“The doctor seriously said that you almost died.”

Although the wound wasn’t in a particularly dangerous place or very large, the amount of blood lost was near the dangerous level.

The doctor said that if it had been a little later, the situation could have been very serious, and after grumbling for a long while with a stern face, he finally turned away.

The person who should have heard those words was still unconscious on the bed, while Jeong Taeui, who got scolded instead, had to drag his tired body back to his room.

While Jeong Taeui was being scolded by the doctor, Ilay had disappeared somewhere and only returned to Taeui’s room when everything was over. Hearing the doctor’s words that Jeong Taeui recounted angrily, Ilay laughed derisively while applying ointment to the blue bruise on his elbow.

“If just this much could kill you, then what am I? A ghost?”

“……Meaning you’re not human.”

Jeong Taeui massaged his shoulders and neck for a moment before extending his hand for the ointment when Ilay was done.

Ilay, who was about to close the ointment jar, placed it in Jeong Taeui’s hand with a curious look.

“Are you hurt somewhere else?”

Taeui was injured all over. His whole body ached. His joints creaked. All thanks to someone driving a car into him from behind. Though he thought this, Jeong Taeui decided not to say it out loud, opened the ointment jar, and started applying it to his neck.

“I’m not injured, but maybe a bit dislocated. I’m aching all over.”

Jeong Taeui mumbled as he applied the ointment to his neck. But Ilay pushed Taeui’s hand away and grabbed his neck.

“The neck…… Let me see.”

With an irresistible strength, Ilay pulled Jeong Taeui closer and made him sit with his back turned to him. Immediately, Ilay pulled Taeui’s shirt from the bottom up, and in the blink of an eye, Jeong Taeui found himself sitting bare from the waist up.

Ilay’s hands slowly moved from his neck down his back as if checking his body, making Jeong Taeui shiver.

Even though Taeui felt ticklish and squirmed, Ilay continued to press and knead Jeong Taeui’s body, then slowly pressed down each cervical vertebra with his thumb.

“If you get hurt in the neck, it can easily become a chronic condition…… You should take care of your body more carefully. You’ve only been away from home for a short while and look at you now.”

Hearing Ilay’s reproachful tone, Jeong Taeui felt annoyed. He rubbed his eyes as a heavy sense of fatigue washed over him.

“Because someone rammed into me from behind, that’s why I’m like this…… If it were you, could you stand it?”

‘Thanks to the person who was tailing me less than a meter away.’

Saying that, Jeong Taeui suddenly remembered what had happened a few hours ago.

On the road along the riverside. After Richard jumped out of the car carrying Christoph.

Jeong Taeui had driven like a madman. If he were to join a race at that speed now, he would definitely be in the top ranks.

He knew this wouldn’t be easy.

Jeong Taeui thought it was hard to keep a distance of more than 1 meter when the cars were close together, especially when the opponent was Ilay.

However, Jeong Taeui still hoped. He just needed to maintain a distance of more than 1 meter once and the time for that was more than 10 minutes. If he followed the route Ilay had mentioned, there would be at least three sharp turns. The car’s structure and the running trajectory would ensure that the distance would increase at the corners. If he used them well, he could create a distance of more than 1 meter.

So he risked driving at a dangerous speed, even worried that the engine might explode.

As a result……

“Aha……. You really tried to escape.”

The hand pressing down on his neck suddenly increased in strength.

Jeong Taeui was startled and screamed.

“HOW COULD I NOT RUN AWAY WHEN SOMEONE RAMMED A HOOK STRAIGHT INTO ME! IF IT WERE YOU, WOULD YOU DO ANYTHING DIFFERENT?!”

After screaming, he realized he had said something stupid.

This man wouldn’t run away. He would stop the car and deal with it right then and there.

Jeong Taeui hurriedly corrected himself.

“N-but you didn’t have to hit the car so hard, it’s lucky there wasn’t an accident, huh.”

