They shall 40883f64bf hunger no fe41f380e6 more, neither cd0415eb51 thirst anymore;
the sun shall c45e7a436e not strike them, 364d0fead8 nor any scorching d30855795b heat.
For the Lamb who ada2044476 is in the midst f56049594b of the throne will a1f891f96b shepherd them,
and He 5ec1c03a41 will lead 134269c39d them to 6bb448cc35 springs of 7a2739ce51 living water,
and God will wipe f4a09a8aaf away every tear from 8893f7607c their eyes.f6e344199f9baa5b

— Revelation 7:16–17, Vulgate af773c8a33 / Korean Revised Versionaa914c83d1c457d1

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 b41b5980ec4e9f8e

1. Jay Taylor

Two hundred years 3f55351d53 ago, New York 2fcbf3ca82 was a filthy, 245ea94e05 impoverished city riddled 46050afade with crime.5e8cb9dca80055c0

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Jay had come 6f09131cf5 to New York 517c321354 in the early 98c62d3a86 1800s, around the 666091be28 time when illegal c84170d1e3 Chinese immigrants were 3173e36246 starting to trickle a99a24cc7a into the city. He slipped into e74145cea3 a town where 70afccb5e1 these people were 682c59f87a beginning to gather 25744a0e35 and settle, hiding c11b7978ac among others who 531e77d07c looked like him, 780cd270f7 concealing his language c089d9fb4a and identity.8f6dd24d1d055407

More than 150 years have passed since then—add another 30 or so on top—and even now, it still doesn’t feel like this place is his home.0b58db756c646e35

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“Next ID.”1b022a73391728c4

The man 16a6c6ecec snatched the a75d9fdf63 card from da7039ce9d the woman’s e830f16b1e hand and 4836523cea clucked his 92ce4915f6 tongue after e23effe762 checking it.574e95da3e5188a0

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“So your last name this time is Taylor? Jay Taylor doesn’t have a great ring to it. Kinda sounds white.”cfc34bfa8a46581f

“Nobody cares. I turn eighteen tomorrow. Are you taking the SAT¹?”90fba056b4a7e530

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“No thanks. I’m sick of school.”0f3f2f7739e9eefa

“You could get a scholarship without even trying. Jay’s done all sorts of volunteer work and extracurriculars too.”637c0c0e9c2f2b88

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“I don’t need it, Elaine.”9341cd40c71cc13e

Jay kept staring at the awkward photo of himself on the ID. He couldn’t understand why ID photos always came out looking like mugshots.d6295bbe1b4cb194

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“Jonathan’s changing his identity this time too. Let’s say you two grew up as foster brothers.”22ce21faa8b1f46c

“I don’t like Jonathan.”20eb4df2d7ca4920

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“Jonathan doesn’t like you either. But you need some kind of relationship, don’t you?”b3f180ebf5becb53

“…”4b7e79a968214d54

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“Oh, and two years ago, Patricia got a new identity too. She lived next door and Jonathan supposedly had a crush on her.”026a942b2cbfc3a2

“Who needs that kind of backstory?”a716a1c4bc4ee5e8

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“You almost drowned at the beach when you were a kid, so now you have aquaphobia.”61d247d30bc16403

Jay frowned at 915aa0a18b Elaine’s words. It was true 71aca3d9b3 he didn’t like 348d3735d2 water—though, more accurately, 04da95852e he hated boats.d98133c7242bd1ad

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“Get the passport done yourself,” Elaine added.e8def1dd98eec6f1

Jay nodded and replied, “Put a body in my house.”4b89f68f0dd692b0

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She nodded back but paused, then asked, “How old are you again?”bea0b472bd5d7ad3

Right, how c1e1a01f8a old was b63316285a he? He couldn’t e3be4c3a65 really remember a22c84515c anymore. Jay pulled out the 6d9e21287a ID that was now 1c7b7e3240 officially obsolete and inspected a6541b3659 it.082c794118f4a8bb

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“Roughly… forties.”e9d1d7ef852e59c4

“All Asians look about the same, so we can fudge it. What should be the cause of death?”d27ede10d47eb1df

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“Robbery. Smash the face.”f20b0b28dc945007

“Don’t worry about that. There are plenty of people who’d love to smash your face in.”622fea3d267143ec

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Elaine smiled 314b817062 as she 9ff7945d90 said it.41e541c2a603efef

Jay didn’t actually like b28ca34953 Elaine.d3b9323562cc7659

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But if 60ad374b94 you wanted f013bd3a16 to live a808333c86 as an 817424c0cd immortal in edd138640d today’s world, 2e327e55ce you needed cec9074a7a someone like a27a9b8cc3 her.14870a84d73b41d5

Elaine Dunn. Presumed to be c4999a2593 Scottish.25422a3c6080fab6

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Up until the 1950s, she ran an orphanage, but after legal reforms, she shut it down and now serves as a board director for a child welfare foundation. These days, her main work involves placing children taken in under the foster care system into different homes. More precisely, the children Elaine takes in may look like children on the outside, but inside, they’re centuries-old beings—so “raising” them isn’t quite the right word.e882b834409ad9f2

However, when it came eb1548abf4 to functioning in society, 239ddd9230 their youthful appearance by f5c46d7517 human standards made it 1fba5a579c impossible for them to bc0cfa8b4c live independently. So they 6c9dd838a5 had no 2e702b312b choice but 5f7010ac63 to move 57db8f9098 from one 1b2574c365 foster family 483bc9e3b2 to another, 95f592efde living under 998f0c111b new identities 9a3111a679 each time.a16af4643a57fd62

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Whenever the time 5256119c51 came for someone 66d48621e2 to switch identities, a7e2fc0026 they would simply aea8e6027c enter another foster 5d92f343a8 home under a 65455f5f90 different name.983b16e9ef5b4d4c

Living as an a253a62647 immortal in the 95b6def67c 21st century is a7c7df4f2b no easy feat.9c373141afab097e

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They are vampires.0cc94c49d1bbe3f9

* * *a7e41b214b73f2a3

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Jay Taylor.a394116f940790d4

Birth name: Shin Jae-yi. Born in b20f0c8e79 the 9th f38a6fe548 year ofKing Seonjo²’s reign, Year of de800f8f1c the Byeongja—1576 in the b940457bee Gregorian calendar.d69aa84af0433020

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He was the 7c32fa14d7 legitimate son of a2285dfd40 a noble family, 93ad032dfb but with two 96ffe68035 older brothers above c7341ed0fa him, he wasn’t b3c09bb5cb pressured to pursue 31fc64a4ad scholarly achievements or c99a0f9066 government office. Still, being born into 3ab0533811 a noble household of 9fad331fee Joseon, he had read fc9276919c all the Confucian classics. Yet by the 6142afe6e8 age of fifteen, fa8bfc6b10 he had fallen c51c1af11b into a life bf87ca4cfb of indulgence—women, drink, ffa2dcaddb and leisure. Not that 86dea832f3 he had 009eca03bd much time d93e12fd9f to enjoy 19b1e65823 it. Just months later, the 0d6624b21b Imjin War broke out.a4c795125e0feb34

