8. The Hound of District 1
He had spent the entire week staring at the same scenery, thinking over and over again. If he met Seo-yul again, should he just pretend not to know him and walk past, or should he greet him warmly?
Everyone said that as time passed, memories would fade and emotions would disappear. But to him, Seo-yul was something eternal, something that could never be erased.
From the moment Seo-yul had first given him a name, his world had revolved entirely around him. His time was still divided into two: the time when Seo-yul was there and the time when he wasn’t.
The past eight years had been a deep, suffocating darkness. He had to endure time that refused to move forward, just like when he had been locked in that warehouse where he couldn’t see even an inch ahead of him.
If he were honest with himself, he wanted to resent Seo-yul. He wanted to ask why he had abandoned him, why he hadn’t kept his promise.
But he knew that if he stood in front of Seo-yul now, not a single word would come out. Would he just freeze up like an idiot? A wry chuckle escaped his lips.
“We’re almost there.”
At the driver’s words, he finally noticed that the scenery outside the window had changed. He had been so lost in thoughts of Seo-yul that he hadn’t even realized they had arrived in District 5.
They passed through the front gate, drawing closer to the mansion in District 5. The mansion beyond the window looked exactly the same as he remembered. Nothing had changed. Everything was as it had been.
The car slowly came to a stop, and the security personnel exited first. He uncrossed his legs and took a deep breath. His hands, which had begun to tremble slightly, clenched into fists before he stepped out through the open door.
“Welcome.”
The first to greet him was Han Se-yul. He had grown taller and broader since the last time they had seen each other, and his features had become sharper, but overall, he hadn’t changed much from childhood.
Se-yul recognized him as well, though he seemed unsure whether his memory was correct. After all, the time they had spent together had been brief, so it wasn’t surprising that he might not immediately recognize him.
He smiled nonchalantly and stepped forward, extending his hand first. Se-yul, who had been about to offer his own handshake, raised an eyebrow slightly before quickly composing himself and clasping his hand in return.
“You must have had a tiring journey.”
“Tiring? Hardly.”
Even as they exchanged meaningless pleasantries, his gaze was fixed beyond Se-yul, toward the mansion. Within his eyes, burning faintly with anticipation, there was only one person.
Seo-yul stood just a short distance away, his head bowed low, making his face difficult to see. But even from afar, the anxious pheromones radiating from him made it easy to recognize him.
No, in truth, no matter what form Seo-yul took, he would always recognize him in an instant.
‘I found you.’
Seo-yul was close enough to reach in just a few steps. He wanted to throw caution to the wind, ignore everyone’s eyes, and rush straight to him.
In his mind, he had already pulled Seo-yul into his arms, kissing him like a madman. But in reality, he didn’t move an inch.
When he saw Seo-yul again, he thought the first thing he would feel was resentment. But it wasn’t. Any bitter emotions melted away in an instant, leaving behind only an unbearable longing and a fire that refused to be extinguished.
“Let’s go inside.”
Following behind Se-yul, he moved forward—toward Seo-yul. One step, two steps, three steps. As the distance between them shrank to the point where he only needed to reach out to touch him, he couldn’t hold back any longer and came to a stop right in front of Seo-yul.
Seo-yul remained frozen, his head still bowed. Just as he parted his lips to call out that longed-for name, Seo-yul lifted his head and looked at him.
The moment their eyes met, it felt as if everything else in the world had disappeared, leaving only the two of them. No sounds, no gazes from others reached him—only Seo-yul existed.
A smile he couldn’t suppress spread across his lips. They say that when a person is overwhelmed with joy, they might cry. This must be one of those moments. Though his dried-out eyes didn’t shed a single tear.
Carefully, he reached out and took Seo-yul’s hand. The pheromones that had been trembling with anxiety wrapped around him. The thick scent of chocolate ignited a deep thirst within him. Suppressing the desire burning inside, he lightly pressed his lips to the back of Seo-yul’s hand.
“It’s been a long time, Seo-yul hyung.”
His voice was infinitely tender, as if calling out to a lover he had been separated from for far too long. Those who heard it unconsciously held their breath. Seo-yul was no exception.
Snapping back to his senses, Seo-yul quickly yanked his hand away from his grasp. The warmth that had been there just moments ago vanished instantly, as if he had been holding onto nothing but an illusion.
The smile that had brightened his face hardened into something as cold as ice. At the same time, pheromones surged from him, so strong that even he couldn’t control them.
