GCT 40

He was a brunette Alpha with slightly protruding front teeth. Yohan’s expression hardened completely. He felt like he had seen him in passing once before. He hadn’t thought much of it then, but seeing him like this now made him feel unwell.

“Drug trafficking and even assault… His record is diverse.”

“And he was a member of the Vasquez organization right up until his parole. He was running a trap house until he got caught by the DEA and did time.”

A curse escaped his lips on its own. Taeoh glanced at Yohan’s face and began to speak.

“A Vasquez member and a trap house…”

Things he had forgotten came rushing back. He had met and even married Lear thanks to it, but besides that, most of the memories were bad. Yohan told Taeoh about Vasquez.

“They were a famous drug gang in Compton. Though they’re dismantled now.”

“But?”

“After that, the scattered members formed smaller organizations. Maybe he’s switched over to another one by now?”

Lear, who had been listening quietly, cut in.

“The motive for the crime being the organization’s dismantling is absurd, and you know there’s no one in the upper ranks to order it at this point.”

“Right. Besides, there’s no way a low-level member like that would have a personal grudge strong enough to blow up our house. And it was because of the DEA that his trap house was discovered.”

Lear nodded at Yohan’s words, then pulled up Peter Gibson’s account statement.

“First… there’s more than one suspicious part. I don’t know for what reason he came into our house and did such a thing while working as a maintenance man… but Peter Gibson received a large sum of money. And that was after our house was blown up.”

“Who sent it?”

“A trading company called Stinton Company.”

“Stin-what?”

It was a company name he had never heard or seen before. Of course, there were more than one or two companies, and Yohan couldn’t memorize all the names, but he had memorized the ones related to Vasquez or Declan to some extent. At the very least, it should have been familiar, but it wasn’t.

“Stinton Company. And the place that received the money seems to be a paper company in Argentina.”

“A paper company? That’s not so surprising.”

At Yohan’s words, Lear let out a smirk, then looked at a picture of the company, which was in a family home in Argentina, and said.

“Stinton Company also remitted money to Peter Gibson through Vens… but it seems they’ve scattered money to other unknown places as well. It probably looks like the company itself was created for money laundering. Though I don’t know who’s behind it.”

‘Vens,’ a company that had recently been attracting attention on Wall Street with its rapidly increasing market capitalization in the stock market, was the most successful fintech company in Silicon Valley. As such, many investors flocked to it, and it was a company often mentioned in the news.

To exaggerate a little, it was used by not only individuals but also corporations to the extent that it seemed it would soon catch up to traditional banks like JPMorgan-Chase.

So, Stinton Company using Vens to remit money to Peter Gibson wasn’t a problem, but the rest of what Lear said was problematic in many ways. It wasn’t just paper companies and money laundering; it could be linked to terrorism and even contract killings.

Yohan’s mouth twitched, and he looked like he had made up his mind about something.

“First, I need to look into Peter Gibson. Then we might be able to find out who the other two who planted the bomb are.”

Lear looked at Yohan with a face full of worry and said.

“To find Peter Gibson’s house, I think we’ll have to find another way…”

“He was paroled, so there should be a registered house, right?”

“It’s his younger sister’s house. I think he just registered the address and is staying somewhere else.”

“If that’s the case… it’s not like there’s no way at all.”

At Yohan’s words, Taeoh asked.

“What way is that?”

“I have a friend who knows this kind of thing well.”

With that, Lear stood up from his seat. Then he took a Glock out of the desk drawer, tucked it into his waistband, and put on his jacket.

Taeoh’s gaze naturally went to Lear’s actions. He couldn’t understand what Yohan’s husband did for a living, to not only dig into other people’s personal information at will but also carry a pistol.

“Don’t worry. It’s a legally registered gun.”

“No, that’s not the problem… are you coming with us?”

Was that the problem? Lear put on the most pleasant face he could, with a fake eye smile. Most people were easily won over by this side of him.

“I won’t interfere with the investigation. Besides, there’s nothing wrong with having a crazy guy tagging along, is there?”

Lear turned his head and looked at Yohan, seeking permission with his eyes. Yohan scratched the back of his head and thought for a moment, then clicked his tongue and said.

