Millions of lights lit up in front of her from the panoramic city view which lay beneath them. The buildings which were huge upfront were now tiny blocks with even tinier lights in them while the river which stretched throughout the Capital was like a thich snake, twisting the city into its grasp. The mixture of colorful lights shone into the sky, giving it a purple hue.
"It's beautiful!" Sunye gasped. She rarely had the chance to see the city in this way. Work had always kept her from enjoying a little sightseeing. Witnessing a view like this was calming her nerves. She glanced at SD, who was not enjoying the view but rather an arrogant look had dawned his face as if he was not interested in the scenery.
He lay a blanket and plopped on it, motioning her to sit next to him. She obliged and he threw another blanket over her legs to prevent her from feeling too cold. SD took off his shoes and socks, putting them aside before crossing his legs to sit in a relaxed position.
"You don't like the sight?" she asked, confused.
"It's small," he simply stated.
"Small?" she frowned. This vast view of the city was small to him.
SD held out his thumb and rotated it horizontally Shutting one eye, he said, "It's smaller than my thumb. So it's small. The city which boasts on its achievements and claims to stand on high ground, is actually smaller than my thumb. So imagine how easy it would be to conquer this place."
Conquer?
"See for it yourself," he suggested. Sunye held out her thumb like he did and closed one eye. To her surprise, the whole view disappeared behind her thumb. It was as if it really was smaller than her finger.
"The world I see is smaller than my thumb," SD went on. "No matter how much people boast about themselves, no matter how much they achieve. It's always small and inconsequential. Whether it's the Emperor of a country or the beggar, what they do doesn't matter. They'll eventually be surpassed by someone else who aimed higher. And then that person will be surpassed someday. You can reach for the sky but someone will always overcome what you did and make you smaller than them. That's the cycle."
She stared at him for a while as he kept on gazing at the city.
"What are you aiming for?" she finally asked.
"Me? I'm simply aiming to break this world," he said cryptically. "So that the next person can rebuild it and surpass me."
Sunye sighed. "I really don't understand you," she admitted. "Sometimes, you're good. Other times, you're doing something shady."
SD mockingly smiled at her. "How do you see the world as?" he asked. "Beautiful? Complicated?"
Sunye gazed back at the view before replying, "I don't think I've seen it enough to judge it."
She let out a soft sigh as she gazed at the view. It indeed felt small from high up but unlike SD, she had not seen all of it. For him, it was small because there was nothing left to see. For her, there was a lot more to explore.
SD did not talk for a while. He simply stared at her, his thoughts tangled and his heart troubled.
"But there is something which bothers me," Sunye confessed.
"What's that?"
She turned to look at him. "That you're an illusion," she whispered. "One day, I'll open my eyes and you won't be there. You'll disappear like smoke."
When SD did not reply, she went on, "That's what you'll do, right? Disappear?"
"I'll appear whenever you want," he simply stated.
"Liar."
SD's jaws tightened at those words. She was right. He was the unwanted one, the one who should disappear. HIs whole existence was unwanted and unneeded by those around him. There was only one person who wished for him to stay and that woman was sitting right next to him.
But would she be able to accompany him on this dangerous journey? He had used her enough but for much longer could he endanger her life?
"The life I lead isn't safe," he mused. "People want me dead at every step. Are you sure you'd want me to stay near you? Most people would run away after hearing that!"
"Can't you give it up?" she wondered out loud. "This thing...whatever it is you're doing. Can't you let it go and live your life the way you want? Why are you carrying this burden anyway?"
SD's eyes hardened upon hearing her question. Why was he fighting? He could give up his quest for revenge and live his life. But why was he fighting?
As if answering his question, his ears echoed with the haunting words of a dying man.
"Promise me that you'll let the true heir reach the throne…"
Emperor Gwanjoo's last words haunted him, caging him in a never ending promise. The real heir was not safe and it was his duty to protect them. The Emperor had created a deadly game to keep the Company away from the Throne. And the will was the last legal agreement which would bring the real heir to the Throne. If it fell in the wrong hands, everything they worked for would be destroyed.
"SD?"
Sunye's voice startled him. "What are you thinking?" she asked.
"That I can't give up my pursuit," he stated. "Not until I reach my goal. Until then, I'll keep on working against this world."
And what about us? Sunye thought sadly. She wanted to know what he was hiding but she was also afraid that if she found out, he would leave her and never come back. Her heart clenched in grief at the thought of that.
A single tear fell from her eye, shocking SD.
"Sunye, you're crying!" he exclaimed in worry.
"Huh?"
She wiped her cheek and to her shock, he was right. She was crying!
"Han Sunye, are you really sad that one day, I'll leave you?" he grinned. "I know I'm amazing but I don't think you have to cry over that!"
He was trying to lighten the mood in an attempt to distract her. It sort of worked since she snorted at him.
"As if anyone will cry over you!" she claimed haughtily. "I'm just crying for the people who'll fall for your tricks."
"Like you did all those years ago," he reminisced. "I'm sure you think of that night a lot and wish that only if you had not fallen asleep, you could have worshipped my devilish body-"
Sunye was about to playfully slap him on the arm but he caught her hand and before she knew it, he pushed her on the ground, pinning her under him. She was taken by surprise at his action and widened her eyes in shock.
"W-what are you doing?" she whispered. He leaned near to her ear.
"I thought you wanted to know my surname?" he chuckled. Sunye blinked. She completely forgot about that!
But it was hard to concentrate when he was this close to her. She could feel the heat from his body which was causing goosebumps along her arms. Their legs were tangled together. His foot was slowly caressing her smooth thigh, making her blush even harder.
Sunye let out a sharp breath. Why am I not resisting his touches? She asked herself. The answer came to her automatically.
She did not want to.
SD was still breathing down her neck, making her shiver. "Do you want to know?" he whispered.
Sunye slowly nodded, her heart beating so fast that she was afraid he would hear it. Gulping hard, she waited for him to reply.
SD grinned and replied, "You already know it dear. I've been using it for months."
Sunye slightly frowned. "What do you-"
"Kim Haein?" he whispered. "My real name starts with Kim. Haein is the only lie I made up."
SD moved away from her ear, thinking that she would slap him for his trickery or curse at him for making her go round in circles about his surname when it was right in front of her. Her expression was unreadable and it was simply a matter of time before she would react to it.
"Yes, I know you want to beat me up for this little trick," he sighed. "I guess our date is over-"
Suddenly, she pulled him down, smacking their lips together into a brief peck. SD was surprised by her actions and so was Sunye but she could not help it. He might have tricked her but for once, he opened up about himself. It was not perfect, but it was enough.The repressed feelings and years of push and pull culminated into this day. And she unconsciously wanted to pay it back with that kiss.
They were silent for a long time, gazing at each other with a mix of happiness and dread.
"That was your payment," she finally said. "Was it enough?"
"It was good, but not enough," he said in a hoarse tone. Before Sunye could ask what he meant, he bent down to lock their lips into a fierce kiss.
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