NAPE - 72

River whimpered out his reply. Just how many hounds had he created? Even so, for London’s Hunter Association to fall so quickly... how sloppy.

“That’s right, River. You should have gone to the basement,” Doyoon said loudly, looking at River.

“Huh?”

“The basement, I said. You should have gone to the basement. You should have waited for me there.”

“Oh, really?” River tilted his head, looking clueless. Doyoon didn’t care whether he understood or not. He had another audience in mind. He just hoped they understood correctly.

“Don’t even think about playing tricks. What are you doing? Start!”

As soon as Claireval’s order fell, a hound, holding pliers for fang extraction, approached River. Poor River trembled and shook his head.

“N-no, don’t... Please... Young Master, Young Master... save me!”

His tearful pleas were useless. The hounds’ expressions grew even more delighted. They each grabbed one of River’s flailing limbs and forced his mouth open.

“Aaargh, no! Don’t!”

“Your target is me. Just pull out my fangs instead.” Doyoon gnashed his teeth as he spoke to Claireval.

“I’ll do that anyway. But first, I’ll make an example of this one.”

“Stop it.”

“I won’t stop until you tell me where Bibi is. Tell me, hurry!” Claireval was highly agitated. No words could reach him now. He held the pliers up to the sunset light, admiring them like jewels, then roughly thrust them into River’s mouth. River screamed, a tearing sound, and thrashed his head wildly. The hounds grabbed his head to keep him from escaping.

The cold pliers clamped onto a fang. Doyoon’s Adam’s apple bobbed roughly. He stared fixedly at Claireval with wide eyes. A terrifying concentration, like a predator about to pounce on its prey, emanated from him.

“Actually, I was happy to receive Jack’s head.”

Claireval paused at the abrupt statement. He frowned and turned his head. Doyoon scoffed.

“It was proof that you were following along nicely.”

“...What are you talking about?”

“Yes. In fact, the alliance offer was all a lie. The second Black Death? It’s so absurd I have to laugh. I never understood you for a moment.”

“...”

“Even a child wouldn’t come up with such an idea. I only dream of vampires emerging into the light, not some teenage fantasy. The reason I wanted to meet you isn’t because of some damn war, but to punch that dog-like face of yours.”

Claireval slowly turned his bloodshot eyes towards Doyoon. River was aghast. He frantically shook his head, gagging, as if to tell Doyoon not to provoke his anger further. But Doyoon ignored him and sneered.

“Claireval. Since you told me an interesting and absurd story, shall I tell you one?”

“I’d like to hear that after pulling out this one’s fangs and yours.” Claireval threatened, repeatedly gripping and releasing the pliers.

“You should hear it now. Because it’s about you.”

Claireval’s eyes darted around. He kept the pliers in River’s mouth and gestured with his chin, as if daring Doyoon to speak. Doyoon smiled smoothly.

“Actually, I knew it too, you see? That you were lurking around me, following me. No, more precisely, following Bibi.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. How could you have known?”

“When the mixed-blood vampire who acted as Bibi’s master was hit by a silver bullet, I expected there would be a tracker trying to get his hound back. Not long after, they had the nerve to have a gang fight among mixed-blood vampires in front of the Hunter Association? And coincidentally, the security company had just changed to a new one that day. That’s when I became sure my information had been compromised.”

Claireval, whose actions over the past few months had been precisely read, blinked, holding the pliers.

“I was curious how you would approach me. Since you knew I held a professorship at the Hunter Association, I tried taking Bibi to school as a test. Before long, Choi Hae-jin appeared. Honestly, I regret it. I didn’t know she would give her such a strange medicine. Anyway, watching her, I realized you were a terrible coward and that you were abnormally obsessed with Bibi. I wondered if it was because she was a pureblood, or if there was something more.”

Doyoon looked at the sun setting outside the window. It had descended about an inch and a half since before. Just a little more, just a little more.

“You probably expected that far. But I was ahead of you! Seeing you check the family tree with CCTV, I contacted Jack beforehand. To capture the two of you! Of course, he failed, but I learned where you would head. As proof, you were caught by me!”

Claireval’s expression was one of bruised pride as he spluttered and raised his voice. Doyoon scoffed at his reaction.

“I deliberately showed you the CCTV. So you could anticipate our destination.”

“What did you say?”

“Why do you think I specifically mentioned Longmelford to Jack? Didn’t you find it strange that I even leaked approximate dates of when we’d come here, right in front of him? Your prior contact with Jack, your meeting him again right after we left, your waiting here beforehand. It was all a game I set up.”

Claireval blinked dumbfounded. He thought he was giving chase, but in reality, he had walked into a web spun by someone else. Claireval’s face, sinking into confusion, was quite a sight. Doyoon wanted to savor it longer, but there was truly no more time. The moment was approaching.

Doyoon took a deep breath and calculated. If, due to some accident, the floor were to collapse... River would be slightly injured, but with blood, he would probably manage. This house, built during wartime, had a bunker structure in its basement. Even if it completely collapsed, Bibi and Namwon would be safe.

Just as Doyoon finished calculating the safety of the suddenly appearing variables, a clack echoed, the sound of a gun being loaded.

“So. You, the esteemed son of the Executioner, knew everything and lured me here, but what does it matter? You’re trapped in an iron cage and injured. Do you really think you can fight back now?”

Claireval, as a last resort, brought up Doyoon’s predicament and aimed the gun with bloodshot eyes. He looked quite enraged. Well, he had every right to be. He thought he was winning the game, only to find out his every move had been read. He probably couldn’t believe it.

“I told you it’s useless to aim.” Doyoon chuckled lowly. He pierced Claireval with eyes so transparent they seemed black.

“You saw Bibi’s master get hit by a silver bullet; do you think I wouldn’t have anticipated the hounds having guns?”

“You sound like you got caught on purpose.”

“I had to get caught, what else could I do? Your guts are so small and pathetic that it’s obvious you would have kept hiding unless your hands were tied behind your back like this.” Doyoon twisted his handcuffs a little more. Just one more pull and they’d break.

“This is the first time in my hunter life I’ve moved so cautiously. The hardest part was having patience. But there’s a payoff. Look at the result. You dropped your guard and showed yourself to me, just like this.”

“...”

“This house was your trap, and at the same time, it was my mousetrap.”

“...”

“From the moment you appeared before me, the outcome was already decided for you.”

“What are you going to do?”

Claireval was now preparing to flee. He looked around, considering his escape routes. Doyoon shook his head, signaling it was useless.

“I set bombs on the way up. Oh, more precisely, I left a coat with bombs attached on the third floor.”

A few days ago, Doyoon had Namwon acquire bombs powerful enough to collapse an entire mansion. All the way here, he had been so anxious about accidentally setting them off. He was more nervous about safely carrying them than meeting Claireval. A small shock could cause them to explode, turning everything into nothing.

“Time’s almost up, Claireval.” The end of his period of endurance was approaching. Doyoon watched Claireval try to run towards the emergency exit and shook his head, indicating it was useless.

“...Bombs... Then not only me, but you too...”

Claireval paused. Unlike him, Kwon Doyoon was inside a sturdy iron cage. Behind bars that wouldn’t easily bend even with a vampire’s strength. In a place that would secure some breathing room even if the concrete collapsed.

The sunset light poured through the attic window as if spilled. Claireval blankly turned his head. The round sun was a large clock.

Tick, tock, tick, tock.

The sound of the minute hand echoed loudly in his ears, as if signaling that the time had come. Doyoon smiled triumphantly.