“Fine. Do as you please. It doesn’t seem like you have any intention of staying put even if I try to stop you.”

“Sunbae?”

Taeoh, seeing Yohan’s actions, had a dumbfounded look on his face and wondered if he should contact Nasim. It was a matter involving Yohan anyway, and he thought nothing good would come of it if his civilian husband tagged along.

“Don’t even think about contacting the Bureau Chief.”

“That’s…”

“You know nothing good comes from being branded a traitor in this industry, right? Especially for a guy who betrays his partner, life as an agent becomes harsh. Even if you leave the FBI and go to another agency, the rumors will continue to follow you and make your life very difficult.”

At Yohan’s words, Taeoh gave up on contacting Nasim for the time being. And Lear, who was next to Yohan, looked at Taeoh and provoked him.

“As expected, my husband is the coolest in the world. I guess this is why everyone gets married.”

Lear, as if to show off, stuck to Yohan, grabbed his waist, pulled him in, and proudly demanded a kiss as a husband.

Taeoh couldn’t bear to watch the sight and turned his head away.

The place the three of them arrived at after leaving the hotel was none other than a pizza shop in the vicinity of Compton. Yohan looked at the sign that read [White Gold Pizza] and shook his head. Among drug dealers, ‘white gold’ literally symbolized ‘money,’ so he knew all too well what kind of sentiment had gone into naming the shop.

Especially since this place was in a high-crime area and the owner was a former gang member, it felt like a rather suspicious shop name. It was surely either because he really wanted to make a lot of money with pizza, to show that he was someone who had been involved in a drug organization, or one of the trap houses disguised as a pizza shop.

Yohan, thinking that the person who claimed to have washed his hands of his past had re-entered the world of darkness, threw the shop door open and went inside.

“Welco— Kitty?”

The one who greeted Yohan was Fiona Shipp, once the second-in-command of Vasquez. She had broken with her past and was running a pizza shop with her relatives. At least, that’s how it looked.

Yohan showed his displeasure toward Fiona, who, upon seeing him, nonchalantly whistled in front of Taeoh and called him “Kitty.”

“Cut it out. Do you have to be like that when we haven’t seen each other in a while?”

“Ah ah, sorry. Sorry. By the way, why haven’t you been in touch? I told you pizza is on the house for you for life.”

“I moved.”

“Moved?”

“Yeah. I got married.”

Fiona had a look of disbelief on her face. Even after Yohan showed her his wedding ring at the sight of that expression, Fiona still didn’t let go of her suspicion. It was because the Yohan she knew seemed like the type to be in an endless string of relationships.

“With… who?”

Yohan’s gaze naturally turned to Lear, who was behind him. Lear shrugged and gave a little wave of his ringed hand toward Fiona. Even at a glance, it was a ring that looked identical to Yohan’s.

“Lies.”

Fiona wondered if the two of them were teaming up to tease her. Dating was one thing, but getting married? Fiona, with a look of disbelief, asked Yohan.

“You didn’t quit the FBI and switch careers to become a YouTuber, did you?”

“What’s that all of a sudden?”

“I was wondering if you two were teaming up to film yourselves teasing me and post it. With a title like ‘Teasing a Former Gangster’s Second-in-Command.'”

At Fiona’s nonsensical words, Lear cut in.

“Is there something wrong with your eyes? Anyone can see we look like a married couple. Why don’t you stop watching so much YouTube?”

“You two are the type of people who would go to Cartier and get matching wedding rings just to mess with me.”

“What kind of nonsense is…”

“Then, who’s the person next to him?”

Lear looked at the person Fiona was pointing at. It was none other than Taeoh. And before Lear, Yohan answered.

“My partner.”

“Partner? Wow… What do you call this? Anyway, do the three of you go on dates and stuff? It’s not like you’re public Wi-Fi…”

Unable to listen any longer, Lear said with a serious face.

“I’m starting to feel sick, so could you stop with the bullshit?”

“I’m more open-minded than you think. I can’t accept it for myself, but I don’t say anything about others doing it.”

“It’s not like that. Yohan and I, we’re really married.”

At Lear’s serious tone, Fiona looked at Yohan again.

“Really?”

