Perpetuity

 

 

“He keeps staring at you.”

 

“Who?”

 

“The new guy!”

 

You looked across the room from where you and your friends were sitting in the chemistry lab and your eyes immediately laid upon the most beautiful man you have ever seen. His eyes were a beautiful shade of hazel and his light brown bangs were brushed perfectly on his forehead. Only after you realized he was staring back at you, you turned away, and then blushed into the darkest shade of red.

 

“I think he thinks you’re hot.” Your friend, Soojung nudged you.

 

“Please, why would a guy like that think I’m hot?” you scoffed.

 

Soojung rolled her eyes, “Um please, he’s still staring at you and he has been staring at you since the start of class.”

 

“Then maybe he thinks I’m disgusting.”

 

“You . You should go talk to him after class!”

 

You stared at her with wide eyes, “And why would I do that?”

 

“Because he’s new, and a new boyfriend is what you need!”

 

“Nice try, but I’m not going to have a new boyfriend any time soon. Have you heard? Jong’s been talking crap about me ever since I broke up with him.”

 

Soojung laughed, “You’re really lowering your self esteem just because of what your ex is saying about you? Come on! He’s a jerk, he cheated on you, and it’s your right to dump him. Who would listen to him anyway?”

 

“Um, the entire student body?”

 

“Who cares what they think, I only care what Sunggyu thinks.”

 

“Who’s Sunggyu?”

 

Soojung pointed slowly to the direction of the male who was even now, staring at you, “He so thinks you’re hot.”

 

“I think he’s a freak. I’ll go talk to him.” You closed your notebook just as the bell rang.

 

“If you don’t want him, I’ll call dibs any time!” Soojung laughed then shot a victory sign to your face as she dashed out of the lab.

 

You let out a huff and looked towards Sunggyu. Oddly, he was still sitting on his table whereas everyone else was dashing out the room for lunch. You came over to him and sat on the stool next to his. He let out a breathy laugh.

 

“I’m guessing you think I’m a psychotic addict or something?”

 

You scoffed, “Yeah you got that right.”

 

He looked at you, “I’m sorry I was staring at you, it’s just that I find you vaguely familiar.”

 

This time, you got a chance to really look at him. He was even more beautiful up close. His fingers were thin and pale white. The white shirt he was wearing had a button undone and was quite tight on the chest. It seems to show off his proportions nicely. He’s not exactly super buff, but you understood why girls would be attracted to him.

 

You shook your head at the thought and shot him a shy smile, “Really? Do you think we’ve met before?”

 

He shrugged, “I don’t know? Do you believe we’ve met before? Possibly in a previous life?”

 

“I don’t know if I believe in any of that.” You raised an eyebrow.

 

“Well maybe you should, I’m Sunggyu.” He extended his hand towards yours.

 

You shook his hand and almost winced out loud, he was extremely cold, and “I’m ___.” You replied to him.

 

“I’ll see you around?” he asked you as rose off his seat.

 

You nodded and smiled at him as he exited the room. You wondered what he meant by you being familiar. Maybe you guys have crossed paths before? A previous life? Please, things like that don’t exist, at least in your world. You grabbed your stuff and exited the room yourself, only to realize that you should’ve given your number to Sunggyu. You looked around the crowded school hallways and sighed, you were a tad bit too late.

 

“Looking for me already?”

 

You jumped at the voice behind you to realize that he never left the front of the chemistry lab.

 

“You scared me.”

 

He laughed, “I’ve heard that before. I’m sorry, I just, I find you really familiar to the point that I can’t stop looking at you.”

 

You blushed a thousand shades of red, then let out a sigh as you grabbed a pen and quickly scribbled your number on a sticky note you had stuck onto your notebook.

 

“Here, if we do know each other, we have to get to know one another first. Call me.” You smiled at him and waved as you quickly sprinted down the hallway.

 

Sunggyu looked at the phone number he now had in his hands and let out a chuckle, “Yeah. It’s her.”

 

…

 

“Oh my God. You gave him your number? So much for playing hard to get!” Soojung groaned as she flopped onto your bed.

 

You opened a bottle of nail polish and started painting your toenails, “I don’t know! I guess I was just…I don’t know there’s something about him.”

