Hunter, Thank You For Your Blood - Vol. 1 Chapter 1.4 - The Monster Born From Capitalism (4)

Anxiously chewing on his fingertips, Si-wol glared at the front door. Unable to stay still, he kept pacing back and forth in the living room, but his gaze remained fixed on the front door.

“Why… isn’t he coming? I have to turn on the broadcast soon.”

He glanced briefly at the clock on the wall. The hour hand approached eight, and the minute hand lingered at 50 minutes. The broadcasting time was a promise with the viewers. If he could just start right at eight o’clock, he wouldn’t have to come up with any lame excuses for being late.

“I should have known. I shouldn’t have invited a stranger. Haa… I was blinded by money for a moment, it’s my mistake.”

However, if anyone else had received such substantial donations, they wouldn’t have hesitated like him.

First ten, then a hundred, and finally five hundred. In total, it added up to six hundred and ten thousand won. The number 6 at the beginning of the donation amount was unfamiliar to him. It was natural since he had never received even sixty thousand won before.

But it’s not just the leading digit that’s different, the unit was also different. It was not in tens of thousands or even a hundred thousand, but a whopping one million. With this amount, he could easily afford expensive blood packs from Ryu Je-mun.

In truth, that’s why he hesitated. Even if today’s viewer turns out to be a strange person, he could simply chase them away and buy blood packs to drink. However, if he didn’t invite them after receiving the donation, it would only anger the viewers, so he had no choice but to wait for him, despite his reluctance.

“I wish he didn’t come at all. I just want to take the money and disappear.”

A wicked thought surged within Si-wol, but it quickly dissipated when he heard the sound of the doorbell.

“Heok, yes! I’ll open it!”

The image of the person standing outside appeared on the intercom monitor, but Si-wol didn’t have a chance to see it. He rushed to the front door, gesturing urgently to open it and greeted the unfamiliar viewer.

“Hello! Hunter-nim, please come in.”

“……”

Si-wol pressed himself against the wall, making way for the viewer to enter. However, the man who had donated a substantial amount of money for blood donation came to a sudden stop right outside the front door.

“Why are you like this?”

Si-wol, who had been immersed in the thought of leading the man inside to write the pledge and quickly start the broadcast, finally sensed something strange and turned to look at the man. It was the first time he met his face.

“Ah…”

Si-wol involuntarily opened his mouth and let out a gasp.

“You’re really handsome.., Aht, no. I’m sorry.”

Realizing that it’s impolite to stare blatantly at someone’s face, Si-wol quickly turned his head. However, the deep and distinct features of the man lingered on his mind, constantly disturbing his vision. In the end, unable to resist his curiosity, Si-wol stole a glance at the man’s face from the corner of his eye.

‘Wow…’

Honestly, even though he was handsome, he was incredibly handsome. If anyone passing by here were brought in and asked to choose between him and Si-wol as the streamer, Si-wol felt like he would lose without a doubt. However, the overwhelming sense of defeat quickly vanished before it could rise, overshadowed by the man’s intriguing appearance.

Si-wol, who has a profession of sharing TMI [1] , had the urge to describe the man’s looks. His straight nose, shadowed eye sockets, and each facial feature seemed to invite a thorough evaluation and a review session.

However, Si-wol soon realized. Describing a man’s appearance was a rather pointless task. There was no reason to go through the trouble of painfully articulating the overwhelming impression his looks conveyed at a mere glance.

Still, if he had to say just one thing, it would be:

‘… like winter.’

The man’s cold and icy appearance resembled the weather outside. It was unclear whether it was the deep eye sockets that created that atmosphere or the sharp and firm contours of his face, like a rugged cliff. He was simply drawn to him, for reasons unknown.

In Si-wol’s mind, various elements like the man’s chilly complexion, the seemingly firm texture of his skin, and other factors came to mind sporadically. However, what caught his attention the most was the strange gaze that resembled frost. The chilling and numb look in the man’s eyes seemed to touch the very end of life, almost brushing against death.

A man who carried death within his eyes. Even at a glance, he possessed a striking appearance that was far from ordinary, and it sent shivers down Si-wol’s spine, intensifying the sense of coldness.

Unconsciously, Si-wol brushed his own forearm and thought to himself.

‘No, actually, that person can’t be a vampire, right…? He looks much more like it than me. How can that face exist in a Korean person? Perhaps they’re of mixed heritage? Ah, since he said he’s leaving Korea soon, could he be a foreigner?’

Continuously plagued by questions, Si-wol discreetly stole glances at the man. Fortunately, it seemed that the man hadn’t heard Si-wol’s murmurs, as he stood in the entrance, sharply scanning the various areas of the house.

Si-wol considered it fortunate and casually parted his lips, pretending nothing was amiss.

“The house is a bit cold, isn’t it? When I’m filming, I usually turn on the heater in the larger rooms.”

“… It’s okay.”

Ah, there’s his voice too… Upon hearing the sharp voice, Si-wol shivered and trembled as if there were blades piercing his throat.

“Please come this way. I need you to fill out something before the broadcast.”

After carefully surveying the scenery inside the house and Si-wol alternately for a while, the man eventually followed behind. Si-wol guided him to the sofa and then handed him the pre-prepared pledge form.

“It’s nothing special, just some things you need to abide by during the broadcast. Take a look and, here, sign in the agreement section.”

Starting with a clause stating that he will not use profanity during the broadcast, the pledge form extended to include clauses stating that he will not disclose the location or personal information of the streamer’s house. It was a rather lengthy document with various provisions.

