Dohoon had just moved to a new school, and naturally, he doesn't expect much to come from it. For starters, his parents died at some point in his life, and he had sustained a limp due to circumstances. Once he arrives at his new school, he begins to get bullied for his disability with one of the bullies being someone he "assumed" was his friend.
While walking home, Dohoon sees a horrifying sight: his fellow classmate, Aji, is in the middle of sinking her teeth into an alcoholic man. After trying to commit suicide, Aji saves him and explains that in return, she would "protect" him so that when he turns 20, she would eat him. More forces reveal that there are other humanoid monsters like Aji out there, a majority being known as "Drinkers" who thrive on drinking human blood. Aji herself is a mutated drinker referred to as an "eater." Thusly, Aji plans on eating Dohoon when he reached the ripe age of twenty, and she would become a full-blown drinker.
The comic can be read at Lezhin Comics
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This manhwa provides examples of:
- Acting Unnatural: When Siyeon is trying to apologize to Dohoon and approaches him and Aji to ask if they want to walk to school together, she is stiff and unnatural and speaks to them in a "textbook voice".
- And Show It to You: Aji kills a drinker by tearing out his heart and eating it.
- Anti-Regeneration:
- Silver prevents drinkers from healing, so hunters use it in their weapons. When Sagi takes some silver bullets to the hands, his wounds take a long time to heal.
- The trap bugs used by hunters contain similar elements to silver. Their bites counteract a drinker's healing and have some paralyzing effect, so if a drinker falls into them, they will typically be eaten away at until they are dead.
- Attack on the Heart: Drinkers can be killed by destroying their hearts.
- Authority Equals Asskicking: Among drinkers, the high class ones are more powerful, and their king is the strongest of them all.
- Badass Normal: Drinker hunters are humans who fight drinkers with martial arts and weapons.
- Bait-and-Switch: In episode 63, when it seems like Salem is down for the count and Dohoon is about to stab her heart to finish her, Siyeon comes to and yells at him to stop. You'd think it's because she doesn't want him to kill her, but then she yells at him to run, and the heart twitches and transforms into a new threat.
- Bears Are Bad News: Isabella is a large, snarling bear who puts Aji on edge.
- Been There, Shaped History: It's said that many myths of vampires and zombies were inspired by eyewitness accounts of drinkers.
- Beneath the Mask:
- Sagi acts the kind and patient teacher at school, but actually doesn't care for kids at all and only took the job to be close to Aji. Dohoon is shocked when he learns his true, more callous personality.
- Aji learned to act from Sagi, putting on a friendly, more meek persona at school. When Dohoon, who first got to know her true self, sees her acting in a submissive, somewhat ditzy manner at school, it creeps him out.
- "Be Quiet!" Nudge: When Dohoon first sees Aji's school persona, he asks why she's acting like that. She innocently asks what he means and secretly stomps on his foot.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Seohoo acts friendly and forgiving toward Dohoon, but is actually blackmailing him in an attempt to avoid getting bullied himself, and looks on with a smile as the bullies gang up on Dohoon.
- Blood from the Mouth: When Aji is stabbed through the heart by a drinker, she coughs blood from her mouth.
- Bullet Catch: Sagi catches some of Ryang's bullets.
- The Bully: Kyumin and his buddies regularly beat up Seohoo and extort him for money.
- Bullying the Disabled: One of the bullies trips Dohoon while he's walking by with his crutch.
- Cast from Lifespan: If Dohoon activates his symbol, he loses part of his lifespan.
- Ceiling Cling: In episode 44, Ciel avoids detection from Dohoon by hiding on the ceiling.
- Chain Pain: Ciel controls chains to use as weapons.
- Childhood Friends: Dohoon and Siyeon have been friends since they were children, since Siyeon is the daughter of the distant aunt who took in Dohoon after his parents died.
- Crapsack World: Several characters are despicable — especially the school bullies Dohoon encounters repeatedly — and there are monsters out there who feast on humans.
