Passion: Diaphonic Symphonia Novel - Chapter 2 - Before Leaving, Berlin

They say you see as much as you know.

There’s no use giving treasure to someone who doesn’t know its worth. Pearls before swine, a horseshoe on a dog’s foot.

Even if a scribbled drawing on a drafting paper lying casually on a desk were the basic framework for the latest stealth aircraft, currently being designed and manufactured with the highest level of secrecy, it would be utterly useless to someone who didn’t know what it was.

“But you’d think anyone who comes and goes in here would at least be able to tell if something’s valuable or cheap, wouldn’t you…?”

Jeong Taeui flapped the drafting paper, his face dumbfounded, thinking there must be countless places where this could be stolen and sold off, and if he did, he’d have enough money to disappear and live comfortably for the rest of his life.

This was undoubtedly a top-secret document.

Even though it was scrawled like a doodle, and the letters were hastily scribbled like some kind of code, it was definitely not something that should be lying around casually on a study desk like this.

“And if you’re the kind of person who comes and goes in here, you wouldn’t have much to worry about even if you saw our company’s cooked books.”

Kyle, who was meticulously cleaning the books, having taken them all out from a bookshelf, turned his head, saw the paper Jeong Taeui was holding, and smiled nonchalantly.

Kyle hummed a tune as he skillfully mended the worn-out, almost torn leather binding of a book, clearly overflowing with affection for it.

“I appreciate your trust, but still, handling it so carelessly… What if a thief breaks in?”

“Anyone capable of recognizing its value wouldn’t be a mere thief.”

Kyle painstakingly rubbed a tiny speck of dust from the leather corner, then glanced at Jeong Taeui with a hint of a smile in his eyes.

“You recognized it well, that drawing. It was made at the very basic stage, so it’s not something you’d grasp at a glance.”

“Did you think I wouldn’t notice, with the RCS clearly written here?”

“Oh, right,” Kyle chuckled aloud, sounding like he had a screw loose. He was always like that when he held a precious book. Jeong Taeui sometimes fully understood why James glared so resentfully at the books in this study. He’d probably dance if something happened and this study burned down.

Jeong Taeui sighed as he placed the drafting paper back on the desk and muttered, “Besides, helping Kyle with his work at home all the time, I feel like I could even fly an Air Hawk now, with just the theoretical knowledge.”

From small pistols and rifles to shells, armored vehicles, and helicopters, Jeong Taeui had vaguely seen the internal diagrams of almost everything. The blueprints were always just lying around in the study.

He had learned the basics at the military academy, but he never expected to be looking at structural diagrams like this. No, before that, when he left the military academy, he never dreamed he would touch military supplies again or do anything similar.

He thought he’d find a peaceful job, living a calm life watering potted plants. Well, he still lived peacefully, sometimes watering the garden with Peter.

“Still, what if a thief breaks in, perhaps commissioned by an outsider, and it turns into a disaster? At least put it in a drawer and lock it…”

“I don’t think any insane thief would enter this house.”

“Ah, well, that’s true…”

Jeong Taeui nodded. Indeed, setting aside the guardhouse next to the main gate, he felt only pity for any unlucky, pathetic thief who might stumble into this house, where a mad beast in human form roamed. But…

“But he’s not here right now.”

Jeong Taeui stopped his nodding abruptly and muttered.

The large beast that had been residing in this house had disappeared about two months ago.

A few days after an unusually violent downpour cleared, and Peter stared blankly at the rather desolate garden, Ilay Riegrow simply left the house.

He left lightly, without even a proper bag, so Jeong Taeui assumed he’d be back in a day or two, or perhaps a few days, as usual. But there had been no news since. Whatever he was doing, it seemed to be taking a long time.

But come to think of it, what exactly did he do?

Jeong Taeui didn’t precisely know what Ilay did, though he suspected it was something on the dangerous edge of legality. And because of that…

“When he disappears without a word like this, I even feel anxious.”

“Anxious? Afraid something might happen to him?”

“Afraid he might cause an accident.”

He wasn’t so ignorant of Ilay as to think he was the type to get into an accident. He had never once worried about Ilay being in an unforeseen accident or getting hurt.

On the contrary, anxiety would subtly creep in whenever news of terrorism or massacres came through the media.

Surely he wasn’t behind it, was he? He’s already internationally wanted; if he’s already a lost cause, a few more charges wouldn’t scare him, so it would be troublesome if he just went all out.

As Jeong Taeui muttered with a feigned worried expression, Kyle, seeming to understand his true feelings, chuckled.

“What’s there to worry about? What bigger accident could he cause than he already has?”

“…Listening to you, I guess that’s true.”

Jeong Taeui recalled Ilay’s numerous past atrocities and nodded again. He wondered if there were any more accidents left for him to cause.

In fact, from Jeong Taeui’s perspective, it was rather convenient when Ilay wasn’t around. It wasn’t that Ilay bullied him or made him feel unwelcome when he was home, but on days when he’d suddenly burst in, as if a thought had struck him, and satisfy his lust, Jeong Taeui’s body would be utterly exhausted.

How long had it been since he’d been able to relax like this?

