"It's awkward. We are meticulously preparing dinner, although there might be some
shortcomings. Perhaps we should prepare some digestive medicine for you?" Richard
suggested, concerned about Jeong Taeui's discomfort.
Jeong Taeui waved off Richard's concern, feeling the eyes on him all the while.
The Arab man sitting across from him was silently observing him.
His gaze wasn't overt, but enough for Jeong Taeui to notice. The man was scrutinizing him
closely.
Should he ignore it? But doing so would only make him feel more uncomfortable.
Jeong Taeui sighed softly and set down his teacup. He looked up to meet the man's gaze
naturally.
"You seem surprised to see an outsider like me here. Honestly, I'm surprised too."
Jeong Taeui smiled lightly, making a joke. The Arab man's eyes widened slightly before he
burst out laughing.
"Oh, I was being rude. I didn't mean it that way, but I guess I was staring too much. My name
is Malik Al-Kadhim."
Jeong Taeui shook hands with him and said – "Yes, nice to meet you" – his voice was
hesitant.
He didn't know how much to reveal about himself. He wasn't sure which name to use or if
this man knew 'Jeong Taeui,' the wanted fugitive. Without enough information, Jeong Taeui
couldn't be proactive.
He glanced at Ilay sitting beside him. However, Ilay remained silent, watching their
handshake without any intention of assisting Jeong Taeui.
Fortunately, Malik didn't seem bothered by Jeong Taeui's lack of introduction. He released
Jeong Taeui's hand and smiled comfortably.
At that moment, Jeong Taeui realized something important without anyone telling him.
This man knew about Jeong Taeui.
Although it was their first meeting, it was clear that Malik had known about 'Jeong Taeui'
before coming here. Thinking about it, there was no reason for him not to recognize Jeong
Taeui's face, just as he knew Ilay was sitting beside him.
"... —"Jeong Taeui quietly looked to the side. Perhaps sensing his gaze, Ilay turned his head.
The moment their eyes met, Jeong Taeui smiled bitterly. Seeing this, Ilay smirked slightly, a
subtle expression only noticeable to someone who had lived with him for years.
...Damn it. So that's the reason.
Before negotiating with Tarten, they wanted to meet in person. If so, the final decision had
been made before they left their homeland.
Jeong Taeui thought to himself while sipping his tea –
'It's impossible to understand the
thinking of people in high positions.'
He could guess their intentions. Assuming they didn't demand something outrageous, it was
relatively easy to narrow down.
The most obvious request would be for the exchange of the main perpetrator of the Riyadh
bombing.
Jeong Taeui unconsciously stared at Ilay.
What is this man thinking?
Although he had become more humane in recent years and stayed mostly in Berlin without
causing incidents – though occasionally going out for work – Jeong Taeui still couldn't
understand why he came here now.
"What's wrong?" – Ilay asked briefly, glancing at Jeong Taeui. Jeong Taeui shook his head.
"Nothing. It's just that I've known you for years, yet there's still so much I don't know about
you."
Jeong Taeui shrugged, picking up a wine bottle from the corner of the table, inspecting it
without much interest. Ilay chuckled softly beside him.
"Yes, I've often felt the same about myself in the past few years."
"Oh...? I didn't think you were someone who didn't know himself well."
"Does it seem that way? I used to think so a few years ago."
A pale hand tapped lightly on Jeong Taeui's thigh. More precisely, a dark blue gloved hand. It
didn't matter much, but the hand's constant movement on his thigh made Jeong Taeui
uncomfortable... though he said nothing.
Noticing a sharp glare, Jeong Taeui turned to see Christoph staring intently at Ilay's hand on
his thigh.
'The atmosphere is...' – Jeong Taeui thought. He clicked his tongue and stared at the wine
bottle. Just then, Malik, who had been silently observing, spoke up."Speaking of which, I heard you two are very close. Indeed, the rumors seem true."
Jeong Taeui, who was staring at the wine label, froze. Ilay's hand, gently stroking his thigh,
paused.
