Codename Vestia

Chapter 5 : Joonie

“Gamal? That’s an unusual name.”

Doyeong said.

It was hard to determine the nationality just from the name. However, considering the red eyes, it seemed likely that Gamal had lived for quite a long time, possibly even born in a country that no longer existed.

“Unusual?”

At the unfamiliar word, Gamal tilted her head. The expression made her look quite innocent, which surprised Doyeong a bit. When they had fought, she was more intimidating than anyone.

Doyeong rephrased in simpler words.

“Strange.”

“It’s not strange.”

Gamal immediately showed a slight pout. She seemed to have more of a personality than he thought.

“Alright. Sorry about that.”

Doyeong apologized willingly, not wanting to argue. Gamal then subtly asked.

“What about you?”

Doyeong looked at Gamal.

She had an innocent-looking face, but he couldn’t figure out her true intentions, so he was hesitant to reveal his identity. For all he knew, this could be a setup, and she might have been sent as an informant to extract information from him.

“Ismael.”

So, he deliberately used an alias.

“Your name is strange.”

But Gamal responded immediately like that. Doyeong felt a slight pressure in his temples.

“This girl, really.”

“It’s not your real name.”

Gamal said calmly. Doyeong was surprised, but he kept a straight face and asked just as calmly.

“Why do you think that?”

Gamal then opened her crossbody bag, reached in, and rummaged around before pulling out a familiar object. It was Doyeong’s wristband. It seemed to have been damaged during their fight, leaving only half of it, but it was definitely his.

“Your real name is….”

Gamal spoke slowly, making Doyeong tense up. She flipped the band over, revealing the identification tag.

“Major.”

The wristband was cut, so the name was also severed at that point. Pointing at it, Gamal spoke with a triumphant expression.

“Don’t try to lie. I know everything. Major.”

“Ah, I see.”

She was slightly more naive than he expected.

It was fortunate for Doyeong that she didn’t seem to know what the word “Major” meant.

“Do you live on this island?”

Doyeong shifted the topic. Gamal nodded.

“Yes.”

“Alone?”

“Yes.”

From what Doyeong had observed, it did seem like an uninhabited island.

“Why? You’re not stranded, are you?”

Even though this island was somewhat far from the mainland, if she was a vampire, she could have swum or built a massive raft to escape one way or another. But Gamal didn’t answer.

When Doyeong looked at her, wondering why, she changed the subject.

“I live here.”

Doyeong assumed she didn’t understand the word “stranded,” so he tried explaining again.

“Being stranded means….”

“Eat.”

Suddenly, Gamal pushed a basket made of woven bamboo, filled with food, toward Doyeong. He tried to speak again.

“So, why are you alone here….”

“You need to eat. For health? To improve.”

Gamal tilted her head, as if she was confused by the pronunciation.

‘She has no intention of answering.’

Doyeong realized. There must have been a reason for it, so he decided to take a step back for now and instead corrected her pronunciation.

“Health.”

“Health.”

Gamal repeated after him with a bright smile. When she was expressionless, she had a cold aura, as if she didn’t belong to this world. But when she smiled, she looked as gentle as a puppy. Doyeong was taken aback.

‘Why is she so cute?’

He almost kicked himself for thinking that reflexively.

The one in front of him was a vampire. Although the term “vampire” was a bit misleading these days since they no longer fed on blood, there was still a mystery about what she actually ate.

Anyway, Gamal’s late arrival had left him hungry. Whatever he was going to do, he needed to eat first, so Doyeong extended his arm, which was tied up with a rope.

“Can you untie this?”

Gamal shook her head.

“No.”

“Do you really think I can run away on this leg?”

It was not like he had anywhere to run even if he wanted to. But Gamal remained firm.

“Move, pain. Stay still.”

It seemed like she was saying it would hurt if he moved, so he should stay still. But, sorry as she might be, it wasn’t up to her whether he moved or not. Doyeong raised an eyebrow.

“I’m asking nicely. Untie it.”

Gamal shook her head again. Doyeong repeated himself.

“Untie it.”

Though she looked a bit hesitant, Gamal stubbornly shook her head. Doyeong sighed.

“So, I’m supposed to eat like this?”

At that, Gamal’s face lit up as if she had just come up with a brilliant idea.

“Want me to feed you?”

Doyeong buried his forehead in his hand.

How did he end up like this—trapped on a deserted island by some strange vampire wearing an “I ♡ NY” T-shirt? If someone had told him roughly 30 hours ago that he’d be in this situation, Doyeong would have laughed and told them to stop making ridiculous jokes.

Ever since the bomb had gone off at the mission site, it was as if he was testing how far his luck could plummet.

Doyeong let out a sigh and lifted his head. Gamal was quietly waiting.

“Alright, listen closely.”

As soon as Doyeong started speaking, Gamal focused on him as if she were a student being told to pay attention by her teacher.

“You’re a vampire. I’m a human. Right?”

Gamal nodded. Doyeong continued.

“I don’t know how long you’ve been living here, but you know this place very well. I don’t know it at all. You’re following me so far, right?”

Gamal nodded again. Doyeong pointed to his leg, which was still held in place by a splint.

“And thanks to you kicking me, my leg is in this state.”

