Prologue.

The fact that Prince Al-Faisal was invited to attend the annual International Economic Forum was hardly surprising. Though a member of the royal family, he had long since distanced himself from the line of succession. Nowadays, he was regarded more as a heavyweight in the business world than in politics, which was why he received countless invitations from all over the globe every day.

The forum itself, held in a different country each year – this time in Vienna, Austria – wasn’t particularly worth the effort to attend. The discussion topics usually revolved around issues that anyone with even a passing interest in economics would already know, and the direction of the debates was fairly predictable. But the reason this forum succeeded year after year lay in its guest list, which was packed with extremely high-profile figures—faces so familiar they were impossible to ignore.

For someone of Al-Faisal’s stature, there was no need to laboriously flaunt his influence at such events, but due to his appreciation for talent, he often attended if his schedule permitted. Thus, his confirmation of participation in this year’s forum was nothing out of the ordinary.

And of course, a week-long official trip for him would inevitably entail a massive entourage and heavily armed security detail—with only the most elite individuals from his ranks being selected, a matter so self-evident it hardly needed discussing.

While the captain of the security detail announced the details, everyone listened with an air of nonchalant acceptance, as if it were all a matter of course. But when the list of those accompanying Al-Faisal was read aloud, a strange contortion briefly gripped everyone’s faces.

“……What kind of joke is this? Going abroad is already more stressful than usual, and now we have to deal with that freakish temperament too?”

“That’s it, I’m out. I refuse to let other teams know I’m associated with that person.”

“Are we taking that person along just to be laughed at by the other teams out there?!”

Amid the murmurs of discontent, none daring to voice open dissent, Salam snorted derisively.

“If the priority is selecting capable individuals, it would be strange if he wasn’t chosen.”

“None of you dare to confront him directly, which is why you’re only whispering amongst yourselves.” – Salam muttered sarcastically under his breath. Several angry glares were directed at him, but no one dared to speak up. After all, Salam was the one who suffered the most from that guy—because he was his assistant.

It was also thanks to Salam’s risking his own neck to mediate that many escaped death after inadvertently offending that person.

Salam cast a glance at his superior, who sat leisurely on a couch a few steps away, his face impassive as he listened to the announcement. Looking at that man’s appearance, one might mistake him for a mythical beauty stepped out of legend and into real life. But strangely, despite daily exposure to the harsh sun, his skin remained flawlessly pale.

No, if one were to speak of strange things, there were many. It would be quicker to list what wasn’t strange about this man.

Salam remembered every sensation he’d felt when he was first recruited and encountered that man. While being given a tour of the estate by the deputy captain, he unexpectedly encountered him. The man had bowed slightly to the deputy leading Salam before passing by, and Salam, involuntarily captivated, stared after him.

He couldn’t help but gasp in awe. It was the first time he’d ever seen someone so impossibly perfect in real life. He was genuinely shocked and reverent that such a face could even exist.

“That’s a member of your team. Christoph Tarten.”

“What? ……He’s on the security team?!”

The second emotion that washed over Salam was worry. If this man was in security, it meant he had to undertake dangerous missions. What if he got injured? That immaculate beauty would be ruined, what a tragedy! But then again, perhaps he was a strong man who didn’t care about appearances? Still, a scar would be such a waste; Salam would have to do his utmost to ensure he never got hurt. (Looking back now, that had been the most idiotic moment of his life.)

“Yes. Doesn’t quite fit the image, does he? Well, you’ll understand once you’ve been around longer. Best not to provoke him unnecessarily…… Anyway, if we go this way, you’ll see the watchtower. Take a right, and that’s the women’s quarters—strictly off-limits……”

Salam continued to listen as the deputy captain changed the subject and resumed the tour, but he naively thought to himself: ‘Being on the same team with someone like that will surely weaken the team’s overall strength, but I must do my best to compensate for his shortcomings. If the rest of us pull our weight, it should be fine.’

……What an unimaginably foolish thought.

