By Zephyria The doctor who had been taking care of Hae-jin came to see Ryle before returning. The aftereffects of the body ache or heat cycle had passed, so he was leaving the mansion altogether.
“I recommended psychiatric treatment several times, but he refused every time.”
“…Did he say why?”
Ryle had been considering the matter. If he was going to be so startled by even a needle, the future would be difficult. It was troublesome because he couldn’t go to the hospital even if he needed more treatment for his leg.
“That is… He says it’s enough if he looks fine on the outside. Do you have any idea why?”
“……”
To take the words to walk out healthy and accept it as just looking fine. Ryle felt so frustrated that his clothes felt uncomfortable.
“For now, constantly forcing psychiatric treatment can also be a stress factor, especially in his current physical condition. It seems that physical recovery is more important at the moment.”
“Okay.”
“However, since it’s not my area of expertise, I recommend seeing a psychiatrist.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
The doctor, leaving his greetings, stepped outside with a light gait. It was understandable. He was leaving behind a patient who had given Ryle a huge medical bill and had a lot to worry about.
Unlike the doctor, Ryle frowned and fell into serious thought. He had to recover his body first to receive the next treatment, but Hae-jin couldn’t seem to regain his strength. He heard that his appetite was still terrible.
Every time he checked, he didn’t hear good news. Feeling heavy-hearted, Ryle nervously loosened his tie, which felt constricting, and endured the headache.
Why was the sound of waiting for the end of the contract so irritating?
If he wants to leave, he should let him go. Unless he was going to imprison him, wasn’t that obvious? He thought he had temporarily brought him in and would find another way, but how did things turn out like this?
It had been about three weeks since he promised three months and brought Hae-jin back to the mansion. So, there were just over two months left.
When he thought of that, he felt suffocated again. Instinctively reaching for his neck, Ryle remembered that he had just loosened his tie.
These were frustrating days in many ways.
Looking intently at the photo in his wallet, Hae-jin gently moved his fingers.
He could still clearly recall his Hyung’s face even with his eyes closed. But the faces of his parents kept reminding him of their thin faces lying in the hospital.
If possible, he wanted to remember them in their best days. So, whenever he had time, Hae-jin gently caressed the photo in his wallet and imprinted it in his eyes.
After the day of the ‘accident’ caused by the heat cycle, Hae-jin found his wallet belatedly after regaining consciousness. Fortunately, it was placed on the bedside table, having been wedged between the beds. They said they had taken it, presuming it was Hae-jin’s after seeing the photo inside. The servant who found it while cleaning seemed to think Hae-jin had dropped his wallet and it had gotten stuck between the beds.
Unlike before, the sheets and blankets in the bedroom were changed every day. The cleaning range also became very thorough. Thanks to that, Hae-jin, who could no longer find a place to hide his wallet, had to put it in an old carrier. Still, he was relieved that no one would steal it now.
While blankly looking at the photo, he heard a knock again. As if the family photo would protect him, Hae-jin squeezed his wallet once and answered. Soon, a tray with food was brought into the room.
It was a repetition of the same daily routine. Sometimes, when he came to his senses, two days had passed in a flash. Even in such a daze, meal times were a chore. The gaze watching him from over there was still as painful as needles.
Still, Hae-jin forced food into his mouth. If his poor physical condition was the problem, he could solve it. If showing him walking straight was the condition, he couldn’t not eat.
As he forcibly swallowed all the food, the servant who had been quietly watching quickly approached and took the tray away. While doing so, he smiled brightly as he looked at the cleaned plate.
A kind, innocent tone poured out to Hae-jin without hesitation.
“You’ve been eating well these days.”
“……”
Perhaps realizing that someone was uncomfortable with being in the room together, the servant would quickly leave after finishing the work. Today was no different. The servant, having collected the tray, immediately left the room without lingering.
Unable to say anything, Hae-jin, who was nailed to the bed, patted his chest. It was so stuffy that he couldn’t bear it, perhaps because he had forcibly swallowed it.
Then, he suddenly remembered the Butler in black clothes who had forcibly put a fork in his hand.
“Ugh.”
Hae-jin, who had jumped up, rushed to the bathroom as if rolling. He felt a throbbing pain in his ankle, but he had no time to pay attention to it.
As soon as he grabbed the toilet, he vomited. The food he had barely swallowed came out as if it were the accumulated tears.
“Heok, ugh.”
Hae-jin was still burdened by those oppressive gazes.
“The CCTV installation is complete.”
“Did you do it thoroughly without missing anything? Make sure the server is automatically backed up to this headquarters as before.”
He felt more comfortable having the surveillance system definitely dualized. Ryle was displeased because he felt like he was unknowingly following his father’s precedent, but he ignored it. Also, he didn’t want to see the CCTV records being concealed in places he didn’t know about.
“Yes. Would you like to take a look?”
The Secretary, manipulating a tablet and displaying the screen, handed it to Ryle. The screen showed one of the corridors inside the mansion. A servant holding bed sheets was moving busily.
After watching it for a while, Ryle impulsively ordered.
“…Turn on Jin’s room.”
“Yes.”
