Passion Novel - Volume 1 - Chapter 16

The air that morning felt thick with a palpable tension.

The moment he took a step out of my room, the prickly atmosphere pressed against my skin, undeniably present.

With half the members gone to the South American branch, the division, already sparsely populated compared to the building’s size, felt almost deserted. Yet, the oppressive tension that grew thicker with each passing moment left little room for any sense of quiet solitude.

Jeong Taeui found himself slightly weary of the stiff expressions he encountered on the faces he passed on his way to the bathroom.

It wasn’t as if some mortal enemies were arriving; why were they all so deathly pale?

Scratching his head, he entered the bathroom. Tou, already brushing his teeth after finishing breakfast, mumbled a greeting around his toothbrush.

“Hey, Taei. Slept in, huh? Got your things packed?”

“Spit out the foam first… then talk, would you?”

Jeong Taeui muttered, taking a step back. Tou laughed out loud and resumed brushing his teeth.

Still, this guy was better. Seeing at least one face that wasn’t a mask of death eased his mind. Jeong Taeui approached the sink next to Tou and turned on the hot water, wetting his neck first as he spoke.

“Nothing to pack, really. I’ll just head over later.”

“Hmm… still, you’ll be there for, like, two weeks. You sure you’ll be okay?”

Tou rinsed his mouth and spoke in fragmented sentences.

Jeong Taeui had to vacate his room by tonight. He wasn’t the only member in this situation. When members from the European branch arrived, those in rooms with fewer occupants would temporarily move to other rooms to accommodate them.

The members heading to the South American branch early Saturday morning had left for the airport, leaving only those who would remain.

And then Sunday arrived. It was a day they would normally spend leisurely enjoying their time off, but the atmosphere was far from that. In just a few hours, those who were practically mortal enemies would arrive in droves.

Jeong Taeui would be staying in Tou’s room. One of the members who shared a room with Tou had gone to South America, so he was moving there.

Even while grumbling, “Damn it, why do I have to give up my room to those damn bastards?” the members who had to move packed their simple belongings and shifted rooms one by one. Some, unwilling to let “those damn bastards” even touch their things, were practically making full-scale moves.

Wiping his damp eyes that had welled up a few times, Jeong Taeui shrugged, looking at Tou in the mirror.

“If I think of anything I need later, I can just pop into my room and grab it.”

“Don’t even think about it. You’ll run into some European branch guy staying in that room; what good will come of that?”

“Why? It’s originally my room.”

“That won’t fly. It’ll cause a commotion practically equivalent to a territorial invasion.”

“…Seriously.”

Jeong Taeui muttered his umpteenth “seriously.” It was short for, “Seriously, such a hostile relationship is really hard to understand.”

The digital clock on the bathroom wall showed a time late for morning and early for lunch.

Jeong Taeui took a fluffy towel from the stack on the shelf and wiped his face. His complexion in the mirror didn’t look good. He’d forgotten as soon as he woke up, but he must have had a restless dream.

The fact that the European branch—according to his colleagues—was sending over vicious and disgustingly awful guys might have been subtly bothering him without him realizing it. He thought of himself as someone who didn’t get stressed by such things, but he seemed to be surprisingly sensitive.

What had vaguely flashed through his mind in his dream was a glove, so dark it was almost black. Where that black glove brushed, it stained a dark reddish-brown. The hand fell away from a man’s neck as his eyes rolled back and he collapsed. A vivid, scarlet mark remained on his neck.

“……”

Perhaps it was because the lingering warmth on his nape cooled and dried, stealing away the heat, but a chill ran down his spine.

“What’s wrong? Suddenly standing there blankly.”

Tou, sounding strange, lightly tapped Jeong Taeui’s back from the side. Jeong Taeui, half his face covered by the dry towel, glanced at Tou.

“They’ll be coming here soon.”

“? What?”

“Rick.”

Tou closed his mouth. He, too, seemed to have instantly caught the contagious unease, staring silently at Jeong Taeui. Then, he clicked his tongue and shrugged.

“Well, you never know. Sometimes, after the final confirmation, the person coming changes. But if that bastard comes… it’ll be a gloomy two weeks. We’ll probably see some unpleasant things.”

Tou muttered with a grimace, as if he’d bitten into something bitter. Come to think of it, this guy had been there during the joint training with the European branch last time, so he would have experienced the whole situation firsthand. Even if he hadn’t directly experienced it, he would have felt the bloody events and rumors.

