GCT 10

As soon as he came out of the hotel room, Lear looked at Yohan with an anxious face the entire time and asked.

“What about the drug’s effects? You said it hurt a little earlier. Are you okay?”

“If I wasn’t okay, do you think I’d be walking around perfectly fine like this?”

“I’m just worried from the position of someone who licked, sucked, and fucked you.”

Yohan, in a surge of emotion, shouted at Lear.

“If you were so worried, you shouldn’t have touched me in the first place!”

Lear’s eyes widened slightly, and then, with a horrified look, he suddenly glanced around.

“Someone might hear. Honey. How could you say something like that…. You have to think about our social standing. Are you planning to brag to the whole neighborhood about how hot we were?”

Suspecting that Lear was not genuinely worried but just trying to get under his skin, Yohan’s expression hardened as he glared at Lear. Then, Lear folded the corners of his slightly drooping eyes even more, grinned, and moved right next to Yohan, linking his arm.

The weather was hot, but Yohan let out a deep sigh with a face of half-resignation and, as if telling him to do as he pleased now, asked Lear.

“So where are we going.”

Though his eyes were filled with distrust, he roughly entrusted his body to him and let himself be dragged along. Lear thought Yohan looked cute asking like that, but he deliberately did not say it out loud and just smiled.

“A place you might like?”

Yohan’s expression turned slightly grim.

“Honey. I told you not to look at me like that, right? Do you want to have sex on the street?”

“Fuc—…!”

In defiance of his recent resolve, a curse automatically burst from Yohan’s mouth. However, before he could fully spit out the curse, Lear covered Yohan’s mouth with his large hand and said.

“I’m scared our baby will hear.”

Roughly swatting Lear’s wrist away, Yohan said.

“What kind of bullshit is that?”

Lear shook his hand, pretending the spot Yohan hit hurt.

“Think about it logically. We were cooped up in the room doing it like that, of course you’d get pregnant, even for a Beta.”

“I told you to go to the hospital right away if you have a problem with your head, right? Should I make the call for you? You have a lot of money, so you could even call an ambulance. Right?”

“Haa, and I wanted to enjoy the newlywed life a little longer…. A baby for Yohan. This will feel like a child giving birth to a child.”

Yohan, now genuinely thinking that he should not get involved and exchange words with him, started walking ahead by himself without even knowing the destination.

‘He really is cute, anyway.’

Lear, with a relaxed expression, stuck a hand in one of his pants pockets and followed behind him. The crowds were annoying, but a place like this was actually safer. Even a Shadow would not be able to move easily, and they would probably just think Yohan was his toy.

‘But why is that damn shirt fluttering so much?’

He was in a bad mood because the sunlight revealed the silhouette of Yohan’s beautiful body. On top of that, the person who was not even in good condition had walked so briskly that he was now quite a distance away, caught by a group of about five women. It seemed he had been caught by a group having a bachelorette party. One of them was wearing a crown and a veil on her head, and the others were each wearing T-shirts with the letters B.E.S.T. written on them. Anyone could tell they were in Las Vegas for a bachelorette party.

However, what irritated Lear even more was Yohan’s raised cheekbones, which were visible even from behind. Lear, thinking he could not just let it be, strode up to Yohan and shouted.

“Tommy’s dad!”

At Lear’s voice from behind, Yohan was startled. However, Lear shamelessly looked at Yohan with a worried expression and asked.

“Do you know them?”

A flustered Yohan looked back and forth between Lear and the women with a foolish expression. And for a moment, he was at a loss for words. To think the name the FBI had roughly made up would be used in this way.

“Who is this?”

At Lear’s words, the woman wearing the T-shirt with a B on it spoke to the T next to her in a snarky tone.

“What, he was a married man? And an Omega at that?”

“I only sensed Alpha pheromones… huck!”

At the disappointed expressions of the beautiful women, Lear spoke calmly.

“Haha. We’re planning for our second child. We might have overdone it a bit.”

As Lear interjected into their conversation, half of the women said, “Ah, yes….” with reluctant expressions, and the rest seemed flustered in many ways. Although Lear was a very handsome man, the way he was specifically telling them what they did in their hotel room with a murderous glint in his eyes made him look like a crazy person. Feeling as if they had picked the wrong person to talk to, they wanted to leave the spot quickly. However, Lear stubbornly continued saying what he wanted to say to the women.

“More importantly, I’m so worried that it doesn’t even show that my honey has given birth…. I’m thinking of making him a T-shirt that says ‘Tommy’s Dad,’ just like you all. Thank you for the idea.”

For a moment, a silence fell among the women, including Yohan. Although Lear was smiling, his eyes were dead serious, making the atmosphere utterly chilling.

“Um… we have reservations at a restaurant….”

“Then have a wonderful time. And congratulations on your marriage.”

Lear abruptly grabbed Yohan’s wrist, still smiling as he spoke, and then hurriedly started walking, dragging Yohan along with him.

“Wai, wait….”

Just as Yohan, who had finally come to his senses, tried to say something to Lear, Lear tightened his grip and quickened his pace.

“Hey, it hurts! Let go for a second.”

