* * *

“How’s Mother’s side moving?”

“Don’t worry. She doesn’t suspect a thing yet. She’s still in contact with Minister Kim, but the old fox is so cautious it might take a little longer.”

“Keep following her. Make sure to handle things discreetly.”

“Got it.”

If they could tie the Minister of Justice and their mother together, they could sever her power completely.

Thinking of all the places her hands had reached, Jungjin clenched his teeth.

“Hyung, I was going to wait until I was more certain to tell you, but…”

Jungjin’s gaze turned toward Jungseo, who cautiously began speaking.

He had suspected for a while that Jungseo was up to something but hadn’t pressed for details.

He didn’t want his younger brother, still so young, getting involved in dangerous matters.

“Go on.”

If it was something risky, he needed to stop it now.

Seeing Jungseo hesitate under his watchful gaze, Jungjin nodded reassuringly, signaling him to continue.

But Jungjin’s expression darkened as he heard what came next.

“I found out where the bastard who caused Jungin’s car accident and ran off is hiding.”

“How?”

“I wasn’t just sitting around… A friend and I poked around at the immigration office, and…”

Jungseo averted his gaze and trailed off, making Jungwoo mutter, “You’re crazy.”

It was a relief they hadn’t been caught, but it was reckless and could have escalated into a serious problem.

Jungjin closed his eyes briefly, pressing his temples, before Jungseo shrugged and spoke again.

“Anyway, we didn’t get caught.”

“Lee Jungseo, you—”

“Anyway, that bastard’s in Macau.”

“Macau?”

The culprit wasn’t as far away as he’d thought.

Jungseo, grinding his teeth, pulled out a plane ticket with a sharp glint in his eyes.

“Yeah. Seems like Mother paid him generously. He’s been messing around in casinos.”

“You’re planning to go yourself?”

“Of course. That bastard touched our kid. I’ll deal with him myself.”

Jungjin hadn’t expected him to go this far.

Of course. As Jungin’s brother, he wouldn’t have wanted to stand by and do nothing.

Even if Jungjin tried to stop him, Jungseo wouldn’t listen.

In the end, Jungjin reluctantly told him to be careful, and after sending his brothers off, he was left alone, lighting a cigarette.

The pack he’d opened that morning was nearly empty.

How many had he smoked today?

“Jungin will scold me if he finds out…”

He brushed off his clothes, worried they might smell of smoke, then pulled out his phone to play a video.

It was CCTV footage of Jungin meeting a friend earlier.

He’d watched it countless times.

If it had been a videotape, the film would’ve worn out by now.

In the footage’s final moments, Jungin broke into sobs, desperately calling for someone.

Ki Beomhyeon.

Even in the soundless video, it was clear from Jungin’s lips who he was calling for.

Ki Beomhyeon—had that man become so important to his little brother?

Important enough to be the first person he sought, more than family?

Recalling the ring on Jungin’s delicate finger, Jungjin hesitated before finally calling Beomhyeon.

When Jungin woke up, he needed something—or someone—to tether him to this world.

Even if it meant using Beomhyeon, Jungjin didn’t care. Jungin’s survival was all that mattered.

The line clicked, and Jungjin spoke.

“Can you come to the hospital now?”

• I’ll be there immediately.

“Good. Thank you.”

Ending the call, Jungjin felt a tightness in his chest.

If Jungin’s memories had returned, he might choose to leave them behind.

After all, unlike before, Jungin now had new ties in his life.

Would this feeling be called anxiety? Or guilt?

“Haah…”

A long sigh escaped him, white smoke lingering in the air.

---

“Ki Beomhyeon!”

Beomhyeon looked up from the documents he’d been reading as his father stormed into the house, shouting.

“You’re back early.”

“Was it you?”

“What are you talking about?”

Suppressing a satisfied smirk, Beomhyeon maintained a neutral expression, meeting Chairman Ki’s gaze.

“Don’t play dumb. We’ve already checked the CCTV—it was you.”

Ah. Beomhyeon glanced toward the living room’s CCTV camera, raising a brow slightly.

“How could you do something so despicable? Is this what I taught you?”

Beomhyeon’s expression turned incredulous.

Their family, once a shadowy underworld syndicate, hadn’t risen to become one of Korea’s top conglomerates through clean methods.

He found it absurd that blocking his father’s number on Jungin’s phone was being called a “despicable act.”

Scowling, Beomhyeon asked, “Is that why you returned earlier than planned?”

“Yes! And I want to see the boy, too. Call Jungin right now and have him unblock me.”

“…”

“Ki Beomhyeon!”

His father’s demand only made Beomhyeon’s already complicated thoughts worse.

Jungin hadn’t answered his calls for hours.

Though he might just be busy, Beomhyeon couldn’t shake his unease.

‘Should I try calling again?’

Thinking of Jungin’s wary brothers, Beomhyeon hesitated, picking up his phone and putting it down repeatedly.

The chairman opened his mouth to speak, but just then, Beomhyeon’s phone lit up.

Seeing the number, he moved instantly.

“Ki Beomhyeon speaking.”

• Can you come to the hospital now?”

The single sentence sent Beomhyeon bolting from his chair.

Brushing off his father’s questions with a terse explanation—“It’s about Jungin”—he rushed to the hospital.

---

“You came quickly.”

Though his tone was as cold as ever, the deep worry etched on Jungjin’s face was unmistakable.

“Jungin… his memories are back.”

“All of them?”

“Yes.”

Beomhyeon felt a chill run through his head.

It wasn’t that he wished for Jungin’s memories to never return.

But he was terrified that Jungin’s attitude might change if those memories came back.

The thought that the loving face gazing up at him, the shy smile in his eyes when Beomhyeon caressed his cheek, and the endlessly chattering, giggling red lips might no longer belong to him was unbearable.

If only he had known he would fall this deeply in love with Jungin, he wouldn’t have treated their first meeting so indifferently.

Beomhyeon’s brows furrowed as he recalled their first encounter at the hotel.

“I don’t expect much from you. Just don’t interfere in each other’s private lives. We’ll call off the engagement when we come of age anyway, right?”

Despite his neat attire, Jungin’s tone was anything but refined.

Sitting with his legs crossed at an angle, his bored expression framed by his hand resting under his chin, he asked bluntly:

“So, what did you get out of being engaged to me? Money? A building? Land?”

“Shares.”

“Ah, shares are good. I’m jealous. Me? I only agreed to this engagement so my stepmother wouldn’t kill me.”

“Is that so?”

At Beomhyeon’s brief reply, Jungin’s expression froze momentarily.

Then, with a faint smirk twisting his lips, he spoke again.

“Guess being from a mob family makes you think this kind of thing is no big deal.”

“Perhaps. As you said, it’s just a contractual relationship.”

He thought it was none of his business.

After all, Jungin himself had said their relationship was merely contractual and that they should stay out of each other’s lives.

Beomhyeon assumed Jungin felt the same way.

“You’re such a bastard.”

With that parting remark, Jungin turned and walked away.

Even then, Beomhyeon’s next schedule came to mind before anything else.

They crossed paths again at group anniversaries and events, but not a single greeting was exchanged.

It wasn’t until their chance meeting on the hospital rooftop that they began to truly notice each other.

* * *