Kyle was a busy man.

Even now, his right hand held a pen, his left hand a stack of documents that James had brought in five minutes ago, and his right ear was occupied with a call from across the ocean.

In fact, James had already reviewed and completed most of the tasks. By the time the documents reached Kyle, probably more than 90% of the work had been handled by James. James was a highly competent secretary. Despite his complaints, he had once sought psychological counseling due to prolonged stress from overwork, and even tried to resign. Kyle had no choice but to unconditionally sweeten the pot for him.

Today, after leaving home and arriving at the office following a late breakfast, Kyle sighed at the pile of work on his desk, exclaiming: “So much work.” 

But he had to shut his mouth under James’s sharp gaze, knowing the man in front of him had worked through the night until 5 A.M, got up at 7 A.M to prepare for today’s work, and picked up the boss at 9am.

James had seemingly given up on his boss. Kyle was undeniably a highly capable individual, regarded as a unicorn in the world. But he wasn’t dedicated to his work. Without his top 1% brain, the company might have collapsed during its darkest times.

Understanding Kyle’s erratic and lazy nature, James took care of the tasks himself, and anything that reached Kyle’s hands was of utmost importance. Kyle appreciated James’s handling of work, and naturally, James pocketed a considerable sum each month for his massive workload.

Therefore, when documents reached Kyle, they were undeniably ‘must-see’ papers.

“That’s why I’m even more annoyed. Although I’m a bit lazy, I never do things sloppily, do I? Huh? Not even once. Really, not even once. Damn it. He’s like a demon.”

As James left after handing him the fax, Kyle began grumbling about him. On the other end of the phone, his friend across the ocean laughed.

[“You could ask James to reduce your workload.”]

And, as his friend predicted, Kyle jumped up.

“Are you kidding? If that guy really quits this time, I’m done for.”

[“Haha, I know. If James quits, let me know first. I must recruit him immediately. I’m sure many people out there want him as much as I do.”]

“No, no. If you want James, take me too.”

Kyle shivered at the thought of his bleak future without his incredibly capable secretary. Contrary to his weak voice on the phone, his eyes were cold and focused as he reviewed and annotated the documents on his desk.

At that moment, the phone in Kyle’s pocket rang.

Kyle held the documents and pen in one hand and took out his phone with the other. He glanced at the number displayed on the screen and raised an eyebrow.

“What’s this kid calling for?”

[“Do you have another call? I’ll get back to you later.”]

“No, it’s fine. It’s Rick. It’s probably just about work and will be brief. But why is this kid calling me so soon after we just met?”

[“Oh, Rick? Maybe he’s calling to say goodbye. He has to return to the branch by tomorrow.”]

“Really? Then he has to leave today, right? But this kid isn’t the type to do cute things like that. Wait a moment…. —What’s up?”

Kyle put his friend’s call on hold and answered the incoming call. His younger brother wasn’t one to call without a reason or for trivial matters. Saying goodbye before leaving? Kyle couldn’t even dream of it. His friend knew this, so it was obviously a joke.

However, answering Kyle’s blunt question was a gentle, hesitant voice.

[“Kyle, it’s Jeong Taeui.”]

“Tay? Oh, it’s you.”

Kyle replied, then removed the phone from his ear to double-check the number on the screen. It was indeed his younger brother’s number. Kyle, puzzled, spoke in a relaxed tone.

“What’s up? This is Ilay’s phone, right? Did he ask you to call me?”

Kyle half-jokingly asked. Jeong Taeui hesitated slightly on the other end.

[“Well…… I’ll be going to Hong Kong soon. With Ilay. If I had known earlier, I would have said goodbye properly this morning, but it turned out like this… Sorry and thank you. You’ve helped me a lot during my time here.”]

“Huh? You’re leaving? When are you leaving?”

[“In 30 minutes.”]

Hearing Jeong Taeui’s soft voice, Kyle fell silent for a moment.

“No, at least have dinner before you go. This is too sudden.”

