PASSION Chapter 4 Part 6

Chapter 4 Part 6

Pretending to be puzzled with "Hm? What?" while playing innocent, Tae-ui shrugged. The man stared at him blankly before smiling faintly.

"Come to think of it, you'd be bored waiting two or three hours. —Here, I'll return it."

Rigrow closed the book and held it out to Tae-ui. He shook it lightly as if saying take it.

"No, I can come back later so it's fine to keep reading. It's frustrating to stop in the middle."

"I read it long ago so I know the content. I just missed it seeing it again after so long. It's fine, take it."

He spoke while shaking the book slightly again. His voice was languid and pleasant to hear. However, there was something precarious about it. Like being pulled into deep water with a hazy, scattered feeling.

Tae-ui found it ridiculous to keep refusing so he shrugged and approached him. With each step forward, a subtle tension settled in his toes. It felt exactly like approaching a hungry beast.

"This author's books are hard to find, right? Have you read others?"

The moment Tae-ui took the book, Rigrow asked casually. Tae-ui paused and looked at him. The languid gaze softened gently when their eyes met.

"I know a capable rare book broker. The book he wrote after this one has more interesting content, and though it's hard to find, that person could probably get it even if it takes some time. I can introduce you if you want."

"...It would be quite expensive?"

"Well, probably 2-300 dollars. Ah, or if you go to Berlin, there should be an English version in the foreign books section of the German National Library. I saw it there about 5-6 years ago."

While thinking that though not a small amount for one book, it felt very light compared to $3,500, Tae-ui looked at the man with quite strange feelings.

Something was different from what he had imagined. Though he hadn't imagined a murderer who killed everyone he saw indiscriminately, he had never thought he would be someone to casually - or rather somewhat maniacally - discuss books like this. Moreover, that chilling and creepy feeling from the video was completely gone, replaced by a pleasant and neat young man. He even had excellent social skills, conversing easily with someone he just met.

Looking at him like this, he seemed quite ordinary, and without preconceptions he could even be seen as an attractive young man with quite likeable features.

"Rigrow..., right?"

Tae-ui asked hesitantly. At that, he seemed slightly surprised before smiling and nodding slightly.

"Right, I'm the only one with that name in our branch. Seems you've heard about me somewhere?"

"Yeah, a bit."

"Haha, I wonder what kind of rumors."

"I think you know yourself."

When Tae-ui spoke, he closed his mouth. And stared intently at Tae-ui. Those pitch-black eyes. Those eyes of unfathomable depth stared steadily at Tae-ui before suddenly breaking into a pleasant laugh.

"Generally. But you know how rumors tend to get exaggerated. Right?"

Saying "This is really troublesome" while shaking his head, Rigrow even clicked his tongue bitterly. Here truly was a pitiful good young man suffering from false rumors.

A white and clean, attractive impression. A voice that seeped in. Smooth speech. Nothing was lacking.

"...Well, though it wasn't like that in the video I saw, I admit rumors can be quite exaggerated."

Tae-ui muttered uncertainly while sitting on the empty bed opposite. He didn't seem completely insane and seemed capable of reasonable conversation. Moreover, not just anyone had the conversational skills to lead dialogue so pleasantly. Though still wary, when he sat containing that light inside, a smile crossed Rigrow's white and clean face.

"Video? Ah, come to think of it, there was one camera I tore down then. Right, the recording would have remained. Really now, why record such things and make people seem strange."

Watching him mutter as if to himself in understanding, Tae-ui felt again "Yes, this is definitely that guy."

Looking at him like this he seemed quite normal and reasonable, did his personality change only in battle? Or perhaps he had multiple personalities? Or maybe he had just temporarily gone crazy and rampaged when that video was recorded?

Tae-ui sighed while watching him intently with his chin propped up.

Either way was fine. As long as he didn't threaten his comfortable life for the next half year. Besides, maybe he wasn't such a strange person after all.

"Ah. And there's another book with a completely different perspective. After that book came out, Charles Campbell wrote a book criticizing it in six months, which caused a huge fight in academic circles at the time."

