As Jeong Changin stepped out after his shower, the phone on the table began to ring.

Drying his damp hair as he walked out, he initially mistook the sound for the doorbell. Moving toward the door, he called out loudly: “I’ll be right there.” Then, realizing it was the phone ringing, he turned back.

After everyone dispersed to their dressing rooms or resting areas following the afternoon practice, Jeong Taeui’s face covered in sweat, wiped his forehead with his arm and said: “Uncle, are you free tonight? I’ll drop by for a bit”. He’d told him that he would be in his room after 9 p.m. and invited him to come over then.

Moreover, knowing his nephew’s punctual nature, Changin expected him to arrive exactly at nine as arranged, and had come home early to shower, realizing he still had some time to spare.

He had a good idea of why his nephew wanted to visit: it was likely about wanting to preview the schedule report Horgan had presented.

When he emerged from his shower, he looked up at the clock, which showed precisely nine, and at that moment, the doorbell rang, leading him to naturally assume Taeui had arrived. He turned to head toward the door, but it turned out to be the phone ringing.

He thought perhaps his nephew had decided to call instead of visiting in person, but he quickly realized he was wrong. It was an external call.

Wondering who would be calling at this hour, Changin walked over to his desk and raised an eyebrow when he saw the face displayed on the phone’s LCD screen.

It was a face unmistakable by anyone. Even through the small low-quality screen, the radiant look stood out, a beauty so striking it could make sculptures pale in comparison, staring straight at him with an indifferent expression.

[“Instructor Jeong Changin, are you there?”]

As the call switched to auto-answer mode, the man’s face on the screen frowned slightly, muttering with mild irritation. Changin quickly pressed the answer button and responded:

“No, I just got out of the shower, Chriss—t-toph. It’s almost bedtime here. It must be dinnertime over there? Still at work?” (Changin almost slipped, nearly calling him “Christina” at that moment.)

He had almost accidentally called him by the wrong name – because, in his view, the name he often confused seemed to suit the other man better – but Changin greeted him with a relaxed smile. The man on the other end briefly noticed the subtle mix-up and cast a sharp look his way for a moment, but fortunately, he said nothing about it.

[“No, I finished my work a while ago.”]

The man on the other side of the globe, as beautiful as a flower – though he would surely bristle at the description – Christoph replied in an indifferent tone. Usually not one to appear friendly, he looked even more displeased today.

“What’s wrong? Did someone pamper the wrong person at work today? You don’t seem happy. Oh, right. I heard Tarten just signed a cooperation agreement with CESID* recently. Congratulations.”

(*The Centro Superior de Información de la Defensa (CESID), was the Spanish intelligence agency before the current Centro Nacional de Inteligencia (CNI) took over as its successor in 2002.)

[“What does that have to do with me? If you want to congratulate someone, congratulate Richard. I know nothing about it.”]

Christoph’s tone was slightly sulky. Ah, so that’s the reason for his mood, Changin thought with a smile.

“Alright, maybe I’ll send a card to Dresden later.”

[“He called unexpectedly this morning and said he’d be coming to Riyadh around the end of the month. So it’d be better to send it before he arrives.”]

“Really? I was just speaking with him last night and didn’t hear anything about that, so it must be a last-minute decision. Alright, thanks for letting me know. ――So, is that why you’re in a bad mood because Richard is coming? Don’t be too distant with someone traveling all that way to see you.”

Changin seemed to have struck a nerve, as Christoph’s expression grew even more irritated.

[“He suddenly asked me to take time off then. To do that, I have to reschedule my entire workload. Do you think that’s easy?!”]

Christoph suddenly yelled at Changin without much reason, then clicked his tongue. Yet, it seemed he still intended to take the time off.

Changin had come to know Christoph through Kyle. Although they had little reason to be close and hadn’t spoken much before, Changin had a good understanding of Christoph Tarten’s nature.

That was precisely why he found it surprising to be having a casual conversation with him now. As far as he knew, while Christoph might not be as ‘inhuman’ as his younger brother Kyle, he was certainly no less ‘unsociable’ than him.

