What Jeong Taeui had heard about Alexei Krylov was simply that he was one of the notorious members of the ‘rich kids’ club in the T&R Private Task Force. Although somewhat gullible and a bit impulsive, among the team members, his level of danger was considered average or even lower.

When Alexei came to Taeui late at night and said: “Come out with me for a bit”, while simultaneously pointing outside, Taeui honestly felt very annoyed and was also hungry.

“Where are we going at this hour…… Fine, it’s your turn today anyway, so we need to talk. But can we eat something first?”

“I’ll treat you, so just come out.”

Leaving only that statement without waiting for a response, Alexei turned and walked out. Taeui stared at his retreating figure in astonishment, then reluctantly got up and trudged after him. Thinking he would just grab a quick dinner and return, Taeui informed Rita in advance that he would eat dinner before coming back. Yet Alexei, without saying a word, drove Taeui straight to a shopping mall instead of a restaurant.

By this time, it was already late evening, and the shopping mall, adorned with sparkling Christmas decorations, had long since closed.

“Why are we here……?”

“Just wanted to buy a few things. Last week, I was rolling around in a dusty battlefield, so I didn’t get a chance to shop.”

“But it’s closed?”

“I called ahead.”

Jeong Taeui looked at Alexei with a face that seemed to ask: ‘Called who……?’ but Alexei returned his gaze as if to say: ‘What a silly question!’ The miraculous thing was that the parking lot Alexei had just turned into was still open, and the elevator was still operational, taking them from the parking lot into the shopping mall. Even more surprising was that inside the mall, the lights were as bright as daytime, and staff were still stationed at the stores. In this massive shopping mall, the only customers were the two of them.

‘Is this what people usually refer to as……’

While Taeui wandered around in a daze following Alexei, a porter dressed impeccably in a suit appeared beside them at some point, holding armfuls of items that Alexei casually picked out without a care in the world. When the number of porters increased to five, Alexei finally finished his ‘buying a few things’ spree. Only then did he turn to Taeui, with a look of confusion in his eyes, and ask: “Why didn’t you buy anything?”

“I don’t need anything.”

“Do you have to need something to buy it? Just buy it if you like it. Isn’t there anything that catches your eye? Pick something. It’d be odd to meet like this and not give you anything. Consider it a small gift from me as a keepsake.”

‘What kind of prince from which country spends money like this……’

Taeui looked at Alexei with wide, shocked eyes and asked,

“Don’t tell me you’re planning to use material tactics?”  

“Material tactics?”  

Alexei furrowed his brows as if he had just heard some strange term he’d never encountered before.  

“Why would I do something so pointless with you? Do I look like I’ve been shot in the head? If you don’t want it, then forget it. Anyway, I’m hungry. Let’s go eat first.”  

Hearing this made him feel a bit guilty, as if he had ignored a kind gesture. But on the other hand, he thought it was rather blunt and cold to call it ‘pointless’ – though, in any case, it was better than being overwhelmed with material things. While he was lost in thought, Jeong Taeui was pulled along by Alexei and taken somewhere else.  

By the time he came to his senses, they were already seated in the restaurant of a nearby hotel. And here, too, the prince of some unknown country, who spent money like water, astonished Taeui again by saying, without even glancing at the menu, “Bring out everything on the menu.”  

“How much are you planning to eat…… Fine, eat as much as you want, but can I at least take a look at the menu?”  

“Do you know the market capitalization of T&R?”  

Alexei’s sudden question completely ignored Taeui’s words. Taeui paused his attempt to call the staff to check the menu. ……This was a question he felt like he had heard somewhere before.  

“20 billion USD.”  

Taeui recalled the answer he had once heard from the second son of that family and replied. But Alexei shook his head firmly.  

“You’re talking about data from when? That was nearly 10 years ago.”  

“……Ah, then I don’t know.”  

“That is a company that grows at a pace equal to the growth rate of emerging nations every year. Since Kyle took over, the company has developed remarkably without pause. In fact, its actual assets exceed its official market capitalization, and the amount of cash reserves it holds is overwhelmingly high.”

“Oh, really……”

“And one of the major shareholders of that company is Rick.”

“Is that so?”

