"He wants to kiss and kill me at the same time."

______________________________

MIN AERI

How perfect.

I wish my daughter had someone like that as her husband.

What a beautiful man.

Of course the women's whispers start up the moment he enters the hall. Age doesn't matter, not when it comes to the flawless Kim Taehyung with his flawless personality and looks.

Not wanting to deal with all the noise, I move further to a more quieter place.

But even then it reaches me.

"Oh my goodness, Taehyung!" An elderly woman claps her hands, her smile all the way up to her ears. "Have you thought about what I said yesterday? About the blind date— my daughter is a very pretty thing, I promise you!"

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Lee." He says, voice dipped low. "Rin has an appointment that day at the children's hospital."

Rin.

It was that small boy who always appeared with him at the weekly gathering.

The woman gasps softly.

"Poor boy!" She coos, bending down to the dark-haired child next to Kim Taehyung. "Are you sick? It is the flu season— you've got to be more careful!"

And the child.

He's like the exact replica of his polite older brother.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Lee." He smiles, expression angelic. "I'm not sick anywhere, I promise. It's just a checkup."

"Oh, my. Already talking like a mature young gentleman." She says, and I sigh— eyes roaming to see if I could still change spots before the mayor's speech.

Even this place was too loud.

But it's already started, and I'm forced to listen to Mrs. Lee and her infinite talking. And that Kim Taehyung takes every bit of it, nodding and smiling along with her.

"Why, the price of potatoes rose so much this week!" She says, shaking her head. "I would've bought some to give to you boys but..."

Was she going to talk through the entire time?

By the time the mayor finishes his speech, I run out of my seat, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible.

She really had talked through the full twenty minutes.

"Wait! Miss Aeri!"

I clench my jaw, slowly turning around to see one of the volunteers.

"Yes?"

Dammit.

"Can you help me move these boxes?" She asks, pointing to a small pile of heavy boxes in the corner of the hall. "I would've asked someone else, but I just thought—"

I cut her off.

"Yeah. Of course."

At this rate I'd be late for work. But I just put a forced smile on my face, glancing down at the boxes.

"So where should I put them?"

"By the far side of the storage." She beams, and I bend down to adjust two boxes in a small stack in my arms. "Thanks again!"

Moving as fast as possible without dropping the boxes, I walk out of the hall and turn the corner towards the storage. And I'm about to turn the second corner when I hear an annoyed sigh.

"She talks too much. Can't you just hunt her next, Taehyung?"

Taehyung?

My feet freeze in the middle of walking. And the childish voice continues, until I realize that's Rin.

The annoyed tone changes to a different voice— much darker, deeper.

"Hm. Should I?"

What the hell?

"Yeah." Rin breathes, voice full of disgust. "She keeps touching me on the head too, like I'm some little child. I'm literally decades older than her."

I blink slowly, brow raised.

Maybe I'd been wrong. Were they both mentally challenged? Because in no way was this conversation normal.

Then Kim Taehyung's voice comes again.

"I already hunted a few days ago."

Yes.

Not normal.

And I turn around, about to head back. I wasn't going to stick around to hear any more of this weird conversation the two were having.

"Miss Min Aeri, isn't it?"

I flinch.

A curse barely keeps from coming out of my lips when I turn to see Kim Taehyung standing right behind me, lips tinted with a smile.

A smile, that gets chills running up and down my back.

Rin. That child is there too, his eyes staring up at me from his place next to his brother.

"Yes?" I say, flicking my eyes down at the boxes. "I have to get this to the storage. So if you don't have anything to say then I'm just—"

"You heard that, didn't you?"

The boxes in my arms scatter.

And the next second I'm up in the air, feet no longer on the ground. Two cold fingertips are pressed harshly against my throat.

A choked curse leaves my mouth for real this time.

"What the @&$&?" I gasp, kicking my legs at him when he tilts his head slightly. "What's wrong with you? Let me down, you @&$$!"

And that boy. He doesn't blink an eye this entire time.

Instead he just speaks out a sentence that turns the shock in my mind to fear.

"She heard, I know it. Just kill her, Taehyung."

A stunned rasp echoes from my throat.

"Are you serious?" I choke, voice strained thin. Kim Taehyung's eyes are so black as it gazed into mine. "You two are embarrassed that I— I heard you two doing role play? I don't know...some vampire @&$8 or something like that?"

The two exchange looks with each other.

"Let me @&$&@@& down!"

And I'm genuinely surprised, when he does. I crumple to the ground, coughing and gasping for air as I stumble up to my feet.

They're crazy. They're both insane.

"Miss Aeri." My eyes glare back in hate as Kim Taehyung lowers himself down to my eye level.

"Do you want to do something for me?"

And I shove him away. He barely moves back— doesn't even stagger even though I'd pushed him as hard as I could.

I hiss at him, voice still breathy.

"You're a @&$&@@ person with actual mental problems. Go find a hospital somewhere— you need it, for sure. Thank me that I'm not reporting the both of you to the police!"

Cheeks flushed in anger, I'm about to walk away when I realize I can't.

I can't move.

My feet feel glued to the ground, and my eyes widen when I find that I can't even scream.

Quiet laughter echoes behind me.

"Rin. Go home first."

"What?" The child says, clearly disappointed. "I want to stay."

My body. Won't move.

"Just listen to me this once." He sighs, and the child makes a noise before that dissipates into silence. And then it's only me and him, I can feel it.

"Miss Aeri."

He's coming closer. He is closer.

His whisper is dangerously calm against my ear.

"I don't think you realize the situation here." He murmurs, voice hushed. "So let me try again."

"Will you do something for me?"

And I've never felt this much of my instincts before. I can feel the danger with every word he speaks, like he wants me to feel that way. He wasn't human. He wasn't normal.

And I think...

I think that he really might kill me.

"...yes."

"Good." He smiles, voice pleased. And then the force holding me dow suddenly releases, making me pitch forward and nearly trip on my own feet. But I catch myself, and the moment I'm free I turn around to look at him.

He just stares down at me, almost as if daring me to run.

Bastard.

When he knows that I wouldn't try and run, he smiles again and taps his fingertips on the back of his pale hand.

"Don't look at me like that, Min Aeri. What I'm about to ask you isn't difficult at all."

My fists clench.

Yeah, right. This @&$$8 was probably going to ask me to cut my own hands off or something like that—

"I want you to bring me someone every week, to the addresses I give you."

"...what?"

His smile grows deeper. "I know you heard me. The end of each week is the day that we meet for the weekly gathering."

He presses a piece of paper into my hand, continuing to talk in that revoltingly silky voice.

"And you also work as a taxi driver, no? This will be an easy thing for you."

My eyes narrow.

"What if I don't want to?"

There's a silence.

And Kim Taehyung smiles. It's like he already knows that I know the answer to that question myself. Then without another word, he passes by me and turns the corner.

He's gone when I rush after him, like he'd just disappeared into thin air.

"@&$&!"

How in the world did I get myself into this? Was I being threatened? By some ghost or whoever Kim Taehyung really is?

He was not who everyone thought he was. He was an absolute son of the devil— maybe even the devil himself.

And when I look at the piece of neatly folded paper, it really reads the name of a street address.

I curse again.

______________________________

It's the end of the week.

The weekly gathering at the hall is tomorrow, and I can't stop thinking about the piece of paper— the street address written on there.

But I'm not going to do it.

I wasn't crazy. I wasn't crazy enough to actually listen to that Kim Taehyung. And for this gathering, I wouldn't even go. Maybe this entire thing would calm down by itself over time.

And I'm waiting in the car when a man gets in.

"Hey."

I start up the engine. "Where to?"

"Fazeley Lane." He says, and I'm about to type in the address into the navigator when my fingertips freeze on the pad.

"...Fazeley Lane?"

"Yes," He says impatiently, before starting a phone call with someone. "Get me there quick. I need to be there as fast as I can."

The street address.

Just coincidence, I think as I start driving. Besides, what would even happen? I wasn't going to deliver this man straight into Kim Taehyung, I wouldn't.

During the time there, the man keeps talking on the phone— something about work.

And then I curve into Fazeley Lane.

His voice suddenly stops. First I think of it as nothing, until I park the taxi and look behind to tell him that the price would be ten dollars.

The man is gone.

My eyes widen. And I look around, turning fully in my seat. But the back seat is completely empty, as if the man had never been there in the first place.

It's as if he just vanished.

I'm still looking wildly when all of sudden, my gaze catches on a person reflected in the side mirror of the taxi car.

Sharp chills wrap around my throat.

It's him.

Kim Taehyung smiles at me. He's dressed in a long black coat, his pale face so distinguished among the other people on the streets. His eyes are exactly met with mine, as if he knows I'm looking at him right now.

Then he suddenly disappears.

"Cutting it close, aren't you. The weekly gathering is just tomorrow, Min Aeri."

His voice comes from the back seat. And instead of the terror I should be feeling, shock and anger is full in my words as I grip the back of my chair and jerk myself around to face him.

"Kim Taehyung. What did you do?"

He smirks. The anger turns into fury now, at this man sitting casually at the same spot the disappeared man had been at a minute ago.

No.

He wasn't human.

"I already know you're not normal." I breathe, brushing my hair back frustratingly. "Tell me what happened to that man. Where'd you take him?"

He raises an eyebrow at my question. "I think you already know the answer to that. You brought him here knowing that he might die."

"No."

"No?"

"I-I didn't think this would happen." I say coldly, staring right into his amused black eyes. "I didn't mean for this to happen."

He makes a low noise. "Well, it still did. And it was all your fault, whether you knew about it or not."

My jaw clenches with tension as he shifts closer, fingertips brushing against the line of my neck.

His whisper is dark.

"It's all your fault that the man will die."

______________________________

@@&$& him.

On the day of the weekly gathering, I arrive a bit later than usual. And of course he's there, along with that child— dressed neatly with a white shirt and dark pants.

All a pretend.

Knowing better this time, I choose the farthest seat in the hall. But my eyes keep flickering back to Kim Taehyung, as he talks politely to the town elders.

Like usual, they're all over him and his perfection.

They didn't know that he was the devil's spawn he was, and might hunt them for his next dinner.

And I'm trying my best to focus on the mayor as he prepares his speech when I feel someone sit besides me.

This crazy...

"Hello, Miss Aeri."

I don't answer him at first. I just ignore him fully, hoping that he might lose interest and go away if I did that.

But it only has the opposite effect.

And him sitting besides someone like me— it draws attention. Soon the place we're at is flocked with middle-aged women to girls I'd never seen before.

My expression turns more and more scrunched.

"Are you two together?" One of them asks Taehyung, and he just smiles— smiles. That's when I know he's trying to mess even further with me than he's already done.

I force a smile. "I'm sorry. We really aren't anything like that."

And then I fix a straight look at him.

"Why don't you go sit somewhere else?"

For the slightest second, his other side comes through. I can see it so plain on his face— that  twitch of his jaw as it flexes in annoyance.

"Hm. I'd rather not, Miss Aeri."

Then the mayor starts giving his usual speech, and the women all go back to their seats. And for the rest of the time I refuse to give him a single look, focusing on the old man talking instead.

By the time his speech draws to an end, I feel the cold feeling of paper against my palm.

First I'm surprised. And then I realize it's similar to the paper he'd given to me last week, the one with the address on it.

I curse at him under my breath.

And then I shove the paper back to his chest.

"I'm not doing it."

His eyes flicker. And then it's like time itself suddenly stops as he grips my upper arm, fingers rough.

"It's your choice." He murmurs, voice smooth as ice. "But someone will die this week, whether it is a stranger or you, Min Aeri."

With that he stands, grip releasing on my arm. And I only realize that my forehead is slick with sweat by the time he leaves the hall, along with Rin.

That...

That psychopath.

Half of me wants to go after him and beat him down to the ground. But the other half of me, for the first time, is scared.

I'm afraid because I've never seen anyone like him before.

And I'd seen and dealt with many men before. I'd dealt with bullies, drunk men who wanted to sleep with me and got angry when I refused. I'd even dealt with a stalker— my ex-boyfriend, five years ago.

But never.

Never anyone like Kim Taehyung.

_____________________________

It's the sixth day.

"You can put me down right here." The woman points, and I slow the car to a stop besides a curb.

