Taeui clenched his cold fingers into fists and moved forward. Beneath his feet, fragments of shattered stone crunched. The martial arts room came into view before him.

Inside, there was nothing left. Apart from the broken debris and unrecognizable fragments of objects, nothing was intact, nothing was moving. The walls were smeared with a mixture of black and red. Blood, like red paint, dripped down the white walls, and pieces of flesh were scattered everywhere.

Beneath his feet, something felt slick. Taeui looked down, his face void of expression. A burnt, severed piece of flesh lay at his feet. It was impossible to tell what part of the body it came from. A chunk of flesh, about the size of a child’s fist, lay crushed in a pool of blood on the floor.

Was this a piece of Ilay? A small, unrecognizable fragment, too horrific to touch.

He didn’t feel nauseous. Despite the torn flesh strewn about, the nausea didn’t come. His mind had gone numb.

“…Ilay.”

Taeui softly called out. There was no response. He stared at the piece of flesh at his feet, and suddenly, a wave of anger surged through him, and he shouted.

“ILAY!!”

At that moment, a low sound reached Taeui’s ears from afar. Startled, he froze.

It seemed like someone was approaching from a distance. But the sound he had just heard wasn’t that. It was closer—closer than that.

Another thudding sound echoed. This time, it was clearer. It came from the room next to the martial arts room. A small resting room. There was something moving.

Taeui rushed forward, jumping over the collapsed wall and into the resting room, where the door, oddly enough, remained intact compared to the martial arts room.

And then he saw it.

Inside stood a man, his entire body covered in blood. There wasn’t a spot on him that wasn’t drenched in blood. He stood there, gripping the body of another man. Each time his hand tightened around the man’s neck, a sickening sound rang out. The neck had twisted at an unnatural angle, with blood pouring down from bones that had pierced through flesh.

The man slowly turned toward Taeui. He casually tossed the now lifeless body he had been holding. Taeui recognized the corpse as one of the men he had seen in the restroom earlier.

“You called me? What do you want with me?”

The man spoke softly. As he opened his mouth, drops of blood on his nose and lips trickled into his mouth, staining his lips even redder.

It was as if he had just emerged from a sea of blood.

It was Ilay. With his blood-soaked hair, red-stained arms, and a body covered entirely in blood, there wasn’t a part of him untouched. He stepped toward Taeui.

Ilay nodded and rubbed his neck as if he were tired. Slowly, he moved closer to Taeui.

Kipper Han was dead. The instructor Taeui had seen and heard speak many times lay lifeless on the floor. Whoever had orchestrated this situation from the start likely hadn’t anticipated such an ending.

“You called me, Taei. Did you come here with the same purpose as these people?”

Ilay whispered. Taeui was staring at Kipper Han’s face before he looked back up at Ilay.

Ilay gave a faint smile. It was the same expression Taeui had seen many times before. His face was calm, no different from the other times. Ilay stood before Taeui with the same composed demeanor as always.

“Is your purpose the same as theirs, huh?”

Ilay asked again. And in that moment, Taeui realized something.

Ilay had once said he had no intention of fighting, that the time wasn’t right. But his ever-shifting moods could pull Taeui’s heart into chaos at any moment. And now seemed to be that moment.

If Taeui nodded in agreement, Ilay would smile and drive his blood-soaked hands through Taeui’s throat.

“…No. I just came to see if you’d become a corpse by now.”

Taeui responded coldly. Human emotions were truly unpredictable. Just minutes ago, Taeui had thought he needed to save this man from danger, but now that he saw Ilay alive, he regretted his own actions. That regret only grew stronger after witnessing the number of bodies around them.

“You called my name. So, that means you knew I’d be here.”

Ilay replied, his voice sounding pleased. Taeui frowned. Staying here any longer could lead to misunderstandings or even get him killed. Being direct was the best course of action – there was no avoiding the accusations that he had pretended not to know anyway.

Thinking about how he wasn’t the mastermind behind all of this, just someone dragged into it, Taeui felt a surge of anger at his current situation.

“I overheard it by chance while I was in the restroom. A man filled with hatred decided to kill someone. So, I came here to help, but I was too late… And now you’ve killed Kipper Han.”

God, what an idiot you are.

Even though Taeui didn’t have much sympathy for Ilay, seeing him standing amidst the carnage made Taeui feel deeply uncomfortable. Anger boiled within him – anger at the innocent bodies lying around, the man standing before him, and even at himself.

“How fortunate… If you had participated in trying to kill me, I might have been really upset.”

Ilay mumbled, as if relieved. Taeui grimaced and scoffed.

