VI | Chapter 2

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“It’s partial amnesia. He’s lost a significant portion of his recent memories due to a severe shock to the brain.”

The doctor in a white coat sighed repeatedly.

Hanseon, Kwon Rae-i’s long-time personal physician, examined the half-dead Taehwon with a complicated expression. Woo Taehwon looked so terrible that it wouldn’t be surprising if he went into cardiac arrest at any moment.

“The memory loss is one thing, but the physical injuries are far more severe. It’s a miracle he’s regained consciousness and woken up in this state. His entire body is broken and torn, especially with the tendons in his right arm severed. If he doesn’t focus on recovery and rehabilitation, he might never be able to use that arm again.”

“I don’t care about anything else. Just keep him alive.”

“Young Master Rae-i…”

“Just keep him alive. Okay?”

“Yes…”

At the firm command, Hanseon bowed his head. He had done his best as a doctor, but…

“Excuse me for saying this, but isn’t that Woo Taehwon?”

Even though the patient had lost his memory and the atmosphere had completely changed, there was no way not to recognize Woo Taehwon. He was the action leader who had the full trust of Chairman Kwon Jung-il. A close aide. The hitman Woo Taehwon.

He was a well-known figure within the organization. Moreover, the Gyeongjeong faction was currently in an uproar, having issued a nationwide manhunt to capture Woo Taehwon. At this point, even street thugs knew his face.

“Why is the young master so devoted to someone who betrayed the chairman and is now the enemy of Gyeongjeong…”

Hanseon muttered uneasily. But Kwon Rae-i cut him off before he could finish.

“Just leave. Stop spouting nonsense.”

Kwon Rae-i crossed his legs and tapped the table with his fingertips. At the clear dismissal and uncomfortable mood, Hanseon obeyed without another word. He knew better than anyone that nothing good would come from going against Kwon Rae-i’s wishes.

Hanseon bowed and immediately turned to leave the bedroom.

Kwon Rae-i, the legitimate son of the so-called “Dark Ghost” Chairman Kwon Jung-il.

Though he was an illegitimate child, not born of the main wife, and had albinism, looking nothing like Chairman Kwon, he was a frail boy who often fell ill and was abandoned in a secluded annex, ignored.

However, Kwon Rae-i was the heir who inherited Chairman Kwon’s blood more strongly than any of his older siblings. Though only twenty years old this year, Hanseon predicted that within ten years, the real power of Gyeongjeong would fall into Kwon Rae-i’s hands.

‘I’ve been around this world long enough. It’s clear he’s different by nature.’

However, this was a prediction looking ten years into the future. If Chairman Kwon Jung-il had remained strong until then, Kwon Rae-i’s position as heir would have solidified over time, but with the chairman’s sudden death, the throne was now vacant. No one knew how the direction of the throne would turn. After all, Kwon Rae-i was still young…

Creak.

The bedroom door closed, and the room fell silent.

Kwon Rae-i continued tapping the table, staring blankly at Taehwon lying on the bed. His gaze was empty. Vast and black like the night sky.

“…That’s what they say, Taehwon-ssi.”

Taehwon, who had been lying motionless on the bed, slowly blinked. The white ceiling seemed distant. Hanseon’s concern was rather plain, considering Taehwon’s body was completely wrecked.

His right arm was in a cast, and his thighs and chest were wrapped in bandages like a mummy. That wasn’t all. His skin was marred with scars and bruises. The short-sleeved T-shirt and shorts he wore couldn’t cover all the wounds.

“How did it come to this, losing your memory and getting so injured? They say you might not be able to use your arm, ironically.”

His body, stiff as a log, wouldn’t move as he wished. The headache was severe. It felt like someone was splitting his head open with an axe. Taehwon’s dry lips moved slightly. A rough, cracked voice flowed from his parched throat.

“Uh, Rae-i… young master?”

As soon as he heard the hesitant question, Kwon Rae-i let out a small laugh.

He realized where Taehwon’s muddled black eyes were focused. The distinctive hair and eye color of someone with albinism. Snow-white hair and eyelashes, and bright, transparent blue-gray eyes.