"Anyways," She continues, after giving me the fee. "It's a beautiful night. A young lady such as you should be out with her friends, not driving people around."

Friends?

"Yes." I agree flatly, waiting as she leaves and shuts the door. Then I drive off, without a glance behind.

Bitterness climbs up the back of my neck, in wisps. The last person who wanted to befriend me was that lowly bastard five years ago.

After him, I'd never let anyone get close to me.

And I'm driving back to my cramped apartment when the air shifts.

Him.

"So you decided to choose yourself. I didn't take someone like you to be the sacrificial one."

I glance disinterestedly at the mirror. And he stares back at me, dark eyes amused as he sits at the back seat of the taxi.

"What do you mean?" I say blandly, turning the curve. "The day isn't over yet, Kim Taehyung."

He laughs sharply.

"Why aren't you scared of me?"

I blink. "Me?"

"Yes, you." He snarls, voice suddenly down towards a hiss. "Do you genuinely not care about your own life? Or is it common for you to see people like me?"

Sarcasm floods my tone. "Oh, don't worry. You're definitely not one of the common ones I've seen before."

"I just haven't figured out a way to deal with you yet."

"Deal with me?"

"Yeah." I growl back, fear masking with anger. "Find out whatever weakness that you have and use that against you. Just so that you can leave me the hell alone."

"I don't think you'll be able to find one." He says, before his voice dissipates like mist.

"Oh. Your last chance."

I look up, confused. And then I realize what he's talking about the moment I see a person, waving his hands drunkenly for a taxi.

It's like he's murmuring right into my ear.

"Like I said. By the end of tonight I will take someone."

"Bastard." I murmur back at him, and he only leaves behind quiet laughter as I roll the car to a stop. Then he's gone, and chills prick at the back of my neck even as the man gets in.

"Drive!"

My expression instantly scrunches at the slurred voice. And I push down the growing annoyance as best as possible, hands gripping the wheel.

"Where to?"

"I don't give a @&$$! Just get me to my house!" He yells, and the annoyance slowly twists to anger.

"Where's your house, then?"

"I said I don't @&$&@@$ know!"

Should I just throw him out back to the sidewalk?

"Sir." I say patiently, looking back at the yelling man. His face is completely flushed, unfocused eyes rolling around aimlessly.

"I can't drive if I don't know where you want me to go."

".....@&$$&..."

My eyes narrow. "Excuse me?"

"I'm your customer!" He shouts, suddenly digging his hands into his pockets. And then he throws a handful of change at me, straight at my face.

"There— you satisfied now?" He slurs to my stunned expression. "Now do the job you're supposed to do! Start the @&)&@ car!"

My fists clench.

"Hey."

"...uh?"

"Get off." I snarl, pushing my elbow into the back of my chair. "I'm not taking garbage like you anywhere."

And his already-red cheeks turn scarlet. He shifts his feet up to the headrest of my seat, starting to slam his shoes repeatedly into the cushion.

"Drive! Drive! Drive!"

"Fine."

Not even bothering to hide it, I pick up the piece of paper— the one with the address. And then I type it into the navigation, starting the engine with my expression chilled with anger.

He kicks his feet the entire time I get there, screaming and yelling incoherent words.

I don't even care what happens to him.

And the moment I turn into the street of River Creek, the feet that had been shaking my entire seat stops. His cursing, yelling— everything.

My erratic heartbeat slowly stills.

Gone.

The back seat of my taxi is empty, as I turn my trembling gaze towards it. The man and all traces of him is wiped clean.

And Kim Taehyung sits there again, lips curved into a serene smile.

I instantly stop the car.

"You."

His smile deepens at my shaking stare. And for the first time since I'd been with him in this taxi, the fear is the one that overwhelms the anger.

"Yes— you've finally come to your senses, haven't you?" He murmurs, fingertips pulling at the collar of his shirt.

"That's the look I want."

"Who are you."

My voice stutters, before rising to a half-shout. "Who are you? Who are you to do this to me— who are you to make me do this. Who are you?!"

He raises an eyebrow.

"Me? It was you who took advantage of me today, Min Aeri."

My heart beats faster.

"What are you talking about?"

"Always acting so innocent." He clicks his tongue. "That man tonight— you brought him to me, because you wanted him gone."

"You used me, Min Aeri."

"I asked who you are." I breathe, hands tight and shaking around the wheel. "Just tell me. Are you the devil? Someone who's come to torture me?"

"Or am I just hallucinating and this is all in my mind?"

His eyes flatten. There's only the fading remnant of a smile on his blood red lips, tinted with glee.

"I'll see you tomorrow at the gathering."

_____________________________

TAEHYUNG

"Why don't you just kill her?" Rin yawns, rubbing sleep from his eyes. "I don't get it. I don't get why you're keeping her alive."

"She even heard us talking that day."

"Exactly." I say, fingertips shifting through my dark hair. It excites me, to just think about her.

"She finally broke down last night, Rin."

"...what?"

"I could feel the fear." I laugh, a cold chuckle through my lips. "And she seemed like such a tough challenge. I've never seen anyone look the way she did when I first held her down."

He frowns. "Didn't she curse at you?"

"Yes."

"Weirdo." He yawns again, before walking towards the door. "So what? You think she's interesting?"

"It's just so exciting." I murmur, as I start the black car. "Not in the last eight hundred years have I seen a person who cursed at me like that. And now she's just like the rest of them."

My voice dips.

"Scared. Terrified, knowing I can kill her any moment. And today I think that I will."

"You're killing her?"

"The only reason I kept her alive in the first place was because I was curious to see when she'd break." I say, eyes fixed forward. "Nothing else. Better to leave her dead than alive— she did hear me talk about hunting."

We arrive at the hall. And my pace is almost rushed, to see that woman.

How scared would she look once she saw me?

And there she is. She stands blankly, almost motionlessly in front of the door.

A smile twists my lips just staring at the sight.

So surprise is the first thing I feel, when she doesn't give a single reaction after noticing me pass in front of her.

Rin flicks his eyes back in her direction.

"Are you sure she's scared of you? I thought you said that she was."

I don't reply.

Instead I wait, waiting for her until she comes in— taking her place at the usual farthest chair. And I sit right next to her, searching her face for any traces of emotion.

But she doesn't show any.

Displeasure clouds my mind.

"Min Aeri."

"Kill me."

My eyes flicker. "What did you just say?"

"I said kill me." She says, voice flat. A stunned laugh leaves my lips, at her dulled eyes. "I'm not doing your &$&@& anymore."

_____________________________

MIN AERI

"I'm done."

For a second, I think that I see his dark eyes turn red. His expression bleeds anger, mixed with disbelief.

"You want to die?"

"Sure." I say blankly, looking down at my hands. "I don't care. It doesn't matter, not anym—"

The last thing I hear is his furious breath.

And all of a sudden, I'm not in the town hall. I'm outside, sitting in the grass. The wind is the first thing I feel, against my hair and skin.

Kim Taehyung.

He has an unrecognizable expression on his face as he bends to meet my eye level. I don't need to ask, to know that he's the one who brought me here.

There seems to be no people for miles around.

"Kill me?" He repeats my words, staring me down. "Listen to me when I say this, Min Aeri. You're not the one who chooses that."

I laugh bitterly.

"Then @&$& off."

His hand comes from nowhere. It's so fast, that I don't even realize it until his fingers are already wrapped around my neck, pressing tightly against my skin.

I gasp.

"What's wrong with you?" He says, thumb pushing further into my throat. "I wonder if you're just stupid— or insane. Or are you both of those things?"

I can't breathe. But I don't resist, just falling slack in his grip.

Maybe this is better.

My eyes are flickering close when he suddenly releases me, hurling my body back down to the grass. Strained coughs burst from my chest.

"Answer me." Kim Taehyung whispers, voice deadly.

"No one really wants to die. I've seen countless people who think they're better off dead, but they always end up pleading for their lives when I actually force them to that point."

He looks so angry.

He looks so mad, with his face shadowed and eyes dark. I'd only ever seen him smiling at me, in that twisted amusement.

This time, I'm the one who cracks a smile back at him.

"So why does that make you so angry, Kim Taehyung?"

He stares at me. And I stumble back up to my feet, rubbing at my throat. I was sure it was bruising— I could still feel the harshness of his cold fingers.

But my voice stays intact.

"I don't know what the hell you are." I growl. "But mind your own business— do whatever hunting you have to do yourself. I don't even care."

I turn away.

"Just stay out of my life, Kim Taehyung."

____________________________

Exhausted and sleepy, I walk up the stairs to the third floor of the building. The three flights of stairs have never felt so tiring before, even that time when I'd had to work until midnight and come back home at one in the morning.

One part of me desperately hoped that he would actually listen.

That he'd just leave me be, to mind my own damn business and live my own sad life.

Dragging my drained body through the hallway of doors, I stop in front of mine and blindly search for the keys.

Until I realize the door is unlocked.

Confusion fills my face when the doorknob twists easily under my palm. I was sure I'd locked it behind me this morning— I wasn't the type to forget about something like that.

Then I see the little child, sitting in my chair and tapping away at the keyboard.

Rin.

I instantly freeze. And he just continues tapping away, the screen of the computer flashing with graphics.

"Oh. Finally you're back."

"What in the world..." A stunned murmur leaves my lips, as I recognize the game he's playing. "How did you get in?"

He shrugs, eyes concentrated on the game.

My voice starts to rise with annoyance. Of course— he was with Kim Taehyung. Of course he'd know how to pull tricks as easy as breaking into someone's house.

"Hey. I don't know how you find out about where I live, but I need you to leave. I can't deal anymore with this &$$&@ today— I refuse to."

Tugging off my jacket, I throw it onto the kitchen table before crashing into the blankets laid out on the floor.

"Leave." I warn again, sleepily.

"I better see you gone when I wake up."

"Wow."

I slit open an eye. And the small boy is staring at me, hands paused on top of the keyboard.

"No wonder he's so obsessed over you."

"....what?" I groan, expression scrunching into a wince. "Can you leave? Go back to your brother."

He turns his eyes back to the screen. "He's not my brother."

Huh?

"Back to Kim Taehyung, then." I complain, attitude completely cranky with exhaustion. "Why are you even here in the first place?"

Rin blinks.

"I wanted to find out why he hadn't killed you yet. Besides, he didn't come back until the end of the gathering."

I breathe out in disbelief. "So you came here because he didn't come to pick you up? You might as well have gone back to your house by yourself."

He frowns at me.

"Shut up. I died because of you."

What the heck.

This child had broken into my house, was sitting in my desk chair and playing games on my computer. And now he was telling me to shut up.

"Fine."

I flip the blankets over my head.

"I'm telling you— you better be gone by the time I wake up, Rin."

_____________________________

It's morning when I open my eyes again. The scent of ramen is thick in the air, and I curse at the child when I see that he'd went through my stash of snacks and cup noodles.

He'd even left the computer on, the screen flickering dimly in the early sunlight.

Already pissed off from the beginning of the day, I turn off the computer and start gathering up empty noodle containers and chip bags.

That child.

And I'm cleaning up after the mess he'd made when I hear the rustle of blankets.

I look up.

Rin is right there. His hazel hair sticks up in the air as he yawns, sitting up in the pile of blankets set next to the bathroom door.

What...the...?

He'd pulled out extra blankets from the closet— all of them. The pile is nearly twice the size of mine, and he squints his eyes at me sleepily.

"I told you to leave!" I exclaim, slamming down a fist on the counter. "And what's all this mess? Did you never learn how to clean up after yourself? Doesn't Kim Taehyung teach you things like that?"

He yawns again.

"I was too lazy to go back last night." He says, rubbing his eyes. "I played games until dawn."

My expression turns terrifying.

"So? What about these?" I point at the snack bags, the empty packages of cup noodles. "You ate my entire supply!"

He pouts. And for a second he actually looks like a typical seven-year old, not the one who'd flatly told Kim Taehyung to kill me.

"It's not my fault." He says, brown eyes slitted. "He never gives me food like that."

"Who? Kim Taehyung?"

Rin nods.

"He doesn't even feed you?" I say, raising an eyebrow. But other than his pale face, he looks too healthy for that to be true.

