Returning home from work, Kyle felt quite at ease. He was about to get some leads on a few issues he’d been trying to resolve for a long time. Several months had passed, and Kyle seemed to have finally caught the tail of that elusive figure.

Gable had been sent to Doha*, roaming the area for a long time and preparing to head to Arabia.

“I found some useful clues.” – He said.

Gable saw a glimmer of hope in those pieces of information. Gable wasn’t one to take work lightly, and when he spoke, he was overly cautious. Even when frustrated (when he couldn’t find any useful information), he would say: ‘There’s still room to search more.’ And usually, the informant would respond: ‘We’re close to catching him.’

Everything was within reach.

Finding the young man who had disappeared was at the request of a close friend of Kyle’s, but above all, Kyle himself was eager to find him because it was extremely beneficial. The unfinished part of the design he had left behind still needed completion. Kyle had reviewed the design and tried repeatedly in the company’s internal research institute by gathering a team of talented researchers with the best incentives, but the design couldn’t be completed.

No, to be precise, the design could be completed, but there were three to four versions. In all those versions, each could be used as a new development step, but it was even harder to perfect.

He didn’t know which version was the best, nor if it could be perfected in another way. He could develop and commercialize it differently, but in this industry, leaving even one incomplete part could cause significant consequences later on.

Thus, the amount of money he had spent on researching that design was enormous.

Money poured in like water, but in the end, no one knew what the perfect design was. So, the final conclusion was that he needed a researcher.

But that researcher had disappeared after leaving behind an unfinished design.

The head of the research institute had been unable to go in the right direction for months and grumbled while holding the design, thinking about the complicated sequence of diagrams left behind. Eventually, his frustration had exploded not long ago.

Kyle didn’t know if he was a genius or what, but that damn bastard did this to make all of them suffer.

When Kyle said this to the researcher’s uncle, he laughed for a long time. The friend who had witnessed the young man’s growth assured Kyle that the child definitely didn’t mean it.

Either way, he did well in some way. Maybe he didn’t really mean it, or maybe he did want to cause trouble for everyone. But the reality was that research funds had increased to the point where, to exaggerate a bit, the research had reached a stage where it needed to be considered for forced termination. And the pillars for this research project were about to collapse. So, Kyle mobilized all the resources and information networks he had to search for him. But he was still missing. He couldn’t track his whereabouts. From Korea, the starting point, he traveled to Tianjin, China, and when Kyle discovered it, he had reached Beijing, then Shanghai, and then Hainan. From there, it was confirmed that he went to Kunming and traveled overland through Southeast Asia to India.

But there was a problem afterward.

In Varanasi, India, he disappeared for real. Damn it.

Kyle searched through all the railway routes everywhere, and during that time, he even checked all the outbound flights. Then they even hypothesized that he might have decided to turn over a new leaf by joining some religion in India because he had been a peculiar person from the start, even visiting Indian temples in Varanasi.

And then he never appeared again.

In fact, a few conclusions were drawn at that time. That he had gone to an almost isolated country – don’t know how – or he might have died in an accident or been kidnapped and imprisoned somewhere.

His uncle immediately dismissed the second hypothesis, and Kyle agreed with that.

That researcher was incredibly lucky. It seemed a bit unfair for someone to be that fortunate. That’s something Kyle had confirmed several times before, like witnessing the miracles of the god Moses firsthand.

So, only the first and third hypotheses remained. The first hypothesis was unlikely because it wasn’t easy to enter such an isolated country. If he had gone through such a difficult journey, there were many ways for him to access information about it. So, only the third possibility remained. But the boy’s luck probably wouldn’t lead him to be imprisoned for months.

Kyle pulled his hair, feeling like everything was back to square one. Almost ready to give up, Kyle was waiting for a call. Then, Gable brought hope. There was a little clue from Arabia. Kyle was delighted and ready to support him financially or even personally. Kyle asked if he had any news and waited for a call from Gable. Then, a few days ago, he finally received a call from Gable.

[“I’m in the United Arab Emirates, please wait a little longer.”]

Kyle could be sure to some extent that working with a reliable subordinate wasn’t easy to talk about. He was sure that sooner or later, he would catch the tail of the developer. So Kyle felt great. Business was going well, and he returned home satisfied without any worries. Then he returned home, had dinner, and chatted happily with a couple of guests staying at his house. He wondered a bit about not seeing Kim, a wonderful friend who had been staying for a while, but Maurer said, “He just arrived and left. He’ll be back soon.” Kyle nodded suspiciously, thinking the two had quickly become close because they were the same age.

