NAPE - 23

In the morning, Namwon opened the door and dropped the donut he was holding in shock. A bizarre scene unfolded before his eyes. Doyoon, completely shirtless, and Bibi, nestled into his side, fast asleep, looked for all the world like a couple who had spent the night together. Wait a minute, could it be...?

“Did she suck his blood and he died?”

Namwon swallowed hard, just in case, and leaned down, putting his ear to Doyoon’s nose. He blinked uncertainly, checking for breath. A faint breeze was slightly felt. Ah, he wasn’t dead.

A large hand came up and forcefully pushed his head away. Doyoon, awakened from his sleep, glared up at Namwon with an unpleasant expression.

“What.”

At the sharp, irritable voice, Namwon scratched his head awkwardly.

“Oh, you’re alive.”

“......”

“You shouldn’t be glaring at me so confidently right now. Did you two do it? Kwon Doyoon, do you have any conscience? Picking up a sickly kid and wanting to show off your waist movements? There are things you should and shouldn’t touch. You have plenty of women who like you!”

At the booming voice, Doyoon covered one ear with his palm and sat up. He finally noticed Bibi nestled into his side. Bibi, sound asleep in his embrace, looked incredibly peaceful.

Why... is she here like this? He was slightly surprised, but at the same time, a strange sense of satisfaction arose. It was as if a wildcat had opened up to him.

“...Don’t misunderstand. It’s not like that.”

“Do you think I’m an idiot?”

“...We just slept.”

“Oh really, just slept? Kwon Doyoon? Now you’re spouting ridiculous nonsense...”

“I really just slept. I slept straight through without even knowing she was next to me.”

Doyoon was usually a light sleeper. He hadn’t slept with anyone since he was three years old. Not even with partners he had been intimate with. But sleeping with Bibi next to him was not only okay, he hadn’t even noticed. It was strange.

“Okay, let’s say you just slept. But what are you going to do about Sunbae in the future? Are you going to keep a kid who can’t even tell right from wrong by your side? You’re supposed to be a hunter, can you really live comfortably with a vampire?”

“This isn’t strictly forbidden.”

“That’s true, but...”

“And Bibi is kind of like a cat.”

“A cat?”

“Yeah. I’m going to keep her.”

Namwon looked like he was hearing nonsense. Regardless, Doyoon chuckled. He had always strongly disliked anyone restraining or clinging to him, but he didn’t dislike it when this kid did it. No, he even felt a sense of pride in her sticking so closely to him. The events of last night were also unexpected and amusing.

“Oh really, not your type, huh?”

“That’s different from this. Ah, my head. Don’t make such loud noises. It’s echoing in my skull.”

“...Why does your complexion look like that? Are you really sick?”

Namwon, who had been snorting like a bull, belatedly noticed Doyoon’s complexion. His usually smooth skin was pale today. He had been sweating since yesterday, and he was still sweating now. He must have thrown off his shirt in his sleep because it felt clammy.

“I think I’m really sick.”

“What kind of divine power is this that makes prayers work so well?”

“... Hah. Should I try believing in the religion you follow?”

While Namwon’s eyes widened in surprise, Bibi stirred. Doyoon warned her to be quiet with a “shh.” But Bibi stubbornly opened her eyes wide.

“......?”

She realized she was in Doyoon’s embrace and was flustered before spotting Namwon. Her eyes narrowed sharply, and she instantly jumped off the bed and ran out of the room. Feeling the emptiness beside him, a strange sense of disappointment lingered.

“Sunbae. But... are you really just sick? It’s not that cycle of yours returning, is it? No, it’s definitely still a month away.”

Namwon clicked his tongue after seeing Bibi leave and lowered his voice secretly. Doyoon quietly sank into thought.

“...I should observe my condition a bit more for now. But why did you come this morning?”

“Ah, there’s something I wanted to show you.”

Namwon rummaged through his pocket and took out a rusty silver bullet.

“While chasing the guy who escaped from Buyeo last time, I found this in the mountains. I picked it up next to some white bone ash.”

Doyoon picked up the bullet and held it up to the light, examining it from side to side. He casually scanned the numbers engraved on the bullet. The engraved code and number were unfamiliar. It meant it didn’t belong to any hunter active in Korea, at least.

“If he was chasing Bibi’s former owner... it could be the trainer. A guy with a hunter’s gun...”

“The trail went cold, so I don’t think I can track him anymore.”

Namwon looked disheartened.

