“Cut! Here!”
The tension on set suddenly eased at the director’s shout. The quiet surroundings became noisy in an instant as people gathered their equipment and chatted here and there. Just then, the director called Naomi, and she left her seat and headed to his. Chase also got up.
Josh, who had been standing a little distance away while filming and had been observing him and his surroundings, immediately started walking. He had to stay with Chase until he returned to the trailer.
Laura, his secretary, was also waiting nearby. She followed Chase faster than Josh. Chase took the water she offered him, took a sip, and then his face twisted. Everyone, including Josh, immediately became tense.
Chase then mercilessly threw away the remaining half of the plastic bottle. The water bottle hit the floor and splashed everywhere, but no one complained. Laura carefully asked why.
“Um, is there anything you don’t like... ...? If the brand is the problem, I’ll prepare a different water.”
Chase looked down at her with a scary gaze. He opened his mouth to Laura, who was startled.
“It smells like Omega.”
“Huh?”
Laura blinked in confusion. Josh was also startled, but he was innocent because he didn’t go near the water. Besides, Chase had been getting irritated and irritated over trivial things ever since they started filming. Josh, who thought about all these things, was relieved, but on the other hand, he couldn’t help but feel stung. While she watched silently, Laura hurriedly continued.
“I’m sorry, what happened... ... . I’ll check it out and be careful in the future. Among the staff, Omega clearly told them not to get involved with Mr. Miller’s stuff, but how did it... ... .”
She was embarrassed, and then she hurriedly chased after Chase, who seemed to be angry and walking faster than usual.
“Mr. Miller, I’m sorry, but I’d like you to check this part.”
Chase looked at her with annoyance, and then unexpectedly made eye contact with Josh. Josh smiled out of habit. However, Chase turned his head away, completely ignoring him with a blank expression.
Josh scratched his head in embarrassment at the cold reaction. A staff member who happened to be passing by smiled and greeted him, and he smiled back. He immediately fixed his gaze on Chase again, but he just kept walking forward. Since that day, they hadn’t talked or even made eye contact properly.
Josh took it for granted. What happened in the garden that day was just to make fun of him, and he thought it was natural that he felt bitter now.
Nearly ten days had already passed. In the meantime, filming had begun, and Josh had become somewhat accustomed to his black hair.
The original novel of the movie had been published for over ten years. Since it has a long history and many fans, there was a huge fuss when the news of its film adaptation first came out. However, the fuss was even bigger when it was revealed that Chase would play the role of Dr. Flame.
Dr. Flame, played by Chase, was not the main character, but he was a role on par with the main character, and he was an anti-hero throughout the series. He was a very attractive character who opposed the main character, so he had quite a few fans, but the problem was that these fans were very extreme.
Before the photos of him with his hair dyed black were released, they all shouted, “Chase Miller is not good!” They said that he didn’t suit him.
Afterwards, when the photos of him as Dr. Flame were released, they shouted again, “Chase Miller is not good!” They said that he suited him, but he didn’t suit him. The reasons changed every time, but the conclusion was the same.
In any case, people hate others for their own reasons. Up until now, there were as many antis as there were fans, so the controversy was fully expected. And the sparks spread from the production company to Keith Pittman, who assigned the role. Of course, Pittman didn’t even bat an eyelash. And then filming finally began.
Josh believed that all the controversy would die down once the movie was released. His scenes in the movie weren’t that many, but even just passing by on one side of the screen made him feel important. Plus, when he spoke his lines, even the staff held their breath and listened. Anyone could tell that he was Dr. Flame at that moment.
But when the cut sounded, he immediately turned back into Chase Miller. Everyone avoided him, and he accepted it as a given. Even now, he just walked straight ahead and entered the trailer.
The eyes that had been focused on his disappearance in an instant soon scattered here and there. Josh, who had been tense throughout the filming, also sighed in relief. Of course, everyone else felt the same.
Now, he could rest a little until the next scene. He switched places with Isaac and went to get some coffee.
“Hello, Josh.”
One of the staff members pretended to know. I heard that the short woman, who was about as tall as Josh’s shoulder, was another actor’s secretary. He briefly wondered what her name was, but fortunately she had a name tag on her. Josh smiled and greeted her.
“Hello, Heather.”
She continued with a faint blush on her cheeks.
“Is Mr. Miller finished filming today?”
“No, there’s one more scene in the afternoon. Another member will be coming. I’m just going to drink this coffee and take a break.”
“It must be hard to be guarded all the time. Mr. Miller also seems to receive a lot of threats.”
“It’s my job, so there’s nothing I can do.”
Heather gave a short laugh when he answered softly. They talked for a few more words, but when they turned around, Josh couldn’t remember a single word. And he had a few more meaningless conversations with a few more people as he headed to the trailer where the security guards were staying.
As soon as he got back to the dorm, Josh went into the makeshift shower, washed himself up, and lay down on the bed in the corner. The other men who were already asleep snored here and there. Josh tossed and turned and fell asleep after a while.
