Beast, Blue Blood - Chapter 115

Chapter 115

During that time, Lee Seong continued to speak.

“It turns out the only person capable of creating the virus was Chun Ah-eun, born purely by chance. Doesn’t the world itself feel like one giant game of Russian roulette?”

Ah-eun stood there, feeling the wind against her, her breath slightly unsteady.  

She couldn’t fully comprehend why someone as insignificant as her, who would have vanished like dust in history had she lived as an ordinary person, was born with such power.  

“Without Chun Ah-eun, the virus can’t be created again unless another ‘coincidence’ happens.”  

At that moment, a mercenary handed Lee Seong a sword. As he accepted it, he spoke.  

“We don’t die easily. Not unless our heads are cut off, at least. We’ve tested it to make sure.”  

A test…  

Ha-yeon could barely believe it. Sensing that she understood, Lee Seong stretched his lips into a grin.  

“Chu Si-woo tried to turn me into a ‘client’ to kill me. So why wouldn’t I do the same?”  

He had deliberately created a ‘client’ and killed them.

Ha-yeon could not bear hearing this.  

“You make me sick.”  

Lee Seong chuckled.  

“Words are for those who can do nothing else but speak.”  

Then, he raised the sword.  

“Let me show you the proof.”  

“What do you want?”  

Ha-yeon, whose heart had begun racing, asked urgently. Lee Seong smiled slyly.  

“We’re going to start everything over. End all these bad ties.”  

That meant no matter what was offered, Lee Seong wouldn’t stop.  

“Stop.”  

Someone barely managed to speak, as if their throat was being choked.  

“Don’t do it!”  

Ha-yeon screamed desperately.  

“I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!”  

She struggled madly, but the mercenaries rushed in and held her back.  

Lee Seong raised the sword high.  

Ah-eun smiled through tear-filled eyes.  

“Close your eyes, miss.”  

She had said that before. And back then, when Ha-yeon closed her eyes, Ah-eun had taken care of all the bad guys. So Ha-yeon squeezed her eyes shut.  

Swoosh.

“Emi…”  

The sound seemed to fall like a rolling stone.  

“…ly…”  

Her lips trembled uncontrollably. Ha-yeon couldn’t dare open her eyes. Not until Emily said she was okay.  

Her scream was beyond description.  

In the midst of that, Lee Seong burst out laughing.

* * *

A mercenary spoke to Lee Seong.  

“Chu Si-woo is landing at the airport soon.”  

Lee Seong responded.  

“Miss, it’s time to go home.”  

Ha-yeon raised her tear-streaked face.

* * *

The plane touched down on the deserted runway at Sana International Airport.  

The door opened, and a dry wind blew in. The runway lay on a vast, barren expanse of ochre-colored land with low hills in the distance.  

Si-woo descended the steps from the plane, followed by eight Luax security personnel, a mix of men and women. Armed men, who appeared to be Lee Seong’s mercenaries, were waiting on the runway.  

He had somewhat expected their base to be located somewhere near the desert.  

The problem was that even with a specific location in mind, the area was too vast to search, and it was difficult to expect cooperation from the local leaders. This land, still chaotic with warlords, tribal politics, and civil war, had its own rules that only those who lived here understood.

A mercenary raised his hand to Si-woo, signaling him to stop.  

“We’ll conduct a body search.”  

Without waiting for Si-woo’s agreement, they immediately brought out a scanner, as if they would proceed with the search regardless.  

“Please hand over your bag as well.”  

Si-woo handed over the briefcase he was carrying. Another mercenary opened it and examined the contents while Si-woo quietly watched.  

Of course, there was no virus prototype inside.  

Instead, what was in the bag was a type of poison—one that killed the regenerative gene TEr3.  

It was an extremely dangerous item for the Chun family bloodline.

Clack.

At that moment, the mercenary closed the bag. He returned it to Si-woo and signaled to his colleague. Then, another mercenary emerged from the small aircraft, leading out Ha-yeon, whose hands were tied behind her back.  

Seeing that she didn’t appear injured, Si-woo couldn’t hide his brief moment of relief.  

As the mercenary removed the cuffs at the bottom of the stairs, Ha-yeon didn’t even wait for them to be fully undone before she started running toward Si-woo.  

