Passion: Diaphonic Symphonia Novel - Chapter 4

His uncle, who had quickly devoured an apple, placed the apple core in the empty teacup—Rita’s glaring face flashed before his eyes—and stretched comfortably with a pleasant sigh.

“Ah, well then, I should shower before dinner. I need to eat and rest leisurely. I have to leave early tomorrow too. Kyle, I’ll use the guest room I used before, right?”

Seeing his uncle’s refreshing smile as he patted the shoulder of his friend, who seemed half out of his mind, Jeong Taeui was speechless and just gnawed on his apple. Then, intending to help his gracious landlord, who had treated his freeloading self well for several years without any hint of displeasure, he subtly chided his uncle.

“You’re enjoying this too much, Uncle.”

His uncle slightly raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

“Not at all. Am I not a grateful neighbor who brought the latest information faster than anyone else so that my friend could prevent misfortune?”

“Your current words don’t imply ‘not enjoying it’ at all.”

“Exactly, exactly,” Kyle muttered, giving his uncle a chilling gaze. The resentment seemed to have temporarily shifted.

“Oh, come on… You don’t understand my deep intention of conveying preparedness.”

His uncle clicked his tongue. He even furrowed his brow, feigning disappointment.

But just as Kyle’s resentment had somewhat misdirected itself towards his uncle, his uncle’s resentful gaze also flew to Jeong Taeui.

For a fleeting moment, Jeong Taeui regretted it, but he pretended not to notice, blinking and looking at his uncle. His uncle looked back at Jeong Taeui, lost in thought for a moment, but then smiled nonchalantly.

“It’s regrettable that my attitude caused a misunderstanding. But please, Kyle, guard your precious books well. If they fall into Christine’s hands, they’ll never return… Now then, shall I shower and then go eat Rita’s cooking?”

His uncle readily stood up and walked towards the bedroom—the guest room.

Jeong Taeui, who had briefly steeled himself and waited for further words under his uncle’s gaze, quietly sighed as he watched his uncle walk away as if nothing had happened. “I guess my courage has shrunk living so peacefully these days,” he thought, patting his chest.

“Oh, right. Come to think of it, Taeui.”

But just then, his uncle, who had been walking lightly towards the bedroom, suddenly stopped as if remembering something and turned to Jeong Taeui.

Jeong Taeui stopped the hand that had been patting his chest and looked at his uncle, raising an eyebrow in bewilderment.

His uncle’s lips curled slightly, and his eyes crinkled in a smile. Somehow, seeing that smile made his heart darken. A clear feeling of something ominous lurking behind it strongly emerged.

“Your German has become quite fluent.”

“…? Well, since I’m living here, I have no choice but to get used to it, whether I like it or not.”

“Learning a language is very useful. Rick seems to be learning Korean too, so it’ll be convenient if you teach each other.”

“Huh?”

Jeong Taeui involuntarily let out a strange sound.

Ilay learning Korean? This was news to him. He had never seen Ilay look at anything related to Korea, let alone study Korean. Surely he hadn’t had the commendable—and highly inefficient—thought of speaking Korean to make Jeong Taeui comfortable.

“No way.”

When Jeong Taeui flatly denied it, his uncle shook his head. The increasingly deep smile in his eyes somehow felt very suspicious.

“I had a call with Rick the other day. And just before hanging up, he suddenly asked me, as if it just occurred to him, ‘What does Mang-Hal-Nom mean?’ His pronunciation was very accurate too.”

“Ha? Mang…, …?!”

Jeong Taeui stared blankly at his uncle.

For a moment, he didn’t understand what he was saying, and then a sudden, jarring pain shot through his blank mind. At the same time, an ominous premonition swept over him like a typhoon.

There was no reason for Ilay to be curious about Korean. No, before that, there was no place where he could have encountered Korean, except for Jeong Taeui.

And Jeong Taeui, as far as he rationally remembered, had never sworn at him to his face, whether in Korean, German, or English. He wasn’t that bold.

Moreover, for some time now, he had only occasionally muttered Korean to himself or in similar situations. Now, he even occasionally dreamed in English, to the point where he sometimes found himself muttering to himself in English after waking up.

That is, situations where Jeong Taeui might involuntarily mutter Korean curses in a state of near-unconsciousness, and especially situations where Ilay would be present to hear those words, were very limited.

