After seeing Richard, several glances quietly turned towards Christoph. These looks were mixed with expectation, anxiety, and curiosity.

Jeong Taeui propped his chin and pondered for a while. He should have left earlier. A waiter passed by, and Jeong Taeui took a can of beer from him, then casually looked at them and opened the can.

It seemed Richard had gone somewhere before coming to the dining hall; he laughed and said: “Oh, I haven’t eaten anything since noon.” and handed his vest to the waiter. Then his gaze shifted to Christoph and stopped on him.

Christoph didn’t bother pretending not to notice Richard’s gaze; he glanced at Richard. The moment their eyes met, the smiles in their eyes immediately disappeared – even though Christoph never really smiled.

“……..”

Those who had been chatting away quietly fell silent. Then, feeling the awkwardness of the silence, whispers resumed, but their voices were noticeably lower.

“Is there anything interesting today?”

Richard calmly greeted those around and sat down. It was the seat directly opposite Christoph.

“It seems like people with bad relationships always have to sit there……”

Jeong Taeui squinted, muttered, and took a sip of his beer. 

Watching how everyone sat down, even though not all seats were assigned, it appeared some seats were indeed designated for certain individuals. Even though there were empty seats beside them, both Richard and Christoph naturally chose those particular seats, likely because they had their favorite spots.

Indeed, even when he first entered the dining hall, the seat Christoph currently occupied had been left empty, making it look somewhat unnatural.

Johan, sitting beside him, nodded in agreement.

“Yes, they always sit there.”

“If they intentionally sit like that, it seems like they’re more aware of each other……”

“Right, you’d do the same, wouldn’t you?”

“No.”

If he were in that situation, he would go and sit as far away as possible from the person he disliked. Either way, one should sit comfortably.

For example, if Ilay sat in that spot, Jeong Taeui would definitely avoid him and sit at the farthest place. If the farthest seat was already taken, he wouldn’t hesitate to push someone aside to take that spot.

Jeong Taeui had tried to avoid staying longer, but it ended up like this.

Remembering the old saying: ‘The future is always unpredictable’, Jeong Taeui took another sip of beer.

Thinking carefully……

Jeong Taeui quietly watched Richard.

Christoph was sitting directly opposite him. Jeong Taeui tilted his head, staring at Richard’s smiling face as he talked to the man in the adjacent seat, ignoring Christoph’s gaze.

It seemed like that man had assigned something to Ilay.

Earlier, when he met Richard, Jeong Taeui remembered how Ilay had disappeared for two months without any news. He thought of asking Richard what kind of job he had given Ilay but immediately abandoned the idea.

Asking a stranger about a secret job they had assigned to someone else was not polite, and before he could even ask that, he would have to explain that he had overheard their conversation while hiding behind a sofa.

It wasn’t reasonable to say to Richard: ‘I was lying behind the sofa and eavesdropping on everything you said’…… Well, Jeong Taeui didn’t want to know what Ilay was doing anymore.

“But……”

Jeong Taeui leaned on the table, absent-mindedly watching them, and took another sip of beer. Next to him, Johan, after watching Jeong Taeui drink so heartily, also grabbed a beer mug.

“The atmosphere over there looks dangerous. Are their relationships really that bad?”

“Huh? Oh…… because it’s Richard.”

“It’s only natural that their relationship isn’t good.”

Jeong Taeui frowned at Johan’s words.

“Didn’t Christoph give up on the succession competition already?”

“No, even without considering the competition, Richard has always disliked Christoph from the start. Christoph doesn’t like him either.”

“Hmm……?”

Jeong Taeui blinked at Johan in surprise, then turned to look at Richard again.

He didn’t think someone like Richard would openly display his likes and dislikes so plainly that even those around him knew about it.

“He seems very nice.”

“Yes. Actually, he’s quite sincere and reliable. His character is admirable.”

Jeong Taeui was about to say, ‘What would happen if everyone followed such a character—’ but held back, as it sounded prejudiced.

Who doesn’t like or dislike one or two people? No matter how good one’s character is, one can’t like everyone. It’s enough not to show too much disdain for someone you dislike.

“It’s like a battle between good and evil.”

