Blood Money and Limited Edition Asteria
Getting my blood sucked by a vampire didn't feel all that great.
Actually, it kinda did.
The chill that ran through me when the manager's lips brushed my neck.
The warm breath against my skin with every suck.
The sensation of blood being drawn out was oddly melancholic.
It was this weird, ticklish feeling that could drive a person mad.
I could see why victims in vampire novels and movies end up craving another bite.
The problem was the exhaustion that hit afterward.
"Haaah…."
The manager finished feeding, eyes closed as she let out a deep sigh.
"This is the best taste Jinjo has ever had in all her years. How long has it been since Jinjo drank human blood? The purity is so clean. It feels completely different from animal blood or that of other races…."
She savored it with an ecstatic expression, then wiped the blood from her lips.
I felt my legs go weak watching her lick the blood off her finger with obvious regret.
She noticed and grinned, steadying me with a hand.
"Feeling a bit tired? That's from the blood loss. You know how blood donation makes you crash hard all of a sudden? Anemia piles on the fatigue, so eat a hearty meal and get some solid rest."
"Got it."
"I'll show you to your dorm, so let's go."
"What about the store?"
"Jinjo can just say she stepped away for a bit."
The manager led the way to the stairs by the storage room.
Before climbing, she pulled two crisp bills from her pocket and handed them to me.
"Here you go."
"This is…."
"Your blood-sucking bonus, as promised. Jinjo doesn't lie. Paid in cash on the spot—keep it safe. Good work."
Two 50,000-won bills.
Cold hard cash, straight up.
My hazy post-bite mind snapped clear at the benevolent smiles of those two Lady Shin Saimdangs.
She really gave me 100,000 won. Tax-free, even!
'Maybe I should offer daily bites.'This was the sweet side of capitalism.
Sweet. So sweet.
Humming a tune, I followed her upstairs.
"This will be your quarters from now on."
Click.
The door swung open, revealing the interior.
"Whoa…."
I let out a short gasp.
Honestly, I hadn't expected much from part-time worker dorms.
Figured it'd be a cramped gositel room at best, or maybe a slightly roomier studio.
A moldy single-room shack next to the warehouse was my max expectation.
But this?
Clean wallpaper, spacious double bed.
Full setup with TV and PC—a proper studio apartment.
Way better than my old monthly rent dump. No comparison.
"This is my dorm?"
"Does it please you?"
"Yeah, it's amazing. I can really live here?"
"Of course. A loyal retainer's rest is no different from Jinjo's own domain. It has to be at least this good."
The manager cleared her throat proudly.
"It's not because you're human that Jinjo's taking such good care of you. Nor just because your blood tastes good—no, don't worry about that. W-well, of course, eating blood-boosting stuff like salmon or steak would make it even better. Ahem."
My blood must've tasted pretty damn good.
"Now, let Jinjo help you unpack."
"No need! I've just got the one backpack, and you don't have to do it yourself…."
"Tsk. Do you mean to refuse Jinjo's gracious mercy? Hand it over."
Since my hiring was official, I'd already brought all my stuff.
Didn't have much worth taking from my old place anyway.
I could handle it solo, plus…
'Some stuff I don't want anyone seeing.'Everyone has secrets they don't want exposed.
So I wanted to unpack alone.
But then.
Thud.
"Huh?"
"Ah."
As we tussled over the backpack, something dropped.
Among my clothes, an item carefully wrapped in bubble wrap hit the floor.
'No.'That couldn't get seen.
Absolutely not.
The one luxury item I'd clung to even when evicted for unpaid rent.
A limited-edition figure from the mobile gacha RPG, Stella Echoes.
From the 2nd anniversary event—a pickup character modeled in limited figure form.
Only 10 given out via lottery to truck-smashers.
I'd trucked twice and lucked into it—my sole indulgence.
I lunged to grab it, but Jinjo was faster.
"You dropped this. Sorry—huh?"
Her hand froze mid-pickup.
Her gaze locked on the figure, unmoving.
'I'm screwed. She's gonna laugh at me being an otaku inside.'I squeezed my eyes shut.
