It seemed that his uncle readily understood what Jeong Tae-ui meant. After laughing briefly, his uncle said,

'That guy went on leave without proper approval and left without permission. He won’t stay long. When he returns, he’ll have to write a pile of disciplinary reports. Well... maybe three or four days at most?'

Three or four days. That wasn’t a very long time.

Although Tae-ui didn’t know what that man would do to him after those few days, the vague situation wouldn’t drag on long. Tae-ui felt it wasn’t thanks to his uncle but just a matter of fate, and he bowed his head with a soft “Thank you, uncle.” Then his expression suddenly changed as he recalled Ilay’s name.

'Uncle, did Morrow return?'

'Morrow? Ah, yes, he did. He went to Germany during this leave and was enchanted by a very beautiful girl he saw.'

'...What do you mean by “saw”? He took her with him.'

The thought suddenly made Tae-ui’s blood boil. He had planned to find his brother once his ankle healed, but setting that aside for now, he thought of returning to the UNHRDO Asia branch — after all, Ilay had caught him, and what else could be scarier? — and considered getting rid of that bastard first.

His uncle laughed heartily. He too probably knew that Morrow was not content with just ‘seeing’ that “very beautiful girl.”

'Why don’t you just raid that bastard’s room and seize his weapons?'

'Hahaha, it’s probably too late for that.'

Tae-ui felt frustrated but had to admit his uncle’s point. Before Tae-ui returned to this house, Morrow had likely fled to Hong Kong and the first thing he did was probably helping the ‘pretty ones’ escape.

A sigh escaped him. The next time he saw that bastard, he wouldn’t leave him be. He planned to get his hands on a rare, beautiful firearm and dismantle it in front of Morrow. Then he’d flush the pieces down the toilet right before his eyes. Tae-ui mentally mapped out this perfectly fitting revenge.

'But you’re something else... He didn’t leave that long ago and he’s already caught?'

Suddenly, his uncle clicked his tongue over the phone. Tae-ui said nothing.

Next to him, Ilay was quietly watching him. Tae-ui met his gaze silently and muttered to his uncle,

'That’s exactly right...'

He murmured, ‘No wonder Morrow holds a grudge against me.’

'But surprisingly...'

His uncle was about to say something but stopped midway. Tae-ui tilted his head. It seemed his uncle hesitated whether to say the rest, and paused.

Reading the context, Tae-ui sighed.

‘Surprisingly normal, huh...?’

'Hahaha. Sharp as always.'

Tae-ui nodded silently without agreeing or denying. His uncle couldn’t see, but he nodded to himself, inwardly wondering as well.

It was indeed a surprising situation.

Tae-ui had thought without doubt that if he met Ilay Riegrow again, he would either die on the spot or be in a life-threatening situation. That thought lingered until their eyes met in the forest, in the flames.

'...'

He didn’t know what this man was thinking.

Tae-ui quietly breathed in. He could only watch how things unfolded. Worrying about the unpredictable was pointless.

He glanced over at Ilay. Ilay was drinking the black tea Rita had brought, quietly watching Tae-ui. He hadn’t looked away since earlier.

Since UNHRDO, Tae-ui never understood him. Sometimes he thought he might, but Ilay was always beyond the range of understanding in crucial matters.

When Tae-ui smiled bitterly and spoke, his uncle was silent for a moment. Was he disappointed for not finding his brother? Probably not. Tae-ui waited for his uncle’s next words, and the uncle finally spoke slowly — with unexpected news.

'I got a lead on where Jae-ui might be — or where he could be.'

'...Oh, really? Where?'

Tae-ui’s eyes widened.

The brother he had sought for so long. It was natural he hadn’t found him wandering blindly, and even his uncle, who had access to all intelligence agencies, had found it difficult to get a clue. Now that there was finally a lead, Tae-ui pressed the phone closer to his ear. It wouldn’t improve the sound, but his heart raced as if his brother might be at that place.

His uncle was silent for a moment again, but this silence was brief. With a faint smile, he said,

'It’s better to ask Kyle about that. He’s the one who found out.'

'Kyle...'

Tae-ui turned to the man sitting diagonally beside him. Kyle looked at Tae-ui when his name was mentioned, somewhat puzzled.

'Yeah, you didn’t know. Well, even if he’s your brother, it’s not the kind of info you blab about without asking.'

His uncle laughed.

Tae-ui stared fixedly at Kyle. Kyle knew where his brother was.

'Then...'

'About that, you decide your direction. Since there’s a lead, UNHRDO will probably find their own way to track him. ...But if you plan to go look for him, contact me often.'

His uncle spoke as if joking and ended the call. Tae-ui greeted briefly and passed the phone back to Kyle. He watched Kyle silently. Kyle took the phone calmly and looked at Tae-ui curiously. When Tae-ui did not initiate conversation soon, Kyle smiled and spoke first.

