Passion (BL Novel)

Knock, knock...
The sound that woke him came from far away—the sound of water. In the quiet, dark underground, the echo softly reached his ears. It was as though a cold, clear droplet of water was about to fall on his forehead.
Jeong Tae-ui opened his eyes. There was nothing but a yellowish light. But as he turned his gaze, he could see the dimly lit room. He strained his ears, but other than the occasional sound of water, there was no other noise. There should have been signs of life from the people in other rooms, but they must have been asleep.

There was no clock, and no one had told him the time, but naturally, his body seemed to know roughly what time it was. It was probably around 2 or 3 AM. Even if it was off by a few hours, it wouldn’t matter much. It was too early to get up and move around, but also too late to have a conversation with others.
“Damn... I was trying to sleep comfortably in the dark, and even my dreams are horrible...”
Jeong Tae-ui muttered as he pressed his thumb against his eyelids, which were still heavy with sleep. If he stayed still, he would fall asleep again in a few seconds, but he knew if he did, he would undoubtedly have the same nightmare again. It would be like being stuck in sleep paralysis—waking up only to fall back into the same situation.

“What kind of dream could be so horrible? Did you see someone you’re afraid of?”
Jeong Tae-ui froze.
The voice came from right beside him. It came from the nearest wall, the one closest to where Jeong Tae-ui was lying. There was no hint of sleepiness in the calm voice. It seemed the person had not been asleep.

Turning his head, he saw only a faint reflection of light in the darkness, with eyes glimmering in the dim glow. If he hadn’t looked without thinking, his heart would have dropped.
“Do I really have to see you even in my dreams?”
Jeong Tae-ui muttered in a voice still heavy with sleep. Then, he heard a soft exhale, like air escaping. It was probably that familiar laugh. Jeong Tae-ui struggled to get up, not wanting to fall asleep again and relive the same nightmare.

“Ugh. If I could just not meet someone I don’t like, even in my dreams, that would be so much better.”
“You must have met someone you’re afraid to see in your dream.”
“Not afraid, just someone I hate...”

Jeong Tae-ui murmured bitterly as he clicked his tongue. Since entering this place, he had endured so much, he thought it had been quite a while, but when he reflected on it, it had only been about six months since his discharge. It wasn’t strange that memories from that time were vivid in his dreams.
“There was a guy in the army, really damn unlucky. Well, he probably thought the same about me... Ah, really. There were plenty of kind, cute juniors, and dependable seniors, but why the hell does that unlucky guy have to appear in my dreams?”
“Aha. Unlucky guy, huh? Now I’m curious,” Ilay said, as if surprised. He usually didn’t talk about others, and if he did, he rarely spoke harshly about people, so it must have been a bit of a surprise.

Jeong Tae-ui scratched his head. He didn’t really want to talk about it. It wasn’t so much an uncomfortable story, but he didn’t want to bring up memories of that unlucky guy.
“Usually, you release pent-up stories by telling them, right? Yeah, so you met an unlucky superior in the army and had a hard time? Tell me about it. Despite what I look like, I’m actually a pretty good listener.”
Jeong Tae-ui laughed quietly at Ilay’s words. He didn’t feel the need to tell anyone, but since he was forcing himself to stay awake with sleep-heavy eyelids, it seemed better to at least move his mouth. It wasn’t a secret anyway.
“He’s the reason I got discharged. I made up my mind to crush that guy and beat him up so badly he ended up in the hospital. I had to go to the hospital too, but I got out a good fifteen days before him.”

When Jeong Tae-ui added, "So I won," Ilay laughed. It was funny—talking about winning a fight with someone and then both ending up in the hospital at the same time, claiming victory or defeat.
“I didn’t show it in school, but there was an incident, and the rumor spread that I liked men. You might understand, but the military culture in our country is very conservative. Even after graduating from school and joining the army, that rumor followed me, and worse, there was this annoying colleague who spread it around even more.”
“Aha. So, you were ready to beat him up after he spread the rumor?”

“No. The rumor had already spread long before. It had been around for years. The rumor itself wasn’t a lie, so even though I hated the guy’s behavior, I didn’t hit him because of that.”
“So what happened?”
“At that time, my life was just really exhausting. I was an officer, had my subordinates, and everything about my life was draining. So when that guy hit me, all the pent-up frustration from years of keeping it inside exploded. I thought, 'Today you’re going to die,' and just beat him up. Then, when I came to my senses, we were both lying in the hospital.”

