Joshua’s mother was the daughter of the most insignificant elder in the outskirts. An elder so powerless that he was barely given a chance to speak in the council. In a desperate attempt to maintain his position, he forced his only daughter to become the concubine of the district master.
Joshua’s mother had already been engaged at the time, yet she was reduced to just one of the many concubines of the district master. Deprived of love, she was condemned to a miserable fate—forced to wait endlessly for a man who couldn’t even remember her name.
—Joshua, you must become the district master of District 1.
From the faintest memories of his childhood, Joshua recalled his mother sitting him on her lap, repeating those words like a mantra. No matter what, he had to become the district master of District 1. He had to rule over the district.
So, Joshua resolved to become the district master. If he succeeded, his mother wouldn’t have to leave the estate. He could even replace the elders as he pleased. What started as a dream to protect his mother soon turned into his own ambition.
As time passed, everything seemed to be falling into place. If things went as they should, District 1 would soon be his. Unlike the worthless Shining bastards infesting the estate, he had at least a strong, defined color.
The district master wasn’t entirely satisfied with him, but that didn’t matter. There was no other Shining worthy of being the next district master. With the enthusiastic support of the elders, Joshua had unofficially become the successor.
Every time he underwent successor training, Joshua was filled with the hope that it would happen soon. The sheer volume of study material was enough to make him sick, and the standards the district master demanded were impossibly high, but he endured it all—because he believed he was the only one fit for the role.
But one day, everything changed.
The filthy insect that had been disposed of returned to the estate.
A pathetic creature born of an Omega, the lowest of the low among them, yet it possessed the most vivid color of any Shining in the estate—even more defined than the district master’s. The moment Joshua saw it, a sense of crisis gripped him.
Still, unless everyone in District 1 had lost their minds, there was no way they would ever choose an Omega-born insect. That was the only thing he could believe in. But even that belief crumbled in no time.
The insect obeyed everything the district master ordered. It discarded its humanity without hesitation. Before anyone realized it, the people of the estate had started calling the insect “the hound of District 1.”
The insect, now a hound, was given the name Vincent Shining by the district master.
A filthy bug that should have been crushed beneath his feet had been granted a Shining’s name—the same name as his.
If only it had stopped there. But at some point, the hound began attending the exclusive gatherings reserved for the five chosen Shining. He kept rising—relentlessly, terrifyingly. Before Joshua could stop him, before he even realized it, Vincent had taken the first seat.
—Vincent, I would like you to be the next district master.
The words came casually, during a gathering where they were all too busy eating to talk. The district master spoke to the insect. And the insect, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, simply nodded.
Joshua could do nothing but sit there and watch.
The insect he had once thought he could crush at any time had stolen everything from him. No matter how desperately he tried to turn his father’s attention back to himself, the gap between them only widened.
What the hell am I supposed to do?
That sly bastard always acts even more affectionate with Father when I’m around. It’s so obvious he wants to humiliate me, yet Father, bewitched by that vibrant color, just lets himself be led around like a fool.
If color is so important, then I should have been more than qualified. I was a Shining with a striking crimson hue. My pheromones, though not as overpowering as that insect’s, were still strong enough. I had everything necessary to be acknowledged, yet Father recognized only him.
“Son of a bitch…!”
I took my anger out on the nearest wall, but it did nothing to ease the knot in my stomach. With his head drooping heavily, Joshua took another swig from the bottle. The number of empty bottles littering the floor had already surpassed ten.
He staggered to his feet, only to collapse back down, repeating the cycle over and over. Tossing aside the bottle in his grip, he pulled out a gun and shoved it carelessly into his pocket. Then, he stumbled out of the room, wandering aimlessly through the estate.
He sneered at those who subtly stepped aside to avoid the sight of a drunken mess like him. Before he knew it, his steps had led him straight to the sleeping quarters of the hound of District 1.
Even if he despised it, his mind had been consumed by thoughts of Vincent the entire time, and now, his feet had dragged him here on their own.
“You cannot enter.”
As Joshua moved to step inside, a guard blocked his path.
What the hell were they hiding in there that required such tight security? The excessive caution only made him more curious.
Are they keeping something inside that shouldn’t be seen?
