Passion (BL Novel)

The sound of a sharp, fast strike echoed. Then, a stream of bright red blood began to flow down.
“Ah!”
Alta, clutching his nose, briefly closed his eyes. When he saw the blood dripping down his palm, his eyes widened, and he started to curse.
“This bastard, he used some dirty trick again!”
“He's a fool for falling for it…”

What Alta had hoped for was that his attack would be met head-on by Jeong Tae-ui in a battle of strength. But Jeong Tae-ui, knowing he would lose, had no intention of engaging that way. It wasn’t a fair test of skills to measure points through an honest fight, nor was it training where getting hit was part of the process. There was no reason for him to willingly take the blows.
So, he dodged the attack and, in the same movement, delivered a punch to Alta’s face, causing the commotion.
As Alta kept shouting in frustration, Jeong Tae-ui rummaged through his pocket and handed him a handkerchief. Just then, a hand as large as a pot lid suddenly swung from behind and slapped Jeong Tae-ui hard on the back of his head.
“Ugh!”

After the sharp smack to his head, Jeong Tae-ui grabbed the spot and winced, holding back tears. When he turned around, Carlo, who had just finished his own match, stood there, half-amused, half-mockingly angry.
“If you keep using cheap tricks like that, you’ll get caught sooner or later. Do it properly, properly.”
“…Ugh… I’ve heard that five times already. This is the sixth time I’ve succeeded with a cheap trick.”
Jeong Tae-ui muttered, feeling unjust. Alta then moved in close, growling at him.
“If I’d known, I would’ve been the one to get hit!”
“If you knew, even if you tried to play fair, no one would get hurt.”
Jeong Tae-ui made a very reasonable argument, but Alta, still fuming, kept yelling at him.
Jeong Tae-ui muttered to himself, “I know, I know,” and stepped back a few paces. Then, unexpectedly, he bumped into someone behind him, halting his steps.
“Oh, sorry.”
“Pay attention to where you're going. And do something about that noisy guy on your team.”

The person who bumped into him frowned and spoke. It was a member of another team.
While Jeong Tae-ui raised an eyebrow, staring blankly, the man shrugged off the shoulder he had bumped and walked away.
“What was that about?”
“That’s one of Golding’s team members. What a pain.”
“Do you know him?”
“I know his face and name, but if you’re asking if we have a personal relationship, then ‘no’.”
Carlo shrugged and shook his head.
After wiping the blood that had stopped flowing, Alta grumbled, “The attitude over there is a bit stiff, huh?”
“Nothing bad really happened. But nothing good either. That’s just how it is.”
“Just how it is?”
“There’s more competition than cooperation, so there’s no room for friendship.”
“...That’s really bleak, the whole place…”
Jeong Tae-ui shook his head. The relations between the external branches were bad, and the internal teams didn’t get along either. What kind of messed-up human relationships were these?
If he stayed here much longer, he'd lose all sense of humanity.
He clicked his tongue, placed his hand on his neck, and crouched down. That’s when he was struck again on the back of his head.
“Ow!”

This time, the hit wasn’t as strong as Carlo’s, but since it was the same spot, the pain was worse. Jeong Tae-ui grabbed his head again, and a sharp sound rang out as Alta also clutched his head.
“Who the hell sits down during a sparring match? Alta, you were his opponent, right? If you sit down and rest, you should’ve beaten the crap out of him in that time.”
The voice came from his uncle, who had long since abandoned any sense of personality.
Jeong Tae-ui glared at him with tear-filled eyes, mumbling through clenched teeth.
“Uncle... why are you here? This isn’t your time, is it?”
But there was no reply.
As Jeong Tae-ui’s uncle, who should have been at the strategy lecture in the third conference room, walked over to the instructor handling the second martial arts class, a man glanced at Jeong Tae-ui and silently followed behind him.
“Ah, the driver.”

