The Duke’s Obsession Leads to a Death Flag

“Wake up.”

“…….”

“Seo-yul hyung, you have to wake up.”

The hand shaking my shoulder was both careful and persistent. My sleep fading, I opened my eyes groggily. As my blurry vision slowly focused, the first thing I saw was Vin’s face staring intently at me.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah, I slept well.”

Groaning, I sat up. I nodded off while sitting on the bed, but Vin’s voice urging me to wake up made me finally stumble out of bed.

Vin followed closely behind me all the way to the bathroom. Half-asleep, I was about to take off my pajamas when I felt a gaze on me. Turning my head, I saw Vin standing there. Feeling oddly embarrassed, I gestured for him to leave.

“Wait outside.”

“But I need to prepare the towel….”

“I can do it myself.”

Cutting him off firmly, I grabbed his shoulder and pushed him out of the bathroom. Did he not realize how awkward it was to have someone staring at me while I changed? Only after confirming that the door was securely shut did I finish taking off my pajamas.

After showering at a leisurely pace, I stepped out to find Vin waiting for me outside, handing me a change of clothes. While he went in to tidy up the bathroom, I quickly removed my bathrobe and put on my shirt and pants. Just as I was about to button up, Vin suddenly approached and pushed my hands aside.

“I’ll do it.”

“You think you can?”

Vin nodded confidently and began fastening the buttons with careful hands. He did well at first, but from the second button onward, his fingers kept slipping, failing to get it right. Running out of patience, I eventually pushed his hands away and finished buttoning up myself.

“I was just about to get the hang of it—”

“It’s fine. This shirt has tricky buttons, that’s all.”

When I reassured the dejected Vin, he reluctantly nodded. After I patted his head, he perked up again, determined to do better next time.

“Young Master, may we serve breakfast now?”

Just as I finished dressing, the attendants arrived with breakfast. At my slight nod, Vin quickly scurried to the door and swung it open.

The attendants carried in large trays and filled the table with an overwhelming amount of food. Feeling the weight of such a grand breakfast, I sat down, and Vin took his seat across from me.

“Eat a lot, Vin.”

“You too, Seo-yul hyung, eat a lot.”

After exchanging greetings, I picked up my spoon and took a big sip of the soup first. It was a refreshing bean sprout soup that felt like it could clear my stomach, even though I hadn’t had any alcohol.

Unlike me, who ate comfortably, Vin was struggling more than anyone else at the table. He had finally mastered how to hold a spoon properly, but the problem was using chopsticks.

He repeatedly failed to pick up the side dishes, sending his chopsticks flying across the table and retrieving them several times. Eventually, Vin gave up and resorted to eating everything with just his spoon.

Still, compared to when he used to grab food with his bare hands, this was a vast improvement. Of course, the habit of stuffing his cheeks full until they puffed out like a squirrel’s needed fixing, but there was still a long way to go.

“Try this. It’s really good.”

I pushed a few side dishes toward Vin. He quickly swallowed the rice in his mouth and scooped up the food I had given him with his spoon in large bites.

“It’s delicious.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“Seo-yul hyung, you should try this too.”

Vin pushed a dish toward me in return. I picked up my chopsticks and took a small bite. I hadn’t even started chewing when Vin immediately asked if it was good, making me chuckle as I told him to wait a moment.

After finishing our peaceful breakfast, I read the newspaper while Vin started tidying up the bedding. Normally, that was the butler’s job, but ever since Vin had become a servant-in-training, it had become his responsibility.

“Want some help?”

“No, it’s okay.”

Despite fumbling through the unfamiliar task, Vin was determined to do it on his own. Watching him wrestle with the large bed, I couldn’t help but chuckle. Just as I was about to return to my newspaper, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in.”

As soon as I gave permission, the door swung open, revealing the butler. He skipped the usual greetings and strode toward me, his face slightly flushed.

“Something happened?”

“A letter has arrived.”

At the word “letter,” the butler pulled a white envelope from his inner pocket. Memories from the past briefly made me tense up, but I quickly masked my reaction and took the letter as if nothing was wrong.

“…It’s from Se-yul?”

The handwriting on the envelope, addressed “To Hyung,” was unmistakably Se-yul’s. Come to think of it, the semester break was about to begin. He always returned to the mansion around the transition from spring to summer, so this time should be no different.

I tore open the envelope and unfolded the letter. It started with words saying he missed me, and I read through the lines quickly—until my eyes stopped at the very last sentence. It contained the date and time he would be coming home.

“This… it’s today?”

“…What?”

I showed the butler the date and time written at the very bottom of the letter. His green eyes widened in shock.

Letters already took over a week to arrive, frequently getting delayed. Unfortunately, it seemed Se-yul’s letter had suffered the same fate.

“It appears there was a delay in delivery.”

“Looks like it.”

