By Zephyria 
Why was it? On the days he went out, sitting alone in the room, he felt a strange emptiness that he hadn’t felt before. The already spacious house seemed even more vast, and the quiet surroundings felt strangely silent.
Even though it was winter, the temperature in the room seemed to have dropped further, and it felt particularly cold. There was no warmth clinging close, no arm around his waist, and something felt awkward. He might not have realized it before, but Tae-hwon had come to recognize that it was loneliness.
He now knew what it truly meant to be able to touch him whenever he reached out, to be able to speak to him whenever he opened his mouth, and to have a reaction to whatever he did. He knew that as Kwon Rae-i opened his heart, Tae-hwon could open his heart to him, and that they could rely on each other and comfort each other.
Seeing the other person as they were meant accepting that Kwon Rae-i existed as Kwon Rae-i, and that he, too, accepted that Woo Tae-hwon existed as Woo Tae-hwon. Anything else was just trivial.
From the day he returned from visiting Jeun, Tae-hwon was able to reach out to Kwon Rae-i without hesitation. He could touch or embrace him without any particular emotional resistance or worry. His flawless, radiant white skin was objectively something anyone would want to touch.
His right arm was also recovering smoothly, and he was now able to perform everyday movements. And above all, Kwon Rae-i noticeably reacted and rejoiced whenever Tae-hwon touched him. Of course, he was a little surprised the first few times.
Now, whenever Tae-hwon reached out first, Kwon Rae-i would curve his lips into a sweet smile. He would quietly grin as if trying to suppress his excitement, then rush in and pounce on him as if he couldn’t stand it, or he would whine and act cute, asking for more.
Tae-hwon didn’t dislike him like that. He just accepted that this was Kwon Rae-i.
He was a little excessive, violent, and sometimes acted as if he were out of his mind, but it was okay. He honestly thought it wouldn’t be bad to live like this.
The only thing that bothered him was the fact that his memories might return at any time.
I wish I would never get them back.
The nightmares still continued.
A loud gunshot, blood splattering red, heavy raindrops pouring down, and…
“……”
He didn’t know what would happen to Woo Tae-hwon after his memories returned. No, the problem wasn’t himself, but Kwon Rae-i. Although it was a bit strange, he was living with Kwon Rae-i now, and he intended to continue to be with him, but would Woo Tae-hwon, who had regained his lost memories, really think the same way? Because an unknown self lurked within him, he couldn’t completely relax and feel at ease.
So perhaps this moment was just a brief peace that existed only at this time.
Just as Tae-hwon had suddenly skipped 10 years and lost his young master, he didn’t know when he would lose the current Kwon Rae-i.
So he couldn’t hesitate any longer. He had to touch, caress, and embrace the Kwon Rae-i he could touch now, just because he felt like he had to. Even if his feelings and Tae-hwon’s feelings were not the same.
He still didn’t know much about love, and he couldn’t accept Kwon Rae-i’s long-standing unrequited love. But even those problems didn’t seem important right now. Kwon Rae-i also didn’t demand romance or affection from Tae-hwon, and seemed to know that Tae-hwon would have no choice but to refuse.
So the two of them just lived like this.
With a fierce atmosphere of war swirling outside the house ahead of the final battle between the two organizations, and Woo Tae-hwon’s mind, trapped inside the house, uneasy about the memories that might return at any time, he decided to reach out and seize this moment when they were together. Because it was too precious to just let time pass by.
I might regret it.
Tae-hwon leaned on the windowsill and slowly pulled back the curtain. It was dark and quiet outside, and there was no sign of anyone in the empty garden. Tae-hwon stared at the tall wall and the firmly closed front gate.
It was almost time for Kwon Rae-i to return.
He had left Tae-hwon alone at home since the afternoon because he had business with Jeun today. It had only been about six hours since Kwon Rae-i had left, but time seemed to be passing very slowly. Tae-hwon stood by the window, watching the gap in the closed gate.
Soon that gate would open and Kwon Rae-i’s car would enter. The bright headlight would be blinding, and he would park the car in the garage, open the iron bars, and return home.
