Into the Creations 48

Chapter 48 – 048. Vampire Detective

048. Vampire Detective

I cut into the steak and put it in my mouth.
As soon as I chewed the well-cooked meat, the juices exploded and overflowed. The meat was very tender, and the sauce was a perfect match.

“As expected! A 100,000 won steak! It melts in my mouth.”

I hadn’t been very interested in food throughout my life. I liked delicious things, but I chose quantity over quality. But these days, with so much money, I’m pursuing both quantity and quality.

“It’s really delicious!”

I praised it as I cut another piece of steak.
I glanced at Moon Ji-hyuk’s face, and he was cutting his steak with a sullen expression. For his income, 100,000 won for a meal would be a bit much.

“…I’m glad you think it’s delicious.”
“So, what’s the reason Detective Moon, the person in charge of the Red Light Task Force, came looking for me? Do you perhaps think I’m Red Light?”
“It’s true that Sung Yu-jin’s physique is similar to Red Light’s. But it’s too much of a stretch to call you Red Light just based on that.”

I felt a pang of guilt inside. But I quickly composed myself.
There are many people with a similar physique to mine. Unless I was naked, it would be impossible to distinguish people based on their physique alone.

“Then, you have something to ask me?”
“K-Plex. You know it, right?”
“…Yeah. Well, it’s a place I sometimes go to hang out.”

I answered casually, chewing on a piece of steak. I was thinking about why K-Plex suddenly came up. The answer came quickly.

‘K-Plex. That’s where those gangster bastards worked.’

Moon Ji-hyuk’s face turned towards mine. I was a little nervous here. I knew from watching the original drama that Moon Ji-hyuk had a talent for observing people.
If I made even a small mistake in managing my expression here, Moon Ji-hyuk would notice something was off.

“Your blood was found in an alleyway near there, Sung Yu-jin. Can you tell me what happened that day?”
“…Since I said I would, I guess I can.”

I know Moon Ji-hyuk’s personality.
Moon Ji-hyuk is very persistent. Once he gets fixated on something, he investigates it blindly, whatever it may be. Of course, he sometimes strikes out. But sometimes, that personality shines.
Above all, Moon Ji-hyuk is the protagonist of the drama. He has the ridiculous protagonist buff called intuition.

If I tried to avoid him for no reason, Moon Ji-hyuk would be the type to become even more obsessed. It was my intention to meet him once and shake off that persistence.
I was confident because I had watched the original drama and knew a lot about Moon Ji-hyuk.
However, Moon Ji-hyuk was a more difficult person to deal with than I had thought.

“Your blood was found in an alleyway near there, Sung Yu-jin. Can you tell me what happened that day?”

It was a question that made me lose my appetite.

‘…No. Calm down. There’s no way they can identify a person just from bloodstains. If they could, they wouldn’t have come to meet me like this; they would have arrested me or issued a summons.’

DNA analysis is one of the latest investigation methods, but it’s not perfect. And just because my blood was there doesn’t mean I’m Red Light.
Should I deny it? No. Moon Ji-hyuk probably already knows to some extent and contacted me.

“It wasn’t a good thing. Gangsters attacked me. I ran away. I bled in the process.”
“There were no signs of you running away.”
“I’m very good at running away.”
“Didn’t you think about reporting it to the police?”
“I don’t really trust the police. Besides, the gangsters’ retaliation is pretty severe.”
“…Do you know that those gangsters, Ma Bong-cheon’s gang, were found dead?”
“…I heard they disappeared, but… I’m hearing they died for the first time from you, detective.”

I should have just thrown them into the sea after taking their money… I should have gone through the trouble.

‘No. It’s okay. Moon Ji-hyuk doesn’t know I’m Red Light.’

I acted relaxed and cut into the steak with my knife.

“You’re more composed than I thought.”

I paused. It was a mistake. An ordinary person wouldn’t be so relaxed in this situation.

“It’s not my business if they die. In a way, I think it’s a good thing. I didn’t have anything good with those guys.”
“I understand. There was even a knife fight in the alleyway. Where were you injured then? You look fine now.”
“My wrist. I bled a lot, but it wasn’t a deep wound. It’s all healed now.”
“Would you mind if I took a look at the wound?”

I held out my right arm. That’s where the sashimi cut my forearm. But there wasn’t a single scar thanks to Complete Recovery.

“I was cut on my forearm. See? I’m fine.”
“…Does it normally heal this cleanly without leaving a scar?”
“I know a skilled doctor. Besides, I’ve had exceptional recovery since I was young, so wounds heal quickly.”
“If you don’t mind, can I touch your arm?”

