Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: The Clingy One
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Do-young stared up at the dark ceiling and swallowed a sigh.
Judging by his parents’ expressions, they didn’t seem to fully buy the duckling imprint excuse, but no matter what they thought, there was nothing to be done since Gamal refused to sleep alone.
No one had the power to rein in this mad dog anyway.
It seemed he’d messed up her habits from the very start.
Do-young glanced sideways at Gamal, who was plastered right against him as she lay there. If she were a dog or a cat, he’d call her cute and pet her belly, but this was…
All men dreamed of a beauty like her in their sleep, yet even with her stuck to his side, he couldn’t feel happy about it. It was a feast for the eyes only, after all.
Perhaps sensing his gaze, Gamal opened her eyes and asked,
“Why?”
Do-young figured there was no point in saying anything, so he pulled out the hand he’d been propping his head with and set it down.
“Never mind. Go to sleep.”
At that, Gamal grumbled and snuggled even closer to Do-young.
“Do-young is warm.”
He could feel the curves of her body pressed against his. Just like back at the base, Do-young began silently singing La Marseillaise, the French national anthem, in his head. But its lyrics were so aggressively militant that rather than calming him down, it only made his heart race more.
Gamal, however, looked like she’d found peace and was on the verge of sleep. Watching her like that, the question slipped out of him naturally.
“Only warm?”
“Hm?”
Gamal opened her eyes and looked up at him.
“I mean you.”
Rustle.
Since the topic had come up, Do-young rolled onto his side. The blanket dragged along, making a soft swishing sound that seemed especially loud in the silence.
“Do you know what it means to sleep stuck right up against a man like this?”
Gamal looked up at him with dewy eyes just like Puss in Boots from Shrek and asked softly,
“What does it mean…?”
Seeing that look in her eyes, Do-young realized she knew exactly what it meant and was just asking anyway. It was absurd. He knew she wasn’t purely innocent, yet he’d still fallen for that cute face.
Do-young narrowed his eyes.
“Cheeky thing.”
He muttered and kissed her.
“I was anxious.”
Gamal murmured.
“Out here, I thought you hated me even more.”
Do-young furrowed his brow.
“Why would you think that…?”
“We did it often on the island, but not out here.”
“That’s…”
They hadn’t had the leisure for it, but the real reason—the fear that he wouldn’t be able to hold back if he started—was hardly something he could say aloud.
Still, with the change in environment, it was understandable that Gamal might feel uneasy.
Do-young looked at her and asked bluntly,
“You like me that much?”
Surprisingly, Gamal’s face flushed red. He thought she wouldn’t answer, but instead, she replied boldly.
“Yeah.”
Do-young had lived as a man with exceptional physical prowess and received confessions from plenty of women, but he’d never met someone so honest about their feelings. Gamal didn’t scheme or calculate at all.
“When I think of Do-young, I feel weird. My chest squeezes tight.”
Her face showed embarrassment at saying such things, but she didn’t hide it and continued all the way through. The pink flush on her cheeks deepened.
“It pounds like crazy, and I get chills.”
It wasn’t for nothing that Do-young kept going on about the duckling imprint effect. He truly believed Gamal saw him as her mother because he was the first thing she’d laid eyes on after hatching from her egg.
He’d known for a while that she liked him, but she’d lived alone for so long. Even discounting long slumbers, over her endless years, she must have encountered quite a few men across species. Maybe not “countless,” but still.
For her to fall for a mere human like him out of all of them seemed like nothing short of a miracle of timing. She must have been especially lonely, in the perfect conditions to fall in love.
He was the same. Locked away alone with a woman in the wide-open wilderness, it was impossible not to fall in love. Their feelings couldn’t possibly be real.
But what if he’d met Gamal on the Champs-Élysées during Christmas, surrounded by crowds like the whole world gathered?
Of course, Do-young had known the answer for a long time.
Do-young covered his eyes with his hand.
“That’s why I didn’t want to bring you out here. Without anyone watching, I don’t trust myself to keep it together.”
“Whose eyes…?”
“Well… probably my conscience.”
He knew it was the duckling imprint effect, yet he hoped she wouldn’t snap out of her delusion.
A cool hand reached out and brushed away the hand covering his eyes. Gamal had propped herself up on her elbow, her upper body rising as her black hair draped down like a curtain beside her, casting her shadow over Do-young.
“Do-young…”
Gamal whispered in a low, husky voice that sent shivers down his spine. The look in her eyes, shadowed and intensely deep, was fathomless.
Do-young knew in that moment that he would never forget the image of Gamal gazing down at him.
“Like me.”
Her brazen command stood in stark contrast to her wistful gaze.
Do-young pushed himself up, leaning over Gamal as he whispered,
“You don’t need to say it.”
***
Do-young stood at the kitchen window, gazing out at the morning garden as he drank some water. Elio passed by behind him and said,
“Do that to a duckling, and you’ll get snatched away.”
Do-young spat out his water. Water dripped onto the sink counter, and Elio spoke again as he headed to the living room.
“My ears are pretty sharp too, you know.”
Do-young wiped up the water and lifted his head.
