It was stinging. The golden sunlight streaming straight onto his right cheek as he sat by the window reading a newspaper burned half his face, even though it was nearing sunset.

Yet, despite the heat, Taeui continued flipping through the pages in silence, unaffected. He only lifted his head when he felt a gaze on him. The tickling sensation of being watched was harder to ignore than the searing sunlight. Taeui raised his eyes, which had been tracing the lines of the newspaper, to follow the gaze falling on the side of his face. Sitting a short distance away was a woman, glancing occasionally at her watch as though waiting for someone. She was looking in Taeui’s direction. However, the moment he lifted his head, her slightly off-centered gaze reflexively landed on him. It was only then that Taeui realized she hadn’t been looking at him after all.

Her gaze landed not on Taeui himself, but on the imposing, angular pillar standing beside where he was seated. To be precise, it was the mirror affixed to one of the pillar’s surfaces. She had merely been checking her appearance in the mirror.

Following her gaze unconsciously, Taeui’s eyes also moved to the pillar, where he caught sight of his own reflection. Before he realized it, his face twisted into a frown.

“Quite the sight, isn’t it……” – He muttered to himself.

The reason the woman had recoiled in shock the moment their eyes met was plainly revealed in the mirror. His grotesquely swollen face was deformed, irregular in shape, and blotched with angry shades of red, yellow, and blue across his eyelids, temples, and jaw. The split lip crusted over with dried blood was almost a trivial detail in comparison.

Once, his features weren’t so bad—nothing remarkable, but enough to hold his head high without being called unattractive wherever he went. Now, however, that face was nowhere to be found, utterly unrecognizable. To make matters worse, beneath the swollen face was a clumsy suit that only added to the absurdity. Moreover, looking at himself right now, he resembled nothing so much as a low-level henchman in some back-alley gang—a perfect target for stray bullets. No one around him would believe it, but just half a day ago, Jeong Taeui’s face had been perfectly fine. Sure, a bruise or two, maybe a small cut – inevitable scars from his line of work – but nothing so unsightly as what he now saw staring back at him. This morning, at least, he still looked human.

Even though, by its nature, the body takes time to heal but can be destroyed in an instant.

Late in the morning, about an hour before noon, the trouble began. Taeui was relaxing in the break room, listening to music, when two coworkers – neither of whom he was particularly close to – started fighting nearby. They were far past the age where such behavior could be excused, yet here they were, throwing punches. Taeui had no intention of getting involved; if they wanted to act like children, they could deal with the consequences themselves.

Even when their brawl caused one of them to slam hard into Taeui’s chair, nearly sending him sliding off, he didn’t bother to tell them to stop. All he said, without much interest, was: “If you’re going to fight, take it outside.”

The chaos took an unexpected turn. It all started with one of them shouting: “This guy’s that European bastard’s lackey, isn’t he?” Absurdly enough, the two men who had been happily beating each other moments ago suddenly turned their fists on Taeui. Caught off guard, he took a few hits before the sheer unfairness of the situation enraged him. Without a second thought, he gave as good as he got, returning their punches with equal force. The absurdity of it all didn’t end there. It wasn’t just that these two, who had been fighting each other moments ago, suddenly teamed up against him. The true object of their hatred was supposedly ‘that European bastard’ yet they lacked the guts to take it out on him. Instead, they cowardly redirected their fury toward Taeui, making him the next best target. It was a ridiculous and infuriating situation.

‘What the hell is wrong with these idiots? Did they all eat something rotten together? Wherever you throw your common sense, go pick it up again, damn it?!’

The shouts Taeui let out as he pounded his attackers weren’t directed solely at the two men. They were also aimed at the others—the bystanders who, despite witnessing the absurdity of the situation, made no effort to intervene and instead stood around watching the spectacle. Among those onlookers were even some of his own teammates, which only made his anger burn hotter.

In the end, he gave as much as he got. He beat the two men senselessly, but not without taking plenty of hits himself. Though he received hasty treatment in the infirmary, as time passed, his face swelled up, turning red, yellow, and blue with bruises.

