Chapter 81: Chapter 81: Worry about you
It’s ti to seriously think about it. What should Jeong Taeui do now?
In reality, if Ilay Riegrow insisted on taking him to Hong Kong even if Taeui didn’t agree,
there was no way he could escape his clutches. Especially with Ilay still having all his limbs and his eyes always glued to Taeui, there was no way Taeui could outsmart him. He couldn’t fight him one-on-one either.
Jeong Taeui couldn’t use his old trick of drugging Ilay, tying him up, and running away anymore... Unless he had a new identity, he’d be caught by Ilay before even getting through customs.
Creating a new identity was the best way. Jeong Taeui didn’t know if this was possible while Ilay was still watching him, but Ilay wasn’t soone who would be fooled twice by the sa trick. Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue and scratched his head before looking up at Ilay.
"Do I have the right to refuse?"
"No."
A calm response ca imdiately, just as he expected.
"So what if we transit sowhere else for a while?"
"From Berlin to Dar es Salaam, then switch to a light aircraft to Seringe, find Jeong Jaeui, then back to Dar es Salaam and on to Berlin-no, flying straight to Johannesburg would be faster, then to Hong Kong. If we do that, we could be there by tomorrow."
"..."
How many tis had he thought about tearing that casually talking mouth open all at once?
Jeong Taeui silently counted and gave up because even both hands wouldn’t be enough.
There were many things he wanted to say, but he decided to keep his mouth shut because he knew no matter what he said, he couldn’t outtalk him. Suddenly, Ilay spoke amidst his silence.
"Taeil. Maybe you’ve thought about this at least once."
"...?"
"Jeong Jaeil is very lucky. They say he was kidnapped and imprisoned, but no one really
believes that. If he really wanted to, he could have returned unhard. Moreover, he hasn’t contacted anyone, including you."
"Maybe Jeong Jaeil never really wanted to et you in the first place—Haven’t you ever thought about that?"
Jeong Taeui calmly looked at Ilay. It wasn’t a mocking or teasing tone. He was just stating
exactly what he was thinking. Taeui nodded.
"Yeah... that’s possible. So, in that case, even if I go to Seringe, I won’t be able to see him."
Jeong Taeui shrugged and mumbled.
Forget Seringe, even if Jeong Jaeil were standing right outside that door, if he didn’t want to see Jeong Taeui, he would never be able to see him.
"But I don’t think that’s likely. Just because he doesn’t want to see
doesn’t an he never wants to see
again."
In reality, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. Even on his birthday, his brother didn’t contact him, which had never happened before. So, of course, he couldn’t help but think about that possibility. Maybe his brother was just too engrossed in sothing to think about him.
"He hates , this... Yeah, I guess that’s possible. I didn’t even think about it."
Jeong Taeui mumbled bitterly and nodded. He had never thought about it despite all the
premises. But even if he thought about it, it didn’t seem likely.
Ilay raised an eyebrow, observing Taeui nodding in front of him.
"Your relationship with your brother is very good."
"Hmmm-? Instead of saying it’s good... there’s nothing bad between us."
Their personalities weren’t ones that would easily clash, but they also weren’t ones that could be described as having a good relationship. Jeong Taeui briefly thought about his brother.
They weren’t like any typical siblings. His brother never took him to an internet café or
played baseball or basketball with him. However, there was nothing for them to argue about regarding their preferences.
It seed like a very dry relationship.
But even so, he still hoped—
"I want to see my brother."
So I don’t want to go to Hong Kong with you.
Ilay couldn’t possibly miss the thoughts running through Taeui’s little head.
He was soone who could see even what Jeong Taeui didn’t want to be seen. Ilay’s eyes narrowed more. Jeong Taeui looked straight into those eyes, unsure of what he was thinking.
"Jeong Taeui."
"You think you have a choice?"
"...don’t I?"
Jeong Taeui sighed and mumbled. Clearly, just three seconds ago, he was confident about doing things his way, but he was quickly brought back to reality.
While Jeong Taeui was silently clenching his lips, Ilay stayed quiet for a while and then
asked again.
"If not, were you planning to take the opportunity to tie
up again and escape?"
"What..."
Jeong Taeui was speechless, even though he wanted to say it was possible, the words got stuck in his throat, unable to co out.
He used to think he was quite good at speaking ambiguously, but now he might have to reconsider that thought. This was why dealing with soone with quick thinking was difficult, not knowing what they would do next. Lying in front of such people usually didn’t work. But even so, um, he wouldn’t go around following him everywhere.
However, Jeong Taeui sighed and shrugged. After struggling for a while, he knew what he
had to do.
In most cases, or rather, in all cases, ti was the best dicine to heal all wounds.
The extent would depend on the amount of ti you had and whether you had the ability to wait for that day to co, but in the end, almost no problem couldn’t be solved with ti.
Sooner or later, whether it be months,
years, or even longer, Jeong Taeui could escape from Ilay.
Because his anger and obsession with him would fade with ti. Then, at so point, Jeong Taeui would have another opportunity. He never thought that he would never have a chance to escape from him for the rest of his life.