“If you combine all of his personal assets, it might be enough to slap most of the infamous tycoons* with money and still have plenty left over.”

(*This part uses 재벌, also known as Chaebol. I’m not sure whether to translate it as conglomerate, tycoon, etc., but it’s often used to refer to large family-owned corporations with significant influence over a nation’s economy. In South Korea, examples would be Samsung, Hyundai, LG. Outside of Korea, it would be figures like Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos 😗 Something like that.)

“I see, I didn’t know that, I only knew about the diamond spoon.” – Taeui nodded calmly, and Alexei looked at him with disbelief.

“Ah, right, your brother met Raumaan Abid Al Saud, didn’t he? Of course, Rick’s wealth might seem modest compared to oil money, but T&R has established foundations in countless strategic positions and fields, so no matter how much money one has, it’s not easy to touch them.”

“To the extent that the whole world knows he bombed and blew up Al Saud’s mansion and took over Kyle’s house, yet even knowing that, no one has any way to drag him out of there, and they don’t even dare to lift a finger against him. Isn’t that right?” – Alexei muttered under his breath, and Taeui simply nodded in agreement: “Yeah, that’s right.”

But listening to Alexei suddenly bring up Ilay’s dark past like that left Taeui utterly confused, so he just stared blankly at the man. Witnessing Taeui’s bland reaction, Alexei felt so exasperated that he didn’t even want to continue talking. Then he clicked his tongue in regret.

“It seems you don’t quite understand, but think carefully. Having as much money as he does means you can do whatever you want. You’ve really hit the jackpot.”

Only at this point did Taeui finally grasp the bizarre flow of this conversation. As expected, this was the crux of the matter for him……

But from a humanitarian perspective, isn’t this too much……? Even if he has so much money that he couldn’t spend it all even if he threw it away, to say something like: ‘Damn it, that’s why I can’t help but love this punk!’ about someone so inhumane and unreasonable, not even trillions of won could make up for it.

Suddenly becoming a poor girl who caught the second-generation rich tycoon (Chaebol), Taeui felt disinterested. Now, his eyes were only focused on the appetizer plate that the waiter had just brought out, along with a few pieces of unidentified meat placed on greens.

That indifferent reaction once again made Alexei feel annoyed. He looked up at the ceiling and muttered: “No wonder people say you have to eat meat to know how good it is. You have to experience it to understand how great it is……” Then he calmly explained in detail to Taeui.

“There’s no place in this world you can’t go, nothing you can’t have, and nothing you can’t do.”

“I understand what you’re trying to say, but……”

Taeui said while his eyes stared hungrily at the plates of food the waiter was bringing out one after another.

“But I really don’t feel that way, nor do I remember receiving anything specific. On the contrary, from the outside, it looks like I’m the one supporting him.”

Well, it’s true that occasionally, when it came to spending large sums of money, Ilay never made things difficult for Taeui and never asked for money from him. Taeui guessed that the amount Ilay spent was even more than what he himself spent. But in the small, everyday matters like eating out somewhere, refueling the car, or minor living expenses, Taeui was usually the one paying.

Previously, when Taeui had a momentary lapse of judgment and said something silly like: ‘I’ll take care of you!’, he had no choice but to take care of that diamond spoon. But honestly, he didn’t feel too unfairly treated or burdened. For some reason, T&R had been depositing money into his account every month as a salary, and that amount was enough to cover the living expenses for both of them.

“……”

Well, no…… actually, thinking about it carefully, it did prick his conscience a bit. Saying that he was the one supporting Ilay wasn’t entirely accurate, because the person depositing money into his bank account was Ilay’s older brother, and the large expenses were all handled by Ilay.

But still, when it came to daily expenses, Taeui was the one paying, so it wasn’t entirely a lie…… Taeui justified himself, but suddenly felt a piercing gaze on his face, prompting him to look up. Alexei was frowning at him with an incredulous expression.

“What nonsense are you talking about? Everyone knows you’ve received a lot from Rick.”

“What? What have I received?”

Taeui shouted indignantly. Of course, if we’re talking about times he was helped, there were many – like when he was imprisoned in Raumaan’s mansion or during Tarten’s succession incident – but Alexei’s tone made it sound as if he had deliberately extorted millions of Won from a naïve rich kid.

