Christoph had just left the room, leaving Jeong Taeui – an outsider, alone in the room. He
pondered when it would be best to leave, but that thought didn't last long. Immediately, his
uncle, who was about to speak, noticed Taeui standing there and signaled for him to leave.
Naturally, when discussing family secrets, outsiders were not allowed to be present.
Jeong Taeui quickly bowed politely and turned to leave.
As Jeong Taeui approached the door, his eyes met Ilay, who was standing by the door like a
gatekeeper.
Ilay squinted at Jeong Taeui with a meaningful look but opened the way for him without
saying a word. He even opened the door himself and made a polite gesture, as if wishing him
to leave peacefully.
"There's a saying that when someone does something that's not theirs, they die because of it."
(*This can be seen as a proverb warning about understanding and respecting one's
boundaries to avoid negative consequences.)
Jeong Taeui whispered softly as he passed Ilay. Ilay squinted and replied in the same low
tone.
"If I have to die, dying from Boksangsa* isn't so bad."
(*복상사 (Boksangsa): a Korean term commonly used to refer to sudden death occurring
during sexual intercourse.)
"Hey, I don't like that. Do you know how heavy you are?!"
Suppressing the urge to shout, Jeong Taeui stepped out through the open door. The door
closed with a low thud behind him – "See you later."
Standing silently in front of the door for a moment, Jeong Taeui shook his head and turned
away. The busy eyes of people passing outside the office occasionally fell on him and then
disappeared. It was clear that this place was not for Jeong Taeui.
It was very different from Berlin. Kyle's home and this place were worlds apart.
In that place, even after living for many years, he never felt uncomfortable. It was no
different from a home where he lived with his family. But here – perhaps because Jeong
Taeui was not a member of this family – it felt like a complex community, somewhere
between family and company.He wanted to return to Berlin. The thought suddenly came to mind. That place had now
become his home.
"Um... but what if I argue with Ilay later?"
Jeong Taeui, walking away from the office towards Seoik, tilted his head at the sudden
thought.
Even if he returned to Korea, his family was no longer there. He wasn't close with the few
remaining relatives.
"So maybe moving to New York to live with my brother... No, I probably won't get a visa. No
country would grant a visa to a terrorist. Maybe living comfortably with friends in Korea
would be better. But can I return to Korea...?"
Mumbling to himself, Jeong Taeui walked towards Seoik. The people he met in the main
building were all strangers, their gazes like sharp knives. But when he returned to Seoik, the
feeling slightly eased.
...There was nowhere to return to. Other than where he was standing, there was no place to
return to.
Jeong Taeui didn't know what that felt like. It wasn't a feeling that could be understood by
imagining in his head. Only by guessing.
Where would that man return to?
"Christoph."
Jeong Taeui softly called to the man sitting silently at the desk, only focusing on his
fingernails tapping together. Christoph was aware of Jeong Taeui's presence but didn't look at
him. He only focused on his fingertips.
Jeong Taeui sighed and stepped into the room.
"Do you need help packing?"
Christoph glanced at Taeui and spoke indifferently.
"No need. I don't have anything I want to take from this place."
Christoph said that he only needed to leave, and Jeong Taeui pulled up a chair to sit opposite
him. A long silence ensued before Christoph suddenly spoke as if talking to himself.
"I shouldn't have come here. I once thought I'd never return."
But this place suited Christoph very well. Though to everyone else he was an outsider, the
space of this house suited him. Even though this place was not where he was welcomed.
But Christoph would leave and never return. That made Jeong Taeui feel regretful."That's right, if it causes such sadness, it's better not to come."
Jeong Taeui nodded in agreement. Christoph looked at him with an unhappy expression.
"I'm not hurt. Such things don't hurt me."
Jeong Taeui looked at Christoph, speaking with a sulking tone as if such a thing were
impossible, and then Taeui laughed.
"So, where do you plan to go after leaving here? Where are you living now?"
"Anywhere I want. Anyway, when working, I have to travel all year."
"How about Berlin? Kyle's house is a bit far from the center, but it's quiet and beautiful."
"Berlin… Kyle doesn't like me."
Christoph pondered for a moment and then shook his head. This was surprising. Jeong Taeui
thought Chris would shamelessly raise his head and say he liked living there whether Kyle
hated him or not.
"Why? But Ilay is there too."
At those words, Christoph's eyes became frosty.
"Rick… No, I can't. Berlin is a 'terrible place.' Thinking about it, Tarten's branch there is very
big. Richard often goes there. No, that's not a place for humans to live."
Before Christoph, who was shaking his head in denial, Jeong Taeui – living in such a 'terrible
place' – could only purse his lips.
The topic of Richard was not one that could be prolonged. Jeong Taeui quickly changed the
subject.
"What about your other siblings... Speaking of which, don't you have any siblings?"
When Jeong Taeui asked, Christoph froze. His mouth stiffened, and his empty eyes stared
straight at Jeong Taeui.
As if facing a complete stranger. Staring at Jeong Taeui with emotionless blue eyes, he finally
slowly shook his head.
"No... I don't. My father passed away early."
"Oh..." – Jeong Taeui responded vaguely, scratching his cheek awkwardly.
Perhaps it was best not to ask about this.
However, Christoph suddenly became silent. If Jeong Taeui also remained silent, it would be
even more uncomfortable."Okay, then what about your mother... doesn't she have any siblings?"
"Um. My mother has always lived alone."
Christoph picked up the teapot beside the table. The sound of water pouring into the teacup
rang out.
Christoph didn't seem to care. Meanwhile, Jeong Taeui – who had just been a bit flustered –
now felt awkward seeing Christoph act as if nothing had happened.
Jeong Taeui scratched his cheek again.
"Um... it seems you had a good relationship with your father."
"My mother loved Tarten very much."
Christoph replied shortly.
In fact, his face seemed even more normal than before when he sat there with a displeased
expression. It was a blank face with no signs of anger or irritation.
"She always remembered this place. I heard she called the elders here every day. She loved
Tarten even more than those born here."
His hand suddenly stopped when placing the teacup down on the saucer.
As if time had stopped, he didn't blink, and his mind seemed to drift elsewhere.
Jeong Taeui watched Christoph for a moment and then picked up the teapot, pouring more tea
into his cup. The sound of water flowing and the steam rising from the teacup. Christoph
slowly lowered his gaze to watch the stream of water.
"Speaking of which, it's been years since I last saw my brother."
"Brother...?"
Christoph repeated Jeong Taeui's words like a parrot and slowly looked up. Jeong Taeui acted
as if nothing had happened and pulled the empty teacup towards him.
"Since I came to Berlin, I've hardly gone out, and my brother has been busy, so he hasn't had
time to visit me. We only called a few times... I only have one family member, my brother,
but it's been a long time since I heard his voice."
Christoph quietly watched Jeong Taeui. He seemed to be listening to Jeong Taeui's story. His
face began to show a bit of emotion again.
"Brother... Right, your brother is Jeong Jaeui. A lucky genius."
"Yes. He really is lucky. Even when accidentally pouring hot water and breaking a glass, he
doesn't get hurt at all. While I'm the one who slips on the water and breaks my knee.""What... he's as lucky as you are unlucky?"
"No, not like that. It's just an example. But he also has clumsy moments. When I got hurt like
that, even though it wasn't his fault, he felt very guilty. So I often took advantage of him to do
my homework."
Thinking about it, having a brother with a completely normal younger brother, perhaps the
older brother had to endure a lot of inconveniences. The younger brother often asked the
older brother to do homework, explain difficult questions, and sometimes accidentally used
his name in social situations. But the older brother got no benefits from his younger brother.
But Jeong Taeui thought that whether Jaeui had an older brother or not, Taeui would still be
happy about it. Just like now, with no exchange of benefits, Jeong Taeui still loved his brother
very much.
He thought he should call his brother, at least to hear his voice. Christoph whispered.
"Even living so harmoniously, now you can't meet each other."
"Huh? Yes... but just occasionally contacting and knowing both are doing well is good.
