By Zephyria “……”
Hae-jin hadn’t spoken for days. He only ate when he felt like he was about to die of starvation, chewing and swallowing a biscuit or two. As a result, the intervals between opening his mouth to eat something grew longer and longer.
Lying on the dusty sofa, Hae-jin blankly stared at the window where faint light streamed in. He spent most of his days like this.
More than half of his remaining money had been used to temporarily rent this small room. His legs ached from walking, but he couldn’t get far from Ryle’s mansion. However, the physical distance didn’t matter anyway. Hae-jin simply collapsed here, having walked to his limit.
Since then, it had been a series of dazed days. He felt guilty that tears wouldn’t fall. Was saving his parents so difficult and exhausting? So much so that he couldn’t even shed a single tear.
Thinking like this, even more strength drained from his body. He often felt dizzy when he got up to drink water. Yet, he had no motivation, so he just repeated the cycle of lying down and sitting up.
He had to live.
If Hyung saw him like this, he would surely nag him endlessly. Hae-jin had been a good student until high school. The university he had been accepted to before the accident was quite decent.
However, the entrance fee he had paid in advance was also used up for hospital bills. Anyway, Hae-jin’s injuries were severe, so by the time he recovered, it was long past the university entrance date.
One way or another, his future looked bleak. Hae-jin, who had lived comfortably under the protection of his adoptive parents, hadn’t learned what he needed to learn as soon as he became an adult. Moreover, he was ignorant about his trait since it had manifested almost right before the accident. For the past five years, his daily life had consisted of cowering in Vermouth Manor.
So, Hae-jin, who returned to the city in a vague mental state between child and adult, couldn’t do anything. He didn’t even realize that the owner of this room was overcharging him due to his naivety. He also had no blueprint for how to live in the future.
Just trying not to be swallowed by the immense emptiness, that was all Hae-jin could do.
Just then, he heard a knock on his door.
“…….”
Somewhat surprised, Hae-jin slowly got up, contrary to his feelings. The day Butler knocked on the door in the middle of the day came to his mind. As the news that followed that knock came to mind one after another, his head spun.
The knock sounded again politely. Only then did Hae-jin come to his senses and struggled to the door. No one would come looking for him. The rental period still had two weeks left, so the landlord wouldn’t be visiting.
Hae-jin slowly approached the door, and as if knowing he was hesitating, the knock sounded again. At this point, it seemed like the person was sure someone was inside.
After hesitating, Hae-jin opened the door. There was a familiar face in front of him.
“Hello, Mr. Bright.”
“…….”
It was Ryle’s personal Secretary, whom he had seen several times. He recognized him immediately because he had seen his face when signing the contract and when Ryle called him.
Hae-jin frowned unconsciously at the unexpected guest.
“I came in a hurry because I have something to tell you.”
With that, the Secretary politely handed over his business card. He was exactly as he had been when he first came to offer him the contract.
Hae-jin blankly received the business card and slowly looked at the Secretary’s face. The Secretary nodded as if understanding and opened his mouth.
“Mr. Vermouth has conveyed his intention to discuss the contract again.”
“……Contract?”
“Yes. He said he would offer even more generous terms than before. He also said that if you have any special requests, he would specify them in the contract.”
“…….”
The Secretary continued to say incomprehensible things for a long time. When he remained silent, the Secretary even tried to hand him a draft of the contract to review. Seeing the documents held out in front of him, he faintly remembered when he first went to see Ryle.
Of course, he had no interest.
“Please tell him I won’t do it.”
“……Understood.”
Fortunately, the Secretary retreated obediently. As soon as he closed and locked the door, Hae-jin threw the Secretary’s business card into the trash can next to him.
Lying back on the sofa and smelling the dust, familiar depression enveloped him.
It seemed to end like that.
The sound of the door closing was heavy. Hae-jin narrowed his eyes as he threw the Secretary’s business card into the trash can for the fifth time.
“…….”
The Secretary had a blank face every time he came. However, he gradually increased the conditions one by one, trying to persuade Hae-jin. After accidentally seeing his business card in the trash can next to the door, he made sure to hand him the business card every time before leaving.
Hae-jin’s mind slowly turned at the Secretary’s incomprehensible actions. At first, he thought that he had come to him because he was in a hurry to find a new contract candidate. However, the increasingly generous conditions were beyond the Secretary’s capabilities, even to Hae-jin, who didn’t know much. It was clear that Ryle had ordered it directly.
So, it made even less sense. Ryle had turned away without regret when Hae-jin said he would quit in the first place. And the conditions he was being offered now were enough to tempt even a well-off Omega. It didn’t have to be Hae-jin.
Something was strange.
But that was his limit. Even if he knew something was strange, he had no intention of accepting the contract. Even if it guaranteed him a comfortable life, even though he was lost.
It wasn’t like he was angry at Ryle. Hae-jin simply had a surprising lack of motivation in everything. Getting angry at someone was a difficult task that required more energy than he had.
After the Secretary left, two days passed quietly. Hae-jin spent his days lying listlessly on the sofa again.
When someone knocked on the door again, he just thought the Secretary was being persistent. What on earth did he want from him to keep coming like this?
However, the rough knocking was quite different from the Secretary’s polite behavior. Hae-jin was surprised for the first time in a while at the voice that followed.
“Jin. Open the door.”
