Chapter 46 :

<46>

"Recently, I haven’t seen Sylvester around ……”

Se-gun asked that while pouring syrup into his teacup. Kim Seong-hee smiled and replied.

"Since Christmas, I suppose he’s been busy with one thing or another. Ah, and though he doesn’t say it outright, he seems very grateful to you."

"Heeh? Why?"

"He said he didn’t expect you to go around stirring things up without caring about your own life that much."

"…… Did I really cause that much trouble?"

Se-gun brushed his hair back and muttered to himself. Still, lately he had noticed a strange gleam in the eyes of the birds and animals around him, which told him at least that the vampires had begun monitoring him.

Fortunately, near Arjuna, Sylvester had apparently arranged defensive measures, so the vampires’ power did not reach this area. That was why Se-gun showed his face at Arjuna every single day.

Jingle jingle.

At that moment, the shop door opened and a group of men walked in. Even at a glance they looked like violent thugs, and among them was one particularly handsome man. His hair was slicked back stylishly, the back tied like a ponytail, and his sharp nose made him look not entirely Korean. Probably mixed blood, and undeniably good-looking. But there was a damp, sinister charisma about him that made one feel uncomfortable.

‘Guys like that are usually the boss.’

Se-gun watched them with that near-prejudiced thought. They didn’t seem like ordinary gangsters; their level of training was high. And somehow… he felt a strange sense of kinship.

‘Psychedelic Moon?’

Se-gun instinctively sensed that they were Hunters. Did they feel the same? The handsome man in the long coat approached Se-gun.

"Hey. We came looking for Father Sylvester. Do you happen to know where he is?"

"He hasn’t been around lately. Is there something you need?"

Kim Seong-hee immediately answered politely. The man looked at her and took out a business card from his pocket.

"My apologies. I am this sort of person."

At that moment, Kim Seong-hee’s expression stiffened as if struck. On the card, written boldly, were the words: ‘Director Sahyuk, Illegal Blood Distribution Association’.

"…… So you’re Mr. Sahyuk. What brings you here?"

"Oh, just thought I’d have some delicious coffee. Right?"

Feigning nonchalance, he sat beside Se-gun.

"By the way, young man. Ever thought about going into business together?"

"Business? What do you mean?"

"It seems you still can’t distinguish the scent of your own kind. Hmm. You enjoy mucosal intake? Bad habit, that. Of course, if you swallow it your stomach goes bad, if you inject it your kidneys go bad, but damaging your mucosa is no different—"

Sahyuk explained enthusiastically. Se-gun grew flustered listening to him. Talking so openly about drugs!

"Have I made things uncomfortable for you? My apologies. Here’s my apology."

He took an envelope from his coat and handed it to Se-gun. Se-gun tried to refuse the absurd gesture, but Sahyuk clicked his tongue.

"Tsk, tsk. You seem younger than me. Don’t you know that when a superior gives you something, you accept it politely?"

"Th-that may be true, but……”

Se-gun felt the envelope and peeked inside. It contained a single 5,000-won gift certificate. Just one sheet.

“……”

For a moment, Se-gun debated whether he should be angry. The situation was honestly beyond comprehension. Was this man insane? Was he mocking him? A swirl of thoughts crossed his mind.

"Well, I’ve been troubled lately by the lack of good people. A young man like you would receive excellent treatment. Health insurance might be difficult, but you’d receive a base salary, plus performance-based pay, of course. And cooperative play among several people can sometimes produce very good results. On top of that, our welfare facilities are outstanding."

"……”

Se-gun was dumbfounded into silence. Was he suggesting they hunt vampires as a group? Of course, if vampires had taken the form of powerful corporations, there was no rule saying vampire hunters couldn’t do the same. But such a ridiculous proposal was new to Se-gun, and he couldn’t decide immediately.

"Interested? First of all, we possess stabilization devices, VT measurement devices, and Psychedelic Moon extraction devices in-house. We can secure distribution channels quickly, so what we hunt can be circulated directly to the market without brokers or margins. Because of such profits, we can offer our employees a base salary. You know how much profit brokers have been making until now."

"Eh? Really?"

When Se-gun responded half-heartedly, Sahyuk continued excitedly.

"Moreover, there are many advantages to forming a group. We can hack police information, create witnesses, shake off pursuers through teamwork. The benefits of teamwork are limitless."

It wasn’t wrong. With many people together, tasks could be divided. If past battles had been cottage handicraft, then a team system was industrial manufacturing.

But that was nothing more than work done to earn money. Se-gun didn’t like that. It wasn’t that he disliked money—but if he fought solely for money, he feared he might someday become worse than the vampires.

