143: 142 Lily of the valley…? Grayson, puzzled, looked into the box and noticed a card inside. He pulled it out and unfolded it. The words written by Koi caught his eye. Grayson slowly traced the letters with his gaze. "Does it smell really good? I heard that perfumers try so hard to mimic this scent, but they just can't seem to capture the fragrance of nature. I was recommended a few perfumes with similar scents, but none of them seemed close to this one. So, I asked for fresh flowers instead." The message continued. "Lily of the valley is poisonous. It's amazing, isn't it? Such a lovely scent, yet it holds poison. They say it signifies future happiness, but does that mean pain is also necessary to find happiness? Here in France, they say lily of the valley symbolizes love and luck. That made me think of you. Like the meaning of this flower, happiness will surely come to you." PS) Lily of the valley is poisonous, so be careful, but it doesn't affect people with your constitution, so you can safely enjoy the fragrance." The message ended there. Grayson set the card on the table and brought the box to his nose. Inhaling deeply, he was enveloped in the indescribably rich scent. It was as fresh and crisp as the scent of grass, with a subtle sweetness hidden within. Grayson, enjoying the fragrance, buried his nose in the flowers and took several deep breaths. "Cute," Suddenly, Dein's words echoed in his mind. The pleasant feeling quickly shifted to discomfort. He had casually dropped a meaningful comment, but Dein's reaction was neither angry, nor shocked, nor did he accept it with any semblance of agreement. Of course, Grayson knew the last option made no sense, but still, Dein's response had been completely unexpected. What did that mean? Grayson stared down at the flowers. Such a pure and delicate flower, yet it held poison. A flower with a fragrant scent, but hidden within it was a deadly toxin. And its meaning? "Happiness that will come someday." "You won't understand my words now." Ashley's face, as he looked at Grayson, came to mind. "You'll want to deny it, saying it will never happen." He spoke with conviction, unwavering as he looked directly at his son. "But if you truly love Dein, even more so, it will definitely happen. Remember my words when that time comes." Ashley had added one final comment. "It's better to see him alive than to kill him and follow him." Why had he said that? Grayson sank into deep thought. To his surprise, Ashley had even patted his shoulder a couple of times, as if telling him to cheer up. What was that about? It was all so confusing. Normally, Grayson would accept his father's words without any doubt, but this time, it was different. What is he talking about? Is he crazy? Grayson seriously thought that Ashley Miller had become addicted to pheromones. The fact that part of his brain had malfunctioned was something the whole family knew. So it wasn't entirely out of the realm of possibility. "Why would I kill Dein? That's nonsense." Grayson muttered irritably and took another whiff of the flower's scent. The strong fragrance immediately calmed his mind. Maybe he should tell Daddy, suggesting that Papa should get a brain scan since he was acting strangely. "If you think you're going to hurt him, then let him go." "Ugh." Grayson clicked his tongue and dismissed the thought. It was just nonsense anyway. He took the box to his bed and scattered the flowers on the mattress. Surrounded by the scent of lily of the valley, he soon fell into a peaceful sleep. "Dammit, the hose is too short! Unwind it more, more!" At Dein's shout, Diandre rushed over and pulled the hose from where it had been coiled beside the car. As Dein raised the hose and started spraying water, Grayson hurried over to him. "Should I do it?" "Move, I'll handle it. You should go check with Wilkins if he needs anything." Grayson, unable to keep his eyes off the fire, reluctantly turned and went to find Wilkins. Wilkins glanced around and then pointed in one direction. "Maybe there are still some embers over there. Go check, don't forget the fire extinguisher." Carrying the fire extinguisher as instructed, Grayson quickly ran in the direction Wilkins had indicated. The fire, which had started in the morning, showed no signs of dying down even by late afternoon. The house, standing alone on the outskirts, had been inhabited by an elderly man. Setting a fire to burn trash was something the man had done countless times, but today, his luck had run out. The flames had spread quickly to dry wood, turning into a massive inferno. By the time the fire trucks arrived, the entire area had already become an inferno. They quickly scattered, spraying water to prevent the fire from spreading into a wildfire. Luckily, their efforts, combined with some good luck, meant the fire was slowly being extinguished, although it had taken quite a bit of time. "Phew." Grayson exhaled and wiped his forehead with his arm before pausing. He had just noticed the sleeves of his shirt were blackened with dust and ash. He could already imagine what his face must look like without needing to check. Ah, damn it. He muttered under his breath and scanned the area. There were no more visible embers, but following Dein's instructions, he sprayed the fire extinguisher around to prevent any possible re-ignition. Should be good