Chapter 7

By the morning of the day, everyone was visibly tense. Much more vigilance was required than usual for the security detail. After all, they were in a situation where kidnapping or threats to their lives were a real possibility, even if it didn’t quite feel that way yet.

Judging by the way Chase Miller handled his Desert Eagle with one hand and thoroughly punished those who bothered him, it didn’t seem like he needed security at all. Perhaps, though, the immense sum of money spent on hiring them was to avoid dealing with the ‘lowly ones’ himself or perhaps just because he wanted someone to beat up when he got bored. Josh sarcastically thought to himself.

Everyone had brought their own weapons for the worst-case scenario. While Josh was cleaning his Glock, he suddenly frowned. Chase Miller could probably kill someone with a butter knife, so what was the point of carrying such a cumbersome gun?

Swallowing down another curse that rose up, Josh stood up. It was time to check the cars.

“Did you suggest additional security?”

Josh asked, slamming the bonnet of the car he was about to drive shut. Mark sighed shortly and nodded.

“Yeah, it was promptly rejected though.”

“It’s not because of the cost.”

“Of course not.”

Mark immediately rejected that idea and continued.

“We were thinking of using guard dogs, but I almost got punched for suggesting it. I didn’t expect him to be that furious. When he stared at me, I could almost feel the ‘I’ll kill you with my eyes’ vibe. I immediately backed off.”

Using trained, vicious dogs wasn’t uncommon, but it was absolutely out of the question for Chase Miller. He disliked many things, but dogs were one of the worst—so much so that he could have a fit just from seeing one.

Mark’s courage to even suggest using dogs was something to be commended, though it had ultimately failed spectacularly.

“I don’t get why he hates dogs so much. They’re the animals closest to humans, right?”

Josh was puzzled as well, but he couldn’t know the answer. He just guessed that with his overly particular personality, dogs were one of the many things he disliked. Changing the subject, he asked,

“Was that the end of it?”

“Yeah.”

Mark nodded and muttered to himself.

“How am I supposed to know what’s going on in his head? He asks all these useless questions, but when it comes to the important stuff, he doesn’t care at all.”

“Useless questions?”

Josh asked, puzzled. Mark nodded.

“When we went to introduce ourselves, he checked on our team. I didn’t think he’d care about that kind of thing.”

Was it because of their criminal records or something? Josh suddenly thought, but Mark’s response was completely unexpected.

“He didn’t say a word, but then suddenly asked if the whole security team were alphas or betas.”

Josh looked at Mark, and he casually answered.

“So I told him that you and I are betas, and the rest are all alphas. After that, he lost interest entirely.”

“...Really?”

Josh, pretending to be calm, was met with a small laugh from Mark.

“With a face like yours, shouldn’t you be an alpha? He didn’t seem to believe it. He asked me twice if I was sure you were a beta.”

It was something Josh had heard countless times, and he was grateful for it—especially now.

“I like being a beta.”

“Yeah, with a face like yours, it wouldn’t matter much, would it?”

Mark lightly mocked him as he lit a cigarette. Josh finished his final checks in silence.

Chase Miller’s movements involved at least ten people traveling with him at all times. Aside from the security detail, there were personal assistants, managers, stylists, and sometimes even assistants to the assistants. This time, there were three cars, including a van. They had minimized the number of people, but still, that was a lot.

It was Josh’s job to inspect each vehicle to ensure everything was in order.

“One of the tires seemed to be losing air, so I had it replaced. Everything else is fine.”

Josh reported nonchalantly, and Mark blinked in surprise.

“Even the cars worth hundreds of thousands have tire leaks?”

“A million-dollar actor doesn’t always have a good personality, you know.”

Josh had spoken carelessly, but the words made him freeze. He quickly turned around to see Chase walking out of the mansion, and their eyes met.

It was the first time since that day that their gazes had locked like this. Naturally, it was because Josh had been doing everything he could to avoid him. He didn’t want to feel the threat of death again.

Chase was wearing a casual outfit—no tie, with his shirt unbuttoned and a light jacket over it. As always, his wrist gleamed with an order-made watch.

There had been a time when Josh had looked up that brand out of interest.

Remembering how he had given up everything for a salary lower than that brand’s price, Josh quickly stepped back. Chase probably had heard the remark, but he didn’t react. He simply walked down the few steps at the entrance with his usual unreadable expression and approached the car.

