Alberu tries to rub both of his eyes to ensure he was not hallucinating. He kept on rubbing them not minding the loud sigh coming from Cale. 

How would he be supposed to sleep? Sleeping beside Cale?

Oh lord, he is having the panic of his life. 

A hand reached on his arms to stop him from rubbing them once more. 

“Hey, stop it already. You’re not hallucinating.” Cale assures Alberu. 

“I’ll sleep on the floor.”

It earned a raised eyebrow from Cale. A light laugh came out from his lips.

“What are you saying? You’re not gonna sleep on the floor. We’re sleeping together.”

“But-” 

“You act like we have not slept beside each other. Hmmm?” 

Cale crosses his arms. Half of his body leaning towards Alberu, a smirk present on his face. 

Visible redness rushes towards Alberu’s cheek. He could not maintain his composure anymore and took a step back. 

“I’ll take a shower first.”

Alberu ran off.

Cale watches how Alberu quickened his pace towards the bathroom and could not help but let out a fond smile. 

Why does Alberu act like they have not slept on the same bed before?

Was it because it was when they were younger?

Was it because it is in the past?

Or, was it they both know now together they have unresolved tension?

His iris glinted with slight mischief. An idea passes through his mind that would make Alberu utterly helpless under Cale. 

Ping

The sound of notification rang. Cale pulled out his phone from his pockets and glance a bit. 

“Tsk, they are really fast.” He utters to the air. 

His eyes seriously read about the background information gathered by the Ancient Oldies.

Alberu stares right through his reflection in the mirror. Face dripping with water, an awful way for him to pull himself together. 

Both hands were on the sink, gripping it tightly making sure he was still thinking sane. 

A labored breath escapes from his lips. 

‘Me and Cale.... one bed.... bed... sleeping together.... together’

Those words are the only things inside his mind repeatedly. He cannot shake it off because for a long time they had not shared a bed.

Suddenly plunging him towards this situation? He is losing his mind. 

Bringing a hand on his cheek, he slaps himself lightly and even pinches it. 

A stinging sensation can be felt from the assault he did on himself. 

“Am not really dreaming.” He mutters to no one in particular. 

His eyes turned into a crescent and so he saw his reflection smiling back at him.

“Aigoo, Alberu. Look at yourself, you look so happy? Hmmmm?” He talks to his reflection. 

A good thing no one sees him like this, or else, a blackmail material would be put against him. 

Knock knock knock

A muffled voice outside the door speaks.

“Are you done? You forgot your clothes. What are you gonna do? Walking around naked in front of me?” 

Alberu wanted to retort back a yes because why not? His body is well built and he can show it off to Cale. 

Refraining from replying to an affirmative answer, he cracks the door open. 

A set of clothes were shoveled into his arms.

“Now take a shower. I know you’ve been gay panicking inside.” 

Cale strode towards the bedroom not minding the disbelief shouts coming from the bathroom. 

He sat on a chair, closing his eyes to rest and to think. 

Elisneh and Adin. 

Both of them are suspicious. Suspicious enough that they might do something tonight. 

However, Cale wonders about the information he got from Choi Han and the Ancient Oldies. 

His mind almost went to the right direction of the case only lacking the evidence he needed. 

He let his mind rest for a while.

***
Jopeh stares at the documents she found securely hidden away from the watchful eyes. 

Elegance still evident on her face, even though her eyes are empty, devoid of any emotions. 

Jopeh found out what Elisneh was doing behind her back. 

Their family is known to be upright in front of the public. Every generation, all people in their family have connections to every industry. 

In the public eye, they appear to be getting along. Every family member is seen supporting each other earning the admirable eyes of the public.

Not knowing, behind the facade they put up with, they act like a savage beast behind closed doors. Tearing each other and wanting the position of the family head. 

Jopeh was a bright woman, having her life piece together. She has her own family, a talented woman in every industry she was in, ambitious and righteous. Though, it did not last long. 

No one would have thought she would be struck with unluckiness.

It started from her husband being dead next to her children, everywhere she goes misfortunes befall those she interacted with. 

Scared of their wits, slowly, she falls. The well-known woman became miserable and cold yet elegance was still engraved on her bones. 

Now, finishing off reading the bad deeds Elisneh did to acquire the position, she actually was not that surprised. 

Elisneh had collaborated with the Arm Organization. She even might have had a hand in making her life miserable as possible. 

However, how?

His husband and children was not murdered but suddenly felt ill and died right after. 

Her business partners even got into some weird accidents after meeting her. 

