Passion: Diaphonic Symphonia Novel - Chapter 36

Kyle had said Tarten was trustworthy and solid, making him vaguely assume it was a well-run organization, but it seemed to have had surprisingly large debts. It’s true that managing funds is the most crucial part of any business.

He didn’t know if it was always like this when dining with the Elder, but the Elder was speaking to each person at the table in turn. Seeing him go clockwise from the left, it seemed that was the usual custom.

He had expected the head of the family to be a more stern and fearsome person, but seeing him conversing with young men who were the age of his grandsons, he seemed like a gentle and caring grandfather. He thought he was called a great-uncle, so there must indeed be a significant generational gap.

Jeong Taeui’s gaze shifted to Christoph, who was next to the Elder. If the conversations proceeded in that order, Christoph, who would probably be the last to speak with the Elder, was still quietly concentrating on his meal with his head bowed.

Looking at him like this, he truly seemed like a beautiful and polite young man. If he were always like that, his life would have been so much easier.

Pitying him for 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 young man, who politely opened the door and pulled out a chair at the table, assisting the old man by walking half a step ahead, was, for a moment, to Jeong Taeui’s disbelieving eyes, Ilay Riegrow.

Ilay, even more impeccably dressed today to resemble a wicked lawyer, was whispering something to the old man. The old man laughed and concurred with 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 an honored 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 an honored 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.

As Johan had said, it was merely an atmosphere of comfortably eating with an elder. There was no stiff or awkward feeling. Such feelings only existed among a few men who wore uncomfortable suits and spoke very little.

“He just looks like an ordinary old man.”

Johan, who was already enthusiastically shoveling food into his mouth, shrugged when Jeong Taeui spoke.

“Who else looks extraordinary just by looking? Everyone is either surprising or not surprising once you get to know them.”

“Someone who doesn’t look ordinary just by looking…”

“Ah. There is one, I suppose.”

Johan spoke casually and continued to devour his food.

Jeong Taeui transferred unusual dishes like grilled mushrooms onto Johan’s plate—it was the first time he’d developed a food trauma—and then furtively looked at the person who didn’t look ordinary at first glance.

Christoph was eating quietly. Next to the old man, without a word, just like during other meals, he simply ate. However, his appearance, silently concentrating only on eating without once raising his head, was somehow different from usual.

“I think this is the first time I’ve seen Christoph sitting so meekly.”

Jeong Taeui mumbled, tinged with admiration.

Christoph sat there literally like a docile lamb. At a glance, he didn’t even make eye contact, like someone who was scared of something.

“He’s one of only two people Christoph treats gently.”

“Really? Who’s the other one?”

“His mother.”

Johan spoke clearly even while engrossed in eating. Hearing him speak so distinctly with food in his mouth, Jeong Taeui reaffirmed his thought that this guy truly had to make a living with his mouth.

Jeong Taeui looked admiringly at Johan, who was devouring food at an exceptionally fast pace, then served his own portion.

“So, you’ve been having dinner at West Wing these days. Isn’t it difficult?”

Suddenly, the old man’s voice was heard.

Unlike other times, people spoke in quiet voices, so the voice of the person sitting far away could be heard clearly.

The kind voice, as if speaking to a young grandson, was directed at Ilay, who was sitting next to him.

Ilay, who was picking up an appetizer, smiled and shook his head.

“What’s difficult? We haven’t all met in a long time, so it’s a chance to rest and socialize. Everyone treats me well.”

Thud.

Jeong Taeui dropped his fork.

He felt as if he had just heard something unbelievable. Or rather, an unbelievable tone of voice.

Jeong Taeui stared at Ilay with eyes close to horror.

Ilay, who always looked like a sophisticated young gentleman since he arrived here, was chatting amiably with the old man as if they were a close grandfather-grandson pair.

“Hey… does the Elder believe that…?”

“Rick, you know, he was swinging an axe before he was even ten years old. No one outside doesn’t know his temper, so how could someone inside—especially someone in a position where all information comes in—not know?”

“But he’s lying so nonchalantly?!”

“Why? There’s no lie in the words themselves, is there? Is he having a hard time? Is there anyone who doesn’t treat him well? It’s also true that everyone hasn’t met in a long time. No part of it is a lie.”

“Intentionally concealing facts is also considered a lie!”

Jeong Taeui glared at the grandmaster who had intentionally concealed facts. He was munching on some cooked vegetables, pretending not to notice.

Jeong Taeui once again poked his plate, looking at Ilay with an expression mixed with horror and sullenness.

Come to think of it, Tarten and Riegrow were said to be close enough that people from each family visited each other during family events. They were said to be as close as distant relatives.

Viewed that way, for him to act outrageously even towards this Elder would be akin to impiety. Although he had heard that this guy had pointed a gun at his brother, he hadn’t heard of him doing so to his parents, so he seemed to maintain at least—truly, at least—a minimal sense of humanity.