It was said that recently – though it wasn’t clear what his motivation was – Christoph had been making a great effort to connect with others, and it seemed to be true. Apparently, he and Richard were also working to improve their relationship, and there was some truth to that as well.

Not long ago, the two had hated each other to the point of wanting to ‘tear each other apart’, but things had significantly improved since then. Changin smiled, recalling the times his friend Kyle had occasionally expressed concern over Christoph’s subtle changes.

Though he could be a difficult young man to deal with, Changin didn’t dislike him.

“Alright, so what’s the sudden reason for this call?”

[“Ah, there’s an applicant this time from UNHRDO’s Asia branch, and I wanted to verify their background. Can you check it now? The name is――”]

“Hold on, I need to turn on my computer.”

Changin replied: “Alright, it’s a simple enough request” then powered on his computer. He quickly accessed the internal database to check the background of the person Christoph mentioned.

Changin cross-checked the name, age, nationality, ID number, and other details with what Christoph read aloud until he confirmed the latest information that the individual had ‘voluntarily left the Asia branch of UNHRDO six months ago’. He then replied: “It’s all accurate according to the records. After this, send me front and side profile photos by fax, with ears clearly visible. I’ll verify and get back to you by tomorrow morning.”

Changin read off the fax number and sent a web note to his assistant. Christoph confirmed the fax number once more and, seeming to have completed his task and said: [“Alright, that’s it then”] indicating he was ready to end the call.

“Sure. If you see Richard, send my regards. I’ll also pass on your greetings to Taeui when I see him.”

Changin waved a farewell at the screen, but as Christoph was about to end the call, he suddenly paused.

[“Taei? Taei is there?”]

“Yeah. He had a few errands, so he’s been here for a few days. Rick is here too. Want me to pass on your regards to him?”

[“No, that’s okay”] Christoph said, frowning slightly. But then, he softened his face and murmured: [“So, Taei really is there.”] Christoph’s expression held a fleeting mix of joy and longing, and for a moment, his face took on a childlike innocence.

“Oh…….” – Changin raised an eyebrow, suddenly recalling something that had happened just the day before.

“Oh, right. Speaking of which, Chris, I heard you gave Taeui a photo of yourself?”

[“Huh? A photo? A photo of me? I don’t remember giving him one. I don’t like taking pictures, so I don’t have many……. Ah, could it have been that time?”]

Christoph looked puzzled for a moment, then mumbled as if something had just come to mind.

[“Back when I was in Dresden with Taei, I tried practicing how to smile. Taei said I needed an objective view, so he took quite a few photos of me. He’d pull them out of his wallet and hold them right up to my face, telling me to look at them to adjust……. So he still hasn’t thrown those away?”]

Christoph murmured, as if he had forgotten all about it, then looked at Changin with a childlike hopeful gleam in his eyes. Seeing that expression, Changin couldn’t help but give a slight wry smile. That kiddo Taeui, he sure has a knack for creating misunderstandings.

“Yeah. Looks like he still kept it. So yesterday, everyone here had a bit of a misunderstanding. They thought it was a photo of Jeong Taeui’s boyfriend.”

[“Huh? ……. Is that……. me? My photo?”]

“Yes, that’s right.”

[“Everyone thought it was Taei’s boyfriend……. and that it was me?”]

Christoph gave a slight mocking smile, his eyes flashing with amusement as if to say how ridiculous it was to have such a silly misunderstanding.

[“How did it even lead to that misunderstanding? Did Taeui say anything?”]

[“What kind of fool could make such a ridiculous assumption”] – Christoph muttered under his breath, but his eyes stayed fixed on Changin with a hopeful look. Oh, dear. Changin sighed internally and gave a wry smile. It was just an offhand comment, but it had clearly struck a nerve with Christoph.

“Well, here’s the thing. A bit of misunderstanding could certainly happen.”

But seeing the flower-like young man looking at him with those bright endearing eyes, Changin decided to explain freely.

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

/Flashback/

Of course, not everyone had misunderstood.

Many people, even if they didn’t know the details, had at least some inkling that Taeui had someone they might call a lover—and had a general idea of who and where that person might be.

(A few years back, when Ilay Riegrow stirred up chaos at the Asia branch, there weren’t many major personnel changes, so plenty of people still remembered those events.)