“I have an objection! Sending someone so skinny and frail-looking to a dangerous place for protection…… why not choose someone with a more robust appearance for reliability?”

When Salam was reminiscing about his foolish past, someone suddenly raised their hand in objection. It was the rookie who had joined a few days ago. From the very first glance, he seemed like the ambitious type, eager to make a name for himself to climb the ranks, probably trying everything he could to squeeze into this mission. His eyes clearly revealed his intention to replace someone on the list.

……But why that person of all people……

Salam watched as the guy pointed at the handsome man and then brought his hand up to his forehead. Everyone’s expressions became puzzled. Normally, they would intervene, but it seemed this guy had offended so many people in the past few days that no one intended to stop him.

And the man being pointed at, up until then, maintained an indifferent expression, paying no attention to the surrounding conversations or whether he went or not; even when the rookie pointed directly at his face and complained, he didn’t even blink.

The captain silently observed the rookie, seemingly guessing that this fame-seeking rookie wouldn’t give up easily, so he raised his head to look towards the man.

“Christoph.”

“I don’t care if he goes in my place.”

When the captain called, the man replied with indifference. The captain shook his head.

“The list of participants has already been decided.”

“Persuading that idiot is your job, not mine.”

“And I’ve chosen the easiest way to persuade.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the captain signaled with his eyes, and the vice-captain quickly dismissed everyone. Just as quickly, everyone immediately cleared a space just large enough for two people to duel. Some even excitedly ran to get equipment.

The rookie seemed a bit bewildered by this situation, but he then accepted the equipment handed to him and sneered.

It was a training stick made of soft rubber. Although called a training stick, it only resembled a stick in shape; hitting with it wouldn’t cause any damage, it was just a child’s toy.

“What’s this?”

“Using this, no matter how you hit, no one will die.”

Upon hearing the explanation from beside him, the rookie looked towards the opposite side where the man was standing up with an annoyed and bored expression, also holding an identical tool. The slender man looked as if he would break with just a light touch. The rookie sneered.

“Are you kidding? We’re colleagues after all, how could I kill you?”

“Yeah.”

“……, ……I won’t kill you.”

The rookie seemed a bit taken aback by the excessively blunt reply, then he muttered: “What’s with that look?”

A large man with a physique far exceeding the average was facing a slender young man with delicate features. Anyone looking at them would see this as an uneven fight.

The rookie seemed to want to give him a head start, he looked down at the man and spoke in a magnanimous tone.

“Go on, attack first.”

But that was all.

The man swung the soft rubber training stick a few times, checking the weak elasticity of the toy, then with an undisguised annoyed and bored expression, the moment the rookie finished saying “At—”, the man stomped hard on the ground. And as the remaining two syllables, “—tack,” left his mouth, the man’s stick hit precisely between the rookie’s chin and carotid artery.

That was it. Before the rookie could understand what had happened, he rolled onto the ground unconscious. The man tossed the toy, which had ensured he only fainted, onto the bridge of his nose and turned to leave.

……From the very beginning, this had been an uneven fight.

“Someone drag this guy to the infirmary. Now, the next announcement……”

The captain spoke with a calm expression as if what had just happened was a matter of course. Salam watched as the rookie was dragged away by someone, shook his head slightly, and said: “I also experienced that a few times—and witnessed others experience it—before I understood his personality.” Then he fell silent when he realized quite a few people around him were also shaking their heads at the same time.

Anyway, it’s best to be careful right now.

Salam glanced at the man sitting basking in the sun on the bench as if nothing had happened, then unconsciously straightened his back.

That man’s mood had been very bad for a while.

Probably – no, there’s no need to say ‘probably’ – but certainly since that day.

A long time ago, even before Salam arrived here, a man would visit this place every few months. That man was always treated with great respect by their boss. Initially, with his amiable face and friendly smile, Salam couldn’t believe that this man, according to rumors, was the head of a private intelligence agency so famous that no one in the information trading world didn’t know of it.