But before Taeui could express his grievances,  

“First of all, let’s talk about the very first thing I remember. Even if it’s something cheap, didn’t you just receive a Bentley Continental* when you arrived in Berlin not long ago?”

“What? Bentley? Ah, the one Ilay gave me to use this winter in Berlin? That’s a rental car under contract.” 

“What? Rental? Who said it’s a rental?”

“Well, Ilay――.”  

‘……No, that’s not it. I don’t think I’ve ever heard that.’  

Taeui was completely dumbfounded, blinking without being able to continue his sentence. Finally, after a few seconds passed, he stammered in response.  

“No, but I only intended to use it this winter……”  

“Who rents something worth several hundred thousand dollars? Moreover, I heard that last year you even received a private jet for yourself.”

“That’s not true! I’ve never……” 

“Last year, when you and Rick were in the Bahamas*, Rick was busy with work, so you went to Cancún* first. Didn’t you go by private jet?”  

“It’s true that I went from the Bahamas to Cancún, but there was absolutely no private jet! I just took the flight that Ilay arranged for……”  

“Wasn’t it an Embraer Legacy*? That one is probably under your name, isn’t it?”  

Before Taeui could question how this Alexei guy even knew the type of private jet, the next statement made Taeui even more concerned.  

“How could that possibly be under my name……:”  

“It definitely is. At that time, my associate was working with Rick in the Bahamas, so all the related paperwork was handled by him, and he said Rick bought a private jet for his lover. If Rick didn’t have any other lover that he flew from the Bahamas to Cancún on the Legacy at that time, then it must have been you.”  

“No, what I mean is, it’s true that I went to Cancún, but I never received anything like that……”  

“……It seems like you don’t even know it’s yours?” 

Alexei looked at Jeong Taeui with wide eyes filled with shock, his tone as if he couldn’t believe it. But it was Jeong Taeui who was left speechless, stunned into silence. What was even more frightening was that, for some reason, he thought what Alexei had just said might not be entirely baseless.

“I also heard that Rick bought a villa in Malta* for you.”

“That’s not true!”

“I heard you go there every winter. You said you liked the place, so Rick immediately bought it for you?”

“It’s true that I go there every winter because the weather is pleasant and quiet, but I only stay at a resort!”

“It’s probably a villa connected to the resort. That would be more convenient in many ways.”

“――Why do you keep insisting that it’s mine?”

“You’re the one insisting. Because the villa right next to it is mine.”

“I received a report about the person who occupied the house next door at that time.” – Alexei said, and then, while munching on the various dishes piled high on the table, he looked at Taeui with his sharp gaze.

“I heard that next spring you’ll be going on a yacht trip around the Mediterranean.”

“……Are you talking about how I just told Ilay last night that I’m so exhausted from putting up with you people that I want to rest and look at the sea in the spring……? I didn’t expect I’d end up on a Mediterranean yacht trip……”

“Earlier, Rick was asking about yacht dealers. I heard he’s planning to buy an 80ft luxury yacht. It seems he’ll register the owner under your name.”

“What nonsense are you talking about? Yacht maintenance costs are extremely expensive!”

“It’s probably cheaper than the maintenance costs for your private jet. How much are you currently paying for the maintenance of the Legacy?”

Taeui was completely at a loss for words. As he stared at Alexei with a bewildered expression, Alexei clicked his tongue in pity.

“Why don’t you know the state of your own assets?”

“…… No, I don’t recall ever paying any exorbitant management fees or taxes like that……”

Only when he uttered those words did Jeong Taeui realize that over the years, all his taxes and related management had been handled by James. Even though there were many things he wanted to say, under Alexei’s scrutinizing gaze, as if declaring he wouldn’t say anything further, Jeong Taeui was completely at a loss for words.

Amid this suffocating silence, the table was continuously filled with plates. For some reason, feeling a sudden indigestion, Taeui quietly cleared those plates.

“Do you feel it now? How lucky you are?”

As the plates gradually emptied, Alexei suddenly asked. Taeui responded while rubbing his uncomfortable bloated stomach, the replied:

“Not so much lucky, more like being caught off guard……”

“But didn’t Rick say anything while doing all that? After all, he’s not the type to brag.”

