2 – HR 7

‘This child will become a Dominant like me.’

That was the oldest memory Ryle had of his mother.

His parents enjoyed showing off Ryle’s blond hair and blue eyes to guests. The golden hair, as if spun from gold, was like a symbol of a Alpha with strong blood. Looking at his blue eyes, his mother and other relatives smiled, saying that the blood of a Dominant had come out. In particular, his mother, a Dominant Omega, was especially proud of that fact.

However, none of the praise was about Ryle’s efforts. All the achievements he made were treated as natural because he was a Dominant Alpha. The same was true on the day he made a flower for his mother with his clumsy hands when he was five years old.

Ryle questioned the day he found the perfect paper flower he had made in the trash can.

If you take away the trait, what will be left of me?

‘This child will become a Dominant like me, Vermouth’s Alpha Dominant!’

Unlike his mother’s wishes, Ryle developed his trait at the same time as others, at the age of fourteen, during puberty.

Dominants usually develop their traits at an early age. When Ryle did not develop until he was over twelve years old, his father began to make mistresses. His mother said that it was because Ryle had not developed, so that must be the reason.

Her obsessive behavior and her subtle disregard for her non-Dominant father seemed invisible to his mother.

Although he was young, Ryle was no longer easily swayed by the talk of traits. He just didn’t have pheromones, but his life was still at the top of the food chain. His academic performance was always the best, and his body grew so fast that he was a head taller than others. His mother was the only one who looked at him as if he was lacking something.

The question he had when he was very young now had a firm answer. Even if he couldn’t develop as an Alpha, Ryle was Ryle. He was still the heir of the Vermouth family and an outstanding person.

So, at the age of fourteen, when he developed as just an Alpha, not a Dominant, Ryle thought, “So what.” He briefly thought that this newly created pheromone was a bit annoying.

‘Hmm. Are you, young master?’

Suddenly, an unpleasant smell brushed past his nose. That fateful day was always remembered with such a stench.

Ryle, who was fourteen years old and had not developed long ago, easily noticed that this was an ‘Omega’s’ pheromone. The feeling was quite different from his mother’s warm scent. A smell that was somehow unsettling and nauseating.

Understanding pheromones was an instinctive area. So, it was easy for Ryle, who was just beginning to open his eyes to pheromones, to understand the intention of that pheromone. A strange scent that was sticky and looked down on people.

And above all, it was not a pheromone that his father’s mistress should be releasing to him.

‘Get rid of that dirty smell.’

‘Didn’t you learn at school that it’s rude to call pheromones a smell?’

The Omega’s gesture of twisting her waist as if she was upset was filled with habitual coquetry. As if she always acted like this in front of his father. It was not strange that it stimulated his disgust.

Ryle could not hide his displeasure at her brazen behavior. As his mother and father began to fight, and as his father began to bring mistresses into the mansion, his disgust was slowly taking root.

Still, the emotion that the still young Ryle felt the most was ennui. Useless relatives who only believed in being an Alpha, a father who made the family atmosphere fierce by being fascinated by Omega pheromones, and above all, a mother who was slowly going crazy by obsessing only over the Dominant trait.

There was nothing he liked.

As expected, he couldn’t understand the situation where a mistress dared to talk to him in this mansion. Where are the bodyguards? He had long given up on understanding what was going on in his father’s head, who had created this situation in the first place.

‘Why are you daring to talk to me?’

It was a pure question. What was this Omega thinking to show Ryle this kind of behavior? While emitting a strangely disgusting smell.

Ryle, who was reading a book in the garden on the outskirts of the mansion where the sun was shining, decided to call a bodyguard. This was his mansion, so it didn’t make sense for him to avoid the situation.

But it seemed that his question had offended the Omega.

‘Ha. “You”?’

‘If you understand, get lost.’

The moment he spat out coldly, a huge amount of pheromones rushed towards him.

‘Don’t you know? A little brat, acting like a Vermouth.’

It was a pheromone with base intentions. It was also something that should never be done to a child who had just developed. Children whose pheromone glands had not yet settled were easily affected by external pheromones. So, this was a very dangerous act that could cause problems with the pheromone organs.

However, the Omega in front of him poured pheromones on him with all her might, as if she would not be satisfied unless she saw Ryle collapse.

His heart began to beat as if it would pop out. Ryle hated the fact that his body was reacting to that damp and musty stench.

‘What, are you doing…….’

‘After living here, I realized that the Vermouths are nothing special. It means you’re not in a position to hold your head up so stiffly.’

‘Damn, it…….’

‘How does it feel to be buried in the ground? Is this the first time our young master has experienced this?’

The helpless feeling he was experiencing for the first time resembled a mud puddle. It was a very uncomfortable feeling, dark and heavy, as if it would swallow Ryle whole. The intense displeasure burned and devoured him, fueled by the foul-smelling things. He was terribly pathetic for being swayed by something like this.

The moment he gritted his teeth so hard that they made a sound, a different kind of fire arose within Ryle this time. The moment he realized that he had the power to resist this base pheromone attack within him, Ryle did not hold back.

He only had the desire to get rid of that damn Omega’s face right in front of him.

‘This, fuck, was it a Dominant? Ugh……!’

‘Get lost, in front of me.’

The pheromones filled with murderous intent were too heavy and solid for a boy to emit. The Omega, who had turned pale, trembled and crawled to the other side to avoid him.

Ryle gritted his teeth as he glared at the Omega, who was leaving behind an unsightly and dirty trail. Could he feel any more pathetic about his father, who had brought such a thing into this mansion?

Even though it was unpleasant, he would have thought it was just a dirty thing that would pass by.

If only that terrible headache that would haunt him for the rest of his life hadn’t started that night.

‘Why is he doing this! Doctor!’

‘Have you, recently, been exposed to a large amount of Omega pheromones…….’

‘What? The only Omega in this mansion is me and……, that damn son of a bitch, don’t tell me…….’

The doctor trembled at his mother’s fierce tone. While suffering from a high fever, Ryle vaguely understood what was going on. My body hurts so much because of the Omega’s pheromones.

After suffering for several days, Ryle shook off his heavy head and got up. As a result of another detailed examination, it was revealed that he was a Dominant.

But his mother was not happy.

When he asked about the cause of the headache, the doctor was embarrassed and hung a bunch of machines on him again. The test results showed that the organ that senses pheromones was extremely developed.

He said it was a result worthy of an excellent Dominant, but Ryle was just indifferent. Wouldn’t his headaches get worse if he smelled this stench better? The news that he had to release pheromones more often and more than others was like a terrible sentence.

‘You became a Dominant after being hit by that son of a bitch’s pheromones? You’re just like your father.’

His mother almost had a seizure when she saw the results. But Ryle, who was now exhausted, ignored everything because it was annoying. It was an inconsistent accusation, so it was not worth dealing with. It was the appearance of a child who realized too early that everything his parents said was not everything.

‘A Dominant?’

His father’s words, whom he had met after a long time, were dry. It was a different kind of indifferent response from his mother’s hysterical reaction.

All of this didn’t matter to Ryle at all. He was just annoyed that the slight headache was persistent.

Shortly after becoming a Dominant, ‘that accident’ happened.

Bang, bang! A chilling sound tore through the silence.

Ryle, who was dozing off due to a headache, slowly got up from his seat. Even in his hazy mind, he had the impression that the sound he had just heard was strange.

Around the time he felt strangely noisy, Ryle felt a strange premonition that he should check outside.

The moment he stepped out of the room, he heard another gunshot.

As soon as he recognized that it was a gunshot, Ryle quickly began to move. Who on earth was shooting a gun in the Vermouth mansion?

While he was wondering if he should bring a gun for self-defense, another gunshot rang out. Screams occasionally echoed through the yard. After that, only a quiet silence flowed down as if nothing had happened.

His footsteps headed in one direction as if possessed. At some point, he began to feel the unpleasant smell of Omega, his mother’s pheromones, and even his father’s pheromones.

On a night when the moon was bright, Ryle realized that he was barefoot only after stepping on the grass in the outer yard.

‘…….’

He saw servants running towards him as if to stop him. But Ryle walked forward with his eyes fixed straight ahead. He coldly brushed off all the hands that grabbed him roughly. After repeating it several times, no one stopped him anymore.

He knew that many people were watching him from behind, but the surroundings were eerily silent. So much so that he could hear the sound of him stepping on the grass.

At the end of the yard he approached, his mother and father were lying down.

It was a terrible sight. His father had a hole in his heart. His mother’s face was so damaged that he couldn’t recognize her. Looking at the gun in her hand, he could see where the commotion in the middle of the night had come from.

Tilting his head slightly, Ryle once again questioned this situation. What was it about that trait that caused this to happen?

