Before entering the main door, Jeong Taeui already felt something strange.

In the morning, when he went out, he saw Kyle preparing to go to work, yet in just two or three hours, Kyle’s car was already parked in the garage.

James was smoking and looking up at the pouring rain. He waved slightly when he saw him walk in. His expression was particularly cheerful. Jeong Taeui nodded back with a puzzled look and went inside.

“……?”

No wonder the atmosphere in the house was so strange.

Even though Jeong Taeui entered the house soaking wet, dripping water on the floor, Rita didn’t complain at all. Her face looked very serious. Seeing him like that, Rita dryly said: “Go take a shower first.”

Despite his curiosity, the first thing Jeong Taeui did was contact the emergency room of the nearest hospital, then went to shower and change clothes.

However, even when he came out with his hair still wet, the atmosphere in the house was still suspicious. Jeong Taeui looked at Rita’s abnormal gaze, then glanced up at the second-floor study room.

“It seems Kyle is back. It hasn’t even been three hours since he left for work. Did he forget something?”

“But it’s almost lunchtime, so he might be eating at home.”

Jeong Taeui said to Rita, but she just nodded indifferently.

It smelled of danger. Really strange.

Jeong Taeui used a towel to dry his head and went up to the second-floor study room.

“Kyle, why are you back at this hour?” 

Jeong Taeui asked with a smile but received no answer.

The study room door was clearly open, and it seemed like he was inside, but no one responded. Jeong Taeui climbed the stairs and looked into the room with a puzzled expression. Could it be that he left the door open and went somewhere?

But Kyle was indeed inside.

He was standing right in the middle of the study room.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Seeing Kyle standing still like a statue, Jeong Taeui scratched his cheek and asked. Maybe he was lost in thought and didn’t notice his presence?

However, Kyle was always someone who could respond to any of his words, even if he was deep in thought. Yet now he was silent. Not only that, Kyle stood rooted to the spot, not moving a single finger.

“……..Kyle?”

Jeong Taeui walked up behind Kyle and called out. At this point, he should have heard him. But even when Jeong Taeui touched his shoulder, Kyle didn’t move an inch.

Only then did Jeong Taeui notice Kyle’s wide-open eyes, following his gaze to the bookshelf Kyle was staring at.

The third shelf from the top, next to the chair. This was the easiest place to reach and where he often took books from. Among the many rare books in this study room, Kyle especially cherished this one, valuing it more than his life.

And there was an empty spot there. The empty space could hold several books.

Hmm. Was that spot always empty?

Jeong Taeui was momentarily confused.

If it wasn’t because Kyle was tidying and rearranging the bookshelf, it would never be left empty like that. But if he had taken them down to read, it was hard to tell.

“Oh…… this place…..”

Jeong Taeui reached out to the empty spot in curiosity.

But immediately.

Kyle, who had been standing still without even blinking like a stone, shuddered. His fingertips clenched and started trembling from his arms to his legs. His face turned pale.

“……..Chri…….”

“Huh?……..Kyle? Are you okay?”

Seeing Kyle shivering and his teeth chattering with a pale face like a ghost, Jeong Taeui was incredibly shocked. He approached him, but Kyle didn’t take his eyes off the bookshelf, muttering brokenly as if his tongue was frozen.

“CHRI…….. CHRI……………CHRIS………………THAT……SON…OF….!!!!!”

The next moment, Kyle, who had lost all sanity with wide-open eyes, fell backward and fainted. 

The room echoed with Jeong Taeui’s panicked voice as he hurriedly screamed: “KYLE!!!!!”

The unexpected guest arrived an hour after Jeong Taeui and Kyle left the house.

Rita reluctantly led the guest (uninvited and never allowed to visit) into the living room and immediately contacted Kyle. When Kyle received the call, he almost threw everything aside and hurried home.

However, he was still a step too late.

When Kyle burst through the door and rushed into the house, the guest had already left. Even Rita didn’t notice. And with them, several books Kyle valued more than his life were gone.

