Passion Novel - Volume 6 - Chapter 136

Back then, he had said that, claiming Jeong Taeui as his own. Perhaps he, too, had thought something similar then. Believing him to be his possession, perhaps he had pulled Jeong Taeui in and bound him to himself, just as Jeong Taeui was trying to do now.

“—…”

Jeong Taeui stopped the hand that was holding Jeong Jaeui’s. Suddenly, his voice, his expression, his touch, his feel, came to mind as if he were right beside him.

—Understand. You are mine.

That low, feverish voice.

—Remember well, Taei. From today… from now on, every day, you are mine.

That searing breath, touch, body heat, clung to his entire body.

“Taei?”

Jeong Jaeui called out quizzically from beside him.

Jeong Taeui thought the night sky was too bright. He wished those stars would close their eyes halfway now. So he could hide his flushed face.

“No, it’s nothing,” Jeong Taeui mumbled, wiping his hot face with the back of his hand. And for a while, he hung his head silently.

That’s when it happened.

Suddenly feeling an inexplicable sense of strangeness, Jeong Taeui raised his head. At the end of the west corridor, a wooden door was open. And in front of it, under the awning of the corridor, a large human shadow was cast.

In that darkness, the man stood like a nocturnal beast. With ice-cold, jet-black eyes, the master of this detached residence quietly watched the scene.

A chill ran down his spine.

He couldn’t tell when he had arrived. The man was there without a sound.

…Ah. Right. Now that he thought of it, Hyung had said earlier that he sometimes came at night. That he occasionally came to look at the night sky from here. Today must have been one of those days. His gaze met the man’s desolate eyes. But before Jeong Taeui could acknowledge him, he turned and went back out the door.

“……?”

Jeong Taeui looked in that direction quizzically, tilting his head. Then, his eyes met Jeong Jaeui’s, who had been facing away from the west corridor. Jeong Jaeui was gazing intently at Jeong Taeui.

“What’s wrong, Tae?”

“Huh? No, just now… …No. I must have seen wrong.”

Jeong Taeui scratched his head and replied. He tilted his head a couple more times, then mumbled, “Oh well, forget it,” and flopped back down on the floor.

He felt Jeong Jaeui’s silent gaze beside him. When he turned his head, their eyes met. He stared like that for a long time, and then he, too, lay back down.

Lying side by side again, their heads together, they silently gazed at the sky above them.

Surely, just a moment ago, they had been seeing the same thing and thinking the same thoughts, but now he couldn’t tell what Jeong Jaeui was thinking. But probably, they weren’t thinking the same thing anymore. Jeong Taeui thought so with a slight sense of regret.

—You are mine.

He had recalled an unnecessary thought.

From the moment Jeong Taeui woke up in the morning, he sighed and lamented inwardly.

“I am not Ilay’s.”

He even tried murmuring it in a tiny voice. Hoping that the words might somehow cancel out.

Perhaps because he had whispered in a voice so small it was like an ant crawling, looking around to see if anyone might hear, it didn’t seem to have much effect. That phrase kept circling in his mind.

“No, I’m not. I’m mine.”

Jeong Taeui buried his face in his arm, feeling like crying.

In fact, he knew. No one can truly be someone else’s possession. One can choose to be someone’s possession out of their own will and stay by their side, but one cannot be forcibly possessed against their will.

He was entirely his own. His body. His mind. His spirit.

But because he was his own, he also had to take full responsibility for every part of himself.

“I need to take responsibility, and pull myself together…”

Jeong Taeui shook his head.

He also thought to himself, how were things going outside right now?

After Jeong Taeui arrived here, he had heard that Ilay had beaten some Arab man to a pulp. Raman had told him, showing no sign of anger or concern. But after that, he hadn’t heard a single word.

What was he doing now? Surely he wasn’t just indiscriminately grabbing and destroying anyone who looked Arab, was he? If he did that, he might become an enemy of the Arab world, and Arabs with the Quran in one hand might attack him with swords in the other.

“Wow… that would be a real mess.”

“Glad I’m not his chief,” Jeong Taeui thought, fervently praying that if such a thing happened, it would occur when he wasn’t by his side. But seriously, what was he doing? He probably guessed that Jeong Taeui was here. Given the situation, there was no other conclusion.

But if so, there was nothing he could do. For the same reason that they couldn’t intervene even though they surely knew Jeong Jaeui was at Raman’s villa, they were still tied up there.

Ilay, he… might have changed his attitude slightly.

Even before coming to Seringe, he had seemed indifferent to whether or not he found Jeong Jaeui. Despite knowing that Jeong Jaeui was an indispensable figure for both T&R and UNHRDO, where he had a foot in each, he remained detached. Perhaps if Jeong Taeui hadn’t come here, he wouldn’t have cared a bit whether Jeong Jaeui was missing or not.

