Passion Novel - Volume 5 - Chapter 145

Jeong Jaeui slightly scrunched his mouth, looking troubled, but then quietly sighed and turned the newspaper over again.

“Let’s talk about that later.”

“Hyung, are you not feeling well?” Jeong Taeui, who hadn’t taken his eyes off Jeong Jaeui, frowned and asked. He usually didn’t talk when his brother was on the phone, but he wasn’t so obtuse as to not find this situation strange.

A brief silence followed. A low click of the tongue was heard from beyond the receiver.

[Taeui. You said you went out, when did you get back?]

“Just now. Did I hear something I shouldn’t have?”

Jeong Taeui spoke to his uncle but kept his gaze on Jeong Jaeui. Jeong Jaeui silently looked at the newspaper, then finally raised his head. He had a subtly troubled expression, but it soon returned to his usual calm face. Jeong Taeui watched him intently, frowning. This “that story” now—didn’t it sound as if Jeong Jaeui was ill somewhere?

A brief silence followed. For a few seconds, no one spoke.

“Hyung. ……What is it? Why are you making me anxious? What illness?”

“It’s not like that. I have no illness whatsoever.”

“Then why are you getting a detailed examination?”

Jeong Jaeui frowned, seemingly reluctant. Jeong Taeui casually tossed the gown he had been holding, intending to put it on, onto the bed.

And then he sat down on the bed.

At that moment, his uncle, who had been silent, spoke.

[You two can bicker later. How about talking to me, who has to go to a faculty meeting in 10 minutes, Mr. Jeong Taeui, the terror suspect?]

Jeong Taeui’s face crumpled as his uncle spoke with a slow laugh.

“What is that…? Let me tell you, I’m innocent. At that time, I was trapped in Seringe with Hyung! I’ll claim my innocence. Ugh, just what idle bastard accused me of such a thing…ㅡ.”

As he grumbled, Jeong Taeui suddenly thought. Even if Ilay Riegrow was on that list, it wouldn’t automatically implicate Jeong Taeui. Who would be capable of dragging Jeong Taeui into this?

Only one person immediately came to mind.

[Taeui, what on earth did you do while you were trapped in there to get on Raman Abid Al-Saud’s bad side?]

Ah… As expected.

Hearing the name of the person he had immediately thought of directly from his uncle, Jeong Taeui felt less angry and more drained.

“How would I know…? Damn it. But why me? …Ah. Are they thinking I destroyed my annex in Seringe?”

“Damn it, I was trapped inside the fence with no decent weapons, unable to get out, how could I have devastated that large annex?” Jeong Taeui grumbled, and his uncle’s laugh was heard from the other end of the phone, as if he had heard Jeong Taeui’s muttering.

[The Seringe annex… Right, I heard that’s where the most damage was done. Anyway, it seems the shelling from Riyadh was a means to draw out the armed guards who were outside.]

Jeong Taeui shut his mouth. After a moment of silence, he subtly asked.

“What happened to Ilay?”

[What happened? Nothing can happen to him. He wasn’t caught. On the contrary, it’s UNHRDO and T&R that are in an uproar. They’ve been completely, utterly turned upside down.]

His uncle’s voice echoed in the room, sounding deliberately tired, muttering that he hadn’t slept a wink since being woken by a sudden emergency call early yesterday morning.

Jeong Taeui frowned.

Indeed, since the news was so widely broadcast, all of Ilay Riegrow’s personal information must have already been released. UNHRDO and T&R would probably have to endure a rough time for a while, just for having the misfortune of having a troublesome colleague (or family member).

[Kyle must be having a hell of a time too. This incident has gone beyond what can be easily hushed up. Especially since all the guys Rick mobilized and dragged along were from T&R’s old mobile unit, they’re going to suffer for quite a while.]

