Christoph’s sharing a room with Richard meant that the person he saw most often after finishing his daily work and returning to the hotel was Hans (besides Richard, of course).

There was nothing awkward or embarrassing about it. Hans was Christoph’s cousin, and although they weren’t particularly close back in Dresden, they would still exchange greetings when they happened to meet, and there had never been any unpleasantness between them. (Even if there had been, Christoph wasn’t someone who easily felt awkward or embarrassed.)

Even after Richard Tarten had finished his daily schedule and returned, Hans’s workday was still ongoing. Just like Richard, he often wrestled with work late into the night. And if there was something he needed to discuss with or seek Richard’s opinion on, instead of calling, Hans usually came in person. Therefore, almost every evening, Christoph and Hans would run into each other once or twice.

Unlike Christoph, who usually appeared indifferent and almost ignored Hans whether he was there or not, Hans initially seemed a little flustered when he saw Christoph. It seemed he had somewhat guessed the reason Christoph was staying in that room.

But after just a day or two, Hans became completely casual about seeing Christoph and entering and leaving the room. It seemed he was so busy with work that he no longer had the energy to care about Christoph. No, he even seemed to be unilaterally offering Christoph a kind of comradely sentiment.

“I think you’re amazing, Christoph. You used to support Richard all by yourself.”

Hans shook his head in admiration, wondering how Christoph could single-handedly manage that man who constantly delegated tasks.

“Because the workload was much less then than it is now. That was right before Richard took over Tarten.”

Christoph calmly replied. Thinking back, the workload was also heavy back then. Richard, then as now, was always working on something and barely got a few hours of sleep. Whether it was work or self-improvement. You could say the position of head of Tarten seemed to have been reserved for him. And while he was busy with work like that, Christoph always shared his workload.

But not as much as now. Lately, looking at Hans, Christoph thought that he himself, having given up work outside of official working hours, actually had a very comfortable workload. Richard hadn’t assigned Christoph too many tasks at once. Thinking back, it seemed that he himself was the one doing more work.

Christoph sat across from Hans, quietly looking at Richard as he nonchalantly said: “I thought I only gave you the amount of work you could handle.” This man, who knew the limits of using others, clearly, at that time, had given Christoph some leeway……. But precisely because of that, in other aspects, he had to shoulder burdens that were both physically and mentally demanding.

“Why not hire more secretaries?”

Christoph muttered while glancing at the pile of documents Hans was holding. It was work that he could help with, but of course, he had no intention of doing so. Hans also knew that Christoph could help, but he also knew perfectly well that Christoph wouldn’t, so from the beginning, he hadn’t held out any hope, only letting out a sigh.

“There are, not just me. There are other competent secretaries. But even so, my workload hasn’t decreased at all. It’s just that when each person takes on their own part, things become more detailed and specialized.”

Although Hans grumbled dejectedly: “Thanks to that, I haven’t died from overwork yet”, in Christoph’s eyes, he was already a true workaholic. However, Christoph didn’t say it out loud. He felt that if he did, the poor man, who was completely unaware of his own state, would probably tear his hair out in anguish.

Therefore, it had become commonplace for Christoph to finish his daily work, complete his reports with colleagues, and return to his room to find Hans already there with a stack of documents, opening the door for him. Consequently, even if the person opening the door wasn’t Richard, he didn’t find it strange.

“Come in. You’ve worked hard today.”

“……..”

Christoph silently looked at the face of the person who opened the door and then double-checked the room number. There were almost no other rooms on this floor, so there was no way he could have gotten the wrong room, but the fact that a woman opened the door for him made him momentarily suspect he had made a mistake.

“Come in. I was just about to take a break and have some tea; you’ve come at just the right time.”

Yet, unlike Christoph, this woman didn’t seem surprised at all; she spoke and then stepped inside first. Christoph suddenly recognized her. The woman he had met at Miller Croydon’s residence on his first day in Vienna. She seemed to be the de facto manager of Tarten. He thought her name was Hannah Hengel.

Inside the room, Hans, with a haggard face and sunken eyes, was buried under a towering pile of documents. When he saw Christoph, he only uttered an ambiguous “Oh,” unclear whether it was a greeting or something else. His vacant expression stared at Christoph while his hands automatically flipped through the papers on the desk, making the scene somewhat eerie. (The most chilling moment was when that zombie-like face, only needing to stand before outsiders, would instantly transform into a composed and bright demeanor, and put on a perfect smile with the facade of a secretary who wouldn’t reveal even a pinhole-sized flaw.)