Then, while they were having tea, a phone call interrupted their camaraderie.

While talking with Maurer and Jenkins about military matters, Rita announced a phone call. And when Kyle answered the call, the voice on the other end immediately shattered his good mood.

From the moment he heard that unfamiliar voice, he suddenly didn’t feel well. Once a strange voice started a conversation with a low, shady tone, it rarely ended well. And his intuition was right. He had experienced this a few times before.

Had he let his guard down because it hadn’t happened in recent years?

“… —.”

Kyle hung up the phone, returning to the living room with a grim face. The two friends waiting for him while chatting noticed the change in his expression and stopped laughing.

“Was that call not good?”

Maurer asked, looking into Kyle’s eyes. Jenkins awaited his answer.

Kyle spoke softly, like a groan, and opened his mouth.

“It was an armed group in Bolivia. Probably small-scale because I don’t recall hearing their name before. But they say they have a few of my friends.”

Both men fell silent. They frowned and waited for Kyle to speak.

It rarely happened, and when it did, it could only be about weapons.

In fact, it wasn’t hard to find a weapon if there were no issues. Many brokers could help with illegal arms transactions, and military companies participating in underground trade wasn’t uncommon. So, regardless of how small the organization was, there were many ways to find the weapon they wanted if they put in some effort.

The only problem was when they wanted a specific type of weapon.

Widely available weapons worldwide could be found anywhere without much effort, but if the weapon they wanted was a product only available through a limited supply line, that was a different story. And for such an item, the sellers had no choice but to be extremely cautious.

The more restricted the trade route, the easier it was to trace where the weapon was distributed. And there would be too many troublesome gaps when problems arose. So, the seller wouldn’t readily provide it to anyone. Especially when the trade didn’t follow the usual route. If it didn’t go through a reliable broker, they might never cooperate with someone they hadn’t worked with before. Money wasn’t the issue, trust was.

Contacting Kyle now was also a kind of problem. When the other party wanted a specific type of weapon, they needed to find a broker to mediate. If they couldn’t find a trustworthy person, they had no choice but to give up what they wanted. But sometimes finding such a person was difficult, and threats were the dumbest method they could use.

“So, who are the hostages?”

Jenkins grimaced and asked. Kyle listed the names he had just heard over the phone.

“….Hine, Ludwig, and Kim.”

Jenkins raised an eyebrow at the last name. As a long-time friend of Kyle, he seemed to recognize all the other names except the last one. Kyle added – “Oh, that’s a young man I just recently met, and he’s been staying at my house.”

Maurer, sitting next to him, rolled his eyes as if pondering something.

“I don’t know if we should call it lucky or not, but they’ve captured people who can’t be touched.”

Jenkins remarked that he felt fortunate but seemed dissatisfied with something. Kyle nodded with a puzzled expression.

All the names mentioned were close friends of Kyle, but before being friends, they were also business partners. They worked in various fields and were leaders in those areas. So, in other words, if they were killed, the perpetrators would face significant consequences even if they were already criminals. But of course, this still brought trouble to Kyle. 

“This has happened before, hasn’t it?”

Jenkins mumbled, frowning.

“Yeah, I’ve faced this twice before.”

As Kyle nodded in response, Maurer, who had been listening to their conversation, shook his head in dismay. He had worked for a short time in Kyle’s company lab before joining UNHRDO and knew the company’s operational structure to some extent.

“But there’s still a way to deal with this.”

“Yes, there’s a way… but.”

As Maurer mumbled heavily, Jenkins replied. Kyle sighed deeply, his face darkened.

“Well…, is it difficult to contact him now?”

Maurer asked softly. Kyle fell into thought. Should he say he couldn’t contact him? At the very least, he couldn’t contact him the way he had done back then. If he had more time, he might find another way, but he didn’t have much time if his esteemed guests were being held hostage.

“It’s not easy. I’ll try to contact the boy immediately, but he’s been in a bad mood lately.”

Kyle sighed and picked up the phone. Maurer remained silent and sipped his coffee.

