3.3 Rumors and Truth

A frame hung on the wall at the innermost part of the library.

In the portrait inside the delicately carved, antique wooden frame, a young noblewoman was smiling elegantly.

“I wonder if noblewomen in the past just didn’t have many happy things, or if there was some rule that you shouldn’t smile broadly when having a portrait painted.”

Jeong Tae-ui muttered to himself, quietly tracing the curve of the noblewoman’s lips over the painting. Behind him, Christoph, who was sitting at the desk having a staring contest with a mirror, spoke curtly without even looking over.

“Boucher, 1753. It’s an original.”

“…….”

Jeong Tae-ui quietly withdrew the hand that had been randomly rubbing the painting. If it was a painter known even to someone like him, who had little knowledge of art, the weight of the word ‘original’ must be immense.

“Is it okay to just hang such a precious painting haphazardly in a corner of a library where temperature and humidity aren’t even properly controlled?”

When Jeong Tae-ui spoke skeptically, Christoph silently pointed toward the door. There, just like the frame, hung a thermo-hygrometer that he had passed by countless times while entering and leaving the library but had never looked at closely.

Humidity 55%, temperature 20°C.

“……. Wasn’t this just a dusty old library?”

Jeong Tae-ui smacked his lips and scratched his head. Then he turned his gaze back to the frame.

Looking at her face, which wore a haughty smile that was almost not a smile, he shifted his gaze to Christoph, who was glaring into the mirror beside him.

They looked alike.

That expression of Christoph’s, as he struggled to lift the corners of his mouth while glaring into the mirror, looked very similar to the noblewoman in the painting.

Because of his innate breeding, he looked noble even when standing still, but it was an unnatural smile that seemed subtly rigid.

In the sense that he looked as if he had never once opened his mouth wide to laugh out loud in his life, the woman in the painting and Christoph were a perfect match.

“Is it still weird?”

“No…… it’s not weird.”

As Christoph turned his head from the mirror to Jeong Tae-ui with the corners of his mouth still raised, Jeong Tae-ui crossed his arms, looked at him, and shook his head.

He was stiff and unnatural, like an amateur model, but it wasn’t a weird face. At least it wasn’t like the first time he tried, where it was hard to tell if he was smiling or frowning.

“It looks like a haughty, precious princess giving a polite smile to her suitors.”

At Jeong Tae-ui’s critique, Christoph immediately erased the smile and furrowed his brow.

“What is that supposed to mean? You’re saying I have an obnoxious face.”

“I can’t help it. Even as a white lie, I can’t call it a warm or bright smile!”

“……Is it that weird?”

“I told you it’s not weird. It suits you.”

Jeong Tae-ui said, waving his hand.

It wasn’t a white lie; that smile, which felt as if he were looking down on people while still exuding nobility, was perfect for Christoph. If he practiced a bit more, the unnatural feeling would disappear, and it would fit him as if it were an expression he was born with.

However, if there was a problem, it was that it was quite far from the image of a smile Christoph himself imagined and desired—a kind and joyful feeling.

“Is it the eyes after all? Right, when I see people who smile well, their eyes always seem to curve narrowly like this. Let’s see…….”

Beside Christoph, who was muttering to himself while glaring into the mirror like the Evil Queen from Snow White, Jeong Tae-ui let out a silent sigh.

He had never thought that smiling required practice.

But certainly, not smiling was better than being unable to smile, and smiling was better than not smiling. And if one was going to smile, it was better to smile brightly enough to make the viewer feel good.

“……I guess a smile is essential if you want to do sales.”

“Since that bastard is the one who mainly deals with people anyway, facial management isn’t that unauthorized copyimportant for me, but I don’t want to hear that ‘the consultation [Read on Read BL Novels]isn’t going well because you have such a desolate face.’”

Mid-sentence, Christoph’s eyes flashed as if he had suddenly remembered the moment he heard those words from Richard, and anger surged within him.

Noticing that he was about to throw the mirror, Jeong Tae-ui quickly grabbed it and gave a bright smile.

“Now, now, if you don’t want to give him a reason, smile, smile.”

When Jeong Tae-ui spoke with a wide grin, Christoph glared at the mirror as if frustrated, let out an uncomfortable sigh, and softened his eyes again.

For the past few days, Christoph had been away from home for nearly half the day.

After agreeing to assist Richard, he accompanied him whenever he went out.

Jeong Tae-ui didn’t know exactly what Christoph did, but based on the stories Christoph vented about while taking his anger out on him every night, it seemed he wasn’t so much assisting as he was just sticking by Richard’s side to flaunt their ‘friendly relationship.’ He heard that while traveling together, he was always present for major tasks related to the Tarten business Richard was in charge of.

Meanwhile, every night, Christoph would burst into Jeong Tae-ui’s room. He would then hold a hand mirror the size of a notebook and stare intently into it, practicing. Practicing how to smile.

‘I mean, it’s not like Christoph is actually doing sales, so why does he need a sales smile?’

On the first day, when Jeong Tae-ui asked in bewilderment while watching from a distance as Christoph threw a fit because he couldn’t smile the way he wanted, Ilay, who was flipping through an evening newspaper in Jeong Tae-ui’s room, spoke without even looking up.

‘If you consider all general interactions with people as a form of sales, then Christoph is essentially doing sales.’

‘Wasn’t Richard the one doing almost all [unauthorized copy]the [Read on Read BL Novels]interacting while [visit our site]handling Tarten’s business?’

‘Ah……, for example.’

Only then did Ilay lift his head. He cast a disinterested glance at Christoph, who was having a staring contest with the mirror with a ghostly face, and took off his glasses.

‘Among the people Richard met today, there was a broker who had been involved with the SIS in the past. That broker happened to be an acquaintance of Christoph. It wasn’t much—just having seen each other a few times on private contracts when Christoph was in the mobile task force—but the man recognized Christoph standing next to Richard and greeted him.’

‘Uh…….’

‘And as usual, that guy just gave a slight nod with that desolate face, so the atmosphere became bleak even before the consultation properly began.’

Jeong Tae-ui, who had been leisurely lounging with his legs over the sofa armrest, resting his head on Ilay’s thigh and sipping beer until Christoph burst in without warning, narrowed his eyes disapprovingly and badmouthed the person who wasn’t there.

‘Even so, he told him to practice smiling? Isn’t Richard being too much?’

‘Hardly. He’s the type to give up on impossible things from the start. It’s simply that Christoph feels bad about hearing unpleasant things from him, so he’s secretly striving on his own. Well, it doesn’t seem to be of much use.’

Ilay answered indifferently, putting the beer can to his lips and glancing at Jeong Tae-ui, who was staring intently at Christoph. Realizing the gaze, when Jeong Tae-ui asked ‘Why?’, Ilay waved his hand, saying it was nothing.

After looking at Ilay curiously, Jeong Tae-ui soon frowned and grumbled, ‘I told you, I don’t care. I don’t.’ He ignored Ilay’s smirk and comment that he was quite quick-witted.

However, in the end, unable to bear watching Christoph make all sorts of faces in front of the mirror and occasionally turning to him to show his teeth like a goblin and seriously asking, ‘How about this? If I smile like this? Does it look okay?’, Jeong Tae-ui threw his beer can aside and rushed to the mirror.

Perhaps Ilay also thought that the ‘smiling face’ [visit our site]Christoph was seriously making could not be left as it was, because he pretended not to see even as Jeong Tae-ui unauthorized copygrabbed Christoph’s cheeks and shouted, ‘Smile as if you’re pulling this muscle, this muscle!’

And after several such nights of endurance, Christoph’s smile finally began to look somewhat plausible.

That smile, like a noblewoman in a portrait, was not a light and natural look suitable for casual settings, but at least it was no longer impossible to tell if he was smiling or angry.

After watching Christoph struggle to create a smiling eye by pressing the corners of his eyes down with his fingers for a while, Jeong Tae-ui sighed and sat across from him. He picked up the leftover beer can from earlier and sipped it while looking at Christoph.

“I was worried since you’re sticking with Richard, but you seem to be getting along surprisingly well. Seeing as there’s been no news of any incidents after a few days.”

“Hmm……? Ah, one guy from the secretary’s office hasn’t shown up for a few days……, but it’s nothing major. I just broke a few of his finger joints so he’ll never dare touch someone else’s thigh carelessly again.”

“……. Is Richard bullying you?”

“I’m assisting with everything he wants, so why would he bully me?”

Christoph stopped making the smiling eyes and shouted fiercely, glaring. ‘Oh, right,’ Jeong Tae-ui quickly retreated.

Indeed, surely he wouldn’t do things like putting thumbtacks in shoes, pouring mop water over him, or tripping him, like in old cartoons. No matter how much he hated him, he wouldn’t bully him so childishly…….

“Come to think of it, just for the hell of it, I put wax on the soles of his shoes, and he almost slipped right down the stairs. Hehe……, maybe I’ll put in some thumbtacks tomorrow.”

“…….”

It seemed he had picked the wrong person to worry about.

Looking at Christoph, whose smiling eyes finally had some life in them as he seemed quite pleased, Jeong Tae-ui scratched his head and thought, I guess so.

What Richard wanted was likely the fact itself that he had Christoph under him and was making him obedient.

He couldn’t have expected practical skills from Christoph, who had long since left Tarten; it was more likely that, at the point of succession, he wanted to symbolically demonstrate his negotiation skills or dominance by getting what he wanted from someone who hated him—and whom he hated in return.

And that had achieved a certain level of success.

In fact, when rumors spread that Christoph was quietly accompanying Richard and even pretending to assist him, more than a few people reacted with something close to shock. And those reactions usually ended with admiration, wondering ‘how Richard managed to pull that off.’

To get that kind of reaction just from getting along with one person; their relationship must have been truly abysmal.

“Well, it might be a good thing in its own way.”

Jeong Tae-ui muttered to himself, sipping his beer.

Anyway, the seeds of the biggest potential disaster had been settled for now. No more unfortunate accidents resulting from the two men’s hostile relationship would occur. For Jeong Tae-ui, it was a relief to be able to breathe a sigh of relief.

However, if there was just one problem…

“You… you like it when people smile.”

Just as a bleak problem was about to bloom, Christoph suddenly spoke up. When Tae-ui turned his [Read on Read BL Novels]gaze [Read on Read BL Novels]toward him with a confused “Huh?”, Christoph, still not taking his eyes off the mirror, hesitated for a moment before continuing.

“I’m not good at smiling, but since you like smiling faces… I thought it might be okay to smile a bit for you.”

Hearing those words muttered in a blunt voice that almost sounded angry, Jeong Tae-ui stared blankly at Christoph for a moment. Then, without realizing it, he asked.

“Are you practicing smiling because of me?”

Christoph didn’t answer and simply glared at the mirror. However, seeing his lips pout slightly, it seemed he really was. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but there seemed to be a slight flush on Christoph’s cheeks. He hoped it was just his imagination.

Unable to say anything, Jeong Tae-ui quietly swallowed his beer.

This was not good.

It wasn’t that he wasn’t happy about someone else’s kindness, but this was not good.

It wasn’t that he disliked Christoph. On the contrary, as sides of the man he had never imagined began to reveal themselves one by one, he had grown to like this man very much.

But that was exactly why it was even worse.

Jeong Tae-ui’s affection was not the same as this man’s, and far from accepting that affection, he didn’t even have the luxury to politely return it.

—If you stay quiet while another bastard touches your crotch again, I’ll get rid of that guy first, and then I’ll make sure you can never use your thing for anyone but me for the rest of your life.

Because the man who had made such a threat was right by his side.

“It’s troublesome enough to have a guy who thinks he’s shared a deep, intimate bond just because he touched a bit of the goods, but a guy like that is also very troublesome…”

Suddenly, the beer tasted incredibly bitter. Still, after drinking every last drop, Jeong Tae-ui set the can down and smacked his lips.

Right. That was also a problem.

One of the headache-inducing problems currently facing Jeong Tae-ui—though he wasn’t the primary party involved—stemmed from the man currently glaring at the mirror in front of him.

While it was worth celebrating that he was no longer causing massive incidents with Richard, behind the scenes, a situation was unfolding that had made Jeong Tae-ui nearly faint for about five seconds when he first heard about it.

 

* * *

 

“Oh.”

“Oh?”

When Jeong Tae-ui muttered an exclamation of surprise upon finding Yohan practically buried in the sofa, Yohan, though not particularly surprised, replied by simply echoing the word, as if just acknowledging Tae-ui’s presence.

“What brings you here, actually reading a book?”

Jeong Tae-ui spoke as he sat on a single-person couch opposite the sofa where Yohan was leaning.

The places where he encountered Yohan were almost always the same.

Either the dining hall or the basement lounge. Or, very occasionally, passing each other in the hallway.

As far as Jeong Tae-ui could remember, he had never run into him in this communal library.

Though called a communal library, it was more accurate to describe it as a lounge hall with a lot of books, where comfortable couches were placed here and there between bookshelves that held slightly more books than a private study.

In fact, the number of people who came here to read was about the same as the number of people who came to lounge and chat in groups on the plush couches. Even now, a few people were sitting and chatting a few bookshelves away from where Jeong Tae-ui was sitting.

In terms of pure reading, the atmosphere wasn’t exactly ideal, but it was great for lounging around and killing time while flipping through pages. Perhaps because of that atmosphere, there were quite a few pulp novels that couldn’t be found in Christoph’s private study.

Right now, Jeong Tae-ui was holding one such pulp novel—one that Yohan had left behind in the dining hall a while ago, which Tae-ui had flipped through a few pages of before eventually seeking out the rest of the volume.

And Yohan was sprawled on the sofa, holding a book with a bizarre title that Tae-ui had no idea where he’d gotten.

“『Now You Too Can Speak the Night, Body Language—Hot Beauties of Foreign Lands』… What on earth is that book even about?”

“I have to prepare in advance if I want to spend my next vacation productively. Don’t you know the saying, ‘Prevention is better than cure’?”

Tae-ui was extremely curious about [stolen content]what kind of preparation he was making and how, but he decided not to ask. Instead, he chose stolen contentto shift the topic to something safer.

“By the way, is it okay for you to be here like this? Everyone seemed busy because a precious guest is coming this evening.”

When Jeong Tae-ui asked, Yohan wrinkled the bridge of his nose as if annoyed and shook his head.

“I’m fine. Only the guys in the high seats are busy.”

Yohan hummed a carefree tune, as if saying there would be no point in having given up on the succession in the first place if he had to run around busily at times like this.

Thinking to himself that this lazy man might actually be living the life of a true sage, Jeong Tae-ui nodded in agreement.

Things had been hectic since dawn today. To be precise, it had been that way for a few days, but today was even more so.

Today was the day the precious guest he had heard about for several days was arriving.

They said the guest was coming from Riyadh.

Riyadh. The capital of Saudi Arabia.

He recalled Ilay’s image, speaking slowly with a slight drawl, “A precious guest visiting from Riyadh,” while wearing a subtle smile. He could immediately tell that the smile contained a hint of annoyance.

Riyadh… Surely, a counter-terrorism capture squad isn’t suddenly coming, right?

“Since it’s the final negotiation for the loan repayment, the people at the very top won’t come personally stolen contentbecause they’re too busy. Instead, the [Read on Read BL Novels]guys just below them will come and try to figure out each other’s ulterior motives, right?”

Yohan muttered nonchalantly, as if he had seen right through Jeong Tae-ui’s worries, though there was no way he actually had.

Jeong Tae-ui tilted his head for a moment and asked tentatively.

“But Rick bombed Riyadh in the past. Is it okay for him to encounter guests from there?”

“Ah—it’s a special situation right now. The date for the succession decision is just around the corner; how could anyone from the outside reach out to someone who has come to Tarten as a VIP? Even if they were targeting him, they’d wait until the moment he leaves Tarten after finishing his business.”

Furthermore, Yohan waved his hand, questioning if a few working-level officials regarding the loan—not Special Forces—could even lay a finger on that guy.

That was true.

Jeong Tae-ui scratched his head and sank deep into the couch.

“I hope those VIPs coming all the way from the Middle East finish their business and leave quickly.”

“Like I said, only the high-ups are busy; it doesn’t matter to slackers like us. Ah… though if Chris gets busy, will you get busy too?”

“Huh? Oh, not me. Since he’s been sticking with Richard during the day lately, I’ve actually become more leisurely at home. It’s not like I can follow him around while he’s handling Tarten’s business.”

In fact, right now, Jeong Tae-ui—who would have been buried under a pile of chores assigned by Christoph at any other time—was lounging around very leisurely. Moreover, if the guests from the Middle East made them busy, Jeong Tae-ui would naturally become even more free.

With the two men who threw seeds of Read on Read BL Novels[Read on Read BL Novels]agony from both sides—Ilay and Christoph—absent, his daytime hours were incredibly peaceful. This was also quite nice.

“I wonder if Christoph will be okay…”

Jeong Tae-ui murmured peacefully to himself and opened his book.

As Yohan had said, Christoph, who had joined the ranks of the high-ups made busy by the arrival of the VIPs, had to get out of bed this morning shortly after the sun rose.