“Where’s Richard?”

Christoph sat down across from Hans, then shifted his gaze from Hannah, who was intently focused on her laptop, to scan the room. But before Hans could point to Richard’s bedroom and say: “There”, he noticed the sound of a phone conversation emanating from behind the closed door.

“Understood,” – Christoph said as he took off his coat and hung it neatly on the hook. He looked at the man and woman wrestling with piles of documents and laptops, neither of whom glanced his way.

“…….Seems like a lot of work today. Maybe because tomorrow is the last day of the forum?”

It was just an offhand remark.

But the moment Christoph finished speaking, both of their sharp gazes simultaneously turned towards him. An intense and chilling stare that made him unconsciously shudder.

“The last day of the forum is supposed to be relaxed. It’s a day for everyone to organize their work and unwind.”

Hannah spoke softly without taking her hands off the laptop keyboard. It was unclear whether this was her usual way of speaking or just a momentary thing, but her tone carried a strangely sharp edge. However, looking at Hans’s haggard face, it seemed likely this was just how things were at the moment.

“But thanks to our brilliant CEO, our capable CEO, the one who landed a lucrative contract while chatting with forum attendees on the last day, Tarten’s work today is piled up like a mountain.”

Hannah smiled coldly and added: “Even the current call is from that damned new partner.” As soon as she finished speaking, Hans, his face buried in the documents, also muttered something chilling.

“Then, when I said that the workload was a bit overwhelming, you know what Richard said? ‘It’s alright, Hans, a little extra work is fine, right? Lately, you seem to have free time, going to bed after midnight, haven’t you?’”

Hans mumbled under his breath, his timidity evident: “He’s not happy that I went to bed early for a few days?!” And immediately, Hannah nodded vigorously, her eyes practically blazing.

“And me? I said that for beautiful skin, you have to sleep between ten p.m. and two a.m., but our kind CEO piled so much work on me that I have to wake up at two a.m. to work even if I go to bed at ten!”

Hannah’s fingers danced on the keyboard with a speed that seemed like she wanted to smash it. She added bitterly: “The most damnable thing is that he always assigns just the right amount of work that I can barely finish before work!” But it seemed that wasn’t the end of it.

“And that’s not all! I spent months working my ass off late into the night, Monday through Friday and even weekends, so much that I didn’t even have time to go home. and what does my ex, that bastard Alex, do? He cheats on me like it’s nothing! And then has the nerve to say: ‘It’s all because you were too busy’, what the actual hell?! It’s all that asshole’s fault, who will die face-first with his nose stuck in wet cement on the road, and that workaholic CEO who just had to be so damn good at everything, making every damn project succeed, so the workload never stopped piling up!”

“…….”

Christoph didn’t dare utter a word. Hans, at some point, had clamped his mouth shut and withdrawn his neck like a turtle.

It was a bit terrifying. Although she hadn’t shouted, her sharp eyes were completely different from the image of the beautiful and gentle woman from before, looking truly frightening. Hans seemed to have already known she was a scary person, so he didn’t appear too surprised, just silently lying flat.

It seemed she wasn’t someone with an ordinary personality. And if she had an ordinary personality, she wouldn’t be able to work under Richard for long.

After venting that torrent of harsh words, she looked back at her laptop with a completely normal expression. Her fingers continued to move. Her mouth continued to mutter. And then she suddenly smirked.

“And I thought, if my relationship is already broken, I won’t let those guys be happy.”

“…….”

“So I made sure that Alex, that premature ejaculator who doesn’t last 15 seconds, will never be able to date anyone else again in his life.”

“……., ……., …….,”

Hannah was very beautiful. With her calm face looking at the laptop screen, she was the type of beauty who would make eight or nine out of ten people turn their heads on the street. Her voice was also soft and sweet. Christoph didn’t want to imagine the fate of the ’15-second premature ejaculator Alex’ she had just mentioned, though he could guess some of it.

Christoph glanced at Hans. Working under Richard alongside Hannah seemed like a combination many would envy, but Hans’s expression didn’t suggest that at all.

