The district leader’s office was hidden deep within the mansion. Just as the man had said, the walk was quite long—I had crossed the lobby and continued for some time, yet I still hadn’t reached the office.
Since the conversation wouldn’t be brief, I began to worry. What if he woke up while I was gone and started looking for me? But it was too late to turn back now—I had already come this far. Regretting my decision from the start, I followed the man ahead of me, my gaze wandering over the maze-like corridors. As I took in my surroundings, I tried to figure out why the district leader suddenly wanted to see me.
‘Could he be planning to throw me out?’
Not long ago, rumors had spread like wildfire that the district leader was harboring an Omega in his mansion, all because of the commotion caused by uninvited guests.
Though I had no way of knowing what was happening outside, I had overheard the guards whispering. From what they said, this incident had given him quite the headache.
It made sense. The leader of District 1 despised Omegas—there was no way he would tolerate one in his mansion for long. Until now, he had turned a blind eye for some reason, but perhaps he had finally reached his limit.
Just as my unease began to harden into certainty, the man leading me came to a stop in front of a door at the end of the corridor. Knock, knock—he rapped lightly on the door, and a voice from inside granted permission to enter.
“Sir Seo-yul, you may go in.”
The man carefully opened the door and peeked inside before stepping aside. I quickly braced myself and stepped past him into the office.
“Come in.”
“I-I greet the master of the district.”
Before I could even take in the lavishly decorated office, the district leader approached, and I hastily bowed in greeting. I remained still, waiting for permission to rise, when a soft, pale hand grazed my chin.
“You may lift your head.”
I followed the gentle upward motion of his hand, raising my gaze. Backlit by the light, the man before me seemed to shine unnaturally bright. I was momentarily at a loss for words.
The district leader in my memories had been consumed by madness, aiming a gun at Han Jae-hoon. But the man standing before me now was breathtaking—so beautiful that no amount of praise could do him justice.
“You must be tired from standing. Have a seat.”
The district leader swept a few loose strands of his crimson hair over his shoulder before turning away. I, still dazed, followed behind him.
On the tea table, an extravagant spread of refreshments was laid out—far too much for just two people. It looked so lavish that it almost felt like a final parting gift before my expulsion. Awkwardly, I settled into my seat.
“I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I just prepared everything. How is it?”
“…Pardon?”
“Vincent has quite the sweet tooth, so I thought you might as well.”
“Ah… Thank you.”
Just as the district leader said, Vincent loved sweet things. Unfortunately, I did not. I couldn’t stand sugary foods, yet he had prepared all this for me. What was I supposed to do?
“Try this first.”
The district leader sliced into a rich chocolate mousse with a silver fork and brought it toward my lips. I couldn’t bring myself to refuse, so I reluctantly opened my mouth and let him feed me the chocolate mousse.
“Well? How is it?”
“I-It’s delicious.”
Hearing my response, the district leader beamed. The overwhelming sweetness of the mousse nearly made me gag, but I forced myself to swallow it. Just as I managed to get it down, he was already slicing another cake to offer me.
One by one, I tasted every single dessert on the table—cakes, chocolates, all of it—before the district leader finally ended his little game of feeding me like a mother bird. Even after trying to cleanse my palate with a sip of bitter black tea, the lingering sweetness made my head spin.
“You don’t look well. Are you feeling sick?”
“I just ate too much, that’s all.”
“So, you’re not just small-framed, but small-stomached too.”
I had no idea whether I was supposed to laugh at that joke, but I forced a strained smile to keep the mood light. He hadn’t called me here just to feed me cake, yet he seemed in no hurry to get to the point.
“Um… may I ask why you called for me?”
After much hesitation, I finally took the initiative to steer the conversation forward. The district leader, who had been idly breaking apart his mousse cake with his fork, paused.
“Yes, I suppose it’s time we got to the main topic. I was having too much fun feeding you that I nearly forgot.”
He set down his fork and lifted his gaze to meet mine. He was still smiling just as he had been before, but the shift in atmosphere made me tense. Then, he slowly began to speak.
“Eight years ago, I made a deal with your father. If he returned the Shining I had gifted him, I would increase the power supply to District 5. You’re aware of this, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I know.”
“According to Jae-hoon, you agreed to it as well. It was a deal that couldn’t have happened without your consent. In the end, thanks to you handing over Vincent, both Jae-hoon and I got what we wanted. I got a well-trained dog, and Jae-hoon got his electricity. A win-win, don’t you think?”
His soft voice masked the accusation laced within his words. He wasn’t wrong—it had been my decision to send Vin here. But it was the adults who had forced me into that choice.
Did he really think I wanted to send him away? I didn’t—I never did. It was them who made it happen.
I bit down on the words burning in my throat, forcing my lips to stay shut even as they trembled.
“Thanks to you sending Vincent here, he will soon succeed me as the next leader of District 1. Quite a fitting conclusion, wouldn’t you say?”
“……”
“Of course… that’s only if you weren’t here.”
The district leader’s smile vanished, and the pheromones he had been suppressing flooded the room. The sheer force of them clamped down on my body, burning against my skin like an invisible vice. My breath hitched as the overwhelming presence made my limbs tremble. Watching me struggle, the district leader slowly rose from his seat.
“I had countless chances to throw you out of the district without Vincent knowing. But foolishly, I made him a promise—that if he climbed all the way to the position of the next district leader, I would grant him whatever he desired.”
“What… are you… ugh—”
I tried to endure it, but even my vision was beginning to blur. The district leader perched himself on the edge of the table, reaching out to tap my cheek with his fingertip. Even that light touch sent a sharp, searing pain through my skin, as if it were being flayed open.
“If I had known you were what Vincent wanted, I would have made a different promise. But there was nothing I could do. That stubborn bastard clawed his way up from the bottom, clinging to nothing but that promise. It would be a shame to snatch away his reward now, wouldn’t it?”
“…Hngh—”
“But if that reward were to disappear on its own… well, that would change things.”
The hand on my cheek withdrew, and with it, the suffocating pheromones eased. Taking the chance, I desperately gasped for air, trying to steady my frayed senses. The district leader clicked his tongue in mild disappointment before stepping away from me.
“According to Vincent, you’re pregnant with a Shining.”
Even through the haze of my dizziness, those words cut through with perfect clarity. Stunned by the sheer absurdity of the claim, I snapped my head up to look at him—but his gaze was no longer on me.
“What the hell are you—”
Before I could finish, a mere flick of his hand summoned men from the shadows. They grabbed hold of my wrists and ankles before I could react. I wanted to fight back, but my body was still weak from the lingering effects of his pheromones—I couldn’t muster any strength at all.
“L-Let me go!”
My useless struggling died down quickly. Panting, I writhed in their grip as another man approached, carrying a bag. The stark white of his coat immediately told me he was a doctor.
“I don’t mean to doubt Vincent,” the district leader said, “but I thought it best to verify the truth.”
“D-Don’t do this!”
“If you really are pregnant, the child in your womb will be the first Shining to be born. We can’t afford to be careless.”
A man produced a pair of scissors from somewhere and began cutting through my clothes. The moment I heard the snipping of fabric, I thrashed wildly, but the hands restraining me only pressed down harder, pinning me in place.
“There’s no need to be afraid. This won’t hurt you.”
The doctor’s voice was gentle, coaxing—but how could I believe him when they had already subdued me and stripped me against my will?
Exposed under their gaze, I burned with shame. But more than anything, I was furious—furious at myself for walking into this place willingly.
I clenched my eyes shut as the doctor retrieved an instrument from his bag and moved to insert it between my forcibly spread legs.
