Bang, he immediately closed the door again. Dein, standing in the hallway with the doorknob still in his hand, blinked his wide-open eyes in disbelief.
What did I just see?
He froze for a moment, his body stiff, before quickly shaking his head like a dog drenched in water and fixing his gaze back on the door.
It must have been a mistake.
Letting out a deep breath, he carefully turned the doorknob. Unlike before, he opened the door slowly and cautiously, but once he saw the scene in front of him, his movements came to a halt.
The room was exactly as it had been before. After confirming that he hadn’t just imagined it, Dein's face drained of color, his jaw dropped, and he slumped.
When Dein left this morning, the room ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) had not changed since the first time he entered it. His belongings were minimal, just a backpack with mostly cat-related items. As a result, when Dein left the mansion for work, the room would return to its pristine state, as if it hadn’t been used, except for the slight disarray on the bed where he had slept. So, when he returned home from work, it should have been the same.
What am I looking at?
Dein stood frozen with his eyes wide open. The room was filled with flowers. It was more than all the flowers he had ever seen in his life combined. And they were all bright red roses. After working all day at the fire station, the room looked as if it were on fire. Moreover, the walls, which had been a soft mint green, were now suddenly covered in white, with thin strips of cloth and ribbons scattered messily everywhere.
Unable to believe this was reality, Dein blinked rapidly, but the worst thing in this chaotic mess was the person sitting on the bed, staring at him.
What the hell is that?
He squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again, but nothing had changed. Beneath the draped cloth on the bed, a man was sitting demurely, looking at him as if he were a bride. The man was unmistakably Grayson Miller.
That golden hair, those deep purple eyes, and, above all, that flashy face—there was no doubt it was him. And there he was, sitting on the very bed where Dein had slept, naked.
He had a red ribbon tied in his hair.
"Welcome, darling."
Grayson greeted Dein in a bright voice, absurdly blushing his cheeks and even giving a shy smile.
But it didn’t end there. Looking at the pale and horrified Dein, Grayson continued.
"It’s a special day, so I prepared a special gift. It’s me."
The ribbon in his hair must have been for this.
Dein recalled this with a sickening face. Grayson’s smile seemed to say that he was so pleased with himself, as if he expected Dein to jump into the bed and shower him with kisses right now.
Dein stood motionless for a few seconds. It wasn’t just his body that had frozen. His mind refused to function, going on strike. It was too harsh to accept this as reality.
But soon, a sense of crisis jolted his mind back to life. Dein startled, shaking his head, and without saying a word, he strode into the room. He didn’t even glance at the man sitting expectantly on the bed, and he ignored him completely as if he were invisible, walking straight to Darling, who was lying on the cushion. Without saying a word, he bent down, picked up the cat, and turned around, abandoning the rest of his things.
"Darling, where are you going? Darling!"
Grayson repeatedly called after Dein from behind, but he didn’t stop. As Grayson’s footsteps followed, Dein quickened his pace. Soon, they were running down the long hallway.
The sounds of their hurried footsteps, one trying to escape this nightmare and the other chasing him, echoed loudly. Dein, having rushed down the stairs, heard Grayson’s footsteps behind him. Without thinking, he turned around and was struck with terror. Grayson, wearing nothing but the red ribbon on his head, was chasing him.
"AAAHHH!"
A scream that Dein had never let out before burst from his mouth. Then, with Darling tightly in one arm, he swung his fist mercilessly at Grayson, who was charging at him. With a loud thud, Grayson’s large body was sent flying, crashing into the wall.
Hah, hah.
Dein stood still, still holding his fist tight, gasping for air. He then sidestepped Grayson’s limp body and pressed his back against the wall to move away, finally running upstairs as quickly as possible.
Inside the snack bar, an awkward silence settled. Dein sat with his arms crossed, his leg shaking, while Grayson, rubbing his swollen red cheek, wore a deeply dissatisfied expression. Fortunately, he was still dressed. Dein, staring at the shameless expression with irritation, spoke first.
"Have you finally lost your mind?"
"Lost my mind? No! There’s a reason for everything..."
Grayson tried to protest, but Dein was quicker.
"If you’re not crazy, then why are you sitting naked on someone else's bed? That’s disgusting."
It was the most disgusting thing he'd ever seen. The shock of seeing what he had wasn’t going away. Dein shuddered as the memory resurfaced, but Grayson grew even more excited.
"Disgusting? Disgusting? Are you saying my virginia is disgusting?"
"Why the hell were you doing that in someone else's room? And what’s with this mess?"
What did it matter if he wanted to be naked in his own room? If that were the case, Dein wouldn't have been shuddering in disgust. Why come into someone else's room and terrorize it like this?
But Grayson had his own reason.
"It was our anniversary!"
The unexpected words made Dein pause. Anniversary? What anniversary?
Thanksgiving? Independence Day? Easter? Christmas?
What the hell?
As Dein tried to recall all the possible anniversaries, a confused expression appeared on his face. Grayson, as if he knew this would happen, declared proudly.
"Our 30th day anniversary."
Dein furrowed his brow, staring at him. What was he talking about? 30th-day anniversary? What in the world...
"It’s already the 31st."
Grayson corrected himself after realizing that the commotion had taken them past midnight. Upon hearing this, Dein was left speechless, his mind going blank once more as his eyes blinked repeatedly.
He had no idea where to even start. Finally, Dein just opened and closed his mouth a few times, raising his hands as if to say something, but then letting them fall.
"...Celebrate 30 days?"
"Yeah."
Grayson nodded nonchalantly, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Dein shut his eyes tightly, opening and closing them a few times before finally regaining his senses. Frustration began to build up inside him.
"Who the hell celebrates just 30 days? You’re crazy."
"Of course I do!"
Grayson snapped back at him.
"Isn’t it strange not to? I’m not going to just let 30 days slip by without celebrating. Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this? Actually, I’ve been holding back wanting to throw an event every single day. What do you know?"
Then Grayson landed the final blow.
"You haven’t even gone on a single date."
What?
Dein stared at Grayson in disbelief. This little brat, now that he’d been coddled, was trying to bite his nose. Was it time to teach him some manners? Just as he was about to clench his fist, Grayson’s red cheek entered his line of sight. After hesitating for a moment, Dein reluctantly relaxed his hand and sighed deeply.
"Why the hell are you waiting naked? Don’t you know when to stop?"
Turning his focus to another issue, Grayson surprisingly responded immediately.
"You like stuff like that."
His answer, as if he had already expected it, left Dein stunned.
"Am I a pervert?"
Dein growled, baring his teeth, and Grayson silently pulled out his phone, pressing a button. He seemed to be looking for something, and soon the screen opened and was shoved in front of Dein’s face. What was this? Irritated, Dein squinted at the screen, but then froze.
There was a picture of Dein and Yeonwoo coming out of an adult store together.
Cold sweat broke out on Dein’s temples, and Grayson spoke threateningly.
"Care to explain how this photo came about?"
