“The position is unlucky. Don’t stand there.”

That phrase, it seemed he had heard it somewhere before…………… Oh, not exactly the same, but a similar sentiment he had heard recently. Back then, it was about an unlucky name, perhaps…….

Jeong Taeui looked at Christoph, who coldly stated it with an irritated expression.

What Christoph called the ‘unlucky position’ was the spot standing next to Ilay near the entrance.

Sensing the cold and knife-like gaze from Ilay behind him, Taeui bitterly pointed to the chair in that spot with his thumb and asked.

“If my name doesn’t suit this area and brings bad luck, then why is this position unlucky?”

“In Chinese Feng Shui, it’s written that places with lots of drafts are unlucky positions. Haven’t you ever heard that?”

Christoph frowned, questioning back as if it was something obvious that everyone should know.

“Um…….?”

“The area near the entrance has a lot of drafts, so it’s an unlucky position. So don’t stand there.”

Christoph spoke decisively and shook his head to the point where Taeui couldn’t say anything more. Facing the irrefutable logic left Taeui only able to press his lips together bitterly.

“But Ilay is standing there…….”

“Do you have a reason to stand next to him? You should stand somewhere else. Stay away from there.”

Ilay’s gaze, standing in the ‘unlucky position’ right beside the door, grew colder. Taeui felt a chill down his spine and quickly shook his head.

“No, I think it’s better to stand next to Ilay.”

Jeong Taeui quickly took a few steps to the side and sat next to Ilay before Christoph could say anything more.

Christoph looked at Taeui disapprovingly, sighed in dissatisfaction, and pulled Jeong Taeui to the other side of Ilay, where a small table created a bit more distance.

“If that’s the case, then let him stand in the ‘unlucky position’ next to the door, and you stand inside here.”

“…….Um……., thank you.”

Jeong Taeui, even starting to doubt Chinese Feng Shui, muttered a word of thanks; meanwhile, the unlucky Ilay, who had just been pushed into a stroke of bad luck, only coldly laughed and nodded lightly.

“There won’t be any more disturbances. You should return to your place. Those in the direct line of Tarten are all seated in the front row. What are you planning to do here alone? Don’t act like a child who’s been left behind. Go back to your seat.”

Christoph looked towards the direction Ilay pointed.

Before the inheritance decision was made, those in Tarten’s direct line were sitting in the front row, chatting with each other. They were presenting the image of a happy and united family.

There was no empty seat left. Everything was complete. Neither surplus nor lacking.

“Yes……. That’s right.”

Christoph murmured softly.

Christoph saw the elderly man stepping forward with the help of a relative and began moving towards that complete picture. But then Christoph suddenly stopped and turned around. His eyes met Taeui’s.

“Hey.”

Jeong Taeui didn’t respond but tilted his head, looking confused.

“Today, your hands belong to me.”

He suddenly said something without any clear context.

Jeong Taeui stared intently at Christoph’s expressionless face, then looked down at his own hand. After that, he glanced at Ilay, who was slightly raising an eyebrow beside him, and finally looked back at Christoph. Finally, he slowly sighed and gently smiled.

“Yes, today.”

Hearing Jeong Taeui’s reply, Christoph nodded as if satisfied – though his face didn’t show any clear expression – then turned and walked away.

Jeong Taeui quietly sighed and watched as Christoph entered that complete family picture but sat alone in a distant corner, making the picture look unbalanced.

Almost simultaneously, as Christoph found his place, the elderly man in front began to make a brief speech before announcing the successor.

While standing near the door, feeling entirely like an outsider, Jeong Taeui watched them.

“Finally, the decision is about to be made……. I wonder if there will be any unexpected outcomes.”

When Jeong Taeui murmured, Ilay – who was treated as an honored guest with a front-row seat but stood with folded arms beside Jeong Taeui in a corner of the hall – slightly nodded.

“There probably won’t be any surprises regarding the succession decision.”

“Is there anything else, then?”

“Well……. for instance, the repayment terms haven’t been officially announced yet.”