- Crushing Handshake: When Ryang and Sagi meet as teachers, they shake hands. Ryang doesn't like Sagi, but Sagi is putting on a friendly smile, so Ryang returns it while tightly squeezing his hand. After they part, Ryang notes with puzzlement the tightness of Sagi's grip.
- Death by Flashback: After Sagi receives a fatal blow, there is a multi-episode flashback showing how he met and raised Aji.
- Delayed Reaction: When Sagi cuts off Dohoon's foot in surgery, it takes a moment for the pain to register.
- Dodge the Bullet: Sagi dodges some of Ryang's bullets.
- Do with Him as You Will: Aji spares Rogers so that another character can take revenge on him — Siyeon, whose family he killed.
- Dramatic Drop: The first time Aji spoke to Sagi as a young child, he dropped what he was holding in shock, since she'd been nonverbal up til then.
- Dreary Half-Lidded Eyes: Dowoo's eyes are usually half-lidded or close to it, giving him a disconnected look.
- Driven to Suicide: Dohoon once tried to slit his wrists, and after his run in with the school bullies at the beginning of the story, he tries to jump off the school building.
- Dude Looks Like a Lady: Aji mistakes Ciel for a girl at first.
- Dynamic Entry: When a bully tries to punch Dohoon after school, Aji suddenly leaps in from offscreen to intercept him with a knee to the face.
- Empathic Environment: In episode 45, the weather is rainy while Aji and Dohoon are miserable.
- Enemy Mine: The drinkers and hunters call a truce to deal with the bigger threat of a high class drinker.
- Et Tu, Brute?: Dohoon is hurt when Seohoo betrays him to the bullies, especially since he had thought of him as his first new friend at the school.
- Everyone Has Standards: The bullies don't openly go after Dohoon at first, seeing picking on a cripple as beneath them, but this changes when they learn that he badmouthed them behind their backs.
- Evil Matriarch: The villainous Salem only had children because she needed subordinates. She threatens them with death if they fail in their missions.
- Family Extermination: Sagi's whole family was wiped out by order of the drinker king.
- Family Eye Resemblance: A character realizes that Aji is related to a certain other character because of their resemblance, including their eyes being similar in shape and color.
- Ferris Wheel Date Moment: Dohoon and Aji go on the Ferris wheel at the theme park together, where they get a chance to converse alone for a while and Aji thanks him for bringing her.
- Fluffy the Terrible: Isabella the fearsome bear.
- The Gadfly: When Aji realizes that Siyeon likes Dohoon, she enjoys letting her think that she and Dohoon are an item to mess with her.Siyeon: What?! You're in the same class??!! And you sit across from him??!! Th-that's… super close.
Aji: Yep! We're super close now~! [thinking] This is fun. - Good Thing You Can Heal: Drinkers are a lot more likely to be shown getting horribly injured compared to human characters, since they can recover from it.
- Grew a Spine: When Dohoon returns to school after his absence, a number of factors contribute to him having an easier and happier time, boosting his confidence to the point that he steps in when he sees his old bullies beating up Seohoo.
- Half-Human Hybrid:
- Eaters are later revealed to be drinker-human hybrids, born of a human mother and drinker father. They are unable to gain all their nourishment from human food or human blood, so they eat humans.
- Later it is revealed that another type of hybrid is made from a drinker mother and human father. Delicious humans are these hybrids.
- Healing Factor: Drinkers recover quickly from physical injuries — even a severed head will reattach.
- Human Shield: In episode 61, Aji uses Dohoon as a human shield in a fight, knowing that her opponent will try to avoid harming him.
- Hunter of Monsters: Drinker hunters are humans who hunt and kill drinkers.
- I Just Want to Be Loved: Characters wishing to be loved is a recurring element.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: A drinker who fights Aji stabs her through the chest with his hand.
