The Duke’s Obsession Leads to a Death Flag

“Hmm?”

I froze at the child’s unexpected answer. Was he joking? But he remained expressionless.

“You… don’t know what a bug is?”

If he didn’t know how to open a lid, how to button up a shirt, the meaning of a pinky promise, or even how to properly say thank you—then it was possible he also didn’t know what a bug was.

So I was about to explain. That’s not a name. But the boy shook his head, meaning he did know.

“That’s not a name.”

“But people called me that.”

I had forgotten. Vincent Shining was a bastard child who hadn’t even been given a name by his father. It wasn’t until he became an adult that he was called Vincent Shining. Until then, the people of District 1 had referred to him as nothing more than a bug.

Damn it, I’m getting really pissed off right now.

“Can’t you call me that too?”

“No. That’s not a name.”

“But people—”

“Those bastards— No, just forget about it. They were bad people.”

At my firm words, the boy clamped his mouth shut. He looked disappointed, but there was no way I could ever call him something as vile as ‘bug.’

After hearing my refusal, he visibly became dejected. I was about to pat his slumped shoulders when a good idea suddenly came to mind.

“Then how about we make a name for you?”

“A name?”

It was a completely impulsive suggestion, but anything was better than letting him call himself ‘bug.’ If I gave him a proper name, he’d never be able to ask for something so awful again.

“Yes, your name. I’ll give you one.”

“Yes! I want a name!”

His eyes sparkled as he spoke. Just the thought of finally having a name made him so excited that he bounced in place.

‘This is hard.’

Honestly, I had said it confidently, but the truth was, I had zero talent for this kind of thing. Even naming my family’s dog had taken me days of agonizing thought, and after all that struggle, I had only managed to come up with ‘Mungchi.’

My hojeok mate* had dragged out the process for so long, only to come up with the lame name ‘Mungchi,’ and he never let me hear the end of it. After that, I had never bothered naming anything again.

“What would be good…”

Since someone like me was now trying to name a person, it was inevitable that I’d struggle. I couldn’t just give the kid a crappy name like ‘Mungchi.’

Honestly, the first name that had popped into my head the moment I saw him was Vincent Shining. But I deliberately tried not to think about that name.

They say people live up to their names. If I called him something other than Vincent Shining, maybe his future would change. Or was that just some wishful thinking?

“Hmm… what should I choose?”

Despite my long deliberation, the boy waited patiently. His eyes, brimming with anticipation, only made the pressure worse.

If he knew I had named my dog ‘Mungchi,’ maybe he wouldn’t expect so much. I should have kept my mouth shut. This was too hard.

“Vin.”

“Vin?”

That was the best I could come up with after all that thinking. I had simply taken ‘Vincent’ and lopped off the rest. It was honestly pathetic, even by my own standards.

But if I had to make an excuse, it was that ‘Vincent Shining’ was too deeply ingrained in my mind. No matter how hard I tried to think, nothing else came to me.

“Vin…”

Vin repeated the name as if testing how it felt. His expression was blank, making it impossible to tell if he liked it or not.

Maybe I should’ve given him a cooler name. But the only ones that came to mind were things like Tom and Jerry—characters from cartoons I watched as a kid.

Those definitely wouldn’t suit him.

“Han Seo-yul.”

“Huh?”

Vin suddenly called my name. I answered instinctively, but something felt off. Raising an eyebrow, I thought about it for a moment before realizing that something was missing.

“Not just Han Seo-yul. Seo-yul hyung.”

“Seo-yul hyung.”

Like a parrot, Vin repeated my words exactly. His bewildered look made me wonder if he even understood what ‘hyung’ meant, but I didn’t bother correcting him.

“Can’t you call me too?”

“Huh?”

“Call me too.”

Vin’s voice softened as he added in a small voice, my name. A faint blush colored his cheeks.

So he really did like having a name, even though he hadn’t shown it earlier.

The hand that had been lightly gripping my sleeve slowly moved up, brushing against my hand. His cold fingers hesitated, tickling my palm, before slipping between mine, intertwining deeply.

“Hurry and call me.”

Vin urged me. I had been too distracted by our intertwined hands, and only when I swallowed dryly—meeting his red eyes staring at me from an uncomfortably close distance—was I finally able to say his name.

“Vin.”

“More.”

“Vin.”

“More.”

“Vin.”

As I called his name over and over, just as he wanted, a bright smile spread across his pale, beautiful face.

“Yes, Seo-yul hyung.”

***

“Seo-yul hyung, call me.”

“Vin.”

“More.”

“Vin.”

“One more time.”

“Vin. That’s enough now, right? My throat is starting to hurt, so let’s stop.”

I had lost count of how many times it had been. I understood that he was happy to have a name for the first time in his life, but asking me to call it nonstop was starting to strain my voice.

