Codename Vestia

Chapter 4: Joonie

“Did he dodge?”

The woman muttered in a language that Doyeong couldn’t understand. She glanced at him, gauging his reaction, before quickly picking up a long stick lying on the ground.

Doyeong gripped his knife tightly. Facing a vampire barehanded—literally clad in nothing but underwear—was a first for him, but since he had a real weapon, it seemed doable.

He noticed the woman stepping forward, reading her movements. The stick narrowly missed his arm and struck the ground.

Thud!

“What….”

Doyeong was taken aback. It was just a stick, not a metal rod, so why did it make that sound? But he didn’t have time to ponder over it.

The stick lodged in the ground sprang up. Even a glancing blow would have caused serious injury.

Driven purely by survival instinct, Doyeong leaned back. The stick sliced through the air, making a chilling sound no ordinary stick could make. When Doyeong dodged again, the woman glared at him, her eyes wide with surprise.

He could see the cliff behind her. If he pressed her hard enough, he might be able to push her off.

This time, Doyeong swung his knife. The woman blocked it with her arm. When she looked up at him, her red eyes burned with a menacing, flame-like intensity. She retaliated by grabbing his arm and sweeping his legs out from under him.

The sound was a clear, harsh *crack.*

“……!”

Doyeong couldn’t even curse, overwhelmed by the searing pain that jolted through his entire body.

But he gritted his teeth. The pain was fleeting. If he couldn’t endure this moment, death would be eternal. Doyeong aimed for the woman’s neck.

Despite her leg likely being broken, the woman was surprised that Doyeong hadn’t stopped.

But he wasn’t going to fall for the same trick twice. The vampire’s eyes left a ghostly afterimage in the air as she swiftly ducked.

The woman suddenly lunged at Doyeong and grabbed him. Then, she spun around and let go.

“Putain….”

Suspended in mid-air, Doyeong cursed.

Before he could do anything, his body began to plummet from an incredible height. He crashed into the water below.

Underwater, everything was as still as if the chaos from moments ago had been a lie. He tried to regain his senses, but his head must have hit something, as he began to lose consciousness. He had survived the fall from a much higher place just fine, and yet…

It was like how a phone, after being dropped multiple times without issue, would shatter after one final fall from a desk—perhaps the right analogy for what had just happened.

“Am I going to be fish food like this?”

Through dazed eyes, he faintly saw a shadow reflected on the water’s surface.

Thud.

Then, the underwater world was disturbed, as if a heavy, steel-like object had just crashed into it.

As the bubbles subsided, the woman straightened her body and began swimming toward him. Even though vampires were land creatures, they couldn’t breathe underwater, so she puffed her cheeks and tightly sealed her lips, looking quite determined.

It seemed he wasn’t going to become fish food but rather a vampire’s meal.

Doyeong lost consciousness.

***

Gamal dragged the man out onto the shore. She laid him down on the damp, muddy ground, then quickly stepped back and hid under a large, broad leaf.

She watched him for a while in that position. The man lay there, soaking wet, not moving. He appeared to be unconscious. His muscles were completely relaxed, which made it unlikely he was pretending.

She was startled by the sudden attack. It was surprising enough that he realized she was following him, even though she had only been observing from a distance.

Gamal cautiously approached the man. She nudged his head, which had turned to the side.

“Mm….”

In his unconscious state, the man turned his head to face forward. Droplets of water, like startled fish, scattered and flowed down his face.

Gamal took a closer look at him. His appearance was unfamiliar. His face was delicately handsome, almost feminine, but his body was built like a warrior’s. From the way he fought, it was clear he was not just any human, yet he was human.

‘There’s no mistake, right?’

Since he was indeed human, Gamal tilted her head to examine his face more closely. She could hear the rhythmic sound of his breathing.

Water droplets trickled down his tanned chest, flowing toward his armpits. The water pooled over his well-defined, muscular abdomen.

Gamal lifted her head like a meerkat, listening for any other sounds around them.

*Sss… ssrrrk.*

Only the familiar chirping of insects from the bushes could be heard.

Satisfied, Gamal hoisted the man onto her back. His body was larger than hers, and he slumped awkwardly over her. She adjusted him once, lifted him a little higher, and then carried him into the forest… only to come back out and pick up the T-shirt that had fallen to the ground.

***

When consciousness returned, Doyeong slowly opened his eyes. Something flickered, reflecting light near the corner of his vision.

The first thing he saw was a mobile hanging from the wooden ceiling, swaying like clusters of dried persimmons. It was made of colorful glass, stones, and seashells. The light that had glinted across his eyes came from the glass, reflecting the sunlight seeping through a gap.

Sweat trickled down Doyeong’s temple.

The space around him was dark and stiflingly warm, and for a moment, he thought he might have been placed inside an oven to be cooked—perhaps sous vide style. Thanks to the shade, the room was filled with a tepid warmth.

Doyeong lifted his head. The hut he lay in was empty, and it was still daylight; bright sunlight pierced through cracks in the wooden walls.

‘This place….’
Both of his wrists were tied with ropes. The rope was roughly twisted from tree fibers, and its ends were tightly secured to a pillar. He was wearing a T-shirt, but his legs were still clad only in underwear, with a wooden splint set against them.

