Boom! Luis’s fist slammed down on the table, and a glint of madness flickered in his crimson eyes. Hurry, hurry, hurry. The relentless urgency was enough to drive someone insane. Han Jae-hoon clenched his eyes shut.
“There is no reason.”
“You don’t expect me to believe that, do you?”
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t. The reason is truly gone.”
He had come all the way here, grasping at straws after hearing the rumors, but it was a complete waste of time. The old woman couldn’t cure him—meaning the reason Han Jae-hoon had sought out District 1 had vanished entirely.
Luis furrowed his brows at Han Jae-hoon’s evasive response, then let out a deep sigh and rose from his seat. His elegant fingers, which had just brushed back the silky strands at his shoulder, now lightly tapped the tip of Han Jae-hoon’s nose.
“Then can I interpret that however I please? Say, for example, that the leader of District 5, who harbored a long-standing grudge over the electricity supply, has come sneaking in to prepare for a terrorist attack—”
“That’s absurd!”
Han Jae-hoon snapped, fiercely swatting Luis’s hand away. Luis chuckled softly as he looked at the red mark blooming on his pale skin. Unlike Han Jae-hoon, who was tense and serious, the man seemed to be enjoying this situation.
“The way I remember it, you’ve always despised District 1. You went to great lengths to avoid visiting unless it was absolutely necessary for official matters. Am I wrong?”
Luis tilted his head slightly, asking in a bright, almost teasing tone. Faced with a question he had no good answer for, Han Jae-hoon chose silence. As expected, he held his tongue, and Luis simply shrugged.
“Bring him.”
At Luis’s signal, one of the armed men grabbed my arm. There was not a shred of consideration in the rough way I was handled, and a cry escaped me involuntarily.
“Ahk!”
“Seo-yul hyung!”
Vin desperately tried to hold onto me, but he was no match for the strength of a fully grown man. Our hands, tightly clasped together, were wrenched apart, and I was forcibly dragged in front of Luis Shining.
“Little one.”
Han Jae-hoon tried to approach, but Luis, who had been keeping a gun tucked away, pulled it out and aimed directly between his eyes. Stay still. The whispered words made Han Jae-hoon’s face twist, as if he were about to break down in tears.
“Come here.”
Luis called me with a gentle voice. Terrified, I hesitated before slowly stepping forward. His white, delicate hand landed lightly on my shoulder—then suddenly pressed down with brutal force.
“Urgh…!”
It felt as though a heavy chunk of iron was pressing down on my shoulder. No matter how much I wanted to shake it off, there was no way I could overpower this strength.
As I struggled in pain, Han Jae-hoon tried to move closer to me, but the man raised his gun even higher, aiming it directly at him.
“This must be your son—the one who just turned eighteen. From a distance, I thought he resembled you quite a bit, but up close… not at all.”
Luis’s crimson eyes meticulously scanned my face. Though they seemed to be smiling, they glowed with a terrifying intensity. I chose to avoid his gaze. I couldn’t bring myself to meet those eyes—eyes that looked so much like Vin’s yet were completely different.
Luis leaned in so close that I could feel his breath. Then, suddenly, he inhaled deeply. He took in a few more breaths as if he were smelling something, then murmured to himself.
“As expected…”
The hand gripping my shoulder fell away. As I stepped back, clutching my throbbing shoulder, Luis’s piercing red eyes followed me, trembling ever so slightly.
As if he had just discovered something.
“You’re an Omega.”
Luis Shining’s words hit right on the mark, and I couldn’t hide my reaction. I glanced at Han Jae-hoon—his expression mirrored my own, unable to suppress the shock. Luis looked between us before bursting into laughter.
“Haha! So that’s it.”
He shook with laughter, his shoulders trembling. In that moment, Han Jae-hoon, now free from the gun aimed at his forehead, wasted no time. Moving faster than ever, he yanked me into his arms, shielding me behind him.
“Are you alright, little one?”
The first thing he did was check if I was okay. When I nodded, a faint smile replaced the worry on his face. But there was no room for relief—the danger had not passed.
Luis wiped away the tears clinging to the corner of his eye and finally managed to contain his laughter. Exhaling a long sigh, he steadied himself and spoke in a calm, even voice.
“There’s a common misconception people have. The new human species isn’t just Omegas. To be precise, they are divided into Alphas and Omegas, but only the Omegas are widely known. Do you know why that is?”
Han Jae-hoon frowned at the sudden question. Luis simply shrugged and turned to the others in the room, addressing them all.
“Does anyone here know the reason?”
Then, his gaze landed on the old woman collapsed on the floor.
“You, for example—I bet you know.”
The old woman flinched. Trembling violently, she barely managed to lift her head.
“Yes…” she whispered in a feeble voice.
“Then why don’t you explain it to the ignorant ones here?”