Jeong Taeui instinctively let out a sigh of relief. Realizing it immediately afterwards, he momentarily despaired at the reality of having to confirm his meager humanity in such a way.

“So, what do you think? Do you see anyone with the potential to inherit Tarten?”

The old man smiled and continued speaking to Ilay.

At that moment, a sudden tension filled the room.

Although Ilay’s opinion might not hold much weight and was not a big deal, there was something about the Elder’s words that couldn’t be easily dismissed.

Jeong Taeui soon sensed the tension and scratched his cheek. Were they really that competitive?

“But you said there are a few succession candidates. Who are they besides Richard?”

“Huh? Ah. Let me see, Fritz and who was it again, Max? Anyway, there are a couple more, but you don’t need to worry about them. They’re called ‘a few,’ but practically speaking, there’s no one else capable of inheriting besides Richard. No, those two are smart too, but Richard is such an overwhelmingly skillful individual that they’ve hardly had a chance to stand out.”

“Then the competition itself isn’t even established. Why is the atmosphere like this?”

“Hmm—I don’t think it’s very likely, but there are variables. The remaining guys could team up, or there’s still a chance for a final outburst right before the succession…”

“A chance for a final outburst? What’s that?”

“Ah, that’s because soon—”

Johan, who had been speaking up to that point, suddenly choked and clutched his throat as if the food he had almost completely shoveled into his mouth had gotten stuck. Jeong Taeui wanted to leave him be, but it looked like he’d witness something disgusting in a few seconds, so he quickly handed him a tissue and a water glass.

However, it was a bit late. Johan coughed before he could even cover his mouth with the tissue. Jeong Taeui quickly leaned to the side and avoided being hit, but the young man sitting opposite suffered.

“…You really are something else…”

Jeong Taeui shook his head and pulled his plate closer to him. This was a preemptive defense, just in case he suffered any more damage from Johan.

“Richard, you met with McCarthy recently, didn’t you?”

The old man now spoke to Richard.

Richard smiled calmly and replied,

“Yes, he happened to be coming to Berlin, so I met him. He’s still with M15, he said.”

“Hmm, I see… Is that side running smoothly these days?”

“He said there were generally no problems. Only, a while ago, they had some friction with the Mukhabarat over counter-intelligence issues, quietly. Shin Bet seems to have been involved too, but I haven’t heard that far, so I’m looking into it.”

“I see,” the old man nodded slowly.

Jeong Taeui was lost in thought for a moment. He was increasingly unable to understand the atmosphere of this family.

If he had heard correctly, at least three national security or counter-intelligence agencies were involved. Although what was said might make it seem like a minor matter, it certainly didn’t seem like a pleasant topic for a family meal.

Jeong Taeui needlessly glared at the innocent Johan. Johan, wiping his mouth with a tissue, looked at Jeong Taeui with a ‘Why are you glaring at me?’ expression.

“It’s really hard to get used to the family atmosphere here.”

“Oh, is it? It’s hard for me too. Most of all, girls are so rare in our family. If only there were more sisters, the family atmosphere would surely brighten up, but it’s just full of boys.”

He wanted to pinch Johan’s mouth, who was insisting that it was strange that the ratio of women in the same generation was less than 20%, but he refrained, fearing another unsightly scene.

Jeong Taeui silently ate the food on his plate. It would be better to finish quickly and just leave. This atmosphere isn’t very comfortable either.

“Though I don’t like him, Richard is certainly a formidable individual. The Elder established Tarten’s foundation, but Richard is the unsung hero who quickly and robustly recovered its financially unstable base. That guy is a natural-born businessman. He’s adept at deals and negotiations.”

Johan swallowed the food in his mouth with water and said.

“I heard Tarten is a solid organization.”

“Hmm, but it’s been a bit tough for decades. The Elder took a big gamble. It turned out to be an excellent choice in hindsight, but financial strain is mentally taxing after all.”

“…Hmm?”

“The miraculous feat of reducing the debt ratio by more than half in a short period is almost entirely Richard’s achievement. Considering that, there’s little chance anyone else will succeed him besides him.”

Johan, still seemingly not full, glanced at Jeong Taeui’s plate and chattered, made Jeong Taeui just hand him the entire plate. He wondered where all that food went as he squinted at Johan’s scrawny physique.

Kyle had said Tarten was trustworthy and solid, making him vaguely assume it was a well-run organization, but it seemed to have had surprisingly large debts. It’s true that managing funds is the most crucial part of any business.

He didn’t know if it was always like this when dining with the Elder, but the Elder was speaking to each person at the table in turn. Seeing him go clockwise from the left, it seemed that was the usual custom.

