Passion Novel - Volume 6 - Chapter 150 - End

At first, he tried to go by himself, crawling out of bed, but the moment he stepped on the floor, his knees buckled. Ilay, who had been leisurely looking at today’s newspaper and mumbling, “Aha, looks like reporters had nothing much to write about. Seeing T&R and UNHRDO both getting beaten up,” as if it wasn’t his business, saw Jeong Taeui tumble down and erased the expression from his face, staring at him with wide eyes. A moment later, he came over, picked Jeong Taeui up, and sat him back on the bed, asking with a very strange expression, “Why did you fall when you were fine and there was nothing there?”

At that moment, Jeong Taeui looked at Ilay with genuine resentment. Ilay seemed to guess the reason from his expression, but he nodded, “Ah, ah,” then frowned slightly again, as if he didn’t understand.

‘With your stamina so low, it must be hard to live in this world.’

When he heard that, true resentment boiled up. You bastard, you only say that because you’ve never been fucked. I didn’t know I’d end up in this state, but for you to say that as if it’s none of your business after you did this!

Jeong Taeui clenched his trembling fists, and at the same time, shed tears, finally understanding the pain some of the lovely young men he’d had happy sexual relationships with in the past must have experienced. But then again, their pain probably wasn’t as bad as his. When did they ever have sex with a stable boy?

As he sat on the bed—it was hard whether sitting or standing—clenching his fists and glaring intently, Ilay seemed intent on trying to find his lost humanity. He brushed Jeong Taeui’s hair back and asked, “Why aren’t you lying down? Want me to get you a beer?”

“No, I need to go to the bathroom. …And get me a beer too.” 

Jeong Taeui stated his original business, then, tempted by his offer, said both. Ilay gave a dry laugh, then picked Jeong Taeui up with ease. He carried him to the bathroom, sat him on the toilet, and also retrieved a beer from the mini-bar across the way.

Sitting on the toilet and drinking beer felt a bit… strange, but then he thought, what does it matter? and tore open the pull-tab, gulping it down. Then he glanced at Ilay, who was standing on the bathroom threshold.

‘Why?’

‘I’m waiting for you to finish your beer.’

‘…? Why?’

‘You can’t stand up, can you? Are you going to fall on the bathroom tile floor?’

‘…I’m not going to finish this beer and immediately stand up and leave.’

Does he think I came to the bathroom to drink beer? Jeong Taeui frowned and asked him. Ilay then shook his head, “No.”

‘You’ll have to stand up and pull down your clothes to do your business, won’t you? If it’s a big one, I’ll stand you up, pull your clothes down, and sit you back down, and if it’s a small one, I’ll hold you from behind while you do your business.’

Jeong Taeui was dumbfounded by Ilay’s casual words. He stared up at him with wide eyes. No, the words themselves were true. But he wasn’t a patient unable to move, and he could somehow take off his clothes while sitting. He could even do a small business while sitting.

‘What kind of business do you do with someone else in here?’ 

Jeong Taeui muttered sullenly, wondering if this was another one of his inhuman traits.

‘Don’t you go to public restrooms?’

‘What public restroom in the world would have you doing your business while being hugged from behind by a man?!’ 

Jeong Taeui shouted, still looking dumbfounded.

Ilay, who had nodded, “Aha,” then said, “As you wish,” and backed away from the bathroom threshold. But then, as he was about to walk towards the room again, he glanced at Jeong Taeui and chuckled wryly.

‘It’s not like I haven’t seen you pee before, why are you making such a fuss?’

Is that the same thing?! —he wanted to shout, but Ilay had already walked away before he could.

It seemed that guy was definitely lacking in common sense. Jeong Taeui grumbled and went about his business in excruciating pain. And in that pain, he thought, I will truly never again with that guy…

Even though it didn’t seem realistic to himself, after making such a futile resolution, Jeong Taeui somehow felt a little sorry for himself.

“Anyway… what now?” 

