In the morning, his head felt heavy.

It could be because Jeong Taeui hadn’t slept well, or maybe it was the heavy feeling in his head that tormented him even while he slept. Ever since waking up late in the morning, his mind had been uneasy and unable to concentrate.

He must have dreamed about something, but Jeong Taeui couldn’t remember clearly. He felt a vague sense of regret about the dream. Maybe it was a dream about his childhood.

Whenever he dreamt about his childhood, he usually felt like this. Sometimes, there would be dreams that made him feel happy and relaxed all day, but mostly, he felt a longing for the moments in those dreams. It seemed he liked his childhood more than he realized.

Those irretrievable childhood days, he longed for that period and often dreamed about it many times.

His head didn’t really hurt but felt heavy as if a stone was pressing on it. Jeong Taeui went out into the garden to walk around and clear his mind, hoping that this feeling would soon pass, but it wasn’t until well past noon and into the early afternoon that he began to feel more alert.

Jeong Taeui thought about taking some medicine to see if it would help, so he went down from the second floor to the kitchen to look for some. Just then, he missed a step on the stairs.

“……——!”

He couldn’t feel the ground beneath his feet, and in an instant, his chest went cold. Reflexively, he grabbed the railing beside him to hold on, but it was too late.

*Thud*

A loud noise echoed as Jeong Taeui’s butt hit the stairs. Fortunately, he didn’t fall backward, but his butt still hurt from bearing the full weight of his body.

“Ah, oww oww…….”

Jeong Taeui grimaced and groaned. The landlady seemed to have heard the noise, so she came out and saw him sitting on the stairs with one arm draped over the railing. She approached with a worried expression, probably guessing what had happened.

“Oh, are you okay? Can you get up?”

“Ah, I’m fine. I just hit my butt, so it hurts a little, but not too much……”

“Is your leg okay?”

The woman pointed to Jeong Taeui’s ankle and asked worriedly. He calmly waved his hand and said: “Oh, this.”

“It doesn’t hurt at all. I once slipped and fell on the stairs and got injured, but I doubt I’d break it again on the stairs…… it really doesn’t hurt at all.”

Jeong Taeui stomped his heel on the floor and felt a dull sensation through his ankle. But in any case, it didn’t hurt. Indeed, what seemed like pain wasn’t pain.

“Oh, I think it’s almost healed.”

“Oh, I hope so……”

Jeong Taeui looked at the landlady and said, then he fell into deep thought about the past period.

After having his leg in a cast, many things had happened that forced his leg to be overexerted, worsening its condition. But since leaving Hong Kong, his leg had had enough rest, and somehow, the healing process sped up as time went by.

“Oh, I guess it’s about time it got better……”

Jeong Taeui repeated once more, then grabbed the railing and stood up, taking a few steps down the stairs. He looked seriously at his ankle and then asked the landlady.

“By the way, is there a hospital around here?”

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

Jeong Taeui couldn’t undergo surgery.

He had a severe rejection reaction, even going into shock depending on the type of medication, even with the best drugs. So, it could be said that hospitals weren’t really places that could save him.

This leg was the same. There were a few fractures in the bone, so all Jeong Taeui could do was stabilize it and put it in a cast, waiting for it to heal over time. It was troublesome because if he needed surgery, like inserting a metal rod to stabilize the bone, there was a high chance he wouldn’t wake up. When he was in the army, he had been seriously injured and needed surgery. At that time, to exaggerate a bit, he almost died because of the surgery, not the injury.

He shouldn’t let himself get injured to the point of needing surgery. But with his bad luck, Jeong Taeui often found himself in situations that a normal person would rarely encounter. So saying he dug his own grave wouldn’t be entirely wrong, but……

“The injury has healed. But don’t overexert your leg for a while. You’ll also need daily physical therapy.” – The doctor said

He wore a white coat that had turned yellow, and Jeong Taeui wondered if it had originally been white. Jeong Taeui nodded and moved his now-functioning ankle. The doctor had said that the ankle might look smaller for a short time after removing the cast, and that was true. Not only that, but the hair on the leg where the cast had been was also thicker.

The doctor also mentioned that after removing the cast, his leg should function normally. Still, Jeong Taeui curiously examined his leg and continued listening to the doctor’s instructions. Having been injured a few times, he had gained useful experience, and it seemed like doctors always said the same things in such cases. Jeong Taeui smiled, looked up, and simply thanked the doctor.

