Jeong Taeui held his face with both hands. His neck was flushed, and the redness spread to his ears and cheeks, making his whole face burn. His entire body was covered in a perfect shade of red.

Jeong Taeui got up from the hammock and walked away. He ran to the pool and dunked his head into it, the cold water quickly enveloping his face and neck.

*Gurgle gurgle*

Bubbles rose to the surface. Jeong Taeui couldn’t breathe, but even with his face submerged in the cold water, his body temperature didn’t decrease at all. He wondered if the pool water had heated up.

Impossible.

“……..Phew..—!”

Only when he was about to suffocate did Jeong Taeui lift his face from the water. His face was still burning hot, and he rubbed it with his hands. His head felt like it was being illuminated by a bright, glaring light. Some things that he couldn’t understand before seemed to be connected. It was as if he could see a hint of the starting point of connections that had been buried in darkness for a long time.

“He, no way……. could it be, could I…….”

“…….What are you doing?”

Jeong Taeui muttered to himself in astonishment, and a shoe appeared within his sight. Jeong Taeui looked up and saw Gable standing a few steps away. Perhaps Gable had just returned from the beach; he looked down at Jeong Taeui with raised eyebrows, his hair wet and his face looking fresh.

“……..then how could those words……..”

Jeong Taeui mumbled like a madman. Yes. It was a disaster. If the thought that just came to his mind was true, even with the smallest chance, it would be a real disaster. Because he wouldn’t be able to escape anymore.

“What should I do……..”

“You don’t look well. Are you okay?”

Gable frowned as he listened to Jeong Taeui’s incomprehensible words. He bent down and touched Jeong Taeui’s forehead, worried after seeing him with his face submerged in the water and flushed red.

But he seemed fine. There was nothing to worry about.

“Yeah. What should I do?”

Jeong Taeui rubbed his face, not wanting the heat to rise anymore, and murmured.

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

Seringe was large. At least large enough that searching for someone without any leads was like looking for a needle in a haystack. If someone were thrown onto this island and told to find a person there, they would be helpless and unable to do anything.

Fortunately, the places where people gathered were divided into three or four areas. One place was a commercial area, bustling during the day but quite deserted at night. In other words, there were only three densely populated areas.

One of them was where Jeong Taeui was standing. It was near the South Western coast and close to where light aircraft* landed and took off. This was the busiest and most densely populated area. It could be said that more than half of Seringe’s total population was concentrated here.

(*Light aircraft: Light aircraft are used as utility aircraft commercially for passenger and freight transport, sightseeing, photography, and other roles)

Another area was a small street on the Western coast, mainly inhabited by locals. Their primary income came from farming and fishing. The younger generation often went to work elsewhere, returning home occasionally during holidays. It was also a place outsiders avoided due to poor security, with frequent theft and pickpocketing, though incidents involving life were rare.

And the last place. It is located along the South Eastern coast, famous for its stunning views of the sea and the colorful coral reefs beneath. Although not widely known, it is considered one of the best diving spots.

However, not many people have the opportunity to enjoy its beauty. There is no other way; after all, this area is mostly private beaches. Even though it’s a coastline, not everyone can enter as they please. Just like the magnificent mansions lining the shore, these mansions have towering walls so high that no one would dare think of crossing them because every corner has guards.

These mansions are owned by wealthy Arabs or Europeans. Of course, this does not mean that outsiders are absolutely forbidden to set foot in this area.

Anyone can freely walk along the road. But the only place outsiders can freely walk is just that road. There are no shops or restaurants here. It’s just a series of high fences with an empty road in between.

“Not even a single shop or amusement park……. Or at least a playground for the rich?”

Gable calmly answered Jeong Taeui’s absurd question.

“All those things are available behind the walls in each mansion, so there’s no need to go outside.”

Jeong Taeui remembered being at a loss for words momentarily at Gable’s simple answer.

At that time, he was sitting on the hammock, sucking on a mango while studying the map of the South Eastern area he had received from Gable. He had looked at it so much he almost memorized it.

But even so, Jeong Taeui didn’t know if memorizing it so diligently was of any use. Because it didn’t resemble a real map at all. The images on the map were just red-marked squares representing houses and a branching road marked by a single line in the middle.

