Desire Me If You Can-Chapter 82

Damn bastard.

He had finished two cans of beer, but the anger inside him still boiled. "Rights?" Where the hell is he getting that nonsense from? He’s never even known what responsibility is...

Meow, Darling made a small sound. Dein realized that, in his anger, he had released pheromones and quickly contained the scent. As the pheromone scent faded, the cat seemed to relax again, resting its head on its front paws.

Holding a beer can in one hand, Dein walked over to the cat tower. The cat was his only real source of comfort. Gently petting Darling's head, the cat looked up, flipped over, and began licking his hand, rubbing its head, and tapping at it with its paws. Watching Darling play with his hand lifted his mood.

He softened his lips into a smile, and just then, the sound of his phone ringing reached his ears. Checking the caller ID, he quickly pressed the call button. Immediately, a voice came from the other side.

"Dein, are you back? I went to the hospital, and they said you took Darling with you. I wanted to call earlier, but I didn't have the chance. I'm sorry for contacting you so late..."

"It's okay, don’t worry about it."

Dein swept his hair back and added,

"Thanks for taking care of Darling while I was gone, Yeonwoo."

"No, thank you for trusting me and leaving Darling with me."

Yeonwoo spoke with his usual kind tone.

"Feel free to contact me anytime. I’ll be happy to help in any way I can..."

"Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind."

I hope something like this never happens again.

Dein briefly said goodbye and hung up the phone. When he thought about why he had even come this far, the reason was clear. After all, the request had failed, so he needed to think about that too. Returning the compensation, among other things...

"Health checkup fees..."

Dein muttered absently as he stood still, then irritably pressed his forehead. Damn it, why did the money I had saved for that damn cat tower match up perfectly with this?

No, even if I had that money, I still wouldn’t have been able to get the health checkup.

Considering the wait time, it could take years. Anyway, as long as I return the money, I haven’t lost anything.

Every time I see that damn cat tower, my mood is ruined, but Darling won’t care about it.

He concluded, as always, rationally. Though his mood was anything but good.

Later:

Why did I do something so pathetic?

Grayson, deeply sunk into the sofa, recalled the thoughts he had mulled over during his return home.

Rights, do I have such things? Even if I did, have I ever cared about them?

Dein’s words weren’t wrong. It’s his body, his choice. However, from Grayson’s perspective, it was something that had happened without his consent, and if he pointed that out, Dein would probably have accepted it.

But a child?

What if a child really came, and Dein said he would keep it? Would I be willing to take responsibility? Why would I talk about rights? What if Dein said he would have the child but not raise it? Would I say I’d raise the child alone?

Why did the conversation even go that far?

Dein had taken the post-pill in front of Grayson. That made his intentions clear, and the conversation should have ended there. But now, out of nowhere, Grayson brings up that discussion again? It’s no wonder that Dein would be shocked.

...But.

Even so, Grayson still couldn’t wrap his mind around it. Why did Dein show such intense disgust? If he was rejecting it that much, maybe there was something in his past...

"Family..."

Grayson muttered the word softly. He wanted to know more about Dein. But there was no way or reason to do so. What was he even thinking? Why bother?

They weren’t even close anymore.

"Why are you being so clingy? You said you don’t sleep with someone more than once?"

"Hah."

A sigh escaped him, and Grayson covered his face with one hand. He had said that phrase countless times before. He had mocked and ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) manipulated omegas who begged for a second chance, laughing at their desperation. It had always been a normal part of his life...

Do I just want to sleep with that man again?

Grayson furrowed his brow, falling into deep thought. He couldn’t find an answer until late that night.

The Next Morning:

Grayson, who had never felt tired after partying all night or rolling around with several people, was experiencing it for the first time. When he looked at his reflection in the morning mirror, he saw a weary face that didn’t even look like his own. He involuntarily turned around and, realizing, thought, "Oh, that's my face."

"...Hah."

He rubbed his face with one hand, letting out a deep sigh.

And now, to go to work.

For the first time, Grayson felt the true meaning of the phrase "the woes of an office worker." Having to go to work in such a state was absurd. Luckily, he was not like the average person. A single phone call to his boss would get him the day off. But after a moment’s hesitation, he gave up and headed to the shower. He didn’t want to face Dein, but he also had a contradictory feeling of wanting to see him. He prepared himself more slowly than usual, moving sluggishly.

At Work:

As Grayson forced his tired body to go to work, the atmosphere in the office seemed strangely unsettled. Scanning the employees who were gathered in small groups, he was spotted by Valentina, who greeted him.

"Grayson, hey! ...Today’s a bit different."

She greeted him warmly but gave him a strange look as she briefly scanned him up and down. When her gaze returned to his face, she was smiling as usual, but Grayson could clearly see the brief expression of confusion that passed over her face.

After all, his neatly combed hair was now hanging messily, and the clean-shaven face he always had was now covered with stubble. He hadn’t shaved before coming to work. Plus, the cheerful greetings he usually gave were replaced with a tired expression, and he only waved his hand lazily.

"I’m just too lazy. By the way, what’s going on? The atmosphere feels weird."

"Ah, about that."

Valentina glanced over her shoulder and then spoke with a worried expression.

"Ezra's wife has cancer. It was confirmed during the recent test, and it seems pretty serious. The treatment costs are outrageous, I heard it could cost tens of thousands of dollars... Everyone's really worried."

"That's unfortunate."

Actually, Grayson didn’t care, but he acted according to habit. At that moment, he saw Dein standing with the others around Ezra, patting Ezra on the shoulder. Grayson involuntarily furrowed his brows.

Luckily, Valentina misinterpreted his reaction. Following his gaze, she saw Dein comforting Ezra and, assuming something, thought,

"He must be really worried about Ezra. They've been getting closer lately."

She then shared another piece of information.

"That’s why the boss suggested we hold a charity party. We’ll raise money to give to Ezra. You’re coming, right?"

"What? Ah..."

Grayson hadn’t heard much of what Valentina said, his mind fixated on Dein. The only things he barely caught were "party" and "you’ll come, right?"

"Are all of us going?" he asked cautiously.

"Yeah, of course. Only the staff on duty won’t be attending."

"...I see."

Grayson muttered to himself, still keeping his gaze fixed on Dein.

"I’ll go if I can make it."

He added, internally, "If I confirm whether Dein’s on duty."

With a smile, Valentina said, "Alright, see you later."

She left to rejoin the others.

Grayson’s understanding of the party’s purpose became clearer when he headed to the office to check the exact date and his duty schedule.