By Zephyria The noisy detention center suddenly fell silent. Nelson wasn’t the only one surprised by the unexpected words. Koi was also taken aback, his eyes wide with bewilderment, but Nelson’s reaction was even more intense. His face was ashen, his mouth agape, and he was frozen in place, looking utterly stunned and caught off guard. Nelson’s reaction only fueled the suspicion, and words poured out from all directions as if they had been waiting for this moment.
“That’s right, they say he was your subordinate in high school? Getting us out of here would be nothing for him!”
“Contact him now, hurry up.”
“Are we going to spend the whole night here? Do something, quickly. If Ashley Miller shows up and releases us, we’ll believe everything you say.”
“Yeah, I’ll believe you too.”
“Me too.”
The consensus was unanimous. As if this were their chance to shatter his bluff, everyone was pressuring Nelson with the same intent. He had no escape. He could only dart his eyes around anxiously, looking around.
“…Hey, you guys, seriously.”
Nelson finally spoke after a long silence. Suddenly, he gave a bitter laugh, swept back his hair, and shook his head.
“You guys really have no patience. Alright, alright. I’ll try to contact him.”
Nelson glanced at them one last time, sighed, and added,
“But don’t get your hopes up too high. It might be difficult to get out of here quickly.”
“Why?”
Someone asked, and Nelson frowned this time.
“Are you really asking because you don’t know? As you all know, today is Friday. Friday night. What do you think Alphas like Ashley Miller would be doing on a night like this?”
Everyone looked at each other. Amidst the atmosphere of doubt, one person spoke up.
“Could it be that today is the day of the Pheromone party?”
Only then did Nelson smile again.
“That’s right. Don’t you remember why we gathered in the first place? I told you I had a big score and called you all here. I said I’d supply the drugs that came in this time and leave some for you guys.”
Someone hesitated and asked.
“Then those drugs…”
Nelson nodded.
“That’s right, they’re the drugs supplied to the Alphas. Ashley Miller is probably high on drugs right now, fucking any Omega he can get his hands on.”
Everyone fell silent. Nelson turned towards the outside as if to show off and said,
“Well, I’ll still talk to him for you guys. What a pity, you’ll just have to think you’re unlucky.”
Then he called the police. Everyone could only watch him request a lawyer with a mixture of belief and doubt.
* * *
It was over two hours later that Koi was finally able to get his identity verified and explain the situation to the police. Koi answered the police’s questions, filled out the forms, and was thrown back into the detention center. It seemed he would only be able to get out of here after daybreak. Koi had no choice but to give up.
After several hours, the detention center became quiet. Nelson, of course, didn’t say a word. Some were depressed, perhaps because the effects of the drugs had worn off, some had fallen asleep, and others were banging their heads against the wall. Amidst the chaotic scene, Koi sat leaning against the wall with a tired face. He was tired and hungry, and had no energy at all, when suddenly Nelson plopped down next to him. Koi reflexively flinched, but Nelson didn’t seem to care and opened his mouth.
“Damn it, I can’t even smoke.”
Koi pretended not to hear his muttering and avoided his gaze, but Nelson spoke to him.
“Came to get it fixed for nothing, huh?”
Koi reluctantly glanced at him at his chuckling, then looked away again. Nelson continued to speak as he pleased, regardless of Koi’s reaction.
“What bad luck. It’s Friday, now it’s Saturday. I hate working on weekends, huh? In a detention center, huh?”
It was all his fault, but he was talking as if it were someone else’s problem. Koi endured it and just prayed to get out of here soon. Nelson chattered on, as if he didn’t care about Koi’s inner thoughts.
“Just wait a little longer, Ashley Miller will get us out of here soon. Ah, if it weren’t for the weekend, we’d be out of here right away, huh?”
No one was listening to his exaggerated boasting. Even if everyone here believed Nelson, Koi certainly wouldn’t. In fact, his heart felt like it was about to burst with anxiety. Nelson was sitting so close to him, he wanted to move immediately, but there was nowhere suitable in sight. He was fidgeting when someone suddenly thrust their face in front of him.