The areas were neatly divided. Just houses, houses, and more houses.

“What kind of map is this? Do they sell these things for money?……. Ugh, 3000 shillings (about 22,56 USD)?! These swindlers!”

Turning the map over, Jeong Taeui saw the price tag of 3000 shillings stuck in a small corner. He looked at the map again in horror. Considering the prices in this country and the content of the map that didn’t resemble a map at all, this was indeed an exorbitant price.

“No other choice. After all, it’s something that hardly anyone needs; you should be glad it’s still being published. At least this company is probably bankrupt, so it doesn’t even appear here.”

*Splash*

Following the sound of water was Gable’s voice. He had been swimming around the pool for a long time, and Jeong Taeui suddenly looked up from the map, wondering if he had drowned. Then he saw Gable emerging from the pool with a bright face. He lightly wiped his upper body and walked across the grass with wet bare feet, sitting down on the bench.

A leisurely afternoon.

Once at dawn, once in the morning, and now, this was the third time in one day Jeong Taeui had seen Gable coming out of the pool. He spoke as he folded the piece of paper called a “map.”

“It seems you really love swimming.”

“Yes…….”

After briefly replying, he glanced at Jeong Taeui’s leg. He was probably going to suggest he go swimming too, but seeing the cast on his leg, he kept quiet. Jeong Taeui noticed that look and mumbled as he wiggled his leg.

“Maybe it will heal soon. At least before I leave Seringe. Before I go, I must explore the wonderful underwater world here.”

When Jeong Taeui laughed, Gable also had a small smile on his stern face – “Okay .” he responded briefly, the smile still lingering in his voice.

He stood up from his seat, his body now dry and refreshed, bowed slightly to Jeong Taeui, and walked into the house. Then, he suddenly stopped at the door and looked back.

“Taei?”

“Huh?”

Jeong Taeui was distracted by his smile for a long time, then answered in a confused voice when he called. He quickly corrected himself – “Yes?”

Gable was silent for a moment, then sighed softly and spoke briefly.

“Although it seems peaceful, this place is not as safe as you think, so don’t go out alone and wander around.”

Jeong Taeui looked at Gable. He silently received that look. He smiled and nodded.

“Thanks for the concern.”

“You’re welcome.”

Gable replied straightforwardly but not with his usual cold demeanor, then turned and went into the house.

It was a bit of a pity; Taeui had thought he would smile again.

It was rare to see someone who seemed so cold and indifferent change so quickly with just a smile, and even rarer to see someone with such a joyful and gentle smile. It would be great if he smiled more often.

However, after staying here for a few days, Jeong Taeui had realized when that man usually smiled happily. Most of the time, it was about topics related to water or the sea. He loved water so much that he thought he might have been a fish in a past life.

Thinking back, he had heard that the sea here was beautiful. One day, he asked him about the most beautiful beach here. And Gable had replied that the particularly beautiful area on this island was almost a private beach, so outsiders couldn’t enter, but he knew of another wonderful place. And he had promised that when Jeong Taeui’s ankle cast was removed, he would show him the way there.

“……..”

Jeong Taeui suddenly remembered the moment when the two were talking about it, and it seemed like Ilay’s eyes had narrowed into a thin line and looked a bit unusual when he stood next to him. Jeong Taeui quickly shifted his thoughts back to the map. Damn it. Thinking about him was making his face flush again.

Jeong Taeui fanned his face furiously with the map.

After returning to his room in the morning, Ilay had locked himself in. Even if this was supposed to be a five-week vacation, it couldn’t be considered a proper break for him. Who would actually give this bastard a sick leave? All day long, he kept receiving a pile of faxes. When the fax machine was silent for a bit, the inbox exploded.

But what surprised him was that this devil actually completed his tasks thoroughly. The messy work was always handled neatly by him. Every day. No, in fact, Jeong Taeui knew that his work was always completed very efficiently without any mistakes. That was something he had become familiar with while working alongside him as a second-lieutenant. If he had a bit more humanity, he would definitely be someone who could greatly benefit the world.

However, thinking about that made his face heat up again, and Jeong Taeui fanned his face like crazy.

“I’m really in trouble, really in trouble…….”

