Ilrey tapped his phone, half-joking. Taeui tilted his head. He hadn’t taken it seriously—but rather:“…What’s the job?”“It wasn’t meant for me, but I ended up doing it. There’s someone siphoning info behind the employer’s back for kickbacks. I need to coax a proper statement out of him.”“Coax him into testifying…”Ilrey packed a duffel and gloves, ready to leave, and Taeui watched with narrowed eyes before shaking his head.“No, I’ll pass.”He didn’t want to watch that interrogation, even in a dream. Ilrey only smiled and finished gathering his things. Taeui lay back down on the floor where he’d left his newspaper.“When are you coming back this time?”He’d grown accustomed to Ilrey’s sudden departures—it wouldn’t surprise him if Ilrey grabbed his bag and walked out right then.“Catching the red-eye tomorrow… well, I don’t think it’ll take long. I’ll meet with the employer first, but the procedures are a pain. The job itself won’t drag on.”“Ah, /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ this one seems easy. You just need a confession, right?”“By my estimate it shouldn’t be too tough… but, depending on the person, sometimes it is. For someone like you, Taeui.”Ilrey paused mid-sentence. Taeui’s skin prickled—“someone like you” didn’t bode well. When Ilrey muttered, “Maybe I should pack an extra pair of gloves,” Taeui knew it wasn’t good.“What do you mean, ‘someone like me’?”“Someone like you wouldn’t do that in the first place. But if you somehow ended up in that situation, you’d spill everything before you got hurt.”Ilrey glanced sidelong and gave a teasing smile. He knew Taeui all too well—Taeui would rather throw away his pride than his life.“But if, for some special reason, you decided not to confess…”“…?”“It’d get interesting. It’d take longer. One pair of gloves won’t cut it.”“No, no. You’re misunderstanding me. I’m always safety-first. If you really knew what I’m like, I’d never stay silent.”Taeui cut him off quickly—though that rang hollow, recalling past incidents.Ilrey, packing supplies into his bag, stopped at those words and turned.“Ah. If you really knew what I’m like…? I’m curious. What kind of person am I?”Ugh. He’d stepped on something. Taeui bit his tongue.“Keep packing. No time if you’re flying out at dawn.”“It’s all packed.”Ilrey tossed his passport in and snapped the zipper shut.“What about clothes, toothbrush, towel—”“Buy them there. Besides, we won’t see each other for days. We should talk tonight.”He rose and sat beside Taeui, who stayed slouched on the floor clutching his beer. Ilrey pressed close, pinning Taeui between himself and the bed. Taeui mumbled without moving the can.No, I definitely don’t know what you’re really like. If I did, you wouldn’t have said all that nonsense…Ilrey’s hand snatched the can from his lips. Taeui glared and swallowed hard. Ilrey drained the last sips and faced him.“So—what kind of person am I?”Taeui sighed. The topic wouldn’t end easily.“Capricious—no, unpredictable. Reckless.”He stressed the last word. Without good or bad intent, Ilrey Regrow was exactly that: impossible to foresee. They’d spent long days together—Kyle once dubbed him “Ilrey Professional.” Taeui probably knew him better than most. Yet ilrey still had unknowable depths. Why he clung to Taeui, when that obsession would end—one second before or after death—no one could tell.…He might devour me alive if he could…Taeui met Ilrey’s steady gaze, doubting that anyone had taboos. Ilrey’s slender eyes flickered with discontent. Damn, if he’s in a bad mood, I’ll pay for it.“Tell me then. What kind of person am I?”Taeui rubbed his thumb across Ilrey’s eyelid to blur his stare. Fortunately, Ilrey didn’t press the issue.“I’d return the question.”“So I’m capricious?”“The rest of it.”Ilrey muttered to himself—“You really are an unfathomable bastard”—and pulled his hand free, easing away.“But one thing’s clear.”His breath drew near. Taeui, thinking “Too close,” fell silent. The room held its breath.“You taste like beer.”“…When did you have a barbecue behind my back?”Taeui licked his lips, shining wet from the gap between them. Ilrey laughed softly, breath brushing his lips.“You’re wrong. It was barbecue–flavored jerky. Check again.”No time to scold him for eating his snack. Whatever Taeui or Ilrey thought, they’d glimpsed each other’s true selves. And whether it was jerky or chips didn’t matter, because—“Either way, shower me and I’ll still reek of barbecue.”“Barbecue? Was dinner barbecue tonight?”Kyle’s voice. Taeui barely realized he’d spoken aloud when Kyle said, “That must’ve been good,” licking his lips. Taeui shook his head.“No, um… I just suddenly thought of barbecue.”“Really? Then let’s grill tomorrow night. Invite friends, have a garden party.”Kyle seized the suggestion, rattling off names with a grin. Taeui, who’d dreaded the smell, watched in silent blame, thinking Only Ilrey could do this to me.At that moment, Rita appeared.“There you are.”Her stern face unchanged, she stood at attention.“Rita, perfect timing. Tomorrow evening—let’s invite a few guests and barbecue in the yard.”“Tomorrow? I’ll ask Peter if we have enough charcoal. Also, Mr. Taeui, there’s a phone call.”Rita nodded to Kyle, then turned to Taeui. He pointed to himself and blinked until she confirmed, “Yes, you.”The caller was the brother Taeui had long forgotten, and the topic more forgotten still.“Taeui, Aunt Dango collapsed.”Only then did Taeui remember the aunt he hadn’t thought of in years—one of the few relatives still in touch, the one who looked after their empty family home in Korea. She was nearing eighty, so he’d only offered a brief “Oh dear” when he heard it. He felt no rush of grief, especially after learning she’d recovered.What stunned him was Jaeui’s next words:“She’s planning to move to the countryside. I think we should clear out our house there.”That meant they wouldn’t be returning to Korea any time soon. Taeui knew realistically he or Jaeui wouldn’t go back for a while—but hearing it choked him.“R—right… that’s fine… But hyung, when this contract ends, you won’t go back to Korea? Even not immediately…”“Hm… probably not. Unless something happens, I’ll stay here.”Hearing that uncharacteristic hesitation, Taeui felt his chest drop.No, there was a reason.“Uh… how’s your employer? Getting along?”“Raman? Yes, fine. He’s here now. Why—anything you need?”Even saying his name made Taeui uneasy. Through the receiver he heard Jaeui speak softly in an unfamiliar tongue—and a faint, familiar reply beyond it.

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