Passion Novel - Volume 6 - Chapter 140

face, was thinking, giving something like that even though it was useless since he was imprisoned anyway.

“He must have really wanted to win your favor. Did he need those weapons so badly? …But even then, you just leisurely played around instead of making them as he asked, so that man must have been incredibly patient not to get angry.”

As Jeong Taeui grumbled sullenly, Jeong Jaeui smiled quietly. “That’s why I’m making it now,” he said, tapping the papers neatly placed on the desk.

Jeong Taeui sighed. In any case, now he could leave. Once out, he could meet the people he needed to meet and the people he wanted to meet.

Suddenly, his fingertips trembled slightly.

One person flashed through his mind.

He would probably be the first person he contacted after leaving this place.

“…In the end, I’m leaving without curing my split personality…”

Jeong Taeui mumbled to himself. But he didn’t feel particularly bad. He let out a small laugh, a smile playing on his lips.

That’s when it happened.

Footsteps were heard approaching from the far end of the corridor. Heavy, yet light steps.

Jeong Taeui turned his gaze towards the sound. The footsteps, now close, finally entered the study, accompanied by a person.

“Good morning.”

The person who entered, offering an unusual greeting first, was Raman. It was the same time as always.

As he entered the study, he saw Jeong Taeui and his eyebrows slightly raised. He looked as if he hadn’t expected them to be together.

Indeed, Jeong Taeui, even when he had business in the study, usually avoided Raman during his visiting hours, staying elsewhere and only going to the study after Raman had left.

“It seems the brothers were chatting amiably.”

Raman smiled softly, showing no particular emotion. That smile, which he usually found unappealing, didn’t seem so bad now that he thought this was the last time.

“Perhaps today I can hear a good answer.”

Raman said, taking a step closer to Jeong Jaeui. Listening to his gentle voice, which always recited the same words, Jeong Taeui felt a certain sense of indignation.

In the end, he deeply regretted putting weapons in this man’s hands. What he truly desired was not the weapons themselves. More than the weapons, he coveted the name of Jeong Jaeui that he could gain from them.

Thinking that Jeong Jaeui’s name would be exploited by that man, even if Jeong Jaeui implicitly agreed, Jeong Taeui felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

But there was nothing he could do about it now.

Jeong Taeui’s mouth felt bitter. His expression softened slightly.

However, Jeong Jaeui, whose name was about to be exploited, looked perfectly calm. He seemed to imply that he hadn’t cared about such things from the start.

On the contrary, Jeong Jaeui even looked happy now. Perhaps he felt a burden lifted, knowing that he could finally fulfill the wish of the man who had provided him with such a comfortable environment all this time.

Jeong Jaeui smiled. It wasn’t his usual faint or composed smile. It was a genuinely joyful smile. Raman, seeing that smile, paused. In fact, the smile vanished from his face.

Jeong Jaeui picked up a few sheets of paper from the desk and handed them to him.

“Here. I’ve matched it to what you mentioned before. You said you wanted an anti-tank gun, didn’t you? It should be usable as is, without needing any adjustments. The first page details the structure of the warhead as written here, and…”

Jeong Jaeui flipped through the papers, giving a general explanation. He added that he had written it in a way that anyone familiar with it could understand without further explanation, and he turned the pages as if to confirm it before his eyes.

But Raman wasn’t looking at the papers.

His face, which had been smiling, was now completely devoid of expression. A chillingly blank face, devoid of any emotion, stared intently at Jeong Jaeui.

“……?”

Jeong Taeui, sitting in the window chair to one side, frowned slightly.

He had thought Raman would surely be pleased, in contrast to his own sense of indignation. And he should have been pleased. But there was not the slightest hint of such an expression on his face.

Perhaps it was because he had been coming here daily for quite some time, yet never received a positive answer, that he couldn’t even imagine the unexpected fulfillment of his expectations, which had suddenly arrived this day?

Jeong Jaeui, who had finished explaining everything, flipping through six or seven pages one by one, finally raised his head as if realizing Raman’s expressionless gaze. Jeong Jaeui, who had been looking at him quizzically for a moment, tilted his head slightly and continued.

