Silence enveloped the room.
In that strange silence, Richard stood there, staring at Christoph for a long time. Richard's
face was expressionless, but his eyes were scrutinizing Christoph as if pondering something.
Seeming to want to say something, Richard opened his mouth but then closed it again.
Christoph responded in a cold, slightly mocking tone.
"Do you think I'll be easily shaken by your words?"
"..."
Richard still said nothing. His face remained puzzled and vague, only looking at Christoph.
The man standing behind Richard seemed a bit hesitant and stammered.
"It's not just licking when it's between men. They can do everything with each other."
Christoph glanced at him and sneered.
"Do you think I'm stupid? Or perhaps you're the stupid one."
Christoph's sarcastic tone brought silence once more. (...)
*********************************
Initially, there was no intention to go outside.
When Ilay went into the bathroom, Jeong Taeui was lying in a state of shock and exhaustion.
He vaguely thought, "Maybe my mind is dazed, so everything seems quieter..." Then
suddenly, he lifted his head.
He remembered that Eric had mentioned that Christoph was causing trouble outside.
Although he hadn't paid attention to it at the time, it was the reason Richard had left the
room.
If so, then surely Satan must have erupted into chaos by now or... Damn, the only thing on his
mind now was the chaotic situation Satan had caused.
Despite the pain below and unsteady legs, Jeong Taeui tried to stand up. Though he was used
to this, he still staggered around the room before he could walk normally.
Glancing at the bathroom where the sound of water was still heard, Jeong Taeui hesitated,
then hurriedly dressed and left the room.Luckily, Ilay finished quickly. He had said –"It's uncomfortable being in someone else's
territory" – after completing everything. Ilay had gently stroked Jeong Taeui's limp body,
smiled, and walked into the bathroom. (Meaning he disliked doing it in someone else's place,
in Richard's room)
Lying there alone in the stifling air, Jeong Taeui wished he could fall asleep but couldn't.
Ilay's words kept echoing in his head.
Loan. Saudi Arabia's state-owned enterprise. Their demands.
Damn, what the hell is this...
Jeong Taeui sighed and groaned – "Grr.."
He hadn't heard their exact demands.
But perhaps even Ilay didn't understand clearly. Information like that wouldn't easily spread
to outsiders. If Ilay understood the situation, would he remain so indifferent?
Never would someone who bombed a nation's capital bow to power and live peacefully.
Thinking about that – 'I'm in trouble, I feel like I'm in trouble' – fatigue suddenly
overwhelmed him. His weary body naturally steered away from complicated thoughts.
Then suddenly, he remembered the situation outside.
"If there's a disaster, I should at least check on the situation."
Mumbling, Jeong Taeui staggered out of the room and into the hallway.
The identical hallways confused Tae-eui, making him wonder how he had ended up here.
What bad luck.
But as he rummaged through his memory and searched for the way, he heard noises from
afar. Everything around him was so quiet that just following the sound made finding the way
easy.
Dragging his exhausted legs, Jeong Taeui moved towards the noise. At the end of the
hallway, a man stood leaning against the wall, his back to Jeong Taeui. It seemed something
serious was happening in the main hall, and the man was too focused to notice Jeong Taeui
approaching.
Fortunately, there was no smell of blood or ear-piercing screams, but the atmosphere was still
tense.
"Hey, what's going on?" Jeong Taeui asked softly as he got closer to the man.
"Be quiet, don't make noise. Can't you hear what he's saying? It's at a critical point.""Critical? What's happening? Signing a ceasefire treaty?"
Jeong Taeui peeked over the man's shoulder to see the situation in the main hall.
Everything seemed strange.
There wasn't immediate explosive tension, but the atmosphere was still very strained.
The people lying on the floor, covered in blood, were surely Christoph's doing. Yet, for
someone who had committed such terrible acts, he stood there calmly, confidently, saying
something.
Christoph was jesting, and although Richard's expression couldn't be seen, the men around
him seemed captivated by something.
Jeong Taeui's whispered questions from behind annoyed the man in front. He turned around
and spoke angrily.
