Kyle was fortunately at home. After dropping Morra off earlier in the day and returning to the company, Kyle came back within a few hours. Although he seemed to have brought some work with him, Jeong Tae-ui eyed him suspiciously—wondering if an owner could really come and go from the company so casually. Noticing the gaze, Kyle smiled and said, "I was originally on vacation until today," then went into the study.

Tae-ui muttered to the closed study door, Vacation or not, if you bring work into the study, it’s no different, and thought that being a company employee wasn’t something to aspire to as he returned to his room.

Feeling a bit reluctant to leave, Tae-ui stepped into the quiet hallway. He wanted to kick Morra’s door once, but since it was Kyle’s house—who had been kind because of Morra—he refrained from doing anything harsh.

Passing through the hallway and living room toward the study, Tae-ui saw no one. He heard Rita’s presence from the kitchen, the gardener’s shadow moving in the outside garden, and imagined the other guests probably resting in their rooms. He took a deep breath.

Ilay had once been here before too. Even with that ominous man around, this place probably always had this atmosphere. It felt somewhat detached from everyday life.

It would be nice to rest here again someday. Tae-ui smiled softly like a sigh and moved on.

Going past the living room and up the stairs directly facing the small room, there was the study. The study was the only room up that staircase, leading nowhere else. To get to other rooms on the second floor, one had to use the stairs between the dining room and living room. The study was clearly a treasured place in the house. And deservedly so. It was a rare size for a personal study, filled with books Kyle treasured like his life. It was also Kyle’s second office. While Kyle was around, one could enter and read the books with his permission, but when he was away, the study was always firmly locked. Books could not be taken out.

Tae-ui chuckled quietly, thinking Kyle really was quite the book lover, and climbed the stairs.

He knocked on the thick wooden door of the study, and faintly heard Kyle’s voice from inside. After confirming the invitation to come in, Tae-ui opened the door. Kyle, who had not raised his head even after Tae-ui opened the door, was looking over documents through thin silver-rimmed glasses. After writing a short note at the bottom of one paper, he finally looked up.

Tae-ui did not show it outwardly, but was somewhat surprised. It was the first time he had seen Kyle working. That image was quite different from the usual demeanor Kyle displayed. Come to think of it, the first time Tae-ui had seen him in Hong Kong, he had a similar feeling—like Kyle was surrounded by a thin transparent membrane. Familiar and communicative with the surroundings, yet clearly separated from others. Tae-ui suddenly felt as if he realized another side of Kyle that had been hidden, and silently watched him for a moment. Kyle smiled almost unconsciously at Tae-ui, as if greeting a close friend. He put down the pen and file he was holding and removed his glasses.

"Kim. What brings you here? Looking for a particular book?"

Kyle pointed to the bookshelf, saying Tae-ui could look at anything he wanted here. Tae-ui shook his head.

"No, I have something to tell you... You seem busy. Looks like company work is piling up."

Tae-ui glanced at the file folder across from where Kyle had just put down the paper he wrote on—a file about a handspan thick—and muttered with a weary expression. Kyle rubbed his tired brow and laughed.

"Usually, I’m not this busy, but these past few days, two annoying things happened back-to-back."

"If there’s anything I can help with, should I?"

Tae-ui hesitated briefly, then asked. Though it didn’t seem like there was anything he could actually help with, he felt obliged to ask. If he could, he would gladly help. But Kyle shook his head.

"No, it’s alright. It’s not something you could really help with, and these things happen occasionally."

Kyle gestured for Tae-ui to take a seat. Tae-ui sat in the chair across the desk from Kyle and nodded vaguely. Seeing Tae-ui glance at the mountain of files on the desk, Kyle smiled knowingly.

"This isn’t it. That’s the usual workload. The things that are a bit annoying right now are a chronic problem you inevitably face when dealing with weapons, and a problem with my younger brother."

Tae-ui closed his mouth. Though he flinched inwardly and tensed up, he maintained a calm exterior. He did not want Kyle to know that he was acquainted with his brother. If that information reached Kyle, it would be troublesome. And if he asked why, it would be hard to answer. It was better to pretend ignorance.

As Tae-ui kept watching quietly, Kyle sighed and muttered half to himself, half in complaint.

