“Why does that sound like a light mortar?” 

The sound he heard was almost indistinguishable between the time the shell was fired and the explosion, compared to that type of weapon. It could be a light mortar or some type of anti-tank gun. Now he could even hear machine gun fire. The sound reverberated throughout the villa, filled with screams and explosions, tearing the sky apart. 

“What can people do in this disarmed state?” 

Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue and muttered. Given his current state, he had nothing that could be used as a weapon, not even a small gun or a knife for self-defense. Even if he had them, how could he counter weapons with such destructive power?

Meanwhile, the sound of explosions was getting closer. He didn’t know if it was related to the terrorist attack that made Raumaan return to his country, but if it happened on the same day like this, it’s hard to say the two incidents were unrelated. There wasn’t much time difference – with the same target of specific people – such a situation couldn’t be merely coincidental.

Once the enemy targeted the residence and attacked directly, there was a chance the entire place would be blown up, and everyone here would perish.

Then. 

Jeong Taeui suddenly had a bold idea, his brows furrowing. The feeling about this wasn’t good.

Come to think of it, hadn’t something similar happened before? He thought he was experiencing déjà vu. At that time, it was also a quiet morning when he was gathered with everyone, and the rumbling sound of engines shattered the usual silence. Explosions erupted. The house had a huge hole, and an entire wall collapsed.

The only thing similar to now was a loud noise tearing through the peaceful morning. But the sensation of a strange déjà vu ran down his spine.

Jeong Taeui felt a bit hopeful.

……—No, despite that. The shells couldn’t be exploding in all directions at once like this.

Jeong Taeui rubbed his hands and shook his head.

But please.

If it’s the person he’s thinking of.

…… ……Then he’s truly insane.

It seemed the explosions were gradually getting closer, echoing through the middle of the villa.

The annex, always isolated by the outer fence, and its small courtyard remained silent as if it were an entirely separate world, despite the chaos of the previous night—but now it too had fallen into agitation. The guards patrolling inside the house were pacing the hallways with bewildered and frightened expressions, ready to draw their weapons at any moment.

They seemed eager to escape from here whenever possible. Anxiety was clear on their faces, wanting to rush out of the annex and check on what had happened outside and whether their families or friends were safe.

However, they hesitated due to their assigned duties and couldn’t leave immediately. Finally, as if making up their minds, they said something to each other and decided to leave only two guards behind, while the rest hurried to the door. The remaining two looked at Jeong Taeui and Jeong Jaeui with sharp eyes, weapons ready at any moment.

Just then.

As soon as the three men opened the door to run outside, those outside immediately attacked as if they had been waiting all along.

Unbelievable.

A loud roar echoed from afar. The vicinity of the annex remained oppressively silent. No one could have predicted that someone would be standing right in front of the door and attack as soon as it opened.

From where Jeong Taeui was standing, the door blocked his view. However, the sounds of near-screams, followed by gruesome noises of breaking bones and slicing flesh, were crystal clear.

The two men who stayed behind turned pale. They grabbed their rifles and started sprinting towards the door.

Immediately, the annex was engulfed in deafening gunfire. The girls in white dresses stepped into the hallway with worried and frightened expressions, screaming. Jeong Taeui’s face turned pale as he pulled Jeong Jaeui and pushed him behind a finely carved pillar in the hallway, standing beside him.

Tsk. He wasn’t foolish enough to run into the courtyard amidst such dangerous sounds. The distance was too far to run into a room. He couldn’t risk provoking those outside and becoming their target.

…… However, if it were his brother, he could probably enter a room without getting a scratch, so should he let him go?

Jeong Taeui glanced at Jeong Jaeui, but Jeong Jaeui just silently shook his head, seemingly understanding what Jeong Taeui was thinking. Even in this situation, he didn’t seem worried at all. He merely frowned slightly, as if annoyed by the noise. Suddenly, a familiar yet strange truth made Jeong Taeui laugh. At the same time, his tension seemed to ease somewhat.

Yes. He was that kind of person. Born under a lucky star, he would be safe in any circumstance.

“…… I’m very happy and proud to be the one who brought you such luck, but the remaining problem is me. Actually, I don’t have such luck.”

