Passion Novel - Volume 1 - Chapter 9 - White Hand

Thwack! A sharp, violent sound ripped through the air. Immediately following, a stream of vivid red blood flowed down.

“Agh!”

Alta clutched his nose, his eyes squeezed shut for a moment. When he saw the blood coating his palm, his eyes snapped open, and he erupted in irritation. 

“You little bastard! Pulling cheap tricks again!”

“Only a fool gets tricked…”

Alta had hoped that Jeong Taeui would meet his attack head-on, engaging in a test of strength. However, Jeong Taeui had little desire to do so when he knew he would likely lose. This wasn’t a fair and square test to evaluate skill; in actual combat training where blows landed and were received, there was no reason to willingly take a hit.

So, he subtly deflected the attack, immediately following through with a swift punch to the face, resulting in this uproar.

Half-listening to Alta’s furious shouts, Jeong Taeui rummaged through his pocket for a handkerchief. Suddenly, a hand as large as a pot lid flew in from behind and struck the back of Jeong Taeui’s head with brutal force.

“Aiyak!”

Clutching the back of his throbbing head, tears welling in his eyes, Jeong Taeui turned around to see Carlo, who had finished his own match, standing there with an expression that was half amused and half feigned anger.

“If you keep using those petty tricks, you’ll get seriously hurt one of these days. Fight properly, properly.”

“…Ugh… I’ve heard that five times already, and this is the sixth time my petty tricks have worked.”

Jeong Taeui mumbled, sounding genuinely wronged. At that, Alta stomped right up to him, squawking, “If I had known beforehand, who do you think would have been the one getting hit?!”

“If you know beforehand, no one gets hit even if you use a straightforward approach.”

Jeong Taeui offered a perfectly reasonable argument, but Alta continued to rage, still furious.

“Alright, alright, I got it,” Jeong Taeui muttered, stepping back a few paces. Just then, he bumped into someone standing behind him and stopped.

“Ah, sorry.”

“Watch where you’re going. And try to do something about that noisy guy on your team.”

The person he had bumped into frowned as he spoke. It was someone from another team.

As Jeong Taeui raised his eyebrows and stared blankly, the man brushed off his shoulder where they had collided and walked away.

“What’s with him?”

“That’s one of Instructor Golding’s team members. A real pain in the ass.”

“Do you know him?”

“I know his face and name, but if you’re asking about a personal relationship, then ‘no’.”

Carlo shrugged and shook his head. Alta, who seemed to have stopped bleeding, handed back the handkerchief, grumbling, “His attitude is so stiff.”

“Did something bad happen with their team? Everyone’s acting a bit awkward.”

“Nothing bad. But nothing particularly good either. It’s always like this.”

“Always?”

“There are more opportunities to compete than to cooperate, so why would we be friendly?”

“…Wow, this place is really bleak…”

Jeong Taeui shook his head. The relationships were bad with other branches, and even the teams within weren’t friendly. What was wrong with these people?

If he stayed here much longer, his personality would be ruined.

Clicking his tongue, Jeong Taeui leaned on his wooden practice sword and crouched down. Just then, he was struck on the back of the head for the second time.

“Aya!!”

This time, it wasn’t as hard as when Carlo hit him, but being hit in the same spot again doubled the pain. As Jeong Taeui clutched his head, another thwack sounded, and Alta also grabbed his head.

“Who sits down to rest during sparring? And Alta, aren’t you his sparring partner? If he sits down, you should be mercilessly beating him up in the meantime.”

The one speaking with a wide grin was his uncle, whose personality had long since gone to the dogs.

Tears welling in his blurry vision, Jeong Taeui glared at him and muttered, “Uncle… Instructor, why are you here? It’s not even your class time.”

But there was no reply.

Just as Jeong Taeui said, his uncle, who should have been discussing strategy in Lecture Hall 3 on the west side, seemed to have come for other business and walked over to the instructor standing at the front, overseeing the second martial arts training session. Following behind him, a man glanced at Jeong Taeui and then silently smiled before trailing after his uncle.

“Ah, the driver.”

Jeong Taeui blurted out.

It was the man who had driven the car when he came here with his uncle, from the time they arrived in Hong Kong until they reached this island. He was wearing an indoor uniform now, giving him a more stern impression than before, but it was definitely him.