Having to follow the schedule of the diligent and industrious Richard, who left early every morning, Christoph felt like he was dying every morning. (Or he wanted to kill someone).

Because of his low blood pressure, Christoph usually struggled to wake up late in the morning, in that ambiguous time between breakfast and lunch. Today, too, he couldn’t open his eyes even as Jeong Tae-ui clicked his tongue and shook him awake next to the loudly ringing alarm clock.

The person who finally woke Christoph—who was sitting on the bed with a pale face, looking like he was about to die and unable to gather his senses—was Richard.

It had been like this for the past few days.

Richard woke Christoph much more easily and comfortably than Jeong Tae-ui did.

It wasn’t difficult. He just had to barge into Christoph’s room, perfectly prepared for his outing.

The moment he stepped into the room, Christoph, even in a state of sleep-deprived delirium, glared at him with an extremely displeased face.

‘I never said you could come into my room. Get out now.’

‘If you don’t get up and [Read on Read BL Novels]get stolen contentready right now, I’ll visit our sitestep onto the bed with my boots and drag you out.’

‘…If you want to see blood this early in the morning, be my guest.’

While responding to Richard with a deep frown, Christoph reached a state where he could reasonably get up.

Once he left the bed and walked—albeit with weak steps—to the bathroom, only then did Richard leave the room again with a cold expression. He didn’t forget to give a friendly smile and a morning greeting to the awkwardly standing Jeong Tae-ui.

“He left today with every single frown he could muster; he should be fine by now.”

Telling himself that practicing smiling every night would be in vain if he kept frowning like that, Jeong Tae-ui shook his head.

Across from him, Yohan replied while diligently underlining passages in 『Hot Beauties of Foreign Lands』.

“I heard he runs to your room every night and doesn’t come out for a while; what am I supposed to do if people start wondering what he’s doing there?”

Jeong Tae-ui stopped thinking for a moment and looked at Yohan with narrowed eyes.

“Your way of speaking is quite suggestive. If someone heard that, they’d think you’re practicing body language from 『Hot Beauties of Foreign Lands』 every night.”

“Oh, he wasn’t?”

“Of course not!!”

“Then what is he doing?”

To Yohan, who asked as if he were genuinely curious, Jeong Tae-ui stood with his mouth agape, unable to say a word.

For some reason, he felt reluctant to say that Christoph practiced smiling in his room every night.

As Jeong Tae-ui awkwardly closed his mouth and mumbled vaguely, “There’s… something like that… but it’s not like that…”, Yohan looked at him with pity and clicked his tongue.

“That’s why the rumors are so rampant…”

Unable to let that slide, Jeong Tae-ui asked, “What about me!” and Yohan just clicked his tongue and pretended not to know, only opening his mouth after being grabbed by the scruff of his neck and shaken vigorously.

“I heard that you, Christoph, and Richard are in a love triangle.”

“What?”

“Christoph and Richard, who have awakened to a forbidden relationship and have become much closer lately. And you, who have inserted yourself like a supporting character.”

“What is that!”

Jeong Tae-ui shouted with wide eyes, but Yohan whipped his head back and began reading his book again. While underlining important passages of 『Hot Beauties of Foreign Lands』 with his hand, he clicked his tongue and gave advice like a pot calling the kettle black, saying, ‘A person shouldn’t play so loosely with their lower half.’

Jeong Tae-ui stared at him in disbelief.

Jeong Tae-ui had already heard the first part of that rumor.

It was also one of the main concerns causing his headaches.

Whether it was because the words Christoph had desperately lamented to him a while ago—that he had ‘ended up in a sexual relationship with Richard’—had leaked out (he could find the source of the rumor easily), the rumor had spread as half-joke, half-truth, and now everyone in the west wing knew about it except the parties involved.

As for Christoph, he was the one who started the rumor—though he had no intention of spreading a rumor and was simply lamenting the truth as he believed it—but even so, every time Tae-ui saw Richard treating them with a kind smile, knowing nothing, his heart stung. Especially when Richard acted politely and affectionately toward even Christoph in front of others.

Don’t do that. The more you do that, the more credibility the false rumors gain and the further they spread…

However, he couldn’t bring himself to say that to Richard himself.

So, Jeong Tae-ui had just been agonizing over the unfortunate rumors.

And then, Yohan suddenly dropped a bomb on top of that.

“Just to state my innocence, I have absolutely! never had any unspeakable physical relationship with them.”

Realizing once again how terrifying rumors are—where everyone around knows except the person involved—Jeong Tae-ui solemnly defended himself to Yohan.

Whether he believed it or not, Yohan looked at Jeong Tae-ui with narrowed eyes.

“Come to think of it, I heard that when you followed Christoph and barged into Richard’s bar, you and Rick did some… ‘this and that’.”

Gasp, even that rumor is circulating…

Since that wasn’t a false rumor, he had no excuse to make.

Yohan, perhaps picking up the truth from Jeong Tae-ui’s expression, looked at him with eyes that seemed to say you promiscuous… before subtly cutting off eye contact by returning to his book.

“Hey, I said it’s not like that!!”

“What’s not? I heard testimony from several mouths that you were penetrated by Rick, is that not true?”

“No… I mean, that’s not… I mean… I maintain a pure and innocent friendship with Christoph!”

“Is that so? Then I guess it is. Then again, I didn’t think you’d do that with Christoph from the start. You’d need a face that matches his. Does a face like yours even deserve a tulip worth thousands of guilders?”

“Discriminating against people based on their faces—no, that’s not it, if you know it’s a false rumor, you should correct it!”

“Why should I? Even if I correct it without evidence, they aren’t the type to believe it, and rumors usually fizzle out in less than three months anyway.”

Jeong Tae-ui felt a momentary urge to kill Yohan as he shrugged irresponsibly.

Suddenly losing all strength, Jeong Tae-ui leaned back into the couch, almost lying down, and covered his face with his book. Beside him, he heard Yohan muttering.

“Anyway, ‘this and that’ with Rick… It’s a miracle he wasn’t carried off to the hospital. I guess his body is stronger than I thought.”

Or maybe, since I’ve never tried it so I don’t know, the human body is mysteriously built so Read on Read BL Novelsthat a thickness like that goes in surprisingly easily? —As Yohan hummed to himself and chuckled, Jeong [stolen content]Tae-ui quietly Read on Read BL Novelsstood up, grabbed a 1.6-liter plastic beer bottle standing next to a nearby trash can by the bottom, and approached him ominously.

“Why don’t you try experimenting with your own body. I’ll help you.”

Yohan, who turned to look at Jeong Tae-ui with a “Huh?”, immediately stiffened when he saw the plastic bottle in his hand.

“Hey… you can’t possibly mean that size, right?”

“Yeah, the psychological pressure is similar. As for the physical pressure, well, if you think that once you pass the limit, it’s all the same, there won’t be that much of a difference. Now, come here.”

Jeong Tae-ui was smiling broadly with a half-absent expression. Temporary personality loss due to stress—that was the thought that flashed through Yohan’s mind at that moment.

“Hey, hey, that’s ridiculous… But why are you coming toward me? Hey, don’t come here. Do you know you look exactly like Jason with a chainsaw right now?”

“Stop talking and take off your pants.”

“N-no, hey, stop… Aaaagh! I was wrong! Save me!!”

“Take them off! I said take them off!!”

When the men chatting on the other side of the bookshelves rushed over, startled by the sudden screams and shouting, Jeong Tae-ui was pulling at the belt buckle of a struggling and resisting Yohan.

And so, another rumor took root.

 

* * *

 

The distance from Jeong Tae-ui’s room, located at the edge of the west wing, to the main entrance of the central building was quite far. It was a distance where one could tell people were coming and going, but couldn’t identify specific faces.

However, when two black sedans and several medium-sized wagons stopped one after another in front of the main entrance, and two men who looked like VIPs stepped out of the lead sedan, Jeong Tae-ui—who had been watching from the moment the cars stopped—could tell that they were at least not the man he had encountered before.

He didn’t know why, but if it had been that man, the owner of the Seringe villa, he felt he would have recognized him even from a distance where faces were indistinguishable. That was how extraordinary that man’s presence had been.

“Well… since it’s someone else, I can relax a bit for now.”

Jeong Tae-ui patted his chest and sighed.

Anyway, it was incredibly awkward to face the owner of the house after having practically leveled it. He felt as though he should immediately bow his head and apologize, saying, “I’m sorry for leaving your house in that state.”

Seeing Richard and Christoph—who were recognizable even from a distance where their faces were blurred—standing side by side as if guiding the guests into the entrance, Jeong Tae-ui stepped back from the window.

The day was gradually drawing to a close. The sun had already set, leaving only a faint trace of a reddish-purple glow in the twilight. It was almost dinner time.

Since distinguished guests had arrived, they would likely be dining in the main building or the east wing today. That meant the dining hall in the west wing would be relatively quiet.

Thinking that he could finally enjoy a [unauthorized copy]meal in [unauthorized copy]a relaxed atmosphere for the first time in a while, [unauthorized copy]Jeong Tae-ui left his room.

He dreamed of a pleasant evening: eating leisurely, returning to his room to roll around on the bed, drinking beer while reading a book, and falling into a peaceful sleep. With these thoughts, he walked toward the dining hall with a light step.

Since the guest who had been the subject of rumors for days had finally arrived, he figured everyone would be preoccupied with them for at least today, meaning no one would bother him.

However.

Despite that.

In less than an hour, Jeong Tae-ui found himself sitting in a spacious and cozy drawing room deep inside the first floor of the east wing.

“…….”

“Is something wrong? You look pale. Are you feeling unwell?”

The person showing such kind concern was Richard, who was certainly not someone who held any affection for Jeong Tae-ui.

In terms of their relationship, Ilay—who should have been the one paying the most meticulous attention to him—seemed completely indifferent to whether Jeong Tae-ui’s complexion was ashen or not. Christoph, who had once confessed to him, albeit bluntly, sat beside Richard with a cold expression.

And across from them, in the seats of honor, were two unfamiliar Arab men.

Their attire, consisting of thobes and gutras, seemed somewhat out of place in this setting, but thanks to their distinct presence, they didn’t look awkward.

They were scheduled to stay here for four days before returning. Upon arriving [visit our site]at the mansion, [Read on Read BL Novels]they were to [stolen content]meet the elder and other family heads, then enjoy a late dinner after having some simply prepared tea.

And now, before the banquet was ready, they were enjoying refreshments with Richard, the man who would host them for the next few days and the final counterpart in the negotiations.

Unable to understand for the life of him why he had to be present at such a gathering, Jeong Tae-ui simply sipped his tea.

He couldn’t even figure out the criteria for the selection.

He understood why the two men before him—the central figures among the Middle Eastern guests—and Richard, along with Christoph, were sitting there. He could even concede that Ilay was present, given his position of observing and evaluating the succession candidates.

But no matter how much he racked his brain while drinking his tea, he couldn’t understand why he had been dragged into this.

“You seem to be uncomfortable.”

The one who seconded Richard’s remark was the man on the right, who appeared to be of higher rank among the two men from Arabia.

His features were sharp and bold, giving off an intimidating aura just by his appearance, but the gentle smile in his eyes softened that intensity considerably.

“Ah… I was in the middle of enjoying a leisurely and delicious meal when I was dragged out, so I think I’m having some indigestion…”

Jeong Tae-ui muttered, rubbing his chest.

“Oh dear. We are preparing a dinner with the utmost care, however modest it may be, so that is unfortunate. Would it be better if we prepared some digestive medicine for you?”

Jeong Tae-ui waved his hand at Richard, who made the suggestion with a worried look.

Meanwhile, Jeong Tae-ui felt a constant gaze.

Across from him, the Arab man was quietly watching him.

It wasn’t overly blatant, but it was direct enough to be noticed; he was examining Jeong Tae-ui carefully.

Should I pretend not to notice? …But then I’ll be the only one feeling uneasy.

Jeong Tae-ui let out a quiet sigh and set down his teacup. He then lifted his head and looked at the man. His eyes met with the man who had been observing him, as if it were only natural.

“You seem puzzled that someone who looks like a third party is included in a gathering like this. To be honest, I am puzzled as well.”

Jeong Tae-ui spoke in a joking tone with a light laugh. At that, the Arab man’s eyes widened slightly, and in the next moment, he burst into laughter.

“My apologies. I didn’t intend to, but I must have been too blatant. I am Malik Al-Kahim.”

As he shook the hand that was readily offered, Jeong Tae-ui trailed off, saying, “Yes, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

He didn’t know how far he should go with the introduction. If he gave a name, which one should he use? Would this man know of the Jeong Tae-ui who was widely wanted by the law or not? Since he had no information on the man, Jeong Tae-ui couldn’t be the first to speak.

He glanced at Ilay, who was sitting beside him. However, Ilay merely looked at their joined hands in silence, seemingly having no intention of helping him.

Fortunately, the man who identified himself as Malik didn’t seem to mind that Jeong [visit our site]Tae-ui didn’t introduce stolen contenthimself; he let go of the hand with a pleasant smile.

In that moment, even without being told, Jeong Tae-ui instinctively realized.

The man before him knew who Jeong Tae-ui was.

Although this was their first meeting, he had undoubtedly come with information about Jeong Tae-ui.

Thinking about it, in this situation, there was no way he wouldn’t know Jeong Tae-ui’s face. Just as he knew the face of Ilay sitting right next to him.

“…―.”

Jeong Tae-ui quietly turned his gaze to the side. Sensing the look, Ilay looked back.

The moment their eyes met, Jeong Tae-ui gave a bitter smile. Seeing that smile, Ilay showed a faint smile only in the corners of his eyes—a smile so subtle that Jeong Tae-ui wouldn’t have noticed if they hadn’t lived skin-to-skin for several years.

…Damn it. So that’s what this is.

Was he trying to get a look at him before negotiating with Tarten? Even so, he probably would have reached a tentative conclusion on what decision to make before even leaving his home country.

This is why I can’t understand the way people in high positions think, Jeong Tae-ui grumbled inwardly, chewing on his teacup.

Assuming they didn’t want repayment under conditions completely unrelated and detached, he could narrow down the possibilities.

The easiest guess would be the handover of the primary culprit of the Riyadh bombing.

Jeong Tae-ui unconsciously turned his head and stared blankly at Ilay.

What was this man thinking?

Although he had become remarkably human now and had stayed quietly in Berlin for the past few years without any incidents—though he did go out occasionally claiming he had work—Jeong Tae-ui had no idea why this man had come to stay here at this point in time.

“What.”

Ilay, who had glanced at Jeong Tae-ui, asked curtly. Jeong Tae-ui shook his head.

“Nothing. I’m just amazed that after knowing you for several years, there are still parts of you I don’t know.”

Jeong Tae-ui shrugged and picked up a wine bottle sitting on the corner of the table, examining it with indifference. He could hear Ilay chuckle beside him.

“Well, for several years, I’ve often thought that I don’t understand myself at all, either.”

“Hmm…? I never thought of you as someone who doesn’t know himself well.”

“Did I seem that way? I thought so too, until a few years ago.”

Tap, tap. A white hand patted Jeong Tae-ui’s thigh. To be precise, it was a dark blue glove covering a white hand.

I don’t really care, but continuing to rub my thigh like stolen contentthis is a [Read on Read BL Novels]bit much… Despite thinking this, Jeong Tae-ui couldn’t say a word.

Suddenly feeling a sharp gaze, he looked over to find Christoph glaring at the hand resting on his thigh.

What an atmosphere… While clicking his tongue inwardly and glaring at the innocent wine bottle, it happened.

Malik, who had been watching them intently, spoke up.

“Come to think of it, I’ve heard that the two of you are on very good terms. Indeed, it’s just as I heard.”

Jeong Tae-ui, who had been peering at the label of the wine bottle, suddenly froze. Ilay’s hand, which had been lightly stroking Jeong Tae-ui’s thigh, also stopped for a moment.

That Jeong Tae-ui and Ilay Riegrow were on good terms.

Setting aside whether that fact was true, the words had come from none other than Malik’s mouth.

…Aha. I see.

Jeong Tae-ui smiled bitterly.

Malik had just said: I know who you are.

Since it was impossible for Malik to have heard the wild rumor that Kim Young-soo and Riegrow were on good terms, Jeong Tae-ui actually felt more at ease. It was better not to have to rack his brain wondering how much the man knew.

“Were there rumors that we are on good terms?”

When Jeong Tae-ui asked with a smile, Malik shrugged and replied, “Of course.” Seeing that deep smile, Jeong Tae-ui also gave a bitter smile.

The rumors must have spread everywhere. At this rate, he was doomed to never get married. His marriage prospects were completely ruined.

Jeong Tae-ui prayed fervently in his heart. He couldn’t do anything about the rumors that had already spread, but he hoped that from now on, at least no one would openly ask him like that bastard Yohan, “You do this and that with that guy, but your lower half is still intact?!”

Then again, if he thought about it, wasn’t the reason they were wanted as terrorists also because “they were on good terms”?

“So.”

