Slap!

The sharp pain jolted him back to consciousness. A foul, fishy smell wafted through the air. His cheek burned, seemingly scratched when struck.

“Ugh… ugh…”

“Looks like you’ve come to your senses.”

Groaning, he blinked his heavy eyelids. He finally made out the figure of the person standing right in front of him.

“…You’re…!”

He had only seen this person once before, but the impression had been so strong that he instantly recognized him. Pale, soft-looking hair, fair skin, glittering eyes. And a man whose ferocious aura contrasted starkly with his delicate face.

“You remember me?”

Though his lips smiled, his gaze toward Ju-eon remained icy.

“…How could I forget?”

This was the man responsible for the place where Ju-eon had parted ways with Myung-hwon without even getting to properly say goodbye. Ju-eon bit his lower lip as he spoke.

The person who had kidnapped Ju-eon was Yeo Myung-hwon’s older brother, Yeo Han-ol. Han-ol rested his chin on the back of a chair and scrutinized Ju-eon’s face while talking to himself.

For a brief moment after regaining consciousness, Ju-eon considered pretending he still didn’t remember anything, acting like he had lost his memory. But he quickly realized it was a shallow plan. Pleading that he wasn’t Woo Ju-eon but Woo Ju-won to someone who had brought him here knowing full well who he was would only make him look pathetic.

“I have a question, and Myung-hwon won’t answer it, so I called you here.”

Han-ol spoke calmly, suggesting he had formally invited Ju-eon, and got straight to the point.

“How are you still alive?”

Ju-eon thought he wouldn’t be able to answer Han-ol’s question. Having only just regained his memories, Ju-eon knew nothing about the past few years or what was currently happening. But contrary to his expectations, the question wasn’t some confidential matter.

“……”

The pain in his cheek had distracted him until now, but suddenly a dull ache throbbed at the back of his head, and Ju-eon let out a low groan.

Slap!

But then, with a loud smack, his head snapped to the side. The overlapping pain in his cheek made Ju-eon bite down on his lower lip. As his head turned, he accidentally bit the inside of his cheek, and the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth.

“Could you answer me? Being ignored to my face isn’t exactly pleasant.”

“I’m alive because I’m alive. What kind of answer are you expecting?”

“Fair enough. No, that’s not the point. How you survived doesn’t really matter.”

The question of how he was alive mattered less than why he had hidden it. Han-ol stood up and began pacing in front of Ju-eon. Every time he moved, Han-ol’s shadow loomed over Ju-eon.

“What’s Myung-hwon’s motive for hiding you?”

Han-ol didn’t want to resort to directly provoking Myung-hwon, but his fury prevented him from holding back.

‘Trying to screw me over, huh?’

Though he didn’t yet know the full story, he couldn’t shake the feeling that someone had completely blindsided him.

“What are you talking about? Why would Myung-hwon owe you an explanation?”

Ju-eon ground his teeth. His tied arms left him unable to do anything, but he glared at Han-ol with fierce defiance. He hated his powerlessness. Being a burden to Myung-hwon, waiting helplessly for rescue—this situation was the worst. Ju-eon scanned his surroundings. The only light in the room came from a dim lamp hanging above him.

‘If there are no windows, this must be underground.’

Slap!

Without warning, a hand struck his face again. As Ju-eon raised his head, Han-ol whispered in a strangely gentle voice, completely contradicting the force of the slap.

“Don’t bother thinking about escaping. Can’t you just answer my questions?”

“……”

Han-ol grabbed Ju-eon’s chin and tilted it up. Though his facial features appeared sharper and his overall demeanor different, there was an uncanny resemblance to Myung-hwon that made Ju-eon feel even worse.

“When did you start deceiving me? Are you pretending not to know?”

Up close, Ju-eon’s tidy face became even clearer. Han-ol stared at Ju-eon’s trembling eyelashes, lost in thought.

‘What is it?’

What was it about this seemingly ordinary man that drove Myung-hwon to madness? Han-ol’s gaze swept over Ju-eon from head to toe. There was an inexplicable quality about him that stirred something faintly in his chest, but that was all. His palm stung from slapping Ju-eon too hard.

“…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Myung-hwon is obsessed with you, yet you’re going to claim he didn’t tell you anything? Are you seriously going to say you lived as though you didn’t exist without knowing why?”

Why had Myung-hwon hidden Ju-eon’s existence and leaked information to AGT? Until now, Han-ol had assumed Myung-hwon’s dealings with AGT were part of his own schemes.

“You can’t just screw me over like this.”

“What are you even—”

Thud.

This time, a punch landed in Ju-eon’s stomach. He coughed violently, saliva dripping from his chin. Han-ol frowned at Ju-eon’s consistent expression of genuine confusion.

