Ilay glanced at Kyle, who was speaking as if not really listening, and after a while, he answered briefly.

“Hmm. Just now.”

“Right. That’s good. Feeling somewhat better?”

“Hmm. He probably went to Rita just now. Since you called, he’ll come here after eating.”

Kyle nodded. Ilay closed his mouth again.

Kyle recalled the young man he had known as Kim. And in his mind, he replaced the familiar name Kim with the unfamiliar name Jeong Tae-ui. Otherwise, he felt he’d keep calling him Kim. But actually, the name Jeong Tae-ui wasn’t that unfamiliar. He’d read it a few times. When working with Jeong Jae-ui, that name occasionally came up. He’d also heard it from his friend Jeong Chang-in several times. He had heard it from Ilay too, but when talking with Ilay, the name Jeong Tae-ui was rarely used; instead, Ilay referred to him by the title Gil Sang-cheon, which was more familiar.

I see. Kim is Gil Sang-cheon.

Kyle muttered Kim again unintentionally but shook his head and corrected himself. Then he recalled that the young man was Gil Sang-cheon. For some unknown reason, it made sense. Though it was more than ten years ago, there was a time when Jeong Tae-ui received more curiosity from people than the genius Jeong Jae-ui. Of course, only among those who knew. When rumors spread that Jeong Jae-ui’s miraculous luck originated from Tae-ui, many coveted Tae-ui. That curiosity and greed faded only after they repeatedly tested him without realizing that the luck truly belonged to Jae-ui. Probably, Tae-ui never knew he was once a target. Jae-ui and Chang-in had tirelessly blocked those attempts.

“Tae-ui doesn’t need to know.”

Kyle suddenly remembered a quiet voice he’d heard once. It was when he had unexpectedly met Jae-ui alone in the rooftop garden and briefly talked about family and other matters. Kyle had asked him with surprise,

“For your own safety and just in case, wouldn’t it be better for you to know?”

But Jae-ui shook his head and closed his mouth, clearly unwilling to speak further. Kyle thought they had different thoughts and didn’t ask more.

“…….”

But now, thinking back, Kyle vaguely understood that genius’s mind. Just vaguely. Tae-ui was someone who always received Jae-ui’s steady affection.

Kyle nodded.

Ilay just looked at Tae-ui with an indifferent face. Tae-ui bitterly pursed his lips and scratched his head.

Sitting awkwardly between them, Kyle wondered what kind of grudge could exist between those two and brought up a neutral topic.

“By the way, is your body alright? I’m really sorry this time. I never thought my friends would get hurt like that.”

Kyle spoke casually, feeling Ilay silently sneer that “I’ve saved your kidnapped friends several times.” Tae-ui looked at Kyle with a somewhat subtle expression and shook his head.

“No, I’m the one who should apologize. I should’ve been more careful but was too careless. You even offered to prepare a car... and besides, your brother saved me, so it’s nothing.”

Kyle fell silent. Tae-ui was also silent after mentioning the brother, probably trying to ease Kyle’s guilt. Kyle thought that right now, Tae-ui must be thinking the same as he was. Come to think of it, wasn’t this young man at the arson scene too?

The actual arsonist had a calm face, but only these two sat in gloomy silence. Kyle reflected on the unspoken rule of human relationships: when you have a strange person nearby, that person is happy but everyone else suffers.

Suddenly, Tae-ui looked up and said,

“Where is Morrow now?”

“Morrow? He said he had urgent business and returned to Hong Kong yesterday. He asked me to send his regards.”

Kyle smiled, thinking they must get along well. But as he smiled, he felt something odd. Tae-ui’s expression flickered with a bleak light. Maybe it was just a fleeting moment; perhaps he imagined it.

“By the way, this is the first time we’ve met like this, right, Tae-ui?”

Kyle started. Tae-ui looked momentarily puzzled but soon understood what he meant and smiled awkwardly.

“That’s right, Kyle. My name is Jeong Tae-ui. I couldn’t use my real name due to circumstances.”

“Circumstances… I think I understand that. I would have done the same in your place.”

Kyle nodded. Of course, if he were in that position, having a grudge and running from such a peculiar character, he’d change his name and everything too.

Thinking about it, this young man was extremely unlucky. Why did the kidnapping have to happen at that timing? If the kidnapping hadn’t happened, Kyle wouldn’t have had to ask Ilay for help, nor would he have been caught like this. But thanks to the hostages including Tae-ui, Kyle felt somewhat relieved. He hadn’t expected Ilay to come running so quickly.

Silence stretched.

The three stood together, but the topic struggled to progress smoothly. It was awkward to talk like brothers, awkward to talk like enemies, and awkward to exclude one brother and talk about something else. They had no common topic.

Kyle lightly tapped the desk. After all, he had called Tae-ui to greet him. After all, Tae-ui was kidnapped while staying at Kyle’s house. And he got hurt, so it was only proper for Kyle to apologize. And he hadn’t even greeted Tae-ui properly, not Kim. Business was done. If there was no suitable topic, it was better to end the conversation. Kyle liked talking with people but disliked such subtle atmospheres. When he pretended to tidy the desk a bit, Tae-ui immediately understood and chose a suitable phrase.

“Then I think I’ll go rest now.”

“Alright. Then get some rest. Recover quickly.”

Kyle smiled and nodded.

As Tae-ui gave a slight bow and started to leave the room, Kyle suddenly called him back. Tae-ui stopped and turned.

“By the way, I almost forgot. I told Instructor Jeong Chang-in too. I said you weren’t badly hurt, but he’s very worried. Call him sometime. You can use the phone here if you want.”

