GCT 11

“Kitty, you scared me. I thought I was going to lose the baby.”

“You’re the one who got fucked, so why the hell are you pregnant? Are you cheating on me or something?”

It was Yohan, throwing Lear’s own words right back at him. Lear, with a face that looked as if he would burst into chicken-sized tears at any moment, asked.

“Honey, are you doubting me right now?”

“We don’t have time, so cut the jokes.”

Yohan retorted to Lear’s words and then clicked his tongue. Another wave of drunkenness hit him, making him feel hot. Still, holding onto his consciousness as best as he could, Yohan first searched the guy’s pockets. Sure enough, a .38 caliber revolver popped out. Yohan looked the gun over and tucked it into his own waistband for the time being. Then he went through his other pocket. Out of the pocket came a small OPP bag containing five pills. They were all pink pills encased in transparent capsules. The shapes were different, but the color made them look like candy.

“What is this?”

Yohan’s face contorted. At that, Lear clicked his tongue.

“Anyway, for someone with such a small dick, he’s so fearless, carrying things like this. Jeez.”

Lear clicked his tongue, then worriedly told Yohan that he could have gotten into big trouble. After taking a picture of the beaten-up guy and sending it somewhere, he slapped the guy’s cheek once more to wake him up.

“Ugh….”

“Stop faking it and get up.”

The guy flinched at the sound of Lear’s voice. He was a beta, but the moment he opened his eyes, the murderous gaze looking down at him made him feel suffocated, and his nose hurt so much he could feel it swelling in real time.

“Name.”

Seeing the guy touch his nose with his hand, Yohan unwound a bunch of toilet paper and handed it to him. At Yohan’s display of unnecessary kindness, Lear looked at the guy disapprovingly, causing the man to flinch and speak in a trembling voice.

“Uh, um… Jamal sent me… sir?”

When the name Jamal suddenly popped out of the guy’s mouth, Yohan frowned. The fact that this guy, who looked like an insurance salesman on the outside, was connected to a central figure in the Vasquez organization was unpleasant. But no matter how he looked at him, he seemed like an ordinary office worker with no connection to Jamal whatsoever.

“Jamal?”

“I’m Glen Cowry’s brother, so Jamal sent someone… wasn’t it… I don’t think that’s it.”

He had wondered if he was one of Jamal’s clients, but to think he was Glen Cowry’s brother…. While Yohan was surprised, Lear snapped at the guy.

“Do I look like the kind of person who cleans up after someone?”

“…N, no.”

“Name.”

“It’s Miguel Sierra.”

Just a moment ago, he had uttered with his own mouth that he was Glen Cowry’s brother, but now, seeing Miguel change his last name to ‘Sierra’, Yohan was dumbfounded. And frowning, he tried to find a connection between the guy in front of him and Glen.

Miguel, Miguel, Miguel…? But no matter how much he thought about it, it was a name he was hearing for the first time. Yohan, thinking the guy was clearly lying, began to search through Miguel’s clothes.

“Kitty, if there’s something you want to find, just tell me. Don’t go around groping another man’s body like that. Look at that bastard, enjoying the touch like a pervert.”

Despite Lear’s fuss that the guy was going to get an erection at this rate, Yohan, with a blank expression, finally found the wallet in Miguel’s jacket. And after scoffing at the business card tucked inside the wallet, Yohan threw one of the cards at Miguel’s face. The card then hit the guy’s face, bounced off, and fell to the floor.

“Sierra? Does this writing look like Sierra to you?”

“Th, that is…!”

Lear read the name on the business card that had fallen in front of him.

“Miguel Cowry…. Should I assume one of two things? That you think we’re idiots who can’t even read. Or that you see us as pushovers who will fall for it if you lie?”

“N, no! That was absolutely not my intention… it wasn’t! Really!”

Miguel was flustered. He thought they would just let the wallet go since they took the two big items, but now things had gotten twisted like this again. He couldn’t even guess who had sent the people in front of him, or where they had come from. Just by their appearance, they didn’t seem to be connected to Vasquez. On top of that, one was wearing a loud Hawaiian shirt, and the other was wearing a dandy-looking semi-formal suit. Their styles were completely opposite. But the only person he could think of was Jamal, who had recently been on bad terms with his brother, so Miguel’s eyes darted around frantically.

“Don’t think about useless things.”

Yohan let out a deep sigh and pressed Miguel’s forehead with his finger, saying.

“You know I’ve already cut you a lot of slack, right?”

Yohan cracked his knuckles so hard they made a popping sound. Lear, who was quietly watching, smiled and added his own words to Yohan’s.

“That’s right. It would be best not to think about useless things. Miguel. That person may look innocent, but he’s an incredibly scary person. He’s holding back a lot right now, but once the leash is off….”

Lear frowned and made a gesture of slitting his own throat with his finger. At that, Miguel flinched and trembled. It was because the two people in front of him certainly did not seem normal.

“Let’s do this right. Got it?”

