NAPE - 98

★.Side Story 9

“It’s delicious!”

“Isn’t it? See? So cheer up, okay? Do you think I’m doing this because I hate you? I’m just worried that something might go wrong.”

Nam-won extended his palm, offering a truce. Bibi hesitated whether to accept it but then took his hand.

“By the way, who was the visitor?”

“An errand runner. He probably came to deliver goods. And give us some information while he was at it.”

“...I’m curious.”

“Me too.”

They wanted to wait patiently but couldn’t resist. Exchanging glances, the two quickly ran to the doorway and peered outside. But the thick bushes obscured their view.

Unable to help himself, Bibi ran up to the second floor. When he dashed out onto the small terrace attached to the room, he could finally see below. A man who appeared to be Thai and Doyoon stood facing each other.

Doyoon meticulously inspected the guns, silver bullets, and bulletproof vests in a large sack. He touched and checked each item by hand before handing the errand runner his fee. The two sat across a table and began an intimate conversation.

“Let me see. I want to see too.”

Nam-won, who had followed him up without him realizing, subtly stood next to him and craned his neck.

“I got here first. It’s cramped.”

“Hey, let’s look together. Move over a bit.”

“Nam-won, move. Go over there.”

When Bibi forcefully pushed Nam-won, his body half-tilted out over the railing. With a look of horror, he shook his head.

“Whoa, whoa, don’t push! I feel like I’m going to fall.”

Bibi and Nam-won silently bickered, pushing each other. They didn’t even notice the flimsy railing shaking slightly.

At that moment, Doyoon, sitting right below, was engrossed in conversation and hadn’t noticed the situation above.

“What about what I asked you to look into?”

“Ah, you mean the drug organizations in this area? As you know, there’s never been a more chaotic time than now. When the warlords were in control, you only had to worry about one person, but now... all the guys on the blacklist are gathered here. They’re all so heavily armed that it’s hard to even name one, so everyone needs to be careful. Even after Khun Sa’s downfall, the heroin and methamphetamine production bases are still operating well. Myanmar has been Sinicized for a long time, and Laos also had a Chinese Empire built after the designation of a special economic zone.”

“I know that. But there must be a list of major figures’ strongholds, right? Among these... pick one.”

It was then that Doyoon leaned forward and spread a map across the table.

BANG!

A large object fell between the two men who had serious expressions. Bibi and Nam-won had finally fallen to the ground with the railing. The startled errand runner screamed and fell backward.

“Ah, haha...”

Nam-won, who was pinned under Bibi, stirred and got up. Completely unharmed, he gave an awkward smile to Doyoon, who was staring at him with a look of exasperation.

“Please continue your conversation.”

Nam-won rubbed his backside and quickly scurried back into the lodging. Bibi blinked, sprawled on the grass. Like Nam-won, he was unharmed, but he was disoriented by the sudden fall. He had missed his chance to make a quick getaway.

Doyoon, who had been looking down at Bibi, abruptly stood up and strode towards her. Seeing his cold face, Bibi was frightened. He must be angry, right? Ah, I should have run away quickly like Nam-won. What if he sends me back to Korea right now?

As Bibi trembled and looked around nervously, Doyoon’s hand went under her armpits. He shook Bibi in the air like laundry, then examined her body. After confirming that Bibi was fine, Doyoon returned to his seat, placed Bibi on his lap, and nodded.

“Continue.”

“...Yes? Ah... Yes.”

The errand runner was very flustered by the situation, but he tried not to show it as he pulled out the map and pointed with a pen.

“I’ve marked it on the map here. There are four locations in total. I recommend not touching them. Especially the Queen’s Romance family; they’re involved in all sorts of dirty business—drugs, prostitution, poaching, and so on—so you’ll need to be careful.”

“That’s a casino. I have no reason to go there. Among the remaining three, are there any suspicious ones?”

“Suspicious ones? It’s hard to find a place where nothing suspicious happens here. Missing persons cases, mysterious accidental deaths, and so on.”

Doyoon, deep in thought, rested his chin on the crown of Bibi’s head.

“What about a place with a unique foul odor?”

“A unique foul odor?”

“Something similar to the smell of corpses, but even more disgusting. A smell like that is hard to forget inadvertently.”

Bibi looked up at Doyoon. A foul odor? What was he looking for, and what clue was he using? He understood that the purpose of this operation was to find the hunting dogs and investigate whether they possessed the pureblood vampire killing drug... Did that have anything to do with a smell?