“Then I’ll take care of that. I have about two hours to spare, so should I let you know when it’s time?”
Chase said no without even looking at Laura’s businesslike voice.
“Okay.”
“Okay. If you need anything, just call me.”
She quickly backed away and left the trailer. Chase took off his uncomfortable clothes, threw them carelessly on the chair, and fell down on the bed. He wasn’t particularly sleepy. As he tossed and turned, the bottle of medicine on the desk suddenly caught his eye. His secretary had prepared it for him. He slowly sat up and scanned the letters on the label without meaning.
He felt the urge to fill his mouth with medicine, but there was only enough for one dose. Since the big fuss she caused when she emptied a whole bottle of pills in one go, Laura always left only the prescribed amount. Even so, it was more than the usual amount, and Chase always took the maximum prescribed amount. During filming, he often took more than that. This time was no different.
Chase tilted the bottle and placed a large number of pills on his palm, looked down at them, put them in his mouth, and swallowed them. Only after he emptied all the water in the bottle did he finally lean against the wall again.
Outside, the faint sound of people laughing and talking continued. Inside the trailer, it was just deathly quiet. To the point where the sound of his own breathing was burdensome.
*@Punhap*
The scheduled filming that day was an explosion scene, so the staff had been tense since the day before. It was difficult to even give the engine because it was a scene that burned down a building. It was always burdensome to finish a scene in one go, but the responsibility was even greater because it was a dangerous scene.
Josh stood at a distance, watching Chase as usual, leaving the professional staff behind, recalculating and checking the weight of the explosives several times. He and Naomi stood next to the director and listened to the explanation of the scene.
“The explosion is going to start there, so you have to jump around there. Safety is the top priority, so be careful. Let’s rehearse first.”
There was a lot to do, starting with installing the safety devices. Naomi smiled and joked as usual.
“If you do it wrong, it’ll be overcooked. I like it rare.”
Another staff member laughed at that.
“Will we have steak for dinner?”
“Oh, I’m really looking forward to it. I hope it won’t be me on the plate.”
Naomi, who had her hands clasped together as if praying, glanced at Chase. She seemed to be hoping that he would at least keep the same tempo, but that wasn’t going to happen. Naomi shook her head with a bitter smile at his attitude, not even giving him a glance. As if she had known that would happen.
That was when Josh thought something was strange. He felt a strange sense of discomfort from Chase that he couldn’t really explain. His expressionless face, tightly shut lips, and ignoring others’ words were all the same as usual, but he couldn’t find an answer for himself as to why he felt that way.
“Isn’t C a little strange?”
Josh secretly tried to guess Mark’s mind. Mark, who was wary of the surroundings, including Chase, just like Josh, glanced at Josh and then back at Chase.
“Where?”
“Well, I don’t know... ... .”
Mark answered indifferently to the voice that was fading away without confidence.
“It’s the same as usual.”
Josh just kept his mouth shut. He didn’t have anything to say to convince him. In the meantime, all the preparations were finished.
The process went smoothly. After finishing the rehearsal perfectly, the director went straight into filming.
“Okay, let’s focus and finish it all at once.”
He was a famous director who was recognized by the public for his considerable sense of not only action but also story composition, but he seemed to be nervous at times like this. Josh, who saw the director’s usually smiling face stiffen, concluded that the awkwardness he felt was also due to the tension on set.
Chase and Naomi entering the building. I could see the figure. The indoor filming was finished the day before, and today, all I had to do was film the escape scene.
“Don’t they do all this stuff with CG these days?”
Mark whispered softly. Josh also answered in a soft voice.
“There are a lot of movies that aren’t like that.”
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen a movie. This is kind of fun.”
Mark smiled happily at the thought of going back to his daughters and telling them about his adventure. He was planning to ask a few people to sign autographs and take pictures after filming was over. Of course, Chase was an exception.
A staff member ran out from inside the building and made a circle with his arms, indicating that they were ready. When he quickly disappeared from the screen, the director took a deep breath and opened his mouth.
“Let’s start!”
After about five seconds of silence, a loud explosion and fire erupted from a part of the building. Even though he had expected it, it was so big that he stopped for a moment.
Josh looked down at the faint vibration. The explosion was just beginning. Starting from the end of the building, explosives began to explode one after another, just seconds apart.
The pungent smell of gunpowder and the rising smoke stung his eyes. Josh kept his eyes on the building, repeatedly opening and closing his eyelids.
Large and small explosions followed. It seemed like everything was going well. Chase and Naomi would soon jump out of the building. Josh glanced at his watch. Five minutes had passed since the explosions began. There was no sign of life in the thick black smoke from the explosions.
This time, he wasn't the only one who felt something strange.
"... ... Aren't we too late?"
Mark whispered softly. Josh was thinking the same thing. When he turned his head, Mark looked at him at the same time.
Josh quickly planned his route so that he could run if necessary. He had been simulating in his head the places where Chase might be, the time it would take to get there, and the rescue of him, and he let out a small sigh.
As if he had noticed his thoughts, Mark muttered next to him.
