93
I’ll Be Careful
While Father was talking with Oliver, I heard an unexpected story from an unexpected person.
“You met him too?”
Stefan nodded as he smoked a cigarette on the balcony.
“Yeah. Mask, voice modulator. And he told me ‘there’s a story that could be beneficial for both of us.’ I should have listened more carefully, if I had known it would turn out like this.”
I clicked my tongue at Stefan’s words.
Stefan met a man who introduced himself as “an asset holder with billions of Lead in wealth.” He said he needed a skilled accountant and talked about his business.
“I thought it was a bit strange even then. There were no specific details. Like company name, or what exactly the business was. He didn’t reveal anything. At the time, I just thought he was a secretive person.”
The man, who said he was looking for an accounting firm to handle auditing, taxation, and consulting comprehensively, emphasized his personal assets worth billions and his company worth hundreds of billions. But Stefan was a go-his-own-way type who didn’t care about such things, and he asked directly.
“‘Why do you need a mask for this kind of meeting? Does your work involve illegal areas?’ When I asked that, he was quiet for a moment and then said there was a story that could be beneficial for both of us and asked if I wanted to hear it. So I refused. As you know, what kind of person wears a mask to tell a ‘mutually beneficial story’? It’s probably only beneficial to him.”
Stefan puffed on his cigarette and then stubbed it out in the ashtray, saying there would be no need for a mask otherwise.
“So I said I’d have to decline, and he stood up without another word. I thought, ‘He’s a jerk, but at least he’s not clingy,’ but then it seems he went to Oliver.”
It would have been better if he had been clingy.
Stefan’s mumbling was heavy. He seemed to be blaming himself, thinking he should have dealt with the man. His eyes wavered a lot, as if he thought that by quickly dismissing and forgetting the strange man whose identity he didn’t know, he had caused the unstable Oliver to get involved in a terrible situation.
Of course, both Stefan and I know that’s not true. Oliver was originally unstable. But we didn’t see it properly. Because there were too many people in the orphanage. We were all orphanage children who had to pave our own way. And in such an environment, where is there a child who isn’t somewhat unstable, rough, and moody? So we thought Oliver was just like that too.
This guilt was all the more powerful because it was illogical.
“It’s fortunate, you know. I have a talent for dodging bullets.”
“Are you really a Security Bureau employee?”
Stefan didn’t bother to ask indirectly.
Ah, there are no secrets in this family. As soon as you tell one person, it spreads like wildfire. Still, the good thing is that it always stays within us. It has to be that way because we were the priest’s children. No, to be precise, we were the priest’s huge tumors. Our existence was a threat to the one we loved most and owed the most gratitude to. We always caused trouble, but we tried to be careful, and when problems arose between us, we discussed them together and tried not to let them be known outside. For us, siblings were just another word for accomplices.
“Yes.”
“What level of position? Enough that I could contact you when I’m in trouble?”
“Try it and see. If it doesn’t work, there’s nothing we can do. But I might not be able to answer. If I’m on a long-term business trip, I won’t be reachable.”
“Didn’t you say until now that you worked for some security company?”
“I’m securing the country, aren’t I?”
As Stefan’s face contorted, I saw Father on the other side of the balcony glass door. Father, coming out of Oliver’s room, had the same face as usual. It seemed the conversation went well.
“For now, he’s agreed not to go to Urnan, and I suggested he come with us to Irika, but he doesn’t want that either. I think he’s a bit uncomfortable joining the missionary work. So, I was wondering if you could look after him?”
Father asked while continuously doing something on his mobile phone. It was strange that he couldn’t take his eyes off his phone even while saying this. Since he’s not usually like this, it probably means something urgent has come up that’s occupying all his attention. And I think I know what it is.
“Yes, I’ll…”
I can’t say I’ll keep an eye on him, can I?
“I’ll take good care of him. Sebastian will also pay attention, so don’t worry, Father.”
At my words, Father’s fingers stopped abruptly. He sighed and looked up at me.
“Listen carefully.”
Ah, not a good sign. This is usually how he starts when he’s about to scold me. Stefan, who was next to me, started to slink away as soon as he heard “Listen carefully.”
