mentioned sekai. also, this is meant to confuse you. however, if you have any questions, do ask and i will answer as long as i don't reveal much of the upcoming plot (which is huge and i'm so going to regret having so many ideas about this). lastly, kyungsoo appears next chapter, woo!

Jongin’s heart had turned to stone.

There was something so inviting in the blackness of night that led him often out of his path, making him slip from his way and trip over yet another boulder of daily nightmares.

Jongin’s voice became something so rare Lu Han would often visit him, trying to keep him company. But the chipper and talkative vampire would be faced with dead silence and he, too, had given up on his approaches. Jongin hoped that the elder vampire would not take offence—Jongin was just not fit for a friend right now.

Leader Xiumin kept distance from him. Jongin guessed he didn’t want anything to do with him anymore, given the fact that he was nothing but a mere ant in front of Leader Xiumin’s status and influence. He was mad, furious, in fact. But he knew better than to show his hatred towards the man who could very easily get rid of him. Jongin didn’t want to risk playing with fire. Besides, nothing would change the present if he did.

Byun Baekhyun, the petite Alchemist, Chemistry scientist from the suburbs of the capitol, was long gone. Jongin had stopped counting how long what felt like ages ago. His insides had gone dry after the last blood in his system turned into unstoppable tears. The mortal he’d loved so much, the one who’d made him feel human again, was long gone. Gone with the wind as his ashes were carried away, leaving no sign of the once intelligent, handsome man when Jongin returned to the mansion’s garden the following night.

Just like Rose back then when he was still human, he’d lost yet another person he’d loved more than himself, and he came to reason that he ought to stop all this. He’d already failed twice, he already knew the third one would be the same. This life was not fit for happy endings.

“Maybe we should go to Suwon. Maybe that will help you think straight for once.”

Jongin nodded his head, keeping silent. His Maker held a cruel way of care but at this state the newborn was in, he’d take anything from the man. Be it harsh words.

Leader Xiumin was saddened to hear Wu and Jongin would leave his city, but he didn’t insist they stay either. However, he made sure to send a letter to Leader Suho of Suwon and inform him of their future arrival. He even made sure to throw a small event of all the vampires currently in his city just for good luck and goodbye. Jongin didn’t appreciate anything of that but his anger was drown only in mental thoughts.

“Such a shame, really,” Zhang Yixing, holding onto his glass of red blood, exclaimed once he was in earshot with Jongin and Wu. “I hoped I could meet you some more.” The ancient vampire sighed heavily and Jongin noticed how pale he looked. His skin gave a dusty image and Jongin quietly wondered if it was because of all those centuries the man was alive as an undead.

“It was a pleasure to have met you, Lieutenant Zhang.” Jongin bowed low and rose only when he felt a hand being placed on his shoulder.

“I’m just Zhang to you, young one.” His smile was barely there but his eyes showed all the affection in the world. Zhang had obviously seen so many things in his life but had still kept some compassion in him. Such a miracle that was, considering Jongin had lost all of his faith in only twenty-five years. Zhang truly carried a heart far too gentle in the kind of world they now lived in. Jongin wanted to ask him then and there the secrets of keeping his humanity intact. But he knew better.

So he nodded. And thanked him some more. And promised he’d visit again when time would come.

Chanyeol bid him goodbye with a tight hug, asking Jongin to say ‘hey’ to his friend residing in Suwon, Sehun. He even made Jongin promise he would do so just to be sure. Krystal was barely there. Her attention was entirely on Lu Han and Jongin looked away when her icy glare caught him staring. His eyes fell on Leader Xiumin instead, finding the man leaned against one elbow, his pocket knife of gold and metal in his other hand, twirling. Jongin could see the man staring at Lu Han and Krystal’s direction but he decided to not even bother to assume. It was useless.

Nearing midnight, Wu finally said it was time and he turned to leave for the stables. Leader Xiumin was thoughtful enough to give them two of their best horses on their little trip. That way, they’d avoid multiple stops and reach faster to their destination.

Jongin followed Wu’s orders in meeting him in front of the barn but before he could step out of the mansion, he felt himself being grabbed and pulled. Repeating the actions Lu Han had taught him a while ago, he quickly took ahold on the other, satisfied with himself that he successfully used what he’d learned. The grip, however, slipped and soon he was grabbed and pushed against the wall by the huge door, and taking a better look, Jongin was surprised. It was Lu Han himself who stood in front of him.

“Sir?”

