Jeong Taeui also fell silent. Like Christoph, he didn't take medication, but his taste still felt
bitter.
But that was it. He couldn't ask any more.
Jeong Taeui's intuition told him exactly where his limits lay and when it was time to pull
back.
That boundary was like the things he could manage.
Currently, the area within Jeong Taeui's 'manageable zone' was occupied by a madman—and
that madman took up an absurdly large portion, leaving very little else. With the remaining
small part, he could only go this far.
After all, he couldn't chase the madman away to expand his area. As time passed and life
went on, priorities naturally shifted toward him.
… … Anyway, it's too late to regret now, so he could only follow through.
According to his uncle, Jeong Taeui was 'the type who easily adapts to any situation but
sometimes makes unexpected decisions in unforeseen circumstances'. Jeong Taeui recalled
his uncle's words and quietly shook his head. Still, he believed he would be ready to humbly
kneel to survive in critical moments.
But even so, no matter how the situation turned, the permissible range for Christoph was only
up to here.
"Listening to you, it seems you really are Ilay's friend. Sometimes you have a human touch,
other times you feel very dangerous, and then sometimes you're both dangerous and
insecure...…."
Jeong Taeui muttered like a sigh.
And then he felt a surge of anger beside him.
Although it was dark and he couldn't see clearly, Christoph was surely now looking at him
coldly with an annoyed expression on his sculpted face. Even without looking, Jeong Taeui
could easily imagine that face in his mind. If it were someone else, Christoph might have
already cut out their tongue without hesitation.
It was truly a stark contrast.
Richard – he was like someone from a completely different extreme compared to Christoph –
always smiled with a kind and gentle face. Even when he had to say unpleasant things, he
wouldn't be rude to the other person. He was truly a mature and kind person."But I still like you more than Richard. … It feels strange to say it out loud..... But yes, it's
incomparable, but still, I prefer you."
Jeong Taeui muttered as he looked into the dark void. When he lifted his head a bit, the night
sky filled his view, dimly lit with a few stars peeking through sparse clouds.
After Jeong Taeui finished speaking and fell silent, Christoph suddenly spoke after a brief
pause.
"I don't like you."
"...."
Jeong Taeui didn't expect those words. He didn't even want to hear them. Because if he did,
he might think he was delusional. But still, it was too harsh to respond so coldly.
"You… really need to learn…."
Perhaps it was the bad environment around him, but there were people lacking common
sense in dealing with others scattered all around him like landmines. Although the severity
varied, just thinking about those who immediately came to mind, there were indeed many,
like mushrooms after the rain. Just at UNHRDO, where he used to work, there were many
people on the edge between normal and abnormal.
If Jeong Taeui opened an academy to teach how to behave like a normal person, business
might thrive. There were potential students everywhere. Not only around him but also in
places Jeong Taeui didn't even know.
But after thinking it over, he immediately gave up.
If he opened such an academy, those who needed to learn basic manners would never come,
instead, introverted and shy people might seek it out.
Overall, people who don't understand social norms often don't realize they are that way, so it
would be a futile and useless effort...…. Jeong Taeui indulged in these strange thoughts for a
moment and then shook his head. "Hmm," he sighed and bluntly said.
"I don't care whether you like me or not. Anyway, the feeling of 'liking' I'm talking about
doesn't need to be mutual to establish a relationship. So what I'm trying to say is-...… I don't
know. It's just that."
Damn it, he was the one who really needed to attend an academy for communication skills.
Jeong Taeui's tongue felt twisted every time he tried to express his thoughts, so he ended up
closing his mouth. Jeong Taeui licked his lips, feeling it was worse than saying nothing.
The silence dragged on.
After that silence, Christoph spoke in a deep voice."But I don't like you...."
"I get it."
Jeong Taeui waved his hand, thinking he really needed to establish an academy to teach
normal social manners. Even though he sat at a reasonable distance from Christoph, he still
felt a bit anxious whenever the other's hand moved slightly.
"I don't like you."
Christoph repeated once more. This time his voice was a bit lower. Jeong Taeui opened his
mouth to say something but then fell silent.
Though it might not be true, that gentle voice seemed tinged with sadness and worry at the
same time. Combined with Christoph's stern expression, it suddenly felt comical. So Jeong
Taeui laughed out loud.
Hearing Jeong Taeui's laughter, Christoph turned to look at him, full of questions.
"What's so funny?"
"It's very funny."
".... Because you're with me?"
"Yes, because I'm with you."
Responding to Christoph, Jeong Taeui smiled and replied.
Christoph sighed. Then he looked into the empty space under the sky. Even if his facial
expressions couldn't be seen clearly, his face was as usual, full of boredom and sadness.
"Then come to me."
"Uhm, come to you…, what?"
Jeong Taeui quickly turned his head and asked, his smile not yet fading. It seemed he had just
heard something strange.
However, Christoph didn't look at Jeong Taeui, instead, he gazed up at the sky and mumbled
slowly, "Life is so boring."
"If you want to get away from Rick, that problem will be solved."
"....Did I ever say that?"
Jeong Taeui asked doubtfully. His smile immediately vanished.
