Passion Novel - Volume 6 - Chapter 142

It was then.

The moment the three men opened the door to rush outside, they were ambushed as if someone had been waiting right in front of it.

It was unexpected.

A grand roar echoed from some distance away, and the immediate vicinity of the annex was still immersed in an unsettling peace. No one present there had anticipated that someone would be standing right in front of the door and attack the moment it opened.

From where Jeong Taeui stood, he couldn’t see well, as the door obscured his view. But what was clear was that they screamed, almost shouted, followed by eerie sounds—like bones breaking and flesh tearing.

The men’s faces instantly hardened. They gripped the long rifles in their hands and began to fire towards the door.

In an instant, the annex was filled with ear-splitting gunshots. The girls in white dresses, who had come out to the corridor with uneasy faces, shrieked. Jeong Taeui’s expression changed, and he pulled Jeong Jaeui. He pushed him behind a thick corridor pillar and then ducked in beside him.

He clicked his tongue. He shouldn’t have come out to the middle of the inner courtyard so foolishly, hearing such dangerous sounds. The distance to run inside was too far. He couldn’t risk stimulating them by becoming a moving target just to escape indoors.

…Still, if it’s Hyung, he could probably get in without a single scratch, so should I just let him go?

Jeong Taeui glanced at Jeong Jaeui, but Jeong Jaeui shook his head, as if he had read Jeong Taeui’s mind. Even in this situation, he showed no signs of tension. He only slightly frowned, as if the noise was simply bothering him. Suddenly, abruptly, that fact felt so alien that Jeong Taeui laughed. He, too, felt his tension draining away.

Yes, this was how he always was. A person born under a lucky star, who survived safely no matter what situation he was in.

“…I’m glad and proud that I gave him that luck, but then the remaining problem is me. I don’t have that kind of luck.”

Jeong Taeui suddenly muttered to himself. Jeong Jaeui looked up. He probably hadn’t heard properly due to the gunshots and screams echoing all around, so his face looked perplexed. Jeong Taeui smiled and waved his hand.

When Jeong Taeui cautiously peered out from behind the pillar, the situation was halfway resolved.

The men who had been monitoring them and pacing the corridor and inner courtyard until just a moment ago were all lying on the floor, without exception. Among them, some appeared to have simply been knocked out and unconscious in the initial assault, but others were bleeding quite severely.

Jeong Taeui’s face hardened. Then, he looked at the four or five men who had pushed their way through the door.

He could tell at a glance. These were professionals. They exuded the peculiar aura of those accustomed to saving lives—or harming people.

Jeong Taeui suddenly thought, “Huh?”

Unusually, all of them were East Asian. Judging by their appearance, they were probably Chinese—the moment he thought that, a familiar voice burst out from behind them.

“Taei Hyung!”

Jeong Taeui knew that voice, which called out with a welcoming yet subtly weighted tone. The relaxed, brisk steps that pushed through the men and approached him were also familiar. And that face, beaming with a bright smile the moment he saw Jeong Taeui.

“…Xinlu.”

Jeong Taeui stared at him with a momentarily stunned expression. Perhaps “stunned” rather than “taken by surprise” would be more accurate.

Absolutely not. Not at all. Not even a tiny bit, he had not expected to see that face.

Xinlu smiled broadly, looking directly at Jeong Taeui’s ghostly pale face.

“Long time no see. Have you been well?”

“…Uh.”

“Do you know how surprised I was when you suddenly disappeared that day? You should have given me a heads-up, Hyung, I was so flustered when you suddenly ran off. I pushed through the people and chased after you, but I couldn’t see you anymore.”

Xinlu suddenly pouted and grumbled as if offended. Jeong Taeui, still dazed, mumbled, “Uh…” at his words. Xinlu, looking at such a Jeong Taeui, suddenly smiled strangely.

“You look like you didn’t expect me at all. Didn’t you miss me?”

“Uh… no, it’s not that…”

Jeong Taeui looked at Xinlu with a strange expression. Xinlu was smiling, looking exactly as Jeong Taeui remembered, and facing him.

What was it? He felt a peculiar sense of unease. Nothing had clearly changed, yet while facing Xinlu, Jeong Taeui felt a chilling unease settling in his chest for some reason. But no matter how much he stared at Xinlu for a while, he couldn’t quite figure out why, only tilting his head.

“Why are you looking at me with such a strange face? Or, did you think someone else would come?”

Xinlu’s voice subtly dropped. It was still a smiling voice, but the slightly slowed tone tugged at Jeong Taeui’s heart with a pang.

