The Taster (1)
Dealing with the ghosts wasn't difficult. Just activating the Emergency Wage Payment Decree in Biman was enough.
After all, even ghosts that drove people to suicide were still entities under the jurisdiction of the underworld. The moment their voices came through the phone, they had to cower and shut up.
Ju Kang-rim could have summoned the ghosts back, but he left them be to keep CyberPhantomThief in check. He'd already dug up CyberPhantomThief's phone number, ID details, and main bank account info.
Of course, Ju Kang-rim didn't fully trust any of it. The guy was a skilled hacker who could probably fake his social identity on a whim.
That's when CyberPhantomThief asked cautiously.
Ju Kang-rim scratched his head. He had zero interest in agonizing over something so trivial. But leaving it to the guy might spawn something even worse.
Ju Kang-rim pondered it, but killing them off wouldn't stop new "Grim Reapers" from popping up.
Ju Kang-rim wasn't asking for the address to beat the crap out of the cocky bastard—though that was a bonus. His real goal was securing the guy's safety.
CyberPhantomThief seemed to sense the danger, responding timidly.
Ju Kang-rim didn't press further. As long as the guy listened, it was fine. Besides, CyberPhantomThief was the one in danger, not him. When shit hit the fan, the hacker would come crawling.
The guy seemed to be enjoying it more than expected. He was treating his new gig under his idol, the "legendary Death Hunter," like a reward.
Ju Kang-rim was still worried about the hacker's safety, but since the guy recognized the risks himself, he decided not to fret too much. A hacker good enough to track him wasn't just versatile—he'd have ways to protect himself.
If things get dicey, he'll come begging anyway.
And starting that very day, Ju Kang-rim put CyberPhantomThief to work on some righteous info theft.
Chardonnay, Grenache, Muscat, Vergnac.
The assassins from the Vito family who'd entered the country yesterday. CyberPhantomThief had copied their passports and clear CCTV shots of their faces, sending them straight to Ju Kang-rim.
Two Italian white guys, one Slavic woman, one Libyan man.
ID photos might mean jack to shapeshifters. But if these were core Vito family assassins, it was different. People's beauty standards didn't shift easily. Even shapeshifting Vito elites picked a look and stuck to it until problems arose.
They could tweak skin tone or fix minor flaws, sure.
The names were probably fake too. But what mattered was that socially, they operated under these identities.
Gotta figure out what play these bastards are making. Because of Gerald?
Ju Kang-rim suddenly thought of Shira. He'd left her dangling too long—it was time to check her movements again. If she was Royal Family, she might link up with these new Vito assassins.
The Blunderbuss maledict on her made tracking easy. He forwarded Shira's details to CyberPhantomThief and ordered a search.
Now, just wait.
But Shira and the Vito assassins met faster than Ju Kang-rim expected.
A few days after roping in CyberPhantomThief, Ju Kang-rim got the message.
Mosquito 4 was the codename for Vergnac, one of the incoming Vito members.
A tall black man with a statue-like face was snapped in a hotel club lounge with a beauty on his arm.
Vergnac.
The Libyan male assassin from the Vito family. Ju Kang-rim pegged him as leader-tier among the new arrivals.
Quick reply. Grateful for the enthusiasm, but what the hell did this guy do all day to snoop phones so casually? Maybe pay a visit and rough him up as a preemptive warning against bad habits.
Then CyberPhantomThief sent another photo.
Ju Kang-rim checked the photo. Then let out a short sigh.
The Royal Blood biker ninja who'd interfered during the Kangryeong Daegun hunt. Shira Vito was with Vergnac.
A few days later, Ju Kang-rim headed to the Arlberg Hotel.
More people than I thought.
The Arlberg was a flashy Rococo-style hotel. Golf course out front, Cheongnyangsan Mountain behind—wide-open views front and back.
Flashy as hell, and no tall buildings nearby. Places like this were 100% built by someone who ended up in prison—bribes or illegal shit.
Ju Kang-rim sat in the hotel lobby cafe, observing the passersby.
He'd expected a closed-off vibe, but the lobby was bustling. Mostly not guests—people heading to the massive rooftop club or the foreigners-only casino.
Check-ins looked like Vito family connections or folks one or two degrees removed.
He gloomily shoveled 45,000-won gelato while waiting for a familiar face.
Shira Vito's gotta be here somewhere.
The Blunderbuss maledicts stirred, sensing Shira Vito's presence. Just a tiny fragment embedded in him, so the range was limited. But close or not, he could tell.
Then the lobby elevator dinged open. A boy and a man stepped out.
Ju Kang-rim pulled his cap low. The ones he'd been waiting for. Shira Vito and Vergnac.
...Grown a bit.
More precisely, now looked about 14. Unlike the boyish 10-year-old phase, hair was now a short bob, face pretty enough for a bishonen. If you didn't know he was male, you'd swear androgynous girl.
Wearing shorts and stockings even in midwinter, Shira Vito sauntered into the cafe, skinny limbs swinging.
"Chocolate truffle gelato—with wasabi on top!"
Shira barked the order short and plopped into a cafe chair. Ju Kang-rim couldn't fathom it, but Vergnac wordlessly ordered Shira's weird combo plus an espresso for himself.
That confirmed it—Shira Vito was core Royal Blood, even among the main family elites.
Vergnac jumped right into talk as he sat.
"Young master. The godfather says it's time to come home."
"What? I said no contact!"
"This place isn't safe anymore. Mission's done—why keep stubborn?"
"Murjick..."
"Murjick's probably dust. Even if alive, failing to protect you means a brutal punishment from the godfather. If anything happened to you? Worse."
Shira scowled, silent.
"That Gerald guy's dangerous from what I dug up. Clashed with our family plenty—if you refuse..."
"Refuse, and drag me back?"
"As if I could. Godfather said he'd come himself."
Ju Kang-rim nearly choked. Their "godfather" had to be Basha Vito.
Basha Vito coming to Korea personally? The head of the world's biggest mafia syndicate, overlord of vampires?
"Ahem."
He barely swallowed without drawing eyes. But it might've anyway. Vergnac eyed him briefly, deemed it nothing, and continued.
"Just the dispatch of the Tasters shows how seriously the godfather views this. Even with all the blood you lost..."
"Hold up."
Shira cut Vergnac off, staring hard at Ju Kang-rim.
Ju Kang-rim kept cool, burying his face in gelato. But Shira stood.
Ju Kang-rim started calculating escape odds in a Vito-packed hotel.
"Hey, you."
Vergnac caught on too, rising. Ju Kang-rim moved to summon his Saingeom.
Their eyes met Shira's.
Shock flickered in Shira's gaze.
Vergnac spoke.
"Know him?"
"You... you... you're so damn ugly!"