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.