“Huh? Ah…… At that speed, there wouldn’t be an accident.”

The person who shamelessly hit the car from behind said casually.

Hearing this, Jeong Taeui felt even more exhausted. This person said that losing blood wouldn’t kill him, driving a car at hundreds of kilometers per hour into another car wouldn’t cause an accident.

“Taei. Keep your promise.”

“…………”

“Taeui.”

“Alright. Unless it’s absolutely necessary, I won’t touch Christoph. Is that okay?”

“Good.”

This was the result after a fierce chase that was life-threatening.

[Unless it’s absolutely necessary, do not deliberately approach Christoph]

This was really lucky. He feared that Ilay would make a more unreasonable request, but this was reasonable.

In fact, Jeong Taeui felt relieved agreeing to this request.

He shouldn’t get too close to Christoph anymore. It wouldn’t be good for Christoph.

Jeong Taeui was always ready to cut off things he couldn’t take responsibility for. So, at least for Christoph’s sake, he couldn’t continue.

Taeui sighed, looking down at his legs while turning his back to Ilay, then weakly said.

“But please don’t make me refuse if Christoph touches me…… At least for now.”

After a moment of silence from behind his shoulder, finally a soft “Tsk” sound was heard. There was no clear answer. Jeong Taeui didn’t say anything more either. He just groaned softly because of the pain: “Ugh.”

It was really a long night.

He had no strength left to resist and could only lie still, letting Ilay’s magical hands massage and knead his body. When he glanced at the clock with heavy eyes, it was almost dawn.

Jeong Taeui thought that if he slept now, he probably wouldn’t be able to wake up for the next three days.

His body gradually softened under Ilay’s massaging hands. To the extent that if he closed his eyes, the drowsiness would flood in like waves.

Lying under those beautiful yet frightening hands and still being able to sleep, he told himself in his head.

“Being an heir isn’t an easy job.”

“Tonight’s events weren’t due to being an heir; it was an issue between human relationships.”

“No, that’s not it……”

Jeong Taeui weakly shook his head. He thought of Richard, who might be at the bar now.

Richard had returned to the mansion just to receive minimal treatment, then got up immediately. Even though he hadn’t lost consciousness due to blood loss like Christoph, looking from the outside, he was equally injured. Richard didn’t rest but immediately returned to the bar to handle the chaotic situation.

“Is being an heir that responsible? He looked so exhausted that he couldn’t even drive.”

Jeong Taeui sighed lightly and shrugged.

“Things need to be handled as soon as possible. The interior of the bar can be repaired in a few days, but the innocent customers affected and the allies who were injured and have to stay in the hospital for a long time……”

“But he himself is also on the brink of death……”

“He won’t die.”

Jeong Taeui was silent.

He wanted to say: ‘That’s because he’s not a normal human; a normal person would be dead by now’, but saying it wouldn’t help. The fact is, Richard didn’t die.

“Your muscles are just a bit tense, not seriously injured…… Lie down.”

After thoroughly checking Jeong Taeui’s neck, Ilay lightly patted his back.

Feeling comfortable under those massaging hands, Jeong Taeui obediently stretched out and lay down. Immediately, the hands started massaging from his neck down his back. Then Ilay even brought massage oil from the bathroom and applied it all over Taeui’s back, massaging it evenly.

Jeong Taeui sighed comfortably, seemingly dozing off. It felt really good.

“Ah…… so comfortable~……”

His dreamy voice made the massaging hands pause for a moment. Then those hands continued to stroke down his back with the palms.

“Hearing you say that makes me feel ‘comfortable’ too.”

“………… Can I take a day off?”

Jeong Taeui mumbled sadly, making Ilay laugh. The large hands began to knead the muscles on his back again.

“You’re quite sharp.”

