Ch. 18 Sacrificial death
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 18 – Sacrificial death
Was that the part you were suspicious about? I was screaming inside, thinking you were going to ask if my family actually exists.
Before that, he had been doubting if I was a vampire. Well, I guess it’s a relief that guy got caught up in suspicions of being a suspicious ghost…
Of course, I did something suspicious, but who could’ve known he’d point a shotgun at my head? The Suhyeok I know wasn’t like that.
In the original, he wasn’t the type to immediately stick a shotgun to someone’s head just because they called his name—he might grab someone by the collar, but that’s it.
“Oh, so you were wondering if I’m really a vampire, huh?”
“There’s also the possibility that you’re just a human pretending to be a vampire. I don’t deal with simple impersonations.”
That’s pretty harsh. But considering his position, it makes sense. After all, his goal was probably just to leave this country somehow.
Well, I don’t actually plan to help him with that. It’d mess up the story, you know?
“If you want proof, I can give it to you right now… Do you have any silver items with you?”
Hearing this, Suhyeok rummaged through his sleeves and the inside of his coat, pulling out and putting back various items as he tried to find something made of silver.
I’d seen him in his strange form before, so it wasn’t that surprising, but it was amusing.
No matter how I looked at it, the things that kept popping out of his coat were things you couldn’t possibly store in there. It felt like I was watching an old American cartoon.
You know the kind? A brown rat without any pockets suddenly pulls out an absurdly large wooden hammer from inside his clothes and whacks a cat with it…
“Well, doesn’t look like there’s anything.”
“Is there a warehouse inside your coat…?”
Still, if there was no reaction, that would be strange. So, I gave the kind of response someone might give to a stranger.
“That’s something a vampire would answer.”
“Okay, okay. I feel like I’ve been tricked into living, so I guess I’ll make the concession. How about we walk for a bit?”
“Huh…?”
“I mean literally, let’s go for a walk. Should I say ‘let’s go for a walk’ to make it clearer? You asked me to prove I’m a vampire, right?”
“What does that have to do with a walk… Ah, right, it’s still daytime.”
Even if I didn’t know much about vampires, the fact that they can’t stand sunlight is pretty famous, so Suhyeok has no choice but to know it too.
But it took him a while to remember, so I guess he’s got a bit of a slow side to him. Well, he’s died and come back a few times, so I guess that explains why he’s a bit slow now.
“No need to risk your life for it. Don’t we have other ways?”
I guess he thinks that all vampires crumble into dust with a screech as soon as they’re touched by sunlight.
That’s why he’s so openly worried. Well, looks like I’ve got another good thing to tease him about.
“You said you don’t have anything silver, right? So, there’s no other choice but this, isn’t there?”
“I guess so.”
“And I told you, my blood’s a bit thin. If I really turned to dust as soon as sunlight touched me, how did I even get here?”
I told him that there was no way I’d turn into dust, so he should just follow me outside. Suhyeok reluctantly followed me out, moving slowly.
“Walking in the sun is too bright.”
“Are you some kind of child of the darkness? Even the children of night are walking under the sun right now.”
As soon as we went outside, he squinted at the bright sunlight and mumbled, so I commented back, and he responded like a vampire.
Well, no matter how much I suppress the vampire traits, they don’t disappear completely. I don’t have a lot of inconvenience in daily life, but I’m still a vampire.
…Or at least, I think so. It still stings when the sunlight hits me.
Well then, let’s try it.
I took off my jacket and threw it towards Suhyeok. He caught it but was shocked, asking what I was doing.
…Shocked? Not annoyed or angry?
It was just a jacket I threw. Shouldn’t he be annoyed instead of shocked?
Just as I was wondering about his strange reaction, I realized why he was acting that way when my upper body began to heat up.
It’s because of what I’m wearing.
I wouldn’t normally take off my jacket outside, so I picked something that’s comfortable and looks good when I’m alone and looking in the mirror at home…
But this outfit shows a bit more skin than I expected.
It wasn’t anything like a bikini or underwear. It was a light, white sleeveless crop top.
That guy’s a soldier and looks pretty handsome, but he’s very self-controlled. So he wasn’t good with women. He even had a hard time with that innocent White.
…Now that I think about it, it seems like White was secretly enjoying that, pretending to be innocent.
Anyway, now that I understand his reaction, I decided to tease him a bit more.