Without saying anything, the Secretary brought the reception room attached to Hae-jin’s room onto the screen. Of course, cameras were not installed in Hae-jin’s bedroom and bathroom. He had thoroughly informed them that CCTV would be installed in all other places. In particular, he also informed them that the closet in the guest room was a major surveillance target.
It was an unavoidable measure due to precedent, but it must be uncomfortable. However, Hae-jin didn’t react much even after hearing those words.
He was blankly watching the motionless reception room screen for a moment when suddenly black hair abruptly entered the screen.
“……”
Instantly flustered, Ryle quickly reached out to turn off the screen. However, as the figure of him filled the screen, his body stiffened for some reason.
Hae-jin, seen from above, strangely looked even smaller. He was definitely eating moderately well these days, but his thin body still seemed the same.
Hae-jin walked out with slow steps as if he had something to do in the dressing room. Ryle watched the scene without breathing until the dressing room door clicked open. It was as if he had installed CCTV in a place just for surveillance.
The moment he realized that, Ryle reflexively turned off the screen. The Secretary, who was watching him, quickly took the tablet.
“…He’s eating well these days?”
“Yes. He didn’t leave any of his lunch.”
“……”
The image of Hae-jin, which remained like an afterimage, kept floating in front of him. He definitely still looked too thin, but it was strange.
Ryle now habitually thought of suspicion. Could something else have happened again?
Unlike the previous criminal bastard, this Butler whom Ryle had invited was a reliable person. If he hadn’t resigned due to his father’s incident, he would probably still be in the position of Butler.
However, Ryle thought the previous Butler was reliable too. Why didn’t he doubt the guy who was always prostrating himself in front of him even a little?
“…I’m going to Jin’s room tonight.”
“Yes, then I’ll tell the Butler.”
“No. Don’t inform him.”
He had to go and check it himself. To see if someone was deceiving him again.
He left work just in time for dinner. Ryle, gauging the time with the watch on his wrist, thought it was good. It was because Hae-jin was just about to have dinner.
He only intended to check if he was really eating well. With that thought, Ryle hurriedly moved towards him.
Cameras installed inconspicuously throughout the old mansion were flashing. They said they had tried their best to avoid damaging the mansion’s appearance and minimize damage. The preservation of the mansion didn’t matter to Ryle at all, though.
Passing through the quiet corridor, he encountered several servants. All were unfamiliar faces, but he had definitely checked and selected their identities. He hoped there would be no problems in the future.
Letting his thoughts flow, Ryle knocked on Hae-jin’s door. There was no response, perhaps because there were no servants inside, so he entered the reception room first.
As Ryle approached Hae-jin’s bedroom, he suddenly had to raise his head sharply at the loud voices heard from inside.
“Mr. Bright! Are you okay?”
The moment he heard Hae-jin’s name along with the servant’s urgent voice, Ryle unknowingly rushed into the room.
The servant was knocking on the bathroom door inside the bedroom. Unlike the main bathroom connected to the reception room, it was a space with a small sink and simple facilities.
The tightly closed door wouldn’t open. Inside the room, the food tray was roughly pushed to one side and lying on the floor, and half-eaten food was scattered everywhere, creating a mess.
“Mr. Bright!! Please open the door! Should I call a doctor?”
“What’s going on!”
The servant looked surprised to see Ryle suddenly appear. When Ryle, who was angry, asked again, he looked worriedly at the inside of the bathroom again.
“Mr. Bright suddenly felt sick and ran in. But he hasn’t come out after a long time…”
“Jin. Open the door.”
As soon as he heard those words, Ryle took the place where the servant was and knocked on the door again. Unlike the servant who was carefully knocking, he knocked with a hand that had a lot of force.
Only a chilling silence flowed from inside. He didn’t know if he was just feeling a little sick as the servant said, but a crazy anxiety consumed Ryle. He knocked on the door for a long time, but suddenly he felt Hae-jin’s pheromone.
Very faint and only a speck of it remained, it held fear.
“Jin!”
The moment he realized that, Ryle felt a sensation of sparks flying in front of his eyes. The hand knocking now had so much force that the door shook as if it would break. But there was no response from inside.
He felt like his heart was tightly stuck somewhere and being squeezed. Unable to endure it, he eventually stepped back a little and pushed the door with his shoulder with all his might.
Unlike how it had been tightly closed until now, the door broke easily. Ryle hastily cleared the debris and went inside. His steps headed in one direction without hesitation. To the place where Hae-jin’s pheromone was felt most strongly.
“Jin! Wake up! Call a doctor! Immediately!”
“Yes, yes!”
Hae-jin, whose face was soaking wet, was sitting crumpled next to the sink. Even though Ryle had just broken the door and came in, he was just staring blankly at the air.
Feeling crazy anxious at that sight, he quickly approached and wrapped his arms around Hae-jin’s shoulders. He shook him slightly to try to get his attention, but his gaze didn’t return.
He hurriedly looked all over his body, but there were no particular injuries.
“Jin, what’s wrong. Wake up.”
“…Eyes.”
“What?”
