“Why… why are you doing this?”
Han Jae-hoon’s voice trembled as he struggled to process the shock. But instead of answering, Seo-yul only hung his head low.
Jae-hoon didn’t have much time to keep him here. He had to leave soon. But there was no way he could go like this.
“Seo-yul, look at me.”
At Jae-hoon’s desperate plea, Seo-yul finally managed to lift his head. His eyes, quivering as if he might burst into tears at any moment, met Jae-hoon’s.
The sight of him was heartbreaking. Even without hearing the full story, Jae-hoon could tell how much he had suffered here. That was precisely why he couldn’t just leave Seo-yul behind.
“Is Vincent Shining threatening you?”
It was the only explanation that made sense. There was no other reason why Seo-yul wouldn’t return to District 5. With his inherently kind nature, it was likely that the fear of causing another incident like the last one still weighed heavily on him.
“If that’s the case, don’t worry. I won’t let what happened before happen again.”
After helplessly losing Seo-yul last time, Jae-hoon hadn’t just stood idly by. Along with restoring the mansion, he had gathered soldiers to protect the surrounding area.
One moment of carelessness had been enough. Declaring war outright against District 1 might be difficult, but Jae-hoon was certain of one thing—he would never let the same thing happen again.
“…That’s not it.”
But Seo-yul’s response was not what Jae-hoon had expected. If there was no threat, then why wouldn’t he return to District 5? Jae-hoon couldn’t understand what was going through his mind.
“I’m sorry, Father.”
At Seo-yul’s weak whisper, Jae-hoon found himself unable to ask anything more. There was no time to recover from the shock—his departure was quickly approaching.
“It looks like I have to go for now. We’ll talk again next time.”
He tried to sound calm, but his voice betrayed him, shaking with emotion. Pulling Seo-yul into a brief embrace before letting him go, Jae-hoon had no choice but to leave the bedroom.
Outside, he glanced at the unconscious attendant on the floor before turning back the way he had come.
Seo-yul’s final words echoed endlessly in his mind.
There had to be a reason for this.
And Jae-hoon was convinced—no, certain—that reason was Vincent Shining.
There were three days left until the Day of the District ended. Within that time, Jae-hoon needed to find another opportunity to meet Seo-yul. He could forcefully take him if necessary, but Seo-yul had already experienced that once before.
There’s still time.
Suppressing his growing unease, Jae-hoon finally stepped out of the district completely. As he entered the banquet hall and blended into the crowd, he spotted the man returning after finishing his conversation.
Jae-hoon had expected him to head toward the sleeping quarters, but instead, he disappeared in an entirely different direction. Then, a short while later, the man returned to the banquet hall, his mood visibly dampened.
Like a moth drawn to a flame, he ignored all the people flocking toward him. Instead, his gaze landed on Jae-hoon, who stood in a secluded corner.
You kept your promise. That’s what his lips silently conveyed.
***
Leaving the master of the district behind, he headed toward the part of the estate where Ina Shining’s chambers were located. Without any prior notice, he barged into a room where an Apostle was present.
“Vincent-nim, I presume.”
Despite the sudden intrusion, the Apostle greeted him without the slightest hint of surprise. Thanks to the extensive treatment he had received, he no longer looked as wretched as before. Vincent closed the door behind him and stepped inside.
“I need a word with you.”
At his request, the Apostle gestured toward Yeo-min, who had been quietly lurking in the corner. Slowly rising to his feet, Yeo-min bowed his head before exiting the room.
Even after hearing the door shut, Vincent waited until all traces of movement had completely faded. Only when Yeo-min had wandered far enough away did he finally get to the point.
“Tell me. What exactly do you mean when you say you can give me what I want?”
Despite the abruptness of his question, the Apostle remained unfazed. With a serene smile, he asked in a composed tone,
“You mean a person’s heart?”
“Yes. And you’d better explain exactly how you intend to do that.”
From the start, the whole idea had been absurd. The only one who could give him Seo-yul’s heart was Seo-yul himself. Night had no power to change that.
“Of course, we cannot simply manipulate someone’s heart at will.”
