Chapter 7: Growl

Soojin wasn’t sure if it was only her imagination or if the elevator had always been this small. She felt kind of pressed against Chansung, already believing that she was able to hear his heartbeat.

But the thing she was sure of, which she hated at the moment, was that she kind of liked the cozy feeling in the elevator. Normally, she would feel uncomfortable standing so near to a stranger, but why was it so different with the guy she had only seen once in her young life? She couldn’t point it out, but there was something about the tall and mysterious looking man that lured her to get to know him better.

Trying not to look at the man next to her, she kept her sight low, taking a few glimpses into Tokkie's transport box, checking if he was alright. Smiling as she saw the little fur-ball looking up at her, she nearly screamed in surprise as the elevator doors opened.

A low chuckle made her frown and look up at the amused looking man that tried to supress his laughter with all his might.

“Are you too busy with not looking at me?” The guy cheekily asked, making Soo choke on her spit.

“WHAT? A-Are you kidding me?” She asked, furrowing her brows and glaring at the still amused looking guy.

“Oh, I so love your feisty side.” Chansung purred, stepping out of the elevator, turning and waiting for the woman to lead the way.

With an angry huff the woman also excited the tiny elevator, angrily stomping towards her apartment door.

Somehow, that man managed to bring her blood to boil like no other.

Opening the door, shooting Chansung one last angry glance before she entered her home, she walked into the small but well decorated apartment, letting the door open for her visitor.

Turning around while trying to get rid of her jacket, she noticed Chansung’s dark head popping inside the apartment, looking at her questioningly.

“What are you waiting for? Come in.” Soojin said, rolling her eyes at the waiting man.

“Sure…” Chansung said, stepping inside the well-lit apartment while squinting his eyes, trying to get used to the lightning.

A laugh made him look towards Soojin, raising an eyebrow.

“You look like a scared cat right now.” She said, pointing towards a room.

“Come on, I’m hungry.” The young woman said, walking towards Chansung and pulling him along.

Pushing him down on a chair that stood near the kitchen counter, the woman started busily unpacking her many bags. Running from left to right, back towards Chansung; placing a glass of water before him, also getting water for Tokkie. Then back to the counter, unpacking her new coffee machine, remembering that she had to store her new clothes while telling Chansung to stay there for a second, busily running into her room to bring the clothes to their rightful destination.

 A soft smile made its way onto the handsome man’s face, admiring the busy girl that was running around him in a hurry.

It was bewildering for Chan that there was someone who wanted to do everything as fast as possible. But maybe his age was the problem. He didn’t have to hurry; he had more than one lifetime.

He knew that the world was moving as fast as Soojin at the moment. Chansung asked himself if he had ignored it 'till now, or if the girl was simply the most interesting thing he had seen the past few decades. Either way, he loved the sight in front of his eyes.

Up until now, Chansung had found out that the woman’s nature was kind of feisty and boyish, but not her body. The delicate shoulders, the thin waist and neck, her soft and elegant looking fingers and her pretty face were the complete opposite. You weren’t able to guess her strong character by only looking at her. You had to talk to her in order to identify her real personality.

Chansung was sure, he wanted to talk to her more and more, getting to know her character and personality like he knew his own.

His gaze wasn’t fixed as his thoughts were starting to drift, until he felt a hand patting his shoulder. With raised brows, the young man snapped out of his trance, trying to find the source of the touch. With a quick smile running over his lips, he noted that the young girl had tapped him in order to get his attention.

“Yah, were you listening to me?” She asked, her arms crossed in front of her chest, making her seem like a spoiled kid that asked for attention.

“No, I was thinking about something different, sorry.” Chansung admitted, earning an annoyed huff from the girl.

“Men. Ok, I wanted to know if there is something specific you want to eat? I’ll treat you, since you helped me with the bags and saved my handbag.” Soojin said, slowly walking towards her fridge, opening it and letting Chansung take a glimpse inside.

With a frown, Chan let his gaze roam the content of the fridge, not really sure what he should ask for. The man didn’t eat that often. If he ate he just ordered something, and gulped it down without bothering what he was eating at the moment.

Back then – in his human form -, he loved eating more than anything else. However, after a few hundreds of years, he lost his appetite. In Chansung’s eyes everything tasted the same, old and boring.

