episode_0019

I’ve mentioned this before, but my surroundings were all ordinary before I became a vampire. This included my family.

My family, including myself, were just ordinary citizens living their lives faithfully within the boundaries, peacefully pursuing a tranquil life.

So, how extraordinary could it be for someone like me, who has lived such an ordinary life so far, to come up with a way to get blood?

Of course, my brother suggested a method that anyone could think of and was actually feasible.

[Search for ‘buying animal blood’ on the internet. You’ll probably find it right away. There are ways to obtain fresh blood too. By the way… you don’t have a problem with consuming animal blood, do you?]

“I suppose I could consume it. The issue is feeling uneasy about it.”

[Most animal blood is used for research or medical purposes, so you don’t need to worry about hygiene. Fresh blood is also available. I recommend the latter over the former; it’s overwhelmingly cheaper.]

“…I’ll search it up once we hang up. I’m not sure if I’ll actually purchase and consume it.”

Though the method he provided didn’t meet my expectations, I wasn’t disappointed.

Thanks to my brother, my narrow perspective had broadened slightly.

In truth, animal blood wasn’t even in consideration. Perhaps due to the urgent need for blood or because the first blood I consumed was human blood, I had been only contemplating how to obtain human blood.

Maybe a vampire’s instinct prefers human blood over animal blood.

Following my brother’s advice, I started by searching ‘buy animal blood’ on the internet.

“It’s more expensive than I thought.”

Prices ranging from 50,000 to 60,000 won for 50ml.

Thinking it was similar to the amount in a mint chocolate cocktail I had earlier, my head already began to ache.

Now I understand why vampires in novels or animations are portrayed as wealthy. Impoverished vampires likely starved to death or died from hunting, hence not appearing in a refined manner.

Suddenly, I recalled a post I saw on social media before.

In a movie, when someone asked why vampires always appear wealthy, they were told, “If you’ve been alive since 1892 and still live like a beggar, just go kill yourself under the sun.”

Back then, I laughed it off, but now as a vampire, living as a wealthy individual seemed almost impossible.

Just one glass of that high-quality blood would cost around 150,000 to 180,000 won per month if consumed sparingly, or around 50,000 to 60,000 won every three days if consumed conservatively, excluding rent and food expenses…

“Damn, it’s a money pit.”

It was horrifying to imagine.

A race that seemed only romantic and cool… no, in reality, there was nothing glamorous about them; they were a pitiful species.

Muttering curses under my breath, I searched for fresh blood this time, hoping for a better outcome since it was significantly cheaper.

Pressing the search button and waiting, what appeared on the screen was…

“Oh.”

An online marketplace selling 1kg of fresh blood for a mere 3650 won.

I erased all the useless thoughts I had earlier from my mind.

Cancel the notion that vampires can’t become wealthy; it was damn easy, really.

With a disappointed smile, I added one pack of super-cheap fresh blood to my cart.

It’s unlikely, but ordering a lot and not being able to consume it would be a headache.

Thanks to my brother, a crucial problem was easily solved.

Expressing gratitude internally, I immediately began pondering the next issue.

“…By the way, how do I explain cohabitation to Mother?”

Tomorrow evening, Mother would visit my studio apartment.

Thanks to the cursed dragon mutation, my previous place burned down, so I had to send her the new address of my studio apartment.

After taking a wrong step, you might be worried for no reason as you look at the traces left in your studio apartment.

However,

“If she finds out that I’m living with Jaehyuk, that would be a problem in itself.”

As I told my brother, from my perspective, it wouldn’t be a problem at all.

Due to circumstances that are too painful to list, there would be endless possibilities of trouble with him.

But surely, it would appear differently in my mother’s eyes.

A man and a woman living together under one roof…

Honestly, if one doesn’t know the circumstances, they might think we’ve already matched well, right?

“If I show my daily appearance… Oh, no, that would lead to bigger problems.”

Recalling the memories of the past week, I finally realized what I had been up to.

Actions that could provoke a man significantly, potentially leading to inappropriate situations.

