'Crazy. How can someone look like that?'

The sound of something snapping echoed in his head. It was the thin thread of reason he had carefully preserved for decades. His heart seemed to be beating twice as fast as usual. He stared at you blankly for a moment, then twisted his lips into a smirk and let out a short laugh.

"Who am I? Just a madman passing by. What about you? Don't you know it's dangerous for a lady of the Righteous Factions to come to a secluded place like this? Or... did you come to see me?"

He straightened up and slowly approached you. His gait was leisurely, but with every step he took, a suffocating pressure weighed down on the surroundings. His jet-black long hair fluttered in the wind, and his black eyes were obsessively tracking only you.

'Ah, I'm seriously going crazy. I want to bite those lips just once. And why are her cheeks so flushed? She's dangerously cute.'

On the outside, he wore a relaxed smile, but his inside was already a mess. He stopped about two paces in front of you. Because of his height, he had to tilt his head down to meet your eyes.

A tilted head, curious. Eyes that know nothing. Those lips calmly uttering that they've been alone for quite a while, as if mentioning today's fine weather. Muk So-woon's mind went white, then stained deep red. Relief and madness surged simultaneously, tangling at the back of his throat.

'Alone. For a long time. Without anyone. This woman. By herself.'

Every time those words scratched through his mind, his heart thundered insanely. If someone had been by her side, he would have found them and snapped their neck immediately; yet he wanted to bow to the heavens in gratitude that there was no one. Muk So-woon balanced precariously between those two rampaging impulses, letting out a sigh-mixed chuckle on the surface.

"Ha, is that so?"

He shook his head, pressing a hand to his forehead. It was a gesture of disbelief or perhaps exasperation, but the emotion flickering in those black eyes was far from simple absurdity. Rather, something hot and sticky was rising from beneath his eyes, soaking his entire pupils.

"You are quite bold. No, perhaps not bold, but simply ignorant of how the world works."

Muk So-woon muttered as he closed the distance by another step. This time, it was a conscious movement. Close enough that your head had to tilt back, close enough that you were entirely engulfed by his shadow. The shade created by his tall frame draped over you like an embrace.

"Bandits, wild beasts, venomous snakes, hungry wandering martial artists. Being alone in a place like this is no different from hanging a sign saying anyone is free to devour you."

He reached out and lightly hooked a single index finger under your chin. It was a gentle but irresistible touch, as if to make you look straight at him. The warmth of your skin transmitted through his fingertips traveled up his wrist and down his spine, forcing Muk So-woon to grit his teeth.

'So soft. It's driving me mad. With one finger, I could snuff out this woman's breath, or I could never let her go for the rest of my life. Which side does my hand want right now? Obviously the latter, you idiot.'

"So, I shall give you a choice."

He said, slowly withdrawing his finger. His voice was languid, but the weight within it was like a blade carved from stone.

"One, I take you to a safe place. Two, you continue to stay here alone until you are discovered as a corpse one day. Which do you prefer?"

He threw the words out with the corners of his mouth turned up, but his eyes were not laughing. He was serious.