Just then.Two men, who must have already finished eating and were returning their empty dishes before heading to the water cooler, halted in their tracks. One was Kim Jeong-pil’s companion from earlier; the other must have been Yun Chang-o.“Hey, there’s a wallet on the floor. Someone must’ve dropped it.”I caught snippets of their murmurs. It appeared someone had placed a wallet near the dish-drop and forgotten it.I cast them an indifferent glance—but when they flipped the wallet open, I paused. The worn yet neat leather wallet looked strangely familiar.“Check the ID slot. Anything in that inner pocket?”“Hold on… there’s something… What is it? A photo?”“A photo? Like the owner’s? Let me see.”A few other young men, also returning dishes, came over, curious. One by one they peered at the photo, then fell silent.Watching the wallet in their hands, I blinked several times before calling to my nephew sitting a bit away.“Tae-ui.”Hogan and Tae-ui were talking; he looked up at me. I nodded toward the cluster around the wallet.“Isn’t that yours?”Tae-ui followed my gaze and muttered in surprise, then patted his pockets and back pocket. The idiot nephew had indeed left his wallet behind.Rising to his feet, he called loudly to Yun Chang-o, who held the wallet.“Hey, Chang-o. That’s mine. Hand it over.”At the moment he spoke, all eyes on the wallet snapped to him in unison. Startled, he blinked.“What’s wrong? I said it’s mine.”“—Yours? This wallet?”Kim Jeong-pil snatched it from Chang-o, incredulous, shaking it. Tae-ui frowned.“Yes. It’s mine. Give it back.”“So this photo is of that German…?”“What?”Tae-ui looked utterly baffled. The photo wasn’t visible from where they held it. “Photo…?” he murmured, then nodding, realization dawning.“Oh, right—there was a photo. But how did you know he’s German?”“So this is your boyfriend?!”“Wha—?”Tae-ui’s expression twisted in confusion. In that instant, he caught Ilrey’s gaze fixed on him, and his own eyes flicked guiltily across Ilrey’s face—only he and I noticed.“Wait—however this tangent started, that’s—”Before Tae-ui could finish, Chang-o, not wanting a scene, quickly reclaimed the wallet, slipped the photo back inside, and snapped it shut.“Sorry, I didn’t know whose it was. But carrying your boyfriend’s pic? You’re more domestic than I thought. He’s handsome… hope it goes well with him.”With that, Chang-o tossed the wallet back. Around us came whispers: “So that’s his boyfriend?” “Really?!”Even I was surprised. If you carry someone’s photo in your wallet, they must be very close. A German, intimately involved with Tae-ui—only one person came to mind. My eyes drifted to Ilrey.Ilrey, too, watched the wallet with an odd mixture of surprise and… not displeasure. Beside him, Tae-ui muttered, “He’s not my boyfriend…” and gestured awkwardly for the wallet, glancing at Ilrey with embarrassment.I murmured to myself with a wry smile, “He never seemed the type to tote photos—didn’t even carry family pics…” Ilrey raised an eyebrow and murmured, “I didn’t know either… not bad.” A small smile touched his lips.My nephew and this man—who’d have thought? Truly, you never know the world. I shrugged in complex amusement.At that moment Chang-o called, “Here—catch!” The wallet arced above the heads of those at the table, aimed at Tae-ui—only to be snagged mid-air by another hand.The pale, beautiful hand belonged to the young man seated beside me.“Why aren’t you giving it back?”“I was curious whose photo he carried.”Ilrey’s eyes danced with playful mischief.But Tae-ui’s face hardened instantly, and he strode over.“Hey, don’t touch it! You can’t—!”Despite his shout, Ilrey calmly opened the wallet and extracted the photo before Tae-ui could reach him. Tae-ui’s steps halted in mid-stride. The hand holding the photo froze.From nearby, I heard diners whispering: “Wow, he’s got skills—dating someone like that?” “A beauty like that—gender doesn’t matter.” “I’ve only seen someone that gorgeous on TV…”…I looked at Ilrey in disbelief. He wasn’t unattractive, but not of that breathtaking caliber. Then I realized who the whispers truly described.“Oh.”Recognition struck me. I glanced at Ilrey, silently studying the photo. The faint smile on his lips had vanished.“I told you… he’s not my boyfriend…” my nephew stammered. Pitiful, I couldn’t bear to meet his eyes. His earlier glance had been anxiety, not embarrassment.“Hmm… Is this the only photo? Nothing else?”Ilrey quietly asked. Tae-ui nodded vigorously.“Yes—just this one! I don’t have more!”Ilrey tapped the photo gently with white fingertips.“So you carry his photo and no one else’s?”A slow smile returned to Ilrey’s lips. Tae-ui realized what was wrong with his answer and gasped. Those of us who knew the truth—and a few who’d pieced it together—quietly looked away.Beside me, my nephew’s face was ashen, lips trembling for the right words.“So?”“This means that, in some people’s minds, you’re now known as Tae-ui’s boyfriend.”No, that’s not what matters—Christoph, listening over my shoulder, paused and rubbed his chin shyly. His long lashes fluttered, and I couldn’t help a wry smile.He muttered, “That’s not important, is it?” and looked at me.“So, Tae-ui?”“Ah, nothing major. Ilrey quietly returned the wallet to him with no comment.”“That’s it?”“Yeah. Rick knows it was a misunderstanding. He’s not exactly irrational.”Of course Ilrey isn’t irrational; he wouldn’t believe that [N O V E L I G H T] rumor. But whether the problem was carrying Christoph’s photo—or carrying only Christoph’s photo—he still seemed unsettled.I glanced at the ceiling, pondering. But Ilrey simply handed the wallet back, and my nephew, though fatigue showed, joined training today without issue. It passed as a trivial incident.“So that happened—some corner of the world mistook you for his fiancé.”“A boyfriend? Hmph.”Christoph scoffed, but his lips twitched. I smiled and asked,“Well?”“Nothing to like about it,” he said, feigning seriousness. I laughed.“True—it’s just a funny story to outsiders, but not pleasant for you. I mentioned it to Richard last night—he laughed, saying, ‘That happened?’”I laughed, “Don’t take it too badly.” Then I noticed Christoph’s face darken.“What’s wrong?”“…You told Richard?”“Well, I mentioned it in passing.”Christoph fell silent. I wondered—was it not good news for sworn enemies? But I’d heard they were working on improving their relationship.I cocked my head. After a while, Christoph finally spoke in a low murmur.“…He doesn’t like Tae-ui.”“Oh? I didn’t know that.”“…He didn’t know I gave you that photo—technically didn’t give it, but anyway.”“True.”“…Last time he visited, he told me to hand over a photo. I refused, asking why he needed it.”“Really? Well, fair enough.”I answered calmly as Christoph’s expression grew darker. I barely caught his hushed words.“…Then he tells me he’s coming to Riyadh and gives no reason…”“Hmm?”

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