Jeong Taeui stared at Jeong Jaeui for a while, and Jeong Jaeui quietly looked at him before turning away.

“Is it serious?”

And then Jeong Taeui suddenly realized. It felt like going back to the old days. A feeling of sadness for his older brother. He had always felt that the red string connecting them was a burden. Jeong Jaeui had always lived in worry and pain, having a body like that, and in a bond he didn’t want. This was a side of Jeong Jaeui that Jeong Taeui had never known, and from his position, he couldn’t feel it.

“Hyung. I…….”

Jeong Taeui quietly opened his mouth. He looked at his brother’s face as if seeing it for the first time. He silently cursed his poor brother.

“I’m always here. That’s something that will never change.”

Jeong Jaeui quietly looked at him.

Jeong Taeui pondered. What should he say? No, he wondered what he was even thinking. To say something, at least he had to know what he was thinking first. Thoughts he had never considered before. And among them, he found a few words he wanted to say to his brother the most.

“When you think of me, I’ll think of you too.”

Jeong Taeui said this because he knew that his brother still loved him. And he did too.

Jeong Jaeui calmly looked at Jeong Taeui.

For a moment, he smiled.

Gently, a faint but clearly joyful smile.

“Yes……. That’s right.”

Jeong Jaeui whispered as if speaking to himself. Perhaps he was also grappling with thoughts he usually didn’t think about.

Jeong Taeui stared blankly at Jeong Jaeui.

His always calm and quiet brother would one day meet someone. Perhaps then, he would find that person burdensome and stifling. Just like his position now.

Jeong Taeui felt a bit disappointed thinking about that, but even so, he would always be here. No matter how the distance between others and Jeong Jaeui changed or how close they got, Jeong Taeui would always be here. His place with his brother would remain unchanged.

Maybe tomorrow, when Jeong Jaeui joins UNHRDO and moves to a place Jeong Taeui doesn’t know, he won’t be able to see him for a long time.

But Jeong Jaeui’s and Jeong Taeui’s positions with each other would never change.

“By the way, where is Xinlu?”

Jeong Taeui asked suddenly, as if remembering something, after just having a bath. He hadn’t seen the person who brought him here since he woke up.

Yes, this was a perfect time. But Jeong Taeui hadn’t seen him appear at all. Jeong Jaeui replied, “Well, I don’t know either.”

“I just saw him briefly in the shopping mall, but it was just in passing.”

“The shopping mall……. Why would Xinlu be there?”

“Xinlu, I think he was planning to book a flight to Hong Kong today, but it got canceled.”

“Why was it canceled?”

Jeong Taeui asked in surprise. As if losing his mind, he tried to recall the memories in his head for an answer. Let’s see, there was nothing more shocking than seeing his own face plastered on TV.

Recalling the news he had just watched, Jeong Taeui bitterly licked his lips. When Jeong Taeui asked, Jeong Jaeui, who was lying on the bed as if about to fall asleep, glanced at him. He silently looked at him for a moment before speaking briefly.

“He saw the news on TV.”

Jeong Taeui finally understood why Xinlu had to cancel the flight.

The plan to take Jeong Taeui back to Hong Kong while he was unconscious from Xinlu’s drug had been thwarted by that damned news.

No airline would dare let a terrorist whose face had been splashed all over the news today board a plane. Yes, he would be checked at the airport before boarding. In reality, some criminals could still leave the country even when their faces and identities were known beforehand. But if the image of that person was released right before the flights were set to depart, there wouldn’t be enough time to tamper with anything.

“……..”

Should he feel happy about this?

Jeong Taeui scratched his head.

If it hadn’t been for that news, he probably would have found himself flying in the sky the moment he woke up. And, of course, he would have had to take a long journey to Hong Kong with no way to escape.

When Jeong Taeui sighed with a heart full of tangled emotions, the door opened. Before Jeong Taeui had time to think about who might have the key card to his room, Xinlu walked in. Seeing Jeong Taeui, Xinlu exclaimed softly, “Oh,” and smiled.

“You’re awake. I thought you would sleep for another hour or two.”

It wasn’t until Jeong Taeui heard those words that he remembered the memory of how Xinlu had forced him to take sleeping pills.

“Is that medicine really that strong?”