The butler let out a deep sigh and pulled a pocket watch from his vest, checking the time. There was only an hour left until Se-yul arrived. If the letter had been delayed even a little longer, we wouldn’t have even known he was coming.

“Are you going to pick up Se-yul now?”

“Of course.”

“Then I’ll come with you to meet him.”

The butler’s eyes widened at my unexpected statement.

***

To be honest, it wasn’t purely because I wanted to see Se-yul that I decided to go. Opportunities to leave the mansion were rare, so even if it was just to the front gate, I was eager for the chance to step outside.

It was also a good excuse to see Se-yul in advance and avoid any awkwardness. Plus, I could get some fresh air. With everything that had happened recently, I needed a chance to clear my head. Thinking about it, Se-yul was just an excuse—it was all for my own sake. That was a little embarrassing.

“It’s set for three o’clock, so we have thirty minutes left,” the butler remarked.

Checking my watch, I saw he was right—only thirty minutes remained. The distance from the mansion to the main gate was quite far. Even by car, it would take at least thirty minutes, which made me wonder if we’d even make it on time.

“Butler, call for the car. I’ll be down shortly.”

“Understood.”

The butler hurried off to fetch the car. As I finished changing into my outdoor shoes, I turned to Vin, who would have to stay behind.

“Wait here for a bit. I’ll be back soon.”

“…How long will you be gone?”

In this unfamiliar mansion, Vin was terrified of being left alone. I wanted to take him with me, but the car was too small to bring him along.

“At most, two hours? But it probably won’t take that long.”

“…I’ll wait here.”

“Good boy.”

I ruffled his hair, and his stiff, anxious expression softened slightly. “I’m leaving now,” I said, giving him a brief farewell before stepping outside.

Should I ask him to come along?

Just before descending the stairs, I hesitated, looking toward the west wing where Han Jae-hoon’s study was.

Han Jae-hoon had always been a kind and affectionate father to me, but to Se-yul, he was anything but. That was because, unlike me, Han Se-yul wasn’t his biological son.

Years after Han Jae-hoon lost his wife, a woman suddenly appeared, claiming she had given birth to the child of the district lord.

Han Jae-hoon vehemently denied the absurd claims of the woman, but public opinion quickly sided with her—a struggling mother raising a child on her own.

News of the district lord’s illegitimate child spread rapidly. Wanting to avoid further scandal, Han Jae-hoon had no choice but to accept the child. That child was Han Se-yul.

He sent him to school on purpose, too.

Since he couldn’t just discard something that bothered him, he used the excuse of providing an education to send Se-yul far away. No one was fooled.

It might be understandable that he didn’t feel any affection for a child he had been forced to take in, but I still couldn’t comprehend it. If only he could give Se-yul even a fraction of the attention he showered on me. Han Jae-hoon knew no middle ground—he either smothered with excessive affection or gave absolutely nothing at all.

Not that he’d agree to come anyway.

Cutting off the lingering hesitation, I descended the stairs. Right on cue, the butler, who had gone to call for the car, was waiting for me by the entrance.

As I stepped outside, the chauffeur waiting beside the car gave me a slight bow. I wanted to return the greeting, but there was no time for formalities.

“Let’s go quickly.”

After ensuring I was seated in the back, the butler took the passenger seat and urged the driver to depart. The car’s engine roared to life as it pulled away from the mansion, heading toward the front gate.

“Do you think we’ll make it on time?”

“I can’t say for sure.”

The butler retrieved a small pocket watch from his vest and checked the time. Seeing how much time had slipped away, I grew anxious, tapping my foot as I stared out the window at the passing scenery.

“Ah, we should be fine after all.”

Following the butler’s words, I looked ahead and saw the front gate coming into view. Thank goodness—the gate was still closed. Letting out a deep breath, I relaxed my back against the seat, which I had unconsciously been sitting rigidly against.

The car gradually slowed as it reached the front entrance. The massive gate, tightly shut, began to open upon sensing the approaching vehicle.

Unlike the mansion’s lush green trees and grass, the world beyond the district’s boundary was nothing but a barren desert. To the left of the dry, cracked earth stood an immense wall, towering above everything.

It’s really tall.

What lay beyond the wall that protected humanity from the outside world? Some claimed it was a hellscape overrun with radiation-spawned monsters, but the truth was unknown.

Even in a world where human lives were treated as disposable, people still valued their own survival. Who would willingly throw away their life just to uncover the truth?

“There he is.”

Just then, in the distance, a long-distance bus emerged past the district’s boundary, steadily approaching the gate. As soon as the car came to a complete stop, the butler stepped out from the passenger seat and opened the door for me.

Stepping out, my gaze immediately locked with Se-yul’s as he descended from the bus.

Suppressing any awkwardness, I spread my arms wide. Se-yul, eyes brimming with tears, ran straight toward me.

“Hyung!”

“Welcome home, Se-yul.”