Normally, I would have refused immediately. I would have even gotten angry, asking why a guy was grabbing another guy’s arm.
But I noticed Moon Ji-hyuk’s intention. He was trying to check my temperature while checking the wound on my arm. To clearly distinguish whether I was a vampire or a human.

‘Pale skin can be covered with makeup, and fangs won’t be noticed if I move my lips carefully. But I can’t hide my body temperature. That must be what he’s aiming for.’

I nodded readily.

“It’s fine.”

He touched my arm a few times and then let go.

“Thank you.”
“It’s nothing. But your hands are really cold, detective.”
“…I have poor circulation.”
“Ah. I see.”

I ate the last piece of steak without wasting a bit and picked up my wine glass.

“Is that all the questions?”
“No. There are still a few more. Are you a college student?”
“No. I’m unemployed right now. I’m just lazing around doing nothing.”
“The nickname ‘Sung-Cock’… do you know it?”
“It’s my nickname.”

Of course, I know it. And I quite like that nickname.
Sung-Cock! Sung Yu-jin’s cock! Holy cock!
Sung-Cock is a word that praises me.

“I heard you go to rooms in Gangnam almost every day.”
“Rooms are great. They’re fun places. Detective, do you want to go to a room with me? It’s really fun.”
“I’ll pass. More than that, rooms are very expensive places. Where did you get the money? Can I ask who your parents are?”

He’s suspecting the source of my money. It’s only natural. If I were him, I’d be curious where a young guy like me got the money to go to rooms every day.

“My parents, huh. They’re in the countryside. Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province.”

That’s the story of my parents. I don’t know who Kang Yu-jin’s parents are. I’ve never looked it up because I’m not interested.

“Do they run a business or something?”
“Not a business, but they run a beauty salon together. The money I spend in rooms isn’t allowance from my parents.”
“Then what is it? Did you win the lottery or something?”
“I’ve never bought a lottery ticket… Should I try it this time?”

I was answering Moon Ji-hyuk’s questions obediently, but I suddenly felt a surge of annoyance.
It’s true that I’m Red Light and I have to hide that fact. But do I have to be so submissive? Does Moon Ji-hyuk have to take the lead in the conversation?
What can Moon Ji-hyuk do to me?

“In short, Detective Moon suspects my money… is that what you mean?”
“…Yes. I’m suspicious. It doesn’t make sense that you have that much money, logically speaking.”
“Well, I admit it’s not clean money. But do you know? Some of the money I’m spending is money you used to have.”
“…What did you say?”
“Taker.”

Moon Ji-hyuk’s eyes widened. He looked at me with disbelief, opening and closing his mouth repeatedly.

“N-no way…. You?!”

Moon Ji-hyuk spoke informally. I didn’t care much.

“Yeah. I’m Taker, Detective Moon.”

Because I can also speak informally.

“No. Really you… Taker? You’re too….”
“Too young? But what can I do? I’m Taker. The best genius hacker in Korea! Taker is me.”

I grinned and drank my wine. The sweet wine slid down my tongue.

“You also sold information about vampires recently. You still don’t believe me?”
“……”
“Do I have to show you the messenger to believe me?”

I took out my smartphone and showed him the messenger that Taker had created.
After seeing the messenger, Moon Ji-hyuk quickly regained his composure. His gaze towards me became sharp.

“Taker. I’ll ask you directly. What’s your relationship with Red Light?”
“I have no relationship with him.”
“Looking at Red Light’s actions, he either has hacking abilities or a hacker is helping him.”
“Well, I’ve also looked into Red Light. He’s so famous. But do you think it makes sense for a hacker to hack a bus? That’s impossible. Not just for me, but for any hacker.”
“…You really have no relationship with Red Light?”
“I told you I don’t. If I did, would I be out here playing around so openly?”
“……”

Moon Ji-hyuk crossed his arms. Then he looked down and stared at the empty plate where the steak had been. He seemed to be deep in thought.
He was probably thinking about me.
Just because I said I had no relationship with Red Light doesn’t mean I can shake off Moon Ji-hyuk’s suspicion. It’s clear that Moon Ji-hyuk won’t completely believe me.

‘He’s probably wondering what to do with me.’

He can’t hold me, but he can’t just leave me alone because I’m suspicious. And I’m Taker. A genius hacker. I’m cooperating with Moon Ji-hyuk now, but I’m still a criminal.

‘I’ll control Moon Ji-hyuk. I can do it, even if no one else can.’

