GCT 14

Yohan was unintentionally in the middle of enjoying a hotel vacation. Of course, he did not entirely dislike being confined to a spacious hotel room. It was because he wondered when else in his life he would ever get to stay in a place like this.

Not only was there a huge jacuzzi that was like a swimming pool, but it also had proper exercise facilities, and not only were three meals a day served without fail, but he could also watch all sorts of premium channels.

In a situation where he couldn’t go home anyway, this place was literally paradise. Yohan, who had been lounging on the sofa, suddenly found Lear detestable for no reason and, in a fit of pique, took out all the drinks from the refrigerator, opened their caps, and took a sip from each one, grumbling with a displeased face. It was because Lear, who had seemed to be taking care of him for a day, had suddenly said he had some business to attend to and had to leave, and had not been seen for four days already.

“Where the hell is this bastard running around after locking a person up in here.”

He knew Lear was busy, but it was not like he was the only one who was busy; Yohan himself was also in the middle of an undercover investigation. Although, of course, the situation was a little special right now.

What was funny amidst all this was that Lear was diligently reporting that he was alive every morning and evening. Looking at his texts, Yohan was relieved that he had not been kidnapped yet.

However, that was only for a moment. Being in such a nice place was fine for a day or two, but it went beyond being boring to the point where he was getting antsy.

‘I wonder if the rumors have spread like wildfire by now?’

Yohan already felt dreadful just thinking about the people from the Vasquez side calling him by a strange nickname, following Kitty.

‘Even though I’m in a place like this, I’m cooped up all the time, so I just keep having shitty thoughts.’

He wondered if this was why rich people with too much time on their hands did drugs at home. Instead, Yohan was on the verge of getting addicted to the drug permitted by the state: games.

Whenever he had time, Yohan would do bodyweight exercises while gazing at the splendid scenery of Las Vegas, and then, with a face that screamed he was bored to death, he picked up his phone and opened the Soda Crush app. It was at that very moment, as he was making a determined face, vowing to clear the level he was stuck on today for sure.

Caller ID Blocked

Startled by the sudden ringing of his phone, Yohan almost dropped the phone on his face without realizing it. Yohan was frightened for a moment, but he straightened his posture, cleared his throat a couple of times, and then unleashed a torrent of curses as soon as he answered the phone. This was because the only person who would call him with [Caller ID Blocked] was Lear.

Thinking that Lear was finally letting him hear his voice after only sending texts the whole time, Yohan clicked his tongue and shouted as soon as he answered the call.

“You crazy bastard, you scared me. I’m busy as hell, why the hell are you calling?”

— Yo, Yohan?

It was not Lear’s voice. Yohan, flustered for a moment, pulled the phone away from his ear, swallowed hard, and stared at the screen. The screen still read [Caller ID Blocked].

“Excuse me… who is this?”

He was flustered, but it did not seem like the other person had dialed the wrong number. To think that, the person had said Yohan’s name too openly.

— Yohan, you’re going to be like this?

“Ah!”

Only then did Yohan realize who had called him. It was Eivan Catalini, with whom he had trained at the FBI academy.

“Eivan!”

— It’s been a while since we talked, right?

“I know, right. It’s really been a long time!”

— Are you doing well?

“Me? Well, you know. How about you?”

— I’m just busy with this and that, looking for stories to cover.

Eivan, a classmate from the FBI academy, was a guy with an unusual history. After working in Miami for a few years, he suddenly switched careers to become a reporter before becoming an official agent, saying that the agent job did not suit his aptitude. And the place he got a job at was the LA Times. He seemed to work for the major newspaper for quite a long time. For the past few years, he had been working as a freelancer and acting as Yohan’s informant.

Of course, after Yohan started his undercover investigation into Vasquez under the name Thomas, he had not been in touch as much as before. Things had gotten complicated in various ways, and he had minimized calls with people around him.

But now that Eivan had suddenly contacted him, Yohan felt a great sense of gladness. It was probably because he had been cooped up in the corner of his hotel room the whole time and missed human contact, which made him feel even more so.

“What’s up all of a sudden? And your phone number, why is it….”

— I called because it seemed like we haven’t been in touch at all. It’s been so unsettling lately. Besides, I’m using a prepaid phone because I’m in the middle of covering a story.

“Really?”