Even that was unlucky. He never planned on seeing the guy again, but here he was, lying in the same room. Worse yet, they had to lie there, unable to move, together in the same space. It was the worst. When it came to emotional horror, being stuck in the same space with that guy felt even worse than being trapped with a psychopath.
Moreover, while they were in the hospital, that guy didn’t just stay silent or ignore him—he kept picking fights. Whenever it was quiet, he would say something provocative, and whenever he could ignore him, he would poke at him with sharp words. Unlike Jeong Tae-ui, who would ignore someone he didn’t like as though they didn’t exist, their basic personalities were completely different.
“You’re saying he punched you. He’s got guts. I don’t want to fight with you either,” Ilay said, laughing.

If anyone else had said that, it would sound like they thought of themselves as strong, but when that guy said it, it came off as teasing. Jeong Tae-ui could tell Ilay knew this himself.
“...Yeah, I don’t want to fight with myself either. I don’t know what kind of dirty tricks you might pull.”
After thinking for a moment, Jeong Tae-ui nodded in agreement. Anyone who knew him would probably agree. Even though Jeong Tae-ui wasn’t particularly good at fighting or skilled, few people would try to mess with him first. Because of that, he didn’t end up in many pointless fights.

In fact, Kim So-wee, that guy, would only mess with people verbally, rarely throwing punches. Even that cowardly guy knew that if he started a fight with Jeong Tae-ui, he wouldn’t come out the winner.
Even so, it was surprising that Kim So-wee actually threw a punch at Jeong Tae-ui. Every time Kim So-wee made harsh remarks, Jeong Tae-ui would respond with similar words, but it was rare for him to get so angry that he threw a punch. Besides, Jeong Tae-ui hadn’t even said anything particularly harsh to him.
“I kept hearing that homo-homo crap whenever we faced each other, so I just told him, 'You like me, right? That’s why you keep coming around me and making those comments to get my attention.' I was just joking, but he suddenly got angry and threw a punch at me. ...I guess he really did hate homosexuals. He got really upset from just those few words. What a pain. Why does he keep picking fights with me?”

Jeong Tae-ui clicked his tongue and muttered. Saying it out loud brought those memories rushing back, and he was angry again. The guy had appeared in his dream too, mocking him with “homo-homo” again. It was a damn unlucky guy, both in dreams and in real life.
Ilay was silent. The man who had been laughing and teasing earlier was now silent, and Jeong Tae-ui turned to look at him. He wondered if he had fallen asleep, but his dark eyes were still reflecting the light. Ilay was staring at him intently, lost in thought.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Just thinking. I was wondering when people usually get the most angry.”
Jeong Tae-ui laughed as he joked, “I guess it’s when they hear something they feel guilty about. Maybe that guy really was into me after all. It happens, people live without realizing it.”
Jeong Tae-ui joked, but Ilay didn’t respond. He just stared at him with a subtle look, then quietly chuckled.

“Was that the only guy like that?”
“Hmm?”
“Anyone else who’s picked fights with you in your life?”

Jeong Tae-ui paused in thought. Kim So-wee was the most memorable of the annoying guys. But after some time, he didn’t really think about him unless he saw him in a dream, and the memory had faded a lot.
There wasn’t anyone else he particularly disliked. At least no one he hated as much as Kim So-wee. They had spent years together in school and the army, constantly insulting each other.
But thinking about it, he had met some strange people throughout his life. That senior from high school, for example? Still, he wasn’t someone Jeong Tae-ui disliked. Every year, he seemed to meet strange people, but he had always assumed it was because of his older brother.

His older brother had always attracted kidnappers and strange characters, and since Jeong Tae-ui had spent most of his childhood with him, he had experienced more than most people.
“Maybe after that, I didn’t hang out with my brother as much, so all the strange people must have gone to him without me knowing. Hmm. If that’s the case, then those guys were after my brother, not me. Anyway, I didn’t really have those kinds of problems.”
Jeong Tae-ui shrugged, adding, “I don’t look like someone you’d pick a fight with.”

It was probably because of that. Jeong Tae-ui had always preferred good, kind people, and since he liked those kinds of people, he didn’t keep people around who could harm him.
He couldn’t remember exactly when it was. It wasn’t that long ago, probably around the time he graduated from the military academy or just after his commission.
At that time, Jeong Tae-ui had learned that he would have to face Kim So-wee again in his new unit, and ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) he had been really upset, venting about it at home. He had been drinking a few cans of beer when his older brother, who was having a beer with him, sighed and said something strange.

