Passion: Diaphonic Symphonia Novel - Chapter 33

—Are you angry that I would adorn your mother’s grave with a corpse? When you killed a wild dog and buried its body in Olivia’s grave?

“…”

Jeong Taeui sighed heavily.

Whatever the circumstances, or whatever madness possessed Christoph that led him to do such a thing, what good would it do to think about it?

“After Olivia died, there was a bit of a commotion — Christoph did something crazy — and Richard blew the issue out of proportion. So Christoph’s family, who had been living in the detached annex of the mansion, had to leave the mansion. Christoph, being a successor candidate at the time, was allowed to continue living in the West Wing.”

“That’s a bit unfair. The one who caused the problem stays, but his family gets kicked out.”

“His family was just his widowed mother, but… that’s what Richard was aiming for anyway. …Hey, hey, why are you poking my bishop?”

“Because if this wasn’t here, the knight could pass. Damn it, you really blocked my way well.”

“Ehehe, it’s a full-course meal~”

It was then.

Across from Johan, who was gleefully rubbing his hands while looking at the chessboard, from outside the open door behind Jeong Taeui, footsteps could be heard descending the stairs.

Since people came and went often, Jeong Taeui paid no mind and focused all his attention on the chessboard.

He had to capture that pawn before it became a queen, and the only piece that could capture it now was the bishop. But if he moved the bishop, the rook would immediately shout checkmate…

Jeong Taeui fell into thought. Then, a corner of his mind suddenly brought his brother to mind.

Here is the translation of the passage you provided, aiming to preserve the original writing style and emotions:

His older brother, when he was young, wasn’t very interested in the kind of entertainment children his age usually liked. So, the game console their father bought for him just gathered dust until it was eventually discarded.

However, his brother quite liked this type of game. He wasn’t someone who openly displayed strong likes or dislikes, but whenever Jeong Taeui took out a Janggi or Baduk board, he would somehow appear and sit across from him.

“It’s true, everyone plays so differently…”

When Jeong Taeui mumbled this, Johan, who had been silent for some reason, asked back, “Why?”

“Even when I played with my brother, I almost never won, but… it wasn’t like this. Rather than being so aggressive, he was someone who enjoyed it leisurely, like water flowing… Playing with my brother always brought me peace of mind.”

“That’s because a full-course meal wasn’t on the line.”

“…”

Here he was, finally reminiscing about his estranged brother, and that guy’s mouth…

Jeong Taeui glared at him with narrowed, axe-like eyes.

It was then.

“Hmm. Looks like a full-course meal is on the line.”

A voice tinged with laughter came from behind him.

Jeong Taeui had felt someone standing behind him, peering at the chessboard, but hadn’t paid any attention. Hearing that familiar voice, he instinctively spun his head around.

Richard was standing there. And, as expected, Ilay was with him.

Seeing the two of them scrutinizing the beleaguered chessboard in front of him, Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue sourly and scratched his head.

The two sat down in the empty seats at the table. Seeing them open the table drawer and take out cards, it seemed they had also come to pass the time.

“You always seem so busy in the afternoons, it’s surprising to see you relaxing here.”

Jeong Taeui felt he should offer some greeting and chose a neutral remark. He didn’t bother speaking to Ilay next to him. To be precise, he didn’t speak to Riegrow.

Riegrow. And Kim Youngsoo.

Everything has a reason. Come to think of it, Jeong Taeui didn’t even know why he was impersonating Kim Youngsoo. Even though it was the name he was using. Christoph had dismissed it by saying the name was unlucky…

“Ah. Today, the Elder is coming to West Wing for dinner, so I returned early. We mustn’t get caught in traffic and be late for the Elder.”

“Hmm?”

“The Elder dines at West Wing once a month. So on that day, everyone avoids making appointments. …Even so, you can just think of it as accompanying an elderly person for a meal.”

Richard explained calmly with a smile.

Nodding his head, thinking, ‘The Elder I’ve only heard about,’ Jeong Taeui looked at Johan and asked,

“Can I join that meal?”

“Ah, no problem, no problem. Richard just said it, didn’t he? It’s just accompanying an old man for a meal. Well, if you’re a succession candidate, it might be different, but for those who aren’t, it’s just about showing respect to the elderly.”

Johan shrugged. It could have sounded like a taunt directed at Richard, a succession candidate, but Richard didn’t seem to mind at all. Johan also didn’t seem to have any ill will.

While Richard shuffled cards next to Jeong Taeui, Ilay, who had been sitting with his arms crossed in the seat opposite him—next to Johan—and staring at the chessboard, suddenly spoke.

“From the looks of it, Johan will be getting the full-course meal.”

That indifferent, cold voice sounded to Jeong Taeui, who was glaring at the chessboard, like, ‘Why are you playing a game you’re going to lose, you idiot?’ Indeed, Ilay seemed to harbor some of that meaning, as he showed a sneer in his eyes when Jeong Taeui glanced at him.