“That guy has truly experienced many hardships because of his troublesome younger brother,” his uncle’s voice sounded tinged with regret. Hearing that, Jeong Taeui felt a similar sympathy for Kyle’s secretary, James, for a moment, but didn’t say it aloud.

Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue.

“I tried calling him earlier, but couldn’t reach him.”

[Calling? Where did you call?]

“The direct number, the one UNHRDO uses.”

Jeong Taeui said, and his uncle murmured, “Ah,” then laughed.

[He won’t be able to use that number anymore. It’s not a number issued to someone who isn’t a UNHRDO instructor.]

“Huh?”

[Rick is no longer a UNHRDO instructor. He was fired today.]

His uncle spoke in a casual tone, as if talking about what he had for dinner. Jeong Taeui was speechless. But he soon sighed and mumbled, “I see.”

Thinking about it, it was only natural. They couldn’t have a terrorist as a UNHRDO instructor. It was a matter that could easily drag them down with him.

Jeong Taeui scratched his head. Suddenly, his chest swelled with emotion. Damn it. Why did he do it? If he said it was because of him, Jeong Taeui would just twist his neck.

Jeong Taeui rubbed his chest, which was burning with an emotion so intense it made it hard to breathe. Now, Ilay Riegrow was a fugitive. The man who, until just yesterday, was always proud, arrogant, and intimidating in whatever he did, now had to hide and run from others’ pursuit. He wouldn’t be able to do anything properly in the future. It would be difficult for him to move freely or go out.

“….”

Jeong Taeui gritted his teeth. His throat suddenly burned, and he needlessly wiped his lips with the back of his dry hand.

It was then. Perhaps interpreting Jeong Taeui’s silence in some way, his uncle’s voice suddenly lowered.

[But you know, Taeui. You were like this before, but you’re still… brave.]

The pause his uncle took before finishing his sentence somehow bothered Jeong Taeui. Jeong Taeui grumbled sullenly.

“Actually, didn’t you want to put something else in place of ‘brave’?”

Then his uncle laughed.

[No, perish the thought. Not at all. But then again, come to think of it, perhaps another word would fit better. What on earth was that brazen act, huh?]

“What brazen act?”

Jeong Taeui grumbled, “Because I’m timid, I couldn’t even escape by taking Raman hostage and just stayed trapped,” and his uncle chuckled.

[Rick went to such lengths to find you, even returning to Seringe and destroying Raman’s annex, and in the meantime, you teamed up with Xinlu and escaped, and now you’re there.]

“Who said that?!” Jeong Taeui shouted abruptly, turning sharply to Jeong Jaeui, who was closest. Jeong Jaeui raised an eyebrow and waved his hand. “Right, Hyung wouldn’t be the one to say such a thing,” Jeong Taeui nodded, and his uncle soon provided the answer.

[It wasn’t something Rick did alone, so there’s no way the word wouldn’t get out. …ㅡJeong Taeui. You need to take good care of your life. Do you know? You’ve made that bastard Rick like a dog chasing a chicken.]

The hint of laughter quietly vanished from his uncle’s voice. Jeong Taeui closed his mouth at his serious tone.

A dog chasing a chicken.

He suddenly gave a bitter smile. His heart ached again. So many things that didn’t suit that bastard were appearing today. Those expressions, and these words.

He was reluctant to attach such a miserable phrase to Ilay. But since the words were undeniably true, Jeong Taeui had no choice but to remain silent.

[Oh dear. There’s not much time left… Actually, I had something to say to Jaeui. Jaeui.]

At his uncle’s words, Jeong Taeui unconsciously checked his watch. The time his uncle mentioned for the instructor meeting was drawing near. Considering the time difference, it wasn’t the time for the instructor meeting, so it seemed the agency was in an uproar because of what Ilay had done.

At his uncle’s call, Jeong Jaeui, who was still engrossed in the newspaper, briefly replied, “Yes.”

[You, come back to UNHRDO.]