“I’ll eat the same as you.” He guessed that this was the most normal answer he could muster up. At least he didn’t ask her if she had fresh rabbit meat at home. Chan thought that this answer wouldn’t please the woman, nor Tokkie.

Raising an eyebrow, but not bothering to ask why he let her choose, she nodded, turning towards her fridge for the second time.

With a smile on her lips seeing the food she had bought as if she would close herself up in her apartment for half a year, she choose to make something simple. Pulling out a few eggs, deciding that an omelette would be the fastest she could make. A glance at the clock told her that she had only one hour left till she had to go to work, the omelette looking more and more like the best decision in her eyes.

Hurriedly walking around the counter and grabbing a pan, she started to heat some oil in it. She got busy cutting some sausage to add, at least Chansung couldn’t complain later that there was no meat.

Soojin guessed that the tall man loved meat. She had no idea why she thought that way, but something told her that her presumption was right. Yeah, for sure he loved bloody meat.

With a smile, the girl turned off the stove and seasoned the food while happily walking towards the waiting man.

“Here you go. Eat as much as you want.” The girl said, handing Chansung a fork and some salt, placing the hot pan in front of him.

“Thank you.” The tall guy said, smiling at Soojin like a child that just got a limited edition of ‘Pororo’. Soojin blinked a few times, not knowing why the guy seemed so happy about such a simple dish.

“Wow. I wonder how you would look like if I served you a 5 star menu.” The woman muttered, trying to supress the warm feeling that had started spreading in her belly. A soft touch on her cheek, made her gasp in surprise. Too concerned with getting rid of that unfamiliar feeling, she hadn’t realized that the dark haired man had been watching her. His thumb was carefully grazing her cheek, as if he was afraid to hurt her.

“Soojin, are you alright?” The man asked, concern swinging in his dark voice as his hand wandered towards her forehead. Surprised, the young woman realized that Chansung was checking her temperature.

“W-What are you doing?” She asked, grabbing the big hand that was softly lying on her forehead.

“You suddenly got red and it was like you’ve decided to change into a heater, trying to burn me.” Chansung said, not realising that – in Soojin's world – it was impossible for a ‘normal’ human being to feel the rise of body heat from that distance.

To his relief, the woman was too busy controlling her facial features in order to realize what the man had just said.

“I-I was just remembering something… sorry…” She said perplexed, letting go of the big hand and leaning back to get some gap between herself and the handsome guy opposite her.

Chansung couldn’t supress the smile that was about to make its way onto his face. The woman was just too cute when she lost her train of thoughts. It made her seem vulnerable. Chansung felt something he hadn’t felt in a long time. He wanted to protect her. He wanted to keep her near, not sharing her with anyone else. He was the only one that was allowed to touch her or look at her. With a frown, Chansung realized what he was just thinking about. God, he sounded like a warder, like some addict that wanted to possess a human being. Even if the man knew that his feelings were wrong, he couldn’t help himself but to feel that way.

“No need to apologize.” Chansung said, smiling gently at the still embarrassed woman. He then looked down, raising an eyebrow – not sure if he should taste the ‘thing’ in front of him or if he should excuse himself. But he guessed that the woman knew what she had done, so tasting it wouldn’t kill him, right?

Hesitant the man took the first bit, his eyes getting bigger out of surprise. It really tasted better than he had thought. Without thinking twice he pulled the pan nearer, starting to dig in.

Soojin watched with amazement at the empty pan; it’s just been a few minutes after the man had started eating.

“W-were you that hungry?” The woman asked, grabbing the pan. She then waited for an answer.

“Yes and no. I wasn’t that hungry, but it was just so good.” Chansung said, his eyes blinking in amazement and admiration. Soojin slightly shook her head and stood up.

“Do you want a second serving?” She asked, stopping and turning around while pointing at the pan in her hand.

“No need. I guess you also want something to eat.” Chansung said, letting his hand glide through his dark hair, looking apologetic at the woman.

“Why do you look like a puppy that just got thrown out of its house?” Soojin asked with a giggle, placing the pan back onto the oven.

“Well, I guess I ate the food you were supposed to eat.” The man reasoned, looking even more apologetic than before.

Soojin just laughed out loud, the same bell-like laughter from before echoing through the room.

