“Probably cracked. The rib, I mean.”

“Christoph hit pretty hard, huh.”

“Yeah, it’s fine, just this much.” – Mark shrugged and spoke nonchalantly. At that moment, Ivan, sitting next to him, asked: “Here?” and casually slapped Mark’s chest, the spot he had just been rubbing. Yet Mark calmly replied: “Yeah, right there.” Witnessing this scene, Taeui could only remain silent, taking another sip of beer, and looked at them with eyes that had turned pale.

‘Do these guys not feel pain…….?’

“Looks fine on the outside though…….”

“Huh?”

Taeui mumbled unconsciously, but immediately, someone’s hand casually snatched the beer can from his hand. Without looking, he already knew whose unblemished, fair, and beautiful hand it was.

Ilay gulped down the beer in one go, emptied the can, and handed the empty can back to Taeui before sitting down next to him as if nothing had happened. Taeui stared blankly at Ilay, dazedly shaking the empty can in his hand, and clicked his tongue softly in regret.

Yes, outwardly, he had two eyes, a nose, and a mouth, looking no different from a human. And not just him, Christoph was sitting on a single-seater sofa with a scowling face as if annoyed, also had a face as beautiful as a living sculpture. (Though, in another sense, that face didn’t quite look human either.) So it wasn’t surprising that the men scattered across the living room all had human-like appearances.

Before dinner had even cooled, another man named Alexei had dropped by, and now, adding to the mix, a guy named Alain walked in, shaking off the snow from his coat. That brought the total number of these suspicious friends to seven.

“Hey, how’s everyone doing these days? You all look great. It’s been ages, Tay!”

Back in Frankfurt, when he had to register on a forum on behalf of his twin brother and ended up in an unexpected mess, leading to a nightmarish experience, he had met Alain just once during that time. Now, Alain gripped Jeong Taeui’s hand tightly, shaking it as if greeting a long-lost friend he had just seen yesterday. Just like before, his face seemed locked in place with an unerasable smile. Seeing that cheerful expression, Taeui simply nodded slightly.

“Long time no see, Alain. I heard you just got back from Hawaii?”

“Yeah, that’s right. But it’s freezing here, damn it.”

Alain was wearing a thin autumn coat, his face looked so pale from the cold and was shivering but still kept smiling as he spoke. Just then, Kyle emerged from the dining room.

As the host, Kyle didn’t even know these guests, yet now he had to entertain 6 people at once. Initially, when he returned home with Ilay and encountered them, Kyle had looked as if he had bitten into an unripe persimmon, his face far from pleased. But after Ivan handed him a carefully wrapped gift – judging by its size, it seemed to be a book – his mood changed 180 degrees. Throughout dinner, Kyle appeared very content and cheerful.

Even now, that face, lost in the bliss of alcohol, still looks very happy. It seems the gift is one of the ancient books he has been searching for all this time.

“Alright then, I’m heading to bed. It’s been a while since you all met, so feel free to chat as much as you like. Stay as long as you want.”

Leaving behind such a warm invitation, Kyle generously bid them goodnight and headed upstairs. Meanwhile, Taeui grabbed another beer can, sat in the empty spot next to Ilay, and asked:

“How many days? Looks like your friends plan to stay for a while, huh?”

“Yeah, not sure how long this time.”

“…….? What?”

Jeong Taeui asked curiously, feeling puzzled, but Ilay snatched the beer can from his hand again and drank it all instead of answering. Taeui had no choice but to get up and fetch another one.

‘Whatever, it doesn’t matter. It’s not my business anyway.’

About a month ago, while the two were leisurely enjoying a vacation in southern France after completing a job, Ilay suddenly said he had to return to Berlin. This puzzled Taeui because Ilay rarely liked going back to the Riegrow family’s main house in Berlin, yet this time he insisted on going.

“There are a few people to meet this winter. Whether I meet them or not doesn’t really matter, but it’s my turn to host the gathering this year. Using Kyle’s place is convenient in every way.”

And with that, Ilay said no more and dragged Taeui along to Berlin.

“……..”

So it was because of this.

Taeui placed about 10 beer cans he had brought back onto the table, then opened one, and thought to himself.

Although rumored to have abandoned all humanity, it seems these people still meet up once every few years. However, these reunions are so spontaneous that only those who want to come will show up, and those who don’t, simply won’t.

For this reunion after three years, a total of seven people appeared. This number wasn’t even 1/3 of the original members of the Private Task Force, but so be it, as this was normal for them. Each of them had an endless stream of work. If they didn’t take the initiative to stop, they wouldn’t have any free time all year.

