A neat white platinum-blonde Rita looked down at him. Beyond the backrest of the beach bench, Kyle’s calm smiling face came into view.

“Hey, Kim. Looks like you stayed up late last night. Time to get up, the sun’s already high in the sky.”

“Ah… y-yes…”

Jeong Tae-ui answered clumsily and averted his gaze.

Behind Kyle, a few steps away toward the birch forest, Moror was visible. Moror, gazing into the woods, sighed in admiration before turning around.

“Wow, it really is beautiful even from afar. I should take a walk there around dusk sometime.”

As soon as he finished, the smile disappeared from Moror’s face upon seeing the familiar face staring at him.

“Right? There was talk about developing it, but neither my father nor I would give up that forest even for a fortune, so we left it as is.”

Jeong Tae-ui’s expression stiffened like a ghost behind Kyle’s smiling shoulder. He glared fiercely at Moror, silently mouthing, “Shut up.” Moror blinked his wide-open eyes, startled, and Kyle glanced back in confusion. Tae-ui smiled as if nothing happened and approached Kyle.

“Thanks to you, I’ve been resting comfortably… And who’s that?”

“Oh, a friend I’ve known for a while. Moror. Moror Keith. He’s now at the UNHRDO Asia branch. He’s quite a talent despite his looks. Moror, this is Kim, who’s been staying at my place for a few days. Kim Young-soo.”

Jeong Tae-ui brushed off the slight pronunciation difference and nodded politely to Moror.

“Hello, I’m Kim Young-soo. I’m staying here as a proxy for Mr. Riegrow. Nice to meet you.”

“Haha, just call me Kyle. If you say ‘Riegrow’ in this house, it doesn’t refer to me,” Kyle said gently with a smile. Beyond Kyle’s voice, Moror’s narrowed gaze and Tae-ui’s fierce stare crossed.

At that moment, Rita called from inside the mansion.

“Young master, Gale has been waiting to see you for two hours now. Please stop by the reception room before heading to the dining room. It’s pitiful how long he’s been waiting.”

“Gale? Two hours? What’s so urgent? — Ah, I’ll be excused for a moment, so you two go ahead to the dining room. Feel free to start eating.”

“No, I’ll wait until you come. Meals are better together.”

Jeong Tae-ui smiled flawlessly and politely. Kyle laughed softly and gave a casual glance before disappearing into the mansion. As if perfectly timed, only Tae-ui and Moror remained. As Kyle and Rita left, the polite smile vanished from Tae-ui’s face.

“Well then, shall we head to the dining room? Rita’s cooking is excellent.”

“Yes, Rita’s cooking is wonderful. But—Kim Young-soo?!”

“Call me Kim.”

“Alright, Kim.”

Moror nodded and smiled warmly, a very generous and friendly grin. After nodding a few times with a chuckle, Moror suddenly stopped.

“…Kim, you sure like that name. Since when has your family name been Kim, Taei?”

“How would I know? He probably went to that house.”

“You heartless bastard. Aren’t you worried that a colleague who shared the same branch quit?”

“That bastard…! Why would I worry about Shin Lu, who doesn’t even care? She was born into a wealthy family with a pedigree. She’ll start a company or something on her own and live better than me, so why worry?”

Moror shouted, “You listen to all kinds of nonsense,” with an expression like he was hearing strange things. Tae-ui sighed deeply, suddenly drained.

Moror was right. Shin Lu was only a fragile and delicate child in Tae-ui’s impression, but in reality, she was extremely clever and smart. She would do well no matter what without others worrying. It was better for her to find her own path rather than cling to Tae-ui. It was Tae-ui who should be worried, not Shin Lu.

He groaned and slowly got up on his knees, feeling weary. He thought he should firmly set Moror straight again but lacked the energy even to scold him.

“You probably know, but don’t tell anyone in this house that you know me, or that you’ve seen me here. No, don’t say you’ve seen me anywhere. Forget about me completely. We’re not the kind of people who want to be remembered, right?”

