The morning mist clung to the cobblestones of Jinpo Market, a small trading village nestled between rolling hills and the river. Merchants called out, their wares spilling color and scent across the crowded streets. The air smelled of fresh rice pudding, dried fish, and the tang of the river.
But not all was ordinary. Among the bustle, danger moved unseen.
Captain Poong Yeon was in pursuit
Captain Poong Yeon's boots struck the stone with purpose. His eyes scanned every face, every cart, every alley. He had been searching tirelessly since the village of Guryang-hyeon.
The crown prince was missing. Alongside him was the foreigner who had caused such upheaval, her bravery during the tiger attack was renowned, and the stories had reached even the palace walls.
"They cannot hide forever," he muttered, tightening his grip on the hilt of his sword. "I will find His Highness… and I will not fail."
Unknown to him, a shadow moved behind him, assassins, sent by the Queen and Prime Minister and certain nobles, had traced him.
Every turn Poong Yeon took, their eyes followed. If they discovered the prince or the foreigner first, the consequences would be deadly.
Ji-ho in Jinpo Market
Meanwhile, Ji-ho's eyes wandered through the stalls of Jinpo Market. For a prince who had never bargained for goods, the market was dizzying. He admired the woven baskets, the smoke curling from the food stalls, and the chatter of villagers bartering over vegetables, cloth, and dried fish.
Then a sudden noise caught his attention: a child, sitting on the ground, crying. The boy's small face and trembling hands drew Ji-ho closer. But as he approached, he realized something was wrong.
Seven young men emerged from the shadows of an alley. Their eyes glinted with mischief, or something darker. They surrounded the boy, shoving him roughly. Their intent was clear: to steal any coins he carried, and anyone who tried to interfere would face their wrath.
Ji-ho's instincts flared. He stepped forward, raising his hand. "Stop!"
The ringleader sneered, shoving Ji-ho back. "This isn't your business, stranger."
Before more words could be exchanged, Ji-ho lunged, knocking one man into a barrel. The others attacked in a frenzy. Ji-ho fought with the skill and strength honed in palace training, but here, raw instincts and adrenaline guided him.
The boy scrambled away, whimpering, as Ji-ho dodged a swing and struck another assailant.
Bella had been buying supplies at a small stall when she turned and noticed Ji-ho was gone. Her stomach dropped. Heart hammering, she ran through the alleyways, her eyes scanning for him.
Then she saw him.
He was surrounded, five men remaining, fists raised, aiming to finish what they had started. Two already lay on the cobblestones, groaning in defeat.
Bella's blood boiled. Without hesitation, she stepped into the fray.
Her movements were swift, precise, and merciless, flipping one attacker over a crate, striking another so he toppled into the river's shallow edge, sending splashes into the air. The remaining three hesitated, glancing toward the approaching market guards.
The moment the town constables rounded the corner, the attackers bolted.
Bella bent over Ji-ho, brushing a strand of hair from his face. "Are you hurt?" she asked.
Ji-ho shook his head, eyes wide with admiration. "You… you're incredible."
"I told you," she said, smirking, "don't leave my side."
Bella's hand snapped out, grabbing Ji-ho's sleeve just as he stepped past a cart of dried fish. "Wait!" she hissed.
He froze, blinking. "What-?"
Her eyes were fixed on the far end of the market. Seven men moved with silent precision, weaving through the crowds. Their clothing marked them as the palace's covert agents, but she recognizing one of your faces, the assassin that got away.
Without a word, Bella yanked Ji-ho behind a stack of barrels. "Stay low. Don't make a sound."
"Why?" He asked.
"I just bought one of your assassins. The one that got away."
Ji-ho crouched, heart hammering, as the assassins scanned the stalls, their gaze sharp, trained, and merciless. Bella's mind raced. There was no time, no escape down the crowded streets without drawing attention.
A hand emerged from a hidden doorway, beckoning. "Quickly! This way!"
Bella hesitated only a moment before pulling Ji-ho inside. The wooden door closed behind them, muffling the sounds of the bustling market. Inside, a dimly lit hut revealed two figures, a man with a scarred jaw and a woman whose eyes were as sharp as a hawk's.