Yohan, who clicked his tongue and let out a deep sigh, kicked Miguel’s leg once as soon as Lear’s words ended and asked him.

“So, you’re Glen Cowry’s brother?”

As far as Yohan knew, he had heard that Glen Cowry not only didn’t have any siblings, he didn’t even have a dog, and was an orphan with no relatives, let alone family. The person he took care of dotingly like family among the organization members was Fiona Cif. Of course, that was before he had a falling out with Jamal.

Just looking at the expensive car Fiona drove around in proved that. But for a brother who didn’t have an ounce of resemblance to him to just pop up, Yohan found it utterly unbelievable.

At Yohan’s expression full of suspicion, Miguel broke out in a cold sweat and said.

“Th, that’s right. Brother…. You might not believe it but… it’s true. Really…. Do you know what kind of person my brother is! If he finds out you’re doing this, all hell will break loose, you know?!”

Yohan narrowed his eyes and stared intently at Miguel. If he really was Glen Cowry’s brother, he was curious for what reason he was in such a friendly mood as to come to a club with O’Connell.

“Brother? This isn’t another lie, is it? As far as I know, Glen Cowry has no siblings. On top of that, you look completely different from Cowry.”

Thinking that even if soap operas were popular, a plot development like this was a bit much, he expressed his irritation, and Miguel opened his mouth.

“Th, that is…!”

Even while thinking that he had messed up by running his mouth and had gotten himself into deep shit, Miguel, completely intimidated, couldn’t lie. It was because the silver-haired man next to Yohan was emitting an immense murderous aura.

“It’s because we have different mothers. My mother’s last name is Sierra.”

He didn’t know if it was because of the alcohol or the irritation from Miguel mumbling in front of him, but his body felt incredibly hot. Yohan frowned and raised one eyebrow. At that, Miguel, watching his expression, continued to speak.

“I take after my mother’s side a lot…. That’s why. But it has nothing to do with my brother… Glen. As you can see, I work at an ordinary company and….”

It was then. Lear, who had been fiddling with his phone, burst out laughing, mocking Miguel’s words, then his face turned serious as he said a word.

“Nothing to do with him?”

“S, so what I mean is….”

Miguel’s lips trembled.

“It’s an ordinary company if you call it a company… but what a coincidence that you belong to the Esprit sales department?”

‘Esprit Inc.’ written on Miguel’s business card was a pharmaceutical company that mainly dealt in painkillers. In particular, ‘Easiz,’ a type of Horazol that suppresses manifestation pain, is one of Esprit Inc.’s consistently popular products.

Not only that, but another had recently been added to the holy trinity of narcotic painkillers, Oxycodone, Soma, and Xanax. It was Horamaidone, which could be called a rising star of the opioid2) family. Esprit had practically raked in money by developing this Horamaidone. It was all thanks to their aggressive sales and marketing. After that, Esprit grew into a major pharmaceutical company, following in the footsteps of Mylan Pharmaceuticals.

As far as Lear knew, not only Joel Declan but also the Declan organization had a stake in Esprit. He would have to look into the rest, but for now, after Joel Declan died, about 3% of the Esprit shares had been transferred to Lear. He remembered the company called Esprit because it was the largest stake held by an individual.

However, he had no particular interest in pharmaceutical-biotech stocks, so he sold them all as soon as he inherited them, and not long after that, he heard that Esprit had suffered a considerable financial blow after getting entangled in a huge lawsuit with ‘Rousch,’ one of New York’s major hospitals, over Horamaidone.

The reason Lear remembered Esprit was because after hearing about it, he had marveled at how incredibly blessed he was with wealth. It was better to pay 200,000 dollars in inheritance tax, because he could have had his money evaporate on the spot if things went wrong.

But for ‘Esprit,’ which he had forgotten about, to pop up in a Las Vegas club, and on top of that, for pills to pop out of a pocket. Lear thought there couldn’t be such a coincidence and asked Miguel with an intrigued expression.

“Mister Sales Department Manager of a pharmaceutical company, shouldn’t the people you’re meeting be doctors or pharmacists, not prosecutors?”

He thought they would just let it go since Yohan wasn’t saying anything, but when Lear pointed it out, Miguel’s eyes wavered intensely.

“Does our Mister Manager see me as an idiot?”

“O, of course not!”

Before Lear could grab Miguel, Yohan suddenly smacked the guy on the head. At the thwack sound, Lear looked at Yohan with a startled expression. It was because it seemed Yohan had definitely had a lot to drink. But Lear didn’t bother to stop Yohan. The sight of him using violence on Miguel without batting an eye was quite refreshing.

“Reason.”

“Pardon?”

At Yohan’s serious expression, Miguel wore a wronged look, rubbing the spot he had been hit. However, Yohan had no intention of letting Miguel off.

“Tell me. Why you are hanging out with O’Connell.”

“…….”

“As he said, if you’re an ordinary office worker, there seems to be no need for you to be entertaining prosecutors.”