‘How long has it been?’

All his wounds had been treated using primitive methods, and within reach of the ropes, there were bowls containing water and food. Beside them, his well-dried combat pants were neatly folded.

‘Did that vampire leave all this…?’

It seemed that, much like the old folktale of the man who broke a swallow’s leg and then mended it, the one who had broken his leg and treated it was likely that female vampire.

‘Why is there a vampire on an uninhabited island like this?’

He really had the worst luck. After barely escaping from vampire terrorists, he had ended up in a vampire’s lair.

And from what he had seen, that female vampire didn’t seem to care much about the new laws imposed on Luas, which forbade bloodsucking and murder. Many Luas who disliked these rules had hidden away in jungles or underground, and she might be one of those.

‘But…’

Doyeong looked at his leg, which had been splinted. Although he was tied up, the fact that his injuries had been treated suggested that she didn’t have any immediate intention of harming him.

Technically, he was the one who attacked first. Still, it wasn’t as if he could extend a handshake when he realized a dangerous presence was following him in an unfamiliar environment.

But then a disturbing thought crossed his mind.

‘She doesn’t plan to keep me alive just to use me as a source of blood, does she?’

Like how bears are kept for their bile.

Doyeong sat up and inspected the ropes binding his wrists. He was astonished.

‘Do they think I’m really a bear?’

The rope was thick enough that it could probably restrain an actual bear, which meant there was no way a human could break free of it.

Regardless of whether the vampire intended to drink his blood or had some other purpose, the important thing was that she wasn’t trying to kill him right away.

In other words, it was crucial to figure out what this vampire wanted from him.

So, Doyeong decided to wait for the female vampire to return. Meanwhile, he looked around the hut.

There were a few mismatched wooden crates along the walls, and shelves were mounted all around, cluttered with various items. Upon closer inspection, it seemed more like a log cabin than a hut.

It was hard to tell if someone with building experience had constructed it; the overall shape was solid, but the finishing touches were inconsistent.

‘This place…’

It looked as if it had been built by “someone who didn’t really know much about construction but had plenty of time on their hands.”
The light shadows cast by the glass mobile swayed gently on the floor, catching Doyeong’s attention as he gazed up at the ceiling.

At first glance, he hadn’t noticed, but the mobiles, which hung densely enough to fill the ceiling, were each intricately woven with delicate knots, giving off the feel of primitive tribal crafts. It must have taken a long time to make them all.

The cloth Doyeong was lying on also had patterns woven into it, as if it had been hand-made. If this was truly a vampire’s lair, he wasn’t sure if this was the right way to describe it, but it felt like a modest yet neatly organized countryside grandmother’s house.

Doyeong looked at the door. Quite some time had passed, but the vampire had yet to appear.

“I need to meet her to figure things out.”

He felt like food that had been forgotten in an oven.

Doyeong turned onto his side.

***

*Creak.*

The door quietly opened. Then, a pair of white feet stepped in softly.

Doyeong was lying with his back to the door, appearing to be asleep. By now, he had put on his pants.

Only then did Gamal feel reassured enough to step inside and reach for the empty bowls.

“It doesn’t look like you’re planning to kill me,” Doyeong said.

The moment he spoke, her hand froze, hovering just over the bowls.

When Gamal turned around, she saw Doyeong watching her with open eyes. Startled, she stepped back and made a dash for the door.

“Wait…!”

Doyeong tried to spring up, but a sharp pain shot through his leg, making him flinch.

“Damn it.”

As Doyeong grumbled roughly, Gamal hesitated. Standing by the door, she seemed to be deciding whether to leave, but she kept glancing back at him, watching as he tried to lift himself. Doyeong barely managed to sit up.

“If you’re going to just stand there and watch, why don’t you give me a hand?”

Gamal hesitated for a moment longer, then approached and helped him sit against the wall. Doyeong gave her a once-over.

“You understand what I’m saying, right?”

Gamal nodded. But that was all. Since she didn’t add anything, Doyeong asked again.

“Then why don’t you talk?”

Gamal hesitated before replying.

“It’s… been a long time since I spoke.”

Even her voice was beautiful. One could describe it with all sorts of poetic embellishments, but it felt like the adjective “beautiful” existed solely for her.

‘Don’t get swayed by appearances.’

Doyeong composed himself and asked, “How did you know I could speak French?”

“You said bad words in French.”

That made sense.

“Is your leg, hurting?”

Gamal cautiously asked, observing him.

“What do you think? After kicking it so brutally?” Doyeong responded, sounding incredulous. Gamal hesitated, mumbling as she asked, “Are… you human?”

“Hey, who’s asking who here, vampire?” Doyeong retorted.

Gamal shook her head slightly.

“I’ve never seen a human as strong as you. I was surprised. I kicked your leg. I’m sorry.”

Doyeong observed her carefully. She spoke French like a foreigner who could communicate fairly well but wasn’t fluent. Yet, her appearance made it hard to guess her nationality.

“Where are you from?”

He asked, but Gamal didn’t answer. She simply kept her mouth shut and stared at him. It seemed she had no intention of responding.

“Can I at least ask your name?”

Doyeong asked cynically, expecting her not to answer, but this time Gamal nodded and said, “Gamal.”