His face was burning hot.

Jeong Tae-ui tossed and turned, rolling his body to the side. The spacious beach chair softly cradled his skin. With his eyes closed, he reached sideways with his hand, grabbed a towel, and covered his face. The sunlight was blocked, making it much more comfortable.

Once his face was covered, the sunlight was just right. The sun shining over his whole body below the shoulders was pleasantly warm, like being inside a low-temperature sauna. He thought that when he got up later, his skin might hurt from the sunburn, but right now, feeling so good, he didn’t want to get up.

“……”

Jeong Tae-ui opened his eyes. A large white beach towel was draped over his face, whitening his field of vision. Having dozed off lightly and then woken up, his body felt languid but sleep wouldn’t come again. Yet that languor felt pleasant, so after a moment, Tae-ui rolled over to the opposite side, exposing the other side of his body to the sun. The towel slipped down and again covered his face.

It must have been around noon. He felt like he had slept for an hour or two. When he had fallen asleep, the shade from the awning had covered him up to his waist, but now the sun shone directly even on his face.

From afar came the sound of birds. The sparse chirping continued at just the right volume to not be annoying. Occasionally a cool breeze blew, passing over his hot skin and cooling it down. At his feet was a clear, wide pool. The occasional birdcall, warm sunlight, and a leisurely nap.

When had he last enjoyed such a relaxed and carefree time? Thinking back, even after he was discharged from the military, he had spent months going to hospitals and recovering his body, never able to truly rest peacefully. Just as his body improved and his mind began to relax, his uncle had come barging in.

“My life has been so hard too... People should have times when they rest like this.”

Jeong Tae-ui muttered this to himself with a languid sigh and turned over again. He thought it was a bit brazen to be lounging so leisurely in someone else’s house — especially since the homeowner was busy and had gone out early for work and left the house empty — but Kyle never gave him any sign or made him feel unwelcome. He treated Tae-ui politely and respectfully. Since the homeowner was that way, the other servants were too.

Though Tae-ui was not the type to be overly cautious or worried about others, what mattered most was that this house had many guests. He realized this during his few days here. Among those living in the house, the number who could be considered blood relatives of the Riegrow family could be counted on one hand. The elderly parents lived quietly in a suburban villa and rarely came to this house, only occasionally visiting the company. The one younger sister they had had married an entrepreneur about the same age as Tae-ui and moved to the U.S. right after turning twenty. In other words, the only actual family member living here was Kyle Riegrow.

He never had time to think, Living alone in this palace-like house...

Not only the many servants but there were always guests in the house. Whether official or personal, at least one or two guests stayed here at any given time. According to Rita, “The young master here really loves having people over.” One day, when Tae-ui woke late and went to the empty dining room, drinking the vegetable soup Rita had prepared, he paused at that remark and blinked, then slyly asked Rita, “Young master?” To which she nodded as if it was obvious, saying simply, “Young master.”

Rita, who had spent over forty years here since she was young and had been the nanny to the children in this house, proudly said she had raised the young masters and young ladies with her own hands. Tae-ui eyed her cautiously for a moment before asking again, “Did you call all the sons ‘young master’ and raise them like that?”

She replied firmly, “They’re still our young masters.”

“……”

Jeong Tae-ui silently buried his nose in the soup bowl and kept swallowing the soup.

Rita was not a bad person. Before he got familiar with her, she had a blunt and cold expression — even now she did not fully trust Tae-ui, who was Asian — but whenever he asked something, she answered thoroughly and silently corrected or helped him whenever he made a mistake.

Jeong Tae-ui liked such a person. So although she sometimes looked at him with disapproval, he liked Rita. She was a gruff grandmother who ultimately cared for people.

“But how the hell did a person raised by such a good grandmother become that brutal murderer...”

Jeong Tae-ui muttered unconsciously and turned his burning body once more.

But it wasn’t Rita’s fault. Kyle, whom Rita had raised the same way, was a perfectly fine and decent person.

“So maybe it’s less about environment and more about genetics... But how different can siblings’ genes really be...”

In the end, without knowing why Ilay had such a personality, Tae-ui shook his head beneath the towel. It was something unknown. After all, even he and his twin brother, who had the same environment and genes, were very different. There must be something innate that cannot be explained by environment or genetics alone.

“...I wonder if that crazy bastard is still alive... Well, who could harm him anyway? He could probably survive even if dropped in the middle of a desert heatwave.”

