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This light novel is inspired by the beautiful landscapes and cultures of Bolivia and South Korea. However, the characters, events, and situations portrayed are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real persons, places, or events is purely coincidental. This content does not intend to represent or reflect the historical, social, or cultural reality of either country. The author disclaims any legal liability arising from the interpretation of these elements.
Chapter 83 — The Honeymoon
83.1 The Honeymoon Dance
The door closed behind them with a soft click.
They both entered a small igloo-shaped cabin in Samaipata,
marveling at the transparent roof that revealed the starry sky,
like a mantle of lights above them.
Ryu paused for a second; despite the glass hotels he had known, this royal austerity tightened his chest.
The constellations flickered above them, suspending the world in a profound silence.
They fell onto the bed without a word, the heavy fatigue of an endless day covering them.
Ryu exhaled, his shoulders relaxing slightly, a subtle gesture.
"What a long day."
He murmured, looking up toward the stars.
Under those stars, he understood something new.
for the first time, he hadn't calculated anything.
Zayra nodded, her chest rising with deep breaths and her eyes shining under the starlight.
She thought of her father… and smiled.
A few minutes of silence followed,
wrapped in the night's freshness and nature.
***
Suddenly, she stood up abruptly.
"What happened?"
Ryu asked, surprised.
He sat up by reflex, senses on alert;
years of unpredictable negotiations had trained his body before his words.
"Wait for me a moment."
She replied with a mischievous smile.
Then headed to the bathroom and closed the door behind her.
Ryu remained seated; he didn't follow or ask.
To respect was to know how to wait, even when desire surfaced.
***
She took a deep breath and remembered the promise she had made
and the future she now shared with Ryu.
She put on the delicate lingerie she had prepared for that night, and over it, the red Arabic suit,
embroidered with gold threads, which shimmered with every movement.
With soft music in the background an Arabic melody she had chosen especially.
She opened the bathroom door and entered the room.
Ryu looked up… and for an instant,
he forgot how to react.
His fingers closed slightly over the sheet,
a minimal gesture that betrayed the impact she had on him.
Her movements were fluid, sensual,
and delicate all at once.
She danced for Ryu, enveloping herself in the veil,
letting every gesture tell the story of their love and commitment.
He watched her with a tenderness he hadn't expected to feel.
When she finished, Zayra approached him,
her eyes searching for his response to her gesture.
Ryu understood without words.
He took her hand, pulled her close, and kissed her delicately.
With that gesture, he confirmed something he had been feeling for days.
That for the first time, he was acting of his own free will, not out of duty or strategy.
In that intimacy, they understood that love is not measured by grand gestures, but by respect and mutual devotion.
The night continued, but for them, that moment was eternal.
83.2 The Spark of Rejection
The lights danced as if the night didn't want to end.
Min-Jun was surprised by the variety of music:
mariachis, concerts, and the abundance of drinks.
The newlyweds had left more than an hour ago, and the party was at its peak.
The hall vibrated with dancing, laughter, and joy.
Everyone was enjoying themselves, except Enay, who sat alone in a corner,
her back straight and a glass of juice gripped between her fingers.
She felt frustrated; she hadn't wanted to go to the event,
but her parents forced her and warned her that she'd be in trouble if she misbehaved.
With a bored and serious face, she watched the community dancing,
including her older brother Yande with his girlfriend Daniela.
Enay arched an eyebrow and crossed her arms, but her opinion didn't seem to matter there.
Annoyed and distant, her wine-colored dress highlighted a beauty in transition,
a sign she was leaving childhood behind.
She rejected several invitations to dance without a second thought.
At the party,
a young foreigner watched her from a distance.
***
Another image of Zayra and Ryu appeared on the giant screen in the background.
They were smiling on the screen, radiant like a destiny Enay wasn't ready to accept.
She pressed her lips together.
"Happy… of course. Because they destroyed my illusions."
Since she was a child, she had dreamed of a different ending; for her and the community,
Zayra and Yandé were the logical and desired conclusion.
Her brother, the most brilliant in the community, and Zayra, an intelligent, sophisticated,
and humble woman who had always protected her and dried her tears when other girls made her cry for being
"the chief's daughter."
Zayra, her star,
was now marrying a foreign man, cold as a statue.
She wondered.
"What does he have that my brother doesn't? He barely speaks."
Ice crawled up her chest, straight to her throat.
"Ridiculous."
She murmured with glassy eyes and a heavy heart.
And then, as if the universe had no mercy,
he appeared.
Min-Jun, with perfect hair, an impeccable suit, and a steady smile.
He walked confidently and stopped in front of her with a sharp gaze.
"A flower as beautiful as you not dancing is an injustice."
He said with that charming smile others admired.
Enay watched him with a raised eyebrow,
and a feeling of hatred grew inside her.
Not for Min-Jun, but for what he reflected:
foreign eyes and a confident air, just like his older brother.
