— Kh...
Seonyeong came to and woke up because of an unbearable heat. He didn't know why, but he found himself swaddled in a blanket like a baby. Furthermore, someone familiar was holding him tightly in this state. Seonyeong groaned and tried to free his arm from under the blanket.
— Let me get up...
— You can't. It's daylight outside.
Judging by the cheerful voice of the speaker, he had been awake for quite a while. Seonyeong mumbled with closed eyes:
— What time is it?
— Four.
— What?
Immediately, Seonyeong met Jihwan's gaze, who was looking at him and smiling. Seonyeong abruptly sat up, and the blackout curtains were already drawn in the room. Only artificial light softly flickered. When Seonyeong looked at Jihwan with an expression of disbelief, he chuckled.
— Too bad. I thought if I said that, you'd stay lying down.
The next moment, Seonyeong noticed two distinct vampire fang marks around Jihwan's collarbone. He involuntarily sighed.
— Ah... That maniac really...
He distinctly remembered Jihwan forcibly putting his hand in his mouth. And what happened after that... he didn't know how or what transpired. Because it was so good that his memories had evaporated. Seonyeong muttered in disbelief:
— How long did that last?
— Until you said stop.
Yesterday, they had literally devoured each other. Jihwan's blood was sweet, delicious, and cool. For the first time in his life, Seonyeong saw a victim tempt him. And it was incredibly exciting. His brain was ready to go numb from the intense pleasure he had never experienced before.
Especially the sight of Kang Jihwan, clearly a powerful dominant, voluntarily becoming a source of blood... evoked acute emotions, distinct from carnal desire. Seonyeong, sitting with the blanket draped over him like a cloak, stared blankly into space.
— I was out of my mind yesterday too.
If one had gone crazy, the other should have remained rational.
'What was I doing with this kid...'
While Seonyeong had mixed feelings about himself, Jihwan quietly got up and carefully rested his chin on his shoulder from behind.
— Honestly, yesterday was good, right? I liked it.
— ...Try taking that risk again. And you won't see me anymore.
Immediately, Jihwan, as if offended, retorted:
— But you liked it too. Didn't you?
— Regardless of whether I liked it or not...
— Don't evade the topic, talk.
Seonyeong paused for a moment, then, grunting, lowered his gaze. But his indignation had not completely subsided yet. Gathering the fragments of his anger, Seonyeong cried out angrily:
— What if I lose control and drain you to the last drop?
— But you didn't do that. But if it happens, I'll just knock you out.
Jihwan didn't seem too worried, despite Seonyeong's anger. On the contrary, he chuckled.
— You fell asleep before me anyway yesterday.
Jihwan's long fingers once again parted the blanket and moved towards Seonyeong's groin. Seonyeong's face flushed. Now that he was conscious, the stickiness between his legs still felt a bit strange. If he spread his legs slightly, it felt as if something thick would spill out. Feeling half-capitulated, Seonyeong slapped Jihwan's hand and said:
— Who else is as jealous as you are? You pretended everything was normal...
— It's not jealousy, it's using my trump card. You said you'd stay here, looking at what I do.
Hearing this, Seonyeong sharply turned his head and stared at Jihwan. He was so stunned that he was speechless. 'Is that an excuse?' But Jihwan's face looked quite serious.
'...Wait, was it really because of that?'
— So I 'offered my flesh' in service. How do you like that, Master?
Jihwan especially emphasized the part about 'offered my flesh'. Seonyeong tried to pull away with a sound of "eeks," but Jihwan was already barricading him from behind like a rock. Embracing Seonyeong, Jihwan repeated what he had said yesterday:
— Don't go anywhere. Stay here.
For a moment, their eyes met.
— Hey, I...
But just as Seonyeong was about to say something, moving his lips... Suddenly, there was a noise outside, and Lo Dan's voice could be heard beyond the door:
— Hey, you two! Sorry to interrupt while you're busy, but could you please come out?! You need a minute to get dressed, right?
The fragile atmosphere that hung between them shattered into pieces. Simultaneously, Jihwan stared at the door with an extremely annoyed expression.
— This guy really...
But Lo Dan's next words made Jihwan tense up too.
— It seems Matteo is sweeping this whole area!
— Ahem-ahem.
