The eyes staring at me were filled with desperation. Choi Yeo-min sincerely wished for it—for me to take his hand like before and run away with him, to abandon Vincent and choose him instead.
But I couldn’t take Choi Yeo-min’s hand. Clenching my fist tightly, I hid it behind my back and put even more distance between us. It was a small movement, but for Yeo-min, who had been holding onto hope, it was enough. His lips curled into a powerless smile.
“Is this your answer, hyung?”
I lowered my gaze without responding. Yeo-min, who had been holding his hand out in midair, let it drop before striding forward and roughly grabbing my shoulders.
“You said you wanted to escape. You said you wanted to run away from Vincent Shining.”
“Ugh—”
“Then why did you change your mind? Huh?”
He shook me as he demanded an answer. His eyes, losing all reason, gleamed with a dangerous intensity. When I turned my head away, unwilling to meet his gaze, his grip on my shoulders tightened as if to force me to look at him. It felt like my bones were about to shatter.
“Let… go—”
“If we cross the border, Vincent Shining won’t be able to follow us. You know that. So come with me. Right now.”
Releasing my shoulders, Yeo-min grabbed my wrist instead and pulled me toward the door. I struggled against the force dragging me forward, but my body hadn’t fully recovered yet. I was too weak to resist properly and ended up being half-dragged across the floor.
“J-just wait, Yeo-min! Let go of me—”
“You said it was like hell there! And I’m trying to save you, so why the hell—”
“I never said that!”
Unable to hold back any longer, I shouted at him. Yeo-min stopped dead in his tracks. Seizing the moment, I yanked my hand free and staggered backward, widening the distance between us.
I rubbed my wrist, now marked with a glaring red imprint of his grip, and stared straight at Yeo-min, who stood frozen in shock. His trembling voice barely managed to ask,
“What… what do you mean? Hyung, you told me. You said you didn’t want to be there. That it was a horrifying, hellish place. That you wanted me to take you away—”
“I never called that place hell.”
I cut him off firmly. Whatever else I might have said, those words had never left my lips. How could they?
I was the one who left him there eight years ago.
When I decided to leave him behind again, I had only wished for him to be happy even in my absence. I never wanted him to suffer in a place he thought of as hell.
So how could I possibly dare… to call that place hell—the place where I left him behind?
“Is it because of the imprint?”
Choi Yeo-min wanted to believe that the imprint was the only thing keeping me from leaving. And while it was true that the imprint played a role, I couldn’t bring myself to say that was the whole reason. As I hesitated, delaying my response, Yeo-min came to his own conclusion. His eyes gleamed with determination.
“They said there’s a way to break the imprint. Tell me what it is. If you and that bastard get rid of the imprint, then you won’t be bound anymore, and you can go wherever you want—”
“I can’t.”
The only way to break an imprint was for one of us to die. It was an unbreakable bond, something even we, the ones bound by it, couldn’t undo by our own will.
Yeo-min, who had been speaking excitedly, abruptly fell silent. He seemed to think I knew how to sever the imprint but was refusing to tell him. His wavering gaze filled with betrayal.
“So… you’re choosing to stay by Vincent Shining’s side?”
Yeo-min asked, his voice tight. I didn’t answer, but my silence spoke for itself. Understanding my unspoken response, Yeo-min let out a faint, bitter laugh. Slowly, he began stepping backward.
His eyes—once filled with hope—were now a storm of emotions: betrayal, disappointment, resentment, contempt, and regret, all twisted together. The moment our gazes met, an unbridgeable gap formed between us.
And in that instant, I knew.
This was the end for me and Choi Yeo-min.
“…Take care.”
With that barely audible farewell, Yeo-min turned and walked out the door. Bang. The sound of it shutting echoed through the room.
I reached out instinctively—but that was all I could do. I couldn’t bring myself to follow him.
“I’m sorry….”
My belated apology crashed against the closed door and scattered into nothingness.
That was the last memory I had of Choi Yeo-min.
***
After closing the door behind him, Yeo-min immediately started preparing to leave the mansion. Now that he knew he couldn’t take Seo-yul with him, he had no reason to stay a second longer.
