Doyeong asked sharply. Camar sighed. She had been so startled that she still looked pale.
âI like it here.â
âDonât lie. If you simply donât want to be found out that you live here, then thereâs no reason to act so dramatically just because of a plane, right?â
Camar shut her mouth at his statement.
âSure enough. You have no intention of saying anything.â
Doyeong was somewhat fed up with her now, so he stood up as he said that. He was able to get up pretty easily by holding onto the tree.
âLieuâŠâ
As she was trying to get up behind him, Camar suddenly stumbled and fell. Doyeong stopped and sighed, then he asked back.
âWhatâs the matter?â
âNothing.â
She lifted her head and smiled, but her face was so white that it shone. Doyeong frowned.
âThatâs not ânothingâ.â
Then Camar confessed hesitatingly.
âItâs spinningâŠâ
âAre you dizzy?â
Camar nodded her head slightly.
âSit here.â
Doyeong helped her sit under the shade of the tree. Camar tilted her head and leaned against the tree.
Still, she was pale enough that the blue veins under her skin could be seen. She wasnât just startled. And Doyeong seemed to know why Camar was like this.
âIs it because of the flowers?â
Camar closed her eyes and nodded her head.
As expected. Eating the flowers raw is not very effective. Although it has the effect of quenching thirst to some extent, only when the flowers are processed into Floss can they become food that replaces blood.
âI ate flowers. A lot. But I still get dizzy sometimes.â
Camar slowly opened her eyes. A glistening luster passed through the iris. Doyeong had that feeling again.
It feels like seeing a snakeâs eyes, making his body stiffen with a chill.
âBlood is delicious.â
Camar said softly as she stared at Doyeong without blinking.
Then she pressed on his chest.
âBloodâŠâ
The word was muttered in a tone as if she just recalled something she had forgotten as she kept staring at Doyeongâs neck.
Doyeong didnât move. Because he knew he would be attacked if he moved carelessly. Tension ran down to his fingertips.
Suddenly, Camar turned her head away as if to shake off her impulses. And now she blinked as if she realized what she had done.
âUhâŠâ
Doyeong put on his crutches and got up.
âIâm taking a break.â
Then he turned and went away, leaving Camar to stand up and stumble by herself. He glanced back only to see Camar watching him with a clueless face.
Her pale face looked particularly pitiful.
***
âLieutenant, eat this.â
Camar held out a roasted yam. Doyeong, who had been eating for a while, raised his eyes.
âIâm fine.â
Camar shook her head.
âNope. Eat it, Lieutenant. I am full.â
âWhat are you talking about when youâre even capable of eating a whole cow in one sitting? Just eat it.â
Doyeong nagged and continued eating like a patriarchal husband. Camar cringed and just put the yam in her mouth.
No, just as she was about to put it in, Doyeong held out a bowl and said,
âGive it to me.â
Camar put the freshly roasted yam into the bowl. Doyeong looked at the yam and muttered,
âThere will come a day when simple yam tastes delicious.â
Then, he lavishly put one yam in his mouth and chewed it.
After eating, he stood up from his seat and said,
âNow letâs go in.â
âUmm. Do you need help?â
Camar asked immediately. Doyeong glanced at Camar and answered,
âSure.â
Doyeong got up with his arm wrapped around Camarâs shoulder. This movement is now familiar to both of them.
Then, while Camar did nothing more than support him, she did it with all her heart and soul, like a man handling a nuclear centrifuge.
She seemed to mind what happened during the day. Seeing her like that, Doyeong muttered as he wondered whether she was simply a nice or a naive vampire.
âWhat a weirdo.â
âHuh?â
Camar looked up and asked.
âNothing.â
They entered the log cabin and sat down.
âLetâs just sleep.â
âLieutenant.â
He turned to Camarâs faint call. Camar looked like she wanted to say something, but then swallowed her words and merely greeted him.
âSleep well.â
âYou too.â
Doyeong turned around and spoke casually,
âDonât worry too much. Because I donât care.â
It was a sentence without a subject, but Camar seemed to understand. She looked at this back and muttered a little.
âThanks.â
Doyeong fell asleep. After a while, he woke up to find the warmth on his back that he was already accustomed to. It looked like Camar was sleeping on his back again.
âHow can a person who is so lonely live alone?â
Doyeong thought in his sleep. Then, suddenly, a small hand crept over his side when he was barely asleep.
âWhat is this sneaky fellow doing?â
Doyeong only felt amazed. How familiar are you to grope a sleeping person?
SuuuuâŠ
Her palms ran from his chest to his stomach. Doyeong flinched. This was quite a bold move.
Doyeong couldnât admit it. Camarâs touch feels goodâŠ
At the moment he thought she wouldnât go any further.
âLieutenant.â
Camar sang softly as she noticed that Doyeong was awake. and muttered softly.
