Chapter 02

 The Thoughts Hidden Like a Black Lake

Despite the weather having grown warmer since the climate crisis, winter days were still quite short.

Before long, the sun began to disappear beyond the large mountain behind the house, and the sky was painted in the crimson hues of sunset.

Although lights had been installed throughout the beautiful indoor garden situated on one side of the spacious courtyard, it was becoming difficult to continue eating.

Rian was more than relieved to have an excuse to bring the awkward and uncomfortable dinner to an end.

“Colonel On, don’t worry too much. I’m planning to give Rian one of the detached houses on the property. I’ll have a separate practice room built there so she can focus on ballet, and I’ll also assign dedicated servants to her. She won’t have anything to worry about while staying here.”

As the dinner gradually drew to a close, Lieutenant General Lee Jung-hyuk was doing everything he could to reassure Colonel On Hee-do so that he could leave without worry.

“Yes, General. Thank you very much for taking such good care of her.”

“Don’t worry about things here. You should always put your health and safety first.

And at school, didn’t we say our Seung-hyuk would look after Rian as well?”

Lieutenant General Lee Jung-hyuk couldn’t even begin to imagine what it must feel like for a father to leave behind his only daughter, who was still so young.

So he even brought up his dependable son, doing his best to comfort Colonel On Hee-do.

And just as Lieutenant General Lee Jung-hyuk had hoped, seeing the two dependable men before him, Colonel On Hee-do was beginning to feel certain that Rian would be safe within this household.

“Yeah, right.”

Hyun-joo, Seung-hyuk’s only younger sister, had been sitting there sulkily the entire time. Unable to hold herself back any longer, she let out a small scoff.

Hyun-joo disliked everything about this situation.

She had visited her maternal grandfather’s department store—the finest luxury department store in the country—for the first time in ages and had spent the day shopping to her heart’s content.

She had found the latest collection from her favorite designer and even purchased a bag and shoes to match.

She had hurried the driver back home because she wanted to display the new items alongside her other collections as soon as possible.

And now she was being told that some strange girl was going to live with them.

She was already annoyed that she had lost the detached house she had been planning to use as a clothing storage room.

But to make matters worse, the girl was incredibly pale and beautiful.

Her green eyes, which were rarely seen among the people of Huhan, and her long, wavy brown hair had a naturally glossy sheen. Her arms and legs were so long and slender that she could have passed for a mannequin.

“Hyun-joo.”

Mrs. Kang Soo-jin stopped her daughter from being rude, deliberately putting on a stern expression and using a firm tone.

They were siblings born to the same parents, yet the two of them were completely different.

One was excessively emotionless, while the other was excessively emotional.

“I’m sorry. I was just distracted for a moment and said something I shouldn’t have.”

Hyun-joo apologized with an expression that showed absolutely no sign of regret.

It was true that the existence of On Rian bothered her, but more than that, Hyun-joo couldn’t suppress an incredulous laugh at the thought of her brother taking care of someone.

Lee Seung-hyuk taking care of someone?

No matter how many years they had lived under the same roof, Hyun-joo still didn’t know her brother any better than other people did.

It wasn’t simply a matter of whether they were close or distant as siblings.

Even if she went back to her earliest memories, her brother had always been different from other children.

Unlike children his age, he had never displayed emotions by laughing or crying.

It was almost as though something was missing inside him emotionally.

He had always been that way, but after spending several years at the officer training academy operated by the state, he seemed to have become even more extreme.

He rarely let anyone get close to him, and although Hyun-joo and Seung-hyuk had grown up under the same roof, there had been virtually no emotional exchange between them.

Even their parents seemed somewhat cautious when dealing with Seung-hyuk, as though they were interacting with a superior officer.

Unlike Hyun-joo, Seung-hyuk had never once rebelled against their parents or even gotten into a minor argument with them.

If anything, Seung-hyuk generally accepted most of his parents’ opinions.

Yet there was something strangely unsettling about his polite attitude.

It wasn’t as though he respected and honored his parents and therefore willingly followed their wishes.

