“Well, I don’t know much about the personal side, but officially, there wasn’t much said. On the contrary, everyone said that crazy guy—ah, sorry, I mean Rick—was tough to endure even with that peculiar personality of his.”

Morro casually called Ilay a madman in front of his older brother—pronouncing it so plainly and then apologizing so naturally that it hardly seemed like a mistake. Morro was quite a character himself, shaking his head.

“Other than that, well, I haven’t heard anything, so I don’t know,” Morro added nonchalantly, continuing to eat. Nearby, Tae-ui felt a little grateful. At least the promise not to talk about him elsewhere was being kept, even if it was because of those pretty girls hidden all around his room. Tae-ui cut into a freshly cooked, steaming fish and awkwardly asked, pretending ignorance.

“Is something going on with your younger brother?”

Kyle frowned slightly and shook his head.

“I don’t know the reason exactly, but he’s been pushing the company hard to find someone recently. It seems he’s also asking other intelligence agencies besides ours. When asked why, he just won’t say. He just insists on finding them, and on top of that, the person’s whereabouts are unknown.”

“So I thought maybe Morro, who was in the same branch, might know,” Kyle added with a smile, and Tae-ui returned the smile, saying, “I see.”

He felt Morro’s subtle gaze beside him. It was the kind of look that said, “What kind of mess did you get into?” Tae-ui stubbornly pretended not to notice. When the look showed no sign of fading, Tae-ui looked at Morro and whispered back with a smile, “Huh? Why?” Morro then reluctantly looked away. What kind of mess did you get into? Tied up, ambushed, slapped, cursed at, and then ran away.

If he could say that, it would be nice—but he couldn’t. The moment he thought about saying it, he felt like Ilay would appear right behind him.

“Besides... running away after hitting someone else isn’t something to brag about.”

Tae-ui sighed and murmured.

The house was already close by. Walking this hot road on his limping leg felt like it would never end, but every hardship has its end. Leaning on his crutch, he limped forward, telling himself the recovery was fast and if he endured just a little longer, it would get easier. The hospital said he’d be healed before summer ended.

Then, maybe he would finally go looking for his brother. He’d long passed the time he promised his uncle, but now it wasn’t because of that promise. Tae-ui himself wanted to see his brother. Though he thought that his brother might have returned home before he did, he figured searching was better than sitting and waiting.

He resolved to quietly stay home reading books until his ankle healed and took steady steps toward the approaching house.

Then suddenly, he tilted his head. At the far end near Kyle’s mansion, a car was approaching. The street was wide enough for two or three cars to pass comfortably, but not very wide. With only a few large houses sparsely placed, traffic jams were rare. He once heard from a gardener that the street was clogged once when a nearby homeowner died and the funeral was held.

It was the middle of a weekday afternoon. Not a single car passed. Yet now, a car was coming from far ahead.

Tae-ui immediately felt something strange.

The car had been parked at the street’s end just moments ago. He hadn’t watched carefully but didn’t see anyone getting in or out. The car, which had been still, started moving as Tae-ui approached the house. It could be mere coincidence.

But the closer it came, suspicion deepened. The car was a silver van. A van that could comfortably seat five or six people and had a sizable cargo area. Its windows were all darkly tinted so the interior was not visible.

Looks like a celebrity’s car, but something feels off.

As he tilted his head pondering what it might be, Tae-ui’s eyes met those of the man in the driver’s seat. The man was looking at Tae-ui. The man in the passenger seat next to him was too, and they said nothing to each other.

“…!”

At that moment, Tae-ui realized. That car was coming for him. Not just passing by but clearly targeting him.

Bad news. That thought flashed through his mind. First of all, those men’s eyes staring at him were cold and emotionless. It was no friendly approach. Tae-ui clicked his tongue and suddenly started running. The moment his crutch touched the ground, his ankle screamed as if it would break. A groan escaped his lips. But now was no time to hesitate.

Tae-ui’s instincts were right. The car coming from the opposite side crossed the centerline and approached the sidewalk where he was. The car stopped a bit ahead in the direction Tae-ui was running, and a man got out of the passenger seat.

“What are you guys?!”

