Because of that, I got up from my seat while receiving the team members’ gazes. When I knocked on the department head’s office door, the remaining team leaders came pouring out right on time. Like a baton pass with them, I entered the department head’s office and gave a greeting.
“You called for me?”
“You’re pretty good at English, right? You even went to the US for training last year.”
As soon as I settled in and stood, the department head asked if I was good at English, so I answered that I was. Because I had focused on English when I was concentrating on building my specs, I could handle everyday conversation without difficulty.
“This time a direct order came down from the director. We’re the ones managing the blood after all. Since he told us to provide convenience. Go directly and find out how much blood is needed for a month, if there are any allergies, and where it should be delivered.”
“Am I in charge?”
“Yes.”
I could see why the department head had asked if I was good at English. I was the youngest in the Vampire Department and also the best at English. It was because I was doing English translation as a part-time job.
Whether looking at seniority or ability, there was no one but me. If they told me to do it, I had to do it—that was the way of this field. It was naturally something I had to do, but there was one thing I needed to address before that.
“But Department Head-nim. If it’s the Grand Duke of Moscow, wouldn’t he speak Russian?”
“The Russian Embassy says they’ll send staff, so there won’t be any problems. And the Intelligence Department will send someone too. You know Choi Seong-jin, right? You’re high school classmates?”
“Yes. Then is Seong-jin, I mean Choi Seong-jin-ssi, coming from the Intelligence Department?”
“Yeah. There’s no way he’d miss out on something like this.”
“Right.”
The Special Management Bureau for Heteromorphic Organisms was a cell organization. There were departments managing other heteromorphic organisms besides vampires, but there was no direct connection. Instead, there was the Intelligence Department, which was the intersection of all departments. If each department handled administrative work, the Intelligence Department ran around physically and cleaned up various incidents.
Choi Seong-jin, who worked with me in the Intelligence Department until two years ago, was both a high school classmate and a bureau employment classmate. And that guy was also famous as an eccentric and vampire maniac. I could bet all the cash in my wallet that he had volunteered for this job, obviously wanting to meet the Grand Duke of Moscow’s heir.
“They’ll contact you first, I mean Choi Seong-jin-ssi will. Go along with what he says and come back.”
“Understood. But you’ll process this as overtime pay or hazard pay, right?”
“What’s so different from regular work that you’re asking for allowances?”
“A yellow alert was issued because it’s dangerous.”
“It’s not dangerous.”
“You don’t know that, do you?”
In times when even 10 won was precious, I couldn’t miss this good opportunity. Though it was only one day, overtime plus hazard pay would give me breathing room for a month’s living.
“It’s not even that much, do you have to get it?”
“It’s not that much, so can’t you give it to me?”
“Are things difficult these days?”
“A bit, yeah.”
When I answered with a nonchalant laugh, Department Head Kim Cheol-jin clicked his tongue. I had about 200 million won in debt left to pay. Even with overtime, night work, and covering other people’s shifts, money was always insufficient.
The department head, who couldn’t not know this fact, gave advice with a gentle smile on his Bodhisattva-like face.
“Don’t just take out private loans. That ruins your life.”
“Of course. So about the hazard pay?”
I persistently held on to the department head trying to slip away from the topic.
“You’re persistent. Fine. I’ll give you hazard pay too.”
“Thank you. And may I ask one more thing?”
“What?”
“Why is someone who’s an heir to the Grand Duke of Moscow coming to Korea? And if it’s such an official visit, is there some kind of business?”
I asked cautiously, just in case. But the department head’s Bodhisattva-like face twisted strangely.
“Didn’t you hear from Team Leader Lee Tae-woo?”
“Ah, no.”
“He says it’s tourism.”
“What?”
“Don’t ask twice. I don’t know either.”
“Tourism… Who would believe that?”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
Even a passing dog would laugh. There was a smell of conspiracy. But I was just a low-level civil servant. I had no way of knowing how things worked at the higher levels.
