By Zephyria 
“Ah, fuck, ah……. I think I’m going crazy.”
Kwon Rae-i parted his lips for a moment, but soon collided again, and again, and kept rushing in. His heart was screaming and pounding. It was as if he was shouting in his chest.
“Tae-hwon.”
The noisy heartbeat sounded like a terrible confession.
“Tae-hwon…….”
“Ugh, huh.”
Tae-hwon tried hard to ignore it. After all, this was just a passing phase of Master’s youth, a gamble to win what he couldn’t have, and a delusion arising from ambiguous emotional boundaries. So he had to, must, desperately ignore it.
Even if it meant deafening his ears and gouging out his eyes.
***
Time flowed like water. The leaves fell and the temperature dropped with each passing day. Now, a cold north wind blew every night. In the gap between the short autumn and the not-so-distant winter, Tae-hwon felt a growing tension with each passing day.
‘I wondered if my memories would return in the meantime.’
Most of the scars on his body had healed, and he had taken off the bandages one by one, but fortunately, the blank in his memory remained. He still couldn’t remember anything. The thirty-year-old Woo Tae-hwon was still a mysterious being like another person to him.
‘It really feels like I’m living with a bomb in my head.’
Still, this day had finally come.
The promised time was fast approaching.
‘Is it tomorrow?’
Now, just one more night and it would be the day he took off the cast.
He had already finished preparing himself, and he even felt impatient to act quickly before returning to the thirty-year-old Woo Tae-hwon.
Of course, he still had resistance to crossing the line with the Master he had regarded as a son. But that was unavoidable. After all, whether it was 10 years or 100 years, no matter how much time passed, Tae-hwon would never be able to treat Kwon Rae-i as a sexual object. The day he willingly mixed his body with him would never come. So, no matter when he crossed the line, the result would be the same.
‘It’s better to end it quickly. While I’m still sane.’
The time had come.
All that remained was to move towards the predetermined ending.
He would protect Kwon Rae-i’s life even if it meant abandoning his own will.
In the silence before the storm, another silent day passes.
‘Hoo…….’
Tae-hwon, who had been lost in thought for a long time, shook himself and got up. His body was stiff and sore from sitting on the bed for so long.
He was about to get up to do some light strength training when a black shadow was cast through the crack in the door.
It seemed like someone was standing outside the door without making a sound.
No, when he said someone, there was only one person who would do this, Kwon Rae-i.
‘…….’
Tae-hwon quietly held his breath and sat back down on the bed. He wondered if Kwon Rae-i would come in.
But after waiting for a long time, there was no movement. He just stood silently in front of Tae-hwon’s door, then slowly retreated and disappeared behind him.
The dark shadow receded and the crack in the door brightened again.
‘Did he go back?’
What had he come for…?
It’s suffocating. Perhaps we’ve reached a point where natural conversation is no longer possible.
Tae-hwon belatedly realized that his palms were sweating. Even his breathing felt unsteady. He couldn’t quite remember what he had been about to do when he stood up. His head throbbed, and his heart raced.
<……So, Tae-hwon is also making a gamble.>
He couldn’t deny that a strange wavering had emerged behind that resolve.
Young Master.
Young Master Kwon Rae-i.
He was about to shatter his first love with his own hands. How could he remain calm with such a heart? Tae-hwon’s choice appeared to fulfill his wish, but its essence was utter betrayal.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t be calm while resolving to break his Young Master’s pure heart and make him give up; he shouldn’t be calm.
Kwon Rae-i was someone he cherished more than blood relatives, someone who had filled a void that seemed eternal. How could Tae-hwon, who killed his father, broke his trust, and was now trying to ruin the last remaining illusion of first love for someone who had lost everything…
‘…….’
He would never dare to forget that warmth.
He would engrave it in his heart until his dying breath.
‘I’m sorry. Please abandon me.’
Tae-hwon bowed deeply towards the door where his Young Master had left, offering his apology.