“I guess I have enough eggs to feed the both of us. I’m not a big eater, so we can share the next one.” The woman said, motioning her head towards the eggs in her hand.

Chansung just nodded eagerly. Not only was he happy that he could eat that… weird thing from before, but Soojin wanted to ‘share’ with ‘him’.

‘That’s something a couple would do.’ Chansung thought happily, patiently waiting for his host to finish the food.

A quick, unplanned glimpse onto the clock told Soojin that it was already late. If she wanted to get to work in time she had to hurry.

“Holy sh…” She cursed as she hurriedly jumped up from her seat. With big eyes, she grabbed the empty pan, ran to the counter and threw it into the sink. As she turnedaround, she looked at Chansung. A part of her wanted to blame him, but the other knew that he was not at fault.

They had talked about some random stuff and it had been calming to talk with the handsome man that now sat confused at her dining table.

“I-I’m going to be late for work.” Soojin explained to him as she rushed past him into her bedroom. Getting what the woman was talking about, the man also jumped up from his seat and followed her. Just as he was about to enter the bedroom the door closed right before his nose.

“I guess it’s better if you wait outside.” He heard the amused tone of the woman from inside, at first not getting what she was talking about. But as the door opened again, and a changed Soojin stood before him he realised what she had meant. An awkward cough escaped Chansung’s mouth, while scratching his neck.

“Are you coming with me? I-I mean, do you want to come along?” The woman said, as she walked past him and towards the closet her shoes were located at.

Chansung agreed and also put on his shoes and coat, following Soojin outside as soon as the woman had finished changing.

 The afternoon was colder than imagined and Soojin shivered slightly as she pulled at her coat.

“It’s getting colder lately.” Chansung said, gently smiling at Soojin. He was glad that his body didn’t react as sensitive as the girl’s body. It was like his body melted into the cold, becoming one with his surroundings. Sure, the man still felt the wind and the cold, but his body adapted fast, reducing his temperature in order to not use too much blood. It was like walking in the sun, the more he was outside the more blood he needed to repair the damage the sunbeams were causing. The colder it was outside, the less blood was needed to keep his temperature stable.

“Yeah.” The woman agreed as they silently walked side by side down the street, towards the woman’s work place.

After a few minutes of walking; the man broke the silence.

“I’m sorry if I’m at fault for you coming too late.”

Surprised, the woman turned, looking at him as if he was the craziest person on the planet.

“You are one weird person, Chansung. There is no need to apologize. I mean, I had fun talking with you.” She said, blushing as she realised what she had just admitted.

“I’ve also enjoyed talking with you. You are one interesting person. I’m looking forward to our date.” Chansung smiled widely.

Not knowing how to respond to that, the woman just nodded embarrassed, hiding her red cheeks.

With a relieved sigh, the woman opened the door to her workplace, gladly breathing in the unique smell of the nearly empty bar.

The woman’s eyes glided over the furniture and stopped at Min, who was busily checking the stock. Soojin’s gaze then wandered further, detecting three of her waiters checking the change in their purses. Also, the DJ prepared for the evening ahead, talking with another one of Soojin’s bar keepers.

“Min~” Soojin called out, walking down the few stairs and waving excitedly at her fiend and employee.

“Oh, hello unnie.” Min greeted back, giving Soojin a warm smile. As the owner of the bar was about to reach the counter, she noticed a smiling man sitting at the bar, winking towards her as she noticed him.

“Nichkhun hyung…” Suddenly, a dark voice was heard and all eyes went towards the entrance, where Chansung stood, the door still open.

“Ah, Chansung-ah. It’s been a while. How are you?“ Khun turned his attention from Soojin towards the dark clothed man in the entrance.

“Good. And you?” Chan asked back, closing the door and walking down the stairs with an elegance that was nearly impossible. Every time Soojin watched him she had to remind herself not to stare. The man was just like a panther, walking with smooth and elegant steps. In that moment, something snapped inside her brain.

“W-Wait, you both know each other?” She asked, her eyes wandering from Chansung towards Khun and back at Chan. Both men simply nodded at her.

“From where?” The girl squeaked, not knowing how to handle the situation.

“Let’s say we kind of grew up together.” Nichkhun said in his calm and warm voice, smiling towards the surprised woman.

