“….”

Lyle, who was looking down at the whiskey glass, put on a composed expression. The reflection of his face in the glass slightly distorted and suddenly changed to Haejin’s sad face.

It was all because of Haejin, an omega who had been quiet for five years and suddenly showed abnormal reactions. Haejin’s greatest strength was his composure. He didn’t like this sudden outburst.

Haejin’s face, which he faced after a long time, was still the same. The distinctive Asian face still had a strange atmosphere even after time had passed.

As this place, Heavy Rain, was mostly cloudy throughout the year, there were often clouds that covered the moonlight even at night. The face that he looked at, relying on the faint light, gave a different feeling from what he had seen after the affair ended not long ago.

Lyle, who was drinking his alcohol irritably, suddenly thought. He wondered if the expression that resembled sadness didn’t seem particularly desperate today.

He should have asked what was going on.

“….Ha.”

It was a useless thought. Lyle’s head was not focused on work as he felt restless, perhaps because his rut was approaching.

He irritatedly ran his hand through his hair and counted the days until his rut’s arrival. It was only a few days away.

He didn’t have time to waste his mental energy on such unnecessary things. Like the huge amount of funds he possessed, the massive Vermus Corporation was waiting for his decisions every minute and every second. If there was a gap in work during his rut, he needed to prepare in advance.

Despite bringing his thoughts this far, Haejin’s face was still floating in his mind, causing a disturbing sensation that even caused a slight headache.

The face that shone surprisingly bright even in the dark night, with black pupils.

“….”

For some reason, Lyle felt a dryness in his throat and had to pour himself another drink.

Amidst the sound of cracking ice, Lyle once again found Haejin’s face. His face was so clean that it was unpleasant.

Omegas were troublesome. They were a tribe that was more prone to being swayed by their instincts than alphas. If you didn’t want to inherit the foolishness of your ancestors, it was better to stay away from them.

Haejin’s affairs would be handled by the butler. The recessive alpha butler was a capable person who had been managing this mansion for a long time. Although he was a bit greedy, he was still a loyal person to Lyle, so he didn’t pay much attention to him. Anyway, he believed that he would manage Haejin carefully as his role was important.

Without knowing how big of a crack this decision would make.

***

The next day, Haejin left the mansion alone.

Yesterday, for the first time in a long time, he shed tears alone in his room. They were dry tears that he couldn’t shed even if he wanted to since he had been living in the mansion for about three years.

However, the tears that fell only a few drops no longer flowed as if they had reached their limit. Worried that his eyes might have run dry, Haejin struggled with a slight fear and greeted the morning.

Perhaps rumors had spread throughout the mansion, as there was no food delivered in the morning. The huge contract fees that Haejin received were all spent on hospital bills. So he had to rely on the alcohol provided by the mansion to survive. When he was originally writing the contract, Lyle had said that he didn’t have to worry about other minor things.

However, it had been quite a while since even those basic things were being taken care of. The clean clothes that were provided every day didn’t come as often, and sometimes he had to clean his own room.

Surely, the Vermus family couldn’t be short of money. This was just the damage caused by Lyle’s indifference. Haejin felt it for sure in Lyle’s attitude yesterday, where he didn’t even bother to listen to what he had to say.

He could have followed Lyle’s advice and gone back to the butler, but Haejin didn’t. No, he couldn’t. It was too heartbreaking to be in a position where he had to grab the servants again and plead with them after yesterday’s incident.

So he went out of the mansion for now. There was still some emergency money in his bank account. He planned to walk to the bank and withdraw money when he came back to call a taxi.

“It’s cold.”

The late autumn weather was already stepping into winter. The autumn rain that fell like fog made the atmosphere even more desolate.

The city where he was, Heavy Rain, was already famous for its heavy rain. The always gray sky was so bright that he couldn’t remember when he had last seen it.

The Vermus family’s main mansion was located on the outskirts of Heavy Rain. It included a bold design that turned the surrounding area into a meadow for security reasons. Building a mansion in the most expensive city in this country already made one realize the Vermus family’s wealth.

However, it was just a hindrance to Haejin now. He had to walk a long way to get to the city where cars were running. After the accident, he had deliberately avoided walking for a long time, but there was no other way. The sudden rain overlapped with his steps, and his left ankle hurt.

Haejin finally arrived in the city, braving the cold autumn rain. His toes were soaked and it was very cold, but the citizens living in Heavy Rain knew that they had to walk diligently in times like this.

In fact, he might not have had to come here in such a hurry. Although he was concerned about the documents, waiting for another day or two and taking the car provided by the mansion again would have been a solution. The butler probably wouldn’t want to breach the contract either.

However, strangely, he felt rushed. He had a strong desire to see his parents’ faces and tell them that he was struggling but trying his best. Perhaps the cold treatment he received at the mansion had gotten to him.

After the accident, his parents fell into a coma and their condition worsened over time. His mother, who always hugged Haejin tightly, making it hard for him to breathe, was now barely holding onto her tough life with a fragile body.

Haejin believed that they were still breathing so weakly only for his sake. He didn’t want to be left alone again, having already been abandoned once.

Now, if he just turned that corner, he would see the bank. He felt warm at the thought of hurrying to the hospital to see his parents’ faces. He was a day late in paying the hospital bill, but he thought he could handle it without any problems.

It was when he finally dragged his heavy legs into the city that he saw a line of luxury cars parked near him. It was a sudden event that made passersby stare.

Thinking that it had nothing to do with him, Haejin moved his legs diligently until a security guard who got out of one of the cars called out to him.

“Bright, sir.”

“……”

Haejin just looked quietly at the person who called him. He felt strangely uncomfortable. Of all the days when he had to go to many hospitals, he resented why it had to be today.

“Mr. Vermus is looking for you.”

“Can’t I go after visiting the hospital?”

“No, you can’t.”

Before he could finish his sentence, the security guards had already surrounded him. It was as if they had no intention of listening to anything Haejin had to say.

Among the security guards who were at least a head taller than him, Haejin felt extremely powerless and small. After a few futile attempts to speak, he was roughly grabbed by the arm and dragged into the car.

Through the closing car door, he could still see the cloudy sky. Haejin could only sigh inwardly, feeling helpless.

***