"Back when I left for UNHRDO with my uncle, I never even dreamed I’d come face to face with a bastard like Ilay Riegrow."

Muttering that he didn’t even know such a bastard existed, Jeong Tae-ui sighed.

Gabe quietly stared at the large fruit tree on the far edge of the garden, then suddenly asked,

“If you’re Researcher Jeong Jae-ui’s younger brother, then Instructor Jeong Chang-in must be your uncle.”

“Ah… yes, that’s right. Do you know my uncle?”

“No. He’s close to the boss, so he used to visit occasionally, but I’ve only seen him a few times... So—did you meet Rick at UNHRDO, or was it through the boss or Instructor Jeong Chang-in?”

“At UNHRDO.”

The place that countless people admired from afar—UNHRDO—was where misfortune began. Tae-ui stared at the sky, distant.

Come to think of it, Gabe was asking a foolish question. Kyle or Chang-in would never have introduced Ilay to Tae-ui. If they had, Tae-ui would have been ready to hold a lifetime grudge.

Tae-ui glanced at Gabe, who nodded with an unreadable expression. Tae-ui smiled bitterly and asked,

“You’re surprisingly curious about that. I thought you wouldn’t care much about other people’s affairs.”

Only after saying this did he think it might have sounded sarcastic, so he quickly added, “Ah, it’s not that I’m annoyed or anything. It’s just really unexpected. You’re so quiet and indifferent, I thought you wouldn’t care how anyone met anyone else.”

Gabe stayed silent for a moment, then shrugged.

“Sorry. No offense meant. It’s just that Rick… isn’t very good at getting along with people, so I found it a bit surprising.”

Tae-ui closed his mouth. There was too much to unpack in that statement, so he couldn’t speak right away.

This guy was probably the same kind as Kyle. He spoke very mildly about Ilay Riegrow. “Not good at getting along with people” was an understatement. Moreover, saying that meant he saw Tae-ui as somehow getting along with Ilay—which left Tae-ui utterly baffled as to how.

…Or maybe what Gabe meant by “getting along” was sexual. Thinking about yesterday, that might fit. But even so, it didn’t quite add up. Saying someone “isn’t good at getting along with people” didn’t match the image of someone so sexually uninhibited.

Tae-ui pondered deeply how to interpret Gabe’s brief remark but reached no conclusion. So he gave up trying to understand and sighed before speaking.

“Well… he’s not that unsociable or vicious.”

Half sincere, half facade, he mumbled and reconsidered his own words. It wasn’t a lie. Ilay could attract people when needed—though his methods had issues—and despite severe character flaws, he wasn’t entirely bad.

Gabe nodded indifferently.

“Well, even if he were a serial killer, there’s usually at least one person who’d feel sorry when he dies.”

“...”

Tae-ui looked at Gabe in stunned disbelief. But Gabe seemed unaware of what he’d just said, looking completely unfazed.

“Uh… so you don’t get along well with Ilay, huh?”

Tae-ui forced a smile and asked, but Gabe shrugged nonchalantly as if it didn’t matter either way. Tae-ui just shook his head.

He might be a rather remarkable character after all.

Yet, regardless of context, Gabe’s words were not wrong. Even the worst serial killer or heinous criminal or traitor, or even a monstrous Nazi who slaughtered millions—knowing all that—there would be at least one person who pitied him. Like how no matter what Tae-ui did, Jae-ui would probably comfort him.

And even a man like Ilay Riegrow, whose cruel and brutal nature was well known, would still have someone who would comfort him. Surely he was a bad man, but not entirely hated.

“...Hmm...?”

Tae-ui suddenly tilted his head. Something felt off. A fleeting, uneasy thought flashed but vanished before he could grasp it.

There was a tickling thought on the edge of his mind that refused to be caught. Tae-ui rubbed his brow and murmured thoughtfully.

But before he could catch the thread of that thought, an interruption came.

“Are you two having some fun chat?”

A low, calm voice approached from the entrance. Without turning his head, Tae-ui knew whose voice it was. The voice walked closer.

He only flicked his eyes without turning. Ilay, wearing only pants and bare-chested, hands in pockets, was walking slowly. Ilay glanced from Gabe to Tae-ui and back to Gabe, then sat on the bench next to Gabe.

“I thought I heard my name...?”

Ilay spoke slowly. Before Tae-ui could reply, Gabe answered flatly.

“They were asking how you met. Nothing special.”

“Hmm, I see. That’s something. Gabe, you started the conversation? Looks like you like that guy.”

Gabe was silent. Not so much agreeing as lost in thought. But after a few seconds, deciding, Gabe shook his head.

“We’ll be moving together to find someone, so I thought it best to know the basics about each other. That’s all.”

Emphasizing ‘that’s all,’ Gabe paused, then added,

“Besides, it’s not strange at all that I’m here at this hour.”

Ilay glanced briefly at the small pool a few steps ahead, then nodded.

“I see... Still swimming every dawn, huh? Looks like Tae-ui and I interrupted. Don’t mind, swim as much as you want.”

“No, we’re chatting. I’m going to the beach about ten minutes away. If Anna asks about me, tell her that.”

