GCT 22

After the meeting(?) with Flanco, Yohan thought Lear would just suggest they go grab some dinner, so he was surprised by the unexpected encounter and said a word to him.

“Hey, you, I thought you were some kind of gangster.”

“So you felt like arresting me? Want to go a round in handcuffs today, too?”

Having made sure to plant a tracking device on Miguel’s body and phone so he could not get into any mischief, Lear kicked him right out of the house in Calabasas. At the sight of Lear, Yohan clicked his tongue and said.

“If only I could, I would want to put those handcuffs on your mouth, not your arms.”

“That was really great, though…. The only downside was not being able to touch you as I pleased even though you were right in front of me, so I was going crazy, both yearning and not being able to stand it.”

“You’re the kind of bastard who would break real handcuffs, not just toy ones.”

“Haha. Thanks for the compliment. I am a little… like that.”

Lear, who was laughing heartily, looked annoying. It was because of the way he shamelessly took it as a compliment when it was not particularly meant as one.

Lear nudged Yohan’s shoulder with his large body as he made a dumbfounded expression at him, and said.

“Anyway, aren’t you hungry after roaming around all day today?”

“Well… I am hungry.”

As if he had never been annoyed, Yohan scratched his cheek with a face that seemed to wonder what he should eat. Then Lear moved closer to Yohan, his eyes twinkling as he said a word.

“Should I cook for you?”

“Do you even know how to cook?”

“What do you take me for?”

At the sight of Yohan snorting, Lear, as if to make a point, grabbed his arm and led him to the kitchen. Then he sat Yohan down on a chair in front of the island countertop.

“Payment for the meal.”

Lear extended both of his arms to Yohan, asking him to roll up his sleeves. Yohan looked at Lear with a dumbfounded face and asked.

“Who asked you to cook for me?”

“Honey. Come on. My arms are going to fall off.”

He did not like the sight of the big guy acting cute every time, as it did not suit him. However, Yohan could not coldly push Lear away.

“Hurry.”

This is why I should not have been the first to say I liked him, I should not have acknowledged those feelings…. Yohan let out a deep sigh and rolled up Lear’s sleeves for him.

‘Right… What… power do I have….’

Looking at the thick, manly arms with their well-defined muscles and protruding veins, Yohan bit his lower lip. He desperately hid his wildly pounding heart. To think the day would come when he would feel a flutter looking at another man’s arms. Yohan was dumbfounded every time this happened, but on the other hand, it felt like a kill confirmation of his confession that he liked Lear. However, Yohan pretended to be unfazed. Perhaps he was the most shameless one of all.

“There, you happy?”

The moment he met Lear’s eyes, he thought he should not have. Lear, who was smiling with an annoyingly handsome face, lowered his head just like that and pressed his lips against Yohan’s. Their mouths opened naturally, tongues intertwined, and they could feel each other’s breath.

Lear stroked Yohan’s head with one hand and kissed him more intensely. As if he would bind Yohan like this and never let him go for the rest of his life, Lear, who had been acting tenaciously, pulled his lips away and spoke as if he were in a difficult position.

“It’s a problem if you look at me with those eyes.”

Before he knew it, Yohan’s cheeks had turned red and the corners of his eyes had become moist. Was that all? Feeling a thirst for his plump, wet lips, Lear, with the hand that was stroking Yohan’s head, fiddled with his earlobe. Then, this time, Yohan reached out, got up from his seat, grabbed Lear by the collar, and kissed him.

At that bold action, Lear let himself be led as if he had no choice and moved both hands busily, beginning to unbutton Yohan’s Hawaiian shirt one by one. Lear ran a hand over Yohan’s firm body revealed between the shirt, casually tossed the holster from his waist onto the island countertop, and undid his pants buckle.

The tables turned in an instant. Lear slipped his hand inside Yohan’s underwear and immediately shoved his fingers into his hole.

“Ah…!”

Their lips parted and a moan spilled from Yohan. Lear did not stop, adding another finger and beginning to thrust and stretch deep inside Yohan’s inner walls.

“Hngh… there…!”

Yohan gulped, then bit his lower lip and leaned his forehead against Lear’s shoulder, gripping his back tightly. Lear let out a low laugh at Yohan’s hot body leaning and pressing against him, gripped his ass tightly, then lifted him in a flash, placed his body on top of the island countertop, and pulled down and removed his bothersome pants.

“Wh-what about dinner?”

“I’m about to eat it right now.”