"Thank you for the offer, but I’ll decline."

"What a shame. You’ll regret it, baby."

Though Sahyuk said so, he hadn’t truly set his sights on Se-gun and let him go easily. Perhaps he simply needed someone to talk to.

"By the way, when will Father Sylvester arrive?"

"Not sure."

Kim Seong-hee handed him a cup of coffee with an ambiguous answer. At that moment, the distant exhaust note of a V8 engine echoed.

"Well, speak of the tiger and he appears. Here he comes."

Indeed, the door opened, and a silver-haired man wearing priestly garments under a black coat stepped inside. His long silver hair gave off a sharp, blade-like impression even beneath the gray winter sky. And his eyes…

"What are you lot."

Sylvester immediately grasped that they were all carrying concealed weapons and asked flatly. Sahyuk spun around on his stool and replied.

"Oh! The True Vampire Hunter himself. I’ve heard your name often, but you’re much younger than I expected."

"Hm."

Se-gun stood up. Others in the shop also rose and left as the atmosphere grew hostile. Only the waitress, Lee Jin-hye, remained frozen in confusion.

"Jin-hye."

Kim Seong-hee grabbed Jin-hye’s hand and pulled her behind the counter. If necessary, she could hide underneath. Arjuna’s counter was made of bulletproof glass, capable of stopping even most assault rifle rounds. Seeing the atmosphere chill rapidly, Sahyuk waved his hands.

"Wait, wait! I didn’t come to pick a fight! There seems to be some misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding. I am not a man with the leisure to invest time and effort into clearing misunderstandings."

Sylvester strode forward. Sahyuk smiled faintly.

"In that case, we are alike."

"You’ve got one nose, two eyes, one mouth. If you’re going to feel kinship over something, start with that nonsense first."

"Ah……”

"State your business. Don’t keep opening that nauseating trash can. At least be concise. Your chatter reeks of rot!"

Sylvester glanced around at the men.

"Otherwise, this many men wouldn’t show up in broad daylight carrying submachine guns. What is it? Not as if you’re heading out to hunt vampires."

"Oh dear, forgive us… We certainly did not bring them with that intention. We simply have many enemies."

Though Sahyuk apologized, Sylvester was not one to accept apologies.

"I told you to state your business, not apologize."

"Well, actually, our team…”

"Declined. Now leave."

For the first time, Sahyuk’s smiling face stiffened. He himself was cruel and lawless toward others, but he had never imagined being treated like this. Yet Sylvester walked briskly over and sat beside Se-gun.

"Se-gun. Is your body alright?"

"N-no, um……”

‘If you show interest in me right now, those guys will start watching me closely!’

Se-gun screamed inwardly, but Sylvester, perhaps intentionally, ignored his reaction.

"Don’t overdo the drugs. If you snap at every job that comes your way, the drugs will overpower your body. Ah, I’ll do it myself."

He took the coffee pot from Kim Seong-hee, poured coffee into the cup, added a spoonful of vanilla essence, then cream and syrup. Vanilla essence in coffee—an eccentric combination—but the aroma was intense.

"Ahaha……”

Sahyuk calmed himself and sat down.

"Wouldn’t it be better to at least hear us out before deciding? We haven’t even discussed our advantages yet. If you intend to hunt True Vampires, you’ll need to shake the vampires considerably, won’t you?"

"You are businessmen. That alone ends negotiations."

Sylvester said so and set down his coffee cup.

"There’s no reason to join forces when our objectives differ. And no matter how nicely you dress yourselves up, you’re of no help in dealing with True Vampires. Who knows—maybe if you became President of the United States."

"Ghk."

Sahyuk was fed up with Sylvester’s arrogant attitude. Of course, that very attitude was a reflection of himself—but while one calls it romance when done by oneself and adultery when done by others, it’s hard to tolerate someone else’s arrogance.

Sahyuk placed money on the counter and stood up. His team members rose in unison and flowed out of Arjuna like an ebbing tide. Sylvester glanced sideways at him as he left, then lifted his teacup to his lips.

"My, my. An Alchemist, is he? That’s troublesome."

"Alchemist?"

"It means a practitioner of alchemy. There are even rumors that blood prices in the United States crashed because of him. Seems he was pushed out by the mafia and fled to Korea. This is becoming a headache."

In truth, Sylvester knew quite a bit about him. Compared to himself, Sahyuk still fell short—but as a human, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he had reached the pinnacle as a vampire hunter. Sahyuk, who stood shoulder to shoulder with formidable hunters like Bufheim, Sanada, and Doctor Weng, had come to Korea.

