"Huh?"
Jeong Taeui was taken aback.
It didn't feel exactly like a straightforward "That's great news," but more like an "Oh, so
that's how things have turned out...?"
[I'll be coming over there next week, so I'll see you then.]
"Next week? You?"
Something felt off. Next week, external personnel who would be participating in joint
training with them were coming. Strange. As soon as that thought crossed his mind, a faint shadow fell over Jeong Taeui's voice.
"But you're still working, aren't you? Are you done already?"
[No, I'm going there to do that work.]
"Huh? But your work is..."
Jeong Taeui stopped mid-sentence. His brain, which had been wandering lazily, seemed to slowly solidify.
The answer to this whole situation. The answer that, looking back, made perfect sense as to why things had turned out this way, slowly surfaced.
"...I've just come up with a hypothesis as to the fundamental reason why I'm here at this
moment..."
[Ah, it seems similar to the hypothesis I came up with.]
"Ilay."
A beautiful hand, one that couldn't possibly exist anywhere else in the world, slowly tapped the table, as if signaling him to continue speaking.
"Could it be that your current target is Ronald...?"
[If he also has the surname Hogan, it would be perfect.]
That damn uncle.
Jeong Taeui barely swallowed down the curse that was rising to his throat and pressed his temples harder.
—All you need to do is protect your instructor. Make sure nothing untoward happens to him. That's all. Only that.
Now he understood the meaning of what his uncle had said. The meaning of that deep
laughter, too.
"I'm not doing it!"
Jeong Taeui shouted out impulsively, glaring. Just as if it had been waiting for the right moment, the door clicked open exactly on time.
"What's the matter?"
His uncle walked in leisurely, asking with a serene smile. He then glanced from his nephew, who was glaring at him with cold eyes, to the white hand reflected on the screen in front of him. And this ghostly uncle seemed to deduce the answer to his own question.
"Ah, did Rick contact you? You two seem to have some sort of connection. The man who
never contacts anyone unless necessary reached out to you for the first time in a million years. How's Rick doing?"
With a nonchalant demeanor, his uncle took off his uniform jacket, hung it on a coat rack, and pretended to glance at the screen.
[Ah, of course. But Instructor Jeong Chang-in...? I thought we had already agreed on
Hogan?]
"Yes, we did come to an agreement."
[Then what's this?]
This 'this' that I lay mentioned, Jeong Taeui was glaring at his uncle with a disgruntled face. His uncle unbuttoned his shirt with a few quick taps and said, "Ah."
"We agreed on ousting Hogan, but we didn't see eye to eye on the method. You probably
want to get testimony and expose his actions to the world, but we don't. We want to handle it quietly, discreetly....But if you, Rick, take on the task, you won't care about means or methods. If that man ends up a wreck and the situation leaks out, it wouldn't be good for us."
[Ah...So you're planning to use this guy as a shield?]
'This guy,' who was trying to grasp the flow of the conversation through eavesdropping, was still glaring at his uncle and then frowned.
"Uncle, this is a misselection of personnel. I don't know exactly what's going on, but do you really think I can protect the person this guy is targeting with my abilities?"
"It would be impossible."
His uncle answered with concise and firm conviction, without a moment's hesitation.
Well, yes, it was indeed impossible, but admitting it so easily somehow hurt his pride.
Feeling strangely conflicted, Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue bitterly. His uncle turned a
smiling gaze toward him.
"But within the limited situation of a fortnight inside this base, there might be a glimmer of
hope, don't you think? —Even if it doesn't work out, we have no other options. We have to cling to even the smallest straw."
The man who had transformed from a shield to a straw, Jeong Taeui, sighed and looked up at the ceiling.
Yes, something had felt strange. It was odd for life to flow so smoothly like this.
But this time, it was different. He clearly had a choice.
"I'm not doing it, Uncle."
Jeong Taeui looked directly at his uncle and spoke clearly. His uncle let out a conflicted
sound, then a faint, bitter smile appeared on his face. He seemed to be debating whether to say something or not. Finally, he sighed, as if he had no choice.
"The information Hogan smuggled out-and probably intends to smuggle out again during this joint training period is the molecular formula for a chemical weapon that Jaeui devised. When Jaeui moved from the UNHRDO headquarters to Riyadh, all rights to any research he conducted, aside from what was done at the headquarters, were also transferred there. However, that molecular formula was left behind because it was deemed too dangerous. They
thought it would be too risky to take it to Riyadh, so it was kept here under the condition that it wouldn't be used or publicized."
