Passion (BL Novel)

"Come to think of it, I shouldn't come here for a while."
Remembering the rule that prohibits entering the first floor during joint training, Jeong Tae-ui mumbled and looked at the clock again. It was almost 10:30. If it was delayed this much from the time they agreed upon, even though he knew she would be comfortably waiting in the room, she should at least make a call.
He thought, She must be really busy, and scratched his neck. Just then, there was a brief flicker of light on the desk, followed by a low, soft mechanical sound. It was the phone. Jeong Tae-ui reflexively frowned and turned around. The sound of the phone ringing in this room always made him think of Elle. He remembered her white hand appearing on the screen, and her shamelessly steering the conversation as though she were a book intermediary, smoothly leading their interactions.

"Well, he never said he was a book intermediary himself..." Jeong Tae-ui muttered.
He stood up from the bed and walked toward the desk. The phone was still ringing, but the monitor hadn't turned on. Now that he looked closely, the flashing lamp was green. It was an internal line. It could be his uncle calling, who might be waiting in the room.
"Yes, this is Instructor Jeong Chang-in’s room."

Jeong Tae-ui pressed the lamp and answered the phone. Even if it wasn't his uncle, it had to be someone from the branch.
'...'
There was no voice coming from the phone. Jeong Tae-ui tilted his head slightly, wondering if there was a problem with the phone line or if he hadn't heard it properly, so he repeated his words. But after a brief pause, a voice finally came through.

'Has Instructor Jeong not entered yet?'
The voice was unfamiliar, but Jeong Tae-ui quickly realized who it belonged to. It was Instructor Grimson.
After a brief silence, Jeong Tae-ui answered, "No, he hasn't entered yet." He wondered what this was about. He would likely run into him frequently if they were both working non-stop like this. Maybe they were working separately? It wouldn't be too surprising if they were working separately, given the competitive system. Though he didn't expect them to work so inefficiently.

Grimson hung up without saying anything further. Jeong Tae-ui stared at the receiver for a moment before putting it down. Grimson. He attended his lectures every week. While they hadn't spoken much personally, they'd had a few conversations. He couldn't get a good read on him. He couldn't know much about someone from just a few brief encounters. But there were no bad rumors about him, and Jeong Tae-ui hadn't had any bad experiences either. Still... he was someone hard to approach easily.
As he thought about this, Jeong Tae-ui let out a small chuckle. Among the guards here, who would be easy to approach? Even his uncle, whom he had known since childhood, would have been someone he wouldn't have wanted to get close to if they had met as strangers after becoming adults. It wasn't because his uncle was a bad person, but because Jeong Tae-ui didn't like people whose true intentions were unclear.
"Even my uncle can’t afford to let his guard down."

"What?"
As soon as Jeong Tae-ui finished his thought, he heard a reply. Turning around, his uncle had entered through the door. Jeong Tae-ui spoke with an expressionless face.
"You startled me. Of all times, you come back when I'm talking badly about you."

"From the moment I stepped off the elevator, I could tell by the sound of your footsteps."
"I could hear your footsteps coming, but who would have known it was you?"
"You think I don't know that you stopped in front of the door and then started talking?"
"What are you talking about? That’s a misunderstanding, uncle."

With a very serious and sincere expression, Jeong Tae-ui replied as he watched his uncle take off his jacket, revealing a tired look.
"You must be really busy. Your face looks like it’s been cut in half."
"All because some idiot got stabbed while I was busy. Ah, I must have kept you waiting for a while."

"No, 30 minutes is just enough time to take a quick nap."
Jeong Tae-ui, as usual, made his way to the refrigerator to get some water while his uncle offered him a can of beer. Jeong Tae-ui waved his hand dismissively, pointing to the two empty beer cans already sitting on the side table. His uncle nodded and took out only his own water.
"Oh, the phone rang."

"A phone? Who was it?"
"Grimson, Instructor Grimson."
His uncle paused in the middle of pouring water into his cup. He then raised an eyebrow and asked again.

