A Lovely Meal — Chapter 7

CUT GREEN ONIONS AND FISH CAKES INTO BITE-SIZED PIECES.

WHEN THE BROTH STARTS BOILING, ADD THE RICE CAKES AND FISH CAKES.

SEASON WITH RED PEPPER POWDER, RED PEPPER PASTE, SOY SAUCE, AND MINCED GARLIC.

ADD A BIT OF SUGAR AND CURRY POWDER FOR EXTRA FLAVOR.

ONCE IT COMES TO A BOIL, ADD THE GREEN ONIONS...

THEN LET IT SIMMER ON LOW HEAT UNTIL THE RICE CAKES ARE SOFT.

WHILE THAT COOKS, PEEL THE BOILED EGGS...

Wu Jongwu

I'M ONLY COOKING BECAUSE HE SAID HE WAS HUNGRY...

BUT HE'S JUST SITTING THERE WRITING SOME HALF-BLOOD VAMPIRE NOVEL OR WHATEVER...

BROOKLYN New York City

JUST GIVE ME SOME FOOD FIRST....

IS HE STARING AT ME BECAUSE HE'S HUNGRY...?

...OR IS IT BECAUSE OF THE WHOLE COMING OUT (OF THE COFFIN) THING?

I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HE'S THINKING RIGHT NOW.

TH-THANKS FOR WAITING!

THE TTEOKBOKKI IS READY!

YOU MUST BE HUNGRY. DIG IN.

SWEET AND SPICY TTEOKBOKKI WITH A HINT OF CURRY.

HMM...

WATCHING HIM EAT ALWAYS MAKES ME FEEL SO PROUD...

ALRIGHT... WHILE HE'S DISTRACTED WITH EATING...

AHH, I'M SO SLEEPY!

I BETTER WASH UP AND GO TO BED!

WHERE ARE YOU GOING?

SIT.

(QUICKLY SITTING BACK DOWN).

YES, SIR.

SO...

WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH THAT WHOLE HALF-BLOOD THING YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT EARLIER? EXPLAIN IT TO ME.

SO HE'S NOT GOING TO LET IT SLIDE, HUH?

OKAY...

MY MOTHER WAS THE DAUGHTER OF A PUREBLOOD VAMPIRE FAMILY.

I like humans!

UNLIKE THE TYPICAL VAMPIRE THAT STUCK TO ITS OWN KIND, SHE LIKED HUMAN CULTURE AND ENJOYED BLENDING IN WITH THEM.

ONE DAY, MY MOM MET A YOUNG MAN WORKING AT A BEAN SPROUT SOUP RESTAURANT.

IT TURNED OUT THAT MAN WAS THE SON OF THE RESTAURANT OWNER. HE FELL IN LOVE WITH MY MOM AT FIRST SIGHT AND WON HER OVER WITH HIS COOKING. EVENTUALLY, THEY GOT MARRIED.

AND SO, I WAS BORN AS A HALF-BLOOD VAMPIRE TO THIS HAPPY COUPLE.

BUT NEITHER SIDE OF MY FAMILY WELCOMED ME.

PUREBLOOD VAMPIRES LOOK DOWN ON HALF-BLOODS, AND MY DAD'S SIDE WASN'T THRILLED EITHER. THEY SAID HE MARRIED A MONSTER AND CREATED ANOTHER. SO, THEY DIDN'T HAVE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP.

WAIT.

YES?

I'M JUST WONDERING...

WHY...ARE YOU DRAWING WHILE EXPLAINING ALL OF THIS?

I THOUGHT IT MIGHT HELP YOU UNDERSTAND BETTER.

WITH A DRAWING LIKE THIS...?

WHATEVER.... KEEP GOING.

OKAY!

ANYWAY...MY PARENTS DIDN'T CARE WHAT ANYONE THOUGHT. THEY STARTED THEIR OWN RESTAURANT AND WORKED HARD TO MAKE A LIFE FOR THEMSELVES.

So yummy! Delicious!

Wow!

SOUP

MY MOM USED TO TELL ME ALL THE TIME THAT I SHOULD BLEND IN WITH HUMANS AND LIVE HAPPILY LIKE AN ORDINARY PERSON.

WATCHING MY PARENTS CONNECT WITH OTHERS THROUGH THEIR DELICIOUS SOUP...

MADE ME WANT TO BLEND IN WITH PEOPLE AND NOT WORRY ABOUT BEING A VAMPIRE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.

SO, I JUST THINK OF MYSELF AS A HUMAN WHO HAPPENS TO HAVE A BIT OF A UNIQUE CONDITION.

ASIDE FROM DRINKING BLOOD, I'M REALLY NOT ALL THAT DIFFERENT.

MY LIFE EXPECTANCY IS SIMILAR TO THAT OF HUMANS...

I'M NOT AFRAID OF GARLIC, AND SUNLIGHT'S NOT A PROBLEM.

I DO NEED TO WEAR SUNSCREEN SINCE MY SKIN IS SENSITIVE, THOUGH.

