Kyle was reading the evening paper when he felt something strange and suddenly looked up.

When his gaze met the person standing at the door, Kyle was utterly surprised. How long had the boy been standing there?

Ilay was leaning against the door, staring blankly at him.

“Why are you standing there? Come in.”

Kyle nodded to him and finished the article he was reading. In the [Society] section of the newspaper, there was a small report about a forest fire that had occurred this morning. His hand holding the newspaper suddenly tensed, causing the paper to crumple.

Kyle folded the newspaper backward, leaving the report clear on the table.

He placed it on the table for someone to see. But the person who needed to read it was lounging in a single chair a short distance from the desk.

He rested his chin on his tightly clasped hands and stared blankly at Ilay. Ilay was lost in his own thoughts, oblivious to his brother’s gaze.

Kyle hadn’t seen his younger brother in months and would have been happy to see him after such a long time, but why did he feel so unwelcome?

Ilay used to live in the same city as Kyle, and he often ran into his brother at his former company since Kyle passed by it almost daily. At that time, he had thought that even though they lived close and were family, he didn’t feel particularly welcomed.

But even after not seeing each other for months, Ilay still had that same unenthusiastic demeanor. So it seemed it wasn’t a matter of family or time.

Kyle clicked his tongue disapprovingly.

“That’s the news about society. Fortunately, there’s no information about arson, which is crazy.”

Ilay made a face as if he didn’t know what Kyle was talking about, then shrugged with a casual: “Ah.”

He looked at Kyle. It was a look that said he should know what to do next.

Kyle groaned softly. Ilay wouldn’t know how much trouble he had gone through with James today to cover up the truth behind the fire. Furthermore, after the article was published, the firefighters who extinguished the fire on site concluded it was arson based on the evidence left behind. There were also some calls to the newspaper office to verify the article’s accuracy. James had said he had to awkwardly apologize to the newspaper’s editor multiple times, and someone who didn’t get along well with Kyle like James was very angry.

He told himself he needed to get along with James from now on.

His younger brother causing trouble wasn’t a new thing. Murder was the hardest to cover up, but this brother of his had assured Kyle that he at least considered the consequences and said very politely : “I didn’t leave any traces, or if there were, they were handled neatly to not be exposed. So don’t worry.” And that was even before the young man came of age.

In fact, Kyle wasn’t the one responsible for handling Ilay’s messes; his chief assistant was. When Ilay was still a young and inexperienced man who didn’t know how to hide evidence properly in his anger, James had to work overtime so much that he needed psychiatric treatment. At least after Ilay grew up and could handle his own affairs, James’s workload was significantly reduced.

Kyle recognized that without a talented assistant like James, the company couldn’t operate normally, so he had decided he’d rather give up protecting Ilay. But Ilay still killed and took many lives without Kyle knowing. But at least he could clean up after himself without Kyle having to lift a finger.

So he was somewhat relieved (warily).

But today, a significant incident occurred.

Just killing people was still manageable. Today, this man had massacred about a dozen people there. However, it was relatively easy to cover up. As soon as Ilay contacted him, Kyle quickly sent people who had been waiting nearby to clean up the corpses and other traces that would be difficult to deal with if exposed.

However, it wasn’t possible to clean up all the traces left behind beforehand, and this was the most challenging situation to handle. When Kyle heard the news, he really wanted to faint for a second.

It was 6:30 AM when Ilay arrived in Berlin.

At that time of day, Kyle usually skimmed through the morning paper after a light exercise.

But today, he didn’t go for his exercise because he couldn’t sleep well the previous night after the kidnapping incident. His head was heavy. Instead of exercising by walking around the garden and breathing in the early morning air, he prepared to go to his office.

The kidnapping had been temporarily resolved.

The night before, after hearing Maurer’s words, Kyle learned that Kim was Jeong Taeui, the person Ilay had been desperately searching for. Kyle’s knees buckled, and he called his younger brother. After calling multiple times without any answer, his brother finally picked up, sounding annoyed.

“Why do you keep calling?”

“The young man you’re looking for is among those kidnapped today.”

“… What?”

Ilay’s voice dropped.

Kyle raised an eyebrow at that tone. No matter how agitated he was, Ilay had never shown it so clearly before. His younger brother must have spent considerable effort searching for the young man.

“You didn’t mention this before.”

“Because I didn’t know then. I just found out.”

“…If you’re lying just to drag me into this, you’re making a big mistake.”

Ilay’s voice lowered. The icy tone sent chills down Kyle’s spine. He clicked his tongue. Even someone who had lived with Ilay for a long time like him felt a shiver; what about those sitting next to him now?

Kyle thought about Kim. No, he was a young man named Jeong Taeui. He was the younger brother of Jeong Jaeui and the nephew of Jeong Changin. Coincidentally, he was also Ilay’s former Assistant Instructor and now a friend of Kyle, whom Ilay was hunting down.

