Passion Raga Novel (Completed) - Chapter 82

That was Kyle’s astonishing talent. But perhaps for Kyle, this really wasn’t a big deal. Things that people usually had prejudices about, he viewed naturally as they were. (That’s why he could live with a madman like Rick, Christoph once said.)

“Everyone is different… At first, some people were uncomfortable, but now it’s fine. Still, there are some who don’t really like it.”

However, Gable didn’t seem bothered when he answered. Since both of them were like that, Jeong Taeui also decided not to care.

“Not just his mother? What about his father?”

“No, his father is quite relaxed about it. But the nephews…”

“Nephews? What do nephews have to do with it?” Kyle immediately cut in.

Gable was quietly sipping tea when an electronic sound came from his phone. It seemed he had set an alarm, as the mechanical sound echoed in a certain rhythm. Gable looked at his watch and sent a message, and immediately after, there was a reply, then a series of messages back and forth.

Meanwhile, Kyle’s hands continued to photograph each page of the ancient book carefully but quickly. It seemed he had already gone through nearly ten volumes, though many times that number were still waiting.

Jeong Taeui looked out at the garden where the sunlight was gradually fading. The water in the large swimming pool had risen significantly; he just needed to wait a little longer before he could turn off the water.

Gable put down his phone and softly said, “Excuse my rudeness.”

Jeong Taeui, squinting at the sunlight reflecting on the water, suddenly remembered something and asked, “How are Xinlu’s eyes?”

“Still the same. Thanks to good continuous treatment, the right eye has improved, but the injured eye cannot recover. There’s no expectation of further improvement now, but because his mother still wishes it, treatment will continue. I heard that if he only uses one eye, that eye will be under great pressure and vision will decrease, but fortunately, the healthy eye is still being well cared for.”

Jeong Taeui fell silent, his lips tightly pressed. Gable seemed to guess his mood and spoke up.

“You don’t need to be sad about this. This was Rick’s doing.”

“But it’s not entirely unrelated to me either.”

“It’s not always the case that the perpetrator is responsible for all outcomes. This is one of those cases. Moreover, just between Rick and Ling Xinlu, this happened simply because of their circumstances at that time. It’s not because Rick is bad and Ling Xinlu is good that things turned out this way. Given the chance, Ling Xinlu wouldn’t hesitate to gouge out Rick’s eyes either.”

“…”

Those words were incredibly accurate. But… wasn’t he dating Xinlu?

Jeong Taeui quietly looked at Gable, who had uttered those words with an indifferent expression. Noticing his gaze, Gable also looked back as if wondering why. Jeong Taeui couldn’t help but chuckle at his reaction.

“No… It’s just, Gable, you’re really cold. You always maintain an astonishingly objective view. Usually, people are somewhat biased when talking about their lovers.”

As soon as he said that, he felt something was wrong. And as expected, Kyle immediately shot him a sharp look as if to ask, ‘Have you ever been blinded by love?’

Jeong Taeui quickly avoided that gaze and reached for a piece of pastry. Gable also looked at him with a similar gaze, but fortunately, he didn’t mention it and only gently continued.

“Well… regarding Ling Xinlu’s personality, I’ve never been blinded from the start. Initially, he hated me extremely, and there was even a time he tried to kill me.”

The cake fell from Jeong Taeui’s mouth. Fortunately, he quickly caught it before it hit the ground. He carefully looked at Gable, who showed no sign of joking.

“Xinlu might look like that on the outside, but he has formidable strength… It’s impressive you survived.”

“Yes. Just like you, Jeong Taeui.”

“…”

“…”

Jeong Taeui looked at Gable’s expressionless face for a moment, then couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Gable also smiled faintly.

His mood suddenly lightened considerably.

Things that could have been very serious turned out to be nothing when viewed from a different angle. Just like how this man faced life.

Jeong Taeui smiled, uttering a half-joking, half-serious remark.

“Hmm, it’s hard to compare who’s better or worse between Ilay and Xinlu, but in a way, maybe Xinlu is even scarier than Ilay, huh? If angry, Ilay might strangle the opponent immediately, but Xinlu, how should I put it…”

“Perhaps he would keep that person breathing for as long as possible, then slowly break each cervical vertebra one by one.”

This time, Gable also accepted the remark casually, making Jeong Taeui laugh again.

Just then, a strong gust of wind suddenly swept into the garden. The trees rustled, leaves trembling with each gust. The rich scent of plants mingled with the moisture and rushed into the living room. This fresh fragrance spread throughout the house like a familiar scent that had permeated the space.

Looking outside, the afternoon was gently passing in a cool tranquility. The swimming pool amidst the dense garden sparkled like a hidden pond in the overgrown bushes.

“What a beautiful afternoon.”

Jeong Taeui murmured, and Gable nodded slightly.

An unforced silence enveloped the space. They savored the quiet moment. Only Kyle remained engrossed in taking photos.

Then, suddenly, the alarm sounded again. Gable, who had been intently watching the pool fill with water, picked up his phone and began typing a message onto the screen.

At that moment, the image of Ling Xinlu at last night’s party flashed through Jeong Taeui’s mind. He had thought Xinlu was very busy, but now, seeing this situation, it seemed Gable was no less so. But to the point of setting an alarm to handle work?

A moment later, when Gable finished texting and put his phone down, Jeong Taeui spoke up:

“Are we bothering you, seeing how busy you are?”

“Oh, no. I just texted Ling Xinlu. He said work seems to be finishing earlier than expected.”

Was he really that concerned about Ling Xinlu’s work schedule? Even setting an alarm to keep track?

“So, you’ve been texting Xinlu all this time?”