So now, perhaps, he had started searching a little more earnestly? …But if his method of finding people was by beating up Arabs one by one, that would be a huge problem.

During this time, the thought briefly crossed his mind that outside the walls, countless Arabs might be rising up in groups to eliminate their enemy.

“……”

It would be good if there were a way to contact them. If only he could make contact, even for a very brief moment.

Jeong Taeui, who had been lying prostrate beside the central garden pond, briefly raised his head.

A guard still stood in front of the only easily movable door at the end of the corridor. With a large sword at his waist that Jeong Taeui doubted he would ever draw, he was sitting on a wooden chair and letting out a big yawn.

…If I were to knock that man down and go out that door.

Jeong Taeui briefly entertained such a thought, but then shook his head.

Even if he went out that door, he probably wouldn’t be able to leave the villa grounds. This place was just one of the numerous detached buildings built within the villa’s massive walls. So, even if he went out beyond this corridor, he would only end up wandering somewhere inside the villa.

Moreover, it would be great if, by some stroke of luck, this detached building was close to the main gate of the villa, allowing him to hide well and seize an opportunity to dash out when the gate opened. However, the probability of that was low. The moment Jeong Taeui scaled the detached building’s wall, it was obvious that the entire villa would go into high alert. Furthermore, what if this detached building was located in the deepest part of the villa? Then there was no need to say more.

“Come to think of it, they said this detached building was on the highest ground within the villa…”

Jeong Taeui recalled something he had heard recently. And he remembered the old regional map that looked like a child had drawn it with their feet.

The villas in this area were scattered along the southeastern coastline. He didn’t know which villa it was, but considering the terrain, a detached building located on the highest ground within a villa would surely be deep inside, far from the main gate.

In other words, the farthest point from the main gate.

“They must have painstakingly set up my residence in the deepest part, probably to prevent me from escaping. Honestly… Even if it were me, Jaeui hyung isn’t the type to run away. That person doesn’t do such troublesome things.”

Jeong Taeui grumbled, regretfully looking at the small door at the end of the west corridor. In the end, even if he overcame that guard, he would most likely be caught before he could get past the villa’s main gate. Furthermore, and more importantly, Jeong Taeui wasn’t confident he could beat that Arab man.

He had realized it the moment they first met. To be precise, it was the moment he was punched squarely in the solar plexus, with no time to dodge, right after they first encountered each other.

It was precise.

Even though Jeong Taeui had known in advance that someone was chasing him, to aim precisely at the solar plexus without a millimeter of error, at the exact moment Jeong Taeui appeared, and to strike with just enough force to knock him out—no more, no less—was surprisingly difficult, despite seeming easy.

The moment he was hit, he thought, ‘This guy’s a pro.’ And that thought didn’t change even after observing him for a few days while leisurely passing the time. He looked stocky and round, like a common uncle found in any market alley in the Middle East, but there probably weren’t many people who could properly fight and beat him.

Moreover.

“First, that one uncle, let’s see… two, three, four… five? I don’t know. About four or five, I think.”

Jeong Taeui mumbled, counting on his fingers.

If Jeong Taeui were to do something suspicious or cause a disturbance—and if it was something that that stocky uncle alone couldn’t handle—there were a few more people who would immediately appear.

In conclusion, it was correct to assume that breaking out by force was impossible.

However, waiting for external rescue was also impossible. That was why, even though they had assumed Jeong Jaeui was at Raman’s villa, they hadn’t been able to confirm it.

“It would be great if I could just make contact, even if I can’t leave right away.”

Jeong Taeui scratched his head.

All contact with the outside was strictly prohibited within this detached building. He couldn’t write letters, and there was no phone to be found.

At least before Jeong Taeui came here, Jeong Jaeui used to get Raman’s permission to visit the night market on Fridays—though he had to be wrapped in a chador, wear a veil over it, and have a guard following him. It seemed they had assessed that Jeong Jaeui wasn’t the type to attempt a rash escape.

But now, even that was forbidden. Jeong Jaeui couldn’t leave, and neither could Jeong Taeui.

Jeong Taeui glanced again at the Arab guard. He wondered if he might lend his phone if asked politely and respectfully.

He thought that, then laughed at himself for seriously considering it, even for a moment.

The guards, who were essentially trapped inside the detached building all day monitoring Jeong Jaeui, certainly had means of external communication. For their own sake, and for any emergency.

“……”

Should I try it?

Jeong Taeui suddenly had a dangerous idea.

