Ilay would probably laugh his head off if he knew about this.

No, he wasn’t the type to laugh out loud like that, but he would likely find it very amusing and look at him with bright eyes.

Thinking about it, he was always interested in noisy matters. Or rather, noisy matters always followed him.

When something unrelated to him happened, he would watch with interest. But if it concerned him, he would quickly and neatly handle it, even if it annoyed him greatly.

However, this wasn’t something to be considered noisy or troublesome.

Honestly, Jeong Taeui couldn’t understand why Christoph liked him – or why he said he liked him – but nonetheless, it was something that couldn’t happen but had happened. So it was likely that Ilay would find it interesting and observe this matter keenly.

But there was one thing that worried him.

“What should I mention…” – Jeong Taeui muttered to himself, looking at the distant grass with a reproachful gaze.

No matter what, saying, “He grabbed my ‘younger brother’ and confessed to me…” would……Sound really weird.

Moreover, there was another thing that worried him even more, which was that instead of firmly saying – “No” – until the end, he hadn’t done that.

“……”

Although he often got entangled in strange matters, in this case, he might only laugh it off as a joke because his opponent was Christoph. Whether he should consider himself lucky or not, Christoph still held a strong belief that intimate relationships between two men were no more than brotherly affection.

But these minor issues still concerned him.

“Maybe it’s better to just keep my mouth shut.”

But after thinking for a while, Jeong Taeui shook his head.

That wasn’t a good solution either.

Considering the strange similarity between Christoph and Ilay, there was a chance that Christoph would seek him out and directly confront him.

One trouble after another, troubles kept piling up…

“…Why do I keep getting involved in these messy situations… I just wanted to leave Berlin for a while, to go out and have some fun, but fate keeps pushing me into these situations…”

Jeong Taeui banged his forehead against the railing. Thump thump.

In the end, the answer to the problem always returned to one conclusion.

It was all because of that book. If his spirit and body were exhausted, he would blame the book as the root of all troubles.

Suddenly, a cunning and cowardly thought popped into Jeong Taeui’s head.

‘If you really like me, then give me back that book.’

Should he ask for this…? …Would that be too petty?

Jeong Taeui sighed. He rested his arm on the railing and leaned his cheek against it.

“Aigoo, I don’t know. Whatever happens, happens.”

“What happens?”

“…”

By now, even when someone suddenly appeared from behind and spoke to him, he was no longer surprised.

Jeong Taeui just slightly turned his head to look over his shoulder. Ilay was approaching from the stairs.

“Why are you alone? Where’s Richard?”

Whenever Ilay appeared, he was usually with Richard, but today he was alone.

Ilay smirked as if at a loss for words.

“Do I always have to be with him? Now that I think about it, it seems like I often meet you when I am with him.”

“But even on a day off, being together is not great.”

He walked over and stood behind Jeong Taeui.

Only then did Jeong Taeui remember seeing Richard walking with a woman who looked like candy. He had been so preoccupied with his own problem that he had suddenly forgotten.

“Oh, right, that’s true. I saw them walking in the woods earlier.”

Jeong Taeui nodded and spoke, looking at Ilay.

“He was with his girlfriend. That woman was very beautiful.”

“Girlfriend? Hmm… A small woman with long hair down to her waist, skin white as snow, and a shy look?”

“Oh, you’ve met her already.”

“No. Never met her.”

Jeong Taeui frowned in confusion, staring at Ilay.

“How do you know if you’ve never met her?”

“That’s the type of woman he’s liked for over ten years, never changing.”

Ilay chuckled, but when the laughter faded, his eyes glimmered with suspicion.

“Walking with a woman… Did something happen when he met you?”

“To me? What could happen to me? We just happened to meet at the entrance of the walking path, greeted each other, and passed by.”

Jeong Taeui tried to recall if anything happened between him and Richard, but there was nothing special. If anything had happened, it certainly wasn’t related to him, but to…

…Oh.

Jeong Taeui glanced at Ilay and then slyly asked.

“Why do you ask, did he say something happened to me?”

“No. I happened to meet him while passing by the main building, and he didn’t look well. The guy who always wore a smiling mask was now showing all his true emotions on his face without smiling at all.”

“Hmm? …Maybe he had a fight with his girlfriend.”

Jeong Taeui tilted his head, thinking.

Although Richard had just met Christoph, and the atmosphere was a bit tense, it wasn’t anything new. Even in their fierce argument last time, Richard only showed a brief moment of displeasure before quickly regaining his composure and putting on his usual cold smile.

But Ilay didn’t agree with Jeong Taeui’s very reasonable assumption. Instead, he glanced at Jeong Taeui and smirked.