“But he’s never been gone this long… When is he coming back?”

“He’ll be back in about a month.”

Kyle answered, inspecting each book one by one as if he had finished mending them all. As he satisfyingly placed a book back on the shelf, he suddenly remembered something and turned to Jeong Taeui.

“Oh. Right. Changin will be here this evening.”

“Huh? Uncle?”

“Yes. He arrived in Frankfurt the day before yesterday, he said. He mentioned he had some business at the UNHRDO Berlin branch, so I told him to go ahead. He’s returning to Hong Kong tomorrow morning, so he’ll only be staying tonight. It’s been a while since you’ve met, hasn’t it?”

“That’s right.”

It had been about two and a half years since they last met, almost three in a few months. Time flew by so quickly that it didn’t feel particularly novel, but it was still a long time, and a sense of gladness came first.

Jeong Taeui helped Kyle put all the books back on the shelf. Some of them were over 100 years old, yet they gleamed as if they were old books that had only been used for a few years, a testament to how well they were managed.

Perhaps it was due to over-familiarity, but to Jeong Taeui, Kyle, no matter how he looked, seemed less like the head of a prominent corporation and more like an ordinary neighborhood uncle. Kyle was brimming with the dream of opening an old book library after his early retirement.

He didn’t know when that day would come, but he envied Kyle for having a clear future goal.

Looking at Kyle, whose face was full of content smiles just from gazing at the books, Jeong Taeui pondered. What did he want to do in the future?

He had asked the people around him after hearing about Kyle’s dream of an old book library.

‘Rita, what do you want to do later?’

‘The same work I’m doing now.’

Listening to Rita’s resolute answer as she looked down at Jeong Taeui, he thought, ‘Ah, that’s right.’ Rita was proud to work in this house and take care of its family members. To say that what she wanted to do was what she was already doing, he thought it must be a happy life.

‘Peter, what do you want to do later?’

‘Hmm…? Later…? Well… When I’m older, being a quiet forest keeper might be nice.’

Peter, who was carefully replanting a tiny wildflower that had somehow sprouted between the bricks of the house, narrowed his eyes and muttered. Peter caring for a forest. It suited him very well. Unless he met some madman who suddenly stormed into the forest, poured gasoline, and set it on fire, he would be a happy forest keeper.

‘James, what do you want to do later—… No, never mind.’

When Jeong Taeui spoke to James, who was in a situation where he had to prepare many apology gifts and attend a company dinner in place of Kyle, who had abruptly broken a prior engagement to fly to France upon hearing news of an antique book fair, James slowly turned his head like a ghost and glared at Jeong Taeui. Jeong Taeui quickly fled from him, as James gloomily said, ‘If I could just hand in my resignation, I think I’d be the happiest person in the world right now.’

After such a journey, Jeong Taeui finally reached Ilay. He looked at Ilay, who was swimming in the pool, and fell into thought. Ilay Riegrow’s future dream. It was somehow unimaginable. He even felt as if he shouldn’t even ask such a question.

As Jeong Taeui sat on a bench by the pool, idly watching him, Ilay, after an unknown number of laps, effortlessly emerged from the water without any sign of fatigue. “When will this guy fix his habit of entering the pool naked?” Jeong Taeui thought, watching Ilay approach, shaking his short hair.

‘You should go in too, it’s refreshing.’

‘Hmm… No, maybe later.’

Jeong Taeui vaguely declined, thinking about how many people would happily enter water where someone else had swum naked. A heavy presence settled next to him as Ilay wiped the water off his body with a towel that had been draped over the armrest of the bench.

‘So, what were you agonizing over wanting to ask?’

As if he had roughly dried himself, Ilay abruptly asked. Jeong Taeui flinched internally but feigned nonchalance, saying, “Oh, that,” and subtly averted his gaze. Sometimes he wondered if this guy was a ghost or a human.

‘No, just, what do you want to do with your life later? Just a little survey on future dreams.’

‘Future dreams?’

A faint laugh was heard. Right, I asked something unnecessary.

‘Okay, what did others say?’

‘What do you think they said?’

‘Hmm… Brother would want to build a library and embrace books, Rita would want to continue as she is now, and Peter would happily manage a garden or a farm… or a forest. James seems too preoccupied with the present to even think about the future. —Who else did you ask?’

This ghostly fellow…

Did he read the answer from Jeong Taeui’s expression? A soft chuckle came again. But as if he had no intention of hiding it, Ilay thought for a moment, then rubbed his hair with a towel and said,

‘Me, well… if I’m still alive then, I’ll think about it then.’

Only then did Jeong Taeui glance at Ilay. Feeling his gaze, Ilay’s glass-like eyes turned toward him. Why? He shrugged, answering the question in those eyes.

‘If I’m still alive then.’

Jeong Taeui was surprised that this man unexpectedly knew his complicated relationships, and also surprised that he didn’t seem to plan on surviving safely until old age amidst those dangerous connections.

But before that, Jeong Taeui, upon hearing those words, slightly wrinkled his lips and muttered to himself, ‘That’s not a very pleasant thing to hear.’

Ilay raised an eyebrow next to him, sending a gaze mixed with bewilderment and surprise, but Jeong Taeui pretended not to notice.

