“What?”

Jeong Taeui looked at Ilay, wondering what he was talking about. After a few seconds of silence, he remembered what he had just said to the broker: “The person I was waiting for has arrived.”

“Oh, that……”

Jeong Taeui scratched his head. As if reading his thoughts, Ilay cheerfully added another jab.

“When I walked in here, I was genuinely curious about what you were going to say.”

“Uh……”

Jeong Taeui weakly groaned and stared at Ilay. The truth was, he had a lot he wanted to say, but they were all difficult to bring up. Especially given the fact that he had been nearly confined for the past few days.

For example, how long he would have to stay here, or if Ilay insisted on having him followed, could he at least assign someone more professional, someone whose presence he wouldn’t notice.

“Oh, alright. You know, I never actually intended to escape from surveillance.”

I wasn’t really trying to run away, Jeong Taeui frowned and added.

Thinking back to that made the pain in his ankle flare up again. Ilay raised an eyebrow but didn’t say much, just nodded for him to continue.

“Because I was so bored, I just quietly left for a while to enjoy a walk by myself, okay? But those guys, they talked to a poor patient in poor health like me with their fists, and even used a canister of anesthetic spray to drag me away. My ankle has just started to heal a bit, do you know how much it hurts?”

Ilay kept his eyes on Jeong Taeui, listening quietly and lost in thought for a moment.

His cold eyes were a bit vague, but soon they calmed down. He spoke up.

“A poor patient with an injured ankle jumped from a several-meter-high bridge. Hearing that, I thought you were doing better.”

“Well…… I jumped because I knew it would be fine from that height.”

“Exactly. That’s what I mean.”

Ilay muttered to himself. Jeong Taeui fell silent.

Ilay wasn’t looking at Jeong Taeui, but he glanced at him. It seemed like Ilay was thinking about something, and then suddenly, he burst out laughing.

“That’s right, you returned to the hotel calmly.”

He chuckled lightly as if genuinely amused. Just then, a waiter approached, placed a teacup on the table, and left. Steam rose from the hot tea.

Jeong Taeui frowned slightly, looking at Ilay suspiciously, trying to figure out why the man before him was suddenly laughing so joyfully.

After a while, Ilay stopped laughing, but the smile in his eyes remained.

“This time, I have to admit, your escape skills are quite impressive.”

“Huh?”

“I mean, from the moment you jumped off the bridge, the events that followed were beyond my control.”

Jeong Taeui stared intently at Ilay. He sighed contentedly, then put on the gloves he had previously forgotten about. Watching Ilay’s unusual behavior, Jeong Taeui tilted his head in confusion.

“Why are you putting those on all of a sudden?”

“There’s something that’s been bothering me, and now I know what it is. Wait here. I’ll be back before the tea gets cold.”

“What…… —”

Before Jeong Taeui could finish his sentence, Ilay stood up from his seat and started striding briskly towards somewhere ahead.

The rest of Jeong Taeui’s words hung in the air as he watched Ilay’s figure gradually recede.

At that moment, across the lobby, a man who had been reading a newspaper on a sofa near a small tea table suddenly stood up and started running towards the other end of the hotel, trying to maintain a considerable distance from Ilay.

Ilay smirked and quickened his pace. His figure quickly disappeared from Jeong Taeui’s sight.

Jeong Taeui was suddenly left alone, not understanding what was happening. He blinked, staring blankly at the empty space before him.

“Huh……?”

Jeong Taeui tilted his head and scratched the back of his neck. Suddenly, he had a bad premonition, like a sign that something extremely horrifying was about to happen.

Jeong Taeui glared at the steaming teacup in front of him. Wouldn’t it be better to return to his room now? Even if he had to witness something unpleasant, facing it in private rather than in public would be significantly different.

Of course, there were times when being in a crowded place felt safer – like when facing Ilay’s potential killing spree – but this time was different.

Jeong Taeui looked at the steaming hot tea in front of him and glanced towards where Ilay had disappeared. There was no sign of him returning immediately. The distance was considerable. Even if Ilay moved at maximum speed, it would be difficult to catch up easily (even though Ilay was fast, catching up with the person who had just fled wouldn’t be easy). Even if he shot the guy in the leg, it would still be difficult to drag him back……

Jeong Taeui thought about it and shook his head. It was indeed best to hide in his room. Seeing Ilay walk away with those gloves was truly terrifying.

Jeong Taeui didn’t want to advertise to others that Ilay was a killer, nor did he intend to let others know he was involved in this mess. Anyway, Ilay knew his room, so if he didn’t find him here, he would go there.

