Chapter 110
Chapter 110
Why Did You Do That Back Then?
“Yeon-seo, want to try solving this one?”
“...I already finished.”
“Already? My goodness....”
When he came to his senses, a stranger was holding a problem out to him. Judging by the size of the hand, the problem was far too difficult for his age. Writing it down in clumsy script, the man smiled brightly.
Next, after briefly scanning what the person had asked him to memorize, he glanced at his toys, finding this test boring.
“I’ve already memorized it all... can’t I go play?”
“You memorized it all?”
“Yes!”
“You remember all of this?”
“Why?”
Doesn’t everyone do this? With an innocent face, he recited everything he had been told to memorize. The person’s eyes widened in surprise. Then, after a few more advanced tests, the person concluded.
“The young master is a genius.”
“Our Yeon-seo is?”
“While not on the level of the first young master, it is certain that the second young master is also anything but ordinary. Congratulations.”
Yu Geon-min looked proudly at his son, who was sitting on his lap fiddling with a toy. He turned his head to look at Lee Hui-seo.
“Honey, they’re saying our son is another genius.”
“I don’t know whether to be happy about this or not....”
“Of course it’s good news!”
At Yu Geon-min’s joyful tone, Lee Hui-seo let out a small sigh. She was worried that growing up as a genius and receiving all of Chairman Yu’s attention from a young age would make him spoiled.
“Did I do a good job?”
“Yes, of course.”
Lee Hui-seo’s face was still staticky, but it seemed she was smiling brightly.
Like the blink of an eye, a black screen passed, and the location had become Chairman Yu’s mansion.
“The second one is a genius, too.”
“The Chairman must be in a good mood.”
The whispers of the staff.
“Oh! My grandson is a genius, too!”
And Chairman Yu, overjoyed, lifted Yu Yeon-seo high into the air, playing airplane with him. The child’s giggles brought life to the mansion.
“It’s all thanks to you.”
“What did I do? I only gave birth to him....”
“What do you mean, what did you do! There’s no way two geniuses could come from that fool. It’s all thanks to our daughter-in-law.”
Chairman Yu gestured toward his son with his chin. Yu Eun-ho was reading a difficult book, unsuited for his age, and asking Yu Geon-min something. Yu Geon-min’s facial muscles were slack as he grinned foolishly.
“Right, I had something to give you. Let’s see... the shares of Juseong C&T....”
“Father! You don’t have to....”
“Or, should I give you one of the subsidiary companies? You said there was something you wanted to do, right? I’ll give you my full support.”
Although numerous rumors surrounded Lee Hui-seo’s accident, contrary to them, Chairman Yu genuinely cherished his daughter-in-law.
“What does our Yeon-seo want to be when he grows up?”
“I want to be like Mom!”
“Really? You like your mom that much?”
Lee Hui-seo warmly embraced her son, who nodded so vigorously his whole body shook. A happy sense of elation filled him, starting from his chest, at that warm feeling.
But the happy memories didn’t last long. His vision briefly went dark, and suddenly, the young Yu Yeon-seo had grown into a fine adult, throwing things in Manager Han’s office.
“Yeon-seo. Please, let’s handle this amicably. Replacing the director is just ridiculous.”
Manager Han, with dark circles under his eyes, practically begged, clinging to Yu Yeon-seo.
“Fuck, I’m the one funding this, this whole project exists because of me. What the hell can he do?”
“Please, Yeon-seo. I’m telling you, you can’t do anything about the director.”
“That bastard started it, and you expect me to just take it?”
Why are you even bringing that guy up? It pisses me off that I can’t even remember it properly. His stomach churned at the thought of the director who had insulted him.
‘My memory was so good, but I can’t remember?’
The present-day Yu Yeon-seo, who was synchronizing with the memory, felt a flicker of doubt. Could it be that his memory had been affected after witnessing what happened to Lee Hui-seo?
“Hey, Yu Yeon-seo. I’m really saying this for your own good. Let’s just let this one slide. Should I get on my knees and beg?”
“...Whatever! You deal with it!”
