[That night.

Just five minutes before midnight.

A series of terrorist attacks took place consecutively in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. These were small-scale bombings targeting key figures in politics and business, as well as their residences.

As dawn broke, the perpetrators and their motives remained unknown. The capital of Saudi Arabia, which had maintained relatively tight security and safety in a region fraught with conflict and instability in the Middle East, was completely thrown into chaos.]

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The moment Jeong Taeui opened his eyes, he knew something was wrong. It was still dark outside.

He initially thought he had misheard something, so Jeong Taeui blinked a few times and closed his eyes again, intending to go back to sleep. But this time, a distant sound echoed, accompanied by the loud, bustling noise of people.

Jeong Taeui fully opened his eyes, groped for the clock on his nightstand, and picked it up. It was just past 3am.

The noise continued unabated, so Jeong Taeui got out of bed and went outside.

The hallway of the annex building was silent. Both the courtyard and the other rooms were completely quiet, without a single sound. The noise came from the buildings outside the wall separating this annex from the rest of the complex. Occasionally, he could hear someone outside the wall shouting incomprehensible words. The voices, as if trying to wake up the sleepers, echoed near and far.

This annex seemed to be the only place still shrouded in silence. Just one door away, this place and the outside world felt like two completely different worlds. More precisely, it was entirely isolated.

“……..What’s going on at this hour…….” 

Jeong Taeui yawned widely while smoothing his disheveled hair. He checked the clock again to make sure he hadn’t misread it, but the hands had only moved a few minutes since he last looked.

The sounds were indeed unusual.

On the other side of the wall, many people – or perhaps everyone in this mansion – had woken up and were busily running back and forth. It seemed like they were all getting ready to leave together for somewhere.

Jeong Taeui stood dazed in the courtyard. Suddenly, his gaze instinctively turned to the hallway buried in the cold darkness. The door at the end of the west hallway was always guarded, even in the middle of the night there would be at least one person there. But now, there was no one.

“What is this? Was there a fire outside that killed everyone?” – Jeong Taeui muttered.

Even if there was no one guarding the door, he couldn’t leave. There was no way to unlock it from the inside, and the door was too heavy and thick to break without some kind of tool.

But what is happening?

If so many people were up and bustling around like this, there must be a significant problem.

Jeong Taeui rubbed his chin for a moment and then looked around. Unlike the chaotic scene outside the wall, the silent annex didn’t have a single moving thing. It was as if he was the only person left there.

Jeong Taeui quickly headed to Jeong Jaeui’s room, but before he got there, Jeong Jaeui appeared in the courtyard.

Jeong Jaeui stepped out into the courtyard in disheveled clothes as if he had just woken up, but his face showed no signs of sleepiness. He quietly listened to the sounds outside.

“…….When did you get here, Taeui?”

“I just woke up from the noise. It doesn’t seem like the commotion has been going on for long.”

Jeong Taeui shrugged and muttered.

Both of them fell silent and listened to the chaotic sounds outside once again. As time passed, the noise did not decrease but seemed to grow louder.

“Is there a fire?” 

Looking at the atmosphere in the pitch-black night, Jeong Taeui said instinctively, even though he knew it wasn’t likely. Jeong Jaeui remained silent as if contemplating something.

This wasn’t a common occurrence. There were only a few reasons he could think of. For example, a sudden arrival of an important guest in the middle of the night, an unexpected intruder, or a catastrophic event that could immediately endanger millions of lives here.

Jeong Taeui looked around the hallway.

It seemed like nothing was moving except for the two of them in this annex, a place completely isolated from the outside world, where everything else had stopped. Time, space, and sound, everything had ceased, as if they were the only ones left here.

At that moment.

As the commotion quieted down somewhat, hurried footsteps approached, along with urgent shouts.

The footsteps stopped in front of the door at the end of the west hallway. There were about five or six people there. Immediately, the heavy clanking sound echoed twice in quick succession, and the heavy door swung open as a man stepped in.

