Thunk. The loud rattling of the iron door jolted me awake. Even in a dangerous situation, it seemed exhaustion had caught up to me—I must have dozed off without realizing it.
I rubbed my bleary eyes and looked ahead, but as expected, there was nothing but darkness. Letting out a deep sigh at the unchanged circumstances, I groped along the wall and stood up.
‘Looks like there aren’t any windows.’
The room was incredibly small. Compared to his bedroom, which I was so familiar with, this space felt infinitely cramped. Ten strides at most, and I would reach the other end of the room.
As for its structure, the only entrance and exit was the firmly shut door. Unless the people who had kidnapped me opened it, there was no way out.
Just as I was swallowing down my despair, the clear chime of a bell rang from somewhere. Six times in total, echoing through the narrow gap beneath the door.
Fortunately, it seemed I was still inside the mansion.
‘They didn’t take me far, then.’
That was at least some relief. Escaping would be difficult, but if I managed to get out, there was still hope.
I groped my way toward the door and crouched in front of it. Ambushing whoever opened the door was pointless, so I needed to come up with another plan.
Resting my forehead against my sharply drawn-up knees, I sank into deep thought.
That was when the door suddenly slid open—without a sound.
“Where the hell did you go?”
A man’s voice rang out in the darkness.
Jay, was it? My memory was fuzzy, but I clearly remembered him slapping me across the face.
Stepping inside, Jay carried a small tray in one hand—likely bringing me a meal. Well, the bell had rung, meaning it had been a full day since I was brought here.
“Too dark to see anything.”
Jay grumbled as he walked in further.
Still crouched beside the door, I slowly straightened up. This was an unexpected chance. If he hadn’t noticed me yet, I had to slip out before he did.
‘Now’s my chance.’
Lifting my heels, I crept forward.
Jay, still peering through the darkness, hadn’t realized where I was.
The moment I was about to slip through the slightly open door—
A solid wall blocked my path.
“Hello, Han Seo-yul.”
“…….”
Jeremy deliberately greeted me in a loud voice, making sure Jay inside the room could hear. I had expected this, but having it confirmed locked my feet in place with shock.
Jeremy grabbed my frozen shoulders and shoved me back into the darkness. Jay, who had only just noticed me, faltered when he saw Jeremy following behind.
“J-Jeremy, sir…”
Jeremy fumbled along the wall, and the next moment, a light flickered on—one I hadn’t even known existed. I squinted against the sudden brightness, my vision taking a moment to adjust. Before I could react, a hand seized my chin and tilted my face side to side.
“I told you to bring him in unharmed, but you turned him into a rag.”
Jeremy muttered with a furrowed brow as he examined my battered face. Jay, glancing nervously between us, stammered out excuses about how the situation had been unavoidable.
Jeremy released my chin and shot Jay a look. Without hesitation, Jay bowed his head and hurried out of the room, leaving us alone.
“Not much of a place to sit, is it?”
Jeremy remarked shamelessly as he glanced around the empty room. I wanted nothing more than to grab him by the collar, but I clenched my trembling fingers into fists, knowing full well that I couldn’t overpower a Shining.
Slowly, Jeremy reached out and cupped my cheek. If I hadn’t known better, the touch might have felt gentle. I swatted his hand away with force and finally spoke the words I had been holding back.
“Did you approach me with this in mind from the beginning?”
“Not from the beginning…”
Jeremy trailed off ambiguously, flashing me a grin.
I was about to press him for a clear answer when an unfamiliar scent brushed past my nose—something I hadn’t noticed before. A wave of nausea surged violently through me, and I had no choice but to clamp a hand over my mouth.
“How strange. I haven’t met many omegas, but I don’t think any of them reacted this badly to an alpha’s pheromones.”
Jeremy mused as he deliberately let his pheromones linger in the air, watching my reaction with curiosity. I wanted to say something, but I was too busy gagging.
“So Vincent is fine, but I’m not?”
Jeremy narrowed his eyes, displeased. A moment later, he reined in his pheromones, but the lingering scent was still enough to make it hard to breathe.
“I may not be a perfect alpha, but you’re going to hurt my feelings if you keep reacting like that.”
His smile remained, but the air around him shifted.
