Passion Raga Novel (Completed) - Chapter 58

Splash. Yuri tapped the surface of the water with his fingers, making a sound.

The sound of the water, the feel of the water against his tapping fingers, the temperature that was cool yet quickly became familiar—everything was well-known, calming his heart. As always, Yuri stroked the water, letting his complicated, heavy thoughts flow away into it.

The pool was empty. There was nothing strange about that. During the time Yuri had stayed at the Ling family’s main house, he’d swum there dozens of times, morning and evening, yet he’d only shared the pool with someone else once or twice at most. He could count on one hand the times he’d seen someone else use the place, even just passing by.

Yuri thought it seemed the Ling family members weren’t very fond of swimming. Indeed, if he recalled old memories, when he’d gone to the beach with Ling Tangyun—and his family—a long time ago, Ling Tangyun had apparently said something like, ‘I don’t know how long it’s been since I last swam.’

Yuri couldn’t understand why someone with a private pool at home would say it had been a long time since they swam, but after coming to this house, he realized that almost no one actually swam in the pool.

…He truly couldn’t understand it.

This semi-outdoor pool was kept at over 30 degrees Celsius, allowing it to be used even in cold seasons like this. A long awning covered it like a roof, and a shower room was attached right next to it, so one could enjoy swimming even in winter, enduring the cold only for a moment when entering and exiting the water.

Yet, it was so deserted.

If no one was going to use it, why did they need such excellent facilities?

Yuri sighed with deep regret at the waste of this magnificent pool.

The sky was already dark. It was just past 8 PM.

Fei, who had suddenly asked Yuri to teach him breaststroke and said he’d meet him at the pool after a quick dinner, should be arriving soon, but there was still no sign of anyone approaching.

Ling Xinlu would probably be another couple of hours. That was enough time to teach Fei the basic posture of breaststroke, if not thoroughly.

They had arrived at the main house just before dinner.

Even if Ling Xinlu had closed his eyes for a few tens of minutes after parking the car, they had arrived at the main house without being late.

‘Ah, that feels refreshing. I really had a good, sweet nap.’

As Ling Xinlu got out of the car upon arriving at the main house, he smiled with a truly satisfied expression. Seeing him stretch and exhale with contentment, it seemed he had genuinely had a deep sleep, even if it was only for twenty minutes.

Seeing him like that, Yuri’s eyes curved too, as if the heavy feelings accumulated throughout the day had all dissolved. That’s a relief, he thought.

Ling Xinlu looked back at Yuri, then smiled widely and tilted his head apologetically, saying, ‘Yes, thanks to you. Aren’t your shoulders stiff because of me?’ Although Yuri’s shoulders were indeed a bit stiff, he shook his head. He liked seeing Ling Xinlu look so lighthearted.

Ling Xinlu gazed silently at Yuri, who simply smiled calmly. Then, as Yuri’s smile gradually faded from his face, becoming a little awkward under his sudden, intense gaze, Ling Xinlu chuckled.

‘It just occurred to me, Mr. Gabriel, could it be that in your past life, you were the twelfth son of the Dragon King?’

‘Pardon? The Dragon King?’

‘The smell of water…’

Ling Xinlu opened his mouth, but seemed unable to find the right words, pressing his forehead and falling into thought for a moment. However, after recalling various things, none felt quite right, so he finally closed his mouth.

Before he could come up with a suitable remark, someone emerged from the main building, greeting them with, ‘Youngest master, you’ve arrived.’ Ling Xinlu’s smile, which had bloomed on his face, receded slightly as he turned to look at them, as if his good mood had suddenly been broken.

At the mention that his father—Ling Hwirung—had been waiting for a while, Ling Xinlu waved to Yuri, saying, ‘See you later,’ and followed them. Yuri watched his retreating figure and only turned away after he had completely disappeared from sight.

Whenever Yuri visited the main house, he spent his time in much the same way. Until Ling Xinlu finished his meal and conversation with his family and returned, Yuri would enjoy a solitary, peaceful time alone in the annex. Sometimes that time stretched late into the night, nearing midnight, and sometimes Ling Xinlu would poke his head through the door, saying, ‘Let’s go back now,’ even before the sky turned completely dark, as if he’d only had a meal and some tea. But generally, he would return around nine or ten o’clock.