[“Ah, I’d like that too, but it seems Ilay is in a hurry. He says he has to return to the Hong Kong branch by tomorrow.”]

“That’s his problem. Let him go first, and you can stay a bit longer, can’t you?”

[“Do I get a say in this?”]

“No, not a chance.”

[“Then I’ll really die, won’t I?”]

Jeong Taeui’s voice suddenly became gloomy. Kyle’s mood also sank. He understood the meaning behind those words. He had always thought no one could be as unfortunate as him for having such a peculiar younger brother, but now he felt there might be someone even more unfortunate.

“Alright, take care then. It’s a shame, but next time you come to Germany, make sure to visit me.”

[“Okay, thank you very much.”]

Neither Kyle nor the young man on the other end wanted to prolong the conversation. After a few more words, the call ended. Kyle sighed, put the phone back in his pocket, and stared at the ceiling for a moment before blinking and returning to the call he had put on hold.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

[“Only for a little over two minutes. Are you okay? I was handling some personal business. So, what did Rick say?”]

“Just a farewell. The kid is heading to Hong Kong now.”

[“…….”]

A brief silence followed. Surely, the person on the other end was pondering the connection between Rick and a farewell.

“It was your nephew. I thought it was Ilay since it was his number, but it wasn’t.”

[“Ah. Taeui? He’s going to Hong Kong too? Not Tanzania?…… Oh, poor kid, caught by Rieg.”]

Changin spoke slowly without a hint of jest: [“Poor kid.”]  Kyle empathized with those words, remaining silent for a moment before suddenly muttering.

“Strange, this is really strange….”

The vague soliloquy slipped through the receiver, but his friend didn’t press further. Well, was Kyle the only one who found this strange? He pondered for a while but reached no conclusion, so he asked his friend.

“What did Taeui do to Ilay?”

[“……Let’s see. The kid endured quietly, but at some point, the tension must have exceeded its limit……I bear some responsibility too.”]

Even his friend’s voice grew somber. Although Kyle still didn’t fully understand, he decided to drop the subject. Because he had just reviewed all the faxes in his hands.

“By the way, your nephew…. —the genius who became the greatest public enemy at our research institute seems to be in Seringe.”

[“Do you have new information?”]

“Hmm. Maybe it’s related to Raumaan Abid al Saud.”

[“Raumaan…… ah, yes… He’s under Prince Al Faisal, right?”]

Kyle raised his eyebrows in silence.

While the information wasn’t particularly surprising, his friend occasionally astounded him. Of course, Kyle knew there was an independent intelligence agency there, but knowing about that man was another matter.

“You know, he’s an unremarkable man and seems to quietly hide himself. I searched for news about Jeong Jaeil everywhere and only faintly heard his name.”

[“No, it was just a coincidence. I happened to meet that man a few years ago. To be precise, we chatted a bit while waiting for Faisal as he was with the prince. Although a royal family member, his succession rank was very low, so I paid special attention to him.”]

“You paid attention to him because of his low succession rank?”

[“Well… —I felt sorry for the man.”]

After carefully considering his words for a moment, Kyle mumbled: “Haa”, as Changin spoke cautiously.

“He is a very unfortunate man… He takes good care of everyone and significantly contributed to Faisal’s business development by changing direction early in the battle for the throne. Although this isn’t widely known.”

[“Ah, sounds like the James of T&R, doesn’t it?”]

Kyle licked his lips bitterly at his friend’s mocking laughter.

“Well, that’s not entirely wrong. If you mean he holds the real power. Anyway———It seems he has been secretly coercing our researchers over there.”

[“……. But as far as I know, Faisal doesn’t dabble in weapons.”]

“That’s what I mean, there are a few cases to explain this. I need to look into it further to get a precise understanding.”

[“Hmm. Does Raumaan have a mansion in Seringe?”]

“Yes. He bought the most expensive area. Moreover, his health seems to have been deteriorating over the past year, so he rarely leaves there.”

