episode_0014

“What is all this?”

“It’s for our major assignment. We need to collect samples, describe their characteristics, and submit it.”

“It doesn’t look like it’ll fit in that file.”

“…That’s why I’m working hard to refine it, you punk.”

Thinking I would leave early, I was slowly organizing the samples I had collected at school.

However, my expectations were shattered when Jaehyuk arrived at his studio very early.

He stood there with a blank expression, looking at the numerous twigs scattered on the floor.

I thought he would just nag and watch, but unexpectedly, he sat beside me and started helping me organize the samples.

“What’s gotten into you? Helping me out?”

“We need to finish this quickly so we can go to bed early. Sigh, came back from work only to work again.”

“If you’re going to complain, just lie down on the bed and rest. We’ve almost finished organizing everything anyway.”

“Almost? We haven’t even finished half of it yet.”

Pointing at the unsorted specimens, he let out a heavy sigh.

“It’s amazing how impatient you are. Even elves wouldn’t bother with this kind of tedious work, seriously.”

“…I agree with you.”

“And one more thing, what are these ridiculously thick branches? They don’t look like they’ve been sawed off.”

“I don’t know either. They snapped easily when I applied a little force.”

“…You can dispose of them when you want to. They seem too heavy for me to discard.”

“Yeah.”

The conversation ended dryly.

As we silently worked on the specimens for a while, I suddenly remembered yesterday’s conversation and asked him.

“Nothing eventful happened today? Your face seems brighter than two days ago though.”

“I left work early, that’s why. Didn’t expect to come home and end up working again.”

“Well, if you don’t want to help, that’s fine. By the way, have you heard the news? They say a special law for different species will be enacted soon.”

Due to the frequent accidents caused by different species, the enactment of a law that usually takes over a month was already in its final stages.

Although the law was heavily restrictive, I could understand why given the many incidents caused by species acting recklessly. Fortunately, each individual had clear weaknesses, so they were subdued before major accidents occurred.

Good news for him who had been through tough times because of different species.

When I informed him about the news he had eagerly awaited, Jaehyuk nodded, saying he already knew about it.

“Oh, that’s partly why I left work early. The boss said we’d take a break until the law is passed.”

“…What about the field trip then?”

“They said they’ll continue until Sunday specifically. They agreed readily after I explained the situation.”

“Well, that’s a relief.”

After heaved a sigh of relief, was he focused on sorting the samples again?

Perhaps pricked by a thorn while grabbing a branch, he winced and quickly grabbed his finger.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah… I grabbed it wrong and got pricked by a thorn.”

“Let me see, is it serious?”

“Do you think getting pricked by a thorn is serious? It just stings a bit.”

He showed me the area as if to say there was no need to worry.

Contrary to his boastful words, blood was flowing from the wound.

The sweet scent of blood filled the air, the enticing sight of the crimson blood.

“…Ah.”

A sudden surge of the urge to feed.

Without even considering suppressing my desires, I licked his blood with my tongue.

“What, what are you doing?!”

Jaehyuk recoiled in horror. But I paid no attention to him.

The taste of blood, unfamiliar yet intoxicating.

It was so delicious that it made me lose my senses.

I wanted to have more.

With a swift motion, I yearned to gulp down the spurting blood from that pale neck. How delightful it would be to savor it to my heart’s content?

Driven by a boiling appetite, I glanced at the lad again, only to be met with Jaehyuk’s puzzled expression.

“…Are you okay?”

“???”

“They say they can’t drink Korean or Chinese blood at all.”

“…Ah!”

Only then did my senses return, barely.

Behind the ecstatic taste lay a threshold of spiciness that could even make one forget that ecstasy.

“Suckkkk!!!!!!!”

I began writhing on the floor like a rat poisoned.

—–

“…Are you alright? You don’t look too good.”

“Uh, ah, ugh…”

“Yeah, why are you going crazy over someone else’s blood, huh? You usually find it repulsive and can’t even approach the girl.”

“It’s too much, keuh…! Must’ve been hungry… for a moment, I couldn’t, cough…! resist…”

As tears welled up in his anguished face, he handed me a sweet drink and nodded towards it.

“Here, drink. When you’ve had something spicy, sweetness is the best remedy.”

“Thank you… sniff! Thank you… But, are you okay? I licked the wound, keuh!…”

“It’s fine, licking won’t turn you into a vampire, right? Most folklores say you have to bite to become one, isn’t that so?”