It was more like he simply had no particular reason to oppose them, so he went along with what they said.

The thought of such a person taking care of someone had made Hyun-joo let out that bewildered laugh without even realizing it.

“It’ll be getting dark soon, so why don’t we wrap things up? Colonel, I’m sure you’ll be very busy preparing for your deployment.”

Perhaps worried that Hyun-joo might say something even stranger, Mrs. Kang Soo-jin quickly added her own words.

“Yes, let’s do that. Colonel On, say your proper goodbyes to Rian and be careful on your way.”

Lieutenant General Lee Jung-hyuk also hurriedly joined in, wanting to bring the gathering to an end.

And so, the dinner on Rian’s first night—the dinner that had made her feel suffocated—finally came to an end.

Of all places, it had to be Nars.

That fact was unbearably painful for Rian.

She still couldn’t accept having to send the only family she had left to the country that had taken her mother away so cruelly.

But there was nothing she could do.

“Father, don’t worry about me. Just make sure you always take care of your safety. When you come back, let’s go to Lucen together. I want to visit that bar where Mother used to dance.”

When he was young, Major On Hee-do had been sent on an overseas assignment to Lucen, a country far from Huhan.

That was where he met Rian’s mother, Marian.

She was a beautiful woman with the green eyes and brown hair characteristic of the people of Lucen.

She had been dancing at a bar, looking so free and happy that it seemed as though she didn’t care where the stage was.

Major On Hee-do had happened to wander into the upscale bar alone, and he had fallen in love with her at first sight.

He began visiting the bar every day to court her, and that was how their relationship began.

Since they had both grown up as orphans, they wanted to build a family of their own as soon as possible.

They married young, and Rian was born.

Rian had been born a month earlier than her due date and was in a breech position.

It had been only two months since her father had been deployed directly from Lucen to Nars on the Arasia Continent.

At the time, tensions between the countries of the Arasia Continent had reached their peak.

Large-scale bombings were carried out throughout Nars, and the hospitals were so overwhelmed with civilian casualties that there was barely room to stand.

Major On Hee-do had carried out retaliatory bombing against the opposing nation and returned home several days later.

Only then did he discover his wife, whose water had broken and who was bleeding.

He rushed her to the hospital, but the place was already a chaotic scene filled with screams and people running frantically in every direction.

There were no operating rooms or medical staff available.

All he could do was wait helplessly.

“On Rian. That’s what we’ll name our child. Little Marian.”

As Major On Hee-do helplessly watched the white sheets turn red with blood while tightly holding his wife’s hand, he heard her faint voice speaking in the Lucen language.

She had spent several days thinking about the name while waiting for her husband.

After finally telling him the name she had chosen, she gently stroked her belly one last time.

When an operating room finally became available, the medical staff managed to save Rian.

For Colonel On Hee-do, having to return to the country where he had lost his wife was painful as well.

If I had simply left my wife in Lucen…

If she had been able to receive surgery sooner…

She wouldn’t have been taken from me so pointlessly.

Rian understood her father’s feelings too well to complain any further.

Hiding the tears in her voice as best she could, Rian whispered in her father’s arms.

And so, their sorrowful farewell began.

It was unfamiliar.

The white wallpaper that had first entered her field of vision, the enormous room, the oversized bed, even the texture of the blankets—all of it felt strange.

Rian had always struggled to wake up and fought desperately against sleep every morning.

But when she opened her eyes to an unfamiliar scene that wasn’t her own room, she immediately became fully awake.

Morning sunlight was already streaming through the curtains and illuminating the room, while unfamiliar birds chirped energetically outside the window.

“Student Rian. Come over for breakfast.”

Startled by the call from the maid who had greeted her yesterday, Rian quickly answered and began getting ready.

She finished preparing herself in less than ten minutes, but she had to cross the courtyard to reach the main house, making her anxious about being late.

Normally, she would have jumped for joy at the thought of living in a palace-like home.

But being left alone in such a luxurious place felt overwhelmingly lonely.

