Years have past, and yet my endless quest to the unending path that is the art of the detective remains steadfast.
I'm not on duty now, preferring to drop by the weathered bar opened by me 120 years ago under the name 'Kyle Kwon'.
All things eventually come back full circle. It's a law of nature.
Not even the worst criminal could break that law. And that makes my job that much easier.
DING!
The soft tolling of the bar's door bells mingle with the ambient atmosphere. The yellow light lamps on the main room's hanging crystal chandelier create a sparkling effect that seems pleasant and enchanting, but hides the presence of a darker truth. This was the front for the Choi Family. A notorious family of mafia goons whose greed knows no bounds.
Manslaughter, Murder, Trafficking, Smuggling, you name it. They're the type of scum I hate the most. Always using reputation to hide that they're wealth was taken forcefully from the countless victims exploited and tricked in their path of greed.
But... the ones that care about image are the easiest ones to investigate. Because the more you have to lose, the harder you hold onto it. And when you're desperately playing tug of war, you eventually get tired. And desperation leads to mistakes. And no one can weapononize a mistake more than me. Vlaad. The Vampire Detective...
A voice, smooth and silky as honey snaps me from my thoughts.
"Can I get you something to eat, handsome?" A woman's voice whispers in my ear as I sip my brandy.
So, the game begins...
"Anything... you want? Anything at all?" She asks, her tone a sultry whisper that had beguiled many a weak willed man.
"I'm fine," I say curtly, motioning to the barkeep to pour me another glass.
"Then you don't mind if I join you, do you Senior? Although... you look pretty young. I'll just call you Oppa." She says, looking at me from over the top of her glass with a seductive smirk.
Immortal I may be although a saint I am not.
The temptation was to great. I, Vlaad the Immortal, followed this enchantress to a private room. What ensued was a night of pleasure and passion so intense I blacked out.
But all was not as it seemed.
When I awoke, my limbs were chained, and the face of the very woman I bedded mere hours ago winks at me with a condescending smirk.
"Hmmm? Oppa? Where's that wild energy from last night? It's almost like you just realized you fell for the oldest trick in the book." She says, grinning.
"Dear, dear," a new voice says. A portly man clad in expensive satin robes wraps his arm around the enchantress as he enters the room.
"He's over 1,000 years old! How could you bully a respectful elder like that?" His words were pleasant, but the mocking laughter that followed was anything but.
"Zachariah Choi," I say, recognizing him at once.
"It's so good you remember me! I haven't forgotten you either! That scar you gave me 19 years ago sure is a good reminder isn't it, Ahjussi?" He says, flicking the ashes of his expensive cigar on my face.
"But now that we've reunited, why don't we... catch up. After all... we gave so much to catch up on right, Vlaad? Haha! Hahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"
■■■■■■■■■■■■■
The screen rolls to the credits with a dramatic shot of the albino Vlaad kneeling in chains with He evil woman and and Zechariah Choi standing over him laughing maniacally.
I grin, looking down to the cute little girl sitting on my lap with a half eaten bucket of popcorn. "So, did you like the movie?" I ask.
"Yes! It was so cool! He's a vampire detective! And you and that piggy Oppa were super awesome! I like Vlaad the best though, cuz Oppa looks just like him. But the bad lady kissed him and then he got caught. The bad lady betrayed him. I don't like the bad lady! But, Oppa! What's gonna happen to Vlaad? Are they gonna kill him?" Clara rambles, barely pausing to take a breath.
"I don't know," I say, mysteriously. "But... this is only the first movie. The secind isn't out yet."
Clara's eyes brighten, and her adorable smile lights up the room. "Really?! Then I want you to take me to see it! Promise, Oppa?!?!" She asks, tugging insistently on my shirt..
I nod while sweating bullets inwardly.
Dammit! I don't got the second movie made!
The first one was a crappy 20 minute movie me and Daniel made with the help of a couple homeless people who we paid.
Looks like I'll need to use {10x Cashback}.
Unbeknownst to me, that's How I produced and starred in the first installment of the Vampire Detective Franchise which became famous domestically and in the west as well.
But that's a story for another time....