Hana of the Dusk | Akatsuki no Yona

Prologue.

"I don't want to hear you speak of my love life!"

Yona had dashed out of the room after she had an argument with her father regarding her marriage. Which, she could not choose Soo-won. What would a marriage mean if it weren't with the man she loved?

She isolated herself from the company of others, finding herself sitting on the floor outside while it rained around her.

Suddenly, Yona sensed someone creeping in the corner, spying on her. She thought it was Hak, but as the person came out of the shadow, it turned out to be a stranger, reaching for her. Yona stood up and ran for her life as fast as she could, fear consuming her whole body. What if it were an insurgent, coming to kidnap her and kill her like they did to her mother?

She entered a room to hide from the stranger. Then, she was pulled further into the room by someone behind her, covering her mouth with one hand to prevent her from screaming. Yona could only think of one person to help her. Ripping the hand off her mouth, Yona called out, "Soo-won!"

"Yona."

She looked over her shoulder. She realized that, Soo-won was just behind her.

Yona ended up crying, telling him that she couldn't be with him. However, Soo-won misunderstood her and thought she'd rather be with Hak, her supposed betrothed. He offered to take her to Hak's quarters, where he thought she would feel safest by his side.

So he still believes that I'm engaged to Hak, Yona thought.

"He is your betrothed, isn't he?" Soo-won asked her.

"N-no.." Yona denied, but Soo-won didn't believe her.

"You don't need to hide it. Hak will be angry if the two of us are here alone—" Soo-won said, but he was interrupted by Yona.

"Soo-won, you're the one I've always..." she trailed, leaving her confession unfinished.

The room was filled with silence. Outside, the rain had reduced into a drizzle. Soo-won turned around to her with a smile on his face, "the rain has lightened up a bit. I'll guard you until we reach Hak's room."

He completely ignored her.

Yona rose to her feet and approached her, extending her arm to touch him.

Slap.

"Please stay away from me," Soo-won whispered, his green eyes avoiding hers.

Yona stared at him in disbelief. "B-But why?"

"We're not little kids anymore, and even though we're cousins, you've grown into a beautiful girl now. There are things that we can and cannot do," he ruffled his blonde hair awkwardly.

"Like what? What can't we do?"

"Like," he paused, thinking of something that they always did when they were children. A thin layer of blush tinted his cheeks. "Like I can't hold your hand when you sleep anymore. It'd be inappropriate for us."

"Soo-won, is your engagement a lie?" Yona asked, hopefulness was clear in her voice.

Soo-won looked at her sheepishly, "it's— It has been brought up."

Yona put her hands on her hips, pouting, "but I'm not talking about that kind of thing right now. Do I look like a woman to you?"

"Yes, you do... but I," he hesitated. Yona's heart fluttered, knowing that he finally saw her as a woman. However, the word 'but' bothered her. She felt uneasy as she waited for him to continue.