NOVEL NEXT Chapter 49
Chapter 49: Reunion
Dunk!
With a loud sound, a can of soda dropped from the blue vending machine.
Kazimir pulled out a cola from the product exit and handed it to Yoo Ji-han.
“Here you go.”
“I’ll enjoy it.”
Yoo Ji-han accepted the cola, beads of water forming on its surface, and watched from behind as Kazimir chose another drink.
‘A vampire using a vending machine, huh.’
Dressed in a shirt, he inserted cash, pressed the buttons, and bent down at the knees and waist to take out the drink, just like any ordinary human would.
It didn’t seem like a rare behavior for him at all.
‘Now he’s practically human.’
Back when I first encountered him in the MA, I could immediately tell he was different from humans.
But now, it was hard to distinguish Kazimir from an ordinary human.
Still, his pale skin, dark yet slightly red-tinged eyes and hair, and the fangs that showed when he spoke—it was clear they were characteristics of a vampire.
“This is it.”
“……Mint chocolate soda?”
Kazimir’s choice was a mint chocolate-flavored carbonated drink.
Yoo Ji-han made a disgusted face.
Why on earth would such a horrid thing be in a public beverage vending machine?
“Is that actually tasty?”
“When you drink this, it feels like you’re drinking fresh blood.”
“Really? That?”
“Nowadays, humans prefer sugar-free colas as an alternative to regular cola, don’t they? It’s similar to that.”
“Feels completely different, though….”
Blood and mint chocolate, they didn’t seem to relate at all.
In any case, mentioning blood confirmed he wasn’t human, but a vampire.
As he popped open the cold cola can, Yoo Ji-han asked, “How did you recognize me? I was hiding my face when we first met.”
Every time Yoo Ji-han went to the MA, he always concealed his face.
Amidst that, Kazimir was the one who discovered him.
It was quite amazing that he recognized him years later.
“Humans each have their unique scent of blood, a blood aroma. And I never forget a blood scent I’ve once smelled.”
“Do vampires have a good sense of smell?”
“To some extent.”
Vampires could distinguish people by their blood.
If given several glass bottles with blood of the same color, they could tell they were different just by smelling them.
“Was the guy next to you an elf?”
“Half, actually.”
“Half-Elf, huh. That’s why the scent was a bit unique.”
Kim Si-hu, who was with Yoo Ji-han, left the Hero Department first.
It seemed he wanted to catch a movie he had been missing at home while being considerate of the long-awaited reunion between Yoo Ji-han and Kazimir.
“Kazimir, what are you doing in the Hero Department?”
“I’ve been working for money, helping other researchers at the Hero Department’s research institute for a few years now.”
“What kind of research?”
“Mainly related to monster blood.”
Yoo Ji-han nodded.
A vampire researching blood—it seemed quite fitting.
“Is it because you’re a blood-loving vampire that you can do this?”
“Cough! Don’t joke. I don’t like the blood of lowly beings like monsters.”
Contrary to what Yoo Ji-han briefly imagined, Kazimir waved his hand away without holding his drink.
Just because a vampire drinks blood doesn’t mean they love all creatures’ blood.
“Blood is provided by the government, right?”
“Vampires in Korea receive 320ml of human blood weekly. It’s enough to sustain life.”
For vampires to stay sane and not go mad, they must have animal blood.
Among all, human blood was the most effective.
It was a widely known event that a vampire having insufficient blood in this settled diverse race attacked a nearby human in a frenzy.
“Since a year ago, I’ve also started eating seonjeonguk.”
“That’s…… kind of interesting.”
“It doesn’t taste as good as human food, but it’s not too bad after getting used to it.”
A vampire eating seonjeonguk made from cooked blood—such a funny combination that felt oddly familiar.
“Is the ongoing research going well?”
“It would be safe to say my name is included in all ongoing research related to monster blood in Korea.”
“You’re quite smart, huh.”
“Among the vampires settled on Earth, I think I’m the smartest.”
Kazimir displayed tremendous confidence without a change in expression.
This time, he asked Yoo Ji-han.
“By the way, why are you here?”
“There was an accident at the site I visited previously. I stopped by briefly to resolve that.”
“Is it related to Kim Hyun-tae’s Party?”
When Kim Hyun-tae’s Party was mentioned, Yoo Ji-han was slightly surprised.
“You know about Kim Hyun-tae’s Party?”
“They were the first heroes I met on Earth. Besides, since I’m part of the Hero Department myself, I can’t not know about famous guilds and parties in Korea.”
“I see.”
“One thing I found odd was… you weren’t on the list of Kim Hyun-tae’s Party of Keroes.”
“…….”
“No matter how much I searched for news articles or interviews, I couldn’t find you. It was as if you had never existed.”
Yoo Ji-han took a sip of cola in silence.
Kazimir glanced at him and said.
“Seeing you be with completely different heroes, I guess you left the party now.”
“Correct.”
“Is there a special reason for leaving?”
“Curious about my reason?”
Was this vampire genuinely this interested in others’ affairs?
Kazimir shrugged.
“Isn’t it curious when someone leaves such a famous party?”
“…….”
“It’s merely pure curiosity. If you don’t want to say, then don’t.”
“That…….”
Yoo Ji-han, who was trying to dodge the question, hesitated for a moment.
Still, considering that Kazimir met him directly at Kim Hyun-tae’s Party…
It might be fine to share something.
“Technically, I wasn’t the one who left; I was expelled from the party.”
“Expelled?”
“Yeah. Don’t talk about it elsewhere; it could get a bit troublesome.”
