NAPE - 100

★.Side Story 11

“There’s no benefit to making this a big deal. If the association starts digging, it’ll be troublesome. And if Tudor and Isabella find out... Sir Sauer, not to mention all the hunting dogs, will be killed before we can even figure out the facts.”

Actually, Doyoon didn’t care, but Bibi wouldn’t want that.

“This matter needs to be handled as quietly and quickly as possible.”

Nam-won nodded, mindful of Bibi. He sighed slightly and whispered to Doyoon.

“Where do you think Sir Sauer is now?”

“I’ve been looking for him since I realized he was missing, but I haven’t found anything significant yet. It’s like he’s completely hidden.”

“True. He pulled off something huge, so he’d have to make a quick escape. Since the family head has returned, if he dallies, his betrayal will be discovered, and he’ll be ripped to shreds. There was no hint of it when we met him. To think that was all an act...”

Bibi, who had been quietly walking ahead, abruptly stopped. Nam-won and Doyoon also halted their steps.

“Are you two sure he betrayed us?”

At Bibi’s question, Nam-won shrugged, saying the circumstances pointed to it. Doyoon also didn’t explicitly deny it.

“Why would Sir Sauer even betray us?”

“Dreaming of power, or thinking his place was usurped now that the Executor has returned... there could be any reason. What’s important isn’t the reason for the betrayal, but the act itself.”

Doyoon spoke coldly. He knew Bibi was shocked, but he believed Bibi needed cold advice rather than warm comfort. To face reality properly as quickly as possible.

“Regardless, the corpse flower cultivation method was there. It’s certain that Sir Sauer handed it over. It’s identical to the contents of your USB.”

Doyoon gazed at the socket hanging around Bibi’s neck. He had been with Bibi when she first checked the USB contents, so he recognized the cultivation method found at the factory.

Doyoon, convinced of the betrayal, stated that appropriate punishment should be meted out. There was no trace of mercy in his cool, black eyes.

“But I don’t want Sir Sauer to be punished...”

Bibi still believed in Sir Sauer. Or rather, he wanted to believe. He considered him like an inheritance, including the USB. Sir Sauer was also a witness. A witness that his parents loved each other and that he was their greatest fruit.

The last trace of memory of a father he had never met, and a mother he barely remembered. Although he had never been with them even once, they were undoubtedly precious family.

“Bibi, even if you don’t want it, he will be punished. He ultimately leaked classified information and created a situation that could put our world in serious crisis.”

“But shouldn’t we at least hear his side of the story? Maybe it was a mistake.”

“Even if it was a mistake, he can’t escape punishment.”

“......”

“The important thing here is that we need to end this matter internally. If the Elder Council finds out, they’ll use this issue to attack you.”

“If we end it internally... at least his life will be spared, right?”

Bibi desperately clasped Doyoon’s hands as if pleading. He remained silent.

“Doyoon. Even if Sir Sauer betrayed us, I hope you don’t kill him. We can do that if only we know, right?”

“To keep it between us, there are quite a few mouths to silence. If the factory owner remembers Sir Sauer and reports him later, it’ll be a headache.”

Bibi nodded vigorously.

“Then I’ll... try to persuade the factory owner. If Sir Sauer really did hand over the seeds, then we just need to silence him, right?”

Doyoon took a cigarette from his pocket and put it in his mouth. He took a deep drag, then sighed, his face showing he had finished his calculations.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t allow your naiveté here. Persuasion? That kind of idea is only for deciding dinner menus with Nam-won. For someone with a secret, eliminating them is the cleanest and neatest solution. If you want to save one, you have to kill another. Not just the factory owner, but all the hunting dogs belonging to that place, by your own hand. Can you do that?”

Bibi couldn’t readily answer him when he asked about his readiness for slaughter. Bibi had never killed anything without reason. In the past, when he hunted, he let humans live. He had counterattacked Choi Hae-jin and the hunting dogs that attacked him, but that was different from slaughter.

It was when he was silent for a moment, lost in complex thoughts. Nam-won, who had been scouting a little distance away, was startled and ran over.

“Senior, it seems we’re being pursued. They’re coming this way quickly. The direction is...”

