“Damn it, why is his personality like that?!”

“Don’t delve into fundamental issues that have no solutions.”

A lethargic and indifferent voice responded from behind.

Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue and mumbled: “Maybe before judging that guy’s personality, I should judge my own first.” He tried to turn on the car’s fog lights but accidentally turned on the high beams. Taeui quickly turned them off and stared at the dashboard. Driving someone else’s car was not easy.

Jeong Taeui wasn’t sure of the way home and wanted to hand over the wheel to one of the other two.

But to whom?

One was unconscious in the back seat – he even handcuffed him to the handle and padded the headrest in case he woke up – and the other was sitting next to him, staring at Richard to ensure he didn’t act up. Blood from his body stained the seat.

Jeong Taeui glanced in the rearview mirror. Christoph was leaning his head against the window, looking even paler in the darkness of the car. Normally quiet, he was now even more silent. Although he still responded to Jeong Taeui, he didn’t say anything beforehand.

“How are you doing? Can you still hold on?”

Jeong Taeui asked, and Christoph was silent for a moment before replying: “Yes, more or less.”

“Compared to the worst pain I’ve felt, this is nothing, not even a scratch.”

“What was the worst pain?”

“Well…… Generally, memories either get reinforced or fade. But yes, I was quite hurt when Rick hit me.”

“That guy is used to hitting people the right way.” – Christoph added, then fell silent again.

Jeong Taeui hoped that the mouth that usually spouted venomous words wouldn’t close at this moment. Seeing Christoph bleeding profusely and silent with a ghostly pale face made him worry. It wouldn’t surprise Jeong Taeui if Christoph passed out at any moment.

“Did Rick hit you?”

“Yeah…… There was a conflict over work. We were hired by completely opposing sides and fought for a while. I even shot him in the stomach and then ran away.”

Jeong Taeui remembered hearing from Ilay that Christoph had been tortured by him.

Shooting in the stomach, torture…… No one would want to be friends in such a situation.

However, recalling how they still interacted normally, Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue.

When he looked at the digital clock on the dashboard, the numbers were moving indifferently. It had been five minutes since they left. Now was the time for things to really get tense.

Jeong Taeui only glanced at the clock, but Christoph in the back seat seemed to know and suddenly muttered.

“Hmph…… being chased by him is really bad (as hell).”

Jeong Taeui looked at him through the rearview mirror. In his ears, that sentence sounded like: ‘If caught, we’re dead’ but it seemed Christoph didn’t think that way.

“Have you been chased before?”

“Yes, twice while working. I escaped safely once and got caught the other time. ……The bad thing about being chased by him is that even if you escape, you never feel safe. Just when you breathe a sigh of relief, he can appear out of nowhere like in a horror movie.”

Christoph muttered with a grim face. Jeong Taeui chuckled lightly and turned his head slightly.

“Oh right, I felt the same way when he chased me. Even when I got back to the hotel, took a shower, and opened the bathroom door, he’d be standing there saying: ‘Long time no see, old friend.’”

“……But how did that happen?” – Chris

The question sounded curious or somewhat sympathetic, making Jeong Taeui stop laughing. He clicked his tongue again, his face showing a bit of bitterness.

“That’s true……, …… but it’s not too bad.”

Jeong Taeui reflexively answered and then fell silent for a moment before adding.

Thinking back, that’s true. Jeong Taeui had never really regretted it.

Maybe in another dimension of this vast universe, there’s a Jeong Taeui who graduated from the Military Academy in his hometown, had a smooth military career, and is now a high-ranking officer. Living a stable life without knowing dangerous people like Ilay Riegrow. But if given the choice again, he wouldn’t give up his current life for that one.

Even though the survival instinct and avoidance of danger sometimes made him want to take a few steps back from Ilay, living with him wasn’t bad. No, sometimes even……

……Oh?

Jeong Taeui tilted his head a bit. Then he gently rubbed his chin with his thumb.

For some reason, talking like that made him feel like he actually liked him.

As soon as that thought appeared, he jumped up. The headlights of another car flashed through the rearview mirror. The dreamy thoughts in his head vanished in an instant, and his instincts returned.