“Anyone who’s after you has a lot of greed. It’s better not to get too close to them.”
Hearing that, Jeong Tae-ui stared at his older brother with an expression of dissatisfaction, wondering if he was drunk on a single can of beer or had eaten something strange, shivering in distaste.
“Hyung, hey, Jeong Jae-ui. What are you talking about now, spaced out like that? I told you, he’s not someone who desires anything, he’s just someone who picks fights over everything... Why are you acting so dazed? Got something on your mind?”

Suddenly, hearing his older brother speak out of context made him worried, so he changed the subject. His older brother had tried to say something but closed his mouth. Jeong Tae-ui, slightly tipsy from the beer, urged him to speak if something was bothering him. Eventually, his brother confessed his worry: that his only younger brother was turning into a drunkard.
“......”
Thinking back, his older brother was sometimes a bit of an enigma. There were times when Jeong Tae-ui wondered if this man, who was supposed to be his peer, really was the same age as him. Still, they were brothers who had never fought seriously. The few times they fought were when they were very young or when they had debated which was better—Jajangmyeon or Jjamppong.

“I wonder what he’s doing now. Well, he’s probably doing fine on his own.”
Jeong Tae-ui flopped back down onto the bed. Ilay looked at him and smiled faintly.
“You must be worried because your older brother has gone missing. From what Instructor Jeong said, he still hasn’t returned home.”

Jeong Tae-ui snorted and waved his hand dismissively. Worry? His older brother didn’t need that. Whatever Jeong Jae-ui wanted, it always happened. If, for example, Jeong Jae-ui decided, “I want to meet my brother today,” he would somehow make it happen—maybe even if it meant, for example, bumping into someone on the street who turned out to be the head of the UNHRDO, and that person got so angry that they threw Jeong Jae-ui into the nearest branch office. He could still appear right here.
“Well, maybe he’s secretly locked up at some weapon development center, having his brain exploited,” Jeong Tae-ui muttered jokingly.
“If that were the case, he would’ve been snatched up before he even turned ten,” Ilay replied, cutting off that thought with a straight answer. Jeong Tae-ui had mentioned meeting Jeong Jae-ui before, so Ilay nodded, acknowledging he knew about his brother's odd fate.

It was easy to talk about Jeong Jae-ui with someone who already knew him. When Jeong Tae-ui spoke about his brother, people who hadn’t experienced it or only heard vague rumors often looked skeptical, wondering how such a thing was possible. Even Jeong Tae-ui himself sometimes found it hard to believe the kind of luck his brother had, so it wasn’t surprising if others found it hard to grasp.
Jeong Tae-ui suddenly glanced at Ilay. It wasn’t something he had planned to ask, but he suddenly became curious.
“You said you met my brother?”

“Well... not really met, more like saw him briefly while passing by.”
“Was that through your uncle? Or because your brother’s a weapons dealer?”
Ilay smiled ambiguously and then simply replied, “Both.”

Jeong Tae-ui nodded in understanding.
Just then, Ilay suddenly asked, “In this situation, where we have no clue where Jeong Jae-ui has gone, if you urgently needed to find him, how would you go about it?”
Jeong Tae-ui frowned, thinking. He had never considered this before. Whenever he needed to contact his brother, it was always easy. The only time he couldn’t get in touch was when his brother was deliberately avoiding him.

That was just part of Jeong Jae-ui’s luck.
“I can’t just contact him whenever I want. If he doesn’t want to see me, there’s no use trying. It’s like a natural talent—something that can’t be forced.”
There was, however, one way to meet Jeong Jae-ui. If meeting him would be beneficial for Jeong Jae-ui, like bringing him good fortune, then he’d find it easy to meet him. But even thinking like that, Jeong Tae-ui scratched his head. He had never thought of meeting his brother that way, calculating the benefits first.

“By the way, my brother’s birthday is at the end of next month,” Jeong Tae-ui muttered to himself.
Ilay raised his eyebrows and said with a smirk, “Jeong Jae-ui’s birthday? Well, then it’s your birthday too. You’re acting like it doesn’t apply to you.”
“Ah? No, not really. We’ve just always celebrated each other’s birthdays. He takes care of mine.”

