He stepped into his boss's office. Kai simply glanced at the older man as he entered. He was focused on his game, trying to take the number-one spot on the leaderboard.

"He hit you?" Kai asked, his attention still fixed on the computer.

"Don't send any more flowers. I'm allowed to leave now. People have probably forgotten about the case."

Kai immediately shut off his phone and took off his headphones.

"I'm going to visit him myself."

"Yes."

The man lowered his head.

"Be my driver for a while."

"Of course."

*****

[District xx, xx, at xxx Medical Center]

Gama had just stepped out of the bathroom when he received a message from someone.

The same person from yesterday.

Still wrapped in a towel, Gama sat down on the couch and checked the message.

"He's at AMC Hospital, apparently," Gama muttered. "But how am I supposed to get there?"

The man had also given him the exact room where Tera was being treated.

****

"So you're Tera's friend?"

Kai received a fairly warm welcome. Tera's parents had already been informed by Dev that he would be coming.

"You came at just the right time. He needs his Alpha right now. He's resting at the moment," Tera's mother said.

Kai handed over the things he had brought, including a white orchid.

"You're such a good boy."

Tera's mother gently touched Kai's cheek with one hand. Kai didn't say much. He simply lowered his head before she gestured for him to sit.

"Could you tell someone something for me? You're in the same class, right? You know, I used to go there too. His Alpha's name is Gama, right? Tell him Tera misses him."

"There's no need. You should know that Tera actually tried to kill himself."

Kai played dirty.

But the expression on his face betrayed the lie.

"What?"

"He didn't slip down the stairs. He deliberately threw himself down them," Kai explained again.

Tera's mother laughed and stood on her tiptoes to gently pat Kai's head.

"Don't joke about something like that, sweetheart."

"He's such a cheerful boy. We love him, and he's not from a broken home. He has plenty of money. He even keeps our ATM card. He has his own phone, too."

"There isn't a single reason for him to kill himself. We always let him do whatever he wants. If he wanted to run around, we'd trust him to do it."

"But suicide?"

"No. We wouldn't believe that."

Kai felt embarrassed and excused himself.

It had been a short meeting, but that didn't mean his feelings had changed.

Before leaving, he kissed his own index finger, then gently brushed it against Tera.

"Get well soon," Kai whispered.

'And forget what happened the last time we met.'

****

Kai came back again.

He wanted to find out whether Tera remembered him or not. He was curious whether he still had a chance.

If Tera remembered what happened the last time they met, wouldn't it be better if he simply stayed asleep forever?

This time, Tera's father was the one staying with him. He was tending to his son and adjusting the neck brace Tera was wearing.

"Come here. Look, Tera's opened his eyes."

Tera's father was incredibly warm, just like Tera. The middle-aged man smiled often.

His smile looked exactly like his son's.

"How are you feeling, sweetheart? You have a friend here. This is Dad."

Tera's father took Tera's right hand and showed him who he was before pointing toward Kai.

"This is Kai."

Kai stepped closer, gently bringing Tera's hand to his chest as he smiled.

Tera didn't move at all.

"Are you happy? Then smile."

But Tera couldn't even smile.

All he could do was blink.

He had forgotten everything.

His body wouldn't cooperate with him.

Neither would his mouth.

His condition was still bad.

His soul had returned, but his body hadn't.

But the family didn't show their sadness.

Tera's father simply kept talking to his son, who had just woken up.

"So the doctor said this is how he'll be for now?" Kai asked, feeling guilty.

Yet somehow, he also felt relieved.

Relieved that Tera had forgotten what happened.

"His memory will gradually return. He might be in shock for about a month, but the doctor said his memory loss isn't permanent. He'll remember you again."

"And you'll remember your father too, right, son?" Tera's father asked.

"Oh."

Kai's expression turned cold.

Tera's father continued stroking his son's limp hair.

Tera probably wouldn't be able to speak yet. At the very least, he might have difficulty speaking for a week.

Suddenly, Tera started crying.

His father panicked and immediately touched his head. The doctor had warned them that he might experience dizziness.

Tera couldn't touch his own head, but his father was perceptive enough to understand what he needed and managed to calm him down.

Tera's vision was still blurry.

He stared ahead, trying to make out the tall figure standing there.

Who was he?

But his scent wasn't like his Alpha's.

"?"

"I-I..."

Kai was about to answer.

At first, he was going to admit that he was the person Tera was looking for.

But Tera's father shook his head.

"Please. Could you not lie to him? The doctor said Tera needs time to recover. He needs to learn to recognize everyone again."

"Don't lie to him, okay?"

"O-Okay. I'm sorry, Uncle."

Kai lowered his voice, embarrassed.

****

Kai couldn't hide his embarrassment.

His face and ears turned bright red whenever he got flustered.

He quickly left the room.

But on his way home, he was stunned to see Gama outside.

Gama was waiting for a bus.

And the bus route went in the same direction as the hospital.

"He's actually doing this alone?" Kai muttered.

He couldn't let Gama meet Tera.

"How the hell did he find out?!" Kai shouted from inside the car.

The man driving him swallowed hard.

Hopefully, Kai wouldn't find out that Gama was here because he'd given him the address.

"Turn around. Stop him."

"Or I'll do it myself."

Kai's order left no room for argument.

No one knew this would turn out to be one of Kai's biggest mistakes.

He really did turn the car around, driving straight toward Gama as he stood at the bus stop.

Gama wasn't paying attention to the approaching car. He was too busy looking at his phone.

"Don't do this! Stop!"

The driver panicked when Kai suddenly took over the wheel.

The car slammed into the side of the bus stop.

'Kai can get caught.'

Gama jumped in surprise and dropped his phone.

"What kind of lunatic is this?!" he snapped.

He abandoned his plans to take the bus and stormed over to the car, pounding on the window.

The car had crashed into the pole.

The airbags had deployed, and the car seats automatically reclined from the impact.

Gama's eyes widened when he saw the first person climb out.

Kai.

Then he saw the driver.

His eyes widened even further.

It was the same man from the café.

The man who had given him information about Tera's whereabouts.

"Oh."

"So it was you."

Now Gama knew who the boss was.

Gama clenched his fist.

Without even waiting for an explanation, he punched Kai square in the jaw.

"Why did you hit me out of nowhere?! Are you crazy?!" Kai shouted, furious.

"Crazy?"

"You mean you?"

Gama grabbed Kai by the back of his collar and started dragging him.