All this had unfolded on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

‘If it was going to come to this, I wish they’d waited just one more day before starting a fight.’ –  Taeui thought, brushing a hand over his face. Even the lightest touch made his swollen, bruised jaw throb in pain. He had plans for the evening. A broker he’d been introduced to through Alta had contacted him to say he’d acquired the items Taeui had ordered, and they’d set up a meeting last week. Taeui had planned to enjoy a leisurely afternoon and then briefly step out to meet him before catching a ferry to Hong Kong.

The broker wasn’t someone requiring strict formalities, but still, he was a contact worth meeting with a certain degree of decorum. To make matters worse, the meeting spot was the lobby of a five-star hotel. They would move to a different venue afterward, but even so, this was hardly the kind of place or occasion to show up with a face that looked like it had been dragged through a street brawl.

“Damn it. If they were going to fight, they should’ve done it tomorrow instead” – Taeui muttered, clicking his tongue as he rubbed his face.

It wasn’t a face he could boast about, but at least it had never been called ugly—that small comfort was what he’d clung to. Now, however, it wasn’t just a matter of being ugly. His face had crossed the line into something unrecognizable, barely human.

Standing in front of the mirror, Taeui let out a bitter sigh, running a hand down his battered face. Behind him, a man approached silently, like a shadow. Their eyes met in the mirror—Taeui’s weary gaze locking with the sharp, almost predatory look of the other man.

“What’s so pretty about that beat-up face that you’re examining it so thoroughly?” – The man sneered.

“Did you get so distracted in the bathroom that you ended up dripping down your pant leg? What’s with the sudden attitude?” – Taeui shot back without missing a beat.

Even the simple act of moving his mouth to speak sent a dull throb through his temples. His face must have really taken a beating. Taeui muttered to himself nonchalantly as he glanced back at the mirror, prompting the man behind him to glare at him menacingly before dropping onto a nearby single-seater couch.

“Dragging someone all the way out to Hong Kong, only to have the person we’re supposed to meet not even show up—no wonder this happens. If you’re just messing with me without even setting up a proper meeting, I swear, I’ll kill you for real.”

“Do you really think I’d waste my precious time just to mess with you? Sorry, but I’ll pass on that.” – Taeui replied, shaking his head with exaggerated exasperation.

He added: “Spending time with someone who hugs their guns like a lover and acts like they can’t live without them? Not even for a second. What if the maniac turns out to be right?”

As Taeui waved his hand dismissively, the gun fanatic – a.k.a Maurer –  glared at him with fiery eyes, clearly not amused.

“Do you think I’m carrying some kind of contagious disease?! And for the record, I have no intention of sharing even a sliver of my love for my precious beauties with someone like you! Damn it, on a Saturday as valuable as this—time I should be spending cleaning and tuning up my lovely guns—why the hell am I stuck here with you? Just hand over the Colt already! Once I’ve got it, I’m out of here!” – Maurer growled, his voice rising with irritation.

“Hold on, he’ll be here soon.” – Taeui replied casually before wincing – “……Ah, damn it.”

Taeui’s body jerked violently as Maurer grabbed him by the collar and shook him hard, causing his back to repeatedly slam against the chair’s backrest. The jarring impact traveled up to his already battered face, making him wince in pain. His face, already swollen and unrecognizable, throbbed unbearably.

Shrugging off Maurer’s grip, Taeui rubbed his face and muttered: “Ugh, that hurts”, under his breath. Seeing him complain, Maurer seemed to realize why Taeui was in pain. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he reluctantly let go.

“I’m telling you, I don’t want to be stuck with you either. What if I catch your bad luck, like a chipped stone that gets hit just for being nearby?” – Maurer retorted sharply.

Even though it was a boomerang he had thrown himself, it came back as a dagger piercing straight into his chest. Taeui bent forward deeply, clutching his face with both hands. He wanted to protest at the top of his lungs that he wasn’t naturally like that, and while his luck might currently be (very) terrible, it didn’t mean his whole disposition had changed. But he doubted it would make a difference.

“Of all days, when I finally get a weekend without having to be near any damn jagged stones and enjoying a decent holiday, why’d you have to bring that up, you miserable bastard, Maurer?” – He groaned.

