“Father?”
The butler nodded instead of answering. Judging by his grave expression, it didn’t seem like he was calling for a pleasant reason. Se-yul swallowed his tension and followed behind the butler.
As he walked down the corridor, he tried to guess why his father had suddenly summoned him. Shining had promised that the investigation would be conducted fairly, so it was unlikely that this was about the case.
‘Is it because of hyung?’
The only remaining reason was Seo-yul. Had word of last night’s events reached his father’s ears? If so, the situation was much more serious than he had thought. His mind grew increasingly tangled.
When he knocked on the firmly closed door, a voice inside promptly granted him permission to enter. The butler carefully opened the door and stepped aside, signaling that he should go in alone.
After hastily smoothing down his disheveled hair with his hand, Se-yul entered Han Jae-hoon’s room. Jae-hoon, who had been reclining against the bed, gestured for him to come closer. Se-yul hesitated before approaching.
“I heard you called for me.”
“Yes, you came.”
His father’s expression wasn’t as severe as he had feared. Right—come to think of it, he was the only one who knew what had happened last night. Even the butler was unaware, so there was no way his father could have found out. Se-yul let go of one of his worries.
“I heard you’re doing better than expected.”
The voice was blunt, but it was undoubtedly praise. Se-yul’s eyes widened, and he clenched his trembling fingers into a fist. Just those few words of approval were enough to make his heart swell.
“Thank you.”
“You have nothing to thank me for. It’s your own doing.”
A faint smile appeared on his father’s face. It was the first time Se-yul had ever seen such a gentle expression from him. He felt like crying. He bit the inside of his cheek hard to suppress the rising emotions and forced himself to smile back, however awkwardly.
Throughout the warm conversation, there was no mention of Seo-yul. Everything they talked about was related to the current investigation. The butler’s grave expression earlier was probably due to concern for his father’s health. Se-yul had worried over nothing.
“Today is the farewell party, isn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I should be able to attend by this evening.”
“The farewell party…?”
Se-yul’s eyes widened in shock at his father’s sudden announcement. He tried to suggest that it would be better for him to continue resting, but his father remained firm.
“But the attending physician said you need complete rest—”
“I’ve rested enough. A whole week stuck in bed? Might as well bury me in a coffin instead.”
Throwing off the blanket, his father got out of bed. Now that the shadows no longer obscured his face, Se-yul could see that his complexion had noticeably improved compared to before.
“It’s only right that I at least make an appearance. I’m still the governor of District 5, after all.”
He had a point. The governor of District 5 was still his father, not him. But the real issue was that the investigator from District 1 was none other than Shining—the very man who had left District 5 eight years ago.
According to the butler, his father was still unaware that the investigator was that Shining. At first, Se-yul hadn’t understood why they needed to keep it a secret. But now that he knew the reason, he desperately wanted to stop his father from attending the farewell party.
The problem was that there was no way to do that. His father had already made up his mind, and once he had, no one could stop him. Se-yul quickly erased the countless arguments that had been swirling in his head. Nothing he said now would change anything.
“Father—”
He managed to open his mouth, but the words wouldn’t come out. Maybe if he told his father in advance, the shock wouldn’t be as severe when he eventually found out. That’s what he told himself, yet the moment he tried to speak, his mind went blank.
“Is there something you need to say?”
“That is—”
Just minutes ago, his father had praised him for the first time. This was the first time their usual cold, rigid conversations had ever flowed so easily. Would a moment like this ever come again?
A selfish part of him wanted to let the good mood continue. But then he thought of the inevitable consequences that would follow, and with a resigned sigh, he forced himself to confess the truth.
“I have something to tell you about the investigator from District 1.”
The moment the words left his mouth, Han Jae-hoon’s temper flared.
His father couldn’t contain his rage. Furious that such an important matter had been kept from him, he lashed out at Se-yul, demanding to know why he hadn’t been informed earlier. Se-yul, caught in the storm of his father’s fury, couldn’t say a word.
His father had barely recovered, but his rage sent his fever surging back up. A headache was already starting to form. Exhaling heavily, Han Jae-hoon forced himself to calm down and turned to his son, who was now frozen stiff.