“Driver? Ah, you mean Instructor Officer Kang? Well, he does drive the instructor’s car.”

“Instructor Officer? What’s that?”

“He’s a member like us, but to put it simply, he’s the instructor’s all-around secretary. He drives, helps with work, and acts as a guard.”

The hierarchy, which he had thought was simple, kept revealing new layers the more he learned.

“Is this some kind of cornucopia?” Jeong Taeui muttered. In his ears, he caught the murmurs of other trainees.

“The instructors have been at each other’s throats lately. I heard Changin and Golding had a fight recently.”

“Hmm, so that’s why. The Chief’s being promoted. Moving to headquarters, they say.”

“Then it makes sense they’d be fighting over achievements now. It doesn’t really matter to us who becomes Chief or Vice-Chief though.”

“Don’t be so quick to laugh… Remember what happened to the South American branch? There was a fierce power struggle going on behind the scenes, and I heard some people died back then. If things get serious here, who knows what will happen.”

“Hey, stop it, you’re scaring me. We should just look out for ourselves.”

“……”

Jeong Taeui rested his chin on the hilt of his wooden sword, silently glaring at his uncle. Within those conversations, resentment towards his uncle was growing. If even one member here were to die, considering fighting skills and physical strength, Jeong Taeui would likely be among the weakest. He was as good as number one on the death list.

“Looks like my only hope is luck… Jaeui-nim, Jaeui-nim, please share some of that luck with me…”

Since coming here, sighing seemed to have become a habit.

Jeong Taeui let out another long sigh and stood up with a “eotch.”

Alta moved on to the next turn, and a new sparring partner returned. Since they were sparring with mixed teams, his opponent wasn’t always from his own group. He had even sparred a few times with unfamiliar faces.

The new sparring partner who returned this time was the man from Instructor Golding’s team whom he had bumped into earlier. That opponent also recognized Jeong Taeui and frowned. “Huh…” Jeong Taeui mumbled awkwardly, scratching his head.

I didn’t want to get acquainted like this, he sighed, gripping his wooden sword again. Even though it was a wooden sword, it was weighted heavier than a regular one, and being hit by that wooden stick, even with protective gear, was incredibly painful. You couldn’t let your guard down for a moment. If you were unlucky and got hit wrong, you’d be heading straight to the infirmary.

It hadn’t even been a week since he arrived here, and Jeong Taeui had already visited the infirmary more than ten times. Four of those times, he had supported his fallen sparring partner, and the rest of the time, he was the one who had to go. The infirmary was on the second basement floor, along with the lecture halls and sparring grounds, and now he could find it with his eyes closed.

He was gradually getting used to the branch’s system. He had become acquainted with his teammates, and even if he didn’t know the names of everyone on the other teams, he recognized their faces. Well, there were only about a hundred people in total, and during regular training hours, they faced each other constantly, sometimes even beating each other up. If you got badly hit, you couldn’t help but memorize their faces, even if it was just to get revenge.

The martial arts training they were doing now had a different theme each hour, and today it was the wooden sword. The only rule was to use the wooden sword efficiently, which made the sparring feel incredibly close to actual fighting.

Jeong Taeui watched for an opening in the man approaching him. When their wooden swords clashed head-on, a sharp sound rang out. At the same time, a stinging pressure shot through his wrist. This man also seemed to possess formidable strength.

“Alright, then…”

Jeong Taeui abruptly grabbed the other man’s collar. Then, he spun around sharply.

The momentarily stunned opponent spotted an opening and swung his wooden sword relentlessly. It felt like he was going to die from the pain. He was ridiculously strong and didn’t hold back at all.

Swallowing curses, Jeong Taeui endured the barrage of blows and threw the wooden sword he held in his other hand. Then, using both hands, he gripped the opponent’s collar and flipped him over his shoulder.

It was worth enduring the beating and going in empty-handed. After a brief struggle and a stumble, the opponent finally landed flat on his back.

As the man lay on the ground, Jeong Taeui picked up the wooden sword he had thrown and straightened his collar. A look of shock flashed across the opponent’s face as he tried to get up.

