The sound of wind whooshing right above their heads.

That wind noise made them keenly aware of the sensation of flying through the air.

In the suffocating silence, only the piercing wind noise remained.

But Jeong Taeui couldn’t enjoy this sensation for long—a sensation he hadn’t experienced in a while. Because that whooshing wind sound suddenly mixed with an ominous snapping noise.

Jeong Taeui looked up and saw one of the cords of the parachute, tightly stretched on one side of the canopy, starting to tear.

“HEY…… WAIT, QUICKLY CHANGE DIRECTION, AIM STRAIGHT FOR THE POOL, NOW!”

Jeong Taeui urgently shouted.

“What? The pool? That way?”

Christoph, who had been heading towards the middle of the courtyard, pulled the cord. The canopy bent as it changed direction.

However, the parachute was already quite torn, so it couldn’t be steered as desired, veering sharply to one side more than they wanted.

A tall and beautiful tree loomed in front of them.

“OH NO, TURN RIGHT, TURN RIGHT MORE! NO! THAT TREE…… PETER TOOK GREAT CARE IN NURTURING IT……!!”

But Jeong Taeui’s cries for help were lost in the wind.

The already tattered parachute began to tear further *Rip rip* until it completely tore apart before they could avoid the dense trees, and the two of them fell with the useless remnants of the parachute unable to break their fall.

As a result, the only thing they could do was land on a tree, thus avoiding falling straight to the ground from rooftop height. They ended up caught on a branch only as thick as an arm instead of plummeting to the ground.

But that branch couldn’t bear their weight and snapped, bending and piercing through the second-floor window. This caused the glass to shatter and triggered the alarm system, causing a deafening noise throughout the house. The noise was loud enough to wake the entire town.

The house, which had been quiet in the night, suddenly lit up with lights from all directions. From the neighboring houses, the sounds of windows opening in rapid succession could be heard, as everyone seemed curious about what was happening.

“Oh my god……”

As the sound of the security company’s patrol car siren started approaching from afar, Taeui realized that he was stuck in the tree branch, unable to free himself no matter how much he struggled, so he resigned himself to his situation. Beside him, Christoph, who was also stuck in the tree, initially struggled a bit but soon gave up and hung there quietly like a shirt on a drying rack.

“So noisy. Is it always this noisy in this neighborhood at night?”

Christoph muttered with a displeased expression, and Taeui, unable to hold it in anymore, shouted out.

“THAT’S NOT WHAT YOU SHOULD BE SAYING IN THIS SITUATION!”

“Don’t you find it noisy? Can’t you hear that sound?”

Taeui glared at Christoph, thinking to himself: If only the arm stuck in the branch could move freely, he would have grabbed Christoph by the collar and shaken him.

The lights in the second-floor room, where the branch had pierced through the window, suddenly turned on.

“MY BOOKS!! WHO DARED DO THIS!!”

The one who shouted and rushed into the second-floor room in pajamas was none other than Kyle, the owner of the house. And now it was clear that the second-floor room with the broken window was the library that Kyle cherished as his life.

“OH MY BOOKS! My books……?!”

Kyle immediately checked the bookshelves without caring about the broken glass or the branch that had pierced into the room. After quickly inspecting the books, he finally looked out the window.

“What is this? Why is there a branch……?”

Kyle, stepping closer to the window in confusion, suddenly found himself face to face with a floating face outside the window, looking at him sheepishly.

“……Long time no see, Kyle……”

“Taei?! What are you doing there?!”

“Well…… it’s like this……”

As Jeong Taeui was trying to explain awkwardly, the siren outside the gate suddenly stopped. Instead, the sound of security guards rushing in could be heard.

At first, it sounded like words about thieves or robbers reached his ears. Meanwhile, Kyle suddenly noticed another figure stuck in the branch behind Taeui.

“Please turn off the alarm, it’s too noisy.”

As soon as he saw that beautiful but disgruntled face, Kyle was startled, his eyes widening in shock.

“Christie―no, Christoph! What…… what are you doing here?!”

“Why not? You like having guests, don’t you?”

“I like guests, but not troublesome ones like you!!”

Before Kyle could finish his denial with a face full of frustration, a flashlight beam from below the tree trunk shone up.

