Christoph slightly frowned upon seeing the child. Then he shook his head in annoyance.
"I don't know about that."
"Oh, people say there will be a meteor shower tonight...…. But it's too cloudy...."
Oliver was happily talking when he suddenly looked up at the cloudy sky with a disappointed
face. With the sky full of clouds, it was hard to see the stars hidden behind the distant clouds.
Christoph looked down at the child with an unpleasant expression, then directed his gaze to
the sky. His eyes wandered vaguely across the night sky.
".... Ah, right..."
Jeong Taeui unconsciously mumbled.
Christoph's eyes immediately turned towards him, and Oliver did the same. Jeong Taeui
quickly waved his hand to indicate it was nothing.
He suddenly realized.
It seemed that, somehow, Christoph liked this child.
.... However, seeing Christoph's cold expression now, he thought maybe he was wrong.
Jeong Taeui scratched his head. Up until now, he hadn't noticed the gaze fixed on him. He
turned his head.
Ilay was standing there, a little distance away, quietly staring at him. Jeong Taeui couldn't tell
if it was because of his mood, but that gaze felt sharp and prickly.
He suddenly remembered a question he had. Or perhaps it was more of a curiosity or
surprise.
".... Why did you bring that child along?"
When Jeong Taeui asked suspiciously, Ilay slightly raised an eyebrow. Then he responded as
if Jeong Taeui's question was a strange one.
"Richard asked me to. He planned to watch the meteor shower with his son tonight but had
something to take care of at the main building. He asked me to accompany his son until he
returned."
Jeong Taeui fell silent after hearing Ilay's explanation and looked past Ilay towards where he
had come from. There was a simple tower connecting the main building to the West Wing.
The tower was quite high and open, likely an ideal spot to view the sky. But...Leaving his beloved son with this man showed that Richard had far more courage than Jeong
Taeui had thought.
What surprised Jeong Taeui even more was that Ilay could let a child sit on his shoulders.
"You seem to have an unexpectedly tender side, Ilay. You even treat children kindly."
Jeong Taeui glanced at Ilay and said. Ilay stared at him silently for a moment. That thoughtful
look in his eyes was cold. So cold that even Jeong Taeui, who was used to those eyes, felt a
sudden chill.
Finally, Ilay spoke.
"If you value your small life, never call me by that name again, Kim Young Soo."
"... ― Oh, of course, I'll remember that, Riegrow."
Jeong Taeui quietly replied. After observing him for a while longer, Ilay turned to Oliver,
who was standing a short distance away, and suddenly spoke.
"Is it strange that I treat children kindly?"
Ilay said with a slight smile. Jeong Taeui looked at him, puzzled by his expression. But he
quickly returned to his usual demeanor.
Although his personality couldn't be described as normal, Jeong Taeui thought he had a good
understanding of himself, but maybe not?
".... Have you ever done this before?"
"No, this is the first time."
"I thought so."
Jeong Taeui didn't know which way the wind was blowing, but from the beginning, the man
named Ilay Riegrow and the seven words 'kind to children' had no relation to each other. It
was an illusion that couldn't exist in Jeong Taeui's mind.
Even now, the way Ilay looked at Oliver showed no concern or warmth. It seemed he viewed
it simply as a task he had to perform.
As expected, Richard must have had an exceptionally large amount of courage. Thinking
about it, Jeong Taeui couldn't help but admire Richard's decision to leave his son with this
man, even for a short time.
"I don't know what happened that made you put a child on your shoulders, but it doesn't look
too bad."
Although the image didn't suit Ilay at all, that was because Jeong Taeui knew Ilay too well.
To a stranger, Ilay might appear to be just a handsome young father with his child.Upon hearing this, Ilay chuckled. He slowly approached Jeong Taeui. In the unreadable
expression in his sharp eyes, Jeong Taeui instinctively shrank back.
Ilay continued to approach, seeming to slow down a bit when he was right in front of Jeong
Taeui, but then he passed by him and headed towards Christoph. Christoph was speaking
coldly to Oliver in the distance, and as Ilay walked past Jeong Taeui, he whispered something
close to his ear.
"If you want, I can fill your body. Every day. Until the baby comes."
"... ―."
Jeong Taeui flinched and subtly moved back. Ilay glanced at him, then smiled before walking
slowly past Jeong Taeui towards Christoph.
"I fit the role of a father quite well, don't I?"
When Ilay reached Christoph and Oliver, Christoph responded with a sneer, snorted, and
turned his head away. Oliver also smiled but said nothing more.
No matter how much he thought about it, Jeong Taeui couldn't find an answer. No matter
how much time he spent pondering, he couldn't understand what was happening.
Jeong Taeui, for a moment, rubbed his goosebump-covered arms and stared at Ilay's back. He
sat alone on the bench, trying to forget what he had heard.
Then Oliver suddenly said, "Dad!" and started running towards the main building.
Richard was coming down the stairs in front of the main building, far enough that Jeong
Taeui couldn't see his face clearly. As Oliver ran towards him, Richard seemed to notice,
smiled, and opened his arms wide.
Jeong Taeui watched from a distance, with Ilay's voice ringing in his ears, not sure who he
was speaking to.
"Be careful with your words."
Jeong Taeui turned his head.
Ilay was looking at the father and son from afar with a detached expression and his usual
faint smile.
Jeong Taeui squinted at him and said.
"Can you hear sounds all the way from that tower?"
"I can see clearly who's sitting here from there, and the sounds of conversation... ... When I
got closer, I could hear."
Jeong Taeui recalled the question he had pondered for a long time earlier and had forgotten.Come to think of it, what had he said to Christoph before Ilay arrived?
