Cursed Blood - My Bloody Match

[his_angel16]

Title: My Bloody Match
Author: his_angel16
Pairing: friend!Hongki/Wonbin
Genre: Fantasy, Angst, Romance
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Embracing who he is was the biggest mistake of his life. And now Hongki will never be the same.
Warning: very minor character death



A monster. An abomination. That's what he was. A beast that fed off of the living; taking its life away. That's how he was born. His mother fell in love with a demonic being and willingly had his child. The price of delivering the new damned thing, was her own life. She agreed to dying as long as it was certain that the baby would live; and he did. He was the son of a vampire father and human mother. And it was certain that he would walk this world alone.
  Grieving the loss of the only woman he loved, Kisang and his brother, Jungjin met with hunters. He took their youngest child, hiding it away. When he returned, Jungjin had slaughtered almost half of the hunters. Kisang fought with Jungjin, but before he could tell where he hid the hunter's child, Kisang was slain. Mourning the loss of one of the best hunter families, the rest of them went into hiding. The elder of the hunters heard crying one night. He followed the noise, eyes falling upon two toddlers. Knowing they would die without him, he took them home. They would grow up, but he would keep them from his life, from the life of hunters. They were innocent children, doomed to live the lives of their fallen parents. They were destined to follow in their footsteps.

Hongki opened his eyes, blinking as the sunlight hit him in the face. Sitting up, he wiped the back of his hand over his mouth, relieved that he hadn’t been drooling again. He looked over to find his best friend copying the notes from the board in the front of the class, lips pursed. His handwriting was flawless, a perfect form of calligraphy they had learned from the man raising them. Hongki knew it, too, but his was a tad unpolished, suiting his own preferences over being perfect. He rolled his eyes at the word. Perfect. Perfection didn’t exist; it couldn't exist with ever person having their own definition as to what perfection was. He picked up his pen, finally deciding on doing his schoolwork when he couldn't find his notebook. Frowning, Hongki cast his friend a glance, finding him hurrying along to finish his sentences.
  “Hey,” Hongki whispered, nudging his friend with his foot under their desk. “Hey, Wonbin, have you seen my-” His eyes widened as Wonbin slid the missing notebook over to him. “Notebook?” Opening the cover, his eyes widened. There were the sentences the class was supposed to be writing, completed and written in Wonbin's beautiful script.
  “I didn’t want to wake you,” Wonbin simply stated, a small smile tugging at his lips. He furrowed his eyebrows, looking up at the board. Seeing the rest of it erased, he sighed. “Well, at least one of us will get a perfect score.”
  “Want to switch notebooks?” Hongki gave him a sheepish smile.
  Shaking his head, Wonbin placed his pen down. “No, she put our names on them, remember? It was to keep us from switching them when we turned them in.”
  “Oh, yeah.” Hongki chuckled a little. “I forgot about that.” Elbowing Wonbin in the side, he grinned. “You're better at every subject than me. Except one.”
  “I'll never be better than you when it comes to history.” Wonbin smiled at him before turning back to the front of the class when the teacher spoke.
  “Class president, collect all of the notebooks for me please,” she said, motioning for him to get up. As he made his rounds, Wonbin placed his and Hongki's on the pile before turning to stare out of the window.
  “It looks like it's going to rain again today.”
  Hongki looked over, watched as the grey clouds rolled across the sky, darkening it to an ugly shade. “Don't worry.” He looked over at Wonbin before thumbing over his shoulder to his bag. “I brought an umbrella.”
  After the teacher called them to attention, they said their thanks and bowed as instructed. Shortly after, she dismissed them, their classmates running around, gathering their belongings, trying to beat the storm. Hongki stood up, stretched, before he grabbed his bag. He tugged the umbrella out before handing it to Wonbin.
  “Aren't we going home together?” Wonbin's hand closed around the handle, eyes searching the other's.
  “You head out first. I have to do something.” Hongki watched as Wonbin nodded, leaving reluctantly. Sighing, he slug the strap of his bag over his shoulder before approaching the teacher. She was still collecting her own things, working silently with a small smile on her face. “Can I talk to you for a second?”