“That person….. was more like a thief than a guest.”

Jeong Taeui sat next to Peter under the tree canopy by the warehouse’s eaves, where Peter had recently repaired, eating a snack and speaking numbly after hearing Peter’s brief explanation.

Thinking back, it seemed he had eavesdropped on a similar story when his uncle visited not long ago.

“Christine…. seems to be that woman.”

Jeong Taeui mumbled while chewing candy. At that time, when he heard that name, Kyle’s face turned just as pale.

If he had known it would turn out like this, it would have been better to hide those books carefully. Jeong Taeui thought and immediately shook his head. Who could have predicted an uninvited guest would come in the owner’s absence and disappear with a few books?

Regardless, Kyle fainted because of this, and now he was lying on the bed groaning. The ice pack Rita placed on his forehead made him look like a seriously ill person.

Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue.

He couldn’t remember exactly, but if the books were from that spot, they were probably the ones Kyle extremely cherished. He had just gotten them not long ago and was very happy, saying: “I’ve fulfilled a lifelong dream.”

Even turning a page was too precious for him. Jeong Taeui remembered he smiled like a fool while looking at the book covers.

“These are books by Luhern Steiner and Edmond Thiersang… Now even if I die, I have no regrets.”

Jeong Taeui traced back each memory and looked at his fingers catching the raindrops from above. When he raised his head, raindrops were dripping down every few seconds into his palm.

“Oh…. Peter, it’s leaking again.”

“Huh? Again? I used waterproof materials made in the U.S since I ran out of stuff. It seems we have to use domestically produced ones.”

Peter smacked his lips and stood up. Jeong Taeui also smiled and stood up.

“Are you planning to fix it now? Although it’s still raining, it has subsided a lot, so we can wait until the rain stops.”

“No, I have to fix it as soon as possible. Doing it in the rain is better, at least we can see if it’s still leaking.”

Watching Peter’s back as he started gathering tools and heading into the warehouse, Jeong Taeui smiled and cleaned up the beer cans and snacks. He threw them into the trash bin next to the warehouse and headed towards the main house. Jeong Taeui looked up at the drizzle. Now he remembered whether the man was safely transported to the emergency room or not? Even without an ambulance, it wasn’t an abandoned sanctuary, so someone would find him.

Jeong Taeui shook his head, thinking: ‘Today is really a stormy day’, and suddenly stopped. 

Thinking back, since leaving the church until now, he hadn’t thought about the karma of his past life. After braving the pouring rain to get home, he had to call for an ambulance and then Kyle fainted. So, he had no time to think about it. Indeed, when people face immediate problems, they have no mind for trivial worries.

Yes, compared to Kyle, who seemed to have lost his spirit and was lying sick, that name meant nothing, right? Although it was still a big issue, Ilay wasn’t right in front of him, so he could put it aside for now.

Jeong Taeui intended to return to his room but instead headed towards Kyle’s bedroom.

He had to check and inquire about Kyle’s condition to feel at ease. A sick person at home makes others’ moods heavy. If he was in so much pain that he didn’t want to see anyone, he would come back later.

Kyle’s bedroom was downstairs, right next to the study room at the end of the hallway.

Jeong Taeui quietly approached the door. As he was about to knock, he noticed it was slightly open. A voice came from the gap.

“…..? Kyle, are you awake?”

Jeong Taeui carefully spoke, pushed the door open, and silently looked at the large bed and the man lying on it.

Seeing Kyle sitting up, Jeong Taeui closed his mouth. Kyle was holding a phone, talking to someone.

“……No, I mean, why did you come and leave when no one was there? You know how much I value hosting guests—Not like that……”

Kyle spoke in a low voice, seemingly to the guest mentioned.

Jeong Taeui held his breath.

Kyle looked at him for a moment, sensing his presence. But he didn’t seem bothered by his appearance and focused on the call.

