211: THE END "Kuk kuk kuk, keu keu keu kuk." At his appearance of laughing continuously while his shoulders shook, Greyson blinked in bewilderment. Then Dane continued to let out meaningless laughter and said. "Isn't it too funny that I'm like this just from riding that thing?" The more he thought about it, the more absurd it was. He was a soldier who had been to battlefields. There had been countless times he had rushed into blazing fires to save people, and there had been times he had rushed in with his bare body to defuse bombs. Yet here he was in this state from a mere ride that at most just went up and down. The actual time riding it probably wasn't even 5 minutes. Greyson, who had been silently watching him shake his head as if pathetic while sighing "haa," opened his mouth. "Everyone has weak points." At those words, the laughter slowly disappeared from Dane's lips. Instead, to Dane who turned a bewildered gaze toward him, Greyson continued. "This is just a ride. You don't need to force yourself to be strong, I think it's fine if you just stay weak." Dane looked at his face without saying anything. Greyson was sincere, of course. He didn't doubt his words. Perhaps that was exactly what Greyson wanted. If that happened, Dane would stay by his side as he wished. Most certainly, above all. But… "I don't like that." At the words he bluntly put out, Greyson blinked as if flustered. At his wavering pupils as if he didn't know how to take these words, Dane brought up a faint smile. "I prefer getting strong at rides. That way, ahem, I can ride them with you." The latter part ended with a clearing of his throat as he felt embarrassed for no reason. Greyson's eyes went wide with surprise. It was obvious what he was thinking. He already guessed what words would come next. Before Greyson could ask him to hit his cheek, Dane first grabbed the back of his head and pulled him close. Their lips immediately overlapped and a sweet scent flowed into his mouth. It was Greyson's pheromone scent overflowing with joy. Haa, breath mixed with sighs could be felt on his lips. Every time saliva gathered on his tongue, his happiness seemed to spread through Dane's mouth to his whole body. And Dane became happy too. Because that was love. Dane, who slowly separated their lips, made eye contact with Greyson. Smiling with narrowed eyes, he whispered. "Is that enough?" "…Yeah." Greyson still nodded with a dazed face. He seemed to kiss well but not understand the situation. Dane lightly tapped his cheek with his fingertip and turned his head. His ears seemed to be getting hot for some reason. Should he pretend not to know and get up if Greyson spoke? Of course, he knew that wouldn't do. He had decided not to run away from this emotion, from Greyson, anymore. "Dane…" Greyson barely opened his mouth. The sun was just beginning to set. A white parabola was drawn across the reddening sky. And Greyson's words that he had barely managed to get out were soon buried in the sound of fireworks. Ah. Dane looked up at the sky in a daze. Like that time, bright light colored the entire sky brightly. Beautiful. Colorful brilliant fireworks scattered in all directions. One shot, then another. The fireworks continued to bloom toward the sky, explode, and fade gloriously. For a while, Dane sat looking up at the fireworks like that. Greyson, who had been waiting to speak to him, also hesitated and likewise turned his gaze to the sky. The fireworks continued to explode. The consecutive loud noises felt like they would make his ears go deaf. Yes, wouldn't this be enough? If it's now. After a loud "bang," Dane slowly opened his mouth. "I like you, Greyson." Greyson didn't understand the quiet voice at first. It was after two more fireworks exploded that he slowly turned his head to look at Dane. While feeling Greyson's gaze staring at him with wide eyes, Dane stubbornly continued looking only at the sky and continued speaking. "Last time you told me to break up. So today I wanted to tell you." And only then did he take his eyes off the fireworks and direct his gaze to Greyson. Making direct eye contact, Dane opened his mouth. "I love you, so let's not break up and stay together." Bang, ba-bang, bang, the sound of consecutive fireworks could be heard. People's cheers continued faintly. Even then, Greyson just looked at Dane with a blank face. Dane grinned and reached out to cover the back of Greyson's hand. At this action, Greyson was even more surprised and opened his eyes so wide they seemed like they would tear. "Stop it, idiot." Embarrassed by his reaction, Dane scolded him for no reason and gave a bitter smile. As if to soothe him, he petted his head and stopped his hand there, silently looking at Greyson. "I know my past wasn't very desirable." Dane continued quietly. Greyson held his breath and waited for his words. "I'm a lacking person in many ways, and I have many deficiencies. While living with you in the future, I might make things difficult for you in many aspects. No, it will definitely be that way." He revealed for the first time his weakest side that he had never told anyone before, that he himself had tried not to acknowledge. Meeting the unwavering gaze directed at him, Dane gave a faint smile. "I hope that when that happens, you won't give up on me." That was it. This was all Dane had prepared to say. What remained was Greyson's part. He might joyfully embrace Dane, or he might step back from the burden. He actually knew. That because he was this kind of person, no one had tried to get close to him until now. But the reason he confessed to this guy despite that was probably the same reason as when he told him about his mother. Dane's hand came down stroking Greyson's cheek. Greyson caught the hand that was about to withdraw. After looking at Dane's face for a while, he closed his eyes and buried his lips in Dane's palm. Watching this, Dane thought. Because this guy is Greyson Miller. "I never let go of what's mine." With his lips against Dane's palm, Greyson looked at him. "You gave yourself to me. So you're mine for life." At those words, Dane was momentarily flustered then let out a laugh. "I know, idiot." Dane bent his finger to pinch Greyson's cheek gently so it wouldn't hurt. Greyson smiled toward Dane. Just then, consecutive fireworks brightly colored his face. Ah, Dane remembered. The image of a man crying so much his whole face was soaked flickered before his eyes. Why couldn't I say anything then? Greyson had always, every time, come at me with his whole heart. His heart ached with belated guilt. Dane looked at Greyson and asked. "How was today? Do you think it was sufficiently successful?" When he reminded them of the purpose of coming here, a smile slowly spread across Greyson's face. Dane was once again entranced. Again a flower bloomed on his face. That brilliantly colored flower. "Of course, naturally." Greyson answered without hesitation. And he added with a smile covering his entire face. "I love Disneyland the most." Dane also slowly began to smile. He hoped his own memories would be diluted like Greyson's. That today's memories would remain forever and this place would always be revived as happiness. Bang, ba-bang, bang, the fireworks continued endlessly coloring the sky. They no longer exchanged any conversation. But the warmth of their clasped hands remained unchanged. Probably it would continue to be so in the future. No matter what happened, they would not let go of this warmth. Because this is the warmth of my happiness and love.

 210: Side story 14 "I love you." Greyson's heart was so full he had no choice but to confess. Dane, who had been about to bring the remaining piece of steak to his mouth, stopped and laughed as if incredulous. "Is that something to say suddenly while eating?" "What's wrong with it? I can say it anytime. I love you." Greyson repeated his confession as if to show him. Dane shook his head as if he was a hopeless guy, then chewed and swallowed the remaining meat in one bite. * * * "I love you." Greyson suddenly murmured. He belatedly realized he had said the same words as back then. Dane, who was driving, glanced over and chuckled as always. "I know, idiot." That was the end of it. It had been the same back then too. He didn't get the words "I love you" back from him, but it was okay. Greyson thought it was enough that Dane was going to Disneyland with him for his sake. Going to cover bad memories with good ones. It was the first time going to Disneyland since then. Just recalling the memory from last time was painful. It was still the same now. But things would be different now. Because Dane would make lots of happy memories for Greyson. "Booooobs!" Greyson sang the chorus at the top of his voice and slapped his thigh with one hand and Dane's chest with the other. Dane let it slide this time too. Along with the thought that this indulgence would be the last for today. Actually, he had bought new tools a few days ago. Of course, he planned to use them on Greyson. After playing to their heart's content at Disneyland, nighttime would be adult time. Thinking about how he would strip the excited Greyson naked, tie him up, and spank his butt, he just let the insolent hand that kept slapping his chest be. * * * "Woooow!" "Pretty, so pretty!" "Donald, over here! Donald!" Every time characters passed by, people let out cheers. Greyson was among them too. Whether they wore costume suits or makeup, he didn't discriminate and actively approached everyone to take pictures and pose, having a fun time. Of course, Dane just stood at a distance away from him, looking in another direction as if he didn't know him. However, he had no choice but to intervene when Greyson tried to fight with a child over getting candy that Winnie the Pooh was handing out first. "Do you want to fight with a kid at your age?" Dane shook his head as if it was pathetic. It wasn't just about being grown up. If they measured the height of people who came to Disneyland today, this man would definitely be in the top ten. Yet he was arguing with a child who didn't even reach his knees over just some candy. "But." Greyson said with dissatisfaction as if he had something to say too. "It was the last candy. That kid had three and I only had one." "One is enough." "You don't have any." Greyson straightened his face and widened his eyes. But even so, to Dane it was just pathetic. "I don't eat candy, so it's fine. Don't fight with kids from now on." "But…" Greyson blinked as if flustered. But Dane didn't care and sauntered away. "Look, there's Snow White over there." "Where?" Greyson's eyes lit up as if he had completely forgotten what just happened. Seeing the direction Dane pointed to, he ran off as if he had never been dejected. Watching his retreating figure, Dane shook his head and laughed. He could picture how much Ashley must have struggled taking six children around. Six is definitely too many. Looking down at children passing by holding their parents' hands, he suddenly thought. The sudden thought, however, didn't disappear easily like when it appeared, but lingered there. Dane stood there for a while, watching the passing children. Small, fragile, lovable beings. Fragile… "Dane?" At the sudden call, Dane came to his senses. When he turned his head, Greyson was coming toward him from a few steps away. He held a hot dog in each hand. "Here, eat this." "Oh, what, okay." When he received the hot dog in bewilderment, this time Greyson held out a soft drink. The two began walking with a hot dog and soft drink in each hand. The inside of the amusement park was endlessly vast. While walking along the large lake, the faces of people coming and going seemed full of happiness. There had been considerable expense buying two expensive tickets, but it was worth it. Because. "Dane, look at that!" Greyson shouted loudly and pointed upward. A sculptural structure symbolizing rides was looking down at them. In the end, Dane had no choice but to be dragged by Greyson to stand in line. Rides aren't really my thing… It couldn't be helped. Didn't he decide to accommodate Greyson as much as possible today? Dane steeled himself and reluctantly endured standing in the long line, waiting for their turn. After waiting for about 2 hours, their turn finally came. "Oh my, honey! That firefighter?" The staff member who was guiding suddenly recognized Dane and raised her voice. Next came photo time as expected. When she blew a kiss with her hand, Dane hesitated. In the past, he would have smiled and pretended to catch the kiss, but now he hesitated. Most of all, Greyson was right next to him. It would probably be better to just stay still… But there was no need to worry. Greyson, who had immediately raised his hand, snatched the transparent heart floating in the air right in front of Dane's eyes. And he grinned and pretended to press down hard on the heart in his large fist, then opened his palm. If that heart had substance, it would definitely have turned to powder and spilled on the floor. Both Dane and the staff member stared at Greyson with wide eyes. As if asking what this was about. "Get in, quickly." Before being embarrassed further, Dane quickly pushed Greyson inside. They went to the back and took seats in the narrow interior with rows divided like a theater. Soon the bar came down. The lights around them went out and a screen turned on in front of them. The stars of a famous movie series appeared and exchanged a few words. Just as he was watching without much thought, suddenly the entire space they were sitting in dropped straight down. "Uh… AAAAAAHHHHHHH!" At that moment, for the first time in his life, Dane screamed at the top of his lungs as if the world was ending. * * * Sounds of people chattering could be heard from all directions. The voices of those moving around looking for suitable spots as if a parade was about to start were also mixed in. Dane was slumped on a bench under the shade of a tree with his head tilted back and eyes closed. His face was unusually pale. His stomach wasn't good either. In fact, right after getting off the ride, he had thrown up all the hot dog and soft drink he had eaten just before riding. "Dane, Dane." At the calling voice, he had no choice but to lift his eyelids. Greyson was looking down at him with a worried face. "Drink some water." Dane took the plastic bottle he had bought and without saying anything, brought it to his mouth and emptied it all at once. Greyson took the empty bottle as if he had expected this and held out another bottle. This time Dane drank about half before putting down the remaining bottle. Am I actually alive right now? He thought with a haggard face. Every time the seat they were sitting in dropped, Dane's soul and internal organs seemed to hold hands and escape out of his mouth. Quite some time had passed since getting off the ride, but he still wasn't all there. "Ugh." "D-Dane." When he let out another pained groan, Greyson sat down next to him in panic and asked. "Are you okay? Do you feel like throwing up again? What should we do, should we go to the infirmary?" At the continuous stream of questions, Dane raised one hand to indicate his refusal. "I'm fine, I'll get better if I rest a bit." It seems like he's rested enough… Greyson was worried about him but couldn't force him to go. He had no choice but to sit next to him restlessly, when Dane, who had been blinking his half-open eyes and catching his breath for a while, suddenly chuckled.

