“...Ah. Then I should move to another seat...”

Jeong Tae-ui suddenly put down his cup. He had been spacing out and hadn’t noticed earlier. Unless this was a deal that should be broadcast everywhere, there was no reason for anyone else to be mixed in this seat. The broker would surely be reluctant.

However, when Jeong Tae-ui showed signs of standing up, the broker waved his hand.

“No, it’s fine. There’s still a bit of time left, so finish your drink and then go. I came a little early anyway.”

“Sigh, yes...”

Jeong Tae-ui half stood, hesitated a bit, then sat back down. Since he was alone, moving tables just to drink tea by himself and then leave seemed pointless. He figured he’d just wait until that dealer arrived and then head back to his room.

“By the way... do you have any good stuff these days?”

Jeong Tae-ui habitually rotated his teacup on the saucer as he glanced at the broker.

Asking directly what kind of goods someone came to trade was taboo. So usually, people would ask indirectly. But Tae-ui wasn’t that curious, nor did he care who sold what. After witnessing large-scale arms smuggling firsthand, personal small-time arms deals now seemed as casual as drinking tea here.

Getting used to this kind of place—maybe that was a bit of a personal problem, Tae-ui thought bitterly. That’s why society pushes alcohol. People don’t just turn evil alone.

The broker seemed to misunderstand Tae-ui’s casual question. It seemed surprisingly many people were curious who he sold what to, and the broker immediately misread Tae-ui’s meaning.

Waving a hand dismissively, he said casually,

“No, today’s not a big deal. Someone asked me to get a passport, so it’s because of that.”

“A passport?”

Tae-ui, fiddling with his cup, paused. A bitter and sad memory surfaced.

No matter how many perfect IDs you have, if you’re unlucky, you’ll get caught anywhere. Tae-ui wanted to tell the unknown person asking for a passport that, but if he did, the broker would surely glare at him like he was interfering with his business.

“...”

Now, he had no intention of making a new identity and trying the same method again. Maybe he could try escaping in another way. The same method always led to the same result.

But...

“A passport... Is it any good?”

Leaning over the table, Tae-ui asked quietly. The broker raised his eyes and said confidently, “Of course it is!” He started rummaging through his pocket, as if to show it off.

‘Even if it’s a forged passport made for a reason, is it okay to just show it to anyone…?’ Tae-ui swallowed the question and took the red passport the broker offered.

Previously, the ID his uncle prepared was perfect. Tae-ui wasn’t skilled enough to immediately tell fake IDs or forgeries apart, but unless it was terribly clumsy, he couldn’t distinguish which forgeries were good and which were poor.

So he couldn’t tell if this passport was something the broker could proudly show off.

But at a glance, it looked real… though he didn’t know how experts told the difference.

Tae-ui toyed with the passport, lost in thought. Forged IDs were generally a limited method, especially for people from small countries with their own languages. Tae-ui himself, due to his older brother’s influence, had traveled abroad often since childhood, so he could speak English decently—quite fluently even—but after long conversations, his pronunciation or accent still differed from a native speaker’s.

“Still not a great method to use multiple times...”

Muttering to himself, Tae-ui shook his head.

...But it’s not bad to know.

“How much would it cost to get a decent one made...?”

Before Tae-ui could finish, suddenly from behind, a hand reached over his shoulder. A neat navy glove elegantly took the passport from his hand.

“Wang Liming? Unless you’re fluent in the language, it’s better to stop forging as a foreigner.”

The fluttering sound of the passport being flipped came from behind.

Hearing that calm, even voice over his shoulder, Tae-ui froze.

“Besides, with this, you’d probably get detained by the police before you get past the airport gate. If you want one, get a proper one. If you really need it, I can introduce you to a good source, Tae-i.”

“...Maybe later. I don’t need it at all right now. I was just curious how much something like this costs. Knowing things never hurts.”

Tae-ui emphasized ‘at all’ as he turned around.

Though it wasn’t a lie, saying this now in this situation sounded like a big lie even to his own ears. ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) See, see? If you’re unlucky, it’s always like this. No matter how perfect an ID you get, if your luck sucks, you end up like this.

Tae-ui looked up bitterly at the tall man who had silently come up behind him. The neat navy gloves looked especially ominous. Those gloves wouldn’t stay dry for long, and Tae-ui could only hope he wouldn’t be the one to soak them.

Ilay, still unfamiliar despite having seen him before, leafed through the passport with indifferent eyes. Then he glanced at the broker sitting across from Tae-ui. The broker flinched, shrinking nervously, glancing anxiously between Tae-ui and Ilay.

“Are... you... by any chance—”

The broker hesitated, but clearly recognized Ilay. However, Ilay gave no sign of recognition.

“Ah, that’s Ilay... Riegrow. He used to be with UNHRDO.”

When Tae-ui said Ilay’s name, he glanced at Ilay before stating the full name. After all, it wasn’t a secret—he just never called him by the full name.

“Ah, of course! That’s Mr. Riegrow from T&R. I think I met your older brother once before...”

“Trying to sell forged passports to this guy?”

The broker started excitedly, but Ilay ignored him. Murmuring lazily as if it were a dull weather talk, Ilay tossed the passport carelessly onto the broker’s lap. Then he looked sternly at Tae-ui and asked,

“You didn’t make this for him, did you?”

“Hm? Uh, I don’t think so.”

Probably, he added. In fact, Tae-ui had never seen the person who made the passports. He got the completed IDs through the channel his uncle told him about, but he doubted that the ‘artisan’ who nobody could casually meet was this broker.