She frowns and avert her gaze for a while to think. 

An odd book caught her attention. It was red with a big star imprinted on it.

As if someone is urging her to read it, she places down the document then grabs the book; flipping it over to see. 

Astonishment flashes in her eyes as she continues to skim. 

Weird language flows on each page and under it has some kind of instructions to do.

“This.... curse spells?” She mutters under her breath engrossed with what she is reading. 

She turns to another page and stops for a moment. Her hand on the book tightens as she reads.

To befall tragedy to the receipt, must first kill people with almost the same birth month and year of the person. 

Must find a suitable land full of resentment and build a structure. One in each direction and leave space in the middle. 

After finding your first victim, chop off its body parts. Remove the organs and bury it in the space you had left. The head must be placed on the north, each arm on the east and west respectively and both legs on the south. 

Draw a star with lines connecting to each corner on the ceiling of the room where you put the parts. This should be done every month to ensure the spell is effective. 

Jopeh shuts the book. Her breath heavily from the revelation she had discovered. 

She clutches her face, remembering her shaman friend. 

Gashan. 

Gashan had told her about how she had been cursed. Being a non-believer of it, she shrugs it off. 

They did not talk about it again. 

“So, you decide to do petty tricks like this huh? “ 

A blazing fire of resentment lit her eyes. Hatred, pain and more negative emotions swirl inside her, wanting to be released. She tore the written page of the curse, slipping it on under a few documents she had for only a few could see.

She grabs her phone and takes pictures of all the evidence she sees, even the curse book then sends it to her trusted friend. 

After that, she instantly deleted their conversation and the pictures, having the feeling of being captured right at the moment.

Hopefully, Gashan would receive her message. 

Her gut feeling was proven correct when she heard the door open revealing his sister Elisneh. An innocent smile painted on her face.

“Sister! I brought your food.” 

Elisneh trudges forward and halts her next movement seeing the documents lay flat on the table.   

Out of Elisneh line of sight, Jopeh clenches her fist.

“Stop pretending you bitch.” Jopeh calmly says.

Elisneh's face hardens and puts away the superficial appearance she wears.

“Haaa, you’re the bitch one here sister. Sniffing out other things.” Elisneh sneers. 

Elisneh places down the food on the table and snatches the documents to quickly skim on it.

Ha.

Really.

Jopeh really found her bad deeds. 

“Good heavens sister, you really don’t want to live do you?”

“I let you live. Of course in a miserable state.” She added, mirth clearly on her tone. 

Jopeh did not say anything. She was watching Elisneh’s every move. 

“Don’t think of escaping sis. You’re already surrounded.”

With a snap of her finger, multiple black covered individuals came in. Guns pointed at her in every direction. 

Elisneh still is not satisfied.

There was no fear on Jopeh’s face. 

“Gag her and bring her to the warehouse.” She ordered.

Jopeh’s expression changed and before she could scream her lungs out, someone gags her then covers her eyes rendering her of no eyesight.

Elisneh felt satisfaction as Jopeh struggle from their holds. Jopeh was led away. 

After the commotion was settled for a minute, heavy foosteps trudge inside the room. 

Elisneh already knew who it was.

“Adin.” She calls out. 

Adin puffs out a smoke, a cigarette stick wedge between his fingers. 

“Told you. Your sister is nosy and even found the document you hid. You do know the higher- ups are furious because each of the units are now being raided by the police?”

Elisneh sighs.

“I know. It was because of my neglenience.”

“Good that you know.”

Adin puts out the cigarette, his attention on the table.

“Did you find her phone? That bitch might send it to the police, another headache for us.”

Elisneh spotted the phone on the table, grabbing it she opens it to see there were no message sent by Jopeh on the moment.

“Looks like she did not have the time to send it.” 

“Good. Now get all the documents you have there. We need to leave now.”

***

Gashan was about to sleep. He stares at the ceiling, distrunt casted on his face. 

A while ago, when he was about to drink a glass of water, the glass slipped from his grasp.

It came as a surprise for him. He had held the glass carefully making sure he had grasp on it but still fell down.

He stared at the broken pieces of glass under his feet, a premonition , someone close to him is about to get hurt. 

He sighs then thinks.

Who would be harm?

After thinking about it, the name finally emerged on his mind. 

Jopeh.

He shakily let out a breath.

‘Oh nature, please let my friend be safe.’ He prays over and over again. 

Gashan had already warned her about the curse befallen to her yet she did not believe it.

Successive sound of notification rang on his phone. He grabs his phone by the night stand in time to see Jopeh’s message. 

