Handed to him is a beige envelope with the amount that only he and his regular client, Bae Seungmin, knew. Just like Jangmun didn’t care to count the money, Seungmin took the crate without checking the conditions of the guns either. The goblin offers out a hand, “Then after I deliver this, I’ll see you around. Not as my dealer but as an old friend,”

Jangmun shakes the latter’s hand and with a brief smile, he bobs his head. Once their handshake loosen and Jangmun broke away, it was also Seungmin’s cue to leave first. As the short man disappears around the corner, Jangmun heads the opposite direction. He didn’t get far when he hears someone.

“Is that how friends break up these days?”

Coming to a complete halt, Jangmun glance over to where the voice came from. To his surprise, it was a man he knew. “Hello, Jangmun,” his voice was nice and soothing, disseminating the friendliness in his tone. “It’s been a while. Remember me?”

The newcomer is pillar up against the wall of an old home with a smug on his face. His charming eyes were barely visible behind his dark, nicely combed and unevenly parted bangs. Clad in an ebony long coat, jean shirt, and raven trousers, the man - in short - is well groomed.

“Dohwan,”

The other, Dohwan, greets him with a nod. “I’m delighted you remember me, old friend,”

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In a tiny but spacious room, Dohwan has settled down on the edge of Jangmun’s chestnut desk, as he examines the bookshelf behind the working chair. Striding over, Jangmun offers his visitor a glass of water before taking a seat in the sole sofa pinned against the one-fourth of the walls and under the window’s apron.

Dohwan takes a sip before sighing. “Guk Jangmun. The Wendigo who said no to Code 11-23 and put J-Lite in a shamble. The Guk Jangmun I, Woo Dohwan, grew up with and consider a close friend. You really did that?” Dohwan is one who never breaks his calm demeanor even if his life depended on it. Slowly he turns only his upper body to look at Jangmun. “Although the last we’ve seen of each other happened three years ago, I know you’re unpleased with the ways of our race. But with what explicit reasons do you have to refuse those proposals?”

With a small movement of his hand, Jangmun creates ripples on the water surface in his cup. “Why? Did they send you to convince me?”

“They?” Dohwan arch one of his fair brows. “Who do you mean when you say they?”

“J-Lite and Park Taekhwan of Black Moon,”

A mere chuckle tickles Dohwan’s throat, “Park Taekhwan, whatever. It’s too formal of you to call him that. You know, I’m conscious of the relationship between you both. Or should I say hostility?”

Jangmun smirks. It’s been known that Taekhwan only tolerates him because of the Wendigos. Park Taekhwan, a werewolf who serves Jangmun’s kind and with a hankering to make Im Jinah his own, can’t seem to ever sit well with Jangmun.

“The purpose of your sudden visit, Dohwan,”

Dohwan takes another sip. “Participate in the upcoming game. Help J-Lite rule, Jangmun,”

The gunslinger keeps his mouth shut as he is positive the other already knew the content of his pre-determined response to that.

“I even heard that one of the Goblin representatives’ mentor urges you to join as well. Jang Hyunmi, is it? I bet she has no clue you’re a Wendigo, does she?”

The moment their gazes lock, Jangmun seem more serious than ever. Jang Hyunmi is very popular as the goblin who successful poisoned an elf for love. She along with the love interest she killed for Nam Woohyun, Kim Kibum, and Jung Nicole were the 65th game runners and victors. They are accountable for crowning the current king, R.O.P.. As a proud Goblin, Hyunmi is unwaveringly in favor of Goblins ruling. But as a friend, she has countlessly expressed to him that the humans cannot do without him this time around.

Hyunmi did not know Jangmun is a pureblood Wendigo and for the sake of their friendship, it would be better if she never finds out. Hyunmi wasn’t Jinah after all. No one other than Jinah will blindly like him for what he is.

“So will you train and prepare yourself for the D-day or,” when Dohwan said or Jangmun knew he is without options.

He never understood why the Wendigos would set their sight on him as one of the potential participants. He is someone ashamed to seen with them. He has never been at ease when he feeds on human flesh. The warmth of human blood doesn’t excite him like it does the masses and when the eyes of the deceased roll to the back of their heads, he fails to swim in a sense of accomplishment. Rather, he is mortified. Taking advantage and robbing the weak of their futures makes his stomach churn. But atlas, Jangmun wouldn’t have faced his own reality if it wasn’t for Jinah. Her presence always brought out the human he wanted to believe he has in him.

“Take the offer, Jangmun. J-Lite and the rest are watching. You should at least pay for what your parents did,”

As the room became soundless again, Jangmun watches Dohwan move about the room like it was his own. Dohwan places his cup on Jangmun’s desk before pocketing his hands. “That was the message they wanted me to relay. You know I think differently,”

To Jangmun, Dohwan was the definition of an unofficial hybrid. He was smart as elves, agile and greedy as goblins, strong as werewolves, and evil as wendigos.

