In the labyrinthine underbelly of Busan, a city where night never seems to end, reigns Choi San, a centuries-old vampire with control over the darker elements. His world is one of cold dominance and strict hierarchies-a place where humans are strict...
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𓊈𒆜 𝕵𝖚𝖓𝖌 𝖂𝖔𝖔𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖌 𒆜𓊉
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My senses blurred as San sped through the forest, the world around us a smear of colors and shadows. His grip was firm, almost protective, as he carried me swiftly towards the safety of the mansion. The wind whipped past us, a cold rush against the sting of the arrow wound in my side. Pain lanced through me with every movement, but the urgency in San's movements left no room for complaint.
Just as the towering silhouette of the mansion began to emerge through the trees, a sharp, unmistakable voice sliced through the air, halting us in our tracks.
"Traitor!"
The word hung heavy, echoing ominously through the night. It was a voice I knew all too well—my mother's. Her tone was steeped in betrayal and disbelief, cutting deeper than any physical wound could.
San stopped abruptly, his body tensing as he set me gently against the trunk of a tree. My head spun from the sudden stop and the pain radiating from my side. Squinting through the dim light, I saw my mother step out from the shadows, her figure rigid with anger.
"Mother?" My voice was weak, strained by confusion and pain. "What are you doing here? What do you mean?"
She stood a few feet away, her eyes flickering with a mix of pain and resolve as they settled on me and then darted accusingly towards San. "How could you, Wooyoung?" Her voice trembled, but there was an underlying steel to it. "Aligning yourself with him? With any of them?"
I tried to rise, to go to her, but the pain anchored me in place. "I'm not a traitor," I managed to say, my voice a mere whisper against the severity of her accusation.
"You were found in the company of vampires, our enemies," she continued, her voice rising with each word. "You've endangered us all. Your father and I raised you to stand against such creatures, not beside them."
"But I haven't betrayed anyone," I insisted, desperation seeping into my tone. "I was trying to understand, to find peace. San isn't like what you think."
"A vampire is a vampire, Wooyoung," she shot back sharply. "There is no peace with monsters. You're either with us, or you're against us. It's that simple."
Her black-and-white view of the world—a view I had once shared—now seemed too constrictive, too devoid of the nuances I had come to see. The world wasn't as simple as she made it out to be. The connections I had formed, the truths I had uncovered, they spoke of a complexity she refused to acknowledge.
"Please, just listen—," I pleaded, my voice cracking under the strain.
"It's too late for that, Wooyoung," she said, her voice softening with sorrow, yet firm with finality. "You've made your choice, and you must live with the consequences."