When Jeong Taeui muttered, Johan laughed so hard he almost spit out his beer. Jeong Taeui instinctively moved aside. He felt both disgusted and sorry for the wasted beer. Spitting out water would have been better.

Johan laughed until tears ran down his cheeks, wiping them away as he spoke.

“Actually, their personalities don’t mesh well. But that’s because they’ve seen each other since childhood and practically grew up together. Over the years, many things happened.”

“Hmm.”

Jeong Taeui nodded and shook his beer can. There wasn’t much beer left inside.

Relationships built over time rarely go smoothly. Even if they do, they’re not normal relationships.

Still, it’s not easy for a relationship to become that strained, especially one that’s been built up over a long time.

“Turns out the saying ‘The longer you know someone, the more conflicts arise’ isn’t just empty words……”

Jeong Taeui mumbled and finished his beer.

While he was lost in thought, the noise grew louder again. A small argument was breaking out ahead.

The man sitting next to Christoph and a man sitting diagonally opposite him were stoking a tense conflict.

“What’s going on over there?”

“Probably kicked each other’s legs a few times.”

“……Why argue over something so childish……”

Jeong Taeui licked his lips. He wanted to grab another beer, but the room was filled with cursing, stopping him.

It seemed the argument wouldn’t calm down easily. In such situations, it was best to quietly grab a few beers and head back to his room.

Jeong Taeui quietly moved his chair back, pretending not to notice, intending to head towards the door. But just then, the man who had been cursing on the other side of the table stood up and moved in his direction.

Since they were far apart, the conflict wouldn’t reach him, but the exit was blocked.

Jeong Taeui scratched his head and glanced at him.

The two men had stood up and grabbed each other’s shirts, but no one seemed inclined to stop them.

There was no choice but to observe the fight and wait until the path cleared again. He sighed, and Richard, after observing the situation, suddenly spoke in a deep voice.

“Stop it. There are a lot of people here. If you have a problem, handle it privately.”

His voice was calm, as if talking to a friend, but carried an invisible force.

The man holding his opponent’s collar hesitated.

“Gunther.”

When Richard called his name again, the man clicked his tongue and shoved his opponent away.

“You’re lucky, you filthy sewer rat.”

The man couldn’t calm down and spat out more insults. His opponent immediately shoved the chair and grabbed his shoulder.

“What did you say?!”

“You bastard……!”

The man, who had turned back and taken a few steps to return to his place, tried to shake off the hand on his shoulder. He swung his elbow and accidentally struck the neck of a person sitting at the next table.

“……….!”

“……….”

Jeong Taeui gasped and frowned. Some others had the same reaction. The room became icy cold.

Christoph, who was unexpectedly hit in the back of the head while using a napkin to wipe his mouth, stood up and pushed his chair back.

The face of the man who had accidentally struck Christoph’s neck froze. His arm hung limply for a moment, forgetting to shake off the hand on his shoulder.

Christoph slowly raised his head. His cold eyes stared at the man.

The man seemed to want to apologize (although an apology might have the same result), but his body stiffened and trembled under Christoph’s gaze.

However, realizing he was weakening just from a look and stepping back like a coward, his face turned red with shame. Then, gathering some unknown courage, he puffed out his chest and approached Christoph.

“What the hell! If you’re done eating, why don’t you leave? It’s your fault for lingering there, making the plate cold, like a starving rat wanting more. Hurry up and get out!”

The man lifted his chin, glaring. His narrow eyes glinted fiercely, but even so, there was a flicker of fear. Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue.

“The plate has gone cold?”

Christoph said quietly.

Hearing the sound as if talking to himself, Jeong Taeui almost predicted what would happen next. But before he could shout a warning, it all happened.

Christoph grabbed the man’s wrist, pulled his hand to the still-hot plate of meat, and pressed it down.

It all happened in an instant.

“Ah…… Aaaaa!!!!”

The man’s scream echoed like a wild beast’s roar.

Although it had cooled compared to when it was first served, it was still a scorching plate, sizzling with meat.

Jeong Taeui could smell the burnt flesh from afar.

“Just touching the plate you claimed was cold. Why are you pretending?”