The trembling voice was very small. Ryle leaned close to Hae-jin’s mouth and listened. Unknowingly, Hae-jin’s body, which he was hugging, was trembling little by little.
“The eyes keep looking.”
“Looking?”
“Keep.”
“Do you know who I am? Look here.”
Hae-jin, who fit perfectly in his arms, was really small. He wondered if he had been this small all along.
He could feel the thin bones in the hand holding his shoulder. An indescribable feeling of misery enveloped Ryle and rose up. The heart that seemed to be stuck tightly somewhere earlier was still fiercely constricting.
Not knowing what to do, Ryle lifted Hae-jin up as he was. As soon as he remembered that it would take more time even if he called a doctor, his body moved on its own.
Hae-jin’s arms, which were held in his arms without any resistance, drooped down. Seeing that ominous gesture, Ryle tightened his grip.
“…I keep hearing knocking sounds.”
Ryle was endlessly anxious because of Hae-jin, who kept saying incomprehensible things.
“What did you do? Explain.”
“That is…”
The doctor, who had left the mansion only a day ago, seemed bewildered by the situation of being called back. However, he soon said that there was nothing wrong with Hae-jin’s physical condition and that it was a mental problem. If that wasn’t the case, he would only know if he went to the hospital for a detailed examination.
But now, it was impossible to go to the hospital. Ryle had seen Hae-jin trembling in trauma before. Even if he forcibly dragged him to the hospital, there was no guarantee that he wouldn’t have a seizure like last time. Ryle was frustrated with this situation where there was no way out.
After laying Hae-jin down, he fiercely questioned the servant who was with him. Although he had an aggrieved face, the servant diligently explained what had happened.
He said that Hae-jin had definitely been eating surprisingly well for the past few days.
“So, I was telling him that it was good that he was eating well these days, when the owner knocked. At that time, suddenly…”
Knocking sound. Hae-jin had definitely said that he kept hearing knocking sounds, too. Was that the problem?
Above all, he couldn’t know if those words were true even if he heard them. He couldn’t install CCTV inside the bedroom. Objectively speaking, the probability that the newly changed servant would mistreat Hae-jin was low.
In this frustrating situation, Ryle anxiously ran his hand over his face. The sensation of Hae-jin trembling was still left on his fingertips. That small and faint tremor became a huge earthquake by the time it reached Ryle’s head.
“Where did the Butler go?”
He had told him to watch carefully, but the Butler happened to be away. He said he had gone out for personal business.
Unable to even sit on a chair, Ryle anxiously paced back and forth in the reception room attached to Hae-jin’s room. He couldn’t go far away at all. He was afraid of what might happen again if he took his eyes off him.
He recalled that Hae-jin had vomited and frowned in distress. Could he be pregnant? He had never been interested in this, so he didn’t know when such symptoms would appear.
Hae-jin, who had noticed it first with his body, might have panicked. He might have been so agitated because it was an unwanted child.
Unknowingly, Ryle roughly rubbed his chest and suddenly looked at the newly installed CCTV on the ceiling. Come to think of it, he also said that the eyes kept looking.
Could it be that installing CCTV felt like surveillance? Surveillance was the purpose, but he might have felt it in a different direction than Ryle’s intention. He originally didn’t express his emotions well, so the Butler might not have read that aversion.
One way or another, it all seemed to be caused by Ryle himself. Wasn’t it because of him that Hae-jin had such trauma in the first place?
The moment he thought this far, he couldn’t even breathe deeply. He was afraid that the breath might reach Hae-jin, who was lying in the other room.
Then, he heard a knock.
The servants and Ryle inside reflexively looked at the door of the reception room. The knocking sound felt like thunder today. After Hae-jin mentioned it, it bothered him for some reason without knowing why.
At his gesture, one of the servants who was nearby quickly opened the door. It was the Butler who had gone out for personal business.
“Butler. Why did you leave your post at a time like this?”
“Young Master. I have something to tell you.”
Looking at the Butler who was speaking with a serious expression, Ryle sighed and headed to a chair on one side. The Butler, who came closer and sat on the opposite side, said something unexpected.
“I met someone who used to work here and was fired. Because of that unfortunate incident some time ago.”
“What did you say?”
Ryle frowned at the unexpected words. The old gentleman, not caring about that reaction, took a sip of the tea that another servant handed him and took a breath. As if he had hurriedly returned.
“I’ll tell you in advance, but I wanted to test his intentions a little, so I pretended to be dissatisfied with the mansion’s work. I hope you understand.”
“…Speak. Even if you get sued for that, I’ll take care of everything, so hurry.”
Intuitively realizing that he had gone to ask about Hae-jin’s condition, he urged him to answer. The old gentleman, smiling warmly at that honest appearance, suddenly hardened his face.
“…James, that bastard, did something irreversible.”
“……”
Ryle only stared at him as he lamented, calling out the former Butler’s name like a lament. The old gentleman, with a bitter smile at the unspoken pressure, revealed the detailed events that had occurred, as if they were too difficult to put into words.
“Until shortly before they were fired, they apparently made Mr. Bright watch him eat every meal.”
So that’s what it meant when he kept saying someone was watching him.
