#chapter 276

"Akatsuki no Yona " has ended today after 16 years of serialization.

Disclaimer: In my opinion Soo Won speaks her truthfully, in contrast to the conversation in chapter 276.

1. Soo Won took off his armour - This is the truth

He literally took his armour off, to be truthful to Hak, after all. And Hak helped him doing it, he couldn´t do it alone. It needed to be Hak, because of their relationship.

2. Hak´s Question: Are Lies between us necessary, Soo Won?

Hak asked Soo Won, if it was truly necessary to wear armour? More or less, he asked him, indirectly, if lies between Hak and Soo Won and Yona would had been necessary?

Soo Won answered – typically – in a self-sacrificial matter. „Wearing armor fires up everyone more.“

He told Hak, that his own „wellbeing“ isn´t that important, if everybody else is happy.

I believe, that Hak had a hunch, since he knows both Shin ha and Soo Won. I believe, Hak understood, that Soo Won wished for death.

Look at Hak´s face, he is truly doubting it, that Shin ha really did it.

3. Soo Won´s self-sacrifice

Look, how much it hit Hak. Soo Won wished to self-sacrifice for the country.

I didn´t believe it either, that Shin ha was the one, to take the initiative. Soo Won wished for death...it was his guilt speaking here. Hak may have realized it here. Look, how Hak nearly gave up, to hearing the truth, he was turning his back on Soo Won. Then Soo Won was finally giving in and telling Hak the truth.

Look, how Hak cannot see Soo Won´s face here. Soo Won will slowly reveal the truth to Hak. Up until now, he cannot - literally - see Soo Won clearly.

4. Immense guilt: Soo Won´s way out of his misery- suicide

You can literally see, how speechless Hak was. He realized, that Soo Won felt guilty the whole time, because of "the murder of Yona´s father", "Yona´s isolation" and "Hak´s imprisonment".

5. The truth: I don´t regret killing King Il

Soo Won is literally shimmering with light, when he admitted, that he killed King Il.

These are his true feelings. He could not regret the murder of King Il. It is impossible for him, now and then.

Why does Hak see Soo Won engulfed in light, when he admitted, that he doesn´t regret killing King Il?

Because it is Soo Won´s truth, because Hak does accept this as Soo Won´s truth. Soo Won, however, mournt, that it would turn out the same way. Soo Won was only partly facing Hak, he felt shame, most likely.

Soo Won further admitted, that he wished to die by Yona´s or Hak´s hands. Consistent with, what we saw so far of him.

6. The Heart of Soo Won´s guilt is Hak and Yona´s kindness

Soo Won told absolutely the truth here – he felt so guilty, because Yona and Hak supported him, still. Therefore he wanted to die.

Look, how Soo Won is shimmering in front of the darkness. Just like some kind of angel. This is the way, Hak sees him.

7. The wound on Soo Won´s arm: The desired punishment

Soo Won wanted to be punished for his crimes.

"Then that´s my punishment", thinks Soo Won, who wishes for death

Soo Won sustained an injury, that made him feel a little „ at peace“ again. The wound is his punishment, Soo Won wants to keep.(Therefore he still has it, even after the Dragon Gods have healed him.)

Yet, Soo Won´s life was spared by Shin ha. Because of Yona, because he knew, that Yona would suffer. Maybe, unconcsiously, he understood "La Pieta", as Yona sees it.

Hak understood, that Soo Won took up all this on himself, because he wanted to rescue everybody else.

That is why, Hak concluded: „We are not even again“.

8. Hak´s truth: I cannot be king

Now it is on Hak, to be truthful. He admitted his own weakness in front of Soo Won, who is engulfed in light – for Hak – in this darkness.

Hak demonstrated here: He completely understood, that Soo Won did "anything for the sake of a nation".

Hak knows from a logical point – he is no idiot- that being king limits your possibilities, but he cannot do it.

Again, Hak acknowledges Soo Won´s misery as a king.

9. Hak accepted Soo Won´s choices

"I cannot change the way you think" = Hak doesn´t like it, but he will accept Soo Won´s way of thinking."

And now comes the most important part:

"Knowing you, rather than making things complicated by following the same path and receiving punishment for it, I m sure you´d be able to tweak things a bit and create the best possible outcome the next time around, right?"

What do you believe, means "I m sure you´d be able to tweak things a bit"...?

Basically, it means, that Hak is allright with Soo Won using underhanded means, lying and cheating, if he is able to "create the best possible outcome the next time around".

10. And this exactly what happened: Soo Won, and most likely Hak and Yona were "tweaking things" in order to "create the best possible outcome the next time around" in chapter 276

그나마 다행인 건 박민성 주임님이 긴장, 혼란, 기쁨 같은 강렬한 감정을 지나 이제는 거의 익숙한 태도를 보이고 있다는 점일까. Perhaps the only fortunate thing is that Chief Park Min-seong has moved past the intense emotions of tension, confusion, and joy and is now showing an almost familiar attitude.

다만….  but….

‘…D조일 때 같다.’  ‘…It’s like when we were in Group D.’

현실에서 보안팀인 것을 무의식중에 외면하는 것처럼, 박민성 주임님은 그 옛날 D조 소속일 때와 완전히 동일한 태도로 행동하고 있다. As if unconsciously ignoring the fact that he is a member of the security team in reality, Chief Park Min-seong is acting in exactly the same manner as when he was a member of Team D in the past.

He is witnessing his brother's ascension to being the fucking hot commodity to his rivals and even his master alike.