“If I weren’t a bit sharp, could I have survived until now? I don’t have supernatural strength like you, no special abilities like Christoph, and no heir responsibilities like Richard to survive on willpower alone……”

Jeong Taeui mumbled as he drifted in and out of sleep, feeling a light breath near his neck. It was Ilay’s laugh from behind. Suddenly, Ilay asked a surprising question.

“What do you think the market capitalization of T&R is?”

“……?”

Jeong Taeui tilted his head while lying down. Even when awake, it was hard to guess, let alone now when his mind was groggy.

“I don’t know…… Probably very large.”

“20 billion USD.” 

Hearing that number, his mind cleared up, but then he sank into sleep again, thinking about that unrealistic figure. Even so, he still mumbled.

“Why suddenly boast about money, you diamond spoon……”

Once again, he felt a light breath near his neck.

“The assets of T&R have nothing to do with my personal assets…… But if I were rich, wouldn’t that be good for you? You could just live comfortably and spend money like water.”

“Huh?…… No, I just want to earn money and spend my own money……”

“Ah, right, you said you would earn money to support me for life.”

Hearing this, he woke up completely.

“What?! No wait, n-not for life, just until you can fend for yourself……”

Saying it out loud seemed strange. No, even though he had known this fact for a long time, even if Jeong Taeui didn’t earn money, this man would still live very well and comfortably.

But before Jeong Taeui could complain about this unfairness, Ilay had continued pressing on his stiff back muscles and spoke again.

“Tarten doesn’t have such large total assets. But the ‘products’ they handle and trade have far superior value. But the remarkable thing is that T&R is still stable. Even if my brother dies today, the company won’t be in danger. But with places that rely on information, it’s different. The weight carried on one mouth is different. And when the center is shaken, the impact will spread to the branches. Simply put―.”

Ilay paused. Jeong Taeui, half asleep, half awake, opened his eyes slightly and responded with a: “Uh-huh.” But immediately, Ilay grabbed his shoulders and twisted sharply, making Taeui sit up.

“IT HURTS!!!”

“What did you do to make your muscles as hard as rocks?”

“If you went through a night as eventful as tonight, being stiff is natural! Simply put, what?!”

“If such minor things make you like this, you can’t sit in an important position in Tarten.”

“I wouldn’t sit there even if you offered it for free! IT HURTS……!”

It seemed like Ilay had no intention of letting Jeong Taeui sleep peacefully tonight.

Jeong Taeui hesitated, considering whether to give up the massage and try to sleep or postpone sleep to continue relaxing his body…… and eventually chose the latter. This wasn’t something that happened often; in fact, Ilay’s hands brought a very comfortable feeling.

Though at the moment, those hands pressing into his stiff muscles were causing him pain.

“If someone is vulnerable or needs rest like that, he won’t be able to sit in that position.”

Hearing Ilay’s confident words, Jeong Taeui sighed painfully to ease the pain.

“Christoph was wise to give up the struggle early.”

“Are you worried?”

Hearing Ilay’s mocking question, Jeong Taeui was silent. He thought for a few seconds, then sighed and shook his head.

“No…… even if he gave up, his condition isn’t any better. Maybe it’s not just because of that struggle.”

“There’s nothing more foolish than worrying about someone who doesn’t value their own life.”

Ilay patted Jeong Taeui’s lower back lightly as if signaling he was done. When Jeong Taeui lifted his head and said – “Thank you” – Ilay took the shirt Taeui had carelessly thrown aside and wiped his back, then gently helped him lie down.

“Christoph shouldn’t have given up the competition halfway.”

“Hmm?”

“Or rather, no matter what happened, he shouldn’t have returned to Dresden.”

Ilay spoke in an unserious tone while wiping the oil from his hands with the handkerchief placed on the table beside the bed.

“Unfortunately, Richard has a very high sense of pride, although he rarely shows it. And his memory is good enough to remember the smallest details from before he matured. The worst part is, he knows how to be patient for a long time to achieve his goal.”

“……Just hearing that, I still don’t understand why that’s unfortunate and terrible.”