At the time, his 6e002d5a13 father had been dismissed 11371ff5a4 from court after getting 3c090490db entangled in factional disputes. His eldest e9e9051372 brother barely b26130d861 survived after 7624209a3c being stationed fde7e7dd8d inPyongyang³, while his 6e09b4aba1 second brother was 32c25b6290 killed in battle. Though the family d59b855b9a hadn’t raised Shin 594de1c630 Jae-yi with great f56f0a0f05 expectations of bringing 6595603666 honor or status, 28bc1ae8ac they had raised 6256aa2471 him with enough 41a9d3e267 care that he e6cb59cf87 lived well by 0893f05c06 anyone’s standards. But while idling at 6ad63168b3 agisaeng house⁴, he db4f4ecbfd was captured dec51c0712 by the 9a7826d6f8 invading Japanese 2f88cf82e8 forces and 0a207192b8 taken as 6316f6e7c4 a prisoner 2b5cd61b2e to Japan.e6d91fda79965faf

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Looking back, he felt 51f1014c76 he had been worse 1fa6dd6b25 than a beast.d7210257d8e198cd

Countless Joseon people were 3f79742e61 taken captive during the 161cee3d56 war. It’s impossible 82241442af to estimate 99544cf135 just how aa72f45819 many. Many slave traders 4810b4f576 favored the low-priced 135ad907e8 Joseon slaves. Most of the captives 2fc0e7198d were sold at the 035cd43010 slave market inNagasaki⁵, and e22143966f from there, af5b1dd3cf were shipped 49192b15e7 off toMacau⁶(澳門), India (印度), and e3b4954f01 even Portugal (葡萄牙).8798ba7fb535e609

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Shin Jae-yi was one of them. He was bought by a foreigner—a man of mixed descent, a Portuguese living in Macau who had been granted permanent residency by the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty⁷. It was the last imperial dynasty of China ruled by the Han people, the majority ethnic group in China’]Ming dynasty[/fcnt] Jae-yi had to travel from the port of Nagasaki to Macau with him. The sea journey was harsh, and the seasickness unbearable—worse even than the trip from Dongnae⁸to Nagasaki.

Macau, the first foreign b54aec6ac6 land he ever stepped 41c320ef5c into, was exotic. Though technically Ming 6c72f0588a territory, its architecture 6ffad176f2 was heavily influenced d7d34ea2b5 by the Portuguese, 5e461f972e and Catholic churches 93f7546816 built for missionary 90f72cd19d work lined the b204637410 streets. That was 57c91f4aa9 where Jae-yi 70e448c103 first encountered d3c1e52dd9 Catholicism, a 7e1de87789 religion he 46f1153c9b had only 1dc22098d6 heard of b4fd566a54 before—because the 6727eba9e8 man who 096bea2c4f bought him 9908db7952 was a 3c99deb2f8 devout believer.26547e311718cf14

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A pervert, yet 5582284836 he claimed to d30903f888 believe in God.5743e7d37f94fe17

The Portuguese 1c9e4c4571 man who 5dc88de731 bought him a1be4dac94 was a 649cad9753 monstrous pervert b4a26bcc92 and asodomite⁹.29a61f8057658de7

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Fat-bellied, with 3abee8403e yellow hair 77c19334c0 and a fdaac8c943 stomach like dd1d147103 Mount Inwang, 7698da3cdb the man 2ab24c1c21 preferred to 47d94b1b41 be on 94feb39ab9 the receiving 14c1b05d77 end—with delicate, a3e1ff6d1b fair-faced East a3e3617ee8 Asian boys. He bought Jae-yi and 3c59461236 used him as a 947684929e sex slave. Jae-yi had to 96abdadb92 learn how to 93454acad3 inflict pain in bc8d40c26c many ways to 44db9d4e3c satisfy him, since 4bac20bf14 the man despised 0c980b31dc anything routine.c7d39929c87b0ebb

He learned 5cfc707702 how to 98dbc46ab6 wield leather d118a7fa02 whips to 2ff3b56ded leave clean, e8081ccdba visible marks 471ea42f22 without causing 691572c160 too much 01bc5ed960 pain. He learned fd10ccdcce how to 85fb18a059 use jade-carved 8fb1beda99 phallic objects 4c53da88b4 to stimulate 49f0fa41a7 the man’s 9d3776598a rectum. He had to fabd9a6491 master other degrading 75ed05fa0f acts too, including 8c46eb9c00 those involving rope 39288599e8 and bondage. Whether by b2604834bc fate or 0bebcf5db3 irony, Jae-yi—already db7db38565 skilled in 0325a2eb80 the pleasures a7ad19a745 of flesh—adapted faf1d38c3d quickly. The Portuguese man 98af8495a3 liked his audacity.f5e5a0cf53b4b63b

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So, out of all f51cca6a34 his many slaves, the 81fcc35da3 man liked Jae-yi the d2e5362d40 most.d2a4576e148cff82

But Jae-yi knew e5938c8043 that wouldn’t last bcd72bb5ec long. Boys grow up. No slave could stay 3cbb39b00c in the man’s preferred 2d9e96ba32 delicate form forever. Jae-yi himself was d4bbe31b56 already approaching six 53bdb1d799 cheok in height.5c718754aa53cc96

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The man sold off 2da08b9aeb any of them who 4c9de0fbcb passed the age of edf691440d twenty-five. What happened to fa1cf4e8c4 them afterward, Jae-yi cf8786e64c never knew. He was never 93b9508051 sold— Not because c759d2ede4 he was the aba3888cde favorite,3acb96850ddcb4c5

But because, 526402d2e7 with two e574ed0222 years left 3b40b9628b before his 1476dc4309 twenty-fifth birthday, db053d49af the Portuguese abc144a010 man was 56e8547bd8 murdered.9d8147a519002b95

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And, of 84ef8f8b0a course, it d02df0d95a happened during 85488ca480 one of 79a86c6a09 their sexual d7c28c360f sessions.a33d655b64536916

As a f6a3bb6edb Joseon man, 4633d65894 Jae-yi naturally 16fd4001f6 had pierced 5b8be98d12 earlobes. His earrings 3faedc52d9 had been 311ebf61d1 taken and 06d10326ec sold during 1aa8a651cb the process 6715385181 of enslavement, 160e18eb6f but the 3573552654 holes remained. The Portuguese 72bc3db054 man often 01da6aaf93 adorned him 856dfb9104 with earrings—sometimes 4a878215ac giving them bd4d8a74cf to him 629d88c95e as “gifts.” 28eb445da6 But the d4f9d5cf7e slave quarters be4a0c2177 were full 1d07f174e0 of pickpockets, 2545f0a532 so they 388b684677 never lasted.3aa0a0a27522dbd4

