TCWGRF 25

For the past few days, the Commissioner General had been returning to his official residence late at night and leaving before the sun was up.

Seeing as how yesterday, instead of the usual silence, there were resounding speeches and boisterous shouts, he must have been busy because of the party’s founding day.

Since that day he had been trampled into a mess, he had not once sought out Isaac. Isaac, too, knowing he had come from the familiar sound of footsteps and the stream of water falling in the bathroom, stayed holed up in the small room and pretended to be asleep.

In the meantime, a small bed and a blanket had appeared in the room. They were things Walter had brought. He smiled good-naturedly, saying that from now on, he would be bringing the meals instead of Sarah, and that Isaac should feel free to ask for anything he needed.

He was now confused as to whether his situation was that of a prisoner, or a pet parasitizing this space and waiting for its master.

The clothes he wore only on his upper body were no longer shameful, and he had already grown accustomed to the weight and feel of the shackle. The days when he feared imminent death and trembled at the thought of being beaten or dragged to the basement felt like a nightmare from a distant past.

The feel of the bed, which he only got around the time he was getting used to sleeping on the bare floor, was not comparable to the Commissioner General’s, but it was quite good. It was just big enough for one person to lie down, but considering his circumstances, it was an extravagant luxury. So much so that he inadvertently felt that the past few days had been uncomfortable.

Until yesterday, when he had dozed off sitting with his back against the wall, it could have been dismissed as an uncomfortable experience. But Isaac stubbornly remained curled up on the bare floor, in the same spot, contemplating what to do next.

This was because what Walter had left behind was not only items for his convenience. He had also dropped a piece of news that Isaac should have been eagerly awaiting.

“Oh, right! We found your friend.”

“…You did?”

“He was alive.”

“Ah…”

“You might even be able to meet him in person. The Commissioner General said to at least let you confirm it. Oh, whoops, please keep this a secret until then.”

He was so anxious that the lie he had told would be exposed that he was almost unable to give any reply. Only after getting a grip on the rapidly rising anxiety was he barely able to squeeze out the sentence, ‘That’s a real relief. Thank you,’ just in time.

In truth, the person named ‘Luke’ that Isaac had told Walter about was a fictional character he had made up. What’s more, he had combined the physical descriptions of the most common people he had seen while going around the city as a patrol member, and attached a name that three or four out of ten people would likely have.

Among the fifty or so patrol members, there were at least six or seven who went by the name Luke.

If there was one thing Isaac had to admit after learning that Vincent and the Commissioner General had long since discovered his identity, it was that he was bad at acting and that deceiving them completely was impossible. So, he decided to arm himself with the truth, except for the one thing he would never tell them even if he died.

He had been caught going through the list of the dead in the records room and, foolishly terrified, had confessed with his own mouth that he had come to find someone. It was no use trying to deny it now or give another reason.

Even if they did not seem particularly curious, his opponent already saw through everything, so a flimsy excuse would not work.

That was why Isaac had no choice but to ask them to find ‘Luke’ first. To completely hide Asel’s existence and to prove that his words were true. To create consistency and gain credibility between the basement, his current statement, and his actions so far.

He had nothing to lose. Isaac judged that it was better to actively gain the other’s trust and pity than to sit meekly and await his fate.

If, for whatever reason, they agreed to his request, the Public Security Department would never be able to find the non-existent ‘Luke’ even if they searched the entire city, so he thought he could buy some time. Since, logically, they would not agree to grant the request of someone they were about to kill, he would be able to live for that time.

In that respect, the search for ‘Luke’ had to be delayed as long as possible.

Escape was still a distant prospect, and he had not even obtained a tool to free his ankle. From the bed, made of planks firmly glued together, he could not get so much as a common piece of wire, contrary to his expectations, and from the floor, which was polished spotlessly twice a day, he could not pick up a single speck of dust.

The length of the shackle did not reach the drawers where something might be, and even if it did, every object in the official residence was perfectly aligned, so if someone touched anything, it would be noticeable in an instant.

Even if he was lucky enough to reach the door to the hallway on his own two feet, he could not guess what lay beyond it, or where to run after leaving the room. In other words, Isaac desperately needed time to assess his surroundings and make preparations.

‘They found him already?’

But perhaps he had only known one thing and not the other two. Should he have conceived of a unique character that could never be found, rather than a common one? Or was it right to wait quietly until the Commissioner General showed magnanimity once again?

Isaac still did not know the right answer, and it was clear that would not change much in the future.

‘I can’t believe they’d say they found him so quickly…’

Even so, he could just deny it, saying it was not his friend, so there would be no trouble for a complete stranger. It had to be that way. He did not even want to imagine an innocent person’s safety being endangered by a single word from him.

This was an opportunity he had gained by paying with his life and body. He had to use it somehow to create an opening. A simple change of heart would be fine. If for even a moment he had decided to keep him alive, that alone would be enough to catch his breath.

It was actually a relief that he had realized early on that he was useless in relation to ‘Vincent’ or the ‘rebels,’ and that the other man had no interest in the rebel leader. Thanks to that, he was able to gamble with the only card he had: his own life.

‘What do I do?’

Except during cleaning or meal times, the inside of the official residence was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. The security personnel were on standby outside, and every time the siren blared, they marched in lockstep for the changing of the guard.

Even if he managed to undo the shackle, the only place for Isaac to go was through the door where they were. There was also the option of squeezing his body through the narrow gap of the window, but jumping from the top floor of the Public Security Department was literally a suicidal act.