He had learned something from Alta when he was at UNHRDO. Sometime, Alta had come back from a weekend trip to Hong Kong, laughing and boasting that some idiotic pickpocket had tried to steal from him, and in retaliation, he had stolen from the guy instead, because he was so vexed. And then, he grabbed Jeong Taeui, who was drinking beer nearby, and personally demonstrated several times how to properly pickpocket, teaching him.

Carlo and the other members next to them tried to dissuade Alta, saying, “He’s already full of tricks, what are you going to do if you teach him even that? It’ll be a headache, stop, stop.” But Alta, fueled by alcohol, pretended not to hear.

He hadn’t really wanted to learn, but Alta had clung to him while drunk, so he had picked it up…

Jeong Taeui looked down at his hands. After learning it then, he had found it quite fun and used it a few times, but then he got bored and hardly did it anymore. He wondered if his hands would still move properly.

He glanced at the Arab man. Perhaps sensing his unusual gaze, the sullen Arab man, who had been staring straight ahead, turned to look at Jeong Taeui. His eyes, indifferent yet sharpened with alertness, fixed on Jeong Taeui.

…Ah. No, this won’t work. Not that man, no. I’ll probably die if I try anything.

Jeong Taeui smiled faintly and waved his hand. The man, maintaining his gruff expression, but giving a slight nod, turned his head back.

But then. Just as Jeong Taeui was pondering what to do, the man stood up from his chair. And he shouted something towards the interior of the corridor. Soon, a young man ran out from deeper inside the corridor.

Perhaps that Arab man was more than just a guard here; he might have had some status elsewhere, as the young man seemed to follow him around and serve him. When the young man came out, the man muttered a few words and left. “He’s going to the restroom,” Jeong Taeui mumbled, then his eyes suddenly brightened. And he looked at the fresh face of the young man who was temporarily guarding the spot instead of the man.

…Someone like him, perhaps.

Jeong Taeui quickly got up. After confirming that the man had gone into the corridor, he scurried over to the young man. The young man, guarding the door, raised an eyebrow quizzically as Jeong Taeui approached.

“I’d appreciate it if you could let me out.”

Jeong Taeui pointed to the door and smiled faintly. Of course, the young man wouldn’t understand what Jeong Taeui said in his native tongue, but he seemed to guess the meaning from the gesture towards the door, and shook his head firmly.

“Don’t be like that, just let me out for a moment, okay?”

Jeong Taeui frowned, yet grinned, putting on an expression that would make him seem sufficiently shameless, and stubbornly tugged at the doorknob.

The young man seemed flustered, momentarily at a loss, as the hostage, who had been quiet for months—though Jeong Taeui had been there for a much shorter period—suddenly started acting stubborn about wanting to leave. But soon, as if burning with a sense of duty, he seized Jeong Taeui’s wrist. However, Jeong Taeui smiled slightly at his clumsy move, and lightly twisted his wrist, shaking off the grip.

Upon being so easily released, the young man seemed to swell with confusion and anger. He shouted something roughly—Jeong Taeui guessed it was along the lines of ‘Don’t get cocky just because I’m being nice’—and crossed his wrists to grab Jeong Taeui by the collar. And then, very cleanly, he threw Jeong Taeui.

“Ah, he’s actually learned something,” Jeong Taeui thought as he sailed through the air. Lost in that thought, he missed his timing for a proper breakfall slightly. He landed with a thud on his backside on the stone floor.

“Ow!”

Jeong Taeui let out a short yelp. But fearing the sound might reach the bathroom far away, he suppressed it, inhaling a painful breath with a hiss. From behind him, the young man muttered something, then, with a stoic face showing a resolute ‘I absolutely will not move,’ he plopped down on the chair.

“Ugh, it really hurts since it’s a stone floor. Good thing my butt fat cushioned the fall,” Jeong Taeui mumbled, rubbing his bottom as he got up. One side of his rear ached, making him limp as he walked towards the bedroom. He cast a resentful glance at the young man, who was still glaring at Jeong Taeui with a face full of duty.

“That’s why youthful vigor is so good,” Jeong Taeui mumbled to himself. He then went through the bedroom door into the inner courtyard. All the while, he fervently prayed that the Arab man wouldn’t come out of the bathroom.

Jeong Taeui slowly quickened his pace. His walk was almost a run by the time he rounded the outer corridor from the end of the courtyard towards the study.

Jeong Taeui glanced behind him. There was no sign of anyone following. But he didn’t slow his pace. He pulled his hand from his pocket, and in it was a mobile phone.

“Still usable. I thought my hands would be stiff from not doing it for so long.”