âLieutenant smells deliciousâŠâ
His spine was shivering. Murderous intent erupted from Camar whose face was hidden in the darkness.
It felt like a tiger was hugging him. Doyeong wanted to shake her off and get up, but her arms were tightly wrapped around him, so he couldnât escape.
Camar suddenly stood up. She seemed to have calmed down. When Doyeong finally turned around, Camarâs face was pale in a different way.
âI- Iâm sorry.â
Then Camar ran out from her place not giving any a chance to stop her.
âCamar!â
Doyeong called, but Camar was no longer visible through the wide open door.
***
Camar didnât come back last night.
Doyeong got up on his crutches and went outside. The sun-drenched vacant lot was quiet and there was no Camar in sight. Without Camarâs help, there was no way out of this place.
Thus, he sat on the beach while looking at one of the books from the log cabin, but Camar didnât show up until noon.
At one point, Doyeong lifted his gaze from the book he was reading. The turquoise-colored water gently rushed onto the beach, the kind that usually appears in a travel agency ad that promises a perfect vacation.
âCamar.â
Doyeong suddenly said.
âIâm hungry.â
In an instant, the bushes rustled. And after a while, Camar appeared. If anything, she looked like a person that committed a crime.
It was difficult not to feel the gaze that was constantly watching him from beyond the bush, although he had no innately sensitive sense like the luas.
Doyeong nodded and pointed to the seat next to him.
âSit down.â
Camar hesitated and sat down next to him. Then, Doyeong said out of nowhere,
âDonât pull that expression. Itâs your nature, so thereâs nothing you can do about it.â
Camarâs face looked startled, as if the words had hit her.
âLieutenant is the first person⊠to say that.â
âBecause Iâm used to vampires.â
He was past the stage of evaluating vampires through coloured glasses.
Doyeong even accepted the fact that vampires eat what vampires should eat just as dogs eat dog food and cats eat cat food.
In any case, the fact that vampires need blood, even though it is prohibited by law, has a special feeling itself.
Camarâs eyes were dark.
She may not have slept properly last night, but Doyeong didnât think it was merely because of lack of sleep for one night. The lack of nutrients from the flowers may play a part in it. Still, she was already so thin, almost like someone who had problems eating.
Doyeong asked.
âYou donât only eat flowers, right?â
âNo, IâŠâ
âIâm just asking the truth.â
Because Doyeong was asking so calmly, Camar eventually nodded her head slightly.
âSometimes when itâs too hard, I drink animal blood. But it smellsâŠâ
âThatâs why I said you can go out and drink Floss.â Anyway, Camar wanted to be on this island even though she knew she could drink Floss outside. Therefore, it is meaningless to mention this matter where she preferred to live on the blood of disgusting animals.
Doyeong looked at her for a while and asked,
âWant to drink blood?â
Camar couldnât answer.
âI want meat.â
Doyeong suddenly said, making Camarâs eyes widened.
âHuh?â
When Doyeong didnât answer, Camar pointed behind her and mumbled,
âUh⊠I go catch?â
The woman who asked immediately if he wanted her to catch some animals the moment he said he wanted meat was quite attractive, so Doyeong laughed.
âI canât help but want to eat meat, because my body wants it.â
It was then that Camar realized why Doyeong had said such a thing.
âBut I donât want to drink from Lieutenant. Lieutenant is my friend.â
Water glistened in her red eyes. Camar bit her lip to hold back her tears.
âBut I want to drink. I hate that.â
âBecause you need it.â
Doyeong said quietly.
Camar shut her mouth and didnât answer for a while. Then as she was about to answerâŠ
âNo, IâŠâ
Doyeong raised his hand.
âItâs not about drinking as much as you want. Itâs about filling only enough nutrients to not die. Since my leg is like this, if you die, Iâll be in trouble too.â
âBut⊠isnât it scary? If I canât stopâŠâ
Doyeong shrugged.
âIf you overdo it, I will hit your head with a stone.â
No one is supposed to say âthank youâ to that statement, but Camar muttered in disbelief to the human who was about to share his blood,
âThanks.â
âYou said we were friends.â
Despite the harsh tone, Camar realized that Doyeong also considered her as a friend.
âMy heart feels strange.â
It felt like a small person was racing in her heart, running here and there.
âJust promise me that youâll never drink blood without my permission.â
Camar shook her head violently.
âAbsolutely not.â
Then Doyeong pointed to Camarâs back.
âBring that.â
âThat?â
Camar looked back. What Doyeong pointed to was a stone the size of a fist lying on the sand.
âThe stone?â
âI told you Iâll hit you if I think youâre going out of your mind.â
âAh, yes.â
Camar nodded as if it was natural, got up and took the stone Doyeong was pointing to. Camar was sitting in front of him, but Doyeong didnât say anything. So, she started carefully.