Eight years had passed, and the Fifth District had changed drastically from what it once was. Thanks to a secret price that had been paid, the amount of electricity sent from the First District had tripled, allowing the Fifth District to achieve remarkable progress.
Now enjoying its greatest period of prosperity, the Fifth District was no longer just a desolate place. It had grown enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with the other districts.
At such a crucial time, the residents of the district eagerly awaited the appointment of Han Jae-hoon’s successor as the next district leader. However, for numerous reasons, the position remained vacant.
Knock, knock. As I rapped on the door, a voice from inside granted permission to enter. Just as I was about to reach for the doorknob, the door opened from within before I could touch it.
“Welcome, young master.”
A visibly more haggard-looking aide greeted me. I offered a faint smile and gave a small nod in return. As I stepped inside, I saw Han Jae-hoon rise from behind his desk, which was, as always, stacked high with documents.
“Welcome, oh—no, Seo-yul.”
Han Jae-hoon still had the habit of calling me “baby,” but he always quickly corrected himself upon seeing my expression darken. Watching him fumble awkwardly, I skipped any formal greeting and simply sat down on the sofa.
“I heard you were quite unwell yesterday.”
“I’m fine now.”
At my curt reply, Han Jae-hoon merely responded with a brief, “I see,” bringing the conversation to an abrupt end. Seated at the head of the table, he asked the aide to prepare some tea. The aide gave a small nod and quietly left the study, where the air felt stifling.
“Why did you call me here yesterday?”
“I thought it would be nice to sit and have tea together after so long—”
“If that’s all, I’ll be leaving now.”
Our relationship had been fractured for far too long to waste time sitting across from each other over meaningless tea. As I moved to stand, Han Jae-hoon quickly stopped me, hurriedly adding, “That’s not the real reason.”
“Could you attend the next Elder Council meeting?”
“…Hah.”
A deep frustration began to boil within me. Han Jae-hoon’s greatest strength and weakness was that he never knew when to give up. It might have been an asset as a district leader, but in our relationship, it was nothing but a nuisance.
“Father, I cannot be the district leader.”
“No, baby. There’s no one else but you.”
“You have Se-yul…!”
I forced myself to lower my voice before it rose any further. No matter how much I resented or disliked Han Jae-hoon, he was still my father. Gently pushing away the hand that had grabbed onto me, I watched as his now-empty hand dropped weakly. His expression twisted painfully as his gaze followed it downward.
“No matter how many times I say it, my answer won’t change. Father, I can’t do it. Even now, you should listen to the elders and appoint Se-yul as the next district leader.”
“How could I do that? Baby, you’re my only child.”
“No. Se-yul is your child too.”
At my firm response, Han Jae-hoon bit down hard on his lip. Twenty-three years should have been enough time for old grudges to fade, yet he still refused to acknowledge Se-yul as his son.
That was the biggest reason he kept resisting the elders’ pressure. Because he couldn’t bring himself to appoint someone who wasn’t his own blood, he was stubbornly trying to force me—someone whose body was far from whole—into that position. As if no one could see right through it.
“If you keep this up, I’ll go to the elders myself.”
“And what will you tell them?”
“That I presented as an Omega.”
The moment those words left my mouth, Han Jae-hoon’s face went deathly pale. He knew full well what would happen if it was revealed that I was an Omega in this world. But this was the only way to break his stubbornness.
“How could you say something like that to me?”
Even now, he was trying to keep my secondary gender a secret. Officially, I was known to be suffering from an illness that caused frequent fevers.
Even within the estate, only a handful of people knew the truth. Han Jae-hoon, Se-yul, the butler, and my personal physician—perhaps only they were aware. Since I had always been physically weak, the lie was an easy one to sustain.
“Han Seo-yul, you really—”
“So please, Father, just listen to me for once. I can’t do it. No—even if I could, I wouldn’t.”
I hoped this would be the last time we had this same exhausting argument. Until now, I had never used the threat of exposing my Omega status. Maybe this time, it would finally get through to him.
I met Han Jae-hoon’s resentful gaze head-on, refusing to look away. But if anyone should be resentful, it was me, not him. He was the only one unaware of how much the bitterness in my heart was slowly eating away at me.
For the sake of the Fifth District’s development, he had sold me off to the First District. And yet, he was the only one who failed to grasp what that had truly meant for me.
“I’ll be going now.”
Before this conversation could turn into something even more painful, I needed to leave the study.
As I reached for the door, I nearly collided with the aide, who was carrying a tray with teacups and a teapot. Quickly picking up on the heavy atmosphere, the aide silently stepped aside to let me pass. Without a word, I walked past him and out.