At Yohan’s question, Miguel’s lips parted as he swallowed hard. Then he glanced at Lear. He seemed to be standing crookedly, observing everything as if he were a spectator, but at Miguel’s gaze, he shrugged his shoulders once. Then he mouthed the words, ‘You’re really going to die if you keep that up,’ and then, with an unfazed expression, simply looked back at his phone screen. Yohan, who didn’t know the situation, just clicked his tongue and said to Miguel.

“Don’t look away.”

“…S, so.”

He had no idea who they were or what organization they belonged to for two tall, handsome men to approach him and interrogate him in a restroom, but Miguel’s mouth kept getting dry.

“I, I was just doing as the company told me. They told me to meet prosecutor O’Connell today and entertain him….”

“And?”

“So I just took them to the club my brother recently opened. It’s the hottest place in Las Vegas and… since they’re new prosecutors, I thought they would like it….”

Yohan’s expression hardened even more as he remembered hearing about the club from Fiona sometime ago. He had only heard that Fiona was going to build a club with Glen Cowry to expand their influence and had made a huge investment, but he had never imagined they would have already built it like this in Las Vegas.

Just looking at it, he could tell that an enormous amount of money had been spent. It would be difficult to purchase a building and run a club simply by selling candy. In that case, there was a high probability that the Declan organization was involved. If it was someone unrelated to Lear and on the opposing side, was it really Shadow? He couldn’t figure out who he was to have dragged the situation this far.

Yohan sighed, recalling how he had scoffed at the nickname ‘Shadow’. The only fortunate thing in all of this was that the newly opened club was doing quite well.

“So, 401… shit.”

“It’s 40123, sir.”

“They even gave it a shitty name.”

Yohan, who let out his irritation to the fullest, spat on the floor. Miguel moved his legs together to avoid Yohan’s spit and blabbered on. He was certainly the type who made a living by running his mouth.

“I, it’s hip, you know. For reference, it was my brother’s number when he was first incarcerated.”

“What a load of bullshit, really.”

Yohan, who had learned information he didn’t want to know, clicked his tongue. His mood worsened at the thought that people would go even more crazy if they knew the meaning of 40123.

“I don’t want to know your brother’s first inmate number, so you’d better stop with the useless talk and answer my questions properly. Understood?”

Miguel first nodded his head. Then, with a very tense face, he looked back and forth between Yohan and Lear and swallowed hard.

“The things you’re doing, whether it’s for the company or your brother or whatever, this is all related to Candy, right?”

“Ca, Candy, sir?”

At the sight of Miguel speaking with wide, innocent eyes, Yohan sighed.

“Do you think acting cute will work?”

Just then, Lear, who had been staring at his phone on the side, chimed in.

“To add to that, Miguel, you are, unfortunately, not my darling’s type.”

Yohan whipped his head around and gave Lear a look that said he was being a hindrance. At that, Lear made a zipping motion over his lips with his finger and sent a wink. Yohan scowled once at Lear and then looked back at Miguel, saying.

“Circumstantially, everything is connected to Candy. Starting from when the disappeared Candy was newly reborn. Besides….”

Observing the subtle changes in Miguel’s expression, Yohan shook the pills he had taken from his pocket.

“Things like this also came out of your pocket.”

Miguel, his eyes wide, jumped up.

“That, the company really gave me that! To liven up the prosecutors’ moods at the party. Everyone does things like this here.”

“The company gave you Candy?”

Miguel nodded his head vigorously and answered.

“Since it’s a pharmaceutical company anyway… wouldn’t it be easy to get?”

Yohan wore a dumbfounded expression, but at the same time, he thought O’Connell’s life was truly great. Seeing him eat expensive meals, receive entertainment, hang out with young people, and even do drugs in Las Vegas, wasn’t it a life that even a pop star would envy?

“Well, let’s just say that’s the case. But Miguel, think carefully. On the surface, Cowry… I mean, your brother, unlike how he appears, seems to not only hide you, his supposed younger brother, to the fullest extent but also coddles you like a flower in a greenhouse…. But looking at how things are going, it doesn’t seem like he’s protecting you that much.”

“…….”

“Well, you might not know it yourself. But just by seeing him use you to run errands like this, yes. If things go wrong, he’ll probably discard you without a second thought. That’s why he gave you a good position in a good company.”

They say there’s no such thing as a free lunch in the world, but if his brother really entrusted this task to him with such intentions, he would be quite shocked. And as if those words were not entirely ineffective, Miguel clenched and unclenched his hands on his pants, wiping away his sweat. It was certain that, even in his own mind, his brother’s attitude had changed compared to the past. He had thought his brother, who had become busy with business matters, was just on edge, but for Miguel, who had never been involved in this kind of work before, the events unfolding before his eyes were simply baffling and terrifying.

“That is….”

“You think so too, don’t you? Is that not right?”

Yohan spoke to Miguel in a slightly calmer voice, this time trying to wield a carrot instead of a stick. He knew better than anyone that intimidation was not the only way to conduct an interrogation.

