“Se-yul…” Seo-yul’s trembling voice drifted through the slightly open door. He wanted to turn back and hold him, but the stinging sensation on his cheek kept his feet rooted to the ground.
What could Han Se-yul have said to make Seo-yul struggle this much? They had spent years as brothers, but the truth was, they weren’t related by blood. Everyone in District 5 knew that.
‘Maybe I should’ve let him live after all.’
He rubbed his sore cheek as the thought crossed his mind, but what was done was done. Whether Han Se-yul had lived or died, Seo-yul’s suffering was inevitable the moment District 5 was ruined. Se-yul was just the catalyst.
Watching Seo-yul through the gap in the door, he quietly shut it. Perhaps a full stomach and a few exchanged words would help lighten his mood, if only a little. A sweet cup of cocoa would make it even better.
With the area around the bedroom under complete lockdown, he had to carry the prepared meal himself. It was a hassle, but if he wanted to keep Seo-yul hidden from prying eyes, there was no other choice.
Countless rumors surrounded the one who had captured the next district leader. Other than being from District 5, nothing was known about him, leaving room for endless speculation. Yet, none of it was close to the truth about Seo-yul.
On the seventh day after bringing Seo-yul in, he had urgently sought out the district’s ruler. A Neo-human Omega, and a male at that—under normal circumstances, Seo-yul would have been cast beyond the walls. If he wanted to keep him by his side, there was only one way.
A formal marriage.
He had been prepared to relinquish his position as the next district leader when he declared his desire to take Seo-yul as his mate. He had expected immediate opposition, but the district ruler had only laughed heartily before responding.
— “I’ll allow it. That child is an Omega, is he not? As long as he can produce an heir, it makes no difference.”
The easy approval had left him momentarily stunned. He had thanked him and left, but even now, he couldn’t grasp the ruler’s true intentions. He could only assume it was a whim.
The moment word of the marriage spread, the elders were in an uproar. They had spent every opportunity pushing their children into his bedroom, and now he had declared that he would take only one mate, with no concubines. It must have been a thunderbolt out of the blue for them.
To them, his declaration meant that he saw the future of the Shining lineage only in the most impoverished and primitive District 5—and that at any moment, he could replace the stagnant elders with new blood.
“The young master of the district.”
The servants bowed deeply as he approached. He had ordered the head chef to prepare the finest dishes, unsure of what Seo-yul liked. Even so, he remained unsatisfied. Would Seo-yul even eat any of this?
But after spending an entire week dazed by pheromones and barely eating, Seo-yul needed to be fed, no matter what.
Lifting the tray effortlessly, he returned to the bedroom where Seo-yul was waiting.
“Seo-yul—”
Just as he opened the door and called out to him, he heard the faint sound of quiet, shuddering breaths and stifled his voice. Stepping closer, he found Seo-yul curled up on the bed, fast asleep.
He must have cried a lot in the short time he was gone—his cheeks were still damp with tears. Placing the tray on the table, he sat on the edge of the bed and gently wiped Seo-yul’s face.
“You need to eat.”
His gaze flickered between the untouched food on the tray and the sleeping Seo-yul. He hesitated. The meal would get cold if left for too long, but he didn’t have the heart to wake him.
“Seo-yul hyung.”
He called softly, but there was no response. Even so, it didn’t matter. Just the fact that Seo-yul was within reach felt like a dream. He had to touch him, confirm it again and again before he could believe that this was real.
There were times when he wondered if this longing was just stubborn attachment—just remnants of the past refusing to let go. Yet, even as the days apart outnumbered the days they had spent together, his feelings never faded.
Even when he became the Hound of District 1 and lost himself, Seo-yul’s face, his voice, only grew clearer in his mind. Every time he wanted to give up, the only thing that held him together was the hope that one day, he would see Seo-yul again.
“Please… don’t push me away.”
He whispered as he pressed his lips to Seo-yul’s hand. His plea scattered into the empty air, unheard. Slowly pulling away, he listened to the steady rhythm of Seo-yul’s breaths before quietly lying down beside him.
