“No wonder——”

Taeui smiled bitterly as he looked at the person standing outside the welcome gate, waving at him and smiling brightly.

“It’s been a while, Taeui. You’ve had a tough time.”

“It wasn’t that tough… anyway, this wasn’t my intended destination.”

Taeui glanced around the airport, where foreign languages dominated the atmosphere. At least, he was sure those characters weren’t Korean.

“What are you talking about? You’ve come all this way, but you’re not planning to see me before leaving? That sounds a bit sad.”

“How could I have come this far and not seen you? That would be impossible——That’s what you should say instead, Uncle.”

“Ahaha, anyone who hears that would misunderstand.”

His uncle laughed and lightly patted Taeui’s shoulder. He was wearing the uniform Taeui always saw him in. A uniform that Taeui had always felt had an ominous vibe, and had never found appealing.

No wonder something felt off. In fact, right before he stepped out of the arrival gate, he had guessed who would be waiting for him at the airport. Yes, it had to be this person. Besides this man, who else would pull something like this?

When departing from Berlin, Taeui had received a transfer ticket for his flight – naturally, his luggage was also transferred directly to Incheon Airport – and boarded the plane without any issues. However, he was suddenly detained in Hong Kong, his layover stop.

Even though he was standing right in front of the boarding gate with a completely valid ticket in hand, Taeui was pulled aside after hearing: “Excuse me, sir, there’s an issue with your ticket.” Of course, it was Taeui who was pulled aside. While others looked at him with confused expressions and disappeared behind the gate, Taeui could only panic: “Huh? Huh? Huh?” as he was led away.

“Sir, your flight has been rescheduled to a month later.”

When the ticket counter agent hesitantly explained, Taeui frustratingly waved his plane ticket, insisting that he hadn’t changed anything, but it was no use. The plane had already taken off, and when he asked to switch to the next available flight, for some reason, an error message kept popping up, as if something extremely unusual was happening.

“So, am I stuck in Hong Kong for a month?”

After running around everywhere and protesting in all sorts of ways, Taeui could only sigh in a tired voice, resigned to the cruel verdict. The staff member, who was flustered and confused about what was happening, kept apologizing with an uncomfortable look on their face – bowing repeatedly as if something suspicious was going on – but the outcome remained unchanged.

The luggage that Taeui was supposed to pick up at Incheon Airport was now stranded, forcing him to drag it out of the gate in utter exhaustion. 

Waiting for him there was his uncle, wearing a bright smile.

“From the moment I heard about the layover in Hong Kong, I knew something was off…”

He wondered why he hadn’t taken a direct flight. Even so, he hadn’t expected to be stuck halfway like this, even after receiving his boarding pass and getting on the plane without any issues.

“Sorry about that.”

The man standing behind his uncle, with an apologetic look, bowed his head in apology. Even though it had been a long time, Taeui easily recognized him. This man hadn’t changed at all over the years. He was his uncle’s subordinate, and it was very likely that he was the one who carried out all the procedures under his uncle’s instructions.

However, Taeui just smiled and shook his head: “Nope.”

“Uncle must have forced Assistant Instructor Kang to go through with this using his authority, even if he didn’t want to. I understand how it feels to have an awkward superior.”

“Haha, Assistant Instructor Kang was so excited when he heard you were coming that he called to brag about how smoothly everything went.”

“…….?”

His uncle laughed while Assistant Instructor Kang gave an awkward, forced smile. Taeui tilted his head in confusion. Huh. After glancing between them for a moment, he just let out a faint, dry chuckle.

“Were you really that eager to meet me, Assistant Instructor Kang? I’m so touched.”

“I was more eager to see you than Assistant Instructor Kang was, my dear nephew. Aren’t you happy?”

“Well… that depends.”

“You really didn’t want to see me that much?”

Seeing his uncle’s playful eyes and the clear grin on his face, Taeui remained silent for a moment before letting out a sigh.

“At first, I didn’t think that way at all, but now that everything’s turned out like this, I feel a hundred times more that not meeting might have been much better. I really doubt your reasons for deliberately obstructing my path to this extent.”

“Haha, it’s nothing too serious, so don’t look at me with such suspicion. Oh, by the way, have you eaten yet? After all, there was probably nothing decent on the plane, right?”

His uncle said as he walked ahead, while Assistant Instructor Kang swiftly grabbed Taeui’s luggage and quickly headed towards the parking lot. Taeui could only shrug, with no other choice but to follow them.

