Vaid6

"We can’t go back now, can we?" the Prince asked, his voice barely a whisper.

Dan-Bi stared at him, feeling the magnetic pull between them, the unspeakable truth that had been buried deep inside both of them for so long. The unspoken bond.

He didn’t reply immediately. There was nothing to say. He just stepped closer, and in that moment, all the walls they had built came crashing down.

Without thinking, the Prince reached out, his hand brushing against Dan-Bi’s. It was subtle—an accidental touch—but it was enough to spark something neither could ignore.

Dan-Bi’s breath caught, and for a brief moment, he wanted to pull away, to push the Prince out of his life before it went any further. But he couldn't.

Instead, he leaned in, his lips brushing against the Prince’s in a kiss that was soft at first. But then, the kiss deepened, and everything that had been left unsaid, everything that had been buried under the surface for so long, came to life in that one moment.

It wasn’t just a kiss; it was a declaration. Of something neither of them had been ready to admit, but something they both knew was inevitable.

UNHIDDEN BLOSSOM

His words coiled like a snake around Dan-Bi's mind.

"If you truly wish to keep him alive—you're going to need me."

The tea house felt suffocating. The incense, the whispers, the weight of watching eyes.

If the ministers were closing in on Seong-Jin, that meant they were closing in on him too.

Dan-Bi inhaled sharply. "You play too many games, Minister Jang."

Jang smirked. "That's the only way to survive, Scholar Dan-Bi."

Dan-Bi exhaled. "What do you want in return?"

Jang's smirk widened. "Smart." He leaned in, voice smooth. "I want what you want—the fall of our enemies."

Dan-Bi's pulse quickened. "You're aligning yourself with the prince now?"

Jang chuckled. "No, no. I'm aligning myself with you."

Jang's eyes gleamed. "Think of me as an… insurance policy. If things go wrong, I can clean up the mess. But if you choose to reject my help?"

"Then I may just have to help someone else instead."

This wasn't an offer. It was a threat.

Chapter Fifty-One: Trust No One