‘Why?’

A playful word flew out. Indeed, this guy still seemed underdeveloped in terms of humanization. He even seemed to enjoy the reaction.

He felt like grabbing him by the collar or cheek and shaking him, yelling, “How dare you say such things, what do you think of the people around you?” But considering the reality, Jeong Taeui decided to just quietly explain humanization to him.

‘People often misunderstand this, but a person’s life isn’t entirely their own. A life also belongs to the people close to them…’

Jeong Taeui, who had started to speak, suddenly fell silent. He had realized a terrifying truth while trying to explain.

He wasn’t sure if he fell into the category of “close people,” but the thought of sharing even a small part of Ilay’s life made his shoulders incredibly heavy. So heavy it felt like he would be crushed.

‘…Anyway, it’s a bit uncomfortable for others to hear you speak so lightly of your own life.’

Jeong Taeui muttered gruffly. As if understanding his unwillingness to elaborate further, Ilay merely raised an eyebrow. Then, he smiled subtly.

‘I don’t really care when I die, but I don’t know when someone will appear who can artificially cut off my breath.’

Upon hearing that, Jeong Taeui was reminded of the arduous journey ahead for the humanization project. However, he himself deeply sympathized with the statement, so he kept silent.

Ilay chuckled softly, as if something was amusing. He tossed the towel carelessly at his feet and asked,

‘So, is there anything you want to do?’

‘Hmm… My goal is to survive to the very end, with all my strength.’

Jeong Taeui answered sulkily, then regretted if it was too childish of a reply. But that was only for a moment, as the laughter next to him grew louder, and his regret vanished completely.

It was a mistake to even bring up the topic of future hopes with this man in the first place.

“…”

Jeong Taeui scratched his head, reflecting on his past self. As he was momentarily lost in old memories, he heard Kyle muttering.

“One book is missing… What is it? Ah, Gustav Benesch. Taei, did you take it by any chance?”

“Huh? Oh? —Ah. Benesch. Yes, it’s in my room. I’ll bring it right away.”

“Huh? No, no, I just asked because I didn’t see it. Give it to me after you’ve finished reading.”

“No, I finished reading it last night before bed. Now that I think of it, I’ll bring it now. Just a moment.”

Jeong Taeui waved his hand lightly and left the study.

He sighed as he descended the creaking wooden stairs.

At this moment, was that man perhaps wasting his life somewhere in a killing field? Though, as he himself said, who could possibly be capable of artificially cutting off that man’s breath?

“I don’t know where he’s holed up, but he can take care of himself.”

Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue in displeasure and muttered.

Black gloves and a black hat. A simple yet sophisticated uniform, predominantly black, but with distinctive features on the epaulets, pockets, and buttons. And a subtly shimmering silver badge on the collar.

It was a fresh observation, but it was a uniform that suited his uncle, who was sitting on the sofa in a lazy posture, quite unbefitting his neat attire, and immediately took off his hat and gloves.

He had seen it so many times while his uncle was with the organization that it bored him, yet he had never thought of it that way before—perhaps because the deeply rooted memory that he had never heard good news from his uncle when he appeared in that uniform until then—but looking closely with a detached mind…

“Uncle. You look like a handsome swallow that would appeal to guests with peculiar tastes.”

Jeong Taeui’s casual remark made his uncle’s hand, which was taking off his gloves, pause for a moment.

“Is that a compliment?”

“Of course. Perhaps because I haven’t seen you in a long time, the uniform looks incredibly dazzling. Even the buttons that seem to choke your neck look surprisingly good on you.”

As Jeong Taeui casually stated his impression, his uncle chuckled and unbuttoned three or four buttons.

It was certainly a cool uniform that suited his uncle, but when worn formally and impeccably, it made the viewer feel suffocated. Jeong Taeui exhaled as if the buttons that were choking his own neck had been loosened and asked,

“Why did you wear your uniform for such a long journey? You could’ve worn something more comfortable.”

“If I don’t assert my identity by dressing like this, who will give me a first-class ticket, a key to a luxury hotel room, transportation, and all other business trip expenses?”

This time, Jeong Taeui laughed.

Even after years apart, his uncle remained the same. Figures that remain unchanged over time sometimes bring comfort to the heart.

“Besides, I just came directly from the Berlin branch. I can’t just casually stroll into another branch in casual clothes for official business, can I?”

“UNHRDO still seems to have a lot of work, then.”

“Oh, yes, we’re having a joint exercise with the European branch soon. There were some changes in the rotation this time, so I went to discuss that as well.”

Jeong Taeui raised an eyebrow slightly and nodded, “Hmm.”

“A joint exercise with the European branch… That sounds tough. Is the atmosphere between the two branches still the same?”

“Of course, why would a traditional cat-and-dog relationship change? But it’s much more comfortable now that one uncontrollable lunatic is gone.”

Jeong Taeui was about to say, ‘You shouldn’t say that in front of someone who lives with that lunatic, Uncle,’ but he closed his mouth. Kyle, who was even a blood relative of that lunatic, appeared from the dining area, carrying a teacup himself.