Jeong Taeui has never seen anyone call out Ilay’s full name. The names that are often assigned to this maniac must be ‘Riegrow’ or ‘Rick’. Of course, his full name is no secret, but perhaps because the names that appeared after became better known, no one calls him IIay now. And even the more someone who knew and knew him well, the more they didn’t dare to call that name.

But thinking about it, Jeong Taeui felt that it was okay to call him: “Ilay”.

However, except for himself, Taeui has never heard the name Ilay from anyone else’s mouth. No, actually there was one time, that was on the first day Ilay was appointed as an officer of the Asia branch, he was called by the Director by his full name ‘Ilay Riegrow’ during the inauguration ceremony in Director’s Office. But that was also the only time ever.

Jeong Taeui bent down to look at the South American-looking man.

This man didn’t know Ilay. He must have judged based on his personal characteristics, but he had certainly never met Ilay in person before.

“Dare to attack someone you don’t know and who has no grudge against you with such a sharp knife is off-limits, what if the person he met today is an innocent person.”

Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue and muttered. His voice was so low that he thought Ilay wouldn’t hear it because he was standing quite far away, but Ilay turned around and asked:

“Are you talking about me?”

‘…… Ears are like dogs.’

“Do you think anyone else besides you in the world could be stabbed to death by a stranger without any grudge?”

Jeong Taeui muttered bitterly. Ilay just smiled faintly. And then he whispered incomprehensibly in a vague tone.

“Let’s see, there must still be so many people…. But after all, it is rare for anyone to use such a blatant and childish attack. What did this groundhead think when he chose such a stupid method?”

Jeong Taeui turned his suspicious eyes to Ilay, who spoke calmly and casually, as if things like this could be resolved quickly in the blink of an eye.

“Tell me, if you use such a stupid attack, is there any way to succeed?”

“There are certainly many ways, but at this point…”

“At this point….”

Jeong Taeui seriously thought for a moment about the importance of choosing the ‘time’ in taking revenge.

“Maybe you shouldn’t attack an enemy in the winter, but you should target him in the summer. This will make it easier to leave wounds on the opponent’s body, and also reduce the danger to yourself,” Jeong Taeui said.

“Everywhere became chaotic as the day to decide the Director’s position approached. Last night there was a bean-brained guy who called me in the middle of the night just to bribe me with money.”

If anyone had heard what IIay had said now, he would have thought he was a gentleman with no material or honor. Damn you diamond spoon thing!

Jeong Taeui remained focused on listening to IIay even though his thoughts were filled with sprawling thoughts. It seemed that his pensive face was a little bewildered. Ilay took a few steps ahead, but then he stopped because he didn’t hear Taeui’s footsteps following him, then turned to tilt his head to look directly at Taeui’s lifeless face now.

“What’s with that expression?”

“The closer we get to deciding the vacant Directorship, the more uproar. Didn’t you say that all of this happened because of fighting for that seat?”

“Ah – almost like that?”

“No, what the hell is the Directorship?”

“Huh?” said Jeong Taeui with a distorted smile and a bewildered expression. Ilay stared at the other person intently and then suddenly burst out laughing. When he saw his appearance, Jeong Taeui could only lock his mouth.

Being the head of the UNHRDO means holding formidable power in your hands. That person won’t have to bow to anyone. Even if it is just a slum, thugs will fight to the death just to become the leader, a supreme position like this, who does not covet.

But even so.

“It’s human nature… No matter how rotten the world is…”

Jeong Taeui whispered like a sigh. Suddenly a thought crossed his mind, Taeui frowned.

“Rudolph is the one who would do something like this just to get that Directorship?”

Ilay became Kippen Han’s successor, even if his path up was not genuine. And then Maori will become Ilay’s immediate superior when he can climb to Kippen Han’s position. Because Maori will run with Rudolph Gentil for Director, it is easy to guess that if Ilay is removed, the opposition will prevail if there is no error.

But surely behind such obvious tricks of a chain is no stronger than its weakest link there must be some conspiracy. Jeong Taeui looked at him questioningly. He muttered and quickly dispelled the thought that had just popped into his head.

“Not really, the person behind this could be Rudolph but you can’t just suspect him… Taei, the Director of UNHRDO, is a position that wields unimaginable power, it is not a power relationship for a single branch.”

Ilay put a smile on the corner of his lips with a subtle look in his eyes. He then went on to ignore Jeong Taeui’s gaze and asked him.