Jeong Taeui's resolute face, which had been determined not to do it, momentarily wavered.
Seeing this, his uncle gave a bitter smile. It seemed that this wasn't something his uncle wanted to say either.
"No matter what, some information will leak if Hogan is eliminated, but if Rick turns him
into a lump of meat here and the situation blows up, Jaeui's current research institute and our agency could end up embroiled in a legal battle over Jaeui. Of course, the likelihood of that molecular formula being used in a way Jaeui doesn't want would increase dramatically."
"...."
"There are other reasons why our side wants to handle this quietly, but my personal reason is the most significant."
His uncle ended his explanation there, as if leaving the decision to Jeong Taeui.
Jeong Taeui silently stared at his uncle.
Then he glanced at Ilay's white hand, which was quietly listening to the conversation over the phone, and muttered reluctantly.
"Can't we handle this quietly? Just securing the testimony should be enough, right?"
[My client despises Hogan. They want to blow this up as much as possible and make sure he can never recover.]
As if not truly regretful, Rick added in a tone that was far from sincere.
Jeong Taeui looked at the air with a bitter expression.
He thought he had a choice....But it seemed like he didn't. No, he didn't even feel like
making a different choice.
"Ah...I'm really going to hate both of you. Both my brother and my uncle."
Jeong Taeui muttered in resignation, rubbing his face as he was already feeling tired just from thinking about it. His uncle, knowing full well that he would respond that way, patted him on the shoulder as if to comfort him. But since Jeong Taeui knew that this comfort was also sincere, he had no choice but to let go of his resentment by giving his uncle's finger a sharp pinch.
"You might as well hate the person on the other end of the phone."
"...Hate him or not, I'll have to risk my life for the next fifteen days."
"Surely he won't kill you. Isn't that right, Rick?"
Ilay, who had been listening to their conversation until then, snorted.
[Well, Taeui, I respect your decision to choose Jaeui over me with all my heart.]
His voice remained composed. The tone, which always carried a faint hint of a smile, seemed to have just a little more of it today. But Jeong Taeui knew well that his smile wasn't always just a smile.
"Hey, hold on...It's not that I value him more than you, or anything like that—"
Before Jeong Taeui could stammer out an excuse, Ilay interjected with a smirk,
[Nevertheless, I am generous enough to guarantee your life.]
Well, that's something to be thankful for.
Really.
But at the same time, a vague unease crept in-why did he have to be grateful for such a
basic assurance? Jeong Taeui muttered under his breath, his voice barely rising above a whisper, "Come on, if you're going to be generous, go all the way. We're not strangers, after all."
Saying something like this made him realize he might be getting old. They say people grow bolder with age.
A short silence followed, only to be broken by a faint chuckle. Ilay's fingers drummed lightly on the table, betraying his amusement.
[I never expected that from you, but it's not bad. Not bad at all. Alright, Taeui, let's do this: I'll give you a chance to complete your mission.]
Ilay's voice carried a light-hearted tone, but Jeong Taeui raised an eyebrow in confusion.
His mission was to protect someone, while Ilay's was to hunt. The two goals were mutually exclusive.
[Let's add a penalty. I'll only capture him if I catch him in the act of stealing information.]
"What...?"
[You have options: keep an eye on him so he doesn't steal any information, make sure I don't catch him in the act, or if it comes down to it, protect him from me by fighting me off. Your choice.]
Ilay's nonchalant tone made it clear he was suggesting the easy route of abandoning the
mission altogether. Jeong Taeui stared intently at Ilay's hand, suppressing a sigh.
"And if he doesn't steal any information and just returns after the joint training?"
"He will. He already knows there's information here that exists nowhere else. He won't leave without it," Jeong Taeui's uncle, who had been leaning against the desk with his arms crossed, answered in Ilay's stead.
They were probably right. Ronald Hogan would definitely attempt to smuggle information during his stay at the Asian branch, and Ilay would pounce on him when he did. Jeong Taeui had to stop Ilay, by whatever means necessary.
Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue softly.
There was no real choice this time. In fact, he should be grateful for the penalty. At least he wouldn't have to face the maniac Rick in an all-out battle.
"Alright. Got it. Thanks."
"Don't mention it."
Jeong Taeui couldn't help but feel a bitter taste in his mouth. Why did hearing his own words thrown back at him make him feel so uncomfortable?