Lear licked his lips, then undid his own pants buckle and unzipped his fly to pull out his penis. Lear’s member, fully swollen and hard, was a size that he still could not get used to.

“You crazy…!”

Yohan’s lips parted as he looked at it with a slightly frightened face, then he lifted his head to meet Lear’s eyes.

‘Damn it.’

Just the thought of that ferocious thing, with its veins bulging, piercing through his insides made his stomach churn, but what scared him even more were his deep purple eyes, their color darkened with lust.

“Wait a minute… Lear, I mean….”

At Yohan’s words asking to think calmly for a moment, Lear grinned, then reached out and yanked Yohan’s arm hard. Yohan’s body lurched forward, and he was held in Lear’s embrace with a startled look on his face.

“I’m going to… f-fall…!”

Yohan freaked out and tried to get away from Lear. But Lear, on the contrary, held onto Yohan even tighter, bit his shoulder, and spread his buttocks.

“Hold on tight.”

“Wait, wa-wait… Ah!”

Lear did not stop, even at Yohan’s flustered voice. He rubbed his penis between Yohan’s buttocks, then brought the head to Yohan’s improperly loosened hole, pressed down firmly, and then hugged Yohan’s body tightly and thrust his penis in all at once.

“Ugh, hngh… Ah…! Stop…. Ah!”

At the sensation of his bottom being pierced, Yohan’s body bucked as he pressed himself tightly against Lear. Because of that, Yohan’s hips lifted high and the penis slipped out halfway again. But Lear did not mind and held onto Yohan’s stiff body, moving his hips. Then Yohan squirmed in Lear’s arms, struggling as if in pain.

It felt as if his insides were being twisted and torn by the object that had brutally entered deep inside him. He thought he might die from this, but at the same time, pleasure slowly began to build at Lear’s movements, which jabbed at his inner walls using only the strength of his hips.

“Hngh! Ugh… nngh, ah!”

Forgetting for a moment that he was being lifted by Lear, Yohan was startled by his own feet dangling in the air and clung to Lear even tighter. Then, Yohan’s hands lost their strength, and his body trembled intensely at Lear’s penis which had entered deep inside him due to his own weight. It felt as if Lear’s penis might pop out of his mouth.

“Ugh, euk!”

Grabbing Lear’s arms instead of his back, Yohan opened his mouth, his eyelids fluttering. Lear held Yohan’s body firmly and thrusted his hips up, gnawing on the nape of Yohan’s neck. Each time, Yohan’s body shook and he gradually lost his reason from his member rubbing against Lear’s shirt.

“St-stop… Ahh… Nngh….”

At the sight of Yohan struggling and saying no again, Lear clicked his tongue and ignored his words, pressing down on his inner wall and stimulating him.

Yohan felt like his insides were being crushed and wrecked by Lear’s penis thrusting relentlessly. He felt like he could not take it anymore.

“Ah… ah, ahh… stop… Ah!”

Yohan pushed against his shoulders and bucked his hips, but Lear held Yohan firmly and stirred his insides even more.

“Does it feel good?”

“Ugh, ugh… Nngh, ah…, ahh!”

Lear’s words did not even register. Yohan was completely engulfed in the feeling of being dominated by Lear’s movements. It felt as if all the organs inside his body were being pushed up and would soon spill out from below. All he could do in this situation was let out a torrent of pitiful moans with his body flushed bright red. It was horrifying how helpless he felt, but at the same time, his body felt like it was thundering with a pleasure just as deep.

“Ah… Hngh… Euk…!”

Yohan, who was panting and gasping for breath like a feverish child, shivered violently and stained Lear’s shirt heavily.

Lear clicked his tongue as if he could not hold it in any longer, then laid his body down on the island countertop, grabbed his thighs firmly, and thrusted all the way to the root. Then, at the sight of Yohan clenching tightly around his member while trembling from the pleasure, Lear frowned.

“Relax your… haah… it’s going to break at this rate. Huh?”

“Hng, nghh… It hurts… stop, ahh…!”

Thinking that at this rate, his dick would be clamped so tight he would not be able to stop, Lear clenched his jaw and, with his penis buried in the hole that was stretched to its limit, rapidly bucked his hips.

“Ngh, nghh… Ah, ahh! Ugh, ah!”

Yohan’s body bucked violently, matching Lear’s movements as he rapidly thrusted deep inside him. Even in the midst of that, as his body could not bear it, Yohan instinctively pushed against the shoulders of Lear who was pressing his body against him.