Just like on that runway when she had left him at the age of nine, she ran to him and threw herself into his arms.

“Si-woo…”  

Ha-yeon murmured as she clung to him.  

“I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything.”  

Tears streamed endlessly down her face.  

“Ah-eun…”  

Si-woo hugged her tightly. It seemed he had already heard the news on his way.  

“Let’s go.”  

A mercenary spoke. Si-woo glanced at him, but Ha-yeon clung to Si-woo desperately.  

“Si-woo.”  

Si-woo gently stroked her cheek. His gaze, as usual, was filled with both sorrow and warmth.  

He leaned in and kissed her. Ha-yeon wrapped her arms around him, returning the kiss without caring who was watching.

The mercenaries on Lee Seong’s side and Si-woo’s bodyguards observed the scene with expressionless faces.  

Though the kiss lasted longer than expected, the two lovers showed no sign of stopping. The onlookers, being professionals, were unfazed, but at a certain point, one of the mercenaries, realizing time was dragging on, spoke up.  

“We should get moving now.”  

Regardless, a little more time passed before Si-woo finally let go of Ha-yeon.  

“Go ahead.”  

Ha-yeon reluctantly released him.  

She believed Si-woo would be fine, thanks to his regenerative abilities. Knowing that Si-woo wouldn’t have come unprepared, she figured that at least one of them needed to escape so that his plan could succeed.  

“You’ll come back, right?”  

At her question, Si-woo smiled, looking somewhat relieved.  

“I will come back.”  

Though still anxious, Ha-yeon steadied herself and moved toward Si-woo’s bodyguards. Four of them immediately surrounded her, escorting her to the plane Si-woo had arrived on.  

She climbed the stairs, stood by the door, and looked back at Si-woo still standing on the runway before finally disappearing into the plane.  

Watching the four remaining bodyguards, a mercenary spoke.  

“You’re only allowed two bodyguards.”  

“I’ll go alone.”

Si-woo spoke, and as if it were a fact, the four remaining bodyguards gave him a slight bow before boarding the plane. The door promptly closed, and the plane’s turbines began to spin.  

The mercenary, still maintaining his stoic expression, looked at Si-woo with a hint of disdain.  

“You’re quite confident.”  

“I just can’t let them die for nothing.”  

Si-woo responded nonchalantly, walking past the mercenary as if he owned the place. The mercenary followed without further comment.

* * *

The car came to a stop.  

After traveling by plane and car, Si-woo had no idea how far they had come. Judging by the change in climate to a tropical rainforest, it seemed like they were on some kind of island.  

There was a low, square white building ahead. From the outside, it appeared unremarkable, the kind of place you’d overlook even if you saw it via satellite or drone.  

Once past the iron gate, they entered a featureless hallway, followed by an elevator ride down and yet another hallway.  

Passing through another iron door, they walked down a dark corridor until a bright blue sky appeared at the end, spilling light into the gloom.  

Beyond the small door, it was a completely different world.  

Si-woo’s expression grew serious as he took in the scene before him.  

Above him loomed Geunjeongmun (the main gate of the royal palace), perfectly recreated, with the royal pathway stretching in a straight line from the entrance to Geunjeongjeon (the royal throne hall).  

Atop the upper steps of Geunjeongjeon’s stairs, an exorcism ritual, known as Narye, was being performed—a traditional ceremony to drive out demons, usually conducted on the last day of the lunar year in both common households and the royal court.  

Doom. Doom. Doom-doom.

In sync with the drumming of the performers lined up in a row, dancers dressed in black ceremonial robes and wearing goblin masks twirled in circles.  

Between the ranks of stones marking the officials’ positions, a chair had been placed on the royal path. Sitting in that chair was a man wearing a purple traditional robe, smiling as if he were greeting an old friend.  

Though his appearance was the same as it had been six hundred years ago, something about his demeanor or Si-woo’s memory of him had changed, making the face seem strangely unfamiliar. Yet, surprisingly, Si-woo felt nothing at that moment.

Then, as if dissolving into the air, the holographic flag bearers and dancers slowly faded away.  

“Chu Si-woo.”

Lee Seong said, breaking the silence.  

“How long has it been since we’ve met face-to-face like this?”  

He looked Si-woo up and down, taking in his coat, shirt, and dress pants.  

