It was the perfect opportunity. Their concert dates in Europe had finally ended and there was nothing stopping the members from taking a few days to explore the countries all around. Kyuhyun didn’t even try to hide his love for Italy and Spain, and was already dragging Ryeowook toward those vacation spots as they spoke.

“We can wine and dine and watch the city from our hotel room,” Kyuhyun pestered, nudging the other man as they sat at breakfast with the rest of Super Junior.

“Thanks for the invite,” Eunhyuk called flatly from the other end of the table, “I’m sure all of us would love to go, too.”

Kyuhyun rolled his eyes. “Ryeowook and I haven’t had a moment to ourselves since this tour started.” He tugged on his lover’s arm, pouting very faintly. “Right? You want to do just a trip with us, right?”

Ryeowook laughed, shaking his arm loose. “Don’t you think it’d be fun to do a group trip though? No cameras, no reporters, nothing. All of us can just go have fun together.” He looked around at the others who seemed to have varying degrees of interest. “Think about it, last Super Show, we were dealing with me and my…issues.”

“Turning into a wolf, you mean?” Leeteuk clarified, looking particularly smug.

“Yes, that,” Ryeowook ground out, frowning.

“Yeah, that time when all you wanted was for Kyuhyun to claim you?” Heechul chimed in around a bite of scrambled eggs.

“Oh! I remember. You snapped a microphone in half,” Eunhyuk added.

“It was a prop!” Ryeowook retorted.

“And you tore up the dormitory. Let’s not forget that,” Shindong nodded sagely, crossing his arms and leaning back.

Ryeowook dropped his head to the table. He should’ve known. If it was any other group, they would’ve let it go after over a year of teasing. In fact, when he thought back on that grueling year, he could barely fathom what had happened. It was just so ridiculous that the mere memory felt like a dream. Ryeowook glanced over at Kyuhyun who had returned to quietly eating, apparently uninterested in joining in the teasing.

There is one good thing that came out of that… Sighing, he reached under the table, taking Kyuhyun’s hand and squeezing. The latter perked a bit, shooting Ryeowook a quick glance under his lashes.

“Okay, can we focus?” Ryeowook stated loudly, shooting his cackling members a glare. “Let’s do a trip! Just two days and one night. And then we can all go off and do our own things if that’s what everyone wants.” He peeked over at Kyuhyun, giving him a silent look.

Kyuhyun took a moment to register the meaning, but then grinned. “I’m in.” And then we can go to Italy, just the two of us.

“I don’t mind,” Leeteuk shrugged, sipping his juice. “I don’t have any other plans and there are a few things I’ve been wanting to see.”

Ryeowook ignored the jolt of suspicion that rattled him. It was no secret that Leeteuk was into the occult—as was proven by his unending fascination with the werewolf case. It also wasn’t a secret that Europe was filled with the occult.

“I’m in too,” Eunhyuk nodded a little, “I like traveling with you guys.”

Donghae grunted his interest as well. The others shook their heads. Each of them admitted to having busy television appearances to make. It wasn’t shocking, considering they were all regulars in variety shows and/or dramas. Leeteuk should’ve also been in the same boat as them, but no one bothered to question him.

He was an anomaly.

“So just the five of us?” Eunhyuk prompted as they finished up breakfast. “Where do you guys wanna go?”

Without missing a beat, Leeteuk nearly shot out of his seat, saying, “Transylvania, Romania!” His eyes were bright, smile wide as he pulled out his phone, scrolling through an already opened internet tab.

Ryeowook exchanged a look with Kyuhyun, but neither said anything.

“Uh, why does that sound familiar?” Donghae frowned, brows scrunching up.

“Because,” Eunhyuk cut in, before Leeteuk could say anything, “that’s the home of Dracula.” He made little fangs with his fingers.

The other man blinked in surprise. “Oh? Wait, hyung, why do you wanna go there?”

Leeteuk huffed, shooting Eunhyuk a glare. “We’re so close and it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to visit the home of Dracula himself. How can we pass up the chance?” He looked back down at his phone, reciting, “Bran’s Castle is a national landmark in Romania and has recently partnered with a hotel chain to open up the castle for overnight stays. It’s a limited time offer and will allow guests to experience a luxury dinner before retiring to bedrooms outfitted in their original designs.”

“It’s actually Dracula’s home?” Kyuhyun cocked a brow.

“Okay, not exactly,” Leeteuk hedged, “but it’s famed as being his castle. That’s what’s important. Plus, we’re able to stay overnight! That’s the fun part.” He grinned widely. “Also, Transylvania is supposed to be quite beautiful.”

“Are there woods and forestry nearby?” Ryeowook prompted, looking uneasy. Ever since the wolf fiasco, he had firmly refused to go anywhere heavily wooded.

Their leader froze for a moment, seemingly deciding whether to answer or not. Finally, he cracked an easy smile and said, “No worries! We won’t be outside at night.”