The more he did, the more Lear held Yohan’s body firmly and stirred his insides for a long while before ejaculating deep inside.

“Ah….”

Yohan’s body shivered at the lukewarm sensation of his insides filling with Lear’s semen, and he pushed him away once more. It felt like his body would break at this rate.

“Stop…. Stop, it….”

“It’s okay, ah. Haah… Just a little, more… huh?”

Lear held onto Yohan’s body that was trying to escape from him and spoke as if to soothe him, but then he moved his hips as if rubbing against the gooey inner walls, then stimulated him by pressing down on Yohan’s prostate as he thrusted deeply.

Despite having ejaculated not long ago, Lear’s hard penis not only filled his insides but also heavily and deeply thrusted into him. Yohan felt as if he was having a seizure at Lear’s movements, which seemed to know no limits.

“Ugh… stop…. Hngh, ugh…!”

Yohan threw his head back, letting out moans and kicking his feet wildly. However, Lear, as if to tease him, moved in and out of him without restraint. Each time, the thin skin of Yohan’s stomach bucked, and semen was pushed out from between his wide-open legs. Yohan had thought he had already experienced every kind of stimulation sufficiently, but he had just realized that was not the case.

“Ah…!”

Lear pulled his penis, which had been buried deep inside Yohan’s stomach, out to the very tip, then drove it deep again, thrusting up forcefully. At the stimulation of that moment, Yohan could not bear it and ejaculated once more.

“I’m tired… stop, ah….”

“Haah… after coming by yourself how many times, you’re going to be like this?”

At the sight of Yohan completely entrusting his body to him and going limp, Lear gnawed on the nape of his neck and moved his hips slowly.

“Slowly… haah… I’ll do it slowly.”

Lear pulled out his penis for a moment and ejaculated all over Yohan’s stomach, then he flipped over the body of Yohan, who was looking at him and panting for breath.

At the sight of Yohan, who was bent over the island countertop, standing on his tiptoes and trembling from thigh cramps, Lear’s lips parted.

“Just a little more….”

Lear gripped Yohan’s pelvis firmly. Then he slowly pushed his penis back into Yohan’s already ruined hole.

“Ah, hngh… nngh… hngh, ugh….”

Yohan pressed his face against the cold marble, barely panting for breath and moving his feet. His knees bumped slightly against the countertop each time, but the pain was a secondary concern. He did not know what to do with the intense pleasure overwhelming his mind.

However, Lear had not even put in half of it yet, and at Yohan’s body clenching as if to snap his member off again, he smacked his butt with a large hand. Slap.

“Hnngh!”

The moment Yohan’s knees gave way, Lear grabbed his stomach with one hand, pulling him toward himself, and simultaneously pushed his penis in all at once.

Then, at the sight of Yohan, who was trembling violently, his mouth just open, barely even breathing, Lear pressed his stomach against him, languidly pressing his penis against the deepest part of his insides, and let out a deep breath.

“Haah….”

“Ca-can’t take it… ah…!”

“Again, already? You’re clenching this tight? Huh?”

Lear smacked Yohan’s butt once more. Then, at the sight of Yohan, who would relax slightly only to flinch, clench, and feel it, Lear, with the hand that had been holding him, squeezed his chest as if wringing it out and pressed down on his prostate a few times. At that, Yohan struggled, then slightly lifted one leg and rubbed Lear’s leg with his foot, his body trembling violently.

Although Yohan was struggling, Lear had no intention of letting him go. He pulled Yohan even tighter, thrusting at his own pace, and whispered.

“Do you like it? Enough to go from behind?”

“N-no… hngh…. Ugh….”

“You’re lying. Haah… you said you like me so much you could die.”

“Not that much….”

“Then you don’t like it?”

“Ah… that’s not it… that’s…. Nngh… it hurts….”

“Then tell me you like me.”

He thought it was cowardly to say such a thing to Yohan who could not get his head straight, but Lear thought he had no choice.

Not only could he not just throw away the opportunity to not just tease but to completely control Yohan, but he also found him so lovely when he said he liked him. Every time he saw that, Lear thought he too should show his feelings to Yohan, but he decided to wait a little. It was because he planned to be the one to say something more serious than ‘I like you’ before Yohan did. Of course, it was not that he could not do it right now, but he felt that if he threw out a deep confession here, Yohan would run away.