“You really didn’t know?”

“…Didn’t know what?”

“That Myung-hwon has been colluding with AGT.”

“…What?”

Ju-eon’s face turned pale, drained of all blood.

“You really didn’t know?”

Han-ol appeared just as taken aback.

‘Did he truly not know?’

If Myung-hwon had known Ju-eon was alive, he wouldn’t have allied with AGT. But since he had, Han-ol had assumed it was all part of a plan to betray him.

“Then what is this all about?”

Han-ol felt disoriented by Ju-eon’s unexpected reaction. If his assumptions were wrong, had he just needlessly stirred up a hornet’s nest?

‘I should’ve brought that other guy along too.’

By now, Myung-hwon must have heard that Ju-eon was missing. Han-ol gnawed at his nails until they bled, then suddenly turned his head.

“For now, explain exactly how you’re still alive.”

Deciding it was better to hear Ju-eon out than to keep venting his anger, Han-ol sat back down.

From Han-ol’s bewildered expression, Ju-eon realized he was speaking the truth.

“When… when did this collusion start?”

“After you disappeared.”

“…Why on earth…”

The idea that Myung-hwon had colluded with AGT left Ju-eon reeling. What could he have been thinking? Had he fallen into despair after Ju-eon disappeared? For a moment, Ju-eon entertained the thought but quickly shook his head. The Myung-hwon he knew wouldn’t have done that. Even if he had, what could Ju-eon say now that the collusion had already occurred? There must have been some compelling reason. Ju-eon tried to steady his anxious heart. There was no point in getting angry before hearing the full story.

“He probably wanted to screw over the agency.”

“What?”

“You got caught up in the hospital bombing incident too, didn’t you?”

“……”

Why was he suddenly bringing up the hospital incident from years ago? It was a bad memory, and Ju-eon frowned as he tried to figure out what Han-ol was getting at.

“But we weren’t the ones behind that.”

“…What?”

Though his voice remained calm, the content of Han-ol’s words shocked Ju-eon. He responded a beat later, his face blank with disbelief. Seeing Ju-eon’s distrustful expression, Han-ol smirked. The thought of shattering Ju-eon’s certainty amused him, but being falsely accused of something he hadn’t done left a bitter taste.

Han-ol paced slowly in front of Ju-eon, throwing out questions. Even small ripples stand out on a still lake. How would that pale face twist when he realized the evil he firmly believed in wasn’t the only evil?

“Doesn’t it seem strange? Why would AGT suddenly bomb a hospital that wouldn’t benefit them at all?”

“Why are you bringing that up now?”

“Because it’s all connected.”

But the story coming out of Han-ol’s mouth was something Ju-eon hadn’t even considered. He couldn’t understand why the hospital bombing was being mentioned now.

“They probably thought it was mutual information-sharing.”

Han-ol grinned. Ju-eon swallowed dryly. His stomach hurt so much from the punch that he could taste blood in his mouth, but he ignored it. For now, he felt compelled to clear up the enormous misunderstanding Han-ol seemed to have.

“I had an illness… so I participated in a government project. Myung-hwon only found out recently that I was alive.”

Thinking it unnecessary to go into detail, Ju-eon briefly summarized his circumstances over the past few years.

“An illness?”

“Yes. Weathering Syndrome.”

“You’re a guide, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“A guide can get Weathering Syndrome?”

“That’s why I participated in a special clinical trial.”

“I see.”

Han-ol’s expression became hard to read. Just the mention of a clinical trial was enough for him to piece together how Ju-eon had come to live as though he didn’t exist.

“And you’re saying Myung-hwon didn’t know you were alive?”

“I participated in the trial under the name Woo Ju-won, not Woo Ju-eon.”

Ju-eon didn’t bother mentioning Yun-jae. Despite his angelic appearance, the man Ju-eon was talking to now was the notoriously ruthless leader of AGT.

“Even if Myung-hwon didn’t know, Yeo Ji-woong must have. Why didn’t he exploit this information?”

“……”

It wasn’t a question directed at Ju-eon but rather one Han-ol was asking himself.

“No, he couldn’t have known. If he had, that suspicious old man would’ve assigned someone to watch you.”

And if someone had been watching, there would’ve been a reaction when Ju-eon was kidnapped.

Han-ol slowly organized his thoughts. He concluded that Myung-hwon hadn’t intended to betray him from the start. So when had Myung-hwon learned that Ju-eon was alive? By that time, Myung-hwon must have been planning to sever ties with AGT.

“Oh.”

Suddenly, Han-ol remembered the recent time he had visited Myung-hwon. When he had delivered the oath item to Myung-hwon’s house.

‘That must’ve been when Myung-hwon found out that Woo Ju-eon was alive.’