Tae-ui swung his crutch at the man who reached to grab him. With a crack, the man clutched his head and staggered back. Seizing the chance, Tae-ui ran again.

He didn’t know who they were. Nothing like this had ever happened before. When he was very young, he’d sometimes been at risk of being kidnapped because of his brother, but nothing like this since he matured.

These men were after him. He didn’t know why. Whether to kill or kidnap, he wasn’t sure. Judging by the car and their behavior, most likely kidnapping.

Ilay!?

That thought flashed through his mind, but he shook his head. Ilay wouldn’t be the kind to do this. If Ilay had planned it, he would have gotten out of the car himself. Then who? Why?

“Wait, you’ve got the wrong guy! I’m just an ordinary person! I have no money! My family’s poor!”

Damn. Maybe seeing me leave Kyle’s house, they think I’m family. Trying to leech money off a rich family… But if they were planning a crime, they’d do their research over some time. What are the odds a European and an East Asian are family? Pass on that possibility.

Then the remaining possibility is… my brother.

That seemed the most likely. Though Tae-ui didn’t know where his brother was or what he was doing, his brother had always been attached to his life. He almost got kidnapped several times because of him as a child. He thought it wouldn’t happen now that they were adults, but who knew? Maybe his family was being held to threaten him.

But he didn’t have time to think long. Behind the man staggering from the crutch blow, three more men ran out of the car. Tae-ui glanced back at Kyle’s mansion. Though visible in the distance, he wasn’t quick enough on this leg to shake them off. Plus, yelling wouldn’t help. But he couldn’t just let these unknown men rough him up quietly.

“What the hell! You’ve got the wrong guy! I don’t know who you’re after but it’s not me! Do you know me?!”

He used his crutch to knock down another man. But the man who had staggered earlier joined the attack, and two others circled behind Tae-ui. One of them mercilessly kicked Tae-ui’s casted ankle. A scream tore from his throat. The cast probably saved him from worse pain.

Tae-ui bit the hand grabbing his forearm with all his strength. The rough screams of the man echoed in his ears as flesh was bitten off. Simultaneously, another man struck Tae-ui’s head. In the process, he lost his grip on the attacker’s hand he was biting. His mouth and the man’s hand were covered in blood.

“Wh-hey… you got the wrong…”

Tae-ui muttered faintly with breath catching. Then, the first man who was hit by the crutch stepped forward.

“That’s right. Don’t know and don’t care who you are.”

His face contorted as he came forward and spat out blood-tinged saliva, probably from his torn mouth. Then he delivered a powerful uppercut to Tae-ui’s jaw. The world spun. He felt a mild concussion.

“No matter who you are, you’re a guest staying at Kyle Riegrow’s house for over ten days. A guest cherished by Kyle Riegrow, who pampers anyone who shows up at his house.”

“It doesn’t matter if you’re not so important. You’re not the only one anyway,” the man muttered. The last words came faintly into Tae-ui’s consciousness.

A wet towel was draped over Tae-ui’s face as he struggled to clear his blurred vision. The sharp medicinal smell from the towel made him frown. Damn, that’s the same trick I used recently, but unlike that monster, I don’t stay conscious for long. That was his last thought.

Soon, he lost consciousness, and darkness came.

 

His head ached. The first sensation Tae-ui recognized upon waking was a throbbing headache.

As soon as he became aware of the pulsating pain in his skull, he opened his eyes. But before he could focus on objects, he felt nauseous and curled up.

He was sick to his stomach and gagged repeatedly—three, four times in a row. Nothing came up. Only a sour stomach acid rose to the back of his throat. Soon the nausea subsided.

“Damn… Luther, medicine…”

Tae-ui muttered, clutching his head. Faintly, he thought, “Ah, if I want to find Luther, I have to go to the medical room.” His stomach still churned. He knew Luther would scold him if he told him he wanted to take headache and stomach medicine together.

“Want some water?”

A strange voice came. With it, something soft touched his lips. Water flowed into his mouth. Tae-ui wetted his mouth slowly with the trickle, weakly opening his eyes.

The room spun. The ceiling moved in circles, coming closer and going away.

He closed his eyes again, rested for a moment, and opened them. The spinning was still there but seemed a bit better. He closed and opened his eyes once more, feeling slightly improved.