“This place hasn’t changed at all.”

Taeui muttered as he gazed at the scenery passing by outside the car window.

Bright, lavishly lit streets, bustling crowds hurrying to and fro, and cars jammed on every street corner. But just a glance upward from the vast urban landscape would reveal old, dilapidated buildings that seemed ready to collapse with just a touch. On the blackened walls of these buildings, long clotheslines were strung between narrow alleys.

Where else could offer such a stark contrast between the fresh prosperity on the ground and the decay of time in the sky like this city?

“Really? Lately, I’ve heard there’s been continuous construction in the Kowloon area.”

“To me, it all looks exactly the same as when I was last here.”

His uncle chuckled, finding something amusing about Taeui’s comment, though Taeui wasn’t sure why. He looked at his uncle suspiciously, while continuing to gaze out at the view along Nathan Road as it passed by.

“Why do I feel like we’re heading towards the harbor?”

“Yep. After we eat, it’ll be time to go.”

“…Go where?”

“Where do you think?”

Taeui stared at his uncle, who was smiling. The UNHRDO emblem on his uniform badge stood out prominently.

“Do I have to go too?”

“Of course. I came here to pick you up.”

The road ahead opened wide, and in the distance, the vast sea came into view. The car was about to turn right and would soon stop at a not-so-distant location. Up ahead, surely, the special ship bearing the UNHRDO symbol was already waiting. And Taeui knew where that ship was headed. He had boarded that ship many times before, and he had been to that place quite a few times.

“At first, I didn’t think that way at all, but now that everything’s turned out like this, I feel a hundred times more that not meeting might have been much better. I really doubt your reasons for deliberately obstructing my path to this extent.”

“Haha, it’s nothing too serious, so don’t look at me with such suspicion. Oh, by the way, have you eaten yet? After all, there was probably nothing decent on the plane, right?”

His uncle said as he walked ahead, while Assistant Instructor Kang swiftly grabbed Taeui’s luggage and quickly headed towards the parking lot. Taeui could only shrug, with no other choice but to follow them.

“This place hasn’t changed at all.”

Taeui muttered as he gazed at the scenery passing by outside the car window.

Bright, lavishly lit streets, bustling crowds hurrying to and fro, and cars jammed on every street corner. But just a glance upward from the vast urban landscape would reveal old, dilapidated buildings that seemed ready to collapse with just a touch. On the blackened walls of these buildings, long clotheslines were strung between narrow alleys.

Where else could offer such a stark contrast between the fresh prosperity on the ground and the decay of time in the sky like this city?

“Really? Lately, I’ve heard there’s been continuous construction in the Kowloon area.”

“To me, it all looks exactly the same as when I was last here.”

His uncle chuckled, finding something amusing about Taeui’s comment, though Taeui wasn’t sure why. He looked at his uncle suspiciously, while continuing to gaze out at the view along Nathan Road as it passed by.

“Why do I feel like we’re heading towards the harbor?”

“Yep. After we eat, it’ll be time to go.”

“…Go where?”

“Where do you think?”

Taeui stared at his uncle, who was smiling. The UNHRDO emblem on his uniform badge stood out prominently.

“Do I have to go too?”

“Of course. I came here to pick you up.”

The road ahead opened wide, and in the distance, the vast sea came into view. The car was about to turn right and would soon stop at a not-so-distant location. Up ahead, surely, the special ship bearing the UNHRDO symbol was already waiting. And Taeui knew where that ship was headed. He had boarded that ship many times before, and he had been to that place quite a few times.

“Can outsiders just leave like that?”

“You’re not an outsider.”

“……..” 

Taeui silently looked at his uncle, who was smiling brightly. As Taeui continued to stare at him, with that unshaken smile still on his uncle’s face, a frown began to form on his forehead.

“Uncle.”

“I need your help, Taeui.”

At that moment, the smile on his uncle’s face softened slightly.

Whenever his uncle smiled like that, memories of his late father would appear in Taeui’s mind, making him feel soft-hearted. Even if it weren’t for that, he had never once managed to win against this man.

Knowing full well that this was a battle he couldn’t win, but sensing that nothing good awaited him, Taeui frowned and scratched his head.

“Jaeui-hyung is in Riyadh. When I called him five days ago, he was still there. I think it should be easy to get in touch with him.”

