The sound of the harpsichord vibrated through the air. Dominic sipped his whiskey, a book resting on his thigh, scanning the text. The hail had turned to rain, pelting the windows, but all that could be heard inside was the sound of the old keyboard.
“Banishment? Be merciful, say ‘death’; For exile hath more terror in his look, Much more than death: do not say ‘banishment.'”
“Hence from Verona art thou banished: Be patient, for the world is broad and wide.”
“There is no world without Verona walls, But purgatory, torture, hell itself. Hence-banished is banish’d from the world, And world’s exile is death…”
The boy, barely a teenager, was screaming. He couldn’t bear to leave his love, who was his whole world, and begged to be killed instead.
“Heaven is here, Where Juliet lives; and every cat and dog And little mouse, every unworthy thing, Live here in heaven and may look on her; But Romeo may not:–more validity, More honourable state, more courtship lives In carrion flies than Romeo: they may seize On the white wonder of dear Juliet’s hand And steal immortal blessing from her lips, Who, even in pure and vestal modesty, Still blush, as thinking their own kisses sin; But Romeo may not; he is banished: Flies may do this, but I from this must fly…”
“I can’t stand it.”
Dominic, who had been observing the tear-streaked boy wailing with a grimace, couldn’t take it anymore and slammed the book shut. He was already feeling unwell due to a lingering fever, and reading the drivel of a whining child was giving him a headache.
Juliet was still in his bedroom. He had been asleep for quite some time, so it was almost time for him to wake up. Soon he would be going back.
Dominic smoked his cigar and fell into thought. It was a simple story. There was no need for it to become any more complicated.
Except that it was boring to death.
Ah, it was when he closed his eyes with a sigh. Suddenly, a foreign sound mixed in with the music. A beat later, Dominic slowly turned his head. Juliet was standing beyond the half-open door, looking at him. When their eyes met, Juliet gave an awkward smile, looking embarrassed.
“I’m interrupting you.”
Juliet kept avoiding eye contact, perhaps thinking that he had shown an unsightly figure to an important business partner. There were obvious traces of Juliet trying to fix his crumpled and disheveled clothes, but it wasn’t very effective. Juliet fidgeted with his belt awkwardly, unable to hide his discomfort, and seized the opportunity when the music ended to open his mouth.
“I’m sorry for the trouble. Thank you so much for today. I won’t forget what you did for me today.”
Dominic simply stared at Juliet, who was rattling off stale words at a moderate pace, neither too fast nor too slow. Juliet seemed troubled by Dominic’s indifferent reaction and the awkward atmosphere, and spoke again.
“Well, I’ll be going now…”
Dominic abruptly asked Juliet, who was about to politely say goodbye and leave.
“Are you going to be alright?”
“Excuse me?”
When Juliet asked back in bewilderment, Dominic only turned his head and stared at Juliet as he continued, “If you go around like that, everyone will think you slept with me.”
Juliet seemed to pause at the nonchalant tone, which was hard to tell whether it was sarcastic or a warning, but soon smiled as if nothing was wrong.
“It’s not true, though. I’m fine.”
Dominic stared at Juliet with a blank face. Hadn’t he intended to send Juliet back as soon as he regained consciousness? A faint voice echoed from somewhere in his mind, but Dominic didn’t listen. His persistent gaze was fixed on Juliet’s face.
An uncomfortable silence followed. Juliet looked at Dominic with a puzzled expression, and Dominic slowly moved his body, lowering his legs that had been resting on the ottoman. He picked up the remote control on the table, pressed a button, and the music that had been playing suddenly stopped, bringing an abrupt silence.
In the awkward silence, Dominic straightened his body and turned to look at Juliet. Even though he was standing several steps away, Juliet looked tense.
A man over 2 meters tall is intimidating to others in and of himself. On top of that, Dominic’s shoulders seemed to be twice as broad as Juliet’s, and his chest was much thicker. Anyone would react like Juliet if they were standing face to face with such a man.
Dominic stared at Juliet, who was holding his breath without saying a word, and slowly moved his lips.
“How’s your body?”
“Excuse me?”
Juliet momentarily thought he had misheard Dominic’s excessively low voice. Dominic asked him again, still in a subdued voice, to Juliet, who had inadvertently asked back.
“Did you get enough rest? How’s your body?”
“Ah, yes.”
Juliet smiled and answered, finally coming to his senses.
“I rested well, thanks to you. The bed was very comfortable.”
Juliet added nonchalantly. Dominic spoke in a smooth tone, matching Juliet’s usual attitude.
“You shouldn’t feel dizzy, and your head must be very clear.”
“Ah, yes. Very.”
Dominic narrowed his eyes as Juliet readily agreed without understanding the meaning of the conversation.
“Then you shouldn’t have any problem playing a game, right?”