“I know. Monsters like us shouldn’t play with them otherwise they’ll die,”

A brief smile is drawn onto Dohwan’s face, “Have you found the answer to the question I ask you a long time ago?”

“Why are they calling us monsters? We need to eat to live too, don’t we Jangmun?” The latter’s voice and question ring loud and clear in Jangmun’s head. But for ten long years, Jangmun have not found the solution to the problem.

“Your expression says you haven’t,” Dohwan points out, poking fun at Jangmun’s stoic face, “then, should I tell you the reason?”

Jangmun glance up from behind his bangs and waits for his friend to continue. And he does, after a millisecond. “We’re monsters because we’re the only race incapable of love. We have only obsession and animosity towards others. Sure, unquestionably, our mortal forms will allow us to love but never to be in love. You and that girl from the bar are fitting exemplars of that,” Jangmun is taken off guard by the sudden implication of Jinah. Exactly how long has Dohwan been tracking him? “Her death might drown you in sorrow. You might shed one or two tears here and there but it won’t kill you. However, I cannot say the same for her. If your death ever occurs before hers, it will bring out her inner-demons and gets her killed,”

By now Jangmun thought about nothing but grabbing Dohwan by the collar. But before he can behave in that manner, Dohwan’s question took him by surprise again. “Wouldn’t you say that’s what makes us different? Those poor things. They have to search for their demons, meanwhile, we are our demons,”

When Jangmun thought Dohwan was done, he quickly adds. “Only someone capable of being in love, whether with themselves or others, is granted the abilities to lead effectively,”

“What?”

Again, a smug renders across Dohwan’s countenance, “With no support from the contemporary King, do you think a peasant can become the ruler overnight?”

“By peasant...you mean J-Lite?”

“Wendigos,”  

Jangmun blinks and before he can become more confused than he already is, Dohwan quickly adds, “Are you familiar with Enrora’s law?” The small furrow on Jangmun’s face tells Dohwan to proceed, “A wise elf, Cluym Enrora, once enveloped the nature of our coexisting into the foundation 1:20. What does that ratio suggest? In Enrora’s law, behind one are twenty promising rulers. And following the twenty that leads the same probability of 1 to 20, there are 400 in order. A hierarchy pyramid is bound to fall into place regardless of time and place and Enrora’s theory of coexisting proves that Wendigos have a chance of .01% to rule. Why? Because the foundation does not apply to us. No Wendigo, even J-Lite, until now has the support of 20 promising rulers behind him,”

“...”

Dohwan folds his arms across his chest and heaves a hefty sigh, “Simply because of our killer instincts and hunger for flesh and bones we immediately lost about 120% support from humans. 120% from our bipolar opposites elves for being too evil. At least another 120% from goblins for constantly breaking the laws under their rule. And although with Code 11-23 in play, we barely managed 15% of the werewolves population. Then there’s our non-existent 120% because Wendigos opinions don’t matter to the whole. In conclusion, at the end of the day for the rest of our lives, Wendigos winning chances is about .0375%,” Dohwan grin, “what do you think? Pretty impressive of how stubborn we are to still be clinging to the crown, huh?”

Jangmun flattens his eyes, “Personal interests and votes have nothing to do with the crown. The game determines the winners—”

Dohwan waves a finger in front of him - silencing him instantly, “Personal favors determines the results of the game, Jangmun. Your allies and nemeses are already cut out for you the moment you were in the womb. It’s the gift our ancestors have left behind for us,”

A frown falls over Jangmun’s face, “With a .0375% and death being inevitable, what made you think I’ll join the game?”

“Don’t you get it? You’re the Wendigo with twenty potential rulers riding your tail,”

A moment of realization hits him. Is this part of Dohwan’s point all along? Is that why he brought up Hyunmi and Jinah?

“Every four years, there are twenty participants in total. 1:20. Guk Jangmun, you’re the only Wendigo with no real enemy. A diamond in the rough. You have J-Lite’s support and Code 11:23 to shield you. That human girl you run around with tells others you’re human as human can be. A Goblin mentor approves of you joining. The werewolves won’t hurt you and you won’t be chased and eaten by Wendigos. The elves are hardly a threat as they have no bad blood in them. I think you’ve got a bright future cut out for you, my friend,”

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When Jangmun reaches Sungjong’s tavern. He sees Jinah working through the rusty glass window. He smiles a little bit but at the same time feels hurt. Is he truly incapable of love? If Jinah dies, will only one or two teardrops demolish his sorrow? Can he win and will he win in the name of Wendigo?

“Jangmun,”

The man turns around and nearly crashes into a tall and slim woman.

Lucky him. She is of his kind - Wendigo.

Sin Jineul.

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