By Zephyria ‘Ah, how would I know about a contract with some big shot? Anyway, I didn’t get any orders to take the car out today, got it?’
“……”
Ryle’s gaze was fixed on the video streaming from the work tablet.
The space used as a garage was adjacent to the high wall surrounding the mansion. There were CCTV cameras on the wall for surveillance, but most of the staff didn’t know they also recorded audio.
After a long time, Ryle had to call the security team in charge of the mansion’s internal and external videos. Bringing them to the mansion was the first time in 14 years, since the day he confirmed the circumstances of his parents’ death.
The security team and the guard team were deliberately separated, so all surveillance data from the mansion was transmitted to the Vermouth headquarters’ security team. This was a measure taken by the previous generation because of concerns that the mansion’s guard team might manipulate data under someone’s influence. Of course, Ryle knew that was just an excuse and the result of his father’s paranoia.
The security team leader, who had to pull out the scene of his parents dying and show it to young Ryle back then, now had graying hair.
Entering the study, he couldn’t hide the expression that this mansion was somehow eerie. The tall, heartless walls seemed to only show terrible scenes to this young master every time.
‘Fucking hell, acting all high and mighty for a little whore.’
Hae-jin standing in front of the person who appeared to be Mr. Driver, looked so small to Ryle. Even after hearing such absurdly harsh words, he couldn’t say anything back and retreated from the video.
For a long time afterward, Hae-jin appeared here and there in the videos from similar time periods. But even just looking at the scenes that barely caught the corner of the screen, no one was properly treating Hae-jin right.
It was obvious who he was looking for, dragging his painful leg like that. He must have been trying to find Butler to assert his rights written in the contract.
Until sunset, his black hair fluttered in the video. It was a truly strange thing. How could he not find Butler, who should always be residing in the mansion, for so long?
All the staff were currently unable to leave work due to an important event at the mansion, at least to the outside world. All the staff detained in the huge party hall were now realizing the situation and strongly protesting, but Ryle was adamant. The more he checked the videos, the more his will solidified.
Everyone seemed to be in cahoots. The face of one staff member, who was gleefully watching the sick Hae-jin, kept lingering.
Thanks to that, not only the mansion but also the work at the headquarters was paralyzed, but he didn’t care. He didn’t know what this damn feeling was, but if he couldn’t find a way to deal with it, he felt like he would suffocate and die right now. He was sometimes aware that his actions were somewhat excessively harsh, but it didn’t change Ryle’s will right now.
Even while submerged in a tsunami-like emotion, he couldn’t take his eyes off Hae-jin in the video.
“……When was this?”
“Three days before Mr. Bright’s parents passed away. It was the last scheduled visit before the previous contract expired.”
“……”
Ryle’s eyes, watching the video, trembled slightly. The Secretary, who couldn’t hide their dismay either, added.
“……Upon checking, they ultimately couldn’t go to the hospital that day. It’s a breach of contract on our part.”
“……”
‘Is today the day specified in the contract?’
It was two days before his parents died that he roughly pulled Hae-jin, who had been practically kidnapped and brought to the mansion, and asked him that question. Ryle now finally witnessed the reason why he was wandering around the city without Mr. Driver that day.
‘Then what’s the problem.’
He also saw the expression he made after the words he had unknowingly blurted out.
Come to think of it, there was also something strange when he went back to find Hae-jin, who was sitting in a shabby motel. At that time, Hae-jin had clearly said that Ryle had violated the ‘obligations’ of the contract. He had thought it was just a slip of the tongue at the time, but in reality, the mansion had violated not just one contract.
He couldn’t even guess how many sins he had committed in relation to his parents’ death. He needed to know that to attempt any compensation or anything.
Ryle couldn’t calm down his chaotic mind from earlier. If a problem arose, he would solve it. It was his long-standing habit and ability. But this time, he couldn’t find a clear solution at all.
With trembling hands, Ryle replayed the video of Mr. Driver verbally abusing Hae-jin. That appearance, not as detached as now but resisting even a little, seemed alive.
His family must have been that precious to him. They must have been so desperate that he couldn’t even strongly retort, enduring such insults for fear of any disadvantages.
How could he even begin to fathom the sin of trampling all over that?
“What is Jin doing?”
While checking what had happened at the mansion, Ryle asked spasmodically from time to time. Hae-jin’s physical condition was terrible due to unintentionally spending a rough heat cycle with Ryle. He wasn’t in a healthy state to begin with, so he had completely collapsed.
A doctor who wasn’t wearing a gown was stationed to take care of him, in case he woke up. He said it would be better to sleep with a sedative because the pain inside would be severe. He couldn’t even insert a needle unless he was asleep. Hae-jin had to keep his eyes closed all the time, even for nutritional supplements.
“According to the check just now, he is still sleeping.”
It was the expected answer. But the Secretary confirmed his condition to Ryle every time without a hint of annoyance.
Ryle, unable to hide his dismayed expression, accepted the video that the security team leader, who was watching him carefully, handed over. It seemed to be a summary of the videos of Hae-jin captured by the CCTV. The security team leader didn’t rashly ask who the person in the video they were tracking was.
The mansion was so old that it was treated as a cultural heritage of the city. Therefore, there were no CCTV cameras inside except for important places. Instead, the Vermouth family used the staff as their eyes.
It was an outdated method that didn’t fit the times, but Ryle intentionally neglected it. To be precise, he didn’t think there would be a time when he would be so interested in the affairs inside the mansion. All the things that were important to him were in the company building or the penthouse anyway.
Ryle, roughly skimming through the video that the security team leader handed over, suddenly noticed something strange.
What is this.
One of the CCTV cameras attached to the wall happened to capture Hae-jin’s room. It was captured by a camera made for external surveillance. Ryle realized once again how secluded the room Hae-jin originally used was, even though he already knew.
Whether it was mealtime, the staff came to his door with a food tray. Not long after arriving, the staff murmured something among themselves. The sound couldn’t be heard because it was far away. After exchanging a few words, they strangely left again with the tray without even knocking.
Did they bring something wrong? With a doubtful mind, he watched it for a long time, and unexpectedly, the door opened slightly. The white face that suddenly appeared through the gap was Hae-jin. He briefly checked outside the room once, and then closed the door weakly. And no matter how much he rewound the video, the tray that the staff had collected didn’t come back.
At that moment, Ryle felt the sensation of rainwater pouring from the outside running down his neck.
“Isn’t there a scene of Jin eating in the dining room?”
“The dining room, you say?”
“Yes.”
At Ryle’s sudden words, the security team leader rummaged through the equipment they were holding. Then they gave an even more incomprehensible answer.
“Mr. Bright has never eaten in the dining room.”
“……Never? Not even once in the past five years?”
“Yes. Chairman. In the first place, Mr. Bright was hardly captured in major locations where cameras were installed. It is presumed that he had little activity inside the mansion.”
Today happened to be another day with heavy rain. The heavy rain would continue to dominate the city for the time being.
There was no way the air inside the mansion, where humidity was perfectly controlled, could be so damp and constricting his skin. Nevertheless, Ryle felt a vivid sensation pressing down on him heavily.
The security team leader, who had been watching his silent appearance for a moment, handed over a few photos. They were captures of the CCTV footage.
“It may not be related to the matter you mentioned, but one strange circumstance has been discovered.”
“What is it?”
“Some staff members often show peculiarities when they come to work and leave. However, there are no missing items on the recorded list of assets, so we are currently comparing the actual items with the list and the staff’s attendance records one by one.”
The photos they handed over contained images of people taken on the same day, morning and afternoon, from a few years ago. Some people had changed their clothes, and others had different volumes in their bags.
It wouldn’t have been noticeable if it had only happened once or twice. However, quite a few staff members showed these strange behaviors starting from a specific time. So much so that the security team, who were quickly playing the videos, noticed the peculiarities.
What the hell is going on in this damn mansion? Frowning and flipping through the photos, Ryle suddenly stopped.
‘There was nothing to wear in the closet.’
Hae-jin’s words pierced his eardrums like thunder, cutting through the sound of the rain.
