“What the hell is going on?”

A deep and gentle voice rang out, cold as ice water being poured down.

In an instant, everything seemed to freeze.

Jeong Taeui – who had just intended to grab Aquino’s hand; Aquino – who was about to twist Jeong Taeui’s arm; and Alain – who was reaching out towards Aquino…… All stopped.

The only one still moving was Ilay, standing behind, his hand tightly gripping Aquino’s neck.

Ilay’s intense eyes gazed at Jeong Taeui. He slowly observed Jeong Taeui’s face, drenched in cold sweat, the twisted arm being held by Aquino, and the blood-soaked leg. Ilay briefly shifted his eyes to the back of Aquino’s neck, the man currently subdued by him. Then he looked at Alain, standing beside them, and the moment Alain met that gaze, the smile on Alain’s face subtly warped.

“What is going on?”

Ilay spoke. His voice was cold and neutral, devoid of any emotion. Aquino slightly turned his head and stammered, though his neck was tightly gripped:

“This guy…… this guy deceived us.”

“Deceived?”

“He…… isn’t Shima Qinwei.”

Aquino said in a boiling tone, and Ilay stayed silent for a moment. Then he responded calmly:

“Is that so? Quite a big deal.”

The moment those words were spoken, the pale hand gripping Aquino’s neck moved slightly. The joints of the fingers slowly tightened, and just as a faint sound emanated from Aquino’s strangled throat,  

“THE CODE,”

Jeong Taeui shouted, his voice forced out from his throat. The moment those words burst forth with his labored, frantic breathing, Ilay’s hand suddenly stopped. Ilay raised an eyebrow and looked at Jeong Taeui.

At the same time, the midnight chime echoed from the living room.

A bell rang out amidst the silence and then gradually faded away.  

Jeong Taeui panted and looked at Ilay. After a long while, Taeui looked at Aquino and Alain in turn, then opened his mouth:

“The code…… is in my room. I’m…… keeping it.”

Aquino’s eyes changed. The eyes that were just frozen now flared up like a fire, brightening up.

“Really?! Hand it over! Right now!”

“Okay, I’ll give it. But only to one person.”

When Jeong Taeui added a condition, the atmosphere became tense again. He blinked, feeling the burning sensation as sweat dripped into his eyes, then continued:

“Just one person follows me. I’ll hand over the code. Being surrounded and threatened by so many people makes me feel uncomfortable.”

Aquino opened his mouth to say something, but Jeong Taeui didn’t care, raising his hand to point directly at him.

“Not you. I won’t give it to you. And you too.”

Jeong Taeui shook his head and pointed at Alain after Aquino, finally pointing at Ilay. Their eyes met. Jeong Taeui pointed at Ilay, who was silently watching him, and then gave a faint smile.

“You’re the most trustworthy.”

After hearing that, Aquino grimaced, and Alain frowned slightly—muttering to himself as if saying: ‘Trust, really? Trusting someone with an axe……’

Ilay also smirked slightly. His gaze at Jeong Taeui seemed to be reading everything, then glanced at Aquino. He looked down at the hand holding Aquino’s neck, as if considering what to do with it.

“Therefore, you’ll have to help me back to the room.”

Jeong Taeui reached out his hand toward Ilay. When Ilay only looked down without taking his hand, Jeong Taeui urged: “Hurry up.” After a moment of silence, Ilay slowly released his hand from Aquino’s neck. He stretched his fingers, seeming very reluctant, then clenched them a few times before using that hand to support Jeong Taeui.  Aquino stepped back a few paces, his face pale, continuously rubbing his neck.

Ilay slung Jeong Taeui’s arm over his shoulder and was about to walk away when he suddenly glanced at Alain. Those cold and deep-set eyes, just like ice, locked onto the man, and then he spoke:

“I am certain I told you to keep an eye on everything. And this time, watch very carefully.”

‘To ensure that he doesn’t escape.’

