DB Vol 3 Part 1

There were three people in Hwang Sang-cheon’s office, but two-thirds of them didn’t understand the word “Father.” Won-woo was surprised with his mouth half open.

The Hwang Sang-cheon he knew hadn’t even dated, let alone met properly with family. It wasn’t that he disliked people. He was good at chatting and had no problems with conversation.

But he didn’t like letting anyone into his personal space. He was the type who felt safe and comfortable only when alone in his own domain.

And now there’s someone who calls him “Father”? Even Won-woo, who had worked with Sang-cheon for years and gone through life-and-death situations, could barely call him “Uncle.”

He couldn’t even use that here. He had to call him “Mr. Hwang” formally, which made him feel a bit sad. So how close must this person be? The fact that his identity was the vice head of the Gye family became secondary.

Won-woo’s eyes slowly turned towards Sang-cheon. But Sang-cheon was frozen with one ear turned, unable to answer.

He couldn’t even breathe now. Only one question came to mind: Did he just hear an unbelievable word? As if to answer his curiosity, Gye Yoon called Sang-cheon in a nonchalant voice.

“Isn’t that right, Father?”

Father. What a chilling word. Hwang Sang-cheon’s whole body actually broke out in goosebumps. Me, what?!!! Why am I your father?!!! He was about to scream with his eyes wide open. Curses were really about to burst from the tip of his tongue, but Gye Yoon’s whisper echoed in his ear as if through a communication earpiece.

[You’re the father since you created Nani. If you don’t want to be called that, you can spill everything about Nani to Ji Won-woo.]

Even if I spill it, would I still be called father… Sang-cheon hesitated. Won-woo trusts and believes in Sang-cheon now because he helped him, right? Especially with the AI. But if it turns out that wasn’t an AI but a person, and he reveals that he deceived him…

Hwa Sang-cheon’s wavering eyes met Gye Yoon’s brazen gaze. Though his voice couldn’t be heard, it seemed to say: We’re accomplices.

Thud.

Hwang Sang-cheon’s heart sank inside. Staggering backward, he now met Won-woo’s eyes. He still had an incredulous look on his face and asked as if he had been waiting.

“Mr. Hwang, did you adopt a son?”

He had taken in one brute. But he couldn’t tell the truth. Thus, Sang-cheon, who had never even held a woman’s hand in his life, became a miraculous bachelor with a son.

“Well… somehow?”

I only got to call you uncle after working together for years. Won-woo swallowed his disappointment and envy, but his voice trembled slightly as he asked,

“You must have known each other for a long time?”

It hasn’t even been a month. As Sang-cheon couldn’t bring himself to answer and just stood there, his adopted son confirmed instead,

“Almost since I was born.”

Hwang Sang-cheon glared at Gye Yoon, but he couldn’t refute. It was true that they were together at the moment of Nani’s birth. Sang-cheon barely steadied his shaking legs and spoke to Won-woo.

“Well, whatever our relationship is, you, you don’t need to worry about it, Won-woo-nim.”

“Yes, Ji Won-woo doesn’t need to concern himself with our father-son relationship.”

Gye Yoon nonchalantly agreed with Sang-cheon’s words. But originally, the more you’re told not to think about something, the more it stays in your mind. When Won-woo stared at him, Gye Yoon twisted his mouth as if to say ‘What?’ It was a smile that seemed like a sneer at first glance, with only one side lifted, but after seeing it a few times, one could realize that was just his natural way of smiling.

No matter how strangely he smiled, it suited his handsome face well. In fact, not just this man, but many Espers were known for their exceptional looks, to the point where there were jokes about it being an evolutionary adaptation for survival. They needed to be attractive to seduce those Guides when they needed guiding.

But Won-woo had never reacted to an Esper’s looks. After all, countless people had died foolishly in war, falling for those pretty faces.

So he could be sure that his inability to take his eyes off Gye Yoon now wasn’t because of his looks. It was because of those eyes that gleamed mischievously. Of course, to Won-woo, it only looked like he was proudly boasting about being close to Sang-cheon.

“You’re calling each other formally even though you’re adopted father and son?”

At Won-woo’s observation, Gye Yoon’s smile disappeared for a moment, but he soon answered casually.

“You may not know, but Father is very shy. He’s still embarrassed like this in front of others.”

That supposedly embarrassed father was now as pale as a corpse. When Won-woo looked up as if to ask ‘Is that right?’ Sang-cheon finally managed a trembling smile.

