Time moved so slowly…

For Sehun, time didn’t matter. In fact, he had stopped counting his own age when he turned two hundred, thinking that numbers were numbers, and nothing else would change. His appearance didn’t grow old, he knew he was immortal. Sehun would live forever.

He had gone through many phases. He was once bad, very bad, and maybe he still is. But there was a time when he was good. The worst time in his life, though, was when he was heartbroken. Sehun shook his head. He had the memories of an old man. He remembered everything. And sometimes, these memories came and go against his will. Even when he became the Fallen, these memories never disappeared. Becoming the Fallen just lessened the pain.

Hana pretended to drink another shot of beer. She put the glass to her lips and let the bright red lipstick marked the edge to convince everyone she drank. Everyone else was a bit tipsy. Miyoung was leaning to Hyunseung, looking so lovingly to his eyes, as he looked right back at her. Sooyeon and Eunjung were dancing against each other, looking so lost in their own world.

Kai was sitting on the couch, calmly drawing one poker card. He’s drunk more than everyone else, and yet he was still sober. His eyes carefully observed the room, and everyone inside it. He wasn’t drunk, but he acted drunk just for the sake of fun. No one noticed what he was doing anyway.

“Truth or dare,” Miyoung chuckled as Kai showed the number 10 card on his hand. Each card had a different punishment. Kai scratched his head and coyly answered, “Dare.” Hana cringed. She would never ever choose ‘Dare’. It was like betting with her own pride.

“Give that girl a love bite on her shoulder,” Eunjung smirked evilly, and unfortunately, the girl was Hana. Hana’s eyes widened twice its size when Kai broken into a wide grin and walked towards her. “No, wait, I disagree!” Kai inched closer, and Hana had to flick his forehead, and yelled out in annoyance, “Hold on!! I disagree! Please pick another girl!”

“She’s right,” Miyoung suddenly interrupted, her eyes on Kai. Kai, whose smirk had disappeared, suddenly grew quiet. It was as if the two were exchanging telepathy with their minds. Kai scratched the back of his head, “Alright. Which one is the lucky girl to get my kiss?” Hana cringed.

In one hour, everyone passed out in the room from drinking too much alcohol. Thank God nobody dared to smoke, because Hana was allergic to cigarettes. She grabbed her jacket on the couch and waved to Miyoung. “Young-ah, I’m going back now. My dad’s probably wondering where his daughter is.”

“Uh-huh,” Miyoung waved unsteadily. She hiccupped and chuckled before falling asleep. That was Hana’s cue to walk out of the room. She swore, though, that she heard Kai’s whisper beside her ear when she grabbed the doorknob, “…Goodnight.”

And yet, he was asleep soundly on the couch.

Hana titled her head in confusion. Maybe she was thinking too much –about him, and that was why she imagined his voice just now. Hana turned the doorknob and walked out of the room.

Kai’s eyes opened instantly. But it wasn’t just normal human eyes. The black eyeballs turned to slits, similar to demons’ eyes in the movies. He didn’t look so humane anymore. There was his signature smirk playing on his lips as he muttered, almost too low for anyone to hear, “Goodnight, Jung Hana. We’ll definitely meet again.”

***

“What the hell?!”

Hana dropped down the toothbrush and hissed dangerously. She was mad. There was a red bruise on her shoulder, near her neck. And it was not just a bruise, it was a hickey. Who the hell did this---?

Fuming in anger, Hana slid on her pajamas, totally forgetting her morning bath and rushed downstairs. Her father sat on the table, reading newspaper and eating breakfast. He didn’t bother to put down his newspaper when Hana ran to him in lightning speed.

“Dad!” Hana screamed, but covered with guilt when her father glared at her and finally put down the newspaper. Hana’s father, Mr. Jung, was usually a mild and gentle person, but he didn’t like it when Hana disturbed his reading session in the morning.

“What is it?”

“Did anyone come in last night? Did you hear a thief?” Or a . Hana breathed and spilled out her words so fast. Mr. Jung raised one eyebrow and spoke in a very annoyed tone, “No, I didn’t. And I was here, watching TV the whole night, waiting for you to come home.”

“And after I came home?” Hana pressed on. She returned home at 2 a.m. Mr. Jung shook his head, “I didn’t hear anyone coming in. What’s wrong with you? Is there anything you lost…?”

Hana’s breath hitched. She couldn’t tell her father about the hickey. Old Mr. Jung would freak out and lock her in the house for a month. She stared at him, trying to calm down, and lied, “Nothing. I just…” She couldn’t find any reasons at the moment and awkwardly laughed, “Hahaha, nothing, Dad. Please continue reading your newspaper.”

Hana ran back to the bathroom in the second floor. She locked the door and panted hard. There was a mirror on her left, and Hana quickly stripped out of her pajamas and stepped in front of the mirror. The hickey looked like a deep purple bruise. She had no idea how she got it. Maybe it was not a hickey. It could be a normal bruise.

Hana didn’t know why she was freaking out like this. The bruise was located at the exact place that Kai said he would kiss yesterday. But there was no way he would be here, in her room, leaving a hickey without waking her up. And Kai wouldn’t be able to sneak in, anyway.