Yohan nodded and said seriously.

“Really. And for the record, it’s not an open marriage either, so don’t look so surprised.”

“Wow, amazing… So there was a reason you dropped off the face of the earth. Even refusing our pizza.”

“I told you I moved far away. Besides, you were busy in your own way too. Weren’t you?”

“Well… right. Anyway, why are you here instead of enjoying your newlywed life? To introduce me to that gentleman?”

Without responding to each of Fiona’s comments, Yohan took out his cell phone and showed her a picture.

“Do you know this bastard? Peter Gibson. They said he was with Vasquez.”

Only then did Fiona’s face fall.

“Ah, what. Work talk?”

“So, do you know him or not?”

“I’m interested in the agent over there. The more I look, the more I think his chest is my type. I like them glamorous.”

“Don’t get sidetracked. Tell me this first.”

Fiona clicked her tongue and gave Taeoh a wink. At that moment, Taeoh’s shoulders flinched. If he had his way, he would have wanted to cuff her for obstruction of official duties, but since she seemed to be a friend of his senior at work, he held it in for the time being.

“Stop flirting with Taeoh. You might not believe it, but he’s a Beta.”

“You’re a Beta too. You even dated and married an Alpha.”

“Ah, I should have been more precise. Taeoh’s problem is bigger than yours, Fiona. That guy has an Alpha allergy… He’s getting by on medication even now.”

“What nonsense.”

At Fiona’s pouting face, Yohan tapped the screen of his cell phone with his hand.

“Hurry up.”

“So demanding.”

Fiona finally looked at the screen properly.

“What was his name again?”

“Peter Gibson. He mainly worked as a dealer and was imprisoned after getting caught by the DEA, and is now on parole.”

“Hmm…”

“You don’t know him?”

“It’s not like I know everyone from Vasquez. And a guy like this, even less so. I’m picky about faces, you know. I tend not to remember the ugly ones. Especially if they’re someone I keep by my side.”

“Haha. Thanks for remembering me.”

“How could I forget our Kitty.”

Lear stood firmly behind Yohan and made a gesture, pointing his fingers from his own eyes to hers and back, indicating he was watching her.

Fiona thought it was sickening, but her desire to help Yohan was greater, so she called over a man who was serving.

“What is it?”

“Rob, do you know who this bastard is?”

“Huh? Isn’t that Peter Gibson?”

Fiona looked at Yohan with a slightly triumphant face. Yohan gave Fiona a fake smile and asked Robert.

“Tell me everything you know.”

“I don’t know the guy that well either, but I heard he’s been working diligently since his parole. But…”

“But?”

“Lately, it seems he’s been running his mouth about getting a chance to make big money. I just heard a friend of mine badmouthing Peter Gibson, so I don’t know the details of what kind of job he got to make big money.”

“By any chance, do you know where Peter Gibson lives?”

“Ah, just a moment. I’ll ask my friend right away and let you know.”

Robert immediately sent a message to the friend who knew Peter Gibson well. And a short while later, Yohan, who had gotten the address of the house where Peter Gibson lived from Robert, took his wallet out of his pocket, handed him a few bills, and said.

“Oh, and pack up one of your most delicious menu items for me.”

“Hey, you’ll spoil the kid.”

At Fiona’s attempt to stop him, Yohan asked Robert.

“How old are you?”

“Twenty.”

“He’s an adult, not a kid.”

Fiona clicked her tongue once, then gestured for Robert to hurry up and get to work. And only then did she put on a serious face for Yohan and let out a deep sigh.

“By the way, Kitty. Did Peter Gibson cause some trouble? The neighborhood has gotten a bit more disorderly lately than before, but still, after Declan fell and Vasquez was dismantled, cases of people going crazy on drugs have decreased a lot. Well, it seems like all sorts of synthetic drugs like Candy and Ruby are still coming out.”

“It’s not related to drugs.”

“Then?”

Yohan turned his head to look at Lear and Taeoh once, and then around the room, before speaking to Fiona.

“Nothing has been properly revealed yet, but someone blew up our house.”

“What?”

“There won’t be any news or articles right away. You might find something if you dig through social media… By the way, are there any guys in this neighborhood who can make an IED?”

