Kang Mari.
Kang Mari.
Watching Si-yoon collapse right in front of my eyes made my head go blank, but I ran to her on pure instinct.
"Si-yoon!!! Si-yoon!!!"
No matter how many times I called out to her, Si-yoon, who had fainted before me, wouldn't wake up.
"She'll be fine. Please, calm down!"
Kang Jong-hyeon quickly grabbed hold of me, but I shoved him away and got closer to Si-yoon.
"Si-yoon! Why?! All of a sudden!!!"
I held onto Si-yoon and looked around, trying to assess the situation, but no one seemed to know the reason. And I couldn't see anything that might have caused it.
That's when Kang Jong-hyeon told me what he knew.
"She ran out of Lee Gi-seok's bedroom. The reason will be in there..."
Even though they carry HSW's business cards, Team 7 doesn't consider Lee Gi-seok their master...
Seeing the expression on Kang Jong-hyeon's face as he tried to calm me down, I moved Si-yoon, her face covered in blood, to the ER as calmly as I could manage.
Some time later, Lee Gi-seok came rushing out with a grave expression to see Si-yoon.
"....."
"What... happened...?"
"Si-yoon... brought up her maternal grandfather."
"...Excuse me?"
I don't know my father-in-law either.
I don't even know my mother-in-law.
I had tried to help Mari find her birth parents, but she firmly refused.
So how does Lee Gi-seok know about it...
The doctor came in and told us about Si-yoon's condition.
I naturally turned my head toward the conversation that mattered most.
"It's simply a stress-induced faint... she's only sleeping for the moment."
"When do you expect she'll wake up?"
"Hmm... I expect she'll wake up on her own, given some time."
The doctor left, and I turned back to Lee Gi-seok.
Lee Gi-seok started to speak slowly about my father-in-law and mother-in-law. The whole thing was an unbelievable story.
The fact that Taebaek... that the organizations that had kidnapped Si-yoon... had all been raised by Si-yoon's maternal grandfather...
Lee Gi-seok looked back on the past for a moment as he sat in the room with Si-yoon, then announced the start of the conversation.
"How is it that I know your father-in-law, you ask..."
Lee Gi-seok rubbed his chin for a moment.
"The scar on Jin-seok's face—that wound was made protecting me from one of your father-in-law's men."
"...Excuse me?"
I was hearing the secret of Lee Jin-seok's scar, something even he had never explained, from Lee Gi-seok. And that scar... the one who made that scar... was Mari's father? I leaned in even closer to listen to what Lee Gi-seok had to say.
"I may claim I created HSW to stand against Taebaek, but far from standing against them, all we could do was investigate them."
Lee Jin-seok, recalling the past, began speaking without pause.
"Your father-in-law Kang Han-seong—he was a monster. His influence across the globe was massive, especially in Russia, which he had in the palm of his hand. No—even now, Russia is in Taebaek's grip."
Utterly absurd... but I listened in silence.
"And then one day, he simply vanished. Rumors began to spread that he was dead. Using his supposed death as a cover story, we began searching for Kang Han-seong, thinking he might be hiding somewhere. But except for a few of his closest aides, no one could be found, and so we concluded he must be dead..."
"And that... is Mari's father...?"
"Yes. And your mother-in-law, Amy Allen—she died two years after giving birth to Kang Mari."
"Why..."
"I heard she was killed brutally, simply for being Kang Han-seong's woman... That's what led to him founding the 'Tiger' organization..."
"......"
Even hearing the truth, I couldn't possibly come to terms with it...
Mari's father... was a man like that...
Was my daughter in shock because she found out the people who had kidnapped her were connected to her maternal grandfather...?
Or does she know something else...?
To find out the truth, Si-yoon, who was currently sleeping, had to wake up.
A bump had formed on sleeping Si-yoon's forehead, but the doctor said it wouldn't leave a scar.
Da-yeon was the one who mostly kept watch by Si-yoon's side, taking care of her, and Ji-hoon and Tae-oh came to visit, too.
But Si-yoon didn't wake up as time passed...
