Episode----- 9
Rain misted over the silent cemetery, beading on cracked marble and wilting chrysanthemums. Areum knelt before the headstone marked Han Soyeon — the mother whose face lived only in photographs and half-remembered lullabies.
For years, she had come here seeking peace. Today, she came searching for answers.
"I thought I understood why you stayed silent," Areum whispered, breath clouding in the cold air. "But now… after everything I've read… I don't know what to believe anymore."
Each word tasted like betrayal. The journal she had uncovered had revealed secrets darker than she had ever imagined — her family's hands stained with ancient pacts, curses, and sacrifice. And yet, at its heart, a single truth kept echoing: love could break what power had built.
A soft rustle behind her cut through the hush of falling rain. Areum turned, startled, and saw Kim Minho standing there, holding an umbrella that dripped water onto his coat sleeve.
"I thought I'd find you here," Minho said quietly, stepping closer. His presence felt warm, like a distant memory of safety.
"You shouldn't have come," she murmured, though part of her was glad he had.
Minho crouched beside her, the umbrella sheltering them both. His gaze was steady, yet tinged with sadness. "There's something else in that journal," he said. "A page you didn't see."
From his pocket, he pulled a torn fragment of yellowed paper. Areum's breath caught as she read the words, the ink smudged yet still legible:
> "Only true love can turn command to plea. Only love makes power powerless."
She traced the trembling script with shaking fingers. "What does it mean?"
"It means," Minho said gently, "that if Junseo truly loves you — not out of duty, fear, or bloodline — then even his power over you can't hold. Love can change the curse itself."
Areum's heart twisted painfully. "But what if he doesn't? What if everything between us was always just… command?"
Minho looked away, raindrops tracing lines down his cheek. "Then you'll have to decide if you can ever forgive him — or walk away forever."
---
At that same moment, miles away, Junseo returned to the mansion. The air felt wrong, heavy with the scent of old secrets.
He pushed open the door to his study — and froze. Chairman Park stood before his grandfather's antique safe, a file of brittle papers in hand. The lamplight flickered, throwing Park's shadow monstrously tall against the bookshelves.
"Step away," Junseo ordered, voice low, every syllable edged with threat.
Park turned slowly, unafraid. "Do you really think you can protect her, Junseo? Or yourself? The curse isn't your true enemy." His gaze hardened. "Love is."
Junseo's hands curled into fists. "Leave now, before you regret it."
But Park only gave a thin, chilling smile and tucked the papers into his coat. "This family built its empire on secrets," he said. "And I know them all. One day, she will too."
The door shut behind Park, leaving Junseo alone with his pulse pounding in his ears. His reflection in the window looked older, wearier — and for the first time, truly afraid.
---
Later that night, Areum sat alone in her room, turning the torn page over and over. Could love really change everything? Or would it destroy them both?
For the first time, hope — fragile and terrifying — stirred in her chest.
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Teaser for Ep 10:
Areum confronts Junseo with the torn page.
Junseo reveals what Park threatened him with.
And the first crack of real trust appears between them.
See you in Episode 10