BUT, YOU CAN ONLY DRINK BLOOD TO SURVIVE, SO HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH THAT?

I HAVEN'T SEEN YOU EAT ANYTHING SINCE YOU CAME HERE.

AH! DON'T WORRY. HALF-BLOODS CAN EAT NORMAL FOOD TOO.

BUT IF I GO MORE THAN TWO MONTHS WITHOUT DRINKING BLOOD, MY BODY STARTS CRAVING IT.

CHILDHOOD FLASHBACK

UH OH, LOOKS LIKE IT'S TIME FOR SOME BLOOD AGAIN.

FOOD STOPS TASTING LIKE ANYTHING. NO MATTER WHAT I EAT, IT'S LIKE CHEWING ON PAPER...

SO, I DO NEED TO DRINK BLOOD PERIODICALLY.

BY THE WAY, THE BLOOD BAGS THAT WERE DELIVERED HERE...

ARE PART OF A WELFARE PROGRAM FOR LOW-INCOME FAMILIES.

ACTUALLY... THAT'S ALL I CAN GET FOR A WHILE...

SO PLEASE DON'T THROW THEM AWAY LIKE EARLIER...

UH... YEAH... I'M SORRY...

ANYWAY...

NOW THEN...

PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR HAND!

Wu Jongwu

BROOKLYN New York City

WHAT?

BROOKLYN New York City

HUH?

YOU...

YOU SAID IF I EXPLAINED EVERYTHING, YOU'D LET ME DRINK YOUR BLOOD.

HUH?

BUT YOU CAN JUST DRINK FROM THE BLOOD BAGS, RIGHT?

T-TRUE... BUT, DRINKING IT FROM SOMEONE DIRECTLY IS A BIT DIFFERENT!

KIND OF LIKE ALCOHOL OR CIGARETTES...? THEY SAY IT'S MORE SATISFYING AND TASTES BETTER.

I'VE NEVER ACTUALLY TRIED IT, SO I WAS CURIOUS...

OH YEAH? IN THAT CASE...

...I DEFINITELY SHOULDN'T GIVE IT TO YOU.

"LIKE ALCOHOL AND CIGARETTES"...? YOU'RE BARELY OUT OF DIAPERS.

Wu Jongwu

DIDN'T YOU SAY YOU WERE SLEEPY?

GO TAKE A BATH AND GO TO BED.

OH, THAT'S RIGHT.

HNGH...

YES...?

GIVE ME YOUR PHONE NUMBER.

I'LL SAVE IT.

HERE...

YOU SHOULD SAVE MINE TOO, JUST IN CASE.

WHAT?

WHAT'S WITH THAT LOOK?

OH, NO, IT'S JUST...

I JUST DIDN'T THINK WE'D BE EXCHANGING NUMBERS...

YOU FOUND OUT I'M A VAMPIRE...

I WAS BRACING MYSELF TO GET KICKED OUT TOMORROW.

WELL... YOU TOLD ME TRUTH...

AND IT'S NOT LIKE IT AFFECTS ME OR ANYTHING.

IF THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE YOU'RE HIDING, TELL ME NOW.

WELL... THERE'S ONE THING I FORGOT TO MENTION...

PUREBLOOD VAMPIRES LIVE SOLELY ON BLOOD.

SO, THEY HAVE SPECIAL SEDUCTION CHARMS IN ORDER TO TRICK PEOPLE INTO GIVING IT OVER.

THEY MIGHT BE GOOD AT SINGING, HAVE A LOT OF CHARISMA...

IT'S NOT SOMETHING I MEANT TO HIDE...

...OR SOMETIMES, THEIR VERY APPEARANCE ITSELF IS THEIR CHARM.

IN FACT, SOME VAMPIRES HAVE USED THEIR ABILITY TO ENTER THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY.

APPARENTLY THEY MAKE A LOT OF MONEY.

HMM... SO?

ARE YOU SAYING YOU HAVE A CHARM, TOO?

YES... IT'S RARE FOR A HALF-BLOOD TO HAVE ONE...

BUT I DO, ALBEIT A WEAK ONE.

AND? WHAT IS IT?

COULD IT BE...YOUR APPEARANCE?

I MEAN, YOU ARE KIND OF PRETTY...

WHAT?! NO! DEFINITELY NOT!!

MY CHARM SEEMS TO BE...

COOKING.

I HAVEN'T COOKED MUCH, BUT I CAN MAKE ANYTHING TASTE DELICIOUS.

AND THE PEOPLE WHO EAT THE FOOD I COOK ARE MORE FRIENDLY TOWARDS ME.

WAIT...

SERIOUSLY...?

"SEDUCTION" SEEMS LIKE A PRETTY STRONG WORD FOR...

PAST MEMORIES FLASHING BY...

...THAT'S WHY I KEPT HELPING HIM...

AH... SO...

REALIZATION FINALLY HITTING.

ANYWAY, I'VE REALLY TOLD YOU EVERYTHING NOW.

YEAH... IT'S LATE, SO LET'S JUST SLEEP FOR NOW... (TIRED).