Jumping from a high place and supporting the full weight on a short piece of metal mid-fall was no easy task. The acceleration with his entire weight crashed onto his arms as he fell. Jeong Tae-ui clicked his tongue briefly and frowned. His hand slipped off the latch he had grabbed. He quickly braced himself with the other hand. Using that hand as support, he grasped the latch again with the slipping hand. His body wobbled.

“Damn... this is dangerous, dangerous.”

Only after firmly grabbing the latch with both hands and supporting his body did Tae-ui mutter quietly. His swaying body slowly slowed down. Looking up, he saw two people running across the skybridge above. Lowering his head again, the distance to the ground was roughly two meters.

For the first time, Tae-ui looked closely at the tails behind him and smiled faintly. “Bye-bye,” he murmured in a small voice they might or might not have heard, and released the latch. Moments later, he felt the heavy touch of the ground beneath his feet. Tae-ui frowned again—this time more than before. He landed mostly on his only intact leg. Still, the cast on the landing leg transmitted a sharp pain twisting his entire leg, and the intact leg was also strained.

He rolled his body to disperse the impact, but still had to crouch in place muttering “ouch, ouch” for several seconds. After a moment, Tae-ui slowly stood up, confirming that although his ankle hurt badly, he could walk without serious problem. After that, he had no choice but to run.

There was no law preventing those following him from using the same method. However, seeing the tails’ frustrated faces made him feel a bit sorry, so Tae-ui shouted with a smile, loud enough for them to hear.

“See you later at the hotel. I’ll just take a walk and come back.”

Tae-ui limped lightly, then hurried off. From behind, he heard voices shouting from the skybridge, but he pretended not to hear. Besides, he couldn’t catch the words well, and even if they shouted in Chinese, he wouldn’t understand.

He stopped only after moving far enough away that he could no longer feel the tails behind him.

Actually, having easily — probably because they weren’t well-prepared — shaken them off, he could have run away with all his might now. But without confidence that he’d remain uncaught a week later, he gave up.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have shaken them off. From tomorrow, maybe the tails will increase to three.”

Even as he said that, Tae-ui showed no sign of regret and walked leisurely. His leg throbbed, but his mind felt refreshed. He tapped the cast still on for a while, thinking that his body was more durable than expected.

Anyway, where was he now?

He roughly guessed his location. His sense of direction was reliable. Enjoying the unfamiliar alley scenery, he walked slowly through side streets.

It was a quiet residential area, not completely devoid of people. It was the usual kind of alley for an evening. Small shops dotted the place.

Though he had strolled about as usual when under surveillance, walking freely without surveillance felt especially pleasant. Tae-ui let out a relaxed sigh.

Originally, he planned to return to the hotel soon. There wasn’t much else to do. He was about to head directly to the main road and then the hotel. But feeling so relaxed was a rare occasion, so Tae-ui slowed his pace.

Ahead, he saw a shabby restaurant. Realizing it was mealtime, he leisurely entered and ate slowly. Though it wasn’t a delicious place, his mood made the meal satisfying. He even leisurely enjoyed tea and fruit slices served by the kind owner. When he came out, it was already quite late. The sky had darkened.

“Then maybe it’s time to head back.”

Even if Ilay scolded him by phone after he returned today, he thought he could fall asleep in a good mood. Tae-ui stretched and stepped forward. He passed through a narrow alley toward the main road.

But then.

Tae-ui briefly slowed his steps but quickly returned to his normal pace.

They caught up.

“Better than I thought……”

Feeling the approaching footsteps from a short distance, Tae-ui smirked. Though he had been caught again after shaking them off, he didn’t feel bad. It felt like returning to reality after a fun game. Planning to return quietly to the hotel, Tae-ui walked leisurely without caring if they chased or not. Few people used the alley connected to the main road. In the quiet alley, Tae-ui’s footsteps echoed loudly.

He seemed to see the moon far ahead. Enjoying the peaceful moonlight as he walked slowly, Tae-ui soon slowed down again.

That strange feeling he’d had before turned into certainty as he slowed.

The footsteps chasing him didn’t stop. Even when Tae-ui stopped, the footsteps behind quickened.

Not only behind, but footsteps also approached simultaneously from a diagonally adjacent alley.