‘Yes, after all, to earn a bad reputation, you need to have your own unique abilities.’

Taeui thought to himself, taking another sip of beer, while lamenting this harsh world, where so many people needed men like them.

In the spacious and warm living room, where the firewood crackled in the fireplace, there were 7 men sitting together. Alain, being the last to arrive, was now sipping a bowl of pumpkin soup handed to him by Rita, when Ilay suddenly spoke up: “Everyone who needed to come is here.”

Ivan, Mark, Ángel, Alexei, Alain, Christoph, and Ilay.

But upon closer look, there was nothing strange about it. Throughout the meal, they conversed in a completely normal and mundane manner. They didn’t seem at all like the men who had once been called ‘those from the lair of madmen’.

Taeui turned his head to look outside. Outside, snow was falling gently and silently. The sparse, small snowflakes scattered here and there, indicating that it wouldn’t be long before the snowfall stopped.

“Is it true that Miguel couldn’t make it?”

“Yeah. His current contract hasn’t ended yet. And Milan is on medical leave at the hospital.”

“Doris is busy with work?”

“Yeah. Since last month, she’s been working with the government military in Bolivia. By the way, Julien was just hired last week……. on the rebel side.”

Hearing that, the men exchanging news about their colleagues burst into laughter and raised their glasses with amused expressions, saying: “Those two will probably enjoy shooting at each other.”

“Have you heard about Joseph and Garcia’s deaths?”

“Yeah, and Torunka has been in a coma for half a year now.”

After those words, the atmosphere fell silent for a moment, but then they continued exchanging updates about their former teammates as if nothing had happened. “How’s Ismail?”, “What about Benjamin?” and other unfamiliar names were mentioned one after another.

And amidst those conversations, Taeui suddenly thought to himself:

‘Ah……. I see.’

To them, this was just everyday life. Death could come at any moment, and it wasn’t strange or extraordinary at all.

A sense of unfamiliarity that he had long forgotten suddenly returned. In that strangeness, Taeui’s gaze naturally stopped on Ilay. A man who, even if thrown into the fiercest inferno, didn’t seem like he would die, but on the other hand, it wouldn’t be surprising if he died at any moment.

“What’s wrong?”

Ilay glanced at Taeui and asked. Taeui simply shrugged lightly.

“Nothing, really.”

Ilay watched Taeui silently drinking his beer, his cold eyes narrowing slowly, then suddenly smirked with a tilted grin.

“Recently, I’ve been able to guess what you’re thinking.”

“What am I thinking?”

“Want to bet? If I’m wrong, I’ll do whatever you want.”

“…….And if you’re right?”

“Then you’ll do what I want.”

“…….Forget it.”

There was no way Ilay could know what he was thinking, but the strange terms of the bet made Taeui feel uncomfortable. He shook his head to refuse, and at that moment, Christoph, who had been watching them with a displeased look, suddenly spoke up.

“Why doesn’t this guy ever die or fall into a coma?——On that, I completely agree with you, Taei.”

“…….No, I wasn’t thinking that…….”

Taeui waved his hand and muttered, while Ilay chuckled softly and leaned back against the sofa.

“Wrong, Christoph. Taei wasn’t thinking about that.”

“Then what was he thinking?”

“Being buried together. In case I die first.”

“That’s not it!”

Taeui clenched his fists tightly and shouted. Ilay just laughed, snatched the beer can from Taeui’s hand, and took a long swig.

“Cut it out, there’s still a pile of beer over there. Stop being greedy with the neighbor’s beer…….”

But Taeui’s irritated scolding was abruptly cut off. Ilay suddenly grabbed his ear, pulled him close, and pressed his lips against Taeui’s. Beer spilled over their lips and slid down Taeui’s throat, making a soft gulping sound.

The living room, which had been noisy with conversation just moments ago, suddenly fell silent. *Gulp, gulp* The only sound left was the slow trickle of beer down his throat .

“—! You’re always…….”

‘Aisshhhh, damn it, this bastard…….’ – Taeui’s face turned red as he gritted his teeth, trying to swallow back the curse rising in his throat, preparing to shove Ilay away. But before he could act, the silence was broken by Christoph. He suddenly kicked the table aside and jumped up from his seat.

“――――.”

Muttering incomprehensible curses, Christoph kicked the sofa hard and stormed out of the living room. Meanwhile, Ilay casually pulled back from Taeui and continued drinking the rest of the beer in his hand.

