Passion Novel - Volume 1 - Chapter 13

Carlo, who always had a slouched posture, Tou, with his simple thought process and constant grin, Alta, who was short-tempered and always had a faint smell of alcohol on him, and so on, were all considered top talents… Furthermore, thinking about it, even that crazy guy from yesterday’s video was a top talent…

Jeong Taeui paused for a moment, then cleared his head and quietly sighed. What on earth was happening to this world?

“Are you very tired? I have some dried fruit soaked in honey, would you like some?”

Suddenly, Jeong Taeui flinched, realizing Xinlu had leaned towards him and was speaking worriedly.

Before he knew it, the young man’s face was right in front of his nose. He could see the soft, white down on his earlobes, sparkling faintly. The roundness of his cheeks still made him look like a young boy.

His heart skipped a beat. As Xinlu moved closer, the air shifted, and the scent of soap brushed against his nose. Then, a warmth spread rapidly through his chest. It wasn’t just his chest that was heating up.

“Hmm… I’m not that tired, but if you’re offering, I’d like to try some.”

Jeong Taeui said, forcing a calm smile. “Yes,” Xinlu replied, standing up and going back into the inner room.

As soon as Xinlu disappeared from his sight, Jeong Taeui frantically pounded his chest and thighs, careful not to make any noise.

What are you doing? You’ve only met him a few days ago, do you want to show such an unsightly side of yourself? Get a grip, Jeong Taeui! He’s still a kid, look at those cheeks that haven’t even lost their baby fat and the down on his earlobes. How can you have such thoughts about a kid like that!

However, even as he thought this, a voice whispered from another corner of his mind.

Twenty-two is a full-fledged adult, and there’s no real reason to hold back if you have such feelings. It’s not like you’re forcing anything, look, you’re getting along well, drinking tea together right now.

Jeong Taeui groaned in the midst of conflicting thoughts and clutched his head.

Either way, the first thing to do was to cool down his body, which had become hot from that soft scent. Had it really been building up that much? Come to think of it, it had been over a month since he had properly experienced human skin, but still, to lose his self-control to this extent, he still had a long way to go.

Jeong Taeui thumped his chest as if he had something stuck in his throat. He took a few deep breaths and patted his chest several times until his body cooled down a bit. Then, Xinlu returned from behind him.

“What’s wrong, hyung? Do you feel unwell?”

Xinlu, who had brought out the dried fruit on a plate, looked at Jeong Taeui patting himself and asked, puzzled. Jeong Taeui smiled and shook his head. The fingertips that had been stroking his chest were now much cooler.

He sipped his tea, his gaze lowered, and quietly observed Xinlu over the rim of his cup.

Even though he looked young, he wasn’t a child. The slender eyes with their slightly upturned tails, the plump and moist lips, the round cheeks and clear skin that made him look young—in fact, if one were to be precise, he leaned towards the alluring side.

Perhaps sensing his gaze, Xinlu looked up. Their eyes met, and after a brief pause, he smiled with his eyes. The slight upward curve of his lips was terribly seductive. Was it just his perception because he was looking at him with such eyes?

“Oh, by the way, hyung, I heard that Jeong Jaei-ssi, who used to be at headquarters, is your older brother.”

“Huh? Ah, Jaei hyung? Yeah, that’s right.”

Jeong Taeui nodded, relieved that the topic had changed. It seemed the fact that Jeong Jaei was Jeong Taeui’s brother had already spread throughout the branch. Well, with only about a hundred people confined in one building, there couldn’t be any secrets. Not that it was a secret anyway.

“Everyone says he’s incredibly smart. And that you two are twins.”

“Hmm… we are twins, but we don’t look alike at all. Not in face, not in brains, not in personality. Hyung is better than me in every way.”

Jeong Taeui bit into a dried fruit and slowly counted them. Even thinking about it again, there was nothing he could do to beat Jeong Jaeui. Except maybe being closer to normal.

Then, Jeong Taeui suddenly clicked his tongue with a bitter taste in his mouth. It was a well-known fact that he couldn’t beat Jeong Jaeui in anything. He had accepted that obvious fact from the beginning. Now, he was used to any reaction from people around him regarding his brother. He had experienced it for nearly a quarter of a century, so it would be strange if he wasn’t used to it.

So, he was fine now, but what he had found difficult to get used to until very recently were the people who approached him with the aim of getting to his brother. It was better with those who openly showed curiosity about Jeong Jaeui from the start. The bitterness he felt when he realized that those who approached him seemingly without ulterior motives actually had other intentions was immeasurable.

Jeong Taeui thought about the past for a moment and then chuckled dryly.

People eventually get used to anything that happens repeatedly. The hurt and pain only last for the first few times. When similar things were repeated, resignation covered his heart like a shield.