It was intuition.

It might have been a passerby. But Tae-ui’s body moved faster than expected.

He dashed toward the diagonal alley where the footsteps came. After a few steps, he punched a man head-on without hesitation. The man staggered, barely dodging the punch.

Then immediately threw a punch back at Tae-ui.

...Bingo.

At least he wasn’t just passing by. Having another man rushing from behind wasn’t fortunate though.

“Hey, you guys. I was just joking, don’t start punching—”

Whoosh, a fist narrowly grazed Tae-ui’s nose. He closed his mouth.

“What the hell, this isn’t a joke…… I could die if you hit me. Wait, wait, I was just planning to go to the hotel. I’m on my way back, guys.”

He shouted while dodging desperately, but it was useless. The two men threw punches blindly without a word. They looked intent on knocking him down and dragging him away.

Tae-ui clicked his tongue anxiously.

These were different from the men on the skybridge earlier. So the tail had increased to two — this must be the second tail.

Damn it, the first tail teased me, so why are these second guys trying to beat me up?

Tae-ui glanced around quickly. Though the alley was deserted, someone might pass by. Just then, a shadow disappeared into a distant alley.

Contrary to Tae-ui’s secret relief, the men noticing the shadow seemed to want to finish things quickly. Their punches grew fiercer, and one pulled out something from his pocket — a gray spray can with no label. Tae-ui frowned. From experience, he never saw good things come from such devices. Most likely anesthesia or paralysis spray. With that out, time was running short.

“Are these guys crazy…… Why all of a sudden attacking instead of tailing quietly, huh?!”

Tae-ui shouted softly. Clicking his tongue, he caught the first man’s flying shoe with his elbow. Simultaneously, muttering “damn,” he kicked the second man’s neck with his casted foot.

“Ack!” Both men screamed almost simultaneously.

Thinking his ankle might never recover, Tae-ui blinked tears from his eyes reflexively. He saw a spray can rolling toward him, grabbed it quickly, and wildly smashed the first man’s head with it.

Damn, what the hell are they doing? Why are these guys suddenly so off-focus and trying to beat me up?

The spray can dented deeply as Tae-ui wildly bashed the men with its edge. Holding his breath, he grabbed one man’s neck, sprayed the can directly in his face. Strange screams followed, then quieted somewhat.

Finally, throwing the spray can with all his might, hitting the man’s head, Tae-ui turned and ran.

Ilay, that bastard, once I playfully shake off the tails and turn off the phone, they come out like this. Too much. Both know neither can go far anyway.

Swearing under his breath, Tae-ui dashed to the main road and glanced back. No sign anyone was chasing him. Maybe those men collapsed in the alley, unconscious. But he had no thought of returning to check.

He hailed a nearby taxi, told the driver the hotel name, and only after the cab started moving did he exhale deeply. His throbbing leg began to feel hot. He’d really end up crippled.

“Sure enough…… they want to torment me until I bleed……”

Muttering that he thought they had been lenient for a few days, Tae-ui leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

If only he had some sign of a gambling addiction, how attractive this situation would be — being able to go in and out of the casino every day freely. Even with someone else’s money, he had plenty to spend at will.

Though money can be lost in a second on the gambling floor, Tae-ui had little interest in gambling.

He might have fun betting small amounts of two or three games — a few tens of dollars — or even hundreds with others’ money without guilt, but he lacked the nerve to join real money games, and disliked losing to professional gamblers.

After playing a few poker games at a blue-lit “for enjoyment” table inside the casino, his interest faded and he got up scratching his head.

Since returning to the hotel the day before yesterday, he hadn’t gone out once.

He had intended to enjoy leisurely walks but, suddenly pursued by dangerous tails, lost the desire. Above all, his ankle was a total mess.

The ankle had been broken from the start but had been overworked without rest. Even his intact ankle was hurting.

He limped to the elevator after getting out of the taxi. By the time he reached his floor, his body began to sway, and as soon as he entered and closed the door, he collapsed. Not only the ankle, but the gas sprayed by those men — though he had held his breath — seemed to have affected him. The floor in front of him shook and danced.

“Hopefully I won’t be unable to get up,” was the last conscious thought.

