Chapter 7
Episode 07
Do-young opened his eyes. The familiar scenery of the log cabin came into view.
'So it wasn't dream.'
As he swallowed a sigh, he felt something warm against his back.
Puzzled, Do-young turned around and startled. Ga-mal was clinging tightly to his back, fast asleep.
He quickly sat up.
"What the...?"
Ga-mal woke at the sound, blinking sleepily. She looked momentarily confused before suddenly realizing the situation and scrambling back several steps.
"Sorry."
Do-young frowned suspiciously and asked,
"Why were you stuck to my back?"
Ga-mal fidgeted like a child caught misbehaving.
"Well... Your breathing sounded sleepy. I was listening to it..."
Meaning she'd unconsciously snuggled up while listening to his breathing.
Truthfully, Do-young had been shocked to wake up with an unbelievably beautiful woman - one he'd never seen before - clinging to him. But Ga-mal seemed to think he was startled because she, a vampire, had gotten too close.
Not that he felt like correcting her misunderstanding.
"You're something else," Do-young said sarcastically, waving his hand dismissively. "It's hot. Get me some water."
Ga-mal quickly got up and poured water for him. Even with bound hands, he could manage drinking from a bowl by himself. As he drank, Ga-mal stared intently at him with eyes so focused they might bore holes through him. Do-young paused mid-drink and raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"It's fascinating. You drinking water."
Ga-mal looked like a child witnessing some incredible phenomenon for the first time. Do-young responded more cynically:
"It's not like I'm drinking through my nose. What's so special about it?"
Ga-mal seemed surprised. "You can drink through your nose?"
"Of course not!"
Finally realizing she was being teased, Ga-mal pouted her lips and asked,
"Aren't you scared of me?"
Do-young looked her up and down.
"I'd love to know exactly what part of this dimwitted fool I'm supposed to be scared of."
"I'm not a dimwitted fool!"
Her puffed cheeks looked irresistibly pinchable. Too lazy to argue, Do-young waved her off again.
"I work with vampires every day - why would I be scared?"
Working together, joking around, arm wrestling, playing cards - if you could talk a predator into sitting quietly beside you like that, what was there to fear? Lions and tigers were scary precisely because you couldn't reason with them.
Ga-mal asked curiously,
"You see them every day? How?"
Rather than explain that his military unit included both humans and vampires working together, Do-young countered:
"Don't tell me you didn't know humans and vampires live together outside?"
"I know that but..."
'She knows that much. So she has some contact with the outside world,' Do-young thought.
Then Ga-mal added:
"But people are still scared of vampires."
"Why? Did you get stoned and chased out of some village?"
Ga-mal nodded. Having known many vampires, Do-young had heard plenty about their experiences before their existence became public knowledge.
Truthfully, few actual vampires had been caught in witch hunts (the power difference made that unlikely), but many had been chased out of villages for suspicious behavior.
"Was that it then? Got hurt by humans so much you kept seeking more remote places until ending up on this deserted island?"
That would at least explain why she lived alone here.
Ga-mal hesitated, "That's part of it..."
When she trailed off ambiguously, Do-young frowned.
"Is that a yes or no?"
Ga-mal abruptly turned her head away.
"Don't know."
'Where does she get off being so petulant?' Do-young was exasperated.
But then he noticed Ga-mal kneeling exposed before him.
He wanted to punch the inner male part of himself.
No matter how much he reminded himself 'she's a vampire,' those dazzling thighs made him want to reach out.
'Must've had an easy life.'
Never mind that he'd been captured by terrorists, beaten bloody, barely escaped, and swam desperately to this island only to fight a vampire and crack his leg.
Do-young sighed and looked at Ga-mal.
"No breakfast? Trying to starve me? Never heard of Geneva Convention III?"
"Captain!"
From afar came Ga-mal running toward him carrying a fish so huge it might have been an ancient fossil. Soaked from diving in naked to catch it, the way she excitedly bounded over was undeniably cute - downright adorable really.
It reminded him somewhat of Yeon-ha.
Yeon-ha, a former teammate and friend from when he led ERU (Emergency Response Unit) Team 3 at MCTC Seoul Branch.
