Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: 053. Vampire Detective
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"Wait, Ji-hyuk! Your phone... Ah!"
Yang Jeong-min called out to him, but Moon Ji-hyuk was already sprinting off into the distance.
Yang Jeong-min stomped her feet in frustration, then instinctively checked his vibrating smartphone.
"...Taker?"
"...Bomb vest?"
Yang Jeong-min's face turned pale. She glanced once at the Dawn Group headquarters, bit her lip, and started running.
Ji-hyuk will definitely push himself too hard! I have to stop him!
???
I sipped my coffee at a café with a clear view of the Dawn Group headquarters. Through the window, I could see Moon Ji-hyuk rushing toward it, with Yang Jeong-min following belatedly.
Moon Ji-hyuk can't stop the bomb terror. He couldn't in the original story, and the situation is even worse now.
In the original drama, Ji An-seok gets caught by Moon Ji-hyuk. Before he can self-detonate, the vampire's superior physical abilities completely subdue him.
The problem is the bomb Ji An-seok had planted in the Dawn Group headquarters beforehand. That one doesn't get stopped.
And I helped Ji An-seok a little, covertly.
I deliberately fed Moon Ji-hyuk false info while he was investigating Ji An-seok. He believed my words more readily than I'd expected.
In the original, Ji An-seok evades Moon Ji-hyuk's pursuit, wandering around until evening when the sun sets, then arrives at headquarters.
Without Moon Ji-hyuk tailing him, Ji An-seok got here faster. Sunset is still two hours away.
Vampires have reduced physical abilities during the daytime when the sun is up.
He can't subdue Ji An-seok with vampire strength like in the original drama. In fact, he's more likely to get subdued by Ji An-seok instead.
Hmm. This coffee's not great.
Soon, police arrived and began forcibly evacuating civilians. The SWAT team would arrive shortly too.
Maybe I should head to Yeonghyejeong today.
I fiddled with my smartphone while staring at the Dawn Group headquarters building. I wanted to watch a 100-meter-plus skyscraper explode with my own eyes.
???
"Stop it, Ji An-seok!"
Ji An-seok had just checked the bomb he'd planted in the bathroom and was heading back when a breathless man suddenly blocked his path.
Ji An-seok frowned. He'd been operating in complete secrecy, but suddenly police cars were swarming the Dawn Group headquarters, evacuating civilians. He couldn't pinpoint where he'd slipped up. Were the Korean police always this competent?
"You a cop?"
"Yeah. I'm a detective. Ji An-seok. What you're doing is wrong. It's not too late. Stop this."
"Hmm... From my perspective, you're way too late."
With a pistol drawn from his pocket, Ji An-seok aimed at the man. Moon Ji-hyuk flinched and stepped back.
"A detective without a gun? I have no interest in you, so get out of my way."
"You think it's okay to drag innocent people into your revenge?!"
"Can't be helped. And if I kill the Dawn Group chairman's family, I won't detonate the bombs I've planted. Now move."
"...Bombs you've planted?"
"You didn't know that far. I infiltrated as a janitor and rigged bombs throughout the building. Like I said, if I properly take out the chairman's family, no bombs. So move."
"Kuh...!"
Moon Ji-hyuk groaned, staring into Ji An-seok's eyes. Those were the eyes of someone resolved to die. No words would get through.
His target is ultimately the Dawn Group chairman's family. If I step aside here... he won't detonate the bombs. Sacrificing the few for the many... Damn it. As a detective, do I have to let a terrorist go?
What Moon Ji-hyuk hated most: sacrificing the few for the many. He wanted to save everything, big and small alike.
"......"
Ji An-seok advanced, gun trained on Moon Ji-hyuk. Wasting time on one detective was annoying. And he had absolute confidence. He had a gun; Moon Ji-hyuk was unarmed.
When Ji An-seok drew close, Moon Ji-hyuk lunged. He targeted Ji An-seok's impaired left upper body from his injury. But it was daytime now. His physical abilities were below a normal human's.
Bang!
A bullet pierced his thigh.
"...!"
Moon Ji-hyuk bit his lip hard and wrapped his arm around Ji An-seok's neck, aiming to tackle him down.
Ji An-seok reacted sharply. Retired due to injury or not, he was ex-special forces. He grabbed Moon Ji-hyuk by the collar and hurled him into the wall.
"Weak for a detective."
Glancing at Moon Ji-hyuk, whose head had slammed into the wall, now unconscious with blood flowing from his thigh wound, Ji An-seok headed to the chairman's office. Whether the detective lived or died didn't matter. His goal was the annihilation of the Dawn Group chairman's family.
Entering the empty chairman's office twisted his face. The family should have been there overlooking the event. But it was vacant. The chairman had caught on and fled.
There was an emergency staircase at the office entrance.
"Chairman Park Yun-su... you slippery bastard...!"
Ji An-seok pulled the detonator from his pocket. One press, and the bombs throughout the building would go off simultaneously. As he moved to press without hesitation, he spotted traces of the chairman heading upstairs.
"Helicopter! He's trying to escape via rooftop!"
It would take time for a chopper to arrive.