"How can you be so stupid! That madman is—"
He stopped when he saw Jeong Taeui's puzzled and confused face. Then his expression
turned fierce. Seeing this, Jeong Taeui shrugged and said, "Never mind then," and quickly
twisted the man's neck.
The sound of bones cracking accompanied the man's fall into unconsciousness. Jeong Taeui
dragged him aside and took his place.
Though reluctant to intervene, Jeong Taeui cautiously observed the situation. If he rushed
forward hastily, it would lead to disaster, so he didn't want unnecessary enemies. He just
needed to move this man aside...
"Do you think I'm stupid? Or perhaps you're the stupid one."
While Jeong Taeui was pulling the man back, someone said something. Christoph sneered
and replied.
"Do you think I don't know the structure of the human body?"
Though not fully understanding the context, Jeong Taeui nodded at Christoph's words.
A person capable of ending lives precisely like Christoph surely understood the human body.
Killing someone with clumsy blows was impossible. There were no mistakes in his actions.
He certainly knew where to kill, where to knock someone out, and where to inflict pain.
Though nodding, Jeong Taeui immediately stopped when he heard Christoph's next words.
"People who don't even know what the lower part of a man's body looks like are all
meaningless. Even if it's homosexual, it's much healthier than what you do to women. Do
you think I care about that?"Christoph's voice rang out clearly with disdain.
Jeong Taeui recognized the absurdity in the conversation. He banged his head against the
wall painfully. Why hadn't he come sooner? He should have dragged Christoph away before
he could speak. Or he shouldn't have left the room.
While Jeong Taeui was suffering against the wall, Richard broke the silence.
"You mean even if it's with men, it's nothing significant?"
Richard's voice was as calm and composed as always, but Jeong Taeui didn't want to see his
face at that moment.
"What do you think? With your rotten brain, is it dirtier between men than what you do to
women?"
Christoph replied with clear contempt. Jeong Taeui couldn't bear it any longer. He gripped
the wall tightly, saying nothing for a while. This silence had many people in agreement.
Listening to this conversation made Jeong Taeui uncomfortable. It was one of the most
shameful experiences he'd ever had.
Jeong Taeui stepped away from the wall and moved forward, unable to bear it anymore. A
thought flashed in his mind to return to the room, but he didn't have the courage to face the
labyrinthine path back.
When he entered the main hall, no one noticed Jeong Taeui. All eyes were on Christoph.
"Anyway, the filthy mess you caused from the start is unacceptable. Why make such a fuss?
Pretending to be innocent, what is that—"
"Stop it, Chris. Stop right there."
When Jeong Taeui interrupted Christoph, everyone in the room turned to look at him.
Using the back of his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead, Jeong Taeui smiled gently.
But the eyes of everyone looking at him seemed to burn.
"—...."
Christoph looked at him, his eyes wide. His mouth moved as if to call his name but remained
silent, just staring at him for a moment. Soon, his indifferent eyes scanned Taeui from head to
toe.
"You seem fine."
Christoph's voice was so cold that people wondered if he was the one who had fervently
protected Jeong Taeui just moments before. His face was cold, as if disappointed that Jeong
Taeui wasn't injured."Really? I'm not entirely fine."
Though Taeui walked slowly and normally, there was a slight limp that Christoph quickly
noticed. When Jeong Taeui shrugged and answered, Christoph looked down at his leg and
frowned.
"Were you hit?"
"No way, if I were hit, I couldn't walk."
"Then why are you walking like that?"
".... Just... some issue."
In a situation where everyone was watching, Jeong Taeui had to admit – 'Because I just had a
fierce tussle with a man' – he decided to spare his remaining dignity.
Actually, in this context, what shocked them wasn't Jeong Taeui's dignity. What was more
surprising was Christoph's mindset when asking – "Were you hit?" – in such a clear situation.
A very strange atmosphere was unfolding.
Amidst the men lying bloody like corpses, the tense, violent atmosphere had cooled and
faded as if doused with cold water. When Jeong Taeui appeared, the men seemed to
remember the previous tension, their eyes burning with hostility.
Richard, still staring at Christoph with an expressionless face, didn't hide his surprise or
confusion. He slowly shifted his gaze to Jeong Taeui. His cold eyes scanned Jeong Taeui
from head to toe.