Although he knew that unless the other party had the ability to teleport, he couldn’t immediately appear behind him right after leaving. But it felt like his heart was dipped in cold water. Being chased was really stressful.

When he saw the car turning onto another road, Jeong Taeui gently stepped on the gas and spoke.

“Hey Christoph, still alive?”

“Uh…… Cold……”

“Don’t sleep! Sleeping is dying! Don’t sleep, say something! Stay awake!”

“This isn’t a snowy mountain……”

Hearing Christoph’s mumbling voice, Jeong Taeui increased the heater’s temperature. Although it was night, it couldn’t be cold this season. He glanced at Christoph’s wound at his waist through the occasional dim light from the streetlights, seeing the dark red glow.

Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue, thinking that as soon as they got home, he had to wake up the family doctor immediately. It was better to call ahead to prepare. When planning to take Christoph to the hospital, he insisted on going home, claiming that the family doctor could handle the wound.

Jeong Taeui thought of Tarten’s elderly family doctor, who seemed to be over sixty, and mumbled.

“That doctor must be very skilled to have been with Tarten for so long, right?”

“Huh……? Dr. Albert? Yes, he came from France and has worked at the mansion for about thirty five or thirty six years……?”

“Thirty five or thirty six years? So he’s been here longer than you!”

Even if he got his doctor’s degree right when he arrived, how old would he be now? Jeong Taeui exclaimed, feeling impressed in a different way.

“Yes. From what I remember, he’s been in the mansion for a long time. Whenever I fell and scraped my knee, he was always the one to apply the medicine.”

Jeong Taeui thought that was more of a mother’s job than a doctor’s but remained silent. Maybe Christoph’s mother wasn’t the type to do such things.

“When kids of the same age gather, they often get hurt…… So was it from then that you got hurt fighting with Richard?”

Jeong Taeui joked, but Christoph suddenly turned to look at Richard angrily. He stared at the unconscious Richard, then mumbled irritably.

“What are these handcuffs? Don’t you have anything better?”

“Huh? I just used what was in the car. Don’t tell me Richard has superhuman strength to break the handcuffs.”

Jeong Taeui laughed and said: “If Richard had that strength, he could be a strongman performer”, Christoph looked at him for a moment with a displeased expression and then turned away.

“With this guy, I’ve rarely had fights worth getting injured.”

Christoph muttered, and Jeong Taeui silently watched them reflected in the rearview mirror. He thought about the reasons why these two were so severely injured—one bleeding profusely and sweating coldly, and the other unconscious with blood-soaked wounds all over.

As if reading Jeong Taeui’s thoughts, Christoph continued with a displeased expression.

“Unless we’re in an official sparring match during training, we don’t usually clash like this.”

“I heard you two don’t like each other. Hate each other a lot.”

“Hating each other doesn’t mean fighting every time we meet.”

Jeong Taeui nodded, understanding. Well, thinking back, that’s true. When he was at the Military Academy, he also really hated Kim—now probably at a high rank—but didn’t fight with him every day. Unless there was a reason, causing trouble for no reason brought no benefit.

“Yes…… In fact, those who fight every time they meet might be closer than anyone else.”

Jeong Taeui nodded and then tilted his head, thinking.

Although he knew that relationships between people sometimes had no clear reasons, it wasn’t easy for these two to hate each other so much given their personalities.

“Why do you hate Richard so much?”

Jeong Taeui asked, and Christoph’s face became even more displeased. His pale face now looked more lively, at least more bearable. Maybe this was the right topic.

“To be precise, he hated me first.”

“…… Richard?”

No matter what his true nature was, with such a polite appearance, Richard hated him? Jeong Taeui looked doubtful, making Christoph even angrier, looking at Jeong Taeui through the rearview mirror with cold eyes.

“If he hated straightforwardly, it would be better. But he hated others insidiously.”

Jeong Taeui mumbled, “Insidiously…… like sneaking up and hitting the back of the head, then running away?”

“No, it’s more like…… how should I put it. Hmm……”

Christoph frowned, thinking like a child unable to express himself, sighing many times before speaking.

