During that time, Ki-joo took off the hospital gown. The eyes browsing through the clothes brought by Ik-gwang for a change of clothes didn’t feel very pleasant.

In an era where dress shirts were trendy, he brought it without a suit bag, and it seemed a bit crumpled.

Ik-gwang clenched his teeth, sensing Ki-joo’s negative reaction. He’s a patient. For now, he needs mental stability. So, as kindly as possible… Ik-gwang thought to himself while saying:

“Just put it on. I brought mine hastily because it was urgent.”

Only after hearing those words did Ki-joo reluctantly pick up the clothes. He started with the shirt. Ik-gwang touched his forehead with a dismal expression.

The sleeves shot up, and the size seemed too small for him, as if it might burst. He thought he had lost some muscle during that time. Ik-gwang subtly passed over the awkward situation by saying there wasn’t much stuff.

Fortunately, Ki-joo put on the jacket and pants without a word. He also waited quietly to pay the hospital bill when they left the room.

Watching him, Ik-gwang now felt relieved, seeing him finally look like a patient. Yeah, that’s what I thought. However, as Ki-joo got into the shabby sedan parked in a hurry and grinned cheekily, he said:

“You’re only two years older, huh.”

“…….”

“Your face has aged a lot.”

This was real.

Ik-gwang’s temple throbbed, and a vein popped out.

“…Did you overhear me talking to the nurse?”
Right after saying that, the laughter disappeared from Ik-gwang’s face. He claims to have no memory. Then, of course, he wouldn’t know Chinese.

The dry response from Ki-joo shattered any expectations.

“In the documents.”

Well, that makes sense. If he had memories, there would be no need for pretense. He must have rushed out like a lunatic, saying he would go to that woman… Song Eun-chae.

Ik-gwang recalled the woman lying on the wet sandy beach, crying pitifully, and felt a pang of conscience.

News of Kwon Ki-joo being safe had been a long time coming. No, perhaps it could never be conveyed at all.

Even after returning to Korea, Kwon Ki-joo was admitted to a hospital affiliated with KIS. It’s called admission, but it was almost like confinement.

Soldiers who participated in wars often suffer from sequelae due to guns and grenades. Of course, it was more of a mild armed suppression than a war, but perhaps Kwon Ki-joo was also subject to that. If so, there was a strong order from Oh Geun-seok for psychological treatment.

Of course, it was nothing more than a plausible excuse. Memory loss is just a matter of time.

It was a clever trick to somehow shorten the recovery time in an area where recovery was possible at any time. So even if he came back from the brink of death, he was still in a situation where he could only be used.

Ik-gwang looked at Ki-joo, who was waiting for an MRI scan in a sympathy gaze.

He slowly opened the eyes he had closed. In his gloomy pupils, there were no emotions other than boredom and irritation.

Ki-joo twisted his pelvis, stood up, and walked in the opposite direction of the examination room. The confused Ik-gwang quickly rushed out and blocked his way.

“Hey, you’re a patient now. You might have seriously hurt your brain!”

“What’s with this, Hyung. I need to be stable right now.”

What nonsense. Ik-gwang breathed out a sigh, which meant he was absurd.

Ki-joo swallowed a silent sigh. A window appeared in the distance. Since it was a hospital affiliated with KIS, its purpose was obvious. Everything visible through the window was mountains and forests.

Yeah. Concealing, camouflaging, and operating a strict security system made sense. But why are these people so naive? If you’re going to send one person to hell, at least do the job properly. Ki-joo nervously swept his head over the humans surrounding him, as if inspecting them one by one.

Then, he unexpectedly snatched a pen and paper from the doctor’s coat pocket and hand. He bit the pen cap and scribbled on the paper.

In front of Oh Geun-seok and Ik-gwang, he crumpled the paper. After that, he held up the paper. Ik-gwang, after reading the contents, looked puzzled, and Oh Geun-seok grabbed the back of his neck, seemingly amazed.

「GPS. Eavesdropping. Insertion.」

Ki-joo sat down on the chair, leaning against the back. The burned back, which had been stinging for a moment, started to ache.
His suppressed breath burst out as he gritted his teeth in pain. In terms of pain intensity, even swearing hundreds of times wouldn’t reach a level he could endure, but he couldn’t do that now.

He’s in the middle of emitting smoke, having lost all his memories and become a clean slate.

He knew that GPS and a listening device had been inserted into his body since he opened his eyes in the Chinese hospital.

He was a patient with mysterious burns on his back and thighs. Moreover, his identity was unknown. Despite his situation where he couldn’t even afford hospital bills if he twitched, doctors and nurses devotedly cared for his hospital room, with even employees who could speak Korean joining in.

It was clear that someone who admitted him to the hospital had given some instructions.

That something was probably to subtly leak the existence of an unidentified patient. If he went to Korea, how would they find out the identity of the organization chasing them? The method is simple. Just implant GPS and a listening device in the body.

He is probably using an interpreter to understand the conversation in real-time.

So, Ki-joo was puzzled. Ik-gwang or Oh Geun-seok. Why are their heads so messed up, almost worse than criminals?

He had hoped that they would stick him in the hospital as soon as they arrived in Korea. He thought they would immediately put him in the operating room, remove what they had implanted in him.

Yeah, he overestimated it too much.

Ki-joo didn’t even glance at the pathetic faces and sighed without giving attention to anyone.

Well, KIS and those people were all stupid.

If it were them, the hospital would be unconcerned. They would have dragged the body, which lost consciousness due to the explosion, placed it there, and subjected it to all kinds of torture, making it detailed who sent them, what the purpose was, etc.

Oh Geun-seok, crumpling the paper Ki-joo had twisted again, nodded. It meant to prepare for surgery right away.

GPS and the listening device were removed in an hour. Ik-gwang, who was waiting, asked while holding his breath.

“So… the talk about you being… old wasn’t sincere, right?”

Ki-joo threw away the hospital gown as he heard that through his ear.

“It’s comfortable because my head is bad. I don’t have to think.”

Ik-gwang couldn’t counterattack. Honestly, there was nothing he could say.

“Just get through the day.”

Still, Ki-joo put on a dress shirt with an embarrassed face.

“But still, I……”

Thinking about saying she’s the benefactor of his life, Ik-gwang changed his mind. It’s not a good thing even if he knows.

“That woman… You thought she was dead.”

Ki-joo’s eyes, hearing that, were fixed on the window. It was raining.

“I know.”

KIS’s cruelty was nothing new. Ki-joo didn’t care. It’s just that he’s seeing her almost a month later. He thought about what if he lost affection seeing her in such a miserable state.

“I’d rather wear a hospital gown.”

At Ik-gwang’s sincere words, Ki-joo finally got angry.