“I-I see. Okay, that’s somehow surprising, amusing and frightening at the same time.”Soojin mumbled, walking past the two men and straight behind the counter.

Chansung followed her moves, and it surprised him that his hyung was doing the same. It couldn’t be that he…

“Hyung, let's have a word?” The younger asked the man, who was still busily looking after the woman, getting his attention only after a rather hard pat on the shoulder.

“Where?” The older creature asked, trying to ignore that his dongsaeng had just hit him.

“Outside.” Chansung growled, no longer holding back as he realised that Soojin wasn’t watching.

The fresh air surrounded them immediately as the both men set food outside the warm and cosy bar. Without flinching, they stepped aside, hiding in an alley, melting with the shadows.

“Don’t tell me we are here for the same reason…” Chansung said, his teeth gritted, but not because of the cold.

“I guess so. It is fascinating, don’t you think?” The older said, looking to his right, following a few people that went past the alley they were currently standing in.

“I’ve never heard that two immortals were attracted by the same Sanatio Casus...” He said; his voice quieting down as he turned his attention back at the younger immortal in front of him.

“I don’t think that it is fascinating, it’s just making my life even more complicated.” The younger of them said, his right hand combing through his dark hair in annoyance.

“I’ve always loved challenges, don't you as well? I thought you were a fighter, Chansung?” Nichkhun smirked, as he saw a fierce spark in the other’s eyes. It was like a promise to make the hunt they had before them more entertaining.

“Are you picking a fight with me, Nichkhun?” The younger growled. Not out of anger, rather amused and ready for a little bet.

“I guess. Let’s play this fair. The winner is allowed to get the lovely maid. What do you say?.” Khun smirked, milky white teeth glistening in the little moonlight that managed to creak into the dark alley. His smile got even brighter as the younger grabbed his hand, agreeing to the bet and the conditions.

“May the best win her heart and freedom.” Chansung said, smirking in anticipation. He was sure of his skills as a lover and as a seducer. He would make sure that Soojin fell for him.

As the taller man was about to turn, the older’s hand held him in place.

“I have another question, pure curiosity.” Nichkhun said, waiting for Chansung to respond. Only as the other nodded agreeing to listen to his question, the other immortal continued.

“That Kim Joonsoo guy – that serial killer - that was your doing, wasn’t it?” Khun asked, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.

If Chansung had to answer the question: ‘What is Nichkhun’s weak point?’. He would immediately answer: ‘His curiosity.’ His nosyness was bane and gift at the same time.

“If you already know; why do you add a question mark at the end of the sentence?” Chansung snarled amused as he turned around to get back to where Soojin was.

It was half an hour after the bar had opened, people were coming and soon the bar was filled with laughter and music.

Everyone seemed to be in a good mood. Even Chansung and Nichkhun were talking animatedly. Soojin didn’t know why, but she had thought that both of them wouldn’t like each other at first. The fierce glance in their eyes had told her that they had a past with each other. However, she wasn’t sure if it had been a good or a bad past. But the electric sparks in the air, when they had recognized each other, had told her that there had happened something that wasn’t pleasant. Apparently, she had been wrong. Both men talked like there was no tomorrow, laughing and talking about something Soojin couldn’t hear.

Her eyes scanned the room while preparing a drink for a costumer. The man was quite charming, trying to flirt with her. For Soojin this was nothing new. For god’s sake, she worked in a bar. There had been a hundred of men that had tried to get her attention, so the handsome man wasn’t unexpected.

With furrowed brows, she turned around, looking for the man that had just ordered the cocktail in her hands. But he was nowhere to be seen, glancing over to her new friends, she coughed st them both smirking evilly. It couldn’t be that those two had something to do with his disappearance, could they?

Soojin shook her head in confusion. This wasn’t her day; that was for sure.

The thing that got on her nerves the most was that Junho was still missing. When they’ve opened the bar, Soojin had started to get worried. Junho was a man with principles. And one of those principles was never coming late to work. If it hadn’t been her always punctual brother, she wouldn’t wonder. But she knew Junho; she knew that he would let his house burn down just in order to reach work in time.

This fact made her more than nervous.

“Min? Is Junho still missing?” She screamed over the music, her head turned towards her friend.