Hearing those casual words, Jeong Taeui looked over at Raumaan, who was sitting in the front row. Since the unexpected visit to his room, they hadn’t met or crossed paths again. Nor had Malik or Aziz come looking, as he had worried.

Everything was quiet. Too quiet, to the point that it was impossible to tell what might be lurking beneath that peaceful surface.

“Are you scared?”

A sudden question proved that Ilay could sometimes read Taeui’s thoughts, albeit somewhat distortedly.

“Not exactly scared, it’s just that if things don’t go as planned, it could cause trouble……. But if something happens, let it happen. The water will flow its course.”

Jeong Taeui shrugged. The difficult and painful times we struggle through, and then one day we wake up to find they’ve been left behind. It has always been that way and surely will be again in the future. Moreover…….

“Please take good care of me.”

“Huh?”

“If you’ve dragged my life this far, from now on, you’ll have to continue leading me, even if the roads are muddy, we’ll be crossed smoothly.”

Jeong Taeui looked straight at Ilay and spoke naturally. Ilay met that gaze for a moment, then burst out laughing in disbelief.

“You’re the kind of person who, if you fell into a mud pit, would swim out and play in it.”

Jeong Taeui laughed along.

In the meantime, finally, from the old man’s mouth, a name was announced after his brief speech.

“…….Therefore, we have concluded that the person capable of continuing to lead Tarten from its current state and even further improving it is Richard.”

As soon as Richard’s name was called, congratulations and applause poured out for him as he sat.

Jeong Taeui kept his earlier promise and clapped enthusiastically, although his applause might not have reached Richard, he still clapped loudly and then muttered with slight boredom: “As expected, no surprises.”

Suddenly, Taeui tilted his head and looked out the window. Ilay, who was clapping half-heartedly beside him, also looked at him with curiosity.

“Um……. it seems like there’s applause coming from outside too.”

Outside the window, lights from scattered lamps illuminated the yard. And there, a few men in black suits stood with stern faces. Taeui had thought that with such distinguished guests present, it made sense to have a large security team, but still, something felt strange.

There was no way those men with fierce eyes standing guard outside could know the exact moment to start clapping. Perhaps it was just his imagination.

“Oh, that’s probably just the sound of the helicopter blades. There’s a temporary helipad on the main building.”

“A helicopter? Ah, I did notice earlier that the people in the main building seemed unusually busy……. But for the sound of the blades to be so loud, what kind of helicopter is it?”

“Hmm.” – Jeong Taeui muttered unconsciously and then suddenly tilted his head in the opposite direction.

“Didn’t you say no one was coming by helicopter? And if they had to wait from early on, who would be in such a hurry to leave?”

“Nope. It’s just a precautionary measure in case of an emergency.”

“A precaution? Was it you?”

Jeong Taeui looked at Ilay with increasing suspicion.

“Yes. I asked Richard to borrow a helicopter from Tarten. But honestly, we probably won’t need it.”

“What do we need a helicopter for?”

In contrast to Taeui’s increasingly strange tone, Ilay glanced absently at Richard ahead, speaking with calm indifference.

“In any case, Jeong Jaeil is an unpredictable factor for me.”

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

Jeong Taeui frowned and replied. Ilay didn’t look at him but kept his eyes forward, his face appearing pensive and worried as if deep in thought.

“Ilay.”

Taeui clicked his tongue and called his name, and only then did Ilay glance at him. He stroked his chin while looking at Taeui with a contemplative expression and then mumbled as if questioning himself.

“It’s something you’ll find out sooner or later, but is it better to say it now or just wait and see how things unfold?”

“If I were in the speaker’s position, I might choose the latter, depending on the situation, but if I were the listener, I’d obviously prefer the former.”

In this situation, it was clear that Taeui was the listener, so he frowned and spoke bluntly.

“Fine, Taei, I’ll tell you upfront. Jeong Jaeil won’t suffer any harm – even if someone wanted to cause trouble for him, they wouldn’t be able to. Moreover, Jeong Jaeil has completed the research he’s been devoted to for years at UNHRDO. Now that he’s done, he has no regrets about leaving.”

