Passion Novel - Volume 3 - Chapter 64

It was truly an unlucky day.

He felt drained. His body felt heavy, as if anchored. It was a sensation he never got used to, no matter how many times it happened.

“Why? Are you unhappy because that guy’s hurt? Does it make you uneasy that he was stabbed? Even though there’s a guy whose eye was damaged?”

In front of Jeong Taeui, Nobuo’s voice grew increasingly spiteful as he shouted mockingly. Jeong Taeui had no energy or desire to respond, only glancing at him. But Nobuo seemed displeased by that.

“Go tell that bastard who’s collapsed, bleeding from his side, that Nobuo was glaring fiercely. Then who knows, that bastard might even gouge out my eyeballs.”

“…Nobu. I know you’re angry, but I don’t think this is a matter to take out on me.”

Jeong Taeui sighed and replied in a tired voice, but Nobuo’s words didn’t stop. His sneer grew louder.

“Why? After you disappeared, that crazy bastard was staring so intently at something, and then he gouged out his eye. That crazy bastard and you, you two must be in positions where you can’t even be stared at, huh? What’s the reason?”

“Nobuo, stop it.”

It was Tou who clicked his tongue and shouted briefly, as if to stop Nobuo. But Nobuo roughly shook off Tou’s hand, which tried to grab his arm and stop him, and took another step towards Jeong Taeui. Jeong Taeui looked at his face, filled with malice, and shut his mouth. He didn’t want to exchange more words and let it escalate into an unnecessary fight.

“Does it feel good to crawl around working under that crazy European bastard? Does it, you faithless son of a bitch?!”

“Nobuo!”

Tou shouted in a lower voice. Emotionally, he probably agreed with Nobuo’s words, but Tou also seemed unwilling to let the situation escalate further.

Nobuo glared fiercely even at Tou, but he didn’t say anything more to him. After grumbling to himself for a moment, he let out a short curse, as if he didn’t want to talk any further, and turned away. But still unable to quell his anger, he half-turned his head and shot out words dripping with malice.

“You said becoming his adjutant wasn’t your choice? If you’re going to say that, then don’t leave that mark on your nape. Damn it, do you think we don’t know what kind of dirty games you two are playing? You filthy bastards.”

“Nobuo!”

Tou’s voice became harsher. Nobuo, as if he had said all he needed to say, turned and walked away with long strides. Tou clicked his tongue and glanced back at Jeong Taeui.

The expression had vanished from Jeong Taeui’s face. He silently watched Nobuo’s retreating back with a face devoid of any emotion. Tou looked at Jeong Taeui with an awkward and complicated expression, then let out a groan-like sigh and turned away.

What? So those kinds of rumors were going around.

Jeong Taeui leaned against the wall and lightly bumped his head. His heavy head felt even heavier. Rumors tend to inflate beyond reality. The nature of a rumor was that a tiny piece of information would grow into an enormous, convoluted mess. So, it was likely that if they were talking like that, even more abusive and malicious words were circulating somewhere.

“…”

Jeong Taeui sighed. He figured as much. There was nothing more to fret about in this branch.

“Ah… but it really feels awful, seriously…”

He wished he could gather all those childish, narrow-minded bastards, slap them a few times each, and then pour cold water on them to make them snap out of it. And then, he wished he could tie up the main culprit, who had accumulated countless grudges, slap him until his face was swollen, and dunk his head in cold water to make him come to his senses. He felt like he would have no regrets.

“How did UNHRDO manage to pick and gather only these kinds of people? Was that damned personality test before joining meant to specifically gather these kinds of people?”

Jeong Taeui grumbled to himself and pushed away from the wall. He still felt drained, and his steps were heavy, but he couldn’t stay put.

Even for the kind of people he wished he could drop in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, shouldn’t he at least check how badly they were hurt? Jeong Taeui wiped his dry eyes with the back of his hand once and then started walking.

***

He had never even considered it.

Perhaps it was because he had experienced such an endless string of unimaginable outcomes, but it seemed as though the man named Ilay Riegrow would never get hurt or die. That’s why, when the medic told Jeong Taeui that Ilay was in a more serious condition than the man whose eye was gouged out, Jeong Taeui was stunned.

“One eye is a bit critical, but it won’t lead to blindness. It was hard to treat him here, so we sent him out. The problem is Rick, that guy—”

The medic said so, frowning.