Kyle pointed at the phone on the desk. Tae-ui looked at the phone bitterly for some reason. Ilay, who had been silently watching them, suddenly twisted the corner of his mouth. He muttered quietly,

“So that’s where you called from… no wonder there were no traces.”

Tae-ui clicked his tongue more bitterly.

Drinking the thin, clear soup Rita had made, his foggy mind cleared a little. The first thing that struck him was Morrow’s whereabouts.

He didn’t expect that sly bastard to sit quietly and wait, but when he heard from Kyle that Morrow had returned to Hong Kong, he got furious.

Most likely, by now, Morrow had already called the Asian branch and informed them about illegal weapon possession. By now, Morrow must have gathered those pretty ones from his room and hidden them somewhere else.

“Damn it. I guess I’ll have to go back….”

I’ll storm into that bastard’s room myself, confiscate everything, and sink it in the Hong Kong harbor.

Tae-ui gritted his teeth, muttering. That bastard Morrow, next time I meet you, I’ll make sure our bond is an unbreakable curse.

As soon as he left Kyle’s study, his face hardened, and he strode quickly to his room. Arriving at the door, he gave the adjacent room—where Morrow had been sleeping until yesterday—a hateful glare, then kicked the door with all his might.

“…ㅡ! …ㅡ!! …ㅡ!!!”

The moment his foot touched the door after kicking it, he realized his foot was not normal.

The ragged, worn-out cast from trekking through the mountains had been neatly replaced while he slept. The doctor must have been called home, and °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° the many wounds over his body were cleanly covered with gauze and bandages. But even so, no matter how neat the cast or bandages, the wounds inside them were still unhealed. Especially the ankle, which had been tortured since last night and early this morning. He had been limping so badly he thought his ankle was done for.

Even inside the house, using a cane to limp around, in anger, he had forgotten and kicked the door with that foot, so of course, his ankle wouldn’t be fine.

Tae-ui lay on the hallway floor, clutching his ankle, trembling. Ilay silently looked down at him from behind. With a slight frown, Ilay muttered something barely audible.

“Sometimes I don’t understand you at all. This is exactly one of those times…”

Ilay’s face was serious. Tae-ui had no strength to answer.

After a long time clutching his ankle and groaning, he finally dragged himself to his room. Seeing Ilay follow behind, he frowned.

“Why.”

Though he said it grumpily, he thought it was finally what he’d expected. At dawn, in the forest, and after coming home and waking briefly, Ilay had shown almost no reaction. Since he thought Ilay would cut off at least an arm the moment they met, it was even more surprising.

Or maybe Ilay was a high-level player, trying to torment him like this…

Tae-ui looked up at Ilay suspiciously.

Now that he had been pushed away, there was no escaping. Unable to fight back, if Ilay tried to kill him, he would have to die quietly. But whether Ilay knew this or not, he quietly gazed down at Tae-ui. Then he turned and sat on a chair by the window. He sighed.

“Where did you start hearing from?”

“What?”

“Earlier, in the study. You must have overheard the conversation.”

Ilay’s voice was faintly sharp, almost anxious.

Tae-ui said nothing.

He hesitated for a moment, wondering when to say he had overheard.

When Tae-ui drank the soup and went to Kyle’s study, just as he was about to go upstairs, he faintly heard Ilay’s voice inside.

Unconsciously, his feet stopped.

Not because he wanted to hear, but because he didn’t want to face Ilay. Given the circumstances, he wanted to avoid Ilay as much as possible. He frowned, thinking of turning back, but changed his mind. He had to greet Kyle. It had been a long time since the kidnapping, and he hadn’t seen Kyle since... Though it had been only a day and a half since yesterday morning.

After a moment’s hesitation, he sat on the wooden stairs. Ilay wasn’t the kind to stay long in someone’s room without a special reason. If he had business, he would finish it quickly and leave. Maybe it was different if he was talking with his brother, but the talk wouldn’t last long anyway. Sitting on the wooden stairs with nothing to do, thinking vaguely about “By the way, what happened to Morrow?” and trying to muster energy, the sound came even though he didn’t want to hear it.

“Where did you start hearing from?”

Ilay asked again. His voice lowered further. Tae-ui bitterly pursed his lips, hesitated briefly, then answered obediently.

“From the moment he thought of killing as soon as he found out.”

Then Ilay fell silent. Tae-ui clicked his tongue and scratched his neck.

“I didn’t hear well. It wasn’t loud, and I only heard a few words at a time. It’s not like I heard everything. From what I heard, there was nothing I thought was important, so if there was something important, you don’t have to care.”

Eavesdropping on others wasn’t exactly honorable regardless of intention or circumstances. Tae-ui regretted not going to the living room to wait until Ilay came out of the study.

“...And.”

Ilay, who had been silent, suddenly spoke. Tae-ui looked at him in surprise. Ilay said again with a displeased expression.

“And what else did you hear?”

His voice was low and without any trace of humor. It was as if he had heard something forbidden, and his gaze toward Tae-ui was bleak. Tae-ui felt a surge of emotion. Though it wasn’t intentional and he knew it wasn’t right, a fair amount of the conversation he overheard was about himself. But it wasn’t Tae-ui’s fault.

“Are you upset that I’m feeling bad because I heard people talking about me?”

Tae-ui’s voice lowered too. With a crooked grimace, he stared straight at Ilay.

He had nothing to say because he overheard others’ conversations, but flipping the perspective, this was a matter Tae-ui could be very displeased about.

“If you’re so curious about what I heard, I’ll tell you... why did you hold back from just cutting his throat the moment you saw him? Wouldn’t it be better if you ripped and killed him yourself?”

Tae-ui snapped, clicking his tongue. Ilay’s gaze darkened.

He regretted saying that. Sometimes, pretending not to know or hear is better in life. This was one of those times. He should have just lied and said he heard nothing.