Mask

Having successfully prepared the tonic, Min Yoongi mixed it with a small portion of food, creating a nourishing blend. His hands shook slightly as he gently moved Min Joo's jaw, ensuring that she could chew and swallow the mixture properly. Holding his breath all the while, he watched intently, every moment passing like an eternity.

As he sat beside her unconscious form, his gaze remained fixed on her, his concern palpable. Time seemed to stretch on indefinitely, each second weighed down by his fear of losing her. But as minutes turned into hours, and her slumber persisted, Min Yoongi recognized the need to press forward.

He carefully placed her back onto the horse, positioned securely between his arms. The rain continued to pour, a fitting backdrop to his growing anxiety. Min Joo stirred slightly in his embrace, her awakening a small glimmer of hope. Yet, he knew they had no time to waste.

Min Yoongi steered the horses down to a sheltered area beneath the trees, a small respite from the relentless downpour. Carefully, he held Min Joo in his arms, the responsibility of her safety weighing heavily on his shoulders. With determined precision, he positioned her onto the horse, ensuring she was secure before mounting himself.

The journey resumed, raindrops cascading around them like a symphony of nature's melody. The sound of the rain served as a backdrop to his thoughts, a reminder of the urgency they faced. Amidst the rain and the thundering echoes of the waterfall, he suddenly heard a faint, almost incoherent murmur.

"Min Gwan."

He halted the horse immediately, his heart racing as he looked down at Min Joo. Her eyebrows were knitted together in her sleep, her lips forming his masked name. His heart clenched with a mixture of emotions – surprise, longing, and a strange sense of vulnerability. Her unconscious utterance unveiled the connection they had formed, beneath their roles and circumstances.

Gently, he whispered, his voice barely audible against the rain, "I'm here."

Amid the persistent rain and the gentle daylight filtering through the clouds, Min Joo stirred in her sleep. Slowly, her eyelids fluttered open, revealing the world around her. Her face was pressed against a solid, warm chest, and as she instinctively shifted, she found herself looking upward.

As her gaze met his, the noise of the rain seemed to fade into the background, and for a moment, all that existed were their eyes locked onto each other. The world around them blurred as they were tangled together, raindrops gliding over her features, enhancing her delicate beauty in Min Yoongi's eyes. The droplets on her lashes sparkled like tiny diamonds, and her wet, brown locks framed her face in an ethereal manner.

Her lips quivered slightly, her expression a mix of confusion and curiosity. The name "Min Gwan" left her lips in a hushed whisper, a question hanging in the air. Min Yoongi's gaze remained on her, his eyes intense yet tender as he met her gaze, his heart racing.

Drawing a shaky breath, he confessed, "It's me, Min Joo." His words carried a weight of vulnerability, revealing the truth he had concealed for so long.

Her brow furrowed further, her eyes searching his as confusion deepened. He rushed to explain, his voice soft amidst the rain's melody, "I'm the one who brought you here, who saved you. You accidentally came into contact with poison, and I had to act quickly."

Her grip around his waist began to loosen, her consciousness gradually returning. Her voice was a fragile whisper as she inquired, "But Min Gwan... he had black hair. You have blonde hair."

The realization hit him like a sudden gust of wind, jolting him out of his trance. He felt the dampness of his hair clinging to his forehead, and he knew that his disguise had been washed away by the rain, revealing his true identity. The secret he had held so closely was now exposed, and he met her gaze with a mixture of vulnerability and a glimmer of hope.

"I... I'm not Min Gwan. I'm Min Yoongi," he admitted, his voice laced with honesty. In that moment, under the rain-soaked sky, he bared his true self to her, hoping that their connection could transcend the roles they had been forced to play.

As Min Yoongi's confession hung in the air, Min Joo's breath seemed to halt, caught between terror and astonishment. Her wide eyes locked onto his, her mind struggling to comprehend the truth that had just been revealed. The world around them seemed to blur as her thoughts raced, her heart pounding so loudly that she could hear it echoing in her ears.

