episode_0001

Late evening.

As the sun set and the moon rose, a vigor began to flow through the weary body as if waiting for the night to come.

The fatigue felt in the morning disappeared without a trace, replaced by an unknown excitement and overflowing strength.

Unable to sleep anymore even with eyes closed, I got up from bed and checked my phone first.

Upon turning on the internet, what appeared was an article about the interspecies incident still displayed on the main screen.

Hoping to find some useful information, I managed to pick out a few bits of information.

First, the discovered interspecies so far were not extraterrestrial beings but people who had transformed into these species while living on Earth.

There was another hypothesis suggesting that these interspecies creatures consumed someone’s memories and impersonated them, but that didn’t seem likely.

To me, who had transformed into something unknown, there was only my own memory.

Second, people who turned into interspecies creatures at least resembled humans.

Though there were those who took on forms that would appeal to people with a lot of money, they didn’t deviate significantly from the category of ‘human’ in appearance.

In simpler terms, they resembled the interspecies creatures seen in subculture.

Third, not everyone was turning into interspecies creatures.

According to the article, people like me who became interspecies were not as numerous as one might think.

Roughly one in ten thousand people, right?

Now, it had only been a day, so the ratio might change, but one thing was certain—the world hadn’t completely gone to hell.

Just imagine if everyone turned into interspecies creatures; it would take a damn long time for that confusion to settle down, wouldn’t it?

Becoming an interspecies creature at a rate of one in ten thousand was already chaotic enough. How much more confusing would it be if the rate were higher?

Anyway, those were the only three pieces of definite information.

I was curious about the conditions and reasons for transforming into interspecies, but it would be difficult to grasp that just one day after the incident occurred.

Hoping for information to unfold quickly, I placed my phone back beside my head.

“Sigh.”

Exhaling a sigh, I bury my face in the pillow.

Then, muttering almost like a complaint in a weak voice.

“What’s the point if the world doesn’t go to hell? Even though I’m screwed.”

Without a reflection in the mirror, I couldn’t tell what kind of species I was.

Of course, I could roughly guess.

Burn to death when facing sunlight, and become incredibly strong at night.

Moreover, there was only one species with pale skin like a corpse, right?

“Vampire.”

Yes, it must be a vampire.

Among the many species, why did it have to be a damn vampire?

Opening the window, I curse while taking in the cool night air.

Afterward, I open the camera app to check my appearance in a selfie.

“It’s somewhat pretty enough to make me swear, is that some consolation?”

In subculture, vampires come in two forms.

One is a grotesque appearance that embodies the authenticity of a living corpse, and the other is a beautiful appearance fitting the title of ‘Nobility of the Night.’

Fortunately, my current appearance belonged to the latter.

Silver hair shining brilliantly under the cold moonlight.

Beautiful blood-red irises as if embedded with rubies.

A woman’s body with curves typical of femininity.

If this body were not mine but someone else’s, they would probably ask for my number right away.

“…Apart from looking extremely fragile, I do look somewhat human.”

Shouldn’t I be thankful for not becoming a goblin, orc, or troll?

I can’t afford to remain immersed in melancholy.

Making a commitment to think positively, I started by sorting through the pile of missed calls and messages.

The insane situation I found myself in left me at a loss for words, but I couldn’t just sit still.

“Come to think of it, I didn’t even contact them today and ditched my part-time job…?”

Unable to explain the situation over the phone to my worried parents, I promised to visit them over the weekend.

After sending a message to my friends who were celebrating my reality turning into fantasy, telling them not to mention me anywhere as their friend, I checked a message from the manager.

Realizing that I hadn’t left any contact information and hadn’t shown up for work, I felt a pang of guilt.

Fortunately, because I had been working steadily without missing shifts, the manager was actually more concerned about me. However, seeing those worried messages only made my guilt grow.

I wished I had left a message before going to bed that I might not make it today, so I immediately asked the manager for forgiveness.

