✽006

Choi Gyu-hyuk answered instead, and Kang Ju-wan retorted.

“What if that bastard comes here and causes a scene? What’s the madam going to do then?”

“We’ll just say you ran away.”

“Thanks for at least saying that.”

Silence fell between the three again. Choi Gyu-hyuk seemed restless, worried about Ju-wan’s safety, while Ki-chul appeared to quietly hope that Kang Ju-wan would accept the man’s terms. Kang Ju-wan glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. It was already well past 8 p.m.

“…I’ll take just one of the checks for the hospital bill. The rest can go to the madam.”

“…Are you really okay with that?”

Kang Ju-wan gave a half-hearted nod and stood up. The wounds would heal soon enough anyway.

And that man from earlier… Honestly, it wasn’t an entirely unmanageable situation. Kang Ju-wan rubbed his nose and furrowed his brows slightly.

“…I’ll take care of him myself.”

At that, Ki-chul freaked out.

“Are you really going to fight him? Even if it’s a guy?”

“Idiot, who said I’d fight him?”

Kang Ju-wan yelled angrily, making Ki-chul pull a strange face.

“Then are you going to break through? Can you even handle that? He looked way taller than you….”

“What do you mean ‘way taller’? At best, it was just about a finger joint difference.”

“No way, it looked like at least a whole finger’s difference. And did you see how broad he was? You’d need three of you to take him on.”

“Ridiculous.”

Their pointless chatter lightened the atmosphere a little. Kang Ju-wan held his stomach for no reason and grimaced.

“It’s almost time for the others to start their shift. I’ll head out now.”

“Oh… okay. Get some rest! And pick up your phone!”

Ignoring Choi Gyu-hyuk’s concerned instructions, Kang Ju-wan stepped outside. Once he left the building, he straightened his back and started walking through the nighttime streets. The pain was still there, but as a vampire, his wounds would heal quickly. His mind, however, was still consumed with what had happened earlier. His solar plexus throbbed dully, a genuine ache. Rubbing his stomach, he thought:

‘That bastard… was he actually trying to kill me?’

If he were an ordinary human, he’d already be in the ER with internal bleeding. The smiling man’s calm demeanor had concealed a deadly intent that Kang Ju-wan had clearly sensed. His face had been so kind, but Ju-wan had never met anyone as good at acting as himself.

‘But did my hypnosis really not work on Seo-yeon noona? That shouldn’t be possible.’

There were days when his powers didn’t work well if he wasn’t in top condition, but that day he’d been at his best. Besides, the dazed look in Seo-yeon’s pupils back then had clearly indicated that she was under hypnosis.

He’d heard of rare cases where some humans were immune to his powers, but in his 180 years of life, he’d never encountered one. With a serious expression, Kang Ju-wan sank deeper into thought.

‘And if I was truly exposed, it wouldn’t have been her boyfriend coming for me—it’d have been the cops.’

After all, he’d drunk her blood, thinking it might be the last time.

‘I’ll have to deal with that guy using hypnosis too.’

Kang Ju-wan shivered. For a vampire, hypnosis was the only power he could truly rely on. Without realizing it, he muttered aloud:

“Man, it’s so hard living as a human.”

Kang Ju-wan had never intended to end up running a host bar in the first place.

But whenever Kang Ju-wan interacted with others in a normal way, people would quickly notice something odd about him. He didn’t age, never gained weight no matter how much he ate, rarely showed his face during the day, and sometimes, there was a faint scent of blood lingering around him.

There were limits to erasing people’s memories with hypnosis every time his identity was at risk. If he blurred the memories of one group, others would start becoming suspicious of him. Unfortunately, Kang Ju-wan’s hypnosis wasn’t strong enough to solve all these problems. As a result, over the past 180 years, his life had mostly been a cycle of being chased, running away, or ending up murdered.

Luckily, by sheer determination and survival, he had lived long enough to see the world change. Surprisingly, people no longer cared much about others’ lives.

Nowadays, no one bothered to scrutinize what Kang Ju-wan was up to. Parents didn’t interrogate their daughters about who they were seeing anymore, long sleeves and pants in the middle of summer were dismissed as fashion, and being unemployed meant fewer people wanted to interact with you.

Ju-wan quickly adapted to the modern world and blended into society as if he were just another human. Getting IDs and similar documentation was no challenge at all. Initially hesitant, he was now a pro at using credit cards.

Eventually, he found a job that was in the shadows of society—perfectly suited for someone like him: working at a host bar.

Turning men into companions akin to courtesans? What a fascinating world.

Thanks to this, all he had to do was flirt with women, and he could drink their blood over and over, changing his targets whenever needed. Not that he had to, since blood packs were a sufficient substitute. The best part was feeling loved, even if only for a moment.