When I deliberately cleared my throat, Vin hesitated and pressed his lips together. His glances toward me were practically pleading for me to call his name again, but maybe out of consideration, he held back.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“It’s nothing.”

Vin pouted slightly before finally giving up.

Swallowing didn’t do much to soothe my throat, so I grabbed my water bottle and drank the rest of the water. Only after gulping down the cool liquid did the dryness in my throat subside.

‘It’s time to go.’

Looking at the window, I saw that the sunlight had already slanted quite a bit.

How strange. Back when I first arrived here, without a computer or smartphone, each day had felt unbearably long and tedious. But at some point, time started to feel too short.

‘It’s like time moves twice as fast now.’

Once I left, Vin would be alone here again.

At least today, I had brought plenty of batteries, so he wouldn’t have to be scared of spending the night in complete darkness. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t worried at all.

Still, it wouldn’t be much longer.

On the day Han Jae-hoon left for District 1, I would take Vin out of here. And then, I would send him far, far away.

Somewhere beyond District 1 or District 5—somewhere even I wouldn’t be able to see him.

‘Not much time left now.’

From the moment I decided to send Vin far away, I started making all the necessary preparations. How to get into Han Jae-hoon’s study, where the shackle key was kept. How to climb over the western wall. The location of the intercity bus stop. And finally, the orphanage in District 2 where Vin would settle.

That should be enough.

That was all I could do for Vin, and it was the best possible option. Once he left for District 2, District 5 wouldn’t be doomed, and the world wouldn’t be turned upside down. The original story’s future would be completely altered.

So I should have felt relieved—but it wasn’t as satisfying as I had expected. Maybe because it was still just a plan. Would I finally feel relief once Vin was truly gone? I didn’t know yet.

Maybe it’s because I got attached.

The time we spent together was short, but I visited him almost every day. That was more than enough time to form an attachment. Maybe that’s why—thinking about never seeing him again made me feel… regret.

I shouldn’t be thinking like this.

I forced myself to stop overthinking and turned to look beside me—only to find that Vin had also turned to look at me at the exact same time. As if we were in sync.

We were so close that our shoulders nearly touched, and our gazes locked at point-blank range.

His red eyes, reflecting only me, softened into a beautiful smile.

Even though no light was turned on, it felt like the room had brightened. In the midst of the stale air, I suddenly smelled the faint fragrance of flowers.

That’s strange.

Was the poorly shut warehouse door slightly open, letting the scent drift in? I glanced at the door with suspicion, but as always, it was securely closed.

Then where was this scent coming from? The walls weren’t cracked, and the flower garden in the western forest was much too far away for its fragrance to reach here.

The scent grew stronger and stronger, as if I had been dropped in the middle of a flower field. My vision began to blur.

Holding my breath, I abruptly stood up.

“I should get going now.”

If I stayed in this scent any longer, I felt like I would lose my senses.

As sirens blared in my mind, I hurriedly slung my bag over my shoulder and prepared to leave the warehouse. But just then, Vin grabbed my hand.

“Do you have to go… right now?”

His ice-cold skin startled me, and I almost pulled away. But as my gaze followed the stiff hand gripping mine, I met his red eyes—pleading desperately for me to stay.

“Just a little longer…”

His voice, heavy with hesitation, trailed off before he could finish.

Lowering his head to hide his crumpled expression, Vin let go of my hand.

The warmth that had balanced against the coldness of his touch faded away.

For a split second, I almost reached out to grab his retreating hand.

But I stopped myself.

I wouldn’t be able to stay with him anyway. If I held his hand now, it would only give him false hope.

I had to be back before dinner.

Han Jae-hoon, who would soon be leaving for District 1, wanted to spend the evening together. If I was even slightly late, he would definitely ask questions.

“I’ll come again next time.”

I gave the same farewell as always.

Vin, still hanging his head low, slowly nodded.

Clutching a lamp to his chest, he murmured in a small voice.

“You have to come tomorrow too.”

That single sentence, spoken without even meeting my eyes, sent a sharp ache through my chest.

I had been about to answer Of course, but I hesitated. Then, instead of heading toward the door, I turned back to Vin.

“Vin.”

At the sound of his name, Vin slowly lifted his head.

The moment I saw the unease in his eyes, my body moved before I could think.

I spread my arms and pulled him into an embrace, whispering,

“I’ll get you out of here.”

Vin didn’t ask How? He didn’t ask if I really meant it.

But he also didn’t nod. He didn’t say Okay.

He doesn’t believe me.

Gently, I pulled away from the hug.

Vin’s eyes, usually calm and indifferent, held no sign of change.

Swallowing my bitterness, I forced out a weak farewell.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Only then did the silent Vin give a small nod.

(*Note: ‘호적 메이트’ (hojeok mate) is a slang term referring to someone registered in the same family register, often used sarcastically for siblings.)