Keeping an eye on the servant, he smoothly tucked the tiny, folded piece of paper—smaller than a fingertip—into his pocket. Then, he casually placed the piece of bread he had picked up into his mouth and chewed.
A quick glance to the side confirmed that, as expected, the servant was watching him closely. If he wanted to avoid suspicion, he had to keep eating. His throat felt tight, and his stomach churned from the tension, but he forced himself to finish everything on his plate.
“Are you finished?”
The moment he put down his spoon, the waiting servant approached and asked. Offering an awkward smile, he stood up and watched as the servant began clearing the dishes before heading toward the bathroom.
“Where are you going?”
The servant stopped mid-action, questioning his movement. Instead of answering, he merely glanced toward the bathroom. Only then did the servant nod and motion for him to go.
Once inside, still feeling the weight of the servant’s watchful gaze, he immediately pulled out the paper from his pocket. His fingers trembled slightly as he unfolded the crumpled note and read its contents.
[On the fifth toll of the bell, Central Greenhouse.]
During the District’s Day, the bell tolled once per day to mark the passing of time. Since there was no darkness here to signal the transition between days, the chimes helped visitors from other districts keep track of the start and end of each day.
So far, the bell had rung twice, meaning two days had already passed. Jeremy’s note indicated that the meeting was set for the fifth toll of the bell—three days from now.
But the biggest issue remained: how was he supposed to shake off the ever-present servant and make his way to the Central Greenhouse?
What do I do now?
Lingering in the bathroom for too long would only arouse suspicion. Suppressing a sigh, he tore the note into tiny pieces and flushed it down the toilet.
After pretending to relieve himself, he washed his hands and stepped outside. As expected, the servant had been waiting close by. Only after he shook the excess water from his hands did the servant return to his seat.
And so, he sat on the edge of the bed, watching time slip away. The suffocating atmosphere, the constant surveillance, the crushing helplessness—how much longer would he have to endure this?
Will I even be able to get out of here?
He had never fully trusted Choi Yeo-min to get him out of this place, yet now, faced with the possibility of losing that escape route, he was finally feeling anxious. Even he had to admit that was pathetic.
If he couldn’t meet Choi Yeo-min, should he ask Se-yul for help? But if he disappeared, all attention would immediately turn to District 5. That meant relying on Se-yul or Han Jae-hoon was pointless.
If he wanted to avoid history repeating itself, he had to go somewhere with no connection to him. Somewhere no one would think to look. Somewhere no one even knew he existed.
—I can’t live without you, Seo-yul hyung…
The words he had muttered like a passing thought came back to him. Even when he forced a smile, his crimson eyes couldn’t hide the deep-seated unease. Whenever he met that gaze, no matter how hard he tried, his resolve wavered.
This was the same person who had trampled over District 5 and mercilessly shot Se-yul right in front of him. And yet, after realizing just how miserable his existence had been, he couldn’t hold onto his hatred as firmly as before.
He had come to know too much—more than what had been captured in a few fleeting lines in a book he could barely recall. Now, he couldn’t fully hate him, nor could he wholly resent him.
He hated him. He resented him. And at the same time, he pitied him. He felt sorry for him.
How could he truly despise someone who had endured a living hell, clinging to a faded hope that they would one day meet again?
If I disappeared, would everything go back to the way it was?
The original story had long since derailed. There had been many sacrifices, but in the end, District 5 had not fallen, and the District 1 leader, who was supposed to be the first to die, was still alive and well.
The fact that he would eventually become the district leader wouldn’t change, but the future where he subdued the other districts through sheer force and united them under his rule—perhaps that future would never come.
Even if it was precarious, this world would continue to maintain its fragile peace.
So if he, the outsider, simply disappeared, everything would return to how it was meant to be.
Longing would fade with time. No matter how unbearable it seemed, time was fair to all.
And eventually, even he would forget him.
Knock, knock.
At the sound of knocking, both he and the servant turned toward the door.
He wasn’t the only one confused—there shouldn’t have been anyone else coming to see him. The servant, tilting his head slightly in curiosity, rose from his seat.
“Who is it?”