Jeong Taeui suddenly muttered to himself. Jeong Jaeui looked up, showing a puzzled expression, as if he couldn’t hear clearly due to the screams and gunfire all around. Taeui smiled and waved his hand.

When Jeong Taeui cautiously peeked out from behind the pillar, the situation had been half-resolved.

Just moments ago, all the men in the hallway and courtyard watching them had fallen. Among them, one man seemed to have fainted after being struck with a rifle butt, while the others were bathed in blood, apparently in critical condition.

Jeong Taeui’s face hardened. Then, he saw four or five other men pushing through the door.

In an instant, he knew they were experts in this field. Whether saving people or harming others, they were used to wearing an aura of suffocating oppression.

Jeong Taeui thought to himself.

The unusual thing was that all of them were Asian. Judging by their appearance, they all seemed to be of Chinese descent—Just as he thought that, a familiar voice called out from behind them.

“Taei-hyung!”

Jeong Taeui recognized that voice, the delicate and soft voice that shouted his name. The leisurely, unhurried steps pushing aside the men in front and then walking towards him were also very familiar. That face broke into a radiant smile the moment it saw Jeong Taeui.

“……Xinlu.”

Jeong Taeui looked at him with a surprised expression. To be more precise, he was more dazed by the voice than astonished.

A face he had never expected to see.

Looking directly at Jeong Taeui’s bewildered expression, Xinlu smiled.

“Long time no see. How have you been?”

“……Yeah.”

“Do you know how panicked I was when you suddenly disappeared that day? At the very least, you should have said something before you left. I was so surprised to see you gone, I pushed through the crowd and hurriedly chased after you, but I couldn’t catch up, and then I couldn’t find you anymore.”

Xinlu suddenly pouted as if sulking. Jeong Taeui responded with a puzzled – “Uh……”. Seeing him, Xinlu suddenly smiled strangely.

“I didn’t expect that expression from you. You don’t want to see me?”

“Uh……no, it’s not that.”

Jeong Taeui looked at Xinlu with a peculiar expression. Xinlu smiled, the familiar face from Jeong Taeui’s memory facing him.

What is this? Jeong Taeui felt something strangely irrational. The person in front of him hadn’t changed, but facing Xinlu, for some reason, Jeong Taeui felt a cold sensation in his chest. He stared at Xinlu for a while, but couldn’t understand why.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Or were you expecting someone else to come?”

Xinlu’s voice took on a delicate, deeper tone. The voice still carried its usual smile, but the slow speech made Jeong Taeui’s heart sink.

He remained silent for a moment before nodding.

“Yeah…… that’s right. Did you come alone?”

“I came with the people here. My father sent them with me, they’re very skilled.”

Xinlu added, “How could I come here on my own?” with a smile and pointed at the bodyguards behind him with a sharp look. Jeong Taeui nodded in response and said, “Uh, okay,” suddenly remembering something.

“Come to think of it, they said you were injured! Are you okay?”

Xinlu was a bit surprised when Jeong Taeui suddenly grabbed him. He opened his eyes wide and stared at Jeong Taeui.

Jeong Taeui suddenly frowned. Once again, he felt like there was something, like, something wasn’t quite right. But he didn’t know what it was.

Xinlu immediately smiled.

“Why, you know already. Even being locked up in here, you can still hear news from outside.”

“No, I just heard you were seriously injured, even life-threatening……”

Jeong Taeui let go of Xinlu’s shoulder and stepped back, slowly looking at him. Xinlu shrugged and smiled, then spread his arms as if to show that he had no difficulty moving.

“……Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m still undergoing outpatient treatment. I broke some bones and some internal organs were injured. But now I can walk normally. The wounds on my skin have healed…… almost completely healed. There’s no problem anymore, just……”

Xinlu inadvertently talked about his condition and then smiled.

Jeong Taeui stared at Xinlu. Then he sighed, his shoulders slumping.

“Thank goodness…… I heard you were in critical condition after an argument with Ilay, so I thought……”

Jeong Taeui didn’t finish his sentence, but Xinlu continued with a smile.

“You were worried I’d die? Ahaha. Yeah, I almost did. When you disappeared like that, he went berserk, searching every nook and cranny in Seringe. Later, when he couldn’t find you, he came to me and asked where you were. He said I was hiding you somewhere even though he knew full well I wasn’t. When he caught me…… I thought I was going to die. I probably would have if Gable hadn’t followed and stopped him.”