Then, suddenly, his soles became damp. The bright red blood flowing from them had already reached him. It was as if it was showing that the trait was inherited in this way.

‘……Young master…….’

Mark, who was the Butler at the time, was the first to come to his senses and called him. Unlike his terrifyingly trembling voice, Ryle calmly ordered.

‘Silence the surroundings and call the security team.’

‘…….’

‘And contact the headquarters and tell them to bring the surveillance footage.’

The surprised Mark tried to stop him, but Ryle did not give in. Looking at their blood that had now completely soaked his soles, he just realized.

He will never be able to love this trait in the future.

That day was the day Ryle turned fifteen.

That night, another body was found in the mansion. It was his father’s mistress.

The CCTV footage clearly showed his mother shooting his stomach and head. Later, the autopsy revealed that the mistress’s stomach contained his father’s seed. The reason why his mother’s gun pointed at her stomach first was so clear.

An Alpha’s knotting is done with firm will. Why did his father make such a choice?

“…….”

Ryle doesn’t think his past is pitiful. It was only when Ryle was younger that those things could have been small wounds.

After the incident actually happened, all that remained for Ryle was disgust and contempt, not sadness.

So Ryle couldn’t believe it. The fact that he had done to Hae-jin the very thing he had so deeply hated.

And he couldn’t understand it. This desire to keep Hae-jin by his side, despite everything.

“Mr. Bright hasn’t had dinner yet.”

“…….”

Ryle anxiously rubbed his face at the news from the Secretary. Hae-jin had not eaten since he had done that to him last night. Ryle was going crazy at the news that he had been lying in bed covering himself with a blanket since morning.

He didn’t remember how he had endured today at work. The delusions of the past and his mistakes were intertwined, constantly arousing great hatred for himself. For the first time in his life, Ryle felt the urge to shoot himself in the head.

“That’s all for today’s report, but shall I take you to the penthouse?”

“……No, I’ll go to the mansion.”

He couldn’t stand it anymore. Ryle, who had barely finished the day, decided to stop looking for the cause of why he was in this state.

He felt like he couldn’t breathe again until Hae-jin put something in his mouth.

Inside the dark room. Hae-jin blankly held his breath in the blanket.

If you hold your breath like this, there comes a moment when your mind suddenly sinks downward. A strange state that is neither sleeping nor awake. The room temperature is always kept warm, but he felt surrounded by a cool air.

A bell rang outside. He thought he had heard it before, but he didn’t know if it was still ringing or if time had passed in the meantime.

“Jin.”

He didn’t hear the sound of the door opening, but a low voice was already heard beside him. As he blinked his hazy eyes and stayed still, a cautious hand grabbed his blanket and gently pulled it down.

“…….”

“Don’t starve yourself and eat something.”

When he barely opened his eyes, two blue eyes were looking down at him. It was a similar eye level to yesterday.

Suddenly, he felt like he could feel Ryle’s pheromones. He was clearly managing his pheromones perfectly right now.

He had been exhausted all day because of the oppressive situation yesterday, so he couldn’t eat. Whenever he thought of that situation, he kept losing strength. It was as if the tiny emotions he had managed to gather after eating well for several days were being swept away again by the tidal wave. It was too much pheromone to blow away even a handful of his emotions.

However, Hae-jin sometimes had a strange feeling when he floated through his dreams. At the time, he was clearly terrified that Ryle would hold him against his will, ignoring his intentions. But the more he savored his pheromones that remained like an afterglow, the stranger he felt.

He wondered if he could really hurt him.

It was a strange thing. This strange feeling was similar to the feeling he had when he first realized the existence of pheromones. It was a mysterious feeling that he couldn’t explain in words, but his intuition realized first.

But why did Ryle suddenly disappear as if running away? With such a painful face.

“…….”

Whenever he thought of that face, Hae-jin felt an obligatory sense of rejection. It wasn’t a problem that Hae-jin had to think deeply about. It was an undeniable fact that he had threatened Hae-jin again.

Besides, it didn’t seem like he had any intention of letting him go until three months had passed. Whenever he thought of that extreme reaction, his body would stiffen again. Then, Hae-jin quickly let go of the strange feeling that had briefly lifted him up and sank down again.

“I’ll never do that again, ……please eat.”

While he was lost in other thoughts for a moment, Ryle’s eyes were already close. Unexpectedly, he had knelt on one knee to match the eye level with Hae-jin, who was lying down.

The gaze that met him straight on was unfamiliar. He thought this situation was also strange. Ryle’s pheromones, which were oppressively pouring down and absurdly warm, brushed past his nose again.

But Hae-jin soon closed his eyes. He had too little left to handle problems he couldn’t understand.

* * *

“Haa…….”

Ryle sighed as he returned to the mansion. Hae-jin’s condition had been somewhat subtle for the past few days.

He was still sitting on the bed like a doll, like a person whose soul had left him. However, it seemed that he was showing some movement to eat little by little when the Butler or servants brought food. The amount he ate was still not enough, though.

But Ryle couldn’t hide his strangely uneasy feeling. It was because Hae-jin’s appearance looked like a machine that reluctantly accepted everything. Looking at the pheromones that were lying dead on the floor, he was sure that this feeling was not wrong.

Thanks to this, Ryle had to feel like a person who had been hanged all day long. He deliberately took the time to visit Hae-jin in the morning and evening. He wanted to push the food right in front of his nose, telling him to eat more, but he couldn’t do that recklessly because it seemed like he was forcing him to eat again.

All he could do was repeat the words that there would be no such thing in the future every time he visited. Even though Hae-jin didn’t ask anything.

Unlike Hae-jin, who forced himself to eat, Ryle skipped his meal this time. Whenever he thought of the pheromones that were so broken in the guy, he felt as if each and every one of his cells was exploding.

What should he do?

The most likely option was to let Hae-jin go wherever he wanted. However, Ryle couldn’t help but face a problem as big as the greed within him. Would Hae-jin really protect himself out there?

Ryle had already seen once what Hae-jin looked like when he was wandering outside. No matter how much he was trying to escape from him, Hae-jin’s condition at the time of discovery was clearly not normal.

If he were to find him lying in a dirty motel, malnourished again, he thought he would really lose his mind this time. So, he had to instill in him at least the will to eat.

At least, he needed to be sure that when he lost him, he wouldn’t wither away somewhere. This responsibility, coupled with self-loathing, kept berating him.

While he was anxiously sorting out his thoughts, the Secretary sitting in the front passenger seat spoke to him.

“Are you worried about Mr. Bright’s matter?”

“Yes.”

As it had been happening for several days, the Secretary’s deduction was straightforward. After a moment of contemplation, he cautiously offered Ryle a piece of advice.

“Why don’t you change the environment a little? You’ve been staying in the room every day, so wouldn’t it be nice to get some fresh air and have a meal?”

“Hmm.”

“Fortunately, they say the sun will be out tomorrow. And I can clear your schedule for the morning.”

“…I see.”

Ryle nodded readily at the reasonable suggestion. Suddenly, he remembered Hae-jin opening the window and looking down at him on a sunny day.

What would he think of a meal in the courtyard?

He blankly admired the sky beyond the window. The sunshine seemed as brilliant as it could be today. As he was looking at the perfectly clear blue sky, the bell rang.

Hae-jin reflexively thought of Ryle.

“Yes.”

“……”

As expected, Ryle, perfectly dressed, opened the door to his bedroom and came in. It was the same thing every time, but Hae-jin wondered every time. Why was he acting so strangely?

He thought he would tell him to eat well as usual, but Ryle was surprisingly silent. After looking at Hae-jin’s face with a troubled expression for a long time, he finally averted his gaze slightly.

As if he couldn’t bear to look him in the eye.

“Jin. How about eating outside today?”

At the sudden suggestion, Hae-jin lifted his gaze from Ryle’s chest.

Of course, the weather was nice for once. Even Hae-jin’s listless gaze inadvertently reached the brilliant garden. But was that something Ryle would bother to come and suggest?

In the end, Hae-jin couldn’t help but ask. Even the tired him couldn’t easily shake off the question, as Ryle had been acting strangely consistently.

“Why?”

“…Because you’re not eating enough.”

He didn’t think that was a good enough reason. But along with the words, he read a fleeting desperation in Ryle’s faint scent, and he was confused. Could it be that he was so broken that he couldn’t even read pheromone signals?

“Just try it. If you’re uncomfortable, I’ll leave.”

Hae-jin, who had been observing the strange pheromones, nodded without realizing it. Ryle’s eyes widened slightly, revealing surprise.

Only then did he realize that this meant eating together.