“I’ll take one side.”
“Okay.”
Josh nodded nervously. Mark swallowed the director’s response, but he waved one hand as if trying to ease his anxiety.
“It’s okay. We still have some time. Right? We have to hold on longer to make the picture come out. Did you tell Chase clearly?”
“Yes. It’s not like the two actors have only filmed this scene once or twice.”
He couldn’t help but agree with the staff in charge of the explosion. Mark looked back at Josh and shook his head, ordering him to wait a little longer. Josh had no choice but to look at the building anxiously, clenching and unclenching his fists repeatedly. In the meantime, explosions occurred in a chain reaction, and the building had already collapsed by half.
“Chase!”
He briefly regained consciousness at the sound of the woman’s scream buried in the explosion. When he turned his gaze blankly, Naomi was looking up at him with an anxious face.
“Are you okay? What’s wrong? Can’t you hear?”
It was common when filming explosion scenes. It was also common to lose hearing and consciousness momentarily.
It’s no different than usual, so why is this happening?
Chase looked down at her, puzzled. However, she looked visibly anxious. To be exact, she seemed worried about him.
“We have to leave now, after the next explosion.”
Naomi said with a nervous expression, unusual for her usual self. She already knew this. She was just waiting for the right time. But why?
“Chase!”
Naomi yelled again. Chase stopped as she suddenly grabbed his arm and shook it wildly.
... ... Huh?
For a moment, he was bewildered. A different scene unfolded before his eyes than when he had just seen it. It must have been only a second or two, but more than half of the building had disappeared. He blinked in disbelief.
“I can’t do this anymore, I have to get out now.”
Naomi spoke quickly and urged him on, then grabbed Chase’s arm and started running. But it was a mistake. Chase, who had momentarily become dizzy, collapsed.
“Chase!”
Naomi shouted in thought. Behind her, a continuous explosion reverberated. Black smoke rolled over her body like a demon. Naomi looked around, not knowing what to do.
What should I do? Should I run away alone? But we have to escape together. What about the movie?
For a moment, she thought of the dog waiting for her at home. Even though her husband left, that child stayed by her side.
“Mickey... ...!”
When Chase barely came to his senses and stood up staggeringly, calling the dog’s name before asking for help. The smoke was rushing right behind them. If the explosives exploded again, they would all be swallowed up by the flames.
At that moment, Chase grabbed Naomi’s waist.
Anxious murmurs continued here and there. The smoke rose up terribly and the explosions continued, but there was no movement in the building as time passed. The atmosphere gradually became unsettled. Only the director and the blasting staff looked straight ahead. But maybe they too had not figured out the timing to stop.
“Mark.”
Josh could no longer bear it any longer and called the team leader’s name. Mark frowned in embarrassment and opened his mouth, but soon closed it again. He too was unable to make a decision. What if he was doing it right and he rushed in and ruined the scene? Of course, Josh was worried about that too.
New novel 𝓬hapters are published on ƒreewebɳovel.com.
However, he had experience with explosions. On the contrary, he had been through many training and actual combats over the years. It was clear that the situation that was going on right now was wrong.
When another explosion occurred, Mark made a decision. He ignored the thought that he would be charged a huge amount of damages if he ruined the scene. Right now, saving them was the priority.
“Let’s go in, Josh.”
“Yes.”
Josh answered immediately. Just as he was about to run toward the path he had already decided, someone suddenly shouted in surprise.
“Huh!”
The two stopped and focused their gazes in the direction he was looking. A person’s figure was briefly visible through the rising black smoke. Maybe it was an illusion. But he had already missed his timing. Oh, in the meantime, the last explosive went off. When I was suddenly turned white, someone flew through the smoke and flames.
It was Naomi who jumped down screaming. And Chase appeared behind her.
Sighs of relief flowed from here and there. Naomi landed safely on the mat on the floor. Chase also hit his whole body. A huge explosion with flames occurred above them, and the building began to collapse in an instant.
“Cut!”
With the director’s shout, the staff immediately ran to put out the fire in the building, and the actors’ secretaries and managers gathered to take care of them.
“Naomi, are you okay?”
“Why did you come out so late? Are you hurt?”
“Oh my, I can’t tell you how worried I was. But I think the scene turned out great.”
Words of encouragement and consolation continued, but Naomi just blinked with a blank expression. Her beautiful face was covered in soot and her hair was all messy, and she barely managed to get up, but she suddenly looked back. Chase was slowly brushing the dust off his clothes. His face still had no emotion.
“Naomi?”
Her eyes were fixed on her for a moment, but the secretary called her again. Naomi soon came to her senses and blinked.
“Wait a minute.”
She asked for the understanding of those around her and quickly headed towards Chase. Chase, who was about to leave, was suddenly blocked by Naomi and stopped.
“I want to talk to you, is that okay?”
She smiled deliberately and looked around. Everyone turned their gazes to Chase. As if asking what to do. Chase looked down at Naomi absentmindedly and nodded briefly. The people around her took a few steps back. Naomi opened her mouth, careful not to let others hear her.
