It was just after Ilay had hung up the phone.

The moment he put down the receiver and turned around, the door opened, and Taeui came in, arms full of beer. He had rushed off to his uncle’s room, saying that there should be celebratory drinks for the guest, and came back joyfully with the beer.

There seemed to be some commotion outside and a hint of it slipped through the door as it opened, but it was soon blocked out when Taeui shut the door with his foot.

However, that wasn’t what was important.

The person who had made Taeui prepare the celebratory drinks was Christoph, who had suddenly flown to Hong Kong unannounced, saying he was on holiday. He stood frozen like ice, staring intently at Ilay.

Taeui, who came in happily with the beer, and Ilay, who calmly hung up the phone, both stopped in their tracks, bewildered by Christoph’s unusual demeanor as he stared at Ilay with wide bright blue eyes.

“I.”

Finally, after a hesitant pause, words dropped from Christoph’s quivering lips.

His fingers trembled too, and the hot tea in the cup he was holding nearly spilled, but precariously settled back into the cup. As Christoph’s shadow, which had moved closer over the crimson tea, retreated; the cup was set back on the saucer.

“Hm?”

Taeui had just come into the room, he looked confusedly back and forth between Christoph and Ilay, having no idea what was going on. Ilay was also looking at Christoph with an expression of disbelief as if wondering what had suddenly gotten into him.

Christoph was looking at Ilay with a gaze of disbelief or suspicion, then looked back at Taeui. The eyes that had been boring into Taeui with heat shifted back to Ilay. The clear blue eyes began to sparkle.

“I. I will do it. I’ll handle it!”

Christoph blinked his eyes, which had a faint thrill rising in them, and clearly stated his intention. Taeui murmured “Hm?” again, looking from Christoph to Ilay. And Ilay, who had been momentarily lost in thought, clicked his tongue, as if he had finally understood what Christoph was talking about.

“What is?”

Taeui dropped the pile of beer cans he had been holding onto the table with a clatter and asked in bewilderment. To him, Christoph spoke clearly as if indicating there was no chance of changing the topic.

“I heard Rick call Alain a little while ago. Saying if Taeui dies, spare no means to kill Rick. I will do it.”

Taeui was picking up the beer cans rolling off the table, then suddenly paused. He stood frozen for exactly three seconds, then slowly lifted his head and looked at Ilay with strangely wide eyes.

“You…… you actually did it, the request?!”

“……Yeah.”

Ilay murmured bitterly, as if regretting making the call in the presence of this one. He gave Christoph a displeased look but soon assumed a whatever demeanor.

“I don’t care whether it’s you or whoever else. Anyone who can, go ahead and try. I said it was fine to request it multiple times.”

To Ilay, who spoke with a scoff challenging them to try if they could, Christoph maintained an expression barely containing his excitement, stating once again clearly: “I will do it!” He then looked at Taeui. Despite the calm facade, his eyes were gleaming.

“If Rick dies, you’d have no master anymore, right?”

“……Well, that’s true. But wasn’t there a prerequisite before that?”

Taeui, with an expression of disbelief that it might actually happen, looked disapprovingly at Ilay, then turned to Christoph. This one was definitely a smart kid, but sometimes he showed a half-witted side……

Muttering: “Prerequisite”, it seemed Christoph recalled the critical prerequisite in the blink of an eye. In an instant, the light faded from his face, which was murmuring an “Ah……”.

“Focusing solely on the request to kill him by any means…… Then there would be no point in killing Rick after you’re dead.”

With a face that suddenly turned indifferent, Christoph slumped onto the sofa. He picked up the teacup again and sipped, making slurping sounds. Though his nature was wicked, his deportment was excellent, every action embodying a young lord from a good family; seeing him drink tea noisily now suggested a great internal disappointment, not obvious on the surface.

Christoph looked disapprovingly at Ilay, who was opening a beer can Taeui had thrown at him, then spoke coldly.

“Why don’t you just die first?”

“――Ilay, didn’t you do my request? I told you to request mine too.” – Taeui said.

As soon as Christoph finished speaking, Taeui frowned. However, Ilay pretended not to hear Taeui’s words and looked down coldly at Christoph, who was glaring at him right in front of his eyes.

