“Jae-hoon!”
The man following behind Han Jae-hoon shouted so loudly that the hallway echoed. As all eyes turned toward them, even the usually aloof Han Jae-hoon halted his steps and looked back at the man.
Though his lips remained tightly shut, his jet-black eyes—unlike anything found in District 1—were practically spewing curses. The man, however, approached him with a bright, cheerful smile.
The first thing he did was grab Jae-hoon’s arm, ensuring he couldn’t escape. Jae-hoon tried shaking off the grip, but overpowering a Shining’s strength was impossible for an ordinary human.
Still, he refused to give up and continued struggling, but ultimately, he was the one who grew tired first. The fact that he couldn’t even shake off a single arm wounded his pride deeply.
“Let go of me.”
“I’m absolutely delighted that you’ve come.”
“I get it, so just let go of—”
“You came to see me, didn’t you? I’d love for you to say yes.”
Despite Jae-hoon’s repeated rejections, the man was lost in his own world. Jae-hoon took a step back to avoid his relentless approach, but with his arm still caught, he couldn’t go far.
His gaze quickly swept the area. Just moments ago, people had been passing by intermittently, but now, there wasn’t a soul in sight. It was eerily quiet, as if the entire area had been locked down in a mere moment.
Then again, this man never cared about being watched. The one who always ended up in trouble was Jae-hoon, not him. Back then, and even now.
“Jae-hoon.”
His name was spoken in a low, hushed voice. The man was drawing even closer, the usual playful smile erased, replaced with a serious expression now just inches from his face.
This was dangerous.
“Luis.”
In his urgency, Jae-hoon abandoned all pretense of formality and called the man’s name.
Luis Shining’s crimson eyes trembled violently.
The hand that had stubbornly held onto Jae-hoon’s arm finally loosened, and the suffocating proximity between them widened. Only then did Jae-hoon realize he had been unconsciously holding his breath, exhaling shakily.
Luis stood there, frozen like a broken machine, his eyes wavering in confusion. The tension between them lingered, thick and suffocating.
Breaking the silence first, Jae-hoon spoke.
“We seem to have a lot to talk about, but for now, I’m tired, so I’ll be heading to rest.”
As Han Jae-hoon turned to leave after his half-hearted farewell, the man finally snapped out of his daze and blocked his path. The childish act—something even he hadn’t done as a kid—was so ridiculous that Jae-hoon didn’t even have the energy to be angry.
He tried ignoring him and simply walking past, but the man repeatedly stepped in front of him, making it impossible to move forward. Eventually, Jae-hoon stopped in his tracks. The moment his gaze met the man’s, as if waiting for this exact moment, the man opened his mouth.
“I have something to say to you—”
“I’d rather postpone this conversation. I need to rest.”
Jae-hoon cut him off firmly. The man’s lips, which had been on the verge of forming another sentence, pressed shut, and his expression darkened in an uncharacteristic way.
“When?” he asked persistently.
Faced with the rare sight of that pale face devoid of its usual grin, Jae-hoon let out a sigh and answered, “Soon.”
“And when exactly is ‘soon’ supposed to be?”
The only reason Jae-hoon had come here was for Seo-yul. As long as he could take him away, he had no intention of staying in this godforsaken place a second longer than necessary.
If he could, he’d grab the man by the collar right now and demand Seo-yul’s return. But a shameless Shining like him would never comply so easily. The moment he opened his mouth, Jae-hoon knew he’d be dragged into an endless conversation.
That’s why, after a week of relentless travel, all he wanted was a brief moment of rest. He needed it—to calm his nerves, to regain his composure. If he didn’t, his emotions would spiral out of control.
“I have no desire to stay here any longer than necessary. I’ll come see you at the earliest possible time.”
After hearing those words repeatedly reinforced, the man could no longer find a reason to hold him back. As soon as he stepped aside, Jae-hoon gave him a slight nod before walking away without looking back.
The man, who had been watching his retreating figure, finally let out the breath he had been holding. Normally, he would have found a way to keep Jae-hoon around no matter what, but for some reason, the unwavering rejection actually stung this time.
Ever since Jae-hoon had confirmed his attendance, he had been restless, unable to sleep properly—waiting for this day like an excited child looking forward to a field trip.
