The next day, Cherry was discharged from the hospital and returned home. The atmosphere inside the mansion was quieter than usual, as if everyone was recovering from the mess that happened the day before.
Akira sat on a single-seater sofa near the center of the room, his legs crossed casually, a table between him and the space where Cherry now stood like a helpless student in front of the principal. Guards were lounging around the mansion like it was a resting zone after battle, while J—dressed in his signature black suit and apron combo—was already back at his "housewife" duties in the kitchen.
Akira sighed, his sharp eyes fixed on Cherry. "Yuke told me you need rest, so rest properly. Also, everything is fine with you but you have stage one diabetes. So better try controlling before it's too late. It's not like you're a kid running after sweets and candies."
Cherry nodded quietly, fingers playing with the hem of his sleeve.
Suddenly, a loud yell echoed from the entrance. A man was screaming, struggling against the guards who were blocking his path. Akira frowned immediately.
Cherry's eyes widened in panic. "Let him in! He is my friend!" he called out, rushing over. The guards looked toward Akira for permission. With a single flick of his wrist, Akira gave the signal. The guards stepped aside.
"Are you okay, Jiyu?" Cherry asked, worried, as Jiyu entered, panting heavily.
"Ya," Jiyu said between breaths.
Cherry looked around nervously, then swallowed hard, his eyes flickering toward Akira's piercing glare. "What are you doing here?" he asked.
"I came to meet you. I heard you were hospitalized. I was so worried," Jiyu replied.
"Who told you?" Cherry asked, shocked.
"One of my friends... he goes to that hospital for regular checkups. He saw you there and told me."
Cherry sighed, lowering his gaze, then slowly turned his head toward Akira, who was now watching them both with crimson eyes darkened in warning. Still trembling, Cherry forced a smile and spoke a little too loudly, "Here, meet my husband, Jiyu."
Jiyu turned toward Akira—and froze.
Akira sat tall on the sofa, dressed in an elegant black suit, his skin pale like ivory, black hair slightly messy, eyes sharp and red as blood. Surrounded by suited guards, he looked nothing short of a king surrounded by his loyal army.
"Who?" Akira asked coldly, his tone so low it made the room colder.
Cherry stepped forward, nervously wringing his hands. "Actually, honey, he is my f—"
"Did I ask you?" Akira cut him off, not even sparing him a glance.
"N-no," Cherry mumbled, shrinking back.
Akira now shifted his gaze to Jiyu. "Hm?"
Jiyu was trembling now, sweat collecting on his temples. "M-my name is… what was my name… uhhh…"
Without a word, Akira reached into his coat and pulled out a pistol. Jiyu's eyes widened in terror.
"JiYU!" he yelped in fear, as if saying his name could save him.
Akira raised an eyebrow, then casually handed the gun to J, who received it like it was a precious treasure.
"J, clean this bad boy," Akira ordered.
J, beaming like a proud child, took it with both hands. "Yes, Boss."
Akira tilted his head at Jiyu. "So… you're his friend, huh?"
Jiyu was sweating through his shirt now. His heart thudded so loudly even Cherry could hear it. "Yyy…ess."
Cherry quickly jumped in, trying to change the subject. "Honey, can I take him inside the room? I'm tired and now my friend is here. I want to talk to him, please."
Akira waved his hand lazily, "Yeah, yeah. Go."
Inside the room, the atmosphere was completely different from the chaotic tension outside. As soon as Cherry and Jiyu stepped in, Cherry quickly closed the door behind them, hands trembling just a little. His back leaned against the doorframe, eyes on Jiyu.
Jiyu immediately collapsed onto the floor, panting heavily. His heart was racing, and sweat poured down his forehead like he had just survived a horror movie.
Cherry rushed toward him, startled. "Jiyu, are you ok?"
Jiyu looked up, breathless. "What was that?"
Without waiting for an answer, Cherry helped him up and guided him to the bed. Jiyu sat on the edge, trying to steady his breathing. Cherry sat beside him, brushing wet strands of hair off Jiyu's forehead.
"What the hell did you find a mafia to get marry, huh?" Jiyu asked, still trying to make sense of what just happened.
Cherry's lips pressed into a thin line. "But I didn't know it at first too. I thought he was a CEO of the company only… but turns out he… runs two businesses."