Ignoring the worthless guards, Joshua attempted to push past them, but he didn’t get far before they grabbed him. With heavy eyelids weighed down by alcohol, he lifted his gaze and pulled out his gun, pressing it firmly against the guard’s temple.
“And who the fuck do you think you are to stop me?”
“It’s Vincent-nim’s direct ord—”
BANG!
The shot missed the guard’s head by a hair, embedding itself into the wall instead. The pale-faced guard stiffly shifted his gaze to the bullet lodged in the wall instead of his skull.
Joshua made a show of reloading his gun, aiming it at the guard once more.
“You still not moving? What, do you have two lives or something?”
“I was only following orders…”
Just as Joshua was about to pull the trigger and rid himself of the irritating guard, someone stopped him.
When he turned to see who had dared to interfere, his scowl melted into an unexpected expression of joy.
“Jeremy!”
Spreading his arms wide, Joshua threw himself at Jeremy, wrapping him in a tight embrace. The thick stench of alcohol made Jeremy wrinkle his nose as he carefully pushed Joshua away.
Just moments ago, Joshua had been radiating murderous intent, but now he was nothing more than a drunken, overgrown child.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
“These assholes won’t let me through.”
Joshua gestured with his gun toward the guards who had blocked his path. Letting out a sigh, Jeremy slung Joshua’s arm over his shoulder.
Before leaving, he instructed the guards to keep quiet about what had happened, ensuring no unnecessary commotion would spread.
“I told you to stop obsessing over Vincent.”
“Oh, like that’s possible? You wouldn’t get it. Not like someone who’s never even attended the gatherings would understand.”
Joshua spat out the words carelessly, and Jeremy only responded with a faint, unreadable smile.
Without a hint of struggle, Jeremy half-carried Joshua back to his room. After roughly tossing him onto the bed, he turned to leave—only to hear the sound of quiet sniffles.
When he looked back, Joshua was hunched over, shoulders trembling as he cried.
Jeremy let out a long sigh, exasperated. For all his size, he’s still just a child on the inside.
“So you really want to be district master that badly?”
“Stop asking obvious questions.”
Joshua snapped, lifting his tear-streaked face with a determined glare. Well, unlike me, whose faded color had disqualified me from succession long ago, Joshua had once been this close to sitting in that seat.
If he had never tasted it, it might have been different. But to have it in his grasp only to lose it—how unbearable must that be? That’s why he had to hold onto it desperately, without making the mistake of letting it slip away again. Joshua was painfully foolish.
“If that insect just disappeared, everything would go back to how it was. District 1 was mine from the start. But that bastard showed up out of nowhere and stole everything from me.”
“Yeah. If Vincent Shining had never appeared, that seat would’ve been yours, Joshua.”
Pathetic, stubborn Joshua—he was my real brother, born from the same mother. Unlike the other Shinings who merely shared the same father, Joshua and I were true siblings.
Twins who resembled each other in every way—except for the vividness of our color, the only thing District 1 cared about. Of course, Joshua only ever sought me out when he needed something, but still, I had liked him.
“Should we just kill him?”
“You know killing another Shining is forbidden.”
“But—!”
Joshua raised his voice in frustration, but quickly fell silent, regaining his senses. No matter how much rage clouded his mind, he wasn’t reckless enough to make his already precarious position even worse.
Slumping forward, he crawled over and wrapped his arms around my waist. I ran my fingers through his messy hair, smoothing it back as I whispered softly.
“Joshua, side with the elders.”
“What the hell can those bastards even do?”
He shot back immediately. On the surface, the elders might have seemed like they held great influence, but in the end, they were nothing more than a mirage—powerless against the district master’s whims.
But—
“Vincent has already declared he won’t take a concubine. That means the elders have to stop him from becoming district master at all costs. If you help them take him down, you can take that seat instead. They’d much rather have you as district master than Vincent. After all, you wouldn’t make the idiotic decision of refusing a concubine, would you?”
“Well… yeah, but—”
“If you can’t do it alone, then accept help.”
I coaxed him gently, watching as his resistance wavered. Joshua had been trying to shut me out, but slowly, my words were getting through to him.
Predictable as ever—my dear brother.
“Go to the elders, Joshua.”
My voice was a sweet whisper, and at last, Joshua nodded.
