✽011

Kang Ju-wan abandoned his plan to head to Eden and darted through a maze of alleys only he knew, weaving skillfully between buildings. When you’re on the run, a proper road is unnecessary—every step he took, leaping over walls and dodging past dumpsters, became his path. Once he reached a relatively deserted area, Kang Ju-wan silently jumped down from a wall with a nimble hop.

It was just as he cautiously scanned his surroundings and prepared to merge back onto the main street.

Pew!

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Something sharp, flying from an entirely unexpected direction, struck his shoulder. Kang Ju-wan let out a startled gasp and whirled around. In the distance, on the rooftop of a four-story building, a faint gleam from what looked like a gun barrel flashed briefly before vanishing. He reached up with one hand to pull out whatever was embedded in his shoulder. It was a dart-like syringe with a sharp tip resembling that of a dart pin.

“What… is this?”

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At that moment, darkness engulfed his vision. With a heavy thud, Kang Ju-wan collapsed onto the deserted nighttime street.

* * *

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“Gasp!”

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in what appeared to be a warehouse. Though it was pitch black, his vampire vision—attuned to complete darkness—quickly registered his surroundings. It was indeed a warehouse. Judging by the faint sound of a ship’s horn and the moist air that hinted at the nearby sea, he figured he was near a harbor.

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Kang Ju-wan, who had been lying on his side, sprang up in shock and quickly examined his body. Fortunately, everything seemed to be in working order.

“Ugh.”

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After confirming he wasn’t injured, he slowly got to his feet, his expression grave as he tried to piece together what had happened.

‘What is going on?’

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The sedative was still dulling his senses, making it hard to think clearly, but Kang Ju-wan fought to stay focused.

Moments ago, he’d been on his way to work at Eden after receiving a call from Choi Gyu-hyuk. Someone had been tailing him, and just when he thought he’d shaken them off, he was shot in the shoulder with what seemed like a tranquilizer dart. And now, here he was, waking up in a mysterious place. As he pieced it all together, the absurdity of the situation left him speechless.

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“Hah…”

Checking his wristwatch, he saw it was 3 a.m. He must have been unconscious for quite a while.

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He felt around his shoulder, relieved to find nothing more than a dull stiffness. Whoever had done this wasn’t ordinary. Shooting someone with a tranquilizer dart wasn’t just difficult—it was hard to imagine anyone would even dare.

Kang Ju-wan let out a dry laugh. It was the first time he’d been caught off guard like this.

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‘Whoever prepared this much has one goal in mind: to scare me.’

That thought alone snapped his mind into clarity.

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‘This is either someone with a personal grudge or someone who’s discovered my secret. It’s one of the two.’

Sitting back down cross-legged, he quickly tried to make sense of the situation. But if it was related to his secret… there was no one who came to mind. Kang Ju-wan had blended seamlessly into modern society. For a moment, he thought of the one person who knew his true identity, but he shook his head, dismissing the possibility.

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‘There’s no way Gyu-hyuk would do something like this.’

…But Choi Gyu-hyuk, despite his straightforward and innocent nature, had a tendency to trust people easily and wasn’t exactly meticulous. What if someone had gotten close to him and accidentally uncovered something?

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No, that couldn’t be it. Gyu-hyuk wasn’t the type to create unnecessary enemies. Besides, to outsiders, they were nothing more than a host bar owner and his employee. There was no reason for any grudge against Gyu-hyuk to be directed at Ju-wan.

‘Could it be a fellow host who holds a grudge because I took a woman from them?’

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That list was too long to remember clearly. If not that, then…

‘Shin Min-kyung? …No, it couldn’t be.’

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The name of the man who most recently bore a massive grudge against him came to mind naturally. But Shin Min-kyung had been dealt with through hypnosis. It was likely just because Ju-wan had been thinking about him all day yesterday that the thought resurfaced now. He chastised himself for entertaining such a ridiculous notion.

However, there was one thing that didn’t make sense, no matter who the culprit was.

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If they had gone to the trouble of shooting him with a tranquilizer dart, why hadn’t they done anything else yet? He wasn’t even tied up. A quick pat-down revealed only a few missing items, like his self-defense pocketknife, wallet, and phone.

‘Could this just be a pickpocket? But if that’s the case, why didn’t they take my watch? It’s expensive too.’

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When his identity had been exposed in the past, Ju-wan had always ended up bound tightly, often placed in precarious situations, like atop a pyre. But this warehouse lacked any sign of immediate danger.

