It wasn’t the kind of behavior one would expect from someone who told him to endure if he wanted to hear the story. Surim trembled as he pressed his legs tightly together to keep them from bumping into Song Hanyeong.
“Wh-what is this…?”
“So, what are you curious about?”
Song Hanyeong cut off Surim’s words and asked. After hesitating for a moment, Surim unconsciously grabbed Song Hanyeong’s wrist tightly as he asked. He didn’t notice himself that the hand gripping firmly was trembling.
“Last week, when you drank my blood and your condition improved… that was right, wasn’t it?”
“That’s correct.”
“Manager-nim, do you need to drink blood?”
“Yes.”
“Why, why?”
“Well, why do you think?”
At the same time, Song Hanyeong’s eyes turned red. Seeing the sight of his black pupils splitting vertically into thin, narrow slits like a carnivore’s eyes, Surim made a “hik” sound and straightened his back.
He’s not human. Those were the eyes of a beast, not a human. Song Hanyeong was not human.
The impulse to run away filled his head completely. The sensation of lips touching and his tongue being bitten came to mind, tightly constricting the root of his tongue. However, there was nothing Surim could do except grip what he was holding even tighter.
‘Are you confident you won’t run away?’
The words Song Hanyeong had said a moment ago were a preview that a truth frightening enough to make him want to flee would be revealed afterward.
Surim kept his mouth tightly shut as he panted. Each time he inhaled and exhaled, his chest repeatedly swelled and sank dramatically.
Perhaps, perhaps that ridiculous thought he had dismissed as nonsense before might actually be the truth. It was such an absurd thought that he had only entertained it briefly before brushing it aside.
This man, could he possibly be…? No, after all…
“Good boy.”
How long had they been staring at each other like that? Song Hanyeong gently patted Surim’s knee with his empty hand and spoke.
Surim couldn’t understand what he was praising. He looked at Song Hanyeong with confused eyes. Song Hanyeong, who had raised one corner of his mouth, tugged on the hand that Surim was gripping tightly as if telling him to come to his senses.
“Are you done with your questions?”
“N-no! I’m not done yet.”
“Then shall we continue?”
It was obvious what he needed to ask. But the question wouldn’t easily come out of his mouth.
“Drinking my blood… is that your preference?”
“Yes.”
“And you can’t drink other blood?”
“Yeah, it doesn’t taste good.”
Although they were talking like this, if it had really been simply a matter of taste, the two wouldn’t have reached their current situation. What was important was the effect of the blood. It was clearly Surim’s blood, a vegetarian’s blood, that had effectively restored Song Hanyeong.
As expected, Song Hanyeong was someone who only drank vegetarian blood, and Research Lab Zero was a place for conducting research to produce blood that suited Song Hanyeong’s taste.
“Is that all?”
“Then, Ma-Manager-nim is…”
“Yes?”
“Manager-nim, are you a vampire?”
Having finally brought out those unbelievable words from his mouth, Song Hanyeong smiled as if he’d been waiting for it.
“Humans like Surim-ssi call us in various ways. Vampire is one of them.”
“Then what else is there?”
“Bloodsucker, immortal, monster, ghost…”
Even while reciting obviously unpleasant expressions one after another, Song Hanyeong showed no change in expression whatsoever.
“What will Surim-ssi call me?”
“…Manager-nim.”
“Good answer.”
Song Hanyeong chuckled briefly and seemed to be ending the conversation, so Surim quickly asked one more thing.
“That paper knife earlier… what was it?”
Originally, he had thought it was just something that accidentally got in while putting in the recorder. But the moment Song Hanyeong admitted to being a vampire, that object flashed in his mind.
Song Hanyeong’s attitude of being more displeased by the paper knife than the recorder, and Song Hanyeong’s words that seemed to exclude Surim.
‘It would be better if Jin Surim-ssi didn’t know.’
There was definitely something about that paper knife. As if he’d gotten the right answer, Song Hanyeong raised the corner of his mouth.
“Ah, that.”
“Could that paper knife and you being ill… be related?”
“You’re not bad at catching on, Surim-ssi.”
“Is it really related?”
Song Hanyeong readily nodded.
“Jin Surim-ssi, do you believe in curses?”
“A curse… you say?”
“That paper knife had a curse lingering on it. It was a curse that caused headaches and insomnia to people nearby.”
“A curse…”
“I took time off to rest, but my headache was so severe that I came to drink the blood in the lab… Jin Surim-ssi, I encountered you.”
And he bit Surim’s tongue and drank his blood. Surim’s real blood, which was far more effective than the failed replica blood, succeeded in restoring Song Hanyeong for a short while. Though it was only for a very short time.