"They call it a military supplier, but to put it simply, it’s a weapons dealer. So naturally, they get a lot of attacks. Human rights groups and religious organizations are a given, and sometimes armed rebel or terrorist groups threaten us. In those cases, it’s not that they want us to stop selling weapons, but that they want us to supply weapons to their side."

Kyle flicked the document above him, seemingly related to this, sighed, and set it down.

"That sounds troublesome."

Tae-ui nodded and murmured. Obviously, you can’t sell weapons to rebels or armed terrorists. Doing so wouldn’t be weapons dealing—it would be smuggling. If word leaked, business would immediately have to shut down. Of course, no weapons dealer operates purely cleanly; they profit through illicit means. So even rebels could get the weapons they want if they had enough money and know-how. But forcing a deal through smuggling was recklessly foolish—likely done by amateurs who didn’t know what they were doing.

Tae-ui bitterly smiled, reminded of UNHRDO. Then he finally remembered: this man’s connection to UNHRDO. Unpleasant memories surfaced—memories he did not want to think about. No solution, just a dark, heavy shadow. Kyle probably didn’t want to talk about it either. If it involved weapons smuggling, he could not be proud of it. It was not a topic for discussion.

He changed the subject.

"My current company has a pretty good information network, considering the work. Probably better than many intelligence agencies. Because of that, I often get requests to investigate various things."

After saying that, Kyle added, as if suddenly remembering, "If you ever want me to find someone, just tell me anytime. I can’t promise I’ll find them, but I’ll see what I can do."

Tae-ui awkwardly smiled and politely declined again. He didn’t want to give this man his older brother’s name to look for him. But even so, Kyle probably couldn’t find him. His uncle must have asked Kyle already. And if Kyle had discovered anything, his uncle wouldn’t have expected him to find his brother’s whereabouts.

"But recently, my younger brother’s been pestering me to find someone."

Tae-ui flinched.

He smiled casually, "Is that so," but his heart chilled as he secretly took a deep breath. His palms felt damp, so he rubbed them on his pants.

"What kind of person is it?"

"Um... well."

Kyle looked troubled for some reason. Frowning and thinking for a moment, he sighed.

"I can’t say much, but I found out that person is the nephew of a friend of mine. I don’t know why—he wouldn’t answer when I asked—but it seems that nephew upset my brother quite a bit. My brother, as I mentioned before, has a... peculiar personality. He can’t just overlook people who get on his nerves."

I know him well enough, Tae-ui thought bitterly. That temper, to put it mildly as “peculiar,” is something I know better than anyone except the family.

He muttered silently and grew gloomy, realizing it wasn’t something to be proud of. It might be enough to pity, but certainly not to boast about.

"So... have you found the person my brother’s been looking for?"

Tae-ui feigned ignorance and asked casually. He /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ suddenly recalled horror stories like ‘Yeah… it’s you!’ and felt a chill, rubbing his goosebump-covered arm.

"No, no leads. Since the last time my brother met him, there’s been no trace. Probably a skilled place forged the identity. In that case, I have to find the person who helped with the forgery and question them."

Kyle stopped talking there. Tae-ui nodded superficially, acting as if it was someone else’s business. It seemed Kyle had figured out that Tae-ui’s uncle was the one who helped him get his new identity. Ilay may have suspected that much without concrete evidence. But they could not question—or rather, badger—the uncle.

Tae-ui secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Even though Ilay was in the Asian branch, he used his connections to investigate Tae-ui’s whereabouts. But his uncle apparently not only provided the new identity but also erased Tae-ui’s traces.

Thank you, uncle. I’ll do my best to find my older brother, though I can’t promise anything.

Tae-ui silently thanked his uncle, who would never hear him, and rubbed his chilled heart. Hearing about Ilay made his anxiety deepen. Could he really leave this house? Wouldn’t this place be safer than anywhere else, since Ilay supposedly wouldn’t come looking here?

If he hesitated any longer, his resolve to find his brother might wane and he’d end up staying here, preoccupied with silencing Morra. So Tae-ui spoke.

"This is sudden, but I have something I want to say."

Kyle nodded as if recalling what Tae-ui said when he first entered the study. Smiling, he told him to say anything comfortably. Tae-ui hesitated briefly, then said,

"I think I should start going soon."

