“St-still, there are some good points!”
“Good points…?”
“The salary is higher than other research labs, and since it’s directly under the Director, promotions are fast too.”
“I’m not part of this department, I’m just dispatched here, so I don’t think it applies to me…”
“Even if your salary doesn’t go up, there will be a separate allowance. Check it later. If there isn’t, I’ll speak to Manager Song about it.”
It didn’t seem like an allowance that didn’t exist would appear just because one manager said so, but Myeongho was so considerate of his feelings that he couldn’t stay gloomy any longer. Surim smiled brightly and nodded.
“And recently, the research has made quite a bit of progress. Soon we might have to collaborate with outside parties or exchange communications.”
Collaboration with outside parties. Then there might be meetings. Preparing conference rooms, scheduling meetings, preparing materials—these were more proper work tasks than organizing pantry snacks.
Perhaps Surim was personnel selected in advance for that time. After all, working in such an unusual team would require an adjustment period.
“But, Manager Lee. What exactly are you researching here?”
“Oh my, I didn’t tell you that story. We’re researching artificial blood.”
“Artificial blood…?”
Blood shortage was a worldwide trend. Many research institutes tried to develop artificial blood, but they weren’t seeing much results.
Surim asked with a curious face.
“If artificial blood is developed, will blood donation not be necessary?”
“Ahaha! Well. What we’re researching isn’t that kind of artificial blood. Something more special…”
Myeongho, who had been drawing out his words, grinned.
“From here on is classified information. If you’re curious, get permission from Manager Song.”
There was somehow a sense of alienation from Myeongho’s expression as he said that. More precisely, it was a strange sensation that was chilling and made his skin crawl. Surim reflexively shut his mouth tight and widened his eyes. He must have known that expression contained bewilderment, but Myeongho narrowed his eyes in a smile and then whoosh, left.
Suddenly left alone in the middle of the office, Surim rubbed the back of his neck and rolled his eyes in confusion.
* * *
[Jin Surim] Assistant Manager Seong, can I ask you something?
[Seong Juhee] Yeah. Why? Did something go wrong already?
[Jin Surim] No. It’s not that…
As he was choosing his words on what to ask, Assistant Manager Seong sent a message first.
[Seong Juhee] Don’t tell me no one will eat with you? Want to come over here? Eat with us.
Come to think of it, it was conveniently close to lunch time. Surim smiled seeing Assistant Manager Seong getting worked up over a misunderstanding.
[Jin Surim] I brought a protein shake today.
[Seong Juhee] Ah. You’re eating that weird thing again?
Assistant Manager Seong, who disapproved of Surim solving his meals with salads or protein shakes every lunch, showed a disgusted reaction.
Surim looked at the shaker bottle placed on his desk and pursed his lips. It’s chocolate flavor so it’s delicious though.
[Jin Surim] Anyway, that’s not what’s important. I heard from a researcher here.
[Jin Surim] They said there would be a dispatch allowance.
[Seong Juhee] Ah. That is important. I should have checked. Just a moment.
[Jin Surim] Yes, thank you!
Assistant Manager Seong, who was silent for a moment as if searching past materials, reappeared shortly after.
[Seong Juhee] Wow, it’s true.
So what they said about a separate allowance was really true? While Surim hesitated on what to say, Assistant Manager Seong continued the message first.
[Seong Juhee] I looked into it and apparently for dispatches to Research Lab Zero, business trip expenses are separately allocated.
[Jin Surim] Business trip expenses?
It was strange to call it a business trip when he was just moving seats to work within the same building.
[Seong Juhee] It’s written as business trip expenses but… wait a moment.
[Jin Surim] Yes, Assistant Manager Seong. Thank you for looking into itㅠㅠ
As if the words to ask anything were sincere, Assistant Manager Seong responded sincerely to Surim’s question. Right now, it seemed she was digging through past documents.
[Seong Juhee] Oh… Surim-ssi…
[Jin Surim] Ah. Is the amount really stingy? Like 500 won per day?
[Seong Juhee] It’s not that, um… I found records of dispatches from other departments before, and it’s written under a different name, not business trip expenses.
Surim tilted his head.
[Jin Surim] How is it written?
[Seong Juhee] Hazard pay
* * *
The place Song Hanyeong headed after leaving the company even before quitting time was a tea room not far from the city center. This tea room, which had been maintained for a long time by renovating and repairing a hanok built long ago, was a meeting place for special individuals.