“Not really, it’s just that the medicine works very well. It’s a good medicine because after waking up, it can make your mind a bit fuzzy for a while.”

Xinlu smiled brightly, a smile not at all like someone who had just forced someone to take pills. Jeong Taeui sighed and stared at Xinlu.

“…….Alright, bringing me all the way here, what do you intend to do?”

“What do you mean?”

Xinlu laughed as if he had just heard something ridiculous. Then he suddenly looked at Jeong Jaeui, who was still lying on the bed, with a questioning expression. As if realizing something, Jeong Jaeui made a similar expression. Perhaps because he couldn’t guess what Xinlu was thinking.

Xinlu hesitated for a moment, scratched his head, and then spoke to Jeong Jaeui.

“That’s my spot.”

“…….Huh?”

Jeong Jaeui asked back with a face full of question marks. Jeong Taeui stared at Xinlu.

This double room had two beds. And, of course, Jeong Jaeui was lying next to the bed Jeong Taeui was sitting on. And for that reason, Xinlu would have to book another room.

Feeling the gazes of the two people on him, Xinlu mumbled, “Uh,” and then spoke with difficulty.

“Ah, it’s like this. I had to meet someone urgently to arrange the flight, so I didn’t get a chance to say it……. I booked a separate room for Jaeui.”

Jeong Taeui looked at Xinlu in astonishment. Jeong Jaeui did too, but he didn’t show it outwardly. Unless there was another issue, in this situation, it was normal for siblings to share a room, wasn’t it? He had never thought about the possibility of the two brothers being separated and replaced by someone else like this.

Jeong Taeui thought for a moment and then asked.

“How did you book a room with his name at the front desk?”

“This room is for me and you, Taeui. I didn’t write his name here. The other room is in Jaeui’s name. Oh, that other room is just across the hall.”

Xinlu smiled and added, “Thinking about the bond between you two, I arranged for him to stay in a nearby room,” while Jeong Taeui looked at him with a somewhat unpleasant expression.

However, Jeong Jaeui nodded and calmly stood up.

“My uncle said he will send someone from UNHRDO early tomorrow morning, so it’s better if I go there. I’ll take the room myself, and that will be it.”

“…….Huh.”

Jeong Taeui muttered vaguely. As he watched Jeong Jaeui preparing to stand up and pack his clothes, he felt a pang of regret.

He suddenly realized.

Perhaps he wouldn’t be able to see Jeong Jaeui for some time.

It might be just a short while, but it could also be a very long time.

“…….”

Jeong Taeui took a deep breath.

It’s okay. Like before, sometimes all they needed was to face each other and talk briefly before parting ways, even if they couldn’t see each other for longer than expected, that would be enough. Their place in each other’s hearts would never change.

It seemed Jeong Jaeui had similar thoughts to Jeong Taeui.

He was getting ready to leave the room, with hardly any belongings to take. But then he suddenly stopped, looking at Jeong Taeui silently for a long while.

Jeong Jaeui’s lips seemed to move as if he wanted to say something but then stopped, smiled, and said.

“Tomorrow when they come to pick me up, you’ll probably still be asleep.”

Jeong Jaeui spoke with a fleeting laugh. He nodded slightly and left the room after a brief farewell to Xinlu, who had been quietly observing them all this time.

Jeong Jaeui stepped outside.

*Click* The door closed. Jeong Taeui felt breathless, his eyes following the now invisible traces of his brother.

He looked down at his hands.

His fingers toyed with the invisible thread that his brother had once pretended to cut. He liked the feeling of touching something beautiful and invisible like that.

Jeong Taeui smiled.

“…….Do you like it?”

Then, suddenly, a voice spoke up right beside him.

Jeong Taeui looked up. Xinlu was right next to him, smiling brightly when he caught Jeong Taeui’s gaze. Jeong Taeui was still sitting on the bed.

“Jeong Jaeui is going back to UNHRDO, huh, that’s tough……. What should I do to keep you here, Taeui?”

Xinlu spoke with a worried tone. Jeong Taeui quietly looked at him. Xinlu, sensing his gaze, looked up. His dark eyes stared directly at Jeong Taeui.

“…….Does your eye hurt?”