Though his worries were somewhat similar to what Christoph had just mentioned, they
weren't exactly the same. Rather than wanting to escape, he just wanted to avoid Rick's
incoming explosive wrath."I've told you before about Rick. He's not obsessed with anything. Even if he likes
something, he's willing to give it up in exchange for something else. I have quite a few things
he might want to trade for, so if you want, you can stay with me.... If he says no, just
resist. Anyway, it's been a long time since I've had a proper fight, so it might be good to
stretch my muscles a bit... If you want... I can do that."
Christoph added, "If you don't like it, then forget it."
Jeong Taeui looked at him, stunned.
He had thought about it before, but this seemed like a huge favor from Christoph.
Considering his usual behavior, it was an unimaginable and incredible favor.
"No, rather than saying I don't like it...…" Jeong Taeui scratched his neck and stammered.
Christoph's assumptions weren't entirely wrong, but there was a crucial part that was
incorrect. However, Jeong Taeui felt a bit embarrassed, and the words stuck in his mouth
even though he wanted to correct it.
Then another thought crossed his mind.
It was Christoph's determined intention to fight back. In other words, it seemed he was trying
to resolve the issue through violence to confront Ilay, but did he really have the ability to do
that?
Jeong Taeui suddenly imagined a confrontation between Ilay and Christoph.
.... On the surface, Christoph looked frail, more suited to holding flowers than throwing
punches, yet he was stronger than anyone else.
Though their personalities were very different, they were both equally crazy.
So the outcome of the fight would depend on their combat skills and physical strength...….
From birth to growing up, Jeong Taeui had been surrounded by rough men, not many women.
Even in his family, aside from his mother, there were three men. Jeong Taeui attended an all-
boys middle and high school, then transferred from a Military Academy to the Army. After
his discharge, he went to UNHRDO and finally Berlin – and the only woman in that house
was Rita, who would be turning 70 in a few years.
He had lived a life surrounded by such men. Since attending the military academy, he had
been in an environment where men only knew how to fight, fight, and fight.
Despite being around many men, with his extensive experience, he had never seen anyone
who could fight better than Ilay. Not one. Ilay always defeated his opponents quickly and
could easily achieve what he wanted through combat. So he couldn't imagine Ilay being
defeated by anyone, even Christoph.
".... Is it possible if you are determined?"Jeong Taeui wasn't underestimating Christoph; he just had doubts. Hearing Jeong Taeui's
mutterings, Christoph frowned and stared at him with a silent, intense gaze, seemingly asking
what he meant.
"No, it's not that I don't trust you."
Jeong Taeui quickly added, raising both hands.
Christoph squinted dangerously at Jeong Taeui for a long while before swiftly turning his
head back.
Jeong Taeui smirked, and as the wind blew through his hair, he also turned his head.
At that moment.
"Really. You can't say that to someone who single-handedly created the European version of
the Killing Field."
(The Killing Field*: The Killing Field is a former garden in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, which
now contains a mass grave of victims who were killed by the Khmer Rouge from 1975 to
1979.)
The voice was deep and cold, almost as if it was smiling.
As expected, when misfortune strikes, it doesn't leave easily. Jeong Taeui frantically searched
his memories.
Damn it. What did I say? Did I say something that made him upset? Jeong Taeui became
more anxious because he couldn't remember what he had said. He thought the last thing they
talked about was resolute struggle.
While Jeong Taeui was lost in thought, a man approached from the small tower. Without
looking, Jeong Taeui knew who it was by the voice and the slow-moving shadow.
"Seems like someone loves eavesdropping… ."
Jeong Taeui frowned.
He glanced to his side.
Christoph remained still, quietly gazing at the sky. It was as if he were dreaming with his
eyes wide open and his expression unchanged. After a long silence and suddenly saying those
incomprehensible words, Christoph quietly mumbled, "He's here?"
Jeong Taeui awkwardly scratched his head.
He never imagined he would encounter such a situation.
Dongik was very far from here. From where they were sitting, they could directly see all the
people coming and going there.Jeong Taeui thought Ilay was somewhere in that building.
"Why are you coming from that direction?"
Jeong Taeui unconsciously muttered and turned his head toward the source of the sound but
stopped midway.
Ilay was taking a few steps forward, coming closer to him. Because of the backlight, he
couldn't see his face clearly, but Jeong Taeui recognized the familiar silhouette on the grass
approaching him. However, the strange thing was that there was a round lump on Ilay's
shoulder. That lump was even higher than Ilay's head.
"Oh, there's something on your shoulder....."
But before Jeong Taeui could finish speaking, the lump moved. Only after hearing a child's
voice say, "Put me down," did Jeong Taeui realize there was a child sitting on Ilay's shoulder.
Ilay gently lifted the child and set them down, the small shadow on his shoulder
disappearing.
"Christoph. Did Christoph come to see the meteor shower too?"
The child ran joyfully toward Christoph. Only when Jeong Taeui saw the child reflected in
the light from Seoik's lit windows did he realize who it was. Oliver—a mini version of
Richard.
*********************
if Ilay were a father, carrying his child on his shoulders for an evening stroll.>