Passion Novel - Volume 5 - Chapter 110

He wasn’t someone he should be happy to see, but after not having a proper conversation with anyone for several days, seeing a familiar face made him somewhat glad. Thinking about it, he hadn’t talked to anyone he knew since returning to Hong Kong. The only people he had talked to were hotel staff or shop clerks.

“Long time no see. You have business here again today, it seems.”

“Ah, yes. Long time no see to you too. Are you alone?”

The broker responded with a welcoming expression. Jeong Taeui replied, “Yes,” and sat in the opposite seat.

He had only seen him two or three times, but striking up a conversation was easier than he expected. Perhaps it was because they had conducted a transaction that couldn’t be openly discussed. As is often the case with people who share a secret, both Jeong Taeui, who asked about his business as a courtesy, and the man who replied to Jeong Taeui, wore subtle smiles.

“How’s that pleasant friend you came with before? Is he using the item well? There must have been no problem with the quality. After talking to him a few times, he seemed like a guy who knew how to use things properly.”

After exchanging a few brief greetings, the man suddenly spoke as if something had just occurred to him, and Jeong Taeui subtly frowned. He instinctively recalled a certain person’s face at the man’s words.

That damn bastard is probably holed up in his room at UNHRDO, surrounded by his pretty toys, having a grand old time, Jeong Taeui muttered inwardly, then replied with a slight smile, “Well, the last time I saw him, he seemed to be doing well.”

Pretty toys, my ass. One of these days, I’ll pick a day, scour his room, gather all those weapons, and douse them with sulfuric acid.

In fact, due to his grudge against Moro, Jeong Taeui had told Ilay when he was about to put him in this hotel and go to the UNHRDO branch, that since things had come to this, he would go with him.

Yes, Ilay had a rather strange look on his face then. He seemed very surprised that Jeong Taeui suddenly wanted to go with him. He tilted his head slightly and stared at Jeong Taeui for a while, but perhaps unable to guess the reason, he simply asked, “Why?”

‘I have business with Moro.’

When Jeong Taeui said this fiercely and seriously, Ilay finally seemed to understand. He nodded a couple of times, saying, “Aha,” then stated flatly,

‘No. You’re practically an outsider to UNHRDO now, as you know. UNHRDO prohibits outsiders without specific reasons.’

‘No, I’m just going to see Moro once and leave. I won’t do anything else.’

The more he spoke, the more furious he became, so he grabbed Ilay’s clothes tightly. Ilay glanced down at his hand, then coldly shook him off.

‘Rules are rules.’

He wanted to grab that mouth that spoke as coldly as dripping ice and shake it. Since when did you follow rules so well?

In Jeong Taeui’s fierce gaze, Ilay brushed off his wrinkled collar with his fingertips and added,

‘Besides, strictly speaking, I was able to locate you thanks to that guy.’

Yes, that was precisely the source of Jeong Taeui’s resentment. That immense grudge, which wouldn’t be satisfied even if he were flayed alive, was, naturally, no cause for resentment at all for Ilay.

Because of that guy, I got caught by you again! Jeong Taeui couldn’t express his resentment to Ilay, so he seethed inwardly. As he did, Ilay, who had been walking out of the room, suddenly slowed down and tilted his head, as if he had thought of something. After a brief moment of thought, he muttered to himself,

‘But… if it weren’t for that prototype, he probably wouldn’t have said a word to me about your whereabouts, even if he knew. Even before you were kidnapped, he would regularly contact the branch but never mentioned that matter.’

Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue disapprovingly. Yes, if it weren’t for his fanatical obsession with firearms, Moro probably wouldn’t have told Ilay about Jeong Taeui’s whereabouts. No matter how bad their relationship was, he wasn’t that kind of person. He hadn’t deliberately told Ilay just to screw Jeong Taeui over.

Even so.

This was the result.

That damn bastard, Jeong Taeui grumbled, and Ilay glanced back at him. He stared blankly at Jeong Taeui’s sullen, puffed-up face, then suddenly reached out.

A pale, smooth hand approached. Jeong Taeui instinctively flinched and recoiled. It wasn’t a conscious or deliberate action. It was purely reflexive. He had seen that pale hand turn crimson in an instant countless times while being near Ilay. Yet, it was unreasonable to expect him not to be tense.

As he recoiled half a step, Jeong Taeui inwardly thought, Oh, crap. Even without seeing Ilay’s face, which had stopped reaching out and was faintly frowning, he knew he had made a mistake.

But wouldn’t you recoil too? I didn’t do it on purpose, it was just pure survival instinct. No, if it were you, you wouldn’t recoil; you’d counterattack or even cut off that hand.

Jeong Taeui muttered endless unheard excuses to himself and looked at Ilay awkwardly.