That ended the conversation. When I came out of the department head’s office, the office was already as stirred up as could be. Everyone said things like there’s no way it’s tourism, what nerve to let him enter the country. In the midst of that, when I returned to my seat and sat down, the team members’ gazes gathered.
“Lee Unhyuk-ssi. You’re going to greet him?”
“Yes.”
“Lucky you. Seeing a Grand Duke’s heir with your own eyes.”
“Is that lucky?”
“You know. It’s hard to see anyone VKN or above. Lee Unhyuk-ssi, you’re lucky.”
I was lucky. Most vampires residing in Korea were VS or below. Most of them were VSL, and VSs were a minority. You had to go across the sea to Japan or China to find VKNs.
“Tell us what he looks like when you come back. An heir coming from Russia makes me curious. Unhyuk-ssi, what’s your phone camera resolution? Take a shot.”
Deputy Manager Choi Ji-sook from the next seat made a carefree request.
“I’ll be finished if I get caught doing that.”
“If you ask with a smile to take a picture together, he’ll fall for it.”
“Deputy Manager-nim.”
“It’s true. The kind manager.”
It was meant to make me laugh, but I couldn’t laugh. It’s not a boast, but I was famous among the vampires I managed as a kind and friendly manager. There was nothing bad about being told I was a good person. But being proposed to by a vampire who misunderstood my gentle smile—and from a man at that—was a completely different problem.
“Just tell me to do a good job.”
“Okay. Good job.”
As soon as I escaped from attention with that not-very-encouraging support, I racked my brain about what I needed to do. There was a lot to prepare to treat a VIP. Since today was Monday, I had five days until Friday, but it was tight.
Still, thinking I was lucky to get hazard pay, I picked up the receiver to contact Seong-jin.
***
The crab stew with red chili powder seasoning bubbled away, giving off a delicious smell. Weekday evening time. Though the restaurant was old and shabby, more than 20 tables were packed with customers, and there was even a long line stretching out the door. It was a famous restaurant.
Groups of salarymen in suits, students, older men, and family customers were chattering away so noisily that my ears hurt.
“My ears hurt…”
“Huh? What?”
“It’s so loud my ears hurt.”
“You’re sensitive to places like this. Don’t worry about it. Like I said before, once you taste the broth, those words will disappear. Look, it’s all cooked now, so try it. It’s amazing, I’m telling you.”
Choi Seong-jin, who picked up the ladle, piled crab and various seafood onto a personal plate and placed it in front of me.
Choi Seong-jin was a guy with the philosophy that there are many delicious foods in the world, and you shouldn’t spare time or money to eat them. One of Seong-jin’s hobbies was finding hidden restaurants throughout Seoul.
After making several calls about the VIP coming on Friday, he dragged me here saying it was crab season so we should eat delicious crab stew. It was dinner time anyway and ordering food was fine, but it was too noisy.
Unlike Seong-jin, I didn’t place much importance on eating. I wasn’t picky about food. However, when my nerves got sharp, I easily got indigestion.
I muttered to myself that he’d better watch out if it wasn’t delicious, but I trusted Seong-jin’s delicate palate. Sure enough, when I had a spoonful of broth, the spicy flavor was very delicious.
“Delicious, right? Delicious, right? No fishy smell either. I’ve tried it in Incheon and went to Jindo too, but there’s no place that makes broth like here. The first time I came and took a bite, I thought it was amazing.”
I nodded silently in agreement with Seong-jin’s words. Though my memory of eating crab stew was hazy, it was true that the taste was far superior to any other seafood stew I’d tried so far.
Saying it would be disappointing to skip drinks at a time like this, Seong-jin called the owner and ordered soju. The smooth-talking Seong-jin managed to get webfoot octopus as a service from the ajumma while ordering the soju. From their exchange, it seemed Seong-jin had been to this place more than once or twice.
Choi Seong-jin was my high school classmate. We were in the same class in our senior year and became close after being seated together. Though we went to different universities, we would meet up and drink whenever we had time. After finishing my sophomore year of college, I went to the military and he went abroad to study, so we lost contact. We reunited when we took new employee training together as the same batch of hires at the Bureau.
It was an amazing coincidence.
