“Director, please get some rest.”
On the table in the hotel room, there were dishes that had been prepared some time ago, but they had long since lost their warmth and been left untouched.
“Where’s Secretary Kim?”
“There’s been no contact yet. He’s probably being cautious and moving carefully.”
Kang Tae-yi, who had been looking over documents, stared out at the dazzling view of the hotel. As Yoon Min-ho had said, Kim was likely being extra cautious. Secretary Kim was a sly and cunning man. In some ways, he was more slippery than Kang Tae-jin himself.
“Please eat something. You’ll collapse if you keep this up.”
No matter how dominant an Alpha he was, Tae-yi was still human. Ever since Da Haram was kidnapped, he hadn’t slept properly or eaten regularly. Still, as he sat there absentmindedly staring out the window, he at least looked like a living person, not someone who had lost everything and was gazing emptily into the void.
“Is this it?”
Tae-yi still hadn’t paid any attention to the food. He picked up a stack of papers and asked.
“Yes, these are all the villas listed in the area.”
Instead of answering, Tae-yi sighed heavily. He put the papers down on the corner of the table with the dishes and stood up. His persistent headache made it impossible to focus on the text. Thinking that a cold shower might help, he unbuttoned his shirt and turned to ask Yoon Min-ho, who was organizing the papers.
“Any news from the people who went down south?”
Because it was a quiet resort area, there were many villas scattered around. Even after narrowing it down, there were still over ten places to check. Contacting the owners and meeting with brokers to get permission to enter took a lot of time. It wasn’t hard to reconnect with relatives after so long, but explaining the situation to everyone was exhausting.
“It will take more time.”
There was no good news to report. Everything he had to share felt stifling, and it left the messenger in a tight spot as well. With a furrowed brow, Yoon Min-ho silently watched Tae-yi walk toward the bathroom.
“Buy a Sky Squirrel doll or something.”
Before long, Yoon Ji-seok appeared, draping his arm around Yoon Min-ho’s shoulder and saying, half-joking.
“Get off me.”
“Tell him to cuddle with a doll or something. He’s going to collapse if he keeps going like this, right? And then we’ll all be embarrassed. His face will be ruined.”
Although he said it playfully, it was clear he was concerned, so Yoon Min-ho didn’t argue with his older brother.
“It’s Secretary Kim’s fault.”
That guy could’ve avoided all this trouble if he’d just opened his mouth. He was neither fully betraying Kang Tae-jin nor committing to take his life in his hands. But he couldn’t stay in that limbo forever. They just had to wait a little longer. Of course, Tae-yi wasn’t one to allow even that little bit of time. He’d be digging around, stirring things up like a rat.
When they were younger, Tae-yi had been so calm, it was almost like he had no emotions. It was hard to understand why he had lost his patience so completely. It would have been fine if he just waited quietly, but Yoon Ji-seok couldn’t make sense of it. The medicine that had been left for Kang Tae-jin was meant for him, not Tae-yi. At this rate, it seemed more likely that it would be Tae-yi losing his mind first, not Kang Tae-jin.
Yoon Ji-seok slumped into the chair that Tae-yi had been sitting in earlier, pulling out his phone.
“Ah, so this is what they look like?”
After searching for a Sky Squirrel Beastfolk, Yoon Ji-seok gasped when he saw a photo of a Sky Squirrel that was no bigger than a fist. It was small, unbelievably small. Kang Tae-yi was really dating something like this? The photo was of an animal form, but even in human form, it seemed like it would be tiny and insignificant.
“I definitely saw a tail like that on the beach earlier.”
As Yoon Ji-seok stared at the picture, muttering to himself, Yoon Min-ho, who had been clearing the table, sighed in disbelief.
“Have you been hallucinating for a while now?”
It wasn’t the first time Yoon Ji-seok had shown signs of hallucinations—he’d been acting like a zombie, wandering through the mansion and making the servants faint with his bizarre behavior. His brother had done enough strange things that Yoon Min-ho could stay up all night talking about them.
“I’ve never seen a tail like that in a hallucination.”
If it was a hallucination, it would have been a twisted face or a distorted form, but it couldn’t have been a tail standing upright in the sand.
