“Okay… Well… There is one thing that kind of bothered me. You said you knew I didn’t go to the bookstore. How did you know if you can’t read my mind?”

He looked away as if thinking it over.

“You said it was my turn. Did that mean you lied to me?”

Jungwon lets out a sigh. “Fine. …fine. I followed your scent.”

He turned his focus back to the road. Why is someone as pretty as him like this? He’s talking like my vampire theory is actually true. There is no way that that’s in fact true. Jungwon cannot be a vampire. I mean… he did push away the van. He did stalk me by supposedly reading Jimin’s mind and tracking my scent. Oh my god… 

“I have more questions…” I stalled.

“Which one?” His tone was clear.

“How does the mind reading thing work? Can your whole family do it? Is it just you? Are—”

“Miyoung. I said one.” He took a deep breath. I don’t think I’ve heard him do that before. “It's just me. I can't hear anyone, anywhere though. There’s a range with it. It’s like… it’s like being in a room with so many people talking at once. If I focus on one person then their thoughts become more clear. The only problem is trying not to answer people’s thoughts out loud… Having to pretend I can’t hear their thoughts is very hard.”

“Except me …cause you can’t read my thoughts. …why do you think you can’t read my mind?”

“The only guess I have is… maybe your mind doesn't work the same way as theirs? I mean I don’t know what else it could be. …Eunwoo has the medical degrees, not me.” He laughed.

“Can you not phrase this like that? Makes me feel like a freak…”

“I tell you I hear voices and you’re the one that feels like a freak? …nevermind. Ignore what I said Miyoung. It’s just a theory.” I don’t get it. Of course, I would. Jungwon has said everything to me so matter of fact, that I can’t believe anything else. “We should talk about you though.”

I was at a loss for words.

“Really? Why so speakless? Aren't we past being shy?”

I opened my mouth to scold Jungwon however my eyes went to the speedometer. “Oh my God! Jungwon! Slow down!”

“W-what? What’s wrong?”

“Slow down! You’re speeding!” Looking out the window I just see darkness. I can only see the road when I look out the windshield. Why wasn’t he slowing down? I couldn’t stay calm while he was going at this speed.

“Relaaaaax, Miyoung.” He rolled his eyes.

“How the hell am I supposed to relax?! We’re gonna crash!”

“We’re not gonna crash.”

“Then why the hell are driving like this?!”

He flashes me a crooked smile. “I always drive like this.”

“Keep your eyes on the road!”

“Relaaax. We’re not gonna crash. Remember…” He taps his head leaning towards me. “I’ll hear them miles away. We’re fine.”

“Very funny." I fumed. "Jaeduck's a cop, remember? I was raised to abide by traffic laws. If you turn us into a pretzel, you can probably just walk away. Mister super freaking human!"

He gives a short, hard laugh. “You’re not wrong but… yeah… you wouldn’t…”

I let out a breath that I didn’t know I was holding as the speedometer went down to eighty. My relief seemed tied to the number as it went down.

“I hate driving slow.” I gave him a look. “Don’t. Just give me your latest theory.”

My voice suddenly won’t work. I chew on my bottom lip to stall for time. When I glanced at him, Jungwon’s golden eyes were unexpectedly gentle.

“Hey… I promise I won’t laugh. Okay?”

“Not worried about you laughing. Worried about you getting mad at me. You kind of are the only way for me to get back to Andong…”

“How bad is it?”

I didn’t have an answer so… I didn’t.

“Go ahead. …start from the beginning. Tell me everything. What gave you this idea?”

“U-um… Well… It was the beach. I uh… ran into Jeon Jungkook. He’s a family friend. Like his dad and Jaeduck have been friends since he was a baby.”

Jungwon looks very confused.

“His family are like… shamans or something. …he said there were old legends about creatures. I really think he was trying to scare me but… uh—”

“And somehow you thought of me?”

“Kind of hard not to when your family is mentioned specifically.” The silence was painfully loud. “I-it’s fine though! He uh… t-thought it was a silly old story.” I bit my lip. “I also made him tell me the story.”

“Is that everything?” His voice was so soft.

“Dambi was being so rude towards me and said something that made Jungkook’s friend or whatever he was, say something. It was weird, like really weird… and so I got Jungkook alone and asked him to explain it.” The admission came all out at once. I’d expected to get more anger but instead… Jungwon laughs at me. 