 209: Side story 13 "Greyson sincerely wants to apologize. It's Chase who won't meet with him." At Dane's words, Joshua responded coldly. – That's the perspective of the person who did wrong, and whether to accept it or not is for this side to decide. "Right, you're correct." In the end, Dane raised both hands in surrender. "I'll think about what to give as a gift myself. Just give me some advice, please." This was the first time he had ever pleaded with someone else for something. Dane didn't cling to anything or become obsessed. Because of that, he had no reason to ask favors of anyone or cling to them. But for now, this was his only option. Joshua also knew this fact, so hearing those words, he was momentarily flustered. Going this far just for one gift? Dane Striker? If he hadn't experienced it directly, he would have thought it was a lie. But even hearing it firsthand, he couldn't believe it. Was the person he was talking to on the phone really Dane Striker? Joshua even began to wonder if this might be phishing. – …Advice? Joshua asked again as if to confirm. Dane said "yeah" as if he had been waiting. This too was a hard fact to believe. Actually, he had noticed when he first mentioned dating, but he had dismissed it thinking "no way." The other party was Dane Striker. A man who would have sex but could never become a lover. Having watched him for over 10 years, Joshua couldn't help but think that way. But he was dating? And the partner was Greyson Miller? – This is serious, right? When Joshua asked again, Dane gave the same answer this time too. "Yeah." There was no denying it anymore. They had repeated the same question and answer several times, yet Dane didn't even get annoyed. The image of Greyson crying out that he would save him while digging through the ground with his bare hands came vividly back to life before his eyes. …My head hurts. Joshua felt a migraine coming on and pressed his temple with one hand. Suddenly everything became bothersome. Thinking he should hang up quickly, he bluntly offered a solution. – Think back on what happened between you two. "What?" At Joshua's words, Dane asked back with curiosity. It was natural that he couldn't understand easily. After all, he was asking what kind of gift to give to someone he was dating, a so-called 'dating virgin.' Joshua calmly added an explanation. – I'm telling you to recall what happened between you and that bastard. There must be some special memories, so prepare a gift that can revive those. That's how you do it. And Joshua hung up without even saying goodbye. Dane looked down at the silent phone, then frowned as he searched his memory. Joshua's words made quite a bit of sense. Look back on memories. Right, not bad. He draped his neck over the sofa backrest and closed his eyes with his head tilted back. Like a counselee meeting a hypnotist, he slowly traced back his memories. From when they first met, then each thing that happened after… Boobs, boobs. Dane frowned and shook his head. Again. How did we first meet…? Venus, Venus. Dane's frown deepened even more. This time he shook his head even more vigorously. Again, again! From the beginning! Virginia, Virginia. "Damn it!" Finally, Dane suddenly shouted and bolted upright. Decent memories my ass, there's no way such things exist! What memories with that perverted bastard… …Ah. Dane, who had been breathing hard from surging anger, suddenly stopped at a memory that flashed by. In an instant, all memories disappeared and only one scene filled his mind completely. The dazzlingly bright sky, Greyson's face looking at him, the words he had said, all vividly. …Right, that's it. Only then did Dane truly understand Joshua's words. What he needed to do, as well. 6 The sky was always clear, but today it looked particularly blue. Perhaps it was just his mood. A person's mood can sometimes make even a hurricane feel like a cool breeze. Today was exactly like that. It had been a very long time since he'd had such pleasant weather. Greyson sat in the passenger seat of the car Dane was driving, humming a song and tapping his thigh with his palm to the beat. When Dane stopped the car at a traffic light, he would tap Dane's chest as if he had been waiting, but kindly substituted his own thigh for Venus while the car was moving. Of course, he never missed an opportunity when one arose, but Dane just let him be without any particular restraint. "Disneyland, I love it so much!" Greyson shouted excitedly. As he had once said, it was his favorite place. When he was very young, the whole family had gone there together to play. Unfortunately, Ashley had a hellish time trying to control the children who wandered around at will. Without any such reward, Chase and the other younger siblings were too young to remember that day. Because of that, memories of visiting such an amusement park remained only with Greyson, Nathaniel, and Stacy. And that was the last memory of the whole family going to an amusement park together. Because they had almost lost Larien in the midst of the chaos. After that, Ashley built an amusement park at home. With all the rides the children wanted installed, he thought this was enough. It was a way for the children to enjoy themselves safely without worrying about kidnapping or abduction. Nevertheless, children who weren't satisfied with that had to be taken out inevitably. One, or two, at most three was the limit they could travel together, and fortunately only Greyson, Stacy, and Larien wanted this, so Ashley could more or less fulfill the children's demands. Anyway, Greyson enjoyed this fantasy land every time and always returned with good memories. Except for just once. Thinking of that time, his excited mood settled down again. It couldn't be helped. It was the first time he had tasted such great despair in his life. …But. Greyson glanced at Dane beside him. His expressionless face driving silently made it difficult to know what he was thinking, but one thing was certain. Right now, he had decided to go to Disneyland solely for Greyson. * * * "What? Disneyland?" When Dane suddenly brought up that topic, Greyson's eyes went wide with surprise. This was the first time they had such a conversation during dinner together. To Greyson, who had stopped moving and forgotten he was tearing bread, Dane put a large piece of cut meat in his mouth and said while chewing. "Yeah, you said you liked it." "I do, but…" Greyson blinked in bewilderment. Blood was dripping from the barely cooked meat, but Dane didn't mind and brought the flesh to his mouth. Greyson watched this with hearts full in both eyes. So wild, so cool. Even while feeling the burdensome gaze, Dane continued as nonchalantly as possible. "So let's go. We don't have anything particular to do anyway." He gulped down wine like drinking beer, then put down the glass. "We should do something." Those words were about half sincere. Until now, Dane had lived saying his dream was to live leisurely for life until his mouth was worn out. He had seriously bought and scratched lottery tickets several times. They were all losers. Now he had many things to do. More precisely, many things to enjoy. There were many plans like cruises and skiing. Of course, Greyson was scheduled to stick to him like gum. At the very beginning of that glamorous schedule was Disneyland. "Bad memories should be covered with good memories." Dane said this to Greyson, who was still bewildered. At that moment, Greyson's heart began beating like crazy. His cheeks heated up and his eyes stung. What was this? To Greyson, who put both hands on his heart and breathed heavily, Dane said indifferently. "Emotion." "Huh?" When Greyson blinked and asked, Dane, who had drunk wine to wash down the meat together, looked at him. "Emotion, that's what you're feeling right now." "Ah…" Only then did Greyson let out an exclamation as if he understood. Seeing this, Dane smiled faintly while crinkling his eyes. "How is it, your current state?" Looking at his mischievous questioning face, Greyson blinked and answered. "My heart is beating like crazy." Dane made a short laughing sound. As Greyson was entranced by the refreshing sound, he said arrogantly. "That's because I'm cool." Even while thinking it was ridiculous, Greyson's heart continued to beat like crazy. It might be true. He finally admitted it. His heart was beating like this because that man was Dane Striker.