Meanwhile, outside the room, Akira sat comfortably in the living room, casually examining a new pistol in his hands. A dark grin tugged at his lips as he admired the craftsmanship.
"So if you kill an innocent person, then where do we live?" he asked aloud, like it was a philosophical debate.
One of the guards answered dutifully, "Jail."
Akira smirked. "Hmm… and who?"
K, another guard, chimed in with perfect timing, "Gun maybe."
Suddenly, laughter erupted from every corner of the room. The guards—men who had seen blood and death—laughed like maniacs.
Back inside the room, Jiyu clutched his shirt. "Why are they laughing?! Where did I come?! In hell?"
Cherry rolled his eyes. "Come on… and here I thought you were an alpha."
Jiyu's eyes widened in disbelief. "Excuse me! You didn't tell me your husband is this dangerous, huh?!"
Just then, the door creaked open again. J entered, wearing his apron and balancing a tray in his hands with two steaming cups of tea. Despite his towering build and the suit underneath the apron, he smiled gently.
"Here you go, Bosslady. Enjoy," he said, placing the tray on the bed.
"Ohh, thank you, J," Cherry replied sweetly.
Jiyu, however, could barely take his eyes off J. The man was massive—built like a tank—and Jiyu sat stiffly, his fingers curling around the tea cup like it might be his last.
Cherry hesitated, glancing sideways at J. "J… what happened to those people?"
"Ohh those? We burn them," J said in a sing-song tone, like he was talking about trash day. "You know, Bosslady, no evidence." He even winked playfully.
"Let me know if you need anything else," J added cheerfully as he turned to leave.
Jiyu sputtered violently, tea spilling down his chin as he coughed in horror. Cherry quickly rubbed his back, trying to calm him down.
As Jiyu wiped his mouth and turned to look away, his eyes landed on the far corner of the room.
There, quietly standing near the curtain, was a man. He was wearing a crisp white shirt and black pants—similar to the guards—but he had no coat on. His green eyes were calm, skin pale, and his smile… warm.
Jiyu blinked.
The man hadn't been there before.
Jiyu's cheeks turned slightly pink as his thoughts trailed off. Who is he? I didn't see him coming inside…
As the day drew to a quiet close, Jiyu stood by the main door, hand resting on the knob. Cherry approached, lowering his voice into a soft whisper only Jiyu could hear.
"I will meet you on xxx date at xxx place okay," he said with a glance over his shoulder, voice hushed and hesitant.
Jiyu nodded slightly, careful not to let any expression show on his face—at least not one that would draw attention from the man sitting not far behind them.
Before stepping out, Jiyu's eyes briefly flicked back into the room. Akira was lounging, fingers gliding across the screen of his phone, typing in his lock screen password. He looked composed as always—cold, unreadable, dangerous.
But it wasn't Akira alone who held Jiyu's attention.
Behind him… there stood someone else. Aki.
With pale skin, calm green eyes, and a serene smile, Aki's arms were draped gently around Akira's neck, holding him in a back-hug that only he could feel. His presence didn't belong to the realm of the living anymore, but in that moment—he was there, very real to Jiyu's eyes.
Aki looked straight at Jiyu and waved, smiling softly.
Jiyu blushed, eyes widening at the tender spirit before him. He quickly turned around and stepped out, heart thudding, cheeks still warm.
Inside, Akira finished unlocking his phone.
Aki tilted his head, voice filled with affectionate surprise. "You still use my birth date as your phone password, Akira… and ahh wow, that wallpaper picture… wait, it's when we went to the beach! Aww, I love that beach—and those days when I was alive with you."
Akira's voice dropped, a soft exhale escaping his lips. "Hmm… at that time I grip you. But now…"
His words hung like mist.
Aki, smiling, nuzzled closer. "Aww baby, you can grip me now too. Look, I am still with you."
He leaned in and gently kissed Akira on the cheek.
Akira smiled—a rare, fragile smile—his eyes closed, like he was holding onto the warmth of a memory.
No one else in the room could see what Akira saw. But they all noticed that brief, genuine smile on his face.
And even Cherry, standing silently in the corner… felt something in his chest soften.
He didn't understand why.
But somehow, they all liked seeing Akira smile.