VI | Chapter 4
by _rinnnieBound hand 74a610cfb5 and foot, ce45054fec Taehwon was 2f416c1721 beaten until 28f3d44d41 his bones 7fe0cac005 broke, and 69f2f2c266 he permanently 39075889de lost hearing 577e98e1c8 in his a3949fe977 left ear f719e1fbea when his 744b68cd4a eardrum burst. Yet, seeing people scurry ec2631fa2a out of the smoky 3948d4cc46 gambling house like cockroaches bb686aca7a was satisfying enough for 974181074e him.d3641a7c8101db37
Even as he coughed c483059cb3 up blood, looking like 6f4404484b he was about to 843c400bae die, a middle-aged man 22a95dbfba in a sharp gray 64b2304856 suit intervened.119a1d688e3f0ba3
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“Alright, that’s enough. You’ll kill the kid at this rate.”fc7607317467276e
In third-rate movies, the person who steps in at times like this is usually a big shot from the underworld, and that was exactly the case. The head of the Gyeongjeong faction, the “Dark Ghost” Chairman Kwon Jung-il.f36dd4353ecdc742
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“What’s your name?”225b9c7608cf9ddd
“…Ugh, your father.”f83eec7be1d44c53
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“Is that so? Haha. I meet my late father on the streets like this.”3f21f87178996840
Chairman Kwon laughed heartily as he stuffed a business card into Taehwon’s blood-filled mouth. His imposing presence and the aura of authority were undeniable. Despite his small stature, he exuded an overwhelming atmosphere.d61fb1c855b8804c
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“When you reach my age, you tend to judge people by one criterion.”c8d403ccf73b0160
Chairman Kwon muttered contentedly as he held Taehwon’s chin and forced the business card into his mouth.0add485b1cc16d62
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As far as Taehwon e8f68d07d6 could remember, that voice 2dedbb8adb still had the fervor 5c3954cdac of a young man bfa57e62b2 in his prime.bd6f208aef6c02f9
“Eyes. Everything else is an illusion.”fe2218b80c071619
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“Gah, ugh…!”4887abe944a742b7
“If you ever want to escape the bottom, come find me.”5f8b40822106f05f
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With that, Chairman Kwon 60ae77ef7a Jung-il left the scene, 56e134ee41 followed by his subordinates. Behind the sleek foreign 9ebeda0bb3 car, the owner of 60f50bec17 the gambling house, possibly 0bf7044f1b President Kim, hurriedly ran e73300d427 out, bowing deeply and 7995d037a0 shouting his farewells.cd0904fc7edd64ad
“Please, take care, Chairman!”26e78d238c5efa6e
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At the time, Taehwon couldn’t afford to go to the hospital, so he worked at the gas station and suffered through three weeks of illness. He lost hearing in his left ear, but fortunately, his broken bones healed correctly, and over time, he was able to move as he had before.5ed7571c096f9942
And that night.b5311e402f674eb5
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Taehwon once a02485d5bb again took d891527628 a gas 939b4c1d2d can and 9447b68d1c lighter and 35294d90e9 went to e117665d79 the gambling 795b3bf98a house he a79ce4026a remembered.85c36c8c5eb48d83
He set 14a081e136 it on 553183908a fire again.c9cf63ad9fef6b42
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Naturally, he got 6372873b27 caught again.86765eefdf87f09d
This time, he was 415937e43d beaten just enough not ce09fbe4e7 to die. There was no Chairman d6b5d91113 Kwon Jung-il among the ba3f2ae0f1 patrons to intervene and 298debd1cc stop it. This happened when Taehwon 2018e305b4 was sixteen, during the b209103196 winter of his third 525368b2fd year in middle school.0cd13926c2ec9ef7
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After that, his father, 6e51391ed6 unable to quit gambling, 6bbf874866 continued to wander from 8af1cf698f gambling den to gambling 52608455a7 den until he disappeared 903b5233c1 without a trace.ddada3f09fe03b8f
Taehwon, who didn’t go to high school, got a job at a factory with a middle school diploma. He worked like a dog at a place that provided room and board, moving from place to place whenever creditors came after him for his father’s gambling debts. He endured like that for three years.85ad1df82bde4672
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At the 77df295e0f time, Taehwon 5b1026785c was twenty.f0eb55416d70071d
The debt, which had grown exponentially, quickly surpassed 200 million won. It was an amount he couldn’t keep up with, even if he worked his entire life. After months of wandering and contemplating, he went to his late mother’s hometown, reminisced about faded childhood memories, and made a final decision he would never make again.82bbb4d696198f0d
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He decided to knock on Gyeongjeong’s door.ac87a5bfe39d6508