Jeong Taeui mumbled, sitting blankly on the toilet. Now that the urgent matter was settled, his future suddenly seemed bleak.

Though it was extremely unfair, Jeong Taeui was currently on the terrorist list, and his actual situation was similar to Ilay’s. Just as Kyle had undoubtedly suffered greatly because of Ilay this time, his uncle would have suffered quite a bit because of Jeong Taeui. A terrorist couldn’t get a job anywhere, and he couldn’t even walk freely on the streets. Most importantly, he would have to live while evading pursuit from now on.

Where should he go? What should he do to make a living? How should he live? His future was simply pitch black.

Come to think of it, what would Ilay do? Would he be better off since he had a diamond spoon? But even with money, his lack of freedom would be unavoidable. He needed a suitable place to live in hiding. And no, a cabin in the woods, far from human habitation, was out of the question…

Jeong Taeui let out a groan and scratched his head. Then he sighed. I don’t know. Something would work out. If worse came to worst, he’d just endure an unfair prison sentence.

Jeong Taeui let out another deep sigh and then began to attempt to walk towards the bathroom door he had been staring at. If he just endured the pain, his legs, though exhausted, were structurally sound and would surely move.

Jeong Taeui gently patted his knees and massaged his legs, then slowly tried to move them. Yes, there was no way they wouldn’t move. It was his own body, and he wasn’t bedridden. Jeong Taeui gently tapped the tile floor with the soles of his feet. Feeling like he could stand up, he grabbed the sink and stood. He swayed slightly for a moment but stood up safely. Jeong Taeui, who slowly walked with a wobbly gait and came out of the bathroom, leaned against the wall for a moment, thinking, It really does hurt. His lower back ached so much that even walking a little was tiring.

Anyway, that guy and that act just weren’t meant to be. At least one day, or in severe cases, three or four days, he had to live constantly saying ‘it hurts, it hurts,’ but this time it seemed like it would last a good week.

Resentment surged again, and Jeong Taeui grumbled as he went out into the room. He suddenly stopped, startled, by a loud shout.

“You’re with Taei right now! Did you kill him? …Did you kill him?!”

Jeong Taeui initially couldn’t tell whose booming voice was shouting a sentence that included his name. Only a few seconds later did he recall that he had heard that voice before. It was Kyle. He hadn’t heard Kyle shout before, so for a moment, he didn’t recognize it as Kyle’s voice. Ilay, who had been calmly taking out food from the mini-bar and spreading it on the table while Kyle’s shouts erupted from the speakerphone, clicked his tongue, annoyed.

“Kill who? How did you… —Why did you call?” 

Ilay, who was about to ask how he knew, then seemed to guess, muttered, “I should’ve just paid in cash for the room fee,” in a reluctant voice, and replied irritably.

It seemed he was in a good mood, seeing as he, who would usually just say a word or two and hang up annoying calls, was now answering politely despite showing all signs of annoyance. The person on the other end of the line probably realized that too.

[You caused a huge accident, so why are you asking ‘why did you call’? Because of you, I can’t face James.]

“You can’t face James anyway, even without me. …I asked why you called.”

A slightly menacing tone mixed into Ilay’s voice. He was starting to get genuinely annoyed. He glanced at Jeong Taeui, who was hobbling out of the bathroom. A hint of amusement suddenly flickered in his gaze. Seeing that smile, Jeong Taeui felt a surge of indignation and grimaced.

“What’s so funny?”

“You walking like a toddler.”

Jeong Taeui gave Ilay, who spoke calmly while still smiling, a dagger stare. Just then, even though Jeong Taeui spoke softly, his voice must have reached the other end because the speakerphone emitted a sound calling Jeong Taeui’s name.

[Taei, are you there?]

“Ah, yes.” 

Jeong Taeui, startled by the sudden call, immediately replied. Then the voice from the speaker, unlike before, carried a genuinely relieved tone.

[You’re alive. That’s a relief.]

“Huh? Me?” 

Jeong Taeui replied blankly, wondering what that was about.

