☾┋ 𝔞𝔲! 𝔳𝔞𝔪𝔭𝔦𝔯𝔢 𝖉𝖔𝖈𝖙𝖔𝖗

➳ 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 9

note: 𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕚𝕤 𝕒 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕜 𝕠𝕗 𝕗𝕚𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟.

Making their way downtown, the sky was clear until nimbus clouds enshrouded the atmosphere. A cleansing ritual was yet to come, heavy clouds were like heavy hearts writhing in pain. A passing downpour teemed from the sky. Heavy rain patters on the car's window. Junho selected a track on the car's stereo system, playing SS501'S "Because I'm Stupid". The song was a very heartfelt song talking about a one sided love.

"Niga neomu bogoshipeo nareun. Neomu gyeongdigi himdeul nareneun!" He started singing hitting the right tunes.

Aera chuckled, her eyes crinkled at the sight of him singing.

"Neoreul saranghanda ibgae maemdora, honja dasi ddo crying for you!" His vocal pitch varying, squinting his eyes as his voice does a rapid movement from one tone to the other.

"Honja dassi ddo missing for you!" She started to join him in singing. His hand on the steering wheel, he continued driving as he sang his heart out. "Baby I love you. I'm waiting for you!"

"Hey Junho, I love that drama." She shared.

"Honestly, who would not love Goo Hye Sun? She's charming." Instead of talking about the drama, he praised Goo Hye Sun's visuals.

"You know...I love watching dramas although my life is pretty dramatic itself. " She said.

"Guess I don't know much about you yet because all I've seen is your side at work."

"Hmm... then let's play 7 facts. You start." She suggested, wanting to know more of him.

"I'm 28. I have 7 dogs at home. My favorite color is red. I'm afraid of heights. During my collegiate years, I have indulged myself in competitive Taekwondo. I used to be asexual until I met you. I'm apart of a vampire hunter organization." All at once, he stated those facts.

Taken aback by his last statement, her expression changed a bit for a second however she chose to dismiss the idea.

"I'm 26. I graduated medical school early. If you want me to die, give me a cup of coffee. Drinking wine is my nightly routine. In my family, all of them are inclined with the field of law and well... there's me! I know how to play the piano. When I was 7 years old I..." Her statement got cut off, as her phone started vibrating.

"Yes... Ah so there is an emergency and the surgeon assigned went on an early break?" She mumbled, talking to someone on the phone, as the call was reaching to its end, she dropped the call.

"Junho, I'm sorry. Can we have this at another time? I'm on call because a surgeon is unavailable right now. Will it be possible if I'd stop somewhere near the hospital and I'd just take the cab so I wouldn't have to bother you?" The car was put into a halt upon moving to another direction, making a U-turn.

"Ah I can wait. No, I'll drop you to the hospital." His expression changed, noticing how the rain was heavy and steadily pouring.

As soon as they reached the main gate of the hospital, Junho went down, holding an umbrella as he opens the door for her.

"Hurry, you'll get wet." His hands signaling her to stay under the umbrella with him. Pitter patter. The rain poured, sticking close to eachother, running till they finally went under the shed.

"Take this. You will need this later. Do well on the surgery. Don't kill the patient." A little rise on the corner of his mouth curled up, patting her head after he hands the umbrella. With a swift speed, he ran to his car, getting soaked by the rainfall.

"Junho, you're so dumb!" Aera yelled, noticing how he ran through the cloudburst without any protective measures. Junho left while Aera headed inside. She felt uneasy because she sensed that Junho might have been upset however it's a reality, a doctor must face.

The hospital was like home for her. Although it was a labyrinth of rooms, she was familiar of all the places. Dashing to the nearby restroom, she dressed up in her usual scrubs and off she went to the emergency operating room.

"Ah my meth." She recalls, taking her pill as she chugs on a bottle of water.

Before starting with the surgery, she asked Gayoung. "So he had a heart attack?"

Gayoung nodded. "The heart was defibrillated and he needs an angioplasty. "

An angioplasty is a type of surgery when a patient is dealing with a coronary artery disease. The CAD (Coronary Artery Disease) occurs when a patient's artery is clogged up with plaque build-up causing restriction of blood flow. It is less invasive and is done directly after a sudden heart attack which makes its difference from other surgical procedures like the Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting. Through angioplasty, the narrowed artery walls will be opened, permitting blood to flow to other parts of the body.

"We also kept the IV tube, it's all set. It only needs your hands to perform the magic." Hanbin replies, preparing the necessary materials in the procedure such as the scalpel, catheter (tube) and the stent which is metal tube made of mesh which would be used to fully open the arteries to enable circulation of blood in the body.

"Got it." Putting her gloves on, she mumbled, as she views the patient's body, it was bruised in many spots like he just engaged in a physical fight. As her eyes set near the right side of his trunk, she sees a DC (Death's Covet) emblem engraved in his skin. She figured this was an unusual case since he's not an ordinary person—but he's a vampire.

Stomping her foot on the floor repeatedly, thinking of her next move, the other nurses riveted their eyes on her. She decided to carry on with the procedure normally.

"Scalpel." Gayoung hands her the scalpel. After Aera incises on the patient's groin area, she threaded the catheter into the incision, watching the x-ray image on the monitor to show where the catheter is in the artery.