My face rapidly grew hot, and I began fanning myself with my hand to cool down.

“Yikes…”

If I had shown such behavior in front of my mother, it would have surely led to a catastrophe.

Determined to be more cautious in my actions, I texted Jaehyuk.

To prepare for my mother’s imminent visit tomorrow, or rather today.

—–

I may have spoken grandly about preparing a plan, but there wasn’t much to prepare, aside from cleaning.

In fact, there wasn’t much else to do.

I briefly considered playing house.

Honestly, I haven’t done anything terribly wrong, and circumstances forced us to live together, didn’t they?

If I explain the situation well, my mother should understand and back off.

Deciding to mix a suitable amount of truth with lies, I waited with Jaehyuk for my mother who would arrive soon.

“…Why are you shaking like that?”

Jaehyuk seemed exhausted, likely from work and cleaning.

His tired expression made him look pitiful, so I quietly approached him and patted his shoulder.

“Why would you be nervous? Did you do something wrong?”

“No, not really… I just feel oddly guilty.”

“Did you do something weird while I was asleep?”

As I questioned him with a suspicious look, Jaehyuk shook his head frantically with a bewildered expression.

“Do you think I did? My body is like a muscular stick, you know?”

“Weird…? I heard that as long as the taste is good, whether it’s a man or a woman…”

“That’s Hyeeun, you crazy bastard! I have a normal sexual appetite that likes elegance and sophistication, damn it. Don’t compare me to those freaks!”

As if a switch had been flipped, he went wild, seeming quite offended.

While trying to calm him down, I realized one error in his words.

Most actresses in the MILF films Jaehyuk watches have breast sizes ranging from C to D cups.

Although there are occasionally actresses with very large sizes, he said he finds that burdensome and doesn’t prefer them.

So, his standard of ‘elegance and sophistication’ probably falls around that range.

“…”

Looking down at my chest silently, I saw a prominent bust that appeared to be around a D cup.

Considering a hint of decadence even showed in selfies, this figure might fall within his defensive perimeter, right?

With a wary gaze, I began to distance myself quietly from him.

“What are you doing now?”

“I’m struggling to protect my body.”

“What strange delusion did you have?”

“You said you like elegance and sophistication, right? So, I’m aiming for that too, aren’t I?”

“Ridiculous.”

He grabbed a pearl ice cream from the freezer, threatening me with a stern face.

“If you bark nonsense one more time, I’ll dump this on the ground.”

“…Let’s put aside the brutality for now and talk, okay? I messed up, really.”

“You don’t seem apologetic at all?”

“Well, that’s because you’re saying things that could be misunderstood, right?”

Speaking with conviction, he sighed and tried to open the lid.

As the lid opened and beads of ice cream spilled onto the floor, all that awaited me was sheer devastation.

Desperate to stop it somehow, I forced my tired body to lunge at him.

“Are you suggesting we die together now? I worked so hard to clean the floor, just to mess it up again?”

“If I can educate a lewd vampire, there’s nothing I can’t do.”

“A lewd vampire will freeze to death… D-Don’t talk crazy…! If you’re going to die, then die alone!”

It was infuriating that this was happening in broad daylight.

If it were night, I would have subdued and mocked him ages ago!

Gasping for breath, I made another desperate attempt to attack, but with a weakened and exhausted body, all I could do was cling to him.

However, whether it was effective or not, the weakened guy couldn’t withstand my weight and collapsed to the ground, allowing me to snatch the bead ice cream from his hand.

A hard-won victory.

With a smug grin, I savored the authority of the winner.

“Cough, cough… I won, you bastard. Did you find it amusing to toy with someone’s weakness? Huh?”

“…C-Can you get off me now if I admit I was really wrong?”

“What do you mean ‘get off’? If you did wrong, you should face the consequences.”

“No, I mean, well…”

He covered his face with his hands, looking embarrassed.

His reaction was quite amusing, so I intended to stay seated a little longer.

“…What’s going on here?”

At the sound of a familiar voice coming from the entrance, I froze in place.

No.

Why is Mom there?