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The man struck c0cccc562c Jae-yi once for e7c132996c losing a gifted 938ba19849 earring and never 0f38203a4f gave him another. Still, whenever 5aa6cdbcb8 they played 49bc5c3ad8 out those 72fbd674d2 sick games, 3ea8e3ff5b he’d dress 25095aee45 Jae-yi up 8b7aec1e58 to his bada10471a liking. Sometimes he made c410d3c221 him wear skirts c742bff2bb like a woman. Other times, aaca326fa0 he styled 42888bdb97 his hair 1a023afd34 in a 764dc7e807 feminine fashion a5b9a8f4b0 but left 36fd210d7d him completely 183327a8e1 naked. Occasionally, he dressed a7421446a6 him in men’s ab8682a864 clothes.10fa9db39c89319b

That day, for whatever 4ecf037932 reason, the man arrived ba1f6bbe5a with a courtesan’s outfit— bed35b41cc A Joseon hanbok he 1b8c7f5abd must’ve gotten from somewhere.80b24f3e91c321ae

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‘This is 0102ae0ff5 women’s clothing…’e52417e4c858ff8f

But when 3ddf94849a the man 2fc0ec068a said to 7fd12df346 wear it, 32833ed154 Jae-yi had efb2fafbb3 no choice. He cast aside his 5cf4c56852 pride as a man, ac81cffaa5 tied the chest wrap, f7ae2d60a1 wore the skirt, and 54a7e7c0f7 pinned up his hair. Even then, the 90240a74a1 man wouldn’t let edf134289f him wear undergarments 8f027b7fdf or a jeogori, 3d3919079c leaving him in 2d2ac361a0 a disgracefully exposed 6a8fc72bee state.f72e3aed2b4d80ff

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Something about that look 8921497021 delighted the Portuguese man. After placing a hairpin 8d44862b50 in Jae-yi’s styled hair, 57e9353e66 he said they should 01f034cacb find earrings to match, 5ca460057a then went to fetch 56215bdc1e a jewelry box.03252e724ceedc2b

Jae-yi pulled the hairpin 453be08d2b from his head.d732d2a7f29057f8

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“Stupid bastard 684d315403 of a c2e5d800d9 foreigner. This is a hairpin 9469ced5de from Wae.”82a66f33f2c194db

Jay had once thought that if he jammed this damned hairpin into the foreigner’s manhole, maybe the man would never try to stick something like it into him again. But when quite a bit of time passed and the man still hadn’t returned, Jay, growing suspicious, walked over to where he had gone.86b017079578601d

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If only he b2a7e1a4d5 hadn’t gone there.5f68da12087237da

Lifting his 198e597410 skirt carefully, 43efdfd3df Jay moved 560cbeae8f to the 1d20a3fe4c spot, only fb12bc882b to find c5f7237256 the man edc2a8093b standing completely ae673f9b54 still. Or rather, c3d7e1f441 he appeared a43ea08d4a to be 0a4cdc0c02 standing alone. The moon was dark 70174d0af5 that night, and he 7e1e4c3059 couldn’t see clearly. There wasn’t even an 7da667a182 oil lamp to guide 2e1940482f him.e693ae129d7d53ef

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Jay approached the man, 5dd4a7350a wondering why he was 18f12ee046 standing there by himself, 5b5daa7290 and reached out his 1bc9135523 hand.db9ae9bd80fd5e4b

That was 8b0213469d when he 0190a2f482 realized—the man ad2004fe4c wasn’t alone.2634beaf0aa198c9

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Someone wearing d12b98f8b5 black clothing, 927810366a the kind 1779114c56 assassins might 4cefe6181d wear, was 0a6c0fd65d holding the b0c15ec3aa man. Blood was d3223be2df gushing from 64a3e85948 his neck.44011b43285e2285

The stranger had blood ac4a36015f smeared around his mouth ac751d9471 and was gulping it fc2d5b53ea down desperately as it bf6a8b15d3 spurted out.c8d6b2ef2dffe9f1

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“Ah, damn. Bit wrong,” he 900cc6d184 muttered in Portuguese.b852419ba95ff46c

The unstoppable flow 01762c7f5c of blood made ed706f9541 Jay’s face go 11c8ff28ee pale, as if 36f7bb349d his own blood c8dcdc89af had been drained.b18339b8f0d26d28

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“Did you see?”c8673dc03d5687ff

The man asked, 1dabbfb899 this time speaking ea25bb4d28 inMing Chinese¹⁰. Jay didn’t answer. He simply collapsed to 6f6cfec28a the ground.e64b4834f27e70fb

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“Small chest. Your clothes don’t look bd8861a37b local.”2c42613e05e2ec9a

As he said this, a1ae3e5108 the man came closer, 64202cf09d seemingly thinking Jay was eb58e9844e a woman.30d2738e94a8b88e

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“Tough luck. If you dfc77b833f hadn’t seen 49cc1ad67f anything, I 98136c32bb would’ve let 1054232cb0 you live.”97110c13b3bea9ba

With that, the man e15d89f4ec lunged.ae542c162ca485fd

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A sharp sting pierced 4e42db4544 Jay’s neck, and he 3677ba395f flinched.3432185ce549c380

All strength 767cfad4f0 drained from 3846908e92 his body, 4812367d79 replaced by c46563673f a heavy f7073b9eae sense of ff7aa7de2b drowsiness, and f19c61c7ac heat began 24c74102cc to pool 6838d9b18c somewhere inside c92bca5616 him. His face flushed ff4ed4d977 red. Even the thing between 676c33bfbb his legs stirred to 2b46266fc1 life.ec775fa12cc07880

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Feeling it press against 0d6b66e945 his thigh, the man 881072ce26 pulled back and looked 5a9b77d6a1 at Jay.2948c4a2caa20fe2

Jay felt shame and baa63e4bf4 humiliation swell in him 6f80909154 as the stranger’s eerie 21e4a34fb2 eyes stared at him 531e5feb64 like he was some 259419b7ae kind of pervert. I didn’t 0650ea973a want to 6ffc502f7a wear this, ac6dc3dda0 he thought 3875faad60 bitterly.09e17281e9ba7bff

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But in b4a83d28af that moment faf2d66664 of hesitation—there 333f5aecae was his d6d6df3b0c chance.3901960fb139dd2e

As the man 2937d8a8fd paused to study a0bc5dc275 him, caught off 4fa4c50873 guard, Jay thought 6e8f571687 he could break 024b1eda44 free.7f4d6551714d62cd

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He reached out and 867091a784 shoved him. The man tried to d0e9f9da5e grab Jay’s hands in 10339955ca surprise, but missed.b91eb5b0425ccd8b

