This is... kind of a sequel/alternate ending (Whatever you think it is. Personally, I consider it a sequel.) to THIS. It would probably make a little more sense to read that first, but I guess this is okay as a standalone oneshot too.

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Jonghyun entered the room gracefully, frowning in distaste as he looked around.

"Minho's been here, hasn't he? He's a fool, and you', Kibum, are an even bigger one for telling him the truth and expecting him to believe it without some kind of doubt," Kibum flinched a little at the harsh honesty. He scowled.

"Just.. take your meal already, Jonghyun," he spat out bitterly, choosing not to reply to Jonghyun's remark. "And I swear to God, if this isn't the last time you feed on me, I will kill myself tomorrow. During the day, when you can't touch me." He hated it when, without his permission, tears came to his eyes. He rubbed at them angrily. "I can't take this anymore." Jonghyun finally turned around towards Kibum, looking at him with an unreadable gaze. Kibum got the feeling he was contemplating something that had been on his mind for a while.

"There is another option to killing yourself, Kibum," Jonghyun finally voiced quietly. "Another option entirely. I could turn you." Kibum hadn't at all expected for Jonghyun's offer, and his eyebrows raised sharply in shock and surprise. Jonghyun pressed on. "I know you don't want to die, Kibum. I can sense it from your thoughts, so it's pointless to argue. Just think of it this way: it's a chance to start over. A chance to put this life behind you and never look back."

The idea appealed to Kibum very, very much.  After all, now that Minho probably hated him, he really didn't have anything to tie him to any part of the life he was leading. Even school wouldn't matter that much once he was turned.

"..Will it hurt?" he asked, not giving Jonghyun the satisfaction of a direct yes or no. The grin Jonghyun gave him was as far from reassuring as it could possibly get.

"More than you can imagine," Jonghyun answered. "But that's a small price to pay for an eternity of youth and beauty. Wouldn't you say?" Kibum nodded grudgingly, unable to deny that it made sense.

Without further explanation, Jonghyun swooped in like a bat out of hell. The irony of it wasn't lost on Kibum, despite the situation. He bit into Kibum's neck, drinking with all the gusto of a fine wine connoisseur. The familiar sensation of euphoria wasn't present this time. All Kibum could feel was pain. After Jonghyun had drained him to the point of death, he was so weak Jonghyun had to open his mouth for him. A few drops of Jonghyun's blood entered his mouth and it seemed like only seconds later, the pain intensified.

Kibum realized belatedly that he couldn't move. Tears of agony were rolling down his face, and Jonghyun was having to wipe them away. There was an uncharacteristically sympathetic look on his face.

"The paralysis lasts about 24 hours. Everything else will fade in a couple of hours," he said, answering Kibum's unasked questions. Suddenly, he stiffened and an annoyed look passed over his face. "I'll be back."

Just as Kibum got used to the silence, he realized he could hear someone's heartbeat approaching. A thirst unlike anything he'd ever experienced came to the forefront of his conscious at the sound. And then Jonghyun's sudden exit made sense.

With a little effort, Kibum realized that the muttering voice he heard coming close was Minho's. And then he started wondering if he made the right choice. Minho entered the room not bothering to knock, and he started talking without looking at Kibum.

"Kibum, I'm sorry I walked out like that. I guess that was kind of uncalled for. You probably feel so betrayed right now, but.. you're my best friend and I don't want to lose you," Kibum felt like crying at Minho's words.

'You already have,' he thought brokenly. When he didn't hear a reply, Minho looked up from his shoes.

"Kibum? Are you asleep?" he came over and started shaking Kibum's shoulder. "Kibum. Kibum. Come on, this isn't funny," Minho frowned when he still didn't get a response. He felt for a pulse on Kibum's neck and panicked when he didn't find one. "Oh God, Kibum.. No. No, no, no no.. I'm so sorry Kibum. I should have listened to you, I'm sorry..." The agony on Minho's face only added to Kibum's pain. Minho stumbled out of Kibum's room and distantly, Kibum could hear him calling his mother.

Jonghyun entered the room as soon as Minho had left, and his annoyance was clear.

"Damn humans," he hissed, displeasure in his tone. "They always things up." He picked up Kibum's limp body and looked down at Kibum. "I'll take you to my house." With that, Jonghyun jumped out the window and ran across the street.

The hours passed slowly, with Kibum asking questions about his transformations telepathically, and Jonghyun answering them out loud. Being unable to move left a lot to be desired. Jonghyun explained that the paralysis was because his body was still in the process of shutting down, and that made sense. It didn't mean that Kibum had to like it.