“That guy seems a bit slow,” Jeong Taeui mumbled, counting himself lucky that it wasn’t the original guard. If it had been the large-sword-wielding Arab man who usually stood at the door, he probably wouldn’t have succeeded so cleanly. Jeong Taeui mimicked whistling silently and flipped open the phone.

His heart pounded. He might be chased from behind at any moment. Even now, he might realize the phone was missing from his pocket and immediately give chase.

Where would be a good place? The best place to shake off pursuers. A good place to be alone—is the bathroom. But not the bathroom. While it was a place where he could be alone, it was also a dead end with no escape.

Perhaps the best place would be somewhere easy to move around in? So that even if he was chased, he could still talk while running away blindly. Even if the phone was snatched during the call, creating an environment where he could talk for as long as possible was best. His fingers dialed the number he knew by heart. Jeong Taeui himself had never called this number before. But he had often given out contact information during his time as a chief, so he had naturally memorized it.

Ilay.

For the first time, Jeong Taeui felt grateful for UNHRDO’s personnel selection that had assigned that lunatic as his instructor. Where else could he have called if it weren’t for the instructor’s number, which automatically roamed everywhere in the world? …Surely, by some bad luck, Seringe itself wasn’t classified as a remote area where phones didn’t work. No, that couldn’t be. At any rate, he had a perfectly functioning phone in his hand.

Suddenly, his heart thumped.

How long had it been? Wait. What should I say? First, the most urgent thing to assert to avoid any misunderstanding immediately was, ‘I didn’t run away.’ Since he had heard that an Arab man had been beaten to a pulp, they probably wouldn’t think Jeong Taeui had run away, but still, you never knew. That chilling voice, which had told him to be ready to die if he ran away a second time, flashed through his mind. And the second thing to say was, yes, his location. Having thought that far, Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue.

His location? Jeong Taeui didn’t even know that. It was definitely inside Raman’s villa, but which detached building inside it? What did he know? He couldn’t even go outside. Still, since it was on the highest ground, it must be the farthest from the entrance… But what good would saying that do? Surely he wouldn’t come bursting in with a Panzerfaust again.

…If he did that to an Arab royal family, it would severely disrupt his hyung’s arms business.

Jeong Taeui imagined Ilay arriving on a modified Rewako, a Panzerfaust slung over his shoulder, and shuddered, shaking his head. If that happened, then Arabs with the Quran in one hand would come swarming…

And then, what should I say? Wait, wasn’t there something else I needed to say? Something important seemed to be left. What was it? Something I needed to confirm.

But as Jeong Taeui anxiously pondered, the dial tone on the phone didn’t stop. Only after hearing the uninterrupted dial tone for more than ten times did Jeong Taeui exclaim, “Ah,” and click his tongue. He couldn’t ignore the possibility that he wouldn’t answer the phone. Perhaps he had gone to the restroom, or fallen asleep, or his battery had died.

Answer it. Pick up.

Jeong Taeui needlessly looked back, though he heard no sound. Even if it wasn’t the phone’s owner, if someone else saw him on the phone and shouted, it would be over.

But just when he was most anxious, things didn’t go as he wished.

The phone rang several times, but there was no sign of it being answered. In the end, the phone’s owner did not speak until it went to voicemail. Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue and closed the flip. He knew that calling the un-answered number again immediately would likely not result in a quick answer, but he still dialed the same number once more. The phone began to ring again.

Jeong Taeui pondered where he could go that wasn’t a dead end and wouldn’t be noticed by others, constantly moving from the corridor to the bedroom, from the bedroom to the study, and then back to the courtyard. All the while, the phone kept ringing without interruption. Nine times, ten times, it seemed like it was going to go to voicemail again this time.

“…Damn it, pick up, you crazy bastard!”

Jeong Taeui burst out, yelling in frustration. His voice was low, so as not to be heard by others.

But it was loud enough to be heard over the phone. That voice must have gone straight into the ear of the person who picked up the phone at that very moment.

‘—…Taei?’

A low, slow voice.

Jeong Taeui involuntarily gripped the phone. His anxiety instantly surged through his chest.

A familiar voice. A voice he would clearly recall even decades later. Jeong Taeui, through gritted teeth, impulsively shouted.

“Where are you right now!”

“Oh, this isn’t right,” he thought for a moment, but it didn’t matter. At least the conversation had started.

‘Taei. …Where are you.’

His voice changed through the receiver. The low, slow voice instantly transformed, losing its mildness and becoming that of a fierce, wild beast.

‘Where are you. Taei. Where are you right now? …Taei!’

Over and over, that voice called Jeong Taeui’s name. Jeong Taeui was suddenly speechless.

“Uh…”

What should I do?

He nervously clenched his fist. Suddenly, he felt the blood drain from his head.