Ilay slowly turned over the hand that had paused. He looked at his palm, then slowly curled his little finger inward, loosely clenching his fist. It was a fist perfectly suited for beating someone.

‘No, I didn’t mean anything by it. I just… Ugh, if it were you, and someone like you reached out, would you just offer your neck for them to cut?’

Jeong Taeui, who was about to make excuses, blurted out in frustration as the thin, cold gaze approached. Ilay seemed to ponder for a moment. He was probably debating whether or not to swing that fist.

As Jeong Taeui had thought, Ilay, who had regretfully stared at his fist for a few more seconds, slowly unclenched it again. And he extended that palm back towards Jeong Taeui. This time, Jeong Taeui flinched slightly but didn’t recoil. He just pulled his head back slightly and looked down at the hand.

‘…What.’

As Jeong Taeui muttered, staring at the palm extended right in front of his neck, Ilay said briefly,

‘Offer your neck.’

“…”

I thought I misspoke, but is he really going to cut my throat?

Jeong Taeui stared silently at the hand. A pale, smooth hand looking so menacing… it wasn’t the first time, but no matter how familiar the hand, its menace wasn’t lessened. But if he remained silent, Ilay didn’t seem likely to withdraw his hand. Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue. And as if resigned, he leaned forward, as if inviting him to choke him. His neck touched the fingertips.

And then.

That hand, capable of severing a windpipe, gripped Jeong Taeui’s neck. His breath instantly hitched at the strong fingers pressing just below his carotid artery. He instinctively frowned and let out a short, ragged breath. The moment he did, Ilay, who had mercilessly pulled his neck, gripped Jeong Taeui’s chin with his other hand and pulled it down. The unhesitating touch clearly showed that this man was not in a pleasant mood.

Jeong Taeui swallowed his breath. Ilay’s mouth covered his, blocking any possibility of even a single breath escaping. Whether he breathed or not, whether he died or not, Ilay seemed not to care, thrusting his tongue deep into Jeong Taeui’s mouth and unknowingly sucking in Jeong Taeui’s escaping tongue, biting it hard. Ack, a short cry escaped, but even that sound was swallowed by him.

The hand that had been gripping his chin now stroked down his back, reaching Jeong Taeui’s buttocks. Jeong Taeui instinctively pulled his body forward as the hand fiercely squeezed his buttocks a couple of times, as if to tear them off. His body pressed tightly against Ilay, who had been standing in front of him. Ilay, who had again gripped Jeong Taeui’s buttocks, pulling him closer as if rubbing his crotch, then slowly ground his hips once—clearly confirming that Jeong Taeui understood his intention—and then, at some point, released his hands. Both hands, as if nothing had happened, moved away from Jeong Taeui.

Jeong Taeui coughed several times and stepped back a couple of paces. Wiping his mouth and steadying his breathing, Jeong Taeui glared fiercely at Ilay.

Ilay wasn’t looking at Jeong Taeui. He was looking at his watch. He couldn’t delay long if he wanted to catch the last ferry from Hong Kong to the UNHRDO Asia branch.

Jeong Taeui’s mind suddenly flashed, and he quickly checked his watch. He instinctively realized there was a very close relationship between Ilay’s slightly bulging crotch and the remaining time.

Hearing Ilay click his tongue disapprovingly and seeing the little time they had left, Jeong Taeui felt his heart, which had momentarily frozen, calm down with relief, and he patted his chest.

‘…Go quickly. Well, I wish I could go with you, but rules are rules, so I can’t.’

Moro or not, he had to take care of himself first. He wasn’t persistent enough to take revenge at the cost of his own body. Thankfully. If they had had five more minutes, this guy would have probably tried to have sex once before leaving.

Go quickly, go quickly. Just go away.

Jeong Taeui inwardly sprinkled salt, yet at the same time, stared blankly at this incomprehensible man.

Of course, there wasn’t just one or two incomprehensible aspects about him, but one of those incomprehensible traits was this. Sometimes—mostly in such cases—Ilay would narrow his snake-like, cold eyes and stare at Jeong Taeui as if coveting him. Most of the time, this coincided with his lower body getting aroused. That was hard to understand.

The very method of choosing semi-forced sexual intercourse as a means of humiliating an opponent to take revenge was highly unappealing—though, in this situation, Jeong Taeui wasn’t exactly feeling utterly humiliated—but that method simultaneously led to the conclusion that he himself had to have sex with someone he didn’t want to. Is that good? Is that good?!

Jeong Taeui genuinely wanted to ask that, but if he did, and that bastard annoyingly said, “Aha, I see. Then I’ll have someone else do it to you…”, it would be a disaster.

As Jeong Taeui gestured towards the room door with his chin, saying, “You’ll be late, go quickly,” feigning concern, Ilay raised an eyebrow slightly. The pale hand that had been slowly stroking his bulging crotch suddenly stopped.

‘You look quite pleased. Is it because time is short?’