Koi, startled, inhaled without realizing it and pressed himself against the wall. A woman, vaguely awakened from her stupor, smiled bashfully.
“You’re quite handsome. I like handsome men.”
She mumbled hazily and suddenly collapsed onto him. Koi was flustered and quickly caught her. Whether she had lost consciousness or had fallen into a deep sleep, her body was completely limp, and he had no choice but to lay her down on the floor. Then he felt a stinging gaze. He had been desperately trying to ignore it, but he knew. Nelson was staring intently at him.
“I see, you’re quite handsome.”
His muttering voice was ominous. It wasn’t his imagination that it seemed to have a different meaning. Nelson narrowed his eyes and muttered in a low voice.
“I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before…”
It was a small whisper, but Koi heard it clearly. Koi did his best to pretend he didn’t hear it and turned his head away from him. But Nelson didn’t give up. Nelson, who had been persistently staring at his face, suddenly asked.
“What’s your name?”
In that instant, his heart sank. His pulse raced and cold sweat ran down his back. What would happen if the man in front of him found out that he was Corner Niles? Koi was too scared to even imagine it.
But there was no way to escape. He was completely trapped. There was only one path in front of him. And the outcome wouldn’t be good. The thought of being harassed by Nelson again made his mind go blank.
What should I do?
Just as he was about to fall into a panic, he heard footsteps from outside the detention center. Someone was approaching.
“…Uh.”
A faint exclamation was heard. Koi hurriedly turned his head and froze in surprise. Koi wasn’t the only one flustered. The people in the detention center, who had been moving slowly, also gradually widened their eyes or got up from their seats.
The one who reacted most strongly was Nelson, who was sitting next to Koi. He jumped up, but couldn’t speak, his mouth agape.
Finally, the footsteps stopped, and an unimaginable man stood beyond the musty, dirty detention center.
Dressed impeccably in a dark gray three-piece suit under a light beige coat, he was surprisingly tall. Even though he was wearing a suit, his well-defined muscles and thick chest were immediately noticeable, making him look even bigger.
Nevertheless, the man’s body looked sleek because his attire was perfect. Despite the time being past midnight, his platinum blonde hair, almost silver, was without a single strand out of place, and even his tie was not crooked.
As if he had just stepped out of a magazine, the man with a neat forehead and beautifully shaped dark eyebrows stared at them with deep purple eyes. Everyone could smell the sweet, sugary Pheromone scent emanating from him. Everyone except for one person, Koi.
Ashley Miller.
Someone whispered the name. Then the illusion standing before them suddenly became reality. Everyone who had been넋을 놓고 until then began to stir from here and there. Amidst the people who were bustling about and saying incoherent things as if they couldn’t believe it, Nelson shouted triumphantly.
“See, I was right, wasn’t I? I told you he’d come, what did I say? Do you believe me now, you stupid bastards!”
He let out a rough sound and burst into laughter. Everyone hesitated and looked at Nelson. Now that Ashley Miller had appeared before their eyes, there was no room for doubt. They were clearly anxious that they might be the only ones who wouldn’t be able to get out of here if they made a mistake, while only Nelson was arrogant and loudly blustering.
“Hey, Ash. I knew you’d come. How’s the party? Are the drugs enough? I’ll go out right now and prepare as much as you need. What are friends for, huh?”
Nelson continued to ramble on, but Ashley didn’t react. He was still standing there with his hands in his coat pockets, slowly looking around the inside. And when he finally fixed his gaze on one place, Koi was so surprised that he stopped breathing.
No way.
His heart started pounding again. …No way, that can’t be.
Unable to move, he heard the sound of the detention center door opening.
“No, not you.”
The police officer, who had reached out to Nelson, who was excited and trying to be the first to go outside, looked around the inside, searching for someone. Ashley, who had been quietly watching, tilted his head and whispered something. Still fixing his gaze on one person.
The police officer, who heard Ashley’s words and followed his gaze, shouted at Koi.
“Corner Niles, come out.”
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