Maurer
His face was too hot.
Jeong Tae-ui shifted and rolled onto his side. The soft beach chair comfortably hugged his skin. Keeping his eyes closed, he groped around beside him for a towel, then draped it over his face. With the sunlight blocked, it became much more bearable.
Now that his face was covered, the sunlight felt just right. The warmth that bathed his body from the shoulders down was like being in a low-temperature sauna, perfectly warm. He thought that his skin might get quite sunburned and hurt later, but he was so comfortable now that he didn't want to get up.
".........."
Jeong Tae-ui opened his eyes. A large white beach towel covered his face, filling his vision with white. He had dozed off for a bit, and though his body still felt languid, he couldn't fall back asleep. However, the pleasant drowsiness made him shift to the other side, exposing the opposite side of his body to the sun. He adjusted the towel to cover his face again.
It must have been around noon. He felt like he had slept for an hour or two. When he fell asleep, there was a shade over his waist, but now the sun was shining directly on his face.
He could hear birds chirping in the distance. The sporadic bird calls were high and low, just enough not to be bothersome. Occasionally, a cool breeze blew, cooling his sun-warmed skin as it passed. At his feet was a clear, wide pool. The occasional bird sounds. The warm sunlight. A leisurely nap.
When had he last enjoyed such a relaxing and lazy time? Thinking back, even after being discharged from the military, he hadn't truly rested in peace, spending months in hospitals and recovering. Just when his body was healing and he was beginning to feel more at ease, his uncle had shown up.
"I've had such a tough life... People need to have some time to relax like this once in a while."
Jeong Tae-ui murmured to himself with a contented sigh, shifting his position again. Though he was lounging so leisurely in someone else's house — where the host had left early for work because of a busy schedule — he didn't feel too guilty about it. Kyle had never made Jeong Tae-ui feel uneasy or pressured in any way. He treated him with nothing but politeness and respect. And since the host was like that, the rest of the staff were the same.
Jeong Tae-ui wasn't one to be overly sensitive or cautious by nature, but more than anything, there were so many guests in this house. He realized this during his stay. There were hardly any members of the Riegrow family who actually lived here. The elderly parents mostly resided in a quiet villa in the suburbs and only visited the house occasionally, and the younger sister, who was only in her early twenties, had married an unemployed man the same age as Jeong Tae-ui and moved to the United States. Thus, in practical terms, Kyle Riegrow was the only family member living here.
Living alone in this grand mansion... He didn't even want to think about it.
It wasn't just the numerous staff members; the house was always filled with guests. Whether official or personal, there was always someone staying here. According to Rita, he was a 'young master who loved to have people around the house.' When Jeong Tae-ui, who had overslept and had gone to the empty dining room to have the vegetable soup that Rita had prepared, heard this, he paused in surprise and blinked at Rita, asking, 'Young master?' Rita nodded as if it were obvious and answered, 'Young master.'
Rita, who had been working in this house for over 40 years since she was very young, mentioned that she had been a nanny for the children when they were little. When she proudly spoke of raising the young masters and young ladies herself, Jeong Tae-ui had hesitated for a moment before asking again.