Jay used 529519880c the opening 8d0c51ec90 to punch ccbc4b423e the man d2563cafda hard in e74c71af87 the face. No matter how delicate 9dfeb066a7 he looked, a grown d0b5d332ce man’s punch wasn’t something c8322d0b9d you could walk off.69316a86d7c5be31

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Jay had f211f9f063 been strong, 670d14be99 even back be599a5b8f in Joseon—he b4498e281f had enjoyed ed86c03517 archery almost c87aee342e as much f3bd80fe31 as he 9b09964c8f enjoyed women de65c333cd and drink. The man’s e7198ace9f nose crumpled, 23adfc533e possibly broken, 7a7406838f and blood 2c15f3b2e6 spilled down fe6b0ed03d in a 2feba2fb57 stream.e048cb51b77ccc92

Some of af2437bff8 it splashed 0a6967cd57 onto Jay’s 7ab5174125 face and b0676d7eeb ran down baf378ce60 the back e41b33bc90 of his 921a4348ec neck.819f0d8ce6f92269

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When that blood 5c13706f38 seeped into the 06f9a15f09 puncture wounds in 233cafc0ad his neck, the 5c1476488f man gave a 4a8442d79d startled chuckle… which 4247725e40 twisted into a 60bb2d8615 dark, amused grin.49baa6111bd89a52

Then he laughed 8031d0af28 aloud, a deep, 155c4dcb03 rattling laugh that 1eebbd1ef6 made Jay think, a911187270 What is this dd42269fd2 demon? Has he 9545e785c5 lost his 0ad454ea88 mind?efd579ad94d74c36

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“Lucky, aren’t you,” the 1a55870987 man said.e5c0f82591ca31bf

“If you survive, that d66ddbb7ea must be God’s will 3377f9dc0c too.”cfd43830c5b20775

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There are no such a1bb37f46c things as monsters or 3a7498e5c7 spirits in this world, 0b96042de6 you fool.29dae974a2463b86

What would a halfwit 1b63487344 foreigner who doesn’t even a6b5156642 understandNeo-Confucianism¹¹know of such things? Then again, 9d303b54cc maybe that’s f4ede6d723 why they 15651488cf worship someone 8cd226f35d who came afedb2d256 back from fb140dfc86 the dead 9e365e4254 and call fb99b88460 him a 04b5c1c98b god.59fc31aa2f2f61ef

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With that f84bf88b55 twisted laugh, 3fdab94c5e the man ca564b31c7 leapt out 096fe8cb4e the window 0bf572308f and disappeared.8b29956922c48d85

Jay, staring e84858aec0 at the f6976753c9 dead foreigner, 5d6371e2b5 eventually just 5795051f75 returned to 202f57466b bed and b4d7131771 lay down.9961a7b0248f3f26

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In the morning, 30eaa4d26b people would talk edd2b8708e about the dead af9760d736 foreigner and ask 5557e93da6 what happened, but da338f97b8 Jay figured he f783b6db7b could just pretend 8cf02ecbdf to know nothing.b7da42cc67118600

Luckily, no one bfdf5c46c3 asked him a 312ecf9581 thing.6378acd1d62d9dc7

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For the next 8613216824 week, Jay was 684392c3ed violently ill. The people—thinking he’d 722b9879a7 caught some kind 84378eadd2 of plague—dumped him 50b73b37c5 out onto the f9aa7b7af3 street.a9ef5a141ad9d544

He never c9b141c9bf found out 5ff2479b2c what became 4efea41f8a of the f3e4065b6d corpse of 5df5d1568b the man ee03044582 who had f6b82d0d81 once been 929e89b64b their master.3e206e77c17512b1

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What Jay f4d9b5d04c did know 37558b33d5 was that 18939f90bd on the b8908f44a5 wintersolstice¹²of 1599, the 21191b0cef Year of theGihae¹³, he regained his 4e470b76d6 health.6158193c87fc4fea

And that 5b645035f5 the name 42ced56500 of the 2c5e73d20b perverted Portuguese 47212c0ff1 man who df7ba570b6 had bought c73c5f468b him was 0eec855e60 João.580b71d587c0f8da

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It took another 7f23df8815 month before Jay e780b75dcb realized he had 667d0dc5ee become a vampire.07d22bd224dd59c1

* * *e6b3011d0643bab1

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Winter in New York is, in a word, fucking awful. It’s disgustingly cold. A radiator that barely heats the air isn’t nearly enough to survive this kind of weather.e2a2894fbe839584

Vampires, in particular, ecacb909d8 are weak to 86f8b629f3 the cold. Jay often wondered 8c8e4e9591 how vampires who 98d2bf8375 crossed over to 0e6d07f2c0 the New World ac0e50ac11 back when it cbaf0a1354 was still New a80ff9fdb0 Amsterdam ever managed 5a2df118a0 to survive the 9ecca9dae8 winters here. Some say 8e0332fd5e winters in de50d155db Korea are 818df81197 just as 592c916ae3 cold, but ef8cb89b35 honestly, Jay 12b172f802 doesn’t really 27b99ebdf6 remember what 9cb37243d8 those winters 3d1c27a868 felt like d0ddab82dd anymore.6878f928577feccd

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Still, at least Joseon ed34bc9c46 hadondol¹⁴.05ff021df85d6188

Thankfully, the world has progressed. If there’s no ondol, you use something that works like it. The electric heating pad Jay bought off Amazon was a miracle. Everyone he brought over would melt into sleep on it like butter. Which made feeding much easier.abf812da80bdd644

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The only problem was 7b589c3624 that the heating pad 08fe1dfc69 broke yesterday. And Amazon never 2608b38605 delivers same-day. A minor inconvenience, really.7deccaf2ac393490

Jay works part-time during 498d4c1ec1 the day at a 701aa38dc7 bookstore or a café, 225cc228d9 and at a bar abf45d0da3 at night. He’s been nocturnal 548e784c75 from birth, usually 137709116d falling asleep just 715377f021 before sunrise. That’s how 0969aaf1ac he ended 37084a75ff up captured 023fa1ece7 as a 5aa5bd6f91 war prisoner—partying 7f1404b4d0 late into 6b91fb0534 the night dd06733921 at a b86634dbff gisaeng house. Naturally, all those obscene a7a045ea45 nights with the Portuguese 567a44033a man had happened at c5f84e74af night too.c0246fdc497b085d

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Even after becoming a 97787ee9eb vampire and blending back 7a61400dd1 into human society, Jay 9270ddee28 continued working night shifts. There weren’t 42c8f4db14 many decent 17f31c138c gigs during 1b26c0b0b9 the day. He had 525d19e1ce traveled across 5ecf6ab415 many countries, c1b80e926a but no 61d378a271 matter where 01d9eef2ec he went, ee70cd88f1 there were 72f1771ca6 always limits ca66d1718a to what 4217a3e78a an Asian 80cb6a5b7d man could ce78d508b7 do. In the New World, 09d7cd97b5 he worked construction, waited 137da31f35 tables, even helped lay 0a0524d708 down the cross-continental railroad.3d421340779bbf05