“Since when did you start trusting me?”

“No, no. It’s not trust. I just think that if you died, I’d feel sad too.”

Taeui’s face twisted as if he had swallowed something disgusting. A killer who felt sad while taking lives – he almost wanted to see it happen. Though, he’d probably die while watching… But clearly, this man felt no sadness while killing.

Taeui muttered: “I came here for nothing” and started to turn away, but Ilay sighed as if everything had been resolved.

“Then you can be my witness.”

Taeui stopped mid-turn, glancing back at Ilay with suspicion. It took a few seconds for him to understand what Ilay meant.

“A witness to your justified actions?”

“Exactly. I was in danger this time too. I almost became one of these corpses lying here. Fortunately, my instincts were good…”

Ilay shrugged and rubbed his arm. Taeui, looking at Ilay, drenched in blood from head to toe, felt increasingly uncomfortable. Maybe Ilay had survived thanks to someone else, but it was undeniable that this man was a monster.

Then suddenly, Taeui raised an eyebrow. Among the dried bloodstains, the area near Ilay’s right shoulder was still wet. A thin stream of blood continued to flow, running down his arm. Could it be…?

“Are you hurt too?”

Though it seemed impossible, Taeui asked anyway. Seeing Ilay widen his eyes in disbelief, then chuckle as if he couldn’t comprehend the question, Taeui’s suspicion deepened.

“So what? An explosion went off right in front of me—how else would I get injured?”

Taeui didn’t respond to Ilay’s question. It wasn’t about not getting hurt, but rather, there was no other way to survive. For an ordinary person, that would be the case. But Ilay seemed to have surpassed the limits of being human. Taeui could only mutter this to himself.

A sudden wave of exhaustion hit him, and the gloom returned. It felt as though the entire world’s darkness had gathered in his emotions as he looked around at the bodies. The thought of justifying these actions amidst so many corpses went against every fiber of his being.

However, as Taeui stood in the midst of the horrific scene, people began to gather, drawn by the sound of the explosion, and there was no way for him to escape.

The only small comfort Taeui found in this bleak situation was that the day’s training had been immediately canceled.

That day’s event was unprecedented.

In inter-branch training exercises, casualties due to mistakes were rare – at least officially – but never had there been a case of explosives being used to kill someone in a premeditated plan. Especially when it involved an Instructor.

“This is so unfair! I’m going to appeal!”

“Appeal to whom?”

Taeui’s anger was abruptly cut short by his uncle’s brief response. His uncle muttered: “I need to get back in touch with the funeral service. There’s been a sudden increase in demand” while flipping through his notebook to find the contact, then sighed, closed the notebook, and gently patted Taeui on the shoulder. In a more serious tone, he added:

“As I said before, you went wrong from the start. You ignored the advice to stay away from that name. And now, it’s treason—betrayal.”

“What?”

“Look. A villain from the European branch came and killed four people from our branch. Among them was an instructor. Isn’t that serious? But it turns out there was a conspiracy to commit murder on our side, involving an instructor no less, leaving an indelible stain. Our branch’s honor and reputation are in tatters, and now, if someone from our branch testifies to all this, how do you think the higher-ups will feel?”

Despite his words, Taeui’s uncle didn’t seem too angry. Taeui stared at his uncle.

“Whether I testify or not, won’t the investigation reveal everything anyway?”

“The possibility is quite high, but during that time, they could erase some evidence and make the case more mysterious. A rookie like you exposing everything is a real insult.”

“If I hadn’t testified, Ilay would have killed me!”

“That’s not the higher-ups’ concern.”

Taeui’s uncle shrugged, as if it wasn’t his problem. Taeui stared at him in disbelief. How could this system even work like this? Typically, the higher up you go, the more problems there are, but not to this extent.

When Taeui found out he would be temporarily detained, he rushed over to protest, but his uncle calmly responded. Taeui knew that protesting was useless and that he wasn’t speaking to the right person to change anything.

Taeui understood that. He hadn’t come here to use his uncle’s power to get out of this situation. He just wanted to vent his frustration and anger at his uncle.

“Uncle… don’t you feel guilty about what’s happening to me? Why did you put me in this situation? I’ve just arrived on the island, and I already feel like I’m cursed with bad luck.”

Taeui lowered his head, seething with anger and a sense of unfairness, but his uncle remained unfazed.

“Taeui, you may have forgotten, but I expected you to perform well and improve our record. As I said, I need to help the higher-ups advance their careers. But you understand… Having a team member like you get detained hurts my credibility. You should know that I feel quite disappointed.”