- Important Hair Accessory: Siyeon's hairband. She started wearing it as a child after Dohoon put flowers in her hair; the hairband is in the same shape and colors as the flowers. She takes it off in episode 79 as a symbol of character development.
- Important Haircut: In episode 79, Siyeon cuts off her hair as a symbol of moving on with her life.
- In a Single Bound: Drinkers can jump huge heights.
- Inconvenient Attraction: When Aji comes to Dohoon's rescue in episode 10, he is annoyed at momentarily finding her cool (emphasized by sparkles appearing around her), looking away with a flush.
- Intellectual Animal: Isabella the bear; according to Ryang, she has lived for 200 years and knows everything.
- Internal Reveal: In episode 18, Dohoon learns that Kyumin is a drinker hunter, something that had previously only been revealed to the audience.
- Interrupted Suicide: Aji catches Dohoon when he tries to jump off the roof.
- Irrational Hatred: When Aji is attacked by hunters, Sagi blames Dohoon's existence for drawing their attention to her, attacking him on a couple occasions and telling him that if Aji dies, it's his fault. In contrast, he doesn't show the same feelings toward the hunters themselves. Aji herself later tells Dohoon that it's not his fault.
- It's All About Me: Aji wants to eat Dohoon simply so she could become powerful.
- Jerkass: Aji starts off as this, blankly telling Dohoon that all he is to her is walking food and doesn't hesitate in ignoring him in class.
- Love Confession: Dohoon confesses to Aji he likes her at the same time he's realizing it himself. She doesn't take it too well, excusing herself.
- Love Epiphany: Dohoon realizes his feelings for Aji shortly after she confronts and talks him out of an unhealthy new mindset. In their ensuing conversation on the roof, he reflects on the past and gets sentimental about their relationship. She appears touched, and her smile kickstarts something in him, culminating in the realization that he likes her.
- Love Triangle: Siyeon likes Dohoon, who is oblivious to this and develops feelings for Aji.
- Mark of the Supernatural: Drinkers have a "symbol" covering their body that looks like black markings and is normally hidden by their powers.
- Masquerade: Drinkers keep their existence secret from humans.
- Meatgrinder Surgery: Sagi cuts off Dohoon's foot with a swipe of his claws so he can attach a new one. Since they are lacking in medical supplies, this is done without anaesthetic.
- Mirror Reveal: In episode 75, Aji doesn't realizes she's transformed until she sees her reflection in Rogers' eye.
- Mistaken for Romance: In episode 79, Siyeon wonders if Dohoon being the only one in her life caused her to mistake obsession for love.
- My Significance Sense Is Tingling: In episode 78, after Aji activates her symbol, it cuts away to the drinker king in his headquarters, sensing what just happened.
- New Transfer Student: Dowoo is introduced to the school as a new transfer student.
- The Nose Knows: Dowoo is able to sense drinkers by their scent.
- Not What It Looks Like: A variant. Siyeon hears a crash and enters to find Dohoon lying on top of Aji, the two of them having tripped and fallen. Though she can see that it's an accident, it's suggestive-looking enough to upset her anyway.
- Oblivious to Love: Dohoon is oblivious about Siyeon liking him.
- Only Friend: Dohoon describes Siyeon as probably the only one in the world who would mourn his death. Later it turns out that although Siyeon is popular at school, Dohoon is the only one she's close to.
- Ordered Apology: When Siyeon runs off after finding Dohoon and Aji in a Suggestive Collision, Dohoon thinks she's just upset over not getting anything to eat, and it's Aji who has to order him to go after her so he can smooth things over.
- Over-the-Shoulder Murder Shot: Dohoon learns of Aji's inhuman nature when he finds her chowing down on a man's head. She turns and glances at him, mouth bloodied.
- Parental Abandonment: Dohoon lost his parents at a young age.
- Parental Substitute: Sagi raised Aji from a young child.
- Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Dowoo is a kid, but he is strong enough to leave craters with his attacks.