“When we were young, our relationship wasn’t that bad. I mean, we weren’t close, but we weren’t that distant either. We trained in hand-to-hand combat countless times. Although his family and mine didn’t get along, people thought we had a bad relationship, but in reality, we didn’t hate each other…… at least I didn’t.”

But how did things turn out this way? As if he heard the silent question in Jeong Taeui’s mind, Christoph continued irritably.

“One day, I realized he hated me. Am I an idiot? If someone hates me, how can I let it be?”

“…… Normally, if someone hates you, you just ignore it.”

“How can I ignore it! That pervert……!”

Christoph suddenly shouted as if remembering something. He sat up abruptly and then collapsed back into the seat in pain.

Christoph’s unusual and overreactive response startled Jeong Taeui, making him frown.

Wait a minute. Thinking back, how did Christoph know such personal and private things about Richard? How did he know…… Jeong Taeui shivered slightly.

“Could it be……”

He was about to say something but stopped.

No, it couldn’t be. First of all, he couldn’t even imagine Richard doing something depraved to Christoph – if not, who were the two blood-soaked men behind him? – and if that happened, the atmosphere couldn’t be just this tense…… Moreover, if it really happened, Christoph wouldn’t keep an innocent face in front of everyone tonight.

Looking at Christoph clutching his waist and grimacing after saying: “That pervert……,” Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue. He was curious about the rest of the sentence but didn’t really want to hear it.

At that moment, the car’s headlights flashed in the rearview mirror again.

Maybe because it was late and the road was deserted, there weren’t many cars passing by. When he saw a car approaching from behind, he became alert.

Given the time, it couldn’t be. Although only a few minutes had passed since they left the bar. Even for Ilay Riegrow, it wasn’t enough time to catch up.

Nevertheless, Jeong Taeui focused on the car in the rearview mirror, calculating how far they had to go in the coming time.

Maybe this was the right road, but why did it feel so unfamiliar? Whenever unsure, he asked Christoph, but it still felt unfamiliar.

Hearing a soft sigh from behind, he glanced into the mirror. Christoph was leaning his head against the seat, looking out the window. His pale face looked like a statue.

There was no real sense of danger, but it was still fine. It hadn’t reached the point of racing against time.

However, the smell of blood made Jeong Taeui more anxious.

“Already grown up and still fighting…… Since you gave up your inheritance rights, everything should be over. No need to meet and make each other suffer like this.”

“There won’t be any more of that. I won’t return to Dresden again. In fact, since I gave up my inheritance rights, I had no intention of returning. This time, it’s because the old man is about to retire, so I had to.”

Christoph’s voice was slow, as if sleepy.

Jeong Taeui drove and spoke indifferently. His eyes didn’t leave the car he was watching from afar.

“But do you have to give it up? I heard you’re in debt to the family because of that. Why not try? Who knows, you might become the heir.”

In terms of personality, Christoph clearly had no advantage. Jeong Taeui glanced at him. Christoph still looked out the window, mumbling without emotion.

“Whether I become the heir or not doesn’t matter. From the beginning, I never wanted to inherit Tarten and had no interest in it.”

“Ah ha, ability is certainly a very important issue.”

“Besides, I’d rather be in debt for life than be bound to this family.”

“Huh?”

Christoph closed his eyes, looking tired. His lethargic voice sounded like he was whispering in his sleep.

“I’m not stupid enough not to realize who will be chosen as the heir in ten years. I don’t want to bow to that person, whoever it is.”

His voice grew softer, like someone drunk or sleepy. Perhaps he was no longer fully aware of what he was saying.

“……Hey Christoph. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. This is the thirty-something time I’ve been injured like this, and there were times I was hurt ten times worse.”

His somewhat annoyed voice showed he was still quite alert.

“Even so, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.” – Jeong Taeui mumbled and slowed the car a bit. The distance between him and the car behind gradually narrowed, and the image of the driver behind started to become clearer.

It was dark, so it was hard to see clearly, but just a little more…… a little more……

“I’m fine. Pain is easier to endure.”

Christoph mumbled from behind. Yes, he could endure pain well, but also knew how to complain when needed, Jeong Taeui thought and looked in the side mirrors of the car. Yes, now he could clearly see the face……

“Riegrow.”

