The Vampire's Debut
The air inside the conference room froze. Cheon Yooshin, standing before the Minister of National Defense, gave a crooked smile.
“A rude attitude?”
Even by age, the man in front of him wasn't even his grandson's age, let alone his great-grandson's. To be lectured on having a "rude attitude" by such children—a sigh escaped him automatically. It wasn't as if they would believe him if he told them he was 400 years old, anyway.
“You say I’m rude? Maybe so. But, Minister? Why do you think I came here? Did I come voluntarily? Do you think I’m here to cater to your moods?”
Yooshin’s voice was cold and sharp. If they intended to pressure him using their affiliation and rank, he was ready to withdraw from the Hunter Management Department right then and there. If he didn’t like it, he could just start his own guild. Well, it would mean more annoying paperwork, but since his bank account was overflowing, he could just throw money at the problems.
The Minister of National Defense’s face stiffened. He had gotten excited without realizing it. And, seeing Cheon Yooshin in his mid-twenties, he hadn't been able to help but look down on him slightly. In military terms, he was at the age of a newly commissioned non-commissioned officer. But the Cheon Yooshin before him was no mere twenty-something youth. Before anyone knew it, his presence was overwhelming the entire conference room. It was a presence that even President Cha Insoo, who was in his third year of presidency, lacked.
“There has been a misunderstanding, Hunter Yooshin.”
President Cha Insoo mediated the situation. The Minister of National Defense also quickly stood up and bowed his head to Cheon Yooshin.
“I apologize, Hunter Cheon. I have a bit of a hot temper, so I just…”
Yooshin chuckled.
“Let’s be careful, Minister.”
As he said that, the presence that had been constricting the room melted away like snow, and the tension began to dissipate. As Yooshin sat back down, President Cha Insoo asked,
“Did you finish everything you needed to do in Japan?”
Yooshin nodded.
“Good. Then let’s get straight to the point. The reason I called for you, Hunter Yooshin, is…”
President Cha Insoo paused for a moment and looked Yooshin straight in the eyes.
“Do you have even the slightest intention of naturalizing in another country?”
Huh? Naturalization? It was a completely unexpected question. As Yooshin blinked, President Cha Insoo asked again.
“I heard that even on the day the plane was bombed, there were offers of naturalization. They will likely do more of that in the future. So, I must confirm this. I want to know if you have any intention of naturalizing in another country.”
Ah, I see. Looking at how things were turning, he wanted a definitive answer from me. Hoping, perhaps, that I wouldn't move to another country. Then, of course, I should give him an answer.
“Actually, I had no intention of naturalizing in another country. Until just a moment ago.”
“…Until just a moment ago?”
“Yes. Wouldn't you want to leave if someone provoked you, calling you rude like they did just now? If the monk dislikes the temple, the monk leaves. So, I can’t give you a definitive answer.”
At Yooshin’s words, the Minister of National Defense wore an awkward expression.
“As the President of the Republic of Korea, I promise you clearly. That such a thing will absolutely never happen again.”
Yooshin stretched his stiff body and stood up from his seat.
“We’ll see. You never know what will happen in the world. So, do you have anything else to say?”
President Cha Insoo also stood up and smiled.
“My questions are finished. Ah! If you don’t have anything urgent, how about we have a meal together in the cafeteria? Our cafeteria ladies are very good at cooking.”
Yooshin shrugged.
“I’d get indigestion. Eating in this atmosphere? No thanks. Let’s have a meal together later—no, let’s make it the three of us with Team Leader Park Hae-soo.”
At those words, President Cha Insoo’s eyes lit up.
“You must keep that promise! Hunter Yooshin.”
Yooshin, who had already turned his back, raised his hand to the sky and waved it roughly, saying he understood.
After he disappeared out the door, President Cha Insoo’s icy gaze turned toward the Minister of National Defense. The Minister desperately tried to avoid his eyes.
“If something like this happens again…, no, from now on, do not open your mouth at all where Hunter Yooshin is present. Do you understand?”
Unlike a moment ago, President Cha Insoo’s voice was laced with a chilling coldness.
A man sat in a room where darkness had fallen deep. His name was Bae Seong-woo. His fingers, as white as his pale face, swiped across a tablet. On the screen, news of Cheon Yooshin’s survival was being reported as the top story. Bae Seong-woo’s crimson eyes flashed. A smile spread across his lips. Then, sharp fangs were revealed.
“Yes…”
His voice was low and eerie.
“You shouldn’t die so easily.”
Bae Seong-woo stood up slowly. His tall frame cast a long shadow in the darkness. He looked up at the dark night sky outside the window, as if Cheon Yooshin were there.
