"Wait, Mr. Ji Hyeok! Take your phone ah!"
Yang Jeongmin called out to him, but Moon Ji-Hyeok was already sprinting far ahead.
Yang Jeongmin stamped her foot in frustration. When Moon Ji-Hyeok's smartphone vibrated, she unconsciously checked it.
"...Taker?"
Taker - Detective Moon! Don't try to catch him yourself! Leave it to the professionals! That bastard's wearing a bomb vest. And it's still daylight! He's planning to die there.
"...A bomb vest?"
Yang Jeongmin's face paled. She glanced at the Dawn Group headquarters, bit her lip, and started running.
If it's Ji Hyeok, he'll definitely push himself too hard! I have to stop him!
I sipped my coffee at a caf with a clear view of the Dawn Group headquarters. Through the window, I watched Moon Ji-Hyeok sprint toward the building, followed belatedly by Yang Jeongmin.
"Moon Ji-Hyeok can't stop the bombing. He couldn't even stop it in the original story, and the situation is even worse now."
In the original drama, Ji Anseok is captured by Moon Ji-Hyeok. Using his superior vampire strength, Ji-Hyeok completely subdues him before he can detonate himself.
The problem is the bomb Ji Anseok planted at Dawn Group headquarters beforehand. That can't be stopped.
"And I unknowingly helped Ji Anseok a little."
I deliberately misled Moon Ji-Hyeok, who was investigating Ji Anseok. He trusted my words more than I expected.
In the original timeline, Ji Anseok evades Moon Ji-Hyeok's pursuit, wandering around until he arrives at headquarters around dusk, as the sun begins to set.
"Since Moon Ji-Hyeok wasn't chasing him, Ji Anseok arrived much earlier. There are still two hours left before sunset."
During daylight hours, vampires possess physical abilities inferior to those of ordinary humans.
Just like in the original drama, I could no longer subdue Ji Anseok with my vampiric strength. In fact, the opposite was more likely I was more likely to be subdued by him.
Hmm. The coffee here isn't very good.
Before long, police arrived and began forcibly evacuating civilians. SWAT teams would soon follow.
Maybe I should visit Yeong Hyejeong today.
I fiddled with my smartphone, gazing up at the Dawn Group headquarters building. I wanted to witness the explosion of the over 100-meter-tall structure with my own eyes.
"Stop, Ji Anseok!"
Ji Anseok had just returned from checking the bombs he'd planted in the restrooms when a man with ragged breathing suddenly appeared, blocking his path.
Ji Anseok frowned. He had been meticulously carrying out his plan in secret, yet suddenly police cars were swarming the Dawn Group headquarters at dawn, evacuating civilians. He couldn't figure out where he had slipped up. Had the South Korean police always been this efficient?
"Police?"
"Yes. Detective Moon. What you're doing is wrong, Ji Anseok. It's not too late. Stop now."
"Hmm... From where I'm standing, it's far too late."
Ji Anseok pulled a pistol from his pocket and aimed it at the man. Moon Ji-Hyeok flinched and took a step back.
"A detective who forgets his gun? I have no interest in you. Get out of my way."
"Are you willing to drag countless innocent people into your revenge?"
"That's unavoidable. Besides, if I kill the Dawn Group chairman and his family, I won't detonate the bombs. Get out of my way."
"...Bombs?"
"You didn't know about that? I already infiltrated as a janitor and planted explosives throughout the building. Like I said, if I kill the Chairman's family properly, I won't detonate them. So move aside."
"Ugh...!"
Moon Ji-Hyeok groaned, meeting Ji Anseok's gaze. Those were the eyes of a man who had already accepted death. It was clear that no words would reach him.
His ultimate goal is the Dawn Group Chairman's family. If I step aside here... Ji Anseok won't detonate the bombs.
Sacrificing the few for the greater good... Damn it.
As a detective, am I supposed to turn a blind eye to a terrorist?
What Moon Ji-Hyeok hated most was sacrificing the few for the greater good. He wanted to save everything, both big and small.
"...I..."
Ji Anseok advanced, gun pointed at Moon Ji-Hyeok. He didn't want to waste time dealing with a single detective, and he was absolutely confident. He had a gun; Moon Ji-Hyeok was unarmed.
