[All the dialogues in this chapter are entirely in German]

Peter has been a gardener at the Riegrow estate for nearly 40 years. At this age of 70, it can be said that he has spent more than half of his life dedicated to this place.

Despite the family’s great wealth and fame, the Riegrow house can be considered modest and humble. However, compared to ordinary houses, this estate is exceptionally vast. Peter has taken care of and devoted himself to this place for so many years that he has almost become a member of the Riegrow family. The former owners of the house, the Riegrow couple – Kyle’s parents – and now Kyle himself, who is the current owner, all treat Peter like their own grandfather. Peter also loves Kyle and his siblings as his own grandchildren, as he has witnessed their growth since they were toddlers.

Peter is a skilled gardener who has cared for and maintained the beauty of the Riegrow garden for 40 long years. He is not only diligent but also possesses an innate talent for nurturing plants and trees.

Whether it is wildflowers, trees, or even animals like squirrels or birds living carefree in the vast garden, all thrive robustly and vibrantly under Peter’s care. The flowers bloom spectacularly, the trees are lush and green, and the fur of the animals is sleek and full of life. Although he never boasts openly, this remains his hidden pride.

However, there is just one thing……

In the Riegrow house, which he cherishes and respects like family, there’s only one thing that brings him regret. Even though he has cared wholeheartedly for everyone from their early days, there is one person who could not grow up to be straightforward, neat, and honorable as he had hoped…… and that is the second son of the Riegrow family. This remains a lingering sadness in his heart.

From a very young age, the second son showed unusual personality traits, and as feared, he grew up with a ruthless and boundless cold-heartedness. What made Peter most saddened was hearing news of the boy leaving home as soon as he came of age, wandering through dangerous places and engaging in highly risky jobs.

And so, on each rare occasion when the second son returned to visit the Riegrow home, Peter could only quietly sigh regretfully at the unchanged cold and indifferent demeanor. He spent his time praying for him, but gradually even the faint hope wore thin over the years. In the end, Peter could only pray that the second son would not meet a tragic end somewhere far away……

“Peter, here, this is the list of things Rita needs. Carnations, eucalyptus, daffodils, and also red and green ribbons, um…… what is this again……?”

Tay from the dining room came running and handed Peter a piece of paper. It was a list of ingredients to buy at the flower market, used for arranging flowers and decorating the house for Christmas.

Peter still read the contents of the paper aloud to Tay, who was now proficient in German but still unfamiliar with some unusual common words, clearly enunciating each word.

“She wants to buy golden lace ribbon. It’s a type of ribbon woven like a net with golden thread. But we also need to know the width of the ribbon we need to buy, right?”

“Hmm? Oh, it turns out ribbons come in many types. It’s a good thing, little Elise next door said she wanted to find a checkered ribbon to tie her teddy bear, so if we see it, we can buy it as well. But can we make it back before 5 o’clock? Today BBC is airing a special documentary about deep-sea creatures, which is a program I really want to watch.”

“Yes, before 5 o’clock should be fine.”

“Alright. Then I’ll go ask Rita about the ribbon width and come back right away.”

“Okay, in the meantime, I’ll start the car. Meet me at the garage.”

Peter quietly watched as Tay quickly ran away down the road. From the very first meeting a few years ago, he had realized that Tay was a very good young man. Tay was polite, lively, quick-witted, and somewhat still quite composed. Moreover, he was particularly friendly with everyone, regardless of age or gender. Having just returned to Berlin after a long time traveling around different countries, he quickly made friends and even played with the neighbor’s children this morning. After that, he helped Peter fix the shed and was now getting ready to go to the flower market at Rita’s request.

Just like the last time he stayed here for a while, Tay always treated Peter like his own grandfather, not hesitating to do heavy tasks to help. As for Peter, he also cherished Tay like his own grandson.

Peter was smiling contentedly, watching Tay’s disappearing figure for a while, then turned towards the garage. Just at that moment, a voice sounded right above him:

“Peter.”

When he looked up, he saw the second grandson leaning his elbow on the balcony window frame, looking towards him.

“Where’s Taei?”

The young master’s eyes briefly glanced in the direction Tay had disappeared, then turned back to Peter and asked. Peter responded immediately without hesitation.