“It’s time to reveal our true colors. This is going to be very interesting.”
At the same time, Bae Seong-woo’s form blurred, and in an instant, he transformed into a swarm of bats and vanished into the darkness.
On a peaceful morning, breaking news was reported. An elegant female anchor opened her mouth with an urgent expression.
She paused for a moment and continued quickly.
The screen switched to the scene of the National Police Agency briefing. A man with a grave expression was sitting there. His name was Kim Cheol-ho, and he was the head of the Special Investigation Headquarters.
Kim Cheol-ho, who swallowed hard, had trembling eyes.
After the news ended, South Korea was in an uproar. Vampires actually existed! In fact, since hunters and monsters already existed, the existence of vampires was just a powerful shock, not an impossibility. But the shock didn't end there. A strange rumor was spreading.
Non-awakened people can also become vampires!
The rumor that they could use power just like hunters—no, like vampires who exuded the power of superhumans from movies that could surpass hunters—was spreading rapidly through various communities. Anonymous bulletin boards were already being flooded with countless posts.
The world was already revolving around hunters. Naturally, ordinary people who hadn't awakened always admired and envied the power hunters possessed. But the fantasy that they could become beings superior to them by becoming vampires made the hearts of ordinary people race.
Meanwhile, the government could no longer stand by and watch this situation. Because the fantasy about vampires and the online outcry were beyond what they had expected. An emergency press conference was convened, and every broadcasting station in the country began to broadcast it live. The expression of the government spokesperson who appeared on the screen was heavy. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth.
[Citizens, all the rumors currently circulating regarding vampires are completely groundless. The idea that a non-awakened person can become a vampire and gain superhuman power is a complete falsehood, nothing more and nothing less. Harboring fantasies about vampires and attempting dangerous things is clearly a dangerous endeavor. Vampires are no different from monsters. Therefore, I ask that you, the citizens, make wise judgments.]
As the press conference ended, a black screen was broadcast.
“Haa… what a mess.”
Yooshin shook his head while lying on the sofa. Yooshin truly couldn't understand the youngsters these days who would entrust their lives to something unverified. That was when it happened. The screen that had been broadcasting the black screen switched to another.
A man appeared there. Pale skin, red eyes, and even black clothes covering his entire body.
“Huh? Who the hell is that guy? Is this a broadcast accident?”
Interest began to stir in Yooshin’s eyes. He straightened his half-reclining upper body and focused his gaze on the TV. Should he call it a gut feeling that something was about to get interesting? And his gut feelings like this had never once been wrong.
Sure enough. The man on the screen opened his mouth.
[Everyone.]
His voice had the power to constrict the hearts of those listening.
[Do not be afraid. I have come to give you a gift.]
A smile spread across his lips. Then, the fangs that were revealed shone faintly.
[Become a vampire. To you who could not become hunters, I will make it so that you can use the abilities of superhumans.]
His eyes became even more intense.
[Look. This is your future.]
The screen switched. Red eyes flashed in the darkness. They were vampires, with pale skin and red eyes just like the man from a moment ago. They were attacking hunters. The hunters were also responding, but their weapons couldn't even leave a scratch on the vampires' skin. It was a battle where the winner had already been decided. As the scream of the last hunter was heard, the screen switched back to the man from the beginning.
[Powerful hunters, wealthy politicians, or businesspeople are living as they please. Doing everything they want to do. Yet, they don't even care about ordinary people like us. The world can no longer be lived in normally. So, shouldn't we change? The video from a moment ago is the appearance of ordinary people who hadn't awakened becoming vampires and becoming stronger. They now possess power stronger than hunters. Is this still dangerous?]
The screen turned off as the man on the screen finished with a smile.
‘Vampires, huh…’
It was a species that didn't even exist in the Abyss.
“Looking at it, it seemed like they could easily chew up ordinary hunters.”
Then Yooshin tilted his head.
“But is that possible?”
Everything has a logic. That they could become strong so rapidly, and just by simply becoming a vampire—that was a phenomenon that couldn't be seen in the Abyss. Even the demons who distort the logic of the world couldn't do that. Except for cases of going berserk. If one goes berserk, they can draw out several times their potential, but the end is ultimately death. So, they never use it unless absolutely necessary.
“That means, there might be some side effects to that too?”
There would definitely be something lost in exchange for gaining strength. But would ordinary people realize that? When they could gain power that surpasses hunters right away?