Then, Ilay, who had barely spoken, opened his mouth. As if nothing had happened, his gloved hand began to move again, and in Jeong Tae-ui’s eyes, he saw Ilay with a faint smile appearing at the corners of his eyes.

Perhaps because he was thinking that, Ilay’s black eyes looked straight at Malik, who wore a somewhat meaningful smile.

“Is what you want to say regarding the source of where you heard that story?”

“Haha, certainly not. I simply thought the friendship you maintain was quite admirable.”

Malik spoke with a friendly smile and then looked at Jeong Tae-ui. Jeong Tae-ui, who had wanted to remain a bystander until the end and never get involved between them, instinctively stiffened his lips when the gaze suddenly flew toward him.

Perhaps because of their respective positions, it didn’t feel ordinary.

An international fugitive who had terrorized the capital of a nation.

A man who came as a representative of that nation’s state-owned company.

A friend of the fugitive and a mediator who owed a debt to the state-owned company.

“You were Mr. Jeong Tae-ui, correct? I was told that my superior owed you a favor recently.”

At Malik’s words, Jeong Tae-ui had no choice but to remain silent for a while.

Because his name had been spoken accurately from that mouth—even though he had already guessed it—and because of the existence of the “superior” mentioned immediately after.

If it was the superior of this man who came as the negotiation representative of the state-owned company…

Before Jeong Tae-ui could even wonder, Malik continued, resolving the question.

“No, to be precise, was it your older brother, Mr. Jeong Jae-ui? We hosted him at the villa in Seringe; I wonder if he stayed comfortably.”

In that moment, he immediately realized who this man’s superior was.

He was a man who would be hard to forget even after several decades.

“Ah—that—”

He stammered for a moment because he couldn’t remember the full name, then suddenly realized. Right, the villa of that stolen contentman who was the superior had [visit our site]been completely leveled by the man sitting right next to him firing shells.

While Jeong Tae-ui smiled awkwardly as he recalled a new memory, Ilay, who likely had similar thoughts, smiled silently.

Malik tilted his teacup nonchalantly and slowly shook his head.

“At that time, my superior also didn’t know that Mr. Jeong Tae-ui and Mr. Riegrow would have such a deep friendship.”

How could he have known that the place would be bombed while he was away from the villa for a short time?

The one who answered those pointed words, whispered softly, was Ilay.

“A deep friendship… I wonder if you’ve become curious about exactly how deep that friendship is?”

The gently smiling face looked like a truly rare, good person.

At the same time Jeong Tae-ui felt an instinctive threat from the dissonance of the description “a rare, good person” applied to Ilay, the hand circling his thigh tightened.

“If you wish, I can show you how well we fit together below the waist. Though, an admission fee will be required.”

It was at the same time he added that an admission fee would be required.

By the time Jeong Tae-ui snapped out of it and looked back, Ilay had already raised his handgun and released the safety. And before anyone around could stop him or dodge.

Bang—!

The sound of a teapot shattering into pieces. The sound of it scattering followed.

The large porcelain teapot, exquisitely decorated with countless petals, was destroyed beyond recognition, leaving only its handle and base.

Malik, who had frozen in place from the moment Ilay pulled out the gun, eventually slowly shifted his eyes to follow the fragments of the detailed craft lying before them. And soon, he realized that it wouldn’t have been strange at all if their own blood and flesh had been scattered there instead of those fragments.

He wasn’t unaware of what kind of human the man sitting before him was. Although he was currently wearing the mask of “a Riegrow human visiting Tarten,” he was the madman Rick. The one who bombed a nation’s capital with a composed face.

“…I appreciate the kindness, but let’s postpone that viewing to another time.”

Malik remained silent for a moment, then spoke with a bitter smile as if it were nothing.

The person who represented even a ten-thousandth of his bitter feelings was Christoph, who had been drinking tea with complete composure regardless of what was happening beside him.

As he brought the teacup to his lips, he suddenly frowned, set the cup down, and glared fiercely at Ilay.

“What are you doing? Shards flew everywhere, and now I can’t drink my tea.”

“My apologies for that. If you’d like, you can drink mine instead. Though I’ve already started it.”

Ilay nonchalantly offered his own cup. Christoph glared at the cup, then huffed and turned his head away. Of course, he had no intention of reaching for it.

As expected, these people were off-center.

In a situation where they were practically meeting for the first time, and the guest was hosted in the house, the mental structure of these humans who were unfazed by a bullet flying through the air was not normal.

Beside Jeong Tae-ui, who was quietly pressing his throbbing temple with his thumb, only Richard—the most wholesome among them—offered formal words of apology to Malik with a troubled face.

While Richard’s sincere—or so it seemed—apology and Malik’s generous response continued, Jeong Tae-ui, who had stealthily snatched the gun from Ilay’s hand and sat on it, looked at Richard, who had managed to settle the situation. Then, seeing him raise his hand to wipe his eye, he realized.

Perhaps a shard had flown; a small wound had formed under Richard’s eye.

“Uh… it looks like a piece flew. Are you okay elsewhere?”

When Jeong Tae-ui asked, the attention of the others belatedly gathered on him. Richard, however, shook his head as if it wasn’t something that needed to be mentioned and spoke dismissively.

“This much is fine.”

Richard rubbed the streak of blood, like a red thread, carved under his eye with his fingertip.

As he said, it wasn’t a significant wound, but he had suffered an unexpected misfortune for no reason. Yet, this kind young man even looked at Ilay with very friendly eyes as he continued.

“Tarten and Riegrow have been on good terms for a long time. We boast a friendship as thick as the relationship between those two.”

As Richard added, “As you may already know,” Malik simply nodded in silence.

A brief silence followed.

At that subtle tone, Jeong Tae-ui thought he shouldn’t have brought it up and swallowed his tea with a bitter taste in his mouth.

He shouldn’t have come to a place like this. He shouldn’t have been involved from the start. He should have resisted even if they dragged him along.

Since a while ago, it felt as if every single word had thorns embedded with their respective positions. The words didn’t sound ordinary at all. A feast of words with hidden meanings—it was rare for something to be this exhausting.

“I see. Then again, it can’t be that everything I’ve heard is true.”

Malik spoke in a neutral tone, perhaps attempting to gloss over the situation.

“Contrary to the rumors I’ve heard, the two of you from Tarten seem remarkably amicable. To be honest, before coming here, I heard that the relationship between you two was quite hostile. But now that I’m actually here, I’m hearing that you are, in fact, closer than most… Ah, my apologies.”

Malik stopped mid-sentence, smiled leisurely, and subtly shut his mouth.

However, if he had truly thought it was an imposition, he wouldn’t have brought it up to that extent. Jeong Tae-ui immediately caught the underlying meaning—the hint of mockery clearly woven into those words. Like Christoph, whose gaze turned chilly instantly, Ilay also seemed to understand; he arched an eyebrow and let out a short smirk.

Only Richard, who wore a look of genuine bewilderment, was clearly unaware of the rumor in question.

Glancing at Christoph—the source of the rumor that he and Richard were engaging in ‘bi-yeok’ (taboo sexual acts), and the one who actually believed it to be true—Jeong Tae-ui silently glared at his teacup.

Unaware of Tae-ui’s internal struggle over how to correct Christoph’s warped common sense, Richard turned his confusion into a smiling face.

“Did a mistaken rumor that we don’t get along reach all the way there? Haha, it’s true that we were once in a Read on Read BL Novelscompetitive relationship due to family visit our sitecircumstances, but aside from that, there is no discord within Tarten. As you can see, Christoph and I are connected by a very intimate partnership.”

Looking at Richard’s face as he beamed at Christoph, as if seeking agreement, it truly seemed as though the two were more than just close friends. Since he was a man with a naturally pleasant impression, that feeling was magnified several times over.

No, that smile at this timing is very bad. It’s practically asserting that the dangerous rumor that reached their ears is the truth, Jeong Tae-ui screamed inwardly in agony, but he couldn’t bring himself to tell him.

Unlike the fool Christoph, Richard would never consider the fact that Tae-ui had briefly touched his genitals as ‘bi-yeok,’ nor could he possibly imagine such a thing. Tae-ui was terrified of how Richard would react if he ever heard the rumor. Meanwhile, Christoph, who perceived his own ‘victimization’ as being extremely severe, flinched and shut his mouth upon seeing Richard smile at him.

It was like watching a rapist say tenderly to a police officer, “Rape? No, we’re actually lovers; we just had a slight disagreement. Right?”

After silently glaring at his teacup, Christoph heard Richard’s genuinely concerned voice: “You don’t seem to be in a good mood today. Wouldn’t it be better to go in and rest first? …If it’s too difficult, I can support you and walk you back.” Christoph shook his head violently.

Jeong Tae-ui swallowed a bitter pill as he watched them in silence.

Richard was naturally kind and gentle to everyone, but he was even more so with Christoph right now. It might have been to exaggerate the “very intimate partnership” he mentioned, but Tae-ui suspected it was more likely that Richard was enjoying Christoph’s shuddering reaction.

“Geez, I don’t know what’s being said between them, but it’s fascinating. I didn’t know Christoph could endure a situation like this so docilely…”

Beside Jeong Tae-ui, who muttered to himself in a voice so low no one should have heard, Ilay cast a thinly curved glance his way, though it was unlikely he had heard a sound as faint as a crawling ant.

It was then.

Christoph, knowing full well that Richard’s kindness was meant to enjoy his suffering, seemed unable to endure it any longer given his temperament.

Christoph looked up and stared intently [Read on Read BL Novels]at Richard with an expressionless face. Richard met his gaze with a calm smile, as if unauthorized copyexpecting a reaction that wouldn’t lead anywhere.

After staring at Richard with a blunt face as if he wanted to devour him, Christoph blinked a few times and suddenly softened his expression, as if he had reached a decision.

“…—”

Jeong Tae-ui, who had been watching Christoph with a precarious feeling, nearly coughed up his tea.

Christoph was smiling. Just as he had practiced tirelessly with Jeong Tae-ui every night for the past few days.

The smile was still not one that flowed naturally; it felt somewhat stiff and frozen, but Christoph was smiling. Because he smiled like that with that face, it looked like a portrait.

Yes, it’s a passing grade, Tae-ui thought, but the fact that the smile was directed at Richard was unsettling.

And Richard, the recipient.

In contrast, the smile had vanished from his face.

As if he had been hit on the back of the head unexpectedly, all expression had disappeared. No, depending on how one looked at it, it was a desolate blankness that could almost be seen as anger.

His gaze, staring at Christoph without a single blink, was nailed to the other man’s eyes and lips.

“Richard.”

Christoph called him quietly. Only then did Richard Read on Read BL Novelsdrop the expressionless mask. However, his usual smile did not return. He simply [stolen content]arched an eyebrow and looked at Christoph.

Christoph smiled again. This time, it was a more convincing smile. Even the corners of his eyes curved slightly.

“You’re injured. It might get worse if you leave it. Wait a moment, I’ll bring some medicine. I’ll apply it for you. With my own hands.”

“Huh? No, that’s not necessary…”

But before Richard could decline, Christoph stood up and left the room.

Until the moment he closed the door and exited, the room was filled with silence.

Richard still hadn’t brought back his smile. As if lost in thought, he raised one hand and slowly covered his mouth and chin.

The one to break that unnatural silence was Malik, who had been watching silently. A low voice of admiration escaped him.

“I thought he was very, um, handsome from the moment I first met him, but seeing him now, he is truly elegant and flamboyant. Haha, I can’t imagine he was in a rough place like the mobile task force.”

Hearing those honest words of admiration, Jeong Tae-ui nodded.

Indeed. How many twisted people would look at that man for the first time and imagine such a gruesome world?

Anyway, it seemed Christoph had smiled so awkwardly just to leave the gathering smoothly.

Then again, even if he didn’t return, there didn’t seem to be any topic important enough—nor anyone present—who visit our sitewould bother to go find him, stolen contentdrag him back, and make him sit down to continue the conversation.

“I simply cannot imagine a weapon in that gentleman’s hand… Have those of you here seen it?”

Malik asked, still unable to wipe the look of admiration from his face.

Another short silence followed.

In this mansion, it would be faster to find someone they hadn’t seen.

The person who answered him was Richard, who had finally regained his smile. He nodded with a warm smile in his eyes.

“Despite how he looks, Christoph is an excellent warrior. I heard he was among the top in T&R’s mobile task force.”

At that, Ilay nodded without particularly denying it.

“Hmm… Come to think of it, a precious acquaintance of my superior is looking for a suitable talent to bring in as a leader for a private security detail. I would certainly like to see that gentleman’s skills sometime.”

Malik murmured, nodding his head. Suddenly, Ilay spoke, his voice hovering between a smile and a straight face.

“A precious acquaintance of Raman who would have a private security detail… It would make sense for them to take someone from Tarten to build a strong relationship.”

His tone was that of someone talking to himself, but no one there was deaf enough to miss it.

…Ah. There it is again. Another meaning hidden within the words.

Jeong Tae-ui sensitively noticed the subtle shift in the air.

And Malik, one of the people who created that subtle shift, remained silent for a moment before laughing as if admitting defeat.

“Actually, the people I serve hope that a close relationship with Tarten can be maintained even after the Vice Minister’s repayment is complete. A relationship that is as close and intimate as possible.”

Ending his sentence with a slow drawl, Malik wore a deep smile.

Silence flowed through the room for a while.

Amidst that silence, where various thoughts drifted, Jeong Tae-ui suddenly thought, Ah.

A relationship that is ‘as close and intimate as possible’ with Tarten. In other words, one that could transcend even 150 years of time.

What Malik represented was not just a state-owned company. Behind him was the massive power known as the State. Something incomparable to a mere company.

A place with 150 years of friendship, and a hub of wealth and power. If one had to choose between the two.

Jeong Tae-ui scratched his cheek with an awkward face.

He wasn’t a child, but the situation of having such options thrust before him was somewhat comical.

Richard seemed lost in thought for a moment, then spoke with a calm smile.

“So, do you wish to introduce Christoph to that precious acquaintance? I do not know what choice he will make, but I hope they can form a good connection.”

Indeed, it seemed he had no intention of prolonging the conversation on that topic. He smoothly diverted the subject.

Noticing this, Malik also followed the lead and smiled. He frowned slightly in a friendly manner and gave a playful wink.

“Indeed. Haha, but please do not misunderstand. I have no intention of suddenly stealing away a beautiful lover without any consent.”

Gasp.

Jeong Tae-ui inhaled sharply.

He almost spat out the tea he had just drunk.

“…”

Jeong Tae-ui wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and looked up, bewildered.

This was a complete fastball. A direct hit.

In front of Malik, who was smiling warmly, unaware of what he had just said, Richard—whose hand had frozen while touching his teacup—looked at Malik with a strange expression.

He tilted his head as if he didn’t quite understand, appearing to process stolen contentthe words for unauthorized copya few seconds, but after [unauthorized copy]a while, he still looked confused and frowned slightly.

“Excuse me, but what you just said…?”

“Eh? Ah. I mean Mr. Christoph Tarten, who has stepped away for a moment. No matter how much I covet his skills, surely I wouldn’t take him away by force without consent.”

Malik still hadn’t realized the flow of the situation.

Richard, lost in thought again, turned his gaze toward Jeong Tae-ui. He slowly looked around at everyone present, not just Tae-ui, as if wondering if he had misheard or if there was something he didn’t know.

It would have been better if he had acted natural, but Jeong Tae-ui, breaking into a cold sweat, stealthily averted his eyes. At that moment, Richard’s eyes narrowed.

“Did you say ‘beautiful lover’?”

Richard asked back casually in a quiet voice. The smile lingering in his eyes was still gentle.

Malik seemed to take the question in a different sense. Ah, he exclaimed, shaking his head in admiration.

“He is beautiful. It is hard to find someone as beautiful as him. Moreover, he isn’t just outstanding in appearance; if such a person were one’s lover, I would simply be envious. …I hope praising another’s lover is not rude in this culture? I am merely admiring him in a pure sense; there is no other meaning.”

Quickly noticing a strange light flickering within Richard’s smile, Malik politely adjusted his posture and added the clarification. However, that wasn’t the part he had misjudged.

Richard’s gaze flew back to Jeong Tae-ui. Tae-ui, feeling guilty for no reason, turned his head away again.

Damn it, why is he only looking [unauthorized copy]at me? …Well, Ilay boasts an iron-clad poker face, so [visit our site]he probably visit our siteknows there’s no point in staring at that guy.

Tae-ui tried his best to keep a blank face, but the fact that he couldn’t meet Richard’s eyes already made his restlessness obvious.

Richard stared silently at Jeong Tae-ui, who was stealthily turning his head. Then, he smiled faintly and shook his head.

“You must have misheard something. Christoph and I are cousins. I receive a lot of help from him, but surely that couldn’t be. I have a lover as well. A woman, of course.”

That man definitely doesn’t know the true meaning of the word ‘lover,’ Jeong Tae-ui muttered inwardly, recalling the sexual act he had accidentally witnessed Richard performing at the bar a few days ago. That was less of a lover and more of a sadistic-masochistic master-slave relationship; what a total pervert.