Salam’s surprise was understandable. The head of such a powerful organization, said to have access to every piece of information in the world, was so young, and gave off such a gentle impression. But what surprised him even more was that the man’s purpose in coming here was because of his superior.

Christoph Tarten. He knew this name from the beginning, so why had he never connected this ‘Tarten’ with that ‘Tarten’? Salam scolded himself for his stupidity when he heard that Christoph was a direct descendant of that family. At the same time, the biggest question in his mind was how the man with the gentle and friendly smile could be related to Christoph, who always wore an indifferent and incredibly cold expression as if everything in the world was boring.

However, although the two weren’t alike at all, they seemed to be very close. As the head of Tarten, outsiders might easily think that he wouldn’t have any free time, and yet, that man always visited Christoph every few months.

“Christoph’s assistant, is it…… It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Richard Tarten.”

The first time he was introduced to Salam, the man observed Salam once over and then smiled politely. It was just a direct look into Salam’s eyes for a moment, not at all scrutinizing, but in that instant, Salam felt it instinctively. Indeed, this man was no ordinary person.

He felt overwhelmed. A young lion with the wisdom of a seasoned one, yet bearing a generous smile as if not wanting to display it. Salam stared at him until Christoph spoke up: “What are you looking at?”, at which point he realized he’d been staring too obviously and hurriedly shrugged.

“No, I just can’t believe it. Someone with such an amiable appearance is your cousin. —It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Salam.”

When Salam shook his hand, Christoph muttered in an irritated tone.

“Believe it or not. I don’t want to believe it either.”

After saying that, Christoph suddenly stared intently at Salam with a pensive look. When Salam, puzzled, repeated his earlier question: “What are you looking at?”, Christoph replied indifferently.

“I’m thinking whether to consider this as climbing up to my shoulder or climbing all the way up to my head.”

“……Sorry…… I’ll climb down right away.”

Salam immediately prostrated himself. Christoph still seemed annoyed, but appeared to have decided to let it go, and he looked away from Salam.

The man silently observing them chuckled softly.

“You two seem close.”

Salam intended to reply in a denying tone: “I guess so”, but he suddenly stopped. Huh?, he blinked. Was he seeing things? The eyes of the seemingly gentle man seemed to have changed imperceptibly. He was still smiling, but there seemed to be a thin layer of ice hidden beneath that smile.

The man calmly observed Salam and then turned to look at Christoph.

“……Those eyes resemble someone. Ah, right, a bit like the guy Riegrow always sticks close to.”

Christoph also seemed to realize something from the man’s unexpected words; he frowned without looking at Salam, who was feigning incomprehension.

“It’s been a while since I’ve heard that hateful name.”

“Is that why, no matter how high he climbs, you let it slide?”

The man’s narrow eyes turned towards Salam again. Salam tried to grasp the context, something along the lines of him resembling someone, which was why many of his mistakes were overlooked, but that was as far as he got.

Before the conversation could go any further, someone who appeared to be the man’s secretary approached and whispered something. The man immediately returned to his usual demeanor, bid farewell: “Well then, I’ll see you later”, and left.

Salam had a feeling that the man didn’t have any good feelings towards him, but after thinking it over, he decided not to dwell on it. He didn’t see him often, and he hadn’t done anything wrong. He also had no intention of becoming friends with him. Just maintaining a moderate distance and knowing each other’s faces was enough.

Indeed, after that, he met the man a few times, but he showed neither friendliness nor hostility towards Salam. They only exchanged necessary pleasantries.

That was enough. There was no reason to clash with a man who only visited for a few days every few months. That man spent almost all of his time with Christoph, and since Christoph was on leave during that time, Salam also had no reason to be around.

“He sure visits a lot”, “Maybe Christoph is a spy planted by Tarten”, “Could they be gay?” – And sometimes colleagues would gossip and joke like that, but that was all. Salam never seriously thought about that man. VIPs visiting their boss every now and then wasn’t uncommon, so the fact that someone visited every few months wasn’t a big deal.