Ryle was dreaming.
It was the same dream for several days. It contained slightly different scenes, but there was one thing in common. It was Hae-jin.
Hae-jin’s face, full of sorrow, as he forcibly got out of the car unfolded before him. This was just a memory that had been manipulated incorrectly in the meantime. At that time, he got out of the car with a fairly indifferent face, and his sorrowful face only appeared and disappeared like a flash of lightning afterward.
But why did he make that face back then?
‘Mr. Bright’s parents passed away last night.’
Butler’s words echoed. And Hae-jin, who had a sorrowful face, looked straight at him.
Ryle struggled in the face of the huge, resentful gaze that washed over him again. His body didn’t listen to him, and he was swept away in a sea of emotions.
What was so important about that expression, like this.
“……!”
Ryle barely got up and ran his hand through his hair irritably, looking out the window, which was still dark with dawn. His body was drenched in sweat. Like Hae-jin, soaked in the rain when he last saw him.
“Ha.”
It was something that had been repeated several times, but it was still absurd. He had never seen him in a dream once during the five years he had Hae-jin in this mansion, but why was this happening now?
Besides, his head was very heavy. Originally, his head should have been clear for a while after the rut ended. This time, he had clearly successfully completed an important meeting with such a refreshing feeling. However, his physical condition was about to collapse sooner than expected.
To be exact, it was after Butler reported that Hae-jin had left.
Pheromone congestion is a common symptom in Alphas. If pheromones are not released for a long time, the pheromones trapped in the pheromone gland affect the brain. Simply pouring out emotional pheromones to the outside is useless. It was a unique phenomenon that could only be resolved when an Alpha and an Omega had sexual intercourse.
Originally, pheromone congestion is not that fatal. Even if it affects the brain, it is just a phenomenon of becoming drowsy like being sleepy. In addition, Alphas usually resolve this phenomenon naturally by dating or having sex with Omegas.
However, Ryle’s Dominant trait held him back. Excellent pheromones made his body excellent, but they also made pheromones congested faster than others. And the biggest obstacle was that the brain didn’t just feel dull, but caused a painful headache.
If Ryle was not hesitant to embrace Omegas like a normal Alpha, this would not be a problem either. Since Ryle hated the act, his trait had become a hindrance.
“Hoo…….”
Of course, this phenomenon was a secret. Even though his position was solid, the collateral relatives were still looking for an opportunity to take his place. Dominants were rare, and Dominants who hated Omegas like Ryle were even rarer, so he was able to keep it a secret.
Perhaps his body was showing abnormal reactions because there was no way to release pheromones right now.
Ryle drank the cold water provided in the room and assessed his condition. There was probably no meaning in seeing Hae-jin in his dream.
However, the next day, the moment he faced the Omega he was going to sign a new contract with, Ryle’s thoughts were shattered.
“……Shall we look for another Omega?”
“……Yes.”
The Omega’s pheromones he smelled during the short interview made him want to vomit. The way she was dressed up so flamboyantly made it clear what she wanted without her having to say it.
Even if he tried to ignore it, it was useless. The moment the smiling Omega released her pheromones at Ryle, he jumped up from his seat.
‘Get her out.’
The Omega desperately tried to cling to him, but the bodyguards were one step ahead. Ryle left the room, thinking that even her voice was grating on his ears.
After that, more than five Omegas visited the mansion, but Ryle’s symptoms did not improve. Rather, it only got worse, to the point where he couldn’t even stand the fact that there was an Omega in the same space. No matter how much he hated Omegas, it wasn’t to this extent, so it was a strange thing.
Thanks to this, Ryle had to order the Secretary while holding back the urge to run to the bathroom and vomit.
“……Find Hae-jin. Tell him to sign a new contract.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
Hae-jin’s pheromones, which were clearly faint and lacked presence, were strangely and very clearly remembered.
“He refused again?”
“Yes. It seems he really has no intention, so it would be better to look for a new Omega…….”
“…….”
However, Hae-jin, who had been obedient throughout the contract period, did not do as Ryle wanted this time. He sent the Secretary several times and offered conditions that seemed excessive, but he didn’t budge.
He knew that he didn’t desperately need money now. However, what Ryle offered were things that even people who didn’t desperately need money would consider at least once. According to the Secretary, Hae-jin didn’t even hesitate for long before refusing.
What on earth was he aiming for?
Hae-jin’s financial situation was obvious. Unless a miracle had happened in the meantime to the extent that he had received all the hospital bills he had paid so far, he would be penniless. There weren’t many things a guy with no home or money could do.
Moreover, he said he left the mansion as soon as his contract with him ended, but he was staying in a short-term room nearby. Seeing that close distance, Ryle couldn’t help but be suspicious. It seemed that Hae-jin was refusing his offer in order to negotiate.
“Ha. Is he telling me to come in person?”
“…….”
The Secretary rolled his eyes and observed Ryle’s anger. Even though he, a Beta, couldn’t sympathize with the pheromone problems of Alphas and Omegas, he knew well that his boss was suffering. So he knew how important this contract to find an Omega was.
However, Hae-jin, whom he met in person, was too different from when he saw him five years ago. His gaunt, emaciated, and darkened face clearly showed that the past five years had not been easy. Moreover, he had only heard about his parents’ death late while he was with Ryle recently.
