Hide-and-Seek in the Blackout

The Hunter Forum.

The largest awaker community on the planet.

With no government censorship to fear and no way for posts to be traced back to their authors, more people used the Hunter Forum than their own countries' domestic boards. Korean users were no exception—and on the Korean boards, one topic towered above all others.

By now, Koreans were half-convinced that Dohyun really was the Genocider.

And then—

The board erupted into chaos.

So Koreans watched the events unfolding in Washington with a mixture of awe and anxiety.

If you asked who the most popular figure in Korea was right now, the answer would be the Genocider.

Thanks to him, Korea had lanced every last boil of corruption and been reborn.

Perhaps because of that popularity, voices were even rising in political circles calling for the warrant on the Genocider to be withdrawn—arguing he should receive a medal instead.

And so, across every corner of the Korean boards, voices rose in support of—and worry for—the great villain who stood above even heroes: the Genocider.

Meanwhile, at that very moment, Dohyun was reading the threads about himself on the Hunter Forum and let out a quiet snort.

He hadn't exactly been careful about hiding his identity, so it was only natural that people were connecting the dots.

Aside from the Korean boards, nobody's really talking about it yet.

Strictly speaking, Dohyun was still a nobody in America.

The people who mattered knew exactly who he was, of course—but in terms of mass public recognition, that was another story.

He had prevented the Pearl Harbor massacre, sure, but plenty of ordinary Americans still had no idea who Kim Dohyun was.

Once Washington is finished, every last one of them will know my name.

That was how loud he planned to make things.

"We've arrived, sir."

The taxi stopped in front of BOUR-STEAKHOUSE, an ultra-exclusive restaurant on the street beside the White House.

······Steak. Again.

There was no helping it. Washington's political and financial elites met so habitually in steakhouses that the phrase steakhouse politics had become a local idiom—and among the city's countless steakhouses, BOUR-STEAKHOUSE was considered the very best. A single seat cost the equivalent of several thousand dollars a head. It wasn't a place people came for the food; it was a stage for flaunting wealth and power.

Still, a steak is a steak.

Watching the premium cut arrive sizzling on a hot plate, bubbling in butter, Dohyun felt his stomach turn.

And it wasn't just the food.

The presence that disgusted him even more was sitting across the table, flashing a pleasant smile.

"Is the food to your liking? I asked the chef to take special care with it. After all, the fact that we can enjoy a fine meal like this in comfort—we owe that to the hard work of heroes like you, Mr. Kim."

A quiet, pervasive charisma. Eyes that gleamed with vivid brilliance despite their owner's age. A thoroughly maintained, powerfully built frame.

Senator Parks.

The kingpin of the Labor Party, and alongside the Speaker of the House, one of the true powers behind Washington politics.

"Not at all. It's thanks to men like you, Senator, that America is being led as it is."

"Haha. A gentleman, just as the rumors say. I'm delighted to have a hero like you in America, Mr. Kim."

"I'd say we've polished each other's medals enough. Let's get to the point."

"!!"

"You're here to deliver their message, aren't you?"

Parks's face stiffened for a moment.

But true to his stature as a veteran of the political arena, he recovered his composure without missing a beat and continued smoothly.

"Kim. I have my suspicions about what you are."

"Hmmm······?"

"There's no need to deny it. I didn't summon you here to interrogate whether you're the Genocider or not. Frankly, I don't care. What I do care about is this: do not touch the High Ones again."

The High Ones.

The very phrasing revealed what Parks was—a servant of the monsters. Of the vampires.

"They are beings so exalted that comparison with our species is meaningless. They will guide humanity onto an even greater path—a path of blessing. Whatever turmoil you're seeing is nothing more than growing pains."

"Is the youthfulness they granted you one of those great blessings as well?"

"!!"

The smile drained from Senator Parks's face entirely.

Dohyun, by contrast, smiled a twisted little smile.

Parks was past seventy, yet he looked no older than his mid-fifties.

He hadn't always looked that way. A photograph from barely a year ago had shown a face carved with wrinkles.

"Hungary, wasn't it? There was a noblewoman who bathed in the blood of virgins to preserve her youth. Looking at your rejuvenated face, Senator, that old story comes to mind. Or am I imagining things? After all, legends are just legends."

Dohyun delivered it with a chuckle, as if joking—but Parks showed no reaction at all.

He simply glared at Dohyun, ferocious and silent.

"Though to be fair, that Hungarian countess seems to have had a conscience. She bathed in the blood of grown women, mind you. If youth was the goal, the blood of little children would have been far more effective."

"······Why are you telling me this?"

"Haha, just kidding! I only said it for a laugh. Surely a statesman of your renown wouldn't dream of such a thing. Hahahahahaha."

Dohyun's laughter rolled coldly through the private room, where the two of them sat alone.

And Senator Parks's eyes now carried something close to pure killing intent.