“There were quite a few guys saying they’d cut that bastard’s throat for sure this time if he comes.”

Jeong Taeui mumbled, recalling the conversations he’d overheard a few of the other team members having in groups in the break room or while eating in the cafeteria. Tou’s expression darkened further.

“Well, if I could, I’d want to cut it off too. There’s no one among us who wouldn’t want to sever that crazy bastard’s head and hang it on a pole. But…”

Tou didn’t finish his sentence, but Jeong Taeui could easily guess. It would be difficult, or even if possible, it would demand a significant sacrifice beyond what they could imagine.

The moment he saw the video, he knew. Don’t try to fight that man; you have to avoid him.

“Besides, that guy is bad news in ways other than just fighting. If you mess with him, you’ll really get screwed over.”

Tou clicked his tongue and said bitterly. Jeong Taeui, wiping the water droplets that had rolled down his chin with the towel again, looked at Tou curiously. Tou, looking uncomfortable as if he didn’t even want to talk about it, stared at the mirror before blurting out.

“That bastard, even if it’s a guy, if they look decent and somewhat attractive, he just beats them up so they can’t move and then… you know. After joint training with the European branch, there wasn’t a single young and good-looking guy who came out unscathed from any branch.”

“What…?”

Jeong Taeui doubted his ears for a moment at the unexpected words. After confirming that he had heard correctly, he doubted his understanding. The word “laid” probably didn’t just mean what he was thinking. But given Tou’s context, it seemed Jeong Taeui’s interpretation was correct.

“It’s been a few years, but there was a guy who tried to kill that bastard to avenge a close colleague who ended up in the hospital for life because of him. But unfortunately, that guy was quite good-looking. So… well, as reality often goes, it didn’t end with good triumphing over evil. He couldn’t get his revenge and just kept getting… you know… laid. There was even a guy who tried to hurt himself out of sheer frustration.”

“That’s really… unfortunate.”

“Yeah… anyway, that’s how it is. That guy is bad news in every way. You could accidentally mess with him and end up being the only one who gets humiliated.”

Having finished speaking, Tou suddenly scanned Jeong Taeui up and down in the mirror. Then he grinned slyly.

“Well, but it’s okay. You don’t need to worry about anything unnecessary; just worry about your life.”

“Oh, how kind of you,” Jeong Taeui muttered, raising his hand to smack the back of Tou’s head.

Young and good-looking, an attractive guy. Like Xinlu, for example?

Thinking of someone who perfectly fit that description, Jeong Taeui suddenly frowned. If that was the case, he shouldn’t be nodding along so nonchalantly.

“Hey, doesn’t that mean Xinlu needs to be careful?”

As Jeong Taeui grabbed Tou’s wrist, Tou turned back with a “huh?” and blinked.

“Oh… oh yeah, come to think of it. But well, what are the chances of a member running into a guest? Especially someone from another branch. Besides, even if it’s that bastard, he wouldn’t go out of his way to mess with a guest and cause trouble later.”

“Is that so… I guess so, huh?”

“……”

Tou’s pale gaze returned to Jeong Taeui, who was asking back urgently. It was a look that seemed to say, “You oblivious fool…” Only then did Jeong Taeui flinch and shut his mouth. Had he made it too obvious?

“Even if you don’t worry, the guards will take care of Kyuho, so if Rick looks like he’s coming here, just take care of your own life. No one but yourself will look after a member’s life.”

His words were the correct answer. Jeong Taeui himself didn’t even have the firm confidence to protect his own life before worrying about others.

“Hmm… hopefully there’s some error in the personnel assignment, and that guy Rick doesn’t end up coming.”

Jeong Taeui murmured with a sliver of hope, even though he knew there was little chance of that happening.

“Well, that’s how it is, but anyway, those guys will be here tonight, so we’ll be able to confirm then.”

“They’d be arriving in Hong Kong around now.”

“Ah. I hope they come in all disoriented from jet lag.”

Then, seeing Tou playfully mime slitting his throat with his hand, Jeong Taeui chuckled. The dark afterimage that had clouded his mind for a moment vanished with that playful gesture.

Only a few hours remained. In half a day, he would see them, the ones he had only heard rumors about. It was nothing like anticipation, but his heart fluttered slightly, a restless stirring he couldn’t help.

“Come to think of it, they said everyone who’s moving rooms should go to the office and talk after they’re done. They need to check things.”