“Call Luel.”
The butler, who had arrived in response to the summons, was already pale as a sheet. Though no words had been exchanged yet, he had clearly realized why he had been called.
Han Jae-hoon took one look at the butler, who couldn’t even meet his eyes, and immediately knew who had concealed the investigator’s identity. Of course, he did—he knew the butler better than anyone, having spent years by his side.
“Why did you do it?”
“I-I was going to tell you later—”
“Luel!!!”
Han Jae-hoon bellowed. The butler bowed his head deeply, repeating his apologies over and over.
Pressing his hand against his throbbing forehead, Han Jae-hoon let out a heavy sigh.
He knew the butler wouldn’t have done this without a reason. But that didn’t mean he could simply accept it. No matter the justification, the fact remained that something crucial had been hidden from him. The once unshakable trust between them now had its first fracture.
The deeper the trust, the greater the disappointment.
“Leave. I don’t want to see you right now.”
“M-My lord, I was wrong—”
“I’ll hear everything later. Just get out for now.”
Han Jae-hoon had completely turned his back on him. With no other choice, the butler was forced to leave the room. Se-yul wanted to console him—he looked as if his entire world had collapsed—but he couldn’t bring himself to speak under his father’s scrutinizing gaze.
As the door shut behind the butler, an uneasy silence settled in the room, threatening to explode at any moment. Se-yul couldn’t stop wondering if he had made the wrong choice.
But no one was there to give him an answer.
“Where is Seo-yul?”
“H-Hyung is in his room—”
Before Se-yul could even finish his sentence, Han Jae-hoon was already striding toward Seo-yul’s room. The door swung open with a resounding bang, shaking violently as if it might break off its hinges. Alarmed, Se-yul hurried after him, sensing that something was about to go terribly wrong.
Without so much as a knock, Han Jae-hoon stormed into the room. Seo-yul, who had been leaning against the window frame as usual, flinched in surprise, his eyes widening.
“Baby, are you alright?”
He closed the distance in a few quick steps, gripping Seo-yul’s delicate shoulders tightly as he spoke. Though confused by the sudden intrusion, Seo-yul instinctively nodded. Se-yul, who had arrived just a few seconds later, took a deep breath to steady himself as he watched his bewildered brother.
“Nothing feels off? No fever, like before?”
The words of the old woman from eight years ago echoed in his mind. Seo-yul’s unstable pheromones had been entirely due to the Alpha who had been by his side. If they weren’t separated immediately, it could even cost him his life.
That was why, despite knowing how cruel it was, Han Jae-hoon had forced Seo-yul to let that child go. There had been no other choice—losing Seo-yul, the person more precious to him than anything in the world, had never been an option.
Their relationship had grown distant since then, but not once had he regretted that decision. Seo-yul’s safety was the only thing that mattered.
Even if the entire district collapsed, he would choose Seo-yul without hesitation. As long as he was alright, nothing else was important. Not even his own well-being.
“I’m fine.”
Only after hearing Seo-yul’s answer did his suffocating anxiety begin to ease. It seemed the unexpected visitor hadn’t had as much contact with Seo-yul as he had feared.
But it was too soon to relax.
There was no telling when Seo-yul’s pheromones might start acting up again. The mysterious fever that had plagued him had all been because of that child’s presence. Who knew what could happen next?
The best course of action would be to throw him out immediately. But that wasn’t an option. No matter how that bastard Luis Shining’s illegitimate son had clawed his way up, he was now an official investigator from District 1. For now, they had to treat him as an honored guest.
That left only one solution—keeping Seo-yul away from him at all costs. Which meant Seo-yul could not attend the farewell party tonight.
“Just stay in your room today, just in case.”
“…Ah.”
Seo-yul finally seemed to realize the reason behind Han Jae-hoon’s actions. His gaze flickered toward Se-yul before he obediently nodded.
Satisfied with the response, Han Jae-hoon released his grip on Seo-yul’s shoulders.
“Good boy, baby.”
