Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Junni
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A massive splash erupted as Doyoung plunged into the ocean.
The moment he hit the water, he realized that if the plane hadn't nosedived at the last second, he never would have survived.
He was used to flipping somersaults mid-air for fun during team parachute jumps, but slamming into the water without a chute—bare-bodied—was like taking a punch from a fist the size of his own body.
Below him stretched an endless black abyss, its maw wide open.
Doyoung snapped to his senses and kicked hard toward the surface. The handcuffs he'd ditched sank alone into the depths.
Splash.
He burst through the surface.
"Putain!"
The curse flew out the instant he tasted air.
"That was fucking terrifying!"
No matter how routine the drops, bailing out of a plane in an unnatural dive was a chilling experience that etched itself into his chest.
Once he'd calmed a bit, Doyoung swept the water from his face and scanned his surroundings. Nothing but endless ocean. He hadn't expected anything else, but damn, he'd really landed smack in the middle of the sea.
Doyoung paddled around, checking all directions. Far off in the haze, he spotted a single island.
'Too far to swim bare-handed.'
But if he wasn't going to just float here, that was his only option.
Luckily, Doyoung had confidence in anything physical, but swimming was his absolute best. He'd survived Hell Week on swimming alone.
Doyoung set off toward the island.
***
Doyoung clawed through the water and hauled himself onto the beach.
His overworked limbs felt like they might snap, his lungs ready to burst.
Trained body or not, the island had been farther than it looked. He'd hit exhaustion multiple times along the way, who knew how many. Still, he lived up to the special forces name—even a vampire would struggle with this distance, but he'd powered through to the end.
"Putain de merde…."
Doyoung spat the curse and collapsed flat on the beach, staring up at the blazing sun as he gulped ragged breaths.
Whoosh, swish.
Gentle waves lapped in under him, then receded, repeating the cycle. He wanted to just pass out right there, but his throbbing body yanked him back to reality.
Doyoung finally propped himself up on his elbows. Crystal blue sea rolled quietly onto the white sand.
Beyond the beach, forest began immediately, and farther out loomed jagged, massive rock peaks stacked like the spine of a sleeping giant hunched in slumber.
The island looked bigger than he'd thought.
'No way this is uninhabited, right?'
An inexplicable unease gnawed at him. Then he suddenly rummaged in his pocket....
And pulled out his wristband.
It was the one the Legion had taken.
He'd seen that bear of a Spetsnaz guy take it and swiped it back on the sly.
Technically his to begin with, so "swiped" was a bit off, but Doyoung had once learned pickpocketing skills from a legendary thief who'd enlisted in the MCTC.
But the wristband was dead.
"Damn it."
No matter how he shook or smacked it, it was a total brick. Looked like the Legion had deliberately fried it.
Doyoung glanced at the sky.
Now the MCTC had no way to track him. And who'd think to search for the guy who vanished from Tripoli in the middle of the Pacific?
Doyoung sighed at the indifferent sun.
"Layer upon layer of mountains."
But as the Korean proverb went, even if you end up in the tiger's den, keep your wits and you'll find a way out. He decided to scout the island.
To avoid losing it, Doyoung strapped the dead wristband back on his wrist and stood.
***
He didn't want to admit it, but he had to. Better to face harsh realities quick—that made planning countermeasures easier.
'Uninhabited.'
No trace of humans anywhere.
A civilian would've lost it the moment they washed up here, but the silver lining was Doyoung's familiarity with this kind of environment.
His special forces father had dragged him on wilderness survival trips since he was a kid.
And surviving the MCTC's recruit program—which made BUD/S look easy, with ten dropouts for every grad—meant no big shakes in a place like this.
Plus regular training: machete, minimal food, hack through jungle.
Though right now he didn't even have that much.
Doyoung pushed aside leaves as big as a man and pressed on. For a moment, he forgot his situation, struck by the scenery before him.
"Whoa…."
In the center of a lake about 100 meters across, a waterfall poured down.
Torrents crashed against the water, spraying mist everywhere, with moss-covered boulders jutting up here and there.
