A week had passed, and Seonyeon had to admit — staying at the LirEn BioTech complex had been the right decision.
No, it wasn't just because Soneon was almost always nearby. The reason lay deeper — here, at least, he could finally breathe in peace.
Meanwhile, messages from Mateo, heir to the Nebra Corporation, kept flooding in without pause:
"Where have you disappeared? I won't hurt you."
"Let's live together."
"We're special, aren't we? If we join forces — nothing can stop us."
"If there's anything you desire, just say it."
"By the way, how old are you? Don't tell me you're over fifty?"
The phrases became more intrusive, almost intimate — not messages, but an exhausting whisper right into his ear.
On So Raon's phone — silence. On Seonyeon's — the screen flickered endlessly.
"You must be very shy, Mr. Seonyeon. That's charming too. If you don't want to say your age, it's fine."
A few lines of text couldn't wound him physically, but they corroded his nerves like acid.
If he were alone — perhaps he would've already broken.
Now, every time the phone chimed, Ryu Seonyeon would cast it a glare hot enough to melt metal. So Raon sometimes simply took the device away, afraid he might crush it.
And yet, when Lo Dan — their restless analyst — suddenly exclaimed, everyone froze.
— Wait... Hyungnim Seonyeon, you've been reported missing!
On the monitor — a blurry photo from a hotel security camera, where they had once crossed paths with Im Lo. In the corner — a partially hidden Seonyeon.
Below the image, the text read:
"Young man, about 180 cm tall, slender. Missing for a week. Reward for information."
— Damn... — muttered Seonyeon.
— I've already reported the post and am deleting whatever I can, but people keep reposting it, — said Lo Dan anxiously.
— Thanks. Keep going, — Seonyeon replied calmly, though inside everything boiled.
— Why is he so obsessed with you, hyungnim? Nebra's labs already have plenty of experimental vampires, — Lo Dan wondered.
So Raon crossed his arms and frowned.
— I think it's because Mr. Ryu Seonyeon wasn't artificially created. For them, that's a rarity — and rarities always become obsessions.
— No, — Seonyeon interrupted quietly, — he just wants to eat me.
The room fell silent.
He remembered Mateo's gaze back in Vermilion — hungry, insatiable, like someone who had finally found his long-sought cure, not a lover.
— He called it "love." But in his eyes, I was more of a ginseng root than a person, — Seonyeon said with disgust.
— If he's Im Chinthe's successor, then he knows that man drank vampire blood. So this isn't surprising.
So Raon exhaled heavily. Instinctively, everyone sat around the round table in the operations room.
— If that's true, then we're lucky you're here, — he began. — The LirEn complex is fortified enough that not even Nebra's drones could breach it. Its security systems are on a government level.
— Meaning, better than at the airport? — Seonyeon raised an eyebrow.
— Much better, — Doeon smiled. — The corporation's founder survived several assassination attempts, so he built this base like a fortress.
— Then Nebra's own security must be even tighter. The way they attack — that's the way they defend, — Seonyeon noted.
— Exactly, — Doeon nodded. — I've been inside their lab… even there, I felt like a prisoner.
— So how do we get in? — asked Seonyeon. — If we're going to end this, we need a plan.
Doeon pulled a phone from his pocket, its surface flecked with crystal particles.
— Through a VIP invitation. The official event is in two months. That's what this device is for.
— But originally, it was supposed to be Seonyeon who infiltrated them, wasn't it? That's impossible now.
— Why? He was masked, — Seonyeon replied calmly.
— You beat him half to death, — Seonyeon sighed. — He'll recognize you instantly.
Doeon smirked.
— Not if we flip the script — make you his "master," and Seonyeon your subordinate. He'll believe it.
— What? You've already decided everything for me? — Seonyeon shot him a look, but Seonyeon avoided his eyes.
— We don't have a better option, — Doeon continued. — Besides, he's the only one immune to vampire hypnosis.
The words hung heavy in the air. Even Seonyeon froze.
— I realized that after meeting you, — Seonyeon admitted. — I don't feel the hypnosis. Which means I can act freely.
Seonyeon's chest tightened. He knew the other was right, but in his mind, he couldn't stop picturing a scenario where his partner never returned.
— Then I'll go, — Seonyeon suddenly said.
— What?! — Seonyeon jumped up. — Are you serious? He tried to capture you!
— All the more reason, — Seonyeon replied calmly. — I can use his own hypnosis against him. Let him believe he controls me.
The idea was so insane that for a few seconds, no one spoke.
— If he's really making a rejuvenation serum from human blood, we need proof — not stories, but data, — said So Raon.
Lo Dan chimed in:
— We planned to embed cameras and recorders on Seonyeon. But if Seonyeon goes, it'll be easier — he'll draw Mateo into conversation himself.
Seonyeon nodded. The logic made sense, but his chest still ached.
Then So Raon murmured nervously:
— If anything goes wrong, we have backup — a hired team. Just a safety measure.
— What next, bombs too? — Seonyeon asked dryly.
Doeon's face darkened.
— …That was also considered. As a last resort.
— Then I'm going with you, — Seonyeon said firmly. — We'll make sure that "last resort" isn't needed.
Seonyeon lowered his gaze to the table.
— How is this different from the way we used you before?
— Because this time it's my decision, — Seonyeon answered. — I'm doing this because I care about you.
He smiled — soft, with a trace of irony, but sincerity shone in his eyes.
Seonyeon's eyes widened, as if he'd heard something impossible.
— You do know you've got a terrible personality, right? Someone has to keep you in check, — Seonyeon joked, and the atmosphere lightened just a little.
So Raon couldn't help but cough loudly.
— Let's finalize this with everyone, — he said. — We've got two passes, so you're both going in.
Seonyeon sighed. He'd never have guessed that the phone he so despised would become their key to the enemy's den. He'd wanted to throw it away — but fate had other plans.
At that moment, the device in So Raon's hand buzzed. His face changed.
— Uh… a message from Nebra. Not to Seonyeon — to all VIPs.
Four short lines flashed on the dim screen:
"Dear guests, the long wait is over. The meeting has been moved ahead of schedule."
"Date: 00 month, 00 day."
"Location: Nebra Complex, Sector B, Paju. Time: 19:00."
"Congratulations — you are among the top 0.0001%. See you in two weeks."
The silence trembled.
— Two weeks? — Seonyeon exclaimed. — It was supposed to be two months!
Everyone's expressions hardened. Seonyeon spoke quietly:
— Call everyone in. The chairman too.
While Lo Dan dialed the number, Seonyeon muttered under his breath:
— If they're moving up the schedule, something's happened. This isn't a whim.
— Yes, — Doeon agreed. — The last three meetings were always on time. They've never rushed before.
Their waiting time had just been cut to a quarter. Which meant they had only two weeks left to prepare —
for the meeting with those who dared to play god with human lives.
When Li Kanyn, I Hun, and O Leia entered the base, the air was already thick with tension.
It lingered in every breath, every shuffle, every silence.
They were about to decide who among them would live to see the next dawn.