"I didn't know you were here. If I had known, I would have greeted you properly."
"Ah... yes..."
It was unclear whether Richard understood the unintentional eavesdropping apology, but his
gaze at Jeong Taeui wasn't too harsh. Even in this situation, he maintained his friendly and
trustworthy smile.
"But why... it seems Riegrow finished sooner than I thought."
Ah, what does that smile mean?
"Yes... just..."
Taeui briefly indicated that – "I quickly left after everything was done" – and it was unclear if
Richard understood, as he raised an eyebrow but didn't ask further.
Jeong Taeui sighed silently. He quietly observed the surroundings.
Not good at all.The men lying bloody on the floor like ragdolls and the chaotic situation. Each step on the
shattered pieces of broken items, everything was bad. The threatening glares from those
around, even though many were knocked out, more than a dozen pairs of eyes still stared
intensely.
But the worst was Richard Tarten. Standing not far away.
While the other men glared bloodthirstily and viciously, Richard remained calm and friendly,
making him the most frightening.
Jeong Taeui had never seen Richard fight. He had heard many times about Richard's
excellence and talent but never that he was a good fighter.
However, he didn't want to fight that man. No matter how weak Richard might be, Jeong
Taeui didn't want to deal with the consequences afterward.
"So then... should we head back?"
Jeong Taeui smiled gently at Christoph. But before Christoph could respond, several men
around shouted angrily.
"You think you can leave easily!"
"You think you can escape after wrecking our place like this!"
Though they shouted angrily, none of them stepped forward. All looked towards Richard.
Still maintaining his calm demeanor, Richard looked at Christoph and spoke.
"You'll withdraw quietly if I pretend not to see this, right?"
It was a very generous question. Even his expression showed a clear intention to let them
leave peacefully, though there was no smile; his face still appeared kind.
However.
"I haven't even started settling things. You think I came here just to see your face and
exchange a few words?"
Christoph's response cut off Richard's proposal, making Jeong Taeui want to tear his hair out.
But seeing the faint smile on Richard's lips, he realized Richard had expected that answer
when he asked.
"Don't stand in the way, step aside."
The man scowled and gestured towards Jeong Taeui. Jeong Taeui wanted to mutter
something but only swallowed and stepped back. However, Christoph glared at him with
annoyance.
"Not in that direction, move this way. Who told you to go that way?""..."
Jeong Taeui silently nodded and moved in the direction Christoph indicated. Standing beside
a column, he saw two men lying at the column's base, looking like corpses. Feeling sorry for
them but too exhausted, Jeong Taeui sat at a nearby table where another man lay slumped.
After ensuring Jeong Taeui was seated, Christoph turned back. His gaze met Richard's.
Richard, who had been watching everything, suddenly laughed.
"You really like him, don't you? Interesting."
He suddenly took another step, and something under Richard's foot made a noise. It was the
gun Christoph had thrown away earlier.
Richard lightly kicked the gun aside with the tip of his shoe and asked.
"Why did you throw the gun away? Out of bullets? If you say so, I can give you more bullets.
Without a gun, what will you do?"
"Is there nothing else but using a gun...?"
Christoph frowned, but then a mocking smile appeared on his lips.
"If that's the case, test it with your body to see if there's anything else but using a gun."
"I also wanted to try."
As soon as Richard finished speaking, the sound of glass breaking under his shoe made a
gentle noise. But before that sound could reach everyone's ears, Richard was already in front
of Christoph.
"...!"
There was no warning sign. No foreboding omen.
Richard approached Christoph without giving him a chance to breathe. However, Christoph
wasn't surprised but faced him directly. Though his eyes widened slightly in surprise, he
didn't show it outwardly.
At the same time, Christoph moved.
Christoph used a glass bottle he had grabbed earlier to strike Richard's punch aimed at his
neck. With a sharp sound, blood sprayed everywhere. Not only Richard's punch but also
Christoph's cheek and temple were cut by the glass shards, blood dripping.
In an instant, Richard used his torn and bloody fist to punch Christoph's neck as intended.
Simultaneously, Christoph, holding the broken glass bottle, aimed to stab Richard's neck but
missed, scratching the skin under Richard's chin and leaving a mark on his neck.