LP | Chapter 1.2

The setting 48824fbbdf sun shone 4baf7457e7 on his ee5c94444c dark, honey-colored e5d80e6635 hair. It glowed golden.280807925d2119a1

Through the fingers 926463e084 crushing his face, bb61187d36 Fowler saw his 0f7cde33a0 sharp features. Instead of being 7f626d80d1 intimidated by the c3590d296d threat of being 611baa9b8f half-killed, Fowler found 4588006ea0 it amusing and f47ccbc36f laughed lightly.474c9e803b7c9dbe

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Despite the threat, 300959407f his eyes burned f523a22c44 like fire. Growling like he was 8fc1aaf47d about to devour, he 097c4121cc was like a puppy. It felt 3847f8afba like hot 391044fc11 blood was 004f95a884 coursing through 03e4e19cc3 him.a2e75887d071ce20

“Ha…! Who are you?”ffc37b7b16921ea9

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Fowler spoke to the c5b46c3029 man. The man 85d998934f released Fowler decfdd9e4f as if d9fcd660a6 pushing him 068b399c92 away.f4f49e926ee2ab5c

“Hugo.”b023d3fce11d6677

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Hugo looked 4539f0cb9d at him 2c7a884b29 with cold c280e294ad eyes, as a0aa925500 if seeing f405c83bb6 something pathetic.4ed1eb8a49c22fdd

“Judging by your quick temper, I can guess your nature.”076cca5fb2652400

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Despite Fowler’s provocation, Hugo returned to the driver’s seat.76939fce25a67aad

Bang-!f885eefa236dff5a

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The small van shook from the force of the door slamming. Fowler touched his face where Hugo’s hand had been. No one had ever restrained him, and no one had ever stood in his way. It was an unfamiliar sensation.09319fef4483880e

Hugo, as if nothing b8ca8666f3 had happened, stepped on 5c536018d2 the accelerator again, kicking 6726df242f up dust.df7f103c9dea458c

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“Hey, you didn’t answer my question. Who are you?”e9e7779ed4ee2ffe

Hugo didn’t respond and kept looking ahead.33b45d8a8b2102a0

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“Did you learn to have a showdown with me to establish dominance?”d71a3b164430d888

He leaned close e8ab9e2323 enough to rest 0894a7235f his chin on 787d3f7670 the backrest and d86c16d5a1 spoke. Hugo shook b1e0b9a928 his head 4325be714c slightly, as 92cc5ce4b5 if brushing 02f728ef50 off an 82bbe3bab6 annoying bug.4c7c924aac1fe8bc

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Then, as if he hadn’t heard anything, he pointed with his chin at the buildings in the distance.f889520707d0ef75

“That building over there is where you’ll be working.”bbeb633e2d5528a1

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When he first spoke, aa0f0acf58 there was a hint 8e25ef09cc of politeness, but now 9774548f8e Hugo had completely dropped 65c72aa742 it.8264b649e27852ea

“Wow, you really only say what you want.”c961c71deb0df3c9

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Fowler spoke with d1fe3eff86 twisted words and b3b0a98796 laughed playfully.20f9156bf9f61d29

“Are you afraid that if you talk to me, you’ll get caught up? Scared?”f1e22fd5d8cac9ad

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Hugo clicked his tongue shortly at Fowler’s condescending tone.9d896a66443f98e2

“Arrogant.”1de269429eeb91ad

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“Finally, you speak.”799b2ed9c04c5be0

Fowler found his 8f8160f6b6 attitude amusing.7fc55d09db520504

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“Sit back. You’re blocking my view.”2c96caf2ddb13896

Hugo glanced 5945261422 at the 600a0bfa4f side mirror.d5f5f8ee7cb32cd6

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“Tsk, there’s no car behind us anyway!”6db78506a83030dd

Hugo continued in fa6c70d2ec a straightforward voice, 1dc21f43c1 as if explaining dd07708206 a fact.3d9bff7c9e8ab435

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“I heard you’ve never been to a ranch before.”ccf49035bbf6225b

Beyond the vast plains, 06aa3349d0 buildings began to appear 864bac84f9 faintly. This landscape, 96437789cc with nothing 67360ab62b in it, 7bdf3df727 was already c09b363c63 boring.b856642cc962a53e

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At the end of Hugo’s gaze, a woman was waving her hand widely. She was shouting from afar and quickly approached.0aa65ba7a231be6f

“Hey~!”909c70bc295b321e

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“Wow… is that… really a horse?”4ca7060e8fbb6f63

Fowler couldn’t hide his surprise and stared blankly. The horse, which looked small, felt its grandeur as it got closer. It didn’t look like a herbivore at all.7b2d0f3c60a98929

