NAPE - 92

Side Story 3

He screamed desperately. He deeply regretted choosing a soundproofed room for the purpose of muffling the screams of prostitutes.

“Still, I needed a justification to really mess him up, so I brought some.”

Doyoon casually wiped the blood from his shoe, dragging it across the floor. Several lines of blood appeared on the carpeted floor.

“Interfered in the Czech nuclear power plant bidding process to exclude Russia. And, within the last 100 years, murdered 89 call girls, strippers, and homeless people...”

“That’s...”

“You’ve committed the most forbidden acts in the vampire world.”

“What’s the use of that now? The Elder Council will soon begin deliberations on vampire assimilation into human society. Even if you side with the Executor, don’t forget that the moment that resolution is passed, our hands will be freed!”

“Ah. Now I get it.”

At Edan’s desperate struggle, Doyoon wore a clear expression.

“......?”

“You’re more wary of the Executor’s return.”

It made sense. What was more shrouded in mystery than the Executioner was the returned Executor. In the past, the Executioner intervened only in extreme situations, while the Executor, with a role of oversight, was more actively involved in all matters. Naturally, vampires would be concerned about their future actions.

“At this point, I don’t think I should let you live.”

Doyoon muttered ominously.

“I, I have no interest in the Executor. Really! I only reported you to the Council because I was chosen by vote in the Federation...!”

“The Federation? Are you talking about the Vampire Economic Federation?”

They were mostly interested in making money, but that group was as bothersome as the Elder Council if you provoked them. Doyoon pondered for a moment, then smiled.

“Since you confessed early, I’ll praise you. Let’s just finish this and go. As a warning not to try anything foolish again.”

Doyoon pulled out a large pair of pliers from his pocket. Edan, knowing full well what they were used for, gasped in horror and struggled even more violently.

“...What’s happening, why are you doing this to me! Is it because I reported you to the Elder Council? I-I didn’t mean it. I was just testing the waters...”

“So... why test people? It’s not like they’re ox bone soup.”

Click-clack, click-clack went the pliers as Doyoon looked down with an arrogant gaze. There wasn’t a hint of hesitation in his eyes.

“If there’s another vote, tell them straight. Whether it’s the Executor or the Executioner, if they provoke either of us, they should be prepared for a declaration of war.”

The pliers brutally jabbed at the man’s mouth. In contrast to the ear-splitting screams, every movement was clean and professional. The Executioner’s method of work was closer to filleting fish than butchery.

Blood-soaked fangs floated in the air, emitting a warm aura. Doyoon’s black eyes, gazing at them, shone with an inorganic light. This level of violence was no different from killing a fly.

It was something he always did before coming to Korea. This was the world Doyoon originally belonged to. The harsh world of nature, where a lion in the wild would tear open the belly of a living impala to consume its entrails first, and would immediately put its newborn cubs into its mouth.

“If you recover well, I’ll come visit you next time, Edan. That castle in Měšice is really nice. Your bloodline, which you carelessly sired through half-bloods and humans, seems to be growing up happily.”

“How did you get there...?”

“Oh, was it a secret? Why bother? The kids were cute. Do you really think I’d get angry and extract and drink a newborn’s blood? That’s the greatest taboo. It’s not even a situation that would call for that.”

He implied that he hadn’t done it because it wasn’t necessary, but if the line was crossed, he wouldn’t hesitate to do something even more cruel. While on the verge of fainting from having his fangs pulled out, Edan trembled with a different kind of terror.

“Anyway. I’ll visit when I have time. Oh, and your recovery will be very slow. It’s made from silver bullet material. Make sure you keep a tight lid on it so the rumors don’t spread.”

Doyoon threw the pliers and fangs onto the floor and left the room with a clean movement.

His business in America was now finished. Doyoon intended to return to Korea as quickly as possible. He had lied to Bibi that he was on a short business trip, so he needed to board a plane quickly to avoid being caught.

The Las Vegas roads on a weekend night were extremely congested. The distance to McCarran was usually only 30 minutes, but he had picked the wrong day. Doyoon, gazing idly at the night view from the taxi, sighed and called someone.

“It’s me. What’s the situation in London?”

• Same as usual. Seems you handled it well. Your voice sounds good.

Richard replied cheerfully, delighted by his son’s call.

“Have you still not found Sir Sauer?”

• No. The arboretum and the mansion were empty.

Doyoon inhaled sharply. He had learned about Sir Sauer’s disappearance a few weeks ago. He was confused whether he was hiding as before or contacting someone else.

Doyoon didn’t rule out the possibility that he had turned. It was common for such old vampires to betray their masters. Especially since he had been filling the void of the head of the family.

“In the unlikely event you find him... don’t lay a hand on him for now. It’s more important to figure out what happened first.”

• What will you do if he’s acting with other intentions?

“I’ll do it the usual way.”

• ...Bibi won’t like that, will she? Will it be okay?

At Richard’s question, Doyoon quietly bit his lip.

“...I’ll have to tell her as soon as possible. What kind of place this world is.”

Doyoon hesitated before answering, then immediately hung up the phone. His mind felt a little complicated. Bibi still knew nothing. How vampire society worked, how the balance of power was maintained.

Frankly, he wanted to keep her ignorant, but since she was already exposed as the Executor, he didn’t have that luxury. To preserve her role and position, she had to learn to build power and be cunning.

Should he find someone to strictly teach her soon? Ah... No. He couldn’t entrust the role of a teacher who would surely be disliked to someone else. Doyoon didn’t want Bibi to learn everything from someone else. He wanted to monopolize not only her affection but also all her secondary emotions like dislike or resentment.

Suddenly, Doyoon squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his fist. Something was rising from deep within him. Having just been in a blood-soaked scene, violent urges surged.

Doyoon strictly controlled his thirst by regularly drinking blood packs and taking excessive iron supplements. He hoped the blood flowing through him would be diluted by accepting other blood.

But his inherent instincts, by absorbing and digesting the blood of others, further honed and refined his destructive desires. Doyoon’s fangs constantly tingled.

No. Not here. I have to hold back. If I harm this innocent taxi driver... I’ll be late for my flight.

Reluctantly, he bit into the medicine he had in his pocket. The taxi driver cleared his throat and sent an uneasy glance. He was about to warn him not to try anything foolish, but he quickly closed his mouth at the cold, damp gaze he caught in the side mirror.

“Haa...”

Feeling the slow spread of the medicine’s effects, Doyoon took a deep breath and leaned his head back. The aggressive cells in his body slowly calmed down. His tensed muscles relaxed, and his surging blood lost its direction and dispersed. Due to the slowed reception of sensations, the nightscape outside appeared as complex afterimage lines, like the movement of the solar system.

He touched the hunter gun in his pocket. Doyoon liked using the hunter gun. The sensation of cleanly eliminating targets made him feel refreshed. His phone rang. He answered immediately without checking the caller ID.

“Yes.”

• Doyoon, where are you?

Bibi’s voice tickled his ear, piercing through his floating consciousness. Doyoon’s face broke into a wide smile.

“Still in Jeonju.”

• When will you be done with work?

“Almost done. There were so many documents, it took a long time to find them.”

The lie he had promised not to tell came out naturally.

• I called because I miss you.

At Bibi’s honest words, Doyoon’s grin stretched from ear to ear.

• But, hey, what was the name of that drink we had at the cafe last time? It was something like ‘Kki’... with white cream on top.

“So that’s why you called.”

• Ah, no.

“It’s a Caramel Macchiato. If you ask the staff for whipped cream on top, it’ll taste the same.”

• Okay, thanks!

Bibi, having achieved her purpose, promptly hung up. She was the type to only state her business during calls. She felt quite awkward talking without seeing the other person’s face. Doyoon chuckled in amusement.

Ah... I want to go back quickly. The thought of her rabbit-like red eyes and prim expression made his thirst surge. It had only been two days since they were apart. Doyoon truly missed his food source and his one and only lover.

“Why do you like her so much?”

Isabel had once asked him, amazed by her son’s change from treating everyone mundanely. While there might not be a clear reason for such feelings, he distinctly remembered the moment he fell for her.

The moment Bibi, who had lost her ego and lived as the trainer’s slave, bit Choi Haejin’s neck and drank his blood. Doyoon was overwhelmed by the sight of the beast awakening and stirring.

He thought she was completely broken, but he never expected her true nature to be alive and breathing. He felt a sensation like his head being crushed, and he fell for her; Bibi’s true self was dazzlingly beautiful. Doyoon’s life changed from then on and was more satisfying than he could ever imagine.

However, the slight problem was... the desires he had so well controlled until now were surging violently.