“I don’t want to live longer than this bastard…… but listening to you makes me not want to die before him either.”

“Don’t worry about dying timidly; just go first. Make it neat and quick.”

“Don’t worry about Taei, I’ll definitely attend your funeral if you die.” – Christoph said, urging Ilay toward death with words that made no sense.

Ilay was looking down at Christoph coldly, and then muttered slowly as if talking to himself.

“Oh, right. I remember. You, didn’t Richard say he was going to take a vacation and head to Riyadh, but you came here without telling him? I just got a call from him right before you arrived.”

As soon as these casual words were spoken, Christoph closed his mouth. The sound of gulping down tea grew noticeably louder.

Taeui rolled his eyes and drank his beer. He had a feeling of a brewing storm but felt relieved. He was going to leave this base in a few days. Then he would say goodbye to the gossip-mongers outside who were whispering: “Taei’s lover is here!”, “What, the protagonist of that photo?! The one who doesn’t look human?!”, “Where! Where!”, “Will he fight a three-way battle with Rick?”,…… and other baseless words. He would also part ways with Richard, who seemed like he would chase him all the way to Hong Kong…… Welp, if Richard really came, he would probably just drag Christoph back with him right away.

Taeui kicked the door once toward the whispering voices scratching at the door crack. The scattering sound of roaches would surely gather again in less than 30 seconds.

Probably, those guys’ nonsense accounted for about 30% of the reason Ilay was in a bad mood now…… And 50% of the bad mood was just Christoph being there, and the remaining 20% was probably because of the conversation that had just transpired.

“……”

Thinking this, Taeui glanced at Ilay, who looked markedly different from when they were alone, even though he kept a typically expressionless face while drinking his beer.

“……you.”

Taeui sighed and put down his beer can.

“Assuming that request doesn’t exist, what do you think I would do if you died first?”

“You’d live.”

“Yes, I’d live.”

Taeui replied simply to the succinct answer that came without much thought. Of course, he’d survive. Even if in agony, he wouldn’t die.

But.

When Taeui was about to continue, he glanced at Christoph’s reaction a bit self-consciously, but then deliberately ignored him and turned to Ilay. Ilay was more important than Christoph.

“Still, no one will stir my life more than you…….So, either take on my share of the request, or live a long life.

Taeui said up to that point and picked up his beer can again. Though he was sincere, it felt better to drink beer and gloss over it since his cheeks were getting warm.

Ilay stayed silent. Ilay’s eyes, focused on Taeui as though he were savoring an appetizer, then started to curve gently. After a while, Ilay’s voice responded: “I’ll keep that in mind”, with a faint laugh mixed in.

Beside them, Christoph, who had kept silent since Ilay’s earlier verbal bombardment, revealed his displeasure by glaring at Taeui with white eyes.

“Taei, how did you become like this? No matter how much you hate or curse the world, you shouldn’t do this.”

“Uh?”

“There are people who should live longer. Why would you want him to live longer?”

Christoph grumbled harshly while gesturing at Ilay. Taeui stared at him with an open mouth, unable to find words.

Well, it’s not entirely wrong, but being his childhood friend and former colleague, isn’t that something you shouldn’t say about Ilay…… saying that would likely provoke a simultaneous nasty reaction from both of them, so Taeui wisely kept quiet. Instead, he shrugged his shoulders ambiguously, neither affirming nor denying.

Yet, even if those words were entirely accurate, it couldn’t be helped. Taeui, not being so righteous, prioritized his self-interest over the world. That’s why he genuinely hoped that Ilay would live a long life.

When he glanced at him, Ilay was giving him a subtly amused smile with meaningful eyes, so Taeui’s desire to voice this disappeared.

However, Ilay probably read Taeui’s mind anyway. Feeling awkward, Taeui scratched his head and let out a somewhat ambiguous laugh. Ilay, too, drank his beer in silence, his eyes curving gently.

Between such two people, the only one who seemed unhappy was Christoph. Alternating between observing the two who were giggling as they exchanged glances and looking sullen, Christoph put down his teacup as if something inside him had twisted. Then suddenly, as if he had a bright idea, Christoph opened his eyes wide and tilted his head slightly upward as he called out: “Taei.”

