"What the hell is going on?!"
Lee Moon-hyun, the head of the Korean Black Cross Society, shouted at the gathered executives in the conference room.
Lee Moon-hyun, who usually resembled a kind uncle next door, now had a furious expression like a wrathful demon, silencing the room instantly. The seven executives bowed their heads, avoiding his gaze.
"Chief Investigator Baek!"
"Yes, Director."
Chief Investigator Baek Ji-wook stepped forward.
The Korean Black Cross Society is divided into three departments: support, investigation, and combat. Baek Ji-wook was the top manager of the Investigation Department.
The Investigation Department investigates vampires. They track down hidden vampires and probe incidents suspected to be caused by them.
"Explain what the hell happened!"
Baek Ji-wook suppressed a sigh. The atmosphere was tense, and he couldn't afford any slip-ups.
He recalled the incident from two hours earlier and began to speak.
"At around 11:10 AM today, the headquarters' commuter bus suddenly accelerated and crashed into the main gate. Hunter Park Ki-soo was killed, and Hunter Jo Joo-hyun is in critical condition and currently in a coma. The cause of the sudden acceleration is still under investigation.
"Chief Investigator Baek, if you're going to report bullshit like that, get out!"
"I apologize. Although we don't have concrete evidence yet, we are treating this as a terrorist attack by vampires. The bus was empty. It appears that a vampire progenitor used psychic powers to orchestrate the attack."
"Now you're making some sense. Find out which progenitor did this is your department's job. What's the progenitor's ability?"
"We suspect telekinesis."
"Telekinesis? Are you kidding me? The bus didn't fly; it drove! The wheels were turning. Telekinesis? Are you joking?"
"It's possible they used telekinesis to control the bus precisely."
"Fine, let's say that's true. But the bus crashed at 300 km/h. Does that make sense to you? A bus driving at bullet train speed?!"
"We'll investigate thoroughly."
"How?"
"We'll call back 80% of our investigators from across the country and scour Seoul for the vampire."
"That's not enough. Also, call back half of the hunters nationwide. Check all nearby CCTV footage to find the culprit."
Lee Moon-hyun breathed heavily. After venting his anger, his ghostly face softened a bit.
"Combat Chief."
"Yes."
"Tell the hunters to stay alert. If our headquarters are attacked, other places won't be safe either. Operate in groups of three for the time being."
"Understood."
"How is Jo Joo-hyun?"
"He's undergoing surgery. The doctors say his chances of survival are less than 30%."
"We'll need to pray. Assign hunters to guard him. Support Chief."
"Yes, Director."
"Contact the National Intelligence Service and ask for assistance. This is a declaration of war from the vampires, but from Korea's perspective, it's a terrorist attack. They'll take it seriously."
Lee Moon-hyun stood up abruptly.
"I'm heading to the Blue House."
He glared at the gathered executives.
"This attack is unprecedented in the history of the Korean Black Cross Society. It's a state of emergency. Find the culprit and kill them. If the vampires see us as weak, Korea's future will be… Well, you understand."
Lee Moon-hyun stormed out.
Because of an unexpected intervention, fate had started to take a different turn.
***
Moon Ji-hyuk scratched his head as he looked at the traffic division's policewoman in front of him.
Officer Yang Jung-min, with her neat hairstyle that reached her collarbone, looked very kind. Lately, they have been seeing each other almost daily. It was purely coincidental. The frequency of these encounters was so high that it made him wonder if it was fate.
"Detective Moon Ji-hyuk, why do you keep following me? Are you a stalker?"
"I'm the one who catches stalkers. I'm not following you; it's for work."
"What's it about?"
"It's about the high-speed bus crash that happened today."
"So what? Are you handling that case?"
"No, it's not my case, but something feels off. The CCTV footage shows the bus was too fast for a sudden acceleration. And there didn't seem to be anyone in the driver's seat."
Online, it's being called the 'Haunted Bus'. Rumors say a ghost possessed the bus to get revenge on the company.
This mystery has attracted a lot of public attention.
'It's absurd, but if vampires exist, ghosts could too. Moreover, the police seem to be unusually tight-lipped about this incident.'
The incident happened within his precinct's jurisdiction, yet the police station was acting as if nothing unusual had happened.
"The traffic chief told us to ignore this case. We don't know much either."
"I see…"
Strange.
In the past, he would have brushed it off as someone else's case, but now he felt a sense of unease.
'The government might have known about vampires all along. And if this incident is caused by vampires...'
Moon Ji-hyuk decided to personally investigate the case in his own time.
"Alright then. I'll be going."
"Wait. Take this with you. It's tasty."
Yang Jung-min approached him. The sudden waft of her scent made his heart race.
"Whoa!"
"...What's wrong? Don't you like grape candy?"
"No, I do. Thanks. I'll enjoy it."
Moon Ji-hyuk quickly distanced himself from Yang Jung-min.
'…I'm losing it. Thinking about biting her neck… It's really hitting me that I'm a vampire now. I need to return to being human.'
It was a desire that felt like a mix of lust and hunger.
Embarrassed by his sudden urge, Moon Ji-hyuk covered his face with his hand, then quickly lowered it in horror.
Vampires had lower body temperatures than humans.
'This is awful.'
