Vol 4 - 10

Vol 4 - 10

The two looked at each other for a moment. Although we were not very satisfied, the agreement was implicitly established. I put my arms through the shirt that was still hanging on my shoulders and slowly buttoned it up. I turned around. I have to go to the dining room now. If I'm late, I'll have to receive Rita's fiery eyes during mealtime. Maurer had been here a few times and seemed to have the same brainwave frequency as Taeui at the moment, so he quietly followed Taeui. The two walked side by side towards the restaurant. Everything we wanted to say had been said, and the two of us had nothing more to say to each other.

Taeui didn't want to speak, and didn't have the strength to speak either.

I walked a little faster when I saw the dining room door appear. Then, as if I suddenly remembered something, I turned back to ask Maurer secretly.

"But how is the branch these days? Is everyone okay? Is there nothing special? Something like an instructor suddenly absent, or something like a search operation in the branch to find someone,

Maurer looked at me strangely as if he didn't understand why I was asking these things. He tilted his head for a moment then answered bluntly.

"You've been gone for so long, so why are you still asking about those things? The branch is still the same. But what's special..., if you say something has changed since you left, it's probably Rick's lieutenant. The fourth lieutenant assigned to him last Monday was taken to an outside hospital on Thursday. And then Rick said he didn't need a lieutenant anymore, so there were only four casualties."

After pausing for a moment, Maurer looked at Taeui with a very dissatisfied expression.

"What the hell are you really doing? Because of you, we can't even say a word to him. That monster controlled himself a bit after coming to work as an instructor, but now he's lost his mind. Even if someone makes a small mistake, he will log that person out of the earth. Those few days were absolutely bloody. These days are the most spectacular days I've ever experienced."

Maurer whispered as if he would really die if someone caught him. He expressed sympathy for Taeui as he spoke.

"Come to think of it, aren't you the one who should take the position next to that crazy guy?" He said sympathetically but then turned around as quickly as lightning. "But thinking back, you're really a bad person for running away and giving that position to someone else."

What Maurer said is not wrong, I am like that.

Just now I thought I was going to strangle this man. I looked at Maurer's neck and then opened the dining room door. Kyle was already sitting inside, and Rita was looking at me with scary eyes.

"I'm sorry for being late." I muttered and quickly sat down.

"I just arrived, don't worry."

I looked at Kyle with grateful eyes when I heard that extremely warm voice. At times like this I think of one thing, it's unbelievable that a man like this could be Ilay's brother. I sighed quietly and nibbled on some vegetables from the appetizer. Before, he was already a murderous maniac, but now his condition was even worse, as if his brutality had been upgraded to a new level. I originally thought that this was his limit before, but who would have thought that he could be even crazier than that.

I used to think things like "I even have two more limits that I haven't reached yet." It was just a joke, but when those thoughts appeared in my mind, I suddenly felt the cruel reality and unconsciously trembled.

I guess he was also very angry. My uncle's terse words of warning echoed once again, "Don't get caught." seems very useful right now, because I'm 10/10 sure that "If I get caught, I will die."

But the good news is that it seems he has no intention of leaving or conducting an outside search.

Ilay didn't seem that angry. There's no other way, probably everything I did to him wasn't enough to bother him enough to think he had to find Jeong Taeui.

"......It's a bit sad to think like that......I thought you would appear even if it's just a claw...."

I mumbled to myself while eating. Kyle and Morer looked at each other with confused expressions. I wondered if they could hear what I had just accidentally said and quickly closed my mouth.

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

Jeong Taeui was a bit reluctant to leave this house.

Even though I stayed here for a short time, I became familiar with everyone here, and I was able to comfortably relax for a long time. But now I've been caught by that damn bastard, so no matter how I silence him, I have to leave here immediately.

Another huge reason is that with that guy named Ilay, Taeui can never feel secure. I packed my few belongings with a sports bag just like when I got here.

I leisurely prepared my things and stared intently at the wall adjacent to Maurer's room next door. I could have rested a little longer in this cozy house if it weren't for his presence. But thinking back, if I just stayed in one place here, I would have no way to find my brother.

Even though I was still searching without any plans, I still had to pretend like I was trying my best to find him in front of my uncle. Besides, I also want to meet him.

I want to see his indifferent face but to me there is not a single trace of coldness, I want to hear his quiet but not distant voice.