“Right. If Jeong Chang-in introduced someone, they wouldn’t be peddling this kind of junk. Besides, I’ve been crazy busy lately and finally got some free time, so I’m feeling pretty good. You just saved your life today. Go.”

Ilay’s tone remained calm and indifferent. The broker, who hadn’t even realized those words were aimed at him, blinked dumbfounded.

But even a village dog can recite poetry after three years, thought Tae-ui, frowning instantly. The broker must have heard of Riegrow but obviously didn’t know him well. He tried to say more, but Ilay casually adjusted his glove.

“...Well then, I’ll take my leave!”

Tae-ui gulped down his tea, slammed the cup down on the saucer, and jumped up. Pretending not to know, he blocked Ilay’s way.

With a face twisted as if in convulsions, Tae-ui forced a smile and shook the broker’s hand.

“Someone I was waiting for just arrived, so I should get going. Hope your deal goes well today. We’ll meet again when there’s another chance.”

“Huh? Ah, ah, yes, but—”

The broker answered hastily but glanced at Ilay regretfully.

Yeah, he probably wanted to talk more with the ‘big shot’s younger brother’ right in front of him. And Ilay was arguably even more famous than his older brother. Tae-ui could understand wanting to talk with a celebrity, but damn it, the broker should know why he was famous.

Tae-ui quietly held Ilay’s glove-clad hand and smiled brightly.

“Let’s go to the room. I had something to say anyway.”

“...”

Ilay’s eyes narrowed. It was as if he already guessed what Tae-ui was thinking. After a moment, a faint exhalation escaped his lips.

“Yeah, I’m curious what that ‘something’ is, but there’s something bothering me more. Let’s go up and check it out.”

Ilay said as he lightly tapped the back of Tae-ui’s hand, which was holding his own. Tae-ui frowned.

“Hey, no matter what, this isn’t UNHRDO. This isn’t extraterritorial. You can’t just kill people in the middle of a hotel—”

“...”

As if daring him to continue, Ilay raised the corner of his mouth in a smirk and looked down at Tae-ui. That smile was surely a sneer. Tae-ui shut his mouth. Ilay’s smile deepened.

“I get what you’re thinking, Tae-i, but unless that passport you’re holding is legit, I’m not cruel enough to bother with some small-time peddler selling shoddy goods.”

Tae-ui smacked his lips and stared at Ilay. It was a phrase he could pick apart easily, but he just felt sorry for the situation that stopped him from saying it. The broker’s face instantly crumpled like paper when he heard ‘shoddy goods’ and ‘small-time’, but he didn’t realize this was a blessing in disguise. If he’d been a major forger selling proper goods, he might’ve been dead today if things went badly.

Unlike the unlucky Tae-ui, the broker seemed very lucky. Just then, it seemed the dealer had arrived. The broker glanced back and forth between Tae-ui and Ilay, said a quick greeting, and left.

Jeong Tae-ui, who had been confronting Ilay until the broker and the strange middle-aged man completely disappeared from sight, sighed and sat back down. Suddenly, a wave of fatigue hit him. He toyed with his empty cup and quietly stared at Ilay sitting opposite.

“...Why are you here?”

Only now did Tae-ui ask why the man who had disappeared without a single message suddenly appeared in front of him. Ilay responded with a short retort as if it was obvious.

“Because it’s Friday. Forgot already?”

He had been thinking about it until the day before yesterday but had just completely forgotten. Come to think of it, this man always came out from the island to Hong Kong on weekends to handle company business.

Ilay called the server and ordered a drink. His gesture tapping the menu was brisk. He seemed in a good mood, as he’d said. When his eyes met the server’s, he even smiled politely.

Tae-ui picked up the glass filled by the server but paused, blinking blankly at him. The server noticed the look and returned it. When he asked with his eyes why, Tae-ui muttered reluctantly.

“No, it’s just that you look pretty good today.”

“Hmm...?”

Ilay shrugged vaguely.

See, I told you he looks in a good mood.

Tae-ui kept his mouth shut so as not to unnecessarily provoke this guy who seemed unusually calm for once. No harm done. It was easier to handle him when he was in a good mood than a bad one. Besides, it was their first meeting in days, so there was no reason to be unpleasant.

If there was one thing that bothered Tae-ui, it was—

“Can you... take off those gloves?”

He swallowed the rest of his sentence, “They look really ominous.” Ilay raised his eyebrows slightly and surprisingly took off the gloves. Out came the white, beautiful hands that Tae-ui never imagined could be inside those eerie gloves.

“Yeah, you liked these hands... or maybe you didn’t. Like this…”

Tae-ui, who had unconsciously been drawn to the hands for a moment, suddenly flinched as the hand moved close to his face. Reflexively, he moved back a bit and looked at Ilay. Though he quickly suppressed his instinctive wariness, it was too late.

Ilay, staring at Tae-ui quietly, smirked and withdrew his hand. Then he leaned comfortably on the sofa and asked,

“Alright, so why were you waiting for me?”

“What?”

Tae-ui stared at him as if he suddenly wondered what Ilay meant. After a few seconds of silence, he remembered what he had just told the broker about ‘someone I was waiting for’.

“Ah, that...”

Tae-ui scratched his head. Ilay seemed to clearly see that Tae-ui was trying to think of an excuse and happily nailed it.

“I’m curious about what you want to say in the room.”

“Uh...”