 208: Side story 12 Greyson stared intently at him and opened his mouth. "The people I hurt when I asked them to date me formed some kind of group." "They even made a group?" This bastard, just how has he been living? Dane inwardly clicked his tongue. Just when he was thinking it was fortunate he was even alive, suddenly Greyson brought up something unexpected. "Among them, there's a woman who slept with you." "Cough, ugh." Dane, who had reflexively coughed, immediately let out a scream. Greyson just silently watched him tense his whole body while grabbing his injured area. Haa, haa. Only after his rough breathing had somewhat subsided could Dane finally open his mouth with a pale face. "How, what?" "There's a woman who slept with both you and me." To his stammering question, Greyson repeated the same words as if to confirm it for him. But that wasn't the end. "Three of them." "Wait a minute…" Dane tried to say something, but Greyson was faster. He added coldly. "And one of them apparently slept with you multiple times." An awkward silence flowed. Dane felt cold sweat running down his back and frantically racked his brain. Soon he found a simple solution. "Anyway, since they also slept with you, it's fair. So that's settled." He smiled cheekily as usual, but Greyson didn't laugh. Another awkward silence arrived. Don't tell me he's going to throw a tantrum at me over past events? Dane suddenly thought. Until now, he had never been in a serious relationship, so he wasn't familiar with digging up and interrogating the past like this. Just as he was frantically rummaging through his mind for how to quickly escape this situation. "Are you really okay?" Greyson suddenly asked. At the unexpected question, Dane looked at him puzzledly. Unexpectedly, Greyson continued with a gloomy expression. "Will you be okay with just me? I… if you were to do such things with someone else in front of me again…" Greyson, who had taken a breath, added. "I don't think I could bear it." A heavy silence flowed. Dane looked at Greyson without saying anything. He had lowered his eyes and was avoiding Dane. He had clearly said he loved him, so what was this reaction? Dane couldn't help but feel bewildered. "Do you think I'd cheat on you or something?" At the quiet question, Greyson answered after a pause. "I want to believe you won't." It was an ambiguous answer that was neither here nor there. In the end, you're saying I will, you bastard. Dane's face contorted, but thinking about it, it was his own responsibility. Anyway, it was his fault for not giving Greyson trust. Because of that, Dane couldn't say anything more and just sent him away. * * * Recalling that day's conversation made him feel suffocated. He thought that was also part of the reason he was clinging to something like a gift. Anyway, he wanted to reassure Greyson. There had been no such conversations after that, and Greyson hadn't shown any particular signs either, but the heart he had once glimpsed kept making Dane look back. Damn it, what exactly should I do at times like this? He didn't like romance movies. He mainly watched B-grade zombie movies or action films, and it was the same with novels. Even when watching thrillers, if romantic parts came up, he would just skip them. It was a field he had so little interest in, yet suddenly the worst situation had popped up. While waiting for the signal, Dane tapped the steering wheel rapidly – tap tap tap – then forcibly returned his mind to the starting point. You were thinking about Greyson's gift, snap out of it. If he let his guard down even a little, his thoughts kept drifting elsewhere. Now wasn't the time for that. It was already too late. This time he was determined and focused on one thought. Greyson's gift, Greyson's gift. Soon he frowned and thought. …How do I persuade Joshua? * * * – A gift? Joshua, who had suddenly received contact, repeated what he had heard with curiosity. "Yeah." Dane continued dryly from the other end of the phone. "I have someone to give a gift to, but I've never done that kind of thing so I don't know much about it. You know well, since you've dated a lot." Joshua didn't let the word "too" slide by. – I also had human interactions, you didn't. "Yeah, yeah." Dane brushed off his words carelessly as always. Joshua wasn't particularly pleased with his attitude, but since he was originally that kind of person, it wasn't worth thinking deeply about. Anyway, he's not a bad guy, he thought as he asked again. – Who are you giving a gift to? I need to know the recipient first. As expected, the same question the firefighter guys had asked came back. Can't I just give anything? Dane thought, though he actually knew that was right. It was just embarrassing to say that fact with his own mouth again. But there was one thing that bothered him. He had casually mentioned "since you've dated a lot," yet this kind of question came back. This guy, is he more clueless than I thought? Dane had no choice but to confess honestly. "I have someone I'm dating." For a while, no sound came from the other end. Dane took the phone away from his ear and brought it back. "Hello? Hey, are you there?" – I'm here. At Joshua's answer, Dane finally leaned back against the sofa backrest again and asked. "You heard what I said, right? Why no response?" – I heard. Joshua answered briefly again. Waiting silently in the somewhat ominous atmosphere, Joshua opened his mouth. – Don't tell me it's that bastard? He wanted to play dumb and ask who "that bastard" was, but it would just be a waste of time. Joshua had gone together to rescue Greyson that day, and had directly witnessed Greyson going crazy trying to save Dane after the bomb exploded. In this situation, if Dane said he was dating someone, it was natural to deduce that the person was Greyson Miller. "Well…" Dane couldn't answer easily and trailed off. "That's how it turned out." As expected, this was all he could say. Since it was his first relationship, everything was just embarrassing and awkward. Even the confession he had just made, he could feel his face heating up the moment he said it out loud. Damn it, as he swallowed the curse inwardly, Joshua's voice came from the other end. – What the hell is this… Cold anger was embedded in his calm voice. He might be dumbfounded, or perhaps both. Dane struck first before he could pour out his words. "I'll tell you in advance, you were the one who caused this." – What bullshit are you talking about, you crazy bastard? Curses burst from Joshua's mouth. Dane gave his own excuse. "You gave me that job request, which is how I got involved with that bastard. Nothing happened before that." – Did I tell you to kidnap that bastard or to roll around with him? I knew I shouldn't have trusted you, you promiscuous bastard. And now you shamelessly ask me about gifts for that bastard? How dare you? Joshua was truly jumping mad. Since it wasn't incomprehensible, Dane obediently apologized. "Rolling around was my fault, you're right." Anyway, it was a definite fact that Chase had been harmed by Greyson and Joshua's feelings were also bad because of it. So naturally he'd be angry hearing this kind of story. Since Dane wasn't a naive child who believed honesty was always best, in this case too, he had to quickly come up with a solution.

 207: Side story 11 Soon admiration flowed out. For Dane Striker to say such things was truly wondrous. Feeling somehow embarrassed by his former colleagues' admiration, suddenly another guy asked. "What does that woman look like? It is a woman, right?" "Do you have a photo? Tell us, I'm curious what she looks like!" "Right, a photo. Show us a photo!" "Photo! Photo!" Seeing the guys waving their arms and chanting slogans, Dane felt complicated emotions. These bastards, if they saw that guy's photo, they wouldn't be able to chatter excitedly like this. Someone might even collapse from shock. Thinking of their profession where emergencies could break out at any time, he wanted to avoid dangerous situations. "I don't have a photo, sorry." When Dane shook his head and refused, boos immediately flew at him. "Boo, liar." "Boooo." The guys flipped their thumbs down and poured out boos, but of course it had no impact on Dane at all. At his appearance of crossing his arms and looking at them as if to say 'Try harder, losers,' they soon had no choice but to back down. But that didn't mean they had given up. "At least tell us this – is she pretty? Sexy?" One guy quickly stepped forward and asked. At the persistent question as if he would somehow pick up even crumbs, Dane chuckled and answered. "She's pretty, tremendously so." "She would be in your eyes, naturally." DeAndre spoke sarcastically. The other guys seemed to think the same way and laughed making whooshing sounds. Dane also said without erasing his smile. "Isn't it enough if she's pretty in my eyes?" "That's true." The guy who had asked reluctantly said. Then another guy next to him also chimed in. "If Dane is dating her, she must be an incredible beauty." "She must be glamorous. Like this." "Her voice is probably husky." It was arbitrarily pieced together, but in some ways it was interesting that it was correct. Greyson was a tremendous beauty in Dane's eyes, and his body was also very well-toned as if sculpted. "…Similar." Dane muttered as if talking to himself. Soon his former colleagues began turning their attention one by one. Dane continued speaking to them. "When he's in a good mood, he moves his ears. That's incredibly cute. Sometimes when he gets lonely because of me, he even cries, and while I feel sorry, I find it so lovable that I want to shower him with kisses. Plus he often sulks, and each time I see that guy as a puppy and I'm going crazy. Sometimes I really want to check if it's right that he doesn't have a tail. And that bastard knows he's pretty too. Sometimes when I call him pretty, he likes it and moves his ears. Cute, right? Don't you think so?" Having said that much, Dane suddenly realized the surroundings were quiet. He belatedly realized reality, but it was already too late. In the awkward atmosphere, he could only blink, when suddenly DeAndre pointed at him. "Huh? You're smiling?" At those words, Dane realized he had been smiling the whole time while talking about Greyson. But even after knowing this fact, the corners of his mouth wouldn't come down. Rather, suddenly missing Greyson, he simply wrapped up. "Right, isn't that enough now? I should get going. That guy is probably waiting." "Oh, uh… yeah, see you next time." "Take care, Dane." "Bye…" They exchanged greetings and after Dane left, they stood there blankly just staring at the closed door. "He was serious, that guy." Someone broke the silence by muttering. As if those words were a signal, other voices followed. "For Dane Striker to settle down, the world really…" "What kind of woman could it be? If they end up getting married, we'll be able to see her, right?" "Of course. I really hope the two of them get married." "Since it's the first time seeing Dane like this, they'll probably work out well." "What kind of style could it be? How about we try to guess?" At someone's suggestion, they each began naming the most beautiful woman they could think of. Of course, DeAndre was completely excluded from the group because he named Valentina. And they reached a consensus on the greatest actress of their time. The most beautiful, most talented at acting, most sexy, the greatest beauty anyone would acknowledge. It was Naomi Parker. * * * What should I do now? Dane fell into serious contemplation while driving down the road. It was astounding that so many heads were of no help at all, but there was no time to just feel frustrated. If he didn't somehow solve this problem, the stone sitting on his chest wouldn't seem to go down. Since that day, Greyson had been bringing gifts every single day. Sometimes wine glasses, sometimes limited edition sneakers, and other times even custom clothes for all three of them including Darling. Soon Dane's room was filled with miscellaneous items. Actually, Dane wasn't the type to be greedy for material things, so this situation was extremely troublesome. Most of all, he hated being in debt. Since he had decided to become lovers with Greyson, it wasn't quite right to call it debt, but it was still burdensome. "You don't need to buy this much stuff. If there's something I need, I'll tell you." Finally, Dane expressed his refusal to him. Greyson looked clearly disappointed, but if he didn't do this, someday he would die buried under the miscellaneous items that guy kept buying. After finally stopping the gift offensive, his worries returned to square one. What should I do for him? Thinking about everything Greyson had showered on him made it even more impossible to find an answer. Even if he gathered all his remaining fortune, he wouldn't be able to buy even the wing of the ugly swan sculpture made of crystal that Greyson had bought. Why does he even buy things like that? After thinking irritably, he soon returned his thoughts to the earlier point. What should I do for him? There was one more person he could ask about this. It was Joshua. He would be quite helpful since they had hung out together a lot and had many compatible aspects. Having lived with Chase Miller, his taste would have improved quite a bit, making him the perfect person to ask. Ever since Joshua had correctly guessed the price of the necklace Ezra's bear doll was wearing last time, Dane had great trust in him in that regard. However, despite this, there was a reason he hadn't contacted him first and instead went to those useless firefighter guys. * * * "You still haven't made up with your younger brother?" Around the time when his reopened wounds had somewhat healed and Dane could sit up in bed, he heard unexpected words from Greyson. Greyson nodded while sitting askew with his elbow resting on one leg and his chin propped up. "He won't meet with me. He keeps running away, that bastard." His face, deeply frowning, was full of displeasure. "For someone like Chase to treat me like a bug, it's really ridiculous. Don't you think so?" It was a tone as if asking him to take his side, but Dane's thoughts were different. Since he also knew how much this guy could upset people when he set his mind to it, he couldn't simply take Greyson's side. When Dane showed no reaction, Greyson soon looked disappointed and let his mouth droop. Seeing him like that, Dane deliberately changed the subject and asked. "What about other people? Are you finished settling all the past matters now?" "Well… I guess so." Greyson seemed to think for a moment, then suddenly frowned and narrowed his eyes. "Dane, there's something I heard while going around apologizing." "What is it?" With an ominous feeling, Dane backed away as if on guard. Though all he did was lean back more closely against the pillow.

