# Chapter 217
“Do you understand what I’m saying now?”
Eunju asked in a tone like she was teaching a child. However, there was no worry or concern on her face. What resided in her mild appearance was pure curiosity.
“Why are you going this far?”
The concise question contained many meanings. Iyeon quietly weighed the naked truth against vague lies. The balance of the scale remained tense for a while before tilting ever so slightly toward the truth.
“I’m not doing this for my uncle.”
Eunju merely blinked at his words. Iyeon continued with emphasis.
“I’m doing this for the people I care about.”
Silence fell. Eunju’s eyes were deep and calm, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking. Unrefined fragments briefly flitted across her irises. Even that was difficult to grasp.
And after a long while, Eunju opened her mouth.
“Well, fine. If that’s what you think, it’s not difficult for me to pass along a message. I was getting annoyed anyway because Taejin keeps trying to test me like he’s bored.”
“…Have you ever talked to my uncle about me?”
Eunju answered indifferently, as if it were nothing.
“When you get to our age, reminiscing is all we do. When I told him you finally discovered my identity, he was absolutely delighted.”
“…”
What a personality… But if Taejin already knew that fact, Iyeon’s request would be more convincing. Inwardly grumbling, Iyeon bowed his head to Eunju. It was a one-sided favor, so he was relieved she agreed. If she had refused, saying she didn’t want to be involved with Taejin anymore, he would have had to use other methods.
“Thank you.”
At the same time, his guard went up around Eunju. She was maintaining enough of a friendship with Taejin to engage in casual chitchat. It meant that while she wouldn’t openly help with what he was planning to do, she would look the other way. He was glad he hadn’t disclosed everything at once.
“Well, good luck.”
Eunju waved her hand dismissively, as if uninterested.
“If you end up dying, I’ll take care of Cheongho.”
After they parted, contact came the very next day. He had expected Taejin’s response to be quick, but surprisingly, Eunju had moved rather swiftly too.
‘Tomorrow night at 11.’
Along with those words, the hospital room number Eunju gave him was the same one Hyegang had discovered. When he arrived at the hospital at the appointed time, somehow not a single member of the superhuman management team that was supposedly monitoring Taejin 24 hours a day was present.
Iyeon walked down the completely empty corridor with no sign of even the medical staff who should have been stationed at the hospital, and stopped in front of the door to confirm the familiar name printed on room 902’s nameplate. Lee Taejin. A short, deep breath slightly expanded his chest.
Click. The door, which appeared neat but gave off an air of luxury, opened.
Taejin was sitting propped up on the bed, looking out the window. The moon was shining brightly in the particularly clear sky today. The man turned his head at the sound of the door and raised the corner of his mouth as soon as he saw Iyeon’s face.
“It’s been a while.”
Iyeon deliberately didn’t enter right away. From here on, it was a game of strategy. Reading the other’s thoughts and making them move in the direction he wanted. To do that, he needed to make the other person believe they already had him figured out.
Fortunately, psychological warfare was one of Iyeon’s specialties.
Iyeon intentionally stiffened his expression. Like his childhood self who would charge forward recklessly even when scared. But with just enough hesitation added to match his current age.
When Iyeon didn’t readily enter the room, instead of urging him, Taejin leisurely leaned back and spoke. His voice was sweet and soft like honey that lures butterflies.
“I see No. 3 didn’t come with you.”
“…Sano was against it.”
“Oh dear. Did you two fight?”
At the gentle inquiry, Iyeon mumbled glumly.
“A little.”
Since Sano’s brief disappearance had actually happened a few days ago, he didn’t need to imagine something sad to empathize. Iyeon calmly told the lie.
“He’s really busy, you know. He probably doesn’t care much.”
Taejin didn’t doubt Iyeon at all. It was a reaction that made one feel oddly uncomfortable.
“No. 3 has always lacked certain basic emotions since childhood. He probably doesn’t understand you. His way of thinking is completely different from yours.”
“You don’t know anything about him, uncle.”