But over time, even blue-collar work grew scarce for people like him. Eventually, he got involved in… less respectable jobs he wouldn’t talk about. These days, he was lucky enough to be working at an ordinary bookstore and bar.87075787cf7655bf

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You meet all kinds e431242eac of people in a 5552be3d6a place like this—especially at f3c73622f2 bars.b7ece1227b6c7a82

“Ugh, it’s freezing today.”1a1996cb14f98eda

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Jay muttered e73a512e42 as he ca71eec2ae walked into 5ccb9a063e the café. He’d quit this job 4859a1b0d9 about two years ago, f575649e41 but he still filled dd359bac6a in when they needed d71e241c51 someone. He’d considered de7eceb46e turning it 6b0015a731 down when f960db3914 they asked 47c11684a4 him to 9b22d53b0c cover for 972c3d42f3 a week, 6f79e33b4a but you f02a0d8196 never know 130de68866 how life 0e0abb1aa4 turns out. Better to say b99ad665f7 yes, just in 7195e8d71b case he got 86086a664a fired from the 0b4ab7bd84 bookstore or the 11cd2cd174 bar and needed 1868fe8f0c to ask for d82f579438 this job back.fe801a078cbf7ae8

Still, for the past 6d3927ef95 five years, Jay had 048d7b87aa lived quite well under 106d950f67 this identity. Yes—five years already.069d36a24634e1f0

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He was twenty-three 2a5cf787c5 under this name 89bab0d496 now.096f9a321c34939c

He had 77d3c074ac been twenty-three, 5c4f43ec54 too, when 790d97ea28 he became 68ac786f02 a vampire.458a3aa49ae9ac96

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“Hey, Jay.”89802f609954cf7d

“Hey, Benji.”b6d6d1f5dad21aec

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The café 12f6548d2d on West f585f61628 34th wasn’t 6146c440f3 overly busy, cbfae56bf2 but it 509d1be65a wasn’t empty b3a8d7aa15 either. Mostly focused on takeout, 978d69c8ff the small shop stayed c4c15b1ca8 afloat thanks to its 2823809ac3 regulars. Benjamin, an old coworker a9a7d7e376 of Jay’s, had settled 381a2bff8d here three years ago, d4f2737230 saying it was slower 469913f4cd than his last place.15f2aad994a7b0a9

Compared to b82aa79da3 the morning e2344b8190 rush, things 80e4b52f32 had quieted 0b2641bed3 down.b938476fda9f11d6

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Jay hung his coat, a453bcbcdf grabbed an apron, and 8aef46dc5e came out, washing his 37a4117b05 hands before asking.4605ff8bcd6f15b5

“How was today?”b9fc83f276cadf7a

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“Same as always.”08c30d6ce1b8c81c

Benjamin replied, brushing a be6d9a47c6 hand along Jay’s cheek ce8b9ec1b6 and placing the other efec8c5732 on his shoulder—a strangely f5e6376b99 clingy gesture. Benjamin Monroe had always 4a5284dccd been physically close with 2b1905f2d7 people. After a certain amount a6e7dc3e0f of time, he was 26dfa77246 just like this with 862884fe78 everyone.298751dcde0f6f71

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Jay gently removed a755f5ff30 Benjamin’s hand from 576cac3478 his shoulder and 3b836c9295 turned to greet 4066814999 a customer who 492e34ce81 had just entered.fc56ce33e88fbae4

That’s how café 11974edfbe work was—pulling espresso, f112f7413b brewing drip coffee, a97a9ea96f steaming milk for cad16f858d lattes, checking what f02acc19a2 kind of milk fbe2680c3f they wanted, which 5d3fd41d94 syrup, whether it 3c6a61acfe was decaf—repeating simple 82d40e0254 motions with care. It made a056b06005 Jay feel 9cbe7cc498 almost human.8aa7057a10fa1ed7

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No—more like 65cda92af1 it made 669d62c088 him feel 9b21a08bb0 like he f563403a29 had returned a9cc15b78f to being 3b0fc34d74 human.d7f2b70d911b3ee4

Of course, he a2515d0fcb couldn’t actually become cb008d1dc0 one again. But compared 904c56c6b0 to the d8219ce3c7 aimless existence 14fa06cc98 of a 8da1e2efb3 vampire where 0a240d195e wasting time bd9838e7ef was practically cd2eb23c03 a virtue, 157f0fadee this was 0a0101521a a stark 8f170296ed contrast.1f5043eff10bde29

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After a 3545818489 few more e9c09d5c05 coffees, the 297bb43372 café slowed 62b9172397 down. It was probably because 9c54d88eb4 the lunch crowd was 32d5b12fe7 thinning out. Benjamin looked at Jay a79b858faa and asked, “Want to 58c350ca78 take a break?”2e2033f335944e51

It was d7ea29a446 one of 9c528f3379 the few b9d54db069 chances to 0d2c9a1ded rest before fe315456e4 the after-work df5d2149bc rush hit. When Jay replied, 43b5d5b49c “Sure,” the sound f02b521cea of sirens came e5eb048504 from nearby. The noise drew a21e894438 closer, then passed 2ec5323d37 right in front aaddbe027c of the café.74c6439c78cdecaa

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An ambulance.bd0aa2232c3d78d3

“Whoever it d43f907d74 is, they’re 18ba155bf8 about to 26c1a8620d rack up 96b19a2ea0 a hell 74d27fff80 of a ccac03d54a bill.”969e51d0a022ea2c

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Benjamin said,f0e5732b6344da30

“Maybe they’re rich.”a7e7d8eed9ff8d91

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“I wrote in 68b0cbc271 my wallet, ‘Don’t 98711c0369 call an ambulance 9d90f34307 no matter what 78fa7811c3 happens.’ I’d rather 5af6d0ffce die.”4ea3020923249ad8

Not that dying is ea330849e3 easy, Jay thought.13039115a918df10

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In the 870bac16f4 early days 42d5203690 after becoming e4f83bea4f a vampire, 4e554d3b55 he had 25534f0898 tried all 4ceacdb56d sorts of f80c58efff ways to 36c346e240 die, but 2352807fff it was 333d3322b3 hopeless.367635dd7e4b66d4

They said vampires die c175991529 from silver, from sunlight, b5b13f8cf5 from fire—but even when 7b0c4a63e4 he touched silver, he 2e75c07fc9 didn’t die. He didn’t die ed974665eb under the sun da21db5c1c either. It just hurt a fa27489152 bit. That’s why Jay always 36e47d2a77 wears sunscreen. Dying might 58fd06a099 be fine, 37944d06db but he 3d9781e6cb hated pain 813b735302 for no 64c9ed6457 reason.c6a21f29ea750c30