‘Now I understand.’
Surim turned his gaze to Song Hanyeong’s complexion, which he hadn’t been able to see because his attention had been stolen by those sharply split, eerie eyes. Last week, he had improved somewhat after drinking Surim’s blood, but his face was still incomparably haggard compared to two weeks ago.
If this was because of the paper knife’s curse, then ultimately, Song Hanyeong’s condition worsening was all because of him. Just like the recorder, it was Surim who had brought the paper knife into the research lab.
‘Song Hanyeong gradually becoming gaunt was all because of me…’
Surim’s face turned pale with guilt. He had thought it might be possible, but it really was true.
“I…”
His head was spinning. Surim gripped Song Hanyeong’s wrist tightly as he continued.
“I’ll help you, Manager Song.”
“…Do you know what you’re saying?”
“I know.”
“I don’t think you do.”
At those words, Surim looked up sharply as if offended.
“I really know. Because I’ve been watching Manager-nim for these two weeks.”
“Two weeks?”
Song Hanyeong snorted and tilted his head.
“Hasn’t Jin Surim-ssi always been watching me diligently?”
“N-no I haven’t!”
Surim shouted abruptly and, startled by his own outburst, glanced at Song Hanyeong nervously. How did Song Hanyeong know that? Surim was inwardly horrified but didn’t show it outwardly. He’d looked so often that it was likely he’d been caught a few times. He shouldn’t fall for what might just be a probing remark.
“Anyway, from what I’ve observed, that’s how it is. Manager-nim, vegetarian blood alone isn’t enough for you.”
“Not enough?”
Song Hanyeong’s eyes gleamed with interest.
“Yes, if all you needed was vegetarian blood, you could have somehow obtained and drunk it some other way, but Manager-nim didn’t do that.”
Surprisingly, Surim’s observation was pointing out an important aspect. Song Hanyeong thought that perhaps he had been underestimating Jin Surim too much, and readily nodded to acknowledge that fact.
Then Surim, his face brightening, opened his mouth again.
“I don’t really understand the principle or anything, but it’s more effective if you drink fresh blood directly from a person, right?”
Surprisingly, Surim’s guess was quite close to the truth. What affected vampires was closer to the concept of a human’s vitality lingering in the blood rather than freshness.
Song Hanyeong leisurely savored the sight of the pitiful human before him. He very much enjoyed the delightful spectacle of him rolling into the trap on his own feet.
“So, so…”
For a moment, Surim thought Song Hanyeong’s eyes were gleaming coldly. But the suspicion didn’t last long. Song Hanyeong couldn’t be like that.
The hesitation that had surged up along with the absurd suspicion soon disappeared without a trace.
“Um… would you like to drink my blood?”
“…What?”
Surim knew he was saying something strange. But he couldn’t think of another plausible way to say it.
“If you need my blood, I want to give it to you.”
“You’ll give me your blood?”
“Of course, only to the extent that it won’t strain my body… So both blood draws and drinking directly, I mean, everything combined within a contract.”
“Directly.”
“Yes, directly.”
His tightly clenched fist trembled finely on Surim’s thigh, seemingly from tension. Song Hanyeong intuited that this current attempt was not an easy thing for this small, fragile prey.
“Do you know what it means to let me drink your blood directly?”
“I know.”
He knew, which is why he was afraid. He had been afraid and ran away. However, despite that, he couldn’t turn away from Song Hanyeong forever.
“I know everything, but even so, I want to help you.”
Surim looked at Song Hanyeong’s sharp jawline, his gaunt cheeks. He still looked well-built thanks to his broad shoulders and solid back, but only his face was different from before. His smooth face had become haggard and his complexion was pale. His eyes weren’t sharpened like before either.
Taking a deep breath, Surim roughly loosened his tie and pulled it down. When he undid three shirt buttons, the faintly remaining bruises and bite marks were revealed. With trembling hands, Surim opened his collar, squeezed his eyes shut, and cried out. Though only a voice close to a whisper came out.
“I-I’ll stay still, so do as you please.”
Surim turned his head slightly so his neck would be clearly visible. The muscle connecting from below his ear to his collarbone twitched as if tense, and the movement of his throat swallowing dry saliva was vivid.
Song Hanyeong slowly scanned Surim, who had his eyes tightly shut. Though he wasn’t kneeling, Jin Surim was docilely exposing his neck to him. It was the result of Song Hanyeong’s shepherding over several weeks.
That fact was endlessly delightful to Song Hanyeong.