“This is the bill…… —”

When he called a passing waiter, the waiter pointed to the bill with a friendly smile. As soon as Jeong Taeui heard that, he tried to leave his seat quickly but failed. Because just before he could move a few steps away, several short screams, murmurs, and a cold silence came from the other side of the hotel in quick succession.

The waiter standing beside him also stared at him blankly, while Jeong Taeui frowned at the wide-eyed waiter looking over his shoulder. His instincts told him he was already one step too late.

Jeong Taeui didn’t want to look back. He pretended nothing was happening, wanting to settle the bill quickly and return to his room. But seeing the bewildered and frightened faces of the people around him, Jeong Taeui could only sigh and lower his head. Finally, someone approached and silently stopped a few steps behind him. Even though he didn’t want to, Jeong Taeui heard a voice calling him.

“Is the tea already cold? Impossible.”

Ilay’s voice was calm and casual, as if nothing had happened. He skeptically picked up the teacup, and the clink of the cup against the saucer rang out in the oppressively silent room.

“Indeed, it hasn’t cooled down. I told you to wait for me, Taei.”

“……”

Jeong Taeui cursed inwardly: “Are you a prophet or something?”, and slowly, reluctantly turned around with a wary expression.

The scene before him was predictable, though not what he hoped for. The images unfolding before his eyes were all too familiar. Ilay casually threw ‘something’ onto an empty chair, and that ‘something’ – presumably a person – landed with a thud. The person looked as tattered as a soaked cotton ball. More accurately, they seemed like a blood-soaked cotton ball.

The person’s face was a bloody mess, barely recognizable as human. If Ilay had used his fists on someone, it wouldn’t end with just their face being smashed. Surely, their arms would be broken, and their legs would have met a similar fate.

Even without witnessing it directly, the images flashed through Jeong Taeui’s mind. He could picture Ilay making that man run in fear, then breaking his leg in an instant. Afterward, Ilay would leave the man unable to move and drag him across the ground.

At that moment, the distance between them was considerable, and the man had bolted as soon as he sensed danger. Yet, Ilay still managed to catch up with him on that street and bring him back here so quickly. In any way you think about it, this man wasn’t human.

Ilay Riegrow couldn’t be human.

Jeong Taeui quickly decided that the next time he saw Kyle, he would seriously ask if T&R’s research center was really studying weapons.

Ilay removed his blood-soaked gloves and threw them on the man, then sat down. He leisurely picked up the steaming cup of tea and licked his lips.

Jeong Taeui stood frozen, staring at Ilay. He couldn’t restrain himself and wanted to leave immediately. Ilay nonchalantly met his gaze.

“Didn’t you say your leg was uncomfortable? Then why are you standing there?”

“…… I don’t want to sit on a chair with someone who’s fighting for their life every second.”

Jeong Taeui muttered to himself. Blood was dripping from the man onto the chair in a steady stream.

“Haha.” – Ilay laughed out loud.

“No, it looks like it’s just a minor head wound bleeding a bit too much, not that serious. I’ll take this guy to the hospital and make sure his life isn’t in danger. But before that, let’s ask him a question.”

Jeong Taeui knew the smart way to get out of this situation, so he clicked his tongue and approached the table, then sat down angrily.

“If you have something to ask, ask it quickly. I want to go back to my room.”

Feeling the stares from the people around, Jeong Taeui worriedly looked at the man to see if he could still speak. It seemed only a matter of time before the police would arrive.

However, the person in front of him was very calm. Ilay glanced back and signaled to a man standing near a column in the distance. The man nodded and made a call.

Jeong Taeui quickly realized that was one of the tails that had been following him these past few days. A thought flashed in his mind, and he turned to look at the bloodied man next to him.

Looking closer, it took him a moment to recognize the man because his face was so battered and deformed, but he was indeed the one who had chased him the other day and pulled out the anesthetic spray on him.

“Um……”

Jeong Taeui murmured, nodding, while Ilay calmly sat in front of him, drinking tea.

“This is the guy who’s been following you, right? Where did you go with such a tail?”

“Isn’t he yours?”

In response to Jeong Taeui’s question, Ilay pointed to the man standing near the column instead of answering directly. Jeong Taeui turned back to look suspiciously at the bloodied man next to him.

“So, what’s this guy’s deal?”

“Alright. Let’s start with that question. It won’t take long, just ask, and then we’ll head back to the room.”

Ilay set down his tea and turned his gaze to the man lying limply as if unconscious on the chair.

“Who sent you to follow him?”

There was no response. Perhaps the man wasn’t even aware that he was losing consciousness. Jeong Taeui worriedly muttered.