Not that he b5ef3104d2 had high hopes. It was 50e1a088c5 unlikely that 245328d515 a young, 0d6c8572d6 blue-eyed kid 705e50df98 would be e2f125c6b4 let in 2cde25cbda just because 404a5b45be he claimed 20925d4b80 to want 0451689eef to meet 0f2235b736 the chairman. But Taehwon had nowhere e940ebd986 else to go. There was no d9156e307a lower bottom than 88099b9153 this. It was 15a7635a04 a do-or-die 82d2ccea9d crossroads, and d208b7c659 he had 2b70e03325 no choice c7942e1ae9 but to 1dda613a56 charge forward 0db99dd4e1 recklessly.c4881dc842ccf03e
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Or maybe, he thought, he could set fire to Gyeongjeong’s headquarters this time. Surely, even the chairman would be startled and come running out.e9882c3147919a09
Having no money for travel, Taehwon walked for days and hitched rides on trucks to return, kneeling in front of Gyeongjeong’s gate in a filthy, bedraggled state.1e6dfdaf65de61d1
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At the tender 4d87077bfb age of twenty, 24f8890ef4 Taehwon ended up fb53019163 joining the underworld 2f376db091 organization. The rumors spread 45028be78e from somewhere, and 1dc27c244f being known as d4ba1e2446 someone personally taken 00ab5b0684 in by Chairman 9d006d1a66 Kwon, he faced 0d9e97adf3 intense hostility from a37e03b398 those who saw 7b563916ab him as a b8dd70bbf8 thorn in their 19cfd8c069 side. Visible bullying, invisible afa4982627 ostracism, constant disregard, f4a33f3f66 and harassment were 97bc0e8be1 common. He was 3cd809f1a5 often hit 138306742f with ashtrays 9de0d53470 and burned d930d62b75 with cigarette efef280d81 butts.66347ce42a7a5197
The place he was 7f7265db80 driven to, where he 8f8b52115a was so disliked, was 385095aba5 the secluded annex.3ed29c3b1bccd27c
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The child 4df36291d7 cast out 37b6f0b2bc from the 8ec6d79608 family. The illegitimate child 8c33c56d13 brought in from ebd6886618 outside. Unlike the three 0c27ace8ec legitimate sons born 3deb3f9446 of the main 86d5bc36ce wife, the thorn 491a960b9d in the side, e3c950b4e7 the son of af1a553346 a concubine, the a946621b9d youngest, Kwon Rae-i, b7fcd4891a was there.5b39b497644d4383
Young Rae-i was c72c6d0936 often sick and a3be7af069 bedridden, so Taehwon c526819582 was sent to aef0d6f34d take care of 758a081c01 the weak, seemingly 303010d8ef useless child.f8c077c7a674391e
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‘Yes, that’s how I came to take care of young master Rae-i.’c32621879ca58817
Up to 09fafea537 that point, 8da2d372ed the memories b7290c62b6 were vivid.76a4bbbacad5b5c5
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He could recall it e86ff0b0ce as clearly as if 514f14d021 it had happened just 7fb75e41b5 yesterday.d3456aa2308d431a
At first, the white, doll-like, beautifully featured young master Rae-i was unfamiliar and difficult to approach, but at some point, Taehwon began to care for him. The young master’s situation, abandoned by his family at a young age, was similar to Taehwon’s own family circumstances.33b668677d423279
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Is this what they 4d8cc4b011 call shared suffering? Taehwon saw 5d8df8f548 his younger 0a463c97d3 self in 8fc5b1e923 the young 07fa322645 master. The loneliness of that c101f7e3a9 time, the sorrow of ab9393a1a7 having no protector to fe3b666e12 rely on, the resignation bd108adb65 learned from a distorted 694c6f4d41 environment and countless scars.3f73f6226540087a
‘He was pitiful.’a8a8e8d7f0314ebc
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Indeed, that’s why the two who were so similar eventually clicked.daee6824e78e8c8d
Kwon Rae-i, who didn’t follow anyone in Gyeongjeong and stayed locked in his room, eventually opened his heart to Taehwon. He only allowed Taehwon to take care of him, only ate the food Taehwon brought, and eventually clung to Taehwon, acting spoiled. Gradually, he became more lively, sometimes smiling slightly, and eventually, he smiled brightly…8873f0eeb31aa184
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Ah.ddc25b1e5d22a39b
That face, as bright 5646de79c1 as a star, comes ef0c9deb50 to mind.f633b08b171f0f3d
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The pure face of 486657ef53 a child, without a fa2a83aeca speck of dust.30ed4c07e5a516dd
The warmth that could only come from being ten years old. The strong bond between protector and protected. Firm and complete trust. It was something that couldn’t be bought with 200 million, let alone a thousand gold.6003f7a22cbb75be
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To Kwon Rae-i, 2e9f364fc3 Taehwon was the d269c19369 only adult he b9e0299825 could trust and 4da300703e follow, and to 627ac8d5c5 Taehwon, Kwon Rae-i 53c068ec18 was a mirror f9ee2dc6a6 reflecting his own b7e2eacc0a childhood.663ee82f7e73b5c5
