TTRIA 12

“See, Jeff. I told you so. That you would fall in love.”

“I am sorry, but it is not love.”

“That is because you do not know Collie properly yet. There are so many beautiful places. Do you want to go out again right now? I can give you a fantastic tour.”

“Thank you for the offer, but I will decline. I prefer to experience things on my own.”

“Haha!”

Hugo naturally put his arm around Jeff’s shoulder. Since Jeff was the only one in the university who was of a similar height, he always expressed his affection in this manner, even though he himself was shorter.

“I missed your firm boundaries, Jeff. You have no idea how boring school life is without you. I wonder if I made a mistake sending you here.”

“You are still as dramatic as ever. Anyone would think we have not seen each other for years.”

It had only been a little over a month, yet his exaggeration was severe. Jeff, who chuckled lightly, removed the heavy arm and headed to his room. Hugo naturally followed behind him. As he entered the room, he let out a sigh of admiration with a look of new-found emotion.

“Ah, right. This is what it was like, the teacher’s room.”

“I see it has not changed from when you were a child?”

Jeff, who had put away his outerwear, sat on the sofa. Hugo, who had been looking around for a good while, also took a seat opposite him.

“Yes. It is the same. It is always only the people who change.”

Hugo, who had been whispering in a low voice, looked at Jeff.

“It is amazing that you are in this place.”

“You are the one who guided me here.”

“That is right, I guided you here. That is why it is even more amazing, Jeff. The me who used to receive the teacher’s guidance, is now in a position to have selected a teacher myself.”

“Feeling nostalgic, are you?”

“Yes.”

Hugo, who smiled softly, slowly leaned in and added.

“Do you know how I feel right now? It is just like I have gone back to my childhood. I am one of the talents who has just entered the mansion, and you are the teacher who has come to teach someone like me.”

“If you want, you can attend class with the children. I will prepare a special seat for you. It will surely be a sight to see.”

“Haha! Really? You have to keep your promise, Jeff. I wanted to try attending your class anyway.”

“Hugo Gray, I am begging you, please do not take everything so literally.”

At his weary tone, Hugo’s laughter grew even louder.

“I am sorry, Jeff. But what I said about wanting to attend your class is sincere. Why, I told you before, did I not? That you have a similar atmosphere to the teacher who used to teach me. If I attend your class, would I not be able to feel like I have returned to my childhood innocence?”

“I am sorry too, but I have no intention of being used for your childhood innocence. Let us stop the chitchat here, and why do you not tell me now. What is the reason you came without any notice? Did something happen by any chance?”

Hugo, who had let his eyebrows droop as if disappointed, shrugged his shoulders.

“It is not that something happened. I finished the work my hyung-nim gave me, so I stopped by to deliver it. And to see your face while I was at it.”

“Work?”

Jeff gave him a questioning look.

“Yes. I was in another region because of procuring raw materials needed for <Vibrook>.”

“Aha, so there was a reason I could not reach you.”

He had been wondering all along. Both that there was no contact, and that he could not be reached. The Hugo that Jeff knew would have contacted him at least once since he came to the mansion. When his questions about the scent surged, he tried contacting the university, but no one knew of Hugo’s whereabouts. He had never expected it would be because he was in another region.

“You tried to contact me?”

“Yes. I did, quite often. Because there was something I wanted to ask you.”

“What is it?”

Hugo’s green eyes sparkled with interest and anticipation. They were clear and beautiful eyes, without a single impurity. But Jeff suddenly thought that the color in a certain portrait was more beautiful than the color before his eyes.

“I wanted to ask about the perfume you use. That perfume I smelled for the first time, the one that felt familiar.”

“Ah, that. But did I not tell you? That it was not released.”

“Right. You did.”

Jeff, who was looking calmly at the perplexed Hugo, added.

“Then, what perfume did you wear after that?”

“What else, I wore the <Vibrook> perfume my hyung-nim sent me.”

“Consistently just one kind?”

“No. That is not it.”

Hugo stared at Jeff with an expression of not knowing what was going on. Frustrated by the enigmatic questions, he asked.

“Jeff. What are you trying to ask? Surely you are not hoping I will list all the perfumes I have used, are you?”

“Could you? I would be grateful if you would.”

