Beautifully Untamed

Chapter Four

Ji Yong shivered, glancing at the bright city lights that shone beneath him. He had a piece of bloody meat in his hand that he bit into it without hesitation, before dropping down into a crouch. His sharp incisors and canines thoroughly ripping through the flesh, then he thickly swallowed. His crave for meat being that of foods he was used to always eating, compared to the new world. Gaho was finishing his own fill, when he glanced up at Ji Yong with curiosity. “Well, this is it right here,” he said, biting again into his meat.

Gaho frowned. “This is it as in we’re where you want to be, or you just lost your trail?” The pup deadpanned, not knowing anymore where they were. This was a place that they had never been too before.

Ji Yong growled, baring his teeth as he stood at full height again. “I lost my trail,” he mumbled, and started to walk away, clearly unhappy. Gaho quickly munched on his food before following him.

“Where are we going?” the pup asked.

“To find some shelter, where else?” Ji Yong said, making his way down from the building, jumping from the side and into the fire escape stairs. He looked around himself, glancing into some of the windows, trying to find an empty apartment that he and Gaho could claim for a few days. He could only hope that he could find his trail again.

After climbing down through a few apartments, he finally found a dark, empty one and with a closed fist broke the window, and unlocked it. Gaho wanted to complain, but he wasn’t allowed too much room for what he had to say. When Ji Yong wanted something he usually got it, and if he didn’t have to pay for it the better.

Gaho just prayed that they wouldn’t end up in jail.

But as he followed Ji Yong inside, the scent of something wicked reached him.

“So, what made you write a play about dragon people?”

Seung Hyun glanced at the girl beside him as he bit into his apple. He turned to look ahead of himself as he kept pace beside Hyori, whom had come back to his campus to ‘sort of’ see him. Apparently, her brother came to this school, and more often than not she was always bailing him out by bringing his homework. He had never met the guy, but he sounded kind of fun and spontaneous, the way Hyori described him. Today he had forgotten his fifty page essay, which had to be turned in at the beginning of class, and then complete his final. Seung Hyun himself had to face having to turn in a final paper, and a final, but he was completely done for the day, for once early.

It felt refreshing to know that he was almost done with this. 

“To be honest,” Hyori sighed, “I feel like people don’t really care about other creatures out there you know. Everyone is into the romance of icy vampires and hot werewolves. I wanted to get out of the ‘norm’ of things. I wanted something different, so I thought what about beings that look like humans, but have dragon blood in them that makes them completely different,” Hyori threw her arms around as she tried to explain her ideas and motives. “I love dragons to be honest, such majestic creatures need more praise from others,”

“But your story is such a tragedy though,” Seung Hyun said, briefly turning to look at her. “The prince…”

“Shush! Don’t give the ending away!” She moved to place her hand over Seung Hyun’s mouth, making him jump back. She knew that her story had an ending that could raise so many questions. She feared that it might get people feeling unsatisfied because of it, but that was just the way it had to be. She was not about to change it now.

“Okay, got it,” he said, dodging her. He chuckled when she gave up trying to grab him, “I don’t think that I want the role of the prince though,” Seung Hyun said, turning his attention back to his apple.

“But that’s the main part,” she crossed her arms, turning a slight pout to him. “Please, for me,”

“Hmm,” Seung Hyun seemed to think about it. Honestly though, he was just enjoying the juiciness of his apple watering in his mouth.

“Anyways,” Hyori said, “The time sure has been flying by, but like I told you earlier and the reason I came to see you today. I finally got someone to sponsor us, and my play is getting a shot in the soundstage, at the National Theater of Korea, located around Jangchung-dong---ah and owned by Shin Sun Hee. I’m so excited!” She spun around, unable to contain all her joy.

Seung Hyun smiled, finishing off his apple and moved to throw it into the nearest trash bin. “And when are tryouts,” he curiously asked. He couldn’t help but have questions though, Hyori said she wouldn’t answer them. Her story was just the kind of thing that would keep his curiosity un-sated and it was maddening.