“I’m, a bit, shy.”

He agreed, but worry clouded Won-woo’s eyes. Could it be that Sang-cheon was being taken advantage of, with someone holding something over him? Especially now that he had made a lot of money with the Alpha seeds… Huh? Suddenly, a question popped into his mind.

“What was your adopted son doing when you were struggling with debt, Mr. Hwang?”

That adopted son made it even harder for him to pay back the money. Gye Yoon and Sang-cheon looked at each other silently. Several emotions passed between them. Most of them were accusations towards the other.

Gye Yoon’s accusation was why Sang-cheon lived his life so poorly to create such problems, while Sang-cheon’s was a rebuke of why Gye Yoon told such lies to make the situation like this. If one only looked at how they understood each other without words, they were no different from family.

“I was kind of locked up for a while.”

Gye Yoon replied lightly. Won-woo vaguely recalled what Seona had said about the Gye family’s vice head. That he was almost imprisoned on the condition of receiving one Guide needed by the family. Won-woo felt sorry for asking, but not wanting to apologize, he kept his mouth shut. Gye Yoon checked Won-woo’s reaction and added.

“So I had no idea that Father was living his life so recklessly.”

The one who had supposedly lived recklessly shot an angry glare. But isn’t it said that revenge is a dish best served by others? Won-woo got angry on his behalf.

“Mr. Hwang might have been half out of his mind when it came to research and got scammed a few times, but you shouldn’t say he lived his life recklessly.”

“…It’s okay to say he was half out of his mind?”

“If he had been in his right mind, would he have been scammed?”

“I guess you’re right.”

As the two agreed with each other’s words, the resentment of the one who had supposedly lived recklessly and was half out of his mind only grew.

“Both of you, stop fighting over my business.”

Hwang Sang-cheon tried to shut them up, looking tired, but he flinched when his eyes met Won-woo’s. Won-woo was still looking at him, seemingly upset.

“Mr. Hwang, if you have any problems, please contact me anytime. Especially don’t entrust money management to anyone, even family.”

As he said this while blatantly looking at the adopted son, Gye Yoon spoke up,

“I’m not interested in such small money.”

“People who say they’re not interested in money are usually the most obsessed with it.”

Despite Won-woo’s sharp tone that could have been offensive, Gye Yoon smiled again, twisting his mouth as if he couldn’t help it.

“I was too busy controlling the raging power to pay much attention to money.”

True, his condition was pretty bad. Won-woo looked down at the hand he had held, recalling Gye Yoon’s energy that was like a stormy sea. But he didn’t want to take his side. Even knowing it was unlike him, he took another jab.

“It would have been better if you had given that ‘small money’ you’re not interested in earlier.”

“You’re right. I didn’t know I’d suddenly be locked up in prison because of someone with the Ji surname’s nasty scheme.”

Although he didn’t mention Ji Geun-oh by name, it was all too obvious who would use such a nasty scheme, and Won-woo swallowed a curse inwardly. Why did Sang-cheon have to be next to Ji Geun-oh’s enemy? But he didn’t want to bow his head because of Ji Geun-oh.

“I don’t think I need to apologize for that incident.”

“I know. Ji Won-woo is practically a stranger to Ji Geun-oh, right?”

“…”

“So I don’t have any ill feelings towards Ji Won-woo either.”

Then what kind of feelings do you have? Won-woo almost asked as he met that gaze. From the beginning, that piercing gaze was somehow uncomfortable.

“What about you, Ji Won-woo?”

“What about me?”

“You seem to have ill feelings towards me.”

He did. He was pettily jealous.

“Well…”

Unable to deny it outright, Won-woo gave an ambiguous answer, and Gye Yoon twisted his mouth again. That smile once more filled Won-woo’s eyes with disapproval.

“You seem to be enjoying this?”

“Yes. Thanks to you, my mind is clear enough to be obsessed with money now.”

“Well, having a clear mind might not always be something to welcome. If that experience is a one-time thing, it could turn into poison.”

Just as those who know happiness feel unhappiness more deeply, the body that remembers this moment of peace will feel the pain of not receiving guiding even more acutely.

Gye Yoon immediately understood the warning Won-woo was trying to give. No matter if you’re Sang-cheon’s adopted son, today is the last day. It was a cruel thing to say to an Esper who couldn’t receive guiding, but it was no threat to Gye Yoon.