I barely managed to lower my shaking hand from my mouth, about to speak—when he suddenly grabbed my hair, yanking my head back.
“What the hell are you—”
Jeremy stepped in close, tilting his head. His damp breath brushed against my lips, his mouth dangerously near. The instant I realized what he was about to do, I pushed him away with all my strength.
Of course, as a Shining, Jeremy barely budged. But at least I stopped him before his lips could touch mine.
The amusement in his eyes faded rapidly.
“Is it because of Vincent?”
“…Do I have to answer that?”
After a brief silence, Jeremy smoothly dodged the question.
I trembled with suppressed rage. He leaned in and pressed a light kiss to my forehead before murmuring in a deceptively gentle tone.
“Just be patient. I don’t intend to hurt you, Han Seo-yul.”
“You did this to me, and you’re telling me to be patient?”
“This wasn’t my doing, was it?”
Jeremy shamelessly shrugged and let go of me. Then, as if playing the role of a gentleman, he neatly straightened my disheveled clothes. Taking a step back, he examined my now calmer appearance and smiled in satisfaction.
“You got caught up in a Shining’s fight and ended up like this.”
I was about to say that I hadn’t chosen to be involved, but before I could, the door creaked open, and a man who had been waiting outside called for Jeremy.
Jeremy replied that he’d be out soon, and the man quietly closed the door again.
“I’d love to chat more, but I’m a bit busy right now.”
Spouting that bullshit about me “resting comfortably,” Jeremy walked out, leaving me trapped in this suffocating room. The only small mercy was that he didn’t turn off the lights.
After the door shut, I kicked it in frustration, but all I got was a dull ache in my foot. Only when the fading footsteps disappeared completely did the strength drain from my legs.
‘This is hopeless.’
Staring at the moldy ceiling, I closed my eyes. The silence in this enclosed space was suffocating—nothing but the sound of my own breathing filled the air.
***
By the time he finally returned to his bedroom, his face was twisted in pure frustration.
Se-yul, who had been scouring for any traces of Seo-yul, immediately demanded, “Where the hell have you been?”
But he remained silent, reluctant to answer.
“Where is he? Where’s Seo-yul?”
“…I don’t know.”
The only clue left behind was a bullet used by the District’s private soldiers, but apparently, that wasn’t the answer. Even after pointing a gun at the District’s ruler and forcing the truth out of him, the answer remained the same. The ruler had no idea where Seo-yul was.
He needed to think. He had to figure out who had taken Seo-yul. But his mind, usually sharp, was drowning in chaos.
It was driving him insane.
The people who had done that to his attendant—could he really believe they’d treat Seo-yul any better?
No. The chances of that were slim.
To the people of District 1, Seo-yul was nothing more than a despised omega.
“Vincent Shining!!”
Se-yul yelled, grabbing him roughly by the shoulders.
Vincent lifted his head slightly. His eyes were empty, void of focus.
This bastard… he’d lost it.
“I don’t know where he is… I really don’t know anything.”
There was no one here he could trust.
And it had been a long time since he realized that everything he had believed in was just an illusion.
He felt utterly powerless. Just like before. Just like now.
“Is there anyone you suspect?”
He had already met with his most likely suspect. But it wasn’t them.
Shinings were never trustworthy, but the District’s ruler had been unexpectedly honest with a gun pointed at his head.
Besides, what would he gain from provoking Vincent right before the announcement of the next district leader? If he had truly wanted Seo-yul gone, he would have done it long ago—not now.
‘The Elders…’
When Vincent had left for an extended period to track down ‘Night,’ the Elders had wasted no time trying to drive Seo-yul out. He could still see them dragging Seo-yul away as he struggled.
Vincent shot to his feet, ready to storm into the banquet hall where the Elders were gathered.
Sensing the severity of the situation, Se-yul grabbed his arm, where his hand still gripped a gun.
“Let go.”
“Calm down. You’re not thinking straight.”
If he let Vincent go like this, another massacre would unfold—just like what had happened in District 5.
To be honest, Se-yul didn’t give a damn whether the bastards in District 1 lived or died.
But he didn’t want to see more people die.
Surprisingly, Vincent didn’t shake him off.
Even when Se-yul cautiously loosened his grip, Vincent remained still.