Such a situation immediately came to Jeong Taeui’s mind—

“…So… what did you say…?”

Jeong Taeui muttered, his face completely drained of color. His vision was dizzy, as if a sudden bout of anemia had struck, and he felt as if he had suddenly contracted a fatal illness.

Even though he must have seen his nephew’s ashen complexion, his uncle smiled smoothly, without any concern for his well-being, and replied,

“I softened it, telling him it means he needs to work harder because he’s not good enough to be praised yet.”

His uncle’s concluding remark, “It’s a bit awkward to tell him outright that it’s a swear word, isn’t it?” didn’t even register.

His vision went black. He really must have contracted a fatal illness. It was the first time he felt relieved by that fact.

His uncle turned away cheerfully and walked lightly towards the bedroom, and Jeong Taeui, barely propped up on the sofa, felt an immense murderous intent from his light footsteps, but his body was drained of blood and strength, leaving him unable to move at all.

The thought that he and Kyle, who was sitting blankly with a pale face right in front of him, probably had the same expression, briefly crossed his mind.

News was playing on the radio, which was left on.

Jeong Taeui, wiping his hair with a towel as he came out of the shower, clicked his tongue briefly upon hearing news of conflict between Lebanon and Israel.

It was a region where conflict never ceased, but lately, such news had been heard much more often. Now, minor disputes hardly even caught his attention.

Even within that region, some places were particularly prone to conflict, while others were oddly stable. Troubled spots always seemed to get more troubled.

…Indeed, there was one person who suddenly threw a stone into a peaceful country. He didn’t know where he was or what he was doing now.

“Surely he’s not rampaging over there, is he…”

Jeong Taeui muttered, glaring at the radio.

However, after a moment’s thought, he concluded that it was unlikely and flopped onto the sofa. Water droplets splattered from his half-dried hair.

He could understand such news without much trouble, which, though surprising, meant his German had indeed improved.

So now, should he tell Kyle, Rita, and others who unnecessarily spoke English for his sake, that they didn’t have to anymore? …But Rita seemed particular about grammar, so for now, he’d just pretend not to know.

Jeong Taeui nodded to himself.

With the ten o’clock chime, the news ended, and a music program began.

Jeong Taeui put down the towel and closed his eyes, not bothering to wipe the water droplets rolling down his neck, and quietly listened to the music. It seemed to be a choral special today, with choral pieces playing one after another.

The harmonious voices of people were more lovely than any instrument.

Jeong Taeui exhaled comfortably and opened his eyes.

That was when it happened. The faint sound of a phone rang.

“…?”

Jeong Taeui turned his head. The barely audible, indistinct phone ring was coming from Ilay’s room, through the wall.

There was indeed a phone in that room. But it never rang, almost as if it were just an ornament. Most of the few people who contacted Ilay used cell phones.

It was quite rare, but unfortunately, the owner of the phone was absent. For two months now. And there was no telling when he would return.

The phone stopped ringing. But before Jeong Taeui could turn his head back, it rang again.

It was a faint, small sound, easily ignorable, but Jeong Taeui thought for a moment and then stood up.

It was strange that someone would persistently call a person who had been absent for so long, and partly, it was also just a whim.

He hesitated for a moment before opening the door to the unoccupied room, but seeing the blinking phone lamp through the slightly open door, he stepped inside. There was no need to turn on the light, so Jeong Taeui, entering the dimly lit room, confirmed the unfamiliar number on the screen and picked up the receiver.

“Hello?”

‘Yes, I knew you’d answer.’

“…”

Jeong Taeui stared intently at the face reflected on the screen.

The owner of the room was there.

He seemed to be in some room, perhaps leaning against a bed, and behind Ilay, a large oil painting decorated the wall.

“Hey… long time no see.”

‘You seem to be doing well. Your face looks quite lively.’

“Thanks to you.”

He answered, omitting a few words from “Thanks to your absence.” But Ilay, understanding the omission perfectly, chuckled.

“Why did you call this number, to a room where no one’s around to answer?”

‘I thought you’d answer. The phone would ring, after all.’

“Then why didn’t you just call me directly?”

‘That’s not a video call, so I can’t talk while seeing you.’

“…”

Jeong Taeui stared intently at the face on the screen again. He wondered if it wasn’t the person he knew. But the face that chuckled at him was undeniably familiar.