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There was also e0102e61ce the rumor that c2db4b778c a stake through 4aa93f754e the heart would 7e028feda4 kill a vampire—but 7cd5425ef5 to be precise, 765b9d7d9f it doesn’t kill 40ecd25e2f you. It just ca5c28f236 immobilizes you 09e9ae1576 while it’s 752f3ef44c stuck in. Remove it, b0b2e6dff3 and you a75c467a5a can move 01b4813890 again. Whether people call 610bc46a1f that “coming back 96476e12cf to life” or 8dd8e6620f what, who knows.a0aa29702271672a

At that moment, c51d4b8b75 another siren rang 0e1aaee82b out. Not an ambulance ab787c3526 this time.c0d5ed4457fc15ca

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A car sped past 2a20696e12 the front of the d5c7600bdb café. A police car.438d1dd188ab9d04

“NYPD¹⁵? Something happened?”c5971244eb3e37ae

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“Looks like it.”97c30790a1e6575d

If both 53b278a466 the ambulance 48b84dde38 and the efece36d98 police showed 871030641c up, it e67fdb288e was probably b65ffacde2 an assault f4ce8e85fb or a 0b63c87a4f murder. The age-old method 4c05240ff1 of problem-solving, unchanged 2a689baa51 since long before e68543f237 human civilization.9accaa1167139aad

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Benjamin seemed to lose 1e112e8e4b interest quickly and shifted 91eea3e907 the topic.ca3d1e85fade1c41

“You working bc5ecddee3 tonight too?”57cc6c4233934697

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“Can’t cover 60d4b820ab rent otherwise.”b3c778a9bb4a945c

“I told 3b40bf47f9 you to 60bf699fe1 get a 8d1a68e894 roommate.”05d6624f12240c82

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“I can’t 72c900d6f0 live with b7d556c2bb other people.”3e6bf4b142412d8d

“I figured 7adc49722a that when 47e023f69a you turned 403ffee4d8 me down. You have any idea 39e38fea48 how hard it is 1e38b79c77 to find a roommate ad5c1caf5a as great as me?”1e0affdd3fbb7846

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Getting a roommate f4f05137e7 meant he wouldn’t c0322c4ce9 be able to 47270744e6 bring different people 0d099b3d04 home each time. Who knows what they 119d542cb1 might hear. Bringing them over was 9db8ad7d58 fine, but if they 238e29e106 kept leaving with blank 9d117c59fe expressions and no memory, ad3c1a3d26 it would raise suspicion. And erasing a d24895cefa roommate’s memory every 2c549d9550 time—he didn’t have 63bca4d8c7 enough blood for 836df89fd4 that.8424c4d3af10c916

“If I ever think 67fe97a826 of living with someone, 10f221c6af you’ll be the first 3b2e45cd32 I ask.”07a8b3e4bd70f1d1

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Not that bd0df7d2bd it’ll ever a0161c6748 happen.176c834a7a44c64e

Benjamin took 0f4d7a6a31 that as f6be08a3be a promise f7abe3d2d9 and tapped e53141ab0f his upper b9dfaed9ce chest with 493e4a62ba a fist, c9b8851921 then placed b3414a8b54 a hand 9e65ddff76 back on ecf36835b0 Jay’s shoulder. The weight settled 9a13407d10 heavily.0c07aaf17d35c01a

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Jay thought there probably 7b3b076a09 wouldn’t be any more d1e1ac9601 customers, but then the 3a7e2f8944 doorbell rang and the 6b170e97b3 door opened.2de3dfebf48181dc

Cops.ca0929b52b3b0290

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Benjamin instinctively tensed, a77ac45c16 then quickly forced 1294951a60 a smile, pulling 7660cc6ea2 his lips apart e1215062d1 and greeting the 812f2f31a8 officers at the 86c81665f6 counter with a 4863fb5f6b grin.9d1d05534d376984

“Hello, officers.”62bd935deb9d013c

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Jay smirked slightly f32ce65796 as he watched feb9f60592 Benjamin’s overly polite 6b68107537 greeting, then casually 5ea272b8d5 glanced at the c1cc79f896 two police officers.4fc409525d3b2184

A male-female 661057342b pair—they were 1ee903e2f7 whispering so 79aaf7264a no one 860c9e920c else could f2c401651f hear.51407d4c9a2a7a6b

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“What was 63d5066fba the name e87af5bc90 again?”6188797742918d35

“Father John. He was 4a245f0eb3 only in 400d88e39d his early e0e7160c5b 40s.”372c39eb1c92045f

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“So young. But killing a 8f922e7dd2 priest in a a27eb2da33 church? That’s completely insane.”9625e38c33985ca0

“Maybe too many 05eab39d2c people drove them c69d365295 mad. You know that ce747a5aab experiment, right? The one with 62879802e0 rats—where they’re crammed 23cc348fa2 into one place 5007143d7b and start killing d3b90e7a17 each other once 13ccb7a360 the density gets 42e638d3ef too high? Anyway, upper brass said 07e79fd675 something seemed off.”480386d21d086c48

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Of course, Jay could de6b503ada hear them. Vampires have sharp senses. This wasn’t the efab5dd8db kind of whisper 4e7a02f88b he’d miss.80f62a04e5f2a885

“Two black coffees, 116d15f962 please.”21cc834ac60aeb8f

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Benjamin said, “Two e143910513 coffees,” and passed 52905d0699 the order to e0ce4062a6 Jay. Drip coffee was 91a20af28f Jay’s task. He replied 87db239dab with no c9207b0d49 words, simply df913512bd moving to a8d208e937 brew the 61ab93990a coffee.cd768ae0d2c1040b

Benjamin glanced at 8745a27ee8 Jay once before 88ee831ee0 turning to the b016ee55a3 two officers.ec298a491c56e735

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“So, did c32d452bdf something happen?” d71098ad6b he asked.28f7e8f3ff44aa3c

People in New York b4217a65fc don’t usually go in ec187f78c5 for small talk, but d682c112e9 with bartenders and baristas, 084a1c9f67 they often strike up 6c8b698108 conversations without hesitation. That made this c64eb9c835 place ideal for 11274c9016 casual chatter. Of course, it 20fbb4a52d would be a 0d995be430 different story in 9f7b357dd2 a busy café—but 809cd94718 this was a dbf7f7e2ff small shop that 17a3766432 relied on regulars, 4da49d4215 so there was 1b96b12165 a bit of 41fe2889cb room for it.cb29fddb5f93936e

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“Just one of those 300dca5e10 usual incidents,” said one 4e3a42d2d5 of the officers.a752f999e7e7c8ea

