By Zephyria The sudden interior light illuminated the space. The light filled the interior, which had only been lit by a dim lamp, and Ashley grimaced and covered his eyes with his hands. As he blinked in the shadows, adjusting to the light, he heard a familiar voice.
“I’ve come to report, shall we proceed as is?”
The businesslike voice was older than before, but otherwise unchanged. Ashley, who had barely adjusted to the light, slowly lowered his hand, and his blurry vision gradually cleared, allowing him to see the objects clearly.
The middle-aged woman standing at a distance was looking at him with a face that was exactly as he had expected. She had been Father’s secretary for a long time, and she continued to work as his secretary even after Father had retired from the front lines. She herself had said that her loyalty came solely from her high salary, but most people who knew her thought that it was impossible to be that loyal just for money. If that were true, her desire for money must be enormous, but the fact that she had devoted more than 30 years without resorting to embezzlement or other crimes was impressive in a different way.
Ashley didn’t bother trying to think about all those possibilities. Whatever her reason for being loyal to Father, even if she suddenly betrayed him one day, it had nothing to do with him. He had been struggling to survive every day of his life.
“Did ‘Ashley’ die or something?”
At Ashley’s indifferent voice, the secretary replied in the same businesslike tone.
“No, not yet.”
A disbelieving sigh escaped Ashley’s lips. The secretary added a word.
“There have been no suicide attempts or scandals.”
“Someone who can’t even walk on his own can’t possibly commit suicide.”
Ashley, who had lightly scoffed, asked again.
“He’s still being carried around by Father, I presume?”
The secretary replied in a monotonous tone.
“As you know, he has trouble even getting out of bed.”
It was an answer that made the questioner look foolish. At the expected words, Ashley muttered to himself.
“Father wouldn’t want him to get better.”
Ashley smiled briefly at the secretary’s gaze.
“I overheard him talking to the doctor.”
That was also the reason why Ashley, who was still young, had left home and gone to the West. He was afraid of Father, and he was terrified of the shadow of death that was always lurking somewhere in the house. That’s how he barely managed to escape.
Thinking about where he was now made him feel so empty that he couldn’t even speak. The secretary glanced at the table where Ashley was leaning on one arm, then moved and poured whiskey into an empty glass.
“What are you talking about?”
Ashley took the half-filled glass to his mouth and said after drinking it in one gulp.
“That he’s only getting enough treatment to keep him from dying.”
Putting the empty glass back on the table, he continued.
“It’s common sense that Gamma is dangerous if it mutates and even gives birth. Surely he knew that?”
“Of course he did.”
It was unclear whether she was matching Ashley’s words or whether she had decided that it was better not to make meaningless denials, but she agreed with Ashley. However, the secretary expressed her thoughts passively.
“I don’t think it was a choice worthy of Mr. Miller to rely on luck when he might have died.”
“Maybe he thought it would be better to kill him if he couldn’t keep him by his side.”Now, based on Father’s obsession with ‘Ashley’ that I’ve seen so far, it was a reasonable inference. The secretary didn’t bother to deny it. Leaving her, still unreadable, Ashley muttered to himself.
“If he dies, Father will have the body stuffed.”
The secretary, who had been silently watching him pour another drink, spoke.
“There are no major changes regarding Mr. Miller. As you already know, ‘Ashley’s’ condition is noticeably worsening, but he is still alive. For now.”
Adding the unsavory word, she soon changed the subject.
“May I convey to Mr. Miller my observations about Junior’s condition as I see and feel them?”
“It’s not like you wouldn’t do it even if I told you not to.”
Ashley mocked her nonchalantly. All her life, she had been monitoring Ashley under Dominique’s orders, and probably, even without hearing it directly from Ashley, his every move was being reported to Dominique through her.
“Or do you think I’m going to give you money to shut you up?”
As Ashley sneered, she replied expressionlessly.
“Thank you for the offer, but I am adequately compensated.”