Looking at the contract in his hand again, the Secretary fell into thought. Of course, these conditions were very tempting proposals even considering all of that. It had been a long time since he had to double-check with Ryle, who was directly ordering this, to make sure he hadn’t misheard.
But Hae-jin didn’t seem to have any regrets. No, rather, it seemed that Hae-jin really had no desires left.
“Are you going to go in person?”
“……No. Find another Omega.”
“I will look for a Recessive one this time.”
“Yes.”
Of course, his arrogant boss was not someone who would fall for this push and pull. If Hae-jin was thinking so naively, it would be useless.
The Secretary, who judged that his boss’s Omega phobia, which was like a seizure, had become more difficult, looked for a Recessive Omega with faint pheromones this time. Of course, even if he reduced the conditions a little, there were plenty of applicants.
However, Ryle couldn’t overcome his aversion this time either. The Secretary, who was watching him from the side, felt that the situation was a little serious. It seemed that the intensity of the aversion was gradually increasing.
In the end, Ryle had no choice but to walk to the place where Hae-jin was staying.
* * *
“Jin. Open the door.”
Now the sound of knocking was so loud that it echoed in the room. Hae-jin sighed and approached the door.
When he opened the door, Ryle was really standing outside.
“…….”
“…….”
When their eyes suddenly met, Ryle was momentarily at a loss for words. It had only been less than two weeks, but it felt like he was seeing him for the first time in a long time.
Hae-jin’s eyes were so transparently empty that he was rather embarrassed.
Wasn’t he hoping to see him come in person?
“What’s going on?”
It was strange that Ryle, who had knocked so hard, didn’t say a word. Only after Hae-jin asked indifferently did he put strength back into his eyes. The unpleasantness he had forgotten surged up.
“Why aren’t you signing the contract?”
“Because I don’t want to.”
“…….”
The answer flowed out without a single gap. Hae-jin was indifferent throughout. It was certainly surprising that Ryle had come all the way here, but that was it. He could clearly read from his furrowed brow that he had come because he was angry at the continued rejections. Now that his question was resolved, all that remained was emptiness.
That empty look was quite annoying. As was the hand holding the doorknob, as if ready to close it at any time.
Something was not going as he wanted. The moment he realized that, Ryle sighed inwardly.
“Tell me what you want.”
It was a statement filled with arrogant confidence that he could grant whatever he wanted. And it also contained a warning to stop resisting and obey him at this point.
Befitting his absurd confidence, Ryle had the ability to achieve whatever it was. At this point, he was even curious about how excessive the conditions Hae-jin would ask for.
“I don’t have any.”
However, Hae-jin only glanced sideways and answered.
His uncooperative attitude was strangely frustrating. His lungs swelled as if he had been sprinting at full speed. Above all, he didn’t like that empty look. He was annoyed to see that his jawline had become more prominent after only two weeks.
The hand holding the doorknob, as if wanting to close it immediately, was so gaunt that it didn’t seem to have any strength at all.
“Hey, Jin. Don’t overdo it.”
In the end, Ryle, who had exploded, strode forward and growled at Hae-jin. If Hae-jin had at least pretended to be considering it, he might have been persuaded and given up. Or he might have figured out what he really wanted in the process and regained control over him. But he had never met anyone who treated his offer as if it wasn’t even worth listening to.
On the other hand, Hae-jin, who heard Ryle’s rude words, realized. He was treating him like someone who was negotiating over contract terms. For the first time in a long time, a spark flickered inside Hae-jin.
There was no need to maintain politeness alone when the other person was so rude. So Hae-jin even stopped using the polite tone that had become a habit.
“Ryle.”
“……!”
Ryle, who was about to grab the door roughly, stopped for a moment. He had the absurd thought that Hae-jin’s cold gaze towards him was somehow holding him entirely. Hae-jin’s voice calling his name was stuck in his ear.
There was still no emotion in his eyes looking at him. But strangely, Ryle easily recalled Hae-jin’s face that resented him.
“I won’t sign the contract. I don’t need it anymore.”
“……”
Had the word ‘unnecessary’ ever struck Ryle so fiercely before?
Hae-jin’s words were merely dry, as if reciting facts. His lean body, which seemed to accumulate fatigue just from standing, was precarious. It felt like a single touch would be enough to invade the room.
However, Ryle couldn’t act until the door in front of him closed.
“Jin!”
Only after his figure disappeared did Ryle, regaining his senses, knock on the door again.
Hae-jin, caught in a sense of doubt as to why he had to entertain such a persistent proposal, simply ignored him. He heard the sound of knocking on the door several more times, but he lay down on the sofa without any hesitation.
After waiting a while, a quiet air enveloped Hae-jin again. Thanks to that, he fell into a sense of relief that it was truly over. Having been rejected like this, there was no way the proud Ryle would come looking for him again.
However, a week later.
When a somewhat gaunt Ryle reappeared in his room, Hae-jin sensed that something was wrong.
“Is it a matter of money?”
“……”
When Ryle, who had returned abruptly, spoke like that in his still rude tone, Hae-jin lost the energy to even reply.
However, the question that had failed to ignite and died out raised its head again. Why was he going this far? Ryle of all people.
“Jin. Answer me.”
Now, Hae-jin’s empty face had joined his dreams. Even while working, those afterimages kept appearing, and Ryle was on the verge of going crazy.