“You know there aren’t any kids in this neighborhood with that kind of brain. They’d rather just shoot. If there’s anyone who can do chemistry experiments, it would be the guys who do stretching work for the Nazis.”

“If you see any bait, let me know right away.”

Yohan, who handed Fiona his business card, let out a small sigh.

“Oh, Yohan Crawford. That’s very unfamiliar.”

“I told you. I got married.”

At Fiona’s sparkling eyes as she fluttered the business card, Yohan quickly defended himself before she could say anything unnecessary.

“Enough. Just give me the pizza quickly.”

“So demanding. It’ll be out soon, so just wait a little.”

Fiona, saying that you really never know about people’s lives, gave a sly smile, linked arms with Yohan, provoked Lear, and then nudged Taeoh.

“So, how did you decide to get married? No matter how I look at it, you two really don’t suit each other.”

But that was Fiona’s wrong choice. Until the pizza came out, she had to listen to a long speech from Lear about why he and Yohan were a good match.

After getting information about Peter Gibson, the three of them left Fiona’s pizza shop and headed to the apartment where Peter Gibson was said to live in the next neighborhood, with a hot pizza.

“Is this the place?”

“It is.”

Yohan, who got out of the car, took a slight breath and took the lead. He couldn’t tell if it was because the sun had set or if that was just the neighborhood’s atmosphere, but the feeling he got wasn’t very good.

“It seems like a pretty old apartment…”

“It feels like it wouldn’t be strange for a murderer to suddenly pop out.”

“It definitely feels like we’ve possessed a character in a horror game.”

There was no elevator, so they walked up the stairs to the fifth floor. As they got closer to Peter Gibson’s apartment, not only did the conversation between the three of them drastically decrease, but the tension also rose.

The area around Peter Gibson’s apartment, when they arrived, was a mess. There was trash everywhere, making them frown, as if prostitutes and drug addicts lived there.

Especially, in front of his apartment, there were a lot of liquor bottles scattered around, to the point where one would wonder if a person who was said to be living diligently drank too much.

Yohan wondered if he should check the liquor in his own house, but then realized there was no way to check since the house was blown up, and fueling his anger, he raised his hand to knock.

“The door is open.”

At Lear’s cautious voice, Yohan let out a curse and pulled out his gun. Then he pushed Lear behind him with his hand and gave a hand signal to Taeoh.

Taeoh nodded and began to move, sticking behind Yohan. As soon as Yohan opened the door, Taeoh entered the apartment, and the two of them split up in a coordinated manner to find Peter Gibson.

Lear, who was neither FBI nor a former Ranger, was the only one who leisurely looked around the apartment, and was following Yohan to look at a corner of the house cluttered with clothes when it happened.

“Sunbae!”

At the voice calling him, Yohan met Lear’s eyes once, then immediately started walking.

“What is it?”

What he saw before him was Peter Gibson, high on drugs. He didn’t know what on earth he had taken, but he didn’t look to be in good condition.

“He was said to be diligent, but he was an alcoholic and a junkie?”

Yohan, clicking his tongue at how he lived so impulsively, checked Peter Gibson’s condition. Then Lear nudged something with his foot and said.

“Isn’t this Candy?”

Candy was a drug from the past that had given Yohan tiresome memories. He had gotten entangled with Lear because of it, too. Anyway, it was an outdated drug now, and he wondered how he had managed to get and take it.

“You’re right. Candy. And seeing the syringe, I think he does other things besides that.”

Lear nudged the drug packet and syringe rolling on the floor to one side of the wall with his foot and said.

“Did he start using because he’s a weak Alpha? Then, as his money ran out, he accepted someone’s proposal.”

Surprisingly, it was the weaker Alphas who sought out this type of drug. The problem was that no matter how much of an Alpha one was, the weaker the trait, the more vulnerable to addiction, and drugs like Candy messed with the pheromone glands that determined an Alpha’s trait, making weak Alphas like Peter Gibson easily addicted.

No matter how much the world had changed, it was still a world that revolved around Alphas, then and now. If one couldn’t achieve the traditionally required Alpha-like appearance, they would often seek vicarious satisfaction by turning to drugs like this.