Resting his forehead against the curve of Seo-yul’s back, he blinked lazily before finally closing his eyes. Enveloped in peaceful darkness, he drifted into sleep, right there beside him.
***
He had no way of knowing how much time had passed.
In District 1, where there was no darkness, day never ended. Without a clear concept of time, he simply slept when he felt tired and remained awake when he didn’t.
There were no iron bars, but this place was a perfect prison. Most of the time, he was there, but when he had to step away, guards were stationed not just outside the door, but throughout the entire corridor.
Any attempt to sneak out was immediately caught. After a few failed attempts, even the short walks he used to take were no longer worth the effort. With nothing left to do, all that remained was staring blankly out the window.
Even when he had been sick as a child, he had never been this confined. Not knowing how much time had passed, feeling like he was stagnating—no, rotting—was driving him insane.
“Seo-yul hyung.”
He had left for a while, but now he was back. Leaning against the window, I turned my eyes to him for a brief moment before looking away again.
Despite my lack of response, he ran to me with a bright smile and pulled me into a tight embrace.
I didn’t know what he had been doing while he was gone, but the thick scent of blood clung to him. He had changed his clothes and drenched himself in pheromones to cover it up, but the stench was impossible to erase completely.
I swallowed back the nausea rising in my throat, enduring it in silence until he finally let me go. Then, without warning, he showered my face with kisses. If there had been ink, my entire face would’ve been stained red from how many times his lips had touched me. Only after he had his fill did he finally pull away.
“You must be hungry. Let’s eat.”
He took my hand and led me to the table where food had already been prepared. I sat weakly in the chair, watching as he carefully placed portions onto my plate.
I picked up the fork and stabbed at the meat, but I never brought it to my mouth.
“I don’t want to eat.”
“You can’t. You haven’t eaten properly for days.”
His tone was firm as he tried to feed me directly, lifting a piece of meat to my lips. I clamped my mouth shut and glared at him. Seeing this, he softened his approach, coaxing me like a child.
Unable to stand it any longer, I slapped his hand away with force. The fork and the piece of meat flew across the room, landing on the floor with a dull sound. His red eyes wavered momentarily in surprise before quickly regaining their usual calm. It wasn’t the first time this had happened—by now, he was used to it.
“Is there something else you’d rather eat? I can have it prepared right away—”
“I’m leaving.”
I pushed back my chair and stood up boldly, but he caught me immediately. Without effort, he dragged me back and forced me to sit down again. I struggled with all my strength, but overpowering him was impossible.
When my resistance proved useless, he simply resumed his attempts to make me eat. Stabbing a piece of meat with his fork, he held it up to my lips. With his other hand, he grasped my chin and started forcing my mouth open.
“Nngh—mmph! Ugh—!”
“You’re eating, whether you like it or not.”
For days, I had barely been able to keep food down, but he was determined to make me eat. The more he pushed, the worse my nausea became, and my body recoiled at the mere thought of food.
Somehow, I managed to finish the entire plate, but the moment I swallowed the last bite, the overwhelming sickness surged up again. I couldn’t hold it back—I threw up everything onto the floor.
He watched in silence before exhaling a frustrated sigh.
“Stay still. You’ll get yourself even filthier.”
His sharp expression softened as he grabbed a handkerchief and wiped my soiled clothes. Once he had cleaned up the mess as best as he could, he helped me to my feet and guided me toward the bathroom.
“I can do it myself.”
I pushed his hands away as he reached to undress me. He hesitated for a moment, then simply told me to wash up before stepping out and closing the door behind him.
Only then did the strength leave my legs.
I collapsed onto the cold bathroom floor, my body trembling. And once again, I retched up whatever remained inside me.
“Ghhk… ugh…”
It was only after emptying everything that my stomach finally settled.
I tried to avoid the mess on the tiles as I attempted to stand, but my legs gave out beneath me, and I slumped back down. I had no strength left to move.
