Kyle was someone who deeply cherished his friends.

From the Prime Minister of a nation to the wandering laborers at the corner of the market, his relationships knew no boundaries of age, gender, or social status. In this world, there were many who adored him, and there were also many he held dear. As a result, friends often came to him, and there was no shortage of guests staying at his home. In fact, even if a stranger were to be strolling through the garden in front of his house, it wouldn’t be considered unusual.

One late afternoon, when snowflakes were gently falling and then ceased, and Christmas was less than a week away, Taeui suddenly stopped in his tracks. He had spotted a stranger standing dazedly beneath a birch tree, lightly dusted with snow, in the garden.

The man had an average height and build. His appearance was nothing remarkable, and he was gazing up at the tree branches. Following his gaze, Taeui also noticed a lush green mistletoe growing vibrantly among the barren birch branches.

As Taeui began to walk slowly toward the man, the latter finally shifted his gaze and spoke:
“It looks just like a bird’s nest made of tangled green strings, doesn’t it?”

“Hmm…… Now that you mention it, it really does look like a bird’s nest. I like mistletoe because it gives off a winter vibe, but Peter isn’t fond of it.”

Taeui murmured as he glanced around the garden at the mistletoe clusters growing like bird nests in the trees.

Peter was someone who cared for every tree in the garden as if they were his own children. He often pruned away the mistletoe because it drained the nutrients and moisture from the other trees. However, this time of year was the only exception when he allowed the mistletoe to remain.

“Well, no gardener likes parasitic plants. So, I suppose those mistletoe clusters will be removed soon enough.”

“They’ll probably last another week. During Christmas, Mrs. Rita needs the mistletoe branches to decorate the house.”

“Decorating with mistletoe, huh? Hahaha, that’s quite romantic. If I find a girl who makes my heart flutter this Christmas, I’ll definitely bring her here and stand under it.”

Seeing the man laugh as he spoke made Taeui chuckle along with him.

There’s a tradition that says if a girl stands under the mistletoe during Christmas, you can kiss her. Taeui smiled, recalling a Christmas party from a few years ago, where girls gathered under the mistletoe, and boys lingered shyly around them. Kissing under the mistletoe, it was such a delightful custom.

“Oh, that reminds me! Back then, Mark even got slapped by Tina because of this!”

The man suddenly burst out laughing, as if recalling a funny memory. He lightly patted Taeui’s shoulder and began to recount the story:

“Sometimes, I meet up with friends I haven’t seen in a while, and whenever we do, we usually have some fun by placing small bets. Last time we got together, a friend of mine named Mark lost a bet. Since I was the winner that day, I was trying to think of a punishment for Mark when I happened to see a mistletoe hanging on the Christmas tree. So, I told Mark his punishment was to kiss Tina.”

The man added: “Oh, by the way, Tina is also one of my friends”, which made Taeui giggle.

“It sounds like a punishment…… so I guess Mark and Tina weren’t very close?”

“Oh no, not really. Their relationship was pretty normal. It’s just that Tina hates physical contact with others. If you want to mess with that person, you’d better be ready to risk your life.”

The man smirked mischievously, the wrinkles around his eyes making him look like a playful little boy. ‘Having friends to joke around and argue with, even at this age—that’s truly a happy life.’ – Taeui thought, smiling warmly at him.

“Aha, so Mark kissed Tina and got slapped?”

“Oh, slapped with a fist, actually. He broke his jaw and took five weeks to recover.”

Taeui’s smile froze slightly.

‘…… Did I mishear that? Or is this a joke?’

The man still wore a cheerful expression, as if it were a hilarious story. Turning to Taeui, he added: “I got caught up in it too and ended up losing two molars. Hahahahaha.”

Taeui stared intently at the man, unsure whether to treat this as a joke, offer condolences, or do something else entirely. The man was laughing, so Taeui forced a smile to match and silently thought: ‘What’s wrong with this guy?’

“Must’ve hurt a lot, haha……. But come to think of it, I don’t think I know your name yet. I’m Jeong Taeui.”

Taeui extended his hand for a handshake. The man studied him closely for a moment, as though examining every detail. Finally, he smiled, took Taeui’s hand, and said:

“Of course I know who you are, Mr. Jeong Tay. This is our first time meeting, but…….”

