Episode 15
**“I want to bite you.”**
Calisten said it with a dazed expression, looking a little calmer than before.
“Do you feel any better?”
“No.”
It hurt to see him still shedding pitiful tears.
“Would it help if you bit me?”
“It helps if I touch you.”
His low, serious voice made my resolve weaken. More than anything, this was the first time I’d ever seen him this vulnerable.
“Okay… I understand.”
I held out my hand so he could bite it more easily. He tilted his head slightly, then leaned closer.
“I want to bi— ngh…!”
Maybe because he had fangs, his bite was sharp when it closed around my finger. There was pressure, but it didn’t really hurt. What was stranger was that, instead of just teeth, something soft brushed against me too, making it oddly ticklish.
“It tickles…”
At that, he pushed me down completely with his large body, glaring as he bit from my fingers to my palm, then to my wrist.
“It’s okay, Kal.”
When I stroked his hair with my free hand, the strength of his bite gradually loosened. I wrapped my arms around him so he could fully calm down.
When I hugged him tightly, he finally stopped biting and instead melted into my arms. His thick arms were pressed against the floor, making my lower back ache a little, but it was still bearable.
It seemed we fell asleep like that.
I was sure I had been pinned underneath him when I fell asleep, but when I opened my eyes, I was in Calisten’s arms instead. He seemed to be completely asleep, barely reacting when I moved. So I tried reaching for the necklace lying nearby.
Because he was holding my waist so tightly, I couldn’t escape.
“Ugh…”
My fingertips barely caught the string of the necklace. I scraped it toward myself along the floor, but it didn’t come easily. I tried again with all my effort; it came a little closer, then slipped out of reach again.
“Ah…”
Maybe he thought I was struggling, because Calisten pulled me closer and even wrapped up the arm I had stretched out. Now I couldn’t move either arm.
I had to put the necklace on before he woke up.
My heart started pounding with anxiety.
At that moment—
*Beep.*
Startled as if my heart had stopped, I looked toward the sound.
“What are you doing?”
Thankfully, the one who had opened the door was—
“What is that supposed to look like?”
He looked displeased as he approached, picked up the necklace nearby, and said,
“Come here.”
But I couldn’t go. So I looked at him helplessly, asking for help with my eyes. He sighed, and his eyes glowed red.
That red glow appeared whenever he used his ability. His eyes turned crimson, and Calisten’s arms were forced apart. Thanks to that, I was able to slip free.
Once I was standing, he put the necklace on me. I stayed still and obedient, then followed as he took my hand and led me away.
He looked both angry and oddly cheerful at the same time, smiling brightly, making him hard to read.
So instead of avoiding his gaze, I met his eyes. He stopped walking and looked back at me.
He really must like holding hands. Even though he seemed upset, he never let go.
“Alec-nim.”
“Yeah.”
“I’m glad you came.”
Thanks to you, I found the necklace—and no one realized I’m a woman.
“Thank you for helping me.”
I said it because he seemed annoyed that I hadn’t expressed my gratitude properly. I’d known people like that before—people who disliked it when thanks or apologies came too late.
“My mood feels weird.”
“Was work difficult today?”
“Yeah. Work is always hard. But somehow… seeing you in that guy’s arms bothered me more. Why is that?”
He had once said I was his toy. Thinking about it, maybe he didn’t like the idea of someone else taking what belonged to him.
There were still ten days left. Ten days until the laboratory would be destroyed, until Calisten might die, and until I might die.
I didn’t want to die.
Calisten’s awakening was close, but an even nearer death awaited Alexis Rainier.
So I took his hand with my free one as well and said,
“If you’re having a hard time, please tell me everything.”
“What are you to me?”
“I—I’m your toy, aren’t I?”
He seemed to accept that explanation and relaxed.
“Right. That’s true.”
Then he started laughing, returning to that crazed, carefree grin.
“Let’s go to my room.”
“Okay.”
As Alexis Rainier smiled at me, I smiled back the same way. Seeing that, the sharpness from before vanished, and he smiled brightly again.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
“How is it?”
