He stopped running before putting too much strain on his ankle.Since he didn't plan to use his card for a while, Mitch first withdrew cash from a convenience store near home. Then he entered the subway station.Despite the early dawn, he bought a new hat and outer garment from an underground shopping center that was already open, and changed into them.Then he took the subway to quickly leave the neighborhood.Though he had fled impulsively, Mitch felt quite unjustified. He wasn't someone who should have to run away. He had committed no crime, yet here he was, in this situation because he had to avoid his ex-boyfriend.Arriving in a busy area, Mitch looked up at the sky where the sun was gradually rising, then pulled his hat down deeply and walked quickly.Soon, gaudy lodging signs appeared throughout the alleys. Motels, inns, long-term accommodations, and so on.He needed to find a place to stay for the time being. Hotels requiring ID were excluded first, as they could become targets
After having lunch outside, Mitch went around looking for a better place to stay than his current accommodation. However, places with decent facilities strictly required ID, so it wasn't easy.Despite putting in a lot of effort walking around, Mitch returned to his lodging with nothing to show for it, pressing on his stiff shoulders. The mattress was too sunken, making his body ache.As he entered the building, the manager who had been watching TV at the counter greeted him."Hey, come over here for a second.""Yes? Is something wrong?""What's your name?""Why do you suddenly need my name...?"Mitch slightly checked the manager's expression. The manager scratched his neck nonchalantly."No. I heard there was a thief at the Palawan Pawnshop in the next neighborhood today.""Ah.""Just asking to be safe. You know we're supposed to check all this at check-in, right? Show me your ID if you have it.""I left my ID at work."Mitch swallowed dryly as he made up a lie."You had a workplace?"
The words swirled in his throat."Douglass Brady."But what came out of Mitch's mouth was a different subject."...I'm sorry for forcing you to take sleeping pills."In truth, this was what he wanted to say first from the moment he answered the call. Perhaps that's why he had been responding to Douglass's stubborn words all this time."Were you..."He was about to ask if there had been any side effects, if he'd gone to the hospital."Got you."A hand suddenly emerged from behind and grabbed Mitch's arm. The grip strength was familiar.Mitch turned his head in shock to see Douglass, breathing heavily."You..."Before he could even open his mouth properly, Douglass fell into Mitch's arms. Rather than embracing him, it would be more accurate to say he nestled into his arms.Douglass squeezed into Mitch's arms, despite being larger than him, pressing their bodies together without any gap.Mitch, too shocked to react, took several seconds just to comprehend the situation."Such things shou
In the end, instead of getting back in the car, Mitch checked into a nearby hotel and cleaned himself up.Having vomited until only clear gastric fluid remained, he was completely exhausted and had no energy to go anywhere else.After washing in the hotel bathroom, Mitch felt somewhat relieved as the foul smell left his body. At the same time, he was still concerned about his physical condition.Why had his body trembled so severely? Was it because he was afraid of returning to the apartment?Moreover, feeling such aversion toward Douglass was a first for him today. This reaction surprised even himself.Was it because he was anxious about being confined again? Or was it motion sickness while being captured? ...He wasn't sure.Somehow, he had ended up following Douglass's stubborn suggestion that if he was going to sleep outside, he should at least stay at a hotel."Clothes..."Coming out of the bathroom wearing a robe, Mitch belatedly realized he had no clothes to wear. His underwear
Mitch, who was about to sit on the bed, walked over to pick up his phone. The caller was Marlon."Yes, Marlon.""Did you two fight?"As expected, he was calling about something related to Douglass. Mitch brushed back his disheveled hair and answered calmly."Things aren't good.""Why? Because of what happened last time...?""Is that why you called? Did Douglass Brady ask you to?"Though Marlon was also Mitch's acquaintance, if pressed, he was more Douglass's person, so naturally this call wasn't welcome."Yeah. He called saying you're sick and asked me to do a remote consultation.""...Marlon, you do that kind of thing too?""Would I? That guy was making such a fuss, I called partly out of concern.""You must be having a hard time too.""So what are your symptoms? I heard you were sick?""I'm fine now. It wasn't anything serious.""I heard you were vomiting, hyperventilating, and even showing signs of seizures. Poor blood circulation too.""He told you all that already?""Yeah. Just f
"Seriously, boss. I think people forget what they say when they're at work. They order a hot drink and then insist they ordered an iced one!"The part-timer who had just received a severe complaint vented to Mitch, feeling wronged. Even from Mitch's perspective, having been present, the customer had clearly ordered incorrectly."I know. There's always one person like that. In those situations, don't waste your energy arguing, just say you'll make them a new one.""But it's so frustrating! They make the mistake and then act so confident about it.""What can you do? Just assume they can't remember and move on. We can't argue with customers every time."Mitch preferred to quietly prepare a new coffee rather than argue about who was right. Especially during rush hours or when customers were taking photos, it could appear as if the owner was fighting with customers."Come to think of it, that scary person hasn't been coming lately.""Scary...? Ah."Mitch flinched as he was casually chattin