It seemed Peter Gibson had likely started using drugs for that reason as well. Of course, Yohan, being a Beta, couldn’t quite understand the desire people had for things like Alpha traits, but he had seen countless addicts like Peter Gibson.

“First… Taeoh, you go to the car and get the antagonist and suppressant.”

It was a medicine that every FBI agent always carried in their vehicle’s emergency kit. Taeoh nodded at Yohan’s words, then paused and became slick.

“It’s nice that you’re calling me Taeoh correctly, sunbae. I feel like we’ve gotten a step closer.”

“You’re surprisingly slick, unlike how you look.”

“Haha. Am I?”

At the sight of Taeoh adding useless words as he stood up, Lear clicked his tongue, then picked his ear and shot back.

“Does Peter Gibson have a dog? I keep hearing barking noises.”

Yohan told him to stop and nudged Lear. At that, Lear made a face full of discontent.

“Honey. Socializing is fine, but at times like this, shouldn’t we focus on the job?”

At the sight of Lear being sulky, asking if their situation was really that good, Yohan gestured for Taeoh to hurry and go.

Even at that moment, Lear seemed to dislike it, glaring daggers at Taeoh’s back. Yohan, worried that Lear might do something unnecessary, said a word to him.

“Don’t overdo it.”

“When did I?”

Lear’s eyes went wide and he tilted his head. Just like the grandson of the great actress Laura Crawford, he effortlessly gave a look that could sway a person’s heart. But Yohan steeled himself. He didn’t want to fall for Lear’s look just like that.

“You think I’ll just let it slide if you do that…”

“Honey, I don’t know why you’re being so harsh with me. I don’t know if you’re suddenly siding with him because he’s your junior… but objectively speaking, Agent Joo is spouting nonsense to you, a married man, right in front of my eyes. I can’t just let that pass, can I?”

“Honestly, it wasn’t that serious. He’s… not interested in me, okay? Besides, even if he were interested, he’s not my type, so don’t worry.”

Normally, Lear would have let it go with words like these, but not today.

“Lear, honey. Huh?”

Lear felt even worse at the sight of Yohan nudging him, trying to soothe his mood. From Lear’s perspective, it seemed like Yohan was just unconditionally siding with Taeoh.

“Enough. What are you going to do with that guy?”

“Huh?”

Even at Yohan’s slightly flustered state at the unexpected turn of events, Lear’s face was still scrunched up as he gestured with his head toward Peter Gibson.

Only then did Yohan look at Peter Gibson, who was lying on the floor, twitching and gasping for breath. The guy’s condition didn’t look very good, and he worried if he could even speak properly.

“We have to wake him up.”

Lear clicked his tongue, then rolled up the sleeves of his linen shirt to his elbows and grabbed Peter Gibson by the hair. And he began to pressure him, releasing pheromones that Yohan could never feel.

“Le, Lear?”

“At times like this, don’t you need a crazy bastard?”

He seemed to be pushing Peter Gibson against the wall, but then he grabbed the collar of the guy who couldn’t even control his own body, dragged him to a nearby chair, and slapped him across the face. To be honest, it looked like he was venting a bit of his anger.

Yohan, startled, first tried to stop Lear.

“Wai, wait. When Taeoh comes, it’s okay to start then—”

“Seeing him all limp like that, he’ll wake up soon. And that’s when he’ll be in the most pain.”

At the sight of Peter Gibson still not being able to get a grip on himself, Yohan grabbed Lear’s wrist and tried to stop him once more.

“Still, I don’t think we need to go that far… Taeoh said he’ll be here with the antagonist and suppressant soon. We can talk then. Okay?”

At that, Lear looked at Yohan with icy eyes.

“Is that so? I didn’t know, since I’m not an FBI agent. I acted too hastily again, didn’t I? Sorry.”

At Lear’s canted tone, Yohan furrowed his brow deeply and asked.

“Are you angry right now?”

“How could I be angry at you, honey?”

It was Lear smiling with his eyes at Yohan, but unless one was a fool, one could tell it wasn’t sincere.

“You’re angry.”

“I told you I’m not.”

“Do you think I’m an idiot?”

“Yohan. I said I was sorry.”

