"Ah!"
Leah's heart dropped as the basket she had been clutching tightly slipped from her hands and tumbled to the ground. She quickly reached out to prevent the contents from spilling, but it was already too late.
She stared at the fallen basket with a bewildered expression before snapping her head up to see what had bumped into her.
In that moment, she caught sight of a man standing like a wall in the darkness. Black shirt, leather pants, boots dyed in shadow from toe to heel—he looked like a silhouette that had stepped out of the deepest night.
The alley was so dark that his face was barely visible, but his towering height and overwhelming presence alone were enough to leave her breathless.
"Who... who are you?"
"..."
When the man gave no response, Leah's chest churned with fear and unfamiliar tension. Her instincts whispered for her to escape this place. She took a step backward, preparing to flee.
But just as she turned to run, the man's massive frame swayed as if losing balance, then collapsed powerlessly toward her.
"Wh... what?"
Leah's eyes widened in shock as his large body fell against her shoulder. Expecting to crash to the ground under his tremendous weight, she squeezed her eyes shut.
Thud!
"Ugh...!"
But instead of hitting the stone pavement as she'd anticipated, Leah's eyes flew open at the sound of the man's pained groan echoing in her ears.
He had wrapped his body around hers protectively, twisting to take the fall on his back instead.
She hadn't been hurt thanks to him. The fact that this man had tried to protect her made her green eyes tremble.
Why... why would he do that?
Leah had thought the man she'd encountered in this dark alley was dangerous. But as she looked down at the fallen man who had protected her at his own expense, she felt her breath catch.
His neatly pomaded dark brown hair was disheveled, falling across his forehead, where beads of sweat spoke of his pain.
His heavy eyelids were closed beneath thick eyebrows, and his straight nose—as if carved by a sculptor's knife—and firmly pressed lips trembled slightly from the pain.
Yet even that agonized expression couldn't hide the overwhelming beauty this man possessed. His porcelain-smooth, pale skin and sharply angled jawline reminded her of a Renaissance sculpture.
Even while groaning in pain, his cold yet perfect elegance captivated Leah's gaze in an instant.
Wow, faces like this can actually exist in real life.
Even amid this chaotic situation, Leah found herself lost in such thoughts.
"Ugh..."
The man's pain seemed severe as rough, irregular breaths made his broad chest rise and fall. Startled out of her fixation on his face, Leah quickly snapped back to her senses.
She had to help this injured man first.
"Hey... are you alright?"
Leah hurriedly placed her hand on his chest and gently shook him. The man murmured something faintly.
Feeling frustrated, she leaned closer to his pale lips. His trembling breath brushed against her cheek, sending an inexplicable shiver down her spine.
"What... what did you say?"
"...help me..."
That single phrase, barely whispered, made Leah's heart flutter. Even amid her fear, a strange emotion crept in—she couldn't turn her back on him.
At that moment, Eugene instinctively raised his head as if drawn by something.
A sweet fragrance emanated from the woman. Lavender? Opening his eyes to that familiar scent, his gaze fell upon the woman's pale nape.
He could see the veins in her neck, and with his sensitive hearing, the sound of hot blood flowing through her vessels echoed clearly.
Tormented by thirst, he swallowed dryly. The craving he had suppressed for so long crashed over his entire body like violent waves. He had to survive. He couldn't collapse here like this.
His blue eyes shifted to gold, and dark veins spread up along his neckline across his pale face.
Just as Leah was about to lift her head, his large hand suddenly seized her neck.
"What... ahh!"
Crack!
Sharp fangs pierced her throat, and tearing pain flashed through her entire body like lightning. Leah instinctively struggled, but the man's arms around her were solid as chains.
The moment hot, sweet blood flowed into him, Eugene's eyes closed in rapture. Warm heat spread through his veins, awakening every dead cell, and his dormant heart began to beat again with a heavy thump. The blood wasn't merely life—it felt like a new destiny flowing into him.
What... is this?
Eugene's eyes snapped wide open. Though he had consumed countless amounts of blood, this sensation was entirely new. Her blood didn't simply satisfy his hunger. Something completely different—an indescribable power—flowed within it.
An unknown craving consumed him. Eugene drove his fangs deeper as if he'd lost all reason.
"Ah...!"
Leah exhaled trembling breaths as she struggled, but those sounds soon transformed into moans. In that moment, strange visions seeped into Eugene's consciousness through the blood.
A young girl who lost her parents, the loneliness and pain of having to care for her younger brother alone, her unwavering will to survive—her entire life came flooding in.
And those memories overlapped with Eugene's own wounds. Happy parents, his miraculous birth, but then a family shattered by a monster's attack. The twin brothers left behind afterward, living as outcasts in the world—incomplete beings that were neither human nor monster.
Eugene's heart pounded violently. Her pain became his own, and his solitude echoed within her loneliness. Through the blood, the two weren't simply connected—they were enveloped in a sensation of complete fusion.
"...I don't want to lose you."
Eugene instinctively held her tighter. Fear that she might disappear forever if he let go, and a primal obsession that he absolutely couldn't lose her—both emotions squeezed his heart simultaneously.
Meanwhile, though Leah had initially trembled in terror, gradually that sensation changed. The sound of heartbeats echoed in her ears like reverberating thunder, and from deep within her chest, an inexplicable longing bloomed.
As her fear slowly melted away, she strangely felt stability and comfort from this man she didn't even know.
