By Zephyria 
Detective Simmons had disappeared.
The department fell into chaos when he failed to appear even after his vacation ended, but there were no clues to be found. The confusion intensified after they discovered he hadn’t gone to his family home. He couldn’t be found at his own house, nor anywhere else. Even if Chrissy tried to inform other detectives of the situation, he had nothing to say. He hadn’t heard anything from Simmons about what kind of case this was, and simply saying that he disappeared while chasing something would surely be dismissed as nonsense. Moreover, if he dragged someone else into this and they suffered the same fate as Simmons, Chrissy knew he wouldn’t be able to handle it. Therefore, Chrissy was the only one who could find him and resolve this matter.
Nathaniel Miller.
Chrissy sank into deep thought, biting his thumbnail. That was the only clue Detective Simmons had left behind. What on earth had he seen, and where, to leave such a message? Why was Nathaniel Miller there?
He thought he had escaped that man, but he had returned to square one. Should he have accepted that game from the beginning?
A pained groan escaped his lips. Chrissy remained motionless for a while, burying his face in his hands. After a few more seconds passed, he finally seemed to make a decision, lifted his head, and gripped his phone.
“I would like to leave a message for Mr. Nathaniel Miller. I am Prosecutor Chrissy Jin.”
He immediately stated his purpose and identity to the voice of the secretary’s office staff. A calm voice responded from the other end.
“Yes, what is the message you wish to convey?”
After a short silence, Chrissy spoke.
“Do you have any intention of continuing the game?”
For a moment, there was a sense that the man on the other end hesitated. It was obvious he thought the content was strange, but as a professional, he replied “I understand” without any particular objection, then added a question.
“Is there anything else you would like to leave?”
The businesslike voice held no emotion. Chrissy replied simply.
“That’s all, thank you.”
As he hung up after the greeting, he unconsciously let out a long sigh. He suddenly noticed his fingers trembling slightly in his field of vision. Sometimes, one must take the bull by the horns. Thinking this, Chrissy deliberately took a deep breath.
Nathaniel Miller would certainly agree to this meeting. Since he was a man whose very breath was steeped in boredom, he wouldn’t miss this opportunity.
However, it was certain that it would take some time for a response to arrive. This man would never rush. He would likely contact him only after taking enough time for the other side to grow anxious and for Chrissy’s heart to burn with impatience.
Of course, Chrissy didn’t intend to just sit idly by until then. In fact, having some spare time was better. After telling the assistant prosecutor that he would be leaving work early, he hurriedly left the office and moved quickly toward his destination.
And exactly two days later, on Friday afternoon, Nathaniel Miller’s secretary delivered a message to Chrissy.
‘He asked for you to come to Mr. Miller’s residence at 9 o’clock.’
Finally.
Chrissy closed his eyes and let out a trembling breath. All preparations were complete. Now, all that remained was to rescue Detective Simmons safely.
“Hello, Mr. Jin.”
The security guard, upon seeing Chrissy’s face, greeted him with a smile. Despite having met only once, and only briefly, the guard remembered him instantly and even knew his name accurately. Chrissy wondered if this was a quality one naturally possessed when working in such a place. Following the guidance, he headed toward the elevator.
“Has Mr. Miller returned home?”
When he asked casually before stepping into the machine, the employee holding the door nodded with a smile.
“Yes, it was confirmed that his car entered a while ago.”
Instead of a formal greeting, Chrissy gave a light nod and a smile. As soon as the elevator doors closed, the smile vanished from his face. He confirmed in the reflection of the opposite door that his expression had stiffened, but the tension around his mouth would not relax. He clenched and unclenched his hands several times and took deep breaths.
Surely he isn’t watching me right now.
The thought that the resident might be able to see him since it was a private elevator suddenly flashed through his mind, making him anxious. It’s just a delusion; that’s only possible from the management office. He immediately denied it, but nevertheless, he stood straight, clasping his hands below his waist as if at attention. When he felt an absurdly slow void of time within the rapidly ascending vessel, the unpleasant sensation of floating finally ended as the elevator reached the top floor.
Following a short chime, the doors opened, and Chrissy paused for a moment before stepping out. Until he passed through the short hallway and opened the front door, it was deathly silent, save for the sound of the elevator doors closing behind him.
The first thing he noticed was a faintly spreading sweet scent. It was Nathaniel Miller’s pheromone scent. The fragrance that always lingered around the man was permeated throughout his sanctuary, as if boasting that this place was his territory.
Irritated by that arrogance, Chrissy deliberately let out a loud, fake cough. However, all that returned was a chilly silence. The man was certainly supposed to have returned home first, so what was this silence?
He’s not trying to play hide-and-seek with me, is he?
Unconsciously frowning, Chrissy suddenly looked up. Where his gaze landed was the firmly closed door of the study. It looked like a forbidden fruit—a fruit that endlessly tempts the other despite being impossible to obtain.
It’ll be locked anyway.
Chrissy stubbornly looked forward, trying his best to ignore it. Enduring the awkward atmosphere in another person’s space while waiting for a man who might return at any time was also a price he had to pay. Perhaps the man was hiding somewhere, waiting with excitement to see what action Chrissy would take, driven by anxiety.
As he gazed blankly at a work by a famous painter hanging on the wall, he suddenly heard a sound from inside. The alien and unique sound of a cane striking the floor rhythmically between footsteps now felt like his signature. Chrissy turned his head and waited, fixing his gaze in the direction of the sound. The footsteps, walking at a steady pace, approached him—neither too fast nor too slow.
When his figure finally appeared beyond the paneling, Chrissy couldn’t help but clench his fists tightly. He suddenly wanted to run away, but he braced himself, putting all his strength into his feet. The thing gradually approaching him felt like an unavoidable fate. To suppress his instincts, he forced himself to recall Detective Simmons’ face while he waited for the footsteps to stop and for the man to face him and speak.
“Prosecutor.”
Nathaniel Miller’s lips slowly parted, and the word he always used to refer to Chrissy flowed out. With a stiff expression, Chrissy looked up at the man and uttered a formulaic greeting.
“Hello, thank you for inviting me.”
As he spoke politely and extended a hand, Nathaniel took it. Chrissy tried to pull his hand back after a brief touch, but this time it didn’t go as planned. Suddenly, Nathaniel tightened his grip and pulled him in. In an instant, Chrissy’s eyes widened in surprise as he was dragged forward.
Ending up clumsily embraced by Nathaniel, Chrissy’s cheek was slammed right into his chest. The only consolation was that he didn’t scream. Instead of getting angry and asking what he was doing, Chrissy bit his lower lip, suppressed his emotions once, and looked up.
“I wasn’t expecting this kind of hospitality.”
At the dry voice, which was not much different from before, Nathaniel narrowed his eyes. As if he were smiling.
“I wanted to check if you were trembling.”
Then, he tilted his head and brought his nose to Chrissy’s cheek. A shallow breath tickled and passed over the skin. No pheromone scent should have been detectable from Chrissy, yet as if smelling an Omega, he slowly inhaled to check Chrissy’s scent. Judging that enough time had passed, Chrissy took a large step back and spoke.
“I’ve confirmed multiple times that I am a Beta, so I assume that’s no longer necessary?”
When Chrissy deliberately curled the corners of his mouth into a smile, Nathaniel smiled back a beat later.
“Indeed, I did something useless.”
Having said that, Nathaniel changed his tone as if to stop the joking and spoke.
“So.”
The smile had vanished from his lips, and Nathaniel looked down at Chrissy with searching, narrow eyes.
“What made you change your mind?”