Shine Bright Like A Diamond

Chapter Thirty Nine

Daesung felt the moment that his eyes closed and—for a second-- he kissed Minzy back. For one thoughtless, nothing but feels second, he had kissed Minzy.

His kisses were strong, warm, solid, and willing, but although his heart was running a marathon, his head was screaming at him to stop! It took a second for both of them to make any sense to him as he forcefully pulled himself away from Minzy, wiping at his mouth as he tried to figure out what had just happened. Daesung whimpered as he felt his body, his mind, and his heart all a war with each other, leaving him feeling torn. Minzy herself was trying to catch her own breath, wide eyed, and looking at Daesung with uncertainty.

“I…uh...Have…have to go!” Daesung took several steps backwards, before he ran away. Minzy swallowed thickly, her own heart squeezing with pain as she watched him run away from her.

Daesung never once looked back.

The blond haired vampire didn’t know where he was going. His room was not an option at the moment, seeing as Minzy was back there. So Daesung ran until he came to the door of his brother, Ji Yong. He didn’t care that it was night and there could be something going on, he needed someone that made sense to talk to. He banged the door, several times, crying frantically for someone to let him in.

After a minute, Seung Hyun opened the door, shirtless, half asleep, and a scary glare in his eyes. He raised an eyebrow when he saw Daesung’s terrified and tear soaked face. He moved aside, “Come in,” he said and Daesung practically ran inside.

He was kind of scared that he might have interrupted them from something but judging by the fact that Ji Yong was starting to doze off again, they had been just sleeping. It had been some time now that everyone found out that Ji Yong and Seung Hyun were sharing a room. To have Seung Hyun take a guest room was pointless when Ji Yong was clearly attached. Their father and Ji Yong’s mother had not been too keen on the idea, but Ji Yong himself didn’t leave them any choice. What he wanted, he would get when it came to Seung Hyun.

“Daesung, what’s wrong?” Ji Yong asked; sitting up, worry crossing his face as he saw his brother’s face. Ji Yong was wearing a button down shirt, halfway undone to reveal his chest, and boxers as his only nightly attire.

“Honestly,” Daesung sighed, closing his eyes. “I don’t know,” Trying hard not to cry anymore than he already had. He wasn’t even sure when the tears had started, and when they had stopped.

“Well something made you cry,” Ji Yong stifled another yawn as he got to his feet and offered Daesung a seat on his couch. Daesung sat down and he joined him. Ji Yong watched as Seung Hyun went back to bed, wishing to be there by his side but his brother needed him. “Come on, tell me,” he said, placing a hand over Daesung’s shoulder.

Daesung was never one for keeping it in for too long. He just spilled what worried him now, “Minzy kissed me,”

“What?”

 “She grabbed me, and kissed me!” Daesung motioned with his hands, narrowing his eyes as his left hand moved to slap his right. “Just like that,”

Ji Yong blinked, perplexed. “Maybe she wanted to show you how much she loves you,” Seung Hyun commented from the bed.

Ji Yong threw him a glare. “Hyunie, that girl has made it clear that she doesn’t love Daesung” he said.

“Yeah, but now she can’t have him. It’s like when Tae Hyun doesn’t want to play with that stuffed dog toy of his and Seungri takes it away, making him suddenly want it,” Seung Hyun said. Daesung and Ji Yong stared at the reaper with slightly widened eyes.

“That must be it!” Ji Yong said, and turned to Daesung.

Daesung looked between both. “So…so she just kissed me because she can no longer have me?”

“I say consider it a goodbye kiss,” Ji Yong said, nodding his head. “You and Princess IU are doing so well that now Minzy has a reason to see what she has lost,”  

“How does the line go, ‘When we get that person that we think is going to be the one, and once we get them is never the same. You want them when they don’t want you, soon as they do feelings change’ ” (1),” Seung Hyun muttered.

Daesung nodded his head, feeling foolish that for a second he thought maybe it could have meant more. To be with Minzy it would be like making a mistake. He wasn’t even sure if he wanted her. Like Seung Hyun had said, his feelings had changed long ago. “Should…should I tell Ji Eun?” he asked. Both Ji Yong and Seung Hyun stared at Daesung for a few seconds before turning to look at each other. It wasn’t like she needed to know, but she was about to become Daesung’s mate.

“You might want to tell her,” Ji Yong said.

“Don’t say anything,” Seung Hyun said.