“Hey, you don’t mean to tell me you’re going to——“

“Well, now it’s your turn to get hit a bit.”

Speaking casually, Jeong Taeui rolled up his sleeves and, with an indifferent expression, began to strike the man. The man quickly got back on his feet even as he was being hit, but in that brief moment, he received twice as many blows as he had landed.

When the man finally stood up completely, Jeong Taeui stopped hitting him. He then had to listen to the man’s furious shouts as he rubbed his forearm and thigh, his face red and veins bulging.

“You ignorant, cheap bastard! Don’t you even know how to fight?!”

“What are you talking about? You just experienced it yourself.”

Jeong Taeui blinked innocently, his face placid. Beyond him, Alta—having already forgotten how he had been hit in a similar way earlier—shrugged and chuckled.

The man, his face now crimson, lunged at Jeong Taeui empty-handed, abandoning his wooden sword. Seeing the man grab his collar and clench his fist to strike his jaw, Jeong Taeui subtly frowned and lightly tapped the man’s neck with the wooden sword in his hand.

“Ah…”

“Why would you charge in bare-handed when you clearly know your opponent has a weapon…? You should think about your well-being.”

Jeong Taeui spoke calmly, his brow furrowed with feigned concern. The man clutched his neck with one hand, still holding onto Jeong Taeui’s collar, and stumbled back a couple of steps, causing Jeong Taeui’s upper garment to tear.

“Hey, listen to that guy talk. ‘Think about your well-being,’ he says. He’s as considerate as a cat thinking about a mouse.”

“That vicious bastard. If something terrible happens due to internal strife next time, that dead body will definitely be him.”

Jeong Taeui heard his colleagues whispering behind him.

Staring blankly at his now exposed chest, Jeong Taeui suddenly glared fiercely at them upon hearing their words.

“I can hear you.”

“Well, unless you’ve got something stuck in your earholes, you should be able to hear. Ooh, hey hey, everything’s showing. Oh my, those pink nipples are so cute.”

“……”

This is why I don’t associate with guys like you and only like cute and adorable pretty boys. If I had heard those words from someone with the same inclinations as me, how disgusting would that have been? If it had been a honey-sweet pretty boy, I would have gladly offered a hundred nipples as bait and reeled in his entire body, but hearing that from an old geezer like him is nothing to enjoy.

Jeong Taeui scowled and hastily gathered his clothes, tying the ends together. The guy whose neck had been tapped by Jeong Taeui’s wooden sword seemed to be in considerable pain, still frozen like a statue, clutching his neck and panting heavily.

“Why are your clothes in such a state? The budget manager will be angry.”

His uncle, who seemed to have finished his business and was heading out, scanned Jeong Taeui up and down, chuckled, and said.

“Clothes getting worn out and torn is natural when you’re training, what about it?”

“Those clothes weren’t torn from wear and tear, were they? Anyway, it’s a spectacular sight, but the gazes are a bit embarrassing. Go to Xinlu and ask for new clothes. While you’re at it, show off your physique a little.”

His uncle gave a subtle smile and left.

Following him, unpleasant voices snickered, saying things like, “Looks like he’ll get to see Xinlu’s face,” “While you’re at it, just change in front of him,” and “We’ll all understand if you’re a little late.”

Jeong Taeui, who could maintain a perfect poker face in almost everything else, uniquely couldn’t hide his feelings when it came to Xinlu. The way his face flushed instantly and he hesitated made it impossible for anyone not to notice. Thanks to that, everyone in the team knew that Jeong Taeui had feelings for Xinlu. Xinlu himself probably knew too.

Regarding that matter, Jeong Taeui felt not just relief but a kind of gratitude.

At first, his colleagues tilted their heads, puzzled by Jeong Taeui’s behavior around Xinlu, and then, with a hint of uncertainty, they had casually asked, “Hey, are you perhaps… into that kind of thing?” At that moment, Jeong Taeui had briefly considered denying it. Memories from his time in the military had resurfaced.

The memory of having feelings beyond friendship or engaging in physical relationships with someone of the same sex being a serious handicap. It was also a reason why his relationships with his colleagues hadn’t been smooth.

However, as expected, he had no intention of lying about it, nor did it seem like he could hide it. So, Jeong Taeui nodded, facing them with a serious expression.

