Moving around without drawing attention was no easy task. It was even more difficult because the mansion was teeming with guests for the Day of the District.
“How am I supposed to get there?”
To reach the bedroom, I had to pass through the banquet hall. But with the final banquet about to begin, all the lavishly dressed guests were making their way there.
Passing through the banquet hall unnoticed while wearing blood stained clothes was nearly impossible. Yet, even if I wanted to find another way, I had no idea how to navigate the mansion’s labyrinthine halls.
Under normal circumstances, I would have been blending in with the crowd alongside him. The outfit I had painstakingly prepared would end up discarded without ever being worn. Then again, what did any of that matter now?
‘Where would he be?’
I was heading to the bedroom because I couldn’t think of anywhere else, but there was no guarantee he’d be there. Even so, I couldn’t waste time searching the entire mansion for him.
Before the seventh bell tolled, I had to return to where Choi Yeo-min was. The only reason I was going to him now was to say my final goodbye.
Just as I was about to continue toward the bedroom, a familiar scent brushed past my nose. It was mixed with countless other fragrances, but there was no way I wouldn’t recognize it.
“…Over there.”
I turned away from the path leading to the bedroom and followed the scent. At first, I had to move cautiously to avoid being seen, but soon, the corridors grew quiet, devoid of people.
The scent grew stronger. That meant he was close.
How long had I been walking?
There he was—standing blankly in front of a window.
“Vi—”
I almost called out his name, but I shut my mouth. Instead, I took another step closer.
Normally, he would have noticed my presence long before now. But it wasn’t until I was just a few steps away that he finally turned to look at me.
“Seo-yul hyung…”
At first, his wavering eyes, unable to believe I was standing before him, rejected reality. But soon enough, the fear that had twisted his expression as if he were about to cry faded away.
***
The final banquet was about to begin. Any moment now, the master of the District would arrive.
He was supposed to remain in place for the announcement of the next District Leader. But he couldn’t just sit still.
He threw open every door he came across, desperately searching for Seo-yul, but there was no sign of him. Of course not. The kidnappers wouldn’t be foolish enough to hide him in such an obvious place.
He knew that. But there was no other way.
Ina’s private soldiers were also scouring the mansion for Seo-yul, but he was too anxious to simply trust them and wait.
“Seo-yul hyung…”
He had searched every corner of the mansion’s depths, yet Seo-yul was nowhere to be found. Had he managed to escape in the meantime? The mere thought made his vision blur.
His gaze drifted to the window, focusing on the walls that encircled the mansion. No one from the Shining family could leave the premises without the District Leader’s permission, but those rules had long ceased to exist in his mind.
Staggering forward, he threw the window wide open.
Security around the mansion had been significantly reinforced due to the number of guests, but it wasn’t tight enough to keep him in if he really wanted to leave.
He was just about to step out, determined to find Seo-yul, when he heard footsteps approaching—along with a scent so familiar it made his mouth go dry.
He didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. There was only one person in the world whose scent had such a hold on him.
Slowly, he turned his head. Seo-yul stood right there.
Even though only a few steps separated them, the distance felt unbearable. He couldn’t stop himself—he rushed forward and pulled Seo-yul into his arms.
“Seo-yul hyung…”
Every breath he took filled his lungs with that intoxicatingly sweet scent, grounding him in reality. This wasn’t a hallucination born from his anxiety. This was the real Seo-yul.
“You’re suffocating me.”
He loosened his grip, finally taking a proper look at Seo-yul. At first, he thought the blood staining Seo-yul’s clothes was his own, but thankfully, it wasn’t.
However, one of his cheeks was badly bruised, darkened as if someone had struck him hard.
With trembling hands, he gently cupped Seo-yul’s face, only for Seo-yul to flinch, his brow furrowing from the pain.
“…Does it hurt a lot?”
Seo-yul shook his head. A lie. There was no way it didn’t hurt after taking a blow like that. But Seo-yul refused to acknowledge the pain, rejecting his concern with silent defiance.
His emotions were a tangled mess. He wanted to tear apart the bastards who had done this to Seo-yul. He wanted to destroy himself for failing to protect him.
Self-loathing threatened to consume him.
“I… I just want to rest.”