"Grimson?"
"Yes, I... I didn’t mention his name. It could have been someone else. But it was an internal line, and that voice sounded like him."
"Hmm. I see."

His uncle nodded and muttered to himself. After a brief moment of silence, he suddenly turned to Jeong Tae-ui as if he had remembered something.
"Is Rick doing any better?"
Jeong Tae-ui paused for a moment, then nodded vaguely. There wasn’t much to say. Elle was still unconscious, as though he were sleeping, and hadn't woken up. It had been over a day since he had seen him wake up. Every time there was a break—he had visited at least six or seven times today—he was still the same. His uncle muttered, "I see," then threw himself onto the single couch.

"Earlier, that guy called your brother."
"Oh, so they called home too. Was he worried?"
Since Elle had a similar personality, he probably wouldn’t have been too concerned about it. But he had heard that his brother was a normal, humane person.

"No, he contacted me for something else, but Rick came up during the conversation, and he just laughed."
"..."
Jeong Tae-ui looked at his uncle with a dumbfounded expression. How could someone laugh when their younger sibling was on the brink of death? Seeing Jeong Tae-ui’s look, his uncle seemed to understand what he was thinking and waved his hand defensively.

"No, that’s not what I meant. After confirming his life or death, he laughed. He said it was strange, that he had never seen something so bizarre."
Jeong Tae-ui could understand that sentiment. If he were in another place and Elle had been stabbed and fallen into a coma, he might have laughed, thinking such a thing was impossible. He wouldn’t feel that way if he were looking at someone who had lost consciousness right in front of him.
"Your brother really knows him well, huh. But of course, that makes sense."

Jeong Tae-ui muttered with a sigh. He felt a bit relieved. If he was laughing, it meant he was confident that his brother wasn’t at death’s door. Yeah, that tough guy wouldn’t get into a situation where he could get that badly hurt. Jeong Tae-ui tapped his chest, where his heavy heart was.
His uncle stared at him with an expressionless face, as if observing him.
"? What is it?"

"Well, it's just strange how Rick can be so inhuman."
"I’m always amazed when I think about Elle’s inhuman [N O V E L I G H T] side. Before coming here, I never thought a person like him could exist."
His uncle chuckled loudly. Jeong Tae-ui had thought his statement was pretty straightforward, but apparently, his uncle found it amusing. When Jeong Tae-ui looked at him suspiciously, his uncle laughed quietly for a while before shaking his head.

"Well, he’s still treating you more leniently than anyone else, though."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah."

"Didn't you once say that I should never even go near him and to run away if I saw him in my sight?"
"That’s a different issue. Besides, when it comes to that, you’re already too late."
"...That's not really comforting."

Jeong Tae-ui muttered gloomily. His uncle wasn’t wrong. Even from an objective perspective, Elle had backed off a little compared to others. However, Jeong Tae-ui knew that in order to get that much leeway, he had to be incredibly careful, second-guessing everything he said or did. Even if he took a step back, if just one thing went wrong, Elle wouldn’t hesitate to snap his neck.
"So, what’s up with Shinru? Ah, I guess he’s probably busy too, so you haven't had much time to be together."
With the new topic his uncle raised, Jeong Tae-ui grew even gloomier. He hadn’t really met with Shinru since that day. They occasionally crossed paths in the hallway, but there had been no messages or contact. Jeong Tae-ui thought about reaching out but then decided against it. It felt like everything was falling apart. It seemed like fate was at work.

Jeong Tae-ui sighed deeply and shook his head.
"So why did you call me, uncle?"
He figured it was better to change the subject. He didn’t want to dwell on things that were too complicated and didn’t feel like thinking about them. His uncle looked at him quietly with his hands clasped in his lap, then smiled lightly.

"Well, soon we’ll have joint training with the South American branch."
"Yes, that's right."
"Stay here."