"You are safe here… for now," the man said. "But outsiders like you don't just stumble into Jinpo Market without making waves."
The woman stepped forward, studying Bella. "And you… foreigner. We've heard whispers. You slew the tiger demons in Guryang-hyeon. We are honored you've come to our midst."
Ji-ho say a rebel flag he Recognition from one time he stayed for the morning court meeting. He blinked, astonished. "You… are rebels?"
The man nodded. "Yes. We fight for the people. Against the corruption that bleeds our villages dry. You are welcome here. But stay hidden. The palace's eyes are everywhere."
Bella's brow arched. "So… you're trying to bring down the corrupt nobility?"
The woman's eyes hardened. "We have no choice. Their greed bleeds the land dry. Those who would harm innocents like you, or him…"…she glanced at Ji-ho…"…cannot be allowed to succeed."
Ji-ho's mind reeled. The stories he had heard at court had seemed distant, exaggerated. Now, he saw the fire of rebellion firsthand, and it frightened and fascinated him in equal measure.
One of the hoodlums Bella had beaten turned out to be more than a common thief. He was the son of a minor noble, notorious for seeking trouble, and his influence meant that town guards were combing the streets for anyone involved. Bella and Ji-ho were lucky to escape detection.
The rebels introduced themselves one by one.
The first was a man with dust on his boots and calloused hands, no silk, no crest, just a commoner's steadiness. He inclined his head.
"My name is Han Dae-su. I trade grain and salt… and I do not bow easily to unjust rule."
Beside him stood a lean man with sharp eyes. "Ryu Seok," he said simply. "If you're being hunted, then you're not safe here."
The woman stepped forward last, her gaze keen but not unkind. "Mi-yeon," she said. Then, after a quick glance back toward the market streets, she added, "We should leave. The guards will search this place soon. There's a cabin in the woods, hidden, quiet. You can stay there until things cool off."
They led Bella and Ji-ho beyond the village, through winding paths swallowed by trees, until a small cabin emerged between the roots and shadows of the forest. It was modest but clean, smoke-stained from old fires, safe.
Food was brought, warm rice, dried fish, and broth. As they ate, Mi-yeon studied Bella openly.
"You don't move like someone afraid," she said. "How is it that you're so strong?"
Bella smiled faintly. "I've learned not to wait for fear to pass."
Mi-yeon nodded, accepting that answer. Not long after, the rebels slipped back into the night, leaving them alone.
The moment the door shut, Bella turned to Ji-ho.
"You cannot keep wandering into trouble," she said quietly but firmly. "You are not invincible."
He explained…the crying child, the ambush, the instinct to act. She listened, arms crossed, then sighed.
"Regardless," she said, softer now, "you must be careful. We are not running because of wrongdoing. We are running because people want you dead. And I intend to get you back to the palace alive."
She paused. "Do you want to wash? There's a pond, they said."
He shook his head. "Not tonight. I'll rest."
Sleep came slowly. Bella's body ached, restless, until she finally rose and slipped outside to the pond, letting the cool water quiet her thoughts beneath the moonlit trees.
Inside the cabin, Ji-ho dreamt.
Steel flashed. Shadows lunged. The tiger's roar tore through the night. Bella fell, again and again, just out of reach. He woke with a gasp, heart racing.
"Bella?"
No answer.
He grabbed his cloak and stumbled into the woods, calling her name, panic tightening his chest. The forest swallowed his voice. Then, near a large boulder by the water's edge, he saw her, safe, alive, framed by moonlight and mist, the water rippling softly around her bear body.
Relief struck him so hard his knees nearly buckled. But something else took over the more he watched her.
Moonlight poured over her bare skin like a quiet blessing, silver and reverent. Ji-ho felt something stir within him, something unnamed, something he had never been taught how to hold.
Hunger.
Lost.
Desire.
He had learned how women's body worked in lessons and whispers, in careful words stripped of wonder. But this…this was different.
