By Zephyria 
“……Ah.”
As he said that, Tae-hwon also remembered the past. When he first regained consciousness and heard that he had amnesia. He remembered the day he faced Kwon Rae-i, who had suddenly grown into an adult. Even though his head was aching as if it would break and his whole body was covered in scratches, his distinctive appearance caught his eye first.
His gaze was first fixed on the albino’s unique body hair and eye color, snow-white hair and eyelashes, and as soon as he confirmed the bright, clear blue-gray eyes, he recognized him as Kwon Rae-i without even needing to go through any identification process.
“Even though there’s a ten-year difference, he recognized me right away. That I was me. Well, I guess it’s because there are very few people who look like me. He couldn’t have failed to recognize me. It’s obvious, if you think about it… But why? Because of this fucking albinism, Tae-hwon could find me right away, anytime, anywhere, and thinking about that was really thrilling.”
I see.
So that’s how it was.
Only then did he realize anew. Woo Tae-hwon was unlikely to mistake Kwon Rae-i for someone else. He felt like he could recognize Kwon Rae-i even among thousands, tens of thousands of people.
“It was as if I was clearly imprinted on Tae-hwon. Just like Tae-hwon is to me.”
“……”
“So now, albinism isn’t as sickening as it used to be.”
“……”
“That’s all I wanted to say.”
Kwon Rae-i finished awkwardly. His white ear, turned away as he looked at the wall, was slightly reddened. It seemed like the words “secret” and “embarrassing to say” were genuine. Usually, he would casually spew out all sorts of crude words like “I like you,” “I love you,” and even “what hole,” “Dick,” “sex,” but why was talking about albinism so embarrassing?
‘No, is that not it?’
Kwon Rae-i was originally a shy person, but he had become immune to it because he had said it so often.
So, in fact, it was like this. He had persistently chased after the thirty-year-old Woo Tae-hwon, pouring out his love and affection, so he had become able to confess without being embarrassed anymore. When he first tried to convey his feelings to Woo Tae-hwon, wouldn’t he have been just as awkward as he was now?
And the words about having sex too. The first time he brought up those words to Woo Tae-hwon, he must have hesitated and been more shy than this. His ears would have been red, and he wouldn’t have been able to make eye contact, staring at the wall instead. He would have stammered and blurted out the words. That’s how it must have been. The current Woo Tae-hwon doesn’t remember any of it, though. He can only speculate. But that’s really how it must have been.
‘Huh.’
Once he realized that, for some reason, he felt empty.
He was dumbfounded by the fact that he was guessing at Kwon Rae-i’s pure love that had disappeared without a trace along with his lost memories. It was a strange feeling that he could only guess what his first confession was like, and that he could only hear about his first kiss secondhand.
Even if Woo Tae-hwon faced the first start of Kwon Rae-i’s pure youth again, he couldn’t reciprocate his feelings. He didn’t know why he was paying attention to and being conscious of the ten years he had lost with him. No matter what feelings he had belatedly, it was all useless now.
As Kwon Rae-i had repeatedly said, the past was just a taxidermied past that couldn’t be touched. There was nothing more he could do.
‘But why.’
Tae-hwon, his jaw clenched, slowly ground his teeth together. Then, he got up from the mattress he was sitting on and straightened his crumpled suit. Since he had borrowed his clothes, the pants were a bit loose. After returning the twisted tie to its proper position, Tae-hwon replied with difficulty.
“Since I’ve heard the young master’s secret, I’ll tell you a secret in return.”
“What did you say?”
Kwon Rae-i quickly turned his head and met Tae-hwon’s eyes. He looked like he was about to pounce like a hunting dog chasing its prey.
“It’s about albinism. Actually, I’ve been thinking about this and that alone when I see the young master’s unique white color.”
Annoying, Dick, sickening… He didn’t know that Kwon Rae-i thought so poorly of that bright color.
“Sometimes it’s like an angel, sometimes like a mermaid, sometimes like a lily, sometimes like a pearl.”
“Yes, yes?”
“I thought it was like freshly fallen white snow… and like acacia flowers.”