"East, West, South, North, where should I go now? He probably won't go to North Korea. I can't go that far... .... there's an embargo there too."

I patted my neatly prepared luggage bag and seriously thought about going for a fortune teller. It was late at night but the sun was still high in the sky. If I decided to leave today, I should leave before the sun completely sets.

I stood up determinedly. Even though my heart was heavy when I decided to leave, everything had been arranged. All I should do now is say a brief goodbye to Kyle, Rita, and the others before leaving here.

Luckily, Kyle was home. He brought Maurer back here, then went back to work, and then returned a few hours later. Even though work was still piled up there, he still calmly smiled and said, "Until today, this is still my vacation."

Jeong Taeui muttered to the tightly closed door.

"It's true that having to sit in the office while it's still on vacation is useless, even an office worker wouldn't be able to do anything."

I walked out into the quiet hallway, thinking about leaving like this made me feel even more regretful. I really want to kick Maurer out of here instead of having to leave, but after all, this is Kyle's house. His hospitality to Maurer made me reluctant to take action.

When walking through the hallway and living room to get to the office, Jeong Taeui did not meet anyone.

I took a deep breath, remembering Rita's presence from the kitchen, the gardener coming and going in the garden outside, and the other guests resting in the room.

In the past, Ilay was also here.

Even if that inhumane guy stays here, this place will still have the same rhythm of life.

And now, I feel like I have to step out of my daily routine.

I hope one day I can return to this peaceful place again.

Jeong Taeui sighed, smiled and moved step by step. I walked through the living room and climbed the stairs where the was. That is the staircase that only leads to that room. If I want to go to the other rooms on the second floor, I will have to go by the staircase between the dining room and living room.

It seems like the room is quite a precious place in this house. Anyway, it had to be, because it was like a treasure trove of humanity's library, it was filled with books that Kyle treasured like his life. And at the same time, this is like Kyle's second company. When he's there I can go into the library and look at books with his permission, but when he's gone it's always locked. I couldn't even take any books out of that room. Because he is truly a crazy fan of books. Jeong Taeui smiled and went up the stairs.

When I knocked on the thick wooden door in front of the office, Kyle's voice rang out softly from inside. After hearing the sound of inviting him in, Taeui immediately opened the door. Kyle was staring at the file through his thin silver-rimmed glasses for a while without raising his head even after I stepped inside. Then he finally looked up after writing something at the bottom of that document.

I didn't mind that, but I was a little surprised because this was the first time I saw Kyle in the office. His appearance is very different from what he usually shows on a daily basis.

Perhaps this feeling is similar to the feeling I had when I first saw him in Hong Kong. It was as if he was surrounded by a thin, impenetrable membrane while he worked. It's like becoming a different person to adapt to each different type of environment. I felt like I had just recognized a different side of Kyle and quietly observed the man without saying a word.

Noticing Taeui's appearance, Kyle smiled naturally like the friendly smile he showed to anyone. Kyle put down the pen and file in his hand and took off his glasses.

"Kim, what's wrong? Is there a book you want to read? You can read anything you want here."

Kyle said and pointed towards the bookshelf. I shook my head.

"No, I have something to tell you... .... But you look busy, maybe too much work..."

I muttered when I saw a document he had just written on earlier. Kyle rubbed his temples as if tired and smiled.

"I'm not usually that busy, but problems have been happening in the past few days, one by one."

"......If you need any help, is there anything I can help you with?"

Jeong Taeui hesitated for a moment and asked. It seems like there's nothing I can do to help, but it's polite to ask, and if there's anything I can do, I'd be happy to lend a hand. But Kyle shook his head.

"No, it's okay. It's not a big deal, sometimes things like this happen."

Kyle motioned for Taeui to sit in the chair across from him at the table in the middle of the room and nodded vaguely with a sigh.

I glanced at the pile of documents on the table, wondering if the problem came from these files, and Kyle smiled and met my gaze as if he recognized me.

"It has nothing to do with these things. There are a few problems that often arise regarding weapons and my younger brother."

I was silent. I shrugged my shoulders to act normal, but inside my ears were pricked up like a puppy. I don't want Kyle to know about my relationship with his younger brother, so it's hard to get any more information, but if I ask the reason for those problems, it might be revealed. So it's best to just pretend to be deaf and dumb.

I muttered complaints to myself.

