The Duke’s Obsession Leads to a Death Flag

The western warehouse was deep in a forest where no one set foot. Even though it was daytime, the dense canopy of leaves completely blocked out the sky, making the forest dark and damp. Overgrown grass and weeds spread unchecked in every direction

“Over there.”

At the end of what could hardly be called a path, the distant warehouse looked like an abandoned haunted house. The paint on the walls had completely peeled away, and the rusted door was so worn it seemed like it hadn’t been opened in a hundred years.

Would they really have locked up a child in a place like this?

Approaching with uncertainty, I discovered that the padlock hanging on the door was new. Only then did it begin to sink in that Vincent Shining might actually be inside.

“I should be able to open it.”

Recalling my old skill of opening classroom doors, I solemnly pulled out a wire I had brought. With no key, this was my only option.

I straightened the wire, inserted it into the keyhole, and carefully turned it. Before long, there was a click as the lock came undone.

“Got it.”

Creak. The sound of the rusted door opening echoed through the quiet forest. I steadied my nerves against the oppressive darkness, then cautiously peeked through the open gap to survey the inside of the warehouse.

“It’s really small.”

Less than half the size of Han Seo-yul’s room, the narrow warehouse was damp and filthy. Piles of abandoned objects had been left untouched for decades, and the lack of ventilation had allowed the walls to become entirely covered in black mold.

Every breath felt thick and humid, clinging stickily to my lungs. My respiratory system wasn’t strong to begin with, so I quickly raised a hand to cover my nose and mouth as I breathed.

“I can’t see very well.”

There wasn’t even a gas lamp; the only source of light was a faint glow trickling in through a high window. With no other choice, I had to stand at the entrance and wait for my eyes to adjust to the darkness.

Once my slowly blinking eyes could start distinguishing shapes, I began to move cautiously. As soon as I passed a stack of rotting crates, I spotted a child collapsed on the floor.

“Found him.”

Dust and dirt dulled the brightness slightly, but the child’s hair was unmistakably a vivid shade of red. No matter how dark the surroundings were, there was no mistaking such an intense color.

It really is Vincent Shining.

Letting out a shallow breath, I eased my tension and stepped into the warehouse. The child, lying face down on the bare floor, showed no reaction even to the sound of a stranger approaching. He seemed to be asleep.

“This is horrific…”

The child’s condition up close was far worse than what I had glimpsed yesterday.

His hair was caked with dried blood, dulling its originally brilliant red hue. His small face was covered in bruises, blotched in a sickening array of colors.

His tattered clothes were soaked in blood, and the wounds peeking through the torn fabric were so severe that words couldn’t do them justice.

“Ah…”

When I pulled aside the cloth clinging to his skin to check underneath, I was left speechless. The countless wounds covering his small body were deep enough to leave permanent scars, no matter how much time passed.

“This is insane.”

To Luis Shining, who kept countless concubines, the life or death of his children was nothing more than a matter of numbers. Any child deemed useless was regularly ‘disposed of.’

This child had been ‘disposed of’ and sent to District 5, and Han Jae-hoon, the one who had received this ‘gift,’ had free rein to do as he pleased with him. In other words, even if Han Jae-hoon beat the child to death, nothing would happen.

‘Well, that’s just how the law works here.’

Things beyond a normal person’s comprehension happened all the time in this place. Half of humanity had disappeared, and the very concept of life’s value had begun to crumble.

The body I had possessed, Han Seo-yul, was at least shielded from such horrors thanks to Han Jae-hoon’s overprotectiveness. But I had heard from the butler that danger lurked everywhere outside the mansion.

This place really is insane. The realization struck me once again.

“Try opening your eyes.”

I shook his stiff shoulders, and the child let out a weak groan, his body twitching slightly. I had been worried he’d lost too much blood, but thankfully, he was still alive.

‘Well, he is the protagonist. He wouldn’t die that easily.’

I wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with my sleeve, and the child whimpered softly. If I had known things were this bad, I would have brought something to treat his wounds. Coming empty-handed in a rush was a mistake.

“Ugh…”

Sensing the presence of a stranger, the child stirred, groaning in pain. As I gently swept back his blood- and dust-matted hair, his unsteady breathing gradually calmed.

“It’s okay.”

Perhaps hearing my whisper, his long, trembling eyelashes slowly lifted, revealing the small ember hidden beneath.

His unfocused eyes adjusted, locking onto me.