  Looking up, her smile became friendlier. “Sure. What's on your mind?” she asked, leaning against her desk.
  “Wonbin did my work for me while I slept and he didn’t finish his own before you erased the board.” Hongki cringed a little at his own honesty, but the man that raised them, although much older than the two of them, had always preached about being truthful. He hated that he applied it here of all places.
  “Thank you for being honest, Lee Hongki.” Smiling never faltering, she located his and Wonbin's notebooks in the stack of students' books. She uncapped her marker, giving Wonbin a perfect score. She watched as Hongki looked away when she turned to his book, but she was being generous. He learned to be honest with her and himself, so she wasn't going to give him a failing grade. Deciding on a barely passing score, she closed their notebooks. “You will see your score tomorrow, when I hand back all of the books. In the mean time, think of what you can do to thank your friend.”
  Nodding, Hongki bowed politely. “Thank you. I'll try to work harder from now on. I know I’m not the best student when it comes to school, but I'll try harder. I really will.” He turned and left the classroom, hurrying along the empty halls. The students had fled rather quickly, only a few stragglers remaining to get extra help from the other teachers. Reaching the ground floor, he groaned at the rain pouring down, lightning streaking across the sky.
  “Damn it. I should have told Wonbin to wait for me.” Grumbling under his breath, he pushed open the front door, stopping when an umbrella popped open in front of his face. “Holy hell!”
  “It was pouring by the time I got outside,” Wonbin laughed, tipping the umbrella up. “We'll have to hurry so we aren’t completely soaked when we get home, but we'll each have to get a little wet.”
  “You use it. I gave it to you.” Hongki moved to take a step into the rain, Wonbin grabbing his arm to stop him. “What?”
  “Grandpa is going to yell at us if you go home drenched again.” Wonbin pulled Hongki back to his side, tipping the umbrella upward. “Let's walk together.”
  Conceding defeat, Hongki walked next to Wonbin. He had a point, although he would never admit it openly to the other. The man the called grandpa, he raised them since they were little. They had been told both of their parents died in accidents, in what he believed could have been avoided. They walked in silence, shoulders bumping in the restricted space below the umbrella. The rain pelted it, giving them something to listen to, a reason not to talk. It didn’t take them long to walk home, having hurried along due to the loud claps of thunder. The first one had made them both jump before they walked faster, wanting to be home as soon as possible. Wonbin shook out the umbrella once they were on the front porch, the droplets flying off to splatter against the wooden floor. Going inside, they toed off their shoes, hanging the umbrella on its hook and stepping up the small ledge into the living room.
  “We're home!” Hongki called out, frowning when they didn’t get a response. They moved around the house, finding that they were alone. “Where's grandpa at?”
  Wonbin shrugged just as the doorbell rang. Moving to answer the door, he glanced over at Hongki. “Maybe he went to the store? Check to see if there's a note for us.” He pulled open the door, stepping back. “Oh, hi, Jikyoung. Do you know where grandpa is?”
  Pursing his lips, Jikyoung waited a moment, struggling with himself it seemed, before he finally gave in. “He asked me not to say anything, but Master Yeongjun was rushed to the hospital early this morning,” he answered.
  “Grandpa's in the hospital? What happened to him?” Hongki came back from the kitchen, looking between the two with a puzzled look on his face.
  “What's wrong?” he asked, frowning.
  “Master Yeongjun is in the hospital.” Jikyoung motioned toward the living room. “May I come in and explain what happened?”
  “Yeah, of course.” Wonbin led the way to the living room, Hongki next to him as Jikyoung closed the door and followed them. After they were all seated, Wonbin and Hongki on the couch, Jikyoung on the sofa across from them, he began speaking.
  “My wife was coming to see if he needed anything while she was going to the store, but Master Yeongjun didn’t answer. She called me, asked if I knew the password to the lock. As a safety precaution, he had given it to me when he adopted the two of you. I wasn't sure if he had changed it, but luckily he hadn’t. She remained on the phone with me while she came into the house. She told me to hurry on over, that he was on the floor and he wasn't moving. We called the paramedics and she went with him to the hospital. She called and said he woke up, wanting us to keep quiet about the whole thing when you two got out of school.” Jikyoung looked down, taking deep breaths after blurting out everything all at once.
