Passion Raga Novel (Completed) - Chapter 81

In the dark sky, there wasn’t a single star, only a bright white full moon hanging suspended, reflecting on the calm surface of the lake, forming a perfect pair, illuminating the entire night.

“…It’s beautiful.”

He wished that guy could see this too.

Jeong Taeui suddenly remembered the man who was probably in Russia now and gently shook his head, muttering to himself, “No, this isn’t a place for him.”

Just then, faint footsteps echoed from the corner of the building along with a low voice drawing closer. It seemed someone was on the phone, and only one person was approaching.

“Yeah, I’m about to go in. I’ve greeted almost everyone I needed to, and my father needs to rest too. The old man is eighty and still holding up, that’s quite something.”

It was a familiar voice; even though he hadn’t heard it in a long time, he recognized it immediately.

Jeong Taeui unconsciously turned his head in that direction. Immediately after, the owner of the voice emerged from around the bend.

“Hmm, okay. I’ll take father home and then come back. I should be leaving here in about thirty minutes… Ah, what are you saying. I’ve wanted to go home for a long time. Who was it that kept sending messages making me anxious, huh?”

Although both the voice and face were very familiar, it took Jeong Taeui a second to confirm if this was indeed the person he knew. Because the voice was unexpectedly warm and gentle.

Just then, their eyes met. Ling Xinlu paused slightly, then looked towards Jeong Taeui.

Jeong Taeui almost felt a bit flustered, but there was no point in showing awkwardness now, so he raised his hand and waved slightly.

“…Ah, it’s nothing. Someone called. Yeah, yeah. See you later then. If you’re tired, just go to sleep first.”

Ling Xinlu ended the call briefly. He looked at the screen as it slowly darkened for a moment before looking up. The familiar radiant smile appeared on his face, but it no longer had the naturalness of his gentle voice from earlier.

“Long time no see, Mr. Taei. I saw you arrive earlier, but I had to stay by the elders’ side and couldn’t leave. People kept coming to greet us endlessly.”

“Yeah. So I couldn’t come say hello either.”

Anyway, it wasn’t a private meeting, and among those powerful figures, he didn’t have the guts to squeeze in and say hello.

“You look well. I still hear news that you’re living well.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. More precisely, I heard that that crazy guy is still alive, living without any changes in his surrounding relationships.”

Ling Xinlu said with a slight shrug. It seemed he still regularly heard news about Ilay.

“You seem well too, that’s a relief. I heard you’ve been very busy lately.”

Rumors about the Ling family’s ‘tiger cub,’ who succeeded in everything he did, had spread widely. Everyone said there must be a reason why the old tiger doted on him so much.

“Earlier, I saw you checking your phone constantly. You must be busy taking care of your father and handling work, right?”

“Ah. That… Gable kept messaging me.”

“What’s wrong? Is something happening?”

“No, nothing. Do you always have to have something going on to send messages?”

Ling Xinlu’s voice relaxed a bit, his unconscious words carrying a hint of satisfaction. Jeong Taeui was astonished. Not just once or twice, but very frequently…?! Was Gable the type to constantly communicate even when there was nothing going on? That usually taciturn and blunt person?

Well, that’s right, people in love reveal many unexpected sides…

“I heard Gable is helping you with work. Why didn’t he come with you?”

“There’s nothing to do in such a crowded place. There’s no benefit in suddenly showing up in front of a crowd.”

This time, his tone carried a subtle defensiveness. He said he was an assistant, but then shouldn’t Gable appear wherever Ling Xinlu went? Jeong Taeui found it confusing again but decided not to ask further.

“Yeah, well, even if we met at a party like this, we wouldn’t be able to talk much. Anyway, we can meet more comfortably tomorrow.”

Jeong Taeui said calmly, but just then, Ling Xinlu suddenly stared at him. Jeong Taeui didn’t understand the meaning of that gaze, so he blinked and added.

“Ah, you know, right? Tomorrow I’m invited to your house, so I’ll meet Gable because Kyle needs to see him.”

Since they lived together, how could he not know? As he thought this, he saw Ling Xinlu nod.

“Yes, I heard. I also want to be there, but I have an important appointment tomorrow afternoon that I can’t miss, so I’ll probably only be back in the evening.”

