It wasn’t until what felt like a week later that Yan truly woke up. His eyes opened involuntarily at the sound of murmuring voices by his bedside.
“How did Yan know to rush to that location?”
“I don’t think he knew—sounds like he ran into it by chance. That’s why he didn’t have a gun.”
“What an unlucky guy.”
Yeah… Yan answered inwardly. It was frustrating not being able to speak with his throat so constricted. As he blinked his eyes, his colleagues noticed he was awake and made a fuss.
“He’s awake!”
“Should we call the doctor?”
“I don’t know. Isn’t it almost time for rounds anyway?”
Yan blinked in disbelief. These were colleagues he’d prided himself on maintaining good relationships with, but their casual attitude seemed strange.
‘I was gutted by a vampire and nearly died—why are they reacting like this?’
He wasn’t expecting tears streaming down their faces, but shouldn’t they at least show some relief? Yet their expressions merely said, “Oh, you’re up?”
“How many… days have I been…” Yan managed with difficulty. Forcing out words through his constricted throat made it feel rough.
“One day.”
“…What?”
“You’ve been lying here all day since it happened yesterday.”
“Let’s see, exactly twenty-four hours now,” Dave said, glancing at the wall clock. Yan followed his gaze. Indeed, it was the same time as when he’d been attacked yesterday. But he couldn’t be sure about the date.
“Only one day has passed?”
It felt like he was waking up after an entire week. This wasn’t just a feeling—his stomach had been pierced so badly his internal organs were spilling out. Wouldn’t recovery normally take at least that long?
But Dave responded as if Yan’s words made no sense.
“It’s only been about a day.”
“What?”
“You just passed out and have been laid up for a day—that’s pretty long already.”
“Passed out…?”
Yan was so incredulous that he raised his upper body. With a groan, he felt around his abdomen and was met with smooth skin.
“Wasn’t this… punctured?”
“Ah, there was some kind of wound there.”
Yan unbuttoned his hospital gown. Looking down at his stomach, indeed, there was a wound. But it was thin, like a cut from a box cutter.
“…”
This wasn’t right—something was wrong. The pain of having his stomach pierced and that resignation of ‘I’m going to die now’ were so vivid, yet the wound was so minor. It was truly strange.
Yan looked down at his stomach with a serious expression. He wanted to grab his colleagues by the collar and demand, “Tell me what happened right now!” but he feared they’d think he was crazy.
‘Did I hallucinate…?’
By this point, Yan was beginning to think that perhaps his memory was confused due to the terror of facing death. Or maybe he had fallen into such a deep sleep that he mistook a dream for reality.
Either way, not being seriously injured was a good thing. Though he felt disoriented, Yan tried hard to forget the memory of being impaled. The very thought of recalling it was frightening.
“By the way, at the scene…”
Yan was about to ask about Procion’s condition but stopped himself. With so many people fleeing the scene, how would his colleagues know who he was talking about? Still, wondering if Procion was safe, Yan fidgeted with his fingers.
“There were two fatalities.”
Dave somehow picked up on his concern and spoke. Yan raised his head abruptly, worried that Procion might be one of them.
“One was human, and the other was a lycanthrope.”
“A lycanthrope…?”
“Isn’t it rare for a vampire to attack a lycanthrope? It was probably because he was a member of the Multi-Species Peace Alliance. The person attacked with him was his secretary.”
“Those guys really want a war, don’t they?” Dave grumbled. The expressions of the other colleagues weren’t pleasant either.
“About thirty people were injured.”
“I see…”
Yan was relieved to learn that Procion hadn’t died. With his robust physique, even if injured, he would recover quickly. Yan chose to believe that.
“Lucky you, Yan. I heard you’re getting injury leave.”
“Some leave—you deserve it after passing out like that.”
Perhaps trying to lighten the mood, his colleagues chuckled exaggeratedly. Yan was about to say that he hadn’t just passed out but had suffered a fatal wound, but he held his tongue.
“If you’re jealous, why don’t you try passing out in front of a vampire too?”