Kyle’s smile faded. He looked surprised, then frowned slightly and asked,

"Why so suddenly? Is something bothering you?"

"No, not at all. Thanks to you, I’ve been very comfortable while here. But as I said before, I have someone I need to find... and I can’t stay here forever."

Tae-ui smiled calmly. Kyle looked at him for a moment and sighed in disappointment. But Kyle must have been used to it by now. In a house where guests come and go, the joy of arrival and the sadness of departure must be a daily routine.

"Yeah, it’s a shame. Where do you plan to go?"

"Ah... I’m planning to go to the airport first."

It was about time to call his uncle. After calling at the airport, he might go somewhere else. Since he had no idea where his brother was, he had no particular destination.

"The airport? Going far?"

"No, just to make a call..."

"A call?"

Kyle looked puzzled at Tae-ui’s words. Tae-ui scratched his head, wondering if he’d said something strange.

"Well... I need to call somewhere but don’t want to leave a caller ID. I want to call briefly at the airport and then go somewhere else..."

When Tae-ui muttered this, Kyle nodded understandingly. Suddenly, a smile bloomed on his face.

"If that’s the case, no need to go far just to make a call. Do it here. My study has security as good as my company. No matter how advanced the trackers are, they can’t follow this line. Unless you have another reason to go to the airport, make the call here. Perfect timing, actually. I’m thirsty and tired. I’ll ask Rita to make some tea and take a break."

Kyle stood up. Tae-ui stammered in surprise, but Kyle took it differently and assured, "I can guarantee 100% no tracking." Then he walked out of the study.

"We’ll continue talking later. About when you leave, too."

Tae-ui wanted to say he was leaving this evening, right now actually, but before he could say a word, Kyle had closed the study door and left.

Left alone somewhat abruptly in the study, Tae-ui blinked at the closed door. It showed no sign of opening again, and he faintly heard footsteps descending the stairs beyond it.

"... "

Tae-ui scratched his head, then glanced at the phone. What Kyle said was probably true. A call that can’t be tracked was all he needed. Since Kyle had even cleared the space for the call, it would be rude not to use it.

Tae-ui stared at the phone for several seconds, hesitating, then finally picked it up. Hearing Ilay’s name somehow made him uneasy. His fingers dialed slowly. Maybe he should call his uncle instead. Yeah, that might be better.

Morra had said Ilay had gotten even more vicious. Well, it made sense. That temper hadn’t changed. There was someone worth ripping apart right now, and that person’s whereabouts were a mystery. No wonder Ilay’s eyes were bloodshot. Thinking that way, Tae-ui realized he had endangered many others for his own safety. But until now, he alone had witnessed that temper up close. This was the least he could do to make it fair.

Tae-ui forcibly suppressed the rising guilt and clicked his tongue. First, he had to call his uncle and ask how vicious Ilay was and how closely he was tracking him.

After pressing the last digit, the phone began to ring. Only then did Tae-ui realize he hadn’t considered the time difference.

He glanced at the clock. It was still early evening here. That meant it must be past midnight there. He hesitated for a moment, but his uncle was a relatively late sleeper. Also, if he hung up now, he’d have to come back to the study later to borrow the phone, which was awkward. Besides, his uncle was not in his room during the day, so he had to try to call in the morning or evening, which was difficult. Whatever, if his uncle woke up from sleep, he’d just have to wake him. Tae-ui waited for the call to be answered.

After more than ten rings, there was no answer. His uncle might be deeply asleep or away from the room or in the bathroom unable to answer.

Maybe he should call again later. In that case, he should just go to the airport, make a quick call, and then go somewhere else, he thought as he was about to hang up.

Click—the ringing stopped. Tae-ui, who was about to put the receiver down, lifted it again. There was no sound. Maybe his uncle had answered the call just as Tae-ui was about to hang up.

"Hello?"

Tae-ui waited a moment with no response, then spoke first. Checking the phone screen, the number was definitely his uncle’s. Maybe the call was faulty.

"Hello? Uncle?"

Thinking that if no answer came this time, he’d hang up and try again, Tae-ui called his uncle once more. After a few seconds, a voice finally answered.