“And our CEO, unfortunately, after getting divorced long before my relationship fell apart, hasn’t had any dating rumors, so I pray every night that he finds love.”

Hannah’s fingers flew across the keyboard *clack, clack, clack*. Seemingly having reached a pause in her work, she looked up from her laptop and smiled brightly. Although the beauty’s smile bloomed, no one returned it.

Just then, the bedroom door swung open abruptly, and Richard stepped out, presumably having finished his call. He raised an eyebrow slightly when he saw Christoph. It seemed he had been so focused on the call that he hadn’t noticed any outside noise.

“When did you arrive?”

“Just now.”

“I see,” – Richard nodded indifferently and walked to his seat. He pulled his laptop closer, and Hans asked: “Did the conversation go well?”

“Yes. I agreed to take over all of the Russen Intelligence Agency’s work starting in April. Although formally it’s a partial outsourcing contract, in reality, it’s practically a complete delegation.”

Richard said nonchalantly. Immediately, Hans and Hannah’s fingers simultaneously paused for a second. Even Christoph, an outsider, raised his eyebrows slightly.

“Did you say starting in April?”

Hannah asked softly. Richard nodded slightly without looking at her. Hannah stared directly at Richard with a faint, habitual smile. (But her fingers continued to move. Christoph thought he understood why she had been able to work as Richard’s secretary for many years without any problems.) Hans looked up at the ceiling, looking like he was about to faint.

Christoph just let out a soft “Hmm” and blinked indifferently; he wasn’t particularly concerned since it was someone else’s business. Even an outsider like him could tell that it wasn’t a job that could be started in April, which was less than six months away, if they maintained this pace of work.

It seemed likely that the pale complexions of these two – and the other employees under them – wouldn’t be improving anytime soon.

A silence fell. Neither Hans nor Hannah spoke. They knew that saying anything would be useless, based on past experience.

Just then, Hannah abruptly slammed her laptop shut. *Whirr――* A loud noise emanated from the spinning hard drive, then quickly fell silent. Hannah turned to Richard and Hans, who were looking at her, and gave a bright smile:

“How about we take a break and have some tea? I feel like my head is overheating.”

Christoph thought it was a tense situation, but Richard – a master of handling people – seemed to know when to back down. He immediately agreed: “Alright,” and stood up, heading towards the refreshment area. He opened a cupboard and took out a tea box, seemingly intending to make the tea himself.

Hannah stood up and walked to the table where Christoph was sitting. She sat down across from him. She opened the cookie tin on the table and took a bite of an almond cookie. She gave her habitual smile when she met Christoph’s gaze. The difference from a few minutes ago was stark.

“Look at this, we haven’t even properly greeted each other. The forum ends tomorrow, and we’re only just now saying hello. I’m Hannah Hengel, I work under Richard.”

“…….Christoph Tarten.”

Christoph perfunctorily shook her hand and let go, only stating his name and remaining silent. Anyone looking at him would think he was a man being impolite to a woman, but to Christoph, this was the most polite he could be because she was a woman. Otherwise, he wouldn’t shake hands with a stranger.

“I’ve heard a lot about you,” – She said with a beaming smile, surely having heard plenty of rumors. She didn’t seem to mind Christoph’s attitude at all. Come to think of it, the first time she met Christoph and heard his name, she had exclaimed:“It’s him——”

As soon as the words: “I’ve heard a lot about you” left Hannah’s mouth, Hans glanced at Christoph. He was worried about what rumors this woman, who seemed to know everything, had heard about Christoph within the Tarten family, and whether she would drop some verbal bombshell right there.

“Have you heard that Christoph doesn’t care about being respectful to women?”

Hans said it jokingly, but in reality, he was warning her not to say anything foolish lest she invite trouble upon herself. Hannah only responded with a smile.

“Of course. I’ve heard it said ad nauseam that you’re such a stunningly beautiful man that women feel self-conscious standing next to you. My goodness, you’re even more handsome than in pictures. No wonder I didn’t recognize you the other day. Even though I have a pretty good memory.”

Hannah smiled gently at Christoph, delivering both a compliment and a jab, unclear whether it was praise or mockery: “With looks like this, surely photos, videos, and even makeup—though you probably don’t need it—can’t fully capture your beauty.” Christoph only frowned slightly without saying anything.