Ryeowook’s expression fell, eyes growing hard. “No way. I’m not going anywhere near that. It’s asking for trouble.”

“It’s not even Halloween!” Leeteuk argued. “You’ll be fine. I think you’re being too sensitive. We live in nature, Ryeowook. You can’t just avoid it for the rest of your life because of one little dog bite.”

The younger man stared.

Leeteuk looked away. “Okay fine, I got it, I got it. But still you’re going to regret it if you don’t go,” he muttered, “it’s not a chance everyone gets in life.”

“If it’s that coveted, how are we going to get a reservation for the night?” Eunhyuk frowned.

“Don’t worry.”

All four soon-to-be travelers shot Leeteuk long-suffering glares. Donghae spoke up first, voice hard, “What does that mean?”

“Don’t tell me…,” Heechul looked up from where he was playing on his phone, mouth opening wide in amusement. “You already booked it, didn’t you?”

For once, their leader was speechless. And then he was laughing. And then he was backing away from his fuming members. “I thought that at least some of us would want to go!” he defended helplessly, “and I wasn’t wrong! I actually managed to convince them to give me six spots, so if anyone else wants to join, there’s room.”

Resounding “no’s” echoed from the others.

“And there’s no way to undo the reservation?” Ryeowook sighed, feeling a headache coming on.

“If you’ve got money to pay the cancellation fee, then by all means go ahead,” Leeteuk offered meekly, “but I’ll warn you, it isn’t cheap.”

Ryeowook grimaced. “I swear, if I get bit again by anything, I’m never, ever, ever going into another forest. And you can bet I’m never going along with one of your plans again, got it, hyung?”

Leeteuk beamed. “Got it.”

He totally didn’t get it.

***

A plane, train, and bus ride later, the five members of Super Junior were disembarking in Bran, Romania with stuffed backpacks and cameras. Eunhyuk looked less than pleased, but it was also hard to tell what he was thinking behind the face mask. Donghae was already off with his camera, snapping picture after picture. It was endearing the first hour of their trip, but had grown increasingly tiring as they hopped on each new transport vehicle.

Ryeowook yawned loudly, leaning on Kyuhyun heavily as he peered around the town square. It was much more beautiful than he had anticipated, given Leeteuk’s penchant for the paranormal. For some reason, he had expected an eerie town with even creepier folk.

Instead, they seemed to have gone back in time but without the rough and tumble challenges of no plumbing or sanitation.

“Tired already? Kyuhyun murmured against his ear.

Ryeowook shook his head. “I just feel a little lethargic. We haven’t moved much despite riding so many different vehicles. I need to stretch.” He rubbed at his eyes before raising both arms and stretching on his tip toes.

Kyuhyun watched him intently, feeling particularly silly when his eyes lingered on the small flash of skin from where Ryeowook’s sweater had slid up. What is wrong with you. You’ve seen him . Calm down. He brushed away the thoughts, looking away. His eyes dragged over to Leeteuk who had somehow snagged a local and was currently struggling through a language survival book.

Without thinking, he rushed over, intervening and listening to the man try to explain himself in Romanian. Kyuhyun took the survival book from Leeteuk, and quickly stumbled his way through asking how to get to Bran’s Castle.

The local gave a huff of frustration, and rapid fire spoke as he pointed out toward the edges of the town. Peeking up over the treetops were the tips and spires of a castle. Kyuhyun made a small noise of realization and then fumbled through a “thank you” in Romanian. The local departed and Kyuhyun very pointedly gave Leeteuk a look.

“Don’t harass people,” he scolded, “we’re representing our country and you need to be a good example.” Kyuhyun returned the survival book.

Leeteuk just smiled, nodding his head and wandering in the direction of the castle. Yes, yes, of course. I’ll be on my best behavior.”

A hand on Kyuhyun’s back pulled him out of his quickly spiraling fears. Ryeowook looked up at him, exasperated. “C’mon, you know Teuk-hyung is just excited. Give him a little break.”

Kyuhyun grumbled under his breath, but didn’t say anything else. It was obvious that Leeteuk was just trying to get the most out of his experience...or something like that. The truth still stood that he purposefully scammed them into doing some weird, ghost-hunting trip. Kyuhyun’s sympathy was minimal.

“Smile!” Donghae snapped a photo of the couple without waiting for either of them to smile, and then he scampered off.

“I’m sorry, Kyu.”

He glanced at Ryeowook. “For what?”

“We really should’ve just gone on our own trip.”

Kyuhyun sighed.

 

An hour and several mishaps later, they were trudging through the last of the woods surrounding Bran’s Castle. Sunset was in full swing, long shadows dragging across the emerging stone and wood building. Ryeowook tried to ignore the chills rolling up his spine as they passed by rustling trees and flickering blank space. That’s what usually scared someone. The emptiness. The fear of what could be. In Ryeowook’s case, the “could be” had happened once before, and he had no desire to relive it. Part of him was even sad that Donghae had stopped taking photos. Courtesy of Kyuhyun’s long fingers and deep pockets, the camera film had been hidden away.