“A foul odor... Ah, now that you mention it, there is one place. Smells waft from everywhere here, but there’s one spot the residents avoid entirely, covering their noses. Here, it’s a forest shaped like a snake in the mountains. They call it the Hiya Forest.”

“Hiya means... lizard in Thai, doesn’t it?”

“Yes. It’s also commonly used as a swear word.”

Doyoon nodded, a satisfied expression on his face. The errand runner, sensing that the conversation was over, stood up. Bibi also cautiously slid off Doyoon’s lap and slowly backed away.

“Where are you going?”

Just as he was about to go inside, his wrist was caught.

“...Huh?”

“We need to continue training.”

Doyoon showed initiative and declared the resumption of training. Bibi immediately knew he’d be smelling gunpowder all day.

________________________________________

The next evening, the three headed straight for the Hiya Forest. Bibi, as per Doyoon’s instructions, climbed trees like a monkey, surveying the surroundings. Nam-won and Doyoon searched for suspicious traces or smells. Everyone looked displeased.

Aside from being careful not to be seen by humans, the hot and humid air clung stickily to their skin, raising their discomfort levels. To make matters worse, a squall joined in, making it feel like they were walking through water.

Still, the rain was better. When there were dark clouds, they provided shade, allowing them to somewhat avoid direct sunlight, but now the humidity and hot air created a heat dome, turning the entire jungle into a steaming pot. The nerves of the vampires, who were vulnerable to heat, were extremely frayed.

Bibi, struggling to cross the trees, subtly looked down at Doyoon. Though he didn’t show it, he looked like he wanted to give up everything.

He stopped himself from asking if he was okay. He was normally someone he would naturally hug and touch, but for some reason, he felt a distance ever since they came to Thailand. Doyoon had trained him as a hunter all day yesterday and hadn’t said a single kind word.

Honestly, Bibi was hurt. It was still difficult for her to distinguish between personal and professional matters with someone she was intimate with. It was incredibly hard to change his attitude depending on the situation.

The sun began to set. The air, at least, had settled. As insects chirped everywhere, the vampires, invigorated by the night, infiltrated the mountain with a little more expertise.

“Ugh, damn it. Why are these bugs so big?”

Nam-won swung a tree branch as if venting his frustration.

“Yeah, I wish I’d brought my electric fly swatter.”

At Bibi’s reprimand, he cleared his throat.

“Well, if you’re a hunter, you should just use your hands for bugs...”

Nam-won trailed off. Doyoon, who was walking ahead, had put a finger to his lips, signaling them to be quiet, and directed his gaze deep into the forest. When they listened, holding their breath, a boisterous sound came from afar.

Without a word, the three quickly lowered themselves and focused on the approaching sound. Peeking through the trees, they saw about five humans climbing the mountain in a group.

They walked loudly, seemingly oblivious to the possibility of anyone being in such a deep tropical rainforest. Doyoon and Nam-won hid behind rocks, while Bibi lay prone like a leopard in a tree.

A strange aura emanated from these individuals, each carrying a large sack and walking without formation. Their tanned skin confirmed they were likely of Southeast Asian descent, but their well-developed physiques made it difficult to guess their nationality. Were they vampires?

Humans and vampires shared very similar appearances, making differentiation difficult. Purebloods could be recognized by their elaborate appearance and the aura they exuded, but ordinary vampires and hybrids were unremarkable. The only common characteristic was perhaps an unidentifiable nationality. Even that clue faded in regions with distinct ethnic personalities.

However, from the outline of the sacks slung over their shoulders and the scent of blood emanating from them, Bibi judged them to be of his own kind. Perhaps they were the hunting dogs Doyoon was looking for.

When the vampires were at a distance, Doyoon gave a signal and cautioned them.

“As I said before, our objective this time is to investigate. To accurately ascertain the scale of the hunting dogs, their purpose of activity, and the drugs they possess. Any other actions will not be tolerated.”

His eyes shone fiercely. Bibi noticed that Doyoon was even more cautious than usual. What was the reason? What was he considering? For now, all he could do was hold back his curiosity and endure.

In the dark forest, the three, with their moon-like glowing eyes, followed the hunting dogs. After venturing deep into the forest for a long time, the hunting dogs stopped in front of a swamp. They looked around cautiously, then nodded and ducked into a tunnel formed by bushes.