When Jeong Changin returned to the branch, Riegrow was standing next to the entrance of the building. He was fiddling with something in his hand and glanced without interest before raising an eyebrow at Jeong Changin.

“Did you see Taei off well?”

“Ah, yes. By now, he should be tens of thousands of feet up. How about you, any results?”

“Is there any need to ask?”

Riegrow shrugged lightly. At his questioning attitude, over something obvious, Jeong Changin just laughed. He was right; there was nothing to ask. There wouldn’t have been any results significant enough to affect this man.

“Isn’t it possible that Horgan might start slashing around again?”

Jeong Changin signaled the officer to go inside first and stood a few steps away from Riegrow. Even though he rarely smoked but took out a cigarette he had in his pocket and lit one. He offered one to Riegrow, but he shook his head.

“Slashing around, huh. I’m not sure if he would want to hasten the day he becomes disabled, but if he wants to, go ahead.”

Riegrow responded indifferently. Jeong Changin nodded.

“Poor Horgan” – Changin muttered to himself, though he didn’t actually feel sorry. After all, wasn’t he the man who slashed his beloved nephew? Even putting that aside, he was a man who never did anything likable.

Taking a shallow puff of his cigarette, Jeong Changin shifted his gaze to what Riegrow was fiddling with. A lizard was floundering in his hand.

The white hand and the green lizard formed quite an aesthetic contrast, although the lizard’s life seemed precariously endangered. Now that he saw it, the lizard had no tail to escape with; it looked even more pitiful.

“Why are you bothering an innocent creature?”

“It’s the stupid lizard that tried to crawl back into the place after I saved it when it was crawling its way in, so what’s so heartbreaking about it dying?”

Despite saying this, Riegrow seemed to be annoyed by the wriggling sensation in his hand and casually tossed it into the bushes. The bushes rustled briefly and then fell silent.

“One shouldn’t attempt to infiltrate a base more than twice.”

“Well, it really was there. There often are those who stick their heads into dangerous places, not knowing their lives are at risk.”

From Riegrow’s casual words, Jeong Changin was reminded of the nephew he had just sent off. Though intelligent and quick-witted, he strangely had a knack for getting into precarious situations, a child to be dearly cherished.

“Well…… still, a lizard, at worst, only dies when unlucky. It’s better than not being able to die, after all.”

Jeong Changin muttered as he exhaled smoke and laughter together.

Still, he wasn’t particularly worried about his nephew. The thought crossed his mind that the extreme misfortune might, by chance, mean extremely good fortune. Even considering that, how many people managed to be deeply entangled with the man beside him and come out alright? From Jeong Changin’s knowledge, none.

Riegrow seemed slightly annoyed but Jeong Changin, maintaining his cheerful mood, didn’t look back. He was well-versed in distinguishing between safe lines and dangerous lines. Moreover, he could skillfully change the subject if things seemed risky.

“Oh, right. I saw those kids at the airport, Taeui’s classmates. They were there because their flight times were similar.”

Riegrow murmured: “Hmm”, but didn’t say much else. He barely curved his lips into a smile, as if saying: “Is that so?”

“The guy named Kim Jeongpil had his jaw wrapped and didn’t even glance this way. I heard his jawbone got fractured.”

“Tsk, tsk,” – Clucking his tongue, Jeong Changin flicked the ash off his cigarette. As he murmured to himself how he wondered where the guy got hurt just before leaving, Riegrow’s thin gaze briefly flitted over Jeong Changin’s smiling face.

“Sometimes, I find it truly fascinating that Taei inherited your genes. He really doesn’t resemble you.”

At Riegrow’s words, Jeong Changin laughed nonchalantly.

“Hahaha, if he resembled me, he wouldn’t have gotten involved with you in that way, to begin with. Well, I have no such interests, but if I had to choose, I’d find the shy little troublemaker who secretly pokes fun while pretending not to, cuter. Like that classmate of mine, the one who gets himself into trouble for carelessly running his mouth.”

Riegrow arched an eyebrow slightly but said nothing.

Changin enjoying his cigarette. Changin knew. He knew that the young man named Kim Jeonpil had slyly approached Riegrow before leaving and had returned with a broken jaw. And Riegrow knew that Jeong Changin knew.

Jeong Changin glanced at Riegrow with amused eyes.

“Even though I thought you might let it go because he took a knife for Taeui, why did you end up throwing a punch? Did he ask you to break up with Taeui? Or did it finally bother you that he had been badmouthing Taeui non-stop in front of you until then?”

Riegrow tilted his head reluctantly and sighed discontentedly: “Hmph.”

“No. When he was badmouthing Taei, I just thought he was a pesky guy. It was amusing and somewhat entertaining. Besides, it was a matter between them, and Taei would surely get angry if I got involved. So, I had no intention to take action just because he badmouthed him……”

“Then what, did it finally get to you that he was hitting on Taeui?”

Jeong Changin asked as he twirled a cigarette between his fingers. He already knew, but he had a gossip-loving nature. He couldn’t help but be curious about why this man, who had decided to let Kim Jeongpil off the hook, lost his temper and got into a fight.

As Riegrow recalled that time, wrinkles formed on his brow by themselves.

“――I did think about it for a while. No, I didn’t even need to think; I was just going to quietly settle it lightly. If it weren’t for Horgan, that guy Kim Jeongpil would have been buried in the grass somewhere, but……anyways, since he did something commendable, I decided to give him a big gift in his life.”

“Hmm” – Jeong Changin tilted his head with a smile.

So, if all the obvious guesses are wrong, what could be left? Jeong Changin pondered in his mind.

Riegrow was looking at Jeong Changin puffing on a cigarette with a smiling face but with disapproving and cold eyes, reached out and pulled out a pack of cigarettes from Jeong Changin’s front pocket. He took one out, placed it in his mouth, and lit it.

