NAPE - 11

What Bibi wanted was… though she hated to admit it, Doyoon’s blood. Recalling the taste of Doyoon’s blood she had briefly experienced ten days ago, her body heated up and her mouth felt parched.

Should she pounce again like last time? No, she couldn’t. Absolutely not. He had said he would shoot if she went berserk. That wasn’t an empty threat. The memory of his cold gaze sent a shiver of fear down her spine. Bibi squeezed her eyes shut, trying to shake off the torment like a monk.

“Want some?”

Strangely enough, Doyoon seemed to have noticed Bibi’s thirst. He made an unbelievable offer. Bibi, who had been fidgeting behind the curtains, turned around and was startled. Doyoon, who had approached her without a sound, was looking down at her intently. His massive frame was like a thick wall.

“You want my blood, don’t you?”

Bibi barely managed to gather her senses and stiffly shook her head.

“You want to drink it.”

His eyes, which always seemed languid, suddenly shone with an intense, almost sucking light. He was so mesmerizing that he could shake a person’s heart and steal their mind. He was a more unreal human than the statue she had seen on television the day before yesterday. The surrounding air flowed loosely, and the dust floating in the air slowly settled.

“I’ll let you suck it.”

“…….”

“Answer one question for me, though.”

He would let her drink blood for just one question? What kind of question could he possibly ask? While she was pondering, Doyoon casually unbuttoned his shirt. His prominent Adam’s apple, smooth neck, and straight, cool collarbones were temptingly revealed.

“Here.”

Doyoon took another step closer, as if urging her to seize the opportunity quickly. His white neck gleamed. It was as intoxicating and appetizing as the sheen on food.

Gulp. Her saliva involuntarily went down. Her five viscera and six entrails were twisted in a frenzy of appetite. Her stomach urged her to quickly sink her fangs into that beautiful neck and drink the red blood.

“Oh, and this is a secret from everyone else.”

Bibi was confident in keeping secrets. She quickly nodded her head, but Doyoon raised his eyebrows as if dissatisfied.

“You have to answer with words.”

“I’ll keep it. A secret…”

Bibi answered in a voice as small as a mosquito’s.

She had always thought that vampires were the ones who charmed humans, but it wasn’t. Bibi realized that she was the one being charmed. In front of a human who offered his neck and allowed proximity, a vampire couldn’t help but lose their reason. Bibi had degenerated into a miserable beast suffering from hunger and thirst.

With a feeling of surrender, she approached Doyoon, deeply inhaling his addictive scent. She was about to take a sip quickly when she encountered an unexpected obstacle. The other’s height was several spans taller than hers. Even on tiptoes, she was far from reaching that beautiful neck with her fangs.

Furthermore, bringing her mouth all the way there without touching him with her hands wasn’t easy. Bibi wanted to drink Doyoon’s blood, not touch him.

Doyoon, who had been watching Bibi expressionlessly, let out a soft puff of air. He slowly leaned against the wall with his arm, bending his upper body down as if relying on it. As Doyoon’s upper body suddenly came closer, his scent wafted strongly. It was a heavy yet unique fragrance. Like wood warmed by the winter sun. The more she smelled it, the more languid she felt.

Her mind became hazy, and her thirst intensified even more. Bibi completely forgot that she was too close to Doyoon. She couldn’t take it anymore. She opened her mouth in an instant and lunged at his neck.

“Ugh…”

With Doyoon’s low groan, warm blood flowed into her throat. The veins in his hand that gripped the wall stood out. Bibi closed her eyes, savoring the vivid liquid that traveled down her tongue.

It was an even sweeter and more addictive taste. The hunting dog’s rules had already vanished from her mind. Only the craving for blood filled her. Was this why the trainer had kept her starved? Afraid that she would be swayed by desire and disobey orders…?

“Stop… that’s enough.”

With a hoarse voice, Doyoon grabbed Bibi’s shoulders and barely managed to pull her away. The blood-sucked man was slightly flushed rather than pale.

Come to think of it, one of her former owners had said that being sucked by a vampire gave them extreme pleasure… She didn’t know what that sensation was like, but the fact that it could make a vampire hunter make such an expression… a strong curiosity arose.