Taeui murmured like a groan, his face buried in his hands. Come to think of it, during the weekdays, he was the one stuck next to the proverbial jagged stone. However, come the weekend, that jagged stone would habitually vanish to Hong Kong right after wrapping up regular duties on Friday afternoon, only to return late Sunday night—or sometimes not until the early hours of Monday morning. So that, weekends were thus peaceful, blissfully devoid of anything to do with that jagged stone. Yet, no matter how far removed he was, others seemed determined to keep reminding him. Without fail, they’d bring it up, constantly muttering ‘that crazy European bastard’ whenever they saw Taeui, dragging the jagged stone into the conversation over and over again.

Taeui, who tried his best not to think about the ‘jagged stone’ as long as it was out of sight, couldn’t help but inwardly scoff every time he saw his colleagues. ‘The truth is, you guys don’t actually hate him—you like him so much you can’t stand it. That’s why you’re always bringing him up in conversation, over and over again. You twisted fools, all bent out of shape by your love-hate obsession’ – He’d think to himself. Of course, he never said it aloud, knowing full well that doing so would earn him a brutal round of scolding—or worse.

Maurer clicked his tongue, looking at Taeui with a mixture of pity and exasperation.

“You know” – Maurer began, clicking his tongue again – “you seem pretty sharp most of the time, but every now and then, you do the dumbest things. Like walking straight toward the edge of a cliff on a perfectly clear day, with nothing but open skies and a clear view ahead.”

“What did I do now?” – Taeui shot back defensively.

“From where I’m standing, you have a clear tendency to throw yourself off cliffs” – Maurer retorted. – “You walk straight into a tiger’s den and stick your head right into the tiger’s jaws. Look, you’re doing it right now. Why did you choose this hotel for the meeting? Of all places, a hotel lobby. Hong Kong is full of luxury hotels—why, out of all of them, did you pick this one?”

“Does this hotel have tigers living in it? Is there a cliff behind it? Then what’s that Pacific Place* over there? A mall that sells cliffs and tigers as a combo set?”

“There’s a cliff right next to the hotel, and a tiger waiting with its jaws wide open at the bottom, you idiot! Can’t you see the Lippo Centre across the street?!” – Maurer snapped, his voice brimming with exasperation.

When Taeui shouted back indignantly, Maurer wasn’t about to back down and bellowed even louder. Overwhelmed by the sheer force of Maurer’s voice, Taeui shut his mouth and frowned. The Shangri-La*. A luxury hotel located in what was essentially the heart of Hong Kong Island. Nestled among towering skyscrapers housing some of the world’s leading companies, the hotel sat in Admiralty, a bustling district lined with high-end shopping centers. Taeui had been here a few times before, including today, but this was the first time he’d ever heard of a tiger dwelling beneath a cliff in the area. What’s more, the Lippo Centre that Maurer was pointing at – a solid structure standing across the street – didn’t look remotely like it was perched precariously on the edge of a cliff. Taeui gazed at the building for a moment. The twin towers, identical in appearance, were home to a mix of public and private enterprises. While many Hong Kong residents disliked the buildings for their supposedly bad feng shui, Maurer didn’t seem to be referring to that particular aspect.

“What’s so special about that————”

Taeui, mid-sentence and gesturing toward the Lippo Centre, stopped abruptly as he noticed someone approaching from a distance. Lowering his hand, he recognized the broker he was scheduled to meet today. Upon spotting Taeui, the man gave a casual wave in greeting.

“Haha, looks like I’m running a bit late. My apologies. I had the honor of meeting someone important beforehand,” the broker said with an easy smile.

“Not at all. We just got here a moment ago” – Taeui replied politely, recalling how Alta had introduced this man as someone worth addressing as ‘sir’ while shamelessly showering him with flattery. Though Maurer was currently glaring at him with frosty eyes, Taeui couldn’t afford to make things awkward for the broker.

He even remembered to discreetly jab Maurer in the side, nudging him out of his silent, unmoving stare at the broker.

“And this friend is……?”

The broker, perhaps due to the nature of his profession, eyed the unfamiliar face with a wary expression, bordering on displeasure. Taeui, maintaining his composure, flashed his most amiable smile and gave Maurer a friendly pat on the shoulder.