The more time passed, the more anxious I became that something was going wrong.
Another day passed.
I kept badgering the doctors, trying to understand the situation somehow.
The Notflix filming was also halted because of Si-yoon.
But that was the least of my concerns. I was so anxious about this whole situation that even my personality felt like it was warping.
That's when a Notflix employee, only thinking about their own profits, came up to me.
"Um... by when... do you think filming might be possible...?"
Seeing them say something like that even after seeing Si-yoon's state—something inside me boiled over.
"I'll pay you double the penalty fee... so just... stop... and get lost..."
"Wh-what do you mean."
"Should I make it four times? If I do that, can you just... just shut your mouth and disappear?"
The man, about to say something more, flinched when he saw Kang Jong-hyeon blocking his way, and left the room.
Another day passed...
Looking at Si-yoon like this... God, I wish she would just open her eyes...
Just... please... just open her eyes.
And the next day...
I hadn't even touched water.
People around me kept telling me to at least get an IV drip, but the words didn't register...
Sometimes I'd hear a phantom sound like Si-yoon was calling out for me...
In a strange way, those moments were the only thing that made me feel even slightly better.
While I was lost in all sorts of thoughts, Da-yeon grabbed my shoulders.
"Si-yoon's going to have a hard enough time waking up. If you're like this when she does, it'll be even harder on her."
Ah... I think I've only been thinking about myself again...
I made a promise with Si-yoon before. I have to keep it...
So that no one can lay a hand on Si-yoon...
So that nothing can stand in Si-yoon's way...
So that whatever Si-yoon wants comes true.
"Jeong-min... ... ..."
I called the man Mari had relied on the most... and turned off my phone.
Leaving only me and Tae-oh behind, Kim Ji-ho, Si-yoon's father, staggered away on unsteady legs, heading somewhere.
Something felt deeply wrong, but every member of Team 7 and Team 8 followed him.
"Hey, what the hell is going on?"
"...From what I heard... she found out the secret of her own birth..."
"Birth? What birth."
"Her maternal grandfather... is herself."
"...? What're you talking about."
"Her own daughter gave birth to her."
My thoughts came to a screeching halt.
"Bullshit... You're telling me... that Amy that boss used to talk about when she was drunk... was her daughter...?"
"Yeah."
"Wow... fuck... insane... Does that even make sense? Hold on... wait a minute. Then, ah... when boss was born, she supposedly died..."
"That's probably why..."
"This is crazy..."
I stared into the hospital room where Si-yoon was sleeping, speechless.
After hearing what Da-yeon said, Kim Ji-ho somehow started finding his energy again before we knew it.
Not that he ever actually left the hospital room with Si-yoon in it...
"Si-yoon... it's okay even if you can't talk about it... just get plenty of rest and wake up... okay? Daddy... needs you."
Two weeks passed. Kim Ji-ho had grown so emaciated he was almost unrecognizable.
Lee Da-yeon, Park Ji-hoon, and Kim Tae-oh started spending their mornings at school and their evenings at the hospital.
Kim Ji-ho greeted them, gaunt from eating only enough not to die, dark circles carved deep under his eyes.
"You're here...?"
""Hello.""
Da-yeon walked up to Kim Ji-ho and spoke.
"When Si-yoon wakes up..."
"...Da-yeon."
"Yes..."
"Thank you for worrying about her..."
"...Yes..."
Seeing Kim Ji-ho in a state she'd never witnessed before, Da-yeon couldn't bring herself to answer any further.
Because no one thought about Si-yoon more than Kim Ji-ho did...
Three days later, Kim Ji-ho finally collapsed.
The nurse assigned to Si-yoon found him, and Kim Ji-ho was moved to another room and given treatment.
Lee Jin-seok and Kim Seon-hwa watched Ji-ho like that and sighed.
After receiving treatment and coming to, Kim Ji-ho instinctively headed straight for Si-yoon's room.
Three more days passed, and Kim Ji-ho collapsed once again.
But...
This time, unlike before, he didn't get back up right away.