The water shimmered an otherworldly emerald, majestic fallen tree trunks submerged within. Scents of water, earth, and grass filled the air.
Flutter.
An unknown bird soared overhead. Doyoung peered up through the dense black canopy.
He lowered his gaze back to earth. The lakeshore buzzed with nature's chorus yet felt profoundly still. "Virgin land untouched by man" fit this place perfectly.
Even the Amazon felt over-touched sometimes—unless deep in, it could seem like a theme park.
"Dad would love this."
Doyoung muttered casually and approached the water. He knelt, peeled off his T-shirt. Soaked in saltwater, dried, then sweat-soaked—it'd probably shed salt if wrung out.
He rinsed the shirt in the lake, balled it up, and gingerly dabbed the cut on his face. It stung; a groan escaped unbidden.
"They really laid into me."
At least nothing broken. With no clue when rescue might come, a fracture could've spelled doom for survival.
Doyoung stared a bit at the waterfall cascading down. The spray where it hit the lake created a white mist veil.
Suddenly, he stood and unbuckled his pants. He stripped them off and waded in. Heading toward the falls, he dove under fully in the middle with a plop.
Time passed. One minute, two....
Suddenly, feet appeared where Doyoung had been.
Bare white feet, no shoes, glanced around in panic. But no sign of Doyoung anywhere.
Humans couldn't hold their breath that long—she knew that.
The feet moved toward the waterfall.
Roar.
The cascade's roar drowned everything. It struck a ledge where the feet approached, bending to plunge into the pool below.
The feet splashed through shallows to the falls' face. Clear water swirled around ankles, then released.
Water masked scents, sounds hid presence. No trace even to sensitive ears.
That's when Doyoung burst through the falls. At the same instant, he looped his clenched T-shirt around her neck and yanked hard.
"……!"
The woman reflexively grabbed the choking shirt, barely keeping balance.
"Who the hell are you?"
Doyoung shouted. The roar swallowed his voice, but his flashing eyes and shouting mouth conveyed the rage.
Suddenly the woman twisted her waist, grabbing him and shoving him back.
Inhuman strength. Doyoung flew helplessly behind the falls into a shallow ledge-carved hollow. His back slammed the wall hard enough to rattle his bones.
Thud.
Echoes rang.
But Doyoung felt no pain. Pinning him to the wall, looking down—was the woman. Beautiful, unearthly.
For a moment, her beauty stunned him blank.
Not just pale and smooth—skin with an unreal sheen, soaked black hair clinging wildly to her body, vivid red eyes staring back.
Time seemed to freeze.
But that strength was vampire.
Doyoung kicked with all his might. She staggered, released him, slipped, and splashed into the water.
The falls masked the splash. Doyoung dove right after. Amid churning foam, he saw her limbs thrashing away in the distance.
She hit shore and bolted upright, fleeing. Doyoung pursued.
Vampire physicality far beyond human, plus she knew the terrain—blazing speed. He couldn't close the gap like this.
Then suddenly—she halted, glanced back. Doyoung was gone. No presence either.
"……?"
She hesitated, peering back along her path.
That's when Doyoung exploded from side bushes, body-checking her. They tumbled tangled.
"Who are you?"
Doyoung pinned a knife to her throat and yelled.
"What are you doing here? What's your goal?"
He'd sensed a watcher for a while now.
She'd been tailing him long before. Didn't know when it started, but he'd picked up the quiet stalking presence.
To avoid tipping her off—he'd played dumb till then.
She wore a ragged T-shirt. One printed 'I ♡ NY'. Seemed comical at first, but it meant she came from outside, not native here.
That's when she whipped her arm to the ground, flipping her body with leg strength alone. No time to react. Doyoung's position reversed; his back hit dirt. It screamed, but he rolled instantly.
Boom!
Her foot slammed where he'd lain, cratering earth with a earth-shaking crack.
Doyoung sprang up, creating distance.
Vampire was vampire. No—instinct screamed she was 'strong.' She'd held back before, knowing he was human.
She looked shocked.
"You dodged?"
She muttered in some unknowable tongue.