“Soon, immediately,” Hyori grinned, “but I’ll wait until this craze of finals is over next week, so I’ll come over to kidnap you then,” she winked at him. Seung Hyun pursed his lips.

“Kidnap?” he asked.

“What else would you call it?” Hyori asked, immediately grabbing one of his arms and pulling him to her side. “Now come, I’ll treat you to lunch,” she said, trying hard not to pinch his cheeks. She didn’t leave him any room to protests as she started to pull him towards the student union.

Hyori was kind. It was the second time Seung Hyun was sharing a meal with her, but already he felt like he knew everything about her. The woman never paused to breathe as she talked about her childhood, her life, and everything that was memorable and shaped her to be the person that she was. Her eyes sparkled so passionately as she talked about how close she and her brother were and Seung Hyun found himself sort of envying her zeal for life.

To him, the purpose for living was getting a job so he could claim a home, pay bills, and buy food. Then he talked to people and he was reminded that everyone else was always looking for someone else to call their own. Someone to share that lonely existence with. It was a moments like this, after talking to someone so full of life, that he was reminded that he had no real passion for finding a good girl, getting married, nor having children.

It just didn’t seem to be in his life goals to pursue.

He didn’t think that there was ‘the one’ in the world. And even if there was, he didn’t think that he was destined to meet them.

“Do you think that we are cursed?” Seung Hyun asked his brother later that evening. Their mother was in the kitchen cooking, and Siwon was lolling his head back and forth complaining about her cooking. Siwon was never fond of someone else cooking his meals, but their mother just enjoyed the task so much of feeding her boys that she had to deal with her eldest son’s constant whining. Seung Hyun often just remained silent as he watched his brother and mother argue over dinner.

“Huh, what are you talking about?” Siwon asked, narrowing his eyes at his younger brother.

“You know, that thing that father was talking about…” he never got to finish asking.

“Seung Hyun, please, no more fantasy,” Siwon knocked his forehead against the hard wood of the table. Seung Hyun sighed, looking away. “You are such a kid,”

“I’m not,”

“Are too,”

“Hyung,”

“You’ve always believed every word that left dad’s lips from the day that you were born,” Siwon made a face, “Tell me, where in this world have you seen a monster?” Seung Hyun glared at his brother, before turning to look over his shoulder. His eyes widened a bit, before he abruptly jumped from his seat with a yelp as he pointed. Siwon straightened and turned to see what had shocked his brother, only to find a clown face next to his. “!” he breathlessly cursed as he practically stumbled off his chair.

Seung Hyun laughed, taking his seat once more. Siwon growled, as he tried to compose himself once more.

“Scared ya?” the clown removed his mask to reveal Jae Joong, their cousin on their mother’s side. He was Siwon’s age, meaning a few years older than Seung Hyun as well.

“Jae, the you doing here?”

“Siwon,” their mother sternly said.

Jae Joong grimaced, “Well, I asked your parents if I could crash here for a while. You see,” the man took a deep breath, “yesterday, I came home to find the window broken in. I mean sure, I have little to nothing there as I am practically moved into…” he paused. He didn’t dare say out loud that he had a boyfriend because honestly, none of their parents were ready for that. “My ‘girlfriend’s’ apartment, but what I found.” He shivered.

“What did you find?” Seung Hyun curiously asked and Siwon nearly knocked him over the head.

“the dead heads of several rotten and what looked like a human heart in the living room. I followed the trail of blood and it lead to the bathroom where….well the body, the legs sort of where shoved into the toilet, and the rest was in the sink, the bathtub was probably the only thing in the bathroom not covered in blood. And…and the head,”

“You’re kidding right” Siwon said, not believing what he was hearing. He didn’t want his brother’s head being filled with any more ideas.

