Chapter Three

It was too bright. Far too bright.

Sehun shut his eyes again and cringed when it caused a sharp pain near his right brow. His eyes flew open by instinct and then it was too bright again and he shut them again. The pain occurred again. He followed the same cycle a few more times before a voice finally spoke.

‘I’ll close the curtains.’

‘Kai!!’ Sehun opened his eyes and never was he happier to see his friend, ‘did you come and get me last night?’ he croaked out.

Kai didn’t answer right away. He slowly walked over to Sehun and offered him a glass of water as if buying time to think of something to say. Sehun struggled to sit up, and in the end had to lean awkwardly on Kai’s forearm for help.

‘Do you want the good news or the bad news first?’

‘Good,’ he was a generally positive person.

‘You’re alive.’

Sehun grinned, ‘Thanks, I wasn’t really doubting that though. Bad news?’

Kai hesitated and Sehun didn’t like the momentary look of pity (or was it worry) that crossed his best friend’s face, ‘You've been out of it for two weeks.'

'What? Why?' Sehun couldn't compute what he was just told.

'You got bitten.’

‘By what?’ Sehun was confused and his head was starting to hurt again…

‘A vampire.’

+++

Life for Hye Jin went back to normal. Kind of. “Normal” consisted of the bullying that Sehun threw at her on a daily basis, and that was lacking in her current day. And had been for the last two weeks.

She wasn’t masochistic enough to wish it was still happening, but if the choice was between Sehun being alive, well and not vampire-meat, and this peace that she now had, then she would probably (and reluctantly) choose the former.

‘Did you hear? Sehun was in an accident!’
‘I hope he’s okay!!’
‘Can’t we go visit him?’
‘No, apparently he’s not allowed to have any visitors.’

Hye Jin’s ears strained for any news. Of course she heard the little titbits that Suho-sunbae would tell them at training, and she often saw his best friend Kai with a whole bunch of gift bags, presumably from Sehun’s fan club, but it didn’t tell her how he was coping with life now as a vampire.

A life she had condemned him to.

She weakly joked to herself that at least the super strength he would acquire would work to his advantage at the kendo club—but that fell flat, it just wasn't funny.

There was a sudden hush. Even more interesting considering Hye Jin was in the library already. She looked around her until her gaze landed at the doorway and her heart went into overdrive.

Sehun.  

Her eyes travelled over him, trying to get any clue that he was okay. To her complete shock his eyes locked onto hers and he began to move towards her table.

People started to whisper.

As he drew closer Hye Jin saw the tell-tale signs. The sunken eyes, the pale skin… (although to be fair he already looked like a vampire even when he was completely human). She looked to his neck but noticed he was wearing a black turtleneck.

It wasn’t looking good.

‘Han Hye Jin, come out. I need to talk to you.’ He didn’t waste any time, arrogantly turning around and walking out of the library, fully expecting her to follow him. She could’ve just sat there, but her existing guilt caused her to get up.

He didn't even wait three seconds for her to join him before he spoke.

‘You’re in danger.’

A million things had run through Hye Jin’s mind about what Sehun could have to say to her, but this was not one of them. Was he picking a fight? Did she make the wrong call after all and should have stayed home and left him at that nightclub?

‘Is that a threat?’ she glared at him.

‘No!’ he exclaimed, his face half-insulted, ‘I’m warning you. You’re not safe-- you have to come with me.’

‘Uh…. I think I’ll pass,’ Hye Jin said, moving to walk away from him.

‘No, you don’t understand,’ He stepped into her path and extended his arms out, just in case she tried to run past him, ‘I was attacked two weeks ago—it wasn’t a normal accident, like what Suho-sunbae has been telling the club and what the campus knows—it’s more complicated than that.’

Hye Jin swallowed the “I know” that was in , ‘What do you mean?’

‘I was bitten by a vampire,’ he grabbed the edge of his turtleneck and yanked down, revealing a very nasty but fading bruise where a bite mark was. The two weeks meant that the mark was now a yellowy green and would disappear soon, but Hye Jin’s trained eye recognised it for what it was. 

Mark One.

‘So you’re a vampire now, what’s that got to do with me?’ Purposefully keeping her voice devoid of any emotion or care, all she wanted was for him to leave her alone.

‘You’re next! I heard them talking about you. I looked up the student directory and you’re the only Han Hye Jin in our university. They’re after and I don’t want what happened to me to happen to you.’

Hye Jin stared at him in disbelief.

Where was the bully that had made her life such a living hell every day? Who was this guy who was suddenly looking at her with such concern? What the hell? 

‘Is this some kind of joke?’ she tried weakly, feeling worn out by the conflicting emotions, ‘an elaborate prank? Look, I don’t need you to look after me. You owe me nothing.’

For the first time since her parents died she felt like crying. 

The utter remorse she felt for leaving him to his fate with the vampires was slowly eating away at her and she just wanted to get away from him. 

She felt like the scum of the earth.

‘You made my life a living hell…’ she whispered. She was more saying it to herself almost forgetting that she wasn’t alone but Sehun— standing there— thought it was for him and he suddenly dropped his still extended arm to drop.

‘I can take care of myself,’ taking the opportunity, she rushed past him.

‘Just don’t let them bite you three times.’

‘What?’ Hye Jin froze in her tracks and turned around.

‘They bit me twice. One more and I become one of them.’ He lifted up his turtleneck, from the waist this time,  to reveal a mark on his left side, just below the ribs.

‘Twice?’ Hye Jin whispered.

‘Yeah… I was saved before they could give me the third bite.’

This changed things. This changed everything.

A/N: Thanks once again for the lovely and supportive comments from the last chapter. They really made my day (or my week really). PS. I intend to fix up any typos etc. before judging, so if you spot any please feel free to drop a line. Thanks! xKei