91.
When Choi Jae-won first grabbed the hand of a local tour guide he met in Tumbes and abruptly declared he had found Ryu Ho-yeon, no one believed his assertion. Everyone thought Choi Jae-won had finally gone completely mad after his long period of longing.
Even the guide himself, whose wrist was firmly gripped by Choi Jae-won, wore a bewildered expression wondering what was happening, so the reactions of others were understandably even more skeptical.
Everyone, unable to say anything harsh to this legendary romantic who had lost his mind to deep sorrow, awkwardly asked him to at least explain his reasoning.
In response, Choi Jae-won boldly displayed the guide’s bare face, unobscured by hat or mask, to the group. Of course, the person in question tried desperately to keep his head down and cover his face with his hands, wanting to hide his disfigured appearance. Despite these efforts, with the protective barrier gone, the guide’s features became roughly visible to the others’ sharp gazes.
After seeing his scarred appearance, everyone was convinced. Indeed, Choi Jae-won had lost his mind.
The person Choi Jae-won was unilaterally claiming to be Ryu Ho-yeon wasn’t even an Esper.
There was no resemblance whatsoever, and they couldn’t possibly presume someone to be Ryu Ho-yeon just because they had his ring and a similar build, especially when they weren’t even an Esper.
In the judgment of others, this person who looked nothing like Ryu Ho-yeon was more likely someone who had stolen Ryu Ho-yeon’s ring or received it from someone else—a far more plausible hypothesis than being Ryu Ho-yeon himself.
However, Choi Jae-won trusted his instinct and pushed forward like a bulldozer. He conducted a DNA test using Ryu Ho-yeon’s DNA sample that he always carried when traveling abroad, and soon, the results came in.
“T-that… I mean… this…”
The research team who conducted the test kept blinking at the results in disbelief, despite having collected the hair root samples themselves.
“Well? I was right, wasn’t I?”
Choi Jae-won, having been confident for a long time already, smiled without a trace of tension. He kept the still bewildered guide right beside him. For someone who had been sobbing uncontrollably and even briefly passed out just a few hours earlier, he looked excessively satisfied.
“…Yes. According to the personal identification test, the DNA patterns between the two samples match completely.”
Everyone except Choi Jae-won involuntarily gulped. They still couldn’t believe it despite the results.
“This person, no, this gentleman… is indeed Ryu Ho-yeon himself.”
The gavel struck three times. The audience could only exhale in astonishment, but that didn’t change the verdict and the truth that had been revealed.
Having convinced everyone, Choi Jae-won lightly left with his miraculously returned lover’s hand in his. He left instructions to release Grant and the other fences in good spirits. Once the objective was achieved, there was no need to remain entangled in messy affairs.
Though he felt somewhat resentful toward Grant, considering that Grant had saved Ryu Ho-yeon three years ago and tracking down the diamond ring he had sold off had led to this fortunate turn of events, Choi Jae-won decided to send him back where he belonged without fuss.
If it meant getting Ryu Ho-yeon back, he would gladly offer dozens more diamonds.
Even the irritatingly muggy breeze felt romantic. Choi Jae-won, holding Won’s—that is, Ryu Ho-yeon’s—hand, would occasionally slap his own cheek while walking slowly, unable to distinguish whether this was a dream or reality.
Ryu Ho-yeon, who had been keeping his mouth shut given the atmosphere but still couldn’t adjust to this situation, would flinch whenever this happened. Finally, after Choi Jae-won had slapped himself five or six times, he gathered his courage and quietly voiced his confusion.
“Um, Mr. Choi Jae-won… I’m sorry, but… what exactly is going on? Am I… supposed to be the person you’ve been looking for? Actually, before that, could you please return my hat…”
“Oh right. Look at me. I’m just too happy. First of all, you’re not just similar to that person, you are that person.”
The persistent searcher who hadn’t let go of his hand even when he passed out continued laughing as if there was a hole in his lungs. With tear stains still damp on his face, his laughter seemed almost grotesque.
“And I can’t return your hat. We’re meeting after such a long time. I want to see your face up close, in detail.”
“Ugh, that’s…”
“Why? Are you feeling shy?”