Christoph spoke indifferently, holding the man’s wrist firmly against the hot plate despite his frantic attempts to pull away. He pressed the hand down harder and picked up a knife with his other hand.

It was a butter knife.

“Hey! Don’t tell me you’re going to use that knife……”

But before Jeong Taeui – who suddenly foresaw the future – could shout, the butter knife pierced the man’s hand on the sizzling plate.

“………!”

The blunt blade stabbed through the back of the hand, piercing the flesh. Between the bones and white tendons, the knife dug deep into the plate.

The man screamed and frantically waved his arm, but the plate remained stuck to his hand.

Then everything turned into chaos.

The man struggled like a wounded beast, and everyone’s faces turned pale. Some rushed to help him, while others lunged at Christoph.

Jeong Taeui quietly glanced at Christoph. Despite the chaos, Christoph calmly made his attackers taste blood one by one. Meanwhile, Richard swiftly took down those charging at him with a single blow. Jeong Taeui felt a sense of déjà vu.

He had seen small quarrels escalate into factional wars before. Once when he was at the military academy (and later, everyone had to endure hellish punishments together) and many times at UNHRDO.

He thought he could now live peacefully without witnessing such scenes.

In this reminiscent scene, Jeong Taeui squinted his eyes.

Yes, it was almost like this back then. Jeong Taeui recalled vague memories of his old colleagues he hadn’t seen in a long time.

“Damn, disturbing a meal. What are you doing? Calm down a bit.”

Johan, a neutral observer, could only click his tongue and grab a fork reflexively. Jeong Taeui immediately dodged and looked down at the fork Johan was waving around wildly.

“No, no, this is just for self-defense. You never know when the fire will spread here. Can you do something to calm this down? If it’s just a few people, it’s fine, but if everyone charges in like this, it’s dangerous.”

“Calm the situation……”

Jeong Taeui stared blankly into space.

What was Alta doing now? At the Asia branch, this happened every time there was joint training with the Europe branch.

He decided to ask his uncle for tips on handling such situations later. Jeong Taeui thought as he stood up.

“A guy I knew before was good at this…… Hey, you over there, move aside a bit.”

Jeong Taeui excitedly waved to the men sitting across and grabbed the edge of the table with his other hand.

In the next moment.

A loud crash overwhelmed all the noise in the room.

The heavy wooden table was overturned, and all the knives, forks, food, and glass bottles scattered on the floor.

*Crashhhhh*

The sound of shattering echoed in the air.

The men who had been busy fighting each other stopped momentarily and turned to look at the battlefield behind them with wide eyes.

Finally, after all the tableware had fallen and shattered, a small silver vase rolled half a turn and slowly came to a stop.

In the dead silence, Jeong Taeui shrugged and turned to look at Johan.

“Just doing that makes everything quiet immediately. A guy I know used to do this sometimes, and he said the first time flipping a table was difficult, but once you get it, it’s easy.” 

*********************

After flipping the table, Jeong Taeui remembered Alta’s later words.

It takes 3 seconds to flip, 3 hours to clean up, and 3 months to bear the consequences.

Not just 3 months, but every time Alta went to the dining hall afterward, he had to endure the sharp glares and scolding from the staff. Jeong Taeui didn’t know if Alta had to face it for 3 years.

Chason, one of the rare married men at the branch, said if he dared to do that in front of his wife, he would hear about it for the rest of his life, not to mention getting beaten up.

After receiving cold stares from the dining staff, Jeong Taeui quietly helped clean up. He also etched in his mind never to do something like this again.

The loud noise successfully poured cold water on the boiling tension, but the aftermath remained.

For a moment, he became the common enemy of all those sharp glares. The men stared at him, muttering: “What the hell again”, while the staff rushed over, pale-faced, hearing the noise. As he cleaned up, countless bullet-like glares pierced his back.

Jeong Taeui didn’t want to go through this a second time. Never.

“How many times has Alta done this? He really has guts……”

Jeong Taeui muttered tiredly.

What hurt him most was Christoph. He just sat there indifferently, watching Jeong Taeui sweatily clean up. After he finished, Christoph calmly remarked.

“Just add the cost of the damaged items to Kyle’s debt, right?…… I guess you’ll have a hard time getting that book back.”