“It’s a rough outline, but all the necessary details are recorded, so an expert should be able to understand it without additional commentary. But if there are any ambiguous points or deficiencies, please contact me. Once I leave here, I’ll probably return home soon, so you can contact me there.”

Jeong Jaeui finished speaking and handed the papers to Raman. Raman, who had been looking at Jeong Jaeui without the slightest movement, finally slowly lowered his gaze to the papers.

“Just yesterday, you refused… did you finish this in one day?”

Raman said quietly. His slow hands turning the pages showed no emotion. His cold gaze scanning the contents was the same. Not even the customary smile he usually wore was present.

“Ah, I had thought of it before, so I just tweaked and organized it a bit. …Don’t you like it?”

Seeing Raman’s face, cold and hardened, devoid of any smile, Jeong Jaeui asked quizzically. Raman scanned the last page, then closed the papers and looked at Jeong Jaeui.

“Not at all. Even to an amateur like me, it seems like a very useful product will come out. Excellent.”

Raman said in a tone that could not be called mere flattery. It was a complete product that could not evoke mere flattery.

Jeong Jaeui smiled and nodded.

“That’s a relief. I’m glad I could be of help.”

He truly looked happy. Jeong Taeui, watching Jeong Jaeui, thought that perhaps even he hadn’t been entirely at ease during his stay here. After all, that man had lavished everything Jeong Jaeui desired upon him. No matter how much he tried to hide it, there’s no such thing as a free lunch, so he couldn’t have been entirely free of burden.

“Oh,” Jeong Taeui stood up from the chair. And he took a step towards them—or rather, towards the door beyond them.

“Then, shall we go, Jaeui hyung? —Thank you very much for your hospitality during this time.”

Jeong Taeui swept past Raman and Jeong Jaeui as if cutting through them, heading for the door, and then looked back. As he did, his eyes met Raman’s, and he politely nodded in greeting. He wasn’t a man he particularly wanted to see again, but he hadn’t suffered much harm. Moreover, although he had been confined, he had been treated with consideration, experiencing no discomfort in his daily life.

“Thank you,” Jeong Taeui said sincerely, standing in front of the door. And he waited for Jeong Jaeui to come out.

Jeong Jaeui looked at Raman silently for a moment. He nodded slightly as his gaze met Raman’s, who was holding the blueprint he had given him in one hand, looking down at him with an expressionless face.

“During this time, thanks to you, I lived comfortably. I hope you remain well until we meet again someday.”

However, just as Jeong Jaeui, having bid his farewells, was about to take a step.

“Are you leaving right now? You don’t have to leave so suddenly.”

Raman lightly blocked his path. It was only a slight step back and a shift of his body to the side, but Jeong Jaeui, who had been about to step forward, stopped, his path blocked.

“It would be a discredit to me to let such a precious guest, whom I have served for so long, and who has even given me such an excellent gift, simply leave like this.”

Raman shook his head and said softly.

Jeong Taeui, waiting for Jeong Jaeui at the door, frowned slightly. Somehow, Raman’s face had returned to its usual soft smile. That smile, for some reason, bothered him.

“I appreciate your words, but I have business to attend to. You’ve already shown me excessive generosity, so anything more would be too much.”

Jeong Jaeui shook his head. And he stepped aside slightly. However, this time, too, Raman stepped back one pace, leaning his body further to the side, blocking Jeong Jaeui’s path. Jeong Taeui frowned faintly. Jeong Jaeui’s expression also stiffened slightly.

Once could be a coincidence, but twice clearly indicated intent.

Jeong Taeui turned towards them and slowly spoke to Raman, who had his back to him.

“It seems like you’re blocking the way somehow…”

“Oh, was I?”

Raman glanced back at Jeong Taeui. His gaze was the same as usual. His lips were smiling, but his eyes were chillingly cold. He slowly turned his gaze back to Jeong Jaeui. Jeong Jaeui was looking at him with a vaguely hardened expression. Suddenly, Raman smiled broadly.