When he came to, he found himself lying in front of his ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) room door. The clock pointed to noon the next day. He had slept deeply for over 12 hours.

Fortunately, his headache wasn’t severe, so the gas must not have been harmful. Tae-ui considered this a lucky break and got up. His mind was clear, but his ankle still ached terribly. He was hungry and thirsty. Though limping, he could walk. But he didn’t feel like going out.

He stayed in the room all day. After finishing a simple room-service meal, he lay in bed turning the pages of the half-read book. Occasionally, he shook his leg and felt the pain lessen a bit, then rested assured, spending the day in his room.

He waited to see if Ilay would contact him for losing the tails — prepared to complain that the watchers had rendered his ankle useless — but surprisingly, there was no contact. They probably confirmed his return and decided not to bother him as long as he stayed quietly.

Tae-ui spent the whole day lazily eating, sleeping, and playing. But boredom eventually drove him out. Though he didn’t want to go outside the hotel, he slowly toured the hotel’s facilities. If he had the right hobby, the casino would be the best place to spend time, but unfortunately, he wasn’t that kind of person. After a few games, he left.

He hadn’t thought aimlessly passing time was a hardship. Before enlisting and joining UNHRDO, he had spent several months at home enjoying himself. Except for not meeting friends, life wasn’t much different. Going out, reading, sleeping, eating whenever he wanted. Unlike then, now he also didn’t worry about what to do for a living or making money.

Still, one problem remained.

This peace would surely be broken soon — when, he didn’t know — and that instability kept him from enjoying leisure calmly. If Ilay Riegrow appeared in front of him, that peace would shatter.

“Damn. I should’ve just gone to Serenge alone to ask about my brother.”

A complaint slipped from his lips.

Rather than spending time like this, it was better to have something to do for distraction.

After leaving the casino and climbing to the ground floor, Tae-ui stopped walking as he stepped on the last stair.

The grand hall in the lobby echoed with piano music. Moon River filled the hall with a languid jazz arrangement. Through the front window leading to the garden, dusk was falling. A perfect song for a few hours later.

It was a song his mother sometimes played on quiet moonlit nights in his childhood. Hearing it again brought both nostalgia and eased his tangled mind. Tae-ui sat at a table in the open café occupying the lobby. Planning to enjoy the piano sound with some tea before returning to the room.

After sitting down and ordering tea from an approaching waiter, Tae-ui spotted a familiar face out of the corner of his eye.

Not far away, a man was flipping through a file, occasionally glancing at his watch, as if meeting someone. He noticed Tae-ui’s gaze and looked up. Their eyes met.

Where had Tae-ui seen him? No need to think long. It was the same hotel lobby as before, only the table was different.

He was the arms dealer broker Tae-ui had shaken hands with.

“……Ah.”
“Uh…….”

Though not very close, Tae-ui stood up without hesitation and approached.

Not someone to be happy to see, but after days without real conversation, seeing a familiar face was somewhat welcome. Since returning to Hong Kong, he hadn’t met anyone he knew to talk with except hotel staff or shop clerks.

“Long time no see. Still working here today?”

“Ah, yeah. Long time for you too. Alone?”

The broker greeted warmly. Tae-ui answered yes and sat opposite him.

Though he’d only met the man two or three times, talking wasn’t as hard as expected. Maybe it was because they had shared some secret deal. Like people sharing a secret, both Tae-ui’s polite question about how business was going and the man’s answer bore subtle smiles.

“How’s that cheerful friend who came with you before? Using the stuff well? The quality must be good. I heard from a few words that he knows how to use the goods properly.”

After exchanging a few brief greetings, the man suddenly spoke as if recalling something, making Tae-ui frown slightly. The man’s words involuntarily reminded him of one person.

That damn bastard is probably holed up in UNHRDO’s room, surrounded by pretty girls and having fun, Tae-ui thought inwardly, then faintly smiled as he said, “Well, when I saw him recently, he seemed to be doing well.”

Liking pretty girls, huh. One day I should thoroughly search that bastard’s room and gather all those weapons and pour some sulfuric acid on them.

In fact, because of his grudge against Morrow, when Ilay tried to put Tae-ui in this hotel and go to the UNHRDO branch, Tae-ui had stopped him, saying that if it was going to be like this, he would go together.