Jeong Taeui looked at the man speaking so nonchalantly and suddenly raised his hand.

“Wait a minute. Why do I feel like your next words are going to be extremely dangerous?”

“From your perspective, as long as Jeong Jaeil is safe, nothing else matters, right?”

“No, that’s not it. In anything, just because one good thing happens doesn’t mean everything else will go smoothly……. What on earth is so serious that you need to take me by helicopter just to drag him into this?”

“Oh——you misunderstood. It’s not about taking you to drag Jeong Jaeil in; it’s about preparing in case you get dragged into this, so I made arrangements in advance. There’s something about Abdul Raman that I can’t fully trust.”

Taeui once again stared at Ilay blankly. Then he mumbled in confusion – “Trusting Raumaan? What about my brother?” – but Ilay had already averted his gaze and turned back to the front.

“Tarten already has a new master. Clap your hands, Taei. It’s grand.”

As Ilay clapped his hands, Jeong Taeui also clapped along, then looked back and forth between the front and his side.

“Hey Ilay——.”

“You don’t need to worry. Your brother will live very well in a place where no one can touch him, as long as he occasionally pretends to produce what they wants, and he’ll get everything he desires.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Even without being involved in weapon development or related technologies, just the name Jeong Jaeil alone is enough to live comfortably. They’ve promised him a luxurious life that can’t be compared to any previous invited developers – you can trust that. Their money not only flows from the ground but is so abundant it’s overflowing.”

Jeong Taeui tightened his grip on Ilay’s elbow. Ilay merely glanced at him. His eyes were smiling.

He had a bad feeling. Not exactly anxiety, but a sense of discomfort. Taeui didn’t like this roundabout way of speaking.

“Don’t overthink it. Nothing’s going to change. If there’s one difference, it’s that from now on, you can only see him when he wants to see you.”

“What? Are you saying you’re going to kidnap and imprison my brother?”

“If you want to be specific, yes.”

Jeong Taeui looked at Ilay with a stunned expression. After staring at him in disbelief for a while, he slowly sighed and rubbed his forehead.

“Stop joking around. You know very well. UNHRDO will protect my brother. No matter what the Middle Eastern royal family tries, getting him out of there smoothly is impossible. Is it worth causing a huge scandal and damaging their honor just to get one person, even if he’s a genius? No way!”

“Their honor won’t be damaged.”

Ilay stated concisely.

At that moment.

Richard – the newly introduced master of Tarten – seemed to be looking in this direction. Simultaneously, three or four men who had been standing like guards outside the banquet room suddenly entered and stood inside. They positioned themselves opposite Taeui, where Ilay was standing in between.

Quickly scanning the people looking directly at him, Jeong Taeui saw Ilay still leisurely gazing forward as if completely unaware of the situation unfolding here.

“What the hell is this?”

Familiar faces. They were from Tarten. People Jeong Taeui had met a few times, perhaps distant relatives of Richard or Christoph – who was standing with a blank expression nearby. In the middle of them was Aziz. His face briefly showed a look of regret as if saying – “If only he’d listened to me earlier, things would’ve been better.”

“Stay here a few more days, Taei. I’ll go to Frankfurt and come back to get you.”

“Ilay.”

“Knowing your personality, I think if I waited until everything was over and then told you, you’d change your expression immediately, but if I tell you now, you’ll definitely try to intervene and make things messier.”

Ilay pulled his hand out of his pocket, which had been casually resting there, and slowly put on a pair of thin, durable gloves. He smiled at Taeui.

“I’ve made a deal with Tarten. They’ve guaranteed to protect you in this house so that those royal gentlemen can’t touch you. So stay here a bit longer and have fun until I get back. It won’t be long.”

“ILAY!”

Jeong Taeui shouted.

Though not loud, his rare serious and angry tone startled those nearby, who turned to look. However, none of them intervened, even though they saw the strange situation near the exit close to him.

At that moment, Jeong Taeui noticed. Abdul Raman was standing behind Al Faisal as if protecting him, and suddenly looked over this way.