It felt like he had been hit over the head. Ryle had only thought Hae-jin was skipping meals, but he never imagined he would be abused in this way. The fact that it was shortly before they were fired clearly meant it was around the time Ryle started to notice Hae-jin’s weight loss.
He had only told them to feed him well.
“Especially the last meal they prepared, the former Butler brought it in himself, and they say he forced him to eat it.”
The former Butler’s atrocities, trying to push Hae-jin in front of him as if he were bringing in livestock to be raised, came to mind. Only now could he understand how the former Butler had interpreted his orders.
Unconsciously pressing down on his eyes, Ryle leaned back in his chair. There was no sign of a solution, and only the mistakes he had made in the past were laid out like a spider web.
“I thought I should find out why Mr. Bright seemed so uncomfortable with me. There seemed to be a clear reason for his reaction. He didn’t seem to like my attire in particular.”
Could it be that the very existence of a Butler remained a painful thorn for Hae-jin? Ryle, who had been looking at the Butler in his black suit, straightened his posture again.
Now that he knew the cause, he had to take immediate action. He had seen what happened when he postponed it once; that was enough.
“…Butler, you’ll have to wear something else for the time being. Let’s stop using the title ‘Butler’ too. I’ll call you by your name.”
“As you wish, young master.”
Anxiously touching his lips, Ryle continued to repeat Hae-jin’s words over and over, until they were engraved in his brain.
“And from now on, don’t knock on the door.”
“You mean knock?”
“Yes. Ban it in the entire mansion. Instead, attach a bell or something to notify in another way.”
Unconsciously, his gaze turned to the bedroom where Hae-jin was lying. Even while pacing anxiously around the reception room, his gaze ultimately turned that way. Even though it was useless to look, since it was blocked by a firmly closed door.
But Ryle persistently stared at it. After all, it had been quite a while since Hae-jin’s afterimage had been lingering before his eyes even when he closed them.
“Young master.”
“Speak.”
“Then let’s treat your hand now.”
At the sudden remark, Ryle looked at his hand. He was bleeding slightly, probably from when he broke the door earlier.
It was very strange that he only felt the pain after seeing the wound.
His throat was dry. When did he fall asleep?
Having woken up but still lying down, counting the time blankly, Hae-jin retraced his memories. Wandering through the past was always a painful task. He had to force himself to swallow food again, and the staff made innocent compliments.
At that moment, he heard a knock.
He had definitely reassured himself habitually that it was okay, but the rising nausea was still there. The huge knocking sound continued to shake his mind in between.
What happened after that?
He coughed roughly as he tried to get up. He wanted to drink water, but the small table with the water bottle was too far away. It’s inconvenient that the room is so big, he thought nonsensically, and lay down again. He simply didn’t have the motivation to go all the way over there.
Then, out of nowhere, he heard the sound of a bell.
“……?”
It didn’t seem like the electronic sound coming from a cell phone. A small, clear bell sound gently permeated the room again.
“Jin. I’ll come in if you’re awake.”
Hae-jin, who had only been blinking in the darkness, reflexively looked at the door where the sound came from. With a click, a strangely cautious sound was heard, and in an instant, his vision brightened. It seemed that the reception room had been brightly lit all along.
Reflexively frowning, Ryle’s footsteps, who had been coming inside, stopped abruptly. When he raised his hand questioningly to block the incoming light, the door closed somewhat quickly this time.
“……”
“……”
The sound of Ryle’s approaching footsteps was strangely quiet. As if the floor had become even softer in the meantime.
Then, suddenly, Hae-jin remembered that he had pushed the tray away in a terrible mess, and he made a bitter face. He didn’t want to cause that much trouble.
“How are you feeling?”
“……I’m fine.”
He was a beat late in answering because he was worried about whether he was okay. It was a futile worry. It wasn’t like he was going to say he wasn’t okay anyway.
Ryle, who had been staring down at Hae-jin’s face for a moment, was silent for a long time. Perhaps because he had just looked at the light head-on, Ryle’s face was obscured by the darkness and he couldn’t see it well.
“…I won’t knock from now on. Everyone who works here.”
“……”
Hae-jin, who had reflexively grabbed the blanket, looked up at Ryle with strange eyes. When his broad shoulders completely blocked his view, he finally remembered. That he had been in a panic and had shown a lot of unsightly behavior.
Still, Hae-jin nodded. There was no reason to refuse, since he didn’t have to force himself to endure things he didn’t like.
At that docile action, Ryle closed his mouth again. A strange silence had been heavily lingering in the room since a while ago. After staring at Hae-jin’s face blankly for a long time, Ryle asked. His slightly cracked voice felt unfamiliar.
“Is there anything else you need?”
In the dark room, Ryle, whose face could not be seen, asked. Hae-jin, who had just woken up, felt like all of this was just a dream. As his vision gradually adjusted, Ryle’s cold blue eyes slowly appeared.
He felt like he had seen those eyes very closely.
“I don’t like the Butler’s clothes.”
He blurted it out and immediately regretted it. He felt uncomfortable with this situation, as if he were throwing a tantrum. He didn’t want to ask anything of Ryle.
