Chapter 47: Kiss That Breaks the Curse

“What is this? Don’t tell me… a vampire?”

“W-who’s there?”

“…”

There was no answer. Seong Ju-an turned pale and shrank back. He wanted to call his party members, but he couldn’t move at all. It felt as if something massive was holding him tightly, refusing to let go.

Haaah…

Each time that breath, like the wind, brushed past him, it felt as though all the blood in his body was draining away. Only then did Seong Ju-an realize, he had fallen under the vampire’s charm.

To escape, he needed to know where he was and where his party members were. But in the pitch-black darkness where he couldn’t see even an inch ahead, there was nothing he could grasp.

A status condition, under the effect of charm.

While he still had some consciousness left, Seong Ju-an shouted his party members’ names, trying to break free.

“Baek Eun-hoo! Mo Jun-young! Joo Ji-chan! Gong Se-yoon!”

But there was no reply. He couldn’t even tell if he had actually shouted or not.

Is this the end? Really?

In his fading vision, the faces of the four passed by one after another.

***

“Seong Ju-an, he’s still not awake?”

At Baek Eun-hoo’s words, Mo Jun-young, who was carrying him on his back, replied,

“Not yet. Even though Gong Se-yoon has been shaking him nonstop, there’s no response.”

“This is bad.”

Baek Eun-hoo closed his eyes, trying to assess the situation. If the enemy were nearby, he should feel its presence, but there was nothing.

As they moved deeper into the cave, all the party members had done everything they could to wake Seong Ju-an. Mo Jun-young had used his shout skill several times, and the others had attacked the invisible vampire relentlessly. Still, Seong Ju-an wouldn’t wake.

“Hyung, wake up. Please… hng…”

After sobbing for a while, Gong Se-yoon steadied himself. Whenever he ran out of strength, he drank potions and kept launching ice blades into the empty air. Joo Ji-chan grabbed his arm.

“Stop it. This won’t solve anything.”

“Let go! I’ll do whatever it takes. I can’t leave him like this, if you want to leave, go by yourself!”

“Who said I’m leaving? I’m saying we need to find another way. Throwing skills into empty space won’t fix this!”

Watching their argument, Mo Jun-young spoke in a low voice.

“It may sound strange, but…”

Baek Eun-hoo looked at him. His face was unusually flushed, something Baek Eun-hoo had never seen before.

“What is it? We’re not in a position to be picky. Whatever comes to mind, we try.”

“I’ll say it then… Since that charm skill controls the mind, physical or magical attacks probably won’t wake him.”

“Everyone here already knows that. So what’s your point?”

Mo Jun-young hesitated, clearly struggling to say it. Gong Se-yoon couldn’t stand it and snapped,

“What is it?! Just say it already!”

“Th-that is…”

He stammered before clearing his throat.

“Fight charm with charm. It sounds ridiculous, but it’s not entirely impossible. There are stories of handsome vampires using their perfect looks to seduce victims before draining their blood.”

The three others stared at him, mouths slightly open. No one expected that kind of idea from Mo Jun-young. But it wasn’t completely absurd, and they had already tried everything else.

After a long silence, Gong Se-yoon spoke first.

“Ju-an hyung… pretends not to, but he really likes pretty things. Every time I smiled, he said I looked pretty.”

Baek Eun-hoo, thinking it over, added,

“That makes sense.”

His gaze moved across each party member before settling on Mo Jun-young. He remembered how Seong Ju-an’s expression would brighten when looking at him, playful, almost mischievous, unlike how he looked at the others.

Baek Eun-hoo smirked.

“Come to think of it, when he looked at you, his expression always lit up. Seems like you’re his type.”

The others turned their attention to Mo Jun-young. Gong Se-yoon tilted his head, unconvinced, while Joo Ji-chan glared intensely.

Mo Jun-young’s cheeks flushed red.

“So? What are you suggesting?”

“Well, your shout skill attracts enemies too, right?”

Mo Jun-young’s expression darkened further, while the other two nodded as if it made sense.

“Are you telling me to use my shout? That would just attract more bats.”