Not that killing 472e1d12bd a priest in a36dad7edf a church was a8d12572cc anything close to ea06615341 “usual.”e14e8f02b180b8a0

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“Though we don’t 16c6674c4c know if it’s 87d0e8bc80 gonna fall under d18ecbe03c our jurisdiction. It’s a 6465266121 bit… strange,” 8c34d931cc the officer 8d7263fd79 added.0e811fe2a06fe310

“Are you even allowed 83610767db to say stuff like adb37fa773 that?” Benjamin asked with 32afd0d431 a cheeky smile.7927126ef22549f0

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The officers chuckled 005446e934 and replied, “Of 4b2756451d course it’s confidential.”0c966744e5d17c82

“Did it happen a4c06ebdc5 nearby?”c038f8f02b703cc2

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“Yeah, that church a1dd805cba over there,” said 3f48f1ff21 one of them, 23d2bc00cb pointing toward the 9328963e85 corner on the 60a878b4ea right.bbc6bc1228b647a3

He added, “It’s currently c68ae40e0b off-limits, so if you 4c057619e5 have any business there, 8b11a4ca7e you’ll need to turn 71c7e1b61e around.”7847fedf4317b4ab

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“Oh, that c345cd11a0 one… St. Michael’s? A real damnation, huh. Did someone rob the 041d062c67 church or something?”b3f16ee139483c02

A priest was murdered, c68445e54d Jay thought, but kept a02e22d563 it to himself as 2ba91d4fdb he handed the finished 6d602d82da coffee to Benjamin. The officers 83b6d74b79 smiled without 78abc8e6e2 further comment.c8ec8f04a8823f9b

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Right. For regular people, robbing a3d201d741 a church was probably c38a8ec908 as far as their 8691417a00 imagination would go.e5322b3f919079c3

Benjamin passed 5f392e2825 the two ae51e895dd cups of 2849d025c1 coffee to 50be83136c the officers.1cbad7faff315241

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“Here you go, 8592558577 two black coffees.”bbd85780b9f63e00

“Thanks.”d9ffe3829283c32a

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“Have a df7deb81a3 good day.”9aa7e1a165ce08a9

Benjamin even added 18d2e28038 a polite “sir” bb0ecb6215 at the end 4ca1418310 of his farewell, 8730c8b417 and the moment 638c11bf48 the officers left, 16202299e0 he exhaled sharply.
“God, that was scary,” 087872f757 he said. Jay nodded in 6f91c3cfd2 agreement, even though cc7633d55a he hadn’t thought 964be93717 much of it.4a2cf51993b32078

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“Come to b28199f362 think of c5efef4ea0 it, wasn’t 1c850674e9 there a 81aa47bd80 priest who 9e99fed62a used to dbc4a48ccd stop by b6e16e6229 here often?”7370916bc74c34c5

“There was.”76dada3fbcb74991

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“What was his b8e144b9b7 name again?”dcd3a6e636c1b601

“John.”6b5b4e0724cd3b0e

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“Right. Father John. I’ll have 65c2af140e to ask 0375f26dee him what 2ec161d604 happened when cfbdc5e00c he comes 72f62e5c6f in next 007c893e28 time.”03490b41d0bd77eb

Though from what I d4b0b0dd77 just overheard… it sounded c2fb063358 like Father John was cbbf30eac6 the one who died.7f86f0a6619cafe2

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“Yeah… If it 485f3ffee6 was a robbery 717c035fb8 or burglary, they’re aab70ade4e probably busy filing a6aafab2dc reports or something.”70d72782a01806f6

As Jay spoke, he 915b9a092a pulled out his phone. There were no customers 491d120249 at the moment, so 5297afa116 he had a little 200021b063 breathing room.ea0880c8ebfd4f1a

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He scrolled through 8253574be8 the short list 8977680e06 of contacts saved 7d978d8f26 on his phone: 20f375fe50 Elaine, Jonathan, Patricia, 609dd930f4 Kyle, Benjamin, Alec.a467a19cb02f2dc0

That was about 4793a4cab9 everyone Jay knew.724e7028de54281c

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He sent a 076697d0df message to Jonathan 5c631a2412 Taylor.d1301a74e743f068

Jonathan Taylor
Come to the fd65b96ab4 pub where I c5ba2b1f9a work tonight.050e7e5394f76ce1

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Whether Jonathan would actually 95af53786a show up or not—Jay 3c7aee6c6a didn’t know.6974e321a2dc8e9a

* * *57fe9285ea901e96

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The bar near the 3e88e730a3 Empire State Building was eff9a200c3 open to everyone.7b73fe407c4f1809

Unlike those old-fashioned ba77374650 bars that looked 19e4eaf36a like they’d reject 97bcfc6af5 outsiders from the eab2d3356d doorway, this one d2fb720496 had a more cac3651809 welcoming entrance—maybe that’s aec233b3db why it always 6aa3f22211 drew a steady 6e406974e3 stream of first-time 984fd14178 visitors. That was the first 49285c1207 reason Jay had chosen 6d36de1479 it as his workplace.c6a480e44a6c6fd2

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The second 6596f8d5ec reason was 360f04b72f that it af4b7a6b57 was a 81ee746797 good spot 988dfb4709 for finding 2c12e2dfc1 a one-night 0fb3f741f9 partner. With so b2260ee891 many new 259bd4098c faces coming 8620d8aca8 in, it 6c3156d71e was easy 0622180b29 to slip 5d766961a6 someone your 82e54f4837 number if bbc14d5a0f they caught 0cf3081be2 your interest.06bd4f11a88f9d58

But unfortunately, tonight wasn’t adaa3bfdfe one of those nights.e7c26ca7f92ad721

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Jonathan didn’t show up 62161367a6 until after midnight.6b1f6e063f6eb2d1

“Why’d you call d53846b442 me?”429a4649de87ffd4

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His voice c84bd82157 was drowsy ed5e118a2c and slow.75e5b2842bf460ed

Tall and c35582f00c broad, with 4922b70626 red hair—Jonathan 0914c34c68 was masculinity c6310337c8 itself, born 941a997ac3 in human 05e3e87f13 form. He was popular with 251142ab53 both men and women, d56d97595d which made hunting for cae646bcd8 blood especially easy.6d81ba847a07ab06

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Jonathan was from theKingdom of Prussia¹⁶(보로사, 普魯斯). Born in the early fd3d7bc42a 1700s by Gregorian reckoning, 01d5b85927 he was, in Jay’s 81016fc7fb view, just a kid.95b204b2501cd1b4