But even so, on that day, he was forced to think seriously. It happened not long ago.

Early that morning, a bit of commotion occurred. Among the security devices checked regularly every morning, the one installed at the west gate had been deactivated since the previous night. Before the cause could be determined, an emergency alert was issued discreetly. Was there an intruder from the outside? Did something unpleasant happen during the night? After hearing the news, the captain immediately put on a serious face and summoned the key personnel.

Salam received the captain’s order and went to Christoph’s place. Christoph had been on leave since the day before yesterday when his cousin came to visit, and of course, he wouldn’t receive a wake-up call on his day off. Christoph was inherently difficult to wake up every morning, so Salam had no choice but to go and wake him up in person. Therefore, Salam ran to Christoph’s annex in the early morning hours.

But his footsteps halted right in front of the annex’s door. Through the crack of the door, left ajar about a handspan by the wind, he saw the silhouette of someone leaning down over the bed in the dimly lit room.

‘Strange, why is he up so early? Or did he go to the bathroom and come back to sleep?’

Salam wondered, but still decided to wake Christoph up before he got back into bed, so he pushed the door open and rushed in. “Christoph!” – Salam called out loudly without hesitation and stepped inside, but immediately afterward, he froze completely.

He saw wrong. The person standing by the bed was that man. Christoph’s cousin.

That man, with one hand against the wall, was leaning down and kissing the sleeping Christoph.

“……—!”

The man glanced at Salam, their eyes met. Instead of embarrassment, those eyes exuded a cold fury at being interrupted, causing Salam to freeze in place. A confused feeling of awkwardness and bewilderment welled up inside him.

“Uh, uh……?”

Salam stammered, not yet understanding what was happening. Just as the man moved away from Christoph’s lips, Christoph also opened his eyes after Salam’s call. Their eyes were only a few centimeters apart.

Christoph was still drowsy, then blinked once. But on the second blink, unbelievably, his eyes widened as if he had fully awakened.

The man clicked his tongue softly. A flicker of disappointment appeared in that small sound, but only for a moment; the man continued to silently look at Christoph with a calm gaze. The close faces of the two gradually separated; the man raised his head calmly, unhurriedly, and without taking his eyes off Christoph, who was staring intently at him.

“You……”

Christoph uttered unconsciously, but seemingly not knowing what to say next, he fell silent again. The man continued to look down at Christoph with an impassive expression, truly difficult to read, as if there hadn’t been a moment of awkwardness.

“You…… what are you doing?”

“……What do you mean?”

Now it was the man’s turn to seem bewildered. Despite his calm appearance, his reply was unusually curt.

Christoph’s pale face suddenly turned ashen. His body recoiled slightly, his shoulders trembling faintly. His eyes stared into space as if holding his breath, his expression like he was about to vomit. His shoulders trembled two or three times as he tried to suppress his emotions. The expression of the man in front of Christoph stiffened momentarily.

A moment later, Christoph seemed to regain his composure. He glared directly at the man with a pallid face.

“What the hell are you doing?”

His voice was subdued, as if afraid that opening his mouth would bring on the nausea again. And upon hearing that weak voice, unbelievably, the man seemed at a loss for words. He pressed his lips together, unable to speak.

Salam felt incredibly restless and anxious, but at the same time, surprised. He hadn’t expected that the man who always exuded calmness and an overwhelming presence would ever show such an appearance.

The man’s silence didn’t last. Or rather, to be more precise, Christoph broke the silence.

Christoph grabbed the glass on the bedside table and threw it at the man. The glass flew straight towards the forehead of the man, who was still standing motionless without dodging, shattered, and fell.

Salam winced at the sight. Although the man’s skin above his eyebrow was torn open, blood flowing freely like water, he didn’t even blink.

The man remained silent for a while, blood staining his shirt collar red, before slowly opening his mouth.

“Why do you think I come here?”

Christoph didn’t answer. The man’s low voice became harsher.