Baek Eun-hoo stepped closer and lightly tapped his shoulder.

“Think of it as receiving a ‘kiss buff.’”

Mo Jun-young’s eyes widened.

“You’re telling me to kiss Seong Ju-an?”

Gong Se-yoon cut in sharply.

“What are you asking for?! That’s exactly what he means! We need to wake him up!”

“…”

“Hurry up! If he likes you like Eun-hoo said, he might wake up!”

Mo Jun-young was flustered, while Gong Se-yoon, on the verge of tears, held Seong Ju-an’s hand tightly.

“Hyung… hang in there. Mo Jun-young, the one you like, will kiss you like a prince. Then you wake up like a princess. I don’t want to give up the kiss, but if it wakes you, I’ll do anything.”

“…”

“Hurry. Now.”

Gong Se-yoon carefully lowered Seong Ju-an from Mo Jun-young’s back and held him. Mo Jun-young slowly approached and leaned down, close enough to see his eyelashes.

He had never even shared a simple kiss with a woman, let alone a man. The situation left him completely shaken.

‘This is just like CPR in an emergency… to save a life.’

Thinking that, he lowered his head.

“…!”

The moment their lips touched, his entire body tensed. It felt as though a hidden force surged through his veins, ready to burst outward. Something inside his chest snapped.

“Haa…”

He pulled away slightly, eyes half-open, looking down.

Please… wake up.

But Seong Ju-an remained still. Mo Jun-young realized his effort alone wasn’t enough.

“Why isn’t he waking up…?”

Gong Se-yoon sobbed, Baek Eun-hoo frowned, and Joo Ji-chan punched the cave wall.

Mo Jun-young spoke softly,

“It seems I alone am not enough. Everyone… try.”

The three immediately moved toward Seong Ju-an.

Gong Se-yoon went first, kissing him gently, tears brimming in his eyes.

“Hyung, please wake up.”

Then Joo Ji-chan followed, cupping his cheeks and pressing a brief kiss, his chest tightening oddly afterward.

Finally, Baek Eun-hoo stepped forward.

“…It’d be better if he were conscious, but we don’t have a choice.”

Unlike the others, his kiss was deeper, more intense. As he bit and sucked at Seong Ju-an’s lips, the others couldn’t look away. The damp cave air seemed to heat up.

Just as the kiss ended, Seong Ju-an’s shoulders twitched. Seeing it, Baek Eun-hoo deepened the kiss even further.

In truth, Seong Joo-an had begun regaining consciousness from the moment Mo Jun-young kissed him.

The warmth surrounding him, the soft touch, the desperate voices wishing for him to wake, it all seeped into him.

Mo Jun-young’s idea was correct. Warmth filled his chest, energy flowing through every cell.

And finally, when Baek Eun-hoo pulled away, Seong Ju-an opened his eyes.

“H-he’s awake!”

At Gong Se-yoon’s shout, all eyes turned to him. Seong Joo-an blinked in confusion, then, seeing Gong Se-yoon holding him, smiled faintly.

He knew it, they could overcome it.

Even if the vampire’s charm was strong, his party was stronger.

But… how did they wake him?

Normally, without a constellation’s help, breaking free from charm through combat alone was impossible…

As he puzzled over it, Gong Se-yoon burst into tears.

“I thought you wouldn’t wake up… I was so scared.”

Seong Ju-an reached out to wipe his tears…

Grrr… hiss…

A chilling sound echoed from deeper in the cave.

Mo Jun-young’s body swelled with power, his stats had increased.

‘Did they… buff me while I was unconscious?’

If so, Gong Se-yoon must have given it up willingly. A smart decision.

The vampire’s main skill was charm, strong against the mind, but weak against raw physical force like Mo Jun-young’s. Still, Mo Jun-young was also vulnerable to mental attacks, so they couldn’t let their guard down.

But now, with boosted stats, if the vampire revealed itself, they had a real chance.

“Mo Jun-young, we need to locate it first.”

“I know.”

Mo Jun-young stared intently at a single point in the darkness.