Episode ------5
Areum packed in silence, folding clothes with shaking hands. The mansion, once a refuge, now felt like a prison built on lies.
Junseo appeared in her doorway, silent as shadow.
"You're leaving," he said flatly.
"I have to," she answered. "I can't stay where every word is a lie."
He stepped closer. "And where will you go? The curse binds you to me."
"I'll risk it," she snapped.
But when she moved to pass him, Junseo blocked her path. His gaze darkened, anger and fear clashing behind his eyes.
"I won't let you go," he said.
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She shoved past him. "You don't get to decide."
Then came the word. Soft, quiet — yet it struck her soul like a bell.
"Stay," Junseo commanded.
Her body froze. Heart pounding, lungs burning, she couldn't move. The divine power wrapped around her will, turning defiance into stone.
Tears pricked at her eyes. "Junseo… please…"
But his face held only pain. "I'm sorry. I won't lose you, Areum."
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Minutes passed before he released her. She collapsed against the wall, gasping, hatred and heartbreak twisting inside her.
"I never wanted to use it," he whispered. "But you left me no choice."
And for the first time, Areum saw the fear behind his cruelty — the terror of losing her, even if she hated him for it
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Teaser for Ep 6:
A dangerous stranger arrives at the mansion gates.
A secret offer is made to Areum.
And Junseo faces a betrayal from within his own family.
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See you in Episode 6!