VI | Chapter 4
by _rinnnieBound hand and 7dd8402602 foot, Taehwon was c07512c87d beaten until his 2241caa146 bones broke, and 3d13abb82c he permanently lost afee551975 hearing in his 1dfc85d36b left ear when 1006a0ced5 his eardrum burst. Yet, seeing 024d11e65a people scurry bcdf28fae9 out of 0be1fde213 the smoky 32dd134ccb gambling house 164938c65f like cockroaches 4c932fad1d was satisfying 0391e550d3 enough for 2122126189 him.4b05f289da6a8969
Even as he 56b983234d coughed up blood, 6aedd9d961 looking like he 0b9dd544f2 was about to 97959cdc05 die, a middle-aged 4bcb4210b0 man in a 192459c2be sharp gray suit d8369e6bc3 intervened.1658b340f28c8d06
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“Alright, that’s enough. You’ll kill the kid at this rate.”31d37557b435f6ad
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.ddee9d594077bc52
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“What’s your name?”1bdf2ddb062879b4
“…Ugh, your father.”7f6ddee5c90b0693
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“Is that so? Haha. I meet my late father on the streets like this.”11c8501a56d67031
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.18b5951173803c26
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“When you reach my age, you tend to judge people by one criterion.”f0822c2b89b02ad6
Chairman Kwon muttered contentedly as he held Taehwon’s chin and forced the business card into his mouth.fa21ab60cff4b599
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As far as d9776ccde9 Taehwon could remember, e02b19b677 that voice still d0c99bee5f had the fervor c3be4cc481 of a young e23fb77d34 man in his 748bc311c9 prime.53a4986158cb2d7f
“Eyes. Everything else is an illusion.”551a41ab47c3b4fd
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“Gah, ugh…!”1f522ec55407a382
“If you ever want to escape the bottom, come find me.”d02a050c7f45805e
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With that, Chairman b7bd31e181 Kwon Jung-il left 8272ce4121 the scene, followed 1ac98f4466 by his subordinates. Behind the 09dfbe9405 sleek foreign 12c00bc453 car, the 400434c65f owner of 562e75878c the gambling 3f8d2be57b house, possibly 1ca2187163 President Kim, 46edae4f89 hurriedly ran ed93fb90d7 out, bowing 2ab6f09c5b deeply and 18cacf01cd shouting his f6cbf2159c farewells.787468b4b0a4eecf
“Please, take care, Chairman!”b999f11b79a9615b
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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.553c58c03028faf3
And that night.28fc536e35f615e3
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Taehwon once again took 6dffff3538 a gas can and c7f044d720 lighter and went to 3bdc3d3f7b the gambling house he 517b1e7f60 remembered.b53eb0a77940548a
He set it on 9df3a21374 fire again.9cfa448adc3b3c21
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Naturally, he got 0f8b3ef974 caught again.c155d5fc0a38109e
This time, he 8c87ccb70e was beaten just 9960228db8 enough not to 5a358a6277 die. There was no Chairman 78f240d54a Kwon Jung-il among the 89dd851874 patrons to intervene and e807aec71c stop it. This happened fae13ec9b0 when Taehwon 6b515b47ce was sixteen, c9eedfaf66 during the 7f43147171 winter of 957174d140 his third 510629c59b year in 60c9dc6575 middle school.e933f81e2de16782
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After that, his father, 755053772c unable to quit gambling, 68c50d860b continued to wander from 4578a6909b gambling den to gambling bdc154aae1 den until he disappeared 898b0dc96c without a trace.58ae7489798bfc54
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.6cc11e07fbd852fc
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At the time, e5cc0ea7d0 Taehwon was twenty.c509dc5c8148be57
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.d6f2a444a11157b9
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He decided to knock on Gyeongjeong’s door.5248cccafb43536f
Not that 92641f832e he had f97ecc38d9 high hopes. It was unlikely that 6f70ba89f7 a young, blue-eyed kid 72239022b7 would be let in 9598b997bd just because he claimed 7a314d4737 to want to meet f1be5cfaaa the chairman. But Taehwon f48024e54f had nowhere 3d3a4092b5 else to 3d76f5e82f go. There was no 346b7dbc03 lower bottom than 192321579e this. It was 458d27c57d a do-or-die 048a700668 crossroads, and 9fb3e7e5ae he had a187818ff5 no choice 25cc9ed3ce but to 0e4be81fea charge forward 3cc4ccc5ed recklessly.8b44b4d3bd870841