Only when Yohan shouted did Lear release his grip and stop walking. He was not even pretending to smile anymore. To be honest, Yohan felt wronged in many ways. Not only had he done nothing wrong, but the women had approached him first. So why did he feel like he had just been caught cheating? Yohan looked at Lear with a displeased face. Then he saw Lear’s face, which looked like the saddest in the world, though he was not crying.

“Was it nice? They looked a lot younger than you…. Early twenties? Mid-twenties?”

“What are you talking about? They asked for directions first.”

At Yohan’s words, Lear snorted.

“I guess….”

“Are you listening to me?”

This time, clicking his tongue, Lear looked Yohan up and down and said.

“My honey is quite baby-faced. You still look like you’re in your twenties, so sometimes I feel a pang of conscience.”

“You’re really pushing it….”

“Still, I can’t stand you grinning and acting flippantly in front of others. You know I get very jealous. Or. Do you hate that I’m over thirty?”

Yohan was dumbfounded by Lear’s ever-improving way with words.

“Are you taking private lessons on how to piss people off somewhere?”

“How could you say such a thing…!”

Wanting to see how far he would go, Yohan stared intently at Lear. It was a reaction so dramatic that it would not be strange if he jumped into Hollywood right away, as expected of Laura Crawford’s grandson.

“No matter how much I might look like a princess in your eyes, I’ve actually suffered quite a bit. My father was busy in the first place, and my biological father, well… you know, right? I want to be happy now.”

If that was suffering, he wanted to say that he himself had been to hell and back countless times, but Yohan, tired of even spouting such words, shook off Lear’s arm.

“Honey, that hurts my feelings.”

Momentarily feeling people’s gazes on him, Yohan blushed slightly and scratched the back of his head. It was because Lear stood out unnecessarily. In any case, he was a guy he disliked in many ways. But since they could not keep shooting some ridiculous drama in the middle of the street, Yohan asked Lear.

“Let’s stop for now…. You said you’d tell me the reason we came to Las Vegas. Where the hell are we going right now?”

At Yohan’s words, Lear pointed a finger at a nearby building.

“A hotel? Did you come here to do a hotel tour?”

“If you want, that’s possible too. Doing a tour of all the hotels in Las Vegas and trying out all sorts of positions sounds pretty good.”

Thanking him for the good idea after a long time, Lear, as if he had never made a sad face, moved closer to Yohan’s side and nudged him with his shoulder. At the sight of Lear suddenly acting cute, Yohan was too tired to even respond.

“Ha, I can’t say anything.”

Yohan muttered to himself, removed the hand that was holding onto Lear, and started walking toward the hotel he had pointed at. Lear watched him, suppressed a laugh that was about to escape, and this time, instead of linking arms, he reached out and wrapped his arm around Yohan’s shoulders. He was bigger than the average man, but thinking that made him a tight fit and turned him on, Lear said.

“We haven’t eaten a single proper thing while rolling around in bed all day. Let’s go get some steak.”

“You came out for something as trivial as that?”

“Trivial? I did it to give you a good experience.”

“Stop playing house, there’s no one to see. It’s hot and I’m tired.”

“That’s why people need to eat meat.”

Lear smoothly led Yohan into a restaurant inside the hotel. Since it was a tourist spot, most people were dressed casually, but he felt self-conscious about the man in front of him, and somehow, he also felt that his own appearance was shabby. Yohan, looking awkward, fiddled with his clothes and glanced around.

“What are you looking at so much? I’m right in front of you.”

Lear, who had kicked Yohan’s leg with his foot, spoke to Yohan with a slightly annoyed expression. At that, Yohan, looking embarrassed, fiddled with his chin and said.

“No, it’s just… it’s been a really long time since I’ve been to Las Vegas. It feels awkward. It’s my first time in a restaurant with such dim lighting and a fountain show.”

It was human nature to think that even if you never take a single photo of your food with your phone, you should probably take one for the memory when you come to a place like this.

Watching him, who seemed completely intimidated as if he had come to a place where he did not belong, Lear could not stand to see that either and started to slowly provoke Yohan.

“That’s why you need to eat chicken breast in moderation at home. If you just keep heating it up in the microwave because you can’t be bothered, you’ll be in big trouble.”

Yohan’s gaze fixed on Lear again. He looked at Lear with a displeased face.

“Are you picking a fight with me?”

“Picking a fight? I’m saying let’s go out on dates more often from now on.”

“Don’t talk about dates. Just remove the cameras in my house.”

“They’re for security. I’m worried something bad might happen since such a delicate person is living alone.”

“Bullshit.”

“Besides, it’s useless now that you’ve left the house. Isn’t it a bit much to go back because of your friend?”

Having run out of things to say, Yohan, despite having a menu in front of him, slightly raised his body and snatched the menu from Lear’s hands. Then, after roughly picking what he wanted to eat, he was about to look at the alcohol section when unfamiliar words appeared, and his expression turned serious. At that, Lear smiled and started talking to him.

“Do you want to drink wine?”

“Well… yes.”

Yohan naturally folded the menu and handed it back to Lear. He thought Lear would just pick something for him, but at times like this, Lear was always needlessly considerate. It might have been his imagination, but it also seemed like he was doing it on purpose.

“Anything you particularly like?”

