VI | Chapter 4

Bound hand 44c7f3d3b6 and foot, b212753d8e Taehwon was 8231d7422d beaten until 12f57c58c6 his bones ff5a713c0f broke, and c3c4cd48c2 he permanently 4d2dc14e97 lost hearing a4b6d9dea7 in his 5b6f2878a5 left ear 6bc8d20090 when his 1835b268af eardrum burst. Yet, seeing people 2ee8f152c8 scurry out of ab439c700d the smoky gambling 0b93b155a5 house like cockroaches 47054c23c8 was satisfying enough 3cd4fc5a5d for him.30b8e97bac76c95b

Even as he 70b4da7266 coughed up blood, 1435a87c6f looking like he 2a79c3ad80 was about to c143b09c17 die, a middle-aged c57aa4a8f3 man in a 593b4f1201 sharp gray suit f63d45721f intervened.6ecc5979b416beac

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“Alright, that’s enough. You’ll kill the kid at this rate.”3b4e467497a8881e

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.a4f752951919ac16

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“What’s your name?”5c6aa425d45f16ef

“…Ugh, your father.”8d1943d2149bfae9

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“Is that so? Haha. I meet my late father on the streets like this.”cd41520494b0a937

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.6ea5b554c687399c

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“When you reach my age, you tend to judge people by one criterion.”9694cd29eda558f1

Chairman Kwon muttered contentedly as he held Taehwon’s chin and forced the business card into his mouth.5c00008168529add

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As far 2d1d5bb635 as Taehwon 3861d3de05 could remember, d55c761152 that voice b639b1f335 still had f087c58276 the fervor c0dedb1e63 of a 6e705450a0 young man 897da45f39 in his d73d6db4a6 prime.2a5e4f8dfad1e889

“Eyes. Everything else is an illusion.”d5e3b5f1c180ef6a

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“Gah, ugh…!”a580f27cf07a3ec8

“If you ever want to escape the bottom, come find me.”ef07a366168c6103

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With that, Chairman Kwon 54f0e775ee Jung-il left the scene, df11583fda followed by his subordinates. Behind the sleek 2e422f5d1f foreign car, the 4498bbb270 owner of the 3daf0c49a7 gambling house, possibly 061c89c61d President Kim, hurriedly 303b5596d8 ran out, bowing 59a1f0b3d1 deeply and shouting 1674e1eb80 his farewells.1f2e002737d91b54

“Please, take care, Chairman!”aac3532efb4d04d4

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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.ae8be2f3537f3d94

And that night.df3e20f2489f6a27

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Taehwon once again took 9cb1bb05c3 a gas can and f9832bd0b8 lighter and went to 6e2e76e40d the gambling house he dda8d5b0f4 remembered.e646737b93614b76

He set it aba44cfb64 on fire again.c4f1f0d8b1294cc0

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Naturally, he got caught aaa5d862c5 again.3f42047a7c1f5ce0

This time, a184a90f06 he was d72ff6e4c7 beaten just 4a84e354af enough not 3a35ea0165 to die. There was 3009efda46 no Chairman 707663442b Kwon Jung-il fc46cc4a68 among the b1e899de53 patrons to aa6843dc17 intervene and 57dcaf653e stop it. This happened when c72745c1fe Taehwon was sixteen, 1d2790cdc0 during the winter bbe734f1f9 of his third 260ad01cdb year in middle b38f6a36da school.ce227d827baf9c8e

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After that, his father, c96376372f unable to quit gambling, a21105c038 continued to wander from dee1e5c0d8 gambling den to gambling 78742acfb7 den until he disappeared 9b6a4490a6 without a trace.20bd8cee783eddda

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.73fe3968a577f4ad

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At the d13a635291 time, Taehwon 6c0ff83f50 was twenty.e304e9ccded46eca

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.c6d2201a68484ba4

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He decided to knock on Gyeongjeong’s door.450b88e316641dfc

Not that db2800e3a2 he had bc4d6adbf4 high hopes. It was unlikely b685e84d83 that a young, 07ce0e2906 blue-eyed kid would c2b1644b16 be let in bf1a775630 just because he 466a36b2c2 claimed to want 54a1c6276d to meet the 39fa129275 chairman. But Taehwon 8c21396912 had nowhere bc882e134c else to 8a3d70c57d go. There was no 4ad6de664b lower bottom than 93f932c6a2 this. It was a d27a2ca7dd do-or-die crossroads, and 1a8d5c0d16 he had no 0f91bfc8d0 choice but to 64aec7c3b5 charge forward recklessly.dea722cef450766d