“What happened? Do you know that I almost died earlier?”
She asked harshly, as if her emotions were belatedly rising. However, Chase still didn’t respond. Naomi became even more angry at his emotionless gaze that just stared at her blankly.
“I don’t know where you’ve lost your mind, but please concentrate when you’re filming. Don’t hurt the poor guy. Think about how I almost got involved because of you.”
She recalled the black smoke that had been rushing in and shook her shoulders once. Despite that, Chase showed no signs of agitation. His consistent expressionlessness was enough to make Naomi sick.
“What the hell is going on? It’s like you’ve completely lost your mind.”
She sighed in shock and ran her hands through her hair.
“You got through this time, but if you come back like this again, I won’t let you off easy, okay?”
“... ... .”
“... ... ha.”
In the end, Naomi was the first to get tired and fall down. She turned around, cursing, “You son of a bitch.” With the thought that Chase, Grayson, and all the Millers were like beggars.
“Mr. Miller, are you okay?”
Laura waited for Naomi to leave and then hurriedly returned to ask. She wondered what they had talked about, but that was all she could say. There was no way Chase would answer.
As expected, he didn’t say much. However, contrary to her expectation that he would ignore her and turn around to leave, Chase stood there without moving. Laura felt uneasy inside.
“Uh, Mr. Miller... ...?”
It was when she carefully called his name again. Suddenly, Laura realized that something was wrong with him. His usually pale face had lost all its color, almost turning blue. Feeling a bad feeling, Laura unconsciously reached out her hand and hesitated. She paused in the air, her hands vaguely, checking Chase's condition.
"Mr. Miller, are you okay?"
When he asked again, Chase's breathing suddenly became rapid and his pupils dilated. Laura opened her eyes wide in surprise, and Josh, who was watching, as well as the other staff members, looked at him in confusion.
"Mr. Miller, are you okay?"
"Mr. Miller!"
"Wake up, who's calling the ambulance... ... !"
They surrounded him, shouting urgently here and there. Meanwhile, Chase was clutching his chest and squeezing out an unpleasant gasp from deep in his throat, gasping for breath. Josh pushed his way through the people and ran towards him as if he was running urgently. The moment he reached out, his breathing suddenly stopped. Josh shouted.
"Mr. Miller... ... !"
"Gyaaaaah!"
Josh grabbed Chase in a hurry, leaving Laura behind, who was screaming in thought. At the same time, his knees buckled weakly and Chase lost consciousness.
“Chase!”
Josh called his name and shook his shoulder. But he didn’t respond at all, his pale face tilted to one side.
“... ... Yes, yes. I see, yes.”
Josh looked down at Chase as Laura gave him a short response. Chase didn’t come to his senses until they rushed him to the trailer and laid him on the bed. Mark insisted that they go to the hospital right away, but Laura refused.
“We should call our doctor first. You know, if it gets out that Mr. Miller is taking medication, it’ll be a problem.”
The guards were speechless at her warning. They had no choice but to do as she instructed, lay Chase on the bed, and wait for her to finish talking to the doctor. Josh just stared at Chase’s face, which was paler than usual.
Finally, Laura hung up the phone after a brief greeting.
“It’s an overdose.”
Josh frowned absentmindedly.
“Overdose?”
“Yes.”
Laura nodded to Josh, who kept repeating the same words.
“This symptom occurs when the drug is overused. I checked with Naomi just in case, and she said that it happened when we were filming earlier. She suddenly became dazed and couldn’t come to her senses, and almost had a big accident... ... . I didn’t go into detail, I just asked if anything strange happened during the filming, so please be careful about this part.”
Laura added a request and sighed.
“I think the symptoms were there before, but I didn’t know. According to Stewart, the attending physician warned Miller that he was taking too much medicine, so he knew this would happen. He said that we should get tested first and reduce or change the dosage going forward. Chase is an extreme alpha, so he’s still alive after taking this much medicine. If he were a normal person, he would have died ten times already.”
“... ... Could the side effects of the medicine be related to peripheral nerve stimulation? So, since he filmed the explosion scene, he must have been more excited than usual.”
When Josh tried to choose his words as best as he could to present evidence, Laura tilted her head for a moment and then shook her head.
“That can’t be true. He must have been half-conscious when filming. The fuse that was on the edge just blew.”
“Then it just happened.”
Laura nodded at Josh’s conclusion.
“Yes, so you don’t have to feel responsible.”
Josh didn’t smile at her smiling face. Embarrassed, Laura quickly checked the time and opened her mouth.
“I think I need to discuss this with my manager. Can I leave it to you? Call me if something comes up. “I’ll come running right away.”
“Okay.”
“Please take care of me.”
Laura smiled once more and left the trailer. Only Josh and Chase were left in the trailer. Josh sighed in the silence and turned around, then stopped when he saw Chase’s face.
His breathing was calm and steady, but his pale complexion was still the same. It was as if everyone would believe him even if he had brought a corpse.