He already felt like he was going mad with pent-up frustration. Their hearts might connect, but a massive barrier called “species difference” stood between their bodies.
If there was some way to do more with Gamal…
There wasn’t. At least not as a human.
Do-young turned and leaned against the sink, thinking.
“In the end, I guess I have no choice but to become a Luas myself.”
Of course, it wasn’t just about the physical side. When he grew old and died, Gamal would be alone again. Tora and Rato were there, but they couldn’t fill certain voids—that much was certain.
But infection didn’t guarantee success, so he couldn’t try it lightly.
Do-young trusted himself, but he didn’t gamble with probabilities. Betting on things beyond his control over body and mind would be reckless bravado.
“Morning, Elio.”
Just then, Gamal’s greeting came from outside.
“Sleep well?”
Elio asked.
“Died and came back to life.”
Elio let out a chuckle at Gamal’s deadpan reply.
“Who taught you to say that?”
“Elio Baby.”
Elio couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter. He wasn’t stingy with his smiles, but it felt like he hadn’t laughed this hard so often in ages.
Gamal appeared at the kitchen doorway.
“Do-young.”
Do-young reached out his hand and said,
“Come here.”
When Gamal approached, he pulled her into a hug and gave her a light kiss. She startled in surprise. It was the first time Do-young had acted so sweetly. But she liked it anyway and melted into him.
“Am I the baby?”
Her tone hadn’t changed despite his actions. Gamal nodded.
“You’re Baby to Elio.”
“I’d reject a baby the size of a house too.”
Elio, who’d returned unnoticed, said as he put his cup in the sink. Then he asked,
“Going to the market. Want to come, Gamal?”
“Market?”
“Modern people’s hunt. Going to procure food.”
“Yeah. I’ll go.”
They got ready and headed out. Elio wheeled his chair to the driver’s side, grabbed the handle on the disability-modified car, and pulled himself up using only his arms.
Do-young, who had more than enough strength to lift Elio’s father, didn’t help at all. He merely folded the remaining wheelchair and loaded it in the back.
“Cool, Elio.”
Gamal said with genuine admiration on her face.
“In the old days, they’d throw out people with cut-off legs. Said they were useless. But now they give legs to people without legs. The civilized world is amazing.”
Gamal smiled like she was truly delighted. Elio smiled along with her.
“You’re such a good girl, Gamal.”
Then he muttered,
“How did someone like you end up a vampire?”
His tone carried a hint of genuine curiosity tinged with bitterness. Silence fell.
“I didn’t want to die.”
Gamal answered.
“I don’t remember much about the infection. But I think that’s all I could think about. That I absolutely didn’t want to die.”
How intensely must a newlywed bride of just eighteen have thought that when she was suddenly murdered?
Do-young stroked Gamal’s hair. She seemed to like it but looked puzzled as to why he was doing it so suddenly.
***
The three arrived at the mart.
“Wow…”
Gamal, who’d barely been out except to the base, stared in awe at the huge supermarket with its goods neatly sorted by type.
“Gamal. Don’t get distracted.”
Do-young said as he began shopping with Elio’s help.
Dressed simply in a T-shirt and jeans, Do-young still stood out even from afar.
Feeling eyes on her, Gamal looked down. A boy who looked about five was staring at her in a daze. Gamal eyed the bag he was holding and asked,
“What’s that?”
The boy answered in the clear, high-pitched French typical of children.
“Haribo.”
“Haribo?”
Gamal tilted her head. She had no way of knowing it was the famous gummy brand that had become synonymous with the treat, but the boy looked at her like she was an alien.
“You don’t know Haribo?”
“Nope.”
The boy reached into the bag, pulled out a gummy, and handed it over.
“Here. Now you’ll know.”
Gamal was sincerely impressed.
“You’re cool.”
Do-young, who’d come back looking for her, saw the scene and was exasperated. Did they realize the age gap between them was enough for the Roman Empire to rise and fall twice?
They said old people became like children, but was she getting younger and younger?
“Try it.”
The boy said with a charismatic air that’d make him a heartbreaker when grown. Gamal eyed the wobbly gummy warily but put it in her mouth, intrigued.
Her eyes suddenly flew wide open like a heart lotus blooming.
“So good…!”
***
Gamal sat on the sofa, clutching a box of cylindrical gummies. Elio watched her with a troubled smile.
“Is that okay for her?”
“She’s a vampire. She won’t get a stomachache.”
Do-young said nonchalantly as he did the dishes. Elio couldn’t hide his laughing face while looking at Gamal. A vampire who’d lived three thousand three hundred years—it had seemed ridiculous and absurd at first, but…
“If all vampires were that cute, I’d want one too.”
“I’m against it.”
Do-young replied immediately.
“Do you know how much it costs to feed them? That’s why they say the government made vampires into soldiers—without subsidies, the food bills are unmanageable.”
Elio chuckled.
“Reminds me of Julien, somehow. Weird. They don’t look alike at all.”
“It’s fine, Father. Julien’s happy.”
Gamal suddenly chimed in, still hugging the gummy box. Elio smiled and asked,
“How do you know about Julien?”
“Julien told me.”
Gamal answered without smiling.