Both then turned to glare at each other.

“He has to tell her! He can’t be keeping secrets!” Ji Yong snapped.

“She doesn’t need to know. It meant nothing! Why complicate or even bring drama into their new relationship”

Ji Yong fumed, “So, if someone else kissed you, you wouldn’t tell me!”

“I wouldn’t have to tell you because it’s not possible for no one to kiss me! I wouldn’t let them!” Seung Hyun defended himself.

“Yeah right! What secrets are you keeping from me!” Ji Yong demanded.

“I’m not keeping anything,” Seung Hyun stood up, walking towards Ji Yong to look down at him, “You know everything!”

Ji Yong glared up at the reaper, “I…”

“Okay, I can see that you two have a lot to discuss now,” Daesung cut in, making both Ji Yong and Seung Hyun turn and look at him. The blond flinched at their glares.

“Are you going to tell her?” Ji Yong asked.

“Don’t be stupid, she doesn’t need to know. You’ll be in the dog house,” Seung Hyun advised.

“Seung Hyun, you are about to be in the dog house yourself!” Ji Yong stood just to push Seung Hyun. The reaper was quick to pull the vampire with him when he stumbled back. Ji Yong blushed, but looked away.

“Look, all I’m saying is why hurt her if it really meant nothing. It won’t happen again right?” Seung Hyun asked, looking at Daesung.

Daesung flinched, “Right….but…I’ll tell her,”

“It wasn’t even your fault,” Seung Hyun said. Ji Yong sighed, and pushed his hand into Seung Hyun’s face.

“You are right there. She kissed you and it took you by surprise. I’m sure that if you explain it to Princess IU she will understand. After all, if you hide it and she finds out from someone else,” Ji Yong glared at Seung Hyun, “You will be in bigger trouble,”

“Honestly, I’m not keeping anything from you Ji, it, I can’t even lie to you,” Seung Hyun trudged his way back to the bed. Ji Yong sighed, thinking how y Seung Hyun looked when he was walking away, and turned back to his brother.

“Are you going to be okay now?”

Daesung nodded his head, feeling much more normal than he was just a few minutes ago. “I’m fine. I’ll go to bed now and let you two fight it out or whatever. I’ll tell Ji Eun tomorrow after breakfast what happened. I’m sure she will understand. After all, she is going to be my mate, if we can’t share things like this then why even get mated?”

Ji Yong nodded, and bid Daesung goodnight before closing the door behind him. He then turned back to the bed, turning off the lights as he made his way back. Seung Hyun grunted when he felt Ji Yong knock into him. “Why would you tell him not to tell her!” he demanded.

“I was just trying to keep him out of trouble.” Seung Hyun grunted. “Daesung has finally got his life in line, only to have it be messed up by someone else seems unfair to him,”

“I’m sure she would understand,”

“Well, I guess Daesung knows her better.”

Silence followed for a few minutes, before Ji Yong asked, “Would you tell me. If someone kissed you, would you say something?” he asked. Seung Hyun sighed. He wasn’t sure if Ji Yong was still hurting from his kiss with Ha Yi so long ago. Or had he forgotten her like the others had? Ji Yong always had a way of surprising him.

Seung Hyun reached to pull the vampire closer to him. “I would tell you, you would be mad, we might argue, and then you might kill the person, but yes. Ji Yong I would tell you.” Seung Hyun said, burying his nose into Ji Yong’s neck. The vampire moaned, before sighing and closing his eyes, pleased by the answer.

“I would tell you too,” Ji Yong said. Seung Hyun smiled.

“I would kill them,” Seung Hyun said, planting a small kiss just under Ji Yong’s chin. He meant it. Ji Yong shivered, reaching his hands around Seung Hyun’s face to pull him into a kiss.

“Hyun, I’ve been thinking,” Ji Yong softly spoke when he broke the kiss, “About when I first met you. And how we ended up bonded to each other. My intentions were purely on saving you.”

“Yeah, but my body was phasing through death, back to life with the little energy it had. The sudden jolt of energy you offered made it selfish enough to pull and bond in return with you as its source.”  Seung Hyun said. Ji Yong looked up at him.

“So, I was more a source of energy reserves, than anything else,”

“To my body yes,” Seung Hyun chuckled, “I had really become your slave. Dependent only on you,”

“I loved our bond despite how selfish it was,” Ji Yong smiled. A sudden yawn left his lips, and he snuggled closer into Seung Hyun, allowing his eyes to close. “I love you so much,” he whispered, fingers curling around the material of Seung Hyun’s jeans.

