Chapter 4: Red woman # 3

While this method was crude beyond measure, I had no choice but to act.There were no known alternatives, and any path I took seemed destined for death.My only hope was to pray it worked.

“Please…!”

The vampire would appear as soon as I rounded the corner.

“Hello?”

A wave of nausea surged through me as I watched her smile sweetly and wave.It was predictable, without a doubt.Just as before, she would plead and cry for me to open the shutter.Then, I would make this woman perform a perfect Dogeza (TL Note: A Japanese act of prostrating oneself on the ground to show deep respect or apology, often used humorously in Korean web novels for exaggerated submission), before kicking her head with all my might.A perfectly orchestrated scenario.

“Hey, listen. I dozed off for a moment and found myself trapped in here. Could you open this for me? The key is right here.”

Having witnessed this scene countless times, a peculiar sense of déjà vu washed over me.Her dialogue varied subtly with each iteration.Could such minor differences—like the exact moment I descended—be the catalyst for these variations?

“…”

A brief silence ensued.With a resolve as profound as a student who had always silently occupied the back row of a classroom, I stared wide-eyed and bellowed.

“I won’t open it, you goddamn b*tch!”

“What?”

“You insane vampire bastard! I’ll never open it, you goddamn b*tch!”

“…”

The vampire’s expression chilled.

“How do you know that? You’ve never seen me before, have you?”

“I can tell just by looking at your pathetic ass, you bastard! You’re clearly a vampire, you goddamn b*tch!”

—Thump-thump!

My heart pounded as if it would burst from my chest, an inexplicable surge of dopamine coursing through my veins!Yes! I had longed to unleash a torrent of expletives upon this goddamn b*tch!After killing me three times, it was utterly unfair that she had never once been subjected to a proper verbal lashing!This madwoman deserved every single curse imaginable!

“That word, ‘goddamn b*tch’… perhaps you should cease using it?”

“I’m going to keep using it, you goddamn b*tch!”

“First, could you reiterate? That I am a vampire. How precisely did you come to that conclusion?”

“You bastard! Don’t you even watch movies? Anyone can tell just by looking, you goddamn b*tch! You’re practically advertising that you’re a vampire!”

While the truth had been revealed to me through countless regressions, I found myself utterly unable to cease this outrageous behavior.It appeared my mind had become unhinged after dying a few times too many.Even the most diligent individual could not help but break when subjected to a relentless string of injustices.Therefore, if a previously earnest person suddenly lost their sanity, one should regard them with sympathetic understanding.

“…I’ll concede that point. However, it seems you’re unaware that vampires possess other abilities. You’ll confess everything eventually.”

The moment the vampire spoke with clear displeasure, her sharp eyes glinted ominously.She was attempting to hypnotize me.Simultaneously.

—With a swift motion!

I whipped out my phone, thrusting the screen forward.

“You madwoman! Do you truly believe such hypnosis will work on me? I’ll never open that shutter, you goddamn b*tch!”

Please, let it work!If this didn’t work, I was utterly screwed!

“Ugh!”

“Whoa!”

It worked!Showing a picture of a cross on my phone had actually worked!

“Ha, hahaha! Do you see it? Can you see it? Do you see this cross, you goddamn b*tch! Unbelievable! This madwoman! You act all high and mighty as a vampire, but you practically keel over just from seeing a picture of a cross! Wow! This crazy b*tch! Wow! You’re practically dying just from looking at it on a smartphone screen!”

A frantic surge of dopamine coursed through me once more…!

“It’s a cross! A cross! Look at this! Look at this, you goddamn b*tch!”

“Ugh…!”

I had survived!More than just surviving, I was landing effective blows against that hateful, insane vampire b*tch!Behold! That grotesque sight of her grimacing in agony, stumbling backward, and shielding her face with her hands! It appeared as though her skin was burning!

“You cannot harm me! Your hypnosis is useless! Just die already, you goddamn b*tch!”

I relentlessly berated the vampire, continuously thrusting the screen in her face.Much like the Akuma (TL Note: A demonic entity from the Korean horror film The Wailing, known for its unsettling presence and malevolent actions.) would thrust a camera into someone’s face.