He hadn’t really thought about his own birthday lately. And it’s not like he’d done anything special for his brother’s birthday either. They would just remember the day, contact each other, and if they both had time, they’d grab a meal together. Since their parents had passed away, they had little contact with relatives, so it was just the two of them. Neither of them had a partner, so their birthdays were always just spent together.
“...Even though we’re not the type to keep track of birthdays, we’d end up remembering and grabbing a meal a few days after.”
“Hmmm. So this year, on your birthday, Jeong Jae-ui will either come find you or at least contact you?”

“Well, I guess there’s a chance we’ll be in touch by then. Maybe when I call home, he’ll be back.”
Jeong Tae-ui muttered casually while looking up at the ceiling. Then suddenly, he noticed Ilay staring at him intently and turned to look at him.
“What?”

“No, I was just thinking... You two really seem like close brothers. I envy that,” Ilay said with a slight smile, shaking his head.
Jeong Tae-ui wasn’t sure if their relationship could be considered as enviably close, but as he thought about it, he paused.
Faintly, he thought he heard something from above, or perhaps from further above.

Ilay must have noticed why Jeong Tae-ui stopped. He glanced up at the ceiling, then nodded as if acknowledging something. Jeong Tae-ui gave him a look, sensing that Ilay knew something.
“Probably a radiation response drill. We’re heading into the second half of the month, so they usually do it right after the joint training is done.”
“Radiation response... What the hell are they detonating for it to cause vibrations all the way down here?”

Jeong Tae-ui muttered in disbelief. This building had wide floors, and the internal walls were thick enough that sounds didn’t usually carry. The only places where sounds could pass were areas like the hallways in shared spaces. The floors and external walls were supposed to be at bomb shelter standards.
“It’s probably coming from the floor above us. If it's underground to the sixth floor... probably the area with the male dorms. They never inform the staff about where the explosion will happen. Looks like it’s happening upstairs this year.”
“Detonating a radiation response drill... Honestly, the UNHRDO guards must be insane. Are they just wasting the budget?”

“It’s similar to how they tear up a perfectly fine road near the end of the year to use up the administrative budget. After the quarterly joint training, they plan the next quarter’s budget.”
“...So, everywhere has some kind of irrational system.”
Jeong Tae-ui muttered bitterly. But setting off explosions anywhere in the building would cause inconvenience for a few days. If they set it off in a crucial area like the ground floor, it would create a real mess. But if it’s set off in areas like the fifth floor underground, the branches wouldn’t suffer much, though the staff would be looking for somewhere to rest for a while.

“Wherever they set it off, it’ll be uncomfortable for a few days... Ah, maybe they’ll just evacuate everyone outside or set it off somewhere like the fourth floor underground.”
“That’s not allowed.”
Jeong Tae-ui raised an eyebrow, and Ilay chuckled quietly, saying nothing else. Jeong Tae-ui, after thinking for a moment, glanced at him.

He didn’t know what was on the fourth floor. The entrance had always been locked, and the elevator didn’t stop there. It was restricted, and only authorized personnel could go up. Jeong Tae-ui didn’t know much about it.
“Why? Are they hiding a robot to protect Earth on the fourth floor?”
Jeong Tae-ui joked, and Ilay laughed out loud, but didn’t answer. After a moment, Jeong Tae-ui turned his head, realizing no more answers would be coming. This building was spacious enough that, with proper planning, a giant robot could fit through. But where would it go if it needed to deploy? Would it just dig a tunnel and go out that way?

Jeong Tae-ui was lost in thought for a moment when, once again, a faint vibration and sound echoed from above. It seemed the radiation response training was continuing. Staring at the ceiling, which was completely invisible in the darkness, Jeong Tae-ui let out a sigh.
It was definitely the middle of the night, he was sure of that. Training at this time? The staff in charge of the training were certainly making questionable choices. Not just them, but the guards leading the training were also at fault. If anything, he felt like the one stuck in this cell was the lucky one.
He tried to estimate how many days had passed. Though his sense of time was a bit hazy after being locked in here, he figured he had already spent about half the time he was supposed to be in the cell.

"Ilay, how long do you have to stay here?"
"Well, I’ve never left here on time, so I wouldn't know. They told me to stay for ten days, and I ended up here for three months. There were also times I was told to stay a few years, but I was out in less than a month. This isn't even my branch, and there are still plenty of things to do, so I don’t think they’ll keep me for too long."
Ilay answered casually, as if it didn’t matter when he’d leave. Then, he suddenly turned to Jeong Tae-ui.