His uncle spoke briefly. Jeong Tae-ui looked at him silently. Even without his uncle saying it, Jeong Tae-ui knew he was likely staying at this branch in Asia. In fact, it was almost certain. Since he was attached to an instructor, if the instructor stayed, he would stay too.
"Yes, I will."
Jeong Tae-ui answered easily and nodded. His uncle then spoke again.

"Also, help McKin."
This time, Jeong Tae-ui was silent for a long time. McKin was an instructor under Rudolf Jantill, who was with his uncle. So, he understood that his uncle wanted him to help, but he didn’t know how exactly he was supposed to help. Joint training involved both team and individual play, but it wasn’t about helping one person over another. Besides, the instructor wasn’t participating as a member of the team, so it wasn’t like he was in a position to offer help. His uncle laughed when he saw Jeong Tae-ui’s confused expression.
"It’s not that complicated. If McKin asks for help, just help him."

"Well, do you think he’ll ask me for help?"
Jeong Tae-ui muttered with an uneasy tone, recalling McKin’s stern face. Besides, if someone needed help, McKin would probably ask his own assistant, so why would he come to Jeong Tae-ui? Jeong Tae-ui stared at his uncle for a long time, but his uncle just smiled awkwardly without saying anything more.
"No comment?"

"No comment."
Jeong Tae-ui sighed lightly and nodded.
"I’ll do it. As long as it’s something I can do, and it doesn’t involve killing or causing harm."

"Haha, that’s not going to happen. Thanks for agreeing to help."
"Anytime," Jeong Tae-ui shrugged.
It didn’t feel quite right. As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted it. After all, the reason he came here was to help his uncle, so there was no reason to refuse him now, especially since he wouldn’t be here much longer. So, even though it wasn’t what he wanted, he nodded, but it didn’t sit well with him.

His uncle was a man with a lot of tricks up his sleeve...
If Jeong Tae-ui hadn’t believed his uncle wouldn’t harm him, he would have refused.
"Well, I’ll be going now. Do you need anything else?"

"No, no. Go ahead and rest."
"Yes... Oh, by the way, what happens if an instructor falls ill during the training period?"
Jeong Tae-ui, who had been heading towards the door after standing up, suddenly asked as a thought came to him. His uncle raised an eyebrow slightly and then seemed to think for a moment. It seemed like his uncle wasn’t exactly sure either.

“Well, I’ve never heard of a case like that. But when it comes to matters unrelated to the instructors, you're treated just like any other member, so you’ll probably just participate in the training as usual. ...But that guy, I don't think he’ll still be unconscious by the time the joint training starts.”
“I agree. I was just curious.”
Jeong Tae-ui shrugged and turned to leave. He said, "Good night," and was about to step out when his uncle, who had been lost in thought with a frown, suddenly called him.

“Tae-ui.”
Jeong Tae-ui turned back. After calling his name, his uncle stayed silent for a moment and then awkwardly spoke.
“I think you need to be a bit more diligent.”

“Me? ...Am I being too lazy?”
Jeong Tae-ui pointed at himself and asked. He considered himself fairly diligent. Sure, on holidays or during breaks, he would slack off, take naps whenever possible, and sneak out of dull lectures, but he didn’t think he was lazy enough to warrant that kind of comment. He thought about where he might have been lazy, and his uncle gave him a somewhat cryptic response.
“You’re perceptive and have good judgment, but you tend to lack action. Or rather, I guess you could say your judgment sometimes goes off course. Especially when it comes to matters involving people. When someone nudges you, you act like you're avoiding it, but in the end, you get lazy and just let things happen on their own.”

“Is that really me?”
Jeong Tae-ui tilted his head. It was unexpected. He thought about it for a moment, but couldn’t recall anything that would fit. Most of all, he didn’t recall anyone ever nudging him. If he had to name someone, it might be that damn Lieutenant Kim, but he had already paid him back for that. As Jeong Tae-ui rolled his eyes, his uncle seemed like he was about to say something, but then shrugged and fell silent.
“Well, it’s not like you can pinpoint every little detail about someone else’s mind. You’ll be fine. Even if you get tangled up with a complicated and troublesome person, with you...”

