Beast, Blue Blood - Chapter 100

Chapter 100

The car came to a halt in front of the club with a rumble. People waiting in line at the entrance whistled in admiration at the Bugatti, a sight rarely seen even in a city marked by stark contrasts between wealth and poverty.

The car door opened upward, and Si-woo, dressed as the elegant Selena, stepped out in high heels that showcased the curves of luxury fashion. Though his office attire was similar to what he wore at work, the arrival of such a perfectly styled beauty stirred excitement among the crowd. Part of the reaction was probably because he resembled the elusive Luax.

The club’s entrance, marked by a neon sign reading ‘UB’ (Under the Bridge), was rather straightforward in its naming.

“CEO.”

A bodyguard from the car behind approached and spoke.

“This doesn’t seem like a good idea.”

Si-woo looked at the club entrance guarded by a doorman who looked so far from human that it was almost unsettling.

“It’s fine. It’s not like a few bullets will kill me.”

These days, it wasn’t ordinary guns being used. They were new ‘silver bullets’ of modern science, capable of piercing even Luax’s steel-like skin—technology designed to hunt legendary vampires and werewolves.

Although Si-woo’s skin couldn’t stop silver bullets either, his regenerative abilities prevented death. Still, if the opponent had any sense, they wouldn’t easily shoot at the CEO of ISLE.

As Si-woo approached the entrance, the doorman extended his hand to stop him.

“Weapons are prohibited.”

The bodyguard stepped forward, but Si-woo raised a hand to stop him.

“It’s alright.”

He then told the doorman.

“You can search me.”

The doorman began patting down Si-woo. It wasn’t his intention, but as he brushed against his chest, Si-woo smirked.

“Feels real, doesn’t it?”

The doorman chuckled but said nothing further and allowed Si-woo inside.

Descending the stairs, Si-woo surveyed the crowded club.

“Oh, a beautiful lady…”

At that moment, a slightly drunk man tried to approach Si-woo. However, as he drew nearer and noticed Si-woo’s growing presence, he looked up in awe. Due to the height difference, he averted his gaze and moved aside, seeming intimidated.

Several men guarding the club pointed toward Si-woo and whispered among themselves before one of them approached.

“Let me escort you.”

Si-woo followed them.

Meanwhile, Joo-hwan, among the dense crowd, saw Si-woo disappear and pulled his hat down further to blend into the crowd.

On the other hand, Si-woo, guided to a room at the back of the club, entered to find a middle-aged man sitting on a sofa, a sly smile on his face. He was a seasoned Luax, although his eyes weren’t red yet.

In a world where laws and social agreements operated, Luax rarely reached the top due to the need to avoid human scrutiny. However, in places where power ruled, Luax naturally took on leadership roles.

“Selena Chu. Who might this be?”

The broker feigned enthusiasm as he spoke.

“It’s an honor. Please, have a seat.”

As Si-woo sat down across from him, the broker asked.

“What brings a busy person like you here?”

Si-woo crossed his legs and spoke.

“I hear the modified VAC is selling like hotcakes these days. It first emerged from this club, didn’t it?”

The broker shrugged.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

It was clear he wasn’t going to openly admit to selling drugs.

Si-woo smiled lightly.

“Don’t be coy. You can’t deny the favor we’ve done for you. Thanks to our developed Coolishidine, even Luax can use drugs now.”

“The CEO of ISLE is making dangerous statements.”

The broker narrowed his eyes as he spoke, and Si-woo chuckled.

“No matter what you say, it won’t be accepted in court.”

The broker laughed, but both knew it wasn’t genuine.

“You sound like a rotten capitalist.”

It was then that Si-woo realized the broker was from the Soviet Union.

The broker, unfazed, looked up at the floating image of a CCTV shot showing a bartender leaving the club.

“Do you recognize this man?”

“Do you think I would? How many people come and go here?”

Si-woo didn’t expect an easy admission.

