A vampire with a tall but somewhat gaunt frame hunched his shoulders as much as he could in front of Dojin and Iri.
“Sorry… s-sorryyy…….”
All Dojin and Iri had done was exchange a normal greeting and bring him to the rental shop, yet he started trembling on his own and apologizing.
The Dark One peeking out warily from Dojin’s front pocket and this vampire—who was, incredibly, a divine-spirit–class being—seemed to have about the same amount of guts.
“What are you sorry for?”
“B-b-because I’m an illegal resident…….”
The vampire lowered his head and sniffled.
No one had even said anything to him….
Seizing the moment, Dojin whispered to Iri.
“Looks like the Podo Office really messed him up. Maybe they tortured him or brainwashed him or something. That’s terrifying. Shouldn’t we keep our distance from Podo Captain Jeon Woochi?”
“If you keep sowing discord, your virtue’s going to drain away….”
“I’m not sowing discord, I’m just making a reasonable inference based on circumstantial evidence….”
“Even Ttanttori would be more mature than you.”
“…….”
Dojin shut his mouth.
Am I really that childish?
But when you think about it, Ttanttori wasn’t a mere yeongmul anymore—he was a full-fledged yokai now—so he wasn’t exactly a child.
According to the Deokyusan Divine Spirit, Ttanttori, who had become a beautiful yokai, quietly examined his own sharp claws before suddenly flitting off somewhere. He hadn’t revealed his destination.
A Yung would have made an ‘adult’ choice. At least, that’s what Dojin vaguely believed.
“You said your name was James, right? You’ve already been punished for the illegal stay, so you don’t need to act like a criminal. You’ve come a long way—rest for today, and tomorrow after sunset, leave together with Dojin.”
“H-here? I can rest here?”
“Yeah. I cleaned up the guest room.”
“And just so you know, my room’s right next door, so don’t get any funny ideas.”
Dojin issued the warning sharply. Not even knowing what those ‘funny ideas’ might be, James nodded rapidly, saying yes, yes.
“Um… but where exactly am I supposed to go tomorrow…….”
“Didn’t the Podo Captain explain it to you?”
“He just told me I’d be given instructions once I got to the rental shop….”
“Hmm…….”
Dojin didn’t miss the chance and whispered again.
“He didn’t want to explain it himself, so he dumped it on you, Master. I knew it. Just growing a cool beard doesn’t make you competent. Dumping responsibilities like that—what a terrible manager.”
“…There goes more of your virtue.”
Left with no choice, Iri began explaining to the utterly clueless James.
“I heard you came to Korea looking for a way to stop a vampirification.”
“Yes, th-that’s right…….”
In this world, aside from creating ‘thralls’, there are several ways to turn a non-Wia being into a Wia. Only certain races can do it—and vampires are one of them.
Vampires, who don’t get along with fox yokai and therefore mostly live in western regions, can turn someone into a vampire like themselves by feeding them their blood for a thousand consecutive days without interruption.
James was a naturally born vampire, but recently he had fallen in love with a human and, with mutual consent, began the vampirification process. Then, around the 900th day, he learned that his partner hadn’t truly loved him at all—they had only pretended to, desiring immortality.
Even so, because he loved them so deeply, James continued the process… until the 960th day, when he witnessed them deliberately chase down and try to kill someone they had merely bumped shoulders with on the street. That was when he realized this couldn’t go on.
By the 960th day, the vampirification was already far too advanced to simply end by stopping the blood intake. James didn’t know the exact solution, but since the moment he was born, he had known of the rental shop and the existence of Immortal Iri—so he resolved to head to Korea without hesitation.
Immortal Iri will somehow fix it.
For James, who had lived his entire life in Romania, the Podo Office had sent Podo Officer Song Gisudo ahead of time, but their paths crossed without meeting. James ended up flying to Korea alone. And the moment he set foot on Korean soil… he was arrested by the Podo Office. He hadn’t gone through immigration upon arrival, and to make matters worse, the place he arrived happened to be near a demonic borderland where Evil Gods gathered.
Even as an illegal resident, he was a divine spirit–class being and couldn’t be treated carelessly. After personally hearing the whole story, Podo Captain Jeon Woochi released him after imposing only a light fine.
No—not only did he release him, he even contacted Iri directly and arranged an appointment. From James’s perspective, becoming an illegal resident had actually worked out in his favor.
“To stop the vampirification, we’ll need to make a medicine using a curio from our rental shop and some special ingredients, then administer it. But that special ingredient can’t be obtained here right now. It’s a plant that grows only on Yuldo Island.”
“Yuldo Island?”
“Yes. It’s a country ruled by a very capable king, not too far from Korea. Dojin knows where to gather the herb, so tomorrow after sunset, go with him and bring it back.”
“Yes…….”
