Vol 11 - 25

Vol 11 - 25

Suddenly, I recalled the tense, hurried man from the previous night, never relaxed for even a moment. The expression on Richard’s face had been filled with worry and urgency, radiating an intimidating air while trying to maintain calm. It was completely different from the person walking behind me now.

I turned to look at Richard. Sensing my gaze, Richard smiled with a questioning look.

Though Richard’s face now seemed much more composed, there was a sincerity about him that felt even more tangible than it had the night before.

I mumbled to myself and rubbed my temples.

At that moment, Richard’s brief, cutting words from the previous night flashed in my mind. Words so cold they would have turned anyone’s face pale.

“Speaking of which, is Christoph’s mother alright?”

Jeong Taeui pretended to ask with a gentle smile.

Indeed, I didn’t believe that Richard had actually done something extreme like he had hinted last night when he said he would kill her. It had probably been a figure of speech.

Although she had told Christoph never to return to Tarten, surely after her son left and caused such trouble for Tarten, she couldn’t be at peace. Perhaps she had truly fallen ill or was in a state of mental breakdown.

“Oh…… she’s……”

Richard paused for a moment. But then he smiled and shrugged slightly.

“She’s still resting, but she’s fine.”

“Oh…… In all that chaos, she wasn’t hurt, was she?”

“No, she was just a little shocked.”

Richard responded briefly and fell silent. His reluctance to say more left Taeui with nothing further to ask.

Well, it made sense. She had always seemed frail mentally, so it wasn’t surprising if she had been shocked by last night’s events.

But……

Jeong Taeui chuckled bitterly.

I suddenly realized that I didn’t like her at all.

Even hearing that she was bedridden didn’t worry me. In fact, I felt a small sense of satisfaction when thinking of Richard’s unexpected outburst of anger towards her the night before.

Still, I didn’t exactly like Richard, but at least I was grateful to him.

“Thank you for being angry with her for Christoph’s sake.”

But at that moment, the smile on Richard’s face completely disappeared for the first time since arriving here.

“There’s no reason to thank me.”

A voice as cold as ice responded. I stopped and turned to look at Richard. Richard gazed back at me with a face void of emotion. However, his eyes were as cold as a sharp blade.

I opened my mouth to say something but couldn’t think of anything appropriate, so I just sighed lightly and closed my mouth.

‘Ah, right…… this is a family matter for Tarten.’ – I thought to myself, but even that didn’t seem worth saying, so I erased the thought from my mind.

In the distance, the storage shed appeared. It stood slightly off to the side, away from the courtyard, a short distance away.

I gently shook the bucket Peter had given me and turned back to look at Richard.

“I’ll put this in the shed for a moment. You can wait here, or……”

“If it’s the courtyard, I know the way. I’ll go ahead.”

Before I could finish my sentence, Richard replied and began walking away. Of course, Richard was well-acquainted with the layout of the house. He hadn’t needed any guidance from the start.

I said I would follow shortly and quickly headed toward the shed.

In truth, Taeui didn’t particularly like interacting with Richard. He was a difficult person to deal with. If possible, Taeui would prefer to live without crossing paths with him.

In the past, there had been people I hadn’t wanted to interact with, but eventually, I had ended up living with one of them – life was truly unpredictable – and sometimes I even got along with those I initially didn’t like. But with Richard, it was different. With Richard, it wasn’t outright hatred, but absolute discomfort.

In fact, when it came to humanity, the man was probably better than Ilay, but it seemed that getting along with someone had nothing to do with their personality. Not that Ilay’s personality was that terrible…… Well, at least that’s what Taeui wanted to believe.

I placed the bucket by the shed’s door, and at that moment, I suddenly remembered the man I shouldn’t have been concerned about but still weighed on my mind.

Damn, I should have asked first.

I lightly tapped my forehead and decided to hurry back to ask that question first.

Of course, Richard would know.

The last memory I had of Ilay was when he was sedated with propofol and collapsed at the party in Tarten. After that, I had also passed out, and when I woke up, I was on a helicopter with Christoph. Ilay had been left behind.

So, was Ilay still in Tarten? Was he imprisoned, or had he not yet woken up from the drug’s effects? Or had he been moved elsewhere, or……?

“……”

I immediately sighed and shook my head.

This wasn’t good. The lack of news or communication was making my mind run in too many directions.

