As soon as Jeong Taeui managed to collect himself and realize that Ilay had stopped moving around, he found himself right in front of his room door.

Ilay reached over to the hand wrapped around Jeong Taeui’s throbbing stomach, rummaged through his pocket, took out the key card, and opened the door to step inside.

Jeong Taeui pressed one hand against his aching stomach with each step and followed him. Then, he collapsed onto the bed.

Ilay walked over to the window, took off his jacket, and placed it on a nearby chair. He removed his tie and draped it over the jacket. Finally, he passed by Jeong Taeui, bent down, and took out a can of beer from the minibar.

“……”

It wasn’t so bad when he was lying still, but as soon as he tried to move, his stomach hurt again. Jeong Taeui decided to sit quietly for a while.

In the meantime, Ilay hadn’t said anything unusual. While he often didn’t speak much, sometimes he would say a thing or two. Why was he now lost in thought and keeping silent?

Jeong Taeui glanced around and slowly raised his head. He rubbed his stomach. Damn bastard, he had been punched quite hard. But considering his current situation, Jeong Taeui tried to restrain himself.

Jeong Taeui looked out the window with a can of beer in his hand and glared fiercely at Ilay, who was still looking out. Even then, he had to remind himself to stay alert and keep an eye on Ilay, just in case he suddenly turned around.

Suddenly, Ilay downed the can of beer, placed it next to the window, and kicked the chair beside him.

*Crash*

With a barbaric sound, the large chair flew through the air and slammed into the table. The mirror mounted on the wall behind the table shattered into pieces.

Jeong Taeui rubbed his stomach on the bed, his eyes wide with astonishment.

Ilay’s expression as he turned his back to the window was not much different from usual. His face was still indifferent and calm. He had just smashed the mirror and then walked over to the fallen chair and kicked its frame. The thick, rough wooden frame broke easily like a rotten branch.

*Clink clink* The sound of glass fragments falling and hitting each other could be heard. Jeong Taeui raised an eyebrow.

He had seen Ilay’s unusual temper many times before. No, Ilay was already unusual on a daily basis. Hadn’t he just beaten someone like a butcher earlier?

However, Jeong Taeui had never seen him destroy objects and use them as weapons without a specific reason – like breaking a chair leg to attack someone or retaliating against someone who had attacked him – he had never witnessed that.

If he could vent his anger by smashing objects, it would be more humane. But Ilay didn’t seem much like a human. If he got angry, he would take the life of the cause of his anger immediately.

“…….”

He had seemed quite happy earlier, but why was he suddenly smashing things like this?

Ilay’s expression was as usual, but his demeanor was strange. Jeong Taeui raised his voice irritably while glaring at Ilay and sighed.

“Why are you venting your anger on objects like this? It doesn’t suit you at all.”

Only after blurting out those words did Jeong Taeui feel regret for saying them. If not listened to carefully, they could be misunderstood.

“No, I didn’t mean you should vent your anger on me.” – He quickly added.

But on the other hand, what did Ilay have to be angry about? It wasn’t like Jeong Taeui had immediately run off to find Xinlu. Actually, Ilay didn’t even need to use his fists; even if he had only used words, Jeong Taeui wouldn’t have had the confidence to defy him and would have done as he said.

Jeong Taeui thought the reason Ilay suddenly became irritated was because he had said he needed to see Xinlu. That meant Ilay didn’t like the idea of him meeting Xinlu.

If that’s the case, could it be because Ilay liked Xinlu……—?

Jeong Taeui stared blankly into the void in front of him, lost in his thoughts, and finally arrived at a simple conclusion. But just as he thought of that hypothesis, he immediately shook his head vigorously.

No, impossible. There’s no way. He wasn’t the type to have those kinds of human emotions. Moreover, it was the deepest of all human emotions.

If that were true, there must be some reason why Jeong Taeui shouldn’t meet Xinlu. What could it be if not that…

“……ah.”

Jeong Taeui, after pondering for a while, arrived at the simplest and most understandable conclusion.

Perhaps Ilay didn’t like what he had said and was annoyed when he tried to go back to the lobby while Ilay wanted to go to the room. Yes, thinking like that, it seemed there was no problem. “That weird temper of yours.” – Jeong Taeui muttered inwardly.

Standing on the shattered glass pieces and looking down at Jeong Taeui, Ilay suddenly spoke.

“Doesn’t suit me…? Hahaha, does this not suit me? Then, how should I do it to suit me?”

