“Baby……!”
The moment the gun wavered, the man seized the opportunity and snatched it from Han Jae-hoon’s hand. Even though the weapon had been taken from him so easily, Han Jae-hoon seemed too overwhelmed to care.
“Seo-yul!”
His face pale, Han Jae-hoon rushed toward Seo-yul. He embraced him tightly as Seo-yul’s body began to burn like fire. When he saw the old woman collapsed on the ground, incoherent words tumbled from his lips.
“H-he’s burning up too much. He was fine just a moment ago—why is this happening all of a sudden? You know, don’t you? My son’s condition, please—ahh……”
Han Jae-hoon began to cry like a man who had lost his mind. Seo-yul’s fever was rising endlessly, as if his body would melt and vanish at any moment. Watching Han Jae-hoon tremble in fear, the man let out a deep sigh.
‘What an obsessive love.’
The Fifth District Chief’s devotion to his son was infamous across all the districts. Seeing firsthand the desperate love of a father who would do anything for his sick child left an unpleasant feeling in the man’s chest.
Silently, he stopped releasing his scent. Only after the concentrated pheromones dispersed did Seo-yul, who had been gasping as if he were on the verge of suffocating, slowly begin to recover.
An Omega’s heat was often triggered by an Alpha’s pheromones. That was why he had deliberately released them. A newly manifested Omega would be especially sensitive to an Alpha’s scent, making it inevitable that his heat would be induced.
Everything had gone according to the man’s plan. Of course, the ignorant Han Jae-hoon had no idea.
“You, are you a doctor?”
At Luis’s call, the old woman nodded weakly. The man strode over and grabbed the nape of her neck, forcing her to her feet. Ignoring her pained groan, he dragged her in front of Han Jae-hoon.
“If you’re a doctor, you should explain the patient’s condition properly.”
“W-what…….”
“Speak. Tell us exactly what’s wrong with this child.”
It was obvious what the man wanted—to hear from the doctor’s own mouth that Seo-yul was an Omega. Han Jae-hoon, fully aware of his intent, sent the old woman a desperate look.
When she hesitated, unable to say anything, the man let out a deep sigh and raised the gun. The click of his finger toying with the trigger filled the silence. Eventually, the old woman spoke.
“His heat has begun.”
“Hmm, you mean that heat that comes to Omegas?”
“Y-yes. If he doesn’t take a suppressant soon, his pheromones could become unstable—”
Luis raised a hand, cutting off the old woman’s words.
Meanwhile, Han Jae-hoon, who had caught onto the part about possible abnormalities, started trembling so violently that it was almost pitiful.
He had heard plenty about an Omega’s heat. It was the primary reason why people despised Omegas in the first place.
The fact that Seo-yul had entered his heat was already shocking enough, but now he was being told that if he didn’t take some suppressant, his pheromones could be permanently damaged. There was a level of ‘worst-case scenario’ beyond what he had imagined, and he had just discovered it.
“What am I supposed to do? To stop his pheromones from becoming unstable, I need to—”
Thud.
Something small struck his head and dropped to the ground. Lowering his gaze, he spotted a tiny pill, smaller than a fingertip joint. He could only stare at the suspicious-looking pill that had appeared out of nowhere when the man, apparently growing impatient, finally spoke.
“It’s a suppressant.”
“…….”
“I know you don’t trust me, but for your son’s sake, you should make him take it.”
At last, Han Jae-hoon cautiously picked up the pill from the ground. If asked whether he could trust Luis Shining’s words, the answer would be a firm no.
Shining was arrogant, insolent, and pretentious—he took pleasure in deceiving people.
If this wasn’t actually a suppressant but an amplifier instead, it wouldn’t just be Seo-yul’s pheromones at risk—his very life could be in danger. Han Jae-hoon had to remind himself, always, that he was dealing with Luis Shining.
“Are you not going to give it to him?”
Han Jae-hoon clenched his eyes shut.
He couldn’t trust the man’s words. But right now, he had no choice but to cling to whatever lifeline was thrown at him, even if it was a rotten rope.
“Baby.”
He called Seo-yul gently and lifted his head for support. His son’s hazy eyes fluttered weakly, completely dazed from the fever. His lips moved as if trying to say something, but the sound of his labored, shallow breaths drowned out any words.
“Could you bring some water?”
At Han Jae-hoon’s request, Vin quickly fetched a cup of water.
Carefully, he pried open Seo-yul’s tightly sealed lips and slipped the pill Luis had given him inside.
