By Zephyria 
* * *
His muddled mind sank to the bottom. Into the black, deep sea, to the edge of the world.
Submerged in darkness, Tae-hwon fought against the headache, sweating profusely.
His head was throbbing painfully. The constant pain and pressure made his sleeping body writhe in agony. His chest heaved, and his eyes narrowed.
“Ugh…”
Tae-hwon, tossing his arm, gripped the blanket tightly, as if he would tear it. His whole body was tingling. As if someone had beaten him black and blue.
His joints were stiff, his skin was mottled with bruises, and a burning ache was rising from below. But none of that was the cause of the pain Tae-hwon was feeling now.
Small, sharp memories, like shattered pieces of glass, pierced Tae-hwon’s heart deeply.
Traitor.
Murderer.
Fugitive.
‘Why…?’
Why…
In the memories that surfaced sporadically, he saw pouring rain. Raindrops fell from the sky like a barrage of bullets.
Flamboyant neon signs, blood pooling on the ground, and the clamorous beating of his heart.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The sound of his heart beating wildly, as if it would burst, remained vividly in his memory. He couldn’t understand why his chest was crying out so loudly.
‘After committing all those sins, after falling so low, you ran away.’
Tae-hwon felt a pain that tore at his heart. He was bitter and despairing. And at the end of that was resignation. The pain that leaked out from the cracks in his shattered memories spread to every corner of his body. As if being dragged to the bottom of a vast ocean, his body sank and his mind died.
‘Why.’
So why. Why on earth.
Tae-hwon pulled at the blanket, letting out a silent scream. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and a groan escaped his lips.
A flying bird is bound to land someday, and even a strong rope is bound to break someday, but you can’t shoot at the sky and make it fall, and you can’t slash at the sea and cut the waves.
Yet, for some reason, Tae-hwon had a vague feeling that he had clung to such futile and impossible attempts.
It was because he had belatedly read the emotions from the blank spaces in his erased memories.
Something complex and terrible was contained in the memories he had completely forgotten. Something like a large, black monster, no, something more terrifying than a monster.
“Heugh…”
His instincts were in an uproar. Tae-hwon groaned in agony, as if shivering in the bitter cold. And then, a warm palm touched his back, which was heaving as if he were about to run out of breath.
“What’s wrong, Tae-hwon? Are you okay?”
A low voice followed. It wasn’t the clear voice of the child Tae-hwon knew, but a deep, calm baritone that had gone through puberty.
‘Young Master.’
He felt the weight of a heavy arm wrapped around his waist, pulling him into an embrace. The feel of soft bedding and a plush mattress enveloped Tae-hwon. Tae-hwon, who had been fighting against the headache and clenching his teeth tightly, struggled to lift his eyelids.
When he woke up gasping for breath, his gaze was drawn to the high, white ceiling and the bright afternoon sunlight shining through the window.
‘Rae-i, Young Master…’
Startled, he turned to his side and saw Kwon Rae-i’s pure face looking at him with an innocent expression. He looked a little sleepy, his face languidly relaxed, as if he had woken up because of Tae-hwon.
“Are you sick? Is there something wrong? What can I do for you? Should I call a doctor?”
For a moment, Tae-hwon wished with his muddled mind that all of this was a dream. Of course, that didn’t mean that the harsh reality could become a dream.
“…No. I’m okay, um, I’m okay. I think I had a nightmare.”
Tae-hwon caught his ragged breath and clenched his fist tightly under the blanket.
It seemed that after doing that all night, they had washed up, applied ointment, and fallen asleep entangled in the same bed. Tae-hwon was completely naked, and so was Kwon Rae-i. The naked Kwon Rae-i stirred under the blanket and pulled Tae-hwon closer, comforting him. He tightened his arm around him, hugging him tightly and patting him.
Kwon Rae-i’s body temperature was warm like a child’s.
“What kind of dream was it? Who else is bothering you besides me?”
“Just… just a dream. I can’t remember the details clearly, I don’t know.”
“Is that so? Weren’t you caught up in some unnecessary thoughts again?”