"You said ten days, right?"
"Yeah, I think about half of it is already done."
"You’ll probably get bored once you leave. It would be nice if someone else came in, so you’re not stuck alone."

At those words, Jeong Tae-ui bitterly smiled and tossed the pen he had in his hand, muttering under his breath, "Am I your entertainment?" He wished that whoever came into the cell after him would at least be someone who looked just like Ilay. For this cold, selfish human who was always looking for someone to pass the time with, he hoped the next person in this room would be just like Ilay.
When he didn’t sleep enough, his eyes would open quickly, but when he slept too much, it became harder to wake up. This time, his head felt heavy and groggy as he woke up a little later than usual. As he rubbed his tired eyes, he groped for the water bottle on the bedside table and took a sip. It must have been around 7 or 8 AM.
Ilay seemed to have gone to the bathroom. A faint light was leaking from the glass door. He had learned over the past few days that Ilay always washed himself first thing in the morning. Other little habits had caught his attention too, like the way Ilay would absentmindedly tap the floor with his index finger when deep in thought—he’d even noticed it during their conversations—or how his eyes would narrow slightly when he was making a joke.

Jeong Tae-ui shook his head, trying to shake off the sleepiness, and stood up, heading to the bathroom. Ilay, standing under the shower stream, only acknowledged him with a glance. Jeong Tae-ui, still half asleep, stood in front of the sink, brushing his teeth. He brushed while still partly asleep, waiting for his drowsiness to fade away.
When he didn’t sleep enough, his eyes would open more easily, but after a long sleep, it was harder to wake up. So, in times like these, he would close his eyes while brushing, hoping that the act would eventually shake him fully awake.
In his school days, he had lived in sync with his school schedule, and when he joined the military, he had done the same. After maturing, he had lived a very regular life, so even after being confined for a few days, his body's rhythm wouldn’t change.

"You're not getting up like usual, huh? Hey, don't swallow that. Spit it out."
Ilay, finished with his shower, approached and flicked his tongue, tapping Jeong Tae-ui on the back. Jeong Tae-ui, barely awake, spat out the toothpaste, rinsed his mouth a few times, and began to regain his senses.
“Damn. My head is going to explode. I swear, I’ll never solve that guy’s puzzle again.”

Jeong Tae-ui muttered as he walked out of the bathroom, tossing the puzzle magazine onto the bed. Yesterday, a guard had stopped in front of his cell after doing rounds and suddenly handed him a bundle of books. Apparently, his teammates had sent them as a gift for the colleague who had been unjustly locked up.
There were no useful books, but since he was bored, he accepted them with gratitude. However, when he opened them, none of them were particularly useful. A few adult magazines, a detective novel he had already read, and a puzzle magazine.
It was clear who had chosen the books. The adult magazines were probably chosen by a few guys who had worked together, the detective novel had been added by Tow, and as for the puzzle magazine... Well, it was a bit of a mystery. There wasn’t anyone in his team who was into puzzles, so it was most likely Morra, who had shared a room with Jeong Tae-ui for a few days, especially after Jeong Tae-ui had made an enemy of Colt. Even though Morra now shot daggers at him whenever their eyes met, he must have felt some sympathy for him while they were both stuck in the cell.

The most useful book was the puzzle magazine, so Jeong Tae-ui sincerely thanked Morra as he opened it, determined that next time he went to Hong Kong, he would meet up with a fence to get the Colt.
But right now, all of those thoughts were gone. He realized just how much Morra must hate him. This puzzle magazine was at the extreme difficulty level. It had a cute warning on the cover that said "Beginners Prohibited." Jeong Tae-ui knew that Morra knew he wasn’t very good at puzzles, so to send him this was clearly a form of mockery.
Jeong Tae-ui spent the entire night struggling with the magazine, groaning as he tried to solve it, until he finally fell asleep just before dawn. Ilay, frowning, asked, "Do you really have to solve that?"

Jeong Tae-ui just shook his head. Once he started on a puzzle, he had to finish it. Even if he had picked the wrong one.
Thanks to that, he ended up sleeping in, with a headache and dry eyes.
"Morra... You really sent this to make me suffer, didn’t you..." Jeong Tae-ui muttered as he glared at the magazine. From across the room, Ilay, who had been doing push-ups as part of his morning routine, looked at him with an incredulous expression.