 206: Side story 10 "No, I didn't see it. What I saw wasn't that…" He was about to speak but soon hesitated. As his mother from his dream came back to life in his mind, a corner of his heart felt warm. As he had sensed then, he never saw her again after that. Probably never would in the future either. But even thinking that, Dane's heart wasn't painful or sad. The guilt, hatred, and anguish he had always felt whenever he thought of his mother were no longer there. He simply accepted their past as it was. Thinking that perhaps he too, like other people, might be able to live normally accepting and loving others. Even my own child. At the sudden thought, he snapped back to attention. What am I suddenly thinking? A child, that's nonsense. "Dane?" At the calling voice, Dane returned to reality. When he raised his head, the other guys were looking at him curiously. Dane soon smiled nonchalantly and changed the subject. "I didn't see anything special. More than that, I have something I'm curious about – can you guys give me some advice?" "Advice?" "To us?" The guys were surprised and focused their attention on him. Feeling somewhat burdened, Dane opened his mouth. "Actually, I have something to give someone as a gift, and I want to know what you guys usually do when giving gifts." "A gift?" "What do you usually do?" The guys who had repeated Dane's words exactly seemed to think for a moment while stroking their chins, then came up with ideas one by one. "I gave my younger brother a book last time. A new book in the series that guy likes came out." "I waited in line to get the tumbler my daughter wanted. Man, she was so happy." "There was some snack that's hard to get these days. I ransacked fifteen stores for that. But after all that trouble getting it for her, she said it tasted like dog piss and threw away more than half without eating it. I still feel wronged when I think about it!" "What's dog piss taste? How do you know that?" "It's probably similar to human piss." "How do you know what human piss tastes like?" As expected, the conversation began flowing in a ridiculous direction. Dane just silently watched the pathetic sight of his former colleagues starting to chatter about useless topics. Along with the regret of having chosen the wrong people to ask. "But who's the recipient?" Just as he was sighing, someone suddenly threw out a question. At the sudden question, he unconsciously raised his head to find everyone's attention had turned to him. "Right, gifts vary depending on who the recipient is." "Come to think of it, Dane giving someone a gift – isn't this the first time?" "Well, he did bring things to our kids' birthday parties and such, but if it's not that kind of thing, it's the first time." After exchanging words here and there, they all looked at Dane with curious gazes. Their eyes were sparkling unprecedentedly. Under their threatening gazes that seemed to say they knew everything so he should confess honestly, Dane quickly raised both hands and denied it. "No, it's not that kind of thing." "It's not?" "No?" The guys grinned and flashed mischievous looks. Dane straightened his face and emphasized again. "I said it's not. Really not." "He says it's not." "What's not about it?" "What is it that's not? What, what?" They were determined to hear the inside story from Dane. I really shouldn't have come here. Dane gritted his teeth while reflecting on his deep regret. "You bastards, I'm never coming again." "That's that, but tell us now." "What happened? Whose gift is it?" "Dane only spends money on condoms or alcohol, right? But a gift? This isn't ordinary." "Of course, this is a huge incident. An enormous scoop!" Seeing the guys even high-five each other, there was nowhere left to retreat. DeAndre and several others were already blocking the door. He was completely trapped. "Haaaa." Finally, Dane sighed and declared surrender. "You guys are right." "We're riiiight?" "What is it thooough?" These bastards. At their attitude of being determined to hear an answer from Dane until the end, Dane finally spat out through gritted teeth. "I have someone I'm dating. Satisfied? Huh?" "Wooooooo!" "Waaaahhh!" "Yee-haw, yee-haw! Yee-haw!" In an instant, the guys let out cheers and ran around the room wildly. One guy even climbed on a bench and waved one arm above his head like a cowboy, pretending to ride a horse. After a commotion broke out, they finally calmed their excitement and crowded around Dane. "How did you meet? What kind of person are they?" "Since when have you been dating? You sly bastard, you've been hiding this from us all this time!" "So that's why you seemed depressed all that time without having one-night stands?" At someone's question, everyone went "ah" as if realizing something and snapped their fingers with a click. "That's it! Right, you were really strange back then, weren't you?" "It was from that time, I never would have imagined." "This bastard, it's been that long and you didn't say a word to us, then quit your job?" "Amazing. For a promiscuous guy like you to suddenly change like that. What kind of person could it be?" Everyone was thinking the same thing. Of course, the direction of their curiosity was also the same. What kind of person could have captured this playboy? Seeing fully grown, dark-complexioned men sitting around with sparkling eyes like teenage girls wanting to hear his love story, Dane was astounded but had no way to escape. Finally, he let out a frustrated breath and opened his mouth. "I just happened to get to know them." "Just happened? What do you mean just happened?" "Did you meet at a club? A one-night stand partner?" "Is it a woman? A man? Pretty? Glamorous? Sexy?" "So what happened? Why are you buying a gift? Why were you depressed back then?" He had only said one sentence, but the following questions were several times more numerous. Dane busily racked his brain on how to get out of this crisis. "First, everyone calm down, calm down." To buy time, he raised both hands and soothed them with "whoa, whoa," waiting for the guys to quiet down somewhat before opening his mouth. "I really got to know them by chance. Just passing by and getting to know them, something like that." "Does that make sense?" "It does for Dane, let's hear him out first." "You be quiet. Dane, so then?" Someone raised an objection but it was immediately dismissed. After the surroundings became quiet again, Dane spoke. "I happened to meet them a few times and asked to date… after that, it's similar to you guys. We fought, broke up, met again, and it became like that." It was an excessive abbreviation. Hungry hyenas wouldn't be satisfied with this. "That's it?" "It's too short, tell us in more detail!" Outcries immediately poured out, but Dane had already stood up from his seat. "That's enough for now, the rest next time." His former colleagues had expressions full of dissatisfaction, but his attitude was firm. Then another question flew at him. "How did you end up dating that person? Until now you just slept around like crazy but never actually dated anyone." Right, right, heads nodded here and there. It was an undeniable fact. Everyone knew how promiscuous Dane had been. He who had the principle of liking sex but never forming deep relationships was dating someone? And even preparing a gift? How did he come to have such feelings? Under their curious gazes, Dane was silent for a moment as if pondering, then opened his mouth. "Just… how should I put it." He continued after a pause as if choosing appropriate words. "When I came to my senses, I found myself thinking I liked them. I thought it wouldn't be bad to be together with this person in the future, something like that." "Ohhh…"

 205: Side story 9 "This is everything? There's not much?" Greyson, who had swept over the few items Dane was holding at a glance, asked. Dane answered indifferently with a "well." "Most of it is already here anyway…" "Right!" Just as Dane was about to say more, Greyson suddenly cut him off. To Dane, who had stopped in bewilderment, he continued excitedly. "Look at this, Dane. I replaced the bed and all the furniture with new ones!" "What?" When he checked belatedly, it was true. Was the unfamiliarity he had felt earlier because of this? To Dane, who had become somewhat dazed, Greyson continued. "This is the window remote, this is the TV remote, this is the curtain remote, this is the speaker remote…" Greyson, who had been continuously showing him items in the room one by one, suddenly walked lightly to Dane's bed. "Ta-da!" What he excitedly showed was pajamas. As he watched in confusion at the soft silk shimmering and gleaming, Greyson continued. "I bought a few gifts to commemorate you living in our house. Of course, they're all pairs." "…Pairs." When he repeated his words a beat late, Greyson nodded greatly. "I bought the same design for both of us. This is a bathrobe. This is also a pair, and these slippers are also a pair. And…" Greyson, who had been continuously taking out various things, went toward the living room and showed something that had been placed on the table. "It's a mug!" For a moment, Dane's entire body stiffened. Completely unaware of his reaction of breaking out in cold sweat behind his back, Greyson excitedly returned to Dane holding one cup in each hand. "Look at this, I put our names on them one each. You're Greyson, I'm Dane. If we drink with each other's names switched, it'll feel like an indirect kiss, right? So good! Spit in here when you drink coffee. Then it's really kissing, right? How about it? Good idea, right? Awesome, right? Huh?" Greyson kept asking him, but Dane couldn't think of what to say. The cups Greyson was holding were incomparable to what he had, even at a glance. The black porcelain had names engraved in gold, and even to Dane's eyes, who didn't know much about fonts or materials, he could tell they were tremendously expensive items. Of course, even if that weren't the case, considering the shops Greyson frequented, it would be a natural result. But still, Dane couldn't help but ask. "…How much are these?" "Huh? Well, how much were they?" Naturally, Greyson didn't know. Of course, this guy wouldn't ask about prices when buying things. Because of that, Dane changed the content of his question. "Where did you buy them?" The answer that came back was a famous luxury brand that even Dane had heard of. To Dane, who was left speechless, Greyson continued talking obliviously. "Tell me if there's anything you want. Ah, should we go together next time? We have a lot to buy for our cruise trip anyway. That's right! Let's buy matching swimwear to wear on the cruise. Everyone will know we're lovers, right? So perfect! That's exactly it!" Greyson chattered away excitedly by himself. Dane responded to his words with "yeah," "uh-huh," and such, while slyly hiding the paper bag containing the mug behind his back. Damn it, I knew this would happen. That night, Dane, who had finally managed to be alone, hurriedly looked up the cup Greyson had bought on his phone and ended up holding his head. The price written on the website was a whopping $12,300. He almost spat out a curse. Although engraving the names was free, it was no consolation at all. For this price, of course it should be free. Dane gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. On the table, that cup was still placed majestically, shining brilliantly. His $27 mug was so, so shabby in comparison. Damn it, I should have bought that $52 one earlier. Dane regretted it, but it was already too late. Even if he went and bought that mug now, the situation wouldn't change. He needed something different. Not a mug, and something more expensive. "Ugh." He ended up letting out a groan while holding his head. Suddenly, regret washed over him. I shouldn't have suggested living together. If Greyson knew he was having such thoughts just because of a gift, he would immediately throw that expensive mug to the floor and smash it to pieces. Anyway, he had made his own effort to feel good and celebrate. Dane didn't want to disappoint Greyson. "Haa." After letting out a deep sigh, he changed his mind. This was exactly when he needed the help of friends. And the person he would ask for advice was obvious. * * * "Dane, welcome!" "How have you been? You look healthy, that's a relief." "What's going on? Did you drop by on your way somewhere? Nice to see you! Come sit over here." "What do you want to drink? Should I bring you a beverage?" As soon as Dane appeared at the fire station, his former colleagues welcomed him with delight. Seeing them bustling around here and there, saying they'd bring drinks and snacks, Dane finally felt at ease. After downing half of the cold carbonated drink in the can in one go, he let out a refreshing breath and only then regained his usual composure. "I just thought of you guys and dropped by. You all seem to be doing well." At Dane's words, the guys started laughing and chattering from here and there. "Of course we're doing well. We're relieved that you seem to be doing well too." "You seemed pretty badly hurt when we went to the hospital last time, but I guess you're all better now? You've completely recovered, right?" "Everyone was surprised when you suddenly said you were quitting. Are you never coming back? So what are you doing now?" At the expected questions, Dane vaguely brushed off his answers with "well." "I should slowly think about it while spending the money I've saved. Anyway, I think I need to rest a bit." "That's true. You were excessively diligent." When one guy nodded, the other guys also agreed, continuing the conversation. "You don't have a family to support, so you can do that. It would be good to travel while you're at it." "Think slowly about what to do in the future, there's no rush." To his old colleagues who patted his shoulder encouragingly, Dane briefly answered, "Thanks." Seeing him like this, DeAndre tilted his head curiously. "You've changed a bit." "Me? In what way?" At Dane's question, the other guys also turned their attention to DeAndre. He scratched his head, flustered by the sudden focused attention. "Well, it's hard to pinpoint exactly… I'd say you've become softer. Or maybe more relaxed…" He rambled without giving a proper explanation, but the other guys who heard this seemed to understand. They exchanged glances and began speaking one by one. "That's true, I felt it too. You were always laid-back before, but it's somehow different." "You've become gentler." "Right, you used to be sharp sometimes, but that's gone." "Did you realize something after almost dying a few times? Or did you go across some river somewhere?" One guy asked jokingly. Soon the other guys also laughed and joined in. "You can't come back if you cross that river. And apparently you see some kind of light in reality." "Right, I read in a book that light envelops your body. People who survived bounced back from there." "What happened? Did you see it too? Really?" The joke turned into curiosity. Dane chuckled at seeing his old colleagues spouting nonsense just like before.