"Syringe and dye." Aera ordered.

Hanbin immediately gives the syringe and the dye. Aera, then, starts injecting the dye to the catheter for her to see clearly see in the x-ray monitor where there is blood flow and blockages in the blood vessels. Upon finding the blockage area in the artery, a second catheter was inserted over the guide wire which was the balloon catheter to be inflated and to open up the blocked arteries through squeezing the plaque build-up against the artery walls.

"Vitals?'' Keyed up the moment, Aera asked.

"It is somehow getting better."Hanbin said. The vampire patient's body is slowly recovering but without a dash of blood, he will not fully recover.

Anxiety ate her system up, she wanted to save one of her kind however that would require an injection or oral consumption of blood of human being for him to fully revive. She thought deeply of her next step as she continues the procedures so that she wouldn't look sketchy in the eyes of her team.

Resumption in the blood flow was observed. To finally end the surgery, the balloon catheter was withdrawn as Aera inserted the third catheter with the stent inside the artery. The stent remains permanently to resist the build-up of plaque in the patient's body while the catheter is removed. With the finishing touches, she closes the incision with a bandage.

"Good work, guys. You are all dismissed. But hmm... Gayoung stay.'' Giving her thanks, she bowed, at the same time, she signaled Gayoung to remain in the room.

When only the two of them were left in the room, the door securely shut, Aera discussed the situation with a low mannered voice so that no one else could hear.

"The patient is a fellow vampire. He had a DC emblem engraved on his body. The surgery we just did will save him momentarily and buy him a few days to live. However there is something weird in his body. It is like a chemical was injected in him which caused his heart wall's to be narrowed. It is unbecoming since we're not susceptible to these types of injuries or diseases. We're immortals."

"This is traumatizing, will it actually be the end for us?" Gayoung's eyes turned a bit weepy.

"We will get through this phase. Let's stay strong, Gayoung. The only way to cure him is through a blood of a human being. Go to the phlebotomist and ask for recent blood withdraws or from the blood donation department and head back here."

Like dashing speed of light, Gayoung came in with the blood bag. Locking the door, Aera holding unto the patient tightly, let Gayoung use an oral syringe to drop 10ml of blood into the patient's mouth. Shock crossed their faces, mouths wide open as the vampire in him awakened. His eyes were of golden shade, his sharp teeth growing out as he loses control, trying to break off Aera's tight hold.

"You brought liquid Methoracin with you right?" Aera, remained calm, still keeping a tight grip on the abominable and wild monster.

Nodding to the statement, Gayoung hurriedly gives the liquid Meth to the patient. There he finally calms down, reverting to his human state, unconsciously falling into sleep.

"Dr. Aera, I have to head somewhere with the other nurses. Is it possible to go ahead?" Gayoung asked, pleading since she has to meet someone important.

Giving her permission, Aera once again gave her thanks to Gayoung who was always ready to help.

Aera, who had nothing to do, watched the patient's vitals until he finally woke up from his lumber.

"Are you feeling better?" She moves inches near him, carefully checking his condition.Rubbing his nape, confused on how he survived, "I guess I am... How did you save me? Did you know that I wasn't ordinary?"

"I saw the emblem. Ah...you were saved through human blood." She shows the blood bag, giving a faint smile to the patient.

He glances at her meticulously, he thought of her as someone familiar. "Aren't you Dr. Jung Aera? I work as your Uncle Jung Jim's bodyguard."

"So were you injured because of him?" She asked.

"Technically speaking, yes. We were ambushed by some of the Hellsing staff as he was about to go to his medical warehouse. Afterwards, each one of us — vampire and human bodyguards, were injected by some type of chemical unknown to us." He shared the story, establishing eye contact with the lady.

"Are you telling me that Hellsing knows that he is a vampire?" Her heart pounded, as her palms started to sweat.

"Nope." He shook his head.

"But don't you find it suspicious? How did the pill destroy your system aswell considering you are a vampire? Possibly, they're creating a drug so powerful that it will kill vampires." She pondered deeply, thinking on what chemical content the drug had.

"I guess? But the main reason on why they attacked Director Jung Jim is because of Samantha Goo who was a member of the organization. They figured he killed his Secretary Samantha Goo during the Naksan team building trip because her body is still missing up to now. Apparently, Samantha had a terrible relationship with Director Jung Jim. They would argue a lot inside and outside work to the point that he would throw things at her and he even threatened to dispatch Samantha's family. She shared these experiences to her friends in Hellsing." He continuously discussed about the backstory of Samantha Goo.

With all the fragments of anguished memories rekindling, her chest grew heavy. Haunted as she was reminded of being a witness to her uncle's heinous crime, she couldn't help but break down into tears.

"'Doctor, are you okay?" He took her hands, grasping it tightly, giving her ease and comfort through his warm touch.

"I just didn't know he would be this evil. Knowing that people who are important to you do such ruthless acts is disappointing. All the good you see in them is vanished away by all the bad. I'm sorry I can't help myself. Ah. I cried infront of my patient, this is wrong." Her free hand wiped away the tears, putting on a fake smile to hide her pain, her other hand still holding his.

"I'll keep my eye on him for you. We talked so much, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Moon Seojun. Since you saved me, let me save you too." A little crook over his mouth settles in, hinting his sincerity as their palms touch, fingers intertwining.