“Given up on cross-dressing? That’s a shame. I rather liked it.”  

“I figured you’d get a kick out of it.”

Si-woo replied flatly.  

At first, when Si-woo started cross-dressing, it was because he felt like he was going to die, and Lee Seong hadn’t even crossed his mind. But later, when things had settled in his head, he realized how ridiculous he must have looked, which led him to suspect that Lee Seong might show up. Still, he wasn’t foolish enough to fall for such a simple trick, which was probably why Lee Seong had been chasing him for six hundred years.

At that moment, Lee Seong noticed the sword Si-woo was carrying and gestured toward it with a nod.  

“That looks familiar.”  

“It was yours to begin with, so I’m giving it back.”  

With that, Si-woo tossed the sword toward Lee Seong.

Lee Seong caught the sword mid-air and drew it from its sheath. The rusted parts made the blade difficult to unsheathe, and when he forcefully pulled it out, it crumbled in his hand. Looking at the remnants still attached to the hilt, Lee Seong muttered, almost as if surprised.  

“I didn’t remember it looked like this. It’s been so long since I lost it.”  

“You don’t ‘lose’ something that’s buried. Especially when you bury it with the only witness.”  

At that, Lee Seong let out a small chuckle.  

“Your tongue has gotten sharper. Well, since we’ve both been buried once, I suppose we’re even.”  

He then tossed the sword aside.  

Although the sword had been the weapon that killed Eop-ji, Si-woo had kept it out of obligation. He held no particular attachment to it. But Lee Seong’s casual way of discarding it, with no remorse or reflection, was telling.  

“The virus?”

Lee Seong asked abruptly.

* * *

‘This feels wrong.’

Eugene thought.  

Why is Lee Seong doing something so conspicuous? It didn’t make sense.  

“It feels like he’s buying time.”

Eugene suddenly said, causing everyone to turn toward her.  

“Buying time?”

Jerome asked, puzzled.  

“Yes. It seems like he’s deliberately drawing attention.”  

By kidnapping Ha-yeon and luring Si-woo out, he ensured that everyone’s focus would be on this. Lee Seong had likely known that if Ha-yeon were taken, Si-woo would inevitably come to rescue her. And once Si-woo was involved, ISLE would be forced to watch his every move, afraid of any harm that might befall him.  

“But Lee Seong must know—killing the CEO won’t allow him to get what he wants unless he takes down the Ivanov Clan entirely.”  

Then what would be the way to wipe out the entire Ivanov Clan at once, scattered as they were?  

‘B-77.’  

Eugene realized it in an instant.  

Bombing.  

She immediately looked up at the ceiling, and the others followed her gaze in confusion. But no one seemed to grasp why she had done so.  

Eugene murmured gravely. 

“That’s why Lee Seong stole B-77.”  

Everyone was stunned.  

“He’s going to bomb Seoul?”  

“Yes. And in ISLE’s name.”  

As Eugene confirmed this, Jerome responded in disbelief.  

“But that would start a war.”  

“Exactly. That’s what he wants.”  

Eugene looked around at the group staring back at her.  

“Agent Choi Myung-jin is human. If a human kills her fellow human, Koch, she’ll have a reason for revenge.”  

Peter chimed in, nodding in understanding.  

“Which is why Lee Seong handed over Senator Koch to Agent Choi.”  

Jerome muttered, looking dazed by the revelation.  

“So Agent Choi handed over Miss Ha-yeon in exchange for Senator Koch?”  

Eugene nodded.  

“That’s what it seems, but in reality, Lee Seong is just achieving his own goals.”  

“Satan would weep.”

Peter remarked.

* * *

The plane carrying Ha-yeon flew in silence. She sat wordlessly in her seat, contemplating the strange ease with which Lee Seong had let her go. Perhaps he believed that if Si-woo died, he could leisurely retrieve her again.  

One of the bodyguards sat next to her, while the others were seated across from them. It was then that the guard beside her stood up, drawing a gun from his coat and pointing it directly at Ha-yeon.  

Click.

The sound of the gun being cocked echoed in the cabin. The bodyguard’s face remained expressionless, devoid of any emotion as if this was a task that required no personal feeling.  

Ha-yeon’s eyes widened in shock as she stared at the black hole of the gun barrel, resembling the very mouth of hell itself.