let this trainwreck begin. comments are welcomed <3 how does the start sound?

The fire was wild. Its red tongues slid across the tall buildings and the heat radiated for kilometers. From where he sat, he was safe from the disaster but he could feel the unusual warmth. Sitting a bit further was his Maker; Wu Yifan.

He was tall, born into a wealthy family decades ago. When turned, he was still pretty young and now he looked even younger. With a flawless face, dark brown hair styled ever so perfectly. He was always clad in expensive suits made of the finest cloths and by the most talented pairs of hands in the country. His influence and status in the Underworld was something new vampires wished to have some time. Even if he wasn’t one of the oldest there were, he was known across the biggest cities in Korea, be it for a good or an ill reason.

Now, his eyes were glossed. Not exactly from pain of loss or worry of the future, but more of disappointment. It was humans who’d caused the disaster and due to that, he’d lost a lot of his investments. He knew he’d get the rightful amount eventually. It’d take a while though.

“Humans are only trouble.”

Jongin couldn’t really disagree but he refused to nod. It was no secret that his Maker hated humans with a passion and had he not be forced to live amongst them to survive, Jongin was sure he’d have locked himself somewhere in the mountains. Jongin had lost reasons to argue and considering that Wu Yifan was his Maker, he had no right to do so now that he knew everything about the Rules and the Respect. His leader would not be amused of his rule-breaking.

“We’ll wait the fire out and then we’ll return. We’ll build these factories from scratch ourselves if we have to.”

Wu loved the city, much like the Leader of it, and they’d already been decades there, making money off of different kinds of investments. And they would remain there since nothing would out Wu of the place that promised him so much.

Jongin casted a look at his Maker. There was determination that sparkled in the old vampire’s eyes and the young man found himself trapped in his own thoughts. He had always been such a puppet.

++

Jongin’s childhood was rich the least. Luxurious at most.

He had everything and everything of that was his. His father was a noble man from abroad, always clad in silk and wearing a strict expression. He was a man of power and he had an infinite hunger for more. His investments brought in money that could feed half the country, yet all of that was stored for his family and, more importantly, for his two sons.

Jongin was the oldest one. He was taught arts, dance and piano from an early age. He was home-schooled in four different languages and he even attended classes about posture and etiquette. His father had made sure that all of his pride would be thrown on Jongin’s shoulders. He even wore nice clothes other children his age could only dream about. His father never halted in showing off his offspring.

His younger brother had been much or less the same save for the fact that their father had less expectations stored for him since most of them were on Jongin’s uprising. Jongin would often be envious how his brother could go play with his friends in the alleys, return dirty and never get scolded but God forbid his fork slipped from his fingers at dinner. All Hell would be unleashed then and there.

His mother was a decent woman, however. Under the puffy expensive dresses and high quality corsets, she was a loving mother who would always baby him and his brother no matter what they did. Jongin knew she had the same expectations of him as his father but she never actually voiced them as strictly. She believed that with love, Jongin and Taemin could do anything.

It all came down to Jongin’s twentieth birthday and his parents made sure to make a big deal out of his day of age. They hosted a ball so big important people traveled days just to take a glimpse of that son of that businessman who they’d met at that meeting once upon a time. Servants worked two days for the preparations and when the day came, the family’s tailor brought Jongin’s most expensive and best suit, and helped him in it.

“Such a beautiful young man. I’m sure there’ll be lots and lots of flustered young ladies waiting for you on the other side of this door.”

Jongin kept quiet. He knew what the real purpose of this ball was and he hated it with all his might. But he couldn’t go against his father. Not when he was this close to the much anticipated freedom.

When the tailor was satisfied, he patted Jongin’s shoulders with a fatherly smile on his face. “Good luck, Mister Kim.”

The way he addressed him was much surprising considering the old man always called him ‘son’. He forced his expression to numb before he nodded his head and turned. The walk through the hall was endless as the anxiety burned him and when he finally entered the ball room, he was overwhelmed by unknown faces.

Stairs led down, covered with red carpets decorated with small golden figures at their ends. The stairwell was of heavy expensive white marble, glistering under the light of huge chandeliers overhead. Down below, people turned to look at him, awed by the young man who, with his fortune, could might as well be a Prince. His walk down the staircase seemed to last an eternity and when he went to finally stand by his parents, he could feel the gradual loss of interest of other guests.

