Jungkook tapped his pencil against his desk, not paying any attention to the teacher up front. The only thing on his mind was meeting up with Joy after class to hang out at his place and discuss any new possible theories about Yeri’s killer. The vampire they’d met at the Jade Hotel, Hyuna, had said that vampires and werewolves had both played a part in the death. Jungkook had gone to the police the very next morning and informed them about his encounter, even though technically he’d broken the law for going out late. He left out the part of Joy being there with him. The police station immediately went into action, threatening the vampires to cooperate with the investigation or else there would be a war. Unfortunately, two days had passed and there was no word from the other side. It seemed like they were having trouble deciding whose side to be on. Perhaps they needed something to convince them…

            When the bell rang, Jungkook leaped out of his seat and headed towards the door with the other students, but the teacher called him back to have a word. “Yes, teacher?” he asked innocently.

            “Jungkook,” the teacher started, pushing his glasses down his nose, “I’ve noticed a change about you since Yeri’s…Anyway, I know it’s only normal to be traumatized by something like this, but I just want you to remember that I’m here for you, and so is the rest of this school.”

            “Thank you. It means a lot.”

            “I hope they catch the killers. Until then, I would like for you to remain focused on your schoolwork and stay out of trouble. I heard about you staying out past midnight. It’s dangerous, so please follow the laws and be safe.”

            Jungkook nodded and was allowed to leave. He stepped outside the building and saw that it was raining. “The one day I forget to bring my umbrella,” he muttered, and held his jacket up over his head. In the Dark City it stormed often, and the weather never surpassed 20 degrees Celsius. It was depressing. Other students were rushing into their cars or carrying umbrellas to avoid getting wet. When Joy finally met him, he sighed in relief. “I was getting worried someone had asked you for help in homework or something,” he joked.

            Joy laughed. “Not today. But how do we leave? It’s getting pretty bad out here.” She peered at the heavy rain anxiously. “I hope it doesn’t hail...”

            “Here,” said Jungkook, holding his jacket above her head so that he was mostly under the falling wet drops. “Let’s go!”

            They hurried to Jungkook’s home and were greeted by his older brother Junghyun, who was watching an old horror film on the television. They ordered pizza and sat down on the hardwood floor of his bedroom, surrounded by comic books and documents. “We should go and convince the vampires to join our cause.”

            “And how do you suggest we do that?” asked Joy around a mouthful of crust.

            “You win over one of the vampires. You’re charming, it should be no problem. There’s a certain one I had in mind, the guy who saved you last time…Did you get a good look at his face?”

            “I remember his face. I looked up towards the sky and saw him watching us.” Her expression softened and her eyes seemed far away. “Two days and all I can think about is that vampire. Why did he help me get away?”

            And all I can think about is you, Jungkook thought bitterly. “Perfect. Then you meet with him again and make him fall in love with you. When he does, he might convince his clan to help our side. I know it’s a long shot, but it’s only our plan right now.”

            She nodded slowly. “Whew. Okay. All I have to do is make a vampire fall in love with me…right.”

            “Don’t be nervous. I’ll be protecting you. Nothing bad will happen as long as I’m still here.” Jungkook slung an arm around her shoulder, and felt her tense up at his touch. He wondered if he should move, but then decided not to. Things were a little awkward between them since that day three months ago when he’d kissed her and confessed his feelings. She’d rejected him, saying she cared about their friendship too much to screw it up over a relationship that might or might not last. Since then Jungkook had felt weird hanging out with her, so he talked to her and Yeri less and less. Yeri, who didn’t know about the kiss, assumed that he was annoyed at them for something and felt upset, according to Joy. And then…the murder…Jungkook hadn’t spoken to Yeri for days when it suddenly happened. He got a phone call from Joy’s family informing him that his friend had been devoured by the creatures of the night. She’d been out past curfew, they all said. It was her fault. She should’ve been more careful. Her parents were too irresponsible. But Jungkook knew deep down that there was more to the story, a suspicion that been confirmed after their run-in with Hyuna. They had to find out what exactly happened. Yeri deserved that much. They were going to bring her justice.

            “Jungkook,” started Joy, but he moved his arm and took the hint. Awkward.

            “Let’s clean up. It’s getting late and the rain’s stopped falling now. You should go home and prepare for the plan. Get ready and don’t let your family know that you’re planning to meet with someone. Dress nicely. I’m sure you know what to do.” He opened the front door for her and watched her walk down the street, carrying her schoolbag, the wind blowing her long hair back.  