There was no way Yohan, who would just buy whatever was at the supermarket when it came to wine, would have a ‘wine he particularly liked.’ It was fine if it had body, fine if it had less…. Honestly, as long as it was alcohol, it was all good. So, instead of answering, Yohan gritted his teeth and shot a look at Lear as if to tell him to cut it out.

“Well… my honey eats anything well.”

“Whatever. I’m calling the waiter.”

For the impatient Yohan, there was no such thing as the beauty of waiting. He was turning his head this way and that to find the designated waiter and make eye contact, when a familiar person caught his eye. Yohan, horrified, whipped his head around to look at Lear.

“Hey.”

“Hey?”

Lear tilted his head and looked around. Yohan frowned, looking at Lear with a ‘what are you doing’ expression. However, Lear raised his eyebrows with a shameless face.

“Did you plan to meet a man named Hey? Are you cheating on me?”

Yohan let out a deep sigh.

“Haa…. Mr. Crawford.”

“Which Crawford? My father is a Crawford and so is my grandmother.”

“I’m not in the mood for jokes. Right now.”

When Yohan finally couldn’t hold it in and spoke through gritted teeth, only then did Lear drop the playfulness. His gaze was still fixed on the wine list, his eyes moving busily to find a drink that Yohan might like.

“I saw her too.”

Yohan, unable to understand Lear’s composure, asked urgently.

“So why is Prosecutor O’Connell here?”

“I told you I’d give you a special experience.”

Yohan, who had never imagined that the experience he mentioned would include Ailee O’Connell in addition to an expensive steak, looked toward O’Connell’s side with a horrified expression. O’Connell was surrounded by about five kids who looked younger than her, chatting excitedly. Yohan met Lear’s eyes again and spoke to him in a small voice.

“Don’t tell me, you’re not planning to kidnap or confine her, are you?”

“Of course not. In a place with so many eyes watching?”

“Then?”

“I looked into it, and there was a training for new prosecutors nearby. It seems they came here to hang out and socialize after it ended.”

“What a good life.”

While feeling that it was questionable to conduct training in such a manner, on the other hand, he was worried that O’Connell might spot him and Lear. As if that thought showed on his face, Lear spoke in a gentle voice.

“Don’t worry, our table isn’t very visible from that spot. Besides, she’s so happy being with the fresh new prosecutors that she probably won’t even look this way.”

Yohan, with a disbelieving face, tapped Lear’s leg and asked.

“So why Prosecutor O’Connell all of a sudden? It doesn’t seem like a coincidence. What are you plotting?”

“Honey, if you ask so many things at once, how can I answer? It’s not like I have ten mouths.”

“It’s because you’re being so frustrating. So hurry up and tell me. What the hell are you planning to do? Didn’t you say you wouldn’t touch judges or prosecutors?”

“Well… just the usual, pulling teeth, cutting off fingers….”

Before Lear could finish his sentence, Yohan was startled and shouted in a small voice.

“Are you crazy? You said we shouldn’t stir things up!”

“Honey, save the excitement for the bedroom. Okay? You should listen until a person is finished speaking.”

At the sight of the quick-tempered Yohan, Lear offered him some water. Yohan gulped down the cold water with a displeased face. Then, looking at Lear with fierce eyes, he kicked his foot as if to tell him to say something.

“Is this a signal to go back to the room?”

“Did you bring me here to test my patience?”

“Of course not.”

At the perfect timing, the waiter arrived to take their order. Lear ordered a bottle of Chianti wine and enough food to stuff Yohan full.

Yohan stared intently at Lear, crossing his arms and shaking one leg restlessly. He was displeased with Lear, who was so relaxed unlike himself.

‘Really, he’s never said a single thing straight away.’

Lear stared fixedly at Yohan, who was cursing him with his eyes. It was enough to make him laugh automatically. Whenever he saw him getting angry and annoyed because of him, it felt like one side of his chest was tickling. As soon as the waiter left, Lear spoke to Yohan.

“When you look at me with such a hot gaze, I feel so shy that I don’t think I can say what I was planning to.”

Yohan clenched one fist and placed it on the table. Only when it became clear that his patience had reached its limit did Lear lean back slightly.

“Alright. Alright. Such a temper.”

“So?”

“Well… I wanted to tell you that I don’t plan on doing things in my biological father’s style.”

“Is that all?”

Yohan’s expression turned murderous. This time, it seemed like if he ran his mouth wrong, he would really get hit by Yohan. In the midst of that, he felt pathetic for thinking that Yohan’s frowning face was the cutest among all thirty-somethings. But Lear, pretending to be unfazed, hid his feelings and answered Yohan’s question.

“Of course not.”

At Lear’s answer, Yohan gestured with his chin as if telling him to continue. At that sight, Lear tapped the table with his index finger and said.

“It turns out Prosecutor O’Connell has a very special connection with your friend Heinz.”

“A special connection?”

“Not the kind of connection you and I have.”

“……”

“Would it be accurate to summarize it as the relationship between a criminal and the prosecutor in charge?”

“As expected…. So Heinz was acting under O’Connell’s direct orders?”

“Well, something like that. I don’t know the detailed circumstances between the two of them. But it’s clear that O’Connell is connected to the Shadow.”

At Lear’s words, Yohan’s head started to get complicated in various ways. He could not figure out from where the case had started to get tangled.

