“Have you calmed down?”
When asked cautiously, he nodded quietly. A moment later, as Se-yul slowly released his hand, he let go of the gun he had been gripping so tightly, letting it drop powerlessly.
If Han Se-yul hadn’t stopped him, the banquet hall would have turned into utter chaos by now. He would have opened fire the moment he saw the elders, massacring them like a madman. The situation would have spiraled into absolute disaster.
Right now, they had no idea who had taken Seo-yul, which meant they needed to be even more cautious. If they provoked the wrong person and put Seo-yul in danger, they wouldn’t be able to afford any reckless actions.
“Where did you go?”
“…To the District Chief.”
He had already pointed a gun at the District Chief, which meant the deal with the Apostle was no longer viable. If his intent to kill hadn’t been exposed, it might have been a different story, but now that everything had been laid bare, the already suspicious ruler of the district would never trust him.
—You’re not in your right mind right now, so let’s postpone this discussion. But I trust you know I won’t simply let this slide.
Pointing a gun at the District Chief alone was more than enough to warrant immediate execution. And yet, the ruler of the district had let him go unharmed. Considering the man’s usual nature, this was an incomprehensible decision.
But that didn’t mean the matter was over. He had to assume this would come back to haunt him.
Taking the vial of poison from deep within his pocket, he hurled it to the ground. The glass shattered, spilling a transparent liquid onto the carpet, where it seeped in like water.
Everything had gone wrong—just because Seo-yul had disappeared. No, everything had to go wrong because Seo-yul had disappeared.
Calm down and think again.
Taking a deep breath, he headed toward where the servant’s corpse lay. The blood, now dried, clung thickly to the soles of his shoes, and the cold body had begun to emit a foul stench.
He searched the corpse without hesitation, looking for any other traces, but the only thing left behind was a bullet—deliberately placed there. Everything was suspiciously clean.
His bedroom was located deep within the mansion, but to leave the property, one had to pass near the banquet hall, which was currently teeming with guests who had been attending the ongoing celebration for days.
What were the odds that someone had managed to sneak Seo-yul out of the mansion without being seen by anyone? He couldn’t be certain yet, but there was a high likelihood that Seo-yul was still somewhere inside.
Right now, that’s the only possibility I can rely on.
The mansion in District 1 was absurdly vast, filled with countless rooms. Searching each one alone would take far more time than he had. And if the enemy realized what he was doing and smuggled Seo-yul out in the meantime—
Cutting off his thoughts, he prepared to move. First, he had to dispose of the corpse without drawing attention, then find someone to help him search every inch of the mansion. Ina’s private soldiers would be more than capable of handling the job.
“Go back to your room for now.”
Brushing the blood off his hands, he stood and turned to Se-yul. Without hesitation, Se-yul refused.
As expected.
Suppressing his irritation, he spoke again. “Did your District Chief take my brother?”
“No.”
“Then why—”
Se-yul’s words were abruptly cut off by the clear, ringing sound of a bell.
Taking advantage of his momentary distraction, he moved swiftly.
“Ugh—!”
His fist drove deep into Se-yul’s solar plexus. The force of the blow made him double over, and though he tried to hold on, he eventually lost consciousness.
That should keep him quiet for at least half a day.
Good. That was more than enough.
“Sleep tight.”
Murmuring a soft farewell to the unconscious Se-yul, he stepped out of the bedroom, desperately hoping that everything would be over before Han Se-yul woke up and caused a scene.
***
The office, left in chaos after the storm had passed, was now eerily silent. The District’s ruler stood by the window, gazing out wordlessly. Though his face was unreadable, his aide could not hide his unease.
Perhaps others wouldn’t notice, but the aide, who had served the man for years, could see it clearly—he was barely holding back his fury.
“Are you all right, sir?”
After hesitating for a moment, the aide asked cautiously.
The District Chief slowly turned around, the cold, hardened expression on his face melting into a bright, almost pleasant smile.
“Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?”