It was colder than he thought when he went outside. He didn’t know because he had only been in the room, but the weather was already heading towards winter. Hae-jin had to force his feet, which wouldn’t move, to move against the sudden chill.

Regret washed over him from the moment he stepped out of the room. If he had known it meant eating together, he would have refused. Just because Ryle was acting strangely didn’t mean they had to eat together. The pheromones he had felt earlier seemed to be just a delusion. Ryle’s pheromones were nowhere to be found now, as usual.

However, it was difficult to say that it wasn’t his intention now that he was already out here. The air was so chilly that it was hard even to sigh, so Hae-jin just mechanically headed forward. He didn’t know what kind of whim it was, but he was just going to pretend to take a bite or two.

From time to time, he felt as if someone had squeezed all the moisture out of him and dried him up.

“Does your leg hurt?”

“…No.”

In fact, his ankle was throbbing from the cold air. He thought he was walking without showing it, but as soon as he took a few steps, Ryle’s gaze turned to his leg.

By the way, did he know that his leg hurt?

Hae-jin, who was somewhat surprised by the unexpected fact, soon lost interest. When he thought about it, his physical condition had been reported to Ryle since the first contract. He didn’t know when he started remembering it, though.

Despite his nonchalant words, his leg continued to throb as he took steps. Come to think of it, he had sprained his ankle when he ran into the bathroom last time. He had been lying down almost ever since, so he didn’t know it still hurt.

He frowned slightly as he went down the stairs. Then, a large hand suddenly appeared in front of him.

“Take it.”

“……”

Hae-jin, who had been looking down at Ryle’s large-knuckled hand in front of him, looked up again. Blue eyes were staring straight at him.

He chose to go down alone, holding onto the wall next to him.

“I’m okay.”

“……”

Watching the guy going down the stairs precariously, Ryle retracted his hand, clutching only the air. Then, he followed silently, watching to see if he would misstep.

He clearly seemed to be in pain, but Hae-jin didn’t say it hurt in the end. His brow looked so precarious that he unknowingly reached out his hand, but it was all in vain.

He didn’t try to break down this distance by force. The wall that the guy was showing still gave him an anxious feeling as if it was strangling him. However, he didn’t have the right to break it down by force. He just slowed down his pace a little more, slowly enough not to burden Hae-jin.

The place they headed to after taking their time was the center of the courtyard where Ryle had once had breakfast. Hae-jin, who arrived there, had to stare blankly at the changed scenery of the courtyard for a while.

“That is……”

“Looks like they’re done preparing.”

The leaves had already fallen, revealing the bare branches. The table had been replaced with a slightly larger one, and portable heaters were placed around it.

The servants were busily moving around, carrying food. On one side, there was also a tray with a warmer to keep the food warm.

Mark, who naturally approached, politely gestured to one side for Hae-jin. Hae-jin, who was guided to his seat in a daze, couldn’t hide his burdened expression and anxiously looked around.

“Everyone, go inside.”

“Please call us if you need anything.”

Ryle, who was the first to notice the anxiety on his pale face, checked that the setting was complete and gave the order. In a short time, the servants who had been filling the courtyard disappeared into the building without a trace.

In an instant, the desolate air of late autumn filled the space between them. However, the chill he had felt earlier was nowhere to be found. Thanks to the heaters that were especially clustered near Hae-jin, the air felt warm.

Hae-jin stared blankly at the heater that was placed particularly close to his feet. As the pain in his ankle was soaked in warmth, it gradually subsided.

“Eat up.”

Only after hearing Ryle’s voice did he turn his gaze to the table. Considering it was morning, there wasn’t much food on the table. Right in front of him was a steaming bowl of soup. The warm steam rising from the soup created a moist feeling at the tip of his chin.

Hae-jin reluctantly picked up a spoon and looked at the bowl, then stopped with his mouth slightly open.

“……”

“…Is your stomach not feeling well?”

Ryle, who had been anxiously watching Hae-jin’s every move while pretending to be indifferent, swallowed a sigh inwardly and asked. If he ran to the bathroom like that, he thought he would have to call the doctor one more time.

However, the guy just said something unexpected in a dazed voice.

“…Stelline.”

The soup that came out for breakfast was not a common shape. It was a unique dish with a clear broth and a type of pasta called Stelline.

Unlike regular pasta, Stelline is not a long noodle but a finely chopped shape. Especially when finely chopping, it is often processed into a star shape the size of a little fingernail. Thanks to this, the soup looked as if it was full of small stars.

“Ah.”

Ryle was also thinking that it was a dish he hadn’t eaten in quite a while. This was his mother’s favorite food.

Hesitating, he opened his mouth, carefully watching Hae-jin, who was somehow stiff and staring blankly at the soup.

“The chef who quit a while ago came back recently. It seems like he put it on the menu after a long time because it was my mother’s favorite food.”

The explanation was long, but Hae-jin didn’t react much. Ryle bit back a bitter smile, fidgeting anxiously with his lips.

He said something unnecessary.

“If it’s a food you don’t like, don’t force yourself……”

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen it.”

“…Is that so?”

Pasta was common, but Stelline was definitely not a common noodle. At least not in this Heavy Rain.

Hae-jin inadvertently thought of the soup his mother used to make. The smell was very different from this, but the stars inside were the same. Hae-jin clearly remembered what his mother had said when he first ate this soup.

‘This is a star that Mommy specially picked from the sky.’

He was only ten years old, but he was old enough not to be fooled by such lies. However, Hae-jin, who was conscious of his position as a newly adopted child, just smiled and brushed it off.

However, the warm star soup he ate for the first time was as delicious as if it had really been brought from the sky.

“They don’t sell it often……”

“That’s right.”

It was a type that was not often stocked in grocery stores. So, when Hae-jin wanted to eat his mother’s special star soup, he had to go on errands to buy this pasta quite far away.

“It’s a pasta noodle that my mother used to use often. Not many people eat it like this, but… it’s a coincidence.”

Ryle couldn’t take his eyes off Hae-jin, who was constantly looking down at the soup and talking.

Whether he was aware of it or not, a faint smile lingered on Hae-jin’s face. Moreover, he was talking at length for the first time in a while.

However, the smile that briefly appeared soon passed like an autumn breeze. He had only blinked for a moment, but it was already gone without a trace, and Ryle unknowingly tightened his grip on the spoon.

“…It’s a coincidence.”

Muttering Hae-jin’s words blankly, Ryle remained stiff and unable to move for a while. The faint smile, like the guy’s pheromones, was very painful compared to what he had dared to imagine in his dreams. He couldn’t figure out where this pain was coming from. After much deliberation, he realized that the source of the pain was his heart.

Hae-jin was sitting right in front of him, but he felt like he would never be able to catch him, just like the hand that he couldn’t reach earlier. As a result, Ryle couldn’t eat properly because a bitter taste was rising from inside.

On the other hand, Hae-jin emptied a bowl of soup for the first time in days.

After that, star soup naturally came up for Hae-jin’s breakfast. Mark also prepared it meticulously because it was a menu he ate particularly well. He also didn’t forget to take measures to ensure that he could eat outside the room as much as possible.

Most of the time, Hae-jin ate alone in the courtyard or used the restaurant, but Ryle sometimes joined him. He wanted to check Hae-jin’s eating habits himself every meal if he could. However, he was afraid that Hae-jin would feel burdened if he asked him to eat together every day, so he couldn’t suggest it recklessly. Instead, Ryle always ate Stelline soup when he was with Hae-jin.

After about a week, Ryle noticed one strange thing. Worried, Ryle began to meticulously receive reports on what and how much Hae-jin ate every day. But strangely, his appetite seemed to increase a little when he ate with him.

It couldn’t be because of Ryle. Maybe he unconsciously felt more comfortable eating with someone. He must have been eating alone and lonely all along.

After much deliberation, Ryle asked Hae-jin to have breakfast together again. If he was rejected, he was going to suggest that Mark eat with him.

Fortunately, Hae-jin just nodded indifferently as always. Recently, it had become increasingly difficult to know what he was thinking. Ryle could take a big breath just because the word “no” didn’t come out of his mouth.

The rainy weather returned. Thanks to this, the short change of pace in the courtyard became difficult. Instead, Ryle invited Hae-jin to the restaurant in the mansion. Among the various restaurants, it was a place that was small in size but decorated to give a warm feeling.

“……”

“Do you have something to say?”

For some reason, Hae-jin stared intently at the bowl placed in front of Ryle, not his own, as soon as he sat down. He tensed his spine out of habit and asked, trying to hide his agitation.

Was he upset that he was deliberately eating Stelline soup?

“I guess you like Stelline soup.”

Hae-jin, still with an indifferent face, asked him with a questioning look for the first time. Looking at the soup in front of him, Ryle barely answered.

