After returning to the kingdom, the atmosphere was tense—more than usual. The trio didn't waste any time and reported the incident straight to the king. But this time, it wasn't just a regular debriefing. Sitting in the hall were not only the king but also the second and third in command, and even the five strongest elf warriors. A full-blown reunion.
Hyunwoo entered the grand chamber, blinking at the lineup in front of him. He whispered to himself, slightly shaking, "Whaaaaaaaat… are they really thinking I'm a hero?"
But while he stood awkwardly, trying not to look like a fraud, his eyes landed on the second in command—whose face looked… off. He was anxious. Envious. But most of all, he looked angry. Something was boiling beneath that elegant expression. And Hyunwoo's suspicions only grew more and more.
The reunion started turning chaotic. Questions were flying like arrows.
"Why would an elf attack the hero?"
"And the princess?"
"How did he even get that close?"
"Who's protecting who now?"
Everyone was starting to have trust issues, and it wasn't pretty.
After the reunion concluded, Hyunwoo left the chamber and went straight to his room. He sat on the bed, hands folded, head low.
"Flairan was acting sus… and his father? He seemed furious at the reunion. Maybe… maybe it was his doing?" He squinted his eyes, talking to himself. "But I'm not sure. Maybe I'm just overthinking it. Again."
The night swallowed the kingdom like ink dripping into clear water.
Hyunwoo was wandering around, trying to shake off the overthinking, when he caught sight of something in the hallway.
Lirae and Flairan. Arguing.
Lirae's voice was soft but clearly emotional, while Flairan's was sharp, impatient. He looked like he was in a rush, like his feet were itching to run.
Hyunwoo stepped in, trying to break the tension.
"Flairan, what's happening?" he asked calmly.
Flairan turned, cold and bitter. His voice, like ice.
"If it wasn't for you… he wouldn't have acted like this. It's your fault."
Lirae's expression darkened. She looked confused, hurt even. But Hyunwoo?
He understood.
"His father. He's scheming something big."
But he didn't say it aloud. He kept it buried deep, just like always.
Flairan stormed off alone, melting into the shadows of the hallway. Lirae and Hyunwoo walked together. Side by side.
But their energy? It couldn't be more different.
Lirae was shy, quiet, taking short glances at him when she thought he wasn't looking.
meanwhile Hyunwoo didn't bother overthinking — he just walked like he was syncing steps with his own shadow. Then he muttered, 'Why's she side eyeing me like this? Did my face file for divorce and forget to tell me?'"
But then—
WHOOSH.
A sharp sound cut through the silence like lightning through still air.
A dagger.
Flying straight toward Lirae.
She didn't have time to react.
Hyunwoo did.
He moved without thinking, shoving her back and taking the full blow to his own back.
THUCK.
Pain burst in his nerves like fire. Blood trickled down his shirt. But he stayed standing. Breathing. Alive.
Even if he's unlucky… he still has something rare.
A wonderful moral. And for now, that's the only hero aspect he truly had.
But what he didn't know…
The dagger was coated in poison.
"Please! Hyunwoo! Stay with me!" Lirae cried, her voice trembling as she held onto him.
But Hyunwoo didn't react.
His body slumped. His vision blurred.
His spirit?
Somewhere else entirely.
He was no longer in the kingdom. No longer in pain.
He was floating in a place overwhelming—too beautiful to describe. It felt like heaven, if heaven had a pulse, and if that pulse could shake your soul.
And standing before him—
A majestic figure. Elegant. Powerful. Radiating a divine aura that screamed both danger and comfort.
"Welcome, hero."
Hyunwoo blinked, confused. "Where… am I?"
Her voice echoed in every part of him. "We are both in your mind. And your spirit."
She clapped her hands once.
BOOM.
The entire environment changed in a flash. Darkness fell like a curtain, the air filled with an ominous red glow. Whispers crawled through the shadows, and a heavy, devilish aura flowed around them like smoke.
"That, my child," she said, her voice grave, "is the cause of your misfortune."
Hyunwoo stared at the shadows, overwhelmed, unable to speak.
She clapped her hands again.
BOOM.
This time, light—blinding, intense, almost unbearable—flooded the world around them. It burst out like a storm of purity, pushing back every trace of darkness.
"And that," she said, smiling now, "is your sleeping true power."
Hyunwoo stumbled back, his mouth dry.
"They collide every day," she continued. "Your misfortune. And your hidden potential."
"That's why," she said, gently.
"That's why you're the lucky unlucky guy."