"He does." He frowns. "But it's always meat— meat, and more meat. He stopped giving me vegetables because I never ate them."

Meat.

The back of my spine chills to ice.

"....what kind of meat?"

Rin fixes a stare at me. And it's almost like the little boy knows what I'm thinking, like he's reading my mind right now.

He snorts. "Relax. It's not what you're thinking."

Distrust flickers through my face. Then why else would Kim Taehyung want me to bring all those people? There wasn't any other reason...

A sharp knock suddenly echoes throughout the small apartment.

At the noise, Rin frowns slightly. He gives one last look at the remains of the snacks he'd ate last night, lips pressing in disappointment.

"I'm leaving now. Happy?"

The nerve.

The child opens the door. And the exact person I'd expected stands there, his chilling eyes landing on me first before flickering downwards.

"Rin."

"What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to check why you were so obsessed with her." He yawns again, before stretching his arms. And to my surprise, Kim Taehyung doesn't say anything as he lifts the boy up in his arms.

Then he leaves, just like that.

He doesn't even give me a look.

____________________________

Of course.

Of course I'd be wrong.

My teeth clenches tightly the moment I recognize his silhouette through the front window. But I just ignore him, continuing to drive the car down the street.

It's only a second later, when his silky voice echoes in the back seat.

"That was very rude of you." He comments, and I push with the strategy of ignoring him as he continues talking.

"I know you saw me out there, Min Aeri."

So what if I did?

Wordlessly, I park the taxi car in a lot. Then I get off, coat tucked underneath one arm as I walk briskly towards the entrance of a convenience store.

His figure is besides me.

"A store?" He whispers, tone curious. "Why?"

The annoyance wins over this time.

"Are you going to shut up?" I hiss, making him murmur out cold laughter. "You do know this is stalking, right? I can get you arrested."

That damn smile.

"You're welcome to certainly try."

Just wait until I find what shakes you, I think as I walk faster into the store, making sure to shut the door on him before he can get in. Everyone has a weakness.

My plan seems to succeed, because he does look much more pissed off than earlier.

I start grabbing bags of chips and ramen— all the things that Rin had eaten to the ground yesterday night.

"Thirty three dollars and fifty two cents, please."

Paying the cashier, I brush past him and exit the store. Soft laughter echoes behind me, full of disbelief and amusement.

I whip around, eyes locking on his.

"Can you stop? Do you really not have a life that you need to follow me around like this?" My voice is harsh, but he doesn't look affected at all until I lower my words.

"Go find someone new to play with, Kim Taehyung. I'm not interested."

His brow tilts. There's a strange look in his eyes, as his gaze flickers to the right of me.

"You want me to leave you alone?"

Why was he looking there?

"Yes." I breathe. "Please. I just—"

A chill suddenly travels up my back. And I stop talking, the moment that I feel that something is wrong. My eyes flicker, starting to follow the direction his is pointed in.

There's a screeching hiss, against the raw sidewalk.

My body hits the ground. And for a second my mind fades into darkness— before I force myself back from unconsciousness.

I breathe in smoke.

And through slitted eyes, I see a car. Half of its body is sticking out of the window of the convenience store— shattered glass carpeting the ground.

I'd been standing there.

And I should be dead.

Then a dark figure steps into my vision. It takes a second for the blurry shape to focus, but my jaw flexes with pure fury when I do.

Kim Taehyung looks down on me, eyes the color of glaciers.

"You." I growl, throat clasped with shock. "Did you....you did that, didn't you? I know...I know somehow you—"

His eyes.

Why is it blue?

He bends over my body. And I shout to him, as high as my voice can go. But my limit is barely a whisper, among the screams of the other people who'd just seen the accident.

"You're bleeding."

I slap away his hand when it reaches for the side of my head.

Something— something was wrong.

"Get away from me." I cough, pulling myself up. Dizziness mixes with nausea when I do, but I ignore it completely.

I need to get away from him.

His hand suddenly grips my wrist. His slender fingers feel like ice against my skin, and my eyes widen, at the tone of his voice.

"Where are you going?"

"Home." I snap, stumbling away with a hand pressed against my head. I curse when my palm comes off red, with my blood.

I was so done with this. Staying near Kim Taehyung had only turned my life upside down, and I was sick of being—

An arm wraps around my shoulders. The hand against my body is trembling violently, and I look up stunned at him.

He's shaking heavily.

"....Kim Taehyung?"

But the first thing that draws my attention is his eyes. If the color had been pale before, now it's a deep blue— the kind that nearly seems to glow.

And it's fixed straight at me.

My heart crashes to the bottom of my chest.

"Min Aeri." I've never seen him this unstable before. His usual composure is nowhere, replaced by a look of heavy urgency and desperation.

My blood.

He can't keep his eyes away from my blood.

Oh.

A slow smile spreads on my lips. And just to confirm, I bring my bloodstained palm up to his lips.

He makes a noise, turning his head away.

But I don't miss the slight flash of silver underneath the line of his lips— the glint of fangs.

Vampire.

"You're a vampire." I say, and he flinches— eyes widening. Those deep blue eyes are still fixed down at the ground, but I can tell he's struggling to keep it away from my blood.

I'd found his weakness, and the answer to my question at the same time.

"Kim Taehyung." I say, and I can't hide the amusement in my voice when I see the state he is in right now.

I'd never seen him this vulnerable.

I press my palm against his cheek. A shiver runs through his entire body as I slightly drag my hand, leaving the trace of my blood on his pale skin.

"Stop..."

"Stop?" I say, voice amused. The pain in my head is long forgotten, and he growls at me— at the smirk on my face.

"Do you want to die?"

It's easy to ignore his death threat. Seeing him like this had completely dissipated all the fear I'd had of him before, even after I'd learned he was a vampire.

I smile. "Make me a promise, Kim Taehyung."

His eyes flicker. There's visible sweat on the side of his face, and his skin is ashen with exertion.

"I will kill you."

"Well," I say easily, brushing the wound on the  line of my hair again. More blood stains my fingertips, and I press closer to his taller figure, clasping his jaw.

"I don't think you can, can you?" I murmur, thumb on his cheek. My blood leaves a red trail everywhere I touch, and his eyes glow brighter.

His voice shakes.

"Stop."

"Then make me a promise." I repeat, raising my eyebrow. He growls at me, but I don't miss the agony on his expression as I slowly shift my bloodstained thumb closer to his lips.

His hand grips my waist roughly.

"You're making a mistake, Min Aeri." He gasps, eyes flickering helplessly down at my hand— so close to his mouth. "Do not test me like this."

I laugh. All I saw right now was that untouchable Kim Taehyung, that perfect Kim Taehyung—

Down to nothing but ashes.

"Promise me that you'll never harm me." I say, glimpsing his tipped fangs. "That first. Say it."

His eyes narrow.

"I promise."

"Good." I breathe. I wasn't going to take any chances with him— he could so easily hurt me after what I was doing to him now. "Now promise that you'll leave me alone."

He hesitates.

And the moment I see that, I force his body even closer to mine. His lips turn up in a crazed smile when I put my fingertip right on his lips.

"You really want to die."

"Promise me." I say stiffly. "That you'll stop doing this. That you will get the @&$&& out of my life forever."

"Promise me."

"I promise."

And when I hear that, I break away from him. He licks at my blood— which I'd stained all over his mouth.

A chilling smile tilts his expression.

"You taste so sweet."

"Don't even think about it." I hiss, walking away. "Remember your promise."

"Remember it."

____________________________

TAEHYUNG

"You what?"

I lean back into the couch at Rin's shout. What had happened yesterday is still clear in my mind— the way her eyes had stared so firmly into mine, the way she'd made me promise.

How had she even known to do that?

The way her blood had tasted on my tongue.

"Answer me, Taehyung!" The child stands in front of me, hazel eyes wide. "What do you mean someone knows? Min Aeri?"

I nod, my thumb brushing against the corner of my lips.

Such sweetness.

"That feisty woman." I murmur, turning my eyes up to the ceiling. "I didn't know I'd lose myself that much over the sight of her blood. If there weren't so many people, I would've ripped her throat out."

Rin glares at me.

"I can't believe you made her promises."

"I had to." I say lightly, my mind still set firmly on her. "She caught me off guard."

"At least you didn't actually bite her, with all those humans watching." He groans, shuffling out from the living room. "You know how much they hate it, when you do risky things like that."

"I know."

Then I blink when he grabs his jacket, tugging it over his small shoulders. I call for him when he pulls open the front door.

"Rin?"

"I'm going to go eat." He says, and I'm starting to stand up when he looks back over at me with monotone eyes.

"I'm going alone. You just told me you promised her. She's going to hate it if you come."

My brows furrow.

"You're going to Min Aeri?"

"Yeah." He says, yawning. "Come pick me up later."

A dark smile spreads on my lips.

"Of course."

_____________________________

MIN AERI

This damn kid.

He doesn't even look up when I come in, just nibbling on ramen noodles with eyes fixed into the screen of the computer. It's colorful with game graphics, like last time.

I put my hands on my hips.

"Yah."

"Oh. Hey, Min Aeri." He says, and my expression just deepens into disbelief. "Heard you really screwed up Taehyung— you even made him promise, and that's kind of big."

I sigh, snatching the ramen container from him.

His eyes widen.

"Hey!"

"I'll cook you something else." I glare at him, taking away the bag of chips as well. "A kid like you— you need to grow."

Then I remember.

"Wait. You're a vampire too."

"Half-vampire." He corrects me, focusing back on his game.

Half?

"So you can eat human food?" I cross my arms, expression thoughtful. "You don't drink blood like Kim Taehyung?"

"No." Then he starts complaining, about how hungry he is. When he tries to get his cup noodles back, I threaten him that I'd kick him out.

I heat up some soup, along with rice.

"Here." I say, still staring at the little child with questions as I set up a table for him. By half-vampire, did he mean that one of his parents were human?

Then I realize.

"Is Kim Taehyung your father?"

His face is twisted with dislike as he looks up from a half-empty bowl.

"No. Never say anything like that again."

I sit at the opposite end of the small dining table. Rin keeps flickering his eyes up at me, almost like I'd do anything to him.

Like I'd actually do that.

"But you're a kid."

"I'm not a kid!" He exclaims. "Do you know how old I am? I'm just stuck with this appearance, you know. I'm probably ten times older than you."

"Ten times, huh."

He crosses his arms. "You don't believe me. My birthday's in the early twentieth century."

"Wow."

A hiss leaves his lips at my bland tone. Then he goes back to eating, angrily poking his spoon into the bowl of rice and shoving it into his mouth.

Watching him chew harshly, I lean my head in my palm.

"Okay— I believe you. So you're like what, a hundred years old?"

"Uh huh. And Kim Taehyung— he's like five hundred. Maybe more." He says thoughtfully, taking another bite. "I remember him telling me that the Renaissance wasn't actually that much of a big deal than people make out to be these days."

Renai...Renaissance?

"Okay." Rin suddenly says, wiping the corners of his lips. "Because you gave me food, I'll tell you a secret."

Secret.

I raise an eyebrow. "I never asked—"

"You know how Kim Taehyung made you a promise, right?" He says, taking another spoonful of broth.

"That means he can't."

"Yeah, of course." I say, tone obvious. "That's what promises are for, isn't—"

Rin sighs loudly.

"No, no, no. That means he really can't. When vampires make promises, it's not something they can break as easily as human do."

He stares at me, like I'm the stupid one here.

"You get it now?"

"...sure."

"No you don't." He sniffs, eyes narrowed as he looks back down at the bowl. "Humans are so frustrating to talk to."

He hadn't seen the flush, though.

I'd fully understood what the little boy had meant— that Kim Taehyung had to leave me alone, that he could not hurt me at all costs.

He couldn't do anything to me, no matter what I did to him.

A smile slowly lifts my lips.

I was finally free from that vampire.

Then someone knocks on the door. Happy and excited, I easily stand from the chair to go answer it. Was it the milk man? He'd always come around once in a while as a mist—

But instead of the kind, crinkled eyes of the milk man, two dark eyes stare down at me when I open the door.

Kim Taehyung.

My happiness shoves back down my throat.

Without hesitation, I slam the door back in his face. And then I whip around at Rin, who seems unaffected as he continues to eat.