“…I guess so.”

In fact, Ryle didn’t really like this food. It was just a unique food that his mother liked, nothing more and nothing less.

Even Hae-jin, who was looking at this food affectionately, looked for a different soup today, but he stubbornly kept Stelline in front of him. Anyway, it was worth insisting on the soup he didn’t even like for more than a week. It was because Hae-jin asked him something for the first time without him even speaking. Of course, the person who asked didn’t seem to be waiting for an answer.

When they ate, the servants who were always there to serve them didn’t come and go by the table either. It was because Ryle, who clearly remembered what Hae-jin didn’t like, had been asking them every time.

After a long time of only the sound of cutlery clashing quietly, Ryle noticed that Hae-jin was unconsciously rubbing his left knee.

“……”

First, he quietly continued to eat, glancing at the guy’s left leg. The place where Hae-jin was injured was exactly his ankle. However, Hae-jin had to go outside for meals recently. Could it be that his leg was strained?

Ryle, who had been anxiously clenching and unclenching his fist secretly under the table, waited for the right moment. Just then, the guy seemed to have finished his meal and quietly put down his spoon. He swallowed hard and opened his mouth slightly.

“By any chance.”

“Yes.”

“…Don’t you think about going to the hospital?”

“……”

As if wanting to guess his intentions, Hae-jin just stared at Ryle. The fact that he didn’t run away immediately at the sound of the hospital was positive. However, he didn’t know what kind of storm was under that expressionless face, so he hurriedly added.

“Because your leg seems to hurt.”

“Ah.”

Only then did Hae-jin realize that he had been unconsciously stroking his knee all the time.

Come to think of it, he felt like the pain that had only been in his ankle had risen to his knee these days. It seemed that his posture was distorted because he was trying not to put weight on his ankle.

Suddenly, he remembered the doctor’s warning when he last went to the hospital. The habitual anxiety that followed when he thought of the hospital.

Perhaps Ryle wanted to ask Hae-jin for another examination. Since he had only done a simple kit test last time, the risk of pregnancy still remained.

If Hae-jin didn’t go this time either, what would Ryle do? Would he drag him to the hospital by force?

“I’ll think about it.”

“……Okay.”

He looked at him intently and said it, but Ryle just nodded. A subtle sensation washed over Hae-jin again, but he calmly brushed it away.

“……”

The weather was getting colder and colder. As he curled up on the sofa near the window, he could clearly feel the temperature. While quietly looking at the dark outside, Hae-jin counted the days. He might be able to leave this mansion in just a month and a half.

He could see the courtyard where he had eaten with Ryle in his field of vision. It was too dark to see well, and he wanted to open the window, but the window was fixed and wouldn’t open. It was strange that he seemed to ventilate the room when he was away sometimes.

He was pondering over Ryle’s suggestion this morning. As his leg throbbed again, he gently stroked his ankle with his hand.

I didn’t wish to become completely unable to walk. Because after leaving this mansion, there was a place I had to walk to on my own. So, it would be good to go to the hospital before it was too late.

Besides, even though he had been testing Ryle, Hae-jin was also worried about pregnancy. It would be a good way to confirm that there was no life he had to be responsible for.

However, the thought of the hospital made his heart pound violently. He kept thinking of the day he went to confirm his parents’ deaths, when they were already cold.

Just as the accumulating breaths became unbearable, Hae-jin barely managed to recall his mother’s star soup.

A special soup eaten on special days. But his mother never refused when he wanted to eat it, even on non-special days. Above all, it was the first warm meal she made for him on the day she brought Hae-jin home.

Recalling the small cluster of stars, Hae-jin desperately closed his eyes. He listened to the sound of the bleak night wind tapping on the window. The breaths that had been building up as if to burst his lungs slowly returned to their place. After calming his mind quietly for a long time, Hae-jin finally made a difficult decision.

Should I go to the hospital?

The next morning, Hae-jin quietly told Ryle, who had come as usual, that he wanted to go to the hospital. After a moment of silence, he said he would arrange for him to go during the day.

Realizing that he was going outside for the first time in a while, Hae-jin moved busily as soon as he finished his meal. He decided what to wear and washed himself carefully. He was afraid of the situation that was about to come, so he moved his body as if he was deliberately busier.

After showering and getting dressed, Hae-jin returned to the bedroom. As he opened the door and stepped inside, the soft rug gently wrapped around his bare feet. This rug, which had clearly only been around the bed, had been increasing in size day by day, and eventually the entire room became covered in rugs like this.

Was it normal to fill the floor with rugs like this in winter? Hae-jin had never even been able to get a proper towel, let alone a rug, so he took it for granted that this was the norm.

He had just entered the bedroom when the sound of a bell rang from outside the living room. Thinking it might be Mark, Hae-jin quickly turned around and answered.

“Yes.”

But as his left foot moved, it caught on the thick rug. It was only natural that his knee buckled.

“……”

Fortunately, it didn’t hurt. He had fallen because of the very soft rug, but he wasn’t hurt thanks to the rug. Because of the strange situation, Hae-jin tried to get up with a slightly frowning face.

“Jin!”

Then, Ryle’s surprised voice hurriedly approached from behind.

“Uh……”

“What’s wrong? Does your leg hurt?”

Why was Ryle at the mansion at this hour? He was sure he had eaten an awkward breakfast with him and gone to work.

Hae-jin was bewildered by the situation and just stared at him, and Ryle’s face immediately hardened. Only then did Hae-jin realize that he was on the floor and tried to get up calmly. But his body was suddenly lifted up even faster.

“Ugh……!”

“Don’t worry. I told you I wouldn’t do anything.”

Ryle spat out as Hae-jin reflexively struggled. Then, he moved quickly outside with very urgent steps. Hae-jin had no choice but to grab his shoulder and try to stop him.

“Excuse me.”

“Does it hurt a lot?”

“……I can walk.”

“……”

Only then did Ryle realize that the situation was not as urgent as he had thought, and he carefully stopped walking.

Hae-jin watched for a moment as his blue eyes turned to him with an unknown emotion. Again, Ryle’s pheromone lightly brushed the tip of his nose. As if he was so agitated that he couldn’t control his emotions well.

The situation could not have been more awkward. Hae-jin calmly explained the situation as if sighing.

“I just fell for a moment. The floor is too soft, so I lost my footing.”

“……”

Ryle, who had returned to the mansion to take him to the hospital, felt his heart stop the moment he saw him lying on the floor.

Without thinking, he just lifted him up. He thought he had been feeding him well lately, but Hae-jin still felt as light as a feather. The lighter his body felt, the more Ryle’s heart sank to the bottom.

He shifted his gaze to Hae-jin’s hand, which was carefully placed on his shoulder as if asking him to put him down. The soft rug was something he had ordered to be laid down. At first, only around the bed, and later, to prevent him from tripping over it, the entire room. There was no room in the mansion where rugs were laid out so inefficiently.

But that consideration had made Hae-jin fall again. He felt miserable. He even felt a sense of self-loathing, wondering if his very existence was harmful.

Meanwhile, holding Hae-jin in his arms, a strange sense of fulfillment consumed Ryle. His mind, which had been suffering from a strange anxiety that had made it almost impossible to sleep lately, became as calm as the surface of a quiet lake.

The urge to not let go of Hae-jin as he was rose strongly again.

“……Just to the car, let me take you like this.”

It was a carefully uttered word after much deliberation, but Hae-jin only showed him his dark eyes. Lately, whenever he made that face, his mouth would dry up and stick together. Sometimes he even thought he might die of thirst because of his gaze.

What on earth was he thinking?

“……”

Without any particular answer, Hae-jin quietly lowered his hand, which had been resting on his shoulder as if to stop him. There was no particular sign of rejection in his pheromones.

So Ryle carefully checked his condition again and moved forward. Unlike when he had rushed out of the room, his steps were very slow.

Suddenly, he realized that Hae-jin’s room was too far from his own.

“……Any contact?”

“No, Your Highness.”

Ryle anxiously stroked his lips as he waited for Hae-jin.

He had returned to the company to take care of work. Hae-jin’s leg needed a thorough examination, so it would take quite some time.

As he entered the hospital, he trembled slightly. Even when he was told not to push himself and that he could come again next time, he stubbornly shook his head. Fortunately, he seemed to be less emotionally agitated than when he had come in a panic last time.

Still, just in case, Ryle deliberately had all people and objects removed from the path Hae-jin might take.

In addition, he had ordered that the building on the opposite side of the ward where his parents had been could be used exclusively for Hae-jin’s treatment. Thanks to this, Hae-jin was able to enter the examination room without seeing anything other than the white hospital walls.