“Of course. I know Jaeui is doing very well. I heard he’s living like royalty over there, getting everything he wants—except women. A colleague of mine just returned from a business trip and said that, apart from women, anything he desires is handed to him on a silver platter.”

When his uncle brought up the topic of women in that country, Taeui kept silent and held back the thought: ‘Well, that’s not exactly the reason why they’re not offering women to him, Uncle.’

“…….If it’s not related to him, I don’t think there’s anything I can help with.”

“Why not? There’s a task that’s perfect for you. Since you’re stopping by Hong Kong, this is the ideal opportunity for you.”

“………..What task?”

He felt very suspicious. Although he didn’t want to ask, the car had already stopped at the harbor, and right in front of them was the specialized ship ready to depart at any moment.

“It’s nothing major. I just need you to take on the role of Assistant Instructor for half a month. Half a month should be easy for you, right?”

If there was a fixed timeframe, then resistance was futile. He raised his hands in surrender. But even after agreeing, one word still bothered him.

“Assistant Instructor? Who? And why me?”

An Assistant Instructor, as expected, refers to the assistant position for an instructor within UNHRDO. For half a month, there didn’t seem to be any clear reason for pulling an outsider into this role, though Taeui tried to think it through.

“Next weekend, the exchange training program will begin. It will last about half a month.”

Ah, so that’s it. Taeui recalled old memories. Indeed, UNHRDO regularly held joint training sessions with its other branches on a periodic basis. It was probably that time again.

“But this time, due to a major reorganization from headquarters, we are skipping the usual joint training between branches. Instead, we will be inviting representatives from neighboring countries to join the training. The program will remain similar to previous exchange training.”

“Are you saying that you’ll be training with people who aren’t UNHRDO members?”

“Technically, they aren’t outsiders. We’ve sent official letters to government agencies and public organizations, so they are individuals working in systems equivalent to ‘civil servants.’ Oh, and in the European branch, some idiot sent official letters to both Israel and Hamas simultaneously.”

“………..That’s going to be a mess over there for a while.”

“Definitely. However, our branch has only sent letters to the peaceful regions of Asia, so the joint training will be very peaceful.”

“…So, what exactly will my role be in this ‘peaceful’ training?”

Taeui stared at his uncle, who had just stepped out of the car, while he remained seated, unmoving. But it was pointless, as Assistant Instructor Kang soon opened the car door from behind and pulled him out.

“Oh, it’s nothing big. Among the high-ranking officials participating in the joint training, there’s someone from the South Korean military. As you know, instructors like them need an Assistant Instructor. That person is from the South Korean military, but is actually a member of the U.S. military. And as you know, U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea, right? So, it’s best if the Assistant Instructor is fluent in both Korean and English. Furthermore, that person should understand the role of an Assistant Instructor. In other words——.”

Ah-ha. Now Taeui understood the entire situation.

Gradually convinced by his uncle, Taeui murmured: “I see.”

Indeed, when thinking carefully, it would be difficult to find anyone more suitable than him for the job. Someone who knew exactly what an Assistant Instructor’s duties entailed – even better, someone who had held that position before – and could speak English. Up to this point, it wasn’t too hard, but adding the condition of speaking Korean made it a lot more challenging.

Taeui glanced at Assistant Instructor Kang. He tilted his head slightly, appearing a bit surprised, but then smiled as usual. Kang-nim also met all the strict conditions… except that he was his uncle’s Assistant Instructor.

“Only for half a month, right?”

“Yes, only during the joint training.”

“Hmm… alright. It’s not too difficult. But…”

At that moment, Taeui felt a mix of emotions as he watched Assistant Instructor Kang carry his luggage onto the ship first. Taeui sighed and raised his hands in surrender to his uncle, who grinned widely. “Thanks for your help.”

“So, but what?”

“You know, even though everything’s been resolved now, isn’t it a bit concerning to have a former member, who was once internationally wanted for terrorism and caused UNHRDO’s reputation to be questioned, taking on the role of Assistant Instructor again? And especially at a time when we’re meeting these distinguished guests from abroad?”

“Haha, so that’s what you’re worried about?”

His uncle lightly patted him on the back as they walked side by side, boarding the ship.

“There’s no need to worry. That incident was more connected to Riegrow than to you, and that matter has long been settled. Even Riegrow, if he wanted to come back as an instructor, there wouldn’t be an issue.”

