Scarlet Bond : Cursed to Love

Episode------22

The courtyard felt colder as the council gathered in a half-circle, robes heavy with old authority. Wind tugged at Areum's hair, carrying the bitter scent of rain and incense.

Seo Jaewon stood silent, his presence like a knife unsheathed. Junseo faced him, shoulders squared, though Areum saw the tremor in his clenched jaw — a son meeting the ghost of the man he might have become.

An elder's voice cut through the hush: "Seo Junseo. You stand accused of inheriting your father's sins. What say you?"

Junseo's voice rasped, hoarse but steady. "I did not know of his crimes. And I will not repeat them. I chose love, not power."

The elder turned. "Jaewon, speak. Why return now?"

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For the first time, Jaewon's gaze flickered, lines around his eyes deeper than time alone could carve. "Because truth weighs more than exile," he murmured.

He raised his head, voice flat as broken stone. "I ordered the killing that bound the curse. I feared losing my family's power. And I destroyed my son's future to save my own pride."

The words seemed to echo off ancient walls. Even the wind felt silent.

Areum's breath caught. Junseo's face went pale — as if the words carved something free and raw inside him.

"And now?" Junseo whispered. "Why speak?"

Jaewon's gaze shifted, for an instant almost human. "Because fear built the curse. But fear cannot unmake it," he rasped. "Only truth — and love, freely chosen."

The elder's staff struck stone. "You confess to past crimes," he intoned. "And acknowledge your son is free to choose another path?"

"I do," Jaewon murmured, voice cracking like dry earth.

For the first time, Areum saw not just a villain — but a man broken by his own choices.

She reached for Junseo's hand. His fingers tightened around hers, as if her touch anchored him to the present.

"Then let it be written," the elder pronounced. "The sins of the father end with the father. Seo Junseo's path shall be judged by his own choices, not by blood alone."

Relief washed through her, leaving weakness in its wake. Junseo's breath shuddered out, as if years of guilt had finally loosened their hold.

Jaewon's gaze met Areum's, hollow yet softening. "He was always stronger than me," he whispered. "Don't let him forget why."

She swallowed, voice low. "I won't."

As Jaewon turned to leave, guards falling in behind him, Areum felt pity twist with anger and sorrow. The man who ruined so much still loved, in his own broken way.

Junseo's shoulders sagged. "I don't know if I can ever forgive him," he murmured.

"You don't have to," Areum whispered. "It's enough that you're not him."

And in that quiet, Junseo's hand squeezed hers — a silent vow renewed.

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Teaser for Ep 23:

Junseo and Areum step away from the council to speak openly at last.

A kiss meant not to claim, but to comfort.

And a promise that love will be choice — always.