Jeong Tae-ui muttered suddenly.
It was the same man who had driven them from Hong Kong to this island when they arrived. He was now in formal attire, looking more rigid than before, but Jeong Tae-ui was sure it was him.
“Driver? Ah, you mean Instructor Kang, right? He drives the instructor’s car.”
“Who’s Kang?”
“Our colleague, same department. He’s basically the instructor’s general secretary. He drives, helps out with work, and acts as a bodyguard.”
Jeong Tae-ui muttered to himself about the unexpected hierarchy. As he listened to his colleagues murmuring around him, he heard snippets of conversation.
“Things are heating up among the instructors these days. I heard Instructor Golding fought with someone recently.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s it. The promotion to General Inspector. They’re transferring him to headquarters.”
“Now it’s all about performance. We don’t care who becomes General Inspector or Deputy Inspector, but…”
“We can’t just laugh it off. Remember what happened with the South American branch? There was fierce infighting behind the scenes, and people died. If things escalate here, who knows what will happen.”
“Alright, that’s enough, I’m getting scared. Just take care of your own neck.”
“...”
Jeong Tae-ui sat quietly, resting his chin on his hand, glaring at his uncle. His feelings of resentment toward him were growing. Even if one of the team members died here, Jeong Tae-ui, with his lack of fighting skill and strength, would be at the bottom of the list. He was practically guaranteed to be the first to go.
“Looks like luck is the only thing I can rely on…”

Since he’d entered this place, it seemed like sighing had become a habit.
Jeong Tae-ui let out another long sigh before standing up.
Alta moved on to the next match, and a new opponent came up. Since the sparring was mixed between teams, it wasn’t someone from his team. He had faced unfamiliar faces a few times before.
The new opponent was the same man from Golding’s team, the one who had bumped into him earlier. The man frowned when he recognized Jeong Tae-ui. Jeong Tae-ui muttered awkwardly, scratching his head.
He didn’t want to get familiar with people this way, but sighed and grabbed his wooden practice sword again.
Even though it was a practice sword, heavier than the standard one, being hit with it still hurt incredibly, even when wearing armor. It could easily lead to a trip to the infirmary if one was unlucky enough to be struck incorrectly.
Jeong Tae-ui had only been here for less than a week, but he had already visited the infirmary more than ten times. Four of those times, his sparring partners had been helped out, and the rest were when he himself had been taken there. The infirmary was on the second basement floor along with the lecture halls and practice rooms, and he was now familiar enough with it to find his way there with his eyes closed.

He was starting to get used to the system here. He had made acquaintances with his teammates and even learned the faces of those from other teams, though he didn’t know everyone’s names. It wasn’t hard; there were only about a hundred of them, and during the regular training hours, they often had to face each other. After getting a good beating, it was only natural that their faces became familiar.
The current martial arts training was focused on using the practice sword efficiently. The rules were simple, but the training was brutal. Jeong Tae-ui waited for his new opponent’s opening. The sound of their swords clashing rang out, and at the same time, his wrist throbbed painfully. This man also had an incredibly strong grip.
“Alright then…”

Jeong Tae-ui quickly seized the man’s collar and spun around.
The man hesitated for a moment, but then saw an opening and swung his sword down fiercely. The pain was unbearable. The man was strong and didn’t hold back at all.
Jeong Tae-ui cursed under his breath as he withstood the blows and threw his own sword. With both hands, he grabbed the man’s collar and threw him over his shoulder.

The man, who had been stumbling and resisting for a moment, finally hit the ground with a thud.
Jeong Tae-ui retrieved his sword, which he had thrown aside, and adjusted his clothes. The man, who had just begun to rise from the ground, looked up at him with wide eyes filled with shock.
"Hey, are you seriously..."
"Alright, now it's your turn to take a hit."

With a casual tone, Jeong Tae-ui rolled up his sleeves and began to pummel the man without any change in his indifferent expression. The man, despite being hit, quickly got back up, but in doing so, received twice as many blows as he had inflicted.
When the man finally stood fully, Jeong Tae-ui stopped the beating. He heard the man yelling in agony, rubbing his arms and thighs, his face flushed with anger.
"Hey, you ignorant, sneaky bastard! Do you not even know how to fight?!"
"What do you mean? You just experienced it not too long ago."
Jeong Tae-ui spoke with a relaxed face, blinking his eyes. Alta, standing off to the side—having already forgotten that he had been beaten in a similar way earlier—was chuckling to himself, shaking his shoulders.