As Ji Anseok drew closer, Moon Ji-Hyeok lunged forward, aiming for Ji Anseok's left upper body, which was still hampered by his injury. But it was daytime, and Moon Ji-Hyeok's physical abilities were currently below average.
Bang!
A bullet pierced Moon Ji-Hyeok's thigh.
"...!"
Moon Ji-Hyeok bit down hard on his lip and wrapped his arm around Ji Anseok's neck, intending to drag him to the ground and subdue him.
Ji Anseok reacted swiftly. Though he had been forced to retire due to his injury, he was still a soldier trained in special forces. He grabbed Moon Ji-Hyeok by the collar and hurled him against the wall.
"Weak for a detective."
Ji Anseok glanced at Moon Ji-Hyeok. Moon Ji-Hyeok, his head slammed against the wall, lay unconscious, blood seeping from the gunshot wound in his thigh.
After a lingering look, Ji Anseok continued toward his original destination: the Chairman's Office.
Whether Moon Ji-Hyeok lived or died was irrelevant. His goal was the complete annihilation of the Dawn Group's founding family.
Entering the Chairman's Office, Ji Anseok's face twisted in fury at finding it empty. The Chairman's family should have been observing the ceremony from this very room. But the office was deserted. The Chairman had already sensed the danger and fled.
An emergency staircase stood near the entrance to the Chairman's Office.
"Chairman Park Yun-su... that cunning bastard!"
Ji Anseok pulled a detonator from his coat. Pressing the button would detonate the bombs planted throughout the building. Just as he was about to press it without hesitation, he noticed traces of Chairman Park Yun-su heading upstairs.
"A helicopter! He plans to escape by helicopter from the roof!"
The helicopter still needed time to arrive.
Ji Anseok smirked bitterly and sprinted toward the roof. He could detonate the bombs immediately, but he wanted to witness the death of his nemesis, Chairman Park Yun-su, with his own eyes.
"Wait for me, Chairman Park Yun-su! Let's go to hell together!"
"Mr. Ji Hyeok! Mr. Ji Hyeok! Wake up! Mr. Ji Hyeok!"
Yang Jeongmin tightly wrapped her jacket around Moon Ji-Hyeok's bleeding thigh to staunch the bleeding. She then helped him into the elevator.
"Ugh..."
"Mr. Ji Hyeok! Can you see me?"
Moon Ji-Hyeok slowly opened his mouth, his vision blurry as he focused on Yang Jeongmin before him.
"...Jeongmin-ssi. Ji Anseok...? Where is that bastard...?"
"I don't know. I heard he was targeting Chairman Park Yun-su of Dawn Group, so I rushed to the Chairman's Office on the top floor.
That's where I found you collapsed. We're going down to the first floor now.
Just hang in there! An ambulance is waiting below!"
"...We have to catch him. Before the bomb detonates..."
"Please, Ji Hyeok! You're more important to me than that terrorist!"
Clear tears streamed down Yang Jeongmin's cheeks. Moon Ji-Hyeok opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. The words in his mind vanished like dust at the sight of her tears.
The elevator was nearly at the first floor when
Boom! Boom!
Explosions echoed repeatedly. The elevator lurched to a halt, then began descending into the basement.
"Aaaaaah!"
Thud!
The fluorescent lights flickered off, plunging the elevator into darkness.
...So they finally detonated the bombs.
Moon Ji-Hyeok bit his lip, his mind racing. He had known this was coming, yet he couldn't stop it. If he had acted faster, if it had been night instead of day...
No. I can't rely too much on the Vampire's power.
But he couldn't abandon it entirely either. Letting his abilities rot unused went against his nature. The key was to discard them without hesitation when the time came.
"Ugh... Mr. Ji Hyeok! Are you okay? Did you hit your head or anything? It looks like the elevator stopped... Ah! Why now of all times?! Mr. Ji Hyeok needs to get to the hospital right away!"
Moon Ji-Hyeok could see Yang Jeongmin gripping the elevator wall and stamping her feet anxiously. Vampires could see clearly in complete darkness, even without a single ray of light.
"I'm fine, Jeongmin-ssi," Moon Ji-Hyeok said calmly. It wasn't a lie or bravado.
