Dominic stared at him in silence for a moment. Standing in the sunlight streaming into the entire house, Juliet looked the same as the day before, yet different. Perhaps it was because of his still-wet hair and flushed cheeks, as if he had just taken a shower. Dominic frowned and opened his mouth.
“You just showered in my house?”
“Yes.”
He replied with a bright face to the question asked slowly as if he was dumbfounded.
“I’m a Gamma, so I don’t mutate easily, but if I were to mutate, it would be a disaster. As you know.”
Juliet added the last words as if on purpose and smiled with an embarrassed face, as if asking for understanding since it was an unavoidable situation.
Of course, there was nothing wrong with what he said. They had been alone in a closed car the day before, and the scent of Dominic’s Pheromone was everywhere in the house. Spending all day in this space would expose him to a significant amount of Pheromone. Of course, not enough to mutate, especially if he was a Gamma.
But there was no harm in being careful.
Moreover, if a Gamma were to mutate, his life would be in danger. While spending the night in this space, this man might have been trembling with fear. No matter how bold his personality, it would be difficult to ignore if his life was at stake.
He was the one who told him not to go, so he couldn’t say now why he had taken his words so literally. If he said that, Dominic would only look foolish.
How absurd.
Dominic swept back his hair and looked at Juliet. What on earth was this man? He was constantly trying to screw him over and cleverly getting away with it. He felt strange at this type he had never seen before. Was it because he was a Gamma? Or was this man a more capable lawyer than he thought?
He was wearing the same clothes he had worn the day before, but his appearance was completely different. His hair, which had always been neatly combed back, was now wet and casually down, covering his smooth forehead and making him look much younger than usual. Perhaps because of the remaining heat, his cheeks were flushed, and as his gaze passed his long neck, his collar was open, revealing his collarbone.
Dominic then realized that he couldn’t see the tie he had been wearing the day before, and that two of his shirt buttons were undone. As he lowered his gaze from the suit jacket hanging on one arm, he saw bare feet revealed beneath his dress pants.
He fixed his eyes on them. Small, white toenails like shells were on top of his toes. As Dominic looked at his feet, which were flushed pink like his cheeks, the scent of Pheromone spread around him. It was such a strong scent that Juliet would have turned pale if he could smell it. Unfortunately, Dominic was the only one who could feel it. He spoke in his usual cold tone.
“You don’t have to worry about protecting yourself from mutating, I won’t do the stupid thing of pouring Pheromone on someone who can’t even feel it anyway.”
Of course, it was a lie. He had already done it twice, to this man.
Three times now.
Dominic smiled self-deprecatingly and emptied the glass in one gulp. Juliet asked him as he put the glass down on the bar table with a small clatter.
“Then what shall we do now?”
Instead of answering, Dominic poured himself another drink. As if sensing the hidden meaning in his actions, Juliet subtly suggested.
“If there’s nothing special to do, how about a game?”
Dominic looked up at him, as if asking what he was talking about.
“A game?”
Juliet smiled at his frowning expression. They were standing only three or four steps away from each other across the bar table. As if trying to measure the distance himself, Juliet readily took a step forward.
Dominic watched him approach without moving. One step, then another, very slowly he walked towards Dominic. And finally, Juliet, standing across the bar table, leaned his upper body over the marble table and opened his mouth.
“Well, of course…”
A low voice flowed from between Juliet’s lips. It was too far to kiss. But at an ambiguous distance where it was possible with just a little effort, Juliet tilted his head and looked up at Dominic. As if revealing a very secret inner thought, his lips moved slowly.
“Chess.”
Dominic’s only reaction to the whisper-like murmur was a brief twitch of his eyebrows. He seemed almost frozen. Confirming his reaction, Juliet suddenly smiled brightly and then leaned back, asking in a light tone.
“I drove you home last night, so how about that as compensation?”
Dominic let out a short breath. He frowned annoyedly and asked back.
“Chess?”
“Yes.”
Juliet added with a smile to Dominic, who repeated what he had said.
“I don’t like freebies.”
Seeing his brightly smiling face, Dominic sneered as if he had been waiting for it.
“Then you don’t donate either?”
It was a clearly sarcastic remark, but it had no effect on Juliet.
“I don’t think Mr. Miller is in a position to receive donations, is he?”
Seeing his unchanging smiling face, he felt like the one who had made the sarcastic remark was feeling empty. Dominic sighed briefly and looked at Juliet’s face again. He stared at him intently as if lost in thought, then turned his head. Dominic walked around the bar table and walked past Juliet without hesitation.
“Wait in the game room.”
After giving the short command, he headed to the dressing room. Dominic’s expression, wearing comfortable shirts and cotton pants suitable for vacation, was not much different from usual, but his mind was not.
How presumptuous.