Seonyeong emerged from the room with an awkward expression. And then, the pupils of everyone else waiting in the living room darted back and forth.
It was one thing to see the remnants of clothes carelessly scattered by Jihwan and Seonyeong from the living room to the bedroom, which was already an assault on the psyche, but when Seonyeong came out wearing Jihwan's clothes, the shock doubled. Seonyeong, embarrassed, as if making an excuse, muttered:
— There were no clothes.
Well, of course, his own clothes must have been lying on the living room floor... Because of the unexpected guests, he couldn't go out to pick them up.
So Raon and his group, despite this clearly being their base, were forced to feel like unceremonious intruders who had barged into a newlywed couple's home. What was even more irritating was that Kang Jihwan didn't even look embarrassed. With a confident look, he strode forward and plopped down onto a chair. Then he ordered everyone:
— Tell me in detail.
Even Lo Dan was momentarily speechless by such audacity before starting a stammering explanation:
— Well... some suspicious individuals are scanning all the surveillance cameras near the 'Vermilion'. It seems they're trying to figure out where you two went yesterday. Fortunately, I've already taken control of the cameras in that area, so there are no problems. Hyungnim's vehicle wasn't recorded either.
Here, Seonyeong frowned slightly and asked again:
— Did you take control of the area around 'Vermilion' beforehand?
— Huh? Yes? Ah, no? But... you see... Haha...
Lo Dan, as if pleading for help, hastily turned to Jihwan. But even Jihwan, so confident just a moment ago, suddenly looked slightly deflated. The others were in the same position.
Crossing his arms, Seonyeong looked from one to the other and said:
— In my opinion, Matteo and Kang Jihwan act quite similarly.
— No!
Hearing this remark, which was half-serious, Jihwan flared up. Then he offered an unconvincing excuse:
— I, I was just worried that you were in danger...
At that moment, So Raon saved him.
— ...We offer our deepest apologies. We have caused you serious inconvenience, Mr. Ryu Seonyeong.
Seonyeong sighed briefly: "Ugh."
— Is that all you managed to find out? I'm sure types like that have already attacked my home too.
So Raon replied with a somewhat embarrassed look:
— We don't know that for sure, but judging by the fact that they are sweeping the entire area, it seems they will find it soon. However, one surprising fact: they are cooperating with some local police officers.
Hearing this, Seonyeong's and Jihwan's faces tensed up.
— Even the police are involved... Now it's clear why he was so overconfident.
Seonyeong recalled Matteo, who didn't even bat an eye at the mention of calling the police. Then So Raon, after a slight hesitation, added:
— Please forgive these words, but if you, Mr. Ryu Seonyeong, go to the area of your establishment now, there will likely be serious... trouble. According to our observations, groups of two or three people, men and women, have been roaming around since last evening, questioning nearby establishments and inspecting all vehicles.
Seonyeong sighed heavily.
— Well, I was planning to close the establishment someday anyway. Though I didn't think it would happen this way.
Briefly glancing at So Raon, Kang Jihwan, and the others, Seonyeong, as if suddenly remembering, requested:
— Since you are dealing with this, there are two guys helping me at my bar
—Oh Rian and Park Kicheol. Please keep an eye on them. They encountered Matteo personally, and I'm worried they might be in danger. Not immediately, but later, if the need arises.
— ...Of course. We apologize once again.
Seonyeong shrugged.
— Fine. Enough of these repetitions.
— It's not about that...
So Raon took a deep breath, as if steeling himself. His voice trembled slightly.
— I want to formally apologize not only for everything that happened after we met you, Mr. Seonyeong, but also for what happened before it. Now... I remember everything.
At these words, all eyes turned to So Raon.
— What?
Among them, only Kang Jihwan looked surprised. It seemed the other three already knew what So Raon was about to say. Apparently, after yesterday's memory restoration, they had managed to discuss something among themselves. Under everyone's attention, So Raon's throat visibly trembled.
— As you probably already know, it was I who originally suggested forcibly involving Mr. Ryu Seonyeong in our business. Even if it meant... resorting to blackmail.
— Ah, that.