His cigarette, unlit, hung from his lips as he lazily pushed his hair back. He wore an almost annoyed expression, subtly furrowing his brow.

“I really had to drag him out. It’s like fighting a war every time I leave…”

The manager sighed to one of the assistants as they got into the car. Josh secretly pulled a candy from his pocket and popped it into his mouth.

Mark opened the car door, and Chase smoothly slid in. Despite the distance, Josh could still smell a faint, sweet scent in the air. He desperately worked his tongue to melt the candy.

Seth and Henry, who were in charge of close security, would also ride in the same car. Josh walked to the car behind them, opened the driver’s side door, and faintly covered up the lingering scent of Chase with the candy's flavor.

The designer’s office was nearly two hours away by car. When they finally reached their destination, the tension in the air intensified.

“Phew.”

Isaac, sitting beside Josh, sighed loudly. Josh also stepped out of the car, his face stiff. After checking the surroundings, he opened the door of the car in front of him. Mark stepped out first, looking around carefully. After scanning the area, he stepped aside.

Before he even appeared, the scent spread throughout the area. Josh’s heart raced uncontrollably from the sweet fragrance, and at the same time, he felt a pang of self-loathing. He almost reached up to touch the earphones that covered his ears. With this mark on me, I’ll probably feel this way forever.

Even though he knew exactly how trashy Chase was.

He felt pathetic as he watched Chase step out of the car, the man who was perfect on the outside, even if only in his appearance. For a moment, their eyes might have crossed, but Josh wasn’t sure if it was just a fleeting illusion. Chase passed right by him and entered the building.

“Oh my god, really?”

“Is it true?”

The shocked murmurs of people around them filled the air. Seeing people recognizing Chase, Josh and the rest of the group quickly surrounded him as they entered the building. Though they quickly disappeared inside, people were already snapping photos, crowding around the building.

This felt ominous.

As if Josh’s thoughts had been shared, Mark spoke up.

“We need to keep the area tightly controlled. Check if there’s a back door or emergency exit we can use in case we need to escape.”

“I’ll find the building manager and ask if they have the blueprints,” Josh immediately responded, and Mark nodded.

After assigning tasks, Mark hurried after Chase, walking quickly toward the building. Meanwhile, people continued to gather outside.

Getting the blueprints was easy. With the manager’s confirmation of Josh’s identity, he quickly provided them. After quickly scanning the layout on the screen, Josh immediately contacted Mark.

“They’re saved on the monitor in the control room. I’ve pulled up the layout; would you like to see it?”

“Good,” Mark replied.

[It’ll take at least an hour. Check for any suspicious activity inside. Also, look at the location of the emergency exits on the blueprint. Isaac, you’ll start from the top and work your way down.]

With a quick command, Isaac moved toward his assigned area. Mark then gave Josh instructions.

[Got it? You go from the bottom to the top.]

After ending the call, Josh explained the plan to the manager and then left the area. The rest was simple—once the shoot was done, Josh just had to figure out how to get out of the building, where to park the cars, and how to escort Chase to the car safely before heading back. Once that was done, he would meet with Mark in the control room to finalize the plan.

Why was something as simple as fitting clothes so complicated?

Josh frowned, but he already knew the answer. The fact that they were even outside was risky. Anyone could want to get their hands on that man if he wasn’t careful.

Remembering that Chase Miller was a narcissist, Josh understood. Even someone as often praised for their looks as Chase made Josh feel almost painfully ordinary in comparison.

That man could never love anyone but himself.

As he thought this, he opened the emergency exit door and checked the stairs. He climbed two or three steps at once, reaching the next floor before walking around and checking for anything unusual. After confirming everything seemed fine, he headed back toward the emergency exit. As he reached the next few floors, he heard someone call his name.

“Josh!”

At the sound, he reflexively looked up. Isaac was coming down the stairs.@@novelbin@@

“Have you checked everything? Nothing major on my end.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, mostly.”

Just as Josh was about to open the emergency exit, he met Isaac, and now, it seemed, they were on the final floor. Isaac quickly caught on to the situation and started walking beside Josh.

“I heard they check everyone coming in really carefully at the entrance. The outsiders who came today already had their IDs verified. And everyone else is staff, so we shouldn’t have to check them individually.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Josh spoke absentmindedly as he rolled the candy around in his mouth. Isaac’s pheromone scent lingered faintly around him. Josh was somewhat indifferent to it, not just because of the candy, but because, since that day, the only thing that had been enticing him was that man’s scent. The only problem was that it was unbearably sweet, almost torturous.