“Clearly, he’s already got the ‘rice cake*’ in his hand, yet he’s still getting angry for no reason.”

(*제떡: Rice cake => A common Korean metaphor for something beneficial or desirable that one already has in their grasp, or something easy to obtain.)

Ilay muttered mockingly, then picked up a beer can from the table and tossed it to Taeui. “This is the last one. Let’s call it a night.” – This time, he didn’t snatch Taeui’s beer.

Even though his face was burning with embarrassment, Taeui quietly picked up the beer and drank it first, while Ilay sat beside him with a calm faint smile. Around them, an odd silence lingered. The gazes of the other men in the room were just as peculiar as the silence.

“I’ve been wondering for a while now……. Who exactly is that wearing Rick’s skin?”

“Who knows? This is the first time I’ve seen it too.”

The murmured whispers reached their ears clearly.

Even though similar incidents had happened a few times in the past, Taeui could never get used to it. He rubbed his furrowed brow in frustration. At that moment, Alain, who had been observing Taeui with his usual carefree smile, suddenly asked a question that left everyone speechless:

“Tay, so what’s Rick like in bed?”

“Cough, cough, cough…….!”

Taeui immediately choked on his beer, and coughed so hard that half of it spilled out. The curious gazes of everyone in the room turned toward him, as if they had just heard the most interesting thing of the evening. Just then, Christoph returned to the room with a bottle of hard liquor in hand. Hearing Alain’s question, his expression instantly hardened. Christoph twisted the bottle cap off roughly, while Alain continued speaking with an innocent grin.

“Listen, listen, I’ve seen Rick ‘catch someone’ countless times. You know, this guy seriously has ‘something else’, capable of making people feel like they’ve been through life and death. Every single time, the other party ends up crying, begging, and pleading for him to go easy on them—some even get so desperate they’re about to pass out. But this guy? He doesn’t even bat an eye. He just keeps going until he’s had enough. And when it’s all over? He either tosses the limp, almost lifeless person back onto the bed or kicks them straight out, leaving them lying there like they’ve truly died. In all the years I’ve known him, there’s never been a single exception—not one. That’s why I thought Rick’s ways were something he’d take with him to the grave. But now, looking at this situation……. it doesn’t seem quite the same, does it? I still can’t wrap my head around it, though. So? Tell me. Was he like that with you?”

“……. Uh……. I guess…….”

Taeui stammered, unable to form a complete sentence, as he wiped his mouth and tried to calm the burning sensation in his throat from choking on his beer. But Alain immediately turned to look straight at Ilay.

“Rick, do a demo for us.”

“COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!”

This time, Taeui was coughing so hard he thought his lungs might explode. He clutched his chest, coughing violently,  while Ilay with an utterly indifferent look in his eyes, gave a curt reply:

“Not interested.”

“What? Why not?”

Huh…….? Taeui stared at Alain in utter disbelief.

‘“What? Why not?” What kind of reaction is that???’ – Ilay’s answer was perfectly normal and reasonable, but Alain’s follow-up question seemed to defy every boundary of common sense.

It seemed that the concept of ‘common sense’ Taeui held dear simply didn’t exist in Alain’s world.

“Someone who doesn’t care if there’s anyone around and just ‘fucks’ on the spot whenever the urge hits—why the sudden change? Oh, wait, you’re not in the mood right now, are you? No, I’m not saying you should do it right now. What I mean is, whenever you and Tay do it, make sure to let me watch at least once. Deal?”

“No.”

‘So it turns out the one who planted this skewed idea from the very beginning is this guy…………..’ – Taeui glared at Ilay with a blank expression, but fortunately, Ilay’s answer remained extremely concise. This time, it was Alain’s turn to widen his eyes and ask again: “What? Why?”

“My thing isn’t something I need to hide, but if you want to see Taei’s, it’ll cost you dearly. Even I don’t get to see it easily. You’d have to sweet-talk him really well to get even a tiny glimpse—”

“YAA!!!”

Finally, Taeui lost his temper and threw the half-finished beer can he was drinking straight at Ilay. Ilay casually caught the can, licked the drops that spilled onto his hand, and flashed a wicked grin. No one in the room failed to notice his brazen gaze sweeping over Taeui’s ‘sensitive area’.

“Not joking……. I’ve heard rumors, but seeing it firsthand is really something…….”  

“Looking at this situation, if Rick dies first, there’s a 100% chance he’ll be buried alongside him. And if that guy dies first, I bet he’d rise from the grave, kill him, and then drag him into the grave to lie beside him before finally resting in peace.”

