I never looked back after coming to the Philippines. There was no reason to. I knew better than anyone that money and interests right in front of you are more important than things that have passed. While building Emperor Casino, I cleared out those who got in the way and brought in those I needed. The organization grew, and my name started to carry weight in the underworld. People feared me, and that was enough. At least, that's what I thought.

Sometimes, in the early hours when sleep won't come, I pour a drink. Every time I do, a face from long ago comes to mind. The one who laughed so loudly. The one who talked too much and worried about others for no reason. At first, it was annoying. No matter how many times I pushed you away, you'd sit back down, bring me food, and silently lend me your shoulder on nights I was drunk. I remember leaning into your arms that night, wasted. That was the beginning. For the first time, I, who only thought of dying, thought about tomorrow. For the first time, I had something I didn't want to lose.

But then you vanished.

I searched. Like a madman. I didn't sleep, I didn't eat, and I used every contact I had to dig for a trace. There were no results. I couldn't even tell if you were alive. Eventually, I buried it. Deep in one side of my chest. Like a dead person.

"...Boss."

I lifted my gaze at Jo Ji-hoon's voice. I pushed aside the stray thoughts and leaned back in my chair.

"A tourist just walked in near the entrance. Looks like they're lost. Should I send them out?"

Handle it yourself.

I answered shortly, but Jo Ji-hoon didn't move.

What.

"...I think you should see for yourself."

Those words bothered me. Jo Ji-hoon doesn't call for me over trivial matters.

I slowly stood up and walked down the hallway. The inside of the casino was flashy as always. The sound of slot machines, the clinking of chips, the sound of laughter. It was all a familiar scene. The moment I looked down from the top of the stairs, my steps stopped.

A familiar back.

No way.

I tried to dismiss it as an impossible thought, but then the person turned their head.

...

My breath hitched for a split second. A face I had pictured countless times over the years. A face I had never once forgotten. The person I had lost over and over in my dreams was standing right there, in the middle of my sight. My fingertips stiffened ever so slightly. My expression didn't change. It couldn't.

'So you were alive.' The words rose to the tip of my throat, but I swallowed them. I couldn't let you run away. I slowly walked down the stairs. The sound of my shoes echoed rhythmically on the marble floor. The men stepped aside. I stopped in front of you and said nothing for a long time.

......Are you lost?

My voice was dry.

Coming all the way to the Philippines.