He did not say it to Eivan, but he wondered if it was a trend these days for every Tom, Dick, and Harry to use a prepaid phone and have their caller ID blocked.

—  What about you?

“Me? It’s the same old for me. After a big scandal broke in New York, it was noisy for a while, and now we’re on the verge of another commotion over something else.”

—Are you okay, though?

“Yeah. For now, my limbs are intact, and I’m talking to you like this, so I guess I’m okay. More importantly, how have you been lately?”

— Me? I’m always looking for interesting stories. Well, about the information you gave me on Vasquez before, the higher-ups cut it off, saying they couldn’t go any further. Something about it being dangerous. They ask me to take the job as an external reporter, and then they cut ties at times like this.

“Ah. Well, it can’t be helped. That’s how the world works, my friend.”

— Haha. Thanks. Still, I kept getting a feeling that something was strange, so I’ve been poking around here and there.

“Really?”

— Yeah. There haven’t been many results, but I feel like it could be Pulitzer material if it breaks right.

“Pulitzer, my ass.”

Eivan’s low laughter could be heard through the receiver. Yohan laughed along with him.

“More importantly, it seems like everyone is playing it safe?”

— I know, right. They have a bad attitude. No professional spirit. Well… anyway, things didn’t go well after that, so these days I’m mainly active on my blog.

“Really?”

— I’ll send you the address by text.

Yohan thought that Eivan was a friend with many talents in various ways, but it was a shame that his talents did not seem to be shining brightly. Still, since he seemed to have found his own path for certain, perhaps his situation was better than his own.

“Okay. Since I’m a salaried worker, I can’t donate to your articles, but I’ll at least click on an ad for you.”

— Haha. Thanks.

“But it doesn’t seem like you just called to say hello.”

— Oh, you caught me.

At the voice that was acting poorly and unnaturally, Yohan raised an eyebrow and asked him.

“What is it?”

Eivan paused for a moment before speaking to Yohan.

— I told you I was still holding onto the Vasquez case.

“Yeah. You did.”

— They used to mainly handle heroin, but it seems like they’ve recently started distributing Candy in earnest.

“Well… I only found out recently myself, but it seems so.”

— A drug that once swept the streets and then disappeared suddenly started to become popular, so I found it interesting and was about to dig a little deeper when I happened to learn about prosecutor O’Connell.

Yohan shot up from his seat in an instant and bit his lower lip. It was because he thought he might be able to get some decent information from Eivan.

“You also know that she was the prosecutor in charge of the Diane case, right?”

— I know. That’s why I was even more interested. And because of that, before I knew it, I had come all the way to Las Vegas.

Yohan, frowning deeply, was curious about how much Eivan knew. O’Connell’s death was being handled in much the same way as Diane’s. Because it was a dishonorable incident, both the FBI and the prosecutor’s office were trying to bury what had happened this time. Well, even so, there were no secrets in the world, and guys like Eivan were always good at sniffing out that kind of thing.

“You’re in Las Vegas right now?”

— Yeah. One of the informants I planted on the Vasquez side told me that a big accident happened over here.

He could not know who Eivan’s informant was, but it seemed like they sold pretty useful information. Then again, no matter how much O’Connell was sitting in the VIP section with the new prosecutors, there were so many people in the club, and with a little digging, anyone would find out that something had happened at the club. However, Yohan played dumb and asked about the O’Connell case.

“An accident?”

— I don’t know exactly what it is either. I’m in the process of finding out from now on.

“I guess the rumor hasn’t spread that far yet?”

— What do you mean by that?

“For now, let’s meet. I’ll tell you an interesting story.”

— Yohan, is something wrong? You said you were undercover.

“It’s not that nothing is wrong…. For now, I also came all the way to Las Vegas before I knew it.”

*

Yohan, who had promised to meet Eivan at a reasonably decent place, threw off the hotel gown he had been wearing the whole time and dressed himself like a human being.

Excited for his first outing in a while, he wore a Hawaiian shirt full of tropical plants and a pair of jeans. And the moment he was shoving his feet into his sneakers, he paused for a moment and took out his phone to search for reviews of restaurants on Yelp. A place for hot wings and beer would hardly have a dress code, but it was because of the club trauma he had experienced before.

“Phew.”