It would be easy to dismiss it all as pheromonal manipulation. All that remained was to somehow resolve this situation. Feeling impatient for the first time in a while, Ryle had to visit Hae-jin again.
Just in case, he also investigated when Hae-jin’s adoptive parents had died. He remembered Hae-jin saying that he had to make payments as he was being dragged away.
Of course, as expected, the hospital found no grounds for suspicion. The hospital couldn’t dare neglect a patient entrusted by the Vermouth family, and contact was made in a timely manner. The death of his adoptive parents was truly unfortunate.
Of course, Butler and Ryle’s response complicated things. So, he only thought that things had become annoyingly twisted.
‘Because I don’t need you anymore.’
Hae-jin’s indifferent words echoed in his ears like auditory hallucinations. The words he had heard the other day constantly pierced his mind. The headache, which had now grown uncontrollably, was to the point where he had to rely on medication.
Since then, he had brought in Omegas several more times. But now, he felt nauseous even before entering the same room as an Omega.
Even if his head was splitting with a headache, he felt such a strong aversion that he didn’t want to touch another Omega’s body. Something was going strangely wrong. He knew that, but what he needed right now was clear.
He needed Hae-jin.
“Money was the problem. Aren’t you the one who made it not a problem?”
At Hae-jin’s reply, which rarely contained emotion, Ryle raised his head sharply. It was strangely captivating, even though his face was no different from the one he had seen a while ago.
He had always acted indifferent, but it seemed he was angry about that fact after all. Was that why he was so reluctant to enter into a new contract?
“Look, even I can’t keep someone alive forever……”
“I think you’re misunderstanding something. I’m not saying you have to be responsible for my family’s lives.”
“……Then what?”
As he said, Hae-jin’s words didn’t contain resentment. The faint emotions that had been flowing out were hidden tightly back inside. Dry words, as if reading from a law book, poured onto Ryle’s face.
“At the very least, you had a responsibility to inform me immediately of my family’s death. Do I have to remind you that you violated the obligations clearly stated in the contract first?”
The contract clauses Hae-jin was talking about were quite numerous, but he didn’t want to explain them here. If he was going to tell him and his mansion in detail what they had done to him, he would have gone after Ryle a long time ago.
Of course, even if he had gone after Ryle, nothing would have changed.
Hae-jin, who clearly remembered that fact, just felt that this whole thing was an unnecessary squabble. He didn’t want to go back to the mansion. In fact, he didn’t want to do anything. His honest feeling was that he wanted to sit in this stagnant, dusty room and freeze like a statue.
So, he hoped that Ryle would just give up.
Of course, Ryle didn’t remember such detailed clauses. It was a matter that Butler or Secretary should handle. The only reason he remembered that Hae-jin had to go to the hospital every two weeks was because that was the clause the guy had mentioned with trembling lips during their first meeting.
To be honest, he felt helpless. He was used to incurring personal grudges, but he had never put any effort into resolving them.
And if Hae-jin really resented him, it would have been easier. Even as he listed the things that had happened, Hae-jin didn’t want anything from him.
This was troublesome.
Frowning, Ryle sighed. He didn’t want to show a disheveled appearance, but he couldn’t control himself.
He knew that Hae-jin had hardly left this room for the past two weeks, but Hae-jin’s pheromone was so faint that it didn’t even flow out of the room. As if he was hiding it as tightly as his heart.
Thinking of Hae-jin’s pheromone, he felt strangely thirsty.
“Then sue me.”
“What’s the point of that now?”
At the mention of suing, Hae-jin inadvertently let out a self-deprecating smile. Legal action against the Vermouth family? He would rather be dropped into the jungle with a single stone in his hand, as that would be much better for his quality of life.
He realized once again that he shouldn’t have gotten angry and made such meaningless protests. Even if they were bound by a contract, he was an utterly weak person.
No matter how much he complained, nothing would change.
“……”
Ryle, who had been running his hand through his hair irritably, couldn’t take his eyes off Hae-jin’s lips. As if his body had frozen in place.
The smile, which had appeared and disappeared faintly like his pheromone, remained like an afterimage. His lips were as still as if they had never moved. Ryle, conscious of the burning sensation inside his throat, chose his words carefully. Hae-jin, who had let out a self-deprecating smile, seemed even more exhausted.
It was as if he would disappear at any moment, and for some reason, it was hard to open his mouth.
“Chairman. I brought it.”
“……”
At that moment, the Secretary, who had been waiting downstairs, came up with something. Hae-jin, who had been listlessly looking at the Secretary, thinking it was another contract, turned his gaze to Ryle when he saw the syringe in his hand.
As his gaze turned to him, Ryle felt his mouth become even heavier. However, cold reason recited what he had to do.
“We need to do a blood test.”
“……”
“……We knotted last time, so we need a test to confirm.”
Originally, it should have been checked as soon as the rut ended. He had forgotten because something sudden had happened to Hae-jin.
Ryle was now feeling confused. He had forgotten, but after remembering that he had knotted with Hae-jin, the question wouldn’t leave his mind.
Knotting was an act that required the Alpha’s firm will. It couldn’t be elicited just by stimulating instincts. Whether the purpose was mere amusement or pregnancy, the Alpha’s will was important.
And of course, Ryle had no intention of knotting with anyone.
