Codename Vestia

Chapter 10: Joonie

“Humans are weak. They die quickly.”

Gamal muttered in a sorrowful tone.

“No.”

But Doyeong spoke, and Gamal looked at him, bewildered.

“No?”

“The human body is tougher than you think. Want to see? This.”

Doyeong rolled up the sleeve of his t-shirt, showing the scar on his forearm as if boasting about an old war story.

“This one is from a bullet grazing me. And this one is from shrapnel from a bomb.”

Then, he pointed to just below his ear and lifted his t-shirt to reveal a long scar on his side.

“And this was the worst. I got it from being stabbed. I bled about a pint. It was touch and go, but….”

Doyeong stopped talking. Gamal had placed her hand on the scar.

“The wound is big. Did it hurt?”

Her fingertips were cool. Doyeong lowered his t-shirt and said,

“It’s fine now.”

She was a strange one, indeed. It was a scar that had already faded into a faint trace, but she looked at it as if she was watching blood still gushing out, with a pained expression, as if she herself was in pain.

Up to this point, Doyeong had known four female vampires.

Gamal, Yeonha, who was an old teammate, a non-commissioned officer from another base he had met during a joint operation, and lastly, Rahel.

Even setting aside Yeonha, who enlisted in MCTC and received training right after becoming a vampire, the image of a typical female vampire was that of the Amazonian non-commissioned officer from hell and Rahel. But Gamal, on the other hand, was so different that one might wonder if a vampire had gotten infected by a human virus….

While he was thinking this, Doyeong, astounded, asked,

“What are you doing?”

Gamal was feeling around his stomach as if it was her own. She looked up at him and made a wavy motion with her hand.

“Your stomach is all like this.”

It seemed to indicate that it was bumpy. Doyeong pushed her hand away and said,

“It’s called a six-pack.”

She was an odd one, no doubt. Groping a strange man like that.

“I don’t have one.”

Saying so, Gamal lifted her own shirt to show her stomach. There were traces of abs, but clearly, they weren’t enough to do laundry on.

Gamal gazed at Doyeong and said,

“It’s fascinating. The Major is different from me.”

“Different… how?”

Doyeong started to speak, then suddenly realized something.

“Is that what you’ve been finding fascinating all this time?”

Gamal nodded.

“We’re different.”

“Of course. I’m a human, and you’re a vampire.”

“No, more than that….”

Gamal wanted to say something but wasn’t sure how to express it. However, Doyeong had a rough idea.

Even if she had been married, if her husband died on their wedding night, it’s likely they never consummated the marriage. And if she had been on this deserted island for “a very long time,” she probably didn’t have much experience either.

“There were men among the people who came here.”

“There were. But they were different from the Major.”

Then she gazed at Doyeong with her red eyes and muttered,

“There was no one who looked like the Major.”

Doyeong rested his chin on his hand, his elbow on his knee.

“You’ve got quite an eye for faces.”

Gamal tilted her head.

“Eye for faces? Like a light?”

“It means you like handsome people.”

“Is the Major handsome?”

“It’s a bit awkward to say it myself, but I guess you could say that.”

Gamal stared intently at Doyeong, as if judging the truth of his words.

“Seems like it.”

Doyeong let out a small, amused laugh. Normally, someone might find it off-putting or think he was being overly confident, but Gamal’s straightforward answer, speaking her mind without hesitation, was so typical of her.

But what did he mean, ‘typical of her’? How long had he known her, really?

It was absurd. The way he was speaking, it was as if he’d known Gamal for a long time. Especially considering how peculiar she was….

Just then, their eyes met.

Gamal’s eyes were strange. The bright red color should have been ominous, but her large, round, glossy eyes gave off a vibe more akin to a newborn baby.

If she had really been born when she claimed, those eyes would have seen enough to lead Adam and Eve astray before they even tasted the forbidden fruit. Yet, Gamal’s eyes were still clear.

There was also a curiosity in them, like that of a teenage girl. About him.

And under the starlit night sky, even the hardest-boiled person would find their heart fluttering.

Neither of them was aware of it, but they couldn’t take their eyes off each other. The soft night breeze brushed through Gamal’s hair.

*Rustle.*

Suddenly, there was a noise. Doyeong quickly turned around.

“What’s wrong?” Gamal asked. Doyeong carefully scanned the still, silent forest shrouded in darkness and asked,

“Did you hear something?”

“A sound?”

If Gamal, being a vampire, hadn’t heard it, there was a good chance he was mistaken…

Gamal added as if recalling something,

“There are animals.”

So it must have been an animal sound.

Anyway, Doyeong watched the unmoving darkness for a while before turning back to Gamal. She was waiting with a puzzled expression.

A deserted island. Nighttime. A young man and woman. All the elements were there for things to get… peculiar.

Doyeong spoke.

“Let’s sleep.”

“Okay.”

The sentimental look Gamal had earlier vanished, and she was back to her usual mode, like an eager puppy awaiting its owner’s command.

Gamal helped Doyeong up. Then they entered the log cabin, laid out their bedding, and lay down.

“Hey, Major.”

Gamal called out to him softly, and Doyeong turned to look at her. She said,

“Thank you. For being strong. The Major won’t die.”

Doyeong was taken aback.

“Who gets to decide whether I live or die? I’m not dying.”

“Okay.”