This liar. He said that he'd leave me alone?!

A pissed off voice comes from the other side.

"Min Aeri. Open the door before I do it myself."

And I growl right back, starting to get angry. What had happened to that promise he'd made? What had been all that Rin had told me earlier?

"Why are you here? You're supposed to leave me alone!"

I can hear his smirk through his voice.

"I'm here for Rin, not you."

Sure, @$$8@.

Finally, I open the door. And he walks in, eyes sweeping over my face before landing on the child eating in the far corner.

"Let's go."

He frowns. "I'm not done yet. You came kind of early."

I cross my arms over my chest, features scrunched in disgust. Would he keep coming here with Rin as an excuse? I was sure of it— almost certain.

"You're almost done." I interrupt him. "Rin. You should go."

"What?"

"I'm serious." A breath pushes out of my lips, seeing both of the dark-haired, pale vampires— half-vampire?—staring straight at me. "I'm tired. I want to sleep."

I point my finger harsher at the doorway.

"Go."

______________________________

@&$&&@&.

@&$@@&$ vampires.

"Where do I need to walk you to?" I hiss lowly, expression no longer hiding the pure dislike as I shift my hands to my pockets. "Isn't this enough?"

"Just down to there." Kim Taehyung says, not hiding his fully mocking smile either. "I'm not forcing you to do this, Min Aeri. Don't look so angry all the time."

I swallow back a curse.

"Fine, then." I say, turning back on my heel. Rin is between us, but I still can't handle that stupid smirk he's making over the little child.

"I'm going home. Figure out the way yourself— you're a damn vampire, for heaven's sake."

And I'm about to do that when my eyes freeze on a person coming down the street.

What the...?

No.

But the faded golden highlights in dark hair is unmistakable. And so are his features— even if he's looking down at his phone.

He looks up.

Our eyes meet, and I rush to turn back around to face the traffic light— ticking down to its last seconds. Rin is focused on the game he's playing— from the old console he'd stolen from my apartment.

Kim Taehyung is looking at me in curiosity.

But him.

He's seen me.

It's not long before he runs up to me, catching my shoulder. But I don't turn around even when I feel his chilling hand grip the line of my coat, instead moving closer to Kim Taehyung.

It kills me to do this.

"Aeri."

That voice. It only confirms what I'd already suspected, and my hands tighten into fists as I move even closer to the vampire.

Just use him. It'll be fine.

I turn.

"Haemin."

"Aeri!" His puppy like eyes go wide with excitement. He instantly reaches for me, but I step back.

Into Kim Taehyung.

Wrapping a tight hand around the cold of his, I force a smile at him and tilt my head. Regret and fear mixes into one, pulsing deeper inside my body.

That innocent face was nothing like it seemed.

"Who's this?" Haemin says, only noticing Kim Taehyung when I'd linked hands with him. He'd looked taken aback for a second, but soon that surprise had settled to silky amusement.

"My boyfriend."

I say it casually.

And Haemin flinches. His gaze immediately turns harsher, but I can tell that my statement had intrigued this damn vampire instead.

"Who are you?" He repeats, tone quiet as he slips a hand over my waist. I curse under my breath, and he smiles like he'd heard me.

"Park Haemin." He smiles pleasurably. I didn't think— Aeri would have found someone after me. But I guess I'd thought wrong."

Bastard.

"Let's go." I say, tugging Kim Taehyung's wrist. I wanted to be— had to be out of here as soon as possible. Staying here longer wouldn't do any good.

But he doesn't move at all, just gazing at my stalking ex-boyfriend with a slanted look.

"Taehyung."

His name squeezes out between my clenched teeth.

"Let's go. Please."

"Why?" He says back, and I can't stop the curses from flooding through my head the moment I catch his expression.

Glee.

He senses my weakness, with him.

Dammit.

"Wait." Haemin calls, and I want to turn around and start shouting. There were so many things I wanted to say— if he'd stalked me here too, after all this time.

But I keep silent for now.

"Do you mind if I talk to Aeri for a bit?" He asks, already reaching for my hand when I hadn't said a single thing. "We're—"

Pale fingers grip around his wrist the same time I pull my own hand away.

"I do mind, actually." Kim Taehyung says, a sick smile ghosting on his lips. "She doesn't seem that happy to see you. I'd be crazy to leave her alone then, no?"

I slit my eyes, nodding.

"Yeah. We need to get going—"

Then I grip Rin's hand, taking my console away. He growls at me when I do, but I just give him a harsh glare.

He makes a low noise.

And Haemin's face goes dead white.

"Y-Your child? Aeri, is that..."

"Whether he is or he isn't," I say back sweetly, when I just want to escape this place as fast as possible. "Is none of your business. Come on, Rin."

The child raises an eyebrow at me. But he follows me wordlessly, and I breathe out in relief once we're out of his sight.

"Who's that?"

"No one you need to know about." I say quickly, wiping my forehead. I'd been sweating without even knowing it. "Now. I can't go back out there, so you two figure out a way to get home by yourselves—"

"A second, Min Aeri."

Kim Taehyung's voice suddenly breaks through mine, his eyes sweeping down to my face.

"Tell me who that man is."

"L-Like I said. You don't need to know." Hating the way that my voice stutters, I harden my expression and cross my arms over my chest.

"Your promise. I thought you'd leave me alone— stay out of my life."

"Keep it."

He makes a sound. It's almost like amusement and fury mixed together in one, with annoyance taking up more than half of it.

"Leave you alone, hm?"

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure." I say obviously. "I don't want you here. Can't you just understand that?"

He clicks his tongue, turning around.

"It's your word. You're the one who said that you wanted me out of your life."

And then he murmurs, voice so husky and deep that I barely catch it.

".....can't wait for the moment you come to me, begging on your knees for my help."

_____________________________

BS.

He was just a self-centered, narcissistic vampire who knew no one but himself.

Scoffing, I pull my hair back in a messy ponytail before leaving the small apartment. And I'm walking towards to where my taxi car is parked when a chill travels up my back.

I look around.

Someone.

A shadow had disappeared, from behind the corner of the wall just when I'd turned my head.

Stop being paranoid.

But my steps are rushed a bit as I open the door to the car, slamming it shut behind me. A thought crosses my mind as I start the engine.

Was that Kim Taehyung?

I purse my lips.

No.

If that really was him, his amused voice would come any moment from the back seat. But no one's there, and I try to calm my racing heart as I drive out to the streets.

Maybe it'd been...

I blur that thought out with blackness.

No.

"Where to?" I ask, voice monotone. The woman who'd gotten in leans against the chair, tapping on her phone before listing out an address for me.

Forget.

Nodding, I put the address in and focus on the road. Ten minutes pass by with silence, and my mind slowly relaxes again. The drive is smooth— uneventful, just like I want it to be.

Until my eyes catch on the face of a man walking down the sidewalk.

The car jerks sharply to a stop.

The woman shrieks, and my fingers shake against the wheel as she starts yelling in my direction.

"Hey! What's wrong with— are you drunk?" She says angrily, taking up her purse. Then she forces the door open, exiting the car with a furious expression.

"I'm not paying someone to kill me!"

But I barely even notice what she'd said.

Back arched low, I slowly flick my eyes up again, towards to where I'd seen him.

My heart crashes to the bottom of my chest.

It's not him.

I'd completely seen wrong— I'd hallucinated. That man wasn't anything like Haemin, didn't even look like him in the first place.

Hands shaking, I slowly press my forehead into the back of my palms.

Earlier. I'd thought that the shadow was Haemin too, having stalked me all the way to my home. But now everything is so much worse, because I'm seeing things that aren't even there.

My eyes dull against my pale, sweat-covered skin.

_____________________________

It happens several more times.

It's only three in the afternoon when I decide to go back home early for the day. I was afraid— even if I didn't want to admit it. Were all the faces I'd mistaken really a hallucination?

Or had one or two of them been really true?

Exhausted, I drag myself to my apartment. I'd sleep until the next day, and do nothing else but sleep. I needed to fix this— stop this from happening.

And the familiar figure plopped on top of my computer chair greets me the moment I come inside.

"...Rin."

"Someone was here earlier."

"What?"

"That man." He says, clicking at the mouse. "That man from yesterday. He was here."

My gaze flickers towards the doorway. "What are you talking about? You saw him here? Inside my apartment?"

He nods briefly.

And it's like I'm suffocating. My voice is thin and hushed, with the sentence I speak next.

"What...What did he want?"

"He asked for you." Rin says, finally looking up. He pauses for a second, large eyes fixed at my expression.

Then he tilts his head. "Are you okay?"

Am I?

"...y-yes."

"Clearly not." He sighs, raising an eyebrow at me. "You're dumb if you expect me to believe that. If you want that guy gone, just ask Kim Taehyung."

And the terror turns to shock.

"What? No!" I hiss. Even though I wanted him gone forever, I didn't want him killed.

Besides, I didn't want to involve myself with that narcissistic, two-faced vampire ever again.

"Well, it's not my problem." Rin shrugs his shoulders, turning back to the computer. He growls at me when I press the power button, arms crossed over my chest.

"What are you doing?"

"This place isn't a PC café for you, Rin. Don't you have a computer at your house? Why do you keep coming here?"

He doesn't even answer.

Instead he holds up a package of cup noodles, turning the power back on even when I try to stop him again.

"Relax. I'll be gone soon."

My lips purse. "How exactly soon is—"

There's a knock on the door. A groan leaves the child's mouth as he hops off the chair, brushing past me to the doorway.

He pulls it open.

Kim Taehyung.

He stands there, a tall, shadowy silhouette against the dim lights. And as Rin protests to him why he'd come so early, I stare coldly back into his amused eyes as he scans my expression.

A soft whisper.

"Just a bit more."

"What?" I demand, and he gives me a gorgeous smile as he leads Rin out my apartment.

"Nothing, Min Aeri. I'll see you soon."

See me soon?

"You're not seeing me anytime soon, Kim Taehyung." I say distastefully, flicking my finger towards the small child. "And get him some noodles so he stops coming here."

Another alluring smile.

"It's a pity, then." His eyes narrow, shifting pleasantly onto my neck.

"I wouldn't know which brands to buy him."

"...."

The door closes. And for a while I just stand there, eyes blankly fixed on the shut door. Finally after a minute, my expression scrunches into a frown.

Talking BS like usual.

_______________________________

That night.

I'm sitting awake in bed, scrolling through my phone to try and distract myself. I still couldn't forget what Rin had told me— that he'd been here.

There's a sound.

And at first I don't realize it, completely. But when the sound comes again, my head tilts up in the direction of the doorway.

I wait, confused.

The third time I realize.

Knocking.

There's someone knocking on my door. My body instantly tenses with fear, and I stay rooted to the bed as the knocks continue.

It's midnight.

"Aeri?"

"Are you in there?"

My face is pale with cold sweat. And curses pout through my lips when I hear the sound of muffled clicking. Immediately rushing out from the covers, I press myself against the doorway and hold the lock shut as it trembles under my shaking fingertips.

He was trying to pick the lock.

"Y-You bastard." I hiss, heart racing. "Son of a @&$&@&$ @$$&@. What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean? I'm here to see you. You weren't there earlier— I saw that child instead."

His voice suddenly turns low.

"Not your child, is it? Right?"

What do I do?

What the hell am I supposed to do?!

"Leave." I whisper, trying to calm the harsh breaths thudding through my chest. "Leave, you crazy @&$&@. I'll call the cops on you. I will."

"Cops?"

My throat clasps.

"Yes." I murmur. I try my best to hide the weakness, but it bleeds through, little by little.

He laughs.

"Aeri, did you forget who my father is?"

My breaths turn to gasps. The lock is still moving under my tight grip— he was trying to unlock it, as we were talking.

"Of course I know." I say, acting cold. "What would your father think if he heard his son is stalking and committing crimes?"

There's a pause, before he bursts into laughter.

Because I already knew the answer to that. The both of us did— that Haemin's father would do his best to cover up anything that might harm his precious son's image.

"Just open the door, Aeri. Why are you making this so difficult?"

Me.

Making this difficult?

"Get the @$&@ out of here." I say roughly. "Why don't you understand that we're over? I hate you— I hate you more than anyone else in this @$@@ world."