“Yes, Taehwon-ssi. It’s me. Do you remember me?”

Kwon Rae-i had never liked his distinctive appearance that stood out wherever he went. Not once. But seeing that it served as a clue for the memory-lost Taehwon to recognize him, albinism didn’t seem so bad now.

“Young master, but why are you…”

Taehwon, still not accustomed to his sporadically empty memory, furrowed his brow deeply in confusion. Seeing him struggle with the headache, Kwon Rae-i got up from the leather sofa and slowly walked over to Taehwon’s bed.

“Don’t push yourself. It must be hard to accept. Tell me the last thing you remember.”

He leaned on the metal frame headboard and looked down at Taehwon. The light from the fluorescent lamp cast a dark shadow in the shape of Kwon Rae-i. Despite the brightly lit, spacious bedroom with a high ceiling giving a sense of openness, there was a feeling of being squeezed into a narrow alley.

Taehwon slowly responded, meeting Kwon Rae-i’s icy blue-gray eyes.

“In my memory, young master, you were…”

“Yes, Taehwon-ssi.”

“Still… still ten years old.”

“Aha. Ten years old? That was ten years ago.”

“You were so young. Very.”

“Yes. I was very young. Taehwon-ssi took care of me and stayed with me in the annex. Ten years ago.”

“Ugh…”

Taehwon frowned, letting out a broken groan and clutching his head. Kwon Rae-i reached out to the struggling Taehwon, gently stroking his back as he asked.

“I see. You remember that time. So how old are you now, Taehwon-ssi?”

“T-Twenty.”

“No, I said ten years have passed, didn’t I? I’m twenty, and Taehwon-ssi is now thirty.”

“Thirty?”

Taehwon’s eyes widened. It was rare to see Woo Taehwon’s emotions so plainly on his face, and a subtle smile appeared on Kwon Rae-i’s lips. Kwon Rae-i folded his long eyes and smiled angelically as he asked Taehwon again.

“Do you remember Gyeongjeong?”

“I remember… Thanks to Chairman Kwon’s personal care, I survived.”

“Hmm. I see. You remember my father too.”

“…Are you really Young Master Rae-i? Is it true you’re twenty now, ten years later?”

“Does it sound like a lie?”

“No. But, your appearance is just so…”

Taehwon, looking perplexed, lowered his head and mumbled. It was the first time Kwon Rae-i had seen Woo Taehwon so flustered.

Well, talking to him, it was clear he had lost about ten years of memory. He claimed to be twenty, but at twenty, Woo Taehwon was just a rookie who had just joined Gyeongjeong. He was nothing like the hitman Woo Taehwon of today. He had never held a knife or killed anyone, just a greenhorn who took care of the chairman’s illegitimate child.

“So? Why my appearance?”

“…You’re an adult.”

“Huh? I look like an adult?”

At that, Kwon Rae-i chuckled.

An adult…

An adult, huh.

Woo Taehwon had always treated him like a child.

“Right? I’ve become an adult before I knew it, Taehwon-ssi.”

“Yes…”

“As you can see, I’m not a child anymore, haha. I’m taller than Taehwon-ssi now. My once sickly body is healthy. I’ve even grown hair down there.”

“…”

“Twenty… Wow, haha. Woo Taehwon at twenty. Hahaha! You know what? We’re the same age now.”

Kwon Rae-i shook with laughter, his shoulders trembling. He laughed as much as he wanted, wiping the tears from his eyes with his fingertips, and muttered as if it was absurd.

“I can’t say I’m younger than you anymore.”

The voice, chaotic and mixed, echoed in his mind. The unstable, jumbled sound carried a hint of madness.

Kwon Rae-i, who had been laughing endlessly, traced Taehwon’s neck with his index finger. He gently traced the outline of his jaw and face, stopping at his lips. The pale fingers, born with albinism, pressed against Taehwon’s lips. His dry lower lip changed shape as it was pressed, parting slightly.

“You can’t dismiss it as a childhood illusion or adolescent impulse anymore.”

“…Young master?”

“I should tell you in advance so you won’t be surprised, Taehwon-ssi. This isn’t our first kiss.”