It’s pretty.
Beautiful and elegant. Really.
“I don’t have a talent for words, so I can’t think of a better analogy. Anyway, that’s what I thought.”
Upon hearing those words, the pupils in Kwon Rae-i’s light blue-gray eyes gradually widened. The tips of his ears, which hadn’t even been touched, turned red, and a blush bloomed on his marble-like, clean cheeks. His sculptural and beautiful features, like a statue displayed in an art museum, heated up as his body temperature rose.
Soon, his pink lips parted slightly, and he twitched as if he was about to say something, but in the end, he closed them again without saying anything. It was the first time he had heard such a story from Tae-hwon, and he seemed so new, shocking, and happy that he was about to lose his breath.
“A-An angel? M-Me?”
“Then who else would it be but the young master.”
“A mermaid? I looked like a mermaid to you?”
“You were a very good swimmer. A little bit back then.”
“Lies. That’s how I looked in Tae-hwon’s eyes? Really… No, don’t joke around. That’s not true.”
He was acting like someone who had witnessed a miracle that turned the earth upside down and made the sky fall. As if he was convinced that Woo Tae-hwon could never have seen Kwon Rae-i in that light.
“Tae-hwon has never evaluated me like that before. I’ve heard things like ‘You’re like a child,’ ‘You’re like a son,’ ‘Don’t act like a brat’ until my ears are bleeding.”
“Then forget it. Let’s just pretend you didn’t hear it.”
“No, no, no. No! Why should I pretend I didn’t hear it? I heard it. So, that means I’m Tae-hwon’s lily, right?”
“……What nonsense are you talking about? It’s not like that.”
“Like white snow, like acacia flowers, I’m Tae-hwon’s angel. That’s how I look in Tae-hwon’s eyes. Isn’t this practically a confession?”
“I said it’s not! It just means you shouldn’t worry about albinism anymore, okay?”
“Okay. I heard your confession well. Thank you. I’m happy.”
“No, I said it’s not… Ha.”
Tae-hwon sighed in embarrassment. Kwon Rae-i seemed to be in a state where he couldn’t hear anything anymore. He was bursting with excitement, as if he was jumping around on his own, then he put his hand on his chest and took a deep breath, as if trying to calm down. But in the end, he couldn’t calm down, so he covered his face with both hands and gasped heavily. As if that wasn’t enough, he squatted down on the floor and slammed his forehead against the cabinet.
“Just a moment. Tae-hwon. I’m sorry, but can you not say anything for a moment? I feel like I’m going crazy right now.”
“……Yeah, well.”
“What should I do? Fuck, I’m so excited. This is a disaster.”
“……”
“I want to see Tae-hwon sobbing right away. I want to stick my Dick into Tae-hwon’s narrow hole and make him squelch and cum. I’ll make him go to the back door in a row and even though he faints from pleasure, I’ll keep sticking it in all the way to the root and make him twitch unconsciously.”
Kwon Rae-i, muttering in a seething voice, raised his head, his eyes shining wildly. A chilling determination was evident in his expression as he turned to look at Tae-hwon.
“Tae-hwon.”
“……”
“Tae-hwon……”
Sensing an unusual atmosphere, Tae-hwon involuntarily took a step back. His pants were bulging out significantly. A chilling sensation ran down his spine like lightning.
Alone with Kwon Rae-i in a secret room. Moreover, at the Jeun Faction’s headquarters, and to make matters worse, there was a mattress spread out behind him… No sooner had he sensed the danger signal in his head than a knock was heard at the door.
Knock knock.
“President Hwang wants you two to come. Dinner is ready.”
Tae-hwon inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t want to know if the feeling he was experiencing right now was relief or disappointment. Hot sweat was dripping from his palms. It felt like he was getting burned.
***
Deep night. A luxurious club where moonlight streamed through silk curtains. Men in dark suits were lined up in front of a restricted area with dark purple leather sofas. Sparks flew imperceptibly between their eyes as they faced each other and kept their mouths shut.
A fratricidal war.
The embers had been smoldering since Chairman Kwon Jung-il’s funeral.