“Was he killed by Alesha? Surely the flash that was reported the other day… No, it can’t be.”
Yan covered his face like someone witnessing a terrible tragedy. He had resented Sirius—still did—but never wished for his death. A vampire? A prince? And now dead? The successive shocks struck Yan hard. This pain was unlike what Sirius had inflicted on him in bed; this genuinely hurt.
“Officer Circuitz, what are you talking about?”
“He was k-killed…”
“Calm down. He’s not dead yet.”
“He survived?”
“Survived? He’s very much alive and well.”
“…What?”
The chief frowned down at Yan. He had tried to be gentle with his subordinate who seemed unwell, but he couldn’t overlook this strange misunderstanding that had Yan trembling.
“I told you, we need to understand his tendencies to predict how our relationship with the kingdom might change.”
“…”
“He won. The kingdom will soon fall into Sirius’s hands.”
Yan went limp with relief. It felt like his soul had slipped right out through his toes. While it was good news that Sirius was alive, he didn’t know how to react to him being “very much alive and well.”
‘I thought he was a prince, but he’s actually going to be king.’
The information had been updated within five minutes of learning about Sirius’s background. Unfortunately, Yan’s brain wasn’t high-performance enough to process all this information quickly. The chief escorted the overwhelmed Yan outside.
“That’s all for now. You can go. Keep what you’ve heard today strictly confidential for the time being. It will be public knowledge soon enough, but there’s no need to spread it prematurely.”
Yan, still in a daze, obediently followed the chief’s supporting escort. However, as they reached the doorway, a question occurred to him.
“Wait, Chief. I’m curious about something…”
“You’ll learn more details from the news in a few days anyway.”
“Ah, no. It’s not that. It’s…”
How should he phrase this question? Yan stood by the doorway, carefully selecting his words.
“…Aren’t you upset with him? You trusted Sirius.”
It was the chief who had requested Sirius’s help. In essence, he was the one who had brought Sirius into the police force. Yan wasn’t blaming the chief; he was genuinely curious. Wouldn’t the chief feel betrayed too?
“Your premise is incorrect, Officer Circuitz.”
“…”
“What I trusted was not a vampire but a hunter. A hunter who perfectly hunts down targets when given just a little information. Now that Sirius’s species has been revealed, perhaps it’s laughable to speak of trust… but has my faith in his abilities ever been misplaced?”
Yan said nothing, but the chief nodded as if he had received an answer.
“Strictly speaking, Sirius has never been anything but beneficial to us. …While I may have some personal resentment, that’s all it is.”
The chief added, glancing at Yan’s expression. Yan wondered what face he was making. Did he look shocked? It didn’t seem so… He tried to smile, but it was difficult to move his stiffened facial muscles.
Moving his lips, Yan murmured what the captain had once said:
“Resentment is not a crime.”
“That’s right.”
There is no legal provision anywhere in the constitution that punishes resentment. But still…
Believing his subordinate’s condition had improved, the chief dismissed him, adding that he should eat properly. Yan calmly replied, “Understood,” and left the chief’s office.
But the moment he was alone, Yan’s face contorted. There was a limit to brainwashing himself that everything was fine and pretending to be okay in front of others. To Yan, resentment was a crime—the most heinous crime in the world.
***
Yan, who had been heading straight home after work as usual, impulsively changed direction. Staying at home only seemed to make him more depressed. Wouldn’t it be better to go somewhere filled with real people rather than sitting in front of the TV?
However, no friends came to mind. Though he had reliable colleagues like Dave and Oliver, he couldn’t possibly confide his gloomy circumstances to them. Without family either, he truly had no one to meet.
For the first time, Yan felt like a stranger in this city. Despite being born and raised in New York, he felt like a foreigner. It was a loneliness he had never experienced before.
‘Maybe I should go to a club?’
His head was spinning even though he wasn’t drunk. Perhaps people can get intoxicated by emotions like loneliness or emptiness. Yan thought of a place he wouldn’t normally consider.
Club Assemble.
Conveniently, an SM club nearby.
According to Procion, it wasn’t a high-quality club—Yan had experienced this firsthand—but that seemed better right now. What Yan needed was an escape. People dancing under psychedelic lights, a woman with a whip, a man with a wagging dog tail—such chaos would, paradoxically, wash away his worries. It was the principle that when under stress, one craves stimulation.
‘Besides…’
Yan bit his lower lip at the thought that had suddenly occurred to him. Goodness, had he just unconsciously thought, ‘It’s been a while since I played’? Yan rolled his eyes. Though unlikely, he felt as if passersby might notice his lewd thoughts.
His heart pounded. He was already in a state of mild excitement even before reaching the club. The sudden option of going to the club didn’t seem bad. Having made an impulsive decision, Yan turned around. Even if he didn’t engage in serious play, he wanted to immerse himself in that noisy atmosphere.
However, Yan had to stop before even leaving the block.
“Hello, Yan.”
A man stood at the end of the walkway. Standing where the streetlight didn’t reach, he seemed to blend into the darkness. But Yan recognized him.
The tall stature, the well-trained body, and that languid, deep voice. It had been two weeks since they’d met, but everything was still vivid.
“Procion…”
Yan murmured as if lamenting.
“Where were you heading? Do you have an evening appointment? I hope I’m not interrupting.”
Despite his words, his tone didn’t sound apologetic at all. Yan reflexively started to answer “To the club,” but hesitated. An SM club wasn’t exactly a proud destination, and he didn’t want to tell others. Though Procion himself wasn’t in a position to be proud of such interests either.
Ignore him and just walk past. That was Yan’s decision. Since contact had ceased, Procion had joined Sirius as one of the “bad guys.” He had no time to spare for bad guys. Yan tried to walk past Procion, feigning indifference.
“Have you been well?”
But upon hearing such a brazen question, his blood pressure soared.
“Have I been well?”
Yan raised his voice in anger.
“That’s what you say after showing up after fifteen days!”
“To be precise, it’s been fourteen days and six hours.”
“Whatever!”
Yan ran his fingers through his hair irritably. Passersby were glancing their way. It seems even New Yorkers, famous for their cool attitudes, couldn’t ignore relationship drama—especially gay relationship drama.
Yan spoke in a more subdued tone.
“I had a lot to say to you.”
“Go ahead.”
“Not anymore. I’ve got all the answers I wanted and learned everything I needed to know.”
“Do you really think so?”
Procion’s voice was suspicious. He took a step closer to Yan. As he moved out of the shadowy area, his face became clearly visible.
He seemed to have lost weight, making his features appear sharper, but he still had a handsome face. His beauty was so extreme that it was almost threatening. Yan felt intimidated despite having done nothing wrong.
“…I found out your colleague is a vampire.”
“I see.”
“‘I see’? Is that all? Don’t you have anything else to say?”
After being intimidated briefly, Yan’s blood pressure rose again upon hearing Procion’s excessively calm response.
“He’s even a prince! You knew that too, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“And knowing that, you both did… did those things to me?”
Yan trembled with anger. Despite the situation, Procion remained completely composed.
“What things?”
“What?”
“When you refer to it so vaguely, I can’t understand properly. That day on the bed—”
“Wah!”
Not wanting to hear more, Yan shouted. Passersby now openly stared at them. The gay drama must be quite entertaining. Having no intention of becoming public entertainment, Yan grabbed Procion and pulled him around the corner.
This street had relatively fewer people walking by, which was better. Don’t get excited, don’t get excited. Yan repeated this to himself before he was ready to talk.