Taeui’s heart sank.

Jeong Taeui’s hand slipped and he accidentally honked the horn. On the empty, dark road with no cars ahead, the horn blared loudly for a moment.

“Yes, he’s the worst. Capturing people and……!”

It seemed that old resentments were surfacing as Christoph, who was drowsily sleeping, mumbled with a voice full of hatred after hearing that name.

Jeong Taeui clutched his chest, trying to calm his racing heart, and looked back into the rearview mirror. It turned out to be someone else.

“YA, Do not scare people like that……!”

He was about to yell but stopped when he saw Christoph staring at him.

“If you want to break an arm, use a hammer, not your bare hands.”

Even while lying still with a pale face, Christoph’s eyes were sharp. Jeong Taeui felt slightly intimidated.

“Why are you looking at me like that…… did he really break your arm?”

“Yes, he even gripped my bare skin. I told him not to touch me.”

“If he listened to you, he wouldn’t be him.”

But breaking with bare hands is better than using a hammer, Jeong Taeui thought. Meanwhile, Christoph ground his teeth in anger from the back.

“Yeah, after I escaped, I planned to crush him into a pulp. But my client betrayed me, so I had to deal with that first and forgot about dealing with Rick. Wait, turn the car around.”

“What?! Why turn around?!”

“Remembering something means it has to be dealt with. Rick said he would chase us, right? So just turn around for a bit. Turn the car.”

Jeong Taeui almost slammed on the brakes reflexively. He instinctively turned to look at Christoph.

“Deal with Ilay right now?”

“Who else?”

Jeong Taeui stared at Christoph for a few seconds, then turned back and stepped hard on the gas.

“We’ll talk about this again when you’re fully awake. For now, let’s just keep going.”

“What are you saying? I said turn the car around!”

“What do you think is soaking your seat?”

“What?!”

Christoph looked at Jeong Taeui with a confused face, then looked down. After feeling the seat a few times, he looked up again.

“Blood…… Just because of this? Even if I’m slightly injured, if there’s something to do, it must be done first.”

Christoph spoke with a sigh as if he couldn’t believe it.

His words were more coherent than his wound. Jeong Taeui thought it would be nice to punch him in the mouth a few times and pressed harder on the gas.

At that moment, the lights from the car behind faded and another set of lights appeared. Another car was approaching.

“Turn around.”

“We’ll turn later, for now, let’s keep going.”

“Do what needs to be done as soon as you remember.”

“With that body?!”

“Even if injured, work needs to be done.”

“Says who?!” – Jeong Taeui couldn’t help but shout.

He was frustrated that Christoph didn’t take care of himself, didn’t see the situation, and faced anger so foolishly.

Sometimes he felt Christoph was isolated from the world. Though in the same space, there seemed to be a thin membrane separating him from the world.

When Jeong Taeui shouted, Christoph was silent. He looked at Jeong Taeui with surprise, then mumbled uncertainty.

“Says who…… It’s just how things are.”

His dejected voice sounded as if he didn’t know what to do within that thin membrane, making Jeong Taeui silent for a moment.

“People with abnormal psychological structures are really detestable……”

He mumbled to himself in a voice so soft it was barely audible.

Sometimes unexpected things make people sad. It’s better to be angry or have a headache.

“Hey, turn around anyway……”

“We’ll meet again soon. Just a bit more and we’ll be there.”

Jeong Taeui spoke coldly. He glanced at the dashboard.

Although not on the Autobahn*, the speed had exceeded 120 km/h. Yet the car behind – not the one before, but another – was right behind, not backing off. It seemed to be running at a very high speed as well. 

(*Autobahn is the highway system in Germany famous for having sections without speed limits)

……Suddenly, Taeui had a bad feeling.

While arguing with Christoph about his unreasonable stubbornness, the other car was gradually closing in.

“Wait…… We’re running at 160 km/h! How fast is that car going?!”

Jeong Taeui reflexively pressed the gas hard. The speedometer needle slowly crept up. But the car behind did not back off; it seemed to be getting closer.