***
Wee-ing.
A small electric saw cut through the cast encasing his right arm. The hard, thick cast split open, and a somewhat heavy vibration was felt along with the sound.
Han-seon removed the cut cast and carefully peeled off the inner lining, detaching it from his arm.
Once completely removed, Tae-hwon’s arm, which had been frustratingly hidden, was revealed. The surrounding skin looked slightly swollen, perhaps because it had been constricted for so long. The elbow and wrist joints, which had been unable to bend, could now move freely.
“Fortunately, it seems to have healed well. You can steadily recover your muscles and tendons by continuing physical therapy.”
Han-seon disinfected the arm cleanly one last time and recommended applying a compress to the slightly swollen area. Because the tendon had been completely severed, he would have to undergo rehabilitation for a long time, even after the cast was removed.
“However, it will be difficult to return to the way it was before. The sensation of using your arm will be different.”
Han-seon explained the future rehabilitation plan. As expected, it seemed he would have to continue physical therapy steadily. However, Tae-hwon, the owner of the arm, wasn’t really focused on the explanation. After all, he had no intention of restoring his arm to its original state.
If Tae-hwon went to Gyeongjeong to pay for his sins in the future, his end would naturally be death. It wouldn’t matter if he was one-armed and couldn’t use one arm.
Rather, Kwon Rae-i was listening to the explanation more enthusiastically than Tae-hwon himself.
“Does that mean you shouldn’t grab your right arm strongly or move it violently for the time being?”
Kwon Rae-i asked Han-seon, who was doing the aftercare, in a serious tone. An unusual furrow was etched between his brows.
“Yes, Young Master. You should be careful.”
“You can’t put too much force on it either?”
“That’s right. You have to rehabilitate slowly, step by step.”
“Ha… what about lifting motions? Is it okay to lift it above your head? Or pressing it behind your back? What about supporting yourself on the floor?”
As if he had so many questions, Kwon Rae-i grabbed Han-seon and grilled him about the range of motion of Tae-hwon’s arm. Han-seon only answered blankly, rolling his eyes to observe the strange atmosphere.
‘Young Master…….’
Something seemed very strange about the Young Master.
At first, he thought it was just his imagination, but after nearly a month, even Han-seon couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
‘Is he no longer interested in the Chairman’s position? Why does he only hang around Woo Tae-hwon every day?’
Han-seon shook his head inwardly and gathered his medical supplies. He felt that the Young Master’s gaze became intense whenever he touched Tae-hwon’s arm, and he was also inwardly bothered by the fact that he had been suddenly instructed not to use a stethoscope last time.
However, he still thought that the Young Master must have great ambitions.
‘Even if he’s young, a dragon is still a dragon.’
Kwon Rae-i, who looked exactly like Chairman Kwon Jung-il, the Subduing Dragon. Surely, there was a secret plan in his heart that Han-seon couldn’t fathom. With the three sons of the main family fiercely vying for the throne, there must be some calculation behind deliberately getting a house and moving out.
‘Yes. The Young Master is probably just lying low for now. The timing isn’t right.’
Indeed, Kwon Rae-i was still young. It was too early to aim for the Chairman’s position, and there was no point in joining the muddy fight and getting hurt. It might be better to bide his time and wait for the right moment. He was a hidden dragon.
Han-seon bowed and left the bedroom. The bedroom door closed, and a cold air settled. Enduring a moment of silence, Tae-hwon slowly moved his arm, which had regained its freedom.
He bent his elbow and slowly clenched his hand. He still couldn’t put enough strength into his fingertips, so he probably couldn’t even use chopsticks properly. Veins stood out on his strained hand, and it trembled.
“Ha, I’m worried. Really.”
Kwon Rae-i muttered anxiously as he watched. His sincerity was palpable.
“Will I be able to do it gently……? I’m afraid that I might ruin Tae-hwon’s arm forever because I was too excited today. I was so worried that I couldn’t sleep a wink all night.”