He was silent for a moment but eventually nodded.

“Yeah… actually. Did you come alone?”

“I came with the people who are here. These are people my father knows, and they’re very skilled.”

Xinlu laughed and added, “How else would I have come all this way by myself?” He pointed to the men who were sharply surveying every corner of the corridor behind them, on guard. “Oh, right,” Jeong Taeui replied, nodding, and then suddenly, with a thought that struck him, he grabbed Xinlu by the shoulder.

“Come to think of it, you said you were hurt! Are you okay?”

Xinlu looked a little surprised when Jeong Taeui suddenly grabbed him urgently. He widened his eyes slightly and stared at Jeong Taeui.

Jeong Taeui suddenly frowned. Again. Something, how to say it, a subtle feeling of being out of sync. But he couldn’t tell what was out of sync.

Xinlu soon laughed.

“How did you know? It seems news from outside still reaches you even though you’re confined here.”

“No, I just heard that you were quite seriously injured and were in a dangerous condition…”

Jeong Taeui released Xinlu’s shoulder and took a step back, slowly scanning Xinlu. Xinlu shrugged and smiled, then spread his arms as if inviting him to look. Perhaps because he was clothed, it wasn’t obvious, but he didn’t seem to have any difficulty moving.

“…Are you okay?”

“Ah. I’m still going for outpatient treatment. A few bones broke and some internal organs were damaged, but I’m well enough to get around now. The skin tears have all healed too. I’m almost fully recovered. Any other injuries were just…”

Xinlu’s words trailed off vaguely, then he smiled broadly.

Jeong Taeui stared intently at Xinlu. Then, at some point, he let out a long sigh and slumped his shoulders.

“That’s a relief… I heard you got into a dangerous situation fighting with Ilay, so I thought maybe…—”

Jeong Taeui trailed off, and Xinlu, smiling, finished his sentence.

“Were you worried I might have died? Hahaha, I almost died. After you disappeared like that, that guy tore through the entire Serengeti for a few days, causing a ruckus, and then, perhaps unable to contain his anger, he came after me. Asking if I had hidden you somewhere, even though he clearly knew I hadn’t… I thought I was going to die. If Gable hadn’t followed him and stopped him, I probably would have died.”

Xinlu laughed calmly as if telling someone else’s story. Jeong Taeui looked at Xinlu with an embarrassed expression, then sighed again.

It was as if one layer of the heavy stones piled deep in his heart had been lifted. There were still several stones remaining, but with the heaviest one gone, he felt like he could breathe again.

“Yeah… that’s a relief…”

Jeong Taeui nodded and muttered.

Then, Xinlu turned his head. His gaze fell on Jeong Jaeui, who was silently watching them from only a few steps away. Xinlu’s eyes suddenly narrowed like a cat’s smile.

“Ah… so this is Jeong Jaeui-ssi.”

Jeong Jaeui raised an eyebrow almost imperceptibly but simply nodded without a word. Xinlu extended his hand to shake, greeting him.

“My name is Lin Xinlu. Taei Hyung and I met at UNHRDO.”

Jeong Jaeui nodded as if he understood, and simply stated his own name briefly, “Jeong Jaeui.” And he seemed to glance at Jeong Taeui, but again, said nothing.

A subtle silence lingered for a moment.

It was an ambiguous silence, as if there was more to say but it simply wasn’t coming out.

It was Xinlu who broke that brief silence.

“Then shall we go before it’s too late? We might mess everything up if we don’t.”

“Huh…?”

Xinlu took a step back and gestured towards the open door.

Jeong Taeui, blurting out “Oh, right,” instinctively followed, then suddenly tilted his head.

Outside the annex wall, explosions still reverberated. The booming sounds, as if determined to smash every building in the villa with an ancient grudge, were gradually drawing closer.

Xinlu was walking quickly, a step ahead of Jeong Taeui. Jeong Taeui, urging the silently composed Jeong Jaeui, followed behind him, listening to the approaching explosions.

“Xinlu, how many people did you bring that they’re practically demolishing this entire villa? Won’t you get into trouble later?”

“Huh? Oh, that noise.”

Xinlu laughed. Muttering as if it were nothing important, Xinlu crossed the door at the end of the western corridor without answering. And Jeong Taeui followed him out the door.

It was his first time stepping out of this annex. It was also his first time seeing what lay beyond the annex. He must have entered through this door when he arrived, but he had been unconscious then, so he hadn’t seen it.

Beyond the annex was a vast garden. No, even if it wasn’t a garden, at least neatly trimmed garden trees grew as if to make it look like one.