I hate you even more than I hate Kim Taehyung.

There's a sigh from the other side of the door. The lock keeps shaking, and I hold onto it desperately.

If I let go, he'd get the door open.

"Leave." I plead, furious tears clouding the lines of my eyes. "Why can't I just be left alone? Why can't—"

I didn't even want to be happy. It was too much to ask for, for someone like me.

So was it also too much, to ask to just be let alone?

My forehead presses weakly into the door. And even when the knob stops shaking from the other side, I hold onto it, afraid that he might come back to open it anytime.

I end up staying there for the entire night, crumpled in front of the door with my hands wrapped tightly around the lock.

_____________________________

He's back the next night.

And the night after that.

It's nearing the night of the fourth day when I get out of the taxi, entire body aching from sores and heavy fever blushing my cheeks. The stress and sleeplessness had finally gotten to me, from listening to him call for me every night.

Tonight. He'd come again, wouldn't he?

Should I just give up?

A drop of cold rain splatters against the top of my nose when I climb out of the car. The drop turns into several, and soon rain is pouring from the late evening skies.

What do I do?

Should I go somewhere else tonight? But if he's watching me? If he follows me there, too?

If he waits for me, back in my own apartment?

Soon I'm soaked, down to my feet. But I just stand there, motionless and oblivious as the rain seeps through my worn jacket, my shirt.

Should I run away?

But to where?

"Min Aeri."

I look up. The rain blurs out the man in front of me, but I still recognize him, by his voice.

Kim Taehyung.

He's looking at me, with an unreadable expression.

Laughter suddenly bursts from my lips.

"How is it?"

There's a pause.

"How is...what?"

"How are you feeling right now?" I say, wet hair clinging to my hollow cheeks, deep shadows underneath the curve of my eyes.

"This is what you wanted all along, wasn't it? To see me like this? To see me this way?"

And I drop to my knees, right there on the pavement in front of him. Exhaustion floods my voice inside out.

"I'll do what you want. You said you wanted me begging on my knees, didn't you?" I murmur, closing my eyes. "Now I'm begging you, Kim Taehyung."

"Can you kill me?"

His eyes widen.

"....what?"

"You're a damn vampire." I say, feeling the concrete ground under my scratched palms. "It's easy for you to kill a human. Drink my blood, I don't care."

"I don't care."

I can't live like this. Not anymore.

It was too hard. So much work to continue. And for what? For what would I be living for?

"Min Aeri."

"Do you want me to kill him?"

Cold, slender hands suddenly grip my waist. His voice is suddenly silky, and I let him pull my body to his chest. He's cold, even more colder than the rain.

His lips touch my ear, in a dark whisper.

"Just say the word, and I will kill him. He is right here, so close."

"...what? Where?"

His hand tightens on the back of my head when I try to look around.

"That, you don't need to know."

"Just answer me." Kim Taehyung murmurs, smooth voice suddenly alight with bloodlust. "Should I kill him? Yes or no, Min Aeri?"

"Yes or no?"

"Yes."

A dark smile tints his lips.

That's the last thing I see before the arms holding me disappear. I stumble forward, instantly looking around. But the rain darkens everything, even the sound of murder.

Not even ten seconds pass before he comes back.

And I can tell, from the arctic blue eyes glowing amidst the downpour, the blood red lips against porcelain skin.

A cold, amused voice breathes into my ear.

"That man is dead."

"And now you owe me something in return, do you not?"

...dead?

Dead, just like that?

It's like he reads my mind then. The air suddenly shifts, and the rain disappears. Cold air wraps around my soaked body when I realize I'm back in my apartment, dripping water to the floor.

Kim Taehyung breathes.

"He's been in here as well, hm?"

My hands clench to fists. "Did you really kill him? Where is he? How—"

"You sound awfully concerned for someone who you told me to kill a minute earlier." He cuts me off, tapping his chin. "Why? Don't tell me you're having doubts now."

"I'm not."

"Don't worry about being caught." He smiles tonelessly. "It'll be impossible, for anyone to trace that back to you."

He really is gone.

I close my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest. It's so cold, but I needed to get this over with.

"What do you want?"

His eyes turn catlike.

"Don't be in such a rush to end things."

"Now isn't the time for you to repay me."

_______________________________

KIM TAEHYUNG

Perfect.

I lean back into the couch, expression full with pleasure. Min Aeri wasn't the type of human to leave a favor, after what I'd done for her a few days ago.

Even though she wasn't held by a vow like I was, I knew that I'd caught another of her weaknesses.

"Kim Taehyung."

Rin strolls into my room. Then he flicks a finger out the window, eyebrow raised.

"Isn't that the guy you hate? Why is he here?"

The pleasure shifts to hatred.

"Rin. Stay here." I murmur, standing from the couch. Jaw tight, I leave the room and walk briskly down the hall. By the time I get to the front, he's already there.

My voice is bitter.

"Father."

He turns around. And he's the same as usual— narrowed eyes, mouth pursed into a sharp line.

"Taehyung. What do you think you're doing?"

"What do you mean."

"You hunted a few days ago, no?" He sighs, brushing back styled golden hair. "Yes, the entire vampire clan knows about that. It isn't like you to make a mistake like this."

"The police found the body, and your marks on him."

His voice suddenly lowers.

"You know what that means."

I stay silent, murderous stare fixed on his face.

"It's just this one time that we will cover for you." He hisses. "Do something like this again, and I will take you back with me to London. Don't abuse my kindness on letting you stay here in Korea. Understand?"

"...yes."

"Good." His golden eyes suddenly flicker.

"Until the end of this month, you'll be forbidden from hunting."

My eyes narrow. "Then tell me, father. How am I supposed to—"

"There are so many ways." He laughs coldly. "You could do it like your elder brother in America— seduce women and take some of their blood during the night. Or you could do it like your sister. I don't care."

"Just no corpses to be found by the humans."

Brother, sister?

A cold laugh escapes my lips. But by then he's gone, and I stand there in the foyer with disbelief etched deeply in my face.

I had none like that.

"Who was that?"

I look up. And Rin stands there, peering over the railing from upstairs.

"You can't hunt for a month? What are you going to do?"

"I don't know."

Shifting the robe around my neck, I brush past the child. Exhaustion pulls down at my body like chains, and I curse at the fact that he'd taken my strength just to make sure I'd follow his punishment.

Rin's annoyed voice echoes from behind me.

"Hey! Aren't you going to tell me what just happened?"

I need to rest.

"Hey!"

_____________________________

MIN AERI

"And...of course you're back."

"It's boring." He protests, heating up water with an unopened noodle cup in his hand. "Kim Taehyung hasn't come out of his room for an entire week."

A week?

Still. How did that relate to him coming over here like his personal hotel?

"Open this for me." He says, thrusting the cup noodle in my direction. And I toss it right back, eyes narrowed.

"No. You're the one who's going to eat it."

Hearing that, he frowns and starts to pull open every one of the kitchen drawers. Already stressed out, I curse and stop him.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for scissors, because you're useless." He says flatly, and I snatch the cup noodle from him before slamming it down on the table.

"This is a ramen cup. In no single way are scissors required for anything."

"Now there is. The stupid thing just won't open."

A triumphant smile splits his lips when I finally relent. Gripping the tiny opening flap, I struggle with it for a few seconds before tearing it open.

And in the process goes my fingertip.

"@$&@@!" I hiss when pain streaks up my spine. Blood wells out from a shallow cut on the pad of my finger, and I curse again before pushing the open cup in the child's direction.

"I do too many things for an ungrateful kid like you."

I look up.

And my brow tilts upward when I see his eyes wide, fixed on my hand. His fingers are tightly gripping the table, face deathly pale.

"....Rin?"

"What? Yeah— yeah." He says, before hissing at me. "Do something about your finger. What are you doing, just standing there?"

I growl.

"Just eat your damn food."

Then I leave him in the living room, to put a bandage on the annoying cut. By the time I come out of the kitchen with the cut wrapped, I find him staring at the cup noodle with a stunned look in his eyes.

He looks like he's seen a ghost.

"Rin. It's going to get cold— what are you doing?" I murmur, setting down a pair of chopsticks. "Do I need to do everything for you now?"

"I'm...I'm not hungry."

"What?" My brows cross in confusion. "Are you kidding me?"

"Leave me alone." He snaps, hopping out of the chair. Then he buries himself in my blankets, body turned away. His muffled voice comes from underneath.

"I'm going to sleep, so leave me alone."

And I'm left staring at the lump of blankets on the floor.

....what in the world?

______________________________

What the heck.

"Hey. Try sitting up." I say, finally pulling back the covers he'd wrapped so tightly around himself. Rin groans, hazel eyes unfocused as I push a cup of water in his direction.

A week had passed.

And for the last three days I'd been stuck taking care of Kim Taehyung's child, who was down with some fever. He'd been doing nothing but stay curled up in my blankets, refusing to eat a single thing.

Kim Taehyung hadn't shown up either.

"Don't...want...it." He mumbles, shoving away my hand with the water. His cheeks are flushed with scarlet, small body shaking.

I sigh in frustration.

"Let's go to a hospital."

He shakes his head. I barely stop him when he tries to hide himself again, pulling back the blankets from his face.

"Listen. I don't know why a half-vampire like you is getting sick, but it's been three days. I need to get you to a hospital, since Kim freaking Taehyung isn't coming here either."

All he does is mumble no and shake his head again.

He looks agonized.

Pursing my lips, I sit back. He doesn't miss this chance to pull the blankets back over himself, and I sigh in stress and anger at his small trembling figure.

Last night I'd found him hovering over me.

It had been two in the night, and I'd been woken by a shadow. The moment I'd jerked awake, he'd pulled back and stumbled into the bathroom while making low noises.

Something was wrong with him.

But he wouldn't let me try and make it better.

"Min...Min Aeri."

I look up. And then a pale hand slowly reveals itself from underneath the blankets, leaving a jagged corner of paper before retreating back.

I pick the small slip of paper up from the floor.

An address?

It's written in messy handwriting, and I realize what it is the same moment he tells me.

"It's...It's where me and Kim Taehyung live. Can you go— go find him?"

My mouth drops open. "You want me to what? Walk over to that vampire with my own feet?"

"P-Please..."

I press my lips together. Staring at the child for a few more seconds, I stand up with a curse and grab my jacket.

So much trouble, with these vampires.

_____________________________

KIM TAEHYUNG

My eyes flicker.

How long had I slept?

Hunger claws at my entire body, and I raise myself from the cold bed. The windows are dark, and I realize it's nearing night.

Blood. I needed to hunt— I needed to drink. I'd been asleep for so much longer than I'd planned, and now it felt like the hunger would consume me alive.

But I was forbidden.

A soft curse echoes under my breath. I was forbidden from hunting— from killing. And what would I do now? I had to drink this moment, or I would die and be labeled as one of the damn vampires who'd died from hunger.

Breathing harshly, I stumble out of the room and make my way downstairs.

Then my eyes flash up.

Someone was here.

A human. I could scent the sweet blood of a human, standing— no, coming here. The scent was growing stronger, by the passing second.

I needed this blood.

The shade of my eyes twist to the coldest, brightest blue.

_____________________________

MIN AERI

Was it here?

They lived here?

My eyes widen at the size of the mansion. It was huge, larger than any home I'd ever seen in my entire life. It looked like it could fit a village of people, when it only housed two.

Without hesitation, I push open the gate— seeing the pathway leading up to the front door. The garden is full of trees and flower plants that had died a long time ago.

It felt...

It felt too empty.

Hurrying up, I rush to open the door when it flies open by itself. I jerk back in surprise when I meet the eyes of the exact vampire I was looking for, lit alight with blue.

His expression crumples.

"You."

"Why does it have to be you?"

"...what?"

Then he suddenly stumbles forward, catching himself heavily on the doorway. He doesn't look like the Kim Taehyung I'm used to seeing, not at all.

He looks weak.

"What's wrong with everyone today—"

"Give me your blood."

"Give me permission." He whispers. "I can't drink from you otherwise, because of the promise. This is the favor I ask of you, Min Aeri."

His voice is so faint.

"You will not die. Let me drink."

And at that moment I know.