“He’s not the type to argue with women and isn’t naïve enough to show it all over his face because of that.”

“Um… Maybe he just argued with Christoph? Because he argued in front of his girlfriend, he felt more annoyed.”

“Christoph? Did you go into the forest with Christoph?” – Ilay asked with a skeptical expression.

Jeong Taeui wasn’t riding a horse, and Christoph only went into the forest when riding a horse.

“Oh. No, I was taking a walk and met Christoph. Richard also happened to come by.”

“In such a large forest, three people meeting each other isn’t easy…”

Ilay’s gaze at Jeong Taeui narrowed even further.

“Um… I went to the stream to swim a bit, then Christoph happened to ride by. Then…”

Jeong Taeui was casually recounting what happened at the stream when he suddenly fell silent.

After losing his guard due to the situation between Richard and Christoph, he remembered another matter he was debating whether to mention or not.

Jeong Taeui stood at a crossroads. One path could lead to greater regret later, and the other might not.

If that were the case, there was no need to think much. When things get serious, the biggest regret is usually staying silent and hiding things.

“In fact, Christoph told me something quite interesting.”

In the lightest, most joking tone possible, Jeong Taeui began to speak.

The body influences the mind, and words influence emotions. Saying this made him suddenly find the matter genuinely interesting.

Thinking about it, being confessed to by someone like that, in such circumstances, at his age, was indeed an interesting experience. More accurately, it was a rare occurrence.

Jeong Taeui suddenly burst into laughter when he looked at Ilay. Strangely, Ilay also laughed. Both laughed happily. Then Ilay asked, with laughter still in his eyes.

“So? Did he say he liked you?”

“Um, yes, you know very well. Ha ha ha.”

Jeong Taeui laughed loudly, responding as if it was a joke, but only received silence in return.

Seeing that, Jeong Taeui quietly retracted his smile and looked up at Ilay. Then immediately wiped the smile off his face.

In that brief moment, Ilay’s smile completely vanished. Instead, he raised his head and looked down at Jeong Taeui with cold eyes.

It was strange. The atmosphere suddenly became heavy.

At that moment, Jeong Taeui felt like he had stepped on one of Ilay’s landmines. His intuition told him that this situation was extremely dangerous.

But if Jeong Taeui also showed signs of backing down, the atmosphere would become irreparable.

He forced a laugh and patted Ilay’s arm lightly.

“Hey. Why so serious all of a sudden? It’s Christoph, Christoph, not someone else. I thought you’d find it interesting.”

“It would be interesting if it were someone else.” – Ilay’s voice rang out coldly.

Jeong Taeui no longer had the courage or confidence to change the atmosphere, so he remained silent.

He hadn’t expected him to take it so seriously…

“…Aren’t you going to ask how I responded?”

Jeong Taeui tried his best to ease the tense atmosphere. But on the contrary, it only made the situation worse.

Ilay whispered – “How did you respond…?” – looking at him with an even colder expression.

“You intended to refuse outright, but he didn’t understand and kept persisting, so you said you would think about it and postponed it, right?”

“…”

Jeong Taeui was speechless.

He always thought Ilay was a scary person, but now it felt even clearer. Truly a scary person.

He felt like his actions were always too easily read by him. Jeong Taeui tasted the bitterness.

“Why are you so serious? Kyle said something similar before, and you just laughed. This time is no different. There’s no difference.”

/Flashback/

He couldn’t remember exactly when, but a few years after living together, Kyle had realized the relationship between Jeong Taeui and Ilay, and once, after getting drunk, he had confessed while drunk.

“You should leave that brat and meet a decent man like me. Why ruin your good life with him… It’s such a pity…”

Jeong Taeui was touched by Kyle’s concern and hugged him, saying –  “Yes, that’s how it should be. – But that scene was witnessed by Ilay.

At that time, Jeong Taeui thought he was going to die, but Ilay just smirked and let it go. Only Kyle got a hard slap on the face, and then, because he was drunk, he fell asleep. (Actually, he passed out immediately because of the slap)

Although it was a bit different, Jeong Taeui thought this situation was similar to the previous one.

/End flashback/

However, this time, Ilay just sneered.

“Two different people. Christoph is more troublesome.”

Ilay clicked his tongue and said. Then suddenly, he squinted at Jeong Taeui, staring intently.

“And what else?”

“Huh?”

“After he confessed to you, nothing special happened, right?”

Ilay’s low and resolute voice immediately silenced Jeong Taeui. In his mind, he pictured Christoph’s flushed face and his clumsy hand touching his crotch. Instinctively, he knew that if he mentioned this, it would turn into a disaster.