Jeong Taeui stared blankly at the beautiful red color of the tea, from which a subtle orchid fragrance rose.

Well, what would happen? If this young man, for whatever reason, became more interested in Jeong Jaeui and tried to use Jeong Taeui as a means to that end.

Then…

Jeong Taeui smiled. Then what? There’s nothing to be done but to watch how things unfold.

There are things he can control and things he can’t. Other people’s hearts fall into the latter category.

But even if that happened, this boy would still be lovely. Just like all the others had been.

“Do you want to meet him?”

Jeong Taeui asked. Xinlu, who had been enjoying the aroma rising from the tea, widened his eyes. He looked like he didn’t understand what he was saying. Then, as if catching the thread of the conversation, he went, “Ah,” and tilted his head.

“There’s no reason for me not to want to meet him… but he’s a stranger, isn’t he?”

“Yeah…”

Jeong Taeui just smiled calmly.

Come to think of it, it wasn’t always bad. After all, even if they approached Jeong Taeui because they wanted to know Jeong Jaeui, some of them stayed by Jeong Taeui’s side. People who he wouldn’t have had the chance to know if it weren’t for Jeong Jaeui were now by his side.

“But he must be very popular.”

“Yeah.”

“Your hyung. Even if you say you don’t look alike, if you’re twins, there must be some similarities. If he’s like you and that smart, he must be very popular.”

“……”

Jeong Taeui held his teacup and just blinked for a moment. Xinlu, who had spoken casually, drank his tea as if nothing had happened. Jeong Taeui tilted his head and looked at him.

Somehow, it felt like he had heard something that could be interpreted in a way that made him feel good.

“Hmm… Hyung is popular. (Among the ambitious bigwigs of major international organizations, that is.) But… I’m not very popular.”

Jeong Taeui trailed off slightly. Then, Xinlu widened his eyes with a surprised expression.

“No way, hyung, you just don’t know. I think you’re popular too. You’re so cool.”

Xinlu said calmly with a smile. Then, he reached out and gently brushed the hair that had fallen over Jeong Taeui’s forehead. His small, pale hand brushed Jeong Taeui’s cheek and reached his ear.

“Your features are so defined… I think it would be better if you didn’t cover your face, hyung. Oh, and your neck too. Your neckline is so nice, I think it would suit you if you cut your hair short.”

“Hmm… really?”

Even as he replied, Jeong Taeui didn’t know what he was thinking.

He couldn’t move. The warm hand brushed his forehead and cheek. The fingers that briefly touched his neck were terribly ticklish. He felt breathless.

“Oh… hyung, you seem to be hurt. You have a bruise here. Just a moment, I have some ointment, I’ll put it on for you.”

Xinlu’s hand stopped halfway between his shoulder and neck. He hadn’t been aware of it until now, but indeed, as Xinlu said, it throbbed slightly when pressed. He must have gotten hit during sparring or something.

Xinlu opened a desk drawer within reach, took out an ointment, squeezed some onto his palm, and again stroked Jeong Taeui’s neck.

“Oh, no, it’s okay, it doesn’t hurt much…”

Jeong Taeui, flustered, tried to stop Xinlu but trailed off. His voice was faintly hoarse. Hearing his own voice made him even more flustered.

Xinlu, fortunately seeming not to notice, began to rub the ointment on Jeong Taeui’s neck.

Soft fingers brushed his neck. It was a pleasant and comforting touch, like a massage.

But Jeong Taeui was flustered. He felt Xinlu’s breath on his ear. The regular breathing warmed his face with its warm exhalation.

“Xinlu, it’s enough now, stop…”

A jolt ran through his body. Jeong Taeui ended up grabbing Xinlu’s wrist and pulling it away. He could tell his face was incredibly flushed. But what was even more mortifying was the reaction in his groin.

The thin, loose fabric of his indoor clothes couldn’t hide the faint bulge of aroused flesh.

Xinlu, who had been looking at Jeong Taeui with a bewildered expression as he suddenly pushed him away, seemed to realize where Jeong Taeui’s lowered gaze was directed. He felt Xinlu shrink in his hand as he followed his gaze.

A flustered gaze lingered on Jeong Taeui’s face, at a loss. Xinlu’s voice, murmuring “uh…” was anxiously circling in his mouth.

Even as his head was burning up, Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue. He was furious at his own foolishness.

What are you doing? You’re not some hot-blooded, buzz-cut kid.

He wished someone would barge in and smack him hard across the face.

“Hyung… um…”

“S-sorry.”

Only then did Jeong Taeui realize the wrist wriggling in his hand and quickly let go. Their eyes met. Young eyes blinked on Jeong Taeui’s face. Seeing those eyes made his face flush again.