Jeong Jaeui was silent for a moment at his uncle’s words. Jeong Taeui silently watched Jeong Jaeui. During that time, his uncle’s words continued.

[I can’t guarantee that such a thing won’t happen again in the future, and I can’t send you to find Taeui again. If this time, you had been affiliated somewhere—not necessarily UNHRDO—it would have been much easier to reach out to find you. Even this time, if you had been affiliated with UNHRDO, even if it was just a formality, we might have been able to ask Raman for help, by saying, ‘We heard our person is at that annex over there.’]

Even if he did that, it would be useless if Jeong Taeui had been moved somewhere else beforehand and they just showed the annex. However, whether they met the requirements for formality was clearly an important issue.

Jeong Jaeui pondered, then quietly said, “Uncle. I don’t want to do the research required by UNHRDO.”

[Who said UNHRDO only deals with weapon-related matters?]

His uncle retorted, as if he had expected such a remark. Jeong Jaeui seemed to think for a while, then finally nodded.

“Then I’ll ask you to do that.”

[Alright. Then go to UNHRDO tomorrow. I have something to do today and tomorrow, so I’ll go there the day after tomorrow. There’s a UNHRDO branch in Johannesburg, so you can go there. It’d be troublesome if something happened even for a few days before I get there.]

“I’ll contact the Johannesburg branch and tell them to pick you up early tomorrow,” his uncle continued. Jeong Taeui, who had been listening to their conversation beside them, made a bitter face.

“Uncle. But we’re currently being held by Xinlu…”

Then his uncle laughed. And he said, with a subtle nuance.

[Xinlu won’t care about Jaeui’s whereabouts.]

Jeong Taeui closed his mouth.

This person sometimes made him wonder what he knew and what he didn’t. Certainly, as his uncle said, at this point, Xinlu wouldn’t try to gain anything more from Jeong Jaeui.

Jeong Taeui fell into thought.

What Xinlu wanted.

Jeong Taeui felt as if he might know what he wanted. But it wasn’t clearly defined yet.

While Jeong Taeui was lost in thought, his uncle, sensing that the meeting time was approaching, concluded with, “Well then, let’s talk again later.” It was right before he hung up.

[…Taeui.]

Suddenly, his uncle called Jeong Taeui. Jeong Taeui raised an eyebrow at the sudden call and replied, “Yes, Uncle?” But his uncle said nothing. As if he was about to say something but hesitated.

Finally, his uncle just said, [No. Be well.], and hung up.

Jeong Taeui stared blankly at the disconnected call. Suddenly, he felt as if he knew what his uncle had been trying to say. Perhaps he had been trying to convey something that couldn’t be expressed in words.

Jeong Taeui chuckled. “It’s alright, Uncle,” he muttered to himself.

After the call ended, silence briefly filled the room.

Jeong Taeui remained seated on the bed, quietly watching Jeong Jaeui, whose gaze was fixed on the newspaper. Then, he abruptly asked.

“Where did you get the newspaper? I tried to buy one, but all the places were closed, and I couldn’t find anywhere selling them.”

“The business center on the first floor of the hotel. They have them in every language.”

“….”

Jeong Taeui made a bitter face. Right, when he thought about it, there was no way a hotel wouldn’t have newspapers. He had foolishly wasted his time.

Jeong Taeui scratched his head, then asked again.

“Are you going to join UNHRDO?”

“Hmm… Uncle is right. Being affiliated somewhere can be a minimal safety net. If I had been affiliated somewhere this time too, Raman probably wouldn’t have resorted to kidnapping and confinement… and you wouldn’t have ended up in this situation.” Jeong Jaeui spoke calmly. Jeong Taeui remained silent. Though he spoke as if it were nothing, Jeong Jaeui felt sorry for Jeong Taeui. Jeong Taeui felt a bitter sensation and clicked his tongue.

Then, he suddenly looked at him intently.

“Your body. Where does it hurt?”

