However, even standing there blankly for a moment, his mind did not clear up.
“Ugh… I don’t know. Surely life can’t fall any lower than this.”
Muttering that there was nowhere left to fall, Jeong Tae-ui stepped out of the study.
Yeah, what else could there possibly be to fall to? Externally, he was a wanted man, Shin Se-yo; internally, he faced daily encounters with his own sense of being a lost human.
But the people he faced were, at home, also lost humans, and here too—just with a slightly different direction—lost humans. Where on earth was his life headed…?
Jeong Tae-ui sighed and moved toward his room. Walking toward the central staircase to reach the guest room deep inside the third floor, he let out a breath.
Anyway, the urgent task was to find Kyle’s book. So, before Ileigh caught him, he had to quickly return home…
Swallowing his endless sighs, Jeong Tae-ui shook his head. It was best to shelve worries that wouldn’t be resolved no matter how much he thought. For now, his assigned tasks were to return to his room, take a shower, then probably eat dinner, and finally return to the study to finish organizing the remaining books.
When he was a few steps away from the central staircase covered in a red carpet, he heard footsteps ascending from the lower floor. Judging from the sound of their conversation, it seemed to be two or three people.
Hearing that, Jeong Tae-ui’s first thought was ‘annoying.’
Although it had been only a few days since coming here, he had already grasped the young people in this house well. They were clearly split into two fighting factions.
Their unity against outsiders was tremendous, but from Jeong Tae-ui’s perspective, they were almost crazed with factional fighting.
And they perceived Jeong Tae-ui, who was suffering under Christophe, as someone on Christophe’s side. Even though Jeong Tae-ui had no interest whatsoever in the fights, he was somehow dragged in against his will.
“As expected, it wasn’t just overturning the table…”
Recently, at dinner, he had overturned a table and drawn their attention all at once. Among the young people hostile to Christophe, he was now branded as the ‘unbearable guy who recklessly overturns tables.’
He grumbled, “I just calmed the fight down, and this is what happens,” but it was already too late.
In reality, Jeong Tae-ui now received unfriendly looks and curses whenever he crossed paths with the people on Richard’s side in the house.
“Well, they probably won’t watch long anyway. It doesn’t hurt to glare, and curses don’t physically get in, but it’s still unpleasant.”
Jeong Tae-ui clicked his tongue as he sensed the approaching footsteps from below.
If the people he met were older adults, it would be fine. Generally, older people only moved between the main building and the east wing, so it was rare to meet them in the west wing, but ironically, those older ones—who had actually incited the fights—smiled kindly, as if encouraging him to do his best.
But once the age group was a little younger, the story changed.
Jeong Tae-ui didn’t like either side, whether they were Richard’s—or Christophe’s—supporters.
First of all, the idea of a gang fight clashed with his personality; even those friendly to Christophe gave him uncomfortable looks with curious eyes while pretending to be close, and the opposite side glared at him with hostility.
The only relief was that, as an outsider, no one directly picked fights with Jeong Tae-ui.
Either way, he didn’t want to meet any of them…
Chewing over the unpleasant feeling flickering in his mind, Jeong Tae-ui slowed his pace. Meanwhile, the voices approaching from downstairs grew louder.
When those voices reached the stair landing between the two floors—
Just as Jeong Tae-ui was about to quickly turn and head back to the study, he froze.
Like a ghost had possessed him, his expression vanished instantly.
Huh…?
The voices coming up from downstairs were low and quiet, so he couldn’t quite make out the conversation, but the voice itself was definitely recognizable.
A voice he could never mistake.
Low and calm, hiding a chilling coldness like ice—that voice was one Jeong Tae-ui knew well.
He tilted his head slightly and blinked once.
Two men appeared, coming up the stairs and turning the landing toward him.
One was speaking to the man standing behind him a few steps ahead.
Jeong Tae-ui recognized the face.
Though they had barely talked, he had seen the man a few times since arriving here.
Richard Tarten.
The man whom he had described as having a pleasant face but was mocked by Ileigh for it. He had also helped Jeong Tae-ui enter the mansion smoothly.
Whether he had just gone out or was just coming back, Richard was dressed neatly in a black suit today as well. Still looking fresh and nothing at all gloomy, he came up with a kind smile on his pleasant face.
Though Ileigh had criticized him harshly as a table-flipping pervert—and Christophe had also expressed some distrust—today, he still had a neat and refined aura. Jeong Tae-ui couldn’t understand how such a gentleman could be called a pervert.
But right now, none of that mattered to Jeong Tae-ui.
Richard seemed slightly surprised to see Jeong Tae-ui standing there as he ascended to the second floor, but that was nothing important.
The man following a few steps behind Richard caught Jeong Tae-ui’s attention.
Tall, slender, broad-shouldered, dressed in a dark navy suit, the man exuded an arrogant air as if he held an important position in a large corporation.
His hair was neatly styled, he wore narrow horn-rimmed glasses, silver cufflinks gleamed on his sleeves, and a silver tie pin sparkled on his straight necktie. He could have looked like a high-class fashion industry professional, but the sharp and eerie atmosphere suggested otherwise.