“There! Someone’s stuck in the tree!”

“Is it a thief?! Quickly call the police!”

Amid the security guards’ shouts, a familiar voice echoed.

Jeong Taeui hurriedly shouted.

“WAIT, PETER! IT’S ME! IT’S REALLY ME!!”

“……―Taei?!”

A deep voice called out Jeong Taeui’s name in surprise. Jeong Taeui sighed in relief and nodded repeatedly.

“Yes, it’s me! Sorry for causing such a ruckus at night. But there’s nothing serious going on. Security guards, you can go back. Sorry for the trouble!”

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Jeong Taeui bowed his head in apology. For a moment, everyone was silent.

“Do you know them? They’re not thieves, are they?”

The security guard asked suspiciously, and after carefully looking at Jeong Taeui, who was stuck in the tree, Peter shook his head and said.

“They’re not thieves…… But looking at that broken branch, it’s clear they’ve caused some property damage. Perhaps we should still report to the police.”

“PETER! I’M SORRY! I’LL FIX THE TREE AS SOON AS THE SUN RISES!”

Jeong Taeui desperately shouted.

Dangling in mid-air, Jeong Taeui felt discouraged and kept apologizing to Peter, while Christoph, also stuck in the air, remained calm and muttered irritably about how noisy the neighborhood was, even at night. The security guards, the angry gardener, and Kyle, the homeowner, who was clutching his head in despair in the second-floor library, all looked up at them. The neighbors were noisily discussing what was happening. The one who resolved the situation was none other than Rita.

She fetched a ladder from somewhere and placed it under Jeong Taeui’s feet. With a cold and stern expression that instantly silenced everyone, she spoke softly:

“Come down first. Then we’ll listen to your explanation and decide whether to call the police or not.”

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

In the living room, which should have been warm and quiet on a night like this, the light was now unnaturally bright, and the atmosphere was thick with tension.

The only person maintaining silence and seriousness was Kyle.

Jeong Taeui occasionally scratched his head with an awkward expression and whispered, “I’m sorry,” while Christoph, as if nothing had happened, calmly requested Kyle to prepare a guest room for him.

(Meanwhile, Peter had turned on the garden lights and was adjusting the broken branches, while Rita was in the kitchen making tea for them.)

“Alright, I understand why you’re here……” – Kyle began heavily after hearing the story from both of them. His hand continuously pressed against his temples as if he had a headache, looking quite pitiful. It seemed that this exhaustion wasn’t solely due to being awakened suddenly in the dead of night.

“You didn’t receive any news from Dresden?”

Christoph asked with a surprised expression, and Kyle let out a groan and shook his head.

“I heard that Richard has inherited Tarten. So, I sent a congratulatory message, knowing he wouldn’t have time to answer calls…… but it seems that the inheritance day turned into a disaster.”

Kyle sighed and muttered.

“If he caused the disaster himself, what more can I say?”

When Christoph mumbled that, Kyle, still with his hand on his forehead, glanced at Christoph with one eyebrow raised.

“I heard you and Richard have gotten so close lately that you even help him with his work. I thought whatever happened, it was for the best…… but it seems that’s not the case.”

Christoph didn’t reply. Well, Kyle merely looked at Christoph with a weary expression and scratched his head, his face full of frustration.

Jeong Taeui, munching on the toast that Rita had brought before making tea—after scolding him coldly for not eating anything at this hour—wondered when the tea would be served, looking back and forth between Kyle and Christoph.

“Come to think of it, Kyle and Christoph…… um…… You were childhood friends, right?”

“Hm? Ah, although we didn’t play childish games together, if you consider family relationships and hierarchy, you could say that. Whenever there was a big event in the family, we would usually gather together, and the children would often play together.”

Kyle looked up at the ceiling as if recalling distant memories.

“But as you know, I’m quite a few years older than Ilay, so even when we met, we hardly ever played together.”

Jeong Taeui nodded, indicating he understood. If there’s an almost decade-long age gap, even if they did play together, it would be more like leading the play rather than actually playing together. The gap of ten years is vastly different for adults compared to that between children.

But even so……

“It seems like you were quite close with Christoph.”