Malik blinked for a moment, seemingly surprised by the words, and said nothing. Then, he spoke hesitantly.

“Ah… was that not the case? Oh dear, then I have committed a great discourtesy. I must have misheard.”

This time, Malik apologized with a troubled face. The positions were reversed, with Richard now the one shaking his head with a generous smile.

Jeong Tae-ui prayed that Richard would let it go quietly—or that even if he dug into the rumor, the target wouldn’t be him—and smacked his lips.

…But.

Jeong Tae-ui cast a glance at Malik, who was smiling kindly.

He was shocked. Not just by the content of the words, but by the fact that Malik knew such a thing.

It was a minor rumor, if anything. No stolen contentmatter how far [visit our site]that secret had spread, it unauthorized copyshouldn’t have escaped the walls of the Tarten mansion.

If he already knew such stories, he certainly wasn’t just a man who smiled kindly on the surface.

Then again, a person who comes for the final negotiation wouldn’t be a pushover.

Jeong Tae-ui let out a light sigh. In any case, it wasn’t a good sign if an opponent—who was more likely an enemy than an ally—was this formidable.

Anyway, the air here was terrible. The atmosphere seemed very harmonious, yet his spine was tingling; perhaps it was because people were sitting in a closed space, emitting nothing but carbon dioxide.

Just as Jeong Tae-ui was about to stand up to open a window and escape the tingling tension of the seat…

Suddenly, the door swung open without a knock, and a person entered.

Christoph, whom Tae-ui had assumed had escaped the gathering with some excuse, strode inside.

“Chris—”

But before Tae-ui could unconsciously call his name, Christoph smiled again.

It was a very natural smile. His eyes sparkled like a child’s, as if something truly joyful and happy had happened. And surprisingly, that smile was directed at no one other than Richard.

Wait, it had been only a few minutes since that ominous rumor had reached Richard’s ears and since Richard had denied it.

Approaching Richard with such a bright smile at this timing only deepened the suspicion.

Jeong Tae-ui wanted to block Christoph somehow, but before he could even stand up, Christoph had already reached Richard’s side.

“Richard, I’ll apply the medicine for you. It wouldn’t be good if a scar remained around your eye. I happened to bring some good medicine. I’ll apply it myself. With my own hands.”

Seeing that innocent and bright smile—which even surprised Tae-ui—Richard erased the expression from his face and stared intently at Christoph. As Christoph readily stepped closer to examine the small wound near his eye, Richard remained still, looking bewildered.

He seemed to have a lot to say, but as Christoph seriously peered into his face to check the wound, he shut his mouth. He might have judged that the situation was not ideal for speaking.

And Christoph, who didn’t give a damn about the atmosphere of the room, confirmed the position of the wound that had narrowly missed Richard’s eye and opened the medicine jar with a flower-like smile.

“It must hurt a lot. Just a moment. This medicine is quite effective.”

Even speaking in a deliberately pitying tone of concern, Christoph scooped a generous amount of ointment onto his fingertip.

At that moment, a familiar scent wafted sharply toward where Jeong Tae-ui was sitting.

“……!”

Jeong Tae-ui hurriedly stood up to stop Christoph, but he was a step too late.

With a somewhat subtle expression, Christoph carefully applied ointment to the corners of Richard’s eyes. Tiger Balm.

And it wasn’t long before Richard’s complexion changed, as he [stolen content]stared intently Read on Read BL Novelsat Christoph with suspicious eyes, Read on Read BL Novelswondering if the man had eaten something wrong.

 

* * *

 

“I feel like I’ve aged decades in just a few dozen minutes….”

Jeong Tae-ui groaned, lying face down and sprawled across the bed.

As expected, he shouldn’t be in the same room as people who played mind games at the top. Those who worked with their bodies at the bottom were easier to talk to. With them, he didn’t have to engage in political conversations, considering the hidden meanings behind words or weighing his own position against the other’s.

“Why on earth did you drag me to that place?”

Jeong Tae-ui narrowed his eyes and glared at Ilay, who was perched on the edge of the bed beside him, having pulled the table close to fiddle with something.

Ilay, who had opened a large bag and was touching a tangle of complex wires inside, glanced at Jeong Tae-ui before turning his head back.

“Because they wanted it.”

“Did they actually say they wanted to see a human being named Jeong Tae-ui, or was it…?”

“To be precise, they said, ‘Come to think visit our siteof it, I hear Mr. [Read on Read BL Novels]Jeong Jae-yi’s younger brother is staying here.’”

“……. They didn’t intend to hide it, and they couldn’t have anyway, but it means they already knew before they came.”

Jeong Tae-ui smacked his lips and shifted his body from lying face down to lying on his side.

Right now, he actually felt a bit grateful to Christoph.

After all, thanks to him, that uncomfortable gathering had been disrupted, allowing him to return and rest like this.

Thinking that he might still be sitting on that bed of nails, staring only at his teacup, Jeong Tae-ui shook his head.

Immediately after the ointment was applied just below his eyes, Richard, who had been silent for a moment, stood up without hesitation. Even though his eyes must have been stinging so badly he could barely open them, he lightly covered one eye with his hand and spoke with a nonchalant smile, saying, ‘Please excuse me for a moment.’

He didn’t just bolt out immediately, either. He wrapped things up perfectly, suggesting they end the session there, return to their rooms to rest, and meet again at dinner, before finally leaving.

Once Richard left the drawing room, Christoph—who would normally have declared ‘today’s duties are over’ and retreated to his own room—also stood up and followed after him.

When Jeong Tae-ui asked where he was going, Christoph left a short reply—‘Uh, to watch’—and hurried out. It seemed he had made up his mind that he absolutely had to see Richard miserably wiping his eyes.

“Christoph is really, how should I put it….”

“He has a personality that invites hatred,” Ilay said concisely, following Jeong Tae-ui, who was hesitating while choosing his words. Jeong Tae-ui frowned, humming.

“Why? You could also see it as him being cute in his own way.”

“From the perspective of a spectator, perhaps.”

Sensing something more than just words in Ilay’s straightforward tone, Jeong Tae-ui gazed at him intently.

Come to think of it, this man had mentioned being entangled with Christoph several times in the past for work. Even if they hadn’t been involved in the same specific task, they were in the same group, so they must have clashed quite a bit.

They seemed like two people who would surprisingly get along if they worked together, but people like that also tend to clash infinitely once they are out of sync.

“I heard the two of you spent time chasing and evading each other, hitting and running.”

“We did.”

“Considering your family ties and the fact that you hung out often as children, it feels like you’d be similar to cousins. How can you drive each other to the brink like that?”

Only after saying it did Jeong Tae-ui realize he had asked the wrong question.

This was a man who had pointed a gun at his own biological brother.

Furthermore, in their current reality, didn’t Christoph and Richard, who were actually cousins, treat each other almost like lifelong enemies?

As if it were a foolish question, Ilay only glanced back at Jeong Tae-ui and let out a smirk without bothering to answer.

“I guess you’ve never had a sibling fight with [Read on Read BL Novels]Jeong Jae-yi. [visit our site]You must have been [unauthorized copy]very harmonious brothers.”

“No… I just think it would be hard to find a sibling fight as violent as the ones in this neighborhood, I….”

Jeong Tae-ui waved his hand dismissively. Then, he rolled over to lie on his back, propping his head up with his arm and staring at the ceiling.

“But in reality, my brother and I almost never fought. There was nothing to fight about, and while I’m the same, my brother especially was someone without a combative bone in his body. He had no competitive streak. No greed for material things. It’s hard to fight someone who has no greed.”

Thinking about it as he spoke, Jeong Tae-ui truly had no memory of fighting with Jeong Jae-ui. He didn’t have many memories of them playing together closely, but they had never fought or quarreled.

“Since such harmonious brothers haven’t met for several years, it must be quite regrettable.”

“Hmm… come to think of it, we’ve hardly even spoken on the phone.”

Jeong Tae-ui scratched his head.

They contacted each other once around their birthdays every year, but other than that, they didn’t have any special phone calls. He didn’t feel particularly uncomfortable or lonely, and he knew the other felt the same. Still, he knew that if a serious problem arose, his brother would be the first to let him know. Thus, he wasn’t overly worried even if they were nearly out of touch. They were dry brothers in that regard.

“Jeong Jae-yi…. I hear the love calls from all over haven’t stopped even after he joined UNHRDO,” Ilay muttered.

Thinking that this man probably knew more about his brother’s news than he did, Jeong Tae-ui asked nonchalantly, “Really?”

“Some quite dangerous bastards are mixed in among them. The kind who would be a nuisance for a long time if you get involved, and the kind who would cling to you forever if you don’t.”

Lying behind Ilay, who added that being a genius isn’t all that Read on Read BL Novelsgreat since such [stolen content]people swarm you, stolen contentJeong Tae-ui scratched his cheek.

The idea of being a ‘genius that such people swarm’ wasn’t new, as it had been that way since childhood, and the word ‘dangerous’ didn’t feel particularly threatening.

Jeong Tae-ui had never worried about Jeong Jae-ui. Jeong Jae-ui was the kind of person who didn’t need worrying about.

“I heard he’s coming to Frankfurt soon.”

Jeong Tae-ui muttered this, then suddenly looked at Ilay.

Come to think of it, this man had told him not to go. He told him to promise to meet again next time.

The day Jeong Jae-ui was arriving was not far off. It seemed to be around the same time as the succession date, differing by only a few days.

“Can’t I go? I want to see him after a long time,” Jeong Tae-ui murmured tentatively.

An indifferent answer came back immediately.

“The timing is bad.”

“…….”

Ilay, who had an earphone in one ear and was operating a device, glanced back when Jeong Tae-ui fell silent. He paused in thought for a moment, then frowned.

“Do you really want to go?”

“I’d like to if possible, but it’s not a must. I’m just thinking about the part where you said the timing is bad.”

Connecting the dots between Jeong Jae-ui’s visit to Germany and his current situation, Jeong Tae-ui let out a sigh.

I see, that’s how it is.

“I have no intention of going if it means risking myself or others. I’ll just call him, and once the work in Dresden is finished, let’s hurry back to Berlin.”

Jeong Tae-ui said, shaking his head lightly.

If it were only himself in danger, it would be one thing, but if there was a possibility of putting others at risk, it was a different matter. He had no intention of taking such a risk.

It was a shame, though.

He had thought he could meet his uncle and brother in the same place for once.

Jeong Tae-ui shrugged his shoulders and sighed quietly, muttering to himself, ‘It can’t be helped.’

“Hmm,” Ilay, who had been tapping the device for a moment, looked back. A couple of wrinkles were etched between his brows as if he were annoyed.

“If you really want to meet him, wait. I’ll take you to Berlin after this job is over.”

At those words, spoken [unauthorized copy]with a click of [unauthorized copy]the tongue, Jeong Tae-ui’s eyes widened, and he sat up in bed.

“He’ll have time after the forum in Frankfurt?”

If so, Jeong Tae-ui wouldn’t have to go to Frankfurt; Jeong Jae-ui could just stop by Berlin.

Usually, such schedules were packed, so he had thought that he would either leave immediately after the forum or, even if not, wouldn’t have time to come to Berlin.

“Right, then my brother can just come to Berlin after the forum—”

“That’ll be difficult. His flight to New York is scheduled for the night of the forum.”

Hearing Ilay add that there was likely a research meeting scheduled at headquarters the very next day, the sparkling smile vanished from Jeong Tae-ui’s face. He blinked blankly and muttered, “Uh.”

“Then, taking me to Berlin means… ah, next time?”

Jeong Tae-ui convinced himself and nodded.

Even so, it couldn’t be helped. It was a bit disappointing.

“I’ll take you this time, so get rid of that face that looks like it’s about to sink into the ground.”

“Huh?”

“I can just intercept him and bring him along unauthorized copybefore he goes to the visit our siteairport on the day of the forum.”

Jeong Tae-ui stared blankly at Ilay’s back as he spoke nonchalantly. As he said, the ‘face that looked like it was about to sink into the ground’ had already disappeared. In its place, a face that looked like it was standing before the gates of hell had arrived.

This wasn’t a procession that would be followed by only one or two attendants and bodyguards.

In the midst of that, if he were to snatch one person—and the most important person at that—before they went to the airport after the forum.

It certainly wouldn’t be an ordinary method.

“Have you perhaps not considered that being wanted for terrorism already makes the nature of the crime malicious and extremely grave?”

When Jeong Tae-ui asked seriously, Ilay just smirked.

“No, let’s just see him next time. It’s better to just call. Thanks for the thought.”

Jeong Tae-ui hurriedly patted Ilay’s back. Otherwise, he felt he would soon witness something utterly absurd.

Then, he happened to glance over Ilay’s shoulder at his fingers, which were flipping switches on the device in rapid succession.

“By the way, what have you been doing for a while now?”

Sitting behind Ilay, Jeong Tae-ui rested his chin on the man’s shoulder and peered at the object he was touching.

Inside a fairly large, black metal case, complex circuits were neatly arranged. On the instrument panel below, frequency bands were marked in small print. The [stolen content]numbers even exceeded 400. [unauthorized copy]On the opposite side, a ham receiver was blinking occasionally.

And an earphone, connected by a thin cord extending from the side, was plugged into one of Ilay’s ears.

As he looked into the bag indifferently, Jeong Tae-ui’s expression gradually became heavy and dark.

“……. Hey…… for some reason, to my eyes, this looks like…….”

“Ah, just be quiet now. He’s out of the bathroom.”

“Who?! Where are you eavesdropping?!”

Jeong Tae-ui shouted in surprise.

He knew the man was closely related to crime—actually, he wondered how many things associated with this man were not related to crime—but seeing the scene and the equipment of a crime so vividly before his eyes was a fresh experience.

Regardless of whether Jeong Tae-ui shouted with a grim face, Ilay pressed a button on the panel once, then twice, and only then muttered, “Good,” as if satisfied. Beside him, Jeong Tae-ui glared at Ilay with narrow eyes before finally sighing.

Well, it wasn’t even surprising anymore. What more could he say?

It was just as Jeong Tae-ui sighed, turned away from him, and was about to lie back down on the bed.

Ilay took out another earphone and plugged it into Jeong Tae-ui’s ear.

“……?!”

“This guy probably knows it’s installed anyway. There are often cases where people pretend not to know while knowing perfectly well.”

“What, who is it?”

Jeong Tae-ui raised an eyebrow in curiosity and, unable to resist the temptation of crime, listened closely to the earphone.

「Christoph. Were you intending to blind me?」

Gasp.

As soon as he heard that voice, Jeong Tae-ui realized who it was and looked at Ilay with a shocked face.

He had thought it might be installed in the room of the guest who came today, but this was an unexpected person.

“No, really, why install a bug when you’re always sticking together anyway…. Are you so sad when you’re apart for even a second?”

“Aha, I’ll remember that joke well, Jeong Tae-ui.”

“Gasp…… no, no, it was a joke, a joke.”

Jeong Tae-ui hurriedly waved his hand. It was scary if this man decided to remember. Even if years passed and he thought the man had forgotten, there was no telling when it would pop up and grab Jeong Tae-ui by the ankle.

Judging by the sounds coming through [visit our site]the earphone, it Read on Read BL Novelsseemed only Richard and Christoph were in Richard’s room, the owner of that unpleasant voice.

Since Christoph had followed him out of excitement to see Richard crying his eyes out, it was only natural that he was there, but a chuckle escaped Jeong Tae-ui when he remembered how Christoph had refused to even look toward Richard’s room not long ago, calling it a sinister place.

“Christoph is actually kind of cute in his own way, don’t you think?”

Jeong Tae-ui said, pointing to the earphone. Ilay only raised an eyebrow slightly, as if it were hard to agree. Meanwhile, voices continued to flow through the earphone.

「Come to think of it, he smiles quite a bit. I heard he shuts himself in that guy’s room every night and doesn’t come out; does a pleasant body lead to a pleasant mind?」

Jeong Tae-ui tilted his head at Richard’s displeased voice. Wait, this doesn’t sound like a very good thing……?

「Who shuts themselves in whose room every night?」

Following Christoph’s question, which was clearly laced with displeasure, Richard’s answer followed.

「You. In the room of that man, Kim Young…—ah, no, Jeong Tae-ui.」

“…….”

Ilay’s silent gaze flew toward him.

In that instant, Jeong Tae-ui almost jumped up, sat in a neat, upright posture, and shook his head violently.

“No, no no no, you know [visit our site]why Chris came to my room! R-right, you saw the result today stolen contenttoo, that smiling face!”

Ignoring Jeong Tae-ui’s desperate excuse, Ilay gazed at him with narrowed eyes. Only after Jeong Tae-ui’s expression crumpled as if he were about to cry did Ilay smile slightly and turn his head.

“I don’t have enough imagination to think that late-blooming idiot would drag you into bed every night.”

“……!! You were just playing with me!”

“Well, if it’s just fumbling around your crotch and flirting, it might be possible. I believe you have that much learning capacity, Tae-ui.”

Ilay cast a glance. Jeong Tae-ui shut his mouth tight and nodded vigorously. He even broke into a cold sweat.