now? After checking the soaked ground and the charred trees, he backed away and returned to his position. Throughout the process, he kept scanning his surroundings to make sure everything was in order. Not bad, huh? He secretly felt a bit of pride rising in him. It wasn't a big deal after all; he was pretty good at this, even if it was just fire-fighting. He hummed a little tune and was about to jog back to Dein when his eyes met those of an elderly man sitting on the ground, staring at him. With a vacant look in his eyes, Grayson felt confused. There was only one person who could sit like that, doing nothing amidst all this chaos. The owner of the house. Or rather, the man who used to own it. Now, his house was no longer standing. The once towering blackened wooden frame of the house continued to burn fiercely. Grayson, who had seen this kind of expression many times at fire scenes, didn't think much of it. He was about to turn and go, but suddenly, he saw the man stagger to his feet, walking towards the remaining flames. No one else seemed to notice, as they were all busy with the fire. Only Grayson saw him. …Ah. Grayson turned his attention back to where Dein was. There was no reason to hesitate. The man's intentions were clear, and there was no reason to stop him. But. Grayson, unusually, hesitated. What would Dein do in this situation…? Surprisingly, Grayson thought of something he had never considered before. Then, the next course of action became clear. "No, stop!" Grayson shouted and grabbed the man's shoulder. The sudden movement caused the man to stagger, almost falling backward. He quickly regained his balance and, once he was steady, immediately showed his anger toward Grayson. "You bastard…!" Shouting, the man swung his fists at Grayson, who quickly dodged. It was absurd. He had only stopped the man from killing himself, yet the man was now attacking him. That wasn't the end of it. The man, eyes bloodshot, kept swinging his fists wildly, shouting at Grayson. "You were laughing earlier, huh? You think it's funny? My whole life's savings are burning, and you find that funny? Damn you, die, just die…!" The man continued to scream and thrash around. Grayson regretted his actions, but it was already too late. The others, preoccupied with putting out the fire, hadn't noticed the situation. Then, the man spotted an axe left beside a fire truck. Seeing the man reaching for the axe, Grayson instinctively kicked him in the stomach. "Ugh!" The man cried out in pain as he collapsed. Grayson quickly rushed over and kicked the man in the head to ensure he wouldn't get up again. As he grabbed the man's collar to drag him away, Diandre shouted in panic. "Miller!" Diandre, looking frantic, quickly grabbed the man from Grayson and laid him down on the ground. "Stay with him, hey! Someone, help!" The others, who had only just realized what was happening, rushed over in surprise. "What's going on? What happened?" "There's an injured person! Hurry!" "Bring the bandages!" "We need a stretcher, hurry! This way!" Amidst the flurry of activity from the emergency medical team, Grayson stood there, still stunned, unable to comprehend what had just happened. 144: 143 "What happened here?" Wilkins, who had noticed the commotion, came running belatedly. Looking alternately at the man lying down and the paramedics, DeAndre hesitantly opened his mouth. "Uh, well, that is…" As he hesitated about whether he should say what he had seen, suddenly another guy stepped forward and shouted. "Miller hit that person!" Following that, other guys came out one by one to support him. "That's right, I saw it too! Miller kicking that person!" "He was down and he kicked him with his foot, in the head." "That man is the owner of this house. I saw him sitting there blankly until just now, so why would he be here like this? Miller must have done something!" "No, wait. Okay, I got it. Whoa, calm down." Wilkins showed his palms and soothed the clamoring team members. And he soon turned his head to Greyson, who was standing blankly behind them, and asked. "Why did you do that? What happened?" Ha, Greyson let out an incredulous sigh and then spoke. "That man was trying to go into the fire…" He had only said that much when jeers and shouts immediately burst out. "So, were you trying to help again?" "I thought I was wrong about you, but you were that kind of guy after all!" "Crazy bastard, I'm the crazy one for trusting you!" Seeing the guys shouting and even swinging their fists, Greyson just found everything tiresome. "Ah, how annoying…" Repeating the same words Dane usually had on his lips, he shook his head. Seeing this, the team members became even angrier and started screaming. "What? Annoying? Someone died and that's what you have to say?" "Crazy bastard, you're crazy!" "It's shameful that someone like you is a fellow firefighter…" Ignoring the pouring criticism, Greyson just turned around and walked away. Through the guys who continued shouting, Wilkins's cry could be heard. "Come on, stop it and let's finish the remaining work first. Are you going to stay here forever? We need to clean up and go home! Come on, move! Hurry!" The team members had no choice but to scatter as instructed, though they continued grumbling. Thanks to this, the noise at least subsided. Greyson picked up a plastic bottle from the fire