40 - History

Sighing for the umpteenth time that day, it ate away at her to know that Dae Hyun was home but unable to come back straight to the main house.

Him Chan’s blood felt strange in her...Sometimes it bordered on the same feeling as Yong Guk’s blood but it wasn’t exactly the same.

*So close yet so far…* Yoon Mi looked out the window from her bedroom. *How should I react to Dae Hyun when I see him walk through the door?* She sighed once again.

Heading to the library instead of the art studio today, the smell of books felt nostalgic with the memories of her eldest brother, Hae Yong. He would always be found in the library surrounded by stacks of books.

*Hae Yong would always be reading the histories of other clans and cultures* Yoon Mi reminisced as she walked past the shelves. *I wonder why…our own history was painful and sad to know of. Why did he want to know about others? Did he…possibly found it as a means of escape from our own?*

Randomly picking out a book from the shelves, Yoon Mi laughed wryly when she saw it was a history book on one of the vampire clans.

*What are the odds?* Yoon Mi shook her head as she sat down on one of the luxurious chairs.

Opening the thick leather bound book, Yoon Mi began to read

“Highly sought after and highly persecuted, the clans of healers had tumultuous life and history in the early centuries. They were a clan of nomads that kept to themselves due to the fact that once other vampires had realised what their gifts were, they would be forced to stay or had some of them captured and even kidnapped at times.

Having enough of being constantly hunted down like animals, they made themselves disappear for so many centuries to the extent that many thought that the clan was dead and lost to the vampire society.

But the truth was that they had finally found a secret place that they were sure that no one would ever find them. And in the years that they hid, the clan practiced their own form of self defence and heighted their skills of healing. A normal person would be able to simply heal but the elites and the head family of the clan were able to do the reverse.

Wielding the power to heal and inflict harm or diseases with just a touch. The clan wanted to show that they were not to be messed with anymore and sent the elites to set off viruses and epidemics that could even infect vampires.

Targeting the clans and groups of society that had hunted them down and kidnapped their own, they sent black letters with white ink bearing the stamp of their clan to government buildings and officials.

A mark that no one had seen for centuries, it sent the vampire society into panic.

Orders were sent out to hunt down the group of perpetrators but they were long gone back into hiding.

“This is your retribution for holding us against our will along with taking our own flesh and blood for your own selfish personal gains. Our clan will not be as kind if our paths meet.

We are no longer the same people that you know of. Our hearts have hardened and are unforgiving.”

Those were the printed words of their leader on the many cards that were sent out to various cities and communities.

“They thought that we were joking but we were not. I will bear responsibility of all the casualties. If the people want someone to hate please remember this name. Jung Jae Wan.”

As quoted from the leader of the clan…”

Doors slamming open, the sudden noise made Yoon Mi jump as dropped the book. “Yoon Mi! Were you in here all these while!?” Him Chan’s voice echoed from the doorway.

“Ah…Ne, Him Chan oppa. I’ve been here all these while” Yoon Mi answered as she picked up the book from the floor and put it on a desk nearby.

“When you didn’t show up for lunch we were all worried!” Him Chan held her shoulders and shook her lightly. “I ran all over the place looking for you!”

“I’m sorry Him Chan oppa” Yoon Mi bowed her head.

“Aish! What are we going to do with you Yoon Mi!” Him Chan let her go to hold her head with his knuckles and rubbing them against her temples.

“Ow!!! That hurts!!” She cried out. “Oppa let go!!”

“This is your punishment for making me worry!” Him Chan teased.

“Finally! Hyung was going crazy before he left to look for you!” Young Jae said with a sigh of relief. “His worrying was getting on my nerves.”

Rolling her eyes, Yoon Mi had wanted to thank Young Jae for caring but after his last comment. She decided to discard that thought as she sat down to eat.

Thinking about the book that she read, Yoon Mi wondered if Dae Hyun was from that clan. If anything, she wanted to finish that book now. The history of that clan was so sad and painful at the same time.

She couldn’t blame how the clan leader felt and somehow found it admirable that he decided to bear the blame alone. Even though thousands or millions might hate him for causing the death of their loved ones; the pain that they endured for centuries and the loved ones that they themselves lost would make it even.

An eye was taken for an eye lost.

A loved one forcefully taken from them was made up by someone dying through the virus that they spread.

They knew that it was not the wisest decision made but it was one that would appease the old hearts of those that had suffered. And to the clan leader, the happiness of his people came first.