Kibum couldn't actually see the sun rising, or the lightening of the sky, but he could tell it was nearing dawn.  He could feel it in the way he was getting sleepier and sleepier. When he couldn't fight it anymore, he closed his eyes and let the darkness take over his mind.

When he woke up the next evening, he let out a huge sigh of relief when he realized he could move again. He stood up out of his coffin and padded into the living room to see that Jonghyun was already awake. He was sitting on the couch, and he looked a little eager to see that Kibum was finally awake.

"What's up?" Jonghyun grinned and Kibum had a feeling he wasn't going to like this very much.

"We're going hunting," yeah, Kibum definitely didn't like the sound of that. As the years passed, though, Kibum learned that hunting wasn't so bad after all. He was naive the first time, thinking humans weren't so bad that they deserved their fate. He was terribly wrong.

~_~_~_~_~_~_~  (7 years later)

Minho was walking home from work, exhausted and not looking forward to coming back to an empty apartment. He had just decided to enter this bar near his apartment complex to kill some time when he saw a flash of a familiar face. Looking right at him. The eyes were all wrong, though. Kibum's eyes used to be a warm brown that made Minho think of fresh chocolate chip cookies and brownies. Now, however, they were a startling green. The shade made Minho think vaguely of acid and other toxic chemicals.

Kibum must be a mind reader, because he started walking towards Minho with an expression of disgust on his face. Minho started walking forward, remembering all the good times he'd had with Kibum. Momentarily, a flicker of pain was visible on Kibum's face before it turned back into disgust.

"Minho," his condescending tone made Minho ache. Kibum still looked like the boy he used to be. He shouldn't be using that kind of adult voice. "What brings you to this lovely part of Seoul?" It was several moments before Minho found he could reply.

"I live just around the corner," Minho gestured haphazardly towards his apartment complex. "Kibum... what happened to you?" there was a flash of anger in Kibum's eyes, warning that this was a dangerous subject to broach with him.

"You already know what happened to me, Minho," he spat out venomously. "But your tiny mortal mind refuses to believe it, even now when I stand in front of you." He just barely let his fangs show and Minho went pale.

"I thought...,"  "What? That my kind doesn't exist? I used to think so too, Minho. And then Jonghyun came along," the man himself appeared at the mention of his name. Jonghyun sneered at Minho.

"Oh. It's you," Minho ignored Jonghyun.

"Kibum, people thought I was crazy for saying those things. I lost all my friends in school, I started getting bullied. My mother even started making me see a therapist, thinking I couldn't cope with the loss," Kibum's eyes softened momentarily. "They all just thought you ran away with Jonghyun. But I knew better. I saw you lying on your bed, dying." Minho's tone turned pleading. "Can't we.. can't we start over? I loved you, Kibum. And I want to be friends again."

Kibum shook his head, not even giving the situation any thought.

"I'm not human anymore, Minho. I lost my humanity the first time I drank from a child. Even now, your presence repulses me," Kibum wrinkled his nose. "You reek of unhappiness. That makes the blood taste absolutely revolting." Minho felt a little sick at the casual way Kibum talked about murder. "I'm sorry. But the next time I see you, I will kill you." Minho didn't doubt it, from Kibum's voice to the look in his acid green eyes. "Goodbye, Minho."

Kibum and Jonghyun blended into the crowd quickly, and Minho found himself feeling emptier than the first time Kibum had left. Numbly, he went into the bar and ordered several drinks all at one time. Maybe if he got drunk enough, he could forget all he'd just seen and heard. But somewhere in the back of his mind, Minho knew he would never be able to forget. The encounter would be in his mind forever, if for no other reason than because Kibum had threatened to kill him.

'The old Kibum never would have done that,' Minho thought and was extremely unsettled to hear a reply in his mind.

'No, Minho. I never would have. But I'm not the same Kibum anymore. You saw to that.' The accusation stung, and it broke something inside Minho. He downed a few more drinks, trying to numb the guilt and pain. Secretly, he hoped he'd get drunk enough to pass out. And even more secretly, he hoped he'd see Kibum again. Because Kibum bringing about his death would be ever so fitting, wouldn't it?

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I wanted to write this for a long time, because the idea has floated around in my head ever since I posted the first part. In fact, this was originally a part of Chap 48.

Actually, I was working on a version (different from this, though I still like how this version ended) of this oneshot before my laptop died. :( But I wanted to work on this in the present, and I remembered most of where I wanted to go with it. So I just worked on this and re-wrote it because I couldn't sleep. :D

I don't really know how this came out. I feel like it turned out.. ehh. Substandard, but not as bad as some of my oneshots.

Anyway. I hope you enjoyed reading this.

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Til next time, loves.^o~