Passion (BL Novel)

He briefly wanted to point his finger at the man who had asked in front of him and say, "You, yes, you," but Jeong Tae-ui cleared his throat and hesitated, closing his mouth instead.

The wet towel he used to wipe his hands was stained with blood, but his own hands were spotless, with not a single wound. His face was just the same; the clean and neat face, as though he had just washed up, looked immaculate. His uniform was also perfectly arranged, without a wrinkle, as if he had just stepped out of a freshly pressed set. He appeared like a neat and diligent young man, someone you couldn’t find fault with. His hands carefully folded the towel, each motion calm and composed. At a glance, he seemed like a quiet and well-mannered young man. If this wasn’t a scam, then what else could be?
Jeong Tae-ui muttered inwardly, pulling out a new pair of gloves from his pocket and handing them over.
The instructor's role was to not participate in matches or training. Normally, when facing off one-on-one, a member would not be able to match an instructor. The instructor’s job was to observe and point out any shortcomings, not to participate in the sparring. Occasionally, if the instructor did join, it was mostly to demonstrate the fight.

Ilay Riglow was an instructor. In principle, he should never face off against a member in the regular schedule. He did not participate in matches in order to demonstrate skills either.
But right now, he was soaked in blood. In fact, even on regular days, there were occasionally members who would unexpectedly charge at the instructor during classes, so it was not entirely unusual for an instructor to get into a scuffle. However, it was more of a one-sided slaughter than a proper sparring match. At least, within the framework of scheduled activities, it was correct to say there should be no fights between him and the members. Still, in the current free-form training, Ilay had his hands stained with the blood of the fourteenth person (half of whom had mobbed him in a group).
"Isn't this a bit much...?"

Jeong Tae-ui muttered with a sigh. Despite having neatly folded the towel, Ilay tossed it carelessly onto one of the fallen men’s faces and put on the new gloves. After moving his hands a few times, he glanced at Jeong Tae-ui.
"What do you mean by ‘a bit much’?"
"Well, this massacre and everything..."

Jeong Tae-ui trailed off. He almost continued, but stopped, feeling as though it might seem like he was excusing Ilay's cruel actions.
But in reality, the severity wasn’t just Ilay’s response. Even though he knew the instructor was not the target, one of the members, who had come up behind Ilay as if to chase him, started punching his torso. Then, out of nowhere, the member revealed a knife hidden in his hand.
Jeong Tae-ui, with a horrified face, picked up the small knife that had fallen among the bloodied bodies. The knife was even shorter than his index finger, almost cute, yet it was frighteningly sharp. It would easily slice through a person’s wrist with a mere touch. He stared at the knife for a while before sheathing the blade and putting it in his pocket. Many men had tried to kill Ilay using any method, and although such incidents weren’t rare, it seemed like things were escalating in intensity.

The joint training had started only about four or five days ago. The atmosphere and tension in the training were significantly more relaxed compared to the last session, but personally, Jeong Tae-ui didn’t find it easy at all. It seemed that a sudden increase in the number of people attempting to kill Ilay had begun, taking advantage of even the smallest gaps.
"Ilay. Looks like you've made quite a few enemies in South America."
Jeong Tae-ui muttered as he looked over the faces of the men lying in pools of blood. Some of them were familiar, but many were strangers.

"Well, during my time in Europe, we had a few joint training sessions with the South American branch. It wasn’t as frequent as with Asia, but I did have a chance to spar with those South American guys."
Ilay replied flatly. Jeong Tae-ui subtly stared at the back of Ilay's head, realizing what had happened. Ilay had probably taken advantage of his chance to casually beat the crap out of people.
Jeong Tae-ui nudged one of the men lying face down in the blood puddle with his foot. The man, who was probably going to be bedridden for a while after this, had his face completely ruined. If someone tried to kill him out of hatred, there would be no argument about it.

But...
"..."
Jeong Tae-ui tilted his head slightly, feeling uneasy. It struck him as odd that a member from another branch would suddenly target the instructor as soon as the training began. Of course, with someone as insane as that, it wouldn’t be strange to be stabbed anywhere in the world, but there was something off about it.
‘Ilay Riglow!’

