Jeong Jaeui sighed. Whatever, as long as we can get out right now. He would meet the people he needed to meet and the ones he wanted to see.

Suddenly, his fingertips trembled.

A man flashed through his mind.

Perhaps, that would be the first person he wanted to contact once he got out of here.

“……In the end, this schizophrenia can never be cured……”

Jeong Taeui muttered to himself. But in any case, he didn’t feel too bad about it. A smile passed over his lips.

At that moment,

He heard someone’s footsteps approaching from the end of the hallway. Strong and bold steps.

Jeong Taeui turned his gaze toward the sound. The footsteps grew closer, and finally, the person entered the office.

“Good morning.”

Raumaan entered with a usual greeting. This was also the time he came here every day.

Upon entering the room and seeing Jeong Taeui there at this hour, Raumaan raised an eyebrow slightly. It seemed he hadn’t expected to see him with Jeong Jaeui at this time.

Well, even if Jeong Taeui had something to do here, he wouldn’t want to run into Raumaan at all. Normally, he would have gone somewhere else and waited until Raumaan left before returning.

“You two seem to be having a very close conversation.”

Raumaan didn’t show much expression and only gave a slight smile. A smile that, under normal circumstances, seemed forced, but oddly, it wasn’t as terrifying this time.

“I wonder if I’ll get a good answer today.”

Raumaan said as he took a step closer to Jeong Jaeui. Hearing the gentle voice uttering words he heard every day, Jeong Taeui felt inexplicably irritated.

In any case, it was unpleasant to hand over a weapon to this man. What he desired wasn’t just the weapon itself but to have Jeong Jaeui’s name associated with it.

The thought of his brother’s name being exploited by this man annoyed Jeong Taeui, even though he was the one who had tacitly agreed to it.

It was inevitable now.

Jeong Taeui’s mouth tasted bitter. His face expressionless as he looked at Raumaan.

However, Jeong Jaeui, whose name was being exploited, maintained a calm demeanor. As if he didn’t care from the beginning.

On the contrary, he seemed to be in a good mood. Perhaps he felt relieved to fulfill the wish of the person who had provided him with such a comfortable living environment all this time.

Jeong Jaeui smiled. It wasn’t the usual vague, serene smile, but a genuinely joyful one. Seeing that smile, Raumaan hesitated, and the smile on his face vanished.

Jeong Jaeui handed some papers on the desk to Raumaan.

“Here. I’ve done as you asked before. You said you wanted an anti-tank gun. You can use it without any modifications to this design. First, the initial part is the structure of the warhead written here……”

Turning the page, Jeong Jaeui briefly explained and mentioned that he had designed and written it in such a way that even non-experts could understand without needing much explanation.

But Raumaan didn’t look at the papers.

The usual smile on his face disappeared, leaving only a blank, almost strange expression. He just stared at Jeong Jaeui.

“……?”

Jeong Taeui, sitting on the chair by the window, observed him. His eyebrows furrowed.

Raumaan should have been very pleased with the design – instead of showing anger like this. He should have been delighted – not with this dull, blank expression.

Was it because he had stayed at this place for such a long time without getting Jeong Jaeui’s consent, and now that Jeong Jaeui had unexpectedly agreed to his request, he was momentarily stunned?

Jeong Jaeui flipped through six or seven pages, explaining everything in detail, then looked up, only to meet Raumaan’s expressionless face. He seemed momentarily confused, then focused back on the paper and continued.

“This is a preliminary draft, but I’ve written down all the necessary details. So if you give it to an expert, they’ll know exactly what to do without needing to add or change anything. But if you have any questions or if there’s anything you don’t understand, you can contact me. I might go home once I leave here, so you can reach me there.”

Jeong Jaeui finished and handed the documents to Raumaan. Raumaan just stared at Jeong Jaeui without moving, then slowly lowered his gaze to the papers.

“Just yesterday you were still refusing this…… You completed it in one day, didn’t you?”

Raumaan said quietly, his hands slowly turning the pages without any emotion. His eyes coldly scanned the information written there. The usual smile had completely disappeared.

“Oh, I had already thought about it before, so I just had to tweak and redesign it a bit…… Don’t you like it?”

Jeong Jaeui asked curiously. After looking through the last page, Raumaan folded them and looked at Jeong Jaeui.

“No, that’s not it. From a non-expert’s point of view, this seems very useful. It’s excellent.”

Raumaan said without any pretense in his voice. It seemed to be genuine praise. After all, it was a perfectly finished product.

Jeong Jaeui smiled and nodded.

“Then that’s good. I’m glad it can be of use to you.”

Jeong Jaeui seemed genuinely happy. Jeong Taeui watched him and thought that perhaps Jeong Jaeui hadn’t been as comfortable here as he had assumed. After all, the man had generously given him anything he wanted. But even if it wasn’t obvious, it seemed he still felt some discomfort because there was nothing more precious than freedom.

