Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Sticky
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“That much, I didn’t even ask for…”
Doyoung suddenly grimaced and clamped his mouth shut mid-sentence. Sergeant Han looked at him quizzically, wondering what was wrong, and Doyoung mumbled in a thick slur.
“I bit my tongue.”
Sergeant Han snickered.
“They say you’re not a real vampire till you’ve pierced your own tongue.”
Doyoung ran his tongue around the inside of his mouth and went back to his meal. Sergeant Han jabbed his spoon toward Doyoung’s neck.
“But how come that scar won’t fade?”
“It’s a badge of honor or whatever.”
Doyoung brushed it off.
With his already handsome looks, people tended to underestimate him—so he’d wondered if he ought to have at least one knife scar. Not that he’d go out of his way to get one, but now that it was there, why not put it to good use.
“Anywhere else and I’d call it a fine badge, but on the neck, it’s just too damn menacing…”
Sergeant Han was saying when Yeonha plopped down in the seat beside him.
“Thought you were someone else.”
“Lieutenant Kang.”
Sergeant Han greeted him.
“Didn’t you head back to base?”
Doyoung asked offhand while eating.
“Why’s a guy with a family to look after hanging around so long?”
“Went back, then came again. Got worried.”
Yeonha replied. But Doyoung said casually.
“Worried about the guy who survived with his head nearly chopped off.”
“It’s not you the major I was worried about.”
With that, Yeonha pointed his spoon toward the door.
“It’s Gamal.”
Voices cut off abruptly. People seemed to turn and stare in one direction.
Doyoung glanced back. Gamal was peeking in from just outside the mess hall. Her hair all askew—she must’ve woken up, found Doyoung gone, thrown on whatever clothes were handy, and rushed over in a fluster.
“Gamal, come here.”
Doyoung called. But Gamal didn’t budge. Probably from all the tormenting, she shrank back farther behind the door instead.
Doyoung rose from his seat. Now all eyes turned to him.
As Doyoung drew closer step by step, Gamal retreated hesitantly—then whipped around and bolted.
Yeonha, still seated, remarked pityingly.
“How bad must it be for the major’s little gum-stuck Gamal to act like that?”
Doyoung turned, arching one eyebrow.
“Kinda satisfying, huh?”
“A little?”
Doyoung shook his head and sat back down. Chasing after the fleeing pest would just make him scamper farther, no doubt. He dropped his gaze to his tray…then lifted it.
“She’s back?”
Yeonha eyed the door. Gamal was lurking there, half her face poked out like some shady character with ulterior motives, watching Doyoung.
“Yeah.”
Yeonha answered.
***
“Is that Gamal’s new hobby or what?”
Sergeant Han asked.
Doyoung was already at his wits’ end. Gamal was tailing him from a distance like some stalker. If there was one thing keeping it from full stalker territory, it was that she didn’t seem to give a damn about whether he noticed her following or not.
Doyoung said.
“She’s been at it all day without even washing up.”
Sergeant Han glanced at Gamal. Come to think of it, her hair was a mess, and she looked kinda grimy.
After the hell she’d been through with Doyoung these past few days, she was too scared to come close—but leaving him out of sight gnawed at her with worry.
“Hard to believe that’s Luas, who’s lived three thousand years…”
Sergeant Han trailed off as he turned to Doyoung—then froze. The look in Doyoung’s eyes as he stared at Gamal made him forget whatever he’d been about to say.
“Wow.”
With that, Sergeant Han just kept walking.
“What?”
Doyoung finally turned, baffled, but Sergeant Han was already gone.
Doyoung shot him a what-the-hell look, then went about his business. Gamal trailed after him, keeping her distance.
Doyoung ducked into a building. Gamal dithered on what to do, then just waited out front.
She’d been at it a while when a passerby spotted her.
“Hey, Gamal.”
Gamal didn’t recognize the face, but the guy clearly knew her, so she answered.
“Yeah.”
“What’re you doing here?”
“Waiting for Doyoung.”
“Oh, Major Defer? Want me to call him for you?”
Gamal shook her head.
“Nah. Go on about your business.”
“Ah, alright. Well…”
The passerby started off, then spun back around.
“By the way, you like candy?”
Gamal had no idea why he’d ask, but sweets tasted good, so she answered straight.
“Yeah.”
The passerby fished a mint from his pocket and handed it over.
“Here, have one.”
Gamal couldn’t figure why he was giving it to her, but it felt like a nice gesture, so she took it.
“Thanks.”
The passerby walked off looking smug, like he’d pulled off some big win.
She waited a bit longer, and Doyoung emerged, heading off somewhere. She meant to follow after a delay—but suddenly Doyoung wheeled around and strode straight toward her. Gamal crouched to bolt.
“Gamal.”
Doyoung called her name. Gamal halted. That voice rooted her feet to the spot. While she hesitated, Doyoung closed in and seized her wrist.
“Let’s go home.”
He tugged her along by the wrist. Gamal followed without a word. But then she realized the path was unfamiliar and pointed toward the building with the rooms.
“The room’s that way.”
“Not anymore.”
“Huh?”