Putting aside the sharp, blade-like aura, he seemed like a competent young lawyer. He pushed his glasses up habitually and followed behind Richard.
Jeong Tae-ui, staring as if in a daze, met the man’s gaze when he noticed.
Their eyes met.
“…”
He tried to say the man’s name, but no words came out. Jeong Tae-ui suddenly realized how people freeze up and stop thinking and speaking when confronted with completely unexpected situations.
The man’s expression disappeared momentarily as well while talking with Richard.
Though it was more of a languid sneer, he had worn some expression faintly, but now his face was completely blank as he looked at Jeong Tae-ui. As if seeing something that should not exist.
“Uh…”
Still feeling dazed as if dreaming, Jeong Tae-ui opened his mouth. But no words came from his tongue, only his lips moved slightly.
At that moment, Richard, who was standing between the man and Jeong Tae-ui, spoke first.
“You’re the guest who came to see Christophe. Or was it Christina?”
Only then did Jeong Tae-ui turn his gaze to the man who spoke gently with a soft smile and give him a vacant look.
When he heard that warm voice ask again, “Did he treat you well?” Jeong Tae-ui slowly came to his senses.
This man was human after all. While everyone assumed Jeong Tae-ui was on Christophe’s side—including the man himself—he still behaved politely and courteously like this.
No, but the immediate problem wasn’t that.
“…”
What was this?
What was going on?
Why was this man here?
It felt like being possessed by a ghost. And at the same time, a feeling of defeat washed over him, a chill running down his spine.
Then, seeing Richard raise his eyebrows awkwardly at Jeong Tae-ui’s silence, he quickly answered.
Maybe he had seen it wrong. Perhaps he was hallucinating from overwork today. That would be reasonable—there was no way that man would be here. Especially dressed so neatly like a businessman.
Jeong Tae-ui rubbed his temple and pressed his eyelids a few times to relieve the dryness. That might help restore his vision.
“On the way in, I saw he was in the garden.”
“Ah, yes… seems he went for a walk toward the forest.”
Jeong Tae-ui answered absentmindedly, sneaking a glance at Richard. His handsome face and gentle smile were clearly visible. Luckily, fatigue hadn’t messed with his eyes.
Jeong Tae-ui slowly turned his gaze. Beyond Richard’s shoulder, as if pretending not to notice, slowly and as naturally as possible.
And their eyes met again.
The man looking down at Jeong Tae-ui was cold. The slight surprise and expressionless look from before had completely vanished. That indifferent gaze, as if staring at a stone lying by the roadside, sent another chill down Jeong Tae-ui’s spine.
Even if the man wasn’t someone Jeong Tae-ui knew, that icy, emotionless gaze would have reached his toes.
A gaze that did not see a person as a person.
Jeong Tae-ui’s eyes flickered faintly, but he still met that gaze squarely. He felt he must not look away.
Facing the direct gaze, the man narrowed his eyes slightly. Maybe annoyed, maybe intrigued.
Seeing Jeong Tae-ui’s unabashed stare stretching beyond Richard’s shoulder, Richard looked back. Seeing the man behind also watching Jeong Tae-ui, Richard stepped aside with a smile.
“This is the guest who came to see Christophe. We’ve passed each other a few times since briefly meeting at the front gate a few days ago, but haven’t had the chance to talk properly. Ah… so your name is…”
Richard finally asked Jeong Tae-ui’s name.
Jeong Tae-ui stood his ground, glancing at Richard and beginning to speak.
“Ah. Jeong—”
“A guest of Christophe, huh? For that, you’re too ordinary. So ordinary it’s almost strange.”
But just as Jeong Tae-ui was about to say his name, the man behind Richard took a step forward and spoke slowly.
He stepped closer, then closer still, until he was close enough to reach Jeong Tae-ui.
The man slowly raised his hand. The dark blue thin leather glove approached beneath Jeong Tae-ui’s chin. A hand in a glove that Jeong Tae-ui hadn’t seen for a long time.
Just before the hand touched his chin, Richard’s voice stopped him from behind.
“Rick. Stop it. He’s a guest of Christophe.”
“Stop it? Strange words. As if I’m about to harm this one.”
The man sneered.
No, it wasn’t strange at all. If I’d known less about you, I might have been watching that hand closely, waiting for it to strangle my neck.
Then his hand grabbed Jeong Tae-ui’s chin. The cold texture of the leather rubbed against his jaw.
“I didn’t know Christophe was acquainted with someone like this.”
The man spoke, laughing softly.
The meaning was perfectly clear. How you know Christophe.
“I’m just here to get back the books Christophe borrowed from someone I owe a favor to… so there’s no need to glare like that.”
Answering in an ambiguous tone that was neither formal nor informal, Jeong Tae-ui hoped his face didn’t look too pale.
Damn… that look could kill a person. …No, thinking about it, this guy had just been caught coming out to mess around while Christophe was away.