The Awakening
Being an offspring of a human and a vampire, the inner beast in him just awakened when he reached his 21st birthday. By that time, he only knew of one person that could suffice his bloodthirsty self and she was no other than his next door neighbor.
“The night holds many mysteries that only few souls can tell.”
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She was known by the people by her name Seo Joohyun but she preferred to be addressed as Seohyun. Her name was popular around the campus because her name always occupied the top list of the Dean’s list. Nice, well-mannered, beautiful, and intelligent, she was the girls’ role model, the boys’ ideal girl, and the daughter that every parent would like to have. Beneath that exterior, no one would probably think that she had a dark past, a wild side concealed to everyone.
Her innocent demeanor had fooled many except for him. Except for the man named Cho Kyuhyun. He was the only one who could see through her façade… the one who discovered her real identity, the one who could accept her for who she was and for what kind of creature could become. Perhaps, it was because they belonged to the same sort, well almost.
“Pale porcelain skin, an endearing presence, and perfection so good to be true… I know who you are. I know to what kind you belong.” He whispered behind her ear as he approached her during her quiet library time. She turned around and she just saw him give a smirk. That was the day that they first met. She was going to ask a question but he already uttered it for her.
“Do you want to know what I know? Rooftop, 6 pm.”
That guy surely got something, ordering her like that, she thought. In that moment, she felt a sudden attraction to him. She had always been oblivious of the guys laying down their admiration for her. That has always been the case but it has changed when he suddenly appeared in her life. She could not ignore him just like the other guys. The next thing she knew, he already occupied her mind for the rest of the day.
The sunset came and she went to the rooftop just like he ordered. She saw him there standing, staring at the purplish sky. “It’s finally sunset,” he said. “The whole world will soon be enshrouded by darkness and it is during that darkness that the hidden will finally be revealed. A person who seems to enjoy the daylight but is actually living in the dark, a person like… you…” He turned around and looked at her with his enigmatic eyes. “A tamed vampire.”
Seohyun was shocked but she laughed it off. She found it amusing. “Yes, I am a tamed vampire. How do you know?”
“Cho Kyuhyun’s my name, I am actually your next-door neighbor but if you think I found out because I have been stalking you, you’re wrong. I am a dhampir, a half-human, half vampire. I bet you know what a dhampir can do. I have the ability to detect vampires. I can sense you from afar.”
“What does a dhampir like you need from a tamed vampire like me?”
“It’s my birthday next full moon. By that time, a whole new me shall be born. I need your help. I don’t want a bloodshed to happen. I don’t want to kill innocent people.” Seohyun could see the worry in his eyes but she needed to be careful. She could not let herself be deceived.
“What makes you think I will trust and help you? Dhampirs usually are the most ruthless vampire hunters.”
“Because I trust you,” he simply said showing his soft smile to her.
That was the first time she let somebody into her life. He was the only one she could share her darkest secrets and that included the numerous individuals she had silenced before just to keep her identity a secret and he was never scared of it. In her long years of existence, perhaps he’s all that she needed to end her loneliness.
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The 2nd of February, full moon, one minute before the 3rd of February approaches.
Seohyun anxiously watched the clock as its hand neared midnight. In a matter of few seconds, he would come. Round crimson tablets were already prepared on the table. These were the tablets that she usually took whenever her thirst for blood would strike. She doubted that these would actually help but it’s worth trying. Then she heard the sound of crushing furniture next door. Several seconds passed by and she heard a rapid knocking on her door.
She opened the door and found Kyuhyun on his knees, hair disheveled and with a pained expression on his face. Beads of sweat ran all over his body as he was struggling with his breathing. His dark hazy eyes were slowly being replaced by a shade of red. Seohyun put her arms under his arms and guided him inside. She shoved to his palm a handful of the crimson-colored tablets. “Take them, there are artificial blood derivatives. It might help.”
He swallowed them but his body rejected it. No matter how much he tried, the tablets could not appease his needs. He wanted the real thing and he wanted it bad. He threw up the tablets and rejected the additional tablets that Seohyun offered. “NO!!! I don’t want it!!!” he growled. His throat was getting dry and his mind had gone berserk and he could not control himself anymore. He pulled the cloth off the table dragging everything on it and left them shattering down the floor.
“I guess I have no choice,” Seohyun muttered.