His slow, muttering voice contained a faint laugh. Damn it. When this guy laughs, I always get shivers down my spine.

The moment Jeong Taeui thought that, Ilay, true to his thoughts, unbuckled his belt. Clink, the metallic sound echoed unusually loudly in the room. Hearing the sound of his zipper coming down, Jeong Taeui looked at his watch again. Naturally, time was still short. It was getting shorter and shorter. He couldn’t possibly spare time to lie around in bed.

‘Hey, you have to go back to the branch today—’

‘Ah, yes. I have to go back. I’ll be quick. —Right, you said you had business with Moro, didn’t you? I’ll take care of that business for you. I’ll bring you a gift when I return. So you just wait here and rest for a few days. You won’t be able to rest after that anyway.’

‘Yeah, that’s all good, but you don’t have time—’

‘Suck.’

When Ilay casually said that, lightly gripping and shaking the half-erect object between his opened fly, Jeong Taeui was speechless.

‘Time is short, so let’s finish quickly. Open your mouth.’

‘Hey, you bastard. Are you really—’

‘The more urgent the time, the more impatient I get, and I tend to force things without realizing it. So let’s end this nicely before that happens. At least there’s still enough time for oral sex.’

Jeong Taeui stared at Ilay with a horrified expression as he approached, speaking in a tone no different from saying, There’s enough time to drink a glass of water before going out. Eventually, when he reached out to press down on Jeong Taeui’s shoulder, Jeong Taeui frantically slapped his hand away and shouted,

‘What do you mean, ‘nicely for both of us’? It’s only nice for you!’

‘Huh?’

Ilay raised an eyebrow and muttered briefly, then let out a small laugh, “Aha.”

‘Right, now that you mention it, that’s true. Okay, next time I’ll pay you back with interest. For now, I don’t have time, so you understand. Open your mouth. …If you even pretend to bite, I’ll break your jaw.’

‘Wait, I don’t need interest or anything, I’m fine, hey, wait, wait—!’

Jeong Taeui remembered very well what his voice sounded like then. He could vividly recall it starting with panic and ending with whimpering groans mixed with half-sobs and curses.

“Such objects, originally, only truly achieve their value when they are constantly handled and cherished. Even if it doesn’t feel right at first, if you encounter it often and get close to it, it will fit you perfectly.”

“Fit perfectly, my ass! My throat almost ripped!”

Jeong Taeui suddenly blurted out, then realized his mistake when he saw the broker in front of him, startled, mouth agape, blinking his eyes.

“Oh, I’m sorry… I was just thinking about something else for a moment. I’ve had some… things going on lately.”

Jeong Taeui mumbled, vaguely making excuses. He unconsciously scratched the back of his neck irritably, then felt the heat rising to his earlobes and cursed inwardly.

Memories, the more you try to erase them from your mind, the more they resurface in a chain reaction. Jeong Taeui covered his mouth and lowered his head. Without needing a mirror, he knew his face must be a sight to behold right now. Not only was it completely flushed, but his crestfallen expression must have been quite embarrassing.

His lips felt throbbing. Of course, it was just his imagination, but Jeong Taeui needlessly rubbed around his jaw.

Damn it.

The moment that massive chunk of flesh pounded down his throat, his breath caught. It wasn’t a metaphor; he literally couldn’t breathe. Nausea surged reflexively at the sensation of his Adam’s apple being struck, but he couldn’t even vomit properly. He just gagged and flailed.

He wanted to bite him. No, if he could have, he would have truly bitten him, without thinking about the consequences.

However, sensing his intention—or perhaps having anticipated it from the start—the hand holding Jeong Taeui’s mouth open tightened. Jeong Taeui, his voice choked, screamed inwardly that it hurt, though no one heard him. He felt as if his lower jaw was separating from his upper jaw in that rough grip.

The memory of that time sent shivers down his spine just thinking about it.

Damn it. He had tried so hard to forget it that he had somewhat forgotten, but now it came back to him.

Jeong Taeui remained still, feeling as if he would truly collapse and not be able to get up if he recalled the lingering taste, smell, and temperature in his mouth, so he quickly shook his head vigorously. Then, with a sudden flash in his eyes, he looked at the broker. The broker, who had been looking at Jeong Taeui with a bewildered expression, flinched when their eyes suddenly met.

“You look a bit pale today…? Are you alright?”

“No, I’m fine. More importantly, how’s business these days? I heard that crackdowns have become more severe lately, so it must be tough.”

Jeong Taeui changed the subject. It seemed a hundred times better to quickly create a new topic and focus on it.

“Crackdowns? They’re useless. Only the small fry get caught. If the public security bureau showed up right here for someone like me, it wouldn’t matter at all.”

The broker smoothly followed Jeong Taeui’s change of subject. Jeong Taeui nodded beside him as he confidently waved his hand.