  “Is he okay? Do they know why he collapsed?” Wonbin felt Hongki take his hand, feeling the trembling stop. He hadn’t known he was shaking before then.
  “They're still waiting for a full diagnosis. All we've been told is that he has a concussion and he'll be in the hospital for a few days.” Seeing the apprehension on their faces, he hurried to continue. “My wife and I already discussed it, and you two are more than welcome to stay with us until Yeongjun is released.”
  “Thanks.” Wonbin took a deep breath. “We'll go pack a few things and be back.”
  Hongki followed Wonbin into their shared room. They used just one duffel bag, tossing in a few days' clothes, their hairbrushes, toothbrushes, deodorants. Wonbin carried it, Hongki having taken Wonbin's schoolbag from his shoulder. They returned to the living room, pausing at seeing Jikyoung on his phone. They were both tense when he turned around.
  “My wife says that Master Yeongjun doesn't have any internal bleeding or hemorrhaging from falling,” he stated, pocketing his phone.
  “But?” Hongki prompted, reaching over and taking Wonbin's hand, for his benefit this time.
  “But he's been fighting the flu the past few weeks. He hides things so well.” Shaking his head, he motioned for them to come with him. “Come on, boys. We'll get you settled and then we'll get some food into your stomachs, okay?”
  Hongki and Wonbin nodded, walking with Jikyoung to the front door. They slipped on their shoes, but something didn’t seem right with Hongki. He looked back at the living room, feeling something settle over him like a bad omen. Trying to shake it off, he closed the door behind them, hurrying along to the house two doors down. Upon entering Jikyoung's home, he told them to take the spare bedroom down the hall while he started supper. They went silently to the room, closing the door for some privacy.
  “Why does he call him master?” Hongki asked while they unpacked their few clothes, placing them in the one dresser.
  Wonbin shrugged. “We both know grandpa did something before he took us in,” he replied, setting their duffel bag in the closet, their schoolbags on the floor beside the single desk. “Maybe he was a master carpenter or something.”
  “I don't think that's it.” Hongki didn’t voice his wild ideas, knowing he was getting a little too old for that. They were in middle school now. It would have been a little more acceptable had they been in elementary school to think that their caretaker slayed dragons or some other mythical creature from their childhood fantasies and storybooks.
  It was well after supper when Jikyoung's wife finally came home. She looked worn out from spending all day at the hospital so Hongki and Wonbin excused themselves to their borrowed room. It wasn't but a few minutes later that Hongki whined about being thirsty, Wonbin leaving the room to ask if they could have glasses of water. He paused in the hallway, staring at the backs of Jikyoung's and his wife's heads as they talked.
  “They're going to do more tests in the morning,” Jikyoung's wife was saying. “He might be sicker than they first thought.”
  “What do they think he has?” Jikyoung asked, one arm wrapped around his wife's shoulders.
  “Even they aren’t overly certain, but they're leaning toward pneumonia more than the flu now. How did he get so bad without any of us finding out?” She leaned into her husband, obviously distraught by Yeongjun's health. “I'm glad that he isn't more seriously hurt from falling, but pneumonia? That kills people of all ages. And how haven't the boys gotten it if he's been sick for a few weeks?”
  “Honey, you know he's always been secretive with his personal life. You know, he still won't tell me how he came across finding those boys. All he's ever said about the matter was that more lives didn’t need to be lost over a petty feud. What does that even mean?” Jikyoung rubbed his hand along his wife's arm, trying to soothe her. “After the boys go to school tomorrow, we'll both head up to the hospital and see him. Master Yeongjun might like the company.”
  Wonbin silently crept back down the hall, bracing himself before moving, much louder, down the hallway again. “Excuse me,” he stated, surprised that he was able to control his voice after hearing their conversation. They turned to look at him over the back of the couch, smiling at him. “Do you mind if I get Hongki a glass of water?”
