Codename Vestia

Chapter 17: Joonie

Gamal followed and asked,

“Isn’t it dark?”

“It’s a path I know, so it’s fine.”

Suddenly, Gamal stepped back. It was a somewhat unnatural movement, and Doyeong, turning around instinctively, saw Gamal quickly cover something with her foot. Doyeong pretended not to notice and looked away, but he had seen it clearly.

‘Footprints.’

Just like before, they were barefoot human footprints. Now it was certain. Gamal was hiding someone.

And it was a man.

Judging by the size of the footprints, both this time and last time, they belonged to a man. And when he thought it might be a man, he started to get angry.

Was it a lover or a husband?

But if that were the case, it didn’t make sense that the other person would just leave him be. Unless he was someone with an open mind who didn’t care about seeing his woman fooling around with another man, or a fool.

‘Why is she hiding him?’

There was no need to hide it just because the person was a vampire. So, there had to be another reason she was hiding him, and it wasn’t something as simple as a love affair.

Doyeong suddenly looked back and raised one eyebrow.

“How far are you planning to follow me?”

“Oh, sorry.”

Gamal apologized and took a step back. Doyeong entered the bushes to the right and deliberately moved further inside. From a distance, Gamal shouted.

“How far are you going?”

“I’m worried you’ll keep following me.”

“I won’t follow. It’s dark. Don’t go too far.”

Doyeong subtly observed the surroundings, but he couldn’t sense anything. A night bird chirped in the distance.

Beyond that darkness, Gamal’s secret was hidden. Doyeong could feel it.

***

“What are you doing?”

After breakfast, Gamal asked in confusion. Doyeong was packing items into a crossbody bag.

“Going out again?”

Doyeong slung the bag over his shoulder and replied,

“Didn’t get to see everything yesterday.”

Gamal, thinking about how to stop Doyeong, muttered,

“I’m tired….”

“Then I’ll go by myself. I’m getting used to the path now.”

Gamal quickly responded, as if the thought was inconceivable,

“It’s dangerous for you to go alone, Doyeong.”

“I can handle animals on my own.”

Then, staring directly at Gamal, he added,

“Unless a vampire attacks.”

Gamal put down the basket and said,

“I’m worried. I’ll come with you.”

Doyeong shrugged.

“Suit yourself.”

So, the two of them headed back into the forest, just like yesterday.

Doyeong wandered around, as if foraging, searching for any signs. Occasionally, he glanced back at Gamal, who was following him. Yesterday, she had been so flustered, but today, she was trailing behind without much comment.

Doyeong looked straight ahead again.

‘She must have told him to erase the traces.’

After walking for a while, he pushed aside some branches, and suddenly, his view opened up to a grand scene. In the distance, on the opposite side, he could see a cliff with a waterfall flowing down.

“The waterfall where Doyeong first fell.”

Gamal, standing next to him, pointed at the waterfall.

The waterfall was bigger than he had expected. It was almost unbelievable that a human could have survived falling from there. It was probably thanks to how well Gamal had thrown him.

“There’s nowhere else to go.”

As she spoke, Gamal glanced at Doyeong, as if hoping he would turn back. Without responding, Doyeong continued walking along the cliff. His eyes were focused seriously on the area below, like a commander surveying the terrain while planning a strategy.

Gamal followed behind, occasionally glancing down at the cliff. Then, suddenly, Doyeong turned around. Gamal, startled, wondered if he had caught on to her thoughts about whether a human could survive a fall from this height, and nervously looked at him.

“Hm?”

“Gamal.”

Doyeong took two steps closer and spoke in a serious tone. The sound of the distant waterfall crashing down was majestic. The sunlight, slanting slightly, seemed to reflect off Doyeong’s eyes, giving them a faint glow.

“Why…?”

Overwhelmed by the look in his eyes, Gamal asked quietly. Doyeong placed his hands on her shoulders.

Then, he lowered his head and kissed her. Their lips touched gently. She was surprised for a moment, but soon, Gamal closed her eyes. It was a strange experience, where the loud sound of the waterfall, echoing across the world, gradually seemed to fade away.

Their lips parted slightly. Still close enough for her to feel his breath, Doyeong whispered.

“Gamal, I’m sorry.”

In a daze, Gamal responded without fully understanding.

“For what…?”

“I need to know what you’re hiding.”

Thud.

Then, Doyeong pushed Gamal. With all his strength. Gamal’s eyes widened. She was standing right at the edge of the cliff, and before she could react, she started to fall.