Perhaps I would have to go back and ask directly to get peace of mind. Besides, there was something else I was worried about.

Although Kyle was with Christoph, the thought of Christoph fleeing Tarten in such a state and then facing Richard again made Jeong Taeui anxious.

Richard couldn’t forcibly take Christoph away, nor could he use any violence at Kyle’s house, but if tensions escalated between them, I would be the first to be held responsible.

My pace quickened gradually. By the time I neared the courtyard, I was almost running.

However, as soon as I reached the courtyard, I came to an abrupt halt.

Richard was standing there. At the entrance to the courtyard, he stood with his back turned, motionless like a statue, staring into the courtyard.

It wasn’t necessary to look closely to know what Richard was watching. There were only two people there.

Kyle and Christoph were talking. From this distance, Jeong Taeui couldn’t see clearly, but the two were seated across from each other.

And as Richard stood there, gazing intently at them without moving, I approached him from behind, curious. Though I didn’t want to believe it, I asked.

“Were you waiting for me? If you want, you can go ahead and talk to them……”

I thought I was saying something rude, but I immediately stopped myself. As I got closer to Richard, I understood more clearly what Richard was seeing.

It was as if Richard hadn’t noticed I had arrived. He simply stared at Christoph. And I couldn’t take my eyes off Christoph too.

Christoph’s face was wet. It was a truly strange sight.

Christoph’s face was no different from usual. He sat across from Kyle with the same still, emotionless expression as always, like a lifeless doll. It was as if a perfectly crafted sculpture was sitting there, devoid of any emotion.

However, tears, clear and unlike the usual pale hue, were continuously streaming down from his deep blue eyes, rolling down his cheeks without pause. There was no telling when they would stop.

Christoph……. I unconsciously opened my mouth to call out to him, but no words came out.

“……”

I hesitated, scratching my head, and looked at them in confusion.

I didn’t want to call Christoph. Furthermore, with Richard standing right next to me, I felt even more uneasy. Just as I didn’t want anyone to see my face when I cried, Christoph probably felt the same. It seemed as if Christoph shouldn’t be showing his tear-streaked face.

Taeui glanced at Richard, whose face was unreadable, and felt annoyed.

However, before Jeong Taeui could leave, there had been no reason for Christoph to cry. Kyle had jumped into the pool, and Taeui had casually passed by Christoph to hand a bucket to Peter. Up until that moment, nothing unusual had happened.

If that was the case – maybe Kyle had said or done something terrible to make Christoph cry, even though Kyle was sitting there with a gentle expression. Or maybe Christoph’s eyes were stung by dust……

Pondering such unlikely possibilities, I looked back at Richard. Richard must have witnessed everything before I did. I tried to decipher Richard’s expression, but nothing appeared on his face. Richard just stood silently, watching the two of them.

“……”

I looked up at the sky and muttered to myself: “What should I do now?”

But my hesitation didn’t last long.

Kyle had taken his eyes off Christoph for a moment and noticed us standing there.

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

Kyle appeared awkward.

Kyle looked at Christoph’s tear-streaked eyelashes, then at Taeui, and finally at Richard, who was standing next to Taeui. He frowned slightly in confusion, then tilted his head toward Christoph and whispered something in his ear.

Immediately, Christoph’s shoulders trembled.

Christoph, who had just been stiff as a statue, suddenly sprang up without looking back at them and dove straight into the pool behind Kyle.

He plunged into the water fully clothed, without any warning. Christoph remained submerged for a long time without resurfacing. During that time, Kyle sighed and stood up. “What’s going on?”

His outfit was dry except for the parts that had touched the ground, now smeared with dust and dried grass…… Even so, most of his body was covered in dirt after going into the water in just his underwear and then sprawling on the ground.

“You’re here, Richard. It would’ve been nice if you’d informed me ahead of time.”

Kyle smiled brightly, seemingly delighted, as if nothing had happened the night before, and lightly spread his arms to welcome him.

“If you’re planning on hugging me, it’d be better to brush off the mud stuck to your chest, belly, and limbs first.” – Taeui remarked, and only then did Kyle glance down at himself, clicking his tongue in frustration.

“Right, I wasn’t prepared to receive guests. My apologies. Please wait a moment. I’ll go rinse off a bit. I’ll ask Rita to bring out some tea for you.”

Kyle tried to dust off the dirt, but soon gave up on his filthy state – still wearing only his underwear – and turned to head inside.