Only after Yohan had scanned through the reviews and confirmed that there was nothing unusual did he go to the safe, get his gun, and look at himself once in the mirror.

Yohan, who forced the corners of his mouth up into a grin for no reason and swept his hair back, briefly thought of Lear, who had not shown his face even once.

“Crazy bastard.”

While he himself wandered around freely, the command for Yohan to stay put quietly cooped up in the hotel was still infuriating. Of course, if Eivan had not called, there was no one else to meet, so he would not have gone out anyway, and it was true that Lear had two men with the physique of Dwayne Johnson watching over him.

‘It’s not like I can’t protect my own body. Who does he think he is, putting me in a greenhouse… ah, forget it. Forget it.’

Yohan clicked his tongue once. He thought Lear, who was strangely overprotective of him, was a jerk.

‘Who does he think he is.’

They were in a relationship of cooperation for each other’s goals, and if the time and mood were right, they would just press their skin together and rub their lips; they were really nothing to each other. Of course, the surrounding situation was not that good, and danger still lurked. However, in terms of the level of risk, it was not much different from when he was deployed overseas or during an FBI investigation.

“Is this too conspicuous?”

Yohan, who was heading out to meet Eivan, paused for a moment and looked in the mirror again. It was certainly conspicuous. Having been unintentionally living a prison life in an 8-star hotel, he had eaten well, slept well, and exercised diligently, to the point where his fortunes had bloomed, and he felt like even his face had bloomed.

“Can’t be helped. You can’t make a handsome face shine even brighter.”

Muttering to himself about his better-than-usual handsome face, Yohan took off the shirt he was wearing and headed for Lear’s closet. And after casually tossing his own shirt on the floor, Yohan borrowed and put on one of Lear’s shirts.

“Anyway, he’s so damn huge.”

Yohan shook his head, recalling the face of the guy whose height and build were just not human. Then Yohan tucked Lear’s shirt into his pants, rolled up the sleeves, and then took a picture and sent him a message.

<Photo>

Borrowing this

And I have plans today

Going out

Yohan casually stuck his phone in his back pocket and then moved in a hurry. He thought he felt a vibration, but he just ignored it and hurried. As expected, Yohan was a little late for the appointment and had to apologize to Eivan, whom he was meeting for the first time in a while.

“Sorry. I’m a little late.”

“Dinner’s on yo… what the?”

Eivan, who was waiting for Yohan, stopped mid-reply to his apology and looked him up and down. It was because he looked different from the Yohan he always saw.

“I almost didn’t recognize you. Didn’t you always wear those loud Hawaiian shirts? I thought that was your Horcrux.”

“Why do people always care about other people’s clothes….”

“No, no. Yohan, when were you on <Queer Eye>? You got a makeover, right? What episode are you in?”

Yohan, who had taken a seat in front of Eivan, had a look of disbelief on his face.

“It’s not like I wore something I shouldn’t be wearing, don’t make a fuss.”

“Right. Please, just dress like this from now on instead of those loud clothes. Undercover investigations are one thing, but….”

“You wanna die? Even the bureau chief doesn’t say anything about my fashion, why are you meddling in someone else’s fashion sense?”

“And you’re saying that’s not why you were kicked out like you were being demoted?”

“This guy, crossing the line as soon as we meet after so long?”

“Haha. Still, if you keep dressing like that, you’ll get a girlfriend soon.”

At the words dismissing his Hawaiian shirts and the mention of a girlfriend, Yohan flinched without realizing it. He could not understand why that word made that guy Lear pop into his head. Lear was not his girlfriend, nor could he ever be. Yohan let out a needless “Ahem,” clearing his throat, and grumbled at Eivan.

“Whatever. You really haven’t changed a bit, have you?”

“Is it because I’m not tied down to anything?”

“For someone who says that, you seem to be aiming for the big one.”

“I have to get it. The Pulitzer.”

“Is the Pulitzer some kind of perfect attendance award? You talk as if you can get it just by setting your mind to it.”

“They say having the right mindset is important, Yohan. A person shouldn’t be negative.”

“You talk so damn well for a reporter. Seriously. You never lose by a single word, do you?”

Just then, the waitress brought them hot wings and beer. Yohan picked up a french fry that came with the hot wings and ate it, looking at Eivan’s attractive green eyes. He was suddenly reminded of the past Eivan who used to call himself a Louisiana Creole4) and appeal to all sorts of people.

