PASSION Chapter 1 Part 3

Chapter 1 Part 3

It had been problematic from the start, being assigned to the same unit as the people he had gotten along worst with at the military academy. In the end, he nearly killed someone, nearly died himself, and was discharged, completely cutting ties now. He didn't want to think about it anymore, and there was nothing left to think about.

Tae-ui quietly sighed as memories he had been trying to forget resurfaced, making him depressed. He had been discharged four months ago and was currently a member of the unemployed youth. Though his leg still ached when the weather was bad, his leg had healed and his body was fine now, so he had been thinking it was about time to do something.

"So. Why do you suddenly need a son? Where are you planning to send me?"

When Tae-ui asked, sounding defeated, his uncle smiled, but not playfully this time.

"The son part doesn't matter. Anyway, I need someone useful. We recently lost a lot of people after a big fight with the European branch. Need to match the headcount."

"..."

"...That's just an excuse, actually, I need someone lucky."

His uncle paused briefly. Tae-ui silently waited for him to continue. He had already known that talk about headcount was just an excuse, without needing to be told. As his uncle had said, if they lined up people desperate to join, the line would reach the opposite side of the Earth, so if it were simply a matter of numbers, there would have been no need to come all the way here. However, if they needed someone lucky, that didn't apply to Tae-ui, which his uncle also knew.

"In half a year, our branch's Director General will move to the American headquarters. So the two Deputy Directors are competing underground for that position, and you know how there are faction fights everywhere. So because of my superior, I've gotten caught up in it too. Anyway, I need to help my direct superior who's aiming for the Director General position. In other words, we're going to have to fight fiercely within the branch for the next half year. During that time, a lot of underhanded and vile methods will be used. That means I need a subordinate who can luckily survive for a long time in the midst of all that."

"I'm not particularly lucky though."

"Hmm-------you're like a chicken instead of a pheasant. How about it?"

"How about what? Who would feel good about being called a chicken instead of a pheasant?"

Tae-ui responded gruffly, but he wasn't particularly offended by those words themselves. If someone like Jung Jae-ui was a pheasant, being called a chicken was already more than he deserved. That's how exceptional Jae-ui was. He only half understood his uncle's words. The half that Tae-ui understood was, 'This is something that will be troublesome if you get involved.' Between the talk of faction fights and the fact that his uncle's workplace was, for the current Tae-ui, somewhere almost indistinguishable from the military society he didn't even want to turn his head toward.

"Uncle was in the Asian branch, right?"

"That's right."

"If you're looking for someone luckier and more capable than me who wants to get in there, you could find as many as the stars in the sky. Just pick anyone from among them."

"After I've already revealed internal problems, you can't respond like that after hearing everything."

"What internal problems? It's probably an open secret anyway. Fight well among yourselves, and get promoted safely."

Tae-ui waved his hand dismissively as if to end the conversation and stood up to clear the empty dishes. His uncle grabbed Tae-ui's wrist firmly. Tae-ui clicked his tongue. Looking at his uncle's face, he seemed serious. This would make it difficult to refuse.

"Uncle... You know, so why are you doing this? I can't do it."

Tae-ui muttered with an audible sigh. His uncle asked seriously.

"Tell me why you can't. If it's a convincing reason, I'll look for someone else."

"You know why."

"Do I...?"

He couldn't understand what this man was thinking. Based on his words alone, there was no reason why it specifically had to be Tae-ui. There were plenty of people like Tae-ui in the world, unlike Jung Jae-ui.

"Uncle. First of all, I hate the military. I've had enough of that authoritarian and closed-off place."

"We're not the military. We just do intensive physical training, but the hierarchy and internal atmosphere are different from the military. We might be closed-off in the sense that we often handle confidential cases, but at least we're not authoritarian. If you join, there will only be three ranks above you - the Director General, two Deputy Directors, and six instructors, and you'll rarely even see the Director General and Deputy Directors. Everyone else is an equal colleague. Now, what other reasons?"

".... My body is weak too."

"I know you're all better now."

"I might not need to go to the hospital anymore, but my knee still aches when the weather's bad and my body gets stiff."

"Everyone there is like that. They've all been shot once or twice and had a few bones broken. Now, what other reasons?"

"And I'm not suitable for what you want. I'm ordinary in both luck and ability."

At this, his uncle curved his eyes again. After looking at Tae-ui with a subtle expression for a moment, he spoke slowly.

"I need someone who can do what they're told well and survive for a long time, and you know... I actually think quite highly of you, Jung Tae-ui. Though I think I have a pretty good grasp of you, I still checked your records from military academy up to recently for reference. You have the most important thing needed to survive safely."

"And what's that?"

"Intuition."

"..."

The conversation had been going seriously when suddenly an unexpected word came out. Tae-ui, who had been listening expecting some kind of praise, felt his strength leave his body.

"Uncle... Intuition, that's..."

"What, disappointed?"

"Rather than disappointed------yes, I'm disappointed."

When Tae-ui slowly shook his head and muttered, his uncle laughed softly.