Jeong Taeui widened his eyes, staring at the rearview mirror. It was dark, so it was hard to see clearly. He waited for the moment when they would pass under a streetlight, but the speed was too fast and the car windows were tinted* darkly. 

(*Car window tinting: a thin film applied to car windows to improve features like heat insulation, UV protection, and privacy)

“Damn it.”

He mumbled a curse.

Finally, Christoph noticed the car chasing them and turned to look.

“What is that, it’s here already? Good.”

“Good? No, it’s not him! That’s not him!”

Contrary to Christoph’s calm tone, Jeong Taeui shook his head and pressed the gas pedal to the floor.

At that moment.

The phone placed next to the gearshift started ringing. It was Christoph’s phone. Jeong Taeui’s hand gripping the gearshift tightened.

Christoph reached for the phone while Jeong Taeui glared at it angrily.

“Hello. ……Yes, that’s right. ……Yes, long time no see. What’s up?”

Hearing Christoph’s lethargic voice from behind, Jeong Taeui pricked his ears and then calmed down.

Whoever called at this time couldn’t be a normal friend. Anyway, if they called at this hour when everyone was sleeping, they weren’t ordinary friends.

Jeong Taeui thought so and focused all his attention on the rearview mirror.

Even though he had floored the gas pedal, the distance between the two cars didn’t increase. He could only maintain the current distance with all his efforts.

“Hey Young Soo. Kim Young Soo…… Jeong Taeui.”

After calling Jeong Taeui a few times, Christoph gently patted his shoulder. When Jeong Taeui looked into the rearview mirror, he saw Christoph still holding the phone to one ear and speaking.

“The speed limit on this road is 100 km/h. There will be a speed camera ahead. If you don’t want to get caught, slow down.”

“Now’s not the time to worry about speed……, ……What?”

Jeong Taeui turned sharply to look at Christoph. Chris, with his usual indifferent face, tapped lightly on his phone.

“Rick said so. Huh, it seems he’s worried about you. He never calls me, but this time……”

“You just met him, how can you say it’s been a long time?” – Taeui

“It’s been a long time since he called.” – Chris

“TELL HIM TO SLOW DOWN!!!!” – Taeui

“Huh? ……Did you hear that, Rick? Taeui said to slow down——……His brakes (Ilay’s brakes) are broken. This is troublesome.”

The distance between the two cars had closed enough to see the driver.

Although his face wasn’t clearly visible due to the tinted windshield, his hands tapping rhythmically on the steering wheel were. His characteristic gloves seemed to smile mischievously.

And the moment those gloves appeared, it looked like they were smiling.

Unexpectedly, those gloves tapped on his car’s windshield.

And…… unbelievably, the windshield began to crack like a spiderweb from where it was tapped.

*Bang Bang Bang* – After three more taps, the rear windshield shattered more than halfway. Through the remaining broken glass, Jeong Taeui could clearly see the driver’s faint smile.

The driver was wearing crescent-shaped headphones* and muttering something. He seemed to know Jeong Taeui was making eye contact with him. He gently waved with a friendly smile. 

(*Crescent-shaped headphones designed for cars usually offer comfort and convenience for drivers while ensuring safety)

Ilay Riegrow.

Jeong Taeui had forgotten that terrifying strength due to living in peace for too long.

“He said he’s happy to see you sooner than expected.”

Christoph still mumbled nonchalantly, making Jeong Taeui want to stop the car and punch him.

……Damn it.

“Should we stop the car?”

Jeong Taeui mumbled to himself. His foot automatically lifted off the gas pedal. As the engine noise seemed to die down, Christoph excitedly shouted from behind.

“That’s right, stop! Now we don’t need to turn back anymore!”

Seeing Christoph excited but slumping back into the seat, Jeong Taeui slowly pressed the gas pedal again.

Damn it. Stop? Stopping would mean at least one person, or maybe more, would die. Moreover, thinking rationally, the remaining distance wasn’t far.

Right ahead, just crossing the bridge over the river and driving for a few more minutes would reach the mansion. Even if they had to meet right after passing through the mansion gate, it would be fine. Just getting inside the mansion gate would be the end.

