The pursuers hurried to the edge of the overpass. Jeong Taeui was falling, the walls quickly gliding past him. Midway down, the protruding latch appeared before him. Jeong Taeui stretched out both hands and grabbed the latch. If it broke, he would probably end up with another broken leg.

“—…….!!!!”

Jumping from such a height and grabbing onto a protruding latch to support his body weight was no easy task. Holding on meant all his weight was now on his arms. Jeong Taeui grimaced. It was so slippery; one hand slipped off the latch. He quickly brought up his other hand, using it to grip the latch again. Jeong Taeui’s body trembled, swinging like a pendulum, but gradually the swings slowed.

“Alright…… that was dangerous, really dangerous.”

Jeong Taeui muttered in shock after securing his grip on the latch. His body swayed, the movements slowing down. When he looked up, he saw several men running towards the overpass above him. When Taeui looked down again, the distance to the ground was about 2 meters.

For the first time, Jeong Taeui clearly saw the faces of the men who had been tailing him. He smiled and whispered: “Goodbye.” not knowing if they could hear him or not. His feet soon touched the ground. Jeong Taeui winced—it hurt more than the last time. He had tried to put all his weight on his good leg, but still, some plaster crumbled to the ground, the pain shooting up his leg as if it might break. Even his good leg didn’t feel much better.

Jeong Taeui managed to get up despite the dizziness but had to sit back down for a few moments with a groan: “Eugh……” After a while, he could stand and walk, confirming that his ankle was sore but not seriously injured. He immediately began to run.

Looking at the faces of the men, stunned and reluctant to jump down, Jeong Taeui felt a bit sorry for them, so he smiled and shouted loud enough for them to hear.

“See you back at the hotel. I’m just going for a walk.”

Jeong Taeui turned and hobbled away as fast as he could, pretending not to hear the shouts from the overpass behind him. He couldn’t make out what they were saying, but it didn’t matter since they were yelling in Chinese anyway.

Jeong Taeui quickly left the area and only stopped when he felt he had successfully shaken off his pursuers.

Escaping like this was easy – perhaps they had been too careless. The farther he could get, the better, but he had no confidence that he wouldn’t be caught again within a week.

“I wonder if I’ve just done something pointless. Tomorrow there might be three more tails.”

Despite his words, Jeong Taeui felt no regret. He walked leisurely. His legs throbbed, but his heart felt incredibly light. Jeong Taeui tapped lightly on the cast on his leg, thinking: “This body is stronger than I thought.”

‘Anyway, where am I now?’

He could roughly guess his location since he had walked in a straight line. Jeong Taeui slowly turned into a side street, enjoying the fresh scenery of the unfamiliar path.

It was a quiet residential area, occasionally dotted with small shops, devoid of people, shrouded in darkness.

Even though he was being monitored, Jeong Taeui sometimes wandered around as if he wasn’t being followed, but the freedom to stroll without any tails had a special taste. Jeong Taeui sighed deeply.

Initially, he had planned to return to the hotel a bit earlier since he had nowhere else to go. He headed straight for the main road, intending to return. But, feeling unusually relaxed, he decided to take his time.

A shabby little restaurant appeared before him. It was dinner time, so Jeong Taeui decided to go in. Perhaps because he was in such a good mood, even though it wasn’t a particularly great restaurant, he was very satisfied with the meal. The kind owner even brought him tea and fruit, so he stayed a bit longer. By the time he left the shop, it was late, and the night had fully descended.

“Alright, let’s head back.”

Today, he thought he could fall into a deep sleep with a very pleasant mood, even if he received a scolding call from Ilay upon his return. Jeong Taeui stretched and moved forward, heading through narrow alleys towards the main road.

It was then.

Jeong Taeui’s steps slowed a bit before returning to their usual pace.

They had caught up to him.

“Better than I thought……”

Feeling their approach from a distance, Jeong Taeui smiled faintly. He had managed to shake them off but was now being tailed again. It didn’t ruin his mood. It felt as if he had returned to reality after playing a very fun game, so he didn’t feel particularly bothered.