Outside, real thunder rumbled in the sky with good timing. Hearing that roaring sound, Ryle seemed to be possessed as he placed the tablet on the desk.
Then he headed out of the room.
“Chairman?”
The footsteps, moving one by one, were hurried from the start, unlike before. It was only the first time he had gone there, but the steps heading to his room were even familiar. The surprised Secretary and the security team followed behind, but Ryle didn’t care.
Arriving at the guest room that Hae-jin had used, Ryle opened the door without hesitation. Hae-jin was receiving treatment in another room anyway, so there was no hesitation. Butler had caused a commotion here, so the room was a mess, and all the staff who had to clean it up were detained.
Unlike last time, all the doors connected to the living room were tightly closed. Ryle briefly looked at the bedroom that Hae-jin had used, then turned around. It was the dressing room attached to this luxurious guest room.
Ryle roughly opened the door that should have been full of clothes, and then froze in place.
A truly pathetic sight greeted him. Originally, this space should have been filled with various clothes to suit the guest’s convenience. There was a Vermouth-style custom to change clothes seasonally, as well as to match various accessories to suit the guest’s taste.
However, the compartments where small accessories such as scarves and watches should have been placed were completely empty. The places where simple jewelry and cufflinks should have been were also empty.
The space where basic shirts should have been hung was also scattered and empty in places. Even the part where there should have been plenty of outerwear on one side had none of the clothes suitable for the current season left.
It was as if a band of thieves had swept through.
The security team leader, who had entered with him, contacted someone with a knowing look. Blankly looking around the dressing room, Ryle ran his hand over his face.
Had there ever been a moment when he felt so stupid?
“……He was covering his eyes, but I was the blind idiot.”
He could understand why Hae-jin hadn’t even read the huge compensation written in the contract. In the first place, the entire contract wouldn’t have been trustworthy to him.
‘I’ll let you live without lifting a finger, just like you’ve been doing, so sign the contract.’
He now knew why he had made that expression when he had thrown those arrogant words.
Ryle couldn’t bear the shame of the newly discovered facts.
* * *
The commotion at the mansion was far more absurd than expected. So Ryle moved even faster and more decisively.
First, he caught up on the company work that had been put off. The employees at the headquarters building had to watch their step as the Chairman, who had suddenly disappeared due to health problems, reappeared and handled work with a grim expression. Reporters were smelling something and rushing in, but Ryle didn’t have time to care about that right now.
This chaotic sensation that was tightly gripping him and wouldn’t let go kept instigating him.
After roughly finishing the urgent work, Ryle returned to the mansion and hurriedly turned his steps, which had been heading to the study. Once he arrived at this damn mansion, he couldn’t stand still because he was curious about Hae-jin’s news.
He ignored Butler, who was detained and desperately causing a ruckus to meet him.
“Some of the staff have confessed to what has happened in the meantime.”
The circumstances he heard while hurrying his steps were even more absurd. Who could have imagined that a guest would go hungry at the Vermouth family’s main mansion? They had only been starving for a few meals since last night, but they collapsed so easily. They couldn’t endure just a few hours of hunger and cold.
Hae-jin’s parched body, his protruding ankle that was exposed to the cold winter wind, kept flickering before his eyes.
In the first screen he had discovered, the staff had very naturally taken the tray back. As if it wasn’t something that had happened just for a day or two.
He had tracked them on the screen, but they soon moved to a place without CCTV. So he didn’t know what they had done with the tray they had taken without knocking. He only knew that the dishes that had gone to Hae-jin were empty and returned to the kitchen late. Hae-jin, the owner of the food, had been starving all day.
So Ryle tracked things related to food this time.
The results were beyond imagination. Just two years. That was the time it took them to realize that it was easier to starve someone than to feed them.
Hae-jin, who had entered this mansion, had to constantly fight hunger in just two years. There were many records of cash withdrawals from ATMs near the hospital in his account. The timing was always similar. The day he went to visit his parents in the hospital every two weeks.
As a result of thoroughly searching the CCTV records of the hospital, it was discovered that he always spent money at a small mart in the hospital. For the leg-injured Hae-jin, the mansion was a place where it was difficult to even go out for a short time once he entered. What was he thinking while barely filling his hungry stomach?
The Secretary’s report that the diagnosis of malnutrition was a chronic problem came to mind. He remembered his own carefree self, who had misunderstood that Hae-jin, who had run away from him, was doing drugs.
He didn’t even know it was a problem with the mansion, and he could easily recall his own appearance, harshly telling Hae-jin to take care of his body. Wasn’t he doing such a stupid thing until most recently? Every time he thought of those thin bones, Ryle couldn’t bear how pathetic he was.
Their bold actions didn’t end here.
“As a result of focusing on the parts you mentioned, as expected, the accounts of some of the staff were strange. More cash than what was paid by the mansion was often deposited, or their spending was large.”
Detaining so many people by force was naturally a problem. But at this moment, Ryle solidified his intention to suppress everything with force. He couldn’t bear it otherwise.
Why is he so angry?
Only after chewing it over carefully did he realize the identity of this strange emotion. It was anger. Ryle felt something boiling inside him to the point where he could fill the mansion with pheromones right now. He was just barely suppressing it because he couldn’t figure out the reason.
“And it has been determined that the drug in question is not related to Mr. Bright. In the first place, the testimony that Mr. Bright was witnessed heading to the Chairman’s room was false. To be exact, they said, ‘Butler, who covered his mouth with a handkerchief, forcibly pushed Hae-jin into the room.’”
In the process of obtaining this testimony, things that were difficult to explain within the bounds of the law often happened. But Ryle ordered them to use any means necessary, and the Secretary faithfully followed it.
“It is said that Butler was the one who made them give false testimony. I presume he was the one who put the drug in as well……”
The Secretary couldn’t come to their senses at this absurd course of action that had continued for five years. Beyond individual abuse and crime, it was an absurd thing that was unbelievable to have happened under the name of Vermouth.
What were they thinking when they did this?
Why didn’t he know anything until now?
“Also, it has been confirmed that Mr. Driver, who violated the contract, is a relative of Butler. Problems with the security company related to the employment have also been discovered and are being addressed. I think we need to bring in some people from the headquarters.”
“Do that.”
There was no place inside or outside the mansion that was without problems. Hae-jin had thought that all he needed was a reasonable excuse in the first place, so perhaps this was a natural result.
After his parents died like that, Ryle used this place only as a place to sleep. When he was too busy with work, he often stayed in the penthouse. Since he was on business trips for half of the year, the mansion was nothing more than a simple bedroom.
It was Ryle’s way of insulting his parents. It meant leaving the name Vermouth, which they were so proud of, as just a facade.
It was also a warning to the relatives who were constantly checking Ryle. A warning that although it was a symbolic place that he treated so poorly, they would never set foot in it for the rest of their lives.
But, he shouldn’t have done that.
With a sudden surge of passion, Ryle quickened his pace. He walked, not knowing what he should say to Hae-jin.
Then, the Secretary, who had been continuing his report, suddenly blocked his path.
“Circumstances have been found on the confiscated cell phones of Butler and Mr. Driver that suggest they attempted to silence Mr. Bright. They may have actually been threatened.”
“…….”
At those words, Ryle suddenly stopped walking. The Secretary seemed worried that this might be why Hae-jin had been silent all along.
But Ryle knew that wasn’t the case. If that were the case, he would have tried to hide it even more. Moreover, there were no longer any parts that could be used as weaknesses against Hae-jin. Before, it was easy to imagine that he might have been threatened by his family. But now that Hae-jin was alone, he had nothing more to lose, so he might have wanted to express the resentment he had suffered.
That’s why it made even less sense. Why had Hae-jin endured all of that, even after returning to the mansion?
“Chairman, there has been no news that he has woken up yet. Now is not a good time…”
“Be quiet.”
The anger he had become aware of swirled in the air like pheromones scattered at will. He knew that this was not the time for him to make such accusations against Hae-jin.
Still, Ryle was going crazy thinking about the back of the guy who had retreated in front of Mr. Driver without saying a word.
He couldn’t breathe unless he saw Hae-jin right now.