“Do you know what those books are?!…… Not knowing but still doing that…..! Listen, Christina….. Oh, wait! Don’t hang up! I won’t call like that anymore!!!!! My mind is too chaotic to think straight, right….. So Chris, those books….”

Jeong Taeui leaned against the door, staring at Kyle gripping the receiver with both hands, thinking the guest must have found Kyle’s weakness. Otherwise, how could he be so defenseless that those books were easily taken?

“Hey! Don’t burn them!!!! If you burn them, I’m dead!!!!!!!”

……Now he knew why Kyle was so despondent. Didn’t he say that person was a childhood friend of Ilay’s? They even worked together in the past.

“Ha….. indeed, Ilay.….. friends are just like him….”

It wouldn’t be easy to get them back. Jeong Taeui mumbled, shaking his head.

Birds of a feather flock together.

Next to Jeong Taeui, who was lost in thought, Kyle’s face grew paler.

“Come there to find you? Now it’s hard for me to come. I just returned from an old book fair. If I go again, James will resign for real… hey. Hey!…..Don’t. I can’t go directly….”

Jeong Taeui nodded, hearing Kyle’s intermittent shouting. Indeed, the company was extremely busy with the mid-year settlement. If Kyle was absent at times like this, James would really leave. Jeong Taeui scratched his head, and suddenly the door opened. He turned and saw Rita bringing some medicine and vegetable juice.

Jeong Taeui smiled at Rita and took the tray, saying he would give it to Kyle when he finished talking.

It seemed Kyle was still engrossed in the call. Although he looked like he had suffered a huge psychological shock, there was no need for those around him to be overly concerned.

Jeong Taeui approached Kyle with the tray after Rita returned with a worried look. Kyle placed the phone down, staring at it for a long time. His stern, fierce gaze was like facing an enemy right in front of him.

“Are you done talking?”

“……”

Jeong Taeui gently asked, handing Kyle the cup, but he just took it and continued thinking without responding. After a while, Kyle mechanically said, “Yeah, thanks.”

“….. What did they say? Will they return the books?”

Jeong Taeui gently asked, taking back the empty cup.

Kyle silently stared at the phone with a suspicious look, then suddenly turned his gaze to Jeong Taeui, and this time, instead of the phone, Kyle stared at him unblinkingly. Jeong Taeui stepped back, puzzled.

“…..What’s wrong?”

“Taei. You know which books were taken, right?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah… I vaguely remember. I don’t recall exactly.”

“It’s okay, even if you don’t remember exactly, you’ll recognize them when you see them.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

Those books were particularly rare among the rare ones, so even if he didn’t remember clearly, he would recognize them when he saw them.

Jeong Taeui scratched his chin, recalling the empty spot on the shelf. Then he was startled when Kyle grabbed his hand firmly.

“Taei. You go get the books.”

“Huh? What? Books? Me? No, where….”

Jeong Taeui reluctantly tried to free his hand, but Kyle held it tightly, as if he wouldn’t let go unless he agreed. He looked at him intently and said,

“I want to run there and get them myself, but now I can’t easily go again. A week, no, a month. I’m sure if I go now, James will disappear forever.”

“Right. If you leave for a month, James will happily clean his desk and leave.”

“Exactly, Taei. So, I can only entrust it to you.”

Jeong Taeui shrugged and faced him.

This man seemed serious.

His shoulders gradually lost strength. Kyle’s hand gripping his tightened.

“I can go…. but didn’t they say they wouldn’t easily return the books? Will they give them to me?”

“That’s why it won’t be easy. If you find the books, just take them and run. I’ll tell them beforehand that someone else is going on my behalf.”

Kyle’s face became more serious. In just half a day, his face had turned so pale. Maybe it was due to his mood, but he seemed to have lost a few pounds.

Jeong Taeui hesitated, looking at Kyle. Actually, going on his behalf wasn’t a big deal. Even if it was difficult, if the other party didn’t hand over the books, he was still willing to help since Kyle asked.