Yohan let out a deep sigh at Lear’s words. Then he whipped his head around to look at the window and muttered.

“If I’d known it would be like this, I would have steeled my heart and left you in the hotel room.”

Lear grabbed Yohan’s shoulder tightly and said.

“You know I’m right next to you, right?”

“Because you’re picking on me for useless things. My heart is already a mess because of what happened today…”

“Hah, it’s the same for me. But I didn’t know you thought of me that way. I’m worried about you more than anyone, and I just wanted to help.”

Yohan slapped Lear’s hand away and threw out a single phrase.

“Bullshit.”

Lear, as if asking if Yohan’s attitude wasn’t too much, grabbed him again and tried to make eye contact to talk properly. But the clueless Peter Gibson let out a moan and twitched his body.

At that moment, Lear, his lips sealed shut, set aside his feelings for Yohan and looked at Peter Gibson, nudging him. He was already in a bad mood because of Yohan, and the pheromones Peter Gibson was emitting after taking drugs made him feel even sicker.

Yohan, not liking Lear’s actions, glared at him and tried to stop him.

“Stop it. It’s not like he’ll wake up just because you do that. Don’t take your anger out on an innocent person.”

“Take my anger out? I was just checking to see if he was alive.”

“Don’t make me laugh. You’re being like this over nothing, like a petty man.”

“Petty, what?”

“Ah, in cases like this, is it called morbid jealousy?”

“……”

“You, that’s a sickness. A sickness.”

Lear was shocked by the absurd word that came out of Yohan’s mouth. ‘Morbid jealousy’ when there’s such a cool and wonderful husband like him in the world! It was a word he was hearing for the first time in his life, and he thought he was absolutely not that type of person, so Lear felt dumbfounded.

However, Yohan, as if it didn’t matter, whipped his head to the other side.

“Huh?”

In the midst of that, Taeoh appeared with impeccable timing. Lear clenched his jaw and endured as much as he could. He didn’t want any more harsh words referring to himself to come out of Yohan’s mouth, following ‘petty man’ and ‘morbid jealousy.’

“You two…”

Taeoh looked back and forth between Lear and Yohan, then asked in a cautious voice.

“Did you fight?”

Lear and Yohan, with dumbfounded faces, said at the same time.

“No.”

“No!”

The strange atmosphere that could be felt as soon as one entered the room looked to anyone like a couple had been fighting. But they said no. At that, Taeoh felt very awkward and uncomfortable.

“Really…?”

Yohan, at Taeoh’s reconfirmation, said in a slightly irritated voice.

“I said we didn’t fight. More importantly, the stuff?”

Taeoh decided not to ask any more about what had happened between the two and handed what he had brought to Yohan. Then Yohan checked the antagonist and suppressant in the bag and said to Taeoh.

“Hold him.”

“Should I tie him with a cable tie?”

“That would be even better. You’ve got ‘sense.'”

Yohan deliberately emphasized the word of praise for Taeoh.

“Sunbae. Over nothing… Haha. I’m embarrassed.”

Taeoh laughed awkwardly and glanced at Lear. At the sight of Lear glaring at him like a madman, Taeoh was startled, whipped his head around, and took a cable tie out of his pocket.

“I’ll tie him right away.”

“At times like this, it’s reassuring to have a partner.”

Yohan spoke in a gentle voice and glared at Lear. At the sight of his husband looking at him with deeply sunken eyes, Yohan furrowed his brow and snorted.

‘What, does he think I’ll let him off if he glares like that?’

It was Lear, who was getting whiny and making people’s hearts restless over nothing, just because he was called pretty.

‘Jealousy is good in moderation, but if it’s excessive, that’s also a sickness.’

Yohan bit his lower lip and stabbed the needle into Peter Gibson’s neck.

“Sunbae?”

“Quiet.”

Yohan, who covered Taeoh’s mouth as he was about to say something, looked at the watch on his wrist and checked Peter Gibson’s condition.

“Hmm… his condition is gradually returning.”

“But, are we really allowed to do this?”

It was funny to see Taeoh, who had tied Peter Gibson’s hands and feet with a cable tie, now speaking as if he was worried. In this day and age, if you were unlucky, you could be the one who got in trouble. However, Yohan was completely at ease. It wasn’t his first or second time doing this.