It wasn't that Mitch had no good memories with his father. He had taught young Mitch how to write his name in Chinese characters and proudly carried him around all day in front of relatives they were meeting for the first time, boasting, "Look at this. Mitch is so handsome because he takes after me. He'll surely become a great person someday."But looking back, his father had even taken the New Year's money Mitch received from adults that day, claiming he would return it later."If you entrust it to Dad, I'll return it a hundred times over when you're grown up, Mitch."Such nonsense. He probably spent that small amount on gambling long ago. Mitch had no memory of ever getting it back.In the end, he was a man who had never properly acted like a father.Though Mitch had sworn he would never pay off debts created by such a man with his own hands, the situation changed if his mother was also in danger because of him.Gambling and loan sharks. This was a situation he had experienced a few
He had considered reporting this to the police more than dozens of times, but if this was a problem that could be solved by the police, these people wouldn't be operating a loan shark business in the first place.Mitch had been completely drained since receiving his mother's call yesterday, unable to eat properly and running between banks and real estate agencies.Upon investigation, he found that the company harassing his father for debt repayment was notoriously infamous. It wasn't a legitimate financial company, of course, and was known in cryptocurrency, stock, and gambling communities for its brutal illegal debt collection methods.Even though his mother had fled to his aunt's house, they would find her somehow. It was only a matter of time before they came after him too.And it was obvious, even without experiencing it firsthand, that their collection methods wouldn't be ordinary.Even if they found his father who had run away, that man couldn't possibly have the ability to repa
"..."It was a bit embarrassing, but since Mitch had already agreed to do whatever Douglass wanted, it wasn't surprising that he would make such a request. It wasn't an unreasonable demand either.If anything, since pregnancy had prevented him from properly fulfilling their contract, Mitch had no right to complain even if Douglass got angry."I think that should be fine... I'll do it."And though somewhat pathetic, Mitch desperately needed Douglass's goodwill right now. As long as there was hope that he might accept the child as his own, Mitch didn't want to go against his wishes."Good. Well, we need to go for a checkup soon anyway, so we can confirm it again then."Pleased with Mitch's answer, Douglass wrapped his hand around Mitch's thin, long nape and rubbed it subtly."Ah. And change your phone number."Just as Mitch thought he might kiss him again, Douglass spoke as if something had suddenly occurred to him. Mitch looked up."Why?""Cut off contact with all those other alphas. I
And the questions about who Mitch Forbes was began to fit together like puzzle pieces."So he was supposed to receive various things from my mother. Simply in exchange for breaking up with me."Then coincidentally, he lost his memories in an accident and there was even a child whose father was unknown. All the promised compensation must have vanished, and it would've been too much to let go.It seems Mitch judged that claiming the child was Douglass Brady's would yield more benefits."So this is what he wants."With a cigarette in his mouth, Douglass's lips curved into a distinct arc.It was so obvious that it was actually fortunate. This was something he could easily provide, except for arranging an alpha.Tossing his now-shortened cigarette out the window, Douglass gestured for his secretary to leave.As he crumpled the documents in his hand, the image of Mitch at the funeral lingered in his mind.His swollen eyes from crying and his frighteningly thin appearance. The shock he felt
"No, I meant you don't need to eat this too. Just eat your regular food.""How can I eat something nice in front of someone who can't even smell? Forget it."Douglass snapped as if he'd heard something absurd. Then he turned his attention to the food set in front of Mitch.A thick soup was served alongside freshly toasted, warm rye bread. There was also an appetizing cold noodle dish in a medium-sized bowl."Please try it," the housekeeper said.Mitch picked up his spoon. At least there was almost no smell, which seemed fine, but he was nervous about how it would taste."..."He already felt pressured, worried that spitting out food that had been specially prepared would be impolite.The potato soup he carefully tasted under the watchful eyes of Douglass and the housekeeper was just the right lukewarm temperature. It had no strong spice flavors and was mild. Though ordinary people might find it bland, it suited Mitch's current palate."How is it, sir?""It's delicious."Mitch smiled a