But the words he had already spoken could not be taken back. At the unexpected words, Ryle touched his lips for a moment. And then, perhaps sensing a strange feeling as well, he asked in a stiff voice.
“I’ll take care of it. And by any chance, …are the staff mistreating you again?”
Slowly shaking his head, Hae-jin thought of the people who had been replaced. He shouldn’t have said unnecessary things after all.
He hadn’t even exchanged names with them, but he could tell that they were good people. Not just because it was their job, but because they were people with the kind of heart that could look at Hae-jin, who was so broken and collapsed, with pity.
There was no way he could hate those who were so considerate of him. Hae-jin had never learned such emotions in the first place. To him, others had always been objects to be begged for affection and attention.
His family had diligently filled his endlessly empty desires. Thanks to them, Hae-jin could pretend to be a normal person as long as they were around. Sometimes, as if he had never had such a deficiency in the first place.
Maybe that’s why the coldness hurt even more. He should have been stronger.
“No. They’re all good to me.”
“If you’re being threatened…”
Ryle tried to persuade Hae-jin again, as if he was worried. But without listening any further, Hae-jin slowly shook his head. They really hadn’t done anything wrong.
“It’s just, I’m the problem.”
He blurted out whatever came to mind first. A suffocating silence descended on the room again. And suddenly, he felt like Ryle’s pheromone was trembling finely.
It was a very strange night.
A precarious peace continued for several days.
Looking at the warmly shining sun, Hae-jin couldn’t shake the feeling that this moment was strangely precarious. The staff were still kind, and everything was provided to him without exception.
And yet, it felt like he was looking at a knife precariously perched on top of a display case that reached near the ceiling. It felt like the knife would fall off and stab his foot when he walked past it.
The staff who brought him food no longer watched him eat. He only had to ring the bell on the tray when he wanted to finish his meal.
It felt like he could breathe easier now that no one was staring at him intently. Thanks to that, Hae-jin was eating moderately well.
At his request, the Butler had also brought him a simple pregnancy test kit. He could get a more accurate result by going to the hospital and getting his blood drawn, but he was still overwhelmed. He would adapt to this state little by little first, Hae-jin made an effort to justify, and postponed it.
According to the kit, which he could easily use by himself, it seemed that the feared event had not occurred, fortunately. The moment he saw that negative reaction, Hae-jin couldn’t help but sigh deeply. He would have to get a blood test later, but he could breathe a sigh of relief for now. He couldn’t possibly handle this fact right now.
But was it meaningful to spend time like this?
While eating mechanically, Hae-jin was often swallowed up by meaningless questions. Fortunately, someone would ring the bell before he could forget, so he didn’t get too caught up in his thoughts.
Hae-jin’s favorite bacon was perfectly cooked and placed on the plate. The things that used to come out little by little were now generously placed on the plate as he started to eat well.
Hae-jin realized for the first time that such consideration was possible.
The bedding was still changed to clean ones every day. The decorations in the room remained in their place without disappearing or anything. It was also impossible for dust to accumulate on them. Every time he discovered each of these small but minor things, Hae-jin was plagued by a very strange feeling.
What was this feeling again?
Since he had finished his meal, Hae-jin didn’t think any further and looked for the bell. There was always a bell near where his hand could reach. Even when he went to another room, he didn’t have to bother to bring it, as there was always a bell placed in an easy-to-find place.
He felt a little strange again.
“Yes. Mr. Bright.”
“…Mark Butler.”
“Just Mark is fine.”
Every time he used the title Butler, he would laugh and ask him to call him by his name. Also, Mark no longer wore the Butler’s black suit. He said he had been uncomfortable enough already, and now he would come wearing his favorite clothes. It was easy to notice that it was all consideration for him.
Today, he had a warm brown vest layered over his shirt. It was an appearance that suited his kind smile quite well.
“I heard that the young master will be coming home a little late today. I told him not to wait and go to sleep first.”
“……”
Just listening to the words, it sounded like Hae-jin and Ryle had made a promise. Mark often made friendly word choices, to the point where he might be misunderstanding the relationship between him and Ryle. He probably only conveyed that he would be coming home late.
He hadn’t originally done that much, but after Hae-jin had a seizure in the bathroom once, Ryle came to his room every day after work. If he ever felt bloated and left a little food, he would immediately send a message through Mark.
Having heard the circumstances, Mark and the other staff had an even kinder air in their eyes. In particular, the staff member who had been misunderstood because he had a seizure took even better care of Hae-jin without caring.
Just with Ryle paying a little more attention, such a thing was possible.
Starting with the thought that suddenly came to mind, Hae-jin realized one thing. That this strange feeling that he had been trying to forget had become impossible to shake off.
“It seems like they’re having trouble hiring a lawyer.”
“He’s not going to be someone who lacks sense, so he’ll be using the public defender system soon. Plant someone on that side.”
“Yes.”
The fired former Butler seemed to be very eager to hire a lawyer. Tilting his head crookedly, Ryle glared at the picture of the guy with cold eyes. He noticed that his plump body had become a little thinner in the meantime.