“This is the man who found the item. He has quite the extensive involvement in this area—purely as a hobby, of course.” – Taeui said smoothly, his tone brimming with casual warmth.

“Ah, I see……”

The broker nodded, seemingly satisfied for now. Maurer, on the other hand, shot an uncomfortable glare at Taeui, clearly displeased by the overly friendly pat on the shoulder. Still, he had enough sense not to grumble unnecessarily in the current situation.

“Well, this isn’t the best place to talk. I’ve reserved a room upstairs. Let’s head up.” – The broker said, gesturing for them to follow.

As the broker stood up and spoke, Taeui followed behind, quickly shaking off Maurer’s hand as he pinched the back of Taeui’s hand. Taeui waved his hand in irritation while Maurer grumbled under his breath, as if talking to himself.

“They could’ve just arranged to meet in a room from the start, or at least in some restaurant with private booths. Why does it have to be this hotel, of all places?”

Just as Taeui was about to pinch Maurer’s side in retaliation for his continued grumbling about the hotel, the broker, walking a few steps ahead, seemed to catch wind of the complaint and glanced back over his shoulder.

“What’s the problem? Not to your liking? Well, next time, we can pick another place. But for today, you see, I had an appointment right next door. Remember what I mentioned before? About a major branch office opening in Hong Kong? That’s over there in the Lippo Centre. I had some business there earlier, and this place just happened to be the most convenient.”

It was a relief that the broker didn’t seem particularly offended by Maurer’s grumbling, but his explanation caused Maurer’s expression to sour noticeably. Glancing sideways at Maurer’s reaction, Taeui scratched his head awkwardly. He didn’t know much about Chinese feng shui, but he had to admit he could easily agree with the sentiment that the building had an ominous air.

“A ha, I see. What kind of branch office is it?”

“Hmm, well, to put it simply, it’s a kind of defense contractor. They’re involved in both manufacturing and supply, and in that industry, they’re a top-tier company. I’m sure you’d recognize the name if you heard it……” 

For someone like Taeui, who thought Chinese feng shui was nothing more than nonsense, an unsettling thought suddenly crossed his mind—maybe there was something to it after all.

Taeui glanced at Maurer. As usual, Maurer was walking with a sullen expression, as though the entire world was an endless source of irritation.

“Hey, Maurer. That defense contractor they mentioned is based in that building———” – Taeui began, but before he could finish, the broker, having reached the elevator ahead of them, turned to look back at him.

“But what happened to your face? I almost didn’t recognize you at first. Who on earth has the guts to beat up someone from UNHRDO?” – The broker asked, raising an eyebrow.

Taeui clamped his mouth shut, swallowing his words. ‘Who else could it be? The so-called talents at UNHRDO, of course.’ While Maurer might not have physically contributed to his suffering, he’d certainly played an excellent role in adding to Taeui’s mental anguish. Maurer noticed Taeui’s gloomy expression, clicked his tongue as if in sympathy. However, the concern on Maurer’s face vanished the moment they arrived at the room. As soon as the broker took out the Colt, Maurer practically shoved Taeui into the background, his eyes lighting up with sparkling and excitement as he darted toward the gun like a predator zeroing in on its prey.

T&R Inc

Taeui’s gaze wandered over the plaques densely lining one side of the 1st-floor lobby, eventually settling on one with a simple yet sophisticated typeface. It seemed to be a recent addition, its surface gleaming sharply, as though untouched by time.

No one paid any attention to Taeui, who stood there staring at the plaque with a face swollen as if he had just staggered out of a brawl. The people in business attire bustling around him occasionally brushed past, muttering into their phones in languages he couldn’t understand. The only person who might have noticed him was a security guard, impeccably dressed in a crisp uniform, glancing his way now and then.

“Who are you looking for?”

The security guard, who had been observing Taeui from a distance, finally approached after noticing that he remained lost in thought, showing no signs of moving for several minutes. Taeui glanced at the guard with a briefly serious expression before pointing toward the plaque.

“That one there. T&R Inc……”

“Ah, yes. They moved in recently. Do you have business with them? If you let me know who you’re looking for, I can contact them for you,” the guard offered politely.