Ryle, who had completely pushed aside the Secretary blocking his path, finally headed to where he was. He was currently using the guest room on the first floor as a temporary space. He passed through the reception room connected to the room without hesitation and knocked on the door of the bedroom where he would be. There was no answer from inside, but he barged in anyway.
But the room he entered was empty. He should be lying here.
The bed in the middle of the room was empty with the blankets disheveled. The huge room didn’t have many pieces of furniture to begin with, so it gave a desolate feeling, and strangely, that emptiness flew and pierced his heart.
His pounding heart urged Ryle as if it were familiar. The heavy rain scolded him harshly as if each drop was a clap of thunder.
Hae-jin had disappeared.
“……Jin.”
Without realizing it, Ryle, who had been frozen in place, called out Hae-jin’s name as if possessed. But still, the person who should have been in the room was not there.
“Doctor!”
Ryle, who quickly ran back outside, called for the doctor in an angry voice. The doctor, who had been resting in the next room, ran out with a surprised look on his face.
“Where is Jin?”
“Yes? He should still be sleeping…”
“What?”
Ryle, who had thought that Hae-jin had been moved to another room without him knowing, froze when the doctor looked exactly in the direction of the room he had come out of.
“……When was the last time you checked?”
“About an hour ago.”
“What’s wrong, Chairman?”
The Secretary, who had been waiting anxiously in front of him, asked. Ryle turned his head sharply and questioned him about this incomprehensible situation.
“Jin is not inside. I clearly ordered security.”
“Ah, additional manpower was urgently needed, so I left my post for a moment…”
In fact, this measure was taken because all the people who could harm Hae-jin were detained in the party hall. However, a warning light turned on in the Secretary’s head when he saw Ryle’s flashing eyes. It seemed that the priority was not this side.
“I’m sorry. I will make sure this never happens again.”
He immediately bowed his head. In his head, he adjusted Hae-jin’s position, which had already been considered important recently, further up.
“I will contact the entrance right away.”
Listening to the Secretary’s words, Ryle finally realized that Hae-jin’s absence was certain.
The world, which had been spinning around and around, began to stagger uncontrollably. His body was still firmly planted on the ground, but his vision was surprisingly dizzy.
It was a day when the heavy rain invaded even the inside of the mansion. Still, Ryle thought that his heartbeat was so loud that he couldn’t bear it.
“……Find him.”
His rough, lowered voice anxiously echoed through the mansion.
* * *
They immediately checked the entrance of the mansion, but said that no one had passed through the main gate.
Ryle, who couldn’t just stand there dumbly and wait for news, returned to the place where Hae-jin should have been lying. He barely remembered that this room also had a small private bathroom.
He might have woken up and gone to the bathroom, so it was foolish not to check there first. Seeing the bed empty right away, it was as if his head had become empty as well.
With a sense of hope, his legs moved faster and faster. But as soon as he entered the room, Ryle had to anxiously run his hand over his face. The bathroom, which was wide open, was empty at a glance.
He felt a knot in his stomach. It felt like someone was stabbing him in the solar plexus with a hot iron. Not knowing what to do, Ryle unconsciously followed Hae-jin’s pheromones and approached the bed.
The moment his legs reached the bed, his gaze turned sharply towards the window. On this day with such heavy rain, the window was strangely wide open.
And Hae-jin’s pheromones were leading towards it.
Without even thinking, Ryle ran and jumped over the window frame. Once he recognized it, Hae-jin’s pheromones felt strangely vivid.
The window of this room led to the courtyard inside the main building. As soon as he stepped out without thinking, the rain poured down on his body mercilessly.
Still, Ryle moved his body as it was, feeling desperate. Hae-jin’s faint and pitifully weak pheromones were continuing for a long time.
If this rain continues, the pheromones will soon disappear. As soon as he thought of that, Ryle couldn’t think of an umbrella or anything like that.
He ran without hesitation. The puddles hit by his shoes splashed mud everywhere. As he ran, trampling even the flowers, he saw a place where the grass was heavily disturbed.
As if someone had fallen there.
“Jin!”
The world turned red. Even though the gloomy rain was painting the entire yard gray. From this point on, Ryle wandered around the courtyard like a half-crazed person. Following Hae-jin’s pheromones, which were scattered like thin spiderwebs.
It was strange that the pheromones would dissipate quickly in this rain. Without realizing that strange situation, Ryle continued the chase. His hasty footsteps soon reached the forest near the back of the main building.
He turned around the building urgently and the moment he set foot there, Ryle had to widen his eyes. He could see Hae-jin in white clothes walking unsteadily.
The moment he recognized that, he was already running madly. On a day with heavy rain as usual, Hae-jin was walking along, getting rained on without an umbrella.
“Jin!”
Seeing the back of the guy who was moving unsteadily without even turning around at the call, he kept getting angry. Still, once he confirmed Hae-jin’s whereabouts, the world that had turned red barely regained its color.
His pace was never fast. Moreover, he was just moving forward without any purpose. There was only a dark forest with nothing in front of him.
He quickly caught up and grabbed his shoulder without thinking.
“Jin, stop!”
When he roughly grabbed his body and turned him around, his empty gaze finally turned to Ryle. He lost his words for a moment when their eyes met head-on.
He had clearly been looking for Hae-jin to breathe, but Ryle’s breath was cut off instead.
In the meantime, Hae-jin, who was completely soaked, looked pitiful, just like on the day they had accidentally met. His body, which had been changed into light clothes, was pale and trembling slightly.
Ryle, who was staring at that sight in disbelief, turned his gaze towards Hae-jin’s feet. They were a mess because he had crossed the lawn barefoot without even wearing slippers.
“What are you doing!”
Now that he saw that protruding ankle, his emotions surged uncontrollably. The anger he had become aware of easily consumed him. Ryle barely took a deep breath and tried to calm down consciously.
But Hae-jin’s body, which he touched with his palm, was too thin, and his body temperature was so cold that he couldn’t calm down at all. It was a moment when he was so agitated that he couldn’t even control his angry pheromones.
“I, I didn’t mean to…”
The breath that brushed against his skin made him feel very painful.
Hae-jin’s pheromones, which were faintly but persistently revealing their presence, felt stronger than the raindrops. What it contained was an infinitely sad emotion. But even that emotion couldn’t assert itself to the end and was often scattered in vain.
Ryle, who had been blankly examining Hae-jin’s appearance, realized that his breath was cut off again. The words he wanted to ask, why he was doing this, disappeared. When he thought about it, he remembered what Hae-jin had last experienced while he was still asleep.
How could he be so stupid.
“I know.”
“…….”
Like a sigh, Ryle said to Hae-jin in a miserable tone. He wanted to let him know that he didn’t come to catch him with such a misunderstanding.
It was then. His gaze, which had been unconsciously scanning Hae-jin’s entire body, turned towards one of his arms. Blood was seeping out and flowing little by little, as if he had just pulled out the IV.
The blood that dripped out dyed Ryle’s vision, which had barely returned after finding Hae-jin, red again. It was as if that one drop had spread all over the heavy rain that was falling.
“Let’s go inside first.”
He was desperate. He had to get Hae-jin, who was under this heavy rain, under the roof to feel relieved.
The white clothes he was wearing were soaked with rain, showing his body without any cover. He was still thin and small. It was a body that he had seen for a long time, so he could vividly recall even the feeling of touching it.
Ryle, who was looking at that outline with trembling eyes, reflexively stopped trying to take off his jacket to give it to him. That was because he was also a mess and soaked.
Without a choice, he grabbed Hae-jin’s uninjured arm and walked towards the mansion. The heavy rain quickly seeped into Ryle’s insides. It was the first time he had been rained on like this since he was born. Still, Ryle thought that this feeling of being soaked to the tips of his toes was familiar for some reason.
But he felt a very slight resistance. He was reminded again that Hae-jin had been walking aimlessly as if he was trying to go outside the mansion. It was fortunate that the direction was wrong, but at this distance, he might have definitely left the mansion.
Trying hard to ignore that force, Ryle continued to walk forward. His stiff neck couldn’t turn around. He couldn’t imagine what kind of expression would be on his face.
