TGCGBA 06
A “Good” Amnesia
Im Seung-hyun’s suspicion of Yoo Yeon-seo’s amnesia was all a planned effort by Yoo Yeon-seo (Kang Jin-hu).
‘Memory synchronization is ridiculously painful.’
There’s a limit to how often he can just pass out. At this rate, he’ll be stuck in the hospital indefinitely.
Using his experience watching countless dramas and films stored in the 2207 archive, he devised a strategy.
‘Amnesia is the cheat key.’
The strategy was to use the excuse of amnesia just enough so that those close to him wouldn’t be suspicious. Didn’t you talk back to your grandfather before? “Well, I don’t remember anything other than that, so what can I do?” he planned to insist. And the results of testing this on the attendant guarding his room were…
‘The Young Master used honorifics with us…’
‘Did you see him let Seung-hyun clock out early?’
‘I brought him a book earlier, and he told me thank you!’
‘Really? That second Young Master?’
‘Did the accident make his head a little strange? Like amnesia or something.’
‘Shush, don’t talk like that. Still, if he’s changed like this, isn’t that a good thing?’
‘It’s a good amnesia.’
The effect was certain. Thanks to his body being on the brink of death, everyone easily believed it was the aftermath of a severe accident without much suspicion.
“Beta, what’s the current synchronization rate?”
<It is 1.35%.>
“Still a long way to go.”
He occasionally performed memory synchronization, being careful not to strain his body. However, since it involved absorbing a person’s entire 26 years of life, it included a lot of useless information, leaving him with few core details.
But he did learn one thing: the ‘real’ Yoo Yeon-seo was somewhat… odd.
He was a person with a personality that normal people couldn’t understand, whether it was using his power to fire managers easily or crippling central Seoul by scattering cash with a red money gun just because he was bored. Does having a lot of money make you like that? Even if that’s the case, his brother seemed perfectly normal…
“Young Master, it’s time for us to leave.”
“Did you bring what I asked you to prepare?”
“Yes.”
Im Seung-hyun promptly handed over the clothes in his hand. Yoo Yeon-seo took them, and Im Seung-hyun secretly sighed. The clothes were worth more than four months of his salary.
“Um… Executive Director Yoo Eun-ho is here outside.”
“My brother? Got it. Please step out for a moment.”
Yoo Yeon-seo took off his patient gown and put on his clothes. True to the original owner’s nature of only looking at the best, the clothing was soft. It was a texture unimaginable in 2207, where he lived.
The original Yoo Yeon-seo, who had strong self-love, was also good at self-care, and was born with the ‘visual spoon’ too. Even after being bedridden for months, he had a perfect body and flawless skin, and his face was handsome even to another man. Is this why his fan club can’t let him go, even if he’s not great at his main job? he wondered.
‘Ah, now I am Yoo Yeon-seo.’
Thinking of Kang Jin-hu’s life in 2207 and Yoo Yeon-seo’s life separately won’t help him going forward. If anything, playing ‘Yoo Yeon-seo’ is Kang Jin-hu’s first and last method acting performance.
‘I really can’t get used to this.’
Perhaps it was because of the unrealistic appearance, so different from Kang Jin-hu… He composed himself, turning his head this way and that in front of the mirror, and then walked out.
“Yeon-seo.”
As he vigorously opened the door and stepped out, Yoo Eun-ho was standing right in front of him. Whoa, you scared me.
“What, are you here to capture me?”
“I didn’t come to capture you. Let’s go. Grandfather is waiting.”
“You did come to capture me.”
Yoo Yeon-seo chuckled. Fortunately, the 1.35% random memory synchronization included a small memory of how Yoo Yeon-seo usually treated his brother.
Yoo Yeon-seo, who talked back to his grandfather and threw tantrums at his father, was relatively subdued only with his brother, Yoo Eun-ho, because Yoo Eun-ho wouldn’t easily give in to any stubbornness.
The relationship between Yoo Yeon-seo and Yoo Eun-ho was not much different from a typical sibling relationship.
“So, you came all the way to escort me to my house personally? That’s not like you.”
“Ha, fine. I did come to capture you. Don’t talk back to Grandfather this time. Please, let’s get through this one time peacefully.”
“Depends on what Grandfather does.”
“Hey.”
“…Fine.”
Essentially, Yoo Yeon-seo would cause trouble, and Yoo Eun-ho would clean up the mess. Fortunately, Yoo Eun-ho did not show any further suspicion.
Yoo Eun-ho was actually a little softened after receiving Im Seung-hyun’s report that Yoo Yeon-seo’s memory was incomplete.
“Oh, wait. I have somewhere I need to stop before we go.”
“Where? Grandfather hates waiting. You know that.”
“I’m not running away. It’s genuinely important. Grandfather will understand.”
Yoo Eun-ho belatedly observed his brother’s attire closely. The black suit looked almost like mourning clothes.
The place they visited was the home of the parents of Kim Jong-ho, Yoo Yeon-seo’s last manager.
“Please accept my condolences.”
“…Please sit.”
As Yoo Yeon-seo bowed respectfully, Kim Jong-ho’s parents let him inside.
Yoo Eun-ho, watching from behind, widened his eyes, forgetting to control his expression. He had followed along, worried that Yoo Yeon-seo might provoke the bereaved family, but things were completely different from what he expected.
Normally, he would have insulted them, saying, ‘Sit on this shabby floor? Are you out of your mind?’
“And that person…”
“He is my brother. Don’t mind him.”
Kim Jong-ho’s parents glanced at Yoo Eun-ho, but Yoo Yeon-seo blocked their gaze. He wouldn’t stay long anyway.