The staff member standing in front of the door opened it after seeing Song Hanyeong’s face. Song Hanyeong entered inside without hesitation and found the room in the deepest part. As he walked down the corridor, the utterly vulgar sight of his kinsmen enjoying blood-sucking and intercourse passed by several times through the open doors.
Song Hanyeong, who arrived at his destination, flung the door open without even knocking. Nasol, who had been tilting his glass inside, glanced at him briefly then turned his head back toward the window.
Song Hanyeong, who sat across from him and snatched Nasol’s glass, snapped.
“Explain what’s going on.”
“It’s about time.”
At the cold interrogation, Nasol didn’t flinch and continued speaking while pouring alcohol into a new glass.
“We can’t leave the head of house position vacant forever, can we?”
Song Hanyeong furrowed his brow.
Currently, the head of the Song household was officially Song Juhyeok, namely Song Hanyeong’s father. However, among vampires, there was no one who didn’t know that Song Juhyeok was already not in this world. Song Juhyeok had lost his life to enemies over ten years ago.
Nevertheless, the reason Song Juhyeok’s position as head of house was currently maintained was all because of Nasol. Nasol had been pretending that Song Juhyeok, who should have been processed as deceased, was alive and filling that vacancy instead.
Outsiders thought that Nasol, who worshipped Song Juhyeok, had gone mad and believed Song Juhyeok was still alive. Or they thought he hoped to usurp the position, believing that no one but himself could fill the place of Song Juhyeok whom he worshipped.
Both were wrong guesses.
“Since the Young Master has grown enough to protect himself, I’m thinking of starting to find the culprit.”
“The research isn’t finished yet.”
“So?”
“…You.”
Gently running his fingertip along the edge of the glass, Nasol smirked.
“Jin Surim will make quite a decent bait. Song Chanhyeok is a cautious personality, so it will take some time until he’s convinced whether that bait is real or fake.”
The fact that Song Chanhyeok had ordered the murder of Song Juhyeok, who was the head of house and his older brother, was clear. He tried to kill Song Juhyeok and Song Hanyeong to become the only descendant of the Song family and get his hands on the head of house position.
But he didn’t devise that plot alone. Song Chanhyeok received help from another family. Nasol, who learned of his master’s death, wanted to find that out immediately and finish his worshipped master’s revenge, but he had endured for over ten years.
All for Song Hanyeong, Song Juhyeok’s son. Because Song Juhyeok had said several times that he would one day pass his position to his son, Nasol waited until the little prince who had lived in the form of a small child for hundreds of years grew up and could protect himself, in order to grant his deceased master’s wish.
“There’s nothing to worry about.”
Song Hanyeong, who knew that fact, couldn’t demand any more patience from Nasol who was already mad. At least using Jin Surim as bait instead of Song Hanyeong was probably Nasol’s last consideration.
From Song Hanyeong’s standpoint, it didn’t feel much different from using his own life as bait though.
“Song Chanhyeok will also believe for a while that Jin Surim is my snack.”
Because Nasol, who had germophobia, extremely loathed putting his teeth to human necks, he only drank fresh blood that he had drawn, in packs. There were quite a few humans who had blood-selling contracts with him. So if he drew Jin Surim’s blood and added one more person to that, who could figure out that the blood was for Song Hanyeong?
Thanks to that, the secret that Song Hanyeong could only drink Jin Surim’s blood could remain undiscovered for a long time.
But since Nasol had sent Jin Surim to Song Hanyeong’s research lab, from now on, they couldn’t help but be suspected of their intentions and identity by uncle Song Chanhyeok.
As Nasol said, Song Chanhyeok was a cautious personality, so everything wouldn’t be exposed within a few weeks, but eventually everything would be revealed. Then Song Chanhyeok would bite the bait and try to harm Jin Surim, but given his nature, there was a high probability he would try to draw in external forces rather than directly laying hands on him.
Precisely, there was a high probability he would pull out the knife he had used to harm Song Juhyeok before. And that was what Nasol desired.
“I’ll have to hurry the research.”
“Be careful not to be captivated by Jin Surim’s blood in the meantime.”
“That won’t happen.”
Song Hanyeong, who furrowed his eyes, took a sip of alcohol and continued.
“Humans are just prey.”
“When we quench our thirst by biting human necks, becoming lustful is instinct.”
“You’re saying that?”
It wasn’t convincing for a vampire who only drank blood in packs, who should be called feeding rather than blood-sucking, to say such things. That’s why while others continued blood-sucking and intercourse in other rooms, he was alone tilting his glass.
At Song Hanyeong’s protest, Nasol held a sneer on his lips.