A sneer formed on his lips. That man was walking a fine line. There was no good reason to provoke Dominic, so was he acting that way simply because of his personality or was there an intention?
He came out of the dressing room and went down the stairs. Dominic’s footsteps echoed regularly in the large room.
I need to find out which one it is.
When he opened the door to the game room, he saw Juliet getting up from his seat. He had already finished preparing for the game.
“Everything is ready.”
The bright midday sun shone behind him as he smiled brightly at Dominic, who had appeared at the entrance, having arranged the chessboard and pieces on the chess table.
“I started playing chess when I was six years old.”
Juliet’s clear voice echoed calmly in the quiet game room. He continued in a soft voice, as if telling an old story to a child.
“I was the only one in my family without siblings. My parents were greedy, but they thought quality was more important than quantity. They chose to have one child rather than many and pour everything into that child.”
Thanks to that, his family was ordinary middle class, but they could afford most of what Juliet wanted.
“So, what else did you do?”
Dominic asked, moving a chess piece. Juliet focused on the chessboard and made a small sound, “Hmm.”
“I’ve done almost everything that others do. And I knew how to be liked by others from a young age, so…”
Dominic said, quickly scanning the chessboard to figure out Juliet’s move, as he said it casually.
“It must have been easy.”
“It was very annoying.”
Juliet chuckled briefly. Dominic could tell that it was his true feeling. This man was completely different from him, but also very similar in some ways. He had good social skills, a good appearance, and decent eloquence, so most people would be fond of him. Whether it was his natural character or out of necessity, he would have treated everyone who approached him kindly.
But his true feelings…
‘I’m so bored, I could die.’
Just as a whispering voice seemed to be heard in his ear, Juliet suddenly spoke.
“What about you?”
Juliet smiled at Dominic, who turned his gaze to him, meaning what did he mean.
“It’s your turn now, isn’t it? What kind of child were you when you were young?”
Dominic chuckled and turned his eyes to the chessboard.
“There’s nothing special, I was similar to others.”
“In what way?”
Juliet asked without giving up. Dominic moved his piece to avoid the rook and answered.
“My first love was my nanny, like everyone else.”
At those words, Juliet, who had been looking at the chessboard, raised his head. He was wearing a distorted smile as if he was dumbfounded.
“You had a nanny?”
“Yes.”
Dominic said casually, and Juliet paused for a moment before asking again.
“So? What happened? How did your first love end?”
Dominic readily said to him, who was genuinely curious.
“It ended when I saw her kissing my father.”
Dominic indifferently added to Juliet, who had fallen silent again.
“Isn’t that the case with everyone?”
Juliet seemed to be searching for something to say for a moment, then simply responded with an ambiguous smile. Amidst the awkward silence, the clock on the wall moved the minute hand with a dull sound. It was a small sound, but it broke some of the stillness in the game room.
Juliet, who had paused, fixed his gaze back on the chessboard. “Haa,” a sigh escaped his lips involuntarily. Dominic, sitting across from him, watched him leisurely.
Juliet seemed to be deep in thought. This was only their second game, but Dominic had already figured out his habit. Juliet always started his chess games by placing his knight on F3. Seeing him move the piece to the same spot as last time, Dominic concluded that it was his habit.
Another habit was that whenever he was thinking of a move, he would bend his right second finger and slowly stroke his lower lip with the middle joint.
〈I used to stroke it with the piece when I was a child.〉
Only after being warned several times not to touch the pieces unless he was moving them did he barely manage to break the habit. But instead, he seemed to have developed the habit of using his finger. Whenever he was thinking about his next move, he always did the same thing.
This time again, watching his finger slowly caress his lips, Dominic mentally replaced it with a chess piece. The image of him holding the knight to his lips and slowly rolling it as if kissing it was vividly drawn before his eyes as if it were real.
Dominic narrowed his eyes. If he still had the habit, he would have forced him to take the black pieces, just to see the chess piece fogged up by his breath.
Finally, seeing his finger fall from his lips as if he had come up with a move, Dominic shifted his gaze to the chessboard. He stared at the changed chessboard after Juliet moved his piece and thought.
Not bad.
He seemed to take quite a while to think, but he came up with a reasonably good move. Juliet escaped the crisis and seized an opportunity to counterattack at the same time. This time, Dominic seemed to be on the defensive.
Was this why he suggested playing a game first?
Scanning the chessboard and simulating the game in his head, he soon made a decision. He might think there was nowhere to go, but he was wrong. He picked up the bishop, which was shining brightly as if asking him to look at it, and moved it.
“Checkmate.”
“Ah.”
As soon as he chose offense instead of defense, an exclamation came out. Juliet sighed and moved his king to the side.
“There’s no way you couldn’t have thought of this move.”
Juliet replied bitterly to Dominic’s relaxed voice.
“There was a possibility, but most people would choose defense in this situation.”