“……? Yes……”

“You’re quite famous among us. Hahaha.”

“…….”

‘Famous among who? Why am I famous? And just who is this guy?’

While Taeui was lost in thought, debating which question to ask first, a voice suddenly called out:

“IVAN!”

‘Ah, I see. So his name is Ivan.’ – Taeui thought absentmindedly. The two men quickly approached him in just a few steps and each gave Ivan a light hug. Ivan cheerfully exclaimed: “Mark!”, “Ángel!” Thanks to Ivan calling their names, Taeui learned that their names were Mark and Ángel. ‘The taller one is Mark, and the one with the beard is Ángel.’ – He mentally noted while observing their greetings.

“Arrived early, huh? I thought I’d be the first one here.”

“Hahaha, how long has it been? I saw Ángel in Marrakech* two years ago, and Mark…… wasn’t it three years ago during our last gathering?”

“Exactly. And you, I heard you were hospitalized for a few months earlier this year. You look great now!”

Taeui stood a little distance away, watching the three men joyfully patting each other’s shoulders like old friends reunited after years apart.

‘So these must be the ‘friends I don’t see often’ that he mentioned. But why are they in Kyle’s garden? Is Kyle one of them too?’

His moment of stillness, standing like a wooden post, didn’t last long. The man named Ángel suddenly turned to Taeui, shouted, “AH!” and pointed directly at his face.

“Hey! It’s Tay! Jeong Tay!”

“……, Uh……, Have we met before?”

Taeui flinched and reflexively stepped back when Ángel’s finger nearly poked him on the nose. He tried to recall any memory of this man but couldn’t find even a faint image of him in his mind. No matter how much he thought about it, he was certain this was the first time he had met this man. Yet, Ángel, Ivan, and Mark all stared at him curiously, as if he were some sort of strange creature.

“Come on, how many young East Asian guys could casually be strolling around Kyle’s house?”

“Well, um…… this house does have a lot of guests coming and going. So, a young East Asian guy like me isn’t exactly unusual here.”

Taeui tried to keep his voice calm, but a slight bitterness crept in as he added: “Yes, I am Jeong Taeui.” Hearing this, Mark burst out laughing and shook his head.

“Hahaha, but right now, apart from us, there wouldn’t be any other guests around.”

“……?”

“We’re the friends who meet up once every three years. Normally, we rarely keep in touch, so these gatherings are also a way to check if anyone has…… ‘passed on’. That’s why, during this time, Kyle doesn’t invite any other guests. Seems like you didn’t know about this?”

Seeing Taeui still confused, Ivan stood nearby and gave a brief explanation. Though Taeui still felt something suspicious, he shook his head and extended his hand for another handshake.

“Jeong Taeui is my name.”

“My name is Mark Reinway.”

“Ivan Ionov.”

“Ángel Fernández.”

This time, they introduced themselves with their full names and shook hands formally.

‘These names…… I feel like I’ve heard them somewhere before…… but I just can’t recall. There’s something strange about this.’ – Taeui thought.

As he furrowed his brow and tapped his temple lightly to jog his memory, the three men, friends reunited after three years, quickly dove into their own conversation.

“Milan couldn’t make it. I heard he’s in the hospital with all his ribs broken.”

“Yeah, I just heard about that too. Doris couldn’t come either because of work. What about Miguel?”

“No idea, he hasn’t contacted anyone. Same with Alexei, no news from him.”

“Those guys…… they’re always like that. They’ll probably just show up out of nowhere.”

…… And so, unfamiliar names continued to spill out. Taeui stood to the side, bewildered and wondering: ‘Just how many of these friends do they have? How many guests did Kyle invite here anyway?’ At the same time, another thought crossed his mind: ‘In this freezing weather, with snow still falling and the sky growing darker…… are they seriously planning to stand outside in the yard talking like this?’

“So, what are we betting on this year?…… Last time, Ivan won, didn’t he? And Mark came in last.”

“Exactly. That’s why Mark kissed Tina and nearly broke his jaw.”

“And you lost two molars.”

“Ahahahaha. Before that, who won? Was it Julian?”

“Yeah, it was Julian. Back then, he made Alex dive 120 meters underwater to salvage a worthless ceramic jar from a shipwreck. In the middle of winter, no less. I honestly thought Alex was going to die by drowning under that, but that guy is tough as nails, in the end he managed to crawl back up, though he had to go straight into a decompression chamber afterward.”