Grinning sinisterly, Ji An-seok bolted for the roof. He could blow it all now, but he wanted to witness his nemesis Park Yun-su's death with his own eyes.
"Wait! Chairman Park Yun-su! Let's go to hell together!"
???
"Ji-hyuk! Ji-hyuk! Pull yourself together! Ji-hyuk!"
Yang Jeong-min tightly bound Moon Ji-hyuk's bleeding thigh with her jacket, supported him into the elevator.
"...Ugh."
"Ji-hyuk! Can you see me?"
Moon Ji-hyuk, vision blurry, confirmed Yang Jeong-min before her and slowly spoke.
"...Jeong-min. What about Ji An-seok...? Where is he...?"
"I don't know. He was targeting the Dawn Group chairman, so I went up to that floor, found you collapsed. We're heading down to the first floor now. Just hold on. There's an ambulance waiting below!"
"...We have to catch him. Before the bombs go off...!"
"Please, Ji-hyuk! You're more important to me than that terrorist!"
Transparent tears streamed from Yang Jeong-min's eyes. Moon Ji-hyuk opened his mouth, then closed it. Seeing her tears scattered his thoughts like dust.
It was just as the elevator neared the first floor.
Boom! Boom!
Explosions rang out repeatedly. The elevator halted mid-descent, plunging downward.
"Kyaaah!"
Thud!
The fluorescent lights went out, plunging them into darkness.
...He detonated the bombs after all.
Moon Ji-hyuk bit his lip. His mind reeled. He'd known in advance. Yet he couldn't stop it. If only he'd acted faster, if only it were night...
No. I can't rely too much on vampire powers.
That said, he couldn't ignore them entirely. Letting his gifts rot wasn't his style. He just needed to discard them without hesitation when necessary.
"Ugh... Ji-hyuk...! You okay? Did you hit your head? The elevator stopped... Ahh! Why now of all times! You need to get to a hospital fast!!"
Moon Ji-hyuk could see Yang Jeong-min clutching the elevator wall, stomping her feet. Vampires could pierce darkness without a shred of light.
"I'm fine, Jeong-min."
Moon Ji-hyuk spoke calmly. No lie or bravado.
No sunlight entered the elevator, and the lights were busted from the shock. Without light, even in daytime, his vampire powers awakened.
Thigh wound? It hurt, but regeneration had already begun slowly. By nightfall, before dawn, it'd be fully healed.
In a way, the elevator dropping to the basement and stopping was a stroke of luck. No immediate hospital trip. If he'd gone, doctors would've discovered he was a vampire.
"Jeong-min. There's something I've been hiding from you."
"...Huh? What's that all of a sudden? More importantly, pull out your smartphone and contact the outside...!"
"Listen. Jeong-min. I'm not human. I'm a vampire."
Moon Ji-hyuk stood. Aside from slight thigh stiffness, he felt more alive than before.
"Wha...? Y-You can stand?"
"You won't tell anyone about my identity, right, Jeong-min? You'll try not to see me as a freak. Still... maybe vampires and humans just don't mix. Would've been better if we'd met when I was human."
"...Ji-hyuk?"
Moon Ji-hyuk gripped the elevator doors with both hands and pried them open. Impossible for a human. Possible for a vampire. The steel doors slowly parted, light filtering into the dim interior.
It was the underground parking lot. Car horns, people's shouts, crashing sounds echoed.
"It was fun while it... "
Moon Ji-hyuk couldn't finish. Yang Jeong-min suddenly hugged him, pressing her lips to his.
His eyes shook. Push her away? Or...? After agonizing, he embraced her back. Was it because he was a vampire? She felt exceptionally warm.
???
"Tch."
I was disappointed. I expected the bombs to shatter and collapse the building. Reality fell short of imagination. Not even as good as the original drama's building explosion scene I'd seen in real life. CG blasts had real spectacle.
The bombs planted throughout did explode, true. But the building stood firm. Thick black smoke billowed, but that was it. Shattered windows and debris falling—that was the extent.
Well-designed structure. Or rather, it'd be weirder if a few bombs toppled a 100-meter skyscraper. And the bombs were weaker than I thought.
Another explosion rocked the rooftop. Why the delay?
Ji An-seok self-detonated. As expected, Moon Ji-hyuk couldn't stop him. Is Moon Ji-hyuk dead? No contact.
I hoped Moon Ji-hyuk survived. The story wasn't over yet. Though that end was nearing too.
Hmm. Seen it all. Time to end the Playful Life here.
Back in reality, I reflexively switched Playful Life to pause. It used to lag a bit before, but now it's pure instinct.
Can't trust auto-play. It's my avatar, but hard to predict where it'll go off-script.
Still, auto-play has its uses. When wasting time in the Playful Life world. It's convenient then. Of course, I always watched. If the avatar tried anything stupid, I'd pause immediately.
But lately, assassinating vampire hunters has gotten tough.
The vampire hunters know I'm targeting them now. They've started teaming up. Solo hunters are rare.
We'll clash properly soon. My current abilities fall short. Need something.
I fiddled with my smartphone. Leveling up unlocked more creative works.
Oh, this one?
One of the newly available creative works caught my eye.