Jeong Taeui said – “Alright”, and got up from his chair, taking a step toward them—more precisely, toward the door behind them.

“Let’s leave early, Jaeui.”

Jeong Taeui walked past Raumaan and Jeong Jaeui, making eye contact with Raumaan, then stood by the door and turned back. Jeong Taeui nodded politely, saying – “Goodbye.”

Raumaan wasn’t someone he wanted to see again, but he hadn’t caused too much trouble. Moreover, even though they were detained, Raumaan had arranged things so they were not inconvenienced. So Jeong Jaeui sincerely thanked him and stood by the door, waiting for Jeong Jaeui to step out.

Jeong Jaeui silently looked at Raumaan for a moment. Raumaan only responded with a blank stare, holding the design that Jeong Jaeui had given him, and slightly nodded when their eyes met.

“Thanks to you, I was able to live comfortably during this time. If we meet again, I hope you stay well.”

Jeong Jaeui said in lieu of a farewell and prepared to leave.

“Are you leaving right now? If you leave so suddenly……”

Raumaan gently stepped in front of Jeong Jaeui. He then gently stepped back and moved aside to proceed. But Raumaan blocked him once again.

“You are a distinguished guest I’ve served for a long time. I should give you a grand gift in return. If I let you leave right after receiving this, it would be a disgrace to me.”

Raumaan shook his head and said quietly.

Jeong Taeui, waiting for Jeong Jaeui by the door, frowned slightly. The sudden reappearance of that gentle smile on Raumaan’s face made him feel uneasy.

“I greatly appreciate your kindness, but I have things to do. You’ve been very generous to me, and the things you’ve done over this time are more than enough, so I don’t need to receive anything more.”

Jeong Jaeui shook his head and moved aside again. But this time too, Raumaan stepped back and leaned to the side to block his way. Jeong Taeui’s frown deepened, his expression stiff.

Once might be understandable, but after the second time, he understood Raumaan’s intentions clearly.

Jeong Taeui turned towards them and slowly spoke to Raumaan, who had his back to him.

“It seems like you’re intentionally blocking the way because you have some intention……”

“Oh, really?”

Raumaan glanced back at Jeong Taeui, his mouth still smiling, but his eyes were as cold and terrifying as always. And when he turned back to look at Jeong Jaeui, noticing the slightly puzzled look in his eyes, Raumaan suddenly beamed.

“I was wrong. I never thought you could create something like this so effortlessly.”

“You were wrong, huh……?”

Jeong Jaeui asked softly. But his slightly narrowed eyes seemed to already know the answer.

“It means I can’t let you go. Something better than this could easily fall into the hands of others, so to prevent our enemies from gaining an advantage, it’s best to take preventive measures.” <……>

His gentle words echoed in the quiet office. For a moment, no one spoke. Only Raumaan continued to smile coldly at Jeong Jaeui.

“Isn’t this a bit too much…… you said something different initially.”

Jeong Taeui sighed and said.

Somehow, everything seemed to have gone too smoothly, and he felt incredibly lucky in recent days. But it seemed that his bad luck god was stronger than Jeong Jaeui’s good luck god.

Despite Jeong Taeui’s helpless protest and his disapproving expression, Raumaan remained unmoved. As if he hadn’t heard anything Jeong Taeui said, he simply turned his back on him and looked at Jeong Jaeui, waiting for his response.

“I have no intention of creating any more weapons. What I have given you now is likely the last design. So, no one else can request the same as you did and get it.”

But Raumaan just smiled faintly and slowly shook his head.

“The most unreliable thing is a man’s word. Proof of this is that in this very situation, didn’t you say you wouldn’t create weapons anymore but then handed me this new design?”

Before he could finish his sentence, Jeong Taeui responded with a sigh, almost as if in resignation.

“With that kind of logic, he has no choice. Either keep his word and never make another weapon again until he dies, accepting that he will be locked up here for life. Or break his promise and create a weapon, in which case he will still be locked up here for life because he broke his promise once and could break it again.”

Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue and spoke in his native language.

But Raumaan had no intention of stepping aside. Jeong Jaeui, lost in thought for a while, finally shook his head and spoke.

“Raumaan. You promised me. If I designed a weapon for you, you would immediately release me from here and reward me handsomely. I don’t need any rewards; I’ve already received more than I deserve here. I just, I just hope you will keep your promise.”

“I apologize for that. I was wrong from the start.”

Raumaan calmly interrupted and shook his head.

Jeong Taeui turned his back, letting his anger explode within him. He thought that if he had to look at that man’s face any longer, he would lose his temper.

