Seo-yul stiffened for a moment at the unexpected response, but then he nodded. It was as if he had finally found the answer to a question that had eluded him for so long, leaving him strangely relieved.
“Vincent Shining…”
The name that escaped Seo-yul’s lips was one he still wasn’t used to. At the same time, it was the name everyone called him now. The time spent dwelling in the past was over.
“Open your mouth.”
Their lips met again, swallowing the words left unspoken. Even though he knew time was running out, stopping was impossible the moment he touched Seo-yul.
Under normal circumstances, Seo-yul would have resisted, but instead, he wrapped his arms around his neck, pulling him in. Was he intoxicated by the pheromones? Maybe. But when Seo-yul opened his eyes slightly, he was still completely lucid.
It should have been a good thing that Seo-yul was accepting him, yet the unease wouldn’t go away. His heart pounded, just like that day eight years ago—when Seo-yul had abandoned him and left.
That shouldn’t be possible.
Their bodies were pressed together without the slightest gap, closer than ever, and yet his heart felt unbearably distant. In the end, unable to suppress the growing anxiety, he slowly pulled away from Seo-yul.
“What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing.”
Despite his answer, Seo-yul’s jet-black eyes were tangled with countless thoughts. He wanted to know every single one of them, but Seo-yul’s tightly sealed lips showed no sign of opening again.
Withdrawing his pheromones, he stepped away from Seo-yul completely. He straightened his disheveled clothes, preparing to return to where he was supposed to be.
But his feet refused to move. He stood there frozen for a long time until Seo-yul approached him first. Startled by the gentle warmth brushing against him, he turned around.
“Are you happy right now?”
It was a question without clear meaning. Happy? He glanced down at Seo-yul’s hand gripping his own before meeting his gaze again. He was about to nod but hesitated.
From the very beginning, since the first memories of his childhood, he had been unhappy. Born to an Omega, he had been forced to seek shelter in the shadows of District 1—a place where the light never ceased. He had been “dealt with,” subjected to severe abuse, and locked away in a filthy storage room.
The only time he had ever been able to breathe freely was during the few years he spent with Seo-yul. But even that had ended the moment Seo-yul abandoned him. The life that followed was even more of a mess than before.
“…I don’t know.”
He tried to picture something he had never possessed, but it was impossible. Harder than trying to grasp the sunlight streaming down with his bare hands. That was what happiness was to him—something visible yet always out of reach, something that did not belong to him.
“…I see.”
Seo-yul’s faint smile wavered as he let go of his hand. The lingering warmth quickly dissipated. He clenched his now-cold fingers, trying to hold on to even the smallest remnant of Seo-yul’s heat.
“You’ll be happy someday.”
Seo-yul spoke as he turned away. Be happy someday? The vague, empty promise made him chuckle under his breath. He unclenched his hand, exhaling a long breath. As expected, the warmth he had tried to hold onto was already gone.
“I’ll be back.”
Even after stepping through the door and closing it behind him, he remained where he was. He couldn’t pinpoint the source of this suffocating unease.
He repeated to himself that Seo-yul was still here, but the anxiety refused to subside. It felt like Seo-yul would disappear somewhere. That couldn’t be possible…
Convincing himself that it was simply the aftermath of tonight’s chaos, he forced himself to move toward the banquet hall. He kept his gaze forward, suppressing the urge to turn back.
“Greetings to the young master of the District.”
Just then, he ran into the soldiers who had been searching for Seo-yul under Ina’s command. Still lost in thought, he only realized their presence when their loud voices jolted him back to reality.
There was something he had meant to ask them. Staring at the soldiers, who had been ordered to stay put until given further instructions, he finally recalled what he had wanted to say.
“Guard the central greenhouse.”
“But we still haven’t located the target—”
“You don’t need to. Just do as you’re told.”
His nerves were frayed, and it showed in his sharp tone. The soldiers swallowed their words, quickly bowing their heads before moving toward the central greenhouse as ordered.
Watching their figures grow distant, he was able to set aside a fraction of his unease. They had yet to capture those who had kidnapped Seo-yul, but at least the same thing wouldn’t happen again.
‘Let’s finish this quickly and go back.’