“From all sides. And quite a number of them.”

Doyoon seemed to have noticed as well and threw down his cigarette.

“How did they find us and follow us?”

Nam-won swore, falling into a slight panic. Bibi grabbed his forearm and lifted it.

“Nam-won, your elbow was bleeding here, wasn’t it? Is that why?”

“What? Where? No, but it’s healed?”

“The blood must have been flowing until you joined us.”

Doyoon said softly. Nam-won’s face showed a sudden realization.

“Huh. No, is their sense of smell that good? No matter how much they’re vampires... this is almost shark-level.”

“Hunting dogs are trained to focus only on the smell of blood in the air. Their sense of smell becomes much more sensitive if they’re kept hungry and blindfolded.”

Bibi replied casually, recalling his own experience. He was certain that those hunting dogs were managed by the trainer, and Doyoon’s gaze became serious. His Adam’s apple bobbed fiercely for a moment.

“Look over there. They’ve gotten closer in this short time, haven’t they?”

Nam-won, feeling a sense of crisis, pointed into the forest. As if they didn’t even feel the need to hide, the hunting dogs revealed themselves under the moonlight and slowly began to surround the three. There were three times as many as they had seen in the Hiya Forest.

“They must be trying to hunt us.”

Doyoon, who had been looking at them, furrowed his brows. He was feeling bewildered. It was like seeing a swarm of ants gathering to attack a human.

“What should we do, Senior? Should we run?”

“Us? Why?”

Doyoon asked as if he genuinely didn’t understand why they should.

“Look at their numbers. We didn’t even bring many silver bullets for the investigation.”

“Just hit every single one that approaches. If by any chance you don’t have a gun, you can tear them apart with your hands or a knife.”

Nam-won blinked as if dumbfounded. Doyoon, who was loading his gun, raised an eyebrow as if slightly mocking him.

“Junior, are you not confident?”

“Hey, don’t cross the line. I’m just worried we’ll get hurt. Bibi’s here too. What if those guys use the drugs they’re manufacturing on us?”

At Nam-won’s words, Bibi jumped up.

“Me? Why?”

Bibi was confident in combat. He wasn’t yet used to firing a hunter’s gun, but he was accustomed to the smell of gunpowder. If push came to shove, he could just charge in and bite their necks.

“...Let’s go into the forest. It’ll be easier to hide there if things go wrong. Bibi, stay in the trees as much as possible. Even if you want to fight, don’t intervene. Just defend yourself. Understand?”

Doyoon, who had been insisting on a direct confrontation, subtly changed direction. It seemed he had decided that Bibi might get hurt.

In fact, during a combat situation, entering a forest was a double-edged sword. While it offered the advantage of being able to move around among the trees, it also had the fatal disadvantage of being vulnerable to ambushes.

If they could hit every single one, it would be much cleaner and faster to just shoot each approaching enemy in the head in an open area. Especially in a time-sensitive situation. That was Doyoon’s style.

Bibi felt like he was a hindrance. A rebellious feeling stirred within him.

“Doyoon! I can fight too...”

“Don’t intervene. Did you forget?”

Doyoon’s sharp gaze immediately fell upon him. Bibi flinched in surprise.

“You can’t even handle a gun properly yet. Dealing with vampires, especially hunting dogs specialized in combat, is different from hunting humans. You go up into the trees and take care of yourself.”

“But...”

“If you’re not going to follow orders, pack your bags right now and go back first.”

“...What?”

“Instead, if you go back tomorrow, becoming a hunter will be off the table. You’ll just remain my lover.”

Doyoon coldly reminded him of their past agreement. Unconditionally following his decisions was the first condition for participating in hunter activities.

Right now, he was prioritizing his role as a senior over his role as a lover. If Bibi disobeyed Doyoon’s orders, he would be immediately expelled from Thailand. At this point, with Sir Sauer missing, being excluded from the investigation would mean not only missing out on crucial information but also making it impossible to persuade Doyoon.

“Alright... I won’t participate in the fight.”

In the end, Bibi conceded. As soon as he heard the answer, Doyoon immediately turned towards the forest in front of the lodging. The hunting dogs also subtly turned their heads and entered the forest.