The guy, an Alpha by trait, was blessed in many ways, from his looks to his intelligence, and he was very good at utilizing those things.

In any case, as his job involved meeting many people, he seemed optimized in many ways for getting people to open up and obtaining information.

Whenever he saw that, Yohan seriously thought that if Eivan had become a missionary instead of a reporter, he would have been quite successful in that field, as he drank his beer.

Eivan watched the well-eating Yohan with a proud look and asked affectionately.

“I took the liberty of ordering before you got here, but that’s okay, right?”

“You may not know about other things, but you’ve got a sense for this kind of stuff.”

“I wish you knew my other charms as well.”

“Fuck off.”

Yohan frowned slightly, thrust his hand into his pocket, and then took out his middle finger and showed it to Eivan. At this point, he started to wonder if he looked like more of a pushover than he thought.

‘Should I… build more muscle?’

Yohan pictured his usual workout routine in his mind, but figured if he added any more to it, he would not be catching criminals but rather going to the Olympics to win a gold medal, so he held back. And he just tore into the hot wings Eivan had ordered.

“More importantly, you still eat well.”

“You have to eat what’s there. That’s why you ordered it, right?”

“Well, that’s true, but.”

Eivan grinned. Yohan considered throwing the hot wing in his hand at the guy, but instead drank his beer and sat askew.

“Don’t be like that. Yohan. Why are you here? You didn’t come here to have a good time, I’m sure. Did you get a new lover or something?”

“A lover… don’t say such unpleasant things.”

Lear tried to creep into his mind of his own accord, but Yohan forcefully pushed him down, denying his existence. A lover, how absurd.

“Why the sudden outburst? It was just a joke.”

“It’s just that… haa, it’s a long story. For now, I was pushed into coming here because of work. You know from investigating that side of things. The situation isn’t that great these days.”

“Hiding out?”

“Well, something like that.”

“For someone hiding out, you came to a very fancy place, didn’t you? Did you win a hotel discount coupon or something?”

The words that it was not a hotel discount coupon, but that he had accidentally won a lottery called a millionaire and was staying at his hotel, rose up to his chin, but Yohan held them in and said.

“Are you mocking me? You tell me first. How much did you find out about O’Connell?”

At Yohan’s question, Eivan let out a deep sigh and chugged his beer. Yohan stared at him intently and began to speak.

“I just, I was tailing her and went to the club, and suddenly I was kicked out. I came out without knowing what was what, but… there’s definitely something. A reporter’s intuition, you could say.”

Realizing Eivan had also been at the scene, Yohan shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, it has to be cleaned up.”

“So you really do know something, don’t you?”

“I told you I’d tell you an interesting story. Did you think I met you just to bluff?”

“True, we’re not that kind of friends.”

“Before that, tell me why you were following O’Connell.”

Eivan nodded his head slightly and then suddenly looked around. At his action, Yohan also became needlessly on edge and looked around. There was no one who looked particularly suspicious. In the first place, Eivan had chosen a seat in the most secluded corner.

“What is it?”

When Yohan asked with a frown, Eivan raised his index finger, making a silent gesture asking for a moment. And what he rummaged through his pocket and took out was none other than ‘Candy’.

“I found out that Vasquez is expanding their territory by distributing Candy. And in the midst of that, that the atmosphere is not good.”

“You managed to get one?”

“I thought about asking you, but since the atmosphere over there isn’t good, I held back because I thought you might get into trouble. They say the mood got really weird after Declan got involved.”

Yohan remembered that before the ‘trouble’ Eivan mentioned could arise, Fiona had handed him the Candy on her own. Of course, a number of troublesome things did happen after that.

“And so?”

It was obvious what Eivan was going to say, but Yohan asked just in case.

“Do you know the difference between the Candy that was popular for a short while back then and the Candy now?”

“What is it?”

This time, Eivan, who had taken out a ballpoint pen, pulled out a napkin from the table, spread it out, and began to draw a picture. It was a chemical formula.

“Um, this is called safrole. It has two oxygen atoms and one carbon atom attached like this.”

Yohan was reminded anew that Eivan had majored in chemical engineering as he listened to his explanation.

“To make MDMA, you have to combine it with methylamine hydrochloride. It’s a simple but quite complex process.”