“Well… regardless of win or loss, games are fun.”

Jeong Taeui, who had been feeling heartburn over the full-course meal moments ago—and still was, in fact—mumbled nonchalantly.

“I don’t quite understand the mindset of starting a game that’s clearly going to be lost, calling it fun.”

At Ilay’s scoffing remark, Jeong Taeui, who had been pretending to be composed, snapped.

If this guy wants to pretend not to know, why doesn’t he just do it? Why keep provoking him?

“I find the defeatism of thinking you’ll lose without even trying to be harder to understand.”

Jeong Taeui spoke as if unfazed, but glared at Ilay with his eyes. Ilay cupped his chin and slowly rubbed his lips with his fingers, staring intently at Jeong Taeui. As if he didn’t quite understand what he meant by those words.

Next to their fierce gazes meeting in the air, Richard, who had finished shuffling the cards, cut them and smiled calmly.

“Your challenging spirit is admirable, but making a wager with a grandmaster chess player isn’t a good deal.”

“Huh?”

Jeong Taeui stared blankly at Richard for a moment. Richard looked back at him with a puzzled expression, as if he didn’t understand why Jeong Taeui was looking at him that way.

Next to him, Ilay, as if understanding the meaning of those gazes, quietly mumbled,

“Johan. Did you trick him again?”

Jeong Taeui, who had been blinking his eyes while quietly watching Ilay speak dispassionately as if it were none of his business, suddenly had a light bulb go off in his head the very next moment. He spun his axe-like glare towards Johan sitting opposite him.

“Trick? What are you talking about… I just didn’t say anything. I just saw the chessboard and asked if he wanted a game of chess. It wouldn’t be fun playing for nothing, so I just suggested a small wager.”

Johan spoke with extreme composure. However, his mind didn’t seem as composed as his tone, as a hint of “Damn it, I was almost there” flickered clearly in his uneasy eyes.

“Johan. Are you a chess grandmaster?”

Jeong Taeui asked softly in a low voice. It was a voice tinged with admiration, as if saying, ‘Wow, that’s amazing.’

“Uh… well. It’s common these days, isn’t it? I heard there are over a thousand now. It’s nothing special. Just an average level, really.”

Johan’s answer was humble. There was a peculiar emphasis in his voice as he stressed that it was nothing.

Jeong Taeui looked at him and laughed.

Come to think of it, Alta, who taught him that only the first time overturning a table is difficult, also taught him this:

—Once you overturn one dining table, overturning another is no problem.

“I never dreamed that I would put that lesson to such good use when I heard it back then…”

Jeong Taeui mumbled sourly. And as soon as he finished speaking, he gripped the edge of the table.

“Huk,” a short gasp seemed to escape from the seat opposite.

Jeong Taeui, with the same calm smile on his face, abruptly lifted his hands.

The moment he entered the dining hall, Jeong Taeui momentarily thought he had come to the wrong place. This was not where he usually sat down to eat.

Never before had Jeong Taeui seen so many people sitting in this dining hall.

The dining hall, which had space for about twenty people, usually had no more than ten to thirteen people at most. In the mornings or at lunchtime, it was much emptier, sometimes he even ate alone, and in the evenings, it usually didn’t exceed ten people.

However, now all twenty seats were occupied.

If Johan, who had been hit by the chessboard Jeong Taeui had overturned earlier and kept grumbling, “I didn’t trick him, I just didn’t say anything,” hadn’t secured Jeong Taeui’s seat in advance, he would have gone hungry.

“The Elder is incredibly popular.”

Jeong Taeui, entering the dining hall with an atmosphere so solemn it felt like he shouldn’t even breathe loudly, mumbled to Johan as he sat down. Johan nodded in agreement.

“He’s the most popular person in Tarten. Wherever he goes, people gather like clouds, and the path he walks parts like the Red Sea.”

“…By the way, I haven’t asked, what do you do for a living?”

Jeong Taeui looked at him with a deadpan expression, thinking it must definitely be something related to his mouth. At this, Johan, somehow interpreting it differently, began to talk about professions that would make him 100% popular with women. Of course, that 100% was for three specific women.

Jeong Taeui ignored him and sat down, looking around the dining hall.

There were no empty spots along the sides of the tables.

Even Richard and Christoph, seated opposite him, had arrived first and were already sitting. They were dressed in neat suits.

Only two seats remained empty.

One spacious seat arranged at the very front of the table, and another seat placed next to it, separated by a corner.

The spacious seat would be for the Elder, and the seat next to it… perhaps for a secretary. Or the second-in-command of the family.

“Wow… this is the first time the atmosphere of this house seems so reverent. It has its disciplined aspects, I guess.”

Jeong Taeui mumbled with admiration.

