The night was deep, yet Se-yul couldn’t easily fall asleep. The cryptic words he had heard earlier in the day kept circling in his mind, as if he had been ensnared by some relentless curse.
―I might have to apologize to you for something.
What could he possibly mean by that? The only thing Shining would ever need to apologize to him for was reducing his energy supply.
But hadn’t he already promised a fair investigation regarding that matter? Of course, Se-yul knew better than to blindly trust a Shining’s word. However, Vincent Shining was slightly different from the others.
‘He’s at least better than most Shinings.’
Perhaps that was too generous an evaluation, but based on their childhood together, he had been unlike the typical Shining. Though Se-yul had no idea what he was like now, a person’s essence didn’t change so easily.
“This is complicated.”
The investigation would be concluded in two days. By then, he would know everything. However, if he didn’t put an end to this growing unease, the remaining time would be unbearable.
There was no way things would resolve this easily. Something was definitely going on. The problem was that they were thoroughly concealing it.
Knock, knock.
The sound of knocking broke the stillness of the room, pulling Se-yul from his thoughts. The door creaked open cautiously, and the butler, who rarely came at this hour, entered.
“What is it?”
“Well, young master Seo-yul isn’t here, is he?”
At those words, Se-yul immediately shook his head. He hadn’t seen even a shadow of Seo-yul all day. His older brother had been busy for days now, and with him shutting himself away in his room, cut off from the world, there was no way Se-yul could have seen him.
“He’s not in his room?”
“No, he isn’t.”
The moment he heard that, it felt as if the ground had dropped beneath his feet. Of all times, Seo-yul had disappeared in the dead of night. Why was he only being told this now?
“Where have you looked?”
Se-yul threw on the cardigan draped over his chair and stepped out of his room, questioning the butler. The butler hesitated before listing the places he and the attendants had searched. In short, they had scoured most of the estate, but Seo-yul was nowhere to be found.
“What about the western forest?”
“It’s still too dark there…”
If Seo-yul wasn’t anywhere in the mansion, that was the only place left. Should he contact the guards stationed there first, or should he maximize the number of searchers? Even as he thought about their next move, the possibility of something having happened to Seo-yul made his mind race in chaos.
“First, gather a few male attendants and search the western forest—”
Se-yul, descending the stairs, suddenly halted mid-sentence. They had searched most of the mansion, but there was still one place the butler and the attendants hadn’t checked—the annex where Shining was staying.
“Did you check the annex?”
“That place—”
The butler hesitated, unable to finish his sentence. It was obvious. They hadn’t even considered going there for fear that, like last time, a late-night visit might end in gunfire.
Letting out a deep sigh, Se-yul changed his destination. Seo-yul was probably with him. The certainty of that thought settled heavily in his chest.
“Where are you going?”
“To Shining.”
“But—”
“Don’t worry. I’ll handle it. Just wait here. I’ll let you know if he’s not there.”
After calming the anxious butler, Se-yul headed for the annex. As he passed through the dimly lit corridors, the atmosphere shifted the moment he stepped into the annex. Even though it was part of the same estate, the air here felt different—perhaps because it was occupied by people from District 1.
Unlike Vincent, the other District 1 residents stayed discreetly, their presence barely noticeable. It was easy to forget they were even there. Of course, Vincent alone caused enough commotion to make up for it.
As expected, his door was shut tight. Was there any noise coming from inside? Se-yul leaned in, pressing his ear against the wood, but he heard nothing. Taking a deep breath, he knocked lightly on the door.
“Shining.”
He was in a hurry. If Seo-yul wasn’t here, he’d have to immediately gather the attendants and start searching the western forest—or anywhere else he might be. He needed to confirm this quickly. But there was no response from the other side.
Se-yul knocked again. This time, harder. Bang, bang. Finally, he sensed movement inside. After a moment, the door opened, revealing Vincent—shirtless.
“What do you want?”
Judging by his appearance, he hadn’t been sleeping. Then why hadn’t he answered right away? Setting aside his irritation, Se-yul tried to look past him into the darkened room. If Seo-yul was here, this would be over in an instant.
“What is it?”
