Chapter 43
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 043
Chapter Title: Just a Vacation (3)
Top floor of a New York hotel in the United States.
In a room with blackout curtains drawn, a handsome white man with blond hair and blue eyes exuded an aristocratic air.
The vampire Yoannis poured cola into a glass with ice and sipped it, his voice tinged with regret.
"This is tasty in its own way... but nothing beats the old stuff."
"Back then, it had cocaine in the cola. I liked that."
Mia, a black-haired pretty boy with a feminine face, didn't chime in with Yoannis's reminiscing.
"Master, there's info circulating in the mage community that Edward Coffin might have died in Korea."
He said while checking his tablet.
"Apparently, after causing some bizarre incident in Korea, he lost contact with the broker he was dealing with."
"Edward Coffin?"
"It's just rumors for now, so nothing solid. What do you think?"
Yoannis set down his glass, showing a flicker of interest.
"Edward's got a huge ego. He might've stepped out in person unnecessarily and caught a bullet to the head."
"On the flip side, that ego probably helped him reach his level... "
Yoannis tapped his chin thoughtfully.
Or maybe a situation where he had no choice but to bring out his true body.
He could've run into a strong enemy, gone out himself, and gotten counter-killed.
"........."
Edward Coffin. Not a close friend, but they were acquainted to some degree.
A necromancer from the British Mage Council, he was a skilled and powerful mage.
Though his obsession with grimoires led him to wipe out an entire village and become a wanted man.
A memory from the past surfaced, bringing a smile to Yoannis's lips.
Back then, Yoannis's young disciple Kim Hoe-jang had dismissed Edward.
"Your familiars are zombies made from corpses! My slaves are ghouls that eat corpses! You're beneath me!"
He'd charged in like that.
Only to get utterly thrashed by the zombie knights under Edward's direct control.
Kim Hoe-jang often failed to gauge his opponent's strength and bared his teeth anyway.
That part was amusing, though.
Mia sighed and turned off her tablet at the ridiculous rumors.
"Lately, all the Korea-related info is weird. Like, a grimoire appeared."
"Or since Edward went all the way to Korea, maybe it's real... If it's gonna show up, just say it has."
Right then, Mia's tablet lit up again with an incoming email.
"...Hold on, Master. You've got mail. What should I do?"
It was from Kim Hoe-jang. The gist: A grimoire has appeared in Korea, so all sorts might gather there now.
Come join—it'll be fun. Basically asking for cooperation.
Yoannis wore an odd expression as he approached the bed where Mia sat.
"Hmm~ Korea, huh~."
"Master?"
Mia blinked wide-eyed, tilting his head, then frowned.
"...You're not thinking of going to Korea, are you?"
"I'm bored anyway, and if the rumors are true, it wouldn't hurt to check it out."
Yoannis shrugged and climbed onto the bed like a beast.
"Plus, the setting of that novel I enjoyed back in the day was Seoul. Vampires, drugs, shootouts— it was fun."
"Ah, no way! Master, you're the head of the bloodline! You need to be more cautious...!"
Yoannis silenced his cute familiar's complaints with a kiss, toppling him over.
Their lips parted on the bed, breaths mingling.
Mia's face flushed under Yoannis's sharp gaze, and he shrank back.
"Who's gonna keep yapping like that."
"Ah... Master... S-sorry."
"Then prove it."
"Huh?"
Yoannis's eyes gleamed playfully as he licked and nipped Mia's slender neck.
"Cry and prove your purity, you bitch."
"Ah... A-ahh..."
Mia pondered if he really had to cry, but Yoannis broke the mood with a gentle laugh.
"Haha~ Sorry. You're just too cute. It was a novel line."
"........."
"Don't overthink the Korea thing. Just think of it as a vacation."
"........."
Mia pursed his lips and looked up at Yoannis.
To soothe his familiar, Yoannis undid his collar, baring his neck.
"Want a suck?"
"―!"
Mia's fangs reacted to the blood of a higher vampire.
Tempted by her favorite person, Mia blushed indignantly and murmured softly.
"...I'll suck."
A moment later.
Yoannis stroked Mia's hair and got out of bed.
He sipped the cola, now watered down from melted ice.
This wasn't bad either.
Those who knew Yoannis called him the "gay Nazi vampire."
That wasn't entirely accurate.
The Nazi vampire bit had impact, sure.
But the Nazis were just one of many old jobs he'd worked.
No particular attachment.
His name was Yoannis, after all.
Obviously not German. Greek.
And in Greece, liking pretty boys wasn't gay.
It was traditional culture in the land of philosophy.
Socrates and Plato did it too! Wink wink!
Well, maybe it was a pure mentor-disciple thing.
Anyway, all his peers (long dead) loved pretty boys.
Of course, it was sophistry and jokes he knew himself.
In any case, Yoannis leaned back in his chair.
"...Korea."
If even half the rumors about the grimoire were true, it was a big deal.
He needed to check it out personally.
Good chance to expand influence in Korea too.
Of course, it could be dangerous, so he'd bring all his vampire subordinates.
Any mage with memories from the World Wars wouldn't underestimate the grimoire his "Her Whose Name Must Not Be Spoken" possessed.