“Check if there’s a villa near the beach.”
Tae-yi, now wearing a towel around his neck, appeared suddenly and spoke. It was unclear how long he had been listening, but judging by his stiff expression, he had heard everything. Before Yoon Min-ho could answer, Yoon Ji-seok quickly gathered the papers from the table and stood up, approaching Tae-yi.
“The tail was flat and light gray. It must have been Da Haram.”
“It can’t have been Da Haram. Please shut up.”
If Da Haram had been buried in the sand with only his tail sticking out, what was the plan then? With a frustrated grip on Yoon Ji-seok’s arm, Yoon Min-ho spoke through clenched teeth.
“There are about two villas near the beach.”
Instead of Tae-yi, Yoon Min-ho grabbed the papers and, checking to see if Tae-yi was watching, continued speaking. Tae-yi, who had been silently listening, began putting on his shirt.
***
“Click!”
Haram woke up with a start, turning his head rapidly to look around. The dim light from the small window illuminated the room with yellow flooring, and as his eyes adjusted, he let out a relieved sigh. It seemed he had safely arrived at the fishing supply store. His memory was a bit foggy since he had walked here in a daze, but at least he was here.
He quietly held his breath as he looked at the elderly man, who was sleeping on the bedding in the middle of the room. Haram made his way to the door, intending to search for Tae-yi again. If Tae-yi had come this far, he must have some idea of where Haram might be. It seemed best to head to the warehouse where he had been held. Of course, there was some risk involved, but he couldn’t back down now.
“…”
Haram paused as he felt something strange underfoot. He looked down and saw the thick bandages stuck to his paws. He bit his lip to hold back tears. Though clumsily applied, the bandages were carefully placed so that his wounds wouldn’t reopen. Now that they were in place, he felt almost no pain from his injuries, which had once stung like cuts. The soft padding of the bandages felt almost like wearing shoes.
“…”
Standing next to the sleeping elderly man, Haram bowed his head and murmured a small thank you. He intended to formally thank the man when he returned after finding Tae-yi, but he had no time for that now. He slipped out through the narrow crack in the door, moving quickly. He needed to get to the warehouse before sunrise.
***
Normally, this villa would have been empty for a long time, but the garden in front was already marked with numerous tire tracks. There were signs that several people had been here. Without needing to say anything, it was clear that Kang Tae-jin had been staying in this villa.
Although it was early morning, neither the villa’s caretaker nor any guards were in sight. Looking up at the faint blue sky as dawn approached, Yoon Ji-seok shone his flashlight on the three-story villa’s exterior and followed Tae-yi as he entered the building.
None of the doors were locked. It was clear that something urgent had happened. Though there was no sign of anyone inside, the place had been well maintained, as if someone had just been living there.
“He’s already run off.”
Tae-yi’s low voice echoed through the sparse first floor, his eyes scanning the villa with a calm demeanor, but there was an unmistakable glint of energy in his gaze.
“Director, something must have happened to Da Haram.”
He could just be moving around, trying to escape, but based on Secretary Kim’s behavior, it seemed highly likely that something had gone wrong with Da Haram. After finishing his statement, Yoon Min-ho rushed outside to check if there were any external CCTV cameras.
“The lights aren’t working.”
The only sound was the click of the light switches, but no lights came on. It seemed they had been intentionally cut off. That meant even if there were CCTV cameras, they were useless.
“…Hey.”
Watching Tae-yi with a dazed expression, Yoon Ji-seok fumbled with his pockets, deep in thought. He only had the medicine meant for Kang Tae-jin, but should he give it to him instead? The sound of the plastic bag rustling in his pocket broke the tense silence. He wanted to say something comforting, but the words wouldn’t come out. It wasn’t just that he couldn’t speak; anyone who saw the look on Tae-yi’s face would know no one could say anything to him.
If only Kang Tae-yi would start smashing everything in sight and shouting like a madman, it wouldn’t be this eerie. It was terrifying, this anger building up inside him, never knowing when it would explode. Whether it would come when they found Da Haram, or if they couldn’t find him, no one knew.