“I made a mistake in my thinking. I didn’t realize you could create something of this caliber with such ease.”

“You made a mistake in your thinking…?”

Jeong Jaeui quietly repeated the question. However, the faint frown around Jeong Jaeui’s eyes already knew the answer.

“It means I cannot let you leave. There’s always the possibility that something better could fall into other people’s hands, so if there’s a chance it could benefit an enemy, I must stop it beforehand.”

Raman’s low reply clearly permeated the quiet study. For a moment, no one said anything. Among them, only Raman wore a cool smile.

“This is too much… You’re going back on your word.”

Jeong Taeui said with a sigh.

He had thought things were too easy. His luck lately had been so bad. But he thought it would be okay since Hyung was with him. …It would be somewhat sad if his own bad luck was stronger.

Despite Jeong Taeui’s displeased and weak protest, Raman didn’t budge. As if he hadn’t heard him at all, he remained with his back to Jeong Taeui, looking only at Jeong Jaeui. As if waiting for his reply.

Jeong Jaeui was silent for a while. He lowered his gaze to Raman’s chest, then finally met his eyes again.

“I have no intention of making any more weapons. What I’ve given you now will probably be the last. So, others won’t be able to demand and obtain the same thing from you, as you did from me.”

But Raman chuckled lowly. He slowly shook his head.

“One cannot trust human words. As proof, look at right now; you, who said you wouldn’t make weapons anymore, have just given me the schematics for a new weapon.”

Before his words even finished, Jeong Taeui let out a disbelieving “Ha,” with a sigh.

“With that logic, there’s no choice for either side. If I firmly stick to my word and don’t make weapons, you’ll imprison me for life, or if I break my word once, I’ll continue to break it and make weapons for others, so you’ll keep me imprisoned?”

“Which tune should I dance to, old man?” he added in his native tongue, clicking his tongue.

But Raman seemed to have no intention of backing down. He simply shook his head. Jeong Jaeui, who had been lost in thought without a word for a moment, opened his mouth.

“Raman. You promised me. That if I handed over the weapons as you wished, you would immediately release me from here and provide ample compensation in return. I don’t need the compensation. I have already received more than enough during my stay here. I simply wish for you to fulfill the former promise.”

“I apologize for that point. I was mistaken in my thinking.”

Raman calmly broke his word and shook his head.

Jeong Taeui, barely managing to compose his rising anger, turned his back, feeling that if he looked at that man’s face for even a moment longer, he would develop a stress-induced illness.

He hadn’t expected it. He hadn’t thought such a situation would arise. Just as Raman had said, he believed that if he gave him what he wanted, he could leave immediately. He hadn’t imagined such an absurd obstacle.

“Come on, if you’re a royal, shouldn’t you keep your promises?”

Jeong Taeui mumbled wryly, rubbing his chest as if his stomach were heavy with something lodged there. He felt an icy stare on the back of his head, but he didn’t turn around.

“It is deeply regrettable for me to break a promise I made, but for something more important than prestige, it is unavoidable even if it means diminishing my prestige.”

Raman’s shamelessly calm voice was heard over his shoulder. Once again, his stomach churned with anger.

This is why diamond spoons are not to be associated with. This is why.

Jeong Taeui mulled over his prejudice, which seemed unlikely to be corrected, and tried to control his rising anger. He felt that nothing he said would have any effect, so he remained with his back turned, merely thumping his heavy chest.

“…Then how can you let me out?”

Jeong Jaeui spoke after a moment of thought. Raman raised an eyebrow slightly. Soon, he let out a low chuckle.

“Indeed, you are wise. To suggest another alternative…”

He seemed to be thinking something. He narrowed his eyes slightly, gazing intently at Jeong Jaeui. Jeong Jaeui silently waited for his thoughts to conclude and for an answer to return.

Finally, after a brief pause, Raman slowly opened his mouth. But what came out was a disappointing answer.

