Chapter 6
Chapter 6
A Good Kind of Amnesia
It was a good kind of amnesia.
Im Seung-hyeon’s suspicion about Yu Yeon-seo’s amnesia was all part of Yu Yeon-seo’s plan.
‘This memory synchronization hurts like hell.’
There’s a limit to how often I can just collapse. At this rate, I’ll end up living in the hospital.
Using the experience he’d gained from watching countless dramas and movies in the 2207 archives, he devised a strategy.
‘Amnesia is a cheat code.’
The strategy was to play the amnesia card just enough so that those close to him wouldn’t suspect a thing. Before, you used to talk back to your grandfather all the time, didn’t you? But I don’t remember anything else, so what can I do? That’s what he planned to argue. And after testing it on the attendants guarding his hospital room, the results were...
‘The young master spoke formally to us...’
‘Did you see him let Seung-hyeon leave early?’
‘When I brought him a book earlier, he actually said thank you to me.’
‘Really? The second young master?’
‘Did the accident mess with his head? Like, amnesia or something.’
‘Hush, don’t speak so carelessly. Still, if he’s changed like this, isn’t that a good thing?’
‘It’s a good kind of amnesia.’
The effect was undeniable. Since his condition had been critical, everyone simply attributed it to the aftermath of a major accident, without suspicion.
“Beta, what’s the current synchronization rate?”
<1.35%.>
“Still a long way to go.”
He continued to synchronize memories whenever he could, as long as it didn’t strain his body. But since it involved absorbing a person’s entire 26 years of life, it included a lot of useless information, lacking any real substance.
Still, he learned one thing: the ‘real’ Yu Yeon-seo was... a strange guy.
He would abuse his power, threatening to fire his manager at the drop of a hat, or cause chaos by spraying cash in the middle of Seoul with a red money gun just because he was bored. In short, he had a personality that was incomprehensible to the average person. Does having a lot of money do that to a person? Even so, his older brother seemed perfectly normal...
“Young Master, it’s time to go.”
“Did you bring what I asked you to prepare?”
“Yes.”
Im Seung-hyeon quickly handed over the clothes he was holding. As Yu Yeon-seo took them, Seung-hyeon secretly sighed. The outfit cost more than four months of his salary.
“Um... but the Managing Director is here.”
“My brother? I see. You can leave for now.”
Yu Yeon-seo took off his hospital gown and got dressed. True to the original owner’s nature of not even glancing at anything less than the highest quality, the clothes were soft. It was a texture unimaginable in the year 2207 where he had lived.
The original, narcissistic Yu Yeon-seo had not only managed himself well but was also born with a silver spoon when it came to looks. Despite being bedridden for months, his body was perfect, his skin flawless, and his face was handsome even from another man’s perspective. Is this why his fan club can’t let him go, even if he’s not great at his main job? he wondered.
‘Ah, I’m Yu Yeon-seo now.’
Thinking of Kang Jin-hu from 2207 and Yu Yeon-seo’s life as separate things wouldn’t be helpful moving forward. If he had to put it one way, ‘Yu Yeon-seo’ would be Kang Jin-hu’s first and last method acting role.
‘I really can’t get used to this.’
Was it because of his unrealistic appearance, so different from Kang Jin-hu’s...? After turning his head this way and that in front of the mirror, he composed himself and started walking.
“Yeon-seo.”
As he briskly opened the door and stepped out, Yu Eun-ho was standing right in front of him. Whoa, that startled me.
“What, are you here to catch me?”
“I’m not here to catch you. Let’s go. Grandfather is waiting.”
“So you are here to catch me.”
Yu Yeon-seo let out a small laugh. Fortunately, the random 1.35% of synchronized memories contained a small fragment of how Yu Yeon-seo usually treated his older brother.
Yu Yeon-seo, who would talk back to his grandfather and throw tantrums at his father, was relatively docile only with his brother, Yu Eun-ho. This was because no matter how stubborn he was, his brother never easily gave in.