It was the phrase shouted by the man as he lunged at Ilay. The moment Jeong Tae-ui heard it, he froze. He hadn’t realized why he felt a sense of unease, but when he saw Ilay subtly raise an eyebrow and curl his lip with a sly smile, it dawned on him.
He had never heard anyone call Ilay by his full name before. The madman had said "Riglow" or "Rick." Of course, his full name wasn’t a secret, but since the more commonly known name was the latter, most people referred to him as just "Ilay." Those who knew his personality never even spoke his full name.
Thinking back, Jeong Tae-ui wasn’t sure why he felt it was fine to call him "Ilay," but regardless, he had never heard anyone else say it. No, there had been one time—when Ilay was appointed as the instructor for the Asian branch and arrived here for the first time, his full name was mentioned during an official meeting in the general director’s office. But that was the only instance.

Jeong Tae-ui stared down at the man, whose South American features were clearly visible. This man didn’t know Ilay. Even if he had briefly scanned the personal details, he had never met Ilay in person.
"If someone with no grudges is attacking with a knife, things have really gone too far..."
Jeong Tae-ui clicked his tongue as he muttered. He thought Ilay wouldn’t hear his quiet voice, but surprisingly, Ilay, who had been quite a distance away, turned to look and asked back.

"Are you talking about me?"
...What sharp ears.
"Then who else could be stabbed by a knife, if not you inside here?"

Jeong Tae-ui murmured with a bitter taste in his mouth, and Ilay chuckled. Then, in a vague tone, he muttered almost like a riddle.
"Well, there’s probably more... But then again, it’s rare to see someone using such a crude, childish method. Coming out and attacking like this, what does he think he’s going to do?"
Jeong Tae-ui, still suspicious of Ilay, looked at him calmly speaking about this situation, where a murder was coming after him, as if he was enjoying it.

"You have some idea, don’t you?"
"I have several guesses, but at this point, it’s probably one thing."
"At this point..."

Jeong Tae-ui thought for a moment about why timing was important when dealing with revenge. He remembered thoughts like, ‘You must never target the enemy in winter. You have to target them in the summer. That way, the wound will fester more easily and they’ll suffer immensely,’ and then shook his head.
"The general director’s position is coming vacant, so there’s chaos everywhere. Just the other night, a fool called me at midnight, trying to bribe me with money."
If someone heard it, they might think it was a noble attitude, refusing to sell out for money, but Jeong Tae-ui couldn't help but think bitterly to himself. Even with these cynical thoughts, he didn’t miss Ilay’s words. Ilay, who had been walking a few steps ahead, turned when he didn’t hear Jeong Tae-ui following. When he saw Jeong Tae-ui’s dazed face, he tilted his head slightly.

"Why do you suddenly look like you've eaten something sour?"
"You're saying all this chaos is because of a power struggle for the general director position?"
"Ah... something like that."

"Seriously, what’s so great about the general director position...?"
Jeong Tae-ui chuckled dryly and muttered, and this time, Ilay gave him a momentary expression of disbelief. Then, he smiled faintly. Seeing that expression, Jeong Tae-ui closed his mouth.
Becoming the general director of the UNHRDO’s branch would indeed be a prestigious position. It was a rank where, no matter where you went, you wouldn't have to bow your back for anyone. In a world where even small-time thugs would kill each other for power, a position at the top of an organization of this size would be even more dangerous. But even so...

"Human decency, you know... No matter how rotten the world gets..."
Jeong Tae-ui muttered with a weary sigh. Then, a thought crossed his mind, and he frowned slightly.
"If this is all because of the general director position... are you saying Jang Til is behind this?"

Ilay, though his exact background was unclear, had come in as a replacement for Kieffen. Following that position, the trail led all the way to Mao Ri-in, who was competing with Rudolf Jang Til for the general director position. If that’s the case, it would only make sense to think that the faction opposing Ilay would want to eliminate him.
But the fact that they were using such an obvious method made Jeong Tae-ui suspicious. Looking at Ilay with doubt, he watched Ilay shake his head and mutter, "Wrong. It could be Jang Til, but you can't just blame him. The general director position in the UNHRDO isn’t just about the power of that branch, you know."
The way Ilay said "It’s not that great of a position" with a subtle smirk made Jeong Tae-ui narrow his eyes in suspicion, but Ilay ignored his gaze and continued.