“You’re exhausted, aren’t you?”
Originally, they were supposed to attend the final banquet together, but in Seo-yul’s current state, that was impossible. His own impatience didn’t matter—Seo-yul came first.
‘Going back to the bedroom isn’t an option.’
That space had already been too exposed. It wasn’t a place where he could keep Seo-yul safe.
There was only one other option—the new quarters he would gain after the Day of the District ended.
It wasn’t fully set up yet, but it would be enough for Seo-yul to rest, at least for a little while. If he could just finish the banquet quickly and return… maybe that would be enough.
“What are you thinking about?”
Seo-yul’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. “It’s nothing.”
Strange.
Seo-yul was right here in front of him, yet his heart wouldn’t stop trembling.
It felt just like that day, eight years ago.
Perhaps it was because they still hadn’t found the ones who had taken Seo-yul.
The situation wasn’t resolved yet. That was why his unease wouldn’t fade.
At least, that’s what he told himself.
“Come here.”
Holding Seo-yul’s hand, he walked down the corridor leading to the central greenhouse. The halls were eerily quiet, as if everyone had already gathered in the banquet hall. It felt as though he and Seo-yul were the only ones left in this vast mansion.
“Where are we going?”
Seo-yul, who had been following obediently, finally asked. Instead of answering, he only tightened his grip on Seo-yul’s hand. It must have been frustrating not to get a response, but Seo-yul didn’t ask again.
After walking for a long while, he stopped in front of a door not far from the central greenhouse. He pushed it open to reveal a spacious yet still empty room. Thankfully, there was a bed.
“Come inside.”
Originally, he had planned to finish the Day of the District first and then present this place to Seo-yul as a surprise. But everything had already fallen apart. Right now, he didn’t have the energy to care about ruined plans.
Seo-yul followed him inside and couldn’t hide his amazement at the sheer size of the space—it was several times larger than the bedroom they had used before. And understandably so. This was the second-largest and most extravagant residence in the mansion, second only to the District Leader’s quarters.
“Where is this?”
“This is where we’ll be staying.”
Seo-yul’s eyes widened at the realization.
Taking a step closer, he kissed Seo-yul’s pale forehead. As he inhaled the sweet scent that clung to Seo-yul’s skin, the anxious tremors in his chest slowly began to subside.
He took Seo-yul’s hand again and led him toward the bed. Sitting Seo-yul down, he knelt on one knee in front of him, carefully examining his injuries.
Aside from the dark bruise on his cheek, there were scattered bruises across his body, but thankfully, nothing more severe. Letting out a breath of relief, he met Seo-yul’s gaze.
“For now, it’s safer for you to stay here.”
Once he left, he planned to call over a few of Ina’s private soldiers to guard the entrance. There was still a high chance that the bastards who had taken Seo-yul were somewhere in the mansion.
Until those fuckers were caught, Seo-yul couldn’t be considered truly safe. He wished he could stay by his side, but that wasn’t possible right now.
“I’ll finish up quickly and come back. Get some rest.”
Time had slipped away while he was searching for Seo-yul. He had to return to the banquet hall before the seventh bell rang. With difficulty, he forced himself to stand.
Seo-yul lifted his head, meeting his gaze.
Leaning down, he pressed his lips against Seo-yul’s. Their breaths mingled as the slight gap between their lips allowed warmth to seep through.
Slowly, he closed his eyes and tilted his head, deepening the kiss. Normally, Seo-yul would stubbornly refuse to part his lips. But tonight, for some reason, he reached out, wrapping his arms around his neck and pulling him closer.
“…Mmh.”
What had begun as a fleeting kiss deepened in an instant.
By the time he came to his senses, he was already bracing himself against the bed with one knee, pressing Seo-yul beneath him.
When he finally pulled away to catch his breath, he was met with the sight of Seo-yul—disheveled, lips slightly parted, his usually composed expression unraveling.
The air around them had become thick with the scent of flowers, interwoven with a faint hint of cocoa.
“…What should I even call you?” Seo-yul murmured.
He hesitated.
If he were being honest, he wanted Seo-yul to call him by the name he had once given him. But time had already passed them by.
They had both changed too much to linger in the past.
“Call me whatever you want, Seo-yul hyung.”
