Ilay licked his lips, which had gone dry. His Adam’s apple moved as if he were thirsty.
“Tae-ui… unlock this.”
His hoarse, growling voice brushed past Tae-ui’s ear like a breeze. The metallic clink followed. Between his thighs, a huge member gleamed hot and slick.

Tae-ui almost burst out laughing. Without reason, a sudden surge of cheerfulness welled up inside him. At the same time, a chilling shiver ran through his chest.

“Absolutely not.”

Tae-ui bent over and lay down on Ilay again, grinning as he whispered close to his ear. Yet as he laughed, a cold shiver ran down his spine. His instincts sensed danger—a beast shedding its human disguise, revealing its true savage nature beneath.

Yes, he absolutely would not unlock him. Not simply because he had toyed with this man. If Ilay became free right now, Tae-ui would surely be torn to shreds—screaming until his throat bled, gasping for breath, his heart pounding until it gave out. This man would devour him without mercy, leaving no trace from head to toe.

Tae-ui closed his mouth. His heart trembled. He felt as if he had gone mad. Such a sadistic thrill!

He smiled, reaching under himself to grasp the member pressing into his thigh. The tip, faintly moist, seemed ready to explode with desire. With his fingernail, he gently stroked from base to wet tip. The member twitched, growing wetter.

“Tae-ui…! I’ll give you one chance. Quietly unlock these cuffs. Then I’ll consider it a reckless prank by an ignorant fool and let it slide. So unlock this. Otherwise, you’d better give up any hope of surviving.”

Ilay’s voice lowered further. A deep, chilling metallic scrape mixed in like claws on steel. Tae-ui’s heart pounded louder—a rising excitement tinged with dread.

He stroked Ilay’s member once, lightly—not enough to climax, but intense enough to tease a distant pleasure.

“Good for you, Ilay Riegrow. You’ve lived your life mingling with people, sometimes using force to satisfy your greed, dismissing feelings with a sneer. But you’ve never experienced being used for someone else’s desire without fulfilling your own. You must be furious, right? But bastard, you’re not in pain. I thought I was really going to die.”

Recalling that memory, Tae-ui’s anger welled up again. He bit Ilay’s earlobe hard, enough to hurt, yet Ilay only stared with burning eyes without a sound.

Then the wall clock chimed briefly. Tae-ui glanced at it, realizing time was running out here too. The end was near.

He sighed, noticing his own arousal.

“Ilay. Sleeping with you wasn’t so bad. But… I’m tired. We have different endurance, different favorite styles of sex. So let’s stop playing territorial games. Let’s find others better suited and play separately. …But first, let me vent a little. You knew I could be petty, right?”

Whispering, Tae-ui grabbed a disheveled tie from the bedside and tied it around the base of Ilay’s fully erect member. …Even now, it made him shiver. That damn thing, stuffing it in so brutally—it really intended to kill him. He barely survived. It was almost a fist-level blow—no, better not think about that.

Tae-ui shook his pale face. Then suddenly caught Ilay’s eyes.

Ilay’s expression was strange. Different from the growling rage from before.

It was a face of dissatisfaction, as if drenched in cold water, mixed with confusion, anxiety, sorrow, and an unfathomable mix of emotions.

“One last time?”

The words slipped quietly from his mouth. Caught off guard, Tae-ui smiled bitterly.

“Yeah, one last time. You think I’d still be here tomorrow knowing how nasty you are? I’ll be off this island in an hour, with my identity wiped clean, gone for good. You won’t be able to catch and tear me apart again. That’ll make you mad, Instructor.”

“Well…”

Ilay parted his lips briefly but fell silent, staring at Tae-ui with those pitch-black eyes. Tae-ui cupped his cheeks and pressed his lips to his, intertwining tongues, then began rubbing his own aroused groin against Ilay’s bound flesh.

Climax came quickly.

Ilay’s member, soaked with slick precome, glistened wetly as Tae-ui bit back soft moans, spraying his release over Ilay’s groin. Still trembling, he pressed his lips to Ilay’s, exhaling shallow breaths until his lower body relaxed. Only then did he part his lips, casting a faint glance at Ilay—who stared back with an indifferent expression.

