"What were you thinking coming over to my parents place early in the morning?"
"I was feeling anxious. I'm doing my best to cope without Niel and finding any means necessary to look for his scent..."
"Well you will not find it at my home. Mijin and him broke up long before...seriously Elric are you looking for a fight with Mijin? You're being reckless!"
It had been the most uncomfortable day for everyone when Elric showed up at five in the morning at Yeon's parents home. Yeon's parents had been the one who'd opened the door for him. Having exchanged contact numbers due to Elric's mother investing in Yeon's parent's business, they had thought something was up when he showed up at the wee hours of the morning only to be shocked that Elric had been lonely.
Mijin and Yeon had still been asleep but Yeon's mother had woken him up to keep Elric company as they prepared an early breakfast and due to the movement in the house on a weekend, Mijin soon woke up, inquiring of the commotion early in the morning.
"What is he doing here and how did he find out where we live?" Throwing a fierce look at Elric, she pointed at the door and told hm to get out.
"Mijin please for once, show some respect or leave. Elric is our guest and will become a future investor with us so exercise respect when you dress him."
"I can leave sir..." Elric spoke as he stood up. He felt the need to avoid any confrontations with Mijin despite knowing sooner or later, their paths were bound to cross. Besides, he felt extremely fatigued and had no energy left in him to be in a verbal fight, let alone split up a family. He had grown in such, which was why he'd often spend his childhood and adulthood at Stan's parents house.
"Please stay, do not mind her. She is always grumpy in the morning." Yeon's mother assured him as she gently gave him a push to sit down. Afterwards, she and Mijin left, as if to speak privately.
"I'm also surprised to see you here too."
"I told you we should have come here together yesterday but you refused..."
"Because I was avoiding something like this. Yes I came to visit my parents but it was Mijin that had wanted to see me."
"Yeon, you shouldn't have chased him away. You of all people should understand why he is like this. Spiritual essence is the mental peace shared by two fated mates. At the moment, he is breaking down in search of Niel who'm I'm sure is going through the same thing. Elric will keep on yearning for Niel until he shows up...honestly, i'm wondering how you are holding up son." Yeon's father concluded his last statement as he shook his head in despair.
"Breakfast will be ready in a few. Since I'm already up, I'll be the first to head out by taking your mother's morning shift. Please excuse me."
"Yeon, please, if you have any slightest idea where Niel could be tell me. I do not want my mother to hate him for this. As it is, she is really pissed..."
"Do not be selfish. Just as it is hard on you, it is equally hard on Niel too. I'm not defending him shutting everyone out. You must understand the shock he must have had to have woken up naked beside you and even worse, that visible scar on your neck..." Taking a closer look, Yeon asked Elric why it was taking longer to heal.
"I have a first hand experience with fated mates being split up so I'm preety sure its still like this because I haunt spent time with Niel post him marking me. You had Stan take care of you afterwards hence my mark will keep on calling for my fated until he returns." Elric seemed enthusiastic as he spoke then frowned briefly and asked Yeon. "Did I just sound like Stan, romanticizing over my situation?"
"It is the truth though. Mine healed pretty quick." Yeon said, not wanting to encourage he discussion to be on Stan. He stared into space and remembered he was to pass by the lab and pick more samples for him to inject on Stan. His first test seemed to have been unsuccessful. After his discussion with Mijin, he felt the need to speed up testing his samples on both hm and Stan. There was no way he was going to allow his sister become victorious.
"Hmm...thats weird Yeon. I could have sworn I saw your eyes change color just now..."
"What?" Yeon's thoughts immediately were brushed away with Elric's remark.
"Yes..." Elric said as his face moved closer to Yeon. "I can perceive your scent too, meaning, you must be letting out a lot of scent right now."
"What?" Yeon felt suddenly anxious and stood up, shutting his eyes and hiding his face from Elric. He did his best to hide his scent but he had been discovered since Mijn and his mother appeared looking concerned.
"At this point, you are going to need my help Yeon. I'm still your mother so I'll tap into your primary scents and calm you down even though it is a temporary solution." Yeon's mother said as he dragged Yeon to his room, leaving Mijin and Elric alone.
"Hey..."Elric was the first to speak as he formed a smile on his face.
"You must be happy, seeing how everyone is against me now."
"Mijin, I hold no grudges against you or anyone. You know me. We got along well. I just wanted a little fun with Niel. Who knew this would have happened?"
"How did you end up becoming a bottom? I still cant wrap my head around that. Weren't you the one always boasting of how you're going to ravish the one fated to you?"
"Turns out its going to be Niel doing the ravishing..."
Suddenly, the mood changed from Mijin and she warned. "Hey, do not get too comfortable here. I do not know what gave you the idea to gift my parents as such but it ends now. Pull out while I'm still being nice."
