Jeong Taeui lay on his stomach beside the pond, propping his chin with his hand.

At the end of the hallway, the guard was still stationed in front of the only door leading outside. He sat on a wooden chair, yawning with a large sword hanging at his side, and Jeong Taeui doubted whether it had ever actually been drawn for use.

……If he took down the guard now and got through that door.

Jeong Taeui briefly considered this but eventually shook his head.

Even if he managed to get through that door, he probably wouldn’t be able to get out of the vast mansion. Not to mention that this was just an annex built within the massive outer walls. So, even if he got out of this hallway, he’d still end up wandering somewhere within the estate.

But if he was lucky, if this annex was close to the main gate of the entire property, he might be able to hide and escape when the gate opened; however, that was highly unlikely. The moment Jeong Taeui stepped out the door, the entire place would likely erupt in an emergency alarm. On the contrary, if the annex was located at the farthest point, then there was nothing more to say.

“Isn’t this annex supposed to be the highest point in the estate……”

Jeong Taeui recalled what he had heard before and remembered the area map (as crude as if it had been drawn by a child with their foot) he had seen previously.

The surrounding villas in this area were enclosed by the southeast coastline. He didn’t know which direction this annex faced, but considering the terrain, and if this annex was at the highest point, it must be located far from the main gate and deeper inside.

In other words, it was the farthest point from the main gate.

“He must have put a lot of thought into placing Jeong Jaeui’s residence at the farthest point to prevent his escape. But seriously…… I don’t know about myself, but if it were Jeong Jaeui, he wouldn’t do something as troublesome as trying to escape.”

Jeong Taeui grumbled and looked at the side door at the west end of the hallway. Ultimately, even if he took down the guard, the chances of him getting caught before he could reach the estate’s gate were very high. And more importantly, Jeong Taeui didn’t have the confidence to defeat the Arab man.

He had realized this from the first encounter with the guard. To be precise, it was the moment he got a punch to the stomach without any chance to resist during their initial confrontation.

Yes. Even though the guard had sensed Jeong Taeui tailing him, the moment he appeared, the guard had targeted him and taken him down in an instant without making a single mistake. The guard had used just enough force to render him unconscious for a short period, no more, no less. It sounded easy, but Jeong Taeui knew how difficult it was to execute such precision.

The moment he got hit, he thought the guard was a ‘con artist.’ And that thought hadn’t changed despite seeing him day after day here. He looked like an ordinary, bulky, middle-aged man from a Middle Eastern market alley, but his skills were top-notch, and only a few people could probably match him in hand-to-hand combat.

Moreover……

“First, let’s see that guy…… two, three, four…… five? Can’t tell. Four or five. Must be around that many.”

Jeong Taeui muttered, spreading his fingers to count.

Maybe, if Jeong Taeui did something suspicious or caused a disturbance here – and if it was something that the fat old man couldn’t handle alone – at least a few more people would appear immediately to assist.

In short, he couldn’t use force alone to escape from here.

But he couldn’t just sit around waiting for rescue from the outside either. Because before, when he was out there, he clearly knew Jaeui was in Raumaan’s mansion but couldn’t do anything about it.

“If I can’t escape immediately, it’s fine. Just being able to contact him would be good enough.”

Jeong Taeui scratched his head.

Inside this annex, all contact with the outside world was strictly prohibited. He couldn’t write letters, and he couldn’t find any phones.

At least before Jeong Taeui arrived, Raumaan had allowed Jeong Jaeui to go to the market every Friday—though he had to wear a chador and a veil, with someone following behind him. It seemed Raumaan knew that Jeong Jaeui wouldn’t try to escape.

But now even that was forbidden. Jeong Jaeui couldn’t go out, and of course, neither could Jeong Taeui.

Jeong Taeui glanced again at the Arab man who had been closely monitoring his every move. If he politely asked to borrow the man’s phone, would he agree?

Thinking this, Jeong Taeui laughed at himself for even considering it seriously.