“At least that’s fair. Rick officially entrusted him with that one task, after all. If Tay dies first, must erase Riegrow at all costs.”

They laughed and chatted away, completely ignoring Taeui’s presence. It made Taeui suddenly want to scream and ask what they meant by ‘fair’, when his opinion wasn’t considered at all. But even if he said something, it wouldn’t matter—it was all too clear. Instead of wasting his breath, he just rubbed his throbbing temples and, while at it, voiced a frustrated question he’d always wanted to ask:

“That entrusted task, can’t it be revoked?”

“Huh? Oh, since the conditions for carrying it out haven’t been met yet, you can totally revoke it before you die. You just need to personally request it.”

After hearing Alain’s answer, Taeui turned to stare intently at Ilay. Ilay silently stared back at him.

“Why don’t you revoke it? Placing such an entrusted task—how could you die peacefully first with that in place…….. What, why are you looking at me like that?”

“Sometimes you’re so sharp and clever it annoys people, but other times you’re so clueless it’s unbelievable.”

Ilay muttered as if talking to himself, stroking his chin in thought. Taeui hadn’t even had time to get angry before he continued.

“Why do you think I made that entrusted task? Do you really think I set it up so I could die peacefully first?”

“――.”

Taeui was speechless, unable to respond. Perhaps because his head was buzzing, he didn’t know how to reply.

“Taei, I have no intention of revoking this entrusted task, so don’t waste your breath. Moreover, I even doubt whether this group could actually fulfill that task if the situation really arose.”

Ilay frowned slightly as he glanced around at the men in the room. Their expressions changed instantly, like boys excited about a dangerous game. The determination and excitement in their eyes revealed a glimpse of their true nature.

Alain’s deep smile grew even more pronounced.

“Oh, don’t worry. Even if we have to gather the entire team to form a group, we’ll make sure to send you six feet under. Just within this Private Task Force, the number of people cheering when they heard about that entrusted task is more than you can count on ten fingers.”

‘Ugh, what a touching display of camaraderie…….’

Taeui looked at Alain with a weary expression and asked:

“That many?”

“Yeah, just in this room alone, there are six people.”

“Six people……. Excluding me and Ilay, that means all of them.”

Alain smiled in amusement, and the others calmly nodded as if it were the most natural thing. After glancing around the room, Taeui suddenly felt utterly drained. He slumped onto the sofa as if melting into it. What a baffling group of people. Taeui shook his head in exasperation. At that moment, Ilay reached out to ruffle his hair, making it messy. It was as if he was laughing. Being part of this group, Ilay was just as incomprehensible. Surrounded by people always ready to ‘deal with’ him, Ilay seemed to be having the time of his life.

As Taeui sighed under Ilay’s playful hand messing with him, the grandfather clock chimed twelve times, signaling midnight. Christoph, who had been sitting silently on the chair with a heavy expression, suddenly stood up.

“I’m heading back.”

“What? Why are you leaving so early?”  

“My house is nearby, there’s no reason to stay.”

As Christoph irritably threw on his coat, Ilay with a faint smile slowly said:

“That’s right, it’s the weekend today, so Richard will probably come, right? Anyway, have a pleasant evening, Christoph.”

“……. Why did you suddenly mention his name?”

“Why not? Richard coming today is a given. Did I say something wrong?”

“——. I’m leaving.”

Christoph’s face shifted through several expressions in just a few seconds. He harshly put on his coat with a cold expression, while the others remained indifferent, each silently thinking: ‘Ah, so Richard is coming today.’ But they were wise enough not to say anything out loud.

Then, just as Christoph reached for his scarf, Ivan suddenly spoke up.

“So, you’re not joining the bet this time?”

The moment those words were spoken, all eyes in the room immediately turned to Christoph.

The previously relaxed atmosphere suddenly grew tense, as if an intriguing form of entertainment had just been introduced. Even Taeui could clearly sense the excitement in the air.

“……. Bet on what?”

It seemed Christoph was no exception. His hand, which had been reaching for the scarf, froze mid-air before he withdrew it and sat down on the edge of the sofa, as though deciding to stay a little longer. The other men’s eyes lit up with interest, and they exchanged glances filled with anticipation.

“That’s right, we need to discuss that. What should we bet on this time?”

After someone’s voice broke the silence, a brief pause enveloped the room. The glances exchanged were filled with both tension and excitement. No one spoke first, as if savoring the thrilling silence of the moment,