"Ow..." Elric said, feeling like he was turning into his carefree self again. There was always something about her that always made him feel at ease. "So scary." He added with a smile.
"I'm being serious. You've taken everything away from me. My family, Niel, my brother...and now you want to invade my home too..."
"I'm desperate Mijin. I'm only looking for my lover...who might I add used to be yours a few weeks ago so please, if you know his whereabouts, help a guy out..."
"Some nerve you have to ask me that. Niel was the only guy I actually loved. You were just someone to pass time with."
"So were you. I did enjoy our time together you know, until you brought Niel to my attention by introducing his scent me."
Mijin scoffed then shook her head then sneered. "Yes. You two deserve each other. Niel likes to fix broken things so he'll try to fix you. He will never be happy since you cant be fixed. He hates sheltered people like you who never work hard to achieve anything...always having everything brought to them by a simple act of ringing a bell. As for you who has a lot of loose ends, with lovers here and there, you'll end up putting Niel in a situation similar to Stans and your father. Just like them, he'll lash out at anyone that threatens you and finally die a much quicker and painful death. I'll be watching and enjoying the show from the sidelines."
Clapping her hands, she added. "Congratulations on stealing my boyfriend from me and sending him to an early grave. I'll make sure to attend his funeral and yours which will soon follow afterwards since just by looking at how pathetic you look, you cant live without his scent just like your poor mother."
"Ouch. That does hurt." Elric let a low laugh, his gaze still at Mijin. "Aren't you one to talk when you're the one with many secrets?" Shrugging his shoulders, he turned away and added. "I was hoping you'd know where Niel might be since you said you love him so much. Oh well, forget my pointless yearning for him. Who I'm I to talk when I'm just fated to him?"
"Fuck you? Are you trying to show off?"
"Oh no, I'm being serious here. You love him and please continue to do so. I have no qualms about it. Unlike Stan, I have no problem if more people love my fated since out of them all, I'm the one who is going to love him the most..."
"What the heck? What do you even know about love? You've never loved anyone in your life apart from yourself..."
"That is also true and the reason I loved myself a lot was because I had so much love to spare for others too however this time, I genuinely intend to throw all my attention and love on Niel once he comes back. I did imprint on him after all so he knows this to be true."
"Are you just purposely trying to annoy me by acting innocent? You do not fool me Elric..."
"I am being sincere Mijin. It sucks that my life of exploring scents has come to an end. I did try fooling around after Niel abandoned me but failed. Right now, I react to everyone's scent just like I used to yours since the only scent I recognize and yearn for is your ex boyfriends. Therefore, if you have any way of knowing where he is, you must bring us together just like you brought Yeon and Stan together."
"Whats that supposed to mean?" Mijin asked, looking confused.
"Oh my dear Mijin, how many skeletons you've kept hidden..."Elric spoke as he tilted his head to look at her then smiled nonchalantly. "You seem to forget the kind of power my family holds with the police. You have puppeteered everyone to do your bidding so well, leaving no trace that leads to you. I have always known your involvement in Yeon's kidnaping from the start. The only reason I wasn't able to confront you was because the people you're involved with are old business partners with my family and I can not do much or rather, work independently at bringing you down. Therefore, I must give you a friendly warning. The only reason Mora's family hasn't laid a hand on you is because you are a loose end they like to keep an eye on. For the sake of controlling their son, they are letting you roam freely so please watch your step. I am not threatening you.If any harm becomes of their son because of you, they will not hold back at putting you exactly in your place."
"You're bluffing...Mora must have told you bullshit about me..."
"Think whatever you want." Elric shrugged his shoulders once more as he comfortably laid his back on the couch and closed his eyes. "I can protect you though, if you tell me where Niel is hiding. I can't guarantee your safety though."
Seeing that Mijin wasn't saying a word, Elric assumed she knew nothing of Niel's whereabouts. He simply kept his eyes closed and took a deep breath, searching for his fated's residual scent in Yeon's parents home. Frowning at the thought of his new housekeeper who'd fumbled up his dirty laundry together with those that Niel had left him, he set to fire him once he got back to his apartment. His face relaxed once more, giving up. There was no trace of Niel's scent here.
"I...don't know...where Niel is." Mijin stuttered. "I've been searching for him too. Once he goes into hiding. You no one can find him."
Opening his eyes slowly, Elric smiled and said. "I'm glad you took the bait. I neither have the power to protect you nor the means."
"What?"
Chuckling, Elric added. "I just wanted to know if in truth you knew where my beloved was but you don't and that's okay. I will find him myself."
"How?"
"My mother has the power and the means. You did say I'm sheltered. Well, it is this priviledge of being sheltered that he hates so much as you said before that will bring him back to me."