Yohan kept his mouth shut and drank his beer. Eivan’s chemistry lecture was still in progress.

“Candy is made by mixing a heat cycle inducer and an omega trait amplifier with this.”

Eivan, who was coolly sketching the diagram, continued his explanation.

“But the Candy that appeared this time is a little different. In the existing recipe, the omega trait amplifier is removed, and a rut inducer is added to Horaozol and Horamidone.”

Yohan, who was staring at Eivan this time as he scribbled the spellings of Horaozol and Horamidone instead of chemical formulas, said.

“One suppresses the manifestation pain, and the other, I think, was a narcotic analgesic preferred by trait individuals.”

“That’s right. The scary thing is, when all of these are combined, they mess with the serotonin system.”

Eivan made a gesture with one hand as if his head was exploding. Yohan’s head was starting to get complicated.

“Serotonin system?”

“It’s a hormone that has a huge effect on emotions. That’s why people who get hooked once keep looking for it to feel that intensity.”

“So it’s easy to get addicted.”

“That’s right. But the new Candy has a very big effect on Alphas as well. It’s a very scary drug that can knock out even those who are resistant to drugs quickly.”

“I’ve heard the stories too. The Candy that was all the rage back in the day just gave intense pleasure like omegas in heat, but this time it’s different.”

“It makes omegas or betas feel like they’ve gained the power of an Alpha they’ve only ever wished for, and it grants Alphas a power even stronger than their own. The side effects are just as great. Liver damage, of course, and not just heart damage but seizures as well….”

“And yet people still think of taking such things.”

He let out a deep sigh. Then, Eivan grinned, his eyes sparkling.

“So, Yohan. After hearing this story, did anything strike you as odd?”

“Is this <Jeopardy!>5)?”

“Sorry, but there’s no prize money even if you get the answer right. Haha.”

Yohan snorted at Eivan’s words, then, with an indifferent face, pressed the power button of his constantly vibrating phone as if it were a buzzer and said.

“BEEP, is the answer ‘The changed recipe of Candy has something to do with Esprit.’?”

“That is correct.”

Eivan clapped his hands instead of giving prize money, saying he got it right, and continued the story about Candy.

“The Horaozol and Horamidone in the new Candy are Esprit’s main products, isn’t that totally suspicious?”

“But there’s no evidence that Esprit was involved in developing Candy. There are plenty of doctors who moonlight as drug factories.”

“That’s true….”

“And there’s no evidence that O’Connell is connected to Esprit or Vasquez. Of course, when you think about Diane’s case…. something is strange, but there’s nothing clear.”

Come to think of it, even when O’Connell met the bench chemist Franco and plotted things, she had been good at erasing her tracks. Moreover, O’Connell and Heinz were connected, and Heinz was killed in a contract killing by a hitman presumed to be sent from Declan. In a way, O’Connell might have been hiding all of this and dragging things out until now.

“You can’t say there’s none at all.”

“What?”

“Esprit was sued by New York’s Lausi Hospital. Five patients who were prescribed Horamidone died of heart attacks, and the hospital was sued, but the hospital sued Esprit on the grounds that they did not properly notify them of the risks. At that time, it seems that woman helped out a lot with various things.”

“O’Connell?”

“Well, rather than direct help, should I call it indirect help? O’Connell is a graduate of UC Berkeley Law School, and it seems she connected them to Esprit. The law firm Esprit hired at the time was a place with many UC Berkeley graduates.”

“Where is it?”

“Mekerson & Hill.”

Mekerson & Hill? Yohan tilted his head. It was a law firm name he felt he had heard a lot somewhere. He thought it might feel familiar because his older sister was a lawyer. Of course, he had tried to have as little interest in his siblings as possible because learning a lot about those who were doing well would only hurt his pride, so he was confused about which universities they had graduated from and which companies they had joined.

‘Was noona at UC Berkeley or UCLA…. No, was hyung at UC Berkeley? I’m so confused.’

Yohan quickly dismissed the thoughts about his siblings. The legal battle between Esprit and Lausi Hospital that Eivan mentioned was quite interesting, but he couldn’t just call up his siblings, whom he hadn’t spoken to in years, to ask about it.

“Is it a place you know?”

“…No.”

Eivan’s lips twitched, and then he let out a deep sigh.