She felt a sudden numbness crawl over her body, as if her very senses were overwhelmed by the weight of his words. Before she even realized it, her legs seemed to give way beneath her, and she began to slide downward, her body on the verge of collapsing. In that vulnerable moment, Min Yoongi's arms wrapped tightly around her, preventing her from falling to the ground.

Her arms instinctively wound around his shoulders, clinging to him for support, her eyes still wide and uncomprehending. His strong embrace steadied her, and she found herself gazing into his eyes, his concern evident in the depths of his gaze. His voice reached her ears, his words a soothing murmur as he called her name and cautioned her to be careful.

A mixture of emotions churned within her—confusion, disbelief, and an unfamiliar vulnerability. Her lips parted as if to speak, but the words remained trapped in her throat, her mind struggling to process the reality of the situation. It was as if the ground beneath her had shifted, leaving her grasping for something solid to hold onto.

Finally, as the weight of everything settled in, she managed to release herself from his embrace, her voice trembling as she spoke in an authoritative tone, "Let me down." His hand lingered at her waist for a moment before he carefully complied, his touch gentle and cautious.

As her feet touched the ground, the reality of the situation hit her with full force. With her emotions swirling, she took a few shaky steps backward, away from him. A tumultuous mixture of feelings washed over her, and before she could stop herself, a shout escaped her lips, a sound that carried a mixture of shock, confusion, and perhaps even a trace of betrayal.

The sound echoed in the rainy air, a poignant expression of the storm that raged within her. She turned her face away from him, her wet hair sticking to her cheeks as she tried to make sense of the flood of emotions that threatened to overwhelm her.

As Min Joo's voice echoed through the rain-drenched air, Min Yoongi couldn't bear to see her in such distress. Despite the torrential rain and her cries of anger, he stepped forward, his heart aching at the sight of her red face streaked with tears. He extended a hand towards her, a desperate attempt to calm her down, to reassure her that he was there.

But as his hand reached out, she signaled him to stop, her expression a mix of fury and anguish. She fell to the wet ground, the mud staining her clothes, but she paid it no mind. Her finger pointed accusingly at his chest, her words spilling out with an intensity that matched the pouring rain.

"Why?" Her voice was strained, a mixture of anger and hurt. Her eyes bore into his, demanding an answer that could somehow make sense of the turmoil inside her.

He took another step closer, his hand still outstretched, a plea in his eyes. He wanted to explain, to make her understand the choices he had made, the reasons behind his actions. But her feverish state and overwhelming emotions made reasoning difficult.

"I didn't plan for any of this," he tried to explain, his voice earnest. "I never intended to deceive you. It was never my intention to hurt you." He longed to reach out and touch her, to offer her comfort, but her glare held him back.

"Why did you do this to me?" she demanded, her voice shaking with anger and disbelief. "I helped you on that cliff, I brought you to my home, I trusted you throughout this journey. And all this time, you were the one disguised. Why?"

His hand dropped to his side, his heart heavy with regret. He wanted to explain that he never meant for any of this to happen, that circumstances had forced him into this position. But her words continued to pour out, fueled by her feverish state and her shattered trust.

Then, as her mind connected the dots, her expression turned venomous. She spat out the accusation that struck him like a lightning bolt. "You're the reason I lost my original mother, aren't you?" The accusation hung heavy in the air, her words a blade that pierced through his defenses.

Min Yoongi's eyes widened in shock, his heart pounding in his chest. He struggled to find the right words, to explain the truth that he had never wanted this outcome. But before he could respond, she pointed a trembling finger at him, her voice dripping with hatred and determination.

"I will never forgive you. I will kill you with my own hands." Her words hit him with the force of a hurricane, the raw intensity of her emotions crashing into him like a tidal wave. He stood there, rain soaking through his clothes, his mask of stoicism shattered, and his heart shattered along with it.