[Changin was worried. Said he couldn’t reach you.]

“Huh? …Ah, right.” 

Only then did Jeong Taeui recall a memory he had completely forgotten. Come to think of it, he was supposed to call his uncle—and that corrupt cop—at the airport, but he hadn’t had the chance.

“That’s right, I was… I should call him soon.” 

Jeong Taeui realized. Come to think of it, if he were in his uncle’s shoes, he would have been incredibly worried.

His uncle had probably tried to find out where Ilay was, as Jeong Taeui had asked. And he would have found out that Ilay had gone to Johannesburg, where Jeong Taeui was. And crucially, his nephew, who said he would call immediately upon arriving at the airport, hadn’t contacted him. Given that his uncle knew Ilay, who had been fully determined to kill Jeong Taeui upon meeting him, his uncle’s worry was only natural.

Jeong Taeui glanced at Ilay. He had thought he wouldn’t die, but he had almost died, just as his uncle had worried.

—No third time.

Ilay’s words suddenly came to mind. Third time. Jeong Taeui couldn’t know. He couldn’t say for sure. No one knew what would happen in the future, or how the situation would progress due to what events. But at least it was clear that he had no intention of doing so now. At least, well, as long as this man’s loss of humanity didn’t worsen.

…Leaving aside whether there was any respectable humanity left to lose at this point.

Thank you for your concern, Jeong Taeui said to Kyle, then he slowly crawled back into bed and lay down. He wanted to stay like this for at least three more days. It was too hard to move.

…What if, after about three days like this, the police suddenly raid the place to apprehend a terrorist?

Jeong Taeui thought seriously for a moment, but then he decided to relax and think that Ilay Riegrow was not the type to be caught by the police no matter how much he thought about it, so if Jeong Taeui were to be caught alone and imprisoned, he would probably fire anti-tank guns to rescue him again.

Would a guy who calmly commits state-level terrorism not be able to fire cannons at a prison? He decided to rest easy and get some sleep.

“…” 

Jeong Taeui, who was about to close his eyes, suddenly realized what he had been thinking. He seriously wondered if his own humanity wasn’t being ruined by being with this guy, instead of picking up his lost humanity.

Meanwhile, Kyle and Ilay’s conversation continued. Jeong Taeui found himself listening to the conversation that naturally drifted to him, even though he didn’t intend to eavesdrop.

[You don’t really have anywhere else to go, so stay at my place for a while.] 

Kyle said bitterly. He added sharply, as if he could see Ilay frowning from afar. 

[I’ve made it so no one can enter my house without my permission. Just come in for now.] 

Kyle’s voice was heard, sounding displeased, “Even if you do come in, you’ll probably go out and wander around every day anyway.”

Jeong Taeui turned his head towards the phone, even though he couldn’t see Kyle’s face. Come to think of it, among Kyle’s constantly changing friends while he was staying at Kyle’s house, there were many strange people. There was no law that said there wouldn’t be at least one high-ranking official related to the police or prosecution among his countless friends. (No, in fact, it would be strange if there wasn’t one among so many friends he kept around.)

However, Ilay frowned and replied with one word. 

“No.”

[Then where are you going to stay?!]

“Somewhere suitable. I have plenty of places.”

[Do you know how much Rita will nag me if you do that?]

“You mean you’re going to pass that nagging on to me, aren’t you? I’m not going.”

Ilay replied flatly and, as if he no longer felt like talking, reached to press the hang-up button. That’s when it happened.

“Kyle, is Berlin safe?” 

The person who asked was Jeong Taeui. To Jeong Taeui, who had been burdened with worries about the future, it was like rain in a drought.

Kyle, hearing Jeong Taeui’s voice, replied as if it were obvious. 

[Of course. No one can enter my house without my permission. Taei, then you can come alone. You’re always welcome.]

“Is that really okay? Even though I’m a criminal, won’t it cause you trouble if you harbor me?”

