【…Yooil.】

“…Ugh.”

【Yooil! Wake up.】

Yooil slowly moved his body, which was slumped over the desk. He blinked his dry eyes and came to his senses.

【You shouldn’t be sleeping now. You have two midterms tomorrow at 10 AM and 1 PM, and in the evening, there’s the audition for the play <From the Ground>.】

“…I know.”

Yooil murmured while pressing his temples. It was the result of combining regular studies with systematic acting practice. Despite his bold reassurances to his aunt, the accumulating fatigue was inevitable.

【…If you’re very tired, I can help you obtain a state of wakefulness.】

‘…A state of wakefulness?’

Right. Brion had mentioned that before.

 

It couldn’t touch his physical stamina, but it could help him achieve a state of wakefulness for a certain period.

‘What exactly is this state of wakefulness?’

【Brion Dictionary stimulates the neural cells in the brain, increasing the secretion of neurotransmitters like serotonin, thereby causing a short-term state of wakefulness.】

…Maybe I should try it.

As soon as Yooil thought this casually, Brion promptly replied.

【Yes. Starting immediately.】

“Wha… What?”

In that instant, it felt like cold water was sweeping from Yooil’s head to his toes. That sensation made him shiver for a moment, and then all the fatigue vanished, leaving his mind feeling clear and alert.

“…!”

Yooil looked at himself in the mirror with a refreshed expression.

 

His eyes, half-closed just moments ago, were now vividly shining.

【The wakefulness effect can be used only once a day to ensure it does not strain your health.】

…So this is why people use drugs.

【The wakefulness effect of Brion Dictionary is not a ‘drug’. Serotonin is a monoamine neurotransmitter that plays a role in regulating human emotions, mood, and sleep…】

Yooil half-listened to Brion’s voice while looking back at the textbooks in front of him.

Thinking that he should occasionally make use of this wakefulness effect when needed.

* * *

– The next station is Hyehwa, Hyehwa Station. The doors will open on the left side.

Thanks to the wakefulness effect he tried the day before, Yooil managed to get through his exams smoothly. Now he was on his way to Hyehwa for a theater audition.

【Yooil, you should exit through Gate 1.】

 

‘Got it.’

Yooil followed Brion’s guidance and got off at Hyehwa Station Gate 1. With Brion’s knowledge of So Yijin’s sent location, there was no need to check the map.

So Yijin’s upcoming work, <From the Ground>, was supported by the A Cultural Foundation. Hence, the building with the rehearsal room was quite neat. Yooil, who entered the rehearsal room, immediately spotted So Yijin. So Yijin, with her distinctive short hippie perm and round glasses, called out cheerfully upon seeing Han Yooil.

“Oh, Yooil, you’re here!”

At her words, someone sitting huddled beside So Yijin lifted their face abruptly. It was a woman with a tired face and a navy blue beanie.

‘She must be the director.’

“Ah, you’re Yooil, right? I’ve heard a lot about you from Writer Yijin. I’m Seo Mihee.”

When Yooil greeted her, Seo Mihee extended her hand with a welcoming expression.

“Thank you for inviting me.”

“Do you roughly know what our play is about?”

“Yes, Writer So explained it to me. I remember it being an intriguing story.”

“Oh, really?”

So Yijin’s upcoming work was a drama featuring a listless vampire and a child as the main characters. The story revolved around two characters trapped under the rubble of a collapsed building, growing closer through their conversations.

“You remember well?”

Pleased by Yooil’s response, Seo Mihee nodded in satisfaction. So Yijin added with a bright face that she was now in the final editing process. Thus, the audition seemed to start in a warm and friendly atmosphere.

Seo Mihee said with a smile,

“Writer Leejin kept praising you, Yooil, I was very curious. I hope you’re not feeling too nervous because I said that?”

“Not at all.”

Despite her cheerful demeanor, Seo Mihee wasn’t very optimistic.

‘So Yijin is really something. Bringing in a guy who’s not even from the acting department…’

Honestly, Seo Mihee thought So Yijin was biased by the ‘junior filter’. She understood the feeling of wanting to look after and give extra attention to juniors from the same department. But even so, to invite a newbie who just put up one show for an audition…

Moreover, she already had a few actors in mind for the roles.

Especially for the vampire role, she had been considering ‘Jung Suho’, contacting him for the past few days. He was an actor who had graduated from the National University of Arts and had been active in the theater for four years, recently starting to be called the ‘idol of the theater world’.

Seo Mihee sipped her water, casting a cursory glance at Yooil.

‘…Well, he’s cleanly handsome.’

Yooil was dressed in a wide gray sweatshirt and black slacks. The outfit was simple, but maybe because of his height and proportions, he exuded a model-like aura. His appearance was certainly striking.

Sitting beside her, So Yijin handed Yooil a short script with a smile.

 

“It’s the lines for the ‘Boy’. Take your time, don’t feel pressured.”

The short script given by So Yijin contained the first encounter between the boy and the vampire.

It was a conversation that took place right after the building collapsed, miraculously surviving the debris.

Yooil scanned the lines with a serious face for a while. So Yijin watched him with sparkling eyes.

Meanwhile, Seo Mihee looked at Yooil, first as he cleared his throat, then as he squatted down after putting the script down, with an indifferent gaze.

…Until Yooil began to speak.

The boy, squatting, hugs his legs tightly. Then, he rubs his arms, as if trying to somehow warm his cold body.

But it seems insufficient as he starts shivering more and more.