“You ask what the hell I’m doing? Then answer me, Christoph. Why do you think I persistently come to this barren place, when I have no free time?”

“How am I——”

“You know.”

The man cut Christoph off decisively before he could finish his sentence.

“Think carefully. You know.”

Christoph seemed speechless at the firm assertion that didn’t allow him to deny it. Or perhaps he couldn’t say anything. The man stared intently at Christoph without looking away, as if the dam he had painstakingly built all this time had finally and completely collapsed. In those eyes, something intense was hidden, so intense it couldn’t be called mere desire.

“I want you.”

The man said.

Christoph looked at him with a stunned expression.

“Every time I come here, I struggle for months just to steal a kiss from your lips. It’s been so many years…… I want you, Christoph.”

The man’s voice became hoarse and weak. His face stiffened as if under extreme tension.

A deathly silence fell. And after a stillness so profound it felt as though hearts had stopped beating.

“……So.”

Christoph opened his mouth. His face was as expressionless as a mask.

“So, when were you planning on saying it this time? That it was just a joke to see how I’d react?”

The moment that monotonous, emotionless voice rang out, the man’s face stiffened terrifyingly. The boomerang he had thrown in the past had now returned to pierce him straight through the heart.

Christoph was still pale, but his expression had calmed, as if voicing those words had helped him regain his composure.

“Don’t underestimate people, Richard Tarten. That disgusting memory, once is more than enough……. Get out.”

The man silently looked at Christoph, who was coldly pointing towards the door, for a long time, then turned and walked away. Seeing the man with a terrifyingly stiff face stride towards him, Salam, standing at the doorway, flinched and took a step back. The man didn’t seem to see Salam. He gritted his teeth, eyes fixed on nothing, and walked straight out without looking back.

Salam stood speechless for a moment. The heavy atmosphere made it impossible for him to utter a single word. He hesitantly looked inside the room; Christoph was still silently looking down at the foot of the bed.

“……”

Salam was about to call out to Christoph, but he saw that his tightly clenched knuckles were white.

Impossible, but Christoph looked as if he was afraid. Anxious and uneasy, as if something he was holding tight would slip away.

“……Christoph.”

After a moment of hesitation, Salam softly called out to him; Christoph slowly raised his head. The icy gaze made Salam shrink back.

“The captain called——”

‘Yes, it’s not my fault, I don’t want to be here either……’ – Salam was about to say that to explain himself when the walkie-talkie in his pocket beeped. It was probably the captain furious about his lateness, but at this moment, it was a good thing, saving him from having to explain everything. Salam hurriedly took out the walkie-talkie. At the same time, the surprisingly calm voice of the captain came from the device.

[“It was just a simple circuit fault. I’ve reviewed all the security cameras and there’s no problem. No need to assemble.”]

Salam stared at the walkie-talkie, which had just finished speaking and then clicked off, then glanced at Christoph with an apologetic expression, muttering: “……No need to go, sir.”

Christoph’s icy gaze sharpened.

“Then what are you still doing standing there? Are your legs still too perfectly intact?”

Salam hurriedly ran outside as soon as he blurted out: “No, sir!”. He slammed the door shut and ran away without daring to look back. At this moment, no matter who he resembled, if he displeased Christoph even slightly, he wouldn’t have a peaceful time.

And everything started from there.

Although he maintained his usual demeanor, Christoph’s mood was plummeting. However, due to his capricious and difficult nature, very few people noticed this change.

Salam sat under the sunlight, replacing his shoelaces and repairing the worn soles of his shoes. He stared blankly at the sky and muttered.

“……Come to think of it, that man hasn’t come since that day. It’s only been two or three months though, it’s probably not time for his visit yet.”

“Who?”

The unexpected voice right behind Salam startled him. His eyes widened as he turned around to see the captain squatting right beside him, a cigarette in his mouth, probably taking a break.

“C-Captain, when did you get here?”

“Just now. Do you have a light?”