Jeong Taeui planned to return to the hotel quietly, walking slowly, indifferent to whether they followed him or not. The narrow alley leading to the main road was not crowded. In the quiet alley, Jeong Taeui’s footsteps echoed clearly.

The moon hung high in the sky. Jeong Taeui walked slowly, savoring the moonlight with a leisurely mind. But then, his steps suddenly slowed.

A strange feeling heightened his alertness.

The footsteps behind him continued, even when Jeong Taeui stopped.

Not only behind him but also from a nearby alley ahead, the sound of rushing footsteps approached.

He had a hunch.

Even if it was just a passerby, his body moved before he could think.

He sprinted towards the approaching footsteps and suddenly swung his fist at the man standing before him. The man quickly slowed down and dodged his punch.

And he immediately punched back.

…….Bingo.

Thankfully, the man wasn’t just a passerby. Though having someone run at him from behind wasn’t exactly lucky.

“Hey, hello……are you really attacking me because of that little prank……—”

*Whoosh* The sound of wind brushed past Jeong Taeui’s nose. His words stopped.

“What the……no, are you kidding me…… Punching like that could kill me. Wait, I’m heading back to the hotel. I’m on my way back to the hotel, you guys.”

Jeong Taeui yelled, dodging with all his might, but it was futile. The two men swung their fists brutally without saying a word. It seemed they were determined to take him down and drag him away.

Jeong Taeui worriedly clicked his tongue.

These guys were different from the ones on the overpass earlier. Indeed, he had thought there were two groups tailing him, and these seemed to be the second group.

‘Fuck. The first guys could be easily toyed with, but why are these guys resorting to violence now?’

Jeong Taeui looked around. Even in a small alley with few people, there should at least be someone passing by……just as he thought this, he saw a figure entering the alley from afar. Truly, the heavens didn’t cut off all paths of escape.

But it wasn’t luck. Because someone appeared, the men attacked more violently to quickly capture him. One of them even pulled something out from his chest – a gray spray can without any labels. Jeong Taeui frowned. Based on his experience, such things rarely meant anything good. Nine out of ten, it was an anesthetic or paralyzing agent. If they had to resort to using such things, they must be in a hurry.

“These guys are crazy……why are they doing this all of a sudden?”

Jeong Taeui yelled, blocking the first man’s kick with his elbow, cursing under his breath, and kicking the second man with his plastered leg.

Both he and the second man screamed in pain simultaneously. Jeong Taeui thought his ankle was going to be ruined. His eyes reflexively watered. The spray can rolled before him, and he quickly picked it up, bashing it over the first man’s head.

‘What the hell are they doing? Why are they suddenly making such a fuss and ganging up on me?’

The blows were so strong that the spray can dented on one side. Jeong Taeui squeezed the man’s neck, spraying continuously into his face. A scream of pain sounded, then began to fade.

Finally, Jeong Taeui used all his strength to slam the spray can into the remaining man’s head and ran away.

Damn it, Ilay, am I dealing with all this just because I turned off my phone and played a little prank on your underlings? In a situation where it’s clear I can’t get far, isn’t this a bit too much?

Jeong Taeui rushed onto the main road, cursing under his breath and glancing back. There were no signs of pursuit; it seemed those men were unconscious in the alley. He wasn’t going back to check on them.

Jeong Taeui hailed a taxi just as it approached. Only after giving the hotel name and the taxi started moving did he let out a long sigh. His throbbing leg now felt like it was on fire. He feared it might end up paralyzed at this rate.

“I get it…… this is your way of torturing people.”

Jeong Taeui leaned back against the seat, closed his eyes, and muttered: “Then why let me roam freely these past few days?”

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

For a gambling addict, this place was paradise, with a casino accessible any time. Now, he even had a thick wad of money to spend freely (although it was someone else’s money).

No matter how much money there was, losing it deliberately in a few bets would be quick work. Fortunately, Jeong Taeui had little interest in gambling.

He could enjoy betting tens or even hundreds of dollars if his pockets were full (even if it was someone else’s money x2) without feeling regretful about losing it all. He could enjoy it, but the people here didn’t have the right attitude, and he didn’t like losing money to professionals he couldn’t outsmart.