... Although, in his case, considering Ilay’s personality, he might kill and get rid of Taeui
without worrying about anything before his resentnt faded and that opportunity ca to him.
Jeong Taeui scratched his cheek and clicked his tongue, showing he wasn’t giving up and weakly resisted one last ti.
"But if we find Jaeui, wouldn’t it benefit your company too? You’ve been looking for him all this ti, haven’t you?"
"The company? Well, the company won’t suffer much damage anyway, and besides, that’s not my business."
"The company is managed by my brother, not ," Ilay added, waving his hand gently. Jeong Taeui tried to hold on once more.
"So what about UNHDRO? That’s where you work (though I don’t think you have anything like a mber there), but don’t you intend to help them find the person they’re desperately searching for?"
"?"
Ilay’s answer was just one word. And that one word represented all his answers. Jeong Taeui suddenly felt ridiculed by Ilay even though he knew he would be like this. He knew well that no matter how much he talked, Ilay wouldn’t warmly say, "I understand, then you go find him." Thinking about it, the most confusing person here was himself for saying things he knew would not be answered.
"Tae. If so, let’s go back to the first issue."
"...?"
Jeong Taeui suspiciously looked at Ilay at his sudden words.
"Jeong Jaeil, as you said, is certainly an important figure for both T&R and UNHDRO, as well as other related organizations. In other words, as long as there is a clue about his whereabouts, those trying to find him won’t be lacking. That ans he will be saved. So why are you so determined to go there?"
"Saved? It’s not that I want to save him, I just want to see him."
Besides, Jeong Taeui shook his head, saying: "He’s not soone who needs saving."
Perhaps, the reason his uncle asked Jeong Taeui to find Jeong Jaeui wasn’t to deepen their brotherly bond, but even if that were the case, Jeong Taeui still wanted to see Jeong Jaeui. He didn’t know why he couldn’t contact his brother. Moreover, in this situation, he didn’t like the idea of the red thread between them being cut by Jeong Jaeui.
After muttering a bit about how he felt his luck was running out because the red thread with his brother was cut, Jeong Taeui suddenly looked at Ilay. He looked down at Jeong Taeui without any emotion on his face.
"Do you want to go?"
He didn’t attach the place he wanted to go to the question, but Jeong Taeui understood clearly where he was talking about. Jeong Taeui remained silent for a mont and then sighed.
"If I want to go, will you let ?"
"No. Tonight, you will have to fly to Hong Kong with ."
Jeong Taeui’s face dropped. What was the point of this guy playing with words all this ti?
"Ilay, think about it. You’re not soone who would fall for the sa trick twice, and I know that too. And you know I wouldn’t do that again. So, even if I go to Africa alone now to find my brother, you can find
imdiately. There’s no reason for
to go to Hong Kong with you. You can find
whenever you want, easily."
Jeong Taeui spoke seriously. Ilay then smirked.
"Taeil. You forgot one thing."
"What?"
"You said you hated being with
so much, didn’t you? So, live in resentnt by my side
every day until you die."
"...."
Jeong Taeui had forgotten what he had said before. How foolish of him to forget even for a mont about the obstinate and violent nature of this monster.
Jeong Taeui got up without hesitation and stepped off the bed. He grabbed the shirt hanging on the chair and slipped it on, mumbling.
"Alright, let’s go to that damn Hong Kong. Go ahead and throw
in prison or cent
and throw
into the sea, do whatever you want."
If they were leaving tonight, he didn’t know when they’d depart, but he couldn’t just sit
around waiting. Even if he had no luggage, he still needed to get everything in order and bid farewell to Kyle and Rita. At the very least, he wanted to say goodbye in person, but he might have to send a ssage to Kyle since he had left for work right after the late breakfast. He would see him again soday, but he wanted to say goodbye properly.
Dammit. He had already resigned himself halfway when he was captured by this man, but the situation where he couldn’t decide his own life was uncomfortable.
"As soon as there’s a hint of soone’s whereabouts, the news spreads imdiately."
Ilay’s voice echoed in Jeong Taeui’s ear as he dressed with a displeased expression. Jeong Taeui muttered while glancing at Ilay.
"Alright. It’s true that my brother’s whereabouts being in Seringe could be leaked, and there would be plenty of people who could get him out without
lifting a finger."
That’s why I’ll go to Hong Kong. He muttered silently.
*Creak* The old wooden floorboards creaked, and he could feel Ilay standing up and taking a few steps toward him. Ilay reached out and touched Jeong Taeui’s ear, caressing it gently but firmly. Jeong Taeui frowned at the sudden pain and turned his head away.
"I’m not talking about Jeong Jaeil."
"...—?"
Jeong Taeui shook his head, covering his ear with one hand, and looked at him curiously.
A rumor about soone’s whereabouts, in this context, it should be about Jeong Jaeui, right?
Jeong Taeui tilted his head, staring at Ilay for a mont. Then, blinking a few tis, he
thought there must be sothing wrong, but Ilay remained silent as if he had no intention of explaining.
Jeong Taeui caught his gaze and frowned, speaking with surprise.
"...?"
"Yes, you."
Jeong Taeui looked at Ilay with a stunned face, slowly pointing at himself with his finger.