The vampire cautiously glanced at the large, burly man beside him.
“B-but… that gentleman seems to dislike me…….”
“You’re mistaken.”
Dojin replied coldly.
“I dislike everything except my master—including you.”
“Ah, y-yes……. I’m sorry….”
The vampire visibly shrank in on himself. Anticipating a harsh journey ahead, his expression darkened.
***
“Master, I’m heading out.”
The next evening, Dojin called out to Iri from the front gate. Iri asked a customer to wait a moment and hurried outside.
“Be polite to the immigration staff, and always act courteously on Yuldo Island as well. Don’t lower your speech carelessly. They may be human rather than Wia, but they take immense pride in being citizens of Yuldo—don’t provoke them.”
“Yes. Don’t worry. I’m going as an employee of the rental shop, so I’ll be careful too.”
Dojin smiled solidly, as if to say trust me, but Iri didn’t feel all that reassured.
Glancing to Dojin’s side, he saw the vampire trembling violently. Despite being older, he seemed even less reliable than Dojin, making it impossible to entrust anything to him.
“Visiting Yuldo Island will be a good experience. Observe how its king governs the country… and come back having learned a great deal.”
“Yes. They said phones don’t work there, right?”
“It’s a place where contact with the outside world is impossible.”
“I’m sad I won’t be able to call you, Master. Can I at least take some photos of you?”
“…Fine. Go ahead.”
Click, click—Dojin took solo shots of Iri. Iri felt a prickling sensation on the back of his head, since a customer was openly watching the scene….
“Then I’ll be off. Ah—wait a second.”
At that moment, Dojin suddenly stretched out his hand toward Iri’s shoulder.
Kkiwoong!
The Dark One hiding behind Iri’s neck was grabbed by the scruff.
“Hey, Kim Kkiwoong. If I’m going, you’re coming too. Got it?”
Kkiwoong. Kkiwoong. Kkiwoooong.
The Dark One flailed, stretching its tiny arms toward Iri in a clear plea for help—but Iri paid it no mind.
“Why Kim Kkiwoong?”
“My last name’s Kim. Or should it be Lee Kkiwoong instead?”
“Let’s go with Kim Kkiwoong.”
Iri spoke gently to Kim Kkiwoong.
“Kkiwoong, at least you go along and look after Dojin. Have a safe trip.”
Kkiwoong…….
The Dark One had no allies.
On the way to the immigration office, the car was filled with silence. Aside from the occasional pitiful kkiwoong from the Dark One, no conversation passed between the vampire and the Jangsa.
James tried to look at the night scenery outside the window, but everything passed by too quickly for him to see much.
“Um… e-excuse me…….”
“What.”
He mustered the courage to speak, only to get a curt reply.
“I heard that you’re a candidate for King of the True Mortal Realm… is that true?”
“Yes. I’m one of the candidates.”
“Th-that’s truly amazing…. How can someone with a human body…….”
“I’m not completely human. Can’t you tell?”
“Th-then what path are you on?”
“Jangsa.”
“What exactly is a Jangsa…….”
“You don’t even know that? How old are you?”
“2,243 years old.”
“Oh. So you’re young. Makes sense you wouldn’t know.”
A twenty-year-old Jangsa spoke with maximum arrogance. Timid James simply admired him, thinking how knowledgeable he was despite his youth—truly an employee of Iri’s Curio Rental Shop.
Dojin explained what a Jangsa was to James. Upon hearing the tragic legend—those born with the qualities of a king, only to die young due to envy and jealousy from those around them—James’s eyes filled with tears.
“S-so terribly sad. Why are people so full of envy and jealousy……. In such a beautiful world, where even pouring out love feels like too little….”
“Still better than vampires who just fucking obsess over love. Your species went crazy over romance and love and turned humans into vampires left and right back in the day.”
“Th-that was my ancestors’ doing. A very long time ago…….”
“And yet you tried to turn someone into a vampire for love just now—and failed.”
“H-hk. I truly thought it was love…….”
James burst into loud sobs. The Dark One panicked, kkiwoong, kkiwoong, rushing over to him and diligently trying to comfort him.
“It’s so painful to learn that the person you love doesn’t love you back…….”
“…….”
Lost in thought, Dojin stared out the window.
Dojin had suffered through unrequited love before. He’d felt pain, frustration…. There were nights he couldn’t sleep from sheer misery.
But he had never cried this sadly.
Master rejects me and pushes me away… but he doesn’t make me this sad.
James’s tear-streaked face reflected faintly in the window. The face of someone who had been betrayed after believing wholeheartedly in mutual love was simply too—
Ugh, it’s ugly. I should never cry in front of Master. Not that I ever would. There’s nothing to cry about anyway.
True to form, Dojin was someone who rarely harbored tender, aching feelings for others.
