By Zephyria 
Tae-hwon, who had resigned himself to his fate, clenched his teeth tightly and closed his eyes. And he waited for the pain to come. The future where his flesh would tear, his bones would break, and hot blood would gush out.
The smell of iron would spread in the air, and the blood he had shed would soak the vinyl on the floor. He vowed not to scream until the terrible pain came. He didn’t know where Kwon Rae-i was now, but he hoped he wouldn’t hear it if possible.
Now the surroundings were completely silent, and it was as if time had stopped and he couldn’t hear anything.
His mind was completely condensed and focused as if it had passed through a single point.
And then.
“Tae-hwon-ssi!”
The blade that had been falling vertically stopped in mid-air.
Was the voice he heard just now some kind of hallucination?
Was the face he saw in front of him also a hallucination?
Tae-hwon slowly opened his eyelids, which he had been closing tightly as if he couldn’t believe it.
A face that shone as if it had been painted white came into view. It was Kwon Rae-i’s young, clear, white, and delicate face. His Azure eyes were like sparkling crystals, stained with burning obsession and blind recklessness.
Kwon Rae-i, who had kicked Woo-shik far away and was holding the blade that was falling towards Tae-hwon with both hands, had come at some point.
Perhaps it had been close, as blood was seeping from his palms. It seemed he had been cut because he hadn’t absorbed all the impact. Seeing that, a huge shock poured into him as if a hole had been pierced in his chest, and he was breathless.
“…Young master.”
He didn’t even know what expression he was making now.
What was the emotion that had risen on his pale, hardened face?
Was it relief? Or something else?
Tae-hwon could only stare blankly at Kwon Rae-i without even breathing. His hands pulling the blade and his face stained with anger were a mysterious kind of illusion.
Kwon Rae-i was a beautiful anger, a powerful sorrow, and an endlessly overflowing affection.
Countless fears could not overcome him, and in his presence, any fear became powerless like a non-existence.
“I almost, I almost was late.”
Kwon Rae-i pushed the blade away and began to untie the leather straps that were restraining Tae-hwon one by one.
“Get up. Tae-hwon-ssi. Quickly.”
He grabbed his arm and forcibly pulled up the hardened Tae-hwon. He was visibly agitated and was radiating murderous intent as if he would tear everyone in this place apart at any moment.
“Tsk, Ho-chang. You should have bought more time.”
President Hwang clicked his tongue and stared intently at Kwon Rae-i. Woo-shik, who had fallen, wiped the blood from his chin and got up, and the remaining burly men gathered in a formation to block Kwon Rae-i.
“Stop it. That Woo Tae-hwon said he would give his arm himself. It’s already over.”
Kwon Rae-i didn’t even answer and faced them with a turned eye.
He punched the first one who rushed at him in the stomach with all his might, then grabbed the right wrist of the vomiting man and broke his elbow joint as it was. It had happened in an instant.
“Ugh!”
One man fell with his arm grabbed as it was. The men who rushed in after him met a similar fate. Kwon Rae-i was as fast and strong as lightning. He was like a living disaster.
“Tae-hwon-ssi. Were you threatened?”
Kwon Rae-i completely ignored President Hwang and only spoke to Tae-hwon. He acted as if only Woo Tae-hwon was in his eyes. President Hwang clicked his tongue again and replied.
“It was just an agreement in exchange for his arm.”
“It was a threat, wasn’t it.”
Two large men rushed at him at the same time, but Kwon Rae-i didn’t even blink an eye and dealt with both of them at the same time. Even though one punched towards the blind spot where he wore an eye patch, he dodged it by tilting his head by a hair’s breadth as if he had predicted that he would aim for that side, and struck his neck with all his might. And he grabbed the arm of the man who was punching in succession and threw him backwards.
“Keuk!”
Wham, bang. The thrown man collided with the Guillotine where Tae-hwon had been sitting until just now, and the fallen blade narrowly missed and hit the side of his face. Kwon Rae-i didn’t care about that and grabbed the fallen man’s arm with a terrifying force and broke his joint. This time too, it was his right arm.
“Huk, Kkyaaaaak!”