 

Soojung scanned her magazine, “You know he’s the talk of the school right? None of the boys have never seen him in a gym around town and yet he claims he’s lived here since forever. If he’s never been in a gym, where would he get that beautiful body?”

 

You laughed, “Maybe he likes hiking or something.”

 

Soojung scoffed, “Right. Hiking.” She flipped over on your bed and her feet were now dangling in the air, “Oh and all the girls are talking about him too. They all like him; I heard they’re already making bets on who could get him first. I should’ve pitched in your name, and win a lot of money.”

 

“Yah! I just gave him my number, it’s not like anything’s going to happen.” You threw a pillow at her.

 

She rolled her eyes, “Hundred bucks says he asks you out on the night of the big dance.”

 

“Right. The dance.” You finished painting the last toe and closed the top of the bottle, “I’m not even sure if I’m going.”

 

“WHAT?” Soojung sat up now and crossed her arms, “You HAVE to go! It’s our last year of high school and you’re not going to the dance? Come on! I know you’re not as lame as that!”

 

You glared at her, “I just, the whole finding the dress thing is so lame. I mean, why did they have to pick Cinderella as the theme for our last dance? I would’ve like Halloween better.”

 

Soojung slammed the pillow back at you, “Yah! It’s not Cinderella, it’s fairytale fantasy.”

 

You groaned, “And you call me lame.”

 

She pouted, “Please come, with me.”

 

“Don’t you have a date already?” you looked at her.

 

“Yeah but like, you’re my ultimate date! I’m bringing two dates! I’ll even find you a dress if you don’t want to go through the whole excruciating-finding-a-dress-part.” She rolled her eyes and laughed.

 

“Deal. But if you get me anything that looks Cinderella-ish, I’m out.”

 

“Deal. He’s so going to ask you out. I mean, all that talk about you looking familiar? Yeah, he’s just trying to say you’re hot.”

 

“Soojung!”

 

…

 

The weekend passed and Sunggyu still hasn’t given you a call. You wondered whether he found you freaky, or perhaps even easy. Or maybe he was just busy? Your thoughts seem to have blinded you as you almost bumped into a person with your whole food tray.

 

“Oh, I’m so sorry-Sunggyu?” you looked up the male.

 

He smiled at you, “Almost, nothing to be sorry about. Hello, ___.” The way he said your name sent shivers down your spine.

 

“I guess I’ll get going then-”

 

“Wait.” He said as he grabbed your arm, it was still so cold, “Can I sit with you?”

 

Your eyes widened but you slowly nodded, you could use the company anyway. You felt eyes staring at you as the male followed you to where you usually sat. Soojung wasn’t there yet and you figured you could try to ask him why he hasn’t called, but he beat you to it.

 

“I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to call you,” he said as he sat down, “I was out for the weekend.”

 

You opened your water bottle and shook your head, “No, it’s fine. Family business?”

 

He smiled, “I guess you could say that. My family likes to go camping over the weekend since I have two older-outgoing sisters.”

 

“Hmm.” You smiled at him and played around with the salad in front of you, “What did you mean about me being familiar?”

 

He played around with your fingers for a while before he answered, “I once met someone who looked exactly like you. She was beautiful too.”

 

You blushed at the compliment, “When did you meet her?”

 

“A long, long time ago.” He smirked as he looked away.

 

You wondered when exactly then pushed your tray away, you suddenly didn’t feel like eating. You wanted to get to know him better, “So tell me about you.”

 

He smiled, “Well, I’m Sunggyu, currently the same age as you and I like watching sunsets.”

 

“Watching sunsets? Really?” you laughed.

 

He poked your nose, “You might find it weird, but I like the night. The darkness soothes me.”

 

You looked at him, “You should thank God for you good lucks, otherwise people will find you extremely emo and weird.”

 

He laughed, “Yeah, I get that a lot.” He smiled at you, “Hey, what’s this dance thing everyone’s been talking about?”

 

“It’s this dance thing seniors have to celebrate the end of the year. The theme for our dance is fairytale fantasy, fantastic right?” you rolled your eyes.

 

“What is it with people and fairytales? I think it .”

 

You laughed, “I’m with you on that. People don’t always get their fairytale endings and there’s no such thing as ‘prince charming’ in this world. I prefer Halloween better.”

