The next morning was quieter than usual. One of Master Hwang's disciples had already prepared breakfast, arranging it neatly on the low wooden table.
Everyone had gathered around Daon quietly sipping his tea, Taemin yawning so hard it looked like his jaw might snap, and Taekyun, ever composed, silently scanning the room. But one person was missing.
"Where's Rinwoo?" Master Hwang asked, not looking up as he ladled soup into his bowl.
"He's still asleep," Daon said, gently. "Had a low fever last night. Might've gotten worse."
Master Hwang finally raised his eyes and locked them onto Taekyun.
"I met him two years ago, when I first saw his thread of fate tied to you," the old man said slowly. "Back then, he looked better. Brighter. Steadier. Now he looks… hollowed out."
Silence.
Even Taemin didn't say a word.
Taekyun's voice came low and tight, like he had to wrestle it into existence. "It's probably the fever. He's been pushing himself too hard lately."
Master Hwang stared at him a second longer, like he could see the truth trying to squirm its way out from behind the calm. But he didn't push. Just nodded slowly and returned to his food.
After breakfast, they moved to the shrine's main hall tall wooden beams stretching overhead, wind brushing softly against the paper windows. Incense burned in the corner, and there was a stillness in the air, almost sacred.
Master Hwang sat cross-legged on his cushion in the center of the room. His eyes briefly scanned them.
"Daon," he said, motioning him forward. "You first."
Daon bowed respectfully and came to sit across from him, calm as ever.
But of course Taemin couldn't stay quiet.
"Wait! Can we do mine first?" he blurted out, raising a hand like a student asking to go to the bathroom. "What if I die before I meet my soulmate? You know, like final destination sh*t?"
Everyone turned to look at him.
Master Hwang didn't even blink.
He just slowly turned his head, glaring at Taemin like he was seconds away from tossing him out the window.
Taemin shrunk back with an awkward chuckle. "Okay. Okay. Just a suggestion."
With a sigh that could've broken mountains, Master Hwang returned to Daon. He reached out, took Daon's hands, and closed his eyes.
The room fell still.
After a minute, Master Hwang spoke, his voice low, steady, and laced with something ancient.
"Your fated match… is not an easy soul," he said. "Rebellious. Daring. Defiant, even. They will not submit easily not to you, not to anyone."
Daon's brows furrowed slightly, as if trying to match the words with a face.
"They come from a family that owes the Lee family a debt,"
Taekyun leaned forward a little, thoughtful. "A lot of families owe us. You'll need to be more specific."
Master Hwang didn't answer immediately.
Because Taemin was already talking again.
"But like seriously, what if my soulmate's in prison? Or worse ugly?"
"Taemin," Daon muttered, warningly.
"I'm just saying! I have a brand to protect!"
Master Hwang opened one eye, and the glare he gave could've melted glaciers.
"I swear on the spirits of my ancestors," he said, rising to his feet with his cane in hand, "if you don't shut your mouth, I will personally bind your fate to a raccoon and call it destiny."
Taemin gasped, clutching his chest like he'd been physically stabbed. "You wouldn't."
"I absolutely would."
"I'm literally the victim here," Taemin whispered to Daon, who gave him a side-eye and shook his head.
Master Hwang didn't sit back down. He stood tall, stretched a bit and announced loudly, "I won't be seeing your fate today, Taemin. Come back another lifetime."
"WHAT?"
Taemin looked like someone just canceled his birthday.
"You can't be serious Master Hwang!"
But the old man had already turned his back and started walking away.
"No takebacks! No refunds! You talk too damn much!" Master Hwang called over his shoulder, shaking his cane like an old wizard.
Taemin slumped on the floor like a deflated balloon. "This is discrimination against hot people."
Taekyun finally cracked a very faint smirk.
Daon just rolled his eyes.
And somewhere in the distance, a student came running to fetch Master Hwang because Rinwoo seemed to be in pain.
Master Hwang nearly tripped over the wooden step as he hurried down the hallway, the heavy doors of the shrine groaning as they opened into the cold guest room where Rinwoo lay. The air was thick with unease that choking stillness that only came after a nightmare.
Rinwoo was curled up on the futon, drenched in sweat, his chest heaving like he couldn't get enough air. His fists were clutching the blanket so tightly it looked like he might tear it in half. His eyes were squeezed shut, his entire body tense and trembling.
One of the students stepped in behind Master Hwang and gasped softly. "I'll get water," they whispered before darting off.
Master Hwang moved to the side of the futon and knelt down, placing a wrinkled but steady hand on Rinwoo's shoulder. "Rinwoo," he said, firm but gentle. "Wake up, child. You're dreaming."
Rinwoo's eyes shot open. His breathing was ragged, like he'd just run for miles. He blinked, disoriented, eyes darting wildly around the dim room as if searching no, hoping for someone.
