"I’m not keen on another kidnapping incident happening," Jung Tae-ui clicked his tongue, but his uncle shook his head reassuringly.
"We guarantee airtight security and ironclad protection. If there’s anyone capable of harming him while bodyguards and security vehicles swarm him everywhere except his bed and bathroom, I truly respect them. …Though, even without guards, I doubt Jae-ui could be harmed."
"Even if all those guards suddenly turned and shot him, wouldn’t he survive unharmed?"
Kyle nodded beside his uncle, as if agreeing.
Anyway, that was good.
Finally, he could meet his brother.
Wondering if this was how separated families felt at reunions, Jung Tae-ui thought with a cool detachment that might anger actual separated families. Then he roughly estimated the distance: about five hours by ICE train to Frankfurt.
"Must be nice, Tae. Meeting someone dear after so long."
Kyle patted Jung Tae-ui’s shoulder happily as if it were his own joy. Jung Tae-ui smiled shyly, and nearby, his uncle who had been quietly watching their friendly exchange suddenly spoke as if recalling something.
"Oh, right. Speaking of which, you’re no stranger to this yourself."
Kyle raised an eyebrow curiously, sipping tea.
"There was hot news just before leaving the Berlin branch this afternoon —Christine has returned."
His uncle spoke casually, grabbing an apple from the basket on the table and biting into it without wiping it, the crisp sound unusually refreshing. Jung Tae-ui reached for the basket too.
Then a somewhat rough, unnatural clatter sounded.
Turning his gaze toward the noise, Jung Tae-ui saw Kyle staring fixedly at his uncle, almost unaware that he had set down his teacup, spilling tea onto his hand.
Kyle’s wide-eyed, strange expression looked like someone who’d just overheard something unbearable.
"Christine…"
Kyle’s face instantly turned ashen, and Jung Tae-ui watched in fascination. He wondered when last he’d seen Kyle so flustered.
"Must be nice, meeting someone dear after so long."
Echoing Kyle’s words, his uncle smiled slyly. That smile even looked wicked to Jung Tae-ui, who didn’t know what was going on.
Jung Tae-ui reached again for an apple, wiping it on his clothes, and glanced cautiously at his uncle.
"Who is she?"
His uncle smiled contentedly at Kyle’s reaction and answered,
"Christine — Christina."
The name was unfamiliar. Careful reflection brought no recognition. But Kyle’s unusual reaction...
Could she be someone personally connected — like an ex-girlfriend from ten years ago, or a secretly kept daughter? Jung Tae-ui hesitated whether to ask more, quietly rubbing the shiny apple.
The topic might shift or change soon, so he planned to stay silent, but the silence lingered longer than expected. Forced by curiosity, he glanced at Kyle and asked,
"Did you do something wrong to her?"
Though blunt, the question seemed unheard; Kyle just stared down at his hands with a pale face.
"Not wrong, exactly — think of it like Riegrow. Strictly speaking, Kyle didn’t commit a crime that made Rick be born as Kyle’s younger brother. It’s just a congenital curse that happened by chance."
His uncle was now chuckling lightly, eyes twinkling happily. At times like these, Jung Tae-ui was glad he wasn’t his uncle’s equal friend. Being the junior saved him from handling that mischief; if they were equals, how could he manage that temper?
"...A hidden reckless younger brother?"
"More like a childhood friend, if you want to be precise. Though there’s quite an age gap."
"Oh, so they don’t get along?"
Thinking, Jung Tae-ui compared silently: “Definitely not friends, but if forced, he’s like Lieutenant Kim to me. Hate him to death, but circumstances forced constant contact, a bitter fate.” He rubbed the shiny apple on his sleeve, smoothing its surface.
"Let’s be clear... he’s not my childhood friend..."
But Kyle, displeased with that, corrected with fierce eyes despite his pale face.
"To be exact, he’s Illey’s childhood friend."
At that moment, the apple in Jung Tae-ui’s hand slipped and dropped.
Though even “childhood friend” seemed an ill fit, saying Illey’s childhood friend not only mismatched but made the term confusing.
"Illey has... childhood friends?"
"He’s one of those kids who hung out together whenever family gatherings happened since childhood... Ah, right, Chris — that guy even worked with Illey once, back when T&R had a mobile squad..."
That was quite a rare sight.
Kyle’s voice was low and calm, though his pale face nervously twisted his interlaced fingers. He stammered briefly when saying that name.
Watching Kyle, Jung Tae-ui felt a chill in a corner of his mind.
Illey’s childhood friend was scary enough, but what followed was worse. T&R’s mobile squad was infamous as a den of lunatics. Double impact.
Just hearing it gave Jung Tae-ui a headache, and he understood why Kyle’s face turned pale just hearing the name.
Wait, but...
"Christina... But when Illey staged the Riyadh terror, I don’t think that name was on the terrorist list."