Vincent raised his arm, blocking Se-yul’s view. Forced to give up on peering inside, Se-yul instead decided to ask directly. Just as he was about to speak, a rustling sound came from the bed. Someone was shifting under the covers. Someone other than Vincent.
“Is there someone inside?”
“…Yeah.”
Vincent, leaning lazily against the doorframe, responded after a brief silence.
At this hour, with the entire mansion asleep, if there was someone in Vincent’s bed, there was no need to ask who it was.
Se-yul shoved him aside roughly and stepped in. As expected, Seo-yul lay deeply asleep in the bed, surrounded by undeniable traces of what had happened.
Despite the commotion, Seo-yul didn’t stir. He was completely out. Though he was covered by a blanket, there was no need to check what was beneath it. The answer was obvious.
For a moment, it felt like his blood was boiling backward.
“Get out. You’ll wake him up.”
Vincent trailed behind leisurely, his voice low as he spoke. Se-yul bit down hard on his lip, grabbed Vincent’s arm, and pulled him out of the room. The moment the door shut, he shoved him against the wall, pressing his forearm against Vincent’s throat.
“What the fuck did you do to my brother?”
Even though he must have been struggling to breathe, Vincent’s expression remained disturbingly calm. Se-yul, his rage boiling over, pressed down harder. Finally, Vincent let out a deep sigh and pushed Se-yul’s arm away.
“If you’re that curious, why don’t you ask Seo-yul yourself?”
That was all he had to say? Se-yul couldn’t hold back any longer. His fist flew toward Vincent’s insufferable face. He could have dodged it easily, but he didn’t.
Vincent staggered slightly before regaining his balance. A trail of bright red blood seeped from his split lip. He spat out the blood pooling in his mouth and straightened his posture.
“You son of a bitch.”
“Thanks for the compliment?”
Vincent smirked, lifting his torn lip into a mocking grin. Se-yul raised his fist again, barely restraining himself at the last second. One punch was fine, but another might escalate this into a full-blown dispute between districts.
He couldn’t let his personal emotions jeopardize the entire sector. Exhaling sharply, Se-yul unclenched his fists, shoving Vincent aside before turning toward the door. As long as he could get Seo-yul out of here safely, he had no reason to deal with this bastard any further.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Vincent reached out, stopping him. Se-yul shoved him away forcefully, but Vincent didn’t budge. Instead, he positioned himself in front of the door, blocking Se-yul’s path completely. A silent struggle ensued.
“Move. I’m taking my brother.”
“Just leave. I’ll send him back in the morning.”
“No, I’m—”
“And what if someone sees you dragging him out of here? You gonna take responsibility for that?”
Se-yul hesitated. Vincent had hit the mark. If he forcibly took Seo-yul now and someone saw them, that would be an even bigger problem. The estate was small—rumors spread fast.
“I don’t care, but what about Seo-yul? Think he’d enjoy being the center of attention for this?”
“…Shut the fuck up.”
Se-yul ground his teeth, barely restraining himself. Vincent merely shrugged, crossing his arms as he took a step back. It was a clear challenge—Your choice. Take him and deal with the consequences, or leave now.
It stung, but for now, preventing any scandal was the priority. In a few days, Vincent would be gone. If he just endured this, it would all pass as if nothing had happened. That was what was best for Seo-yul.
“Fine. In the morning, return him safely. No problems.”
Vincent only responded with an infuriating smile. Se-yul hadn’t expected him to comply so easily, but the lack of a clear answer only fueled his frustration.
“I mean it. No bullshit.”
“Relax. I’ve got this.”
Their eyes locked in a tense stare, but in the end, Se-yul was the first to look away. By now, the butler and the attendants were probably gathered, still searching for Seo-yul. He needed to return and send them back quietly.
Just a few days ago, he couldn’t even stand being near Vincent. And now, this. He didn’t know when the hell things between Vincent and Seo-yul had changed, but the shock wasn’t fading easily.
“Take care, Han Se-yul.”
Vincent waved as Se-yul turned away. Gritting his teeth, Se-yul forced himself to move, dragging his heavy footsteps back toward the main estate, leaving behind the most infuriating farewell.