truck, opened the cap, threw it away, and gulped down the water. Only after emptying the entire bottle at once did he seem to come to his senses. Looking up at the sun obscured by the flames, he suddenly thought. Ah, I want to kiss Dane. * * * After barely extinguishing the remaining fire completely and coming to his senses, Dane organized the hose and only then looked around. The man who always hovered around wasn't visible. With that build, it doesn't make sense that he's not noticeable. After securing the hose and wandering around looking, Dane found DeAndre and spoke to him. "Haven't you seen Greyson?" "Who?" To him, who didn't readily understand, Dane said again. "Greyson Miller." "Ah, Miller? Ah…" The second exclamation sounded unclear. When Dane frowned, DeAndre, who had been hesitating, reluctantly began to speak. "There was an accident. Over there, well…" "That bastard is really trash." Suddenly another guy stepped forward and spat out curses. Dane looked alternately at him and DeAndre with a still frowning face. * * * Greyson was sitting at a distance, just looking at the ground. Quite some time seemed to have passed. Was the fire extinguishing all finished? By now Dane must have heard the story too, right? It was obvious what reaction Dane would show. He would curse at me and get angry again. Fuck, just as he was cursing lowly and scratching the back of his head roughly, someone's shadow suddenly entered the edge of his vision. Greyson, who raised his head, hesitated and blinked. A tall man was standing upright, looking down at him. A tense silence circulated for a brief moment. Seeing Dane open his mouth, Greyson anticipated what was next. He's definitely going to curse at me… "What happened?" Dane suddenly threw out a question. …Huh? Greyson thought his ears were wrong. Did he curse at me but my ears arbitrarily created different words? Of course, that didn't make sense. As proof, Dane wasn't angry at all. With the same indifferent expression as usual, he was just looking down at Greyson. As if he genuinely wanted to hear his words. Greyson, who had been staring blankly up at him, opened his mouth a beat late. "…Didn't you hear?" "I'm asking what happened." Dane repeated the same words again. There was no way he hadn't heard. Surely the team members would have chattered about everything in detail. They would have excitedly talked as if what they saw was everything. And they would have certainly repeated the same criticism they had poured on Greyson earlier. But, surely that must have happened. But Dane was still standing in front of Greyson. Asking what happened and waiting for an answer. Greyson, who had been looking up at him, slowly moved his lips. "…That man, suddenly tried to go into the fire." "And then." "I thought about just leaving him alone… but I wondered what Dane would do." Dane's eyes wavered for a moment. "…You thought about what I would do?" At the quiet question, Greyson nodded. "I thought you would stop that person. So I grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back, but that man suddenly got angry and came at me…" Dane waited without rushing the next words. Greyson, who had been observing his expression, continued. "He was trying to hit me and then saw the axe and lunged for it, so since it was dangerous for him to grab that, I kicked him to stop him." The confession was over. When Greyson's voice, which had been flowing calmly until then, disappeared, silence came again. Dane was still just looking at him. Greyson, who had been silently waiting for a reaction, moved his lips. "Did I, do wrong again?" His voice was no different from before. An indifferent voice as if nothing had happened. But Dane could see it. That Greyson was trembling finely. Dane's eyebrows contorted. Seeing his mouth corners slowly rise along with that, Greyson was momentarily confused. What was that expression? Was he laughing, getting angry, or wanting to cry? To him, who was confused, Dane reached out his hand. Placing his hand on the head of Greyson, who was just watching, he gently opened his mouth. "No, you did well." The hand stroking his head was incomparably affectionate. At that moment, the anxiety and despair that had completely occupied Greyson's insides disappeared all at once. "Re-really?" At the surprised voice, Dane smiled and nodded. "Yeah, you did very well. So don't worry." Following that, he moved the hand that had been stroking his head to in front of Greyson. "Let's go, we need to tell those idiots the truth." But Greyson couldn't readily take his hand. Looking alternately at the hand placed in front of him and Dane's face, he still asked half-doubtingly. "…Do you, believe me?" "Yeah." To the hesitant question, Dane answered without hesitation. Following that, he simply provided his reasoning. "If it's the you I know, you definitely wouldn't have just hit that man. That man must have given you some excuse, so you could beat him up to your heart's content." "Right." Greyson's face gradually brightened. "Yeah, you're right. I never hit first. This was self-defense!" "If he was trying to swing an axe, it's definitely self-defense." "Right?" Dane is taking my side. He's saying everything I said is right! Unable to contain his excitement, Greyson's cheeks flushed red. At the same time, his ears flapped rapidly. Seeing this, Dane smiled and extended