Everyone was shocked when they heard that Jihoon sustained no injuries after being thrown off the bike. If he had at least broken a leg or something, it would have been understandable. But the fact that he was as clean as freshly fallen snow left everyone in disbelief.
The doctor in charge, along with a few nurses, decided to run some tests on Jihoon, and just as he had said, he was absolutely fine. While others thought he was extremely lucky, Tae-gun knew something was off.
It was about 5:00 a.m., yet everyone was still wide awake. Maybe it was because they knew they weren't safe yet. Anything could happen at any moment, so sleep was out of the question.
Jihoon, on the other hand, was fast asleep, his head resting on Sera's bed. Seyeon stood in her room, watching the scene outside from her window. Apart from the silhouettes of the bodyguards at the gate, there wasn't a single soul outside.
She sighed in relief when she confirmed that all was well, but then squinted her eyes when a Dodge Demon rolled to a stop in front of the gate. The bodyguards were instantly alerted, aiming their guns at the car.
The car remained still for a few seconds before driving off. It was as if the driver had come to check something and then decided to leave.
"Miss," a voice spoke through Seyeon's intercom. "Should we follow?"
"No, I don't think they intend to cause any harm just yet," she replied. "But if they show up again, destroy them."
Meanwhile, Lee Tae-gun stood before the doors of a room in his large mansion, keys in hand. His eyes were glued to the keyhole, lost in thought. His father had always stopped him from entering this room.
Tae-gun inserted the key into the lock and turned it. With a soft click, the door opened, revealing an empty room with only three paintings inside. Directly opposite him was a painting of a large sword. To the right was a man, and across from it, a dragon.
"A man, a sword, and a dragon," Tae-gun muttered to himself, trying to decipher their meaning.
He thought long and hard, yet the significance of the paintings eluded him. Time slipped by, and only when the clock struck 7:00 a.m. could everyone finally relax.
Seyeon dropped onto her bed with a heavy sigh. She closed her eyes and tried to think of her mother, but all she could see were fragmented images. She had no clear recollection of what her mother actually looked like. Eventually, lost in thought, she drifted into sleep.
..
A giant in a black hoodie approached Jihoon with a bloodied dagger, but to Jihoon, who was as small as an ant, the dagger looked like a giant sword. Jihoon knelt down, crying and begging the giant.
"Please let me live! I promise I won't overcharge you again!"
"I asked you to paint my beautiful sister, but you charged me a million dollars!" the giant roared, thunder and lightningfollowing his voice.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Jihoon pleaded, but the giant didn't feel like forgiving him.
The giant suddenly turned into a Lamborghini and rushed at him. Jihoon panicked and started to run, but in front of him were several other small Lamborghinis with iron bats in their hands!
"No!" Jihoon cried. "Dark angel! Pleasesave me!"
The skies suddenly opened, and a girl with wings descended from the heavens.
"Sera!" Jihoon stretched out his hand. "Please save me!"
"Sera? I'm not Sera," the voice replied. "I'm Seyeon!"
Jihoon took a clearer look at her face, then realized she was actually Seyeon and not Sera. Seyeon transformed into a mighty dragon that slayed the giant Lamborghini and the small ones too.
She transformed back to human and descended in front of Jihoon. Placing a hand on his face, she began kissing him violently. Jihoon couldn't resist the beauty in front of him, so he gave in to the temptation, and together they did somethingvery unforgivable.
The skies opened up and revealed an angry face. "Jihoon! What have you done with my daughter?"
"Mr. Lee!" Jihoon panicked.
"Jihoon!" Lee Tae-gun roared.
"Mr. Lee!"
..
SLAP!
Jihoon shot up from the bed, jumping into a fighting stance, but when he saw Lee Tae-gun in front of him, his legs weakened almost immediately.
"I'm sorry for what I've done! I will atone for my sins with my life!" Jihoon bowed, his forehead kissing the ground.
"What's he talking about?" Sera chuckled.
"Mister Seo," the doctor approached him. "It's alright. You just had a nightmare."
After realizing he had woken up from the dream, Jihoon rubbed his cheek. "Who slapped me?"
"That would be me," Sera replied, glancing at the bed. "Are you a baby? Just look at how you drooled all over the bed."
Jihoon felt embarrassed after looking at the bed. "I'm sorry."
"By the way, what did you dream about? You were shouting 'Mr. Lee, Mr. Lee,'" said Sera as she shook her hands in the air with a funny face.