That if I refuse him, he will die. The untouchable Kim Taehyung would die, and I'd be free from him for the rest of my life. This was the only chance.

I step back.

The only chance.

His eyes slightly widen.

"Min...Aeri...?"

I shut my eyes, thoughts full of conflict. How could I give up this opportunity? I knew that there wouldn't be another like this, to get rid of him.

But he'd helped me with Haemin.

So?

I don't need to help him.

His pale hand slips down the frame of the open door. The color's draining out of his face by the second, and his eyes flicker— one of them half-closed with fatigue already.

@$@@$.

_____________________________

"You figure it out." I hiss as I unwrap the bandage around my fingertip. The red line is nearly mended, but it takes less than a breath for his eyes to turn from a faded, dull shade to fire.

I'm crazy.

Hands roughly grip my waist. I'm stunned by how fast he gets to me— how strong he is, just by the strength rippling under his touch.

He presses me so tightly against his own body I feel like I might just suffocate to death.

And something pricks the pad of my scarred fingertip.

My features twist to a grimace.

"H-Hey." I whisper, slightly panicking with how exhausted I was feeling already. "Kim Taehyung. Isn't it enough?"

He doesn't even look like he's heard me. His fingers dig into my skin, and my panic turns into full-blown alarm when I feel my consciousness slowly slip away.

"Kim Taehyung!"

I shove him back, as hard as I can. And thankfully he takes his lips from my finger, face glowing with revival. He looks completely different, from the weak, ashen-skinned vampire I'd seen earlier.

"You— You &$$&@ leech." I say faintly, staggering backwards. And he just stands there, watching me with those haunting blue eyes. The corner of his lips is stained scarlet with my blood.

"&)$&@ you."

That's the last thing I manage to say, before the world turns black.

______________________________

KIM TAEHYUNG

For a while I can't seem to get ahold of myself.

Her blood— Min Aeri's blood. It had been the sweetest thing I'd ever tasted, in all of the hundreds of years I'd lived.

I look down at her slack figure in my arms. I'd taken more than I'd thought, and still I wanted to bury my fangs back in her and drink until I was satisfied.

But my promise to her still held.

Licking the edge of my mouth, I revel in the lingering taste before it fades away. If only I could keep her by my side, drink from her when I was hungry. I'd give everything for that to be true.

I shift her into my chest. And I'm about to take her in to let her rest when her eyes suddenly flicker open, dazed and unfocused with blood loss.

An amused smile lifts my lips when the first thing I hear her say is a colorful curse.

"I didn't think you'd wake so early." I answer in return, and she curses again before gripping the collar of my shirt with weak fingers.

"...Rin."

"Rin?"

"He's— He's not okay." She say, breathing roughly. "You need to help him."

My eyes instantly narrow.

"Where is he? In your apartment?"

"Yes." She huffs, barely catching herself from falling back to the darkness. "Hurry up, you...you lying mosquito."

"Lie? I did not lie."

"I feel like I'm going to— I'm going to die or something." Her eyes flutter. "You said that I wouldn't."

It takes me minutes to get to her small apartment. By the time I'm there she's fallen back unconscious, lips parted open.

She was much more pleasant this way, when she wasn't talking at all.

I brush a finger over her cheek.

How nice it would be, if I could taste her again without her pushing me away.

______________________________

"Rin."

The moment I see the ashen-faced boy, curled up among a pile of blankets, my expression flattens with realization. And the way his eyes flash over to Min Aeri's fingertip— the dried blood there.

It's confirmation.

"Kim...Taehyung?"

I lay Min Aeri down. He's breathing heavily, and I look over the child with surprise. I'd been so ignorant. This could've gone in such a terrible direction, if I hadn't been able to come today.

"You already know, don't you?" I whisper to his terrified expression.

"You've become a vampire."

"N-No." He stutters. "I'm...I'm only half. Tell me this will go away. Tell me it'll go away soon, and I can just go back to eating human food and ev—"

"No."

He flinches.

"You need to drink blood. Look at yourself," I breathe softly. "If you don't, the temptation will only get worse. Do you want to end up biting someone you don't want to bite?"

He shakes his head, shivering violently.

"Come. I'll find you a human." I reach down, hands outstretched to lift the weak child. But then he shakes my grip off, gasping harshly.

"....no."

"Rin." He pulls the covers back on his body, ignoring my stiff calls. "Stop trying to avoid this. It's either that you learn, or you end up killing Min Aeri in your sleep."

"No!"

"Alright then."

I leave the small apartment, steps echoing cold against the wooden floor.

"Just don't regret this when you wake up with someone lying dead in front of you."

_____________________________

MIN AERI

I wake up to the sound of a door slamming close.

My body feels exhausted, and I don't even have the strength to raise my voice when I find Rin stumble in the apartment with the lower half of his face stained with red.

He looks helpless— so terrified that I stand up from the blanketed floor as fast as I can.

"Rin?"

He doesn't answer, just staring at the ground with terror and relief mixed in his eyes.

Wordlessly, I grab his wrist and pull him in with me in the small bathroom.

The first thing I do is snatch the towel off the metal hanger and wet it, rubbing at his mouth.

"...Rin."

He tenses.

"What happened?"

The white material of the towel turns red. And until all the blood is off, he doesn't say a word.

"It's...It's not from a human."

"Who is it from, then?"

"A deer." He mumbles, clasping his small hands tightly under the sink. "I just— I just don't know, okay? I just remember feeling so hungry, and then waking up to find myself outside with a dead deer in front of me."

But I'd thought that being half-vampire...

I slowly realize.

"You haven't been eating any of the food."

"...yeah."

"What about Kim Taehyung?" I say, tossing the bloodstained towel into the basket. "He—"

"I'm not going back to him." His hazel eyes suddenly turn threatening. "Don't make me go back. If you do, I'm going to leave and never come back again."

My eyebrow raises.

"Okay."

He gives me a glare.

"Min Aeri."

"Fine." I sigh, half out of frustration. "At least tell me why."

"He thinks I— I have to learn how to hunt. Drink human blood." Rin says with a deep frown. "I think I can just go with animal blood. I'm not touching a single drop of human blood for as long as I'm alive."

"Well, how do you feel right now?"

Now that I'd learned about that, I'd noticed more of his gazes on my bandaged finger.

"Completely fine."

"Stop lying." I roll my eyes. "Tell me the truth. Or I'll kick you out of the house myself."

His cheeks flush.

"Fine! I'm still hungry, okay? I'm still hungry!"

His voice turns bitter.

"But what can you do about that?"

"There's nothing you can do anyway."

______________________________

I unhook my jacket, tugging it over my shoulders. Whether I wanted or didn't want it, I had to work. I'd spent nearly twice as much money than usual this month, mostly because of the ashen boy whining with sickness on top of my blankets.

He'd disappear once in a while, to come back with blood staining his lips.

"Are you sure it's working?" I sigh, crossing my arms together. "Animal blood. Do you think it's making it better for you?"

Because I didn't think so at all.

He forces a nod, before returning to a groaning cocoon on the wooden floor.

"W-When are you going to be back?"

"Late tonight." I say, and his eyes widen. "You know already— I work as a taxi driver, remember?"

"Late?"

I breathe. Then I twist the door open, calling over my shoulder.

"If you think you need help, call Kim Taehyung. I left the phone—"

And then I walk straight into someone, my head crashing into the middle of something firm.

Speak of the devil.

"Me?"

What in the @$$&@$ world?

Kim Taehyung gives me a cold smile. Then his eyes flicker inside the apartment, towards the curled up boy on the ground.

He sighs softly.

I'm about to demand why he'd shown up here when I realize that this was actually better. Rin needed someone to take care of him, and I had to go work.

I point inside.

"Stay with him. I'll be bac—"

"No!"

Rin yells, cutting me off. His hazel eyes are unfocused as he rushes to me, small hands clinging to the back of my jacket.

"I'm going with y-you."

Kim Taehyung's expression hardens.

And at his harsh features, I want to slap some sense into him. I knew that he wanted Rin back with him— but the way he acted towards the child was just not it.

He was terrible at expressing himself.

"He won't make you do anything you don't want to do." I say, tapping my feet impatiently. It felt like I'd become his personal babysitter, always caught between these two vampires.

I lower my voice, directed towards the taller.

"Right?"

"Yes." He says, but Rin just shakes his head violently.

"He's lying. Let me go with you, Min Aeri." He pleads, making my brows cross together. "I promise you won't even notice me."

"..."

His tugging on the back of my clothes gets more urgent by the second.

A heavy sigh runs through my lips.

____________________________

I end up taking him with me.

It was hard to understand why I was acting this way. I knew that having him could affect my work, driving customers off. But I'd still let him, knowing this.

Maybe it was because he was so similar to a younger brother I never had.

"Just stay quiet." I tell him, and he nods. He still looks unwell, folded into himself in the front seat.

And he stays unnoticed, until morning passes to evening.

"Is that— Is that boy your brother?"

A woman says curiously, peeking over from the back seat. I bite my lip, nodding with a false smile.

"Well," She tilts her head, shuffling through her bag. "Is he okay? Maybe you should take him to a hospital."

She takes out a piece of candy, offering it to the shaking boy.

He's sweating dangerously, pale skin even paler than usual. He doesn't even look up at the woman and her outstretched hand.

I take the candy from her instead.

"I think I will take him to a hospital after this." I say, voice hushed as I speed up the car. Soon I park the car at her destination, and she thanks me with a tip.

A man waves his hand at me, but I ignore him— driving the car into a half-empty parking lot.

He's shaking so hard.

"Hey!"

Stopping the car, I turn towards the child. He has his face buried tightly in his hands, breaths choked.

"Rin!" I shout, trying to see his face. But he won't show it to me, fingers wrapped so firmly that his knuckles are nearly white.

But when I finally force his hands away, my heart stops in my chest.

His eyes are stained a crystal blue, glazed with terrified tears.

"....Rin?"

"I can't." He gasps, hand wrapping around my wrist. And I can see the fangs, glimmering against his mouth.

"I'm so hungry."

My body's stunned with shock.

Rin.

This had been so much more serious than I thought.

"Just a little." He begs, exhausted shadows under glowing blue eyes. The same color as Kim Taehyung's, when he'd seen my blood.

"Just a little, Min Aeri. Please..."

His gaze wavers.

"I promise...."

That's all he says, before he collapses into the seat. His fingers slip from my wrist, landing heavily on the armrest.

My eyes scrunch.

Dammit, dammit, dammit.

I'm really just everyone's blood pack now, huh?

I unwrap the bandage from my fingertip. His dull eyes shift weakly to the half-mended scar there, edged with blood.

&$$@ it.

@$$& all of this.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I press the wounded pad of my finger to his lips. And almost instantly, he starts to drink.

I watch the color slowly come back to his cheeks.

What am I actually doing?

Then the dizzy sleepiness starts to set in.

I'd closed my eyes for a single second.

A single second.

When I open them back again, there's no longer a vampire child drinking weakly from me.

Instead there's a man.

A startled scream leaves my mouth. And I rip my hand away, eyes frantic as I stare at the unfamiliar face with panic.

Who...

Where was Rin?!

"W-Wait!" The man calls when I jerk to my side, rushing to open the car door. But before I can get my feet into a run, the dizziness takes over like a storm.

I crumple forwards, into a dark figure.

_____________________________

KIM TAEHYUNG

She collapses into my arms.

The scent of her blood is all over me, and I stare into the open door of the taxi car. Rin stares back at me, no longer in the figure of a child.

He stutters, eyes fixed at his own hands.

"K-Kim Taehyung, I..."

"I told you that animal blood wouldn't work." I sigh, feeling my eyes color blue at the red trickling down her fingertip. "Did you drink from her?"

"I—"

"How much?"

She's completely unconscious. Her heartbeat is slow, and I almost feel possessive over the woman as I take her deeper into my arms.

I hadn't wanted to share.

"Now will you listen?" I murmur to his shaken expression. "I'll teach you how to hunt later, after she is awake."

"Hunt..."

My gaze softens.

"Yes. Hunting."

Then I say something, that is nothing like me.

"Everything will be fine, Rin."

"Don't worry."

______________________________

MIN AERI

My head hurts.

Groaning, I roll onto my stomach and raise myself heavily up. But the floor feels way too soft for it to be mine— unrealistically soft.

