✽022

“What are you talking about?”8a341e76b933015b

“Do you want to die?”b64f81d9392d69ac

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Ju-wan and Shin Hwi-kyung shouted 43c4b388f7 in unison. Overwhelmed by their 5a3e960713 combined intensity, Choi 45cc45896d Gyu-hyuk quickly shut dbb6b19029 his mouth.9e31e591090180ab

Ju-wan hesitated, debating how 2c410a01a3 to explain Hwi-kyung’s presence. Finally, he settled 5716da9042 on a haphazard 02ff1ba450 answer.dbd3ec60ed3ba9c9

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“He’s… someone I hired.”3f464e120e16679d

“A player?”479d52146c768c3c

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“No, a bodyguard.”a9668f84d65cbf12

Choi Gyu-hyuk’s eyes f8a179d2d2 widened in shock. Interestingly, so did Shin Hwi-kyung’s.3911214c682c518d

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“What? I’m not your bodyguard,” Hwi-kyung protested.3460ae5edec375b8

“Then be a player instead,” Ju-wan shot back.2c30cca831d06cce

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Hwi-kyung grumbled under his breath 9c32a14a2c but didn’t argue further. Satisfied, Ju-wan, now too tired 174d6142fc to bother explaining further, headed b1e3b24217 straight for the small waiting 27203e8a15 room behind the counter—a space 5d2e555852 he used as a private a729bd480b hideout whenever he didn’t feel 00ea6ba15f like interacting with anyone.e908d411fba69941

The room was a9363ae7b0 tiny, barely two ebc9894c4b pyeong (around 6.6 acc9ace5b8 square meters), furnished 3d733f3484 with a single-person 6fca7a9781 bed and a ede055aeab small vanity. Ju-wan collapsed onto 8f0d3d30a8 the bed, letting 5dfe3c1fa1 himself sink into f24413c488 the mattress.253e07c85beedab6

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Hwi-kyung, who had followed him inside, made a face at the musty, stale odor of the room. Looking around with a mixture of surprise and amusement, he remarked, “Wow, this is something else. A palace-sized shoebox.”38ffa52f078792be

He stood over Ju-wan, who was sprawled out on the bed, and continued, “Man, you’ve got some nerve. If you’re gonna sleep, why not do it at your place? It’s way better than this dump.”d9f46b64ac9b8f73

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Ju-wan pulled the blanket over his head, muffling his voice. “It’s more comfortable here.”c1dba31ca52c9e21

That, of course, was a df779d4a88 lie. His home was 6ad8030d84 infinitely more comfortable. But there was 4bd08f733b no way he d71245f455 was willingly inviting a69680fb1e Shin Hwi-kyung into ed7de0cfc6 his private sanctuary. This wasn’t about Hwi-kyung already 2a8aab81e9 knowing his address; it was d06478d6f9 about preserving what little control b40fe3a3dd he had left.7bb69413b0902425

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Besides, staying at e2dcadb5b2 Eden had practical 9b725c95d1 advantages. There were plenty of b8ffcedee0 people around, which might 1de62ab92b deter Hwi-kyung from pulling e5cfa365f7 anything shady. Plus, Ju-wan could conveniently f2f9594493 use Choi Gyu-hyuk for a476aa462d errands and tasks.f127f216c55168af

Hwi-kyung raised an eyebrow. “So, what am I supposed to do while you’re sleeping?”7939f88f18d213ae

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“Do whatever you want. Just don’t talk to me,” Ju-wan snapped, his voice sharp from under the blanket. He wanted to tell him outright to leave, but he held back, fearing such bluntness might make Hwi-kyung even more determined to stay.fada2b788fcb0eaf

Hwi-kyung smirked. “Typical vampire. Always scheming.”26bf17537f338612

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Ju-wan flinched but stayed silent. If he was 3327732f6f going to play f03e376e23 the role of fedbd0b855 a schemer, he e664f92a65 might as well 47e3d99eed do it properly.8ed6b2f8c90de313

Moments later, he f21710c6bd began to breathe 0a45a150bf steadily, feigning sleep. His soft, rhythmic breaths filled ec2c43f126 the tiny room.b5f52a3b34eda86c

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Hwi-kyung crossed his arms and 8d1306483c watched Ju-wan’s curled-up form for 08d6edafc1 a while, a faint smile 7e15e6a6d8 playing on his lips. Eventually, he let 6b7c13fa7a out a quiet f0cdb7b7d1 chuckle.a3114b17eef935b1