"You shouldn't be disappointed. Setting aside someone with special luck like Jae-ui, for most ordinary people, what's essential for survival is intuition. In other words, sense. Depending on the situation, whether your sense is slightly better or worse than others can mean the difference between living or dying."

His uncle's voice dropped slightly at the end. He had never experienced the numerous life-and-death crossroads this man had passed through. The times he had nearly died weren't from such an intense life. They were just dangers from accidents that could happen to anyone. However, he seemed to understand what his uncle meant by sense.

"So, what's next?"

"Pardon?"

"You know, other reasons?"

His uncle gestured as if to say 'tell me if there are more.' His face suggested that what had been said so far weren't acceptable reasons. If they had been acceptable reasons, he wouldn't have argued against them.

Tae-ui silently looked at him. He looked back at Tae-ui. Without rushing further, waiting slowly for Tae-ui to open his mouth.

Sometimes Tae-ui was surprised about his brother. Not about his genius or luck, which he knew as intimately as the air clinging to his skin. It was when he realized his brother unexpectedly knew him well.

Though they had grown up together for quarter of a century—even if they hadn't always been together since their lives were different—and he thought they knew each other well enough, Jae-ui would occasionally catch Tae-ui off guard.

That happened when he would point out Tae-ui's tendencies or thoughts that Tae-ui himself hadn't been conscious of. Even without deliberately observing, Jae-ui naturally grasped people's essence.

In that aspect, this uncle definitely had similar qualities to Jae-ui.

"..."

Though he had never spoken of it or shown any signs, and hadn't met his uncle often, he felt his uncle already knew. Or even if he didn't know, he wouldn't be surprised at all by what Tae-ui had to say.

"...It would be dangerous for me to enter a place full of men."

Tae-ui muttered gloomily. Looking at his sullen face, his uncle raised his eyebrows almost imperceptibly, then the next moment laughed as if amused.

"Who?"

Not immediately understanding his uncle's counter-question, Tae-ui waited as he continued asking.

"You, or the others?"

Tae-ui slightly furrowed his brow. Then after thinking for a moment, he answered.

"If we have to specify, it would be me."

"You? Why, are you worried they might grab and assault you?"

Tae-ui glared disapprovingly at his uncle who was talking as if it were amusing. Then finally clicking his tongue and sighing as if giving up, he muttered.

"I'm worried I might grab and assault all the people there."

"I didn't know your range was so broad. If you want to, and if it's possible, feel free to assault anyone. As long as it's not your superior, it's absolutely a power-governed society there."

".... Are you saying I can assault anyone as long as I'm strong enough?!"

When Tae-ui exclaimed in disbelief, his uncle spread both hands and smiled slightly. Sometimes it was hard to tell whether this person's words were jokes or serious. Tae-ui clicked his tongue and scratched his head irritably. Then he glared at his uncle.

"You know, so why are you pretending not to?"

"Well. In this context, all I know or can guess is that you have a tendency to be sexually attracted to the same sex, is there something else?"

"That's enough isn't it, for me to become troubled?"

"Was it that troublesome to beat up one foul-mouthed colleague and get discharged?"

Tae-ui glared fiercely at his uncle for a while before eventually sighing tiredly and leaning his head against the wall. See, you knew everything after all. He had guessed it, so it wasn't that surprising.

His uncle took a cup from the cabinet within reach, grabbed the kettle also within reach, and poured water. Then while savoring that plain water as if it were fragrant tea, he said.

"Jung Tae-ui. About that matter, I might have found it somewhat convincing if you had cited it from a different perspective. But with the meaning you gave, I can't accept it."

"What different perspective are you talking about?"

Asked in a voice deflated from exhaustion with the argument, his uncle laughed playfully.

"For instance, being afraid the other guys might assault you."

"Uncle, that joke isn't funny..."

A sigh escaped involuntarily. Even his following mutter of 'Well, I wasn't really joking' was in a joking tone. What wasn't joking was what came after.

"So, any other reasons?"

Tae-ui sighed very deeply. After keeping his mouth shut for a while even after that, he finally muttered as if giving up everything.

".... Half a year?"

At that, his uncle's eyes sparkled and he smiled happily.

"Yes, half a year. Until the next Director General is decided. After that, do as you like. You can quit, or if you like that life, you can continue. I should add that even if you quit, you'll immediately be flooded with scout requests, so you won't even have time to worry about finding work. Though you might worry about which place to choose. Having been with our organization becomes a brilliant career achievement."

"Yes, I'm sure it does."

Tae-ui felt all the strength leave his body and slumped against the chair backrest. It felt like he had just completed a full marathon—though without even a hint of the satisfying sense of achievement. However, the wall clock that caught his eye showed it was barely the time when people were starting their daily routines.

Though they say you can't know what lies ahead, who could have expected such a sudden, unexpected change to come crashing down like this.

Right, he had had a bad feeling since morning. And look how it turned out.

Come to think of it, perhaps his uncle's words about choosing Tae-ui for his good intuition were quite correct after all.