Jeong Jaeui subtly flinched. And looked at Jeong Taeui with slightly troubled eyes. Jeong Taeui met his gaze without speaking. Without backing down, he quietly urged him to answer. Jeong Jaeui could have remained silent. But after silently staring at Jeong Taeui, he whispered, almost a sigh, at some point.

“It doesn’t hurt. I truly have no illness, and I don’t feel pain anywhere.”

“Then why…ㅡ.”

“As long as you’re fine.”

As Jeong Taeui opened his mouth, slightly frowning, Jeong Jaeui cut him off and spoke briefly.

Jeong Taeui looked at him with strange eyes. Then, as if he understood and yet didn’t, he tilted his head.

Jeong Jaeui briefly lowered his gaze to the newspaper. But his gaze wasn’t reading the newspaper. It was the gaze of someone thinking how to begin speaking. And when his gaze returned to Jeong Taeui’s face, his quiet voice was heard.

“I left something unsaid before. That if you die, I die too. …I, as you know, am not a normal—in any sense—human, so I often have to undergo detailed examinations. And the results, they come out that way. That I’m not a human who can be alive.”

“…, What is that?”

“Literally, my body is in tatters inside. My heart, my organs, my blood, they’re so worn out it’s a miracle they’re still functioning properly. Like an old person on the verge of death. That’s why when I was little, I had countless tests in the hospital, but there was never any clear conclusion. That my body shouldn’t be able to live so normally.”

The expression left Jeong Taeui’s face. He stared blankly at Jeong Jaeui, as if he were possessed by a ghost. But Jeong Jaeui remained calm. He paused for a moment before speaking.

“So, if you’re sick, I’m sick too.”

“…I don’t understand. I don’t know how that’s different from what you said before, and I…ㅡ.”

Jeong Taeui frowned. Still looking at Jeong Jaeui, Jeong Taeui tilted his head.

Suddenly, a memory came to mind. Sometime ago, when Jeong Jaeui said that, when he said he would die if Jeong Taeui died, Raman had looked at Jeong Taeui with a very strange expression.

He seemed to understand the reason for that expression now.

Jeong Taeui looked intently at Jeong Jaeui. Jeong Jaeui stared back at him blankly, then at some point, turned his gaze away.

“Is it heavy?”

With his gaze averted, he whispered softly.

At that moment, Jeong Taeui suddenly realized. It was the same feeling as before, from long ago. The tender and regrettable feeling he had for his brother. The thread that bound them, inexplicable by any reason, he considered heavy, and also considered it heavy that Jeong Taeui might consider it heavy.

Within the yoke placed upon him without his asking, Jeong Jaeui always lived in human anxiety and torment. In a place Jeong Taeui did not know.

These glimpses that occasionally appeared were the face of Jeong Jaeui that Jeong Taeui, from his position, could not see.

“Hyung. I…”

Jeong Taeui quietly opened his mouth. As if examining every detail of Jeong Jaeui’s face, or seeing him for the first time, he whispered to this pitiful person.

“I’m always in this position. It doesn’t change.”

A silent gaze approached.

Jeong Taeui fell into thought. How should he say it? No, what was he thinking? To speak, he first had to search within his own thoughts. Thoughts he usually didn’t bring to consciousness. And among them, he found the words he most wanted to say to him.

“Just as Hyung thinks of me, I’ll think of Hyung.”

If he found it heavy, Jeong Taeui would find it heavy by just that much. If he felt awkward or stifled, Jeong Taeui would feel it by just that much.

But he could say this because, despite everything, he knew his brother loved him. And the same was true for himself.

Jeong Jaeui quietly looked at Jeong Taeui.

At some point, he smiled.

Softly. The faint smile, almost flickering out, was nonetheless clearly joyful.

“Yes. ……I see.”

Jeong Jaeui whispered, barely audible. Perhaps he, too, was searching through thoughts he usually didn’t bring to consciousness.