The secretary who had been reporting his schedule from beside him started in surprise and hurried after him. The moment Lyle saw the black hair swaying with those unsteady steps, instinct told him he had to catch him first.
By the time he came to his senses, he had already grabbed Haejin’s arm roughly as he was about to turn the corner.
“Ah…!”
“Where do you think you’re going.”
An indescribable irritation had taken hold of Lyle and moved him before he thought. Only after snapping at him did he notice the absurd look on Haejin’s face.
That was when he realized he had misunderstood something—and at the same time became aware that his own behavior was strangely out of character.
“Mr. Bright.”
The secretary, who had quickly caught up, greeted Haejin first. His ambiguous gaze slid toward the arm Lyle was still gripping tightly.
“Chairman. Shall we escort Mr. Bright along with us?”
Having read the atmosphere, he asked tactfully. It wouldn’t have been odd. Not long ago, Lyle himself had suggested going together since Haejin’s hospital was on the way.
“...Where?”
“You have a hospital appointment today. I sent someone this morning to ask you to come this way, and I’ll have the car prepared.”
As befitted a capable secretary, he supplied the necessary information smoothly. Realizing he had misunderstood, Lyle frowned awkwardly. Only after Haejin’s indifferent gaze dropped to the hand still clutching his arm did Lyle finally loosen his grip.
As if the weight of that gaze had substance, his hand fell away on its own. His own conduct struck him as peculiar and ridiculous, and Lyle found himself briefly at a loss.
He had just muttered that it was fine and stepped back—
“I’m fine.”
Rubbing the arm that had been seized, Haejin took a step back. For a fleeting second, Lyle saw again the afterimage of him disappearing behind the curtain. Now he was openly releasing pheromones thick with rejection, and that alone agitated Lyle further.
So he had skipped his meal again that day.
“We’ll go together.”
“…”
The reply came edged with stubborn irritation. Dissatisfaction surfaced in Haejin’s eyes at once. It was a different sensation from when he acted as if he had already lived through everything with empty eyes.
“Please.”
The secretary intervened at the right moment, gesturing toward one side and looking at Haejin. When Haejin glanced toward the car, he felt the piercing stares of the mansion servants fixed on him.
Under that suffocating scrutiny, he had no choice but to get into Lyle’s car. As always, it was not an invitation but an order.
***
Haejin let out a silent sigh. Lyle watched him almost as if glaring.
From the moment he got into the car, Haejin had done nothing but stare out the window. Around him drifted pheromones heavy with aversion. It was practically a deliberate display of emotion directed at Lyle.
His chest had felt tight for a while now, as if his lungs were clogged. Irritated, Lyle drew in a deep breath to point out the thick scent—
Then a sudden thought crossed his mind.
Had Haejin’s pheromones always been this strong?
The reason Haejin had been able to stay in the estate for so long in the first place was because his pheromones were innately faint. As a Recessive Omega who had manifested late, he seemed to produce very little. That was why, despite his poor control, he had never truly grated on Lyle’s nerves until now.
Confronted with that abruptly intensified presence, Lyle frowned. The moment he registered that something was off, he could no longer perceive it the way he used to. The scent seemed to grow denser by the second, threatening to fill his lungs.
The temperature had been dropping day by day as winter approached. Yet Haejin was wearing an old jacket.
Not only was it unsuitable for the season, it was clearly something Lyle would never provide—cheap, likely brought from before. Even the hem of his trousers was slightly short, exposing thin, pale ankles.
Slowly observing him while being encroached upon by that scent, Lyle’s expression hardened. It reminded him of the time he had shut the window—of that unmistakable streak of defiance.
Was this a protest? As if to declare he might as well have been kidnapped?
“Are you deliberately avoiding the clothes provided to you?”
Lyle knew well enough that there were reasons to feel dissatisfied. He had simply ignored them. But that vivid rejection now irritated him more than anything.
Startled by the sudden remark, Haejin turned from the window. Lyle was staring at him with clear displeasure.
It was the first time Lyle had ever criticized his clothing. Unexpected, but Haejin answered calmly. Unfortunately, he no longer had any reason to appease him.
“They’re not mine anyway.”
