World of Vampire Detective [21]

I lay naked in Hera's apartment, fiddling with my smartphone and checking the real-time search rankings on a portal site.

From last night until now, the top 10 search terms were all related to me.

[1. Red Maniac]

[2. Murder Clown]

[3. Noel Fitness Club Massacre]

[4. Red Clown]

[5. Noel Fitness Murder Video]

[6. 28 Dead at Sunset Fitness]

[7. Devil Clown]

[8. Red Clown's Katana]

[9. Red Maniac on the Run]

[10. Noel Fitness Gang Hideout]

"Red Maniac…"

I muttered to myself.

Red Maniac.

A red lunatic. More accurately, it's short for the red blood clown.

Until last night, they called me the Murder Clown or Red Clown. But after seeing photos of me drenched in blood, they started calling me Blood Clown. Then, the term "Red Blood Clown" popped up in a community post about me, and it went viral. Suddenly, I was Red Maniac.

"Gang hideout, huh…"

The police claimed that the Noel Fitness Club was a gang hideout and labelled me as a killer and terrorist.

Gunshots, bodies, and a cache of weapons were found at the Noel Fitness Club, so they disguised the dead vampire hunters as Chinese gangsters.

"I didn't take the guns they used. Maybe… they framed it as gang-related because of the guns."

They couldn't explain why they had guns otherwise. Also, revealing the identity of vampire hunters was out of the question.

"Oh, this woman. She's really famous now."

The woman I took a photo with yesterday. Her pixelated face and my clown mask were all over the internet. She even appeared on an emergency broadcast news segment.

[Reporter: Miss K you actually met Red Maniac and even took a picture with him. Miss K, did you feel threatened by Red Maniac?]

[K: No, I didn't even know he was a killer. I thought he was cosplaying in an event.]

[Reporter: Did you notice anything unusual about him?]

[K: His clown mask was incredibly well-made. When he talked, the mask's mouth moved naturally. It almost seemed like real skin.]

[Reporter: What was his voice like?]

[K: Just normal.]

[Reporter: Did Red Maniac do anything to you?]

[K: Oh, he slapped my butt.]

[Reporter: ...Sorry? So, you're saying Red Maniac assaulted you?]

[K: It was more like harassment than assault.]

[Reporter: …I see.]

[Harassed by Red Maniac!]

I chuckled as I read about Red Maniac. People were analyzing his photos. Opinions ranged that he was between late 20s to mid-30s and speculated he had a special forces background, but 99% of it was nonsense.

Most people cursed Red Maniac. After all, he was a lunatic who killed over 20 people with a sword.

But some defended him, claiming he only killed armed, vicious Chinese gangsters. Others seemed to protect him just to stir controversy.

The internet was its usual chaotic mess.

'This is kinda fun.'

If Red Maniac wasn't me, I'd probably just skim through and look for porn. But they were talking about me.

I am Red Maniac.

Whether they cursed or defended me didn't matter. The fact that they were talking about me was entertaining.

'Am I really that attention seeking?'

I dug deeper into the Red Maniac news.

He had already spread overseas. They called me Red Clown abroad.

'Of course, it would cause a stir. Killing 28 people with a katana in one night, not in medieval times, but now.'

The foreign internet buzzed about me too. Japan's reaction was particularly strong, probably because I used a katana. Some even called me a samurai.

'It's not a katana but a Changpogeom.'

There were debates too. When Japanese people said it was a katana, Koreans argued it was a Changpogeom.

I just chuckled, watching it all.

"What are you doing, oppa?"

Hera, now awake, hugged my back. I could feel her soft breasts pressing against me. She, like me, was naked.

"Just browsing the internet. You said you're off today and tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah, fewer clients, so more days off."

"How about a date tomorrow?"

"Eh? Oppa, with me?"

Though she knew my age, Hera always called me oppa. To her, anyone older or richer was oppa.

"Why, you don't want to?"

"No, it's not that. I'm just surprised. It's been a while since I went on a date with a guy."

"It's nothing serious. Just for fun."

"Don't worry, I won't misunderstand. I kinda have a feeling about how the date will end."

I smirked.

No need to spell out what the date's end would be.

***

Inspector Moon Ji-hyuk glanced at his phone and smiled.

The message was from Officer Yang Jung-min from the traffic department. They had met by chance and kept running into each other, as if by fate. Now, they were close enough to exchange messages comfortably.

They weren't quite friends, but definitely not lovers. They were in that modern phase of something more than friends but not lovers.

[Yang Jung-min: Working late again today ㅠㅠ]

[Moon Ji-hyuk: You too? There are so many cases in Gangnam these days, I'm working late as well.]

[Yang Jung-min: Oh! How about dinner together later? I know a good place.]

[Moon Ji-hyuk: A good place?]

[Yang Jung-min: There's a great army stew place 10 minutes from the station.]

[Moon Ji-hyuk: Oh, that place. It's good. Do you like army stew?]

[Yang Jung-min: I love army stew! I even make it at home sometimes.]

[Moon Ji-hyuk: Wow, you make it yourself?]

[Yang Jung-min: It's easier than you'd think.]

Moon Ji-hyuk hesitated before sending, "I'd love to try it out sometime."

Wouldn't that be too obvious a hint that he wanted to visit her place?

What should he say? Having never been in a relationship, he pondered deeply.

[Yang Jung-min: I make really good army stew. Want to come over and try it sometime?]

Moon Ji-hyuk paused. He was a young, virile man and a virgin. His mind raced with all kinds of thoughts.

'No, no. She didn't mean it that way. Jung-min is kind of clueless.'

His fingers moved.

[Moon Ji-hyuk: If you're offering, I'd be delighted.]