Hae-jin, who had been trying to step back several times, staggered as if his legs weren’t listening to him. Ryle, who had been trying to ignore everything, reflexively turned around.
Ryle, who had unconsciously given his gaze to that white ankle, couldn’t hold on any longer.
“Ah.”
He put his hand behind Hae-jin’s knees and lifted him up as he was. His staggering body floated up without any resistance. The weight was lighter than the pouring rain, so Ryle had to grit his teeth so hard that his jawbone stood out.
Hae-jin, who had been reflexively resisting, suddenly lost his strength at that moment. From the beginning, his body had already reached its limit.
Only after his legs left the ground did Hae-jin’s mind return a little. As soon as he opened his eyes, he was frightened by the IV in his hand, so he ran away without realizing it.
However, he couldn’t remember how he got here. After a brief memory loss, he saw the forest in front of him. Without knowing where this was, Hae-jin kept walking forward.
There must be a lake in the forest. That’s why he was walking here.
It wasn’t long before they arrived back at the mansion. Hae-jin was sure he had been walking for a long time, but he couldn’t shake the thought that returning was too instantaneous.
“Call the doctor!”
As soon as they returned to the mansion, the Secretary looked at them with surprised eyes. Then he went to find someone in a fluster. Hae-jin tried not to focus on the word doctor that he heard.
Ryle entered the room he had left without hesitation. He put Hae-jin down on the bed first, then grabbed his thin shoulders tightly to make him look at him.
The eyes that met his were burning for some reason. It didn’t suit this dark weather.
“Jin. What on earth were you thinking, going out like this?”
He didn’t understand why Ryle was angry. Hae-jin had woken up after a very long sleep and was miserable. And he had just happened to see the window on the side he was looking at.
He remembered the day he was dragged into this mansion. How long has he been asleep? Has it already been several days?
“Jin.”
Ryle was very anxious about Hae-jin’s condition, who hadn’t given a proper answer since a while ago. Apart from the anger that was erupting, a strange anxiety was gnawing at him. When he felt the trembling in his shoulders, he reflexively lifted the blanket and wrapped it around Hae-jin’s body.
The back of him walking through the rain, staggering, kept leaving his mind. Even at this moment, as he was looking at Hae-jin sitting quietly on the bed.
Then, Hae-jin’s eyes, which had been strangely quiet since he was picked up, returned to the empty air again. His dry voice cracked and crawled towards Ryle.
“It’s hard to fulfill the contract right now. Mr. Vermouth.”
It seemed that he needed pheromone release again. Hae-jin couldn’t think of any other reason why Ryle would look for him so urgently.
“What? I just…!”
Just, what should he say?
That he was worried about Hae-jin? Why was he so pitifully without an umbrella or shoes on a day with such heavy rain?
That it wasn’t his fault, so instead of running away like this, he should be angry at this side?
There was no way he could put such paltry sympathy into words. For the first time in his life, Ryle understood what it felt like to be ashamed.
Didn’t this mansion make him like this? Like a tattered, fluttering fallen leaf.
So Ryle couldn’t say anything for a long time. The anger that had ignited with a crackling sound a while ago was now swirling around him so uncontrollably. The tingling sensation kept increasing in volume, using Hae-jin’s pheromones as nourishment.
The more angry he became at this pale complexion, the harder it was for Ryle to think of other questions. The irregular footprints engraved on the lawn were just like rummaging through his head. After hesitating, he couldn’t stop the last question that popped out like a sigh.
Why he didn’t get angry and only gnawed at himself.
“……Why haven’t you said anything all this time? At least I wouldn’t have ignored important contract terms.”
“…….”
This won’t do. A faint reason screamed at him. In fact, this anger was not to flow into Hae-jin. It was a problem caused by his incompetence and indifference. So such a question was not appropriate for Hae-jin, who was the victim.
Still, strangely, his emotions kept surging up. When he thought about the way he confidently took care of the contract details when he briefly left the mansion, he kept having doubts. Why didn’t he demand Ryle to keep the contract straight? Even if it was just one word in the past five years, wouldn’t something have changed? Wouldn’t things have not gone this far?
He wouldn’t have broken him like this.
“Then what would change?”
Even with his question, Hae-jin didn’t get angry. He just asked back blankly.
“Something would have changed!”
In the end, Ryle poured out his misplaced anger in this room. Only then did Hae-jin’s gaze, which had been looking at the air, turn to him again. Unlike before, there was a faint emotion in it.
That cut off his breath again. He had clearly entered the room, but it was as if the humid raindrops were still falling.
“I already went to talk. And nothing changed.”
“What……?”
The moment Ryle’s mind flashed back to the night Hae-jin had stopped him as he was leaving work.
He remembered the night the faint moonlight illuminated that sorrowful face. Ryle had witnessed Hae-jin desperately waiting for him that day. Hadn’t he replayed the traces of that sorrowful day over and over in a dead video?
Ah, you came to me.
It must have been the day he came to tell him he couldn’t see his parents. Butler had ignored his desperation all day, so he must have waited for Ryle as a last resort.
It must have been the day the guy, who had endured starvation, cold, and contempt for the past five years, finally mustered the courage to speak up.
Ryle dismissed it with a single word.
‘Are we on such familiar terms that we can talk about personal matters like this?’
What strangled Ryle even more now was the fact that even if he went back to that moment, nothing would change.
He would naturally ignore Hae-jin, and Hae-jin would naturally wither away. In this dark mansion filled with his long-standing resentment.
“Nothing has changed.”
At Hae-jin’s voice, which sounded like driving a wedge, Ryle reflexively covered his mouth. The anger that had swept through the entire mansion finally found its destination. The blind resentment that had lost its way and was about to head to another innocent place.
It wasn’t the mansion that made Hae-jin this way. It was just Ryle’s fault.
Ryle, who had locked Hae-jin in this place and never thought to look back, was the sole perpetrator.
“I…”
The trembling voice touched his palm, which was covering his mouth. Surprised by the damp sensation, Ryle reflexively looked up.
Hae-jin was just staring at the air in front of him, no matter what pheromones Ryle was emitting. He looked pathetic, soaked in the rain.
At that moment, Ryle felt like he was actually being strangled, and he took a step back. Layers of intangible energy were slowly retreating, choking his neck. When he barely turned around, his past actions were pulling him back with a sneer.
“…”
Hae-jin showed a faint emotion for the first time, as if this appearance was definitely strange. As if Ryle’s agitation was truly puzzling. Underlying it was an indifference that expected nothing from Ryle.
Realizing that, Ryle couldn’t stay in this room any longer. Cowardly.
“……From now on.”
“……”
“From now on, it will change.”
Ryle barely managed to utter those words and hurriedly turned around.
But even as he spoke, he doubted whether he was qualified to say such a thing.
“Chairman?”
Only after hearing the sound of the door closing did Ryle finally breathe. For some reason, Hae-jin’s faint pheromones clung to him persistently, even after being exposed to the rain. More sticky than the rainwater that had soaked his entire body.
The Secretary couldn’t hide his questions when he saw Ryle suddenly appearing, completely soaked and looking for Hae-jin himself. The doctor’s face, who had returned after searching for the escaped patient, was the same.
As soon as he saw the doctor, Ryle thought of Hae-jin. Very naturally.
“…He’s been rained on. Have him change his clothes and raise the room temperature. Then take care of the wound on his arm.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
The doctor tilted his head in confusion at the mention of a wound. However, there was no hesitation in his steps as he entered the room with the temporary servant the Secretary had called. Hae-jin was too weak now, so if he had been rained on with his bare body, he really needed to take action quickly.
Watching his quick movements, Ryle swept back his damp, drooping hair. Rainwater flowed down his wrist. Seeing this, the Secretary made a phone call and had a new set of clothes prepared in Ryle’s room. He had been so busy suddenly hiring new servants and replacing the security company that he was completely out of his mind.
As Ryle took a step, watching the Secretary work, he suddenly remembered something and opened his mouth.
“Tell Jin’s room to keep the windows closed from now on.”
“The windows? Yes, Chairman.”
The image of Hae-jin wandering outside with a thin body on a rainy day consumed his mind. Like damp clothes, Ryle couldn’t shake off a strange premonition.