Kwon Rae-i made a defenseless murmur and rubbed his cheek against Tae-hwon’s shoulder. He clearly looked sleepy. Come to think of it, the bedding was clean and everything around them was neatly cleaned up. Had he cleaned up everything and gone to bed late? Maybe he hadn’t slept at all.
Tae-hwon let out a long, deep sigh and watched the sleeping Kwon Rae-i before reaching out his left hand and stroking his hair. It was thin and fluffy. The texture was no different from the young Kwon Rae-i that Tae-hwon knew. It was so thin and weak that it would break if he pulled it a little too hard, and the color was a transparent hue that reflected the sunlight brilliantly.
“Rather than unnecessary thoughts, I think it was a dream related to my lost memories.”
As Tae-hwon continued to stroke Kwon Rae-i’s hair, Kwon Rae-i twitched his white eyelids and fluttered his long eyelashes. Was it ticklish? He seemed to feel good.
“Young Master. I’ve heard that amnesia can mean that you may never regain your memories, or you may suddenly remember them at some point. Maybe a dead memory is trying to come back to life.”
If Woo Tae-hwon regained his memories.
What would happen then?
What would happen to the current him…?
“So, you’re worried?”
“Um… Yes, I guess so.”
The thirty-year-old Woo Tae-hwon was an ungrateful, worthless, human trash, and even though it was his future self ten years from now, he honestly didn’t want to go back to that version of himself.
“The me ten years from now has committed many sins. What if I become that kind of trash after my memories return?”
“Even if you’re trash, I like you. Even if you kill not only my father but also me, it’s fine.”
“Ha, absolutely not. Don’t talk crazy from the middle of the day.”
“I’m serious. Everyone dies eventually, so I’d rather die by your hand.”
“No, Young Master, you’re still young, why are you already thinking about dying? No way. I’d rather die.”
“You die? I can’t have that. If you die, I’ll follow you and be buried with you.”
“Excuse me…? What kind of terrible joke is that.”
“Not a joke, I’m serious. I’ll dig your grave with my own hands. I’ll choose a sunny spot, dig the grave, bury your coffin, and then walk into the coffin myself and close the lid with my own hands.”
“…”
“So, you have to live a long life, okay? Let’s get along well, you and I.”
Kwon Rae-i chuckled and clung to Tae-hwon. He wrapped his arms around his waist and clung to him as if he had no intention of letting him go even in death. His sleepy, hazy gray-blue eyes were as calm and cool as a dark night, and they held the embers of a passionate frenzy.
Gazing into his eyes, it felt like the dream I’d had was fading even further.
Kwon Rae-i was sharp and clear, like a well-honed blade. Unwavering and steadfast. His yearnings, desires, and hopes were all Woo Tae-hwon. Therefore, looking at him made the rest of the world seem relatively faint and meaningless.
Tae-hwon slowed his hand in Tae-hwon’s hair, replying with a sigh,
“……That would be difficult. I’m ten years older than you, Young Master. Logically, wouldn’t I die first?”
“The word ‘logic’ doesn’t suit you, Tae-hwon. You can start taking good care of your health from now on. Eat only good things, exercise, and take vitamins.”
“Do you think that will extend my natural lifespan?”
Tae-hwon ruffled his hair to his heart’s content. He ran his fingers deeply through the roots, pushing it this way and that, stroking it indifferently.
“Besides, I have a family history. Cancer…….”
“I know. Your mother died of cancer when you were eight, Tae-hwon.”
“Yes.”
“Just get regular checkups and pay attention. Most diseases are no problem if detected early. And if nothing else, we have money to burn.”
Kwon Rae-i rubbed his cheek against Tae-hwon’s neck like an animal marking its territory, whispering in a low voice. As if telling a subtle secret.
“Even if we live extravagantly for the rest of our lives, it will still be left. I can fulfill everything you want, Tae-hwon.”
“…….”
“Really.”
Tae-hwon didn’t bother to ask for details. If Kwon Rae-i had a lot of money, he must have inherited it. Chairman Kwon’s vast fortune must have eventually gone to him as well. Although most of it would have been inherited by the three brothers of the main family…….