As she examined the ‘bruise’ on her neck, there was another thing Hana noticed. The ‘tattoo’ on her waist had grown more. It used to be incoherent lines, but now there were some identifiable shapes, as if it grew on itself. Hana in a deep breath. It wasn’t a tattoo. It was something else.

***

“What’s with the turtleneck?” Miyoung eyed Hana clothes suspiciously.

“What about it?” Hana asked coyly. She paired up turtlenecks with maxi skirts. She hoped Miyoung wouldn’t act all detective and interrogate her. Hana didn’t like it. Miyoung snickered, “My Dear Hana, you have never worn turtleneck for all your life.”

“What’s wrong with a change?” Hana retorted, and Miyoung shut up, but not before giving her friend a calm, knowing look, as if she knew something. She couldn’t possibly know about the ‘hickey-like bruise’… right? Right? Right? “How’s your cousin?”

Wrong question. Miyoung suddenly grinned and laughed, “Why are you asking about Kai? Are you interested in him?” Hana’s cheeks flushed red in an instant, and she quickly replied, “No, I am not!” That guy just kept her curious… in a bad way. And she just wanted to make sure that her ‘hickey’ was really a bruise. Though Hana knew her theory was stupid.

“Too bad. He’s interested in you,” Miyoung remarked playfully, “But he’s quite a lady charmer, and he plays around a lot. So… I won’t really suggest you to date him.” Hana’s eyes widened. Her cheeks burnt brighter and she suddenly felt so ‘accused’. “I’m not interested in dating him.”

“Sure you’re not,” Miyoung replied nonchalantly. “Just don’t get too close to him.”

Hana almost rolled her eyes, “It’s not like I’ll ever meet him again.”

***

Hana sat alone in a small café near their university. It was noon, and she had nothing else to do. Miyoung had another class at the moment and couldn’t accompany her.

Then she saw a familiar figure.

The strange guy whose name she didn’t know plopped himself to the seat opposite Hana’s. He looked good, as usual. His black hair was messy, and he looked tired. He had dark circles under his eyes, but he still managed to look good with even that. What was he doing here? Would he tell her more absurd stories like last time? What would be next after vampires? Werewolves?

“What are you doing here?” Hana gritted her teeth and hushed, lowering her tone. She didn’t want anyone to hear. Thankfully, the male wasn’t wearing his long, black robe that made him look as if he was cosplaying. “What else do you want?”

“You don’t look so good,” Sehun remarked. He had lost sleep for three days, chasing a group of the Forsaken around the town. And after that, he had to shift back to watching Hana. No matter how strong he was, losing sleep had taken its toll on him.

“Thank you,” Hana replied with a snarky tone. She didn’t need to be reminded how bothered she was with the bruise mark on her neck and the growing tattoo on her waist. Whatever it was on her waist, it wasn’t normal. It looked inked onto her skin, as if someone had marked it, day by day.

“What are you doing here today?”

Sehun seemed unfazed with her hostility. “I am here to check on you. Has anything been bothering you lately?”

“Why do you care?”

Sehun snickered, “I don’t care about you. I care about those things.”

Ouch. That certainly hurt. “Why do you care about them?” Hana asked, feeling absolutely weirded out. She had always thought of herself as a sensible person, but now she was having this conversation with this weird man that saved her life twice. “Do you hunt them?”

Sehun didn’t answer. But his eyes were serious. The question was supposed to be a joke. Hana paled a bit, “Don’t tell me it’s true.” Sehun blinked. He never took his job in a joking manner. The reason why human was unaware of the Shadow creatures’ activity was because of The Fallens, like him.

“Okay,” Hana took in a deep breath. She was trying to understand. “Okay, so, tell me again, why are those things chasing me? The half-vampire creature?”

“It’s because you are Marked,” Sehun replied.

“Marked? What are you talking about? Is it like the mark I have on my waist?” Hana blurted out. She cursed herself for being so naïve. Why would she reveal the weird mark on her waist to a stranger?

Sehun’s eyes narrowed and he suddenly leaned in, closer to Hana, “What did you say?”

“Nothing-“ Hana wanted to lie, but Sehun caught her hand and growled, his eyes serious, “What the did you just say?!”

“I… I said there is something on my waist… Is it what you called ‘Marked’?” Hana grew a bit scared at Sehun’s sudden change. The male in front of her-whose name she still didn’t know of- had the face of a Ripper, of a deadly Hunter, just like how she saw him a few days ago. He looked intimidating and ready to kill.

“What is on your waist?”

“Something like… ink? I don’t know! I’m not sure about the shapes! And trust me, I don’t ever have tattoo!” Hana almost shrieked at the last part. But Sehun’s expression forced her to reveal everything. And she did.

            Sehun’s face paled down noticeably-as if he wasn’t pale enough already.

            “You are coming with me.”

A/N: Truth to be told, I am not a huge fans of instant attraction or sudden mating, and I don't really believe in love at the first sight either, so don't expect romance to happen in a spur of moment. The strongest kind of love grows with time. And with time comes chemistry. So please be patient with the romance ^^