Velvet Eclipse had guest lists stricter than embassies. And still—
His fingers itched toward his phone.
??????
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the city—
Velvet Eclipse pulsed with light and laughter. The party was in full swing.
Haneul shimmered under chandeliers and stage lights, his body a riot of contradictions: white fur and black leather, chaos and youth wrapped in sin, glitter catching on cheekbones as sharp as ice.
“Illegal,” Hyacinth muttered from her bar stool, biting into a cherry. “That ass should be locked up.”
“Only if I can supervise the arrest,” came another queen’s cackle.
Haneul blew a kiss across the crowd, mask tilted up, cheeks flushed from dancing and shots of lavender vodka. His wings shimmered—too white, too perfect, the kind of costume that begged to be ruined.
Heclimbed the counter. Drag queens screamed. Someone whooped.
Cha Yul, watching from the upstairs balcony with a drink in hand, smiled down at the scene like a father at a very feral wedding.
No one saw the danger enter.
Because the danger was polite.
Dressed well. Masks perfect.
Guest passes gleaming. Vetted. Confirmed.
One of the queens squinted across the floor, frowning. Something tugged at her memory.
“Didn’t we fire that bartender last year…?”
But the music surged, drowning the danger. The lights spun. And the question vanished.
??????
Something itched at the base of Seungho’s spine.
He didn’t name it—not quite. Just a cold feeling lodged under the ribcage, coiled like warning.
The meeting had ended later than planned—delays, smiles too sharp, the Jangs posturing like nothing had happened last spring. He hadn’t even made it through dessert. He had stood up mid-sentence and walked out.
I said I’d be there before nine. I’m not going to be late.
The car purred beneath him now, weaving through Gangnam’s veins. His driver muttered something about construction ahead. Seungho’s jaw clicked.
“Pull over.”
“Sir?”
“I’ll drive. Now.”
He didn’t wait. The city gleamed cold through the windshield.
He gripped the wheel like a weapon and pressed down the pedal.
??????