Seeing Christoph sitting across from Kyle, chatting comfortably without any hint of awkwardness, Taeui felt a strange mix of amusement and oddity.

Kyle appeared like a kind and generous older brother who easily yielded to his younger sibling.

The Tarten and Riegrow families, being close like relatives, could be seen as family.

Jeong Taeui, who had almost no close relatives, suddenly thought of his only brother. A brother who wasn’t much different in age from him.

Though their expressions might differ, thinking back, Jaeui was also a kind and generous older brother who easily yielded to his younger sibling.

Jeong Taeui knew that if he spoke seriously, most of what he said would receive a nod of agreement from Jeong Jaeui. Just as Jeong Taeui would nod in agreement to most of what his brother wanted.

“He wasn’t entirely wrong, you know……”

Taeui suddenly muttered, causing both Kyle and Christoph to turn and look at him. “Hmm?” He just glanced back and forth at them, and just at that moment, Rita came in with the tea.

Rita, who had been woken up in the middle of the night to make tea for these unexpected guests, entered with a terrifyingly cold expression. Although Taeui was accustomed to her stern and cold demeanor, it still made him anxious in this situation.

Moreover, when looking closely, it seemed that the true ruler of this house wasn’t the homeowner, Kyle, but Rita, who had raised the owners of this house from childhood.

“Mr. Jeong Taei.”

Hearing her call his name in a clear and sharp voice, Jeong Taeui almost dropped the teacup he had just picked up. Fortunately, only a few drops of tea spilled onto the back of his hand.

“Yes…… Rita.”

Jeong Taeui silently made the sign of the cross in his mind, and in that moment, he genuinely envied Christoph. After all, unlike him, who was already deeply entangled with this house; Christoph is an outsider, clearly could avoid Rita’s scolding.

“You look very tired. Next time, before coming back, make sure to contact me so I can know when you’ll be arriving. That way, I can prepare something for you, even if it’s late at night, so you won’t be hungry.”

Her voice was still cold, and her silver hair was neatly tied up without a single strand out of place, even at this late hour. Jeong Taeui silently raised his cup of tea to his lips. Then he nodded.

“Yes, Rita. I will. Thank you…… It’s really nice to see you again after such a long time.”

Taeui flashed a bright smile. Rita merely nodded slightly without any change in expression, as she looked at him with a faint smile of recollection.

Jeong Taeui continued to smile.

He had returned. That feeling was now truly sinking into his skin.

He liked these things. The people in this house, the atmosphere, and the ambiance of this place – all of it made him feel comfortable and warm.

“But if possible, I would appreciate it if you could come at a more reasonable hour and in a more reasonable way.”

Jeong Taeui kept smiling and nodded despite Rita not forgetting to add that sharp remark.

“A more reasonable hour and in a more reasonable way……”

Suddenly, Kyle mumbled to himself as if he were talking to himself. After staring up at the ceiling in exhaustion for a moment, he stood up and walked toward the liquor cabinet. He took out a bottle of Hennessy among the finely arranged, splendid bottles and easily uncorked it, then returned to his seat with the bottle in hand. Instead of picking up his teacup, he took a few gulps of the strong liquor straight from the bottle and muttered.

“Now, I’ve started to dread those who might visit this house at a reasonable hour and in a reasonable way at this point.”

He let out a heavy sigh and placed the bottle on the table with a clink. Then he looked at Christoph with a serious expression and asked,

“Christi…… Phew, Christoph, I’ve always wondered, do you have some kind of grudge against me?”

“Just now, did you call me by someone else’s name?”

“You misheard. I called you, Christoph. Alright, let’s go with Chris then.”

In response to Kyle’s serious question, Christoph folded his arms, tilted his head, and stared at Kyle as if considering whether he had any grudge against him. Then he clearly replied,

“I don’t hold any grudges. None at all. It’s just that my actions happen to make you feel uncomfortable.”

“If that’s the case in every situation, doesn’t that imply there’s intentional malice involved?”

“Well, sometimes there are relationships like that. Ah, I suppose James has felt that way all along.”

Seeing how Christoph accurately hit Kyle’s weak spot, it was clear that the two knew each other well.