He stormed into his room and began shoving his belongings into a bag. Not that there was much to pack—just a few pieces of clothing and some hidden cash. Shouldering the light bag, he headed out.
But standing in the doorway, blocking his way, was Helen.
“Where do you think you’re going at this hour?”
“…That’s none of your business.”
His curt reply shut down any further questions. Yeo-min gave a slight nod, intending to brush past her, but Helen didn’t move aside.
“Step aside.”
“You’re free to leave whenever you want, but wait until morning. It’s too dark right now.”
“I don’t care. I’m leaving now.”
“Don’t be stubborn. The borders of this district are far more dangerous than you think.”
At Helen’s words, Yeo-min recalled the bruises still scattered across his body. This place was relatively safe because of the subordinates Vincent Shining had stationed here, but things were different in the other border towns.
Even though he wasn’t an Omega like Seo-yul, Yeo-min—being from District 5—would still be an appealing target. He had overheard those bastards whispering about it before, how people from District 5 were fewer in number and could fetch a good price in the market.
But staying here was even worse than worrying about his own safety. More than anything, he couldn’t stand being in the same space as Seo-yul, who had chosen Vincent Shining over him.
“Judging by that look on your face, I guess Seo-yul rejected you.”
“Rejected? What the hell are you talking—”
Yeo-min snapped, raising his voice, but then quickly bit his tongue. He felt like he’d just been baited into something. Sure enough, Helen’s eyes curved into a knowing smile.
“I was just asking on a whim, but I guess I was right.”
She grinned playfully and flicked Yeo-min’s forehead. Even though her Shining bloodline was faint, she was still stronger than most. The sharp sting of the flick left his forehead burning red.
Rubbing the sore spot, Yeo-min shot her a glare, but Helen remained completely unfazed. Eventually, his tense expression softened, and he let out a long sigh.
“I never even confessed. There was nothing to reject.”
“Then why didn’t you just tell him how you feel?”
Yeo-min shook his head. The more time he spent with Seo-yul, the clearer it became—no matter how long they stayed together, Seo-yul would never feel the same way.
There had been so many moments where he wanted to cross the line. But in the end, he never did. Maybe because he already knew he’d be rejected. Or maybe because he was desperately trying to deny the truth until the very last moment.
Either way, this was the end.
He no longer wanted to reach out to someone who had chosen to stay by Vincent Shining’s side.
“I just don’t understand. He hates him so much, despises him even more, and yet—why does he still stay? Seo-yul hyung suffers when he’s with that bastard. But even so, he chooses to stay.”
Despite saying that, deep down, Yeo-min already knew the answer.
Even if it wasn’t because of the imprint, the person in Seo-yul’s heart was Vincent Shining.
Seo-yul might try to deny it, might try to look away from it—but the way he looked at Vincent said otherwise. Anyone could see it.
That was the gaze of someone hopelessly in love.
The only reason Yeo-min had refused to acknowledge it was because his own feelings had grown too overwhelming.
Before he even realized it, he had started looking at Seo-yul the same way.
With longing, with affection, with warmth.
Even though he knew Seo-yul’s eyes were fixed on someone else, he had still held onto his feelings. That had been his choice.
So in the end, this outcome was inevitable. He had known from the beginning that Seo-yul loved Vincent Shining.
“Are you okay?”
“Huh?”
At Helen’s cautious question, Yeo-min lifted his head—only to realize that tears were streaming down his face.
He quickly raised a hand to wipe them away, but once his emotions started spilling over, he couldn’t stop them.
“I’m really fine—”
His voice broke, and soon, his shoulders were shaking as he sobbed.
Helen quietly stepped forward and gently patted his back without saying a word. The moment he felt her warmth, the emotions he had barely been holding in came crashing down, and he could no longer swallow back the sounds of his cries.
“Let it all out,” she murmured. “It hurts now, but one day, it’ll be okay.”
They say that with time, all wounds heal.
But Yeo-min had a feeling—this one would linger for a long, long time.