No sunlight penetrated the elevator, and the impact had just broken the fluorescent lights. With no light present, the vampire's powers were awakening despite it being daytime.
The gunshot wound in his thigh throbbed, but it was already healing slowly. By nightfall, it would be fully regenerated before dawn.
In a way, the elevator's crash into the basement was a stroke of luck for Moon Ji-Hyeok. It meant he wouldn't be rushed to a hospital immediately, where doctors would inevitably discover he was a vampire.
"Jeongmin-ssi, there's something I've been hiding from you."
"...Huh? What are you talking about all of a sudden? More importantly, get your smartphone out and contact the outside world quickly..."
"Please listen, Jeongmin-ssi. I'm not human. I'm a vampire."
Moon Ji-Hyeok stood up. Apart from a slight stiffness in his thigh, his body felt more alive than before.
"O-oh...? Y-you can stand up?"
"Jeongmin-ssi wouldn't reveal my true identity to anyone. She wouldn't even try to see me as strange. Still... I don't think vampires and humans are meant to be together. It would have been better if we had met when I was still human."
"...Mr. Ji Hyeok?"
Moon Ji-Hyeok began to pry open the elevator doors with his bare hands, an impossible feat for a human but well within the capabilities of a vampire.
The steel doors slowly creaked open, letting light flood into the pitch-black interior.
It was the underground parking garage. The blare of car horns, the shouts of people, and the shattering of glass filled the air.
"It's been fun..."
Moon Ji-Hyeok couldn't finish his sentence. Yang Jeongmin suddenly threw her arms around him and kissed him.
Moon Ji-Hyeok's eyes flickered. Should he push her away? Or... After a moment of hesitation, he finally wrapped his arms around Yang Jeongmin's back.
Was it because she was a vampire? She felt unusually warm in his embrace.
"Aww."
I was disappointed. I'd expected the building to shatter and collapse when the bombs detonated. But reality fell short of my imagination.
This was even less impressive than the building explosion scene in the original drama I'd seen on TV. The CGI explosion had been much more visually satisfying.
The bombs planted throughout the building had indeed detonated. But the structure remained standing.
Black smoke billowed into the sky, but the building itself was intact. Only shattered glass and fragments of the facade littered the ground.
"The building's design was well-made. No, it would be stranger if a building over 100 meters tall collapsed from just a few bombs. And the bombs were weaker than I expected."
Another explosion erupted on the rooftop. Why was it delayed?
"Did Ji Anseok self-detonate? As expected, Moon Ji-Hyeok couldn't stop him. Is Moon Ji-Hyeok dead? I haven't heard from him."
I hope Moon Ji-Hyeok is still alive. The story isn't over yet. Though, the end is near now.
"Hmm. I've seen everything I needed to see. Let's end this game for now."
[Game terminated.]
[Calculating experience points.]
[Choi Seonmi's affinity level is 3.]
[Obtained 1 bonus point for reaching Affinity Level 2.]
[Obtained 3 bonus points for reaching Affinity Level 3.]
[Moon Ji-Hyeok's Affinity Level is 4.]
[Obtained 6 bonus points for reaching Affinity Level 4.]
[...]
[Level Up!]
[Obtained 17 points.]
[One additional Game Slot unlocked for reaching Level 20.]
[One additional Inventory Slot unlocked for reaching Level 20.]
Back in reality, I reflexively switched the game progress to pause. I used to fumble with the controls, but now it's practically a spinal reflex.
I don't trust auto-progress. Even though it's my avatar, it's hard to predict where I'll end up.
Still, there were times when I used auto-progress, like when I was wasting meaningless time in the Game World.
Auto-progress was convenient then. Of course, I always kept a close eye on it. If my Avatar tried to pull any trollish stunts, I'd immediately hit pause.
But lately, assassinating Vampire Hunters has become more difficult.
The Vampire Hunters knew I was targeting them and had started sticking together. It was rare to find one acting alone.
We're bound to clash properly soon. With my current abilities, I'm still lacking. I need something more.
I fiddled with my smartphone. As my level increased, the number of available creations expanded.
Huh, what's this?
One of the newly available creations caught my eye.