Kwon Jiyong wasn't a patient man when it came to certain things. He got what he wanted most of the time and he did his best not to throw it away once he had it. There had been some times during his vampire life when he had contemplated things more than most people, but he suspected that was normal when one had been alive since the Joseon

"Seunghyun says that the bar is out of quarters."

Dara voice suddenly rang through Jiyong ears. He kept silent once he had heard her. His brow arched on his forehead and he shook his head slowly.

"And why can seunghyun not go and fetch the quarters?" he asked of her. "Or you?"

"Because I am needed on the door and Seunghyun is busy putting the recent order away before things get busy in here. He doesn't trust any of the others. You know what they're like."

Jiyong scoffed but stood up, preferring not to argue with Dara over the matter. He grabbed a bunch of dollars from the bar and stuffed them into his pocket. He wore his simple black zip up jacket over his baggy pair of jeans. He was silent as Dara watched him go into the night and outside of Fangtasia.

He wandered the dark streets, noting how every shop had closed and he could scarcely go to the bank and deal with the affairs. There were a few people heading towards Fangtasia and Jiyong suspected that it would get busier as the night went on. He stumbled across a simple diner on his journey and decided that he would try it.

The bell above the door chimed as he entered Gong family diner. He looked around the red booths, noting how quiet it was before he saw a girl seated behind the counter. She was sat tall on a stool, a pen in her hand as she twirled it between her fingers and looked down to a tattered notebook. She was a plain looking girl with red hair. Her hair was tied into a ponytail, but a few strands were loose around her face. Her cheeks were red, no doubt with the heat from the diner, and her nose was pointed and her lips set in a firm pout.

"We have no donuts or cupcakes," the girl called out, waiting for an answer to come back to her.

She only looked up when Jiyong decided not to answer her. She cocked a brow at the sight of him, but she said nothing on the matter. It was only when she saw how pale he was did she wonder if he was one of them. She seemed cautious and Jiyong s lips threatened to tug upwards.

"Luckily I don't need a donut," Jiyong drawled. "What I do need is change and everywhere else is shut."

"You're in luck then," the girl said in a low voice.

Jiyong was about to comment on how foolish she looked in her tight pink uniform, but he decided against it. The dress was far too tight on her small body. She wasn't thin, but she wasn't fat either. Jiyong wasn't sure, but he knew that there was something about her which could be described as attractive.

"I ran to the bank before bom left her shift and picked up far too many quarters."

Jiyong placed the cash on the side as she bent down to open the safe. She pulled the keys from the side and grabbed out all of the quarters before dropping them down on the counter. Jiyong took that time to look around the diner, noting how minimalistic it was. He watched on as the girl counted the quarters and he slowly ran his hands down the counter. He felt the smoothness of it on his skin as he folded his arms over it and leant forwards.

"You work for Fangtasia?" the girl finally asked and Jiyong noted her accent wasn't from busan

"I own it," Jiyong spoke.

"Oh," she responded. "And is it true you don't let the vampires bite the humans when they go in?"

Jiyong  kept quiet, wondering what it was that intrigued her so. He watched how she remained stood tall, her hands not even shaking as she counted the quarters in exchanged for all of the dollar bills he had given her. Jiyong had encountered many human women before. Many of them seemed entranced by them and some seemed scared by them. None had ever been neutral towards him. He found it rather odd.

"It's true," he confirmed.

"But what about if they go outside for a bit?" the girl dared to ask of him.

"Then they are not in my premises," Jiyong informed her and she bit down on her bottom lip for a moment or two.

"But...well...then they're not really safe, are they?" the girl dared to question Jiyong

Jiyong didn't like being questioned. He detested it, but he didn't say anything on the matter. He studied the girl with intent for those few moments as she lowered her gaze and resumed her counting once more.

"If they enter Fangtasia then they most likely want what is given to them," Jiyong informed her and she snorted at that. "It is true enough, Minzy."