Ryle, who hated seeing it even more, threw the picture into the trash can next to him. Then he asked about something that had been bothering him since morning.
“How’s Jin?”
“I told him that you would be coming home late today. I also told him not to wait and go to sleep first.”
“Did he say anything else?”
“He didn’t say anything.”
“……”
Actually, he knew that Hae-jin wouldn’t wait for him. But Ryle couldn’t help but impulsively add those words.
It wasn’t like he was shamelessly thinking that he wanted him to wait for him. He was just worried that if he didn’t come without contacting him, it would be noticeable, and that bothered him. It was a strange thing. He had never cared about other people’s feelings like this before.
Recently, Ryle had been going to see Hae-jin after work. Of course, he hadn’t intended to do this much at first. But every time he arrived at the mansion, his footsteps would automatically head to Hae-jin’s room.
Maybe it was because he was curious about Hae-jin’s news all day at work. Even after hearing the reports, he strangely didn’t feel relieved. What was it about responsibility that made him care about the guy so much?
“Okay. You can go now.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
“…If you hear any news, report it immediately.”
“Yes.”
When he actually arrived at that room, he didn’t even go inside the bedroom. He would just stand awkwardly in the guy’s room’s reception room, looking at his face, and then come back.
He felt a strange feeling that the doubts he had been holding all day were strangely resolved just by looking at his face. He was getting used to the expression of bewilderment on his face as he looked at him. In the first place, they weren’t in a position to sit side by side and talk.
Hae-jin’s face was getting better day by day, as he was eating well as reported. It seemed like his gaunt cheeks had gained a little weight. However, his excessively pale complexion remained the same.
If he, who had been going to see him every day without even being asked, suddenly didn’t show up, wouldn’t it be noticeable to Hae-jin, who didn’t expect anything? He didn’t know what the guy would think if he noticed that.
The reason he added unnecessary words out of unnecessary worry was just because of that. Anyway, now that he thought about it, it seemed like he was worrying a little too much.
Ryle, who was trying to push away Hae-jin’s black hair that was occupying one side of his head, started reviewing the documents he was holding.
However, it was a meaningless resistance. This time, the black letters on the white background looked like the guy’s eyelashes had fallen off.
Almost dawn. Ryle barely arrived at the mansion.
Originally, when his work ended this late, he would not return to the mansion but head to his penthouse in the city center. But today, he wanted to rest at the mansion. Knowing that it was an unnecessary impulse, Ryle willingly accepted that tomorrow morning would be a little busier.
Mark was there to greet him at the mansion he arrived at.
“Welcome, young master.”
“Was there anything unusual?”
There were no new reports that had come in until the evening. So he asked lightly, but Mark hesitated to answer, leading him to one side as if he had something to say.
Ryle, who had been very nervous at the unexpected reaction, was left with a blank face at the news he soon heard.
“There was nothing unusual, but Mr. Bright is waiting for you.”
“……For me?”
“Yes.”
The words he heard didn’t sink into his head properly. It had only been on the night he couldn’t go to see his parents that Hae-jin had looked for Ryle first.
At the memory that came back to him, Ryle distorted his lips bitterly and moved his feet. His heart, which had been leaping for a moment, sank heavily.
Without even thinking of stopping by his room, Ryle walked busily. He wondered if he was already asleep since it was so late, but as soon as he rang the bell, the door to the reception room opened quickly.
“…I heard you were looking for me.”
The black eyes that were staring up at him strangely tied him up. It was ridiculous how tense his body was, to the point where he couldn’t understand it. It was just that Hae-jin had called him first.
“Yes. Come in.”
At those words, it felt like his body was creaking and moving with difficulty. His legs walked as if possessed towards the chair that Hae-jin was pointing to. It felt like he was being manipulated.
Suddenly, he remembered the purpose of coming to this room and came to his senses. Was there something else going on? Maybe it was an eviction notice telling him to stop coming.
But the sound that Hae-jin made was a nightmare beyond imagination.
“Now that I feel like I’ve recovered, I’m thinking of leaving the mansion tomorrow.”
Nightmare, that was the only way to describe it. He hadn’t even fallen asleep yet, but Ryle felt like the black dream he had been seeing all along was suffocating him.
His gaze reflexively scanned Hae-jin’s body. His still-slender frame was as gaunt as when he had held him in his arms not long ago. The pallor of his face, contrasting with his black hair, was the same. Certainly, compared to when his condition was at its worst, he might have improved a little, but to Ryle’s eyes, that was nonsense.
“You’re far from it. What are you talking about?”
Ryle thought his voice sounded almost like a growl. He calmed his chest, which was agitated by the sudden declaration. As always, Hae-jin simply wanted to leave this mansion. It shouldn’t have come as such a sudden shock.
And yet, why was his heart pounding so?
At his words, Hae-jin’s face hardened considerably. His heart sank again. Something in this mansion was tormenting him. What on earth could it be?
“Mr. Vermouth, I don’t exchange anything with Mr. Vermouth other than what’s in the contract.”
The answer came faster than expected.
With a belated realization, Ryle awkwardly covered his mouth. Had his visits really been that unwelcome? He thought he wasn’t asking for anything, but Hae-jin seemed to think differently.