“That’s nothing. Before that, Milan won, and I was the loser. He made me climb Mount Everest and smoke a cigarette at the summit before the year ended. Imagine that, hauling oxygen tanks all the way up there, only to light a cigarette! At the time, I thought he was genuinely trying to kill me.”

“…….”

Taeui, who had been waiting for the right moment to cut in and say: ‘Don’t stand out here in the cold—come inside to talk’, suddenly froze mid-thought. He could only stand there, stunned, his eyes wide open, the whites showing as if everything before him had become unbelievable.

‘What a bizarre conversation. These people are truly strange. And those crazy, life-threatening tasks—what on earth are those supposed to be?’

It was true that some of Kyle’s guests were occasionally eccentric, but Taeui hadn’t expected people who looked so normal to be talking about such utterly abnormal things. Are they joking or being serious? Are they trying to make people laugh or flirting with death here?

“By the way, where’s Rick? Is he in the house?”

Suddenly, Ángel looked around and asked. Taeui, who had been planning to quietly slip away from the conversation, froze in place at the sound of that familiar name.

“Don’t see him. Maybe he went out?”

Ivan turned to Taeui and asked. Taeui merely shrugged and replied: “He should be back soon. Rick went with Kyle to Vienna a few days ago to handle some company business. But he said he’d return before dinner today.”

“Why didn’t you go with them?”

“……? Me? Why would I……? That didn’t involve me.”

Taeui tilted his head in confusion, unsure why Ivan’s tone made it sound as though it were natural for him to have gone along. Ivan simply let out a “Hmph”, lightly stroked his chin, and gave Taeui a peculiar, scrutinizing look.

“Doesn’t that guy stick to you like glue all the time? Tina never stops yelling at him, saying he’s hell-bent on ruining someone’s entire life.”

Immediately, Ángel let out a hearty laugh beside Ivan.

“Come on, that’s hardly news. He’s ruined other people’s lives more than just once or twice. Besides, if we’re talking about wrecking lives, Tina doesn’t exactly have the moral high ground.”

“He’s hated Rick for ages. Christina, that is.”

The moment that name slipped from Mark’s mouth……

A sudden sharp *WHOOSH!!!* sliced through the cold air, like lightning striking right next to Jeong Taeui’s ears.

Mark instinctively stepped back, and in the very spot where he had been standing, an object shot past with terrifying speed, slamming into the trunk of a birch tree with a loud *CRACK!*. Splinters of wood scattered and snow fell from the branches in a light shower, revealing a fist-sized rock tumbling across the ground. If it had so much as grazed him, it would have left a body far from intact.

“Who just said something?”

From the shadows at the far end of the garden, a chilling voice rang out.

Standing there was a young man dressed in a reddish-brown coat, dark gray wool pants, and a tartan-patterned scarf. It was an outfit that might look odd on anyone else, yet on him, it exuded elegance and perfection.

His face, already refined and strikingly beautiful to the point of seeming unreal, appeared even more statuesque under the gloomy sky today, its pallor almost marble-like. Even with his frown and a cold irritated demeanor, his face betrayed no flaw, as though its perfection was unbreakable.

“Christoph.”

When Taeui called the familiar young man’s name, Christoph frowned and strode forward with long determined steps. He grabbed Taeui’s hand and pulled him aside, then delivered a powerful punch straight to Mark’s chest.

Afterward, Christoph turned to Taeui and asked:  “Why are you talking to these people?”

“Uh…… you know them?”

“They’re just people who see each other’s faces once every few years.”

The ominous sound of *crack, crack* echoed as Mark clutched his chest, grimacing in pain. Christoph regarded him with a cold gaze before throwing an irritated glance at the two men standing nearby, who raised their hands in greeting and cheerfully said: “Long time no see, Chris. You’re as dazzling as ever.”

“Wanderers from the far ends of Africa and South America managed to find their way back quickly.”

“Whoa, whoa. I just wrapped up work last week. Took a little break in Nice before coming here.”

“If even you are loitering around there, then Nice is officially done as a resort destination. I’m never going there for a vacation again.”