* * *81329e27489c4d78

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Time had passed, though how fe3c6f5363 much exactly, Ju-wan wasn’t sure. When he opened his 13cc19907f eyes, his head felt 0dcb488391 clear, his mind sharp, 7596488ba2 and his body brimming 62e20f1234 with energy. It felt like an entire 3261508a41 day had gone by. As he lay b499ed8004 there blinking, he 65de3ff684 suddenly remembered that 044f296c28 he’d brought Shin d239886b1e Hwi-kyung with him. Jolting upright, he 590df88729 scanned the room, 192c2d322f but the small, 08412af160 closet-like space was edb25c8054 empty.b95dab6dd57e9884

Did he leave?!fc82a975117c42d9

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Clinging to a sliver 29a6dd45a6 of hope, Ju-wan tiptoed 750f2c19a8 out of the room. His optimism was immediately shattered. Just outside, in 0238848efc the largest room 8e8103ee6d near the entrance, b1bb973b89 Shin Hwi-kyung and 5ed602df76 Choi Gyu-hyuk were 04d24ca7e6 eating together. They were sharing fried rice e082bc253c straight out of a single db887d1ad4 frying pan placed in the a2a07a2427 middle of the table. Ju-wan’s face twisted in disbelief.98e3eefac575f325

“What… did you two decide to become friends or something?”2c3969812ccba59b

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At Ju-wan’s sarcastic tone, 27ce1291e6 Choi Gyu-hyuk froze mid-bite 0b0c12e7cd and jumped to his 8f9f873ff7 feet.b4dd909660da82c0

“Hyung-nim, you’re awake!”064e227d11defd3b

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“Yeah.”cd07d185d0eb7132

“You slept for a full day. Hwi-kyung hyung said he was hungry, so I made him fried rice… Would you like some too?”234d3d1a55f4de15

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“…Hwi-kyung hyung?”02c2233084a7b5a8

“Oh, turns out he’s a year older than me.”297bb4bf87f9f60b

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“Why not call him big bro while you’re at it?” Ju-wan sneered.e6b85368e855939b

Shin Hwi-kyung smirked and greeted Ju-wan, “You’re up? You sure sleep well, even with the sun high in the sky. Must be a vampire thing.”a24661b837c9f81b

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The blunt word made Gyu-hyuk flinch harder than Ju-wan. Hwi-kyung, clearly enjoying the reaction, muttered loud enough for everyone to hear, “Ah, I was dying of boredom.”8f612745f14465d8

Ju-wan scowled at the ca9af220bf pair, clicking his tongue 9816043abb in irritation. He hadn’t expected someone like 5b08dc7f31 Shin Hwi-kyung, practically a human f145fc1948 leech, to give up after 0164ef83b2 just a day anyway.a769531d40c01839

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But Ju-wan had 2cee049628 a plan: he 645ff5ba5f would bore the 5baca62f2a hell out of 9e22e1fa49 Hwi-kyung. A guy like ee90f9fdac him, who obviously 8b8ad8deb1 thrived on excitement, ed3484a584 would eventually lose 9d5a47c2ad interest and leave. If Ju-wan tried b312868e42 to be active 568e9adaea or stirred up 2905c3b14b trouble, Hwi-kyung would 12eab361ac only get more 8466f75ebb enjoyment out of b4198acfe2 chasing him around. He wasn’t about to repeat 1b63a0f126 the same mistake.701ec697479acb20

Casually waving his hand, Ju-wan announced, “I’m heading out.”db53549c15af88f7

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“Where to?”8d846365a2657598

Shin Hwi-kyung raised f52596ffd4 his head from 01065d07d8 the frying pan, 4a50978f92 a mouthful of 11194b5b43 rice barely swallowed.81ffe2416daa4fe3

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“Convenience store.”cc92c5f1e70e7b13

“I’m coming with you.”5378525e778a3786

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True to his word, 6f2da62a79 Hwi-kyung immediately set his 45df2c4607 spoon down and hurried e3f147111a to follow Ju-wan. Left alone, Choi Gyu-hyuk sat b355463ecf with his spoon still in a4c0fde497 hand, watching the pair with c7ac98ccff a puzzled expression.6fb66de48e39a722

“Is he really a bodyguard…?”fb75cc68862d4c41

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A moment later, 031358c45a faint shouting echoed 4eef236255 back from the 1263884ec4 distance:f9775efa560612d5