But his colleagues’ reactions were surprisingly bland. A couple of words like, “Oh, is that so?” were all he got.

“We’ve been rolling around in this rough world for years, that’s not something to be surprised about. Just don’t make it too obvious… Oh, and I like women, so don’t go falling for me!”

Carlo, seemingly understanding Jeong Taeui’s bewildered expression, muttered with a bored tone before offering advice with a deliberately serious face. Then, suddenly, he grinned broadly and drawled, “So, you like Xinlu, huh? Hmm… You know romantic relationships within the branch are forbidden, right?”

Starting with his words, everyone else followed suit. It was material for teasing for a hundred years.

Jeong Taeui, recalling his past experiences, felt relieved by his colleagues’ nonchalant acceptance.

However, of course, hearing their teasing remarks still made his blood boil.

“If you’re jealous, you guys can tear your clothes and go with me. Though, who would you even show your pathetic bodies to?”

Jeong Taeui said confidently, looking at his colleagues with a brazen expression. Those who had been teasing him just moments before became instantly furious and started to rant.

“Pathetic? Pathetic? Look at my magnificent muscles!”

“This wonderfully tanned skin! This V-shaped physique! Women go crazy for it!”

“All that makes you look is uncultured. You have no balance… And it’s not like you have charming pink nipples as a highlight like I do.”

Jeong Taeui swept his gaze over them with blatant mockery, then snorted audibly and walked away.

He could hear his colleagues shouting behind him, but he had heard it countless times, and it was no more bothersome than the buzzing of flies.

***

Looking back, Jeong Taeui had never actually been in a proper romantic relationship.

There had been times when his heart fluttered looking at someone, but that person had disappeared before he could even properly recognize his feelings. He had slept with numerous people, but it was hard to call any of it a romance.

The young man he had hung out with and slept with for a while—the very same person involved in the stabbing incident—had insisted that they weren’t dating, which was incomprehensible considering his later actions. So, in the early days of associating with that young man, Jeong Taeui had felt somewhat hurt. I guess I’m destined to only have casual relationships with anyone, he had thought.

After that, he hadn’t met anyone who struck him deeply, and besides, his military life became so difficult that he had no room for other thoughts.

So, these feelings were very unfamiliar. But they weren’t bad. In fact, even unrequited love felt good. The experience of feeling happy just by looking at someone.

“Excuse me—.”

As Jeong Taeui entered the office, he found four men inside. Three instructors and one Vice-Chief.

Jeong Taeui, recognizing the Vice-Chief he had given a formal greeting to the day after arriving, straightened his posture and gave a light bow. The Vice-Chief, who seemed to have finished his business, nodded back in acknowledgment and then walked past him.

Rudolph Gentil. The man who was his uncle’s direct superior.

Jeong Taeui didn’t know much about him, having only exchanged a very brief formal greeting. However, the word around the place was that he was a seemingly soft but ultimately formidable figure.

Didn’t that just mean he was a black-hearted bastard? Jeong Taeui had suspiciously asked, but only received vague answers in return.

It didn’t matter anyway. As long as he was a superior who would keep him alive for the next six months, Jeong Taeui wouldn’t care if his heart was black and rotten to the core.

“Taei hyung? What brings you here? …Why are your clothes like that?”

Jeong Taeui, who had been briefly watching the Vice-Chief’s retreating figure, turned his head at the soft, familiar voice.

Xinlu, sitting in the seat closest to the door, looked slightly surprised at Jeong Taeui’s appearance.

“Huh? Ah. Sparring. I came to get new clothes. Is it okay?”

Jeong Taeui chuckled awkwardly, fiddling with the torn hem of his garment. “Of course,” Xinlu replied, standing up and going into a private room attached to the office to retrieve new clothes.

“Thanks. What should I do with these clothes? Should I take them off and give them to you, or just throw them away?”

“Hmm… They’re torn so badly, it’d be hard to repair them. You can probably just throw them away… Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Getting hurt is an everyday occurrence here, what about it? I’m fine, fine. Thanks for your concern.”

Jeong Taeui smiled sheepishly, and Xinlu gave a small smile in return, whispering, “Please be careful.”