“Haa……”
Hae-jin sighed and held out his arm. The Secretary, who had taken his place with a sense of propriety, drew Hae-jin’s blood with the syringe he was holding.
Even though the guy was complying so obediently, Ryle felt that it was somehow difficult to bear that gaze. That sigh was so heavy that it felt as if he had been struck directly.
From Hae-jin’s point of view, it was natural to be angry about this unilateral act. So, he was willing to grant him as much compensation as he wanted.
“Is that all?”
“……Yes.”
However, Hae-jin said calmly as he rubbed the arm where the blood was seeping out. As always, as if there was nothing to receive from Ryle. There were still faint bruises on his wrist. Some traces had been repeatedly tied and untied for so long that they didn’t seem likely to disappear easily.
Ryle’s gaze lingered persistently on Hae-jin’s arm. He was calculating furiously in his head. It would be better to step back for now.
Nodding, he took a step back. As if he had been waiting, Hae-jin closed the door.
“……”
Even after closing the door, Hae-jin stood in front of it for a long time, lost in thought. For some reason, he was troubled because he felt that this wasn’t the end.
He was curious as to why Ryle was acting like that. Now that he remembered the knotting he had forgotten, those actions didn’t make sense at all.
But did he really need to know?
Just as Hae-jin couldn’t find a reason to stay in that mansion, he didn’t feel the will to resolve this question either. Hae-jin only wanted one thing. He just hoped to sink peacefully.
Having thought this far, Hae-jin moved his body for the first time in a long time.
He casually threw the cotton ball he had been using to stop the bleeding into the trash can and picked up the wallet he had carelessly left on the small table. He took out the thickest clothes from the suitcase and spread the rest out conspicuously. He deliberately took out the family photo he had been carrying most preciously and put it in his arms.
Without packing any other luggage, Hae-jin came out of the room lightly. It was a bit difficult to go down the stairs because it had been so long. After going down to the first floor, he extended the period of stay in the room. Again, most of the money he had was gone.
After that, he headed to the grocery store next door without any hesitation. After all, there had been nothing to eat in the room since yesterday.
However, Hae-jin, who had entered the store, looked at the groceries for a while and then headed straight to the back door. There was a bus stop right outside the back door, and he heard the sound of a bus coming just in time.
Hae-jin, who had left through the back door, got on the bus very naturally. It was such a smooth movement that even if someone had been watching, they wouldn’t have had enough time to follow Hae-jin.
“……”
Hae-jin sat on the bus and silently looked at the city that smelled of winter. His ankles were aching again because he had moved for the first time in so long.
He regretted the remaining luggage, but he didn’t intend to go back to that room.
“……So it really existed.”
Ryle clicked his tongue as he carefully examined the contract. As the guy had said, there was a clause stipulating that Hae-jin should be notified immediately if news came from the hospital.
Of course, it was just a hollow word with no compensation plan in case of violation. If it was linked to other clauses below, Ryle’s lawyer could resolve this matter with a letter containing a perfunctory apology. Even if he didn’t intend to go that far.
Come to think of it, Hae-jin didn’t even bring a lawyer when he made the first contract. If he remembered correctly, there had been an accident. And the guy had just been discharged from the hospital and was borrowing money from all over the place. He couldn’t afford to be picky.
Ryle was the one who had seen it all and ignored it.
He remembered Hae-jin’s face, which was slightly younger than now. And his white hands trembling as he signed the contract.
“……”
It was a result-oriented statement, but now that things had turned out this way, Ryle didn’t feel very comfortable either. Judging from the sound that came out with the emotional reaction he had barely elicited, Hae-jin seemed to be quite dependent on each of these clauses. In fact, Ryle had also repeatedly demanded that the clauses be well observed.
“Chairman.”
“Speak.”
At that moment, the Secretary, who had entered his office, opened his mouth. He was holding a cell phone in his hand, as if he had received an urgent call.
“First of all, the results of Mr. Bright’s blood test are out. There were no issues you were worried about.”
“……Okay.”
The process of knotting was necessary for Alphas and Omegas to get pregnant. Knotting didn’t necessarily mean pregnancy, but without knotting, there was a 100% chance of not getting pregnant. However, the probability increased slightly during rut or heat cycle periods.
It was fortunate that Hae-jin was an inferior gene with a low probability of pregnancy, or else there would have been trouble. He had no intention of getting married or having a successor yet. Besides, he hated the idea of his genes leaking out. He would rather give up marriage than be promiscuous, which was a terrible thing.
So, it was something to be happy about, but for some reason, he didn’t feel very good. Gathering his strange emotions, Ryle gestured to the Secretary. He seemed to have more to say.
However, he couldn’t help but be surprised by the words that flowed out calmly.
“And Mr. Bright’s whereabouts are unknown.”
“……What?”
“According to the bodyguard who was periodically reporting Mr. Bright’s location, he hasn’t returned to his room for two days.”
“Two days?”
It had been two days since Ryle had met Hae-jin. He wondered why he hadn’t been contacted when his whereabouts were unknown on the first day, and a sudden unpleasant feeling surged up.
The Secretary, who had read his expression well, added simply.
“He had already checked in on the first day, but he had extended his room and went out. So, he waited another day before reporting.”
“Even so, why……!”
Ryle stopped talking there. Because he didn’t understand his own actions.