That was also partly why he was being even more mischievous with Yohan. Once the job was finished, then, he wanted to do it properly for Yohan, not like this. He wanted to be his friend, his lover, and his family.

“I like….”

“Yeah, that’s right. I’ll do all the things you like for you.”

“You crazy, ngh!”

Yohan spat out a curse at that moment, but Lear, as if in return for being cursed at, covered the back of his neck with kisses. It seemed like they would have to eat dinner much later.

It was about four days after he had kicked out the guy who had been confined in the Calabasas house that Miguel, who had run away from home, contacted Lear.

Yohan was surprised when Lear suddenly suggested they go out, saying they were going to meet Miguel. It was because he had not expected Miguel to have gathered any useful information that quickly. He had said he did not want to get stabbed and die, but he must have really wanted to avoid prison. Thinking that he could move surprisingly fast in times like these, the two men headed to the meeting point.

“Do you think the guy really brought something useful?”

“I’m not getting my hopes up, but we’re in a position where we have to do something.”

“He’s a stupid bastard. I’m worried. I’m afraid he might just find out the MBTIs of the Esprit employees and make a fuss.”

“No way, right? If he wants to live, he’ll use his head a little. They say even a cockroach’s IQ goes up to 340 when it’s in danger.”

He felt that comparing a person to a cockroach, no matter what, was a bit too much. Regardless, Lear was humming a song, saying it was from a popular K-pop idol these days. Unlike his appearance, he was a man without prejudice and sensitive to trends. It was unclear if he was trying to appeal to his youthfulness in this way, but Yohan glanced at Lear humming a tune he did not recognize. He found it absurd, but then he also felt Lear was cute, so Yohan let out a chuckle, pfft, and looked out the car window.

Before long, Santa Monica beach came into view.

“Just follow me.”

As befitting a weekend, the area was teeming with people. As soon as Yohan got out of the car, he wondered just where on earth they were meeting Miguel to have come all this way.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll know if you follow me.”

The place was packed with people as soon as they got out of the parking lot, so he was not in a particularly good mood. But when Lear did not tell him the destination properly, Yohan felt uneasy. Still, given the location, he figured there would be no incident like being kicked out in front of a club like last time in Las Vegas. That was because, it being the beach, there were plenty of people wearing Hawaiian shirts like the one Yohan had on.

“Still, isn’t it great to come out here after being at home?”

“Well… that’s true. You really stand out.”

“Me, well. I’ve always been like that. Get used to it. Honey.”

Yohan, with a dumbfounded look on his face, walked slightly away from Lear. He did not know how he had ended up saying he liked a bastard like that, but he was certain he could list reasons from 1 to 100 for why Lear was an asshole.

“Your confidence is really off the charts.”

“You think? Well, they say confidence comes from the lower half. I guess that’s why.”

“What are you talking about. All dressed up like a peacock.”

“That’s to look good for the female.”

At Lear’s words, Yohan, without realizing it, scanned his fashion again. Seeing him with a light blue shirt rolled up to his elbows, one hand stuck in his white linen pants, and wearing sunglasses, it somehow felt as if he alone was in a different world. However, Yohan’s face hardened.

“Are you… calling me a female right now?”

“Am I?”

Lear asked, staring intently at Yohan. Yohan thought it was a good thing he was wearing sunglasses. It was because he could curse at him openly while staring at his face.

“Anyway, you’re a real asshole.”

“And you said you liked me like that.”

“Ha, right. My bad. My bad. I should’ve just kept my mouth shut.”

Yohan blamed a god he did not even believe in, wondering what sins he had committed in his past life to be given such a trial. At the sight of a grumbling Yohan, Lear smiled and moved a little closer to him.

“But you like me, so what can you do, right?”

“If you keep coming on to me like that, my favorability might turn to disfavor.”

“So you’ve stopped liking me?”

“That’s… well… ahem, hmm, ahem! Not yet, but…. If you keep doing that…!”

Seeing Yohan flustered, Lear reached out and grabbed his hand. Yohan instinctively tried to shake Lear off, but Lear held onto him even tighter.

“Wh-what is it?”

“Are you doing that even though you know it turns me on more when you get angry like that? Even for me, in a public place, it’s a bit much.”

“Cut the bullshit.”

“Bullshit? We came here to do something very important, didn’t we?”

That was not something the person who had been spouting nonsense the whole time while here for important business should say. At Lear’s shamelessness, Yohan was so dumbfounded that he turned his head sharply. Taking that chance, Lear naturally led Yohan toward Pacific Park.