Unless… the person who kidnapped him knew a lot about vampires.

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Ju-wan raised his gaze to inspect the corners of the warehouse ceiling. The faint sound of wind slipping through cracks hinted that the hastily constructed building wouldn’t withstand much force. Blowing off the roof would be easy.

And if that happened, anyone inside would be helpless against the sunlight.

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The thought jolted Ju-wan to his feet. He had to get out of here immediately. Escaping now was the only way to plan his next move. Scanning his surroundings, he cautiously called out.

“Hello…?”

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Unsurprisingly, there was no response. Ju-wan crouched low, feigning fear, and crept toward the wall. His first priority was finding the exit. As he walked, he rehearsed how to neutralize anyone who might suddenly appear.

It had been ten years since he last attacked anyone—Choi Gyu-hyuk’s father, to be precise—so he wasn’t sure how far he could go without killing. For now, he figured he’d break a few limbs and use hypnosis to get answers about their motives.

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But just then…

“…!”

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From afar came a loud bang, followed by the unmistakable stench of blood soaked in seawater. The smell immediately put Kang Ju-wan on high alert. His entire body froze, tensed like a cat encountering its mortal enemy, and he silenced his footsteps. After a moment of hesitation, he cautiously moved toward the source of the bloody scent. There was no choice—the exit seemed to be in that direction.

As he navigated the maze-like container warehouse, he opened two doors leading to other areas before finally arriving at a narrow, dimly lit office. The barren room contained nothing but a single chair. A single hanging light bulb flickered overhead, amplifying the eerie atmosphere.

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Beneath the light lay a man, his left leg severed, lying in a pool of blood.

“…!”

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The overpowering scent of blood made Kang Ju-wan instinctively hold his breath. As he approached, he saw that the man’s face was nearly unrecognizable, smashed as if by some brutal impact. His left knee was entirely gone, and crimson blood continued to gush, forming an expanding puddle. The scene was grotesque, almost unbearably so.

Swallowing hard, Kang Ju-wan cautiously crept closer and pressed two fingers against the man’s neck. There was a faint pulse. He was still alive, but at this rate, it was only a matter of time before he bled out.

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‘Whoever did this… is insane.’

Cursing the invisible perpetrators under his breath, Kang Ju-wan patted down the man’s body. As expected, there was no phone. Whatever was happening outside, it was clear that someone had left this man here to die.

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Growing desperate, Kang Ju-wan covered his nose and mouth with one hand, his sharp eyes scanning the room. But the office was bare, offering nothing that could be used to treat the man. A pale expression spread across Ju-wan’s face.

The scent of fresh, living blood tempted him, gnawing at his self-control. He braced himself, every nerve in his body on edge, fearing that he might accidentally kill the man if he succumbed. The situation was suspicious enough without him becoming a murderer. After all, he wasn’t some psychotic killer obsessed with blood—he was a vampire who consumed only enough to maintain his sanity.

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The more anxious he became, the sharper his senses grew. Soon, his heightened perception picked up the faint outline of a CCTV camera, perched like an insect on the upper corner of the ceiling.

‘Someone is watching this place.’

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Kang Ju-wan’s crimson eyes glowed fiercely as he glared directly at the camera through the flickering darkness.

“Hey! Save this man! Get here right now!”

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It was a command, more potent than any he’d issued before. For a moment, the camera’s red indicator light blinked off as though startled. But Kang Ju-wan didn’t waver; his piercing gaze remained locked onto the lens, as if ready to devour it.

The next moment felt eternal, the silence so palpable he could almost hear the nonexistent ticking of a clock. Exactly 55 seconds after he’d shouted, he heard hurried footsteps approaching from outside the container.

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Sure enough, the door burst open to reveal a pair of strangers.

The first was a young man who looked no older than his early twenties, dressed in a hoodie. His curly dark brown hair and tanned skin gave him the appearance of an oversized poodle. Kang Ju-wan blinked at the sight of the youthful face, his expression incredulous.

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‘A student?’

The woman who entered behind him appeared slightly older, perhaps in her early thirties. She had her hair tied in a casual half-up style and wore a simple outfit of jeans, a T-shirt, and a cardigan.

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Despite their appearances, Kang Ju-wan’s glowing red eyes fixated on them as he maintained his composure. With a calm yet commanding tone, he addressed them.

“You there, miss. Call 119 and tell them someone here is dying. Make it sound urgent—cry if you can. And you, kid, call the police.”

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