“No, sir.”

The captain clicked his tongue and put the cigarette back in its pack.

Due to the diverse cultural backgrounds of the recruited personnel, smoking was permitted as long as it wasn’t too blatant, but openly carrying a lighter was not.

The captain regretfully licked his lips, then took out his notebook to look at it even though it was break time. Salam looked at the captain’s scribbled handwriting and muttered: “There’s a lot to prepare for the trip, huh?”

Such was the work of the security team, so escorting the boss abroad wasn’t anything new, but of course, it was more complicated and there were more things to take care of compared to on-site protection. Especially since this was an official business trip, not a personal one.

“Hmm…… there shouldn’t be any major problems. I haven’t received any intel.”

The captain spoke calmly without looking at Salam. “That’s a relief.” – Salam breathed a sigh of relief. Usually, if there were signs of danger during business trips, some information would leak out, but if the captain, someone always five times more vigilant than others, said so, then this trip would probably be safe. Of course, immediately after, he added: “But we still have to be careful, you never know what might happen.”

The two sat huddled together under the warm sun like chicks basking in the sunlight. Under the gentle golden sunlight, Salam squinted comfortably, but then he broke the peaceful atmosphere with a question.

“But, can Christoph go on a business trip abroad at this time?”

“Hmm…… that’s hard to say……”

“……”

Seeing the captain’s eyebrows furrow slightly, Salam fell silent. He wasn’t someone who liked to pry into other people’s affairs, but Salam was very good at listening and grasping the situation. Therefore, he knew that Prince Rashid’s guards considered Christoph a thorn in their side and were just waiting for an opportunity to eliminate him.

Well, it was understandable, the story of Christoph sniping at Rashid in Frankfurt was an open secret, albeit one without proof. (And the rumor that Al-Faisal had recruited Christoph out of admiration for his talent and daring, further deepening the feud between Al-Faisal and Rashid, had also spread widely.)

Although the balance of power had now completely shifted to one side, and Rashid seemingly had no way to turn the tables in the political arena, Christoph should still be more careful. Especially with the contract renewal deadline approaching, and the time when he could leave Riyadh drawing near.

“It would be easier to protect him if he stayed in Riyadh.”

Salam had been frightened and cursed inwardly many times because of Christoph’s erratic temperament, but after all, they were colleagues who had been together for a while, so he still worried about him. At the very least, he didn’t want to witness Christoph dying right in front of his eyes.

“Right, and if anything happens, it would be easier to handle if it happens in Riyadh. I’m more worried about that.”

The captain shuddered, as if imagining the horrific scene if something were to happen during an overseas business trip. But then he muttered indifferently.

“Fortunately, Christoph has a strong family background. If anything happens, his family will intervene and settle things smoothly.”

“Ah……”

‘Speaking of which, the relationship between those two seems a bit strange……’ – Salam was about to say, but then stopped. He pursed his lips, not wanting to become the source of troublesome rumors. Especially when the people involved in those rumors were so volatile.

Forget it, Salam scratched his head. He didn’t want to bother with such headaches.

“I won’t have to take care of that guy during the business trip, will I?”

“Well, we’ll be divided into teams according to our duties. When we’re abroad, duty comes first.”

The captain closed his notebook and looked at Salam.

“Anyway, nothing will happen. Just go and come back. Then we can welcome the new year comfortably.”

“Ah…… that’s right. After returning from the business trip and finishing everything, it will almost be the end of the year.”

That’s right. The weather was gradually becoming cooler. The scorching summer was passing, and the warm winter was approaching.

The end of the year would be a bit busy. He needed to think about his family and girlfriend back home, and also consider whether to renew his contract, and if not, what to do next year, yes. He also needed to finish any outstanding tasks from this year.

……Just thinking about it made him feel busy, but it was alright. Not bad. He didn’t have any complicated relationships. As long as he continued to work hard like this, he would be able to welcome a comfortable and peaceful new year.

Time continued to slip by just like that.