The quality of the bed was terrible. The short length was to be expected, but the creaking sounds from somewhere on the bed every time he moved and the mattress that felt as hard as the floor disrupted his sleep at every moment. Because of that, when he woke up in the morning, the exhaustion was piled up so much that it was hard to even get out of bed.
How did he live here?
Every morning, he thought the same thing. It wasn’t just the change in the environment. After coming home from work, he would finish the few things he needed to do and, every two or three days, go to the club without fail. If it were like before, by now he would have been at the club, wondering who he’d sleep with tonight or something. But now, what was he doing? Lying in a cheap hotel with the cat, just staring at the stains on the ceiling.
He had never felt so powerless. Not wanting to do anything, just wanting to lie there. If the bed had been comfortable, he might not have gone to work. The fact that this miserable bed was pushing him out of bed was, in some way, a blessing.
This was bad.
Lying there aimlessly, Dein carefully got up so as not to startle the cat. He drove to a convenience store attached to a gas station. After buying a few cans of beer, he returned and sat down in a chair, quickly gulping down the cold drink. Today, he planned to drink until he was drunk. He had bought enough, so he’d probably fall asleep before finishing it.
As he gulped down the second can, the empty parking lot caught his eye. The streetlights, few and far between, weren’t functioning properly, flickering or barely shining with faint light as though they would burn out soon. Frowning, Dein continued to drink his beer when suddenly, a strange feeling hit him.
...Now that he thought about it...
“Even so, isn’t that too dangerous? You should find another hotel...”
The speed at which he swallowed the drink slowed significantly. Ezra’s worried face flashed in his mind. What had that guy said before?
“Wasn’t it there, where Miller got robbed?”
Dein slowly set the beer can down on the table. Something was off. At the time, he had passed it off without much thought, but now that he thought about it, it was a completely incomprehensible statement.
How did Grayson know he had been robbed here?
That guy couldn’t have said it. If he had, the firemen would have been chattering about why and how Grayson had been robbed in the hotel parking lot where Dein was staying, and they would have been interrogating him by now.
Of course, Dein hadn’t said anything about it either. So how did he know?
Dein furrowed his brows, lost in thought, then shook his head. No, this was a ridiculous thought. Ezra was always kind to everyone. He had been the first to approach Grayson, and later talked about how he turned out to be a good guy...
But maybe Grayson had only told Ezra?
If he thought about it that way, it made sense. Although he knew that it was almost impossible, it was the only answer he could find.
Could it be, Ezra...
Just as he was about to go further down that path, a sudden knocking on the door interrupted his thoughts. Thump, thump, thump. The knocking was fast and loud enough to snap Dein out of his thoughts. He widened his eyes in surprise and turned his head.
Who could it be? There was no one who would come here.
Thump, thump, thump. Thump, thump, thump. The visitor was very impatient. Dein slowly got up from his seat and stared at the door. There was no security in a cheap hotel like this. It was possible that someone could break in, just like Grayson had been attacked before. Should he hide Darling in the bathroom just in case? He thought, as he looked at the cat lying on the bed.
“It’s me, Dein. Open the door.”
At the voice from the other side, Dein froze again. ...What?
He stood there stunned for a moment, then heard another shout.
“Open the door! I know you’re there. Open it now before I break the door down!”
The man sounded furious for some reason. There was no longer any doubt about the identity of the visitor. Dein steadied himself, walking briskly across the room. Even in the short moment it took him to turn the doorknob, the man kept knocking impatiently. Soon enough, he faced the man standing in the hallway. Seeing the expected face, Dein frowned in disbelief.
What the hell is he doing here...?
“Miller!”
Ezra ran up excitedly as Grayson appeared from the car. Grayson, with a scowl on his face, looked down at him and asked.
“What’s going on? Where’s Dein?”
“This way, this way.”
Ezra turned and hurried ahead. Grayson stood there, still with a dissatisfied expression on his face.
“Miller, what are you doing? Hurry up!”
Ezra, who had run a little ahead, turned around and urgently shouted. Waving his arm to hurry him along, Grayson hesitated for a moment but sighed and began walking after him as Ezra called out again, “Hurry!”
The reason Ezra called Grayson was because of Dein. He said that Dein was in trouble and asked him to come help quickly.
Why me?
In response to Grayson’s unspoken question, Ezra stumbled over his words and finally said, “Dein is looking for you.”
And the place Grayson headed to was the parking lot behind a shopping restaurant. Since it was late, all the stores were closed, and the parking lot was empty, with only Grayson’s and Ezra’s cars parked there.
In the eerie silence, Grayson followed Ezra around to the back of the building. It too was deserted.
“What’s going on?”
Grayson leaned against one leg, standing crookedly, and asked Ezra. Ezra, who had brought him here, looked flustered and stammered.
“Well, actually, the matter was... it was me, not Dein...”
“I know. So what is it?”
Grayson replied in an indifferent tone. Ezra’s eyes widened in surprise.
“You knew?”
It might have seemed like a ridiculous expression, but Grayson continued to respond flatly.
“Yeah, of course.”
Dein would never come looking for me, no matter what.
Grayson bitterly added that thought in his mind. But, he couldn’t shake off a glimmer of hope. Even though he knew he would only be disappointed.
Just like right now.
As Grayson looked at Ezra, who fidgeted awkwardly, Ezra seemed at a loss, unable to meet his gaze. He hadn’t expected this situation.
“Well, um... so...”
Ezra continued to stammer, unable to get to the point. Grayson soon grew bored. If he didn’t speak °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° up in the next ten seconds, Grayson would turn and leave. Alright, one, two, three...
Suddenly, a cold chill ran down his spine. He turned his head just as something struck him hard on the head.
“...Ugh.”
“Grayson!”
“I got him... huh?”
Ezra screamed in panic, and the man who had struck Grayson’s head shouted in excitement before quickly becoming flustered. Grayson bent down, then immediately grabbed the man by the neck. The man, shocked, dropped the crowbar and screamed.
“Ugh, aahh!”
Grayson held the man’s neck with one hand and asked in a low voice.
“What’s going on? Who are you?”
With a voice so threatening, the man turned pale, struggling to break free. The wild punches he threw only cut through the air, never touching Grayson’s eyebrow. Seeing this pathetic sight, Grayson couldn’t even bring himself to laugh. The stress had already built up to his head. This idiot didn’t know his place and attacked first. From now on, it was self-defense. Grayson lifted his hand, still gripping the man’s neck, and the man’s feet dangled in the air.
“Ugh, ck, kuh.”
The man’s face turned bright red as he gasped for air. Grayson didn’t ease the pressure, but tightened his grip even further. At this rate, he wouldn’t last even a minute, maybe not even 30 seconds. And then it would be over...
“Alright, that’s enough.”
Another man’s voice rang out. Grayson slowly turned his head. A few men stood a distance away, and one of them had a gun aimed at Ezra’s head.
“Put Joseph down, or you’ll see this kid’s head flying off.”