So, he just played poker or a few games on the green table inside the casino to ‘enjoy the moment’.

Yesterday, after returning to the hotel, Jeong Taeui stayed inside, not stepping out.

He had wanted to go for a leisurely walk to enjoy the atmosphere, but if it meant being chased again, he preferred to lock himself in. Besides, his ankle was on the verge of giving out.

His injured ankle had been overworked repeatedly. The good leg wasn’t much better, so he couldn’t keep going.

Jeong Taeui got out of the taxi, hobbled to the elevator, and by the time he reached his room, he could barely stand. As soon as he stepped inside and closed the door, he collapsed to the floor. His ankle throbbed painfully, and despite holding his breath while spraying the sedative, he had inhaled some. The floor seemed to spin and dance before his eyes.

‘Not really, right?’ – These were his last thoughts before losing consciousness.

When he woke up the next day, Jeong Taeui found himself lying at the doorway. It was already midday, and he had slept for over twelve hours.

Fortunately, the headache wasn’t too bad, so the sedative wasn’t of poor quality. Jeong Taeui woke up, but his ankle was still sore, and he was hungry and thirsty. The sleep had helped him recover somewhat. He could walk, albeit with a limp, but he had no desire to leave the room and stroll around anymore.

Even today, he didn’t leave his room. He ordered a simple meal from room service, threw himself onto the bed, and picked up a book he hadn’t touched. He shook his ankle, noting the pain had lessened, and then settled in to enjoy his time alone.

He waited to see if Ilay would contact him for going beyond the surveillance range – if he did, Jeong Taeui was ready to complain about how the tails had hurt his ankle to the point of immobility – but surprisingly, he didn’t hear from him. Ilay probably confirmed that Jeong Taeui had returned to his room, meaning he wouldn’t intervene as long as Jeong Taeui shook off the tails and quietly returned.

Jeong Taeui spent the whole day in his room, eating, playing, and sleeping. Eventually, he had to go outside due to boredom. He didn’t want to leave the hotel, so he explored and enjoyed its services. The best place for entertainment was the casino, but unfortunately, he wasn’t interested in that, so he left after a few games.

Jeong Taeui didn’t find idleness that terrible. He had spent months at home after being discharged from the military before joining UNHRDO. There wasn’t much difference between then and now, except he didn’t have the means to meet friends regularly. He went out when he wanted, read and ate what he liked, and could sleep whenever he wanted. Unlike before, he no longer worried about ‘what to do for a living’ or ‘needing to make money soon’.

Sure enough, there was only one problem.

This peace would inevitably be shattered. The uncertainty of when it would end made it impossible to relax and enjoy this leisure time.

“Damn. If only I could go to Seringe alone and try to find a clue about my brother.”

Jeong Taeui constantly grumbled.

If he had nothing to do, he might as well find something to entertain himself.

Jeong Taeui left the casino and went to the ground floor. He stopped at the last step of the stairs.

The sound of a piano echoed in the lobby. The hall was filled with soothing jazz melodies. The sun had already set through the window in front of the garden. This song would be perfect to listen to after three or four hours.

It was a song his mother occasionally sang on quiet moonlit nights when he was a child. Hearing it again for the first time in a long while calmed his confused emotions. Jeong Taeui sat on a chair in the café in front of the lobby. He ordered a cup of tea and enjoyed the piano tunes before thinking about returning to his room.

A man was glancing at his watch and flipping through files, as if waiting for someone. Their eyes met for a moment.

As soon as he saw him, he didn’t have to think long. Come to think of it, they had met before, right here in this hotel, in this lobby. Only the table’s position was different.

He was an arms dealer who had previously dealt with Jeong Taeui.

“Ah……”

“Um……..” – Although the distance wasn’t far, it was too far to talk directly. Jeong Taeui got up and walked over.

Though he wasn’t someone Jeong Taeui could warmly greet, seeing a familiar face after days without anyone to talk to felt somewhat comforting.