No matter what, the most plausible guess was that the guy went to Riegrow and said something about breaking up with Taeui, but then again, he didn’t seem like such a bold guy.

Jeong Changin was happily playing out scenarios in his mind, glanced sideways at Riegrow, who was puffing out smoke with a cold expression.

“He asked me to take good care.”

Just as Riegrow finished exhaling smoke, he suddenly blurted out. As Jeong Changin was drawing on his cigarette, he raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“That guy, Taei, though he sometimes gets hot-headed and makes people angry, has a fundamentally good nature, so there’s no malice in him. So, you should calm down and think before raising your hand if something makes you angry, ――said something like that.”

“Did Kim Jeongpil say that?”

Jeong Changin’s eyes widened with amusement, and he asked with half-doubting. Riegrow did not answer. Instead of answering, he exhaled another puff of smoke.

“He asked me to take good care of Taei and make him happy, and then filming a drama of his own.”

Riegrow chuckled. Watching Riegrow with a blink, Jeong Changin let out a small “Aha,” then burst into laughter at the amusing turn of events.

Though it was quite unexpected, it was also something Kim Jeongpil, that young man, might do.

‘Rather than a drama, it was a comedy.’ – Jeong Changin thought amidst his laughter, which did not stop for quite a while.

Riegrow was chewing on the cigarette filter beside Changin. And with a displeased tone, he muttered under his breath.

“What right does he have to ask me to look after Taei? It’s not even his to ask about, nor is it within his rights to ask me to make someone happy.”

Though he managed to lower the sound, Jeong Changin’s laughter itself did not cease. He smoked and smirked,while imagining the situation.

Kim Jeongpil must have been worrying seriously and then earnestly approaching Riegrow with a serious face. And Riegrow might meet such Kim Jeongpil with bewilderment and annoyance. And the sudden and unexpected request between them.

It was comical. It was truly like a comedy scene.

Indeed, so that’s how he ended up bringing it upon himself.

Jeong Changin, with a lingering smile in his eyes, glanced sideways at Riegrow, who was spitting out the cigarette filter with an unamused demeanor.

He had thought it before, but this guy was indeed an amusing character. Despite the badmouthing of Jeong Taeui or the fights with him, he just laughed it off, yet got worked up over the request to make Taeui happy. It was an odd spot to get tangled up in; his line drawing had its distinct clarity based on his unique perspective.

“So, in the end, you ended up hitting him? But considering it’s just a bone crack, you were rather gentle.”

“I didn’t really want it to get to Taei’s ears.”

Riegrow concluded briefly.

“Aha” – said Jeong Changin, he raised the corner of his mouth crookedly: “Why?”, then he began to ask gently.

“If Taeui had heard that, he would have jumped up and down and been angry, asking who dares to request something of him.”

“Knowing that he harbored unnecessary feelings for Taei, it’s not like that would be of any benefit.”

Jeong Changin gave a subtle smile as he looked at the one clicking his tongue as if it was bothersome. “Considering he’s not going to lose anything.” – He mumbled to himself.

Jeong Changin turned his gaze with a pleasant feeling. The weather in the afternoon was exceptionally nice. Slightly gazing at the sunlight that couldn’t be seen from inside the office building, he muttered.

“But I also want to say, Taeui, please take care of him.”

Though accompanied by a gentle smile, the words were not entirely a joke. Jeong Changin glanced at Riegrow. “Will you hit me too?” – He thought with a smile.

Riegrow, who was looking at Jeong Changin with cold eyes, enough to make him think he might indeed hit him, chuckled.

“My life is my own to manage, so there’s no need for other people to worry.”

“Hmm?” – Jeong Changin tilted his head, and then burst into laughter again. “Well, well, well” – He shook his head.

“Being compared to your life, I’m really starting to feel confused about whether I should pity or be grateful for that kid.”

“What should be done, our Taeui.” – He said and seemed concerned but unable to erase his smile, as Riegrow looked down at Jeong Changin with displeasure and muttered to himself.

“You two really don’t look alike, you and Taei. There’s no other father and son duo quite like this.”

“Hmm? Ahaha, that’s because we’re not father and son. That child’s father is not me but my brother. I was merely a provider of insignificant sperm. My brother filled in everything else. Everything that forms the foundation of Taeui’s mind. Taeui resembles my brother. They’re the spitting image of a father and son.”

“So he’s my beloved nephew.” – Jeong Changin laughed. Riegrow stared at him, then said indifferently: “I’m glad he doesn’t resemble you.” 

“Yes, I agree with that.” – Jeong Changin nodded.

But even so, although Jeong Changin never thought of himself as his nephew’s father and never will, sincerely thought. Please take care of my nephew so he can lead a happy life. ——Probably, this man will have the most significant impact on my nephew’s life from now on.

However, saying such a thing, although he wouldn’t punch him on the jaw like he did with Kim Jeongpil, it was obvious that Riegrow wouldn’t respond kindly, so Jeong Changin kept his mouth shut.

Besides, he felt there was no need to say it.

Even without saying anything, without anyone telling him so, this man would likely value ‘life’ as he mentioned himself.

Jeong Changin raised his lazy gaze upward, still with a cigarette that had been smothered all the way in the filter, dangling from his lips.

“Ah, the weather’s nice.”

Looking up at the very clear sky where his nephew would be flying by now, Jeong Changin muttered quietly and lazily. “I see”, Riegrow briefly replied. Perhaps Riegrow was also thinking of someone flying in that clear sky.

Hearing that low and peaceful reply, Jeong Changin decided to neatly put away the small worry he had harbored for his nephew in a corner of his mind.

He felt he could do just that.