Meanwhile, Doyeong immediately turned and began to run. He felt a pang of guilt, but this was the only way to get away from Gamal, even for a short while. If she were human, it would be a death sentence, but since she was a vampire, she would be fine.

Crack. Snap. Swish.

He ran through the forest at full speed, pushing through leaves and branches. He had traveled the path multiple times, so he knew where he was going.

After running with all his might, he finally arrived at a wide, open field of flowers.

This was the boundary. The furthest point Doyeong could reach. Beyond this place lay Gamal’s secret. Without stopping, Doyeong kept running toward it, his heart pounding so hard that he could feel the blood pumping through his veins.

Past the flower field, a reed field stretched out. He was almost through the reeds when it happened. Suddenly, someone appeared beside him. Doyeong’s eyes widened.

“What the…!”

It was a man who had appeared out of nowhere, but Doyeong instantly knew he was a vampire. Because…

Doyeong immediately ducked his head. The man’s spinning kick sliced through the air, barely missing the top of his head. Instead, it slammed into a tree behind him. The tree exploded with a loud, popping sound, as if an air pocket had burst, and splintered apart.

Doyeong swung his knife backward. But Tora easily caught his arm, stopping the attack, and knocked him to the ground. Then he swiftly raised his hand, his red eyes flashing like torches beneath the setting sun. It was the face of a predator with its hunting instincts awakened.

“No!”

In that moment, Gamal burst through the reeds like a bolt of lightning, tackling Tora.

“Marti, watch out for the slope…!”

Tora shouted in surprise, and the sound of them tumbling down echoed. With the weight of two vampires, the noise resembled that of heavy boulders rolling downhill.

Seeing his chance, Doyeong immediately got up and started running again, pushing through the reeds.

Swish, swish.

He could hear them closing in behind him. This time, it was two vampires. It was the worst situation Doyeong had ever faced in a fight.

The reeds rustled with an unusual intensity. Doyeong swung his knife immediately, striking at Tora’s feet.

Tora used the momentum to flip through the air like an acrobat, landing gracefully, and said,

“You’re the first human to keep up with my speed, Major.”

“Don’t underestimate a trained human.”

“Underestimate? I’m impressed.”

Rustle.

Gamal was close by, making the reeds sway again. Surprisingly, this reed field turned out to be advantageous for Doyeong, as it obscured the vision and pinpointing of the two vampires, whose physical abilities were otherwise superior.

Doyeong turned and began to run again.

But at the edge of the reeds was a swamp. Doyeong was taken aback.

“What the…!”

Unfortunately, once an object gains momentum, it can’t stop abruptly. Doyeong plunged straight into the swamp. Struggling to turn himself around, he saw Tora standing at the edge, looking amused.

“If you agree to cooperate, I’ll pull you out.”

It was clear now. Tora had been herding him toward this swamp, knowing it was there all along, and had only attacked intermittently to drive him this way.

Doyeong was slowly sinking. He didn’t want to end up as a mummified corpse at the bottom of the swamp, so he had no choice. Letting out a sigh, he said,

“Fine. I’ll cooperate.”

With a triumphant expression, Tora pulled out a long reed and extended it toward Doyeong. Doyeong grabbed the reed, and Tora used his immense strength to pull him out easily. Then, he extended his other hand. Doyeong grasped it and climbed up.

Suddenly, Tora flinched and looked at Doyeong. The knife was pressed against the side of his ribcage, perfectly aligned with the grain of his vampire skin.

Doyeong’s eyes gleamed as he spoke.

“Don’t even breathe.”

Vampire skin had a unique grain pattern for each individual. Even though it appeared strong, if one matched the grain, it could be pierced.

When Doyeong had grabbed Tora’s arm earlier, he had figured out the direction of the grain. Tora realized that the angle was so perfect that even the force of a human’s thrust would make the blade sink in effortlessly.

Tora gazed at Doyeong and said quietly,

“I’m impressed.”

“You should be scared instead.”

Doyeong pushed the knife a little closer.

“Indeed…”

Tora muttered, then suddenly swung his leg around in a kick. Doyeong immediately threw himself to the side, just barely avoiding Tora’s foot as it grazed past his face.

“You’re not an ordinary person, are you?”

Tora grinned as he spoke, and without hesitation, he swung his leg again. This time, the speed was beyond what a human could react to. Doyeong couldn’t dodge it.

In that moment, Doyeong realized that Tora was aiming to knock him unconscious.