His words were tantamount to saying he wanted nothing to do with Ryle. It was only natural. All that lay between them was wrongdoing and the responsibility that came with it.
But why did it feel like this? As if he had been stabbed by something.
“…I don’t think I’ve ever asked you for anything like that.”
Seeing Ryle continue to speak with a troubled expression, Hae-jin narrowed his eyes.
The strange sensation that had suddenly occurred to him during the day lingered in Hae-jin’s mind until dinner. At first, it was just a subtle tingling.
But the more he thought about it, the more the pain grew. It was as if, looking back now, the wound there had been quite large.
The more Ryle visited his room, the more he acted as if he was curious about Hae-jin’s well-being, the stranger it felt. Why was he doing such a bothersome thing? He might be concerned about the humiliation Hae-jin had suffered. If he was talking about responsibility, he must have been aware of the pain Hae-jin had endured.
But wouldn’t it be more logical for Ryle to offer compensation in money?
Of course, the material things provided to Hae-jin were part of that ‘responsibility.’ However, the most fundamental condition he had presented seemed strange the more he thought about it. To walk out of here healthy.
He had also looked up the articles. They were very crude rumors about the humiliation Omegas suffered at Vermouth Manor and about Ryle’s sexual proclivities. In particular, the last time Ryle had taken him to the hospital was also woven into the rumors, further exaggerating them.
It was true that he had been oppressed in this mansion, but it was quite different from the nuance the articles conveyed. Besides, even if such tabloid articles leaked out a little, would Vermouth really be swayed? It wasn’t as if they were planning to make a big deal out of Hae-jin leaving the mansion healthy, so what did it matter to him whether he really got healthy or not?
The moment he thought this far, Hae-jin became deeply uneasy. Perhaps Ryle simply needed Hae-jin’s body after all.
A truly healthy body, capable of receiving his pheromone release.
If that wasn’t the case, Ryle’s actions were more like friendly concern. He thought that was even less likely. He still couldn’t understand why he was going to such lengths to be considerate, even suppressing his own temperament.
Thanks to this, Hae-jin finally realized. The tingling sensation he had forgotten was anger. So he wanted to reject either possibility.
“Do you need pheromone release?”
“Why on earth are you saying that now?”
Hae-jin, who had suddenly gripped Ryle’s heart tightly, making it hard for him to breathe, ended up shaking him back and forth. What misunderstanding had he caused this time?
Trying to maintain his composure, Ryle tried to continue the conversation. But he had been strangely dazed since earlier. To be precise, since Hae-jin had said he wanted to leave this mansion.
His body felt like it was burning up. As if he had swallowed something bad, heat was raging from his stomach. The emotion carried in his pheromones was faint. Yet it touched Ryle’s skin like a huge shout.
Each cell touched by the pheromones was gradually heating up. His strangely burning body flailed wildly, as if it would eventually be reduced to ashes.
Why did he keep trying to leave this place?
“I wouldn’t be a very useful body anymore, would I? Didn’t you want a docile body?”
“Jin, shut up. I told you that’s not what I meant.”
At Ryle’s firm voice, Hae-jin sighed and averted his gaze. The face, heavy with fatigue, effectively pierced Ryle’s heart. The sigh pierced him like an awl.
“Just say you need my body. You don’t have to bother with unnecessary consideration. It’s uncomfortable, this kind of thing.”
The moment he heard those words, Ryle felt the reason he had barely been holding onto snap.
There had always been a thick wall between Hae-jin and him. Ryle knew that well. In the first place, he had even hoped for such a wall.
But when exactly had it started? When had the existence of this wall become so noticeable?
Ryle was easily shaken by Hae-jin, who rejected and pushed him away. An eerily anxious feeling shook him violently. As if his heart would stop the moment Hae-jin left this mansion.
He stood up abruptly and strode towards Hae-jin. One step was enough, but Hae-jin still seemed so far away that he felt anxious.
At the sudden movement, the expressionless face of the Omega crumbled. Ryle grabbed the armrests of the chair he was sitting on with both hands, as if to crush them, trapping Hae-jin. As if wanting to avoid this version of him, Hae-jin leaned back deeply into the chair.
“If I did need it?”
“…Ugh…”
As their faces drew closer, he could feel the strong scent. At some point, Ryle could easily recall his pheromones even when Hae-jin wasn’t nearby. And when he came this close, he felt as if the whole world was filled with Hae-jin. An inferior gene Alpha shouldn’t have this ability.
Swimming in it was a suffocating joy. His incomprehensible physical condition had almost given up on rational judgment.
He felt like his vision was turning red again. Even the pheromones he carefully managed every minute and every second could not be contained properly.
Ryle’s thick pheromones filled Hae-jin’s space.
“Pher, omone, ugh…”
“If it’s because I need it, will you stay here quietly?”
He knew Hae-jin’s intentions well. That he didn’t need any of the consideration or kindness he offered. His mind understood that it couldn’t be helped. After all, he was the one who had caused him to have such deep-rooted distrust in the first place.
And yet, he couldn’t bear this passion. Because he kept trying to leave.
