By Zephyria 
Following the sound of heavy footsteps, the front door opened and closed. Silence soon followed. Nathaniel Miller stood there for a moment, motionless. Beyond the floor-to-ceiling window in front of him, a hazy light was visible. The city lights that brightly illuminated the night felt strangely unfamiliar. After standing still for a while, he finally turned and began to walk. His steps as he leaned on his cane and headed toward the second floor were no different than usual, yet for some reason, a faint frown was etched between his brows.
Before opening the door, he raised his hand to knock, but the actual knock came only after a gap of several seconds. After two dry raps, he opened the door, and a familiar sight entered his view. The guest room, which was rarely used, was as clean and well-organized as the rest of the house, without a single speck of dust. The only difference from usual was that someone was lying on the bed, which should have been empty.
Approaching with slow steps, Nathaniel looked down at him in silence. The man, who had been lying motionless with his eyes closed, twitched his eyebrows slightly as if sensing the gaze. Then, his eyelids opened. The man opened his eyes slowly and simply blinked at him for a while, as if trying to focus his vision or grasp reality. Nathaniel was the first to speak.
“The children are safe. That’s what you’re wondering about, isn’t it?”
“……!”
Upon hearing those words, Chrissy’s eyes widened in shock, and he tried to bolt upright. However, seeing him collapse back down with a groan, Nathaniel continued in the same dry voice.
“Calm down. It’s better for you to rest for the time being.”
Despite those words, the eyes of Chrissy, who had lifted his head, were filled with hostility. Nathaniel muttered with a look of clear displeasure.
“Don’t mention it; you can skip the thank-yous.”
At the unmistakably sarcastic remark, Chrissy gasped for air and spat out,
“What happened to the children? Where are they now?”
Nathaniel stared into Chrissy’s darkened pupils as they gazed back at him, and he moved his lips slowly.
“They are under protection.”
At the short answer, Chrissy’s face contorted. Sensing that the answer was clearly not to his liking, Nathaniel continued after a short, dry laugh.
“We plan to verify their identities one by one and return them to their parents. It will take some time, but you don’t need to worry.”
Chrissy said nothing, but the furrow in his brow did not relax. Faced with a gaze that seemed to ask how he could possibly trust his words, Nathaniel posed another question instead of offering a long explanation.
“I heard you helped the children escape.”
“I did,” Chrissy answered bitterly. Though I failed. As if he had looked into Chrissy’s inner thoughts, Nathaniel spoke right on cue.
“Someone named Scott. That child reported it.”
At the unexpected news, Chrissy visibly froze. Then, his wide eyes shook violently in disbelief.
“Scott reported it? Then… they actually escaped?”
“……Something like that.”
At the delayed answer, Chrissy urged him impatiently.
“What do you mean, ‘something like that’? Speak clearly so I can understand.”
Nathaniel brushed back his neatly combed hair as if organizing his thoughts before speaking.
“I heard a passing police officer discovered several children wandering the streets. And so, he took statements from them.”
Chrissy blinked, staring at Nathaniel’s face. There wasn’t a hint of a lie on his expression. Was it true? Really, truly?
“I heard they were all caught,” he murmured, still half-doubting.
Nathaniel responded, “It seems a few succeeded.”
Then did Scott provide the information that saved them all? Then the reason this man appeared there was…
“How did you get there? ……Were you trying to participate in that as well?”
Suddenly, a sweet scent grew intense. It was evidence that Nathaniel was extremely displeased. Feeling the pheromones spreading around him, Chrissy waited for his answer. Soon, Nathaniel shook his head with a sigh of disbelief.
“To think I looked like a pervert who gets excited by watching children… I am quite disappointed, Prosecutor.”
“But you’re a member of that group too, aren’t you?”
At the provocative question, Nathaniel did not answer immediately this time. Instead, he remained silent as if thinking about something, then murmured in a slow tone.
“You don’t need to know that much.”
“Ha.”
This time, it was Chrissy who let out a sigh. However, Nathaniel seemed to have no intention of speaking further on the matter and immediately changed the subject.
“We’ll discuss the rest later. Rest now; I should go and rest as well.”
He finished speaking as if he wanted to wash up quickly and turned to leave, but suddenly Chrissy asked,
“What happened to your car?”
At the abrupt question, Nathaniel stopped in his tracks and looked back at him.
“What car?”
His expression was one of genuine confusion. Chrissy spoke with patience.
“The car I drove.”
At first, he didn’t seem to understand Chrissy’s words. After a few seconds of silence, Nathaniel finally frowned and asked,
“You stole my car?”
Hah.
Chrissy was so stunned his jaw nearly dropped. A Lamborghini had gone missing, and he hadn’t even noticed.
As Chrissy just stared at him, overwhelmed by a sense of futility, Nathaniel continued as if it didn’t matter.
“Tell me where you left it, and I’ll have my secretary retrieve it. Anything else?”
Chrissy answered in a drained voice.
“No, nothing now.”
“Rest.”
Leaving only those words, Nathaniel walked out. Overwhelmed by a sudden wave of fatigue, Chrissy simply collapsed back onto the bed. There was a mountain of things to think about, but his entire body was in pain and exhausted, and he didn’t want to think about anything. Let’s sleep first. I can think after I wake up. Just a little, just a tiny bit of sleep…
Before he knew it, his consciousness sank deep. And beyond the thick darkness, rain began to fall, drop by drop.
Aaaaaah!
A sharp scream pierced through the air and scattered. It came right after a thunderclap as massive as an explosion vibrated through the air. It echoed throughout the entire house and reached Nathaniel’s ears without fail.
“What happened?”
Nathaniel, who had rushed across the hallway and flung open the door to Chrissy’s room, was surprised once again. The bed where Chrissy had been lying was empty. The disheveled sheets clearly showed that someone had been there until a moment ago, but he was nowhere to be seen. He couldn’t fathom the situation. Where had Chrissy gone?
A bright flash of lightning flickered through the pouring rain. After a loud light flashed between the black clouds, another roar echoed a few seconds later. Then, something foreign reached Nathaniel’s ears. A ragged sound of breathing, like sobbing.
“……Chrissy?”
He murmured unconsciously and took a step. The faint, breaking sound gradually grew closer. Hic, sob, hhh, hic. Was it crying, or the sound of breath gripped by terror? Unable to tell, Nathaniel finally found him. Chrissy Jin was sitting on the opposite side of the bed, curled up tightly and trembling.
“Chrissy.”
Nathaniel blinked, appearing flustered for the first time at the unbelievable sight. He couldn’t understand this situation at all. What on earth is this?
“……What’s wrong? Why are you like this?”
He asked again, but there was no answer. With a face pale as a ghost, Chrissy sat there trembling, unable to move. Eventually, Nathaniel approached him and reached out a hand.
“Chrissy, what are you do—”
At that exact moment, a flash of lightning struck. And at the following crash of thunder, Chrissy began to scream as if having a seizure.
“I was wrong, I’m sorry, Father! No, stop it! Help me, please help me……!”
Amidst the frantic screams, he wailed through a torrent of tears.
“Stop it, don’t kill Mom…… Help me!”