Swiping it, he sees pictures, evidence and cries of help from Joeph. 

“Fuck, I told you to be careful.”

Gashan had now decided. 

He needed to contact Guardian for help.

***

Cale flutters his eyelids open, hearing footsteps coming his way. He lifts his head up in time to see Alberu approaching. 

A freshly showered Alberu presents himself towards him.

Cale cannot help but stare a bit longer than necessary watching some droplets of water from his hair slid down on his jaw. 

His shirt is a bit damp and a white pristine towel hanging on his neck. 

“I’m done. You go and shower too.” 

Cale does not reply.

He was busy ogling Alberu’s fit body. 

As if sensing Cale’s ogling, Alberu smiles and asks.

“Like what you see?”

“Pretty much.”

After answering, Cale stood up and grabbed his clothes, trudging towards the bathroom to take a bath.

Alberu can see every day, Cale is getting bolder on his advances. He sighs, he wanted to confess however it was not really the time to do so.

He sits in front of a mirror, and blows dries his wet hair. Alberu absentmindedly did this in practice gestures and let his mind wander to the case. 

 The case is quite complicated because it was only the head they saw and the limbs are not found yet. They did not know who the victim was and their information was lacking. 

It kinda sucks. 

Oh right, Alberu forgot to ask Cale the information they had gathered. 

A soft hand encloses his hand. 

He gets startled a bit but he sees Cale’s reflection behind him.

“Oh you’re done?”

“Yes, let me help you.”

Alberu gave the blow dryer to Cale with no hesitation. 

Cale starts to run his finger on Alberu’s damp hair, and blows dry it as he massages his scalp.

After it was done, he too did it for Cale. 

Alberu tugs Cale’s clothes beckoning him to lie on the single bed. Cale followed and lies down beside Alberu.

The single bed really cannot fit them, Alberu sighing, shifting his position so Cale has more space on the mattress. 

He does not want to squish Cale.

“What have you discovered?” Alberu asks, watching from his peripheral vision Cale switching off the lamp beside the night stand. 

Darkness soon envelops them. 

“I have seen a similar case like this before. It appears to be like the preparator is doing some kind of ritual.”

“Ritual?”

“Yes, have you seen the display on the ceiling of the living room? It kinda looks creepy right? The other buildings have that too. Choi Han reported. So that might mean, the murder is doing some kind of ritual.”

“But what for?”

“That is what we must find.” Cale concluded, drowsily, saying in a tired voice.

He forces himself to stay awake as he tells bits of information to Alberu. Alberu notices the tiredness in Cale’s voice.

“Sleep. We can talk about this tomorrow.” 

Alberu flutters his eyes closed, he waits for sleep to take over yet it did not come as he felt arms snaking around his waist.

He froze.

“Cale, what are you doing?”

“Cale, what are you doing?”

Cale does not answer. He tightens his hold on Alberu’s waist with no intention of letting go.

Alberu could only let it be. 

It appears like Cale needed a warm source since it was cold?

Nah, who was he kidding?

Cale intentionally did this as an excuse to hug him. 

Alberu silently chuckles, then no further ado, pulls Cale on his chest.

He lightly pats Cale, lulling him to sleep and feeling another one’s warmth, soon sleep gradually takes over him.

In the darkness, Alberu did not see Cale’s satisfied smile. 

***
Cheapskate was playing with his phone when Guardian kicked him. 

Scowling, he wanted to utter curses however he does not have the time to do so. 

He sees a serious expression on Guardian’s face.

“What’s wrong?” Cheapskate asks, a frown evident on his face. 

The other Ancient Oldies looked at  Guardian. They have been huddled in this one room because they decided to be together and finish their task. 

It was already late at night and they were the only one awake, the others rested. 

“Gashan messaged me.”

“Is that so?” Crybaby asks, his full attention now on what Guardian is about to say.

“Jopeh been kidnapped by Elisneh. It appears to be like Elisneh is the culprit of the dead corpse.”

“Haaaaa. So no sleep tonight?”

“Kinda obvious.” Thief utters, standing up from the chair she sat on and stretches her sore muscle. 

“Let’s go.” Wind says.

“Wait! We need to leave a letter for them about our whereabouts.” Glutton stated. 

Crazy Kid starts to write a note for the others to read. 

They soon left the hotel. 

Hopefully, they were not too late.

***
Follow me on twitter: @/ sweetberrycakey

I post a lot of AlCale contents there!

If you want to read more advance chapters, I would like to encourage to read in AO3.

My username there is: berry_keyk