The Price of Loyalty

The night was colder than usual. A sharp wind whispered through the trees, carrying with it an eerie silence. Joon Ha sat at the edge of the old temple ruins, his mind restless. The confrontation with Seo Jin-Tae had only confirmed what he already knew—his past was catching up with him.

Ha-Yoon sat beside him, pulling her jacket closer. “You haven’t said much since they left.”

Joon Ha’s gaze remained fixed on the dark horizon. “There’s nothing to say.”

She studied him for a moment. “You’re lying.”

A bitter smirk tugged at his lips. “I thought you’d be used to that by now.”

Ha-Yoon didn’t laugh. Instead, she leaned in slightly. “They came here to warn you, but that wasn’t the real message, was it?”

Joon Ha exhaled. “No. It was a test.”

A test to see if he was still weak. If he would break under pressure.

If he would surrender.

But he hadn’t.

And now, the real battle was about to begin.

A sudden rustling broke the silence. Joon Ha’s muscles tensed, his instincts sharpening. Then a familiar voice whispered from the shadows.

“It’s me.”

A figure stepped into the dim moonlight—Min-Jae.

Ha-Yoon’s eyes widened. “Min-Jae?”

Joon Ha stood up, his expression unreadable. It had been months since he last saw his former right-hand man. Back when everything had crumbled.

Min-Jae looked different now. His usual polished appearance was replaced by exhaustion, his suit wrinkled, his face shadowed with fatigue. But his eyes—his eyes still carried the same unwavering loyalty.

“I had to find you,” Min-Jae said, his voice low. “They know where you are.”

Joon Ha’s fingers curled into fists. “Of course they do.”

Min-Jae shook his head. “You don’t understand. They’re not just watching anymore. They’re moving.”

A chill settled in Ha-Yoon’s spine. “What do you mean?”

Min-Jae hesitated, then stepped closer. “There’s a bounty, Joon Ha. A high one.”

For the first time, Joon Ha felt a flicker of unease. “From who?”

Min-Jae swallowed hard. “From your own family.”

The words struck harder than any physical blow. Joon Ha’s expression didn’t change, but Ha-Yoon saw the shift in his posture—a subtle but undeniable tension.

“My father?” Joon Ha asked, his voice eerily calm.

Min-Jae nodded. “He signed the order himself.”

Silence stretched between them. The weight of betrayal was not new to Joon Ha. But this—this was different. This was not just exile.

This was erasure.

Ha-Yoon placed a hand on his arm. “Joon Ha…”

He barely heard her. His mind was already racing through possibilities, strategies. There was only one way to deal with this.

“I need to go back.”

Ha-Yoon’s grip tightened. “Are you insane?”

Min-Jae’s eyes widened. “Joon Ha, you can’t. It’s a trap.”

Joon Ha turned to them, his gaze burning with something dark and unrelenting. “Then I’ll spring it.”

Min-Jae shook his head. “They’re expecting you to act impulsively. You’ll be walking right into their hands.”

Joon Ha smirked. “Then I’ll make sure they regret catching me.”

Min-Jae hesitated before nodding. “If you’re doing this, you won’t do it alone.”

Joon Ha met his gaze. “I never expected you to stay loyal.”

Min-Jae scoffed. “You once told me, ‘Loyalty isn’t about staying when it’s easy. It’s about staying when it’s impossible.’” He smirked. “Guess I took it seriously.”

Joon Ha’s expression softened for just a moment before he straightened. “Then let’s move.”

The storm was coming.

And this time, he wouldn’t be running from it.

Shloka/श्लोक/절

"धर्मो रक्षति रक्षितः।"

"Dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ।"

"다르모 락샤띠 락시따하।"

"Dharma protects those who uphold it."

"정의를 지키는 자는, 정의에 의해 보호받는다."

Just as Rama was abandoned by his own people, Joon Ha now faces the ultimate betrayal—from his own family. But like Rama, he does not cower. He chooses to fight, knowing that true righteousness demands sacrifice.

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