The rest of the sentence was left unsaid, but Alain definitely heard it. He nodded slightly, a slightly wry smile: “Don’t worry.” – As Alain replied, Ilay turned around, and Jeong Taeui finally managed to leave that place with his assistance.

Even though the distance from the kitchen to the bedroom was only about twenty steps, even with help, Jeong Taeui was drenched in sweat after walking the whole way.

‘I’d rather pass out.’ – That thought crossed Jeong Taeui’s mind, but it seemed that a single bullet hole through the thigh was just enough to hurt like death but not enough to make one faint.

While he was thinking that, Jeong Taeui finally managed to sit on the bed in his room. When they were left alone, he immediately asked: “Where’s the code? Where’s hyung?”

Ilay frowned slightly and glanced at Jeong Taeui.

“That’s the first thing you say?”

His tone was so cold it sent shivers down Jeong Taeui’s spine. He instinctively shut his mouth, and Ilay immediately grabbed Jeong Taeui’s twisted arm. As Jeong Taeui flinched and recoiled, Ilay clicked his tongue softly, then gently ran his fingers along the length of the arm. He touched the part bent at an abnormal angle and clicked his tongue again.

“It’s broken.”

Ilay glanced around the room and picked up a chair from the desk. He struck the chair hard against the wall, and after one loud crack, a chair leg broke off and rolled onto the floor. Ilay used the broken leg as a splint to stabilize Jeong Taeui’s arm and tore the bedsheet into long strips to wrap around it.

While his misaligned arm was being straightened and fixed in place, Jeong Taeui said nothing. He sat silently, pressing his lips tightly together. Ilay glanced at him and said coldly: “At least say it hurts.” But Jeong Taeui, though his face was drenched in cold sweat, still did not open his mouth.

If he opened his mouth, he might groan. He didn’t want Ilay to hear that sound. Especially when Ilay’s face was already so dark and grim it couldn’t possibly grow colder.

After the arm was stabilized and the pain from constant movement finally subsided, Jeong Taeui exhaled heavily and murmured softly: “It hurts.” But unfortunately, the reply he received was: “There’s still the leg left.”

As he carefully pulled the blood-soaked pants away from the skin, the bullet wound was fully revealed. Ilay, kneeling on the floor in front of Jeong Taeui who was seated on the bed, observed the still-bleeding wound intently with a serious expression.

Jeong Taeui thought the sensation had faded, but when touched around the area, a sharp pain suddenly surged through him. He blinked, sweat constantly dripping into his eyes, and tried to look at Ilay.

His face was ominously grim.

Suddenly, Jeong Taeui felt a sense of unfamiliarity.

That face resembled anger but wasn’t entirely the same. It seemed akin to worry, or perhaps sympathy, but Jeong Taeui had never seen him like this before and couldn’t be certain. However, it was definitely somewhat different.

“Ilay.”

When Jeong Taeui called his name, Ilay raised his head briefly to look at him, then lowered his eyes back to the wound.

All of a sudden, for some reason he couldn’t explain, Jeong Taeui thought that perhaps Ilay was nervous.

A man who seemed never to know stress, who surely had nothing to do with anxiety, restlessness, or panic, yet why did his fingertips, cautiously examining the wound, appear as though they were trembling? As Jeong Taeui looked closer, those pale fingers – now stained crimson with blood – were still calmly and delicately inspecting the area around the wound.

“……”

A man who, when his own stomach was punctured, calmly reached inside to remove the bullet. A man who, when his abdominal skin was torn, exposing his intestines, pressed it with one hand and walked around as if nothing had happened.

“The bullet is lodged quite deep. It’s better to go to the hospital to have it removed.”

Ilay muttered quietly, temporarily pressing the still-bleeding wound with a sheet from the bed. After tying a knot and checking it once more, Jeong Taeui stared at Ilay with an inexplicable sense of unease.

