Veil of Destiny

The chilling night air wrapped around Joon Ha as he stood at the edge of the dense forest, staring at the flickering lights of the distant city. Seoul was no longer his home, yet its presence loomed over him like an unresolved past. He clenched his fists. He had been cast out, but exile would not be his identity.

Behind him, Ha-Yoon’s soft footsteps crunched against the cold earth. “You can’t keep looking back, Joon Ha.” Her voice was steady, but he could hear the weight of unspoken concerns beneath it.

He exhaled sharply. “I’m not looking back. I’m planning my return.”

A bitter chuckle escaped her lips. “Planning, or tormenting yourself?”

Joon Ha turned to face her, his jaw tight. The moonlight cast shadows over her delicate features, but her eyes burned with the same resilience that had kept them going through every storm. She had given up everything to stand beside him. How could he let that sacrifice be for nothing?

A sudden rustle in the trees made them both freeze. The villagers had warned of wild animals lurking beyond the fields, but something about the sound felt… deliberate. Measured.

Joon Ha’s instincts kicked in. “Go inside.”

Ha-Yoon didn’t argue. She had learned by now that when his voice dropped into that low, commanding tone, there was no room for defiance.

As she stepped away, a shadow emerged from the trees.

A man, draped in a long overcoat, his presence eerily calm. His sharp gaze assessed Joon Ha, like a predator studying its prey.

“It’s been a long time, young master.”

Joon Ha’s breath hitched. He hadn’t heard that title since the night everything fell apart. His pulse thundered as recognition dawned.

“You…” His voice was barely a whisper. “You’re supposed to be dead.”

The man smirked. “So are you.”

A tense silence stretched between them before the stranger took a slow step forward. “The Haewon Group is crumbling. The board is divided, the vultures are circling. And your father’s enemies? They’re waiting for the final blow.”

Joon Ha’s fists clenched. He had expected this, but hearing it still ignited a fury within him. His father’s empire, his birthright—it was disintegrating before his very eyes.

“And why are you here?” His voice was cold.

“To deliver a message.” The man reached into his coat, pulling out a sealed letter. “You have one chance to take back what’s yours. But you must act now.”

Joon Ha hesitated before taking the letter. The paper felt heavier than it should—as if it carried the weight of his entire fate.

The man gave him one last unreadable look before disappearing into the night.

Joon Ha turned back toward the house, his mind a storm of thoughts. Ha-Yoon stood by the door, worry evident in her gaze.

“What was that about?”

He held up thE letter. “A challenge.”

Her brows furrowed. “Are you ready for this?”

Joon Ha exhaled, the fire in his chest reigniting. “I have to be.”

As he broke the seal, the winds howled through the trees, as if whispering secrets of the battles to come.

Shloka/श्लोक/절

"धर्म एव हतो हन्ति धर्मो रक्षति रक्षितः।

तस्माद्धर्मो न हन्तव्यः मा नो धर्मो हतोऽवधीत्॥"

Dharma eva hato hanti dharmo rakṣati rakṣitaḥ,

tasmād dharmo na hantavyaḥ mā no dharmo hato’vadhīt.

다르마 에바 하토 한티 다르모 락샤띠 락시따하,

타스마드 다르모 나 한타비야 마 노 다르모 하토아바디트.

"Righteousness, when destroyed, destroys in return. But when protected, it protects in turn. Therefore, one must never destroy righteousness, lest righteousness destroy them."

정의가 파괴되면 결국 스스로를 파괴한다. 하지만 지키면 보호받는다. 그러므로 정의를 파괴하지 말라, 그렇지 않으면 정의가 너를 파괴할 것이다.

Like Rama receiving Hanuman’s message in exile, Joon Ha receives a call to action. His past has not abandoned him—it has returned to test his resolve. The battle for justice is no longer a distant dream; it has become his reality. Now, he must decide whether to rise… or remain forgotten.

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