“What do you mean, uncle?”
“It means you’re good at making connections with people.”
“I don’t think so. Why are you saying such ominous things, as if you’re forecasting storm clouds ahead of me?”

Jeong Tae-ui frowned, and his uncle waved his hand dismissively.
“No, no, I’ve just become a bit sensitive. You start worrying more as you age.”
While his uncle lamented how he was starting to get gray hair, even though just last year he had a healthy black head of hair, Jeong Tae-ui sighed.

“Next time you go out, buy some hair dye. You’re not young anymore.”
His uncle, who was sadly moping about how his body didn’t follow his youthful mind, was comforted by Jeong Tae-ui, who left the room.
He knew that his friend would laugh like that. Softly and cheerfully, probably shaking his head over the phone.

‘As long as he’s alive, that’s all that matters. If he was someone who would die so easily, he’d have died a long time ago. But living through this, it’s surprising what strange things you see... Ha ha ha.’
"Hey, hey, no matter what, you can’t laugh like that when your younger brother is dying."
But Jeong Chang-in also muttered nonchalantly.

‘He won’t die. He won’t die.’
His friend’s response, so matter-of-fact, was something Jeong Chang-in believed firmly, but hearing it said so casually made him want to question it.
“Is your brother some kind of immortal? Will he survive getting stabbed with a knife covered in bacteria?”

‘He’s tough when it comes to bad luck. It’s different from Jeong Jae-yi, but he’s also very lucky. If he was supposed to die from something like that, he’d have died hundreds of times already.’
“That’s true... Have you heard anything about Jae-yi?”
Suddenly, his friend’s voice turned somber. He answered bitterly, “No,” with an air of regret.

Jeong Chang-in spun a pen between his fingers. Unlike his friend’s younger brother, who was tough against bad luck, his nephew, who was supposed to be fortunate, couldn’t possibly have gotten into any real danger. Still, a vague sense of unease lingered.
The information network of the UNHRDO wasn’t sloppy; he was confident it was on par with most information agencies. His friend was no slouch in these matters either. Though there were overlapping parts, their independent actions were far more significant. Despite everything they had been doing to gather information, months had passed without catching a single lead on his nephew. If his nephew didn’t want to be found, one could chalk it up to his luck helping him stay hidden, but from what Jeong Chang-in knew, his nephew wasn’t the type to be so subtle or neurotic about it. A few years ago, when the UNHRDO reached out to him, he casually said, "You’re looking for me? That’s going to be a pain, huh? I don’t really want that. But if you’re going to look for me, I guess I’ll have to show my face." So, it seemed odd that he would suddenly vanish now without any reason, like he was losing interest in everything. Jeong Chang-in had impulsively thought that his nephew might have just gone on a trip for a few months, but to be this untraceable was unexpected.
In these situations, there was usually only one reason why someone would disappear on their own...

"Have you found anything from the places you were looking at before?"
‘Costa Rica didn’t turn up anything. There are two places left, but the news is slow coming in from those. I’ll let you know as soon as I get anything... Don’t be too anxious. It’s Jeong Jae-yi after all.’
"That’s exactly why it’s more troublesome."

Jeong Chang-in clicked his tongue. If he couldn’t find anything by now, it was possible that his nephew was either being watched by an outside group that couldn’t be touched by any ordinary organization, or worst case, he could be held captive. While he didn’t believe it was the latter, if his nephew had accidentally gotten involved in the development of a dangerous weapon, things could get complicated.
"On top of that, he’s the type who could barely avoid getting caught in the treaty," Jeong Chang-in grumbled.
His friend, as usual, chuckled amiably.

‘Even if you wanted to pick a fight, you wouldn’t be able to. Everyone in that group has too much to hide.’
Jeong Chang-in laughed. Talking to this friend always made him feel at ease. He was able to see the situation objectively and find the most reasonable conclusion.
"Alright, I’ll leave that side to you. If you want, I can arrange for him to be escorted to Germany."

