How to pick the worst place

Detective Hwang Soon-Bum knew it was bond to happen someday.

Actually, it has been the thing he was the most afraid of.

Bloody heck, what were you expecting with such a habit ?

Even the doctor-in-the-bar agreed, when he was still alive. It wasn't anything healthy to drink blood from dead people. Everytime Min Tae-yeon went his 'gurgle-bend over-blue eyes flash-tell you who's the murderer' way, the detective was expecting things to turn bad.

Victim with tetanos, check.

Blood poisoning recipient, check.

The prosecutor always made light of his friend's fears. Apparently, vampires were perfectly immunized against whatever sickness.

Still, Soon-Bum kept worrying – and apparently, he had been right.

It wasn't a special Friday. On Thursday, they had found the murderer fast as lightening. With just the first blood drops, Min Tae-Yeon had seen a hidden door closing up on the fleeing assassin. Next thing the team knew, clumpsy detective Hwang found by chance an secret button that opened a secret chamber, and everything you needed to pin up the suspect was in their hands.

When they were called, that morning, even prosecutor Yoo was a good mood. She said she hoped their luck – morelikely good old vampire blood preview, thought Soon-Bum for himself – would still be with them and they would wrapp up the case as fast as the day before and leave for a well-deserved week-end.

Trainee Choi Dong-man was chit-chatting happily with a policewoman, trying to look tough and just looking cuter by the minute.

The body was sprawled in a courtyard, blood streaming through weeds and lonely dandelions. It was a man in his fourties, dressed in a worn-out dark blue suit. For some reason, the murderer had taken the shoes and the socks of his victim with him. The killer blow was – so far – a deep wound under the armpit.

- "Do we have a name?" asked Soon-Bum, keeping an eye on Tae-yeon who was putting on his sunglasses.

- "Kim Deok-man, 46", answered prosecutor Yoo, coming back with her little notebook. "He lived upstairs, in the left appartement. The landlord didn't hear a thing, he was completely drunk. He found him this morning, on his way to… pee. We might get more details with the rest of the neighbourhood."

- "Nothing out of the ordinary, then", said the detective. He slid back his own notepad in his trousers' pocket and rubbed his hands. "Okay. Good. Let's have a look around."

Jung-In and Dong-man picked their side of the street and went off to ask the usual questions, the young woman bullying the kid, like any other time.

- "Shall we… ?" asked the detective, turning to Min when fewer people were left around.

The ambulance was gone with the corpse and Doctor Jo. The good man had already taken a blood sample.

The prosecutor shrugged, with a blasé expression, but his friend didn't get it wrong. There was a glimpse of mischief in the young man's eyes.

- "I wonder how you did your job before me… did you really pass the detective exam ?" muttered Tae-yeon.

- "Shut up and gulp down your snack", growled back Soon-Bum in a low voice, trying not to laugh.

It was a lovely morning – except someone was dead, of course. Bright sun, nice fresh breeze, smell of grilled sausages and the promise of two days off coming soon.

They went to the old fashion roof and the detective leaned on the fence, taking the warm sun in, while the prosecutor sat on a piece of junk to drink the sample of blood.

Like every other time, his eyes flashed and turned blue, he stiffened and got lost in the vision, then bent over, gasping in pain.

Hwang raised his eyebrows with a sigh.

Sure, the whole process helped a lot, but he really didn't like what this was doing to his friend.

- "You okay?"

- "Hum…" grunted Tae-yeon, standing up. "You're never gonna believe this."

- "What did you see?"

The young man dust off his knees, looking slightely amused.

- "The murderer appears to be some old lady. Probably out of her mind, I guess. I'm sure Yoo Jung-In will have her brought in even before we give the clue."

Soon-Bum did his bear-like dance of joy.

- "How do I love this kind of investigation? Case closed in less than two hours! We're so good!"

They went downstairs and the older man sat on the last step with a happy grumpf.

- "Let's wait for the kids to be back", he grinned. "And then, let's have lunch together to celebrate."

The prosecutor smirked, head tilted aside, arms crossed like always.

- "Are you gonna treat kimchi to the old lady as well?" he asked. "Because I think you might en-"

He stopped and the rough detective shot him a glance.

- "I might? Watch out what you dare say, boss. I-"

But the joking threat died on his lips. Tae-Yeon was holding his stomach, looking in pain, even paler than usual. His eyes widened suddenly and he stumbled into the backyard.

Soon-Bum followed him immediately, feeling his old fear grow like a black hole in his chest.

He found his boss emptying the contents of said stomach onto a pile of garbage, a hand on the stoned wall.

- "What's going on? Are you sick?"

Tae-yeon didn't bother answering.

- "Where is this coming from? Did you sleep with your feet in the cold? Vampires don't get pregnancy nauseas, do they?"

- Are… you.. kid…ding… me? panted the young man with a glare, before chucking up again.

Soon-Boom was now in official panic mode.

Great. This was great.

He was now dealing with a vampire who was belching just the only thing he had gulped down in months : blood.

If anyone found out, they would go frantically into the only possible explanation : "OMG! He's got throat cancer!"

Spilled blood was staining the ground so very near the location of a murder that had just occured.

If anyone analyzed the little red puddle, they would probably find DNA from the Thursday victim AND from prosecutor Min.

How on Earth could you make up for a good explanation to THIS ?

Detective Hwang scratched the back of his head.

- "We're screwed", he concluded. "I'm sorry. I'll go down with you."

Leaning on the wall, looking exausted, Tae-Yeon still managed a half-smile.

- "Hyung. Are you gonna tell them you're a vampire too?" he slurred.

And then he started throwing up again and Soon-Bum felt like crying, as he made soothing circular motions on the young man's back.

Things were so messed up.

And it was going to turn even worst, because Jung-In and Dong-man were back with a tiny older-than-your-own-granma lady and they were asking the forensics where were gone their teammates.