Scarlet Bond : Cursed to Love

Episode----- 18

Rain drummed softly against the stained windows, a quiet echo of the storm brewing inside the council hall. Areum's heart still raced from what had just happened: the curse shivering, chains falling away not by force, but by choice.

For a moment, hope had felt real — alive between her and Junseo, breathing in the space where fear had ruled for so long.

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But Park wasn't finished.

He stepped forward, eyes gleaming like a predator sensing weakness. From within his coat, he pulled a thin glass vial. Inside, something dark swirled — almost black, yet faintly red under the candlelight.

"This," Park announced, voice calm, "is the blood that keeps the curse alive. Han Soyeon's blood, bound by old magic."

Gasps rippled through the chamber. Even Junseo's hand around Areum's tightened, veins standing out with strain.

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"If you want to end the curse completely," Park continued, "then destroy it. Spill it here. Let the curse die."

His gaze met Areum's, dark satisfaction flickering there. "But know this: if the curse dies this way, so does the last piece of your mother's spirit. Every memory she left bound to protect you… gone. Forever."

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The words cut deep, sharp as broken glass.

Areum's chest ached. Her mother's words had guided her, comforted her in sleepless nights. If the curse's blood held even part of her mother's spirit… destroying it meant losing the last true piece of her.

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Junseo's voice broke the silence, hoarse. "Park, you've twisted everything. Even her grief."

Park only smiled, thin and cruel. "Or perhaps grief is what built all this in the first place."

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The elder's voice rang out, heavy as a verdict. "Areum Han. The choice is yours. Destroy it, and end the curse fully — but lose what remains of your mother's spirit. Or keep it, and risk the curse returning."

The chamber fell silent. Even the rain seemed to pause, as if waiting for her answer.

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Areum swallowed, throat dry. Her mother's face floated in memory: tired eyes, gentle smile, a hand brushing her hair. The memory trembled, as if already fading.

She turned to Junseo. "If I keep it… and the curse returns?"

"Then we fight it again," he whispered. "Together."

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Park's laugh was a whisper. "Foolish girl. Do you truly think love can fight blood magic?"

"I don't know," Areum breathed. "But I know love is all I have left of her."

Her fingers curled around the vial, the glass cool against her skin.

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Junseo stepped closer, voice soft but sure. "Whatever you choose," he murmured, "you choose freely. And that choice is stronger than anything Park can threaten us with."

Areum's chest tightened, pain and love tangled so deeply they felt the same. "Then I choose," she whispered, breath unsteady.

"I choose to keep her. Even if it means risking everything."

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For a heartbeat, the curse stirred around them, cold and ancient — then fell quiet, as if waiting too.

Park's face twisted in open frustration. "Then the curse remains your master," he spat.

"No," Areum said softly. "The curse no longer commands me. I do."

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Suddenly, Park stepped forward, eyes wild. "Then watch her die, Junseo!" he hissed. His hand shot out, knocking the vial from her grasp.

Glass struck stone, shattering. Dark liquid spread across the floor, hissing faintly in the cold air.

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Areum staggered, a cold ache blooming deep in her chest. Shadows twisted around her vision, darkness creeping at the edges.

"Areum!" Junseo caught her before she fell, arms strong around her trembling body.

Pain throbbed in her skull, sharp and sudden. She felt something slip inside — like a thread snapping loose.

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"I'm sorry," she whispered, voice faint. "I didn't want this…"

Junseo's grip tightened, his voice raw. "Stay with me. Please… don't leave."

Around them, the elders moved, robes stirring air heavy with old magic.

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Park stepped back, breathing hard, victory flickering behind rage. "The blood is gone. Now the curse must claim its price."

Junseo's eyes turned to steel. "No," he snarled. "No more commands. No more fear."

His forehead rested against hers. "Listen to me, Areum," he whispered, voice cracking. "I love you. Not by curse. Not by duty. Only because I do."

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For a moment, her heartbeat fluttered, weak but alive.

In that fragile space, her mother's voice echoed, faint and fading: "Love freely chosen can break even blood."

Areum's lips parted, breath catching. "Then I choose," she gasped, pain streaking through every word.

"I choose to live. For him."

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The curse trembled — then broke, like glass underfoot.

Darkness receded, leaving only pain, breath, and his warmth around her.

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Areum clung to Junseo, tears burning. "I thought I'd lost her," she whispered.

"You didn't," he murmured, voice breaking. "She lives in you. And so does love."

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Park's face had gone pale, mask finally shattered.

For the first time, he looked afraid.

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Teaser for Ep 19:

Park's desperation pushes him to his final move.

Areum learns what her mother truly gave up.

And Junseo makes a vow that could change everything.