Jeong Taeui mumbled to himself and jumped up from his seat. He thought he’d rather take a walk on the street than sit around and let his thoughts wander.

He glanced around the house, occasionally hearing someone moving but not going outside. Seeing that, Jeong Taeui quickly stepped out of the gate. When Jeong Taeui had said he wanted to go outside, Ilay had always frowned and told him not to leave the house alone.

But he couldn’t be confined for the rest of his life, and he had no intention of staying indoors. Besides, above all else, Jeong Taeui liked this road.

When he walked through the wooden door, a slightly strange road opened up right before his eyes. On both sides of the alley was a wide dirt road that cars couldn’t pass through, long rows of stone walls, with houses of peculiar architecture inside.

As he walked down the labyrinthine road, the gazes of passersby occasionally fixed on him curiously, and Jeong Taeui would smile as if nothing was wrong in response to their curious looks.

He walked a long way, then turned right into a wide alley leading to a large road that resembled a local market.

“Which way should I go now…….”

Jeong Taeui hesitated, his feet wavering to the left as he recalled Ilay’s cold face, constantly reminding him not to recklessly go out alone. This was the road he had taken in the morning, so he had gone halfway.

In the morning, they had gone to the South Eastern coastal area. That was where the rich people’s mansions were concentrated. Going halfway down this road, they turned into an alley leading to the main road, got into a waiting car, and drove another 40 minutes.

After enjoying the comfortable atmosphere of the street outside the window, the place they arrived at felt completely different from the roads Jeong Taeui had passed through so far.

It seemed like a real Islamic city. In that street, there were only extremely luxurious houses. Now that he thought about it, the things drawn on the map really resembled that place.

There was nothing but houses along the road. The wall surrounding it was so high that people couldn’t see what was inside the house. Outside the fence, all he could see was a towering tower at each corner of the house. And this area didn’t have many passersby either.

It was a place so quiet that time seemed to have stopped.

“Looking at it like this……. I can’t even find a clue…” – Jeong Taeui murmured, and Ilay beside him glanced at him. Feeling that gaze, Jeong Taeui shrugged and added.

“If I have to go, I’ll sneak over the walls from house to house and peek to see if my brother is there.”

“Forget it. If you get caught, I’ll have a headache. Do you know what kind of people Muslims are?” 

Ilay said bluntly. Jeong Taeui rummaged through his memory for a moment. When he was at UNHRDO, there was a man from the Middle East in another team. But he didn’t seem different at all, except for some religious specifics, such as praying at specific times according to his creed or observing Ramadan (the fasting or dieting month of Muslims). Other than that, he was a completely normal person like everyone else, he laughed a lot and was friendly. He didn’t seem like someone who would immediately cut someone’s throat just for violating the taboos of his religion.

Ilay clicked his tongue as if he understood what Jeong Taeui was thinking. He sighed and said: “They make a very clear distinction between what can be flexible and what cannot”.

“I guess the flexible part is not attacking others?”

“No.”

“Not to mention the regulations in their laws, it’s best not to touch anything related to their responsibilities and rights” – Gable explained from the passenger seat.

“Responsibilities and rights…….”

“In other words, it should be called duties, responsibilities, and rights. Duties are the creeds they must follow, responsibilities are their obligations to family and friends, and rights are their personal values. And climbing over their wall means infringing on their ‘responsibilities’.”

Creeds, family, friends, and personal identity—Jeong Taeui thought that even if someone wasn’t a Muslim, these were things that shouldn’t be touched. But Jeong Taeui didn’t dare to say that out loud. Gable looked through the rearview mirror and spoke.

“It also depends on different cases and situations. But anyway, anyone who owns a mansion here is both wealthy and powerful, so messing with them won’t end well.”

Aha, and only then did Jeong Taeui understand. Yes, he knew how troublesome violence could sometimes be. Additionally, how dangerous it was to provoke someone who was both powerful and wealthy. No need to look far; wasn’t there someone like that sitting right next to him?

“But if you can jump over that fence, I’d really like to see it” – Ilay said in a calm voice, and Jeong Taeui followed his gaze. Exaggerating a bit, there was a fence so high that even birds couldn’t fly over it, like an impregnable iron wall.