Tae-hwon stood like a sentinel, without blinking, waiting for Kwon Rae-i to return. As he stood there blankly, time seemed to have stopped. The private residence, located in a remote area with no people around, was already a secluded space. It seemed that Kwon Rae-i had bought all the surrounding land, and no one was even seen near the area.
At least the streetlights were shining over the high wall and into the house.
Just then, a small movement was spotted in the sky.
A small snowflake fluttered down. Following it, white snowflakes slowly danced and fell from the dark sky.
It was the first snow.
The snow crystals that touched the windowpane melted away in the warm indoor temperature, and other snowflakes scattered here and there, sparkling like small jewels in the faint streetlight. It was like a small whisper secretly scattered by the sky.
The accumulating snow, along with the wind blowing from afar, permeated his heart. He felt peace in the silence as the world seemed to turn pure white. The snow would stay in the world for a while and then melt away, but for this moment, it was presenting a beautiful scene.
White.
So white.
Watching the first snow that continued to fall, Tae-hwon thought of the person who was as natural as breathing. The one who resembled the first snow, white, clear, and beautiful, ephemeral as if he might disappear at any moment, but on the other hand, unchanging as if he would last forever.
Tae-hwon’s vision, lost in deep thought, soon brightened.
A headlight, incomparably brighter than the streetlights, poured into the yard. A car was entering through the open gate. The path curved smoothly and entered the garage. He thought it was amazing that he had timed it so perfectly with the first snow.
How could he time it so perfectly?
Tae-hwon closed the curtain he had pulled back. Then he left the bedroom, took the elevator, and went down to the living room on the first floor. He could have used the stairs, but he would have been slightly late.
The elevator stopped and Tae-hwon approached the locked iron bars. Soon Kwon Rae-i came in.
“Tae-hwon. Wow. It’s really cold outside.”
His nose was a little red from the cold.
“It’s snowing now.”
And a few snowflakes that hadn’t melted were on his white hair.
Tae-hwon reached out and brushed the hair off his head. He naturally closed the distance and hugged Tae-hwon. He could feel the coldness from him.
“I wanted to see it with you.”
He led Tae-hwon towards the living room window while still holding him. When he pulled back the closed curtains, he saw the fixed iron bars, just like in front of the entrance. He could see the snowy landscape through the bars. The world, which had already turned completely white, looked very clean and peaceful, and it looked even more distant in contrast to the iron bars that crossed it. It was like an ideal beauty that could not be reached.
“How is it?”
Kwon Rae-i asked cautiously, maintaining his embrace of Tae-hwon. Tae-hwon simply answered with the impressions that came to his mind without adding or subtracting anything.
“I’m thinking of roasted sweet potatoes.”
“R-Roasted sweet potatoes?”
“And bungeoppang.”
He just said it, but Kwon Rae-i looked quite flustered.
“Really? S-Shall I buy some?”
“No.”
“Let’s eat together. I’ll have them buy some now.”
Kwon Rae-i took out his phone from his pocket and sent a text message to someone. Judging from the recipient, it didn’t seem to be Han-seon, and it seemed that he had a separate subordinate to do such chores.
Tae-hwon glanced at him and casually added another word.
“…And oden soup.”
“Ah. Yes, yes. I’ll just have them buy tteokbokki and sundae from a street stall. Is there anything else you wanted to eat?”
Tae-hwon shook his head, looking at the snowy landscape. Kwon Rae-i was still dazed as if he was still stunned, then put his phone in his suit pocket and clung to Tae-hwon again. As time passed, a pleased smile gradually began to bloom on his face.
“Tae-hwon isn’t the type to say he wants to eat something, you know.”
He said that he hadn’t had a proper meal since he was a child, so he had become someone who would eat anything, whether it was spoiled or rotten, and that he would calmly accept eating the same porridge every meal. Kwon Rae-i seemed very curious and amused that Tae-hwon was talking about food.
“It’s a rare occurrence, isn’t it? Something like this. And you never ask me for anything. I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but it seems like Tae-hwon has changed a bit these days.”
“It’s probably not just your imagination.”