✽012

The man and woman responded in slightly flustered voices.

“I don’t have a phone.”
“I don’t have a phone either.”

Ju-wan looked incredulous.

“Young people without phones? Oh, wait, don’t answer that—it’s not a question. What the hell were you two doing here?”

The curly-haired man answered blankly, “We were watching the monitors in the control room.”

“Why?”

“To see how you’d react.”

“What?”

Ju-wan froze. A chill ran down his spine as the man’s words registered. He immediately turned to the woman.

“You too?”

“I was just… standing next to him.”

Ju-wan’s expression hardened. So, they had both been observing him through the CCTV. At that moment, he realized the one in real danger wasn’t the man with the severed leg—it was himself. Feeling a wave of unease, he asked, “Did you kidnap me?”

His crimson eyes still glowed ominously. The man replied, “Not me. It was Baek Hoon.”

“Who’s Baek Hoon?”

“The guy who shot you with the tranquilizer.”

Baek Hoon. So that bastard’s name is Baek Hoon. Ju-wan swore to remember it, even if it was the last thing he did. He exhaled deeply through his nose, trying to keep his anger in check.

“What are you, people? Do you have some grudge against me?”

“…No.”

“Then why are you doing this?”

The two hesitated, their silence unnerving. Ju-wan knew hesitation like this only happened for two reasons: they didn’t have a clear answer, or his hypnosis was losing its effect.

Suddenly, Ju-wan felt something warm trickling from his nose. His vision blurred, and a faint ringing echoed in his ears.

‘Damn it, already?’

The tranquilizer must have dulled his focus more than usual. As Ju-wan staggered, the movements of the two, who had been obeying his commands, slowed unnaturally. Fighting to keep control, Ju-wan focused again and asked the man, “Why are you doing this to me?”

“Because Hwi-kyung told us to.”

Hwi-kyung? It was a name Ju-wan had never heard before. A cold sense of dread washed over him.

“That guy—did he shoot me because of Hwi-kyung’s orders?”

“Yes.”

“And this man here—did Hwi-kyung do this to him too?”

Both nodded in unison.

Ju-wan’s face went pale. Hwi-kyung? He had never encountered that name before.

At that moment, the trickle of blood from Ju-wan’s nose grew slightly heavier.

For a vampire, losing even a small amount of blood was never a good sign. Sensing his limits approaching, Ju-wan took a deep breath, steadied himself, and addressed the man.

“Fine. I’m leaving now. Don’t follow me, and stay here until sunrise. Got it? And you—what’s your name?”

“Son Chan-hee.”

“Alright, Chan-hee. Tomorrow night, by 8 p.m., come alone to a place called Eden in Bangbae-dong. I have questions about this Hwi-kyung person.”

“Got it.”

As soon as Kang Ju-wan finished speaking, his vision began to spin. The lingering effects of the tranquilizer, which he had been forcing to the edges of his consciousness, surged over him in relentless waves.

He stumbled toward the warehouse door, ready to leave, but just as he reached for it, an all-too-familiar face appeared before his blurry eyes. Ju-wan squinted hard, his disbelief evident in his voice as he murmured.

“Shin… Min-kyung?”

Shin Min-kyung smiled his signature polished, gentlemanly smile.

“Sorry, but Son Chan-hee won’t be able to make it there.”

Before Ju-wan could react, Shin Min-kyung swung his arm, jabbing something into Ju-wan’s neck. The sharp sting followed a moment later. Ju-wan’s eyes widened in shock as he pointed a trembling finger at his attacker.

“Ugh…!”

But before he could finish, his pupils rolled back, and he collapsed.

Shin Min-kyung caught Ju-wan’s limp body with one arm and muttered.

“That was close…”

Calm as always, Shin Min-kyung—no, Shin Hwi-kyung—wiped the sweat from his brow. His composed expression betrayed the adrenaline pumping through his system, his heart pounding furiously in his chest.

Just then, a voice crackled through the wireless earpiece in his ear.

– You were reckless just now.

“…Next time, prepare tranquilizers meant for elephants, Do-young hyung,” Hwi-kyung replied, his voice tinged with frustration.

– Shin Hwi-kyung.

Though Ahn Do-young’s tone was as calm as ever, Hwi-kyung could sense the restrained anger behind it. He let out a sheepish laugh.

“…Sorry. I panicked. I couldn’t risk letting him get away. But seriously, that thing he just pulled—have you ever seen anything like that before?”

– …Not at that level of power. Bring Chan-hee and So-min with you.

“Fine, but get me some duct tape and handcuffs. Chains too, if possible.”

Hwi-kyung glanced down at Kang Ju-wan, who hung limp in his arms like soaked laundry. His face flushed slightly as he remarked, “I thought he was just being stubborn yesterday, but maybe he really doesn’t intend to hurt people. Is he seriously pretending to be human or something?”