 204: Side story 8 "Too many good things are coming in all at once." Greyson breathed heavily, his shoulders heaving up and down. At the atmosphere as if he might faint, Dane narrowed his eyes and gave a mischievous smile. "Really? Then I shouldn't tell you this story." "Stop it now, Dane." Greyson, who was suddenly startled, hurriedly shook his head. "If I become any happier than this, I might die." "That would be troublesome. Alright, I won't do it." When Dane readily backed down, an awkward silence soon followed. Greyson looked down at him with a serious expression, his brows furrowed. He had thought it might be bad news, but was it really good news? From Dane's attitude, it seemed 99 percent certain. Then what should he do? Dane leisurely watched Greyson, who was lost in deep thought. He could clearly see him fiercely debating between his immediate desire to hear it and the part of himself that thought he should be cautious. "Just a little…" Eventually, as if curiosity had won, Greyson opened his mouth. "Can you tell me just a little? What kind of story is it?" Dane stretched his lips long and gave a meaningful smile. "I'm planning to stay here continuously as long as you don't tell me to leave." Greyson suddenly stopped all movement. To him, who seemed not even to be breathing, Dane smoothly continued. "Of course, if you say you don't want that, then it won't work…" "No, no, no! Absolutely not!" Before the words were even finished, Greyson urgently shook his head and looked at Dane again. "Re-really? You're going to keep living here with me?" "Yeah." "If I ask you to stay, you'll keep staying? Really? Even for a lifetime?" "Well…" For a moment, Dane hesitated at the last word, but he didn't drag it out long. Feeling awkward for no reason, he turned his gaze elsewhere and muttered lowly. "That wouldn't be bad either." "Daaaaane!" At that moment, Greyson embraced him tightly. He couldn't contain his joy. The problem was that he also couldn't contain his strength. Crack. Along with an ominous sound from inside his body, Dane's vision went white. Dane turned completely pale, but Greyson didn't notice at all. Unable to push him away, he could only pant for breath, when suddenly he saw the display case in the distance. The empty can placed on top of it felt like the last scenery he'd see in his life. …I should get rid of that before I die. Dane made that resolution while breathing heavily. Completely unaware of his crisis, Greyson was overwhelmed with joy and didn't know what to do with himself. 5 It was on a day when the midday sun was blazing down that Dane parked his car in front of the discount store he usually frequented. After closing the door of the supercar he had practically extorted from Greyson, he sauntered into the huge store as usual. "Hello." The friendly voices of smiling employees were familiar to him. Most people were kind to him. The reason was simple. Dane Striker, with his tremendous height, was such an incredible handsome man that he made people sigh wherever he went. On top of that, he had a good body, so he sometimes deliberately left his shirt buttons excessively open. Of course, it was to hook someone. Even when coming to places like this, his radar never rested, but this time was different. Dane had come with the single pure purpose of actually buying something. Since this was the first time he'd come here with such a pure purpose, it felt somehow awkward. Dane gave simple greetings that were just polite enough and hurriedly walked toward his destination. The move had already begun. Moving his belongings from the house he'd been living in to Greyson's house wasn't a difficult task. Since he only had a bed and small sofa for furniture, he just found people who wanted them and gave them away, and except for a few sets of his clothes and cat supplies, there wasn't much to take. After organizing the remaining food to take what he wanted and putting out all the trash, all the work was done. He just threw away all the miscellaneous items. Now all that remained was moving into Greyson's house. Just need to buy one thing before that. Entering the discount store he had visited whenever he needed something, he began slowly browsing the items. This time, instead of dog cans or such, he was thinking of buying a gift for Greyson. He'd never bought anything like this before, so nothing came to mind, but if he looked at various items, wouldn't he be able to find something suitable? After circling the store three times, he finally stopped in front of a shelf displaying mugs. Of course, Greyson would have enough tableware. But you could never have too many cups, and if you had them, you'd end up using them… "Hmm." He stroked his chin while examining various cups. Until now, Dane had never bought a cup that cost more than 2 dollars. Since he always bought the cheapest cup from the display and left, he'd never looked at designs, but now that he was thinking of it as a gift, he found himself being picky about this and that. "Damn, what kind of cup costs 52 dollars?" Dane, who had picked up a cup that looked somehow different and checked the price, ended up cursing. After quickly putting it back in its place, he fell into contemplation again. After first erasing the previous mug from his mind and starting to scan other shelves, there was a product that caught his eye. He liked that it had a lid, and the design, which applied the store's logo, wasn't bad either. This should be fine. The price was also fine. 27 dollars – it was a price he would never have paid for his own cup, but he generously accepted that this much was okay to spend for a gift to Greyson. Of course, he didn't forget to grab a $1.99 cup for himself. After finishing payment by scanning the barcode himself, he lightly returned the greeting to the employee standing at the entrance and left the store. Ever since he'd seen the empty can on Greyson's display case, his heart had been uncomfortable, but now he felt a bit more at ease. He hummed a tune and started the car. Boobs, boobs… "Damn it." Dane, who had been absent-mindedly singing the song that flowed out naturally, realized this fact belatedly and spat out a curse. When he irritably turned on the audio, a solemn man's voice immediately flowed out. – Repent. All promiscuous ones will go to hell. We must all maintain chastity virtuously. Everyone repent of past days and devote yourselves to your spouses. Promiscuous ones who meet for one night and have relations, those who have relations with multiple people at once will all be punished. Nothing in this world is more precious than fidelity… Dane just turned off the audio. * * * "Welcome back, Dane. I was waiting for you!" As soon as he set foot in the mansion, Greyson came running down the stairs and shouted a big welcome. Dane climbed the stairs laboriously with Greyson hanging on his body, embracing him and showering him with kisses, and began organizing the luggage he'd brought. After placing Darling's items in their places one by one and straightening his back, a familiar yet unfamiliar scene entered his view. It was the room he'd stayed in for months, but it was also the room he'd been away from for months. It was natural to feel this way, but somehow he also felt embarrassed. Dane scratched the back of his head for no reason and pushed away Greyson, who was still clinging to him, before opening his mouth. "I'll go get the rest, so wait here." Actually, there wasn't much left. The important thing was the gift for Greyson. After telling Greyson to wait here, he went to the car alone and brought back the remaining items. Among them was also a gift roughly wrapped in a paper bag. When he returned in an instant, jumping up several stairs at a time, Greyson, who had been waiting, welcomed him with delight.

 203: Side story 7 Greyson just continued to look down at Dane with a dazed expression. Under his gaze, Dane reflected in his heart on what words he had just spoken. What was surprising was the fact that he didn't regret saying those words at all. Impulsively, he petted Greyson's head. Perhaps it had already become a habit, as even while tilting his head to make it easier to pet, his expression remained bewildered. Dane brought a natural smile to his lips and spoke again. "I'll quit being a firefighter, if you're that worried." At that moment, a sweet pheromone scent spread around them. On top of that, ears fluttering wildly clearly revealed Greyson's mood. "Re-really? Really, is that okay?" Greyson asked a beat late. Seeing his eyes sparkling with excitement as if he was finally realizing it, the corners of Dane's mouth naturally lifted. "It's okay." "Dane…!" At the voice raised with emotion, Dane answered refreshingly. "It was just a way to make money anyway. Losing the insurance is a bit much though…" He glanced at Greyson and smiled like a villain. "You'll pay for it, right?" At that moment, Greyson's heart seemed to drop with a thud, then began beating wildly at three times the previous speed. "Yeah, of course. I'll pay, I'll pay for everything!" Greyson, who had been nodding vigorously, suddenly embraced Dane. Darling, caught between them, made a meow sound, but he seemed not to hear it at all as he showered kisses all over Dane's face. Dane, who had tensed his arms to create space so the cat wouldn't be crushed, let Greyson rub his lips everywhere and continued speaking. "I'll need pension insurance too." "Got it!" "When the construction on my house is finished, I should rent it out. If I receive monthly rent, it'll be income too." "Do that." "I'm thinking of taking a cruise trip while I'm at it." "Yeah, let's do that. If you quit your job, you'll have plenty of time!" Greyson, who had pressed his lips firmly to Dane's mouth and pulled away, declared with a brightly lit face. "I'm an expert at living leisurely. Leave everything to me!" It was natural. There were experts for everything in the world, and following an expert's opinion was very basic. In that regard, could there be another expert in the field of living leisurely like Greyson? Probably not. This man had lived leisurely his entire life. "I'm really happy, Dane. Let's take a cruise and travel around the world together!" Though he thought being on a ship for that long would be a bit much, Dane remained silent. Such talk could wait until they seriously made plans later. Greyson, who had been so anxious and at a loss just moments before, was now this happy – wouldn't it be okay to let him savor that feeling a little longer? Though I think I'm being too soft on this guy. The problem was himself thinking such a Greyson was cute. In the end, Dane chuckled, and Greyson also smiled at him with crinkled eyes. "Dane, but." When he raised his head at the sudden words, Greyson's face looked somewhat awkward. His smiling face was the same, but somehow subtly different. To Dane looking at him as if asking "what," Greyson asked while still keeping the corners of his mouth raised. "Well, earlier you said you'd rent out your house when construction is finished. Then where are you planning to be…? Maybe that hotel again?" Dane silently looked at his face. The man's expression waiting for an answer was mixed with anticipation and anxiety. Gradually, another mischievous mood rose within Dane. Hmm, Dane silently crossed his arms. At this point, isn't this guy provoking me? "Well, I haven't thought about it yet." When he deliberately took his time answering, Greyson's eyes flashed with light. Dane could clearly tell what words he was waiting for. Of course, they were also the words he intended to say. But when he's expecting like that, it makes me want to tease him. Dane pretended to stroke his mouth with one hand, hiding the corners of his mouth that were subtly rising into his palm. "That hotel isn't bad either, and there are ways to find cheap monthly rent… there'd be many options, right?" And he lightly added. "I could ask friends to let me stay with them too." "What?" Suddenly Greyson's voice got louder. He's probably going to argue about why I'd sleep elsewhere leaving him behind, Dane expected, but he was wrong. "You had friends? Really?" This bastard? Dane looked at him with furrowed brows. "What do you mean by that? Why wouldn't I have friends?" At his incredulous reaction, Greyson was even more surprised. My goodness, my Dane had friends. "People you sleep with aren't friends." "I sleep with friends too. No, I slept. No, I didn't sleep with everyone. No." Dane, who had been speaking, covered his face with one hand. Suddenly doubt washed over him. Why had he started this kind of joke in the first place? Ha, after letting out a short sigh, Dane just honestly confessed. "Can I use the room I used before again?" "Huh?" At the sudden question, Greyson broke down again. Seeing him just blinking in surprise, Dane, feeling awkward for no reason, spoke with deliberate indifference. "I'm thinking of moving back in and living here. If you don't want that, then it wouldn't work…" He frowned while speaking. Because Greyson's expression was somehow different from what he expected. He thought he'd scream with joy, but unexpectedly he was lukewarm. Did I think too dramatically about something that wasn't a big deal? Just as he felt embarrassed for no reason, Greyson opened his mouth. He seemed like he was trying to say something, but after moving his mouth without making a sound, he finally made a sound after several attempts. "Dane, I." Dane knew what words would come next. But instead of slapping Greyson's cheek like before, he grabbed his head and kissed his lips. After lips that had briefly touched like a peck, he soon pressed softly. Dane, who had stuck out his tongue to skillfully create a gap, swept over the inside of Greyson's lips and even his teeth before separating their lips. Greyson was looking down at him in a daze with wide eyes, just like before. When Dane unconsciously made a whoosh sound like air leaking, Greyson, who had quickly blinked, immediately turned pale and said. "Dane, I think you hit your head." "Get it together." Dane spoke sternly and hit Greyson's cheek. Surprisingly, it wasn't a "smack" or "slap" but a "tap." At the action that ended with just touching his cheek with his fingertips, Greyson's mouth opened wide. Am I the one whose head is strange? Greyson thought blankly. Maybe I'm sleeping with my eyes open right now. Right, that must be it. I fell asleep smelling Dane's pheromone scent and had a dream. A very good dream… "Really?" Greyson asked in a faintly trembling voice. "Really, you're going to live here? With me?" "Yeah." Dane answered refreshingly. "I'll live with you, in this house." "…!" Greyson covered his mouth with both hands. He barely managed to block a scream from coming out, but couldn't stop a very thin sound from leaking. Whew, whew, after breathing roughly under his blocked hands, Greyson swallowed dry saliva with a gulp, then removed his hands. Following a "pa" breathing sound, Greyson asked breathlessly with an extremely excited face. "Really? It's not that you'll change your mind or that it was a joke, right? You're going to live here, with me? Forever?" "Yeah. I said it's real." Dane ended up laughing out loud. This bastard, should I just kiss him outright? Feeling his own heart beating, he opened his mouth. "You…" "Wait!" Suddenly Greyson held out one hand and shouted. At the unexpected reaction, Dane asked with curiosity. "What's wrong?"

