“Han Seo-yul, since you’re asking, I’ll give it a try.”
Jeremy smiled brightly as he took my hand. The unexpected touch made my shoulders flinch slightly, but I tried not to let it show.
He bent down and pressed a kiss to the back of my hand before meeting my gaze. His eyes, a shade close to brown, contrasted starkly with the smile on his lips—they were cold, unwavering.
“For now, it would be best if you returned to where you were. If you stand out and Vincent catches you, that won’t end well, will it?”
“Th-Then, when—”
“I’ll send a signal.”
Jeremy released my hand as he spoke. I wanted to ask exactly how he planned to signal me, but his demeanor made it clear that I shouldn’t pry any further. I simply nodded.
“Don’t worry, I keep my promises.”
Maybe it was the way his smile lingered on his face, or perhaps the honeyed tone of his voice, but something about Jeremy’s words felt convincing. Maybe it was because of his light-colored features, making him seem like he wasn’t a Shining at all.
“Oh, and don’t tell anyone about our deal. If someone else gets involved, things could go wrong.”
As if reading my thoughts about whether I should tell Choi Yeo-min, Jeremy added that final remark. I wanted to ask why, but once again, I saw the invisible boundary drawn by his smile.
“Then, take care, Han Seo-yul.”
As soon as he finished his farewell, Jeremy turned his back and headed toward the banquet hall. Only after everything settled did the servant who had been hiding in the corner hesitantly approach.
The servant glanced between me and Jeremy’s retreating figure before quietly asking, “What’s your relationship with Young Master Jeremy?”
“Huh?”
Caught off guard, I blinked at him in confusion. The servant smirked knowingly and jerked his chin toward Jeremy, who had now disappeared into the distance.
Realizing what he was implying, I quickly waved my hands in denial. “We’re nothing to each other.”
“Come on, don’t lie. I won’t tell anyone.”
“It’s not like that—”
“How did you meet Young Master Jeremy? Since when have you been this close?”
The servant nudged my side with his elbow, bombarding me with questions. He didn’t seem like he’d back down easily, so I made an excuse about having work to do and quickly left. Fortunately, he didn’t follow me.
Without looking back, I ran, and before I knew it, I had returned near my bedroom. Leaning against the wall, I tried to catch my breath. That was when I spotted the room where I had left my clothes.
I should change first.
If I ran into him while still wearing these clothes, he’d know I had been somewhere. After carefully checking my surroundings, I slipped into the room and retrieved the clothes I had hidden away.
“Seo-yul?”
As I was closing the door behind me, I ran into Choi Yeo-min, who had just returned. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to have noticed where exactly I was coming from. He only asked why I was out here instead of in my bedroom.
“I just wanted to take a walk. Felt a little cooped up.”
I gave the expected response, and Yeo-min believed me without question. He casually mentioned how noisy the mansion was because of the Day of the District, then naturally reached out to take my hand.
“Ah…”
Before I could stop myself, I instinctively stepped back, avoiding his touch. His hand, left hanging in midair, slowly dropped. He looked startled, unable to hide his confusion, and met my eyes directly, searching for an answer.
“…Sorry. I didn’t mean to grab you so suddenly.”
“No, it’s not that. I was just… caught off guard.”
My words trailed off, and I shut my mouth. The truth was, ever since realizing Yeo-min’s feelings, even the smallest physical contact with him had started to feel different.
I knew I should reject feelings I couldn’t return, but right now, I couldn’t. And at the same time, I hated the fact that I was using his feelings to my advantage. Because of that, I could no longer treat him the way I had before.
What am I even trying to do?
“…Shall we go?”
It was Yeo-min who finally broke the uncomfortable silence. I nodded, and without another word, turned to follow him as he walked ahead.
***
The moment the gates of the secluded mansion opened, guests began pouring in. As the heir to the district, he stood at the forefront, forced to greet them all with a practiced smile that never felt natural.