What was his intention in asking? He probably wanted Mitch to terminate the pregnancy, right?Mitch stared at Douglass with fear in his eyes. Contrary to his expectations of a cold, sharp expression, Douglass's face was surprisingly calm. It might be a crazy thought, but it seemed as if he was waiting for Mitch to say he wanted to keep the baby.After a moment of silence, Mitch carefully nodded."Yes.""Good."Douglass accepted calmly. Unlike before, he wasn't ignoring what Mitch said."And you? Did you get tested?"Mitch asked about the vasectomy test."I will. Soon.""...""Are you still certain I'm the father?"Despite having already argued about this question once, Mitch wasn't flustered. Perhaps because he had experienced even more miserable situations, he felt no particular agitation."I'm certain."Douglass silently stared at Mitch for a moment. His lips opened slowly."Alright. We'll find out with a paternity test later."Mitch swallowed dryly while gauging Douglass's mood. Th
I didn't want to become a stranger to Mitch. Even though I had foolishly offered to pay off his debt because I liked his body, now that I couldn't embrace him, I still didn't want to leave him.Despite knowing that Mitch had tried to deceive me, all I wanted right now was to make him comfortable."Come here."As I entered the funeral hall, Mitch was placing new incense before the old ones burned out. I put the envelope down on the table and called to him."You're here? I'm not really hungry right now.""Just pretend to eat something. You can't keep starving yourself."Mitch didn't argue further and did as I said.My gaze followed Mitch as he approached with somewhat sluggish steps, then shifted to his right foot. That leg seemed to have less strength, causing a subtle imbalance in his gait."What's wrong with your foot?""Just twisted it a bit.""When?""...Why did you buy so much? I won't be able to eat it all anyway."Mitch changed the subject. Though I noticed and was about to poin
"When does the funeral procession start?""Later at 6 PM."As much as he wanted to tell him to lie down and rest, it would be difficult for Mitch to leave his position as chief mourner for long."If you don't eat this, I'm throwing it away."Douglass began clearing the food in front of Mitch. He knew keeping it there would only make Mitch feel worse."No, I'll do it.""Just sit down, I've got this."He seated Mitch in a chair and quickly cleaned up the table. But Mitch seemed quite uncomfortable with Douglass's actions."You must be busy, you can go back now."In the end, without properly sitting to rest even for a minute, Mitch got up and approached him. He threw away some trash that had fallen on the floor and then handed Douglass his jacket that he had taken off. It was practically asking him to leave.You're in this state and you're telling me to go?Though Mitch probably said it out of consideration, Douglass felt fiery anger rise within him. At the same time, he was greatly dist
Mitch briefly stared at his profile before awkwardly approaching. He hadn't expected to come this far, so he wasn't sure how to interact with him. Feelings of gratitude, embarrassment, and the desire to avoid the situation were all tangled together."Where's your mom?""She said she felt stuffy and went out for some fresh air.""I see."Mitch nodded. Douglass surveyed the modest and inadequate funeral hall. The whole facility was disorderly. The memorial portrait of Mitch's father was poor quality, somehow blurry and faint. And in the midst of it all stood Mitch."You should have told me about this."Douglass spoke with a surge of emotion that he didn't bother to hide. Mitch lowered his head."It was chaotic. I had to leave right after I got the call..."Thick fatigue had seeped into Mitch's voice. Hearing this excuse made Douglass's anger rise even more, though he knew this wasn't the time or place."Even so, does it make sense to be absent for more than three days without saying any
How many times had he come here? More than one hundred and fifty visits. Douglass found his past self pathetic. It was also ridiculous that he had accumulated coupons without using them.What a fool he'd been. No wonder someone would take advantage of him and make up absurd lies about being pregnant with his child. Douglass clicked his tongue in disapproval."I'll just pay."Despite saying this, he simply handed over his card. It wasn't like he was trying to squeeze every last penny out of someone. Remembering how the other had scurried around the kitchen so diligently, he didn't particularly want to get free coffee."Yes. I'll prepare it right away."Douglass watched the part-timer head to the kitchen, then leaned forward slightly to peek inside. But Mitch didn't appear until his coffee was ready."One iced Americano."Douglass immediately picked up the coffee from the pickup counter."Excuse me, customer. Is there anything else you need?"The part-timer cautiously addressed Douglass
"Ugh... What about your father? What are we going to do...?" Mother's crying grew louder as she also noticed what was inside the envelope.Mitch touched the faded old banknotes with his hand and stared at his father lying covered with a white cloth.Why did he still keep this?Even while gambling, cutting off contact with family, being chased by loan sharks, and accumulating countless debts—why did he still have this?It was frustrating that he couldn't ask anymore. Mitch put the money back into the tattered envelope.'Look, Mitch. " Mitch" means to help. Your name means to help people.''That's difficult.''I'll teach you every day until you memorize it.'He resented his father. He was angry at him for dying so absurdly in the end.Why was he selfish until his dying moment? It would have been better if he could just feel nothing, only a sense of liberation. He torments people to the very end."What's the procedure for the funeral?"Only after a long while was Mitch able to clear his