He wanted to watch by his side, but Ryle decided to step back after much deliberation. He was worried that his presence might further stimulate Hae-jin’s trauma. Instead, he ordered Mark, whom he thought was the most comfortable with him, to accompany him.

Since the hospital was nearby anyway, he was planning to return him to the mansion after the examination while taking care of his work at the company. He also wanted to see his face and check if anything had happened.

But while he was waiting, he received a call from Mark.

‘He’s asking if he’s not being tested for pregnancy.’

‘Tell him not to push himself. Jin is afraid of needles.’

‘He says he wants to be sure.’

‘……If he thinks he can do it, tell him to do it.’

Honestly, Ryle had not even considered a blood test in this examination. It wasn’t that he had forgotten about it irresponsibly. He had also been told that the temporary kit diagnosis was negative and that the probability of pregnancy in a Recessive Omega was very low. Above all, he wasn’t sure if he should stick a needle into Hae-jin, who had barely mustered the courage to enter the hospital.

He had only recommended the hospital because he was worried about his leg, but was he misunderstanding something?

The moment he thought of this, Ryle couldn’t concentrate on his work at all. The best he could do was wait anxiously for news. What if Hae-jin had another seizure while drawing blood? The more he imagined it, the more Ryle’s blood ran cold.

He asked the Secretary several times if there was any news from Mark. Each time, the Secretary said there was no particular contact. He was afraid to contact them first because he didn’t know what was going on at the hospital, so he was even careful about breathing.

Then the Secretary’s phone rang. Ryle reflexively glared at him sharply.

“……They say the examination will be over soon.”

“Let’s go right away.”

Ryle jumped up from his seat and strode out. Mark would have contacted him with plenty of time to spare, but the Secretary followed his boss without saying anything.

The Secretary watched with strange eyes as Ryle, who had been unusually losing his temper lately when it came to matters related to Hae-jin, walked away.

“Ah.”

Then Ryle turned around as if he had forgotten something, and the Secretary hurriedly composed his expression.

“Tell them to prepare the penthouse. I’ll go see it in a little while.”

“The penthouse?”

“Yes. The place I was going to give to Jin. I hope it’s well maintained?”

“Yes, I understand. I’ll have it prepared.”

Strictly speaking, he could only acquire that penthouse if Hae-jin completed three months at the mansion. But the Secretary contacted them without complaint and followed his boss again. There was quite a bit of work piled up, but the Secretary tried to postpone the schedule as much as possible. He was also concerned about Hae-jin.

With somewhat hasty steps, Ryle headed for the parking lot. Suddenly preparing the penthouse was impulsive, but it seemed like a good choice. He had learned that changing the environment was effective for a change of pace after changing his eating habits recently.

Without even realizing what kind of expectation was making his steps lighter, Ryle walked busily. Towards the place where Hae-jin was.

Hae-jin, sitting in a wheelchair, awkwardly looked around. Even when he entered a fancy building and took a private elevator, this awkwardness did not go away. Especially the fact that Ryle was pushing his wheelchair made the awkward atmosphere even more pronounced.

The diagnosis was that his ankle was indeed in a serious condition. He needed to immobilize it for a while until the inflammation subsided, so he decided to wear a cast. He already felt exhausted at the thought of having to go to the hospital for a while.

Anyway, he had endured well until he received a crutch and came out. He occasionally felt dizzy and wanted to throw up, but he didn’t have a seizure just by seeing the entrance of the hospital like last time.

Besides, fortunately, the place where he was treated had a different atmosphere and environment from the place where his parents were. He even wondered if he had come to a different hospital when he got out of the car.

It was a completely different building, and there were no medical staff coming and going, so he only had to be nervous when the medical equipment touched his body. Even the doctor didn’t wear a white coat, perhaps out of consideration for him.

The moment he inserted the needle to draw blood was definitely difficult. But he desperately endured it, thinking that it was better than being afraid without knowing the exact results. Fortunately, Hae-jin did not have a heavy burden.

As he barely managed to calm his exhausted mind and came out, Ryle was waiting.

When Ryle saw him with a cast, his face was somehow pale. Hae-jin watched his strange face for a long time, as if observing him, because he didn’t expect him to even come to pick him up. When Mark told him the doctor’s opinion that it would be good to rest his leg for a while, he immediately ordered him to get a wheelchair.

Anyway, Hae-jin couldn’t shake the thought that Ryle didn’t need to push his wheelchair himself, no matter how he thought about it.

“We’re almost there.”

“……”

He said that if it was okay, they should stop by somewhere for a while, so Hae-jin nodded lightly. He thought that Ryle had a place to stop by before going to the mansion. So he couldn’t help but be a little embarrassed when he took him out of the car.

Where on earth was this?

When the elevator opened, a space that seemed to be the entrance immediately appeared. Judging from the fact that it moved through authentication from the beginning, it seemed to be a private elevator made for this space.

Thinking once again that Vermouth’s wealth was amazing, Hae-jin leaned back in his wheelchair. It wasn’t very comfortable to move around even when his ankle just hurt, but it was even more difficult to move around because he had a cast.

After going through strict authentication again, he entered the inside and a vast interior came into view. The first thing that catches his eye is the panoramic view of the city through the large window. The white marble on the floor and the luxurious furniture that decorated the place looked like a place that would only appear in magazines.

Hae-jin looked around the house indifferently. He couldn’t help but look, but he didn’t know where this was yet.

“How is it?”

“……It’s high.”

He gave an awkward answer to the sudden question. It seemed that Ryle really had something to do in this space with Hae-jin.

At that reaction, Ryle realized that his explanation was too lacking. After stroking his cheek and carefully choosing his thoughts, he gave a suitable answer.

“The penthouse specified in the contract is here. Jin, this is the place that will be given to you.”

“……What did you say?”

Hae-jin, who had been leaning on the wheelchair blankly, turned around in surprise. The back of his head brushed against Ryle’s neat suit.

“This is too much for the price of the contract.”

Hae-jin, who seemed to be agitated for a moment, soon said to Ryle in a stiff tone. His white face, which had been turned to him for a moment, turned forward again mercilessly.

Looking down at his small back, Ryle realized that Hae-jin had not read the contract to the end. Even at the time, Hae-jin had only checked that the clauses he had requested were written well and then signed.

Feeling a little embarrassed, Ryle stroked his lips. Hae-jin was saying that this was too much with just this. He had no idea what he would say if he saw the other prices written in the contract.

But he was reluctant to say that it was compensation for the damage he had suffered and not to worry about it. Of course, he was planning to pay compensation for the hardships Hae-jin had gone through. However, the prickly feeling, which was clearly made up of guilt, kept lingering in his mouth, which was the problem.

In the end, Ryle had no choice but to speak calmly as if sighing.

“It’s already signed, so there’s nothing I can do.”

“……”

Hae-jin, who had turned around to look at him for a moment, was now staring straight ahead. His back looked so far away to Ryle that he couldn’t believe he was so close.

Ryle, who had been staring at his back that was allowed to him, took a deep breath. A heavy pheromone was felt, as if to show his sunken mood. Hae-jin’s gaze, which had been looking around when he first came in, was now stubbornly directed at his knees.

After much deliberation, Ryle carefully took Hae-jin to the window in the living room. His gaze, which had been directed downwards, reflexively turned to the outside. It was a scenery that he couldn’t see from his mansion, no, it was a scenery that was hard to see even in most cities.

Hae-jin, who was unknowingly taking in the scenery of Heavy Rain at a glance, remained silent. Unlike him, Ryle didn’t see any scenery. Ryle was only carefully stealing glances at his profile.

“……I really recommended the hospital because of your leg.”

“Yes.”

“I didn’t intend to force you to take a pregnancy test.”

“Yes.”

He put into words what had been on his mind since earlier. But Hae-jin didn’t give him anything more than a short answer.

He knew very well that this reaction wasn’t really because he believed Ryle’s words. It was just that he didn’t care either way. In the first place, Hae-jin didn’t expect anything from Ryle.

Just like that contract that he never read.

Ryle, who realized that, had no choice but to twist his lips bitterly.

It was very uncomfortable to wash with a cast on. But Hae-jin refused the help of the servants. If a man was an Omega, this part became very ambiguous. It was difficult to expect the same gender standards from Betas. Especially since Hae-jin, who had grown up as a Beta, had an even more ambiguous gender distinction, it was even more difficult.

He sat down on the bed with a sigh after barely finishing the difficult struggle. One of his legs was heavy because of the cast. He was told that he would have to go to the hospital several times for the time being. He was already worried about that day, so it was a big problem.

But if he wanted to walk out of this mansion, he had no choice.

As he tried to soothe himself, he suddenly frowned slightly. It was because he remembered the penthouse he had visited earlier. He never thought that something like that would be in the contract.