It wasn’t a sensation that could be casually described as mere shyness. Going around in broad daylight exposing an appearance that even he found repulsive—since leaving the hospital, he had never dared to do such a thing. Rather than shy, yes, “humiliated” would be a more accurate description.
“I’m happy about it. To see you being shy, I never even dared to expect this.”
However, the inconsiderate man who didn’t care at all about the other’s humiliation genuinely seemed unable to contain his joy, his eyes curved brightly as he persistently examined every detail of the other person.
There wasn’t even a trace of a grimace or discomfort in that gaze, which was filled with pure joy. It was such a warm light that it almost seemed like the disfigured skin would beautifully regenerate just by receiving that gaze.
‘Are you the local guide we arranged to meet?’
‘…Yes, you’re Mr. Choi Jae-won, right?’
He certainly didn’t seem like the same person who had twisted his eyes in annoyance when they first met at the airport, seeing the burn marks slightly revealed under his sleeve.
“How was it living here all this time? If you liked it here, you don’t necessarily have to return to Korea. I can stay here instead.”
Choi Jae-won began to casually outline their future together as if it were the most natural thing. The shadow of joy and glory he was currently experiencing was too immense for him to respond thoughtfully to the somewhat intimidated reactions of his counterpart.
Yes, he was simply ecstatic, like a child experiencing an unexpected Christmas.
There were mountains of questions he wanted to ask. Why was he in this country of all places? Why had his abilities as an Esper disappeared? What had he been doing before these three years? Hadn’t he missed me? How did he end up with those terrible injuries?…
But what could he do when the person who would know all the answers had lost his memory? In fact, now that Ryu Ho-yeon himself had returned, all those questions didn’t hold much significance for Choi Jae-won anyway.
It would be a lie to say he wasn’t disappointed about the memory loss, but if he had to choose between a Ryu Ho-yeon who was dead with his memories intact and a Ryu Ho-yeon who was alive but had lost his memories, the answer was clear. Choi Jae-won had no intention of adding any unfortunate opinions to what he considered an excessive luxury.
Rather, thinking about it rationally over time, this Ryu Ho-yeon who had become oblivious to everything, who had become nothing, wasn’t a losing proposition for Choi Jae-won at all. If anything, it was advantageous.
First, the change in Ryu Ho-yeon’s once brilliant appearance was quite satisfactory because it meant all those who had dreamed futile dreams about his gorgeous exterior and desperately tried to approach him would now be blocked.
A Ryu Ho-yeon who would be loved only by Choi Jae-won and could love only Choi Jae-won… Just imagining it made his heart flutter.
But the best part of all was that Ryu Ho-yeon was no longer an S-class Esper.
If he had permanently shed the burden of being an Esper, then no Guide in this world could take Ryu Ho-yeon away from Choi Jae-won anymore. Even if some Guide with a damn 99 percent or 100 percent matching rate came along preaching about destiny as before, they wouldn’t dare.
Similarly, other government agencies or forces that had been eagerly trying to take Ryu Ho-yeon would have no interest in him as an ordinary person rather than an S-class Esper.
“Excuse me, Mr. Choi Jae-won. I…”
“Hmm? How can you still call me that? I told you earlier.”
“…”
The old saying that happiness comes after hardship is absolutely true. He did well not to die.
Furthermore, Ryu Ho-yeon, who was no longer an S-class Esper or anything special, would now have to stay obediently confined however Choi Jae-won decided to confine him, unable to even dream of escape.
“Come on. What did I tell you to call me?”
“Ugh…”
His troubled frown was endlessly endearing.
“…Hyung.”
“What kind of hyung?”
“Jae-won hyung…”
“That’s right. Well done.”
The beautiful world that beautiful Ryu Ho-yeon had been rescued into was this livable. The foreign sun shining brightly overhead was completely refreshing.
* * *
“Come on. What did I tell you to call me?”
“Ugh…”
Ryu Ho-yeon, staring blankly at the face across from him that was melting with happiness for some reason, inwardly heaved a deep sigh.
They say there’s no one you can trust in this world, but he never expected this from Choi Jae-won. In their time apart, his boyfriend, who had been like a fresh sprout in the spring sunshine…
“…Hyung.”
“What kind of hyung?”
“Jae-won hyung…”
“That’s right. Well done.”
…had become the worst scammer in the world.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