Yohan, who had been pouting and grumbling out of annoyance with Lear, was walking as he was led when he suddenly flinched at a sign that came into view and stopped walking.

“Hey, what are you doing right now?”

“Going to the meeting spot.”

“The meeting spot?”

At Yohan’s tone, which asked if he was being serious, Lear smiled brightly.

“There’s no reason we can’t, is there?”

“What are you….”

“Think about it. The more crowded and chaotic a place is, the harder it becomes to tail or target someone. And if, by any chance, something were to happen, there would be more witnesses.”

“I know. It’s also easy to shake someone off, and it has many advantages one way or another. But somehow….”

Why did he get the feeling that this was some kind of trick from Lear? As Yohan trailed off and looked at him with suspicious eyes, Lear took off his sunglasses and gave Yohan a wink.

“Besides, we still have time left.”

“I knew it.”

“It’s nice, we get to have a date on the side too. We’ve been stuck inside the house all this time, after all. Of course, while it’s good to appeal to Shadow that we’re staying quietly at home, don’t you think we should also show ourselves dating in public?”

“You have a way with words….”

No matter how he thought about it, Yohan thought it was a relief that Lear did not fall into some cult. Of course, it was not as if he was that sane right now either, but still, considering the public good, it was not bad. After all, he was trying to catch Shadow and dismantle Declan’s organization. Though, that bastard Lear was doing it for a trivial reason in the first place, since he had a lot of money and time to spare.

“Anyway, even if we go, I’m not getting on any rides.”

“Are you scared?”

“Scared of what!”

“Then?”

“I just… don’t feel like riding them….”

“I see. So my darling is scared of amusement park rides.”

“No, I’m not.”

“What about the carousel?”

“I said I’m not riding it!”

The image of a large adult man happily riding a unicorn was horrifying just to imagine.

“Well, if you say so. It’s a shame, but I guess it can’t be helped.”

“What do you mean, it can’t be helped.”

At the sight of Yohan snorting, Lear looked sullen for a moment but then dragged him around here and there. Each time, Yohan refused Lear’s suggestions with an indifferent face. He really did not want to do things like ride a roller coaster, eat cotton candy, or ride the Ferris wheel with Lear in a place this crowded.

‘I’m not a high schooler….’

Yohan made it glaringly obvious that he was annoyed, but Lear did not give up. As a last resort, he brought up his unfortunate childhood, saying he desperately wanted a large teddy bear.

“…So Yohan. You can give me one memorable gift, can’t you? Don’t you feel sorry for someone like me?”

“……”

“Since I was young, I never had any real memories or anything…. As you know, my grandmother and father were busy with work, and I started school early, so… you know what I mean, right?”

It was difficult when he came at him like this. Yohan eventually let out a deep sigh and spoke as if he had no choice.

“Haah… I’ll do it just this once. We do this, and then we’re going straight to that guy. Got it?”

Since Yohan himself had scars related to his family and knew that Lear had lived an unconventional life, his heart grew weaker for no reason when he approached him like that. He could not help but be dragged along, even knowing that Lear was deliberately targeting that part of his heart.

“Got it. In return, you have to win me the teddy bear.”

As if he was very satisfied with Yohan’s answer, Lear smiled brightly at him, then hugged him tightly on the spot and kissed him all over his face. Yohan pushed Lear away, asking what he was doing acting so shameless in broad daylight, but honestly, he did not dislike it.

“Hey, stop it. How am I supposed to win a teddy bear if you’re holding on to me like this. Let go. So I can play the game.”

“As expected, there’s no one but Yohan.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Yohan finally broke away from Lear and headed to the shooting game booth for the teddy bear prize. Looking at the teddy bear Lear mentioned, it looked a bit perverted, as if it would come alive and move at night, but considering his taste for buying things like pink handcuffs, he thought it was not that strange, and paid for the game.

“Well then, shall I show off my skills for the first time in a while?”

Compared to what he usually carried, it was not just light but downright shoddy, but Yohan approached it seriously. Grabbing the toy gun and lowering his body to take a stance, he took a deep breath like an athlete competing in the Olympics, focused in an instant, and shot the game targets.

Each time Yohan hit a target, the gazes of the people near the booth naturally focused on him.

