I shivered slightly in the wind, pulling my coat closer to my body and burying my nose in the high collar. My apartment was only about ten more minutes away, and I was eager to get home and relax. The dark streets appeared much more threatening than in the daytime, and I tried to hurry. 
    I walked past several dark shops, scanning left and right for other people. The sound of footsteps echoed around me, but I couldn't tell where they came from. Another set of footsteps joined the first, the sound pushing me deeper into a small alleyway between two buildings. I backed up until I hit a chain-link fence, desperately trying to see in the dark.
    My pulse pounded loudly in my ears, my hands shaking uncontrollably. I clutched my purse closer, pulling out the taser my older brother had given me and standing ready to use it. Four silhouettes appeared, walking towards me with drawling predatory steps. 
    "What've we got here?" A loud voice growled, the men stopping in front of me. The leader had his hands stuffed into his pockets, leaning forward to get a better look at my face.
    "I don't want any trouble." I said, trying to fortify my shaking voice. Low laughter greeted me, one of the boys reaching out to pull the collar of my coat towards him teasingly. I snapped my hand out, shoving his arm away, and he flashed me a smirk. 
    "Neither do we, sweetheart. We're just looking for a little fun." the leader smiled at me, dark shadows twisting deep within his eyes. 
    I scanned the alleyway for a weapon other than my taser, knowing they were blocking my only escape route. I remembered the chain link fence behind me suddenly. I looked carefully at the boys, sliding my purse off my shoulder slowly.
    "J-just don't hurt me." I said, stuttering my voice purposefully before chucking my bag as hard as I could at the leader's face. 
    I didn't stop to see if it hit him, instead turning to grasp the fence and haul myself up. I climbed up quickly, almost to the top when a hand on my ankle yanked me back down. I lost my grip and fell hard on my side, the breath getting knocked out of my chest. 
    "Stupid ." One man grasped my coat front, hauling me up and shaking me. I looked at him dazedly, barely covering a shriek when I saw his eyes. They glowed green in the dark alley, shining brightly. 
    Contacts. They had to be colored contacts. I turned my head, wincing when the leader reached out and slapped my cheek. My head snapped to the left, hot tears dripping from under my closed lids. The man holding me up dropped me in a heap on the ground and I curled up, my hand darting out to grasp my taser.  
    One of them saw what I did and kicked out, his booted heel landing on my wrist with an audible crunch. I screamed, trying to yank my hands back, feeling fear spread like a black tide through me. They were going to kill me, and there was nothing I could do about it.
    A sudden hiss made me look up, a fifth dark shape balancing on the top of the fence behind me. The shadow jumped down, landing in front of me and spreading its arms widely in front of me. The four men attacking me backed up slightly, their eyes glowing brighter as they looked at the newcomer. 
    "What are you doing to her?" The shadow's voice was rich and smooth, rolling out into the darkness fluidly. The leader stuffed his hands back into his pockets, staring threateningly at the shadow. He had a bruise on his cheek from my purse strap, and I felt a small thrill of victory even as I held my aching wrist. 
    "None of your business, Hyuk. You're not in your territory, you can't tell us what to do." The leader growled, staring "Hyuk" down. 
    Hyuk ignored him, straightening to his full height and staying in front of me. His closely fitted black jacket and pants helped him blend into the night, his high laced black boots hugging his calves. 
    "Didn't your mother ever teach you not to harm a beautiful woman?" Hyuk asked rhetorically, tilting his head to the side. 
    "Hyuk, I'm warning you. This is your last chance to just walk away." The leader said, letting his hands fall by his sides to flex warningly. 
    "Hmm, I'll pass." Hyuk said, tilting his head to the side. I stood up behind him slowly, grabbing my taser with my uninjured hand and staring at the multiple shades of purple my wrist was turning. 
    The leader leapt towards Hyuk with a snarl, pulling his teeth back to bare fangs. I froze in shock at his transformation, watching spellbound as Hyuk easily twisted to the side. Hyuk reached out and grasped the leader around his waist, heaving him back into a wall.