Perhaps faintly hearing Alexei click his tongue, as if to say: ‘Even so, that’s really over the top!’ Jeong Taeui began to grasp the situation. He placed the fork down on the table and let out a sigh.

Now he understood. Sometimes, while watching interviews with celebrities, he would mutter to himself and ask: “What does a private jet look like?”; or when in Malta, where he had casually remarked: “Living here must be amazing”, why Rick had looked at him with that peculiar smile.

Turns out, he had been secretly scheming behind the scenes, then watching the unsuspecting victim fall into the trap and quietly chuckling mischievously to himself.

‘This diamond spoon is just……’

Taeui rubbed the wrinkles between his brows and swallowed a groan. Seeing Taeui like that, Alexei gently spoke.

“Doesn’t he suddenly seem adorable?”

“Well……”

“Not many people would go to such lengths. Perhaps if you wanted, he would give you everything. At this point, it’s hard not to love him, isn’t it?”

“Is that your standard for love?”

“Do you think someone would open their wallet without love?”

Alexei sniffed as if hearing something naive and ridiculous. “Alright, let’s just say so.” – Taeui was mumbling when the phone screen placed on the table lit up and made a sound. Truly, it’s impossible to act like a righteous gentleman* even for a minute.

(*Gentleman: refers to a decent, upright person)

Seeing the dessert plates being brought out like mountains again after just clearing the main dishes, Taeui picked up the phone and said: “Hello, what?”

[“Where are you?”]

“Having a meal with Alexei at Alma Schlosshotel*.”

[“Aha, must be eating to your heart’s content. So, is that guy persuading you well?”]

“Ah, still thinking about it. By the way, Ilay, do you have a lot of money?”

Taeui asked while sticking a fork into the mille-feuille in front of him, and from the other end of the line, there was a brief silence. It seemed the other person was puzzled by the sudden question, but then a calm answer came through.

[“More than you.”]

“Then give it all to me.”

[“Alright. When are you coming back?”]

This time, the light-hearted answer came immediately without any hesitation, and at this moment, Taeui continued quietly chewing the mille-feuille*. The crispy layers of the pastry were truly delicious, but……

“Give me your entire fortune.”

After a moment of silence, Taeui tried to articulate each word clearly, fearing that his words might be drowned out by the sound of chewing the mille-feuille, but surely the other person couldn’t have missed it. And the answer this time was as concise as before.

[“I already said alright. I’ll call the lawyer, come back. How long will it take?”]

“……About an hour.”

[“Alright. Oh, by the way, don’t stay too long with Alexei. He’s very greedy, to the point where he covets anything precious that belongs to others.”]

After a few words mixed with light laughter, the call ended.

Taeui put the phone down. Alexei, sitting next to him, had heard all the ambiguous words just now, so he widened his bizarrely confused eyes and glared at Taeui.

“He’s not the type to joke about things like this, is he……?”

“No, he’s not. Today, I’ll become a tycoon.”

Hearing Taeui say it so casually, Alexei could only put on a very serious expression. His eyes revealed a deep, contemplative hesitation.

“Is he really that good? What exactly is so good about him?” – Alexei muttered, his eyes scanning Jeong Taeui from head to toe as if trying to find an answer. Under that blatant gaze, Jeong Taeui put his fork down on the table. Even though he had initially intended to finish all the food on his plate, he couldn’t do it anymore. Perhaps it was best to declare defeat here and switch to drinking tea instead.

Maybe the server had noticed this, as they brought over some mint tea and said: “It’ll help with digestion.” Taeui drank the tea, now feeling so full that it was hard to breathe. He slowly rubbed his chest and looked up at the ceiling.

He might really give everything away.

He would neatly arrange everything he had and say: “Here, take it”, handing it over without a second thought. That was certain.

Suddenly, Taeui recalled something he had said once before.

“If you want, I’ll give you everything. It’s no big deal.”

That casually spoken sentence was his response to a time when Jeong Taeui had grumbled: “Why on earth do I have to be the one supporting someone born with a diamond spoon in their mouth?”

At that time, Ilay had been lounging lazily on the sofa by the window, and reading a book. Without taking his eyes off the book, he had replied in a tone as if it were nothing important.