Da-yeon looked at Si-yoon with a face close to tears.
Watching that scene, I looked at Da-yeon and spoke in a low voice.
"This is a bit much... Da-yeon, step outside for a minute."
"Huh...?"
Kim Tae-oh caught my gaze, nodded, and took Da-yeon outside.
After making sure Da-yeon and Kim Tae-oh had left, I slowly approached Kim Si-yoon.
And I started shaking Kim Si-yoon.
"Hey, wake the fuck up, you little shit."
I knew this wasn't going to make her wake up, but I shook Kim Si-yoon even harder.
"What, you think you're Sleeping Beauty or something? Wake up."
I pushed up Kim Si-yoon's eyelids when she wouldn't open her eyes.
"Hey, Amy Allen is dead. Haven't you raised enough hell over it by now?"
Kim Si-yoon's body twitched.
If Kim Si-yoon had been awake and I'd said this, a catastrophe too horrific to imagine would've unfolded, but...
Right now, getting even this reaction was enough.
"Is Kang Mari the problem? Jesus, you're throwing the shittiest fit ever. Just cut your dick off, dumbass. Oh, you don't have one? Then you're just~ a dumbass~"
I grabbed Kim Si-yoon's pale white arm and shook it.
Her forearm, gone soft and pliable after twenty-one days without using the muscles, looked no different from any other girl's arm.
"Kang Mari's the problem? Hah, bullshit... 'Cause you think you killed your own daughter?"
Kim Si-yoon reacted a little more strongly...
"What a goddamn fucking retard... Hey, you always said people die someday, dumbass~ Memento mori~ You said we should always remember that we all die one way or another~"
I shook Kim Si-yoon's shoulders and kept going.
"The number of people you've personally killed is in the thousands. Honestly, you have no right to be like this."
I couldn't bring myself to say this while looking at Kim Si-yoon's face, so I spat out the kind of outrageous insults I couldn't even imagine uttering normally.
"Anyway, whether it was Kang Mari or Amy, I kinda figured it was just their time to go when they died. But honestly, looking at this mess, it really does seem like Amy and Kang Mari died because of you."
That was when, all of a sudden... a cold chill ran down my spine...
I slowly—so slowly it felt like an ungreased machine grinding with every motion—turned my eyes from Kim Si-yoon's body toward her face.
'Ohhh... fuck... scared the shit out of me...'
Drenched in cold sweat, I stared at Kim Si-yoon, whose eyelids were twitching faintly.
She still didn't look like she was about to wake up, so I naturally carried on with the words I'd planned.
"And now, thanks to you, your son-in-law Kim Ji-ho's about to die, too."
Was it because she kept getting hit with shock after shock? Or did she really care about Kim Ji-ho that much...?
Kim Si-yoon's body shook.
Seeing that, I kept talking.
"While you've been off escaping reality, Kim Ji-ho hasn't had a single proper meal in two months. At this rate, he's going to wither away and die..."
"....."
I slowly raised my eyes.
I met Kim Si-yoon's open eyes.
"....."
"Where's... Daddy?"
"Yep, this way. Boss."
I felt like I was drifting through the sky...
Incredibly peaceful and cozy.
It was so tranquil that I could feel, piece by piece, just how much tension I'd been living under my whole life.
The more I savored that peacefulness.
The more I started to forget what I'd been doing.
Time passed, and the pure white sky suddenly started to feel dizzying, like it was shaking.
"What the hell."
And then, a sound so faint I wouldn't normally even notice it reached my ears.
"@%#$^#^@#^#&"
I couldn't make out a word, so I focused on the voice—and little by little, I started to hear it.
The owner of the voice was Park Ji-hoon. I was baffled.
Why was I suddenly hearing Park Ji-hoon's voice...
But no matter how many times I listened, it was definitely Park Ji-hoon.
-"Hey, Amy Allen is dead. Haven't you raised enough hell over it by now?"
"????"
What...?
A dream?
Park Ji-hoon's saying something like that...?
Did that son of a bitch comfort me in the past just for show, after drinking with me and finding out all the details? Was all of it a lie?
Actually, no—his so-called comforting was so fucking awful I broke a few of his bones back then.
Park Ji-hoon was one of the few people I could talk to openly because he never changed no matter what...
But crossing the line like this—he'd never done it. Not even once.
I thought it was nothing more than a delusion, but the sky around me was still shaking violently.
-"What a goddamn fucking retard... Hey, you always said people die someday, dumbass~ Memento mori~ You said we should always remember that we all die one way or another~"
Is this not a delusion...? Why does it get clearer the more I empty my mind...?
Memento mori... it was definitely a phrase I was fond of.
It was a phrase that perfectly captured my situation, after all...
-"The number of people you've killed personally is in the thousands. Honestly, you have no right to be like this."
Park Ji-hoon's voice started growing louder.
"Anyway, whether it was Kang Mari or Amy, I kinda figured it was just their time to go when they died. But honestly, looking at this mess, it really does seem like Amy and Kang Mari died because of you."
".....?"
What did that bastard just say...?
It was just... their time to go...?
They do say that when a person gets truly enraged, they become eerily calm...
My head, which had flared white-hot with fury at Park Ji-hoon's voice for an instant, suddenly began cooling down rapidly. I tried to grasp the situation fast.
And the voice I heard...
-"And now, thanks to you, your son-in-law Kim Ji-ho's about to die, too."
-"While you've been off escaping reality, Kim Ji-ho hasn't had a single proper meal in two months. At this rate, he's going to wither away and die..."
...Two months?
It hasn't just been half a day?
The fact that so much time had passed was shocking enough, but more than that—Daddy's on the verge of death...
Now that I think about it, it makes perfect sense. If it's really been two months since I collapsed...
Knowing my dad's personality... what Park Ji-hoon is saying... can't be a lie.
I slowly became aware of reality and opened my eyes.
Park Ji-hoon standing in front of me...
That son of a bitch... so he really did say all of that himself.
"....."
"Where's... Daddy?"
"Yep, this way. Boss."
I tried to lift my body and head straight for the room where my dad was.
My body wouldn't obey.
"Hey."
"Yeah?"
"Bring a wheelchair. My legs won't move."
Park Ji-hoon suddenly let out a breath of relief.
Thanks to that bastard, I felt a strong urge to start rehab exercises immediately.
Park Ji-hoon fetched a wheelchair right away and lifted me into it.
And as soon as I was outside, Da-yeon threw her arms around me in a fierce hug.
"Si-yoon!"
Park Ji-hoon exchanged a look with Kim Tae-oh, then nodded.
'Oho... so your punk ass was in on this too, Tae-oh?'
Even my arms wouldn't move the way I wanted, so I spoke to Da-yeon.
"Da-yeon, later... let me see Daddy first."
"Okay..."
Park Ji-hoon pulled the wheelchair and guided me to where my dad was. I spoke in a low murmur.
"Was all that shit you said a joint production with Kim Tae-oh?"
"...Excuse me?"
"...'Excuse me?' Is that all you've got to say...?"
"....."
I looked back at Park Ji-hoon, who had suddenly stopped the wheelchair. He nodded abruptly, then clamped his hands tight on the handles.
"...If I'm going to die anyway, I'll take you with me."
Park Ji-hoon suddenly started sprinting.
"HEY!!!"
"I'm sorry, Boss. I want to live. Farewell."
"You son of a bitch!!! Tae-oh!!!"
Kim Tae-oh blocked Park Ji-hoon's path.
"Tae-oh, I don't wanna die, man..."
Because he stopped so suddenly, I nearly pitched forward headfirst, but Park Ji-hoon caught me from behind in a panic.
Squish.
This bastard grabbed my chest and reflexively moved his fingers.
"".....""
The atmosphere turned icy.
A moment later, Park Ji-hoon was in the middle of the hallway, head pressed to the floor, frozen in a bowing position.
With Tae-oh's help, I went into the hospital room where my dad was.
"Haah..."