“I love you even more,” Seung Hyun whispered as well, planting a soft kiss on Ji Yong’s forehead. Before long both of them were asleep again. At least Ji Yong managed to go back to sleep, but Seung Hyun’s eyes snapped open about half an hour later, and sat up. He let out a sigh as he could hear someone at the door. Ji Yong must have forgotten to lock the door because soon it was being slowly opened.

Seung Hyun reached for the covers, gently placing them over Ji Yong and pulling a pillow over for him to hug as he got out of bed, glad that his movements had not woke him up. Before the door could fully open, he caught it, opening it himself. The person on the other side gasped and jolted back. Seung Hyun glared. “Uncle D,” he said in that dark voice of his and the man huffed, disliking the fact that the reaper had just called him ‘uncle’.

“Well, it saves the trouble of me having to go in and have to wake you up.” Danny said, crossing his arms, “Ji Yong must really feel safe with you to leave his door unlocked like that,” he muttered more to himself than to Seung Hyun. “Can we talk,” the man then looked at Seung Hyun again. The reaper was giving him a deadly glare that had him nearly running, but he was old, tired, and just too damned bored to even bother being scared off. “Come on kid, I don’t have all the years in the world!”

“What is there to talk about?” Seung Hyun asked, his eyes darting from Danny’s face to his feet. “You yourself already have called it quits on life.”  

“I might have, but that doesn’t mean I wish the same fate on my nephew!” Danny snapped. Seung Hyun crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes at the man. Danny didn’t say anything else as he started to head back down stairs, expecting Seung Hyun to follow him. The reaper yawned, his mind darting back to the comfortable bed where Ji Yong laid. And he nearly reached for the door so  he could go and crawl back into bed, except that Danny returned and glared at him, giving him an impatient look. “Come on!”

Seung Hyun sighed, deciding to get this over with. Maybe it would explain why Danny was always glaring at him. Also, if he got him talking he could figure out if this man was wasting their time, or if he could figure out what he knew when it came to mating with Ji Yong.

Danny led the way to the kitchen. Seung Hyun was surprised when the man told him to sit down and he started to pull out milk and cookies from the fridge and pantries. He then started to warm up the milk in a sauce pan before he got two cups, and poured. Seung Hyun watched in obvious disdain when Danny placed one of the cups in front of him. This caused the vampire to smirk. “What’s the matter?”

Seung Hyun shot him a glare, “Nothing,”

“Go ahead Reaper, state the obvious thing about this pleasant situation,” Danny’s smirk broadened, “You can’t eat or drink—because you can’t taste them, and you don’t benefit from them. You hold no normal functional qualities. How would you share special moments with my dearest nephew over a cup of something or even a treat?” he asked. “How do you expect your relationship to grow?”

It was obvious that Seung Hyun often forgot that Ji Yong needed to eat to survive. Ji Yong often wanted to stay around him that he forgot to mention his need for food or blood. Their relationship wasn’t the simplest either. Seung Hyun could leave any time he wanted. Ji Yong had the right to be fearful of his departure.  Seung Hyun could make this easier and let another vampire claim Ji Yong fully, as it should be. Yet in a way, Ji Yong lucked out in the fact that Seung Hyun was possessive, selfish and very much in love with him.

So no, he was not going anywhere and nothing anyone else said was going to change that. “What exactly is your point? Are you trying to insult me?” Seung Hyun asked.

Danny sat down, taking a sip of his own milk. Making it a point that yes, he could. “I’m trying to make it clear to you how different you and Ji Yong are,”

Seung Hyun sighed. “Everyone in the world is different you know? People always label themselves within race, species, culture, so Ji Yong and I are different. It doesn’t change the way we feel. We make it work.”

“Ji Yong has always been a little hopeless and stubborn when it came to matters of the heart, but you on the other hand, I know nothing about,” Danny pursed his lips. “Why should you get to mate my nephew?”

“Because I love him,” Seung Hyun shot, no hesitation in his own words.

Danny smirked, shaking his head. “About a dozen several men before you, even women have claimed to love Ji Yong, what makes you different?” he responded.

“My feelings are real,” Seung Hyun said.