“...?”

Josh looked up, sensing something odd. Isaac was looking down at him, his finger grazing his hair.

“What’s that?”

Isaac, looking flustered, blinked and quickly responded.

“Something’s on your hair.”

“Oh?”

Josh casually brushed off his hair, not thinking much of it. Isaac stared at him for a moment before speaking again.

“How’s Pete doing?”

“Huh? He’s fine.”

The happiest part of Josh’s day was always hearing Pete’s voice before bed. Thinking of the kid’s voice from the night before made his lips involuntarily soften. Isaac followed beside him and asked,

“Don’t you miss him?”

“Of course, I miss him. But it can’t be helped.”

Josh opened the closed emergency exit door and checked briefly before closing it again. As they walked, Isaac asked,

“Once this is over... are you going to Canada or Alaska?”

“...I don’t know. Why?”

Looking up at Isaac, Josh noticed that he seemed to avoid his gaze as he mumbled,

“Uh… when will Pete’s mom be coming? Are you all going as a family?”

For a brief moment, Josh’s mind raced. Should he lie? How should he lie? Make an excuse? Pretend not to understand?

It didn’t take long for him to answer nonchalantly.

“That’s something for later. It’s still a long way off.”

“...Right.”

Isaac’s voice trailed off, leaving Josh to wonder if he was worried about the team being split. Josh patted Isaac’s back casually.

“That’s just something they say. The future is always uncertain. No need to worry about it now.”

As Josh opened the door to the opposite emergency stairwell, he suddenly heard his earpiece buzz.

[Where are you? Are you almost done?]

It was Mark. Josh touched the earpiece to adjust it and responded.

“I’m almost done. Can I head to the studio now?”

[Isaac with you?]

Isaac answered immediately.

“I’m right here.”

[...You’re together? Anyway, forget it. No more delays. No problems?]

“Yeah, nothing unusual.”

Looking at Isaac, he confirmed the same answer. After confirming, Mark spoke.

[Change of plans. Both of you, come to the control room.]

The security room, where CCTV monitored the inside and outside of the building. Josh and Isaac exchanged puzzled looks.

“Feels a bit off, doesn’t it?”

Isaac mumbled as he followed Josh, who nodded in agreement.

“Got a bad feeling about this.”

As they entered the control room, Mark was already absorbed in the monitors. Josh quickly walked across the room and glanced at the screen he was focused on.

“What’s going on?”

Mark didn’t respond immediately but asked instead.

“Nothing unusual, right? How’s the route? Everything okay?”

“Yeah, no suspicious items or people, everything checks out…”

Josh began to explain the route he had confirmed, but Mark raised his hand to stop him, frowning deeply.

“They say it’s almost done... but outside, fans have gathered in such numbers it’s become chaotic. People are getting pushed around, some injured. An ambulance was already seen. We need a plan for this.”

“Is it impossible to escape?” Isaac asked nervously. Mark glanced at him, not saying a word. As soon as the screen showed the outside of the building, everyone fell silent. A massive crowd had already gathered, and Josh felt his stomach churn.

“...This is worse than New Year’s in Times Square.”

Josh murmured, and Mark sighed in response.

“This is worse than a few years ago. The obsessive fans have grown in number since then.”

Everyone sighed, realizing the gravity of the situation. Isaac quickly asked,

“Is there any plan or anything we can do? If this continues, it could escalate, and if someone gets hurt…”

Mark nodded seriously.

“We’ve called the police... we’re getting backup from the security team. We’ll probably only need to worry about two zones.”

“The west emergency exit is about to be breached.”

At the desperate words of one of the staff, all three of them turned to the screen.

“What the hell is that? Zombies?”

Another staff member muttered, their face pale. Just as he said, the screen showed a scene of people scaling the walls like zombies, reminiscent of a movie.

“Shouldn’t we call SWAT instead of the police?”

Isaac asked, half-joking, half-serious, as he watched people scream to get inside.

In the meantime, security had moved in to block the way, and a thick barrier, usually used in fire emergencies, was being lowered from behind. But it was already too late—the crowd surrounded the building.

“Well, let’s discuss what to do. We can’t shoot everyone with guns.”

Mark said, his tone grim as he looked at Josh.

“Head to the back. I’ll stay here to keep an eye on things.”

“Got it.”

Josh replied, quickly turning and walking out. From outside, he could faintly hear the agonized screams of the crowd.