After much deliberation, Hae-jin left the bedroom and headed for the dressing room. The rugs had all disappeared from the bedroom because he had to use crutches.

He thought the contract was somewhere around here, but he couldn’t remember exactly.

“It’s here.”

The contract was quickly found near his old trunk. It seemed the servant had conveniently left it lying around. He hurriedly took the documents out of the envelope. After flipping through a few pages, Hae-jin found what Ryle had mentioned written in a place he hadn’t even opened.

As expected, excessively generous compensations.

“……”

Hae-jin blankly read and reread the words stating that not only the penthouse but also the ownership of the building would be transferred. In addition, the cash payment was also excessive. He had once thought that Ryle would just compensate everything with money, and this contract seemed to reflect that perfectly.

He remembered the moment Ryle barged into the motel where he was squatting. Suddenly, the fierce and cold scent of the night air seemed to engulf Hae-jin. Having already given so much compensation, why did Ryle make his health a condition for him?

What on earth does Ryle want from him?

After tapping the letters on the contract and examining it for a long time, Hae-jin eventually gave up trying to figure it out. In the first place, the ownership of a building was a value difficult to fathom with his limited knowledge. Ryle’s intentions were the same. Whatever he wanted was irrelevant to him.

So, he just needed to return it without thinking too deeply about anything.

The next morning, Hae-jin quietly handed the contract to Ryle, who had come to have breakfast together as usual.

“……Why is this?”

“The compensation is too excessive.”

“……”

Ryle looked at Hae-jin’s hand, which had gently reached out to him, instead of the contract. He had expected this reaction based on the look on the guy’s face when he saw the penthouse yesterday.

Showing the penthouse had several intentions, but the biggest purpose was one thing. He just wanted to clearly show that this contract would actually be kept, unlike before. But did it backfire instead?

Ryle made an effort to calmly receive the contract. Then, he carefully took Hae-jin’s hand and gave it back to him.

The brief touch of skin was somehow regrettable.

“I don’t need these things.”

“Jin, you already signed it, so there’s nothing you can do.”

“It’s uncomfortable.”

The hand he stubbornly held out to him was filled with determination. Was this Hae-jin’s original personality? Ryle had been wondering about many things lately.

Could someone who knew how to be so stubborn have lived so quietly in this mansion?

“I know.”

“……”

Seeing Ryle calmly acknowledge it, Hae-jin finally furrowed his brow slightly. While observing that brow, which revealed his displeasure, Ryle carefully chose his words.

He was determined to give these compensations to Hae-jin no matter what. Objectively speaking, the damage Hae-jin had suffered deserved to be compensated.

Also, he wanted Hae-jin to have something to be independent with besides Ryle. If he were to leave this mansion, it would be very difficult for a guy with no place to live and an unhealthy body to survive.

Of course, the wall that Hae-jin had declared as the end was still strangling Ryle. However, regardless of whether that time would come or not, he wanted Hae-jin to have the means to defend himself. So that he would never go hungry just because he didn’t have a few pennies.

He could vaguely understand why he felt all these things were a burden, even though the damage he had suffered was clear. He might just hate the act of Ryle compensating him. Maybe all of this seemed like the price of his parents’ lives.

So, he didn’t bother reciting what he had guessed to Hae-jin.

“But I’m forcibly giving it to you. For my convenience.”

“……”

Ryle’s reputation was already at rock bottom anyway. He didn’t expect him to forgive him by giving him this in the first place.

He just wanted Hae-jin to be in a slightly better environment.

“So you just have to reluctantly accept it.”

He didn’t want him to feel even a hint of guilt while receiving it.

“……”

Hae-jin observed Ryle’s face for a long time as he twisted his lips bitterly.

Lately, he had been looking at Ryle’s face straight on more often. When he acted too differently from before or made too different expressions.

And when he couldn’t help but release his heavy pheromone like now.

Ryle’s pheromone always lingered faintly at the tip of his nose and disappeared. Judging only by the pheromone felt, it was a subtle presence that didn’t seem like a Dominant. Like someone who had a habit of quickly realizing even when it was released without him knowing and tightening himself.

The brief displeasure soon turned into familiar doubt. However, Hae-jin chose to remain silent, making an effort to harden his face.

He didn’t want to think deeply about the strange Ryle.

It wasn’t an atmosphere to sit facing each other and eat, so Ryle chose to go to work as is.

After leaving the main building and passing through the courtyard, he reflexively looked at one part of the mansion. It was Hae-jin’s room window.

From some point on, he always looked up at the second floor when passing through the courtyard. Hae-jin never looked out the window like that day. In the first place, Ryle had firmly told him not to open the window, so there was no way he would be looking down from the window.

Even knowing that, he couldn’t stop looking at it.

As always, Hae-jin didn’t give him a definite answer. He probably didn’t intend to accept the compensation until the end. Then he would have to come up with a new plan.

It was the first time Ryle had ever thought so deeply about something. Yet, the more he thought about it, the more he felt like something was missing.

He felt like he wanted to keep giving him something so that he wouldn’t lack anything no matter where he went. But when he thought that he would leave this mansion someday, he felt like he was being pushed off a cliff.

So Ryle was confused whether he was preparing to let Hae-jin go or preparing to catch him.

“We are preparing the sales performance report compared to the previous quarter. You should be able to receive it as early as next week.”

“If you send it up as sloppily as last time, I’ll reject it immediately. Also, tell them to prepare to step down if they don’t deserve to be in that position.”

As befitting a family business, people with the Vermouth name were appropriately positioned in the affiliates. They were always unsatisfactory in Ryle’s eyes, but he didn’t reject them all.

Ryle, who jumped into the succession war at the age of fifteen, had to go through a fairly rough process. In order to seize the opportunity to rise the fastest among them, he also used the method of appropriately coaxing and appeasing them. As if they could mistakenly believe that they would have a chance again someday if they bowed down a little.

However, he couldn’t stand seeing them act as if that position was theirs to do as they pleased. Especially Uncle Daniel’s side, who had come to visit without permission last time, was always a mess. He was gauging the right time to see how far he could tolerate it.

“Yes. Next is the report on the instructions you gave regarding the dismissed servants.”

“Tell me.”

“We have worked to ensure that a suitable public defender is assigned. They say they haven’t noticed anything strange yet.”

He heard that the former Butler was wandering around law firms in a very pitiful state. In addition to the problems at the mansion, he also received a divorce notice from his spouse. This was because it was revealed that he had been using illegal drugs. Of course, it was Ryle who subtly revealed the allegations that had not yet been formally litigated.

“Some defendants are showing signs of giving up on the defense itself. It is presumed that they are trying to reduce their sentence by readily admitting the charges because there is no hope.”

“We can’t let that happen. Investigate the surrounding connections that could incite them.”

“Yes. That will take some time.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

The Secretary silently organized the received orders on the tablet. Once Vermouth decided to take revenge, their power was terrifying. Thanks to this, the Secretary’s workload had increased to the point of being overwhelming. He planned to supplement the personnel to help him with his work soon.

Then Ryle, who had been pondering while looking at the documents, suddenly asked.

“What is Jin doing?”

From some point on, Ryle asked that question very often. Thanks to this, Hae-jin’s recent status began to be located at the top of the Secretary’s work importance.

The Secretary, who had secretly checked the news he had grasped earlier, immediately reported.

“He is reading the newspaper.”

“Hmm?”

He was worried that he might not eat because he had upset him again. Now, Hae-jin’s face, which naturally occupied the white space, kept catching his eye while he was processing the documents.

But Ryle showed bewilderment at the unexpected news.

The Secretary, who had brought up the topic, also looked puzzled, so it wasn’t very helpful.

“……Could he be bored? As you know, the mansion is not a place with many things to do.”

“Ah.”

It seemed like his words were the answer. Of course, the mansion was equipped with all kinds of things like TVs. But given Hae-jin’s personality, he didn’t seem like he would go looking for such things to watch. So, he might have picked up the newspaper that was routinely placed in the drawing room as a last resort.

Ryle suddenly felt ticklish in his heart because it seemed like Hae-jin had a little more room to turn his attention to his surroundings.

That evening, Ryle hurried to leave work.

Since running the company, he had never looked forward to returning to the mansion. But recently, just the fact that Hae-jin was there made him feel quite strange.

The lights were brightly lit in the drawing room because he had contacted them in advance. When he carefully rang the bell, he heard Hae-jin’s voice.

“Do you have some time? I was wondering if we could go somewhere together.”

“……Where to?”

However, contrary to his expectations, Hae-jin’s face immediately showed wariness. Thanks to this, Ryle felt like he had been doused with cold water again.