Tou said casually, wiping his mouth with a towel. Jeong Taeui flinched for no reason.

“If you go to the office, you’ll see Xinlu. No, wait. Since he’s in charge of internal affairs, you have to go talk to Xinlu anyway. Lucky you, Jeong Taeui.”

Tou grinned mischievously and nudged Jeong Taeui’s side with his elbow. Jeong Taeui swayed and mumbled, “Hmm.”

This wasn’t good. No, it wasn’t that he didn’t want to see him. He wanted to meet him and hear his voice. He liked that fragrant soap smell too. But he still lacked the confidence to face him. Somehow, if he ran into Xinlu now, he felt like he’d turn into a boiled octopus and freeze up again.

Besides… if they met again, what kind of face would that guy make at him?

Jeong Taeui ran the towel down his already dry nape. His mood instantly turned gloomy.

He hadn’t met Xinlu once since that day. Unless there was a specific reason, there wasn’t much opportunity for a guest and a member to meet, but he had avoided places where he might run into Xinlu as much as possible. Even when going to the basement floor to his uncle’s room, he had gone cautiously, like a thief, checking his surroundings.

Standing there with an erection in front of someone who kindly applied medicine to his injury… what on earth was he thinking?

Next to Jeong Taeui, lost in thought, Tou threw the towel into the laundry bin and habitually patted his pocket to check for his cigarette case before walking out of the bathroom. Jeong Taeui gloomily grabbed him.

“Going for a smoke?”

“Huh? Yeah. You wanna come too?”

“Yeah, give me one.”

“…You know there’s nowhere to get cigarettes here, right? Alright. I’ll lend you one, but you owe me a whole pack later.”

“Do you know you just made a very reluctant face? I wish I could show you a mirror.”

Tou, a heavy smoker down to his bones, excused his stinginess by saying, “Damn it, I have to stay cooped up here for another two weeks, and my stash is almost gone.” Jeong Taeui just said he understood, patted Tou comfortingly, and they left the bathroom together.

Walking through the cluttered hallway and up to the ground floor, Jeong Taeui got off the elevator first and quickly followed Tou, who was striding confidently out of the building, glancing around warily. He felt a bit pathetic doing this himself, but still, he didn’t know what kind of face he should make if he happened to run into Xinlu.

As soon as he stepped outside the building, the sunlight poured down so dazzlingly that it was hard to open his eyes properly.

Even though they lived underground, the ventilation system worked perfectly, and the internal lighting was set up to be no different from natural light, so they could live without feeling any discomfort about being underground. But even so, the sunlight, the sky, and the breeze they occasionally encountered clearly soothed their hearts.

Jeong Taeui also often came out for walks during his free time. It was the same for the other colleagues; if you strolled around outside, you would usually run into one or two people.

The dense forest path became dangerous as evening deepened, so they rarely went there, but during the day, it was still manageable. And if you walked along the small, secluded path behind the building—it was quite a distance—you could reach the sea. Towering rocks were piled up, so it was far from a dazzling sandy beach, but the color of the sea was exceptionally beautiful.

Jeong Taeui forcibly snatched two more cigarettes from Tou, who said he was too lazy to go far, and walked along that secluded path alone. As he pushed through the knee-high grass, his calves were covered in insect bites and cuts from the blades.

He should have worn shorts. Should he go back and change now? While he was still debating, the smell of the sea began to drift in.

Tch, he was supposed to come for a walk here with Xinlu originally. Yeah, then everything might have flowed smoothly. He wouldn’t have gotten unnecessarily excited and flushed… well, then again, you never know.

Jeong Taeui grumbled and put a cigarette in his mouth. He lit it with the lighter he had snatched along with the cigarettes, saying he would just borrow it for a moment, and inhaled deeply.

“Sorry, trees. Please bear with the smoke for a bit.”

As he walked through the natural forest, feeling a bit sorry for exhaling cigarette smoke at the trees, Jeong Taeui muttered to himself. Soon, the forest ended, and the sea appeared.

However, unfortunately, it wasn’t just the sea that appeared.

Someone was walking back this way, probably after fully enjoying the sea breeze and the smell of the ocean. It was someone he absolutely didn’t want to run into right now. The person approaching alone was Xinlu.

Startled, the moment he saw Xinlu, Jeong Taeui reflexively looked around for a place to hide, but before he could find a suitable spot, Xinlu had already seen him.