It was around the time that they left the town limits that Kyuhyun had finally snapped. Donghae had managed to not only photograph a kiss between Ryeowook and Kyuhyun, he had taken multiple photos of it while happily cheering about the cuteness.

Kyuhyun was not so amused.

At least Ryeowook still had Eunhyuk and Leeteuk to distract him from the silence. The former had managed to not only spur on Leeteuk’s behavior, but had joined in it.

Needless to say, they were one camera crew away from a variety show with Eunhyuk and Leeteuk as MCs. They were in the midst of narrating to the other three members about the details of the castle, the museum inside, and the guidelines for their overnight stay. How Eunhyuk had managed to learn all those details...Kyuhyun didn’t know. He could’ve sworn the only one who knew anything was Leeteuk.

Clearly, he was wrong.

“We have to take these stone steps up to the main entrance,” Eunhyuk pointed ahead, looking down at a brochure in his hands.

Leeteuk gripped his phone, apparently checking their reservation information. “Yes. We’re a little bit late, but hopefully that’s not a problem.” He glanced up, seeing the sun slowly descending beyond the hills and trees.

“We wouldn’t have been late at all, if you guys just stayed on track,” Ryeowook muttered under his breath, thinking about how they had spent way more time than necessary in the woods outside the castle.

Kyuhyun squeezed his hand, smiling in understanding and faint amusement. “It’s just one night,” he murmured back, glancing around for strangers before pressing a kiss to Ryeowook’s hair. “And I’ve already booked our flight for tomorrow evening.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Ryeowook nodded softly. His eyes shifted to Donghae who followed along glumly. “Maybe you should give him his camera film back.”

“When he stops taking photos like a fool, I’ll return it,” Kyuhyun retorted, shooting Donghae a glare.

The older man just cocked his head, curiously. Kyuhyun sighed. He doesn’t even know I took it. Shaking his head, he turned back to see the stone steps leading up toward an arched wooden doorway.

“This is it?” Kyuhyun remarked. It hardly looked intimidating. Nothing nearly as scary as Dracula.

Leeteuk grinned. “Yup! I told you it would be fine. There’s absolutely nothing—” he choked on his words as the door slowly creaked open.

No one was there.

“It’s just the wind,” Eunhyuk rolled his eyes, “it’s an ancient castle. Of course a slight draft could send a door creaking open.” He hopped ahead of the others, reaching for the now ajar door. Just as his fingers brushed it though, the wood swung open, sending Eunhyuk reeling.

He staggered back, nearly falling over. Leeteuk caught him, eyes wide. “Are you okay?” he gripped his friend tightly, scanning him in the dim light of the fading sun and the slowly brightening lamp lights.

Eunhyuk nodded, looking mildly stunned. “Yeah, just surprised.”

In the doorway, a finely dressed man stood next to what Kyuhyun could’ve sworn was an animated corpse. He had only a shock of white hair, spine painfully crooked, and fingers aged and bony. Deep-set lines carved into his face, framing the sunken sockets of his wide eyes. A heavy ruby ring weighed down on the middle finger of his right hand.

“Welcome,” the well-dressed gentleman smiled politely at them. “I’m so glad to see you all made it here without trouble. We were worried about how you would navigate without any language ability,” he spoke in fluent Korean.

“I brought a survival book,” Leeteuk explained, as if somehow that really had been what helped them make it to the castle in one piece.

The worker chuckled. “That’s very good. Please, come in and rest. This is the castle keeper,” he indicated the decrepit old man with a hand, “he’ll be taking care of you throughout the night. I will only be here through dinner, so please accept my apologies.”

“Him?” Kyuhyun whispered to Ryeowook, only now starting to feel the edge of panic. If anything, the creepiest part of this trip was that old man.

Ryeowook didn’t seem phased though. “What’s wrong? He looks harmless. He also doesn’t seem to speak Korean though, so that could be an issue.”

“That’s the issue?” his lover hissed, tensing up when the old man in question shot them both a hard look.

Donghae came up next to Leeteuk and Eunhyuk. “Great! I’m starving. Can we come in now?”

With that, they headed in.

Trust Kyuhyun to remind everyone later that he had the worst feeling on the planet coiling in the pit of his stomach.

They filed into the entry hall, immediately taken aback by the lighting and décor. Leeteuk had never seen such luxury and definitely hadn’t been expecting things to seem quite so...authentic. “This is amazing,” he breathed, taking a slow turn around the room. His eyes stopped on the long banquet table filled with food. “Oh. Is that for us?” Leeteuk whirled around, surprised.

“Of course,” the host nodded his head, hands clasped behind his back. “We promised an unforgettable stay in Bran’s Castle. We plan to deliver.”

