By Zephyria 
“Haa, haa.”
Station Chief clutched at his chest and took a deep breath. There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. If you want something, you have to pay the price. And right now, the price they have to pay is Grayson Miller.
Just one year, and it’ll be over.
He reaffirmed to himself. A year goes by quickly. If he grits his teeth and endures, Grayson Miller will disappear. The problem was that this nightmare was just beginning.
Station Chief, with a heavy heart burdened by the bleak future, staggered back to his office. As the ominous day waned, the welcome party that Station Chief had painstakingly prepared finally began.
Desire Me if you can
They gathered at the bar, which they usually frequented whenever there was something to celebrate at the fire station, quite early. By the time Station Chief had mentioned, some of the staff were already tipsy. Shouts and laughter erupted here and there from those drunk on alcohol.
“Have you arrived, Station Chief?”
“You’re here? We’ve started drinking ahead of you.”
As Station Chief appeared at the entrance, the staff who had arrived earlier greeted him with a word each. Station Chief nodded, briefly returning the greetings, and subtly assessed the number of people present.
“Where’s Miller? Not here yet?”
Looking for the protagonist of the day, who was nowhere to be seen, a man leaning against the bar counter, drinking beer, replied.
“No, not yet. I wish he wouldn’t come at all.”
“Puhahaha!”
The staff member next to him burst into laughter at the nonchalant remark. He wanted to ask what was so funny, but arguing with someone who was already drunk would only be a waste of time. Station Chief quietly took a seat at the bar and ordered a beer. Drinking alcohol improves the atmosphere between people. He hoped they would all get along well, forgetting about the events of the day.
But once they sober up, everything will go back to square one.
Haa, just as he was sighing deeply once again at the bleak future ahead, someone said,
“He’s here.”
Someone’s voice was heard, and suddenly the atmosphere inside changed. The staff, who had been laughing and talking until now, stopped talking one by one, and a cool tension filled the air. The only sound was the loud music the owner had playing. The cause was, as expected, Grayson Miller entering the bar.
He was dressed casually in a shirt and jacket. Of course, compared to the men gathered there, all wearing scruffy T-shirts and old jeans, he was dressed up immensely. Wearing a cream-colored jacket and cotton pants, with three buttons of his shirt undone, he looked quite relaxed. His pace, neither slow nor hurried, resembled that of a large feline. Even amidst the gazes filled with hostility and discomfort, he walked across the bar as if it didn’t bother him at all.
Where does that audacity come from?
The people in the bar stared at him in disbelief. Ordinary people wouldn’t be able to withstand this kind of atmosphere and would run away. Grayson Miller was the opposite. He might be thinking, ‘What can you guys do, even if you try?’ Of course, that was true, but it was impossible not to feel twisted inside.
Grayson Miller approached the counter in the middle of the bar at a pace that was neither fast nor slow. Everyone in the bar blatantly turned their heads, glaring at him as they followed his trajectory.
Get out! Get out of here! A thick hostility flowed through the silent bar, so intense it was hard to mistake. But Grayson didn’t even pay attention, as if he was used to it. Both favor and hostility were things he had experienced plenty of in his life.
“Hello, Station Chief. Good evening.”
Grayson, who greeted Station Chief first, smiled broadly. It was a bright smile that left no room for doubt, but Station Chief felt a chill run down his spine. Trying not to show his feelings, he nodded nonchalantly.
“Welcome, everyone’s been waiting for you.”
As he returned the bland greeting, Grayson came to his side as if he had been waiting and said,
“Thank you for throwing this party. I’m very touched.”
Everyone watched Grayson, who put one hand on his chest and made a truly ‘touched’ expression, with strange eyes. Even with so much attention focused on him, his interest was focused on only one thing. Station Chief felt an indescribable discomfort and sweated profusely.
“No, well… if you do well in the future…”
“Is everyone here now?”
Everyone frowned again at his action of cutting him off in the middle of his sentence and looking around. What the hell? What is that guy? Amidst similar feelings and thoughts, Station Chief also stared at Grayson in bewilderment.
“Uh… maybe? I don’t check the headcount one by one…”
“So, more people might come, I see.”
Grayson, who cut him off again as he pleased, looked around the room. To be precise, he scrutinized the faces of the people in the bar one by one. Those who were glaring at him would flinch whenever their eyes met Grayson’s and avoid his gaze, or glare back, not wanting to lose. To them, it seemed like a kind of provocation to do more, but in reality, Grayson’s purpose was elsewhere. Station Chief blinked in disbelief at his actions, then belatedly came to his senses and said to the bartender.
“Hey, give Miller a beer too. What are you all doing? Let’s all toast together. Welcome, Miller.”
“Thank you. I’m really happy that you’re welcoming me like this.”
As Station Chief raised his glass first, everyone reluctantly raised their glasses as if to toast. Grayson made a moved expression, as if he were a great actor who had won an Oscar, and changed direction to toast in the air.
“Alright, everyone, drink up. You guys, keep playing pool. Yeah.”
Station Chief gestured to the staff to somehow smooth over the uncomfortable atmosphere. The staff, who had been looking at Grayson with scowling faces, reluctantly looked away and went back to what they were doing. After some of the gazes had subsided, Station Chief sighed and emptied his glass. The uncomfortable atmosphere was still ongoing. It was because of Grayson, who was right next to him. Pretending not to notice, he was feigning ignorance, but in the end, Station Chief couldn’t stand it and spoke first.
“It’s admirable that you decided to become a firefighter. What made you think of that?”
He thought it was a normal question, but Grayson’s eyes suddenly sparkled when he heard those words. Station Chief, startled without realizing it, shrank his shoulders, and Grayson’s voice became even brighter.
“There’s someone I’m looking for.”
“Looking for someone? Among our team members?”
At the unexpected answer, Station Chief had no choice but to ask, even though he didn’t really want to. Grayson said yes and continued.
“I’m looking for the person who saved me before. I want to thank them.”
“No, well… you could have just asked instead of going through the trouble of getting a job…”
‘And disrupting our team like this?’ Station Chief slurred the end of his sentence to hide his true feelings. Seeing Grayson’s clean face, smiling and listening attentively this time, after cutting him off so abruptly earlier, Station Chief felt his stomach churning. Instead of sighing, Station Chief chugged his beer and spoke again.
“Alright, what happened? Tell me, I’ll find whoever it is for you.”
Thinking that it was better to get rid of troublesome matters quickly, Station Chief waved his hand as if fanning himself and urged him. Grayson still didn’t lose his smile and replied.
“Thank you. There must have been firefighters who were deployed to the fire at Mendez’s party a few days ago.”
“Mendez? …Ah, that Pheromone Party?”
“That’s right.”
That day was truly a great commotion. Of course, all fires are tragedies and a disaster for the victims, but the sight of the victims running out naked, drunk on alcohol and smoke, crying and sniffling, was a sight he rarely saw. Besides, although it’s being kept quiet, those twins who acted like madmen…
Seeing Station Chief thinking, Grayson added an explanation.
“I’m not talking about everyone. There was a firefighter who came to where I was and saved me, and I want to find him.”