“No, it’s nothing that urgent…… If I remember why I’m here, I’ll just go up myself.” 

The guard gave Taeui a slightly startled look at his blatantly suspicious reply, muttering so casually. His tone grew a bit firmer as he responded,

“Each floor is equipped with security systems, and you won’t be able to access them without a clearance card.”

“I see……Well, it seems I don’t have any pressing business after all.”

Taeui nodded thoughtfully. Rubbing his jaw, Taeui muttered to himself, let out a sigh, and took a step back. Then turning away, he could feel the guard’s suspicious gaze boring into the back of his head as he walked off.

Meanwhile, the broker and Maurer were getting along famously. As it turned out, the broker had a strong enthusiast streak himself. When two people who shared a passion for firearms and weaponry met, it was as though they had been friends for a decade. What began as a conversation about the Colt quickly spiraled into a discussion far beyond Taeui’s comprehension. Taeui had thought he was reasonably knowledgeable about weapons, but clearly, he was out of his depth. The world of enthusiasts was evidently much deeper than he had imagined.

In the end, leaving the two of them engrossed in their enthusiastic and seemingly endless conversation, Taeui quietly slipped out of the room. There was no reason for him to stay any longer—after all, the Colt destined for Maurer had been fully paid for months ago during the order process. Stopping just outside the hotel’s main entrance, Taeui stood silently, gazing down at the ground, lost in thought. It wasn’t until the doorman approached with a curious look that he snapped out of it and lifted his head to look across the street. Among the densely packed skyscrapers, two identical buildings stood side by side, their sharp silhouettes casting shadows between the towering structures.

The decision to walk toward that building wasn’t driven by any concrete hunch. It was more a matter of something minor – infinitesimally so – nagging at him, so faint he couldn’t even guess why it lingered in his mind.

In truth, Taeui had always considered himself to have a decent sense of intuition. His uncle had mentioned it once before as well, and Taeui himself acknowledged that, in certain areas, his instincts were surprisingly sharp—though not in all areas, of course. When he first saw that plaque, something about it had fixed his gaze, holding it in place.

T&R Inc.

The wall was lined with plaques bearing the names of companies unfamiliar to Taeui. Among them, it was entirely possible that there were other defense contractors he didn’t recognize. However, there was one name he did know—that name. To be fair, you didn’t have to be Taeui to recognize it; anyone even remotely connected to the industry would be familiar with it. The company specialized in heavy weaponry rather than small arms, and though not particularly large in scale, it was known for being a highly reliable and solid enterprise. Taeui had first heard of it back when he studied weaponry at the military academy. In fact, not only had he learned about it, but weapons from that company could be found scattered across numerous locations.

T&R Inc. A company named after its co-founders, officially listed as a corporation but widely regarded as being run under a family-dominated management structure.

Tarten & Riegrow Inc.

As Taeui stared silently at the plaque, the name, long buried in his memory, suddenly surfaced.

“Riegrow isn’t exactly an unheard-of name, but it’s not all that common either……”

After stepping outside, Taeui settled onto one of the benches placed near a modest but well-maintained flower bed by the building’s entrance. He leaned back, his thoughts swirling. It was almost laughable, in hindsight, that someone who had once been a military officer hadn’t known this until now. Especially when that man had outright said he helped with the family’s weapons brokerage business—not that they limited themselves to mere brokering.

“But you know, no one around me ever called it Tarten & Riegrow, the official name. Everyone just kept saying T&R, T&R.”

Taeui muttered to himself in a weary voice, tapping his chest pocket even though he knew full well there wouldn’t be any cigarettes in there. ‘Damn it. So this is what the ‘Diamond Finger’ was all about.’ That man had mentioned, in an offhand manner, that he occasionally helped his brother with the family’s weapons business. Taeui had assumed it was something small-scale—selling weapons to minor armed groups and dabbling in some dangerous dealings with private clients. But if it was that company, then there was no doubt. It was the ‘Diamond Finger’. Even if a company pulled in annual profits in the tens or hundreds of billions, many people who weren’t particularly interested in economics would never have heard of it. Companies with names that even ordinary people recognized tended to be those that earned sums so vast they defied imagination. In the world of its specific industry, however, T&R Inc. was a name even soldiers from other countries would have heard at least once.

