Sitting in the car that had arrived, Haejin sat there for a long time before finally getting out. The driver, who had been watching him nervously, quickly got out and opened the car door for him. If the car door hadn’t opened, he probably would have sat there endlessly, lost and unsure of where to go.

Still, once his feet touched the ground, he moved on his own. The driver hurriedly offered him an umbrella, but Haejin ignored it and walked on. He moved forward with unsteady steps, and the room he used was just around the corner.

The warm house where he grew up had been sold a long time ago to pay for the hospital bills. But it was okay. When his heart was heavy, he could visit his parents even if they were in the hospital.

But now he had nowhere to go.

Haejin couldn’t even open the door and just stood there, frozen. In the short time it took to get to the mansion, his body was soaked through. The sound of cold rainwater dripping down his ankles echoed in his ears. 

In that endlessly damp feeling, Haejin realized that he was alone.

“I see you’ve come.”

Haejin weakly turned his head and saw Lyle. Haejin couldn’t help but feel a little suspicious, as he knew Lyle’s schedule wasn’t free enough to be at the mansion.

But it wasn’t like he had a reason to ask. As Lyle had declared, he had gathered all the servants. So Haejin just looked at Lyle expressionlessly.

“….”

Lyle successfully concluded an important negotiation and returned to the mansion with light steps. He had to change his clothes and go back to work right away. After the rush was over, his head felt refreshed for the first time in a long time.

As he entered the mansion, he saw Haejin. It suddenly occurred to him that today was the day Haejin returned after the funeral. The room assigned to Haejin was in a rather secluded part of the mansion, even from the outside.

It was a bit awkward to pretend not to notice and go on his way. The situation was a bit delicate, as his servants had touched on a sensitive issue.

After Haejin hurriedly disappeared to the hospital that day, Lyle strongly questioned the butler’s actions. It was incomprehensible even to his common sense, which was different from that of ordinary people.

The butler had his own excuses. He said that there had been several reports of Haejin’s parents being critically ill since he came to the mansion. He had judged that they had overcome those crises well, so he thought they would overcome this one as well. However, Lyle saw through the butler’s underlying psychology from the way he spoke while keeping an eye on him.

It was a common attitude that Lyle often saw in alphas he dealt with. They couldn’t think properly under his intimidating pheromones. Especially the butler, a recessive alpha, who was acting as if the most important thing was not to interfere with Lyle’s pheromones, which had fallen into a rut this time.

Of course, there was no doubt that the Vermus family had done something terrible to Haejin this time. Lyle thought that the butler’s uncomfortable expression was due to that. So he instructed Haejin to deliver the funeral expenses and condolence money. Even while he was busy going abroad, he didn’t forget to send flowers to express his sincerity.

However, unexpectedly, Haejin, who was struggling with financial difficulties, refused all the money. Lyle didn’t know that unnecessary and flashy flowers could insult the cold funeral home even more.

“….”

“….”

He had called Haejin to make amends for what had happened. He had intended to tell him not to refuse the money for no reason.

But now, looking into Haejin’s empty eyes, Lyle felt strange. It seemed that loosening his tie earlier was not enough, as he felt a little sleepy.

Rubbing his neck, Lyle observed Haejin’s demeanor again. Seeing him wandering around soaking w*t, he seemed to be quite restless. Lyle, who judged that now was not the right time, showed rare patience.

Before turning back, he threw a passing remark to Haejin.

“Oh, let’s write the contract later.”

After speaking, he realized that this was also an important matter. The most important condition of the contract had changed. If Haejin wanted to stay in the mansion, he would have to revise the terms of the contract.

At that moment, Haejin, who had been staring at him for some time, opened his lips. They were chapped from being soaked in the rain.

“I’m going to stop the contract.”

As soon as Haejin heard Lyle’s words, something that had been lingering faintly in his mind disappeared with a faint sound. He didn’t know what it was that had been lingering in his mind until now.

He was just too tired.

“What? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

Lyle showed an unexpected reaction to Haejin’s words, as if he was rebelling against them. He couldn’t even understand that weak emotion. Why did Haejin think he would stay in the mansion?

He didn’t actually come back with the intention of stopping the contract. He just happened to be moving in this direction. However, after hearing Lyle’s words, he realized that there was no reason for him to stay here. The fact that he had nowhere else to go didn’t mean he had to stay here.

Lyle approached him with a frown. Looking at his feet, which were not w*t unlike his own, Haejin spoke dully.

“The contract clearly states that I can stop it at any time.”

“Hmm.”

A sudden discomfort enveloped Lyle. It was quite a strong emotion, even after the rut had ended.

The reason was simple. He had negotiated with an omega like Haejin. In the first place, Haejin became a contract target because of his passion and the urgent need for money, thanks to his weak pheromones and background. Now that it was gone, Haejin was just an annoying omega that he couldn’t control.

Oh, come to think of it, the important reason is gone.

With this thought, Lyle regained his cold rationality. If Haejin had also expressed his intention, then he was no longer the top priority for negotiation. There was no reason to catch him if he had made it clear.

“Fine. Get out of my mansion now.”

Rubbing his tie again, Lyle turned around. It was a dry end after five years of living together. Lyle’s rationality thought it was very satisfying. The remaining unpleasant feeling was a bit strange, but it would also disappear.

However, before he could take a few steps, he heard the sound of Haejin’s door opening, and the discomfort intensified. Lyle pulled his tie down nervously and headed to his study. He couldn’t stand the feeling around his neck.

Of course, he didn’t look back.

***

The contract with Lyle was cleanly settled. So Haejin immediately packed his belongings and came out of his room.

The sun was not visible due to the thick clouds, but it was already getting dark. Nevertheless, Haejin did not feel the need to wait until tomorrow to leave the mansion.

It felt like being a small machine that moved only by necessity. Feeling a serious emptiness as if something had been taken away, he stumbled out of the mansion. He didn’t have any expectations of getting a ride from the beginning.

At that moment, he heard hurried footsteps from behind. It was the butler.

“Mr. Bright, are you leaving now?”

The butler’s face, which was difficult to meet when looking for him, seemed so easy to see when he was about to leave the mansion.

“Yes.”

Since he was already w*t, Haejin didn’t have an umbrella. He was still wearing a black suit, and the old suitcase in his hand was the one he brought with him to the mansion. The few clothes inside were all the things he had brought.

The butler might have called him out of concern that he might steal something. With that question in mind, Haejin looked at the butler, who flinched at his plump body.

“Um, that…?”

The butler was startled by Haejin’s gaze, who didn’t even have an umbrella, and handed him the one he was using.

His face had a restless expression similar to that of a driver. Although most of it was guilt, there were also some hidden emotions. Like when he saw the driver, Haejin knew what he wanted.

But was that what Haejin wanted?

“I’ll prepare the car.”

Looking down at the faint warmth, Haejin faced the butler again. Then, he turned around and went his own way, ignoring all the kindness.

He was just tired of everything.