 

“And why is that?” he raised an eyebrow.

 

You shrugged, “I guess I’ve always been a fan of the supernatural world. I think it’s fascinating how there are other creatures around us that can go around without being seen. Or in the cases of vampires and werewolves, if they really do exist, they can go around without being found out.”

 

“Ever thought about if someone around you might be one of those supernatural monsters?” he gestured around the room.

 

“They aren’t monsters. They’re people, just like us. They have feelings and they deserve love too. I guess that’s why I don’t like ‘prince charmings’. It’s so much more fun when you have a supernatural creature in your story.”

 

He let out a chuckle, “Careful what you wish for.”

 

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” you raised an eyebrow.

 

This time, he shrugged, “I guess you just never know. Perhaps the people you’re closest too aren’t really humans.”

 

“Yeah, like you right?”

 

His eyes widened at the comment, and you could see a little shock in his eyes. But after a few moments he seemed to relax, “Maybe. My mom and dad used to call me a mythical hamster.”

 

You burst out laughing, “I’m guessing that’s because of your eyes.”

 

He poked your cheek, “Don’t tease. Hamsters get angry when people tease.” He rose off his seat and cocked his head towards the entrance of the cafeteria, where you saw Soojung looking at you with her typical giddy eyes, “I guess I’ll see you at the dance then?”

 

You smiled, “I guess.”

 

He waved at you and quickly walked out of the cafeteria. You could only watch his every move, he was so perfect it actually hurt.

 

…

 

“I told you not to get me something like Cinderella.”

 

“This is so not Cinderella!”

 

“I’m not wearing that. Heck, I’m not going.”

 

Soojung groaned, “Look missy, I’ve spent the whole week trying to find a dress perfect for you and you are not ruining it! You are wearing this dress and going to that dance! Sunggyu’s waiting for you! Now go and change!” she pushed you towards your bathroom and locked the door from outside, “I’m not letting you out until you change!”

 

You sighed and surrendered, you had to meet Sunggyu, you knew that. But you can’t stand the thought of being so princessy tonight. After all that talk about liking supernatural beings, you show up with a Cinderella-like dress. All you needed were a pair of glass slippers.

 

You held the dress in your arms and took a look at it once again. It was beautiful, but it really was a ball gown. It was in a beautiful shade of red, almost similar as red as blood and went all the way to your feet. The skirt was puffy enough, but not too puffy in which you would become this big red snowball. It seemed to shine under the light as the skirt had quite the amount of glitter.

 

After putting on the dress you put your hair into a tidy updo and did your makeup. Nothing too grand, just simple enough to be called pretty.

 

But after going out of the room, Soojung had other thoughts for you. She took a look at you from head to toe and clucked her tongue. She then reached out towards your hair and unclipped the do. You could only sigh as she let down your long black hair and put a pearl necklace around your neck.

 

“Better.” She said, “Now let’s go!”

 

…

 

You looked around the room, your eyes scanning every corner trying to find Sunggyu. You can’t find him; maybe he decided not to show up anyway. And that’s when you felt a cold hand touch your back.

 

You turned around and smiled, “Hey.”

 

“Hey back.” He chuckled.

 

You noticed that his eyes were a different color now, they were a beautiful shade of red, just like your dress.

 

“What’s with the eyes?”

 

He smirked, “I thought you said you liked monsters.”

 

His answers seemed to have given you goosebumps, “I do…”

 

“Will you dance with me?” he held out his beautiful palm towards you as you took his hand.

 

He pulled you closely into his chest and the both of you swayed to the music. He started humming the familiar tune of the ballad, and you could only listen with awe at his beautiful voice.

 

Nal bodeon ne nunbitgwa misoga

 

Geu ttaseuhan ipsulgwa songiri

 

Neomu geuriwo, neomu geuriwo…

 

 

You listened closely to the beating of his heartbeat and his beautiful voice, “You’re beautiful and you can sing. I understand why all the girls are attracted to you.” You giggled slowly.

 

Sunggyu pulled you away from his chest and dragged you away from the crowd to a secluded garden in the back. His hand never let go of yours as the two of you walked under the beautiful moonlight.

 

After reaching a gazebo at the end of the garden, Sunggyu looked at you, “If I tell you something, will you run away?”