The doctor would be here soon. All he had to do was examine him and make sure there was nothing wrong, and everything would be over. Josh stared blankly down at Chase and pulled up a chair to sit down. He watched silently for a while, but there was still no response.
Everything was quiet. It seemed as if only Josh and Chase were left in the world, and there was no sign of anyone else. Josh briefly recalled how long it had been since he had seen Chase’s face so comfortably.
Thinking about it, he let out a bitter laugh. He couldn't even look at the man's face properly unless he was unconscious like this every time. Josh quietly looked at Chase and muttered softly.
"Why are you always bristling?"
The man who was rumored to be a crazy dog sometimes looked like a cat. A pretty cat that would always bristle and scratch at you, just looking at you.
Josh gently put his hand on him. He hesitated at the feeling of his soft hair against his fingertips, but soon laughed.
"Do you want to kiss me?"
A whisper suddenly fell into his ear. The laughter soon disappeared. Josh stared blankly down at Chase. He showed no sign of waking up.
A man you couldn't look at except at times like this.
Josh furrowed his brow faintly. He slowly bent down. He could feel Chase's cool body temperature through the tip of his lips that rested on his temple. He looked up, but he still didn't respond.
Phew.
Josh sighed and slumped down on the chair. He rubbed his furrowed brow and let out a low groan.
What the hell am I doing?
"Haa."
He sighed out loud again, but the silence didn't break. And it was a full day before Chase woke up.
*@Punhap*
The car ride to the hospital was just quiet. It was always like that, but it was especially so today. Of course, it was because Chase was in a bad mood. Everyone said the bare minimum necessary so as not to upset him. They were all tense, worried that someone might suddenly punch or kick them.
It was the day after Chase woke up that he heard the news. Josh was surprised when he heard the news from Mark, who had come to take his shift.
"You're going to get a checkup?"
Mark nodded.
〈Yeah, there were side effects from the medicine. In fact, Laura said that she should take him right away, but the manager said no. Coordinating the schedule with the director was the priority. It seems like the conversation went well for now. Since his condition is like that anyway, there’s nothing we can do... ... . He said he had two more days off. Let’s go during that time. It would be better for everyone if we could go as soon as possible.〉
〈... ... I see.〉
He briefly nodded to Josh, and after briefly explaining the security the next day, he patted him on the shoulder.
〈I talked to the team leader yesterday. He said he was looking for a new security guard, and he responded quite positively. Let’s hold out a little longer, because he said he’d come back as soon as possible.〉
Instead of answering, Josh just smiled. And finally, when morning came and everyone busily finished getting ready, they waited for Chase.
Until then, Josh had a strange sense of anxiety. The last time he saw him, his pale face, would not leave his eyes. The knees that were weakly bending, the shoulders that were breathing heavily and shaking painfully.
Even the way he had been sleeping like a corpse without opening his eyes for a long time.
It wouldn’t be the same situation again.
When he thought that, the trailer door opened and Chase appeared. And Josh’s gaze stopped there.
Chase had a rough appearance, with a couple of buttons on his shirt undone and only a jacket on top. His hair, which was always neatly combed, was hanging down carelessly.
Today, he really looked like he hadn’t paid any attention. But despite that, no one could take their eyes off him. This man would be praised even if he wore a rag. Josh thought about it again. And today, perhaps because of his comfortable attire, he looked younger.
If it weren’t for his furrowed brow and tired expression, he was perfect.
“I’m barely sleeping because I’m off my medication. “I’ll prescribe you a new medicine, so you’ll get better.”
Laura whispered from the side. At that moment, Chase sighed, brushing back his hair. In that moment, he grabbed Josh’s heart and shook it without fail.
Her long eyelashes trembled thinly, casting shadows on her cheeks. Her lips, slightly parted past her straight nose, were pale and bloodless, but that made the red flesh inside stand out even more.
As she stared at him absentmindedly, Chase suddenly turned his head. Their eyes met immediately. It was only for a second or two, but Josh couldn’t take his eyes off her.
She just stared at him with wide eyes. Chase’s eyes narrowed. He opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, but closed it again. Then he got into the car, ignoring Josh.
Josh, who came to his senses belatedly, hurriedly opened the driver’s seat door. Chase stopped when he realized that he was riding in the same car as him, but soon turned his head without saying anything.
Mark's voice came from behind him.
"Okay, everyone, get in. Let's go."
Josh, who was sitting in his seat, glanced at him through the rearview mirror. His eyes met Chase's. Embarrassed, he quickly turned his gaze away, pretending not to notice.
In the meantime, Mark was in the passenger seat, Laura was in the back seat, and Isaac, Henry, and Seth were following behind. Laura occasionally talked about her work or schedule while they were driving, but she didn't get much of a response from Chase. He just stared out the window the whole time. Eventually, Laura also kept quiet.
In the end, after three hours of silence, they finally arrived at their destination, the hospital.
"Come on, did you have a hard time coming? You all look bad."
Steward, who was waiting for them in the examination room, looked around at the group and made a joke with a smile. But no one laughed.