Since he was a bit of a bluffer anyway, he had to take his words with a grain of salt, but seeing him often make appointments in the same place while doing such dangerous work, he must have some reliable connections. Indeed, it was an industry difficult to enter without some kind of backing in the first place.

The waiter brought the tea. Jeong Taeui gestured to him, calling him over from the table where he had been sitting earlier.

Jeong Taeui picked up his teacup, glancing at the teacup already placed in front of the broker.

When he was silent for a moment, the conversation drifted. The scattered topic hovered in the air. Indeed, being alone with someone wasn’t very comfortable unless they were close enough to talk endlessly about anything without awkwardness.

Jeong Taeui, who wasn’t the type to care much about such things, thought, Who cares? and slowly drank his tea. It seemed the other party couldn’t bear the silence, as the broker looked down at his watch and muttered,

“It’s about time for them to arrive…”

“…Ah. Then I should move seats—”

Jeong Taeui suddenly had a thought and put down his cup. He hadn’t realized it earlier because he had been distracted. Unless it was a transaction meant to be known to everyone, there was no reason for anyone else to be present. It was obvious the client wouldn’t want others around.

However, as Jeong Taeui showed signs of getting up, the broker waved his hand.

“No, it’s fine. There’s still a little time, so finish your drink and go. I came a bit early, you see.”

“Ah, yes…”

Jeong Taeui, who was half-standing, hesitated for a moment and then sat back down. He was alone anyway, and it felt awkward to move tables to drink tea alone and then get up, so he decided to just get up and go to his room when he saw the client arrive a little later.

“By the way… are there any good items these days?”

Jeong Taeui habitually spun the teacup on its saucer and glanced at the broker.

Asking what kind of item he was dealing in was forbidden. So, he usually asked indirectly. However, Jeong Taeui wasn’t curious enough to ask indirectly, and he didn’t care who he sold what to. Having witnessed large-scale arms dealing firsthand, small-scale personal arms transactions now seemed as ordinary as drinking tea in a place like this.

Is there something wrong with me as a person, getting used to this kind of thing? Jeong Taeui thought, tasting bitterness in his mouth. This is why they say society encourages drinking. People don’t just become evil on their own.

Jeong Taeui had merely asked to keep the conversation going, but the broker seemed to have misunderstood somewhat. Perhaps many people were surprisingly curious about who he sold what items to, as he immediately seemed to misunderstand in that direction.

He waved his hand and said casually,

“No, today’s not a big deal. Someone asked me to get a passport, so that’s what this is about.”

“Passport?”

Jeong Taeui, who had been fiddling with his teacup, stopped. A bitter and regrettable memory came to mind.

No matter how many perfect IDs you have, if you’re unlucky, you’ll get caught anywhere. He wanted to tell that unknown person who asked for a passport, but if he did, this broker would probably glare at him for interfering with his business.

“…”

Now, he had no intention of trying the same method again by fabricating a new identity. Perhaps if he tried to escape in a different way. The same method usually yielded the same results.

But…

“A passport, huh… Is it usable?”

Jeong Taeui leaned over the table and asked in a low voice. The broker raised his eyes, saying, “Hmm?” then confidently declared, “Of course!” He rummaged in his pocket, as if he was even going to show it.

Jeong Taeui swallowed the question, Even if it’s a forged passport made for a reason, is it okay to show it to a stranger? and accepted the red passport the broker offered.

The identity his uncle had prepared for him before was perfect. In fact, Jeong Taeui wasn’t good enough at discerning forged documents or counterfeit money to tell the difference easily, so unless it was a very clumsy fake, he couldn’t distinguish between an excellent forgery and a crude one.

So Jeong Taeui couldn’t tell if this passport in his hand was truly something the broker could proudly boast about.

But it looks real enough at a glance… I wonder how experts tell the difference.

Jeong Taeui fiddled with the passport, lost in thought for a moment. Forged identity, huh. It was a method with significant limitations, especially for people from small countries, particularly those with their own unique languages. Jeong Taeui, for example, could converse adequately—quite fluently, in fact—in English, partly due to his brother’s influence and frequent trips abroad since childhood, but if he spoke for a long time, his pronunciation and accent would inevitably differ from a native speaker’s.

“It’s still not a good enough method to use repeatedly…”

Jeong Taeui muttered to himself, shaking his head.

…But it doesn’t hurt to know.

“Something like this, if you want a decent one, how much would it…?”

But before Jeong Taeui could finish his sentence.

Suddenly, a hand reached out from behind Jeong Taeui, over his shoulder. A hand wearing a neat navy glove elegantly took the passport from Jeong Taeui’s hand.

“Wang Liming? If your language isn’t fluent enough, it’s best to give up on forging foreign nationalities.”

Flap, flap, the sound of the passport being flipped through came from behind him.