“Then feel free to handle your work. It’s been a long time since I saw Gable, so I’ll take my time talking to him.”

Immediately after, that gaze returned. Jeong Taeui once again felt confused by the look that seemed to be observing every detail of him. He raised a hand to rub his face to see if anything was on it when Ling Xinlu suddenly spoke.

“Mr. Taei. You know that Gable and I are dating, right?”

Jeong Taeui stared blankly at him. What was with this sudden and direct question?

“…Yeah. I know.”

“Is that so? But if it were you…”

The words were unclear, his gaze observing Jeong Taeui carefully as if mechanically assessing something. Ling Xinlu suddenly smiled as if calculating something.

“There’s probably nothing to worry about, right?”

“Worry about what…?”

“It’s nothing. It’s just that many unexpected things happen in the world, and with important matters, one should be even more suspicious and check more carefully.”

“???”

Jeong Taeui was trying to figure out what he meant when someone called Ling Xinlu from afar. It seemed the important figure of this banquet had been absent for too long.

“I have to go. See you tomorrow, Mr. Taei. I’ll try to come back as early as possible. Thank you for attending my father’s birthday party today.”

Ling Xinlu added a polite farewell and turned to walk in the direction of the call without looking back.

Jeong Taeui watched his retreating back, and only when he was completely out of sight did he relax his shoulders and let out a sigh, unclear if it was of relief or something else.

Ling Xinlu’s demeanor was so neat that there wasn’t a trace of past emotions left. Only when he mentioned “that crazy guy” was there a lingering hint of murderous intent in his eyes, but other than that, he was very calm. So calm that it seemed like he was just wearing a social facade.

Someone who was once a friend was now just an “acquaintance.”

“…”

Jeong Taeui looked at the dark space where he had disappeared, then turned back. The calm lake surface still reflected the swaying moon. He suddenly chuckled.

Good. It seemed Ling Xinlu was living well.

Jeong Taeui was strolling along the road near the hotel, enjoying a leisurely morning, when he received a call from Kyle before noon and had to return to the hotel.

It was unclear whether it was morning or noon, yet Kyle kept urging him to eat lunch quickly, looking no different from someone who would die if they didn’t arrive thirty minutes before the scheduled time.

After hurriedly finishing lunch and getting ready, the car sent by Ling Xinlu still arrived on time, and eventually, the two arrived at the meeting point exactly at the appointed time.

The new urban area in the city’s suburbs was mainly inhabited by newly rich young people, with modern, sophisticated villas occupying large plots of land, neatly lined up.

Compared to yesterday’s mansion, where even the end of the surrounding wall couldn’t be seen, this place seemed quite modest. As the two passed through the guarded gate, Jeong Taeui saw Gable sitting under a white pine tree as if guarding the villa’s entrance.

Gable seemed to be waiting for guests; he was playing with his phone when he sensed their presence and stood up to approach.

“Long time no see. Kyle, and Jeong Taeui, are you both doing well?”

Jeong Taeui shook hands with Gable, feeling surprised; he greeted them naturally as if they had just met yesterday. It had been almost two years since he last saw this person, yet he didn’t seem to have aged at all, still with the same face as when he was in Serengeti.

The three entered the main hall through a long corridor, then stepped into a spacious living room. The glass wall on one side of the living room was fully open, connecting to the inner garden that couldn’t be seen from the main gate. The cool breeze from the garden was pleasant.

Under the bright sunlight, there was a large swimming pool in the garden, its water slowly rising. Seeing Jeong Taeui look down at the pool, which blended with the surrounding trees like a charming small pond, Gable perhaps thought he wanted to swim and said:

“I cleaned and changed the water yesterday, so it’s not ready for swimming yet.”

“Oh no, I wasn’t planning to swim… It’s just that Mr. Gable still likes water as much as ever.”

Jeong Taeui chuckled, recalling Yuri’s mornings at the beach in Serengeti.

Just then, Kyle suddenly let out a cry, unclear if it was of joy or surprise, upon seeing the stack of old books piled on the living room table.

“Oh my god! The Jiniso compiled collection of ancient poetry! This is the real thing!”