“If you tell me willingly, I’ll let you go this time. It’d be a hassle to tear this place apart, wouldn’t it?”

A brief silence followed, and suddenly, the broker seemed to lunge to escape. Si-woo, anticipating this, grabbed the armrest with one hand, twisted his body, and drove the broker’s neck into the ground with his high heel.

A deafening crash reverberated through the building, and Si-woo’s coat flapped dramatically like a hero’s cape as he fell.

The broker’s men, acting as one, drew their weapons and aimed at Si-woo. However, he remained unfazed, pressing down with the force of his high heels and leaning in as he whispered.

“Who said high heels aren’t weapons?”

The heel was perfectly positioned to pierce a vein.

“Who asked you to administer that nasty drug? Just give me a name.”

The broker only bared his teeth and growled in response.

Si-woo shifted his coat aside, drawing a pistol from his waist and aiming it at his temple. Despite having been searched, the broker cursed when he saw Si-woo brandishing the weapon. Si-woo smiled coldly.

“You know best the power of money, don’t you?”

“You’re no less of a mad dog yourself.”

Indeed, anyone sane should have recognized that a man in such a state couldn’t be ordinary. Even if he seemed to fit in.

Finally, the broker spoke.

“I can’t say. You know why.”

This implied that someone with significant influence, like Royal Star or Lancenum, was behind him.

Si-woo lowered the gun from the broker’s temple and stood up. The broker, attempting to rise, grumbled.

“Why are the panties men’s?”

At that moment, the high heel pierced his shoulder. The broker screamed in pain.

As his men prepared to fire, the door exploded open, and heavily armed special forces soldiers rushed in.

“Everyone, freeze!”

In an instant, the area was chaotic. Music continued to blare from beyond the door, but no one appeared to be dancing.

“Situation under control.”

The team leader radioed in and nodded to Si-woo.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

The broker’s men were quickly subdued, kneeling around the room.

Si-woo continued past the incoming team members and exited the building. The empty hall was lit by a solitary strobe light. Climbing the stairs and stepping outside, he found the rain falling through the sweltering air.

At that moment, Si-woo jerked his head around. Something sparkled from across the rooftop. In a split second, an arrow flew right past him.

‘Pyeonjeon?’

Si-woo instantly recognized the flying wooden arrow as a Pyeonjeon (a type of arrow), given its speed, long range, and shorter length compared to ordinary arrows.

Even though a Pyeonjeon had significant killing power, it was unlikely Si-woo wouldn’t be able to dodge such an arrow. The choice of Pyeonjeon hinted at a certain ‘historical significance.’

As the Pyeonjeon embedded itself in the wall behind him, Si-woo glanced back at the rooftop where a shadow swiftly vanished.

“Pursue them!”

The team shouted, and the surroundings erupted in noise.

* * *

The man descended onto the street with a casual demeanor. Although he heard distant commotion, he knew it was too late for anyone to follow him. He looked up with calm confidence, only to find Si-woo standing in front of him. He stopped abruptly.

“What…”

He was remarkably fast, selected specifically for this task. Knowing the ISLE CEO was a tough opponent, he had been carefully chosen. Yet, Si-woo not only dominated the street but had also drawn a sword.

Si-woo unsheathed a white-glowing blade from its black scabbard. The blade, not made of ordinary steel but of the metal used for silver bullets, emitted an oddly clear flash.

“Who sent you?”

His red eyes glinted fiercely.

“Changwon-gun?”

The man, without a chance to curse, immediately began running in the opposite direction. Si-woo chased after him.

At some point, the man started climbing the wall. Si-woo, finding his high heels cumbersome, threw them off and continued the pursuit. Despite having worn high heels longer than most women, he still struggled with them.

The rain was intensifying, but it didn’t hinder Si-woo’s pursuit. After several leaps, he soared over the rooftop, his feet momentarily off the ground. He landed a few steps ahead of the man, and with a burst of acceleration, he pushed off the ground again.

