Se-yul couldn’t move easily in a situation like this—someone suddenly barging in and claiming they’d let him see Seo-yul? Suspicion naturally surged.
If they were going to make it this easy to see Seo-yul, they would have said something the moment he arrived in District 1. But back then, they’d acted as if he would never be allowed to meet him. And now, out of nowhere, they changed their tune.
As Se-yul hesitated, unable to let down his guard so easily, the man lost his patience and roughly grabbed his arm. Se-yul, forcibly pulled to his feet, immediately smacked his hand away.
“What kind of scheme is this, showing up out of nowhere and claiming you’ll let me see my brother?”
The man’s fatigue was evident as he considered just turning back. He could always tell Seo-yul that Han Se-yul had refused to come. He’d given him a chance, after all, but he was the one who threw it away.
But Seo-yul would never accept that excuse. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t believe him either.
“I made a promise to Seo-yul hyung.”
“What kind of—”
“You don’t need to know that.”
The moment he cut off Se-yul’s words with firm finality, a bell tolled in the distance. The day had passed without him even realizing it, too preoccupied with everything happening around him. Then again, time held no meaning in District 1.
“So, are you coming or not?”
He demanded an immediate answer. After a brief hesitation, Se-yul climbed off the bed. He stripped off his sleepwear and changed into something more presentable.
If he was really going to meet Seo-yul, he wanted to look even better, but he doubted this guy would wait around for him to clean up properly.
“Follow me.”
Keeping his tension wound tight, Se-yul trailed after him out of the room. Just in case, he discreetly grabbed a gun without him noticing, though he could only hope he wouldn’t have to use it.
Of course, that didn’t change the fact that he had a strong urge to put a bullet right into the back of that annoying head.
‘It’s quieter than I expected.’
Ever since arriving in District 1, his condition had worsened so much that he’d barely left his room. Everything felt unfamiliar. And whether by coincidence or design, they were taking an eerily empty path, making the surroundings unnervingly silent.
Se-yul subtly lowered his hand toward his waist, ready to draw his gun at any sign of trouble. He kept his eyes sharp, scanning the area for any threats. But fortunately, no one appeared to block their way.
Judging by how long they had been walking, his bedroom must have been on the exact opposite side of the mansion from Se-yul’s room. A deliberate arrangement, no doubt—to ensure they never even had a chance to cross paths by accident. Se-yul found the thought entirely reasonable.
“How much farther?”
Growing impatient, Se-yul finally asked. For the first time, the man turned to look at him. He didn’t respond, but the cold, crimson eyes staring back at him seemed to silently order him to shut up and keep following.
What a fucking bastard.
The moment he met Seo-yul—no, the moment he got him out of here—he would never have to see this asshole again. Se-yul forced himself to calm his seething frustration and quickened his pace to match the man’s increasingly brisk steps.
Even this much was taking a toll on his body. His breathing grew heavier, but he clenched his teeth and swallowed the labored gasps. Now was not the time to show any weakness.
Unfortunately, despite his efforts, the man—whose senses were sharper than most—had already noticed the slight change in his breathing. He had heard that Se-yul’s condition was poor, but to be struggling this much just from walking… it must be worse than expected.
A brief glance back revealed Se-yul’s pale, nearly ghostly complexion. The man exhaled an irritated sigh. Seo-yul would be devastated to see his brother in this state, but there was no other choice. Now was the only opportunity.
Avoiding populated areas had forced them to take a winding route through the mansion. Still, secrecy was crucial. If word got out that Han Se-yul and Seo-yul had met, things would get complicated.
As they approached the corridor leading to the bedroom, a familiar scent drifted past the man’s nose. He suddenly halted in place, sharpening his focus on the faint trace in the air.
“What is it?”
Se-yul stopped as well, eyeing him warily. The man shot him a look, wordlessly telling him to stay quiet, then turned toward the source of the scent. It was coming from deeper in the corridor—likely near the bedroom.
He had smelled it more times than he cared to count, yet he hesitated, uncertain if it was being masked by the floral fragrance from the garden. But as they moved deeper inside, the scent grew stronger. Then, he noticed something.