Jeong Taeui asked softly. Xinlu widened his eyes as if he didn’t expect the question. He looked at Jeong Taeui and then laughed as if it was something very funny. Xinlu kept laughing for a while.

“You’re the first person to ask me that.”

As if knowing that Jeong Taeui would ask, Xinlu spoke while smiling. Jeong Taeui just stared at him without saying a word.

Xinlu smiled meaningfully. Like a cat hiding some secret. Jeong Taeui didn’t even know what to say.

“It doesn’t hurt anymore. It’s just that I’m not yet used to losing something I’ve used comfortably for 20 years.”

Jeong Taeui extended his hand without a word. His hand carefully touched Xinlu’s right temple, his thumb gently stroking his eyelid. Xinlu stayed silent, not avoiding, just looking at Jeong Taeui with his remaining eye.

And then, after some time had passed, Xinlu whispered softly with a faint, habitual smile.

“When I found out I lost my sight, it hurt a lot.”

“…….Mmm.”

“It’s not that I’m suffering because I lost my sight.”

Xinlu smiled. Jeong Taeui seemed a bit confused but quietly waited for his response.

Xinlu remained silent for a while before speaking again.

“When I was lying in the hospital, unable to move because my whole body was covered in wounds, I was told that I might never see again. At that moment…….—I hated Rick. To the extent that……. I don’t even know. But hating someone is strange. At one point, I thought I couldn’t hate him more than I already did, but as time passed, my hatred for him grew stronger.”

“So, it was amazing.” – Xinlu spoke vaguely, as if lost in other thoughts.

“The most painful thing at that time was……. I realized something I never wanted to acknowledge.”

Xinlu continued to sink into his thoughts without saying anything more, as if lost in madness.

Jeong Taeui continued to wait for Xinlu to speak further. But Xinlu just remained silent, making eye contact with Taeui and then smiling.

Suddenly, slowly but without hesitation, Xinlu reached out. His hand touched Jeong Taeui’s chin and cheek, then went around his ear. Xinlu leaned in towards Jeong Taeui and whispered sweetly and gently, like comforting a child with candy.

“You will come back to Hong Kong with me. I will hide you away. I will imprison you. No matter how Rick searches for you, no matter how much you try to escape, I will protect you so he can never touch you again.”

That gentle voice brushed against his cheek. Jeong Taeui looked at Xinlu with a strange feeling. From that familiar yet unfamiliar gaze, he suddenly realized something, gradually spreading through his heart.

Jeong Taeui looked at Xinlu without saying anything. This was someone he had once liked. This was someone who had always been liked. And then…….

“…….Xinlu. Tomorrow, I will return as soon as the sun rises.”

Jeong Taeui spoke quietly. The hand caressing his cheek froze. The smile disappeared from that face. Xinlu looked at Jeong Taeui with a dazed expression.

“Back to Rick?”

Jeong Taeui nodded instead of answering.

Xinlu looked at him in silence. His voice became even lower.

“Jeong Taei-hyung, you know better than anyone what Rick is like. How unpredictable and volatile he is. ……. Even if he’s not like that now, his evil nature is still there, and he can kill you anytime.”

He knew. What Xinlu said, Jeong Taeui knew very well. No, he knew even better than what Xinlu was saying.

The man named Ilay Riegrow was someone who couldn’t be understood with conventional thinking. No one knew better than Jeong Taeui how many drops of blood had been shed by those delicate, beautiful hands, and how indifferent he was to it. Moreover, his nature would never change. Just as Xinlu said, one day, for some reason, Jeong Taeui might die at Ilay’s hands—or, as usual, for no reason at all. He was the kind of person who could watch Jeong Taeui die slowly with indifferent, cold eyes and a nonchalant smile.

But then.

“Taei.”

“Taei.”

“Taei.”

Ilay was calling his name.

There was a bit of sadness, as well as regret; he didn’t know what to call this vague feeling. Perhaps – even though he didn’t think so – Jeong Taeui might have been wrong. Xinlu could be entirely right in saying that.

But there was one thing he was certain of.

Jeong Taeui could hear Ilay calling his name clearly. Right now.

“This schizophrenia, I thought it had gotten a bit better. But it seems it still hasn’t gone away……..”

Jeong Taeui groaned inwardly with a sigh. At these incomprehensible words, Xinlu glanced at him without asking anything.