“Come on, Hannah. Christoph doesn’t like talking about appearances, and he doesn’t go easy on women either.”

Hans, worried, quickly waved his hand and whispered to Hannah (although everyone could hear him). Then he quickly folded his documents and sat down in the empty chair away from the table.

“That’s right, he’s someone who doesn’t hesitate to say harsh things to women. But as far as I know, as long as they don’t clash on the battlefield, he won’t lay a hand on a woman, so you can rest assured, Hannah.”

Just then, Richard walked to the table, his large hands easily carrying the teapot and teacups. He sat down in the last empty chair, wearing a gentle smile, the very picture of the friendly and kind Richard Tarten everyone knew. Christoph felt uncomfortable. He looked at Richard with narrowed, meaningful eyes, then snorted.

“How do you know that when you’re not around, I don’t go around hitting women?”

“Because you never instigate anything if the other party doesn’t provoke you. Moreover, I’ve never heard of any woman approaching you.”

Richard smiled. There was something strange in his tone. Christoph tilted his head, sensing something was off.

“It sounds like you’re saying I live a terribly lonely life.”

“Not at all. I know there are a lot of people looking for you. For example, those related to T&R’s previous work, or Al-Faisal.”

Those who were in T&R’s Private Task Force were all very capable, though difficult to manage. In that sense, Christoph was also quite famous. Even after being officially employed by Al-Faisal, he still frequently received job offers.

However, in this context, those words felt even more like an insult. Christoph silently stared at Richard.

“If I wanted to, I could be popular with women too.”

“But you don’t want to.”

“…….”

“Besides, I don’t think any decent woman would like you.”

Christoph glared fiercely at Richard, even more irritated to see him still wearing that friendly smile.

For some reason, his stomach twisted slightly. He’d never really thought about wanting to be popular with women, to be noticed or become famous, but in this conversation, he couldn’t help but dislike this man.

Noticing Christoph’s increasingly dark expression, Hannah quickly said with a laugh: “Oh, why is that?”

“There are plenty of women in the world who like beautiful men. Like me, when I saw Chris’s picture, I really wanted to meet you. And when I met you, I was even more surprised because you’re even more attractive in person. Meeting you face-to-face like this makes me feel so lucky that I broke up with my boyfriend and am currently single.”

Although Hannah’s words were clearly just social niceties, when a beautiful woman smiles and says such sweet things, even knowing it’s insincere, most men would feel a flutter. Christoph didn’t feel a flutter, but he still stared at her. He narrowed his eyes, feeling slightly uncomfortable under her intense gaze and bright smile, but she continued to smile without flinching. Finally, Christoph frowned and looked away.

‘This is no good. I can’t win against this woman.’

Like wild dogs, the one who turns away first in a staring contest is considered the loser, so Christoph obediently drank his tea. Sensing the somewhat tense atmosphere, Hans intervened to try and smooth things over.

“Come on. Anyway, the forum ends tomorrow, everyone’s worked hard. Christoph, are you going back home the day after tomorrow?”

“The morning after. Tomorrow is a free day.”

“Is that so? We’ll be returning right after the forum ends tomorrow afternoon. It’s a shame to part ways so soon after seeing each other again.”

Hans spoke as he drank the tea Richard had poured for everyone. Christoph paused as he was bringing his teacup to his lips, then continued drinking as if nothing had happened.

“So, tomorrow afternoon.”

Sensing something behind Christoph’s murmured tone, Hans glanced at Richard, who was quietly pouring tea for Hannah, and asked:

“…….Didn’t Richard tell you?”

“This is the first I’m hearing of it.”

“……. You’re sharing a room and didn’t talk about that with each other?”

Richard set the teapot down. He looked at Hans calmly and said: “It’s not important.” Hans muttered: “I see”, then nodded, thinking that he went to Riyadh every few months anyway, so parting ways here wasn’t a big deal.

“You live in Riyadh, right? How long does it take to get there from Dresden?”

Hannah nibbled on a cookie as she sipped her tea, asking Christoph. Richard answered for him:

“Six and a half hours by plane from Berlin.”

“Six and a half hours……. I see. Plus the time to get from Dresden to the airport, it must be quite far.”

