Beast, Blue Blood - Chapter 109
Chapter 109
Screech.
Growl.
The massive iron door was pushed open. Beyond the wide-open door, in the darkness, something lay quietly asleep with its wings folded.
The leading man gestured.
“Let’s start. Move the items right away.”
* * *
“What….”
Myung-jin flinched. Standing in front of her was Ha-yeon, flanked by two burly men who looked like they could snap her neck with their bare hands. Despite Ha-yeon not being short, she appeared diminutive in comparison.
Myung-jin mumbled in disbelief.
“Is your father finally putting his foot down?”
“No, this time it’s Si-woo.”
“Why him?”
“Because of the recent terror incident.”
“Oh, he’s worried? Seriously, what a nuisance. Because of a terror attack across the river?”
Ha-yeon felt no need to mention that she was present during the incident, so she made vague excuses.
“Anyway, it looks like we’ll need to stick together for a while.”
“It’s unusual for you to follow orders so obediently.”
As she said this, Myung-jin turned her attention to the computer, and her expression grew serious. Wondering what was wrong, Ha-yeon glanced over just as Myung-jin suddenly turned back and asked.
“Hey, did you see this?”
* * *
On TV, the announcer spoke.
[Dr. Lowell Koskinen, a mental health consultant, testified that CEO Selena has continued to drink blood.]
A clip of Dr. Lowell’s interview appeared on the screen.
[I decided to come forward because I believed it was the right thing to do.]
The announcer returned, saying,
[There are opinions criticizing Dr. Lowell Koskinen for violating patient confidentiality, but the consensus is that it was a choice made for the public good.]
It didn’t take long to realize that Lowell was part of the operational force planted by Lancenum.
But when did it start?
Lowell, like Jerome, was a descendant of the Isle Island residents. The ISLE Foundation had paid her tuition, and the first hospital she worked for was an ISLE affiliate. She could be considered a child of ISLE…
It’s said that children betray their parents’ expectations, but even if a traitor emerged, Lowell was not the one they would expect.
This meant that Lancenum had invested a lot of effort over a long time. It seemed even Changwon-gun had realized that simply eliminating troublesome elements wouldn’t work anymore.
Next, footage from Si-woo’s press conference aired on TV.
[People with special constitutions like mine are extremely rare, and since I acquired blood through legitimate means, there are no issues with the process of obtaining it. However, I plan to take responsibility and resign from my position as CEO.]
Myung-jin murmured.
“It’s surprising that a giant corporation like ISLE has more owner risk than expected…”
This was likely due to the influence of the character “Selena.” Although many were unaware that he was a man, his unique status as a cross-dresser was rare for a corporate owner, and he had led ISLE for decades without faltering. From the outside, ISLE was Selena, and Selena was ISLE.
[The focus is now on the Ivanov Clan due to this incident.]
The announcer said.
[The person credited with founding the Ivanov Clan is known as ‘Ivan Ivanov.’ Apart from a brief tenure as the director of the MCTC Seoul branch about 20 years ago, not much is known about him. His wife is known to be an officer in the MCTC, but the MCTC has refused to provide any information citing confidentiality.]
Having said this, the announcer shifted the mood.
[The important point is their son. Their son is married to Eugene Fuger-Dulloch, the daughter of the now-deceased Heinrich Fuger-Dulloch from the Brotherhood. Thus, there are suspicions that the Ivanov Clan may have had some sort of relationship with the Brotherhood.]
Ha-yeon sighed and said to the AI.
“Change the channel.”
The channel switched, but it was still news about ISLE.
[The reality of the Luax Kingdom is emerging, raising awareness.]
The internet was already in chaos, with cyber wreckers joining the fray.
“The pharmaceutical sector that developed Flos is just part of ISLE.”
Ha-yeon said.
“The full name is International Sky League Enterprise. The essence of ISLE is aviation. That’s probably not important to those people.”
It felt as if an invisible hand was turning ISLE into humanity’s enemy.
Myung-jin quietly spoke.
“I’m not sure this is comforting, but a fan club for Si-woo has formed. They say he looks handsome as a man, and the internet is going crazy. Some even say they want to be drained of blood.”
“Don’t tell me that kind of thing.”
Ha-yeon’s expression showed she was exhausted, not just from jealousy, but from the seriousness of the situation.
She sighed and stood up.
“I’m leaving.”
* * *
After Ha-yeon left, Myung-jin made a phone call.
“‘Artemis’ has departed.”
At that moment, she sensed Ha-yeon returning. Myung-jin immediately hung up the phone and turned to ask.
“What did you forget?”
But it wasn’t Ha-yeon who came in. It was two men he had never seen before.
Myung-jin blinked in confusion.
“Who….”
In that instant, Myung-jin’s gaze changed. In a flash, she drew her gun from her waist and started shooting.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
With almost incredible skill, she aimed accurately at the men, but they dodged in opposite directions, as expected.