“Regrettably, I have no suitable alternative. I must ask you to remain here until a suitable idea comes to me. …Of course, as before, you will experience no discomfort during your stay here. That much I promise you, on my honor and that of my family.”

Raman concluded his words there, as if he would not listen to any further objections, and turned away. “Then, please rest comfortably,” he said in a brief farewell, and as he left the room, he brushed past Jeong Taeui, who stood with his back to the door.

At this very moment, if he were to grab this man by the throat and hold a knife to him, threatening him… Jeong Taeui briefly entertained such a sinister thought, but it seemed unlikely to work effectively, so he abandoned the idea as soon as it came to mind.

Jeong Taeui glanced at Raman as he passed by.

No expression registered on Raman’s face. He couldn’t even guess what he was thinking.

He didn’t look back once, walking straight across the central garden to the end of the west corridor. Soon, he disappeared beyond the door, and the door closed firmly again, isolating this quiet space from the outside once more.

Jeong Taeui slowly sighed. He scratched his head, and turned around. There stood Jeong Jaeui.

“…He said he wouldn’t let us out.”

Hesitating how to open the conversation, Jeong Taeui shrugged, stating a fact that Jeong Jaeui already plainly knew. Jeong Jaeui also seemed to have not expected this situation. A slight hint of bewilderment flickered across his face.

“Indeed… What should we do?”

His murmur was less a question seeking Jeong Taeui’s opinion and more a thought spoken aloud to himself.

Jeong Taeui sat down right there. Sitting on the ground in front of the door, he scratched his head.

Jeong Jaeui, who had been lost in thought for a while, suddenly looked at Jeong Taeui. Seeing Jeong Taeui sitting somewhat dejectedly, he then let out a quiet breath. And as quietly as that breath, he spoke.

“It’s okay. We’ll be able to leave.”

Jeong Taeui looked at Jeong Jaeui. It wasn’t a comforting look. It was just a calm tone, as if stating a plain fact.

Perhaps there was another good way. Yes, it might be. This man in front of him was, after all, a genius whom everyone coveted.

His heavy, melancholic heart felt a little lighter. Jeong Taeui looked at Jeong Jaeui, then at some point, he let out a small laugh.

“If you have a way, tell me.”

“No, there’s no specific method… but we’ll be able to leave.”

Jeong Jaeui shook his head, speaking nonchalantly.

Jeong Taeui stared blankly at him. Suddenly, a faint thought seemed to surface. If he was asserting this without reason…

“…Why?”

“Because you want to leave. So I want to leave.”

Jeong Jaeui said nonchalantly, as if it were no big deal. And Jeong Taeui knew better than anyone that those words were neither excessive bluster nor unfounded confidence.

This was the moment.

The moment Jeong Taeui momentarily envied his hyung. Jeong Taeui burst into laughter. He laughed loudly, for a long time. His anger and gloom vanished instantly.

Nothing had been resolved. They were still trapped inside this small paradise, and now any logical means of leaving had completely disappeared.

However, looking at Jeong Jaeui, who wore a carefree expression as if to say, “Well, what can you do, another way will surely appear,” and who had never worried about practical matters in his life, Jeong Taeui couldn’t help but laugh. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Jeong Jaeui’s terrifying luck. Regardless of its connection to himself, he had seen his luck countless times.

Jeong Taeui, still laughing even after a long while, looked at Jeong Jaeui.

In truth, Jeong Taeui accepted Jeong Jaeui’s miraculous luck as reality, but he wasn’t optimistic enough to preemptively expect miracles. Luck, no matter how often it recurred, was always uncertain. So, while he didn’t firmly believe with unwavering conviction that he would be able to leave this place, he still felt a clear sense of ease.

Perhaps that was the luck Jeong Jaeui brought him.

That night.

Exactly 5 minutes before midnight.

Simultaneous terrorist attacks occurred in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Small-scale bombings targeted the residences of figures in key political and business positions, indiscriminately.

The day broke without the perpetrators or their motives being revealed, and the capital of Saudi Arabia, which had been a relatively safe zone within the conflict-ridden Middle East, was turned upside down.