Dominic stared silently at him as he smiled awkwardly. Once again, Juliet brought his finger to his mouth. The hand that slowly stroked his lips moved to the side and brushed over his ear. It was impossible to know whether his ear was itchy or if it was just an unconscious action. He stopped gesturing, tilted his head, frowned, and then reached out his hand as if he had made up his mind.
“I lost.”
His face, admitting defeat, looked dejected. That was understandable, as this was already his second consecutive loss. Now he had only one chance left. Dominic shook his hand briefly as a formality and immediately withdrew his hand. Juliet’s face, a mixture of disappointment and anxiety, was quite a sight to behold. He almost regretted that the entire match would be over next time.
“Is there anything else I can do for you?”
Juliet asked, as if he was reluctant to leave just like that. Dominic wanted to sit back leisurely, smoke a cigar, and enjoy his troubled face, but a sudden dizziness made it impossible.
…Damn Rut.
He swallowed a rough curse and noticed Juliet’s bare feet. The neatly arranged toenails on the skin, reminiscent of soft cream, caught Dominic’s eye and wouldn’t let go.
“Go back.”
Dominic opened his mouth in a slower tone than usual. He barely managed to tear his gaze away from his feet and got up, saying.
“The game is over, so go back. I want to rest now.”
Juliet, who had been standing silently, finally opened his mouth when he saw Dominic really turn around and leave the game room.
“Then, if there’s nothing else you need, I’ll be on my way.”
He bowed politely as always and left. Dominic stood at the bar, drinking, and heard the sound of the front door closing, followed by the mechanical sound of a car leaving the private parking lot. Only then did he realize that he was truly alone. All that remained was the lingering scent of his own Pheromone.
After several days of bad weather, hail larger than fists began to fall. While watching the news showing cars with holes in their windows, Dominic was sitting leisurely on the sofa, drinking whiskey.
Today was the day Juliet was supposed to come to play chess. He hadn’t contacted Juliet once since then, and neither had Juliet. Only the day before, he had received a short message confirming that there were no changes to tomorrow’s schedule.
But unlike the promise, he hadn’t shown up even though the time had passed. It was too clumsy and childish to be a trick to mess with Dominic. It would be more convincing to say that he had run away.
Did he give up?
Did he give up in advance because of his previous defeat? If so, then he was just an insignificant man after all.
With the dark, cloudy sky visible through the full-length window, Dominic got up from his seat and headed to the bar. As he put ice in an empty glass and poured liquor, the sound of hail hitting the window could be heard intermittently. The specially made glass wouldn’t break or crack, but there was nothing he could do about the noise.
Annoying.
It was when he had emptied the glass for the third time. Suddenly, he heard a mechanical sound announcing that a visitor had arrived. Dominic stopped pouring the liquor and reflexively checked the time.
It was well over two hours past the time Juliet was supposed to arrive. Could he be coming now? He was half-doubtful, but only people with reservations could enter the private parking lot. Then it had to be him.
He slowly put down the bottle and stood still inside the bar table for another five minutes or so. And as expected, he heard the doorbell ring. Only then did Dominic take a step and move. Since the visitor was predetermined, there was no need to check the face on the screen.
The door to the parking lot was open, but the reason he bothered to ring the bell was probably to avoid any possible rudeness. He vaguely sensed his intention, but the situation that unfolded next was something that even Dominic could not have foreseen.
He’s right on time.
Dominic, who was about to say sarcastically, stopped in his tracks when he saw the man standing before him.
A man with disheveled hair, wearing a ruined suit, and soaking wet was trembling with a pale face. Juliet, who was shivering from the cold that had seeped into his bones, moved his blue lips and barely made a sound.
“I’m s-sorry I’m late, Mr. Miller.”
The voice, full of vibrato, sounded almost like a sob. Dominic, who had been staring blankly at the man’s appearance for a moment, belatedly grabbed his arm and pulled him in. This was no time to be standing there blankly. Blood flowing from a wound on one side of his forehead was staining his white shirt and suit red.
Dominic immediately sat Juliet down on the sofa, went to the bathroom, grabbed a towel, and returned. Finding the source of the bleeding, he saw a long, torn wound. Dominic pressed down on his head to stop the bleeding and spat out in a sharp voice.
“What happened?”
“I’m s-sorry.”
Juliet apologized again, shivering from the cold that remained in his body.
“Because of the hail, the car window broke. I was hit at an angle, so it’s okay. It’ll s-stop bleeding soon.”
It was as if he could feel cold air coming out of his mouth. Dominic clicked his tongue briefly and asked.
“The hospital?”
There wasn’t enough time to go to the hospital and come back. Juliet answered him without hesitation.
“Chess comes first.”
For the first time, Dominic was at a loss for words. Had he ever been so speechless? No, never, not even once. What on earth was this man?