"Alright.... I see... but my uncle already knows where I am. So what?"
"If soone tries to steal my prey even for a mont, it wouldn’t be pleasant. If I keep you in Hong Kong and go to the branch, in case of an ergency, I can handle it right away, but otherwise, as soon as I leave Germany, that person will act imdiately."
Jeong Taeui stood in stunned silence for a mont.
This wasn’t the first ti the man had said things he couldn’t understand. Before, he could get the gist, but now he couldn’t grasp any of it. But Ilay wasn’t soone who would say aningless things, which ant his understanding was also declining.
But even so....
"There’s no one after
except you...."
Jeong Taeui spoke in frustration. People say that humans tend to judge others based on
themselves or their surroundings, but even so, his life was completely different from this
man’s. He didn’t rember making any enemies or doing anything that would make soone want to kill him.
Surely, as Ilay said, Jeong Jaeil wasn’t the only one missing here. Though for a much shorter period, Jeong Taeui had also been missing recently.
But Jeong Jaeil and Jeong Taeui were entirely different cases. No one wanted to find Jeong Taeui. He didn’t know if there was soone on this earth who persistently hated him to the point of wanting to kill him-except for the man standing before him now.
"Why not? Just think of the first na that cos to mind..."
Ilay clicked his tongue and started to say sothing but then fell silent again. Taeui snorted and said.
"And then what?"
Jeong Taeui urged him, but Ilay just stared at him blankly. Jeong Taeui slowly averted his eyes, though he didn’t recall doing anything wrong. If he didn’t want to say it, why bring it up in the first place?
Ilay suddenly mumbled.
"Jeong Jaeil..."
"...?"
"Maybe it’s more complicated than that."
Jeong Taeui frowned slightly. The subject continued in a roundabout way, and he couldn’t keep up even when his brain was working at full capacity. Jeong Taeui sighed deeply. He tugged at his hair in frustration.
"So. So even though we don’t know who, you’re worried that soone with a grudge against
will snatch
from you and kill
first, so I have to go to Hong Kong with you? Otherwise, you’ll make
suffer every day?"
He wanted to say it heavily to express his anger, but it didn’t co out as strongly as he hoped. But the person listening wasn’t soone Jeong Taeui had to care much about, so even though he wasn’t satisfied, he wasn’t angry.
Jeong Taeui thought while mumbling weakly. He had made a series of mistakes from escaping to being caught, and now things had turned out like this. He guessed people called this karma.
Since entering this room, Ilay’s gaze had been fixed on Jeong Taeui as if he were thinking about sothing. He took out his phone and tossed it to Jeong Taeui. Reflexively, Taeui caught it and looked at the phone in his hand curiously.
"Do whatever you want. But the plan to go to Hong Kong won’t change. We’ll leave in 30
minutes, so call my brother and tell him I’m leaving. Calling directly will avoid unnecessary formalities."
"Alright."
Jeong Taeui responded, though not enthusiastically, and opened the contact list. Then he frowned.
Leaving in 30 minutes. He’d have to prepare everything in a roasting beans over a lightning bolt*.
( roasting beans over a lightning bolt/ A phrase implying the nature of doing things hastily and imdiatelyimdiately.)
There was no need to look for a number he had morized. He looked up and asked Ilay as he walked toward the door.
"Didn’t they say you ca here on a private jet? So there’s no fixed schedule. Why the rush, leaving in 30 minutes?"
If he calculated the ti, including preparation and waiting for Kyle to return and having a last dinner together to say a proper goodbye, then boarding the private jet to return, there should be enough ti.
"...."
Ilay stopped and slowly turned around. Seeing a slight hesitation on his otherwise
expressionless face, Jeong Taeui quickly shifted his gaze back to the phone screen.
Right. The pilot wouldn’t just wait quietly under his coercion. Moreover, if it wasn’t a private jet but a UNHRDO specialized aircraft, its operational schedule was already set, and deviating from that plan wasn’t the only obstacle.
"With such tight timing... did you already book the flight?"
Ilay, who had stepped out of the room, paused and replied to Taeui.
"Of course. Under the passport number JR0203314 of Kim Young Soo-ssi"
"... Your unparalleled skill at mocking others..."
Jeong Taeui mumbled. Ilay laughed out loud.
( Ilay used Kim Young Soo ssi - MI[ssi] is an honorific in Korean. In English, it’s
roughly equivalent to Mr. It seems like this is the first ti / has appeared in the whole of
Volu 4 :v Basically, Ilay emphasized the na Kim Young Soo to mock Tae )
After a while, Ilay turned back to Jeong Taeui, not looking reluctant at all but rather calm.
"Shut your mouth and follow
obediently. I won’t stop you from eting Jeong Jaeil."
"Huh?"
Jeong Taeui, holding the phone to his ear, looked at Ilay in confusion. He hadn’t
misunderstood; he heard correctly. But before Taeui could ask for confirmation, Ilay had left the room.
Jeong Taeui stared blankly at Ilay’s retreating figure until he disappeared from sight. The beeping of the phone suddenly stopped, replaced by Kyle’s voice on the other end, "What’s going on?"
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