The wall between them was conveyed more clearly through his pheromones than through the words themselves. Already in a foul mood, Lyle’s expression sharpened instantly.
He recalled how Haejin had never even glanced at the compensation written in the contract. As if nothing Lyle gave had meaning.
“If they’re issued to you, they’re yours. What nonsense are you talking about. Are you putting on some pointless pride now?”
“…Pride. Hardly.”
At Lyle’s ridiculous accusation, a bitter smile slipped from Haejin’s lips. What pride could he possibly have left. All he had now was stubborn endurance. At the very least, the faint resolve not to collapse again in this estate and to walk out on his own two feet.
It wasn’t that Haejin wanted to dress like this. But ever since the day Lyle ignored the theft of a servant’s clothes, his wardrobe had gradually emptied. By this morning, even the thick garments appropriate for the season had disappeared.
Was this the consequence of ignoring the butler when he had approached with that careful smile? Or was this, too, permitted by Lyle?
“That’s exactly what pointless pride is. Wear what you’re given.”
Whether Lyle knew the circumstances or not, from Haejin’s perspective this was nothing but humiliating. Why should he be the one receiving blame here?
He had never expected that tattling would change anything. That was why he had never reported the ongoing breaches of contract. Even the time he had tried to speak and been thwarted had left him reluctant to try again.
Right now, he only wanted Lyle to stop talking. Reluctantly, Haejin stated the situation flatly.
“There was nothing suitable left in the wardrobe.”
Unaware of the reality, Lyle assumed once more that Haejin was simply rejecting him. It had only been recently that he had told the butler to personally refill Haejin’s room. In his understanding, what Haejin was saying made no sense. The idea of rebellion returned to the forefront of his thoughts.
Especially when Haejin was emitting such strong rejection pheromones.
“Why. Nothing left to sell this time?”
He didn’t bother hiding the mockery in his voice. After all, he had heard from the butler that Haejin had been selling off what was provided.
He had wondered how Haejin managed without living expenses. Now it almost felt like he had his answer. Even if food and shelter were covered, it must have been difficult without money in hand. Considering the pitiful balance in his account, he hadn’t been particularly capable even at that.
“What are you talking about.”
“I heard you sold the clothes that were issued before. Well, I can’t say I don’t understand. You must have had your reasons.”
“I’ve never done that.”
He had tried, briefly, to understand Haejin’s situation. But the indifferent face denying it irritated him. Unable to contain his frustration, Lyle pressed on.
“You’re being troublesome again with this pride. I’ll overlook it, so stop with the pathetic excuses.”
The moment the words left his mouth, Lyle clicked his tongue inwardly. It would have been better to keep ignoring him as before.
If Haejin showed a wounded expression now, the situation would only become more cumbersome. The mere idea of having to placate someone made him uncomfortable. He should never have included that clause in the contract allowing termination at any time.
Haejin’s gaze, which had been drifting back toward the window, shot straight at Lyle. But his face was so utterly empty it seemed capable of holding rainwater in its hollows.
Suddenly, the thirst Lyle had once felt on some other day washed over him. Unfamiliar and unwelcome, the sensation unsettled him. Instead of stepping back, he chose to provoke further. It would be better if Haejin got angry, he thought absently.
“Do you want to argue more?”
Watching Lyle’s inexplicable temper from earlier, Haejin fell into thought.
He had sensed it even when the butler had sent strange meals. Lyle clearly knew parts of his situation—that he hadn’t been eating properly, that his clothes were lacking.
But that was all. Even when Haejin spoke the truth, Lyle had no intention of listening.
It was natural that he would trust the butler, who had served him loyally for years, over Haejin. Haejin understood that.
Then who had made that butler treat him so cruelly?
He truly did not want to resent Lyle. Resentment was too large, too heavy a feeling for someone as thin as paper to carry.
So he wished instead that Lyle would remain thoroughly indifferent. That he would not provoke him. That he would simply let him go quietly.
For now, perhaps Lyle still wanted to keep him by his side because he was convenient. But he hoped that soon Lyle would realize he was no longer the same as before—no longer someone who would endure everything unconditionally.
That he would see he was not so convenient after all.
And that, naturally, the contract would come to an end.