It was healed, and he could walk normally. But perhaps out of habit, he gingerly stepped on the floor, taking a few tentative steps before continuing more naturally.

The hospital that the homestay owner recommended was quite large and clean for a local hospital, and the facilities inside were good. Additionally, it was very easy to find, but the only downside was that it was quite far from where he was staying.

Today was market day, and Ilay had gone out. Because the homestay didn’t have the necessary tools for him to handle his workload, he had left at dawn to go to Dar es Salaam in search of the necessary facilities for his work. Ilay said he would be back by evening, so Jeong Taeui had to wait all day for his return.

He hadn’t seen Gable since yesterday either; it seemed like Gable had found some leads on Jeong Jaeui’s whereabouts. He had heard that Gable might have to go back to Oman or Yemen for a while.

“I wonder if he’ll find him……”

Jeong Taeui murmured to himself as he opened the hospital door and slowly walked down the stairs.

It had been quite some time since he arrived in Seringe. Enough time for his ankle cast to be removed. Jeong Taeui’s remaining time was running out, and he still had no good leads to find his brother.

Even though he didn’t stay still in one place. Whenever he had the chance, he would go around the Southeast area to look for some clues. Or if he heard any news, no matter how small, he would follow it and inquire from one person to another. But that was all, there wasn’t any significant progress.

“In fact, at times like this, a Panzer Faust seems very useful. Instead of stupidly burning down the entire forest, it would be better to fire an anti-tank gun at some suspicious mansion……”

Jeong Taeui muttered involuntarily, then suddenly sensed something and sighed. He couldn’t deny the fact that he might be going crazy to even think of using such violent weapons like that madman.

Jeong Taeui walked out of the old three-story building of the hospital and onto the street, blending into the bustling crowd.

“Are you done, Taei-hyung?”

As if he had been waiting there all along, Xinlu leaned against the flower wall in front of the building and smiled at him. Jeong Taeui stopped and stared at him, blinking.

“Yeah…… how long have you been here?”

“Since you went into the hospital. Oh, you got your cast removed. Does it feel better?”

“Yeah. I’ll have to be careful for a while, but walking is fine.”

Jeong Taeui said, tapping his foot lightly on the ground.

Ugh. If the man heard that Jeong Taeui met Xinlu after leaving the house on his own, he might get killed. Just imagining it made Jeong Taeui let out a long sigh.

The four-wheel vehicle that had brought him from the homestay to here should have been parked in front of the hospital, but now it was nowhere to be seen. He bet nine out of ten that Xinlu had a hand in it. Jeong Taeui glanced at the empty seat of the nearby parked vehicle and then at Xinlu. He smiled and tilted his head as if to say, ‘What now?’

“Are you still in Seringe?”

Jeong Taeui asked as he walked forward. “Yes.” Xinlu replied, following behind.

He knew the way back home. After all, the road to here was straightforward and not too complicated, so if he wanted to, Jeong Taeui could go back immediately. But if he had to walk back, it could take up to 10 hours since it had taken 30 minutes by car. Ten hours right after getting his cast removed was too long.

The problem was, walking back was a minor issue, but if he wanted to take a bus or other public transportation, that was a bigger problem. He didn’t know how to get there and didn’t know how to describe it. Even if he tried to ask, he couldn’t communicate with the locals without understanding their language. More importantly, Jeong Taeui had no money. He only had a few coins left in his pocket.

The last option was to take a taxi. He would take a taxi, have it wait in front of the homestay, and go inside to get money…… But he had also heard that while security here wasn’t overly terrible, it wasn’t exactly safe either. So it was better not to risk calling a taxi.

Jeong Taeui looked up at the sky for a moment.

Anyway, he was in trouble.

Xinlu walked beside Jeong Taeui, and then following his gaze, looked up at the sky. He smiled when he met Jeong Taeui’s eyes. That somewhat shy and bashful face was the one he used to know.

“It’s so different from the face I saw yesterday……”

“Me?”

As Jeong Taeui murmured, Xinlu pointed at himself and laughed loudly.