There’s a button right in front of me that makes a strange sound when pressed. How can I resist pressing it?
“What am I doing? I’m just exposing more of my skin to the sunlight. Can’t you tell?”
I stretched my arms and turned my body toward Suhyeok, who immediately looked away and turned a bit red in the face.
Wow, I never thought I’d see a guy blush like that. If it were me in the past, I’d have immediately scowled and told him to stop.
Maybe it’s because I like this character, but I didn’t feel bad about it. Honestly, I was happy to see him like this.
…I’m not saying I have feelings for him, though.
I mean, I was a guy too, and I will still never feel anything like that for another guy.
…Teasing Suhyeok right now is just for fun. What happened with White was because I was trying to get out of a tricky situation, so it doesn’t count.
“That…”
Seeing me like this, Suhyeok was about to say something, but when he realized he had nothing to refute, he just shut up and avoided my gaze.
As expected, this is fun.
“Hey? How long do I have to keep starting the conversation? I’m trying to be friendly with you, you know… If I have to keep doing this, I might get a bit upset?”
I teased him now and then, asking casually about things like how life is in Incheon, and after about an hour of walking…
“You must have something to say, right?”
“Heh. I have plenty to say… Ugh.”
The pain, which I’d been able to bear up until now, became unbearable.
Anyone would feel the burn after spending an hour under the midday sun, but this pain wasn’t just a burn—it was like being roasted right in front of a campfire.
Before I knew it, my skin was visibly red. I was starting to feel like something might really happen if I stayed out here much longer.
“Ugh… It’s really hot, hurts… Hehe. By the way, did you know? This is my first time?”
I still couldn’t give up teasing him.
The saying “if you can’t avoid it, enjoy it” must have been made for situations like this.
“What nonsense are you talking about now…”
After an hour of being treated like a toy, Suhyeok finally seemed to catch on to what I was doing. He looked at me with a tired expression and asked what in the world was happening, noticing I was in pain.
“You’re really making me wander around in the sunlight until my blood boils? You didn’t misunderstand, did you? You’re so naughty.”
I decided to ignore him and just finish what I had to say. I was in too much pain to care about anything else right now…
“Anyway… What was I going to say? Ah, right. By now, is it enough proof? I hope it is… Ugh… Ugh, it hurts!”
I tried to finish my sentence, but I couldn’t endure the pain anymore and collapsed to the ground.
It was so hot. It felt like someone was tearing my flesh. Is this what it feels like to be burned alive?
I couldn’t even move toward a shadow, and I felt too weak to do anything. Was I losing strength? No wonder I was feeling so sluggish.
I was in pain and sleepy. Sleepy and in pain. My vision was getting blurry.
“Hey, hey! Can you move? This…”
Ah, I didn’t plan to collapse like this. Is this really how I’m going to die?
No, Suhyeok will take care of it…
Mina woke up just as the sun was starting to set.
“…Ahh! Ugh, huh? Phew, I’m alive.”
She checked her body, relieved she was still alive, then looked around and asked if I had brought her here.
“Did you think I’d just leave the client to burn up in the sunlight?”
“Did I burn up?”
“There wasn’t fire, but there was smoke.”
She seemed shocked and murmured that if she stayed out longer, she’d be just like me. Then she thanked me.
“Thank you for saving me.”
“Of course, it’s what I had to do.”
“…”
“…Did I say something wrong?”
She stared at me with a blank expression, possibly unnerved, so I asked, and she immediately relaxed and exaggerated her response.
“Just… oh! Anyway, is this proof enough?”
Her tone clearly indicated she was trying to dodge the topic, but since I wasn’t the type to press, I answered that it was more than enough.
“Well, I have a lot of questions for you, but I’ll save them for later. I should head home now… Ugh, I’m not feeling great…”
“Be careful. And take your coat.”
“Ah, thanks. Before I say goodbye… Do you have any way to contact you? I can just ask you through that.”
She asked for a way to contact me, so I gave her a few burner phone numbers. She stood there for a moment, then said it was fine and wished me well before leaving.
I was momentarily surprised to realize she was really a vampire, and for a second, I felt a bit guilty for doubting her.
She had genuinely intended to help me, while I had been cautious and on guard, putting up walls.
Now, I couldn’t even tell if the rope around me was a lifeline or a noose.
Feeling disgusted with myself, I still held onto a sliver of hope from the last chance I had been given.
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