“Right,” Dripping sarcasm could be heard from Danny, but then his eyes widened. He was pressed against the wall, with Seung Hyun’s hand tightly around his neck, threatening to crush his wind pipe. Danny reached up, eyes watering as he tried to claw the iron like hand from his throat to no bail.

“Cut the crap! I’ve had enough. I’m fed up.” Seung Hyun growled, face lowered, but his sharp eyes were gleaming dangerously from under his blue fringe. The look was so piercing and cold that Danny was left without anything to say or think. “I tried several times to get away, I tried to escape. Admittedly the first time I couldn’t do it because Ji Yong and I were so tightly bound, but yes. I could have walked away. I could leave right now if I pleased, but I don’t want to. I can’t without Ji Yong, not anymore, so you can say what you want, take your ing ritual with you to your grave, I don’t care, but you won’t stop me and Ji Yong from being together. I’ll always stay by his side.” No matter what, he mentally added, I will always stay at Ji Yong’s side!

Seung Hyun shoved Danny out of the way, the anger rolling off him like poison as the vampire gasped and tried to catch his breath. A cold chill had set on his bones. Danny for once realized that he was scared. Swallowing hard, he turned to face Seung Hyun, “Wait!” he called before the reaper could walk out of the kitchen. “Alright, all and spite aside. I still want to have a serious talk with you.”

Seung Hyun hesitated. “About?” he asked, his eyes flashing as he turned to face Danny once more. Danny simple gestured back to the seat Seung Hyun had previously occupied.

“Please,” he said, taking his own seat.

Seung Hyun thought for a second about simply walking away, but he was curious. What did Danny want to talk about that he had already not practically spat in his face. Resigning himself, he walked back to the table and took his seat, frowning as the vampire made a show of drinking his milk.  

After a few minutes as pure silence, Danny finally spoke again. “How did you guys meet?” he asked.

Seung Hyun wasn’t sure how to answer that. “Ji Yong found me,” made a lot more sense than anything, “and then bonded himself to me, in trying to save my life, but…”

“But your life doesn’t need any saving. Reapers can lose pulse, even die several times, but still come back to life as if they were just in a long pleasant sleep,” Danny cut in. Seung Hyun pursed his lips, looking away.

“You know a disturbingly lot about reapers,” Seung Hyun muttered.

“I’m old Seung Hyun, I’ve learned a lot. I sometimes feel like I know everything, but even this one is a new one on me. A vampire and a reaper, it’s almost like death and life.” Danny muttered. Seung Hyun nearly laughed.

“Perhaps it is,” Seung Hyun softly said. Danny smiled.

“I hate to assume anything about you, Seung Hyun, but would it be too terrible to ask you personal things,”

Seung Hyun frowned, feeling invaded. He didn’t even reveal things about himself to Ji Yong until he was certain that he had feelings for him. Seung Hyun had a past that he was not proud of, and would rather not talk about. “I’ll judge, by what you ask.”

“Alright,” Danny nodded, accepting the condition, “There is something first of all, that I am curious about,” Danny pressed both his hands together as he asked, “How is it that you a reaper, so young at that, lives here on earth?”

That was a valid question. “What exactly do you know about reapers?” he asked.

“I know their birth origin is always unknown. I know that all come to earth, alone, with no parents and grow to be old as they gather information about the earth. They die as soon as they are a hundred, and are usually old when they start their second life,” Danny was careful to keep an eye on Seung Hyun’s face to catch any reactions, “and yet, after countless stories of reapers being skeletal figures, old, dust, and bones, and cold…here you are. Young, albeit cold personality, scary, but no less young and full…”

“It’s just as you said, you have to die to start your life as a reaper.” Seung Hyun said. Danny frowned, not understanding. Seung Hyun sighed. “I was born dead.”

Danny’s eyes widened, “Then how did you…”

Seung Hyun shrugged. “I don’t know,”

“That makes no sense,”

Seung Hyun looked away, “I was purposely created this way, I should say instead.” He refused to let Danny know that Death had wanted someone of his own and had created him for that purpose. Because even though he knew this, Seung Hyun still wasn’t sure how his biology worked. He just knew that he was and that was all that mattered to him—besides Ji Yong.

Danny sighed, deciding that he was going to have to be the one to reveal about himself. “Seung Hyun, I have to say that what worries me the most is that you and Ji Yong are completely different species. I know firsthand,”

Seung Hyun gave him a confused look. “What do you mean?”