Meeting his crimson gaze, where a red flame seemed to flicker, I lowered my hand from his sweat-drenched hair and greeted him.

“Hey.”

“!!!”

The moment I finished speaking, the child’s body jerked violently.

His flailing arms struck me, forcing me to step back. Even as his wounds reopened with every movement, fresh blood seeping through, he didn’t stop struggling.

“Hey, stop! Your wounds are opening up!”

His frantic thrashing only worsened. The more I tried to grab him, the more fiercely he resisted. The shackle clamped around his ankle rattled noisily, making a harsh, grating sound as he fought against it.

“Just… just calm down a little. I’ll move further away.”

I slowly widened the distance, keeping my eyes on his hostility-filled red pupils. Only after I backed away far enough to press against the warehouse door did the child finally stop thrashing. His limbs, which had been flailing wildly, fell limp as his breathing gradually steadied.

“I’m not a bad person.”

“Ugh…”

“I’m serious. I came to help you.”

I tried to reassure him, but the child, panting heavily, didn’t seem to be listening at all. There was no point in wasting words on someone who wouldn’t respond, so I swallowed any further attempts at persuasion.

‘Today’s just not the day, huh.’

The moment I moved even slightly, the child started struggling again. This standoff wasn’t doing him any good. Right now, the best thing I could do was leave.

It was disappointing, but if not today, then there was always tomorrow.

“I’m leaving, so stay still.”

“…….”

“If you keep moving, your wounds will get worse, so don’t move at all. Once I’m gone, you need to rest properly.”

His fierce red eyes never wavered from me, but he didn’t respond to my words. Without any reaction, it felt like I was talking to empty air.

“I’ll be back tomorrow.”

Before stepping out of the warehouse, I turned back to glance at the child who would be left alone in the dark.

***

“This is exhausting.”

The moment I entered my room, I threw myself onto the bed. The mattress absorbed the sudden impact, bouncing lightly before settling.

Burying my face into the sun-scented blankets, I let out a deep sigh I had been holding in. It was just too much.

To anyone else, it might seem like I had spent the entire day running around, but all I did was go to the warehouse in the west. And yet, Han Seo-yul’s body had completely given out, leaving me feeling utterly drained.

If I hadn’t started working out after possessing this body, I probably wouldn’t have even made it to the western forest. Considering how frequently I used to fall sick and spend days bedridden with a fever, maybe this was to be expected.

“This is driving me crazy.”

They say misfortune comes all at once, and damn, that old saying was right. From the moment I realized I had possessed someone and that this place was District 5, I knew this day would come. I just hadn’t expected it to come this soon.

It’s over. Completely screwed.

Seeing that child in the warehouse made everything clear. There was no escaping it. When someone has been brutalized to that extent, karma will inevitably come knocking.

“Han Jae-hoon, you stupid bastard.”

To anyone else, it might look like I was cursing my father like an ungrateful child. But considering the death flag that lunatic had planted on me, I could probably curse him even worse and still not do him justice.

Because of what Han Jae-hoon did to that child, not only would all of District 5 be destroyed in the future, but even I had ended up with a death flag planted on me.

“This is hopeless.”

My original plan was to help the child escape from here as soon as possible. The security in District 5 was surprisingly lax, so sneaking one small child out of the mansion shouldn’t have been difficult.

But the moment I saw the boy’s condition, I had no choice but to abandon that plan. A kid who couldn’t even support his own body—how was he supposed to run away? Even if he somehow managed to escape, he’d be caught in no time.

I had thought that since I knew the future, changing it wouldn’t be that hard. That was pure arrogance.

‘Nothing ever goes the way I want.’

It was bad enough that I had possessed a weakling prone to fevers at the slightest exertion, but now I was destined to die because of someone else’s karma? What could be worse than this? And to top it all off, I wasn’t even the real Han Seo-yul!

“I can’t just sit here and do nothing.”

I gave my cheeks a light slap to snap myself out of it. I couldn’t afford to sink into despair. If I had a death flag looming over me, I had to find a way to overturn it—wasn’t that exactly why I went to the western warehouse today?

At the very least, it would take a month for the child’s wounds to heal. Once he could move properly, I would help him escape. And then, I’d tell him—run far away, somewhere that wasn’t District 1 or District 5.

“I need to find an escape route, get the key to that shackle… There’s too much to do.”

Operation Vincent Shining: Safe Return was already riddled with obstacles from the start, but when my own life was on the line, there was nothing I wouldn’t do.

‘I will survive. No matter what.’

I swore to myself.