"Kill that b*tch! Kill her!" Jaesung ordered his men, and they charged at her.
Using her gun, Seyeon shot the first seven men who approached her before tossing the gun away. Then, with her sword, she attacked the rest. At first, they thought they could overpower her with their numbers, but as the fight progressed, they realized they were wrong.
Lee Seyeon moved fast—like a lightning bolt—stabbing and slashing the men. She wanted to avoid killing them, as that might become a problem later, so she avoided stabbing or cutting them in vital areas. In less than four minutes, the fight ended.
Yoon Jaesung frowned at the result. How could his men be so useless? If he could walk, he would have handled her himself, but right now, all he could do was frown in anger.
Seyeon turned to search for Jihoon, but he was no longer where he had been. He had gone to support Sera, who was now unconscious and bleeding severely.
"We need to get her to a hospital!" Jihoon said to Seyeon.
Seyeon went to support him, and together, they helped Sera to the car. After gently placing her in the back seat, Seyeon sat behind the wheel while Jihoon remained in the back, watching over Sera.
Seyeon felt a little uncomfortable seeing them so close. "She'll be fine," she said.
"But she's losing a lot of blood!" Jihoon replied.
"She'll survive," Seyeon said. "I've known her longer than you have—what she's facing now is nothing compared to what she's faced before."
"I hope so," Jihoon said as he shifted Sera's hair to the side, getting a clear view of her beautiful face.
Seyeon stomped on the accelerator and drove faster. In no time, they made it to the Lee family house. Several BSS agents were at the gate to receive them, including the CEO himself, Lee Tae-gun.
"This isn't the hospital!" Jihoon glanced at Seyeon, seeing the large mansion.
"Sera!" Kang Min-chul quickly ran toward the injured Sera, pulling her from Jihoon.
Some people dressed in lab coats quickly laid her on a stretcher and headed into the mansion.
"You must be Seo Jihoon," Lee Tae-gun approached Jihoon, extending a handshake.
Jihoon paid no attention to Lee Tae-gun but kept staring through the mansion gates, worrying about Sera.
"You!" Lee Tae-gun's bodyguard opened his mouth in shock.
"It's alright," said Tae-gun to his bodyguard, then turned to face Jihoon. "Do you remember me?"
"I'm not sure I've seen you before," Jihoon shook his head in reply. "Sera did mention that she was sent by my father's friend. Are you my father's friend?"
Tae-gun chuckled. "Friend is a really big word to use, but yes, I was close with your father."
Realizing that they were still standing outside, Seyeon said, "Father, I think we'd better head inside."
"Oh, yes," Tae-gun nodded and said to Jihoon, "Please come in."
Seo Jihoon followed them inside, fascinated by the vast compound covered with green grass and beautiful flowers. They even had a pond in their house in case they ever needed to go fishing.
Jihoon was even more awed when his eyes landed on the massive mansion, causing his mouth to fall open. In front of the mansion were several cars he had never even dreamt of driving.
Tae-gun pushed the front door open and gestured for Jihoon to come in. When Jihoon stepped into the house, it felt like he had been teleported to another world. The house looked even bigger on the inside.
From the white walls to the golden tiles on the floor, and from the golden chandeliers that hung above to the exquisite furniture below, the house was truly majestic in its design.
Still familiarizing himself with the beauty of the place, Jihoon suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head. He staggered a bit but regained his composure soon after.
"Are you okay?" Tae-gun asked worriedly.
"I'm fine... I think," Jihoon replied, though this was the first time he had experienced something like this.
"It's been a long day for you. I suggest you take a rest now." Tae-gun glanced at Seyeon. "Escort him to the guest room."
Seyeon nodded and led Jihoon to the guest room. On their way there, Jihoon couldn't help but admire the artworks hung on the white walls. They felt very familiar, as if he had been the one who drew them.
"Excuse me," Jihoon tapped Seyeon's shoulder.
Seyeon frowned slightly, glancing at where he had touched her before looking at him. "What?"
"These paintings on the wall—who drew them?" Jihoon asked.
"I'm not allowed to speak to you just yet," Seyeon replied.
"You're not allowed to speak to me just yet?" Jihoon was dumbfounded by her reply.