Jeong Taeui decided to keep driving.

Thinking rationally, the probability of being caught in the remaining distance was 50-50. In reality, the probability might be higher, but with a monster behind, it was 50-50. If he didn’t slow down, they might still escape.

The engine roared fiercely as Jeong Taeui couldn’t press the gas pedal any further (it was at maximum speed). If an accident happened, it would truly be the end…… While thinking this.

Suddenly, there was a strong impact on the rear of the car, shaking Jeong Taeui’s entire body.

“WHAT THE–……?!”

Jeong Taeui rubbed his nose (which got hit), turned back, and was momentarily speechless.

From inside the following car, through the shattered windshield, a thick, large steel cable flew towards them. At the end of the steel cable was a 50 cm diameter iron hook that struck their trunk, deforming it and hooking into it.

The cable connecting the two cars made Jeong Taeui feel the heavy weight being pulled from behind. Ilay had started braking.

“YOU SAID YOUR BRAKES WERE BROKEN!!!”

Even though he didn’t believe it, Jeong Taeui still shouted, knowing Ilay couldn’t hear him. But even if he couldn’t hear, Ilay was certainly laughing joyfully as if he had heard the shout.

“……Christoph, hold onto the handle!”

Jeong Taeui lifted his foot off the gas pedal a bit. Christoph raised an eyebrow, then looked ahead at the approaching river. Across the bridge was a road almost cutting across in the opposite direction.

Christoph understood Jeong Taeui’s intention and frowned.

“Tae-ui, if we turn at this speed, we’ll plunge into the river.”

“Then can you unhook that iron hook?”

“……Never say I have no solution again.”

Christoph clicked his tongue and gripped the handle tightly. At that moment, the phone rang again.

Without looking back, Jeong Taeui held tightly to the steering wheel. Christoph mumbled nonchalantly.

“Taei, Rick said: ‘Stop doing dangerous things’”

Jeong Taeui instinctively stuck his head out of the car window and turned back to look. At this speed, the wind pounded painfully against his ears. The man who just damaged his car and hooked it dared to say that.

Certainly, Christoph thought so too. He listened to the phone with an expressionless face, then glanced at Jeong Taeui.

“Really troublesome, really troublesome. If it were someone else, he would have laughed and hooked the head…… I won’t answer his calls anymore.”

Christoph spoke irritably and threw the phone away. The innocent phone slammed into the front windshield and fell to the floor of the passenger seat. Christoph’s fierce eyes glared at Jeong Taeui.

“Before, when working with this guy, we encountered a similar situation. He told me to climb the cable to get into the car ahead and catch the driver. At that time, the car was moving close to 200 km/h.”

“……And then?”

“I did it.”

“Hey, what if the cable broke or the hook came loose……???”

“But now he’s telling you not to do dangerous things.”

Hearing Christoph’s sarcastic tone, Jeong Taeui felt uncomfortable and looked into the rearview mirror.

He didn’t know how deep the hook was, but to escape the following car, the cable had to be cut first. In this urgent situation with not much time left, there was only one way.

But clearly, by normal standards, unlike these monsters, it was very dangerous. If he turned the wheel at this speed to merge into a side road……. In the best case, it would only slightly collide with the guardrail, denting the car in a few places and completely changing direction, but…… in the worst case, they would plunge straight into the river. Even if everything went smoothly, a minor collision with the guardrail could still cause a serious accident.

When Jeong Taeui lifted his foot off the gas pedal, recalculating in his mind: ‘How many years has it been since I turned the wheel like this?’ Christoph gently touched the back of his neck and mumbled irritably.

“Alright, stop the car. I just remembered a few debts to settle with him, plus…… I don’t like seeing you in danger. Not that I’m too worried but……”

Jeong Taeui looked at Christoph through the mirror in the car, seeing him turn his face towards the window and mumble coldly.

Jeong Taeui felt slightly embarrassed, glanced at the mirror, then looked ahead a few times.

……Right. Thinking back, turning around might unhook the cable, but it would take more time to reach the mansion. That certainly wasn’t good for Christoph.

Maybe it was best to keep driving.

As he thought this and adjusted the steering wheel……