Still, perhaps out of reluctance to face reality or out of sympathy for Taeui, hardly anyone mentioned this supposed relationship to him.

In that context, the groundwork for misunderstanding was already in place.

The one who first planted the seeds of this misconception was none other than Taeui’s lifelong nemesis, Kim Jeongpil.

Each time Taeui ran into Jeong-pil and things turned hostile, the phrases that seemed to fly from Jeong-pil’s mouth included “You gay!” or “Did you go abroad just to find a gay lover?”

Naturally, most people didn’t understand Korean, but the foundation of the misunderstanding had already been laid. Rumors started circulating that the two would always clash when they met, and people occasionally overheard the word “faggot” wondering if Taeui was gay and Jeong-pil was homophobic. These stories spread without anyone realizing it. Alongside this, tales of a lover of Taeui’s who transcended nationality and gender also started to circulate.

Those who knew the truth stayed silent, or, when in private, would occasionally whisper: “Poor Tay”. Meanwhile, those unaware of the full story vaguely assumed that Taeui must have a foreign lover.

And so, layer upon layer of unclear rumors gradually built up, solidifying the grounds for misunderstanding.

Of course, even the people directly involved were aware of this situation. Taeui, who often argued fiercely with Jeong-pil, was certainly aware of it. And Ilay, who seemed to know every detail about Taeui, was no exception.

Just yesterday, by chance, while eating in the same area (Taeui sat a bit farther away, next to Horgan), Changin turned to Riegrow with a smile and said: “There’s a rumor that Taeui has a foreign boyfriend.”

“Oh, I’ve heard that too. Rumors may be just rumors, but they’re not always completely unfounded” – Riegrow replied nonchalantly, without a hint of irritation. Instead, there was an amused glint in his eyes, a subtle smile as if he were somehow entertained by the whole matter. Well, regardless of the origins of the rumor, Changin murmured to himself that there might be some truth to it as he glanced over at Taeui, who was sitting beside Horgan, intently enjoying his meal.

“Apparently, Jeongpil is very curious about Taeui’s lover. Just the other day, during a break, he quietly came over to me, pretended to be casual, and asked who Taeui was dating.”

“Kim Jeongpil?”

The smile momentarily faded from Riegrow’s eyes. A hint of irritation flashed across his face, but he continued to hold his fork as if it were nothing significant.

“So, what did you say?”

“What could I say? I just mentioned it was a German man, then shifted the conversation elsewhere. ――I figured if I named anyone specific, Taeui might get upset.”

“Hmm…….” – Riegrow nodded slightly, his gaze briefly flicking over in Taeui’s direction.

“That’s fair. He does tend to be shy about these things.”

Changin simply smiled.

Among those who knew the truth, they all understood why Taeui avoided openly discussing his relationship, and they had committed to keeping silent to protect that man in Jeong Taeui’s life. Yet, whether this man understood their intentions or not remained a mystery.

“And what about you? Would you mind if this got out?”

“Not at all.”

Riegrow responded without a trace of hesitation, just as Changin expected. He was the type who never cared much about what others said or how people viewed him.

Changin was glad Riegrow was that kind of person, then took a bite of his pasta, chewing slowly. Beside him, Riegrow mumbled to himself, almost as if talking aloud to no one in particular.

“If he’d just bring his lover out in the open, maybe Jeongpil would leave him alone” – Riegrow said.

Hearing those words, Changin smiled. He agreed with the sentiment.

“So why not tell Taeui to do that?”

“――No.”

Riegrow’s reply was curt, his brow furrowing briefly in thought. Changin chuckled softly, though he quickly stopped when he noticed the annoyed look Riegrow gave him.

“It’s fine.”

Riegrow continued: “Whether it’s said or not, those who know will still know, and the truth won’t change.”

He shrugged, smiling slightly as if the whole situation were nothing more than a minor amusement.

“True, maybe so” – Changin nodded and returned to his meal.

Just then, something unexpected happened.

Two men who had just finished their meals caught everyone’s attention as they returned their empty trays and headed toward the water dispenser, where they suddenly stopped. One of them was Kim Jeongpil, who had been a hot topic in their conversation moments earlier, and with him was a companion who appeared to be Yoon Changoh.