Only after completing the rough first-aid, Ilay finally raised his head. Their eyes met. Ilay lifted a hand to wipe the sweat from Jeong Taeui’s forehead, who was blinking continuously due to the sweat dripping into his eyes, and clicked his tongue softly. Then, suddenly, he noticed the blood on his fingertips, mixed with sweat, and fell silent.

Ilay’s face suddenly turned emotionless.

It was such a cruel and terrifying expression that even Jeong Taeui, who was too familiar with him, felt his heart pounding heavily. Immediately, Ilay stood up.

“I will take you to the hospital right away. Just wait for 10 minutes.”

“……Why 10 minutes?”

When Jeong Taeui asked, Ilay was still checking his arm and calmly replied:

“I have to deal with that guy first.”

That guy……

Taeui thought about Aquino, who was probably waiting for the code in the dining room at the moment. Enduring pain consumes a lot of energy, so even though his body was about to collapse, Taeui still tried to keep himself alert. He smiled weakly and murmured:

“Ten whole minutes?”

“I don’t plan to kill him right away. Ten minutes is still too short.”

Ilay clicked his tongue, stood up straight, and adjusted his posture, and this time it seemed he really intended to leave. But before he could turn around, Taeui called again: “Ilay.”

“The code.”

Ilay raised his eyebrows slightly at Taeui’s words, staring at him silently for a moment before quietly reaching into his pocket and taking out something to toss towards Taeui. A small memory card, smaller than a finger, landed gently on his knee.

It had been decoded.

Jaeui-hyung had managed to decode and send it back just in time.

Taeui silently clenched the memory card in his hand, then looked up at Ilay. He slowly spoke, every word clear:

“Then do it. Until the end. Do it properly.”

Taeui struggled to stand up. Although he could only support himself on one leg, cold sweat breaking out, at least he was still able to stand. It seemed like he could still move.

“I will deliver this to Aquino. When Aquino finishes his request, then you should also handle the task you were assigned.”

“Now, let’s head back.” – Taeui reached out his hand, seeking support, signaling that it was time to return. But Ilay remained standing there, silently staring at him with an incredulous expression. And then,

“The mission?”

Ilay let out a dry laugh, as if he had just heard a lousy joke.

“Are you still sane? Are you so hurt you’ve gone delirious? You look like a mess, and you’re still talking about the mission……?”

His voice grew increasingly heavy. The smile vanished from his face. But the emotion in his voice faded as well. He was angry. A dangerous, simmering anger.

“I’ve heard enough nonsense. Just sit there and wait.”

“Ilay!”

Taeui shouted. Even raising his voice sent a sharp pain coursing through his wound, but he clenched his teeth and endured it. Ilay turned to look at him with icy eyes. Taeui met that frosty gaze head-on and forced out each word:

“You, once said if I die, then you’ll die too.” 

“――.”

Ilay slightly raised an eyebrow.

“Whether I live or die has nothing to do with you!”

Ilay waited patiently, though silently, for Taeui’s scattered words to come out. But Taeui only glared at him in anger before yelling:

“You bastard, why do you always think only about yourself? Why are you always so selfish?”

The more he spoke, the angrier he became. Taeui’s eyes flared as he continued unleashing his furious tirade:

“After coming this far, are you planning to ruin everything? Just because you let your emotions take control? Are you going to throw everything away just to vent your anger? Once you’ve let it out, you’re fine, but I’m supposed to bottle it all up, right? Is that it? Then why did you bother asking my brother to do such a troublesome thing in the first place?”

Taeui let out a torrent of words like a waterfall, his eyes fixed on Ilay, who still stood there silently with high eyebrows raised.

“Even if I lose an arm or have a hole in my leg, I’ll still live. I can go to the hospital by myself without dying—I don’t need you to worry about that. Just focus on getting your job done. There’s only one final step left. You idiot!”

Taeui finished his outburst, his rage exploding as his breath came in bursts, his eyes full of fury locked onto Ilay.