He claimed he’d rushed to finish his mission, but that was clearly a lie.
Otherwise, there was no way he could’ve brought something like this back in half a day.
“Where did you get this? I saw the deputy director was still here earlier…”
What Alexis Rainier handed me was a different evening dress from before. I remembered the deputy director telling me to go see Calisten—the white dress I wore last time had apparently been hers.
This one was red.
“I bought it. I’ve got a lot of money.”
“Ah…”
“You get paid every time you succeed on a mission.”
“I see.”
Now that he mentioned it, that did sound right. But not many Espers cared about money. No matter how much they had, what they truly needed was stabilizers.
To them, money was just scraps of paper, and honor was an illusion.
After all, they couldn’t live without stabilizers.
“I’ve never made a single mistake in five years.”
“That’s impressive.”
“Yeah. So I think I could live outside the lab too.”
“Is that possible?”
“Yeah. The deputy director said she’d look into it.”
That wasn’t something described in detail in the original novel *And Then Everyone Fell Silent*. In the story, he dies fighting Calisten ten days later. Judging from the current situation, he was actually doing quite well—successful enough that he could even live outside. And yet he would still die.
Thinking about it that way made it feel a little sad.
“Did the deputy director say anything else to you?”
“…Ah…”
Now that I thought about it, she had said something.
“She said I have a good eye for things.”
“Anything else?”
“She said she’d pardon me once Calisten awakens.”
“Anything else?”
I flinched when his hand brushed my cheek and lowered my gaze. It didn’t hurt anymore—maybe the tape worked. The standard-issue tape had minor healing properties, after all.
“Um… no. She was just very pretty, so that’s all I noticed.”
“That’s pretty?”
He frowned deeply, clearly displeased. When I hesitated and stepped back, he grabbed my hand and pulled me in.
“Ah!”
I was lifted up and seated on his thigh, and the fear I’d barely escaped earlier crept back up my spine.
His ability was physical enhancement.
I wondered if he was about to kill me because I displeased him.
“What’s pretty about a monster like that?”
“H-her hair color is pretty, and her voice is nice. And the white coat really suits her.”
“Do you want to wear something like that?”
“No.”
I had worn lab coats to my heart’s content in my previous life. There was no reason to miss them. Still, I had to be careful with my words in front of Alexis Rainier. He might be a Z-rank who didn’t need to mind anyone’s opinion, but I was only A-rank—disposable at any time.
“When I get a mansion outside, I’ll take you with me.”
“Ah…”
“But that crazy woman probably won’t let you go, right?”
“…”
“So I’m going to train you from now on, so you can escape this place.”
For a moment, I was speechless.
Had I really heard that correctly?
If I could leave this place by following Alexis Rainier, I wouldn’t need to get involved with Calisten anymore. And once outside, I could just run away from Alexis too.
I wouldn’t have to live in fear of dying, being disposed of, or being discovered as a woman.
“So? Want to live with me?”
He said something impossible to refuse, his tone seductive.
“Alec-nim.”
“Yeah.”
“Why do you want me to follow you?”
At that, he untied the string of the necklace. As it loosened, my long platinum-blond hair spilled over my shoulders in a smooth cascade. The sensation of my hair growing longer still felt unfamiliar every time.
“You’re mine.”
“….”
“I never let anyone take what’s mine.”
“Why do you want to have me?”
I expected him to get angry at such a bold question—maybe snap at me for daring to ask. But instead, he just smiled gently without answering. Alexis brushed my hair, then touched my cheek, staring into my eyes as if trying to read my thoughts.
I wanted to look away, but out of habit, I didn’t.
Maybe because I always smiled whenever I met Calisten’s eyes, I smiled at him too. Seeing that, Alexis smiled as well.
“You…”
“….”
“You belong to someone’s family.”
“What?”
“This place only has men. Unless you’re a high-ranking researcher, women aren’t even allowed in. And yet you’re an experimental subject—and a woman. Not even from a women-only lab.”
I stared at him blankly, not understanding what he meant.
“The one Felix Magnolia is looking for… is you.”