“Hey, there’s a wallet here. Looks like someone forgot it.”

Their voices carried, reaching everyone around. It seemed someone had left a wallet near the tray return area.

At first, Changin didn’t pay much attention, only glancing at them casually. But when he saw them open the wallet, he suddenly paused. It was an old leather wallet, yet it looked neat and clean—strangely familiar.

“Check if there’s any ID inside? Look in the inner pocket” – One of them suggested.

“Hey, wait a minute……. there’s something here……. what is this, a photo?”

“A photo? Could it be a picture of the wallet’s owner? Let me see.”

A few other guys who had just returned their trays also glanced over, curiosity piqued as they watched the two men leaning in to examine the wallet. Murmurs of “What’s that?” spread around, and a small crowd started gathering around the wallet. When they finally saw what was inside, everyone froze for a moment, speechless.

Still watching the young men with the wallet, Changin blinked a few times, then called out to his nephew sitting a short distance away: “Hey, Taeui.”

Taeui was chatting with Horgan a bit further off, and looked up at his uncle’s call: “Yes?”

“That wallet over there—isn’t it yours?” – Changin nodded toward the wallet.

“Huh? My wallet?”

Following his uncle’s gaze, Taeui noticed the black wallet surrounded by a few curious onlookers. He muttered “Oh…….” and patted down his pockets. It was pretty clear that the ‘forgetful owner’ of the wallet was none other than him.

Taeui stood up heading toward Changoh, who was holding the wallet, and called out loudly.

“Hey, Changoh. That’s mine. Hand it over.”

The moment Taeui calmly called out, every eye around the wallet turned to him in a strange synchronized stare, making him slightly startled and blinking in confusion at their unexpected reaction.

“What’s the matter? I told you, that wallet’s mine.”

“…….Yours? This wallet?” – Jeongpil almost snatched the wallet from Changoh’s hands, holding it up and shaking it in disbelief. Taeui frowned.

“Yes, it’s mine. Now give it back.”

“So, this photo……. is of……. that German guy…….?”

“What?”

Taeui looked utterly lost. He glanced down at the photo they were holding, though he couldn’t see it clearly from his angle. “A photo…….?” – He murmured in puzzled, then suddenly remembered and nodded.

“Oh, right, right. There’s a photo in the wallet……. But how do you know the person in the picture is German?”

“SO THIS IS YOUR BOYFRIEND?!”

Jeong-pil’s eyes widened in disbelief as he shouted. “What?” – Taeui responded, still looking completely bewildered. But at that moment, noticing Riegrow’s intent gaze on him, Taeui suddenly felt a bit flustered. His eyes involuntarily drifted toward Riegrow’s face, and only Jeong Changin caught the brief flash of discomfort in Taeui’s eyes.

“Hold on, I really don’t know why this story is getting out of hand, but that’s――”

“Jeongpil, hand it over. That wallet belongs to Taeui” – Changoh quickly intervened, snatching the wallet back from Jeongpil before Taeui could finish, clearly aiming to prevent further chaos in the cafeteria. He carefully placed the photo back inside and closed the wallet neatly.

“Sorry, we didn’t know it was yours, so we opened it up. But wow, carrying a photo of your significant other, Taeui, you’re really sentimental. Truly……. they’re very handsome. Hope you two are happy together.”

Changoh hesitated briefly, as if unsure how to phrase it, then gave a friendly smile and pretended to toss the wallet to Taeui.

Nearby, whispers of “Hey, I heard that’s Taeui’s boyfriend” and “Really?!” spread among the group of young men who were now engaged in an animated discussion, even surprising Changin.

If there was a photo close enough to be carried around in a wallet, it had to be of someone special. If this person was German and that close to Taeui, only one person came to Changin’s mind. His gaze instinctively shifted to Riegrow.

Riegrow also looked a bit surprised himself, glanced toward the wallet with a peculiar expression—not exactly clear, but certainly not displeased either.

In the midst of this, Taeui was wearing a slightly flustered expression, made a gesture urging them to return his wallet, muttering weakly: “It’s not a boyfriend…….” His eyes occasionally darted to Riegrow, his face betraying intense embarrassment.