 202: Side story 6 At the gaze looking at him without saying anything, Dane asked again as if to confirm. Only then did Greyson nod slightly instead of answering. Dane, who had been staring at him for a moment, soon turned around and said. "Well, that's settled then." It was better to move past this quickly. Dragging it out would only make things more difficult. Since I just need to be careful from now on, Dane reminded himself as he put Darling down on the bed and stood up. It was right then that the miscellaneous items on the bed that he had forgotten about came into view. "You, what is that?" "Huh, huh?" At Dane's sudden question, Greyson obediently looked in the direction he was pointing. There he could see the bed loaded with all sorts of items. Greyson, who let out a short "ah," completely erased his expression from just moments before and answered nonchalantly. "My bed." "I know that. I'm asking what that mess is." Dane lightly tapped Greyson's head with his finger as if knocking and scolded him. But still, Greyson just grinned broadly. Seeing that expression, Dane felt strange. Whether it showed on his face, Greyson blinked. "What's wrong?" "Uh…" Dane scratched the back of his head for no reason and said. "Did you always have this kind of face? You look somehow different from before." "Me?" "Yeah." At Dane's answer, Greyson felt his own face with his hands and tilted his head. "I don't know? Why?" "Well…" It was difficult to pinpoint exactly, so Dane trailed off. How should I express this? After thinking for a moment, he just blurted out whatever came to mind. "Maybe it's because you're smiling." At those words, Greyson showed an unexpected reaction. He stopped and looked down at Dane with a bewildered expression. "Me?" It seemed like he really didn't know. At his reaction, this time Dane was surprised. This guy, didn't he realize it? "You didn't know?" When Dane asked, Greyson scratched his cheek and nodded. At his still dumbfounded expression, Dane recalled another strange point. …Come to think of it. This guy hadn't been much different from now even before. At least on the surface. Even then, he had a consistently smiling face. But thinking a little deeper, it was completely different. Back then, Greyson knew he was smiling. But now… The huge man in front of him was rubbing his neck in confusion. At his reaction, clearly troubled because he couldn't understand what his own behavior meant, Dane couldn't help but laugh. "Ah." When he deliberately raised his hand to pinch his cheek gently so it wouldn't hurt, Greyson let out a short exclamation with no feeling whatsoever. "Don't exaggerate." Even while scolding him, Dane smiled. Then Greyson, who had smiled back at him, grabbed the hand that had stopped in mid-air and brought it to his mouth. Smack, smack, after kissing each finger joint, he pressed his lips firmly on the fourth finger. For some reason, the area where Greyson's body temperature touched seemed to tingle. The back of his neck felt hot for no reason. Dane tried to pull his hand away at the unfamiliar sensation, but Greyson didn't let go and instead brought it to his cheek. Greyson, who turned his lips to give the palm a smack of a kiss too, finally opened his mouth. "I just shared your pheromones with Darling." His palm tickled from the continuous rubbing of lips. Dane pointed out while being conscious of the breath touching his skin. "It seems like you took an overwhelming majority though?" Greyson laughed briefly. His breath brushed between his fingers. "That's a misunderstanding, absolutely not." Seeing him droop his eyebrows pretending to be pitiful was ridiculous. Boldly, Greyson added one more line here. "We shared very fairly. We only occupied exactly as much space as we needed." His face saying this looked very confident. As if there was nothing to be ashamed of at all. At his shameless reaction, like a child making up an obviously transparent lie and being certain they wouldn't be caught, Dane almost burst into laughter but held back and deliberately made a stern expression. When he even crossed his arms and looked at him, Greyson's attitude immediately crumbled. At his appearance unable to meet his gaze and deliberately looking elsewhere, Dane opened his mouth with confidence. "Greyson Miller." "I was wrong." As soon as his name was called, he apologized. The only thing left was to confess the truth. "…You're not completely healed yet." Finally, Greyson revealed the secret he had been hiding. "I decided not to do it with you for a while. So I needed your pheromones instead." At the unexpected words, Dane's thoughts stopped for a moment. "You won't sleep with me?" His reaction came after 2-3 seconds of silence. "Right." Greyson nodded and said. "Besides, you were continuously in the hospital but I had to come home to take care of Darling. So…" "That was my substitute?" Unable to wait, Dane cut off his words. Greyson readily nodded and smiled. "Thanks to it, both Darling and I endured well, so it worked out." What worked out… Dane looked at him incredulously. He didn't know where to start pointing out the problems. No, strictly speaking, should he praise him for being admirable? But there were problems with that too. "What do you mean you won't do it until I'm healed?" Swallowing the words "I've even been discharged," he asked, and Greyson answered honestly this time too. "You coughed up blood back then." Greyson's face turned pale. His voice trembled thinly as if recalling that day's memory. "You can't get hurt like that again… and I don't want you to be in pain." And he probably didn't want to worry either. Now everything made sense. Greyson had been tremendously shocked that day. Thinking about it, his complexion had remained pale until they returned home and hadn't returned to normal. After that, he hadn't done anything except simple kisses… He had simply thought it was restraint until he healed, but there was a deeper reason. Dane felt troubled, but soon heard another voice from deep within. Isn't that reasonable? Looking back, Dane had faced death several times in front of him. The fact that he was alive now could only be called a miracle. It was natural for Greyson, who had even left Dane because of that anguish, to be shocked after seeing Dane cough up blood and faint again before his eyes. Shouldn't I be worried about this guy running away, not me? Recalling him who had come running in pale earlier, Dane coolly realized. If I've decided to accept this guy, I have to restrain such behavior too. If he keeps getting hurt like this repeatedly, a person's heart becomes worn down. Then all the emotions that had finally taken root in Greyson's heart would disappear. Wouldn't that be too sad? Dane raised his hand and stopped in mid-air. He didn't know whether he had tried to touch Greyson's cheek or pat his shoulder. Feeling awkward, he hesitated with his hand in that position before bringing it to his neck, rubbing the innocent back of his neck while looking at Greyson. Greyson was still standing looking down at him. His emotions seemed more subdued than before, but the reason he couldn't easily open his mouth was probably because they hadn't completely subsided. The afterimage from that time wasn't easily shaken off. Having thought that far, he pondered for a moment and finally opened his mouth as if he had made up his mind. "Should I quit being a firefighter?" "Huh?" At the unexpected words, Greyson's eyes went wide

 201: Side story 5 He could hear the sound of swallowing breath from the other end. Dane suppressed his laughter and continued. "Think carefully. Where would I want to go first after being discharged?" After a brief pause, Greyson answered. – To see Darling? "Well, something like that." At Dane's answer, Greyson swallowed his breath again and spoke rapidly. – Go, go now! I'll be there now so wait! You can't go anywhere, you must wait! Following the urgent shout, the call was simply hung up. Dane looked down at the silent phone, chuckled, and stuffed it back into his back pocket. Thinking of Greyson's flustered appearance, a smile leaked from the corner of his mouth. I should wait sitting on the bed, right? With the evidence next to me. When that guy comes running in, I'll grab him right there and give him hell. Are those handcuffs still there from that time? Next time it might be good to buy a riding crop too. And whip his butt with it… Dane threw open the door without hesitation. The scene that would unfold afterward was already drawn in his mind. The items he had taken away thoroughly soaked with pheromones would have traces of all sorts of lewd acts done to them. And they would be scattered messily all over the room… "Huh." For a moment, Dane let out a short exclamation. Before his eyes was a scene completely different from his imagination. No, in some sense it might be similar. Anyway, those items were piled high on the bed. What is this… Dane stepped into the room in bewilderment. The surroundings were full of Greyson's pheromone scent. Since it was his own room, naturally the scent would have permeated it, he thought as he slowly approached the bed. One step, then another step. Finally stopping at the bedside, Dane silently looked down at the bed. The items spread across the bed were familiar to Dane's eyes too. They were exactly the things he had taken away after soaking them thoroughly with pheromones, claiming to give them to Darling. Various clothes including the ridiculously large bathrobe, sheets, towels, and so on were laid out on the mattress, and the large seal plushie was placed slightly offcenter. Cushions and pillows were all gathered closely together. Seeing the items arranged in a circle, leaving a suspiciously large and long space empty in the center, Dane was momentarily at a loss for words. It was obvious who had been lying there. The image of Greyson sleeping contentedly with clothes and items thoroughly soaked in Dane's pheromones laid on the floor and piled around him was not difficult to picture. At least he had some conscience, as Darling seemed to have stayed on the same bed too. The cat fur stuck here and there was proof of that. Even now, Darling was lying asleep on the fluffy bathrobe. Dane, who had been silently watching that sight, soon became incredulous. He had heard that Alphas or Omegas approaching their heat/rut cycle feel stable when they smell their mate's pheromone scent, but he never thought Greyson would do this. "Haa." Dane, who had let out a short sigh, suddenly turned his gaze to Darling. He quietly brought his hand in front of the blind cat's face so as not to startle her, and lightly released pheromones. Darling, who had been lying down breathing regularly, soon perked up her ears and reacted. When he gently petted the cat who lifted her head with a meow, Darling got up as if she had been waiting and stretched long. When he carefully picked up the cat who was sniffing and looking for Dane's direction, Darling immediately rubbed her head against him and clung to him. "Sorry, Darling. For making you wait again and again." As if understanding Dane's apology, the cat stretched her