No, not indifferent. This was undoubtedly anger—endless, frozen at its peak.

…If caught like this, he’d be dead for sure. He might have to stick to remote mountain paths to avoid any accidental meetings.

“So… this was planned from the start, huh.”

Ilay muttered softly, a grim laugh slipping from his lips. Tae-ui reached out, wiped his wet lips with his thumb, then brushed his own lips with the back of his hand.

“I know my life is precious too.”

Slowly, Tae-ui stretched his languid body. Time was approaching. Instinctively, he felt it best to get out of this dangerous place quickly.

Grabbing a towel, he wiped his body and started dressing. His clothes were wrinkled from barely undressing before sex, but not so much as to stand out. Buttoning his shirt, zipping pants, buckling belt, and putting on his jacket.

Ilay watched without blinking, muttering,

“If you know your life’s precious, you shouldn’t have started this in the first place, Tae-ui.”

After brushing dust from his sleeve, Tae-ui looked back at Ilay.

“Yeah. I’m scared of the consequences too, but I plan to disappear well. Not that I’m bragging, but I’m pretty good at running away.”

“Ah, right, I almost forgot.”

Tae-ui approached Ilay, smiled broadly, and slapped his cheek hard. The loud smack sounded like skin tearing.

“That day, I really ground my teeth thinking I’d die. And how terribly I hated being around you acting all casual the next day. Let’s never see each other again, bastard.”

Tae-ui spoke clearly while putting on his shoes, tapping the sole twice. He was ready to leave.

Ilay was silent for a long time. Tae-ui expected curses but, surprisingly, it was unnervingly quiet. Ilay finally spoke as Tae-ui turned and took a step away.

“So, you’re really leaving like this…?”

His voice was gloomy, frustrated, unable to reach for prey right before him.

Tae-ui stopped as if remembering something and turned back toward Ilay.

Beneath that cold, icy expression, a desperate anxiety seeped through. How could he find and tear Ilay apart if he let him go now?

Tae-ui smiled bitterly, rummaged in his pocket, pulled out a small bottle, and soaked a tissue. The sharp smell of chloroform spread.

“Can’t let anything go wrong. Have a deep sleep, Instructor.”

No matter how inhuman, he hoped Ilay wasn’t immune to chloroform. If it didn’t work, he’d have to gag him and run fast. Honestly, Ilay’s nerve today was unbelievable. Too much. If anything had gone wrong, Tae-ui would be sprawled in a pool of blood by now. …He’d have to run well from now on.

He covered Ilay’s nose and mouth with the wet tissue. Those sharp, dark eyes never left Tae-ui’s face. Tae-ui met that black gaze with a strange longing.

Suddenly, his heart calmed a little. A bitter thought struck him. Though he’d hated and resented Ilay, he’d never truly disliked him.

“Just remembered something.”

Tae-ui spoke quietly. Ilay, who should have already passed out, was still looking at him. His gaze was blurring, but he forced himself to keep his eyes open, almost desperately.

“Maybe I liked you more than I thought. So… understand this. When someone you care about hurts you, it makes you angrier and sadder, right? …Goodbye, Ilay. Despite all the anger, it was fun.”

As he spoke, a bitter sadness leaked out. Just as Tae-ui finished, Ilay, still glaring fiercely at him through those fading eyes, closed them in the chloroform’s scent.

That nerve… it was way too much.

Though it was too late now, Tae-ui regretted it. Life was unpredictable, and what if they really crossed paths by chance someday? What if, by terrible luck, he turned a corner and Ilay was right there?

Unless the distance was great, he wouldn’t have a chance to escape once spotted. Ilay was no careless hunter.

On the other hand, he clung to a faint hope. For decency’s sake, Tae-ui had tried to preserve Ilay’s pride. Instead of leaving him passed out in a mess, he tidied his clothes, only tying his wrists loosely.

(Truthfully, if he left him like that, someone else would find him in a terrible state.)

Though that monster being restrained by his wrists alone might be humiliating, it was a mercy.

Tae-ui wished that his effort to tidy Ilay’s appearance would earn forgiveness—or at least that Ilay would be crippled enough to be harmless… but that was impossible given his nature.