“Rita wrote a note listing the flower arrangement materials, but she didn’t note the ribbon’s width, so he went to ask her about it again. Now both of them will go to the flower market to shop, and they are sure to be back before 5 o’clock. He said he absolutely must watch the special BBC documentary on deep-sea creatures starting at 5 o’clock. But if they have to look for more ribbon, it might take a little extra time.”

“Ribbon?”

“Yes, there’s a little girl named Elise next door, about 6 years old, seems like she wants a checkered ribbon to tie around her teddy bear. Taking advantage of buying ribbon for flower arrangements, he will also buy that for the little girl.”

“Oh, the little girl next door. It seems he has quickly become close with the children.”

“When we were fixing the warehouse earlier, Elise’s brother Anton stopped by and asked if Tay could play with them this afternoon. It seems the children around here really like him. But Tay said he was busy this afternoon and couldn’t, so he promised to play ball with them in the morning. Today they played soccer, and he mentioned trying dodgeball tomorrow.”

“I see. Go ahead then. Safe travels, we will talk later.”

Peter bowed to the second master when he waved goodbye, then turned and walked away. As soon as the master closed the window and retreated inside, Tay came running from afar. He intended to head straight for the garage, but seeing Peter still there, he changed direction and approached.

“I thought you were already at the garage, is there anything not done yet?”

“No, everything’s done. Let’s go, we have to return before 5 o’clock.”

Peter slowly walked, his eyes following Tay’s back as she walked ahead towards the garage. 

No matter how he thought about it, Tay was still an amazing young man. He was full of vitality, intelligent, and seemed capable enough to overcome any adversity. He wasn’t easily subdued by difficulties, nor was he ever indifferent or neglectful of others in times of need. Tay was kind and reliable enough to lead and support those around him…… Truly perfect.

Peter felt grateful to heaven for bringing such a good young man. The second young master, someone he could only watch helplessly and do nothing else, was the one who brought (or more precisely, dragged) such a wonderful young man. Peter truly felt he couldn’t express his gratitude enough.

Of course, being a person with compassion, Peter couldn’t say he didn’t feel sympathy and pity for Tay. He liked and appreciated him. But occasionally, Peter couldn’t help but sigh with regret, wondering how Tay caught the eye of the second master and was drawn into the sphere of influence* by his entanglement. But those moments were rare.

(*코가 꿰었다: (having one’s nose pierced): This is a metaphorical expression in Korean, meaning to be bound, controlled, or unable to escape someone’s influence.)

To Peter, the second master, whom he had known since he was a newborn, was still the most important person. And what amazed him was the second master’s display of surprising humanity by bringing this young man. Even though the change was limited to how the master treated Tay, for Peter, it was already a miracle.

Because of this, whenever the second young master called Peter over and asked about Tay, he always felt touched that the young master could care so much about the details of someone like that. To the point that Peter always shared everything he knew about Tay. He had to do so. Because only when the second young master understood Tay as if looking into his own palm, would he never lose this young man.

Tay was the last hope that Peter placed in the second young master.

“Going to the flower market from here takes about 30 minutes, right? You’ve just finished the storage repairs, you must be tired. Let me drive, and you can take a short nap.”

When Peter saw Tay’s smiling face and sincere words full of goodwill, he felt a slight pain in his heart.

But he had no other choice.

Peter clearly knew that if he lost this young man, there would never be anyone else capable enough to care for and keep the second young master.

If Tay were a flawed young man or had a bad character, Peter might not have cared, or even willingly ignored it to keep him away from the second young master. But Tay wasn’t like that. He was someone Peter didn’t want to lose. Such a person definitely needed to be by the second young master’s side.

Peter clearly knew this thought was selfish, but for the second young master, he had to turn a blind eye. And in some way, he felt a sense of comfort in realizing that Rita shared similar feelings and was acting like him.

‘At least I’m not the only one like this……’

And Tay just went on, unaware, as he whistled a tune while making his way to the driver’s seat. It seemed that he was not yet used to vehicles with high bodies like the Land Rover* Peter used for work. So when he leaped up to the driver’s seat, he hit his head hard against the car’s frame. Peter shook his head and rubbed Tay’s forehead. At the same time, he thought to himself: ‘I must definitely tell the second young master about this later.’

And in Peter’s heart, he could only fervently pray that Tay would stay by the second young master’s side forever.

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

*Land Rover: