The worried tone in his brother's voice struck a heavy blow.
How did he know the size...
Even though the alcohol had completely worn off, Jeong Taeui felt a bit dizzy as if he were still drunk and pressed his temple.
"Uh...where did you see it...?"
"At the hospital in Frankfurt, when you were hospitalized."
"Ah, the hospital..."
Only then did Jeong Taeui recall the hospital he had woken up in after a night that felt like a nightmare and wiped his pounding heart.
Even though one might not really think about it in a hospital, there are plenty of opportunities to see it. Moreover, if it's a person like that who lacks basic shame, it's even more so. In that hospital, which was reminiscent of a war zone with people being carried in one after another, it wouldn't be strange at all if he changed his clothes in the hallway where everyone walked by.
Hearing that, Jeong Taeui naturally started to associate it with where he might have seen Rahman's flaws, and suddenly, he felt drained. He didn't even have the energy to finish the few sips of beer left, so he just tossed it into the trash can.
When his eyes met Jeong Jaeui, who was staring at him quietly, Jeong Taeui sighed.
"It's okay....It's okay. I'm getting along fine with that guy. Really."
Seeing the faint worry that had been embedded in Jeong Jaeui's calm eyes slightly ease, Jeong Taeui smiled lightly. It might be hard to believe that he was getting along fine with a man named Ilay Riegrow, but it was true. At least, Jeong Taeui thought so.
Although there had been significant issues in the past and with that unpredictable
temperament and the accumulated grievances, the future was uncertain, but at this moment, there were no problems.
Isn't that good enough?
Jeong Taeui shrugged his shoulders, and Jeong Jaeui, who had been silently watching him for a while, eventually broke into a smile. The sight of his older brother nodding as if he had come to understand something made Jeong Taeui feel somewhat relieved.
No. But. They weren't discussing that at the moment.
"Oh, but aside from that, it was incredibly painful at first. Yeah, I really thought I was going to die. It was like that for a while. So, hyung, you need to think carefully. The one accepting it, it's really, truly painful."
Jeong Taeui hadn't expected a day would come when he would have this kind of
conversation with his older brother, but life really is unpredictable.
Seeing the gradually hardening negative light on his brother's face, Jeong Taeui inwardly felt a sense of triumph. At least like this, his brother wouldn't collapse. That would lessen the physical burden. No, he didn't particularly want to imagine his brother moving up above that man, but still.
Seemingly understanding what Jeong Taeui meant, Jeong Jaeui nodded slowly with a serious expression and then changed the subject.
Once he calmed down, Jeong Taeui became thirsty for alcohol again—thirsty in many senses—and took a can of beer from the fridge and opened it. Jeong Jaeui also accepted a beer, and the two brothers lightly clinked their cans and drank their beer in silence.
The thoughts circulating in Jeong Taeui's head and those in Jeong Jaeui's might have been the same or different, but neither of them bothered to vocalize those thoughts. They only exchanged occasional comments like, "The sound of crickets is the same everywhere," and "But sometimes when I see people coming home, they look quite different."
Then, Jeong Jaeui left not long after.
Jeong Taeui wasn't sure if his brother's sudden visit without any prior contact was to discuss that trivial concern or if there had been some change in his mindset. However, Jeong Jaeui didn't provide a clear and understandable answer, and Jeong Taeui didn't press for details. They parted with a vague promise for the next uncertain meeting. That was the end of it.
And sure enough, that very afternoon, Ilay returned. He clicked his tongue upon hearing that Jeong Jaeui had already left and then kept quiet. It was clear he was thinking what Jeong Taeui was thinking. Jeong Jaeui, born under a lucky star.
"Hahaha..."
As soon as that thought crossed his mind, Jeong Taeui felt relieved about everything and laughed to himself, telling himself that there was no need to worry about his brother. Ilay looked at him curiously as Jeong Taeui suddenly burst into laughter. After laughing for a while, Jeong Taeui lightly patted his shoulder, saying it was nothing. At the same time, the dried blood flakes from Ilay's black clothes crumbled, causing both the laughter and the movement to stop.
"Ah, it's not my blood," Ilay said, once again stating the obvious, as Jeong Taeui silently
pushed him into the bathroom. With that, there were no more worries about his brother left in his mind. What remained was only the grief for someone whose face which was no longer familiar.
Yeah, for a couple of months after that, I completely forgot about it.
In fact, I couldn't have dwelled on it for long. Christoph, who wasn't as lucky as Jeong Jaeui, happened to come through Tegel Airport on the very night that Ilay returned—though it probably wasn't intentional and he likely had no particular thoughts about it so after a day or two of being distracted, my brother's matter evaporated from my mind.
Then, after a month or so of Ilay leisurely lazing around the house as if his livelihood had been cut off, he left a few days ago, saying he was going to take care of some business, and only then did Jeong Taeui regain his boringly peaceful state.
And now, here I am, enjoying a beer while lying in front of the terrace door and feeling the breeze from the night garden filled with the sounds of insects.
"I saw mosquitoes recently, and if you lie there with the window screen open, you'll get bitten all over."
The voice came first, followed by footsteps. When I turned my head, Kyle, with his wet hair as if he had just showered, was approaching.
"When did you arrive? You came early."
"It's already past eight..."
Kyle, murmuring sadly, plopped down into the armchair next to the door. Jeong Taeui sat up and chuckled.
"I thought you'd come by midnight since James is so adamant."
"Today is Friday, so he let it slide...What if he really schedules you until midnight starting
next week? Huh?"
"... Fire James."
Kyle, who seemed genuinely dejected as he wrapped his arms around his head, jumped up immediately and shouted, "No way!!!" But after seeing Jeong Taeui's grinning face, he clicked his tongue bitterly.