The way the light traced her shoulders, the gentle rise and fall of her breath, the droplets of water slipping from her lashes and along her cheeks, it awakened a hunger he did not know he carried, as though he had been starved his whole life without realizing it.
He unconsciously drool every time she washed her skin.
His gaze followed every line, every curve, every delicate strength in her form. She looked unreal, like a creation shaped by the heavens themselves and set gently upon the earth.
Too beautiful. Almost unbearable to witness.
He had never wanted a woman the way he wanted her now.
Heat gathered beneath his skin, growing with every breath, every moment he stood hidden and watched her bathe. The night seemed to close in around him, heavy and alive. Her discarded garments lay upon the ground, forgotten. Without thinking, he lifted them, the faint warmth still clinging, her scent lingering like a whisper. One breath was enough to unmoor him completely, soft, unfamiliar, devastating.
She slipped beneath the water, vanishing into the pond as if the earth itself had claimed her. Panic gripped him then, sharp and sudden, until she rose again, moonlight spilling over her like a revelation reborn.
The sight was to beautiful to behold.
His foot struck a brittle branch.
The sound snapped the world in two.
Bella stiffened, her head lifting at once, fear flashing through her gaze as she scanned the darkness. Ji-ho did not wait. He turned and fled, heart pounding, breath ragged, shame and longing colliding in his chest.
He reached the hut trembling, pressing a hand to his mouth as though it might still the chaos inside him. Something had awakened, something fierce and untamed… and no matter how hard he tried, he could not will it back to sleep.
He wasn't new to out of pleasuring himself, but to think that he was thinking about someone about her while doing it.
He played with his member, stroking it over and over but the pleasure did not die out easily.
Who was being to sound unruly, with the sounds coming out of him the more he fell into self pleasuring with one person at the center of his desire.
He wanted to lick he all over, trace every inch of her body with his tongue and hands. Hold her and kiss her till his lips give out.
The instantly he thought about her warm plump lips he was getting close, to the climax of desire pent up as his seed spread all over the cabin.
But his meme we wouldn't settle, so he repeated the process again till he felt satisfied.
The hut was silent except for his ragged breathing.
Ji-ho sat hunched near the wall, forehead pressed to his knees, hands trembling as though he were trying to ground himself back into his own body. Whatever storm had overtaken him had passed, leaving only heat, shame, and a pounding heart in its wake.
Then…
A soft creak.
The door shifted, just slightly.
His breath caught.
He looked up.
Bella stood frozen at the threshold, one hand still on the doorframe. Moonlight spilled in behind her, outlining her figure. Her eyes were wide, not angry, not afraid, just stunned, caught between understanding and disbelief.
For a heartbeat, neither of them moved.
"I-" Ji-ho scrambled back, mortified, trying to cover himself, his face burning. "I'm sorry. I didn't know… you shouldn't have…this is not…"
He couldn't finish a proper sentence . Shame crushed the words in his throat. He turned away, pressing his forehead to the packed earth, as if he could disappear into it.
Bella swallowed.
"No," she said quickly, awkwardly, waving a hand as if to undo what she'd seen. "No, I-I didn't mean to interrupt. I'll go. I wasn't here."
Her voice wasn't scolding. If anything, it trembled.
He shook his head, still not looking at her. "I dishonored you. I dishonored myself."
Silence stretched again, thick, uncomfortable, alive.
Bella took one hesitant step inside, then stopped. Her gaze lingered on him, on the way his shoulders rose and fell, on the raw vulnerability he had never once shown her before.
"You're human," she said quietly. "That's all I saw."
That only made it worse.
Ji-ho let out a broken breath, hands curling into fists. Whatever had awakened in him tonight refused to be buried, and now she had seen it too.
Nothing between them would ever be untouched again.
He was too afraid to look up at her, So Bella walked over to him, grabbed his face gently and brought it up to look at her.
She swallowed for a second before she was able to order the watch. She never thought she would say.
"Do you want me to help you?"
He looked up at her, stunned my her words.
Was she seriously lending him a hand, or was this another test.