As soon as the aide gave the order, the dozens of gun barrels aimed at me were lowered. However, the eyes behind the masks still watched me, waiting for a chance to snatch my gun. That meant I couldn’t afford to let my guard down for even a second.
To make sure they didn’t get any ideas, I pressed the gun harder against my chin. Even in this life-threatening situation, where a single mistake could cost me everything, I had to act like I wasn’t afraid. I could not let them underestimate me.
“Send Se-yul over to me.”
“…Let him go.”
At the aide’s signal, the men shoved Se-yul toward me. I quickly reached out, grabbed him as he staggered, and pulled him behind me. Then, I readjusted my grip on the gun aimed at myself.
I stole a glance at Se-yul—his condition had worsened significantly. His trembling lips had turned deathly pale, and his ragged breaths seemed on the verge of stopping at any moment. Panic surged through me at the realization that I needed to get him to a doctor immediately.
“Lord Seo-yul, how about we resolve this through conversation?”
The aide switched tactics, now trying to coax me into compliance. I had thought I was the only one feeling the pressure as the standoff dragged on, but it seemed they weren’t in a great position either. With a shift in expression, the aide ordered his men to step back before approaching me.
“All we want is to escort you safely. If you quietly come with us, we’ll call a doctor for your brother. Once he’s treated, we promise to take you both somewhere safe.”
“And how am I supposed to believe that?”
“…I swear it upon the Moon of Humanity.”
I recalled my steward once telling me that people from Zone 1 swore by the Moon of Humanity when making oaths they could never break. That meant the aide was promising, no matter what, to keep his word.
Could I trust them? I knew those who worshipped the Moon of Humanity as a god wouldn’t easily break such a vow, but I still couldn’t let go of my doubt—not when I had to protect Se-yul.
“…I just have to go with you, right?”
“Yes, we only need Lord Seo-yul to come with us.”
I was the one they wanted. If I cooperated, Se-yul might survive. Before the situation could spiral further out of control, I made my decision. Slowly, I lowered the gun from my chin. A faint smile formed on the aide’s tense lips.
“Keep your promise.”
“A vow made to the Moon must always be kept—”
Bang!
A sharp gunshot cut off the aide’s words. A dull thud echoed behind me. Anxious instincts flared, and I turned around slowly.
Se-yul had collapsed, limp and motionless.
“S-Se-yul…?”
I dropped the gun in my hand and ran to Se-yul.
Cough—! With every painful cough, blood poured from his mouth. His shirt was already soaked in red, making it hard to see, but the moment my hands touched him, I knew.
The one who had been shot just moments ago—was Se-yul.
“Se-yul!!!”
I patted his pale cheeks, but his unfocused eyes couldn’t find their way back. His lips parted slightly, as if he had something to say, but they soon closed again. His breaths grew fainter, barely audible.
“No, no. Han Se-yul, stay with me! Don’t sleep!! I said, DON’T SLEEP!!”
I desperately tried to push away the looming shadow of death, but Se-yul, now as still as if he were merely asleep, didn’t so much as twitch. The warmth in his body was slowly fading from where our hands touched.
What if… What if Se-yul really dies like this?
“A-A doctor… Call a doctor.”
“……”
“Hurry! You promised! You swore on the Moon! I’ll do whatever you want, so just—get a doctor first—!”
But the aide, instead of responding, lowered his gaze, his troubled expression clear as day. Then, bowing deeply, he turned his attention elsewhere. The masked men behind him followed suit, bending toward the darkness.
“We greet the Young Master of Zone 1.”
At their greeting, my stiffened neck slowly turned.
Emerging from the shadows, he raised a hand and casually wiped the blood off my cheek. There was no emotion in the way he erased the traces of his hunt. But then, as soon as he looked at me, his face lit up with a dazzling smile.
“Seo-yul hyung.”
He carelessly tossed aside the gun he had been holding and ran toward me. Ignoring the blood drenching my body—Se-yul’s blood—he pulled me into his arms, smiling in satisfaction. A faint floral scent mixed with the stench of blood clung to him.
