“Ugh….”
As he lowered his hand to clutch his side, blood gushed out in a sickening rush. The bullet had just torn through his flesh. Biting down hard on his lip, he quickly ducked while drawing the gun from his waist.
‘Two on the right, one on the left.’
He immediately sensed the enemies lurking in the darkness. Time was of the essence—he couldn’t afford to waste a single second here. He had to take them out as fast as possible and get to Seo-yul.
Swallowing hard, he aimed his gun at the hidden figures. His finger pressed firmly against the trigger, and with a sharp gunshot, one of the shadows collapsed lifelessly.
‘One down.’
The remaining enemies, having realized he was now on guard, didn’t stay idle. More bullets rained down, some narrowly missing him, others grazing his skin.
“Fuck….”
A bullet grazed his right shoulder, causing the gun barrel aimed at the enemy to waver. At this rate, he wouldn’t even be able to shoot properly.
Clenching his teeth against the intensifying pain, he tore his clothing and wrapped it tightly around his wounded shoulder. It wouldn’t stop the bleeding entirely, but as a temporary measure, it would have to do.
Refocusing, he aimed at the shadows once more and pulled the trigger without hesitation. Another enemy fell. Now, only one remained.
“A-ARGHH!!”
Panicked by the deaths of his comrades, the last surviving enemy fired wildly, his shots erratic and uncontrolled. Dealing with someone who had lost their composure was almost too easy.
Observing the increasingly inaccurate trajectory of the bullets, he dashed forward, closing the distance in an instant. Before the enemy could react, he had already pressed the barrel of his gun against the man’s head.
The sudden movement caught his target completely off guard. It wasn’t until several seconds later that the man even realized someone was behind him. His gun, which had been firing at empty air, wavered before he finally dropped it, his hands trembling.
“S-Spare m—”
Bang!
The final gunshot echoed across the field.
Leaving one alive to extract information was the usual rule, but right now, there was no time for that.
“…Ah.”
His vision started to blur—he had lost too much blood. Pressing down hard on his side, he ran toward the scent of Seo-yul carried by the wind. There was no more time to waste.
Staggering forward, he barely made it across the field. In the distance, the building he had read about in the reports came into view. At the same time, the scent of Seo-yul grew stronger.
‘Stay focused.’
Fueled by sheer willpower, he pushed himself closer to the building. And the first thing he saw was Seo-yul, precariously dangling from a window.
“Seo-yul hyung.”
Slowly, the figure turned to look at him—it was really Seo-yul. The one he thought was dead, the one he had nearly lost, was right there before his eyes. He forced himself to suppress the overwhelming rush of relief and held out his arms toward Seo-yul, who was still high up.
“Jump.”
Seo-yul hesitated for a brief moment before finally leaping toward him. He caught him, pulling him into his embrace, and only then did he finally breathe freely. The deep, rich scent of cocoa eased his frantic heart.
“You’re safe now.”
He whispered as he held Seo-yul close, feeling the faint tremors coursing through his body. Gradually, the trembling subsided, and Seo-yul lifted his head. Those deep eyes, reflecting the night sky, gazed at him.
He had thought they would never meet again. He had even resolved to follow Seo-yul in death. But the warmth pressing against him was real—Seo-yul was truly here.
“I finally… found you.”
As their foreheads touched, a breathless laugh escaped his lips. The relief was overwhelming, so much so that tears welled up despite the happiness flooding his chest. Maybe it was because the fear of losing Seo-yul had finally melted away.
A gentle hand reached out, wiping away his tears. He blinked, looking up at Seo-yul, who was watching him with the same shimmering gaze.
Seo-yul was smiling. And just like him, Seo-yul was crying too.
“I’m never letting you go again.”
At last, they had found each other again.
***
Allen watched in despair as the Omega leaped from the window, slipping out of his grasp. But someone had caught him—it seemed the fall hadn’t been fatal. Still determined to reclaim him, Allen peered down past the window… and barely swallowed the scream rising in his throat.
“Why are you acting like that, sir?”
“Shut up!”
Allen smacked the clueless subordinate on the back before quietly closing the window. Turning back to the others, he spoke in a hushed, urgent tone.
“We need to get out of here. Now.”
“But why—”
“There’s a Shining outside!”
Even in the darkness of night, that unmistakable, burning color was impossible to miss. No matter how thoroughly they searched the entire district, no one else bore that color—only the Shining.
If they were caught by a Shining, it would be immediate execution. Human trafficking was among the gravest of crimes.
Hearing Allen’s words, his subordinates turned pale and scrambled to move. There was no time to gather all their “merchandise.” They could only grab whatever money and jewels they had before making a run for it.
