Stripped of his armor and his ever present vigilance, Kang Seo looks vulnerable, almost a different person. A younger, paler and weaker stranger who tugs at her heart.
True, the man had just played a wicked game on her trust, left whatever fragile bond between them in tatters, but she'd already spent thousand lifetimes loving him, for that to make any difference.
Seol inches closer without getting up. Let the floor scrape her knees, let it draw blood, it would not hurt as much as watching him seal away their last chance at happiness had hurt. There is a streak of blood dribbling from the corner of his mouth and tears of agony clinging to his lashes.
She could not touch him without feeling the stinging burn of the seal, yet she touches him, allows her fingers to card into his hair. He looks up with great effort, lifting his face from the ground and meeting her eyes.