The relationship between Yu Yeon-seo and Yu Eun-ho wasn’t much different from that of typical brothers.
“So, did you come to personally escort me all the way home? That can’t be it.”
“Hah, fine. I am here to catch you. Don’t talk back to Grandfather this time. Please, let’s just get through this one quietly.”
“Depends on how Grandfather acts.”
“Hey.”
“...Alright.”
If one had to describe it, the picture was of Yu Yeon-seo causing trouble with gusto and Yu Eun-ho cleaning up the mess. Fortunately, Yu Eun-ho didn’t seem to have any particular suspicions.
In truth, Yu Eun-ho’s heart had softened a little after receiving Im Seung-hyeon’s report that Yu Yeon-seo’s memories weren’t fully intact.
“Ah, wait. There’s somewhere I need to stop by before we go.”
“Where? Grandfather hates waiting. You know that.”
“I’m not running away. It’s for something really important. I’m sure Grandfather will understand.”
Yu Eun-ho belatedly observed his younger brother’s attire. The black suit looked almost like mourning clothes.
The place they went to was the home of Yu Yeon-seo’s last manager, Kim Jong-ho’s parents.
“I offer my condolences.”
“...Please, have a seat.”
As Yu Yeon-seo bowed respectfully, Kim Jong-ho’s parents let him inside.
Watching from behind, Yu Eun-ho’s eyes widened, forgetting to manage his expression. He had actually come along fearing that Yu Yeon-seo, unable to change his ways, would provoke the bereaved family, but this was different from what he’d expected.
Normally, he would have spewed insults like, You want me to sit on a shabby floor like this? Are you out of your mind?
“And you are...”
“My older brother. Please don’t mind him.”
Kim Jong-ho’s parents glanced at Yu Eun-ho, but Yu Yeon-seo intercepted their gaze. He wouldn’t be staying long anyway.
“By the time I regained consciousness, the funeral was already over. Still, I felt it was my duty to come and pay my respects.”
Yu Eun-ho feigned stroking his chin to hide his surprised expression.
‘Did he hit his head that badly?’
Of course, he had been injured badly enough to risk falling into a vegetative state. But even with amnesia, could a person’s fundamental nature change so drastically? While worried, Yu Eun-ho thought this change wasn’t bad. No, it was actually good.
“You didn’t have to come all this way...”
Kim Jong-ho’s parents also observed Yu Yeon-seo with hesitant expressions. They had heard from their son that he was just as much of a bastard as the rumors said, that he couldn’t stand it anymore and was about to quit. But this was completely different from what they’d been told.
“I know this won’t bring the deceased back, but I’ve prepared a small token of my sympathy. Please accept it.”
“No, we can’t accept it. We’ve already received condolence money from the company’s CEO.”
I thought a company that would hire someone like Yu Yeon-seo would be terrible, but the CEO seems decent enough. He composed his expression, thinking he should try synchronizing memories again after persuading the family.
“...I heard your son turned the wheel before we crashed. That’s why I survived.”
Of course, the original Yu Yeon-seo would have died instantly whether the wheel was turned or not, but the burden on his heart was still heavy. The Yu Yeon-seo of then and the Yu Yeon-seo of now were completely different people, but at least Kang Jin-hu from 2207 did not take human life lightly.
“My heart won’t be at ease unless you accept it.”
“But still...”
Kim Jong-ho’s parents adamantly refused. They were already scheduled to receive insurance money and compensation, and they had also received condolence money from the agency’s CEO, so there was no reason for Yu Yeon-seo to give them money.
“I have a lot of money. And it’s already been transferred.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a text notification sounded from one of the family member’s phones. He had anticipated this and had Im Seung-hyeon transfer the money at a set time.
Kim Jong-ho’s father, after checking the text, widened his eyes. This was by no means a ‘small token’. Who gives such a large sum as condolence money?