    Hyuk turned to meet the attack of two other thugs, twisting and bending around them. He moved faster than I could see, darting around to kick and punch. One thug pulled a knife, stepping forward and driving it into Hyuk's side, but he barely flinched. 
    Hyuk yanked the knife out of his side, using it on the thug who had attacked him. A thug crept around to the side, growing ever closer to me, and I stabbed the taser prongs into his side mercilessly. He flinched but kept coming, causing me to back up rapidly.
    The man smiled at me darkly, snapping his foot out to kick me and catching Hyuk in the chest instead when he jumped in front of me. Hyuk staggered back with the force of the blow, leaping forward and knocking the man over. Hyuk beat the man into submission, letting him get up and run away.
    The other men had all left already, leaving me and Hyuk alone in the alleyway. Hyuk kept his gaze fixed towards the mouth of the alleyway for several more minutes. When the thugs didn't come back, Hyuk turned to face me.
    I jumped back in shock at his glowing golden eyes and the long fangs that extended from his front teeth down to poke through his lips. Hyuk closed his eyes for a few seconds, his fangs melting away and his eyes returning to brown when he opened them again. 
    "Are you hurt?" Hyuk asked, that same rich voice sending liquid gold shivers through my spine. I nodded silently, clutching my wrist, and he stepped forward. 
    I jerked back reflexively, my back brushing flush with the fence, and raised the taser against him.
    "Who are you? What are you?" I whispered, fully prepared to use the taser. Hyuk didn't answer, his nose twitching as he looked over my bruised cheek and injured hand. 
    "Just let me by, okay?" I said, trying to bargain with him. I was still terrified, my hand sending waves of agony up my arm, and I knew I was seconds away from bursting into tears.
    "Calm down. I'm not going to hurt you, okay? I just want to see if you're—" Hyuk cut himself off, dropping to his knees before crumpling forward on the ground. 
    I froze for a second, trying to see if this was a trick or something, then leaned forward to see what was wrong. Hyuk's face was an impossibly pale shade of grey, his brow beaded with sweat. I nudged him with the toe of my shoe, his body turning slightly away before rolling back limply into place. 
    "Hyuk?" I asked, kneeling down next to him and holding the taser gingerly in my injured hand. I reached out with my free hand, nudging him. A sticky puddle of red next to him caught my attention, and I finally remembered the knife wound in his side. I turned him so I could see it, blood streaming out thickly from the wound. 
    "Crap." I said, rocking back on my heels and trying to decide what to do. This /thing/ had appeared and probably saved my life, and now he was dying in front of me. What was I supposed to do? I sighed, standing up and gingerly reaching down to drape Hyuk's arm around me.
    I took a few uncertain steps forward, trying to balance with him, and made my slow way back to my apartment. When I had finally hauled both of us up the steps, I unlocked my door and dragged Hyuk inside. I left him on the entryway floor for a few minutes to grab beach towels and spread them over my sofa, before heaving Hyuk up on top of them.
    I frowned, grabbing my first aid kit and taking a deep breath. I reached out gingerly, ping Hyuk's black jacket and peeling it open, lifting his thin black v-neck shirt up to his pale collarbones. His skin was marked by a few purpling bruises and the knife wound, but other than that, his finely sculpted torso was flawless. 
    Grabbing some towels, I balled them up and pressed them against Hyuk's side, willing the bleeding to stop. His blood had a weird gold sheen to it, shimmering under the lights. I looked up at his face, seeing it twist in pain every few minutes. 
    I added the blood soaked towels to the growing pile, replacing them and biting my lip when the new towel was quickly soaked. Hyuk stirred, blinking his gold eyes at me and then letting them fade to brown. He startled when he saw me by his side and I flinched too, dropping the towel.
    "Where am I?" Hyuk asked, his voice slightly rusty but still hypnotizing. I swallowed hard, pressing the towel to his side again, and cleared my throat.
    "You're in my apartment. You collapsed after you were stabbed, and I took you here." I said, my voice shaking slightly. Hyuk nodded, sitting up and swaying slightly as he stood, his fingers still gripping the couch tightly.