His examination room was truly bare. In a fairly large room, the only thing there was was a large desk and a chair he was sitting on. There wasn’t even a portable chair for guests.
Do you do examinations in a place like this?
When Josh was wondering, the steward stood up from his chair.
“Then let’s go to the consultation room. The others are in the break room.
Would you mind waiting? There’s no need to be so sensitive about security here.”
As Steward said, there were several buildings spaced out in the area where several laboratories and research labs were gathered, and the security and unmanned systems were installed quite densely, so it seemed impossible for someone to break in. The building where his clinic was located was the same, so they also went through a rather strict identification check when entering.
Steward added, instructing the staff to guide everyone except Chase to the break room.
“Make yourself comfortable, there’s absolutely no way something could happen here.”
Still, a mission is a mission, so everyone, including Mark, decided to tour the building. Isaac was chosen to stand in front of the consultation room door while Chase was examined. Steward said nothing more and headed to the consultation room with Chase. Isaac followed him.
“Whew.”
After everyone had divided up and toured the building, and everyone gathered in the break room, Seth, who had plopped down on the sofa, was the first to speak.
“It’s a lot bigger than I thought. I don’t really need to check out the other buildings, right?”
Mark nodded while pouring coffee.
“I looked around the overall security system, and it’s pretty good. Besides, I’ll have to stay up all night to look around all those buildings. C’s treatment will be over before then.”
“I guess so.”
Josh nodded. Now all that was left was to endure the boring waiting time. Henry, who had casually leaned back on the sofa, snored softly.
“What the hell, that guy.”
Mark looked at him in disbelief and shook his head. Josh, out of habit, tried to take out a piece of candy and put it in his mouth, but stopped. His pocket was empty. Seth, who saw that, took out three at once and handed them to him.
“Thank you.”
After greeting and putting one in his mouth, Mark suddenly opened his mouth.
“Candy is running out so fast these days. Isn’t that who eats a ton of it?”
At that moment, Henry, who had been dozing off, was startled and straightened up.
“Oh, it’s so delicious.”
Josh blinked at Henry. Wasn’t I the only one eating a lot?
As if answering a silent question, Seth silently took out a handful of candies from his pocket. Henry hastily added.
“Isaac eats more. He fills his mouth like a hamster and eats like this!”
Henry crossed his arms and declared, imitating with both hands that he puffed out his cheeks.
“But I don’t eat more than three bags a day.”
“Don’t you know that there are thirty in one bag?”
When Seth asked in amazement, he got angry and slammed the table.
“Then how can you not eat that pheromone scent that wafts all night long? And it’s so delicious!”
Everyone was speechless at the confident protest. In the end, Mark sighed and offered a mediation proposal.
“From now on, everyone pay $10 more.”
No one objected. In the meantime, Seth quietly found a site that sold candy on sale and handed it to Mark. While he was silently looking at the screen, an employee who had just entered the break room saw the candy piled up on the table and spoke to him.
“Oh, I think we ran out of snacks. Sorry, I should have refilled them in advance.”
She disappeared without giving him a chance to say it was okay and soon came back with a box full of chocolate. Henry’s eyes widened.
“This is so damn expensive. One of these is $2.99. Can you believe it? It’s the size of my fingernail.”
The employee smiled and left as if telling him to eat as much as he wanted. Mark picked one up, looked at it, and frowned.
“Is this really that expensive?”
He opened the paper and put it in his mouth, chewing it and then tilting his head.
“I don’t know what’s different.”
Seth also put a chocolate in his mouth and offered one to Josh. Josh shook his head and declined.
“The candy hasn’t melted yet.”
After eating candy every day, he was sick of sweets. He couldn’t help it, but he didn’t like anything else. Seth seemed to notice right away and put the chocolate down and pushed the candy instead.
“You like this better, right?”
Josh was grateful for his secret consideration and picked up the candy left on the table and put it in his pocket. Henry clicked his tongue when he saw that and quickly picked up a handful of chocolate.
“I’ll eat it instead.”
Soon after, no one said anything as he opened the paper and put it in his mouth at a frightening speed.
*@Punhap*
Tuck. Tuck. Tuck. Tuck.
The regular sound of footsteps mixed together dizzily. Isaac felt a chill in his heart as he followed Steward and Chase at the back.
The inside of the building was so quiet. It seemed like they were the only three people in there.
Were there any other patients or doctors?
Feeling uneasy, he looked around and saw Steward standing in front of a door.
“Then until the end of the treatment.”
He smiled and opened the door and let Chase in first. Isaac had no choice but to stay outside the door. Steward, who followed Chase inside, turned around. He smiled through the closing door, as if telling him not to worry.
And then the door closed.
“Okay, shall we start?”
Steward spoke to Chase, who was standing in the middle of the consultation room. When he glanced back, Steward quickly took a step forward and said.
“You probably know what we’re going to do, right? It’s what we’ve always done.”
“... ... I know.”
