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Sunlight pooled across the wooden floor of the hut, warm and drowsy, spilling through the cracks in the paper windows. A soft breeze moved the curtain just enough to make it breathe, carrying with it the dry scent of pine and distant smoke. Inside, the world felt paused—no footsteps, no voices, just the hum of insects beyond the walls and the weight of things unsaid between the siblings.
Na-ra stood near the doorway for a long moment, her gaze tracing the space where their father's sword lay. The familiar shape of it, resting silently in the dust, pulled at something old inside her. She walked forward, picked it up, and returned to where Uk sat—shoulders hunched, jaw set, like someone carrying more than he'd admit.
Without a word, she placed the sword in his hands. He startled slightly, fingers curling around the hilt as he looked up at her in confusion.
"Do not give up," she murmured, her voice quiet but unwavering."And if you want to, tell me… I can still help you."
Uk's eyes lingered on her, searching, uncertain."By marrying off to the crown prince?" he asked, his tone clipped and bitter despite the calmness of the moment.
Her expression didn't change." Why should I?" she countered, stepping back. "Why should I do that when you're the one who made this mess from the start?"
He opened his mouth, but she was already turning, arms crossed, eyes flickering to the sword now resting in his lap." I'll just try to hide you, or I can still have a bargain with him that doesn't end up me being a pawn. That's all. Don't hope I'm going to do something idiotic like that again."
Uk's lips twitched—half pride, half amusement—but he said nothing. The sunlight caught in his lashes as he looked down at the blade. The hut fell quiet again, warm and still around them, but something between them had shifted—quietly, steadily, like the slow way mountains erode or rivers find their course.
For all the stubbornness, the sarcasm, the reckless fights and foolish sacrifices—they were still each other's constant. And in the hush of that small room, that was the one truth neither of them needed to say aloud.
" You two! Look outside—right now!"
Park Dang-gu's voice broke into the quiet hut like a gust of wind, carrying with it enough urgency to make both twins jolt. His eyes were wide, as if he'd just witnessed something supernatural.
Na-ra and Uk exchanged a wary glance before moving toward the window, curiosity pricking at their heels. But the moment their eyes landed on the view outside, something else took root in Na-ra's chest.
Seo-yul and Mu-deok stood near the small firepit, cooking.
Together.
It was simple—mundane, even. To anyone else, it might've just been a strange sight: the aloof Seo-yul crouched beside the ever-guarded Mu-deok, sleeves rolled up, steam curling into the air. But to Na-ra, it was far too familiar. Too close to something buried.