She parted her hair to the side, exposing her ivory white neck. Kyuhyun’s insatiable thirst reached its peak at the sight of it. He walked to her slowly like a cunning predator to its prey, his crimson eyes glinting against the light. He held her shoulders tight and pinned her roughly to the wall to secure her in place just in case she would escape but he knew she wouldn’t. She offered herself gladly to him and he couldn’t complain. In his current state of mind, of course he couldn’t complain. This overwhelming desire completely consumed him.
He tilted his head and let his lips grazed the spot. Seohyun could feel his staggered breathing against her skin. He licked it before finally burying his fangs in her skin. The girl whimpered in pain as she felt his fangs pierced deeper into her flesh. Kyuhyun began sucking harder and she felt like he was sucking her entire life out of her. Her hands found their way to his chest and grasped the front of his shirt. Her knees became too weak to support her and she could feel her back slowly sliding down against the wall. Cold sweat trickled down along the side of her face. Anytime now, she felt like she was going to crumble in his arms. She was in a daze.
“Kyu…” she moaned. Hearing her call his name, he stopped. He released her from his grip and lifted his fangs off her skin. He saw the bite marks, the two red circles that he left on her neck.
“I’m sorry, Seohyun-ah. I just can’t control myself,” he said as his fingers touched the marks that he caused. Seohyun looked at his eyes. Gone were his bloodshot eyes and they were replaced by the soft gazes of his dark brown orbs which were filled with guilt. His breathing also evened out.
“It’s fine, everyone starts like that,” she said as she arranged her hair back and covered her neck with her raven hair. “It seems like I am your own brand of heroine. You simply can’t resist me,” Seohyun chuckled.
“Kyuhyun-shi, there is still a lot for you to learn. One of them is…”she started, her voice turning husky and sounding seductive; her fingers playing with his sideburns, “…not to get messy when you drink blood.” Kyuhyun stared at her and he was not sure if his eyes were deceiving him but he thought he saw a glint of red in her eyes. Before he could ponder over it, Seohyun leaned closer and suddenly licked the remaining blood that dripped from the corner of his mouth. She eventually captured his lips, kissing them with utmost passion, her fingers running through his hair and Kyuhyun’s hands snaking around her slim waist.
They broke apart and both of them gasped for air. Kyuhyun smirked at her.
“What’s the meaning of that?”
“I’m afraid I found myself an addiction.” Kyuhyun said and he kissed her again. That kiss left her wanting for more. With that kiss, they let themselves be drowned in the burning passion of their bodies.
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Morning came and the rays of sunlight seeped through the tiny gaps between the blinds pouring light into the dark room. The glaring light hit Seohyun’s face and she stirred from her slumber. She was only in her black lacy undergarments and only a sheet of blanket covered her. An arm was wrapped around her bare midriff. At the back of her nape, she could feel his quiet steady breathing.
She turned around and saw a half-naked Kyuhyun sleeping next to her. She looked at his face and admired his pale face but with the perfect handsome features, a particular trait that he must have gotten from having a vampire blood in him. Her fingers traced his eyelids, his pointed nose, and his lips… those luscious lips that she could not resist. She remembered what happened between them last night and whether it’s just out of a vampiric lustful desire or real love, she did not know yet. A soft mumble escaped from Kyuhyun’s lips and a second later he opened his eyes.
“Happy Birthday,” Seohyun greeted him. “…and welcome to my world.”
“Thank you…” He said with a smile. “For everything… for helping me… and for that wonderful night. I thought it would be a curse for me but you turned it all around.”
“I am not really sure if you heard but I said “I love you” last night.” Seohyun’s eyes widened at his confession.
“Really?”
Kyuhyun nodded. “I’ve always loved you since you transferred here. But I did not tell you. Actually I am a little confident because I have some edge over the other guys out there. I mean, you know, being like this.”
Seohyun let out a chuckle and softly hit his fairly toned chest.
Kyuhyun smiled and pressed his lips against her forehead as he pulled her closer. “I love you, Seohyun.” Then he went down and put a butterfly kiss on the tip of her nose before finally kissing her lips. He put his hand over her neck and pushed her hair back.
“Does it hurt?” He asked when he saw the marks again. Seohyun shook her head. “If it’s you, it’s okay. Because I love you too, Kyuhyun” Seohyun replied. She hugged him closer and snuggled her head to his chest, listening to the music of his heartbeat.
“I wish we can stay like this forever.”
It’s not only him who was awakened. She, too, was awakened from her lonely shell.