Rain again.
Seoul seemed to hold its breath whenever it rained — as if the sky itself knew when Y/N’s world was about to fracture.
The city glittered beneath lightning streaks, skyscrapers glowing like silent witnesses.
Y/N stood at her window, staring down at the chaos below. News reports blared across every screen —
“Explosion at Black Siren’s shipping port.”
“Unknown attackers. Dozens injured.”
Her jaw tightened. Someone had moved against her again.
But this time, they weren’t after her power.
They were after her life.
Behind her, Min Jae’s voice broke the silence.
> “You should sit down. You’ve been standing there for two hours.”
> “I can’t rest while my people are dying.”
> “They need a leader who can think clearly, not one who collapses from exhaustion.”
Her gaze flicked toward him. He was leaning casually against the wall, dressed in black tactical gear, damp hair falling over his forehead. His tone was calm — but his eyes… his eyes never left her.
> “You’re ordering me again,” she said softly.
> “Reminding you.”
She turned fully now, her stare sharp enough to cut. “You’re getting bolder, Min Jae.”
> “Only because you let me.”
That made her pause — just long enough for the faintest hint of a smile to ghost across his lips.
---
Half an hour later, they were both inside a black SUV, cutting through the city toward the damaged port.
The radio crackled with static and panic. Her men were reporting heavy casualties. Whoever had attacked them wasn’t just any rival — they were professionals.
Min Jae drove fast, one hand steady on the wheel. “You think it’s The Crimson Blade again?”
Y/N’s eyes were cold. “No. They don’t have this kind of precision.”
> “Then who—”
The car swerved as a blast erupted ahead — a truck exploding into flames.
> “Ambush!”
Min Jae slammed the brakes, throwing his arm across Y/N’s chest to shield her. The impact rattled through the vehicle, but he didn’t hesitate. He kicked open the door, pulling her out and ducking behind the wreckage.
Bullets tore through the air.
Y/N’s eyes glowed faintly silver. “They really don’t learn, do they?”
Min Jae loaded his gun. “Stay down.”
> “Excuse me?” she said, incredulous. “You’re telling me to stay down?”
> “You’re the queen. I’m the shadow. Let me move first.”
For a second, Y/N almost protested — but something in his tone made her pause. The calm authority. The quiet I’ve done this before.
He wasn’t just a guard.
He was something more.
---
Minutes turned into chaos.
Y/N unleashed her power — shadows coiling like living creatures, swallowing bullets mid-air. The moonlight that filtered through the smoke wrapped around her like armor, gleaming against her black clothes.
Min Jae moved beside her — smooth, silent, lethal. Every shot he fired found its mark. Every step he took kept her just out of danger.
But when the last attacker fell, silence didn’t return.
Because Y/N felt it — the shift in the air, the pulse of danger from within.
She turned — and saw it.
A sniper.
On the rooftop.
Aimed directly at Min Jae.
Her instincts moved faster than thought.
> “Min Jae!”
She lunged — shoving him aside. The bullet grazed her shoulder, slicing through her coat. The pain was sharp, but it was the light that scared her more.
Silver.
Her blood glowed.
It shimmered in the rain like molten moonlight, spreading across her skin.
Min Jae’s eyes widened. “Y/N—”
She stumbled back, gripping her arm. The wound wasn’t bleeding red — it was glowing, the curse reacting violently.
> “It’s fine,” she said through gritted teeth.
> “That’s not fine.”
He tore off his jacket, pressing it against the wound. His hand brushed her skin — and suddenly, the light flared even brighter, spreading to him.
They both gasped.
Pain. Heat. Power.
The bond between them roared to life, forcing their hearts into rhythm.
Images flashed through their minds — fragments of the past:
A battlefield under two moons.
A woman cloaked in black.
A man kneeling before her, whispering, “I’d die before I betray you.”
Y/N’s voice trembled. “We’ve done this before.”
Min Jae met her gaze — realization dawning. “I remember…”
But before either could process it, the ground rumbled — backup vehicles arriving.
Y/N pulled herself together, forcing the curse back down.
> “Get me to the car,” she ordered.
> “You need a medic.”
> “No.”
> “Y/N—”
> “I said no!” she snapped. “If they see me bleed silver, it’s over. The families will know I’m not human.”
He hesitated — then nodded, jaw tight. “Then lean on me.”
---
They made it back to the penthouse before dawn.
Y/N sat on the couch, stripped of her coat, her shoulder still glowing faintly. Min Jae knelt in front of her with a towel and bandages.
She watched him silently as he worked — his focus steady, movements gentle.
> “You’ve done this before,” she said quietly.
> “Field medicine. Old habit.”
> “From where?”
He didn’t answer.
> “Who trained you, Min Jae?”
He wrapped the last bandage, then finally looked up. His voice was low, serious.
> “The same people who cursed you.”
Y/N froze. “What?”
> “I wasn’t sent to protect you,” he confessed. “I was sent to watch you.”
Her eyes narrowed, fury and betrayal flashing like lightning. “You’re saying you’re one of them?”
> “Not anymore,” he said quickly. “I broke away the moment I found out what they were planning.”
> “And what exactly were they planning?”
Min Jae hesitated, guilt flickering across his face.
> “To use your curse to awaken the sealed god — the one buried beneath Seoul.”
The air seemed to still.
Y/N rose slowly, voice sharp as glass. “So you came here to spy on me. To earn my trust. To—”
> “No!”
He grabbed her wrist — not roughly, but desperate. “At first, yes. But then I saw you. You. The woman who controls empires but still protects her people. The one who carries a curse like a crown. I couldn’t—”
> “Don’t,” she hissed. “Don’t feed me loyalty after betraying me.”
The mark on their wrists pulsed again — violently.
Her anger made it flare; his guilt made it burn.
> “Let go,” she warned.
> “If I do,” he said quietly, “it’ll kill you. The curse reacts to pain — especially between bonded souls.”
She froze. “So I can’t even hate you without dying?”
> “Guess the universe has a twisted sense of humor,” he murmured.
---
The tension between them cracked like lightning.
Too close.
Too charged.
Too much history they didn’t understand.
Finally, she pulled her hand away — breathing hard.
> “Get out,” she whispered.
Min Jae looked at her one last time — and in his eyes, she saw it. The regret. The truth. The love he wasn’t supposed to feel.
> “I’ll leave,” he said softly. “But I’m not walking away.”
She didn’t answer.
Not until he was gone.
Only then did she let her composure break — eyes glowing silver as tears she refused to shed shimmered under the moonlight.
---
Later that night.
Min Jae stood on the rooftop of a nearby building, phone pressed to his ear.
A distorted voice answered.
> “Report.”
He hesitated. Then — “The bond has progressed faster than expected. She’s… stronger than we thought.”
> “Good. Keep her close until the full moon. Then, deliver her to us.”
He ended the call — and for the first time, he looked genuinely afraid.
Because he knew one thing now:
If the prophecy was right, the full moon would not just awaken the curse.
It would either crown her as a goddess—
or kill her as a monster.
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