            Jungkook suspected that it wouldn’t take long for this plan to set in motion- after all, she was already starting to feel something for that vampire. He didn’t understand how it was possible to like those creatures, and so a part of him hoped it wasn’t true, that Joy was just doing this for Yeri and their plan.

            If only you felt that way about me. I would have everything. I would be happy.

            For now, he stared out the window silently, loneliness clouding his every thought.

            Joy finished applying the red coat of lipstick and leaned back to gaze at her reflection in the mirror. She was beautiful, no doubt, but was that enough to make that vampire feel something more for her?

            There was only one way to find out. She got up from her dresser, switched off the lights, and curled up under her blanket that concealed her black dress and matching heels. It was thirty minutes away from midnight, and Joy felt a swirl of emotions passing through her- nervousness, excitement, fear. You can do this, Joy. Don’t screw it up. When the clock finally struck twelve, she crept out of bed and made her way downstairs, sneaking past her sisters’ shared bedroom. Out in the streets, she kept her head down and walked quickly, completely focused on her mission. Jungkook was on the line with her and kept going over the plan, giving her advice and reassuring her that he would be ready to come to her if anything happened.

            After walking around in the city for half an hour, Joy reached the same place she’d encountered the two vampires last time, and waited there, holding her breath. Soon enough shouts and bloodcurdling shrieks filled her ears; the vampires were out scouting the Dark City for dinner. There were usually es and strippers out around this time, going to work or heading home, and they ended up being the unlucky victims. Joy had heard in school from other students that some girls liked being bitten and stayed out past curfew on purpose, but she just couldn’t imagine how they could. Wasn’t it painful to have your blood almost drained, to be attacked to the point of almost dying? She shivered at the thought and pulled her coat tighter around herself.

            And then, suddenly and breathtakingly, he arrived. She turned around and their gazes locked. She was unable to take her eyes away. He was just as she remembered, with his dark brown hair, almond shaped eyes, and pale skin. Tonight he wore white jeans and an ed white fur coat that showed off his abs and tattoos. Yes, that sort of beauty could only belong to a vampire.

            “Why are you out here again?” he asked, his voice like velvet. “Are you just looking for trouble or what?”

            “I was waiting for you to show up,” she answered truthfully, studying his reaction.

            If he was surprised, he certainly didn’t show it. “Well, here I am. And you look good enough to eat.”

            “You saved me last time. Why?” Joy took a step closer. “Why did you save my life, vampire?”

            He grabbed her in one swift motion, his arms snaking around her waist, his face only inches away. “I haven’t fed since that night, princess. I can barely restrain myself right now from ripping out your pretty white throat.” His fangs retracted, sharp and deadly. The moonlight gleamed off of them.

            Joy’s heart was racing and the palms of her hands grew sweaty. “You won’t hurt me.” Her voice came out as a squeak. Could she really do this?

            “Why not? You can’t stop me.”

            “If you hadn’t felt anything, you wouldn’t have saved me that night, and you wouldn’t be wasting time having this conversation with me right now. You’re attracted to me, aren’t you?” Please say yes…Or Jungkook was completely wrong…

            “I’m attracted to you? I think it’s the other way around…” She was speechless. Jimin smirked. “So I’m right, then.” His cold fingers trailed slowly down the side of her face. “You’re beautiful, you know. For a human.” Joy shut her eyes because she thought something was about to happen, but she heard his musical laugh as he moved at vampire speed to climb up the building and onto the roof above. She opened her eyes, gaping at him. “I’m a vampire. Don’t be so shocked. This is how we move. This is my world. Do you think you can keep up with a monster like me?”

            “You’re not a monster. You may be a vampire, but you aren’t entirely bad either. You have good in you- I can sense it.”

            “You can sense it? Hah. Like you even have a sixth sense. Vampires’ senses are heightened. We can see much farther and our night vision is incredible. We can hear sounds for miles. There’s no way to fool us. Humans on the other hand…” He crouched on the roof, staring down at her with an intimidating look. “Your kind is weak.” He said “weak” like it was a disease.

            “Then show me how to be strong,” replied Joy.

            Jimin flew down to stand by her again. “Are you sure about that?”

            She nodded. It was all so quick. One second she was standing on her feet and the next she was lifted up into his arms and they were moving so fast it felt like flying. Her eyes instinctively shut tight and she gripped him, holding on for dear life. The wind was rushing through her long hair. Her mind was blank; the only thing she could feel was the adrenaline kicking in through her entire body. Finally he set her down gently and they both landed on their feet. They were on the roof of the Jade Hotel.

            “You should know that right now, the vampire part of me wants to drink your blood.”

