Jungwon had walked the world for more than a thousand years, cursed with eternity, cursed with hunger. He was a vampire—an immortal predator—but even predators were not safe from love. And he had only ever loved once.

Her.

The memory of that night never faded. The smell of smoke, the flicker of torches, the sting of arrows flying through the air. The villagers had come for him, shouting “monster,” “bloodsucker,” as they cornered him at the edge of the river. He had stood still, his crimson eyes glinting, ready to tear them apart.

Then—an arrow.

He should have felt it strike his chest. But when he opened his eyes, it was not his flesh that had been pierced.

She stood before him, her hanbok fluttering in the night wind, an arrow buried deep in her heart.

Time froze. The villagers gasped. She stumbled, fell back into his arms, staining his robes with her blood.

His voice broke as her trembling hand touched his cold cheek. Her lips curved into the faintest smile—before her breath slipped away.

Something inside him shattered. His fangs bared, his shadows surged like a storm, tearing through the villagers in a single invisible sweep. Their screams filled the night, but he didn’t hear them. His gaze never left her face.

That was hundreds of years ago.

And yet… her soul did not vanish.

Through the centuries, Jungwon had searched for her. Each lifetime she was reborn into, he felt the faint trace of her soul, but fate had been cruel—each time she slipped through his grasp before he could reach her. Again and again, he lost her, until hope became a dagger twisting in his chest.

Now it was 2025. Jungwon had lived under a thousand names, a thousand faces. He had been rich and poor, powerful and powerless. But no matter the disguise, one truth remained: immortality was meaningless without her.

This century, he wore the mask of a wealthy CEO. He sat in his office now, drumming his pale fingers against the desk, sharp with impatience. His last secretary had resigned, and the next applicant was late. The hunger in him stirred restlessly—the hunger for blood, the hunger for her.

Finally, the door opened.

“About time,” he muttered, rising from his chair. But when his eyes lifted—he froze.

There she was.

The same face, reborn. The same eyes, carrying the spark of a soul he had once held as she died in his arms. Reincarnated, alive again, her presence wrapped around him like a forgotten warmth.

“Sorry for being late,” she said with a nervous smile. “Shall we begin?”

Jungwon’s breath hitched. His chest tightened. His fangs threatened to pierce his lip. For centuries, he had imagined this moment, but the reality was even more staggering.

“You’re… hired,” he whispered, then corrected himself louder, “You’re hired. Immediately.”

He lifted the phone, gaze never leaving hers. “Cancel the other applicants,” he ordered softly.

Because fate had finally given her back to him. Because her soul had always been his.

And this time, he swore, nothing—human or monster—would take her away again.