“Every time I hear that, the world just feels so unfair…”

Taeui mumbled to himself, but his uncle merely smiled as if it was nothing surprising.

Well, it didn’t seem like there would be a problem.

There was still more than a month until his aunt visited the countryside, so being away for half a month wouldn’t be a big deal. He had also already informed Ilay that he’d be away for a while.

Taeui had the freedom to make his own decisions about his path.

“Alright then. I’ll rely on everyone for the next half month. Nothing else except the duties of an Assistant Instructor, right?”

Following behind his uncle, who had already boarded the ship, Taeui stepped up the stairs leading onto the vessel. His uncle stood on the deck and extended his hand. When Taeui grasped it, his uncle’s large warm hand enveloped him and pulled him aboard.

It seemed Taeui was the last one to board, and as soon as he was pulled onto the deck, the ship began to set sail.

The ship gradually left the harbor. After covering a certain distance, it began to pick up speed. As the ship started to sway and move further from the land, Taeui’s uncle turned to look at him.

“Of course. Your job is simply to ensure the protection of the instructor in charge. Make sure nothing unfortunate happens to him. ――That’s all.”
Saying this, his uncle smiled gently with the land in the background slowly fading away.

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

Someone once said: ‘The rivers and mountains remain, but the people have long since gone.’ They also said that ten years is enough to change both rivers and mountains.

But why are these people still the same?

“Huh? You are…?”

The man standing in front of the elevator, anxiously tapping his foot, widened his eyes in surprise when he saw Taeui.

After a few similar encounters, Taeui had remembered all their names. He raised his hand casually and greeted: “Hi, long time no see, Alta.”

From the ground floor to the 7th basement level, each floor spanned around 2,000 pyeong* with a total of over a hundred people.

(*1 pyeong = 3.306 square meters)

Although the density wasn’t high, Taeui kept running into his old acquaintances every few minutes. Even when he met Tou, the scene was just like their first encounter: Taeui had just stepped into the Asia branch of UNHRDO, while Tou was coming out with a cigarette in hand, replaying the memory once again.

“Taeil! Hey, long time no see! You’re still alive?!”

“You’re still here?”

Despite having no ill feelings toward Alta’s bright smile and round, bearded face as he greeted him, Taeui’s tone wasn’t as friendly as his. Even though a few years had passed, seeing these familiar faces one after another made Taeui feel like he had only left yesterday.

But still.

He couldn’t help but smile when he saw that they hadn’t changed at all.

“What the hell, you disappeared so suddenly that we thought Rick the lunatic finally killed you and buried your body in some forest!”

Alta’s loud, hearty slap on his shoulder made Taeui wince in pain, especially since it was the same spot that had been slapped numerous times before.

“You heartless jerk, you disappeared in the middle of the night without leaving a single note, didn’t you?!” – Carlo was the same, giving Taeui a hard slap on the shoulder as soon as he saw him. Morer, who had been engrossed in a book on weaponry in the library, turned pale as if he had seen a ghost when he spotted Taeui, and the book he threw down landed squarely on his shoulder. Qing met him just as he stepped out of the office and welcomed him with another hearty shoulder slap.

Each of them had the same ‘enthusiastic’ greeting that Taeui couldn’t avoid.

“Hey, I’m heading out to grab some food, want to join me? You need to have dinner, right?”

Seeing that it was dinner time, Taeui shook his head slightly, realizing nothing had changed.

“I’ve already eaten.”

“Really? Alright then. I’ll swing by your room tonight. Oh, by the way, where’s your room? Who are you sharing with?”

Alta asked eagerly, looking like he was ready to drop by anytime with snacks, alcohol, and cards. Taeui could only scratch his head and mumble awkwardly: “Well…”

“Basement 1.”

“Huh?… Are you here as an Instructor or Assistant Warden or something?”

“No, no. Just as an Assistant Instructor, and it’s temporary, so I’ll be done soon.”

“Assistant Instructor? Then why are you on the first basement floor?”

“That… I’m not sure either.”

To be honest, Taeui found it strange too. Ever since he arrived and started running into familiar faces every few minutes, he’d been wondering why all these people were still here after so many years. His uncle had personally led him to his room on the first basement floor. As far as Taeui could remember, this was where the Instructors and senior personnel stayed. Everyone else seemed the same, so he didn’t think the internal structure of the building had changed.

“This is the first basement, Uncle.”