“We’ll have to investigate to know for sure, but it seems there was something dangerous smeared on the knife. That stubborn bastard, who walked in here perfectly fine after being stabbed in the side, collapsed the moment he arrived at the infirmary. The situation isn’t looking good.”

Behind the medic, who was clicking his tongue and mumbling, Ilay was visible lying on the bed. His eyes closed, lying down in a place where others were present, was deeply unfamiliar. His pale, white skin looked like that of a dead person.

As soon as the words “dead person” came to his mind, Jeong Taeui shook his head. Perhaps it was because the words didn’t suit that man at all; he didn’t want to think about it.

Even the medic, who usually grumbled about “When will that crazy bastard disappear somewhere,” seemed bewildered and incredulous about the situation. Yet, he looked annoyed, as if he wasn’t pleased or cheerful about it. Perhaps it’s because he has more work to do, Jeong Taeui thought, trying to ask something more, but the medic pushed Jeong Taeui away, complaining that it was too much trouble.

“How am I supposed to know right now? I’ll know when I see it! You go do your work, don’t just camp out here, it’s already cramped!”

Pushed out of the infirmary with such a scolding, Jeong Taeui stood blankly for a moment, but then sighed and turned to resume his regular afternoon routine. There was nothing he could do to help by being there.

All afternoon, the branch buzzed with an ominous excitement. Jeong Taeui, however, continued his work as usual, but everywhere he went, the names Rick and Riegrow reached his ears. The repercussions must have been significant, as Jeong Taeui even had to attend an instructor’s meeting after finishing his work. But there wasn’t much Jeong Taeui could say. He knew nothing more than to say that it seemed to have happened during a usual squabble.

He felt strange. Perhaps he still hadn’t fully grasped the reality. It was as if Ilay was still perfectly fine and wandering around somewhere, but other people kept hearing strange things and grabbing Jeong Taeui to talk to him. Only after the instructor’s meeting ended and all his duties for the day were complete did Jeong Taeui walk back to the infirmary.

In fact, he didn’t have to go. And come to think of it, if Ilay somehow went wrong or his condition became critical and he was transferred to an outside hospital, it would be easier for Jeong Taeui. He would still be at odds with his colleagues for a while, but since that man was the cause anyway, if he disappeared, everything would return to normal. He wouldn’t have to be pushed into adjutant duties anymore, and there would be no reason to feel anxious being unarmed next to a ferocious beast. Nevertheless, Jeong Taeui went to the infirmary, not feeling particularly refreshed, only to find an empty bed.

What? Did he get better and go back already? I knew it was nothing serious.

Jeong Taeui suddenly felt drained when he saw the empty infirmary, with neither the medic nor anyone else there. It felt like something loose inside his chest had finally relaxed. Perhaps he had been quite tense without even realizing it.

Jeong Taeui unnecessarily patted his trouser leg a couple of times, as if wiping his hands. His palms felt damp.

“If he was well enough to get up, he should have come to the instructor’s meeting. I got dragged there for nothing.”

Jeong Taeui mumbled lowly and sighed. Even if he wasn’t perfectly fine, if he could get up, that was enough. Jeong Taeui turned to go back to his room. Just then, the infirmary door opened, and the medic entered. The medic seemed surprised for a moment, as if he didn’t expect anyone to be inside, but upon seeing who it was, he gave him a look that asked why he was there.

“Ilay must have woken up….Damn it. I was dragged around for nothing, not even knowing that. When did he wake up?”

Jeong Taeui gestured to the empty bed with his chin and asked. But the medic still shook his head with a stiff face.

“No, he’s still in a coma. There was nothing else we could do with him here, so I moved him to his room.”

“Room? …Ilay’s room?”

Jeong Taeui asked back, bewildered. The gloomy feeling returned. It meant he hadn’t woken up all afternoon. However, if there was nothing more they could do for him here, it was customary to transport him to an outside hospital. Moving him to a personal room with no facilities or equipment was unheard of. To Jeong Taeui, who was slightly frowning in incomprehension, the medic, who had gathered a few things from the desk, waved his hand dismissively and turned to leave the infirmary again.

“I was about to go see that guy anyway, so you can follow. …Tsk. Seriously, it’s not just me, but what kind of trouble are you going through because of that guy? I’m telling you, it never goes smoothly.”

Jeong Taeui hesitated for a moment, standing there, then quickly followed the medic, who had already strode far ahead. The medic didn’t look back and grumbled to himself. He said that if they didn’t increase the staff next quarter, he would quit this job.