A memory from the not-so-distant past suddenly surfaced, and his lower half throbbed. It was closer to terror than pleasure. When things went south, this man occasionally picked a day to utterly devastate and exhaust a person.

With a gloomy face, Jeong Tae-ui quickly changed the subject.

“I guess you really have to catch the frequency well to hear clearly……. But when on earth did you install this?”

He was impressed by the excellent performance that could pick up even footsteps and small movements in detail.

“The day before I officially entered this place.”

“……. You certainly have a talent for this…….”

Jeong Tae-ui muttered, half-appalled. Then, his eyes suddenly widened.

“Don’t tell me there’s one hidden in my room too?!”

At that, Ilay gave Jeong Tae-ui a brief look and then turned his head back.

Seeing him give no answer, Jeong Tae-ui’s eyes flew open and he shouted, “Hey, hey!” but as expected, no answer came back.

Damn it, as soon as I get back to my room, I have to run a detector immediately.

It was while Jeong Tae-ui was grumbling internally and thinking of places where a microphone could be hidden in his room.

「The final negotiation remains, but you must be able to guess what conditions they will ultimately propose, Christoph. ……If they demand their custody, what will you do?」

Richard’s voice pierced through his ear.

He could quickly guess who ‘they’ and ‘those people’ were. And he soon realized that this was the conversation Ilay had wanted to hear.

He had already mentioned that the other side likely knew bugs were installed, so he wasn’t expecting much, but there were frequent cases where subtle clues were picked up from things other than the words themselves.

Even though there was no way they could hear the sound from this side, Jeong Tae-ui held his breath.

Christoph’s answer didn’t come. He seemed to be remaining silent.

If they—the Saudi side—demanded the custody of Jeong Tae-ui or Ilay.

What would Christoph do then?

Tae-ui pictured Christoph’s blunt face as he remained silent, unable to answer. He felt he knew exactly what kind of expression the man was wearing right now.

At the end of that silence, Richard’s voice followed.

「That is why it is problematic for you to be close with that man, Jeong Tae-ui. …What a shame, Christoph. He was the first person you liked enough to actually make contact with.」

A voice tinged with a faint, cruel light.

Jeong Tae-ui frowned.

“The way he talks like that… is there a problem with his humanity, or is there a problem with the relationship between those two?”

“Which one do you think?”

“Both.”

“You know well.”

Jeong Tae-ui sighed and clicked his tongue.

Still, since Christoph had mentioned he was helping Richard with [Read on Read BL Novels]some [visit our site]work over the past few days, Tae-ui thought they might be able to get along passably, even if their relationship was bad. But hearing those words, they didn’t look like the kind of relationship where affection could bloom by spending time together.

“Have these two worked together before?”

When Jeong Tae-ui asked abruptly without much expectation, Ilay surprisingly nodded.

“Ah, it was a long time ago, but they did a project together once. As part of the candidate training, before Christoph gave up his succession and left.”

When Ilay added that it was meant to test their ability to collaborate, meaning solo play wasn’t an option, Jeong Tae-ui’s eyes widened.

“Really? How did it go?”

“It failed. More definitively than any precedent.”

“….”

“It served as an excellent example, vividly demonstrating that no matter how great an individual’s ability is, if there is a problem with the cooperative relationship, the whole thing falls apart.”

I see, Jeong Tae-ui muttered and shut his mouth. He scratched his cheek and tilted his head.

“Setting Christoph aside, I thought Richard was the type to perfectly carry out his assigned task regardless of the relationship, so this is unexpected.”

“Ah, right. Richard did his part properly, but Christoph broke the whole thing, insisting he would absolutely never accept Richard’s help.”

“…. Christoph….”

Jeong Tae-ui had seen many people with clear likes and dislikes, but there was no one as starkly divided as that man.

“Richard must have been grinding his teeth.”

As Jeong Tae-ui muttered with a deep sigh, Ilay smiled faintly. A silent air of needless to say was contained in that smile.

Jeong Tae-ui smacked his lips and listened to the earphones again.

If Saudi demanded their custody—that topic was certainly interesting enough to make him listen, even while knowing that eavesdropping was a distasteful act.

After a while of silence, Christoph’s voice, suddenly blurting out, was delivered through the earphones.

「Hand over Rick. He’s the one who actually carried out the bombing anyway.」

“….”

I see. This guy has planted enemies evenly all over the place in this manner.

Jeong Tae-ui glanced at Ilay. Ilay was listening to those words with an indifferent face.

The situation wouldn’t be easy for Tarten either.

If they had to hand them over according to the other [Read on Read BL Novels]side’s demand—though the [Read on Read BL Novels]demand for visit our sitecompensation hadn’t been finalized yet—the relationship between the families that had lasted for over a hundred years would be cracked.

Yet, they couldn’t simply refuse the demand for compensation.

In fact, for Tarten, it would have been much better if the matter ended by handing over Jeong Tae-ui to them. The bond of friendship wouldn’t be damaged, and the promise could be kept.

So Richard was likely hoping for that, but Christoph said to just hand over Rick.

Tae-ui could clearly imagine the face he made while saying that, and he ended up laughing with a sigh.

It seemed Christoph’s answer didn’t sit well. Richard’s voice dropped slightly.

「Are you planning to interfere? Just because I breathed a little on that inhuman, glass heart of yours and clouded it slightly, you’ve lost your soul to a ridiculous degree. …Stop being uselessly excited and deceiving yourself; live as you are. It’s not as if you actually like him anyway. You don’t know how to do things like that.」

It felt as if his heart sank heavily.

What kind of face he was making while saying that, and what words Christoph was using to listen to it.

—I am empty somewhere. From birth, or maybe even before that, from some fundamental part, it’s missing. I’m empty, so I can’t be filled.

Those words that had flowed out quietly came to mind.

He remembered Christoph, touching his chest, touching his head, tilting his head as if wondering where he had become empty.

「Who says I don’t actually like Tae-yi? I like him.」

Christoph’s voice followed. That voice was trembling slightly.

Jeong Tae-ui suddenly felt a gaze landing on him. Ilay was looking at him with his head tilted.

Jeong Tae-ui ended up shaking his head bitterly.

He knew. He knew the limit of how far he could reach out his hand.

「So, are you saying you’ll interfere?」

Richard’s slow voice followed. That voice soon changed into a low, chilling tone.

「If you’re still going to try and interfere somehow, I’ll make it so you can’t.」

It was immediately after that.

The sound of something colliding heavily. The sound of rolling. A noisy yet dull sound was transmitted through the earphones.

“—…!”

Jeong Tae-ui instinctively looked at Ilay. He met the eyes of the man who had glanced back, perhaps sensing his gaze.

“They seem to be fighting again,” Ilay said nonchalantly.

As he said, the short curses, shouts, and heavy thuds were nothing other than the sounds of fighting.

“Should I go stop them?”

When Jeong Tae-ui muttered with a frown, Ilay let out a light, “Hahaha.”

“That would be wonderful. Are you going to say, ‘I was just listening and it sounded like you guys were fighting, so I came to stop you’?”

Tae-ui became as mute as a fish.

No, I’ll just pretend I stopped by for some business and… he muttered and stopped. He felt it would be too obvious.

“Well, it’s not like it’s the first or second time these guys have fought.”

The problem was that once they started hitting each other, they were prepared to practically destroy everything, but it was at least reassuring that they were doing it inside the house. Surely it wouldn’t escalate to a situation where the police had to come, and it would be easier to handle if an emergency accident occurred.

“Since neither of them is fully recovered yet, there’ll be a limit to how much they can fight.”

Adding that, he waited for the sounds of combat flowing from the earphones to settle.

Thinking that listening to only the sound made it feel like he was listening to some fighting game, Jeong Tae-ui suddenly looked around.

Come to think of it, this was the first time he had properly entered the room where Ilay was visit our sitestaying. He had visited a few times while Read on Read BL Novelsbeing used for errands, but he Read on Read BL Novelshad never come this far inside and comfortably occupied the bed.

“Even if it is a room prepared for a VIP staying in the east wing, it’s too different from the room I’m staying in.”

When he grumbled, pretending to be offended, the nonchalant answer came back: “Then you should stay here from today as well.”

Gasp. Jeong Tae-ui immediately backed off. He had almost dug his own grave again.

“No, many elders of this house stay here, so it wouldn’t be good to accidentally upset them. I prefer the west wing. Hmm.”

As Jeong Tae-ui quickly shook his head, Ilay smiled, slightly raising an eyebrow.

“There are lines of people who want to come and live in the east wing; that’s a very peculiar wish.”

Hmm? Jeong Tae-ui muttered and looked around the room anew.

This room was certainly magnificent. He didn’t know if the other rooms in the east wing were the same, but the furnishings and the internal structure were excellent. It wasn’t excessively flashy, but it had a subtle power.

Living in a place like this wouldn’t be unpleasant, but there were plenty of other houses this good. People who would line up just to move in…

The answer to Jeong Tae-ui’s question soon arrived.

“Because only those who are direct descendants of Tarten and are at the center of power among those who hold the Tarten name can live in the east wing.”

Or stay as a VIP like me, Ilay [unauthorized copy]added, and only then did Jeong Tae-ui understand. He thought he had heard [Read on Read BL Novels]something like that before.

“So just staying in the east wing can be a symbol of authority for some people.”

“That’s about it. In fact, among the people who stayed here and then left, there are some cases where they suffered from depression after leaving this place. …”

Ilay paused for a moment and then fell silent. Jeong Tae-ui looked at him curiously.

“It feels like you were about to say something more but stopped?”

Jeong Tae-ui pressed him, puzzled, but Ilay only gave a slight shrug.

“Why. Do you happen to know someone who actually got kicked out of here and became depressed?”

“Well… for now.”

Ilay spoke ambiguously.

It was rare for this man to trail off. Jeong Tae-ui looked at him suspiciously for a moment but didn’t ask further. It wasn’t a topic that would bring out a good story even if he pried.

Moreover, the sounds of fighting coming from the earphones were gradually subsiding.

Curses and rough breathing were heard occasionally, but the sounds of things breaking or colliding had now become sparse.

And soon, the sound of Christoph growling lowly was heard.

「Don’t touch me…!」

It seemed the bout of hitting each other had finally ended, if only for a moment.

「I told you before. You are fatal in close-quarters combat. Moreover, you have no proper weapon right now. So, what do you plan to do now?」

Perhaps because his stamina was severely depleted from the brawl, Richard was also breathing heavily. However, the sound containing a faint smile indicated that he was currently somewhat in the upper hand. Jeong Tae-ui frowned.

「Move…! I told you not to touch me!」

「You can’t do anything other than growl like that.」

Jeong Tae-ui clicked his tongue. He whipped out the earphones from his ears and glared at them fiercely, as if the earphones themselves were the owners of those voices.

“Do these guys do nothing but fight when they’re together? Surely they aren’t like this all the time while hanging out during the day lately?”

“At least not in situations where it could interfere with Tarten’s business.”

“…. Which means they do it during their private time.”

Jeong Tae-ui flopped back onto the bed. He looped the earphone cord around one hand and spun it. The cord wrapped around his finger. After winding it all up, he unwound it several times, staring at the ceiling.

“While staying in Berlin.”

Suddenly, Jeong Tae-ui spoke abruptly, as if talking to himself. Ilay shifted only his pupils to give him his attention.

“I’ve lived peacefully at home for several years, so I think my adaptability has dropped a lot. If I stay like this for a few more years, won’t it really become hard to live anywhere else…?”

If he left Berlin and went somewhere else to start a new life, it would be a disaster if he couldn’t adapt and struggled then. By that time, he wouldn’t be young anymore.

However, as he muttered those words, Jeong Tae-ui noticed Ilay’s eyes narrowing and quickly muttered, “Ah, right, right, I wonder what those guys are doing,” and put the earphones back in. For some reason, it seemed to be another topic that didn’t please this man.

「You are despicable and cruel. As far as I know, there will never be a human as cold-hearted as you in the future.」

As soon as he put the earphones in, the sound he heard was Christoph’s harshly trembling accusation.

To openly denounce someone like this to their face—though he wasn’t in a position to talk while listening in secret—it was enough to make the listener feel uncomfortable.

If it felt that way to Jeong Tae-ui, there was no way the person hearing it felt good.

After a short pause, Richard’s low, murmuring voice was heard.

「I didn’t expect to hear such words from you. No, no one but you thinks of me that way. Only you see me like that. …I am like a mirror; I respond according to the expectations of the person looking at me.」

Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine.

He couldn’t put his finger on [unauthorized copy]it exactly, but that low, cold voice felt as if it were slithering stolen contentover his heart before stabbing in like a dagger.

It was a strange feeling.

Even though the voice was very gentle and kind, the inside of his chest felt cold.

At that moment.

“Stop listening.”

Suddenly, the earphones were ripped from his ears.

Ilay, who had pulled the cord and snatched the earphones from Jeong Tae-ui, shoved them back into the bag.

Jeong Tae-ui stood dazed for a moment, and once the cold feeling in his heart faded, he frowned.

“What was that, suddenly, while someone is listening.”

It wasn’t that he desperately wanted to eavesdrop, but having them snatched away like that didn’t feel great either. Moreover, after hearing such a chilling remark, his heart felt anxiously heavy for no reason.

Still with the earphones in his own ears, Ilay spoke calmly.

“It’ll just be more hitting and kicking anyway, so what’s the point of listening more. Stop listening. Instead, why don’t you continue the story you were telling a moment ago.”

“What story.”

“I think you said something about living somewhere else in a few years.”

Suddenly, Ilay leaned over. He bent his body over Jeong Tae-ui, who was lying spread-eagle on the bed, overlapping his upper body diagonally.

“No, why so suddenly again—”

But as soon as Jeong Tae-ui opened his mouth, a familiar tongue entered it.

However, this time, as if he had no intention of blocking Jeong Tae-ui’s airway, the tongue lightly stroked Tae-ui’s tongue, gums, and lips a few times before pulling away.

“Why. Are you getting bored of Berlin already? Do you want to move and live somewhere else? Tell me if there’s a place you want.”

Jeong Tae-ui reflexively shrank back as the tongue moved from his lips to his earlobe.

He still couldn’t get used to this. Sometimes, whether Ilay was conscious of it or not, he would whisper in a voice that sounded incredibly soft.

Those words, which sounded as if he would grant anything Tae-ui wanted, were somehow embarrassing, making Jeong Tae-ui feel a bit awkward.

“No, it’s not that, I just suddenly remembered a thought I had earlier….”

The sensation of those lips returning from his earlobe to his cheek was no longer unfamiliar.

Yes, this was also a problem. How had he come to accept and [stolen content][unauthorized copy]feel accustomed to things like this as natural?

He felt that if he truly left Berlin someday and started a new life, his life would undergo a massive transformation.

“A thought you had earlier.”

“I suddenly felt that I’ve stayed in Berlin for quite a while. Now, this place is practically my home.”

“And?”

“And I wondered what I’d do if I had to leave. So I was just thinking about that for a moment….”

Suddenly, the lips that were fussing with his cheek stopped.

Lifting his head slightly, Ilay looked down at Jeong Tae-ui for a moment with an expression that was hard to read—it almost looked like he found it strange. Then, he spoke in a nonchalant tone.

“Why. While I was gone, did your brother tell you to leave?”

“No, rather than that….”

Jeong Tae-ui organized his thoughts for a moment.

Ilay looked down intently at Jeong Tae-ui, who was staring at the ceiling, tilting his head one way and then the other, patiently waiting for the rest of the sentence. Even while doing so, his gaze shifted occasionally, as if he were listening to the sounds coming from the earphones.

“I mean, after some time passes, if I end up separated from you for whatever reason, it would be a bit awkward to keep living in Berlin. I do have friends if I go back to Read on Read BL NovelsKorea, but it would be hard to meet them often, and since my brother is at UNHRDO, it would [unauthorized copy][unauthorized copy]be hard to live with him. Surprisingly, I realized I have nowhere to go.”

“…. Hmm…. Right, so? What do you plan to do if that happens?”

After a few seconds, Ilay asked, sounding genuinely curious. For some reason, both his voice and the lips brushing against Tae-ui’s earlobe seemed softer. At the time, Jeong Tae-ui didn’t realize it sounded like the voice of a demon trying to coax a secret out of a child.

“I don’t know… If it comes to that, would it be… a bit weird if I just stayed at the house as Kyle’s guest, regardless of you?”

Although the house was always overflowing with guests, long-term stays usually lasted a month or two at most. Aside from himself, Tae-ui had never seen a guest who just parked themselves there for years.

“Hmm…”

As a low hum escaped him, Ilay slowly raised his hand and began rubbing Tae-ui’s cheek with his thumb. Only then did Tae-ui look at him. Their eyes met; Ilay was gazing at him as if lost in thought.

Then, as if something had twisted inside him, Ilay pinched Tae-ui’s cheek hard enough to hurt. Tae-ui frowned and let out a small “Ow,” looking grumpy. However, Ilay continued to rub and pinch his cheek a few more times.

Tae-ui wondered if the man was moody again, but Ilay’s contemplative expression showed no signs of displeasure or irritation. He simply murmured, “Mmm,” as if grappling with a slight dilemma.