“I understand too. Sometimes, it’s better to be the one who doesn’t know. Especially since it feels even worse when someone close to you stabs you in the back.”

“There… must be a reason.”

“A reason?”

Yohan looked at Miguel with a pitiful expression.

“To your brother, money is more important than you. If he truly thought of you as precious family, he wouldn’t have hidden you away so tightly in the first place, nor would he have dragged you into this in this manner.”

“Originally, my brother never told me about business matters. He said it would be dangerous if I knew.”

“For someone who says that, didn’t you mention Jamal with your own mouth?”

Sure enough, Miguel looked around cautiously and opened his mouth.

“That’s… because only people like Jamal and Fiona used to visit our house. It seems he’s had a falling out with Jamal lately but… he’s the closest person to my brother, anyway.”

“Whether it’s Jamal or Fiona, they sure are tight-lipped. They never once opened their mouths about you.”

Of course, in this world, if you ran your mouth carelessly, you could be treated as a traitor and killed, and before that, Miguel might not have been important enough to be worth mentioning.

“But, there’s something bothering you, isn’t there? I can see it all on your face.”

At Yohan’s question, Miguel’s eyes wavered intensely. With a troubled face, he unknowingly started talking about himself.

“Things certainly have gotten strange. Three months ago, he suddenly came to me saying he found a job for me and told me to work at Esprit Inc., and within a month, he gave me a manager position, which is how I got here. I was just doing what I was told from above… but….”

As Miguel trailed off, his lips trembling in confusion, Yohan added.

“You were going around doing sales and thought you achieved everything because you were so great, but now that you think about it, it doesn’t seem like that’s the case?”

At Yohan’s words that hit the nail on the head, Miguel flinched.

“I’m confused these days too. No matter how much your brother likes money, he wasn’t the type to act without thinking things through. Not just the club, but to the point of being so greedy for money that he brought in Candy and even had a falling out with his friend Jamal.”

“…….”

“Besides, did you know? Fiona even got shot.”

Yohan, just in case, casually dropped the information about Fiona to Miguel. It was because if it was related to Candy, Miguel might know, and he also wanted to see his reaction. Even though he was pretending not to know anything, Glen was not only having him do sales connected to a pharmaceutical company but was also carrying what was presumed to be Candy, distributing it to prosecutors, and even entertaining them.

Of course, there was something about Candy that bothered him. After Jamal and Glen started to fall out, the number of Candy addicts had slowly begun to increase, making heroin and cocaine less popular than before. Secondary genders preferred Candy, whose effects were as definite as their secondary gender characteristics, and non-secondary genders wanted Candy, captivated by the desire to experience an alpha’s pleasure. But since Jamal had no faith in the new product, he thought Glen, who was gradually increasing the supply of Candy, was ignoring him. After that, the two started to drift apart, and Jamal’s profits, who handled the existing products, decreased.

In the midst of that, Fiona had sided with Glen and volunteered to be his right-hand man, so it wouldn’t have been strange for Jamal to have targeted her.

Sure enough, Miguel, who took the bait Yohan threw, had a startled expression on his face. He then wore a look as if he had just realized Yohan’s identity. Of course, who the man standing behind him, Lear, was, still remained a mystery.

“How… did you… Don’t tell me, are you that Asian person from Vasquez?”

Lear, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, clicked his tongue and pointed it out to Miguel.

“You know that’s racist, right? What do you mean by ‘that Asian person’? He has a nickname, a cute and adorable baby cat.”

Yohan wanted to say that the nickname Kitty was a discriminatory statement in itself, but he held back for now. It was because the name Thomas that the FBI had given him was even worse.

“No, I mean… what I’m saying is….”

At Miguel’s flustered appearance, Lear pressed on.

“Besides, you said you were Glen’s flower in a greenhouse. That your brother wouldn’t let you join the organization.”

“…….”

“But for someone who says that, you seem to know a lot about the affairs of this world, don’t you think?”

At Lear’s words, Miguel couldn’t hide his bewilderment even more. Lear, looking at Miguel’s state, wondered if Cowry had kept his younger brother hidden at home all this time and made his close associates keep their mouths shut because his brother was that stupid. Now that there was no one left to trust, it seemed he was trying to use even his foolish blood relative. Not knowing that, Miguel was still spouting foolish words with a foolish face.

“N, no! It’s just because I’ve overheard a lot of things. Really. Please believe me.”

Yohan, who was silently watching Miguel making the typical expression of a liar, cut in with an irritated voice.

“Do you think that makes sense?”

Yohan let out a deep sigh and held out his hand to Lear. He had been gentle enough until now, so it was time to wield the whip again. Without him saying a word, Lear stopped what he was doing and took out a folding knife from inside his jacket.

“Honey, my heart is already pounding.”

“Hearts are supposed to pound, you know?”

“You’re no fun. You won’t let me say anything. Well, even that side of you is charming though….”