He asked the unknown visitor beyond the closed door. But instead of an answer, there was only another knock.
The servant seemed to decide that he had no intention of opening the door. He turned away, but at that moment, the door burst open, and someone stepped inside, striking the back of the servant’s neck with force.
“Urk!”
The servant collapsed instantly, unable to even resist.
Shocked by the sudden intrusion, he froze, still sitting on the bed.
The figure crouched briefly, checking that the servant was indeed unconscious before turning their gaze toward him.
That was when he snapped out of his stupor and frantically searched for something—anything—to protect himself.
“Wh-who are you?!”
Finding nothing, he resorted to raising his fists, though they posed no real threat.
The intruder, their face hidden beneath a mask, stepped over the fallen servant and approached him.
“Seo-yul-nim.”
Just as he prepared to swing with all his might, an all-too-familiar voice called out.
The masked figure reached up and removed their disguise.
It was Choi Yeo-min.
“Choi… Yeo-min-ssi?”
“You must be surprised.”
Choi Yeo-min smiled brightly as he closed the distance.
There were so many things he wanted to ask, but the sheer abruptness of the encounter left his mind spinning.
Choi Yeo-min let out a laugh at the sight of his utterly non-threatening fist. Then, he gently took hold of his hand and lowered it without force.
“I figured you’d be really shaken after I suddenly disappeared, so I took a bit of a risk to come find you.”
At the word risk, Choi Yeo-min’s gaze briefly flickered toward the unconscious servant. Then, his eyes curved into a smile as he looked back at Seo-yul.
The way Choi Yeo-min was openly displaying his emotions now, so unlike before, felt unsettling. Seo-yul instinctively withdrew his hand from the touch and finally broke the silence.
“Why were you suddenly replaced?”
“…There were some circumstances.”
Brushing past the question with a vague response, Choi Yeo-min gripped Seo-yul’s shoulders and, without giving him a chance to resist, pressed him down to sit on the bed.
As Seo-yul tilted his head up to meet the now-elevated gaze, a hand slowly reached out, grazing his chin before retreating just as quickly. Choi Yeo-min, now kneeling on one knee before him, looked up and spoke.
“You still intend to leave with me once the District’s Day ends, don’t you?”
Seo-yul gave a slow nod. For a brief moment, the flicker of anxiety in Choi Yeo-min’s face vanished. Lowering his head, he rested his cheek against Seo-yul’s knee.
He had never approached like this before. In the past, he had always tried to conceal his emotions, but now, he wasn’t holding back at all. After taking a deep breath, Choi Yeo-min straightened up.
“How exactly do you plan on taking me with you?”
It was a question he had been holding onto but had deliberately avoided asking until now. Choi Yeo-min was just an ordinary servant with no power or influence. Seo-yul figured it was about time he learned what kind of plan could possibly allow him to escape this place.
“What do you think of ‘Night’?”
Instead of answering, Choi Yeo-min hesitated before throwing out a completely unrelated question. Seo-yul frowned, unable to guess why he would suddenly bring that up, but Choi Yeo-min’s eyes pleaded for a response.
Truthfully, he had never seriously thought about it. Night’s goal was to bring down Humanity’s Moon, which meant their main area of operation was District 1. They had nothing to do with District 5, which was tucked away in a corner.
“I haven’t really thought about it.”
At his honest answer, Choi Yeo-min’s eyes wavered. But soon, his initial unease faded, replaced by a calm smile. It wasn’t the response he had been hoping for, but it didn’t seem like a bad one either.
“On the sixth toll of the bell, there will be massive chaos. That’s when I plan to get you out of here.”
“…Massive chaos?”
Rather than answering, Choi Yeo-min turned his gaze toward the window, where cold light filtered in.
But that alone was enough.
Seo-yul immediately grasped what Choi Yeo-min was implying.
—Choi Yeo-min, do you like the moon?
—No, I don’t.
The hints had been scattered all along.
Meeting his confused gaze head-on, Choi Yeo-min reached out and took hold of his hand, which was resting on the bed. Then, he pressed a light kiss against the back of his trembling hand and whispered,
“Don’t worry. I’ll take you out of this hellhole just as planned, so wait for me.”