Kyuhyun nodded with growing unease. Something didn’t seem right.

And then it clicked.

He looked around quickly, eyes wide. The castle keeper was nowhere to be seen. His first thought was good riddance. His lingering thought was no one who’s old and frail should be able to disappear without someone noticing. “Hey Ryeong,” Kyuhyun whispered, nudging the shorter man in the side.

Ryeowook ignored him in favor of making a beeline for the food. Now that he was safely out of the forest, it felt like maybe they could relax a bit. Plus, their host was being so courteous. It was easy to just fall for it.

Clearly, everyone else thought so as well because Kyuhyun soon found himself alone and stuck to the spot as s took seats around the table.

A hand pressed into his shoulder and he nearly jumped out of his skin. The host was smiling down at him. “Sir, please take a seat as well. The food will get colder at this rate.”

“Where’s the castle keeper?” Kyuhyun asked, still not moving. He glowered at the host who smiled a little too brilliantly and whose eyes shined a bit too brightly.

“No need to worry. He’s just doing a routine check of the grounds. Relax and enjoy your dinner,” he answered smoothly.

Ryeowook stood up from his seat, calling out to Kyuhyun, “What are you doing? Let’s eat! They have wine too.”

Wine is nice… Kyuhyun grimaced, shrugging off the man’s hand as he walked over to sit next to Ryeowook. Taking a seat slowly, he looked over his shoulder, eyeing the host warily as he continued to stand at attention.

 

Dinner dragged later into the night as more dishes and eventually more drinks came out of the kitchen. None of them questioned the staff on hand, figuring that if their host was still present, then it couldn’t have been too late.

Probably.

Ryeowook was finishing his third glass of wine and looking tipsier than Kyuhyun expected. Sniffing his own glass, he wondered if it was a more potent variety than they were used to. Reaching the small distance, he slid his arm behind Ryeowook, palm pressing into the chair’s plush velvet cushion. He leaned in, lips against the other man’s ear. “You’re not drunk, are you?” he asked, teasing. The worry flecked his voice nonetheless.

“Just happy,” Ryeowook corrected, words slurring ever so faintly at the end.

“Wow, having a lover must be fun,” Eunhyuk suddenly remarked, watching the pair.

Donghae laughed. “You know, if you’re jealous, you could go find someone.” He ate another mouthful of dessert, humming pleasantly at the taste.

“He’s right,” Leeteuk added, sipping his white wine, “There are lots of women and men who would love to date you. Y’know, despite your face.” His eyes twinkled with amusement.

Eunhyuk snorted. “And I’m sure someone will love you in your old age too.”

Kyuhyun wanted to block the others out, but their voices were always overpowering. With a sigh, he scooted a bit closer to Ryeowook, pressing his cool fingertips to the other man’s cheeks and forehead. “You’re really flushed,” he clicked his tongue, smoothing the pad of his thumb over the smooth skin of Ryeowook’s jaw.

“I like it when you touch me,” he mumbled, a dopey little smile on his face as he snuggled into Kyuhyun’s hand.

Heat crawled up Kyuhyun’s neck as he pointedly ignored the multiple pairs of eyes judging them. It wasn’t like he wanted to put on a show or something. This was just the way things turned out...sometimes, or always. “Alright, that’s definitely enough wine for you,” he breathed, tugging the glass out of Ryeowook’s hand.

A little whine worked its way up his throat, but he reluctantly let the glass go. Kyuhyun leaned back in the high-backed chair, smiling when he felt Ryeowook lean on his shoulder. A fluffy head of hair brushed against his neck, tickling him.

Their fingers tangled together in Kyuhyun’s lap, as the latter huffed out a laugh. “You’re clingier whenever we drink.”

“Anybody else think these two should get a room?” Eunhyuk complained.

Kyuhyun pointedly ignored them. “Are you ready to retire for the night?” he sighed, looking at Ryeowook. The latter just nodded, yawning as if to emphasize the point. Standing up, Kyuhyun helped the other man to his feet. “Where are our rooms?”

“We’ve prepared individual rooms for everyone on the second floor,” the host stated, coming up beside them. “I can lead you both up there for now.” He flashed a smile at the remaining members who chatted and drank at the table. “I’ll also lead you all to your room whenever you’re ready.”

Grunts of approval and words of thanks passed around before the host was leading Kyuhyun and Ryeowook down a slightly dim hallway. Lamps lined either wall, the flames at dark stone. A slight draft curled around them, but Kyuhyun had a feeling Ryeowook was already too far gone to notice.

Grimacing, he held his lover a little tighter, making sure he didn’t faceplant with each step. Their footsteps were heavier than he expected, echoing off the walls. He glanced at the host, but the man didn’t seem to be interested in engaging. The air of politeness had a firm boundary line and Kyuhyun didn’t think he could cross it even if he wanted to.

That should’ve been clue number two that things were not great.

