/
Doyeong turned the letter to the back page.
<But Camar was not like me. What I expected of her was nothing like her physical love. I couldn’t have dared to expect that.>
The passage he saw did not suppress his jealousy that was creeping up.
<We respected each other like Dante and Beatrice , like teachers and disciples for each other.
Watching the countless rising and setting suns and moons, we talked about everything. I felt as if I had peered deep into Camar’s soul, and no one had looked so deeply into my soul as Camar.
Camar described herself as a vampire. But I wondered if Camar was more like a spirit of nature, not a human or a monster. An incarnate to teach me what I really want.>
[ Dante and Beatrice of Dante’s Inferno. It is said that Dante maintained a deep love and respect for Beatrice, even after her death and despite Dante being married and having children with his spouse.]
And although the letter describes what Johannes experienced and felt while living on this island, there was nothing important to Doyeong.
Shrak.
Doyeong lowered the letter. A gentle breeze ruffled his hair while he looked out to sea.
After all, he was just another Johannes.
Even if he dies without getting out of this deserted island, Camar will live on and meet the next man who comes to her.
Meeting someone, breaking up and meeting again. In the end, it is the same flow as a human life, but the difference is that the cycle is the whole life for someone.
And Doyeong had no intention of getting caught in the flow.
Then, suddenly, Doyeong realized that quite a bit of time had passed and made a slight impression.
“Why aren’t you coming yet?”
It was then.
Suddenly, a wild boar jumped out of the bushes. Doyeong was startled and instinctively looked for a gun and leaned on his waist. But there were no guns.
But the wild boar made a thud and fell sideways. It was already dead.
After that, Camar showed up. She smiled like a puppy who saw her owner.
“Lieutenant!”
Doyeong was shocked.
“What…”
“Lieutenant said you wanted to eat meat.”
Doyeong stared at the puppy-like face asking for praise.
***
When he was young, a naughty cat lived in a house in Doyeong’s neighborhood.
The cat was mean to everyone, but strangely, it liked Doyeong. And from one day on, it brought Doyeong with things like mice, birds, and lizards.
The cat’s owner said it was a sign that the cat liked him. It means something like, ‘I prepared it for you.’
Apparently, this female vampire liked him.
Doyeong thought.
It wasn’t unusual for a woman to like him, but the problem now was that she was a vampire who was half-holding him in custody.
Besides, Doyeong didn’t think Camar was sincere.
Since Camar seemed to have been living alone for a long time, she must have instinctively been attracted to a man, whom she’s never met in a long time. After all, he was a young, healthy man who didn’t look bad.
So, it wouldn’t matter if it wasn’t Doyeong who came to the island, but William or John, as long as they had similar conditions.
“Lieutenant.”
Then Camar appeared from behind the tree and spoke. Long hair ran down the straw hat she weaved herself. She looked fresh, worthy to appear in an ionic drink commercial.
“I’m going to pick flowers.”
Doyeong put down the book and said,
“Let’s go together.”
Camar blinked her eyes.
“Together? But Lieutenant’s leg…”
“I have a strong splint, what are you worried about?”
Doyeong held out his hand as if asking, “What are you doing instead of supporting me?” Camar hesitated, but approached and raised Doyeong up.
“The flowers are far away.”
“I feel like I’m being bred because I’m only sitting around here. Let’s go a little further.”
Doyeong leaned on Camar and stepped forward.
Now he felt almost no pain in his leg.
In the first place, his leg healed faster than he expected because he had a very healthy constitution, ate well, and rested well. However, even though he had already been able to walk for a while, Doyeong wasn’t sure if he should let Camar know yet.
“Isn’t it hard, Lieutenant?”
Then Camar asked.
“It’s okay.”
Doyeong didn’t hide it with the intention to harm the other party. It could be due to his mood, so he pretended that he hasn’t healed yet.
And so, the two went on their way.
Even though Doyeong’s legs have improved a lot, it’s been a long time since he’s walked such a distance. Moreover, he was pretending that his leg was uncomfortable. Camar asked as she noticed that the back of his T-shirt was damp with sweat.
“Do you want to rest?”
“Mmm.”
Camar helped Doyeong sit on a rock by the lakeside. Then she scooped out water with the wooden bowl she had put in the cross bag and handed it over.
“Here, water.”
“Thanks.”
Doyeong took the bowl and drank water. But Camar looked moved for some reason, so he wondered what was the source of this reaction.
“What’s up?”
“Nothing.”
Camar replied shyly and turned around.
‘What is it?’
As for Doyeong, he didn’t even notice that her reaction was because of his subconscious “thanks”, and he simply thought she was being weird.
He looked up to the sky. Beside him, a cliff was cut in like a giant’s fist, casting a half-roof over his head. So, in the shade where Doyeong sat, there was a cool breeze.