“He probably won’t even know we’re FBI. Besides, since he’s involved with a gang, he’ll be more scared of this. If we do it right, he might spill not only his own but also his mom’s social security number.”

Yohan, on the spot, removed the magazine from his pistol, put it in his pocket, and gestured with his head toward Taeoh as if to play along.

“Yes. Sunbae. I’ll trust only you, sunbae.”

Lear momentarily clicked his tongue. He was even more annoying because he was unnecessarily diligent.

“Agents.”

Yohan and Taeoh looked at Lear at the same time. At that sight, Lear said with a shameless face.

“If you’re going to act like gang members, you have to do it properly.”

It was unknown since when the two had known each other to be acting like that. It was absurd to see Yohan acting like a senior to Taeoh, and Taeoh using honorifics to Yohan and spouting things about trusting him.

However, Lear had no intention of being swayed by them. Yohan was Yohan, and Taeoh was Taeoh; he intended to make his presence known to each of them.

Honestly, he thought this behavior of his was childish, but at this point, Lear wanted to act as he pleased. When you’re deeply in love, you become childish.

“You’ll be up all night at this rate.”

It was a rather snotty tone. Lear decided to reveal the eccentric personality he had inherited from Joel Declan, who had once dominated the western underworld.

Lear, who approached the Alpha bastard who had been emitting a disgusting pheromone all this time, sighed, then took out his gun and deliberately shot Peter Gibson in the leg, missing.

Bang!

“Ugh!”

Peter Gibson screamed and struggled. Yohan, completely surprised, shouted at Lear.

“Are you crazy?”

Lear said as if it were no big deal.

“Honey, he’s an Alpha bastard high on drugs. The more that’s the case, the more you have to let some blood out to bring him to his senses.”

“What does that… I’ve already administered the antagonist and suppressant. He’ll wake up soon.”

“Since when were you a humanitarian. Ah, seeing you today, I guess you are a very compassionate person, darling.”

“Hah…”

Despite Yohan’s sigh, Lear tucked the gun in his hand back into his waistband, then this time, he undid the watch on his wrist and said.

“Don’t look at me so provocatively, darling. This place is noisy day and night anyway, so no one will bat an eye at a gunshot like this.”

He was right. Yohan, who was about to pick a fight, sealed his lips shut. In the meantime, Lear, who approached Peter Gibson, tapped the cheek of the moaning man and said.

“I know you’re already conscious, Pete.”

“Hngh… ugh…”

“It’s just a torn piece of skin, stop being a baby.”

Yohan, at the sight of the Lear he had temporarily forgotten, felt like he had gone back to before their marriage. Back then, they fought a lot, and he sometimes thought Lear was a crazy bastard seeing his actions… Those were things he had forgotten while being deeply immersed in his newlywed life.

“Look closely.”

Lear had now taken out his cell phone and was showing a picture of the masked men, asking.

“These guys, you know them, right?”

“Hngh, ugh… I don’t, I don’t know…”

In the midst of that, Lear must have released his pheromones in earnest, because even Yohan, a Beta, felt the fine hairs on his arms stand on end. He wondered if he should stop Lear for his outrageous crime and follow the formal procedure now, but he held it in, looked at Taeoh, and said in a small voice.

“Stay still. That bastard’s nickname is the Butcher. Don’t piss him off for no reason. You could actually die.”

Yohan made a throat-slitting gesture with his finger. At that, Peter Gibson trembled and glanced at Lear. He was suffocating from the sharp pheromones that seemed to be attacking him.

“Bu, but… hngh…”

At the sight of Peter Gibson, his eyes darting around, not knowing what to do, Lear clicked his tongue, then looked at Yohan. At that moment, Yohan, his heart pounding without him realizing it, smacked his lips and thought.

‘If he looks at me with such a serious face in this situation, does he think I’ll find it sexy and give him a kiss? Really.’

Yohan, who snorted at Lear, gestured for him to move aside, pushing him to the side with his hand. But Lear stood firm, not budging an inch, and confronted Yohan.