A door—one that should have been firmly shut—was slightly ajar.
And that’s when it finally hit him. The unmistakable stench he had somehow failed to recognize immediately. The scent that had filled the underground countless times before.
Blood.
“Vincent!”
With a sense of urgency, Se-yul ran after him.
The door, which had been cracked open just enough to see through, was thrown wide, revealing the gruesome sight within.
A blood-drenched bedroom.
He hadn’t been gone for long. Though they had taken a roundabout path to avoid people, the time lost wasn’t significant.
That meant the intruder had been waiting for him to leave before attacking the room.
Under normal circumstances, he would have sensed something. But had he let his guard down, thinking this was the end?
“…What the hell…”
The nauseating stench of blood pooling on the floor churned his stomach. He stepped inside, eyes immediately landing on a horribly mutilated corpse.
Thank God. It’s not Seo-yul hyung.
The body belonged to the servant who had been assigned to guard the room.
Raising his gaze, he frantically scanned the rest of the space. He checked every possible hiding place, but Seo-yul was nowhere to be found.
Then where the hell did he go?
“Where is my brother?”
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Se-yul turned to him for answers. But the man, too shaken by the shock, couldn’t respond.
Unable to suppress his anxiety, Se-yul began searching the room. He overturned every possible hiding place, but there was no sign of Seo-yul. That meant he wasn’t here.
And judging by the man’s dazed state, he had no idea where Seo-yul had been taken, either.
Se-yul didn’t know who had killed the servant and taken Seo-yul, but one thing was clear—it wasn’t good.
As much as he hated to admit it, the only reason Seo-yul had any semblance of safety in District 1 was because this man had been by his side.
“Do you have any suspects?”
Suppressing his anger, Se-yul asked calmly.
The man, whose vision had been unfocused until now, suddenly noticed something. Slowly crouching down, he reached into the pool of blood and pulled out a familiar object.
A golden bullet, embedded in the floor just beyond the corpse.
Ignoring the blood staining his fingers, he picked it up.
“…Fuck.”
Cursing under his breath, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the room without a backward glance.
Se-yul tried to follow, but there was no way he could keep up. The man was already speeding through the hallway, crossing the corridor in the blink of an eye.
By the time he entered the banquet hall, the lavish event had been going on for nearly a week straight, with the guests indulging as if they had no care in the world.
“The young master of the district—”
“Vincent-nim, your hands…!”
The nobles who had begun to greet him recoiled in alarm at the sight of his blood-soaked hands.
Glancing around, he quickly confirmed that the person he was looking for wasn’t here.
Without hesitation, he took the stairs in a single stride, heading straight for the office.
The bullet he had found near the corpse belonged to the district lord’s private soldiers.
They were the only ones foolish enough to waste ammunition by engraving District 1’s emblem—a crescent moon—on their bullets. It was unmistakable.
The district lord had killed the servant and taken Seo-yul.
“If you fail to become the next district lord, I will exile your Omega.”
The man had already used Seo-yul to threaten him once before. And given his extreme hatred for Omegas, the circumstantial evidence was undeniable.
“I greet the young master of the district.”
The district lord’s aide, standing guard outside the office, bowed respectfully as he approached.
Vincent ignored him entirely, reaching for the door.
Naturally, the private soldiers standing watch blocked his path. His crimson eyes flashed with deadly intent.
“The district lord has not granted permission yet.”
The moment those words were spoken, he moved.
Without hesitation, he snatched the gun from the holster of the nearest guard and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
A deafening gunshot echoed through the silent corridor, followed by the splatter of fresh blood.
The soldier who had been blocking his way collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.
It had happened in an instant.
“Vincent-nim!!”
The aide shouted urgently, but Vincent merely wiped the blood off his face with the back of his hand.
Then he pointed the gun at the remaining soldier.
Panicked, the soldier fumbled to draw his own weapon, but his trembling hands failed him.
“You need to calm down!”
The aide’s desperate plea fell on deaf ears.
Vincent pressed his finger against the trigger.
Just before the second gunshot could ring out, a voice called out from behind the tightly shut office door.
“Come in.”