Who’s criticizing whom? Iyeon responded sharply, irritated. Taejin shrugged as if it didn’t bother him at all.
“Well, maybe. But at least it seems you understand what’s important in this situation better than No. 3 does.”
“…”
Iyeon was still standing at the doorway without entering the room, but there was no need to come out and grab him. Instead, Taejin buried his back deeper into the headboard. As if to say, do as you please.
“Don’t overthink it. It’s not like you’re trying to do something bad.”
He’ll walk in on his own. A person’s essential nature doesn’t change. And among them, Iyeon’s nature was all too simple.
Well, it seems he’s tried to use his brain a bit, but it’s futile. I hold the key. Taejin’s eyes gleamed strangely.
“You’re just helping people like you did back then.”
“I didn’t help anyone back then.”
Iyeon’s quiet voice contained a chilling calmness.
“I almost killed someone.”
“Does No. 3 know that fact?”
His white face instantly turned pale. Iyeon barely opened his stiffened lips to warn him.
“Don’t think about doing anything stupid.”
“Would it be okay not to tell him the truth?”
Taejin had reason to be confident. He truly knew Lee Jeongyeon well. Even after so much time had passed, he knew exactly what made him vulnerable, what frightened him.
Iyeon decided to play along.
“If this is all you wanted to talk about, I’m leaving.”
Just as his hardened face, like someone who had accidentally exposed a weakness, was about to turn away, Taejin burst into laughter.
“Haha, that’s right. That’s not what’s important.”
With the smile still lingering on his face, Taejin raised his upper body slightly. Sitting up straight, the man said skillfully:
“You’ve come to make a tremendous contribution to this city.”
A face that truly believed its words were nothing but the absolute truth looked directly at Iyeon.
“One more time.”
Iyeon stared back at him intently. Seeing someone who absolutely never changes was, in some ways, awe-inspiring.
Iyeon took one step forward. Taejin’s smile deepened just a little.
He would think that Iyeon hadn’t changed either. Because people can only judge others through their own way of thinking. What Taejin knew was fourteen-year-old Jeongyeon. Forever.
“What do you want me to do?”
That would be Lee Taejin’s greatest misjudgment.
“It’s simple. You’ve done it before.”
Taejin’s answer was the kind Iyeon had already anticipated.
“Just think of doing that regularly.”
“…Regularly?”
Iyeon, who had approached the bed, deliberately left a pause in his speech. At his innocent tone, Taejin smiled smoothly.
“Didn’t I tell you before? I have no intention of killing my adorable nephew.”
Even if he lived a hundred more years, he would never hear anything more unbelievable. Adorable nephew, seriously… Inwardly cringing, Iyeon didn’t show it outwardly. Instead, he stared at Taejin with a cautious expression before slowly opening his mouth.
“I have a condition.”
When Taejin nodded without answering, Iyeon continued.
“Stop running away.”
“…”
“You’ve already run away once. Don’t do it anymore. Just live as the terrain setting function developer.”
“Do you… do you know what you’re saying?”
Taejin asked as if he couldn’t believe it. The terrain setting function developer was known to have created the terrain setting function with his superpower. For Taejin to live as the developer, he would have to pretend to have materialization abilities.
Iyeon was saying it was okay to pretend.
“Yes.”
Iyeon nodded.
Like when he created the terrain setting function and disappeared, Taejin could vanish at any time once he escaped this situation. He could step back and observe as if it weren’t his business.
That couldn’t happen. If it did, nothing would be different from before. The veil needed to be lifted and a mark branded. So he couldn’t escape anywhere.
Taejin stared intently at Iyeon’s resolute face, as if entranced. The offer was too sweet. So much so that it seemed suspicious. He decided to be cautious for now.
“I’d like some time to think about it.”
Fearing Iyeon might hastily withdraw the offer, he didn’t forget to quickly add:
“I’ll consider it positively.”
Two days later, Heesu officially visited Taejin’s hospital room. He emerged only after a long time had passed.
Three days after that.
Lee Taejin’s discharge date was confirmed.
