By Zephyria 
The bed was terrible. He could put up with the short length, as that was a common issue, but the creaking sounds emanating from somewhere within the bed every time he moved, and the hard mattress that felt no different from the floor, disturbed his sleep every moment. Because of that, he found it hard to get up in the morning, weighed down by layers of fatigue.
How could he have lived here?
He had the same thought every morning. It wasn’t just the environment that had changed. After getting off work and coming home, he would finish the necessary tasks and then go to a club every two or three days without fail. If it were the old him, he would be at a club right now, thinking about who he would sleep with tonight. But what about now? He was lying alone with a cat in a cheap hotel, staring at the stains on the ceiling.
He had never felt so listless. He didn’t want to do anything and just wanted to lie down. If the bed had been very comfortable, he might not have gone to work. It was fortunate in a way that this terrible bed was pushing him out of it.
This wouldn’t do.
Dane, who had been lying blankly, got up carefully so as not to startle the cat. He drove out and arrived at a convenience store attached to a gas station. He bought a few cans of beer and came back, sitting in the chair and chugging the cold drinks, emptying them in one go. He planned to drink until he was drunk today. He had bought plenty, so he would fall asleep before he finished them all.
As he chugged down the second can, the empty parking lot suddenly came into view. The sparsely placed streetlights were mostly broken, flickering or barely emitting a faint light as if they were about to die. Frowning, Dane drank his beer again, and a strange feeling suddenly came over him.
…Come to think of it.
〈Even so, that place is too dangerous! You should look for another hotel…〉
The speed at which he was gulping down the drink slowed significantly. Ezra’s worried face flashed before his eyes. What had that bastard said before that?
〈That, the place where Miller got robbed?〉
Dane slowly placed the beer can on the table. Something was wrong. He had brushed it off without a second thought back then, but now that he thought about it, it didn’t make any sense.
How did Grayson know he had been robbed here?
Grayson wouldn’t have said anything. If he had, the firefighter sparrows would have already been pecking at Dane, asking why, how, and how Grayson had been robbed in the parking lot of the hotel where Dane was staying.
Of course, Dane had never mentioned it either. So how did he know?
Dane furrowed his brow and pondered, then shook his head. No, this was a ridiculous thought. Ezra was kind to everyone. He was the one who had approached Grayson first. He had even defended him, saying nonsense like, ‘He turned out to be a good guy’…
Grayson could have told only Ezra separately.
Thinking that way, it made sense. Deep down, he knew it was unlikely, but he couldn’t find any other answer.
Could it be that Ezra was…
Just as he reached that point, there was a sudden knock on the door. Knock, knock, knock, the rather fast and loud sound startled Dane, who had been lost in thought, and he widened his eyes and turned his head.
Who was it? He wasn’t expecting anyone.
Knock, knock, knock, knock. The visitor had no patience at all. Dane slowly got up and glared at the door. There was no way there would be any security in this cheap hotel. A robber might come into the room, just like what happened to Grayson. Should he hide Darling in the bathroom in case? As he thought that and looked at the cat sprawled on the bed…
“It’s me, Dane. Open the door.”
Dane paused again at the voice from the other side. …What?
He was frozen in confusion when he shouted again.
“I said open the door, I know you’re in there. Open it right now before I break it down!”
For some reason, the man was very angry. There was no longer any doubt about the visitor’s identity. Dane composed himself and strode across the room. Even in the short moment of turning the doorknob, the man was knocking on the door. Soon after, he faced the man standing in the hallway. Dane frowned in disbelief as he saw the face he had expected.
Why was this guy here…?
“Miller!”
Ezra, who had revealed himself from the car, ran up, delighted by Grayson’s appearance. Grayson looked down at him with a frown and asked.
“What’s going on? Where’s Dane?”
“This way, this way.”
Ezra turned around and walked ahead. Grayson still stood there with a displeased expression on his face at the sight of his hurrying back.
“Miller, what are you doing? Hurry up!”
Ezra, who had run far away, turned around and shouted urgently. Grayson seemed to hesitate for a moment at the sight of him waving his arms and urging him on, but he sighed and took a step when Ezra repeatedly shouted, “Hurry!”
The reason he had called Grayson was because of Dane. He said that Dane was in trouble now, so he should come quickly and help him.
Why me?
To Grayson’s question, Ezra rambled and said, ‘Dane is looking for you.’
And the place Grayson headed to was the parking lot of a commercial restaurant. It was late, so all the stores were already closed. The desolate and quiet parking lot had only two cars, Grayson’s and Ezra’s.
In the eerie atmosphere, Grayson followed Ezra around the back of the building. As expected, that place was also empty.
“What’s going on?”
Grayson asked Ezra, leaning to one side with his weight on one leg. Ezra, who had called him here, was startled and stammered.
“A, actually, I was the one who had something to say… not Dane.”
“I know. So what is it?”
Ezra widened his eyes again at the indifferent tone. His disbelieving expression would have been ridiculous, but Grayson still answered expressionlessly.
“Yeah, of course.”
Dane would never look for me no matter what.
He added bitterly in his heart. But he couldn’t let go of the hope that maybe, just maybe. Even though he knew he would only be disappointed.
Just like now.
Facing Grayson, who was looking at him with a cold gaze, Ezra didn’t know what to do and rolled his eyes around. As if he hadn’t expected this situation.
“Th, th-that is, well.”
Grayson quickly grew bored with him just stammering and not easily revealing his business. He would wait another 10 seconds, and if he was still like this, he would just turn around and leave. Okay, one, two, three…
Suddenly, he felt a chill behind his back. The moment he turned his head, something hit him hard on the head.
“…Ugh.”
“Grayson!”
“Got him… huh?”
Ezra screamed in a panic, and the man who hit Grayson’s head shouted excitedly, then made a flustered sound. Grayson seemed to duck, then immediately grabbed his neck. The man, startled, dropped the wooden stick and screamed.
“Ugh, ughhh!”
Grayson grabbed the man’s neck with one hand and asked in a low voice.
“What? Who are you?”
The man’s face turned white at the infinitely threatening voice, and he struggled to get away. The fists he swung wildly, however, only stirred the air in vain and didn’t even touch Grayson’s eyebrows. Seeing his unsightly appearance didn’t even make him laugh. He was already stressed to the point of bursting. This bastard had attacked him first without knowing his place, so from now on, it was self-defense. When he raised the hand holding his neck high, the struggling man’s feet also floated into the air.
“Ugh, cough, keuh.”
The man’s face turned red, and he made a choking sound. Grayson didn’t loosen his grip, but tightened it even more. At this rate, he wouldn’t last a minute, no, not even 30 seconds. And with this, everything would be over…
“Okay, that’s enough.”
Another man’s voice flew in. Grayson slowly turned his head. He could see several men standing at a distance. The man holding a gun to Ezra’s pale head said.
“Let go of Joseph, or you’ll see this guy’s head fly off.”