“Hurry up!”
Just as they were about to load their loot into the car, unfamiliar vehicles appeared in the distance, speeding toward them. There was no doubt in Allen’s mind—they had been called in by the Shining.
“Start the eng—”
Bang!
A fierce gunshot rang out in the darkness. Allen instinctively ducked low. No one had been hit, but the car… it was slowly sinking.
It was only then that he realized—they had never been aiming for people in the first place. They had been targeting the vehicle. And now, their escape route had been cut off.
Just like that, Allen and his men were captured without even putting up a proper fight.
“Vincent-nim.”
A late-arriving aide approached and greeted the man who was now walking toward them. Allen and his crew, forced to their knees, immediately flattened themselves against the ground the moment they saw the Shining.
“Hold him for a moment.”
Vincent handed over the figure in his arms to the aide. Seo-yul, who had hesitated for a moment as if unwilling to let go, soon allowed himself to be passed over.
Staggering forward, Vincent didn’t hesitate as he raised his gun at one of the men sprawled on the ground.
Bang!
With a sharp crack, the man’s head was blown to pieces.
“A-AARGH!”
The rest of the crew screamed as blood splattered across their faces. Without a shred of hesitation, Vincent executed them one by one, leaving only Allen alive in the midst of the bloodbath.
“Are you the boss?”
The still-smoking barrel of the gun pressed against Allen’s forehead. As he looked into those cold, blood-red eyes, Allen nodded frantically.
“P-Please, spare me! Please!”
Allen prostrated himself, groveling for his life. A deep sigh came from above. Then, Vincent slowly bent down, tapping the back of Allen’s head with the gun’s hard barrel.
“Look up.”
“Ugh….”
“Hurry up, before I just shoot you.”
Trembling violently, Allen barely managed to lift his head. And then… unlike before, Vincent was smiling.
A sliver of hope bloomed in Allen’s chest. Maybe… maybe he was going to let him live.
“Aide, cover Seo-yul’s eyes.”
“Yes, sir.”
With that cryptic order, Vincent gripped the gun by its barrel and swung it down onto Allen’s face.
“AAGH!”
A scream of pure agony ripped through the night. But Vincent didn’t stop. Again and again, he brought the gun down, the sickening crunch of bone shattering under steel filling the air.
Allen’s screams, which had once been deafening, gradually weakened.
By the time Vincent finally stopped, Allen had gone completely silent.
The ground was smeared with blood and mangled flesh.
“Fuck….”
The rage wouldn’t subside.
Reuniting with Seo-yul had filled him with immeasurable joy, but the moment he had seen the evidence of what had been done to him, he had decided—whoever was responsible needed to die in the most agonizing way possible.
That was why, unlike the others, he had taken his time with the man who had been in charge.
Even so, it still didn’t feel like enough.
He rose unsteadily to his feet and wiped the blood from his face with his sleeve. But the moment he turned toward Seo-yul, the exhaustion he had been pushing down finally caught up with him.
His body crumpled.
“Sh-Shining!”
Seo-yul shoved the aide aside and rushed toward him.
Through the haze in his mind, Vincent recognized Seo-yul coming toward him. A faint, weak smile flickered on his lips.
“I’m fi—”
Seo-yul’s eyes widened in horror as he finally noticed the spreading blood on Vincent’s side. It wasn’t someone else’s. It was his.
“No… no, no, stay with me.”
Vincent tried to reassure him, but the words came out slurred, feeble.
The aide quickly retrieved a medical kit from the car, but the wound on his side was far beyond what simple first aid could handle.
“When did this happen?”
The aide asked, but Vincent found it harder and harder to form words. His lips felt sluggish. His whole body… was starting to go cold.
A cold unlike anything he had ever felt before.
“No, don’t do this. Stay awake. You can’t sleep.”
Seo-yul shook him. But even Seo-yul’s face was starting to blur.
No… he couldn’t pass out. Not now. They had just found each other again.
He forced his fingers to move, barely managing to lift his hand. Seo-yul caught it immediately, gripping it tightly. His warmth seeped into Vincent’s freezing skin.
“Seo-yul hyung….”
“I’m here. I’m right here, so please—”
Seo-yul’s voice, thick with tears, was fading away.
Vincent knew he shouldn’t let go, knew he had to hold on. But he was so tired.
Maybe… just for a little while… it would be okay to rest.
Now that Seo-yul was here, just for a moment… maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.
“…I’m sorry.”
With those final words, his hand slipped from Seo-yul’s grasp.