As the man desperately tried to catch his sword which had embedded itself in his shoulder, he was pushed further back by Si-woo’s strength.

Thud!

When he was forcefully pushed into the wall, blood exploded from his body, and a mixture of blood and screams erupted from his mouth.

“Ugh…”

“One last time, I’m asking you.”

Si-woo’s voice was chilling.

“Is it Changwon-gun?”

The man, gritting his teeth in pain, managed a trembling smile.

Boom.

The man exploded in a fiery burst. At the last moment before the explosion hit, Si-woo reflexively shielded his face with his arm but was still thrown back by the force of the blast.

The sound of falling rebar was followed by clattering as it rolled away and smashed into the wall, causing it to crack spider-web-like and then halt.

Si-woo, barely stopping, was enveloped in smoke that seemed to make a sound as it rose.

“CEO!”

The door to the rooftop burst open as the team members rushed in.

Si-woo’s appearance was a mess. His clothes were burned on the side facing the explosion, his neck and shoulders were severely burned, and smoke rose from his wounds. One of his shoulder pads had ripped off and was dangling.

“Are you alright…”

The advancing team members hesitated.

Si-woo’s wounds were healing right before their eyes as if the video were being played in reverse.

The team members stared in disbelief, but Si-woo didn’t mind. He threw aside his burned and charred wig, along with the remnants of his top and padding, and wiped his soot-streaked face.

Looking at the distorted wig floating in a puddle, Si-woo cursed loudly. Then he cursed again, more vehemently.

The people watching were at a loss for words. In the pouring rain, the sight of a near-naked man in a badly burned skirt was surreal, even with the smudged makeup that hadn’t completely come off.

Si-woo brushed his wet, dripping hair aside.

It was now clear who was behind all this.

If it was Changwon-gun, he wouldn’t stop.

He was a monster, and the one who had created that monster was him.

* * *

“Si-woo!”

The door burst open, and Ha-yeon stormed in. Si-woo, standing under the shower with hot water pouring over him, looked back in surprise.

“Miss, I’m currently…”

Ignoring the fact that Ha-yeon had entered with her shoes still on, she came right up to Si-woo and turned him around, inspecting him carefully for injuries.

Si-woo replied.

“I’m fine.”

Ha-yeon looked up at him with an angry expression.

“Do you think you’re Rambo? Going alone into a den of dangerous people?”

Si-woo gazed at Ha-yeon silently.

“There was a whole squad of special forces behind me.”

Unlike Rambo, he wasn’t reckless enough to go into a den of villains alone.

But Ha-yeon seemed to disregard this.

“And you chased down the one who fled by yourself. How many times do you think you can fight while sitting at a desk playing with numbers?”

Though he wanted to forget his past, Ha-yeon seemed to see him as merely a naive person, despite once being a notorious killer. Strangely, Si-woo didn’t feel bad about it, and he smiled.

“Sorry.”

Ha-yeon, apparently having lost the will to argue, exhaled deeply.

“Alright. Get cleaned up and come out.”

As Ha-yeon turned to leave, Si-woo grabbed her and pulled her towards him. Ha-yeon found herself cornered between the wall and Si-woo, with the scalding water streaming down on them.

Si-woo, with his face in shadow, looked down at Ha-yeon.

“Did you get wet in the rain? You’re soaked.”

“Because you went to that place alone.”

“You’ll catch a cold.”

Ha-yeon raised her eyebrows.

“Is that such a big deal?”

Si-woo wrapped his arms around Ha-yeon’s neck and kissed her.

“It is a big deal.”

* * *

After a long shower, Ha-yeon sat on the couch.

“Do you want something to drink?”

Si-woo asked as he came over.

“No, I’m fine. But are you not going to die? No matter how many injuries you sustain?”

Si-woo, towel in hand, brushed his wet hair aside and suddenly asked.

“Would you like to go somewhere with me?”

* * *

The car stopped in front of a temple on the outskirts of Seoul.