The rumor is that Jeong Taeui and Ilay Riegrow were very close.
Regardless of the rumor's truth, hearing it from Malik's mouth was notable.
...Ah, so that's how it is.
Jeong Taeui smiled bitterly.
Now Malik had stated that he knew who 'Jeong Taeui' was.
As expected, facing Malik – who certainly couldn't have heard rumors about the relationship
between Kim Young Soo and Riegrow – Jeong Taeui felt more at ease. He didn't need to
worry about how much others knew.
"There's a rumor that we're close?" – Jeong Taeui laughed and asked, to which Malik
shrugged and answered – "Of course" – Seeing that bright smile, Jeong Taeui also smiled
bitterly.
It seemed the rumor had spread widely. Thus, his marital prospects were doomed for the rest
of his life. His love life was blocked.
Jeong Taeui silently prayed. The rumor had spread, but he hoped no one like Johan would ask
him - 'Are you still intact after doing that with him?!'
In reality, they were wanted as terrorists not because they were 'close.'
"That's true."
Ilay, who had been mostly silent, spoke up. His gloved hand started moving again, and when
Jeong Taeui looked up, he saw a faint smile on Ilay's face.
Perhaps thinking so, Malik's dark eyes stared directly at him with a suggestive smile.
"Do you mean the origin of the story?"
"Haha, not exactly. I just find your friendship beautiful."
Malik laughed kindly, looking at Jeong Taeui. Trying to maintain his distance and not
interfere, Jeong Taeui was unexpectedly stiffened by that gaze.
Maybe because of his current position, this wasn't normal.
An internationally wanted fugitive for attacking a nation's capital.
A representative of a state-owned enterprise from that country.A mediator who was the 'friend' of the fugitive and also indebted to that state-owned
enterprise.
"You're Jeong Taeui, right? My boss mentioned that you've been a great help."
Jeong Taeui had no choice but to remain silent for a moment at Malik's words.
Although he had anticipated this, hearing his name mentioned explicitly by Malik and then
the existence of his 'boss'...
Before Jeong Taeui could wonder, Malik clarified.
"Ah, to be precise, it's your brother Jeong Jae-ui. I brought you to the Seringe mansion,
didn't I? I wonder if you felt comfortable there."
At that moment, Jeong Taeui realized who Malik's boss was.
A person which is hard to forget even after decades.
"Ah... that..."
But not remembering the full name quickly, Jeong Taeui realized. Yes, his boss's mansion
was also destroyed by a barrage of cannon fire from the person sitting next to him.
As Jeong Taeui recalled this, he smiled awkwardly. Ilay, perhaps thinking the same, chuckled
softly.
Malik casually tilted his teacup and shook his head gently.
"At that time, my boss didn't expect Jeong Taeui and Riegrow to have such a 'deep
relationship'."
How could he have known that in his absence, his mansion would be bombed?
The one who responded to Malik's gentle sarcasm was Ilay.
"A deep relationship... Do you want to see how deep that relationship goes?"
The face with a friendly smile. It was rare to see Ilay with such an expression.
At the same time, Jeong Taeui felt an instinctive threat from the contradiction of Ilay
appearing unusually friendly. His hand on Jeong Taeui's thigh increased its pressure.
"If you want, I can show you how 'intimate' it is from the waist down. However, there will
be a fee."
Just as he was about to mention the fee, Jeong Taeui jerked and looked back. Ilay had pulled
out a pistol and released the safety. Before anyone could stop or evade it,
*Bang―!*The teapot shattered into pieces. The sound of fragments scattering everywhere.
The large ceramic teapot, decorated with countless intricate flower petals, was completely
shattered beyond recognition, leaving only the handle and base.
Malik had frozen the moment Ilay pulled out the gun, finally looking slowly at the shattered
remains of the handcrafted teapot in front of him. He realized that it wouldn't have been
surprising if it were their blood and flesh scattered instead of shards.