At this, Johan, who was still chattering about professions popular with women, scratched his neck. Even if Jeong Taeui was an outsider, it was Johan who stood out, dressed in a rough knit sweater and cotton pants, while everyone else wore suits or similarly neat attire.

“Of course, he’s a person worthy of it. He’s an epoch-making figure who virtually led Tarten’s rapid growth. He possesses judgment, decisiveness, and execution… …It wouldn’t make much sense to an outsider. Just think of him as the person who made Tarten the huge kingdom it is today.”

Jeong Taeui hummed and nodded.

If Johan, who was an interesting friend but somewhat twisted and rebellious, praised him to such an extent, he must indeed be an extraordinary person.

Indeed, anyone capable of standing at the apex of a family of this stature and leading it in a progressive direction must certainly be a remarkable individual.

“Well, he’s pretty much retired from the front lines now, but one should respect the elderly.”

Johan concluded his story with a slightly off-point remark.

Tarten, huh.

This family, which had branched off from T&R, had chosen the information business as their family trade, he’d heard. A private intelligence agency operated in a manner close to kinship management.

If Kyle could assert that it was a trustworthy and substantial organization, it must certainly be of a considerable level.

But he had vaguely heard that they were in debt. And a considerable amount, he estimated.

Jeong Taeui tilted his head.

He thought they had taken out a loan, but even a private loan isn’t that easy to secure. Nevertheless, if they managed to get a loan, they would need some kind of public-facing business entity, yet it was a private intelligence agency. …Could it be linked to public intelligence agencies?

“But before that, if they were in a situation requiring such a massive amount of money…”

Jeong Taeui picked up his fork and mumbled to himself.

As he poked a tomato on his salad plate, he suddenly felt eyes on him and looked up, sensing the cold stares from around him. It was a look that said, ‘The Elder hasn’t even arrived yet, and you’re picking up your fork already?’

Jeong Taeui quietly put his fork back down. Right, he thought, it’s true, you shouldn’t pick up your utensils first when dining with elders, of course.

He picked up the water glass in front of him, wet his lips, and looked around. In front, he saw Christoph and Richard sitting on either side of the empty seat.

Just yesterday, Oliver had been injured, causing a commotion. That is, a full day ago, they had faced off so fiercely that anyone witnessing it would have turned pale. Jeong Taeui had even almost had to risk his life between them.

However, now they sat quietly in their places as if nothing had ever happened. When their gazes occasionally met by chance, their eyes were utterly desolate, yet they didn’t deliberately engage in a staring contest; they simply remained seated.

“The atmosphere yesterday felt like it could beat up a few people, so I thought Round 2 would start in the dining hall today.”

Jeong Taeui mumbled, patting his chest where his heart thumped with a mixture of relief and anxiety.

“They can’t fight in front of the Elder.”

Johan retorted immediately, as if stating the obvious.

Indeed, he seemed to be a person who commanded absolute reverence.

But seeing Christoph, whom he thought would be equally arrogant to everyone, sitting so politely, felt strangely peculiar.

However, seeing Christoph sitting quietly, unlike his usual self, made him look like a beautiful and benevolent young man, forming a picture in itself.

If only that guy were a little more normal, he could have lived a very fulfilling and rewarding life.

Regretting something that couldn’t be helped, Jeong Taeui shook his head.

It was then.

The door opened, and an old man and a young man entered together. The polite young man, who was a respectful half-step ahead, opening the door and pulling out a chair at the table as if assisting the old man, was, for a moment, to Jeong Taeui’s disbelieving eyes, Ilay Riegrow.

Ilay, impeccably dressed today to look even more like a crooked lawyer, was whispering something to the old man. The old man laughed and echoed his words.

“…Why is that man, who’s not even the protagonist, entering last with the protagonist?”

Jeong Taeui mumbled disapprovingly. Again, Johan kindly answered him.

“He’s a distinguished guest. No matter how senior the Elder is, you can’t make a guest of the house sit down at the table like a subordinate in advance.”

Jeong Taeui silently nodded, understanding Johan’s sentiment when he pointedly added, ‘Just so you know, calling him a distinguished guest is not my opinion, but just a general consensus.’ Then he turned his head again.

Finally, the Elder sat down, and Ilay took the seat next to him, the one Jeong Taeui had assumed was for a secretary. Only then were all the seats in the dining hall filled.

Jeong Taeui looked at the Elder, whom he had only heard about until now but was seeing for the first time in person. He carefully observed the old man who seemed ordinary at first glance.

His age was difficult to guess at a glance. He only thought he was somewhere between sixty and seventy, a fairly wide range.

His build was slightly smaller than average, and his gently smiling face seemed no different from any other elderly person walking on the street.

However, his distinct presence and gravitas were in no way inferior to the young men standing next to him, supporting him.

“Looks like everyone waited for me. Please, eat.”

Without any grand greetings, the old man gestured to them and said that before picking up his own fork and bringing vegetables to his mouth. Soon, the meal began.