Scarlet Bond : Cursed to Love

Episode-----15

The rain eased to a whisper by evening, but the mansion's halls stayed dark, lit only by candle flames trembling in unseen drafts.

Areum traced the parchment again and again — her mother's words etched into memory:

> "Speak the words you fear most, and the chains will fall."

She turned them over in her mind until they blurred, until they felt less like advice and more like a dare.

---

Junseo found her in the library, shadows pooling around ancient books and cracked windows. For a moment, neither spoke. The silence wasn't empty; it thrummed with things unsaid.

"You spoke well today," he murmured at last, voice softer than candlelight. "Braver than I ever was."

"I was terrified," she admitted. "But I meant every word."

---

Their gazes locked, and something fragile stretched between them — thin as spun glass, but stronger than anything they'd known.

But the quiet broke as Minho appeared in the doorway, face tight with worry. "Areum, Junseo… Park has moved again."

Junseo's shoulders stiffened. "What did he do?"

Minho hesitated. "He's found something from your past, Junseo. Something that could ruin you completely — and her with you."

---

Junseo's face paled, the old walls around his eyes rising. "He wouldn't dare."

"He already has," Minho said grimly. "He's circulating rumors that your father arranged the death of Areum's uncle to secure the curse's power. If the council believes it, it won't matter what love you claim."

Areum felt the floor tilt under her. "My uncle died in an accident," she whispered.

Junseo's voice cracked. "Areum… I never knew the truth. But if it's true—"

"Did you do it?" she asked, the words torn from her like a wound reopening.

"No," he rasped. "But if my father did… it's my blood too."

---

Pain coiled in her chest, but deeper still was something stranger: pity. Even now, he thinks guilt is something inherited.

"Junseo," she whispered, stepping closer. "You are not your father."

"But what if the curse lives because of what he did?" he asked. His voice dropped, raw. "What if the only reason we're bound… is murder?"

---

Areum swallowed hard. "Then maybe," she said, "we fight not to deny it — but to end it. So it can't happen again."

He looked at her, and something cracked behind his gaze: relief, sorrow, and a fragile hope.

---

Outside, thunder rumbled again, shaking rain loose from the eaves. Candlelight flickered, throwing their shadows across walls lined with secrets.

Junseo drew in a shuddering breath. "There's something I never told you," he whispered. "The night I first commanded you to stay… I wasn't afraid of losing power. I was afraid of losing you."

Areum's breath caught. "Junseo…"

"I knew it was wrong," he said, voice breaking. "But I was so terrified you'd leave, I used the curse anyway."

---

She stepped closer, so close she could see the fine cracks in his mask of control. "Do you think," she whispered, "I wasn't terrified too?"

His eyes widened — surprise, then grief, then something almost like relief. "Why?"

"Because loving someone who might never love you back," she said softly, "is its own kind of curse."

---

Their hands found each other in the half-light, trembling.

Slowly, painfully, Junseo bent his head, breath brushing her cheek. Their lips hovered, caught between apology and desire, confession and fear.

It wasn't a perfect moment. It was raw, bruised, real.

---

But before skin could meet skin, the old door creaked, and Minho's voice shattered the hush: "Park has called another meeting. Tonight."

Areum pulled back, breath ragged, heart hammering. The almost-kiss hung between them, sharp as broken glass.

Junseo's hand tightened around hers. "We will finish this," he promised, voice raw.

She nodded, words locked behind her teeth. Speak the words you fear most… Her mother's warning beat against her ribs.

---

Together, they turned toward the storm outside — knowing the next step might destroy them, or finally set them free.

---

Teaser for Ep 16:

Park reveals the accusation before the council.

Areum faces betrayal — and learns the full truth of her family's sins.

And in the dark… the second attempt at a kiss that might become something more.

See you in Episode 16!