“Imagine a sense of pride that no one can hurt being trampled on, and he doesn’t forget but remembers every detail to take revenge over a long period. Then suddenly, everything falls apart.”

“……”

“If it were me, I would kill that person.”

No, if it were the man in front of him, the patient waiting process would never exist. He would solve everything immediately when he felt uncomfortable.

Jeong Taeui bit his lip, scratching his chin. He looked at the ceiling for a moment, then shook his head.

“In the end, I still don’t understand. I think I wouldn’t handle it that way…… but who knows.” – Taeui 

“Those who complicate things don’t need to make it complicated.” – Ilay 

“……I don’t know…… The ‘things that don’t need to be complicated’ you talk about cover too many aspects……” 

Jeong Taeui wondered if there was anything that Ilay Rigrow couldn’t handle. But he couldn’t think of any. Life must have been challenging for Ilay at times, but Jeong Taeui believed that Ilay would use a knife to cut through complicated knots rather than trying to untangle them.

Jeong Taeui turned to lie on his side facing Ilay. His body felt comfortable as if he had just soaked in warm water.

“But if we’re talking about personal preference, I prefer people without schemes. Though it may be a bit harsh, it’s still better than someone unpredictable. That’s why I want to support Christoph over Richard.”

“Aha, so if necessary, killing Richard is also fine.”

“…….”

Jeong Taeui remained silent for a long time, then closed his eyes in a sleepy and relaxed state. When he slowly opened his eyes again, the smile on his lips had disappeared. <Taeui is panicking>

When will he fully understand this man? He wondered as he looked up at Ilay. Now he didn’t even understand the current conversation.

Ilay wiped the oil off his pinky finger, then tossed the towel into the trash and looked straight into Jeong Taeui’s eyes. It wasn’t a joke, but it wasn’t too serious either.

“If necessary, I will protect you.” – Ilay 

“If killing Richard is needed to support Christoph, I will declare neutrality.” – Taeui 

“No, that means―”

Ilay stopped, furrowed his brows as if thinking about something, then looked intently at Jeong Taeui.

Jeong Taeui knew that look. It was the look of trying to figure out how to convince someone with a different mindset. He often looked at Ilay with that same gaze.

Suddenly, Jeong Taeui found it funny and smiled.

Even though they had been together for many years, a large gap remained between him and Ilay that couldn’t be filled. And no matter how he thought about it, that gap wouldn’t be filled in the future.

But.

Even though he and Ilay were so different.

Even though it will always be like that in the future.

No matter what, Jeong Taeui and Ilay Riegrow would continue to move forward together on these parallel lines.

This relationship, which perhaps most people would see as such, suddenly made him feel happy.

“What were you going to say?” – Jeong Taeui continued the conversation.

Ilay considered his words for a moment, then shrugged.

“It means that if necessary, don’t hesitate to cause him great harm to protect your small safety.”

“……That’s a matter of human morality to consider.”

Jeong Taeui pondered deeply. It wasn’t about human morality but about the relationship between small safety and great harm.

He wasn’t a fool. Ilay knew that too.

……There was no happy conclusion.

Jeong Taeui scratched his head: “Ah, why do they have to keep fighting when they’re adults……?”

“Then why did you sneak into their fight?”

Jeong Taeui looked up at Ilay, who was sitting beside him, watching him.

“If I had known earlier, I wouldn’t have come……” – Taeui mumbled, then rested his head on Ilay’s thigh.

“Ahhh, whatever. You’ll protect me. I only trust you.”

Even though it felt a bit like sticking his foot into an axe*, Taeui couldn’t endure it any longer. He was so exhausted that he could sleep even with his head resting on a blade.

(*Sticking foot into an axe: causing trouble or harm to oneself due to reckless actions)

Despite resting his head on such a dangerous thigh, Taeui closed his eyes without anything happening. Only a sharp gaze pierced his cheek.