Jeong Taeui quietly looked up at Ilay without saying anything, causing Ilay’s eyes to narrow further.

“Taeil!”

“Nothing special happened. Christoph still thinks that physical relationships between men are very innocent.”

Jeong Taeui said. Ilay stared at him for a moment, not entirely convinced, then nodded.

“Yes, that’s right.”

He looked down at the scene beneath the tower with a displeased expression, lightly tapping the railing. Jeong Taeui felt uneasy, not knowing what he was thinking.

Suddenly, Ilay’s fingers stopped. He stood still for a moment, then abruptly turned around.

“I’ll talk to him directly. Although I’m not sure it will work.”

With that, Ilay walked briskly towards the stairs. Jeong Taeui stood stunned for a moment before hastily following him.

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

This situation was truly awkward.

As they stood in front of Christoph’s door, Jeong Taeui thought so.

Perhaps it would have been better to pretend ignorance and stay silent. Then return to Berlin and let everything pass without a trace.

Jeong Taeui hung his head despondently beside Ilay. As Ilay prepared to grab the door handle, he spoke without looking at Jeong Taeui.

“If we don’t resolve this with Christoph, he’ll cling on all the way to Berlin.”

Jeong Taeui took a deep breath and glanced at him.

This guy is like a devil, seemingly able to read other people’s thoughts. It felt as if he had been seeing through Jeong Taeui’s mind all along.

Ilay continued.

“Sometimes you do unpredictable things, but usually your thoughts show on your face. It’s true because you don’t try to hide your thoughts or feelings; you just show them.” (He reads you like a book, Taeui :D)

With a short smile, Ilay concluded.

Jeong Taeui scratched his head. As Ilay said, he rarely felt the need to hide his thoughts or feelings.

But Ilay being able to read his thoughts so easily was not simple. While Jeong Taeui was mumbling, Ilay had already stepped into Christoph’s room.

Christoph was in the library. He sat on a single sofa by the window, feet up on a stool, flipping through the pages of a book in a comfortable posture.

When Christoph’s eyes turned to Ilay, followed by Jeong Taeui stepping in, Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue softly. This situation was truly awkward.

If he had to compare, it felt like bringing an adult to a children’s quarrel.

“Later than I expected.”

Christoph said indifferently, not bothering to get up from the sofa. He closed the book and placed it on the windowsill but showed no intention of standing up.

Ilay stood beside him, tilting his head to look at Christoph. Suddenly, he smirked and asked.

“Chris. What do you intend to do?”

“Give him to me.”

“……”

Jeong Taeui felt like he had heard this conversation somewhere before. A familiar, inexplicable feeling.

While lost in thought, he asked himself. – ‘What about my opinion?’

Surrounded by two men arguing over who would own him, Jeong Taeui mocked himself.

Speaking of Ilay Riegrow and Christoph Tarten, no matter who looked at Jeong Taeui, they would look at him with pity.

But fortunately, the situation did not turn as dangerous as Jeong Taeui initially feared. The conversation proceeded more calmly than expected.

Jeong Taeui still felt uneasy, but not as much as at the start. He pulled a nearby chair and sat down to observe.

When the two of them decide, let me know. Then I’ll decide what I want to do.

Jeong Taeui watched them for a while, then noticed the small bar in the corner of the library. He walked over and grabbed two cans of beer, preparing to sit and watch the rest of the conversation.

Ilay remained standing next to Christoph, looking down at him intently. As if pondering something, he suddenly asked.

“What do you like about him?”

Upon receiving the question, Christoph intertwined his fingers, tapping them lightly on his knee. Christoph tilted his head and remained silent for a long time, seemingly unable to come up with an answer.

Although Jeong Taeui did not genuinely expect a specific answer about what made Christoph like him, he still looked at Christoph with wide eyes.

Hey, if you don’t know, don’t say you like someone and confuse them like this.

Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue and took a sip of beer. He felt Christoph’s eyes on him, searching for an appropriate answer.

“Let’s see… I don’t know. Thinking about it, there’s nothing particularly likable…?”

With Christoph’s response, the beer can in Jeong Taeui’s hand was crushed halfway.

What is he doing, just playing around with me?

Feeling like he had just acted out a melodramatic romance movie on his own, Jeong Taeui sorrowfully took another sip of beer. Today, the beer tasted bitter.

“But I feel like it would be good to be with him.”

Christoph spoke slowly, still uncertain, looking at Jeong Taeui holding the crushed beer can.

“If we lived together, I think it would be better. Not sure how, but at least better than those idiots out there.”

It was a rather vague answer. Not sure exactly how it would be better, but thinking it would be.