The secretary, having politely declined, continued.
“Mr. Miller’s message: Don’t forget to suppress your Pheromones.”
Ashley made a V-shape with his fingers in a mocking gesture, flicking them.
“You know very well that I’m going to that ‘goddamn party’ without fail, don’t you?”
“Of course, I know.”
Undeterred by Ashley’s cynicism, the secretary said.
“Going to the party and suppressing your Pheromones are separate matters. You’re seeing that kid again these days, aren’t you?”
It was a very subtle difference, but Ashley’s attitude changed.
“Koi is a Beta. You know that too.”
Even knowing that his tone, which had been cynical and indifferent to everything until now, had subtly changed, the secretary replied nonchalantly.
“Yes, so I’m wondering why you’re meeting him at all. Did you develop some self-destructive hobby due to a brain malfunction?”
Her question was extremely rude, but her tone was as flat as if she were reading a report, with no hint of curiosity or mockery. Ashley deliberately took his time pouring himself a drink, and only after bringing the glass to his lips and then setting it down did he finally speak.
“No, I’m just betting my life on something very childish, I suppose.”
The secretary tilted her head. It was the first emotional reaction she had seen, but that was all.
“Is it worth it?”
The secretary asked again. Ashley chuckled and muttered in a low voice.
“Well, but this is all I have left.”
The secretary didn’t say anything more and stepped back. She had already crossed the line enough. After conveying Dominique’s request one last time, she left, and finally, Ashley was left alone.
The lights were still brightly lit. The secretary didn’t bother to turn off the lights again. Unlike before, Ashley sat alone in the brightly lit room and tilted the whiskey bottle, but the glass was barely half full before it ran out. He recalled that he had already finished two bottles of whiskey, but despite that fact, he wasn’t drunk at all.
Goddamn Pheromones.
After his Manifestation, he could never get drunk no matter what alcohol he drank. Like all extreme Alphas, ordinary drugs, alcohol, and even narcotics had no effect on him. No matter how much he drank, his mind only became clearer, and he couldn’t fall asleep at all. Sometimes he had the absurd thought that he should have tried drinking before his Manifestation. If he had, he would have known what it was like to be drunk, but because of his Manifestation, he would never know.
The night was endlessly long, and once again, he spent almost the entire night awake.
* * *
Koi was also tossing and turning, unable to sleep. He sighed deeply again and turned to his side.
He had already sent Sarah a message canceling their appointment early on. Since canceling on the day was truly the worst, Koi bravely chose to send the message, even though it was quite late.
Fortunately, Sarah was awake and graciously accepted Koi’s apology. Instead, Koi promised to buy her a nice meal next time. He couldn’t bring himself to lie that he wasn’t feeling well, but thankfully, she didn’t pry too deeply.
There are so many good people.
Koi thanked her, washed up, watered the plants, and lay down in bed. As soon as he closed his eyes, Ashley’s face came to mind. His chest throbbed again as he remembered what he had said while handing over the card.
How could he do that?
He couldn’t understand it at all. At that moment, Koi felt like he was seeing him for the first time, like a stranger. It felt as if the 10 years he hadn’t known until now were suddenly thrust in front of him. The old Ashley was not like that at all.
Isn’t the usual reaction to apologize and try to make the other person feel better when an appointment is canceled?
The old Ashley would definitely have done that. But now it’s completely different. To break an appointment and try to smooth things over with money, and to act like it’s the most natural thing in the world, Koi was shocked.
That’s not Ash.
Koi squeezed his eyes shut and forced himself to sleep. As he drifted into a disjointed sleep, he vaguely dreamed of his childhood.
〈I like you, Koi.〉
Ashley smiling brightly as he kissed him, his figure fearlessly speeding across the ice, him running towards Koi after finishing the finals, and finally, the sincerity he confessed with a kiss.
“Ugh…”
Koi let out a small groan as he wandered through his dream. That night, his whole body began to burn with a terrible fever.
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