And beyond the low garden trees, at some distance, a wide building stood. And though it was obscured by that building, another building was faintly visible beyond it. The annex where Jeong Taeui had been confined seemed to be the innermost part of the villa, as he had expected, with the outer wall stretching endlessly outwards.

Xinlu walked towards the outer gate located within that outer wall, not far from the annex. His steps were quick, as if he was being chased, but perhaps also light and cheerful, as if he was enjoying himself.

Jeong Taeui turned his head, looking back at the explosions that had already reached the building blocking the front of the annex. Just then, Jeong Jaeui, who was walking beside him, quietly opened his mouth. His gaze was fixed on Xinlu’s retreating figure a few steps ahead.

“Taeui. That man…—”

But then.

A terrifying explosion echoed nearby. The ground vibrated, and the air trembled, making Jeong Taeui instinctively frown. The others, though seemingly calm, also flinched slightly or bobbed their heads. Xinlu suddenly slowed his pace. Having reduced the distance between them to one or two steps, Xinlu looked back at Jeong Taeui. Jeong Taeui frowned and gestured with his chin towards the back.

“If you’ve finished your business, there’s no need to keep destroying things. It would be better to call your people back.”

“Those aren’t people I can call back.”

Xinlu shrugged helplessly and smiled with a troubled expression. Jeong Taeui raised an eyebrow.

“You mean those aren’t people you can call back? Then what is that…—”

Just then, another explosion echoed. The sound of a building wall shattering and collapsing seemed to be right nearby. Jeong Taeui instinctively covered his ears at the deafening sound. He glanced towards the direction of the sound.

And then.

Jeong Taeui saw it. In the distance, appearing as tiny as a fingernail, there was a man. He was driving a roaring motorcycle with one hand, a light mortar slung over one shoulder, and he was approaching.

He was still quite far away. It seemed the man hadn’t even spotted them yet. He merely aimed at the building in front of him, assessing its position for a moment, then pulled the trigger without hesitation. The light mortar, braced against the man’s shoulder and chin, vibrated tremendously, and then a massive explosion erupted from the building ahead.

“Il—…”

“That’s right. Perhaps only that man can call them off. But there’s probably not much left to save even if he did now. Since he’s brought all the monsters from T&R’s old mobile unit, you can pretty much consider this villa unusable.”

Xinlu’s voice came from behind Jeong Taeui, who had stopped, looking dazed.

Jeong Taeui slowly turned to look at him.

Right behind him, Xinlu was smiling. He continued speaking cheerfully.

“With them smashing things up so spectacularly, and everyone going over there, I guess you could say I got a helping hand. Thanks to that, I could take Taei Hyung out easily.”

“You didn’t… come together?”

“Me? No way.”

As Jeong Taeui spoke disjointedly, Xinlu burst into an incredulous laugh. He even shook his head.

“Let’s go, Hyung. It’ll be hard to get out if that man spots us. He doesn’t seem to have seen us yet, so let’s take this chance and get out. I have a car parked right in front of the gate.”

Xinlu grabbed Jeong Taeui’s wrist. His grip was firm, completely unlike his gently smiling voice. Xinlu pulled Jeong Taeui forcefully, holding him so tightly he couldn’t easily shake him off. But Jeong Taeui looked at Xinlu and didn’t move. He stood still, resisting the pull on his wrist.

“No. I told you before, Xinlu. …I’m not going with you.”

Jeong Taeui spoke in a quiet but resolute voice. Xinlu stared straight at Jeong Taeui and fell silent. A brief stillness settled between them. Explosions continued to echo from behind them, but an icy silence lay between them.

Xinlu looked at Jeong Taeui with peculiar eyes. Those eyes, perhaps, looked amused. Or angry, or sad, or as if they were about to burst into laughter.

And the next moment, Xinlu slowly released Jeong Taeui’s hand. Jeong Taeui withdrew his freed hand and watched Xinlu blankly.

“Xin—…”

Just as Jeong Taeui was about to call Xinlu’s name. Xinlu seemed to glance over Jeong Taeui’s shoulder for a moment. And almost simultaneously, a heavy, quiet sound, like a large object collapsing, came from behind Jeong Taeui.

Jeong Taeui briefly turned his head. And the moment he identified the source of the sound, his face hardened.

The Chinese man who had been following them, covering their rear, was holding the unconscious Jeong Jaeui in one arm. His other hand covered Jeong Jaeui’s face with a towel that seemed to be soaked in some kind of drug.

