Aftermath and Suspicion

Because Do Jiwan was holding onto me, his shirt became completely soaked with the blood I vomited.

His face turned pale instantly.

“Shin Jiho!”

“S-sorry…! Cough!”

Just as I tried to apologize for dirtying his clothes, nausea surged again.

I vomited more blood, staining his chest completely red.

“Get a hold of yourself, Shin Jiho!”

“I-I’m fine…”

“Shin Jiho!”

I tried to say I was fine, but my vision went dark.

I heard Jiwan shouting, but in the end, I lost consciousness.

Jiwan felt like he had gone between heaven and hell in a single moment.

When he regained his senses and saw Jiho kissing him, he thought he had gone insane and was hallucinating—but soon realized it was real, and his head felt like it would explode from the heat.

But when Jiho vomited blood onto him, his heart nearly stopped in shock.

“Shin Jiho!

Wake up!”

Even while collapsed, Jiho kept vomiting blood.

It was terrifying—he might die from blood loss or choke on it.

Jiwan carried Jiho back to the reception hall.

Seeing him holding a blood-covered Jiho, everyone was shocked and began whispering.

“Call an ambulance!”

At his shout, several people snapped out of it and grabbed their phones.

Thinking it would be faster to go to the lobby, Jiwan ran to the elevator with Jiho in his arms.

When he reached the lobby, hotel staff were already waiting, having been informed.

As soon as the ambulance arrived, Jiwan got in with him.

Everything still felt unreal.

Even as Jiho underwent multiple tests in the emergency room, Jiwan’s mind remained blank.

“Guild Leader!”

His secretary rushed over after hearing what happened.

Only then did Jiwan realize he hadn’t contacted him.

Seeing Jiwan covered in blood, the secretary turned pale—but relaxed slightly upon confirming Jiwan himself wasn’t injured.

Seeing his secretary made things feel more real.

Jiwan slowly recalled what had happened.

‘Min Chaeun… that woman.’

She had wanted to drink somewhere quiet, so they went to the lounge.

Then she said strange things…

‘And that black smoke from her face…’

At first, he thought it might be poison—but it wasn’t.

Still, whatever it was, it couldn’t have been good.

“Min Chaeun…”

“Yes?”

“Investigate Min Chaeun.

She said she graduated from the same university as me…

broadcasting major… and that she’s an announcer.”

“Yes.”

“And Im Jaehu as well.

The third son of Youngil Trading.”

“Understood.”

The secretary left to carry out the orders.

‘Im Jaehu introduced Min Chaeun.

Who’s behind them?’

Jiwan also suspected that Jiho collapsed because of the smoke she poured into him.

Knowing Jiho’s healing ability, it seemed likely he exhausted himself trying to counter it.

Regret filled Jiwan.

He had only wanted to provoke a little jealousy—

But instead, he exposed himself to danger and put Jiho at risk.

He should have ignored her.

He should have left immediately after making an appearance.

But it was too late now.

After blaming himself for a while, Jiwan stood up as the doctor approached.

“How are the results?”

“Well… about that.”

The doctor looked troubled.

Jiwan’s heart sank.

Was it serious?

Even in that brief hesitation, anxiety gnawed at him.

“There are no problems.”

“…What?”

Jiwan thought he misheard.

After all that blood—no problems?

“…If anything, there are mild signs of malnutrition…”

“Malnutrition again?!”

Jiwan was stunned.

It was the same as before when Jiho escaped the trap.

“He vomited blood—how can there be no issue?”

“If there was that much bleeding, there should be internal damage.

But all tests show his organs are completely fine.”

“…What?”

“We’ll move him to a ward.

He’s simply unconscious and should wake up soon.”

The doctor added this cautiously, as if even he found it unbelievable.

After the doctor left, Jiwan looked at Jiho lying on the bed.

“…What are you, really?”

He had thought Jiho was dying—

But it was just malnutrition.

Jiwan couldn’t even tell whether to feel relieved or confused.

Jiwan’s entire schedule came to a halt.

He was supposed to enter a dungeon that day, but he postponed it.

He couldn’t leave Jiho behind.

While receiving a report in Jiho’s hospital room, Jiwan frowned.

“He’s dead?”

“Yes.

Shortly after you left the hotel, Im Jaehu also left.

But on the way, there was a five-car collision on Gangbyeonbuk-ro.”

The secretary handed him a tablet showing the tragic news.

“He was in the third vehicle, crushed from both sides…

The body is not intact.”

The family was in chaos.

His mother had fainted upon hearing the news.

‘A loose end… cut off.’

Im Jaehu had introduced Min Chaeun.

Whether he knew her intentions didn’t matter.

What mattered was that a lead to whoever was behind this had disappeared.

“And about Min Chaeun…”

The secretary continued, showing another photo.

“This person is the real Min Chaeun.”

“She’s currently in the United States.”

“…The U.S.?”

“Yes.

Studying abroad.”

Jiwan let out a hollow laugh.

The person introduced wasn’t even the real Min Chaeun.

The trail was completely cut off.

“What about people’s reactions after I left?”

Jiwan was concerned.

Not for his reputation—but for Jiho, who had been caught up in this.

He was used to hostility.

Jiho wasn’t.

“At first, people were confused.

But we spread the word that you were nearly assassinated, and Shin Jiho was injured protecting you.

They accepted it.”

“I see.

That’s good.”

“The chairman was furious upon hearing about the assassination attempt.”

An attempt on Jiwan’s life at his own birthday party was an insult.

Even now, the chairman still held absolute power in the group.

What happened was no longer just Jiwan’s problem.

“They’ll soon realize the fake Min Chaeun and Im Jaehu were involved.”

With CCTV footage, it wouldn’t be hard to connect the dots.

Jiwan didn’t mind the help.

‘I should ask him later.’

Just as he was about to dismiss the secretary—

“Oh, and one more thing.

I’ve completed the investigation you requested earlier.”

The data was on the tablet.

The secretary left.

It was Jiho’s background check.

Jiwan opened the files and reviewed them carefully.

‘The lottery was real…’

About 3.2 billion won.

After taxes, around 2.2 billion.

There was even a lease contract—15 billion deposit for the house next door.

Jiwan let out a disbelieving laugh.

‘He didn’t even pay off his debts… and moved instead.’

And the reason?

Because he wanted to watch Jiwan.