The protector

Salang. Chingu. (M)

Warnings:

- In this chapter, like in the previous and in the following ones, you'll find more mature scenes than usual. I don't want for it to be perceived as a sort of clickbait: it's happening for a specific reason that will be explained in one of the following chapters. But for those of you who love to guess what's happening in advance: I suggest you to think about where, in this chapter, there's not a mature scene 😉

- Most important warning: you'll probably find many parts of this chapter, probably all the parts, confused, sometimes contradictory. You will probably get the reason for it at the end of the chapter, but for those of you who have been blessed with an analytical and never confused mind (big jealousy from me): maybe it's better if you read this one keeping in mind that there are people who get confused – even about macroscopic facts, thoughts and feelings – when stressed. My suggestion for all of you is to read till the end thinking that everything is narrated by a personal perspective, and that the personal vision always can be different, sometimes very different, from reality.

- Last but not least: in this chapter more than in the others is better for you to keep in mind that the main character is not a canon Jeong Hyeok but a mix of various characters (here, mostly from MOTA and I am happy), or the reading could be slightly disturbing.

Two more things before reading: first I want to thank you. I stayed away more than a month, you could have forgotten about TP. Instead, the number of readers has grown, and I also received very cute comments and messages, not only from the old yet even from the new readers (welcome!!!). I'm not someone who writes for the readers' sake - I would have written something different if not -, but I have to admit that feeling your affection is ghghghghhghhghghghghgh (giggling author).

Second: this chapter is a monstre one. We're close to 20k words (40 Word pages circa), and the next one will be quite the same. We both need time, you to read and me to proofread them, even because September is the month when many of us are getting back to a nearly pre-covid life and we're all pretty busy. So, the next one will be posted in two weeks, then we will probably go back to the usual weekly date.

Pyongyang, 2027, June

"Pianist, give me a last kiss."

"Wae?"

"Because I have something to tell you, and there is the possibility for you to not want to see me anymore after this."

(...) "I'm pretty sure there are really few things which could get me that mad."

"I know, I don't know if this is one of them."

In-ah always talked with a certain degree of confidence. This time, she did it tentatively, as if she was walking on a tight rope, or on broken glass. She told him her opinion and what she thought he should have done. About himself. About his situation. And about his father.

(Chapter 20: "I want more")

Pyongyang, December 2027 – January 2028

"We are close, right?"

"Yes."

"Stop the car then."

"Wae?" Eyes on the street, Jeong Hyeok addressed the question without looking at his interlocutor. They were close to the village, where the street stopped to be well paved and turned into a dusty mountain road.