Nor its new owner.
Even if that owner was some newbie mage who just picked up the grimoire.
Yoannis turned off the light so Mia could sleep comfortably, plunging the room into darkness.
His blue eyes gleamed like a beast's.
Special Task Force Team 3 office.
The other agents took a breather.
Team Leader Sion sat at her desk, writing something by hand.
Female agent Lee Hye-eun handed Sion a coffee.
"Team Leader Sion, here's your coffee. What're you writing now? Report?"
Sion lowered her eyes and said quietly.
"No... it's a reflection statement..."
The civilian collaborator firearm loan form she'd promised Yohan.
She could've slipped it in slyly, but it didn't sit right with her personality.
Instead, she reported it as her forgetting to submit on time.
Unauthorized firearm removal... Obviously grounds for discipline.
Park Team Leader, beside her, tapped her head lightly with a stack of papers. Tok-tok.
"Firearm removal downplayed as a reflection, you're such a princess~ Princess."
Her dad was the director, and he didn't separate personal from official—
'Unauthorized removal? Anyone die? No? Then let it slide, you punks.'
—Thanks to Director Shin Do-ryong's favoritism, it became a handwritten reflection.
The Anomalous Phenomena Countermeasures Agency favored the director's power.
Sion kept writing her reflection as the papers tapped her.
"...Nothing to say about this."
Hye-eun smiled awkwardly, encouraging her.
"Haha... But! You did good this time, Team Leader Sion!"
"Bringing in the owner of the Lesser Key of Solomon as a collaborator! That's an amazing grimoire!"
For smooth cooperation, only Sion's Team 3, the director, and a few knew Yohan was the owner.
Park Team Leader tossed the papers onto the desk.
"Problem is, the owner turns out to be that Kim Yohan guy you suspected. What do you think?"
Sion paused her writing.
"No big suspicions. ...But it feels suspicious anyway."
"Hmm~ Isn't that just you not liking the guy?"
"Huh?"
Caught off guard, Sion's face blanked out.
Park continued.
"You're not ignoring other cases, but you fixate on this Yohan."
That was— that was—
Sion's mouth parted slightly.
"...You're right."
Her eyes narrowed, thoughts reorganizing.
But it wasn't dislike, as Park said. Not that emotion.
She couldn't explain precisely...
Yeah, Yohan nagged at her.
Suspicion toward Yohan. Natural as a suspect, she thought.
Premise wrong. Not suspicion first, then attention.
Attention first, linked to case, became suspicion.
She started suspecting Yohan after seeing his photo while checking college records.
...Not love at first sight or her type.
Never felt that. Just... nagged at her.
As Sion narrowed her eyes in thought,
"You know, looking now. Maybe 'cause your eyes match."
Park suddenly said calmly, staring at her face.
"When thinking or annoyed, narrowing your eyes like the director."
"Ah... Yeah, family."
Sion relaxed her eyes and sighed.
Couldn't pinpoint why Yohan nagged, but for now—
She looked down at the reflection.
"........."
—Time to write the reflection.
Scratch-scratch.
The pen sounds echoed in the Task Force office.
Hotel lobby.
After a light meal, Sua looked at Yohan.
"Uncle, heading to your room now?"
"Nah, gonna walk it off a bit first."
"Okay... Well then..."
Sua hesitated awkwardly.
"...Thanks. Good night."
She spun around and headed to her room.
I watched her go, lingering in the lobby a moment.
Then sighed and stepped out to a nearby convenience store.
Eyes narrowing, I scanned the food.
All pretty standard, but picked easy eats.
For Ellie, who probably skipped dinner, obvious from her state.
...Annoying chore.
Not trying to impress her or anything.
Half a red bean bun.
A slice in crisis vs. normal—different, right?
Yeah, I felt indebted to Ellie now.
Not clean.
She saved my life, so repaid? But she saved mine first.
So this is just bun payment.
Leaving it messy means hesitation next time...
In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Guan Yu spared Cao Cao at Huayong Pass to kill clean later.
...Novel fiction anyway. Couldn't kill him regardless.
Anyway, grabbed the bag and headed to Ellie's room.
Could've used room service, but
'This gentleman sent unsolicited food—not a bar.'
Kinda weird.
At her door, knocked. She answered, fresh from a shower, hair damp.
Ellie's blue eyes lit up happily at me.
"Ah! Yohan! Uh...!"
Thinking what to say, blurted the unsaid.
"That! Your song was great! N-no, I mean, really thankful!"
Face red, blurting. I handed her the bag.
"Nothing much... Figured you skipped dinner. Got some for the kids too."
"Ah! Thank you."
She took it with both hands. Fingers brushed.
Anyway, debt settled.
"Good night then."
As I turned to leave, Ellie called.
"Wait! Um, I mean—this doesn't repay what you did, but I'm grateful, so..."
Face flushed post-bath.
"I'll buy you a meal next time. How about it?"
Just a casual social farewell meal.
I smiled politely.
"Haha~ I'd appreciate that. Looking forward to it."
Turned and went to my room.
Zombie attack, luxury hotel night.
...Not a bad weekend vacation.
And tomorrow, vacation over. Back to work.