He spoke softly, as if smiling, and slowly approached. One step, two steps, gradually advancing toward the bed where Jeong Taeui was sitting. Jeong Taeui silently clicked his tongue. Damn. It felt like he was digging his own grave.

“Great. I want to ask you something. I don’t even know what’s suitable for me these days. Recently, it’s been quite a mess. Until now, I’ve never been like this. But lately, what this place wants……”

His fingertip traced down his chest, to the left, right over his heart.

“What this place wants…… It’s very strange.”

Ilay’s hand lingered over his chest for a moment. His smile was filled with confusion. It seemed like something really difficult for him. That subtle smile disappeared as he stopped right in front of Jeong Taeui. And with an expressionless, indifferent face like a lifeless doll, he quietly looked down at Jeong Taeui.

“Taei. Sometimes you do very stupid things, but you’re quite smart. So let me ask you something. Advice from reason or advice from the heart. Which one is correct?”

Ilay’s face came right up to his. He leaned down, whispering softly into Jeong Taeui’s ear and gently brushed against the back of his neck. The hand that had been covered in blood was now smooth.

Jeong Taeui frowned at him.

He couldn’t pinpoint exactly what this man was referring to. But an alarm rang inside him that this could be a very dangerous matter. He just didn’t know in which direction it would go.

Jeong Taeui’s mind raced as he faced Ilay’s gaze still fixed on him, just a hand’s width away.

“When you dealt with that guy. Specifically—Yes. When you took down that guy earlier.”

“Hm……?”

As Jeong Taeui seriously presented his thoughts, Ilay raised an eyebrow at him, and Jeong Taeui nodded as if to continue.

“At that time, which advice did you follow? Reason or the heart?”

As he spoke, he thought that whether Ilay took down a person and turned them into a bloodied mess according to reason or the heart, it wouldn’t make any difference. Killing someone by reason or the heart didn’t matter. What mattered was that he had killed someone.

So, regardless of how Ilay answered, Jeong Taeui would still have to think about what to say next.

But Jeong Taeui didn’t need to worry too much.

“My reason and heart don’t conflict much. They get along quite well. Whether it’s stabbing someone’s throat with a knife or tearing out their heart. Neither objects.”

In response to Ilay’s words, Jeong Taeui fell silent.

Ilay knew everything, except for regret.

Why did his life have to end up with someone like this……

Jeong Taeui scratched his head. He didn’t care much whether he followed the path of reason or heart, as long as he didn’t regret making someone live in agony. That’s why Jeong Taeui could only sigh inwardly – “Following either one is fine. After all, for you, they are the same.”

He frowned and thought again. Even if he gave Ilay a specific answer, it wouldn’t be of much help to this man named Ilay. But under normal circumstances, it was quite fitting.

“Listening to your reason would be better, your reason. If you act according to reason instead of emotion, you’ll regret it less later on.”

Anyway, it was pointless when his mood was bad. But Jeong Taeui concluded based on his own experience.

Ilay quietly looked down at Taeui and slowly spoke.

“Reason, huh. Acting on reason is better than acting on emotion…?”

“Hmmm. I think that’s better.”

In interpersonal relationships, there were often serious issues, but this man named Ilay Riegrow was smart and scary enough to make Jeong Taeui fear him at all times. He was entirely different from Jeong Taeui. The most frightening thing about him was his ability to see through others’ thoughts or predict what they would do based on their behavior. So, acting according to reason seemed like it would prevent him from regretting when looking back.

“Like reason…Huh” – he murmured as if speaking to himself, looking at Jeong Taeui with an unreadable expression. Suddenly, his hand slid down, brushing past Taeui’s cheek and moving to the back of his neck. That hand wrapped around Jeong Taeui’s neck, the thumb gently pressing on his throat.

Jeong Taeui’s expression froze. Suddenly, he remembered a video he had seen before. A pale hand grabbing someone’s neck, those beautiful fingers tearing through the skin, stabbing through the muscles, and piercing the throat.

Now, if this man decided to do that again, he could take Jeong Taeui’s life instantly.

Their eyes met. Jeong Taeui couldn’t even move, just stared at Ilay. He met Jeong Taeui’s gaze without blinking, knowing that his life was under one of Ilay’s fingers.

The pressure on his throat increased gradually. Jeong Taeui’s hand clenched the bed sheet. The finger pressing against his throat slowly dug into his skin, making it hard to breathe. Jeong Taeui grimaced in pain and struggled for air.

Ilay didn’t take his eyes off him, watching as Jeong Taeui’s breathing stopped. Then, he abruptly let go, as if nothing had happened. For a moment, Ilay looked at his hand with a strange expression. Perhaps it was a hint of unease.

