After meeting the Apostle and returning, what he saw was the sight of a servant sprawled on the floor. Though the door was firmly shut, unmistakable traces of an intrusion made his face go pale.
He hurriedly pushed open the door and stepped inside, searching for Seo-yul in the pitch-black darkness. His eyes first landed on the bed where Seo-yul spent most of his time, but to his unease, it was empty.
Before he could turn away from the cold, empty blankets that held no trace of lingering warmth, he heard the sound of running water from the bathroom. His feet moved toward it before he even had time to think.
“Seo-yul hyung…!”
He flung the door open, and a thick cloud of white steam rushed out. As his blurred vision cleared, he finally spotted Seo-yul showering inside.
Relief washed over him, and his legs nearly gave out as he leaned against the bathroom wall. The suffocating anxiety that had gripped him melted away completely—just because Seo-yul was here.
“Were you showering?”
At the gentle question, Seo-yul answered only with a sharp glare. It was then that he realized—he had left Seo-yul behind without even cleaning up the aftermath.
But earlier, he hadn’t wanted to touch Seo-yul at all. He had hated him too much, resented him too deeply—he might have strangled him right then and there. Though, of course, he wouldn’t have been able to kill him.
“Get out.”
Seo-yul spoke, but he didn’t move. Instead, he stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. As he walked under the pouring water, his clothes became drenched in an instant.
“I’m sorry… for leaving you like that.”
Pulling Seo-yul into an embrace, he apologized sincerely. Seo-yul didn’t respond—he only pushed against his shoulder. When he let go without resistance, Seo-yul simply stared at him.
There was no warmth left in those midnight-black eyes. The Seo-yul who used to call him Vin, who used to look after him like the warmth of spring sunlight, was gone. But even this icy, winter-cold Seo-yul was still the one he wanted to hold.
“I’m done showering, so finish up and come out.”
Seo-yul turned away first, not sparing him another glance as he left the bathroom. Left alone, he stood motionless for a long time before finally peeling off his soaking clothes.
After a long shower, he stepped out and, as always, went straight to Seo-yul, who was lying in bed. Seo-yul glanced at him briefly before turning away. Even that was something he had grown used to.
“Did someone… come here?”
“…Who else would come here besides you?”
A brief silence before Seo-yul’s response kindly exposed his lie. Did he really think he could get away with something so obvious?
The thought of Seo-yul frantically trying to come up with an excuse made him want to laugh. So, he decided to play along, pretending to fall for the clumsy lie.
“Right. There’s no one else who would come here but me. I’m always keeping watch, after all.”
Since Seo-yul would never tell the truth, he planned to quietly investigate the intruder himself. He had a few suspects in mind, so it wouldn’t be too difficult to find the culprit.
He watched Seo-yul’s back as he lay facing away, then got up from his seat. He had rested long enough—now it was time to move.
I have a promise to keep, too.
He had agreed to let Seo-yul meet Han Se-yul in exchange for a brief outing. He could have ignored it, of course, but he wasn’t like Seo-yul.
“Get some rest.”
Pressing a light kiss to the small, round back of Seo-yul’s head, he got off the bed. As he dried his hair and changed clothes, he noticed Seo-yul watching him, even though he had expected him to keep his back turned.
Feeling the weight of his gaze, he stopped buttoning his shirt and turned to face Seo-yul. Those deep, abyss-like eyes were unreadable.
He wetted his lips and released them, his self-control wavering just from maintaining eye contact. He was about to step closer—when the door swung open, and the servant who had been knocked out stumbled in.
“V-Vincent-nim…”
The servant, pale as a ghost, collapsed onto the floor. Vincent halted mid-step, let out a slow breath, then finished buttoning his shirt and grabbed his jacket.
“I’ll be back, Seo-yul hyung.”
Leaving behind a farewell Seo-yul wouldn’t acknowledge, Vincent dragged the fallen servant out of the room. As soon as the door shut, he flung the trembling servant aside.
The servant, who had been struggling, quickly prostrated himself and began begging for forgiveness. At least he wasn’t entirely clueless.
“Did you see who it was?”
“Th-that…”
The servant stammered, unable to form a proper sentence. Judging by his reaction, it seemed the blow to his head had blurred his memory. Vincent let out a deep sigh and walked past him.