“Poor guy. How did you get it out of him?”

“I was simply nice and he told me.”

“You flirted with him. …Damn. Wish I could have seen that. Poor Jungkook.” His hands tighten on the steering wheel, “Guess you can’t get mad at me for having an effect on people now.”

I turned my focus to the window. Jungwon can be mad if he wants. I’m not his girlfriend. I’m allowed to do whatever I want. It felt like forever when Jungwon spoke again.

“Was that it?”

“No. I did some research online.”

“Well…?”

“Well, nothing. It was stupid.”

He had a tone. “What do you mean it was stupid?”

“Forget it. It doesn’t matter.” I sighed.

“Miyoung what are you saying? What was stupid? What didn’t matter?” Jungwon keeps going as if I set him off. I’d said what I’d said to avoid doing this. Yet here I was… Jungwon fuming as I stared out the windshield trying so hard not to roll my eyes or demand to be let out. Maybe I could trust strangers to get me home to Andong.

“...you’re being really weird. Like extra weird. …Isn’t this what you wanted before?”

“You just said you don’t care what I am. You’re being weird! You don't care if I'm a monster? If I'm not human?”

“Cha Jungwon, you can barely decide if you want to be my friend half the time. It was not my idea to eat with you, it was not my idea to ride back to Andong with you, and yet you act like things are my fault… Let me know when you’re done trying to lecture like a child.”

“...things would be so damn easier if I could just read your mind.”

“And now you know the struggles of the rest of the world. ”

“Why do you have to be so damn annoying?”

I glare at Jungwon. “Oh let me guess… Oh gee. Oh gosh. Oh my... It’s so overwhelming. The cute mysterious guy in my class is so fast and strong. I think he could be a vampire.” I pin him with a look. “...is that the kind of bull you want from me?” A silence grew in the car. “…I thought so. Told you it was stupid.”

Jungwon is still quiet staring out the windshield even as I start to calm down.

“...why aren’t you laughing? Why aren’t we joking around more?”

“Miyoung…” He seemed to be gathering his thoughts before he spoke next. “You can’t ask me to tell you intimate details of my life without sharing some of yours.”

I give him a look out of the corner of my eye. “I’m not telling someone who confessed to stalking me personal details about my life.”

“I thought it didn’t matter.”

“Of course you being a stalker matters. That’s creepy and weird…” I let silence once more take us. Why is he trying so hard to make himself seem like a crazy person…

“Is there anything else you wanna know?”

“How old are you?”

“Seventeen,” he answered so quickly.

“How long have you been seventeen?”

His lips twitched. “A while.”

“Hey… if you’re a vampire why are you out during the day?” Don’t ask me why I’m entertaining this dumb idea. But I’d hoped if he saw the holes poked in his story maybe then he’d snap out of it or something like that. I know I’m being dumb but I have to try.

He laughed. “Myth.”

“So no burning in the sun?”

“Nope.”

“Coffins?”

“Another myth.”

“Wait. Do you sleep at all?”

He shook his head. “I can’t sleep.”

I don’t like the way he’s saying that. Those golden eyes pinned me. Ew. He was! Jungwon was being a ert. I looked away from him with a frown. 

“...you haven’t asked me the most important question.”

I blinked. “Which one is that?”

“...the only one that matters. My diet.”

“Oh. I mean… honestly, you haven’t attacked anyone as far as I know.” Jungwon pins me with a look. I roll my eyes. “Jungkook told me about that. It’s fine.”

Jungwon growled out. “Oh. Does this Jungkook know more about me than I do?”

I wanted to bang my head on the dashboard.

“What did Jungkook say?”

“He said you drink animal blood. That your family isn’t dangerous cause you don’t drink human blood.”

He rolled his eyes. “He said we aren’t dangerous?”

I sigh. “Well… since you want to discuss it… are you hunting animals? Are you not hurting or hunting people?”

“His family needs to stop telling stories.”

I’m pretty sure that’s him confirming it.

“Don’t let that fool you. We are dangerous.”

“Sure you are.” My thoughts go back to the day he saved me from the van. His cold hands that had been so gentle with me also had stopped a car so easily. Could he be really serious about this whole vampire thing?