[If it would, I wouldn’t have told you to come. Trust me. Though I have nothing, I still have that much ability.] 

Kyle said with a laugh. Jeong Taeui nodded with a very interested expression.

Beside him, Ilay, who had been watching Jeong Taeui with a suspicious expression, frowned slightly when Jeong Taeui nodded as if greatly intrigued.

“Hey, you, don’t tell me…”

“Then, I’m sorry to impose, but I’ll take you up on that. I was actually wondering what to do. I’ll rely on you until things get resolved somehow.”

He couldn’t go back to his home country, had nowhere to really stay, and had been quite worried about what to do. Jeong Taeui accepted Kyle’s offer very happily.

At that moment, Ilay’s face twisted into a fierce frown beside him. 

“I’m not going!”

[Alright, anyway, Rita knows you won’t listen if you don’t want to, so I’ll just take the nagging. Then Taei, when will you come? I’ll clear a room and wait.]

“Ah, well, I’ll just rest here for 2 or 3 days, then right away—”

“Taei!” 

Ilay shouted in a low voice. But Jeong Taeui, with a relieved expression, turned to him with a wide smile.

“Oh, did you call me?”

“Why are you going there! I’m not going!”

“Really? Then I’ll just go alone. Come visit sometimes. …As you know, this isn’t running away. My whereabouts are clearly known, aren’t they?” 

Jeong Taeui hammered it in, just in case. It would be very troublesome if he started throwing a fit again, saying he was running away.

But then he stopped talking and fell silent for a moment. And he looked at the quiet speakerphone. It would all be heard clearly, and it would be troublesome if unnecessary things came up. Jeong Taeui quickly spoke into the phone.

“Then I’ll visit sometime this week. I look forward to it. See you then.”

As Jeong Taeui said his goodbyes and ended the conversation, Kyle seemed to notice he was about to hang up and replied, “Ah, right.”

[Then come anytime this week. If you contact me before you leave, I’ll tell Peter to pick you up at the airport.]

“Yes, thank you for your concern. Then, I’ll be off.”

Jeong Taeui, having politely finished his goodbyes, confirmed that the other party had hung up and then pressed the end call button. Beside him, Ilay was looking at Jeong Taeui with a very displeased expression. He clicked his tongue and said, “You, if you’re worried about being chased, there’s no need. No one can catch me even if they chase me for a hundred days.”

“No, I just don’t like being chased…”

“Then you can just find a suitable place to live.”

“Even then, it’ll be unstable, I won’t know when I’ll have to move. I guess I’ll go to Berlin after all. …It’s a bit of a shame. Come visit often.” 

Jeong Taeui genuinely felt a little sad and waved goodbye to Ilay in advance. Perhaps his expression showed his regret.

Ilay, who had been glaring at Jeong Taeui, suddenly frowned and clicked his tongue. 

“…Do you really have to go there?”

“Hmm. I want to go.”

Actually, it was comfortable there, there were lots of things to read, and guests kept coming, so I never got bored, Jeong Taeui nodded, listing the advantages of the house. Ilay stared fixedly at Jeong Taeui beside him. But Jeong Taeui, who was deep in thought regardless of the stare, mumbled to himself.

“Even though I was wondering where and how I’d make a living, my lodging is settled for now. Now I just have to worry about making a living. Hmm—”

Being a wanted criminal, he couldn’t immediately think of any suitable work. However, people who live in hiding still manage to eat, and he wouldn’t let cobwebs grow in his mouth, so Jeong Taeui decided to worry about this later and sighed.

But.

He could take care of himself, but how would this man make a living? Jeong Taeui gazed at Ilay. Watching him deep in thought with a displeased expression, Jeong Taeui’s heart grew heavy. This man, Ilay Riegrow, truly had terrible social skills. Among all the people Jeong Taeui had met, no one would have a harder time working in a normal environment than this man. At least he was unparalleled in his ability to ‘catch’ people, so he lived well, even holding an instructor position at places like UNHRDO, but now even that was gone.