“Listen, Jongin,” Lu Han started, talking quickly as if he had so many things to say but time was too short even for him. “I want you to know that whatever happened here, Leader Xiumin did it for you. It was a cruel but a great lesson nonetheless. One day, when you’re older, you’ll understand how much it needed to be done. Until then, you’ll probably live in hatred and betrayal but I just wanted to warn you that that time will come. Be it in ten, twenty, fifty or one hundred years; you’ll understand.”

Jongin held on Lu Han’s hands and slipped them off his shoulders. His expression was one of defeat. Five months had passed and nothing had changed inside his heart. It felt like yesterday when he saved Byun Baekhyun. It felt like yesterday when he kissed Baekhyun for the first time. When he swore he’d protect him from anything because he was a vampire and that was what vampires did; walk in your shadows and fend off whoever would harm you when you woke up. It felt like yesterday when he was ordered to tie his lover into the ground minutes after promising he’d be safe.

The wounds were still too fresh and while he still bled like this, he’d never forgive or forget.

“I don’t need any of your explanations, Mister Lu. I think I’ve had enough of this whole topic. Whether I understand or not does not matter when all you’ve done was to kill a man who could live. A man who had the right to live. And if not that, then at least not used as bait. Maybe one day I’ll understand—even if I doubt that will ever happen—but until then, I’ll loath this capitol with all of my dead heart.”

Jongin felt like crying but he had no bloody tear to shed. Thus, he stared at Lu Han with anger that did not falter even at the thought of who was standing in front of him. And then, he just walked past Lu Han and out the mansion. In front of the barn stood Wu holding onto two horses. He scolded him for being late and Jongin just nodded before jumping onto one of the horses.

The first night was just a silent ride, save for the wild galloping. And Jongin felt like he was running from something only he could see.

++

Just like expected, Leader Suho was waiting for them in his mansion four nights later. His residence, unlike Leader Xiumin’s, was smaller, a little bit less luxurious. Jongin guessed that it had to be Leader Suho’s character that was more down to Earth than the vampire ruling the capitol.

Suwon was the second largest city in Korea, having high population as well. It was nicely built with each fraction cut off from the other by wide avenues. Jongin would later find out that the nightlife in this city was much more active with drunk humans staggering from one place to the other and hookers standing on the pavements with cigarettes burning in their mouths. The city itself had also a great underground world. With the capitol full of military, everything illegal was moved to Suwon.

Jongin managed to take a glimpse of the nightlife as he and Wu rode their horses through the streets and towards the Leader’s mansion. There, at the front, stood Kim Jongdae. He’d introduced himself as Leader Suho’s second in command a long while ago and Jongin found the man standing as sour as back then at the sight of him. Wu explained from where he rode his horse that the vampire despised newborns. Suddenly, everything made sense to the younger.

“Ah, my two friends!” Suho exclaimed as soon as Kim Jongdae let Jongin and Wu into the mansion’s main living room. Taking a quick look, Jongin found mostly antics in the colors of dark wood and scarlet red fabric. “I’m glad you finally arrived.”

The old vampire sat on one of the couches, legs crossed as he held in his hand an expensive golden watch. He quickly rolled it over his left wrist and with a click, he secured it. Standing up, Jongin was reminded of how short the man was. That didn’t make him any less intimidating though.

“The Leader of the capitol sent me a letter that arrived just yesterday to inform me of your visit. You are more than welcomed here. You are allowed to stay as long as you want.”

Wu and Jongin bowed at the Leader in full respect.

“Thank you for letting us stay, my Leader,” Wu replied and Jongin noted how charismatic his Maker could actually be.

“I have a house ready for you at the outskirts of Suwon and I hope you’ll like the peace there. Leader Xiumin told me how you preferred such havens.”

“Thank you for your hospitality.”

“If you face any problems, do come to me.”

True to Wu’s words, Suwon helped Jongin quite a lot. There were so many new things he could explore and so many new activities he could do. A couple days after their arrival, he asked Leader Suho about this Oh Sehun Park Chanyeol had once told him about. At the sound of that name, Leader Suho hesitated a bit before giving him the address of the vampire. But not without warning him.

“He’s not the best influence, Kim, so I expect you to be careful with befriending him.”

Oh Sehun lived in the centre of the city, just where all the commotion happened each night. His choice of residence was a small apartment on the top floor of a three-story motel. It seemed small from outside—not something a vampire would choose to live in. Beneath his apartment were numerous little stores with red lights flashing from inside and multiple women standing every ten meters or so. It was the dirtiest neighborhood of all of Suwon.

Oh Sehun turned out to be just over six decades old with blond hair and some kind of ancestry from foreign countries since he had such an unusual and