Xinlu laughed nonchalantly as if he were just talking about an ordinary story. Jeong Taeui looked at Xinlu with a concerned expression and sighed.

Suddenly, it felt like the heaviest stone among the pile of stones weighing on his heart had fallen off. There were still many other stones, but because the heaviest one was gone, he could breathe again.

“Um…… well, that’s good,”

Jeong Taeui nodded and whispered.

At that moment, Xinlu turned his head. He looked at Jeong Jaeui, who was standing a few steps away from them. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed like a smiling cat.

“Aha…… so it’s you, Jeong Jayl.”

Jeong Jaeui raised an eyebrow and simply nodded without saying anything. Xinlu extended his hand for a handshake.

“I’m Ling Xinlu. I met Taei-hyung at UNHRDO.”

Jeong Jaeui nodded, indicating he understood, and responded briefly, “I’m Jeong Jaeui,” then turned his gaze back to Jeong Taeui without saying anything more.

A moment of silence passed.

There seemed to be something more to say, yet there was only an ambiguous, inescapable silence.

Xinlu was the one to break that brief silence.

“Then let’s leave here before it’s too late. Otherwise, they’ll ruin everything.”

“Huh……?”

Xinlu took a step back and nodded to the people standing in front of the open door.

Jeong Taeui responded, “Alright, alright,” and suddenly froze.

Outside the wall of the annex, there were still explosions. It was as if a major conflict was happening within the mansion. The thunderous explosions, carrying enough force to destroy the entire building, sounded very close.

Xinlu was a step ahead of Jeong Taeui, walking briskly. He urged the still-silent Jeong Jaeui and Jeong Taeui to follow him, listening to the approaching explosions as they walked.

“Xinlu, you brought so many people, it’s like you want to demolish this mansion…… won’t this cause trouble later?”

“Huh? Oh, that sound?”

Xinlu laughed and replied in a casual tone as if it wasn’t a big deal, then walked through the door at the end of the west hallway without answering. Jeong Taeui followed him out.

This was the first time he had left the annex. It was also the first time he saw the outside of the annex. When he arrived here, he naturally entered through this door, but he had been unconscious at the time, so he hadn’t seen anything.

Outside the annex was a large garden. No, it couldn’t really be called a garden, but the neatly trimmed trees made it look like one.

And beyond that low grove of trees was a large building. Although it was obscured by that building, he could still see a few other buildings peeking out from behind it. The annex where Jeong Taeui was confined seemed to be located at the very end of this estate, just as he had predicted. The outer wall extended slightly beyond, making it impossible to see where it ended.

Xinlu headed toward the outer gate, not far from the annex, with hurried steps as if being chased by something. With that rapid pace was an unmistakable joy in every step.

Jeong Taeui watched as Xinlu approached the building right in front of the annex, and suddenly, Jeong Jaeui, who was walking beside him, quietly spoke up. His eyes were fixed on Xinlu’s back, who was a few steps ahead of them.

“Taeui. That person……—-”

But at that moment.

A terrifying explosion erupted nearby. Jeong Taeui reflexively frowned at the sound so loud it made the ground shake. The others, seemingly unconcerned, just shrugged or shook their heads. Suddenly, Xinlu slowed down. After shortening the distance between them to just a step or two, Xinlu turned around and looked at Jeong Taeui. He frowned and jerked his chin toward his own back.

“Once we’re done, don’t cause any more trouble, don’t touch anyone else.”

“They’re not people I can touch.”

Xinlu shrugged as if he couldn’t help it and smiled with a puzzled expression. Jeong Taeui raised an eyebrow.

“If they’re not people you can touch, then who……”

*BOOM*

Another explosion rang out. It sounded as if walls within the building were collapsing. Jeong Taeui instinctively covered his ears against the noise reverberating in his eardrums and glanced over.

And then.

Jeong Taeui saw him.

There was a man in the distance, so far away he looked as small as a fingernail. One hand steering a roaring motorcycle, the other lightly holding a mortar, approaching.