Jeong Taeui mumbled, ‘At least you can quit whenever you want, that’s better,’ and sighed, for the countless time that day.

The only thing that somewhat calmed him down was that the medic, as he walked, continuously hurled insults at Ilay without a single break. Thinking that Ilay probably wasn’t in mortal danger and about to gasp his last breath, Jeong Taeui shook his head.

“I’ve thought many times that that guy isn’t human, and I guess that thought is correct. This can’t be human.”

The medic spoke so emphatically that Jeong Taeui asked with a serious face,

“Did you find any unprecedented blood structures or cell types?”

Or parasites that couldn’t exist in humans, Jeong Taeui added, but the medic, looking at him as if he were an idiot, flapped a piece of indicator paper that had changed color at the tip and said,

“He’s alive. See? Perfectly fine.”

It is not necessary to specifically stare at Ilay, whom Gyoho was pointing at with the reagent paper, to know that he was alive. Sweat soaked his forehead, face, and neck. There wasn’t a single moan, but very occasionally, his mouth or eyelids would twitch. His face was as pale as a corpse, but he was alive.

When the two of them entered Ilay’s room on the first basement floor, the room was shrouded in pitch-black darkness. It was so quiet that not even a breath could be heard, as if no one were inside.

However, when the lights were turned on and Jeong Taeui saw Ilay quietly closing his eyes, buried in the covers on the bed, he felt an eerie sense of incongruity. On the surface, he looked like he was peacefully asleep. Looking a little closer, he could see a glistening moisture under the light, but at first glance, he seemed to be sleeping with the same pale face as usual. That fact felt incongruous. Ilay had never slept so silently in the presence of others. Even when he sometimes closed his eyes and seemed to sleep in front of Jeong Taeui, if Jeong Taeui mumbled something, Ilay would look at him with cool eyes, completely devoid of sleepiness, as if he had never been asleep. Furthermore, Jeong Taeui had never even dreamed of seeing him lying defenselessly in front of another person.

It was then that Jeong Taeui truly realized. That man was truly sick.

“Why? Is it a poison that should instantly kill a human, making him look perfectly fine?”

Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue, realizing that his tone had become unconsciously anxious and irritable after retorting to Gyoho, who was saying Ilay was still alive and well. It wasn’t something to get angry at Gyoho about, but a simmering rage wouldn’t subside. But honestly, how could this appearance—unconscious with a corpse-like face and barely audible breathing—be considered “perfectly fine”?

Gyoho, seemingly oblivious to Jeong Taeui’s sullen voice, crumpled the reagent paper, stared at it with a frown, and then casually threw it over his shoulder.

“It’s not enough to kill instantly, but it’s comparable. Do you know how high that guy’s fever is right now? Right now, he’s not just dealing with poison, but in that state, he shouldn’t be lying so still. He should be on the verge of death, beyond just being unconscious. But he’s not dying.”

Jeong Taeui briefly thought he’d like to just yank Gyoho’s mouth shut, as Gyoho babbled on with words that seemed understandable yet incomprehensible. If dying meant you were human and not dying meant you weren’t human, then even he would choose to live by giving up being human. It would be the same for anyone else. It’s fine if they’re not human, as long as they live.

“So what’s the conclusion? Is he going to die?”

Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue and asked. Gyoho, who seemed ready to launch into a long, rambling explanation, shrugged his shoulders, grumbling something under his breath, seemingly displeased by Jeong Taeui’s fierce glare.

“It’s a bacterial toxin. It’s of the exotoxin type, and due to its mechanism, exotoxins easily leak out of the bacterial cell body—… Simply put, it’s a refined toxin, so he’s not someone we just have to sit around doing nothing for, waiting for him to die.”

Gyoho, who had seemingly intended to explain in more detail, saw Jeong Taeui’s slightly fiercer face, smacked his lips, and then got straight to the conclusion.

“Even so, it’s not something to be taken lightly. It’s a poison that could worry even someone with a slightly weak body about their life. A normal person with good health would get severely ill for about a week and then recover if their stamina holds up, but if their stamina drops, it could become serious. Well, a monster like him probably won’t die, but please check on him occasionally.”

Gyoho added, “If he’s found cold and dead at some point, you’ll have to contact the body disposal team, so let me know immediately,” and made a move to leave. Jeong Taeui urgently grabbed Gyoho’s sleeve.

“Hey, so what do we do?!”

