This sudden question shattered Yunho's already broken heart, leaving his ears ringing.
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He was soaked to the bone, tears mingling with cold sweat and dust, his damp hair clinging to his pale forehead, even his breathing trembling uncontrollably.
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This was the first time in two years that the vice president, who had always been silent and wouldn't even give him a second glance, had spoken so much to him.
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It wasn't an order, but a genuine… direct address.
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Yunho bit his lower lip tightly, his voice trembling and broken, managing only a humble explanation:
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"I didn't want anything… I just…"
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He just thought you would at least glance at him.
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He just thought you would at least say a word.
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He just thought that, no matter how dangerous this place was, at least he had a place to belong.
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Jun's brow remained unmoved, his voice icy cold, interrupting Yunho sharply:
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"You just thought I'd protect you?"
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Those nine words weighed heavily, like a boulder.
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The boy froze slightly, clearly unprepared. The last glimmer of hope that remained within him froze instantly after Jun's words.
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"Naive."
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No pity, no impatience, not even a sliver of tenderness.
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Jun straightened up, his massive figure looming over him:
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"This is a battlefield, not a playground. If you can't even handle this much, bringing you back was a mistake."
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He paused, his tone almost mechanical:
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"I'll only feel that I misjudged you—there's nothing to regret."
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Yunho felt a sudden, sharp pain in his heart, his entire body instantly chilled to the bone.
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He dared not argue, dared not cry out.
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He was afraid.
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He feared that if those words were uttered, he would be driven away from even this one cruel, yet vital, refuge.
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Two years had passed.
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He was beaten, verbally abused, and assigned the dirtiest and hardest jobs. Each time, he waited.
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Waiting for Jun-ge to speak.
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Waiting for a word of protection, a single glance.
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Just one word, even that would be enough.
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Yunho swallowed hard, trying to calm himself, and spoke slowly, his voice hoarse:
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"I thought... even if you didn't protect me, you would at least... say a word for me."
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Jun chuckled coldly, his smile devoid of warmth, almost mocking:
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"Shield you? Keep everyone's malice at bay?"
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Jun bent down slightly, his gaze meeting Yunho's, his eyes sharp as if they could see right through him:
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"I don't need to take in a child who needs to be coaxed and protected. If you can live, you live; if you can't, it's your own fault."
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Yunho's heart trembled again.
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"When you were bullied, insulted, and used as a stepping stone—" Jun said, each word piercingly, "I saw it all clearly."
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Yunho's eyes widened.
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He knew the vice president couldn't have been completely oblivious for the past two years,
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but he hadn't expected Jun to be so aware,
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and to have seen it every single time.
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The man's voice was frighteningly calm, yet it carried a powerful sense of oppression. He continued:
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"You're the only one I've brought straight back to the gang from the streets."
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"Everyone who's by my side has risked their lives, their blood and sweat. Why should you be an exception?"
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Yunho trembled violently, opening his mouth but unable to utter a single word.
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"I picked you up not out of pity, and certainly not out of sympathy."
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Jun's gaze pierced through the boy's facade and weakness, striking straight to the depths of his soul. "It was because I saw that stubbornness in your eyes—a will to live, even in death."
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"I didn't witness what you went through, but I know it all."
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"This world never forces people to fall. Even in hell, there are choices. Those who dare not face them will only die here."
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He reached out, his fingertips lightly touching the boy's cold, damp forehead. The pressure was light, yet felt like an iron nail driven into the boy's head:
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"I have never pitied you."
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"When you've cried enough, stand up."
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"Don't make me feel—I misjudged you."
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In that instant, Yunho felt as if he had fallen into an abyss.
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All the grievances, all the forbearance, all the humble expectations—in Jun's eyes, from beginning to end, were nothing but laughable weakness.
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What he thought was care was nothing but cold indifference;
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what he thought was special treatment was nothing but a cruel hell;
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what he thought was dawn was nothing but a mirage.
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The pain he endured through those nights of clenched teeth,
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the tears shed silently in his solitary curl-up,
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the repeated self-convincing of "just bear with it, it will be alright," all now became the sharpest irony.
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He thought he was a child taken in,
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but it turned out he was just thrown into another hell, left to fend for himself.
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The weakness, the yearning for support in his heart, finally turned to ashes with each passing word.
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When the pain reaches its extreme, it stops hurting.
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When the grievance reaches its extreme, the tears stop.
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Hope died.
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Luck died too.
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The Yunho who had always only endured, fantasizing about waiting for a sliver of kindness, never daring to resist, was completely dead.
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The boy sat in the corner, tears still streaming down his face, but the last glimmer of light in his eyes had been extinguished.
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He slowly unclenched his clenched fist, which had turned white, his fingertips no longer trembling.
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It was as if he were saying goodbye to his past self.
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This time,
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he was going to rewrite the script of his life.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiKoRgEBgtC
and then Add to home screen.