“Anyway, that’s all I know. It’s a headache because it’s all tangled up in a complicated way, but…. when you consider your partner’s case as well, it feels like something really big is about to happen.”

“You talk as if you’re really aiming for a Pulitzer. You.”

“Of course. That’s why I came all the way here to do some more background checks on O’Connell. There’s a seminar for Esprit’s sales representatives here, and O’Connell happened to be here for training with the new prosecutors, so I thought something might be up.”

“Something was up, indeed.”

“?”

“O’Connell is dead.”

Eivan was taken aback by Yohan’s words.

“H-Huh?”

“She’s dead. The cause of death was shock from Candy.”

He did not bother to tell him that O’Connell had died not from the new Candy, but from the new new Candy. For one, Eivan seemed quite shocked by Yohan’s words, and for another, there was no need to give him more information than necessary.

“Are you serious?”

Eivan met Yohan’s eyes with a look of disbelief. And Eivan, realizing that Yohan was not joking, chugged the rest of his beer. Yohan clicked his tongue and said a word.

“You said you heard there was an accident.”

“But I never thought it would be that kind of accident. Just like I said earlier, I was kicked out before I could even find O’Connell.”

“Still, I thought you would have expected it to some extent. I even gave you a little hint by saying I’d tell you an interesting story.”

Eivan, still saying he couldn’t believe it, let out a curse at Yohan’s words and wiped his face with his dry hands.

“Well, that’s what happened.”

“Then, my chasing O’Connell was all for nothing…?”

“We’ll have to see about that. A prosecutor died, but it was just treated as a simple death.”

Even at Yohan’s words, Eivan had a somber look on his face and sighed deeply. Then, with a dazed expression, he picked up and ate a couple of french fries, and then, as if he had come to his senses, he looked at Yohan and asked.

“I still can’t believe O’Connell died so futilely, but…. if the case is closed, the funeral will be held soon, won’t it?”

“That’s right.”

He answered as if it were a matter of course, but only after hearing Eivan’s words could Yohan think about O’Connell’s funeral. No matter how dishonorably she died, there would be funeral procedures anyway, and since she had family, the funeral would probably be held around this weekend.

Yohan ordered a new beer from a passing waitress and thought.

‘For a person of O’Connell’s stature, someone connected to the shady things she did is bound to show up at the funeral.’

Perhaps he was making a stupider face than he thought, because Eivan put a french fry in Yohan’s mouth. At Eivan’s action, Yohan’s eyes widened, and he stared at him intently.

“Yohan, don’t make such a serious face. There will be a solution. More importantly, I’m worried about you too. I don’t know what you’re doing here, but… if you came all the way here to hide, didn’t you get caught up in something bad?”

At the sight of Yohan slowly chewing and putting the french fry in his mouth, Eivan let out a deep sigh and was about to reach out and pat his back when it happened.

“Where do you think you’re touching?”

Along with the sound of glass shattering loudly, a familiar voice was heard. Yohan flinched his shoulders and lifted his head. Then he saw Lear’s face, which was slightly disheveled, unlike usual. For a moment, Yohan wondered if he was seeing things and dropped the french fry he was eating.

The table and floor were instantly a mess with broken glass and beer, and Eivan was in pain, his wrist caught by Lear. Eivan aside, the beer was a waste. Yohan craned his neck slightly and looked around. He wanted to ask where the server in charge had gone and why Lear had suddenly appeared and made a mess.

“Ack! My hand! My wrist!!”

At the sight of Yohan’s eyes darting around, Lear let go of Eivan’s wrist as if shaking him off. And then, he finally met the eyes of Yohan, who was looking at him, and asked in a cold voice.

“Why was your phone turned off?”

“Huh?”

Yohan looked once at Lear, then once at Eivan. Anyone who saw would think he had been caught cheating. Moreover, Lear said something that could cause a misunderstanding.

“Babe. Answer.”

Flustered, Yohan was looking at Lear, but then he felt Eivan’s hot gaze on him and turned his head to meet his eyes. Then, Eivan’s eyes trembled, and he spoke to Yohan in a shaky voice.

“Yohan, you… with that man… are you in… that kind… of relationship?”

At Eivan’s question, Yohan, who had come back to his senses, hurriedly denied his relationship with Lear.