Ilay stood motionless, blood already seeping through the bandages wrapped around Taeui’s thigh and spreading on the fabric of the chair. He faced Taeui with an expression so cold it was chilling.

No one knew how long the silence lasted. Only Taeui’s heavy breathing echoed in the space. Then, suddenly, Ilay tilted his head and looked up at the ceiling. “Ha,” – He let out a small laugh, a weary scoff, as if he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. That laugh was mixed with the low, grating sound of clenched teeth, deep and dangerous.

“I’m going insane…… I already lost my mind having to watch my beloved get injured, bleeding all over right in front of me. And yet, this brat is driving me even crazier…….”

“Be-Beloved……?”

Taeui froze, completely at a loss for words.

‘What kind of nonsense is this bastard spouting? Am I hearing things because I’m so badly hurt?’ – Lost in thought for a moment, Ta-ui narrowed his eyes and glared at him even more fiercely.

“So, what are you going to do?”

Ilay tilted his head as he eyed Taeui with one eye half-closed. His emotionless face was eerie. He walked step by step toward Taeui, like a predator approaching its prey.

Then he stopped in front of Taeui and slowly reached out his hand. A hand that looked like the claw of a wild beast suddenly grabbed Taeui’s cheek. And it yanked sharply to the side. Taeui’s face was pulled and stretched in one motion.

“OW OW…… OW OW. IT HURTS! IT HURTS! YOU BASTARD!”

Even after screaming a few times that it hurt, Ilay showed no sign of letting go. In the end, unable to take it anymore, Taeui yelled at the top of his lungs. Only then did Ilay, with a cold and ruthless expression, intensify his grip for a moment before finally releasing his hand.

“Doesn’t it hurt to have a hole in your leg? Doesn’t a broken arm hurt either?”

Ilay growled in a hoarse voice, grinding his teeth as he harshly let go. Taeui clutched his reddened cheek, rubbing it while glaring daggers. Ilay, meanwhile, scowled with a clear look of displeasure on his face before saying:

“Hurry up. Let’s just get this over with.”

When Taeui brought out the memory card, Aquino’s eyes widened as if struck by lightning, and he stared at it with a craving look. He gazed at the memory card with gleaming eyes, then turned his attention to Taeui. Both delighted and suspicious, he glanced at Taeui, then turned to ask Ilay:

“Checked it already?”

Ilay looked at Aquino for a moment before nodding.

“We need to confirm the exact code to be sure, but it’s probably 90% correct.”

The moment Ilay finished speaking, Aquino hastily snatched the memory card. He clutched it tightly in his hand as if afraid someone might snatch it away, then looked at Taeui, Ilay, and Alain with suspicion, as though he no longer trusted anyone. After that, he glanced at his watch, appearing quite jittery, and hurriedly grabbed his coat.

“Alright. I’ll deliver this to the client. Once confirmed, I’ll return with the completion notice; you all stay here.”

As Aquino hurriedly donned his coat and headed for the door, he suddenly stopped, pointed his chin towards Taeui, and added:

“Don’t let that guy go. Wait for me to come back and deal with him.”

After throwing a menacing glare at Taeui, Aquino turned around and stepped out. A moment later, the sound of a car revving echoed, and then silence enveloped the room.  

“Within an hour’s drive, the only place equipped to transmit this data is the Rixen Security Center.”  

Ilay murmured as he glanced at the clock. Alain nodded.  

“That’s right. From here to there it takes about 40 minutes. If he floors it, it’ll probably take only 30 minutes.”  

“Thirty minutes, huh…… That gives us a comfortable 2 hours to wrap things up.”  

Ilay nonchalantly opened the bag placed in the corner of the living room. He pulled out a pair of brand-new gloves, carefully put them on, and mumbled: “It’ll just be a quick trip.” Alain looked at him with an expression that said: ‘I’ll never go near that guy.’ Taeui also stared at Ilay with wide-eyed disbelief, especially as Ilay meticulously grabbed another pair of new gloves and slipped them into his bag.  

