Beast, Blue Blood - Chapter 116

Chapter 116

In front of the gun pointed at her, Ha-yeon opened her eyes wide.  

At the same time, the bodyguard across from her pulled out his gun faster than anyone else and fired at the bodyguard who was about to attack Ha-yeon.  

Bang, bang, bang!  

It took less than a few seconds for it all to end.  

Though the face was unfamiliar, Ha-yeon immediately realized he wasn’t just an ordinary bodyguard but someone else entirely, especially since he had subtly signaled her when they boarded the plane. She quickly figured out that there was a spy among them hidden by Lee Seong.  

She hadn’t expected Lee Seong to let her go so easily from the beginning.  

The bodyguard—likely a soldier disguised as one—reached out his hand to Ha-yeon.  

“Sergeant McCoy, ma’am. I was once part of Major Defere’s team.”  

“I thought sergeants didn’t usually go into the field.”  

McCoy winked.  

“Usually, yes, but this is an emergency.”  

That aside, Ha-yeon asked urgently.  

“Do you know why Choi Myung-jin sided with Lee Seong?”  

McCoy asked someone on the other side of his earpiece.  

“Is it alright if I tell her?”  

After seemingly receiving permission, McCoy turned back to Ha-yeon.  

“To put it simply, Senator Koch is the reason Choi Myung-jin’s family was killed.”  

True to his word, McCoy gave a brief explanation and added a little more detail.  

“While Senator Koch wasn’t directly involved, she attacked a base in Israel to cover up her own mistakes. When the accused Palestinians were bombed, leading to massive casualties, Palestine retaliated by attacking Israel again. That’s when Agent Choi’s family was killed.”  

As he explained, McCoy gestured from one side to the other.  

Ha-yeon, with a serious expression, asked. 

“Did she have a younger sibling in her family?”  

McCoy nodded.  

“Yes, she had a young sibling.”  

“Was that sibling’s name Isaac?”  

“Oh, that part… I’m not sure.”  

It seemed he didn’t know.  

Meanwhile, the plane landed on the runway. But it didn’t appear to be a proper base or airport; the facilities were narrow and run-down. It didn’t seem like they could rely on MCTC’s help here.  

Looking out the window at the runway, Ha-yeon immediately jumped off the plane.  

“Uncle Do-young!”  

Do-young, dressed in combat gear, was standing on the windy runway with his hands on his hips, waiting.  

“Young lady.”  

Seeing Ha-yeon, Do-young looked relieved.  

“Run!”  

Suddenly, Ha-yeon shouted.  

“What?”  

* * *  

Ding.  

A notification popped up on her wristband.  

<A new video has been uploaded.>  

To the ‘Merry Men’ channel.  

It was always Myung-jin’s job to upload new content. But seeing that a new video had been uploaded to the channel…  

Unable to contain her curiosity, Myung-jin clicked on the video.  

In the video, Ha-yeon spoke.  

[If you kill Koch, Lee Seong will bomb Seoul.]  

* * *  

“If you kill Koch, Lee Seong will bomb Seoul. In the name of revenge.”  

Ha-yeon spoke while looking into the camera.  

“Everyone will think that humans killed the vampires, and the vampires retaliated by attacking the humans.”

In war, justification was everything. No matter how blind or blatantly flawed the reason, it still held weight. That was why even Lee Seong had gone through the trouble of staging a grand performance.  

Ha-yeon gazed toward the end of the runway. The sun was setting beyond the mountains that surrounded it.  

She was worried about Si-woo, but she had no choice but to trust that he was fighting his own battles. In the same way, she had to fight hers.  

“Bring Koch to trial.”

Ha-yeon said.  

“To a human court.”  

Her phone rang.  

[They captured the leader of the SN terrorist group, but she escaped.]

Myung-jin said.  

[It wasn’t human law that ended that leader. It was a bomb.]  

“I know you loved Isaac.”  

Ha-yeon had met Myung-jin’s brother, Isaac, and although Isaac was an agent, she instinctively knew that Myung-jin truly had a brother by that name.  

When Myung-jin talked about Isaac, it was perhaps the only time she revealed her true feelings, even when she was forced to hide her identity.  

Moreover, while Myung-jin’s real name might still be uncertain, the name Isaac felt too realistic, evoking a strong Israeli sense. That’s how she could tell.  

[…]  

Myung-jin didn’t respond.  

[I was ready to die for my country.]

She eventually said.  

[But not him. He didn’t have to. I was willing to die instead.]  

“It must feel like a world where no one takes responsibility for Isaac’s death no longer holds any meaning for you.”  

It was as if some divine force had spilled the sunset across the horizon, and the sky was now drenched in its light.  

“So make them take responsibility. If Koch dies now, she won’t be held accountable for anything. She’ll just slip away, free of consequence.”  

[Yachthund.]

Myung-jin coldly spat the word.  

[What do you know?]  

“If you’ve lost faith in Luax while looking at me, then shoot Koch.”

Ha-yeon said calmly.  

“But if not, give her a chance. Even if it’s a mess, give her the chance to make it right.”  

Ha-yeon had a reason for being able to speak like this.  

