Tiyung travels the Northern Road in Yusan with Sora for three days, caught between his desire for her and his sense that she hates him and may be plotting his death. After a tense but quiet lunch, Sora confronts him about giving food to servants and silver mun to beggar children, questioning what he is trying to accomplish.

Tiyung insists he is not performing for appearances and argues he would rather be “soft” than ignore children in real need, unlike his father. Sora accuses him of resembling Seok in the past, forcing Tiyung to acknowledge how he once acted like a tyrant—especially toward Sora—while trying to earn Seok’s approval.

Tiyung recalls Seok’s hidden poison school, where girls suffered and died, and admits he kept accompanying Seok partly to ensure Sora was still alive. He remembers arriving as one victim’s body was burned and buried without customary honors, and how he hid his fear and relief because Seok was always watching. Tiyung avoids offering apologies or confessing his love, convinced Sora will never want him.

The conversation shifts when Sora asks if Seok wants the throne. Tiyung agrees Seok likely wants greater power, describing him as the kind of man driven by endless hunger. When Sora admits she sometimes feels emptied of who she used to be, Tiyung tells her she still has Daysum and is still herself, though Sora’s reaction suggests that subject is painful.

Sora warns that Tiyung may become as powerful as Seok, and Tiyung says he hopes to help Sora while he can still be the man he wants to be. He asks her to accept an alliance even if they cannot be friends; Sora finally nods in agreement. Privately, Tiyung reveals the stakes: Seok has ordered Tiyung to kill Sora once the king is dead.