Then, one fact suddenly occurred to him.
“…But did Jin know that his room had been changed?”
“Well, as I reported, I believe he had been unconscious since before coming to this room.”
“……”
Once he opened his eyes and approached the window, he would have naturally noticed that the room had been changed. Objectively speaking, that was correct.
But Ryle still couldn’t shake off the strangely uneasy feeling. Come to think of it, Hae-jin’s pheromones crossing the window frame seemed to be flowing very naturally.
It felt like something heavy was stuck in his throat. Forgetting to move, Ryle paused in thought and added a word.
“Give Jin an explanation of the current situation. Be careful not to let his condition worsen, and consider adding more staff if necessary. …Keep the security tight.”
“Yes, I understand.”
It was hard to imagine that the steps that were finally heading forward again could be so heavy. As if they had absorbed all the rain, even Hae-jin’s share.
The anger that had found its place earlier pierced his chest and left behind a single seed. The rain that had flowed in while searching for Hae-jin began to embrace the seed firmly embedded inside.
As if it would sprout soon.
“Several people who first confessed the truth have said they will testify in court about the abuse of Mr. Bright. They are pleading for leniency, saying they were never directly involved.”
Never involved, it was all nonsense. It was Ryle who directly suspected and detained everyone, but the more he investigated, the more he understood why he hadn’t heard any rumors in his ears.
In the early days of Hae-jin’s arrival here, traces occasionally leaked out on the personal SNS of the servants. Embezzled clothes, food ingredients, and sometimes even allocated supplies and funds.
But as time went on, those traces disappeared surprisingly. It wasn’t that Hae-jin’s treatment had improved. They had accurately recognized that these actions were wrong and began to watch their mouths.
At first, their theft was so clumsy that it was caught on CCTV, but as the days went by, it became more sophisticated. Even the security team guarding the mansion was bribed, and stolen goods were loaded onto the cars of outside companies coming to the mansion.
The Vermouth family’s reputation was too high to be called just a budget allocated to one guest. The amount used in one quarter alone was equal to the combined annual salary of ten servants.
It wasn’t that they cherished the Omegas who came to this mansion. It was just the result of advice from the legal team who were concerned about future contract issues. After all, it wasn’t a very desirable contract.
There is inevitably a price to pay for keeping your mouth shut. Ryle was determined to find that evidence, even if it meant tracking all of their accounts. So those who did not actively participate were ultimately active abettors.
Including Ryle himself.
“There is no leniency. Those testimonies are not important, so cut out all the nonsense.”
“Yes, I understand.”
And from the beginning, he had no intention of sending Hae-jin to the forefront of a legal battle. Being a party to a lawsuit attracts people’s attention, whether you like it or not. He would meet Hae-jin and ask for his intentions, but he doubted whether he would willingly agree to such a thing.
So, for now, he was proceeding with the work while hiding the guy’s existence as much as possible. Anyway, their sins were overflowing.
“We have entrusted the work to the law firm DreamK. They are confident that a significant number of people will be held legally responsible even if we only charge them with embezzlement within the mansion.”
The law firm mentioned by the Secretary was the largest law firm in this city. The Vermouth family also had a team of professional lawyers, but they had many lawsuits to handle, so they entrusted the individual servants to that side. It was only natural that everyone involved was immediately fired.
“I will convey that we can see the results quickly.”
It was a flawless measure, but Ryle somehow felt unsatisfied. Throughout the report, Hae-jin’s pale complexion came to mind. That empty gaze was exuding its presence in one corner, as if scolding him.
The cold anger that had now been deeply embedded in his chest was screaming for him to pay a little more attention to the guy’s pain.
“No. Tell them not to proceed quickly.”
“Yes?”
“File a lawsuit and drag it out as long as possible. So that they can suffer from legal problems for at least five years.”
He had heard that the guys, who had only been starving for two days, had caused a commotion to the new security team, saying that they should at least give them food. That’s why the red-hot vision hasn’t regained its original color yet.
“And, contact other large law firms.”
“Do you have any other matters to proceed with?”
“No. Tell them that Vermouth is watching these lawsuits closely. They are smart guys, so they will understand.”
In fact, it meant blocking the servants from individually hiring lawyers. That’s what it meant to stand on the opposite side of Vermouth in this city.
“And, don’t let it end too early, so pull some strings behind the scenes. So that a suitable lawyer can be attached and detached several times.”
“……Yes, I understand.”
Only now did the Secretary, who realized that the clause of at least five years was not just a word, carefully write down a memo. There were more things to keep secret, but it couldn’t be helped. What Ryle wanted was not just simple punishment, but the pain itself obtained by proceeding with legal lawsuits.
Just like Hae-jin had suffered for a long time in this mansion.
“But we can’t just keep him locked up like this.”
“I know.”
At the Secretary’s worried words, Ryle roughly swept back his hair. He wanted to let them all starve and fall in the party hall as it was.
But there was already too much attention focused on him. His mansion was clearly attached to the outskirts of the city, but it couldn’t avoid people’s gazes. Moreover, since the servants and security team were all being replaced, it was impossible not to arouse suspicion.
“First, bring the former Butler.”
While the Secretary went outside to convey the order, Ryle leaned back deeply in his chair and fell into thought.
The question ‘Why?’ had been bothering him all along. First to Hae-jin, then to the people in the mansion.
Of course, those who worked in his family received high salaries. No matter how much more was allocated to Hae-jin, the fact that they were high-income earners did not change.
But why would they risk such a thing and commit a crime?
Reviewing all the recorded CCTV footage, Ryle could vaguely understand how Hae-jin had fallen into this swamp. At first, he must have been just an easy guest. A guest who never raised his voice even if he made a mistake, and who couldn’t argue even if obvious injustice covered him.
And above all, a person who was carelessly neglected by their owner.
As Hae-jin became increasingly silent in his desperation, human malice grew little by little. Eventually, it grew into a great greed that would swallow the entire mansion. Was it so jealous that the high salaries they received were less than the money that went to just one easy Omega?
It’s definitely not Hae-jin’s fault. It was just the problem of the guys who easily abandoned their humanity when the opportunity came. It’s the fault of the guys who dare to covet what is not theirs.
“I brought him.”
The former Butler, who had become quite haggard in just two days, was dragged into the study by the rough hands of the guard. Ryle narrowed his eyes at the sight of his greasy hair. The rolling eyeballs that were looking around made him feel nauseous.
“L, Lord.”
“What on earth were you thinking, doing this kind of thing?”
Unlike the cold anger, an infinitely calm voice flowed out. Seeing that, the former Butler’s face quickly brightened, misunderstanding something.
The guy didn’t make any excuses. He probably sensed it when the Mr. Driver, who had been detained in the party hall with him, returned with bruises all over his body. That a lot of things had been exposed.
In fact, the Mr. Driver had revealed everything he knew with just a few kicks. For example, the fact that the Butler’s dirty hobby was to force these drugs on Omegas.
According to the testimony of another servant, he had grabbed Hae-jin with those dirty hands. Hae-jin, who was unknowingly emitting a huge amount of pheromones because he was in heat cycle.
Just thinking about that scene made Ryle feel like needles were rising backwards in his blood vessels.
“It’s not good for such an inferior gene to stay in the mansion…”
“Why is it up to you to judge that?”
The moment he recalled Hae-jin’s pale, shaking face, Ryle could no longer control his anger. His pheromones, released from control, rushed at the former Butler with murderous intent.
“Cough, cough!”
He absolutely hated controlling others with pheromones. Sometimes he felt like a barbaric animal. But at this moment, Ryle entrusted himself to instinct. To the guy who had intimidated Hae-jin so much with just that kind of lie.
The Butler, whose face quickly turned purple as if he was suffocating, collapsed to the floor. Seeing the saliva dripping onto the carpet made him feel disgusted.
“Did you think that because I was quietly watching, you had become the owner of this mansion instead?”
Most of the servants who were replaced this time had been working since before his father’s death. Except for those who voluntarily quit at the time, Ryle continued to hire them as they were. He also raised their salaries to a considerable level.
