Chapter 190.1

Chapter 190.1

“Don’t worry. Full recovery takes time. Try not to get anxious, and just stay calm. We’ve done everything we can medically. Now it’s up to time. Until then, avoid direct light completely. It’ll be uncomfortable, but keep the bandages on.”

The world was nothing but a blur.

During the graduation ceremony, he’d hit the back of his head while dodging a falling drone, and the concussion symptoms had followed soon after. At first, his vision would suddenly narrow. Then light began to flare unpredictably, each time bringing a wave of pain that wouldn’t go away.

A piece of debris had nicked one eye, leaving a small, minor retinal tear, but still an injury.

The real problem was the optic nerve damage that had gone unnoticed while the concussion was left untreated.

The doctor warned that in the worst case, he could lose his sight. Thankfully, his condition was slowly improving.

Thick layers of bandages wrapped around his eyes and the back of his head, pressing tightly into his skin. The light was completely sealed out; even moving his eyes felt impossible.

He’d been told that opening them too soon could spike the pressure and make everything worse.

From across the room, Na Wonchang sniffled.

How can someone with a heart that soft be anybody’s backup?

What, did you think an intelligence agent’s body would stay pristine forever?

In their line of work, where destroying others was part of survival, a battered body was proof of experience.

Lee Wooshin didn’t even flinch. He’d grown up watching limbs get torn apart. By now, most injuries barely registered.

He lifted his chin and gripped the cane for the visually impaired. The familiar texture under his fingers made his throat tighten.

“Walking won’t be easy at first. Your daily life will be affected. Do you have any family to help you?”

“…”

His hand froze for a moment. He ran his fingers over the cane in silence. In this cold, heartless world where he couldn’t trust anyone, his mind went to his wife, the woman who’d once depended on this same hard, unyielding stick to keep walking forward.

He’d turned the woman with the most beautiful eyes in the world into someone who couldn’t see. He’d crept into the weakest, loneliest corner of her heart like a predator. She’d been his prey, and he’d smiled cynically at the woman who knew nothing, pretending his hands were warm.

And now, he was alone.

‘Seoryeong… go ahead and laugh at me. Laugh all you want.’

With everything around him swallowed in darkness, he saw her face more clearly than ever; the last one she’d shown him, filled with pain and resentment, her tears long gone. The memory closed around his throat like a vise.

When I was searching for you, right under your nose… what were you thinking?

Yuri Solzhenitsyn came back blind.

News of the missing heir’s return spread across Russia in an instant, through TASS, Kremlin officials, and every high-level source imaginable.

Reports and broadcasts flooded social media, the reactions climbing past the millions.

The public, who still remembered the tragic, pitiful boy from years ago, was in an uproar over his miraculous survival after nearly two decades.

A cane clutched like a blind man’s staff.

A large, blanket-like coat draped across broad shoulders.

A proud nose forcing the bandages to cross at an angle.

Dark hair falling over the thick white gauze.

Paparazzi photos of him, so strikingly similar to the cold, stoic former Prime Minister Maxim, sold for staggering sums. Whether it was society pages or celebrity gossip, the image of Yuri Solzhenitsyn walking calmly around the estate’s frozen lake, his eyes bandaged, sent the public into a frenzy.

“The one person I want to see isn’t coming.”

Every day, dozens of intrusive paparazzi were chased away. Then as now, they clung like leeches, badgering people relentlessly. It made his return to his grandfather’s homeland feel all the more repulsive. He bit his tongue against the curse words, but still, he never removed the bandages.

The bandages hid his face and disarmed others; an excellent tool. Being underestimated or ignored was preferable. He figured the bandages would be a great help in identifying friend or foe.

“To your left is the gardener, Oleg Kemerov. Sixty-five, male. His record’s clean. There’s a truck parked outside the gate – looks like a food supply delivery. About five meters to your right, four housekeeping staff are waiting. The team leader keeps sneaking glances at you, curious.”

Tack, tack. The only sound was the steady tap of the cane. As he walked, Na Wonchang’s voice guided him like a GPS.

Lee Wooshin had hidden micro-cameras in his shirt buttons, tie pin, and cane. Na Wonchang and He Channa were watching through them, feeding him live intel.

Truth was, he’d already adapted to moving blind within hours. His balance had returned. He could walk smoothly, even run if he needed to. But the problem was the owl.

If she appeared right in front of him- how fast would he realize it?

If she’d changed her scent, her voice, her posture… would he even know it was her?

The thought of missing that one moment terrified him. He knew he’d waste it if it came and went unseen.

So, setting aside his pride, Lee Wooshin had asked Na Wonchang and He Channa to be his eyes. They watch for him, watch for the real woman with black hair.

“Natalia Yegorova, twenty-one, maid. The only one not looking at you. Her posture’s perfect, like a model’s. And today, her chest is really hu-huge! I mean-ow! Why’d you hit me?!”

Lee Wooshin frowned and shifted direction.