"But James is so competent that it at least helps you do less work, right?"
"Of course. Do you know how much trouble I went through to bring James to our company?"
Jeong Taeui laughed again at Kyle, who mumbled with his face buried in his arms in a voice that seemed to sink below the ground. When he handed Kyle a new beer can, Kyle took it willingly.
"I always think of James as a great example of someone who works diligently and sincerely despite adversity."
"Hmm...that's a bit painful to hear, but it's true. He's very competent and diligent. But do you know? The most ideal boss is someone who is competent and lazy!"
Kyle, who had once said the same thing and had seen James with a chilling smile appearing behind him, seemed to have developed a trauma. As soon as he said it, he quickly glanced behind him to make sure no one was there. In front of James, who would say something like, 'I don't doubt your competence, but I find it hard to agree with the notion of an ideal boss,' Kyle could only be a mute with honey in his mouth.
"Lately, when I see James, my life seems so idle that I feel like I should be doing something."
Jeong Taeui murmured calmly while sipping his beer. Although he was always helping out around the house-mainly with Peter's tasks-and was not the type to be particularly
sensitive to such things, he had been having such thoughts recently.
"Work? If it's something you want to do, there's nothing wrong with it. But what kind of work? Do you have anything in mind?"
"Well, I haven't thought about it in detail..."
"Hmmm...? Oh, how about this: helping me with my work!"
That would reduce my workload and distribute James's nagging, Kyle thought happily, but Jeong Taeui stared at him intently. Noticing Jeong Taeui's gaze, Kyle lowered his eyes and muttered, "It seems like you're not really into it." Jeong Taeui quickly waved his hand and smiled.
"No, it's not that, ahaha, I heard the same thing from Ilay. It's a bit strange to say this is where you see the brotherly resemblance."
Kyle made an openly displeased face, but Jeong Taeui just laughed.
It wasn't even a few days ago. It was the day before Ilay left abruptly, saying he was going to work.
Jeong Taeui was staring at him as he received a work-related phone call and muttered to himself, "Maybe I should do some work too."
Even while on the phone, Ilay somehow managed to catch what Jeong Taeui said - even though it was in Korean. Maybe he'd been secretly studying the language for a while now, because this man, who could never be caught off guard, had become quite good at understanding, even if he wasn't perfect at speaking, reading, or writing. But if Jeong Taeui asked him how much he knew, Ilay would only give a subtle smile and never actually answer.
As soon as he hung up the phone, Ilay said,
"Work? What kind of work?"
"Well, I haven't thought about it specifically, but if I do, I'll need to find something I'm
capable of doing."
"Hmm...Are you bored being at home? Then how about helping me with the work that just came in?"
Jeong Taeui looked at Ilay, who was lightly tapping the phone he'd just put down, not sure if he was joking or serious.
He didn't intend to take it that seriously, but more than that...
"...What kind of work?"
"Well, it's not something that would typically come to me, but somehow, I ended up taking it. There's a guy who's been embezzling money by leaking information without his employer's knowledge. My job is to persuade him to spill the truth."
"To persuade him and get him to confess..."
Jeong Taeui, who had been watching Ilay as he took out a Boston bag and began packing
gloves as if he were about to leave, soon waved his hand and said, "No, I'll pass."
Jeong Taeui had no desire, even in his dreams, to witness the process by which Ilay would "persuade" his target to get a confession.
As if he expected that, Ilay laughed lightly and continued packing his things, while Jeong Taeui lay down on the floor where he had spread out a newspaper.
"When will you be back this time?"
He was so used to Ilay suddenly leaving that even if he walked out the door with his bag right then, Jeong Taeui probably wouldn't have been surprised.
"I'm leaving on an early flight tomorrow... I don't think it'll take too long. I need to meet the employer first, but the procedure might be a bit annoying. The job itself shouldn't take long."
"Ah, yeah, I guess this job should be easy. You just need to get a confession, right?"
"I don't think it'll be too difficult this time either...But you never know; sometimes it
depends on the person. For example, if it were someone like you, Taeui."
At that point, Ilay paused. It wasn't clear what kind of person he thought Jeong Taeui was, but since he stopped mid-sentence, it didn't seem like it was meant as a compliment. Jeong Taeui gave him a doubtful look. Judging by how Ilay muttered, "Maybe I should pack an extra pair of gloves," it definitely wasn't a compliment!
"What? What about someone like me?"
"If it were someone like you, you wouldn't even think of doing something like that in the
first place. —But if you were in that situation, you'd probably confess quickly before getting hurt."
Ilay, glancing sideways at Jeong Taeui and smiling, definitely knew Jeong Taeui well. Jeong Taeui thought he might be right. Rather than risking his life, he'd rather throw his pride in the mud.
"But what if, in that situation, I had a special reason not to confess?"
"....?"
"Then things would get interesting. It would take a lot longer. A couple of pairs of gloves
wouldn't be enough."
"No, no. You're misunderstanding me. I'm all about safety. If I knew what kind of person
you were, I wouldn't even think about keeping my mouth shut."
Jeong Taeui responded quickly....But after saying it, a few past incidents came to mind, and it seemed less convincing.
As Jeong Taeui awkwardly scratched his head, Ilay, who had been packing his bag, suddenly stopped as if something in Jeong Taeui's words caught his attention. He turned towards Jeong Taeui.
"Ah. In a situation where you know what kind of person I am...? I'm curious. What kind of
person do you think I am?"
...Oops. Maybe he'd stepped on a landmine.
The moment Jeong Taeui saw the slightly smiling eyes, he almost bit his tongue.
"Just keep packing. You don't have time if you're leaving early tomorrow."
"I've packed everything."