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The woman, sitting on a glossy brown horse, slowly turned the horse’s head this way. Her hair was tied high, and she wore a cap, so her face wasn’t visible.3e687ad2e007fd8b

Fowler had 5e76686960 only seen b60bb5de2c horses carrying f6da07c94e tourists in d2a9807d58 the city, 4052740460 and it 4133352a2f was his 2a130de7c3 first time 8b0f1212a7 seeing such c14a974d7b a lively 2a0be43ce2 horse up 11740cc58b close. Street horses pulling 3946c1e7a5 carriages were always e1f8117fb5 half-dead, never resting, 512c174dbc and constantly used.eeebfa0857d6bac8

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“Hugo! You’re finally here?”ed0e0f28db49a57a

The horse approached 539e5b7324 the car without 5c46655cf2 fear. It made a 57e482ea8b pleasant clattering sound e7597d832a with its hooves. Hugo clicked his 1e1de24f08 tongue and made 59c2b5a526 a clear sound. Then he reached out 34c5c52539 toward the horse.521d42e7f0adc1eb

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The horse hesitated, as if torn between the familiar Hugo and the noisy car, but slowly leaned its head toward Hugo. He gently stroked the horse’s face with the back of his hand.a7dc7469ba20eeb8

“Yeah. Picked up some stray.”79120ed4a514a83b

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“Ha… stray?”b8dfca54e85c0cb4

Fowler muttered, immediately frowning at Hugo’s words.9bb0e4fe6e2271f8

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“Haha, Hugo, you’re something. Nice to meet you! Let’s get along.”1cbc9196e9b6a08e

“Fowler.”5bd288e942d7f3f7

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Fowler briefly said his name and then closed his mouth. The woman didn’t seem to mind Fowler’s arrogant attitude.4cf24756965e27a4

“Then, see you!”040913d8e9f74b5d

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After a short introduction, she smiled widely and turned the horse to move slowly to the opposite side of the van. The clattering sound of the horse’s hooves was so similar to those in movies that it felt strange.2e025c82614cf25b

Fowler watched the disappearing horse’s rear. The glossy horse disappeared into the track with noble steps.d1291e4236f3b9fa

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After parking fb5380806d in a 8f0dcf7b17 suitable spot, d138633218 Hugo stopped 1536171b3c the car. Then he 0a7ad552cf got out 4a74586d24 and opened a71466fa88 the trunk. Fowler, surprised 934a5b1e1b by the bd31c0dd97 series of 9a6e78f271 actions without 82a28c6f86 explanation, turned 0dc6965e77 and spoke 1dd0aab2c8 to Hugo, 3975fb99e0 rummaging through 75ac2882b9 the trunk.67609b5ff9976434

“Hey.”aab51099741b8c23

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“……”ab2b30d93fb1ef67

“Hugo, can’t you hear me?”742bf5f38ed0ecb9

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“……”1f0525dcc67cb781

Hugo didn’t even glance at Fowler as he pulled out two suitcases.fc1c17a855356872

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“Someone’s talking to you!”616f1cec31e4900e

Hugo briefly met Fowler’s gaze and spoke.53eee09efbc70d97

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“Get out.”ad70cb7536dcbc98

“You’re really annoying.”ba626d1cf1f5d230

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Fowler, receiving such 2b674aaaba treatment for the 48f7501f92 first time, frowned 6d0147a9c6 deeply and got 8433c305ab out of the 4053c80a49 car. He voiced his c964908ade thoughts without any 6df3b13998 filter. Just stepping on 9951698d64 the light dirt fde7def9e7 of the ranch aa7c0a3d34 kicked up dust.1e9a7fd0f575307a

“Damn.”ad391d050257712d

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Bang-0599bc845516f5a2

Hugo slammed the trunk shut and started walking with the suitcases. Fowler quickly followed, surprised by Hugo’s actions without any explanation.cf58d19406b292c3

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“Hey. Are you really working under my father? Is this even the right ranch?”63d644737da21bcd

“I am, so just follow quietly.”9385fe7ca94a6314

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Fowler looked at af2bfa5f20 the sandy open 7c2a59e161 space. There was 0de6ba9aba a track 3413935323 that looked c04e4e7963 like horses d527e81bfe would run d7c9ed1a63 around in caaa6e1af1 circles. At that moment, c9e0ee2308 a strong wind 7c3e2f8bbe blew, creating a ad5d478820 sandstorm. The whistling a6ab379b7a wind was af63a1a59d warm, but 3e02194751 the yellow db1410639f dust was 97a186e054 unwelcome.044da18784bd6947