  “No, sweetheart, go ahead.” Jikyoung's wife smiled sweetly at him, as if nothing was wrong.
  Nodding more to himself than anything, he moved to the kitchen, wondering if he was going to need to rush to the bathroom. Seeing her smile so sweetly after hearing how upset she was, how sick their grandpa might actually be, it made him want to vomit. How can they act like that? How can she pretend that nothing is wrong? Taking a glass, he filled it with water before hurrying back to the bedroom. He bid Jikyoung and his wife good night as he passed, closing the bedroom door after him.
  “What took you so long?” Hongki asked, sitting up in the middle of the bed. He accepted the water from Wonbin, gulping it down before setting it aside on the bedside table.
  “I got sidetracked.” Wonbin smiled at Hongki, knowing the other would buy it. In truth, he had gotten sidetracked, but he wasn't about to disclose why he got sidetracked. “Let's get some sleep. I’m tired.”
  Hongki moved over to one side on the bed, waiting as Wonbin climbed in under the blankets. He closed his eyes, yawning as he suddenly felt tired, too. He was almost asleep when Wonbin rolled over, hugging him from behind. He didn’t think much of it, finally drifting to sleep a few moments after. He awoke only a few hours later to the phone ringing. He pushed himself out of bed, opening the door to the bedroom to find Jikyoung answering it.
  “Yes. Yes, I understand. Thank you. We'll be there in a little bit.” Hanging up the phone, he turned toward the hall. “Hongki? What are you doing up?”
  “I heard the phone ringing,” he mumbled, rubbing at his eyes.
  Frowning, Jikyoung motioned to the door. “Go wake up Wonbin, please. Master Yeongjun is asking for the two of you.”
  Returning to the bedroom, Hongki shook Wonbin awake, the other sitting up straight, panic in his eyes. “What's wrong?” he questioned, eyebrows pulling together.
  “Jikyoung just got a phone call. Grandpa wants to see us.” Hongki pulled out two fresh sets of clothes, tossing one at Wonbin. They changed quickly, Wonbin smoothing down Hongki's hair for him before they went into the hallway, heading for the living room. Jikyoung and his wife were waiting for them, both dressed in casual clothing. They exited the house, taking the car out front to the hospital. The ten minute drive felt as if it stretched on forever to Hongki, his stomach twisting in knots, his heart pounding. He could hear Wonbin's heart beating loudly, too, although no one else seemed to notice. When they reached the front doors, Jikyoung's wife told them to go on in, that she would park the car for them before joining them in Yeongjun's room.
  Reaching Yeongjun's room, Jikyoung went in first, just to make sure things were okay before bringing the boys in. After deeming it safe, he called for them, Wonbin and Hongki entering the room slowly. Yeongjun had an oxygen mask over his face, intravenous bags hanging on the stand beside the bed, hooked into his right arm. He straightened in his bed upon seeing Wonbin and Hongki, smiling as best he could around the mask.
  “I'm glad both of you came,” Yeongjun stated, eyes crinkling in the corners. “Once Jinsook arrives, I'll tell you why I’ve asked you to be here.” It only took a couple of minutes before Jinsook was opening the door, closing it after entering the room. “Jikyoung, will you and your wife please stand over there? I need to tell the boys something.”
  Jikyoung took Jinsook's hand, both of them going to stand by the window as Hongki and Wonbin moved to stand in front of Yeongjun at the foot of the bed. “Master Yeongjun, what is this about?” Jikyoung asked, coat draped over his crossed arms.
  “I need to tell the boys about their parents.” Yeongjun took a deep breath before continuing. “Before I run out of time. You see, I’ve known I was sick for a few weeks. By putting it off, I made it worse, but I didn’t want either of you to worry.”
  “We're worrying now,” Wonbin replied, tone sharper than he intended.
