Codename Vestia

Chapter 20: Joonie

“I’m sorry.”

Doyeong, lying side by side with Gamal, suddenly spoke. Gamal lifted her eyes in surprise.

“For what?”

“For pushing you off the cliff.”

As he said this, Doyeong patted Gamal’s head.

“Were you hurt?”

Gamal couldn’t remember the last time someone had asked her a question like that. After all, there weren’t many people who thought she could be hurt.

To be honest, she was shocked and felt a bit betrayed when Doyeong had pushed her off the cliff, but she understood because she had been hiding something from him first.

Gamal shook her head.

“I’m strong.”

Her tone was so confident that Doyeong was momentarily speechless, then he let out a small laugh.

“I envy you for being able to say that.”

“You’re strong too, Doyeong.”

“If Luas heard that, he’d probably think you were mocking me. But well, we each have things we can do.”

“I can’t do anything.”

Gamal lowered her eyes and muttered. Doyeong sensed there was a deeper meaning behind her words and looked at her. Then Gamal raised her eyes and looked at Doyeong again.

“Can I sleep next to you?”

They were already lying close together, and he had no intention of sending her away after enjoying himself so much, but the way her round eyes watched him with a hint of uncertainty was endearing.

Doyeong leaned towards Gamal and asked, “Can a human man dare to sleep next to a god?”

“Yes.”

Gamal responded almost desperately.

“Because the god wants it.”

***

After the affair, Tora lay back lazily. Then he turned to look at Aki, who was lying beside him, also naked.

“Our Marti likes that kind of man, huh? I didn’t know that. Seems like she likes to be treated roughly,” he said.

Aki glanced at Tora.

“That guest is human, though.”

Tora shrugged.

“Because he’s human. Once you become a vampire, everything gets easier, really. But reaching a certain level as a human, that’s purely the result of one’s own effort. That’s probably what moved Marti’s heart, like a Moai statue—Major has that side to him.”

“It’s complicated.”

Aki muttered, then his face grew concerned.

“But won’t Lord Rato get angry? He might even try to kill that guest.”

Tora didn’t respond; he just stared at the ceiling.

***

Yeah, it was all fine. Even being stranded on the island, and somehow ending up in a complicated situation with a female vampire who had lived longer than most stones—those were all fine.

But was he really going to live out the rest of his days with Gamal on this island until he grew old and died?

Lying in a hammock strung between trees, Doyeong watched the sunlight filtering through the leaves and thought. Then, frowning, he muttered to himself.

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“What are you talking about?”
Tora, who was sitting on the floor working, turned around and asked. His long hair was braided on both sides, and strangely, it suited him well.

“At first, everyone goes through a stage of denial, just like the Major,” Tora said, as if he understood.

“Later on, even if you’re told to go back, you won’t want to. Trust me.”

“Even if you tell me to trust you…”

“I’ve lived outside for a few years too, but the air is terrible, and there are so many people crammed into small spaces. Everyone’s faces are pale from not getting enough sunlight, and they look like zombies, all stressed out…”

He knew so much about the outside world that he could blend right into a city without feeling out of place. If only he dressed properly.

“I have a family outside,” said Doyeong.

Tora asked, “Are you married?”

“I have three sons, as strong as oxen.”

“What are their names?”

“Elio. Nicola. Julian.”

Tora stared at Doyeong.

“You’re a good liar.”

“I got an A in drama class,” Doyeong admitted easily, as he hadn’t expected his story to be believed anyway. Tora shrugged.

“I’m saying this for your sake, Major. Accepting the reality and building a new family here would be easier for you.”

He made it sound so simple, but Tora spoke with ease.

“And when we truly consider you one of our tribe, then we can send news to your family outside.”

“What’s the standard for truly being considered part of the tribe?”

“At the very least, it’s not something you can fake,” Tora said, adding, “My father came from outside too, three hundred years ago.”

Doyeong had guessed as much, thinking Tora was of mixed heritage.

“He died when we were still in our mother’s belly, so I never saw his face, but he seemed to adapt quite well to the tribe.”

Tora continued to speak about things no one had asked about.

“It was the same with Johannes. Oh, and the letter you read was pure fiction. Johannes was first found drifting to this place by Angela’s grandmother. He fell in love with her at first sight and courted her quite embarrassingly.”

“So he didn’t have a wife and kids outside?”

“He apparently had a family, but they were quite wealthy, and there were so many inheritance disputes that it became a scandal covered by the newspapers. Johannes got tired of it all, left everything behind, and set out on a voyage. He was a bit like Henry Thoreau.”

A native mentioning Henry Thoreau…

Tora kept talking.

“Johannes was a writer. He completely failed, but he did publish a book. I even took the manuscript out and handed it over to a publisher. Haven’t you ever read it? It’s called *The Mysterious Voyage of John*.”

“I definitely want to read that. I’ll look it up if I ever get off this island.”

Doyeong spoke with an indifferent tone, but Tora smirked. It was because Doyeong’s words implied he was determined to leave the island someday.

At that moment, the sound of women chattering, like birds chirping, could be heard, and Gamal appeared from behind the hut with a group of women. As Doyeong watched, Tora, who had silently moved next to him, leaned in and whispered.

“Our Marti, isn’t she beautiful?”

Doyeong raised an eyebrow and looked at Tora. He seemed like he had something to say, but Tora didn’t give him a chance and continued.