“This kid’s never been thoughtful enough to carry around a photo of anyone. He doesn’t even carry a family photo……. But it seems this time, it’s someone special” – Changin murmured to himself with a small smile.

Hearing these words, Riegrow raised an eyebrow slightly and replied casually: “Well, I didn’t expect that either.”

“I didn’t know about it……. It’s actually not bad at all.”

Ilay smiled brightly as he said: “Not bad at all” with an unmistakable hint of joy in his expression.

“I never would have imagined my nephew and this man could make such a fitting pair. Truly, the world is full of surprises” – Changin murmured with a shrug, feeling a mix of amusement and bewilderment.

Just then, Changoh said: “Hey, catch,” and tossed the wallet. It arced over the heads of the people sitting around the table, heading straight toward Taeui’s outstretched hands……. but just before he could catch it, another hand reached out and snatched it mid-air.

Needless to say, the owner of the smooth outstanding beautiful hand that so effortlessly caught the wallet was none other than the man sitting next to Changin.

“What’s this about? Why not just give it back to him?”

“Oh, I was just curious to see whose photo he keeps inside” – Reigrow replied, a trace of mischief in his tone.

A mischievous smile appeared in Riegrow’s bright eyes.

However, as the wallet’s rightful owner, Taeui immediately frowned, his face darkening as he rushed toward Riegrow.

“Hey, wait! Don’t touch it! You’re not allowed to look—!”

Taeui shouted, but his words seemed utterly futile; just as he finished, Riegrow casually opened the wallet and pulled out the photo.

Taeui’s hurried steps faltered, coming to an abrupt stop. Riegrow’s hand was already holding the photo, then paused for a brief moment as well.

Right beside them, Changin extended his hand because curious to see, and asked: “What is it, a strange photo?” But he suddenly caught the murmurs from the young men standing a little distance away, still engrossed in their conversation.

“Hey, Tay’s got more going for him than he looks, but isn’t it wild that he could be dating someone that good-looking? If he’s that beautiful, who cares if he’s a guy? I’ve never seen anyone like that outside the movies…….”

Changin cast a suspicious glance at the man sitting next to him, wondering about the photo and, now, Riegrow’s curious reaction.

Changin mused to himself that, while Riegrow wasn’t unattractive, he wasn’t exactly worthy of the high praise he was hearing. But then, an image flashed in his mind of someone genuinely stunning—someone who truly deserved such admiration.

“Ah…….”

An idea suddenly dawned on him.

Changin quietly glanced at Riegrow, who was now looking down at the photo of this ‘beauty’ without saying a word. The faint smile on Riegrow’s lips had vanished completely.

“…….I told you already……. that’s not my boyfriend…….”

Changin could hardly bring himself to look at his nephew, who was stammering out a weak embarrassed defense beside him. Now, on closer inspection, Taeui’s expression didn’t just convey embarrassment—it was tinged with unmistakable unease.

“Hmm……. Is this the only photo?” Riegrow finally spoke, his tone contemplative: “No others?”

At this, Taeui quickly nodded with conviction.

“Yes, that’s the only one! I don’t have any other photos!”

Taeui mumbled softly: “I didn’t keep it because I wanted to……. I just happened to put it in there and then forgot.”

But Ilay seemed unfazed by the explanation; his pale fingers began tapping lightly on the photo in a steady rhythm *tap, tap*

“This is the only photo…….? You’re keeping this person’s photo and no one else’s……. is that right…….?” – Riegrow murmured slowly, a faint smile forming on his lips. Only then did Taeui realize the flaw in his answer, then falling silent or even almost holding his breath. And like Changin, he understood that smile……. it wasn’t exactly a ‘smile’ one.

Tsk tsk, this time my nephew dug his own hole.

Changin could only watch silently, unable to say anything to save his nephew, and turned back to his meal. A few others, those who also knew the truth, quietly looked away to avoiding Taeui’s increasingly desperate gaze.

Beside them, Jeong Taeui’s face grew redder by the moment as he struggled to say something, his mouth opening and closing without a sound, unable to find the right words to explain. He could only mouth silently, utterly at a loss.

/End Flashback/