“Anyway, I hacked into Prosecutor O’Connell’s schedule and found out she was going to bring the new prosecutors to this place.”

“And?”

“Yohan, do you think it’s easy for an ordinary provincial prosecutor to bring a bunch of colleagues and show off at a restaurant like this?”

“Well… I wouldn’t know. But isn’t their salary pretty high?”

Yohan pouted his lips at Lear’s snort and said.

“For your information, I didn’t even look at the menu prices because I thought it would feel like I was indebted to you for no reason.”

While answering Lear, Yohan looked at O’Connell again. He caught a glimpse of O’Connell showing off with kids who looked at least ten years younger than her by her side.

She looked so excited about something, making all sorts of gestures with a hand that wore a watch sparkling with jewels, her face full of bravado.

“How about it?”

“It certainly is a bit strange.”

At Yohan’s deliberately indifferent words, Lear grinned.

“After a quick search, it seems O’Connell opened an account in Liechtenstein under a family member’s name. A money laundering hotspot of all places. Doesn’t it seem obvious where her source of funds is, without even having to look hard?”

“Must be nice, while someone else is going through hell seeing all sorts of things in Compton. Really.”

Lear spoke to Yohan, who was speaking sarcastically.

“Then instead of being envious of things like that, just marry me.”

“How can you say something like that in this situation?”

Lear, who let out a slight laugh, looked at Yohan as if he were adorable and said.

“It would have been nice if you were an easy man who looked at the price tag and cared about me. You’re such a simple person… it’s so difficult.”

“Are you messing with me?”

“No, that’s just an expression. Kitty, you’re a public official so you would know well, but there’s a limit to how much they can earn. Besides, Prosecutor O’Connell’s family is not that well-off either.”

“That’s why you need to eat chicken breast in moderation at home. If you just keep heating it up in the microwave because you can’t be bothered, you’ll be in big trouble.”

Yohan’s gaze fixed on Lear again. He looked at Lear with a displeased face.

“Are you picking a fight with me?”

“Picking a fight? I’m saying let’s go out on dates more often from now on.”

“Don’t talk about dates. Just remove the cameras in my house.”

“They’re for security. I’m worried something bad might happen since such a delicate person is living alone.”

“Bullshit.”

“Besides, it’s useless now that you’ve left the house. Isn’t it a bit much to go back because of your friend?”

Having run out of things to say, Yohan, despite having a menu in front of him, slightly raised his body and snatched the menu from Lear’s hands. Then, after roughly picking what he wanted to eat, he was about to look at the alcohol section when unfamiliar words appeared, and his expression turned serious. At that, Lear smiled and started talking to him.

“Do you want to drink wine?”

“Well… yes.”

Yohan naturally folded the menu and handed it back to Lear. He thought Lear would just pick something for him, but at times like this, Lear was always needlessly considerate. It might have been his imagination, but it also seemed like he was doing it on purpose.

“Anything you particularly like?”

There was no way Yohan, who would just buy whatever was at the supermarket when it came to wine, would have a ‘wine he particularly liked.’ It was fine if it had body, fine if it had less…. Honestly, as long as it was alcohol, it was all good. So, instead of answering, Yohan gritted his teeth and shot a look at Lear as if to tell him to cut it out.

“Well… my honey eats anything well.”

“Whatever. I’m calling the waiter.”

For the impatient Yohan, there was no such thing as the beauty of waiting. He was turning his head this way and that to find the designated waiter and make eye contact, when a familiar person caught his eye. Yohan, horrified, whipped his head around to look at Lear.

“Hey.”

“Hey?”

Lear tilted his head and looked around. Yohan frowned, looking at Lear with a ‘what are you doing’ expression. However, Lear raised his eyebrows with a shameless face.

“Did you plan to meet a man named Hey? Are you cheating on me?”

Yohan let out a deep sigh.

“Haa…. Mr. Crawford.”

“Which Crawford? My father is a Crawford and so is my grandmother.”

“I’m not in the mood for jokes. Right now.”

When Yohan finally couldn’t hold it in and spoke through gritted teeth, only then did Lear drop the playfulness. His gaze was still fixed on the wine list, his eyes moving busily to find a drink that Yohan might like.

“I saw her too.”

Yohan, unable to understand Lear’s composure, asked urgently.

“So why is Prosecutor O’Connell here?”

“I told you I’d give you a special experience.”

Yohan, who had never imagined that the experience he mentioned would include Ailee O’Connell in addition to an expensive steak, looked toward O’Connell’s side with a horrified expression. O’Connell was surrounded by about five kids who looked younger than her, chatting excitedly. Yohan met Lear’s eyes again and spoke to him in a small voice.

“Don’t tell me, you’re not planning to kidnap or confine her, are you?”

“Of course not. In a place with so many eyes watching?”

“Then?”

“I looked into it, and there was a training for new prosecutors nearby. It seems they came here to hang out and socialize after it ended.”

“What a good life.”

While feeling that it was questionable to conduct training in such a manner, on the other hand, he was worried that O’Connell might spot him and Lear. As if that thought showed on his face, Lear spoke in a gentle voice.

“Don’t worry, our table isn’t very visible from that spot. Besides, she’s so happy being with the fresh new prosecutors that she probably won’t even look this way.”

