Chapter 41: What Is Your True Identity?
Yeon stepped out into the yard after a long time. A pleasantly warm breeze tousled his hair as it passed. When he took a deep breath, the wound area ached slightly, but compared to a few days ago, he could definitely move around better.
Muyeong had said it was heaven’s blessing. Even when told that if the bullet had hit just a little lower it would have been dangerous, Yeon felt no particular emotion.
‘It seems the initial emergency treatment saved you, I hear.’
But Muyeong’s final words, delivered with a reluctant expression, made Yeon’s heart flutter. He didn’t need to ask who had performed that emergency treatment—he already knew.
That person, what expression did he have while performing first aid? He had mentioned an important presentation—had Yeon ruined it for him?
By the time Yeon regained consciousness, he had already returned to Muryeong, and there was no one to explain what had happened that day. He was curious and worried. At the same time, he sighed, wondering why he kept dwelling on something that was already over.
When in his room, he would unconsciously find himself staring blankly at the drawer. Should he try contacting that number on the phone he kept inside to check if he was doing well? Even without calling Kang Dohyuk directly, he could ask Director Choi if everything had been resolved that day, if there had been any troubles afterward.
If only the phone would turn on, he might have called at least once by now. Fortunately or unfortunately, the power wouldn’t come on, so there was no way to make contact.
After completing a request, Yeon had never been curious about his clients before. It was rare for the same person to make another request, so there was no reason to meet again. As for Kang Dohyuk… Yeon raised his right hand and looked at it. The entangled red thread was still clearly visible. It hadn’t faded at all, nor had it weakened to the point of breaking. If anything, it seemed to have turned an even deeper red.
Kang Dohyuk had never been kind to him, not for a moment. Even their one kiss wasn’t gentle. It was a rough, forceful kiss, as if taking something away from Yeon. The face he remembered was always cold and stern.
Yet why did the man’s face keep lingering in his mind? He couldn’t shake off the concern that Kang Dohyuk might be in danger because of some other unfortunate connection.
The fact that this thread remained intact and connected meant that nothing had happened to Kang Dohyuk. Yeon sighed at himself for checking on the man’s well-being and feeling relieved.
“Why are you out here? I told you not to catch a chill.”
Sana had approached without him noticing and draped a thin blanket over his shoulders.
“The weather has warmed up, so it’s fine.”
Indeed, the weather had become much milder. Soon the hot season would arrive again. As always, time flowed steadily on, regardless of one’s unsettled heart.
Eventually, we’ll meet again.
He took his eyes off the red thread on his hand. As long as this thread connected them, Kang Dohyuk would definitely appear before him again. One way or another.
Muyeong stood on the wooden porch of Muryeong’s main building, gazing in one direction for a long time. At the end of his gaze was Yeon, staring blankly into space with an expressionless face. Yeon’s detached demeanor wasn’t particularly unusual among those at Muryeong. Among Muryeong’s members, Yeon especially appeared as if he had mastered all worldly matters. Considering he was just over twenty years old, he seemed excessively resigned to everything in life, even accounting for his isolated existence.
It could be because of his ability to see the connections between people, but Muyeong had guessed the real reason. Occasionally, there were people who remembered all their past lives, and Yeon was one of them. Since he was very young, he would say strange things, though at the time, Muyeong hadn’t known he was speaking of his past lives.
‘I saw myself in those black eyes. It was me, but not the me I know.’
When he first heard those words, Muyeong thought Yeon might have seen someone else’s psychic impression. As days passed and he watched Yeon’s eyes that seemed to understand everything, he realized Yeon retained almost all memories of his past lives.
So that stubborn connection has appeared before you.
Had he known, would he have sent Yeon to fulfill Kang Dohyuk’s request? Even as the head of Muryeong, who dealt with things different from ordinary people, they couldn’t know their own futures.
Muyeong couldn’t tell where Yeon’s connection would flow or what conclusion it would reach. He simply didn’t want the boy to get hurt like this again. If being near Kang Dohyuk was dangerous, he couldn’t send him back there.
***
Director Choi’s apartment was a ten-minute distance from Dohyuk’s villa. It was an expensive apartment for an ordinary office worker living alone, but Dohyuk had bought it in Director Choi’s name, reasoning that he needed to be able to rush over immediately in case of emergency.
After work, when Director Choi arrived home, he found Lee Seojin standing in front of his entrance. Upon seeing Director Choi, Lee Seojin held up the plastic bag in his hand. It was filled with canned beer and snacks. Director Choi first checked his surroundings. Only after confirming there was no suspicious activity did he gesture for Lee Seojin to follow him.
“You should have called before coming.”
“I know you’re busy. I just… needed a drinking buddy.”
Hearing Lee Seojin’s listless voice, Director Choi turned to look at him and suppressed a groan. For some reason, he seemed unusually dejected, unlike his normal self.
“I have to go out tomorrow too, so I can’t drink much.”
After inviting Lee Seojin to sit, Director Choi pushed aside the documents scattered across the table. These were materials he had been collecting about Muryeong for the past few days. Lee Seojin’s gaze briefly flickered toward the documents but soon turned away, showing no interest.
