Passion (BL Novel)

The conversation quickly died down once more, and Jeong Tae-yi, glancing around at the men who were now submerged in silence, couldn’t help but be relieved that he wasn’t eating peanuts at that moment. In the midst of such stillness, the sound of crunching snacks would have been incredibly awkward, and on top of that, spitting out what he had been eating and sinking into the same silent mood would have been impossible.
He had gathered the general idea. It seemed there was someone from the European branch who had become infamous here, a troublesome figure that everyone seemed to despise, but no one dared to touch because he was such a pain to deal with. It was likely that they were all just biding their time, unsure of how to tackle the situation.
"But, is the 'bastard who deserves to be torn apart' targeting people from this team?"

Jeong Tae-yi muttered to himself as if asking a question.
From the conversation, he gathered that there were six teams in the branch, each with sixteen members, making a total of ninety-six members. It seemed like each team had its own instructor.
Hmm... The position of the chief instructor was about to be vacated, and there was talk of a power struggle between factions trying to push one of their vice instructors into the position. So, before getting into the European branch situation, he realized that this branch itself was divided into two factions, with teams constantly at odds. Still, even with all this internal strife, they had to face ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) the external threat in front of them and hold off for the next two weeks.

"No, it’s not like that. That bastard doesn’t care who belongs to which team, he’s just attacking randomly. He’s out of his mind, getting a kick out of beating any of us!"
Alta spoke calmly at first, but his voice grew louder as his anger flared up.
Feeling the pressure of his words, Jeong Tae-yi subtly leaned to the other side, only for another shout to come from the opposite direction.

"How the hell did a crazy bastard like that get into the UNHRDO? When I came here, I had to pass a two-hour personality test, damn it!"
The men around shouted as if they too had gone through the same process. When you thought about it, despite their rough appearances and mannerisms, they had all managed to get through the intense competition to join the United Nations Human Resources Development Organization, which was no small feat.
I didn’t have to do any of that, Jeong Tae-yi thought to himself as he swallowed the dried fruit.

His uncle’s words echoed in his mind—"They’ve all been shot a few times, had bones broken"—and he wondered how their personality tests had come out. But that wasn’t the focus of their conversation.
"Well... didn't everyone here have some experience with weapons? It makes sense that someone like him would get in," one of the men muttered.
Jeong Tae-yi wasn't sure exactly who they were talking about, but when he tried to maintain neutrality, his words didn’t seem to carry weight. The man sitting next to him kindly patted his shoulder and whispered softly.

"You’re wrong. Sure, everyone here has handled weapons, but our mindset is different from that crazy bastard’s. Can you pull the trigger without hesitation when it’s someone who has no grudge against you? Most people can’t, not even us here. If you’re not facing someone you’ve been sworn to kill, there’s always hesitation. But not him. He just... kills."
"…"
It wasn’t a joke or an exaggeration. The man spoke with a serious expression on his face.

For a moment, Jeong Tae-yi felt a chill run down his spine. His serious gaze and quiet tone painted the image of a creature that wore the mask of a human but wasn’t human at all.
...It was certainly not a feeling he would want to be close to, especially not if he had to spend half a year here. Whatever kind of man he was, Jeong Tae-yi realized it would be better to continue not knowing. The "sense" his uncle had spoken of whispered warnings in his mind.
"Well... if everyone from the European branch is considered an enemy, then discussing it here isn’t going to change anything. Besides, from what I’ve heard, that bastard isn’t even strong enough to be a real threat."
Jeong Tae-yi didn’t want to dwell on the uncomfortable topic any longer, and it seemed the others felt the same. They all seemed a little downcast but soon changed the subject without further protest.

Jeong Tae-yi picked up the last piece of dried fruit, letting out a quiet sigh. The dried fruit was running out, and the one who had gone to get the jerky still hadn’t returned. If this kept up, he might end up spending the whole night waiting for jerky. Even if it came, it was clear that the drinking would continue well into the night.
What should he do? Listening to the men’s chatter while sharing a drink was fun, but he really wanted to take a break. However, it didn’t seem like these guys would let him just go to sleep.
He liked the people here. Each one had their own personality, and while they hadn’t gotten close enough to understand each other completely, he didn’t dislike their company. If nothing else, he thought he could enjoy his time here for the next six months. Perhaps he might even make a few close friends.

