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Two winters had passed since that wretched night in which Hanseo almost went up in flames along with the warehouse. When the scandal broke out, South Korea was stunned. No one could've anticipated that the young and handsome chairman of Babel Corporation would be an absolute psychopath. The reporters flooded Hanseo's hospital room with questions, and netizens flooded the internet with theories on what happened to Chairman Jang.

Besides Vincenzo's crusade, no one knew how Jang Hanseok disappeared. There were rumors he snuck onto a fisherman's boat and escaped to China where he bought a new identity. Though there was no evidence of such things occurring, the police eventually concluded that the psychopathic chairman must've run off somewhere outside South Korean borders. Thus, Hanseok was declared a fugitive with a dozen counts of murder and one count of kidnapping.

As for his two minions, they also faced similar fates. Seunghyuk had betrayed Babel at the last second and was stabbed to death by Hanseok himself. Myunghee, who had stayed loyal to Babel, suffered a fiery death at Vincenzo's hands. Her death, like Hanseok's, was covered up nicely by the mafioso. In the end, the wicked woman was also thought to have escaped to China by the media.

Hanseok's death marked the beginning of Hanseo's life. Without the oppression of his older brother, Hanseo found himself making his own decisions and being more open to his Jipuragi family. He was finally able to resign from Babel, start a new life at Geumga Plaza, and confess his admiration, which was really his love, to Vincenzo. Hanseo was gaining courage for the first time. He was healing for the first time. He was free to think for himself and love whoever he wanted. However, just like the ugly scars etched into his skin, the memories of his abuser still lingered in Hanseo's mind.

---

"Good morning, amore," a hoarse voice mumbled.

Hanseo grumbled as his eyes slowly fluttered open. "Morning, hyungie," he said with a dopey smile. Never in a million years could Hanseo have expected to wake up to a handsome, half-naked Italian mafioso, but then again, never in a million years could he have expected to escape his brother either.

"How about some Italian coffee before you open up the shop?" Vincenzo asked.

"Open up the shop?" Hanseo pouted. "Can't I sleep in today? My back hurts from last night."

The older male smiled. "I'm sorry, amore. I'll be more gentle next time. You can take a break today and tomorrow if you'd like. With the amount of gold I have, the both of us could just not work for the rest of our lives."

"Hyungie, you're supposed to encourage me to work, not spoil me. You know Noona can't live without my food."

"I think she'll survive one day without your noodles. Fewer carbs will do her good."

"Should I tell her you said that?"

"Not unless you want to be a widower, amore."

Hanseo giggled at his lover's silliness. "I'm still telling her though."

"Well, I guess I'll avoid coming to the office today," Vincenzo said before leaving the warmth of his blanket.

"It's cold without you, hyung." Hanseo curled the mink blanket around himself as he eyed the bathroom door, waiting for his lover to reemerge. After about twenty minutes of seeing no one, he eventually got up too. What kind of husband would he be if he didn't check on his partner every 5 seconds?

"Feeling needy, baby?" the mafioso asked as soon as he saw the lurking shadow of his lover.

"No. Just wanted to make sure you're alive."