He was curious but not worried. Worrying about Ilay seemed just as pointless as worrying about his brother, though in a different way.

Yet even if he was curious, he had no desire to learn the details. He knew it would only increase his anxiety and fear. After leaving the island, he had contacted his uncle twice. It was because there had been a request to call at least once every one or two weeks, even if not regularly.

At first, thinking just in case, two days before leaving Hong Kong, he purposely went to the airport and called. His uncle said he would arrange a false identity for him but did not say he wouldn’t try to track him down. Presumably, the caller’s location was already known by the time the call ended. Still, Tae-ui was confident he wouldn’t be so easily tracked. Even if he were, he had at least some trust that his uncle would not reveal his location unless absolutely necessary.

He didn’t know how Ilay would try to find him. Or maybe he wouldn’t try at all. Given Ilay’s personality, it seemed likely he would obsessively track him down and tear him apart, but he didn’t know what Ilay was doing now.

When Tae-ui asked his uncle about it, his uncle just laughed quietly and said shortly,

“If by some chance he’s caught... he’ll die.”

He wouldn’t die quietly either. Tae-ui knew a few ways to painfully kill a person over a long time, and he didn’t think Ilay would know less than that. It wouldn’t be surprising if Ilay knew even harsher methods. … He really had no choice but to keep running.

The thought of “if by some chance he’s caught” made Tae-ui shiver. Just thinking about it chilled his spine. There was no horror thriller as scary as this.

“But it’s a little sad...”

Rubbing his goosebump-covered arms under the hot sunlight, Jeong Tae-ui quietly murmured. Memories fade with time. Happy memories grow more joyful, painful memories become more nostalgic. Or they gradually fade. Tae-ui liked that flow of time.

He would never meet those people again. Maybe someday he would run into them on the street by chance, but he would never purposely contact them. Especially not Ilay. That side would rather be running away. But if enough time passed so that memories faded and were embellished, and rumors came that the terrifying man had mellowed a little, then maybe it would be okay to meet again... Though he could not imagine that terrible temper would change with age.

Anyway, it was fine. Even if he didn’t know where Ilay was wandering around now, at least here under this lamp he was safe. No one like Jeong Tae-ui, a Korean, would turn up no matter how much Ilay searched. He had disappeared without a trace in Hong Kong. The person leisurely roaming under Ilay Riegrow’s lamp was Kim Young-soo, a Korean with the most common name.

Jeong Tae-ui turned his body over once more and lay down with a languid sigh. Anyway, he was resting quite thoroughly... Meanwhile, his brother was supposedly out looking for him.

Of course, it would be fine to just spend time without being found, then say “Uncle, I couldn’t find him. Well, goodbye,” and be done with it, but since he had promised, he would at least pretend to keep his word. Although he had firmly said he might not really try to find him, he had at least said it out loud. But he didn’t know. He couldn’t use law enforcement — and even if he could, he doubted the situation would improve — so where could he possibly find that elusive man?

Jeong Jae-ui was never someone to be found just because others tried. If he didn’t want to be found, and it wouldn’t turn out lucky for him, one should forget about meeting him.

“Now... I wonder where our lucky older brother is wandering leisurely...”

Muttering, It’s hard without any clues, he fumbled through old memories for some thread. At that moment, footsteps approached from afar. Someone was coming toward the pool. Maybe another guest staying here, or a new visitor, or perhaps one of the servants [N O V E L I G H T] coming to clean or tend the garden. Tae-ui lifted the towel covering his head. As the footsteps got closer, voices came too. There was more than one person.

“...At this stage, it’s still an unpractical item, so it’s a bit difficult to hand over. We couldn’t even do the first round of test firing.”

It was Kyle’s voice.

The busy homeowner who had already left for work when Tae-ui woke in the morning seemed to have returned. It was still about noon, so maybe he would stop by briefly and leave soon.

Looks like he brought a guest. Tae-ui wasn’t sure if this person would stay for a few days or just visit briefly, but from what he overheard, it sounded like they were talking about weapons.

He had thought many times, but Kyle really was a man who loved people. Or rather, loved having guests. Come to think of it, his uncle seemed gentle but was no pushover, and they had been friends for nearly twenty years — so how much more so with others?

“But if you want, I can arrange the test. The day after tomorrow afternoon should be fine, does that work?”

The voice came very close, about to turn the corner.

Since the homeowner was back, Tae-ui thought he should greet him, so he roughly threw his shirt over his shoulders and sat up. At that moment, the guest’s voice followed with excitement.