From the other side of the line, Ahn Do-young muttered softly.

“If we handle this right… he could be incredibly useful.”

* * *

When Kang Ju-wan opened his eyes again, he couldn’t see a thing.

‘Damn it…’

Having passed out twice in a single day, Ju-wan now truly felt like he was screwed. The situation was entirely different from when he first regained consciousness. This time, he was kneeling, his arms bound behind his back. His thighs and ankles were tightly taped together, as if wrapped by a constricting snake, making it impossible to even stretch his legs. His legs, deprived of circulation for who knows how long, felt cold and agonizingly numb, as if they might fall off.

When he tried to move, he felt the pull of a leather collar around his neck, tugging him back. It seemed to be anchored to a pillar or wall behind him. Any sudden movement would immediately choke him.

Worst of all, his eyes were covered with a blindfold, and a gag in the shape of a ball was strapped into his mouth, making drool drip uncontrollably down his chin.

“Mm…”

A muffled sound escaped his lips, accompanied by the clink of chains from the collar. It wasn’t just leather—it was reinforced with metal.

Then, an all-too-familiar voice spoke from in front of him.

“Oh, you’re awake, Mr. Kang Ju-wan? Thank goodness—I thought you might’ve died, you were out for so long. Hold on a moment.”

The tone was polite, but it sent shivers down his spine. The sound of footsteps—clack, clack—approached him, steady and deliberate. Soon, a warm hand removed his blindfold and unfastened the gag from his mouth.

Even after the blindfold was gone, the glaring light from the fluorescent bulbs above was so harsh that Ju-wan couldn’t open his eyes right away. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he squinted against the brightness.

When his vision finally adjusted, he found himself in what appeared to be a normal hotel room, furnished with a chair, desk, and bed. Thick blackout curtains were tightly drawn over the windows, doubling up to ensure no light could penetrate. The sight of them made Ju-wan flinch instinctively. Unable to check the time with his hands tied behind him, he felt a growing sense of unease.

As expected, Shin Min-kyung sat directly across from him. Dressed in a sharp black three-piece suit, he exuded his usual polished demeanor. He was seated at the edge of the plush bed, legs crossed, looking as solid and unmoving as a rock. He was about three or four steps away from where Ju-wan knelt on the floor.

Ju-wan glared at him, his face twisted into a scowl.

Under normal circumstances, Ju-wan would have had enough strength to toss three grown men across the room without breaking a sweat. Despite his delicate appearance, his vampire strength made him more than a match for even someone like Choi Gyu-hyuk. But whatever was in the drugs he’d been injected with, it had completely sapped his energy.

Meanwhile, Shin Hwi-kyung—still smiling faintly—watched Ju-wan for a moment before tilting his head.

“Huh, why aren’t you saying anything? Are you okay? Still groggy from the sedative?”

Hwi-kyung leaned forward slightly, snapping his fingers with a sharp click.

Ju-wan let out a dry laugh. He couldn’t deny it anymore—his hypnosis wasn’t working on this man.

‘Did I drink too much that night at the hotel?’

At the same time, a chill ran down his spine at the sheer depth of this man’s unknown grudge. Ju-wan let out a long sigh. He no longer saw any need to maintain formalities.

“Hey, you’re Shin Min-kyung, right?”

The man responded with a sly grin.

“That’s right.”

“How dare you use an alias?”

“Why? Is using an alias only something you can do?”

The two of them naturally dropped the formalities. The way the man responded was oddly childish. Ju-wan couldn’t tell if this was the real Shin Hwi-kyung, or if he was just unusually excited right now. Ju-wan squinted his eyes.

“So, is Shin Hwi-kyung your real name?”

“For now, let’s say it is.”

The playful answer made Ju-wan scowl. He felt embarrassed by his past self, who had once been charmed by this man’s face. Ju-wan sighed, his disbelief apparent, and spoke.

“Are you trying to kill me or something?”

Shin Hwi-kyung looked genuinely surprised.

“What are you talking about? I haven’t killed you.”

“You’re doing this because you think I stole your woman, right? This is exactly why Seo-Yeon ran away. But guys like you, with your obsessive behavior, are exactly the type of men women hate.”

This time, Shin Hwi-kyung’s eyes widened, then he let out a deflated sound.

“Oh, so it’s about Seo-Yeon. I didn’t realize you were still thinking about that.”

Ju-wan snapped.

“Of course I am, you bastard! You’re basically declaring that you’re going to make me like that guy in the warehouse, right? You’re not getting ready to chop off my legs, are you?”

“What?”

Shin Hwi-kyung looked genuinely stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter. He laughed so hard that he wiped a tear from the corner of his eye before speaking.

“That guy has nothing to do with you. He was just a really bad person who liked to torment others, but he was too valuable to just kill easily. So I decided to experiment on you instead.”