The man, his face red with rage, rushed at Jeong Tae-ui without a weapon in hand, ready to grab him by the collar and throw a punch. Jeong Tae-ui, slightly squinting, raised his practice sword and swiftly jabbed it into the man’s neck.
"Ugh..."
"What the hell were you thinking, charging at someone who’s clearly holding a weapon with nothing but your bare hands... You need to think about your body too."

Jeong Tae-ui spoke with a slight frown, as though admonishing the man. Despite holding his neck with one hand, the man refused to let go of Jeong Tae-ui’s collar. He staggered back a couple of steps, and in that movement, Jeong Tae-ui’s shirt was torn off.
"Look at him talking. 'Think about your body,' he says. Seriously, a cat's thinking about a mouse."
"That vicious bastard. If something ugly happens in an internal incident, the one who’ll definitely be killed is probably that guy."
Jeong Tae-ui overheard his teammates’ muttering behind him.

Staring blankly at his torn shirt, Jeong Tae-ui glared fiercely at them.
"I can hear you."
"Well, if you don’t have something stuck in your ears, of course you can hear. Hey, hey, I can see everything. Oh wow, look at those pink nipples, so cute."
"..."
This was exactly why Jeong Tae-ui didn’t get along with older guys like them and preferred cute and lovable young men. If someone with the same taste as him had said those words, it would’ve made him feel disgusted. If it were a honeyed young man, he could’ve easily used those nipples as bait and hooked that body entirely, but hearing such things from an old man like that was nothing but annoying.

Jeong Tae-ui scowled, quickly gathering his clothes and tying the torn hem. The man who had been jabbed in the neck with the practice sword was still standing frozen, clutching his neck and huffing angrily.
"Why’s your outfit like that? The budget supervisor is going to be mad."
Jeong Tae-ui’s uncle, having finished his business, looked him up and down and laughed lightly as he spoke.

"Clothes getting worn out and torn is just a natural part of training, no big deal."
"Those clothes weren’t worn out and torn, though. But, damn, it’s such a sight, it’s embarrassing. Go to Shinlu and get new ones. You can show off your figure too."
Jeong Tae-ui’s uncle smirked slightly and left.
Behind him, Jeong Tae-ui could hear mocking voices. "Guess we’ll see Shinlu’s face now," "Might as well change in front of her," "It’s fine if you’re a little late."

Jeong Tae-ui, who usually kept a poker face in most situations, was unable to hide his feelings when it came to Shinlu. His face quickly flushed, and his hesitation made it obvious. It didn’t take long for anyone to figure out that Jeong Tae-ui had feelings for Shinlu. Most likely, Shinlu herself already knew.
Regarding this matter, Jeong Tae-ui felt a mix of relief and, to some extent, gratitude.
At first, his teammates had been puzzled by his attitude around Shinlu. After a while, unsure, they casually asked, "Is your hobby... that way?" At that moment, Jeong Tae-ui almost thought of denying it. Memories from his time in the military flooded back.

Having romantic feelings for someone of the same sex, or even having a physical relationship, was a serious handicap back then. It was also the reason why his relationships with his teammates hadn’t been smooth.
But he didn’t feel like hiding it anymore, so he nodded, facing them seriously.
However, the response from his teammates was underwhelming. "Oh, so that’s it," was all they said.

‘After years of scraping through this harsh environment, that doesn’t even surprise me anymore. Just don’t make it too obvious. ...Ah. I like women, so don’t get the wrong idea!’
Understanding Jeong Tae-ui’s embarrassed expression, Carlo muttered indifferently before giving what seemed like serious advice. Then, his face shifted into a mischievous grin.
"So, you like Shinlu, huh? Hmm... You know inter-departmental relationships are forbidden, right?"

From that point on, all the teammates acted the same way. They couldn’t resist teasing him, and it was clear they were going to have fun with it for years.
Despite their lighthearted teasing, Jeong Tae-ui, who was reminded of the past, felt a bit of relief. However, hearing their mocking comments made him boil with anger.
"If you’re so envious, why don’t you tear your clothes off too and go with me? But who would want to see your ugly body anyway."

Jeong Tae-ui said confidently with a shameless expression, and the teammates who had been teasing him a moment ago quickly grew angry and began shouting.
"Ugly body, ugly body! Look at my massive muscles!"
"Look at this beautifully tanned skin! My V-shaped body! All the women swoon over it!"
"Yeah, but it just makes you look dumb. The balance is all off... Not like I’ve got cute pink nipples as my charm point."
Jeong Tae-ui rolled his eyes sarcastically and glanced at them before sneering and walking away.