And what Yooshin was worried about began to appear in reality. Incidents where ordinary people turned into vampires and attacked those around them became frequent. A small-statured student who had been bullied suddenly attacked the three classmates who had been bullying him with superhuman strength and speed. By the time the police arrived after receiving the report, it was already too late. The classroom that had once been ordinary was horrific. Bright red blood was widely splattered on the floor, and the stark white walls also had red stains splashed on them. And the three victims were in a miserable state, unrecognizable. One student was on a broken desk, and the other two were tangled up on the floor. Even veteran detectives had never seen such a horrific scene.
Similar incidents occurred all over society. A new employee who had been ignored in a company office, a housekeeper who had been suffering from constant noise in an old apartment complex—they all committed similar acts. Nevertheless, the interest of ordinary people toward vampires did not stop. The government agonized over countermeasures for this, but they were helpless in the face of this new threat. Far from finding the vampires hiding in the darkness, even if they rushed to the scene after an accident occurred, they had already vanished long ago.
Yooshin, who was lazing around on the sofa in Team Leader Park Hae-soo’s office as usual today, was approached by Park Hae-soo.
“Yooshin-ssi, the outside world is in an uproar because of the vampires these days.”
Yooshin opened his mouth without taking his eyes off his phone.
“I know. It’s a really big deal. This.”
Park Hae-soo nodded vigorously.
“You’re right. It’s a really big deal. If someone doesn't catch the vampires, the damage will become severe.”
“Ah! The next chapter! Where’s the next chapter!”
“…? N-next chapter, you say?”
Yooshin showed him his phone screen.
“This novel is fun these days. They say the protagonist uses dark magic or something. But I’ve already finished the latest chapter. This is why I should only touch completed works. I want to lock the author up and make them only write.”
Recently, Yooshin had picked up a new hobby. Reading web novels! Especially the hunter genre, which had no sense of alienation from the world.
“Are you even listening to me, Yooshin-ssi?”
Park Hae-soo shook his head and opened his mouth.
“Ah, what did you say? As I get older, I keep forgetting things.”
Park Hae-soo, who let out a sigh, said,
“You know society is chaotic because of the vampires these days, right?”
“I know. Those bastards, it’s a really big deal. A big deal.”
Yooshin nodded.
“Couldn't you catch them?”
To catch them, hunters were needed. Hunters strong enough not to be defeated by them. And if it were Cheon Yooshin in front of him, it was sufficiently possible.
“Who?”
“Your active cooperation is needed, Yooshin-ssi.”
“Me?”
Yooshin smiled brightly. And then.
“I don’t want to.”
“…Yes?”
Park Hae-soo blinked.
“I said I don’t want to. They don't even seem like monsters, so why should I catch them? I’m not a police officer.”
“No, but still, since you’re in the Hunter Management Department…”
“Hunters go into gates and catch monsters. Wasn't that the main point of the contract?”
It’s unexpected. That Cheon Yooshin would remember something like that. No, but if this happens, it’s a bust? Park Hae-soo had been specially called by Minister Choi Jeong-won a little while ago and even received a special bonus. Thanks to that, Park Hae-soo, excited by the bonus, had even asserted that our Hunter Cheon Yooshin would solve the vampire problem well. This shouldn't be happening, right?
“Th-that is true, but. Since the situation is not favorable.”
Yooshin chuckled.
“Team Leader. Let’s just do what we’re supposed to do. Don’t cross the line for no reason. What is the reason for the Hunter Management Department’s existence?”
“That is…”
Cheon Yooshin cut him off in the middle of his sentence.
“To clear gates and catch monsters. Isn't that it?”
“That’s right.”
“Then why should we—no, why should I catch vampires? Am I some kind of Police Dark Army or something? If you want me to do that, give me an honorary police badge at least.”
Yooshin, who sat back down on the sofa with a thud, stared at his phone.
“So I’m not doing it. I’m busy clearing gates, so why would I?”
I don’t think that’s something you should be saying? Recently, all uncleared gates have been handled by the attack team where Baek Woo-hyun is. Without resting for a single day. Thanks to that, Yooshin has been slacking off and stealing his salary. But I can't say that. Because the mere existence of Cheon Yooshin in the Hunter Management Department is a reassuring insurance policy.
Park Hae-soo let out a short sigh.
“I understand. Since Yooshin-ssi’s thoughts are important, it can’t be helped.”
His shoulders slumped. It looks like I’ll have to report to the Minister and return the bonus. But then.
“Huh?! Move aside.”
Yooshin jumped up from his seat, pushed Park Hae-soo aside, and walked toward the TV. With a rarely seen serious expression.
“No, why are you there?”
On the breaking news on TV, the face of his younger sister, Cheon Jin-ah, flashed by.