“Yes, I know. And you also know my room is just around the corner and straight ahead. Same room as always.”

“Are Assistant Instructors and Instructors sharing rooms now?”

Taeui eyed the room his uncle had brought him to, opening the door with a skeptical look.

When the door opened, he saw a small living room and two doors that seemed to be bedrooms. “The room on the left is yours” – His uncle said, indicating that the room on the right was likely for the Instructor from outside.

“No, it’s still the same as before. The Instructors stay on this floor, and the Assistant Instructors are down on the 6th basement level with the other members.”

“Then why am I sharing a room with an Instructor?”

“The bedrooms are separate, so what’s the problem? Besides, isn’t it better than staying in a three-person shared room downstairs?”

“Yeah, I suppose… that’s true.”

Taeui scratched his head.

Perhaps since he was only a temporary Assistant Instructor responsible for someone coming from outside, everything made sense. As he simply accepted this explanation, he felt a light pat on his shoulder – of course, the first person to pat him on the shoulder was his uncle, who smiled gently.

“Make sure to ‘protect’ them well. You’re sharing a room, so if anything happens to the Instructor, it wouldn’t look good. The Assistant Instructor’s role is very important.”

His uncle spoke in a joking tone, and Taeui replied with a bit of humor.

“Haha, are you saying the Instructor I’m protecting is like Ilay? Someone with enemies everywhere and always living on the edge of life and death?”

“Haha, nothing like that. No one could handle having two people like that. Your Instructor is very normal, nothing special.”

Taeui chuckled and said: “I was just joking.” before stepping into the room. When he placed his luggage on the sofa in the living room, his uncle, still busy with his work, didn’t enter but stood outside, leaving some parting words.

“Alright, unpack and get some rest. The outsiders will be arriving next week. You’ve got a few more days, so take it easy and relax while you can, because you’ll be busy afterward.”

His uncle waved goodbye and turned to leave, advising Taeui that if he ever got bored, he could ask the Assistant Warden for a spare key to his office and read some books.

Taeui didn’t have much luggage – just a few sets of clothes. After unpacking, he went down to the first floor to borrow the spare key from the Assistant Warden. On his way, he ran into a few more familiar faces, and eventually bumped into Alta again.

“Basement 1, huh… It might be a bit tough to visit you at night.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll come down to the 6th floor later. Just have the beer ready and wait for me.”

Earlier, Alta had been deep in thought, but after hearing Taeui’s words, he immediately brightened up. He patted his chest and said: “Alright, leave it to me! After dinner is free time, so come down whenever you want!” and then happily made his way toward the dining hall.

Taeui watched as Alta happily made his way toward the dining hall and disappeared around the corner of the hallway. Standing alone, Taeui smiled faintly and muttered: “Nothing’s really changed at all.”

“Well, I guess I’ll stop by my uncle’s office and see what’s there… I wonder if the book collection has grown over time.”

Feeling relaxed, he descended the stairs, twirling the spare key on his finger. The key, given to him by the Assistant Warden, was attached to a Mickey Mouse keychain as big as the palm of his hand, along with strict instructions not to lose it.

“………”

Looking back, something had changed.

Xinlu…

When Taeui was here years ago, the person who looked after him was Xinlu.

Suddenly, a vague mix of nostalgia and guilt swept over him. However, those feelings quickly faded, turning into a sense of relief.

Unlike Taeui, whose age had changed, Xinlu remained at that same age, and they hadn’t met again since parting ways in Johannesburg. Taeui only heard bits and pieces about Xinlu occasionally, mostly through Kyle – or more accurately, through Gable, one of Kyle’s former subordinates. Gable had stayed on to work for Xinlu after an incident where he had taken Xinlu home following an accident, and he had mentioned that Xinlu was doing fine.

And then, last year, Xinlu reached out to Taeui for the first time. It was shortly after Taeui had been pardoned from the international arrest warrant, thanks to Raman, and had escaped the nightmare that was Frankfurt.

[“Congratulations on regaining your freedom. P.S. But it seems like that guy giving up his humanity is still a long way off. Hang in there.”]

Those were the only words written on a piece of paper, taken out of a beautifully crafted envelope.

Reading those witty words had made Taeui laugh out loud.

He hadn’t forgotten about him. He was doing well. He had freed himself from the weight of those burdensome emotions.

These thoughts made Taeui toy with the paper in his hands, smiling happily for quite some time.

