The silence dragged on. Aside from the very first time they were together, Seo-yul had never been this quiet around him. But now, the atmosphere was so awkward that neither of them could bring themselves to speak first.
—It’s… overwhelming.
Seo-yul had only given a vague response when asked why he hadn’t chosen Vincent Shining. But Yeo-min understood immediately. Seo-yul hadn’t chosen anyone.
Seo-yul knew how he felt. Of course, it was obvious—so obvious that it would have been strange if he didn’t realize it. Letting out a small groan, Yeo-min shut the book he wasn’t even paying attention to.
“Seo-yul.”
Cautiously, Yeo-min called out to him. When there was no response, he lifted himself onto the balls of his feet and tiptoed toward the bed where Seo-yul lay.
“You…”
He had thought Seo-yul was staring blankly at the ceiling, but at some point, he had dozed off. Yeo-min pulled up the blanket that had bunched at the foot of the bed and carefully covered him with it.
Instead of stepping away immediately, he sat on the edge of the bed and watched Seo-yul sleep. Vincent Shining would sometimes gaze at Seo-yul like this when he was asleep, and now Yeo-min thought he understood why.
Out of all the people Yeo-min knew, Seo-yul was the smallest, the palest, and the most beautiful. Just looking at him made his heart swell with warmth, and before he realized it, a gentle smile spread across his lips.
‘He’s so beautiful.’
His hand reached out, brushing aside the strands of hair sticking to Seo-yul’s forehead. As he gazed at that pale, round forehead, he slowly leaned down.
When his hesitant lips finally pressed lightly against it, Yeo-min squeezed his eyes shut.
He wished Seo-yul wouldn’t wake up. Keeping that thought in mind, he straightened his back, slowly pulling away. He wasn’t some love-struck teenager, yet just a simple kiss on the forehead had his heart hammering wildly.
Fearing that the sound of his own heartbeat might wake Seo-yul, Yeo-min clutched his chest and swiftly got up, intending to return to his original spot.
But the moment he moved, his gaze met a pair of red eyes peering through the slightly open door.
Vincent Shining.
“When… did you—”
Flustered, Yeo-min opened his mouth to speak, but Vincent raised a finger to his lips, silently signaling him to stay quiet.
Yeo-min instinctively glanced back, checking that Seo-yul was still asleep.
“Come out.”
Vincent’s voice was firm. He didn’t want to cause a commotion in front of Seo-yul.
Understanding his intention, Yeo-min clenched his trembling fingers into a fist and followed Vincent out of the room.
The moment the door shut softly behind him, a strong hand clamped around his throat. Yeo-min bit down hard on his lip, swallowing his pained gasp—he couldn’t risk any sound slipping past the door and reaching Seo-yul.
“You better have a damn good explanation.”
“What exactly do you want me to say?”
“What I just saw. Are you seriously going to act like it was nothing?”
Yeo-min had hoped Vincent hadn’t seen it, that the door had blocked his view—but that had been a useless hope. The pressure on his throat tightened, and his breath grew short. He needed to think of something to calm him down before he ran out of air.
“Since when?”
“What—”
“Since when have you had feelings for Seo-yul?”
He needed to deny it. Tell Vincent that it was all a misunderstanding. But the words wouldn’t come. The longer Yeo-min stayed silent, the more Vincent’s crimson eyes darkened with barely restrained fury.
Glancing at the closed door, Vincent suddenly moved, dragging Yeo-min with him without loosening his grip. Only when they reached the end of the corridor did he release him, practically shoving him away.
As Yeo-min gasped for air, straightening his back, Vincent pulled out a gun he had kept hidden.
The cold barrel pressed against his forehead.
Click. The sound of the safety being disengaged echoed through the quiet hallway.
“Talk. Since when?”
Yeo-min had no answer—he didn’t even know himself. The gun nudged his forehead, the icy steel sending a shiver down his spine.
Their gazes locked, sharp and unyielding. A tense silence stretched between them, neither willing to speak first.
Then, Vincent lowered the gun.
He wanted nothing more than to blow Yeo-min’s head off right then and there, but he couldn’t. Not after learning what Yeo-min really was—an apostle. Whether for the sake of the district or because of their unspoken agreements, he couldn’t act recklessly.
It didn’t matter.
Once the Moon of Humanity fell, every rat of Night would be driven out of the estate. The apostle hidden away by Ina Shining had made that clear.
‘He’s leaving anyway.’