Still, Jeong Tae-yi wasn’t fond of gatherings like this. It was fine for a while, eating, drinking, and chatting, but such things became tiresome if they went on too long. And right now, he just wanted some quiet.
As he was pondering, he noticed To-wu, who had been sitting nearby, standing up. It seemed he was going to step outside for a smoke.
"I’m just heading to the bathroom. Hey, To-wu, could you show me where the bathroom is?"

Jeong Tae-yi set his glass down and stood up. To-wu, who had been about to go outside, gave a nonchalant nod and waved him off.
"Sure, no problem. Just be careful, don’t get lost while you’re going."
With some casual words thrown in, they both headed out together.

To-wu, who had been caught earlier by his uncle and was unable to smoke, clearly seemed to miss his cigarette. He had already pulled one out and was chewing on it as he walked ahead, without even lighting it.
"Is smoking forbidden inside?"
"Yeah. There is a smoking room, but not on this floor. You’d have to go downstairs. But honestly, it’s better to go up and smoke outside, get some fresh air. The bathroom’s down that hall..."

Turning the corner at the end of the hallway, To-wu pointed to the middle of the path with his finger. However, Jeong Tae-yi wasn’t paying attention to the direction his finger was pointing. Instead, he quickly moved behind To-wu, wrapping his arm around To-wu’s neck from behind.
"I already saw the bathroom there. What I wanted to know was the one connected to my room. Could you show me that one, please? It would be great if you could take me downstairs to show it to me."
Jeong Tae-yi whispered these words with a firm grip, making it clear that if To-wu resisted, he would strangle him on the spot. He chuckled bitterly to himself, feeling as if he were already part of the European branch, using threats to get his way.

To-wu, who seemed like he wanted to say something, hesitated but eventually sighed in resignation.
"Fine, just don’t act rough. I’ll show you. But you didn’t bring your luggage, right? Go back and get it. I’ll wait here."
"Do you think they’d let me go if I said I’m going to pick up my stuff and then go straight to bed?"

Jeong Tae-yi raised the question, half in disbelief, half in wonder. He wondered if they would actually let him leave like that.
Once again, his instincts proved correct. To-wu didn’t respond, only shrugging with a resigned expression.
Jeong Tae-yi smiled and patted To-wu’s back.

"Forget it. It’s not like there’s anything valuable in there. I’ll just pick it up tomorrow. Unless someone decides to take it, it’ll still be there. Let’s go check out the room. It’s a three-person room, right?—Don’t make that face. Honestly, you should have just taken me to the room in the first place instead of the training hall. That was your mistake, wasn’t it? Huh? Oh, and that bruise from earlier is still aching."
Jeong Tae-yi rubbed his shoulder and made a face as if in pain. To-wu, seeing this, shrugged and finally gave in.
"Alright, alright. Follow me. I’ll show you to your room."

He ignored the elevator that had arrived and opened its doors, instead heading for the emergency stairs, saying it would be faster.
The sixth basement floor felt significantly different from the upper floors, even though it was only one level down. The hallway stretched out with identical doors placed in a zigzag pattern along both sides, facing each other. The floor was covered with a soft khaki carpet, much more plush than the one on the fifth floor. Elegant glass lanterns adorned the walls, and framed pictures were casually hung. At the end of the hallway, there was an antique console table with a modest flower arrangement, while beside it stood a small glass table and a single leather armchair.
"...Feels like I'm in a five-star hotel. I’m really curious what the rooms are like."

Jeong Tae-yi mumbled in disbelief, and To-wu, walking ahead, laughed.
"The rooms are similar. Except they don’t have bathrooms attached to each room."
"With all this luxury, why wouldn’t they just install bathrooms in every room?"

"Well, apparently, the plumbing wasn’t set up for that. They can’t run pipes to every room."
"So, is there a shared bathroom then?"
"Yeah. There are shared bathrooms, one in the east and one in the west. They’re pretty spacious, so you shouldn’t have to worry about it being crowded. It’s usually quiet, no matter when you go."

"Always, huh..."
Jeong Tae-yi asked with some suspicion, and To-wu, as if understanding his thoughts, emphasized again.
"Yeah. Always."

With a look of someone who had seen it all, To-wu hummed as he walked ahead.
As they passed by the bathroom, To-wu pointed it out, and even now, the bathroom was empty. It was a high-end facility, with a large bathtub inside, separated from the rest of the room by glass doors.
"I’ll have to use it later."