Amid their conversation, which sounded like a joke yet carried an oddly serious undertone, Taeui quietly observed the four men in front of him. They differed in appearance, age, and style, yet there was something strikingly similar about them—an intangible quality he couldn’t quite put into words.

‘So Tina is actually Christina…… no, Christoph.’ – Taeui thought, furrowing his brows.

‘Wait a minute…… does that mean Christoph is also part of this group of ‘friends who like to bet’?’

As Taeui massaged his temples, feeling as though his head was about to explode, Christoph glanced at him and clicked his tongue.

“These guys are some of the people I used to work with.”

“Huh?…… With you?”

“Yeah. Rick too. We all worked for the same company.”

“Company?”

Taeui’s eyes widened in surprise.

‘He worked for a company? This is the first I’ve heard of this. Wait a minute, what did he do before I met him? Oh, right, before joining the UNHRDO—’

“Yes, a mercenary company funded by T&R. It only lasted two years before it shut down.” – Christoph said indifferently.

The moment those words left Christoph’s lips, old memories and rumors flashed through Taeui’s mind like a lightning strike.

‘That place……’

Its name was commonly known as: ‘Special Private Task Force’.

According to certain whispers, it was often referred to as ‘a den full of people like Kyle’s younger brother, Ilay.’ A den of madmen. A place that recruited by essentially ranking people in reverse order of how humane they were.

The men who had once been part of that infamous ‘den’, a place whose mere name could send shivers down one’s spine, were now standing right in front of him.

“Where are the others?”

“Some couldn’t make it, some didn’t reply. Well, I suppose about 6 or 7 people will show up this time. It’s almost dinner time now, so they should be arriving soon.”

“Hmph, three years flew by fast. Now I have to see these unpleasant faces again.” – Christoph grumbled, his voice laced with irritation, like background music to the surreal scene.

Meanwhile, Taeui stood frozen, staring at them, unsure what to do. Noticing his gaze, Christoph turned to him and snapped: “What?”

“Oh, nothing, it’s just…… everyone looks so normal on the outside……”

Ugh. The words spilled out before Taeui even realized it.

He abruptly stopped mid-sentence because realized his mistake, but it was too late. The four men in front of him turned in unison, their stares sharp enough to pierce through Jeong Taeui.

But before he could feel embarrassed or figure out how to handle the situation, the tense atmosphere dissolved into hearty, carefree laughter from all of them. Amid the laughter, Christoph frowned in annoyance and curtly muttered: 

“Think about it—who’s the guy living with you?”

Before Taeui could even respond, “the guy” showed up, as if speaking of the tiger, and it appeared*.

(*호랑이도 제 말 하면 온다: Speak of the tiger, and it appears – is an idiomatic expression used to describe someone who shows up immediately after being mentioned.)

“Aha, so everyone’s here already?”

A familiar voice rang out from the dimly lit part of the garden. The man stepping forward – Ilay Riegrow – looked deceptively ordinary on the outside. He strolled leisurely over the thin layer of snow, leaving distinct footprints behind. Even a simple act like removing his wool gloves to stave off the cold seemed strangely captivating in this moment, as if every movement carried an unexplainable prominence.

“Just in time for everyone to say hello, huh?”

Ilay’s gaze swept over the gathered group, finally settling on Taeui. The moment their familiar eyes met, a thought crossed Taeui’s mind: ‘Ah, right.’

By now, everything had become so familiar, so routine, that he had almost forgotten……

The infamous T&R Private Task Force, and among its members was a man who had left a legendary mark wherever he went. Ilay Riegrow. Yes, that man was——.

“He’s here. Your man.”  

Christoph muttered with obvious displeasure. Though the words were something Taeui could easily dismiss or even agree with, for some reason, he didn’t want to acknowledge them.

However, as Ilay casually walked up to him, his greeting wasn’t in words but in the form of a hand that lightly tousled Taeui’s hair, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Immediately, all the peculiar gazes from those around them focused on the two of them. Their looks were akin to witnessing the executioner’s blade slowly glide across the neck of a condemned man—though perhaps even more unsettling in this moment.

‘Well, —they’re not wrong.’ – Taeui thought, exhaling a resigned sigh. 

He lightly patted the back of Ilay’s hand as if to respond, fully aware that this gesture would only make the stares even stranger.

*************************

(*Marrakech: is the fourth-largest city in Morocco.)