No matter what feelings a man fated to disappear had for Seo-yul, it was irrelevant. Annoying, perhaps, but there was nothing he could do about it. And that alone was infuriating.
“You don’t have to come anymore.”
“…Are you telling me to leave Seo-yul alone?”
Hearing Yeo-min say Seo-yul’s name only aggravated him further. But Vincent forced himself to swallow his anger, reminding himself once again—he’s leaving anyway.
“That’s not your problem to worry about.”
“I am Seo-yul-nim’s attendant.”
“And I am the one who hired you.”
Yeo-min had no response to that. Vincent smirked, giving a slight shrug as if to say, are we done here?
Then, leaving behind a thoroughly defeated Yeo-min, he turned and headed back to the room.
The first order of business was to find a new attendant for Seo-yul. Everyone was busy preparing for the Day of the District and tending to the guests staying at the estate, but there had to be at least one person available.
“Haa…”
No matter how much he tried to suppress it, the anger wouldn’t subside. How long had this been going on? If Yeo-min had gone so far as to steal a kiss while Seo-yul was asleep, his feelings weren’t shallow.
Just thinking about the time those two had spent together in his absence made his blood boil. Had Seo-yul started to feel something for that bastard too? Come to think of it, he had always talked easily with that attendant and even smiled at him more often than usual.
‘Should I just kill him?’
Vincent had half-turned before he forced himself to hold onto the last shreds of his rationality. Only one more week until the Day of the District ended—he wasn’t about to waste energy on someone who wouldn’t even be here after that.
Choi Yeo-min was just a passing figure in Seo-yul’s life. Unlike him, who was tied to Seo-yul in ways that couldn’t be unraveled. Seo-yul’s heart had belonged to him before, and it still did now.
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he opened the door and stepped inside. Approaching the bed, he sat on the edge and rubbed his fingers over the spot where Yeo-min had kissed him. Feeling the touch, Seo-yul slowly opened his eyes.
“You’re awake?”
Vincent smiled brightly, masking his storm of emotions. As he leaned down to kiss him, Seo-yul, still blinking sleepily, recognized him and immediately turned his back on him.
Every time Seo-yul rejected him, it made his insides twist. But he kept his composure, feigning indifference. Wrapping his arms around him, he breathed in his scent, and the restless emotions inside him gradually settled. He wanted to stay like this forever.
“You’re making me uncomfortable.”
Seo-yul shifted in his arms, but Vincent only tightened his hold. He didn’t want to let go. If he could, he would stay frozen in this moment, holding onto Seo-yul for eternity.
A quiet laugh escaped him at the ridiculous thought. Everything outside this room was a mess, filled with forced smiles and endless struggles. But here, just lying beside Seo-yul, he could be happy.
Moments like this reminded him again—he couldn’t live without Seo-yul.
“Han Se-yul. I’ll let you see him.”
Originally, he had planned to wait a little longer before letting them meet. But Han Se-yul wouldn’t sit still, and even if it annoyed him, he was willing to indulge Seo-yul this once.
‘It’s the last time anyway.’
As soon as Seo-yul heard that name, he lifted his head. His dark eyes wavered with intense emotion, his lips parting slightly before he managed to whisper:
“…Se-yul is here?”
“Yes, he’s here.”
The moment Vincent answered, Seo-yul shot up from the bed. But before he could get off, Vincent grabbed his waist, pulling him back down.
“Let go.”
“Calm down. You won’t be able to meet him without my permission.”
More accurately, he couldn’t let Seo-yul see Han Se-yul in the state he was in—half-dead and barely clinging to life. But Vincent left that part out, instead speaking with firm finality.
Seo-yul stopped struggling, glaring up at him. The sight of those eyes, filled only with him, was so unbearably lovely that Vincent let out a soft chuckle. He leaned in and pressed a light kiss to Seo-yul’s lips.
“I’ll take you to see Han Se-yul. In two days, come with me outside the estate.”
Seo-yul’s eyes widened in shock. It was unheard of for a Shining to leave the estate without the district leader’s permission.
But the Day of the District was special. The closed gates of the estate were opened, allowing both entry and exit freely. That included the Shining.
“There’s somewhere I want to take you, Seo-yul.”
After the Day of the District, Seo-yul would spend the rest of his life here, as the district leader’s partner.
So before that happened, Vincent wanted to show him the world outside—just one last time.
“You’ll come with me, won’t you?”