Chase answered briefly and started rolling up one sleeve without saying anything. Steward walked briskly and opened the medicine cabinet. After taking out the equipment needed for the sample, he turned around and asked while preparing to draw blood.
“Grayson said that Bliss went to England, right?”
Chase frowned for a moment but silently held out his arm. As if telling him to shut up and do his job. Steward, who had tied a tourniquet around his arm, spoke again, preparing to stab the inside of his elbow.
“You had no choice but to protect your beloved youngest son. If brothers were to rape each other, it would be a big deal.”
And he added as if talking to himself.
“It’s pitiful that he had to suffer when he was born as an extreme omega among extreme alphas.”
Chase clenched his teeth and spat out the hand he had extended to Steward.
“Don’t talk nonsense, you really want that to happen, don’t you? To you, she’s just a test subject. Do you think I don’t know? If one of us were to rape her, I’d be happy to die?”
Steward raised his head at the sharp voice and met Chase’s scary eyes. Steward, who was silent for a moment, smiled briefly and lowered his gaze again.
“You might think so, but.”
He narrowed his eyes and checked where he was going to stab, then opened his mouth.
“I really want to help you. You too, and Bliss too.”
The thick needle lowered its angle and dug into his flesh. Chase furrowed his brows for a moment, and Steward whispered to him.
“If you come to me with such thoughts, it must be because you have no choice.”
Chase bit his lip without saying anything. The needle that had been poking around his skin for so long finally settled and red blood gushed out.
“It’s done.”
Steward smiled after simply undoing the tourniquet band. He put a small bandage on the spot where the needle had been inserted, sorted the samples, marked them, and returned to his seat.
“Chase hates birds, right?”
Steward smiled at the furrowed face.
“Grayson said that. He hates dogs and birds. Does he hate all animals?”
“... ... Should I answer?”
“No, I was just curious.”
The steward smiled brightly and immediately changed the subject.
“So, you didn’t lose your memory after that?”
Chase drank the medicine and water he handed him at once and shook his head. Yes, steward said and sat down across from him.
“That’s good. I’ll prescribe you some temporary medicine until the test results come out. You’ll be more absent-minded today than usual. Since it’s your first time taking the medicine, your body won’t be used to it, so you’ll need about a day to adjust. You won’t have any memory problems, but you might lose consciousness, so be careful about that.”
He added meaningfully.
“It’ll be a problem if something like last time happens again.”
Chase still didn’t say anything. However, steward didn’t miss the fact that his face turned unusually pale.
“Okay, then.”
Steward opened his mouth with a smile.
“Shall we start the consultation?”
Click.
Isaac turned around at the sound of the door opening. Chase appeared first, followed by Steward, who closed the door behind him. The interior that he could see at first glance had much more furniture than the clinic he had seen earlier. Of course, the door closed before he could see it properly.
“I heard that the security guards have changed. Are the security guards that are here now all the ones who came today?”
“Yes.”
When Isaac answered briefly, Steward continued as if he was curious.
“It must not have been easy to get Gamma... ... . Or Alpha? Beta?”
When asked about the members, Isaac answered coolly.
“There’s Alpha and Beta... ... .”
“Gamma or Omega?”
“None.”
When Isaac answered briefly this time, Steward smiled.
“You guys must have had a hard time too.”
He suddenly became curious about what kind of hardship he was talking about. However, he didn’t feel like asking. What bothered me most was that Chase didn't say a word. At a time like this, it would have been normal for him to yell at me for being noisy or something, or even get annoyed, but he just kept his mouth shut and kept walking.
"It's because of the medication."
Steward said, as if he had sensed Isaac's thoughts.
"I've switched to a different medication, and I'm going to feel unwell for a day or so. I'll be dazed and unresponsive, like I'm sleepy... ... But maybe it's even better, because I won't be able to hit or bully other people. Oh, and I won't have memory problems. I'll go through terrible things.
If you do that, you won’t be able to move your body, but the scary memories will remain.”
“Is that true?”
Isaac asked in surprise. Being conscious but unable to move your body was so scary that it made his hair stand on end. Steward whispered to Isaac, who was half-believing, as if giving him an important tip.
“They say it’s like having a nightmare with your eyes open.”
Steward smiled at Isaac’s frozen face.
“The brains of super-alphas are really interesting.”
Isaac didn’t know how he should react. Why would he say something like that to me? Steward opened the door to the break room, leaving Isaac, who was at a loss for words, behind.
“Thank you for waiting so long. Let me introduce you to the newly born Chase Miller.”
Everyone stood up from their chairs in confusion. Steward smiled and continued.
“Just kidding, I changed the prescription, but today is going to be a little bad... ... .”
He repeated the precautions he had given Isaac. Isaac felt uneasy looking at Steward, but he didn’t really have anything to say. As they left the building, Steward asked.
“How long did it take you to get here? Are you going on Route 24?”
Mark nodded.
“Yes, it took about three hours.”
“I see. I heard there are a lot of coyotes on the road there, so we should be careful.”
“Ah... ... They’ve been increasing a lot recently. I heard they attack people too. ... ... I don’t think there’s anything wrong.”