He scoffed. “We have to try so hard. You don’t know how good we are at this. …we do make mistakes though.” He glances over at me. “Like us being alone…”

“Oh, you picked up on how much of a mistake this was? Good job.” I clap my hands at him barely looking at him. “At least you know how bad of a mistake this was.”

“No, not a bad one. A dangerous one. A very dangerous one.”

An awkward silence lies between us. I’d wanted answers but somehow it felt like I’d received yet another lashing from his dark-eyed self. Something made me feel like he’d go back to hating me or maybe he’d go back to ignoring me. I’d just be Kim Miyoung fighting to survive between Ari, Jimin, and my fan club. Would he and his family go back to being whispered about being their back? Ah, who am I kidding? They’re still being talked about. Me trying to befriend them only makes folks talk about me too.

“Can… can you… you tell me more?”

He glanced at me. “What do you want to know?”

I didn’t really want to know about this weird guy but I wanted him to talk to fill the silence. My thoughts were none too kind to me. Well… not to Jungwon either. I mean he’s a stalker creeper. “Tell me why you hunt animals instead of people.”

“I don't want to be a monster.”

“But animals aren't enough?”

“I don’t know. We call ourselves vegetarians. A little inside joke… It doesn't completely satiate the hunger but it keeps us strong enough to resist. …most of the time. Sometimes it's really hard.”

“Are you struggling right now?”

He nods.

“But you're not hungry… I think…”

“Why do you think that?”

“Your eyes.” I said, “You’re upset when your eyes are black. Most people are upset when hungry so… it makes sense that the color of your eyes is tied to your stomach.”

He chuckled. "You are observant, aren't you?"

I couldn’t answer. I mean what would I say? Jungwon got really, really quiet when I didn’t say anything. So I decided to fill the silence… 

“Were you hunting this weekend, with Shownu?”

“Yes.” Jungwon paused, “I mean it’s just easier to be around you if I’m not thirsty. Not that I wanted to leave your side but… I had to. I had good reason not to want to leave your side too. What would you have done tonight if I hadn’t been there?” Once again in a very dramatic way, he has to calm down. “…you should really give Shownu a medal for how annoying I was.”

“A-annoying?”

“Three days of me worried that you’d be crushed or drowned.”

I froze. “Three days? So you didn’t just get back?”

“No, we got back Sunday.”

“Well, you asked if the sun hurt me, and it doesn't. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t affect me another way. No one can see how sunlight affects us.”

I narrow my eyes. “Whyyyy?”

He rolled his eyes. “I promise I'll show you sometime.”

Another silence grew between us. Jungwon didn’t seem as uncomfortable with the silence as I was. My annoyance at his absence lessened with the knowledge there was a reason for it. It still hurt for me to not the exact reason why.

“You could have messaged me.”

Jungwon’s eyes glanced my way. The confusion is so clear there.

“I didn't like it. Not seeing you.” I hung my head waiting for it. His anger. I knew he was gonna explode after hearing that. There is no way that he wouldn’t.

"Ugh," he groaned quietly. "This is wrong."

I stayed quiet.

“It’s one thing for me to feel something but… it’s not right for you to feel the same. It’s messed up. Miyoung you have to understand what I’m saying. This is wrong… I don't want to hear that you feel that way. …You can’t feel that way. I’m dangerous. Please… p-please tell me you hate me.”

“No.”

“Miyoung…” he growled.

“Listen here Mister controlling dangerous vampire… I am not your girlfriend. You are not my brother. You are not my father. Stop trying to control me. If I want to feel some sort of way then I’m going to feel it. If I don’t want to feel it then I won’t. It doesn’t happen just cause you order it to be.” I look him over keeping my face neutral. “I don’t care what you think you are or whatever powers you think you have.” 

His voice was low and harsh. “Never say that.”

“Too damn bad. Get used to disappointment.”

I turned in my seat so I was leaning away from him and looking out the window. His fidgeting was so loud that I thought maybe he wouldn’t hear the tears escaping.

“What... What are you thinking?”

There was no way I was going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry. If I ignore him then maybe he’ll understand how mad I am at him.

“Are you crying?”

God damn it. I could only shake my head. There’s no way that I could respond properly. I’d just burst into ugly crying. We don’t need to do that right now. His whispered apology made me roll my eyes. Of course, of course! He’d only apologize in the face of my tears. The darkness slipped by us in silence.

“Can… can you tell me what you were thinking when I found you?”