The open door brought chaos from the other side into the annex. The previously silent annex was now filled with the murmur of voices coming through the door.

The man hurried inside, as if he had come to wake up those in the annex. After taking a few steps, he seemed to notice Jeong Jaeui and Jeong Taeui in the courtyard. His steps slowed. Then he turned and walked toward them.

“You’re up? Is it too noisy here?”

It was Raumaan.

He wore a white Abaya*, giving the impression that he had just come from a battlefield or was about to head somewhere. Raumaan  approached them.

His gaze lingered on Jeong Taeui’s face for a moment, but he quickly looked past him and focused on Jeong Jaeui.

“I came to say goodbye. I think I’ll have to go home soon, but it shouldn’t take long.”

It was late at night. There was no smile on his face, only a cold and calm expression, unaffected by the chaos outside.

“Is something happening?”

“I have to return to get the details, but it seems there’s an armed terrorist attack underway. A terrorist attack targeting specific individuals – those in high-ranking positions – so I think I’ll have to return home and take some armed personnel to check the situation over the next few days.”

Raumaan spoke calmly. Jeong Taeui raised an eyebrow. Although the country of this man occasionally faced terrorist threats, it was still relatively stable compared to the Middle East. If the terrorists were targeting specific groups, it probably wasn’t a religious issue.

They said that conflicts of various sizes – even small-scale terrorist attacks that the media doesn’t catch – are not uncommon in that place. However, it would make more sense if the targets were the leaders of that religion.

“Take care.”

Jeong Jaeui quietly bid him farewell. Raumaan looked down at him with a slight nod, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something but then stopped. After that, he said goodbye and turned away without hesitation, walking back the way he came, as if he had just happened to pass by and stopped to say hello.

The door closed. But this time, it wasn’t just one person who entered. After Raumaan , four or five more people came into the annex, and one of them stood in front of the door.

He wasn’t the usual Arab man who held that position. He was taller and leaner than that man. The newcomers varied; some were familiar to Jeong Taeui, while others were strangers. It seemed Raumaan intended to leave these people here and take the more useful ones back home—those armed men he mentioned.

In retrospect, this was also his villa. It made sense for him to leave armed guards to protect the place while he was away. When he returned to his country, he often brought armed bodyguards, as he was doing now.

However, these new faces didn’t seem as skilled as the original guards. Jeong Taeui shrugged and sighed.

No matter how poorly skilled they were, unless they were complete novices, he couldn’t fight them and escape. Jeong Taeui wasn’t exactly a master of combat, nor was he as accustomed to fighting as others – or as most people. He had never been a fierce warrior. Facing four or five people in a situation without any weapons was never easy.

“Well, it’s funny to think that from the beginning he had the best people guarding this place.”

On this peaceful island, even if conflicts erupted around the world, this place would be the last to be affected. Perhaps many fighter jets would be sent to his country, so it would be better for them to follow Raumaan back home and prepare for any potential conflicts, as they are doing now.

Raumaan left the annex and seemed to walk straight ahead.

The villa was filled with murmurs for a while, but eventually, the noise gradually died down. Soon, the villa was eerily quiet, as if nothing had happened, except that everyone’s expressions had changed.

“…….If they’re bringing in people from outside, the situation must be very serious.”

Jeong Taeui sighed and scratched his head.

A terrorist attack targeting the country’s leaders. Both the purpose and the identities remain unknown. He glanced at Jeong Jaeui, who was still deep in thought and silent.

But.

Jeong Taeui stared blankly at Jeong Jaeui.

Maybe something will change. He didn’t know what it was, but if it wasn’t terrorism but a power struggle or even a coup……. That country, after all, is not like his own. It’s a country where blood relatives are always fighting and dividing power.

Jeong Taeui scratched his head. He returned to his bedroom, looking up at the pitch-black sky. There was still some time before dawn. There were still many stars sparkling in the sky, and Jeong Taeui let his mind drift among those stars for a while.

He couldn’t sleep well last night.