At that moment, Lear stood blocking the view of Yohan’s ass and looked around at the people nearby. There were some perverted bastards who were shamelessly looking at Yohan in a sexual way, but he also wondered if there was anyone planted by Shadow. After the Glenn Cowry incident, he had started to think that Shadow might have assigned a hitman to them by now.

But perhaps because they had moved around in Sheridan’s borrowed car, there thankfully did not seem to be anyone who had followed them all the way to Santa Monica. When Lear, feeling a little relieved, turned his gaze toward Yohan, he saw that he had already finished the game and was tossing him the teddy bear.

“There, you happy?”

Lear looked down at the teddy bear in his hands. Looking at the doll with a strangely perverted face made him feel a little weird, but he made the most touched expression he could for Yohan.

“Am I just happy? I should make it our family heirloom right away.”

“Flattery is nice, but don’t overdo it.”

Lear tucked the teddy bear Yohan had given him under his arm, then stuck right by his side and grabbed his arm. He thought Yohan might shake him off again this time, but surprisingly, he stayed still.

“Yohan.”

“What.”

“So I shouldn’t make it a family heirloom?”

“Why are you asking me that? I’m not even a Crawford.”

“I think you will be soon.”

What, that’s ridiculous, I mean, what? Yohan’s face flushed slightly as he looked at Lear.

“Seriously, what are you talking about. Can you say that in front of your grandmother?”

“There’s no reason I can’t.”

At Lear’s words, more confident than anyone, Yohan was at a loss for words, so much so that he thought his heart would explode. Was he doing it on purpose, or was he saying it without much thought? Whatever the case, at the words that made the listener embarrassed for no reason, Yohan cleared his throat and deliberately changed the subject.

“Ahem, hmm! Enough nonsense. So where are we seeing that guy? Tell me properly this time.”

Yohan said, pushing Lear’s back with a dumbfounded look on his face.

“Damn it. I want to date more, but since you’re acting like a workaholic, I guess it can’t be helped.”

“Real workaholics would curse you out if they heard you say that.”

Yohan said, recalling how they had been lazing around, cooped up in a resort-like house for the reason that it was not the right time yet, and Lear, as if he had no choice, led him to the meeting spot.

It was a restaurant called [Bubba Gump] near the parking lot, just outside the amusement park. The location was not far, and Yohan looked at Lear with a bewildered face.

“Are you kidding me?”

“Did you not like it?”

“I really can’t say anything to you. Hah.”

“Besides, that Cowry guy, he’s got nothing but time, so it’s fine. He’s unemployed, you know. That guy.”

Yohan clicked his tongue and pushed past Lear, entering the restaurant first. Inside, he could see Miguel with a pale face, sipping a beer. As soon as Yohan spotted Miguel, he strode over and plopped down in the seat across from him.

“You scared me!”

Miguel had been getting anxious as the two men had not shown up even though it was more than 40 minutes past the promised time. So when Yohan suddenly appeared and sat across from him, he could not help but be startled.

“What’s there to be surprised about?”

“It was just, a little… sudden.”

Lear clicked his tongue at the sight of Miguel talking to Yohan, then sat down next to the guy.

“Something came up, so we’re a little late.”

“I see.”

“Aren’t you curious?”

“Not particularly.”

At the sight of Miguel speaking with a completely intimidated voice, Lear put his arm around his shoulder and said.

“Good thinking.”

“I really don’t want to know….”

“What would you do knowing that we were on a date?”

“No, I said I didn’t want to know.”

Lear grinned at Miguel’s words and patted his shoulder. Miguel avoided Lear’s burdensome gaze, which seemed to ask if he was jealous. In the midst of that, he wondered if Lear would scold him for averting his eyes, but fortunately, a server approached, and Miguel was able to escape from Lear.

However, no sooner had Miguel escaped from Lear than Yohan, sitting across from him, began to pressure him. As soon as Lear ordered a few dishes from the server, Yohan said a word to him.

“Talk before the food comes.”

“Well….”

Miguel swallowed hard, then met the eyes of Yohan, who was staring intently at him with a deep frown on his face.

“You might be disappointed.”

“Never mind that, just talk.”

At Yohan’s words, Miguel’s eyes darted around, then he took a sip of beer and began his story.

“I didn’t work at Esprit for long, but I was a manager, and…. I mostly did what my brother or those above me told me to, but it’s not like I did absolutely no work. My brother always nagged me, saying I was stupid and naive and made him anxious, but….”

“I don’t want to hear about your diligent work history or your memories with your brother.”