  Chuckling, Yeongjun nodded. “Yes, I suppose it doesn't make much of a difference now, but I assure you, I never wanted either of you to find out about yourselves this way.” He glanced at Jikyoung and Jinsook, smile straightening into a thin line. “You two might want to sit down for this.” He waited as they did as they were told, turning his attention back to the boys in front of him. “I will first start off by saying that I am one of the elders of an elite group of people. We call ourselves hunters. What we hunt are the evil beings that lurk in the darkness, feeding off of the fear of their victims. Wonbin, your family was the best in the clan of hunters. Your parents were like children to me; your siblings, like grandchildren.”
  “I had siblings?” Wonbin asked, eyes wide. “And my parents were...hunters? Then what happened to them? You said they were killed in and accident.”
  “They were.” Yeongjun frowned, glancing at Hongki before continuing, voice sad. “One of the evil beings we hunt are the vampires. Yes, the ones from fairytales and storybooks. But there was one such vampire that was very different than the ones I encountered before. He was kind toward humans, didn’t treat them as if they were lower than himself. He fell in love with one and they had a child. A beautiful baby boy with eyes of crimson just like his father's.” He looked over at Hongki. “That child is you, Hongki.”
  “My eyes aren’t red,” Hongki said, voice tense. He didn’t believe it, didn’t want to believe it. How could he be a vampire? Even half-vampire? It was ridiculous.
  “They would be if you drank blood.” Yeongjun watched as everyone in the room tensed. “Jikyoung is a hunter, too, although he has cast off most of the traditions we had. I, too, cast off my position, my life as a hunter. I did so when I found the two of you after your parents were killed.” Sighing sadly, he looked at Hongki. “Your mother died giving birth to you. Her body was too frail to handle the delivery of a vampire child. After losing her, your father fell to pieces. He and his closest friend, his brother, found our encampment. While your father took away Wonbin, hiding him away, with you, his brother slaughtered Wonbin's family.”
  “Master Yeongjun, you're saying that the two vampires that are in our history, Lee Jungjin and Lee Kisang, are the ones responsible for all of this?” Jinsook asked. “They're the only to vampires the books have ever bothered mentioning by name. One is Hongki's father?”
  “Yes. Lee Kisang is Hongki's father. His brother, Jungjin, was the one that wanted to slaughter every last one of us. It was Kisang that saved the few hunters that remain.” Yeongjun stared at the two in front of him. “Oh Wonbin, it is time you began your training as a hunter.”
  “Yes, sir.” Wonbin didn’t argue, didn’t even try to talk him out of it. He knew that he should follow in his family's footsteps, that he should become a hunter they would have been proud of.
  “There is only one thing that I task you with, as an elder hunter to his kin.” He waited for Wonbin to meet his eyes, waited for him to nod to show he was listening. “Your most important task as a hunter, as a human being, as a person that walks this earth, will be to protect Hongki.”
  Wonbin glanced to the side, finding Hongki tense, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. Squaring his shoulders, he looked back at Yeongjun. “I understand. I will protect him.” He seemed to inwardly decide something then, decided to embrace his heritage. “Elder Yeongjun.”
  Yeongjun seemed to fill with pride at hearing Wonbin speak those words. He looked at Hongki, eyes hopeful. “Hongki, I want you to know that I respected your father. He protected the few remaining hunters from his brother.”
  “You said that already.” Hongki was trying to keep from screaming at him, but he was finding it difficult. How could he keep something like this from them? From him? He was a cursed child, damned from birth.
  Sensing Hongki's anger, Yeongjun sighed. “Embrace who you are, Hongki. Become someone your parents would be proud of. Don't let this world change you into a monster.”
  Scoffing, Hongki's eyes darkened. “I was born a monster.” He turned, leaving the hospital room.
  Wonbin looked after him before looking at the three adults. “I'll go after him.”
  Once Wonbin left, Yeongjun looked to Jikyoung and Jinsook. “Look after both of them, please. Train Wonbin as I have trained you, Jikyoung. And train Hongki, too.”
  “Yes, Master Yeongjun,” Jikyoung murmured obediently.
  “Jinsook.” He waited for her to look at him, smiling sadly at her. “After I’m gone from this world, go into my room and open my desk drawer. Inside you will find my will and letters to the boys. Give them the letters for me.”