Thunk. The chair scraped against the floor as he suddenly stood up. Jeong Taeui wrung his empty hands nervously, at a loss, then mumbled “sorry” once more and turned away. He felt like he should offer Xinlu more of an explanation or apology, but he couldn’t bring himself to look at his face right now.

Jeong Taeui hurriedly dashed out of the administration office and stepped into the dim hallway.

He doubted he had ever felt so mortified in his life.

His hurried, rough strides with long steps were almost like running.

He passed one or two people while going down the stairs past the elevator, but none of them tried to stop Jeong Taeui, who was walking by with a starkly red, hardened face.

Jeong Taeui walked aimlessly, his thoughts a mess, his hair disheveled, not even knowing where his feet were leading him. As he walked, he found himself in front of his uncle’s room. In his dazed state, his feet must have instinctively followed a familiar path.

He yanked the doorknob, but the door was locked. His uncle seemed to be out. Good riddance.

Jeong Taeui took out the key he always carried and entered his uncle’s room. It was, as always, impeccably tidy, without a speck of dust.

He carelessly threw off his outer jacket, opened the refrigerator, and took out a beer. He finished it in a few gulps, but it wasn’t enough. He took out another one and drank it all in one go again. So, he took out a third one and drank about half of it before he finally felt his insides cooling down a bit.

Suddenly, a large mirror next to the desk caught his eye. He met his own gaze in it. His face was bright red. From his earlobes down to his neck, it was all red. Seeing that made Jeong Taeui even more embarrassed, and he rubbed his cheeks with the cold can in his chilled hand. He had hoped his cheeks would cool down, but his hand warmed up first.

Jeong Taeui stood blankly holding the can, then sank down in front of the refrigerator.

His groin had long since cooled down. It had become limp as if it had never been erect. Yet, his face and chest were still hot and wouldn’t cool down.

“Damn it… if you were going to wilt like this, you shouldn’t have stood up in the first place, why make things difficult for me?”

Jeong Taeui muttered his complaint to his own groin. But it wasn’t there that needed to understand, it was his head.

Jeong Taeui, who had been sitting blankly on the floor in front of the refrigerator, suddenly raised his hand and brought it to his neck. He traced the spot where the soft fingertips had touched him a moment ago.

The slippery ointment hadn’t soaked in yet and remained on his skin. He rubbed it gently.

It was just a normal touch of applying ointment. Even if he rubbed that spot a hundred times with his own hand, it wouldn’t make him horny. But just because the owner of that hand was that young man…

“I think I’m really hung up on him… what should I do?”

He tried muttering aloud on purpose, but there was no reply. He had hoped that speaking it out loud might help organize his thoughts, but there was no sign of that happening.

Jeong Taeui still wiped his bright red face once more with the back of his hand for no particular reason.

He needed something to cool his head. At this rate, this heat wouldn’t subside even after a lifetime. Should he take a cold shower? He probably needed to cool down his body as well as his head.

Jeong Taeui finished the remaining half of his beer and stood up.

Did he drink the beer for nothing? His face just seemed to be getting even hotter.

Scolding himself for his foolishness, Jeong Taeui headed to the bathroom. It would be best to fill the bathtub with cold water and soak himself in it completely.

After cleaning the bathtub thoroughly and turning on the cold water, he stared blankly at the strong stream of water. He thought he heard a faint mechanical sound mixed with the sound of the water.

He leaned halfway out of the bathroom and looked around the room. Sure enough, Jeong Taeui had heard correctly. The telephone on the desk was ringing. The sound of the phone quietly filling the room was now familiar.

Jeong Taeui closed the bathroom door and walked towards the desk. As he walked, he saw his reflection in the mirror. It was quite a sight. His face was bright red, and he couldn’t hide his flustered expression. He looked exactly like a naive adolescent boy.

“I really need to pull myself together, Jeong Taeui. How long has it been since you left the military that your mind is already this lax? This isn’t an easy place either, stop spacing out.”

Muttering to himself, Jeong Taeui lightly tapped his cheeks twice and then hesitated for a moment before pressing the blinking lamp on the phone, noticing the number displayed on the screen.

“Yes, hello.”

‘—You know, it seems like you’re the one answering every time I call these past few days.’

The number seemed familiar, and sure enough, the elegant and beautiful hand appeared on the monitor.

It momentarily overlapped with Xinlu’s hand. Xinlu’s hand was smaller and lovelier than that. His slightly plump knuckles were cute. It was different from this delicate hand, which looked as if it had been meticulously crafted from wax and glass.

What would that hand feel like? It would definitely be different from Xinlu’s warm and ticklish touch.