Ep ----8
Areum burst into Junseo's study, the journal clutched in her hand.
"You knew," she accused. "You knew everything and still used your power against me."
He didn't deny it. Instead, he stood, eyes dark with something like regret. "Yes. But there's more you don't know."
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She slammed the journal onto his desk. "Then tell me."
Junseo's shoulders sagged, the polished CEO mask slipping.
"When we were fifteen," he began, voice raw, "the elders told me I'd have to control you someday — or we'd both die. They taught me the words. I swore I'd never use them."
"But you did," she whispered.
"I did," he admitted. "Because when you tried to leave… I saw you dying without me."
His hands curled into fists. "I was terrified, Areum. Not of losing the bloodline. Of losing you."
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Her anger flared, but tangled with something softer, more dangerous.
"You think that excuses what you did?" she asked, voice shaking.
"No," he said quietly. "But it's the truth."
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For a breath, silence held them. Enemies, yes — but tied by a bond deeper than hate.
And in that silence, Areum glimpsed the boy she'd once trusted.
Teaser for Ep 9:
Areum visits her mother's grave.
An unexpected encounter changes what she believes about the curse.
And Junseo faces betrayal from someone he once trusted.
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See you in Episode 9! Stay tuned...