“Taei, how do you think I sit in this position?”

“Because I’ve had a ‘Three Calamities’* this year.” – Jeong Taeui muttered, seemingly convinced by him.

(*삼재-Three Calamities: Disasters said to occur at the end of a kalpa. There are two sets of three calamities, lesser and greater. Often considered a bad year for each person*)

When there is a good piece of cake, the scramble for it will not only come from the members of the branch, but all the personnel in other branches will also get caught up in it. This time, the two people who qualified for that seat just happened to be in the same branch, but neither of them could be sure that either of them would advance and achieve that seat. It is also the ambition to intertwine people in this troubled world. And there are also many people who are willing to trample on all moral values to achieve those fragrant pieces of cake.

Voices echoed in the distance. It seems that training between battalions is still in full swing. Jeong Taeui was walking behind IIay when he suddenly stopped. Sensing that, IIay also turned to look at him.

“So Uncle Changin in Australia is not safe right now.”

Jeong Taeui frowned at himself. Ilay narrowed his eyes as if he had just heard something ridiculous, he looked at Jeong Taeui and let out a sigh “Hum.. ”.

“Officer Changin is not someone who will be led by those who target him. On the other hand, those guys can get bitter fruit if they touch him, he can even use them to achieve their goals.”

It seemed quite reasonable to say that, but when he heard those ambiguous compliments, he felt that as a family he didn’t understand his uncle that well. Of course he understood the deep thoughts surrounding what Ilay said, but…

Before calming down his confused feelings, Jeong Taeui stopped walking again.

A terrifying thought popped into his head that made him tremble.

At the very moment of the struggle for the Director’s chair with dark underground battles taking place internally, and each participant in this battle was put in extremely dangerous situations, his uncle led him here. It’s timely. Even the fact that he became Ilay’s Assistant Instructor (though he wasn’t sure if it was in his uncle’s plans).

“But uncle, I’m not Jaeui either. If you don’t get lucky, you can die unwillingly at any time!”

Jeong Taeui secretly screamed in his heart, if he was still here now, he would have run over there and grabbed his uncle by the collar and questioned him.

This is a place where the more things you know, the more dangerous it is. It’s not hard to see why his uncle became the person he is now when dealing with the potential dangers around him like this all this time.

Suddenly, Jeong Taeui turned to glance at Ilay, was it because he also had to fight to survive in such an environment that his personality was what it is now? If he is also a good person, but because danger is always lurking, he has to become prickly to survive, it is indeed very pitiful. <…Naur…Tae…He’s not..>

But… there is no such funny thing like that in the world.

Recalling old memories of Ilay that he had heard not long ago, Jeong Taeui shook his head in frustration.

“There really is no joke funnier than this.”

Ilay kicked the body lying on the floor and waved his shoes in annoyance.

“Those who think that just killing one person can climb to that position are not eligible to participate in the war for that seat. How can they advance with that hollow brain? Unless there’s someone behind the controls”

“Ha… let’s see, there must be a way to eliminate someone without having to do anything.”

Jeong Taeui nodded and muttered. When he was in the military, he had seen similar things with his eyes. Although the positions will hardly change, fierce factional wars still take place no less than here. Taeui also feels a little regretful about leaving such a place, one he once thought he would spend the rest of his life in. But Taeui was even relieved not to have to stay in such a filthy environment anymore.

Now he realizes that he himself has become mired in this rotten society.

Jeong Taeui blankly followed Ilay.

The noise was getting closer and closer. Surely in some corner there will be a group of men gathering and fighting each other. Jeong Taeui didn’t want to go past that place at all, he glanced at Ilay. But he comfortably flexed his knuckles in his new gloves and without hesitation moved forward. It’s like because there was chaos that’s why he came to quell the chaos.

But Taeui knew full well that he just wanted the opportunity to play a real ‘fighting game’ from the beginning, not for any noble purpose. Originally, Jeong Taeui just wanted to play with a white heron*, but bad luck followed him so he ended up being thrown to the leader of black crow like this.

(*The image of a white heron: a noble bird, symbolizing the noble purity of a gentleman / Black crow: symbol of death*)

Taeui heard that the year of the three calamities will be very unlucky, so this year is probably his year of misfortune.

Jeong Taeui looked at Ilay walking ahead and sighed. Just then suddenly a person jumped out of a turn barely enough for one person to pass, which was originally a shortcut to the East Lecture Hall. Right between Jeong Taeui and Ilay, just a few feet away, he rushed forward and swung his arm at the same time.