It was a kind of hush money and special treatment. To hide the shame of his parents who had died disgracefully in the garden. Above all, he didn’t care about this mansion, so he was too lazy to hire new people.
“C, Save me…”
Ryle sneered as he completely blocked the guy’s breath with pheromones. It seemed that they had all gone crazy after receiving that special treatment. Perhaps they had even mistaken that he couldn’t easily dismiss them. They might have thought they held a big weakness of Vermouth.
And by manipulating such a group, the former Butler had grown his delusion as if he had become the owner of this mansion. While outwardly pretending to care for Ryle, he was rationalizing with all sorts of absurd excuses.
The power Ryle held was different from that time. If there were guys who arrogantly coveted the owner’s seat, it was time to uproot them.
“And watch your mouth. Your treatment from now on will depend on Jin.”
The Butler’s case will be handled directly by his legal team, not by another law firm.
Ryle had no intention of framing himself as a victim, but it was also true that he had been used in this case. Using drugs to forcibly induce heat cycle in an Omega was a serious crime. Raping such an Omega, and plotting to involve another Alpha in it, was also a serious crime. He would give them a heavy sentence that was on a different level from mere embezzlement.
Perhaps the Butler thought that Ryle would try to cover up this incident again and pressure Hae-jin. So that he could once again hold the weakness of the Vermouth family in his hands.
Whether the guy was aware of this and acted, or sincerely mistook that this kind of thing was for his sake, he didn’t know. He didn’t want to know either.
“Ugh, cough!”
It was uncertain whether the Butler’s sins could be atoned for with that sentence. One thing was certain, Ryle had no intention of ending this easily.
“Clean it up.”
The guy’s excuses were as expected, so there was no need to hear more. At his cold command, a guard came in and grabbed the former Butler by the neck and dragged him out. He, also an Alpha, had a look on his face that he was tired of Ryle’s massive pheromones.
As the unpleasant pheromones brushed his nose, Ryle habitually thought of Hae-jin. His body was burning with the desire to approach that faint scent like winter air. But instead of running out of the room, Ryle slowly covered his face and leaned back deeply in his chair.
In the first place, the reason why the guy could act like that was ultimately because Ryle had given him the opportunity. Because he had treated Hae-jin that way for the past five years. Because he had used him as if he could be wielded at will without any problems.
Ryle was utterly horrified by the fact that the guy and he were not much different.
* * *
“Are you uncomfortable anywhere, Mr. Bright?”
“……”
A servant with a gentle tone brought Hae-jin a meal and asked. Hae-jin, who was awkward with that ticklish tone, just lowered his gaze and looked at the food. He could see a thin soup and salad suitable for a patient.
Even this feels too much right now. The swelling in his throat has subsided, but his appetite hasn’t returned. Besides, he felt burdened by the gaze of the Butler watching him from the side. He couldn’t forget the eyes that used to monitor his eating.
Hae-jin had heard about the situation. A familiar Secretary had come to tell him what had happened. He remembered seeing Ryle before losing consciousness, but he didn’t know the situation would change so much while he was asleep.
Outside the window, the number of security personnel had clearly increased, patrolling in pairs. Overall, the atmosphere of the mansion had changed drastically.
Of course, what he thought had changed the most was the attitude of the newly replaced staff.
“…….”
He barely swallowed a sigh and managed to lift the spoon. Of course, the new staff didn’t monitor him until he finished his plate like before. Instead, they told him not to push himself if he didn’t eat much.
And they constantly brought in trays so that Hae-jin could eat something. This new method was even more burdensome.
His hand trembled slightly. He felt nauseous even before taking a few spoonfuls, but he endured it. The people watching him now weren’t the same ones from before. They even looked genuinely worried, in Hae-jin’s opinion.
But he couldn’t bear it at all.
“……Stop…….”
“Yes. Don’t push yourself. I’ll bring it again later.”
Hae-jin covered his mouth and couldn’t reply because he was holding his breath. He felt miserable as the pitiful gaze pierced his skin. It was the most familiar feeling in the mansion, but it felt particularly nauseating today. That gentle tone, that gaze.
He was told those people were gone now.
As soon as the Butler who collected the tray left the room, Hae-jin exhaled. Then, he habitually looked out the window. Hae-jin, inadvertently spotting the sun shining on the place where Ryle used to sit and eat, was seized by a strange impulse.
After sitting blankly on the bed for a long time, he heard a knock.
He flinched and looked at the door. Unlike before, the newly replaced staff didn’t barge into his room without warning.
He knew that, but Hae-jin had to answer the knock with a choked voice. Otherwise, the knocking would just start again.
“Mr. Bright. Excuse me.”
But he soon regretted not enduring the knocking. As soon as the person in the Butler’s uniform entered, he couldn’t stop the goosebumps from rising on his arms.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes, yes. I’m fine.”
Pulling up the blanket, Hae-jin avoided his gaze. The new Butler, whose hair was completely white, was like a model of an old gentleman, unlike the previous Butler.
The corners of his eyes were kindly wrinkled along the smile lines. His quiet voice always flowed softly through the room. Above all, he was a Beta, so there was no unpleasant pheromone unique to Alphas.
Yet, Hae-jin couldn’t meet his eyes because of the black Butler’s uniform.
“The sun is shining for a change today. How about spending some time in the courtyard garden?”
The old gentleman, looking pitifully at Hae-jin, who was visibly shrinking, fell into thought.
He was the previous Butler’s predecessor, who had been dismissed due to the recent disgraceful incident. He had served Ryle’s parents and had witnessed their deaths, which made him feel disillusioned and step down from the Butler position.
But this time, the Butler position in the mansion suddenly became vacant, and he decided to return temporarily at Ryle’s persistent request.
However, as soon as he arrived, a very unexpected guest was waiting for his care. When he heard a summary of the previous Butler’s misdeeds, he couldn’t hide his dismay. The dismissed former Butler was like a disciple he had raised.
From what he heard, it was an undeniable crime. The old gentleman no longer wanted to understand or defend that inferiority complex.
His wrinkled gaze turned back to Hae-jin’s hands, which were tightly gripping the blanket. And Ryle, Your Highness, how did you end up hurting someone like this?
“…….”
Even though he had clearly conveyed Ryle’s orders, Hae-jin’s eyes quickly filled with wariness. Just a moment ago, he had been shrinking and trembling, but now there was clear vigilance. It even seemed like a deep-rooted distrust that such freedom could never be granted to him.
Seeing him so wounded, the old gentleman felt an unknown sense of responsibility. He wanted to help this young man get out into the sunlight.
“I want to be alone.”
“……Yes. Please call me anytime if you need anything.”
But Hae-jin didn’t let down his guard easily. At this point, the old gentleman thought he should find out exactly what the previous staff had done.
It had been a recurring pattern for the past few days to obediently retreat each time to avoid further stimulating his wariness. Unfortunately, Hae-jin had never sought them out first.
Hae-jin, who had been quietly watching the old gentleman retreat, turned his gaze back to the window.
He felt sorry for the security, which had become so strict that it seemed impossible to leave the mansion on his own.
“He hasn’t taken a single step out of the bedroom today either.”
“…….”
Listening to the news about Hae-jin, Ryle anxiously touched his lips.
He had cowardly run away after only saying that he would change. But he couldn’t figure out where to start.
When he thought of that pale face, he strangely kept hearing the sound of rain in his ears. It was a strange thing, as the past few days had been clear without any rain.
Ryle was a person accustomed to being resented. For a company to make money, it inevitably meant taking someone else’s share. Sometimes it was justified, but most of the time, Vermouth had grown by eliminating other competitors.
During the period of rapid business expansion, he had been involved in terrorist attacks twice. It was the work of companies that had gone bankrupt and harbored resentment. Demonstrations criticizing the giant corporation Vermouth often took place in front of the headquarters.
Ryle knew all this well, but he didn’t care. As long as the company’s image didn’t deteriorate and sales didn’t decline. That was the path he had to take.
But Hae-jin was different. It was even more so because he had never had anyone so close to him. It was already too late to excuse it as a simple contractual relationship, as Ryle had already taken the initiative to break too many lines.
By the time he realized something was wrong, it was already too late.
