[Tomorrow X Together Yeonjun/ Yeonjun Soobin] Red Nest

[Yeonsup] Red Nest Episode 1

The air in the forbidden zone, Sector 3, where darkness had fallen, was acrid and cold, as if twisting at the lungs.

Soobin gripped the hilt of the silver dagger tightly with a gloved hand.

He put so much force into it that his knuckles went white, but he still couldn’t hide the slight tremor in his fingertips.

The family crest engraved on the blade glinted coldly in the muted moonlight.

‘You’re a disgrace to the family, Soobin.’ ‘You should never have been born with hunter’s blood.

You’re big as a house, but you can’t even use your body properly, and your sensitivity is rock bottom.’

The cold voices of the family elders echoing in his ears closed in beneath Soobin’s chin like a whip.

The only failure of the long-standing vampire hunter clan, the Choi family.

That was always the label stuck to Soobin. Though he had a tall, striking build that stood a head above his peers, he was hopeless at sensing vampire energy and had little physical ability to cut them down.

Coming into this dangerous area alone tonight was pure stubbornness.

If he could bring back even one essence from a low-ranking vampire that lived in Sector 3, he thought he might at least avoid being treated like a ‘beast that can’t even earn a living.’

But it didn’t take long to realize just how arrogant and foolish that thought had been.

Rustle.

From deep in the woods, he heard the sound of a branch snapping. Soobin hastily leveled the silver dagger and held his breath.

‘A low-level one?’

Soobin widened his pupils to scan the darkness, and his body froze like stone for an instant.

The wind stopped, and the forest held its breath. Filling the air was a pleasant rose scent, the smell of a deep sunset, and an overwhelming pressure that seemed ready to freeze the blood in his entire body—something on a completely different level from the blood stench of a mere low-level vampire.

What slowly emerged from the thick darkness was not some grotesque monster.

Pale white skin and eyes glowing red. Immaculate clothes without a wrinkle, and lips curved in a languid arc. The man walking toward him in the moonlight had an unreal appearance that was not grotesque at all, but beautiful in a way that was utterly chilling.

Pureblood. Ruler of the night. The highest predator, the one he had only seen in hunters’ books: Choi Yeonjun.

“...Ah.”

A breathy sound slipped from between Soobin’s lips. His mind went completely blank.

He had to run. Right now, without even looking back, he had to turn and flee.

But his legs had gone weak, and he couldn’t move even a single finger. It was the instinctive terror of prey standing before an overwhelming predator.

Yeonjun approached Soobin with long, elegant steps, as if he had found something entertaining to watch.

Since the two were about the same height, Yeonjun’s red eyes met Soobin’s directly.

“I thought you came in here to catch a tiger.”

Yeonjun murmured in his languid voice. Just that low voice alone raised goosebumps on Soobin’s ears.

“But it looks like it’s just a lost deer standing there.”

Yeonjun’s gaze fell to the silver dagger clenched in Soobin’s trembling hand.

His eyes held pure curiosity, without even a trace of mockery.

“You’re going to cut me with that tiny knife?”

“...D-don’t come.”

Soobin forced the words out somehow, but he couldn’t hide his trembling. Yeonjun let out a soft laugh, as if the sight of him was heartbreakingly pitiful and cute in an almost stimulating way.

The next instant, Yeonjun’s figure vanished like an afterimage.

“Eep...!”

Before Soobin could even blink once, Yeonjun was already right beneath his chin. Cold fingers gently wrapped around the back of Soobin’s neck. That lifeless touch made Soobin’s body lock up as if in a seizure.

With his other hand, Yeonjun so easily snatched the silver dagger from Soobin’s grip and flung it to the ground.

Clang—With that sound, Soobin’s last weapon disappeared into the darkness.

“How are you supposed to use a knife with hands trembling like that?”

Yeonjun tilted his head and buried his nose against Soobin’s neck.

The sound of a deep inhale rang in Soobin’s ears.

From the tips of Soobin’s ears to the back of his neck, a vivid red flushed up in an instant. It was a painful reflex mixed with fear and an unfamiliar stimulation.

“That’s strange.”

Yeonjun’s fingers brushed Soobin’s earlobe, then smoothly stroked down the now-red neck.

“Hunter blood usually only smells like stale silver. “......!”

“So why do you smell so sweet?”

Yeonjun’s red eyes sank deeper. In an instant, his languid manner turned into a predator’s fixation. Yeonjun felt a strange desire—not the instinct of a vampire craving blood, but the urge to possess this big, docile human himself.

“I’m taking you home tonight.”

Yeonjun murmured softly by Soobin’s ear. His cold, sweet breath tickled the outer ear.

“Come with me to my mansion.”

Before Soobin could even refuse, Yeonjun’s strong arm locked around his waist. His vision spun, and the world before his eyes went dim.

That was the moment Choi Soobin’s life, lived as the family disgrace, began to be thrown wholly off balance in the arms of the ruler of the night.