Jeong Taeui asked. Gable’s face showed an unreadable expression for a moment, then he nodded slightly.

Jeong Taeui blinked, looking at him, and suddenly the image of Ling Xinlu from last night flashed through his mind. He had sat beside Ling Huolong with an arrogant, cold demeanor, yet still managed to check his phone repeatedly.

“So… even when Xinlu was at the party last night?”

Jeong Taeui asked with suspicion. Gable was silent for a moment, then sighed as if he had long accepted this truth.

“We try to contact each other at least once an hour when we’re not together.”

“…Huh?”

“He likes it that way.”

Before Jeong Taeui could fully comprehend Gable’s words, he continued as if he had given up on a lengthy explanation.

“Usually it’s once an hour, but yesterday and today I shortened the interval between messages a bit. Because I heard you, Taeui, were coming, Xinlu seemed concerned.”

“…Is he uncomfortable with me being here?”

Jeong Taeui unconsciously sat up straight, asking seriously.

Thinking about it, it wasn’t strange at all. For one’s lover to reunite with someone they once had feelings for, especially after many years, it was understandable to feel anxious or uneasy.

It was just that… he didn’t think someone as seemingly cold as Gable could be like this. But who knew, everyone had sides others didn’t see, and Jeong Taeui didn’t know Gable well enough to judge.

Even Kyle, who was closer to Gable, was looking at him with surprise.

“No, it’s not that.”

Gable awkwardly scratched his neck and slowly said:

“It’s because he’s afraid I’ll worry about him.”

Silence fell. Under everyone’s focused gaze, Gable seemed uncomfortable and quickly added:

“Anyway… I usually try to contact him often. Xinlu is happier if I initiate contact.”

“Ah… Hmm…”

So, Jeong Taeui had suddenly become an “ex-lover who causes so much worry that one can’t help but text.” He lowered his eyes to his teacup, almost falling into a contemplative silence with Gable, but then realized he had no reason to feel awkward.

He quickly dismissed that feeling. For a long time, he had known that the best way was not to get involved in things that didn’t concern him. Moreover, after all—

It meant these two were living happily together.

Jeong Taeui suddenly felt relieved. He hadn’t thought of Xinlu anymore except when he heard news of him through the Ling family. But even so, the last image of Xinlu in his memory, with eyes full of anger and pain from that day, always left an unpleasant aftertaste. Now, perhaps he didn’t need to worry about that anymore.

Outside, the pool was almost full. Now it looked like a small pond in the middle of a dense forest.

Gable turned off the faucet, then knelt by the edge of the pool, gently stirring the water as if testing its temperature.

The sun had begun to set. It was no longer quite afternoon, but not yet evening. The wind blew a little chilly, but when it died down, the air was still pleasant.

“It might be a bit cold to get in the water now.”

“No, it’s not. This weather is ideal for swimming. When you swim, your body temperature rises.”

Gable shook his head, replying to Jeong Taeui. His hand stirred the water with a hint of regret.

“Then you go in, the water’s just been changed.”

“Hmm…”

Gable looked at the water as if he wanted to jump in immediately but then shook his head.

“Later. We have guests now.”

“I don’t mind. Kyle is busy taking photos anyway.”

“Hmm… No.”

Gable hesitated for a moment but then decisively shook his head as if to give up his regret, and walked into the living room.

“That’s strange. You’re usually like a water ghost, always wanting to soak yourself. If you had to drain, clean, and refill the pool since yesterday, you must be itching by now. Don’t mind us, just go for a swim.”

“It’s fine. It’s almost done anyway.”

Kyle was finally nearing completion of his work photographing the forty-two-volume antique book set. He was holding the last volume, his face full of satisfaction.

The voice that replied “hmm” without taking his eyes off the book was very pleasant. Gable chuckled at the sight.

“Kyle is still the same, isn’t he? It’s been over twenty years since I first saw James drag you by the scruff of your neck out of that antique book fair, and you haven’t changed a bit.”

“You’re talking as if you’re an outsider. You’re no different either; your personality, preferences, and aesthetics are all the same. Do you remember James worrying and saying, ‘If Yuri falls for someone the first time, he might only like that one person his whole life. It would be a disaster if he fell for a girl with a bad personality’?”

Hearing Kyle whisper, “Good thing he didn’t spend his whole life clinging to his childhood first love,” Gable remained silent like a stone statue. Kyle, still intently observing the cover of the last book, didn’t notice the silence and continued speaking.

“Moreover, it’s not just your personality; even your face hasn’t changed at all. If you walk out on the street in normal clothes now, who would think you’re over forty?”

Hearing this, Jeong Taeui unconsciously looked at Gable again. Indeed, from the moment they reunited, he had felt something strange, an indescribable difference… And now he realized…

“Indeed. From the beginning, I thought you looked exactly as before, but now that I look closely, you really haven’t changed at all since I saw you in Serengeti. At first, I thought it was just my memory adjusting… but… wow.”

Jeong Taeui observed Gable intently. He had thought that after many years apart, his memory might have idealized him, but it seemed that his face was truly no different from back then.

“Back then, I already thought you looked younger than your age, and now you look even younger.”

“Yuri has had this face since he was a teenager.”

“You’ve known Yuri since he was a teenager?”

“Yes. Right before Yuri went to college, he worked part-time at our company. Soon after, he dropped out to work full-time.”

Kyle temporarily took his eyes off the book, looked at Gable, and said decisively.

“Yuri will probably keep this face until he’s sixty or seventy. He’ll probably be recorded in the annals of monsters.”

“No way… Anyway… monsters are a bit much…”

Yuri weakly retorted, but among the people Jeong Taeui had met, he truly looked the youngest.