‘No need for that. Coming here wouldn’t make a difference. Just tell him that when he wakes up, he should get back to work properly.’
"Are you seriously telling me to send him off to Hong Kong to get to work right after waking up from a coma?"
‘Chang-in, what kind of weak talk is that? When I had surgery a few years ago and woke up from the anesthesia, the first thing I saw was Elle pointing a gun at me. I knew that well.’

"Yeah, I remember that."
Jeong Chang-in smiled slightly as he remembered something from the past. He was a ruthless person, even to his family. From what he heard, when his friend had to get involved with a group due to a business issue, and that group collapsed, his friend had a feeling his younger brother would go wild. So, he postponed his chronic appendicitis surgery and went into the hospital. And when he woke up, he found bodyguards lying around, covered in blood, while his younger brother sat in a guardian's chair, spinning a gun on his finger and staring at him.
If he hadn’t proposed a compromise back then, that guy would have shot me without hesitation.

"That’s true. After all, the only person who could survive facing his deadly fist and still walk away unscathed would be Jae-yi."
Jeong Chang-in muttered with a nod. The fact that Jeong Jae-yi was incredibly lucky had long been known, but it was only at that moment that he was struck by how true it was, and that crazy guy had been involved.
A few years ago, a small handgun that Jeong Jae-yi had developed for fun was commercialized by his friend's company. This was around the time when Elle Rigrow, a man, was the most dangerous. He still had his youthful recklessness, and his intelligence couldn’t cover up his nature.

During the demonstration phase before it was commercialized, Rigrow, holding the gun, had adjusted the grip a few times and pulled the trigger with an impressed chuckle. It wasn’t a shooting range, and there were people around, but without hesitation, he pulled the trigger and hit the chandelier’s glass decoration perfectly. He then turned to Jeong Jae-yi, who was probably meeting Rigrow for the first time, and smirked before aiming the gun at him.
“You’re the one with the ‘lucky star,’ right? I’ve heard how incredible your luck is. So, how about this?”
Before Jeong Chang-in could stop him, Rigrow pulled the trigger.

There was no time to stop him.
It didn’t seem like Rigrow had any intention to kill him, as he didn’t aim for the head or heart, but it was clear that he didn’t care if Jeong Jae-yi dropped dead right there from the shot.
Then, the gun that had fired perfectly just a few minutes ago suddenly exploded in Rigrow’s hand.

Jeong Chang-in still remembered the silence that followed. Jeong Jae-yi, with a surprised look on his face, muttered, “There shouldn’t have been any problems with the machine…” He was already aware that the gun had been perfectly fine after a precise inspection, and both Jeong Chang-in and his friend, along with a few others, stared at Rigrow in shock. Rigrow, who had previously handled the gun and judged it to be fine, stared at his torn, bloody hand and slowly looked up at Jeong Jae-yi. His look was one of disbelief, mixed with a touch of absurdity, before he laughed and Jeong Chang-in finally exhaled the breath he had been holding.
It seemed that Rigrow wanted to test the gun a little more, but when the people around him rushed to take him to the hospital, he reluctantly followed. It was as if he had finally given up, laughing at the situation.
Then, he said something that sounded like either a joke or a serious remark. “I’d like to see that lucky star of yours, too.”

".......Your family’s upbringing was all wrong."
Jeong Chang-in muttered as he sank into thought, and his friend laughed on the other end of the line.
‘That’s harsh. Talking about someone else’s family upbringing like that. I’m in no position to argue, given I’m from a family that produced someone like him, but if I had to make excuses, I’d say that Helena and I turned out fine.’

"Of course, your sister is beautiful and has no flaws, but your judgment in handing over the company to Rick seems to have some issues."
‘Haha, that guy isn’t incompetent enough to ruin the company. He just has some personality issues.’
"I’m telling you, his personality is seriously flawed."

