The Curse

Bang Yongguk entered the palace ground in frenzy. After receiving the message from Elder Kim, immediately he made his way back. Despite years of being away from the palace, the royal guards never stopped him from entering. They knew who he was. The palace was after all his rightful place, his home. Yongguk searched for Elder Kim only to find the man weeping and crouching in agony and pain. He dashed right for the man and held him up as gently as possible.

“My lord, what happened?” Yongguk asked. Although Yongguk belonged to the royal family and a pureblood, a status much higher than Elder Kim, he still viewed the old man with respect and nobility.

“T-T-Tae H-H-Hee...” Elder Kim stuttered as he bore the pain.

Yongguk noticed a dagger piercing straight at the right chest of the old man and with much grace and skill, he pulled the dagger out. Vampires could not be easily killed by a mere knife but this one, it was a stake. “Where is she?”

“In..inside...” Elder Kim slowly closed his eyes. “Help her...please...”

“Lord Kim –“ Yongguk called. He stared right straight in the eyes of Elder Kim with pure admiration. He locked his fingers tightly in his and whispered. “Thank you for everything.”

Without wasting another second, Yongguk wrapped his arm around Elder Kim’s head and in a flash, he twisted his neck. Unable to watch his suffering any longer, Yongguk eased his pain by killing him instantly. He stood up and stared at the body of the man who has helped him all the years, the same person who taught him to control his thirst and no longer be the animal he was supposed to be.

Elder Kim’s way of living was remarkable, one of the few belonging to the Council of Vampires who practised it. As the Council slowly tried to integrate its teaching to the royal family, all opposed except for Yongguk. The royal family believed since they are the strongest and pioneers of the vampire kind; they should never succumb and changed who they were supposed to be just because of the humans.

However Yongguk believed the otherwise and chose to follow Elder Kim’s way. Yongguk was shun and was called a betrayer; the reason why left the palace. Yet, he still vowed to hold on the belief and practise Elder Kim’s way of living for the rest of his existence. As a result, Elder Kim became his teacher, confidante and also a father to him. His mind stopped wandering when an excruciating scream blasted from inside the hall room. Yongguk dashed in only to be stopped by the royal guards.

“My Prince, you must not enter –“

“Get away.” Yongguk commanded. He took one of the guards by hand and threw him away. Surprised by his action, the rest of the guards charged and attacked him. Yongguk wasn’t only just a Prince, he was a well-trained one. Swiftly and effortlessly, he killed all of the guards in just minutes. His anger only kept increasing as he listened to Tae Hee’s cries. Silently, he prayed for her to hold on.

After finishing them all, Yongguk slammed the door open and spotted a frail body lying on the floor. He ran for her despite the protest by the Royal King and Queen.

“Bang Yongguk!” The Queen called but was totally ignored.

Yongguk went straight for Tae Hee. “Tae Hee –“

Tae Hee opened her eyes weakly and when she saw Yongguk’s face, she smiled. “Hey...where have you been?” She joked even at the brink of death.

“Don’t speak. I’m going to get you safe.” Yongguk said as he wrapped his arms around her.

However, Tae Hee brushed his arms away and shook her head. “No, get her safe.” Yongguk tilted his head in confusion. “You have to make sure she is safe, Lee Ah Na. Watch over her for me.”

“Who is she? Where –“ Just when Yongguk wanted more answers, a loud cry of a man’s voice was heard.

Tae Hee turned panicked when she saw Byung Hun running in and calling her name. “Tae Hee!”

“No! Byung Hun, no!” Tae Hee yelled helplessly but it was too late. Right in front of her eyes, Byung Hun was dragged away from her and instantly ripped apart by the King. There wasn’t much Byung Hun could do despite being a fearless werewolf. He was in a room heavily outnumbered by skilled vampires. The King wasn’t going to let him get any closer to Tae Hee and hence he killed him right away. With his body dangling lifelessly, Tae Hee watched in horror as the man she loved, the second man throughout her existence, was killed right in front of her.

Tae Hee pushed herself up despite the immense pain and crawled towards Byung Hun. His body was trembling as he struggled to keep himself breathing and alive. Tae Hee cried, holding her soul mate in her arms.

“T-T-Tae...”

“Shhh –“ Tae Hee hushed him to keep silent as she her face tenderly. “O-O-Oppa, p-p-please don’t l-l-leave me.”  She stammered, choking on her words.

Byung Hun flashed a weak smile. “I p-p-promise to c-come back, d-d-didn’t I? Urgh!” He winced.

“No, please no!” Tae Hee cuddled. No matter how much she pleaded for him to stay, she knew well that he wasn’t going to survive.

“I’m s-s-sorry I c-can’t look after our d-daughter...” By then, Yongguk was beside Byung Hun, holding the man tightly. “Y-Yongguk, we m-m-meet again.” Byung Hun turned around and stared intently at Yongguk before adding. “Please...Lee Ah Na...I b-beg y-you...”

Yongguk nodded and placed a finger on Byung Hun’s mouth to prevent him from talking anymore. “I know what to do...” Byung Hun didn’t have to end his words. Yongguk already knew his responsibilities. Lee Ah Na was going to be his priority, regardless.