“Really? Of course! I can make time anytime! If I don’t have it, I’ll make time! A 1875 Remington remodeled and reproduced—what a beautiful baby!”

Before the sentence even ended, Jeong Tae-ui lay back down on the beach bench, pulling the beach towel back over his head. He wrapped it tightly so that not even a single strand of hair would show.

That unforgettable voice. The tone, soaked in admiration while talking about guns. Calling a weapon a beautiful baby—such a ruthless mindset.

As far as Tae-ui knew, there was only one person like that. Someone petty yet obsessively persistent; if you touched even one of his collectibles, you would have trouble forever. Maybe it was the same voice.

“Alright, then come to the company at 3:30 p.m. the day after tomorrow. I’ll tell Louis, so come straight to my office. ——— That room, if you open the window, it’s right next to the pool, so use it however you like. Let me see... your vacation lasts until next weekend, right, Moror?”

“Yes, I booked a flight for Saturday evening. I’ll be in your care until then.”

“No need to say that, just be comfortable... Oh, there’s a guest already here. Let me see...”

Kyle’s voice was right above. Tae-ui, wrapped in the towel around his head, vowed not to take it off and stayed still without moving. Greeting Kyle would be the right thing to do as someone being taken care of, but now was absolutely not the time.

Moror. Moror! Moror!!

Not just the voice. The name was exactly the same as the man Tae-ui knew. Why the hell had that bastard come as a guest to this peaceful mansion?

Then again, it wasn’t so strange. Tae-ui himself was a guest in this mansion, a complete stranger who had only met Kyle a few days ago and whose identity was unclear. So there was no reason Moror shouldn’t be a guest here. Besides, the homeowner was a top-tier arms dealer, and Moror was a top-tier weapon enthusiast.

He vaguely recalled hearing once that Moror had some connection to Ilay’s family. Before joining UNHRDO, he had worked for that company. If so, Moror being in this house made much more sense and was more reasonable than Tae-ui being here.

“Someone must have fallen asleep here while resting... Ah, it’s Kim.”

Even though Tae-ui hid his face wrapped up, Kyle seemed to notice immediately and said shortly. Moror, curious, seemed to look suspiciously at Tae-ui, so Kyle explained, “He’s a guest who’s been staying here for a few days.” Moror replied, “Ah, I see,” showing no particular interest in Tae-ui. As their footsteps moved away, Moror’s voice carried, “The garden is still wonderful. The birch forest along that path must be the same, right?” Then Kyle’s footsteps faded, and Tae-ui sighed inwardly.

But a flight on Saturday evening next week. So Moror would be staying here until then. Naturally, the chance of running into him would increase. That was absolutely undesirable.

He decided to leave this place tonight. Though it was sad to leave such a relaxed and comfortable hiding place, it would be unbearable if it turned into a tiger’s den.

Moror, that damn bastard. You and I really don’t do any favors for each other in life. Maybe Moror was as much of a bad fate as Lieutenant Kim. But this was still better. If they quietly parted ways without anyone noticing, it would be less troublesome.

The right half of Tae-ui’s body was burning hot from the sun, but he was too afraid the towel might fall off if he moved, so he lay like the dead. He vowed to run inside his room as soon as those people left. Though their footsteps moved a few steps away, he waited for their presence to disappear from the visible range.

But then, at that moment,

“Kim, how long are you going to be so lazy? A person needs to get up and move around. Besides, it’s mealtime now. If you don’t eat properly, you’ll have stomach problems.”

The chilly, gruff voice came from beyond the glass door. Rita. Though she seemed cold, she was actually kind and made sure he ate every meal. Tae-ui was always thankful to her but not at this moment. He pretended to be deeply asleep without moving or responding.

“Ah, Rita. Leave him alone. Looks like he’s sound asleep.”

Kyle kindly backed her up from a distance, but Rita came up to Tae-ui with quick steps.

“If you sleep this much during the day, your sleep schedule will flip and your health will suffer, young master. Kim has been lying here since 10 a.m. Besides, look at how sunburnt your skin is. It’ll be painful later.”

Rita. Rita. Thank you. But I’m not happy. Please leave me alone now. If you don’t want to see me die. Moror is never someone I can feel safe around. Jeong Tae-ui cried tears of blood in his heart. But his cries apparently didn’t reach Rita.

“Kim, get up!”

Suddenly, his vision brightened.