“What were you doing in the library Yoon Mi?” Him Chan asked breaking her out of her reverie.

“Reading” Yoon Mi answered.

Young Jae laughed at the dumb question that Him Chan asked. It was as if he was asking to get trolled.

“Let me rephrase my question, what were you reading in the library?” Him Chan said after he got over being trolled.

“Books” She answered coolly as she took a bite of lunch.

“If this is how you usually are Yoon Mi, I’m beginning to like you a lot” Young Jae laughed at Him Chan’s frozen over expression after being trolled twice in one conversation.

“I’ll try this one last time.” Him Chan said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “What kind of books were you reading while you were in the library?”

“I was reading history books” Yoon Mi answered normally this time but trying hard to contain her amusement.

“You’re interested in history?” Young Jae said in disbelief.

“Can’t I be?” Yoon Mi shot him a look.

“Never said anything about that” He raised his hands up in a no offence gesture. “I would have guessed that you were reading romance novels in there.”

“This house is full of guys. I didn’t think that Elder Yong would stock up on the lovey dovey stories Young Jae” Yoon Mi rolled her eyes.

“Touché, she got you there Young Jae” Jong Up finally spoke up as he quietly chuckled at how she got Young Jae.

“Aish the only time you speak for the entire time and you have to say this” Young Jae remarked as he sent him a look.

Shrugging innocently, Jong Up went on to finish his lunch.

“Him Chan-ss…oppa, how long does the ritual lasts?” Yoon Mi stumbling midway she wasn’t used to calling him oppa.

“It takes at least a week I think” Him Chan answered while tapping his chin in thought.

“But didn’t they take two and a half week last year?” Young Jae pointed out.

“That was because there was a curse placed on Dae Hyun and a tracker on Yong Guk.” Him Chan recalled. “It took that long because they had to break the curse and to remove the tracker.”

“Why place a curse on a healer?” Yoon Mi asked.

“That because a good portion of the vampire society have a love hate relationship with the main clan of healers.” Young Jae answered for her. “I think you can look that up in the library later” he continued before she could ask any more questions.

Giving a quick nod *I intend to finish that book later* Yoon Mi thought to herself.

“Never appearing in public again, the clan waited for centuries and for the illnesses to pass.

It didn’t take very long since vampires recover quickly and they had medicine along with science.

The thing that they were concerned about was whether to vampires harboured a hate towards them. Deciding to take a risk a number of centuries later, the clan leader’s son left the community with a task.

Reaching the vampire council office, caused an uproar when he revealed his identity. The officers and council members attacked him but to no avail.

The clan leader’s son, Jung Jae Won was a pure blood and wielded more than healing and disease inflicting powers. He had the gift of an indestructible forcefield and over the centuries; Jae Won learnt how to use his gift while consuming the least amount of blood possible.

With these things in his favour, the council members all wore out in a matter of hours whereas he could still last for days.

Walking straight into the head office, he presented a contract.

‘Accept if you want peace and harmony that you preach of. If not, we will take it that you are not interested in peace and we will continue wreaking havoc every few centuries until you do.’ Jae Won said.

Looking through the contract, the head council member begrudgingly signed the contract.

Holding a celebration to commemorate the era of peace to come, fireworks lit the air at night as a week of festivities was in place.

To their clan, the fireworks were the sign that things went well. Celebrating on their side, the people were generally happy because they would be able to see the world again…”

*Now I know why Hae Yong oppa likes to read about other culture’s history…* Yoon Mi thought to herself as she finished a section of the book, still having a long way to go from the end of it. *It provides a distraction from our own circumstances and situation…*

Taking the book out of the library, Yoon Mi decided that she would read it in the comfort of her room. That way if she were to fall asleep she would at least be in her own bed.

Two weeks passed by quickly having a book to read and analyze made the wait bearable as something interesting occupied her mind and time. There were some things in the book that made her curious and wonder about its truth but there was no way she would be able to confirm it since the book was written centuries ago and there was no idea whether the author for the book was still alive.

Walking into the library, Yoon Mi wanted to return the book and grab another to make time pass faster. Closing the door, she smiled thinking that soon she would be able to see him again.

The point being ‘able to see him soon’.

Yoon Mi dropped the heavy book in her hands and covered in disbelief.

*Why is he here?!* She thought as panic coursed through her veins *What were the chances that he’d be here the first thing he comes back? Shouldn’t he have gone back to his bedroom or something?!*