“What do we do? There’s nothing more to do. He’ll be sick for about a week and wake up when he’s half-dead. It’d be good if he regains consciousness during that time, otherwise, he’ll be sustained by IV drips. There’s nothing anyone can do. He has to trust his own stamina and wake up.”

Gyoho shrugged, saying this was no longer his concern.

“What if we move him outside? What if we move him to a hospital with proper facilities?”

Jeong Taeui asked, but Gyoho only shook his head.

“There won’t be any special solutions even if we go there, and trying to move him will just make things worse. Just leave him be. Think of it as having a really, really nasty flu.”

“People can die from the flu too, you know.”

“That’s right. I never said he wouldn’t die. But with a monster like him’s stamina, it’d be hard for him to die even from the flu. Even if he got the flu’s grandfather, do you think he’d die?”

“…”

It was a bit frustrating that he couldn’t shake his head and say no. Jeong Taeui looked down at Ilay. Pale. He was always on the pale side, but perhaps because he was looking at him as someone sick, he truly looked like a corpse. If it weren’t for the subtle sweat glistening on his skin, he might have even shaken him to see if he was truly dead. Jeong Taeui silently stared at him, then slowly extended his hand. He paused just before his hand touched Ilay’s forehead, but the beast did not bare his fangs or try to bite. Jeong Taeui hesitated, then placed his hand on Ilay’s forehead.

Hot. It was a high fever, to the point of being baffling how such heat could emanate from that pale face.

“He has a high fever.”

“I told you earlier, didn’t I? Do you know how high his fever went? To exaggerate a bit, if it went up a few more degrees, even if he survived, he’d become a fool.”

Gyoho, who muttered such frightening words with a calm face, clicked his tongue, scratched his head, and took a step back. This time, Jeong Taeui grabbed Gyoho again, just as he was about to leave the room, but Gyoho irritably shook off his sleeve.

“What! I told you there’s nothing more I can do!”

“No, but are you just going to leave a guy with a raging fever like that?!”

“So you want us to sit here together and watch him with our hands in our laps, discussing life? I’m already swamped because of that guy, so who’s going to do the mountain of work piling up? Are you going to do it for me? I have to analyze charts for twelve people and assist, and send a stack of faxes to the outside hospital tonight. Can you do that?!”

Gyoho shrieked, clutching his head and beginning to lament, “I shouldn’t have come to this place, why did that malevolent fiend make his nest here again?”

Jeong Taeui looked at Gyoho with a tired expression, then quickly sent him away. Thinking about it, Gyoho was truly a pitiful person. Jeong Taeui knew well that taking charge of the medical team in a branch teeming with a monstrous man and people who held grudges against him was truly a situation where ten bodies wouldn’t be enough. He also knew that if Gyoho flatly said, “There’s nothing more I can do,” then that would be correct.

Even knowing that, he still wanted to grasp at a straw, seeing the man limp and lifeless like a corpse.

“…Hey, Ilay.”

He called out, but no answer came back.

In the dimly lit room, with only the bedside lamp on, Jeong Taeui stood motionless beside the bed, silently looking down at him.

“Hey… Ilay Riegrow. Wake up.”

But Ilay remained perfectly still, not a single movement, just holding his breath. Jeong Taeui moved closer to the bed. Ilay was not the kind of person to let another person approach him so closely while he was defenseless. Normally, he would have opened his eyes and kept his distance. No, he would never have shown such a sight in the first place. He would have been awake before they even entered the room.

Now, he was like a powerless doll, asleep. Like a pale, bloodless wax figure. Would he even stir if a knife were plunged into him right now? Like a vampire found in broad daylight, this formidable man, who was the embodiment of everyone’s fear and anxiety, displayed a helpless form, vulnerable to even the most minor attacks.

“What is this?”

Jeong Taeui suddenly lowered his voice and murmured to himself.

“What is this…? It’s strange when the guy who always hunted people like mice is like this.”

He slowly extended his hand. This time, without stopping, his hand touched Ilay’s forehead. His palm became wet. Even though sweating should lower body temperature, the fever showed no signs of abating.

“So this guy is human after all, getting a fever.”

Jeong Taeui roughly wiped the sweat from Ilay’s face and neck with the back of his hand and then withdrew his hand. He didn’t even think of sitting on the bed, just gazed at Ilay. It still felt strange. There probably wasn’t a more mismatched sight.

“Hey, when are you going to wake up? Or just get much worse and be escorted outside. Being vaguely sick like this inside the branch just makes me more worried. …Good heavens.”