I'm on a bed.

Instantly, I stumble down. My legs give out the moment my feet touch the ground, and I curse loudly as I collapse to the side.

Where the heck am I?

The bedroom is so large. Curtained windows make up half of the walls, and the entire room is so dark that I would be barely able to see a thing if it wasn't for the candlelight flickering on the nightstand table.

A streak of muffled thunder makes a chill run up my back.

Only then I realize.

Snatching up the candle, I rush over to the windows. Then I pull one of the velvet curtains free, eyes widening when I see the rain pouring from pitch black skies.

This was his place, wasn't it?

Biting my lip, I hold the candle higher as I find the door. The hallway is cold outside, and I shiver as I hesitantly call out a name.

"Kim...Taehyung?"

There's a heavy silence.

Was he not here?

"...yes?"

And I almost drop the candle as I whip around, facing the pale vampire. He's dressed in a black robe, almost blending him perfectly into the darkness.

The only thing are his eyes, stark blue against the flamelight.

He suddenly grips my wrist, holding it up to show my elbow.

Scratched.

"This wasn't there before." He muses quietly, when I jerk my arm backwards. "When did you hurt yourself again, Min Aeri?"

When I fell.

Pushing that thought away, I purse my lips.

"Why am I here?"

His brow raises slightly. Then his eyes flicker, over to an opening door.

"Is she awake?"

My eyes widen.

A slender figure stumbles out of one of the doors, looking up in our direction. It's a stranger, hazel eyes nearly covered with dark golden hair. He has softer features— familiar, but not at the same time.

I blink.

"Is that your friend, Kim Taehyung?"

He answers with a cold laugh.

"Min Aeri!" The hazel vampire points at himself, expression stunned. "I'm Rin! I know I've changed, but..."

Then I remember.

The man back at the taxi— I'd caught a glimpse of him right before I'd gone unconscious.

"...Rin?"

That man had been Rin?

He nods. His eyes are much deeper, and I blink as he shuffles next to the amused-looking Kim Taehyung. He's almost as tall as him, shoulders wrapped with a thin cover.

"You're Rin."

My expression immediately twists with dislike.

"Ew."

"W-What?" He blinks rapidly, looking hurt. His features are so developed— and it feels so unfamiliar, to see the vampire child this way.

My finger flicks to Kim Taehyung.

"You look so similar to him."

There's a pause.

"I— of course. I'm taller now."

And then there's his knifelike voice, cutting through Rin's words.

"Did you just call me disgusting?"

"Well," I seethe at his icy stare. "I personally don't like mosquitoes. Do you?"

The amused smile I'd always seen turns to a pissed one.

"I hope you're realizing that you're practically offering yourself to me, Min Aeri."

"What? When did I ever—"

"Stop fighting!" Rin suddenly exclaims, silencing us both. Then he turns to me, lips taut.

"You're staying for the night, aren't you?"

My mouth curls. He would be okay, but not that self-centered, ridiculous vampire.

"No. Where did you put my taxi?"

A ghost of a smile passes Kim Taehyung's lips.

"It's still...back there." Rin says, brushing back his hair with a sigh. "We can get it tomorrow, Min Aeri. Just stay. Don't you see the storming outside?"

I can hear the thunder through the walls.

"...fine."

There's a soft scoff. And when I glare over at the person who'd done that, he just meets my annoyed stare with a narrowed look.

Did he think I wanted to be here either?

Then he leaves, turning around to disappear down the dim hallway. The annoyance in my eyes shift to shock, before it finally settles on anger.

I'd be out of this creepy place first thing tomorrow.

"Do you have a couch or something?" I say to Rin. A thoughtful expression crosses his face, before he points to a closed door further down the hall.

"Sleep there for tonight. It's too cold in the living room."

Then he leaves me there, yawning visibly as he shuffles back into his door. Still not feeling used to his appearance, I walk into the door he'd pointed me to.

The inside is dark.

I barely find the silhouette of a massive bed, set in the center of the room. There's barely any furniture— just the most basic things, that someone could need.

And like an idiot, I walk straight into one of the posters of the bed.

"Dammit..." I mumble, cursing when I feel a stinging in the corner of my lip. But I had nothing to check— no light, no mirror.

Whatever.

At least the bed is comfortable.

Exhaling, I tug the end of the cool covers and pull it up to my chin. It's soft, with a familiar scent.

I scrunch the tip of my nose.

I knew this scent, cool and wintry.

But I'm too tired to think more of it.

________________________________

TAEHYUNG

Why is she here?

My eyes are blue. I can sense them— just like I can sense her blood. She'a asleep on my bed, so defenseless and vulnerable.

Her lip.

I shift closer, my gaze never leaving her face. It was so amusing— she was more intriguing than anyone else I'd ever met. She looked so peaceful, in a house of vampires.

And the nerve, to be sleeping on my bed.

"Unless..."

My fingertips brush across her chin. She doesn't move, and I slowly find myself bending down.

That blood.

I'd drank from her less than a day ago. Usually that would satisfy me for at least a week, yet I found myself wanting to taste her again.

It had been so sweet.

And with that wound she'd clumsily made on herself, I wouldn't be breaking any part of the promise.

Hand tightening around the edge of the bed, I slowly kiss her. My fangs tug on the slight cut on the corner of her lips, breaking the fragile skin. My tongue runs over the dark line.

A breath escapes my throat.

I press my hand against her waist. And I break away, tasting the blood on my tongue with pleasure and dark desire alight in my gaze.

But now the blood is in the back of my mind.

I wanted something else.

Tilting her head into the pillow, I bend down to kiss her again. This time I make no effort for the blood, just kissing her for the taste of her soft lips. Her taste echoes like a remnant, pulsing in the background.

The moment I see a slight shiver run through her body, I pull myself back away.

Her eyes snap open.

______________________________

MIN AERI

"What the...heck?"

He's standing there. Kim Taehyung, with his eyes burning the shade of ice and his lips redder than usual.

And my own felt a bit swollen.

Or was I just dreaming?

"Min Aeri." He cuts me off at my stunned, sleepy look.

"You're on my bed."

...what?

My mind instantly flickers back to Rin, who'd told me that I could stay here.

That child. I was going to kill him.

"Okay then." I say, gathering up the blankets unconsciously and making my way out the door. I don't even realize that I have them in a pile in my arms until he clicks his tongue.

"Are you playing with me?"

My cheeks flush with embarrassment.

Trying to hide it with a narrow glare, I drop the pile back onto the mattress and then turn to leave the room. I didn't know which way I'd go once I left, but right now my priority was to get out of here.

Then his voice echoes in the empty air.

"You can stay, if you'd like."

Huh?

"...no."

I'd rather sleep on the floor of the hallway.

I can hear the faint sound of his cold laughter as I walk out of the room. And only when I step out do I realize just how bad this is for me.

I had no idea where to go. The only thing I can see in the darkness are doors and the gray-walled hallway, stretching into the black.

@$&$.

Which door had Rin gone to again?

But even that I cannot recall. This vampire mansion was actually creeping me out, and I curse loudly again as I turn back to the door I'd come out from.

I hesitate.

Then I turn back around, hands clenched to annoyed fists. The thunderstorm is still raging outside, and the hallway is cold.

But my pride won't let me open this door and ask for help.

______________________________

KIM TAEHYUNG

"Silly woman."

My eyes slightly soften at her figure, curled up outside my door. She's asleep in the hallway, shivering with her arms coiled around her folded legs.

Of course.

Of course Min Aeri would do this.

Lifting her up, I take her back into my room. The cut I'd kissed and tasted her from is mending again, and for a second I'm tempted.

I knew she wouldn't wake.

A heavy sigh runs through my lips.

I should not.

But the more I look at her, the temptation grows. It doesn't help that I can still scent the blood on her lips, sharp against the scent of the night.

But it was for the woman, for the sake of her.

And realization flickers across my features the moment I think those words.

For the woman?

My mind darkens.

Ah.

You've let her charm you over, Kim Taehyung.

_____________________________

MIN AERI

"You idiot."

I smack Rin on the back of his hazel head. He winces, glaring up at me from the screen of his new controller.

"What?"

"You set me up last night." I hiss, dropping into the chair opposite his. When I'd woken up this morning, Kim Taehyung had been nowhere to be seen. And I'd been sleeping on his bed, with no memory of how I'd gotten there.

He makes a face. "What are you even saying? Are you okay?"

I make a noise in disbelief. "You didn't tell me it was his room when you told me where to go sleep yesterday!"

Recognition finally flickers across his face.

"Oh. That?" He scoffs, turning back to his game.

"I literally didn't mean it."

My jaw flexes at his innocent voice.

"Really."

"Really." He repeats blandly, returning back to his game. Then he cries out sharply when I whack him again, furious eyes fixing on my back as I leave.

"What was that for?!"

"Didn't mean it. I'm sorry." I say, back turned to him so he doesn't see me holding in my laughter. And I'm about to leave when I feel something in the air shift.

A shiver rushes up my spine.

"Min Aeri."

And then Kim Taehyung is on me, hand wrapping tight around my upper arm. His touch is rough as he pulls me away from the front door.

I instinctively resist.

"What—"

"Hush." He growls under his breath. "If you don't want to end up in pieces by my father."

...Father?

His expression is serious. And when I catch the dark hatred brewing in his eyes, I guess that he isn't on good terms with whoever his father was.

"Is he here?"

"Yes. I don't know why in the hell he is." He curses, dragging me upstairs and into his room. Before he closes the door, his eyes spark blue with warning.

"Do not leave. Stay."

Then the door shuts, and I stare at it like a dumb chicken until the muffled sound of the front door opening echoes in my ears.

I couldn't believe it.

I'd thought Kim Taehyung was hundreds of years old. So what did that make his father? A millennium? Maybe even two?

My head hurts with all that's going on.

Finally unable to handle the curiosity, I slightly shift the doorknob. The door falls open the smallest angle, but I can hear the muffled noises turn to words when I press closer.

And what I hear makes my blood run cold.

_______________________________

KIM TAEHYUNG

"You have a human here."

"I do." I stare at him, fingertips folded over my crossed arms. "Why are you here, father?"

My lips tighten. His slitted eyes narrow even further, and my expression chills to ice at the tense tone of his voice.

"Do I need to punish you again after killing this human? You know not to reveal your identity— I was very merciful with you when I found out about the half-vampire child."

Merciful?

"Mercy, father? You would've killed him."

He taps his feet in impatience. "Yes, yes. So what of this woman? Is she the only one that you've revealed yourself to, or are there others that I must kill?"

The corner of my mouth tilts.

"This woman is mine. I drink from her— have you already forgotten about the punishment you gave me?"

I want to kill him.

I want to kill this man, who'd birthed me as a vampire.

"Ah." He says, raising an eyebrow. "But she knows, doesn't she?"

My jaw flexes. But I act amused instead, lips ghosting a faint smile.

"You think of me so stupid. She knows I'll kill her the moment she tries to escape— by the end of the week I will have all of her blood."

"Hm."

He leans back onto the wall. "It's just that you've never done anything like this before, Taehyung. And a woman as well."

I keep my voice calm. Every expression I show is fake— a pretend. If father caught on that I'd fallen for Min Aeri, he would kill her before I could ever stop him.

"You know me, father." I say flatly— tonelessly. "Have I created any trouble for you in the last hundreds of years? I'm not like Adrian. Or Rieyl."

"I just find her blood sweeter than the others. That is all."

My fingertip twitches when I notice his eyes sweep over the upstairs, stopping briefly at the closed door of my room before shifting back to me.

"You say that you will finish her by the end of this week?"

I play along.

"Of course." My voice is ice, smile devilish.

"She will be nothing but ashes when I'm done with her."

____________________________

MIN AERI

"Where are you going?"

And I storm past Rin, without even answering him. My fingertips are warm with anger, expression twisted with betrayal.

So he was going to kill me anyways.

"Min Aeri!" Rin shouts again, but I just ignore his calls as I make my way downstairs. That man that Kim Taehyung had called father is gone now, and that damn vampire looks up at the sound of me coming down.

His brows furrow.

"I told you to stay—"

"I'm leaving."

"What?"