 

You looked at him, puzzled, “Why would I run away?”

 

“Because you mean so much to me. And I would hate it if you disliked me after this.”

 

You blushed at the comment, “Sunggyu, we just met.”

 

He shook his head, “I know I’ve met you before.”

 

“Then why don’t I remember you?”

 

He paused for a second, “Because it wasn’t truly you, it was a relative.”

 

You were confused at his statement, “Then you like me cause I look like her?”

 

“No, because she was exactly like you. She had long, beautiful black hair. She was feisty, and had an attraction to the supernatural. She wouldn’t back away from me even when people told her to. She loved me for what I truly was, even during those tough times.”

 

“What do you mean by what you truly are?”

“You know what.”

 

He stared at you and you stared back. It all came flooding to your mind all of a sudden. You’ve spent the past few nights thinking about whether or not supernatural creatures really do exist. Sunggyu seemed to show all of the traits a certain supernatural creature has. You just couldn’t bring yourself to admit that you knew.

 

“Vampire.”

 

He nodded slowly and smiled, “You know, she was really exactly like you.”

 

“Who?”

 

“Your great, great, great, grandmother.”

 

“Well isn’t that freaky, you fell in love with a grandmother of mine. Please don’t tell me you actually conceived kids with her.” You rolled your eyes at him.

 

He laughed, “We never got married. She married a human, her parents wouldn’t let me be with her.”

 

“And why is that?” you asked him, now making sure you stayed a certain distance away from his arms.

 

He sighed, “She didn’t think it mattered, that I wasn’t a human. But back then, vampires like us just ran around town like it was normal. And with the number of deaths caused by us, it isn’t a surprise that we now go into hiding.”

 

You flinched at the thought, then looked at him, “Do you still feed?”

 

He laughed, “I would be dead if I didn’t. But I don’t kill.”

 

You let out a nervous laugh. He seemed to notice and went closer to you, “I’m not going to hurt you.”

 

“How can I trust you?”

 

He held your chin so that you looked up to meet his red eyes, now staring into your soul; he then went down and kissed your lips. A kiss ever so gentle and beautiful that it literally sent butterflies to your stomach.

 

You could feel his tongue brush your lips and you let him in. He placed his arms around your waist as you brought yours to his neck, deepening the kiss. He started kissing around your jaw, and then dropped to your neck. You could hear a small hiss in his throat and you tightened your grip around his neck, “Sunggyu…don’t.”

 

“Trust me. You have to trust me.” He said as he breathed against your neck.

 

You closed your eyes as he kissed a spot where you could feel your veins pumping blood. Then everything became a blur. You could feel two sharp teeth sink into your neck and the blood slowly flowing out of your body. You held onto him for dear life and prayed that he would spare your life and that it would be worth it.

 

You started getting lightheaded and that’s when you felt the two teeth go out of your neck. He kissed the spot once more and you could feel the two holes closing up. You touched the spot where he just bit you, you were alive and breathing.

 

“How did you that?” you asked him.

 

He pulled you against his chest once more and kissed you on the forehead, “You have to know that I will never kill you. I would kill myself right after if I did.”

 

“Why are you so sure about me?”

 

“Because I know you, I’ve been watching you for months. I’ve fallen in love with you, and not who I think you are.”

 

You literally melted at his words, “Do all vampires know how to sweet-talk women into falling for them?”

 

He chucked against you, “I have a friend called Woohyun. He’s the master of vampire sweet-talk.”

 

You rested your head against his chest and sighed, “It’s not going to be easy for me either. So I have to know that I can trust you.”

 

He pulled away and rested his forehead on yours, “You have to trust me when I say that you are the last person in this world I would ever hurt. I love you.”

 

“I…love you too.” You said it back to him as he pulled you into another kiss. This time it wasn’t as rough, but just as passionate.

 

“So, you’re my prince charming?” you whispered against his lips.

 

He kissed you once more, “Hey, you did like monsters better.”

 

“You’re not a monster,” you replied, “You’re the most beautiful thing there is in this world.”

 

“And I’m all yours.” He said against your lips.

 

“All mine.” You smiled as you entered into what would be a blissful life with your very own so-called prince charming…

 

A vampire.