  “I will,” Jinsook replied, tears burning her eyes. To think about Yeongjun not being there anymore made her heart hurt. He was like family to her and Jikyoung. Not having him around meant having no one to turn to for advice when the world knocked you down. How would they get back up?
  “Become pillars of strength for Wonbin and Hongki,” Yeongjun told them. “They've had to rely on someone as old as me all their lives. Be kind to them, nurture them, teach them. But most of all, love them.”

Hongki was outside in the parking lot when Wonbin caught up to him. He shrugged off the other;s hand, glaring over his shoulder at him before turning to continue walking away. He growled low in his throat when Wonbin grabbed his arm again, spinning him around to force him to look him in the eye.
  “What is wrong with you?” Wonbin asked, voice a couple octaves higher than usual. “Why would you say that to grandpa?”
  “How can you still call him that?” Hongki snapped. “He lied to us, Wonbin! Our entire lives, he's preached about being honest, being truthful until the very end, even if we look like fools. And then he just...” He shook his head. “I need some space.”
  “I'm not letting you go off alone. We're still kids, Hongki. We've been together through everything and I think of you as someone very important to me. You'll always be important to me. That's why I told grandpa that I’d protect you.” Wonbin shifted his weight from one foot to the other, face heating up slightly at his own words. “Hongki, you're the most important person to me in this world. Even more important than Yeongjun.”
  Looking away, Hongki sighed. “I promise not to do anything stupid. I'll be back by sunrise.” He shot Wonbin a crooked smile. “I just need a little time to clear my head, to absorb what's been revealed about my parents.”
  “Okay. Don't go too far away. And don't get hurt.” Wonbin waved, leaving Hongki in the parking lot with reluctance to return to Yeongjun's room.
  Hongki watched him go, frowning at his retreating frame. He peered up at the window, finding Jinsook staring down from Yeongjun's room. “Embrace who I am, huh?” He turned and left the parking lot, hands shoved into his pockets as he walked. He watched the late night persons outside the clubs, laughing and carrying on about who slept with who's sister and who broke up with the boy they had loved just a few hours before. He rolled his eyes at them, wondering why they were allowed to live such comfortable, easy lives while he was forced to deal with the truth he never saw coming. Everything seemed darker tonight, as if all of the lights had dimmed. He knew it wasn't true, it was just his mood messing with him.
  He continued walking, turning a corner to go down a dark alley. He could hear a rowdy group around the corner, heard them turning into the alley. They had cornered a couple of kids, people he recognized from his class. He waited, holding his breath, in the shadows of the fire escape. They had the boy, the class president, pinned to the wall, laughing as they pushed around the girl. He remained silent until the girl whimpered when one of the guys tore her jacket from her shoulders. She hugged herself, tears staining her face. She was terrified. Hongki peered over at the class president. The anger in his eyes, the rage boiling in his blood. He could feel it. With every beat his heart took, Hongki could feel the blood pulsing through his classmate's veins. It wasn't until the girl screamed that the class president tried to fight back against the two guys that had him pinned against the brick wall. He was thrashing against them, but it was futile. They weren’t letting him go until they were done with the girl. She was sitting on the ground now, hugging herself even tighter, fingernails biting into her arms right under the sleeves of her school uniform. Something inside Hongki seemed to freeze, words coming back to him from a very distant past.
  Hongki, the voice spoke from his memory, clearer than anything else he had ever heard. Hongki, your mother loved you very much. She died to give you life. And now, without her, I don't think I can continue in this world. I’m so, so sorry. Grow up. Live happily. Protect those around you like I could not. Save them, my son, from themselves. They aren’t all bad people.
  A growl ripped itself from his throat, echoing down the alley. It silenced everyone, even the girl on the ground. They were all peering into the shadows, trying to see if it was some sort of animal. Hongki felt courage bubbling up inside him at remembering his father's voice. He took the first few steps with shaky legs before he remembered Yeongjun's words, too. Embrace who you are, Hongki. He took another step, light falling over his shoe. Be someone your parents would be proud of. His legs were in the light now, illuminated by the glow of the streetlight in front of him. Don't let this world change you into a monster. He was standing in the open now, the light fully hitting him now.
