By Zephyria 
Kwon Rae-i quickly unwrapped the bandage and ran his fingertips along the inside of Tae-hwon’s thigh. Tae-hwon lifted his knees and flinched, retracting his legs.
“Ugh!”
“Haha, were you surprised?”
As if Kwon Rae-i wasn’t going to stop there, he lowered his head and even started blowing on Tae-hwon’s leg wound. He couldn’t bear it any longer as the warm breath touched his skin, including the wound. He felt a subtle unpleasantness and resistance along with a chilling thrill. It was ticklish, and he wanted to run away.
“Stop, please, stop… please?”
Eventually, Tae-hwon, unable to bear it any longer, pushed Kwon Rae-i’s head away with his left hand. Kwon Rae-i kissed Tae-hwon’s palm that was pushing him away and turned his head, pressing his sideburns against it. So that his earlobe would be caught between Tae-hwon’s fingers.
“I got it, so look. At my ear turning red.”
He could see his white ear pressed between Tae-hwon’s fingers.
He rubbed his ear against Tae-hwon’s hand, and the tip of his ear quickly began to turn pink as his earlobe folded. As if a rosebud was blooming, color gradually appeared on his white ear.
“How is it? Is it hot?”
Kwon Rae-i asked, and Tae-hwon couldn’t answer.
“……”
He watched his ear easily turn red and ended up just removing his hand. His palm felt as hot as if it were burning.
***
Several more days passed after that. Nothing special happened. Tae-hwon mostly slept, sleeping deeply. Kwon Rae-i left freshly made food on the bedside table at every meal, and they were mostly patient meals like well-boiled rice porridge.
After about a week, the doctor he had seen when he first woke up revisited.
“Patient?”
Han-seon, who opened the door, muttered in embarrassment. A seriously ill patient who should be resting was doing push-ups on the floor with only his left arm. Tae-hwon, who made eye contact with him, finished the last rep he had aimed for and stood up.
“No, Woo Tae-hwon. You shouldn’t be doing such strenuous exercise. You need to recover now.”
“I didn’t use my right arm.”
“It’s not just your arm that’s the problem right now.”
Cut, stabbed, broken here and there, it would have been a serious injury that even painkillers would have been difficult to endure for a normal patient. However, Tae-hwon, like iron, seemed to be used to pain as much as the years he had suffered, and he looked fine.
Han-seon swallowed a sigh as he recalled the terrifying image of Tae-hwon that he knew. Is it because he is the Kyungjung’s swordsman? It was like treating a wounded giant beast.
“Lie down. Let’s examine you first.”
Han-seon put on his stethoscope and called Tae-hwon. Tae-hwon wiped the sweat flowing from his forehead with the back of his hand, returned to the bed, and sat down in front of Han-seon.
“Take a deep breath. Breathe in again.”
Han-seon lifted his clothes and placed the stethoscope on his chest, listening to his heartbeat first. Tae-hwon quietly opened his mouth and asked him as he focused on the examination.
“Doctor.”
“Yes?”
“I have a question. What should I do to find my memories?”
His body would heal as time passed. Wounds were bound to heal, and he would have to go through rehabilitation, but he would eventually recover.
But memories…
Memories were the opposite.
The more time passed, the more they would fade. Because humans are creatures of forgetfulness.
“Ah… memories. Well, you may suddenly regain them due to some kind of trigger, or you may be shocked and have fragmentary memories come to mind, or they may never come back. It’s not a problem that I can say for sure.”
“Is that so.”
“Patient. I understand your confused feelings, but now is not the time to worry about your lost memories. Your body comes first. More than anything else, you may really not be able to use your right arm.”
“I know that. I’m prepared for it. But…”
Tae-hwon let out a difficult breath. His troubled eyes sank darkly, and then he closed his lips. He must have felt impatient right now. He must have wanted to grab onto anyone. But this wasn’t something that could be solved by doing this.
“No. You’re right, Doctor. I’ll focus on recovering first.”
Tae-hwon bowed his head. Han-seon became embarrassed when he received the polite greeting.
“……I didn’t know Woo Tae-hwon was this kind of person.”
Han-seon muttered in a daze. He had worked as Kwon Rae-i’s doctor, but he didn’t know Tae-hwon well. When he became the Young Master’s man, Woo Tae-hwon had already left the Separate House and was working as Chairman Kwon Jung-il’s direct aide in the Main House.