[“Hmm”] His friend on the other end murmured, and Kyle could feel him nodding slightly.

Kyle reviewed the documents Gable had sent him once again. He noted down information that needed verification. With this mass of data, if he threw it to James, he would likely receive a sharp look from him, complaining about the already heavy workload. If only everything could be resolved with money. But this wasn’t a matter that could be settled with money anymore. (If James agreed to it, Kyle would be more than willing to spend money to get it done.)

“Changin, I’m scared of James.”

Kyle sighed heavily as he read through the copious notes on the documents. His friend could only helplessly agree: [“Yes, indeed.”], not knowing how else to console him.

“So, you’ll take responsibility for getting Jay out of there.”

[“Huh? Oh… Okay. But I don’t know if it will succeed.”]

“It’s not just James who’s scary. The head of our research institute is also terrifying. His eyes will turn bloodshot as soon as he gets his hands on Jeong Jaeil’s products. He said he would dissect the ‘damn genius’s’ brain before he dies. He’s even determined to do it before he dies. He seriously considered joining a research course on brain structure dissection just to do it.”

His friend laughed at Kyle’s words. He sighed in frustration: “I’m not joking.”, but the laughter on the other end continued.

[“Well, if Gable has sniffed it out and contacted me, chances are Jaeui is really there. So we need to figure out why that lucky kid was kidnapped and held for months….”]

His friend on the other end murmured with a mix of laughter. Kyle replied succinctly, something Changin might have already thought about.

“It seems he doesn’t want to leave.”

There was no more reasonable explanation than that conclusion. Unless Jeong Jaeil’s extraordinary luck had vanished overnight. But what could have caused his decades-long luck to suddenly disappear?

[“Let’s see… I wonder if the kid cut the red thread…”]

His friend suddenly muttered. Kyle raised an eyebrow at his friend’s vague words, but he didn’t elaborate. Kyle then pressed a button and called James to bring in the next set of documents.

[“Anyway, that’s all the news I have for today. The rest is up to you.”]

His friend seemed to be thinking about something for a moment, muttered something amidst a sigh, and hung up with a few parting words.

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

Today, the Lippo Center (Hong Kong)* looked different.

(The Lippo Center, formerly known as the Bond Center, is a skyscraper consisting of twin towers completed in 1988 at 89 Queensway, in Admiralty on Hong Kong Island, China.)

(Ilay booked a room for Tae facing this view. The T&R Hong Kong branch is also in this twin tower. =D)

Jeong Taeui suddenly had this thought and shook his head. No, not just today, it seems the day he can look at the Lippo Center normally will never come in his life. Unless the T&R branch moves out of there….

“No, even if it moves, this place is already etched in my mind.”

Jeong Taeui absentmindedly gazed at the twin Lippo Towers through the clear glass and told himself. Chinese feng shui is truly mysterious. Jeong Taeui thought and turned away, taking a can of beer from the bar in the living room.

He had been in Hong Kong for several days, confined in a hotel room opposite the Lippo Center.

But compared to the definition of “confinement” in the dictionary, the reality was a bit different. Jeong Taeui could freely play in the casino or the hotel’s bar for as long as he wanted, he could go outside and stroll around the city center. Although he didn’t have many people to contact, he could call anyone he wanted.

Even now, Jeong Taeui had just returned after reading the book he bought a few days ago while wandering bored on the street.

“But no matter what, if there’s someone watching, it’s still like being imprisoned.”

Jeong Taeui murmured softly. He didn’t even know if this room had hidden cameras or listening devices. But he didn’t care. They could listen all they wanted. He wasn’t saying anything wrong. For days, it felt like he was trapped in an invisible prison.

Upon returning to Hong Kong, Ilay left Taeui alone in this hotel and went to the UNHRDO Asia branch. After disappearing without further explanation, leaving behind only a few words: “Enjoy yourself here for a few days”, Jeong Taeui stood dumbfounded for a while.

Ilay was gone.

