It’s blood donation day in school, and Han Sihoo would be stupid to even think of going to school today.

Ever since his miraculous recovery from the attempted suicide on that cliff off Jeju Island, he’s been craving blood more than ever, and especially human blood. It’s because the only way they could save him was to pump gallons of human blood into his system until he became fully restored. However, it had been Sihoo’s first time at taking in human blood, and although he didn’t get to taste it, the feeling of it coursing through his body was admittedly highly addictive.

Still, Han Sihoo prides himself on his pretty good self-restraint, and he’s back on track with his diet of dreadful pig blood and the occasional synthetic infusions. But surrounding himself with exposed arms, open blood vessels and literal packs of human blood with their blood types specified would be like, going to an irresistable buffet that would endanger lives. Sihoo isn’t that dumb.

He did meet Mari on the way to school today, and he suggested that she skip with him. It would be much worse for her anyway, seeing as how she could barely restrain herself from Jung Jaemin and would be made the prime suspect for anything under the sun today just because of her exposed identity as a vampire. But no, of course she didn’t want to. He was half-expecting that though, Mari’s a dumbpire whose brains were 70% of the time thinking about one thing only; Jung Jaemin. About how he would be next to her, by her side, et cetera. Sihoo doesn’t know if the human blood operation has given him mind reading abilities, or if Baek Mari’s just very transparent with her feelings.

But, whatever. It’s not like Sihoo can change the way she thinks; he’s already given up on trying quite a while back. She doesn’t really need him anymore, now that Jung Jaemin’s decided to come to a compromise with VCS and help Mari adjust back into the normality of the student populace. As mushy as it is, as much as Sihoo hates saying it and as corny as it sounds, Mari kind of belongs with Jaemin. It’s only now up to Jaemin to open his eyes to her sincerity and protect her like Sihoo would have. Like he would have, if only Mari gave him uh, half the chance she gave Jaemin.

But thinking about anything Jaemin-related is a chore, Sihoo murmurs as he walks towards the town area, bypassing the school gates and letting the wind ruffle his hair. He doesn’t particularly hate school, but he does feel like it’s a ticking time-bomb as to when his identity would be exposed.  Because if there was one thing that Sihoo hates, it’s to be not living as who he truly is, and he’s constantly itching to scream that “I’M A ING VAMPIRE, WHAT CHU GONNA DO NOW?” from rooftops.

He stops in front of a little café that has a surprisingly large amount of customers. Sihoo can smell the aroma of Vietnamese coffee wafting from the open doors, and even though he doesn’t nutritionally benefit from drinks like these, he has to admit that it smells really good.

Sihoo takes out his guitar and sets the case on the floor. The weather’s nice today, and he’s shielded from the sun due to the shadow that the café building casts in his direction. The strings and his fingers become one when he warms up with a few riffs, and a few people gather around him to watch. Busking in this town isn’t very common; you’d find more musicians on the streets of Hongdae than in this place that’s somewhere near the off-skirts of Seoul.

Music has probably the only constant in his life; his parents were taken away, his siblings arrested, and the schools he would attend had always been changing every two years or so. He didn’t see the need for many friends because he always had to leave them anyway, and he’d probably moved house eight times already, on his own, just to escape from the prying human eyes and their suspicions. And then there was Baek Mari, who appeared in his life again, but was never going to be his. But music was always there, helping him cope, keeping him sane.

Sihoo starts off with an acoustic rendition of glittery kpop songs put into a medley. The first song doesn’t get as much of a rise from the audience as the second one does; he plays The Light from the Ark, then begins beatboxing to the rhythm as he moves on to BTS’s Sick. Phones start to appear, filming his strumming fingers and his face that’s immersed in beatboxing. Murmurs of “he’s handsome” start to echo among the small crowd when he moves on to a slightly more upbeat song, CNBlue’s In My Head. There isn’t any drums or bass to back him up, but the unique strumming and slapping against the hollow wood of the guitar is enough to produce the same rock essence of the song.

When the medley ends, quite a few people from the crowd drop their coins into his guitar case disappear back into the air-conditioned café. Sihoo figures that this would be the time to try out a few of his self-composed melodies. He recalls when he composed this piece of slightly angsty, resigned sounding melody, and grimaces that it was after he went home from hearing Mari proclaim her love from Jaemin on that street after school. It doesn’t hurt that much now, but playing the same melody does immerse him in the same bitter feeling of rejection.

And then, a smell very unlike rich Vietnamese coffee, but maybe even better fills his nose. His eyes are closed but the distinct scent of fruity perfume and AB blood conjures a mental image of a scowling girl with pretty eyes and shoulder length more hair.

The click of heels trudging along the pavement stops, and Sihoo opens his eyes.

Jo Ahra.