Yohan, with a disbelieving face, tapped Lear’s leg and asked.

“So why Prosecutor O’Connell all of a sudden? It doesn’t seem like a coincidence. What are you plotting?”

“Honey, if you ask so many things at once, how can I answer? It’s not like I have ten mouths.”

“It’s because you’re being so frustrating. So hurry up and tell me. What the hell are you planning to do? Didn’t you say you wouldn’t touch judges or prosecutors?”

“Well… just the usual, pulling teeth, cutting off fingers….”

Before Lear could finish his sentence, Yohan was startled and shouted in a small voice.

“Are you crazy? You said we shouldn’t stir things up!”

“Honey, save the excitement for the bedroom. Okay? You should listen until a person is finished speaking.”

At the sight of the quick-tempered Yohan, Lear offered him some water. Yohan gulped down the cold water with a displeased face. Then, looking at Lear with fierce eyes, he kicked his foot as if to tell him to say something.

“Is this a signal to go back to the room?”

“Did you bring me here to test my patience?”

“Of course not.”

At the perfect timing, the waiter arrived to take their order. Lear ordered a bottle of Chianti wine and enough food to stuff Yohan full.

Yohan stared intently at Lear, crossing his arms and shaking one leg restlessly. He was displeased with Lear, who was so relaxed unlike himself.

‘Really, he’s never said a single thing straight away.’

Lear stared fixedly at Yohan, who was cursing him with his eyes. It was enough to make him laugh automatically. Whenever he saw him getting angry and annoyed because of him, it felt like one side of his chest was tickling. As soon as the waiter left, Lear spoke to Yohan.

“When you look at me with such a hot gaze, I feel so shy that I don’t think I can say what I was planning to.”

Yohan clenched one fist and placed it on the table. Only when it became clear that his patience had reached its limit did Lear lean back slightly.

“Alright. Alright. Such a temper.”

“So?”

“Well… I wanted to tell you that I don’t plan on doing things in my biological father’s style.”

“Is that all?”

Yohan’s expression turned murderous. This time, it seemed like if he ran his mouth wrong, he would really get hit by Yohan. In the midst of that, he felt pathetic for thinking that Yohan’s frowning face was the cutest among all thirty-somethings. But Lear, pretending to be unfazed, hid his feelings and answered Yohan’s question.

“Of course not.”

At Lear’s answer, Yohan gestured with his chin as if telling him to continue. At that sight, Lear tapped the table with his index finger and said.

“It turns out Prosecutor O’Connell has a very special connection with your friend Heinz.”

“A special connection?”

“Not the kind of connection you and I have.”

“……”

“Would it be accurate to summarize it as the relationship between a criminal and the prosecutor in charge?”

“As expected…. So Heinz was acting under O’Connell’s direct orders?”

“Well, something like that. I don’t know the detailed circumstances between the two of them. But it’s clear that O’Connell is connected to the Shadow.”

At Lear’s words, Yohan’s head started to get complicated in various ways. He could not figure out from where the case had started to get tangled.

“Anyway, I hacked into Prosecutor O’Connell’s schedule and found out she was going to bring the new prosecutors to this place.”

“And?”

“Yohan, do you think it’s easy for an ordinary provincial prosecutor to bring a bunch of colleagues and show off at a restaurant like this?”

“Well… I wouldn’t know. But isn’t their salary pretty high?”

Yohan pouted his lips at Lear’s snort and said.

“For your information, I didn’t even look at the menu prices because I thought it would feel like I was indebted to you for no reason.”

While answering Lear, Yohan looked at O’Connell again. He caught a glimpse of O’Connell showing off with kids who looked at least ten years younger than her by her side.

She looked so excited about something, making all sorts of gestures with a hand that wore a watch sparkling with jewels, her face full of bravado.

“How about it?”

“It certainly is a bit strange.”

At Yohan’s deliberately indifferent words, Lear grinned.

“After a quick search, it seems O’Connell opened an account in Liechtenstein under a family member’s name. A money laundering hotspot of all places. Doesn’t it seem obvious where her source of funds is, without even having to look hard?”

“Must be nice, while someone else is going through hell seeing all sorts of things in Compton. Really.”

Lear spoke to Yohan, who was speaking sarcastically.

“Then instead of being envious of things like that, just marry me.”

“How can you say something like that in this situation?”

Lear, who let out a slight laugh, looked at Yohan as if he were adorable and said.

“It would have been nice if you were an easy man who looked at the price tag and cared about me. You’re such a simple person… it’s so difficult.”

“Are you messing with me?”

“No, that’s just an expression. Kitty, you’re a public official so you would know well, but there’s a limit to how much they can earn. Besides, Prosecutor O’Connell’s family is not that well-off either.”

In that case, it was even more suspicious. To be honest, being a provincial prosecutor did not have many advantages aside from job stability. If one had the ability, it might be better to work for a company in Silicon Valley. Of course, a provincial prosecutor would earn more than Yohan, an FBI agent.

“A person like that is not at the level to wear a luxury suit and a watch that costs several thousand dollars, right?”

“That… is true.”

Besides what Lear had mentioned, there were more than one or two suspicious things about O’Connell. Starting from being involved with the Bench chemist who contributed to Diane’s disgraceful death, there were quite a few things that were bothersome.