Haa. He took a deep breath as he held me, then slowly pulled away. His crimson eyes, locked onto mine, were filled with endless warmth and tenderness.
Blocking out everyone around us, he leaned in to press a kiss to my cheek.
“Did you shoot Se-yul?”
I pushed his lips away and asked.
From the circumstances, it had to be him. No—it was him.
So why was I even asking? What was I trying to confirm?
His eyes, which had been so gentle, flickered toward Se-yul behind me. And in an instant, the warmth drained from them, replaced by an icy chill. Then, he slowly nodded.
“Why the hell—”
“He would have died even if I hadn’t shot him.”
My patience snapped, and my hand shot up before I could stop myself.
He could have dodged. Easily. But he didn’t.
Smack!
A sharp crack echoed through the air as my palm struck his pale cheek, whipping his head to the side. Around us, people sucked in their breaths.
“Why?! Why would you do that?! What did we do wrong?!!”
My enraged scream shook the forest.
He remained still, listening quietly, before casually rubbing his reddened cheek. Then, dragging his tongue over the inside of his mouth, he spat to the side and let out a deep sigh.
Finally, he lifted his head—and raised his hand high.
If he planned to return the slap, I dared him to try.
I glared at him, eyes burning with defiance.
As our intense staring contest continued, neither of us willing to back down, his eyes suddenly curved into their usual beautiful smile. The hand he had raised came down to cradle my cheek, and in a voice only I could hear, he whispered:
“I told you, didn’t I? I’m never letting you go again.”
And that was when I realized—what I had believed to be a narrowly avoided catastrophe, the destruction of Zone 5, had in fact been caused by none other than me.
Zone 5 had fallen… because of me.
“I originally planned to take you to Zone 1 first so you wouldn’t have to see any of this,” he continued. “But after being rejected so many times, I finally understood—so long as Zone 5 existed, you would never choose to be with me.”
“All for that reason—”
My lips trembled in shock, unable to finish the sentence. He chuckled and pressed a series of kisses onto my pale cheek, utterly unfazed by the suffocating tension in the air. In this frozen moment, he alone felt happiness.
“‘All for that’? But to me, it was everything.”
Tilting his head, he pressed our lips together.
The moment his tongue pushed between my lips, I snapped back to my senses and tried to shove him away—but this time, he was faster.
“Mmph—!”
His rough grip on my chin forced my mouth open, keeping me from shutting it. His arm tightened around my waist, pulling me flush against him so I couldn’t escape.
A dense floral scent flooded my senses, overwhelming even the stench of gunpowder and blood that lingered in the air. It was so overpowering it made my mind hazy, dragging me toward unconsciousness.
“The only thing that matters to you should be me. Anything else… I’ll erase it all.”
He ran his thumb over my wet lips, murmuring as if talking to himself. I barely managed to regain my focus, struggling to break away—but once again, his lips crashed against mine, moving however he pleased.
Only when my breath hitched, dangerously close to giving out, did he finally let me go.
I couldn’t tell if it was his pheromones or the forceful kiss that left me completely drained of strength. My body felt like a soaked piece of cotton—heavy, limp, unable to move.
“Take care of him.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
He handed my weakened body over to the aide, then turned toward Se-yul, who was still lying there, barely clinging to life.
His foot nudged Se-yul’s limp body aside as he gestured to a nearby man. The man approached and handed him a gun.
The barrel, steady and unhesitating, pointed directly at Se-yul’s forehead.
His finger slid onto the trigger.
Then, as if he had just remembered something, he turned to look at me.
“I’ll ask one last time.” His voice was soft, affectionate, almost sweet. “Seo-yul hyung, will you come with me to Zone 1?”
I didn’t even let him finish before I desperately nodded.
Yes. I’ll go with you. I’ll go.
He heard my shaky, barely audible voice perfectly.
And then—he smiled, radiant.
“I’ve been waiting so long to hear you say that.”