The Apostle’s frank admission made Vincent feel utterly drained. He had expected as much, yet part of him still couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
Before the creeping sense of futility could turn into laughter, the Apostle suddenly asked an inexplicable question.
“Vincent-nim, where do you believe the heart resides?”
“…What?”
“Most people think emotions reside in the heart. But our belief is different.”
The Apostle’s hand slowly rose and pointed at his head.
Vincent, unable to even guess what he was implying, asked him to get to the point. But the Apostle only urged him to wait a little longer.
“You desire his heart, no matter the method—correct?”
Once, Vincent would have never even considered doing anything that could cause Seo-yul pain or harm. Seo-yul had been, without question, the most important thing to him.
But not anymore.
Even if Seo-yul had to suffer, even if he got hurt—it didn’t matter. As long as he could keep him by his side, he was willing to break his legs if necessary.
No, he could do far worse than that.
“Fine.”
Hearing Vincent’s resolute answer, the Apostle smiled in satisfaction. Any hesitation that had lingered before was now entirely gone, leaving only madness in his eyes.
He had heard that the Shining family’s obsession ran deep, but seeing it firsthand was suffocating. If merely listening was this overwhelming, how must the person at the center of it feel?
It was unfortunate, truly. But coldly speaking, it had nothing to do with him.
What mattered now was giving Vincent Shining what he wanted—and killing the master of the district.
For the greater cause, a small sacrifice was nothing. Night had been running toward the sole purpose of toppling the Moon, and in that pursuit, countless people had already been sacrificed.
So what if it was just one more Omega? Using him as a pawn to achieve their goal—what harm was there in that?
His sense of guilt had dulled to the point that he felt nothing at all.
“A person’s heart ultimately stems from their thoughts. And thoughts can be altered through repeated conditioning.”
“You mean hypnosis?”
“It’s a little different from that.”
The Apostle drew a firm line.
If it wasn’t hypnosis, then what? Vincent didn’t understand, but for now, he decided to wait for the rest of the explanation.
“There is a method, though rarely used, where a person’s thoughts are completely erased and rewritten anew.”
“Erased? You’re saying that’s possible?”
“It will take some time. But if you can endure just a little patience, Vincent-nim, it is possible.”
Erasing thoughts entirely—it was something he had never heard of before. But the Apostle spoke with absolute certainty.
Then again, if he lied, his head would be the first to roll. There was no reason for him to deceive Vincent.
“Are you sure?”
Without hesitation, the Apostle nodded.
Of course, there were countless risks involved, and the chances of failure were high. But there was no need to mention that.
What Vincent wanted was simple—to keep that Omega chained to his side. In that case, wouldn’t it be easiest to break him completely? To shatter his will and turn him into nothing more than a breathing doll that could exist only at his side?
“Once this period is over, I will personally ensure that his heart belongs to you, Vincent-nim. No—I’ll make it so he cannot live without you.”
The Apostle’s voice brimmed with confidence.
Seo-yul, unable to survive without him—just hearing it sounded perfect.
Because that was exactly what Vincent had wanted all along.
“Keep your promise.”
Leaving those final words behind, he turned and walked away.
Just as when he had arrived, he didn’t bother with goodbyes. Stepping out of the room, he immediately spotted Yeo-min standing a fair distance away.
Their eyes met. Yeo-min, making no effort to conceal his contempt, gave a shallow nod of acknowledgment.
Vincent showed no reaction. He was about to walk past him—
“Disappear once the Day of the District is over.”
He wanted to get rid of him immediately, but as long as Night was an ally, he couldn’t simply do as he pleased.
If not for that, the moment he had discovered Yeo-min had touched Seo-yul, he would have taken his head clean off.
Despite the warning, Yeo-min didn’t respond. Their gazes briefly aligned before Yeo-min silently stepped past him and entered the Apostle’s chamber.
Only after hearing the door shut did Vincent resume walking.
Once the Day of the District was over, all nuisances would be dealt with.
And all he had to do was wait a few more days for the Seo-yul that had been promised to him—the one who would see only him.
It was just a little longer.
Even though he had waited eight years, these last few days felt infinitely longer. Perhaps because, this time, he knew exactly when it would end.
Just a little longer.