Only after connecting all these dots did Kyle understand his curiosity about Kim. At the same time, he genuinely mourned and felt sorry for such a good young man.

How could a kind person like him end up as Ilay’s Assistant Instructor? How could a straightforward young man like him be hunted after angering Ilay? Kyle wanted to protect him, but if the opponent was Ilay, he was powerless.

Kyle, who had experienced enough ups and downs and knew how to deal with people, had never faced any difficulty with anyone, but in a somewhat different way than usual, he had never wanted to confront Ilay.

“… Let’s see. I’m not sure because I only heard it from Maurer.”

Kyle replied to Ilay. Although he cautiously said he wasn’t sure if it was true, he assumed Maurer wouldn’t lie. Even if the guy was quirky, he was smart. He wasn’t foolish enough to shorten his lifespan by lying when he knew Ilay would be involved.

Ilay seemed to think the same. He was silent for a moment.

“So, I want to ask for your help. You don’t need to step in yourself, just contact your riot squad…”

“I’ll help. Confirm their location.”

Kyle hadn’t even finished his sentence when Ilay curtly cut him off and hung up. With no room for further discussion, Kyle hung up and looked around, shrugging at the two people looking at each other curiously. He spoke vaguely.

“I think this is sorted out now.”

(After that, Maurer said something confusing about having to evacuate his beloved beauties. He hurriedly packed his things and left for Hong Kong the same night.)

He couldn’t be sure, but since Ilay had said he would help, Kyle decided to trust him. Although unpredictable, once Ilay said something, he would do it.

However, at exactly 6:30 A.M the following day, when Kyle was restless because his esteemed guests were held hostage, the doorbell to his office rang, even though it was unusual for anyone to come to his house at that hour.

Kyle wondered who it could be. But he thought Rita would call him if needed, so he focused on reading the newspaper. And a minute and a half later, Kyle suspiciously looked up at the face entering his office.

Less than 12 hours after the call ended.

But standing in front of Kyle now was his younger brother, who had been on the other side of the world just a few hours ago.

Ilay extended his hand as soon as he entered, ignoring Kyle’s astonished gaze.

“Rewaco. Faust Panzer. And their location.”

No greeting. As soon as he saw Kyle’s face, Ilay directly demanded the necessary items. But Kyle still threw a questioning look at his brother before preparing the items.

“How did you get here at this hour?”

Even though Kyle knew the answer, he still asked. Given the time, even if he had gone to the airport and taken the fastest flight right after hanging up, he couldn’t have arrived this soon. So there was only one way.

“UNHDRO’s private jet.”

Ilay spoke curtly and waved his hand as if asking him to stop asking pointless questions and hand over what he needed.

Kyle clicked his tongue. Who was it that appointed him as an officer at UNHDRO?

He had once bought an out-of-production item and even refurbished it, but Kyle didn’t have much use for it, so he handed the keys to that three-wheeled motorcycle along with a note about its location to him. James had found it last night. But when it came to the second weapon his brother requested, Kyle was silent for a moment.

“Panzer Faust. What are you planning to do with that?”

“I’m not planning to waste any more time.”

Kyle sighed at Ilay’s short response and stared at him for a moment before gesturing for him to leave. He had contacted James and requested that he bring the weapon from whichever warehouse it was in as quickly as possible and fulfill Ilay’s final request.

After confirming their location while preparing the weapons, Ilay pondered for a moment and then requested a barrel of gasoline. Although Kyle was very suspicious about this request, he thought his brother was asking for more assistance, so he complied. And that was his biggest mistake.

A few hours later, his brother contacted Kyle at an astonishing speed to report: “All the hostages are safe—though some need to go to the hospital. The others have been moved, and the house has been destroyed.” Hearing this, Kyle couldn’t help but praise his brother. Although from Ilay’s tone it seemed he had handled the situation roughly, he was still glad that everything had been resolved.

But before hanging up, his brother added a sentence that made Kyle want to faint for a second.

“Oh, I poured gasoline and set the forest on fire afterward. The fire spread quite wide, but I was able to control it. So don’t worry too much and put it out.”

Kyle knew that his brother was a man with everything but a conscience. And the boy had shown that clearly since he was a child. But Kyle had never felt that, even though he knew it was an undeniable fact.

Kyle looked at the article in the corner of the newspaper helplessly and sighed. This incident, in some cases, was nothing short of a ‘special reward’ for James.

Even though the situation had been resolved, there were still too many things to handle. So he had buried himself in work and been tormented by James all day today. Afterward, he managed to return home, take a bath, and eat.

Ilay had come home for the first time in a long time, so Kyle had wanted to have a meal with him, but Ilay pretended not to hear and went directly to Kim’s roo—…no, Jeong Taeui’s room and didn’t come out. Kyle could only stare blankly at his brother’s silhouette disappearing behind the door.

Now, with Ilay in his room lost in thought, Kyle asked him the question he most wanted to know.

“Kim… no, has Tay woken up?”