Completely different. Entirely different from the Xinlu he had known at UNHRDO. Though everything about his face in both the past and present seemed to be carved from the same mold, Xinlu still seemed like a completely different person. Jeong Taeui had thought he was good at reading people, but reality proved him wrong……

“Xinlu. You said you would wait. You wouldn’t force me to go with you, and you would wait until I voluntarily went with you.”

Jeong Taeui said as he headed towards the homestay. Beside him, Xinlu nodded.

“Yes.”

“But if you’ve shown up in front of me again like this, it won’t be that simple anymore.”

“I said I would wait, but now I can’t help but see you.”

Xinlu said nonchalantly. After pausing for a moment, he continued with a slightly altered tone.

“Honestly, sometimes I worry about it. I hear a voice in my heart saying I want to have you somehow. Whatever it takes, by any means, I have to keep you by my side.”

“…….Kill me, skin me, and lay my skin on a bamboo mat to hug while you sleep?”

Xinlu laughed out loud, probably thinking Jeong Taeui was joking. But Jeong Taeui wasn’t joking, just as Xinlu wasn’t when he uttered those words without a hint of jest.

His mouth tasted bitter, and his hand instinctively reached for his chest pocket. Noticing the gesture, Xinlu took a cigarette from his pocket and held it out to him. The tip of the cigarette glowed red. “Thanks.” – Jeong Taeui replied briefly, exhaling a puff of smoke into the sky.

The truth was, he was confused. Not just at this moment, but there had been times when he felt bewildered by this. About Xinlu, about that man, and about himself.

Since the day Xinlu appeared in Seringe, Ilay would come to his room every night, but they wouldn’t always do that. He wouldn’t do anything if he felt Jeong Taeui had overexerted himself or was tired from the previous day. Otherwise, Ilay would caress his body all over before he fell asleep.

At times like that, he would look at Ilay vaguely, feeling like he was fainting from exhaustion. Even when he slept, the smallest noise would cause Ilay to immediately open his eyes and stare at him for a long time (Jeong Taeui couldn’t tell if he was really sleeping or just had his eyes closed). With an indescribable confused heart. If he said he didn’t like that feeling, it wouldn’t be true. So it was even more complicated and confusing.

“Xinlu. I think it would be better if you didn’t wait any longer.”

Jeong Taeui quietly exhaled cigarette smoke. His voice was lost in the noisy crowd. Xinlu didn’t reply, just walked beside him as if he hadn’t heard, smiling calmly. Suddenly, he glanced at Jeong Taeui and asked.

“Taei-hyung. The cigarette you’re smoking isn’t exactly a cigarette.”

“Huh?”

Jeong Taeui raised his eyebrows in confusion with half a cigarette still in his mouth. This was the first time he smoked this type of cigarette, and it seemed a bit large, but he didn’t know if there was anything special about it……

“I’ve never tried it before either…… but it’s opium. Although I mixed it with tobacco leaves and adjusted the ratio a bit to make it easier to smoke.”

*Hack*

Jeong Taeui coughed violently as he spat out the cigarette in his mouth—no, it wasn’t even a cigarette. Jeong Taeui choked on the smoke, his throat burning. He coughed and pounded his chest while Xinlu, looking concerned, said.

“Are you surprised? I was going to tell you after you finished smoking.”

Xinlu whispered with a worried expression, offering him a bottle of water. Jeong Taeui’s coughing subsided, but he only looked at the plastic bottle with suspicion and didn’t take it. Xinlu laughed.

“It’s just water. And what you just smoked was just a cigarette. Are you afraid I actually gave you opium?”

“……”

What kind of person is this…… Jeong Taeui thought as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

“But there is opium, it has been mixed and processed and sold as cigarettes. It’s always been one of our company’s top five best-selling items. Of course, it’s not sold on the market.”

Jeong Taeui took the bottle of water from Xinlu. “It’s really just water.” he thought, looking at Xinlu warily as he drank it. Xinlu looked up at the sky with a cheerful expression and continued the conversation as if recounting a movie.

“Well, they say that just smoking it for a few days makes it impossible to resist its temptation anymore. Then, anyone can easily manipulate that person.”

Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue bitterly. So, Xinlu didn’t intend to kill him anymore; instead, he planned to turn him into an opium addict and then take him away.

“Therefore…… I did consider that method. And no one would want you if you became a cripple like that. Then I could have you entirely.”