Families can't live together forever, right? Even if we don't contact much, just praying that
the other lives well and happily is enough."
Jeong Taeui shrugged.
Christoph stared at Jeong Taeui and then lowered his gaze to the teacup. He looked at the
warm orange liquid inside, then slowly smiled and whispered.
"Yes... that's good."
It seemed like he was genuinely smiling. In fact, Christoph wasn't really smiling, and Jeong
Taeui had never seen him truly smile, but the slightly curved eyes of Christoph looked like
they were smiling. So Jeong Taeui also smiled.
The late afternoon sunlight brought warmth, shining through the window like the color of the
tea in the hot cup. A deep orange color almost brushed with gold, a pleasant warmth, and a
quiet, lazy stillness.
Jeong Taeui turned his gaze away from Christoph's cheek, which seemed slightly flushed
from the sunlight. He drank another sip of tea, in contrast to Christoph's gentle and soundless
way. Taeui drank, making steady sounds.
Suddenly, he felt like nothing mattered anymore.
Even if the people of Tarten were noisy, even if the atmosphere in the house was heavy, even
if Christoph was sentenced to exile and about to leave; at least at this moment, they were
peacefully drinking tea here.
Nothing could disturb them.Peaceful and cozy.
Even if he might never return here again, if he could spend this quiet moment peacefully, that
was enough.
Right then.
They said nothing to each other, sipping the second cup of tea together like old, kind animals
basking in the sun. The afternoon sun began to set gradually.
The phone rang.
Breaking the silence.
Christoph frowned in displeasure.
He stared at the phone as if the ringing disturbed him greatly.
As if wanting to stay immersed in this atmosphere longer, Christoph didn't get up but just
looked at the phone. Jeong Taeui stood up when the phone rang for the sixth time.
"Ignore it. It's annoying."
But before Jeong Taeui could reach it, Christoph grumbled in annoyance, and Jeong Taeui
shrugged and sat back down.
The phone kept ringing for a while before stopping.
When the silence returned, Christoph's fierce expression softened.
But before Christoph could pick up his teacup again, the phone started ringing, and this time
it didn't stop.
"...It seems urgent."
Jeong Taeui pointed at the phone with a nod, and Christoph stood up with a displeased face.
He walked as if he wanted to throw the phone receiver as soon as he picked it up. He grabbed
the receiver roughly. And as soon as he said – "Hello" – in an icy tone, a woman's voice came
through.
"Christoph! What's going on?! Why did you tell me not to go to Dresden? I've prepared
everything, just waiting for the departure day! Oh my God... Christoph! Christoph!! Say
something! What's going on?!"
The woman's voice, like a scream, echoed from the phone.
Jeong Taeui saw Christoph's shoulders stiffen as soon as he picked up the receiver.
As if they had turned into something non-human.Christoph's pale face lost all life.
Christoph became cold. The face that had been lit by the sunset now seemed to sink into the
darkness of night.
Seeing that scene right in front of him, Jeong Taeui's heart also turned cold.
Jeong Taeui had never seen anyone change like that.
"Mother" – Christoph's lips seemed to move. But it might have just been a slight tremble of
his lips, like a butterfly trapped in a spider's web.
"I have waited a long time to go to Tarten, which I have been waiting for so long...!"
The voice on the phone sobbed. "How could you do this? You have to understand my heart.
How could you do this?" – The voice on the phone sobbed painfully, reaching Jeong Taeui as
well.
With a face as pale as ash, Christoph struggled to move his lips. But no words came out, only
the motion of a weak attempt at an excuse.
"Christoph! Christoph!" – The voice sobbed and called his name. Like a ghost from the deep
earth calling.
It was Christoph's mother.
The woman who had created this delicate and beautiful young man and turned him into a
lifeless, white-gray statue.
"Christoph, because of you, I was driven out of that place. Now because of you, I can't return
there. Christoph, if it weren't for you, if it wasn't you who were born...!"
"...―!" Jeong Taeui, unconsciously before he could think, acted on impulse.