“In exchange for supporting me, you can use everything I have as you please.”

Taeui, who had been chewing on a piece of bread and flipping through a newspaper, glanced at Ilay upon hearing that and said: “Are you afraid I can’t afford to support you alone? Forget it, I don’t need it.” After hearing this, Ilay merely glanced at Taeui and smiled faintly.

“You’re not greedy hah.”

“Well, that’s not entirely true. It’s just that I don’t need anything right now. What about you? Is there anything you want?”

In response to Taeui’s question, instead of answering, Ilay simply observed him intently with a deep gaze. The man stared at Taeui as if trying to see through him, then smiled enigmatically. Seeing this, Taeui frowned and said: “……I mean things you don’t already have, not the things you own.”

“If you have it but don’t feel like you truly own it, then it’s not ownership.”

Ilay lightly tapped the back of the book and spoke. Taeui muttered in frustration: “How much more do you want……?”, to which Ilay responded with a faint smile.

“Sometimes, I just want to devour everything. Not even leaving the smallest bone behind.”

“……When you say that, it doesn’t sound like you’re joking.”

“I’m not joking.”

“I know.”

As Taeui frowned and mumbled, Ilay laughed. Then, he looked back at the book and added more. Taeui still remembered those words clearly.

“So, if you want, just take everything. Anyway, apart from what I want, everything else is meaningless to me. Take it all. Just leave me one thing.”

Only one thing. The only thing he wanted.

“…….”

Taeui set down the cup of peppermint tea and rubbed his face. He felt his face heating up again.

“Thanks to him, you’re hitting the jackpot now, Tay. You know that, right?”

In front of Taeui, Alexei sat there, speaking with a serious expression.

“When he says he’ll give it to you, take everything you can!”

“……Take what…… It’s mine anyway.”

Taeui rubbed his burning face and mumbled. At that moment, the notification sound rang, and the phone screen lit up. It was Ilay.

[‘I’ve already called the lawyer. The documents detailing what I’ll give you and what you’ll give me are ready. Come home after you eat.’]

Taeui read the message, raised an eyebrow, and typed a reply.

[‘Do I have to give you something too? Weren’t you going to give me everything?’]

If Alexei saw this, he would surely shake his head and say: ‘How shameless.’ Ilay’s reply came immediately.

[‘I only need one thing from you. Which, anyway, is already mine.’]

Taeui put down the phone.

Taeui muttered: “Oh, damn it, this diamond spoon is really……”, then rubbed his face hard with the palm of his hand. Alexei looked at him with a strange expression.

“What’s wrong?”

“……Let’s go.”

“What?”

When Taeui only said that and shoved the phone into his pocket before standing up, Alexei was bewildered, not understanding what was going on.

“The dessert hasn’t been served yet.”

“Tell them to pack it up. You can eat it by yourself. I have to leave first.”

Taeui grabbed his coat and was about to walk away when Alexei hurriedly stopped him. It seemed Alexei didn’t notice that Taeui’s face had turned bright red when he looked back after being held by the elbow.

“Wait, before you go, answer me. After hearing my story, don’t you think anything about Rick? Like really liking him, or wanting to spend your whole life with him, or something like that?”

“――Spending my whole life with that punk has nothing to do with what I want. There’s nothing to think about or consider.”

Taeui shook off Alexei’s hand and strode straight out of the restaurant. It seemed Alexei said something from behind, but he didn’t look back. Right now, he just wanted to go home. Go home and squish Ilay’s face over and over again. Because it wasn’t fair that only his face was turning red like this.

Yes, it had nothing to do with desire. Even if it wasn’t dependent on will, living with him was simply something natural and obvious.

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

*Bentley Continental:

*Bahamas: is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. 

*Cancún: is the most populous city in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, located in southeast Mexico on the northeast coast of the Yucatán Peninsula.

*The Embraer Legacy is a luxury jet series manufactured by Embraer, a Brazilian aerospace company. It is commonly used for business flights and private charters. This jet series is renowned for its spacious interiors, high performance, and long-range capabilities.

*Malta: is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. (The Jewel of the Mediterranean)

*Mille-feuille

*Alma Schlosshotel in Berlin