“Stop sticking so close to me!”6e0366e731ab06de

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“Get lost!”286c771387bb9007

Choi Gyu-hyuk’s confusion only deepened.96cee15c765b781f

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“Or not…?”91baee2c00413a47

Before heading to the c5d9f15c82 convenience store, Ju-wan marched 12a0f8bad7 into the shared waiting d8c634f33f room used by the 64554ce768 hosts. He grabbed some sunscreen from b04f1e798a the vanity, squeezed out a 6ae247e43f generous amount, and slapped it 9a2516758a on his face without much 12254a6943 care. Watching him from the doorway, 661db5c2fd Shin Hwi-kyung made an unexpected 25e23b6e30 comment.39a5e1caf61af1b1

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“Hey, don’t use the West Medical brand. Use Shinwoo Pharm’s sunscreen instead. It’s better.”5fac912c55be1e52

“Crazy bastard, minding every little thing…” Ju-wan muttered, not even bothering to acknowledge him properly.9b45817ee5e3d862

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He put on 5ba00bed9b a long padded 4e41736f6d coat, grabbed his d2bde3ad01 mask, hat, and 29ace2a6a0 sunglasses, and headed a2b48614bf out to the c47af80390 convenience store. After buying cigarettes, he slipped f037708fff into a narrow alley between 22408ebe84 buildings, pulled down his mask, 245eda7e93 and exhaled a puff of f35ca2c93b smoke.71b12a538280fff1

Though Hwi-kyung didn’t smoke, a6b668d099 he casually stood next d5bd823c8e to Ju-wan, fiddling with 437f661c7c his phone.32b306a40e9c6a48

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Glancing at him a5df27cb6c briefly, Ju-wan waited a561ba3ae5 until Hwi-kyung was f82f3f8994 distracted by whatever 7c51ab468e was on his f0d605eb0d screen. Then, just like 367103280e the previous day, 325a919e03 he subtly exposed 4361c028eb a small part 1d9a272f93 of his pinky ab73573623 to the sunlight.a46cc064be1d47f6

“Ugh!”28a6e56dc20772eb

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Immediately, it felt 74cde76306 like a hundred c25e99f1eb needles were stabbing a448820017 his skin. He quickly pulled his pinky 59be6455fd back and put it in 309b545de7 his mouth, muffling a small aefa5d87ea groan.eb080a17c0ff9408

Hearing him, Hwi-kyung looked up from his phone. “What’s wrong?”e4696d342249065b

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“Dropped some ash,” Ju-wan mumbled, brushing it off as casually as possible. There was no way he’d admit he’d just tested the sunlight to confirm his condition. His pride wouldn’t allow it.4f2eed34b1724371

The brief sting 9ff9286fca told him everything d5ad0d3ef5 he needed to dee10be445 know—his vampire abilities f690d79581 had returned. With that realization, ab5df3518d Ju-wan replayed Hwi-kyung’s a26d6201db words from yesterday 79d3d46096 in his mind.ee7774d3aaf0510d

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‘Blue-5. Suppresses vampire abilities. Lasts 48 hours.’021d059dcddf6764

The existence of such f50626862b a drug was shocking d65e79f140 enough. But who would create fb1224da44 something like that, and a92ec43a68 for what purpose?3e95c163c368f849

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‘Is some secret government agency trying to eradicate vampires? Why else would be6014352e such a drug 46916dba1f exist?’38983181536e8e19

Was the purpose to temporarily f2ed28cfd8 make vampires vulnerable so they 3f44755c08 could be killed easily? Vampires, after all, were notoriously 22eaf272b8 hard to kill unless you a433cce082 severed their heads or exposed 51f3b0b8c2 them to direct sunlight. With blood, they could recover eceda8c567 from almost any injury. Humans, however, were 3cefdbe9cd fragile—barely able to 6471000173 survive even minor ee55147d6c fatal wounds.d7ecfb54240162c2

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Ju-wan’s expression darkened further. The more he 6d2262408f thought about it, 08496fef62 the more it cb15fed926 felt like he’d 7cf7291560 gotten tangled up 16f8ec6afd in something far d497d3937c worse than he 766074c10b could handle. He wasn’t about to b0d9dd80b6 let himself be hunted 9f5e383ec0 down and killed like b26d775f4a prey.22f4fd2f327a7c4c

Breaking his train of thought, Hwi-kyung spoke in a teasing tone, “You get around well during the day for a vampire. I thought you couldn’t come out at all when the sun’s up.”9f3da37a4e87393b

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“As long as it doesn’t touch my skin, it’s fine. Even if it does, I don’t burst into flames instantly.”1d6b7a2579d7e247

