Twisted Memories

The person they were looking for appeared at that moment.

“Park Garam.”

Garam peeked his head out from behind Choi Gunwoo, who was much larger than him.

“Garam.”

When Lee Jaehun called him, Garam frowned slightly, then hid behind Gunwoo again.

No matter how one looked at it, it was strange.

He was clearly kidnapped—so why hide behind the kidnapper?

“Oh dear, it seems Garam is frightened of the people here.”

What nonsense.

“Stop talking nonsense and hand him over.”

“If Garam wishes to go, I’ll gladly send him.

Garam, what would you like to do?”

Gunwoo asked in a cheerful tone, and Garam answered.

“I don’t want to go.”

“Why?”

“They’re scary people.”

“We are not scary people!”

Yuna blurted out in confusion, but Garam still looked at them with suspicion.

“How can I trust that?”

Garam pressed even closer to Gunwoo.

‘Garam is not in his right mind.’

Otherwise he would never behave this way.

Knowing that didn’t make the sight less infuriating.

Disgust tightened in Jaehun’s chest.

He stepped forward and grabbed Garam’s wrist, pulling him.

“Ah!”

Garam, weaker in strength, was pulled straight into Jaehun’s chest.

“What are you doing!”

Garam raised his voice.

“Let go! Let go!”

He twisted his arm and tried to escape, but there was too big a difference in strength.

He didn’t budge at all.

Garam was dragged away like baggage.

“Hyung! Gunwoo hyung!”

He cried desperately toward Choi Gunwoo.

“He is not your hyung.”

“That’s right.

He is not your brother, Garam.”

Everyone tried to convince him, but Garam refused to listen.

In the end, Jaehun lifted him up and carried him away.

“What should we do with the mayor?”

“Eliminate him.”

Jaehun said without hesitation.

At that, Garam screamed as if frantic.

“If you kill hyung, I’ll die too!”

At those words, the guild members paused instantly.

They looked to Jaehun for guidance.

Right on cue, Choi Gunwoo spoke.

“It seems there’s been a misunderstanding.

I’ve done nothing to Garam.

I only helped him when he was wandering near City Hall.”

“You expect me to believe that?”

“How troublesome.

I tell the truth, yet you refuse to believe it.

If I were the culprit behind everything, would I hand Garam over so easily?

I’d be hiding him.”

He held out both hands.

“I’m hiding nothing.”

“…We’ll go back for now.”

“If you ever need help, don’t hesitate to call.

I will gladly assist.”

Gunwoo’s tone was gentle.

“Hyung!”

“Garam, how about returning home for now?”

“That’s not my home.”

“I’ll visit later.

But for now, please follow Lee Jaehun quietly.”

Only then did Garam stop struggling.

He returned to the guild with them.

“Park Garam!”

The moment Garam arrived, Park Deokpal rushed out.

“What is this!

Pajamas and bare feet—oh wow, look at those wounds.”

Garam frowned and asked bluntly:

“Who are you?”

“Huh? Who am I?

I’m me.”

“Who?”

“I’m Park Deokpal?”

Deokpal looked toward Jaehun.

His eyes clearly asked:

‘Why is he like this?’

“He’s cursed.”

“I know, but he suddenly got worse!”

“What’s weird is not me, but you.”

“That’s very Park-Garam-like.”

Deokpal muttered blankly.

Garam stuck out his tongue at him.

“Let’s go inside.”

“Yes.”

Deokpal followed Jaehun, who was carrying Garam, into the building.

Only when they reached his room did Jaehun put Garam down.

“Sit.”

Garam hesitated, then slowly sat in a chair.

Jaehun grabbed his leg.

“Ah!”

He screamed, but Jaehun ignored it and inspected his foot.

He must have walked a considerable distance barefoot—his feet were a mess.

“Bring the doctor.”

“Yes.”

When Kang Yujun left to fetch the doctor, Jaehun gave Deokpal an order.

“Get water from the bathroom.

And towels.”

“Right.”

Deokpal obeyed quickly.

He returned with a basin of lukewarm water and placed it before Garam’s feet.

“Shall I wash them?”

“No.”

Jaehun refused.

He handed Garam the flowerpot he had been holding.

Garam tried to reject it at first, but with Jaehun insisting, he eventually took it.

Then Jaehun began washing Garam’s feet himself.

He wiped away the dirt stuck to them, poured water carefully, and gently rubbed them clean.

After changing the water and washing again, Garam’s feet were finally clean.

By then the doctor arrived.

“What happened here?

Did you walk barefoot?”

The doctor treated the wounds and inspected them.

“The wounds are clean.

A healer can handle the rest.”

“Any injuries elsewhere?”

“None.”

“That’s a relief.

Kang Yujun, what is Mama doing right now?”

“She’s searching the farm for the curse’s medium.”

“Call her up.”

“Yes.”

Mama also arrived quickly.

“What happened while I was gone?”

She asked immediately.

Deokpal asked:

“How did you know?”

“Why else would I be summoned?

Now, what happened?”

“I’ll explain.”

Yuna, who had not yet left, explained everything:

Finding the bee in the park, tracking it to City Hall, finding Garam.

After her report ended, Jaehun spoke.

“He called Choi Gunwoo his hyung.”

“Did Park Garam ever have someone he could call hyung?”

Deokpal shook his head.

“Not now.”

“But he did in the past.”

Jaehun knew about Garam’s past with Seo Taeju.

Based on everything they heard, Garam used to know him and called him hyung.

“If it’s a curse, this is a complicated one.

Garam, how old are you?”

Garam held up his hand and folded his fingers one by one.

One, two, three, four.

Then he stopped.

“Six?”

“Are you stupid!

He’s sixteen!”

Deokpal smacked his own palm with a fist.

Then he spoke proudly.

“This is when you need this!

Anyone have a mirror?”

“Ah, yes.”

Mama understood and handed over a small mirror.

Deokpal held it up to Garam’s face.

“How old do you look?”

“Twen…”

“Twenty?”

“You don’t look sixteen.”

“Then how old do I look?”

“Like an adult.”

Deokpal snapped his fingers.

“Exactly!

Now do you see what’s strange?”

“Well, uh…”

Garam looked nervously around.

“Did parts of my memory disappear?”

“More than disappearing—things are mixed up.”

“Yes, there’s confusion too.”

“First of all, Choi Gunwoo is not your hyung.”

“But he is.

He’s hyung.”

“You used to call Seo Taeju hyung.”

Seo Taeju.

A name Garam had never heard.

“I don’t know him.”

“He’s the reason you have nightmares.”

“I said I don’t know him.”

“You wandered the hallway every night unable to sleep, so I let you sleep in my room.”

“Do I not have a room?”

“You do.”

Jaehun replied calmly.

“Then why do I sleep here?”

“Because you are the guildmaster’s lover.”

“What?”

Garam looked horrified, as if he heard something impossible.

“Who is the guildmaster?”

“Me.”

Jaehun answered confidently.

“This pervert uncle?”

“He’s not old enough to be called uncle.”

Everyone defended the age part—

But not one person denied the “pervert” part.

Because they all noticed where Garam’s gaze kept landing.

A man who carried around a flowerpot at all times—no matter how you look at it, he seemed suspicious.

“So he is a pervert?”

Yuna laughed and backed away.

“I’ll file a report on today’s events.”

The doctor slipped out naturally.

“Come to think of it, I’m on duty today.

I must prepare for the other patients.”

Mama looked away with a gentle smile.

And lastly, Park Deokpal grabbed his stomach and burst out laughing.