At that sight, Taeoh thought to himself that if they were going to have a couple’s fight, he wished they would do it outside. He snatched the phone from Lear’s hand and asked Peter Gibson.

“It would be better to remember quickly.”

“……”

“You really don’t know?”

Lear made a dumbfounded face as Taeoh snatched his phone. Yohan, seeing that Lear already disliked Taeoh and that the guy seemed to have really gotten on his bad side, felt sorry for him, but also felt pity for his junior who was quietly doing his job, so he decided to back him up for the time being.

“Peter, did you think we wouldn’t know you’re a traitor? It’ll be interesting if your former boss finds out you’ve been sucking up to the newly formed organization, Barcell, as soon as Vasquez fell. Right? I don’t know how they dispose of traitors over there. At the very least, they’d probably peel off the skin, right? Or cut something off.”

With that, Yohan kicked the chair Peter Gibson was sitting on with his foot.

At that, Peter Gibson shook his head, his butt twitching, and denied everything.

“I, it’s not like that! Ah-euk, really!”

“Really?”

At Yohan’s tone, which clearly said he couldn’t believe a word he said, Peter Gibson said with an aggrieved face.

“I, I don’t know either. Sob, I… I only did it for the money. Sob.”

“You did it without knowing anything?”

“Yes, yes. Really. Sob, th, there was no reason to refuse. They said I just had to contact them when no one was around and open the door. The, there was nothing I couldn’t do.”

“Who does he think he’s fooling.”

Peter Gibson shook his head and said it was true, as if he was about to have a seizure, but Yohan ruthlessly kicked the chair the guy was sitting on.

With a thud, Peter Gibson fell over to the side. He began to dry heave a few times in pain.

“Get a grip, Peter.”

“Ugh, euk— ughk…”

“You know you can get at least 25 years just for the drugs you have on you right now, right? On top of that, you broke your parole rules, and if we add obstruction of an investigation… wow, this will be fun. The LAPD would really love this. Right?”

Taeoh backed up Yohan’s words.

“At that rate, I think he’d only be able to get out after he’s old and dead. Besides, if he’s sent to a place with Vasquez members…”

“If we just drop one rumor, it’ll be a real sight to see. Shouldn’t we be streaming that on Twitch?”

“I know, right. It seems like it would be more fun than GTA. Everyone’s crazy for stimulation.”

Yohan shrugged and looked at Peter Gibson with pitying eyes.

“How about it? Huh?”

“Ugh… euk…”

Peter Gibson’s mind became complicated at the situation he was in. He had no idea who the men in front of him were to come to him and make such threats. He had been feeling good, high on drugs just a moment ago, but now he was cornered like this.

“Sob, ugh…”

“Are you going to just keep whining like that?”

“Ah, it hurts… that’s why. Sob.”

“You won’t die from that.”

At Yohan’s words, Peter Gibson’s lower lip twitched and he swallowed hard. Honestly, he still had no idea what was what, but he didn’t want to be imprisoned again. But what he hated even more was being branded a traitor by gang members. If that happened, he would just be relentlessly tormented and eventually die a horrible death.

“The, the details…”

“Yeah, go on, tell me.”

Peter Gibson looked at Yohan, then at Taeoh next to him. For some reason, he looked more like he was on the police side than a gang member.

“By the way, you two aren’t cops, are you?”

“Cooops? Say that again.”

“Co, cops?”

“Are you crazy?”

“I, I recently heard that a guy dealing Candy and Boy in this neighborhood got buy-busted. They said it was an undercover cop from the LAPD… so I was just wondering.”

“You… have you ever seen a detective dressed like this?”

It hurt his pride to say it himself, but Yohan grabbed the hem of the Hawaiian shirt he was wearing, shook it slightly, and said.

“Besides, what good would it do to wear such conspicuous clothes for a buy-bust. Right?”

Peter Gibson, who sniffed loudly and swallowed hard, nodded at Yohan’s words.

“Th, that’s true…”

Then which organization did they belong to? The DEA? Peter Gibson thought he had to use his head well, but perhaps because he was still thoroughly soaked in the drug’s effects, his head wasn’t working well. He raised his head slightly while on the ground and peeked at Lear, who was visible between Yohan and Taeoh.