“Ilay is the son of this family, didn’t you know that?”

“I know, but why ask him?”

“What do you mean why? I heard you say before that if you see a prototype of a product made by a company that hasn’t been released to the market yet, you could try it out first. Doesn’t that mean you can get it beforehand?”

At Jeong Taeui’s words, Maurer looked at him reluctantly and seemed to ponder. Jeong Taeui squinted at him attentively. It was a joke, but it didn’t quite feel like one.

After thinking for a moment, Maurer looked at Taeui seriously and asked again.

“But asking that lunatic to bring out the gun for me first is harder than reaching the sky, isn’t it?”

“…..It’s difficult…..but you really want that gun, don’t you?”

Jeong Taeui said with a sullen face. Normally, he would avoid places that smelled of life-threatening danger, but if he saw a gun he really liked, he wouldn’t mind risking his life to get it.

Jeong Taeui groaned at Maurer and got caught up in his own thoughts again, then offered a more practical suggestion.

“If I were you, I’d persuade Kyle somehow. Even if it’s just a prototype, I’d have to get it at all costs and wouldn’t let anyone else take it.”

“Of course! How could I let such a beautiful thing slip into someone else’s hands! That’s absurd!”

Maurer shouted angrily at Jeong Taeui. Jeong Taeui looked at him and seriously thought that this crazy bastard needed a good smack to come to his senses.

“Even if you have to beg, if you want that thing so badly, try persuading Kyle. It’s a hundred times more likely than going through the backdoor with Ilay.”

“No……it’s the other way around.”

At Jeong Taeui’s grumbling, Maurer shook his head in despair. When Taeui looked at him suspiciously, Maurer desperately ran his hands through his hair.

“I tried once before….7 years ago, before Sonya was released to the market, I fell in love with her at first sight. I camped outside his office for a week, even after the security guards dragged me out, I stayed there and cried my heart out in the living room of this house every time I saw Kyle. I even threatened to cut my wrists in the bathroom. I mean…but Kyle said no, and he really didn’t give her to me.”

Jeong Taeui didn’t know who Sonya was, but thinking it was probably a gun, he was shocked by Maurer’s following words.

This guy is really crazy.

But Kyle is tough too. He didn’t hesitate to deal with all the antics of this pervert for so long.

Jeong Taeui wanted to smoke. He searched in his chest pocket but only found a cigarette that had been soaked in water.

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

Summer is really unbearable. Moreover, this year had an unusually hot temperature that was alarming.

Even now, when the sun was starting its descent, the sunlight was so bright it made Taeui feel dizzy.

Jeong Taeui sighed with his head steaming while walking in the only shaded area here, not to mention his aching ankle. It wasn’t far to the clinic, so he refused when Kyle offered to prepare a car in the morning, but now he regretted it a bit. Actually, even if Kyle offered again now, he might still refuse. But the fact was, it was scorching hot, and he had to walk about 20 minutes to the hospital with his injured leg.

After reaching the hospital, unwrapping and re-wrapping his bandage with limping steps, Jeong Taeui sighed.

It was his own fault for causing this, he shouldn’t have tried to throw Maurer into the pool.

….But he would have gone crazy if he had to keep listening to all that nonsense.

At that time, he left the pool and changed his clothes but didn’t know what to do with the soaked plaster on his leg. Although it had been soaked, he thought it best to just dry it out. He usually dried it under the sun, but quite a long time ago when he took art classes in elementary school, if he made something out of plaster and clay, he would dry it in the shade. By evening, the plaster on his leg was dry, but the inside still felt damp and uncomfortable. But after all, he was no stranger to this. He thought it could heal without the trouble of going to the hospital to re-wrap it.

But this morning he changed his mind. Actually, it wasn’t that he changed his mind, but Rita forced him to.

“Doesn’t it smell? Also, keeping it wet like that is completely unsanitary, so please go to the hospital and re-bandage it.”

As soon as Rita woke up Jeong Taeui, who was lazing in bed, her ominous green words hit his ears.

Jeong Taeui was dumbfounded looking at Rita after being woken up and realized that his leg did smell. It was summer and very humid. Maybe because people usually don’t realize the smells coming from their own bodies, if everyone could sense their own smell, they would probably be quite horrified.

He scratched his head, changed clothes, and went to the dining room for breakfast. Kyle and Maurer were sitting with a ‘new face’ who had arrived yesterday. Thinking back, although the guests here always changed, the number of them seemed to always be maintained. Was there a reservation system here? When Taeui sat down at his usual spot, Maurer suddenly blinked and smiled widely beside him.

“I heard it in the room. She said you smell like a bunch of plaster. Haha, you need to go to the hospital to re-check it, right? They say today’s weather is extremely hot, but you probably have to endure a bit to take that broken leg to the hospital.”