“Sorry.”

Gamal genuinely sounded apologetic. Doyeong shook his head.

“I’m not saying this to get an apology. So, what are you so afraid of that you felt the need to tie me up?”

“Uh….”

Gamal seemed to realize he had a point and fell into thought. Then, all of a sudden, she picked up a bowl, took out a piece of flatbread baked without yeast like Indian naan, and stubbornly insisted.

“No.”

Doyeong swallowed a curse. She was almost convinced.

“Eat.”

Gamal pressed the piece of bread towards his lips again. Doyeong looked at the bread and, with no other choice, accepted it. He was hungry, and he needed his leg to heal.

But after eating the bread, he made an unexpected discovery.

“This is pretty good.”

As a Frenchman, Doyeong had extremely high standards for good bread. For him to say it was “pretty good” meant it could probably sell well anywhere.

Gamal beamed with pride and then made a gesture with both hands, mimicking flames flickering.

“Bake bread. Fire… uh, there’s puff-puff.”

“You mean an oven?”

“Oven?”

“For baking bread.”

“Yes. I have one. I made it.”

If she could build an oven, it was clear she had been living on this island for quite a while. She didn’t seem like an informant sent on a hasty mission.

Gamal tore off more bread and handed it to him. Doyeong ate it. After a few rounds of this, Gamal, who had been watching with curious eyes, suddenly said,

“Like a dog.”

Doyeong froze.

“This girl, really…!”

Without hesitation, he headbutted Gamal’s chin like a rocket. Even though she was a vampire, she was caught off guard, and the hit to her jaw—a weak spot—knocked her backward.

*Ping, clatter!*

The bowl and pieces of food scattered across the ground, making a loud noise. Doyeong’s neck veins bulged as he shouted.

“Who do you think put me in this state? And you call me a dog?”

Gamal looked startled. She lay there, still holding her chin, and muttered,

“You hit me with your head.”

Meanwhile, unable to move any further because of the rope, Doyeong flailed his leg and yelled,

“Untie this! Untie it, and I’ll show you what a real mad dog is!”

Gamal, shocked, stared at him before abruptly getting up and running away. Doyeong shouted after her.

“Where do you think you’re going, you little brat!”

***

Lying down, Doyeong began to piece together everything he had learned so far.

‘Name: Gamal. Species: Vampire. Nationality: Unknown. Age: Unknown. Appears to be about twenty-four or twenty-five. Judging by the red eyes, she’s at least over four hundred years old. Special note: Lives alone on a deserted island. Though I’m not sure if she’s truly alone.’

No matter how much he tried to piece things together, that was all Doyeong had for now. Since she wasn’t letting down her guard, he couldn’t learn anything more. He should have tried to coax her more gently earlier, but his temper had flared up without him realizing it.

He didn’t feel guilty about hitting a woman. If anything, it was ridiculous to consider her within the category of “the weak.” Compared to that vampire, he was the one who deserved to be treated as vulnerable. His head had been throbbing painfully for a while after headbutting Gamal, making him feel like he might pass out.

The truth was, Doyeong couldn’t trust this mysterious vampire. She might have a cute face, but who knew what she was hiding underneath it?

But more pressing than that, there was a different problem right now.

“Damn it, what am I supposed to do about the bathroom?”

Doyeong grumbled.

Even though he was in an unpredictable situation, tied up by a mysterious vampire, human biology remained stubbornly honest. Plus, he was someone who could consume ten thousand calories a day when he ate well, so it wasn’t something he could ignore.

Just then, the door swung open, and Gamal appeared.

“Do you need to use the bathroom?”

Doyeong was stunned. He had thought she’d gone somewhere else.

“What? You… were you standing outside?”

“Yes. I was.”

It was like when a couple argues, and one of them storms out, only to end up sitting on the porch smoking a cigarette because they had nowhere else to go. She must have been sulking outside, and given her keen hearing, she had probably caught what Doyeong was muttering to himself.

Doyeong sat up straight, using his core strength.

***

The damn night sky was breathtakingly beautiful. It must have been under a sky like this that Alphonse Daudet wrote “The Stars.”

Now that he thought about it, he couldn’t remember the last time he had leisurely looked up at the night sky like this.

Maybe it was during his academy days, when he had been studying so intensely that he needed a breath of fresh air, and stepped outside to take a deep breath and glance at the sky. Or it might have been when he was on a mission, briefly catching a glimpse of the night sky while waiting for the signal to move out.

Looking back, he realized how hard he had worked. He had studied like a law student to become an officer, and given the nature of being in a special forces unit, the time and effort he put into studying were nothing compared to how he trained his body.

And after all that effort, here he was, lying in the grass on a deserted island.

“I can’t believe this is my life, seriously.”

Doyeong pulled up his pants and fastened the buckle, quickly scanning his surroundings. There wasn’t much he could see with the human eye in the darkened forest, but he was trying to gather whatever information he could.

Just then, the rope tied around his wrist was tugged. From beyond the bushes, Gamal called out loudly.

“Are you done?”

Doyeong rolled his eyes.

“Hold on.”

He limped out of the thicket, where Gamal stood holding the end of the rope that bound him. Doyeong asked,

“Got an appointment with someone? Why are you in such a hurry?”