He only doubted if he could fulfill Kyle’s request safely. One more thing……

“Will it take a lot of time?”

“Maybe that person won’t easily return them….”

Jeong Taeui sighed again and lowered his head.

If it took too much time, he had no confidence.

More than anything, it was because he had boldly hung up on Ilay rudely the day before.

At that time, he impulsively shouted that he would leave before Ilay returned, almost with his whole heart. But he didn’t think he had to make that declaration a reality.

But in this situation, if he left, those words would indeed come true.

“……..”

Would he die like this?

But on the other hand, because he confidently said those words, Jeong Taeui thought he should leave. Otherwise, if he just sat at home waiting for that person to return after saying that, it would look ridiculous.

Jeong Taeui was torn between a peaceful reality and his towering self-esteem.

If it were normal, he would certainly choose the first option.

“…..Taei…. Can’t you do it?”

However, compared to that, the debt to Kyle – who was calling him right in front of him – was too great.

It wasn’t necessarily about repaying a favor. It’s human nature to want to help when a loved one is in trouble.

“Not that. I’m just worried if I can do what you want, but I’ll do my best.”

Jeong Taeui smiled cheerfully and nodded. Kyle’s face immediately brightened.

“Really! Thank you! I entrust it all to you!”

“Yeah, I hope I can help you.”

Right, he already said it. He boldly declared he would leave with the man who told him not to go anywhere. Maybe he could use this chance to prove himself a bit.

It seemed like a long run ahead, but it shouldn’t kill him, right……

…… He wasn’t very confident. Suddenly felt very uneasy.

Jeong Taeui quietly watched Kyle write down contact information on a piece of paper with a delighted face.

“But……”

“Huh? What?”

“Ilay said…… something happened before, and he said if I ran away, he would kill and eat me…..”

Kyle paused his writing and looked up at Jeong Taeui.

Jeong Taeui felt pity for himself, unable to speak properly and only stammering.

“If he misunderstands that I ran away and can’t contact me, I’ll only have a few bones left…..”

“Oh, I see. If it’s that, don’t worry. I’ll definitely talk to him. Yes….. he won’t think you ran away from him.”

Kyle immediately understood Jeong Taeui’s point and reassured his life.

Although recalling last night’s memory still made him feel uneasy, if Kyle said so, it somewhat soothed him.

In the worst-case scenario, Kyle would save him. Lord Jaeui, please share some luck with me. Jeong Taeui mumbled, and Kyle lightly patted his shoulder for more comfort.

“If you’re worried about that, don’t worry, I’ll protect you to the end. If I get a call from him, I’ll definitely explain.”

“Entrust it to you; otherwise, I’ll die……”

While talking, a vague anxiety suddenly surged. But now Jeong Taeui decided to forget that worry.

He never thought his impulsive words would be realized this way, but it seemed he had to leave this house for a while.

Although he was a bit worried about carrying the identity of a wanted terrorist, Kyle would help with that.

When was the last time he left this house for such a long time?

He didn’t feel uncomfortable or sad about it but was a bit excited thinking he would leave the neighborhood for somewhere else.

Still, before leaving, if he could contact Ilay once more, that would be great.

Although Kyle spoke with Ilay, he would feel uneasy about suddenly hanging up and then losing contact for so long. However, yesterday’s call was the first after more than two months, so it was hard to expect him to contact again before he left in a few days.

Jeong Taeui scratched his head.

At the same time, Kyle quickly filled the note. After double-checking the sparse content, he tore the paper and handed it to Jeong Taeui. “Although it’s urgent, can you leave as soon as you’re ready?”

Kyle spoke with a clear urgency, wanting him to go immediately. Jeong Taeui thought he couldn’t contact Ilay before leaving, so he looked at the note.

Written on it was a long destination, resembling the address of the troublesome guest.

He didn’t know where it was, so he only checked the house number and folded the note.