Since returning to Hong Kong, Taeui hadn’t spoken to anyone he knew. The only people he interacted with were hotel staff and shop employees.

“Long time no see. Do you have business here?”

“Oh, yes. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you here. Are you alone?”

The dealer responded cheerfully. Jeong Taeui replied: “Yes.” and sat in the opposite chair.

Though he had only met the man a few times, striking up a conversation wasn’t as difficult as he had thought. Maybe it was because both had engaged in some illegal dealings, making it hard to be too open. Especially since both sides shared some secrets, Jeong Taeui and the man exchanged subtle smiles.

“What about the enthusiastic friend who was with you last time? He said he used that item well, and it seemed there were no issues with the quality. After talking with him, I thought he was more professional than the professionals.”

After a few greetings, the man, as if remembering something, spoke up. Jeong Taeui frowned. It was because he involuntarily recalled the face of that bastard from the man’s story.

If the person he mentioned was that damn bastard, then he must be reveling in his room at UNHRDO, surrounded by ‘Beautiful women’. Jeong Taeui spoke softly with a faint smile, “Yes, the last time I met him, everything seemed to be going well.”

The guy was so obsessed with those things. One day, Jeong Taeui would go in front of him, rummage through every corner of his room, and pour sulfuric acid on those weapons.

Because of his deep-seated hatred for Maurer, when Ilay was preparing to go to the UNHRDO branch, Jeong Taeui clung to him, saying he wanted to go with him instead of being left at the hotel.

Yes, at that moment, the expression on Ilay’s face was quite strange. The man must have been very surprised when Jeong Taeui suddenly said he wanted to accompany him. Ilay tilted his head and looked at him for a while, unable to guess the reason, so he briefly asked: “Why?”

“I have some business with Maurer.”

Seeing Taeui’s intense and serious reaction, Ilay finally understood. “Aha.” He nodded a few times and then replied curtly.

“No. You know, you’re no longer a member of UNHRDO. Outsiders can’t enter without a valid reason.”

“No, I’ll just meet him for a bit and then leave right away. I won’t do anything else.”

After saying that, Taeui’s hand, which was gripping Ilay’s sleeve, tightened. Ilay glanced down at his hand and coldly brushed it off.

“Rules are rules.”

Jeong Taeui wanted nothing more than to squeeze that cold mouth shut and shake it until all the ice melted from his body. Since when did this guy follow the rules so well?

Facing Taeui’s fierce glare, Ilay smoothed the wrinkled part of his sleeve with his fingertips and continued.

“Besides, if you think about it, it’s thanks to that guy that I was able to find you.”

Exactly. That was the root of the hatred between him and that bastard. Such deep-seated hatred that even if Maurer was captured or shot, it wouldn’t soothe it. Of course, just because he hated Maurer didn’t mean Ilay held a grudge against him too.

It was because of that guy that Ilay caught him! ———He couldn’t even convey this deep hatred to Ilay, so he could only breathe angrily. Jeong Taeui thought for a moment and then muttered to himself.

“But…… if it weren’t for that prototype, he probably wouldn’t have told you where I was even if he knew. Even before I was kidnapped, he never said anything even though he was regularly in touch with the branch.”

Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue in disapproval. That’s right, if it weren’t for that crazy obsession with guns, Maurer probably wouldn’t have sold him out to Ilay in exchange for that gun. No matter how bad their relationship was, Maurer wasn’t that kind of person. He wouldn’t deliberately report Jeong Taeui’s whereabouts to Ilay just to drag him down.

That’s how it was.

And this is the result.

“Damn it.”

Seeing Jeong Taeui’s long face of dissatisfaction, Ilay suddenly extended his hand.

His smooth, white hand reached out towards him. Jeong Taeui instinctively stepped back. He didn’t think about it; it was just a reflex. It was purely instinct. He had seen that smooth, white hand stained with dark red blood so many times. So, not being afraid at all would have been more unreasonable.

But as soon as he stepped back half a step, a feeling of regret flooded his mind.

Seeing Ilay’s hand pause in mid-air and his slightly furrowed brow, Jeong Taeui knew he had made a mistake.