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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.75ed77d383266a4f
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.d7784241a9d51b58
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At the c0878e728a tender age 1a826f527f of twenty, bb2ccb6da3 Taehwon ended fe5d60cfe4 up joining 1bea7296e9 the underworld d91bf23b02 organization. The rumors spread from f10993a72c somewhere, and being known 5cdc091dff as someone personally taken 4acdd1d5e2 in by Chairman Kwon, 2cc3da97d0 he faced intense hostility 07ef69706d from those who saw b7721d9d08 him as a thorn 7c1cc88d3c in their side. Visible bullying, invisible ostracism, c5f22428e8 constant disregard, and harassment 7f4cdf0ff4 were common. He was c0e5760779 often hit 5745497041 with ashtrays 0eb9081f59 and burned 25bbf97760 with cigarette 07c5ea7b64 butts.31f0708ce26cb2e1
The place he a62ecef829 was driven to, 48acd4916e where he was 0025e8465a so disliked, was 735fa250b1 the secluded annex.992263ecf2c9c6ec
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The child cast c9404f093f out from the 2e724a6895 family. The illegitimate child brought 2d6b99ad3c in from outside. Unlike the three 265bc448f7 legitimate sons born a6cde1d234 of the main c69a00c759 wife, the thorn 839bb067e0 in the side, b539bf0810 the son of 1436945fcc a concubine, the bf8a3dd20b youngest, Kwon Rae-i, 35a07d51e0 was there.b26dc63163e66688
Young Rae-i 4227e61afa was often 373fd83b43 sick and 2c2eb8e42c bedridden, so e0837cdc71 Taehwon was 44f2cc6f2d sent to 5cbbcb575e take care c48320be00 of the 533f62cf05 weak, seemingly 2b9c08d2b4 useless child.2c3b10c2f7a8ca7e
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‘Yes, that’s how I came to take care of young master Rae-i.’d04b597be94fcf87
Up to that point, 56153c708d the memories were vivid.85bd62db3edfc99e
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He could ac02a057f5 recall it bf215002be as clearly ae1b8ceb93 as if 712ec6128d it had 5b128ccd68 happened just aae268601c yesterday.f4cee51ff876bec2
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.7b137e4048dbd455
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Is this what 9922e7c05d they call shared b4103285a9 suffering? Taehwon saw his younger 49b93f948d self in the young 64dceeed67 master. The loneliness of that 4ca904e949 time, the sorrow of 5a9bcfa9f4 having no protector to c034e12bcf rely on, the resignation 2052584773 learned from a distorted 179a765cc5 environment and countless scars.e7364295c3a14b38
‘He was pitiful.’82c0de1ba2f46a23
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Indeed, that’s why the two who were so similar eventually clicked.0953ca0d3189d18b
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…da93863a4a89c200
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Ah.8a81ba1da88782c6
That face, as bright 81cf8f3ce5 as a star, comes 426ab89e5c to mind.c902103aed75c02a
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The pure face of 4986f2cd5e a child, without a 6c7b5dfc1b speck of dust.5929624f491afe5f
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.03ab9cc2a311cb05
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To Kwon Rae-i, Taehwon 5b63c1e7f4 was the only adult cdb5625b49 he could trust and 1a0a893b71 follow, and to Taehwon, 82f3ad8de3 Kwon Rae-i was a 62e7afd92b mirror reflecting his own 2286bd038c childhood.c20f0ad7e4be422c
Through Rae-i, Taehwon 6032fb21d7 filled the void d96b05b0bd he thought could 6761bcac35 never be filled 9a07820434 from his childhood, 2c02fefd9c and through Rae-i, 427a9dfa01 his pain was 50f1ae3782 healed. He could 04ea448029 recover and ee367771ff move forward. Just seeing young 26c56c7e8f master Rae-i smile 8844d0e31d at him made 29999a2f55 the day feel 1b48b00066 vibrant, like a f19ba271dc plant absorbing water ddb80e235b and nutrients.d67aa1439c3c311f
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In a sense, their 8b45fc90aa meeting was salvation for d19abd95a5 both of them.c69156b4bb57755c