Then, Kyle turned around while talking to the ‘new face’. He said enthusiastically.

“It must be inconvenient. I’ll tell Peter to take you by car.”

Jeong Taeui brought his good leg back and kicked Maurer’s leg. He smiled at Kyle and waved his hand.

“No need, it’s close by. I can walk there quickly. I can even get some exercise and come back.”

“Alright, but let Peter know first. If you change your mind, you can tell him anytime.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Jeong Taeui said with a smile and gently removed his foot from Maurer’s struggling leg.

Looking at the gentle host smiling generously, Jeong Taeui suddenly remembered what Maurer had said yesterday.

“I threatened to cut my wrists in the bathroom, but I mean…he still said no.”

Thinking back, the guy was tough. But Kyle was even tougher.

Of course, he felt Kyle had an interesting but sharp mind. Leading a company of this size at under 40 was still very young, there was no need to act friendly. Moreover, Maurer’s childish threats were really rude.

However, Taeui still felt it was strange. Maybe because Kyle had never shown such a side to Jeong Taeui. After all, he finally had a topic to talk to his uncle about after more than 20 years. If his uncle heard such threats, he would surely be furious. Jeong Taeui tore off a piece of bread and put it in his mouth.

“By the way, Maurer.”

While he was chewing the bread sluggishly, Maurer, who was spreading butter on his bread, raised his head when he heard Kyle call. The guy had been worrying all night about a problem: “How can I get her now? How can I achieve my love?”

When he heard Kyle call, he looked at him with a hopeful face, although it was clearly impossible.

He was a pervert but also pitiful to see this puppy-like tail-wagging appearance…. Jeong Taeui thought while chewing bread. Then he looked at Maurer. Initially, he didn’t really like buttered bread, so he didn’t take the butter, but Maurer seemed to have misunderstood something and grabbed the butter himself. Instead of fearing it being taken away, he made an extremely childish gesture.

“I don’t eat it.”

‘Alright. You eat it all yourself. Eat, and get fat with your swollen butt.’

Jeong Taeui snorted and took another slice of bread. And he ate the bread plain. But soon he choked on it.

“You’re a member of the UNHRDO Asian branch, right? Do you know someone named Jeong Taeil?”

Damn it. Jeong Taeui was stunned into silence.

Suddenly, the bread seemed to get stuck in his throat, making him feel suffocated. Jeong Taeui tried to remain as calm as possible.

He put his hand on his face, gently picked up the water glass, and quickly drank the water to clear the piece of bread stuck there. Jeong Taeui could feel it slowly sliding down his esophagus. He looked at Kyle nervously, pretending to be interested in a topic unrelated to himself. Jeong Taeui was really curious. Why did his name suddenly come out of Kyle’s mouth?

Maurer stopped his hand spreading butter on the bread and blinked, then slowly looked back at Jeong Taeui.

‘This dumb bastard, what if Kyle notices something!’

Jeong Taeui screamed inwardly and stared at Maurer.

“Huh? What’s wrong?” He tilted his head as if wondering why the guy was looking at him like that. Then Maurer indifferently offered the butter.

“Nothing….Come on, it looks like you want some butter, huh? Look at your grumpy face. —– Ah, who is he? Jeong Taeil? oh, I know, I know. But he’s not on my team, so I only know his name and face.”

Maurer deliberately offered Jeong Taeui the remaining butter and said. Then he turned back to Kyle.

Jeong Taeui pretended not to know anything and also pretended to spread butter on his bread, making loud noises to soothe his pounding heart. However, it seemed Maurer had no intention of exposing Jeong Taeui so blatantly here.

“That guy, does he have anything peculiar or something like that?”

“How should I know…, rumors are intriguing. But there isn’t much news about him, so he seems fine. If I had to say what makes him different from the others, it would be that he’s the nephew of Officer Jeong Changin? Oh, right. He’s also the younger brother of researcher Jeong Jaeui. But he looks so ordinary. He looks so dumb that you have to wonder if he’s really the brother of that famous genius. His temperament is also very annoying, and he doesn’t even know how strange he is…..”

Maurer’s chanting continued to pour out, mixed with Jeong Taeui’s anxious feelings. He chewed the bread as if he was being bitten by a dog.

But why did Kyle suddenly ask about him? Not Kim Young-soo, but Jeong Taeui of UNHRDO.

Jeong Taeui of UNHRDO, perhaps the only thing Maurer knew.

The information Kyle had might be more than Maurer’s. His relationships, family, age, origin, school, etc. So perhaps what Maurer said wasn’t what Kyle wanted to know.

Kyle thought for a moment about something, then nodded before asking again.