“No choice but to avoid him. Just keep from facing him directly…”

Tae-ui muttered to himself without realizing it.

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I mean!”

Suddenly, a loud noise caught his attention. Tae-ui glanced up as Anton, sitting across the table, wagged his index finger. “Hey, in our country, that’s considered rude—pointing like that.”

But Tae-ui didn’t want to debate cultural differences, and he wasn’t the type to get offended by a finger wag anyway. If he were, he would’ve died of stress long ago.

“Anyway, as long as we don’t face each other, it’s fine! Just unplug the phone in the room!”

Anton continued talking without caring what Jeong Tae-ui was thinking. Tae-ui momentarily set aside his thoughts and looked at him. Could this man also be on the run?

There had been many guests in this house. Or rather, they never stopped coming. Tae-ui had stayed here for five days, and during that time he had seen five new faces. In other words, every day for five days, one or two guests changed. He had thought this from the beginning, but the owner of this house really liked people. Tae-ui enjoyed meeting and talking with others, but he still didn’t invite guests to his home like this. This man, however, was somewhat open in that regard.

Was it okay for him to be so unconcerned? Tae-ui wondered if a suspicious person might come in someday, but fortunately, instead of the owner, there was a sharp and impenetrable nanny. She had been in this house since before the owner was born, raising the owner and his siblings—an old woman.

That old woman was now bringing in whole steamed chicken dishes from the kitchen, casting sharp eyes around the room. It was as if she was trying to find anyone who might cause trouble for the owner. She didn’t like Tae-ui very much. To be precise, she seemed to dislike Asians. But Tae-ui had seen such people before; it wasn’t the first time he had experienced that.

“Haha, to go that far to avoid someone?”

Tae-ui asked, taking a spoonful from the soup he hadn’t finished. Anton answered with a playful face.

“Of course, the owner. Giving him no chance to say ‘Get out of the house.’ If you avoid meeting and avoid the phone, there’s no way to contact him, right?”

Hearing this somewhat inefficient reasoning and laughing, Tae-ui smiled politely and buried his face in the soup bowl. Sometimes there were people who said nonsense like that.

“Kim, I heard you went to the national library yesterday. Did you find anything good?”

The owner, sitting diagonally across, spoke as Tae-ui finished the soup and put down his spoon. Tae-ui turned his gaze toward him and briefly thought.

“I looked through some things, but I don’t remember well, so I guess there wasn’t anything special.”

When Tae-ui shook his head in reply, the owner smiled calmly.

“If there’s anything you’re looking for, just say so. I’ll get it for you, so don’t hesitate, Kim.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Tae-ui smiled gently and greeted him. Then he thought, nothing really fails to become familiar. Even though he had changed the name he’d used for decades, it only took a few days to get used to it. It was still a bit strange, but at least he no longer blankly ignored it like hearing a stranger’s name for the first time.

Tae-ui cut some of the chicken and moved it to his own plate while looking quietly at the owner. Though over forty, he looked at least ten years younger than his age and kept smiling, chatting with the others.

“……”

Was it luck, or misfortune?

Tae-ui recalled the time he met that man.

It was in a rural Austrian village near the Italy-Austria border. He had arrived there by chance. After coming to Europe, he immediately started renting cars from Ritz. He told his uncle he didn’t want to be treated as a special agent for UNHRDO, but his uncle forcefully handed him a bankbook anyway. The uncle probably guessed Tae-ui wouldn’t use a card since the usage was so obvious. He even kindly told him to withdraw cash and launder it a few times through the Bahamas to erase the source if he didn’t want to leave traces. Since he was on UNHRDO’s special security, he said not to worry and to spend as he wished, and if it wasn’t enough, to contact him again.

Looking back, Tae-ui found it strange how much harm his uncle had caused the organization. He said with a tired face, “Uncle, you really do all kinds of things that harm—

 

… the organization in so many ways.”

His uncle laughed.

“But the benefits I brought the organization are tens or hundreds of times more than the harm.”

Saying that, his uncle confidently told him not to worry and to spend freely. Since it was money given, there was no reason to refuse, so Tae-ui did as his uncle said. According to his uncle, even money given to beggars could be charged as expenses, so he thought it was better to use the {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} money comfortably while traveling. He went around each continent, renting new cars wherever he went, and so on.