“Come to think of it, I have a message for you.”

“Huh? For me?”

Taeui pointed at himself with a bewildered expression. Christoph nodded.

“Yes. On my way back from asking my employer for some time off, I happened to run into Jeong Jaei. He asked me to pass on a message since I was coming to meet you.”

“Oh? My brother? What did he say?”

Hearing the familiar name, Taeui immediately leaned in toward Christoph. Christoph, who didn’t miss how Ilay’s eyebrow twitched subtly at that moment, curved his lips. Ilay also noticed the curve in Christoph’s lips, his eyes growing more frigid.

Feeling noticeably better, Christoph, now looking at Taeui – then at Ilay – gave them a beautifully sculpted smile and conspicuously patted the seat next to him. Taeui blinked as he looked at Christoph.

“……Huh?”

“He asked me to tell only you.”

Saying so, Christoph tapped the seat next to him again, and Taeui kept blinking at him for a while.

“……”

Somehow, it seemed better not to sit there.

Ilay’s silent stare somehow felt prickly. A somewhat unusual tension seemed to be flowing between the gazes merging around him.

Yet, amidst these swirling thoughts, Taeui couldn’t help but sluggishly sit next to Christoph. He couldn’t ignore a message that was supposedly meant for him only from his brother.

Christoph scooted close to Taeui with his usual expressionless yet twinkling eyes. His sideways glance at Ilay seemed somewhat triumphant.

Though the sound of Ilay flattening an empty beer can with a sudden press sounded rather ominous, Christoph pressed his face to Taeui’s ear, speaking louder than necessary – quite loud enough for Ilay with his keen ears to catch – and whispered,

“He said to stay healthy.”

“……”

“…….”

“And then?”

“And then? What else?”

“Is that all?”

After waiting for a while without seeing any sign that Christoph would speak further, Jeong Taeui, urging him from behind, stared intently at Christoph, who was looking at him blankly as if asking ‘What else is there?’ Eventually, Taeui slowly pulled his face back.

The face was too close. Though Ilay’s gaze feeling like needles pricked him, even without Ilay, seeing that face up close wasn’t good for his heart.

Even if Christoph was not his type, Taeui still thumped his heart to calm the unintended flutter.

“――Stay healthy.”

No matter how he thought about it, it was not a message that needed to be whispered. There was no reason for his brother to tell him alone.

“…….”

For some reason, given the previous events, Taeui felt like he knew what thought process had unfolded in Christoph’s mind.

No doubt, the claim it was meant only for him translated to ‘I didn’t hear anything about passing it on to Ilay here’, or Christoph might have intentionally skewed the interpretation.

In the meantime, Ilay and Christoph were still exchanging piercing stares over Taeui, who sighed as he reluctantly tasted bitterness.

“Thanks for delivering the message, Chris.”

Though the content was scant to call it a message, Christoph delivered the news anyway. Moreover, Christoph was the last person who met Jeong Jaeui. There was no one else to inquire about his brother’s well-being.

“Is my brother doing well?”

“Yeah. He seemed to be doing very well. There have been rumors from before that genius researcher Jeong Jaei is living the high life, invited to a research facility with conditions no less than those of royalty.”

Hearing Christoph nod and tell this cheerfully, Taeui nodded, feeling relieved: “Good, good.”

Even if there’s no need to worry about his brother wherever he is, hearing that he is well brings comfort. Taeui offered a relaxed smile.

Seeing Taeui’s smiling lips, Christoph blinked with delight for some reason. As if intending to add more about his brother, whom he had thought to stop mentioning, Christoph continued.

“Oh, but when I met him, he did seem a bit unwell. His walking seemed slow, a little limping, holding onto rails when he walked.”

“What? Why? Is he hurt?”

Worried by the ominous words, Taeui frowned momentarily. Although Jeong Jaeui is surprisingly lucky, it doesn’t mean he’s unharmed or never falls ill. Despite thinking it couldn’t be serious, hearing specific details invoked sudden concern.

But Christoph, with a pleased cat-like expression, waved his hand assuring that he had good news through inquiries he made knowing Taeui would worry.