“I may be young and naïve, but I know one thing: the time we spent together wasn’t a lie. Without you, I’d just be a messed-up person with no friends.”  

She looked up at the red sky as if gazing at Myung-jin somewhere beyond that sunset.  

“Give me my friend back.”  

* * *  

Myung-jin was speechless.  

Did Ha-yeon think this was the time for playing friends?  

Even though Ha-yeon wasn’t one of those cheerful, oblivious people, there was a lingering sense of positivity in her, the kind that came from being raised in love. Sometimes, that made Myung-jin uncomfortable. After all, even the vigilante group Merry Men wasn’t built on cynicism but on the hope of making the world a better place. Just like its name suggested—‘Merry.’  

Click…  

A small sound echoed. So faint that an ordinary person wouldn’t have heard it.  

Myung-jin immediately stood up and pointed her gun.  

“Who’s there?”

The man walked out with both hands raised behind his head. Although he wore a light combat uniform, indicating he wasn’t just lost, his attire seemed too simple for a special forces operative in stealth.  

“My name is Do-young Defere, I’m with the MCTC.”

He introduced himself.  

Myung-jin had anticipated someone might come, but Do-young was an unexpected visitor. Still, she didn’t seem fazed.  

“So, it’s you. Ivanov’s fourth client.”

Myung-jin remarked.  

Since Do-young’s information as an active special forces operative was classified, Myung-jin had no way of knowing much about him—just that he existed.  

“Don’t come any closer.”

Myung-jin warned.  

Do-young stopped in his tracks. Myung-jin glanced behind him.  

“Looks like you came alone.”  

“I did.”  

It seemed Do-young wasn’t armed, either.  

Whether Do-young had weapons or not made little difference—Myung-jin wasn’t someone easily subdued, even if Do-young was a seasoned soldier. Besides, Do-young couldn’t possibly know what traps or mechanisms were set in the area.  

His unarmed approach indicated that he was going to great lengths to show he had no intention of attacking.  

“Are you here to stop me?”

Myung-jin asked.  

“No.”  

Myung-jin had expected a ‘yes,’ but Do-young surprised her with his response.  

“I’m just here on an errand.”

Do-young continued.  

“And I know it’s hard to trust vampires. But all of us were human once. Even Miss Ha-yeon, none of us are truly detached from humanity.”  

Myung-jin murmured.

“I wanted you to be like Koch.”  

That way, she wouldn’t have to feel anything while using him.  

Suddenly, there was a sound from the direction Do-young had come from. It must be Lancenum, sent as a backup in case Myung-jin didn’t finish the job.  

Do-young whispered.

“Run. I want to make it back to my family alive.”

* * *

Si-woo looked at the replica of Geunjeongjeon and remarked.

“What a useless thing to build.”  

Lee Seong, too, gazed at the replica.  

“Isn’t it beautiful?”  

There was a nostalgic look in his eyes.  

“When I missed my homeland, I would sit here and lose track of time staring at it. I’ve been to the Forbidden City too, but the elegant beauty, the refined charm—Gyeongbokgung is unmatched.”  

After watching him for a moment, Si-woo asked.

“Why did you kill Eop-ji?”  

It was a question Si-woo had never thought to ask for all these years.  

Regardless of the reason, Lee Seong killed Eop-ji and tried to bury Si-woo alive to cover it up. Although the plan was uncovered, Lee Seong had used his status to escape punishment. That alone was reason enough for Si-woo to want him dead, so he had never bothered to question Lee Seong’s motive before.  

“Believe it or not, I didn’t intend to kill her.”

Lee Seong said.  

“Now that I look back, I’m not sure why I did it either. The person I was as a human and the person I am now… they feel different.”  

It did seem that way. Si-woo had also changed since his human days.  

Lee Seong gestured with his head.

“But this much I remember. It infuriated me when she resisted. Was it because she was a servant? No. Believe it or not, I took Eop-ji quite seriously. Strange as it may sound, I even thought about marrying her.”  

Lee Seong leaned against the armrest, tilting his body slightly.  

“But as you know, Eop-ji refused. Until the moment she died, she never uttered your name. I guess she was too scared I might harm you.”  

Then, he let out a low chuckle.  

“Isn’t that loyalty something? Whether you’d call it naive or foolish for thinking that keeping silent would keep you in the dark, I’m not sure.”  

He narrowed his eyes.  

“And you, too. The chill that ran down my spine when I realized what had been buried deep in the frozen ground somehow found its way back. Even though you returned from the dead, I couldn’t quite grasp who had stolen your body before the funeral was even over.”  

Lee Seong shrugged.  

“None of it made sense, but with you and the sword both gone, I figured that was the end of it.”  

He laughed, his lips curling as if he found amusement in the memory.  

“Until you returned with those monstrous eyes flashing. That’s when I realized… I should have killed you with my own hands.”  

Even at that moment, as Si-woo had returned alive and trembling, Lee Seong had been thinking about finishing him off.

Lee Seong stood from his chair then, walking leisurely, as if he were simply out for a stroll, until he stood directly in front of Si-woo.  

“It’s been a long six hundred years.”

He said, his tone steeped in regret.

Suddenly, Lee Seong pulled a massive gun from his coat and shot Si-woo in the knee.