“Consider it an honor. Every man who’s come here practically worshipped Marti, but she never gave her heart to anyone. She’s as famous as the Moai statues of Satadi Island. And now, for the first time, she’s opened her heart to someone, and that someone is you, Major.”

Doyeong had heard that ‘Marti’ meant ‘mother’ in Satadi dialect. In other words, Tora was calling Gamal ‘mother.’

“No matter how much of a *clientes* you are, isn’t it a bit odd to go around calling her ‘mother’ with that face?”

Tora stood with one hand on his hip, slightly slouched.

“If Marti had a child once every hundred years, how many sons her age do you think she’d have by now?”

“That’s not the issue….”

Just then, Gamal interrupted.

“What are you two talking about?”

She looked like a child who was jealous of being left out of a conversation. Doyeong waved his hand dismissively and lay back down on the hammock. Gamal leaned closer and asked.

“Doyeong, are you sleepy?”

“Sleepy.”

Doyeong answered, keeping his eyes closed. Gamal grabbed the hammock and said.

“Play with me.”

“What are you, a kid? Fine, I’ll play.”

At that moment, a young woman from the tribe walked by, placing a flower on her forehead before setting it down in front of Doyeong.

Doyeong was puzzled. Next, a middle-aged woman passed by and handed him a small pouch, about the size of a fist, with a polite gesture before setting it down.

“What’s that?”

Doyeong looked at the pouch and asked. From behind the hammock, Gamal replied.

“Grains of wheat.”

Doyeong turned around and asked again.

“Wheat?”

Gamal nodded.

“Wheat.”

It felt like he was caught in a bizarre conversation straight out of *Dumb and Dumber*, and Doyeong was exasperated.

“Why are they giving me wheat….”

Then another middle-aged woman came over, offering a small box, and two girls approached with a bouquet. Tora watched, looking pleased, and said.

“Looks like word has already spread. Major, you’re now known as Marti’s man. Being Marti’s man makes you the *great Tawa* of our tribe.”

Tawa. That meant ‘father.’

Doyeong was so baffled that he couldn’t find the words. Were they treating him like some kind of living saint now?

“They might as well dress me up with flowers and place me on an altar.”

“We’ll do that once you pass away,” Tora said with a smile.

Doyeong rolled his eyes.

“*Great Marti!*”

Just then, the girls gathered around called out to Gamal. She walked over to them, leaving behind a trace of her fragrance.

Standing lightly with her hands behind her back, chatting with the girls, Gamal blended in effortlessly, like she was just another girl from the tribe. Even the children seemed to regard her not as a god, but as a figure akin to a stone guardian statue.

They touched Gamal without showing any hesitation or fear.

To the tribe, a god was someone who ate, slept, and lived alongside them.

At that moment, the girls let out excited murmurs and glanced over at Doyeong.

“Look over there.”

Gamal turned around. The leaves rustled in the wind, casting shadows that danced over Doyeong, who was watching her intently.

The girls fussed over Gamal, surrounding her. Doyeong had a way of looking at people, like he was trying to see deep inside them. Gamal’s cheeks flushed, and she turned her head away.

“Wow, our Marti looks like a girl,” Tora said, impressed, as he munched on something beside Doyeong. Doyeong raised an eyebrow and turned to him.

“What are you eating?”

Tora handed Doyeong a stalk of green plant, similar to celery.

“Sugarcane. Want some?”

***

“Aren’t you sleeping?”

Gamal asked.

Doyeong, sitting by the dying embers of the campfire, stared at her. Gamal tilted her head in confusion.

“Doyeong?”

Doyeong got up and said, somewhat coldly, “Let’s sleep separately tonight.”

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t just settle down and live as the tribe’s *great Tawa*. Besides, how could he, an unmarried man, suddenly be talked about as if he had children?

“Uh…”

“Good night.”

While Gamal hesitated, unsure of what to say, Doyeong walked inside the house. He lay down on the bed, and silence filled the room.

Doyeong turned over, rustling the sheets. After a while, he tossed and turned again.

In the end, he sat up abruptly. Crossing the house, he opened the door. As expected, Gamal was sitting outside, looking like a stray puppy left behind.

“Doyeong.”

Doyeong frowned but didn’t say anything.

He couldn’t understand why she had that abandoned puppy look. She was treated like a deity by the tribe and had a *clientes* who cared for her like she was his own child.

“Go to bed.”

When Doyeong turned to go back inside, Gamal hugged him from behind.

“Don’t hate me.”

Doyeong stayed silent for a moment, then gently removed her arms.

Gamal let go without resistance. She had clung to him out of desperation, but she didn’t expect that forcing him would change his mind.

From what she had observed so far, Doyeong had a firm side to him, and he never stopped questioning things that didn’t make sense to him.

Suddenly, Doyeong pulled Gamal inside.

“Huh…?”

Gamal was bewildered.

Click.

The door closed. Doyeong pulled her arm, and with his other hand, he cradled her face as he kissed her.

Gamal gasped, tense at first, but as the kiss deepened, she began to feel her body heat up.

Doyeong continued to kiss her, guiding her hand to wrap around his waist. Then he gently pushed her back against the wall. Gamal’s back pressed against it.

He kissed with the skill of someone who had lived for three thousand years. No, it was as if he had a PhD in every aspect of such things.

As Gamal’s excitement grew, she tightened her arms around him. Doyeong slightly broke the kiss and said,

“I told you not to get excited.”