By the time he fell asleep, it was late.

He had thought it would be best to leave, but after failing, he thought he might have to stay here forever until he found another chance to get out. He kept thinking about when he could leave, and during those times, Raumaan ‘s face would appear in his mind, making it impossible for him to sleep because of the frustration.

However, once he fell asleep, Jeong Taeui slept very well. Last night, he was woken up only because of the noises outside. After a few hours of chaos, he finally managed to fall asleep just before dawn.

So, he deserved to sleep in. Jeong Taeui usually woke up early, but on days like this, sleeping in a bit was fine. Even if it wasn’t a day like today, he could sleep all day without anyone complaining because he had so much free time it was maddening. (Normally, Jeong Taeui could sleep all day, but he couldn’t sleep well.)

That’s why when Jeong Jaeui woke Jeong Taeui up, he thought he was still dreaming. Feeling someone touch him, Jeong Taeui opened his eyes to see Jeong Jaeui sitting by the bed, looking down at him.

He looked at the clock; it was almost 8 in the morning.

Later than usual, but still earlier than Jeong Jaeui. Normally, he never had to be woken up by him because Jeong Jaeui sometimes slept until 3 in the afternoon, even if he went to bed very early the night before.

“What’s going on?” 

Jeong Taeui got up, rubbing his dry eyes. Out of habit, he glanced at the clock again and thought that he had woken up quite early and hadn’t had enough sleep.

“It’s very noisy outside.” 

Jeong Jaeui said quietly.

His tone was so normal and casual that Jeong Taeui stared at him for a moment, not immediately understanding what he was talking about.

“Outside? It’s a bit noisy at this hour……. There was some commotion last night, so maybe they’re discussing it today and talking to each other. This annex doesn’t have many people, but it’s surely noisy outside…….” 

Jeong Taeui stretched and mumbled with a sleepy voice, trying to relax his mind.

The moment his mind became fully alert, Jeong Taeui fell silent.

It was very noisy outside.

He met Jeong Jaeui’s eyes, who seemed to understand what he was talking about. At first, he thought he had misheard, but from a distance, there seemed to be a sound that was shaking his eardrums.

Jeong Taeui’s face turned pale.

That sound was very familiar. It was a kind of sound he had heard before. He had actually heard it a few times, and it was a very common sound when watching tactical videos in military or UNHRDO lectures.

It was the sound of gunfire.

The gunfire sounded very similar to a type of weapon with the power equivalent to an anti-tank gun or a mortar.

No, but he must have misheard. The sound of artillery appearing on this peaceful and safe island seemed very unlikely. Even if a war broke out on the mainland and the entire territory of Tanzania was engulfed in bombs, the chance of this island being drawn into those conflicts was very rare.

Jeong Taeui looked at the clock again. The clock still read exactly 8 o’clock. This was a very peaceful time to start a new day with a simple breakfast. 

“What could possibly appear on such a clear, sunny day……. maybe thunder? The weather is so nice……. but why does this thunder sound……. like artillery fire?” 

Jeong Taeui scratched his head and mumbled, his tired eyes staring at Jeong Jaeui. 

Why was he here at this hour today? Early in the morning? Or rather, since midnight, when the commotion outside suddenly started, waking everyone up, and even now, on such a peaceful morning, a familiar yet terrifying sound was waking them.

However, the current issue wasn’t just the noise making it hard for him to sleep. The fierce sound from afar was getting closer to this place. Not only that, soon the sound began to be mixed with screams. Jeong Taeui frowned, got out of bed, and stepped outside.

As he stepped out of the bedroom, the sounds of chaos became clearer to his ears. 

Far away, behind the tall wall, a sound that made the earth tremble echoed from a distance. The sound grew louder, the fire spreading as if it wanted to consume everything. 

Jeong Taeui’s face turned ashen.

He hadn’t misheard. It was definitely it. If he didn’t know what this sound meant, he wouldn’t be worthy of being a soldier anymore, not even UNHRDO. Jeong Taeui frowned.