“A cliff with a tiger, huh…… Sure, that name might as well be a curse for me, but it’s not like I’ve crossed the family or anything. There was no need to be so worked up about it!” – Taeui muttered to himself, a wry smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“Maurer, that bastard……” – Taeui muttered, absentmindedly patting the other pocket, only to pause for a moment. He wondered if it was such common knowledge that Ilay was part of that family. Sure, the surname was unusual enough to draw attention, but based on his uncle’s reactions, it didn’t seem like something openly discussed.

“That’s because Maurer had one foot in our company before he joined UNHRDO. Where else would a weapons fanatic like him even think of working?——Here. Your brand is Dunhill, right?” – Someone said, offering him a cigarette.

As Taeui stubbornly continued rummaging through even his inner pocket in search of a cigarette that was clearly not there, a single white cigarette suddenly appeared over his shoulder, offered without warning.

‘……Right. Maurer, you were right. It’s not about the name—it’s about the fact that wherever this guy is lurking, it’s bound to be the tiger’s jaws. On a rare holiday, even after coming all the way to Hong Kong, I wandered near this place. Now I understand the deeper meaning behind your scolding.’  – Taeui thought bitterly.

Without bothering to look back, he took the cigarette with a reluctant hand and placed it between his lips. Moments later, a lighter appeared over his shoulder, and a flame flickered to life, lighting the cigarette for him.

“What’s with your face? I haven’t even gone a full day without seeing you, and it’s already changed so much.” – The voice remarked dryly.

“Ever since we got the honor of having the much-praised Instructor join us, this sort of thing has just become part of daily life.”

“A ha, I see.” 

A faint huff of laughter escaped from behind him, as if the man found something amusing. Taeui clicked his tongue bitterly and glanced over his shoulder. The man who had generously offered him a cigarette – a brand that suited his tastes perfectly – was dressed in a way Taeui had never seen before. He was wearing a dark gray suit that fit so impeccably it looked like it had been lifted straight out of a men’s fashion magazine. The fabric flowed smoothly over his frame, giving him the appearance of a young executive from a prestigious company.

‘Ah…… right. The Diamond Finger. Come to think of it, he is the son of a Chaebol(conglomerate) family, isn’t he?’

“? What?”

Noticing Taeui’s steady gaze, Ilay tilted his head slightly in curiosity. Taeui, without hesitation, let his eyes sweep over Ilay more obviously this time.

“Nothing, it’s just the first time I’ve seen you in a suit. Dressed like that, you really do look like a corporate employee”

“Haha, well, that’s because I am a corporate employee.” – Ilay replied casually with a shrug and a light laugh.

Taeui, caught off guard, inhaled his cigarette smoke the wrong way and coughed a few times, glancing up at Ilay with a puzzled expression. Ilay, who was now lighting his own cigarette, looked back at him with an innocent ‘what’s the matter?’ kind of look, showing no sign of joking.

“Since when did UNHRDO become a company that requires formal suits? I don’t even own one.” – Taeui said with a smirk.

“If you need one, should I buy you a suit?” 

“That’s not what I meant…… but…… if you’re offering, I wouldn’t say no.”

Despite his words, Taeui showed no intention of getting up from the bench, instead puffing leisurely on his cigarette. Ilay sat down beside him, matching his relaxed demeanor.

“Did Maurer tell you? That you’d find me here? Because it’s hard to believe this is just a coincidence—Hong Kong isn’t exactly small.”

“The fact that I was here when you came down is pure coincidence.” – Taeui muttered, eyeing his cigarette, now burned down to less than half, with a hint of regret.

‘A corporate employee. A corporate employee, huh?’ – He thought to himself. ‘What kind of insane company would hire someone like him? Sure, it’s a family-run business, but still—what kind of company thinks it’s a good idea to keep someone like this within their walls?’

“So, you come to Hong Kong every weekend, huh? Seems like this isn’t just ‘helping your brother with his work every now and then when you have some free time’.”