Rian hurried across the courtyard and entered the dining room of the main house.

She politely greeted everyone in the morning before taking her seat at the table.

“You must have been unfamiliar with the bed. Did you sleep well?”

Lieutenant General Lee Jung-hyuk greeted her rather warmly.

“Yes, I slept very comfortably. Thank you for taking such good care of me.”

Lieutenant General Lee Jung-hyuk smiled and said he was glad to hear it.

Then Mrs. Kang Soo-jin added,

“We don’t normally all eat breakfast together, but today is Rian’s first day, and it’s also one of the rare days when the General is home, so we asked you to join us. Is that all right?”

“Yes. Everything is delicious.”

A magnificent breakfast had been prepared from the very beginning of the morning.

Rian normally didn’t eat much breakfast, but she felt as though she would be scolded if she left food behind like she had the previous day.

So she kept stuffing food into her small mouth until her cheeks were practically bulging.

She cautiously lifted her head and glanced at Seung-hyuk.

He simply continued eating in silence, seemingly without the slightest interest in Rian.

“Seung-hyuk, you’re leaving for winter training soon.”

“Yes. I’m scheduled to return in time for the start of next year’s semester.”

The silence, filled only with the clinking of cutlery, was broken when Lieutenant General Lee Jung-hyuk spoke first.

Rian figured that, even though they would be living in the same house, she would rarely have a chance to see this man from now on.

She hurriedly finished her portion and looked around.

“If you have any difficulties while you’re staying here, let me know anytime.”

Lieutenant General Lee Jung-hyuk’s words were a formal farewell meant to bring the meal to an end.

The uncomfortable meal that had begun yesterday and continued into today finally ended.

Lieutenant General Lee Jung-hyuk then prepared to return to his official residence.

Since he handled most of his duties while staying at the official residence, he only came to the family home once or twice a month.

After politely thanking everyone for the meal, Rian returned to the detached house and began properly unpacking her belongings.

It was the moment when the reality of having to live alone in this enormous place finally sank in.

Little by little, the unfamiliar space was filled with her familiar belongings.

She filled one side of the wardrobe with her ballet outfits and pointe shoes, then hung her everyday clothes beside them.

Rian was terrible at putting together casual outfits, so she usually bought clothes that came as matching sets.

Since she hardly ever wore makeup, the only things she placed on her vanity were the gentle lotion and sunscreen she normally used.

She had brought fewer belongings than expected, so she was nearly finished organizing everything in no time.

After taking out all her stretching equipment and her mat, there was only one thing left.

An old music box.

Not long after Rian had started ballet, her father had taken her to a ballet theater.

In the lobby, there had been various little ornaments on display, and young Rian hadn’t been able to take her eyes off them.

Seeing this, her father had smiled softly and told her to choose one.

After carefully considering her options, Rian chose a music box shaped like a small pond, with an adorable swan floating gracefully on its surface.

“Everything made these days turns automatically, but this one has to be wound by hand. If you turn it like this, the swan gracefully moves around on the water. Isn’t it pretty?”

The employee holding the music box demonstrated it for her.

When the small handle attached to the side of the music box was turned, the swan began moving in time with the music, following the speed at which the handle was wound.

It had looked so beautiful.

Young Rian had even clapped her hands with delight, and seeing her so happy, her father had burst into loud laughter.

It was a happy memory, one that still brought a smile to her face whenever she thought about it.

Rian gazed at the music box for a while, lost in memories of the past.

Then she carefully placed it beside her bed, along with a photograph of herself and her father.

She decided that whenever she missed her father in the future, she would wind the music box and listen to its melody.

Before she knew it, it was time to go to bed.

Of all the thoughts filling Rian’s mind, the one that occupied it most completely was the most beautiful person she had ever seen in her life—and the most incomprehensible and dangerous.

On the outside, he was as calm and still as a peaceful lake.

But she felt that his true nature was pitch-black within, so dark that she was afraid to look into it carelessly.

Like a black lake.

With that thought, Rian quietly drifted into a deep sleep.