They spent all day in this annex just to keep an eye on Jeong Jaeui, so they must have a way to contact the outside world, not just for themselves but also to be prepared for any unexpected situations.

“…….”

Should he give it a try?

A dangerous idea suddenly occurred to Jeong Jaeui.

While at UNHRDO, he had learned a few things from Alta—a guy who had gone to Hong Kong for the weekend and caught some stupid pickpocket trying to steal his money, and he had laughed and bragged about how he pickpocketed the guy back. He had grabbed Jeong Taeui, who was drinking beer beside him, and taught him some effective pickpocketing tricks, even practicing with him many times.

Carlo and the other members around had said: “You know, Tay is very talented, but if you teach him things like this, you might get his bones broken. What will you do then?”

He really didn’t want to learn, but Alta, already tipsy, had insisted on teaching him.

Jeong Taeui looked down at his hands. Back then, after learning a few tricks, he found it quite interesting and tried it a few times. But after that, he lost interest. He wasn’t sure if his hands could still move as dexterously and quickly as they did back then.

Jeong Taeui glanced at the Arab man again, who was also looking straight into his eyes. His eyes were indifferent but sharp.

‘……Ah. I can’t. I can’t do it. I can’t. That guy, if I try anything, I’ll get killed.’

Jeong Taeui smiled and waved. The man kept his stern expression but gave a slight nod and turned away.

Just then, as Jeong Taeui was thinking about what to do next, the man stood up from his chair. He shouted something down the hallway, and soon, a young man came running out.

Although he was also a guard, it seemed he had a much higher status than the others. The young man seemed to always accompany him. As he approached, the older man muttered a few words and then walked away. Jeong Taeui realized and whispered, “That’s the bathroom.” Then suddenly, his eyes widened. He looked at the cheerful face of the young man now standing guard in place of the older one.

‘……In this situation, maybe……’

Jeong Taeui jumped up from his spot. Seeing the man disappear down the hallway, he quickly ran towards the young guard. The young man raised his eyebrows in confusion as Jeong Taeui approached.

“If you could let me out, that would be great.”

Jeong Taeui smiled and gestured towards the door. Of course, there was no way the young man could understand what Jeong Taeui was saying in his native language, but the young man shook his head firmly, as if he could guess the meaning from his gestures.

“Come on, let me out just for a bit, okay?”

Jeong Taeui stubbornly pulled on the door handle, frowning determinedly.

The young guard had probably been here for a few months – of course, Jeong Taeui’s time here was much shorter – but seeing a usually obedient captive suddenly demand to leave, the young man seemed momentarily stunned. He grabbed Jeong Taeui’s wrist, his eyes filled with a burning sense of duty. But seeing the slightly awkward way he moved, Jeong Taeui smiled faintly and twisted his wrist free.

The young man looked both embarrassed and angry as Jeong Taeui easily escaped his grasp. He shouted something sharply – Jeong Taeui guessed – because everyone was now looking at him – it must have been something very harsh. The young man crossed Jeong Taeui’s wrists and grabbed his collar, throwing him away swiftly.

“Oh, he must have learned something from this.” – Jeong Taeui thought as his body flew through the air. Lost in thought, he missed the moment to brace himself for a less painful landing. His butt hit the stone floor hard.

“Ah.”

Jeong Taeui let out a cry. But fearing it would reach the bathroom, he quickly shut his mouth and tried to take a deep breath. The young guard behind him muttered something and took on an expression of ‘There’s no way you’re getting out of here!’ then sat back down on the chair.

Aigoo……, it really hurt when his butt hit the stone floor, even though it had acted as a cushion. Jeong Taeui rubbed his hip and stood up. One side of his hip throbbed as he limped toward the bedroom. When he glanced back at the young guard with displeasure, the guard stared back with a look of determined responsibility.

Youth is nice. Jeong Taeui muttered to himself. He stepped out of the bedroom and into the courtyard, praying fervently that the Arab man wouldn’t come out of the bathroom at this moment.