his hand again. Only then did Greyson firmly grasp his hand and stand up in one motion. "You said I would have stopped that man, but that's wrong." Dane said to Greyson, who was facing him. When Greyson hesitated and looked down at him, he added nonchalantly. "If it were me, I would have kicked the axe instead of hitting that man then. And I would have secured witnesses before hitting him. If you just hit him and get caught wrongly, this is what happens." Following that, he looked at Greyson with a face full of laughter. "Now you just have the annoying task of being called to committees. Too bad." Dane's face was full of mischief. He was like a child teasing while watching a troublemaking classmate get in trouble. Seeing that expression, Greyson also relaxed and laughed. "Nathaniel will handle the lawsuit. I'm a Miller." Confirming that he had returned to his usual self, Dane lightly patted Greyson's back and moved first. Following behind, Dane, who had gone ahead toward their colleagues, shouted loudly to call them. "Hey, you bastards. You guys are babbling without properly finding out anything…" At Dane's shout, the guys who had almost finished cleaning up and were preparing to return stopped moving in puzzlement. Greyson watched as Dane ran lightly and approached them to say something, walking slowly. …Huh. Something seemed to stir inside his chest. A feeling like a warm flower blooming inside his chest. His mind became hazy with the feeling of that flower spreading throughout his body. It's Dane. Greyson named that flower he was feeling for the first time. This is Dane. "Come over here, Greyson. These idiots want to apologize." Just then Dane looked back at him and shouted. Flowers bloomed on both of Greyson's cheeks too. With his flushed face, Greyson nodded. His face as he ran toward Dane was brightly smiling. 145: 144 "Wow, today was incredible too." After finishing work and taking off his dirty clothes, one guy let out a "whew" sigh. Since they had responded to calls again today without fail, everyone was a mess. As they were hurriedly taking off clothes and going to wash, thinking about quickly finishing their showers and going home, DeAndre among them hesitated and looked at Dane. "Dane, are you washing here today?" At those words, Dane, who had been about to take off his t-shirt, hesitated. Everyone's attention focused on him. "Why, what's up?" "What, what about Dane?" Through the guys who were obtusely sticking their faces forward, DeAndre said. "I mean Dane, you've been going home without washing here for a while recently. But not today? Are you washing here again now?" The latter words were directed at Dane. As Dane slowly released his grip on his shirt hem, the other guys nodded and exchanged words on their own. "Come to think of it, that's right. That was strange too." "Dane used to wash really thoroughly everywhere because of his cat." "Right, Darling was it? In case that cat drank the remaining ash or something." "Why didn't you wash and just went home during that time?" "I don't know either. Dane, why did you do that?" At the unwelcome attention, Dane quietly closed his cabinet door. Putting only his wallet in his pocket and trying to just leave, DeAndre asked again from behind Dane. "What? You're just leaving again?" "Weren't you going to wash here today?" "Dane, where are you going? Dane!" Following that, other guys joined in too. Dane stopped walking and looked back. At everyone's puzzled stares, he said with his usual expressionless face. "Mind your own business." At his retreating figure as he turned and left, the remaining guys could only tilt their heads in puzzlement. Meanwhile, Dane's heart, as he walked toward his car with large strides as usual, was beating madly unlike his calm exterior appearance. Damn it, because of that bastard. Small bruises still remained here and there on his chest. The previous stinging pain and discomfort had long since disappeared, but these damn bruises lasted so long they just wouldn't go away. It was absolutely not something you could call a rough one-night stand. Who in the world would mess up a one-night partner's chest like this? Thanks to this, he had continued not washing and going home to shower at home until now. Fortunately, the large house had many bathrooms too, so he could shake off all the dust and ash before entering his room to meet Darling. He had to reluctantly go home with his dirty body for a while like that, but now it was roughly to the point where he could make excuses. So he had tried to shower and go home like before, but it was ruined because of the obtuse DeAndre. "Haa." He shook his head with a sigh. Today was the day Greyson was dragged to the committee, so he had some leisure time. When public opinion was easily reversed by Dane's explanation at the time, Greyson was quite surprised. At that reaction, Dane chuckled and said this. Immediately Greyson frowned. At the expression that said 'It's definitely not a diligent image,' Dane gave him the answer. Greyson was dumbfounded, but there were good things that came from that incident too. When Dane's house burned down and he had nowhere to go, Greyson provided a temporary place to live, and the colleagues once again highly evaluated Greyson. Along with vows to never judge so rashly again, their commuting together also became natural. Thanks