Just as one man appeared in front of her, Myung-jin had no time to react before the man kicked her. With a crunch, Myung-jin flew into the wall and collapsed onto the floor.
She lost consciousness immediately.
The men looked down at her with expressionless faces.
* * *
“Si-woo.”
Ha-yeon called as she entered the house. Si-woo, who had just finished his press conference and was dressed in a suit, turned around.
“Welcome.”
Ha-yeon approached him and asked.
“How was it?”
“It was better than I expected.”
Though it was hard to believe that anyone could handle the intense scrutiny of the media well, Si-woo seemed to be habitually pretending it was okay.
As Ha-yeon gazed at him, Si-woo smiled slightly.
“Really, I’m okay. I expected this would happen eventually. Maybe it’s better in a way, as it shows that there are different kinds of vampires, even those like me.”
Si-woo thought that knowing some vampires can drink blood and are impervious to silver bullets would make humans trust the Luax even less.
He looked at Ha-yeon and said.
“You didn’t have to come.”
He probably wished she hadn’t, especially with the media focused on them.
But Ha-yeon wrapped her arms around Si-woo’s waist and leaned against him.
“Of course, I had to come.”
Just because his body could withstand silver bullets didn’t mean he was unaffected.
Si-woo gently patted the back of Ha-yeon’s head. The Ivanov Clan had become a family to him, a man who had lived as a tormented spirit consumed by anger and vengeance. As long as he had family, with Ha-yeon by his side, he was truly okay.
Just then, Si-woo’s phone rang.
“Hold on a second.”
Si-woo said, moving to the window to take the call.
“Yes.”
But as he listened to the other person, his expression turned serious. Ha-yeon felt a sense of unease, wondering if something bad had happened again.
Si-woo glanced at Ha-yeon, then walked farther away to continue the conversation. Faint snippets of their discussion drifted back.
“When…missing….”
Ding!
At that moment, a notification sound came from Ha-yeon’s wristband. When she checked it, a photo appeared—a face battered and bruised, with hands tied behind its back. It was Myung-jin.
It felt as if blood were draining from under Ha-yeon’s feet.
Just as she was about to turn away, Si-woo caught her arm.
“Miss.”
“I have to go. Myung-jin….”
“You don’t need to.”
Ha-yeon found his words strange and looked at Si-woo. He spoke calmly, in a way that made it hard to believe the situation was real.
“Choi Myung-jin is under my protection.”
In that instant, Ha-yeon slapped Si-woo’s cheek. He could have avoided it, but he didn’t. Seeing this, she gritted her teeth and asked,
“Choi Myung-jin is a Luax?”
“She’s human. If she were anything else, you would have figured it out right away.”
Si-woo returned his face to normal and answered.
“But she’s from Mossad (Israel’s intelligence agency).”
Ha-yeon’s eyes twitched.
“She’s Korean, right?”
“She’s an Israeli of Korean descent. By a narrow margin, they missed capturing you and took Agent Choi Myung-jin instead.”
Ha-yeon glared at Si-woo as he stated the facts so matter-of-factly.
“Bring her back. I’ll deal with her personally.”
“Yes.”
Si-woo replied quietly.
“You’ll be included, too.”
Saying this, Ha-yeon turned and walked back into the room.
* * *
Knock, knock.
A knock was heard.
“Miss.”
The door opened, and Si-woo entered.
“Please eat.”
Ha-yeon was sitting on a single sofa with her legs propped up. Si-woo placed a tray in front of her. But she didn’t even look at it as she asked.
“How much did Choi Myung-jin tell you about me?”
“She didn’t share anything personal.”
Ha-yeon scoffed.
“Sure. Do you know this is called civilian surveillance?”
Ha-yeon snapped back, but then suddenly calmed down.
“I thought we were friends.”
“Agent Myung-jin thought so too.”
Ha-yeon scoffed.
“Don’t tell me you think I’m naive enough to believe that? There have been bodyguards lurking around me since I was a child.”
With that, Ha-yeon grabbed a cup with a fierce motion.
“To Choi Myung-jin, I was just a ‘target.’ A target to be protected. Depending on the order, the adjectives describing me could change at any moment. Since you hired her, she wouldn’t dare harm me, but still, being from Mossad, she should know better than to confuse that.”
After saying this, Ha-yeon scoffed again.
“I can only imagine how objective and coldly observant she was.”
“I told Agent Myung-jin that unless there was an unusual situation regarding your safety, she could forget she was a bodyguard during normal times.”
Ha-yeon glared at Si-woo.
“No matter how much you were thinking about my safety, this was over the line.”
“I apologize.”
Si-woo replied earnestly. Ha-yeon paused for a moment, holding her head, then asked.
“What about my father?”
“He agreed.”
Of course, he did.
Ha-yeon sighed.
It made sense now why “that” father and “that” Chu Si-woo had let her roam freely. They were aware of her activities as a Merry Man, and having a bodyguard nearby made them complacent.
“How is the rescue going?”
Translator