Today, as usual, Yuri turned to go to the annex, but his steps were stopped midway.

Perhaps the news of their arrival had spread, as his phone suddenly rang. The caller was Fei.

“Uncle Yuri, they said you arrived!”

Fei, who usually wouldn’t call but would come directly to the annex to chat when he had spare time, had a simple reason for calling Yuri this time. He wanted to be taught breaststroke.

Fei confessed his innocent ulterior motive: he had joined the company’s swimming club, and there was a competition next month. He had been drawn for the breaststroke event by lottery and wanted to make a good impression on a certain young lady he had his eye on in the club.

“I’m on my way home now. Almost there. I’ll eat quickly, so meet me at the pool next to the Peony Garden.”

Fei hung up quickly, seemingly in a hurry, after saying, ‘I’ll be there in 30 minutes.’ Yuri couldn’t tell him, ‘But why breaststroke of all things? It’s hard to look cool no matter how well you do it.’ Yuri ended the call, thinking that Fei probably didn’t really know what breaststroke looked like and would be disappointed later.

Anyway, regardless of how he swam, waiting for Ling Xinlu by swimming in the pool was far more enjoyable than reading a book in the annex. So, Yuri had eaten a light meal and immediately came to sit by the pool.

Yuri pulled the bench close to the pool, gently tapping the water with his feet, and looked towards the Peony Garden right next to the pool.

In early summer, the peonies would be in full, glorious bloom, making it very splendid and beautiful. But now, instead of peonies, camellias blooming modestly among the flower beds and pathways, planted like a hedge, took their place, providing the charm of the season.

Swimming in warm water and cool air while gazing at winter flowers—what a truly exquisite luxury.

Yuri, with his eyes pleasantly narrowed, gazed at the camellias with his feet fully submerged in the pool. Then, he suddenly felt a presence passing beyond the camellia hedge and looked up.

Ling Tangyun, who seemed to be returning home late today, accompanied by two or three attendants, came into view, walking towards the main building.

Feeling Yuri’s gaze, Ling Tangyun also looked up and spotted Yuri. A fleeting smile of welcome appeared on Ling Tangyun’s usually stern and imposing face.

“You’re already here. Ah, right, I was late today. Going for a swim?”

“Fei asked me to teach him breaststroke. He should be here soon.”

“Breaststroke?”

That kid must be idle now that he’s getting the hang of his work. I’ll have to teach him a harder lesson next week, Ling Tangyun chuckled, sent his attendants ahead, and then cut through the camellia bushes to approach Yuri.

He took out a cigarette from his pocket and put it in his mouth, as if he intended to relax with a smoke before going inside. The sight made Yuri smile, as he looked like any ordinary father in a family home.

“So, how’s Xinlu these days? Nothing special, right?”

“Yes. …He mentioned he’s supposed to start learning the business the week after next. Has it been decided?”

“Yes, I think so. It won’t be delayed any further.”

Ling Tangyun inhaled the cigarette smoke, lines creasing around his eyes.

Regardless of the many people who were displeased with Ling Xinlu getting involved in the business, once a decision was made, it had to proceed as scheduled. That’s how other matters would run smoothly without hitches. But in Xinlu’s case, his mother’s opposition had caused multiple delays.

But that wouldn’t happen anymore, Ling Tangyun said, exhaling smoke. It seemed the relatives had finalized their discussion on that matter.

I see, Yuri thought, nodding and remaining silent for a moment. Then he looked up and said, “Then,”

“Is Ling Xinlu going to learn the business from his younger uncle as planned?”

Ling Xinlu had once told him that his younger uncle was the only one among those involved in the liquor business who had the leisure to look after him.

Yuri had met that younger uncle a few times. Though he hadn’t spoken to him closely or met him individually, he had seen him interject a few words in group settings. He was a simple, easygoing person, hard to believe he was Ling Hwirung’s biological younger brother.

Yuri had thought he could feel a bit more at ease with such a person, and he had been inwardly relieved when Ling Xinlu said he would likely learn under him.

However, at Yuri’s question, Ling Tangyun raised an eyebrow, then quickly shook his head, saying, “Ah, no.” Yuri tilted his head, looking surprised.

Ling Tangyun flicked the almost burnt-out cigarette into a small empty dish on the beach table, remaining silent for a while. Yuri watched him with a questioning look, as he kept a displeased, somewhat awkward silence.