Hae-jin was a negotiation target, but not a subject of intensive surveillance. The bodyguard checking his location once a day was just a minimum measure for future negotiations. So, their judgment was correct.
However, regardless of those thoughts, his heart was pounding wildly. As if something that shouldn’t have happened had happened, Ryle rubbed his forehead, suppressing his feelings. The headache that had been quiet for a while started to flare up again.
“No, it’s okay. That judgment is right.”
The Secretary, who was looking at such a Chairman, carefully organized his thoughts.
His boss was often arrogant and acted selfishly, but he was a great person to work with. He always judged the situation objectively and was clear about rewards and punishments. He had also promoted him, a Beta, to a high position based solely on his skills.
However, recently, he had the feeling that his judgment was often clouded in matters related to Hae-jin Bright. Organizing his intuition well, the Secretary handed over the documents.
Hae-jin wasn’t pregnant. Inferior genes were said to have difficulty getting pregnant in the first place. Besides that, Hae-jin’s blood test was giving a lot of information. For example, that he was currently in a somewhat critical state of malnutrition.
After thinking for a while, the Secretary soon sorted out the information about Hae-jin Bright. Even if he thought about it again, it was a matter that Ryle would shoot down as unnecessary information.
Instead, he calmly asked Ryle to find a future course of action.
“What should we do now?”
Ryle pondered, tapping the black desk that once reminded him of the guy’s hair. He was going to go back to negotiate, but there was no need to chase after him when the other party was going this far.
Even as he was stringing together such rational thoughts, his brow strangely didn’t seem to smooth out. Hae-jin, who had nodded with the most desperate face in the world when they first made the contract, was now firmly saying that he didn’t need it.
Of course, he knew that Hae-jin’s motive wasn’t a base desire for money. In fact, as a result of investigating the negotiation conditions, almost all of the contract price he had paid was spent on hospital bills. Hae-jin’s bank account, which he had peeked at with his powerful information, had only enough money to last a few weeks.
Ryle paused for a moment as he thought this far. This meant that Hae-jin hadn’t been able to save any money for himself for the past five years. Of course, Ryle hadn’t allowed him to look for other jobs.
However, he roughly ran his hand through his hair and erased the thought. After all, there was no need for money to live in his mansion. If there had been such a basic problem, it would have come to his ears.
He was thinking too much about Hae-jin. Ryle felt great displeasure at the unfamiliar phenomenon.
The fingers that had been tapping rhythmically stopped abruptly.
“Chairman?”
“Find him, for now.”
Even so, he couldn’t resist the urge to put Hae-jin back in front of him.
* * *
Hae-jin just walked forward.
He had run away for now, but he wasn’t very anxious. He calmly thought that people who had nothing more to lose became brave, and he was exactly like that.
The late autumn season was already rushing towards winter. He, who just wanted to sit down in place, let go of the thought that the season was running away, leaving him behind.
He had put on the thickest clothes, but the wind was piercing his chest fiercely. Hae-jin curled up, as if hugging the family photo inside.
Ryle had given him clothes every year that he remembered being warmer and lighter, but since it wasn’t his anyway, he wasn’t in a position to complain. Besides, the thickest coat had disappeared from the room before he even had a chance to wear it a few times.
After transferring from bus to bus, he found himself on the outskirts of the city. He bought some food and then just walked. He had nowhere to go, so he walked the streets.
“Mom!”
“Don’t run, you’ll get hurt.”
When he could barely feel his legs anymore, Hae-jin found a bench and sat down. In front of him was a small park. It was the kind of park that was often attached to a neighborhood, with a few playground sets for children.
A little child ran toward his mother. A Beta middle-aged woman spoke with concern, but she was also opening her arms wide for the child.
From that small gesture, Hae-jin easily recalled his adoptive parents.
‘Hae-jin!’
His mother, who was like sunshine, loved to hug him so tightly that he couldn’t breathe. Around puberty, Hae-jin had shown some signs of disliking it. All his friends did, so he thought he should too. But only after losing that embrace did he realize that he actually loved it.
Foolishly, he shouldn’t have done that.
Before he was adopted, he had been very envious of that sight. But after being adopted, he had never stared blankly at such a scene. Because he had a family as good as anyone else’s.
To think he would be mesmerized by that sight again.
Hae-jin was scared because tears still wouldn’t come.
“You still haven’t found him?”
Three weeks had passed since he last spent a rut with Hae-jin. He had lasted this long only because it was after a rut; otherwise, he would have been hospitalized with pheromone congestion long ago. Even now, he was in constant pain from a mild headache. The noisy rut had been meaningless.
He had ordered them to find Hae-jin, but of course, Ryle continued to scout other Omegas. It was just an impulse. If he actually found Hae-jin, there was a high possibility that he would ignore him without even a contract.
He didn’t have time to sit and face Omegas for a contract forever, so this time he simply entrusted it to the Secretary. With the words to find someone Recessive. He also had the expectation that this aversion would disappear when he was desperate for pheromone release.
So yesterday, when Ryle went to the mansion for pheromone release, he couldn’t help but gag.
Annoyed by the thought of having to do this unpleasant thing again, Ryle entered that room. Now, his pheromones had accumulated to the point where he couldn’t shake off the feeling of his head being muddled. In the room where he had mingled with Hae-jin, a Recessive Omega like Hae-jin was sitting.
