then ordered the soldiers in the barracks, “Bury that man with only his head exposed for three days.”
The rumors about Gwanghogun burying those who cross him were evidently true.
Gun continued, “From now on, anyone disrupting the military discipline without my orders will be beheaded, regardless of the reason.”
This was a warning against the military’s corrupt culture, including the face-shaving event.
No one in the barracks dared to respond to Gun’s intense aura, only silently nodding in agreement.
Once Gun finished speaking and headed towards the exit, Yeon Woo finally breathed a sigh of relief, having been unnoticed in the whole situation.
But her relief was premature.
Gun paused his exit, turned back, and looked directly at Yeon Woo, who was sitting down, lost in thought.
Yeon Woo internally panicked, “I’m doomed…”
She regretted the rumors she spread about Gun, though she hadn’t known he was the subject of her gossip at the time.
Yeon Woo’s mind was flooded with thoughts of potential repercussions.
“Will he kick me too, or bury me in the ground, or even behead me?”
As she was consumed with these thoughts, Gun spoke, “You’re wrong.”
“Pardon?”
Surprised by his unexpected response, Yeon Woo replied with a bewildered face.
Gun looked straight at her and said clearly, “I don’t tear wild animals apart while they’re alive.”
With just that sentence, Gun left the barracks, leaving Yeon Woo in disbelief.
“What does he mean…”
Initially, Yeon Woo could only watch Gun’s retreating figure in a daze.
Later, she realized that his comment was a response to her previous gossip.
She had thought he’d forgotten about it, but he had been mindful the entire time.
The other soldiers, unaware of the context, looked around in bewilderment, wondering what had just transpired.
Three days after the face-shaving event, Gapdol was finally freed from the ground.
The first thing he did was punch a tree in frustration.
“Crap!”
His fists hurt from hitting the tree, but it was useless against his rage.
After being stuck in the ground, his muscles
The Male lead Always Seduces Her with His Beauty (Matriarchy)
Xin Jiao Zhou is the leader of the world’s premier sect. She has just experienced betrayal from all sides, was poisoned in an assassination attempt, and faced death squad attacks while the poison was taking effect. After finally clearing out the scum from her sect, she was drugged again while trying to detoxify.
After waking up from a night of unconsciousness, she gained a “beautiful and kind-hearted” husband.
Xin Jiao Zhou: “???”
He fell ill.
She came to see him, bringing breakfast.
As she put down the breakfast and was about to leave, his hand slipped while holding the spoon. “Clank!”
She turned around upon hearing the noise.
He looked up at her, his eyebrows drooping: “My hand… has no strength.”
“Shall I… feed you?” she asked tentatively.
He opened his mouth cheerfully: “Ah—”
Thinking she was drowning, he jumped in without hesitation to save her, but nearly drowned himself. In the end, it was she who swam over to rescue him, giving him air underwater.
After emerging from the water, his ear tips turned red. He lightly brushed his cheek, tucking his sideburns behind his ear, revealing delicate, pink-tinged ear tips. He lowered his gaze, too embarrassed to look at her.
Xin Jiao Zhou: He’s truly beautiful, kind-hearted, and adorable.
A certain someone when disciplining subordinates behind the scenes: “If they don’t obey, just kill them.”
What’s that? She might already have someone she cares about in her heart? A certain someone: Find out who it is, kill them, and then there won’t be anyone.
What? She met a man by the riverside? What? That man even hurt her? A certain someone: Whichever hand hurt her, chop off his entire arm.
Love at first sight without realizing it, gradually falling in love, slowly getting closer…
Family and national grudges, schemes and desires, good and evil, crime and punishment, she and he face the future together, seeking justice with passion!
A naturally dark female lead who could accidentally destroy the world but is actually an honest person VS a weak, pitiful, and helpless but skilled fighter, beautiful white-cut black male lead
My heart is not of stone, how steadfast is your love? — Tao Yuanming “Imitating the Ancients (No. 3)”
— Reading Guide —
Cold female lead & dramatic black lotus with hidden yandere traits male lead