Before he could even think about escaping, for the first time, Ilay turned his back on him and left.

For a moment, the thought of an unexpected opportunity flashed through his mind but quickly faded away.

Jeong Taeui would never run away just because Ilay disappeared before him unless he could come up with a sharper trick. Without a passport or other identification papers, leaving the country was impossible; it would be like illegal immigration. And, of course, he wasn’t stupid enough to try entering another country illegally without any identification just to escape.

Identification.

That was the most basic requirement for doing something illegal. Without an identity, it was hard to accomplish anything. Safety-wise, there wasn’t much he could do without one.

Jeong Taeui had considered creating a new fake identity and leaving again, but that thought was quickly extinguished as soon as it appeared in his mind. The man named Ilay wasn’t one to fall for the same trick twice, and only a few ‘technicians’ could create a perfect fake identity. Jeong Taeui had no way of contacting those ‘technicians’ without going through a broker, and even if he tried, the thought of the person sitting opposite him being Ilay Riegrow sent shivers down his spine.

Alright then. Sitting quietly wouldn’t be a death sentence in a life constantly teetering on the edge.

Jeong Taeui was lying on the bed when he suddenly woke up. He looked out the window.

The first thing that caught his eye was the magnificent Lippo Center. Jeong Taeui reflexively frowned. It was positioned so prominently that he wondered if Ilay had deliberately chosen this room. Jeong Taeui quickly turned away.

The sun had long set, but the streets below, as if untouched by darkness, were as bright as day. From this vantage point, the city seemed too foreign, and Jeong Taeui had to return here not long after he left.

He felt somewhat pathetic for trying so hard to escape…

Jeong Taeui scratched his head in confusion and turned around.

The first day back in Hong Kong – where he thought he wouldn’t return for a long time, and in the future, from now on, he would be alone, so to reflect on that dark and painful future, Jeong Taeui decided to sit by the harbor, looking out at the Kowloon Peninsula and drinking beer alone.

Jeong Taeui thought that if he opened the room door, perhaps some bodyguards would stand to block his way. But even when he left the hotel, no one did. Jeong Taeui literally walked out of the hotel without having to deal with anyone. At that moment, though knowing it was useless, he thought maybe it would be okay to escape this way. He took a few steps out. And then stopped abruptly.

“….”

Jeong Taeui sighed, looking up at the bright night sky, unable to see any stars.

‘Let’s see, there’s one guy behind me… two… no, just one…’

While stepping out of the hotel, just ten steps away from the door, Jeong Taeui stopped and stared blankly at the sky. The staff standing outside looked at him curiously. And in the distance, a pair of eyes was watching him intently.

Jeong Taeui stood there for a moment, then smiled and continued walking with his still-healing limp.

Surely that guy didn’t think everyone was a fool, Ilay knew that Taeui would soon realize someone was tailing him. With his injured leg, he wouldn’t be able to escape even from a mediocre tail. Of course, there was no way Ilay would disappear while his prey was free outside the cage. More than that, this guy wasn’t there to monitor him but was just a warning from Ilay that he was always aware of Taeui’s every move. Everywhere he went was within an invisible cage.

In reality, this wasn’t too unbearable. But it wasn’t exactly pleasant either…

Jeong Taeui thought as he slowly walked down the road aimlessly as if taking a stroll. He wasn’t sure, but he thought he could shake off this guy if he tried his best. He had ways to make the guy eat his dust if he were a normal opponent and his legs were healed; he could lose him like running a 100-meter sprint.

Even with his legs not fully healed, Jeong Taeui considered risking it but ultimately gave up. If the guy didn’t intend to harm him, he didn’t want to waste his energy on such a futile effort, as his fake identity was already exposed. Even if he managed to outwit the guy and leave Hong Kong safely, disappearing from Ilay Riegrow’s grasp, he would soon be caught again.

If he escaped once more and got caught… Wow, just thinking about it made his life feel like heaven, literally. At that point, he might really have his limbs cut off.

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

*Lippo Centre: