Unveiling the Veil

Jihoon opened his eyes a few hours later and found himself lying on his bed. He remembered fainting on the floor, so who carried him to his bed? Jihoon held his throbbing head as unfamiliar memories ransacked his mind.

He would have thought they were dreams, but they felt surreal. His father and mother had passed away on the 24th of July, 2003, a few days before their anniversary. The memories of his childhood, which he had kept locked away for a long time, started to unfold too.

He remembered visiting this house with his father when he turned five. Back then, Lee Tae-shin, Tae-gun's father, still ran the family business. His mother was also an important person working for the Lee family.

Whenever he visited the Lee family house back then, he would make sure to play with its heiress, Miss Lee. She played the princess while he played the role of her knight in shining armor.

Jihoon left the guest room to familiarize himself with the house more since his head wouldn't stop aching. He thought he would have gotten lost in the big house, but he was able to find his way just fine.

After walking around for over an hour, Jihoon found a particular room; its doors were wide open. The room seemed to be calling out to him, and Jihoon wasn't the kind to conquer his curiosity. Furthermore, he didn't think the Lees would do anything to him if he just took a look.

He walked into the room, and the motion sensor lights were activated. The sight that greeted him was an aisle of paintings, each placed on opposite sides of the wall. On the right were men, and on the left were women.

As Jihoon studied the paintings, he saw various memories of himself painting them, though he had no recollection of doing so.

"These aren't my memories," he mumbled to himself just as he reached the last row.

The frames on the last row were empty. He pictured a painting of Tae-gun placed into the frame—it fit perfectly.

"You're here," said Tae-gun as he approached Jihoon from behind a wheelchair.

"Mr. Lee," Jihoon turned back in shock. "I can explain!"

Tae-gun laughed. "I left the door wide open, hoping you'd find this room."

"You knew I'd find this room?"

"Hm," Tae-gun nodded. "Your father found this room too when my father was still alive."

Jihoon's eyes moved to the painting just before the empty frame on the right. The man in that painting was specifically the man he had seen talking to his father in the memories he had seen.

Tae-gun trailed Jihoon's line of sight to his father's painting and smiled. "That's my father, Lee Tae-shin."

"Did my father paint this?" Jihoon asked.

"Every painting in this house was painted by the Seo family," Tae-gun replied. "Your family has a history of talented painters."

"I don't have many memories from my childhood," said Jihoon. "I lost some of my memories after the accident."

"Seyeon told me," said Tae-gun. "Now that you're here, you should've remembered something."

"What was my father like, Mr. Lee?" Jihoon asked.

Tae-gun looked up at the ceiling. "Well, from what I remember, your father was the best fighter I'd ever seen. He worked as a Black Shield agent and was very good at his job. But..."

"But?" Jihoon cocked a brow.

"He was always off. He lacked emotions. And he was very secretive. Well, he and my father were both very secretive," Tae-gun said. "It's like they were hiding something very important."

"What was it?"

"I don't know. I've tried to find out, but I don't know," Tae-gun answered.

Just then, Tae-gun's phone rang. He picked up the call. "She's awake? Good. I'll head over right now." He put the phone back into his pocket and glanced at Jihoon. "Sera is awake."

---

Yoon Hwasung stood amidst the falling rain, an umbrella in his hand. Several people passed by, but he remained fixated on a spot as if he were waiting for someone. A few minutes later, a black limo rolled to a stop in front of him.

Hwasung stepped into the vehicle. Inside was a man in a black suit with a dangerous aura. The man wore a black mask with a strange symbol. He glanced at Hwasung before taking a sip of his tea.

"Care for some tea, Mr. Yoon?"

"You know why I called?" Hwasung asked, his voice unsteady.

"Seo Jihoon," the man responded as he shook his head. "Your family was asked to take care of the matter, weren't they?"

"Yes." Hwasung began to shiver. "Listen, we're sorry. We have no idea how that kid survived."

"No worries," the man said calmly. "The Black Crown does not blame you. We'll deal with the problem ourselves."

"There's also the issue of the drive..." Hwasung hesitated before lowering his gaze.

"That will also be taken care of," the man replied. "However, we have a task for you."

"What task?"

"The Lee family has always been a problem for us, and the problem started with Tae-shin. Now, he's passed that problem to his son." The man took another sip of his tea. "The Black Crown wants to end the Lee family."

Hwasung's mouth fell open. "What do I need to do?"

"We need you to plant a bomb at the Lee mansion," the man said.

"But they've increased their security threefold after the first assassination attempt!" Hwasung protested.

"Then you shouldn't have failed the first time," the man retorted. "Of course, the Black Crown could have taken care of this, but, Mr. Yoon, everyone has a role to play as a member of the Black Crown, and this is your role. Do not fail again."

---

Yoon Jaesung sat in his Lamborghini, frowning at the fact that he wasn't the one driving. His legs had been broken, so there was no way he could drive. He was escorted into the casino in a wheelchair, then led to a private room where he had planned to kill Ryu.

Jaesung glanced at the men in the room. "Where the hell is Ryu?"

"Boss," one of the men spoke hesitantly. "Please don't get angry when you hear this."

"Hear what?" Jaesung frowned.

"You're getting angry, boss," the man replied.

"Where is Ryu?" Jaesung asked again.

"He left the country!" the man answered.

"Then where did he go?" Jaesung clenched his fist.

"Canada," the man said, glancing at the others.

"Canada?" Jaesung scoffed. "We have men there, don't we? Have them catch him."

"Well… he's no longer in Canada," the man admitted.

"What? Then where is he?" Jaesung's frown deepened.

"A country in Africa, we think," the man replied.

"Where did he get that much money?" Jaesung asked. "More importantly, how does he move that fast?"

"As for the money, he knows the code to the casino's safe. And as for how he moves that fast... we think he took your jet."

Jaesung: "..."

---

"You summoned me?"

A feminine voice echoed through the walls of a dark room. Shadows moved within, figures of men and women surrounded by an air of authority. These were no ordinary people. They were powerful. Wealthy.

"We have a task for you, Viper," a familiar voice spoke. It was the man Yoon Hwasung had met in the limo.

"Who am I to kill?"

"Lee Tae-gun."

"Consider it done." The female voice responded, her silhouette bowing.

"He is currently under the protection of the Lee family. It may be difficult to reach him. Take your sisters with you," the man instructed.

"As you wish." With that, she left.

As soon as she was gone, another voice spoke from the darkness. "This Seo Jihoon would be essential to the Black Crown. We all saw what his father could do. If we could convince him to join us, his power would be invaluable."

"True."

"True."

"I agree."

"I disagree," a woman's voice cut in. "How are we sure he won't make the same mistake as his father?"

"That happened because he was placed under the care of the wrong person. We still don't know how Tae-shin managed to obtain Seo Jisan's loyalty. With Jihoon, we can do things differently."

"I agree."

"I agree."

...

"In that case, it is settled. Seo Jihoon will remain alive and will be placed under my care. Any objections?"

No one objected.

"There's still the issue of the drive..."

"That will be handled once Seo Jihoon is finally under my care."

---

When Jihoon saw Sera, he ran toward her and pulled her into a tight hug.

Seyeon, watching from the side, frowned slightly.

Sera winced in pain before pushing him off. "That's enough."

"Are you okay?" Jihoon asked, his voice filled with worry.

"I'm fine," Sera replied. "What about you?"

"I'm alright," Jihoon said. "No need to worry about me."

"No way you're okay," Sera scoffed. "I wasn't the only one thrown off the bike, remember?"