Looking back, Jeong Taeui has never dated even once.
He had felt the thrill of facing someone, but before he realized his feelings, the person had disappeared. Even though he had a lot of experience in bed, it was hard to call it love.
There was a young man who was his lover for a while - the main character in that knife fight - the two of them were not in a dating relationship, so he couldn't understand his actions afterwards. And Jeong Taeui realized that it seemed like he could only have such a relationship and couldn't go any further.
After that, he didn't meet anyone he wanted to protect for life, and besides, he didn't have time because military life was already a headache enough.
So, it feels strange now. But it's not bad at all. Even if the feelings are not reciprocated, it still feels good. Seeing someone who makes you feel good is not a bad experience.
"Sorry….."
Jeong Taeui said as he entered the room, there were four men inside. Three in charge of logistics and one vice minister.
Jeong Taeui saw the vice minister he had met the first day he came to give a formal greeting, then he straightened his clothes and stood in front of the door. Perhaps he had just finished his work, he nodded slightly and walked past him out.
Rudolph Gentil. He was his uncle's direct superior.
He didn't know much about him since he had only greeted him once. But from what he had heard around him, he was a gentle character but not to be underestimated.
He guessed that he might be a cheerful-looking man but hard to read inside. But all those guesses were very vague.
Anyway, it doesn't really concern you. You only need to care about keeping yourself alive for half a year, you don't need to worry about anyone with dark intentions.
"Taeil? What brings you here?.....what happened to your shirt?"
Jeong Taeui had been staring at the vice minister's back, he turned his head when he heard a familiar voice.
Xin Lu sat in the seat closest to the window, he seemed a little surprised to see his appearance.
"Huh? Oh, my shirt got torn during practice, I came to get a new one, is that okay?"
Jeong Taeui smiled wryly and touched the torn hem of his shirt.
"Of course, it's okay."
Xin Lu replied then went into the room inside the study and took out a new set of clothes.
"Thanks. What about this one? Should I take it off and give it to you or just throw it away?"
"Um... If it's torn to this extent, it'll be a bit difficult to fix. You can just leave it... Are you not hurt anywhere?"
"Getting hurt is a normal thing. It's okay, it's okay. Thanks for worrying about me."
Jeong Taeui smiled shyly. Xin Lu also smiled lightly and whispered.
"Be careful."
Xin Lu - the youngest person in this place - was also extremely surprised to see him in the bathroom that day. But after meeting him and talking to him a few times, he seemed to have let down his guard towards him, he still often called him big brother and was always friendly.
"..."
From this position, he could see the top of Xin Lu's head. He was touching the torn part of his shirt and checking to see if it could be repaired. That faint scent of soap, he really wanted to touch it.
Jeong Taeui's fingers trembled and he hesitated whether to touch this hair or not. But he quickly gave up and lowered his hand when Xin Lu raised her head. If he saw him like this, he would definitely click his tongue and say that he was not worthy of being a man.
"You've had a hard time today. I hope you get used to this place soon."
Xin Lu said with a smile. Only then did Jeong Taeui realize that the sun was slowly setting. When he turned his head outside, orange-red clouds drifted lazily across the vast sky. He was always in the basement, so if he didn't look at his watch, he had no concept of time.
"The sky is beautiful."
Jeong Taeui muttered and exclaimed. Not only was it because he had been underground for so long that he had not seen the sky, but also because the red sky mixed with the blue sky blended together beautifully.
"Are there snakes out there?"
"Yes? Yes. It's a beautiful night. But it's a bit dangerous in the woods, but it's okay on the beach."
"Umm…Do you want to go for a walk?"
"...Now?"
Xin Lu asked again with a confused look. Jeong Taeui smiled and nodded. He also sighed inwardly.
Turns out he had the guts to ask her out normally if he put his mind to it. I mean, he wasn't the type to just blush and shrink like a turtle. He was famous in a lot of gay bars anyway….. no, this wasn't something to be proud of so let's just forget it.
Jeong Taeui was just proud of his own bravery, but his face was already red.
Xin Lu stared at him with a strange look. It seemed like he was trying to hold back his laughter. Seeing that expression, Jeong Taeui felt a little guilty, but if you looked closely, fortunately, he didn't seem to be upset at all.
"...Um…. you don't like it?"
"Rather than saying I don't like it…, I'm not done yet. You can go alone, the wind seems really cool."
Xin Lu smiled and shook his head before speaking. Jeong Taeui felt a little disappointed, but tried not to show it. He muttered, 'Well, that's fine.'
He intended to go out for a walk alone, but because of his disappointment, that thought disappeared too. Asking, expecting, and then being disappointed, man is truly a capricious creature.
"Okay, then work hard. See you later. Keep it up."
"Yes, Brother Taeil… ah, this matter, brother!"
Xin Lu seemed to hesitate for a moment before calling out again. Jeong Taeui was about to leave the office when he stopped and turned back to ask with a puzzled expression, 'What's wrong?'.
Xin Lu looked at him and smiled shyly.
"Let's go together tomorrow or the day after. I know a beautiful place that people don't often go to."
"Huh?...Um...Really?"
"Yes. If it's okay with you then…"
"Of course….. Um, then. Anytime. Call me when you're done. I don't have anything to do after training ends.''
Jeong Taeui nodded in confusion at this sudden event while unconsciously touching the useless pager given to him by the branch and added, 'You can contact me anytime.'.
"Yes.''
Xin Lu replied with a bright smile and turned back to his desk. Left alone in the hallway, Jeong Taeui stared blankly at where he had been standing before clenching his hands into fists in silence.
Look, I said it was worth a try. If it doesn't work out today or tomorrow, the day after tomorrow there will be a chance to be alone together.