At Lear’s words, Yohan unhesitatingly snatched the folding knife from Lear’s hand. At that action, Lear said he wanted to throw off his pants right now, then moved closer to Yohan’s side, pressing his body against him and saying.

“Don’t make such an angry face. If you frown like that, you’ll get wrinkles no matter how young you look. You have to consider your age.”

“I think I’d be less angry if you would just be quiet.”

“Hey, don’t be like that.”

“…….”

“Let’s be gentle. Gentle. I just want my darling to see only pretty things with his pretty eyes. We have to think about our second generation. Hmm?”

While thinking that it was a skill to be able to say such cheesy things so naturally, Yohan momentarily wondered if he had had too much to drink, as his heart fluttered at those words. However, Yohan firmly suppressed the strange feeling that was slowly creeping up and purposely frowned even more. It felt like his brain had been pickled in a strange way from hearing so much nonsense.

“Whatever. Just move.”

Yohan pushed Lear away and looked at Miguel again. Miguel, whose eyes met Yohan’s, asked in horror.

“You were an omega?”

Thinking that he would have to tear Lear’s mouth apart someday, Yohan pointlessly hit Miguel on the head and said.

“Do I look like an omega to you?”

“No, it’s not the Middle Ages, so it’s not like all omegas are delicate… you know. But it was a bit unexpected… I was surprised, that’s why I said it. Besides, being an omega isn’t a bad thing, is it? I might not be able to tell because I’m a beta. But there’s no reason to be that angry….”

Yohan’s expression became even more ferocious. He wasn’t annoyed because he was asked if he was an omega, but because he felt like he was being misunderstood in various ways because of Lear. And he hated himself for his emotions running wild because of it. Miguel, who had no way of knowing Yohan’s inner thoughts, lowered his head with a thoroughly intimidated face.

“I’m sorry.”

Lear looked at Miguel with a pathetic expression and then grated on Yohan’s nerves even more.

“Look at that bastard, look at him. Look at that face, like he’s about to piss himself. If he gets his already half-formed face covered in blood, it’s going to be so disgusting. Don’t you think?”

It was Lear, casually making personal attacks on Miguel. It was because he couldn’t forget how Yohan had teased him at the restaurant. Lear even began to wonder if he was always this petty.

However, Yohan, as always, ignored Lear whether he was spouting nonsense next to him or not, and snatched Miguel’s wrist. Lear watched the scene and shook his head from side to side. At that, Miguel became even more terrified and shouted.

“Ki, Kitty-nim!”

When the folding knife raised its blade to perform its function, Miguel, perhaps feeling a threat to his life, suddenly used a respectful title towards Yohan. For a moment, Lear let out a chuckle, and only after Yohan whipped his head around to glare at him did he bring the knife to Miguel’s finger.

“Aack!”

Yohan was dumbfounded by Miguel’s behavior, screaming and acting like he was dying when he had only lightly touched him.

“I haven’t even cut it yet, so stop being a baby.”

“Heuk… it hurts so much….”

At the sight of Miguel, with tears welling in his eyes, pleading with Yohan, Lear clicked his tongue and said.

“Where do you think you’re trying to act cute? Trying to pull a stunt like that will only make my darling even angrier.”

“Cu, cute, you say…. I’m not acting cute!”

“There you go again. Pretending to be pitiful. You want me to beat you to a pulp this time? Then go ahead and keep doing that.”

To Lear’s words, Yohan surprisingly nodded his head in agreement.

“That’s right. When a male bastard tries to act cute, I want to twist his neck, not his hand. Was this also a Vasquez tradition?”

Lear, who was listening to Yohan’s words from the side, tilted his head and added that didn’t he judge based on their face, not because they were a male bastard.

Yohan tried his best to pretend he didn’t hear Lear’s words and readjusted his grip on the knife, bringing it to Miguel’s finger. At that, Miguel tensed his hand and shouted.

“I, I’ll talk!”

For a moment, Yohan stopped what he was about to do and nodded his head.

“Yes. I’m listening.”

“So, I don’t know the details either but….”

Yohan sighed, then handed the folding knife he was holding to Lear. And instead of cutting Miguel’s fingers, he twisted his arm, grabbed the guy’s collar with his other hand, pulled him up, and threw his body against the restroom wall with a ‘thud’ sound. Then, pressing down on the nape of his neck with his hand, he asked.

“It’s going to take too long to cut all those fingers…. Should I tell you a vital spot? That bastard is just spouting nonsense anyway, so if we just shut his mouth, we can get revenge for Fiona and it’ll be killing two birds with one stone, don’t you think?”

It was Lear, bringing up what Miguel had said again, who had taken the bait Yohan had thrown earlier. Sure enough, in a situation where his life, not his fingers, was in danger, Miguel eagerly bit onto that topic. He didn’t know much about the Asian person belonging to Vasquez, but it was because he thought that the reason he was in this situation might be related to Fiona, not Jamal.