"And to think he dared to ask me to join his team. Should I just kill him?"

"L-let’s restrain yourself?"

Se-gun tried to dissuade Sylvester.

"But what does Alchemist mean?"

"I dislike teaching others. Understand? Passing information to you doesn’t require anything beyond this. If you’re curious, try cozying up to them yourself."

Sylvester’s tone dripped with coldness. Se-gun stood up.

"Tetra Anax is already monitoring me, and I doubt they’ll leave me alone. Shall I try that, then?"

"Not a bad idea. But that Sahyuk fellow isn’t right in the head."

Se-gun poured a pile of coins onto the table and headed outside.

"Neither am I."

"Ah, Se-gun!"

At that moment, Lee Jin-hye called out to him. After glancing at her master, Kim Seong-hee, and receiving silent approval, she hurried after Se-gun.

"Wait a second."

"Ah… what is it?"

"It’ll only take a moment."

She grabbed his arm and led him outside Arjuna. Stopping in the parking lot, she turned toward him. Her expression was confused, her cheeks flushed from stepping out of the warmth into the cold.

‘Wow. Shampoo scent.’

Se-gun caught her pleasant fragrance and felt his own face heat up. She was three years older than him, a university student from the prestigious S University’s Department of Theater and Film, who had experienced everything life could throw at her. Currently on leave, she juggled part-time work at Arjuna and with a theater troupe. Despite her tough circumstances, she had an upbeat personality without a trace of gloom.

Her looks supported it too; her figure was slender from jazz dance. It was hard to understand why she had spent Christmas without a boyfriend. But right now, she looked genuinely unsettled.

"What on earth is going on? V-vampires? What kind of strange talk was that?"

"Hmm."

Unfortunately, speaking at this distance meant Sylvester would hear everything. And if he said anything improper to a civilian, Sylvester wouldn’t let it slide.

"Oh come on, noona… you believe that stuff?"

"But you were answering seriously. Too seriously for it to seem like a joke."

"Hmm……”

Se-gun began to feel irritated. That madman Sahyuk had barged into Arjuna, flashed a business card claiming to be a vampire hunter, and loudly suggested hunting vampires together. It was only natural that bystanders would be alarmed.

"Ah, this is troublesome. I’m going to make a run for it!"

Saying that, Se-gun climbed onto his XR-250.

"Wait! Se-gun!"

Jin-hye tried to stop him, but Se-gun pretended not to hear and twisted the throttle.

Before heading elsewhere, Se-gun first went to the apartment of the back alley doctor. He had previously received treatment from her but hadn’t paid, so he returned now to settle the bill.

Of course, his ID card was being held as collateral. But there was no way the doctor would actually call the police over it, and he could always report it lost and get a new one. Besides, five million won was no problem for him now.

"Hah. Should I be happy about this or sad?"

Being targeted by high-ranking vampires had ironically made it easier to earn money. The blood of high-ranking vampires sold at a high price. When he had gotten involved in Detective Sim Gu-jin’s case, each unit of blood had sold for five million won… He had made over twenty million won in just a few days.

But if he kept facing high-ranking vampires like that, even multiple necks wouldn’t be enough to survive. He had only managed because he had gone down to the provinces, set traps, and waited. If he had fought a vampire with those abilities in the middle of Seoul, he would have been finished. That vampire’s ability to separate spiders from its body was more dangerous than a gun in a city where heavy firearms couldn’t be used freely and cover was everywhere.

"Maybe I should just head down to the provinces?"

He muttered it, but it wasn’t a viable option. Lurking around Arjuna was at least some form of protection.

Lost in thought, he entered the apartment complex. He dismounted his motorcycle and locked it.

"Damn. I’m running low on fuel. Compared to the RX-125, the mileage isn’t great."

Muttering to himself, he entered the building. Across from the complex, redevelopment construction was underway; dirt was piled up and tarps hung, making the area look even more shabby. Almost like a slum. Not quite as bad as the Bill Murray Healing School building, but it left a similar impression on Se-gun. A Russian woman making a living through illegal means, and Bill Murray making a living off vampire blood.

"As if anyone would say this isn’t illegal work, living in such a gloomy place."

Ding-dong…

He pressed the doorbell, grumbling, but there was no response from inside. Since she had secured an apartment, she likely wasn’t an illegal resident. Why wasn’t she home? Did she leave during the day? Or was she simply out?

"Well, whatever. As long as I hand over the money."

With that thought, Se-gun slid the envelope of cash through the milk slot and tossed it inside, then turned and walked back out of the apartment building.