Why... why do I feel this way?
Leah instinctively clung to his embrace as if drawn to him.
Without stopping his feeding, Eugene rose to his feet. Rather than releasing the woman in his arms, he held her even more securely, pulling her up onto his lap. As their breaths intertwined and their pulses merged into one—
Leah's eyes gradually deepened to an intense emerald, while Eugene's golden gaze blazed like rubies. Their two souls burned each other like flames, intertwining in a single desire.
Eugene felt not only her heartbeat but every breath of her existence vividly. And Leah, too, felt a strange warmth within his embrace that was as deep and vast as darkness itself.
"Haah..."
Having finished feeding, Eugene tilted his head back and exhaled a long, deep breath. His golden eyes gazing up at the night sky held confusion, rapture, and an indescribable sense of destiny.
Cold air struck him. When he slowly lowered his gaze, the woman's lifeless, drooping form filled his vision. His golden eyes returned to their original blue and gradually widened in horror.
"This... no...!"
Eugene frantically brought his hand to the woman's nose. Her breathing was faint—barely there at all. The shock hit him like his heart was plummeting. With one hand he roughly ran his fingers through his short brown hair and over his face. He stared down at the woman who had collapsed helplessly.
Pale white skin, blood-red hair scattered across her shoulders, long black lashes beneath peacefully closed eyelids. The freckles dotting her straight nose were scattered mysteriously like constellations in the night sky.
Eugene carefully gathered the woman into his arms. Her feather-light body settled limply against his chest. Feeling that fragile warmth, Eugene unconsciously held her tighter, overwhelmed by rage and guilt.
Because of him, an innocent woman was dying. Though he tried to console himself that it had been an unavoidable choice, the fact remained that he had driven her toward death.
Don't forget that you're human too...
As his father's final words flashed through his mind, Eugene winced in anguish. For the past 300 years, he had kept his promise to his father by drinking only animal blood. But today, he had broken that promise himself.
He had to save her. By any means necessary, he absolutely had to save this woman. Eugene's blue eyes gleamed coldly with determination. Without hesitation, he bit deeply into his own wrist. As red blood welled up, he hurriedly brought it to her pale lips.
"Drink... please...!"
Eugene carefully parted Leah's lips with trembling hands, then pressed his wounded wrist to them.
"You have to drink. This is the only way to save you."
He whispered desperately. Vampire blood possessed powerful healing properties, but if she drank too much, she risked becoming a cursed being herself.
After letting only a few drops flow, he quickly pulled his wrist away. The wound seemed to heal instantly before disappearing completely. Eugene watched her anxiously.
Gradually, healthy color began returning to Leah's deathly pale face. And then...
"Cough!"
With sharp coughing sounds, her eyelids fluttered. The breath of relief that had been trapped in Eugene's chest burst forth.
Leah gasped roughly, struggling to regain consciousness. But as horrific scenes emerged from her hazy memories, her body stiffened and her eyes shook.
"D-don't come near me!"
Leah looked at the man before her with eyes mixing hostility and fear, instinctively backing away.
Eugene couldn't hide his devastation watching her retreat from him as if fleeing. He wanted to comfort the woman he'd nearly killed, but knowing she would only become more frightened the closer he got, he remained motionless as if nailed in place.
With remorse and guilt tangled deep in his heart, he carefully spoke.
"I won't hurt you. Don't be afraid."
Leah's body flinched at the man's low, steady voice. Sensing the guilt and desperation saturating his tone, she seemed slightly calmer than before, but the wariness in her eyes remained.
Leah touched her bitten neck with trembling hands. Confirming there was no wound, she looked at Eugene with a confused expression.
Meeting her gaze, he carefully took another step closer. Leah startled as she watched him.
"I'm sorry for frightening you. I lived because of you."
At the man's words, Leah looked at him questioningly. Eugene took another step toward her.
"D-don't come closer."
When Leah spoke fearfully, Eugene raised his hands slightly.
"I only want to help you. Trust... me."
Though it wasn't something he should say after nearly killing her, he somehow had to reassure her.
If he didn't erase the woman's memory now, she would be tormented by nightmares.
"Look into my eyes."
At the man's firm yet gentle command, Leah found herself gazing into his deep ocean-blue eyes as if entranced. Before she knew it, he had approached within inches of her face.
Though slightly confused, Leah looked into his eyes.
"You were just walking down the alley and got startled by a cat. Nothing happened. Now you're going home."
Eugene's pupils turned deep black, expanding and contracting. As his hypnotic power activated, Leah's green eyes grew hazy as she gazed at him. Soon, her memories of terror and blood faded away like mist.
"Cat..."
Leah murmured slowly. Eugene confirmed that her memory had been completely erased.
Eugene carefully picked up the basket that had been rolling on the ground and handed it to Leah. Like a docile lamb, she accepted the basket and stood up as the man gently helped her.
Eugene softly pushed her back. After taking a few steps, Leah suddenly stopped.
"Oh my! What a surprise! It was just a cat. I should hurry home."
As if she had just seen a cat, she glanced briefly at the dark alley, then walked toward home with the basket in her arms.
As her small silhouette grew more distant, Eugene quietly emerged from his hiding place in the shadows. Complex emotions crossed his face in the moonlight.
"Today... I'll never forget what happened today. Leah Brennan."
Eugene's voice scattered quietly through the alley.