A bad feeling started to settle in. Ling Tangyun acting like this, not speaking, usually meant there was something bothering him.

“Is something wrong?”

When Yuri asked with a serious expression, Ling Tangyun waved his hand, saying, “No, it’s not that.”

“Your younger uncle collapsed last weekend night from a cerebral hemorrhage. Fortunately, it’s not too serious, but he’ll be resting for a while. I visited him the day before yesterday, and he said he’s even considering retiring from work altogether.”

Well, he’s at that age, so it makes sense he’d want to rest, Ling Tangyun said, fidgeting with his cigarette pack. He seemed to be debating whether to light another one.

“In that case, Ling Xinlu will…”

“Yes, so the order of learning the business will change a bit. There’s no one else available on the liquor side. So he’ll probably learn something else first.”

He finished speaking there. He turned to Yuri, saying, If that kid gets busy, you’ll get busy too, indicating he didn’t want to delve deeper into that topic.

Yuri fell silent.

He soon understood the meaning of Ling Tangyun’s words and the reason he was reluctant to say them.

Things that would flow with the liquor.

Although implicitly known by many, Ling Tangyun was saying that Ling Xinlu would first learn about that part of the business that couldn’t be openly discussed with outsiders—a part they didn’t want to hear about from outsiders.

Ling Tangyun likely knew that Yuri would infer the details from his brief words and demeanor. He knew Yuri well enough for that, and he trusted Yuri enough to believe it wouldn’t matter if he knew.

Yuri thought in silence for a moment. Then he muttered slowly.

“Ling Xinlu will have a difficult time.”

“Ah, yes. He’ll have a lot to learn, so it will be tough. But that kid picks things up quickly, so he won’t find it too hard. You can just think of it as working at a company with a lot of work.”

That wasn’t what made it difficult. Yuri didn’t think he would struggle simply because of the sheer volume of work.

No, perhaps Ling Xinlu wouldn’t struggle in any sense. No, he wouldn’t struggle. He had said ‘it’s annoying,’ but never ‘I don’t want to do it.’

In that case, it wasn’t Yuri’s place to speak. He knew that.

And the usual Yuri would never have spoken up in such a situation.

No, if it was an already decided matter, he would have simply noted that point and moved on.

Yet, Yuri spoke. Interfering in others’ affairs, something he shouldn’t do.

“Rather, if he could learn the legal aspects of the liquor business first, he’d have some time to get used to it. But to learn the illegal parts first, it’s like suddenly throwing him into boiling water. I don’t think that would be very good. For Ling Xinlu, or from a business perspective…”

The moment Yuri finished speaking, Ling Tangyun’s face faintly stiffened. For a moment, he stared at Yuri as if he didn’t understand what he had just heard. His face showed that he hadn’t even imagined Yuri would say such a thing.

Their relationship had always been one of respecting boundaries. Even if they were close enough to socialize like family, they both knew exactly the lines that shouldn’t be crossed and implicitly observed them.

One of those lines was this: the Ling family’s secret dealings—things they didn’t reveal to outsiders, and didn’t want to hear about from outsiders.

No matter how close they were, Yuri was still an outsider to them.

“…I never thought I’d hear such words from you.”

Ling Tangyun spoke quietly, without any particular expression of displeasure. However, Yuri felt a distinct wall in that quiet voice and fell silent.

He wouldn’t have said it if it weren’t for Ling Xinlu’s sake. If he hadn’t worried about Ling Xinlu being suddenly thrown headfirst into boiling water without any preparatory steps.

“If possible, I think it would be better for him to learn other things first.”

“That’s one way to look at it, I suppose. It’s like suddenly throwing a child who hasn’t learned anything related into the roughest place. But listen, Yuri. Do you think Xinlu is that easy to handle? After having been by his side all this time?”

Ling Tangyun even had a smile in his eyes. Surprisingly easygoing, he pulled out a second cigarette and lit it.

“As you’ve probably noticed, I don’t particularly like Xinlu. He doesn’t have the fresh, youthful side of kids his age. He still has a lot of childish impudence left, and he might act rashly, but in a little while, he’ll become truly difficult to deal with. That’s why I don’t like him. He’s too much for me. Do you understand what I mean?”