Jae Joong glared at him, “I am not! The head was in the kitchen table, eyes severed, tongue missing. I’m not kidding! A report was made by the police, they could not find any trace as to who killed him but they seemed very suspicious to me since it was my apartment.” The man shook his head.

“And your….girlfriend,” Seung Hyun shook his head, “Wont she take you in?”

“For now,” Jae Joong, “They want grownups to keep an eye on me, in case I try to flee the city, or something,”

“Okay, this sounds like some bull out of a movie,” Siwon said.

“He’s telling the truth sweetheart,” his mother said as she started to place plates of food on the table. She glared at Siwon, “Arms off the table,” Siwon flinched, but did as asked.

Jae Joong immediately reached for food.

“And even after telling us your little gory story, you can still stomach enough an appetite to eat?” Siwon asked.

Jae Joong shrugged, slightly grinning. “If I don’t have a funny bone or two in my body, I think I would go insane,”

Seung Hyun on the other hand silently ate as his mind zoned out to another place. To something that he had previously read, about a different time and world. Something that made him head towards his room the moment that he finished eating. It wasn’t the same from what he had heard his cousin talk about. But for some reason it reminded him of something familiar to it.

At least in words

Seung Hyun locked his bedroom door behind him, leaving the lights off as he walked towards his desk. He turned his desk light on, and reached into his bag for the plain, light green thick play that Hyori had given him a few days ago. If there was one thing that he enjoyed, it was stories. It was the way that they made him feel maybe, but for some reason he had the urge to re read this particular sceene.

Dark. Crazed, the prince laughs. Hands reaching for the blade. The pain is too much.

       PRINCE

(PAIN) I will cut and carve out my love

     Paint it in flesh. Then you

     Will regret doubting my love. I will

     Rip every limbs, bleed the eyes

     Drop the tongue, and display

     The head of all that hurt you

(PAUSE)

     I’ll do anything just please…

The prince touches the grave stone Before him. Tears fall dramatically. Hysterically. SQUIRE runs in. 

    SQUIRE

    (BREATHLESS)  My lord, it is not safe for you

     To be here. Your parents…

       PRINCE

              Squire, If you can, tell love to

       Never knock at my door

     Again. I don’t want love

      Anymore. I don’t want to

        Hear anything you have to

          say it if it’s about love. I don’t

    Want to hurt anymore…. 

Ji Yong’s hand had successfully broken through the glass that night. He wasn’t looking for a permanent place, just somewhere to sleep. He jumped inside the apartment he had chosen, grimacing at the rotting flesh smell that assaulted his nostrils. It was a peculiar smell for a human’s home. Ji Yong rather not think about it as he already thought that all humans smelled rotten in their own way. He had only come in here for a place to rest.

He didn’t care about anything else.

“This place smells of death,” Gaho commented, unhappy with that fact.

Ji Yong nodded in agreement, covering his nose and mouth as he sought out the bedroom. The smell barely seemed to reach there, and he made his way towards the bed. Gaho followed after him, getting a bad feeling about this apartment, but not commenting on it as Ji Yong crashed onto the bed and carelessly slept.

Gaho couldn’t sleep. He stayed wide awake until his young charge awoke again. Four hours later, and with the fresh start of a new morning both of them crossed the front again. This time with the morning light filtering in, they could see the bloody state that the house was in. Painted with rotting flesh and darkened blood.

Ji Yong’s heart dropped; dread coloring his face as something jostled into his own mind. Like a waking tidal wave of sound, streaming through his mind but he couldn’t really see. It was hard to describe, but it had sounded like a sad lullaby mixed with the soft sobbing of female breath. Ji Yong didn’t want to hear it. He wanted it to stop!

He wanted to run away!

Before Gaho could even ask Ji Yong what was wrong, he was running away, and he had to be quick and follow after.

He’d never seen Ji Yong so shaken before. 

Well...so much for making that section look like a play. ^^'''