The night wind carried the faint scent of rain and pine. The Black Fang camp slept in uneasy silence, except for two souls who couldn't find peace.
Kang Jinhyuk sat alone at the edge of a cliff, staring down at the fog that swallowed the mountains below. His cloak fluttered, his eyes reflecting the dim moonlight like silver glass.
Every night since entering the city… since seeing her face again, he'd been unable to rest.
Namgung Yura.
Her name echoed like a ghost. The image of her standing under the lantern light, elegant, distant, alive...burned behind his eyelids. He had thought she was gone. Dead, perhaps. Yet she was there. Still beautiful. Still unreachable.
He clenched his jaw. The ache in his chest was sharper than any blade.
A soft rustle behind him.
Can't sleep again?
Dan Sae-Ryeo's voice carried that familiar teasing lilt, but there was warmth beneath it. She stepped into the moonlight, hair tied loosely, twin blades sheathed at her back.
Jinhyuk didn't turn. You move too loudly for an assassin.
She smirked. And you brood too loudly for a leader.
He gave a quiet breath through his nose...almost a laugh, almost not.
She sat beside him without asking permission, her legs dangling over the cliff's edge. The wind tugged at her hair as she looked at him sidelong.
You've been like this for days, she said softly. Your eyes look somewhere else. Somewhere… far.
He didn't answer.
Let me guess, she continued, leaning closer. A woman?
His fingers twitched slightly. That was enough of an answer.
Sae-Ryeo's smile faltered. I see.
For a moment, only the sound of the wind filled the space between them.
Then Jinhyuk finally spoke, voice low and steady. She was… everything. Before all this.
Sae-Ryeo didn't interrupt.
She believed the world was kind. That people could change. I… believed her.
He exhaled slowly, a shadow passing through his eyes. Until the world took her away.
Sae-Ryeo's hand rested unconsciously on her knee, fingers curling. She hated hearing that tone—the one that sounded like the dead speaking through the living.
She tilted her head, trying to lighten the mood. And now you carry her ghost like armor?
Jinhyuk's lips curved into a bitter smirk. Armor breaks. Ghosts don't.
She sighed. You know, for someone who's supposed to be a bandit, you're terrible at letting go.
He glanced at her. And for someone who's supposed to be ruthless, you're terrible at pretending you don't care.
That hit deeper than either expected.
Her mouth opened, then closed again. She looked away, a faint flush coloring her cheeks.
…Touché, she muttered.
They sat in silence again. Sae-Ryeo's eyes wandered to his hands... scarred, rough, always trembling slightly after battle.
Hands that saved her life once. Hands that could end it just as easily.
She finally said, You fight like someone who doesn't want to live but refuses to die.
Jinhyuk chuckled, low and tired. Maybe that's exactly what I am.
Sae-Ryeo turned toward him, eyes glinting. Then what are you fighting for, really? Revenge? Redemption? Her?
He looked out toward the horizon where the clouds met the mountains. I'm fighting for silence.
Her brow furrowed. Silence?
The kind that comes after vengeance is done, he said quietly. After the screams stop.
Sae-Ryeo stared at him for a long time. Then she laughed softly, but not mockingly.
You really are hopeless.
He raised a brow.
You talk about vengeance and silence like they're the same thing, she said, leaning forward. But vengeance doesn't bring peace. It only feeds the noise inside you.
Her tone turned gentler. And maybe… you need someone to remind you what peace sounds like.
Jinhyuk's expression softened, just for a moment before the walls came back up.
Don't waste your sympathy.
She smiled faintly. It's not sympathy, idiot. It's curiosity.
A flash of lightning lit the clouds far away, painting both their faces in pale light.
Jinhyuk's gaze lingered on her. She was fierce and alive, eyes burning with defiance. So different from Yura's calm grace...yet something about her… reminded him of what living felt like.
Sae-Ryeo noticed his stare and smirked. What? Don't tell me you're falling for me already.
Jinhyuk blinked, then snorted. If I am, I must be losing focus.
She laughed and nudged his shoulder. Then lose it a little. Might do you some good.
The sound of thunder rolled through the valley. The rain began to fall—slow at first, then steady.
Sae-Ryeo stood, stretching. Come on, before you drown in your own thoughts.
He stayed seated.
She frowned, then offered her hand. Jinhyuk.
He looked up at her, the rain tracing down her cheek.
For a heartbeat, he almost took her hand. Almost.
Then he turned away, staring into the storm.
Go on. I'll join you soon.
Her hand lingered in the air before she pulled it back. You're still trapped in her shadow, aren't you?
…Maybe.
Sae-Ryeo's smile dimmed. Then I'll just have to drag you out of it someday.
She walked away, her silhouette fading into the rain.
Jinhyuk sat alone again, soaked and silent. The rain washed over him, cold and cleansing.
Why can't I forget her?
He remembered Yura's laughter, her soft voice calling his name, her hands that once trembled as they said goodbye.
He pressed a palm against his chest. The ache there was unbearable.
Because she's still alive.
Because the ones who killed our child still breathe.
Jeok-Ma's voice suddenly echoed inside his mind, cruel and sharp as ever.
Pathetic. You let ghosts chain you. You should've buried your heart long ago.
Jinhyuk's eyes burned red in the rain. Maybe. But even ghosts can give direction.
Direction leads to hesitation. And hesitation gets you killed.
He smirked faintly. Then I'll learn to walk the line.
Lightning struck again, illuminating his lone figure atop the cliff.
Dan Sae-Ryeo… Namgung Yura… past and present. One a memory, one a spark.
He closed his eyes.
I can't love again, he whispered to the storm. Not yet. Not while blood still stains the road ahead.
But deep within him, buried under layers of pain and vengeance...a small warmth flickered to life. Not enough to heal. Not yet. But enough to remind him that he hadn't turned completely to stone.
The rain fell harder. The world grew darker.
And Kang Jinhyuk "The Crimson Bandit" remained still, caught between love long lost and love not yet born.