Then, suddenly, he muttered something to himself that made no sense.

“This is going to be difficult…”

“Huh?”

Tae-ui asked back, puzzled.

It didn’t fit the context of the conversation.

Or perhaps he meant it would be difficult to stay at the Berlin mansion as Kyle’s guest?

However, Tae-ui’s guess was spectacularly wrong, thanks to the words that followed.

“Your friends in Korea aren’t a problem, but Jeong Jae-yi… I think it’ll be hard to get rid of that guy. He’s the type who’d probably end up hurting me even if I shot him in the head. What should I do…”

He wasn’t joking. He spoke in a joking tone, but Tae-ui had spent several years with this man. When he spoke like this, he was being dead serious.

Tae-ui’s heart sank. Caught off guard by the unexpected words, he gasped and broke into a fit of coughing.

Cough, cough! Because he had inhaled too sharply, it felt as if his lungs were tearing.

Tae-ui pushed Ilay away and doubled over, coughing for a long time. Once the coughing finally subsided, Ilay pressed him down again, overlapping his upper body over Tae-ui’s.

Pushing him away once more as he tried to press their lips together as if nothing had happened, Tae-ui looked at him with a dead serious expression.

He didn’t know the reason, but if things went wrong, his friends and family could end up in a collective funeral procession; there was no way anything else could enter his mind right now.

“Why, why, why, why get rid of…!”

He was so flustered he couldn’t even speak properly.

Tae-ui patted his own chest several times with his palm. Then, he asked seriously again.

“What mortal sin did my friends, who have never even met you, and my brother, who has known you for millions of years, commit for you to want to get rid of them?”

“What do you mean, ‘why’?”

Ilay spoke in his usual calm voice, grabbing Tae-ui’s hand—which was pushing against his chest—and pulling it away.

“They won’t even think about it in the first place if they have nowhere to go. Tae-yi, you often overthink useless things.”

Damn it, I wondered what I stepped on, and it was this.

Tae-ui spoke hurriedly to Ilay, who was slowly licking up his cheek.

“No, no! I’ll never think that! I was already firmly resolved to bury my bones in Berlin!”

He added the words starting from one second ago only in his head.

The man, who had been licking and lightly biting his cheek, suddenly let out a soft chuckle.

This bastard played me again.

Tae-ui let all the strength drain from his body.

“Go ahead, just keep playing with me.”

“Hmm. Just so there’s no misunderstanding, I wasn’t joking.”

He was speaking with a playful smile, but as he said, Tae-ui already knew he wasn’t joking.

Tae-ui sighed and nodded.

Then, he shrank back slightly, feeling shy, as Ilay continued to stroke his cheek and kiss him.

He had grown somewhat accustomed to the act of being pinned down and having the man frantically satisfy his desires—or rather, in those moments, he didn’t have the luxury to think—but he could never get used to these occasional whims of gentle touching. No matter how many times it happened, it was somehow embarrassing.

However, this man, who seemed to enjoy Tae-ui’s reaction even if he didn’t say it openly, had been doing this often for some time now.

Opening his mouth for the man who was tapping his lips, Tae-ui asked as if he had just remembered.

“How about over there? Did the fighting stop?”

When Tae-ui gestured with his eyes toward the earphone in Ilay’s ear, Ilay responded with a “Hmm?” before wearing a satisfied smile.

“You don’t have to worry,” Ilay murmured as if to himself, and then pressed his lips against Tae-ui’s.

Hearing that, Tae-ui felt relieved, thinking that the other two must have finally entered [unauthorized copy]a period Read on Read BL Novelsof calm, and he [stolen content]lightly tapped Ilay’s tongue with the tip of his own.

 

* * *

 

The sound of water in the bathroom didn’t stop for a long time.

Under the showerhead, with streams of water hitting his eyes, Richard didn’t say a word. Only the occasional uncomfortable breath, as if he were suppressing something inside, betrayed his state of mind.

And leaning against the bathroom doorframe, Christoph watched him with eyes that sparkled subtly despite his indifferent expression. Whenever Richard glanced at him with a glare, Christoph would simply turn his head away, pretending not to notice.

Eventually, Richard turned off the shower. Having calmed down somewhat, he stepped out of the shower booth, wiping his bloodshot eyes with a towel.

“Christoph. Were you planning to blind me?”

His voice was quiet and blunt. It seemed his suppressed rage had filled him to the core.

“Hardly. If I wanted to do that, I would have used a much simpler method long ago.”

“But you must have already known that this was a medicine that should not be applied near the eyes. Otherwise, there’s no way you would have followed me into my room just to sightsee.”

Christoph didn’t answer Richard’s words. Instead, he just tucked his chin and looked straight at visit our siteunauthorized copyRichard, as visit our siteif saying, ‘So what?’

“Regardless, thank you. Thanks to you, I can’t even feel the pain of the scratches. I was so moved by the kindness of you applying it yourself that I didn’t even have time to hurt.”

Seeing Richard seriously sneering while rubbing his eyes with his knuckles, Christoph turned away as if his interest had vanished. His attitude clearly showed that he had seen all he wanted to see and no longer wished to stay.

He hadn’t expected Richard to sob that much, but he had at least hoped to see him teary-eyed and unable to open his eyes properly; his expectations had been thwarted.

As soon as Richard felt something was off, he had covered one eye with his hand, stood up, and left after saying they would see each other again at the banquet.

Christoph followed behind Richard, who was striding toward his room without looking back. The others left behind would likely return to their assigned rooms to rest for a while before coming to the banquet.

It was just as Christoph grabbed the doorknob to his room.

While slowly drying himself with a towel, Richard spoke as if he had just remembered something.

“Come to think of it, you smile quite a bit. I heard you shut yourself in that guy’s room every night and don’t come out; does a pleasant body lead to a pleasant mind?”

“What?”

Christoph frowned slightly and looked back.

“Shut yourself in whose room every night? Who?”

“You. In the room of that man… Kim Young—ah, no, Jeong Tae-ui.”

“…How do you know that?”

Christoph spoke displeasurably. Richard turned his head slightly and chuckled.

“Do you think such rumors wouldn’t spread while living in the same house? Why? You claimed relationships between the same sex are so pure, but now that you’ve actually done it with that man, you’ve realized that’s not the case?”

“Me and him?! I don’t do such things!”

Christoph shouted impulsively. While he didn’t mind doing it, he had absolutely no intention of giving this man ammunition to mock him.

However, Richard didn’t seem to believe him in the first place and snorted. Slowly, malice seeped into his gaze.

“Right. Then what exactly do you do in there every night? Read fairy tales, hmm?”

At that moment, Christoph fell silent. His lips twitched a few times, but he eventually bit his lip hard and shook his head.

“…I’m not telling. There’s no reason to tell you.”

Richard looked at him in silence. For a moment, his hand gripping the towel used to dry his hair tightened, but he soon relaxed it.

“There is definitely a reason to tell me.”

His voice dropped. The chilling tone indicated that he was clearly angry.

Christoph frowned.

“A reason. Surely you’re not telling me that because I work under you, I have to reveal every detail of my private life.”

“I have no interest in your private life. I don’t care who you play around with sloppily. …Ah, right. Assuming you can even interact with others with that mental illness of yours.”

Having spoken with clear malice in the latter half, Richard noted Christoph’s expression turning cold.

“However, if your private life becomes a problem and interferes with my work, I cannot tolerate that.”

“…I don’t know what you mean.”

Christoph’s voice also dropped. Although he said he didn’t know what he meant, his expressionless face suggested the opposite.

Richard threw the towel carelessly on the floor. Then, he took out a fresh towel and began drying his damp hair again. This habit of being fastidious about minor details was nothing new.

He had always been like that. While he seemed to let everything slide loosely, he was actually close to a perfectionist.

“You’re not the one to call me a mysophobe,” Christoph muttered, looking down at the discarded towel, but Richard ignored him and spoke.

“Malik seems interested in taking you. A leader-level position in a private security force… isn’t that a pretty good spot?”

“Private security force? What’s that?”

Christoph frowned at the sudden mention. Richard, walking toward the wardrobe, glanced at him.

“It means that’s not the only thing they want. …Well, that’s not important, so let’s set it aside for now.”

Standing before the wardrobe, Richard wiped his body once more with the towel that was starting to get damp. Then, as if wanting to make something clear, he turned back to Christoph.

“The final negotiation remains, but you can probably guess what conditions they will ultimately propose, Christoph.”

“…”

“If they demand their custody, what will you do?”

Christoph didn’t answer. He only looked at Richard with dark, sunken eyes. Meeting that gaze, Richard narrowed his eyes at some point. Then, he threw the towel on the floor.

“That’s why it’s problematic for you to be close with that man, Jeong Tae-ui. …What a shame, Christoph. He was the first person you liked enough to actually make contact with.”

It was a cold sneer.

Perhaps he found it immensely satisfying that things had turned out this way.

The person standing precariously in the middle of the scales was almost the only person Christoph had ever liked. Setting aside family or colleagues, Jeong Tae-ui was practically the first person Christoph had shown a level of affection for that was obvious enough for those around him to notice.

Christoph glared at Richard in silence for a while. Then, he spoke abruptly.

“Hand over Rick. He’s the one who carried out the bombing anyway.”

After blurting that out, Christoph froze for a moment as if the words had only just registered in his own mind, then continued.

“I didn’t like those Saudi bastards from the start. They proposed those conditions while knowing full well the relationship between Tarten and Riegrow. Whether we fulfill the conditions, capture Riegrow, and hand him over, or fail to fulfill them, we get screwed either way.”

His eyes grew fierce as he spoke, appearing displeased.

By the time Christoph finished speaking, Richard had stopped rummaging through the wardrobe and was looking at him with his arms crossed.

Even the sneer had vanished from his face. A mixture of faint irritation and anger was evident in his expression.

“Right, well then. What if their proposal is different? For instance, a condition that can be fulfilled without damaging the friendship with Riegrow—such as handing over the head of Jeong Jae-yi’s brother, who is also responsible for the violence.”

Christoph fell silent. He glared at Richard, his face slightly pale. His lips parted slightly as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, no words leaked out.

Richard sighed as if annoyed. He roughly threw the clothes he had just taken out of the wardrobe onto the bed and walked toward Christoph, looking him straight in the eye.

His naked body, marked with ugly scars, approached Christoph.

Among them were wounds from not long ago that had not yet healed. Although his severely dislocated arm joint had been reset, it was discolored to a dark hue that looked painful just to behold.

“Are you planning to interfere? Just because I breathed a little on that inhuman [unauthorized copy]glass heart of yours visit our siteand clouded it slightly, you’ve lost your mind to the point where it’s pathetic to watch. …Wake up, Christoph. unauthorized copyDon’t try to act like a human being now; it’s presumptuous.”

“…”

Christoph’s lips moved slightly. He seemed to have said something, but the voice was too low to be heard. Only his eyes, pale with shock, glared at Richard.

“Don’t deceive yourself by getting needlessly excited; live as you are. It’s not as if you actually like him anyway. You don’t even know how to do that.”

Richard stood directly in front of Christoph. At a distance where he could reach him by extending his arm, he looked down at him and threw words like merciless blades.

“…That’s, not true.”

Christoph murmured. At the thin voice that sounded like leaking air, Richard asked, “What?” as if he hadn’t heard properly.

“Who says I don’t actually like Tae-yi? I like him. I like him.”

Christoph spoke word by word, haltingly. Slowly but clearly. As if he were telling it to himself.

Facing that pale face, the expression vanished from Richard’s face as well. With a mannequin-like, expressionless face, he looked down at Christoph.

Then, eventually, very slowly. Very slowly.

Only Richard’s lips moved. While maintaining that expressionless look, an inorganic voice flowed from between his lips like a machine.

“And?”

“…”

“You’re going to interfere? …Despite bearing the name of Tarten, you mean to interfere with Tarten’s business for the sake of that man?”

No answer came from Christoph. He could say nothing and only looked at Richard.

As if angry, as if bewildered, as if anxious and restless.

Like a child who didn’t even know what was what, his blue eyes were shaking faintly.

Even so, as if under a spell, he murmured thinly.

“I, that guy, li…ke…”

The voice, which broke at every word like a broken recorder, did not reach the end.

It was because Richard had grabbed Christoph by the collar and lifted him up.

“Shut up. —You haven’t forgotten, have you, Christoph? You said you would follow whatever I say. You promised that you would never do anything to interfere with my work and that you would help me. Did you forget?”

“Let go…!”

The moment Richard’s hand gripped his collar, Christoph flinched and shouted visit our sitefiercely, as if he couldn’t even hear what the man was saying. visit our siteHe grabbed Richard’s elbow as if to snap stolen contenthis arm, but as the skin of the bare arm touched his palm directly—unlike if it were over clothes—his fingers recoiled as if he were repulsed.

Richard glanced at those fingers that flinched in disgust even while gripping his elbow. Suddenly, he let out a short, sharp laugh. “Ha.”

“Right, it makes sense that you’d want to interfere, even if it means turning your back on Tarten. You’re someone who hates being touched, let alone having someone close to you, yet you’re the one stepping forward to get near him because you like him that much, hm? You probably never dreamed such a person would appear in your life, so he must be precious to you, right? It must feel good to feel even a little bit more human, doesn’t it?”

“……. ……Let, let go of me!”

“Listen carefully, Christoph. You must never interfere with me. You must not go against my words. But if you insist on trying to get in my way, I’ll make sure you can’t.”

As Richard finished speaking in a low voice, he drove his fist into Christoph’s stomach. With a dull, heavy thud, Christoph’s expression flinched slightly.

But that was all; as if pain were irrelevant, he quickly returned to a fierce expression and struck Richard’s elbow from above.

“Let, I said let go! Don’t touch me!”

Due to the short but sharp blow, Richard lost his grip on Christoph’s collar. However, as if he had expected it, he kicked Christoph’s leg.

Christoph swung a fist at Richard’s jaw. When Richard blocked it by wrapping his palm around the fist, Christoph recoiled in disgust at the sensation of being caught and quickly shook him off. He drove his knee into Richard’s stomach, but Richard, letting out a short groan, did not dodge. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Christoph’s knee.

“……!”

Being embraced by the naked Richard—specifically, having his lower leg below the knee held—Christoph shuddered and tried to shake off his arms. However, those thick arms, locked in a firm grip, did not budge in the slightest. Instead, they clung even tighter.

And in the next moment.

It certainly couldn’t have been intentional, but a hot body temperature touched Christoph’s ankle.

“……!”

“……!! Let go!!”

Richard also frowned slightly, as if he hadn’t expected it. No one would enjoy having their private parts touch near another person’s foot.

But more than that, the moment Christoph confirmed the identity of the heat touching his ankle, the blood drained from his face instantly. Screaming in a voice that went beyond unpleasantness to something closer to loathing, he pushed him away.

Richard clicked his tongue but did not let go of his leg, and because of that, Christoph lost his balance.

With a dull sound, Christoph tumbled onto the thick rug, and Richard climbed on top of him.

“Get off, before I kill you……!”

With a voice mixed with disgust and bewilderment, Christoph struggled desperately to push away Richard, who was sitting atop his stomach.

For an ordinary person, shaking him off and standing back up would have been a simple task. If only Richard weren’t someone who knew Christoph’s techniques and habits well, and if he weren’t someone possessing the ability to not lose in most circumstances.

Richard put his weight on Christoph’s body so he couldn’t thrash about, pinning his chest and neck down.

Both of them were breathing heavily due to anger and excitement.

Richard also exhaled a low, ragged breath and spoke harshly.

“I told you before. You’re lethal in close-quarters combat. Moreover, you have no proper weapon right now. So, what do you plan to do now?”

“Get off……! I told you not to touch me……!”

“You can do nothing but snarl like that.”

Beneath the hand gripping his throat, Richard intentionally slid his other hand over Christoph’s chest. Beneath the crumpled, disheveled suit, right over the thin silk shirt.

The sensation of trembling was transmitted directly to his palm.

“Let go, ……let go, let go!!”

Christoph’s face distorted fiercely. His blue eyes looked as if blue flames were burning within them.

Richard looked down at those eyes cruelly, as if his own reins of reason had also half-snapped.

“Say it. That you won’t interfere with me and will obey whatever I say.”

The low, smooth voice descended close to Christoph’s face.

Christoph grit his teeth. He glared at Richard, swallowing even his screams.

Richard continued.

“Say it. That you don’t love anyone. Stop pretending to be human in such a clumsy way, and admit you don’t know how to love anyone.”

“…―.”

“Human emotions? Why do you need such things? You only need to hate me. Let that be the only emotion you know. A human who knows only hatred—doesn’t that suit you perfectly?”

“……. You might be able to inherit Tarten, but you will never succeed the Elder.”

Christoph muttered through his teeth. His voice trembled thinly with intense rage and loathing.

“You are despicable and cruel. As far as I know, there will never be a human as cold-hearted as you.”

Even his bluish lips trembled, causing the end of his sentence to falter.

The smile vanished from Richard’s face. With an expressionless face like a stone statue, as if wearing a mask, he looked down at Christoph.