Behind him, the voices of his teammates yelling could be heard, but it was nothing new—just the buzzing of flies.
Upon reflection, Jeong Tae-ui realized he had never really been in a relationship before.
There had been times when his heart had raced looking at someone, but that person disappeared before he could even recognize his feelings, and while he’d shared a bed with others countless times, it never felt like a relationship.

There had been a young man—who was the protagonist of that knife incident—who, in hindsight, Jeong Tae-ui couldn’t understand, but the young man had insisted they weren’t in a relationship. So, in the beginning, when Jeong Tae-ui started hanging out with him, he had been somewhat hurt, thinking, "Maybe I’m only destined for shallow relationships."
After that, he hadn’t met anyone who could truly strike his heart, and with military life getting more difficult, there wasn’t any room to think about it.
So, this feeling was very new to him. But it wasn’t bad. Even if it was unrequited love, it felt nice. The experience of feeling happy just from looking at someone.

"Excuse me—"
When Jeong Tae-ui entered the office, there were four men inside: three instructors and one deputy.
Jeong Tae-ui, upon seeing the deputy, who he had exchanged formal greetings with on the second day of his arrival, straightened up and gave a slight bow. The deputy, who had just finished his work, nodded to acknowledge Jeong Tae-ui’s greeting and walked past him.

Rudolf Jantil. He was the direct superior of Jeong Tae-ui’s uncle.
Jeong Tae-ui didn’t know him well, but according to others, he was seen as someone who appeared soft but wasn’t to be underestimated.
Which, Jeong Tae-ui thought, could mean he was a person with a dark side, but the answer he received was vague.

It didn’t matter much. If his superior was only concerned with his life for the next six months, whether his soul was as dark as pitch or rotting, he didn’t care.
"Hyung Tae? What are you doing here? ...Why’s your outfit like that?"
Jeong Tae-ui, still staring at the back of the deputy, turned at the soft, familiar voice.

Shinlu, sitting closest to the door, was looking at Jeong Tae-ui’s attire with a slightly surprised expression.
"Huh? Oh, during training. I came to get a new set of clothes, is that okay?"
Jeong Tae-ui gave a sheepish smile and fiddled with the torn hem of his shirt. Shinlu replied with a “Sure,” then stood up and went into the private room attached to the office, returning with new clothes.

"Thanks. What should I do with this one? Should I take it off and bring it back, or just throw it away?"
"Hm... With it torn like this, it’s hard to mend. You can just throw it away... You’re not hurt, are you?"
"Hurt? It’s part of the job, really. I’m fine, I’m fine. Thanks for worrying."
Jeong Tae-ui chuckled awkwardly, and Shinlu smiled slightly and whispered, "Take care of yourself."
Shinlu, the youngest in the office, had looked a bit surprised when she saw Jeong Tae-ui standing in front of her just an hour after meeting him in the bathroom. But after a few encounters and conversations, she had relaxed and started calling him “hyung,” becoming ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) friendly and affectionate toward him.

"..."
While fixing the torn collar and trying to decide if it could be mended, Shinlu’s head was just below his line of sight. The faint scent of soap brushed past his nose. He wanted to touch it.
Jeong Tae-ui hesitated, fingers twitching, debating whether to touch her hair. But when Shinlu looked up, he quickly lowered his hand, deciding against it. If his uncle had seen him, he would have clicked his tongue, calling him spineless.

"Thanks for your hard work today. Not much time left in the regular hours."
Shinlu smiled as she said this, and only then did Jeong Tae-ui realize how late it was in the afternoon. He turned his head, and outside the window, he saw reddish clouds spreading across the sky. He had been in the basement so much that, unless he checked the time, he had no sense of it.
"The sky is really beautiful..."

Jeong Tae-ui muttered in admiration. It wasn’t just because he hadn’t seen the sky properly by being stuck in the basement; the combination of blue and red-violet colors blending in the sky was truly stunning.
"Is it true that there are snakes outside?"
"Huh? Yeah. They come out at night. But the forest area is where they’re common, so it’s safe if you go toward the coastline."