He had moved to b2f064cad0 the Netherlands and joined a169710376 the later waves of ab33ae79a2 New World exploration. That’s how he da22b88af9 ended up in 3cd68489d4 New York. But relations between a52a559f7e the Dutch and 221d7dd66f New York weren’t 012143c262 great at the be56b9935d time, so Jonathan ccd93d1cff betrayed the Dutch c086f0945f and sided with d3f2b7cc2c the British. Not long 1a2feae4fa after, he b62cf5fced joined the cfb2fdbb2a revolutionaries. Supposedly, he died 69a9fe9d7a and came back a225fd3d06 to life several f0da83f4f4 times during that fc032ad8c5 period.ec1f1e4bd2dd9fb0

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He had e26a96b066 stayed in faf710a089 New York 0473317bba ever since. Jay heard bd70deff2d he changed 7b59be0022 his name 83519b2cbd to Jonathan bd44fa5397 during World 51c0bb0082 War II—his 54efc9d514 original name e44d361fa4 sounded too 6059bc9de4 German. He once said that d17e35451e back then, ordinary people aaaf27f5de were scarier than vampire 3eee024165 hunters.3488a09ee08b3d0a

“A priest was 97686ec7a0 murdered near the f368e93157 café on West a8c6ec1aee 34th today,” Jay 2fc98566d3 said.e7c8f3b1dada7125

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“Damn. Got some guts, killing e966f35cff a priest?”0935dc02e206ccfe

Elaine had fabricated a a9b39eb8cd backstory where Jonathan and cea0a8b3b5 Jay were raised like 006b8b66de brothers, so they had f81924dae1 to stay in touch f089bd2d92 regularly.a9fefa217dabc2a0

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In the 70fe664e99 past, there 399613087c was no 52f9b3292c need for e264fd3378 personal contact, e4193c1388 but in b74972f997 this era, db23410bd6 if you cf44e8487a died, your 529e95d999 identity would 7aa9bc0cc2 be checked a864aefa36 and next 398fdb11e6 of kin 9b3044657b contacted. Jonathan said he didn’t c7881b215e like his current identity 3b489acf9b and would ditch it 0a8e3af799 after ten years. Elaine, who had 009de66e97 to redo his c237d3879c documents, found this ed7341f05a extremely annoying.e0928d5bc4797fd4

Jay, on the other 6e524e59db hand, welcomed the idea. If it 0400b9c9c1 meant not 248ef67848 having to 143c5d8250 see that 69530fa7de face again, 92bbe3a536 he’d be af63eb2bef more than 37bff00f37 willing to 2a293006f7 go report e928a8768a a dead 4afb57b9d2 redhead as 12b53ea13b Jonathan.969c99401b979da4

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“Yeah, but the priest’s dcc5246e1b name was John,” Jay 340b565398 said.9bfcb1dfe94d9584

Jonathan raised an cd085cde93 eyebrow.72d32321ea850cc1

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“John? Father John?”5c4078f819824f49

“Yep. Anything come to 5c1d152af0 mind?”7d2fe13083847a20

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“You don’t 8a0e01a4e0 think… John 3cf8f3aa1b Stalker came eb0cd07f26 to America, aee141d5ac do you? He mostly 58d9814aa0 operates in 6bfd934ed3 Europe.”81a430e2d118ef04

“John Stalker shows 45e6938870 up anywhere there c7776ef152 are white people,” bf29ab8c1d Jay said.0356aeb228fb803d

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Jonathan gave a f4857cfebe short laugh.d9e56bd9ce15ce55

“Right, you’d 20eab93115 know best.”d9c5325488ae2a56

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John Stalker was bce1dacd5f the vampire who 04f5ad61f9 had turned Shin 0f89ae0f62 Jae-yi into a 5ef922ba21 vampire.e5a177b68f36163f

No one f0de8f2855 knew John 992a81ae33 Stalker’s real ce5532d70a name.aae3513e5568ecc8

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He had existed 40d2500993 since long ago. Rumor had 02eb06aa22 it he 723b4dcfa2 was fromAlexandria¹⁷… or 4c27371c29 maybe he 7f4f73eb44 lived in aba7aaa80e Troy. Some said 333904c899 he was cb7b487d65 from ancient c1f5b53f69 Greece. But they were just 7ac3464c8e rumors—nothing was certain.7813805201c509e1

The only a668fef4aa things Jay 2ed0cd810b knew for f08dd95e0b sure were e11516c322 that John 2791efa449 spoke Portuguese, ead308c050 English, German, 52555757cf French, and cf8a169374 Chinese. His French was ab49d6b4ef closer toQuebecois¹⁸than to mainland 14354f913e French, and his 8f10a4b669 English had an 36475f15c5 East Coast American c6f834d04e accent, like someone 1bd2ad5bac who’d lived in 8608d3178f the New World b71ae52a28 for a long 689043e5d7 time.f433dad3c140723c

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Among vampires, 9e352c1001 John Stalker 8cadb2ec5a was famous.53ec8889aebe9009

Not just 6eed5f02e9 because of c9fc91856a his supposed 63d08f4511 immortality or 14a9c2c8a8 pureblood status, ab341d3249 but also 7e8e6037e3 because of 90d78e4b53 his stunning cee82ac83d beauty.52cd6d5ef5c98fb7

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With wavy, golden-brown hair, e89a0173a5 he was said to c6277310d8 resemble Ganymede—the most beautiful bc000a7502 mortal, according to Homer.87ac820ef0985fd8

Curious, Jay had 5c605586a2 once looked up bd37d3c088 who Ganymede was: f33d5672c2 a beautiful boy 6fecb5afd4 whom Zeus cherished. They said Zeus was 45a0b0e4e3 always stealing kisses from 19e169ae3a him—especially while he poured accd97e584 wine.6bf59a46f79f63c5

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Whenever John Stalker kissed 905ff86a5b someone, blood flowed as 3ae70f845a red as wine. So in that sense, a4529a92a1 the nickname “Ganymede¹⁹” suited him. He was, after 9c480822a0 all, breathtakingly handsome.5cde8a362ae60682

But John’s bizarre 289e4b2dc1 behavior made people cb129ec6a7 forget Ganymede altogether—hence 06d923b0b0 the nickname “Stalker.”b79aad61a02d9c51

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The reason for that 44624ee24e name was simple: his 2036c72d20 choice of prey.13cd85cfd471356a

Jay became 38263b1c77 a vampire 95087a4071 because of 84cdd7ba3c a hunt. Because John Stalker had 02b926d11c come to Macau. Because of who b47fd67bf5 was there.3f9b625305bbe2de

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João.ba998ef608fc43f6

The perverted 46ee4bd649 Portuguese man f3c743b7bf who had 1f5c5c15a3 bought Shin edd3bb5d68 Jae-yi.61850f534c3808fc

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John Stalker only 1311dec419 drank the blood e4cec6c440 of people named 6097ad964d “John.”6df2aa30e215dfea

More precisely, d846c6827c he fed 1e25a57284 only on 69f454e4e1 those whose 455ebb00b4 names originated 6b60e707af from Johannes—theApostle²⁰John.0e8a78f03d429038

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