(That was until Ilay snatched the paper from him, raising one eyebrow with an insinuating look and mumbling, “Giving up humanity, huh. Interesting.” The result was Ilay clinging to Taeui afterward, making life rather uncomfortable for a while.)

“…….”

Taeui walked slowly.

Thinking about Xinlu naturally brought back memories of Ilay, like unavoidable creeping vines. And each time he thought of Ilay, despite the passage of many years, those memories remained intact… difficult to forget.

Alright then, it’s already a blessing to still be alive and wandering around like this.

“Ah, anyway, he wasn’t that inhuman. At least, not to me. I think.”

Taeui reassured himself with a sigh, recalling how that person occasionally discarded bloodstained gloves – though ‘occasionally’ because, luckily, most were discarded before returning home.

“Come on, focus on the good things. If I don’t run into him before heading to Seoul next month, it’s better to just forget about it. No need to dwell on the dark past.”

Patting his chest lightly to dispel the dark memories, Taeui suddenly stopped in his tracks and thought, ‘Wait?’

Come to think of it, Taeui hadn’t told him that he’d passed through Hong Kong – let alone that his uncle had kept him here. But then again, there was no way to inform him. Just a few hours ago, even Taeui didn’t know he’d be stuck here.

“……….Oh well, whatever. His work lasts until next month, and I’ll only be here for half a month before going to Seoul anyway.”
As long as Taeui didn’t end up missing when Ilay returned to Korea looking for him, everything would be fine.

If they made contact before then, Taeui would explain he was temporarily in Hong Kong. If not, they’d meet in Korea as planned.

Whistling softly, Taeui entered his uncle’s room with a sense of ease, the door now in front of him.

He thought his uncle might have finished his work and returned, but it wasn’t the case. The room was empty.

Like everything else, this room hadn’t changed at all. As soon as the door opened, the familiar smell of old books hit Taeui’s nose. When he switched on the light, the familiar layout of the room unfolded before him.

Taeui glanced around the room, where time seemed to have left no trace over the years. He casually tossed the Mickey Mouse keychain onto the table, then stretched out and lay down on the bed.

Burying his face into the pillow with his uncle’s familiar scent, Taeui lay face down on the bed, and only now did the feeling of exhaustion slowly wash over him like waves. Perhaps he had been more tense than he realized.

Thinking back, it really had been tiring. After more than ten hours of flying, he landed at his layover destination, only to be unexpectedly detained without any clear reason. The confusion had him running around everywhere, eventually getting pushed out of the gate with his luggage. Meeting his uncle right after, and everything that followed, Taeui hadn’t had a single moment to truly rest.

“Seriously, it’s like a surprise box every time… Why didn’t he contact me before I left?”
He mumbled in a tired voice, as if complaining to his uncle, even though his uncle wasn’t there. Then he closed his eyes. As his mind started to relax, a faint, dreamy smile appeared on his lips.

Everything was still the same, which brought one part boredom, two parts nostalgia, and seven parts comfort. Now was the time when that sense of comfort arrived.
Swaying, gently swaying.
Even though it wasn’t a waterbed, Taeui still felt as if his body was lightly rocking.

He must have drifted off. In that half-asleep, half-awake state, his body sank deeper into the soft bedding. It felt like he was being pulled in, but in a way that made him feel at ease.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind, even in his sleep: ‘This is great, truly comfortable.’

And then, another thought hit him out of nowhere:

‘Can my life really stay this peaceful for long?’

“……!”

The moment that thought appeared, Taeui abruptly woke up, sitting bolt upright in bed as if a cold bucket of water had been dumped on him.

“No, no, that’s not right. Of course it can. Why wouldn’t it?”

He muttered to himself, unsure who he was trying to convince, hugging his body tightly as a chill crept through him.

“What’s going on? Snap out of it, you’re thinking all wrong.”

Taeui shook his head vigorously, trying to shake off the sudden thoughts that had intruded.

Perhaps he had grown too accustomed to misfortune. It was strange, doubting the possibility of a peaceful life. It shouldn’t be like that.

For some reason, the thought of the ‘battered wife syndrome’ suddenly flashed in Taeui’s mind, sending a shiver down his spine. He quickly banished those thoughts from his mind as fast as they appeared.

After all, the subconscious is truly terrifying. Just when he was about to sleep soundly, something like this happened, and suddenly, all traces of drowsiness were gone.