It took a moment for my voice to work. “I wasn’t thinking. I just knew I was in trouble.”

“You weren’t gonna fight back? You weren’t even gonna scream for help?”

I shook my head.

He shook his head. “I'm definitely fighting fate trying to keep you alive.”

“Will I see you tomorrow?”

"Of course. I have a paper due, too." He smiled. "I'll save you a seat at lunch."

My heart fluttered. I felt so dumb. Why was I so excited about such a silly little thing? I chewed my bottom lip as Jaeduck’s house came into view. I glared at the building. I could not decide if I was happy or upset to be home finally. Although things had gotten weird at the end there it was still better than before. The car pulled to a stop and I didn’t move.

"Do you promise to be there tomorrow?"

"I promise."

Jungwon seemed to be serious enough. I started to take off his jacket. Of course, Jaeduck would go crazy if I came home wearing someone else’s jacket. I couldn’t exactly say it was Jimin’s or Ari’s either. This was clearly a guy’s jacket.

“No. You need a jacket for tomorrow.”

“Remember… cop for a dad?”

"Oh, right." He grinned. I started to get out of the car. My mind on hurrying before Jaeduck noticed us or the fact that this was not Jimin’s car dropping me off. "Miyoung?" he asked.

I turned back. “Y-yeah?”

"Will you promise me something?"

"Don't go into the woods alone."

"Whyyyyyy?"

He frowned, "I'm not always the most dangerous thing out there. Let's leave it at that."

I shuddered. "Suuuuure? Whatever you say..."

"I'll see you tomorrow," he sighed.

"Tomorrow, then."

The whole walk to the door I could feel his eyes on me. I didn’t quite understand what the hell was going on. So did our car ride together mean that we were now friends? Were we more? Did Cha Jungwon really expect me to believe that he was a god damn vampire? Only once I reached the door did he speed off like he wasn’t just outside a cop’s house. Jaeduck’s voice called out as if he was there just waiting for me to open the door.

“Yeah, sorry. It’s me. …unless you were expecting company?”

He was watching baseball. “No. Just shocked. I figured you’d be out late.”

“Oh… what time is it?”

"It's not even eight yet," he told me. "Did you girls even have fun if you’re home this early?"

I rolled my eyes. “Of course we did. I just didn’t expect them to find dresses that fast.” Or Jungwon to have to save my life again cause I’m a hopeless damsel in distress. “Although we did walk around a lot since they found dresses so fast.”

"Well, maybe you should go lie down." He sounded concerned. I wondered what my face looked like…

"Let me just call Jimin first."

"Weren't… weren’t you just with her?" he asked.

“Dad I left my jacket in her car. I just want to make sure she brings it tomorrow.”

He looks me over. “That’s what it was. I was wondering what looked different about you. Give her time to get home. If she doesn’t have it you can borrow one of mine tomorrow. It’ll look big on you but we don’t need you getting sick.”

I saluted him. “Yessir.” 

I hung my head as he corrected my salute. I went into the kitchen to get something to drink. However, I basically fell into the nearest chair. Why am I dizzy? I wondered if I could be really going to go into shock after all. My cell phone rang suddenly, startling me.

"Hello?" I asked breathlessly.

"Miyoung?"

“Jimin you scared the… I was literally just about to call you. I uh… left my jacket in your car.” I spotted Jaeduck lingering nearby. 

"You made it home?" Her voice sounded relieved... and surprised.

“Yeah. So about my jacket—”

“But what about your date with Jungwon!”

“Tomorrow. Don’t forget my jacket.”

“...your dad is listening in?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, I'll talk to you tomorrow, then. Bye!”

I barely got my bye out before she hung up on me. I walked up the stairs slowly as the weight of everything that happened today hit me. My body went into autopilot as I got ready for bed. Or I thought it was autopilot. It wasn't until I was in the shower with the water too hot. Pretty much burning my skin, and I realized I was freezing. I shuddered violently for several minutes before the steaming spray could finally relax my rigid muscles. There I stood in the shower until the hot water began to run out. I stumbled out. I dressed for bed swiftly. I climbed under my blanket. A few small shudders trembled through me. My mind is a mess. Nothing seemed clear. I really wanted to go back to Jungkook’s beach. My eyes go to my bedroom window. The tree there stretching out like a guardian calmed me.