Miguel let out a slight sigh, then looked embarrassed at Yohan’s words and scratched his head.

“Well, I was pretty seriously betrayed by my brother, so I don’t place much meaning on it either.”

“Fine, so just keep talking.”

“So I… it’s a little awkward for me to say this myself in front of you, Agent, but as a salesperson, I have a pretty likable face, don’t I?”

Yohan found Miguel, who was talking nonsense with his needlessly high confidence, unpleasant to look at, but he held back for the time being.

“And?”

“Like you said, I tried to sneak in, avoiding the eyes of my superiors, but there wasn’t much to gain, so I used my head a little.”

At that, Lear let out a chuckle, pfft, and openly sneered at Miguel. At that sight, Yohan clicked his tongue once.

“Don’t be so hard on him. You said even a cockroach’s IQ goes up to 340 in an emergency.”

“Right. I did say that.”

At the words that were making fun of him, Miguel tried to laugh awkwardly, “Haha.” Then, Yohan’s face hardened as he took Miguel’s beer, drank it, and asked.

“Stop laughing, and keep telling me how you used your head.”

“When I first joined Esprit, there was someone in the accounting team who helped me in many ways. His name is Rashad, he’s a guy I’m pretty close with.”

“And?”

Yohan raised one eyebrow slightly.

“According to Rashad, the new drug Task Force team recently went on a reward vacation to Malibu. My superior was included, too.”

“A reward vacation?”

“Yes. But, maybe they were conscious of the other employees’ eyes, because they publicly announced it as a workshop or something, with a different schedule.”

“So are the people on that new drug Task Force team the ones related to Candy?”

At Yohan’s question, Miguel nodded and continued to speak.

“Esprit has done so many things that there are more than one or two confidential projects, but… everyone roughly knows about them implicitly, even if they don’t mention them openly. According to Rashad, in particular, the reason for the Task Force team’s reward was that the company was about to face difficulties due to a pretty big lawsuit recently, but thanks to the new drug, a huge amount of profit came in. Most of it was in cash assets.”

At Miguel’s words, Yohan was dumbfounded.

“So I acted like I knew something about that side of things, and Rashad told me this and that.”

“Your superior is probably in the Task Force team, and since you’re on that line, he probably wanted to get on the right side of things himself.”

“I thought it was my charm that worked….”

“Snagging a manager position when you haven’t even been at the company for that long is a charm point in itself, if you want to call it that.”

Usually, in such cases, it is because they are backed by an incredible background, like being the president’s son.

Yohan blamed reality for the fact that there were two golden spoons right in front of him, but then he looked at Miguel with an annoyed face. At that, Miguel turned his head to avoid Yohan’s gaze.

“What are you looking at.”

“I wasn’t trying to look….”

Miguel, who had momentarily forgotten that Lear was sitting next to him, almost hiccuped at Lear’s words as he glared at him menacingly, as if he would eat him alive, and picked a fight, but he held it in and lowered his head. Then he fiddled with the napkin on the table for no reason.

“Ah, anyway… Rashad said that a lot of cash came in suddenly, and it seems like the higher-ups are planning to start a new business recently.”

“A new business?”

At Yohan’s question, Miguel lightly bit his lower lip and then let go as he spoke.

“Yes. It’s so confidential that Rashad said he doesn’t know the details either. He probably just handles simple accounting as ordered from above and didn’t seem to want to know more deeply either. Still… there’s such a thing as the company atmosphere.”

“……”

“In particular, the ordered items at the factory in Chula Vista have also changed significantly….”

“Changed?”

“Yes. He said they were items requested by the Task Force team, but they weren’t things they usually purchase. The name was….”

“Perchlorate?”

In an instant, Miguel’s eyes widened.

“H-how…!”

“Did you think we were just cooped up at home, quietly waiting for your information to arrive?”

At Yohan’s words, Miguel spoke with a trembling voice.

“Th-then you must also know what that is.”

“I hear that such substances are detected when analyzing Candy recently. But, it’s not just Candy, but also crack and other synthetic drugs have long been mixed with absurd substances…. I thought it was nothing to be surprised about.”

“But he said that even if they were actually making such a drug, the amount of the ordered substance was beyond imagination. He said it was as if someone were making a weapon….”

As the word ‘weapon’ came out of Miguel’s mouth, a silence fell among the three men. Miguel was silent because he was reading the room, while Yohan and Lear were lost in thought. It was because they recalled the story they had heard from Flanco when they met him recently.

