SPW 32

“And.”

Florian hesitated for a moment. No matter how he tried to package the next question, it was rude and senseless. Nevertheless, Florian judged it was something he absolutely had to address.

“There are rumors that you may have had an inappropriate relationship with your adoptive father. Do you have anything to say in rebuttal?”

The bastard in the dream clearly misunderstood Sarang. A poorly founded conviction arose that perhaps that suspicion was the very starting point.

If Florian had come to know Sarang without having had the dreams, he would have had doubts about his relationship with Colin, just as in the dream. And instead of asking Sarang directly as he was now, he would have had him investigated and only nurtured his suspicion.

The fact that he could analyze the dream bastard’s behavior was itself unpleasant, but it wasn’t an action that fell completely outside the scope of Florian’s own personality.

“Sarang, you can answer the question, or you don’t have to.”

“…”

Sarang was just bewildered by Florian’s unfamiliar attitude, which had always been clear and straightforward.

I can answer any question Florian asks.

Of course, that thought was mercilessly shattered in less than a second, like a bowl kicked and broken.

“Sarang, were you in an inappropriate relationship with Colin?”

At that question, Sarang kicked off the blanket, jumped out of bed, came to a sudden halt, pulled out the IV needle that was holding him, and left the bedroom. His movements were like a flash of lightning, as befitting an athlete. Florian, who hadn’t anticipated such a reaction, looked quite perplexed.

So that’s how he gets angry.

Getting angry was not a bad sign. It meant there was a higher possibility that he had thrown a bullshit question at him.

Left alone in the bedroom, Florian, who was looking down at the spot Sarang had exited, glanced up.

“Where’s the patient?”

“Didn’t you just see him?”

“Yes, he ran out like an angry leopard.”

“…He seems to be physically fine, right?”

“Boss, if you bully a kid, you’ll be arrested for child abuse.”

“If Sarang reports me, I’ll just have to get arrested. What can I do?”

“It seems like you’re giving him special treatment.”

“Doctor, isn’t this considered special treatment?”

“There has to be heart in it, heart.”

“Do you think I’m doing this for fun?”

“…At least you don’t seem serious.”

“Well, that’s a shame.”

Florian, raising the corners of his mouth slightly, moved aside for the staff who entered to clean. He offered the doctor a seat on the reception room sofa that he had followed him to.

“The results?”

The doctor, handing over the report he was holding in response to Florian’s question as he perched on the desk, sat down on the sofa.

“He’s healthy. His pheromones are normal, his cycle is also regular, and no mutant traits are noticeable. Above all, his compatibility match with you, Boss, is a whopping 92%.”

Florian, flipping through the documents, chuckled.

“Whose commission are you on this time? Dietrich’s? Wellington’s?”

“Princess Eritta’s.”

Eritta was the cousin of Duke Dietrich, who was currently on life support with a ventilator in the intensive care unit. Having been widowed early and enjoying a carefree life for 50 years without children, she was also Florian’s godmother. It was obvious that Eritta, who was as deeply interested in Florian’s love life as the royal family, would have pestered the people around him through various channels.

“I will contact my godmother separately.”

“Thank you, Boss.”

Bailey, who came in just then, exchanged a brief nod with the doctor. The doctor, who was about to get up and leave, happened to catch a lucky glimpse of the report in Bailey’s hand and sat back down.

“This is the list of partners, Boss.”

“Isn’t it the same as last time?”

“To prevent any mishaps in advance, I investigated more thoroughly this time.”

“What’s bound to happen will happen one way or another.”

Florian lowered his golden eyelids as he opened the list Bailey handed him.

“It’s better than not preparing. I’ll take this person.”

Florian’s decision was swift, having only checked the profile on the first page without even looking at the back. It was a stark contrast to how he had searched for Kim Sarang as soon as he woke up from his coma after the bombing.

“Boss, are you really planning to take the long way around when there’s a shortcut?”

No one questioned the doctor for his impudent interruption without permission.

“You have a dominant alpha with a 92% match rate by your side, Boss, and what’s more, that alpha becomes an adult this May. It’s a time that coincides exactly with your rut.”

“Doctor.”

At the low voice, the doctor, far from being intimidated, simply met his gaze defiantly. Most of the people who followed him from the field were like that. It meant they wore their guts on the outside.

“Didn’t you see the kid crying?”

“I did. You made him cry, Boss.”

“The kid’s soft, downy hair?”

“That’s evidence that he’s a genetically superior alpha.”

“I’m Sarang’s guardian, not some rut partner.”