“…Excuse me?”
Juliet ended up asking back again. He belatedly felt a sense of déjà vu. He was reenacting exactly the opposite of the proposal he had made to Dominic last time. Juliet, as if dumbfounded, let out a hollow laugh and asked.
“Chess, you mean?”
Dominic suddenly leaned forward at Juliet’s playful tone. Dominic narrowed his eyes as Juliet flinched and stepped back without realizing it. With a sneer on his shadowed face, he whispered, “Darling, what else could it be?”
Juliet’s eyes widened. Darling? No one, absolutely no one, could have expected this. Dominic, to Juliet who seemed completely stunned, ordered, “Follow me.”
Dominic, who quickly returned to his usual expressionless face, took a step without hesitation and walked ahead. Juliet stared blankly at the back of the man who had passed him, and belatedly moved his body as if running.
As always, they sat across from each other at a small table in the game room. The only sound in the quiet room was still the regular ticking of the clock.
The match was intense. Juliet had been lucky enough to win the day before, but he couldn’t afford to relax. If he didn’t win consecutively today, everything would be over. It was an important match that would determine whether he could get another chance or whether all his efforts so far would be in vain. He had no choice but to concentrate all his nerves every time he moved a piece.
Unlike Juliet, who was staring intently at the chessboard with his brow furrowed, Dominic was simply gazing at Juliet’s face with his chin resting on one hand. This game didn’t matter to him. Even if he lost, he would still have one more chance. Because of that, he was comfortably lost in thought, for example…
“Mr. Miller.”
Juliet called out to Dominic, having moved his bishop to abandon defense and switch to offense. Dominic’s face came into view, Dominic having been lost in thought.
“Are you alright?”
“What?”
Dominic asked back at the unwelcome question, and Juliet looked embarrassed. Dominic furrowed his brow and asked again.
“What do you mean, alright?”
Juliet seemed to hesitate for a moment at Dominic’s slow tone, emphasizing each word, but then smiled as if nothing was wrong.
“No, it’s nothing, I was mistaken. I’m sorry.”
Juliet smoothly finished a short apology after blurting out a meaningless remark, and gave a light nod. As if to say it was Dominic’s turn.
Dominic stared at Juliet for a while before turning his gaze to the chessboard. Unfortunately, Juliet would lose if things continued this way. There was, of course, a clever move to attempt a reversal, but whether Juliet would think of it was another matter.
Is this man really betting everything on this game?
A question suddenly arose.
Of course, he would be. He had come here through the hail and bleeding.
The answer came immediately, but this time another question arose.
What for?
A partnership at the law firm, a high salary, there were plenty of reasons to give.
But Dominic saw it. A very brief, fleeting moment, the endless ennui, the same as his own, submerged in the deepest depths of Juliet, holding its breath.
Perhaps that was this man’s true self. Hidden beneath the polite and friendly exterior…
The real Juliet.
〈Wouldn’t you like to try a new experience?〉
Suddenly, an unpleasant feeling, as if his insides were twisting, welled up. He suddenly realized why that question had remained so memorable. Juliet had asked knowing full well. Seeing through everything. Because he was the same.
But that man would never have felt the same painful thirst as he had.
Of course not, because he’s Gamma. And yet, only the ennui is terribly similar. For some reason, he, and that man, perhaps, no, definitely…
He would live like this for the rest of his life, just dwelling on how boring life is.
At the same time, their eyes met, and all movement stopped. Violet eyes, darkened almost to black, stared intently at Juliet. The sweet scent spread thickly around them, but Juliet didn’t notice. He only stared straight into the man’s eyes, which shimmered with gold.
Is he acting like that because it’s just his personality, or is there an intention behind it?
He felt like he now knew the answer to the question he had once pondered.
And now it was Dominic’s turn to peel back this man’s shell.
“Juliet.”
Dominic called out Juliet’s name in a low whisper.
“Yes, Mr. Miller.”
Juliet answered immediately, as if he had been waiting for it. Dominic narrowed his long eyes and opened his mouth.
“Is it fun?”
“Excuse me?”
Juliet blinked in confusion at the jeering question. Dominic, looking at Juliet, asked again, still in a sarcastic tone.
“Is it fun, this game?”
“Ah, yes…”
Juliet answered with a polite smile, as always.
“It’s fun.”
“Is it?”
Dominic frowned, having received the words so simply. Seeing his unusual reaction, he wore a serious expression for Juliet, who had grown tense.
“What to do? I’m not having any fun at all.”
“Pardon?”
Juliet looked surprised once more. Dominic left him to his own devices, taking out a cigar from his case, cutting the end, and lighting it. Juliet waited in silence for a considerable time while this series of actions unfolded. Only after deeply inhaling and exhaling the smoke did Dominic finally open his mouth.