“…Are you, by any chance, teasing me? Or are you serious? You really contacted me to ask this?”

Jeff nodded his head.

“I am serious. Because I was curious. About the scent of <Vibrook>.”

“Jeff, if that is the topic, you have come to the wrong address. It is faster to ask my hyung-nim about the scent of <Vibrook>, not me. My hyung-nim who sends it would remember more accurately than I who just receives and uses it.”

“Unfortunately, it was before I had met your hyung-nim. You were the only one I had to solve my curiosity.”

“So I can assume you have resolved it now? I heard you two have met.”

Hugo, who had slumped his upper body against the back of the sofa, said in a dejected tone. Jeff replied with a light smile.

“That is right. Thanks to him, I solved the important question. But it is also true that I am curious about the perfumes you have been using. I could not bring myself to ask about that.”

“What was the important question?”

To Hugo’s question, Jeff tapped his finger on the armrest of the sofa and answered.

“The raw material of the scent.”

For a moment, Hugo’s eyes wavered strangely. Jeff did not miss the change that flitted across the other’s face.

“He told you that?”

“He said that there is a specific raw material that is never left out of <Vibrook>. That the scents you use never go without that raw material. That it is practically the identity of <Vibrook>.”

“That is right. It is an ingredient that can never be left out of <Vibrook>. But you probably do not know what exactly it is either. There is no way my hyung-nim would have told you that much. Am I right?”

Hugo knew Wayne Gray well. Because he was also a Gray. That means, Hugo is a Gray who also knows the raw material of ‘that’ scent. Wayne was not the only person who could resolve his curiosity about the raw material. Hugo, who led Jeff to this place, was also included.

“Of course. What kind of idiot would divulge the family’s trade secrets to an outsider.”

Jeff, who was staring blankly at Hugo, deliberately said in a light tone.

“I only had one question. Why do you give off the same scent as someone I knew in the past. At first, I simply thought it was because you used the same <Vibrook> perfume. But what I came to know after arriving at the mansion was that the current head of the family does not produce the scents of the previous generation. The you I met at the university always exuded the scent of the past that I remember.”

Even at this very moment of speaking, a familiar scent of the past was wafting from Hugo. Jeff now knows the reason.

“I contacted you because I was puzzled by that point, Hugo. But now I know for sure. It is simply because the same raw material for the scent was used. Just as you once guessed, I was sensing the same raw material for the scent. Thanks to Mr. Gray, I became certain of it.”

“So now you are curious about the identity of that raw material.”

Hugo, who had been listening silently, blurted out. Jeff chuckled and obediently nodded his head.

“That is right. That is about it.”

“How are you planning to find out? For the record, I have no intention of telling you. I care for you very much, but not to the extent of divulging the secrets of our family business. Sorry?”

“There is no need to be sorry. The head of the family said he would tell me himself if I pass the test.”

“Test? …Ah.”

Hugo, who had been looking puzzled, soon made a strange expression as if he had remembered something. It seemed he had an inkling of what it was.

“You seem to know something, do you not?”

“I do have one thing I can guess.”

“From the looks of it, you do not seem to have any intention of telling me.”

“Hmm, well. What should I do?”

For someone who was contemplating, his face looked quite amused. Of course. Since it was not his own business, he could afford to take such an attitude. Jeff, who had become displeased, stared at him fixedly. Hugo, who met his eyes for a moment, said with a sigh-like laugh.

“Alright, Jeff. Then I will give you one piece of advice.”

“Tell me.”

“Be careful.”

“Haha!”

At the rather simple advice, Jeff genuinely burst out laughing. Not only did he have to be keen to changes, but now he had to be careful with his body as well?

“Why. Is it a test that poses a threat to one’s physical body?”

“Let us just say the possibility is high. The human body is more fragile than one might think, is it not? Our bodies can get a paper cut from a single thin sheet of paper, and we can have abnormal reactions from mental stress alone. Think from various angles, Jeff. To be careful with your body one way or another. That is all I can say to help you.”

Although he said it in a light tone, the meaning came across as heavy. He had not known him for a long time, but he could at least tell that his previous words were sincere. Be careful. It was a truthful piece of advice related to the test.