 

They reached the first room, and the host pulled out a ring of brass keys. “Which of you would like this room?”

“Uh, we can just share.”

His movements stuttered. If Kyuhyun hadn’t been watching for it, he probably would’ve missed it. The host recovered near immediately and nodded. “Of course. However, I will say that all of our rooms are similar and have the same amenities. Furthermore, if you’re worried about your friend’s condition, our groundskeeper makes rounds all night. You met him earlier.”

Like hell I’m trusting that man. Kyuhyun returned the polite smile. “I think I’d still prefer to watch over him personally.” He tugged Ryeowook closer to his side, half in fear, half to make a point.

The host’s eyes strained at the corners, but his impeccable grin remained frozen in place. “Ah, I understand. No need to say more. I’ll leave the key here for you.” He bowed once to them, not meeting their eyes again as he bid them goodnight.

Kyuhyun watched the man disappear down the hallway, never looking away until he had turned a corner. Lugging Ryeowook into the room, he dropped the drunkard on the plush bed. Shrugging off both their backpacks, he dug through them to find pajamas. Honestly, when had he become the Ryeowook’s sitter? Wasn’t it supposed to be the other way around?

Sighing, he took his change of clothes into the bathroom. It shouldn’t have been surprising, but the gold plated tub and updated appliances were certainly a sight for sore eyes. He could have a decent bath despite the unease that lingered in his mind and heart.

Forty minutes later, Kyuhyun came out, a towel around his shoulders. In the semi-darkness, he strained to find Ryeowook on the bed. The blanket was all rumpled and the sheets seemed to be slightly wrinkled.

There was no trace of Ryeowook, though.

I’m never going anywhere with them again.

***

That was how Kyuhyun found himself running around Dracula’s Castle at midnight in just his pajamas and a borrowed robe. His first stop had obviously been the dining room. As luck would ing have it, everyone had cleared out in the forty-five minutes or so since he had last been there.

Trying to stay calm, he had paused there for a moment to consider his options. The host hadn’t bothered to specify where exactly the others’ rooms were, however, they all had to be on the second floor. With that, he had tore up the stairs, taking them two at a time. Reaching the landing, he took a sharp left and proceeded to knock loudly on every door he passed.

It wasn’t until the fifth door that he received a response.

Leeteuk pulled the old, groaning door open. A towel was tossed over one shoulder. “Kyuhyun? What’s up?” His brows pulled together with concern.

“Ryeowook disappeared.”

Immediately, the leader’s shoulders tensed. “What do you mean?” He set the towel aside, stepping out into the hallway. “When?”

“I took a bath and when I came out, he wasn’t there. Have you seen him? I’m worried he’s still tipsy and got lost in the castle.”

Leeteuk grimaced. “Or, something dark and menacing caught him…again.”

“Why is your first reaction always something occult?” Kyuhyun snapped. “This could be totally normal. The castle’s huge and his head is probably spinning from the alcohol.” Even as he spoke though, he couldn’t ease the itch that told him this wasn’t just a drunkard wandering off on their own.

Sighing, the older man shut his door and nodded across the hall. “Eunhyuk is staying in there and Donghae is a few doors down. Let’s get them before we start running around. It’s better to stay together, especially since our host has left for the night.”

Keeper… “Where’s the groundskeeper?” Kyuhyun asked as they knocked on Eunhyuk’s door.

Leeteuk paused. “That’s…a good question. He would probably know this place a lot better. Maybe he’s already found Ryeowook?”

I hope ing not. Kyuhyun rubbed his aching head, waiting impatiently for Eunhyuk to answer.

A minute passed without a sound.

“That’s strange. It couldn’t have been more then fifteen minutes since we settled into our rooms. Do you think he went to chat with Donghae?” Leeteuk stepped away from the door, already making his way to the other member’s room.

Kyuhyun but back the urge to say that this was just getting weirder and weirder. Seeing Leeteuk be correct about supernatural happenings wasn’t something he enjoyed. After all, the man was too accurate. If what he thought was the truth, then they were in for a hell of a lot more trouble.

Donghae answered the door after a few short knocks.

Both Leeteuk and Kyuhyun released relieved sighs, and immediately told Donghae what had happened. Unfortunately, he also hadn’t seen Eunhyuk.

“This is bizarre,” Leeteuk muttered, scrolling through his phone as they wandered all throughout the second floor.

None of the other doors would open and the windows were all soundly shut against the cold winds. It always got just a bit chillier in the evenings. However, given the draftiness of the castle, nothing felt warm in the corridor.  

“Do you think someone took them?” Donghae asked bluntly.

Reflexively, Kyuhyun smacked the other man’s arm. “Don’t say that,” he retorted.

“I’m just saying, if that’s actually the case though, we really shouldn’t be wasting time walking around. We should call the police,” he grouched, rubbing his arm. Tugging out his phone, he checked his reception bars. “See? We even have service.”