Jeong Taeui clutched his throat, coughing reflexively. He looked up at Ilay while rubbing his aching neck. Ilay observed him closely from start to finish.

“If I follow my reason.”

Ilay spoke. Jeong Taeui once again noticed the delicate and beautiful hands capable of killing anyone at any moment, slowly unbuttoning his shirt. He spoke and then fell silent. After a while, he continued, unbuttoning the last button and tossing the shirt aside.

“Taei, you would have died several times by now.”

“Your reason tells you to kill me?”

More than that, it was casual but still bloody. Jeong Taeui rubbed his neck and grumbled angrily.

“Let’s see. At least I don’t think I’d let the one who tied me up and drugged me live.”

Ilay looked at Jeong Taeui for a moment, then let out a quiet laugh. The kind that didn’t quite reach his eyes but conveyed an unsettling sense of amusement.

“True. But here you are, still alive and talking.”

Jeong Taeui could only sigh deeply. This was the reality he was stuck in, one where he constantly had to navigate the precarious and deadly whims of Ilay Riegrow.

“……”

If it was said like that, then I am guilty, and there’s nothing left to argue. 

Jeong Taeui licked his lips bitterly and averted his gaze. However, his eyes landed on Ilay’s hand, which was leisurely undoing the belt buckle.

“Ilay, why are you undressing…?”

“Jeong Taei, you’ve seen me and him before.”

Ilay cut off Jeong Taeui’s suspicious look. He shut his mouth immediately.

He wasn’t foolish enough to ask who Ilay was talking about. As soon as he heard those words, Taeui reflexively recalled the images of Ilay and Xinlu before, the two of them entangled like beasts on the bed. Simultaneously, he also instantly remembered the long-gone feelings of confusion and discomfort he had felt at that time.

“…What about it?”

“Just a thought that came to my mind.”

“I’m really stupid.”

Ilay said vaguely.

*Click*

The belt was loosened with a rustling sound, and the metallic clinking was vivid in the suffocating atmosphere.

“Do you regret doing that with Xinlu……?”

Jeong Taeui suddenly wanted to give this man a merciless blow. If he could, it would bring him such relief.

At that time, knowing well that Jeong Taeui had feelings for Xinlu, he still slept with him just for a deal. Even knowing that Jeong Taeui was directly witnessing it, he did it as if Taeui was right in front of him. But now he said such things?

….. If he could beat this man now, it would be because he listened to reason.

Jeong Taeui slowly unclenched his fists, revealing the discomfort on his face. Meanwhile, Ilay had taken off his pants.

Now, the only thing hanging on him was a pair of underwear. At least, it clearly showed the shape of the huge thing inside, so the underwear did not serve its intended function.

“Wrong. That’s not it. What I think is stupid is that things should have happened differently.”

Saying so, Ilay approached Jeong Taeui. He threw his clothes not far away and quietly moved closer. As soon as his back felt a slight push against the headboard, Jeong Taeui immediately regretted it. He shouldn’t have sat here and given him the chance to climb onto the bed like this.

“HEY, WAIT A MINUTE, THAT…”

Before Jeong Taeui could hastily say anything, Ilay was already on the bed, pulling down his pants.

“I should have shown him what I was doing to you, instead of letting you see what I was doing to him.”

“………!!!!!”

The skin below his waist was exposed, rubbing directly against the sheets and bedspread. But more than the cold feeling of being naked, Ilay’s low whisper in his ear sent shivers down Jeong Taeui’s spine.

“If I had done that, I would feel more at ease now, that’s what I mean.”

“At ease with what… no, wait a minute, now……”

“Stop thinking about that kid. Forget him. There’s no reason or need for you to meet him. So stop thinking about him.”

The pants, not fully removed, still wrapped around his ankles and hindered Jeong Taeui’s movements. His shirt was also being taken off one piece at a time, the touches and ticklish sounds in his ear making his insides feel like they were about to burst into flames.

Indeed, as Ilay said. At this moment, even if he wanted to think about Xinlu, he couldn’t help but be distracted. The cool airbrushed over his exposed skin every time Ilay easily removed his clothes while he struggled, making the thread of reason in him feel like it was about to snap.

“Ilay, wait, what are you doing, we were just talking normally, why suddenly… Damn it! Why are you suddenly acting like this, you bastard!”

Feeling utterly humiliated, Jeong Taeui tried to push Ilay away, wanting to cry as even the last piece of underwear on him was effortlessly pulled off. The massive thing from Ilay’s underwear touched his thigh.