Jeong Chang-in sighed. He didn’t need to worry about someone else’s company, nor was he particularly concerned, but he couldn’t help but feel a little bitter about the unfairness of the world.
‘Well, at least the Hong Kong branch is growing smoothly. There’s no worry about embezzlement since it’s family.’
To his friend, who was trying to defend his brother, Jeong Chang-in muttered what could be considered mild sarcasm.

“Using company money to show generosity to colleagues is still a form of embezzlement, isn’t it?”
‘......? Of course, it is. But you know, that doesn’t apply to him.’
His friend suddenly laughed as if Jeong Chang-in was saying something absurd. “You’re getting old, talking nonsense,” he added.

"Well… I can’t exactly say that he used a company card. Even though he was out on company business over the weekend."
‘You’re making strange remarks. It sounds like you’re implying he bought something for someone.’
“Well, could it be?”

‘No, it’s not. That guy never even bought a single rose for a woman to woo her.’
The voice that said, “All he ever bought was a cocktail with a tranquilizer in it,” was so confident that Jeong Chang-in was momentarily speechless. He had already known that Rigrow had no morals, but...
Jeong Chang-in muttered bitterly to himself.

“Yeah, I must have misunderstood. After all, why would that guy buy a suit for my nephew?”
‘.......Your nephew? Ah, the second one?’
"Yeah. Have you seen him?"

‘No, I haven’t... Wait, Elle bought a suit for your nephew? Did he say that himself?’
"No, my nephew told me. ...Come to think of it, maybe I misunderstood."
Not wanting to be caught as a liar to his friend, and after thinking it over, Jeong Chang-in decided to question his own memory.

‘Now that you mention it, I remember vaguely that he said he saw Jeong Jae-yi’s younger brother.’
“Not saw, it was Rick’s attendant. Didn’t he say anything else?”
‘No, he didn’t. He’s not the type to go around gossiping. What, was something going on?’

“Not at all. My nephew is incredibly perceptive and smart, so he knows how to take care of himself.”
Even though his nephew couldn’t see it through the phone, Jeong Chang-in shrugged as he said this. Honestly, aside from luck and intelligence, the second nephew was just as remarkable as the first. At least, that was how Jeong Chang-in saw it. But again, luck was a crucial issue.
It was a few days ago.

He had been talking to Rigrow about some work-related matters when the topic of Hong Kong came up, and somehow it came out that Rigrow had met Jeong Tae-ui there. Before Jeong Chang-in could bring up the suit, Rigrow seemed to think of it first.
‘How did you raise your nephew?’
Jeong Chang-in fell silent. First, he had to think about which nephew Rigrow was referring to, and second, he remembered that he wasn’t the one who had raised his nephew. Third, he had to guess what Rigrow meant by "how" he raised him. And fourth, the fact that Rigrow was smiling that way caught him off guard.

Suddenly, Rigrow’s face, as if he had thought of some funny story, looked oddly normal. Jeong Chang-in had seen him smile many times before. He had heard many people say, “He’s more dangerous when he smiles,” and he could relate to that. He was someone who smiled and casually did crazy things, so one couldn’t relax just because he was smiling. But after meeting him a few times, one could recognize the different types of smiles. This one, however, felt a bit unfamiliar.
‘Tae-ui? What about him?’
No matter what he did, I’d appreciate it if you could be lenient with him. After all, he’s my beloved nephew, he added, while Jeong Chang-in laughed along. That sharp kid wouldn’t do anything reckless with his life, but what had gotten into this crazy guy?

Looking back, he realized it had been over 10 years since he had known Rigrow. To say they knew each other might be a stretch. They had known each other for over a decade, but they hadn’t been involved in work-related matters until recently.
But after interacting with his friend and visiting his house, Jeong Chang-in had learned what kind of person Rigrow was. He was a crazy person who barely fit into the category of normal. Or rather, to put it more accurately, he was someone who was far from normal by any standard but could pretend to be normal by deceiving others with his emotions and intellect.