“Why? Is there some document or item you need to check via video?”

‘Ah. I wanted to see if you were doing well. Wondered if you’d gone somewhere, thinking this was your chance… Were you showering? Your clothes are wet.’

“Where would I go?”

Jeong Taeui grumbled softly, touching his neck and shoulders. Quite a bit of water dripped from his un-dried hair.

“What’s up?”

‘Sit.’

Ilay gestured towards a chair with his head. Jeong Taeui looked at Ilay suspiciously, then silently sat down. Why was he doing things he hadn’t done in two months, just to call?

“News just came on that Lebanon is noisy, so I wondered if you were there, but it seems not.”

As Jeong Taeui muttered, looking at the expensive-looking decorations in Ilay’s background, he just smiled faintly without answering.

“…Where are you?”

‘South of Berlin… Hmm. Is it cold there?’

Jeong Taeui frowned at the unexpected question.

There was no way this guy had been gone for a couple of months and forgotten the weather here.

“There’s no way it’s cold here this season.”

‘Really? Your nipples are standing, so I thought there’d been a climate change.’

“…”

Jeong Taeui glared awkwardly at the screen. He had just finished showering and was exposed to the air conditioner, so his body was a bit tense, but even if it was meant innocently, why did such words from his mouth never sound casual?

“The air conditioning must be too good, then. Is it subtropical where you are?”

Jeong Taeui grumbled sulkily, rubbing his chest.

‘Subtropical, you say. Do you think I came for a vacation alone? Why are you rubbing it over your clothes when you could just take them off for my eyes to feast on? Why are you suddenly shy, as if I haven’t seen your nipples countless times before?’

“You, after calling after so long, all you can say is—… Ugh… Fine, look, then.”

What good would a man’s nipples do for his eyes? Jeong Taeui grumbled, then impulsively stripped off his T-shirt. It was nothing new anymore.

“Okay, what is it? Why did you call?”

This was a man who hadn’t contacted him once in two months. And now he suddenly calls, talking about nipples?

‘Well. I just decided to make a long overdue check-in call.’

“Don’t lie.”

He had heard many strange things these past few days. The combination of “Ilay” and “childhood friend” that his uncle had told him recently was certainly peculiar, and now “Ilay” and “check-in call.”

‘To be so blunt is too harsh… Move your arm away. It’s blocking the view for my eyes.’

“…Anyway, it seems like I’m only hearing strange things these days. Perhaps I’m the one who needs a pick-me-up.”

‘Hah, strange things, you say. Why, did someone talk nonsense?’

“No, I recently heard that you have a childhood friend.”

‘Ah… Who told you that?’

It was very slight. Very faint. So subtle that it was hard to notice, but Ilay’s voice slowed down.

Ah… this was it. The reason for his sudden call.

For some reason, this was the story Ilay wanted to hear.

Jeong Taeui was silent for a moment. And then he realized. Ilay also noticed that Jeong Taeui had caught on. His eyes narrowed.

“What are you curious about?”

‘I wasn’t particularly curious, just making a check-in call… but now I might get curious. So, who told you I have a childhood friend? My brother? …Move that arm away, I said.’

Jeong Taeui mumbled and moved his arm, thinking he’d like to rip out Ilay’s mouth for adding, ‘It would be better if you took off your pants too.’

“Uncle came and went. While talking with Kyle, he mentioned someone named Christina. He said she’s your childhood friend and colleague.”

‘Hah… He came and went? You must have had a pleasant time meeting family after so long. So, is he doing well?’

“Ah, yes, he’s doing well. He said there’s a joint exercise with the European branch soon, and it’s much more comfortable now that the lunatic isn’t there.”

It was good that he wasn’t in front of him, so his unfiltered thoughts could come out freely. But now, Ilay didn’t seem to even flinch at Jeong Taeui’s words.

‘Haha, that’s something to celebrate, indeed. Are the others doing well too?’

At that, Jeong Taeui again fell silent. And he stared intently at Ilay. Ilay was smiling subtly, his eyes narrowed.

“…What are you curious about? Just tell me clearly. Don’t ask something that doesn’t suit you.”

‘Hmm, I wonder what it is.’

Ilay said vaguely, tilting his head. Click, crack, the sound of bones cracking came through the phone.