His eyes narrowed slightly. It was an expression Taeui had seen before in Seringe. Damn, he cursed under his breath. After that expression, nothing good had ever happened to him.

“This is the contract between me and Al Faisal – Al Saud. It’s also a long-standing commitment between Riegrow and Tarten. Tarten has promised to provide comprehensive support for both sides of us……. Oh, this last part is off-the-record. Don’t tell anyone.”

Ilay concluded his speech with a joke and then a smile with eyes as cold as ice.

“Ilay! I haven’t agreed to this yet. I have no intention of staying here quietly.”

Jeong Taeui shook his head. After clenching his fists several times to feel the gloves on his hands, Ilay nodded as if he’d figured something out.

“I knew you’d react this way, so I didn’t say anything earlier. I wasn’t confident I could persuade you about this. You’re too blinded by your brother……. And actually, that’s also part of what led to this situation, as you know.”

Jeong Taeui glared at the front of the banquet room.

He made eye contact with Richard, who was casually glancing around the room. But Richard simply turned away as if nothing was happening. Not far away, Christoph also glanced at Jeong Taeui but said nothing and didn’t move.

A contract with Al Saud.

A treaty between Riegrow and Tarten.

Jeong Taeui stood still, watching as the young men from Tarten slowly approached him. When they were within five steps, he sighed.

He calculated in his mind. The number was 5. Excluding the one standing outside the basic range, there were 4 left. Just that number was enough to make things difficult, and among them was Aziz. They didn’t seem easy to deal with at all.

Jeong Taeui openly pointed and counted each person, clicked his tongue in annoyance, and sighed again.

“Seriously……. A man with a decent appearance who resorts to kidnapping when persuasion fails. Or you, a man willing to deceive his only lover to help his benefactor, even after firing a cannon for his benefactor’s family. And this house is always ready to support those who do such foolish things……. People like you, born with diamond spoons in your mouths, always make honest folks like me suffer.”

“Have you calculated it thoroughly? Do you think you have a chance to win?”

Ilay asked with a cunning smile as if he already knew what Jeong Taeui was thinking. He was an ally even more terrifying than an enemy.

Jeong Taeui looked up calmly and stared straight at Ilay.

“We’re going to Frankfurt together.”

He even smiled slightly, but Ilay, as if expecting that response, immediately refused.

“Because I knew you’d say that, I told you now. If I had known earlier, in the remaining time, you’d try every possible way to persuade me.”

“Do you think you’re the kind of person easily persuaded?”

“Maybe I wouldn’t succumb to sweet words, but when it comes to whispered words on the pillow, even I’m not sure I could resist. As you said, I only have one lover.”

Jeong Taeui felt anger rising but couldn’t refute it. As he said, if he had known earlier, he might have secretly tried to persuade him somehow, even if only through actions……. He felt disappointed in himself for thinking that way. Since when had he become this weak?

But when he heard about not being able to resist, Taeui thought that might be useful for next time as a young man from Tarten approached. Just as he was lost in disappointment, the young man grabbed Taeui’s wrist, and Taeui’s first instinct was to strike the young man hard on the nose.

“Oh, sorry……. I didn’t mean to.”

Jeong Taeui apologized when he saw the young man clutching his nose and bending down, then turned back to Ilay.

“I’ve thought it through; I still don’t want to stay here quietly.”

“No, you have to stay here. If not, I can’t ensure your safety when I’m not around……. So I already told you. Stay put and don’t leave Berlin until I get back.”

“No, I don’t know what to do……. don’t keep me, I don’t want to stay here!”

Taeui even continued to strike as another young man approached, but this time his punch missed as the person was prepared. “Tsk” – He muttered under his breath, showing dissatisfaction.

It might have been a different situation, so Ilay had no intention of helping Jeong Taeui in this situation; he just stood with his arms crossed and watched……. but not entirely indifferent.

Then Ilay stepped behind Taeui and unexpectedly delivered a punch to the temple of another young man who was grabbing Taeui’s shoulder roughly and trying to dislocate his arm.

“Do it gently. If you do that, this guy will get hurt. What are you going to do if he gets injured?”