No clue how a centuries-old vampire would see a cute girl figure.
Peeking nervously at her reaction…
"Th-this is…!"
Her lips trembled.
A strange glint flickered in her red eyes, then she whipped around to me, yelling.
"You! Do you know this game too?!"
"…Pardon?"
"Th-this! It's the 2nd anniversary limited pickup character from Stella Echoes, 'Asteria of the Heavens'! And the limited figure that came with her release! It was lottery-only—Jinjo couldn't get one, so how in the world did you…!!"
Game names and character details poured from her mouth—stuff only I knew.
Wait a sec.
Jinjo?
Otherworlder?
How does she know this game?
"M-manager? You know this game?"
"Of course! Jinjo dumped so much cash last week trying to full-pull that damn Asteria! And now you have the figure lottery ticket—?!"
She stared at it like a sacred relic, panting with excitement.
"W-wrapping something this precious in just bubble wrap! You need an acrylic case at minimum—treat it with utmost care! What if it'd gotten scratched?!"
"…."
"Envy! Such envy! If Jinjo had this, she'd treasure it forever."
Her eyes turned to me.
"Jinjo has a very good offer…."
"No thanks."
"Eh?"
"You're not asking to buy it, are you? Absolutely not."
"H-how did you know? Do you have mind-reading like Jinjo?!"
"Nah. Your face gave it away."
"Oh."
"Anything but this. No way."
I hadn't sold it even when my factory job tanked and money dried up.
My one gacha RPG, and my most beloved character there.
Not hyperbole to say I played for her.
That sparkling pink hair, mecha accessories.
Those blue eyes hit right in the otaku heart.
"Urgh…."
She flinched at my firm refusal.
"Ugh…. Jinjo wanted this so bad…. To see it in person and not have it…."
Biting her lip as she admired it, her eyes suddenly lit up.
"Then let Jinjo handle its care! Jinjo will display it perfectly, damage-free. Way better than bubble wrap!"
"If it's just that…."
"Haa, haa…! This exquisite sculpt! That iridescent sheen! The very item Jinjo dreamed of, in your hands!"
Her gaze on the figure burned hungrier than when she drank my blood.
"Manager."
"What is it?"
"How much did you truck for that?"
"Don't ask. Jinjo doesn't want to remember. Worst day of Jinjo's vampiric life."
"Over ten trucks?"
"…."
"No way, more than that?"
"Y-yes."
"Then…."
"D-don't ask! Jinjo has nothing more to say! That day never happened for Jinjo!"
This woman.
'Total gacha addict.'A vampire should be okay with that?
After my shift ended.
I eyed the floating gallery window.
This new power I'd gained since starting here, I guess?
The Gallery ability.
Even late at night, it buzzed with posts from users.
Chatting about random stuff.
Or griping about today's difficult customers.
'I've just been lurking—no posts yet.'This place opened up after I got hired at the convenience store.
Since I'd be working here long-term, mooching off them…
'Better leave a greeting.'I stretched after posting, and not even a minute later, comment notifications went nuts.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
It was chaos.
Newbie hype was eternal.
This was great.
Wonder why they're so curious about my race?
'No speciesism here, right?'Aside from the elf hate, no big inter-race beef seemed to exist.
Some even asked if I was human.
I recalled the manager's reaction when she learned I was.
'Human? Hired!'That first day, hired on human status alone.
Even the elf hadn't freaked out much.
Endangered species, basically.
'No need to broadcast I'm human.'Felt like it'd stir up a hornet's nest.
For race questions, I replied:
Luckily, no one pushed—they let it slide.
Strange.
This city.
This sudden community.
Everything defied common sense.
What the hell was Taepyeong City?
'No idea.'Best not to overthink.
In a world like this, my old logic wouldn't apply anyway.
"Got a well-paying gig. That's enough."
I tossed casual replies to the vets welcoming the newbie.
Then a new alert popped—not a comment, a whisper.
Priella came to mind.
The one trying to barter world tree branches.
Was she a difficult customer?
A bit annoying, but not full-on jerk material.
I replied vaguely that yeah, something like that.
Tips for dealing with difficult customers?