Seeing the shimmering form above Manager Han, Yu Yeon-seo turned pale and stormed out of the agency building. He had brought his car, but he felt he would cause an accident if he drove while seeing hallucinations.
“Shit!”
Even after taking a taxi home, he was so angry that he violently swept the sculptures off the display cabinet.
“Why are you doing this to me!”
He shouted at the two legs hanging in the air. Overcome with rage, he grabbed nearby objects and threw them, screaming until his throat was raw. Please just disappear. But the hallucination wouldn’t go away.
“Ah...!”
Then, he felt a sharp pain in his head, stronger than anything he had ever felt before. The rampaging Yu Yeon-seo had remembered the forgotten past.
‘This is....’
This must be the ‘memory within a memory.’
‘It’s that day.’
It was his grandfather’s mansion, a familiar sight from his childhood, but he could never forget this atmosphere. It was the very day Lee Hui-seo had died.
The adults were gathered, talking about things he couldn’t understand. His brother was engrossed in a book, and he couldn’t have fun playing with his other cousins. Feeling bored, the young Yu Yeon-seo picked up a toy and stood up.
As Yu Yeon-seo came out into the garden and headed for the annex, someone called out to him.
“Son.”
That person was strange. Everyone else called him ‘Second Young Master,’ but he alone called him ‘son.’
“I’m not your son, mister.”
“I’m sorry, you look just like my son.”
The man smiled faintly and patted Yu Yeon-seo’s head. His face was hard to see against the backlight.
“By any chance, do you know where Ms. Lee Hui-seo is?”
“My mom? She’s over there, in the third room from the right.”
“Thank you.”
The man patted Yu Yeon-seo’s head again. His touch wasn’t particularly gentle.
“But who are you, mister? I’ve never seen you before... why are you looking for my mom?”
“Never seen me before? Mister is....”
“No, there’s no way I wouldn’t know.”
Because I’m a genius. The young Yu Yeon-seo stood proudly with his hands on his hips, and the man smiled again. He seemed to find Yu Yeon-seo extremely cute.
“I see... The mister who’s usually here got sick, so I’m filling in.”
“Really? Which mister? Mister Yong-ho? Mister Sang-yeong?”
The man didn’t answer. Just as the man’s face was becoming visible thanks to a cloud covering the sun, the voice of a staff member came from behind.
“Young Master Yeon-seo!”
“Uh....”
What should I do? As Yu Yeon-seo whipped his small head back and forth between the staff member and the man, the man touched the earpiece in his ear and turned around.
“I should get going now. Let’s see each other again if we get the chance.”
“Okay.”
Yu Yeon-seo turned away with a troubled expression.
“Young Master, where have you been? The Chairman is looking for you.”
“....”
“You should watch where you’re going. You might fall.”
Even as he held the staff member’s hand and headed back to the main building, Yu Yeon-seo stared blankly at the man walking toward the annex.
‘That’s strange.’
Everyone treats me so cautiously, but that mister is unusual.
‘Was it him?’
<Warning, the body’s fatigue has reached its limit.>
‘Keep going.’
<Master, the memories are becoming jumbled.>
It didn’t matter. He had just received the ‘Memory Replay’ perk. He could rewatch the jumbled memories later. The real Yu Yeon-seo gritted his teeth. Several scenes flashed by as if a film was being fast-forwarded.
“What’s wrong?”
“That mister isn’t here? Ma’am, have you seen that mister from before?”
“That mister?”
“You know, back then... huh?”
At first, it was a question. But the more he tried to think about it, the more his head throbbed as if it would shatter, and he couldn’t remember clearly.
“Aaaargh!!”
“Y-Young Master!”
The ‘memory within a memory’ ended, and the past Yu Yeon-seo, who had been rampaging at home, clutched his head and collapsed. As everything from that day came flooding back, his childhood memory, once called genius-level, returned. He recalled the faces, builds, and other details of the security guards who were usually there when he was young.
He was a man he had never seen before and would never see again. His back as he walked toward the annex, and moreover, his gaze had been fixed on the window of the room where Lee Hui-seo often stayed.
After dredging up the painful memories of that day, Yu Yeon-seo was certain.
