The party fizzled out after both the main guest and the host disappeared. While the butler, left behind in Se-yul’s place, attempted to console the guests in the banquet hall, a watchful aide from District 1 quietly made his way to the second floor.
He discreetly instructed the guards to search the garden, ensuring they remained unnoticed, but the man was nowhere to be found. When the guards attempted to venture deeper into the forest, the aide stopped them, convinced that he was on the second floor instead.
Of course, reaching the second floor meant inevitably passing through the crowded hall, but for someone like Shining, whose physical abilities were monstrous, scaling a wall with his bare hands was hardly a challenge. If anyone could pull it off, it was him.
—Not a mere attendant.
—Then who the hell…
—The person I’m going to marry.
He had no idea why that particular conversation surfaced in his mind at this moment. Perhaps it was inevitable, given the ominous look on the man’s face as he had left the garden—it was impossible not to feel uneasy.
Moreover, the first son of District 5’s governor hadn’t even attended the party tonight. Now that he thought about it, the man’s expression had started to distort the moment he confirmed that absence.
‘No way.’
If his guess was correct, and the man truly was on the second floor, then it was highly likely he had gone there to meet the first son of District 5’s governor. If that were the case, it would also explain why the governor himself had abruptly left the gathering.
Praying that he was wrong, the aide hurried through the dark main building and arrived at the annex, where an eerie silence—like the aftermath of a storm—hung thick in the air. Instinctively holding his breath, he made his way directly to the man’s room.
“Young Master, are you inside?”
He knocked carefully on the door, calling out to the person who should be, no, had to be inside. Ominously, there was no response. Swallowing hard, the aide cautiously pushed the door open.
“Young Master?”
A figure stood bathed in moonlight, facing an open window. Thankfully, it was him. The aide let out a breath of relief, placing a hand over his chest to steady himself before stepping inside. The man, who had been staring beyond the window, slowly turned around.
His pale face, devoid of emotion, looked even colder under the moonlight. The aide had always known that his expressions were minimal, but in moments like this, he seemed almost inhuman.
“Young Master, when did you return to your room—”
Drip. Drip.
A faint sound reached the aide’s ears, drawing his gaze downward. His eyes widened. Crimson blood dripped steadily from the clenched fist at the man’s side.
Noticing the aide’s reaction, he lowered his gaze as well and opened his bloodstained hand. He couldn’t remember when he had gotten injured. Maybe it had happened when he returned to his room and, in a burst of frustration, struck something. He had long since grown numb to pain, so he only now realized it.
“Are… are you alright?”
The aide flinched, instinctively stepping forward, but the man raised his injured hand to stop him. In the darkness, his crimson eyes gleamed with barely contained rage. It felt as if he would snap the aide’s neck if he took even one step closer.
Sensing the warning, the aide obediently retreated. Only then did the man let out a deep sigh. Running his uninjured hand roughly through his hair, he muttered a harsh curse. At last, emotion flickered across the face that had been so eerily blank moments ago.
—We can’t go together.
His proposal to leave for District 1 had been rejected outright. He had assumed Seo-yul would naturally leave with him. The realization hit like a blow to the head, leaving him reeling.
Seo-yul had acted as if he was finally opening his heart, only to push him away again. He couldn’t understand it. It was obvious that Seo-yul had feelings for him, and yet, he still couldn’t let go of District 5.
Just like eight years ago, Seo-yul’s choice hadn’t changed. It was still District 5. The bitter humiliation of that fact was unbearable. He wanted to destroy everything in sight.
“What a fucking waste of time.”
From the start, he had been determined to take Seo-yul to District 1, no matter what. Kidnapping a frail omega wasn’t exactly difficult. Once he got him there, he could calm him down later. That had been the plan all along.
But he had hesitated—hesitated because he was afraid Seo-yul would hate him for it. So he had spent an entire week trying to persuade him, only to end up here. If he had known it would turn out like this, he should have done things his way from the beginning.
If he had, he wouldn’t be feeling this fucking pathetic.
“I should have destroyed everything from the start instead of dragging this out.”
He flicked the dried blood off his hand and muttered to himself. The original plan was set for tomorrow night, but moving things up by a day wasn’t a problem. It might seem a little rushed, but who the hell cared?
If he didn’t crush this damn District 5 right now, he was going to lose his mind.
“We leave for District 1. Now.”
***
The moment I told him that I couldn’t go with him, he left as if he were running away. I had wanted to explain—to tell him that even if I wanted to go, I couldn’t. But I was afraid that, no matter what I said, it would only sound like an excuse.
‘No matter what I say, it’ll only hurt him more.’
