Passion Raga Novel (Completed) - Chapter 3

“I’m quitting.”

The young man stated it concisely, but no one truly believed he would quit. If he were, he wouldn’t have chased them all the way here. Relieved that the situation seemed to have reached a temporary lull, Yuri stepped back and finally observed them. For a fleeting moment, the young man’s gaze flickered towards him.

The moment their eyes met, Yuri clearly saw the cold, desolate look in the young man’s eyes, even if only for a second or two, and he clamped his mouth shut. His heart felt chilled.

Right, you’ll remember this, won’t you? He hadn’t expected to get away scot-free after shooting a young master with such high pride. He’d have to figure something out.

But then, the young man’s gaze returned to Jeong Taeui, his eyes softening as if nothing had happened, a gentle smile gracing his lips.

“I’ll wait. I’ll stay near Hyung and wait slowly.”

Until Hyung came, the young man whispered to Jeong Taeui.

This is… Yuri sighed inwardly, his face impassive. It seemed the young master would be around them for a while, constantly looking for an opening.

He felt troubled.

One troublesome beast like Riegrow was more than enough.

Fortunately, Yuri knew how to handle a beast that was too much to handle: don’t step into its territory. Maintaining an appropriate distance and fulfilling each other’s desires was the best approach. That was how Yuri had managed to get along with the man named Riegrow safely for quite a long time.

But this youngest master was already beyond saving. Hadn’t he just fired a gun a moment ago?

Yuri smoothed out the nascent furrow in his brow, deciding he’d have to seek a helping hand as soon as he returned to their lodgings.

Eventually, their conversation seemed to have been somewhat resolved, and Jeong Taeui turned to leave, saying he would go back. Knowing that his leaving alone could lead to uncontrollable consequences, he took Riegrow with him, not forgetting him, and walked back.

Yuri followed behind the two of them.

Thinking it was fortunate that no serious incident had occurred, Yuri mused that the report he’d submit to headquarters this evening would be quite extensive. That also meant more work for him, and he sighed inwardly. Less time for his evening swim.

“Hyung, I love you,” a faint voice drifted from behind. Jeong Taeui nodded almost imperceptibly and continued walking ahead with rustling steps. Yuri followed his footsteps, then glanced back.

The young man was sitting on the sand, looking their way. His face seemed on the verge of tears.

That wasn’t a feigned expression. Revealing his true feelings, the young man looked at Jeong Taeui’s retreating figure like a sorrowful, wronged child. As if he would truly burst into tears the moment they disappeared from his sight.

His steps faltered unconsciously. He felt as if he had abandoned a lost child.

As Yuri inadvertently slowed his pace, the young man’s gaze immediately crossed to him.

“…”

A flicker of dismay crossed the young man’s face. At the same time, Yuri realized that this was a face the young man didn’t want to show to others. It was his bare face, his true feelings laid bare. With astonishing speed, the temperature in the young man’s eyes plummeted. His icy gaze, cold enough to drop below absolute zero, scrutinized Yuri. It was as if he was thinking, Now that I’ve come to my senses, let me get a proper look at the face of the guy who shot me.

Yuri quickly turned away as if nothing had happened. But a feeling of dismay spread through his chest. He shouldn’t have turned around. He shouldn’t have seen that face, so openly revealing his vulnerable heart. That face, which would wound his pride just by being seen by a completely unrelated stranger.

Yuri clicked his tongue. The fierce gaze burning on the back of his neck felt as if a bullet could pierce through his skull at any moment. It was probably half-unnecessary anger, a mere outburst, but it was a rage that could become a real threat, making things truly bothersome.

*

“How did that happen?!”

A troubled sigh escaped from the phone.

“It wasn’t what I wanted either. At any rate, the employer’s safety was the priority.”

When Yuri offered his excuse, the phone let out a groaning sound.

“Why him, of all people? My words don’t mean a thing to that child.”

“I apologize.”

But with an apology that implied “please take care of it,” the phone remained silent for a while, only letting out exasperated sighs. Eventually, it reluctantly replied, “Alright, but don’t expect too much.”

This man seemed very uncomfortable with his youngest sibling, who was old enough to be his child.

As the saying goes, “like father, like son,” Ling Hwirung’s eldest son was no pushover. Yuri had already felt this when they worked together in the past. Unlike his father, who was known for being ruthless and cold, he was said to be a bit soft, preferring to win people’s hearts and proceed with things at a leisurely pace, but he was not a man to be underestimated. Rather, he was more like a cunning fox.

Yuri Gable’s connection with this man came by chance. It had been quite a long time, back when he had just started working full-time at T&R, over ten years ago. He was still very young then, and everywhere he went, people would snicker and criticize, saying, “This kid is a full-time employee dispatched by T&R?”

At that time, this man was the only one who didn’t judge Yuri by his appearance… and Yuri remembered him saying, “I also have a younger sibling who’s completely different on the inside and out. Much younger than you, though.” Having worked together in a dangerous area for a short period, sharing their lives, they had formed a surprisingly close relationship for the time they spent together. Later, when his son came to Europe, Yuri had also looked after him, allowing him to stay at Yuri’s house for a couple of months, so they still maintained an informal relationship.