to this, Greyson's words about them being lovers ended up as just a simple joke. The constraint of 3 hours a day had also somehow fizzled out because Greyson was keeping his promises quite well. Instead, texts continued to come endlessly. This time too, after sending a single period, Dane headed to the outdoor shower as usual as soon as he arrived home. The shower installed next to the swimming pool was a facility designed to quickly wash the body and swim immediately, but Dane was using it for a different purpose. "Huh?" After washing his body thoroughly as usual and throwing his dirty clothes into the laundry basket placed to one side, he came outside and hesitated. At some distance, a dog was standing blankly looking at Dane. What…? After being puzzled for a moment, he suddenly realized with an "ah." "Alex?" When he called the name, the dog perked up its ears and reacted. As expected. He had only known of the dog's existence while living here but had never actually seen it, so he couldn't remember immediately. "So you're Alex, hello." That dog, which must have been quite fierce at one time befitting the name of a guard dog, was now quite docile, perhaps due to age. Of course, that just meant it wasn't baring its teeth and showing hostility, but seeing the dog clearly standing at a distance and being wary, Dane somehow wanted to become friends with it. Let's see, what might there be? Since he was keeping a dog, there must be treats or toys too. The problem was where in this large house those things might be. Dane hurriedly turned around and went into the house. He first found Darling and gave her a kiss to show he was back, then took care of her food and water before coming back outside. The place he immediately headed to was Greyson's room. He thought there might be toys left somewhere in the room, but in the interior that was cleanly cleaned without a speck of dust, not even anything similar could be seen. Not even a frisbee… Hmm, as he was stroking his chin, he suddenly saw something sitting alone on a decorative shelf to one side. "Oh." Dane, who let out an audible exclamation, readily headed in that direction. As expected, he wasn't wrong. It was a can of dog treats that Dane had given to Greyson at some point. What? Did he forget to give it? Anyway, it worked out well. Thinking he should give this instead of a toy, Dane lightly threw it in the air and caught it again with his hand. When he went out whistling, fortunately Alex was still in that spot. "Here, here, here." Making clicking sounds with his tongue, he crouched down and lured Alex. To Alex, who was standing blankly in the same spot as if wary, Dane brought the hand he had hidden behind his back forward and shook it lightly. He could see Alex flinch when he spotted the can. Dane smiled mysteriously and slowly opened the can. The moment the lid separated with a "pop" sound, Alex ran toward Dane with surprising speed. * * * "Boobs, boobs. Boobs, boobs." Greyson sang excitedly while tapping the steering wheel to the beat. "Booooooobs!" After hitting the steering wheel with a "bang," he smiled contentedly and continued humming the music. The reason he was so excited even while returning home after attending the committee was only one thing. Because Dane would definitely be waiting when he got home. As soon as he got back, he should bury his face in Venus and receive comfort. Since Dane sent a period earlier, that means it's okay. Of course! "Booooooobs!" After repeating the chorus once more, he smiled contentedly at the sight of the mansion that came into view. He skillfully cornered and parked the car, then readily came outside. By now Dane would be in his room with Darling… "Huh." He who was about to enter the house immediately stopped walking for a moment. Unexpectedly, Dane was outside by the swimming pool. If he had been thinking of swimming, he would have worn a swimsuit or shorts, but he was wearing his usual old training clothes and a stretched-out shabby tshirt. While tilting his head but happily moving his steps, Greyson then discovered the dog in front of Dane. Ah, Alex. Only then did he seem to understand the situation. Since Dane loved any kind of animal, it was only natural for him to take interest upon seeing a dog. Smiling and approaching with light steps, Greyson was just about to open his mouth. Just as he was about to call out "Dane," he froze in place. * * * Dane watched with a gentle smile as the old dog busily ate treats in front of him. Despite its fierce appearance, seeing it wag its tail after being won over by the treat can made it seem even cuter. As he gently stroked its head, he suddenly thought. Now only a week remains… Three months had passed faster than expected. Since incidents had erupted daily during that time, it was even more understandable to feel that way. Anyway, there weren't many days left now. After mulling over past events one by one, he moved his hand that had stopped. As he was lost in deep thought, he suddenly felt a presence. When he turned his head, he saw a familiar face at a distance of a few steps. "Uh…" Just as he was about to ask "You're back?", Greyson trembled all over with a pale face. Surprised by the unexpected reaction, Dane stood up. "What's…" "Aaaaaaaaaahhhhh!" Greyson, who had turned pale, grabbed his head with both hands and let out a horrified scream.