It was only then that Richard, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke.

“No need for tea. I’ll be leaving shortly. I only came to take Christoph.”

He spoke in a low, slow voice, firm and resolute, his gaze fixed solely on the pool.

Kyle, who had just stepped inside through the glass door, paused and turned back to look at Richard. After a moment, he smiled calmly.

“Richard. I thought you came here as my guest.”

It was only after hearing that deep, calm voice that Richard turned to look at Kyle. Though there was no smile in his eyes, he quickly realized his mistake and bowed his head slightly.

“I’m sorry. I was rude…… Go ahead inside. I’ll wait here.”

Kyle nodded and went inside. The glass door closed gently, separating the inside from the outside.

Outside, everything grew quiet. The faint sounds of cars and people echoed from far beyond the walls, but aside from the chirping of birds, the space was filled with silence.

In that stillness, the soft sound of water rippled.

Christoph, who had been submerged in the water all this time, now slowly rose from the surface.

Naturally, his entire body was soaked. Whether it was the wet hair clinging to his face, covering most of it, or the water dripping from his cheeks, none of it surprised anyone anymore.

Christoph ran his hand through his wet hair with an air of annoyance. As he wiped his damp face with the palm of his hand, his usual expression returned. His face was emotionless and cold.

Without looking at Richard, who was still silently watching him, Christoph stepped out of the pool. Puddles quickly formed wherever he walked.

“Are you alright?” – I asked nonchalantly. Christoph glanced at me with an irritated expression and grumbled in a disgruntled voice.

“……These wet clothes sticking to me are unbearable.”

“If I knew I was going to jump into the pool, I should’ve brought swim trunks.” Christoph’s complaints, consistent with his usual fastidiousness about clothes, brought a slight sense of relief to Taeui.

“I need to change.”

Christoph muttered, then turned to leave.

But at that moment, Richard, who had been silently watching Christoph all this time, suddenly grabbed his hand. Christoph recoiled, immediately pulling his hand free, his sharp blue eyes glaring at Richard.

“Don’t touch me!”

Christoph spoke in a low, calm voice, not with anger but decisively, and turned to walk away. But this time, Richard grabbed his hand again, precisely where he had grasped it before, holding tightly so Christoph couldn’t break free.

“That’s enough. Let’s go, Christoph.”

Richard’s voice was gentle. But the suppressed, fragile tone betrayed his calm exterior.

“Let go of me!”

Christoph said, but Richard completely ignored his words.

Christoph’s sharp gaze shifted from his captured arm to Richard’s face.

“I’ve had the room next to mine in Dongik cleaned. By now, your things should’ve already been moved there.”

Christoph stared at Richard, stunned. Richard spoke without acknowledging Christoph’s words.

‘Right, Richard will be living in Donik now.’ – Jeong Taeui thought with a frown.

Richard didn’t consider the possibility that Christoph wouldn’t return to Tarten. Whether Christoph wanted to or not, Richard was determined to bring him back to Tarten one way or another.

Christoph looked at Richard for a long time before slowly relaxing his body. He glanced down at the hand Richard was gripping with dissatisfaction but eventually lifted his head as if resigning himself to the situation.

“Yes, I’ve thought about that, too, Richard. Tarten. Why should I go back to Tarten?”

Christoph’s words were interrupted briefly, but he continued speaking immediately after.

“But there’s no reason.”

Richard’s eyes narrowed as he looked into Christoph’s deep blue eyes. Christoph went on.

“For Tarten? No way. I told you, I’m done with that place. I don’t work for Tarten anymore, and I don’t work for you either.”

“……Whether you like it or not, you’re still an asset to Tarten. You have to be there.”

Richard shook his head. Christoph remained silent for a moment before speaking again.

“I had a debt to Tarten.”

“We said we’d cancel that debt if you came back.”

“No need. I’ll repay it. With that money, Tarten can hire someone with my skills.”

Christoph slowly bent the arm Richard was holding. Then, with a gentle twist, he freed himself from Richard’s grip. His hand seemed to hesitate briefly, but he released it easily.

“I’m leaving Tarten. You can say I was expelled or that you kicked me out. I don’t care. In any case, I won’t do anything to tarnish Tarten’s name.”

Christoph stepped back. He looked Richard directly in the eyes and finished his sentence. Then he remained silent for a moment, perhaps waiting for Richard’s response, but Richard also stayed quiet.

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