I have knowledge of the original story. I know Moon Ji-hyuk’s personality, and even though the story has deviated a bit, the basic events from the original will not disappear.
I interrupted Moon Ji-hyuk before his thoughts went any deeper.

“Looks like you’ve become a vampire?”
“…Did you notice when I touched your arm earlier?”
“I don’t plan on going around telling people. You’re one of my clients, after all.”
“I trust you’ll keep your mouth shut. Taker.”
“Don’t worry. You know my identity too, right? We’re even.”

The easiest way to control Moon Ji-hyuk.
Well, what else is there besides a case to move a detective?

“The steak was delicious. I’ll give you some information as a service for the meal.”
“Information?”

Moon Ji-hyuk showed interest. He knew how excellent my information was.

“There’s a rumor that a bomb terror attack will happen in Korea.”
“A bomb terror attack?!”

Moon Ji-hyuk, who had heard unimaginable information, jumped up from his seat. It was fortunate that we were in a private room restaurant.

“It’s a rumor. A rumor. But it’s a pretty likely rumor.”
“…What’s the source of the rumor?”
“A broker. That broker heard it from an arms dealer. But the possibility is quite high. A retired special forces soldier with a grudge against Korea is going to commit the terror attack.”

It wasn’t a lie. This episode really exists, and looking at the timeline, a bomb terror attack will happen at the Dawn Group building in the near future.

“What’s the identity of that retired soldier?”
“I don’t know. I only heard the rumor, I didn’t investigate it. I’m not that interested.”
“Not interested? It’s a bomb terror attack happening in Korea! Aren’t you a citizen of Korea?!”
“Don’t get worked up. You know there are more people like me. I’m only telling you this because it’s me. If it were someone else, they wouldn’t have told you.”
He closed his mouth tightly and sat back down in his chair.
“Can you find out who that retired soldier is?”
“It’s difficult. I’m not omnipotent.”
“When will the terror attack happen? Where will it happen?”
“How would I know that? I understand you want to know something, but think calmly. I told you I only heard a rumor.”
“……”

Moon Ji-hyuk was lost in thought. In his mind, Red Light and Taker were probably pushed to the back burner.
After all, Moon Ji-hyuk is a good guy. There’s no way he can ignore something that could cost dozens, or even thousands, of lives.

“Taker. I need your help.”
“I’m busy. And I don’t want to do dangerous things. I prefer to just receive information and live my life. Why don’t you just tell this information to your superiors?”
“Do you think the higher-ups will move just because of a rumor that a terror attack will happen?”
“Hmm. No.”

A bomb terror attack. And it’s just a rumor. There’s no way the police higher-ups would believe it.

“But you believe the rumor? It’s just a rumor.”
“If it were just a simple rumor, there’s no way you would have told me.”
“…You trust me?”
“At least your information has never been wrong so far. And you also think a terror attack will happen. Am I wrong?”
“Wow~. I’m flattered that you trust me. Customer. But I’m not going to get involved. Am I crazy to get involved in such a dangerous thing?”
“If you don’t help, I’ll arrest you.”

I chuckled.

“You’re a vampire, aren’t you? I’ll expose that.”
“……”

We glared at each other. Moon Ji-hyuk didn’t show any signs of backing down.

“Taker. Please help me just once. I need your abilities.”

Moon Ji-hyuk stood up from his seat and slowly bowed his upper body to me. A 90-degree bow. He was about to kneel. Moon Ji-hyuk was that kind of guy.

“…Ten million won. I’ll help you for ten million won as a special service. But this special service is only for this one time.”
“…Thank you.”
“I’ll investigate it separately. But I also have my limits. You should also investigate the retired soldier. You must have other informants besides me.”
“I will. Fortunately, I have connections in the military. And if he’s going to commit a bomb terror attack… he must have a motive.”

I swallowed the words that the motive was surprisingly trivial.

“But you’re in charge of the Red Light Task Force, right? Do you have time?”
“I have time.”
“Then shall we have a meeting?”

I pretended to make plans with Moon Ji-hyuk while activating my hacking.

[Hacking successful.]

[You can hack Moon Ji-hyuk’s smartphone for 24 minutes.]

I was very curious about who the guys in the Red Light Task Force chasing me were.
As I looked at Moon Ji-hyuk’s contacts, messenger, and message history, I smiled.

‘He’s not dating the female lead yet. Looking at their conversations, they’re almost dating. Damn. I’m suddenly horny. I have to bang her.’

The female lead isn’t my type, but it’s a shame to just leave her alone.
Since I’m in the drama, shouldn’t I bang the female lead at least once?

‘Hehehe.’