“Uh, I need to contact my company. Excuse me for a moment!”
That bastard, he’s not even trying to act convincingly.
I was glaring at Stefan’s back, resenting his lack of acting talent and loyalty, when I heard “Armin” and had to turn my gaze back to Father.
“That person, I mean Mr. Sebastian Riegel, isn’t interested in any human being other than you. You need to keep that in mind.”
That’s not true. Come on, Father, if you knew how well Sebastian takes care of people around him, you’d be surprised.
– I have enough sense to swallow those words. But I don’t have the acting talent that Stefan lacks. I could see a look of exasperation in Father’s eyes.
Father asked me in a tone that seemed to be making a big compromise:
“Just… can you keep in mind for my sake? That your fiancé, while pretending to take good care of those around him, might actually not be interested in anyone but you?”
“Yes…”
What else could I say? I could only nod. Then Father took me to his room and sat me down in a chair next to the balcony. He sat across from me and held my hands firmly on the table.
“Promise me. That you’ll always consider the possibility that your fiancé might not care at all whether Oliver lives or dies, that even if he seems like the kindest person in the world to you, you’ll always think about this possibility because I’m worried.”
“Sebastian isn’t that kind of person, Father.”
I couldn’t hold back anymore. I saw Father’s eyebrows rise, but how could I keep my mouth shut? Even if I wasn’t his fiancé but just a friend, or even just an employee, if you have loyalty, you shouldn’t do that.
“Well, I know he has some annoying parts and says some mean things, but he’s a good person. He’s someone who tries to implement justice while shouldering the burdens of others. And even though he’s the employer, he thinks it’s okay for him to be a little inconvenienced for the convenience of many people. Father, there aren’t many people like that. Sebastian saved me, rescued me, without any compensation-”
“No compensation! That bastard…!”
Father burst out in anger but then let out a long sigh. For a while, he muttered, “I shouldn’t be like this. Right, it’s over. The wheel has turned. Then I shouldn’t do this. It’ll backfire. Richard, remember. You’re a clergyman.”
Father has aged a lot. He’s talking to himself in front of someone.
After closing his eyes and focusing on his internal dialogue for a while, Father suddenly opened his eyes.
“Just promise. That you won’t blindly entrust my son Oliver to Sebastian Riegel. That because I’m worried, you’ll definitely set up another safeguard.”
His tone was so firm that I had no choice but to nod. I’m Father’s only legal son, but to him, all of us are his beloved and precious children. Especially Oliver, who could be called a particularly painful finger because he didn’t show any reaction for a while even after coming to Romberg, making Father worry.
When I nodded, Father seemed to decide to believe me and said after letting out a big sigh:
“Oliver told me. The person who tempted Oliver had come to meet me before.”
“Yes, Father. I was actually going to ask you about that. But the diary is in Romberg, so if it’s okay for me to see it…”
“No need for that.”
Father showed me his phone screen. There was a photo of a note written in Father’s handwriting.
“Jochen scanned everything for me. We can see it here too.”
Jochen, our youngest. As expected, the young ones are smart!
I waited in admiration. No, I was going to wait. But Father’s diary entries were too voluminous. It was impossible to read through all the entries, with about ten pages per day, in one day. In the end, Father said he would contact me as soon as he found out, and I had to get up.
Still, it’s fortunate that there was definitely some gain. We’ll get a rough idea of who gave Oliver the gun. Even if it’s a year’s worth of diary entries, Father will probably read through it all in 2-3 days.
It was time for another farewell for now. As I hugged Father and said goodbye, he said:
“I have a bad feeling. I don’t know why that person came to see me, why he targeted you, why he used Oliver, but I know one thing. You’re becoming a threat to that person. He’s determined to eliminate you. Killing you would be best for him, but if not that, he’s trying to continuously inflict damage on you. So be careful.”
This time, I nodded sincerely. I was about to say “Don’t worry,” but I just smiled instead. Father always worries about me and my siblings and prays for us. It’s impossible for him not to worry. Because he is my father.
“I’ll be careful.”
I was glad I thought of a more appropriate phrase instead of telling him not to worry. Then Father hugged me tightly once more.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