“No thanks.”
Dave patted Yan’s back firmly. Given that his hands were already large and considering Yan’s physical condition, it should have hurt, but it didn’t.
‘Did I really just dream it all?’
Just as Yan was doubting his memory again, someone entered the room. A man dressed in a black shirt and black pants, looking almost like a shadow. When Yan realized who it was, he let out a small “Oh” and tugged at his collar, trying to look presentable even in his hospital gown.
“Sirius?”
His colleagues, recognizing the visitor a beat later, wore puzzled expressions. It was unclear why he would come to the police hospital.
“I need to have a word with you, if you can spare the time?”
“W-with me?”
Yan stammered in surprise. Sirius wanting to talk to him… this might really be a dream. But Sirius clearly nodded.
“Well, we’ll be going now.”
“Congratulations on your leave. Lie in bed for a long time and fake it while you’re at it!”
His colleagues said something that sounded like a mix between a curse and a joke as they stood up one by one. On second thought, Yan realized that Sirius must be visiting him for professional reasons. His colleagues seemed to think the same, which is why they were leaving them alone.
“P-please, sit down.”
Yan hurriedly gestured toward a folding chair. Sirius took the seat without refusing.
A sudden silence fell over the hospital room. Sirius sat like a statue, unmoving, staring at Yan. His blue gaze seemed to drain the warmth from Yan’s skin. While Yan liked Sirius, his gaze was somehow slightly frightening.
“Are you feeling alright?”
“Yes.”
“That’s good.”
Sirius said this, but he wasn’t sure if forming a subordination ritual with Procion was truly a good thing. For Yan, for Procion, and for himself… perhaps it wasn’t a good thing at all.
Vampires might be the strongest among the species belonging to the night, but they weren’t without weaknesses. Their most prominent weakness was being vulnerable during the day.
Vampires tried to compensate for this weakness by forming subordination rituals with other species, especially humans. This mixed their racial characteristics, allowing vampires to be as active during the day as they were at night. Conversely, the subordinated species could receive abilities unique to vampires. In Yan’s case, it seemed his body was primarily working on enhanced recovery.
‘But nothing in this world comes without a price.’
Sirius scrutinized the oblivious Yan through narrowed eyes.
Being subordinated was both a benefit and a loss for vampires and other species. If something happened to the subordinate, it would affect Procion. Conversely, if something happened to Procion, it would affect Yan.
Both Yan as a police officer and Procion as essentially a rebel in the vampire world led more dangerous lives than most. With both of them engaged in a subordination ritual, their risk would certainly be doubled. Sirius let out an uncharacteristically thin sigh.
“Sirius…?”
Yan, who had expected to be interrogated about yesterday’s events, felt oppressed by Sirius’s complex gaze. Just as he was about to ask if something was bothering him, Sirius said something incomprehensible.
“…It was only once, after all.”
The subordination ritual needed to be performed three times to fully take effect. Procion surely knew this and must have performed the first ritual with Yan. Thanks to that, Yan was sitting here with a healthy body, so Sirius couldn’t entirely blame him.
“Um, if it’s about yesterday… what would you like me to start with?”
Yan, still thinking Sirius’s visit was for interrogation, asked this. He was prepared to answer even if Sirius didn’t ask. But Sirius shook his head.
“No, regarding that matter, I’ve already checked the CCTV footage from the scene. I’ve also heard witness testimonies.”
“Then why…”
Did you come to the police hospital…? Yan swallowed those words. He felt like he might know why.
Though their professions differed, he and Sirius had briefly worked together. In a broad sense, they could be considered workplace colleagues.
‘Visiting a hospitalized colleague… isn’t that… a get-well visit?’
And get-well visits are made out of concern for the hospitalized person. Following this train of thought, Yan’s face suddenly brightened.
“Were you… worried about me?”
His impulsive mouth asked before he could stop it. Only afterwards did Yan worry, ‘What if he says no?’ Given Sirius’s taciturn nature, such a response would make the atmosphere awkward.