Gamal’s eyes curved into a round, bright smile. Doyeong turned his head away.

It wasn’t unheard of in this world for a vampire and a human to live together as a married couple, but this situation was different. Whatever circumstances Gamal had for living here alone, Doyeong was someone who needed to return.

Being MIA (Missing in Action), it was likely that his disappearance hadn’t been reported to his parents yet. That was a relief, but if he remained missing for too long, MCTC would eventually stop searching. He needed to find a way to get back as soon as possible.

Doyeong glanced over at Gamal, who was cheerfully spreading out blankets. When their eyes met, Gamal smiled.

Yes. Before anything irreversible happened.

***

‘The problem is my leg,’ Doyeong thought.

If it weren’t for his injured leg, he could have explored the island and tried to figure out a way to get back. Instead, he was stuck, like a dog tied to an invisible leash. Even now, there wasn’t much he could do besides sit in the shade on the beach, staring blankly into space, which had become his usual spot.

Gamal, who was sitting next to him, was carefully crocheting a carpet—using a needle she had carved out of wood herself. All the crafts in the log cabin were Gamal’s creations.

Since she had lived alone, it was natural she would learn to do many things. She could build houses, make ovens, cook various dishes over a campfire, and craft all sorts of tools. At this rate, she might as well build her own civilization.

If Doyeong had ended up stranded on the island alone, he would have had plenty to do to keep himself busy. But since Gamal had already set up a system, and given the condition of his leg, she handled almost everything.

Thinking about it, he felt like some kind of kept man.

As he watched Gamal, a memory suddenly came to him.

“Where did vampires originate, you ask? Well, there are so many theories… but the most convincing one is that they’re basically aliens.”

He probably burst out laughing when he heard that.

“Don’t laugh. It might sound like the most ridiculous thing in the world, but look. The idea that a human could be infected by something and turn into a creature that drinks human blood and lives forever doesn’t make sense, does it?”

The person had wagged a finger in front of Doyeong’s face as if to emphasize the point.

“Doesn’t it seem like it’s not even from Earth?”

Hearing it framed like that, it didn’t seem entirely absurd, but since Doyeong wasn’t particularly fond of science fiction, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

“So you’re saying the ‘X Virus’ that turns humans into vampires came from outer space?”

“Yes, but a very long time ago. Back when the Earth was still forming, with volcanoes erupting and the crust shifting. I believe the first vampires were beings infected by this X Virus. And those original vampires went extinct, like the dinosaurs.”

“Aliens, huh,” Doyeong muttered.

Back then, he had laughed it off, but seeing Gamal, it didn’t seem entirely implausible. She claimed to have lived for 3,300 years, had that kind of personality, and for some unknown reason, was playing a solo Robinson Crusoe on a deserted island.

“Why?” Gamal asked as she noticed him staring.

“You’re good at that.”

He meant it, but it was just a casual remark. Gamal slightly turned her body to the side and murmured,

“Don’t look. It’s not finished yet.”

Doyeong stifled a sigh. On top of everything, this vampire was unnecessarily cute.

Getting stranded on a deserted island was bad enough, but if he had ended up with a Spetsnaz guy built like a skinhead, it would have been worse. Both options were hard on his heart, but at least this was the better one.

Gamal focused back on weaving the carpet.

*Vrrrr….*

That’s when he heard it. A low, droning sound from the sky.

Doyeong lifted his head.

It was the sound of an airplane, and it was definitely coming this way.

Naturally, Gamal was also looking in the direction of the sound. Her hearing was much sharper than a human’s.

‘It could be Legion,’ Doyeong thought. But it had already been over a week since he dove into the sea to escape. There was no reason for them to still be searching for him, a mere Major, using airplanes.

That meant the plane drawing closer was likely a rescue team, either deliberately or by chance, passing over the island.

Doyeong quickly finished thinking and placed his hands on the ground, momentarily forgetting that he couldn’t stand up. He tried to spring to his feet.

That’s when Gamal looked at him. What washed over her face was unmistakably fear, like paint spilling across a canvas.

He didn’t even have time to react. Gamal lunged at him, and like a third baseman sliding to catch a ball, she grabbed him and practically slid them both into the bushes.

“What are you…?”

Doyeong began to speak, but Gamal clamped her hand over his mouth and pressed her body down against his.

The airplane noise passed overhead and faded into the distance.

Gamal remained tense, listening intently, and only relaxed once the sound had faded far enough away. Doyeong could feel the tension in her body, which had been rigid while they were pressed together, slowly ease.

Finally, with a moment to spare, Gamal looked down at Doyeong, whom she was still pinning down. The loose end of the carpet she had been working on draped over them, casting a shadow.

They were close.

Doyeong reached out, his hand brushing against her softly swaying hair. He lightly grasped her round shoulder, almost as if he were petting her.

Then, in a swift motion, he hooked his leg around hers and flipped her to the side, like in a wrestling move.

“You’re heavy!”

He hadn’t mentioned it before, but vampires were much heavier than humans. It was due to their different muscle density.

With that weight pressing down on his chest, it had been hard to breathe, like he was about to get squashed flat.

“Ugh.”

As he tried to put pressure on his leg, a wave of pain surged, making him groan without realizing it. Gamal, who had been flipped over like a pancake on a griddle, quickly jumped up and examined his leg.

“Are you okay?”

“What’s wrong with you?” Doyeong asked sharply.