His voice trailed off as he moved leisurely, touching the stack of documents on his desk as if idly flipping through them. But in the next instant, as if he could no longer hold himself back, his arms swept across the desk, sending everything crashing to the floor.
Glass shattered into countless fragments, ink spilled across the floor, and papers fluttered down, staining as they landed.
The once-quiet office was now a wreck.
“One more day. Just one more day, and it would have been over. But if, on that final day, you were suddenly certain there was a flaw you couldn’t ignore—what would you do?”
His crimson eyes, burning with madness, demanded an answer that could not easily be given.
The aide hesitated, then ultimately chose to remain silent, pressing his lips together tightly.
The man slammed his hand against the desk and burst into wild laughter. The eerie sound sent a shiver down the aide’s spine, his face growing pale.
“If only he weren’t Han Jae-hoon’s son…”
Everything had gone wrong because of that Omega.
When he had been drowning in grief, he had made a mistake—taking that Omega into his arms. And from that mistake, a child was born.
From that moment on, everything had fallen apart.
From that moment on, the hatred for Omegas that had taken deep root within him continued to grow, eventually driving him to expel every last Omega from the district.
And yet, blood never lies. Even among his flawed offspring, the one he deemed closest to perfection was still, down to his very bones, just like him.
It was too late to undo everything now. The Shining family’s obsession was relentless—so consuming that even another Shining couldn’t break free of it.
In the end, it all comes back to this cursed blood.
His trembling fingers curled into a fist. His gaze landed on the bullet left behind—coated in dried, brownish blood. Wiping it clean, he saw the distinct emblem of the moon.
“Advisor.”
“Yes, District Chief.”
Something landed at the aide’s feet. Bending down, he picked it up—a bullet, engraved with the sigil of District 1. He lifted his gaze back to his master.
“The Day of the District isn’t over yet. We have to move as quietly as possible.”
Only the final banquet remained. Until the seventh chime of the bell rang, they had to make sure none of the guests still lingering in the mansion learned of this incident.
—Seo-yul, where are you?
They had to get things under control before he completely lost his mind.
One more day. Just one more day, and it would all be over. Then he would finally step down from this wretched seat and return to where he was meant to be.
—Once everything is over… will you come with me?
Because that was the promise they had made long ago.
***
The bell marking the sixth day began to toll.
Holding his breath, Yeo-min made his final preparations. Only one last check remained. Before the next chime rang, the evil that had stolen the night from District 1 would be wiped away.
It’s really the end.
He held the detonator for the bombs he had set up around the generator. Once the final banquet reached its peak, all he had to do was press this button—and it would all be over.
—People will get hurt.
Seo-yul’s words echoed in his mind. Yes, many would die or suffer injuries. That much was certain. But there was no turning back now. Too many believers had already sacrificed themselves for this moment. It was far too late to stop.
If he had one wish, it was for Seo-yul to understand.
Even knowing what had happened in District 5. Even knowing the trauma it had left on him.
How selfish of me.
Only now did he realize how shameless he had become.
But just as Seo-yul was important to him, so was this mission. Night had existed for this purpose. And so had Yeo-min.
Lost in thought, he finally arrived near Seo-yul’s bedroom.
It had been a struggle to get here unnoticed, but with less than a day left, his steps felt unusually light.
After tonight, Seo-yul would belong entirely to him.
They would escape from Vincent Shining, from District 1, from this wretched mansion—and disappear into a place where no one could find them.
His heart pounded with uncontrollable anticipation.
But as he neared the bedroom, a familiar scent tickled his nose.
Yeo-min’s footsteps came to an abrupt halt.
The door to the bedroom, usually closed, was now wide open.
Why is it open?
Vincent Shining should be preoccupied with preparing for the final banquet.
And with the deal he had made with the Apostle, he was likely too busy devising a way to kill the District Chief to be paying attention to Seo-yul.
Something’s wrong.
A sharp sense of unease clawed at his instincts. His pace quickened.
The closer he got to the bedroom, the stronger the scent became.
And the moment he stepped into the darkness, Yeo-min realized—
That scent was the overwhelming stench of blood.
