Secrets

"Beautiful, isn't it?" A deep voice rumbled behind her.

She turned sharply, startled to see Han Chen—except he was enormous, towering over her. In contrast, she was tiny.

"Hey! You scared me! … Where are we? What's going on? Weren't we just in the library?"

"We still are," he replied. "But your consciousness is inside my mind-space. Everything you see here is part of my imagination. This is one of the functions of our connection—no matter where we are, we can meet like this just by thinking of each other."

She blinked, trying to process. "Then why am I so small?"

"Because you're weak," he said bluntly. "Here, everything reflects spiritual power. But if it bothers you…" With a casual wave, her size shifted, bringing her to his level.

The space around them dimmed slightly. "You can create things here too," he added. "Just by imagining them."

She gave it a try, but only vague, blurry shapes formed. No clear objects, no full scenes.

"You'll get better," Han Chen said. "Time moves differently here. Right now, every second outside is about one-twentieth of a second in here—that's your current limit. As you grow stronger, this will improve. Now that you've accessed this place once, you only have to think of me, and I'll hear you. And I can respond the same way."

Hye Won frowned. "Han Chen… this isn't humanly possible."

She was quiet for a moment before suspicion crept into her voice. "How can you do this? Are you even human? Or are you actually some alien?"

He sighed. "I'm human. I've just progressed very far in martial cultivation."

Her brows furrowed. "So… are you at the master level?" She had only just started learning about cultivation, but from everything she had read online, a "Master" was supposed to be at the peak of power.

"Master? That's nothing special," he said. "Even my mother is a Martial Master. Above that is Grandmaster. Then comes Essence Integration, and beyond that, even higher realms. That's where I am."

Her face darkened. "You're messing with me. Do you know how hard it is to advance in martial arts? Most masters are pushing a hundred years old…" Her eyes narrowed. "Wait. If you're not an alien, then… are you actually some old guy using your skills to stay young?"

"Hey—" He paused, sighing again. Truthfully speaking, she wasn't completely wrong.

He let his true aura radiate outward. His hair moved slightly in an unseen breeze, and his presence shifted—more powerful, refined. The illusion of his ordinary self melted away, revealing a strikingly handsome version of him, almost unreal.

" Whoever I am, I promise you three things: one, I genuinely love you for who you are. Two, I promise to not influence you, three, I will not harm you nor harm fall on you however I can."

Without thinking, she took a step closer and hugged him. Then, realizing what she was doing, she stumbled back in shock. "Wha—who are you? Why do you look like him but… not?"

"This is my real self," he said. "I'm just in my twenties. Just like you. As you cultivate, your appearance changes. Your aura shifts. I just suppress mine to blend in with normal people." With that, he returned to his usual look.

She exhaled slowly. "So… there are others like you? People this powerful at such a young age? Why haven't we heard about them? And why is it so hard for most people to advance when you're already this strong?"

"That," he said, "is my secret."

She studied him, then hesitated before speaking again. "Why did you choose me?" Her voice was quieter now. "Will you leave me one day? Just how strong are you? Do you even need me? Did you agree to this out of sympathy? Why are you tying me to you, sharing all of this, training me? Am I just a pawn to you? And if you're really this powerful… then why haven't you helped my mother?"

Han Chen smiled. The illusion around them dissolved. They were back in the library, staring at each other—one serious, the other calm.

"Of all the people in this world," he said, "only you know this secret about me. Not my parents, not anyone else. Doesn't that mean something?"

She clenched her fists. "That doesn't answer my question."

He chuckled. "Why do you think the strong don't need companionship? I told you before—you're bound to me. That means I won't leave. And if I ever tried, you'd still be stuck with me." He tilted his head. "And sympathy? What sympathy?"

"If I had sympathy for the weak and oppressed, I'd be flying around saving people, wearing a cape or something." He smirked. "But I don't. I trust you to keep this secret for me. If anything, I'm closer to a villain than a hero."

She softened. "Han Chen, I didn't mean—"

He cut her off. "I like you for who you are. I have my secrets to keep, and you have them to uncover. And as for being my pawn? I don't have some grand plan. I just want to live—and I want you with me."

There was a pause before he added, "And yes, I didn't put any restrictions on you, but the moment you betray me I would know and we won't have anything to do with each other anymore. You can't reveal anything about me, not even intend to, without my knowledge. I love you, but what I hate most is betrayal and losing control."