After their eyes met, Xinlu, seeing Jeong Taeui standing there awkwardly, unable to hide, also stopped walking for a moment, surprised. But soon, he slowly approached. There was only this one path to take.

“…… Are you… coming back from a walk?”

Jeong Taeui mumbled, feeling like it would be stranger not to say even a short greeting at a distance of about a dozen steps. Xinlu nodded, looking steadily at Jeong Taeui without showing any particular discomfort.

“Yes. You too, Taei hyung?”

“Yeah, just for a bit… it’s been a while.”

Jeong Taeui spoke briefly, trying to sound nonchalant. But this was a disaster. His face was starting to flush again. He should have just said he had rosacea.

Xinlu stopped a few steps away. A slightly hesitant look appeared on his face.

Jeong Taeui, with a cigarette in his mouth, pondered with a seemingly calm expression. Should he apologize? Probably. But he couldn’t bring himself to speak.

“Come to think of it, Hyung, you moved rooms, right? Which room did you move to?”

Xinlu spoke, as if he had finally found something to talk about. Jeong Taeui also opened his mouth with an “oh, yeah.”

“I moved to Tou’s room. That’s right, I was supposed to go talk about it. I completely forgot. Tou. Tou Qingin, he’s on the same team as me, I’ll be staying in his room.”

“Ah, Tou-hyung’s room. I see.”

Xinlu nodded. Then an awkward silence fell again.

The only fortunate thing was that he had been spared the trouble of having to go and talk to him separately later. Fortunate, but this situation felt like sitting on thorns, utterly unbearable.

Jeong Taeui quietly looked down at Xinlu, who was bowing his head a few steps away. His long eyelashes blinked a few times. He could see the crown of his small head slightly below.

A lovely young man. Next to him, a cute girl, small and doll-like, smiling sweetly like cotton candy, would suit him best. The person he was dreaming of was undoubtedly such a girl.

But suddenly, how surprised would he have been when the man who had been calling him “hyung” and getting along well suddenly had an erection in front of him? It might have gone beyond surprise to displeasure, or even betrayal.

Were you looking at me like that all this time, Hyung? If he said that, should he lie and say, “No, I was just out of my mind for a moment back then”? Or would it be better to honestly say, “Yes”? Either way, it would be awkward.

“Oh, and Hyung, you go to Instructor Jeong’s room sometimes, right? You shouldn’t go for a while. There’s a regulation that members and guards shouldn’t have unnecessary contact during joint training.”

“Ah… yeah, thanks.”

Jeong Taeui had already heard from his uncle not to come for a while, but he hesitated for a moment before just saying thank you. He was actually grateful. It was his way of looking out for him.

Yeah, still, Xinlu was trying his best to be nice to Jeong Taeui. Whatever unpleasantness or embarrassment he had felt back then, he wasn’t showing any sign of it now.

For every one exchange of words, several times that amount of silence returned.

Whenever Jeong Taeui hesitated, at a loss for words again, he would notice Xinlu’s troubled glances at him and sigh, stepping slightly aside. He now realized he was blocking his path.

“Then, I’ll head back first.”

Xinlu bowed his head slightly and hurried past him. Jeong Taeui watched his retreating figure with a bitter feeling and murmured, “Sorry.” He said it out loud, but his voice was so small he wasn’t sure if Xinlu had heard.

Huffing out a puff of cigarette smoke with a sigh, Jeong Taeui started walking slowly. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps that had been fading behind him seemed to stop for a moment.

“Um… Taei-hyung.”

A hesitant voice called out to him. Jeong Taeui stopped and turned around. Xinlu was looking up at Jeong Taeui with a strange expression. Oddly enough, his face was just as flushed as Jeong Taeui’s had been.

“Hyung, um, I…”

“……?”

“Um, you know.”

Xinlu’s face grew redder and redder. It was like the color of the setting sun. His voice grew softer and softer.

His face was so flushed and his head was bowed so pitifully that Jeong Taeui felt inexplicably restless. It’s okay to get angry. It’s okay to yell.

Preparing himself to hear harsh words from him, Jeong Taeui clenched his fist in his pocket.

But the words Xinlu finally blurted out after a long hesitation, looking completely lost, were nothing like what he had expected.

“Um, I’ve, um, slept with a man before.”

“……”

The cigarette fell from his mouth with a soft thud. Jeong Taeui stared blankly at Xinlu, not even noticing the cigarette that had fallen between his feet. He could clearly see Xinlu’s flustered appearance as he avoided eye contact and stared at his feet.