"That's quite a generous offer. Is there a catch?" Jeong Taeui's uncle commented with a hint of surprise, but Ilay only let out a short laugh.
[A catch? That's amusing. Do you think I'd let your nephew suffer with an ungenerous
boyfriend? Your nephew isn't that unlucky in love.]
It was rare to see his uncle, usually so eloquent, rendered speechless. Yet, despite the lack of reaction on his uncle's face, Jeong Taeui could feel the weight of his stare. He avoided eye contact, not wanting to meet that probing gaze.
[Besides, this is just a little diversion. If Jeong Taeui fails to protect him, it'll be over in a flash]
This wasn't just a favor; it was entertainment for Ilay. He was confident that the outcome was already decided, and the penalty was just to make the game more interesting. For Jeong Taeui, it was a storm cloud on the horizon; for Ilay, just a dash of spice.
...Somehow, that annoyed Jeong Taeui.
Ilay must have sensed his irritation, because another soft chuckle escaped over the phone.
[Taeui, don't take it so seriously. I know you could be a real pain if we met as enemies. So, I'll be giving it my all-to slaughter Hogan right in front of your eyes.]
"No, don't!"
Stop overestimating me! I'm not that capable! So don't go all out, and for heaven's sake, don't bring that kind of brutality into my sight!
The moment Ilay finished speaking, Jeong Taeui snapped back, and Ilay burst into hearty laughter.
[Alright, then. I'll look forward to seeing you next week. It's a shame we won't be on
friendly terms while I'm there, but good luck. Oh, and Instructor Jeong, I've sent the
documents I mentioned. Check your email.]
With that, the call ended.
Was there ever a more ominous "good luck"?
"What documents?" Jeong Taeui asked.
"Just some paperwork to ensure that idiot has the qualifications to participate in the joint training," his uncle replied.
Jeong Taeui decided not to ask further about the documents. He didn't want to delve into the truth behind them-truth and reality rarely aligned.
A wave of fatigue washed over him. The sheer amount of information, combined with its content, felt like it was overloading his brain. What a mess.
The thought of facing Ronald Hogan the man Jeong Taeui would have preferred never to meet, either as an enemy or an ally-made him even wearier. The threat to his life might have been minimal, but this was still a harsh trial.
His brain, overloaded and exhausted, seemed to shut down. His eyes wandered aimlessly until they landed on a sheet of paper on the nightstand. The name Ronald Hogan, somewhere in the middle of the list, stood out starkly to his tired eyes.
"Leaking classified information...Does he have a reason to do that?" Jeong Taeui mumbled, half to himself, imagining an absurd scenario where Hogan might be driven by desperate circumstances a destitute eldest son with a dozen dependents and a sick mother in need of
surgery...
His uncle cut him off, his tone crisp, "Just greed."
"The thought of protecting someone like that doesn't sit well with me," Jeong Taeui muttered, shaking his head slowly. His uncle let out a bitter laugh.
"You're mistaken, Taeui. You're not protecting Hogan. You're protecting Jeong Jaeui."
Jeong Jaeui, blissfully unaware of what was happening thousands of miles away, lived his peaceful life, a life that Jeong Taeui was now tasked with safeguarding.
The thought of it all made Jeong Taeui nod, as if in reluctant acceptance.
Now that things had reached this point, it didn't really matter anymore. In any case, if Jeong Taeui had refused to guard Hogan, and then witnessed Ilay tear him apart, he wouldn't have just stood by. Better to accept it and at least gain the satisfaction of helping his brother. But Jeong Taeui was so very tired. Mentally drained.
"Don't worry too much. All you have to do is keep an eye on him. It's not like he's going to
commit a crime right in front of you, and just make sure Rick doesn't catch him."
"Sounds simple enough, but when has anything involving Ilay ever been easy, Uncle?" Jeong Taeui murmured. A vague thought crossed his mind, a sense that perhaps his long string of bad luck was starting to make more sense now.
But for now, he needed to stop thinking. He was just too tired.
The names on the list, the familiar yet ominous one he had noticed a few lines below Ronald Hogan's he didn't want to think about any of it right now. He had a feeling that if he tried to process any more, his exhaustion would push him past the brink.
I guess my survival instincts are still sharp, Jeong Taeui thought as he trudged out of his
uncle's office and toward his own room—thankfully still empty of Ronald Hogan.
It was going to be a long two weeks.