It had only been a day – no, half a day – but from the moment he stepped in here, his mind and body were exhausted. Especially being defeated by the warning that getting that book back wouldn’t be easy.

Still, Christoph—who had emerged from the brawl without a scratch—cheerfully left the dining hall after seeing Jeong Taeui slump against the door.

It was a while before he stood up and returned to his room. Jeong Taeui didn’t bother taking off his shoes and collapsed onto the bed, his body limp.

It felt like years had passed since he walked through that door. He couldn’t believe he had only been here less than a day.

“Could it be that the timeline here is different from the outside world……?”

Jeong Taeui lay face down on the bed, the blanket covering his body. It felt like he was melting and being absorbed into it.

Even though burying his face in the blankets and pillows like this made it hard to breathe, he didn’t bother turning over because his whole body was drained of energy.

He couldn’t remember the last time he felt this exhausted.

In reality, cleaning up for hours wasn’t such a big deal. In his free time, he often helped Peter garden all day under the scorching sun, and sometimes he helped neighbors fix their roofs or do other heavy tasks.

Compared to those, spending a few hours cleaning the dining hall wasn’t a big problem, but……

“Indeed, mental exhaustion is more significant than physical fatigue……”

Being forced into an unfamiliar place and having to pay attention to everything felt like every nerve in his brain was screaming in agony.

Even visiting a harmonious family and spending a day among unfamiliar faces would drain one’s spirit, not to mention being unwillingly dragged into a fierce gang fight upon arrival. Moreover, everyone here seemed to have already decided he was Christoph’s ally.

When Kyle said getting the book back wouldn’t be easy, Jeong Taeui simply thought it was because the person holding it had personality issues. He didn’t know if Kyle’s statement included this situation.

“……No…… This situation happened because he has personality issues.”

Jeong Taeui turned over, finally able to take a deep breath of cool air.

Johan had said that if you didn’t provoke Christoph, he wouldn’t harm anyone first. Not only Johan, but others seemed to understand this well.

“Then why do they keep provoking him……? Knowing this but still messing with him is just plain foolish.”

Jeong Taeui sighed deeply. Christoph’s indifferent face flashed in his mind.

That face only held apathy. To be precise, everything seemed meaningless to him; he wasn’t interested in anything and always looked bored.

Even when he placed the man’s hand on the sizzling plate and stabbed it with a butter knife, his face didn’t show a hint of emotion.

Though he didn’t hesitate to do such gruesome acts, it was clear he neither hated nor enjoyed them. It would have been better if he had laughed or felt satisfied with such pleasures.

“This battle is tough…… Indeed, when Kyle said it wouldn’t be easy, it couldn’t be done smoothly.”

Jeong Taeui sighed again and buried his face in the bed.

Kyle, this is exhausting. Can I go back…… Jeong Taeui mumbled and suddenly opened his eyes.

“Oh. I need to call Kyle.”

He realized he should have called earlier, but there hadn’t been a chance.

He needed to call to inform Kyle that he had arrived safely and met Christoph. More importantly, he wondered if Ilay had contacted Kyle and if Kyle had spoken to him about the matter.

He needed to make a phone call. Jeong Taeui thought, but the bed clung to his body, refusing to let go. It would be so comfortable to just fall asleep like this.

There was a phone right on the bedside table. But to reach it, he would have to sit up and stretch out about half a meter. Right now, doing all that felt as difficult as completing a triathlon.

“……..”

When was it?

Once, he and Peter had turned the entire backyard upside down. After spending a whole day revamping it, Jeong Taeui could only lie around groaning like a waterlogged sponge. At that time, he lay immobile like this, complaining to Ilay that he needed to make a call. Then, Ilay quietly looked down at him, dragged him over, and placed him right in front of the phone.

Back then, he had grumbled to Ilay for disturbing his rest, but now Jeong Taeui wished Ilay was here to do that again…….

“I wonder where he is and what he’s doing now……”

Jeong Taeui wasn’t particularly curious, but when he said it aloud, he became a little curious. Since living with Ilay, he had never been apart from him for so long.

“……Turns out I can miss him like this……”