“Did you clearly convey that he can go outside?”
“Yes. I told him that, but he just said he wanted to be alone.”
“…….”
This is difficult. Why can’t he act objectively when it comes to Hae-jin’s affairs?
The more he heard, the more he felt an oddly heavy sense of responsibility. His heart raced when he thought of exploring the Omega’s body while he was unconscious. Surely, that feeling of being immersed in instinct was uncomfortable and unsettling.
Thanks to that, Ryle felt for the first time that he had lost his way.
Hae-jin’s figure wasn’t visible on the few CCTV cameras inside the mansion. Seeing him avoid going out so much that he hadn’t even been to the dining room once, Ryle now habitually suspected. Had the staff restricted his movements?
Hae-jin might have refused to come out on his own, but that wasn’t the point. He just didn’t want him to feel trapped in that room anymore.
But it wasn’t easy at all. Even though he had replaced all the staff, the Alpha’s wariness didn’t subside easily. It was hard to even guess how deeply they had oppressed him.
It would have been easier to grasp if he had seen more of his activities over the past five years.
Ryle sighed, recalling the reason why there were so few CCTV cameras, and cursed inwardly. His father, in order not to be caught having affairs, had reduced the mansion’s surveillance system that much.
His late father was a stuffy man who thought of the staff as his real servants, thinking of the old glory of the aristocratic family. That absurd way of thinking was even more annoying today.
“Chairman.”
“Speak.”
“It seems we won’t be able to block all the leaked information this time. Beyond just the mansion being sealed off, the fact that you took Mr. Bright to the hospital before is also being linked. It seems the information is leaking from the witness at that time.”
He hadn’t thought he could block everything from the beginning. He had planned to smooth things over to some extent by using money and power.
But the timing was bad that the incident of taking Hae-jin, who had collapsed from trauma, to the hospital was being linked.
“How exactly?”
“……Well, it’s a rumor that an Omega was injured and taken out of the Vermouth family’s mansion…….”
“…….”
Ryle couldn’t hide his dismay because that wasn’t wrong. Of course, the malicious rumors people were spreading weren’t in that nuance.
Annoyingly running his hand through his hair, he pondered. Even while lost, the things he had to do were steadily piling up like this.
There was only one answer he found. He had told Hae-jin that he would change, so he had to change first. If he didn’t believe him even if he said it a hundred times, he would have to show him directly through his actions. Ryle decided to express that sense of responsibility that was pushing him so absurdly.
He didn’t want to hear that he hadn’t moved from the bed every time he asked what Hae-jin was doing. If he didn’t move at all and only picked at his food, even a healthy person would immediately become depressed.
“Chairman. In the current situation, Mr. Bright must leave this mansion in a healthy state, at least.”
“……That’s what I have to do.”
The Secretary, who also had a troubled expression, rummaged through the tablet, wondering if there was any helpful information. Ryle, watching him, added another heavy task.
“And increase the CCTV cameras inside the mansion.”
He couldn’t bear to see anything happen to Hae-jin in a place he couldn’t see again. There was no guarantee that something that had happened once wouldn’t happen twice. And Ryle was the kind of person who would rather shoot himself in the head with a pistol than be caught in the same situation again.
So, at least everything that happened inside the mansion had to come to his ears without exception.
“Are you planning to overhaul the interior on a large scale?”
Ryle shook his head, briefly concerned about Hae-jin’s uncomfortable leg. There was no need to do more than install CCTV cameras right now. This dilapidated mansion was already a lot of work just to install CCTV cameras.
“No, just make sure there are no blind spots for now.”
So this was just to take responsibility for the past mistakes.
That was all.
It was two more days before Ryle went to see Hae-jin.
He wanted to rush over and tell him to eat his damn food properly, but he couldn’t. The affairs of the headquarters that he had caused were also a problem, but more than anything, Hae-jin wasn’t ready.
After the heat cycle, Hae-jin’s body temperature changed constantly. According to the doctor who had finally calmed him down and examined him, it was because he had been exposed to too much Dominant pheromone too suddenly.
Throughout that explanation, he felt a strange tingling sensation running under his skin. He was clearly also affected by Hae-jin’s pheromone.
Only after the doctor gave his permission did Ryle return to the mansion and head to the Omega. His steps were quite hurried, but Ryle strangely didn’t find it strange.
As he entered the main building of the mansion, the guards bowed to him with precision. They were temporarily stationed there until the CCTV system was completed.
Passing by them, he suddenly looked at their faces. Had there always been so many Alphas in the security team?
“Do you have any orders, Chairman?”
“No. Keep up the good work.”
The proportion of Alphas was quite high in professions like security. So it couldn’t be a very novel impression. It must be because he felt angry when he thought of the former Butler, who was an inferior Alpha. Ryle dismissed this unpleasant feeling as such.
Climbing the stairs, he saw Hae-jin’s door. The bright pastel-colored embossed pattern he knew so well was obtrusively etched into his vision.
Ryle, who had been standing in front of Hae-jin’s bedroom door for a moment, carefully knocked. After a brief pause, he heard a small voice. It was strange why it was taking so long to open the door.
“…….”
“…….”
It had only been a few days, but it felt like he hadn’t seen Hae-jin’s face in a long time. And the moment he met his eyes, Ryle realized that he wasn’t in a position to exchange friendly greetings with him.
Hae-jin, who had awkwardly gotten up, stepped down from the bedside. The moment his emaciated ankle touched the floor, Ryle unknowingly swallowed hard.
“Let’s talk for a moment.”
The Omega quietly nodded. Looking at his swaying hair, it seemed that his expression wasn’t very good when he opened the door. No, to be precise, there was no trace of emotion.
Ryle hid his uncomfortable feelings at that indifferent reaction. It wasn’t that he was foolishly thinking of getting praise now. He was just bothered by the attitude that everything was someone else’s business.
“The Secretary probably gave you a rough explanation of the situation first.”
“Yes.”
There was no trace of the expression he had glimpsed earlier on Hae-jin, who was answering obediently. Or, to be precise, there was no trace of emotion.
Ryle hid his uncomfortable feelings at that indifferent reaction. It wasn’t that he was foolishly thinking of getting praise now. He was just bothered by the attitude that everything was someone else’s business.
“I’m going to file a lawsuit against the guys I fired. But I’m not planning on making you the subject of the legal action.”
“…….”
“If you want to be a party to the lawsuit, I’ll support you with a lawyer. But if that happens, you might have to attend the trial.”
“I just don’t want to be involved in anything.”
“…….”
Ryle carefully touched his lips at that attitude, which didn’t even require a second thought. He might have organized his thoughts in advance because he had heard it from the Secretary beforehand. Even considering that, something was still strange.
Why did he think of the Omega wandering barefoot outside at this moment?
“……Then they’ll only be punished for embezzlement or other negligence. Is that alright?”
To say “only that” was an understatement, as the revenge Ryle was planning was much greater. Yet, he deliberately provoked him and carefully watched Hae-jin’s reaction.
But the Omega just nodded again. He must have suffered so much humiliation from the former Butler that he wouldn’t have minded killing him, so why?
“I heard you’ve been staying in the bedroom lately.”
“……That’s right.”
Ryle blurted out with an inexplicable thirst. Hae-jin’s attitude, which hadn’t moved at all every time he received a report, was definitely that of a victim.
Of course, it would be better to take care of himself for the time being since his leg hurt. The problem was that his appetite wasn’t good either, so the vicious cycle was repeating. He wondered if the problem was that he was staying in the room too much.
Somehow, Hae-jin’s face seemed to have turned whiter in the past few days.
“There’s no one in this house who will mistreat you anymore. So feel free to roam around. Tell me if you need anything.”
Hae-jin didn’t answer even after Ryle spoke. He was just staring intently at those lips, but they stubbornly wouldn’t open.
He was curious about the look in Hae-jin’s eyes that had briefly met his and then disappeared. The lush eyelashes that were slightly lowered were blocking Hae-jin’s gaze, just like the day the Omega had closed the window in front of Ryle.
Hae-jin’s collarbone, which still faintly bore his traces, was barely visible through his clothes. Strangely, his fist clenched when he saw those faded traces.