Kyle rushed over, his voice trembling, his eyes sparkling as if he wanted to tear open each book to examine it. He began counting the books.

“Forty-two volumes, all forty-two volumes! Oh my god!”

Kyle was so engrossed he didn’t know what to do, only coming back to his senses when he looked at his watch. He regained his serious demeanor, turned to Gable, and asked in a calm voice:

“If you don’t mind, may I look through these books, and take photos for future research…?”

“Feel free.”

Gable replied calmly as if he had anticipated it.

It was unclear if he had guessed that Kyle would actually photograph every single page of all forty-two books, but he was slightly surprised to see Kyle carefully taking pictures from the cover to every inner page, yet he said nothing more.

Leaving Kyle engrossed in his books, Jeong Taeui sat down at the table and quietly observed the surroundings.

There was no one else in the house, only the sound of water flowing from the garden. The interior was decorated in an antique style, harmonizing with the quiet atmosphere. The most striking feature was the enormous wooden carving on the far wall of the living room.

A meticulously carved tiger, concealing a fierce aura, sat observing the entire room as if reflecting the personality of the house’s owner. Jeong Taeui’s gaze was drawn to it.

“Is there anything you can’t eat or don’t like?”

Pulled back to reality by the low voice, Jeong Taeui turned around to see Gable opening layers of food containers on the table. Beside them, a teapot was beginning to steam.

“No, I can eat everything. But… aren’t there any servants?”

“They only come in the morning and then leave. Neither Xinlu nor I like having people in the house.”

Perhaps everything had been prepared in advance; the boxes were filled with attractive-looking pastries. Jeong Taeui picked up the most ordinary-looking square cake, eating it while watching Gable pour tea.

“You’re skilled at making tea.”

“I’ve lived here for a long time.”

Gable replied indifferently. He looked harmonious with both the tea set and the wooden tiger carving on the wall, as if this place was meant for him.

After placing a cup of tea in front of Jeong Taeui and also in front of Kyle, who was still engrossed in his books and didn’t even look up, Gable habitually picked up his phone.

Jeong Taeui took a sip of tea, quietly observing him. He wondered if someone was waiting for contact, but Gable’s habit of glancing at his phone made Jeong Taeui unconsciously think of someone else…

“Yesterday I went to the Ling family banquet and met Xinlu.”

Seeing Jeong Taeui initiate the conversation, Gable nodded.

“Yes, I heard. Because there were so many people, you two didn’t talk much, right?”

“That’s right, many people came. Xinlu also looked extremely busy… By the way, I heard you help Xinlu with work, I thought you’d come along, but I didn’t see you, which was a bit of a shame.”

The phrase “Kyle wanted to come earlier at all costs” didn’t need to be said, but perhaps this person understood it perfectly. Yuri only needed a glance at Kyle to guess.

“Ah… Partly because Xinlu doesn’t like me appearing in crowded places, and partly because Xinlu’s mother doesn’t have much affection for me, so I avoid their family gatherings.”

Gable’s calm words made Jeong Taeui pause slightly.

A scene from a Korean drama suddenly flashed in his mind:

“How dare you seduce my son?!”

“No, Mother, it’s not like that…”

“……”

Wow. No, this won’t do. Just yesterday he saw that elegant mother, and now imagining her in conflict with the cold man in front of him made Jeong Taeui’s mind suddenly go haywire.

He shook his head to dispel the wandering thoughts. Because he had lived abroad for too long, he had recently been watching random Korean dramas, and now… Ah, goodness…

He was still hesitant about whether to continue this topic when Kyle suddenly interjected. He thought Kyle was just buried in his books, but it turned out he was still listening.

“Are you dating their youngest son? Is that why?”

At that blunt question, Jeong Taeui quietly closed his mouth and (internally) retreated to a corner and sat down.

“Last year, when I met Ling Tangyun for work, there was an aside conversation about the family situation. Ling Tangyun didn’t seem to consider your relationship with him a big deal at all. On the contrary, he seemed satisfied because thanks to you, the youngest became calmer. But it seems others in the family don’t think so, huh?”

Although it was a sensitive topic, because it was spoken so casually, it seemed to become something not worth bothering about.