    "Thank you for your concern. I really need to go now." Hyuk said, his face paling even more if that was possible when he rested his gaze on the mound of bloody towels.
    "Sit down, let me help you." I said, touching his bare shoulder carefully.
    "No, I really need to go before I do something I regret." Hyuk said, looking at me. I tilted my head to the side in confusion, not understanding.
    "What do you mean?" I asked. Hyuk shrugged, touching a hand to his side and wincing as his palm came away dripping red. 
    "I need to go get blood." Hyuk muttered to himself. I moved to block the doorway, crossing my arms.
    "What, like a blood transfusion? There's a hospital nearby, I can take you." I said, making Hyuk shake his head.
    "No, you don't understand. I need to see my friend. He can help me." Hyuk said, trying to push past me.
    "At least explain your eyes." I said, looking up at him challengingly. Hyuk growled in frustration as I continued to block the door, pacing weakly in front of me. 
    "I can't." Hyuk said, looking at me. His eyes zapped rapidly between gold, brown, and black, uncontrollable now.
    "What are you?" I asked, dying of curiosity. Hyuk his lips, his long teeth toying with his bottom lip and then snapping down suddenly, making a small line of blood run from his lower lip down his chin. 
    "Please just let me by!" Hyuk said, his voice deepening into a threatening growl. I started to back away from the door, scared of him a little now, and Hyuk jerked to a halt.
    I watched in growing horror as his teeth snapped down even more, his gold eyes fixing on me and then slowly bleeding to all black. His lips lifted in a snarl and he leapt forward, his arms encircling me with an iron grip. I struggled, looking up into his black eyes in fear, and stopped when he dipped his mouth down.
    His soft lips found my neck, a sharp stab of pain making me whimper before little flicks of Hyuk's tongue made me forget the pain. There was a pulling feeling in my neck and I relaxed in Hyuk's arms, a golden warmth spreading through my veins. Hyuk's soft tongue continued to dance on my neck, my eyes closing as I slipped into a haze. My head tilted back automatically as I plunged closer and closer to unconscious. I was almost gone when Hyuk jerked suddenly, his lips leaving my neck with a wave of pain.
    I looked up dazedly from my place on the hard floor, feeling flares of pain from my wrist, side, and neck. I blinked for a few seconds, looking to see Hyuk on the other side of the other room, giving me a horrified look. I sat up carefully, realizing he had thrown me away from him, and reached up to feel my neck.
    "I'm so sorry." Hyuk whispered brokenly, his wide gold eyes fixed on my neck. I looked at my fingertips, smeared with red, and started to shake in fear.
    "Vampire." I muttered to myself, disbelievingly looking at Hyuk. The wound in his side was gone, as were his bruises, and he knelt on the floor of my apartment numbly.  
    "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to." Hyuk said, looking over at me. I still sat dumbly on the floor, struggling to process everything. I hissed in pain, looking down at my wrist and touching it carefully.
    "Don't, you'll hurt yourself more. It's broken." Hyuk said, still staying at the other end of the room. I slowly shifted to a sitting position, pushing myself to my feet and struggling to take a deep breath as the world tilted around me.
    I bent back, the world spinning around me as I started to faint. Hyuk flashed to my side before I could hit the ground, sweeping me up in his arms and appearing by the couch. He laid me down at gently as possible, immediately backing up and looking at me from the other side of the room.
    I closed my eyes, struggling to fight my dizziness and weakness. Pain pounded in from my wrist, making tears start to leak from under my eyelids. All the stress and fear and confusion of the night built up, resulting in loud sobs pouring from my chest.
    "Don't cry~" Hyuk said worriedly from the other side of the room. I kept my eyes closed, curling up on the couch.
    "Are you going to kill me?" I whispered, terrified. I opened my eyes a crack, looking at Hyuk's startled face. 
    "Kill you? Of course not!" Hyuk said, widening his eyes. I sniffled, holding my hurt wrist and fixing him with my puffy eyes.
    "Are you going to bite me again?" I asked, seeing the guilt that fell onto his face. He lowered his head shamefully, peering up at me from under his lashes.