  “Lee Hongki?” the class president whispered, hands still on the one guy's arm in front of him.
  “Leave them alone,” Hongki ordered. His voice rang with authority, but he was still just a twelve year old kid. The group of thugs laughed at him, the one stepping closer to him.
  “Look, this kid wants to play hero!” he laughed, pointing at him. “Why don't you run home to mommy and daddy? This is no place for children.”
  He smirked at them, eyes dark, intimidating. “I would, but you see, my parents are dead.” He chuckled at the look the guy gave him. “Don't look sympathetic toward me. I’ve learned about who my parents were. My mother, she was kind, loving. She gave her life just so I could be born. And my dad.” He glanced at the girl on the ground, a silent order for her to move while he had their attention. She seemed to get the hint, slowly sliding toward the class president. “My dad was someone that gave his life to protect his enemies, people that wanted to kill him.”
  “Was your dad a thug? Or some sort of drug lord?” another guy asked. He was standing by the class president, his arm falling to his side as he became engulfed in Hongki's story.
  Shaking his head, Hongki beckoned them closer. So, this is what it feels like to have people listen to you, hang on your every word. “My dad wasn't some low-class bootlicker.” He smiled his crooked smile at them. “He was nothing like you guys.”
  “You little...!” the next guy snapped. “Get him!”
  Hongki didn’t move, just watched as one of the guys moved closer to him. “Hongki, run!” the class president shouted, shoving against the guy that still had him pinned. He managed to get free for a second, almost had a hold of the girl's hand, but he was yanked backward, head smacking against the brick wall. He fell unconscious to the ground. The guy in front of Hongki had a firm grip on his arm, tugged him forward. He watched as the girl shrieked again, fainting when the first guy grabbed her ankle.
  I need to do something, he thought to himself. They need to get away from here. They need to get away unharmed! Something hit him in the face, knocking the wind out of him. At first, he thought someone physically punched him, but that wasn't it. Looking over, he found blood beginning to seep from the back of the class president's head. It caused an ache to rise in his throat, made it hard to breathe. His eyes became fixated on the class president. What is this feeling, this ache in my throat? Blinking, Hongki returned his attention to the guy bent over the girl, massaging her knee with a lustful look in his eye. Averting his gaze, his eyes fell upon the guy in front of him, dragging him forward. All he could focus on was the vein protruding from the side of the guy's neck. He could hear the heartbeat just below the surface. Digging his feet into the ground, he found that he seemed a little stronger than the older male. He reached out with his free hand, fisting his shirt in his hand before tugging him down.
  All it took was one simple bite, one little prick into his neck and the blood began flowing. It exploded on Hongki's tongue, making him crave more. The guy screamed, tried to pry Hongki off of him, but Hongki merely grabbed his arm, nails digging into his skin. Everything went quiet a few moments later when he released the guy, letting his body fall to the ground with a thud. His face was pale, two puncture marks tinged red on his neck. Looking up, Hongki stared at the others. He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand, removing the blood. It was his first time drinking someone's blood, so it was sloppy. He took a small step toward the others, watched as fear gripped them and kept them rooted to the ground. He lunged at the closest one to him, teeth sinking into his neck, drawing blood. It only took him a few moments to drain his blood, suck him dry. He shoved the body away, eyes glistening in the light.
  “What the hell are you?” the first guy demanded. “You're a freak! A monster!”
  “I don't prey on innocent children, on innocent middle school students!” Hongki spat. He grabbed the next guy, biting down on his arm, eyes never leaving the scared ones of the guy in front of him. The guy struggled, his blood tasting of fear, regret, pain. Shoving him away, Hongki licked his lips. They were stained red with the blood of his victims, of the real monsters. “You want to see a monster? Look in a mirror. These are my classmates. And you were going to hurt them. Perhaps even kill them.” With every word, he approached the final two guys. They were beyond scared. They had witnessed Hongki drink the blood of their friends before casting them aside like trash. They watched as his dark eyes lit up, become orbs of crimson before their very own eyes.