“Can you speak Romanian?” Leeteuk cocked a brow. “Because I’m pretty sure that’s the only way we’re going to be able to explain what’s going on.”

Donghae’s expression fell. “Oh.”

And so, they trudged on.

***

“Guys, it’s nearly 1am and we haven’t found them.” Kyuhyun looked up from his phone clock.

Leeteuk and Donghae exchanged a nervous look. The trio didn’t want to say what they were thinking. It was obvious that something must have happened. But what? After an hour of traipsing around the castle, they had yet to find even an inkling of their friends. The only places they hadn’t gone were outside and…

“I think we have to do it.”

“You’re crazy.”

Leeteuk huffed. “Okay, there’s no other option. We have to go check. That’s the last place we haven’t looked and that so-called groundskeeper is also nowhere to be found. What else are we supposed to do?”

Kyuhyun glowered. “You know those horror movies with the dumb teenagers, hyung? That’s us. Right now.”

“Really?” Donghae chimed in. “I think we’re more like Scooby-Doo.”

“That’s not the point.”

Leeteuk jabbed a finger at the spiral staircase before them. “If they’re not in the lower level, then we’ll check outside. I just think it’s slightly less dangerous to be checking indoors before running around outside. What if we failed to check the entire interior and just hopped outside right as they showed themselves? That would be pitiful.”

“First,” Kyuhyun ground out, “that’s not a lower level. That’s a dungeon. A dungeon. Do you know what that means?”

“It’s a museum!” Leeteuk argued. “Even if it was a dungeon in the 15^th century or whatever, it’s not anymore. I bet they use it for storage and stuff. Let’s just take a quick peek and then we’ll leave, okay?”

Donghae pushed past them, taking the steps quickly down. “Let’s stop dilly-dallying. Whoever is or isn’t down there already heard us bickering. It’s too late to even surprise them. We might as well bite the bullet.” He disappeared around the curved stone.

Kyuhyun shot one last glare at Leeteuk. “If something down there attacks us, I swear—”

“—yeah, yeah, I’ve heard it all already,” he waved his hand dismissively, swiveling around and hurrying after Donghae. “Let’s just get moving!”

I’m so done. Kyuhyun followed suit.

At the bottom of the steps, another wooden door met them. Rather than being locked like all the other storage rooms though, this one stood ajar. Firelight peeked through the crack and Kyuhyun felt his heart leap in panic and anticipation.

Maybe Ryeowook really was down here?

Leeteuk exchanged looks with the other two before nodding and pulling the door silently open. Apparently, someone had taken the time to oil the hinges.

Great sign. Yeah, definitely. Kyuhyun kept his thoughts to himself.

The door opened immediately into an oval shaped room. Red velvet draperies were cast across the walls, insulating the chilly space. Dim lamps were posted at the four curved corners, illuminating only the bare minimum. That was enough though to make out the glossy casket in the center of the room.

“Well, it’s not a dungeon.”

Kyuhyun fought the urge to punch his leader.

Glancing more frantically around the room, he spied a second door across the way. Although he knew it probably wouldn’t help him in the long run, he gave the coffin a wide breadth, sticking near the wall as he inched toward the next door. Behind him, he noted that Leeteuk and Donghae had copied his tactic. The only thing he could feel thankful for in that moment was that neither of them said another word.

The reached the door, eyeing it with a deep wariness. What if he found something horrifying behind that door? Then again, what could beat the current situation? A lot of things. A lot of things could be worse. Kyuhyun flinched at his own thoughts.

They were fair. Things could be even worse. What if they found something…not alive behind that door?

A hand clapped him on the shoulder, sending a surprised jolt up his back. Turning around, Kyuhyun managed to smile the tiniest bit at Leeteuk’s confident demeanor. Now that they had come this far, he wondered if maybe they should’ve gotten some weapons. On the other hand, what sort of weapons would be effective?

They didn’t even know what they were up against.

He stifled a sigh. Looking around the mostly barren room, he opted for snatching up one of the lamps, effectively tearing it out of the electric socket. Nodding at the other lamps in the room, he cued Donghae and Leeteuk to do the same thing.

Soon, the three of them were armed with somewhat rickety metal rods with heavy lightbulbs on the ends. Kyuhyun his lips, grabbing the door handle and twisting. He shouldered it open, already tensed to fend off an attacker. His eyes fell on the three people in the room.

Blood.

Fangs.

“Holy .” Leeteuk breathed, dropping his weapon.

The clang caught the attention of the occupants. It was a simple study with a writing desk and an antique couch. Nothing was out of place except the people. Kyuhyun felt frozen. Sprawled across the floor was Ryeowook. His clothes were intact and his breathing mostly stable. It looked like he was just asleep. However, it was the pair on the couch that seemed to bring the temperature of the room down.