‘But why. Why…’dac17e5e60df0ed1
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What on bfd4630417 earth happened 917a596fed in the 24c561fdaa ten years 78170a63ae that had 57ffece316 passed?911b466ae839debb
Even if ba4eade19f ten years d8b585f4b0 is enough 181419e562 for the b2728a9491 landscape to 4e59e82695 change.ecf12ff29431af25
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Why is 04432c9f2d Woo Taehwon cdf451cdf1 now a 302e64d726 traitor to 60493c693e Gyeongjeong, and 5bf95df549 why is f7a9a13761 Kwon Rae-i 61755f83b3 confessing love 597a795799 and kissing 8543a3efe3 Woo Taehwon?042bc9ed70e75f69
‘It was enough as it was. I wanted nothing more.’b4596d589de1dc86
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Embarrassingly, though 63288518db he never a630b26323 told anyone, 184a55db08 Taehwon thought 27570cd5cc of young c03be5d9f6 master Rae-i 2cb33b5bfa as his df407e86d2 own child.1021654efc8e70f0
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.3afdcff01d39d8ba
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Cute and adorable, young, weak, needing protection… a presence that placed an absolute responsibility on Taehwon’s shoulders.facca128822ea2c9
Isn’t that what the world calls family?d497c782dc1ab960
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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.8829c1e46f19f3f3
Back then, it was like that… It surely was.47ca6e5e0ab46e37
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Kwon Rae-i and Woo Taehwon were like father and son, more like family than family…3a283acbc1934fa4
✧✧✧40ff212f5029c20a
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When Taehwon woke 2cba441fc9 up again, he 37b31c5693 was alone in e98aa89f9b the dark, quiet c303a4b5e0 bedroom.c9a535b5b8fa8160
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.99889e7c85bd44d6
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‘…It’s night.’5809dc77774eb9f9
A sliver 85b31f4772 of moonlight 30d7cea383 seeped through d377671169 the gap 2194e03214 in the 289978c76d closed curtains.5b3ce2946465c10e
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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.f92e91ea34fed10c
The ten years 4a1690b2c0 of life cut adc869662d away from Taehwon, a3e6eb6ea9 along with his 747d867b12 lost memories, weighed 7f409dd674 heavily on him. It felt like 3458cbdf66 he was being 95bc01ec4e crushed under a 2f06ea0b08 massive weight.3e5bbe01aca6a727
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“Sigh…”6875d8a616882ecb
Taehwon slowly pulled back 8e6541f451 the blanket covering his c075989e4d body. His entire body 31b72b45d5 felt shattered, making 22a988d3d2 it difficult to 9e1a1a2712 move, but he da022405eb had to move 7ec12b4e79 nonetheless. Taking a 1c3ec7aebe deep breath, ffbfa821bd Taehwon got f846b73a0d off the 5b65aae518 bed.c6f50e38c69539ee
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Creak.be2517cf60a1d354
His stiff muscles 9f64b65d8e screamed in protest.f2e6f7a958bcca85
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Taehwon limped, as if b5e1a093cf he might collapse at 8fc94dae09 any moment, taking slow 2c9545171d steps. His vision, adjusted to 0aafb07ae8 the darkness, gradually brightened, 4e0b3c9033 revealing his surroundings. It was f850f74187 a sophisticated d0d1dfc025 bedroom with e30c37b0d5 a high a0a4bca590 ceiling. The wallpaper was fdaaf09a57 a light gray, 7ca28f205c and the floor 9bbaecee2b was black marble, 8488d53901 exuding a luxurious 7c578876cf restraint.861c68cd2e358653
Next to 9eec828cf6 the king-size e9c9a682c0 bed in c41499ac8a the center 122aa8f290 were a 7f136869f3 nightstand and 9f8d8b28e0 drawers, and e568151ed7 across from 224f10eaa1 them were 9158053465 a table 058b86dd6a and sofa, 7eb6e66cc1 with a d6ee1dc770 passage leading ed785f814b to the 7ce6818d44 bathroom on 076b49a144 the opposite 1c6f1aa86c side.1b97a8e210a05591
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Taehwon slowly da51597497 made his 689a545e07 way to 0f1ee07fcd the bathroom. Feeling along the bf489ef71b wall, he turned b454fa651d on the switch, 5f2de276dc and the lights 860fe868ea came on brightly, 0b28dcf9cf blinding him.7358682a4f4ef6d8