Watching Kyle immediately fall silent and pick up the liquor bottle again, Taeui thought it would be nice if Kyle also poured a little into his empty teacup.

After Rita poured more tea for Jeong Taeui and left the living room with the empty teapot, the room fell back into tense silence, just as before.

Kyle no longer appeared tired; instead, he seemed lost in thought. The depth of the wrinkles on his forehead indicated the level of his stress.

“Chris. You’ve given me many headaches, but this time is truly special.”

Finally, Kyle spoke with a sigh and opened his eyes.

Christoph, looking displeased, ran a hand through his hair. Gazing at his hair with a sharp look as if he wanted to cut it off, he shifted that gaze toward Kyle.

“Come to think of it, I have a gift for you.”

“What?”

Kyle looked at Christoph with suspicion when he suddenly said something unrelated.

Christoph carelessly rummaged through his pocket as if intending to pull out a random stone, then threw what he found toward Kyle. Kyle caught it unexpectedly and stared at the small item in his hand with surprise.

“A key?”

“Yes. If you know the code, you can use it immediately. The safe’s code is engraved on the back of the key. The safe is at Commerz Meissen.”

“This……”

“The book is very interesting. Besides the books you took last time, I also stored the 1888 edition of [Images of Time] by Fraunden.”

Kyle said nothing more. He just stared blankly at Christoph.

No wonder, even after searching everywhere from the library to the bedroom, he couldn’t find even a scrap of paper; it turned out he had been looking in the wrong place from the start.

But to receive Fraunden’s book in exchange for borrowing another – this was indeed a lucrative deal for Kyle. It was more than enough to compensate for and surpass the worries he had endured until now.

Jeong Taeui no longer felt surprised or disappointed; he only quietly lamented his futile efforts.

“The code is……”

“1234.”

“……”

Before Kyle could finish his heavy sentence, Christoph answered briefly. The combination of numbers was so simple and insincere that Kyle was once again at a loss for words.

“So, I’m entrusting Taei to your care.”

This time it was Taeui’s turn to be taken aback by Christoph’s sudden words.

“You say that as if you’re going somewhere.”

When Jeong Taeui mumbled that, Christoph looked at him with a surprised expression, then shrugged.

“I came here to take you back. I’ll be leaving soon.”

At this point, Kyle asked,

“To where?”

“I don’t know. Anywhere.”

Christoph reached out and took the bottle of liquor in front of Kyle. He poured just a little into his empty teacup, seemingly not intending to drink, but simply admiring its color, then continued speaking.

“Of all the concerns occupying your mind about the relationship between Riegrow and Tarten, at least I won’t become an obstacle. You can comfortably build a good relationship with Richard – the one who just took over Tarten. Even if it’s Richard, he has no reason to ask you to hand over Taeui, who is staying here as a special guest in your home.”

However, it was different with Christoph. Tarten could absolutely demand that Kyle hand over Christoph. Even though Christoph had left Tarten, he couldn’t change the fact of where he was born and raised.

“If you think about it, what they really want is me…… No, to be more precise, they want my brother, but either way, they want to use me as a tool. They don’t necessarily have to be so insistent on you—”

Jeong Taeui was speaking when he suddenly stopped.

They would definitely search for him. No, they definitely had already found him. This was a situation where a member of the family had ruined an important job and then disappeared.

“If it’s Richard, he’ll certainly come looking. Not only in his capacity as the new head of the family but also because since childhood, he’s always had…… how should I put it…… not exactly competition, but some sort of conflict with you.”

Kyle mumbled. After speaking, he picked up the liquor bottle again and took a long swig.

Even though he drank such a large amount of strong liquor, he showed no signs of intoxication or flushing; he merely clicked his tongue bitterly and rubbed his forehead.

“Good grief…… I sent people there to prevent him from going off course and causing trouble. Yet everything’s become such a mess.”

Upon hearing Kyle’s complaint, Taeui suddenly realized something and stared at him.

“The person you sent to prevent someone from going off course…… Was it me?”

“……Why does this liquor taste like plain water…… They say liquor becomes bland like water if left too long; perhaps that’s true.”

Watching Kyle intently gaze at the brand new bottle labeled [3 stars], Jeong Taeui fleetingly considered running to Commerz and setting that safe on fire.