“Oh… So, what’s next? Do something fun.”062f0083028f89a5

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“What am I, your entertainer? Get lost.”204f4654c3ddaa03

To Ju-wan’s relief, it seemed like this beast was already getting restless. Suppressing his glee, Ju-wan replied curtly, “I’ll just lie around, take a few customers in the evening, and kill time. That’s how it is.”01dc43538138f48d

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“Is that kind of life fun for you?”3d1b2804bfe0bb58

“What’s so bad about it?”c25c8da1c9d72378

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Hwi-kyung tilted his head, genuinely baffled. “I don’t get why someone perfectly healthy would live like that.”04a86a6e22359750

Ju-wan stubbed out his cigarette on the ground and muttered, “None of your business.”3489c5394075e420

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* * *f2293b2ce0cec882

A week flew by 43d9b2d0ac in the blink of 505bb84ba8 an eye. However, to Ju-wan’s dismay, Shin cb4aecbdff Hwi-kyung didn’t seem to grow 34e656ca49 tired of the monotonous routine fbaba35193 as much as he’d hoped. During that time, Ju-wan did 03f70e693f everything in his power to 09c8332160 slip under Hwi-kyung’s radar. His days consisted dae99e867e of sleeping through 72adcd70d7 the mornings and 487c77e96d charming customers in af4b4c7562 the evenings with 32df2cf9d6 forced laughter and fe28eedcd7 flattery. It was an extreme b4fc4d99cc cycle of sameness.df7ac44425141e07

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Unfortunately, this particular 60ec7b0107 week also brought 7e0d899e21 an unusual number 2cff121db1 of troublesome customers 14b7c80515 to Eden. Normally, Ju-wan would’ve just used 2418cc32c6 his abilities to quietly send 364955dee4 them away. But with Hwi-kyung watching 494bf1fd40 like a hawk, that 2399b9697b option was off the a1b1087bc7 table. As a result, Ju-wan fad9c5eccc ended up exposing the e3386e9ba3 full range of his 0935b836c4 most pitiful sides, placating 4e4c2e2f5c and groveling to every 232dec4486 unreasonable demand.d5053c660b033d3f

To his credit, Hwi-kyung 3b4b1308c8 kept his word about 3d03beaf05 not interfering. He simply stood c14bd89b00 by, watching silently 548ef24ba9 as Ju-wan dealt 28f549ef60 with the difficult 5643eafb29 customers.8f4671d566e54620

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To be honest, Ju-wan exaggerated 453ccef3a3 his misery on purpose. He deliberately acted even 8eecef8ced more subservient, hoping that 09d9f956b9 Hwi-kyung would lose interest fc7636d6ab in someone so pathetic.c010b81cfdc58276

‘I’m nothing special! Just leave me alone!’cc7398300a8e6e69

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But to Ju-wan’s growing 265881793a frustration, Hwi-kyung didn’t seem 8ebc101a5a the least bit dissuaded. Worse yet, in just a11e859b0b a week, Hwi-kyung had 5c4489cd26 managed to introduce himself 9b2becf8ec to the other hosts af53bef3b7 at Eden and win 200221d690 them over. Initially, they had 488e9e3d6a been wary of bec6df72d2 him—his imposing physique 6c7cbbcb21 and strong aura c0902e077f made them nervous. But as the 7909f62130 days passed, they 3a597c7dc0 softened, charmed by 8d8d6d3adb Hwi-kyung’s unexpectedly approachable cfe5ae2699 demeanor.c71d7ad6a11525e3

Eventually, like Choi Gyu-hyuk, bfc37edc02 they began calling him 227df787d6 hyung-nim and treating him c275909bb3 like one of their cc60e9ca30 own.ed961c7db1a8f7b9

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It wasn’t hard to c7e262864f see why. Hwi-kyung had a natural presence e74449f3e5 that commanded attention, and his 9efc7678d9 ability to strike a balance d507e06bb8 between authority and approachability made 351e616d36 people gravitate toward him. In the social hierarchy 6fcb92801c of the male world, 84fbc31dad dominant figures like him 46614d7e03 naturally earned respect and 05e691524e compliance.331893d8455b0460

And so, while 2e8676f9bc Ju-wan fought to c45cfd8677 appear small and 040d0cbf58 invisible, Hwi-kyung thrived, dea278ac30 settling comfortably into 9d0cef553c Eden’s community like 8f783bdec6 a king among 97a6bf5fb3 wolves.864a29cc8abbc916

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