“That’s why you said I can’t do it. I can’t do it” – Jeong Taeui mumbled, trembling as he looked at the wall. Seeing his gloomy face, Ilay chuckled.

He came here to look around and, if lucky, to get some news about his brother. But now that he was here, his mood plummeted rapidly.

There were hardly any people on the streets, just a few cars driving around. When the gate of a palace-like annex opened and a car drove out, everything was shrouded in black, making it impossible for Jeong Taeui to see inside.

“What now? You see this in movies. Let’s catch a servant when they go out shopping and threaten or bribe them for information.”

“And delivery trucks come every morning; you could sneak into one of those and slip inside.”

Ilay provided these heartwarming answers to Jeong Taeui’s dejection. Jeong Taeui widened his eyes and looked at him.

“Are you planning to find people like that?”

“If it were that easy to find someone like that, Gable wouldn’t have struggled so much to track down his whereabouts.”

Wishing he could punch that nonchalant neck of his……. Jeong Taeui thought, sighing. Right. If everything could be done so easily, there would be no reason why many other forces also looking for Jaeui couldn’t find him.

Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue. That was why he came here. He was relying on luck. And that was all he could hope for.

However, whether it was luck or just a fluke, the person who would benefit from it wasn’t Jeong Taeui but Jeong Jaeui. As long as he didn’t want to be found, even if Jeong Taeui managed to get into the room where he was held in that mansion, he wouldn’t be able to meet him.

Beside Jeong Taeui, who sighed and scratched his head, Ilay, who didn’t seem to want to find Jeong Jaeui, remained calm, as if saying: “Just rest here for five weeks and then go back.”

“You bastard, you get to rest for five weeks, so wanting to go back after that is understandable, but I didn’t come here for a vacation. I came here to find my brother…….!”

Jeong Taeui, who had been walking, suddenly stopped and spoke angrily.

Two women walking ahead of him flinched, slowed down, grabbed the hems of their Hijabs, and looked at Jeong Taeui with wary eyes, seemingly annoyed by a stranger suddenly stopping in an alley and getting angry by himself.

Seeing them whisper to each other, Jeong Taeui felt embarrassed. He had no way to reassure them that he didn’t mean to threaten them, and he didn’t seem able to convince them. In all cases, these strangers would be both curious and cautious.

Their eyes met. The women stopped completely. They seemed even more annoyed.

When Jeong Taeui tried to move forward, he instinctively hesitated and stepped back, but it would be ridiculous to turn around and go home now. He couldn’t even reassure them by saying: ‘I’m just passing through’, because he couldn’t communicate with them. (Even if he said that, they wouldn’t believe him since they already saw him as suspicious.)

What should he do? Should he run past them? But the moment he started running, he thought they would scream. Should he turn back and go home? If Ilay knew about this, he would laugh and say: ‘That’s why I told you not to go out alone’…. Damn it!

After struggling with himself for a while, Jeong Taeui decided that the basic attitude of a man should be to treat women well, so he would turn back, walk around the neighborhood, and then return home. As he was about to step back…….

“If you intend to go to the beach, this road also leads there.”

An unfamiliar, hesitant voice in broken English came from a small alley nearby. When he looked in that direction, there was a black boy he hadn’t seen before, about three or four years older than the black girl who worked at the house.

“Oh, yes. Thank you.”

Jeong Taeui said cheerfully, stepping into the alley to avoid the scrutinizing eyes of the women. The cold gazes behind him were hidden by the stone wall. Soon, he could sense them moving, hesitantly but hastily, quickly passing behind him. When he looked back a moment later, they were far away.

Even just walking around the streets is not easy, Jeong Taeui thought to himself, then turned to look at the boy standing in front of him. “Oh” He exclaimed, tilting his head to look at the boy.

It seemed he had seen this boy somewhere before. In fact, just as Westerners sometimes can’t distinguish between Asian faces, there were times when Jeong Taeui found the faces of people from different races quite similar. So, it was possible that this boy just reminded him of other black boys he had seen elsewhere.

But even so, Jeong Taeui searched for his memory. And then he soon remembered. The day he arrived on this island, this was the boy who had been watching him from outside the fence of the house where he was staying.