“So, Lear. What is it that you want to say?”

“Since this place was reserved for the dinner party, I checked the list and there were a total of six people, including O’Connell. But the reservation system here had seven people booked.”

Just as Yohan flinched, the waiter brought the wine. As soon as the friendly waiter showed the wine label and filled Yohan’s glass, he gulped down the alcohol like water.

The waiter, who was pouring wine into Lear’s glass, was slightly taken aback by the sight. However, he was a professional, and as soon as he filled Lear’s glass, he filled Yohan’s glass once more before going to get the food. Only after watching his retreating back did Yohan part his lips and speak to Lear.

“Then that means the last person is coming here.”

“Well…. yes. I was curious who on earth it could be to act so boldly, so I came here with you to watch.”

Yohan’s expression turned serious at Lear’s words. He was boiling inside, but the fact that there was nothing he could do right now infuriated him.

“So O’Connell is pushing newly appointed prosecutors to step into that world already?”

“Well, something like that.”

“The more they get involved, the larger their power grows, and the more solid it becomes…. Haa, it’s not even a multi-level marketing scheme. They have not one ounce of professional ethics.”

“You don’t need to get so worked up. O’Connell probably accurately identified the ones who already showed potential and brought them here. They are the types who would have done anything, even if it wasn’t this line of work.”

“……”

“Whatever the case may be, the person who appears here will clearly be a Shadow or someone deeply connected to the Shadow. Won’t something interesting happen?”

Thanks to that, Yohan downed another glass of alcohol at Lear’s words that it seemed Prosecutor O’Connell’s finger would not be cut off for now.

At this point, he was starting to think that it might be okay for O’Connell, who had neglected her duties and even aided in fabricating a case, to have at least one finger cut off in the traditional way.

“Haa….”

As Yohan tried to fill his glass again, Lear frowned slightly and took his glass away.

“Drink in moderation. The food hasn’t even come out yet.”

“I’m just agitated.”

“Even drinking grape juice like that will cause big trouble.”

“So what if I get drunk, you’re going to handle it anyway, right?”

Yohan, whose cheeks were already slightly flushed as if he were a little drunk, suddenly came on strong. Lear blinked his eyes with a foolish expression for a moment and looked at Yohan. In the meantime, Yohan snatched Lear’s glass and sipped the wine. Lear could not stop him any longer and said a word to Yohan.

“That is a very irresponsible and romantic thing to say.”

Yohan, in the middle of drinking, stared at Lear and asked.

“So you don’t like it?”

“How could I not? I’m at the point where I want to push you down on the table and fuck you right now.”

Normally, he would have been horrified and cursed, but Yohan, who was in a slightly better mood because of the alcohol, said cheerfully.

“I don’t think that’s possible.”

“I’m not saying I’m really going to do i—.”

“Do you want to at least kiss instead?”

For a moment, Lear was about to clear the table and pounce on Yohan, but fortunately, the designated waiter came with the ordered food, allowing him to maintain his reason. Lear stared intently at Yohan until the food was served on the table, then tapped the tip of his foot and said in a scolding manner.

“Are you going to keep making things difficult for me? Where do you think this is to be throwing around words like that so carelessly? Huh?”

Because of Yohan, Lear felt like he was going to go into rut every single time, just like the broadcast time of <Good Morning America>.1) He did not know where he had learned to say such things, but it was not like he was deliberately trying to seduce him, but rather like he was speaking pure words without any real thought, which made him even more turned on.

Whether that was the case or not, Yohan began to diligently cut and eat the steak in front of him. He was quite hungry, so with the food in front of him, O’Connell did not even enter his sight, and the words he had thrown at Lear had long since evaporated from his memory.

Lear let out a small sigh at the sight of Yohan eating the steak like he was in a battle and cut about half of the meat in front of him and gave it to Yohan.

“Yes. For now, eat a lot. You’ll need to.”

Yohan stabbed a large piece of meat with his fork and clicked his tongue at Lear.

“You’re uselessly tall, are you going to be okay picking at your food like that?”

“I plan to get my protein intake through other routes, so don’t worry. Honey.”

Lear said with a lewd smile. Yohan glared at Lear once with a face that said his appetite was ruined. Then, he seemed to put down his fork for a moment, but then sighed and started to focus on eating again.

“Yohan.”

While Yohan was deeply focused on the taste of the meat, the final member arrived at O’Connell’s table. However, Lear waited until Yohan had finished all his food before speaking to him.

“Are you full?”

Yohan nodded his head.

“Is it good?”

At Lear’s question, Yohan, who nodded once more, seemed to have sobered up a little while focusing on the food, and his gaze became a bit calmer. Lear refilled the glass in front of Yohan.

“More importantly, honey, a new guest has arrived at O’Connell’s table now.”

At Lear’s words, Yohan turned his head while chewing on asparagus. One, two, three… six, seven. Seven! There was one more person. Only then did Yohan see a blond man in a neat suit smiling brightly and chatting with O’Connell.

“Blond?”

“Yes. We’ll have to find out more about who he is, but just looking at him, it’s a bit hard to see him as a Shadow…. Doesn’t he look young?”

“You’re right. More than that, doesn’t he just look like an ordinary salesman at a glance?”