Bolder, but with the same blood and pride and elegance similar to Ryu's that irritated her.
"Another one like him?"
She thought, standing up abruptly, making her glass clink.
Min-Jun blinked, incredulous.
He had never received that kind of reaction.
"I don't have time for your little games."
She replied.
"What did you say?"
He asked, shocked.
She looked at him like her worst enemy and commented in a biting tone.
"I've had enough of your type for one night."
Without waiting for an answer, she turned around.
Her curls and dress billowed like a flame.
Min-Jun went blank.
He blinked, unable to believe what he was witnessing.
Every step Enay took was a declaration of war.
He opened his mouth, then closed it.
And then he smiled slowly, sincerely, and curiously.
"Very interesting."
He murmured, while the glass swayed gently in his hand.
He stood there wondering,
the name of the woman who had rejected a dance from him for the first time in his life.
83.3 The Observer
Min-Jun swirled his glass, watching the girl disappear into the crowd.
Curly-haired and furious, like a storm at the wedding.
He flashed a lopsided, amused smile,
but a quick blink revealed that something about her stirred him more than he wanted to admit.
Suddenly,
a female voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"That was Enay."
At the sound of Seo-Yeon's voice, Min-Jun straightened slightly; his usual messy smile dissipated for a moment.
His sister had that calming effect on him.
He recognized that cadence, that elegant calm in his older sister.
Standing next to him with arms crossed and a sharp gaze,
she seemed to have seen everything.
"Do you know her?"
He asked in a low tone, barely turning his head.
"I've seen her with Zayra, several times. She's different."
She paused, a very long pause, as if measuring her words before letting them drop like pearls.
"She isn't easily impressed… and certainly not by someone who looks so much like Ryu."
Min-Jun let out a low, amused laugh,
but the smile vanished as quickly as it appeared, revealing a shadow of doubt.
"Is that a problem?"
Seo-Yeon didn't answer immediately.
She raised an eyebrow, just as before, before dropping something that would hurt... a little.
"No. Min-Jun, she isn't upset with you, but with what you represent."
He frowned.
"And what am I supposed to represent?"
For a moment, Min-Jun remained silent, letting the question sink in.
He knew he wasn't just a fun, carefree guy; he was the son of a family that demanded perfection.
A shiver ran down his spine a mixture of pride and fear.
Seo-Yeon smiled faintly.
One of those smiles that slides like ice down your back.
"Her favorite story, interrupted. Enay believed her brother would end up with Zayra.
You are the proof that it won't be that way."
Min-Jun looked down at his glass.
The wine trembled subtly against his fingers.
For the first time in a long time, his pulse wasn't steady.
He forced himself to let go of the glass and take a deep breath,
reminding himself to maintain control.
"So what do I do?"
He asked.
Though his voice sounded light, inside, a current of fear of failure threatened to break the facade.
He didn't want to let anyone down, least of all himself.
Seo-Yeon looked at him with a mix of tenderness and warning.
"Nothing. At least not today."
He sighed in frustration and asked.
"Why?"
She gave him the "older sister who knows more than you" look and commented.
"Girls like Enay don't go for those who insist. They go for those who don't need to convince them."
Min-Jun smiled sideways, fascinated, like a child before a puzzle, and asked.
"Were you like that too?"
"I still am."
She replied, with her usual superiority.
He let out a low laugh.
"Thanks, noona."
Seo-Yeon turned to leave but stopped mid-step.
"Min-Jun…"
She approached him discreetly and said.
"Don't play with her."
Min-Jun raised both hands theatrically, a mischievous smile adorning his face.
But his eyes, for a brief instant, turned serious, as if recognizing the weight of the warning.
"If you decide to approach her…"
She continued.
"let it be with sincerity, or you'll have problems with our in-laws."
A sigh escaped his lips not of exhaustion, but of resignation.
Was he ready for this game?
For the first time,
the idea of facing consequences unsettled him more than any party or conquest.
However, as always, he wanted to turn things in his favor.
He smiled mischievously and asked.
"And what if she's the one playing with me?"
Seo-Yeon didn't answer.
She only looked at him with those sharp eyes that never lost a battle.
She raised an eyebrow in a "good luck, dummy" gesture and disappeared among the guests,
as if walking on an invisible runway.
When Seo-Yeon's figure vanished,
Min-Jun was left alone with his thoughts, the fleeting smile erased.
For a moment, he allowed himself to question who he really wanted to be:
the light, charming man or the brother he admired in silence.
Alone, with the music and toasts fading around him,
Min-Jun couldn't take his eyes off the spot where Enay had disappeared into the crowd,
wondering if that storm would be his next conquest or his greatest challenge.
This new uncertainty gripped him: he wasn't sure if he wanted to seduce her or truly understand her.
His serene posture contrasted with the uproar of the "hora loca" that he had been enthusiastically cheering just minutes before.