Eunhyuk was on his back, arm caught in a bruising grip as a pale, decrepit old monster buried glistening teeth into the tender flesh of his wrist. Bright red eyes were no longer locked on Eunhyuk though. Instead, they were watching the three new arrivals with a great mixture of intrigue and irritation.

Taking one last drink from their friend, the creature tore his fangs free and the wound shut. Eunhyuk’s wide dark eyes reflected only shock and fear, his lips trembling.

“More visitors?” a hoarse voice murmured. Right before their eyes, the wrinkled monster’s skin tightened, and his crooked posture straightened. The lines around his eyes lessened and the strength in his jaw returned.

“What the—” Donghae was cut off as the monster lunged at them. He screamed shoving the lamp out in front of him, arms stiff despite the way his knees shook.

Kyuhyun dove out of the way, landing a few feet from Ryeowook. Quickly gathering the unconscious man into his arms, he held him tightly, scooting away from the bloodsucker. Shooting Eunhyuk a look, he noted with some relief that Leeteuk had ran over to him.

“What was that?” Leeteuk hissed, examining Eunhyuk’s arm in a frenzy.

“Uh, a vampire?” he offered. “Dracula? I woke up here and that old groundskeeper was just…watching me.” Eunhyuk shuddered. “I tried to fight back, but he’s a damn strong old geezer.”

Across the room, Donghae managed to roll away from his attacker, still gripping the lamp hard. “A little help any day, guys!” he shouted, yelping high and sharp when the fanged monster made another grab at him.

Kyuhyun reluctantly released Ryeowook, laying him back down on the floor carefully before looking around for anything that could be used as an additional weapon. Helplessly, he shot Leeteuk a look. The older man seemed to go blank for a moment before snapping back into it and reaching for the lightbulb on his lamp.

Unscrewing it quickly, he tested it’s weight for a second before chucking it at the vampire’s feet. The resounding crash was enough to halt his movements and avert his attention. Leeteuk was smiling easily, but it was obvious that his heart was nearly beating out of his chest. Keeping one arm around Eunhyuk, he spoke in an even, almost polite voice. “I have information you'd like to know.”

The creature stared.

Donghae scrambled to his feet, bracing himself back against a wall. “What are you talking about, hyung?” he whisper-yelled.

“Now, now,” Leeteuk responded pleasantly, “let’s be logical here.” He swallowed hard, Adam’s apple bobbing. “There are…what? Five of us once we wake up Ryeowook. Based on how you’re having trouble getting to even one of us,” his eyes cut to Donghae, “it’s clear that you’re lacking the strength and speed to attack all of us at once. If we banned together, we could overpower you pretty fast, isn’t that right?”

A scowl overtook the pale, twisted features. “Arrogant human, aren’t you?” he growled.

“A little,” he admitted, ignoring the sweat trickling down his back. “But why don’t we tell you exactly why all of us aren’t even worth your time? You’ve already tasted Eunhyuk, and I’m sure you noticed that his blood is a bit salty.”

“I noticed no such thing,” he retorted sharply. “Blood is blood.”

“Blood is a delicacy,” Leeteuk fired back, frowning. “This man here is part anchovy, you know.” He nodded earnestly. “It must have been years since you’ve last drank Human blood, so your taste buds are skewed. I can assure you that it should be sweeter.”

The crypt keeper paused. Those wild, red eyes were cooling in contemplation. “That…may be true,” he muttered, “It has been nearly a century since I feasted on Human blood. I do recall a sweeter, smoother texture.”

“Exactly!” he cried. “So you definitely don’t want any more of this subpar blood.” Leeteuk scoffed at Eunhyuk. “That man over there that you were attacking is also of the same species as this one.” He pointed at Eunhyuk, but looked at Donghae. “You see, they’re both…fishy, if you will. Their blood isn’t delicious at all from what I’ve heard. And there’s obviously no way that you could drink my blood.”

“Why?” He narrowed his eyes into slits.

Leeteuk chuckled, his showmanship the greatest thing Kyuhyun had ever seen. “I’m an Angel.” He smiled in disappointment. “You have to know from all your wisdom that creatures like you and me…aren’t compatible. If you drink an Angel’s blood, it’s like poison.”

The creature’s eyes widened. “Indeed…,” he grumbled, “you are quite knowledgeable.”

“Angels often are intelligent,” he nodded sagely.

“And what of you, Human?” Red eyes cut to Kyuhyun. “I see nothing wrong with taking from you.”

“He’s—” Leeteuk began, but Kyuhyun cut him off.

“—I’m anemic.”

The vampire cocked his head in confusion.

Kyuhyun shrugged. “I spend a lot of time sitting in the dark playing video games, and therefore my iron levels in my bloodstream are extremely low. If you were to drink my blood, it would be thin and flavorless. Probably wouldn’t provide any nutrients either.”

“I’ve never heard of such a condition in Humans,” the monster glowered, skeptical.