Jeong Taeui couldn't help but grin. His mood was improving rapidly. He also wanted to go out in this good mood but he would be going with Xin Lu soon, so let's save the outing until then.
Jeong Taeui hummed and moved to the elevator then shook his head as he waited for the elevator to go up from the 5th floor.
It was still training time, so he had to go back to that training room. But he didn't want to go back there while he was in a good mood.
"...At times like this, it's best to roll around in a room filled with food to eat and books to read…."
Jeong Taeui muttered and turned back before the elevator arrived and went down the stairs.
The destination is his uncle's room = the one with lots of food + books to read.
Jeong Taeui twirled the key dangling on his finger and walked away happily.
His uncle's room was on the first floor of the basement. As usual, he didn't see anyone, it was extremely quiet. If there was a murder here, it would take a long time for others to find out…. But that wasn't the case. There were surveillance cameras everywhere.
Jeong Taeui looked up at the cameras installed in the corner of the wall that pointed straight at his uncle's room. Before entering the room, he looked up at the cameras and knocked politely on the door.
Anyway, it was just a formality and not really necessary. Because if you were inside, the door would be unlocked, and if you were not inside, it would be locked. Besides, it seemed like you knew someone was coming as soon as I turned that corner.
Jeong Taeui knocked a few times and turned the doorknob. It was locked, so he raised his head and took out a key from his pocket. It was the key he had just received with the permission of the owner of this room. He had cheerfully told him to come and read whenever he wanted.
The room was as neat as ever. Although it had everything necessary, it didn't feel like anyone lived in it at all.
"Even you have a side like this that no one knows about…"
The room was spotless. Whenever he wasn't around, it felt like an empty model room. It felt like his secret place. Jeong Taeui sighed.
Jeong Taeui casually opened the fridge and took out a can of beer, downing it in one gulp, then threw himself onto the smooth, wrinkle-free bed. After rolling around a few times on the bed that barely smelled of people, he lay down on it and took out a book within reach from the shelf.
He used to come here every day out of habit when he had nothing to do and lie here reading books. Every day he would read a few dozen pages, leisurely reading very slowly.
Looking at the bookshelf filled with rare books, Jeong Taeui guessed that Jaeui would like it. No, he probably had read all of them.
That lucky brother, there was no reason for him to worry about him, but he was still curious about what he was doing and where he was now. Had he returned home yet, or had he locked himself in the library or some research institute and just kept reading or working without any rest.
Yesterday I tried calling home to check but no one answered. Even though it was the middle of the night, if he didn't pick up then there was a high chance he was somewhere else.
Suddenly, the image of him using his fingers as scissors to cut the red thread flashed through his mind.
Although he didn't think that he hated him so much that he wanted to cut off all ties with him. But how should he say it? At that moment, his mood was strange.
Jeong Jaeui was very lucky, so he could easily get whatever he wanted. So even if he pretended to cut off the relationship between the two, it would probably really be cut off.
"I don't like it….. I don't feel anything."
Jeong Taeui lay face down on the bed and spread his arms out, looking at his pinky finger and searching for the trace of an invisible red thread that he said was tied there. But could he really cut it off?
Jeong Taeui wiggled his pinky finger a few times, as if checking to see if the other end of the invisible thread was moving at all.
Suddenly, a mechanical sound rang out in the quiet room. It was a familiar sound that he had heard before. When he turned his head, the phone was flashing a red light.
"..."
Jeong Taeui stared at the phone that kept on ringing with that mechanical sound and thought for a moment about whether it was okay to answer someone else's phone. Actually, it was fine even if he didn't answer, but the phone kept ringing so much that he couldn't help but do something.
Jeong Taeui got out of bed and looked at the number displayed on the phone screen. If it was his uncle, there was no way he would know who the number was, but Jeong Taeui still looked at the unfamiliar number.
It's an international call. If the number starts with 49….. Is it the area code for Germany, I'm not sure.
While he was still thinking, the phone was disconnected. Jeong Taeui returned to bed and picked up the book and covered his face, thinking about his brother again. He often did this when he slept. He once asked him if it didn't feel heavy when he did it, but he replied that the book only had a few hundred pages at most, so how could it be that heavy. Jeong Taeui was surprised that his face was still intact even though he often fell asleep with something like that on his face.
Thinking back, Jeong Taeui didn't resemble his brother much. Even though they were twins, there seemed to be nothing in common between the two. From their faces, hair, personalities, to their luck.
"...Even so, my face is still prettier. Even if other things can't compare."
In fact, because their appearances are so different, it's impossible to say who is more beautiful or uglier.
Jeong Taeui pulled the book down from his face a bit and turned around. Although he couldn't see from here, there was a large hanging mirror next to the table. Jeong Taeui stood up again and walked closer to the mirror, looking closely at his face. A young man with a calm face was reflected in the mirror. Although he hadn't even lived half his life yet, he looked very tired.
Jeong Taeui looked in the mirror and stroked his face. It felt like touching the snowflakes of a cold winter. From his eyes, nose, to his mouth. Almost at the same time, another mechanical sound rang out. It was the same phone number.
Not keeping the other end of the line waiting for long, he quickly picked up the phone. If he kept ignoring such a series of calls, they would call again soon.
"Yes, hello."
When he pressed the flashing red button, the LCD screen above lit up. There was nothing reflected on it except a white shirt. He could just make out the corner of a photo frame at the bottom of the screen. But it was too small to tell what was on it.
"Haha. It's the nephew answering the phone again."
He seemed to have heard that voice somewhere. Then, a pair of hands appeared in front of his view of the screen. If it was that hand, he would remember it very clearly. It was a pair of hands so beautiful that it was hard to forget.