[Yang Jung-min: Then, how about this weekend? Strike while the iron's hot.]

[Moon Ji-hyuk: This weekend? With all the cases lately, I'm not sure yet.]

[Yang Jung-min: I hope you find time.]

"Oh, Detective Moon. Your face is all lit up! Girlfriend?"

"No, sir."

Ji-hyuk quickly put his phone away as Detective Team Leader Oh Jeong-jin approached.

"Not a girlfriend? Looks like romance to me. Enjoy it while you're young. Later on, you might not get the chance even if you want to."

"…But what's going on? Another case?"

"You know Red Maniac, right?"

Red Maniac.

The killer in the clown mask who committed a massacre at Noel Fitness Club yesterday.

Moon Ji-hyuk's face hardened. Based on various situations, he was convinced that Red Maniac was a Vampire Progenitor.

"…Is there anyone in the precinct who doesn't know about him?"

"Doubt it. Because of that bastard, the higher-ups are on high alert."

"Are we supposed to catch that guy?"

Catching Red Maniac is something Moon Ji-hyuk wants. The heinous criminal needs to be captured for the sake of the public, and there's also information he needs to extract from him personally.

Moon Ji-hyuk wants to catch the Red Maniac. The heinous criminal needs to be captured for the sake of the public, and he also needs to extract information from him.

"No. The main office is setting up a special task force dedicated to him."

"…I see."

Moon Ji-hyuk was slightly disappointed. But it was something he expected. This case was too big for an ordinary detective to handle.

"They want us to recommend someone for the task force."

"Is the person you're recommending… me?"

"You've been the best detective lately. You practically caught that last criminal by yourself."

Moon Ji-hyuk hated to admit it, but his enhanced physical abilities during the Vampire's Night were indeed beneficial for his detective work.

"Do you not want to? If you don't, I'll just report that there's no suitable candidate. Don't feel pressured."

"…No, I want to do it."

"Really? Then I'll recommend you to the higher-ups."

"Yes. Please do. Do you have any more information about the task force?"

"Several detectives recommended like you will join from other teams. The task force will be around 30 members, which is quite a lot. But half of them aren't police officers—they're external specialists."

"External specialists? Are you serious?"

"It's pretty certain. I'm also puzzled. What's the point of hiring specialists to catch criminals instead of using the police? What are the higher-ups thinking?"

Moon Ji-hyuk's face froze momentarily.

If the higher-ups knew that Red Maniac was a vampire, then these so-called external specialists could be…

"It's urgent, so you'll probably start tomorrow. You were working on the arson case, right? Wasn't it a gas accident?"

"Yes. But we have evidence of arson."

"Really? Hand the case over to Detective Park and get ready to leave tomorrow. Just go home early today. It'll get busier once you're in the task force."

Chief Oh went back to his desk.

Moon Ji-hyuk stared at his desk, deep in thought. If the external specialists were vampire hunters as he suspected, he'd have to move with extreme caution.

'Maybe these vampire hunters know how to turn me back into a human. This could be a risky but valuable opportunity to learn more about them.'

***

"What do you think? I tried on the outfit you suggested, oppa."

Hera stood in front of me, showing off her look. She wore a navy wrap skirt, a white blouse, and a wine-coloured cardigan. Her brown hair, styled in a chic layered cut, shimmered.

"…Wow. You look amazing."

I voiced my honest opinion.

"I'm surprised. I didn't expect you to have this kind of taste."

"My taste is simple: pretty women."

"I know, but I didn't expect you to be so detailed in your fashion suggestions."

To be honest, the outfit I suggested to Hera was inspired by the fashion style of actress Shin Hye-jin. From the subtle earrings to the hairstyle, everything was reminiscent of Shin Hye-jin.

'Looking at her like this, it really feels like Shin Hye-jin is standing in front of me. Well, Hera's real name is Shin Hye-jin, so it makes sense.'

I looked Hera up and down several times. No matter how much I looked, she was the spitting image of the actress Shin Hye-jin.

"Oppa."

"Yeah?"

Hera grinned and opened her cardigan wide. My eyes widened. The thin white blouse did little to hide the black bra struggling to contain her D-cup breasts.

"Oppa, your eyes look like they're going to pop out. You've seen everything there is to see, so why get so excited over a bra?"

"…A woman's body never gets boring. Clothes look good on, and they look good off."

To be honest, I was thinking of Hera as the actress Shin Hye-jin. And it seemed to be working out well, so today I decided to think of her as the actress Shin Hye-jin.

'Ah, thinking of it like this is turning me on.'

I approached Hera and pulled her closer by the waist.

"Hera, let's take a picture."

"Another picture? You really like taking them~. You even filmed a sex video recently."

"It's all about creating memories. And you like it too, don't you? You even filmed my masturbation video last time."

"Fufu~ I still watch it from time to time."

Hera and I often took photos or videos while having sex.

At first, Hera was reluctant. But my persistent requests eventually made her enjoy it too. The photos and videos we took always included our faces.

As much as I had her videos, she also had some of mine.

Recently, we even bought a camera costing over a million won for private broadcasting and enjoyed filming our activities. Now, it felt odd to have sex without a camera.

I approached Hera, wrapped an arm around her slim waist, and activated my smartphone's selfie mode. It wasn't a photo but a video.

"Push out your chest so it shows. Oh, and stick out your tongue."

We started a French kiss. Our tongues, wet with saliva, intertwined and tangled.

My hand, which was around her waist, moved up to knead her ample breasts.

"Hnn… Aren't we going on a date?"

My hand instinctively unbuttoned her blouse, caressing her lush cleavage.

"Oh, right."

I quickly withdrew my hand. Today, I planned to enjoy Hera's body slowly and sensually on our date.

"This damn hand never listens."