“They don’t close at this hour?”

Ha-yeon asked as she got out of the car.

“I made a special request.”

Si-woo, wearing a thin coat, replied as he got out of the car. Ha-yeon took in the tranquil night air and looked around.

“So why the temple all of a sudden? Joseon scholar?”

“I wasn’t a scholar, precisely speaking.”

“You’re being pedantic.”

Ha-yeon huffed, and Si-woo smiled faintly.

“Anyway, there’s something I want to show you here.”

Ha-yeon walked with Si-woo along the path leading to the temple.

“Visiting at night has its own charm.”

Ha-yeon’s gaze was fixed on something towering above the temple. She couldn’t tear her eyes away and asked.

“Is that what I think it is?”

“Yes.”

“It’s magnificent.”

The tree was truly enormous. Its black branches stretched towards the sky, resembling a dragon ascending or perhaps the root of a world growing upside down. Especially remarkable were the golden leaves that shone brightly even at night, creating a breathtaking sight.

Even from a distance, it was overwhelming, but standing right underneath it was awe-inspiring. Ha-yeon understood why such large, ancient trees were revered as sacred.

The ground was thick with fallen leaves, creating a muted, contemplative atmosphere.

Si-woo spoke.

“You might not know since you didn’t grow up here, but this is the oldest ginkgo tree in Korea. It’s said to be between a thousand and fifteen hundred years old. It’s one of the few things still living that’s older than I am.”

The statement sounded somewhat melancholic, and as Ha-yeon turned to look, Si-woo, trying to lighten the mood, gave a small smile.

“It’s even of higher rank than I was. It’s a third-class merit tree.”

“Do trees have ranks too?”

“It was given a rank by King Seongjong. Even though I never visited it when I was human, I had heard of it.”

Ha-yeon looked at the ancient ginkgo tree with newfound interest, reflecting on Si-woo’s connection to a time long past. Few beings knew of Si-woo’s existence from the era he once lived.

Si-woo also gazed up at the tree. The yellowish shadows cast on his red eyes gave them a strange, almost otherworldly hue.

“When I returned to Korea… this tree naturally came to mind. I rarely visited other places, but I came here occasionally.”

The story of how the only thing that seemed worth visiting in his homeland after such a long absence was this tree seemed almost pitiable, but given the ‘long absence’ spanned several centuries, it was understandable.

Ha-yeon asked.

“Is there a specific reason you chose this ginkgo tree? There might be older trees in Korea.”

A tree around a thousand years old was indeed old but not the oldest in Korea.

“Ginkgo trees are remarkably ancient. They first appeared in the Paleozoic era, and this species, the last survivor of its genus, emerged around a hundred million years ago.”

“Really?”

Ha-yeon looked up at the ginkgo tree again with a sense of awe. For someone accustomed to beings who lived for centuries or millennia, the term ‘Paleozoic’ carried significant weight.

Si-woo continued.

“Therefore, the organisms that might have helped the ginkgo tree’s reproduction have long since disappeared, so now the tree can only propagate with human assistance.”

“That’s similar to Luax. Both are unique in their genetic lineage, with humans acting as intermediaries for their propagation.”

It might seem ironic to compare such a majestic and ancient being to Luax, which once preyed on blood, but Ha-yeon understood why Si-woo chose this particular tree.

Si-woo turned to face Ha-yeon directly and got to the point.

“As you saw, my wounds heal somewhat faster than usual.”

Ha-yeon frowned.

“‘Somewhat faster’? It looked like a video played in reverse.”

“That’s typical for our lineage.”

Ha-yeon, curious, asked.

“Does Emily have this trait too?”

Si-woo nodded.

“Yes. However, Ah-eun doesn’t know where this ability came from. She just mentioned it was present from the moment of infection. Later, tests revealed that our lineage has a TEr3 gene, which is involved in regenerative cell production and differs slightly from typical Luax.”

Ha-yeon’s brow furrowed slightly.

“Different?”