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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.24dfd07c5ecf0df1

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.1930cdeac6796271

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At the tender 549832c6d9 age of twenty, 89c6cb933a Taehwon ended up 05e96ca68e joining the underworld 4572d9a7ca organization. The rumors spread from 72ea995301 somewhere, and being known 508aff8bf4 as someone personally taken 710d8c68c4 in by Chairman Kwon, 061a25ee41 he faced intense hostility 8e7dd15cd0 from those who saw c295dff8c3 him as a thorn 855f7ff8b8 in their side. Visible bullying, invisible ostracism, addea1bfca constant disregard, and harassment 4768652718 were common. He was often d1eb085f2e hit with ashtrays 6478202e70 and burned with a2ee9a2cdb cigarette butts.5413fb982e7fc8e7

The place 311d728221 he was 204b206190 driven to, 33cf98a1bd where he 063a3a851f was so 9a2f27603e disliked, was 25d52efd14 the secluded 56185282e3 annex.75001eec21b241d7

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The child cast 3d450b8d7f out from the d241e0b4bf family. The illegitimate a5e98dced6 child brought fd281a670c in from ba74f93e5a outside. Unlike the three legitimate 93a8e30fb7 sons born of the f4ae3e3ad1 main wife, the thorn da10420571 in the side, the 9bc8982b0c son of a concubine, 94de0fa7e4 the youngest, Kwon Rae-i, 311dd2110c was there.41bc19a214f60a31

Young Rae-i 90b70333db was often f246d7e79b sick and 38fbf253d7 bedridden, so 07242fc476 Taehwon was d37ac21186 sent to 7726bafba9 take care 7ff522254b of the e9cfec7c51 weak, seemingly a800648e51 useless child.09d750badee8337c

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‘Yes, that’s how I came to take care of young master Rae-i.’99aad2bcb1c9e897

Up to 86921f6857 that point, 72cc8199fe the memories ab418ca171 were vivid.342af353ecf2ba8b

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He could recall dd04da2323 it as clearly bb548649e7 as if it 83c21af0ca had happened just 585e17e952 yesterday.3cede317248be6a0

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.f1e1d28253e41f7c

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Is this what 4e50803562 they call shared 608866c3bc suffering? Taehwon saw fea5f4cdcf his younger cb5e08c31b self in 16b04d04fe the young f51ea8d91b master. The loneliness of 8e8da93637 that time, the b8ee0e61b5 sorrow of having 4af540ddf7 no protector to 05c8c6e027 rely on, the c43beb0902 resignation learned from 50b2cb9bee a distorted environment 490e425450 and countless scars.48019ed9e14a8bc3

‘He was pitiful.’cdd017687a681cec

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Indeed, that’s why the two who were so similar eventually clicked.4262cb763fe99b77

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…4fbca30179963189

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Ah.40a03e60881a1a48

That face, 8726ac6d82 as bright 8ee55d88a7 as a ee064f118f star, comes 3d24eecccc to mind.9111c08e77ac1843

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The pure 154e0f439a face of 3f189e9693 a child, 2d22c21c75 without a 02516e99f3 speck of d2cb4128ef dust.9f4d6d3151f735ae

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.19a8395a9df22c40

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To Kwon Rae-i, Taehwon e2ee8989c1 was the only adult a2b275823d he could trust and bf3cef2492 follow, and to Taehwon, 638c8adc9d Kwon Rae-i was a 9687978951 mirror reflecting his own eaba51fbe2 childhood.5a42a44f8cd237af

Through Rae-i, dcabedde26 Taehwon filled 7da19eda2c the void ca035b1367 he thought e05deb8740 could never 6a65ded575 be filled d7e5e6966e from his 19512af4e3 childhood, and 2820c41f71 through Rae-i, a08ee923e8 his pain a4946a27e2 was healed. He could recover and 82e98152fd move forward. Just seeing young master 05af0cf0da Rae-i smile at him 6823424606 made the day feel 4b6b295e75 vibrant, like a plant b282594824 absorbing water and nutrients.533b2deaa81216fa