“Wow, that was my first time being sucked…”

Doyoon mumbled, rubbing his neck. His chest rose and fell rapidly, and his eyes were slightly unfocused. With his hand still on the wall, Doyoon composed his disheveled breathing.

Bibi wiped the blood from her lips with the back of her hand, closely observing Doyoon. She had felt it before, but he was a man with a striking appearance that one couldn’t help but look at. Seeing him, who had always been cynical and expressionless, panting with flushed breath, she was seized by a strange feeling.

What on earth was this feeling…? She felt an urge to touch something more.

“...Was it tasty?”

Doyoon, who had instantly returned to his usual demeanor, asked. Bibi belatedly realized that the distance between them was close enough to feel body heat. In fact, she felt slightly warm from the warmth emanating from Doyoon’s body and her own.

“Tasty.”

In exchange for the blood, Bibi dutifully answered aloud.

“If you behave, I’ll give you more in the future.”

“...Okay.”

“My turn to ask a question.”

What on earth would he ask? Bibi fidgeted nervously with her fingers. The corner of Doyoon’s lips tilted upwards. He lowered his head again. She flinched, but this time she didn’t avoid it.

“Today’s on the house. But remember every time you drink my blood. I’m your master now.”

The voice that reached her ear was incredibly languid. It was so pleasant to hear that her mind became hazy. In response to his claim of being her master, Bibi mumbled something short.

However, she herself didn’t know what answer she had given. The only thing certain was that the corners of Doyoon’s lips, which had gone up, didn’t come down.

________________________________________

So far, there had been a total of ten individuals who had become Bibi’s master. The durations were all irregular, ranging from as short as six months to as long as five years.

The duration didn’t matter. Without exception, they had all put Bibi in a narrow cage, blindfolded her, and treated her thoroughly like a dog. The reason for the blindfold was to minimize exposure to the owner’s private life and prevent her from remembering their identity.

Their personalities were generally similar. Some would beat Bibi mercilessly if she failed a hunt, while others would painfully suck her blood, saying they would eat even her.

The worst was a woman who kept her hair down to her waist. She would leave the house for long periods when she had a boyfriend. Bibi had to wait indefinitely for her owner, locked in a narrow cage. It was then that she first learned that being beaten was better than being lonely.

What type would Kwon Doyoon be… if he became her master? A hunter being the master of a vampire. She had never even imagined such a thing. Therefore, she couldn’t even guess what it would be like.

The only thing she could predict was that he would have none of the common traits of her previous owners. Of course, she had no intention of accepting him.

Bibi waited for the trainer. For now, that was the only way.

If the trainer came and took her away, everything would return to normal. Her attraction to the hunter’s blood, her changed physical condition, and her constant urge to imitate humans.

If she returned, she would lead a regular life as before. Waking up early every morning, memorizing the rules, and training to abide by them.

Bibi had endured the step-by-step pain the trainer gave her to ensure she never spoke in any situation, chased targets in a starved state to increase her hunting success rate, and meditated in a snake pit with her five senses bound for patience training. When she concentrated in the black darkness, she would hear the trainer’s dry voice in her ear.

“I’m the only one who can protect you, Bibi. I am your only salvation and God. Serve only me. You will be safe while you live as a hunting dog. A good hunting dog doesn’t betray its master.”

That voice was deeply engraved in Bibi’s brain and would never disappear. Ah, she also had a lot of special training every season. Fighting against the cold, enduring the hot summer, and so on… It was a tough life in its own way.

Compared to that, life in Seoul was incredibly uneventful, to the point of being monotonous. When the sun rose, all she did was watch the human procession moving outside the window, smacking her lips, and in the evening, she would lie on the sofa and watch television. Bibi had become complacent without even realizing it.

The day before yesterday, having quenched her thirst, she was watching television on the sofa in a rare lighthearted state when she suddenly dozed off. Had she slept for about an hour? She lifted her heavy eyelids, feeling a strange chill. The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was the warm living room light. Her heart was more at peace than ever before.

Usually, when she opened her eyes in the dark, she would face another darkness, a cold iron cage, the trainer, or the face of an angry owner. But the bright living room filled with warm air and a pleasant scent made her feel good. Wait, this scent was…

The moment she recognized the identity, her sleep vanished instantly. Her half-closed eyes snapped open.