“Right.”
Steward smiled.
“Is there anything wrong?”
And they got into the car one by one. Steward stood there watching and opened his mouth.
“Okay, then. Have a nice trip.”
“Thank you for your hard work, Steward. I’ll contact you again.”
At Laura’s words, he smiled and shook her hand lightly. On the way back, Josh, Mark, and Seth rode in the same car, and Laura rode in the back car with Isaac, driven by Henry. Josh was about to close the driver’s window when he saw Laura heading to the back car, when Steward suddenly whistled.
♬♪... ... .
Chase, who had not responded until then, stopped at the short whistle that imitated the sound of birds. Josh saw it in the rearview mirror and instinctively raised his head, but he could not see Steward’s face standing outside the car window.
The car window closed completely, and the car started off.
There were hardly any cars on the wide open road. The only thing there was was a truck parked leisurely on the shoulder. Josh enjoyed the speed and raced to his heart’s content. One of the good things about being a bodyguard was that you could drive expensive cars as you pleased.
I drove down the endless road, enjoying the softness of the leather-wrapped steering wheel. Black smoke rose in the distance. Josh muttered to himself as he saw it.
“Looks like another forest fire.”
“Are there days when it doesn’t?”
Seth asked indifferently. Josh said, “Well, I guess so.” and kept his mouth shut.
The sun would set soon. Josh realized that it was already quite late, and roughly estimated when they would arrive.
Everyone would have finished eating by the time they got there.
He could have asked them to prepare it separately, but he didn’t want to bother them. He could get all the ingredients, so he could just grill some barbecue or sausages.
How would Chase react if he asked him to eat with him?
As he thought about that, an ominous silhouette suddenly appeared in front of him. Josh, who had unconsciously frowned, soon realized the situation.
“Mark.”
He immediately reported to the team leader sitting in the back seat.
“I think there’s been an accident. There’s someone out there.”
“Ignore it and call 911.”
“I want to, but I can’t.”
Josh explained calmly.
“One lane is blocked by a car and the other is blocked by a person. We can’t avoid it unless we hit it with a car.”
Only then did Mark lean out to check the front and groan.
“There’s nothing we can do. Let’s stop for now and go out to sort things out. We’ll wait inside and leave as soon as the road clears. ... ... The car behind us is late, so we’ll have to do it. Me, okay.”
“Understood.”
Josh gradually slowed down the car. In the meantime, Mark contacted the team member in the car behind him and informed him of the situation.
The red sunset dazzled my eyes for a moment, but the sky darkened in an instant. The gloomy landscape with the ground spiders suddenly felt eerie. Josh parked the car a short distance away and waited with the engine on.
Seth was the one who took charge of checking the situation. He was sitting in the passenger seat, so he got out of the car without hesitation and walked briskly with long strides toward the woman and man standing on the side of the road.
“What’s going on?”
The woman answered as if she had been waiting.
“My car suddenly broke down. My cell phone didn’t work, so I had no way to contact you, and I was worried that I would have to sleep out here. As expected, there is salvation everywhere. Thank you.”
She greeted him briefly, clasping her hands together as if praying. Seth glanced down at her and then quickly turned his gaze to the man.
“We’re busy right now, so it’s hard for us to look at the car ourselves, but we can help you contact the insurance company.”
“Oh, it’s nothing special, but I think the battery is dead. Could you help us with that? It should only take 5 minutes... ... . It’s a bit much to call the insurance company for that.”
The man looked embarrassed as he pleaded. The woman standing next to him also blinked her eyes pitifully. Seth wanted to refuse, but it seemed like she wouldn’t move if he didn’t listen. Seth irritably brushed his hair back and immediately turned around and headed toward Josh’s car that was waiting.
Knock knock.
Josh rolled down the window a little at the sound of a knock, and Seth immediately opened his mouth.
“I don’t think I’ll move until you look at the car. I’ll just give you a quick nod and get you out of the way, so you should step aside and go first. I’ll call the insurance company or something and follow you anyway.”
“Should I go?”
Josh waved his hand to stop him as he tried to get out of the car.
“The battery seems to be dead, so it’ll be over soon. Anyway, you should be ready to leave right away.”
With that, he turned around and walked towards the car where the couple was waiting. Josh rolled up the window again and followed Seth as he walked away.
Seth, sitting in the driver’s seat, began to look around the machine. If there were no major problems, it would be over soon.
As he was tapping the steering wheel with his fingers without meaning to check the arrival time again, a strange feeling suddenly came to him. There was a time when I felt something similar. When was that time?
The sight before his eyes was so ordinary. Seth, who was checking the condition of the car, and the woman standing around blocking the road to prevent the rest of the group from leaving.
... ... It’s just like that time.
A chill ran down his spine as the memory came back to him. Josh shouted urgently.
“Seth, it’s dangerous!”
He almost got out of the car without realizing it, but it was already too late. Seth stopped as if he had heard a sound. And the next moment, the man standing next to him shot him in the face.