“Then who was it that dragged me here in the first place?”

“Come on, what’s done is done. You’re still lucky. Riegrow has also been detained due to the risk of him escaping. Although he’s not someone who would run away.”

Taeui’s uncle shifted the topic. Taeui, still irritated, muttered something under his breath, but knowing further arguments were pointless, he sighed and swallowed his discontent.

The training was halted immediately after the incident. It was still suspended. Only a day and a half had passed.

Yesterday, Taeui had seen Ilay while being dragged around, but not today. His uncle added that Ilay had been detained since this morning.

Taeui sighed. It was only for one day, after all. He would be taken into custody tomorrow morning. Yesterday, he hadn’t been able to return to his room due to constant interruptions from the higher-ups. Of course, he hadn’t slept either. Tonight, he could finally sleep in his own bed, but starting tomorrow, he’d have to get used to the hard stone floor of the detention cell.

“How long do I have to be there?”

“Right now, it’s ten days, but it’s hard to say. Could be earlier or later.”

“Judging by the odds, it’s probably the latter.”

“Most likely.”

Taeui sighed again. But after staring at the ground for a moment, he tried to think positively. If he had to be detained for ten days, it meant that by the time he was out, the joint training with the European branch would be over. Given how exhausted he had been over the past ten days, maybe spending ten days in detention wouldn’t be so bad after all.

“Anyway, just go in and endure it for a while. In return, I’ll take care of the issue of you entering the restricted area during training.”

His uncle spoke as if he were doing Taeui a huge favor. Taeui looked at him with a cold expression, then weakly asked:

“Is entering a restricted area during training even a reason to get detained?”

“Your offenses include all the reasons under the sun. You know that.”

“I know…” – Taeui sighed. In the military, he used to joke with his colleagues that the greatest crime was betrayal. That saying applied to regular society as well. It was true even in relationships between people. Once marked as a traitor, it became a nightmare not only here but everywhere.

“Tomorrow morning, I might come and escort you to the detention center. Tonight, go say goodbye to your colleagues. You probably won’t see them for a while, so make sure to say your farewells.”

“You talk like I’m leaving and never coming back!”

“Sometimes that happens. Some people go to detention and never return.”

His uncle said with a vague smile, unclear if he was joking or serious. This was the moment when Taeui wanted to strangle him.

Taeui shook his head and turned away. He had seen enough of his uncle’s face and figured it was better to leave. Staying here any longer would just make him more irritated.

“As soon as I get back to my room, I’m burning that book I borrowed from you.”

“Huh…? Wait! I haven’t even read that book yet! Why would you do that to a book?”

“Treason includes all reasons under the sun. You know that.”

Taeui said with a calm face as he walked out of the room, his steps light.

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

“There are people who go to detention and never come back.”

Taeui knew his uncle was just joking. Unless something unexpected happened, Taeui would be out after ten days and resume his duties.

However, hearing that statement brought someone unexpectedly to mind. Someone he would miss dearly during those ten days, a sweet and adorable boy.

Taeui stood on the stairs, hesitated for a moment, then turned around. After all, this was already a restricted area. Breaking the rules once made doing it a second time easy. Plus, his uncle had said not to worry about it.

He grabbed the pager from his pocket. It was still warm from the last message. Taeui held it, intending to go see the person who had sent it. Even though it was only ten days, he wanted to see him before going in.

As he approached Xinlu’s room, the pager in his pocket suddenly vibrated. Taeui slowed down and took it out, checking the message on the screen.

[‘Taei-hyung, where are you? It doesn’t matter if it’s late, please contact me. I’ll wait.’]

It was from Xinlu. Detecting the urgency in the words, Taeui lowered his head and quickened his pace toward Xinlu’s room.

There had been a message yesterday as well, but he had been too busy with the higher-ups to talk for long. And today, too, right from the moment he woke up, he’d been called here and there, writing reports and speaking with people he barely knew. Now, it was already late. The only time left before detention was this one last night. So, he was on his way to see Xinlu.

Taeui stood in front of Xinlu’s room. Since he’d just received a message, Xinlu was likely inside. Instead of ringing the bell, he knocked. Despite the soft knock, the door immediately opened, and Xinlu peeked out, eyes wide.

“Taei-hyung.”

“Hey, sorry for making you worry.”

Xinlu stood still, staring at Taeui as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. But when Taeui smiled and greeted him, Xinlu’s expression quickly turned to relief, and he rushed forward, throwing his arms around Taeui.