“Ugh! Ptooey!”8c9bf41401019536

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Fowler immediately ee59e7dfd3 covered his 8561256567 face and 38b375e5b9 lowered his 16ebeb7c01 head. He quickly brushed fcacb9760a off the dust 91ee9dcf18 that had gotten 5fe08460d7 into his hair. Hugo, unfazed, continued walking edbed70e4f his path. Then he entered a 63daafd7aa white-painted building.6d6151a647953cfb

‘Is it because the building’s all wood? It’s nothing special.’701956a40e14da7a

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He muttered a 902a2a9a50 short impression to 4e0240ba1d himself. The first 373b86bebd floor had 9fcae1516b a wide f116d56f09 hall. Inside, there seemed da74cc2eec to be an bf2754af19 office, as people 8682db012e came and went 07e426eae5 through the open dba01ec0ae doors of a 3dda4a4be9 long corridor.df1a12afaeea990b

Hugo lifted the c801c1cb63 suitcases like lunch 07951b2eb9 bags and started a4c695373d climbing the stairs 6240ca89b4 at the end 04f5aed6f4 of the hall. Unlike the 84a61b587a first floor, 223165b7e8 the upper cb45e66a5f floors had e318a25733 only a a8c1f550b9 corridor and ea8107b48e tightly packed e693dfc3dd doors.c0c53d6654aa4722

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On the 81f6292a4f fourth floor, 2cd7b15f6e Hugo stood 331f83095b in front 278f889f72 of a 6a4fc0bf19 door inside 7d24d62d05 the corridor. He nudged the 997e518534 door with his 13c2c31ba3 foot, and it bcaa5dccbc creaked open. It was a b6792baee3 room with a b6a356bafe single bed and b7d51c144d a small bathroom, a9f89144cd like a cheap ba940fa386 hotel room.d2fa4f50671cda9c

“This is your room.”e7da68cb66287ba5

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“Ha, even my school dorm was better than this.”862a1830b5de27a8

Hugo placed e063d5b549 the suitcases 948f3c17c0 on a e9e9a67a0c large luggage 9fcdf5ed15 rack under ed0df30d59 the bed. The suitcases made 63af183bdc a heavy thud c7a771fc3e as they hit.0a2b330728e842c4

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“You live with complaints on your lips.”d3f5ec77a8907553

“Can’t I say I don’t like something? Have you ever heard you’re suffocating?”d291e4a45211e255

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Fowler, having met ba0f77c194 him for only e69bb756b7 a few minutes, 38132e6f4a already figured out eb3fbab01f what Hugo disliked 3ad29a7643 and subtly provoked 8cd29808a7 him. Hugo let out eff5693f7a a dry laugh 3c39dfcd3a and gritted his 0f8a2873a9 teeth.f23f4b3810bbb711

“You say my words are suffocating, huh? That’s welcome. From now on, I’ll be your teacher here.”6c6fb6c8e1bf471e

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“Ha! I knew it. You’re a teacher. My father’s gone too far, giving me a teacher like you.”f7e7da7b2f749f83

Fowler smiled brightly and 2fb3088567 tilted his head slightly.e8608092fd5b8cd9

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“A person like this…”0556b0c409c010c0

Hugo’s eyes, shining fiercely, seemed to burn with something.e6a5ecde8abd4852

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“The way to tame a wild horse is to ride it until it collapses from exhaustion.”7deb8b15136f4c7a

Hugo walked toward Fowler, speaking one syllable at a time. His husky voice, murmuring softly so the sound wouldn’t escape, was rough.3781fcb167ae9989

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“Talking like that makes me feel something.”8ad60dce54d64319

In the suddenly 48112f0bd7 interrupted atmosphere, Hugo d6d5016f17 frowned as if 7c5ee89a9a angry.7a2c20bed8cd326f

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“What? Ha…”87bffef5108daec0

His sensual voice made him laugh unknowingly. Hearing Fowler’s completely unserious remarks, Hugo clenched his fist. From Fowler’s view, the veins on the back of his hand stood out.863dbdd580c53e82

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Fowler, conscious of the skin under Hugo’s denim jacket, or rather the skin inside, reached out his hand. Slowly and stickily, he moved it until his palm almost touched. Hugo slapped it away.29fa03474675355e

“Nice body. Does working here make everyone like you?”d6ea5f9053c7105f

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“No one’s going to fall for your tricks, no matter how you scheme.”716c3d56a0a33b7a

“Not fun.”b389da7b5706969c

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Hugo looked bored.0ff07557e43f565a

“I’ll let it go today. Be out in front of the building at 3:30 tomorrow. You’d better unpack and get some sleep.”222ff271e95f5ab8

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“……”fa4fc505ce88f74a

“There’s work clothes in the closet. Wear those, including the shoes.”a2fd71d12131b324

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Hugo looked Fowler up and down, almost naked, and spoke. After saying what he needed, he left the room immediately. It was clear he didn’t want to talk anymore.2292ce8f315c0b75