Gabe stood up promptly and moved. Instead of heading toward the gate, he took a small path around the pool, hidden by bushes, disappearing into the garden. Watching his retreating back, Tae-ui thought, ‘So there’s a separate gate there too.’

“Likes swimming, ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) huh.”

“I’ve gone in the water every dawn for as long as I can remember unless something special happened. Looks like that hasn’t changed.”

Ilay muttered calmly. Tae-ui nodded, watching Gabe vanish from sight.

“Swimming, huh... no wonder your physique is slender and well-built. You must have worked out.”

Tae-ui muttered, and Ilay chuckled softly.

“In the military, at UNHRDO, few people you’ve known haven’t done some exercise.”

Thinking that was true, Tae-ui nodded but tilted his head suspiciously. Now that he thought about it, there was a difference.

“No, not everyone who works out ends up with a body like that.”

True enough, swimming isn’t necessarily the best way to build a gorgeous physique. One of Tae-ui’s friends went to national swim championships—he had a good build but was more burly than slender and handsome.

Remembering that muscle-loving friend, Tae-ui glanced over. Ilay sat loosely on the bench’s backrest, staring at the pool—or rather, casting his gaze without focus.

That man had a beautiful body too. Tae-ui had thought so before. Not just the body—his hands and feet were smooth, and sometimes he found himself admiring the shape of Ilay’s ear rim or jawline.

Every time he thought that, Tae-ui felt sorry for Ilay’s personality.

He sighed, shaking his head. And for himself, stuck beside that personality, he felt sorry too.

When would he get away? If the obsession faded with time, could he go somewhere else? No, thinking about that personality, the conclusion might be: “Now that harassing him is no longer fun or interesting, just kill him.”

…Too realistic.

A chill ran down Tae-ui’s arm, and he rubbed his skin, swallowing uneasily.

“Don’t wander around wherever you please.”

Then Ilay, still staring indifferently at the grass, muttered abruptly. Tae-ui turned his head, puzzled.

“Don’t go wandering off alone without a word.”

Ilay clicked his tongue and added again. Tae-ui frowned ambiguously, mumbling,

“Even if I try to run away on this small island, I won’t get far before they catch me.”

When he ran, he planned carefully—waiting for the right time, even writing a note saying, “Don’t look for me anymore.” It would be clearly understood as a message meant to annoy whoever found it.

But whatever Tae-ui said, it seemed different from Ilay’s meaning. Ilay looked at Tae-ui with narrowed eyes and said,

“You’re planning to run away. So you’ve been thinking about that again.”

“...”

Tae-ui blinked, as if to say, ‘That wasn’t what I meant.’ Damn, he’d messed up.

Wondering if Ilay was going to snatch him like a fish again, Tae-ui clicked his tongue in secret and glanced cautiously. Ilay silently tapped the bench’s backrest with his fingertips. Tae-ui thought that gesture might cause trauma. The fingers seemed lost in thought—and whenever that happened, good things never came for Tae-ui.

“Then let me ask you something.”

The fingers stopped. At the same time, Ilay’s languid voice flowed out. Tae-ui frowned inwardly.

See, it’s just like I said. No decent questions come from him.

“Well... I hope it’s something I can answer. What is it?”

“Why are you trying to run away?”

Tae-ui shut his mouth and stared quietly at Ilay.

His voice was calm, as if he had no real interest in Tae-ui’s answer, simply gazing at the clear pool water.

Tae-ui wondered what Ilay was really asking. There was no way he was asking because he didn’t know. Though his mind was severely off track, he wasn’t unaware of himself.

Running away—inevitably, a negative answer would come. Ilay wasn’t the kind to pick a fight over excuses. If he disliked someone, he’d just step on them without bothering with reasons.

“Wouldn’t you run away?”

Finally giving up on pondering, Tae-ui lay back down on the hammock and muttered.

Ilay’s reply was infuriatingly dismissive.

“If it were me, I wouldn’t run. I don’t take bets with no chance of winning.”

Yeah, so he’s daring me to run. He can catch me anytime. Tae-ui bitterly chewed his words. It must’ve been a warning.

But just when Tae-ui thought the talk was over, Ilay pressed again.

“Tell me. Why are you trying to run?”

“...You’re not asking because you don’t know, right?”

“A few reasons come to mind, but I’m wondering which one it really is.”

Ignoring Ilay’s indifferent tone, Tae-ui looked at the sky. As dawn brightened, the light mist faded and the sky took on a bluish glow.

Running away.

It’d be nice if he could think about it and say it. But this man seemed determined to wait for the answer.

“Why the sudden urge to hear me badmouth myself...? Ugh. I think it’s because if I’m by your side, I won’t die by my own hand.”

Tae-ui grumbled, half-joking, but it was the most fundamental reason. He didn’t know how he’d die—maybe by Ilay’s hand, maybe caught by some attacker aiming at Ilay, or maybe from a broken heart after taking care of Ilay. Plenty of reasons to die, but the conclusion was clear: he wouldn’t die on his own terms.

“Yeah... Keeping your life safe is the most basic priority. And?”

“What?”

“That’s all? The only reason you’re running from me?”

Still casually tapping the bench backrest with his index finger, Ilay again started to think. Tae-ui frowned at those fingers, wondering what was on his mind.

Exasperated, he got up from the hammock, scratched his head, and scowled with displeasure.