"I gave you a chance, clearly. You'll regret this, boy."

Dohyun didn't wipe the smile from his face.

Did Parks have any idea what Dohyun was thinking at that very moment?

Ahhh. My, my. What a delicious-looking morsel you are.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

The truth was, Dohyun no longer felt much outrage at villains' atrocities. He had grown numb to it. These days, with Myeolak's appetite feeding him so richly, he almost found the villains ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠endearing.

But there was exactly one category of crime to which Dohyun still reacted with razor-sharp fury—and the crime Senator Parks was committing right now was precisely that one.

It was a matter with a personal history behind it.

In any case.

"I look forward to it."

Dohyun speared a piece of steak with his fork and brought it to his mouth, washing it down with a sip of red wine.

Both the steak and the wine were supposedly astronomical in price, the finest of the fine—yet neither suited his palate at all.

It didn't matter.

A far tastier meal was sitting right in front of him.

"Do try your very best to entertain me."

Dohyun deliberately let several days pass.

True to Senator Parks's bluster, the stream of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠invitations dried up overnight.

This is the time to rest, then.

With no one clamoring for his company, he was finally free of steak!

He lounged around the hotel and ordered Korean food through delivery apps—

Hah······ is this Korean food for real?

Not a single dish was edible!

It wasn't that Dohyun was being picky. Absolutely not. He was perfectly prepared to be happy with Korean food that merely met the bare minimum of taste.

Damn it. Why on earth is a taco joint also serving Korean food?

He was seriously contemplating a round trip to Koreatown in New York—ten hours each way—when Lieutenant General Smith of Super Force came to see him, his face grave.

"Senator Parks is leaning on the FBI. He wants you arrested."

"On what grounds?"

"That string of serial killings, for one."

"That has nothing to do with me."

"······I can't speak for Korea, but our American justice system isn't quite as righteous as all that."

The belief that American law is fair is one of the most common misconceptions in the world. In America, with money you're innocent; without it, you're guilty applied with brutal consistency—and the powerless were saddled with false convictions on a daily basis.

"But don't worry yourself too much. You're a benefactor and a hero of the US military. I won't let you suffer an injustice."

Smith's assurance aside, Dohyun wasn't worried in the first place.

"Could you look into which individuals Senator Parks has been in contact with?"

"Consider it done. It's no difficult task."

Parks couldn't possibly have imagined it—that the little scheme he was running right now would turn out to be a gift delivered straight into Dohyun's hands.

It's not as if I'm suffering through tasteless steak in Washington just to sweep up a few vampire trash.

Say it again and again: Dohyun's goal was neither to become America's number one hunter nor an apostle of justice.

His goal was to become America's absolute sovereign.

He had come to Washington because there was something here he needed to obtain for that purpose.

After Smith left, Dohyun kept scrolling through the delivery apps until he lost his temper. There wasn't a single Korean dish left he hadn't tried.

It was about time to wrap things up in Washington.

That night, a small commotion stirred Washington, D.C.

"A blackout? All of a sudden?"

"They're reporting a system failure at the Capitol facility."

"Time to restore power?"

"They say by tomorrow morning at the latest."

"The security facilities' power supply is unaffected?"

"Yes, sir. They run on a separate grid, so they're fine. The hospitals and other critical infrastructure are unaffected as well."

Blackouts were an everyday occurrence in America. Washington, D.C. sank into darkness—but fortunately, it was only eleven in the evening. Nothing about the hour was cause for alarm.

"Just make sure it's back up by morning, no delays."

The DHS duty officer in charge of Washington, D.C. said it offhandedly, and everyone brushed the blackout aside as nothing.

"Man, you really can't see a thing out there. Cloud cover's so thick ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tonight there's not even moonlight. Someone could be murdered out there and nobody would ever know."

"If you're out wandering and you die at this hour, that's natural selection. Don't worry about it."

But within that deep darkness, something no one could have imagined was already underway.

"S-save me······!"

CRUNCH!

"Mmmh. That's five."

"G-get away from me! You monster!!"

Shhk—!

"Tra-la-la. Six."

Shluup—!

"Yaaawn. Seven."

That's right.

Tonight, Dohyun intended to exterminate every last vampire that had slunk into Washington.

No hiding place would save them—Blood Sorcery could sniff out each and every one.

"Hidey-hide, little ones, don't let me see your hair. 'Cause if I catch you... you die?"

His softly hummed tune rang out across the darkness-shrouded streets of Washington, D.C.

And then, after the ninth vampire had been erased—

Dohyun smiled, deep and slow.

"Found you, my kitty."

Atop the tower rising over Dupont Circle.

A vampire wearing the appearance of a small young girl was glaring down at him.

An aura on an entirely different tier from the others.

The noble-ranked vampire—the hand behind everything that had transpired in Washington's political world.

"You dare... a lowborn defect, no better than cattle...!"