“……I was rude. I wanted to show you the study. I heard from Mark that you’re bored during the day.”

“Ah.”

Hae-jin, who had been very nervous at his words, turned his gaze away a little awkwardly. This was because he habitually recalled what had happened in the past five years.

It was true that there was really nothing to do during the day. There was a limit to what he could do with his old cell phone. Usually, he was busy catching the depression that flowed by buried in bed, but he was gradually feeling a sense of boredom. The fact that he had successfully gone to the hospital a while ago also helped him become a little stronger.

Anyway, Hae-jin, who had read the same newspaper three times today, fell into deep thought. It was then that Ryle, who was looking at his expression with a stiff face as if he was wondering what he was thinking, caught his eye.

“Okay.”

“……I’ll prepare a wheelchair.”

At the lightly thrown word, Ryle somehow made an even stiffer face. Hae-jin tilted his head in wonder at the expression and quietly nodded once.

“Here it is.”

“……”

The study was surprisingly close. It was a place that could be reached by following the hallway from the room he was staying in and turning a corner once. So Hae-jin looked up at Ryle with a look of bewilderment that he couldn’t hide. He thought it was far from the room since he even brought a wheelchair.

Whether Ryle understood his gaze, he asked him as if he was a little embarrassed.

“Is it too shabby? We can go to another study, but this is the closest.”

“……”

“It seems difficult to pass the stairs on that side. If you give me a little time, I’ll build a new study in a nearby place……”

“No.”

Hae-jin decided to just look around the study because Ryle was acting strangely again.

The study boasted a vast size that it would be rude to say it was shabby. He had never been to this side of the hallway, so he didn’t even know there was a study here.

In fact, Hae-jin was confident that he would get lost if someone dropped him in the middle of the main building. He had no choice but to get to know the exterior and go around for five years, but the main building was as good as forbidden.

The smell of books rushed in the moment he opened the door. It was a smell he hadn’t felt in a long time, so Hae-jin couldn’t help but admit that his heart was fluttering a little.

Originally, Hae-jin was a child who really liked studying. He had a desire to repay his parents, but he just enjoyed learning and mastering something. In his childhood, which was made up of deprivation, he tried to feel full by filling himself with knowledge.

So he studied hard to get a scholarship and go to college. Studying in a library with so many books was one of Hae-jin’s bucket list.

It’s all in the past.

The heart that had been fluttering for a moment sank to the floor. It was a familiar thing, so Hae-jin slowly took in the inside of the study without caring about his fallen heart. The bookshelves that reached the ceiling were filled with books.

“You can read all the books inside as much as you want.”

“Yes. ……Thank you.”

“……”

Ryle was momentarily speechless at the unexpected greeting. Instead, he slowly pushed the wheelchair and went inside. In the middle of the bookshelves surrounding all sides, there was a large, cozy-looking sofa. It was a good structure to read books right here.

“The book list is all here, so it will be easy to search.”

“Ah……”

“Make sure to ask Mark to take out the books. It’s dangerous to go up.”

Hae-jin, who was worried about how to find the books with his legs hurting, opened his eyes wide at the unexpected object. A tablet was surprisingly out of place in the study of the antique mansion.

When he first came to this mansion, he had also noticed Ryle’s Secretary carrying that tablet. It was the same model that his father had promised to buy him if he passed the university.

With careful hands, Hae-jin held the tablet on the table in his hands. Shortly after the manifestation fever he experienced just before he became an adult, his father kept his promise. He was so happy that he couldn’t let go of it until he went out to eat. The tablet that had just been opened was smashed along with his ankle in the accident.

It seemed like an object with a slightly different appearance than then. Well, so much time had passed, so it was time for a new model to come out. His heart kept rolling around at his feet, but Hae-jin slowly and carefully observed the tablet.

“……”

Ryle, who was sitting next to him, couldn’t take his eyes off Hae-jin’s appearance.

His sparkling black eyes reminded him of the night sky. He couldn’t help but feel unfamiliar with the way he was holding the tablet tightly in both hands as if he was amazed and pressing this and that. Hae-jin finally looked his age.

Ryle, who was licking the pinkish fingertips of the guy and his slightly flushed cheeks, blankly fell into reverie.

Now Hae-jin ate well. He still spent most of the day in his bedroom, but he sometimes showed enthusiasm when he was encouraged to take a walk. Just today, he didn’t show interest in going to the study.

So Ryle was able to breathe a little easier. Enough to question his strange state.

Why does his heart feel so constricted at just one of Hae-jin’s dark expressions? Why is he so concerned about the guy’s thin wrist, who can’t even take a few bites and puts down the table? Why does he want to do so much under the name of responsibility?

Ryle finally realized that he was missing something very important.

“Is this how you do it?”

Hae-jin, who was carefully touching the tablet here and there, unknowingly spoke to himself. Fortunately, he was always alone in the bedroom as usual. The voice that flowed into the air gave him a slightly embarrassed feeling. After looking at the door for a moment, he focused on the screen of the tablet.

A few days had passed since he was guided to the study, and another boring daily life had passed. Ryle, who had been visiting him every day, didn’t come to visit often because he was busy with work. Only then did he realize that eating breakfast with someone had become a daily routine without him knowing.

The realization had a bitter taste. Still, he was able to get better soon. It wasn’t a very comfortable time anyway, so Hae-jin decided not to care.

Instead, Ryle suddenly came to him one night and handed him this tablet.

It seemed that he had been touching it for too long in the study, which was the cause. It was true that he was curious, but he didn’t want Ryle to care about him, so he felt burdened.

Hae-jin, who had received this machine by chance, left it in the drawing room for more than a day. But when the boring days started again, he couldn’t help but pay attention to it.

Curiosity raised its head from within for the first time in a long time. Since he had received it anyway, wouldn’t it be okay to use it cleanly and leave it here when he left?

He impulsively unpacked it and touched this and that, and time passed quickly. The internet, which was difficult to do with his old cell phone, was also fast. Before he knew it, Hae-jin was hooked on the tablet. Just like the day he first received it as a gift from his father.

Suddenly snapping out of it, Hae-jin realized that dusk had already fallen. Mark seemed to have stopped by briefly in the middle, and he felt embarrassed now, thinking he must have been too engrossed.

“Haa…”

He didn’t want to get used to this mansion like this. Until he left this place, Hae-jin just wanted to kill his presence, lower himself, and disappear as if he didn’t exist.

But the curiosity that had barely revived kept poking at his will. He had suffered enough, so he deserved to be a little comfortable.

It was a thought that sparked a strange resistance. Hae-jin, who had picked up his phone to check the time, inadvertently looked at the date. As he had checked not long ago, the contract would end in a month and a half.

At that moment, a strange anxiety crept up from deep within.

“……”

He couldn’t explain why. So, Hae-jin calmly turned off the tablet screen and began to prepare for bed.

Thinking that he must be feeling uneasy because he was finding unnecessary leisure.

Ryle appeared in his room one morning after several days.

Before the bell even rang, Hae-jin looked at the door with a sense of foreboding. The moment he heard the bell and answered felt strangely slow.

The moment the door opened, he felt like every strand of his skin was standing on end. It was as if the anxiety that had assailed him before he fell asleep yesterday was approaching with a tangible form.

As he stared at him, stiff as a board, Ryle, who was entering the reception room, also froze.

The sound of heartbeats passed between them like a train. Hae-jin was also very flustered by this sudden situation. Why did he feel this way?

Then, Ryle, who had been hesitating, covered his mouth and averted his gaze. His handsome eyes, cast slightly downward, seemed somehow more haggard than they had been a few days ago.

“…I’m going into rut soon.”

At that moment, Hae-jin’s heart, which had been anxiously wavering, plummeted.

Come to think of it, that was right. Having lived here for five years, Hae-jin knew Ryle’s rut cycle inside out.

So that was it. When he had inadvertently looked at the date yesterday, his body had realized it first.

Hae-jin now looked at Ryle, who had suddenly appeared after not being seen for several days, with wary eyes. He couldn’t believe that he had been so engrossed in spending time yesterday.

So, he came looking for me like this to use me again.

The sound of knocking, which had become inaudible in this mansion, echoed again like an auditory hallucination. His churning stomach felt like it would turn inside out at any moment. The last rut he had spent with him slowly extended its black hand towards Hae-jin like a nightmare.

“Rest assured.”

At that moment, Ryle uttered a word like a sigh.

Startled, Hae-jin met his eyes and saw Ryle’s face, which was contorted with distress. Why was he making that expression?

“I’m going to take care of it myself this time, so… I came to tell you not to worry.”

“……”

Ryle’s low voice was filled with deep emotion. But Hae-jin, who had no spare capacity because he was busy chasing away the fear within him, had no talent for reading it.