Even thinking of places where he could use his ‘catching’ skills, there were hardly any places where he could work with the label of ‘terrorist’. The only places he could go were illegal or lawless zones, and he doubted this guy’s temper would hold up well in such places. Jeong Taeui sighed.

This man was truly in trouble now. Kicked out of UNHRDO, no longer able to work at T&R, difficult to find a job, and a wanted man. What would he do? Jeong Taeui became gloomy. It was even more regrettable that a man who lacked nothing had ended up like this. The price he had to pay was too great. The only fortunate thing was that he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but the world didn’t run on money alone.

As Jeong Taeui looked at him gloomily, Ilay, who had been deep in thought with a displeased expression, seemed to notice his gaze and asked, “What?” Jeong Taeui sighed.

“What are you going to do…? I’m worried too, but it must be hard for you.”

“What?” Jeong Taeui reached out a hand to Ilay, who raised an eyebrow in surprise. He asked, “What?” again.

Yes. Come to think of it, he shouldn’t be worrying about someone with a diamond spoon. He should be worrying about his own future right now.

But.

“Don’t live too hard. …Though I doubt you will. In the worst-case scenario, if push comes to shove, I’ll take responsibility and feed you.” 

Jeong Taeui said with a sense of grim responsibility. Ilay looked at Jeong Taeui with a dumbfounded expression, blinking, but then he seemed to think about something again and slightly raised an eyebrow.

“You’ll take responsibility?”

“Hmm. …It might be difficult to do it completely, but anyway, I won’t let you starve. Even though I’m unemployed, finding a job is out of the question, and I’m even on the run—you and I are in the same boat there—but, if you think about it, you could say this happened because of me too.” Jeong Taeui said bitterly.

He hadn’t expected him to rescue him by causing a terrorist incident—though, in some ways, one could say he plunged him into disaster rather than rescued him—but Jeong Taeui couldn’t say he had no responsibility at all. Even if Ilay had acted on his own. He felt a moral responsibility, even if not a practical one.

Ilay, who had been calmly staring at Jeong Taeui’s stoic face, suddenly seemed to subtly grimace, then shrugged. “I see… Yes, if you say so, I’m grateful.” Jeong Taeui nodded.

Then, once again, he suddenly thought about how he had ended up in this situation. There could be no single origin; countless situations had intertwined, and in the end, it had come to this. Looking back, since he entered UNHRDO, it had been a ceaseless string of hardships and suffering. And at the end of all that suffering,… there was no reward.

Jeong Taeui let out a light sigh. And then took a deep breath again. Full of challenges. It seemed it would continue to be so. But looking back and considering each thing, in the end, it didn’t seem so bad after all. Amidst all this, what still couldn’t be accurately judged as good or bad fortune was, after all…

Jeong Taeui looked at Ilay. Ilay, who had been deep in thought with a displeased expression ever since hanging up with Kyle, now seemed to have cheered up, even sporting a faint smile.

If you asked anyone else who knew this man, 100 out of 100 would undoubtedly say, “It’s bad luck, very bad luck.” Jeong Taeui himself would firmly shake his head if someone asked him now if Ilay Riegrow was a good person to be involved with.

Nevertheless. Jeong Taeui thought it wasn’t so bad.

Thinking back, it had been like this from the beginning. He knew how wicked this man was, and he himself had suffered long and hard because of his wickedness. Even now, he could get angry anytime he wanted, as this man’s actions were utterly inhuman. Knowing all that, yet ultimately not disliking him, meant that in reality, he had no one to complain to about his current predicament.

“It’s not bad, this too.” Jeong Taeui suddenly mumbled.

Ilay raised an eyebrow and tilted his head slightly but didn’t ask. And he, too, nodded. “Yes, it’s not bad.” Saying that, he let out a dry laugh. He couldn’t be sure if his own ‘not bad’ and Ilay’s ‘not bad’ were the same kind of issue, but, well, yes. It wasn’t bad.