By Zephyria Once he thought that far, he couldn’t think of anything else. The fact that he had decided to take a break from his part-time job the day before the exam even felt like an opportunity given by God. Without hesitation, Koi left his house and stopped by a nearby store, found a few kinds of instant soup, put them in his bag, and paid for them with cash. He also bought some simple cold medicine.
I’m coming over now, Ash.
As he pedaled hard toward Ashley’s house, he felt like his heart was burning with worry.
*
Ashley Miller’s house stood on the highest hill inside the country club. The mansion, standing tall with nothing around it, was so huge that it could be seen at a glance from afar, but to get there, one had to go through a rigorous security check and be confirmed as an invited guest. So, in the morning, one could often see a line of cars of people going to work at the mansion, showing their IDs to the security guards and making phone calls.
If things went according to the rules, Koi would also have to go through security and have it confirmed that he had Ashley’s permission before he could set foot on the country club grounds. But Koi didn’t want to bother the sick Ashley, and he knew a way to get into the country club without going through security, though he had found it by chance.
He had discovered it while being chased by Nelson’s gang.
Koi felt a strange feeling as he pedaled hard. Something was amazing. All the bad experiences were becoming helpful because they were connected to Ashley. Even Nelson’s bullying was becoming beneficial like this.
While passing through the back gate of the country club and climbing up the mountain, Koi breathed heavily. Even Nelson’s gang had given up from exhaustion back then, so it went without saying how steep the slope was. Perhaps that’s why the people managing the country club hadn’t expected anyone to come over this way. Thanks to that, he had set foot on the country club grounds. While running as hard as he could, recalling the memories of that time, the sun began to set little by little.
It’s there.
Gasping for breath, Koi finally stopped. In the distance, the grand mansion where Ashley lived on the hill was revealing its majestic appearance.
As soon as he stood in front of the mansion, another sense of tension came over him. Koi swallowed hard and took a deep breath. The sun was already preparing to set. It had taken longer than he had expected.
Koi steadied his trembling heart and moved his staggering legs toward the mansion. The surroundings were as silent as death. There was only the mansion where Ashley lived at the top, and the closest house was the mansion he had passed 30 minutes ago.
Is this all Ashley’s house?
He was envious, but he didn’t feel jealous or tormented. He had simply realized once again how far away Ashley Miller was from him. All he could do to help such an Ashley Miller was a few instant soups and some cold medicine. Koi scratched his head, thinking of the meager gifts he had brought.
He might laugh at me.
He couldn’t just go back now that he had come all this way. Koi took a deep breath and carefully moved his feet.
The closer he got to the mansion, the more violently his heart beat. The three-story mansion was truly enormous, but there was no sign of anyone. Koi became uneasy at the dark side of the silent mansion.
Could it be that he’s not home?
That was a possibility. He might have been taken away in an ambulance while suffering alone, or he might not be as sick as he thought and went somewhere to play. He imagined many things, but seeing the familiar Cayenne parked in front of the garage, he ruled out the possibility that he had left the mansion.
He might have gone out in another car.
Seeing only the Cayenne parked in front of the four-door garage, Koi made another guess. Come to think of it, he didn’t know how many cars Ashley had.
Let’s check it out first.
Koi made a decision and stood in front of the front door. Hoo, he took another deep breath and raised his hand, but it took a few more seconds to press the bell.
Finally, he pressed the bell with force, and a monotonous melody flowed out. It was “Spring” from “The Four Seasons.” He was listening blankly when no sound was heard from inside until the long, long melody ended.
Considering the voice he had heard, which was full of suffering, it was only natural. Koi took his hand off the bell, which he had pressed as a formality, and only after the sound had completely faded away did he grab the doorknob of the front door. When the ominous thought that it might be locked crossed his mind, the doorknob readily went down.
“Uh.”
Koi inadvertently made a sound and stopped awkwardly in front of the front door, which had opened with a bang, blinking his eyes. The door wasn’t locked.
He had gotten permission from Ashley, but he still needed courage to go inside. Hoo, after taking a deep breath, he carefully stepped into the house. It was amazing that there was no security system in such a large mansion. If there had been one, a loud siren would have been ringing long ago.
Maybe it’s because Ashley is in the house.
Koi thought. Or maybe he had a lot of faith in the security of the country club grounds.
Well, who would imagine that there would be a weirdo who would come all the way up here through the back road?
And he had come half the way on a bicycle and half the way walking, pulling the bicycle. He was so persistent that even he was tired of it.
He felt embarrassed when he thought that far, but he wanted to see with his own eyes how Ashley was doing since he had come all this way. Actually, it would be nice just to say hello. At that point, Koi himself knew. The fact that he just wanted to meet Ashley once.
Wow, am I going to become a stalker like this?
Even as he thought that, he didn’t stop walking. As he walked through the huge hall and up countless stairs, Koi guessed where Ashley’s room might be. From the outside, the mansion seemed to be about three stories high. Maybe four stories. Hoo, after taking a deep breath, Koi diligently climbed the stairs and reached the second floor. When he saw the hallway, he was fed up with the endless sense of distance.
I have to hurry.
He shook his head to clear his mind and started moving quickly. The first space he walked to at a brisk pace was a kitchen and bar. All kinds of liquor and glasses, as well as cocktail ingredients, were packed on the walls. Judging from the fact that there were no empty spaces, it didn’t seem like Ashley drank alcohol.
Koi, who had been looking around inside without much thought, inadvertently touched an appliance that looked like a refrigerator and was startled. The light immediately turned on and illuminated the drinks that were packed behind the glass.
Anyway, this isn’t it.
Koi, who came out of the comfortable place where he could make drinks and simple food, headed to the next room. There were no lights on anywhere, but the sunlight streaming in through the countless windows that took up one wall was enough to brighten his vision.
The next room was a movie theater. Seeing the huge screen hanging on one side of the large space with dark blackout curtains and several comfortable-looking sofas, Koi exclaimed, “Wow,” and hurriedly closed the door and walked on.
I’ll never finish if I keep admiring everything like this. Let’s hurry.
He urged himself and headed to the next room.
Koi repeated opening and closing several doors like that. The house was enormous, the hallway was endlessly long, and the rooms kept coming out even after he opened them. He passed a game room with a large billiard table, a health management room with all kinds of exercise equipment, a room full of arcade games, and several more bedrooms that were empty without any human warmth.
Haa, haa.
And when he finally found the bedroom where Ashley was sleeping, Koi was completely exhausted.
*
“You want to go to the West?”
The man asked, with a thick cigar in his mouth. As Ashley met his eerie purple eyes, he suppressed the revulsion that always rose up, and answered.
“I don’t want to be in this house. It doesn’t have to be the West.”
The man narrowed his eyes. Ashley didn’t react to his familiar cynicism. The man, who was deeply buried in the leather chair behind the huge oak desk, deeply inhaled the smoke. Ashley stood across from him, waiting for the man’s answer.
The silence was long. Longer than expected, so long that it was hard for Ashley to endure with patience.
“I have a villa in the West.”
The man finally opened his mouth.
“I bought it for vacation, but since it’s empty anyway, it would be good for you to live there.”
The man, who had said that far in a slow tone, turned his gaze to Ashley. He was waiting. For the words that would come out of Ashley’s mouth.A man who had never lost a case in court always wanted a price for everything he did. The price Ashley had to pay to get what he wanted was ridiculously cheap from the man’s point of view. It was just a word. But Ashley had to take a deep breath to say it.
“Thank you, ……Father.”
The man’s lips loosened. A deathly sweet Pheromone scent mixed with the acrid cigar smoke hung heavily around him.