"An arms manufacturing and trading company sounds big, but to put it simply, we are an arms dealer. So of course the company is also attacked a lot. Not to mention human rights organizations and religious groups, rebels somewhere often attack us and sometimes we are threatened by armed terrorist groups as well. In this case, we are not dealing in weapons but must equip our side with weapons."

Kyle sighed and flipped through the pile of papers to see if it was related to the paper placed right on top and then put it down.

"That would be very uncomfortable."

Jeong Taeui nodded and muttered. Of course, it is impossible to trade weapons with rebels or armed terrorist groups. If you trade weapons with them, then it will no longer simply be selling weapons but will become arms smuggling. And if this leaks out, the business should close immediately.

The reality is that arms trading businesses cannot conduct transactions purely, but they must circumvent the law to do so illegally. So even rebels can own weapons with just money and power. If you are involved in the arms trade and only trade cleanly without any tricks, you will definitely be considered stupid people who don't know anything.

Jeong Taeui suddenly smiled bitterly. I remember UNHRDO. And then I thought about UNHRDO's relationship with this man. A bad memory suddenly came back to my mind. Memories that I never want to remember. Memories that will forever have no solution but only sadness and heaviness.

Perhaps Kyle doesn't want to mention too much about things related to the arms trade. He changed the subject.

"Because of the nature of my work, the company I'm working for now has a pretty good information network. So I'm often asked to learn about this and that." Kyle still seems to remember my story.

"Aren't you also looking for someone? Just tell me whenever you want, I can't be sure that I'll find that person but I'll do my best anyway."

Jeong Taeui smiled shyly and once again politely refused.

"Thank you for your kindness."

I didn't want to tell this man my brother's name and asked for his help in finding him. But thinking back, there was no way uncle hadn't asked Kyle for help. If Kyle finds out, uncle doesn't want me to know where my brother is.

"But not long ago, my younger brother also argued with me to find someone."

I felt guilty. I smiled indifferently, "Oh, is that so?"

My palms became wet, I unconsciously grabbed the edge of my pants.

"Who is that?"

"Well...., that is."

Kyle looked confused for some reason, he frowned and thought for a moment then sighed and spoke.

"Even though I don't know the details, after a little investigation, it was the nephew of a friend of mine. I don't know why my brother didn't answer when I asked why I had to look for him, but it seemed like the other person had hurt his heart. My younger brother, I think I've said it before, because his personality is quite strange. He is the type of person who cannot forgive those who have touched him."

I know it's the other way around. Besides his family, I'm probably the person most familiar with that personality. It can be said that it's an extremely cruel but also very special personality. I mumbled to myself then realized that it was nothing to be proud of and became gloomy. Even if I can say it to gain sympathy, I can't brag about it.

"Um....so, have you found the person your brother wants?"

Jeong Taeui said each word calmly, pretending not to know anything. Suddenly, the look on his face seemed to say, "Okay... .... That person is you!".

It sounded like a scary ghost story, so I rubbed my trembling arms.

"No, it's not that easy. He hasn't left any traces since the last time my brother and he met. Maybe he faked his identity so we still have to find him. Only the person who helped him change his identity was able to do so."

Kyle bit his lip. I nodded dryly with an expression as if it was none of my business.

Really, I also want to tell him that the person who helped "him" change his identity is his very close friend.

I discovered that up until this point, it was completely impossible for Ilay to have guessed who I had become and where I was now. But that doesn't mean he won't cling to my uncle and ask him to reveal my whereabouts.

From the bottom of my heart, I feel scared. Even though Ilay is still at the Asia branch, he can still use his claws to reach everywhere to find Taeui's whereabouts. However, it seems that in addition to giving me a new identity, my uncle has also erased all traces of me.

Thank you, uncle! I will definitely work hard to find Jae hyung. Even though I couldn't utter a word, I still rubbed my trembling heart as I said thank you to him, even though he couldn't hear anything. When I heard sporadic news about Ilay, my anxiety grew bigger and bigger. Can I really leave here? Is there any place in the world safer than this? This is the place that monster's claws will never reach!

After thinking a little more, my fiery will to find my brother suddenly died. I felt that staying in this house was the best choice, as long as Maurer kept his mouth shut. But in the end, Taeui still had to speak.

"It's a bit sudden, but I have something to tell you."

Kyle nodded as if remembering my purpose for coming here. He smiled and told me to feel free to say anything. I hesitated a bit then opened my mouth.

"Looks like I have to leave here earlier than planned."