Upon hearing this, Ilay, who had been idle, glanced at Kyle. But he didn’t answer immediately, remaining silent for a moment before briefly responding.

“Yes, a while ago.”

“I see. That’s good. Is he alright?”

“Yes. He’s with Rita now. You wanted to meet him, so he’ll come here after eating.”

Kyle nodded, and Ilay fell silent again.

Kyle thought of the young man he had known for a long time, Kim. His brain tried to switch the familiar name Kim to the unfamiliar name Jeong Taeui. Otherwise, he would keep calling him Kim. But in reality, the name Jeong Taeui was no longer unfamiliar to him.

If it was just the name, he had heard it a few times even while working with Jeong Jaeui when occasionally the young man would mention the name. Kyle had also heard it a few times from Jeong Changin, a friend of his. And he had also heard it from Ilay, but when talking to Ilay, he usually referred to him as Gil Sang Cheon rather than Jeong Taeui. Anyway, the name was familiar to him.

Yes. Kim was Gil-sang-cheon…

Once again, Kyle called the name Kim and quickly shook his head to correct it.

It was a story from a long time ago, over ten years ago when Jeong Taeui had received more attention than his genius brother Jeong Jaeui. At first, only those who knew him were curious about the younger brother, but when rumors spread that Jeong Jaeui’s miraculous luck came from Jeong Taeui, many people desired him. Their curiosity and greed only faded after several attempts when they realized it was actually Jeong Jaeui who brought luck to Jeong Taeui.

Perhaps even Jeong Taeui didn’t know that he had at least once become someone’s target. Because Jeong Jaeui and Jeong Changin had continuously prevented those things at that time.

“Taeui doesn’t need to know the meaning of this.”

Kyle suddenly remembered a soft voice he had heard before. It was when they happened to meet Jeong Jaeui and talked about family and other miscellaneous issues in the outdoor garden on the terrace. He rarely shared personal stories.

“For his safety and as a precaution, wouldn’t it be better to let him know?”

However, Jeong Jaeui shook his head. He remained silent, seemingly unwilling to say more. Kyle thought that Jeong Jaeui had a different viewpoint from his, so he didn’t ask further.

“……”

But now that he thought about it, he could vaguely understand the genius’s sentiments, although it was still very vague. Jeong Taeui was a young man who always received affection from his brother.

“Thankfully, he seems to be alright.”

Kyle whispered. Ilay frowned slightly at him.

“Not yet, we’ll see if he’s hurt or not, Taei.”

Kyle frowned at Ilay’s words. He thought he understood his brother very well, but recently, he realized there were times when he didn’t understand him at all. Especially moments like this.

“… Is there something else you’re looking for?”

Kyle couldn’t grasp the message or what Ilay wanted to say when asking whether Jeong Taeui was hurt. He spoke while clenching his teeth with a cold face that made the listener feel paralyzed with fear.

Ilay clicked his tongue.

Looking at his brother who wanted to say something but couldn’t because the words weren’t forming in his mind, Kyle threw a strange look at Ilay. He then changed the subject and could only wish the kind and sincere young man Jeong Taeui a comfortable life.

“I heard that before Jeong Tay left UNHDRO, he did something terrible to you? Isn’t that why you were so eager to find him? Didn’t you try to figure out what to do? Well, now that you’ve caught him, what are you going to do?”

Ilay remained silent for a long time. Kyle patiently watched him, waiting for his brother’s answer.

He would do his best if Ilay intended to harm Taeui. But that only existed in his thoughts; Kyle wasn’t sure if he could really protect Taeui if it came to that because his opponent was Ilay. His brother never listened to anyone going against his will. And even though they were brothers, they rarely intervened in each other’s personal affairs due to their distinct personalities. It was like an unspoken agreement between them not to interfere with each other’s matters.

So, it was clear that Kyle didn’t receive any concession from Ilay even though they were family. But even so, if Ilay insisted on doing what he wanted, Kyle couldn’t do anything about it. But at least he would try to stop it.

Not just because he liked the young man named Jeong Taeui, but because Kyle liked his friends, and he didn’t want them to be destroyed by his brother or anyone else. As the one standing in the middle, Kyle could maintain a harmonious relationship between everyone and Ilay, even though his brother was criticized and shunned by others. If Kyle stopped his brother from touching someone, it was usually out of pity for that person.

Jeong Jaeui’s younger brother and Jeong Changin’s nephew. Jeong Taeui himself, although he wasn’t believed to bring luck to others, was a kind and ethical young man. So Kyle didn’t want such a good young man to befriend the RieGrow family.

“You found him, so are you going to kill him?”

Ilay was deep in thought for a long time, and Kyle received no answer. He frowned and sighed as if he was frustrated.

Kyle could sense that the frustration wasn’t directed at him.

“Of course I should kill him. If I’ve found him…… Yes, I have to kill him as soon as I find him.”

Ilay mumbled to himself.