By Zephyria 
Woo Tae-hwon, is it Woo Tae-hwon?
Years of hardship flashed by, and emotions surged.
Ambition and resentment churned.
Kwon Tae-oh took out a knife from his pocket and gripped it tightly in his hand. At the same time, the man who had been standing quietly in the darkness moved.
His appearance became clearer and clearer, and the dark shadow was cast long on the corridor wall, making it look as if a huge monster was standing there. A strong sense of oppression that hardened even the surrounding air flowed out. The black outline flickered dimly, leaving a bizarre impression as if the shadow had a life of its own.
That presence was more than enough to overwhelm the dark space.
Just then, as if a stone had been thrown into a quiet sea, the man’s voice broke the taut tension and silence.
“Tae-oh, Brother.”
Two blue eyes gleamed in the darkness. A fierce glint quietly emitted light.
For a moment, a sensation of time stopping pierced his mind, and the two brothers, who were adversaries, faced each other like actors on a stage. His snow-white face was swaying enchantingly in the soft moonlight.
The eldest and youngest of Gyeongjeong.
Kwon Tae-oh and Kwon Rae-i.
The half-brothers who had thrown their souls into the battle to determine the true successor of Gyeongjeong finally stood in one place.
“…Rae-i?”
Kwon Tae-oh muttered, grinding his teeth in anger. Kwon Rae-i, that bastard should be busy dealing with the enemies pouring in from the main gate, so how is he here? Moreover, where did the Woo Tae-hwon he was targeting go?
“Yes, it’s me. It’s nice to greet you like this again. Did you receive the gift I sent you?”
“……”
“Haha, it doesn’t seem like you’ve come all the way here to declare surrender.”
Kwon Tae-oh clenched his fist tightly. He had never forgotten the picture of that bastard’s face. That leisurely smile…
“You know me well. I’ve come to take your life.”
“Is that so? Or did you sneak in here to find Woo Tae-hwon? Like a cockroach.”
“Whether it’s Woo Tae-hwon or you, it doesn’t matter if the order is changed. You’re both about to leave this world soon. If you have any last words, I’ll listen.”
“Last words? Hahahaha… Shouldn’t you be leaving them first, Brother? There’s something called respecting elders in Korea.”
They were not in a relationship where they could exchange friendly conversations anyway.
The two men rushed towards each other at the same time. With the intent to kill.
Kwon Rae-i, who had kicked off the cold floor, grabbed Kwon Tae-oh’s arm and twisted it. Kwon Tae-oh gave up one arm and grabbed the knife with the other arm and swung it. With a cracking sound, Kwon Tae-oh’s arm was twisted back. The blade grazed Kwon Rae-i’s chin.
Red blood dripped on the floor, and the two men’s fists cut through the air again.
Kwon Tae-oh punched Kwon Rae-i in the abdomen first, and almost at the same time, Kwon Rae-i’s fist slammed into his cheek.
“Ugh!”
“Huff!”
His skull shook with one punch.
Kwon Rae-i aimed accurately only at the vital points and beat Kwon Tae-oh, and Kwon Tae-oh, who was pushed back by it, quickly retreated.
A bitter taste spread in his mouth. He had to counterattack immediately without even checking if his teeth were intact with the tip of his tongue. The next attack was coming even faster.
An elbow was swung in front of him with the sound of cutting through the wind. Kwon Tae-oh barely dodged by tilting his head back, but the swung arm immediately changed its target accordingly. Kwon Rae-i’s fist sharply pierced his ribs, and Kwon Tae-oh’s body momentarily bent over and was pushed back by the strong impact.
“……!”
Ugh. He felt the pressure of pressing down on his abdomen directly.
Kwon Tae-oh’s breath was momentarily cut off. He felt severe pain as if his lungs had been pierced. He could immediately gauge the other’s strength in just a few moves.
In terms of skill, Kwon Rae-i was clearly superior.
“Big Brother. Is it true that you killed Father?”
Kwon Rae-i grabbed Kwon Tae-oh’s arm and pushed him against the wall with force.
Bang! Kwon Tae-oh’s back hit the wall, and a heavy impact sound rang out.
“And that you framed Tae-hwon?”
Kwon Tae-oh tried to reach out with his fist, but it was a futile struggle. He felt his feet lift off the ground for a moment, and the next moment he realized that his body was flipped over and slammed into the corridor floor.
“Keuh-heok!”
Kwon Tae-oh’s breath, which he exhaled like a scream, echoed through the corridor. He felt like his lungs were being squeezed.
‘What is this, I can’t even compete?’