He was still very far away. Perhaps he hadn’t even found this place yet. He looked around for a moment and then approached the building directly in front of him, estimating its position and pulling the trigger without hesitation. The mortar was slung over his shoulder lightly, his jaw set before a deafening explosion erupted from the building in front of him.

“Ilay……—-”

“Yes. Perhaps only he can touch these people. It wasn’t too difficult since he gathered all the monsters from the old T&R riot squad here. I guess Raumaan won’t be able to use this mansion anymore.”

A voice spoke from behind him, and Jeong Taeui stood frozen as if mesmerized.

Jeong Taeui slowly looked back. Right behind him, Xinlu was smiling. Xinlu continued speaking in a happy tone.

“Thanks to his flashy attack, I was able to get in here. Thanks to him, I could bring you out so easily.”

“See, you came here with him?”

“Me? You could say that.”

When Jeong Taeui interrupted to ask, Xinlu laughed as if he had heard something ridiculous and shook his head.

“Let’s go. If he sets his eyes on you, it’ll be hard to get away. It looks like he hasn’t seen this side yet, so let’s get out of here. The car is parked right outside the door.”

Xinlu grabbed Jeong Taeui’s wrist with a force that contrasted sharply with his gentle voice. He wasn’t going to give up easily, so he gripped Taeui’s wrist tightly and started pulling him along. However, Jeong Taeui stood still, unmoving, and looked at Xinlu, using his strength to hold onto Xinlu’s wrist.

“No. I should have said this earlier. Xinlu…… I won’t go with you.”

Jeong Taeui spoke softly but firmly. Xinlu stared directly at Jeong Taeui, biting his lip. Silence fell between them again. Behind them, a series of explosions continued, but between them was a frozen stillness.

Xinlu looked at Jeong Taeui with an unreadable expression. His eyes didn’t seem angry at all. Or perhaps he was so furious that he might burst out laughing.

In the next moment, Xinlu slowly let go of Jeong Taeui’s wrist. Jeong Taeui released his grip and looked at Xinlu.

“Xinlu……”

Xinlu glanced over Jeong Taeui’s shoulder. Just as the name left his mouth, a sound like someone falling echoed from behind Taeui.

Jeong Taeui immediately turned around, and as he realized what the sound was, his face hardened.

The Chinese man who had been following them had collapsed, holding onto Jeong Jaeui with one hand while his eyes were tightly shut. The other hand was still holding a cloth soaked with a drug over his face.

“Ah, I’m very happy. Even those who are lucky enough to receive Gil Sang Cheon’s protection can still succumb to sedatives like this. Otherwise, he probably wouldn’t have been kidnapped so helplessly in Varanasi.”

“Let’s go. If he sets his eyes on you, it’ll be hard to get away. It looks like he hasn’t seen this side yet, so let’s get out of here. The car is parked right outside the door.”

Xinlu grabbed Jeong Taeui’s wrist with a force that contrasted sharply with his gentle voice. He wasn’t going to give up easily, so he gripped Taeui’s wrist tightly and started pulling him along. However, Jeong Taeui stood still, unmoving, and looked at Xinlu, using his strength to hold onto Xinlu’s wrist.

“No. I should have said this earlier. Xinlu…… I won’t go with you.”

Jeong Taeui spoke softly but firmly. Xinlu stared directly at Jeong Taeui, biting his lip. Silence fell between them again. Behind them, a series of explosions continued, but between them was a frozen stillness.

Xinlu looked at Jeong Taeui with an unreadable expression. His eyes didn’t seem angry at all. Or perhaps he was so furious that he might burst out laughing.

In the next moment, Xinlu slowly let go of Jeong Taeui’s wrist. Jeong Taeui released his grip and looked at Xinlu.

“Xinlu……”

Xinlu glanced over Jeong Taeui’s shoulder. Just as the name left his mouth, a sound like someone falling echoed from behind Taeui.

Jeong Taeui immediately turned around, and as he realized what the sound was, his face hardened.

The Chinese man who had been following them had collapsed, holding onto Jeong Jaeui with one hand while his eyes were tightly shut. The other hand was still holding a cloth soaked with a drug over his face.

“Ah, I’m very happy. Even those who are lucky enough to receive Gil Sang Cheon’s protection can still succumb to sedatives like this. Otherwise, he probably wouldn’t have been kidnapped so helplessly in Varanasi.”