More than anything, he wanted to lock Seo-yul away somewhere only he knew. If he could do that, he wouldn’t have to feel this constant anxiety. But now wasn’t the right time.
Two days left.
Once he stood before the crowd with Seo-yul on the final night of the banquet, everything would be over. He would become the new district leader of District 1, and Seo-yul would be his one and only partner.
Just before stepping into the banquet hall, Vincent came to a halt and exhaled deeply. An odd tightness pressed against his chest.
He was about to obtain everything he had ever wanted. And yet, his instincts told him to be uneasy.
It must be because I’m not used to this.
Ever since he and Seo-yul had separated, nothing in District 1 had ever gone the way he wanted. It was only natural that things finally going smoothly felt unfamiliar.
Only two days left. If he could endure that much, everything would go exactly as he wanted. Silencing his meaningless unease, he turned away from the banquet hall, where sweet music played, and headed elsewhere.
The rooms of the people from District 5 had been deliberately placed as far from his bedroom as possible. Among them, Han Jae-hoon and Han Se-yul’s rooms were at the very end.
Of course, Seo-yul’s bedroom was hidden away in a place that was difficult to find, but accidents could always happen. He wanted to eliminate even the slightest possibility.
He didn’t want Seo-yul meeting them without his knowledge. Because if that happened, Seo-yul would inevitably choose them over him.
Pathetic.
The fact that he so naturally accepted Seo-yul’s choice wouldn’t be him was humiliating. The more he thought about it, the more wretched he felt. Seo-yul was the only one who could make him feel this way.
Letting out a bitter chuckle, he schooled his twisted expression back into composure. He couldn’t afford to meet Han Se-yul looking like this. Running a hand lightly over his face, he regained his usual nonchalant demeanor.
Upon reaching the far end of the estate, he knocked on the closed door. No response came from the other side, but he had never intended to wait. He pushed the door open without hesitation.
“What the hell.”
Striding in without reservation, he came face to face with a startled Se-yul. He had known since Se-yul had collapsed in front of him that his condition was poor, but in the past few days, he had grown even paler.
He had once again forgotten that a gunshot wound was a life-threatening injury for ordinary people. The fact that Se-yul had survived, made it all the way here, and was still determined to find his brother was already a miracle.
“Get up. I’ll let you see Seo-yul hyung.”
***
A clear chime echoed through the estate.
My eyes snapped open, and I hurriedly got out of bed, preparing to head outside. The time Jeremy had mentioned was drawing near.
“Where are you going?”
I had been so focused that I had forgotten the servant was still here. Feeling the weight of his unblinking stare, I forced myself to move slowly, trying not to appear rushed.
“I was feeling stifled. I thought I’d go for a walk.”
“Vincent-nim ordered that you are not to leave the bedroom.”
Loyal to a fault, the servant was determined to uphold his master’s command. He clearly had no intention of letting me leave, so I had no choice but to sit back down on the bed.
Even then, the servant remained vigilant. The slightest movement from me made his eyes glint with suspicion. As time dragged on, my anxiety mounted, and my legs trembled uncontrollably.
“Hey…”
I cautiously called out to him again. The servant, who had already caught on to my intentions, let out an irritated sigh. Just as he started to rise from his seat, the door burst open without warning.
“Who the hell—”
Bang!
My view was completely blocked by the open door, but the sound alone told me everything.
It was that sound—the one that had echoed throughout the estate that night, over and over again.
A heavy thud followed as something collapsed lifelessly to the floor. The wide-open door creaked slightly, revealing the scene behind it without mercy.
A smoking gun was lowered, and the intruder nudged the fallen servant with the toe of his boot. But the body lying on the floor did not move. The deep red carpet darkened as blood seeped into it.
“A-Ah…”
I had to run. I had to get out of here.
But fear rooted my legs in place.
The memories of that night resurfaced, making my mind go blank. The stench of blood filled my lungs with every breath, churning my stomach.
“Urk—”
Even as I retched, only clear bile came up.
After confirming the servant was truly dead, the intruder turned toward me.
Step.
The heavy sound of his boots echoed through the room.
When I lifted my head, my gaze met the eyes of the masked intruder standing right in front of me.
From the gap in his mask, his eyes gleamed coldly—reflecting nothing but my terrified expression.