“Th-that’s… It’s because Omegas are obvious, but Alphas… aren’t…”
Her terrified voice was so shaky that it was difficult to understand what she was saying. But Luis waved her off.
“That’s enough.” He cut her off and continued himself. “Unlike Omegas, Alphas don’t stand out. Instead, they’re treated as superior beings by society. But since they’re still part of the new species, they share certain traits with Omegas.”
Luis tapped the tip of his nose with the barrel of his gun.
Han Jae-hoon didn’t seem to understand what he meant, but I realized it immediately.
I quickly tried to regulate my pheromones just as the old woman had instructed me before—but I was already too late.
Luis’s face lit up with a dazzling smile as he watched me, trembling, releasing the scent of fear into the air.
“We can recognize each other by scent.”
The man had known from the very beginning. That I had manifested as an Omega.
***
Han Jae-hoon furrowed his brows, unable to make sense of Luis’s cryptic words. What did it matter that the new human species was divided into Alphas and Omegas? What did recognizing each other by scent have to do with anything? Luis had always been an unpredictable man, but today, he was even more incomprehensible than usual.
“What the hell are you talking—”
He started to demand an explanation, but then he noticed. Seo-yul was trembling.
That was when it dawned on him.
Seo-yul had understood Luis’s words perfectly, despite their seemingly ambiguous nature.
Han Jae-hoon’s gaze snapped to the old woman. As expected, she, too, had grasped the meaning behind Luis’s words. Suddenly, the scattered puzzle pieces aligned into a clear picture.
“No way…”
“Your guess is correct. I, too, am one of the new human species.”
The Shining family was famous for possessing physical and intellectual abilities far superior to those of ordinary people. Most had believed that such evolution was a natural result of the constant competition to select a single ruler for their district.
But now, it turned out that it wasn’t natural evolution at all. They were simply Alphas.
Why was Luis Shining revealing such a crucial secret so openly? What was he thinking? Han Jae-hoon couldn’t begin to fathom his motives.
“Are you in shock?”
“……”
“Well, I suppose that makes sense. We’ve known each other for years, and now you’ve learned something new about me. It’s only natural to be surprised.”
Unlike Han Jae-hoon, who was dead serious, Luis remained utterly nonchalant. If the world found out that the so-called divine proxy—the ruler of District 1, the man who had gifted humanity the moon—was actually part of the new human species, no one would suffer more than Luis himself.
Yet not only had he revealed this classified information on his own, he also seemed completely indifferent to the consequences. It felt like holding a dagger to his throat, only to realize it was nothing but an illusion.
“Well, now the question is… what should I do?” Luis mused. “I’ve just discovered that the son of the District 5 leader has manifested as an Omega…”
“……”
“And as you know, I do tend to have a loose tongue. No matter how hard I try, I just can’t seem to fix that bad habit.”
Luis tapped his lips with a finger, a smirk playing on his face. He was enjoying this.
Now Han Jae-hoon understood. The reason Luis had freely given up his secret.
Because it didn’t matter if someone else knew.
Unlike Omegas, who were obvious to everyone, Alphas were superior to normal humans in every way. There was no reason for them to be discriminated against.
For a brief moment, Han Jae-hoon had foolishly believed he held the upper hand. How naive. He had underestimated the Shining family. A bitter, self-deprecating laugh escaped him.
Without hesitation, he pulled the gun hidden inside his coat and aimed it directly at Luis.
The guards restraining his attendants immediately swung their weapons toward him, a dozen barrels locking onto his figure.
“Vin.”
At Han Jae-hoon’s call, Vin—who had been anxiously watching the situation—sprang into action, rushing straight to Seo-yul.
With every gun trained on Han Jae-hoon, this was the last chance they had to move freely.
Vin grabbed Seo-yul by the shoulders, forcefully pulling him away from the scene. Seo-yul resisted, trying to hold his ground, but for the first time, Vin used his full strength.
Seo-yul, now powerless and unwillingly dragged away, was pulled into Vin’s arms. Holding him tightly, Vin whispered,
“Stay still. Please.”
Only then did Seo-yul stop struggling.
Seeing that he had been safely moved away, Han Jae-hoon slightly adjusted his finger on the trigger. The tension in the air was suffocating—any moment, the gun could go off. Yet, even in the face of such a volatile situation, Luis remained as composed as ever.
“You’re making a serious mistake,” Han Jae-hoon said coldly. “My son has not manifested as an Omega.”
“You might want to believe that,” Luis replied with a smirk, “but unfortunately for you, that’s not the case.”
Luis spoke in that same cryptic manner, his meaning slipping through the cracks like water. Then, his gaze shifted slightly to the side.
Following his line of sight, Han Jae-hoon turned his head—
And saw Seo-yul collapse limply into Vin’s arms.
At the same time, a thick, intoxicating scent filled the cramped space, overwhelming everything.
The start of his heat.