“It’s c-cold…”

The boy, hugging his legs and trembling, looks around. Then, as if he spots someone, he frowns. Struggling to move among the debris, the boy notices a lying figure.

The boy’s eyes widen.

“Mister… are you hurt?”

Yooil’s clear eyes are tinged with concern. He takes a step closer.

Along with him, the smile fades from Seo Mihee’s face.

‘What’s this, his voice is…’

The voice coming from Yooil was that of a clear, innocent boy. Yooil’s expression and posture were the same.

Even though she knew he was the tall man over 180 cm who had shaken hands with her, Seo Mihee felt as if he was a much younger child.

The child coughs a little, choked by the dust rising from the debris, and then continues speaking.

“…Can you talk? Where does it hurt?”

The indifferent vampire doesn’t respond to the child’s questions.

But undeterred, the boy moves closer.

“You’re alive, right…? I saw you move… I’m sure I did…”

At that moment, the vampire speaks.

‘…!’

Hearing his voice, the boy’s eyes twinkle once again.

Relief and the joy of not being alone reflect in his eyes.

“You’re alive…! That’s really, really good… I was worried… that you might be dead.”

The child speaks calmly. However, contrary to the composed words, his body is trembling.

The look in the boy’s eyes changes ever so slightly.

“It’s too cold and dark here… That’s why I was worried.”

Sadness and resignation mix with the relief and joy in the child’s eyes.

He forces a smile, his eyes brimming with tears.

Seo Mihee, who had been watching Yooil absentmindedly, slightly parted her lips.

‘…Could it be…?’

Seo Mihee urgently spoke up.

“Yooil.”

She had to ask.

“What’s that emotion? What were you thinking while acting that way?”

Yooil, whose eyes were brimming with tears, wiped them away and cleared his throat before speaking.

“The child… I thought he knew everything.”

“Knew what?”

“That he might die here.”

‘…Impossible.’

How could he interpret it like that from just a few impromptu lines?

Without even seeing the script from beginning to end?

 

Seo Mihee suppressed the urge to burst out with words and asked,

“…Why?”

“From the beginning, I thought the main character was a lonely child. Trapped alone in this huge building, without any friends or family.”

Han Yooil paused for a moment and then continued.

“And… this is just my thought, but I felt the main character is a perceptive child.”

“Why did you think that?”

Yooil answered calmly.

“…Lonely children often grow up early.”

“…!”

Speechless, So Yijin, who had been admiring Yooil’s performance, raised her eyebrows at his response.

Just now, Han Yooil perfectly captured the emotional journey of the ‘child’ that So Yijin had envisioned as the writer. As if he had entered her mind and come back out.

To think all that and act it out in that short moment.

Stunned and mouth agape, Seo Mihee, sitting beside So Yijin, handed Yooil another piece of paper.

“Do you want to try these lines too?”

Yooil was a bit surprised as he received the paper.

‘I didn’t expect to be given this script right away.’

The paper he received was for the boy’s counterpart, the ‘Vampire’s lines.

But Yooil, who had been rigorously trained under Brion, calculating all possible scenarios and practicing, wasn’t too flustered and took in the lines. Quickly memorizing them, he immediately started acting.

This time, he neither squatted nor trembled.

He simply lay sprawled out, relaxing his entire body.

‘…Has it started?’

So Yijin watched him with anticipation. The main character of the drama, the vampire, was someone who didn’t want to do anything, a vampire struck with lethargy and burnout.

That made her all the more curious.

‘How did he interpret this?’

And Yooil remained sprawled out on the floor. The only difference from the script was that Yooil seemed about to fall asleep, his eyes closed.

‘…!’

Seo Mihee leaned forward.

The vampire before her eyes looked very annoyed. He seemed bothered by unwanted noise, his eyelashes fluttering slightly. The corners of his mouth also twitched subtly.

And then, in the next moment, the vampire’s lips parted.

“…Hey, kid. Keep it down.”

‘…!’

It was a different voice than when he acted as the ‘Boy’. Yooil’s voice was now very dry and rough.

If the ‘Boy’ was the embodiment of fragility and youth, the ‘Vampire’ now was dangerous. Even while lying down, he emitted an aura that warned others not to come too close.

Like a predator just awakened from its slumber.

So Yijin held her breath and focused. The smooth forehead of the ‘Vampire’ before her was becoming increasingly furrowed.

“…You’re asking if I’m alive.”

The vampire slightly opened his eyes. The look in them was… very peculiar.

It seemed irritated and bothered, yet amidst that, there was a hint of curiosity.

“Alive, yes. In some sense, I am alive.”

His gravelly voice resonated through the air. It was as if the throat hadn’t been used for a long time, the voice deep and confined.

“Worry… about ‘me’?”

He slowly moved his neck.

“…What are you, exactly?”

His gaze followed the movement.

Like a well-crafted robot in motion, or a predator stepping towards its prey. Either way, it was a movement not quite human.

His head tilted to the left.

“What are you… to worry about me?”

Seo Mihee couldn’t take her eyes off him.

It was an unusual emotional line. He wasn’t angry, nor particularly curious about the boy’s heart. It was simply ‘incomprehensible’ to him why a child would worry about him.

After all, there had never been anything human-like in this otherworldly being.

Seo Mihee let out a chuckle without realizing it.

‘…How did he catch that?’

Yooil had captured the essence of the vampire’s character – a creature detached from human emotions, puzzled by the concern shown by a human child. His performance revealed an understanding of the role that went beyond the words on the script, bringing a depth to the character that resonated even with the skeptical Seo Mihee.