[Sorry, Manager. Something came up suddenly at home, and I forgot to contact you.]

[I’m truly sorry for missing work without notice.]

After sending the messages, I quickly pondered.

Could I continue working at the convenience store?

The answer was ‘No.’ Vampire bodies had too many constraints.

With all these constraints tied to my body, working would inevitably lead to some kind of accident.

After weighing my options, suppressing my guilt, I sent another text.

[I’m really sorry, but I don’t think I can come to the convenience store anymore due to personal reasons. It’s become impossible for me, Manager.]

Ding!

As I waited after sending the text, an alert notified me of a reply.

What could the manager have said? Given their polite nature, they probably didn’t say anything harsh.

When I checked the reply on my phone, the manager’s response seemed quite awkward.

[It would be difficult if you suddenly quit…]

[If that’s the situation, there’s nothing we can do, but could you help out for just one more day? Either during the day or night shift.]

Lost in thought at the manager’s earnest request, I wondered if helping out was indeed the right thing to do given the challenging circumstances.

I did make mistakes, after all.

Thinking that one more day wouldn’t hurt, I was about to reply affirmatively, but then it hit me—I hadn’t even tested out this body properly yet.

Silently.

Unlike the heavy morning, my body now felt light as a feather.

Feeling a strong sense of liberation, I lightly stepped on the ground with my white feet.

Thud!

A cute footprint was imprinted on the fragile ground.

“Uh…”

This doesn’t seem right, does it, Manager?

Thinking that I might end up destroying an entire convenience store if I made a mistake, I had no choice but to refuse the manager’s request.

—–

Right after refusing the manager’s request, the first thing I did was search online for the characteristics of vampires.

A powerful yet frail body with numerous weaknesses.

I never wanted to suffer by not knowing these weaknesses, so I started jotting down each weakness in a notebook.

“…Why are there so many?”

After writing them all down, I realized that there were far more weaknesses than I had anticipated.

Touching running water meant death.

Exposure to sunlight meant burning to ashes.

Just the sight of sharp objects caused seizures, and I had to run away from garlic, onions, and leeks.

“Is this… a noble of the night?”

At this rate, shouldn’t they be called something like a “night chicken” instead of a vampire?

No? That would be disrespectful to chickens.

Chickens are known to die easily, unlike this damn sturdy fish.

“…But it’s okay! There’s still hope!”

Being a member of the so-called ‘noble of the night’ species, surely not everything could be a weakness, right?

Thinking so comfortably, I tried to proceed with the experiment, but unfortunately, that mindset didn’t last long.

Because.

“Ahhhhhhhh!!!”

As I lifted the needle for the experiment, I unknowingly screamed and threw it out the window.

“Haah… Haah…”

Breathing heavily, as I looked down at the arm that held the needle, goosebumps rose ever so slightly on my pale forearm.

…If it’s like this from the start, how can I continue the experiment when I’m scared?

A chilling sensation running down my spine.

I wanted to stop the experiment at the thought of having to endure that unpleasant feeling multiple times, but I had no other choice.

Whether intentional or not, if someone exploits a weakness and takes advantage, ultimately, it’s my responsibility.

If you don’t want to do it even if it means dying, then there’s no way around it.

“Heh, damn.”

With a bitter laugh, this time, I took out garlic, green onions, and onions from the fridge.

…I can’t go without eating this. It’s like losing half of the joy that a Korean can feel.

Mentally pleading, I brought the garlic close to my nose.

“Ugh… Cough…! Ugh…! Ugh…”

Sadly, garlic was also one of the weaknesses of this pathetic body.

“No…”

Can’t eat garlic…? Wait, does that mean I can’t eat kimchi either…?

With trembling eyes, I looked at the pork belly and vegetables for stir-frying and the well-marinated pork neck in the fridge.

Then, with a sigh tinged with nostalgia for my bachelor pad, I exclaimed,

“Damn it, my stir-fried pork!!!”

The day I lost all those intoxicating spices.

My world crumbled.