Jeong Taeui sipped his beer, pondering over the answer.

But perhaps he understood to some extent.

Standing next to Christoph now, the man looking down at him, if asked what he liked about Jeong Taeui, might not be able to answer either.

Just thinking that living together would be better.

Having or not having it would be fine, but still thinking having it would be a bit better.

Jeong Taeui looked at Ilay in silence.

He felt like a bland boiled chicken on a holiday feast table, an unnecessary existence rarely touched, but missed if absent.

But it’s true. Looking back, it seemed so. Many people in this world live together like that.

Having or not having it would be fine, but always thinking having it would be better. Sometimes their presence is annoying, but still thinking having them would be better.

“So just let me have him.”

After that vague answer, Christoph said. His indifferent face looked as if he could say – “Never mind” – at any moment, but he didn’t.

Ilay looked Christoph up and down. Then suddenly he sneered.

“So you don’t know what’s better, but you think it would be better anyway?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“When I first brought him back, I thought the same.”

Ilay glanced at Jeong Taeui. He nodded. He had come here with a sacrificial spirit, but they just thought having him would be better. Truly grateful to their ancestors.

“But do you know how many years have passed? I spent all that time holding onto him, making him mine. To make him fit for me. And now you want him? You want what’s mine? …Christoph Tarten, are you out of your mind?”

Ilay spoke coldly, his low voice dry.

But Christoph said nothing. He didn’t seem scared or intimidated. He was simply thinking.

“But I need him. I want him.”

“Christoph. You know, to keep someone by your side, you need to be worthy.”

Ilay’s voice suddenly dropped lower. His gentle voice whispered in Christoph’s ear.

On Christoph’s quiet and dull face, a hint of icy emotion appeared.

The hand on the armrest of the sofa suddenly clenched into a fist, then relaxed. His lips opened and closed.

“Riegrow. I rarely feel happy. So let’s talk about this later. Right now, I feel very good. Very good.”

The whispering voice slowed and lowered, dragging out the final words. Very good. There was a slight tremor.

Suddenly, Jeong Taeui thought.

Today, he didn’t say it was annoying.

Usually, from the moment he woke up, Christoph would mumble about how annoying things were with an irritated look. Some days he said it more, some days less, but basically, he said it every day.

But today, Jeong Taeui hadn’t heard it. Christoph didn’t look happy, but he certainly looked calmer than usual.

“Don’t provoke me. Don’t make me more annoyed. It’s rare to have a quiet day like today. So don’t bring out those damned noises.”

Christoph spoke quietly.

Ilay squinted. It seemed that if he said a little more, Christoph would truly go mad. A faint smile appeared on his face.

“Then let me say this one thing. I do not permit it.”

Christoph didn’t respond. Ilay continued.

“For now, I’ll just watch. With less than a month left, I don’t want to get involved in troublesome matters. Christoph, I just want to leave here peacefully after finishing my work.”

“I don’t want to cause trouble for Tarten and you either.”

He added with a light smirk.

Jeong Taeui crushed the empty beer can and watched them.

Although he felt the situation was extremely tense, it seemed like nothing major would happen.

However, at the same time, the words sounded like a warning that he wanted to leave peacefully but couldn’t because of a troublemaker.

Jeong Taeui frowned slightly. The hidden meaning behind those words seemed to envelop his mind, leaving a vague feeling of discomfort. Ilay leaned towards Christoph, whispering something inaudible, then straightened up as if he had finished saying what needed to be said. He stepped back.

“I’ve warned you. Don’t say later that you weren’t warned.”

Ilay turned away. It seemed he had said everything he needed to. He walked quickly towards the door but suddenly stopped and looked at Jeong Taeui sitting nearby. He slowed his pace and smiled gently. It was the smile he usually gave Jeong Taeui, but this time it had a cold edge. His final words echoed coldly.

“Christoph. If you covet things you shouldn’t, you’ll only bring misery to yourself. A fool who neither feels pain nor laughs has no right to desire anything.”

The last words were chillingly strange.

Jeong Taeui felt his heart race at Ilay’s clear warning directed at Christoph.

Ilay continued towards the door. As he passed Jeong Taeui, he left a generous remark.

“Comfort him well and then come back to your room.”

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

(To say the least, Ilay’s attitude towards Chris is quite special. Normally, anyone who persistently tries to take Tae away from him would either be dealt with swiftly or provoked and taunted like he did with Xinlu.

But with Chris, Ilay seems to take a more straightforward and advising approach. He’s serious and almost treats Chris like a junior he needs to guide (sincerely). The way Ilay talks to him is like scolding a child from his own family for doing something wrong. Probably because Chris is not cunning and a bit naive…)