He didn't know what kind of person was in front of him. Despite now posing as 'Riegrow's
Man Visiting Tarten,' he was still 'Crazy Rick' – who could calmly attack a nation's capital.
"...Thank you for your kindness, but I'll postpone the viewing for another time."
Malik remained silent for a moment, then forced a smile, speaking as if nothing had
happened.
The representative of Malik's bitter sentiment was Christoph. He calmly drank tea,
indifferent to the chaos around him.
Christoph frowned and set down his teacup. Then he glared at Ilay.
"What are you doing? The shards sprayed everywhere, and I can't drink tea anymore."
"Sorry about that. If you want, you can drink from my cup. Though I've already drunk from
it."
Ilay casually offered his cup. Christoph looked at the teacup and turned his head with an
angry expression, not intending to take it.
These people are really abnormal.
In this situation, hosting distinguished guests at home, they didn't see shooting a gun as
unusual.
Jeong Taeui lightly pressed his aching temple with his thumb. Meanwhile, Richard, the most
seemingly normal one, was apologizing politely to Malik with an embarrassed look.
While Richard sincerely – or seemingly sincerely – apologized and Malik responded
generously, Jeong Taeui skillfully took the gun from Ilay's hand then sat on it while
observing Richard handle the situation. Suddenly, he noticed Richard raising his hand to wipe
his eye.
A shard had hit and caused a small wound under Richard's eye.
"Oh... Did a shard hit you? Are you okay?"
Jeong Taeui's question drew everyone's attention to Richard. Richard shook his head as if it
was no big deal."It's fine. Just a minor wound."
Richard rubbed the red spot under his eye. Although the wound wasn't serious, he had still
been slightly injured, and Richard looked at Ilay with a very friendly expression.
"Tarten and Riegrow have had a long-standing good relationship. Our relationship is just as
deep as yours."
Richard added—"Perhaps you already know this"—as if confirming it. Malik simply nodded
without saying anything.
A short silence followed.
At that nuanced tone, Jeong Taeui regretted starting the conversation. He sighed and took a
sip of tea.
He shouldn't have come here. He shouldn't have gotten involved in this. If he had refused,
things might have been different. Even if they had insisted, he should have resisted.
From start to finish, every word was full of implications. None of it was straightforward;
everything had hidden meanings. It was exhausting to decipher these subtle words.
"Yes. I can't say everything I heard was true."
Malik seemed to want to ease the situation and spoke.
"The two of Tarten seem more harmonious than what I've heard. To be honest, before
coming here, I heard that their relationship was quite tense."
"However, upon arriving, I heard they are closer than 'normal'... Ah, sorry."
Malik smiled gently and fell silent. But if he truly thought it was rude, he wouldn't have said
that much. Jeong Taeui quickly understood that those words were not just a challenge but
also a mockery. Just as Christoph's expression instantly darkened and Ilay raised his eyebrow
slightly with a faint smile, understanding as well.
Only Richard remained clearly surprised, unaware of the rumor.
Jeong Taeui quietly looked into his teacup and then glanced at Christoph, still convinced of
his same-sex relationship with Richard, beginning to believe it was true. Jeong Taeui
wondered how to correct Christoph's misconception.
Unaware of Jeong Taeui's thoughts, Richard transitioned from surprise to a smile.
"It seems the false rumor of our discord reached you? Haha, although we once had a
competitive relationship due to family circumstances, that has nothing to do with Tarten not
having conflicts. As you can see, Christoph and I have a very close cooperative
relationship."Richard smiled brightly, looking at Christoph as if seeking agreement. Just looking at
Richard's amiable face made it seem like they were best friends.
Not smiling at this moment would be very bad.It would only make the dangerous rumors
everyone had heard seem more credible. Jeong Taeui agonized over this but couldn't tell
Richard.
Unlike Christoph, who foolishly didn't consider Jeong Taeui touching his genitals a
homosexual act, Richard had no such thoughts. Jeong Taeui worried about how Richard
would react if he heard the rumor.