‘More importantly, Taei. How is it to be alone at home for two months? Aren’t you bored? Is your body stiff? Mine feels heavy today.’

At the words ‘today feels heavy,’ Jeong Taeui saw something he shouldn’t have.

Ilay, who seemed to be leaning against the bed, began to stroke the boxer shorts he wore instead of pajamas, and then suddenly pulled out the bulging flesh.

“…”

Seeing that object suddenly filling the bottom of the monitor, Jeong Taeui was momentarily speechless.

He hadn’t seen it in a while, and now he had to see it through the screen, even though it was (estimated) hundreds, thousands of miles away.

“So… what… you want to do phone sex?”

Jeong Taeui joked, his face disgusted. Although there was no smile on his face, it was a joke.

Ilay’s face, in contrast to the rigid, monstrous object now pressed close to the monitor, showed no signs of excitement or tension. Ilay, as if he were joking himself, smiled loosely.

‘Why? Don’t you feel like it? Doesn’t it sound like it’d be quite fun?’

“If it goes that far… I don’t like it, it feels like my life would be completely ruined.”

Should he just hang up and go back to his room? No, even if they were far apart now, he had to consider the repercussions.

Ilay mumbled “Hmm,” watching Jeong Taeui slowly pull away from the screen. “That’s strange, the perspective on the screen seems off, why is only that part enlarged?” Jeong Taeui tried to avoid looking at the screen, and then he heard a soft whoosh of air escaping.

‘Taei. Have you forgotten? I clearly told you that you’re mine. If you’ve forgotten because it’s been too long, I’ll tell you again. You are—’

“Ah, what do you want, what!”

Hearing that phrase again, which felt like he had been brainwashed a hundred times, a sudden chill ran down his spine, and Jeong Taeui reflexively cut off his last words, shouting.

The answer came simply.

‘Take off your bottom too.’

He thought he was finally comfortable for a couple of months, and then this guy…

“Hey, Ilay, I don’t know when you’re coming back, but I think, anyway, when you return, you’ll do as you please—”

‘One month.’

“Huh?”

‘I’ll be back in a month. Then, Taei, for your sake, since you’re so reluctant, let me enlighten you: which do you think would be more beneficial to you—suffering three months’ worth of trouble in one night, or solving two months’ worth over the phone now and only one month’s worth in one night?’

Hearing that, he had nothing to say. As Ilay said, it was a truly unexpected new realization.

Facing Jeong Taeui, who was staring blankly at the monitor, Ilay gestured with his head again.

‘Take it off.’

Damn it. He was truly caught. If he tried to brush off this situation or hang up, he would truly be in trouble in a month.

Jeong Taeui put his hands on his waistband and glared at Ilay. But after tens of seconds of silent staring, he finally gave up and took off his pants.

He shouldn’t have answered that phone. He should have just listened to the radio and gone to sleep.

But it was too late to regret.

Suddenly, a surge of anger welled up, and he hurled the pants he had just taken off at the monitor, but they fell feebly to the floor, leaving only Ilay’s insolently smiling face on the monitor.

“There. Now what? Underwear too?”

‘Of course.’

Jeong Taeui, overtly displaying his displeasure, yelled loudly, but the white face didn’t even twitch an eyebrow. He glared fiercely and took off his underwear, throwing it at the monitor. He briefly hoped it would catch on the edge of the monitor and obscure the screen, but such wishes were never granted.

It was nothing special to be completely naked now, but seeing him fondle his own object on the monitor while standing naked in front of it felt truly strange. Or rather, uncomfortable.

‘Sit back down. Don’t stand there with such force in your eyes.’

That composed attitude also bothered him immensely. Well, he was always that kind of person.

Jeong Taeui, feeling uncomfortable and annoyed, roughly sat back in the chair. In fact, he even propped his legs up on the chair, daring him to look, fully exposing himself.

“Does this look good?”

‘Ah, yes, it looks exceptionally good. A masterpiece.’

The object that almost filled the bottom of the monitor grew even thicker.

For a moment, he thought, ‘Oh, no,’ but since he was already glaring at him with wide eyes, it was awkward to avert his gaze now.

Somehow, when I talk to this guy, I often dig my own grave…

“Are a man’s legs between his crotch such a masterpiece?”

He grumbled, intending to be sarcastic. Meanwhile, in that white hand caressing his own object, it was rising even more fiercely.