“When I regained consciousness, the funeral was already over. Still, I felt it was the right thing to do to come and pay my respects.”
Yoo Eun-ho pretended to touch his chin to hide his surprised face.
‘Was his head seriously injured?’
He was injured enough to be at risk of being a vegetable. But could amnesia really change a person’s inherent nature? Yoo Eun-ho was worried, but he thought this change wasn’t bad. No, it was better.
“You didn’t have to come all this way…”
Kim Jong-ho’s parents also observed Yoo Yeon-seo with mixed feelings. Their son had told them he was a jerk, true to the rumors, and that he would quit soon because he couldn’t stand it anymore. But this man was completely different from what they had heard.
“I know this won’t bring back the dead, but I have prepared a small amount of consolation money. Please accept it.”
“No, we can’t accept it. We already received money from the agency CEO.”
If Yoo Yeon-seo was the kind of person to be under, I thought it was a black company, but the CEO seems decent. He composed his expression, thinking he should try memory synchronization again once his family’s concerns were addressed.
“…I heard your son swerved the steering wheel before the collision. That’s why I survived.”
Of course, whether the wheel was swerved or not, the original Yoo Yeon-seo would have died instantly, but the burden on his conscience was heavy. The Yoo Yeon-seo then and the Yoo Yeon-seo now are completely different people, but the Kang Jin-hu of 2207 did not take human life lightly.
“It would ease my heart if you accept it.”
“Still…”
Kim Jong-ho’s parents firmly refused. They were already going to receive insurance and compensation money, and they had received consolation money from the agency CEO, so there was no reason for Yoo Yeon-seo to give them money.
“I have a lot of money. And it has already been deposited.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than a text alert sounded on the bereaved family’s phone. He had anticipated this and asked Im Seung-hyun to deposit the money at a set time.
Kim Jong-ho’s father, who checked the text, widened his eyes. This was by no means a “small” amount of consolation money. Who gives such a large sum as consolation money?
“All tax matters have been handled, so don’t worry.”
“No, but this is too much.”
“I will be leaving now. Please don’t see me out.”
Yoo Yeon-seo cut off their words and stood up abruptly. While Kim Jong-ho’s parents hesitated about what to do, Kim Jong-ho’s younger sibling, who had been quietly listening from the room, followed them out.
“Do you think money solves everything?”
Hmm, I didn’t think of this. What would Yoo Yeon-seo have said? He combined the 1.35% of memories with Yoo Yeon-seo’s usual behavior and speech patterns he had searched online.
“…Then if not money, what solves it?”
“What?”
Kim Jong-ho’s sibling was displeased with Yoo Yeon-seo’s actions. And having seen and heard things, they suspected he was using this as an opportunity for image-making. Although this wouldn’t bring their brother back, they had pride and hated the money being thrown at them like charity.
And Yoo Yeon-seo understood that feeling from their expression.
“It looks like you need someone to resent, but I wasn’t the one who drove the car while high on drugs. I almost died too.”
“…”
“He was my manager, even if only for a short time, so I gave this as a form of comfort. As you know, I have money to spare.”
Saying that, he headed toward the car where Im Seung-hyun was waiting. Kim Jong-ho’s sibling did not follow, stopping where they were.
“Does it look that spiteful?”
“…That is.”
“Don’t bother with petty pride and go buy a foreign car with your brother’s life money. Or use it for tuition. Well, you handle that yourself.”
Oops, did I get too immersed in the ‘Hell Mouth’ persona? Yoo Yeon-seo got into the car without saying more.
“You’ve changed.”
“Me?”
I even seasoned it with the kind of rude words Yoo Yeon-seo would say, he thought. But looking at Yoo Eun-ho’s gentle expression and atmosphere, he looked delighted, like watching a kindergarten performance. No wonder Yoo Yeon-seo couldn’t fix his bad habits.
“You wouldn’t normally give consolation money like this.”
“Ah, that…”
Yoo Yeon-seo frowned. He ‘acted’ confused, rolling his eyes as if he was struggling to process the situation. I hope this works…
“I don’t know. Why did I do that?”
“…”
“It just felt like I had to…”
“That was a good thing to do.”
Did it work? Did he buy it? Yoo Yeon-seo glanced sideways. Yoo Eun-ho wore a calm smile.
‘Did he mature later in life… That’s good.’
Yoo Eun-ho hoped Yoo Yeon-seo would continue to act this way. It was time for him to stop being the one caught in the middle of Yoo Yeon-seo and his grandfather’s fights, and stop comforting his father, who was hurt while trying to break them up.
The car carrying the Yoo brothers drove away, and someone stepped out of a vehicle parked behind it. The reporter who had been covering Yoo Yeon-seo’s discharge, Lee Da-woon, narrowed his eyes.
“Why did he come here?”
He expected them to go straight home… There was a scent of a scoop. Lee Da-woon quickly got back into his car and changed clothes. He put on a neat suit.
“I’ll know if I go ask directly.”
Articles about Yoo Yeon-seo meant money. Just republishing his SNS posts was enough to generate above-average ad revenue. The company he worked for even had a reporter dedicated to covering Yoo Yeon-seo. People might curse, ‘Doesn’t that reporter have anything better to do?’ but as long as he made good money, who cared about being called names?
Lee Da-woon checked his attire one last time and rang the doorbell of Kim Jong-ho’s family home.
“Who is it?”
Kim Jong-ho’s sibling opened the door.
“Hello. I am the attendant of the Young Master who just left.”
“Yes?”
“I think the Young Master left something behind… Could I step inside for a moment?”
Lee Da-woon lied without blinking.
“Yes, please come in.”
Kim Jong-ho’s sibling looked suspicious but moved aside to let him enter.
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