Seonyeong, who had tensed up for a moment expecting to hear a story of some great betrayal, involuntarily exhaled in relief. Then So Raon, with an awkwardly frozen face, continued, stammering:
— ...And in case of anything, I intended to use Mr. Ryu Seonyeong as a flesh-and-blood shield. Honestly, I cared little for his well-being then. Even if something went wrong during the operation, Mr. Ryu Seonyeong would have simply been one of the vampires to me.
Silence hung in the room.
— That is... I categorized Mr. Ryu Seonyeong as a creature similar to Im Jintae from the very beginning.
His stiff, tense manner resembled a person confessing their wrongdoings to a confessor.
Meanwhile, Seonyeong felt a certain awkwardness. He hadn't expected So Raon to be so candid in admitting his true feelings. What was this? Was it a disguised attack under the pretense of an apology? The moment Seonyeong was about to doubt his intentions, So Raon, exhaling briefly, continued with determination:
— But, just as all people are different, I realized too late that not all ghouls are the same. Therefore, I wanted to apologize now, even if it's already late.
— Uh...
After listening to the entire speech, Seonyeong was speechless. And the next moment, Oh Laeya, Lo Dan, and even Yi Hun, following Doyeon's example, respectfully bowed their heads to Seonyeong.
— I'm sorry.
— ...Me too. Sorry, vampire-hyung.
— ...Me too.
Seonyeong's face, receiving such an unexpected and unforeseen wave of apologies, froze in an extremely awkward grimace. Soon, his face began to gradually flush. The blushing Seonyeong blurted out quickly:
— Why are you suddenly like this? Are you afraid I'll refuse to help? You don't need to force yourselves. I also believe that types like Im Jintae should die.
Then So Raon bit his lip slightly and shook his head.
— ...I know you probably think we are shameless. But I thought that if I missed this moment, it would be even harder to apologize later.
So Raon's expression, twisted into a bitter smile, seemed both embarrassed and ashamed. Seonyeong noticed that his hands, hidden in his sleeves, were trembling slightly. Observing this, he felt very strange.
— ...
He never forgot that these people in front of him had once tried to use him. But he never expected to receive formal apologies from them for it.
Suddenly, Seonyeong, strangely enough, remembered Gyuhyeok's words: 'You, hyungnim, never took others seriously.'
...But was that really the case? If Seonyeong truly didn't consider other people his equals, he wouldn't now, listening to this deserved repentance, feel the internal ice beginning to melt.
Seonyeong had always taken others seriously. He just ran away first so he wouldn't get hurt. Slightly calming the strange tingling in his eyes, Seonyeong soon returned to his usual state.
— Frankly, the sudden repentance and all this... looks a bit ridiculous. But I'll try to accept it favorably.
— ...!
A glimmer of hope appeared on the faces of everyone present. Seonyeong immediately continued:
— Then... can you really fully return the affected people to a human state? Or... if you fail to cure them, are you sure you won't persecute them as transformed people?
Although he spoke of the 'affected,' it somehow seemed he was asking about himself. Then the blushing Oh Laeya stepped forward and answered first:
— That absolutely won't happen. Especially not while we are working together with you, Mr. Ryu Seonyeong.
To her words, So Raon added:
— I understand you're concerned about our attitude. We also talked about this all night after our memory returned yesterday... and we had to admit we were prejudiced.
So Raon briefly stumbled.
— Therefore, as shameful as it is to ask, we would like you to stay here, at least while Matteo is operating outside. You were put in danger because of us, and this time, we don't want to pretend nothing is happening again. Of course... if it's inconvenient for you, you are certainly free to decline.
Immediately, Jihwan secretly looked at Seonyeong. He didn't say anything, but his relentlessly pleading gaze clearly showed how much he wanted him to stay.
Seonyeong paused for a moment, then replied:
— Then... for the time being, I'll stay here. I was planning to cooperate anyway.
It was a very quiet voice, but loud enough for everyone present to hear. Simultaneously, Jihwan's face, which had been tense and anxious, instantly brightened. He firmly squeezed Seonyeong's hand and said:
— ...Thank you. Truly.
— We thank you. We will also try our best not to disappoint you.
Seonyeong felt somehow ashamed, looked away, and just scratched the back of his head. He had only decided to eliminate one villain, but strangely, he had gained a sense of having allies.
For the first time, he didn't feel isolated, even without being in someone else's embrace.