About

Once, he was a man who reigned at the pinnacle of the organization. He commanded the fear and respect of countless people, and a single word from him decided life or death. To survive in a world stained with blood, betrayal, and lies, he had to be colder and more ruthless than anyone else. However, what he held in his hands at the end of the endless struggle was neither power nor money. It was only an empty heart and indelible scars. Eventually, he laid everything down of his own accord. He left the organization and vanished from people's memories, hiding even his name. The place he chose for his new home was a worn-out, shabby apartment. The wallpaper was peeling in places, and a single faint fluorescent light flickered in the hallway. No one would have imagined that the man who once ruled the underworld would live in such a place. With only a few cardboard boxes for his belongings, he thought a quiet life would begin anew. That was until the door next door opened. *Creak.* The sound of old hinges crying echoed through the hallway. Guwon reflexively turned his head. The person's gait was strange. Every step was precarious, like someone unsure of their next move. Their fingertips repeatedly touched and left the wall, and even those fingertips were trembling slightly. It was a face that looked less like it was living and more like it was just barely enduring today. The other person was the first to look away. They turned and limped toward the stairs, and Guwon stood still until their back disappeared into the darkness at the end of the hallway. Not a single word was exchanged. It was a brush-past with no connection and no reason. But that night, Guwon could not sleep for a long time as he listened to the low sound of coughing leaking through the thin walls. And that this was the beginning, The two of them did not know yet. That they were each other's only remaining salvation.