“Do you know me?”
“Ah, yes. Of course. If you don’t know Woo Tae-hwon among the people who have crossed the Gyeongjeong walls, you’re a spy.”
“I guess there would have been a wanted order…”
“No. You were famous even before that. You were the Chairman’s right-hand man and action leader, so the Young Master worked very hard.”
“The Young Master? Are you talking about Young Master Rae-i?”
“I guess so. He worked hard to establish his position, gather subordinates, and build his power for a long time in order to be recognized by Woo Tae-hwon. He ruined his body by pushing himself hard every night…”
Thud.
At that moment, the bedroom door swung open. Kwon Rae-i swept his hair back and strode into the room.
“Young Master.”
His light bluish-gray eyes carefully scanned Han-seon and Tae-hwon, who were in the middle of the examination. Then, his gaze stopped at the stethoscope placed on his thick chest muscles. He lightly kicked the bed frame.
“Get out now.”
“……Yes, Young Master.”
Han-seon quietly gathered his stethoscope without complaint and went outside. Kwon Rae-i tilted his head towards Tae-hwon.
“What are you two talking about so enjoyably? You only need to receive the examination.”
Tae-hwon merely raised his head and stared at Kwon Rae-i. His dark, serene eyes read Kwon Rae-i’s expression. He was looking down at Tae-hwon like an angel, wearing a beautiful smile. His thin lips were curved softly in an arc.
“Is that true?”
Tae-hwon asked calmly. That Woo Tae-hwon was the chairman’s right-hand man and enforcer, and that Kwon Rae-i had lived harshly to gain Tae-hwon’s recognition? But Kwon Rae-i didn’t give Tae-hwon a proper answer.
“Tae-hwon. How many times have I told you not to dwell on the past? Everything is just the past now.”
He approached Tae-hwon, who was sitting on the bed. Tae-hwon looked slightly flushed, as if he had just done push-ups. Kwon Rae-i chuckled at the sight of his sweaty neck.
“Once, yes… I wanted to get my hands on Gyeongjeong. Because if I became chairman, Tae-hwon would have no choice but to return to my side. But Tae-hwon is already here. So what does it matter, Gyeongjeong Faction or chairman? Let the brothers fight and tear each other apart over the empty throne.”
Kwon Rae-i reached out to Tae-hwon with a nonchalantly smiling face. He touched the edge of the T-shirt that had been pulled up to apply the stethoscope.
“Did I examine you too roughly… Why are you sweating?”
“I was stiff, so I did some exercise.”
“So you were panting and pressed your chest against the stethoscope?”
“…Excuse me?”
“Inappropriate.”
Kwon Rae-i, who had leaned in close, covered Tae-hwon’s face as it was. Cool lips touched his, pressing against his lower lip.
“…!”
The soft sensation was gentle.
He licked and sucked gently with his tongue.
Kwon Rae-i then placed his hands on Tae-hwon’s shoulders and pushed hard. It was a motion to push him down onto the bed. Tae-hwon strained his back, trying not to fall, but he was gradually pushed back and eventually collapsed onto the bed.
Kwon Rae-i naturally climbed on top of Tae-hwon, who had fallen back. He clicked his tongue, looked down at Tae-hwon, and impatiently undid one button of the black shirt that was fastened up to his neck. The smile that appeared on his lips became even deeper.
“Don’t do that next time. It’s annoying.”
His ear tickled. He whispered sweetly.
“I’m holding back this much. Shouldn’t you think about me too?”
His fingers came to Tae-hwon’s lips. He brought his index and middle fingers together, pushed them inside his lips, and kissed Tae-hwon with his fingers instead of his tongue. He dug deep into his mouth, touching the root of his tongue and gently scratching the roof of his mouth.
“Ugh, huff.”
Tae-hwon gasped for breath and bit his fingers. Even though he tried to spit them out, they only dug deeper and didn’t come out. Sticky saliva pooled and his eyes wavered.
“Huk…”
Only when Tae-hwon’s breathing was fully strained did he pull his fingers out. Then, he watched Tae-hwon’s panting figure from above, pressing down on him until he was satisfied. He was only sweating a little and catching his breath, but Kwon Rae-i’s eyes gleamed as if it were some great temptation.