  “Please, let us live!” the next guy pleaded. He fell to his knees before Hongki, tears in his eyes, hands together. “Please, we'll leave and we won't cross you again! I promise!”
  Hongki stared down at him, watched as he paled. “You need to get out of my sight.” As soon as his words left his mouth, the guy nodded, bolting from the alley and leaving his last living friend on his own. Hongki turned to him, approached him. His eyes bore down on him, making him squirm. “Any last words? Final thoughts?”
  “What?” The guy stared back at Hongki, face growing even paler. “Why not show me mercy, too?”
  Kneeling before the guy, Hongki smiled, reaching out to run a finger down the vein on his neck. It throbbed under his touch, making Hongki's mouth salivate. “I don't want to. Your friend seemed thoroughly scared, rehabilitated. You on the other hand, seem like a repeat offender to me.” He watched as the words sank into the other's mind before he leaned closer, teeth sinking into his flesh. They punctured the vein, blood flowing into his mouth, giving him strength, life. He never knew it would taste like this, draw out such a thirst in him that he would willingly kill someone to get it. After the veins ran dry, he pulled away. Licking his lips, he watched as the body crumpled to the ground. He turned around at hearing a whimper. Eyes flashing to the class president, he felt everything still.
  “Hongki, you...?” the class president croaked, one hand pressed to the back of his head. “What did you do?”
  Hongki lowered his eyes, suddenly ashamed as everything rushed back. He killed people. Drained them of their blood as others of his kind had. He really was nothing more than a monster now, right? Feeding off of the living, stealing away the years they had left. He took a step backward, looking up through his lashes to see the other staring at him.
  “I'm sorry,” Hongki whispered. “I didn’t...They were going to kill you two and...” He had never fumbled so much for words, for something to explain his actions. “I couldn't...they wouldn't stop.”
  “What's happened to you?”
  Panic settled in the pit of his stomach when the other stood up, tried to move closer to him. “No! Don't come near me.” Hongki had one hand in front of him, trying to form some sort of barrier between them. “Jungshin, I’m not normal. I’m not...” He looked away, frowning as tears pricked his eyes. “Please don't tell anyone. I’m shunned enough as it is.” Without waiting for a reply, he turned and fled. He had never run so quickly before in his life. Just when he thought he should be tired, he could still run, could still push himself faster. He turned the corner, bumping into someone and falling backward. He broke his fall with his hands, the harsh sidewalk scraping against his palms. He looked up, eyes wide at seeing Jikyoung, Jinsook, and Wonbin.
  “Hongki?” Wonbin asked, eyebrows pulled together with worry. He looked around quickly before looking down at his friend. “Why are you running? Is someone following you?”
  “No, I was just trying to make it back. I said I’d be back before sunrise, remember?” He tried to make his tone light and casual, but he made the mistake of glancing at Jinsook and then at Jikyoung. Once he met Jikyoung's gaze, he felt frozen in place. He knew what Jikyoung was staring at. Not at him, not at the Hongki he spoke to a little while ago. He was staring at the blood staining his clothes, his lips. He was focusing on the crimson eyes of a well-fed vampire.
  The next few weeks were miserable for everyone except an overly oblivious Wonbin. Hongki and Jikyoung found it hard to be in the same room, Jinsook having found out through her husband about Hongki's antics after leaving the hospital that night. He didn’t even try to explain himself, knowing Jikyoung wouldn't believe him even if he dragged Jungshin over to explain things. He'd accuse Hongki of bullying him into it, of making him lie for him just to cover everything up. The bodies were found two days after it happened, the police calling it the worst attack in a decade. Hongki cringed when it was announced on the news, wondering if his father, his uncle, or one of the other vampires had been behind it back then. With the tension building in the household, it became filled with grief at the news of Yeongjun's passing.
  The funeral was small. It brought with it people Hongki had only encountered a few times in his life. They looked at him and Wonbin with sad eyes, as if they pitied them. Jikyoung, however, stared at him with eyes so full of hate and resentment, it made his blood run cold. He looked at Hongki as if he were a monster, something to be feared. And for once, Hongki thought he was right. He was nothing more than a blood-drinking monster.