However, Tae-ui’s personality had been formed over the years, and even if he wanted to spend money like that, his body rejected it. So the only extravagance he allowed himself was renting cars. Although he sometimes got lost, it was manageable.

Then, while originally planning to head toward Berlin, he took a wrong turn and arrived at that village. Thinking he should buy a proper map and learn the area better, he stayed there for a day and looked over the map. During that time, he grew fond of the village. It was a peaceful and quiet village, without any particular sightseeing spots, but it was exactly the kind Tae-ui liked.

He was staying there for about a week. Just as he was thinking it was time to leave, he met that man in a used bookstore. But actually, it wasn’t the first time. Tae-ui recognized him immediately.

He had seen him once before when he went to Hong Kong. They had neither met nor been introduced; he had just seen him. It was probably when he went with Alta to meet a weapons broker. At that time, a man was sitting at a nearby table. It was that man. There was nothing unusual or striking about his appearance, but Tae-ui remembered him for two reasons.

He had a memorable face. Plain, but memorable. Once you paid attention, you wouldn’t easily forget it. Maybe because his gaze was strong despite the ordinary look. Apparently unaware of it himself, his gaze when looking at people was intense. Someone weak-minded might feel intimidated.

The other reason was that at the time, he was looking at something like a poorly scribbled blueprint full of messy writings and drawings. Actually, this was the more unforgettable reason. Tae-ui had once seen writings and drawings similar to those he held.

“……”

Now, Tae-ui understood why he had such things.

His mouth tasted a little bitter. It wasn’t because of the food. He took a sip of water and rinsed his mouth. Despite the strong gaze, the man’s personality was somewhat unexpected. He liked people so much that he would smile broadly and approach even strangers. Thinking about how that man behaved in the used bookstore still made Tae-ui smile.

If the man didn’t give him the book he coveted, he seemed like he would cling to him like a child, crying and throwing a tantrum. Tae-ui knew how peculiar and amusing, yet sometimes troublesome, the so-called ‘mania’ types were. Without going far, there was even one like that at UNHRDO, wasn’t there? A guy who was after people like rats just because of a single gun.

At the time, Tae-ui had found a rare book he wanted to see and thought his uncle might want it too. He was about to buy it and send it to his uncle after reading it. But the man’s face suddenly changed, and he lunged forward. Startled by his unusual eagerness as soon as he confirmed the title, Tae-ui decided to give him the book. Though a bit regretful, he thought, since he wanted it so badly, he should just give it to him.

Besides, who knew? Considering the nature of maniacs—he dared not say it nicely—the man might be secretly stalking him for that book and then suddenly hit him from behind in some deserted alley to steal the book and run away.

Unaware that Tae-ui was thinking such things, the man seemed to see Tae-ui as a very kind and good young man. Looking at the man’s grateful eyes as he kept thanking him, Tae-ui thought his uncle liked old books, but this man went a step further.

Then Tae-ui remembered his uncle. Thinking about whether his uncle would be this happy to find a desired book somewhere, he suddenly felt a little sad.

That was why, when the man said he had been robbed of money and was feeling down, Tae-ui willingly lent him some money and even felt like giving him a ride to Berlin.

Although he lent the money, Tae-ui had no intention of forcing him to pay back the 50 euros. He would accept it if given, but didn’t insist on getting it back. Wasn’t that how his uncle was? Even money given to beggars could be charged as expenses.

Thinking so, Tae-ui decided with a good heart to give the man a ride to Berlin. But the problem occurred afterward.

The man insisted on staying at his place in Berlin, saying he wanted to do a certain case. After nodding quietly, Tae-ui started the car and headed for Berlin. On the way, they talked. Tae-ui told him to speak casually, dropping the formal tone, as the man seemed to be about ten years older. The man relaxed his stiff formality a bit and smiled, then asked a proper question.

‘Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve heard your name yet. What’s your name…?’

‘Ah… Kim Young-soo.’

Saying a name he was still unfamiliar with, Tae-ui met the man’s eyes in the rearview mirror. Though there was no reason to feel uneasy, he felt a sudden prickling sensation.