Ah, it was him. He’s the killer. There’s no way Mom would have died like that.
“...Hah!”
It was because of me. Because I told that man where Mom was that day. The Yu Yeon-seo in the memory slumped to the ground.
The scene changes rapidly again. Yu Yeon-seo tries to investigate the incident from that day on his own, but he’s no match for it alone.
“Do you really think Mom committed suicide?”
Right, maybe his brother would believe him. But the reply he received was merciless.
“Yeon-seo, it’s already over. It’s a case the police have investigated several times.”
“Hyung, listen to me. Back then....”
Back then, I, I led that bastard to Mom....
“Stop talking nonsense. Just forget about Mom now.”
His vision goes dark. He must have reached his body’s limit. He couldn’t see anything, but he could hear someone’s voice, overlapping.
“The Young Master is having another fit....”
“Oh, my poor grandson... why did she have to go and do that...!”
“She’s a nuisance even in death.”
“What a mess this is, all because of her.”
At first, it was a question of why she had died that way. But as Yu Yeon-seo began having seizures at the mere mention of Lee Hui-seo’s name and eventually lost his memory, the blame from those around him gradually shifted to her.
‘Don’t blame Mom. It was all my fault.’
And every time he heard such words, Yu Yeon-seo blamed himself.
The real Yu Yeon-seo curled into a ball, his forehead resting on the floor. Blood trickled from his nose, and he coughed. The floor was slick with the blood he had thrown up.
[Because of you.]
But the problem was, he was beginning to lose track of whether this auditory hallucination was from the memory or one he was hearing now.
<Warning, warning. Severe brain damage to the physical body is a risk. Forcibly terminating memory synchronization.>
[Because of you.]
“Hic... sob....”
His whole body ached as if pricked by needles, but the mental anguish was worse. The memory synchronization was already over, but the lingering emotions made it impossible to control his body. Tears streamed down his face without stopping, and he eventually broke down, sobbing and gasping for breath.
<Warning, warning. Master.>
[Yeon-seo. My son.]
“Ugh!”
<Master. You must not get swept away by emotions.>
[Because of you.]
“Keuk...!”
Tinnitus made his ears ring, but the auditory hallucination was crystal clear. Beta kept issuing warnings, but he couldn’t get a grip on himself.
[Because of you.]
“Because of me.”
He couldn’t lift his head. He knew Lee Hui-seo’s apparition would be above him.
“Mom, please save me.”
<Master, get a hold of yourself.>
Someone grabbed his arm. Yu Yeon-seo flailed his arms, trying to get away. Was this real? He couldn’t even tell anymore.
[I died because of you.]
“I can’t breathe... please....”
He clawed at his neck with both hands. He scratched so hard that wounds quickly formed. Someone urgently grabbed his hands. A buzzing sound rang out as something spoke to him.
<Kang Jin-hu, born August 21, 2171, Sector S-28.>
“Hah...!”
<April 12, 2181, participated in Operation ‘Camellia.’ 8 killed, 1 survivor.>
“Hah! Haaah...!”
<June 8, 2181, participated in Operation ‘Pine Tree.’ 1 survivor, Kang Jin-hu, rest of unit wiped out.>
<June 8, 2181, code name ‘Ghost’ assigned....>
His cries, which had been on the verge of hyperventilation, gradually subsided at Beta’s mechanical voice. Images of his past life flashed by quickly. His chaotic mind began to find its way back to reality.
<...February 20, 2207. Killed in action while carrying out Operation ‘Baekdu.’ Time travel privileges granted in recognition of service. Master.>
“Hah....”
<Master, do not lose your center. You were not the Yu Yeon-seo from back then.>
As soon as he barely regained his senses, he felt warmth on his shoulder. He blinked a few times to focus his eyes. The mumbling voice also grew clearer.
“Hey, Yu Yeon-seo!”
Ah, this is my brother in the present.
“You... you’re....”
“...Hyung.”
You bastard. Was it so hard to just listen to me?
“Why did you do that back then?”
“Yeon-seo.”
“You could have just believed me....”
And then, Yu Yeon-seo lost consciousness.