It was on a different level from the hospitals he could go to if he endured a little. The moment he recalled the starting point of that hallucinating knock, Hae-jin froze. The word rut that came out of Ryle’s mouth pierced his body so painfully.

Inevitably, he harbored expectations. He didn’t want to believe Ryle’s words. Yet, he found himself relying on those words. Afraid that he would be dragged back to that room in misery. Afraid that he would swallow his sorrow like breath.

So, Hae-jin contradictorily hoped that those words were true. A helpless expectation wrapped around him, binding him.

Unable to say anything else, Hae-jin bit his lip again, looking at Ryle’s feet. He would take care of it himself, so had he found another Omega? Was it really not his intention to keep him tied to this mansion for the duration of the contract?

Ryle, who had been silently watching him, stepped back slightly. He felt a painful illusion, as if the tips of his feet, where Hae-jin’s gaze was fixed, were burning.

“I won’t be in this mansion for the next three days, so rest comfortably.”

Only after he said these words did Hae-jin raise his head abruptly. As soon as their eyes met again, Ryle averted his gaze this time. Then, he left the room in a manner that was no different from running away.

As soon as the door closed, Ryle took a deep breath. He had expected it, but Hae-jin’s reaction was more rigid than he had thought.

The thought of his despairing expression made his whole body feel like it had turned to stone. He forced himself to move his feet away from Hae-jin. His very existence would be a threat to him.

The day he saw Hae-jin’s eyes sparkling in the study, Ryle felt a subtle wave within him.

But as time went on, he had to realize that it was a huge delusion. The gentle wave had turned into a huge tsunami that engulfed him before he knew it.

He had to struggle as if he were drowning in the enormous emotion. When he closed his eyes, he saw Hae-jin. If he barely fell asleep after staying up for three days, he would see Hae-jin’s painfully smiling face.

Ryle knew very well that this state was not normal. So, he didn’t see Hae-jin’s face for several days to find the cause.

He kept wondering about Hae-jin and wanted to see him. That’s why he couldn’t come. If he had Hae-jin in front of him, he wouldn’t have time to think about anything else, so he couldn’t objectively judge his condition.

Ryle, who had never had such feelings for anyone else, was soon thrown into confusion. Was he being so affected because his guilt was excessive? He had never thought that he would have such proper conscience and morality within him, so he couldn’t understand it even more.

Then, he suddenly realized that rut was coming soon.

Only then did he suspect that this might be the effect of pheromones. Wasn’t the reason he couldn’t hold on to Hae-jin because of the damn pheromone release in the first place? He hoped that if he successfully got through this rut, his head would be a little clearer.

After forcibly creating hope, he suddenly thought that he should let Hae-jin know. He was sure that he knew his cycle. He might be afraid again and be caught up in the fear of having to leave the mansion.

But as soon as he faced him, Ryle realized that he needed an excuse to come to him. Just like the day he had bothered to hand Hae-jin the tablet in person.

“Hoo…”

Ryle, who had rushed to the entrance of the mansion, finally turned around for the first time. It was rut, and Hae-jin’s pheromones, which had just been transferred to him, felt so sweet.

This time, what he chose was not proper pheromone release. It was still a chore to face other Omegas. Even recently, Ryle couldn’t maintain his composure even when he had to face Omegas for work.

The disgusting and hateful feelings towards traits had been expressed only as hatred towards Omegas, barely on the edge. Even though Ryle himself was a Dominant, a symbol of traits.

But the hatred that had spread to him on the day he did something terrible to Hae-jin again weighed heavily on his heart without being able to maintain balance.

It was a seed planted by Hae-jin and sprouted by rainwater. Ryle could no longer handle the hatred towards himself that had grown so much.

So, he chose to be hospitalized during the rut period. While hospitalized, he would forcibly put his body to sleep with sleeping pills and release pheromones. He would also inject drugs for release that were not good for his body.

It was rather fortunate. It had already been several days since he had been unable to sleep because of his thoughts about Hae-jin. Since there would be a three-day work gap, Ryle spent his time dealing with the crazy backlog of work.

Just before getting into the car, he inadvertently turned around again. He was very sorry that Hae-jin’s scent, which was still thick, was gradually dissipating into the air.

Ryle had a dream. It was a dream of walking aimlessly through a city dyed in gray.

After finishing work, he went straight to the hospital. On the top floor of the hospital that Hae-jin had also visited, a special room was prepared for him.

Until the end, his doctor advised him to have pheromone release with an Omega, even if he felt nauseous. The drug that forcibly disrupted pheromones was that dangerous to the body. But Ryle shook his head once and lay down on the bed.

He couldn’t bear to touch anyone other than Hae-jin. He couldn’t calmly analyze this state, which even felt like guilt, with his head overwhelmed by a splitting headache.

As he lay on the cold hospital bed, he suddenly thought of Hae-jin. He wondered what he must have felt when he looked at the hospital ceiling with empty eyes.

As he felt the sleeping pill penetrate his arm, Ryle fell asleep.

When he opened his eyes again, he was walking down the street. The city, which often rained, was suitable for rain.

The streets, all dyed in gray, were so indifferent that even the people who came and went were just like characters in a black and white movie. Ryle, who had permeated the street, walked forward slowly. Aimlessly, without knowing where or why he was going.

Then, an umbrella suddenly popped out from the side. When he turned his gaze dryly, his familiar Secretary was holding out an umbrella. Come to think of it, there were a few more people walking around him. He realized that he even had a thick coat on his shoulders.

It was strange. Recently was a little unusual, but Ryle usually didn’t dream well. Anyway, it was nothing to do with him, so he kept walking.

He could only hear the sound of heavy rain in his ears. It was raining, but not that much. Ryle thought that was the way it was.

As he walked, the rain began to fall more and more heavily. It was now a sight that suited the sound of rain that seemed to deafen his ears all the time. The people who had been walking around the streets like dolls had disappeared as if they had melted in the rain. Ryle was left alone in the desolate gray city.

As he walked forward, he suddenly saw a rainbow-colored shimmer in the air.

“……”

He moved his steps as if possessed, following the shimmer. As he looked at the rainbow that was waiting for him as if to show off, he realized that he had walked all the way here to see this.

The shimmer was so faint that it was not easy to recognize. Moreover, the heavy rain was falling, so it seemed that it would disappear quickly if he took his eyes off it even for a moment.

He felt impatient. Ryle gradually hurried his steps, which had been walking slowly, and followed the shimmer. The rainbow-colored shimmer was so conspicuous in this gray city. He was suddenly afraid that if other humans saw it, they would covet it like him.

Before he knew it, he had passed the city and was stepping on a meadow. When he passed that, a tall wall appeared. He felt confused at the sight of the familiar mansion. Was he dreaming of the memory of the day his parents died again? He hadn’t had that dream since he was a child, so it was strange.

However, unlike then, it continued to rain. Endlessly, like his footsteps.

And the brilliantly shining shimmer was heading inside the mansion.

With familiar steps, Ryle entered the mansion. The umbrella that had been spread over his head had disappeared. Even though he had come under the roof, he could still hear the sound of rain in his ears. As if he would never escape that sound.

Before he knew it, a familiar door was visible at the end of his gaze. It was then that someone grabbed him violently. It was Mark.

“Young Master. You can’t do this.”

“……”

He felt as if the rain that he had been through so far had poured down on his head all at once.

“…Why am I…”

Was it not a dream? Ryle was speechless with a dazed face because of the sense of reality that had suddenly covered him.

Why was he in the mansion? Why in front of Hae-jin’s door?

“Are you awake?”

The Secretary, whom he had seen briefly earlier, asked him with a desperate face. The bodyguards with stiff faces were surrounding him.

“How is this…”

His dazed head wouldn’t turn. His vision was still only in black and white. The world, with its colors completely faded as if he were looking at a broken screen, was confusing.

Then, he heard the sound of the door opening from behind.

Reflexively, everyone turned around. Only Ryle remained stiff and unable to move.

Pheromones rushed in from behind. The brilliant shimmer that he had been following since earlier had taken over his vision.

As if being manipulated, Ryle slowly turned around. Hae-jin’s face, which was peeking out from the door because of the commotion outside, was visible.

At first, his face, which had only shown curiosity, gradually hardened as soon as he saw Ryle. Hae-jin, who was shining alone in this dark world, was so brilliant even with a hardened face.

The hardened expression soon collapsed. As he looked at his white face, which was distorted as if he couldn’t bear to resent Ryle, he felt his heart stop.

And then he realized. The reason why he had returned to the mansion on his own feet even after taking the strong sleeping pill.

He had imprinted.

Even on those eyes that looked at me resentfully.