Just as Tae-ui was about to stand up, Rigrow spoke casually while pointing at the book. Tae-ui paused and sat back down.

"Are you talking about '1337, The Beginning of Flanders'?"

"Oh, you've already seen it? Must have been hard to find."

"No, haven't seen it. Just heard the title. How is it?"

"It's interesting. The content itself isn't very fresh by today's standards, but it's kind of funny seeing how he attacks Joey Moyers throughout. Still worth reading though. If you want, I could probably get that too, though it would take some time."

Watching Rigrow tell him to just say whenever he wanted to read it, Tae-ui couldn't help but be impressed internally. Well now, here was quite a maniacal literary youth indeed. Though he had become inevitably familiar with browsing books from growing up with Jae-ui - though less than Jae-ui - it wasn't easy to be like this while working in this field.

However, thinking of his uncle, Tae-ui changed his mind to "No, maybe there are surprisingly many."

Tae-ui suddenly felt happy. It wasn't easy to find someone to have this kind of conversation with in a place like this. Maybe they could even become pleasant friends.

Tae-ui opened his mouth to say something while smiling.

However, just before he could speak, an enormous sound came from the corridor. It was a thunderous noise as if a door had fallen off or someone was deliberately breaking down a wall.

'We took pity on how weak you bastards were and let you be!'

'Look at these guys, coming to someone else's branch and causing trouble!'

'Hey, everyone come out! Looks like these guys need a beating to quiet down!'

'Yeah, let's fill up the infirmary with you bastards!'

Behind Tae-ui, beyond the wall, loud shouts and violent impact sounds followed one after another.

Tae-ui closed his opened mouth and just blinked quietly while looking at Rigrow. Rigrow also just quietly looked at Tae-ui while wearing a calm smile.

He had forgotten briefly. In fact, their relationship was no different from enemies. A relationship where no one would find it strange if they started fighting right here.

"Hmm... ...Planning to join?"

He omitted the object "that fight." He wanted to quietly wait in this room for that rough time to pass.

However, after a brief silence, Rigrow betrayed Tae-ui's expectations.

"It's noisy."

The gentle light disappeared from his face as he spoke with slight irritation. The moment he spoke coldly without smiling, his expression changed surprisingly.

Cruel and fierce.

Leaving Tae-ui who had frozen for a moment, Rigrow smoothly stood up and strode toward the door.

When Rigrow's hand grabbed the doorknob, Tae-ui clicked his tongue and stood up.

The moment that door opened would be a battlefield. With bad luck he might have to fight this man closest to him, which wasn't what he wanted at all. What to do about this.

Though sighing and clicking his tongue, Tae-ui shook out his wrists preparing to move his body. Even if he got hit, he should at least loosen up his body to avoid getting hurt stupidly.

Though Tae-ui followed him out the door thinking this, unfortunately - or fortunately - there was no place for him to step in.

Rigrow, who stood blocking Tae-ui's path, silently watched the corridor for a moment.

The corridor was already in chaos. Members who had rushed out from all rooms were hitting and fighting indiscriminately, and there were quite a few rolling on the floor in random dogfights.

Though he wondered if an instructor wouldn't come down again, seeing this scene, it wasn't a situation where they would quietly put down their fists even if an instructor shouted.

Rigrow glanced at a steel pipe that had been flying around before rolling to his feet, then kicked it up and grabbed it. The pipe that seemed just slightly thinner than a baseball bat fit his hand perfectly. It looked nothing like the hand that had been holding a book just earlier.

Suddenly Tae-ui's gaze stopped on his hands.

Whether by habit, he was still wearing gloves. However, they were different from what he had seen in the video. The thin navy cloth gloves only showed a neat and calm light.

The steel pipe in those hands seemed very mismatched-- just as he thought this.

Rigrow moved. And his gaze picked out two men who were making the loudest and most chaotic noise amid the fight spread before him, unfortunately grabbing each other's collars and slamming against the wall relatively close to him.

"So noisy..."