"You could just not solve it, you know. Why keep holding onto it?"
"Well, I can’t leave a puzzle unfinished! ...Ugh, I must have overworked my brain. I'm starving. Why isn’t breakfast here yet?"
Jeong Tae-ui muttered as he glanced around, looking for his wristwatch. That’s when he heard the sound of a steel door opening at the end of the hallway. It seemed like it was time for breakfast. As usual, the food came right on time, with excellent dishes, considering it was prison food. The lights in the hallway were turned on as usual when the food delivery came. The sudden light made his eyes squint, and he could hardly keep them open.

"Food, food, food— I'm hungry, hurry up and bring the food—"
Jeong Tae-ui hummed as he absentmindedly tapped the bars with his fingers, his mind still sluggish. Ilay, seeing him from across the room, looked at him briefly, but didn’t respond. Instead, he set up a small table for himself.
"Seems like you're lacking calcium. I can tell by how your brain is floating around. I hope today's breakfast is rich in calcium," Ilay muttered.

Jeong Tae-ui chuckled quietly. Hearing such silly jokes helped lift his mood. Maybe Ilay wasn’t such an unbearable crazy person after all. But then, when Ilay started punching the steel panels or doing sit-ups on the bar mounted on the wall in the afternoon, all those thoughts disappeared.
He wasn’t an insane man, but certainly not a normal one.
There were plenty of reasons to say that. The most obvious one was his shoulder injury. The recovery was faster than most people’s. Every afternoon, Jeong Tae-ui’s fellow guards would eye Ilay with suspicion, wondering if he was really human.

But thinking about it, whether human or not, as long as it didn’t affect him, Jeong Tae-ui didn’t care.
Jeong Tae-ui was tapping the bars again when suddenly—
"Hyung."

A familiar voice sounded just a few steps away. Jeong Tae-ui froze, stopping his finger, and turned around, unbelieving. Standing just a few steps outside the bars was Shin-ru.
"Hey, ...what are you doing here? Why are you here... What happened, Shin-ru?"
At first, Jeong Tae-ui had been delighted to see him, but as soon as he remembered where they were—inside the cell—his face hardened. He wondered if something bad had happened, though he hoped it wasn’t the case. Perhaps Shin-ru had come in because something was wrong.

Seeing Jeong Tae-ui’s sudden shift in expression, Shin-ru seemed to understand why and hurriedly waved his hands.
"No, Hyung. I just came to visit you. I asked the guard how you were doing, so I could check on you."
Shin-ru smiled brightly, trying to reassure him. It was a smile as usual. Jeong Tae-ui stared at him for a moment, suspicious. He wondered if Shin-ru was trying to calm him down because something else was going on. But as Jeong Tae-ui continued to stare, Shin-ru seemed taken aback and tilted his head. Finally, Jeong Tae-ui smiled calmly.

"Thanks for coming. I was surprised. I thought maybe you’d gotten yourself caught in here somehow. But I guess you didn’t do anything that would land you in here."
Jeong Tae-ui pushed the thought that he himself had done something to end up in this cell aside and spoke lightly. Through the bars, Shin-ru, looking a bit embarrassed, gazed back at him and whispered softly.
"Are you okay? I was really worried when I heard you were in here. Is everything alright? There’s no... mistreatment, right?"

"No, it’s fine. I’m doing well. What about you? How’s everyone else? No problems?"
Jeong Tae-ui asked, gripping the bars. Shin-ru shook his head, saying everyone was fine, and stepped closer. They were so close now, just a hand’s reach away, but the bars between them made it difficult. Shin-ru hesitated for a moment, then gently grasped the bars just below Jeong Tae-ui’s hand.
Jeong Tae-ui looked at Shin-ru’s soft hand and glanced at him. Shin-ru lowered his gaze, and seeing his cheeks slightly redden, Jeong Tae-ui felt his own face heat up. Slowly, he lowered his hand and carefully placed it on top of Shin-ru’s.

At that moment, an unexpected joy filled Jeong Tae-ui. He never expected someone to come visit him here—he hadn’t even known visits were allowed. And to have Shin-ru come visit made it even more joyful. He gently stroked Shin-ru’s soft hand with his thumb, enjoying the delicate movement of his fingers, which felt oddly adorable.
Just then, perhaps having come in with Shin-ru, a guard entered with breakfast, and they both froze, slowly pulling their hands apart. Neither of them said a word, their faces flushed with the unexpected moment.