Judging from the sound of their footsteps, there were more than ten of them. They were military police who had undergone harsh training, as there was not a single mistake and not even a whisper of chatter could be heard. They were also troops who could easily subdue and beat a person to a pulp, no matter how off-guard they were.

‘…Can I even get out?’

The uselessly positive news Walter had delivered, contrasted with the situation where he had achieved nothing, anxiously beat at Isaac’s heart.

The lie he had concocted was about to be exposed, and in the little time he had left, he had gained nothing. Isaac was seized with the anxiety that he would not be able to escape this space, no. Not even the shackle.

Tragically, there was only one person he had to rely on and appeal to for sure. A being with the power to lengthen the shackle at will and let him out of the door or even out of the city. But a person he must never trust, and could never trust.

He could not even guess what he wanted or what he was curious about. His desire for his body had been a one-time thing, so it was difficult to assume he was interested in his body. However, for the sake of his next move, to buy time, Isaac decided to struggle with all his might.

---

Tap, tap, tap, a steady footfall sounded from a distance. Creaak, the sound of a heavy door opening followed, and then the steps seemed to approach Isaac again before naturally moving away and heading toward the bathroom.

He was back. Isaac, who had been waiting for the Commissioner General’s return with his eyes wide open under a blanket in the pitch-black room, shot up from the bed and stood, holding the doorknob.

His toes repeatedly curled and uncurled, and his eyes stared straight ahead before dropping to the floor again and again.

Can I do it? I have to. There’s no other way.

Even though he resolved himself with the same words over and over and spurred himself on, his feet would not budge. In the meantime, the sound of water stopped, and the Commissioner General, who had been in the bathroom, walked to another place.

If he let tonight pass just like this, he might have to face ‘Luke’ tomorrow. He might be able to get by once through a stroke of luck, but it was uncertain if there would be a next time. Before that, he had to at least change the other’s mind to make him believe him a little, to make him want to keep him alive.

He filled his lungs with air and carefully pushed the door. The door, which was not completely closed because of the shackle, swung wide open with only a little force.

The Commissioner General was sitting on the sofa, not giving the prisoner a single glance as he poured the liquor on the side table next to him into a clear glass cup, then tossed it back coolly.

“Sir…”

As Isaac approached, breaking the silence, one corner of the other man’s mouth rose as if he had been waiting.

“You have something to say?”

When he asked back, Isaac recited the lines he had practiced countless times during the day.

“I don’t think I said thank you…”

“For what.”

“For… for looking for my friend.”

“Ahaha. Unlike your words, I don’t feel any gratitude at all.”

“…I mean it. Really…”

What came back from the other side was a sneer. As if he no longer wanted to talk to the prisoner, he put down the cup he was holding and waved his hand dismissively for him to go back.

Yet, when Isaac did not leave and stood as if nailed to the spot, this time the Commissioner General got up from the sofa to go to bed. The robe he wore fluttered freely, and there was not even a hint of regret in his steps.

Standing with his eyes squeezed shut, Isaac swallowed hard and inwardly recited his resolution for the day.

You can do it. It’s not a difficult thing. It’s better than dying.

“Wait. Just a moment…”

Flick, flick, as Isaac’s fingers busily undid the buttons of his shirt, he urgently called out to the other man. As the only piece of clothing he had been simply wearing fell to the floor, the Commissioner General’s eyes scanned the pale, naked body revealed in the darkness.

“What do you think you’re doing? Hm?”

“…I want to repay you.”

Unlike his provocative words, his whole body was trembling, but he could not even feel what he looked like standing there. From the moment the other’s gaze touched his body, he could not lift his head, and the other lines he had meticulously stacked in his mind during the day had evaporated into thin air.

“Haha, quite something.”

“……”

“How commendable.”

When he mustered the courage to raise his head at his words, which felt like a compliment, a man stood before him, not hiding his sneering expression.

For a moment, regret that he had misjudged washed over him, but it was too late to turn back.

This situation, flowing just as he had expected, should have been pathetic and boring.

But Samuel found the prisoner, who believed he was making an equal move against him, making a deal where compensation and conditions were exchanged, quite interesting.

Was it because it had been a long time since he had seen someone before him, puffed up with hope for escape and survival, wracking his brain? Or was it because this was the first time he had seen someone so oblivious to his own situation as to openly ask him to find a fake?

He had no idea that the lie he had told to hide what he held dear would come back as the most miserable result, and he had already used up the card that could have been his last lifeline.

“I’ll, I’ll do it.”

The prisoner before him, despite not knowing what to do, was on top of him, trying his best to arouse him.

Trying to shove it into a hole that would not even open, or when that did not work, trying to spread the entrance open somehow with his slender fingers.

Perhaps he thought it would work, since this side had shown interest in his body first.

For Samuel, who never lacked for bed partners, there was nothing to be desired, so there was no reason to be swayed by such a one-dimensional and clumsy seduction.

He did think for a moment that he wanted to make him cry, or trample him as he pleased, but that level of desire was something he could control at any time.

Nevertheless, watching to see how far he would go would be a way to find out how desperate he was.

For example, what he wanted to hide, what he had not said, and also just how precious that person he wanted to find was.

Well, seeing as he was willing to move his hips on his own like this, it seemed they were no ordinary friends.

“Haaah.”

With no progress in sight, a languid sigh escaped Samuel’s lips.

It was late, and the curfew would probably be lifted in three or four hours. It was natural that the young man who had been straddling him, wasting time, changed his position in his impatience to try something, anything.