"How do you think I ended up here?"
Thinking to himself, ‘I’m having the worst luck this year,’ Jeong Tae-ui reluctantly understood. When a position opens up, it's not just the people within the branch who get considered. The selection process involves other branches and headquarters as well. In this case, two suitable candidates happened to be in the same branch, but there was no guarantee that the deputy director's position, which would also become vacant, would be filled by someone from the same branch. This area had its own ambitions and power struggles. Many people had personal grudges hidden beneath the surface.
From a distance, loud noises could be heard. It seemed the free combat training was still going on around the corner. Jeong Tae-ui, who had been following Ilay, stopped his steps once again. Sensing the movement, Ilay turned to look back.

"Then, you’re saying even my uncle in Australia isn’t safe, right?"
Jeong Tae-ui muttered, frowning. Ilay squinted his eyes in disbelief, looking at Jeong Tae-ui, then sighed.
"Instructor Jeong Chang-in isn’t someone who will fall easily if someone targets him. In fact, if anyone does target him, he’ll probably find a way to turn it to his advantage."

Now that Jeong Tae-ui thought about it, it did make sense. But hearing those words, it felt more like a complaint than praise, leaving him with a complicated feeling. Of course, he understood the point...
Before the uncomfortable feeling could settle, Jeong Tae-ui suddenly stopped again. A thought came to him, making him feel uneasy. If a change in the position of a prison officer was about to happen, there would be some underhanded power struggles, and those involved could end up in a very dangerous situation. Yet, his uncle had dragged him into this very situation at that exact moment. He hadn’t orchestrated it—he couldn’t say that for sure—but the assignment of teaching duties to him could have been planned by his uncle.
"Uncle, I’m not even some kind of reformed convict, but if I get unlucky, I could end up dead!"

Jeong Tae-ui thought to himself, imagining grabbing his uncle by the collar and shaking him violently if only he were still here at the branch. The more he thought about it, the more he realized how much of a dangerous place this was. It wasn’t surprising that his uncle had turned out this way after spending so much time in such an environment. Suddenly, Jeong Tae-ui stared hard at Ilay.
Could this environment be the reason Ilay had turned out this way? If he had been a more upright person before, but had to adapt to this corrupt world to survive, then maybe he deserved some sympathy. But... that probably wasn’t the case.
Recalling a vague memory of Ilay’s old self, Jeong Tae-ui shook his head.

"Besides... I doubt there’s ever been such a ridiculous game."
Ilay kicked aside a body that had fallen in his way, clearly annoyed, as he spoke.
"The kind of idiot who thinks of killing someone just to clear the way for power struggles wouldn’t be in any position to even rise to that level. Those kinds of fools wouldn’t make it that far. It’s probably just some idiot who’s clinging to someone else’s side, doing something stupid."

"Ha... well, there are other ways to deal with them without killing them."
Jeong Tae-ui muttered, nodding. Having been in the military, he’d either overheard or witnessed such things firsthand. While there wasn’t much change in the hierarchy in the military, power struggles between factions and positions were just as intense. There were times when he had regretted leaving the military, but at least he wouldn’t have to see that kind of dirty sight again.
As he followed Ilay, Jeong Tae-ui thought gloomily. The noise was getting closer. He could hear the sounds of people fighting as they approached the corner.

Not wanting to get involved in the chaos, Jeong Tae-ui glanced at Ilay. But Ilay, without hesitation, walked towards the noise, playing with his new gloves. Maybe he wasn’t just accepting the upcoming fight because it was coming to him, but perhaps he enjoyed the chaos from the start. He didn’t know how he ended up in the middle of a fight with the crows, but it felt like he had become part of their world.
Jeong Tae-ui sighed, realizing that this year must be the one cursed for him. He glanced at Ilay walking ahead and sighed again. But then, just as they approached the corner, someone suddenly emerged from a narrow path leading to the nearby hall. A person stepped between them, swinging their arm.
"…!"