He was a white man who looked ordinary in every way except for his shiny blond hair. He was also a head shorter than Yohan, and the slightly thin man had a decent, likable face. Yohan, frowning, could not take his eyes off the man who had suddenly appeared. Lear, not liking Yohan’s attitude, asked crookedly.

“Why? Is he your type?”

“What are you talking about.”

“Because you were staring so intently.”

Now that Lear had said that, Yohan started to see the man in a slightly different light. With his blond hair and a refreshing smile, he thought he might be able to find some cute aspects in his ordinariness. The important thing was that he felt like he could tease Lear.

“Ah, now that you mention it, I think the appearance of that unknown man is finally catching my eye.”

“……”

“I used to think that men were just sweaty and annoying creatures, but thanks to you, Rhys, I’ve come to learn about the charms that men possess. Thank you. Really.”

Even though he knew Yohan was saying those things to tease him, Lear felt bad. In the first place, the very fact that he was being compared to a guy like that hurt his pride.

“Are you sulking?”

“I don’t feel anything about being compared to someone who is not even in my league.”

“Right. Taste is always subjective, after all.”

“Even though that bastard’s dick is probably 3cm?”

“We won’t know until we see it.”

Yohan grinned, saying he might be surprisingly well-endowed, and raised his glass as it was, tapping it lightly against Lear’s glass and wrinkling his nose. Lear, still with a displeased look on his face, simply stared at Yohan. How was he supposed to handle him in bed when he was flirting like this, making such lame jokes…. Lear let out a small sigh and turned his gaze away.

The O’Connell group started to get up from their seats. It seemed they were probably getting ready to move for the main party. Lear had intended to take it easy today, but given his personality, it seemed unlikely he could just let them be.

“Kitty, let’s get up too.”

“Huh?”

“The O’Connell group has started to move.”

At Lear’s words, Yohan hastily drank the alcohol in his glass. He didn’t know what Lear’s plan was, but it seemed like a good idea to find out about the seventh member involved with O’Connell. It was as Lear said; they didn’t have any proper evidence to dismantle the Declan organization and drag Shadow to court. Perhaps O’Connell and the blonde man could be a clue.

*

Following the O’Connell group, they arrived at a club named 40123, not far from the restaurant. Yohan was baffled by the club’s nonsensical name, but he pushed his gun further into his waistband and began to unbutton his shirt.

“Why are you unbuttoning your shirt?”

“This is how you get a welcome.”

To Yohan’s comment that he didn’t work out so hard for nothing, Lear made a bewildered face and quickly reached out to button up his shirt, which was wide open, revealing his chest.

“It’s too revealing.”

Acting not like a mother policing her teenage daughter, but closing up the front of a thirty-five-year-old man’s shirt, telling him it was too revealing, made Yohan speak with an incredulous tone.

“What is this?”

“It’s nice to show off your well-toned chest muscles, but there’s a bite mark over there.”

Horrified, Yohan crossed his arms and glared at Lear.

“You son of a bitch, it’s because of you!”

“That’s secondary, honey. We didn’t come here to play, did we? Isn’t that right?”

“…….”

“Besides, even if we did come to play, you shouldn’t be thinking of hitting on other bastards when I’m right here beside you.”

“What a load of bullshit. Who do you think you are?”

Yohan pushed Lear away and scoffed, walking ahead first. Lear froze for a moment and watched Yohan’s back. The sound of Yohan’s sharp voice saying, “Who do you think you are?” echoed in his head.

Who do you think you are?

Who do you think you are?

Who do you think you are?

Who do you think… I wonder what I am?

What do I want to be to Yohan?

Lear embraced the confusing emotions and, for the time being, followed after Yohan. Sure enough, despite the long line, Yohan, who had confidently puffed out his chest to go in first, was being stopped at the club’s entrance simply for wearing sneakers.

‘This is why I told him not to dress so pointlessly cute. Ugh.’

Seeing Yohan looking wronged, glancing between his shoes and the guard’s face while saying something, Lear sighed and strode forward.

“He’s with me.”

Lear stood next to Yohan and said a word to the guard. Then he took out a few bills with Benjamin Franklin’s face on them from his wallet and said.

“More importantly, it seems this place doesn’t care much about clothes, but you must have a Carrie Bradshaw-like obsession with shoes, I suppose?”

At Lear’s words, spoken with one eyebrow raised, the guard flinched. Putting aside the fact that he was a stunningly handsome man, it was because he felt like he would suffocate from the unique pheromones of a dominant alpha. He cleared his throat a few times, his face stiffening as he took the money and spoke.

“Well…. It’s due to my boss’s philosophy of being selective about our clientele, in a way.”

Lear scoffed as if to say how ridiculous, then pulled Yohan closer to his side, gripping his shoulder tightly.

“Hmm. Even though he’s this handsome?”

“It’s also because we just opened, so things are a bit strict.”

“Even though there are so many people staring at my boy like perverts, regardless of gender or secondary gender?”

At Lear’s words, Yohan grabbed and shook his sleeve, saying it was embarrassing. But Lear didn’t want to see Yohan being disrespected like this. The guard, perhaps sensing the crazed look in Lear’s eyes, also became flustered.

“I mean… please don’t misunderstand, I was just following the management’s opinion that everyone should get a fair chance regardless of their face. Even if Bradley Cooper came, if he tried to enter with sneakers and an empty hand, I’d say no.”

