NAPE - 20

Ordinarily, a human might have dismissed it as just a feeling, but Namwon had a profession that relied on his gut instincts. He didn’t take the eerie feeling lightly. To find the cause, he calmly got up and looked around.

On top of the refrigerator… okay, no one there. Behind the curtains… not there either.

“What the heck, seriously? Is it just my imagination?”

Having found nothing unusual, Namwon became quite puzzled. He took a breath and looked around, then suddenly looked under the dining table.

“Aaaah!”

He screamed once more, just like when he had first arrived. Under the table, between the chair legs, Bibi was sitting like a small animal, keeping a close watch on Namwon. In the dark shadows, her piercing gaze shone. She looked exactly like a wildcat, no, a tiger, seen at night.

“What the hell! What the heck are you doing!”

Namwon, as startled as he was angry, huffed and puffed. He was shorter than Doyoon, but by no means small. His round shoulders were as broad as the Pacific, and his fists were as big as hammers. When he showed hostility, the aura he exuded was like that of a wild boar.

“Why have you been giving me such nasty looks since earlier? Either look at me openly or don’t. Stop hiding in corners and startling me!”

Bibi silently stared at Namwon, who was yelling loudly. She couldn’t help it if he was angry. This was Doyoon’s house, her territory. Namwon was a clear intruder. She had a duty to keep a close watch on whether he was up to anything.

“You, don’t tell me you’re spying on me?”

Namwon was perceptive for someone who seemed dull. He immediately grasped Bibi’s intentions and huffed even more. There was a limit to how differently you could treat people, even if you were prejudiced. They were both hunters, yet they were being treated so differently. He felt really bad. Kwon Doyoon had clearly said she had lowered her guard to an amusing degree. Wait a minute, that brat… was she only being friendly with Kwon Doyoon?

“Do you like Kwon Doyoon?”

Namwon, who didn’t know the full story, thought of one possibility. Honestly, it wasn’t far-fetched. No, it made sense, given his past experiences. Hunters, schoolmates, disciples, even vampires. How many women had coveted Doyoon? And among them were many who fit Doyoon’s tastes.

“Forget it. That bastard’s type isn’t someone like you.”

“Type?”

At the unexpected words, Bibi slightly lowered her guard.

“Yeah. Kwon Doyoon, that guy, he’s into the curvy type.”

“...Curvy?”

“You know, like those foreign women with really big butts. The kind with a strong aura that can dominate most men. That’s his type. Compared to that, you’re… boring. You could even say frail. You’re so skinny and look like a kid. You should eat your iron supplements properly.”

Skinny… looks like a kid… Bibi was hurt. Strangely, she felt bad. No matter how ignorant she was of the world, she wasn’t a kid.

“...I’m not a kid...”

Bibi muttered, chewing over a vaguely emerging memory. She couldn’t estimate accurately, but she wasn’t young enough to be called a kid by this human. She had seen the sun rise and the moon set thousands, no, tens of thousands of times.

“Yeah. By vampire years, you might not be a kid. But I’m talking about your impression. The feeling you give off! You know, that… how should I put it? Kwon Doyoon likes a more mature, ripe feeling. So don’t waste your time having unrequited feelings. Huh? I’m giving you advice out of pity. In his eyes, you probably don’t even look like a woman.”

“…….”

“Ah, of course, it’s not that you’re not attractive. You have looks that could get you cast in a drama, so don’t lose your confidence.”

Namwon hurriedly added, seeing Bibi become quiet. Bibi, who had been lost in thought, raised her head and focused on a new fact. Kwon Doyoon liked the mature type?

While the unexpected information was interesting, she was slightly worried. What if her master wouldn’t give her blood because she wasn’t his type? The thought of not being able to drink that blood was depressing. Namwon misunderstood Bibi’s gloomy expression.

“Kwon Doyoon, he’s annoying, but I’ll admit he’s handsome. But nothing good will come of liking him. Do you have to eat a poisoned apple to know what it’s like? It looks tempting and delicious on the outside, but the moment you swallow it and taste the sweetness, you die. That’s the kind of guy Kwon Doyoon is. He’s not good to women.”

Namwon freely interpreted Bibi’s dark expression and offered advice and encouragement.

Kwon Doyoon was a poisoned apple… but he tasted good.

