Kangha gazes at Ji-yeon thoughtfully, his curiosity piqued. "Have you learned all this from books?" he asks, his voice calm yet probing.
Ji-yeon smiles warmly, her expression radiating pride. "Yes, a little bit. But the rest…" She pauses, her tone softening. "The rest was taught by my mother. She's always so proud of me. And…" she hesitates for a moment before adding with a tender smile,"because she knows, she calls his mother her mother too."
Kangha blinks, momentarily caught off guard. Her words settle in the air, tugging at his thoughts. He lowers his gaze, contemplating the implications of her response. This girl might have valuable information, he thinks to himself. But if I involve her, she could be in danger. And that's something I can't allow.
After a moment, he straightens up, meeting her gaze with a faint smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. "Okay, girl. I've listened to you," he says, his tone shifting to one of quiet resolve. "But the information you have—it's nothing I can't find in books. I have access to those same resources."
Ji-yeon looks at him, her brow furrowing slightly, as if sensing his reluctance to accept her help.
Kangha folds his arms behind his back, his posture relaxed but commanding. His lips curl into a confident smirk as he leans forward slightly, just enough to hold her attention. "I'll solve my own problems. I don't need anyone's help," he states firmly.
Ji-yeon's eyes search his face for any hint of hesitation, but all she finds is unwavering determination.
He steps back, his smirk lingering as if to assure her that he's got everything under control. But deep down, Kangha knows the risk isn't just to himself. It's to everyone around him, and that's a burden he refuses to share.
Ji-yeon watches him silently, her heart tugged by a mix of admiration and frustration. She wonders that he trying to make over-self over-smart., but she wants from him to realize that some battles are not meant to be fought alone.
Ji-yeon listens attentively as Kangha speaks with casual confidence, his tone steady and self-assured. Once he finishes, she responds just as calmly, her demeanor unshaken. She knows she has more to say—enough to leave him truly surprised.
"But maybe I have a solution to your problem," she suggests, her voice carrying an air of certainty.
Kangha shakes his head immediately, his expression firm. "No, that's not possible," he replies, dismissing her claim outright. In his mind, Ji-yeon only knows what can be learned from books—nothing more, nothing less. "Because you don't understand the meaning of dreams," he adds, ending his point decisively.
Ji-yeon doesn't waver. Instead, she smiles faintly, her tone taking on a teasing edge. "I may not know that, but I know a lot more," she counters, her words laced with quiet confidence.
Kangha narrows his eyes, studying her for a moment. "What do you know?" he finally asks, his curiosity piqued despite himself.
"I know everything you don't," Ji-yeon replies, her smirk growing slightly as she leans forward. Her tone is almost playful, but there's a sharpness to her words.
Kangha's expression hardens. "What's that supposed to mean? What do you know that I don't?" he demands, his frustration showing.
Ji-yeon straightens, her voice steady as she delivers her next statement. "I know all of Felix's weaknesses, his strengths, and the power of his black magic."
Kangha lets out a slow breath, his patience wearing thin. "I know all that too," he says dismissively, folding his arms. Internally, he thinks, This girl is just wasting my time. She hasn't said anything new.
But Ji-yeon doesn't falter. Her next words hit him like a lightning bolt. "But you don't have the book written by your father," she says, her tone calm yet purposeful.
Kangha freezes, his eyes locking onto hers as disbelief washes over him. How does she know about the book? His mind races. This is the only piece of information that might actually matter. But I don't even know where that book is. How could she know about it?
Ji-yeon notices his stunned reaction but doesn't stop. She leans back slightly, her confidence unshaken. She thinks to herself, I know Kangha must have heard of the book, but he wouldn't have it. His mother gave it to me.
Kangha stares at her, his shock evident. "How do you know about the book?" he asks quietly, his voice edged with suspicion.
Ji-yeon doesn't answer immediately, letting her words linger. Kangha's thoughts spiral further. My grandfather told me he didn't know where it was. Could this girl actually be more than she seems?
For the first time, he begins to question everything he assumed about Ji-yeon. She isn't just any ordinary girl—she knows things about him that even he doesn't know.
Kangha narrows his eyes, his curiosity finally overcoming his doubts. "Where's that book?" he asks, his voice steady but edged with suspicion.
Ji-yeon smiles calmly, almost as if she had been waiting for him to ask. "I have it," she replies with ease, standing up from the bed. She takes a few unhurried steps toward the cupboard in the corner of the room.
She opens the second section of the cupboard, her movements deliberate. Reaching inside, she pulls out a small bag. Bringing it back to the bed, she places it carefully on the mattress and begins to unzip it. Kangha watches silently, his gaze fixed on her hands as she pulls out a few items before finally retrieving a book.
The book is modest in appearance—about ten centimeters long and two centimeters thick, resembling a simple diary. Its black cover is plain, devoid of any title or markings, giving it an air of mystery. Ji-yeon holds it out toward Kangha, who is already staring at it with wide, unblinking eyes.
Without a word, Kangha shifts the coat he's holding into one hand, freeing the other to take the book from her. He grasps it carefully, his fingers brushing over the smooth, unadorned surface. Turning it over in his hands, he inspects it from every angle, as if trying to confirm that it's real.
For a moment, the room falls into a heavy silence, broken only by the faint rustle of the book as Kangha examines it.
Kangha examines the book carefully, his fingers tracing its plain black cover. After a moment, he looks up at Ji-yeon, his expression unreadable. "Where did you get this book from?" he asks, his voice calm but with an undertone of curiosity.
Ji-yeon meets his gaze steadily. "My mother gave it to me," she replies without hesitation.
Kangha's eyes widen slightly, shock flickering across his face. Miss Choi? he thinks, his mind reeling. His mother had never mentioned this book to him before. Why would she entrust it to Ji-yeon and not him?
Ji-yeon's voice cuts through his swirling thoughts. "I've read this book from cover to cover," she says matter-of-factly. "Now, you can read it."
Kangha stays silent, his lips pressed into a thin line. He doesn't know how to respond, the weight of her words sinking into him.
Ji-yeon continues, her tone firm but not unkind. "I'm telling you again, Kangha—you can't fight this war alone."
Her words strike a nerve, but Kangha doesn't let it show. Instead, he tightens his grip on the book, his mind clouded with unanswered questions. Without saying a word, he turns and leaves the room, carrying the book and his coat.
As he walks down the hallway toward his room, his thoughts spiral out of control. Miss Choi knew about this book. She told her daughter but not me. Why? The question gnaws at him, and his face pales with a sense of betrayal. Why would they do this to me?
By the time he reaches his room, frustration and anger have taken hold. He pushes the door open and slams it shut behind him with a loud bang, the sound echoing through the quiet space.
Throwing the coat and book onto the bed, Kangha collapses onto the sofa across from it. His hands clench into fists as he leans forward, elbows resting on his knees. His mind feels like it's about to explode, the weight of his emotions pressing down on him.
The betrayal, the secrets, the questions—they swirl around him, threatening to consume him. He stares at the book lying on the bed, its black cover seemingly mocking him with its silence.
"For Kangha, this was something entirely new—something he could never have anticipated. Miss Choi had never treated him as less than her son, and he had always seen her as nothing but his mother. Yet now, this revelation struck him like a betrayal from the one person he trusted most.
It felt as if his own mother had deceived him. Standing in his room, the weight of this realization pressed down on him, heavy and suffocating. For the first time, Kangha felt as though he had already lost the war before it had even begun—not because of his enemies, but because someone he considered his own had betrayed him".