Kyle called with reluctant urgency. When a similar situation had occurred a few years ago, the solution was simple. At that time, there was an organization like a special task force established specifically to handle such jobs. It was a private special task force operating independently from T&R Inc. It was registered as an independent company, and even when T&R requested something, they had to pay according to regulations.

However, the fact that a private special task force received money and worked with a bomb manufacturing and trading company had sparked significant public criticism. Partly due to the influence of competitors, that company was disbanded after two years.

Kyle’s only younger brother, who had thrived in that environment, had comfortably transitioned to UNHRDO and achieved what he had today. At that time, only the top-notch individuals could join that special task force.

After the special task force disbanded, the members dispersed, but Kyle’s younger brother still kept in touch with them. His younger brother was the only one who could rally them due to his strong personality.

“I don’t like it either, but… there’s no other way.”

Kyle sighed as the phone rang, but there was no sign of anyone answering on the other end. His younger brother seemed to be in a bit of a rush lately. The boy wanted to find someone, but the search hadn’t been effective. He had told Kyle to find the person, but locating the individual his brother was trying to find wasn’t easy.

It turned out that the person his younger brother was desperately searching for was the younger brother of the researcher Kyle was also looking for everywhere. Kyle sighed, thinking about it. It seemed the house was being stirred up by those brothers.

[“….Why are you calling?”]

The anticipated call was interrupted by an annoyed voice from his younger brother. Thinking back, his brother was probably still sleeping. The timing of the call wasn’t ideal, but now he had no other choice. Rescuing the hostages with his brother’s help was a top priority.

“I need your help.”

Kyle ignored his brother’s words. Even through the phone, he could feel his brother’s expression growing colder.

[“What about what I asked for earlier?”]

“Oh, I’m still looking, but there’s no news yet. So wait a bit longer.”

[“…—What are you doing that you can’t find one person?”]

His brother’s voice grew irritable. Kyle also became more intense. At the same time, a question that had crossed his mind many times before resurfaced.

“….Now let me ask you. What did that boy do to make you so obsessed? If you tell me why you need to find him, wouldn’t it be easier to find clues? If you asked me to find that man, did you mean to turn the world upside down just to find him?”

There was no answer from the phone. Last time, too, when Kyle asked why he was searching for the boy, he didn’t answer.

Not waiting for a reply, Kyle sighed and asked again.

“If it’s because he’s Jeong Jay’s brother, I already told you before that you don’t need to worry about that. When it comes to Gilsangcheon, it only applies to Jeong Jay. Finding him doesn’t mean your luck will come.”

[“If you only called to talk about what I already know, stop.”]

He said as if he was about to hang up, and he did hang up. Kyle clicked his tongue, looking at the phone emitting a disconnect sound. Beside him, the other two clicked their tongues, witnessing the call ending like that. However, no one here was unaware of his brother’s peculiar personality.

Kyle called again but received no response until the third try.

“Ilay. I need help with something.”

[“I don’t like it. Do your own work.”]

“This is related to the company, so it’s also your work. A small-scale armed group has carried out a kidnapping.”

[“So what?”]

As soon as he heard his brother’s brief, indifferent reply, Kyle’s intuition realized that things might not go the way he wanted. Once his brother said no, the boy would never change his decision. Kyle clicked his tongue.

“You don’t have to go, but please contact the old special task force for me.”

[“You do it yourself.”]

The phone hung up again. Kyle stared at the receiver, this time for a bit longer. Then he sighed and put the phone down.

“It’s no use. I can’t use this method anymore.”

Kyle said weakly and shrugged. The movements of the other agents wouldn’t be good if Kyle were the one contacting them. Furthermore, he hadn’t kept in touch with these people, and their contact information was very vague.

But no matter what he said, his brother wouldn’t change his mind even a bit.

“These days, the boy has been like this. Even when it’s the company’s business, he pushes it aside and just rushes to find that person.”

Kyle bit his tongue, lamenting to them, and added angrily: “I don’t know why he’s searching for that person, but if he can’t find him for the rest of his life, is he going to let his life revolve around one person?”

But thinking back, this was indeed very rare. No, Kyle had never seen Ilay like this before.

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

*Doha: the capital of Qatar: It’s a vibrant city known for its modern architecture, luxury shopping, and cultural landmarks like the Museum of Islamic Art. Doha is also a major hub for international events, including hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2022.