Jeong Tae-yi muttered, glancing at the hot water filling the bathtub. Then, he turned to To-wu.
"So, do the higher-ups use this place too? Like the chief instructor or vice instructor?"
"Ha, not likely. Their floors are different. They live on the ground floor, which is closer to the surface. Each room there comes with its own bathroom."

"Ha."
He briefly thought of his uncle, who was an elegant figure, and for a moment, a feeling of resentment began to take root in his heart. He decided that if he ever saw him, he’d strangle him to vent his frustration.
"Where is Instructor Jeong Chang-in’s room on the first floor?"

"Why? Already missing your uncle?" To-wu teased, laughing. "From the elevator I took earlier, head to the right, then around the corner, second room."
To-wu said playfully as he moved away from the bathroom and gestured to show Jeong Tae-yi the direction. Jeong Tae-yi rolled his eyes as he thought about his uncle and muttered, shaking his head. It took a while, but To-wu finally stopped walking.
"Here, this is your room."

He said, tapping on the door with his knuckles. The room was located in the deeper part of the hallway.
"This was the room of a Japanese guy from our team and two Russians from another team. One’s dead, and the other two are still recovering... Probably won’t return even after they heal."
To-wu spoke softly, unlocking the door, which opened without any resistance.

The room was spacious, large enough for three people to share comfortably. There were three double beds, and though the wardrobe wasn’t immediately visible, the door in the wall seemed to be one. The room was well-equipped with storage cabinets, a desk, and bookshelves.
"The fridge in front of the wardrobe, fill it up and use it as you please. You won’t need much, but a few cans of beer and a couple of snacks should fit in there. If you need to wash your hands, there’s a sink over in that corner. Sometimes, people get lazy and just do their business there, so it’s best not to use it for drinking water."
"...I hope the person sharing this room with me doesn’t do that."

It was fine that the bathroom wasn’t busy; that would be convenient. Jeong Tae-yi wasn’t exactly a neat freak, but he really didn’t want anyone doing their business in the hand-washing sink. He wanted to know who that crazy person was and maybe give them a piece of his mind.
To-wu shrugged as he casually spoke.
"You’ll probably be alone in here until the new recruit arrives. Unless one of the injured comes back, but it’s probably going to be quicker to wait for the former."

"The guys who are recovering must be pretty injured."
"Yeah... Fortunately, they’ll manage fine in regular life, but coming back to the kind of work we do will be impossible for them. Still, they’ll get a decent severance and compensation. They’ll be able to live comfortably for decades if they live modestly. They got hurt during training, so there’s that."
Jeong Tae-yi nodded thoughtfully.

He realized that if they made it through the process and were placed in another company or a consulate, they would likely become very high earners. Even if they were injured during the process, they wouldn’t face financial hardships. Plus, with the kind of facilities they had here, it made sense why so many people wanted to join the organization.
To-wu seemed to have finished his explanation and, perhaps unable to resist the urge to smoke, started walking toward the door.
"Go to the office upstairs to get the key from Kyo-ho. They handle member welfare and internal matters. Also, there’s a note with rules and regulations you need to pick up. If you need anything else, ask him. If it’s something simple, just ask me. My room is #15... Want me to take you there? I’m heading upstairs to smoke anyway."

"No, go ahead. I’ll take my time. But is Kyo-ho still in the office at this hour?"
"He should be. Tell Shin-ru you need something, and they’ll call him for you."
"Got it. Thanks."

"Don’t mention it," To-wu waved his hand casually as he left. Left alone in the room, Jeong Tae-yi let out a long, pent-up sigh and collapsed into a chair nearby.
The room, while equipped with basic furniture, was mostly devoid of personal items. Of course, the belongings of the deceased had been cleared away, but it seemed even the injured had taken their things with them.
Jeong Tae-yi checked the drawers, wardrobe, and desk. While everything had been tidied up, a few pieces of clothing, books, and small belongings remained. The space seemed to have been carefully cleared, but the items left behind indicated that someone had once lived there.

Even though the previous occupant wouldn’t return, it was still odd to use the room without the owner’s permission. Jeong Tae-yi knew that he would have to respect the space, even if the person wouldn’t come back.
He carefully looked around the room. Since he had left his luggage behind, there was nothing to organize today. Honestly, there wasn’t much to organize. His uncle had been pushing him to hurry, but there was nothing important to pack, and since he was committed to staying for half a year, he hadn’t brought anything beyond the essentials. Clothes, uniforms, even his toothbrush—everything was provided. There was nothing worth bothering with.