“…Don’t tell me you were serious about that?”

The doctor, feigning exaggerated surprise, shrugged at Bailey’s pathetic look.

“Kim Sarang will also have to find a rut partner after May. For an athlete who has just made his professional debut, suppressants are a big financial burden, and above all, since he’s now an adult, there will be a limit to what suppressants can do. Especially for a professional whose career is directly linked to managing his condition. That’s why professional athletes get married early.”

“And they cause quite a few knotting scandals, too.”

Florian, glancing at Bailey who had added a comment from the side, let out a smirk.

“So what were those gangster bastards planning to do with the kid?”

The doctor, sensing the conversation was gradually getting serious, quietly got up and slipped out.

“They probably intended to either record a video of him knotting an omega to blackmail you, Boss, sell it to the media, bet on Mr. Sarang becoming a star in the future, or use him as a male prostitute.”

“They’re trash.”

Bailey, cautiously observing the quite angry-looking Florian, was inwardly puzzled. It wasn’t clear whether he was angry at those backwoods gangsters, or at himself for making the just-recovered Sarang storm out of the bedroom.

“You didn’t give Sarang suppressants?”

“Of course I did. And there’s no way Mr. Sarang would go out without taking his suppressants. The effect just wore off early.”

The reason was simple.

“Because he’ll be an adult soon. The doctor is right. Because Mr. Sarang’s traits are superior, there will be a limit to what suppressants alone can do.”

Florian put down the report.

“Bailey.”

“Yes, Boss.”

“Weren’t you displeased with Sarang?”

“You’re not one to care about such things, are you, Boss?”

“And yet you’ve always shown your dislike for partners you didn’t approve of.”

“Please consider it my duty as your chief secretary and butler, Boss.”

“So what makes Sarang different, to you, Bailey?”

“What’s different is that he’s someone you’re investing a great deal of effort in and cherish.”

“…Is that how it looks?”

“Isn’t it?”

Florian, who had been having a Zen-like conversation, looked at the door leading to the bedroom. There was a sound of movement from inside the bedroom.

“Sarang will become independent from me when he turns twenty-five.”

Bailey didn’t get a chance to ask why twenty-five of all ages. Because Florian was heading to the bedroom.

Sarang, who had returned on his own two feet to the bedroom he had stormed out of, paused when he found the room empty. Florian’s question was so bewildering, and it was upsetting and angering to be asked such a question even by Florian, but he didn’t know how to react, so he just ran out blindly.

Where did he go? Is he angry? But…

“I’m right here, Sarang.”

Sarang, who was standing blankly with a sullen face, lifted his head. Florian, who had appeared in front of him at some point, was smiling faintly.

“My question was very rude, wasn’t it? You must have been offended. I fully understand, Sarang.”

“…You’re not angry?”

“Why do you think that? The one who should be angry was you, Sarang.”

Sarang, letting Florian lead him to sit on the edge of the bed, didn’t even notice that the bedroom had been cleaned up in the meantime.

“I was wondering how I should apologize to you, Sarang. Thank you for coming back first.”

“Rian…”

“Yes, Sarang.”

At the usual response, Sarang, feeling his anxiety lessen, mustered his courage.

“Why did you ask me directly?”

It was an unexpected question. Florian, who had been caught off guard, let his expression falter for a moment before it returned to normal.

“You could have investigated me behind my back, or asked around, so why did you ask me directly?”

His dark, clear eyes were moist. Looking into those limpid eyes, he couldn’t fathom what kind of answer he wanted. In times like these, it was best to be honest.

“Because I wanted to hear it directly from you, Sarang.”

“…”

“Stories heard through others are bound to get distorted. I wanted to ask you directly, Sarang.”

Sarang’s lips, after he wiped away a falling tear with his sleeve, were red. It seemed he had bitten them quite a bit while cooling his head somewhere.

“I didn’t even know that.”

“…”

“I’m sorry for getting angry first like an idiot, Rian.”

Rian felt apologetic on the inside. At the same time, he was amazed by Sarang’s untainted innocence.

Doesn’t he realize that I was asking for confirmation after I had already finished investigating? He seems mature, but he’s still a kid. To think of a kid like this as a rut partner.

Florian felt that all the public’s interest and the subtle suggestions from those around him were inappropriate.

“Colin… is my dad.”

Sarang, looking at Florian with his clear eyes wide open, answered distinctly.

“He was friends with my parents. He raised me on behalf of my parents who died in a car accident in Korea. My parents were orphans. Colin truly cared for me more than he cared for himself. So Colin is my dad.”