***
I arrived in Yookseong-dong as the evening started to darken. This place, located on the outskirts of Seoul, is often referred to as a slum. And it boasts the worst crime rate among slums.
The area is lined with entertainment establishments and illegal brothels operating in secret. Yookseong-dong is also home to many gangsters and Korean-Chinese.
'A brothel, huh? Should I check it out?'
But I soon dismissed the thought. The establishments here looked low-quality. The brothels wouldn't be any better. Visiting a prostitute here would only end in disappointment and wasted time.
'I'd be better off spending my time elsewhere.'
I turned into an alley and found a shabby pawnshop. The house was filled with junk, and the sky-blue door was heavily rusted. Someone had crudely painted "Pawnshop" on the door with red spray paint.
I pressed the doorbell. A ding was followed by an old man's voice.
"...Come in."
I opened the door and entered. The yard was cluttered with various junk and a few container boxes. It looked more like a scrap yard than a pawnshop.
I walked towards the dilapidated shack. Inside, it was in better condition than expected. Despite its exterior, the shop displayed some decent items.
"Over here."
An elderly man in his 60s was sitting at a wooden table. Though he was small and wrinkled, his eyes were sharp.
I glanced at the two men flanking Kang Wook-sung. They stared at me with pale faces, silently warning me not to try anything foolish.
I walked to the table and sat across from him.
"You're younger than I expected. How old are you?"
"Twenty-one. Where's the money?"
"Under the table."
I peeked under the table and saw a box filled with bundles of 50,000-won bills.
"Just as we agreed, 400 million won. Where's the list?"
I placed the backpack I was carrying on the table. I unzipped it and poured out its contents. Several ghost bankbooks and a USB fell out.
"Launder the money in the accounts, and the list is on the USB. Check it out."
At Kang Wook-sung's signal, one of the men plugged the USB into a laptop and began verifying the data.
The list was accurate.
There were 913 members of the Korean Black Cross Society, 174 of whom were professional vampire hunters.
The list contained their names, addresses, phone numbers, and combat histories.
'…On second thought, this list might be worth over 30 billion won.'
I quickly dismissed my regret. If I had asked for 30 billion, Kang Wook-sung might have refused to deal.
After about ten minutes, the vampire spoke to Kang Wook-sung.
"The list is correct. It matches our information and is even more detailed."
Kang Wook-sung nodded.
"Take the money. The remaining 600 million will be ready in three days."
"Thanks."
I started packing the money bundles into my backpack. This was why I had prepared a sturdy 200,000-won backpack.
"How did you get this?"
"What do you think a hacker does? I hacked it."
"Do you think we haven't tried hacking? The Black Cross Society uses its own network in each country. Hashing is impossible unless you infiltrate the building and access their computers."
"There's always a way. You just don't know it."
"What's the way?"
"That's my secret. Figure it out yourself. There are many possibilities. One of them could be… That a traitor in the Black Cross Society teamed up with me."
The amount of money was exactly 400 million won.
I zipped up my backpack and stood up.
'Now that I've got the money, it's time to head to Yeong Hye-jeong. Let's have some real fun this time.'
A smile naturally crept into my face.
"Yeong Hye-jeong, here I come!"
I hurriedly prepared to leave the house.
"Taker, can I ask you something?"
"Sure, what is it?"
"What do you plan to do with the money you've hastily gathered?"
I grinned, thinking it was probably the coolest smile I'd ever made in my life.
"To become a king."
***
"This guy... He's not normal. Won't it be better to eliminate him now, considering the future?"
"..."
Kang Wook-seong quietly pondered the suggestion of the vampire, who stood silently beside him.
He's dangerous.
That's undeniable.
Somehow, he brought up the list of the Black Cross Society. If that's truly achievable through his hacking skills, then even the vampire organization Cantara could be at risk of being hacked by him.
"Fortunately, he doesn't seem to be on good terms with the Black Cross Society."
That means there's still a chance he could become an ally.
There are many humans who cooperate with Cantara, despite not being vampires. Humans can ally with monsters as long as it benefits them.
"No, Taker is not our enemy. Besides, his abilities are too valuable to kill. Maintaining a steady trading relationship might be beneficial."
"I'll assign someone to tail him."
"Forget about tailing him. Didn't you notice how Taker behaved toward us? He's not an ordinary guy. He walked in here, knowing it could be his grave. He must have something up his sleeve. And…"
Kang Wook-seong replayed the recent memories in his mind.
Kang Eugene's voice, tone, expression, and eyes. Combining all those elements led to one conclusion.
"That guy is crazy. He doesn't genuinely fear us. I've seen a few people with similar eyes in the past."
"What do you mean?"
"People with eyes like that fall into two categories. They're either insane killers or monsters worse than us."
Kang Wook-seong withheld the final thought that the guy's eyes were reminiscent of their boss's.
"Identify all the members of the Black Cross Society on the list and monitor them from a distance. Make sure our subordinates know not to mess with hunters."
The man frowned slightly, showing his displeasure at those words.
"Should we just leave the hunters alone?"
"You need proper safety gear to handle a beehive, especially if it's full of hornets. The South Korean government is behind the Black Cross Society here. If we make a clumsy move, we might be the ones in danger. This isn't Africa or South America. Be careful not to mess things up by acting rashly."