I went straight to my room and headed for the windowsill. Pulling a cigarette from its silver case, I placed it between my lips and reached for a match.
I struck it against the matchbox over and over, but today, of all days, the damn thing refused to light.
“Ah, fuck.”
Frustrated, I snapped the match in half and tossed the cigarette into the ashtray, breaking it as well.
Pacing around the room in an attempt to calm myself, I eventually sat down at the table and exhaled a long sigh. As I leaned back in my chair, something familiar caught my eye.
It was worn with time, carrying traces of my touch more than anything else I owned.
Carefully, I turned it over.
The faded portrait revealed a bright, beaming Vin.
Frozen in time for the past eight years, his face remained the same.
And every time I looked at him, my heart clenched.
My lips parted slightly, but I couldn’t bring myself to say his name. Instead, I shut my mouth again, quietly.
I knew I had no right to miss him. Carefully, I turned the portrait face down once more.
Even so, his image remained vividly imprinted on my retina, and a wave of emotion surged up inside me.
How strange.
It was my choice to let you go.
And yet, eight years later, I still long for you.
“…How shameless.”
A bitter laugh slipped out. People say time heals all wounds, but I was still trapped in that time, unable to move forward, stagnant.
I kept trying to convince myself.
That we were never meant to meet in the first place.
***
After Seo-yul left, Han Jae-hoon couldn’t regain his composure so easily.
Declaring he would reveal himself as an Omega—was he really so desperate not to become district leader that he would say something like that, even as a joke?
“Are you all right, District Leader?”
The aide, who had returned belatedly, asked cautiously.
Lacking even the energy to respond, Han Jae-hoon merely waved his hand dismissively. The shock had yet to fade, leaving him utterly speechless.
Setting the tray with the teacups down carefully, the aide moved to open the window wide. As the stifling air dissipated, the tightness in Han Jae-hoon’s chest eased just a little. But the weight in his heart remained.
“Aide.”
“Yes, District Leader?”
“Is making Han Se-yul the next district leader truly the only option?”
The aide visibly flinched but quickly schooled his expression into neutrality.
The only way to resolve this tiresome issue of succession was for Han Jae-hoon to let go of his stubbornness.
To be frank, no one aside from Han Jae-hoon wanted Seo-yul to take the position. Even Seo-yul himself had no desire for it, so who would force him into the role?
Moreover, given his mysterious illness that caused him to collapse frequently, how could he be entrusted with such a heavy responsibility? The aide, too, believed this, but he couldn’t afford to let it show in front of Han Jae-hoon.
“What did Young Master Seo-yul say?”
“He refused, as always. Told me to appoint Se-yul instead. He’s always said the same thing.”
“If Young Master Seo-yul himself does not wish for it, is there truly a need to push forward with it?”
Seizing the moment, the aide spoke the obvious truth.
A sharp gaze immediately pierced through him.
Avoiding Han Jae-hoon’s eyes, the aide bowed his head deeply.
Han Jae-hoon was endlessly soft and affectionate when it came to his son, but he was not an ordinary man.
The aide had witnessed firsthand what had happened to those who crossed him, and if there was ever a time to tread carefully, it was now.
“…You may be right.”
Surprisingly, he relented much quicker than expected.
Had today’s conversation finally put an end to this exhausting issue?
A glimmer of hope flickered in the aide’s eyes as he cautiously lifted his head.
“D-District Leader!!”
Just then, the butler burst into the room, his voice laced with urgency.
Startled, both men turned their attention toward him.
“What’s the matter?”
“Th-This is… huff, an urgent matter…”
The butler was gasping for breath, having apparently run a great distance. Struggling to speak coherently, he clutched his chest. Frustrated, Han Jae-hoon motioned for him to calm down and speak when he was ready. After taking a moment to steady himself, the butler pulled an envelope from his inner pocket and presented it.
“A dispatch has arrived from the First District. It’s an urgent notice.”
“An urgent notice?”
Urgent notices were rarely sent or received unless it was for something truly significant. And this one was from none other than the First District. A bad feeling settled in his gut.
Han Jae-hoon took the letter from the butler, immediately tearing open the envelope to read its contents. The moment he saw the sloppy, insufferable handwriting that resembled Luis Shining’s, his expression twisted in displeasure. The deeper he read, the grimmer his face became.
“What does it say?”
Unable to suppress his curiosity, the aide cautiously asked.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Han Jae-hoon placed the letter down on the desk and spoke in a low, grave voice.
“It says they’re cutting the power supply to the Fifth District by ninety percent.”