“Fi, Fiona… that’s right! You said Fiona was shot. Is Fiona okay?”

At the sight of Miguel vaguely bringing up Fiona, as if he still hadn’t grasped the situation, Yohan clicked his tongue and held out a hand to Lear. Lear, with a worried face, handed the folding knife back to Yohan. Yohan gripped the folding knife in his hand and slammed it next to the guy’s head. A ‘crack’ sound came from the plywood bathroom stall, so loud it seemed like it would break.

“I’m already getting a headache from that bastard’s nonsense, how long do I have to put up with you? Huh?”

At Yohan’s question, Miguel, his face not just pale but turning blue, said.

“I, I’m acting like this because my brother won’t tell me things properly. So Kitty-nim, please don’t misunderstand…!”

“Fiona got shot and died. The situation isn’t a field of flowers like in your head.”

Yohan didn’t know Fiona’s current condition either, but he just threw it out there.

“What?!”

“Do you grasp the situation now?”

“Re, really? Fiona is dead? What does that mean….”

“Yes. So don’t even think about pulling any tricks.”

Yohan’s grip on the nape of Miguel’s neck tightened even more.

“I have eyes and ears too, so even if they don’t tell me directly, there are things I see and hear.”

“Continue.”

“Half of it is what I’ve overheard, and the other half is my speculation….”

“Fuck, are you going to keep spouting annoying shit? Do you want me to hit you once every time you make a speculative statement, and once every time you say you don’t know?”

He couldn’t tell if the stupid bastard was trying to defend himself in his own way, but as he kept mentioning things like ‘coincidence’ or ‘speculation’, Yohan wore a look that said he couldn’t take it anymore.

And when that look appeared on Yohan’s face, Lear chimed in.

“Honey, I told you not to get angry, are you holding back? Just kill him if you’re going to. I’ll take care of it cleanly.”

Thanks to Lear, Yohan came to his senses again and spoke to Miguel calmly.

“For now, just talk.”

Miguel’s lips trembled, and he swallowed hard.

“I… heard several times that my brother brought in a lot of money because of the club. His voice is so loud when he’s on the phone at home…. Of course, I don’t know where he got that much money to open a place like this in Las Vegas. But, he brought in a huge amount of capital, and I think that’s why he started bringing in Candy. As you all know, the business is doing better than expected.”

“So he decided to abandon Fiona?”

“He said she started wanting more and more. That she was getting on his nerves. On top of that, unlike us brothers who are betas, she’s an alpha… so she might have seemed threatening.”

Lear, who was listening to Miguel’s story, scoffed.

“A man being so petty over a few pennies.”

“You might think that, but the person who helped him set up the club seemed to be a huge big shot. Besides… you can’t ignore the instincts of alphas who want to climb to the top.”

“Alpha is just an excuse, and it’s not that he thought it would be better to cut one person out and take everything for himself rather than sharing the stakes since there’s a lot he has to give to that side in return for the money he got?”

“That is the most accurate way to put it.”

For a moment, Lear’s expression turned ice-cold. Miguel not only got goosebumps on his body but also let out a sudden hiccup.

“So who is the person who helped Cowry?”

“Ahem, hem! As for that, hiccup! Really, hiccup! I don’t know either! Hiccup! Th, this is the truth! Hiccup!”

At the sight of Lear approaching with the momentum to kill someone at any moment, Yohan tapped his leg with his own leg and shook his head from side to side. At that, Lear let out a deep sigh and ran a hand through his hair once. Yohan stared into Lear’s eyes and said.

“Anyway, I think this is all this bastard knows.”

“Th, that’s right! Eek!”

Instead of telling him to shut up, Yohan tightened his grip on Miguel’s neck. And he said, as if for Miguel to hear.

“And we have Heinz anyway. The testimony and evidence he has is enough.”

“…Fine. Then, let’s stop here.”

Since it seemed unlikely that Miguel would know that Heinz was dead, Yohan tried to bluff. And at the sight of Lear, who had calmed down again, Yohan gave a grin as if to say ‘well done’ and sent a small wink. Lear was momentarily flustered by Yohan’s unexpected attack, and seizing the opportunity, Yohan pulled a gun out of his pocket. At that, Miguel had a fit and shouted at Yohan.

“I, I told you everything!”

“Who said I’m going to kill you?”

“Th, then why the gun! Why are you taking it out?”

In that moment when Miguel was stomping his feet, not knowing what to do, Yohan hit the guy’s head with the grip of the gun, knocking him out. At the ‘thwack!’ sound of a head cracking, Lear, even though he wasn’t the one who got hit, frowned and said.

“That bastard seems to have a bad head to begin with, isn’t he going to go completely nuts?”

“So what, am I supposed to take responsibility or something?”

“That’s too harsh, Kitty. To use the word responsibility so carelessly. And even if you were to take responsibility, it should be to me, not that bastard. Don’t tell me, you’re not planning on just eating and running without even marrying me, are you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m starting to feel a little offended….”

“So what.”