As an aside, two years ago Do-young had been reassigned to TF(Task Force)-Pacific Team 1 under the Central Guard Division due to his outstanding Seoul record. Moving from regular branch duty to TF was a major promotion, and better suited his SWAT-like aptitudes than standard operations.
Not that infiltrating enemy territory on TF assignment had worked out well.
Regardless, Yeon-ha like Ga-mal was a female vampire whose appearance stopped at nineteen with corresponding mental immaturity. Now married she'd matured somewhat, but their similar vibe probably explained why yesterday he'd instinctively scolded Ga-mal like Yeon-ha.
"Look! Big!"
Ga-mal reached Do-young under the tree shade, proudly presenting the fish with a radiant smile.
Where Yeon-ha combined youthful looks with childishness, Ga-mal paired mature curves with even stronger airheaded charm. Her imperfect speech enhanced this effect.
When Do-young just stared without answering, Ga-mal tilted her head.
"Captain, hurt?"
Do-young exhaled and extended his arm resting on his bent knee - the wrist still bound.
"Would you be cheerful in this situation?"
"No rope?"
"If I said I liked it, I'd suspect myself. Next time I might want to tie you up instead."
Ga-mal cocked her head.
"What mean? Captain words too hard."
Seeing no point explaining, Do-young stayed silent.
Ga-mal fell into thought. If Do-young planned anything, yesterday would've been perfect - she'd slept deeply right beside him.
Suddenly Ga-mal knelt before him, pinky extended.
"Promise. No run."
Behind her, the dazzling white sand beach glittered under blazing sun. In the shade, the simple pinky promise seemed solemn despite its informality. Her low-chroma red eyes deadly serious.
"Can't run even if wanted."
Despite his words, Do-young hooked fingers.
Ga-mal inexplicably grew emotional maintaining the gesture until Do-young made his signature expression - raised eyebrows with an intense stare that sent shivers down spines.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Withdrawing her hand, Ga-mal untied him.
Finally free, Do-young shook out tingling fingers.
First step succeeded: arms unbound. Actually running remained impossible with his leg condition, but progress nonetheless.
"Captain eat? I grill."
Ga-mal prepared the fish with surprising skill. Like Tarzan caring for stranded Jane.
Do-young unwillingly followed this thought.
'So I'm Jane now? Huh? Am I supposed to be Jane here?'
She resembled Ariel collecting human trinkets more than Tarzan anyway.
Watching Ga-mal cook, he asked:
"When were you born?"
Expecting no reply since neither had anything better to do.
But this time Ga-mal answered:
"14th century BC Christos."
Her criteria for answering remained mysterious.
Frowning: "Christos? Meaning Christ?"
He'd later learn this meant Ancient Greek.
She nodded: "If mean nailed man, yes."
"14th century BC? You're saying you've lived over 3,000 years?"
"Yeah."
Waving dismissively: "Forget it. My mistake asking. How could an idiot like you survive 3,000 years?"
Technically Lúath lived forever, but few lasted millennia. Jokes about needing divine intervention for their 600th birthday existed for reason.
Yet Ga-mal remained impassive.
"Not idiot."
"Would've pretended belief if half that number."
"No. 3,350 years. But long sleep. There."
Pointing toward the mountain at the island's center.
"One day storm came. Big storm. Very big."
Spreading arms to demonstrate hurricane scale.
"Opened sleeping place. Body..."
Struggling with explanation, she mimed being flung forward. Rolling finger circles:
"Rolled outside. Woke dirt pile. So woke up."
Do-young kept frowning. Her manner didn't seem entirely false.
In a world where vampires existed, nothing seemed impossible. But 3,000 years stretched credulity. That this clueless creature before him rivaled ancient mummies...
He openly scrutinized her. Ga-mal took no offense, merely confused by his behavior.
Seeing this: "When wake up?"
Still skeptical as asked, Ga-mal tilted head side-to-side counting internally:
"400 years?"
Like bears hibernating, vampires entered prolonged sleep when hunting grew difficult. But that practice faded. Modern abundance made hibernation unnecessary. Rarely done now.
Past centuries changed little - farmers plowed, kings warred. Now everything changed too fast. Unpredictability upon waking deterred hibernation.
Do-young pondered then asked:
"When come island?"