“It’s true!” Leeteuk insisted, “It’s quite common as a genetic trait and apparently people like Kyuhyun can also develop this rare condition from…playing video games in the dark.” He shot the youngest member a withering glare.

Kyuhyun merely shrugged.

The vampire hissed out a long-suffering sigh. Locking eyes on Ryeowook, he darted across the room and snatched up the man before anyone could make a move. “I tire of these stories. I see nothing wrong with this one. Have you any complaints?” He tore the collar of Ryeowook’s shirt, exposing the pulsing veins of his neck.

Leeteuk was stumbling to his feet, but no excuses came immediately to mind. He exchange a brief, panicked look with Kyuhyun but neither of them could summon up the words to halt the monster.

Taking that as permission, the vampire sank his fangs into the soft flesh. A strangled shout burst from Kyuhyun who was running at them without thinking.

Before he had taken more than two steps though, the creature was shrieking and tearing violently away from Ryeowook. He tossed the man aside, and Kyuhyun dove forward, catching him before he hit the ground.

“What…,” Kyuhyun trailed off, watching in awe as purple welts formed around the bloodsucker’s lips. Everywhere that Ryeowook’s blood touched him, the ashen skin would burst with red and violet blisters. He threw Leeteuk an alarmed look, but the man only shrugged in confusion.

“What is he?” the vampire hissed hatefully, clawing at his own face.

“Uh…Human?” Donghae offered meekly from where he had shifted to stand on Eunhyuk’s other side.

“That thing isn’t Human!” he spat. The smell of his flesh beginning to melt only emphasized his point.

Suddenly, Kyuhyun’s eyes widened. “He’s a werewolf!”

The vampire was back against the wall in an instant, eyes wide and scornful. Before he could start spewing more loathsome words, his tongue swelled, and his skin cracked from lips to cheeks. Covering his face with a wail, he darted out of the room.

Leeteuk chased after him, throwing the door open just in time to see the lid of the coffin shut with finality. He stared for a long moment, listening to the pained groans of the creature through the wooden casket.

Turning slowly back to his friends, he offered a small shrug. “I guess…that’s it?”

“Not exactly.” Kyuhyun had taken off his robe and was using it to apply pressure to the wound on Ryeowook’s neck. “It’s deep enough that it won’t stop bleeding. I think we really do need to call the police and an ambulance.” He held Ryeowook a bit closer.

“I’d also like to get checked out,” Eunhyuk piped up, looking queasy. “Even if he healed my wound, he did it by it.” A shudder rolled through him. “That definitely wasn’t cool.”

“That still doesn’t solve the issue of Romanian,” Donghae pointed out.

Kyuhyun knew he was going to hate the next words to come out of his mouth. “…We have that Romanian survival book.”

Leeteuk smiled.

***

“So…you’re telling me that I got bit again.”

Ryeowook sat upright in the hospital bed, glaring daggers at the others. The sun was bright through the transparent white curtains, offering a rather pleasant scene of the mountains and valleys. That was definitely dampened by the obvious irritation simmering in the air.

“But if it wasn’t for that first bite, we probably wouldn’t have escaped,” Leeteuk explained. “And if it wasn’t for this second bite, we surely wouldn’t have left in one piece. You saved us!”

“What was my one condition?”

“Avoid forested areas?”

Ryeowook growled.

Leeteuk waved his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry you got bit…again.”

Closing his eyes, Ryeowook flopped back against the sheets. He winced slightly at the dull pain in his neck and shoulder. “Please tell me this one isn’t going to turn me into a vampire.”

“I don’t think so,” Leeteuk responded, glancing down at his phone and scrolling, “I read up on vampire bites. I guess since you’re basically still a werewolf by blood, you’re automatically poisonous to bloodsuckers and consequently, they can’t really turn you into one of them.” He frowned. “Either way though, vampires can apparently choose who they turn into vampires. I think this guy was only interested in eating us.”

“That’s…comforting.” Kyuhyun stepped into the room, looking exhausted but relieved as his eyes fell on a conscious Ryeowook. “How are you feeling?” He sat down on the edge of the bed, taking one of the man’s hands.

A small smile worked its way onto Ryeowook’s face. “I could probably be better.”

“I booked us a direct flight home in a week,” he stated. “I think I’ve had enough of vacation.”

Ryeowook chuckled. “I think so, too.”

“This is great!” Leeteuk clapped his hands together, eyeing the two youngest members. “Since all of us will be back in Korea so soon, we can all be on the new show I’m hosting.”

“Not interested,” they responded simultaneously.

His face fell. “What? No! It’s a good one! It’s all about Santa Claus—”

Kyuhyun tuned Leeteuk out, squeezing Ryeowook’s hand instead. He leaned down, kissing the corner of his lips. “Heal up fast.”

“Yeah,” Ryeowook grinned, brushing the tip of his nose against Kyuhyun’s. “Next time let’s just do a vacation for the two of us.”

“Deal.”