Gamal blinked in confusion. That was when Doyoung’s eyes landed on the thing clutched tight in her hand.
“What’s that you’re holding?”
“Candy. Someone gave it to me.”
“Who?”
“Don’t know.”
Doyoung raised one eyebrow.
“Some guy?”
Gamal shook her head.
“No, a woman.”
“Oh?”
Doyoung’s tone eased up. He glanced at the candy, then snatched it from her.
“Don’t take stuff from anyone.”
He grabbed her wrist again and pulled.
“Anyway, let’s go.”
“Where?”
“You’ll see when we get there.”
***
Doyoung pulled the car to a stop. Gamal peered out the window.
“Where are we?”
“Home.”
Gamal gave Doyoung a puzzled look.
“Your home, Doyoung?”
Gamal, short on modern-world common sense, didn’t realize it, but they’d pulled into what looked like a classic American suburb.
Doyoung had parked in front of a two-story house smack in the village center, blue roof and all. Like the others nearby, it had a tidy little garden and a wooden fence around it.
“Out.”
Doyoung popped open the driver’s door and stepped out. Gamal followed suit. He grabbed their bags from the back seat.
“Our house.”
“Our house…?”
Gamal mumbled, the words feeling foreign on her tongue.
Doyoung took her hand and led her inside. Gamal trailed along in a daze.
“It’s the officers’ family housing village. Figured it’d be better here with you around, so I put in for it.”
Normally you’d wait months, but the emergency no-quarters situation plus his TASIL Project perks had gotten them a place right away—unusually fast.
Gamal stared at the house, speechless.
Nothing special about it. Standard setup so anyone could move in: plain sofa and glass coffee table in the living room, glimpse of a white dining table in the kitchen.
Suddenly Gamal turned to Doyoung.
“Can I look around?”
“Knock yourself out.”
The second he said it, Gamal was off—dashing this way and that like a kid thrilled to move into a new place. She came to a stop in front of Doyoung and burst out.
“Our house.”
She threw her arms around him in a fierce hug.
“Thanks, Doyoung.”
Doyoung grinned and hugged her back.
Gamal had never truly had a home before.
Sure, you could call anywhere you settled a home—but before Tora and Rato showed up, even the log cabin in the Satadi Island woods had just been a shelter. Nothing more.
This place had none of her stuff in it, but it already felt more like home than anywhere else.
“Doyoung…?”
Gamal called his name slyly all of a sudden.
“Yeah.”
Doyoung answered casually, his hand stroking her backside.
Gamal flinched and tried to pull away, but Doyoung held firm. He licked the spot behind her ear.
Her breathing grew ragged bit by bit as she asked.
“Again…?”
“Your fault. You spent all day running from me, driving me crazy.”
“Huh…?”
Gamal sensed something was off, but Doyoung said it shamelessly.
“Do it right this time, and it’ll just be once.”
Gamal nodded eagerly, like she was truly grateful.
“Yeah…!”
Doyoung’s smile deepened.
For someone who’d lived so damn long, her innocence like this was impossible to resist.
***
Doyoung let out a low breath. Gamal, braced against the floor with both hands beneath him, panted even harder.
“You said…just once…”
“You’re too good at it. Can’t hold back.”
“Huh…?”
That was when Gamal finally seemed to catch on that something was wrong. But Doyoung had already indulged himself fully—and he had no intention of stopping yet.
“Wait…hold on…”
Sensing trouble, Gamal scrambled to crawl away in a frantic cockroach scramble. He was just reaching to grab her when—
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang. Doyoung glanced toward the front door.
Nobody should be dropping by this late…
Ding-dong.
It rang again—not some fluke.
Gamal and Doyoung exchanged a look. In the end, Doyoung got up, threw on a t-shirt, crossed the living room, and opened the door.
“Who…”
“Surprise!”
Sergeant Han was front and center holding a cake, flanked by the team, Tora and Jain, and Yeonha.
Doyoung leaned against the frame, skeptical.
“Wrong house?”
Sergeant Han barged right in and plunked the birthday cake on the living room table.
“Gotta have a birthday party.”
“My mom doesn’t remember popping me out this month.”
Doyoung snarked. But Gamal overheard from inside, poked her head out, and lit up.
“A party?”
She’d thrown on clothes, but her flushed cheeks and tousled hair had everyone shooting Doyoung sly, knowing looks. Doyoung met their eyes without a shred of shame.
They all shook their heads and piled in anyway. Yeonha set a cooler of champagne on the table.
“Birthday as your rebirth as Luas. Was gonna do it the day you woke up, but you two had to be out and about. Here.”
He handed Doyoung a champagne flute.
“Gamal too.”
Once everyone had a glass, Sergeant Han spoke up.
“Alright, to our major—who survived adrift on a deserted island, survived with his neck half-sliced, turned back from death’s door not once but twice without mercy.”
“This is cockroach territory now.”
“Straight out of an old flick: ‘The Guy Who Refuses to Die.’”
Everyone chimed in with their two cents, leaving Doyoung dumbfounded.
“Survived all that hell just to get cockroach treatment?”