Min slightly shook her head and then raised her shoulders, indicating that she also had no idea where Junho was or why he wasn’t here.

“.” Soojin mumbled, walking into her brother’s office. She would just give him another call.

A soft knock made her look up. Soojin was holding her phone on her right hand, impatiently tapping her left onto the wooden desk her older brother owned.

A dark haired head popped into the room, closely followed by the light brown haired head of Nichkhun.

“Isn’t he picking up?” Chansung’s dark voice asked, letting goose bumps roll down Soojin’s spine. She still wasn’t used to that dark and y voice.

“Apparently not, judging by her furrowed brows.” The soft and calming voice of Nichkhun followed, trying to make the woman smile.

A soft smile appeared on the young woman’s lips, as she still waited for her brother to pick up.

It was a rather cold evening. The man was hastily closing his apartment door, huffing a few curse words as he couldn’t find his keys. The of curse words stopped and with a relieved grunt, the young man pulled out his keys to lock the door.

He was already late, something that was untypical of him. He was always punctual, well always except today. He grunted in annoyance. That damn alarm clock was at fault. It’s been a while since he had slept that good, so he also blamed it on his deep slumber.

It had been an afternoon without creepy and horrible nightmares. At first, Junho was relieved that there weren’t some creatures appearing once he had closed his eyes, but now he wished that they would’ve appeared. Once he had closed his eyes, he drifted into dreamland and only woke up as something had been thrown against his window.

Of course he had jumped up and ran to his window, but since he lived on the 6^th floor in a block of flats, he guessed that it had been a bird. Just after that, he had looked onto his alarm clock and realised how late it was. At the speed of light, he had dressed himself and rushed out of his apartment, not caring to eat something.

And here he was, walking down the street while huffing and puffing in annoyance.

“I’m so going to buy a new alarm clock.” The young man grumbled, his brows furrowed in anger.

Dull footsteps and the milky light around him made the scenery seem a little creepy. But Junho kind of liked the way the street shone in this misty light.

Suddenly, a shudder ran down the man’s neck, as if someone had showered him with ice water. Junho’s head snapped to the side, squinting his eyes while trying to detect something. The man was sure that the feeling was coming from an alley across the road, or was it from the alley right next to him?

The red haired man wasn’t sure, until he heard a low growl coming directly from behind. Turning around with wide eyes, the guy looked into two yellowish eyes, into the eyes of a… wolf?

Not understanding what a creature like that was doing in a town like Seou;l Junho silently walked backwards. He somehow knew that the wolf was hungry, or at least after him. It was as if the man could feel the intentions of the wolf.

The creature growled again, showing its long and dangerous teeth before them with its tongue.

Another shudder ran down the man’s neck and like in trance he turned, only to find another wolf. This wolf however, wasn’t brown but white; snow-white. His fur glistened in the moonlight, as well as his teeth. It was weird, but Junho didn’t feel panic as he looked at the white wolf. He didn’t know why, but the white wolf looked older and more… wise?

Junho would laugh his of at that weird thought, but right now he didn’t dare to make a wrong move. The white wolf’s eyes lay on Junho, as if he was judging him with those blue-brown eyes of his. He felt the warmth of his gaze on his body, roaming from his feet towards his face, where the wolf’s eyes stopped.

Horror filled Junho's eyes and features as, suddenly, those blue-brown eyes snapped to his side, towards the other wolf. And before he could turn around or duck away; he felt long teeth piercing through his skin. A painful scream cut through the dark night, echoing through the dark alleys around Junho.

He would never ever take this shortcut again, never.

The sharp teeth buried deeper, tasting the sweet and luring blood of the man. The man however sunk to his knees, screaming in pain and agony.

The white wolf stayed still, watching the scene before his eyes. The white creature knew that he would die soon. The wolf had warned him, but it wasn’t his fault that the younger wouldn’t listen to him.

Instinctively, the red haired man reached for his shoulder, his shoulder that was being devoured by the brown wolf with the yellow eyes. But his hand stopped midway as he heard another painful scream, or rather a howl.

Not caring what it was, he let his hand fall back onto the ground, trying to hold up his painfully throbbing body. Another howl followed and the man noticed in relief that the wolf was letting go of his bloody shoulder.