body and licked Dane's face. Holding the cat while leaving the rough tongue as it was, Dane silently looked down at the empty bed. This was what remained. What should he do? Actually, he didn't know what emotion he should feel right now. It seemed troublesome, it seemed bewildering, it seemed pitiful, it seemed so absurd that laughter came out, and besides that, he couldn't easily find an answer in the complex emotions that disturbed his heart. He wanted to clear everything away, but he gave up thinking that Greyson would be disappointed again if he did. Yes, like that time. Dane stared at one wall while holding the cat. The display case was exactly the same as when he had last seen it, unchanged. On the shelf where only one can had been sitting alone, it was still placed there by itself. Only the shell remained though. Dane stood there staring at the display case, or more precisely, at the empty can shell placed on it. The can shell, clean without a speck of dust, even had a shine as if it had been polished every single day. To go that far for just such trash… When he felt a throbbing sensation from one side of his chest, he suddenly heard the sound of a car engine. Greyson must have returned. Dane stood there holding the cat, waiting for him to come up. A sharp creaking sound was heard, then soon the sound of the front door opening and closing. He was running up so urgently that his footsteps echoed throughout the house. And despite the scale of the huge house, Greyson instantly threw open the room door and shouted. "Dane!" Dane looked in surprise at his face, which had turned pale and was panting as he stopped. Why such an expression? Regardless of his bewildered reaction, Greyson stood there breathing roughly, then immediately came running into the room. "…!" When he came to his senses, Greyson had already embraced Dane tightly. Dane stiffened for a moment, surprised by his intense reaction. He was about to ask what was wrong, but Greyson spoke first. "Thank goodness, thank goodness… Thank goodness, really thank goodness…" "Greyson." At his appearance repeating the same words, Dane patted his back with one hand as if to calm him down. "What's wrong? Did something happen? Why are you acting like this?" When he asked repeatedly, Greyson let out a trembling breath. When he waited silently for an answer, he then replied in a voice as shaky as his breath. "You disappeared…" When Dane hesitated, he continued. "You went somewhere again… somewhere I don't know, and I was afraid of what might happen to you." At the unexpected words, Dane was completely at a loss for words. He could feel Greyson's fear vividly through their touching bodies. His large body was trembling. His panting breath, filled with fear, kept circling in his mouth. Dane, who had stayed like that for a moment, rubbed Greyson's back as if to say it was okay. In his mind, a forgotten memory came back to life. The fireworks that kept exploding, the man who had sobbed violently under that brilliant light. Thinking of him from that day made one side of his chest throb. How could I forget this man's fear, that terror? Thinking that, he wanted to slap himself hard. Even after seeing Greyson suffer so much, to so easily play such a prank. "Greyson, it's okay now. Come on." He deliberately grabbed his shoulders to separate their bodies, but he immediately regretted it. Greyson's eyes were already bloodshot red. Guilt immediately spread throughout his chest. "I'm sorry." He apologized in a cracked voice. "I'm sorry, I won't do it again." Though he spoke sincerely, Greyson's expression didn't easily relax. At his still shaking pupils, as if he still couldn't believe that he actually existed before his eyes, Dane resolved again. "I was just playing a little prank. I won't do it anymore. I won't leave for somewhere without telling you, and I won't go to dangerous places risking my life." "…" "Hm?"

 200: Side story 4 The only way left was to catch him red-handed. Having made up his mind, Dane quietly watched Grayson rubbing his aching head. He wasn't exactly pleased, but there was nothing else he could do. Changing his plan, he decided to wait until the day he was discharged. Letting out a soft sigh, he relaxed his body, and before long, exhaustion overtook him and he fell into a deep sleep. As the days passed, he gradually regained the strength to get out of bed and walk around, and the pain slowly faded. Meanwhile, the items Grayson took away each day to soak up Dane's pheromones became more and more varied, and their number kept increasing. Dane's wounds healed steadily, and the day of his discharge finally drew near. "You've been through a lot these past weeks." Hearing the doctor speak with a warm smile, Dane smiled back. "It's all thanks to your care, Doctor. Thank you." Out of habit, he carefully sat up, and the doctor continued cheerfully, "I was worried there might be complications along the way, but thankfully your recovery has been excellent. You've healed surprisingly fast." "Haha…" Dane gave an awkward laugh at the compliment. Well, of course he had. Ever since that day, he'd done nothing but lie quietly in bed. "So… there's nothing special I need to be careful about anymore, right?" When he asked, the doctor gave him the usual advice—avoid overexerting himself for a while and wait until his condition stabilized before doing any intense physical activity. "Other than that, you can go back to your normal routine. Just don't push yourself too hard." "I see… Then that kind of thing is fine too, right?" Without the slightest hesitation, Dane asked the question directly. The doctor looked briefly flustered before forcing an awkward smile. "Ah… yes. As long as you don't overdo it, it should be fine." What exactly counted as overdoing it? Dane wondered for a moment. Maybe as long as nobody got tied up, it would be alright? He almost asked the doctor but stopped himself. There was no need to confirm every little detail. If it hurt, he could just stop. "I understand. Thank you, Doctor." The doctor, who had been nervously waiting to see what Dane would ask next, visibly relaxed when Dane ended the conversation. Letting out a sigh of relief, he shook Dane's hand. Looking at the small-framed doctor, whose shoulders barely reached his own, Dane found himself thinking strangely. In the past, he probably would have spent his last day before discharge fooling around with a man like this. The thought made him laugh bitterly. It had been so long since he'd had any real release that his body almost felt restless with pent-up energy. And yet, the only person who came to mind now was that fool. It was both ridiculous and a little painful. "When I leave, please thank everyone for taking care of me. I hope you all stay healthy." After saying goodbye to the medical staff, Dane called for a taxi. There was something he had to do. The time had finally come to find out what he'd been wondering about all this time. What exactly had that idiot been doing with all those pheromone-soaked things? Sitting in the back seat, Dane frowned. He could already guess. Grayson always claimed it was "for Darling," but it was obvious he was satisfying his own desires. Even yesterday, he had happily taken away more of Dane's pheromone-scented belongings. Grayson didn't even know Dane was being discharged today. He had specifically asked the medical staff not to tell him, and Dane had gone along with it. By now, Grayson was probably on his way to the hospital. Or maybe he was still at home. Either way, it didn't matter. What mattered was that he wouldn't have any chance to hide whatever he had been keeping secret. After the guards at the gate checked his identity, Dane leaned back in his seat once more. The closer they got to the mansion, the faster his heart beat. … Letting out a slow breath, he folded his arms and lightly tapped his fingers. The next steps naturally lined themselves up in his mind. Find the evidence. Expose Grayson. The fool would probably make up some ridiculous excuse. Then Dane would shut him up with a kiss. While Grayson stood there dumbfounded, he'd silence him completely and make sure the idiot couldn't run away. "…" The excitement was so intense that his pheromones began to leak out unconsciously. Realizing it, Dane quickly coughed and rolled down the taxi window. Fortunately, the driver was a beta and didn't seem to notice anything unusual. The taxi continued climbing the hill until it finally stopped in front of the familiar mansion. "Thank you." After paying the fare and getting out, the taxi drove away. The grand mansion stood before him. The first time he'd seen it, he'd thought, What kind of idiot builds something this huge? But now, while it was still just as imposing, it somehow felt familiar. He even felt a strange sense of nostalgia, like he was finally returning home after a long journey. That realization embarrassed him a little. Well… that's new. Scratching the back of his neck, Dane looked up. Let's see what that idiot is up to. "Chest, chest~ Chest, chest~" Grayson hummed his familiar little tune as he happily drove down the road. Folded neatly on the passenger seat was a freshly washed oversized towel. Today, he planned to ask Dane to soak it with his pheromones as well. The thought alone made him grin. Lately, Dane had been indulging every one of his requests. It was painful to think it was only because Dane was sick, but at the same time, knowing that Dane would always be waiting for him in the same place filled him with a strange happiness. "Cheeeest!" Grayson slapped the steering wheel in excitement and burst into laughter. That smile disappeared the moment he ran into a familiar nurse in the hospital hallway. His face instantly turned pale. Dane had already been discharged. Without saying a single word to him. The front door opened with a turn of the handle. It wasn't locked. Dane frowned before letting out a quiet "Ah." Of course. With security this tight, who could possibly sneak in? The last time he'd gone to the east wing, he had carefully locked the door, so Grayson must have simply stepped out for a while. By now, he'd probably already learned at the hospital that Dane had been discharged. Glancing at his watch, Dane stepped inside. He intended to catch the man red-handed before he had a chance to return. Taking the stairs three at a time, he quickly reached the floor where the bedrooms were. It didn't take long to arrive at Grayson's room, the one connected to his old bedroom. A thick, sweet scent of pheromones drifted from inside. It was unmistakably Grayson's scent. Apparently, he felt comfortable enough to let it fill the entire room. Then there was no doubt. He had definitely piled all those things in there. Certain of it, Dane cracked his knuckles. Just as his hand reached for the doorknob, his phone suddenly rang. The caller ID read: Grayson. A faint smile spread across Dane's lips as he answered. "Where are you?" Before Dane could even speak, Grayson's panicked voice exploded through the phone. In stark contrast to the urgency on the other end, Dane replied calmly, "Why don't you guess where I am?"