The banquet was set to last all day, but he only needed to stay for a specific window of time. The ruler of the District wouldn’t linger in the hall for long, either. He could bide his time and slip away at the right moment.
Things would get busier once he officially became the next District ruler, but after the Day of the District ended, he would finally have time to rest.
And when that time came, he wouldn’t let Seo-yul out of his sight—not even for a second. They would need to relocate soon, but if he pushed for it, everything could be settled within a day.
No more stuffy, cramped gardens. Instead, they would walk together in the central greenhouse every day. They would bathe together in a much larger bathroom, sleep side by side in a soft, spacious bed.
The more he envisioned this ordinary, peaceful future, the more his heart began to settle. Taking a deep breath, he cast aside the last of his worries and strode into the grand banquet hall, where dazzling lights flooded the room.
Bang!
A deafening explosion rang out, shaking the entire mansion. The people leisurely enjoying the final banquet all turned their gazes toward the source of the noise.
“What was that…?”
“Wasn’t that the sound of an explosion just now?”
“That’s impossible. An explosion, here in District 1 of all places?”
The banquet hall was split between those who believed something serious had happened and those who dismissed it as impossible. Chaos spread rapidly.
But as time passed with no further incidents, people sighed in relief and resumed the festivities. Right then, the clear chime of a bell rang through the air, marking the final day of the celebration.
“For the eternal glory of District 1!”
With an energetic toast, everyone raised their glasses in celebration of a successful Day of the District. The hall was filled with the crisp sound of glasses clinking together. And then—suddenly—the bright, ever-present light vanished.
Darkness swallowed District 1, a place where light was never supposed to fade.
The banquet hall erupted into pandemonium. People crashed into one another, the sound of shattering glass filled the air, and terrified screams overlapped chaotically.
Amid the turmoil, he turned back the way he had come. He had always been more accustomed to darkness than light, and even in this imperfect void, he could still see.
But just as he neared the place where he had left Seo-yul, something massive blocked his path—a giant slab of fallen stone. It must have collapsed from the explosion earlier.
He pressed his palm against the cold surface, scanning his surroundings. His heart pounded violently as he struggled to suppress his rising panic and search for another way forward. Just then, something soft squelched under his foot.
“…Ah.”
It was the soldiers Ina had sent to guard Seo-yul.
***
“I’ll be back.”
He turned away after saying his farewell. Was it because he was the only one who knew this would be the last time? His retreating figure remained in view for a long while, disappearing without a single glance back.
That should have been enough of a goodbye. Of course, he hadn’t mentioned the important part—that he was leaving—but this was the best way. It was the only way to separate himself from him.
‘It’s time to move.’
Only after a long moment did he finally step down from the bed, open the door, and walk out. He had already been gone for quite some time—gone back to where he was supposed to be. That alone made him feel more at ease.
He had worried that the path to Choi Yeo-min would be too far, but thankfully, the central greenhouse was close. He headed in the opposite direction of the banquet hall.
But he found himself stopping, again and again. He didn’t know why. Was it lingering attachment? Guilt? He had no idea.
—Are you happy right now?
—…I don’t know.
At some point, he had stopped understanding his own emotions. He resented him, yet at the same time, he pitied him so much that it hurt. He couldn’t call this feeling pure hatred. But it wasn’t love, either.
‘This is really goodbye, now.’
Steeling himself once more, he quickened his pace toward the central greenhouse, where Choi Yeo-min was waiting. As he descended the short staircase, the quiet sound of his footsteps pressing into the grass echoed in the silence.
From behind a large tree, Choi Yeo-min emerged at the sound. His face was bright with a smile, but beneath it, there was an unmistakable, unshakable anxiety.
“I took a little too long, didn’t I?”
“No, it was enough.”
Choi Yeo-min extended his hand to him. There was no need for words—they both understood. The moment he took that hand, he would be leaving this place for good.
He had thought he had let go of everything, severed all lingering ties. But his hand wouldn’t move.
Choi Yeo-min waited for him in silence.
After a long moment of hesitation, he finally reached out.
The moment his fingers wrapped around Choi Yeo-min’s, the other man exhaled a trembling breath. And together, they walked toward the end of the empty greenhouse.
“Let’s go now. Let’s escape this wretched hell.”