As he poured water into Seo-yul’s mouth with extreme caution, his son, barely regaining consciousness, struggled but eventually swallowed the pill.
Only after confirming that the pill had completely gone down his throat did Han Jae-hoon let out a relieved breath.
The man hadn’t been lying—Seo-yul’s temperature was dropping so noticeably that Han Jae-hoon could feel the change just by touching his forehead. Fortunately, it seemed the worst had passed.
“It’s all over now, right?”
The moment Luis spoke, the people who had been waiting sprang into action, trying to take Seo-yul from Han Jae-hoon’s arms.
He screamed and fought, but with his only weapon already taken away, he was powerless. Seo-yul was stolen from him in an instant.
“Unified District Law, Article 4: When visiting another district, district leaders must clearly state their purpose. You were the first to break the law.”
“Let go of me!!”
“I’ll be keeping your son with me for now. It would be wise to start thinking about what you’ll need to prepare for a proper negotiation.”
“Luis! Let go of my son right now!!”
Even as his limbs were restrained, Han Jae-hoon flailed like a fish pulled onto dry land.
Luis settled into a comfortable position, leisurely watching the desperate struggle as if enjoying the spectacle.
In the midst of Luis being completely focused on Han Jae-hoon, someone quietly took a gun from one of his men.
No one had even sensed the movement—by the time they realized, the weapon had already been stolen.
Luis glanced down at his now-empty hand, then lifted his head again, only to find the cold muzzle of a gun aimed directly between his eyes.
“Let go of Seo-yul hyung.”
The others, now grasping the situation, moved to aim their guns at Vin, but Luis raised a hand to stop them. Panicking over a mere child was ridiculous. This much, he could handle on his own.
“Don’t move. Unless you want a hole in your skull.”
Click.
Vin disengaged the safety and pressed the gun closer.
Luis had underestimated him, assuming he was just a kid. But the way he held the weapon and the sharp edge in his voice were anything but ordinary.
At most, he looked sixteen.
At that age, most people would hesitate—hands shaking at the very thought of pulling the trigger on someone.
But there wasn’t a hint of that in Vin.
Luis tried to get a better look at his eyes, which were partially hidden behind large glasses. And the moment he saw them clearly, his crimson pupils wavered violently.
“If you don’t let go of Seo-yul hyung right now, I’ll put a bullet through your district leader’s head.”
Vin turned his glare toward the people holding onto Seo-yul, his warning clear.
Fortunately, the threat worked.
Slowly, they loosened their grip and released Seo-yul.
Now, it was Han Jae-hoon’s turn.
Just as Vin was about to continue his threats, a sudden gust of wind sliced through the air.
A sharp impact struck his left cheek, sending his head whipping to the side.
A beat later, pain spread across his face, his skin burning from the force of the strike.
His glasses flew off into the distance.
Reeling, Vin tried to regain his balance and aim the gun again, but it was already too late—somehow, the weapon had disappeared from his grasp.
Luis, who had swiftly snatched it away, grabbed Vin by the hair and yanked.
Just as he expected, the wig came off effortlessly, revealing a cascade of vivid, flame-colored hair.
“…I knew it.”
Only now did he remember.
The child he had sent to Han Jae-hoon as a ‘gift’ five years ago.
Born to an Omega, the boy had been a nuisance to deal with. Sending him away under the guise of ‘cleaning up’ had been an easy solution—one Luis hadn’t thought about since.
He never expected to see the child again.
Countless others had been ‘cleaned up’ before, but not a single one had ever returned to the First District.
The paths had been completely blocked to prevent such a thing from even being attempted.
So this was a first.
A Shining who had been ‘cleaned up’ had returned—or, more precisely, had not been stopped from returning.
“…A Shining.”
At someone’s murmured words, the people of the First District began to stir.
The purer the Shining bloodline, the brighter their red hair and eyes became.
And Vin’s hair was the most vibrant, striking shade of red, far outshining all the other Shining heirs competing for the position of the next district leader.
He looked as if he were already the rightful ruler of the First District.
Which meant he was closer to claiming that position than anyone else.
It was absurd, but this world still placed immense value on the intensity of one’s Shining bloodline.
With so many witnesses present, ‘cleaning up’ Vin was no longer an option.
Of course, if Luis ordered it, they could all be killed—but the situation had already spiraled into enough chaos. For now, he had to step back.
“…It’s been a while, son.”
And so, Luis greeted the child whose name he couldn’t even remember, pretending to be pleased by their reunion.