Jeong Tae-ui admonished Moror. Moror gave him a twisted look, scanning him from head to toe, then suddenly muttered maliciously.

“Come to think of it, I didn’t care much, but there were some strange rumors about you and Rick.”

Flinch.

For a moment, Jeong Tae-ui’s face involuntarily betrayed surprise. Feeling Moror’s piercing gaze, he hastily composed himself, but it was already too late. Moror was surprisingly sharp-witted at times like this.

“Is the one who shouldn’t be found actually him...?”

The sticky tone dragging the last syllable was so irritating Tae-ui wished he could rip that mouth apart, which would sound better than silk tearing. But before he could act, Moror narrowed his eyes and muttered in a creepy voice.

“That crazy bastard has been going around hurting people as he pleases lately. What the hell did you do, Taei?”

Moror clicked his tongue as he muttered, and Tae-ui frowned. Displeased, he smacked his lips and muttered under his breath,

“I don’t know. I didn’t do anything.”

Even to his own ears, the voice was a painfully unconvincing lie. Moror, dissatisfied, scratched his head and muttered to himself.

“Tch, maybe Shin Lu, but with that crazy bastard, you can’t even talk carelessly... If you get on his bad side, your neck’s as good as gone. Lately, he’s been sharpening his claws like crazy.”

Moror seemed regretful he couldn’t cause Tae-ui trouble by telling Ilay. Tae-ui felt a surge of emotion hearing that, but on the other hand, he was relieved. At least Moror was too scared to speak to Ilay.

But seeing Tae-ui relax, Moror snorted and smirked.

“Well, rumors spread fast around my next-bed dude. Even if I don’t say anything myself, there are plenty of night owls and early birds who’ll pass on the word.”

Tae-ui wanted to stuff a towel in that damn mouth, acting all excited to tell Tou as soon as he got back. It seemed like the bastard enjoyed causing him trouble.

Earlier, Tae-ui had briefly apologized to Moror, acting weak and humble for a moment. Now he opened his eyes wide, then quickly wiped the expression away. With a washed-out, blank face, he looked down at Moror.

“Alright, then... Are the pretty things you hid all around the room still safe? Still sleeping under drawers, mattresses, comforters, and inside wardrobe walls?”

Jeong Tae-ui spoke slowly, and Moror grimaced, then glared fiercely.

“They’re not there, man! I moved them somewhere else because I was afraid you’d touch them!”

Moror’s shout was faintly tinged with anxiety. Tae-ui laughed lightly. So they were still there. Even if moved, if he hadn’t taken them from the island, there was nowhere else to hide. If hidden, it would be in the room.

“You know carrying personal weapons in the office is prohibited, right?”

“W-why are you acting like you just found out now? I know everything!”

Moror yelled loudly but his voice was much quieter. That was better. Tae-ui inwardly cheered. At least he wouldn’t be taken advantage of unilaterally.

“Moror.”

Jeong Tae-ui called in a lowered serious voice. Moror, guessing what was coming, answered bluntly after a pause.

“Speak.”

“When you go back, don’t tell anyone about me. Don’t act like you know me. Got it? Then I won’t make any pointless reports to the branch either. Let’s keep things good, you know?”

“Fine. I’ll keep my mouth shut for now. But if they suddenly inspect the office and something happens to my pretty things, I’ll immediately blame you and blow you up.”

“… Do whatever you want.”

Jeong Tae-ui didn’t know when the surprise inspections usually happened, but by then he might already be gone, possibly even out of Europe. By then, even the monster’s fangs turning toward him would be too late.

The two stared at each other for a moment. Though not very satisfied, they made a pact for the time being.

Jeong Tae-ui buttoned his shirt, which he’d only draped over his shoulders, and turned around. It was about time to head to the dining room. If he ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) stayed here longer, Rita would undoubtedly glare at him throughout the meal. Moror, who had visited this house a few times before, seemed to have similar thoughts and silently followed Tae-ui.