But then he decided not to dwell on past matters and shifted his attention to Christoph. The person was innocently gazing at the liquid in the teacup as if it were something precious.

Christoph was beautiful.

Even with dried bloodstains on his face and clothes, it didn’t diminish his sculptural beauty.

Jeong Taeui quietly observed him. Though he knew that no matter how much he looked, he wouldn’t be able to understand what Christoph was thinking or feeling.

“If that’s the case, then as soon as you leave here, you’ll become a fugitive.”

Kyle leaned back deeply into the sofa. A moment later, Christoph finally tore his gaze away from the teacup and nodded indifferently.

“That’s something I’m used to. It’s part of the job, so it’s nothing new. Just a bit of a nuisance.”

“I can’t return to Dresden anymore either.”

“That’s somewhere I never wanted to go. This time, too. Right from the start.”

Christoph muttered absently, then fell silent for a moment before whispering to himself as if speaking to no one in particular: “I shouldn’t have gone there.”

“Hmm……” – Kyle sighed, then slowly tapped his palm on the armrest of the sofa. The motion seemed weak, as if he had given up on something.

At that moment.

A phone rang, breaking the brief silence in the bright lights of the late night.

This was not a normal time for a phone call. If it were an urgent work-related call, the mobile phone would have rung.

As soon as the phone rang, Taeui frowned. Christoph merely glanced at the phone for a moment before looking away, while Kyle sighed yet again, not knowing how many times he’d done so tonight.

“Calls where you know who it is before you even pick up are almost always the ones you don’t want to answer. Like right now.”

Kyle mumbled weakly. But at the same time, such calls were often the ones he had no choice but to answer. Kyle’s hand, heavy as if weighed down by stones, paused as he was about to pick up the receiver. After a brief moment of thought, he didn’t pick up the phone but pressed the button beside it.

Immediately, the call was connected, and the speakerphone indicator light turned on.

“Yes, this is Kyle Riegrow.”

[“Let me speak to Christoph.”]

The response came just as Kyle finished speaking.

It was a low, dangerous voice. The tone was tense, slightly agitated, like a cornered beast, coming from the speakerphone.

Kyle was silent for a moment. Then he suddenly realized something and said – “Ah.”

“It’s Richard, isn’t it? Long time no see.”

The voice on the other end fell silent for a moment. It seemed that the caller had just realized his mistake. [“Sorry.”] – The low voice mumbled with a slight hint of embarrassment.

Jeong Taeui stared at the phone as if it were Richard himself. He couldn’t believe someone like Richard would make such a basic mistake.

“I just got the news. I heard you’ve inherited Tarten. Although it was expected, I still want to congratulate you. Truly, congratulations.”

[“Thank you. ……I apologize for not informing you directly. It seems Christoph informed you on my behalf.”]

“Well, you could say that.”

[“You must have been surprised to have a late-night visitor. I apologize on his behalf. I hope you can forgive him.”]

As he spoke, Richard’s voice returned to its usual tone, speaking with a light, courteous rhythm and a touch of comfortable laughter.

Suddenly, Christoph’s expression changed as he glared at the phone with angry eyes.

“WHY IS IT YOU――.”

Christoph shouted irritably, but Kyle gently interrupted him. However, it seemed Christoph’s voice had already carried through the speakerphone.

[“…….Christoph is there with you? After hearing his voice, I’m relieved he’s not hurt.”]

Richard’s voice became icy. It wasn’t a coldness that sank, but rather a cruelty tinged with a bit of excitement.

[“I apologize for the abruptness of this intrusion. I’m on my way to pick him up. I just arrived in Berlin, so I’ll be there in about 15 minutes.”]

As soon as Christoph heard those words, his expression changed. It likely mirrored the tense look on Taeui’s face.

Kyle, who had been rubbing his chin, suddenly stopped and asked.

“Berlin? You’re in Berlin?”

[“Yes. I’ll be there in about 15 minutes. I don’t want to impose for long. I just need to take Christoph and I’ll leave immediately.”]

Richard apologized once again for disturbing everyone’s rest.

Kyle, still holding his chin, gazed into the distance and suddenly asked.