“Not at all. I only come on weekends when I have free time. This line of work isn’t exactly a walk in the park. Our family tends to be a bit…… suspicious, you see. My job is simply to keep an eye on whether the branch manager here is doing their job properly. It’s not like my brother can fly over from Europe every time to check in personally, right?”

“Haa…… So, the branch gets established in Hong Kong, and conveniently, the younger brother gets transferred here at just the right time.”

‘A corporate employee……,’ – He thought to himself, wondering if this wasn’t one of those moments when a simple citizen like him was justified in feeling a bit peeved. Tilting his head back, he looked up at the sky, now streaked with deep shades of red and violet as dusk settled in. The darkening buildings loomed above, cutting into the fading light. Ilay, also gazing up at the same view, muttered vaguely, as if sharing the sentiment but not quite committing to it.

“You’ve got the conjunction wrong. It’s not that I came to Hong Kong as the branch was being established; it’s that I came to Hong Kong because the branch was established.” – Ilay corrected calmly.

Taeui glanced sideways at him, watching as Ilay, with an unbothered expression, exhaled a puff of smoke. Wordlessly, Taeui held out his hand, and Ilay immediately handed him another cigarette.

“You might as well just give me the whole pack. No need to be stingy, Mr. Chaebol Heir.” – Taeui grumbled.

“I can’t just hand out harmful items so freely.” 

There couldn’t have been a mouth less suited to saying such a thing. Taeui shot a brief glare at that infuriatingly smug face, his irritation barely contained.

“Staring at me with such terrifying eyes—how scary. What could you possibly be thinking to look at me like you’re about to devour me alive?” – Ilay teased, his words dripping with mock innocence.

Taeui was watching that mouth spout yet another ill-suited remark, let out a long breath that sounded more like a sigh.

“I was just entertaining some trivial thoughts. Like how they say there’s no direct personnel transfer between the European and Asian branches, and yet, out of nowhere, a notoriously disliked guy pops up as an Instructor. Or, maybe, the ties between arms dealers and organizations…… you know, pointless things like that.”

“Haha.” – Ilay chuckled – “Why bother thinking about things that’ll do you no good? Drop it. Letting it go will do wonders for your peace of mind.”

‘Are you saying you’ll make sure my peace of mind is the first to go?’ – Taeui thought bitterly but kept the words to himself, clicking his tongue in frustration. Ilay had a point, though. These kinds of topics never led to anything good, not even the slightest benefit from pretending to notice something amiss. And really, what did it matter? In a world overflowing with scandals big enough to earn the label ‘gate’ something like this wouldn’t even make the one-minute news segment. Taeui puffed on his second cigarette, the smoke swirling around him, and briefly lamented: ‘At this rate, I’ll turn into a full-blown chain smoker before half a year’s gone by.’

‘Maurer, that bastard. If he’d just spoken clearly instead of beating around the bush, I wouldn’t have even glanced in this direction.’ – Taeui thought, irritation simmering as he stared blankly at the deepening indigo sky.

It was then. As the sky darkened further, his thoughts adrift, he suddenly felt a cool hand touch his chin. Startled, he flinched ever so slightly, his shoulders giving an almost imperceptible jerk. Turning his head slightly, he saw Ilay, who had taken hold of his chin with his fingertips, tilting it gently as he leaned in to examine him.

From his chin to the corners of his mouth, across his cheeks, the bridge of his nose, his eyes, and up to his forehead—Ilay’s gaze traced his face slowly, meticulously. Following the path of that gaze, the hand that had been holding his chin gently moved upward, brushing over his face. When the fingers reached his split lip, they pressed a little harder, grazing the dried blood at the corner of his mouth, sending a sharp sting through him. Reflexively, Taeui frowned, and the hand immediately eased its pressure, the touch softening.

“Tsk, tsk…… Not much to look at to begin with, and now this? How useful can a face like this possibly be? Let’s see…… It was fine when I left yesterday afternoon, so was it last night? This morning? No, it doesn’t seem like something that happened just in the last few hours. Hmm…… Maybe late morning?” – Ilay mused, his tone laced with casual disapproval as he assessed the damage.

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

*Pacific Place – Hong Kong:

*Shangri-La: