NAPE - 93

Side Story 4

Bibi had a habit of leaning on or clinging to Doyoon. Such contact would occasionally trigger Doyoon’s appetite and sexual urges like a fit. There were more than a few times he had to exercise greater self-control than usual. Like now.

“Go faster.”

Doyoon pulled out a wad of banknotes from his wallet and handed them forward. The unsuspecting taxi driver repeatedly expressed his gratitude and pressed hard on the accelerator.

________________________________________

Seoul’s summer temperatures neared 30 degrees Celsius. Humans walking the streets all chose iced americano as their survival tool. The cumulonimbus clouds blooming across the blue sky no longer offered any aesthetic pleasure. It was a boringly peaceful summer day, but for some, it was not.

The peculiar protein smell of burning living flesh stung her nose. Bibi was experiencing for the first time that death could be lighthearted and a cause for celebration. In her hand, she held a tool not for survival, but solely for slaughter: an electric fly swatter.

She shouldn’t have left the window open. Feeling an emptiness from Doyoon’s absence, who had gone on a business trip a few days ago, Bibi had fallen asleep while watching dramas all night, forgetting to close the window. The mosquito invasion began then.

Mosquitoes weren’t particularly threatening, but they were malicious. They’d buzz around her ears and flit distractingly in front of her eyes, causing mischief. Moreover, they had the wicked habit of attacking to suck blood. Bibi especially hated them among all pests. Perhaps this was an instinct etched into her DNA.

Vampires, at the top of the food chain, the apex of their species, must have, like any other creature, engaged in battles over food and rivals in the past. It could have been mosquitoes. This species, like herself, also engaged in bloodsucking and possessed innate tools for it, including venom. Perhaps, going back thousands, no, hundreds of millions of years, they might have shared a common ancestor with mosquitoes.

Well, regardless of the past, the two species diverged at the crossroads of evolution. One chose the freedom of the sky, abandoning its physical form, while the other chose to infiltrate human society. Bibi asserted that the latter was the winner of the competition.

Yet, these defeated creatures, ignorant of their place, still dared to attack. They were too fast and agile, disappearing from sight in an instant, leaving only a faint trace. Bibi gritted her teeth and swung the electric fly swatter. How dare they covet her blood? They deserved to be instantly electrocuted.

Zzzzt, crack! Crack!

The satisfying sound of them burning to death was incredibly refreshing.

Bibi, having brutally murdered her competitors, smiled contentedly. Having protected her blood, all that remained was to celebrate.

Bibi messaged Namwon to have a meal, then vacuumed and turned on the humidifier. It was her attempt to clean up the smell of burning protein and the mosquito corpses, like a murderer erasing a crime. As she pushed aside her packed suitcase for her trip to Thailand the day after tomorrow, the thought crossed her mind that there might be mosquitoes there too. Bibi meticulously packed her tools of slaughter.

Wait, did I miss anything else? I’ve packed everything, and is there anyone I need to send a message to about being unreachable for a while? Bibi pondered, and suddenly thought of Sir Sauer. It would be good to call him. And to recheck the USB he gave her.

She sat in front of the computer and opened the USB files. Her enormous wealth list, Swiss bank account passwords, various documents, and tropical plant cultivation methods unfolded before her eyes. She understood most of it, but she couldn’t figure out what the links written in the notepad were.

Clicking on the links brought up a live chat site, where people with different IDs merely made mundane monologues like ‘Ate sandwiches for lunch,’ ‘Started horseback riding,’ ‘Bought rare jewels.’

Losing interest, Bibi closed the internet window and called Sir Sauer. She wanted to exchange pleasantries and updates, and directly hear an explanation about this boring chat site.

“The call cannot be completed, please leave a message on the voicemail...”

However, Sir Sauer did not answer the phone. He had been consistently unavailable for several days. Had something happened? Or had he decided to break free from his tedious duties and enjoy his freedom, now that the successor to the Extracold had appeared?

Bibi knew nothing about Sir Sauer. She couldn’t give more weight to one speculation over another. Perhaps it would be better to go to England herself and check when she had time.

“I bought Gugeupcha Tteokbokki! You said you wanted to try it!”

A loud voice came from the entrance. Bibi turned off the computer, put the USB into the socket around her neck, and went into the living room. Namwon was shaking a black plastic bag. Ever since Doyoon left on his business trip, he had diligently stopped by the house to make sure Bibi had meals.

“Why did you bring the rabbit? Is it for lunch?”

Bibi innocently asked, seeing the entire rabbit tucked under Namwon’s arm.

“Why would I eat this cute rabbit? Are you crazy?”

Namwon, who had become a vampire, had been living with a rabbit for self-control training, and it seemed he had grown fond of it. At some point, he started putting a leash on it, taking it everywhere, and caring for it devotedly.

From Bibi’s perspective, it was useless. A rabbit’s lifespan was short, and that fragile creature would surely die easily with just a slight mishandling. Instead of getting attached, he should just gulp it down in one bite. Her first retainer vampire was too soft.

“I’m dropping him off at the animal hotel. We’re going to Thailand tomorrow evening. Oh, by the way, have you packed all your bags?”

“Of course.”

“Let me see.”

“Why do I have to show my luggage to Namwon?”

Bibi sharpened her tone, telling him not to meddle.

“I told you. We need to be careful this time. We’re going to pretend to be tourists. Airport baggage inspection is essential. Senior said you’d handle it fine, so to leave you be, but I’m just too nervous. Let me check it just once.”

“No.”

“Let me see, I said.”

“No. I packed well, I tell you. I didn’t put in batteries or anything like that. I packed it well, just like Doyoon told me.”

“If you’re so confident, why not show me?”

Namwon persistently tried to persuade Bibi to let him check her luggage beforehand. Unfortunately, Doyoon, who would have sided with her, was away on a business trip to Jeonju for Association work. Bibi, outmatched in argument, couldn’t resist any longer. With a feeling of giving in, she opened her suitcase in front of Namwon.

“I knew it...”

Namwon, after checking the contents, placed a hand on his forehead with an exasperated expression, then began to rummage through the luggage Bibi had so diligently organized.

“Blood packs confiscated, fang sharpener confiscated. What in the world, why did you pack pudding? It’ll spoil, take it out. Electric fly swatter, mosquito spray, insect repellent device... Are you crazy? What’s with the smoke bomb?”

“There might be a need to escape, you know.”

“Equipment will be procured locally. So don’t pack unnecessary things.”

Namwon, with an impertinent expression, dumped out all sorts of survival tools and insect repellents from Bibi’s suitcase. Bibi suppressed her complaints and moved the fly swatter to a corner.

“Oh. And also, don’t shriek on the plane. Got it, huh?”

Bibi had a habit of letting out high-pitched screams whenever she was surprised or excited. That was a sound humans shouldn’t make. If she made an animalistic sound out of surprise on a plane, she would surely be suspected immediately.

“Don’t worry. I’m trying not to.”

“We’ll pack your bags again later, but let’s eat this first. I even bought Coolpis especially for you.”

Namwon pulled out packaged tteokbokki and Coolpis from the black plastic bag on the living room table.

“It’s really not spicy, right?”

Bibi eyed Namwon and the tteokbokki with suspicion.

“Have you only been living deceived? I said it’s not spicy.”

“...”

“If you think this is spicy, you should leave Korea. Even elementary school students eat this really well.”

“Really?”

At the mention that even kids ate it well, Bibi mustered her courage, speared a red rice cake with a fork, and put it in her mouth. As soon as the sauce touched her tongue, her expression involuntarily twisted. She immediately gulped down the plum-flavored drink, which somewhat neutralized the spiciness.

“You’re going as a Hunter assistant starting tomorrow, so eat your fill. You’re really too naive, you know. How could you even think of learning under Kwon Doyoon? That human, no, that vampire. Don’t you know he’s rumored to be ruthless and heartless in this industry?”

Bibi had decided to become a hunter, and Doyoon agreed to teach her directly. The original plan was to learn slowly within reasonable limits and pass the qualification exam, but the Thailand trip had been scheduled for the immediate future.

Somehow, it was arranged with the Hunter Association Head that she would take the exam after returning from Thailand as a provisional hunter. Her training had only consisted of learning gun assembly and hunter common sense a few days prior.

Bibi tilted her head, letting Namwon’s advice go in one ear and out the other. Hmm... This tteokbokki seems edible... or maybe not. Is it just her imagination that her tongue is getting progressively tingly? What about the fish cakes?

“Anyway, as someone with experience, I’ll give you one piece of advice. Abandon the hope that he’ll treat you well because he’s your lover.”

“...”

“Your senior is a bastard. Think of him that way. Then at least you’ll be at peace, and won’t get hurt.”

Regardless of Namwon’s very serious face, Bibi, who had swallowed a fish cake whole, frowned. What was that? She just chewed something crunchy. Ptui, she spat it out and a small red chili pepper emerged from her mouth.