- Raised by Wolves: Dowoo was partially raised by Isabella the bear and calls her "mommy".
- Razor Floss: Rogers uses a blast attack that slices its target into cubes.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Aji's eyes sometimes appear red. Her biological father also has red eyes.
- Reflective Eyes:
- In episode 37, Dohoon's face is reflected in Kyumin's eye as he talks to him.
- In episode 75, Aji sees herself reflected in Rogers' eye, which prompts the realization that she's transformed.
- Scary Teeth: Drinkers are sometimes shown as having pointed teeth.
- Shapeshifter Weapon: Some drinkers are shown shapeshifting their fingers into claws.
- Silver Has Mystic Powers: Silver prevents drinkers from healing. Hunters use it in their weapons, such as bullets, and the bugs they use to trap drinkers contain elements similar to silver.
- Slasher Smile: When Dowoo first catches Aji's scent, he gets a wide, bloodthirsty smile.
- Sole Survivor: Sagi was the sole survivor of the massacre of his family.
- Stepford Smiler: Seohoo brushes aside his bullying to put on friendly smiles to Dohoon, saying that he's fine. This is soon revealed to be a facade, as he was only using him to try and get out of being bullied.
- Stress Vomit: Dohoon throws up after his first close encounter with a drinker besides Aji.
- Suggestive Collision: When Dohoon and Aji are trying to get the tea from one of the top cabinets, they trip and fall, with him landing on top of her.
- Supernaturally Delicious and Nutritious: Dohoon is a rare kind of human that is exceptionally delicious to drinkers, and that will grant godlike powers if eaten at their physical prime of 20 years old.
- Super-Senses: Drinkers can detect delicious humans with their sense of smell. They also have Super-Hearing; Aji says that she can hear Dohoon's voice from anywhere in the same building if she concentrates, and when he shouts her name in fear, Sagi looks up from where he's working at his desk.
- Suspicious Missed Messages: At the end of episode 30, Dohoon realizes that he's been missing for days without a word to Siyeon, and it cuts to Siyeon looking at her phone, showing a ton of missed outgoing calls to Dohoon.
- Taking the Bullet:
- Aji jumps in front of a high class drinker's attack that was aimed at Dohoon.
- In episode 52, Dohoon jumps in front of Ciel's attack to save Aji.
- Together in Death: After a certain character dies, there is an end-of-episode illustration showing them reunited with a loved one. It's Sagi with his wife.
- Took a Level in Badass: After Dohoon gains a new foot and some new abilities along with it, he starts learning to fight.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Dohoon's newfound confidence comes with a newfound willingness to strike back at his old bullies with lethal force, at least until Aji calls him out for it and knocks some sense back into him.
- Traumatic Superpower Awakening: Aji and her allies attempt to bring out her symbol through intense combat situations. It ends up appearing when Rogers fatally wounds Sagi specifically to draw it out.
- Wham Episode: Episodes 40/41 turn much of the prior story on its head. Siyeon is revealed to be a powerful drinker who has been protecting Dohoon; her family has been secretly rearing him since taking him in as a child.
- Wham Line:
- In episode 14, the low class drinker calls Kyumin "young master", revealing that there is much more to the other character than previously thought. Indeed, said character is soon revealed to be a drinker hunter.
- In episode 63, when Salem is down and Dohoon is about to finish her off, Siyeon yells at him to stop. You'd think it's because she doesn't want him to kill her, but then her next line is: "RUN!!!!!!!" Turns out the fight's not over yet.
- Wham Shot: At the end of episode 40, Siyeon slashes through an attacking drinker, revealing herself not to be an ordinary human as previously thought.
- What the Hell, Hero?: When Dohoon almost kills one of his old bullies, Aji drags him aside and chews him out for his mindset.
- Yellow Eyes of Sneakiness: The villainous high class drinker Arnold Rogers has yellow eyes.
- Your Head A-Splode: The drinker king makes a drinker's head explode when he speaks against him.
