“Have you calmed down a bit?”
Choi Yeo-min cautiously asked as he took out a handkerchief and wiped my cheek. Embarrassment crept up on me belatedly, and I tried to push his hand away, but he stubbornly continued to wipe away my tears.
“Your face is really swollen.”
“I know.”
“It looks like a cotton ball soaked in water.”
“I get it, so stop teasing me.”
I tried to avoid Choi Yeo-min’s mischievous gaze, but he kept lowering my arm whenever I attempted to cover my face, insisting he hadn’t finished wiping my tears.
After making sure my damp cheeks were dry, he stood up, saying he would bring me something to drink. Before I could stop him, he was already gone, leaving me alone. I let my exhausted body collapse onto the grass.
‘I’m so tired.’
My head throbbed from all the crying, my eyes were swollen, and my throat was hoarse. I had already wept earlier, begging him for news about Se-yul. It felt like all I had done today was cry.
I wasn’t usually someone who cried so easily, but ever since coming here, my emotions had been all over the place. I would get angry over nothing, suddenly feel sad, and sometimes I even felt like a child.
‘Still… I’m really relieved.’
The moment I thought of Se-yul, the tears that had finally stopped threatened to return. I quickly raised my arm and pressed hard against my eyes, trying to steady my breathing and calm down. Yet, my heart still pounded furiously.
After what felt like a long time, I finally started to lower my arm from my face—when suddenly, tap. Someone’s fingertips gently tapped my elbow.
Slowly, I opened my eyes and looked up. The figure before me was silhouetted against the light, making it hard to see their face.
I blinked a few times until my vision cleared. As the figure came into focus, I recognized him. He was smiling at me, just as he always did—kindly, as if nothing had happened. He reached out and lightly tapped my cheek with his finger.
“You shouldn’t sleep here.”
“…I wasn’t sleeping.”
“For someone who wasn’t sleeping, you sure looked comfortable lying down.”
I was too drained to argue, so I just pushed his playful hand away from my cheek and sat up. While I was burning up inside, he was smiling like an idiot, as if nothing was wrong.
I wanted to ask him right then and there—why hadn’t he told me that Se-yul was alive? If it weren’t for Choi Yeo-min, I would still be drowning in fear and uncertainty. Was that what you wanted?
Perhaps because of the emotions surging up again, the tears I had barely managed to stop began welling up once more. I quickly raised my arm to wipe them away, but he, always quick to notice, cupped my cheek with his hand and locked eyes with me.
“Are you still not fully calmed down?”
“It’s not that. Let go of me—”
Before I could finish, he pulled me into his arms without asking for permission and patted my back. With every breath, his scent filled my lungs, making my body relax. It was strange. The scent of other Alphas was always unbearably repulsive, but his was different.
When I inhaled it, my body grew languid, my breathing became uneven, and my vision blurred. Almost as if I were on the verge of going into heat.
Of course, that wouldn’t happen unless he deliberately released his pheromones toward me.
“Sometimes, I have these thoughts. No, actually, I have them often. I want to run away somewhere, just the two of us—Seo-yul hyung and me. Somewhere that’s neither District 1 nor District 5, where we can live only for each other. Doesn’t that sound nice?”
“……”
“I should’ve done that from the beginning. If I had, Seo-yul hyung would never have had a reason to hate me. But even so, I prefer things the way they are now. I like having Seo-yul hyung by my side.”
I gave no response to his words, which spilled out like a confession. He had been talking to himself with a faint smile, but then he suddenly stopped patting my back and tightened his arms around my waist.
Before I could react, his body pressed against mine, burning hot. I could feel the pounding of his heart, each beat reverberating through my chest. I twisted slightly in discomfort, but the more I struggled, the tighter his grip became.
“You’re suffocating me.”
Only then did he pull away, his fingers gently brushing against my swollen eyes. His hand trembled slightly, making me look up at him. His red eyes shimmered, curving slightly as he smiled.
“This was the only way I could keep Seo-yul hyung by my side. So I don’t regret it.”
“……”
“I will never regret it.”
He said it as if he were making a vow.
Yeah… What was I expecting? He was no longer the child I once knew, but I kept forgetting that.
With a weak smile, I reached up and placed my hand over his, which was still resting against my face.