He had never thought this would happen. As Raumaan had said, they could leave here smoothly as long as they gave him what he wanted. He couldn’t believe this, it was so absurd.

“Well, if you are a member of the royal family, shouldn’t you keep your promises?”

Jeong Taeui muttered, almost driven mad with anger, his hand rubbing his chest. He felt a cold gaze on the back of his neck, but he didn’t bother to look back.

“I’m very sorry to break my promise, but there are things more important than one’s reputation, and it’s hard to avoid situations where one has to break their word.”

Raumaan’s calm, brazen voice echoed over his shoulder. Jeong Taeui’s stomach churned with discomfort.

That’s why people born with a silver spoon in their mouths aren’t the kind of people you can befriend. And this is one of the reasons why.

Jeong Taeui once again thought about that prejudice, trying to control the rising anger within him. No matter what he said, it wouldn’t make a difference, so he could only turn away and pat his chest to calm himself.

“……So, how can I leave here?”

Jeong Jaeui thought for a moment and then spoke. Raumaan raised his eyebrows slightly. A moment later, he let out a low chuckle.

“Indeed, you are very smart. Let me think of another way……”

As if contemplating something, Raumaan narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at Jeong Jaeui. He waited in silence for Raumaan to answer.

After a while, Raumaan slowly opened his mouth. But his answer made Jeong Taeui’s stomach churn with anger once more.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t have a reasonable alternative. I suppose I’ll have to ask you to stay here until I come up with something useful…… Of course, as always, you won’t encounter any difficulties while staying here. On that, I can pledge my honor as a member of the royal family.”

As if Raumaan didn’t want to hear any further objections, he ended the conversation, turned, and said: “Please rest comfortably”, then walked past Jeong Taeui and left the room.

At that moment, Jeong Taeui truly wanted to strangle this man and grab a sword to threaten him…… but it seemed useless. He gave up the idea as soon as it fleetingly crossed his mind.

Jeong Taeui glanced at Raumaan walking by.

There was no expression on his face. He couldn’t even guess what Raumaan might be thinking.

He didn’t look back even once, his figure walking straight through the courtyard to the end of the western hallway, disappearing behind a door. The door slammed shut, once again isolating this tranquil space from the outside world.

Jeong Taeui sighed slowly. Scratching his head, he looked back at where Jeong Jaeui was standing.

“……He said he won’t let us go.”

While contemplating how to speak, Jeong Taeui shrugged and repeated what Jeong Jaeui already knew. It seemed he hadn’t anticipated this situation either, as a slight look of embarrassment appeared on his face.

“So…… what should we do now?”

His murmurs sounded more like he was talking to himself than asking for advice.

Jeong Taeui slumped to the floor by the door.

After a long silence, Jeong Jaeui suddenly looked at Jeong Taeui. Seeing him sitting there dejectedly, he took a deep breath and spoke in a low voice.

“It’s okay. We can get out.”

Jeong Taeui looked at Jeong Jaeui. It wasn’t a comforting look, just a calm tone as if stating an obvious fact.

Yes, the person in front of him was indeed a genius that others couldn’t help but look up to, with an almost miraculous luck.

His heart, which had sunk into depression, seemed to be lit by a faint glimmer of hope. Jeong Taeui smiled at Jeong Jaeui.

“Teach me, any way I can.”

“No, there’s no specific way…… we just can get out.”

Jeong Jaeui shook his head firmly and spoke seriously.

Jeong Taeui looked at Jeong Jaeui intently. Suddenly, it seemed he understood a bit. If he was so sure without needing to think of any method, then……

“……Why?”

“Because you want to get out. So, I also want to get out.”

Jeong Jaeui spoke in the most ordinary tone, as if nothing had happened. And Jeong Taeui knew better than anyone that those words were neither baseless nor overly confident.

Exactly like that.

For a moment, Jeong Taeui felt a tinge of envy towards his brother. Jeong Taeui burst out laughing. He laughed aloud for a while, unable to stop. The anger and depression also dissipated along with it.

Nothing was resolved. They were still stuck in this little paradise, and there was no way out.

However, with an innocent face saying: “There’s nothing we need to do, there will be another way.” Jeong Taeui laughed heartily as he looked at Jeong Jaeui, who had never had to worry about anything in life. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe in Jeong Jaeui’s miraculous luck. After all, he had witnessed that luck countless times.

Jeong Taeui looked at Jeong Jaeui with a face that couldn’t stop smiling, even after laughing for a while.

He believed in Jeong Jaeui’s luck, but he wasn’t optimistic enough to wait for a miracle to happen right now. No matter how many times it repeated, luck was something that could never be predicted when or if it would arrive. So he didn’t have the certainty that they could get out of here. But anyway, he felt somewhat relieved.

He didn’t even know if it was the luck that Jeong Jaeui had brought to him or not.