“N-No! Eivan, it’s not what you think. This guy and I, we’re not, not like that!”

“But why….”

Eivan fiddled with his wrist and looked at Lear. Although they were both Alphas, the man in front of him, with his slightly unfocused pupils, looked out of his mind and had an incredible aura of intimidation. Besides, to be spraying such a threatening pheromone like this…. Eivan felt nauseous but held it in.

The man staring intently at Yohan was clearly either on the verge of his rut breaking or at the very end of his rut. At least, his outward appearance seemed fine.

Eivan’s mouth moved, and he looked at Yohan again. Then, Yohan said with an awkward face.

“It’s someone I know. Someone I know.”

“Yohan, you said no Alphas or men.”

“What are you talking about, I told you we’re nothing?”

“Are you really nothing to each other?”

Lear, who could no longer listen to Yohan and Eivan’s conversation, let out a deep sigh and said.

“What do you mean, nothing.”

Lear then grabbed Yohan by the collar, pulled him to his feet, and then kissed him right there, as if to show Eivan.

Yohan, in an awkward stance, felt Lear’s tongue instantly enter his mouth. For some reason, the breath, hotter than usual, and the passionate kiss made his mind go blank. He momentarily lost his senses and got so caught up in the kiss Lear was giving him that he almost had public sex right there, but fortunately, Yohan, who had only had one glass of beer, was able to push Lear away. Wiping his saliva-covered lips with the back of his hand and pushing Lear’s chest away, Yohan shouted.

“Hey, get a grip!”

Even at Yohan’s words, Lear let out a long breath without any change in expression and swallowed hard. Then, he spoke to the bewildered Eivan.

“Still think we’re nothing?”

Eivan, as if wondering what kind of bastard he was, turned his head to look at Yohan. Yohan’s face was flushed red as he hurled all sorts of curses at the man, calling him a son of a bitch and a motherfucker, but his eyes did not seem to dislike the kiss. His attitude shocked Eivan.

‘Yohan with an Alpha… and a man at that…. That Yohan?!’

To make matters worse, Lear gave Eivan, who was confused, a smug look, then raised an eyebrow slightly. And he grabbed the chattering Yohan’s arm and pulled him away.

“Hey, let go for a second. Your hand….”

Yohan flapped his arms, trying to push Lear away, but the crazy bastard seemed even crazier today, and he was stronger than usual, making it impossible to shake him off. With a look of resignation, Yohan made a gesture to Eivan that he would call and mouthed “sorry.” And then, as if he had no choice, he followed the stubborn Lear outside.

“Showing up all of a sudden like this, really. Are you crazy?”

He spat out a word as soon as they got outside, but Lear, as if he couldn’t care less, pushed Yohan into the waiting car, then took out a cigarette and lit it.

“Hey! Can’t you hear me?”

Lear held the car door with one hand and smoked with the other, staring intently at Yohan. Yohan, after shouting, shut his mouth and looked at Lear. The fingers holding the cigarette were trembling slightly.

“Sorry.”

Lear, who met Yohan’s eyes, spat out an apology, then threw the cigarette in his hand on the ground and extinguished it with the sole of his shoe.

“Sorry for what….”

It was not an apology for what had happened at the pub. Lear instantly pushed Yohan aside and took the seat Yohan had been sitting in. For a moment, Yohan was dumbfounded, but he glanced at the man in the driver’s seat and then said in a cautious voice.

“I was talking to a friend, what kind of rudeness is that? Huh? And what’s with the kiss? And you, who told you you could track my location without permission?”

Lear did not say anything in particular to the flood of Yohan’s words. He just silently undid a couple of buttons on his shirt with his hand and let out a deep sigh.

Yohan was flustered by Lear’s behavior and noticed that he was acting strangely, unlike his usual self.

“You’re really not in your right mind, are you?”

Lear roughly ran a hand through his hair and met Yohan’s eyes again.

“What did you do right—….”

“I thought I was going to go crazy because I couldn’t reach you.”

Cutting Yohan off, Lear threw out the words he wanted to say.

“I told you it’s dangerous outside.”

“What are you…. And I left you a text.”

Speaking to Lear, Yohan took out his phone and turned it back on. Seeing that there were over 50 missed calls, a curse escaped his lips without him realizing it again.

“Crazy bastard.”