"I said I'm leaving." I say, voice even more toxic than usual as I cross the hall to the front doorway. "I'm not staying with a psychopath that wants me dead."

His eyes widen.

"Min Aeri, I—"

My jaw flexes.

Cheeks flushed, I shut the door behind me before I can hear the rest of his sentence. And I'm walking briskly towards the gate when he materializes in front of me.

He holds me back.

"Let me go."

"Then let me explain." He says, pale eyes flickering. But I'm going into one of my anger issues again— the ones that I'd always been told to fix and had never gotten around to doing so.

"Let me go, you @&$&@ vampire."

And as if he's surprised, his fingertips loosen. I quickly shake away his grip, turning my back to him.

His voice comes one last time.

"I promised you, didn't I? That I'd never kill you. That I would never hurt you."

I know.

But he was wrong, because the part about turning me to ashes wasn't the thing making me angry.

All I wanted was for everyone to leave me be, to live my stupid life with nothing to ever look forward to.

Was that really too much to ask?

I turn my gaze to him.

"I remember those promises, Kim Taehyung."

"And I also remember you promising me that you'd stay away from me."

He tenses, and I turn myself back.

"Let's just not see each other ever again."

"Please."

_____________________________

And the next few days pass.

Life seems to go back into everything that it had been before— working, sleeping, and even more working. I go back to my taxi-driving, from morning to late evening.

Nothing happens.

I don't see Kim Taehyung— even Rin. The inside of my tiny apartment is quiet, completely silent except for me.

Before I would've been okay with all of the emptiness.

Before.

Now I'm not.

Now, the silence doesn't feel right at all.

This is all because of those vampires. I hiss under my breath, tossing to my other side on the bed of blankets. If only they hadn't turned my life upside down. If only they hadn't shown up in the first place.

The blankets crumple in my clenched fists.

Kim Taehyung.

My eyes squeeze close. I was feeling things that I shouldn't be feeling, not at all. I should be enjoying this quietness— this peacefulness.

I miss them.

No, you don't. You do not miss some vampires that drank your blood. Are you damn crazy?

You like this colorless life, and it's the life you're going to live until you die.

___________________________

A man.

Chills run up my spine in fear when I open the door to see the slender figure of a stranger, sitting in the desk chair. I'd come back late from a taxi drive, tired down to every bone in my body.

"W-Who..."

The moonlight slants, revealing his face from the shadows.

Glittering hazel eyes, hair the color of cold brown.

"Rin?"

He blinks.

"Finally you're back." He says with an exasperated breath, standing up from the chair. "Do you know how long I've been waiting, Min Aeri? Where were you?"

My voice instantly stiffens.

"Why are you here?"

He doesn't answer at first, eyes narrowing on my shadowed expression.

"...because I was bored." He confesses. "After you left, the house is too quiet. Kim Taehyung became twice as more depressed than he is usually too."

Him?

"Well— I mean, he goes out a lot for some reason, but that still doesn't change the fact he looks like this all the time." Rin grumbles, making a face.

Then he stares at me as if I was supposed to laugh.

I breathe.

"Rin, I need you to leave."

His gaze wavers.

"...why? Don't you miss me?"

I do.

But if you're here, then he will eventually find a way to come. And everything will just happen all over again.

"I—"

"Don't act like you don't want me here." He raises an eyebrow. "You looked almost as depressed as him when you came in."

I let my bag slip to the floor. "I was just tired, that's why. Just leave. Please."

And it's like he reads my mind.

"He won't come again."

My eyes flicker. "...what?"

"Kim Taehyung." Rin says, gathering up blankets in his arms. "He won't come again, even if I'm here."

"So just let me stay. I literally can't breathe in that house with all the silence."

But what about the vampire that was there?

"Wouldn't...he be lonely without you?"

Rin bites back a laugh. "Him? He's been by himself since hundreds of years ago. He's not going to miss me at all."

I fall back silent.

So he stays in the end, fixing himself his own spot in the blankets.

_______________________________

Heat.

My eyes open blearily. It's so hot— everything. It feels like I'm being slowly burned alive, and this golden light all around me....

I feel dazed, until the surroundings focus.

Fire.

The doorway is a mess of flames. And I scream, instantly turning towards Rin. He's gasping heavily, closed eyes shadowed with darkness.

"Rin! Get the @$$& up! Now!"

But the way out is completely destroyed. It's fire, and it's spreading against the walls, coming closer.

How did this happen.

Panic blazing in my mind, I grip the collar of the unconscious vampire and shake him as hard as I can. If Rin— if he'd wake up, he could use his vampire powers or something to get us out alive.

But he won't wake up.

And somehow, it doesn't look like sleep anymore.

"Rin!"

Only then his eyes flicker open. He's breathing even heavier now, voice trembling.

"Min...Min Aeri....."

"I can't move...."

"What the @$$@ do you mean?" I yelp, gripping his shoulders and trying to help him stand. "Get us out of here! Here, I—"

His hazel eyes are wild.

"This fire, it's not normal." He gasps, voice weak with smoke. "It's not regular fire. I think...I think someone who knew about me—"

Someone?

Sweat pours down my back. Half of the apartment is already covered with a mess of fire. The only thing is the window, and we're in an apartment five floors up from the ground.

My hand drops from his shoulder.

Fire. I knew it was something that killed vampires— one of the few things that they were weak to. I'd searched this up back when I'd first found out that Kim Taehyung was a vampire, to see if I could threaten him away from me.

Rin turns his head away, chest falling harshly.

"Go...Min Aeri. The window..."

This @&$&@@@&.

If I left him here, he would die.

"No, you damn leech." I growl, grabbing his collar and trying to get his body up. "If I shove you out the window you'll still live, right? It's just the fire."

His shadowed eyes widen.

But his body. If only he'd still been in his child figure it would've been easy to get him out.

He's too heavy. Too tall, for someone like me to try and move.

The thickening smoke starts to blur my eyes.

Rin has closed his again.

"Useless vampires..." I whisper under my breath as I realize this wouldn't work. And now it was too late for me too.

The world tilts sideways, and I collapse heavily on the floor next to him. I can't see a thing, only feel the wetness of my ashen tears as I watch the flamelight dip into darkness.

I hate all of you.

So, so much.

_______________________________

A part of me hadn't wanted to open my eyes again.

But it's cool instead of hot now, and my head and chest feels cloudy with smoke as I lift myself from the dark ground.

I recognize these walls.

I'm outside the narrow alley opposite my apartment.

Even though I can't breathe and my voice feels like it'll fade away to mute, I slowly find more of myself. Taking in raspy breaths, I get to my feet and find that there had been another figure lying next to me.

Rin.

We're both alive.

I'm about to try and wake him when I hear the sound of someone near the entrance of the alley.

My eyes widen.

"Kim...Taehyung...?"

He's leaning heavily against the wall, looking like he's barely holding himself up. When I try to get closer, he breathes out huskily— voice torn with pain.

"Don't come any closer."

I ignore him.

Touching his shoulder, I turn him around.

His skin.

My breaths stop at the dark burns marring his usual pale, unblemished skin. Everywhere else is the same— his hands, wrist, neck.

And the burns are wisping smoke.

"H-How..."

"My father tried to kill the both of you two tonight." He whispers, voice dull. "With vampire flames. And he would've succeeded."

Vampire flames?

I remember what Rin had said. How he couldn't move— how this fire was different from a normal one.

"You— got us out alive?"

He shifts himself off the wall, swaying slightly. And there's something that he whispers, before he collapses into me.

"I'm...sorry."

I barely break his fall with my own body.

Is he dead?

Slightly rushed, I listen carefully for his breath. He's breathing, but the sound is so quiet I nearly can't hear.

And these burns.

They're still smoking, like it's gradually eating away at his vitality.

Will he die if I don't do anything?

The Min Aeri before would at least hesitate. Maybe she'd even take the chance to leave the two vampires in the alleyway, leaving one to die and the other to burn.

But now, why was I....

Still holding his body to mine, I bite down hard on my lip. It's enough to draw blood, and I wince as I feel a trickle of red run down my chin.

He reacts almost instantly.

Eyes arctic blue, he wraps an arm around my waist and the other around my shoulders. He bares his fangs, and I instinctively flinch back— scrunching my face with anticipation.

But the pricking pain doesn't come.

Instead he draws back his fangs, eyes softened at my expression. Then he presses his lips against mine, sucking gently at the small cut I'd opened on the corner of my mouth.

It doesn't hurt.

Instead it feels almost pleasant, as he drinks. His hand tightens around my waist when I lean heavily into him, holding me up when I can no longer do that myself.

I shouldn't feel this calm knowing that he could easily kill me.

But somehow I am.

_______________________________

"Kim Taehyung?"

"@&$& you."

"I know." He says amusedly as I sit up dazedly on the familiar bed. He's on the chair opposite the room, arms crossed over his chest. "How do you feel?"

"Terrible." I say as I tug at the sheets. "No thanks to you."

He taps his fingers against his upper arm.

"You should stay. Your place..."

"It's burned down, yeah." Then my eyes flicker. "Did the entire apartment burn down? Were people killed?"

His lips purse. "Yes."

The dark marks that had been on his face and neck are gone. His skin is completely healed, and I touch the mending cut on my mouth with a fingertip.

Then I remember.

I'm sorry.

"Why'd you apologize?" I ask, and he tilts his head. "Yesterday, at the alley. Why'd you say sorry to me when it's your father who tried to kill me?"

Kim Taehyung shifts.

"If it weren't for me, you wouldn't even had been in danger in the first place. And I thought you wanted me away so badly."

I purse my lips.

Those things I'd said, pleading him to stay away from me.

And here we were.

"Well, if it also weren't for you both of us would've died, so—"

He looks up.

"Do you still want me away?"

I pause.

"...what?"

"Do you still want me away." He repeats, gaze wavering. His fingers run through his dark locks. "Because if you really want—"

"Not really."

Then I cock my head at him with an amused grin.

"Are you in love with me, Kim Taehyung?"

"I—"

I'd caught him off guard. A faint blush rises on his usual pale cheeks, and I stare at him expectantly as he finds his composure, for the answer.

"No."

"Don't lie."

His eyes widen.

"You care for me too much." I whisper, gripping his chin with my fingertips. My eyes search his expression. "You look after me too much, for just a human that doesn't matter."

"Why else would you do that if you don't love me?"

He falls silent, before the corner of his lips upturn.

"Aren't you getting a bit too ahead of yourself, Min Aeri?"

But now everything is too clear. That night— at his place. I'd been unsure before, but now I am.

He'd kissed me when he'd thought I was asleep. When he was sure that I didn't know.

And I'm still holding his chin. His dark brow is slightly raised, eyes challenging as it stares down on me. He looks defensive, but not in denial.

"You—"

And it happens like a storm.

He takes my wrist, pressing me against the headboard of the bed. My body tenses with shock as he slams my back against the surface, eyes shifted blue when I hadn't even bled.

In a second I'm straddling him.

"So if I do?"

I stutter.

"W-What?"

"If I do love you, what will you do?" He whispers, touching my lips roughly with his fingertips. "If I said I wanted this, what will you do?"

"I—"

"Will you tell me to leave again?"

"Or will you love me back?"

He forces his lips into mine. And I'm even more surprised at myself when I find myself kissing back, struggling to match his pace. His breath runs hot down the back of my shirt.

He grips my thighs, spreading my legs open.

A blush wraps around my throat. But I want him, more than I think I do. I let him come closer, feel him press into me and circle my arms around his neck.

A soft moan leaves my lips.

He laughs sharply as his hands grip my waist, pale fingertips slipping past the waistband of my sweatpants. I can literally see it on his face.

Look at you moaning for me, Min Aeri.

"@&$@ you," I mumble, tips of my ears burning. "Stupid idiot."

He breathes out laughter again.

"In all the life I've lived," He murmurs, tone quiet. "I've never seen a human like you. So reckless, with courage I'm not sure if I should call stupid instead. And with such a dirty mouth—"

I curse at him again. When I do, he smiles faintly— like I'd went up and confirmed it for him.

"Is that supposed to be a compliment or what?"

"Whatever you want." He says. "So will you stay?"

....stay?

I flip my finger at him.

"I'm only staying because I have nowhere else to go, you idiot vampire."

*END