"Father will decide when I'm ready to speak to you," she replied.
"You know, you look familiar. Have we met before?" Jihoon asked.
"I've never seen you before," Seyeon answered. "Although, Father did say we were quite close when we were younger." Her cheeks reddened in embarrassment.
"Hm." Jihoon closed his eyes and thought hard. When he did, unfamiliar memories flashed through his mind. In these memories, he saw his six-year-old self and a girl of similar age playing in a garden.
"Are you okay?" Seyeon asked, noticing his expression change.
"It seems like we knew each other back then," Jihoon replied.
"We did?" Seyeon's eyes beamed with happiness. "What was I like? How did I act?"
"I'm sorry, I lost my memories from back then," Jihoon replied.
"Me too," Seyeon said, squinting her eyes.
---
In another part of Seoul was the home of another powerful family—the Yoon family. They were the fourth most powerful family in Seoul, just below the Lee family. Inside the house, Yoon Hwasung sat, and in front of him was Yoon Jaesung, his grandson, seated in a wheelchair.
"Grandfather, I didn't mean to—"
"You fool!" Yoon Hwasung roared, his voice sending vibrations through the entire mansion. "Do you even know how important that drive is?"
Jaesung tried to keep his head down, but he couldn't because of the cervical collar he was wearing. His two legs had been bound by a cast. "I know it contains some kind of evidence."
"Some kind of evidence?! Some kind of evidence?!" Hwasung was boiling with fury. "That drive contains enough evidence to completely destroy the Yoon family! Not just the Yoon family, but many other important families in Seoul!"
"I'm sorry, Grandfather..." Jaesung apologized.
Sorry won't cut it!" Hwasung slammed his fist on the table beside him. "We can't let the Lee family get their hands on the drive!"
"If the Lee family does manage to find the drive, why would they want to reveal it? Like you said, that drive would destroy not just the Yoon family but many other influential families in Seoul. If many individuals of the rich society fell, Seoul would be affected drastically—not only Seoul but their business empire too!" Jaesung reasoned.
"Lee Tae-gun isn't a fool," Hwasung replied. "You're right, he wouldn't reveal the existence of that drive to the public, but having it in his possession, he could use it to threaten us."
"So, what do we do?" Jaesung asked.
Hwasung glared at him coldly and said, "I'll have to ask the council."
Hearing about the council, Jaesung shivered. "Grandfather, there's something else I need to tell you."
"Speak."
"That man, Seo Jihoon, knows about the existence of the council," said Jaesung.
"What?" Hwasung's eyes widened in disbelief. "There's no way he would know unless..."
"Unless what, Grandfather?"
"Seo Jisan..." Hwasung muttered to himself as he thought of his past—a past he could never forget.
---
Seo Jihoon lay on the comfy bed, staring at the ceiling. He had never been here before, yet everything felt eerily familiar. The more he thought about it, the worse his headache became. And the worse his headache got, the more familiar the place seemed.
Jihoon stood up and wandered around, sweating profusely. Then, suddenly, several memories came flooding into his mind. He staggered and staggered until he collapsed, but the memories didn't stop.
...[Memory 1]...
"You were sent to me by the heavens! Your powers are a gift from the heavens!" An unfamiliar man said. The man seemed to be talking to Jihoon's father.
...[Memory 2]...
"I will stop painting from now on," Jihoon's father said to the unfamiliar man.
...[Memory 3]...
"You know too much! Do you think the council will let you be?" In this memory, the unfamiliar man scowled at Mr. Seo.
...[Memory 4]...
"Jisoo, let's leave," Mr. Seo said to his wife.
...[Memory 5]...
Jihoon's father and mother sat in a car with Jihoon in the backseat. They seemed to be leaving the city. All of a sudden, a red truck rammed into their car, pushing them off a bridge. Moments before the car plunged into the sea, Jihoon's father turned back to face six-year-old Jihoon.
Then he said, "Find the Black Crown and destroy it!"
...[Memory 6]...
"Find the Black Crown and destroy it!"
...[Memory 7]...
"Find the Black Crown and destroy it!"
...[Memory 8]...
There was nothing but pure darkness...