“That’s true, cough cough! But…”

“Just in case, I disinfected it, so you don’t need to worry. Well, if you become a vampire, you’ll take responsibility for life, won’t you?”

Teasingly, he headed back to the kitchen.

Feeling guilty at his affectionate gesture of making a cold drink to soothe my burning insides, I pondered how I would ever repay him. Or was there any way I could help him in the first place?

As he poured a cold drink to cool my raging stomach, Jaehyuk returned with another non-alcoholic cocktail.

Checking the time, he asked me with a concerned look, “Would resting help? Can you make it to the gathering tonight?”

“I’m feeling a bit better thanks to you. After a nap, I should be back to normal.”

“Well, that’s a relief. So, what about that? Are you just going to leave it alone?”

“Even if it hurts, I have to finish it. If I leave it alone, it’ll wither, and I’ll have to harvest it again.”

I didn’t want to bother going back and forth twice.

I also felt sorry for the trees to harvest more than necessary.

After placing the empty glass in the sink, I suggested he rest.

“No need to help anymore. I don’t want to end up looking like a rat that swallowed poison like earlier.”

“…Alright, then can I sleep first? You don’t have to worry about cleaning up, right?”

“Of course.”

Seemingly exhausted from work and helping with assignments, he fell asleep as soon as he covered himself with the blanket.

Watching Jaehyuk sleeping, I sat back down and started organizing the samples.

“…Is it because I ate something too spicy?”

Perhaps it was due to the rising temperatures as spring approached.

For some reason, the quiet studio apartment felt a bit warm.

—–

The excruciating pain that felt like my stomach was on fire had completely disappeared when I woke up.

The sharp pain endured for a short or long period of time.

Through that dreadful experience, I could clearly understand two things: blood must be consumed periodically, and one should never mess with Koreans, no matter what.

Even after consuming the blood of someone who occasionally eats garlic and kimchi, the consequences were severe. Imagine biting a regular Korean suffering from garlic overdose.

The outcome was predictable without seeing it.

They would likely suffer in agony like those TV hosts eating the spiciest foods in the world.

Still, the fortunate thing was.

Due to the shock therapy or perhaps the intake of a single drop of blood, the thirst had intensified significantly.

Judging by the current level of thirst, it would probably take about ten days to turn into a vampire who goes berserk at the sight of blood, like in the dawn.

Within that period, I needed to secure a blood pack no matter what. If not, the same unfortunate incident as today would likely occur.

“Should I go to the blood donation center and ask for a blood pack? No, it might be meaningless since they probably drew Korean blood anyway.”

After briefly considering ways to obtain a blood pack, I soon cleared my mind.

I was too preoccupied with other things, making it difficult to hook the bra properly.

…Damn, how am I supposed to do this alone?

Even after several attempts failed, I had to approach Jaehyuk and ask him to help me hook it, but he ran off, claiming he received an urgent call.

You bastard.

How long does it take to just help with this one thing?

After struggling for a while, I finally managed to hook it, allowing me to prepare quickly thereafter.

With little time left until the meeting, Jaehyuk and I headed straight to my place.

On our way to the meeting spot, amidst our argument over a bra hook, I witnessed a scene I couldn’t simply ignore.

That was when…

“Wow! Are you really giving these to us?”

“Yeah! You’re supposed to eat a lot of these when you’re young! When you’re old, you can’t just eat these cotton candies carelessly!”

“But… my mom said it’s not good to eat these…”

“It’s fine, you’re going to grow taller anyway! Haven’t you heard that you need to eat a lot to grow a lot?!”

“Oh! My mom did say something like that!”

The horned devil handing out cotton candies to the kids with a sinister grin.

Feeling like he was about to kidnap someone, Jaehyuk stopped and waited, but strangely, the devil simply handed out the candies and let the kids go without any trouble.

…What? Wasn’t he planning something bad?

As I made a dumbfounded expression at the unexpected turn of events, the devil’s dreadful plan echoed in my ears.

“Hahaha! You foolish little brats! That’s how you get cavities and gain weight! Go cry at the dentist’s office and scream on the treadmill! Ahahaha!!!”

…He was just a kind person lacking something.

But why does he look familiar to someone I know?

Turning my head to look at Jaehyuk, he seemed to have the same expression as me.

“He looks familiar, doesn’t he?”

“…Seems like it.”

I began to walk towards the devil who was laughing joyfully.