Kwon Tae-oh twisted his body with all his might to shake off his arm. But Kwon Rae-i stepped on him with terrifying force, climbed on top of him, and strangled his neck with one hand.
Kwon Rae-i was like some kind of predator. A beast that had no impact no matter how much he fought back. It was as if he was born to fight.
His vision shook momentarily, and Kwon Tae-oh groaned painfully and gritted his teeth.
“Kkeueu. Keuk!”
“Ah, well… Actually, the truth doesn’t matter. The ending is already set. You will be killed by my hand, and I will become the owner of Gyeongjeong and spend the rest of my life with Tae-hwon.”
“Keoheok…!”
“But. That’s that, and this is this, but it’s fucking infuriating. If it was all a false accusation, how can Tae-hwon bear it? He lost the Chairman he served, his honor, his organization and subordinates, and was unfairly chased to the point of almost becoming a one-armed man. Shouldn’t I take revenge myself?”
Kwon Tae-oh choked and contorted his eyes. With each labored breath, drops of blood dripped from his mouth.
“Why did it have to be Woo Tae-hwon…? That’s your downfall, brother. You chose the wrong opponent.”
Kwon Tae-oh grabbed Kwon Rae-i’s arm and pulled. His breath was failing, and his grip was weakening. The surroundings began to turn bright yellow, and his vision gradually blurred.
However, Kwon Tae-oh didn’t give up until the end. It was enough to restrain Kwon Rae-i for a moment.
Because…
“Hyungnim!”
Park Chan, Kwon Tae-oh’s subordinate who had circled the Separate House, jumped out from behind Kwon Rae-i. In his hand, he held an electric shocker spitting blue sparks.
Pzzzzzz!
The monstrous Kwon Rae-i instinctively tried to turn and dodge, but he was already a beast caught in a trap. Park Chan swung his arm, and the electric shocker, set to maximum output, plunged straight into his neck.
No, that’s what should have happened.
“Ugh…!”
The electric shocker dug into Kwon Tae-oh’s neck, not Kwon Rae-i’s.
‘What?’
Why…?
‘Why, Park Chan? Why me…!’
Kwon Tae-oh’s electrocuted body trembled. It shuddered, then stiffened and slumped.
Thud!
Park Chan checked Kwon Tae-oh’s condition as he lay on the floor. He knelt down, turned back his eyelids, and checked his pulse.
“…No pupillary response. He’s properly knocked out, Hyungnim.”
“That was easy. Drag him away and finish him off.”
Kwon Rae-i dusted off his hands as if he had touched something dirty. The gesture of wiping the blood flowing down his chin even had a hint of leisure.
“Yes. I’ll tie him up quietly.”
Park Chan bowed respectfully to Kwon Rae-i, grabbed Kwon Tae-oh’s legs, and dragged him away into the darkness.
* * *
In the garden where the languid sunlight fell, acacia flowers were in full bloom. Birds chirped and the sun shone on a spring day filled with the scent of flowers. Occasionally, a breeze would blow, causing the branches to sway and scatter small petals.
On a cozy and warm afternoon, two people gathered under the blue sky where white clouds drifted leisurely.
“Is this enough?”
In the middle of the garden, Kwon Rae-i and Woo Tae-hwon, sitting side by side, were planting sweet potatoes, their hands covered in dirt. The soil, freshly tilled with a hoe, was moist, and it slid away smoothly each time the hoe was pushed in. Kwon Rae-i carefully planted a small sweet potato sprout and covered it with soil.
“Hmm. You need to cover it a bit more.”
Tae-hwon narrowed his eyes and seriously examined the planted sweet potato. Then, Kwon Rae-i added another handful of soil and patted it down.
“Like this? Is it okay?”
“Maybe.”
“Should I cover it more, just in case?”
Kwon Rae-i patted the soil, shaping it nicely. A small, rounded mound of earth was created. He wondered if he was doing it right. He wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“Wow, it’s hot today.”
“Yeah. It was cool this morning.”
Both were wearing short-sleeved T-shirts and thin pants, but they were sweating. It must have been because they had worked hard to till the garden under the strong sunlight.
Kwon Rae-i straightened his back and looked up at the sky. The green garden shone dazzlingly, and the sunlight sparkled as it filtered through the leaves. There was shade under the acacia tree, but the vegetable garden that the two had been turning over was scorching under the midday sun.
“Shall we take a break?”
Tae-hwon, shielding his eyes from the sun with his hand, asked. Kwon Rae-i replied with a sly grin.
“Tae-hwon, you’re always wanting to rest. Am I that tiring to be around?”
“What?”
“Are you exhausted? Is it hard?”
Tae-hwon blinked slowly, dumbfounded.