They walked side by side toward the dining room. But the important conversation was over, and neither wanted nor felt the need to talk more. When the dining room door came into view, Tae-ui quickened his pace and subtly asked, as if suddenly remembering,

“So how’s the branch lately? Is everyone doing well? Nothing unusual? Like… has any instructor left, or has the branch sent out searchers to look for people...?”

Moror looked at him strangely, as if trying to figure out why he asked that. After tilting his head for a moment, Moror answered bluntly.

“You haven’t been gone long, so why ask? Same as always. If anything’s changed because you disappeared, it’d be Rick’s assistant instructor spot. It changed for the fourth time last Monday. The fourth guy got transferred to an outside hospital last Thursday, and only then did Rick say he didn’t need an assistant instructor anymore, so the casualties stopped at four.”

Moror stopped briefly, glaring at Tae-ui with great displeasure.

“What the hell did you do to run off like that? Because of you, innocent people are suffering! That crazy bastard seemed to control himself a bit after becoming an instructor, but lately he’s gone nuts again. If things don’t go his way, he really tramples people flat. It’s brutal these days. I think it’s the most dangerous I’ve seen.”

Moror muttered that anyone caught would probably be killed. Then he pitied Tae-ui, saying, “You’re really unlucky to have had to take over that bastard’s assistant instructor job.” Then added, “But you’re also a jerk for dumping it on someone else, causing trouble, and running away.”

No wonder I don’t like this guy…

Jeong Tae-ui thought he should have just strangled Moror when he grabbed his collar earlier. He glanced regretfully at Moror, smacked his lips, and opened the dining room door.

Kyle was already seated inside, and Rita glared at Tae-ui with a terrifying look from afar.

Muttering an apology for being late, Tae-ui quickly sat down and gratefully met Kyle’s warm eyes saying, “I just got here too. Don’t worry and enjoy your meal.” He often thought how unbelievable it was that such a normal, humane man was Ilay’s older brother.

Tae-ui took some of the vegetable appetizer and sighed silently.

He thought back to how brutal Ilay was before, and now he’d become even more brutal. How could he have gotten worse? He wondered if Ilay was joking about “still having two more transformations left here.” The thought sent a chill down his spine despite being half-joking.

He must be really angry. His uncle’s brief warning to “Don’t get caught” was deeply meaningful. The unspoken part was almost certainly “If caught, you die.” But luckily, it seemed Ilay wasn’t fully raging or seriously launching a large-scale search. He probably wasn’t angry enough to decide to find Tae-ui at all costs.

“… Thinking about it like that, it feels a little disappointing... Maybe I should have provoked him a bit more before leaving...”

Tae-ui muttered as he stopped eating. Moror and Kyle looked at him curiously. Tae-ui quickly shut his mouth.

Leaving this house left a sense of regret.

Though he hadn’t stayed long, he had become somewhat familiar with the people and could finally relax and enjoy a peaceful rest. But since that damn Moror had found him, even though he’d sealed his mouth for now, he needed to leave quickly. Moror was someone he could never truly feel safe around, unlike Ilay.

He packed his few belongings back into the sports bag as before and glared steadily at the wall adjoining Moror’s room. If not for that bastard, he could have rested here a little longer comfortably. But staying here wouldn’t help him find his brother. Even if wandering aimlessly wouldn’t find him, he felt he should at least try. Besides, since he was nominally searching for his brother, he truly wanted to meet him.

He wanted to see that indifferent but not cold face, to hear that quiet but uncut voice.

“North, south, east, or west, where should I look? Surely he’s not somewhere like North Korea. I can’t go there... It’s completely sealed off.”

Jeong Tae-ui considered spitting for a fortune-telling reading as he lightly tapped his packed bag. Evening was approaching, but the sun hadn’t set. If he was leaving today, it would be better to leave before sunset.

He suddenly stood up. Although reluctant, his mind was made up. Before leaving, he just had to say a quick farewell to Kyle, Rita, and the others.