"Do you understand what I said, Oscar?" Alec crossed his arms and looked at the young man in front of him. He explained to Oscar how the bar worked, which Oscar was quick to learn. He had worked in similar places before, so he looked around with a bit of suspicion and caution rather than fear.
"I understand, Mr. Alec." Alec smiled.
"Then you can get back to work. Remember, if I'm not around, you can ask the other waiters for help." Oscar nodded slowly as if to show that he understood. And with a sigh he stepped into the bar.
There were rooms in this bar, or rather, it had a concept reminiscent of old Japanese houses. If the guests in the room wanted something, they would notify the staff outside the room. Those staff would notify the kitchen staff, who would then take the orders to the rooms through other waiters. The bartenders generally worked more individually, and there were also those who liked to drink at the bar counter outside the rooms.
Today Oscar was on duty downstairs, not on the floor where the rooms were. There didn't seem to be any trouble, the mostly cheerful voices of people mixing with the music as Oscar got used to the smell of expensive perfume and alcohol that was starting to fill his nose. But the most pungent scent that directly appealed to his nose was the scent of the perfume Victor used instead of his pheromones, sitting in the brown leather armchairs in the corner. Oscar turned his head, feeling a strange urge to look away when their dark eyes met.
"You seem close to Mr. Whitmore." Oscar glanced at the red-haired girl who had come to him. She was a very cheerful woman named Aurora.
"Close? That man gives me the creeps." Aurora looked surprised, her voice sounding as if she couldn't believe it as she tilted her head curiously.
"Really? Mr. Whitmore has been staring at you since you got here, maybe he wants to talk?" Oscar waved his hand slightly as if to emphasize that this was not possible.
"Just checking to see if I'm causing any trouble." He looked back at Victor, frowning. "Maniac..." He muttered under his breath, not expecting Victor to be able to read his lips. But when Victor's expressionless face turned into a mocking smile, Oscar felt himself getting angry and turned away. Aurora blushed slightly as she looked at Oscar's departure and Victor, who was watching Oscar in turn, and muttered to herself.
"How strange... Victor didn't come to the bar much." She slapped her cheeks. "What are you thinking when you smile like that? My God, can't these handsome men be a little more cheerful!"
Later that night, Oscar's shift had finally ended. He changed in the staff dressing room and then exited through the back door. The smells that had been filling his nose were slowly starting to fade away, and he hadn't smelled Victor for a while anyway. The night was cold, but he could tolerate it since the bar wasn't too far from his house.
He arrived home about ten or fifteen minutes later, careful to close the building door slowly. Just as he arrived in front of his own house door, with the help of the dim light, he saw a bag hanging on the door handle. Oscar frowned and cautiously reached for the bag. A pleasant smell was coming from the bag. He took the bag and quickly went inside, leaving the bag on the table and looking inside.
Inside the bag was a large square box. When Oscar looked at the lid, he realized it belonged to a very popular restaurant whose name he knew but had never had the chance to go to. When Oscar lifted the lid, he realized it was a bento: steamed vegetables in the corner, sesame seeds on rice, salmon on top of rice, a small dessert… But what was really surprising to Oscar was that the food was still hot. At that moment, his phone rang, the caller was predictable. After all, there weren't many people who would call him. He picked up the call and put the phone to his ear.
"Are you home?" the voice on the other end asked.
"Yes, I just got here." Oscar looked at the bento. "Did you send the bento, Whitmore?" Victor laughed softly.
"So you don't faint from hunger." He was silent for a few seconds. "Eat, or I'll leave something outside your door every night. I don't really care about your taste." Oscar rolled his eyes, he could imagine the mocking expression on Victor's face right now.
"You don't have to do that again."
"That's a nice way to say thank you." Oscar sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"Thank you." He paused. "Happy now?"
"Yeah… Hey, go to sleep." When Victor hung up without waiting for an answer, Oscar cursed under his breath, took the sticks from the bag and tasted the salmon in the bento. He didn't want to admit it, but he liked it. As he ate his meal in silence, the only thing he heard was the sound of a car driving away. It belonged to the black car he hadn't noticed when he entered the house.
Days passed, Oscar had received some information about the situation at the casino. Victor and an anonymous person were completing the remaining work to cover up the murder. Oscar had relaxed a little more knowing that the casino would be opening soon. He was excitedly waiting for the casino just because the fee was higher, he actually liked the bar. He had even made a few friends.
That day, he was on duty on the floor where the rooms were. Normally, the floors where the rooms were were quieter because the waiters didn't have to come in much because bulk orders were given. At least, it had been that way until that day.
There were three men in a room, regular customers. Oscar had heard that these men ordered all at once and did not call the waiters afterward. But when he opened the *shoji door and entered to take their orders, the men exchanged glances and only ordered a few glasses.
(*_Shoji: Room-dividing doors in traditional Japanese homes. They can be made of thin wood._)
Oscar had initially thought that the men hadn't wanted to drink too much today. But he was constantly being called into the room and had to communicate with the men. Aurora, who had noticed his situation, went into the room instead of him, but returned with a scowl on her face.
"They insist on seeing you," she said, looking at Oscar. "Are those bastards planning to do something? Should I tell Alec?"
"No need, Aurora. I can handle this," Oscar replied, after all, this wasn't the first time he had been indirectly harassed at work. He sighed and walked back into the room. Suddenly, he felt three pairs of eyes on him, and those disgusting alpha pheromones.
"What can I do for you, Sir?" He asked, trying to keep his expression steady. Suddenly, a hand shot forward and grabbed Oscar's wrist. It was one of the drunk men.
"What's the rush? Stay with us a little longer."
"Yes, stay. These generous men can get something for you too. All you have to do is sweet-talk a little." The sounds of laughter unnerved Oscar, and he tried to pull his wrist back, but the man's grip only tightened. The ridiculous power that drunk alphas suddenly had was something Oscar despised.
"I said, stay with us." Oscar knew something was wrong. His eyebrows involuntarily furrowed.
"Sir, let go of my wrist. I'm just trying to do my job." His voice was muffled by the effort he put into holding himself back. The man started to pull him closer.
"Why are you so stubborn? You don't even smell, are you beta?" The man's voice rose.
"Beta or omega, what difference does it make?" Another man said with a laugh. "They can all take something in, after all."
"That's right." The man holding Oscar agreed. His eyes scanned Oscar's body. "You look pretty, are you a virgin?"
Oscar's logic stopped at this question. Just a few seconds. In a few seconds, he raised his free hand and slapped the man hard with the back of his hand. There was a sudden silence in the room, but the man's angry breathing could be heard.
"Bitch!" he shouted and threw Oscar against the wall. Oscar could have tried to defend himself. But he didn't know how much he could defend himself against three drunk alphas. And without even thinking, the three men who were coming at him came into view.
After that, his memories were fragmented. He remembered someone grasping his hair and pulling his head back, the first blow to his stomach, and then a moment later, the shoji opening and someone entering.
"Boss!" Aurora was shouting. Oscar closed his eyes, his head spinning as the voices mixed together. Before he passed out, a smell hit his nose, a familiar one. In the room in the casino, in his house, downstairs from the bar. The pheromone smell he had felt everywhere was the clearest thing he could remember before he passed out.