"Taekyun…?" he choked out, his voice cracked and laced with fear. "Where's Taekyun? He—he was dying. I saw it. I saw something kill him—there was this black shadow, I—"
"Rinwoo," Master Hwang interrupted, more firmly this time. "He's fine. It was just a dream. You're safe now."
The student returned, offering the cup of water with both hands. Master Hwang helped Rinwoo sit up, gently holding his back as he brought the cup to his lips.
Rinwoo drank, still trembling. His hands were cold and clammy, and he flinched at every sound outside the paper-thin walls. The dream had rattled him deep deeper than Master Hwang expected.
Once he was calmer, Master Hwang sat beside him, letting a long silence stretch between them. The old man stared at the wooden floor for a moment, gathering his thoughts. There was so much he wanted to say. So much Rinwoo needed to hear.
But he looked at the boy pale, visibly shaken, eyes wide with leftover panic and held back.
Instead, he exhaled slowly and said, "You need to start taking better care of yourself."
Rinwoo frowned. "I'm… I'm fine. It was just—just a bad dream."
"You're not fine," Master Hwang said. "And it wasn't just a dream."
That made Rinwoo freeze.
Master Hwang reached for his hand not in a mystic way this time, not to read or channel or guide but simply to hold it, to steady him.
"Your body is weak," he continued. "And whether you realize it or not… you're the only shield standing between Taekyun and that curse."
Rinwoo's lips parted, stunned. "I—I thought the curse ended," he whispered.
Master Hwang shook his head slowly. "No. Curses don't just 'end.' Fate doesn't erase. it redirects. You weren't sent into his life to break it. You were sent to protect him from it."
"But…" Rinwoo's voice cracked, "then what was the dream? That shadow—was it real?"
"If you and Taekyun keep hurting each other, keep building walls instead of bridges," Master Hwang said gravely, "then yes. What you saw could become real. The shield can only hold if you do."
Rinwoo looked down at his hands, the same hands that had trembled all night with fever, the same hands that had hesitated to reach for Taekyun again and again. They suddenly felt too small. Too fragile.
Master Hwang let go and stood. "You don't have to be strong all the time. But you have to choose whether you'll fight for him… or be the reason he falls."
Rinwoo swallowed, his throat thick with something he couldn't name.
"I'll try," he murmured.
"No," Master Hwang corrected gently. "You must."
Then he left him there not coldly, but purposefully. Rinwoo sat alone in that quiet room, the cup of water still warm in his hands, heart beating louder than any storm.
The door creaked quietly as Rinwoo stepped out, one shaky hand bracing against the wooden frame for balance. His fever had lowered a bit, but his legs still felt like they were made of wet paper. He blinked against the morning light and the fresh mountain air hit his face, cool and clean so different from the stifling warmth of the futon he'd been stuck in.
He took a few steps forward, hugging his arms around himself. The light breeze tugged at his loose sleeves as he walked along the stone path that circled the shrine's outer courtyard.
Then, just ahead, he heard them.
"No, Daon Hyung, you said you could climb it!" Taemin was yelling, half-laughing, half-mocking.
"I said I could reach it not become a damn monkey!" Daon's voice was high-pitched with irritation and panic.
Rinwoo peeked around the corner and saw it Daon awkwardly balanced on a low branch of a fruit tree, gripping the trunk like his life depended on it. Taemin stood below, mischievously shaking the tree with both hands while grinning like a menace. A couple of red fruits had already dropped to the ground. Taekyun stood off to the side, arms crossed, leaning against the stone wall with that ever-calm expression but his eyes were locked on the chaos.
Taemin noticed Rinwoo before anyone else did. "Rinwoo Hyung!" he called out with a grin. "Come over here these are fresh! Have some!"
Rinwoo hesitated, then took a careful step forward, steadying himself as he walked up. His body still ached, but there was something comforting in the laughter. Something normal.
Taemin shoved the small bundle of fruit into Rinwoo's hands. "Here. Eat one before Daon Hyung ruins them all."
"I heard that!" Daon snapped from the tree, just as Taemin gave the branch another dramatic shake.
"Ack—STOP IT, YOU FREAK!" Daon shouted, gripping the trunk tighter with a yelp.
Rinwoo let out a small laugh, soft and genuine, as he looked down at the fruits in his hands. His eyes crinkled a little, the corners of his lips rising in a quiet, honest smile.
For the first time in a while… he didn't feel like he was walking on glass.
And from across the yard, Taekyun noticed.
His gaze softened, brows slightly knitting as he watched Rinwoo laugh really laugh even if just for a second. There was something about it that pulled at something deep inside him. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen that smile. Maybe back when things were easier. Back before fate made everything so complicated.
He didn't realize how long he'd been staring until the breeze rustled the trees and broke his focus.
Without a word, Taekyun turned and went inside.
He didn't want to disturb the moment. Not when it was the first time Rinwoo had looked… light.