Jeff quietly organized his thoughts. Wayne and Hugo. If he combined the words spoken by the two Grays, it meant to react keenly to changes and be careful with his body. That would mean that the changes pose a threat to the body.

Perhaps the tea he drinks every day could contain poison. If he fails to detect the change in scent, he would lose his life just like that. It was probably a test that carried that much weight. If it was not a test as a tutor, but a test to obtain the secrets of the family business. No matter how prestigious a family, it is possible for a cruel side to exist.

“That is brutal.”

Jeff muttered in a low voice. Hugo retorted with a bitter smile.

“It is a bit like that.”

“Alright, I will keep that in mind. Since it is the advice of the person who personally led me to this brutal place.”

At the sharp joke, Hugo narrowed his eyes into a smile. Then he whispered in a secretive voice.

“Do not worry too much, Jeff. I believe you will endure it well.”

When evening came, a dinner was arranged that included the talented children. On the long table were set neat tableware and luxurious dishes, and faint candlelight cast soft shadows. The scent of food, a blend of spices and warm meat juices, filled the air.

“I should have arranged this sooner. I was not able to pay attention, using the excuse of being busy.”

Wayne Gray, holding a glass, smiled gently. It was the first time seeing him since the dawn of the full moon. He showed no signs of being sick, as if he had rested enough in the meantime.

“As it happens, Hugo has also returned, so I paid special attention. I hope everyone enjoys it.”

Jeff unconsciously looked at Wayne. It was the first face he had seen since the dawn of the full anoon. He did not seem particularly sick, but was he really okay? Perhaps because he had stared for too long, Wayne smiled lightly and met his gaze.

“Have you been well, Jeff?”

Wayne said with a gentle face. Just as his warning to forget had implied, he was pretending not to know about the events of that dawn. Jeff also returned the greeting with a look of pleasure, as if meeting him for the first time in a long while.

“The days could not have been better. Thank you for your consideration.”

“I am glad to hear that. If there is anything uncomfortable, please feel free to tell me anytime.”

“Yes, I will do that.”

Afterward, Wayne also gave affectionate greetings to the children. All three children blushed and could not hide their excited expressions. It did not seem like they interacted often, yet his attitude was quite friendly. At that moment, Hugo, who was looking at Milla, spoke to her.

“Hello, Milla? It seems you have adapted well. I thought you were quite uncomfortable at first.”

Milla answered with a calm face.

“Yes. I have adapted perfectly now. I am no longer uncomfortable.”

Did the two of them know each other? Hugo, who noticed his puzzled expression, smiled brightly and continued.

“Milla is a talent I discovered myself.”

“Discovered?”

“Yes. The child’s special quality caught my eye.”

Hugo, who said that, turned his gaze to the remaining two children.

“Of course, the same goes for you two. Be proud that you can sit here. You know, right? That you cannot easily obtain this position no matter how much you want it.”

Was it because he was once in the same position as the children? Hugo’s pride in being a Gray was clearly conveyed. The children nodded their heads vigorously. While stealing glances at the two Grays with sparkling eyes.

Jeff, too, took in the sight of the brothers. It was an obvious thing to say, but Wayne and Hugo had no resemblance in their appearances. It was because they were not biological brothers. But strangely, perhaps because of the perception that the shell of being a Gray gave off, their atmospheres at least shared the same texture. Their expressions, postures, and even their table manners were as alike as if they were cast from a mold. It made him realize that they had lived in the same environment.

The brothers, who had lived in a family that creates scents, led people with scents. And in the mansion they reached as if led, there are children who possess scents.

Hugo, who was selected as a talent and adopted.

The three talented children who exude the same scent as him.

And Wayne Gray, who exists at the center of the scent.

Was it because he was trapped in a festival of scents? Jeff felt a sense of alienation for being the only one without a scent. It felt as if he had become a strange outsider. Perhaps he should have come wearing the scent Wayne had sent him. If this too was a kind of test, he had surely chosen the wrong answer.

“Then I will give you one piece of advice. …Be careful.”

Suddenly, what Hugo had said during the day came to mind. Jeff quietly observed the brothers. They were carving the flesh of the meat with skilled hand movements. With the movement of the heavy knives, red meat juices stained the plates. The two brothers continued their meal at a similar pace, as if they were mirrors. The children were the same.