She swallowed hard. "I never planned to—"

He didn't let her finish. "That night, when you called me in distress, I realized something. As powerful as I am, my heart ached for you. I didn't feel that for anyone else. At least not in this life. That's why I need you by my side. You're not some fragile thing to me. If you really love me, stand beside me."

Her vision blurred with tears. She leaned in for a kiss, but he blocked her with a finger.

"The librarian is watching," he whispered.

Face burning, she grabbed a random book and yanked him toward a table.

Just as they sat down, Han Chen added casually, "By the way, about your mother… why do you think she's still alive?"

Hye Won froze. "What?"

"I've been treating her since the first day at your new home. Her tumor has already shrunk by 40%."

Her breath caught. "Wait—what? You—why didn't you just heal her completely?"

He leaned back. "And how would you explain that? If she went for a check-up and her cancer was just gone in weeks? What do you want me to do?"

She bit her lip, thinking. "…Let her rest for a few more months. If she found out she was cured, she'd go straight back to work."

"Well you really lover don't you?.....Her headaches and vision problems are already gone. The pain she feels now is just phantom pain—her mind hasn't caught up yet. She's fine. She can do things on her own."

Hye Won processed that, then asked hesitantly, "So… what should I do?"

"If she insists she's getting better and wants to start working again, let her ease into it. Maybe restart her online business. Set up the manual work separately. And keep the caregiver for now—no need to raise suspicion about her sudden recovery."

She exhaled slowly. "…Okay."

Han Chen studied her. "So, what do you think? Feel betrayed? Changed your mind about me? Or are you just forcing yourself?"

She met his gaze, steady and sure. "I love you."

Han Chen smirked. A thought crossed his mind, and he spoke directly into her consciousness

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As she sat in the library, a familiar voice echoed in her mind.

< Hye Won, reach out to me like before. >

She jolted slightly, looking around instinctively, but of course, Han Chen was just sitting across from her, flipping through a book like nothing was happening.

< Han Chen… Oh, is this like my thoughts? Wait, I can really talk like this?! >

< Yes, but focus. And don't send me your unfiltered thoughts. I can hear and see everything—from whatever you're reading to random memories. Like that cute duck-faced white innerwear you bought… or the fact that your period is in two days… or that you were expecting someth— >

Her entire body tensed.

< HEY! STOP! STOP! YOU NEED TO STOP! I CAN'T FOCUS! >

She mentally screamed, flailing internally, her face turning beet red. Across from her, Han Chen casually turned another page, a barely hidden smirk on his lips.

< It's not my fault you have such a… colorful mind, > he teased.

She groaned, burying her face in her hands. "I hate you," she muttered under her breath.

He only chuckled.

"Alright, let's train you properly. If you don't learn how to filter your thoughts, I'll hear every single thing—including that one time you imagined me shirtless on top of you....wait..girl do you really want me to do all those to you?."Han Chen didn't expect some random thought had such a big content on it...

She nearly choked on air. "You—you—"

Han Chen leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice. "I'm not complaining."

Hye Won seriously considered throwing a book at him.

For the next hour, he patiently guided her through the process of controlling her thoughts within their connection. At first, it was a disaster. Every time she tried to send only a single message, other random thoughts leaked in—embarrassing ones, mundane ones, even a stray memory of her crying over a drama character's death. Han Chen took it all in stride, but every now and then, she could feel his amusement radiating through their bond.

...

But as frustrating as it was, she couldn't deny it—this was incredible. She was communicating telepathically with him, her boyfriend. A man who felt ordinary till yesterday, wasn't just powerful but insanely intelligent, rich, and, to top it off, stupidly handsome.

She snuck a glance at him. The way his fingers absentmindedly tapped against the desk, the way his sharp eyes skimmed the text in front of him—he was unreal.

And yet, he was hers.

A warm feeling settled in her chest. Even if Han Chen had been some old man disguising his youth… even if he had been the ugliest creature in the universe… she would still love him. Because at the end of the day, he wasn't just powerful, he was too good to her. He was the one who stepped in when she had no one else, the one secretly saving her mother, guiding her, protecting her and willing reveal himself.

She exhaled softly. "Han Chen."

He looked up.

"You're kind of insane, you know that?"

He smirked. "Took you this long to figure it out?"

She shook her head, lips curling into a small smile. "I really am lucky to have you."

He wasn't expecting that. Then, instead of teasing, he just smiled back. " I only need to hear those. I love you too."

She rolled her eyes, but her heart was already melting.

This ridiculous, overpowered, absurdly good-looking man was hers.

Life really wasn't fair. But for once, it was unfair in her favor.

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