Tae Hee sobbed even harder. “Op-oppa please...”

“Tae Hee, I love you...”

With that, Byung Hun shut his eyes. Tae Hee cuddled and rocked his body as she whimpered at the loss of the man she loved so much. The immense pain was too overwhelming that she wailed out loudly. She could no longer listen to his melodious heart beat which kept her going all throughout the years. He wasn’t warm anymore. That was it. Tae Hee’s one and only soul mate just left her.

Hearing Tae Hee’s cries was so painful to Yongguk. Byung Hun was probably the only male who Yongguk ever conceded defeat to. Yet, he never held grudges against him. In fact, he has done something that Yongguk couldn’t, loving Tae Hee until the end of his life.

Unable to control her emotions, Tae Hee stood up and barged straight at the King. However, just when she was about to, Yongguk stopped her.

“Tae Hee, no!”

But it was too late; she pushed him aside with her remaining strength and went directly for the King. Subsequently, everything went against Yongguk’s wish. In a blink of an eye, he watched as the King mercilessly pierced Tae Hee’s fragile body with a stake. He couldn’t do anything but watch helplessly as the guards pulled her away and continued ripping her apart. Yongguk intervened and pushed the guards; killing a few. He then ran for Tae Hee but she was already sprawling on the floor.

Yongguk held her hand tenderly and sobbed. “Tae Hee, no...”

Tears flowed down Yongguk’s cheeks as he watched her. “Yongguk, you shall be the witness on this full moon night, I swear upon the blood of the Royal that those who deny the truth in my words will die in the most painful way.” Tae Hee struggled. The room turned silent at the moment as she pledged. Yongguk understood her words and in a flash he slit a cut on his wrist as thick red liquid flowed.

“Yongguk, don’t!” The Queen ordered. But the male turned a deaf ear.

The rest of the vampires trembled as they were aware that the curse made upon the consent of any of the Royal family will stand. Worst, his blood has been sacrificed.

Yongguk didn’t budge while the rest of the vampires scrambled to stop Tae Hee and him. Instead, he flashed a bold smile at her and said. “Thank you.”

Tae Hee struggled to hold on however, she managed to glance at Yongguk for the last time and spoke. “Take care of her for me, please. She’s yours.” That was Tae Hee’s last words to him before passing him a bottle and closing her eyes. He watched in agony as her body slowly disintegrated into dust.

Yongguk closed his eyes as he swallowed the pain of the loss. Instantly, he tightened his fists as he held onto the bottle and stood up abruptly. He looked at the last remaining guard who killed Tae Hee and dashed for him. However, the Queen went before him and stopped. “Yongguk, my son...”

“You are not my mother.” Yongguk spat.

“Bang Yongguk, if you ever create trouble, I will banish you from the palace forever!”  The King yelled across the still room.

Yongguk smirked before replying. “Control your filthy thirst and see who gets banished first.”

“Yongguk!”

“I am not the only witness, every single one of you in this room too is, for tonight will be the first night of the curse.”

A wave of murmurs could be heard across the room. Some were in disbelief, some were not afraid while some were already trembling in fear.

The King stepped forward and commanded. “Quiet!” He looked around and added. “No one shall believe the curse.”

Upon hearing his words, Yongguk laughed snidely. “I dare you to find a human and drink his blood. Let’s see if you still choose not to believe the curse when your body starts to rot like maggots eating on an open flesh.” Some of them shuddered listening to Yongguk. “Tae Hee’s words are the truth. Her daughter is human.” His last sentence sent shivers. It was too overwhelming for some to accept that a human was born from a vampire.

He added further. “Let’s see if you can survive the curse. Your greatest strength is your greatest weakness now.”

The Queen trembled as she approached Yongguk. “Son, help me... I can’t...” She knew very well how dependent she was on human blood. The person who could save her is only Yongguk. He was the only one among the royal family at the moment who could control his thirst.

Previously, he was a disgrace to the royal pureblood. But now, he was at the upper hand of the game. Yongguk, together with a few managed to control their thirst. These few would definitely survive.

“My Queen, you can only help yourself.” Yongguk replied and walked away.

“Yongguk, help me please...”

Yongguk brushed her aside and continued walking. He stopped to pick up Byung Hun’s body and then left the room. In his hand, it was the bottle Tae Hee gave to him. As he left the room bravely, he lifted up the hand which was holding the bottle to examine and that was when he realised, it was the same bottle Yongguk has given to Tae Hee many years back, before he left the palace in search for peace. Now, it was with him and the content was empty.

He stopped to get a grip of himself.

Take care of her for me, please. She’s yours

Tae Hee’s last words; now he understood the true meaning of it. It wasn’t just a promise Yongguk had to fulfil. It was an obligation for him. No matter what, a part of him was already inside her; the only person in his mind.

“Lee Ah Na, I will find you and you shall be mine; forever.”

To be continued

^________^ To those who guessed Yongguk's role as Lana's brother, well you're close but that's not it. 

So is Yongguk.....you know.......like Jongin....but how is that possible........i mean.....hmmmm...

Till then, here's a cute vampy!

Thank you for reading!