Hannah nodded with a slightly melancholic expression. She silently drank her tea for a moment, as if pondering something, then looked up at Christoph.

“Aren’t you going back to Germany? Will you continue to stay in Riyadh?”

Christoph hesitated. Richard also seemed to pause while drinking his tea.

Christoph unconsciously glanced at Richard. Richard lifted his head from his teacup and looked back at him. Richard’s gaze, waiting for an answer, was fixed on Christoph with an unconcealed yearning for the response he desired.

“…….Well…….”

Christoph frowned and answered curtly after a brief silence.

He had told the captain today. More accurately, he had told Jack, but the captain probably knew by now. He was going to renew his contract. That meant he would be staying in Riyadh for a while longer. He wouldn’t be going back to Germany.

But for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to say it right now.

“I see,” – Hannah nodded, looking slightly disappointed, but then she smiled at Christoph again.

“If you ever come back to Dresden, please contact me. I was a bit rude to you the other day, so I’d like to treat you to a cup of coffee.”

Hannah’s smile seemed brighter than usual. Hans squinted as if dazzled by the beauty’s smile. He looked back and forth between Hannah and Christoph, then shrugged.

“The two of you having coffee together would probably light up the whole area. You’d look like a really good match.”

“Right?” – Hans glanced at Richard as if seeking agreement. Richard, who had been silently drinking his tea and observing them, didn’t answer immediately. Then he slowly opened his mouth: “Is that so.” For some reason, his gaze seemed a bit colder.

“Hannah is indeed a beauty. She wouldn’t be overshadowed standing next to Christoph.”

Richard glanced back and forth between the two sitting opposite each other, as if picturing them standing side by side. Then he continued nonchalantly:

“But you two aren’t a good match. Not at all.”

Richard smiled amiably. That soft smile held no hint of malice, and that clear, untroubled face looked as if he were simply stating a fact.

Hans, who had been chuckling “Hahaha” gradually stopped. To Hans – who was accustomed to an environment where polite formalities were a matter of course when working as a secretary directly under Tarten – those words sounded incredibly strange. No, normally, unless one of the two was a truly terrible person, people would still try to say pleasant things. Especially with someone like Richard, who always tended to see things in a positive light, it should be even more so.

Hans glanced at Richard and fell silent. He quietly drank his tea, and beside him, Richard was still smiling gently. Richard turned his gaze towards Hannah.

“What do you think of Christoph?”

“Yes? Uh……. I’d need to talk to him more to know for sure, but he seems like a wonderful person.”

Her perfectly polite, socially acceptable answer didn’t reach Christoph’s ears at all. He was just looking suspiciously at Richard, who had just uttered a question with unclear intentions.

“It’s best if you give up on that idea. Christoph has a rather reserved personality and has OCD; he doesn’t like interacting with people.”

Christoph, the person in question who was sitting silently as if he were a borrowed sack of rice that had been forgotten*, felt a vein throb in his forehead. Although those words weren’t wrong, it sounded like Richard was being sarcastic. And saying it right in front of him, too. The simmering irritation he’d been feeling was steadily rising.

(*빌려온 쌀자루처럼 앉아 있다: which describes someone sitting still and silent, as if they’re an inanimate object. It implies they’re uninvolved and not participating in the conversation or activity around them.)

“Oh……. But I heard you had a lover when you returned from Mr. Croydon’s residence. A colleague of yours said you slept with them……. Oh, I’m sorry.”

Hannah looked at Christoph as if she had made a mistake, stammering a few words as if clinging to a last shred of hope, then abruptly stopped and lightly covered her mouth as if she had misspoken.

And this time, Richard also fell silent, as if something had just occurred to him. For a fleeting moment, he glanced slightly to the side, seemingly displaying an unusual hint of awkwardness. But surely that wasn’t the case. Because immediately afterward, he calmly resumed drinking his tea as if nothing had happened.

“Slept, yes, but not a lover.”

Christoph stated coldly. The tea suddenly tasted bland; he gently set his cup down.

Suddenly, the memories of that day came flooding back, and Richard’s innocent, doe-eyed facade looked utterly detestable.

So that was the reason. A strange feeling welled up inside him.

Christoph hesitated for a moment, then smirked. A mocking smile played on his lips.

“That person was terrible.”

The moment those short words left his mouth, a heavy silence filled the room.