Before Ilay could react, Jeong Tae-ui rushed forward, throwing himself into the massive figure, using his full weight to collide with the person’s chest. For a brief moment, Jeong Tae-ui caught sight of something glinting silver, but before he could make sense of it, the sharp metallic light reflected above Ilay’s head. His body instinctively reacted to the threat.
With Jeong Tae-ui tackling the giant, they both crashed into the wall. The weapon the man had swung embedded with a loud thud into the wall, narrowly missing Jeong Tae-ui's thigh. The sight of the sharp weapon made his blood run cold.
It was a hand axe, about the size of a grown adult's palm. While it was called a hand axe, it was strong enough to kill a bull if swung properly. If you’re going to hunt a monster, you need a weapon that can kill it. But this... was too much. Jeong Tae-ui’s face turned pale, but there was no time to think.

"This bastard...!!"
As Jeong Tae-ui rushed in, the giant swung the axe in a wild arc. Jeong Tae-ui quickly brought his own fist up to strike, aiming for the giant's wrist, but the strength behind the giant's punch was enough to overpower him. The giant’s fist came crashing down toward Jeong Tae-ui’s head.
Damn it, it’s definitely better than being hit by the axe, but this won’t end easily!

Resolutely preparing himself for the impact, Jeong Tae-ui bent his back, covering his head with his arms.
However, the punch never landed. After a brief moment, Jeong Tae-ui looked up in confusion.
"Why bother with this kind of trouble?"

Above him, instead of the giant, Ilay stood. Ilay had grabbed the giant’s head and slammed it into the wall, splattering blood on the white surface.
"One less neck to worry about."
Ilay casually bent over, pulling the axe from the wall. He swung it a couple of times in the air, testing its weight.

"You sometimes bring trouble upon yourself, don’t you?"
Ilay’s serious tone seemed like he wasn’t joking at all. Jeong Tae-ui couldn’t help but feel a little exasperated. How had he ended up getting caught up in this monster's chaotic world?
 

As Jeong Tae-ui vowed to turn a blind eye whenever someone swung a knife or an axe at Ilay in the future, Ilay once again asked seriously.
"Are you someone who enjoys pain?"
Jeong Tae-ui thought, It would be nice if I could snatch that axe and bury it in that bastard’s head. At the same time, he thought, If I were that kind of person, I’d probably enjoy getting beaten by this bastard until I passed out and was bedridden for days. However, he didn’t voice either of these thoughts.

It wasn’t the time for casual conversation. Having heard some commotion around the corner, the men who were fighting earlier rushed toward them. It wasn’t so much that they were rushing over; it was more like the fight that had been happening on the other side suddenly spilled over when they saw Ilay.
Unfortunately, Ilay was still holding the axe. It was a sharp and excellent weapon, one that wouldn’t even lose its edge when embedded in a stone wall. The men who saw him holding the axe hesitated and slowed their steps. To their right, one man’s face was smashed against the wall, blood dripping profusely from his face.
"Devil-like bastard..."

Someone muttered under their breath. The voice, soaked in fear and anxiety, seemed to have misunderstood the relationship between the fallen man and the axe. But Jeong Tae-ui didn’t bother to correct it. In fact, he almost hoped they would all recognize him as a devil and back off.
But things weren’t going the way Jeong Tae-ui wanted. The men who had been fighting now looked like a tribe that had united after being attacked. One of them raised their weapon, aiming it at Ilay. The problem was that most of them were from South America. And when Jeong Tae-ui looked at their faces, he could see that they had only recently joined the UNHRDO. Their fighting stance was barely formed, and they were still unfamiliar with the environment. It became clear why they were so boldly pointing their weapons at Ilay.
Jeong Tae-ui had heard that rumors about Ilay Riglow had spread across the branches, but these men didn’t seem to have seen his true strength yet. The members from the Asian branch, who knew better, looked at the South American members with disdain, thinking You’ll find out what kind of monster this guy is if you try to attack him. However, none of them were foolish enough to lower their guard against Ilay, knowing that they would have to risk their lives to deal with him, axe and all.