Yohan shook his head. And just then, a text came from Eivan.

Eivan Catalini
Yohan, that guy you know
Seems like he’s in rut right now
Be careful

At Eivan’s texts, which came in quick succession with vibrations, Yohan’s face grew more and more serious, and he was about to reply when it happened. Lear snatched Yohan’s phone and put it in his jacket pocket.

“Hey!”

“Don’t even think about answering someone else’s call when you’re not answering mine.”

“What does that…. Hah, fine….”

He did not know exactly what an Alpha’s rut was like, but Yohan thought that Lear might be needlessly throwing a tantrum at him because his pheromones were affecting his hormones and making it hard for him to control his emotions, so he held it in. Besides, it seemed like it would not be good to provoke the guy for no reason. He had already experienced the guy’s rut once before.

“Lear. I appreciate you worrying about me. But you do know where I live and what I do, right? Huh?”

“I know. But Shadow is not someone to be taken lightly. We still don’t know much about him…. Besides, the person you were with was an Alpha.”

“Still, this isn’t right. Besides, Eivan and I… shit, just thinking about it makes me want to puke. You know I originally like women.”

“But you sleep with me.”

“That’s, it just happened… anyway, it’s a special case.”

Yohan clicked his tongue once and glared at Lear. This was not the time to listen to the guy’s complaints.

“By the way, you said you’re in rut now? Why didn’t you tell me you were in rut?”

At Yohan’s words, Lear’s deeply colored violet eyes shook violently.

“That’s….”

“Were you too busy getting it off with someone else?”

Lear frowned deeply, as if displeased by Yohan’s question.

“Why would I do something like that?”

“Think about our first meeting.”

“That was….”

“Besides, you said you could die if you don’t relieve it properly.”

“It’s not that bad. I took suppressants too.”

“Really…?”

“It seems like you need to get sex education again.”

Embarrassed, Yohan scratched his head. To be honest, he had never expected to be fooling around with an Alpha like this.

“Well, anyway, you weren’t fooling around with some other bastard, were you?”

“Of course not. And it’s almost over now.”

Lear avoided Yohan’s gaze.

“More importantly, Yohan, I don’t feel good because you smell like another Alpha, so, a little….”

“What?”

At Lear’s words, Yohan raised his arms and sniffed. As if a beta like Yohan could smell pheromones by doing that. Instead, he momentarily thought of Eivan’s face and then frowned deeply.

Eivan was handsome, but that was it. He was just a friend with whom he exchanged information for mutual need. That’s why Yohan had never once thought about sleeping with the guy.

“Whatever….”

Yohan, who snorted, glanced at the driver’s seat and then looked at Lear. It was Lear, still avoiding his gaze. He wondered if he was throwing a tantrum or whining, things that did not suit him. When his thoughts reached that point, Yohan suddenly started to feel sorry for Lear.

‘This must be because of the rut too, right?’

Even though there was someone in the driver’s seat, Yohan felt as if they were the only two in the small space. He just looked at Lear, his lips parting and closing, then swallowed hard and reached out to Lear with a determined face.

“Yohan?”

At Yohan’s sudden action, Lear finally turned his gaze to him, flustered. However, Yohan did not stop and unfastened Lear’s pants. At that, Lear was startled and grabbed Yohan’s arm.

“For a pervert, you’re making a fuss even when I’m offering to do it for you.”

“But.”

“You don’t want it?”

“…….”

“I’m doing it because you’re cute.”

He wondered if it sounded like a line from a sexually harassing old man, but seeing Lear’s flustered face, a laugh escaped him for no reason.

“Cute….”

“Besides, you said you’re in rut.”

“It’s almost over… and now, I’m fine.”

Yohan ignored Lear’s words and just pouted, saying he was worried he would really go crazy, then soon grinned and wrinkled his nose. And he pulled out Lear’s slightly erect penis and held it in his hand. This thing, he wondered if it should be thrown in a zoo instead of in his pants.

“For now, let’s have a deep conversation a little later.”

Slowly moving his gaze from Lear’s eyes to his penis, Yohan thought every time he saw it that it was an incredible thing. It was not even fully erect yet, and just the fact that he, who was not even an omega, had taken something like this from behind, made him feel crazy, yet Yohan took a slight breath in and then opened his mouth wide and took Lear’s penis into his mouth.