Kyle smiled in surprise and looked at Jeong Taeui. He frowned slightly and asked.

"Why so suddenly? Do you feel any inconvenience?"

"No. Thank you, I've had a very comfortable time here. As I mentioned before, I need to find someone... So I can't stay here forever. "

Jeong Taeui said with a calm smile. Kyle looked at me for a moment and sighed in disappointment. But it seems like he's already used to this. Because the house always has guests coming in and out, the joy when guests come and the disappointment when they leave are probably just like everyday things in the district.

"Um, is that so? Where are you going?"

"Ah...., first I'll go to the airport."

It's time to call my uncle, after calling him at the airport I will go somewhere else. I have no way to know my brother's whereabouts, so right now I don't have a specific destination.

"The airport? Are you planning to go far?"

"No, it's not that, but I need to make a call...."

"Call?"

At Taeui's words, Kyle became confused. I could only scratch my head and wonder if I had accidentally said something wrong.

"That's it, I need to make a phone call without leaving a trace, so I'll go to the airport to make the call and then go somewhere else."

Upon hearing those words, Kyle seemed to understand the problem and nodded. Suddenly, the corners of his lips curled up.

"If that's the case, then you don't have to go that far to make a call, you can do it right here. My office is just as secure as my company's. Even though the network is no matter how good the tracking is, it's impossible to track anything done here. Unless you have another reason to go to the airport besides making a phone call, then just call here. It's okay. It'll be fine. I'm a little tired and thirsty, I'll go ask Rita for a cup of tea and sip it slowly to relax."

Kyle stood up. Taeui awkwardly mumbled, "ah, um" but it seemed like Kyle thought differently. So he bluntly stated with certainty, "I can 100% guarantee that it won't be tracked." then walked out of the office.

"Let's talk later. When do you want to leave?"

No, I was originally planning on leaving tonight, but before Jeong Taeui could say the first word, Kyle had already closed the door and left.

I was suddenly left alone in the office. I blinked for a moment and looked at the door that was closing silently with no sign of reopening in sight. The sound of distant footsteps going down the stairs echoed outside.

"...."

I scratched my head and glanced at the phone.

What Kyle said is probably true. I can't ask anything more because it seems like it's an untraceable phone. Anyway, he very politely left so I could make the call. If he hadn't done so, it would have seemed a bit rude.

Maybe because I heard the name Ilay before, I felt a bit uncomfortable. My fingers slowly scrolled through each number.

I'd rather ask my uncle about the situation. That's right. Maybe that would be better.

Maurer said that Ilay became more and more brutal. He must have lost his mind.

There was a person who was not afraid to tear him apart and kill him immediately, but he let that person slip away, so it was natural for him to go crazy. But thinking about it another way, it seems like I've caused many other people to fall into misery just for my own safety. But up until now, I've come to understand the nature of the people there, so this is a fair bit. It's all over. First, I'll call uncle and ask how bad his temper has gotten and to what extent he's hunting for me.

After my finger passed the last number, the phone began to beep beep. It was only when the signal connected that I realized I hadn't considered the time difference at all.

I glanced at the clock, it was still not dark. If so, it would have been past midnight with him. I thought for a while, after all, he was someone who slept quite late. If I hang up now, I'll have to come back here to borrow the phone again later. Moreover, he is not in the room during the day, so I will have to consider the time to call between morning and evening. It is really not easy even if it is just a phone call. Damn it, if he woke up from his sleep then so be it.

More than one beep rang out, with no sign of reply from the other end of the line. Maybe he was sleeping soundly or maybe he wasn't in the room right now, maybe he was in the bathroom, that's why he couldn't answer the phone.

Should I call back later? If so, I'll have to go to the airport to quickly make a call and leave somewhere else.

Finally, the long beeping sound stopped. I was about to put the receiver down, but somehow I brought the receiver closer to my ear. No sound is emitted at all. I was about to put it down again as if I didn't even realize that the person on the other end had picked up the phone silently.

"......Hello?"

Because I didn't see what the other person said, I spoke first. I wondered if I had dialed the wrong number. I stared at the phone screen, it was indeed my uncle's number.

Is there something wrong with the phone?

"Hello, uncle?"

If I still don't get a response this time, I'll hang up and call back later.

Jeong Taeui called him again. Ten seconds later or maybe longer, the person on the other end of the line finally spoke.

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