187: 186 Haa, haa. Haa, haa. Rough breaths leaked out of his mouth. Before his eyes stood a huge mansion with all its lights turned off. He didn't know how he had gotten here. He had frantically driven his car and arrived to find himself in this place. Dane stared blankly up at the building for a moment, then hurriedly shook his head. He rushed to knock on the front door, but as expected, there was no response. With only silence surrounding him, Dane was quite flustered. What's going on? Why isn't anyone coming out? Was the sound too quiet? "Greyson! Greyson Miller! Hey!" Dane repeatedly shouted while pounding on the door and frantically pressing the bell. But the noise only became echoes that disappeared without bringing any response. "Ha…" In the end, Dane grabbed his head with both hands and let out a frustrated sigh. * * * He didn't know how much time had passed. Dane sat leaning against the front door, continuing to repeat the same thoughts over and over. The night had already grown deep. Thick darkness filled everything and the surroundings were only quiet, yet he sat helplessly on the bare ground, just chewing over his thoughts. The image of Greyson shot wouldn't leave his mind. What had happened? How were things unfolding right now? He had tried calling Joshua, but he didn't answer. Belatedly, Dane realized there was no one else he could ask about Greyson's well-being. Greyson's mobile phone was completely turned off. There was absolutely no way to ease his frustration. "Ah, damn it." Unable to hold back his rising anger, he spat out a curse. The image of that man covered in blood kept circling in his mind. No matter how hard he tried to think of other things, he always ended up back at the same place. The sight of him soaked in blood, bruised and wounded all over, tied to a chair, kept coming back and making him more anxious. Could those bastards have done something again? The ones who had kidnapped Greyson and failed were just a very small part that had broken away from the organization. The main body of those damn bastards was still intact. They could do anything. They could kidnap Greyson again, shoot him, or… kill him. At the chilling imagination, his heart grew cold. Without realizing it, he swallowed dry saliva. His imagination shifted to another direction. It might not be terrorism. Right, they wouldn't have the same accident twice in a row. If so, then what's more likely than terrorism… Soon Joshua's face came to mind. The conversation they had shared as well. Hadn't Joshua said he might get shot while going around pretending to apologize? Did he meet Chase? He tried calling again, but Joshua still didn't answer. The ominous premonition kept approaching like reality. Chase must have shot Greyson. That's why Joshua wasn't answering his phone either. If that guy really ended up hurt somehow. His vision blurred and his hands trembled. Dane crouched his whole body while holding his head with both hands. If that happened, then I. I. I…! "Dane?" At the sudden voice, his whole body froze for a moment. Dane moved only after that. Slowly, very slowly, he raised his head. As if afraid he might have heard wrong, and if so, wanting to maintain this delusion a little longer. …Ah. A weak exclamation flowed from Dane's mouth. An enormously tall man entered his wide-open eyes. The platinum hair of the man wearing a long trench coat befitting his height gave off a subtle glow under the dim moonlight. On the face of the man looking at him with eyes as wide as Dane's, there were no bloodstains or any wounds remaining. Different from his imagination, but the face he had desperately pictured – the moment he saw it, Dane couldn't say anything and just sat there in a daze. 2 The cool night breeze brushed past Dane's cheek. Nevertheless, Dane still just stared at the man with vacant eyes. Without even thinking about what his bewildered expression meant. "Uh…" Perhaps he was equally at a loss for words, as Greyson, who had let out an awkward exclamation, scratched the back of his head and spoke first. "What's going on? Why are you here…?" He looked like he had absolutely no idea. Dane was the same. He couldn't understand why he had run all the way here and was doing this. But figuring out that reason was for later. Right now, Dane had something more important to confirm. "…Are you okay?" Getting up awkwardly, Dane asked. His hoarse, cracked voice continued. "Are you okay? You're not hurt? You're fine?" The rest came out urgently. At Dane's appearance, asking repeatedly while pale with fright, Greyson became even more bewildered. "Uh… I'm fine. I'm okay…?" Greyson, who had answered while blinking, asked again. "What's wrong with you? Why are you acting like this?" He really seemed to have no idea what was going on. Seeing this, Dane felt relieved on one hand, but belatedly felt a sense of reality wash over him and became confused. "On the broadcast." After pausing for a beat, he added in a deflated voice. "They said you were shot." "Me?" Greyson frowned and tilted his head. Only then did Dane realize he had only seen the word 'Miller.' He drew in a flustered breath, but it was already too late. Greyson took out his mobile phone from his coat pocket and seemed to be looking for something, then soon frowned. "Is this what you saw by any chance?" Greyson held out his phone screen toward Dane. When Dane looked down to check it, his face immediately contorted. Chase Miller, Shot! Under the sensational headline, it read: Chase Miller, who plays the protagonist in the new series 'Justice in Darkness.' This time as a sniper? Here he plays a man who dramatically survives after being riddled with bullets all over his body and seeks revenge on a secret government agency… "Haa…" Dane became deflated and let out a deep sigh. To think I was fooled by a trash article. The more he thought about it, the more absurd it was. Had he really been hooked by such a title and run all the way here to make such a fool of himself? To Dane, who had covered his face with one hand and fallen into self-loathing, Greyson, who had been silent until then, opened his mouth. "You thought this was about me?" His reaction was one of disbelief. Of course, Dane thought, but he couldn't help his ears burning as he answered. "It just said Miller…" There was no choice. He had to be honest. "If someone from the Miller family was going to get shot, I naturally thought it would be you." At Dane's words, Greyson opened his mouth wide in amazement. Dane tried not to look at his face and added. "I thought I knew this day would come someday." "…Hah." Greyson only let out another deflated sigh. An awkward silence hung between them. Dane confessed the information he had heard from Joshua as if making excuses. "I heard you've been going around apologizing lately…" "So, who did you think shot me?" His words somehow sounded bitter. Unable to answer that, Dane kept his mouth shut, and Greyson asked. "If I was shot, why would I be here in the first place? I'd be in the hospital." Ah, Dane realized belatedly. Before he could feel ashamed of how stupid he had been, Greyson made a joke. "Or at a funeral home." Haha, he laughed as always. He thought it was quite a funny joke. He expected Dane to laugh along, but he was wrong. Dane was staring at him, pale again. "Haha… ha…" Greyson's laughter gradually subsided and silence returned. The two looked at each other again without saying anything. Unable to bear the awkward silence, Dane spoke first. "So, you just came back from the East Coast?" At the question combining his attire and Joshua's story, Greyson nodded. "It's colder there than here." Another silence followed the short answer. Dane racked his brain and barely managed to create a topic. "Did you go alone?" "Yeah. Ah, I did come back with Naomi though. We ran into each other in the waiting room and since we were going in the same direction, it worked out well." "…I see." The topic was cut off again. Greyson's appearance under the streetlight illuminating the front of the mansion was noticeably thin and haggard. His complexion was pale and he even looked somewhat depressed. "Are you okay?" Dane asked without realizing it. It was a different meaning from before, but Greyson noticed too. "I'm not okay." He burst into laughter again. At the fairly loud laughter, Dane was momentarily flustered. Still with a smiling face, Greyson said. "So go away now, this time I might be the one to attack you." Then he added peacefully. "Next time, don't come even if they say I'm dead." Dane said nothing. Just silently looking at Greyson's face, he turned his head and stepped away. While heading toward his car parked carelessly at some distance, he could feel a gaze piercing his back. It continued even after he got in the car and left that place. Continuously, continuously. But Dane never once looked back.