She was about to ask how he knew her name, but she looked down to the name badge she wore. She scoffed lightly and Jiyong wanted to snarl at her incompetence. He thought about what he was seeing, but he was far too confused by her reaction.

"And do vampires not bother you?" he asked of her and she shrugged.

"Why?" she wondered. "Do you intend to rip my throat out right now and leave me in a pool of my own blood? Because that is the only way you could bother me."

Jiyong did smirk at her then and she looked back to him and her lips moved upwards too. Jiyong was silent for a few moments as she went back to counting and he patiently waited for her to finish doing that.

"Your blood probably tastes awfully delicious," he whispered and she looked up, her brows knitting together.

He wondered if he had managed to get a response from her then, but she said nothing and she did nothing. She simply titled her head to the side and went back to counting her change.

"I doubt it," she told him. "My blood is probably laced with caffeine. I drink tonnes of the stuff each day. It helps me to keep going through working two jobs."

Jiyong wondered if she was a fool or simply too trusting to tell him the information she was telling him. She finished counting and bagged up the quarters before sliding them over the counter to Jiyong. He grabbed hold of them and placed them in his pocket before glancing to the girl one more time. He could not deny that he was intrigued by her. She was neither scared nor fascinated by him and he wanted to know why.

"One job doesn't pay enough?"

"Evidentially not," she said.

"Perhaps you should think of a change of career...Fangtasia can always do with more dancers."

"A stripper to some randy vampire?" she seemed insulted. "Thanks, but I'm good working two jobs. Besides, I'm hardly good looking enough for that kind of place."

"So you'd consider it if you were good looking?" Jiyong dared to ask and she snorted and rolled her eyes.

"No," she responded. "I'd like to keep my dignity intact. I'm fine not doing anything to risk that."

"So it's not that you're bothered about your boyfriend's opinion?" Jiyong continued.

She laughed at hearing him and moved to take hold of the detergent. She began to spray down the surface of the counter, scrubbing the coffee stains from the cheap white mugs. Jiyong remained intent on watching her, wondering what it was that was running through her mind. She shook her head, unable to believe that she was having a conversation with a vampire. Jiyong couldn't believe the same thing. He had thought that she would react much differently than she was doing.

"I'm not entirely sure that is an appropriate question," Minzy said and Jiyong shrugged.

"Why not?" he wondered from her.

"Because I don't even know your name," she responded.

"Kwon Jiyong," he said. "Now will you answer my question?"

"No," she said.

"No to the question or no to not answering it."

"To the question," she called over her shoulder before moving further away from Jiyong to clean the coffee pots. "I live in a flat above a shop."

"Should you tell me such information?"

"I never said which shop," Minzy called back and she pulled at the lid to a coffee pot, struggling to get it off. "And I haven't invited you in. The chances of me doing that are slim, so I think I'm pretty safe."

"You seem to know an awful lot about vampires," Jiyong commented and she shrugged. "Why is that?"

She remained quiet for a few moments, wondering if he would go if she didn't answer. She slowly turned back to walk back to Jiyong again as he leant over the counter, his fingers outstretched and moving to rest against her cheek before tickling down to her neck. He took another second to let her acclimatise herself to his temperature, but his coldness didn't seem to bother her.

"Are you going to try and glamour me?" she wondered, staring into his eyes as he did the same.

"So you know about how to glamour?"

"I know more than you think I know," she told him as he curled his hand around the back of her neck and she gasped at the sudden force. "But I don't want to talk about it."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't know you," Minzy declared and Jiyong fingers knotted into the loose strands of her hair at the nape of her neck. "I don't talk to those who I do know, so don't be too offended."

She pulled back from him and Jiyong watched her move away. He didn't bother to say anything as she picked the cloth back up and he shook his head. Why was he so bothered about a human? She was nothing to him. She was simply food and he had no interest in feeding on her at that moment in time. He quickly left without another word, wondering

what it was about Minzy that had interested him so.

...

A/N: Thanks to anyone reading and do let me know what you think!