Symptom 21

Sunggyu sighed deeply when he returned to his room, he did not like lying to Myungsoo, but in order of him to complete his mission he had to.  Sunggyu was about to open his bedroom door when he overheard Seomin and Kibum talking about him.

"You need to tell him the truth before he finds out for himself.  Do you know how devastating that will be for him, Seo!" Key said with anger in his voice.

"I CAN'T, and you know why I can't tell him the truth."  Seomin crossed her arms and looked at her best with a frustrated look on her face. "Why are you even here anyway? Don't you trust me to be alone with another man other than you?"

"I trust you, but I don't trust him. How many times do I have to tell you that he is a hunter that hunts your kind." Key said.

"My kind? I am the only one of my kind. I am nothing like those Contagions who drink others blood without thinking how they are going to change that person's life. I have my own mind and..."

"But you still drank Sunggyu's blood." Key said as he looked at Seomin.  He walked over to her and kneeled down on the ground in front of her. "I thought I told you that I am the only person allowed to give blood to you."

"He offered when I started to lose it. What was I supposed to do, refuse and kill someone once that side of me take over? Do you know how hard it is to suppress my urges around him.  His blood is something that I have never tasted before in my life.  His scent is different from others that I have met, it's tempting. I can't harm him because we have the same enemy."

"Just because you have the same enemy, does not mean you can trust him.  He is..."

"I am what?" Sunggyu asked as he opened the door, stepping into his room, glaring at Key. "I asked you a question?"  He slammed the door behind him, not caring if he woke up the whole apartment.

"Nothing, I think Seo and I should go, we have already overstayed our visit." Key rose to his feet and grabbed onto Seomin's wrist, pulling her off of Sunggyu's bed. "We promise not to bother you again, hunter."

Sunggyu took a deep breath as he watched the two walk towards the window.   He was happy to get rid of them.  They were stressing him out. 

"Sunggyu sii..." Seomin said in her sweet voice that was like music to Sunggyu's ears. He forced himself not to smile when she called his name.   

"Seo, it's time to go." Key tugged on her arm, but she gave him a cold glare. "I will give you ten seconds to say what you want."

"Are you going to be alright?" She asked Sunggyu.

"I'm fine..." Sunggyu said, "Just go!"

 "See he does not want you here, come." Key said, pulling Seomin along again, but Seomin knew that Sunggyu was lying to her.  He was not alright.  She could feel the way that his blood was rushing through his heart.

Sunggyu took another deep breath and walked over to the mirror that was in his room.  He did not like how he was feeling right now.  Sunggyu wanted to confirm that he was actually here and not in someone else's mind.  When he saw the pale man in the mirror he punched the mirror, breaking it.  His blood dripped down the mirror and onto the floor.  Sunggyu turned away from the mirror, hating how sickly he had become.  He no longer would be able to have a normal life if he continued taking those pills, even thought they were helping him, they were still hurting him. Myungsoo was right about something, he needed to stop relying on those pills.

---

"Are you feeling any better today hyung?" Dongwoo asked as he sat down across from Sunggyu at the kitchen table.  He watched the older man drink his coffee, with a bandaged hand, wondering if Sunggyu took his anger out on an object again.

"I'm fine..." Sunggyu said as he removed his hand from sight, Dongwoo staring at it was making him feel uncomfortable. "Are the others up yet?"

"The actually headed to the council already."  Dongwoo looked at Sunggyu with a serious expression.  "Hyung, don't look at me like that. I asked them to leave early so I can talk to you about something in private."

"What is there to talk about, the mission? You can fill me in on the way ."  Sunggyu said as he rose to his feet,  "We need to get to that meeting."

"Hyung, this is something that we cannot talk about along the way. There is something else besides the mission that I want to talk to you about." Dongwoo said as he pulled a familiar looking red envelop out of his jacket, placing it on the table.   He watched as Sunggyu's facial expression darken.

"Who gave that to you?" Sunggyu asked sitting back down at the table. He recognized the letter belonging to that man, he was the only person who used that color envelope.

"It is from the man you want to kill, but it was someone else that came it to me, someone that I used to know very well, Minseok." Dongwoo said as he looked down, "He gave in to the Contagion. I..I could not kill him."

Sunggyu sighed, "It's alright Dongwoo..." Sunggyu reached for the envelope, staring at it for a few moments. "Do you know what is in it?"

"It is not the virus if that is what you are asking.  It's a letter from him." Dongwoo said. He did not dare to say is name.  It was a taboo in front of Sunggyu.  "I also did not read what is in the envelop because it is none of my business."

Sunggyu sighed and slowly opened up the letter, hoping that what he was about to read would not make him go on a rampage.  He pulled out the letter and started to read it to himself.

Sunggyu,

I hope you are well dear boy...

You seemed to have gotten so thin lately! Are you not eating properly? You should eat more and make your blood healthy, so when the time comes for me to you dry, your blood taste satisfying. Don't worry, you will be with your family soon.

But that is not why I am writing you this letter. I want you to return someone to me, dear boy.   I noticed that you have become close to one of my experiments that went wrong, Song Seomin. Return the girl to me and I may let you live, if you don't I will kill your team off one by one, starting with the youngest.

Love,

Your Old Friend

Sunggyu rose to his feet.  He walked over to the stove, turning on its flame.  Sunggyu held the letter over the flame, watching it slowly burn and turn to ashes.

"Hyung..."  Dongwoo said in a worried tone as he rose to his feet.  He hurried over to Sunggyu and grabbed his wrist, pulling him away from the stove, hoping the older man did not burn himself.  Dongwoo turned off the stove and placed to hands on Sunggyu's cheek, "HYUNG!"

"Let's head t