“You’re the type to punch and then give medicine. Damn it!”

In his heart, Taeui wanted to grab and vent his anger on his only lover, but that was entirely beyond his ability.

All eyes turned to the back of the banquet room, which was quickly becoming chaotic. Although the elders were frowning and signaling the men nearby, Richard continued to speak in a calm voice, ignoring what was happening.

“……. Besides, the final payment to Tarten has already been agreed upon.”

Hearing that annoyingly calm voice, Taeui felt frustrated. Even though Aziz – who he thought would be the hardest to deal with – barely intervened with three men attacking at once, the situation became disadvantageous.

“This is troublesome……. really troublesome.”

Jeong Taeui muttered.

He had no intention of letting them capture him easily. But he also didn’t have enough confidence to escape them. As long as he didn’t injure anyone.

“Anyway, I’ve been staying at their house for weeks, so I can’t leave without giving a thank-you gift. But if I have to harm them to escape, that’s not right…….”

Jeong Taeui sighed. But he couldn’t hold back his strength, especially with an unreliable ally standing casually behind him, watching.

Jeong Taeui only dodged the attacks of the young men without counterattacking, looking visibly confused. Then he clicked his tongue and muttered unhappily – “Really sorry” – while grabbing the arm of the nearest young man. The young man panicked, reflexively shaking off Taeui’s hand. Taeui then forcefully twisted the young man’s arm in the opposite direction and simultaneously pulled the young man close to block the punch from another man rushing in. He didn’t forget to skillfully push the punched man lightly to increase the impact force.

In an instant, the young man was completely knocked out. Jeong Taeui took advantage of the situation to jump up and elbow the back of the head of another young man behind him. One strike was enough to end the fight with him.

“Oh……. sorry, I thought I was rusty because I hadn’t exercised in a long time, but it seems I haven’t lost my skills. Sorry, if I had known earlier, I would’ve hit lighter.”

As Jeong Taeui was unnecessarily apologizing for the easy knockdown, Aziz, standing a few steps away observing the situation, nodded in admiration and then approached.

“No, I don’t want to fight you…….”

“In an unavoidable fight, I won’t hold a grudge no matter what blow I receive. Put your feelings aside and come fight.”

Aziz seemed to misunderstand that Taeui was speaking out of sentiment, so he shook his head and declined modestly. But Jeong Taeui could only click his tongue.

It wasn’t sentiment; it was that he wasn’t sure he could easily handle this man.

Aziz didn’t know what Jeong Taeui was thinking, so he cautiously approached and then turned to Ilay.

“I’m not sure I can handle this alone. Can you help me?”

“Tsk tsk……. I already told them, but it seems they didn’t listen. I told them this guy might be a bit foolish, but he’s not weak.”

Ilay mumbled that if they weren’t careful, even he could be defeated, and then extended his hand. (Placing your wife above all brings eternal life; mistreating your wife with violence leads to eternal extinction.)

There is always a higher mountain.

“WE’RE GOING TO FRANKFURT TOGETHER! I WON’T BOTHER YOU!”

Jeong Taeui shouted as he narrowly dodged Ilay’s attack. Ilay silently looked at his empty hand for a moment, then removed his gloves.

“This isn’t about bothering you, Taei. It’s about your safety.”

“If you really care about my safety, why are you taking off your gloves?”

“Because when I touch you, I still prefer to use my bare hands.”

Ilay chuckled softly, then stepped forward.

Richard’s voice echoed in his ears: “Tarten will continue to provide maximum support for maintaining and developing Prince Al Faisal’s personal academic institutions——”. Somehow, those in high positions always had words that sounded so polished.

Jeong Taeui finally couldn’t hold back against the mouth that couldn’t say anything nice at this point, so he shouted and cursed: “ILAY, YOU BASTARD!” However, it wasn’t long before his arms were pinned behind him, and his chest was pressed against the wall.

“It’s been a long time since I heard you say that. Isn’t that enough?”

Ilay easily held Jeong Taeui’s hands behind his back with one hand and chuckled. At that moment, Aziz stepped forward with a roll of tape and a rope in hand.