"That’s true. I’m not stupid enough to lie to you face-to-face in this situation, and my nephew isn’t stupid enough to leave even me a chance to trace his tail."

"……."

Riegrow stared at Jeong Chang-in for a while after that, but it seemed he realized there was no point in pressing further for answers. The fingertips tapping lightly on the armrest betrayed his anxiety.

"He left with a new name and identity. Even I don’t know what name he’s using now. I told him to call me once or twice a month, but he didn’t set any specific dates… Honestly, I wasn’t eager to be the stepping stone that could lead me to him."

At Chang-in’s words, Riegrow frowned. Chang-in looked at him calmly but felt a chill deep in his chest. He had said he refused to help you if it meant betraying Tae-ui. Even such a straightforward, free opinion was dangerously extreme for this man. The tapping on the armrest grew slightly more forceful.

Suddenly, Riegrow stopped tapping. Lost in thought, he fell silent again. When he finally looked up, Chang-in knew exactly how chilling those eyes could be.

“Tae seems to have grown up here… He even said he wanted to cut my throat many times.”

Riegrow was smiling. Just the corner of his mouth curled up—perhaps to appear amused, he laughed quietly. Chang-in knew that was no laugh, but he responded with a calm smile nonetheless.

“Why are you suddenly angry, Rick? You’ve probably heard that a million times. You never really listened to such words. You said you didn’t bother with whining like that, no matter who said it.”

Riegrow said nothing. As Chang-in pointed out, many wanted to kill him, so he paid little mind to those who only whispered behind his back. After a brief pause in thought, Riegrow nodded and spoke casually.

"Yeah, you’re right."

Though he accepted that, his muttered tone suggested he wasn’t fully convinced. Chang-in watched him silently.

He had wanted to cut Riegrow’s throat…

Chang-in briefly recalled what kind of face and voice Tae-ui might have had when he said that. He thought he understood. He looked up at Riegrow again.

It was a strange feeling. Despite radiating a terrifying aura just by standing next to him, his face was oddly subdued. As if he were melancholic—or so Chang-in thought—and he chuckled softly.

Suddenly, Riegrow fixed his gaze on Chang-in. Chang-in met those piercing blue eyes with curiosity. Then, quietly but firmly, Riegrow said:

“I won’t use you as a stepping stone. To be honest, I wish I could kill you now and extract everything, but it won’t be that easy… Regarding that guy, you won’t have to worry about him anymore.”

"…Thank you."

Chang-in said suspiciously, then slightly frowned. Before he could speak, he guessed what Riegrow was about to say. And Riegrow said exactly what Chang-in expected.

“So whatever I do to find Tae, you stay out of it. This is a matter between him and me. It’s none of your business, and if you interfere, it won’t be justified. Isn’t that right?”

Chang-in didn’t answer. The black eyes staring at him pressed for a reply. They would not accept refusal or additional conditions. If Ilay Riegrow could find Tae-ui, Chang-in would not interfere. That was what Riegrow wanted from him. Chang-in gazed silently at him, then sighed calmly and nodded.

“Do as you wish.”

Once Chang-in answered, Riegrow nodded with satisfaction. Watching him slowly tighten his clasped hands on the desk, Chang-in clicked his tongue bitterly inside.

However, even if Riegrow hadn’t said those words, Chang-in had no intention of interfering further. He wasn’t foolish enough to meddle in someone else’s life against their will. Though Tae-ui might love those who blended into his life, he disliked those who forcibly inserted themselves into it. Chang-in suddenly recalled a young man closer to the latter. The day after Tae-ui left here, that young man also came by. He said he had submitted his resignation at the office and was on his way to the dock. And he asked him the same as Riegrow — Tae-ui’s whereabouts.

In the end, that young man left without ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) an answer, looking much more gaunt than Chang-in remembered. Seeing the determined fierceness etched on his expression, Chang-in clicked his tongue. He wondered where that young man was now.

Shaking his head, Chang-in looked at the clock. The hands had long passed midnight, heading into early morning. He sighed and changed the subject.

“So, what news from Kyle?”

Jeong Tae-ui was unfortunate.

There are countless reasons a person can feel misfortunate. And in most cases, when looking back after some time has passed, those reasons tend to seem trivial and insignificant.

Tae-ui knew this well. Probably, in a few years, he would recall this moment with little concern. At most, he might frown or mutter a curse for a few minutes while telling the story, but that would be all. This misfortune would no longer feel as heavy as it did now. He already knew well that time heals everything.

Yet despite knowing all this, he was unhappy. Even though he knew that just a few months — or not even that long — later, he wouldn’t dwell on this misfortune, at this moment, he was in such pain that he could barely endure it.

His unhappiness was not because of the cast on his ankle. The smell from the cast in this hot season, or the itching on his foot, were secondary issues. His unhappiness was not even due to the pain in his ankle. He had gotten used to pain to the extent that this level didn’t even cause him to raise an eyebrow. The fact that he had planned to leave this place but had to settle here after breaking his ankle was not a reason for unhappiness. Tae-ui had thought many times about leaving this place because of an old comrade who was not very discreet with his mouth, but he did not dislike this place. Depending on how you looked at it, staying here longer might even be considered fortunate.

After threatening that guy by grabbing him by the collar and warning, “If you dare spill that I’m here, all your damn pretty friends will be confiscated!” — and then thinking “Whatever,” Tae-ui settled back into this house. He enjoyed a peaceful time, taking strolls in the garden with his uncomfortable foot and taking naps in the yard.

It wasn’t staying in this house itself that caused his misfortune, but rather, that misfortune originated from it.

In the room next to his was Morro. That old comrade who wasn’t very discreet with his mouth. Their relationship could not even be described as good.

Tolerating the fact that the guy stayed next door was bearable. He didn’t have X-ray vision to see him through walls, nor were the walls so thin that voices were frequently heard. Just the fact that the room was next door was fine. Tae-ui’s misfortune stemmed fundamentally from the fact that he knew that guy.

 

“Ah, it was so beautiful. How can such a beautiful and lovely thing exist in this world? That child is an angel fallen to this world. Lonely and sleeping quietly, but the moment my hand touched, it blossomed more brilliantly than any flower—it was so moving…”

Tae-ui stared coldly at Morro, who was mumbling incomprehensible nonsense beside him.

Morro had been rambling like this for about an hour.

An hour ago, Tae-ui was peacefully sitting on a beach bench by the grass, occasionally dipping his healthy foot into the grass and making a splashing sound, quietly enjoying himself alone. When a gardener passed by and gave a friendly smile, Tae-ui smiled back. When Rita came by and scolded him, asking what the injured person was doing, he smiled kindly at her too, enjoying a pleasant and comfortable moment.

That peaceful time was broken one hour ago.

Morro went out this morning with Kyle. Tae-ui wasn’t very interested, so he didn’t know the details, but it seemed Kyle had promised to show Morro a new firearm the company was developing. That appointment was delayed by company circumstances but was finally kept today. Tae-ui, who didn’t care much about guns or weapons that weren’t immediately necessary, was happily playing alone, glad that the irritating guy was gone. But when the annoying person was not in sight, his heart grew tolerant as humans tend to do. He thought, “Morro must be having fun now, so since he went, let him shoot to his heart’s content.”