“…….Hello. My name is Tay.”

“I’m Totu……. I saw you. You stay in the house where Bibi works, right?”

The black young boy rubbed his nose and stammered. Jeong Taeui nodded, thinking of the shy black girl who had greeted him that morning.

“Right. Are you friends with her?”

“No. But……. umm. Familiar name. A bit. We’re close.”

Jeong Taeui listened intently, looking down at the boy who was stammering and using incorrect grammar. The sentences didn’t quite make sense together.

“…….I see, friends? Well, continue to be good friends.”

Jeong Taeui smiled gently and patted the boy on the shoulder. The boy murmured: “Okay, no problem.” then pursed his lips and abruptly turned around.

“Beach? This way. This way. Follow me. I’ll show you.”

The women he had encountered on the street had almost disappeared, so Jeong Taeui could continue forward. But as he was about to take a few steps ahead, he noticed the boy staring at him, so he smiled and decided to follow him.

“Alright, let’s go. This path is a bit different from what I originally thought, but it’s still a way to the beach.”

The boy looked up at Jeong Taeui’s smiling face as if feeling a bit uncomfortable. Jeong Taeui patted his shoulder to reassure him. The boy glanced at the hand and awkwardly walked a few steps ahead.

Jeong Taeui followed the boy. There was no one else in the narrow alley just wide enough for two people to walk side by side. The sound of their footsteps echoed in the quiet space.

“Where did you go this morning? The car was very nice.”

The boy asked after walking a few steps ahead. Jeong Taeui mumbled, thinking about the old four-wheel car prepared for him at the guesthouse.

“Oh, to another town. I was wondering if my brother might be there.”

“Brother?”

“Yes. I have a brother. He might be on this island, or maybe not. I’m looking for him. Have you seen anyone who looks like me recently?”

The boy thought for a moment and then shook his head. That’s right, Jeong Taeui also shook his head. After all, there weren’t many Asians here, so if the boy had seen someone like that, he would have remembered immediately. But there must be a reason why the boy pondered for a moment before denying it.

Whenever the boy looked back worriedly, Jeong Taeui would smile gently. The boy would quickly turn his head away.

They didn’t speak any further, and Jeong Taeui leisurely followed the boy ahead.

The boy took them through a maze of alleys, saying it was a shortcut, and that the road to the beach required navigating many narrow, labyrinthine alleys like this, but it didn’t take too long. Soon, the alley opened up to tall trees lining the road, leaving behind the low, crumbling walls.

“Here, go straight ahead, and there’s the beach. It’s very beautiful.”

The boy stopped in front of a low tree and pointed ahead. As he said, Jeong Taeui could see the beach right in front of him. Beyond the sparse trees was a white sandy beach, with the sea’s waves gently crashing behind it.

Jeong Taeui was very surprised. The color of the sea was beautiful. When he arrived on the island by that light aircraft, the water he saw from above was a deep, transparent blue.

On the beach, where the white sands stretched endlessly, three or four young men wearing only shorts were pulling a small boat ashore as if they had just returned. Offshore, a few more small boats floated on the shallow waters, sparsely populated, like tiny dots in the distance.

Jeong Taeui walked forward, letting the white sand cover his feet. The wind blew. The salty smell of the sea soaked through his hair. It brushed past his shirt and touched his skin pleasantly.

As Jeong Taeui walked towards the sea, he suddenly stopped and turned around. This place was beautiful, he wanted to say, but the boy was nowhere to be seen.

“………It would have been nice to say goodbye to the boy before he left.”

Jeong Taeui muttered sadly and sighed, putting his hands in his pockets.

“…….”

All he found were a few coins, not even worth a few won, jingling softly. The boy didn’t deserve to be caught.

“This is tough.”

Jeong Taeui mumbled to himself, looking down at his feet. His shoes were half-buried in the fine white sand. There weren’t even any pretty stones for him to pick up.

Not far away, he spotted a shell about the size of his fingertip. Jeong Taeui picked it up from the sand, gently rubbing the cracked part. It was quite sharp but nearly broken. With just a bit of force, he could crush it.

“If you need something small and light to use as a weapon, Taei-hyung, I’ll lend you mine.”