 199: Side story 3 "Don't act like a puppy, it's confusing." Even as he said this while breathing heavily, Dane was smiling. Then Greyson lifted his body as if he had been waiting and kissed his lips. In this situation, Dane couldn't push him away. He didn't particularly want to push him away either. Dane thought he didn't want to see this spoiled puppy disappointed by refusing the kiss. It would have been unimaginable before. "I love you, Dane." Greyson, who had lightly sucked his upper lip and released it, whispered. "And I'm sorry for hurting you." "It's fine. I wanted it, so you don't need to apologize." At the repeated apology, Dane answered indifferently. Then he chuckled and added. "I'm never going to have sex on medication again for the rest of my life." The aftereffects were tremendous. Enough to completely clear his head. No matter how dissolutely Dane had lived, he had never taken drugs before, so he didn't know it would be this bad. I must never do this again in the future. Dane, who had made this resolution to himself, suddenly frowned at a thought that came to mind. Come to think of it. "What's wrong?" Greyson, who immediately noticed something was off, asked. Dane answered after a short sigh. "Since my discharge is delayed, I won't be able to see Darling for that much longer. Darling will be anxious." "I'm here!" Without giving him a chance to say more, Greyson shouted. When Dane stopped and looked at him, he excitedly continued. "Leave it to me, I'll take good care of her. Darling likes me a lot too." "Well…" Dane muttered with a half-believing expression. But there was no other option. He couldn't bring a cat to the hospital. After thinking for a moment, Dane suddenly looked at Greyson and remembered something. "You, give me your jacket." "Huh? Oh." Though puzzled, he obediently took off his jacket and handed it over. Dane held it and closed his eyes for a moment. Seeing him pour pheromones onto his jacket, Greyson's eyes widened. "Here." Returning the jacket thoroughly soaked with pheromones, Dane said. "If you give this to her, Darling will feel at ease too. Put it near the cushion or cat tower where Darling plays well." "…Yeah." Greyson took it in a daze. At his appearance looking down at the jacket silently, Dane asked. "What, was it a jacket you treasured?" Should I have asked first? he thought belatedly, but Greyson shook his head. "No, it's not that… No, nothing." His grinning face looked somewhat sinister. It must be his imagination, Dane thought. That smiling face is always the same. He was too tired to examine it deeply. He ignored the suspicion that had briefly raised its head and quickly fell asleep. However, the ominous premonition he had dismissed as simple became reality the next day. Greyson appeared in the hospital room carrying an enormously large bathrobe. "…What's this?" Dane glanced down at the bathrobe that had been placed on his chest while lying down. It was so large it covered Dane's entire body and more. There was no doubt it was Greyson's. "Why did you bring this?" At Dane's question, Greyson answered brightly. "To give to Darling." Seeing him wait as if telling him to hurry up and spray pheromones on it was astounding. To dare make excuses about the cat while doing something with such obvious ulterior motives. "You gave that jacket to Darling yesterday, right?" At the voice full of suspicion, Greyson became serious and immediately took something out of a large shopping bag. It was exactly the jacket Dane had thoroughly soaked with pheromones the day before. Greyson silently pointed at the jacket with his finger. Everywhere his finger touched, white cat fur could be seen stuck to it. "See?" Greyson said triumphantly and carelessly stuffed it into the shopping bag. As if he didn't care whether it got wrinkled or not. Why did he bring that in the first place? Did he anticipate that Dane would suspect him? Thinking about it that way, he somehow felt sorry. It was Dane's fault for suspecting Greyson without reason. "…I'm sorry." When Dane honestly apologized, Greyson declared triumphantly. "I just wanted to give Darling something more fluffy and soft for comfort." "Right, I'm sorry." Dane apologized again. Only then did Greyson point to the bathrobe as if satisfied. "Now, soak it thoroughly." At his bold request, Dane readily poured out pheromones and returned it. Only after Greyson had thoroughly covered every corner of the huge bathrobe with Dane's scent did he seem satisfied and carefully put it away. Up to that point was fine. The next day, and the day after that, Greyson continued to bring new items and present them to Dane. Seeing him carefully take away pillows, cushions, and even bed sheets after soaking them with Dane's pheromones, suspicion naturally arose. What is that bastard plotting? The moment he saw an enormous seal plushie that seemed to be half Greyson's size, Dane was certain. There was something going on. What was he planning to do with all this? Even if he asked, the answer was obvious. "It's for Darling." Ridiculous. Dane inwardly snorted. In his mind, all the crazy things Greyson had shown him so far unfolded like a panorama. Among them, the most terrible was naturally the memory of running naked down the corridor. Recalling that incident, Dane couldn't just lie there quietly anymore. "Greyson." "Yeah?" When his name was called, Greyson, who had been excitedly holding the seal, turned to look at him. Dane smiled and continued. "Come here." Greyson carefully placed the doll on the sofa and came back to him as instructed. Dane gestured for Greyson to lean down, then skillfully pulled him to his lips. When they kissed with a cute smacking sound, Greyson grinned broadly. Soon their lips overlapped, and the two shared kisses playfully but sensually, mixing tongues and saliva. When the atmosphere had ripened somewhat, Dane raised his hand to stroke Greyson's hair and whispered. "Greyson." "Yeah." The kiss quickly moved to his neck. Dane let the mischievous lips that were stealthily moving toward their obvious target destination have their way. He even deliberately unbuttoned his hospital gown. Dane, who had been waiting for the lips excitedly rushing toward Venus, suddenly spoke up just as Greyson opened his mouth with an "ah" and took a big bite of his chest. "What are you planning to use that for?" At the low voice that slipped out slyly, Greyson didn't answer immediately. Dane silently watched him joyfully sucking his chest with slurping sounds, then suddenly grabbed his hair. "Kugh." "Hey." Greyson was forced to separate, and Dane asked through gritted teeth. "I'm asking what you're going to use that for." Greyson was about to say Darling. But the moment his lips formed a D, Dane's eyes rose fiercely. Meeting that murderous gaze, Greyson shut his mouth tight and rolled his eyes away. A silent indication that he wouldn't speak. This bastard, should I just spray pheromones? Dane thought as he felt blood vessels rising at his temples. It would be very easy. To subdue Greyson with pheromones and make him spill the secrets hidden inside. But if he did that, Greyson would surely resent Dane when his consciousness returned later. Thinking that far, he couldn't easily release pheromones. It wasn't the first time he'd used underhanded methods to extract secrets. Rather, he'd never felt guilt about it before, but now he was hesitating like this. In the end, he let go of Greyson's hair that he had been gripping.

 198: Side story 2 He moved only his hips, going in and out. Every time he thrust deep, he seemed to feel his own member raising its head beneath Dane's musclecovered belly. "There, there, there, ah!" Dane let out rough moans. Semen rose to the tip of his member. Unable to contain his excitement, Greyson hurriedly raised his body. With their lower parts still connected, he gripped Dane's chest tightly. Now, now, now, now. "Ahhhaaa…" With an exclamation boiling up from deep within, his movement suddenly stopped. His thick body trembled intermittently as sweat flowed down. From his deeply buried member, semen poured out with throbbing pulses. His bodily fluids filled Ambrosia to overflowing. Feeling satisfaction and faint emptiness simultaneously, the corners of his mouth crumbled. Heh heh, heh, letting out meaningless laughter, Greyson remained still for a moment before directing his hazy gaze downward. Dane's face suddenly entered his vision. Greyson was about to laugh "heh." Just as he opened his mouth to call his name, something suddenly caught his eye. "Cough." Along with a weak coughing sound, blood poured out of Dane's mouth. Huh? "Daaaaane!" Greyson's laughing face changed to terror. He screamed in horror, but he had forgotten. The fact that Virginia was still inside Ambrosia. The moment his member, which had been slightly withdrawn, made a dull thudding sound and stabbed deep inside due to Greyson's sudden movement. "…?" Suddenly something splattered all over Greyson's face. Flustered, he reflexively closed his eyes and contorted his brow. There was quite a lot of it. Having been drenched in the somewhat slippery, sticky bodily fluid, Greyson could finally see the world again only after it had settled down. Nothing had changed. Dane, who was sprawled out pale and spitting blood, and Greyson, who was sitting with his member inserted in his body – everything was the same. Except that the semen Dane had ejaculated had not only thoroughly soaked Greyson but was sprayed here and there on his own body and all over the bed. "Dane…!" Greyson turned pale and grabbed his head. But he was the only one who could resolve this situation right now. Not knowing what to do, he moved busily – urgently wiping off the bodily fluids stuck everywhere, organizing Dane's clothes, operating the ventilation fan to purify the air. Meanwhile, Dane remained half-unconscious and completely limp, not moving at all. 2 Pleasure comes with a price. Dane lay in bed with a deathly pale face, painfully learning this life lesson. "What happened here?" The pale doctor asked in a somewhat elevated voice. It was natural for him to be surprised when a patient he thought was progressing smoothly suddenly vomited blood overnight and developed dark bruises all over his side. "You should have just been lying in bed, so how did this happen? Did you fall or something? Tell me what happened!" The doctor pressed Dane in frustration. Neither Dane nor Greyson, who was watching nervously from behind, could say that this was too harsh for a patient. Because it was true that they had done something they couldn't bring themselves to say out loud. We took painkillers and had enthusiastic sex, and this is what happened. Instead of that truth, Dane slowly blinked his unfocused, hazy eyes and muttered. "I was feeling stuffy, so I exercised a bit." "Exercise? My goodness, with this body? You didn't hit your head, did you?" At those words, Greyson's eyes flashed. Completely unaware of the murderous intent of "how dare you, to my Dane," the doctor continued speaking. "At this rate, your hospitalization will only be extended. If you keep moving around recklessly because you're feeling stuffy, you might end up lying like this for the rest of your life. Is that what you want? Huh?" "For life?" Perhaps only that word from the doctor's speech particularly caught his ear, as Greyson suddenly asked. Dane didn't miss his ears perking up once either. "I won't do it again." At the answer that flowed out with difficulty, Greyson became dejected again. This bastard, still not giving up. Dane lay silently, letting the doctor's nagging go in one ear and out the other. Finally, when he left and they were alone together, it was Greyson who spoke first. "I'm sorry." At his thoroughly dejected appearance as he apologized, Dane's heart immediately softened. "It's okay, this is what I wanted…" "Still." Greyson continued in a still subdued voice. "It's because I was too rough. I should have been gentle…" "I don't like gentle." Dane immediately cut off his words. When Greyson finally raised his head, Dane chuckled and said. "If I liked that kind of thing, would I have used whips or handcuffs? You should know by now." That was true. Dane much preferred rough sex over slow and sweet. Naturally, he had been very satisfied with this sex too. The side effects were just a bit severe. "More than that." When he frowned at a memory that came to mind belatedly, he could see Greyson immediately tense up. Instead of reassuring him, Dane spoke reproachfully. "You know, you should give up now." "Give up what?" Without even looking at Greyson, whose eyes immediately widened, Dane said. "I don't mean give up on me." Greyson's expression returned to normal. Dane still looked only at the ceiling as he spoke. "Give up thoughts like… somehow keeping me tied to the bed, or similar ideas." "I don't think like that anymore." Greyson answered without hesitation. Dane only rolled his eyes to glance at him, then looked away again. "Then that's fine." A brief silence flowed. Greyson looked in another direction as if embarrassed and muttered. "Earlier I was just tempted for a moment. Very briefly, instantaneously." His mumbling somehow sounded dejected. Dane turned his eyes to look at him again. At the sight of Greyson desperately avoiding his gaze, he tried to raise his hand but flinched. Swallowing a groan with "ugh," Dane stopped breathing for a moment, waited for the pain to subside, then opened his mouth. "Come here." When he spoke in a cracked voice, Greyson rolled his eyes slightly. When their eyes met, Dane said again. "Come on, over here." Only at his repeated words did Greyson finally step forward from the distance where he had been. To him who came to the bedside in an instant, Dane showed one hand with difficulty. To Greyson who immediately tried to clasp that hand, Dane said indifferently. "Head." When Greyson quickly moved his hand away and crouched down to bring his head close, only then could Dane pet his head. "Good boy, good boy." It was as if he was casting a spell for him to be good. This kind of behavior would be something you'd do to a puppy, but in some sense it wasn't much different. Of course, Greyson Miller wasn't a puppy. If anything, he'd be a mastiff. Dane soon recalled this man's monstrous strength when he had torn apart a large man's body with his bare hands right before his eyes. Greyson Miller was only hiding his teeth and being gentle toward Dane. In that case, would it be more fitting to say "our dog doesn't bite"? "Dane?" Dane, who had been letting his thoughts flow as they would in a daze, suddenly came to his senses at the calling voice. Greyson was looking at him with curiosity. Only then did Dane realize he had stopped petting his head. Seeing the expectant look directed at him, he almost burst into laughter. The moment he inhaled, his wound screamed, barely allowing him to avoid the crisis.