            Joy was still trying to catch her breath. “What does the human part of you want?”

            He looked at her seriously. “It doesn’t matter what the human part of me wants. I’m a vampire. Nothing can change that.”

            “It seems like you struggle with your desires.”

            He chuckled darkly. “That struggle is eternal.”

            Jimin sat down by the edge, his legs dangling in the air. Joy came over and sat beside him, gazing into the world surrounding them. She didn’t feel afraid. With any other vampire, she would have been terrified, but she knew this one wouldn’t harm her. She couldn’t explain how she knew that, she just did.

            After a long silence stretched out between them, he asked, “Why are you really here?”

            Do I be honest or do I lie to him? Will he know if I’m lying? “My best friend Yeri. Did you know her?”

            In the moonlight, his face almost seemed sad for a second. “She was a nice girl, your friend. The werewolves were the ones having fun with her.”

            “I need names.”

            “Why should I tell you? I’m leaving, you’re no fun.” He stood up.

            “Wait!” called out Joy. “I know you’re a vampire, so how could you possibly care for a human soul, right? But you obviously knew her. She didn’t deserve to die. Like you said, she was nice. She never hurt anybody!”

            He pondered over her words for a moment, taking in her concerned expression and sad eyes. She looked broken underneath that all that bravado. “Just be glad I spared your life. Go home, human. You don’t belong out here in our world. Yeri didn’t either. She got what was coming.”

            She grabbed his wrist. “Tell me your name before you go. Please. So I can find you again.”

            “I’m Park  Jimin.” With that, he left, racing home at a speed that was invisible to human eyes.

            Joy sighed heavily and pulled out her phone to call Jungkook. “Ah, Jungkook. Yeah, it went okay…”  

            “Was Yeri romantically involved with a werewolf?” wondered Jungkook. “We already searched through her bedroom last week. But we didn’t find any clues that led us to a werewolf…”

            “We’ll have to search through her stuff again today. Let’s go over to her family’s house and see what we can find.”

            Jungkook and Joy got up from their table, bought more coffee and donuts for her family, and threw their own empty plates and cups in the trash bin on their way out of the breakfast diner. It was Saturday, so they had the day off school and that meant plenty of time to move their plan forward. They went to Yeri’s home and knocked on the front door. It swung open to reveal a short but slender middle aged woman with the same eyes and lips that Yeri had.

            “Hello” They bowed to greet her. “We were in the area, so we just thought we’d stop by.”

            Yeri’s mother smiled warmly at the teenagers. “Of course. Come in, kids.”

            They removed their shoes and sat on the couch, instantly met by Yeri’s little sisters who were four and seven years old. “Yeri’s waiting for you upstairs!” squealed the younger one.

            Joy leaned down to ruffle the girl’s hair. “Of course. We’ll go see her soon.”

            The mom laughed, but it was sad one, filled with longing and emptiness all at once. She sat across from them and sipped her coffee. “Seventeen days have passed since she left. So much has changed for us.” She glanced at her daughters lovingly. “They constantly ask where their older sister went. It must be hard for them to understand the truth since they’re still so young.”

            Jungkook felt a stab of loneliness. “How are you doing, Mrs. Ki? I can’t imagine the pain you and your family are suffering.”

            “Yes, you can. You and Joy were Yeri’s best friends. You miss her just as much as we do.” Mrs. Ki sighed, her gaze fixated on the white carpet. “My baby left this world so brutally. So unfair…Her spirit must be uneasy. Please help her. Please find out the truth of my girl’s death.” Tears choked her voice.

            “Of course, Mrs. Ki,” replied Joy, going over to the woman and holding her hands. “We are doing everything we can to find out what happened to her that night, and to find out who could so such a despicable thing.”

            Jungkook averted his eyes. He felt uncomfortable watching the scene. It made him want to cry as well.

            “Why don’t you two go see her room? If you find anything that helps you, take it.”

            They did as she said and checked out her bedroom down the hall. Jungkook looked around at the pink and white walls and the messy interior, with CDs’s and schoolbooks strewn everywhere. There was a CD player on the shelf, and a dresser in the corner with stuffed animals and framed photos. It was so…Yeri.

            Joy said what Jungkook was thinking. “It feels like she never left, doesn’t it?”

            He only nodded in response, and went over to begin searching through her things as he had done the week before. After an hour of carefully analyzing everything and looking everywhere possible, in her jewelry box he spotted a brown woven bracelet that had mini wolf charms hanging from it. It clearly belonged to a werewolf.

            “Bingo.”