Looking at Richard and Oliver approaching, Ilay said in a low voice.
"Chris. Someone who doesn't even desire what they should, shouldn't hope for what they
shouldn't, right?"
"Me?"
Christoph frowned and stared at Ilay as if hearing something unpleasant.
"If you don't even know what you want, don't have useless ambitions."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
The cold and quiet conversation continued.
Meanwhile, Richard and Oliver were approaching. Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue at the
tense atmosphere among the men and muttered, "What's happening now?"
Ilay looked at Oliver with a calm smile on his cold face. It seemed Christoph's words had
irritated him, and his eyes grew colder.
"Why is the atmosphere getting worse?"
Jeong Taeui had quietly intervened, but no one responded.
Ilay slowly shifted his gaze to Christoph and stared at his emotionless sculpted face.
Suddenly, his lips moved, producing a deep, dangerous sound.
"You've never complained about that pain to anyone."
"... ... ."
"Of course, you can go anywhere and cling to anyone to cry. It doesn't matter who, Chris, but
it can't be this person. Find someone else. But who would be willing to accept someone like
you?"
The last words were so soft that the person facing him could hardly hear them.
Jeong Taeui's expression froze.
Those words weren't aimed at him. Ilay was clearly talking to Christoph. But they sounded
especially terrifying. All expressions disappeared from Christoph's face.
He stood there silently, blinking, not moving like a living doll. No matter what Ilay said, it
seemed he couldn't hear and didn't look at or answer him. Christoph just stood there,
indifferent and bored.
His face was pale. His bloodless face blended into the darkness.Next to him, Ilay looked down at Christoph. Then, in an instant, his lips curled. His icy eyes
also formed a thin line.
"Hey-...,... Riegrow."
Jeong Taeui stared at him and spoke stiffly.
He couldn't pinpoint it. But clearly, Ilay had delved into the deepest part of Christoph's
darkness, and he knew it well. From the beginning, he had intended to say those words.
Hearing Jeong Taeui's voice, Ilay turned his cold gaze towards him.
Before Jeong Taeui could say anything more, Ilay spoke first.
"Haven't I made it clear that I won't tolerate troublesome people? For those who don't know
their place and meddle in others' affairs, I have no mercy. You'd better remember that well,
Kim."
Jeong Taeui fell silent.
The glassy eyes staring straight at Jeong Taeui belonged not to Ilay but to Riegrow.
Just as Jeong Taeui was Kim Young Soo, not Jeong Taeui.
"If you dare to go out, you'll be dead."
Perhaps anyone else would have been dead long ago.
So, what about him?
Thinking about this, Jeong Taeui held his cold heart and forced a smile.
Get a grip. Now you are Kim Young Soo. You must take full responsibility for all your
actions and not expect any generosity or tolerance from others.
Jeong Taeui looked at Christoph.
He still stood there indifferently, as if nothing had happened. Without looking at Jeong Taeui
or anyone else, he only stared into the endless void ahead. Only his complexion was slightly
paler.
The atmosphere between the three men was tense, silent, and uncomfortable.
The one who broke the silence was Oliver, who had come quite close and was running
towards them. Richard smiled warmly, watching his son run after him.
At that moment.
".... Ah. A meteor...."Suddenly, Oliver widened his eyes and looked up at the sky. He raised his chin, following a
fleeting trace that disappeared behind the sparse clouds in the night sky.
"Dad, did you see it? Just now!"
Oliver looked back with wide eyes and excitement on his face. His bright eyes gazed up at
the enchanting sky towards Richard, who was standing a short distance behind him.
Richard smiled and nodded.
"There will be more meteors falling soon. It would be better if the sky were clearer and less
cloudy... ... ."
Richard looked up at the sky with a bit of concern, then looked at his son. The next moment,
the smile on his face disappeared.
Oliver was running and looking up at the sky, heading towards Christoph, who stood there as
if frozen.
"Oh... Ah!"
Oliver ran on without noticing Christoph standing right in front of him. The child bumped
into Christoph and lost his balance, staggering for a moment before instinctively grabbing
Christoph's waist to avoid falling.
"Ah…,... sorry...."
Oliver looked up with an apologetic face and stared at Christoph.
At that moment.
Christoph stood there like a statue, not moving a finger. But his facial expression changed
instantly. His pale, dull eyes widened as if shocked. His already pale face turned even whiter.
The corners of his mouth twitched.
And, without realizing it, or even knowing what was happening, Christoph pushed Oliver
away as if not knowing what it was.
His body trembled as if a large, terrifying bug had clung to him. He harshly struck the small
body hugging his waist.
".... !!"
All of this happened in the blink of an eye.
No one could stop it, no one had time to shout. Christoph's violent hand struck the child's
body mercilessly.
Oliver, unable to maintain his balance while clinging to Christoph's waist, was thrown
several meters away with a loud scream and wide eyes.A heavy sound echoed from the back of Oliver's head as he fell. Though not loud, it was the
kind of sound that sent chills down one's spine.
"OLIVER!"
Richard's scream shattered the brief silence.
Christoph seemed to come to his senses just as he pushed Oliver away. He blinked, looking
momentarily confused, seeing Oliver lying a few meters away. Christoph stared blankly at the
spot with a blank expression.
Jeong Taeui instinctively stood up and ran towards Oliver.
They were standing near the path in front of Seoik, next to a well-maintained yard.
Surrounding the area were small stone pillars, knee-high, lining the path.
Oliver had fallen next to one of the stone pillars and was unconscious. Blood had stained the
top of the round pillar.