However, before Si-wol could even finish explaining the details, the man, as if impatiently waiting, picked up the pen and signed.

‘Huh? I was just about to explain the specific details…’

Si-wol’s bewildered eyes confirmed the spot where the man had scratched with the pen.

[Kim Cheol-su]

After confirming the name, Si-wol was taken aback.

‘What? Kim… Cheol-su? Cheol-su?’

His name is… Kim Cheol-su? Goodness. To come across a name straight out of a textbook from decades ago. And on top of that, such a handsomely striking viewer with a name Kim Cheol-su!

Si-wol scanned the man’s face with an expression of disbelief. His distinctive features and intense presence seemed to contrast with the down-to-earth atmosphere evoked by the name.

‘I really want to suggest that he change his name…’

If they had been on familiar terms, Si-wol might have grabbed his pants and urged him to change his name. Si-wol momentarily set aside his disappointment and resignedly thought, ‘Well, at least he doesn’t seem like a foreigner despite his appearance. I can’t even speak a word in English.’

However, before Si-wol could even finish explaining, the man had already signed the pledge form in an instant, leaving Si-wol with no choice but to ask the question.

“Uh… Did you read it all? I mean, you did read it, right?”

“I read it.”

“Ahaha, you must be… a speed reader.”

With the firm response, Si-wol couldn’t ask anything further and closed his mouth. There was no room for suspicion, but the atmosphere was so heavy that he couldn’t help but remain silent.

‘Are we going to broadcast like this?’

Si-wol had done joint broadcasts with various viewers before. Nervous viewers, talkative viewers, witty viewers, expressionless viewers, and so on. They were all diverse in their own ways, but Si-wol could confidently say that there was no viewer as peculiar as the man who had come today.

Others were at least cooperative and enthusiastic during the broadcasts. Si-wol felt a bit overwhelmed about how to proceed with this broadcast alongside a man who was aloof and only gave short answers.

Taking a deep breath, Si-wol thought to himself, ‘Endure it, I can do it! That person is a six million won viewer. Six million won. From now on, he’s not Kim Cheol-su, but Kim Yuk-baek [2] .’ Si-wol muttered silently. The name Yuk-baek, which he had just come up with, seemed to fit better than the name Kim Cheol-su, which simply didn’t match his appearance. It felt more personal, as if it had been created specifically for him.

With a bright smile and a business-like demeanor, Si-wol called Kim Yuk-baek.

“Well then, Hunter-nim, let me show you the broadcasting area. Will you follow me this way?”

Contrary to his gruff replies, the man followed Si-wol’s words obediently. He got up from his seat and followed behind Si-wol, entering the large room where the broadcast would take place.

“We’ll be broadcasting here. You can sit here. Oh, but by any chance, how tall are you?”

After Si-wol prepared a chair for him and turned on the lights, he was taken aback and asked in surprise. The man, still expressionless, replied.

“… I haven’t measured myself since I passed 180, so I don’t know.”

There was a hint of annoyance in his tone, as if questioning why Si-wol was asking such a trivial question. The voice carried a hint of reproach, and the coldness in it made Si-wol feel like he had become a culprit for asking the question in the first place.

‘… But, what’s the point of asking how tall I am?’

Just by looking, it seems like he would easily surpass 180. How can someone not know their own height? Aren’t tall people naturally curious about how tall they are? Even after becoming a vampire, I still measure myself whenever I have the chance…

It’s frustrating to realize that after hundreds of years, there hasn’t been even a millimeter of growth. And someone like Kim Yuk-baek-ssi wouldn’t understand that at all.

Si-wol forced a smile and gave a witty response.

“Wow, no wonder you looked tall at first glance. But if you sit like this, your head might get cut off by the camera… I’m sorry, but let me adjust the chair height.”

Si-wol adjusted the chair height and noticed the height difference between his chair and Kim Yuk-baek’s, which made him firmly close his lips.

‘… Wait, is there such a noticeable difference?’

While Si-wol wasn’t particularly short himself, his petite physique seemed to make his appearance on camera quite comical. It looked as if one person had been enlarged while the other had been shrunken.

In an instant, Si-wol frowned as he felt like a crumpled spare tire.

‘When the broadcast starts, I should subtly move forward more.’

With that determination in mind, Si-wol opened his mouth again.

“By any chance, do you have any preference for beverages? I’ll be having non-alcoholic drinks, but would you like to join me? Or if you prefer something else, we have a variety of options. Just let me know─.”

“It’s fine.”

“Ah, then maybe some dry snacks…”

“No need.”

“Ah… I see…”

With his resolute response, Si-wol frowned and fought back tears. Even the most unyielding walls wouldn’t compare to this level of unyieldingness. The thought of broadcasting with this stone-like man for about three hours made Si-wol’s throat feel constricted. It would have been better to drink strong alcohol, even if it meant not getting his blood drawn today. He wanted to forget the dreadful situation and surrender to the intoxication.

‘Haa…’

The gloomy gaze of Si-wol flowed over the cold face of the man, coming to a stop on the non-alcoholic drink on the desk. It seemed that thinking the broadcast was a failure and giving up would be the better option.

However, there was an aspect that Si-wol had failed to anticipate. The gender distribution of the viewers who watched Si-wol’s broadcasts leaned slightly towards women, which was relatively unusual for gaming broadcasts. Furthermore, it was a known fact that these female viewers highly appreciated handsome guests.

* * *

1. Too much information
2. Yuk-baek 육백 means six hundred.