“My, you really don’t know how to do business.”

Yohan glared at Lear, telling him to stop, but Lear still wore a look of incomprehension. At that sight, the guard cleared his throat a couple of times and glanced at the long line, saying.

“Still, I tend to be flexible, and we have a lot of customers right now… so it would probably be best for you to go in quickly.”

At the guard’s words, Yohan smiled awkwardly and urged Lear to go inside quickly. What was the big deal about this. But Lear, who was barely holding it in for Yohan’s sake, reached out to the guard, patting his shoulder and saying.

“Well, I hope you continue to exercise that flexibility in the future.”

Lear grinned once, then snatched Yohan’s wrist as if catching it and dragged him into the club. Yohan had no choice but to follow behind Lear against his will, and as soon as he entered the club, he said a word.

“Hey, let’s do things in moderation. Okay?”

He thought Lear might not have heard him over the loud music, but Lear soon stopped walking. Because of that, Yohan, who bumped his nose into his back, frowned deeply at Lear’s gaze as he looked back at him.

“This is why I was trying to get rid of those loud clothes.”

Yohan shook off Lear’s hand and said.

“It wasn’t because of my clothes, you know? And what’s the reason for allowing casual clothes but banning sneakers? I can’t be wearing dress shoes with an outfit like this.”

“It means… to come dressed somewhat appropriately.”

Yohan, with a dumbfounded expression, looked at Lear disapprovingly before heading inside first. But what made him even more fed up was the crowd of countless people jumping around in excitement before his eyes. Thanks to Lear, they had made it inside the club, but as expected of the hottest club in Las Vegas, the interior was packed with people.

“Ha, this is driving me crazy.”

He only liked places like this when he was young; after reaching a certain age, he didn’t even think about going near them. Recently, Yohan had come to think that there was nothing as comfortable and good as watching basketball at home with pizza and beer.

“Where on earth… are those guys?”

Yohan looked around, muttering to himself. Half the people seemed drunk, and the other half seemed high on drugs. Fearing he might lose Lear and end up with nothing, Yohan whipped his head around. Thankfully, Lear was following closely behind, and Yohan, as if he had no other choice, reached out his hand towards him. Lear turned his head, stared at Yohan, and then took the hand he had offered.

“My darling, were you worried after pretending to be mad?”

“You’re getting cocky. And I wasn’t trying to hold your hand, you know?”

“Yes, you were.”

When Yohan tried to pull his hand away, Lear tightened his grip. Yohan cried out that it hurt, but Lear didn’t even pretend to listen and went over to the bar to find a spot. He then naturally ordered a cocktail that Yohan would like, tapped him, and said.

“This is not the time for that.”

Yohan let out a deep sigh and was about to say something about Lear’s displeasing behavior. Just then, Lear gestured with his chin, pointing somewhere.

“Look over there.”

Yohan followed Lear’s gaze. Sure enough, O’Connell, the excited blonde guy, and the young prosecutors were walking towards the VIP lounge.

“We should probably enjoy ourselves a bit first, then find an opening to make a move.”

“Is there no other way?”

“Shall we dance, perhaps?”

Yohan looked at Lear with a horrified expression. At that, Lear moved closer to Yohan and looked at him with eyes that seemed as if they could devour him whole at any moment. For a second, Yohan unknowingly gulped and his face tensed up.

“What, what is it?”

“It’ll be a hassle if useless things start sticking to us. Isn’t that right?”

“That’s true….”

“Let’s stick together affectionately like this and talk about our future plans.”

As for the immediate plan, the most important thing was to confirm whether that blonde was Shadow, one of Shadow’s lackeys, or just some unrelated person. Yohan, with an indifferent expression, sipped his cocktail and looked at Lear. It was his way of saying, ‘you go first.’ But Lear only watched Yohan, who was getting progressively drunker with each sip, with a satisfied look in his eyes.

Like that, as if playing a staring game, they said nothing and just looked into each other’s eyes until Yohan had finished his third drink. It was then that Lear, looking around, finally spotted the blonde leaving his seat.

“He’s moving.”

“Huh?”

Yohan felt a sudden wave of dizziness from the alcohol, but he tried his best to hold onto his senses and followed Lear. The blonde, as if he knew the club’s layout better than anyone, strode confidently to the restroom. Watching the back of the blonde who was concentrating on taking a cool piss, Lear and Yohan met each other’s eyes.

Yohan slightly lifted his shirt to subtly show the gun tucked in his waistband to the drunks in the restroom. It seemed everyone became perceptive in front of a gun, as they dragged their staggering bodies out of the restroom. Fortunately, no one screamed, and there weren’t many people in the restroom to begin with.

Only then did the blonde guy feel that something was off and zipped up his pants, looking around. Yohan stood roughly in the middle of the restroom and grinned, while Lear locked the door.

“What, what’s going on?!”

The guy, realizing the situation had taken a strange turn, flinched and moved as if to draw a gun. Yohan immediately rushed at him and threw a punch. The punch was so hard that with a “thwack” sound, the guy’s nose started bleeding and he passed out. Lear caught the guy as he was about to fall, kicked open a stall door, and threw him onto the toilet.