“I had been in love once as well, so deeply…” a flash of his younger self trying desperately to find a way for him and the one that he loved to be together flashed in his mind. “I spent night and day trying to find a solution for us to be together. But she was a witch, magic bound to earth, what you feed off, and those bound always die. I wanted her to be at my side, I thought I can’t turn her into a vampire, but maybe we could find a way to turn her immortal. I found something but the price would be her magic. She didn’t want that so I decided I would become mortal and that was when she said no more,”

“Danny, I wasn’t selfless enough to give up my magic, how can I be selfish enough to ask you to give up what makes you special? We are just not going to work out. Forget it. I don’t want to be with you.”

The memory of the one that he loved, her lovely face flashed in his mind. “She had rather die than to even give our relationship a chance,”

Seung Hyun’s eyes were slightly widened.

“Would you still be with Ji Yong if you found that one of you had to give something up, like, Ji Yong would have to stop being a vampire?”

Seung Hyun immediately shook his head.

“How could you ever come to ask the person that you love to give up so much just because you are so selfishly trying to be with them?” Danny made sure to lock his eyes with Seung Hyun’s, letting sorrow shine off of them. “Could you live with yourself knowing the cost?”

Seung Hyun jolted back. “What’s with that look?” he asked. “Is there something wrong with your eyes?”

Danny was about to huff and break his concentration when all of a sudden he stood up, reaching over the table to grab one of Seung Hyun’s hands. For a moment, he thought about how warn and strong they felt, when he reminded himself that he needed to get Seung Hyun to leave Ji Yong behind. He was get this reaper to dump his nephew and then he was going to find Ji Yong a better match! “Seung Hyun, don’t you love Ji Yong enough to let him go?” he asked.

“Uh…” Seung Hyun said, trying to inch himself away from the clinging male.

The door to the kitchen suddenly slammed opened and a sarcastic voice drawled, “Uncle, are you trying to get a love confession out of my boyfriend? Because he’s MINE!”

“I…I…I I I was not!” Danny quickly snapped, removing his hand from Seung Hyun’s and moving away quickly.

Ji Yong was standing at the door way, looking completely angry, but he simply looked adorable to Seung Hyun. Ji Yong looked like he was pouting with his messy pink and blue bed hair curled at the ends, and his button down shirt now hanging off his left shoulder. Seung Hyun had to frown though at the fact that Ji Yong hadn’t bothered to wear some jeans at least, and was still in his boxers.

“What are you doing out of bed, Ji Yong?” Seung Hyun asked.

“I got cold.” Ji Yong sleepily said, shivering. “Come back to bed,” he softly demanded, glaring at his uncle. He was not sure why Seung Hyun was even here with his uncle in the first place, but at the same time he didn’t care. He just wanted Seung Hyun far away from his uncle.  

Seung Hyun smiled at him, walking over and placed his arms around Ji Yong’s shoulders. “Let’s go back to bed” he whispered. Ji Yong immediately latched himself to Seung Hyun’s arm, and turned a glare to his uncle whom was still recovering from his shock.

Danny watched in disbelief as Ji Yong stuck out his tongue and gave him a mocking look, as he and Seung Hyun walked out of the kitchen together. “Wait! We’re not done talking!!” he yelled, trying to run after them.

“Yes you are!” Ji Yong snapped, pulling Seung Hyun to move faster.

Seung Hyun sighed, and when he and Ji Yong reached a shadowy part of the living room, he vanished them to Ji Yong’s room. Even Danny couldn’t reach them then. Ji Yong blinked, confused about what had happened or how they had ended up in their room just in a blink.

“What was that?” he asked.

Seung Hyun smiled, shrugging his shoulders, before leaning in to capture Ji Yong’s lips in a kiss. Ji Yong kissed back enthusiastically, wrapping his arms around Seung Hyun’s neck before pulling away and yawning. “Hyuunie…let’s sleep…” he murmured.

Seung Hyun picked him up and took him back to bed, tucking him in before joining him and curling next to Ji Yong. Even as Ji Yong fell asleep, his hold on Seung Hyun didn’t lessen one bit. Seung Hyun smiled, watching as his little vampire slept, even though his own mind was racing with thoughts, and his heart clenched. 

Already, it had been one long night. 

1. “When we get that person that we think is going to be the one, and once we get them is never the same. You want them when they don’t want you, soon as they do, feelings change” Eminem- Space Bound.