Ah, whatever. Ilay sometimes rested his head on his lap to sleep too, so doing this once should be fine.

However, to be safer, Taeui gently reached up and held Ilay’s arm.

A deep, gentle breath fell on his head.

“Taei. You did this on purpose, didn’t you?”

“Uh……?”

“You. More and more―.”

“……?”

“…… Forget it.”

More and more domineering, more and more fearless, etc…… Those thoughts passed through Taeui’s mind but he dismissed them.

Now Taeui was too tired to think of any more words, and sleep weighed heavily on his eyes. Even while resting his head on Ilay’s stiff thigh, he still felt comfortable.

As if this long and eventful night had finally come to an end.

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

“What are you doing? Why do you look so sad?”

“Um…… I was thinking about the eternity of time……”

Jeong Taeui answered gloomily. He was sitting alone in the large dining room, reading the newspaper and nibbling on a piece of hard black bread.

Johan, with his disheveled hair, looking like he had just woken up, walked in while scratching his head and sat down across from Jeong Taeui. He poured tea into a cup. The sound of the water pouring echoed in the quiet space.

The space was truly peaceful and quiet.

However, somewhere the long and arduous night that seemed to have ended was still ongoing.

He wished that when he opened his eyes, everything would be just a dream, but life wasn’t that easy. Life had never been straightforward.

“Did you sleep until the sun was high? Such a lazy person……”

Johan drank his tea in one gulp, then looked at Jeong Taeui quietly chewing his bread and teased him. Jeong Taeui looked back at Johan, who hadn’t even washed his face, with eye crusts still sticking to his lashes.

It was clear that Jeong Taeui had slept in until early afternoon, so he wasn’t diligent either. But hearing those words from Johan, who hadn’t even washed his face, felt paradoxical.

Johan seemed to realize that look and frowned, waving his hand.

“No, no. Anyway, I got up early, went for a jog, then read the paper and drank tea in the living room. Finally, I greeted the elders in the house. The newspaper you’re reading is the one I read this morning…… But I did take a nap afterward.”

“Why did you wake up so early today?”

Jeong Taeui didn’t want to argue about Johan taking a nap because he was too tired.

When Taeui woke up, it was around 3 PM.

He hadn’t slept little, in fact, he had overslept, so when he woke up, his head was still dizzy and heavy for a while before he could get out of bed. After showering and stepping out of his room, Jeong Taeui noticed something strange.

More precisely, it wasn’t anything too strange.

The looks cast his way had become sharper than yesterday.

Initially, people weren’t very friendly towards him. But now their gazes had become particularly harsh.

It felt like they wanted to punch him right there but had to restrain their anger. They looked at Jeong Taeui as if he were an enemy who had killed their parents. Taeui didn’t have time to be shocked by the people passing by.

Not just the Tarten family.

Even the servants, who had nothing to do with the struggle, were cold towards him.

The reason was obvious.

Recalling the devastation Christoph caused last night, it was understandable that the atmosphere was icy.

How many people had nearly died being taken out of the bar? And how much was the bar destroyed? Even within the house, many people were injured and had to be taken out. Perhaps from sunset yesterday to before dawn today, the number of injured people was more than Jeong Taeui had ever seen since arriving here.

The atmosphere, which had already been tense, had reached its worst.

He felt the tension in the air like needles pricking his skin.

When he walked into this dining room, two men were already sitting at the table and talking. When they saw him, they showed disdain and left. If they had been more aggressive, they might have hit him on the spot.

Sitting down with an uncomfortable feeling, Jeong Taeui flipped through the newspaper and chewed on bread when Johan walked in looking a mess.

Still, seeing Johan slightly eased the tense atmosphere.

Johan pulled the bread basket in front of Jeong Taeui and took a big bite, scratching his head.

“I didn’t want to wake up early, but it was so noisy outside. 7 o’clock? 8 o’clock? Since early morning, people were coming and going outside the window, making it unbearably noisy.”