“Ah, good. Even a lucky man blessed by Lakshmi is affected by drugs. Well, if he wasn’t, he wouldn’t have been kidnapped so neatly in Varanasi.”

Before Jeong Taeui could even reach out to Jeong Jaeui, the Chinese man, with slow but practiced movements, readied the blade of a military knife. And while Jeong Taeui hesitated for a moment, he headed towards the outer gate, behind Xinlu. Jeong Taeui confronted Xinlu, who stood blocking the way between him and the man. Xinlu, feigning concern, looked at the small figure in the distance over Jeong Taeui’s shoulder, then smiled complainingly.

“Come with me, Taei Hyung. Jeong Jaeui-ssi is already in the car, waiting for you.”

Jeong Taeui silently stared at Xinlu. His expression was heavily hardened. Seeing that face, Xinlu’s own expression grew troubled.

“Don’t be angry, Taei Hyung. I literally have no other cards left to play.”

“…Xinlu. Let me tell you, Jaeui Hyung’s value as a hostage is zero. That man has lived a life of luxury even when kidnapped and confined.”

“Hahaha, really? Well, this was Al Saud’s villa, after all. He’s someone with so much money it practically gushes out of the ground, so that makes sense. But I don’t have that much money. A hostage is just a hostage.”

Xinlu shrugged. A hostage is just a hostage, implying that gentle treatment would certainly not be given. At those words, Jeong Taeui let out a bitter sigh.

“Jaeui Hyung isn’t someone who would be harmed or killed if you tried. Whether kidnapped, abducted, or meeting with an accident, even when that Ilay guy shot him, he was perfectly fine without a single scratch.”

At those words, Xinlu seemed surprised. He stopped smiling for a moment, his eyes widening. But after blinking a few times and falling into thought, he smiled gently again.

“That’s incredible. Indeed, everyone coveted that luck. …Still, I can’t kill Taei Hyung to sever that luck. That’s problematic.”

Xinlu muttered, “Hmm,” as if troubled. His gaze, sweeping over Jeong Taeui’s shoulder, shifted slightly to the side. Jeong Taeui followed the faint trajectory of Xinlu’s pupils, realizing that Ilay was gradually drawing closer. From a distance behind them, the ear-splitting roar of a motorcycle was steadily approaching.

“If I can’t kill him because of that amazing luck… how about a minor harm that won’t kill him? Like opium, for instance. It seemed the drug worked on him earlier…”

“Xinlu.”

Jeong Taeui’s voice dropped. His expression tightened further.

He thought it would be useless. Jeong Taeui knew well that Jeong Jaeui was not someone who would be swayed by threats. Even if he encountered an accident that others would consider greatly dangerous and unsettling, Jeong Taeui didn’t need to worry about him.

But. Nevertheless.

Jeong Taeui couldn’t ignore the words that dangled Jeong Jaeui as bait in front of him.

Jeong Jaeui always put Jeong Taeui first. Just recently, even though he didn’t willingly desire it, he granted Raman’s demands for Jeong Taeui’s sake. He didn’t consider it a debt. Jeong Taeui would have done the same in his position, and he simply did what was expected.

And in this situation.

Jeong Taeui had no choice but to act exactly as Jeong Jaeui would have. Xinlu, interpreting Jeong Taeui’s silence in some way, smiled languidly and continued.

“Taei Hyung. I told you, didn’t I? That I didn’t like you because you were Lakshmi. While I might have been interested because of it, that wasn’t the only reason. …So, I guess I can prove that now. That genius with amazing luck, having you as his Lakshmi, holds no value to me whatsoever. Whether it works or not, I can cut his flesh and sever his bones as much as I please. That person means less to me than a single strand of Taei Hyung’s hair. Putting that person into an opium den and confining him, I can do that without hesitation.”

Jeong Taeui was speechless.

He remained silent for a long time, then eventually spoke quietly.

“Xinlu. You didn’t understand my words. …I won’t go with you. At least, not my spirit.”

He had already told Xinlu. Many times.

Before leaving UNHRDO, when they met in Serengeti, and even at the crumbling castle ruins of Vaheb.

Jeong Taeui cherished Xinlu. The fresh appearance he had when Jeong Taeui first saw him, and the smile that now hid a twisted heart—both were the Xinlu that Jeong Taeui cherished. But that was no longer the feeling Xinlu desired. What Jeong Taeui could offer Xinlu was not what Xinlu wanted. Xinlu surely knew that too. Nevertheless, Xinlu clung to Jeong Taeui. By any means possible.