“At least give me a kiss. Or, should I tell you my bucket list?”

It was at that moment when Lear was spouting nonsense about how his dream was to have sex in a public restroom. With perfect timing, a knocking sound, closer to a pounding than a ‘knock knock’, came from outside the restroom door.

Yohan, with a very tense face, pushed Lear away. At that, Lear clicked his tongue with a look that said his mood had been ruined.

“It’s fine.”

“What do you mean, fine. Move.”

“I said it’s fine.”

Lear strode past Yohan and flung open the door he had locked. Outside were two large men of similar height to Lear. They were the two Dwayne Johnsons he had seen in Calabasas. Yohan still couldn’t be sure about their identities, but he also had no desire to know. His head was already complicated enough with just Miguel collapsed on the toilet. Whether he knew this or not, Lear spoke as if to show off to Yohan.

“I told you it was fine, didn’t I?”

Yohan raised one eyebrow and said.

“When did you call them?”

“I called them when my darling was having a friendly chat with another man.”

Lear wore an expression as if asking for praise. Yohan let out a deep sigh and glanced at the large men standing next to him. At that, Lear approached Yohan, naturally linked arms with him, and said.

“More importantly, we should get out of here quickly.”

“What is it now?”

Looking at Lear with a face full of suspicion, Yohan tried to pull his arm away from him. At that, Lear held Yohan tight with a firm grip, then gestured to the two men with his chin before heading outside.

“What is this, really.”

The music was still blaring loudly outside. Lear, pulling Yohan along, naturally went outside, lowered his head slightly, and said.

“While we were cleaning up shit in the restroom, something very interesting happened outside.”

“What?”

“Let’s get out first. I think we need to clean up a bit before the police arrive.”

At the mention of shit and the police, Yohan looked at Lear with an anxious face.

“Tell me quickly. You were fiddling with your phone, did you get into trouble already?”

“Trouble? You know the only trouble I want to get into is a premarital pregnancy with you, yet you’re still going to doubt me?”

“Haha. So funny. Hahaha.”

Yohan smiled brightly and responded like a broken AI. At that, Lear grabbed Yohan’s hand, kissed the back of it, and winked at the same time.

“Being with me, Kitty, your sense of humor seems to be getting better and better. Are you going to push out the Ellen Show and start the Kitty Show at this rate?”

“The Ellen Show is scheduled to end, and the next host has already been decided. Unfortunately, there’s no place for me to stand.”

“When did that happen?”

At Lear’s words, Yohan scowled and swatted his hand away. Then, crossing his arms, he spoke to Lear irritably.

“I’m so tired right now, I don’t even have the energy to joke. So if you caused trouble, you’d better tell me what happened while I’m being nice.”

Lear let out a deep sigh. For now, the air was definitely refreshing once they were outside the club.

At Lear’s hesitant behavior, Yohan clicked his tongue once and turned his head to check the sign that read 40123. Humans getting excited over Glen Cowry’s inmate number. He thought it was the end of the world and looked back at Lear.

“Don’t look at me with such hot eyes.”

“I can make your blood circulate even faster.”

“Even for me, getting a hard-on and having sex on the street is a bit much.”

Yohan clenched his fist as it was and said.

“Wouldn’t it be pretty fun to get a bloody nose on the street?”

“Haha. See, I told you your sense of humor has improved.”

Lear took a slight step back and clapped his hands. Yohan shook his head from side to side and, standing crookedly, asked Lear.

“Stop it, so why the police?”

“Or maybe the FBI? It’s because the prosecutors crossed state lines.”

“…It’s not just a simple accident, is it?”

At Yohan’s question, Lear gave a slight nod.

“The exact cause of death will be out tomorrow morning, but some of the prosecutors were not just drunk but went into shock, and the oldest, O’Connell….”

Lear made a gesture of slitting his own throat.

“What do you mean?”

“While we were taking care of Cowry’s brother, it seems the prosecutors had a wild drug party, just as the guy said.”

Yohan had a look of disbelief on his face. The things he was saying were quite surprising, as if he had been tapping the police communications. For O’Connell to go so suddenly like that.

“They drank so much and for people who grew up so sheltered, they were fearless in doing drugs, so it’s understandable but…. For now, it seems the cause of death can be considered anaphylactic shock due to drug inhalation.”

“What?”

“It’s obviously going to be Candy.”

He had expected it, but hearing it for real, Yohan was surprised.

“Even if it is Candy, he dies so futilely like that?”

“We’ll have to analyze it to know for sure, but. It seems to be different from the Candy you know. Even for an alpha, it would have been hard to handle.”

“…A new-new version of Candy is already out?”

“Well, they’re the kind of bastards who’d put anything in it and sell it as long as it makes money. Whether it’s a new version or a new-new version, they’re more than capable of making it. Especially the Candy you found in that guy’s clothes. It seems it wasn’t even just a capsule, but a glass capsule.”

“So… you break it in half and inhale the powder?”

“That’s right. Like cocaine.”