“In the name of the Lord, become worthless, lowly ash and vanish! Amen! Amen! Aaaamen!”

I concluded my tirade like Father Andersen (TL Note: A zealous, violent priest from the Japanese manga and anime Hellsing, known for his relentless crusade against vampires.).

“Ha, haa…! You arrogant bastard. I’ll tear you to shreds.”

“What?”

The tormented vampire pressed herself tightly against the shutter.Then, as if Neji (TL Note: Neji Hyuga, a character from the Japanese manga and anime Naruto, known for his Byakugan, a powerful ocular jutsu.) were activating his Byakugan (TL Note: A powerful ocular jutsu from Naruto that grants enhanced vision and insight into chakra pathways.), grotesque vampire-like wrinkles formed around her eyes.Not only that, but her mouth widened into a grotesque maw, and elongated fangs sprouted forth.Finally, she had revealed her hideous true form…!

“Hieek! Monster! Get out of our village right now!”

Despite the terrifying spectacle, the insane rush of dopamine and adrenaline allowed me to maintain a surprising degree of composure.

—Thump!

The vampire’s eyes glowed with an even more intense brilliance.An unseen force, in response, began to exert an oppressive grip on my limbs.Was the hypnotic power intensifying?!?

“Ah, no! No!”

My hand kept twitching!I had to keep showing the cross!

“Why? Is holding your phone too difficult? Perhaps you should put it down?”

“Let go, release me, you wicked abomination…! You cannot overcome the cross within my heart! You goddamn b*tch!”

“Stop saying ‘goddamn b*tch,’ that. Put it down, quickly.”

“I won’t let go! You goddamn b*tch!”

It was a precarious balance, on the verge of succumbing.The hypnosis sought to loosen its hold on my hand.It was at this moment that I realized.If I continued like this, I would inevitably lose my grip on the phone.And if that happened, I would die.The moment that madwoman escaped the cross’s influence, I would be powerless against her hypnosis.If that happened, it would truly be the end…!

What cruel death would I be subjected to this time?!Something!I had to do something more!What other methods were there? Holy water? There was no such thing here.Sunlight was out of the question as well.There were no stakes, and even if there were, I lacked the strength to drive one into a vampire’s chest.What was left?Garlic? Only garlic remained, but where on earth would I find garlic?!

“Ah…!”

There was!Garlic existed!

“Garlic!”

“Hmm?”

A sudden wave of nausea surged within me.

“Ugh!”

Yes. Just as there was a cross in my heart, there was also garlic in my stomach.I had just come from a meal of meat and drinks with my friend—how could I not have eaten garlic?The Korean people were a nation forged by soju and garlic (TL Note: A humorous reference to the perceived cultural importance of alcohol and garlic in Korea, often linked to national identity.), and at this very moment, my stomach was brimming with an obscene amount of garlic, blessed by the venerable Hwanung (TL Note: In Korean mythology, Hwanung is the son of the Lord of Heaven and the legendary founder of the first Korean kingdom, Gojoseon. He is often associated with the bear totem and the introduction of agriculture, including garlic, to humanity.).

“You… what? Wait!”

This bastard…!Last time, you ripped my stomach open and killed me.You’re dying because of that.You’re dying because of the garlic in my stomach!

“Uuuuuuurgh!!”

Something violently spewed forth from my mouth.To put it mildly, a bizarre projectile erupted from me, much like a Zombie Blood Bomb (TL Note: A unique attack in the video game Metal Slug 3, where the player character, upon becoming a zombie, can vomit a torrent of blood as a weapon.) in Metal Slug 3.Anyone witnessing this spectacle would undoubtedly conclude they had stumbled into a bizarre adventure of their own.Contemplating death made the act of vomiting remarkably easy.

—Splat!

The vampire, pressed against the shutter, took the entirety of the bizarre liquid spewing from my body directly to her face and form.The result was a vampire completely drenched in what appeared to be thoroughly digested, well-emulsified garlic extract.The outcome?

“Kyaaaaaah!”

—Hiss!

The vampire was screaming!Her skin was even melting!It had worked!It had truly worked!

“Ugh, uwaaaah! It worked! It worked! Hey, hey! Don’t you dare close your eyes! Look at this! Look at this, I said! Look at this, you goddamn b*tch!”