Bibi rested her head against the table leg and sat huddled, lost in thought. Humans were said to feel pleasure when vampires drank their blood. That’s why they offered their necks, wanting to be bitten more. Did Kwon Doyoon feel it well? If he felt it less because she wasn’t his type… wouldn’t he stop giving it to her in the future? She had to do something.

“Anyway. Just maintain a proper distance.”

Namwon said seriously, unaware of Bibi’s inner thoughts.

“There are plenty of handsome humans. Look carefully. But don’t go around biting people recklessly.”

“…….”

“If you go outside, guys will line up for you. So forget about Kwon Doyoon. Even if he approaches you and tries to seduce you, don’t fall for it. Just smack him on the head firmly! Like this, huh?”

Namwon swung his hand in the air, quite excited as if Kwon Doyoon was right in front of him.

“That guy is the type who has to get what he wants by any means necessary. But once he has it, he’s a bad bastard who ignores you and throws you away. I’m one of them. He told me I had talent, so I should learn from him, and then from the first day, he just threw me into a vampire den! Telling me to survive on my own. Just thinking about that time makes me want to curse… it’s enough to make my ancestors in their graves jump up. Anyway, he has a nasty disposition. He’s a vicious guy who only enjoys the process of obtaining things.”

The noisy and bothersome human, who seemed to have a lot of pent-up feelings, increasingly began to badmouth Kwon Doyoon. Bibi couldn’t listen anymore. She glared at Namwon for a long time before nimbly climbing back onto the refrigerator and resuming her surveillance. Having a high vantage point was advantageous in many ways.

“Huh, unbelievable. I warned you, okay?”

Namwon snorted, shook his head as if he had a stomachache, and picked up his phone.

“How long do you think you’ll stay up there? Don’t come running when you smell this.”

He ordered two pizzas using a delivery app. Soon, the delivery man brought the cola and pizzas. Namwon spread everything out on the table and began to devour it greedily. Bibi watched him eat voraciously with a curious expression.

“How about it? Don’t you want some?”

Namwon, who was eating with a lot of hot sauce, decided to be generous. He put two slices of pizza with hot sauce on a plate and placed it on top of the refrigerator. Bibi had no intention of eating food given by the noisy human. Even smelling it made a spicy scent rise sharply.

There were only three things Bibi disliked: spicy things, noisy things, and hot things including fire. Ah, was the latter more of a scary thing? Anyway.

Bibi frowned and kicked the plate off with her foot. The pizza and the plate separated and fell freely. Crash! The sound of the plate breaking echoed. The pizza stuck to the floor in a miserable state.

Namwon’s curses began. Bibi covered her ears.

________________________________________

Step, step.

The heavy sound of men’s dress shoes echoed in the quiet hallway. The image conveyed by the polished shoes and confident footsteps created a strange sense of anticipation for the approaching person. People glanced at the man with curious eyes. His neatly swept-back hair clearly emphasized his smooth forehead and high nose. His delicate yet strong features made it difficult to determine his nationality, constantly drawing attention.

“Judging by your attire, you must be coming from school? This way.”

Greeting Doyoon, the association president headed towards the underground stairs leading to the archives.

Inside the hunter association’s archives, pushing aside an ordinary-looking marble wall surprisingly revealed a corridor. Passing through a narrow corridor barely wide enough for two people to walk, a space like a museum exhibition room appeared.

Doyoon saw an expensive-looking gold crown, an intricate silver gun, a plant covered in sharp fangs, and a book kept inside thick reinforced glass. His usually languid eyes sparkled.

The association president went through several security procedures, opened the glass case, and handed the book to Doyoon.

“Here, the thing you wanted to see. The genealogy of the 60 vampire families, of which there are only two copies in the world. You have exactly 20 minutes.”

Doyoon took the book and immediately opened it on the spot. To thoroughly scan this thick book, there was no time to sit down. Sweat broke out on his back.

“Why are you sweating so much in this winter? You’re someone who gets cold easily. Are you hot?”

The association president, who had been waiting idly, noticed the sweat trickling down Doyoon’s temples and approached to take a closer look.

“...I’m not hot. Could you move a bit? Your breathing is too loud, Association President, it’s distracting me from concentrating.”

“Sensitive brat.”

Grumbling, the association president moved aside. Doyoon continued reading the book with careful eyes.