"At that time, Christine was shooting it out with Hezbollah in Lebanon."
"......"
She was an incredible woman.
He wasn’t expecting her to be Greta Garbo’s Queen Christina, but he hoped a woman with that name existed beautifully.
"Just so you know, despite that temper, she’s even prettier than Greta Garbo in her prime playing Queen Christina."
His uncle, who had once watched a classic movie with Jung Tae-ui and Jung Jae-ui years ago, interrupted as if reading his mind.
"Unexpected, isn’t it?"
"I’ve never seen anyone with such a huge gap between appearance and personality except Christine."
Thinking that was a kind of horror, Jung Tae-ui rubbed his goosebumps-covered arm. Then he slowly picked up the apple again.
Biting into it, Jung Tae-ui glanced sideways at Kyle, who still stared at his fingers, pale as ever.
It was curious.
Just hearing that, she must be amazing, but the brother of Illey Riegrow going that pale...
Jung Tae-ui chewed the apple thoughtfully, then quietly asked his uncle,
"She can’t be more hopeless than Illey, right...?"
"Hahaha, knowing two such people as friends is a recipe for a ruined life."
His uncle laughed, shaking his head. Jung Tae-ui, who sometimes felt life was ruined just knowing one, agreed gloomily.
"Christine wasn’t very healthy as a child. Mostly shut up in the house’s study. And Kyle got a lot of help from her. She’s extremely skilled with languages and unmatched at code-breaking. Probably better than Jae-ui in that field. Different kinds of geniuses."
Jung Tae-ui, nodding at the idea that better than his brother meant something great, glanced at Kyle again.
For someone who’d helped him so much, Kyle’s reaction was somewhat...
To end the curiosity, his uncle added,
"Christine likes old books too. Her tastes overlap with Kyle’s perfectly."
At those words, Kyle’s shoulder twitched slightly. Ah-ha.
It felt like a puzzle piece snapped into place.
Jung Tae-ui heard Kyle muttering nearby,
"Why... what books is she trying to take this time...? No, James, James! Call the bank and clear the safe... No, those books won’t all fit."
Beforehand, Jung Tae-ui had thought James would gladly pack the books if he heard the news, but didn’t say so.
"Why not just refuse to give them?"
Jung Tae-ui asked, a little dumbfounded. His uncle offered an answer again.
"Because she’s Riegrow’s friend and former colleague."
"......"
Only then did Jung Tae-ui realize exactly what kind of situation Kyle was in.
Apparently, he had once picked the wrong people to rely on. Poor Kyle.
Having finished the apple, his uncle placed the core in the empty teacup — the image of Rita’s frowning face flashed — and stretched with satisfaction.
"Ah, I should wash up before dinner. Eat leisurely and rest. I have to leave early tomorrow. Kyle, the guest room I used before is fine, right?"
Patting his friend’s nearly drained shoulder, his uncle smiled brightly. Jung Tae-ui had nothing to say and just nibbled on his apple.
Still, to help the kind landlord who had let him stay for years without trouble, he gently teased his uncle.
"You seem too happy, Uncle."
His uncle raised an eyebrow and shrugged.
"Not at all. I’m just a helpful neighbor who delivers the latest info faster than anyone so friends can avoid trouble in advance."
"You don’t sound unhappy about that at all."
Muttering "Right, right," Kyle shot a sharp glance at his uncle. His resentment had just shifted direction.
"Aha... It’s sad you don’t appreciate the meaning behind my warning to always be prepared."
His uncle clicked his tongue, pretending to be hurt, even furrowing his brows.
But as Kyle’s blame flew off target toward his uncle, a reproachful look flew at Jung Tae-ui instead.
For a moment, Jung Tae-ui regretted it but blinked and looked at his uncle as if nothing happened. His uncle thought for a moment, then smiled casually.
"I’m sorry if my attitude caused misunderstanding. But Kyle, make sure to protect those precious books. Once Christine gets her hands on them, they’re gone for good. …Now then, I’ll wash up and go try Rita’s cooking."
His uncle stood up promptly and headed toward the bedroom—guest room.
Jung Tae-ui, steeling himself briefly for any last words, sighed quietly as he watched his uncle walk away as if nothing had happened.
"Lately, living peacefully has made me a bit timid," he thought, patting his chest.
"Oh, right. Tae."
Just then, his uncle stopped walking lightly toward the bedroom and turned back.
Jung Tae-ui stopped stroking his chest, raising his eyebrows in curiosity.
His uncle smiled with a slight eye-smile. Seeing that smile darkened Jung Tae-ui’s heart. It felt like something ominous was hidden behind it.
"Your German has become quite fluent."
"…? Well, since I live here now, I had no choice but to get used to it, whether I liked it or not."
"Learning a language is a very useful thing. Rick seems to be learning Korean, too. It’ll be convenient to teach each other."