With chilling composure, I ensured the kill.I shoved my phone even closer, inflicting further damage upon the vampire.For a prolonged moment, she writhed in agony, still standing.

“Just you wait!”

—*Swoosh!*

She slid backward, as if on a reversed moving walkway, before dissolving into a wisp of black smoke and vanishing.The smoke drifted downward, into the depths of the station.

“Ah…!”

Only I remained at the scene.Along with the undeniable traces of vomit.

—*Ding.*

[You have survived the vampire.][^%&$%^$%][#$%#$^][$%&%^&%^]

“Shit.”

The moment my eyes fell upon the message window.

“f*ck! I’m aliveeeee!!!”

Overwhelmed with euphoria, I let out a triumphant roar.

****

What transpired after that remains a blur.I ran like a madman, and upon reaching home, I secured every lock with a paranoia that would shame a rabid Suzume (TL Note: “Suzume” is a common Japanese name. This phrase likely refers to a character or a widely understood cultural reference to extreme, almost frantic, levels of paranoia or madness, possibly from a popular Japanese media title, though no direct association with rabies is evident in well-known works like ‘Suzume no Tojimari’.), then pulled out every scrap of paper I could find to draw crosses, not stopping until I had defaced the very wallpaper with them.

“Crosses… crosses! More crosses!”

I needed even more crosses!I had to stockpile enough crosses to equip every single crusader with two, and still have a copious surplus!From this moment forward, crosses were to be considered a strategic resource.They absolutely had to be stockpiled, and if necessary, I would have to commission large-scale deliveries from cross-farming operations.Perhaps I could even produce cross ham.Its price would be approximately 1.5 times that of Spam.After meticulously drawing enough crosses to satisfy my paranoia, I retrieved garlic from the refrigerator and frantically rubbed it all over my body, scattering cloves liberally around the room.I even remembered to tuck some under my armpits.Just in case, I also sought out a suitable substitute for a stake.I vigorously rubbed minced garlic onto a kitchen knife, intending it to serve a similar role to a stake, thereby performing a garlic enchantment specifically for anti-vampire purposes.Afterward, I spent the night wide awake within the exceedingly comfortable and secure fortress I had so meticulously constructed.The vampire had vanished into the station’s depths, yet I could never truly feel at ease.That madwoman might still lure some foolish soul into opening the shutter, then come for me.

“Go ahead, come as much as you like…! I’ll finish you off for good!”

If they dared to come, I would bestow upon them a baptism of crosses, then pelt them with garlic.After that, I would plunge the garlic-enchanted stake-kitchen-knife into their chest.

—*Clatter-clatter-clatter!*

Amidst my frenzied delusions, my entire body trembled uncontrollably, my teeth clattering together.It was truly a maddening experience.There was a saying, ‘the world of the mad moon,’ and this was undeniably what it described.The status window appearing before my eyes, the multiple deaths and regressions, even the encounter with the vampire—it all felt like something that had transpired within the ravings of a madman.I found no solace.A kitchen knife was clutched in my hand.If I were to plunge this directly into my neck, would I awaken once more in that subway station?Would I then be condemned to awaken there every time I died, forced to engage in a life-or-death struggle with the vampire?If I were to live to a hundred and die of old age, would I simply awaken there again then?!

“Ugh, uwaaaah! Uwaaaah!”

In my dream, I had become a vampire, aiding in the world’s destruction.I dared not imagine the ultimate conclusion.By the time my screams subsided, it was morning.

****

The madness of the night before had finally subsided.After showering away the pervasive scent of garlic, I packed my bags, preparing to descend to my family home.

“School and all that nonsense… I need to flee first.”

I simply lacked the confidence to continue living in such a deranged neighborhood.A place where vampires roamed in the dead of night?Even if they offered me a deposit and free rent, I would unequivocally refuse.Even a homeless person would steer clear of this.In any case.This house was situated approximately a twenty-minute walk from the subway station.At this distance, it was inevitable that they would eventually find me.I had to escape before that monster arrived.Vampires could not operate under the sun.If I fled during daylight hours, I would be safe.I would go to my family home.