“But it’s all right; knowing you’d worry, I asked him, and there’s no need to worry much.”

Christoph spoke nonchalantly but with a hint of proud demeanor. Taeui exhaled a sigh of relief, his tense expression loosening as he said: “Thanks, Christoph.” Christoph once more caught Ilay in a sidelong glance. While observed Ilay’s eyes grow colder, Christoph’s own expression getting brighter.

Thus, Christoph cheerfully continued, rare crinkles forming around his eyes as he delicately smiled.

“It was because Raman came over last night, so there’s no need to worry. Jeong Jaei said he’ll be fine after some rest, just a bit tired.”

The moment Christoph’s cheerful words had just dropped when the smile on Taeui’s face froze in that very shape. Not noticing this, Christoph continued to say things that he thought would please Taeui.

“Because, knowing you’re sick, you can’t sacrifice someone else just to make yourself comfortable. That’s what he said. I don’t know much, but, whatever it is, he’s smart and has a good personality, which makes him seem almost inhuman, your brother.”

Those words were a kind of praise from Christoph. Christoph knew that Taeui would secretly be pleased if he praised Jeong Jaeui. So, Christoph sincerely offered praise, holding back a reaction that, to another person, would have been a mocking retort of: ‘Are you stupid? Of course, my comfort comes first.’

However.

As Christoph diligently showered praises like “Amazing person” and “Outstanding”, he glanced at Taeui. And in the next moment, closed his mouth.

In front of him was Taeui, looking at Christoph with an expression as if he had fallen into an abyss, with a blank look on his face. His bluish lips quivered as if words were failing him.

“…… Why?”

Christoph flinched and asked with a furrowed brow. But it seemed that question did not reach Taeui’s ears. Lost in a world where he neither saw nor heard anything, Taeui eventually blurted out.

“I…… I drove my brother to that state…… because of something I said…….”

“Taei?”

Murmuring in an incredibly sorrowful voice, Taeui kept his mouth shut for a while, as if observing a moment of silence. Bowing his head, lost in his own melancholic world, he slowly rose from his seat next to Christoph.

“I think I need to go rest…… You two talk.”

Taeui murmured in a heavy exhausted voice, turned away from a pile of beer cans and stumbled out. As he opened the door, he wearily disappeared towards his room, moving like a ghost among the scattering people.

Left behind were a mountain of beer cans, Ilay, and Christoph, blinking in confusion.

“Huh……?!”

In front of Christoph, who was just sitting there clueless, Ilay, who had been silent until then, finally spoke.

“Taei got depressed because of you. You brought unnecessary news, Christoph.”

“What? But it’s news about Jeong Jaei. Taei would be happy――.”

“Does that look like a happy reaction?”

When Ilay gestured towards where Taeui had disappeared, Christoph closed his mouth. “Huh……?” – Blinking repeatedly.

Ilay been looking steadily at Christoph, suddenly gave a slanted smile. In the end, slow and clear words followed.

“You’ll be resented by Taei, Christoph.”

“……!!”

The moment Ilay’s words fell, a confirmed despair dropped like a crash onto Christoph’s face, who had been incredulous.

In front of Christoph, equally dazed and speechless as Taeui; Ilay with the expression had cooled, regained his composure and leisurely reached for a new beer can. Looking at Christoph with slightly mischievous slender eyes, Ilay seemed pleased. Whether it was because of the news Christoph brought or his sinking state, or both, it wasn’t clear.

Ilay was watching Christoph, who was downcast in an instant, then added another kind word.

“Richard said he’ll arrive in Hong Kong by tomorrow at the latest, so seek comfort from him. He’d surely comfort you warmly.”

“……!!”

This was the true hammer blow of confirmation.

Christoph stared at Ilay with his eyes widened. However, seeing the blue wavering pupils, Ilay only wore a deep smile, and Christoph knew all too well that he was not the kind of person to offer a helping hand. (Even if he extended a hand, it would be to push him into the pit, not to offer a rescue.)

At the same time that Taeui was bowing his head dejectedly and walking to his room, Christoph also bowed his head at the same angle.

Only Ilay enjoyed a refreshing beer with a cheerful mood amid them, on this leisurely afternoon.