The bruises on his cheek were poorly concealed with white powder, but they were still noticeable. People’s gazes would linger on them for a moment before quickly shifting away. Thankfully, they had enough tact not to ask about it.
“Young Master Vincent, you’re finally becoming the master of District 1.”
“Congratulations in advance. I always knew it would be you.”
Lies. Every single one of them.
Vincent kept his smile perfectly intact as he listened to the empty flattery spilling from their lips. If there hadn’t been another guest waiting behind them, they would have stayed there all night, trying to win his favor.
After offering them the expected responses, he dismissed them as quickly as possible. As the last of them moved on, he reached up and lightly rubbed the corner of his lips, which had started twitching from holding that forced smile for too long.
“What a great life you must be living. A pathetic little insect crawling all the way up here.”
During a brief lull between guests, Joshua leaned in and whispered just loud enough for only him to hear. Vincent had intended to brush off the tired provocation, but instead, he kept his practiced smile in place and turned to face Joshua.
“Joshua, the first thing I’ll do when I become District Master is throw you out of this mansion.”
The moment the words left his lips, Joshua’s face twisted as if he had been slapped. Even though he knew how this would end, he still threw himself into the flames like a moth to a candle.
Not that it mattered. This would all be over soon. Once Vincent became the District Master, he would drive every last Shining out of the mansion. Joshua, in particular, would be sent somewhere as far away as possible.
“Smile. The guests are coming.”
He turned his gaze forward just as more visitors entered. Joshua, whose expression had been contorted in rage just moments ago, smoothed out his face and resumed greeting guests as if nothing had happened.
“Don’t think this is over.”
Joshua seized the next quiet moment to throw out another meaningless warning. Vincent only sighed in response. Instead of wasting more energy, he informed his aide that he would be stepping away for a moment and left the hall.
Inside a nearby lounge, the first thing he did was loosen the tie that had been strangling him. He sank onto the sofa and exhaled deeply, his shoulders finally easing from the tension.
I’m exhausted.
The mere thought of enduring this for an entire week was suffocating. But once the Day of the District ended, he would officially be recognized as the next District Master. And only then would he have the power to protect Seo-yul completely.
He used to think the Shining fighting for this position were pitiful. Yet here he was, struggling more desperately than any of them just to seize it for himself.
The past eight years had all been for Seo-yul. And now, it was to keep Seo-yul by his side. No matter what, Seo-yul was at the center of everything he did.
On the final day, when the District Master announced his successor, Vincent planned to announce something of his own—his one and only partner.
Once the rumors of their engagement were solidified into an undeniable fact, no one would dare treat Seo-yul poorly. No more accidents like before. No one would lay a hand on him again.
Of course, there would be opposition—Seo-yul was an Omega, after all. But Vincent had already thought of ways to deal with that. Whether those plans would work was another matter entirely.
Knock, knock.
His gaze flicked toward the door at the sound. His aide peeked in through the small opening before informing him that it was time to return, despite barely having rested.
So they’re not even giving me a moment’s peace.
Swallowing his frustration, Vincent stood from the sofa and approached the aide. Sensing his foul mood, the man quickly excused himself, saying he would go ahead.
“Young Master Vincent.”
A group of people lingering near the lounge immediately noticed him as he stepped outside. He gave them a casual wave in greeting before heading back to his place.
As he adjusted his loosened tie and prepared to receive more guests, someone suddenly stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
Lowering his gaze slightly, he met a pair of black eyes burning with barely contained fury. Despite supposedly having crawled back from the brink of death, his complexion was surprisingly bright. Or maybe he was just forcing himself to look that way.
Even now, just as before, he would rather die than show any weakness in front of Vincent.
“I greet the young master of District 1.”
Each syllable was deliberately enunciated, as if it physically pained him to say the words. Vincent watched those lips move, waited for them to still, then slowly curved his eyes into a smile.
And in the sweetest voice he could muster, he spoke the name of the person standing before him.
“It’s been a while, Han Se-yul.”