“Hyung! I was so worried. I was really worried. They said you were going to be detained, but I couldn’t reach you…”

This time, it was Taeui’s turn to be surprised and freeze. Xinlu had suddenly thrown himself into his arms, and Taeui was stunned. He glanced down at his own arms, unsure what to do with them.

Xinlu wrapped his arms tightly around Taeui’s waist, burying his face in his shoulder. It seemed like Xinlu was crying. Taeui felt the warmth of Xinlu’s embrace, like a child clinging to its mother. Slowly, he lowered his arms and gently wrapped them around Xinlu’s back, holding him as delicately as if he were cradling something fragile like glass.

It was so warm. The faint scent of soap lingered in the air. Taeui could feel Xinlu’s soft skin and hair, pleasant to the touch. He felt himself drawn into Xinlu’s adorableness and tightened his hold on him.

Then, realizing that Xinlu was standing completely still in his arms, Taeui suddenly pulled back a little and loosened his grip. He had probably hugged him too tightly. Surely, Xinlu must have felt uncomfortable. Taeui worried if he had made Xinlu feel uneasy.

As Taeui gently loosened his embrace, Xinlu suddenly hugged him tighter, burying his face into Taeui’s shoulder and whispering.

“Hyung, I dreamed about you last night.”

“Really? Well, that’s good.”

Taeui hesitated, wondering whether he should hug Xinlu back, and replied awkwardly. It seemed like Xinlu had dreamed about him out of worry. He felt grateful and happy. Waiting for Xinlu to explain further, Taeui listened. However, Xinlu seemed hesitant, as if unsure about saying something.

Did Xinlu dream of something bad? Maybe he dreamed that Taeui was stuck on the island forever…?

Taeui considered saying, “Dreams are often the opposite of reality,” to reassure him. But before he could, Xinlu spoke again with a tone of quiet determination.

“I dreamed that I was sleeping with you.”

“Haha, is that so? Don’t worry, dreams are usually the opposite…”

Taeui smiled and tried to comfort him. But as he replied without thinking, something felt off. It was as though there was a misunderstanding in how the message traveled from his ears to his brain.

“……”

As Taeui struggled to grasp what he had just heard, Xinlu, sounding anxious, began to murmur.

“Are you upset?… Or do you hate me?”

The voice was filled with worry and sadness, as if on the verge of tears. Taeui quickly responded, though he hadn’t fully processed what he’d just heard.

“Don’t say that. Of course not…”

Still, his reply lacked confidence. The words Xinlu had spoken slowly sank into his mind, though their meaning remained unclear. Xinlu had dreamed that he was sleeping with him.

Taeui’s face gradually heated up. The warmth from his heart spread to his face. First his face, then his ears and neck. Even his lips felt hot.

Taeui with his arms loosening, embraced Xinlu again and briefly pressed his lips against Xinlu’s hair. He blinked, feeling as if he couldn’t quite believe what was happening. His understanding of the situation seemed shaky. Yet, the body in his arms was still warm and endearing.

As Taeui remained silent, blushing while holding Xinlu, Xinlu gently asked.

“…Hyung, when will you be out?”

“Uh… in ten days.”

Taeui responded awkwardly, and Xinlu fell quiet again. Then, almost in a whisper, so soft it was barely audible, Xinlu murmured.

“When you get out, let’s go to Hong Kong together. And there… let’s sleep together. …I’ll book us a nice place….Come with me.”

Taeui couldn’t say a word. He was at a loss. His lips stiffened, and his tongue felt frozen. All he could do was look down at his hands holding Xinlu’s back.

It felt strange. Why did he feel so shy and ticklish? It wasn’t his first time being close to someone, but why did his heart feel so restless?

“Uh… um…”

After answering, Taeui felt like an idiot. He could have said something more charming, but all he could muster was that silly response.

Taeui berated himself internally, but he couldn’t loosen his tongue, so he simply held Xinlu tightly. Xinlu buried his face into Taeui’s shoulder. The heartbeat from their bodies pressed against each other, pulsing through their skin.

After standing there for a long time, not speaking, just holding each other, a sound from the hallway – a door opening and closing – startled them. They pulled back, looking at each other until the footsteps faded away.

They stood a step apart. Taeui gazed at Xinlu for a moment, then suddenly smiled. This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened. There had been moments when they both felt too shy to look at each other. And now, here they were again.

Taeui slowly lifted his head. Xinlu met his gaze. When their eyes locked, Xinlu blushed and broke into a wide smile. Taeui smiled back.

“I hope… the pager works fine while I’m in detention.”

He hoped Xinlu would keep sending him messages, even if he couldn’t reply. Xinlu seemed to understand as he quietly muttered: “Yes.”