Finally, Ilay grabbed the car keys, seemingly all set to go, and turned to Alain.  

“Alain, take Taei to the hospital. I’ll get in touch once I’m done.”  

“OK!”  

Alain cheerfully nodded and grabbed his coat. As he approached to help Taeui, Ilay, who was heading for the door, suddenly remembered something and said: “Oh, by the way, Alain.”  

“It’s best not to think about ditching Taei at the hospital and running off. If you’re injured at the hospital, you can be treated immediately. Isn’t that better for you?”

“……”

At that moment, Taeui was looking straight at Alain, who was reaching out to support him. This was the first time in Taeui’s life that he saw a smile on someone’s face that clearly read: ‘Damn it, I’m screwed!’, and it was on Alain’s face.

As expected, he always thought that guy was grinning foolishly, but it turned out that hidden behind that smile were all sorts of emotions…… Taeui felt like he had just uncovered a secret about Alain, so he nodded unconsciously.

By now, Taeui’s physical strength was near its limit. He had been holding on until now, thinking to himself: ‘As long as he leaves, I can safely pass out’ while watching Ilay’s back as he walked toward the door.

At that moment, just as Ilay was stepping outside, he suddenly turned back to look. His eyes met Taeui’s. Still wearing that cold and emotionless face, Taeui looked at him for a moment before weakly smiling. He raised his hand to say goodbye. However, Ilay frowned.

“Don’t smile. Right now, you’re the person annoying me the most.”

He said coldly, his displeasure evident.

“A brat like you really drives me crazy, and there’s nothing I can do about it……”

Ilay clicked his tongue in irritation, then turned and walked out. After the door closed, only silence remained.

In the stillness, only the sound of a car growing distant could be heard, followed by Alain’s murmuring voice: “Haizz, life really is full of all kinds of people……”

Taeui felt his face heat up, thinking to himself: ‘At this moment, being injured is actually a blessing’,  and pretended to faint. But within just a few seconds, Alain patted his shoulder, and Taeui had to ‘come back to life’.

“Come on now, let’s get to the hospital quickly. I’ll drop you there, and then I have to scram.”

“? Why do you have to scram?”

“Ah——on the first day I brought you here, he told me something.”

When Alain grinned, Taeui slowly recalled that moment. Ilay had told Alain, who had taken the liberty of bringing Jeong Taeui here, that if even a single hair on Jeong Taeui were harmed, Alain wouldn’t live peacefully.

“……”

Part of him felt a bit guilty because he was injured, another part thought Alain was truly unlucky since this wasn’t even his fault, and the rest just thought: ‘If you knew this would happen, you shouldn’t have dragged me here in the first place.’

“Didn’t Ilay just tell you to stay at the hospital and wait……?”

Taeui silently thought: ‘It’s better to take a beating now than to run and be tortured even more later if caught’, but Alain was the complete opposite type of person.

“Better to run away now, get caught, and die later than obediently wait here to be beaten half to death.”

Alain concluded firmly, grinning, and even nonchalantly added: “Besides, my job here is done, so there’s no reason for me to stick around anymore.”

Alain walked around the house, gathering his belongings. He spoke of packing, but it was really just a single small travel bag. Finally, he grabbed his car keys and held out a hand toward Taeui. Taeui silently prayed Alain’s decision would be wise, then grabbed his hand, bracing himself to stand up.

As they stepped out of the door, Taeui suddenly turned back to look.

It had only been three days, but in such a short time, it somehow felt like he had been there for a very long time.

“You’ve worked hard, Tay.”

Alain patiently waited for Taeui to take one last look at the house, then spoke gently.

“You’ve worked hard, Tay.”

That was his name. The name of that man who had vanished, gone forever.

Only at this moment did Tae-ui truly feel that everything had come to an end. He slowly nodded, then let out a deep sigh.