The fight began with nine men against one. However, it ended almost as soon as it started.
When the third man fell, the remaining men lost their will to fight. The third man had suffered the most. When the young ones rushed in, Ilay, incredibly, seemed to take pity on them. He used the handle of his axe to strike one of them on the nose, breaking his nose as a warning. However, the third guy was a bit more skilled and managed to strike back.
Ilay, who was known for breaking down the strong with certainty, effortlessly disarmed the third man when he tried to swing a pipe at Ilay’s waist. Ilay then smirked and casually drew a wide arc with his axe, as though it were a toy.

The movement appeared light and effortless, but the moment the axe cut through the air, the third man screamed in agony. Blood burst from his thigh, and something white and odd could be seen within the gash.
Watching the third man scream and writhe in pain as blood poured out of his leg, the other men who had been rushing toward Ilay froze, their faces frozen in fear.
"Crazy bastard... Who turns people into this kind of mess during training――――!"

"Next is the arm. It’s thinner than the leg, so it’ll be cut off easily."
Before the man could even finish his angry words, Ilay calmly responded. Even though blood was splattering from his own body, it seemed like he didn’t care at all. His gloves, which he had just changed, began to turn red again.
Ilay’s words hung in the air. He casually twirled the axe between his fingers, grinning.

"And next, I’ll go for the shoulder. If you’re lucky, you might survive."
"…-"
"After that, maybe I’ll aim for the neck..."

Perhaps they thought Ilay was joking. But even while they hesitated to charge him, their eyes glancing at their blood-soaked comrades who had collapsed on the floor, Jeong Tae-ui—and the other members of the Asian branch—knew that Ilay wasn’t joking.
They realized that if things didn’t stop here, they would be in trouble. Officially, the organization stated that deaths were unavoidable during training, but if they let Ilay keep going, they’d lose any grounds for claiming that it was unavoidable. Jeong Tae-ui, seeing a man who had tried to rush Ilay frozen in place, finally let go of his hold on the man’s collar and let him go.
Before the third man’s leg was half severed, Ilay nonchalantly muttered, "Fighting someone holding an axe is actually easier. They won’t be able to swing it freely, so it’ll just get in the way."

His words weren’t entirely wrong. Most people, if they were wielding an axe, would hesitate, afraid of accidentally injuring someone with it. However, things were different when it came to someone like Ilay. Jeong Tae-ui muttered inwardly, You should be grateful I saved your life today.
He wasn’t sure whether this man, who had tried to attack Ilay, even realized it.
"I told you, the instructor doesn’t engage in sparring unless it’s a demonstration."

Jeong Tae-ui broke the silence from behind. Ilay turned to look at him with an emotionless face.
"Jeong Tae-ui. Did you forget I told you not to interfere with my business?"
"Not at all. But it’s sparring time, right? The good old ‘good for the good’ rule. Isn’t it?"

There was no real connection between sparring time and ‘good for the good,’ but Jeong Tae-ui shrugged playfully. Ilay scowled, looking like he wanted to say something, but then, as though he had decided to stay calm, he closed his mouth. Muttering Do whatever you want, he looked displeased but still raised his axe, throwing it directly at Jeong Tae-ui.
"...!"
The horrifying sound of the axe slicing through the air came close, grazing Jeong Tae-ui’s ear and brushing through his hair. The axe struck the stone pillar with a loud crack, embedding itself for a moment before breaking into pieces, falling to the floor with a thud. The axe rolled a couple of times before stopping, gleaming ominously next to Jeong Tae-ui’s foot. It seemed Ilay had truly made a conscious effort not to hurt him. Still, the fact that he threw it sideways felt like a strange gesture of restraint.

As Jeong Tae-ui picked up the axe and tucked it back into his pocket, the men wisely began to scatter. After carefully wiping off the bloodstains from the axe, Jeong Tae-ui noticed that only he and Ilay were left standing in the hallway.
He couldn’t help but feel a little melancholic. They left me and that cold-blooded killer alone here. He sighed inwardly, thinking that he just wanted this damn joint training to end.