With sunscreen formulas having drastically improved, Kang Ju-wan even started to feel like the world was finally giving him a little payback. With top-tier products, he could avoid the slightest burning sensation for at least five minutes.

And honestly, husbands barging in wasn’t anything new. Even back when he lived in a brothel, male clients often caused chaos.

‘That guy might be crazy, but there’s nothing to be scared of.’

Deciding it wasn’t a serious problem, Kang Ju-wan found himself humming a tune by the time he reached home 20 minutes later.

His sanctuary was a 33-pyeong apartment near Gangnam Station. It had always been a good place, but over time, its value skyrocketed. If he sold it now, he could live comfortably for at least 50 years.

The apartment was secondary, though. Over 180 years, he had diligently amassed gold, jewels, and a significant amount of cash. Initially worried, he’d avoided using credit cards, but now he had bank accounts in his name worth hundreds of millions of won. With no social hierarchy and a world where money was status, having his abilities and saving only this much was modest by any standard.

When he opened the door, smart lights turned on, and a familiar diffuser scent welcomed him. It was his haven, one he was deeply satisfied with. Recently, he had renovated it with the trendy white-toned interior style, which made coming home even better. Of course, the pitch-black blackout curtains on every window slightly marred the aesthetics, but they were a necessity.

Opening the refrigerator, he found the vegetable compartment stocked with neatly arranged, fresh blood packs. He grabbed one, popped it open, and drank deeply, feeling like it compensated for the frustrating events of the day.

“Ah, that’s good~.”

Ju-wan plopped onto the living room sofa, turned on the massive TV, and pulled up the default screen for NetPlus. As he leaned forward to find a new romance drama, something in his pants pocket snagged his attention.

“Oh.”

He pulled out the crumpled piece of paper with the crazy guy’s phone number he had stuffed there earlier. Frowning, Ju-wan examined it, turning it over as though it might reveal more.

“Shin Min-kyung…” he muttered with a dissatisfied expression.

Aside from his arrogance, the guy packed quite the punch. It felt less like he’d been hit by a human and more like he’d been mauled by a bear. And the more Ju-wan thought about him, the stranger the man seemed. When Shin had kicked him in the solar plexus, Ju-wan distinctly remembered seeing a flicker of pleasure in the man’s eyes. It was fleeting, hidden beneath his otherwise somber face, but it was there.

‘What a freak.’

Ju-wan was rubbing his stomach again, furrowing his brows, when his phone suddenly rang. It was Choi Gyu-hyuk. Ju-wan answered immediately, responding out of habit.

“Yes, boss?”

– I’m alone.

“What is it?”

– I just wanted to check if you got home okay. How’s your stomach?

The background noise was lively, but Gyu-hyuk’s voice was quiet, almost a whisper. He was probably in the waiting room or the restroom, calling in secret.

“Of course I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”

After a brief hesitation, Gyu-hyuk asked cautiously.

– So… are you going to meet that guy?

Ju-wan, now lying on the couch and rolling the crumpled piece of paper around, replied nonchalantly.

“Don’t I have to?”

– You’re going to use… that, right?

“Yeah.”

Another pause. Gyu-hyuk stayed silent for a moment, making Ju-wan a little annoyed.

“What now?”

– It’s just… well, when I used to do judo, I’d feel a certain way when standing in front of someone truly strong. Like I was being overwhelmed or something.

“I already know he’s strong. Didn’t I just get beaten up?”

– What I mean is…

“I get it, I’ll be careful.”

At that, Gyu-hyuk spoke hurriedly.

– But you can’t hold that gaze thing for long, right? If you do it repeatedly, you’ll end up with a nosebleed and collapse. I’m just worried.

Ju-wan clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“Why would I need to do it repeatedly? Even a tiger turns into a kitten under hypnosis!”

– Ah, yes, haha. In that case, I’m relieved.

Gyu-hyuk let out a laugh, sounding a bit more at ease after Ju-wan’s firm response. Ju-wan, sensing the need to change the topic to ease his manager’s mind, brought up something else.

“Anyway, check into some new recruits. Do I really have to listen to some lunatic saying my bar is going under?”

– Understood. Oh, and boss!

“What now?”

– If you want to keep up with trends, you should be watching YouTube, not dramas.

“Get lost.”

Ju-wan hung up the phone with a mildly irritated expression. The dark NetPlus screen he’d left on earlier was still glowing in front of him. He let out a small chuckle, a memory surfacing.

He thought back to when he’d first met Choi Gyu-hyuk about ten years ago. Back then, Gyu-hyuk was a minor who couldn’t afford his hospital bills and had been teetering on the edge of jumping into the Han River.

“You’ve really grown up,” Ju-wan murmured with a faint smile.