Ryle, who had been watching Hae-jin like that, sighed out the words he had originally intended to say as soon as he entered this room.
“First of all, ……I apologize for what happened.”
“…….”
Hae-jin remained silent. Even though Ryle had expected this, the silence felt like a silent rebuke. Ryle, who had never been nervous in any situation, realized that his current state was strange.
Pulling himself together, Ryle calmly brought up the words he had prepared.
“I’m especially sorry about the knotting that day. …It wasn’t intentional.”
“I’m sure you are.”
Unlike Hae-jin, who calmly affirmed, Ryle felt like he was spitting out an awl when he said it wasn’t intentional.
This was why being swayed by pheromones was inconvenient. Anyway, thanks to that, Ryle, who had regained his cold reason, laid out several documents on the table and continued.
“If any problems arise in connection with that, I will handle it in the direction you want as much as possible.”
This knotting was a mistake on a different level than the last time. It was more persistent and longer than before, and Hae-jin happened to be in his heat cycle. Since he was an inferior gene, the probability of pregnancy would be low, but he had to prepare for the worst.
He couldn’t bring himself to force Hae-jin to have surgery if an accident happened. He couldn’t make him any more tattered than he already was.
A new heir might be born. So, clearly, even if it earned him even greater resentment, it would be right to force Hae-jin into the hospital. But Ryle couldn’t bring himself to bring that one option among the various plans.
The best option he chose was the document he presented now. He would support the child support, but he would not be involved in any further inheritance issues. It was ridiculous that this was happening because he shouldn’t have made a mistake in the first place. Ryle was vaguely realizing that his body didn’t move as he wanted when it came to Hae-jin.
Hae-jin answered without hesitation, making Ryle’s worries pale.
“I’ll have the surgery without resisting, so don’t worry.”
“……”
Unlike his calm voice, Ryle’s heart was beating particularly loud.
It was definitely a welcome thing. It was what he had expected in the first place. It was obvious that Hae-jin wouldn’t want the child either.
But why was he so anxious?
This feeling that swirled inside him was now bothering him to the point of excess. This wasn’t normal. Just as Hae-jin’s body had been strange for a few days because he was affected by Ryle’s pheromones, Ryle himself must have been affected.
He tried to suppress the inexplicable displeasure. The negotiation with Hae-jin was going more smoothly than expected.
“If there’s anything you want as compensation…”
“Mr. Vermouth.”
“……”
The voice that cut him off so resolutely sent a chill down his spine this time. Ryle unconsciously looked out the window, thinking it was raining. Contrary to his expectations, the sky was clear.
“I want to leave this place now.”
“……”
Ryle swallowed the shock as if he had been hit on the head by the voice that followed. Why had he assumed that Hae-jin would naturally stay?
The clause that he could quit at any time was the only condition Hae-jin had requested. Just like when he had asked for the right to see his parents when he made the previous contract.
Ryle, who had a history of ignoring even that one condition, couldn’t refuse this request. He shouldn’t have.
He certainly shouldn’t have, but he couldn’t bring himself to say yes.
“I… I wish you would reconsider.”
“Why?”
Hae-jin, who had lowered his eyes again, asked dryly. The faint sigh he let out seemed to rush in and crack Ryle’s skin.
Hae-jin’s pheromones, which had been subtly enveloping Ryle since earlier, were carrying a faint negative emotion. The sensation felt rough, like a giant sandpaper, and he had to choose his words carefully.
“Your body isn’t in good shape. It’s my responsibility, so focus on recovering here for now. I’ll give you all the support you need.”
Yes. He had to take responsibility for the mistake he had made. Hae-jin was the unprecedented victim of this mansion. So Ryle had enough reason to worry about Hae-jin’s health.
The image of Hae-jin walking away in the rain kept flashing through his mind. Even though he was sitting quietly in front of him now.
But Hae-jin tilted his head slightly at the answer he had barely squeezed out. His gaze, angled upwards, touched the tip of Ryle’s chin.
“Are we on such personal terms that we should worry about such things?”
‘Are we on such personal terms that we can talk like this?’
The hallucination he had heard several times before now flowed from Hae-jin’s lips.
There was no emotion in that tone, which was made up of pure questions. It was a voice that was completely devoid of expectations, just like when he had wondered at Ryle’s agitation.
Realizing that, Ryle unconsciously looked down at his hand. He felt a pain on the back of his hand, which had been briefly touched by Hae-jin’s pheromones. The rough, sandpaper-like sensation had now become uncontrollably prickly, as if his skin was being scraped off.
Would it have been better if Hae-jin’s words had contained a sarcastic feeling?
“…I couldn’t block all the articles.”
“Articles?”
“Yes.”
Ryle, who had been staring blankly at the back of his hand, recalled the excuse that Secretary had told him. Hae-jin’s pheromones, which he had been inhaling subtly since earlier, flowed through his body, starting from his lungs, making him tingle. It was as if thousands of ants were digging through his insides, so he had to clench his fist tightly.
To prevent any more strange things from getting inside.
“The Vermouth family is now suffering from rumors that they are oppressing an anonymous Omega.”
“……”
Seeing Hae-jin’s eyes turning blacker and blacker, his insides became as muddy as mud. Ignoring all those sensations, Ryle put his will into the most important thing.
He had to hold on.
“Unfortunately, that’s true. We need your cooperation to quell this scandal.”
“What do you want from me?”
“I’m not saying you should fulfill the previous contract. …Rest in this mansion until the rumors die down, and then walk out in good health. That’s what I need.”
“……”
It was only to take responsibility.
And if he could quell this scandal at the same time, it would be even better. Hae-jin was being very cooperative, and Ryle didn’t want anything more than that. As long as he stayed in this mansion.
“You can think of it as just filling the remaining contract period and then leaving. Then the compensation that was stipulated will follow.”
Even his black eyes slid downwards. Between them, only the documents that had created a futile promise were scattered meaninglessly.
Forcing his parched throat to move, Ryle drove in the wedge. Thinking that it was better to face each other, even if it was a futile gaze.
“I’m just trying to take responsibility.”
“……”
Hae-jin was lost in thought, reading the letters on the document in vain. It had been repeated so many times that he couldn’t help but know. Ryle was definitely strange.
In particular, the fact that he had knotted him twice was an abnormal reaction beyond any doubt. Even though Hae-jin was ignorant about these traits, he knew that knotting was not normal.
Leaving aside whether he was pregnant or not, how could an act involving an Alpha’s will happen by mistake twice?
He didn’t think that Ryle had the will to knot him. The Ryle he had seen was not an Alpha who would have such an obsession. So something must have gone wrong with his body.
Hae-jin, recalling Ryle who had barged into his lodging late at night, had to watch his heart die black in real time.
For some reason, he felt like Ryle wouldn’t let him go.
“Mr. Vermouth.”
“…Speak.”
“What’s happening with finding another Omega?”
“What?”
Ryle was momentarily flustered by the sudden question. Another Omega all of a sudden.
But then he remembered things he had buried in the back of his mind. When he brought Hae-jin back, Ryle had definitely made up his mind. Suspecting that pheromones might have a binding force, he would contract with another Omega to erase Hae-jin’s afterimage.
After that, he had been thinking about shortening the contract period as well. It would be troublesome if something more cumbersome got in the way of his body.
But since when had he stopped thinking about that?
“You said that if I told you, things would change from now on.”
“…Yes.”
It felt like his throat was burning. Ryle couldn’t understand how he was making a sound right now.
Hae-jin’s pheromones, which had been trembling and sinking to the floor, were filled with deep resignation. It was an emotion that had been accumulated and hardened over a long period of time.
As if he had been creating such heavy emotions alone in this mansion all along.
“I have nowhere else to fall.”
“……”
Hae-jin’s tone was devoid of strength, as if he was talking about someone else’s story. He was so weak that it seemed like Ryle could ignore him and trample on him without him being able to resist.
But Ryle couldn’t ignore it at all. He couldn’t take these words, which felt like an ultimatum, lightly.
“So, I hope you keep your word that the contract period is three months.”
The two men’s eyes met straight on. So Ryle couldn’t say anything.