“There’s no need to track him down. You step back and go back to what you were doing.”

Doyoon wriggled back under the covers. Namwon looked bewildered at the sudden instruction to back off. He wanted to hear more explanation, but Doyoon didn’t seem inclined to explain. Oh well. He sighed.

“Oh, right, Sunbae. I’m not going today. I’m staying here.”

“Why aren’t you going?”

Doyoon peeked out from under the covers. He already looked visibly annoyed.

“I’m worried. About leaving you two alone.”

“What’s there to worry about? I told you, I have no intention of doing anything weird with Bibi.”

Doyoon unconsciously avoided his gaze at the end. The events of last night came to mind. Had it been too long? The sensation of his lower body being almost fully aroused was still vivid. The image of Bibi calling his name and stroking his hair made him feel hot again. A small impulse to see that image again arose.

“Just... I don’t really know, but I have a bad feeling. So I’m going to be here all day.”

Namwon was a guy who had good instincts, even if he didn’t know much else. Instead of telling him to get lost until his mouth hurt, Doyoon pulled the blanket over his head.

With just one more person in the large house, the atmosphere became noisy.

The boisterous Namwon reacted loudly to everything. He would laugh loudly when funny scenes appeared on television, raise his voice as if shouting to someone far away when on the phone, and scream “Wah!” in surprise whenever he made eye contact with the Bibi he was supposed to be watching.

Bibi detested anything noisy. If possible, she wanted to lock herself in the bedroom and not deal with that human. But with Doyoon lying asleep in bed, she couldn’t neglect her surveillance. She crouched on top of the refrigerator, keeping her eyes fixed on him.

“Hey. Be honest. Did you suck Kwon Doyoon’s blood, or did you not?”

Namwon, who had been watching television, approached and whispered his question. He urged her to be honest, saying he wouldn’t get angry. Bibi, who didn’t want to talk to anyone, kept her mouth shut, pretended not to hear, and sharply turned her head away.

“Tell me quickly. Otherwise, something really bad could happen, you know? There are times when Sunbae gets sick periodically, and if it’s not treated properly, it can get worse.”

Could what he was saying be true? Bibi, who had been pretending not to notice, subtly rolled her eyes. It seemed too shallow to be a trick... She was worried about Doyoon not moving in bed.

“What does that have to do with sucking blood?”

“Sunbae has a sensitive constitution. If there’s a slight deficiency of blood in his body...”

“He dies?”

“He doesn’t... die.”

Namwon subtly avoided her gaze from below the refrigerator.

“...Then it has nothing to do with me.”

Bibi realized he was trying to coax her. She turned her head back and pretended to be indifferent. Namwon shook his head with a look of weariness. He clicked his tongue, deciding not to say anything more, and took out a yellow bag from one corner. He then shook it in front of Bibi.

“This is really delicious. Wanna see?”

What was it?

Bibi, who had been pretending not to be interested, glanced over. Inside the bag was a round, fluffy-looking white bread. Based on her past experiences, things that looked like that were generally delicious. She was quite curious about what this would taste like.

“You said you like this kind of thing. Try some of this too. It’s a steamed bun, a steamed bun.”

Seeing Bibi show interest, Namwon slowly placed the bag of steamed buns in front of her. He was very anxious that Bibi might swat it away like last time. Bibi, who had been making a sulky face, reluctantly accepted the bag.

She was puzzled as to why this human was acting like this, but seeing him offer it to her himself, it seemed like he was trying to serve her. She opened her mouth wide and took a bite of the bread. Inside the bread was a black, sweet filling. Bibi liked the steamed bun very much. Eating something sweet made her feel good. She eagerly began to eat the rest.

“Yeah, yeah. Eat as much as you want. But you promised not to glare at me like that anymore when you see me, okay? And don’t scare people from on top of the refrigerator. Please!”

Namwon said, relieved, seeing Bibi’s slightly flushed expression. Since he had asked so earnestly, she couldn’t refuse. Bibi reluctantly, with a great magnanimity, accepted Namwon under her.

________________________________________

Doyoon continued to lie down until the sun had completely set. Bibi was slightly worried that it was because of her. She had been too forceful last night, sucking his blood. She felt a belated regret. Come to think of it, there were first aid supplies around here somewhere.

While Namwon was engrossed in the television, Bibi rummaged through the drawers and took out a first aid kit. She then brought it to Doyoon’s door and knocked gently. She was worried about Doyoon lying there without proper treatment and wanted to do something for him.