'Do you have something to say?'

'...Jae-ui.'

Tae-ui spoke shortly. Hearing the name, Kyle paused. Then, seemingly understanding what the uncle had told him, he nodded.

Kyle seemed lost in thought for a moment, then suddenly asked Tae-ui,

'By the way, the one you’re looking for is Jung Jae-ui, right?'

Tae-ui nodded. The person he was looking for was his brother, and the one he had to run from was his younger brother, he thought silently.

'Right,' Kyle nodded slowly, deep in thought. Then Ilay, who had only been listening quietly nearby, spoke up.

'What do you plan to do by finding Jung Jae-ui?'

Tae-ui frowned at Ilay’s question.

'Why would there be a reason to find him? He’s my brother. I haven’t seen him for a long time, so I want to see him.'

'Hmm... So, you’re going to find Jung Jae-ui?'

Tae-ui fell silent and glanced at Ilay for a moment.

'Then, will you try to stop me?'

Tae-ui’s voice lowered slightly. Ilay stared calmly.

If he planned to stop him, then Tae-ui was willing to fight. He knew he couldn’t win physically. But no matter what form the fight took, Tae-ui intended not to let Ilay interfere.

Ilay seemed to sense Tae-ui’s resolve. He narrowed his eyes and looked at him, seemingly displeased. Maybe it annoyed him that Tae-ui was willing to fight to carry out his plans. Or perhaps there was some other reason he disliked it.

Ilay opened his mouth to say something but closed it again without a word. Then he looked thoughtful.

'Is it a hard place to get to?'

'No. It’s not hard. Anyone can enter the island itself.'

Kyle shook his head. Tae-ui waited for him to continue. Kyle tapped the table with a troubled face, then spoke.

'That island is originally a place where Arab royals and wealthy people build villas and occasionally use them. By custom, both their mansions and some areas are partially off-limits to outsiders. Moreover, it’s very closed off, so outsiders can’t know what goes on inside.'

'...You’re saying Jae-ui is inside there?'

'Well... it’s not certain. But I’ve heard there’s a possibility. Right now, that’s the only clue.'

Tae-ui tilted his head with a puzzled expression. He thought about it for a long time but still couldn’t understand. So he asked skeptically,

'Why would my brother be in a villa belonging to Arab royalty or wealthy people?'

Kyle kept silent.

He was the type to say he didn’t know if he didn’t know. But he seemed to have some suspicions. He didn’t want to withhold the story altogether but appeared to choose his words carefully.

'It seems related to power struggles within the Arab tribes... I heard that Jung Jae-ui was kidnapped and confined to develop weapons.'

When Kyle finished, Tae-ui said nothing. He had no questions. He wanted to ask many things, but even without asking, what Kyle said was enough. The rest didn’t matter. As long as his brother was there.

'Where is that?'

Tae-ui asked quietly. The place where his brother might be. A brother unreachable for months, with no contact — maybe he was there.

Kyle looked at Tae-ui for a moment, then finally said,

'Zelinge. It’s off the east coast of Africa. A small island accessible by a propeller plane from Dar es Salaam.'

—End of Volume 4. To be continued in Volume 5.

The dream vanished suddenly.

I was back in the pitch-black darkness of the spirit realm.

In that darkness, in a dream indistinguishable from reality, still unable to wake, I lifted my hand in confusion. Though buried in darkness and unseen, my hand surely bore blood. It had to be the blood of Jeong Tae-ui, killed by my own hand, no longer existing.

Perhaps I screamed. I seemed to have woken with a scream close to a howl. But maybe not. That sound was only in my ears.

—Wake up.

—Wake up, Ilay Riegrow.

I whispered while clutching the skin over my heart.

It felt like that — the reason I entered the spirit realm, the reality I vaguely remembered like a dream, the moment I killed someone driven by sudden rage without realizing it, and that dream were the same.

In reality, I killed two people as if it were a dream.

In the dream, I killed him as if it were reality. Both times, I could not control my emotions.

Since he disappeared, I have not been able to control my feelings.

—Wake up, Ilay. Wake up, Ilay Riegrow.

I shouted again and again. The screams filled my head.

I had to do it. I had to wake from this foggy chaos. Otherwise, I would kill him without realizing it, losing control of myself. Then, arriving too late to stop it, I would feel the shuddering loss I felt in the dream.

I heard a scream echoing inside me.

Wake up. Wake up, Ilay.

I no longer thought about what that rage was. The name of the rage didn’t matter. I was angry, and I had to control that anger myself.

Then I had to bring him back to me with my own hand.

I had to. Otherwise, I would lose him twice. That was the only important truth for me now.