“Juliet.”
“Yes.”
He answered quickly this time as well. Dominic brought the cigar to his lips and asked, “Are you satisfied with your life right now?”
Juliet blinked at the calm tone. Taken aback by the sudden question, he paused as if carefully choosing his answer.
“What do you mean?”
Juliet feigned ignorance, but Dominic wasn’t fooled.
“You said it earlier, didn’t you? That you’re bored. Yes, I’m bored and find no fun in the game and my life. Sick and tired of it.”
He spat out the words in one breath and stared at Juliet.
“So, what about you?”
Juliet simply tilted his head. Undeterred by his attitude, Dominic continued, “What about you, I’m asking.”
“What about me, what?”
Juliet continued to play dumb. If Dominic had even a little doubt about himself, he might have questioned himself. Maybe I was wrong, he might have thought.
But he was absolutely certain that he was right and had never wavered. This time was no different. Dominic asked Juliet directly, who was stubbornly resisting, “Tell me honestly, aren’t you also terribly annoyed and bored playing chess with me right now?”
Juliet waved his hand in feigned surprise.
“Surely not. Absolutely not.”
He insisted on his innocence but failed. His overly exaggerated reaction was as good as an affirmation, and Dominic chuckled.
“Alright, let’s take it as that.”
Dominic smoothly brushed aside his lie, leaving behind only a short, deflating laugh. Juliet fell silent again.
The minute hand of the wall clock moved again. In the silence, the dull mechanical sound briefly settled. Juliet was silent as if lost in deep thought. He sat like that for a while, staring at one wall with a scrunched-up face, then finally let out a deep sigh and opened his mouth.
“So, what you’re saying is… you want me to entertain you?”
“Yes, now you understand.”
“What about the chess?”
Juliet furrowed his brow. His scrunched-up face seemed full of dissatisfaction.
“How are we going to settle the chess game? The game isn’t over yet.”
It was even a crucial match with a significant issue at stake: whether or not Dominic would transfer to the law firm Juliet worked at. The match hadn’t been decided yet, but Juliet was dumbfounded that he was suddenly saying it was boring and trying to throw away the rules of the game.
But Dominic Miller sets the rules here. As expected, Dominic only let cigar smoke flow between his lips with an arrogant posture.
Perhaps his actions also included the meaning that he found Juliet’s objection ridiculous. But Juliet had no intention of backing down.
“Tell me first how we’re going to settle the match. I want a definite guarantee.”
Dominic stared intently at Juliet’s stubborn face and lowered his gaze.
He glanced down at the chessboard and brought his second finger to the cross attached to the top of his king.
Juliet watched the scene in surprise.
Dominic’s finger gently pushed the king, knocking it over.
Dominic opened his mouth, looking at Juliet’s momentarily dazed face.
“Checkmate.”
It was, in a word, a resignation. He probably could have seized victory in the match against Juliet this time as well. If he did, Juliet would lose. With his third defeat, there would be no reason to meet him anymore.
But Dominic Miller had given up the match by knocking over his own king.
How should this be interpreted?
Juliet was confused and amazed at the same time. He might have stared blankly at him because of that. Dominic narrowed his eyes.
Uncharacteristically, he kindly added a word for Juliet, who had not yet fully grasped the situation.
“Now, it’s your turn.”
“……”
He had given up a match, so now, in return, he was saying to give him what you want.
Dominic stared intently at Juliet, who was gazing down at the fallen king, and waited leisurely for his reaction.
He knew that he wouldn’t run away from him anyway. So, it wasn’t too difficult to spare a little of his overflowing time at this moment.
Just as Dominic brought his hand to his lips to take another deep breath of cigar smoke, Juliet did something unexpected, and Dominic stopped moving when he saw it. Juliet was taking off the clothes he was wearing, one layer at a time.
One, two, the sound of clothes falling to the floor echoed in the quiet room. Finally, Juliet brought his hand to his collar to undo his shirt buttons.
Dominic scoffed at Juliet in disbelief.
“What are you doing? Do you think sex will be new to me?”
His tone was full of sarcasm. The man in front of him, seeing Dominic’s bewilderment, gave a refreshing smile and said firmly, “Of course. Because I’m Gamma.”
Juliet was already standing up from his seat, completely naked. He didn’t even think about covering his body in front of Dominic and stood up straight. The line of his shoulders, continuing from his long neck, drew an elegant straight line. His thin chest had a moderate amount of muscle, and his nipples were somewhat red. Perhaps it was due to unavoidable shame.
But he boldly walked towards Dominic, knowing full well Dominic’s blatant gaze, without even covering his body.
Dominic silently watched what he was doing. Juliet’s hand slowly touched his shoulder. And he sat on Dominic’s thigh, naked, like a butterfly.