“Don’t worry. My lips are tighter than anyone else’s.”
At the mention of expulsion, Kazimir narrowed his eyes slightly.
There was a look of doubt in his gaze.
“So you were expelled? Why?”
“To make it short, I was unnecessary to that party.”
“That sounds a bit strange.”
“What?”
This time, Yoo Ji-han tilted his head in confusion.
It was even stranger for Kazimir to feel it strange that he was expelled from a party.
“I only saw Kim Hyun-tae’s Party for about 30 minutes, but when I saw you coming out of the MA, you seemed to play a significant role in the battle.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“It wasn’t as flashy as the hero Kim Hyun-tae. But every time the other heroes needed help, you were always there beside them. You were the epitome of a supporter, the perfect support-type hero.”
“…….”
“Even from my untrained eyes, it was quite an impressive scene. That’s why I still remember it even after several years.”
It was a very brief encounter, but Kazimir couldn’t help but acknowledge Yoo Ji-han’s skills.
Whenever there was a lack of firepower, he rushed to fill the gap, and if monsters approached from one side, he would voluntarily act as bait to disperse the enemies.
He seemed invisible among the other party members, shadowed by their glory, yet thanks to his apt judgments, he contributed significantly to the party.
Yoo Ji-han scratched his head and said.
“To be honest… I think I did my best in Kim Hyun-tae’s Party. Even if I were to go back in time, it would be hard for me to show anything beyond the role I had.”
In Kim Hyun-tae’s Party, Yoo Ji-han accepted Kim Hyun-tae’s will and always supported the other party members.
Though there were moments he stepped up front when it was truly crucial, that was merely him enduring his companions’ nagging.
On a normal basis, he focused on maintaining the party’s balance and simply played the role granted to him by the decision-makers.
“But that seemed lacking according to the standards of the party members back then.”
“What on earth are those standards?”
“Who knows.”
“I’ve seen many heroes active as supporters across the world, but to be honest, none compare to you.”
“That’s flattery. There aren’t many heroes who operate as supporters. It’s not a place that receives considerable attention. And it may be that Kim Hyun-tae’s Party simply didn’t need that role anymore.”
“Well, that could be the case.”
Kazimir shrugged again.
“I’ve heard a new party member has joined, but I wonder if that hero meets those high standards….”
“They’ll manage just fine.”
“Do you have no lingering feelings towards it?”
“Not at all. I’m much more comfortable now.”
At Yoo Ji-han’s calm demeanor, Kazimir nodded.
At that moment, Yoo Ji-han suddenly thought of something and asked him.
“By the way, speaking of research, do you know about Magic Discoloration Syndrome?”
“It’s the phenomenon where the magic changes to black when it touches the bodies of patients who faint. It’s similar to a bruise where blood, leaked due to blood vessel damage, pools under the skin and appears blue or black. It’s one of my research topics, so I know about it.”
“A friend’s family member has been bedridden for years because of that. Is it still hard to treat?”
That friend referred to Min Yu-ri.
The family member in question was his younger sister, Min So-yeon.
“If I had found a cure, I would’ve disclosed it a long time ago.”
“Looks like it’s indeed difficult….”
“But it’s related to blood to some extent, so I’ll continue the research. For reference, due to my efforts, a perfect cure for 11 types of blood cancers that can occur in humans has emerged.”
“That’s quite impressive.”
“Impressive? That’s a bit inadequate to express my achievement.”
“…….”
“It was quite a sight to see patients who received a clean bill of health come to the lab in groups, bowing multiple times.”
Kazimir’s demeanor, smiling with one corner of his mouth raised, seemed a bit arrogant.
That was how confident he was.
‘Perhaps I could get some help from him.’
It wouldn’t be a common opportunity to become acquainted with such a researcher.
After pondering for a moment, Yoo Ji-han said, “Give me your mobile number. I might need to contact you later.”
“No problem.”
The two exchanged their mobile numbers.
‘Nice, he’s got a good one.’
Yoo Ji-han realized during the process that Kazimir’s phone was a far more up-to-date model than his.
He never expected a vampire to be more trendy than him.
“Oh, one last thing I want to ask.”
“Go ahead.”
“Why did you come to Earth?”
The people from another world settled on Earth had varying backgrounds, methods of arrival, and purposes.
And none were humans from another world; they were all different races.
“The world I was in at that time was on the brink of destruction. The colleagues who attempted to escape with me exceeded 100, but except for three, they all died.”
“What on earth happened in that world….”
Doo-doo-doo!
At that moment, a call came in on Kazimir’s phone.
Looking at the name that popped up, he said.
“It’s a call from a colleague. Sorry, but I have to end the conversation here.”
“Uh… Okay. It was fun to see you after a long time.”
“I’ll get in touch next time.”
After a light handshake, Yoo Ji-han left, promising to reconnect.
Kazimir answered the incoming call.
—Kazimir! I’m dead busy, where are you right now?
“I’m on my way back to the research institute.”
—What were you up to?
“I had a conversation with a remarkable human I hadn’t seen in a while.”
—A remarkable human? Who is that?
“A rather outstanding human, rare to come by.”
—……!
The colleague at the other end of the line gasped and swallowed.
—Goodness, a human you’d consider remarkable… Have you met some Rank 1 Hero or something?
“I merely stated what I saw and felt.”
—Then how about me? Am I part of the remarkable humans?
“You’re an astoundingly stupid human.”
—Hey!
“If you don’t have my help, you can’t produce a decent result to save your life.”
—You jerk! Don’t hit me with facts like that!