Lear displayed a photo on his phone, which seemed to be a crime scene photo, and showed it to Yohan. Powder was scattered all over the table, and the surroundings were a mess. It looked like a scene of the so-called ‘rich people’ from the optimistic 80s, rolling up a banknote to snort cocaine. If it had been cocaine, they wouldn’t have died like that.

“More importantly, did that bastard hang out with a Russian spy without us knowing? A glass capsule out of nowhere. Really, I’ve seen it all.”

As Lear said, glass capsules were one of the techniques mainly used by Russian spies to kill opponents by filling them with cyanide. But the story that it was filled with Candy powder and a corrupt district attorney ate it and died so futilely left Yohan dumbfounded.

“Is this also Shadow’s doing?”

“Probably.”

“What on earth was he thinking, killing O’Connell?”

“It might be a kind of warning not to interfere with the Candy business.”

“To you?”

“Could be.”

“If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be faster to just kill you?”

At Yohan’s words, Lear chuckled, then tapped his nose with his finger and said.

“Honey, I may seem like a pushover to you. Do you think I’m like that to other people?”

This time, Yohan really did push Lear away and pulled his arm out. Surprisingly, Lear let Yohan go meekly. Yohan, feeling his face flush, stared at Lear.

“Are you kidding me?”

“No matter how much you bark like that, you just look cute. Our Luke Maisel would be scarier.”

“What….”

At the mention of Lear’s dog’s name, Yohan pouted his lips and made a displeased face. Only then did Lear continue with what he was originally going to say.

“Anyway, they’ve already failed in drugging me, and I’m also taking my own precautions. Besides, they probably think I’m busy with my love life, keeping you by my side these days.”

“…….”

“Well, that’s not the only reason… lately, I haven’t been touching anything other than handling the personal assets given by the DNA provider. I don’t know if you know this, Kitty, but dealing with taxes is surprisingly tight and difficult.”

Lear spoke lightly, but Yohan’s face was serious. It was clear he didn’t believe Lear’s words.

“But still, no matter how you look at it. Shadow isn’t touching you just because you took Candy and are distracted by a man you suddenly fell for? Isn’t that like a child’s game… Isn’t it strange?”

“That’s right. It’s not a child’s game. And it’s not entirely wrong either.”

“What?”

Yohan, startled, looked at Lear with wide eyes. But Lear, unconcerned, stroked his chin and continued speaking.

“Of course, I don’t know how long that will last. They’re probably busy in their own ways. Besides, I’m also erasing the traces of where I’ve been. There might be a limit since their style and mine are so different. Anyway, it hasn’t been long since they drugged me, so they won’t be able to mess with me.”

Yohan was slightly shocked by Lear’s earlier words. He blinked his eyes, wondering if he had misheard, and stared at Lear. But Lear’s expression was the same as usual.

“Well…. Even if I say this, I don’t know when Shadow’s side might change their mind, so I have to stay on my toes.”

Yohan gathered his thoughts again and asked Lear.

“So what’s the plan going forward? You know that two people are dead now and the situation is a mess. We can’t actively receive support from the FBI because we’re undercover. On top of that, it’s become ambiguous to go back to where we originally lived.”

“For now, it might be better to watch the situation. While continuing to date.”

At Lear’s words, Yohan clicked his tongue. Then he spoke in a serious voice.

“Of course, it’s not that I don’t trust you, Rhys. I know you have incredible abilities. Although many of them are illegal.”

“It’s illegal if you get caught, but it’s not illegal if you don’t. It’s not just me, many people are doing it. You know that well.”

“Anyway…. We can’t stay like this forever while people are dying. Besides, our relationship isn’t that normal either.”

Yohan was frustrated. He didn’t know how long he had to be dragged around by Lear and act, whether it was right to move without proper reporting to the FBI, or how far he should trust if Declan’s influence had even reached the district attorney…. At first, he had wanted to clear Diane’s name, and in the midst of an identity crisis due to the long undercover investigation, Lear’s proposal hadn’t seemed bad. But events that an ordinary person would find hard to handle came rushing in like waves, complicating his thoughts.

Not just the industry that was more of a mess than he had thought and the relationship with an unexpected man, but also the intricately entangled cases…. He wondered if he had been poking around in things he had no business with. But Yohan couldn’t just quit the FBI right away. There was also the realistic problem that finding a new job at his age was not that easy. It wasn’t like he had some special talent to go on <America’s Got Talent>, nor did he have enough personal content to make a YouTube channel. If he was this mediocre of a person, it might not be bad to just accept everything and live like an ordinary public servant.

“So you’re saying we should give up? No, what is normal in the first place?”

Before he knew it, Lear had strode up to Yohan and spoke as if to corner him. Yohan flinched his shoulders and stared into Lear’s eyes, which seemed to have swallowed the darkness.

“That is….”

“Whether it’s the police or the prosecution or whatever, you’ve seen that there’s nothing normal about any of it.”

“…….”