If all of this was true and Esprit was serious, they thought that Shadow might be trying to not only sell Candy but also gather money to expand his business. That would be the way to be firmly recognized as the head of the organization.

No matter how much of a rookie Lear might seem in Shadow’s eyes, he was, after all, the only son designated by Joel Declan, who carried his blood. To surpass him, he would have to move busily in many ways.

‘He must be pretty frustrated that I not only didn’t die from Candy but didn’t even get addicted.’

Recalling Shadow’s mistake, Lear listened to what Yohan and Miguel were saying from the side. He did not show it on the outside, but it was not just Shadow who was frustrated; Lear was as well. Shadow was not surfacing, and he had no way of knowing what the guy was thinking. Lear clenched his teeth, his jaw tightening.

“And… I brought something that you, Agent, and you, Consultant, might like.”

Miguel, who was stuck between Lear’s serious demeanor and Yohan’s scary expression, reading the room, rummaged through his bag and handed over a file folder. It seemed he had investigated quite seriously and earnestly, more so than expected.

“Rashad told me about Malibu…. I thought it would be good to know who was included in the Task Force team, so I went to check it out.”

“I’m surprised you have the intelligence of a human.”

Yohan took the file folder Miguel handed him and opened it. Inside were several photos that Miguel had taken secretly, zoomed in heavily. Unsurprisingly, the very first page showed a picture of them partying in a swimming pool with strippers, throwing money around.

“As you can see, they rented a luxury mansion and a yacht and were partying like crazy. It’s hard to grasp because I took the pictures separately, but…. The Task Force team has a total of 13 members, including my superior. They were selected from different departments, with researchers making up the largest proportion. I’ll send you the list of researchers separately.”

Listening to Miguel, Yohan flipped through the photos. Swish, swish.

“Oh right, now that I think about it, I heard the CEO of Esprit recently resigned and a new person came in…. Could that be related, too?”

Lear snorted.

“That place, it’s always had a figurehead president. The new guy is probably someone’s puppet, too.”

“I see. No wonder I thought the CEO kept changing.”

Yohan continued to examine the materials in his hand, regardless of what Lear and Miguel were talking about. However, before long, Yohan’s hand stopped, and his face hardened completely. It was because he had found a familiar face in the photo. It was none other than his own brother, Philip.

“It’s been quite a while since he moved to a research position.”

“It’s a pretty good company in the pain field. The salary is much higher than when he was at the hospital, and he has more free time.”

Recalling what Philip had said to him when they met at O’Connell’s house, Yohan’s heart suddenly started to beat fast, and his mind became complicated.

‘I had a feeling, but….’

He was a person who wanted to appear perfect not only to their parents but to everyone, but he was also timid and would never venture into anything dangerous. The thought that such a person had not only joined Esprit but might also be involved with Candy made his stomach twist.

‘He acted so high and mighty, so superior…. Was this what it was all about in the end?’

Would their parents be disappointed to see Philip’s actions, jumping into something he should not have for money? Would their family turn their backs on him? Yohan recalled the image of his family members pointing fingers at him and was engulfed in an unbearable rage. However, he could not release his anger through rebellion like he did in his childhood, so Yohan thought he needed to go outside and get some fresh air.

“I’m just going to, for a moment….”

“Huh?”

Yohan stood up from his seat, holding the photo Philip was in, and went outside the restaurant. At Yohan’s action, Lear was flustered and looked at Miguel.

Miguel had a bewildered look on his face, and Lear clicked his tongue, took out a few hundred-dollar bills from his pocket, tossed them on the table, and after saying he would call later, immediately chased after Yohan.

“Yohan!”

As soon as he went outside, Yohan was standing still, letting out a deep sigh. He was fanning his shirt with a look of frustration on his face, and Lear approached him with a worried expression and asked.

“What’s wrong?”

Instead of answering Lear’s question, Yohan handed him the photo in his hand.

“The photo Miguel gave you?”

“My brother…. I mean, I think Philip is involved.”

At Yohan’s words, Lear looked at the photo he had given him. An Asian man who resembled Yohan, smiling brightly and enjoying the party, caught his eye.

“If it’s your brother….”

“He said he was in research.”

“……”

“He said he does research at Esprit, so he might have created the recipe. No, he must have created it.”

At Yohan’s trembling voice, Lear silently pulled him into an embrace on the spot. He thought Yohan might push him away, but he leaned his body against Lear as if entrusting his everything to him.