“Happy birthday, Kim Jongin,” said the man standing by his father. Jongin knew him to be a close partner of his father’s, mainly in the Technological department. Together, they’d imported the first electrical advances from the far Americas years ago. His hand held on a tall glass of champagne whilst the other was wrapped around a beautiful woman. Jongin had never seen his wife until now, what with women not allowed into the company exchange meetings and all. “I hope you will succeed the Kim lineage.”

His father spent the whole night talking about possible dates, of numerous available women of high status and even pushed him onto a couple so he could dance with them while he talked with their parents. Jongin did his best with swooning the females although he hated how his muscles of his smile started to give in after a couple hours. From where he danced with a woman, tall with beautiful blue eyes and long black hair, he could see Taemin leaning against a wall at the far back, laughing with a young woman his age.

Light-heartedly.

Carelessly.

Happily.

His footing slipped and a light “ouch” followed and Jongin snapped out of his stupor.

“I’m so sorry, miss!” He bowed quickly, an expression of worry at the troubled face the woman wore.

“It’s alright, Mister Kim. It was just a mishap.” Her smile was bright and Jongin found himself smiling. Later he found out that the young woman—her name was Rose—bore the same hatred for such occasions much like himself.

++

“You will attend this party whether you want it or not. And you will also sit with the Wu’s daughter to talk because you’re going to marry her.”

Jongin hung on his father’s arm, despair in his voice. “Please father. I don’t want to marry her!”

His father turned and slapped him across his face. He knew better than grabbing on his father. The man exhaled in anger; “Your opinion doesn’t matter. I have already talked to Wu Yifan and it’s already planned for next year.”

Jongin knew there was no way out and as the days rolled and the months turned, he eventually had to break out the news to Rose. They planned weekly secret meetings somewhere in-between their mansions. It was always at an uphill where the city looked bright and beautiful at night but it was close enough for them to make a run for home in case someone uninvited appeared. They would both sneak out past midnight when all servants and their families would be asleep.

Their meetings would be rare and they would be short but Jongin felt like it was enough for him to go through another week. Somehow, Rose gave him enough strength to move through six more days.

“That’s…” Rose fumbled with her words. Her fingers tore at the grass that was starting to grow from the ground. Jongin could see how troubled she was—he didn’t hit around the bush with the news. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

Jongin shrugged, he wasn’t sure himself. Probably he hoped it would change before it actually happened. Or it could go away if he ignored it long enough. He kept silent either way. There was no way words could change anything.

“When…?” The young woman started but didn’t have the heart to finish.

“On March 24th.”

Suddenly, there were tears in her eyes and Jongin felt even more regretful.

“That’s in a month.”

++

The ceremony took a long time. Jongin couldn’t see Rose from under the arch and his father would have beaten him raw had he know his son was thinking of a different woman while he got married to the right one. Because she was the right one in his father’s eyes. Tall, holding the beauty of half the country. Flawless face and big brown eyes. Her blond hair was long and done up in a doll-like hairstyle. And most importantly, she held a huge fortune in her hands.

She was beautiful.

But she wasn’t Rose.

Jongin knew were his heart belonged, but he also knew where his body had to be and that was beside this woman who mattered nothing to him.

Following the wedding, he moved into a mansion in the outskirts of the city at the Northern part. There, according to his father, they would raise a big family and in turn, their children would raise theirs, following the arrange marriages until they would have so much luxury they would be known across the globe.

His secret meetings were impossible to do considering now he worked daily and he had a woman who watched him closely. He knew somewhere at the other side of the city, Rose would be waiting, sitting on that same uphill, tearing on grass that had grown so much since last month. She would be there and he was here and he could feel his heart wither because he knew she’d eventually have to marry a man she didn’t love and bare children for the same purpose only to be miserable.

It was then that Jongin wished her all the happiness.

He went to a well-known witch and paid a small fortune so her witchcraft would make her life twice as happy. He wished his own happiness to her even when the witch warned him about it. Such spells could have numerous consequences on his part but at that time, Jongin cared not about