Juliet, misunderstanding his inability to react properly as if he had encountered a strange new creature, spoke quickly.
“I’m sorry I c-couldn’t contact you. I was too busy driving… B-but I can still play chess.”
He was still panting and stuttering because of the cold. Even if he had gone to the hospital, he would have been more than two hours late. At an awkward time that didn’t make sense in any way, Juliet reluctantly confessed.
“I fainted for a moment after being hit by hail… It wasn’t long, I’m really okay.”
“…Hah.”
That was all Dominic could say. Juliet could only watch him with an anxious face as he covered his forehead and tilted his head back.
“First, get treated.”
Dominic opened his mouth as if he had made up his mind. Before Juliet could say anything, he added.
“There’s medical service in the condo. I’ll call a doctor to give you a simple treatment. You can play chess after that.”
There were no flattering words like, “Is that okay?” Dominic acted as if he naturally expected him to follow his instructions. Dominic immediately turned around and Juliet could only sit there and listen to him talking on the intercom.
“All done.”
The doctor, who arrived in less than 10 minutes, checked Juliet’s wound and gave him a simple treatment. Fortunately, the wound was not serious and the bleeding had stopped, but while he was saying the same old thing about needing rest, Juliet was wrapped in a blanket and listening quietly.
“Thank you for your consideration.”
When he thanked Dominic after the doctor left, he replied indifferently.
“I just didn’t want to play a game with someone who was bleeding.”
“Yes, I’ll be careful not to stain the chessboard.”
Juliet said with a smile as if it were natural. He couldn’t help but wince briefly as if his wound was hurting right after.
Dominic paused his gaze on him for a moment, but soon turned his head and strode away. Juliet, wrapped in a blanket, followed him to the game room with small steps.
Outside, hail continued to beat against the windows. Juliet no longer seemed to be shivering, perhaps because he had warmed up to some extent, but he was still holding the blanket tightly in one hand, closing the front. Unlike him, who seemed to be pouring all his attention into the chessboard and fixing his gaze on it, Dominic had no interest at all. What he was actually looking at was Juliet’s face, which was concentrating intently.
He was holding up quite well, occasionally frowning or biting his lip as if his wound was throbbing. His face, focused as if his entire life was on the chessboard, was paler than usual, and his lips looked somewhat blue. His disheveled hair was still damp and glistening in places. When his gaze lingered on the hair that gently covered one side of the gauze covering his forehead, Juliet moved his knight back and took a pawn. Dominic reluctantly looked away from him and checked the chessboard, opening his mouth after a pause.
“Not bad.”
“I’ve prepared a lot.”
Juliet replied in a confident tone to his slow words. That was understandable, because in this state, the pawn would reach the end of the chessboard. Trying to stop it would lead to checkmate on the other side.
He was as confident as if the man who had been soaking wet and shivering a while ago had disappeared. Dominic felt a sense of irony, as it seemed that Juliet, who had provoked Dominic last time, had returned to some extent. Ironically, he thought he liked that arrogant side of him better.
At the end of his gaze, Dominic saw Juliet’s forehead, covered with a rather thick gauze. Juliet was still wrapped in a blanket, but he seemed to have warmed up a bit, as his tightly clasped hands were now loosely lowered.
Through the gap in the blanket, Dominic could see Juliet’s upper body clad in a thin shirt. The blood that had soaked the collar of his shirt had dried, leaving behind red stains. The man’s pale face was etched with fatigue, as if showing at a glance the hardships he had overcome to get here for this one game.
Dominic knew how to counterattack in situations like this. He quickly calculated the positions of the pieces on the chessboard, but instead of moving a piece, he opened his mouth.
“Alright, you win.”
Juliet covered his mouth with one hand at the magnanimous declaration of defeat. He barely suppressed the tactless cheer of the victor, but he couldn’t hide the brightening expression as he said, “Finally, I’ve caught up by one point.”
Dominic gazed intently at Juliet’s face, which was full of smiles, and gave a short nod. “Yes, well done.”
Juliet blinked in surprise. He looked as if he doubted his ears, wondering if Dominic had actually praised him. But Dominic ignored his reaction and rose from his seat.
“The hail seems to have stopped. Can you drive?”
Judging by Juliet’s injuries, the car’s windshield must have been broken. Although there was no chance of hail attacking him again, driving would certainly not be easy. Juliet answered Dominic’s question immediately.
“Yes, of course. Thank you for today…”
Juliet, who had risen to his feet to follow Dominic, suddenly stopped speaking. At that moment, Dominic saw Juliet’s clear hazel eyes lose focus and become clouded.
“Dawson…”
Juliet collapsed into Dominic’s hastily outstretched arms. Dominic stood there, holding the unconscious Juliet. He held Juliet, who had gone completely limp, with a scowl on his face.