The Omega, who was blindfolded and had his arms tied like Hae-jin, seemed nervous. For some reason, he was still wearing clothes, so Ryle inadvertently sighed. He was annoyed by the hassle of having to undress him. He was different from Hae-jin in many ways, who cooperated efficiently without Ryle having to go to such trouble.
So that Omega, he wasn’t Hae-jin.
The moment he thought that, Ryle ran straight to the bathroom and threw up. A strong aversion surged up to the point where it pressed down on his solar plexus.
Now, after enduring the day with painkillers, Ryle had no way to relieve his annoyance. Hae-jin’s whereabouts were still unknown.
“It seems he’s only using cash. He doesn’t go near CCTV cameras, and his phone has been turned off the whole time. More than anything, he doesn’t have any places where he might have connections, so the search is difficult.”
“Ha.”
Ryle had never asked about the search for Hae-jin. Thanks to that, the Secretary had put Hae-jin’s information, which had been put on the back burner, on the work tablet.
Ryle remained silent, enduring the surging headache. He couldn’t understand Hae-jin’s actions in many ways.
He would have understood if the results had come back that he was pregnant. If he was running away with the goal of having his child, that would be a sufficient reason.
But did he find the contract with him so repulsive? To the point where he abandoned even the few belongings he had left and ran away?
‘I don’t need it.’
The moment Hae-jin’s words, like a hallucination, rang out, the headache moved heavily toward his chest. He stopped thinking about the incomprehensible phenomenon.
He would just find him and put him in front of him, and it would become clear.
“What should we do with the luggage Mr. Bright left behind?”
“Keep everything without missing a single thing.”
He would be able to find Hae-jin soon. After all, he couldn’t escape his grasp in this city.
Ryle’s heavily sunken eyes shone brightly.
“…Not much left.”
Wandering around, he had come to a pretty remote place. The temperature had dropped even further in the meantime, and white breath continued to come out even while he was saying simple words.
Hae-jin stared blankly at the foggy forest before looking back at the ATM screen. It was a small amount of money that he had to worry about for next week. But strangely, he didn’t feel a sense of crisis. Even though he was wandering around without a home or money.
A vague dryness brushed past the tip of his nose. It was almost midwinter. In this city, famous for its heavy rain, snowstorms sometimes scattered.
So winter was the perfect season to wither away. Even if he died a lonely death somewhere, the snow would cover him.
After a moment of hesitation, Hae-jin simply withdrew all the remaining money. In the first place, he had come to the outskirts where it was difficult to find ATMs, and it wasn’t like he had enough assets to withdraw in multiple installments.
Wandering aimlessly, a sign caught his eye. Snow Lake. It was a remote lake where he had once gone on a picnic with his family.
Seeing that, he suddenly wanted to see the lake. He wondered if he might cry if he went and realized he was alone in an empty place.
Looking at the ATM that was spitting out money with a mechanical sound, Hae-jin looked up at the sky again. It was very cloudy and the temperature was quite chilly, so it looked like it would rain tomorrow too. It would have to be a little later for it to snow.
Until now, he had been wandering around so as not to leave such traces. He had started moving because of a vague sense of unease, but he was able to forget the pain in his legs more than he had expected. It seemed to be because he was seeing the outside world for the first time in five years.
Of course, Ryle hadn’t come to find him even once in the meantime. He didn’t know whether he hadn’t found him or hadn’t looked for him.
Was it necessary to run away this hard?
Hae-jin pondered whether he was worth it. He was worried about pregnancy, as Ryle had said, but he was Recessive anyway. He didn’t know much, but he was sure that pregnancy wasn’t easy. He was even in a situation where he couldn’t even control his pheromones as much as he wanted. More than anything, Hae-jin didn’t have the luxury to think about such heavy topics right now.
If he hadn’t found an Omega to contract with, there was still a possibility that he would look for him. But Ryle wasn’t so free that he would chase after someone who was so openly avoiding him. It was still surprising that he had chased him all the way to his room, though.
So he could stop now.
In fact, it was closer to making various excuses. He had been exhausting his body for the past few days, barely eating anything but water, so it was true that he was tired.
Hae-jin took out the money and carefully put it away, then looked around and found an old motel. He hesitated about going to a place away from this machine in case something happened, but then he just dragged his legs along. One leg dragged, leaving traces through the fallen leaves.
What was he that Ryle would still be chasing after him?
Hae-jin was too tired to go far right now.
* * *
The sparkling waves of the shining lake captivated the eyes of young Hae-jin. Having lived only in an orphanage, it was the first time he had come this far since he was born. The large car of his adoptive father and the large mart he had seen on the way were all full of fascinating things.
It was a day when the sun was shining brightly in the sky for the first time in a while. His parents had suggested going on a picnic to Hae-jin, who was still hesitant and looking around at home.
At the same time as he nodded shyly, the family became busy. His father headed to the garage to get the things needed for the picnic, and his mother went to the kitchen in a flurry. His Hyung handed him his cherished toy box and told Hae-jin to pick out something he liked.
It was a good weather, which was rare in this city. This lake, located in a remote area, didn’t really have a diverse scenery. That’s why there were no people, and his father winked playfully, saying that it was our family’s secret place. In fact, only Hae-jin’s family was sitting on a picnic mat near the lake that day.
After being invited to the secret place, he felt like he had really become a family member. The sky was blue and the sandwiches his mother had packed were heavenly.