“If that poison is lethal, I’ll just die, that’s all.”

It’s a life that will end in a rampage sooner or later anyway. Living in this terrible pain, one might even earnestly wish for death. If it weren’t for the revenge he had to take, he would have given up this kind of life right away.

But the moment Gye Yoon mentioned death, Won-woo’s reaction was strange. His eyes trembled as if startled. Why? As Gye Yoon wondered, Won-woo spoke as if nothing had happened.

“Whether you live or die is none of my business.”

It was a cold reply, but strangely, Won-woo couldn’t meet Gye Yoon’s eyes. And as if avoiding something, he stood up.

“Mr. Hwang, I’ll be going first. Have a good time with your son.”

Won-woo, feeling somewhat down, left without properly receiving a farewell, almost as if escaping. As soon as he came down the stairs almost running and faced the night air, he breathed as if finally able to. He had to move forward, but the memories of the past that were rushing in grabbed Won-woo’s ankles.

* * * *

When the aunt first brought him, Won-woo couldn’t congratulate her, saying that she had finally found him. The person she brought was in such bad condition that the word “mess” was the first thing that came to mind. His dazed gaze was nothing.

His legs were cut off below the knees, and the few remaining fingers were stiff and couldn’t move properly. More than half of his face was distorted by burns, he had lost his hearing and couldn’t speak.

He could move his body enough to sit up straight, but that was only when he came to his senses. That time was only about an hour or two a day. The rest of the time, he just sat like a doll, staring blankly into space.

At first, Won-woo really thought he might be a doll. But he soon realized that he was a teenager around his age, maybe a year or two younger. To be in such a state at such a young age. What kind of terrible accident had he been through?

Won-woo was curious about his circumstances, but just as the aunt had hidden her own identity, she thoroughly concealed the identity of the person she brought. However, the aunt’s eyes looking at the boy revealed an undeniable truth. She looked at him as if he were her son.

She devoted all her attention and care to help him open his eyes and live again, and Won-woo helped her as much as he could from the side. But that was nothing more than an attempt to hide his own cowardice.

Won-woo had relied on the aunt as his only family, but now a more precious being had appeared for her. The emotions that engulfed Won-woo then were anxiety and fear. It was hard to suppress jealousy towards that patient. No, honestly, he was afraid that he might become nothing to the aunt.

At that time, Won-woo was old enough to live alone, even if he wasn’t an adult. Yet the thought of being alone filled him with fear. Even if the aunt’s attitude towards Won-woo hadn’t changed, he became anxious as her attention was focused on that patient. So he deliberately took the initiative to care for him.

That way, the aunt would stay away from him. During the time he spent with him afterwards, this dark emotion was at the bottom of the kindness Won-woo showed him. He envied him for receiving the aunt’s attention and sharing her past. Maybe that’s why he wanted to forcibly insert himself between them.

Won-woo suspected that maybe he had noticed his true feelings from the beginning. Whenever their eyes met when he occasionally looked back to reality as if waking from sleep, Won-woo always flinched. He couldn’t make proper sounds, but he expressed his emotions with his eyes. Won-woo couldn’t forget the look in his eyes when he first recognized him.

It was clear disgust. So Won-woo misunderstood that he might be feeling the same way. Thinking that he might be jealous of Won-woo, seeing him as someone taking away the aunt. But he soon realized it wasn’t the case. He looked at the aunt without any emotion.

In fact, sometimes he looked at her as if blaming her. The reason for that blame was revealed when he struggled to move the tips of his short fingers. The tip formed a word.

‘Kill me.’

The short word written in the air contained such great longing. Won-woo could read his strong desire for death. While he didn’t know exactly why he wanted death so much, it wasn’t hard to guess.

He was just breathing, unable to move properly at such a young age. Moreover, it seemed he was still in terrible pain. The aunt said that all the wounds had healed, so it was probably phantom pain. While it was impossible to imagine what kind of terrible accident he had been through and how extreme pain he had suffered, it was clear that it was enough to make him wish for death.

But the aunt didn’t grant his wish. Of course, neither did Won-woo. Rather, he took the initiative to care for him. The more he helped him, the more necessary he would become to him and the aunt.

Won-woo, still young, didn’t know how to shake off the fear of being alone. Since she was the one who saved him from the Ji family, he felt that if she abandoned him, he would be left alone on the cold streets again. So he deliberately took care of him, but those lifeless eyes always seemed to say,

Kill me.