And when he heard Jae-hoon had finally arrived in District 1, he had rushed over without a second thought. But now, it felt as though everything had been outright denied. It wasn’t a new experience, but still, it stung.
“Honestly, this doesn’t suit me at all.”
***
With the sudden disappearance of the District Leader and even Vincent Shining leaving his seat, the most prestigious spot among the Shinings now belonged to Joshua.
Even if it was only his due to Vincent’s absence, Joshua was quite satisfied. No—this was where he belonged in the first place. Naturally, he was pleased.
Each person who entered bowed deeply to him, trying to curry favor, eager to be noticed. The world had changed so drastically in the short time Vincent had stepped away. What would happen if he disappeared completely?
—All that’s needed is for Vincent to disappear.
The first time Jeremy had proposed the idea, Joshua had drawn a firm line, insisting he had never considered such a thing. But now, after just a brief moment of reclaiming his rightful place, the thought didn’t seem so bad.
Pests were meant to be crushed underfoot.
And Vincent was no different.
That bastard should have died back when he was meant to be ‘taken care of.’ Yet he had the audacity to crawl his way back and threaten Joshua’s position.
So, he should die. That was only fair.
“I need to talk to Jeremy.”
Having made up his mind, Joshua set out to find Jeremy, who had to be somewhere in the banquet hall. Since his diluted bloodline had rendered him unworthy of properly welcoming guests, Jeremy was likely just passing the time, idly enjoying the party.
Yet, after scouring the entire hall, there was no sign of him. Had he already returned to his room? Well, considering there was no one here who would greet him warmly, staying any longer would only be miserable.
Just as Joshua was about to return to his seat to resume hosting, a loud commotion erupted from the hallway leading to the dining area. His gaze naturally shifted in that direction.
It would have been easy to dismiss it as a mere servant making a mistake while carrying food, but for some reason, it nagged at him. After a brief moment of deliberation, Joshua chose to trust his instincts.
And, sure enough.
As expected, there was Jeremy—the very person he had been searching for. But what caught Joshua off guard was the sight of Jeremy with a servant in his arms.
How utterly random.
At first, Joshua hadn’t noticed, due to the small frame, but upon closer inspection, the servant was male. He almost chuckled, wondering if Jeremy had suddenly developed a new taste. But then, his dulled senses—hindered by the suppressant—finally registered the unmistakable scent of an Omega’s pheromones.
What the hell is he doing out here?
Vincent had treated that Omega like a precious treasure, so why was he now in Jeremy’s arms? And more importantly, wasn’t that Omega carrying Vincent’s child?
Joshua had a lot of questions, but no matter how much he stared, Jeremy refused to explain himself. Instead, he had the audacity to shoot him a glance, silently telling him to stay quiet.
Should I really play along with this?
After some brief hesitation, Joshua decided to go along with Jeremy’s plan—whatever it was. He might put on a friendly face, but at the end of the day, he was still a Shining through and through. He had to have a reason for this.
So, Joshua stepped aside for now and waited at a reasonable distance.
Jeremy spent quite a while whispering to the Omega. Then, just as he was about to return to the banquet hall, Joshua, who had been hiding behind a pillar, stepped forward and blocked his path.
“Now, care to explain?”
“Explain what?”
“That little pest of an Omega.”
Jeremy’s sharp brows twitched slightly. Even with suppressants, his scent was strong enough that it had been impossible to hide. He had planned to keep his meeting with Han Seo-yul a secret, but since he had already been caught, there was no point in pretending.
“I’m going to use him.”
“For what?”
“To lure out Vincent.”
Joshua frowned. He couldn’t comprehend why they would need that Omega to summon Vincent Shining. Reading his confusion, Jeremy reminded him of the plan they had discussed before.
“That bastard’s too cautious. There’s no way he’d just show up if we called for him. So we’ll have to force him out.”
“And using that Omega is the solution?”
That fool was dumb enough to let his guard down just because someone had dangled the promise of reuniting with his family in front of him. If they took him hostage, even if they couldn’t kill Vincent immediately, they could at least manipulate him however they pleased.
“He cherishes that Omega too much to sit idly by. He won’t just let this slide.”
Jeremy flashed a sly smile.