Jeong Taeui started to walk slowly, then gradually sped up. His steps quickened to almost a run as he reached the hallway outside the office.

He glanced back at the guard again. There was no sign that anyone was chasing him. But he didn’t slow his pace. He pulled a mobile phone from his pocket.

“Good thing I can still do this. I thought my hands would be too stiff from not practicing.”

Jeong Taeui muttered, feeling relieved. Luckily, he didn’t have to face that guy. If it had been him, he might not have succeeded so easily. Jeong Taeui flipped open the phone, pretending to whistle.

His heart pounded. The guard could be right behind him at any moment. Even now, the guard might realize the phone was missing and start chasing him.

Where would be the best place to hide from any pursuers? A place where he could be alone…… the bathroom. But no, that wouldn’t work. It was a place he could be alone, but it was also a dead end with no escape.

So where would be the best place? Even if they chased him, he could talk on the phone while running. Ideally, a place where he could talk for as long as possible, even if the phone got taken away mid-call.

His fingers quickly dialed the number he remembered. It was a number he had never called before, but he remembered it naturally because he often had to provide others with that man’s contact information throughout his teaching career.

Ilay.

For the first time, Jeong Taeui felt grateful that UNHRDO had appointed a madman as an officer. What would he do without that number—a number that could automatically transfer to wherever he was in the world? If he didn’t have it, who could he contact…… Hopefully, Seringe wasn’t so remote that it lacked cell service. No, it couldn’t be; after all, the phone in his hand was still a good mobile phone.

His heart beat faster.

How long has it been, anyway? What should he say first? The most urgent thing was to clarify right away to avoid any misunderstandings: “I’m not running away.”

He remembered the story of Ilay turning an Arab man into a bloody mess. And he recalled his own confident tone when he told Ilay that if he ran away a second time, he’d be ready to die by Ilay’s hand.

And the second thing to say, right, was the location. Thinking about it, Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue.

Jeong Taeui didn’t even know where this place was. All he knew for sure was that this villa belonged to Raumaan, but who knew exactly which villa it was among those Raumaan owned on this island? He couldn’t even get outside. But at least he could say this area was the highest point, also the farthest from the entrance…… But what good would that do? He was sure Ilay wouldn’t attack this place with a Panzer Faust just for him.

…… If he did that to someone from the Arab royal family, his brother’s weapon business would be severely impacted.

Jeong Taeui shuddered, shaking his head at the thought of Ilay arriving with a Panzer Faust on his shoulder, sitting on his modified Rewako. If he did that, he’d become a target for Arabs with Qur’ans in hand.

‘What should I say?’

‘Wait, don’t I have anything else to say? Clearly, there’s something very important. What is it?’

While Jeong Taeui racked his brain, the phone kept ringing. It was only when he heard the continuous beeping that he clicked his tongue and muttered, “Damn it.” It was possible Ilay wasn’t answering because he was in the bathroom or had fallen asleep or maybe the phone was dead.

‘Pick up. Pick up, please!’

Jeong Taeui kept looking back nervously, even though there was no sign of movement. Anyone else might yell if they saw him making a call. If that happened, it would be the end for him.

The more anxious he got, the more things went wrong.

No matter how many times the phone rang, there was no sign of anyone answering on the other end. There was no response other than the automated answering voice. Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue and closed the window. He knew that calling someone back immediately who hadn’t answered before had a very low chance of success, but Jeong Taeui dialed the number again. The signal started ringing again.

Jeong Taeui frantically searched for a place out of sight that wasn’t a dead end, moving from the bedroom to the office and then to the inner courtyard. Meanwhile, the signal kept ringing continuously. Nine times, ten times, it seemed like it would switch to the automated response again.

“……DAMN IT. PICK UP, YOU LUNATIC!”

Jeong Taeui shouted as if he were about to cry. But it was just a small cry, to avoid others hearing. However, it was loud enough to be heard through the phone. A voice came through the phone, reaching his ears.

[“……——Taei?”]

The deep, slow, and familiar voice.