And then, that mask slowly, very slowly, smiled. It was the kindest smile Richard could manage. Enough to make one’s spine tingle.

“I didn’t expect to hear such words from you. No, no one thinks of me that way except you. Only you see me like that.”

The corners of Richard’s eyes curved.

That gentle gaze, which Christoph could never achieve no matter how much he practiced, drew close to Christoph’s face. A voice as soft as the curve of his lips reached his ear.

“I am like a mirror; I respond according to the expectations of the person looking at me.”

It was a tender voice, like someone quietly singing a lullaby.

 

 

The sound of pounding against the floor echoed dully, muffled by the plush rug.

Occasionally, a more visceral sound rang out, as if something other than the floor were being struck. Then, the floor was pounded repeatedly again.

It is by no means an easy task to bind a human who is thrashing and struggling in a state bordering on madness. If all conditions were equal, it could be considered impossible.

However, unfortunately, if one is inferior in all conditions, and if the oppressor has no intention of giving up, the result can usually be guessed from the start, even if it takes time.

That was why both Richard and Christoph knew from the beginning who had the advantage and who was at a disadvantage.

Whether it was the height difference of about a hand’s span, or the body size difference of two or three weight classes, Richard had the superior physical build.

The same went for stamina. While Christoph had the edge in agility and unauthorized copyspeed, he visit our sitewas inferior in terms of raw endurance.

Most fatal of all was the difference in the initial position.

Starting from a state of being pinned underneath, unable to use his body, acted as the most decisive weakness.

Even so, Richard moved while accepting the damage of being hit by Christoph or having his joints slightly dislocated.

Christoph had been at a disadvantage from the start.

In such a situation, they both knew it would have been wiser to simply stay still and await disposal.

But they also knew that Christoph could never endure that.

By the time Richard had tied one of Christoph’s arms to the heavy mahogany table leg, they both looked wretched.

Reddish marks remained on Richard’s forehead, stomach, and chest, where he had inevitably been hit or struck while dodging Christoph’s frantic attacks. They were marks that would likely turn into dark bruises after a day. Blood beaded and then dried on his forehead, which had been slightly torn by hitting the table.

And beneath him, Christoph was trembling, his face pale and filled with poison.

It was a mess.

His clothes, which had been spotless, were heavily wrinkled and disheveled, and the buttons of his suit jacket had popped off, leaving it half-off. His shoes had flown off somewhere and were nowhere to be seen.

His hair, which had been neatly brushed to [Read on Read BL Novels]a length that lightly covered his nape, was a chaotic mess, [unauthorized copy]clinging sloppily Read on Read BL Novelsto his sweat-drenched forehead and cheeks.

Richard, breathing heavily, sat firmly pressing down on Christoph’s lower abdomen, looking down at him with eyes mixed with anger and euphoria.

“……This is the first time I’ve seen you so disheveled, Christoph. You never appeared before others unless you were perfectly flawless, without a single speck of dust.”

Christoph did not answer. He only glared at Richard with blue eyes, breathing so sharply it seemed he might collapse at any moment.

“What will you do? Right now, I could snap your neck, gouge out your heart, or tear off your limbs while you’re still alive.”

Richard spoke slowly.

He, too, was subtly different from usual. Although he was capable of masking his anger or excitement so that others wouldn’t notice, he could not hide the faintly flickering light of excitement in his low, calm whisper, nor in the gaze he cast down upon Christoph.

He leaned over. Then, he pressed his mouth close to Christoph’s ear. Gripping the nape of Christoph, who flinched and shrank back with trembling shoulders, he whispered into his ear.

“Say it with your own mouth that you will never do it again. That you will never go against my words again. Say it clearly once more, that you will obey whatever I say.”

“…―.”

Christoph closed his mouth, which had been gasping for air. As if he wouldn’t let a single breath escape from the mouth that was supposed to speak.

Richard looked down at Christoph in silence. After watching him as if granting a grace period of time, he eventually let out a quiet sigh and smiled.

Clicking his tongue as if troubled, he whispered softly, like someone coaxing a lovely child.

“You are needlessly stubborn. You’ve always been that way. Without a shred of tact to get by with a few flattering words, you endured, refusing to utter a single weak sound even if it killed you.”

Suddenly, Richard raised his body, which had been leaning close over Christoph. Then, he placed his hand quietly just below Christoph’s collarbone.

“Then, I wonder how much you can endure this time.”

At the same time the tender voice, whispering as if pitying him, pierced his ear.

The hand that had been spread generously over the collarbone slowly slid downward.

With only a single layer of thin fabric between them, the body heat just beneath was vividly felt.

Beneath the shirt, which transmitted the heat and sensation as if skin were directly touching, Christoph trembled as if convulsing.

“Don’t touch me! What are you—!”

His pale face, which had reflexively shouted, froze. It was because Richard’s hand stopped at one spot on his chest.

“Hmm……? You’ve suddenly gone quiet. I thought you’d keep screaming until your voice gave out. Or perhaps, unexpectedly, it feels good when I touch you here?”

A voice of surprise was heard.

Fingers moved a few times over the protrusion that faintly visit our siterevealed itself through the shirt. Every time he scratched lightly with a fingernail, the degree to stolen contentwhich Christoph flinched and shrank back intensified.

“Stop it, ……don’t touch me…….”

A trembling voice barely leaked through his closed throat.

But that thin voice did not reach Richard. After rubbing that small piece of flesh on the chest for a while, as if playing with a small toy, he suddenly twisted it hard.

The sound of a sharp intake of breath was heard loudly.

At that moment, Richard let out a short laugh.

“Right, that’s your scream. I wondered what your scream, which I’ve never heard before, would sound like.”

“……That, …―.”

Lips that opened as if to say something soon closed again. He swallowed his words, gritting his teeth. Christoph’s face grew paler and paler.

While keeping the hand that was kneading Christoph’s chest in place, Richard slowly slid his other hand downward.

From the chest to the waist, the sides, and the stomach.

As if to thoroughly scan every single inch of the body with his palm and fingers, his hand moved slowly over the shirt. And every time that hand paused and then moved, Christoph’s body jerked and twisted slightly.

Richard let out a low snort.

“If your whole body is this sensitive wherever I touch, how on earth did you sleep with women? Don’t tell me you just shoved it in and finished without any foreplay or anything? Hmph……, you really are a man with no manners.”

“…―.”

Christoph grit his teeth while curling his body—though he couldn’t curl properly since Richard was on top of him.

Richard, who had been looking down at him while clicking his tongue in mockery, suddenly stopped his hand. A strange light appeared on his expression. He muttered to himself, “No way,” and frowned slightly.

“Don’t tell me you’re a virgin at your age.”

Richard tossed the words out as if he didn’t think it were possible, but just wanted to mention it.

At that moment, Richard did not miss the way the corners of Christoph’s tightly closed mouth trembled briefly.

Richard’s face froze with a look bordering on shock. Even the hand stroking Christoph’s body stopped for a moment.

“You’ve never had sex once?”

Richard asked in a tone that still sounded disbelieving, as if telling him to stop with the bad jokes, but Christoph only bit his lip harder.

Richard looked down at him as if he had lost his mind for a moment, then let out a hollow laugh and asked, saying it was absurd.

“It’s a joke, right? You’ve never done that thing once?”

“……I did.”

At first, it was too low to be heard clearly.

Through the teeth that bit the lip hard enough to draw blood, Christoph muttered something while trembling.

That voice gradually grew like a ripple, soon becoming just barely audible.

“I, ……did.”

“Ah…… right, you probably did. Of course, there’s no way you wouldn’t have done it by your age…….”

“You…… did it.”

Richard fell silent.

He looked down with strange eyes at Christoph, who was saying something that didn’t fit the context at all. Perhaps he had lost his mind for a moment because he was so terribly tormented.

“What?”

When Richard asked back with a slight frown, Christoph squeezed out a trembling voice.

“You did it……! Back then, when we just got out of [Read on Read BL Novels]the Read on Read BL Novelsriver, stolen contentyou did it to me, that thing……!!”

Richard looked down blankly for a while at Christoph, who was incessantly hurling curses in a trembling voice—calling him a lunatic, a pervert. Unconsciously, the hand he had placed on Christoph’s body recoiled. At that movement, Christoph also shrank back.

Looking down at Christoph, who muttered with a pale face, “I, with someone like you, did that thing……,” Richard suddenly frowned and asked.

“Have you, by any chance, said those words anywhere else?”

“…―Why, are you afraid to tell others even though it’s something you did? Do you think I’d go around blabbing that everywhere! I don’t care if a few people heard me say I’d kill the bastard who did such a thing, do you think I’d actually spread that around?!”

Christoph shouted as if a surge of indignation had risen. His bright blue eyes were slightly moist and glistening like glass.

Richard just watched in silence for a while as Christoph trembled, not knowing what to do with the rage and anger that had risen to the top of his head. A flicker of embarrassment and perplexity passed over his expression.

“So that’s why those rumors were circulating…….”

The sigh-filled monologue did not reach the ears of the heavily panting Christoph.

Richard, who had been looking down at Christoph as if he were absurd, let out a hollow laugh at some point.

But the moment that laughter stopped, strength simultaneously entered the hand resting on Christoph’s body. The trace of a smile vanished completely from Richard’s face.

“There’s a limit to acting like a fool, but you let such ridiculous rumors spread……? That I did that thing to you? I, of all people?!”

His tone gradually grew harsher. Richard, who let out visit our sitea snort [unauthorized copy]as if he had tasted an unexpected humiliation, muttered with a blank face.

“Then make sure you learn clearly today. Because I’ll teach you for sure. What it’s like for a man to have sex with a man.”

Finishing his words in a voice so low it was chilling, Richard grabbed Christoph’s shirt by the collar and ripped it open. The thin, soft, but not strong piece of fabric was torn away helplessly.

Beneath the piece of cloth that hung like a rag over his shoulders and arms, snowy white skin was revealed.

However, while Christoph’s face stiffened instantly, Richard pulled down Christoph’s trousers without a second word.

Christoph’s expression shifted immediately, and he struggled with all his might, but it was ultimately futile with his restricted movement. Screaming frantically was of no use either.

“You crazy bastard, what the hell are you doing! Don’t touch me! Don’t touch my body!!”

But even as Christoph screamed with piercing intensity, Richard moved as if he couldn’t hear a sound.

Soon, not a single thread remained on Christoph’s body.

Richard tossed the last piece of underwear far away and looked down at him. An explicit gaze swept over him from head to toe.

“Hmph… I wonder if I can even get hard for a man…”

Richard carelessly brushed over his own groin.

His heavily hanging member showed no sign of rising and pointed downward.

For a moment, Christoph couldn’t tear his frozen gaze away from Richard’s groin. Shock and disgust filled his eyes.

He had never seen another person’s genitals right in front of him like this. He had never even gone to a sauna for fear that his skin might brush against someone else’s. He had used communal bathrooms, but he had no desire to see someone else’s parts. Even in public restrooms, he never once glanced at the person next to him.

Yet, since he had seen his own genitals thousands of times, there was no reason for a man’s genitals to feel unfamiliar, but Richard’s member, rubbing against his groin right before his eyes, was unmistakably foreign.

Richard tilted his head slightly and looked at Christoph’s lower half. Then, he let out a smirk.

“I thought a man’s equipment was just hideous, but this is the most beautifully colored and shaped thing I’ve ever seen.”

Christoph’s expression froze white.

Just the thought of being touched was enough to give him the creeps. But the current situation was even more horrific. This series of actions, symbolizing a sexual encounter, brought to mind a terrifying vision of what was to come.

“Richard… don’t.”

There was no strength in Christoph’s voice as he murmured palely. Looking back at him, Richard gave a faint smile.

“Do you know what I’m going to do?”

“With that… you’re going to touch my body.”

Christoph murmured, glaring at Richard’s member. He recoiled, unauthorized copy[stolen content]shivering at the mere imagination.

For some reason, Richard laughed like a sigh upon hearing those words. Even so, as he stroked his member upward, he eventually took his hand away from the still limp and heavy organ.

“As expected, I can’t get hard for a man. It’ll be a relief for you since I won’t be able to go all the way. …Well, fine. It’s not like I absolutely have to fuck you.”

Having cleanly given up on stimulation below, Richard immediately climbed on top of Christoph’s body.

Christoph recoiled as if he were about to jump. His face turned pale instantly.

Naked body clashed explicitly with naked body. The feeling of skin directly touching skin was utterly unfamiliar. It made his skin crawl.

“Don’t—!!”

But Christoph’s scream-like shout didn’t make it to the end.

Before he could finish, Richard gripped his jaw firmly with a powerful hand and bit into Christoph’s lips as if to devour them.

His body froze for a moment, not so much from pain as from the grotesque shock.

As if feeling Christoph’s body stiffen, Richard’s arm, which had been stroking down his back, tightened. He hugged him so hard it was suffocating.

Chests met. Bellies met. The arm wrapped around his back tightened violently.

In that flood of unfamiliar visit our sitestolen contentsensations, as if their entire bodies had fused together, the most alien sensation of all was the mouth.

As if to swallow him whole, Richard bit Christoph’s lips. Between the rough bites that occasionally caused sharp pain, he sucked the lost tongue into his own mouth. The tongue, sucked in without any way to escape, had to taste the slippery, hot flesh of Richard’s tongue for a long time as they intertwined.

Hot breaths exchanged between them along with saliva.

Small, wet, sticky sounds could be heard.

Then, he realized.

Richard’s tongue, teeth, and lips, which had been indifferent and rough at first, were now moving with a sensual intensity. As if anxious and desperate, he sucked on Christoph’s lips harder and harder.

The lips, which had forgotten even how to tremble due to the shock, began to quiver faintly at some point. And the moment he became aware of that fact.

“…—!!”

As if his frozen body had suddenly awakened, Christoph whipped his head away.

He couldn’t breathe. A chill ran down his spine. It felt as if the tongue that had been ravaging his mouth was still inside.

His mind went blank with bewilderment, and as his gaze wandered, Christoph suddenly locked eyes with Richard.

He had a strange expression. He looked both angry and disappointed—yes, like someone who had suddenly had a toy he was intensely focused on snatched away.

“Stay still. This is just child’s play, so why are you so stiff?”

The voice, speaking bluntly and nonchalantly, descended upon Christoph’s face once more.

Christoph reflexively turned his head away again.

He was repulsed. He felt a chill. He could feel every single cell of his chest and belly pressed tightly against Richard, and the arm hugging his back firmly.

When Christoph turned his head, Richard clicked his tongue. As if irritated, he grabbed Christoph’s jaw and forced it back. Then, he kissed him indiscriminately again.

“…—!”

The shout telling him to stop vanished into Richard’s mouth.

Somehow more anxious and hurried than before, Richard searched every corner of Christoph’s mouth. He licked and sucked everywhere his tongue touched. It felt as if he would swallow him whole if he could.

Then, suddenly, the hand gripping his jaw slowly moved down. The hand, which had been carefully tracing his neckline and collarbone, soon reached his chest.

The hand, which seemed to brush against the small protrusion on his chest, began to obsessively fondle it.

At that moment, Christoph writhed and thrashed.

He couldn’t stand it. He didn’t know what it was, but a terrifyingly unfamiliar and cold sensation surged up his spine.

Let go. Please don’t touch me. It’s unfamiliar. It’s so unfamiliar visit our siteI can’t visit our sitestand it. Leave me alone.

Christoph thrashed his head frantically and cried out urgently.

“Don’t do it, stop it, it’s giving me the creeps…! I feel nauseous, ah, don’t touch, ah, …ah, ah, …—!!”

His trembling voice let out shallow sounds regardless of his will. He tried to force down the voice that was faintly mixed with sobbing, but even that didn’t go as planned. He felt like his mind was going to break.

Richard looked down at Christoph in silence for a moment. Christoph couldn’t tell what the light in that expression was. Perhaps Richard himself didn’t know. A faint sense of bewilderment was mixed into that expression.

“…I guess you like it here. For someone who’s never done this, you’re excessively sensitive. Or was that why you had a contact phobia?”

Even the voice speaking sarcastically was somehow permeated with bewilderment.

Slowly, Richard’s lips moved down.

They swept over Christoph’s neck, followed the line of his shoulder to his collarbone, and finally reached the center of his chest, where fingers had been pressing and rubbing.

After lingering around the area as if hesitating, the lips covered it. He tickled the firm protrusion with the tip of his tongue, then suddenly sucked it so hard it took his breath away.

“…—!!!”

The sensation of being bitten and nibbled with teeth, sucked as if to pull it out by the root, made every hair on his body stand on end.

Christoph didn’t even know what kind of sounds were bursting from his own mouth.

He simply writhed and thrashed frantically, like a fish on a bare wire. With all his might, as if he were about to die.

For a while, Richard also suppressed Christoph’s body with all his strength, clinging to his nipple like an infant, but he soon moved off his body.

The chests and bellies that had been touching, and the arm that had been hugging his back tightly, all separated at once.

The body heat that had been hot enough to burn the skin vanished, and in its place, the cool air familiar to Christoph enveloped his skin.