He had expected the head of the family to be a more stern and fearsome person, but seeing him conversing with young men who were the age of his grandsons, he seemed like a gentle and caring grandfather. He thought he was called a great-uncle, so there must indeed be a significant generational gap.

Jeong Taeui’s gaze shifted to Christoph, who was next to the Elder. If the conversations proceeded in that order, Christoph, who would probably be the last to speak with the Elder, was still quietly concentrating on his meal with his head bowed.

Looking at him like this, he truly seemed like a beautiful and polite young man. If he were always like that, his life would have been so much easier.

Pitying him for something that couldn’t be helped, Jeong Taeui shook his head.

It was then.

Christoph suddenly raised his head. Mid-conversation, he briefly looked at the Elder. Then he bowed his head again. The corners of his lips faintly twitched. His eyes curved.

Ah. He was smiling.

Jeong Taeui watched him with a strange feeling.

Christoph rarely smiled. He had never seen a ‘smile’ from him, literally.

Even when there was reason to smile, his mouth or eyes would barely curve, as if he wasn’t smiling. But his unique coolness and detached feeling would disappear from his expression, making it clear.

“The Elder is a good person.”

Jeong Taeui inadvertently blurted out.

Christoph liked that old man. Perhaps it was closer to admiration or respect, but he clearly had affection for that old man. It was a pity it wasn’t more apparent.

Johan, who had already half-emptied the plate Jeong Taeui gave him, tilted his head, “Huh? Well, of course.”

“Everyone likes the Elder. He’s also a respectable person. But there’s only one Elder, and he’s so busy that he can’t pay attention to everyone individually. He just occasionally makes time like this.”

“He’s not someone you can easily see,” Johan boasted unnecessarily.

“I see,” Jeong Taeui nodded. Then he looked at Christoph again. Like a shy boy sitting next to his admired hero, Christoph sat there.

Jeong Taeui chuckled.

He had never seen him like this before—and it was still surprisingly unbelievable—but it wasn’t bad.

“I heard Christoph was also a succession candidate originally.”

“Hmm? Hmm.”

“It might have been better if he hadn’t quit midway. He could have met the Elder more often, couldn’t he?”

Since Christoph so rarely liked someone, it would have been good if he could have met the Elder more often.

As Jeong Taeui said regretfully, Johan, with his mouth full of food, mumbled,

“Well… Christoph was certainly exceptional enough to compete equally with Richard back then, but even if he had stayed until the end, he probably wouldn’t have been chosen as the successor.”

“…Because he’s violent and crazy?”

“While ability is most important, personality shouldn’t be ignored when becoming the leader of a group.”

‘No, if you’re talking about personality, Richard also seems to have a surprisingly twisted side to him…’ Jeong Taeui thought, but he decided not to say it aloud and kept his mouth shut. It was a side of him he rarely saw, so he felt there was no need to speak ill of it. After all, he was, on average, a pretty excellent person, wasn’t he?

“Yes, personality is certainly important. And Christoph’s personality is indeed somewhat lacking.”

Jeong Taeui nodded, openly speaking ill of Christoph. Though he didn’t dislike that guy, he knew well that his personality was severely lacking.

However, Johan’s reply, after a brief pause, was slightly different from what Jeong Taeui intended.

“Rather than a personality issue, it’s more like… his mind is a bit off, isn’t it?”

Jeong Taeui flinched at the incredibly blunt tone.

He couldn’t possibly say that was a lie, but to so nonchalantly say ‘That guy’s crazy,’ truly, this guy also has an extraordinary mental world.

“That guy’s a lost cause. From my perspective, he’s already doomed to not live well.”

Jeong Taeui frowned at Johan’s casual words as he emptied his plate.

The way he spoke, casually dissecting the happiness and misfortune of another’s life, made him uncomfortable.

He knew how Christoph was perceived by others and understood the reasons, but hearing such blatant remarks still made him feel uneasy.

“I know you don’t like Christoph, but there’s no need to speak so harshly.”

It seemed that Jeong Taeui’s discomfort was apparent in his words.

Johan, glancing at Jeong Taeui, mumbled food silently for a moment, then swallowed, and only then, as if he had finished eating, took a napkin and wiped his mouth. Then he looked straight at Jeong Taeui. With eyes that, as always, were not cold, but maintained a certain detachment.

“I don’t know what you think, but I don’t dislike Christoph. Although seeing him occasionally have episodes and try to slaughter people makes me not want to get close to him, or be friends with him, still, separately from that, I don’t dislike him. If I had to choose, I’d say I like him rather than dislike him—but that’s only ‘if I had to choose,’ I don’t particularly like him—. And while I greatly enjoy gossiping about others, I’m not so twisted as to speak ill of someone I don’t even dislike.”

Johan said, wrinkling his face. He didn’t seem offended by Jeong Taeui’s words. His tone was as light and cheerful as ever.