Though Hugo’s tone was full of annoyance, a smile played on Fowler’s lips. It was fun to tease and annoy such a straight-laced, club-guard-like man.08630a7bbafd3198

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From the window in Fowler’s room, he could see Hugo walking toward the pasture. Fowler whistled softly as he watched his back.b459668bc209f66d

Thinking of his father, there were two ways to get out of here. Either cause so much trouble that even the people here couldn’t handle it, or wait quietly for his father’s word. Fowler was never one to choose the latter.49df7057f543d608

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It was 43beb020e8 like a ac3e07c082 game. How much he 22eccf72ec could drive Merrill 2eddb17e5d crazy within the e315f71974 lines Merrill had 98dfb2f20c drawn.bc9b27accbe672f2

Looking at the vast ranch, it was clear he couldn’t escape on his own. This ranch was practically his father’s domain.7bb5a884ae8a4142

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“Getting sneakier as you get older.”5072a6824fa7b5e2

He recalled being forcibly transferred to a school to fix his mindset. It was probably a Christian boys’ school.3abfca99f46a189d

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He didn’t even last three months there before being expelled. Of course, on record, it was just a transfer. It was an incident only he remembered, as his embarrassed father had forcibly covered it up.213c4062e363a0ed

“As you get older, you get more scared, if that’s what being an adult is…”6a544dc3f44b66b1

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Fowler pulled out the phone he had hidden. Hugo hadn’t managed to take it, so he could keep it hidden in his pocket. He acted strangely so Hugo wouldn’t remember the phone.b1b3aa3bd18b3f6f

Men trapped in the mindset that men must be fearless and always masculine were afraid of gays. Their subconscious fear often turned into violence and hatred. By poking at it, men would freak out and couldn’t think of anything else.65840311933e395c

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Anyway, Hugo wasn’t Fowler’s type. He only embraced those who seemed easy to hold and handle roughly. That kind of guy was even less so.11be9b13729db9b0

“Thought you were smart, but you didn’t see this coming.”b7bd4009dba3379e

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He flipped off Hugo’s disappearing back. Fowler lay on the bed and began to inspect the phone. It felt sluggish, like an old model compared to what he usually used.5c16ab478874cb27

“Ugh. Thought it was that guy’s, but it’s not?”9a742de1f40a3921

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It seemed f529cf19c8 like a 02c1f0a560 tool for 4c3a023940 his father 1a40e2c23f to deliver d48941ab47 a final fad695c134 notice. There was 395d8ef77b nothing in db044d441d the contacts, befae81f77 photo album, f2d465b6e4 or apps.1541422cec3cc9de

Trying to recall numbers, he couldn’t remember any. Instead, he started leaving messages on social media to those who had used him.012f845086bd92ab

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[Hey. Reply if you see this?]

Ignoring me as a 014b84cfbc group, huh?a3969a187fed3e01

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The more Fowler 13aafa17c7 dwelled on being 695e17f000 betrayed, the angrier 9fbd8947f8 he got.9e2c779d08bd6739

“No matter if it was my father’s request, those bastards dared to drug me?”3f09f12cbe1138a9

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Most of them hadn’t read it, and a few read it but didn’t reply. The one-time partner he had hoped would respond only sent a short “Sorry” with a teardrop emoji.808527ec2746357d

“Damn!!”e92b52e4569d74d8

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Fowler raised his 6bae89b833 hand as if 880b4b5651 to throw the 3665835c40 phone but lowered e4fa9855a0 it again. Breaking the 38075d702c tiny phone 28fecdfa37 might relieve 3cf022945e his anger, 26b3a7eb18 but without 3f415a88f0 it, he 54d0e41bfb had no 4f6ef99eac connection to a1c3daa578 the outside ea7dc7081e world.dbb1f44bb0f788b9

There wasn’t even a friend to call to pick him up. He looked up a map, thinking of stealing a car at night and escaping. Not knowing the way to New York, escape seemed quite difficult.f3525df3fa0f111d

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The map didn’t even show the current location in detail. The map app only said, “Somewhere in Kentucky.”6ccf67798c60aa8e

“Sigh… what to do.”aa0cce7749657b2d

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Fowler tossed fb8cb0dd2d the phone 92a1ec522c to a a0ef38e9e7 corner of 499eb128b8 the bed 0ee1446601 and began b852937424 opening the 7f5a359824 suitcases Hugo 2a19b207a5 had moved.50b058141399e64b

“I’ve never packed this kind of stuff. Who packed it?”1c756ce4ee26f807

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Muttering to 0885a4b6a0 himself, he 3e9eadffae opened the 27ea2ca76e suitcase and 25664a249c immediately solved f06cc109c2 the mystery.a1ace0f36f477806