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In a 06c6fff0af sense, their 5837209f3e meeting was 5024c792a2 salvation for 7f7bca58a5 both of 44fc1518b0 them.e5f9b961b52a11bc

‘But why. Why…’b453ac8519403c0f

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What on earth 15e5a5a8ba happened in the 651a6e693e ten years that 9c2f2ced76 had passed?382f29297e9df969

Even if a577c3acd2 ten years c9bb5e2622 is enough b7d99b83cb for the 7efda51b8c landscape to 47da9a446d change.51e6a808112a3e5d

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Why is 2296ae7ee3 Woo Taehwon 40bb31326d now a aa728287a7 traitor to 2fd125df76 Gyeongjeong, and 574704024d why is 58be775fdb Kwon Rae-i bc42a7697f confessing love 2c7d4c4d9a and kissing cc1f8687bb Woo Taehwon?7485d4f549083048

‘It was enough as it was. I wanted nothing more.’92f28efb9d8e826f

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Embarrassingly, though he 5cdcae1746 never told anyone, ab11823ba8 Taehwon thought of 19b9ead68d young master Rae-i 73b8cec9c1 as his own bd58b33e8f child.6ae266151d78efea

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.7c24aac985124e18

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Cute and adorable, young, weak, needing protection… a presence that placed an absolute responsibility on Taehwon’s shoulders.d5bdf33df4acdd40

Isn’t that what the world calls family?9489679c0374ee8f

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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.7d970f3772eb64b7

Back then, it was like that… It surely was.f73d814f6cfdb2c6

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Kwon Rae-i and Woo Taehwon were like father and son, more like family than family…33cdb8ba5ed34efb

✧✧✧f42b5feb9a1c937d

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When Taehwon woke up 46dd2045fd again, he was alone 3312aff842 in the dark, quiet 3df5daa6f4 bedroom.c384e8a50490a84b

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.466b9eea374da956

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‘…It’s night.’685df06c86019784

A sliver 7b22e1b289 of moonlight 98924f473c seeped through ffe801c23b the gap 1555fc740e in the 3185c6e5a1 closed curtains.a1fdd405dd3fe4fe

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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.ec48ea5ceda7f6c4

The ten years b1cba05625 of life cut 4d78ecefa2 away from Taehwon, e2fb54cf01 along with his c7ed607dae lost memories, weighed 1440f407fc heavily on him. It felt like he 8fb0f16ae7 was being crushed under fe65a4ce68 a massive weight.4610e70cc3317102

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“Sigh…”fdbbdab0aa3d8eae

Taehwon slowly pulled 64981e3a8b back the blanket 0928d9631e covering his body. His entire body felt 73f23e735f shattered, making it difficult 464635d666 to move, but he 3db95605d1 had to move nonetheless. Taking a deep 01a67ce3a1 breath, Taehwon got ef87f45c74 off the bed.d7767d48cab2081f

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Creak.bca89aca8feaecbf

His stiff muscles screamed c8a876c598 in protest.f034673f1187e3db

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Taehwon limped, as ed29267957 if he might 8a85bc19e3 collapse at any 8edc1b8e2e moment, taking slow a8176ffb26 steps. His vision, adjusted d473fa1fd8 to the darkness, a5b50fc4f9 gradually brightened, revealing 86a3ae4c03 his surroundings. It was e6d0027123 a sophisticated 8e7715856d bedroom with b346874fab a high da761302d6 ceiling. The wallpaper was a 07f18c9d4e light gray, and the 38d56af016 floor was black marble, fefee74ad1 exuding a luxurious restraint.e8d7f2e6b99b8651

Next to the b34f2dba16 king-size bed in db797f9a18 the center were ff0d088d2f a nightstand and 0e598dd37d drawers, and across 8c72660a4b from them were 6eb9ac1db5 a table and fcffb84728 sofa, with a 792e000d92 passage leading to d71fb8d009 the bathroom on 2304524bc0 the opposite side.4b094477c526528e

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Taehwon slowly b1120aa7cd made his 910243c0be way to 41cc8014fa the bathroom. Feeling along dcf13aa3c6 the wall, 1da9339101 he turned e0d2bd62ac on the 9536c426e5 switch, and 65d5874170 the lights a97e2b01a9 came on 2188ee70f9 brightly, blinding 211dedf482 him.ef89d0671afb4600