In the end, all I could do was lower my awkwardly raised hand and watch his retreating figure. This was the limit of the selfishness I could afford. I couldn’t be with him the way he wanted.
“Hyung, are you okay?”
Se-yul approached cautiously, pulling up the blanket that had slipped off me. Forcing a smile, I nodded. Even if I wasn’t okay, I had to at least pretend to be.
“Let’s go inside first.”
Leaning on Se-yul, I made my way back into the room—only to meet Han Jae-hoon, standing still with the blanket clutched tightly in his hands. His eyes, filled with confusion, locked onto mine. After a long silence, he exhaled and spoke in a resigned voice.
“I have so much to say… I don’t even know where to start.”
“…I’m sor—”
“No, don’t. I don’t want to hear it.”
Han Jae-hoon cut me off harshly. With my chance to apologize stripped away, I couldn’t bring myself to say anything more. No matter what I said, it wouldn’t lessen the shock he was feeling.
“Just rest for now. Anything I say right now won’t come out kindly.”
With that, Han Jae-hoon turned his back on me and left the room. The sound of the door slamming shut made my heart drop.
Se-yul, who had been watching carefully, patted my shoulder and told me to rest before following after Jae-hoon.
Left alone, I stood there blankly for a long time before finally picking up the clothes I had discarded carelessly. My fingers trembled, slipping over the buttons as I tried to fasten my shirt. In the end, I gave up, leaving it undone as I collapsed onto the bed.
The sheets, now cold, felt lifeless. If not for the faint traces left behind, I could have convinced myself that he had never been here at all. The thought left me feeling strangely empty.
‘I should have held back until the end.’
I had endured for eight years, but just one week had been too much. I had given in to my emotions, unable to suppress them, and reached for him, even if only briefly. And this was the result.
But even if I could turn back time, I knew I would make the same choice. My feelings for him had already grown too deep. No, they had been that way all along—I had just been desperately trying to suppress them. I had never even properly told him how I felt.
The portrait I had been unable to throw away, he had burned with his own hands. The image of a young Vin, worn down at the edges from eight years of daily longing, was already beginning to fade from my mind.
Even if I tried to hold onto that bright smile he had once shown me, memories had a way of distorting and fading. In a way, that was a relief. Now, even if I wanted to reminisce about him, there was nothing left to remember.
‘Just get through tonight.’
I had refused his offer to leave for District 1. That meant there would be no reason for us to meet again. He would return to District 1 as planned, and once Se-yul became governor, I would leave this place.
I hadn’t decided on a destination yet, but I planned to travel somewhere far from District 1 and District 5. After spending so many years locked away in this mansion as Han Seo-yul, I wanted to finally see the world outside. Though, in the end, it would still be within the walls.
“Hyung!”
Se-yul suddenly burst into the room, calling out to me. His panicked gaze darted around the room as if he were searching for something, only relaxing when he saw me lying on the bed. He clutched his chest in relief.
I was about to ask what was wrong when he strode forward and pulled me into a hug. Blinking in confusion, I barely had time to react before the butler rushed in after him.
Sensing that something had happened, I pushed Se-yul away. He let go without resistance, exchanging uneasy glances with the butler before sighing deeply.
“Shining is gone. No—not just Shining, but all of District 1’s people.”
“…Suddenly?”
Just hours ago, he had been here with me, but now he had vanished, supposedly back to District 1. It was absurd to think he had left because I rejected his offer to leave together. He had been planning to leave tomorrow anyway, so why the sudden departure in the middle of the night? As if he were running from something.
“I was afraid… that maybe you left with him—”
Se-yul trailed off and ruffled his hair in frustration. His expression was a mix of unease and determination as he forced himself to smile. Apologizing for barging in so suddenly, he took a step back.
I was about to reassure him that it was fine when—
BOOM.
A deafening explosion shook the ground beneath us.
“Hyung!!”
Se-yul grabbed me and pulled me off the bed, shielding me with his body. From above, the ceiling trembled, sending small fragments crumbling down.
Panic set in. Was it an earthquake? What the hell was happening?
Once the surroundings grew eerily quiet again, Se-yul cautiously loosened his grip. He whispered for me to stay put and stepped out from under the bed first.
His eyes swept across the room, now in disarray, before he was drawn toward the window like someone under a trance.
“What the hell—”
Hearing his shocked mumble, I carefully crawled out as well. As I brushed dust off my clothes, a sudden gust of wind, thick with scorching heat, blew through the open window.
The moment I instinctively looked up—
I sucked in a sharp breath, my body freezing in disbelief.
“Why…?”
The sky, which should have been engulfed in darkness, was painted a deep, fiery red.
Like the entire world was burning.
Staggering toward the window, I finally heard the distant screams echoing from all directions.
Something had begun.