“I heard he’s Ilay’s Assistant Instructor…has he had any trouble with my brother?”

“Let’s see, I’m not sure. I don’t know personal matters, he doesn’t share those things. Rather, that lunatic…––oh sorry, so everyone says he must have strong endurance to handle Rick’s unusual character.”

Maurer, perhaps unknowingly, casually called Ilay a lunatic in front of his brother. Hearing the word ‘lunatic’ pronounced so clearly and naturally, Jeong Taeui didn’t think it was just a ‘slip of the tongue’.

“I don’t even know anything else about him, I’ve never heard him talk about such things, so I don’t know.” – Maurer added.

And next to him, suddenly Jeong Taeui felt a bit grateful. He had kept his promise and didn’t mention anything about him anywhere. Even if it was because of the beautiful guns hidden all over his room.

Jeong Taeui pretended not to know anything and vaguely asked while slicing the newly steamed fish.

“There must be something going on with your brother then.”

After that, Kyle frowned slightly and shook his head.

“I don’t know why either. The boy said to find someone not long ago. And it seems he’s considering searching through other information agencies outside our family’s company. But when I asked why he had to go that far, he didn’t answer, just that he had to find him at all costs. His whereabouts haven’t been found either.”

So that’s why he asked Maurer if he knew him, Kyle said. Jeong Taeui smiled at him. He could also feel Maurer’s meaningful gaze fixed on him. Jeong Taeui resolutely pretended not to know anything, but that gaze showed no sign of moving away. He looked at Maurer and smiled like a beauty queen once more, then asked.

“Huh? What now?” – Taeui whispered.

At that moment, Maurer slowly turned his head away.

What did he do to Ilay? He just jumped in, tied him up, and ran away. Hit him, slapped his face, cursed at him, and threw him there. If he could say all that, it would be great, but even if his mouth was pried open, Taeui couldn’t say anything. Because the moment he uttered those words, the thought of Ilay suddenly appearing from behind haunted his mind.

“Besides…”

“Beating someone up and running away isn’t something to be proud of to brag to anyone about.” Jeong Taeui sighed and mumbled.

Soon the buildings appeared before his eyes. On this scorching road with his limping steps, Jeong Taeui felt as if no matter how far he walked, this road would never end. But indeed, after hardship comes sweet fruit. Jeong Taeui hobbled with his crutches, recovering quickly, so he consoled himself that he would feel comfortable soon if he endured a little longer. By the end of this summer, he could recover, the doctor had said in the hospital.

Then he would go out to find his brother? Before, it was at his uncle’s request, but now it was for himself. Because he also wanted to meet his brother. Actually, he could go home first, but he would rather go find him than sit and wait, even if he had no clue where he was. Until his ankle healed, he should just sit still in that house and read books.

Jeong Taeui continued walking towards the house.

Then, suddenly he tilted his head.

A car was speeding from the other side of the road opposite Kyle’s mansion. The road was wide enough for several cars to drive but not too wide. However, this place had only one mansion, so it was rarely congested.

Once, when talking to a gardener, he heard that when the owner of a nearby house died and their family held a funeral, the road was congested and blocked.

In the middle of a weekday like this, the entire road was devoid of any cars.

But, there was a car speeding towards the road.

Jeong Taeui thought for a while. It was strange.

Earlier, this car was parked at the end of the road, he didn’t pay much attention, but he didn’t think anyone had gotten in or out of it. The car, which had been parked, started moving when Jeong Taeui got closer to the house.

Maybe it was just a coincidence.

But as the car got closer, his suspicion grew. It was a silver van. A car that could comfortably seat five or six people and carry a lot of luggage in the back. Moreover, it was impossible to see through the glass from the outside.

It looked like a car that celebrities often used, but something was odd, and when he tilted his head to figure out what it was, he realized it the moment his eyes met the man sitting in the driver’s seat.

The man was staring intently at Jeong Taeui. The man sitting in the passenger seat next to him was also staring intently at Taeui. And neither of them said a word.

“……—!”

At that moment, Jeong Taeui realized what was odd.

The car was speeding towards him. It wasn’t just a car passing by; it was clearly heading straight for Jeong Taeui.

What bad luck. For a moment, that thought flashed through his mind. First, from the gaze of the man still staring at him coldly without a hint of a smile.

Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue.

He sprinted away in an instant.

The weight on his ankle made it feel like it would shatter the moment he took the first step on the road with the aid of the crutch. A groan escaped his mouth. But this wasn’t the time to care about the pain.

The car, coming from the other side of the road, crossed the road lines and quickly approached the sidewalk where Jeong Taeui was running. Then, the car stopped in front of his path, and the man sitting in the passenger seat immediately jumped out of the car.

“What are you doing?!”