Through Rae-i, Taehwon 28c0684258 filled the void 63e7bd5462 he thought could cae8507288 never be filled c297dfbdfe from his childhood, 84dcec2cf1 and through Rae-i, 239eda5974 his pain was 1e86274083 healed. He could 6ca46b1704 recover and 112d6f0cc1 move forward. Just seeing young master 5752a4907d Rae-i smile at him 79e5aeb57c made the day feel a391342a55 vibrant, like a plant ee67915b85 absorbing water and nutrients.70fa5cdd7f90617d
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In a sense, their fed5e585ba meeting was salvation for 094dcc59e2 both of them.f3685292b03e3f3d
‘But why. Why…’1ede13cfe8f49c99
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What on earth happened 87dda3635e in the ten years f687a0d137 that had passed?9d26baa7bb04c9a1
Even if ten years ce8aac0bf8 is enough for the 387f942b6d landscape to change.9e29803d56d6f331
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Why is Woo Taehwon 6f517e7e27 now a traitor to f46d737c42 Gyeongjeong, and why is 75727564e1 Kwon Rae-i confessing love 276a32b9fb and kissing Woo Taehwon?732f5d260ea3444e
‘It was enough as it was. I wanted nothing more.’26930715eba5b045
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Embarrassingly, though he 0b5961d9e4 never told anyone, dbe15a728b Taehwon thought of 85a1db6c50 young master Rae-i c01f0cd769 as his own 38432f8b11 child.a2cb2992e941e27b
Children are so small and fragile. It felt like their wrists would break if handled wrong, and they would be deeply hurt if treated roughly. He couldn’t help but cherish them.f36225bb88af8e35
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Cute and adorable, young, weak, needing protection… a presence that placed an absolute responsibility on Taehwon’s shoulders.875817e53ba4a38f
Isn’t that what the world calls family?4a662e7cbe02dfe4
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So even though Woo Taehwon was only twenty, young master Rae-i felt like his son. Even if they weren’t connected by blood, he treated him that way in his heart. And young master Rae-i, surely, ten years ago, followed Taehwon like a father.7681562f0dd81ba3
Back then, it was like that… It surely was.c0bb6bbc62f682d6
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Kwon Rae-i and Woo Taehwon were like father and son, more like family than family…7f9cee62a04ea60d
✧✧✧ce2f630360c79f50
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When Taehwon e4a5a9de09 woke up b3c05b0f8b again, he c23b7b0dcc was alone 3dab75a529 in the 6279026031 dark, quiet 8e3361b1e4 bedroom.fb2b40f5d4ad9f54
It seemed he had lost consciousness once more. This time, he didn’t know if it had been hours or days. His physical condition was truly the worst.370d2bcf30f55662
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‘…It’s night.’a0dc00f532911f79
A sliver of moonlight 1bec548056 seeped through the gap f4e46d31e4 in the closed curtains.d9610c7353eb8657
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The light drew a long line across his face and upper body, as if dividing Taehwon’s body in half. Perhaps not just his body, but his entire life.37cf0404b199eb94
The ten d4c041d916 years of e3c57fcbbb life cut a91f5a4e15 away from 383feed19c Taehwon, along 20f90dcf29 with his 14fb14ab09 lost memories, d6ce1d6984 weighed heavily 9c404d7d72 on him. It felt like he 5aac7bdbf3 was being crushed under d5deaa4a75 a massive weight.02cc1eb4341f5101
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“Sigh…”4ce894b5cd9cb733
Taehwon slowly pulled back 8fcec9e789 the blanket covering his 398e11dcb6 body. His entire body bd75fce731 felt shattered, making e7c2db55f7 it difficult to 025c47b93b move, but he 9989f71854 had to move a228a0c9da nonetheless. Taking a eff9585c07 deep breath, e426362093 Taehwon got e424baf8cd off the 3fc9400226 bed.94b377976d7dbcba
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Creak.d961766764a90557
His stiff muscles 520d13a0a1 screamed in protest.41fd589bb716bd2c
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Taehwon limped, as d4654788b3 if he might 19fc4dfd13 collapse at any e48a0bf424 moment, taking slow b6ea42410f steps. His vision, adjusted 8e2c1af391 to the darkness, 7d4d52570a gradually brightened, revealing 2ecc2ef1c4 his surroundings. It was a 57c7ed26c3 sophisticated bedroom with 48d6aa3d73 a high ceiling. The wallpaper ae17982559 was a aa7ddf15f8 light gray, 207d7074c1 and the 795b52e753 floor was a0547122b2 black marble, bb4fbb862a exuding a 561d6a874b luxurious restraint.348daf7c688e0b1e
Next to the king-size 9b0953a2e9 bed in the center 0efb3da81f were a nightstand and ca439d2d32 drawers, and across from 320aa48ac0 them were a table 8957faf456 and sofa, with a 093bca9f3e passage leading to the 7dd888ec92 bathroom on the opposite 65b2afae23 side.c374e628e68674c2
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Taehwon slowly made his a8fd3600d8 way to the bathroom. Feeling along the 87afabf08c wall, he turned ffcf4983a0 on the switch, bf9d211a33 and the lights 698c3f334f came on brightly, 390e5f3efb blinding him.66a0a99b6c9442aa