“……”

Jeff, who had checked everyone’s plate, stared at his own portion of meat. It was the same as the others’. On the outside.

“How is the meal, Hugo. Is it to your liking?”

“The mansion’s meals are always excellent. You have no idea how much I missed them.”

“I know you are busy, but try to make time often. It is a distance you can travel back and forth enough.”

“I will try, hyung-nim.”

The brothers’ conversation was peaceful and harmonious. The children in the next seats also enjoyed their meal, sharing small talk. While everyone continued their meal peacefully, only Jeff stared at his own lump of meat. Only one thought circled in his mind.

What if there is poison in this lump of meat.

“……”

He knew it was an excessive thought. By no means, would they have served poisoned food at a dinner where young children were present. In the first place, he might have been misinterpreting the advice to be careful too excessively.

“Teacher, why are you not eating? Are you sick somewhere?”

Milla sent a worried glance. The gazes of the brothers who were talking also followed. Wayne asked.

“Jeff, perhaps it is not to your liking? Should I have the meal changed?”

“No. I was just thinking about something for a moment. It is fine.”

Jeff, who smiled smoothly, carved the flesh of the meat. Only then did the concentrated gazes scatter. They all began to empty their plates at their own pace. Only Jeff repeated the meaningless cutting. With the movements of the six people, clatter, scrape, squeak, the sounds of the tableware piled up like a single cacophony. Jeff ignored the meat juices on the knife and the noise of the cutlery, and picked up a small piece of flesh. It was when he was slowly bringing it to his mouth.

“Pfft.”

A short, sharp laugh burst out from across from him.

“……”

Jeff, who had stopped his movement, raised his eyes. His gaze met Hugo’s, who was suppressing his laughter with his shoulders shaking, one hand covering his mouth. A strange smile was plastered all over the corners of his eyes.

“Hugo.”

Wayne muttered, as if in warning.

“Ah, I am sorry. I burst out laughing. I could not help it.”

Ahem, Hugo cleared his throat and faced Jeff with a faintly smiling face. He whispered without a sound. It is okay, eat. He said.

“……”

That, fucking bastard. Strength entered Jeff’s fingertips. Instead of shoving the lump of meat into that elegantly smiling mouth, he pushed the meat into his own mouth. Starting with that, he finished the remaining lump in an instant. When he placed the cutlery on the cleanly emptied plate.

“Was the meal alright?”

The gazes of the two Grays turned to Jeff. Jeff, who tidied the corner of his mouth with a napkin, smiled gently.

“Yes. It was very excellent.”

Faint blood seeped into the edge of the napkin he had pulled down onto his lap. The inside of his bitten mouth stung, but no one noticed it.

He threw up everything inside him. He took a short rest to calm the nausea and was organizing his class materials. When Hugo unexpectedly came to visit.

“Jeff, are you mad?”

Jeff replied calmly.

“I am not pleased.”

“I am sorry. I should not have laughed there. It was the first time I saw you being so nervous, so I could not help it.”

The corners of his forest-like eyes drooped pitifully. Jeff, who had pulled down his mother’s glasses, faced Hugo with a much clearer vision.

“The fact that my anguish was laughable is not particularly pleasant, but thanks to it, I realized one thing.”

“Realized, what?”

“That you are more of a son of a bitch than I thought.”

When he even made a hand gesture resembling a dog, Hugo made a crying face.

“Even so… is not son of a bitch a bit too much?”

“It is a bit too much for the dog.”

“Oh, Jeff. You are really mad, are you not?”

Hugo, who had strode to the front of the desk, asked, meeting his eyes.

“What can I do to make you feel better?”

“You say that as if you want to make me feel better.”

“Of course, Jeff. You are my most cherished friend. I do not want to be hated by you.”

“Really?”

Jeff spat out as the corner of his mouth lifted.

“Then will you give me one of the perfumes you use?”

For a moment, Hugo had an incredulous look on his face.

“You want a perfume I was using?”

“You said you always use the perfume you receive from the head of the family. Gift me just one of them.”

“If you want the scent of <Vibrook>… are you not already receiving it from hyung-nim now?”

Jeff nodded his head.

“That is right. He sends it to me every day. But I want to have the scent that comes from you.”