“All tax-related issues have been taken care of, so you don’t need to worry.”
“No, but this is too much.”
“I’ll be on my way now. Please, don’t see me out.”
Yu Yeon-seo cut him off and stood up abruptly. While Kim Jong-ho’s parents hesitated, unsure what to do, Kim Jong-ho’s younger brother, who had been quietly eavesdropping from his room, followed him out.
“You think money solves everything, don’t you?”
Hmm, I didn’t expect this. What would Yu Yeon-seo say? He combined the 1.35% of memories with Yu Yeon-seo’s usual behavior and speech patterns he’d looked up online.
“...If not with money, then how do you solve it?”
“What?”
Kim Jong-ho’s younger brother was displeased with Yu Yeon-seo’s actions. Given everything he had seen and heard, he immediately suspected this was a ploy to craft a new public image. His brother wouldn’t come back to life just because of this, but he had his pride; he didn’t want money thrown at him like charity.
And Yu Yeon-seo read that sentiment in his expression.
“You seem to need someone to blame, but I’m not the one who got high and crashed the car. I almost died too, you know?”
“...”
“He was my manager, albeit for a short time, so I gave it as a form of condolence. As you know, I’m overflowing with money.”
With that, he headed for the car where Im Seung-hyeon was waiting. Kim Jong-ho’s younger brother didn’t follow, stopping in his tracks.
“Does it look that offensive to you?”
“...That’s.”
“Don’t cling to your pathetic pride. Use your brother’s life money to buy a foreign car or something. Or use it for tuition. Well, do whatever you want with it.”
Oops, did I get too carried away with the hellmouth persona? Yu Yeon-seo said no more and got into the car.
“You’ve changed.”
“I have?”
But I mixed in the kind of rude things Yu Yeon-seo would say. However, judging by Yu Eun-ho’s gentle expression and demeanor, he looked as pleased as if he were watching a kindergartener’s antics. No wonder Yu Yeon-seo never fixed his bad habits.
“Normally, you wouldn’t give condolence money like that.”
“Ah, that...”
Yu Yeon-seo frowned. He rolled his eyes, ‘acting’ confused. This had better work...
“I don’t know. Why did I do that?”
“...”
“I just... felt like I had to...”
“You did well.”
Did it work? Did he buy it? Yu Yeon-seo glanced to the side. A gentle smile played on Yu Eun-ho’s lips.
‘Has he finally matured...? This is good.’
Yu Eun-ho found himself wishing that Yu Yeon-seo would just keep acting like this. It was about time he could stop being the innocent bystander caught in the crossfire between his grandfather and Yu Yeon-seo, and then having to console his hurt father who tried to mediate.
As the car carrying the Yu brothers pulled away, someone got out of a vehicle parked behind them. The reporter, Lee Da-un, who had been documenting Yu Yeon-seo’s discharge from the hospital, narrowed his eyes.
“Why did he come here?”
He thought he’d be heading straight home... This smelled like a scoop. Lee Da-un quickly got back into his car and changed his clothes. He put on a neat suit.
“I’ll find out if I go and ask them directly.”
Articles about Yu Yeon-seo were money-makers. Simply copying his social media posts and publishing them as articles generated more than a basic level of ad revenue. The company he worked for even had a reporter assigned to exclusively cover Yu Yeon-seo. Some might curse at him, asking, Don’t you trash reporters have anything better to do? But who cares if he was cursed at, as long as he was making good money?
Lee Da-un gave his outfit a final check and rang the doorbell of the house where Kim Jong-ho’s family lived.
“Who is it?”
Kim Jong-ho’s younger brother opened the door.
“Hello. I’m an attendant of the young master who just visited.”
“Yes, and?”
“It seems the young master left something behind... May I come inside for a moment to look?”
Lee Da-un lied without batting an eye.
“Yes, come in.”
Kim Jong-ho’s younger brother looked wary, but he stepped aside and let him in.