Panting with his whole body, Christoph stared blankly at Richard, unable to even blink his wide-open eyes.

Richard was standing on his knees on the ground, about half a step away from Christoph.

He had a very strange look on his face.

Christoph had been certain he would have his usual mocking face or a cold, looking-down expression, but Richard’s current expression was unreadable. Christoph couldn’t tell what it was.

Then, he suddenly stiffened slightly.

Richard’s member was erect and swollen.

The dark, hideous piece of flesh was greatly swollen, veins bulging, standing tall.

“…Don’t come near me.”

Christoph murmured, shrinking back.

His body trembled.

Regardless of emotions like fear or anger, it was physically unbearable. His body could not accept touching someone.

Richard frowned and tried to say something, but then shut his mouth. Then, suddenly, he looked at Christoph coldly and spoke in a low voice.

“Why the sudden change? Didn’t you already say you had sex—had that kind of relationship—with me? If so, there’s no need to be so cautious now.”

“That doesn’t matter. I don’t care if you treat me like a dog or beat me up or do whatever, but don’t touch me!”

Richard said nothing. He quietly and thoroughly examined Christoph. The gaze that swept from head to toe traveled back up and lingered on Christoph’s lips.

He stared intently at the lips he had been biting and sucking as if to devour them just moments ago, then slowly lowered his gaze. To the body they had hugged, and then to the nipples, which were red, swollen, and wet.

And.

“…”

Richard suddenly raised an eyebrow. His eyes widened slightly as if he had seen something strange, and he soon returned his gaze to Christoph’s face.

He slowly raised his hand and lightly gripped his own member. He began to visit our sitestroke the [stolen content]object that stolen contentwas already stiff and erect.

Unlike before, when it had been limp and powerless for quite a while, the member that had already raised its head swelled even larger after a few strokes.

To Christoph, who was watching Richard with horrified eyes, Richard gave a smile that resembled a sneer. Then he spoke.

“You should check your own lower half before telling me not to touch you.”

Christoph looked down in confusion. Then, he lost his words in sheer astonishment.

His own member was gaining strength, if only very slightly. It wasn’t limp as usual; it was slightly aroused.

Why…?!

Christoph stared down for a long time with wide eyes, then slowly raised his head. To Christoph, whose face was bloodless and eyes wide, Richard took a step closer.

“No need to look so confused. Just think of it simply. Regardless of your twisted mental structure or your near-obsessive sensitivity, you’re just built that way. Your body is absurdly sensitive. …How nice, Christoph. The suffering will only be brief.”

The moment Richard took another step forward, Christoph’s face turned as pale as lead.

 

* * *

 

Naturally, Malik’s party was seated at the highest table—the Elder did not attend the banquet.

That point was, of course, understandable. This banquet had been prepared for them.

However, Jeong Tae-ui couldn’t understand why he was sitting at a limited banquet table of only about a dozen seats. Even if he had been given the lowest seat, he would have sat there gratefully—while wondering why he was called—but he was sitting in a spot not far from Malik.

And before long, Jeong Tae-ui was able to realize the reason.

“By the way, I heard Mr. Jeong Jae-yi recently finished his research regarding the RCS?”

“Does Mr. Jeong Jae-yi intend to stay at UNHRDO?”

“Our side is always looking for outstanding talent. My superior is someone who believes there is no resource as wonderful as human resources.”

“I heard that UNHRDO strictly limits personal contact. Still, since they are brothers, they must be in contact often.”

To Malik, who made sure to address Jeong Tae-ui at least once every ten sentences, Jeong Tae-ui gave only short, clipped answers—”Yes,” “I’m not sure,” “Is that so,” “No”—with a hollow smile.

While it could be called honest, it was extremely blatant. Unless there was some other intention, it was hard to be this transparent.

If Jeong Tae-ui had been planning to go to Frankfurt, he might have unconsciously said, “Yes, I’ll pass along the message.”

While Malik talked with a member of Tarten sitting next to [stolen content]him, Jeong Tae-ui poked around [Read on Read BL Novels]his [Read on Read BL Novels]appetizer and quietly looked around.

If they were sitting at this table from Tarten, they were likely people with enough influence to have a say in the succession decision. Indeed, most of the strangers seated there were middle-aged or elderly men who looked formidable.

Among them, one seat was conspicuously empty.

Across from Malik, two seats away from Jeong Tae-ui.

When he thought of the person who should have been in that seat but wasn’t, the answer came easily.

“Was the Tiger Balm that potent…?”

Jeong Tae-ui murmured softly to himself while looking at Richard’s empty seat. He felt Ilay’s gaze from beside him, but Ilay simply said nonchalantly, “He’ll be here soon.”

Jeong Tae-ui thought that while it was one thing for Christoph to be missing, Richard was someone who absolutely should be in that seat, but once again, Malik abruptly cut off that thought.

“Come to think of it, I heard Mr. Jeong Jae-yi is going to Frankfurt soon. It’ll be a great opportunity for you to meet.”

“Huh? Ah… no, I’m not going.”

Jeong Tae-ui shook his head. Then, suddenly remembering the man sitting right next to him and his spine-chilling plan to arrange a brotherly reunion, he quickly added.

“There’s no particular need for us to meet. I’ll meet him later if the opportunity arises. When it’s not a burden for either of us.”

When Jeong Tae-ui spoke with a smile, Malik nodded, saying, “I see.” Whether [Read on Read BL Novels]it was just his imagination or stolen contentnot, even that “I see” sounded somewhat meaningful.

Jeong Tae-ui shrugged his shoulders, thinking of the man who was Malik’s superior. Thinking of the man who had paid a harsh price for kidnapping and confinement, Jeong Tae-ui smacked his lips bitterly.

To summarize, Malik had come regarding a contract signed with a Saudi Arabian state-owned company. And that kidnapper was said to be Malik’s superior. At the same time, he was the guardian of the full brother of a prince engaged in a power struggle for the throne…

Thinking up to that point, Jeong Tae-ui pressed his temples, which were starting to throb. Feeling that further thought would lead to a headache, he decided to organize it later and instead made a joke to cool his head.

“By the way, which state-owned company in Saudi? Surely it’s not somewhere like Aramco? Haha.”

The words Jeong Tae-ui spoke lightly, in a voice audible only to Ilay sitting next to him, were a pure joke.

“You’re well-informed.”

However, the response that came back lightly was not in a joking tone.

Jeong Tae-ui’s face stiffened slightly while still smiling. Then, he looked at Ilay with very suspicious eyes and poked him in the side with his elbow.

“You’re joking, right?”

“Does it sound like a joke?”

“…”

Jeong Tae-ui shut his mouth. The smile had already vanished from his face.

The reason he mentioned that company’s name was simply because it was the only Saudi state-owned company he knew from his limited economic knowledge.

“The Aramco I’m talking about is a very successful unlisted company…”

When he murmured, wondering if there was another company with the same name, Ilay replied lightly from beside him.

“There probably isn’t a single unlisted company in the entire world with a higher corporate value than that one.”

This time, Jeong Tae-ui truly shut his mouth.

He felt his headache worsening. Suddenly, Malik, who was eating at the VIP table in front of him, looked ominous.

“That man, Raman… was he in a key position at Aramco?”

As Jeong Tae-ui muttered with a look of disbelief, Ilay stared at him with a peculiar expression for a brief moment before letting out an “Ah.”

“I see, there was a misunderstanding. Raman is that man’s superior, but he has no relation to Aramco.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“To be precise, that man’s superior is Al Faisal. He was originally Al Faisal’s chief attendant. Although he was placed at Aramco rather than within Al Faisal’s own businesses, you can practically view him as Al Faisal’s chief aide even now.”

“…I’d appreciate it if you could put that in simpler terms.”

“There is an agreement between Aramco and Faisal; Aramco has handed over full authority regarding the loan repayment negotiations to Faisal. That is why that man temporarily obtained a position at Aramco. He will likely return to Faisal once this matter is concluded.”

“No, simpler. Simpler.”

Jeong Tae-ui spoke while pressing and rubbing his temples.

Ilay, lightly moistening his lips with a glass of water, explained it very simply.

“It means that for the purpose of the loan repayment, you can consider Al Faisal the actual creditor.”

“Great. That’s very easy to understand.”

Jeong Tae-ui took his hand away from his temples and pressed a glass of beer, which he had requested from a servant, to his lips.

Al Faisal.

He was the full brother of Prince Ali, a key figure in the faction that had ultimately emerged victorious in the clandestine power struggles within the Saudi Arabian royal family over several years up until last year.

Although he had stepped away from the power struggle early on, if he were capable of negotiating independently with a state-owned enterprise of that scale, his power must be beyond imagination.

And at the same time, that man was—.

“Which means he’s Raman’s patron…”

No wonder the beer tastes bitter, Jeong Tae-ui muttered as he set the glass down.

“Furthermore, he is a patron who provides very full-fledged support,” Ilay added, as if piercing through Jeong Tae-ui’s thoughts.

Jeong Tae-ui scratched his head with a hum.

That was why.

The reason why he couldn’t easily let his guard down, even though the man named Malik had been showing him an incredibly favorable attitude for a while now.

As far as Jeong Tae-ui remembered, Raman had disliked him. He didn’t know why. Regardless, Raman had hated him from the moment they first met.

“Especially since he left that wonderful villa in such a ruin, he must have found me quite obnoxious. Naturally.”

Jeong Tae-ui nodded to himself.

This time, the culprit who had turned that wonderful villa into a ruin said nothing.

Geez, I don’t know. I’ll just pray that I never have to meet him again.

It was just as Jeong Tae-ui let out a light sigh and began working his fork again.

The door opened, and Richard entered late.

Apologizing generally for being late, he took an empty seat and, before long, blended into the conversation as naturally as if he had been there from the start.

“Is the food to your liking?”

When Richard asked, Malik nodded with a generous smile.

“Every dish that comes out is absolutely wonderful. I feel as though I could live here.”

“Ahaha, please feel free to drop by whenever you visit Germany. It is quite a pity that you can only stay for a few days this time.”

Even though it was a formulaic, manual-like conversation, one of Richard’s great strengths was that when it came from his mouth, it felt like genuine sincerity.

Jeong Tae-ui looked at Richard with admiration, as a friendly smile that didn’t seem fake at all never left his face. Meanwhile, the social conversation between Richard and Malik continued.

“I took a look around the outside of the mansion for a short walk before dinner, and the walking trails in the forest were quite splendid.”

“Ah. The back area connects to the foothills of the mountain, so you must be careful as it is easy to get lost if you go too deep. That said, the terrain isn’t particularly rugged, so there has never been a major problem.”

“Ho, a mountain. That’s lovely. When I was younger, I often went hunting during vacations, but I haven’t been able to enjoy it much since my work became busy.”

“In that case, while you are staying here—since tomorrow is already scheduled—would you like to go for a light ride the day after tomorrow? Around this time, the red foxes usually come down along the mountain range.”

“Red foxes, it’s been a very long time.”

Glancing at Malik, whose eyes sparkled with delight at the mention of hunting, Jeong Tae-ui felt a slight sense of relief, thinking that Malik probably wouldn’t bring up the topic of Jeong Jae-ui for a while, and focused on his meal. As expected, the best way to divert an unwanted topic is to throw out another topic the other person likes.

Jeong Tae-ui enjoyed his meal, feeling grateful to Richard for providing the perfect conversation starter, even if it wasn’t for Tae-ui’s sake.

At the same time, he glanced toward the door.

He had thought Christoph would naturally come with Richard, but it seemed Richard had come alone. He wondered if Christoph would follow shortly, but seeing as he hadn’t arrived by the time the meal was halfway through, it seemed he wasn’t coming to this gathering.

From what he had overheard earlier, they seemed to have had a rather nasty fight, so seeing Richard come alone made him feel somewhat uneasy.

He didn’t think someone like Christoph would be dying in some corner, but still.

“By the way, didn’t Christoph come with you?”

Jeong Tae-ui asked subtly during a brief lull in the conversation.

With the same cool smile on his face, Richard turned his head toward Jeong Tae-ui. Their eyes met.

“…?”

Was it just his imagination? For a moment, the gaze felt somewhat stinging.

However, when Jeong Tae-ui tilted his head and looked again, Richard was smiling kindly as usual.

“He is not feeling very well, so he is likely lying in bed right now. Actually, if you don’t mind, please stop by and check on him after the meal. He would be happy if Mr. Jeong Tae-ui visited. …Though I don’t know if he’ll be awake.”

As Richard spoke, shaking his head slightly as if worried, Jeong Tae-ui replied, “Ah, yes.”

Judging by the way he spoke, it didn’t seem like Christoph was seriously injured. Indeed, Richard, who usually fought Christoph to a near-draw, was sitting quite comfortably, although there were traces of wound treatment on his forehead and nape.

Thinking he should stop by Christoph’s room before returning to his own after dinner, Jeong Tae-ui diligently worked his fork, while beside him, Ilay looked at Richard with cold eyes.

“Would it not be unpleasant for you if this fellow went to see Christoph?”

At Ilay’s low words, Richard looked at him with a strange expression. Then, he laughed as if it were absurd.

“No. Why would I be unpleasant?”

“It seems you have no intention of hiding it.”

This time, frowning slightly, Richard smiled as if he were displeased.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Rick. Isn’t it common to pretend not to know something even when we do?”

Ilay set down the glass he was holding. Then, he spoke quietly but firmly.

“As long as you don’t drag in people who shouldn’t be dragged in, I don’t care at unauthorized copyall about your affairs. I find it unpleasant if this fellow goes to see Christoph, so I would prefer it if you [Read on Read BL Novels]didn’t try to send him. I know what you want to show him.”

Richard remained silent for a moment, staring at Ilay. A faint smile appeared at the corners of his mouth as if he were thinking of something. Then, he smiled softly and gave a slight shrug.

“Rick, I have no other intention. It’s just that since they are on good terms, I thought it would be nice for him to check on the state of the poor Christoph, who is bedridden.”

“If he’s so pitiful, you take care of him.”

Ilay’s voice was consistently low.

However, it wasn’t a volume that wouldn’t reach Jeong Tae-ui, who was sitting right next to him.

Some kind of subtle conversation is happening… and it doesn’t feel very refreshing.

He couldn’t clearly grasp what Richard was trying to say or what Ilay meant.

“What is it? Is Christoph in bad shape?”

Jeong Tae-ui chimed in during a brief pause in their conversation.

For a moment, no answer came.

Just as Jeong Tae-ui’s lips twitched at the subtle unrest, Richard answered quietly on Ilay’s behalf.

“It’s nothing to worry about. He’s just running a [visit our site]slight fever right now, perhaps because Read on Read BL Novelshe’s been mentally exhausted and his physical strength has dropped lately.”

“Haa… I see…”

Richard quietly pressed a napkin to his lips while waiting for a new plate to arrive. A short silence followed.

While Jeong Tae-ui was tilting his head at the ambiguous atmosphere, Richard suddenly spoke to his uncle sitting nearby, as if he had just remembered something.

“Come to think of it, Uncle, I am thinking of bringing my aunt to Dresden soon.”

At that, the uncle, who had been talking to the person next to him, asked back with a puzzled face.

“By aunt, you mean…?”

“Aunt Bianca, I mean Christoph’s mother.”

At Richard’s calm answer, the uncle fell silent for a moment. He frowned in confusion for a while, looking at Richard, before asking again with a “Hmm.”

“Do you mean you intend to bring her back to Tarten?”

Richard smiled and shook his head.

“No. It’s just that the succession date is approaching, and since Christoph seems somewhat unstable, I thought things might settle down if she stayed for a while.”

The uncle then nodded slowly.

“Indeed, since the succession date is soon, it is almost time for others to gather as well. Do as you wish.”

Richard gave a reliable smile and concluded the conversation.

And Jeong Tae-ui unconsciously stopped his movements and looked at him.

Christoph’s mother.

—If Christoph’s mother comes, he will become even more unstable.

Words he had heard once suddenly flashed through his mind.

—The one person he thinks of in a similar way to others is his mother. A mother who views him as hideous and fears him.

Along with those words, the elegant and beautiful voice that had leaked through the receiver came to mind. And the face of Christoph as he took that receiver.

A face that froze pale. Lips that trembled bluishly. In contrast to that appearance, the short answers he whispered quietly and calmly into the receiver.

That pale face, unstable like thin glass that could break at any moment, overlapped with the face of Richard, who was smiling softly beside him.

Jeong Tae-ui quietly put down his fork. His appetite vanished.

Then suddenly, he noticed white fingers tapping on the table right in front of him.

Looking up, he saw Ilay looking down at him.

“When the succession date approaches, close relatives visit Tarten unless something unusual happens.”

Christoph’s mother, too, would eventually come to Tarten soon, whether sooner or later.

After facing Ilay for a moment as he quietly reminded him of the fact, Jeong Tae-ui nodded. “Yes,” he answered quietly.

As he said, the date for the succession decision was drawing near.

There weren’t many days left to stay in Tarten.

Nor the day when the future direction would be decided.

[Continued in Volume 4]