Junho kneeled on the ground, his hand pressing against his bleeding wound as he tried not to black out. But he felt the darkness creeping into his body. The last thing he saw before his eyes closed was a white wolf dragging a stiff and lifeless brown fur-ball into the alley to his left.

“Nothing…” Soojin mumbled. The woman was about to hang up as suddenly a horrible pain hit her. With a high pitched scream, she crushed to the ground, letting go of her phone in the process. The girl rolled on the floor, grasping her shoulder while panting hard.

Shocked; both men ran to her side, trying to calm her. Nichkhun grabbed the woman’s arm, pulling it away in order to check if she was indeed hurt. But there was nothing. The woman however didn’t stop screaming, biting her lip to supress her painful screams.

The screaming and whimpering continued for a while. Chansung got impatient. The man let his right hand glide under the woman’s body and lifted her up, pressing her against his body. Instinctively the woman sneaked her arms around the tall man, clawing onto his clothes while burying her face into his neck, sobbing and in pain.

As fast as the pain came, it was gone. Soojin tried to soothe her beating heart and her fast breath. Only after she had her composure back; she dared to step backwards, breaking the intimate closeness she had with Chansung.

Her hand lingered on her shoulder, squeezing lightly, as she wasn’t sure what just happened.

Soojin was about to ask Khun and Chan what had happened but suddenly, her phone started ringing. Startled, she looked for it, lifting it up from the floor and answering immediately.

“Yes?” The woman asked out of breath, still holding her shoulder as she feared that the pain would come back once she let go.

“Am I talking to Lee Junho’s sister?” A man’s voice asked.

Panic crept inside the woman’s body as she couldn’t recognize the man’s voice on the other line. It was a husky whisper, giving her the feeling of talking to a much older person.

“Y-Yes?”

“Sadly, I have to inform you that your brother had an accident. I’m currently transferring him to the hospital.” The husky voice said calmly, waiting for a reaction.

But Soojin didn’t answer. The only thing she could do was staring blankly ahead.

A/N:

Aparently I didn't get more time to write on 'Reborn' and I'm really sorry for that.

I'm glad a lot of you are staying with me and the story. But I'm also sad that a few left. I know that I'm not the fastest when it comes to updating...and I'm really sorry for that *bows*

I had a hard time writing this chapter. Since I wanted it to be really good >.<

But it didn't come out as it was planed to T__T

But hey...there is a new character ahead :)

Maybe you guys can guess which 2PM it'll be? :D

*dances around happily*

I hope the wolf-part wasn't confusing...if it was I'm sorry...I with describing things ._.

I tried my best to update today...since it's my birthday I wanted you guys to get something from me :)

Here is my b-day present for you ♥

Thanks for staying and subscribing n commenting. You guys are the best! *hugs all of you*

PS.: I have no idea what's wrong with the distances of this chapter...I already tried to fix it but somehoew it won't work T___T Sorry for that!

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A little announcement: If there is someone interested at beta reading this story, please inform me. I'm in need of a person that is willing to correct my mistakes since I want to improve on this story and make it readable ^^

I would be also gratefull for any 'infos' on where to get a proof reader. So if there is someone who knows a person or a shop...please tell me~ ^-^

Do you see that?! I crossed it out! *ha!*

Why?~

Because my lovely unnie is helping me with the grammar.

Unnie! You are a genius. Now even I can understand my own text *hahahaha~

I'm really really thankfull *sobs* *hugs you thight*

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Please excuse my poor grammar and mistakes I made...OutspokeGirl612 will correct it soon :D *how awesome does that sound?!* ♥

I appreciate each subscriber and comment I get! So, don't hesitate to tell me your thoughts to this story in the comment section :D

Lots of love, Banana_Dreams ♥

Here's a note from your proodreader! Aww girl you're so sweet! <3 <3 -throws a million hugs and kisses- I'm no genius ha ha and you have improved a great deal with your grammar, I didn't have to correct as much in this chapter! - Inflates like a proud peacock- 

Now as a fan, OMG girl you have me so curious! I'm gonna die! I'm as curious as Khun, so I'll probably nag a lot more to you for details ha ha. 

Anyway, a million kisses to my great friend! 

And to the readers, make sure to stick, I'm sure she has something great planned for this fic!

With a smiley smile on her face, OutspokenGirl612