The lake’s water flowed away into the depths of darkness beneath the cliffs.
Birds flew in the clear blue sky.
Doyeong looked down and saw Camar squatting by the water.
‘If it is true that you’ve lived as long as you’ve claimed, it’s certainly a miracle that you have lived through those years without being polluted with time.’
This may be due to her original personality and her long sleep, but above all it is because she’s been living on this island. There was no stain in this natural environment, it should still be close to how it was originally.
Nature has preserved the existence of Camar.
Camar looked back as if she felt his gaze. She stared at him with clear, transparent red eyes. The light shone down over her.
“Are you okay now?”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
Doyeong naturally placed his hand on Camar’s shoulder.
Camar’s eyes looked at him. Flowers seemed to bloom in Camar’s eyes that were looking up at him.
‘Did all the men who came to this island look like this?’
No, she didn’t think so.
She knew this by instinct.
Pa-ra-raak.
Camar looked towards the forest where the birds flew as they vanished into the sky. And as Doyeong was about to look around the forest, she said quickly,
“Let’s go.”
Doyeong looked at Camar again. ‘Somehow… It felt like she was trying to distract me.’
However, Doyeong didn’t say much as it was just a feeling. Hence, the two went on their way again. After walking for a while, Camar climbed a nearly cliff-like hill first and reached out her hand,
“Watch out. A little high.”
She meant it was steep.
Doyeong took Camar’s hand. Then Camar lifted him up. Immediately, another world unfolded, rendering Doyeong speechless.
The scenery with red flowers in full bloom as far as the eye could reach was overwhelming.
Doyeong couldn’t look away and asked,
“Did they originally bloom here?”
“No.” Camar answered, “I originally found it in a high place outside. I brought it and planted it here.”
Doyeong looked at Camar with surprise.
“All of this?”
“Will I ever run out of time?”
Doyeong looked at Camar.
“Have you learned to be sarcastic?”
Doyeong liked it, so he looked around the flower garden again and asked,
“Since when?”
“As soon as I came to this island. I needed something to eat. When I went to sleep, I thought they were all going to die soon. Because they didn’t grow up here.”
As Doyeong said before, the flowers were varieties that grow in cold places.
Camar muttered as she looked at the flower garden.
“But they’re not dead.”
There were times when Camar had to look like this. Even if she normally looks like a thoughtless fool, there are times when she pokes deep like using a knife.
“They got stronger. Grew bigger to fit the new land.”
“It’s beautiful. And strange.”
The waving of the bright red flowers should’ve looked creepy, as if blood was rippling, but in reality, it was beautiful to see them fluttering and reflecting the luster whenever the wind swept by.
It was like Camar’s eyes. It should’ve looked ominous, but her eyes don’t look like that at all.
“Umm. Beautiful.”
Camar said while looking at the flowers.
Doyeong could imagine Camar planting flowers. Alone on an empty island, long before Floss was developed, wearing her handmade straw hat.
Just imagining the image gave him a pitiful and lovely feeling.
Before he knew it, he was wrapping his hands around Camar’s cheeks. Camar slowly closed her eyes.
Their lips met.
Doyeong knew. He would probably regret this moment.
There was no future between them. Not only because he needed to leave the island, but Camar was a vampire and he was a human.
Even in such a world, he had never thought that he would fall in love with a female vampire, so Doyeong had never even thought about the problems caused by the difference in lifespan between a vampire and a human couple.
But, as it has been for the past three thousand years, Camar will always be like this, and he will grow old.
Even so, he seemed to understand why despite the differences, so many vampire and human couples still decided to just enjoy the time they were together. Because nothing feels more right than this moment.
***
The two watched the flower garden together for a while. He didn’t get tired of watching the red waves crashing over and over. Rather, he felt the same sense of pride as when he accomplished the work he had been working on for a long time.
Moreover, it’s a landscape that Camar made with great care.
“Shall we go?”
Doyeong asked. Camar nodded her head and lifted him up. Doyeong left her a little more in charge. It was subtle, but Camar felt the difference, making her cheeks redden slightly.
The two went back down the way they came.
“Water, please.”
Then, Doyeong said that he was thirsty.
“Here.”
Camar took the water bottle out of the crossbody bag. However, they missed each other’s hands, so the water bottle rolled and Camar had to run to pick it up.
“Oh, wait for me.”
Doyeong looked at her and smiled. He unconsciously lowered his head… and then he saw it.
It was a footprint.
Clearly embedded in dry, hardened mud.
It was barefoot without shoes, but considering the size, it was a man’s footprint. And quite a bulky one at that.
“Lieutenant?”
When Doyeong didn’t move, Camar called at him. Doyeong calmly stepped on the footprints left in the mud.
“Let’s go.”
And walked away.