He was Ling Hwirung’s eldest son, Ling Tangyun, who was already in his fifties and had firmly established his position.

“Is the child doing well?”

“Not yet.”

“Why ‘not yet’?”

“He’s picking a fight with Rick. Kyle Riegrow’s brother, that is.”

“Why are they entangled?!”

Ling Tangyun seemed to have already heard about Kyle’s brother, the infamous lunatic, and he yelled. Yuri held the receiver slightly away from his ear.

“He seems to covet someone who has a deep relationship with Rick.”

Silence followed for a moment.

“So he caused a ruckus because he took a liking to someone… What kind of person is it?”

Ah-ha. It seemed the young man had already turned his house upside down looking for Jeong Taeui. Yuri glanced out the window. Jeong Taeui was lying in a hammock tied to the base of a mango tree, sucking on a ripe mango.

What kind of person? When asked such a question about someone, it was always difficult. He found himself contemplating how to express a person in just a few words.

Watching Jeong Taeui peacefully swinging in the hammock and picking up a second mango, Yuri answered briefly.

“He’s a good young man.”

“Young man?!”

“Yes. …Didn’t you know? Your brother is currently embroiled in a homosexual love drama.”

It seemed that even after turning the house upside down, he hadn’t mentioned what kind of person it was, as Ling Tangyun’s groans grew louder.

Yuri had hoped that this would prompt them to quickly take the youngest master away, for the sake of the family’s reputation, but seeing Ling Tangyun groan in distress for a while, it seemed that wouldn’t be easy either.

“Aren’t you going to take him? I’m not just saying this; he genuinely seems dangerous.”

It wasn’t an empty remark. Ling Tangyun knew that Yuri Gable wasn’t someone who spoke lightly.

Right then, seeing Riegrow, who had suddenly appeared from nowhere, approached Jeong Taeui and licked the mango juice from his hand, Yuri seriously worried about the future.

That young man, like a poisonous peony, didn’t seem likely to back down easily, and Riegrow didn’t seem likely to let go of that hand either.

“Take him? He’s not someone you can just take away as you please. That guy, how should I put it… he’s a bit different on the inside and out.”

“So it seems.”

Yuri readily agreed.

His eyes were capable of harming people nonchalantly. Beautiful enough to charm people like a flower lures butterflies, yet he clearly held a dangerous glint.

“He’s not a child who will budge unless he’s convinced, so we’ll have to wait and see… Yuri, I have a favor to ask. After all, he’s a child my father dotes on and cherishes. Please look after him so he doesn’t get seriously hurt.”

Yuri frowned and didn’t answer. Ling Tangyun, knowing his nature of not answering for things he couldn’t take responsibility for, clicked his tongue. “Anyway, I’ll contact that child from my side too,” he added, his voice sounding gloomy.

Yuri thought it was strange. It was something he had vaguely thought about whenever he heard Ling Tangyun talk about his youngest sibling. Ling Tangyun, though not as fierce as Ling Hwirung, was not the type to humble himself before subordinates. Even if Ling Hwirung cherished his son like a precious jewel, from Ling Tangyun’s perspective, he was a much younger junior. So it would have been natural for him to act like a strict older brother.

Yet, whenever he spoke of his youngest sibling, he maintained an ambiguous distance. It was different from an old father’s wary dislike of a particularly favored sibling. It was more like an uncomfortable, troublesome feeling, as if dealing with a subtle plague god, yet he couldn’t genuinely dislike or be displeased with him.

…Is it because he’s pretty? Well, facing such a beautiful face, any thought of harming him would vanish. At any rate, that beautiful young master was clearly a difficult person whom even the elders of the Ling family couldn’t easily touch.

“Speaking of which, your contract with T&R ends after this job, doesn’t it? What will you do next?”

“I don’t know. I’m planning to take a break for a while and think about it.”

The contract expiration date was fast approaching.

Once Jeong Taeui’s presence here was confirmed, the contract would expire. His job was to find Jeong Taeui and confirm his current location. Taking him back was not his concern.

“Then come visit when you have a chance.”

“I’m not particularly keen on it, as there’s no beautiful sea there.”

“Haha, still the same. Fei sometimes talks about you too, but anyway, come visit when you’re free. Let’s have a drink.”

“I don’t think my drinking capacity is enough to match yours… By the way, has Fei returned from America? It seems like it’s about time he graduated from college.”

“Ah, he’s scheduled to graduate this spring. That kid, well, I don’t mean to boast, but his graduation exam scores…”

Ling Tangyun, boasting about his son, looked pleased. It seemed that doting on their sons was a family trait of the Ling family. However, Yuri was also interested in the story of the boy he had looked after for a couple of months, so he listened attentively and chimed in.

Meanwhile, looking at the two people outside the window Jeong Taeui suddenly throwing away his mango with a bitter expression, as if his appetite had vanished during their conversation, and Riegrow looking down at him with a subtle smile it was probably a trivial conversation Yuri vaguely anticipated the youngest master of the Ling family’s difficult heartbreak and let out a quiet breath.