It was truly a brilliant day.
“…Jin…!”
“Ah….”
The familiar scenery he had seen after a long time disappeared like the waves of the lake. Hae-jin, who opened his eyes dazedly, swallowed his sorrow as he looked at the dark and moldy ceiling. Familiar as always.
“Open the door!”
A loud knocking sound invaded the dazed mind. Hae-jin, who barely managed to raise his creaking body, looked at the door.
A voice he couldn’t possibly not know was heard from outside.
At that moment, Hae-jin wondered if his brilliant memories had been covered by a dark nightmare. Did he have enough strength left to fear and hate Ryle this much?
Then, the sound of violently knocking on the door stopped abruptly. While Hae-jin, who had barely managed to get up, was staring blankly at the door, the lock clicked open.
At that sound, Hae-jin realized that this was reality.
“……”
As the door creaked open, the lodgers who were staying nearby hurled harsh curses at the commotion. Along with someone silhouetted against the darkness, a chilly night air rushed into Hae-jin’s room. The warmth that he had managed to create in his arms was scattered in vain.
Hae-jin met Ryle’s eyes, who was looking down at him without a word. Even in the midst of all this, Hae-jin was having silly thoughts, unable to come to his senses. Wasn’t he, who had always been arrogant, knocking on the door quite desperately just now?
“Jin.”
“……”
Hae-jin was crumpled on the bed, looking as shabby as he had been rolling around outside. Finding him like that, Ryle inadvertently sighed. He slowly swept back his hair, which had been disheveled from rushing up the stairs.
Some time after Hae-jin withdrew the money, the Secretary, who had obtained the information, reported to Ryle that he had found a trace. In this era, moving money was the same as moving the law. For Ryle, digging up the personal information of someone who had no backing was easier than twisting a child’s wrist.
That was all he had to do, just wait. But Ryle couldn’t just rest at the mansion. When he came to his senses, he was instructing them to prepare the car.
On a night when the darkness had fallen completely, Ryle looked at the ATM where Hae-jin had stopped for the last time. The fact that he had withdrawn all the remaining money here was very unsettling.
Just in time, a bodyguard who was searching nearby obtained information that Hae-jin had not gone far and had stayed at a motel. A city where East Asian faces and black hair were not common. Hae-jin was an easy target to track down as long as he left traces.
After hearing that, Ryle didn’t have time to think about anything. Before the bodyguards could bribe the owner and get the key, he came up here first.
He himself didn’t understand why he was moving so quickly. Ryle himself was surprised, but Hae-jin, who had been invaded, didn’t seem surprised at all. He was just looking up at him with indifferent and empty eyes.
The dry air was all being shoved into his throat, and he was strangely thirsty.
“Stop doing this and come back.”
Come back.
Hae-jin felt a sense of rebellion even in his dazed mind. That wasn’t Hae-jin’s home. His warm home had long since been miserably taken over by strangers. So how could that place be a place he could ‘return’ to?
He had been starving for several days and had fallen asleep without even warming his body. His body was so exhausted that Hae-jin couldn’t easily come to his senses.
“That’s not my home.”
“……”
Even though their eyes were clearly meeting, Ryle felt like Hae-jin wasn’t looking at him. His pheromones had accumulated to the point where they were stabbing his brain. From the moment he entered this room, Ryle was on the verge of going crazy from the endless thirst like the Abyss.
“What do you want? Tell me.”
At Ryle’s words, which flowed out like a growl, Hae-jin glanced outside. So many bodyguards were surrounding the area that he couldn’t see the outside.
Looking at that scene, he blurted out as if possessed. It was a voice so small that it could have been washed away by the late autumn night.
“I want to disappear.”
“…You’re driving me crazy.”
Ryle heard something snap in his head. At this moment, his reason couldn’t wait to judge, and anxiety was consuming his body.
Hae-jin, who was collapsed in the dark room, was too small. As if he would seep into the darkness and disappear, so the moment he heard the whisper that he wanted to disappear, Ryle realized that he could no longer bear it.
He strode toward him. Thanks to that, the bodyguards who had been waiting behind him rushed into the room.
Even though many people were crowding in, Hae-jin remained indifferent. That only stimulated Ryle even more, so he ordered the person next to him as if chewing.
“Take him away.”
It was a situation where he was kidnapping an ordinary person, but the bodyguard stepped forward without question. When Hae-jin inadvertently looked at the man coming closer to him, the bodyguard reflexively raised his hand. It was a gesture to knock him unconscious.
The moment he noticed the bodyguard’s movements, Ryle unknowingly stopped him.
“Wait.”
Before the hardened bodyguard could show a questioning look, Ryle strode forward. Then, he lifted up the guy who didn’t know how to get up from the bed.
“Ah.”
With a weak sound, Hae-jin was draped over his shoulder. He struggled for a moment to resist, but he was no match in terms of strength. Even that didn’t last long, and he seemed to have run out of strength, and he soon slumped down.
“Let’s go back.”
So Ryle was confused the moment he lifted Hae-jin up. He couldn’t tell whether he was annoyed by Hae-jin, who wasn’t struggling properly like it was someone else’s business, or whether he was annoyed by this weight, which was lighter than he had expected.
Hae-jin, who had unilaterally terminated the contract, was dragged away by Ryle after almost a month.