Ahem. The butler cleared his throat softly to calm the agitation, then continued in his usual businesslike tone.
“Will you go yourself? Shall I prepare the car?”
“Right now—”
Winston hurriedly rose but suddenly stopped. Ignoring the butler’s puzzled look, he buried his nose in the teddy bear he held, sniffed deeply, then frowned. The bear was already soaked with his sweet scent.
“Wash this immediately.”
He tossed the bear to the secretary with a sharp command.
“Clean it thoroughly so there’s no pheromone scent and dry it before I return.”
“Understood.”
There was no way the butler could say no. After politely replying, Winston, about to turn and leave, absentmindedly stroked his chin—and was startled again. An unpleasant sensation under his palm made him uncomfortable. Imagining his own disheveled appearance only worsened his mood.
Instead of leaving, he changed direction and strode with long steps toward the bathroom. The reflection in the mirror above the sink was worse than expected. His cheeks were gaunt and hollowed, dark shadows deeply set under his eyes. Bloodshot, tired eyes revealed how long his sleepless nights had been, and the thick beard growing on his chin made him look like a homeless man on the street.
Like it was showing how ruined his life had been since Yujin left.
Ha. A bitter sigh escaped him automatically. While glaring at his reflection, the butler, peeking nervously from beyond the bathroom door, spoke.
“Shall I prepare it now? Shall I make ready immediately?”
“No.”
He paused, then spoke.
“In five—no, ten minutes.”
Without waiting for an answer, Winston closed the bathroom door and stripped, throwing his clothes on the floor. Even when his mother scolded him, he’d only felt bothered, but now, thinking of meeting Yujin, he couldn’t just let it go. Accepting that he’d become this wreck because Yujin fled was something his pride would never allow. Under the cold water, he anxiously poured soap and scrubbed himself roughly.
“Welcome, thank you for coming.”
Yujin was bewildered by the manager’s bright smile greeting him. It was only cashing a check, yet the manager personally came to meet him? Did they always do this for first-time visitors? With little experience in banking transactions, Yujin felt clumsy with everything. Still, the manager was just that—patiently listening as Yujin explained his situation, unfazed by his awkwardness.
“I see. Don’t worry, Mr. /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ Grant is a longtime client of our bank. We’ll do our best to make this convenient for you.”
“Th-thank you.”
Dumbfounded by the excessive hospitality, Yujin stammered the words. The manager nodded briefly and led him to her office. Crossing the spacious bank, she opened the glass door in the center of a wall made entirely of glass and gestured for him to enter. Complying quietly, Yujin sat down, and the manager spoke amiably.
“Would you like something to drink while you wait?”
Though a kind offer, he had no leisure to waste with water or anything else.
“N-no, thank you.”
“Daddy, milk.”
Yujin politely declined, but Angela’s thoughts were different.
“Angie...”
“Well then, a glass of milk? Cold?”
Yujin blinked in surprise, trying to quietly persuade her otherwise. But Angela, unaware, smiled brightly and nodded enthusiastically. Her joyful face made Angie unable to refuse. Seeing this, the manager smiled too, and Yujin awkwardly lifted the corners of his mouth in embarrassment.
“Here you go. Please wait quietly.”
Soon the manager returned with the milk herself, giving Angela a gentle smile before turning her gaze to Yujin.
“She’s really adorable. How old is she?”
“Ah... four years old.”
“I see, she looks a lot like her daddy.”
Yujin gave only an awkward smile to the usual comment. Glancing at the clock on the wall, the manager noticed and gave a wry smile.
“Please wait a moment. Verifying the check will take some time—the amount is quite large...”
“Ah, yes.”
Yujin nodded calmly but did not give permission to take all the time in the world. He just accepted there was no choice. Trying hard to calm his mind and be composed, the manager spoke again.
“How has Mr. Grant been doing lately? You used to come here often but it’s been a while...”
The car raced along the road fast, but to Winston it felt painfully slow. After showering, he had not even dried his hair before quickly dressing and getting into the prepared car. Weaving through traffic, Winston tapped his fingers anxiously on the armrest.
This time, it would be different.
Recalling the moment he lost sight of Yujin before, anger flared inside. Fury surged through his veins, pounding his heart fiercely. If he faced Yujin now, he didn’t know what he might do. One thing was certain—Yujin would face the full force of his rage. And would pay the price.
When he met Yujin again.
Suddenly, the driver reported from the front seat.
“We’ll arrive just after the next corner.”
His tightly clenched fist whitened the knuckles. Finally, the large bank sign appeared in his golden eyes.
“Excuse me.”
Unable to contain his growing anxiety, Yujin finally spoke. Thirty minutes had passed since entering the bank.
“Is there a problem? How much longer will this take?”
He did not have the cash in hand until Angela finished the large cup of milk. Frustrated by the wasted time, Yujin finally asked. The manager, who had been stalling with idle talk, looked embarrassed.
“I’ll go check. It shouldn’t take this long.”
Yujin frowned as he watched her awkward retreat.
It’s okay, stay calm.
He sighed, rubbing his chest. Staying too long in such a public place worried him, but Winston would never imagine Yujin would be here. Calmly soothing himself again, he thought through the next steps as coolly as possible: withdraw cash, buy a prepaid phone, check tomorrow’s train schedule. Then return to the motel to finish settling accounts and pack. The first train at dawn would be good. How to get to the station? Uber, no, taxi...
Just thinking about taking a taxi made his stomach churn and dizziness wash over him. Panting heavily, shoulders shaking, he tilted his head back and took deep breaths. One, two, three.
Hoo.
Finally calming somewhat, he opened his eyes. Was the manager coming back? Curious, he turned and looked behind—
...Huh?
At first, he didn’t realize immediately. Understandably so—because it was the presence of a man who should never be here, who must not be here. The bank had grown silent somehow. Or maybe Yujin simply heard nothing. Everyone in the spacious bank was watching them. The tall man, always conspicuous, was there, flanked by a few bodyguards in black suits, talking to the manager.
Blinking several times, Yujin’s mind slowly began to work again. Like an old clock forced to turn its gears with great effort. Then the man’s gaze left the manager and slowly shifted to Yujin. As if watching a video played in slow motion.
“...Eek!”
Yujin jumped up in shock. Winston’s eyes narrowed. Time seemed frozen as Yujin stood still.
His mind went blank. Though their eyes met, Yujin couldn’t move. It felt unreal. Only a faint hope fluttered through his mind that this might not be a dream. But only Yujin was frozen. His world stopped, yet Winston’s clock started ticking again. Yujin just watched him turn toward himself. Winston began walking. One step, then another. Yet to Yujin, he seemed to walk through water, so slow.
His frozen brain failed to command his body. Yujin just stared at Winston. Until he was so close he could no longer deny reality.
“Winnie!”
The sudden shout snapped him out of it. Then Yujin saw Angela running toward Winston, yelling, and his eyes widened.