Jihoon gulped. "Nothing important."
"Anyway, come with me," said Tae-gun, who acted oblivious to what had happened just now.
Jihoon followed Tae-gun to the dining room, where Seyeon was already seated. Seeing Seyeon, blood immediately gathered in Jihoon's cheeks. His heart began beating abnormally too.
Tae-gun noticed this and smiled but said nothing. He stood up from his wheelchair and took a seat at the dining table, gesturing for Jihoon to do the same. However, Jihoon sat far away from the two, which stunned them.
"There's no need to sit so far away," Tae-gun laughed. "Come closer."
"I-I'm fine where I am!" Jihoon replied.
"You know that doing this just makes it more obvious that you're in love with my Seyeon," said Tae-gun.
Seyeon coughed, glaring at her father. "Father, he's not in love with me."
"Really?" Tae-gun nodded. "Prove it."
Seyeon turned to face Jihoon. "Are you in love with me?"
Why the hell would you ask me that? Jihoon cried inwardly. He gulped, coughed, then gulped again. "Um... No... I mean, maybe."
"Maybe is not an answer," Tae-gun replied, sipping his tea.
"I love her, but not that kind of love. You know, friendly love... Not dating love or kissing love or dirty love... or anything," Jihoon blurted out. Shit.
Both Tae-gun and his daughter were stunned again. Seyeon's cheeks reddened as she turned away from Jihoon and continued eating. She grinned slightly, then frowned just after. Why am I happy?
Tae-gun noticed his daughter's reaction and chuckled before glancing back at Jihoon. "Do you know why I called you here?"
"It's because I kissed her—" Jihoon immediately covered his mouth after realizing what he had said. He was still a little lightheaded since he had just woken up from sleep.
"You kissed my Seyeon? When?" Tae-gun was surprised.
Seyeon's head had turned into a tomato at this point. "Excuse me, Father," she said as she walked out of the dining room.
All of a sudden, Tae-gun started laughing. "That's what you were pleading about earlier!"
"I'm really sorry," Jihoon replied, looking down.
"It's fine," Tae-gun replied. "She belongs to you anyway."
"What?" Jihoon mumbled.
"The reason why I called you here today was to talk about your protection," said Tae-gun. "Without a doubt, I can see you're very important. You know secrets that even I don't, and I would like you to share those secrets with me."
"Of course, if you don't want to, that's fine. But I'm not a bad person, I can assure you of that. My father hid many secrets from me, saying it was for my protection. Before he passed away, he had promised to tell me those secrets, but he died before he could."
"How did he die?" Jihoon asked.
"Plane crash," Tae-gun answered. "Although, I still believe he was assassinated."
"And what makes you say that?" Jihoon questioned again. Unknowingly to him, he was beginning to give off a different aura.
"The circumstances surrounding his death, the secrets he hid, and the fact that he died shortly after your father did. My investigations have led me to believe that there is an anonymous council behind these accidents," Tae-gun replied.
"They call themselves the Black Crown," Jihoon said, his expression turning serious.
"The Black Crown?" Tae-gun leaned forward.
"And the Yoon family is definitely a part of it," said Jihoon.
"I've known that for a while now," Tae-gun spoke. "Sera tells me you have a drive in your possession."
"A drive?" Jihoon laughed sarcastically, innocently waving his hands. "No, at that time, I just lied to stall the killer."
"I see..."
"But I should be able to find it," Jihoon added.
"Really?" Tae-gun's eyes beamed with excitement.
"Hm," Jihoon nodded. "Ever since I've been here, bits and pieces of my memories have been coming back."
"That's good news!"
Just outside the dining room, a bald man stood, eavesdropping on their conversation.
"What are you doing here?" a voice asked from behind him.
The bald man turned to face Seyeon, his face void of guilt. "Who's the young man talking to the Master?"
"That's Seo Jihoon," Seyeon answered.
"Son of Seo Jisan?" The man's mouth fell open.
Seyeon nodded. "Why are you so surprised?"
"Well, he and I just met a few days ago. I wanted to ask him to sketch the assassin who attacked the Master," the bald man replied.
"I thought Hye-in said the assassin wasn't identifiable?" she asked, squinting slightly.
"Yes, but one of the bodyguards that night managed to see him!" the bald man said.
Suddenly, the door to the dining room opened from the inside. The bald man and Seyeon turned to face Tae-gun, whose facial expression terrified them a little.
"Where is this bodyguard?"