“Jin. Why don’t you answer? I’m asking if you’ll stay here if I do as the contract says.”
The precarious legs that had wandered only forward in the rain. The day he had disappeared, throwing away even the few belongings he had left so that he wouldn’t even know where he was. Until now, Hae-jin’s appearance, constantly slipping out of his hands, strongly stimulated Ryle.
The Dominant Alpha’s pheromones quickly lingered in the space with dominance. Ryle now thought it was fair. He had recently felt like he was suffocating from Hae-jin’s pheromones.
Hae-jin’s face, which had been so pale, quickly turned pink. The breath that leaked between his teeth was laced with sweet pheromones. It was a stimulating scent that drove people crazy every time. Once again, Ryle easily succumbed to the impulse and delved into Hae-jin’s body with a clear purpose.
His gaze was drawn to the graceful curve of his neck. Ryle had once sunk his teeth into the pheromone gland there. Recalling the scent of rainwater that had gushed out as if juice was seeping out, his heart beat faster and faster.
Hae-jin’s appearance, constantly trying to escape, grated on Ryle’s nerves down to his fingertips. To the point where he felt the urge to trap him, holding him tightly in both hands.
It was dangerous. At this moment, Ryle couldn’t tell whether it was dangerous to let Hae-jin go or whether it was dangerous for him to be acting like this. What mattered was that the marks he had left all over his collarbone had disappeared without a trace.
Dangerous.
Ryle continued to pour out pheromones. They weren’t the murderous pheromones he had used to pressure the former Butler. They were things honed by endlessly lewd and primal instincts.
Hae-jin, who had bitten his lip tightly, began to tremble beneath him, clutching his arm. Seeing Hae-jin, tightly confined between his arms, even felt strangely fulfilling. Even more so as he watched him twitch between his legs with a flushed face.
Even when he was doing pheromone release, Ryle had never released his pheromones like this. Dominant Alpha pheromones inevitably caused physical reactions in Omegas, so he had always been reluctant to do so.
Why had he done that?
His hand moved to Hae-jin’s cheek as if possessed. Feeling the skin that was moistly wrapped around his palm, he swallowed hard without realizing it. He liked the feeling of his Adam’s apple bobbing greatly.
He must have entrusted himself to his instincts like that. If he hadn’t noticed Hae-jin’s lips, which he was biting until blood was seeping out.
“Don’t bite.”
“…Hiss…”
“I said don’t.”
He pressed down with the palm of his hand that had been holding his cheek. And yet, Hae-jin trembled and didn’t stop hurting his lips. The eyes, whose focus was gradually disappearing, told him that his mind was sinking.
Ryle had already rummaged through his insides. What did one such scratch matter that he was so angry? He felt like the seeping blood was sticking to his eyeballs. With an incomprehensible thirst, Ryle spat out coldly.
“Why are you going this far? Don’t you even want to let me hear your moans?”
But the words, full of sarcasm, were met with an unexpected answer.
“…I don’t… want my mouth… to be torn, hiss, apart…”
‘If you don’t want your mouth torn apart, shut up. I don’t want to hear it.’
“…”
Ryle, who had been approaching Hae-jin as if to knock over the chair, stopped abruptly at that moment.
“…Ugh, mmm…”
Something wasn’t right.
He felt like he had been drenched in a heavy rain. Now that he had come to his senses, Ryle suddenly realized that he was being swayed by his instincts. He thought he was acting with cold reason, but in reality, he was just being controlled by pheromones.
“I…”
That wasn’t what he had intended to do. He just wanted to take responsibility for his endless mistakes. He just wanted to take care of the Omega who couldn’t eat or dress properly and send him out. Just because he was sorry.
But, what had he just done?
“I…”
He hadn’t meant to pressure him so much with pheromones. He hadn’t meant to drive the Omega, who was suffering from trauma, to this point just because he was a little angry.
Why did I do that?
“…Scary.”
At the voice like a sigh, Ryle stepped back as if he had been burned. Hae-jin’s pheromones, containing faint fear, stabbed him as if they were thousands of needles.
The gesture of staggering back was pathetically shabby. So much so that Hae-jin, who was still hugging himself as if to protect himself with both arms, inadvertently looked at him with a puzzled expression. There was still fear in that gaze.
He had made him like that again.
The moment he realized that, Ryle couldn’t stand himself and ran into the bathroom attached to the drawing room. From the stomach that had been empty all afternoon, a regurgitation of sour water made of discomfort welled up.
There had been a day when he had been so disgusted by the pheromones of the newly brought Omega that he had writhed in agony, bending over like this. In a way that was no different from that day, Ryle roughly emptied his stomach. But no matter how many times he repeated the act, the churning stomach didn’t subside.
He barely splashed cold water on his face. So much so that the clothes he was wearing were all messed up. As he inadvertently raised his head like that, he saw his messed-up face in the mirror.
Looking at himself in the mirror, Ryle recalled a very familiar feeling. The small seed that had been mercilessly planted in him on the day Hae-jin had chosen the heavy rain over Ryle’s side had finally sprouted.
It was self-loathing.