Just as their pheromones were on the verge of reacting to each other and spiraling out of control, Se-yul stepped between them. He tried to get another glimpse of Seo-yul, who had hidden behind someone else, but Se-yul stubbornly blocked his view.
For a moment, he almost pulled out his gun and blew Han Se-yul’s head off. No—he was barely holding back that urge while pretending to be completely composed, forcing a casual smile onto his face.
“Allow me to show you to the mansion.”
Even though it was clear that Se-yul had recognized him the moment he greeted Seo-yul, he continued to feign ignorance. Taking a deep breath, he pushed down the anger that had been boiling over and reeled in the wild pheromones he had unconsciously released.
Fine. He had only just reunited with Seo-yul. There was no need to rush things. Calming himself, he carefully masked his emotions and put on an even more radiant smile.
“That sounds quite promising.”
***
After returning to my room, I locked the door and rushed to the drawer where I kept my medication. My trembling hands fumbled as I searched for the suppressants. My doctor had told me to take only one pill a day, but I had stopped paying attention to that warning a long time ago.
Without counting how many pills I grabbed, I shoved them all into my mouth. My throat was so dry that the pills wouldn’t go down properly, so I grabbed a water bottle and poured the liquid down my throat.
“Huu…”
Clutching my tightening chest, I collapsed on the spot. The sickeningly sweet floral scent that had ensnared me still seemed to linger in the air.
“Young master? Are you inside?”
The butler called for me as he rattled the locked doorknob. My blurry vision landed on the violently shaking door, but I didn’t have the strength to lift even a single finger.
I tried to push myself up from the floor using my shoulder, but I failed each time, falling back down in a heap. In the end, I remained sprawled on the ground until the butler returned with an attendant carrying the master key and unlocked the door.
“Young master!”
The butler called out urgently as he rushed to my side. He helped me up from where I had collapsed and moved me to the bed before placing a hand on my forehead to check my temperature.
“Why do you have a fever again…?”
Even after taking the suppressants, I couldn’t stop the heat from rising. It was because his pheromones, which he had released in waves, were still lingering around me.
I asked the butler to close the door. I had to trap the thick scent of chocolate in this room. If it seeped outside, he would surely notice.
After shutting the door, the butler returned to my bedside, examining my condition. He touched my flushed face, heated from the fever, then hesitated before cautiously asking,
“Did you take your medicine?”
“Yeah, I did.”
Hearing that I had already taken it, the butler’s expression darkened further. If the medicine wasn’t working, there was nothing to do but wait for the fever to subside on its own.
“Please wait a moment. I’ll bring a cold towel to help cool you down.”
“Thank you.”
Once the butler had left, I closed my blurry eyes, gasping for breath. I prayed that the fever would go down soon, but the uneasy feeling that I would be sick for quite a while wouldn’t go away.
‘Why did he come back?’
With my clouded mind, I tried to think about why Vin had returned. But my exhausted thoughts couldn’t form a coherent answer and eventually just stopped altogether.
Even though I hadn’t been lying in bed for long, my sheets were already soaked with sweat. Turning over to avoid the dampness, I saw the door slowly begin to open.
“Butler…?”
I called out with a trembling voice, but no response came. My vision was so blurred that I couldn’t make out the figure approaching me.
Reaching a shaky hand out from beneath the blankets, I grasped the silhouette that had come near. Only then did I hear a familiar voice call out to me softly, “Hyung.” It was Se-yul.
“Where’s the butler?”
“He went to get a wet towel.”
“When will he be back?”
“He’ll be here soon. Just hold on a little longer.”
As Se-yul said, it wasn’t long before the butler returned, carrying a bowl of water and a towel. Taking them from him, Se-yul carefully wiped the sweat from my fevered face.
There were many things we both wanted to ask each other, but neither of us spoke. We simply buried all of our questions deep inside.
“Hyung, don’t worry about anything. Just rest.”
After a long silence, Se-yul finally spoke. In that single sentence, he conveyed everything he wanted to say to me.
It was his way of telling me not to worry about the one who had returned. Not to worry about the district. Just to rest.
“…Thanks.”
Se-yul wrung out the towel and placed it gently on my forehead before standing up. As I watched his weary figure, I mustered what little strength I had and said, “Stay strong.”
Se-yul paused and looked back at me, a small smile forming on his lips.
“Sleep well, hyung.”
With that tender farewell, I finally let go of the consciousness I had been desperately clinging to.