    "No. I'm so sorry for that. I couldn't control it." Hyuk said. I looked at him, seeing the innocent way he hunched his shoulders and the guilt on his face, finally relaxing.
    "Okay." I said, sitting up on the couch. Hyuk reached forward, ready to catch me if I fell, and shook his head.
    "No, I don't think moving around is a good idea. I took a lot of blood before I could stop; why don't you just lay down and tell me what you want?" Hyuk said softly, biting his lip shyly. I nodded, reaching out for the first-aid kit, and Hyuk handed it to me. 
    "Thank you." I murmured, opening it awkwardly with one hand and pulling out medical gauze.
    I grasped one end of the gauze firmly, trying to wrap it around my injured wrist. I kept dropping the gauze until Hyuk finally stepped forward. He grasped the gauze gracefully in his large hands, wrapping it gently around my wrist. When he finished, Hyuk secured the gauze and then walked over to the fridge. He appeared with a plastic bag full of ice and a paper towel.
    "Here." Hyuk said, looking at the ground while helping me lie down. Hyuk placed a couch cushion on my stomach, gently grasping my forearm to set my injured arm across the pillow. He placed the paper towel and ice pack gently on my wrist, his fingers firm but tender. 
    "Thank you." I whispered, looking over at him. Hyuk nodded, gently cupping the back of my head in his hand and placing a pillow beneath it, allowing me to sit up slightly.
    Hyuk vanished into my kitchen again, returning with a glass of orange juice. He cupped my head again, holding the glass to my lips.
    "Drink. It'll help with the weakness." Hyuk said quietly. I opened my mouth obediently, letting Hyuk tip the juice into my mouth. He went carefully slow, allowing me to swallow before pouring in a little bit more. When he finally eased me down, the glass was empty and I was feeling much better. 
    Hyuk put the glass in the sink, rinsing it out carefully and filling it slightly with water. Hyuk presented two pain killers to me, letting me pop them into my mouth before helping me swallow the water. Hyuk moved fluidly throughout the apartment, picking up any stray clothing items and putting them in the laundry room before wetting a paper towel and pulling up a chair next to the couch.
    I watched Hyuk as he leaned forward slowly, his eyes fixed on my neck as he used the paper towel to dab softly at the bite. I hissed in pain as he touched the bruising punctures, making Hyuk look into my eyes shamefully. 
    "I'm sorry." Hyuk said lowly, continuing to sponge away the blood. I nodded slightly, sighing contently as he dabbed antibiotic cream on the cuts, their painkilling magic working almost instantly. Hyuk looked up at me, his brown eyes looking into mine deeply, before his gaze moved tenderly to my cheekbone.
    Hyuk reached out with his soft fingertip, spreading more cream on the scrape I got when the leader slapped me. Hyuk wrapped a single ice cube in a paper towel, holding it to my cheek attentively, warily searching my eyes for signs of discomfort. 
    I closed my eyes instead, actually enjoying the soothing way his firm, soft fingers treated my cuts. I felt Hyuk cover me with a soft blanket and watched as he returned to the chair, patting my lower leg shyly.
    "Get some sleep, you must be tired. Don't worry, I won't bother you." Hyuk said. He stood up, but my hand reached out of its own accord and clutched the hem of his shirt.
    "Don't go." I pleaded sleepily, already craving his calm, gentle presence. Hyuk's cool dry fingers wrapped around mine softly, his hand cupping mine for a second before he placed my hand back down on the couch.
    "If you want me to stay, I won't go anywhere." Hyuk said, drawing his knees up to his chest on the chair and looking at me. I nodded, a sleepy smile curling my lips, and dropped off to sleep. 

M'kay, this is definitely my favorite chapter. Hands down, absolute favorite. Unni, if you like it, I think I might have to write a sequel to this later. Considering I almost refused doing Hyuk at first because I didn't know that much about his personality, I hope this is good enough to pass for it. XP
Sorry, I winged it ^-^ Anyway, hope you enjoy~
-Sujin
Saranghae <3