“……Xinlu.”

Jeong Taeui said shortly. Only then did Xinlu stop looking at the sky and look straight at Jeong Taeui. From that gaze, Jeong Taeui realized that the words, which sounded like a joke, seemed to contain a hint of sincerity.

Jeong Taeui didn’t know how to respond. He closed his mouth, looked at Xinlu, occasionally sighed, and murmured helplessly.

“I wish I only had to deal with one unmanageable lunatic.”

Xinlu burst into laughter. His demeanor was still as endearing as a small, round, and adorable marble rolling back and forth like before.

“No, it’s not like that. When I was on the plane coming here, I did think about everything, but when I saw you…… I couldn’t do it anymore.”

Xinlu excitedly waved his hand, shining like the sun, taking two steps ahead and then turning back to face him, tilting his head and murmuring: “It’s so beautiful.”

As Xinlu said, the sky was beautiful. The sunset was gradually descending, the distant sky still a deep blue, but where the sun was setting, a pale purple hue blended with the blue.

Jeong Taeui quietly watched a radiant Xinlu.

He looked so cute, even knowing that deep inside that person could be a monster beyond his imagination, to Jeong Taeui, Xinlu was still an adorable child. The initial gentle feelings couldn’t easily fade away. Reflecting on it, there were moments when he wanted to be with this child. They even went to a hotel together – although he knew their desires were different – or perhaps too similar – so in the end, they couldn’t be together.

“…….”

Anyway, if talking about love, Xinlu seemed to be a better choice than that inhumane person. At least Xinlu’s body was like a human.

For a moment, a thought flashed in his mind. Then Jeong Taeui sighed in frustration.

But after all.

“Xinlu…… don’t wait anymore.”

Jeong Taeui repeated what he had just said. Xinlu was still looking up at the sky and murmured softly.

“Even if I wait, it’s no use?”

“……yeah.”

“If that’s the case, I can’t……”

Xinlu quietly said, shifting his gaze from the sky that was gradually sinking into darkness, then looked at Jeong Taeui and smiled.

“I haven’t even waited, but if you say so, I guess I don’t need to hide my ways of taking you away anymore.”

“That’s…… not allowed.”

“Not allowed, right? So, don’t say things like that. Just be cheerful and gentle with me. Oh, right. Taei-hyung, let’s go to the market, the market.”

What was Xinlu thinking? He said while grabbing Jeong Taeui’s sleeve. Jeong Taeui raised an eyebrow.

“Market?”

“There’s a place nearby called Baheb, and they have a night market there once a week. They say it’s quite interesting. It’s only about a 10-minute drive from here, very close, very convenient, and it’s just the right time.”

Jeong Taeui nodded and responded with an “Ah”. It was a place he had visited a few times. Many people did business there, so he often went there once a week when the market was open to catch some news.

And, of course, he hadn’t gained anything. Gable once bought a handle for an umbrella, and he had no idea what he was going to do with that piece of wood without an umbrella.

“Let’s go, hyung.” – Xinlu said, tugging at his sleeve.

Jeong Taeui glanced at his watch. It was almost time for Ilay to return. No matter what, if he came back and didn’t find him, he would definitely be annoyed that he went out alone again.

“No. I have some things to do today…….”

“Please, come with me. I heard there are a lot of people there, so maybe there will be someone…… But I’m a little scared to go alone.”

Xinlu’s eyes widened with a shimmering look, and he spoke softly. The corners of his mouth turned down slightly, giving him a genuinely scared appearance. But Jeong Taeui, looking deeply into those eyes, thought to himself that if he got fooled by that look again, he would be a true idiot.

“Next time. I need to go back today. Sorry.”

“Is that so…… well, there’s no other choice then.”

Xinlu said thoughtfully but surprisingly stepped back obediently. He sighed softly and then smiled at Jeong Taeui.

“By the way, Taei. It’s still a long way to your place from here. Are you planning to walk?”

“…….”

Jeong Taeui had completely forgotten.

He suddenly remembered that he was standing in the middle of the street without a penny in his pocket and no means of transportation.

It seemed that just after taking off the bandage, his injury was ready to flare up again.

Jeong Taeui calmly looked at Xinlu. Xinlu just smiled brightly, as if unaware of anything.