Desire Me If You Can Chapter 12

Leaving behind a hint of anxiety, the fire chief returned to his office. Once his back had completely disappeared from view, the remaining men turned their gazes toward Grayson in unison. They stood there, looking up at him with hardened expressions as if they were confronting a dangerous criminal.

With their arms crossed or one hand on their hips, their expressions were filled with blatant dissatisfaction. Their hostility had reached its peak, compounded by self-loathing for having been momentarily mesmerized by his appearance.

In the sharp, icy silence, the air in the room grew increasingly tense. Amidst this, a man finally stepped forward as if to seize the initiative, looking up at Grayson and uttering a low voice:

“A firefighter starting today? You?”

He scanned Grayson’s entire body with a look of pure disbelief, and another man asked in a rough tone, as if to assist him:

“How did you even get in here? We all had to go through tests; don’t you have to as well?”

“That’s right, the physical fitness test. That’s the most basic of the basics.”

Following the man who had quickly spoken up, others began to chime in from here and there, not missing a chance to interject.

“When a fire breaks out, you have to run into the scene carrying incredibly heavy equipment. Can you do that?”

“You just waltz in and call yourself a colleague? Not a chance, that’s impossible.”

“We’re a team. If a greenhorn like you barges in and ruins the team, everyone’s life is in danger. Hey, are you even listening?”

“Answer me, you son of a bitch. Are you deaf?”

The men were shouting in frustration, but Grayson showed no reaction. He was looking past the men with a bored expression when he suddenly moved. As he tried to walk past them, ignoring them, they flew into a rage and blocked his path again.

“Is this fucking asshole ignoring what we’re saying?”

“Where the hell do you think you’re going? Without our permission!”

“Get lost right now! This isn’t a place for someone like you to be hanging around!”

The men shouted, swinging their fists right under Grayson’s chin. His path blocked, Grayson contorted his face and then let out a deep sigh. Even then, the men remained full of spirit. This bastard is finally losing his nerve. Of course, we’re the firefighters who protect this area! Can a bum like you ever handle us? With the men puffing out their chests in satisfaction, Grayson let his shoulders slump as if discouraged, and murmured in a completely drained voice:

“Ah… I hate ugly people so much…”

He had muttered it like a self-reflection, but it was clearly intended for everyone present to hear. A cold silence descended instantly. The men who had been shouting and making a racket until a moment ago stood stunned, as if they had just been struck in the back of the head. Only a very short time had passed, but Grayson really looked as if all his energy had been sucked out of him. The way he clutched his mouth with one hand and took a deep breath, as if about to vomit, set a fire in the hearts of the men watching.

“What did you say? Hey, you son of a bitch!”

“Fuck, do you want to die? Fine, let’s go right now!”

“I’m going to kill you, you fucker! Who do you think you’re talking to like that?”

“Come on, coward! Fight me right now! I’m going to grind you into dust!”

With curses, someone threw a punch, and as if that were the signal, they all swarmed toward Grayson. Seeing them, Grayson stopped, frowning. Surprisingly, the moment the men hesitated at his tearful, pained face—accompanied by a ‘haaa’—he muttered as if complaining:

“Ah… I hate touching ugly people so much…”

In an instant, the men’s anger exploded.

“What was that? You son of a bitch!”

“Kill him! Let’s kill him right now!”

“I won’t let you get away with this, you rotten bastard!”

The man at the very front, who had heard his words, threw a punch with a vein bulging on his forehead. It was no longer a matter of pride as a firefighter. Only fury—a desire to beat this arrogant bastard and teach him a lesson—filled their hearts.

Unfortunately, Grayson lightly avoided the desperate blow by simply turning his body. While the man who had missed, cutting through thin air, stumbled and gritted his teeth to regain his stance, another man rushed in. This time, it was a kick. A foot aimed at thigh-height flew toward him, but Grayson avoided it easily by just stepping back.

The same situation repeated itself, but the men did not give up. Instead, they threw themselves into the fray even more fiercely, their eyes burning as if determined to knock him down no matter what. It wasn’t a situation that would end easily. Grayson was getting bored. It was annoying to waste time on such useless matters, and he felt impatient knowing he should be finding the woman of his destiny rather than dealing with these morons.

That was when it happened. As Grayson turned his body to avoid another incoming punch, his eyes caught “it.” A crowbar, a tool firefighters mainly use to open locked doors, gave him an idea for a different purpose.

The moment the man’s fist landed on Grayson’s stomach with a dull thud, Grayson grabbed the crowbar almost simultaneously.

“Uh.”

The man stood momentarily dazed, unable to process the fact that he had actually hit Grayson, who had been dodging so well. A shadow fell over him. From above the man who had reflexively looked up, Grayson opened his mouth, a smile spreading across his face.

“Now it’s self-defense.”

Without even a moment to think, the crowbar cut through the air. The man collapsed to the floor without even being able to scream. Seeing that, the other men were momentarily flustered, but there was no time to hesitate. By the time they realized that Grayson Miller had intentionally let himself be hit, the crowbar was already flying toward them.

What followed was a one-sided beating. The men hurriedly regained their stance and rushed at Grayson, but they couldn’t even graze him. They were battered recklessly on their arms, waists, and backs. Fortunately, he didn’t hit their heads, but the impact transmitted to their bodies was by no means light. Behind a man who collapsed with a scream, another man threw himself, and when he was knocked away, the fallen man would stagger back up to charge again.

Now, there was no thought left in their minds about teaching Grayson Miller manners or anything of the sort. All that remained for them was mere pathetic pride and stubbornness—a final will not to collapse so ungracefully.

Even though they were so desperate, Grayson wasn’t even panting. His movements as he skillfully swung the crowbar were just enough, and seemed even concise. This monster, the man who had rushed in first gritted his teeth and spat out a curse. He might kill us. Along with fear came a chilling premonition. No, he surely would. If not this very moment, then someday, perhaps quite soon.

That bastard is going to kill us all.

The moment he thought that, the crowbar flew toward his body.

I can’t hold out this time. Is this the end? The man thought and closed his eyes.

WHACK, a loud sound echoed. The sound seemed to come from further away than expected. The man stiffened at the noise, which felt as if it had echoed from somewhere other than his own body.

When he slowly opened his eyes, an unexpected sight met his gaze. Someone had struck Grayson Miller’s back with a chair. And the moment he identified the red-haired man holding the broken chair leg, he let out a sigh of relief without even realizing it.

“Dane…!”

As he called out the name as if he had met his savior, he saw Grayson Miller turning around slowly with a scowl. Soon, their gazes met in mid-air. Deep purple eyes filled with displeasure and deep blue eyes furrowed with annoyance.

Dane, having thrown away the broken chair, creased his brow to the limit.

“What is this? Who are you?”

Pop. Dane blew up and popped the gum he had been chewing in his mouth, glaring at the stranger who had been causing a ruckus until just a moment ago.