“…..!”

Taeui’s body reacted faster than he thought.

Before Ilay could turn around, Jeong Taeui blocked the other hand as if he had just jumped into the arms of a giant many times larger than himself. With all his strength he landed a blow on his chest, and in an instant a silver object flashed in his hand. Taeui didn’t realize what the ugly silver thing was, his body only reacted reflexively when he realized it was aimed at Ilay’s head, Jeong Taeui rushed over, the tall man lost momentum and slammed his back against the wall. The weapon he held in his hand also swung up and stuck to the wall just behind him.

The moment he realized what was sticking on the wall had just slipped over his thigh, his fluff suddenly stood up.

It was an extremely sharp ax made of silver.

Although it is only a small axe with an adult hand, it can still be easily used to kill a bull if used correctly. To catch a monster would require a weapon commensurate with its strength, but this is too crazy!

Jeong Taeui’s face turned pale. But he couldn’t think any more.

“This son of a bitch… …!”

Jeong Taeui rushed in and pulled the axe out of the wall but the bastard managed to deal a hard blow with both hands to the arm that was resting on his axe. Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue, he hurriedly swung his fist up to block his hand, but the force of the blow compared to the giant was just like ants biting an elephant. He then threw a peg punch down on Jeong Taeui’s head.

Dammit. But it’s better than being double-headed by this axe. In a split second, he firmly resolved to cover his head with his hands and stoop down.

But…

Taeui waited for that devastating punch, but nothing happened.

He was prepared to say goodbye to his wrist bone if he was hit, just to protect his head. But the punch seemed to melt in mid-air, like the vanishing effect of someone in a fairy tale movie, Taeui immediately raised his eyes to look.

“Why did you take the bullet yourself like that?”

Falling before his sight was like a rope that saved his dying life instead of the man’s giant silhouette. Ilay’s long hands were grabbing that man’s head and pounding against the wall repeatedly, the dripping red blood soaking the white wall.

“Ilay…”

Their eyes met each other.

“Hmm… beheading someone with this must be very useful.”

IIay bent down with an indifferent look and pulled the axe away from the wall with ease. He took it in his hand and swung it once or twice to estimate the weight. Every time the axe blade cuts through the air, it makes frightening “Whoosh, Whoosh” sounds.

“Why do you keep bringing trouble on yourself when you encounter things like this? Why is that?”

Ilay asked seriously, without a trace of joking on his face.

Bastard. Wasn’t Jeong Taeui—it was who saved him? Even if he wasn’t human, he wouldn’t have any more eyes on the back of his neck to know that such a terrifyingly sharp thing was swinging at him.

How did he know that this non-human monster could easily respond to his attacker from behind without even turning his head to look back?

Jeong Taeui vows that from behind on he will pretend to be blind no matter who meets someone with a sword or axe rushing towards him. Ilay asked again seriously.

“Are you an M-blooded* person?”

(*M stands for Masochist:  is the type of person who likes to be tortured to achieve satisfactory pleasure, realized in two forms: “liking to be hurt” or “liking to be humiliated”.)

Taeui wishes he could use that ax to strike this bastard’s head.

At the same time, he thought that if he had been the kind of person who could enjoy pain happily, he would have enjoyed the miserable time with this bastard, those days of fainting and bedridden. But he quickly swallowed down these words. After all, this is not the time to reckon with those things.

The people who were fighting out there probably heard the commotion in this place, they immediately rushed here. Rather, the fierce fighting over there had immediately shifted to this side because they had seen Ilay.

Unfortunately for them, the sharp shiny axe was still in Ilay’s hands. It wasn’t chipped in the slightest bit even with a dagger and a solid stone wall. Fortunately, the men were also aware of the danger of the weapon in the monster’s hands and slowed down, as right next to the monster there was a face that seemed to be nailed to a wall that was still soaked in stinky blood.

“You devil thing……”

Someone suddenly muttered. The voice was filled with fear and trembling. It seemed that everyone misunderstood the relationship between the man lying in the pool of blood and the axe in Ilay’s hand. But Jeong Taeui missed the best time to explain and he also decided to keep quiet. Because it’s better if they think there’s a demon in front of them that knows what to do.

However, if everything had gone as he expected and gone smoothly, Jeong Taeui wouldn’t be here now.