His fingers flinched at the touch, his body trembling ever so slightly. My naturally cold skin mixed with his warmer one, creating a lukewarm balance. His red eyes, which had seemed so confident just moments ago, wavered slightly.
“Good. Never regret it.”
Because that way, I won’t waver either. I’ll be able to hate you completely.
I swallowed back the words I truly wanted to say and closed the distance between us. As I slowly shut my eyes and tilted my head, he hesitated for a moment before following my lead, closing his eyes as well.
***
Months had passed since that incident, but District 5 was still unable to function properly. It was inevitable—more than half of the attendants had been massacred, and the mansion had been completely reduced to rubble.
Documents, possessions—countless things had vanished alongside the flames that consumed that night.
District 1, the very cause of this tragedy, had not reduced the power supply as they had originally threatened. At this point, it was obvious. The electricity had just been an excuse—their real goal had always been something else.
‘The power… was probably meant as compensation.’
Even though District 1 continued to send the same amount of electricity, nothing in District 5 was functioning properly, and its economy was crumbling without end. The people, struggling under the weight of growing poverty, grew increasingly dissatisfied, and at this rate, the complete collapse of the district was only a matter of time.
The situation was dire both inside and outside of District 5. The moment word spread that District 1 had attacked, the other districts, which had been keeping a watchful eye, immediately severed all ties with District 5.
Everyone knew the truth—that District 1 was behind this atrocity. And yet, they all pretended otherwise.
The only exception was the district leader of District 2, who, hiding behind anonymity, quietly sent manpower to assist with rebuilding the mansion. But the rest remained silent.
It was obvious. Given the choice between the weakest district, District 5, and the most powerful, District 1, the decision was clear. They, too, had to ensure their own survival. I understood that. Of course, that didn’t mean I had to accept it.
“District Leader!”
As I worked alongside the laborers on the mansion’s restoration, a butler came sprinting toward me from the distance, panting heavily. In his hand was a pristine white envelope.
“A l-letter… a letter… from…” He struggled to catch his breath as he reached me, immediately thrusting the envelope forward.
I removed my dust-covered gloves and hesitated when I saw the unmistakable seal of District 1 pressed onto the envelope.
“A letter from District 1 has arrived.”
“…How shameless.”
Just seeing anything associated with that bastard, Luis Shining, made my blood boil. I wanted nothing more than to tear the letter to shreds on the spot, but I forced myself to stay calm and opened the envelope.
As always, his repulsive handwriting filled the page. Skimming through the letter, I couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief. He knew full well what kind of state District 5 was in, yet his arrogance surpassed even my expectations.
“They say the ‘Day of District 1’ is approaching.”
“…An invitation, then.”
“It’s so absurd, I can’t even bring myself to be angry.”
Unlike typical invitations, this one was written personally by the leader of District 1 himself. That insufferable bastard had taken the time to craft each word with care, no doubt basking in his own self-importance.
Not only did he spout bullshit about forgetting the past and coming to celebrate a joyous occasion, but at the very end, he slipped in a subtle threat—reminding me that Seo-yul was in his hands.
In the end, I had no choice. If I wanted to confirm that Seo-yul was safe, I had to go to District 1.
As much as it killed me to do nothing, I hadn’t rushed in to get Seo-yul because, as district leader, I couldn’t afford to leave District 5 just yet. I needed to stabilize things as much as possible before I left.
I handed the letter back to the butler and reached for my gloves again—only to suddenly hurl them to the ground, unable to contain my anger. I had tried to hold it in, but it was impossible.
“Luis Shining, you son of a bitch.”
The so-called Day of District 1 was just a week away. He hadn’t even given me the opportunity to send a letter declining the invitation, making it clear that, from the start, I was never given a choice.
And yet, he had the audacity to feign politeness, writing, ‘It would be a pleasure to see you on this special day.’ If that wasn’t mockery, I didn’t know what was.
“District Leader…”
The butler, having read through the letter as well, called out to me cautiously. Only then did I finally suppress my fury with a deep exhale.
“If I leave today, I’ll barely make it in time.”
I muttered absentmindedly, gazing at the darkening sky where the moon was becoming clearer. Then, without another word, I turned away from the half-rebuilt mansion and walked toward the opposite side.