Though still dizzy, he could keep his senses enough to clutch his head. Dizzy, aching… and the faint scent of medicine lingered in his throat.

“Are you feeling a bit more clear-headed?”

Another voice spoke. Only then did Tae-ui gather his wits and sit up. Between the throbbing headache and blurred vision, he saw four unfamiliar faces.

The unfamiliarity wasn’t just the people. Tae-ui blinked several times, tilting his head, struggling to understand the situation.

It was a room. An empty room. There was one window, but it was boarded up from the outside, blocking any view. The walls, floor, and ceiling were wooden, and the room was fairly spacious. About twenty square meters, maybe more. But inside that large room, there was nothing.

Except people.

There were five people—none of whom Tae-ui had ever seen before. Their ages, races, and probably nationalities all seemed different. Each sat or leaned in their own spot, all gazing at the newly awakened Tae-ui.

“Where… am I?”

Tae-ui asked, tilting his head slightly. He felt lost. His memories were gone, as if he’d fallen into a new world empty and alone.

Wait, what happened again? So… Luther. When he woke up, he searched for Luther. Luther meant UNHRDO. He had left there, traveled southeast Asia, crossed into Central Asia by land, and from Tashkent moved into Europe. And…

Rubbing his throbbing head with a frown, Tae-ui recalled meeting Kyle. He had stayed at Kyle’s house and met that annoying Morro. He’d tried to leave from there but… why didn’t he? Oh, he had injured his leg. So he went to the hospital.

Reaching that far in his memory, Tae-ui murmured “Ah,” nodding.

He was on his way back after having his cast replaced at the hospital. On the way, he met suspicious men… Yes, his memory cut off after taking the medicine. And now here he was.

Tae-ui clicked his tongue and tapped his head. Damn. What kind of drugs did those bastards inject? They could’ve just knocked him out cleanly, but maybe they messed up the dose or inhalation time because his head hurt so much. On top of that, his head was foggy and thoughts scattered as if he’d become an idiot. It was probably just that he hadn’t fully come out of the drugs, but Tae-ui hated that feeling—his body didn’t feel like his own.

He already had a terrible head compared to the family average. What if it got worse here? He muttered inside his mouth.

He «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» looked around at the people.

Good grief, they’re all naked. Tae-ui thought with no embarrassment. Looking down at himself, he muttered again, “Good grief, naked.” Still no shame on his face.

He guessed why. They must have taken all his belongings and even his clothes, thinking about possible threats or contingencies.

Tae-ui stared at the locked door, thinking of the men guarding outside. One of them was probably the man Tae-ui hit earlier.

“Whoever these guys are, locking five men wearing only their underwear in one room shows they have zero sense of decency…”

Tae-ui clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction. A man nearby laughed upon hearing that. Turning, Tae-ui saw him locking a leather flask. This was the man who had given Tae-ui water earlier.

—You don’t know who you are, but you’re a guest who has stayed over ten days at Kyle Riegrow’s house. A guest cherished by Kyle Riegrow who pampers anyone who comes to his home. Doesn’t matter if you’re not important, you’re not the only one.

Leaning against the wall with his dizzy head, Tae-ui quietly gazed at the ceiling. He pondered the man’s words. Without much thought, the answer to his situation came. Tae-ui was not here because of his own problem. He was just bait. …An unimportant person, and not the only one, so maybe it wouldn’t hurt if they spared just him.

Feeling slightly selfish among the five, Tae-ui licked his lips. But after placing his hand on his conscience, he thought again. Kyle liked everyone. There might be degrees, but he didn’t seem to favor any particular guest. So, unless it was just because he was staying at that house, anyone could have been here instead of Tae-ui.

The other four people were strangers to Tae-ui. They might have stayed at the house before or were people Kyle knew in some other way. Probably more important to Kyle than Tae-ui was.

“Damn… I thought life would be easy lounging around that house, but here I am again…”

Since leaving UNHRDO, nothing particularly bad or unpleasant had happened, so Tae-ui had irrationally thought maybe his bad luck was over, or that UNHRDO’s turf didn’t suit him, or that internal branch politics caused his misfortune. But apparently not.