“Is he fainting? No way……—”

“He’s not dead, and he’s not fainting. Right after catching him, I broke his leg. I gave this thing some drugs – stuff not sold on the market due to some ingredient issues, but its effects are pretty good, at least enough to keep him from sleeping for a while…… though surgery will be difficult, I haven’t thought about that.”

“The doctors will have to work very hard to piece together his broken bones while he’s fully conscious. Sorry.” 

Jeong Taeui watched Ilay, who spoke nonchalantly without batting an eye, and his face turned pale.

He couldn’t even think straight.

The man seemed still conscious, trembling and shaking his head. Ilay smiled without any emotion.

Jeong Taeui bit his pale lips and fell silent. This wasn’t someone else’s business; it was directly related to him.

Jeong Taeui felt a shiver run down his spine as he wondered why he had done this, knowing Ilay was someone who could tear people apart. Meanwhile, Ilay patted the man’s shoulder and leisurely spoke.

“Who’s behind you? Who exactly ordered you to seize every opportunity to grab him by any means?”

“……”

“Really. The world is full of fools.”

Ilay clicked his tongue after staring at the man, who remained silent for a moment. He concluded his ‘speech’.

Amidst the murmurs of the tense conversation, a man let out a terrifying scream, and those witnessing the scene couldn’t help but emit small cries from their throats.

A few people, seemingly hotel staff, started to approach.

Ilay didn’t bother glancing at them. He grabbed the bent hand of the man and slapped it hard against his face.

“Once again. If you don’t answer this time, your next destination won’t be a hospital. Let’s go back to the room, and we’ll slowly talk and find out how many bones and internal organs a human body has. Okay?”

The low voice with a calm smile whispered into Jeong Taeui’s ear.

Jeong Taeui bit his lip repeatedly, looking at the complex expressions on that face.

It felt like he had made a mistake by questioning why he was being monitored. If he hadn’t run off without saying anything, maybe this situation wouldn’t have happened. But how could he have known it was this guy and not someone else? On the other hand, he felt that if it wasn’t this guy, there would be some other crazy person in the world who would unhesitatingly order someone to monitor someone else.

“Hey, Ilay, what if this guy was trying to catch someone……”

What if there was a misunderstanding and they caught the wrong person? Jeong Taeui said confusedly, but in response, he received a cold gaze filled with mocking laughter.

Ilay gently squeezed the man’s chin without answering Taeui’s questions. Even though he did it very gently, Jeong Taeui knew how strong those delicate, beautiful hands were. He silently averted his eyes from the man’s distorted face.

“Then I’ll ask one more time. Who gave the order?”

Ilay’s voice was low. His tone and expression were very calm, not showing any anger. If someone only looked at him, they might think he was very gentle, but that was if he wasn’t holding a bloody man right in front of him. Many people must have been deceived by that face, but luckily, Jeong Taeui wasn’t one of them.

The man’s lips trembled, turning pale as he looked at Ilay, who remained calm even in this situation. The man’s tongue was numb to the point of being unable to speak.

Ilay didn’t give the man much time. The man blinked once or twice.

Just as Ilay stood up from the chair, a man in a neat, clean uniform—like the hotel manager—rushed to his side. Following him were three or four burly men.

“I’m sorry, sir, but please wait……”

“Phone––—”

Ilay cut him off before he could finish. He spoke politely, and the man fell silent and nodded at his words.

“You should have received a call. Haven’t you been notified yet? Then let me tell you. Since this is just ‘a small argument between friends’ there’s nothing for you to worry or be concerned about. I need to make amends with my friend, so please arrange a room for me.”

Ilay paused and glanced at Jeong Taeui.

“You don’t want your room to smell like blood, do you?”

“Of course not……”

Jeong Taeui replied, speechless. He knew exactly what would happen in that room and had no intention of giving up his room for it.

The man in uniform seemed to hesitate for a moment in the face of Ilay’s calm demeanor, but eventually, he straightened up, faint wrinkles appearing between his eyebrows. He must have been sharp enough to recognize troublemakers in the hotel.

“I’m sorry, sir. But according to the hotel’s policy, I’m afraid I can’t comply with your request. Moreover, causing a disturbance in a public area……”

The man in uniform spoke in a high-pitched voice as if reading from a Korean book, and the burly men following him flanked Ilay on both sides, surrounding him.

Although this situation seemed intimidating, Ilay didn’t even glance at them. He simply smirked as if annoyed.

“Taei. Do you have an extra pair of gloves?”

Ilay suddenly asked. Hearing those words, Jeong Taeui massaged his temples, feeling a headache.

“No…… I’m not your Assistant Instructort anymore. Why would I carry an extra pair of gloves?”