“Please just keep me company for a bit. I have no one else to complain to except you, Director Choi.”
At the weak tone, Director Choi silently accepted the can of beer Lee Seojin handed him.
“It’s tough these days.”
“Is Kang Sunhyuk giving you a hard time?”
At Director Choi’s question, Lee Seojin shook his head.
“That person is surprisingly simple. What you see is what you get. So he’s actually easy to deal with. Except for constantly asking me to drink with him.”
The thought of drinking with one’s boss seemed to drain the energy from Director Choi, who also shook his head slightly.
“Then what’s bothering you?”
“Managing Director, I mean, Sunbae Dohyuk…”
Director Choi was the only person who knew about the relationship between Kang Dohyuk and Lee Seojin. Moreover, he had noticed Lee Seojin’s feelings quite some time ago. He had pretended not to notice, thinking Kang Dohyuk would never reciprocate those feelings, but now the situation was awkward because of Yeon’s sudden appearance.
“Actually, last weekend I went to visit Sunbae Dohyuk and saw him. In Sunbae’s house…”
Lee Seojin knew how surprising it was that Kang Dohyuk would allow another person in his home, even if his mother had pushed for it. The time Director Choi or Lee Seojin spent in that house was limited to just a few tens of minutes at most, when making work-related reports. For Kang Dohyuk, who maintained high walls even with these two who had been by his side for years, to spend nights and days in the same house with someone else—it was understandably troubling for Lee Seojin, who harbored special feelings for him.
“That person, what’s his true identity?”
Lee Seojin asked.
“Sunbae denied it, but there are rumors he’s a sponsor… The secretaries in the Managing Director’s office say he’s a bodyguard, but he’s not a bodyguard, is he?”
Indeed. He didn’t look like a bodyguard by any means. Kang Dohyuk himself was a former special forces member with above-average self-defense skills. That’s why he only kept a small number of exceptional bodyguards around him, each with impressive physiques and special skills.
“He is a bodyguard. Just not the conventional kind we think of.”
Lee Seojin tilted his head, asking what that meant. Thinking there was no need to hide from Lee Seojin, Director Choi explained the truth about Yeon. When he mentioned that Cha Seonyoo had commissioned a shaman, Lee Seojin’s eyes widened.
Director Choi thought it would be better for Lee Seojin to know the truth rather than hurt him by letting him think Yeon was a sponsor. However, he was also uneasy because Kang Dohyuk seemed to be developing special feelings for Yeon. Given that Lee Seojin had been enduring with his unrequited love for Kang Dohyuk, his relationship with Kang Dohyuk now seemed even more precarious.
“A shaman…”
Lee Seojin muttered in disbelief.
“I was skeptical too, and so was the Managing Director. You know his personality. At first, he completely treated him like a con artist, but after he arrived, the situation around us did calm down a bit. And during the presentation, he prevented an unexpected shooting that no one could have anticipated. It’s impossible not to believe that he sees something special that only his eyes can see.”
Upon hearing Director Choi’s explanation, Lee Seojin let out a sigh so deep it was audible and muttered that it made no sense. It was natural for an ordinary person to be unable to believe in a shaman’s abilities. Director Choi understood because he had felt the same way.
“It’s not the kind of relationship you’re thinking of.”
Was it really not? Though Director Choi said it to comfort Lee Seojin, he couldn’t be certain himself.
“The Managing Director wants to control all of Muryeong. He’s trying to grasp the entire political and business circles connected to it.”
That was true. At least for now, that was a major reason.
“Once he has Muryeong in his grasp, what about that person? Is he of no concern?”
Director Choi should have answered affirmatively, but he hesitated. Because of this, Lee Seojin, who had been watching him, smiled bitterly.
“When I asked if he was special, he said maybe.”
Even with the subject and object completely omitted, Director Choi understood what Lee Seojin meant.
“The idea that Sunbae Dohyuk could consider someone special… I never even imagined it.”
Neither had Director Choi. He had thought Kang Dohyuk was incapable of love. Even now, it was ambiguous whether to call it love. It seemed closer to obsession than love, but wasn’t obsession also rooted in affection?
“It’s harder than I thought…”
Lee Seojin hung his head low while holding the beer can. Director Choi was flustered to see Lee Seojin’s voice trembling, wondering if he was crying.
“Drink.”
While Director Choi had no prejudice against homosexuality, it was difficult to fully empathize with those emotions, so he didn’t know what to say. He felt sorry for Lee Seojin but couldn’t offer words of comfort. So he just encouraged him to drink. Fortunately, tomorrow was a holiday. Director Choi had to go out for work, but Lee Seojin could rest, so it wouldn’t be a problem if he got drunk.
One, two, the number of empty cans increased. After about two hours, empty beer cans were rolling all over the table. Director Choi laid the drunk and sleeping Lee Seojin on the living room sofa and brought a blanket to cover him.
This guy is also in such a difficult love. Why, of all people, did it have to be Kang Dohyuk? The problem wasn’t that he was a man. The problem was that Kang Dohyuk’s emotional temperature was extremely low compared to others.
Unable to even say empty words of encouragement, Director Choi just patted the sleeping Lee Seojin’s head a couple of times before going to his room.