Eventually, in less than a few minutes, Kwon Rae-i, who had broken the right arms of three men in the same way, raised his head. And he stared at Woo-shik, who was still standing upright, with the appearance of a beast aiming for its prey. He seemed to know Kwon Rae-i’s skills very well, and he didn’t rush in rashly, but was wary with his fists clenched.
But whether he was wary or not, it seemed Kwon Rae-i wasn’t threatened in the slightest.
As if Woo-shik wasn’t even a match, Kwon Rae-i strode towards him, closing the distance. Seeing Kwon Rae-i approach, Woo-shik retreated little by little, and President Hwang watched the situation, took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and sighed.
“Kwon Rae-i. Hey, you bastard.”
“I warned you that Woo Tae-hwon is my man.”
Kwon Rae-i, who rushed in an instant, grabbed Woo-shik by the collar and slapped him hard across the cheek. He clenched his blood-dripping hand into a fist and mercilessly struck his ear repeatedly.
Thwack! Thwack! Bang!
Sounds like a skull being crushed rang out in succession. Woo-shik also threw a punch at Kwon Rae-i, but it was a fight where it was obvious at a glance who was dominant. Woo-shik couldn’t properly utilize his large frame and staggered, constantly losing his balance, while Kwon Rae-i was exercising violence as coldly as a machine. He was focused only on dealing with his opponent, as if he didn’t feel any pain even when hit.
Woo-shik’s face, beaten by him, swelled grotesquely, and eventually, blood even flowed from his ear. Nevertheless, Kwon Rae-i didn’t stop. He beat Woo-shik until he collapsed on the vinyl-covered floor, and then kicked the head of the guy who had lost his balance and fallen.
Thud, the sound of Woo-shik’s nose breaking rang out.
“Ugh… You, you bastard.”
Kwon Rae-i snatched the arm of Woo-shik, who was trembling and clutching his face, with a ruthless movement. Even without watching, it was obvious what the fate of that arm would be.
“If you overlooked what it meant, I’ll have to make sure it’s properly engraved in your head.”
Kwon Rae-i didn’t show mercy this time either and bent his right arm in the opposite direction. He twisted the joint so hard that his wrist was about to flip backward. Woo-shik let out a scream of pain.
“Khaaa…!”
Kwon Rae-i, who kicked Woo-shik’s stomach, finally turned to look at President Hwang, who was the last one left. His eyes gleamed like polished glass beads, sparkling.
“Siphoning off through the back door and pulling off tricks like this…”
Kwon Rae-i murmured savagely.
He looked like he was about to crush President Hwang right then and there.
‘Wait. Is he really going to break President Hwang’s arm too?’
Tae-hwon’s face turned pale.
How long had it been since he escaped the crisis of losing his arm? Before his surprised heart could calm down, the situation rushed in rapidly. Tae-hwon forced his stiff body to move and approached Kwon Rae-i.
“Young Master. That’s enough.”
In the first place, it was Tae-hwon who had offered his arm as the price.
Tae-hwon stood in front of him. He stood between the two, shielding President Hwang with his body, and shook his head.
But Kwon Rae-i was as firm as steel and as sharp as a blade. He looked like he would kill President Hwang right there and then. His unwavering gaze and resolute expression were clear evidence. In his enraged eyes, blood vessels were standing upside down, and his jaw was clenched tightly like a stone.
Blood was dripping from his clenched fist.
Bloodstains were forming on the vinyl-covered floor, as if red paint had been dropped.
“Move.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I said move.”
“It’s my decision. The agreement isn’t wrong either.”
“Tae-hwon, why again.”
Kwon Rae-i muttered lowly and glared at Tae-hwon menacingly.
“Jeun doesn’t owe the head a life debt, so why would Tae-hwon give up his arm?”
Tae-hwon pleaded with heavy eyes. Sweat broke out on his hands, and he felt desperate. It was even more urgent now than when his arm was about to be cut off.
Could they harm President Hwang in Jeun’s den and escape safely?
Even if they were lucky enough to somehow escape, what should they do afterward?
This time, it would be an undeniable hostile relationship. Heir or not, he would become a traitor who murdered President Hwang, and now Kwon Rae-i would not be able to avoid being a wanted man. Then, the war with the Gyeongjeong and the chairman would all be in vain. So, President Hwang was someone they had to make an ally at all costs.