Johan complained that when he tried to drink tea and read the paper, the elders kept him, not letting him go. He finished a large piece of bread in just two bites and reached for a second one.

“Were there that many people here this morning? I was asleep, so I didn’t know. But last night was exhausting…… But why? Is there something going on today?”

Jeong Taeui asked. Johan, while chewing bread, squinted at him.

“Why are you asking me? You were there too.”

“Huh? Where?”

“Where Christoph went to Richard’s bar and caused a scene.”

Jeong Taeui paused mid-chew, his mouth hanging open. Then his mind started working again.

“……Indeed, that was quite serious…… but serious enough to gather everyone here?”

“Two dead, four unconscious, seven in critical condition. The elders are in an uproar. No wonder they’re making a fuss.”

The bread in Jeong Taeui’s hand fell. His face changed instantly.

“Dead?……Dead?”

“Yes, two. One at home and one at the bar. And among the four unconscious, one is in critical condition. If he dies, it will be three deaths in one night. It’s quiet here compared to the main house where the elders are in an uproar. I was dragged away by the elders while drinking tea.”

Johan rubbed his eyes as he spoke. Jeong Taeui tried to swallow the piece of bread.

He had seen many people lying around last night but didn’t think anyone had died. No wonder the atmosphere was so tense.

“What about…… Christoph?”

Jeong Taeui asked while pulling Johan’s cup to pour water.

“Huh? Probably still lying there. This morning I saw the elders take him away, but he didn’t seem to be able to open his eyes for a while.”

“Ah…… yes, that’s right.”

Even Jeong Taeui had been bedridden for half a day. If Christoph had gotten up and walked around, Jeong Taeui would have run away from this monstrous house immediately.

He quietly poured the remaining tea and drank silently, watching Johan eat bread at an astonishing speed.

Even before, Christoph wasn’t welcomed in Tarten, but now it was even worse. No one had a good opinion of him; everyone was afraid and avoided him.

“Christoph had given up the succession struggle and almost cut off contact with the family for ten years, but now he’s back causing trouble, the elders surely won’t forgive him. Before they protected him, but this time it won’t be easy.”

“Richard must be very happy.”

Jeong Taeui mumbled while sipping tea. Johan snorted.

“Happy? Richard also suffered considerable damage yesterday. ……But since I just woke up, I’m not that hungry.”

Johan pushed the nearly empty bread basket to the center of the table, brushing crumbs from his mouth. He looked at Jeong Taeui with a serious expression.

“Only a month left to decide the successor. Christoph shouldn’t be causing trouble at this time.”

“Hmm…… though I don’t want to justify it, thinking back to the tragedy of last night, just standing by would have been unbearable. Not to mention, with people dying, standing by would be worse, right?”

“Then instead of confronting, he should have shot his opponent in the head.”

Jeong Taeui stopped mid-sip of his tea, staring at Johan. Johan picked a pecan piece from the bread crumbs and didn’t seem to be joking. Though not too serious, he wasn’t kidding either – “Should have shot” – he even made a shooting gesture with his fingers.

He really has an unexpected side……

“A leader shooting a family member doesn’t seem right.”

Jeong Taeui said displeasedly, but Johan just snorted.

“It depends on the target and situation. In this case, whatever the outcome, Richard would be the winner. Any reason would be acceptable. But instead, he jumped into the fight and got injured everywhere. What good does that do?”

“The main house is in an emergency, and my ears are being bothered. It’s really not good at all.” – Johan complained, making Jeong Taeui frown.

Not needing to act but just shooting the opponent.

Maybe Johan was right. If Richard could overpower the opponent, it would be fine, but jumping into the fight was a mistake a leader shouldn’t make. People died, he got seriously injured, and couldn’t completely defeat the opponent. It was a losing situation in many ways.

“Even so…… the succession should be fine.”

“No real equal opponent” – Jeong Taeui mumbled. Johan shrugged.