Mingyu was confused. He'd come to Seoul from his home city, and had tried to integrate into the local vampire clan, only to be told he was not welcome.

"I don't understand," he murmured, looking up (no mean feat in itself, given how tall he was) at the older vampire in confusion. "I am Korean, I am a vampire, I belong here."

Kris shook his head. "No, you don't," he said coldly. "You're not a true vampire. Not like us." He gestured to the others in the room, who looked back at Mingyu with varying expressions, some with resignation, some with outright disgust and hatred. "While it may not be entirely your fault, you should have stayed away."

Narrowing his eyes at the reason, Mingyu's voice was just as cold. "So you mean to tell me because I am a hybrid, I'm not one of you, even though by your own admission, I am still a vampire?" he asked, unable to quite believe what he was hearing. "I had no control over this, as you said. I..."

He sighed in frustration, one hand raking through his silvering hair. "Why punish me for something someone else did to me?"

"It's not a punishment, Mingyu," another vampire murmured, coming forward to push Kris away before he did something stupid. "It's a matter of survival, for us. You are different, and we can't take any chances that you might..." He glanced at Mingyu warily. "Try to hurt us. Change us."

Laughing in shocked disbelief, Mingyu shook his head. "I am no different from you," he said incredulously. "Not where it counts. I would never willingly hurt any of you, even though you seem to want to hurt me. I don't understand you, Junmyeon. Any of you."

"Nonetheless, you must leave," Junmyeon replied firmly. He reached out and gently pushed Mingyu through the door. "For your sake as much as ours. Goodbye, Mingyu."

Standing outside the door for several moments, Mingyu didn't know what to do. He had assumed (wrongly, as it turned out) that vampires were the same the world over, and that it would be merely a question of when, rather than if, he would be accepted. He'd known there weren't many hybrids like him, but what was even more upsetting, was the reaction of the local vampires.

He hadn't known any other way to be, but now that he knew there were others who didn't like vampires like him, Mingyu thought it was a stupid reason to be ostracised from one's own society. "I'm not any different, I'm not," he insisted softly as he finally turned away. "I can't help who or what I am..."

Mingyu had been a soldier during the Hanguk Jeonjaeng, or Korean War, as it would become known, but he'd been captured and mortally wounded by the North Korean side. Discovered by what he'd later found out was a Russian strigoi (a/n vampire) shortly before his death, that was the end of his mortal life, and the beginning of his life as a hybrid, half Western-half Eastern, vampire.

To him, there wasn't really much difference when it came down to it, but it seemed some were more picky about these things than others. Sighing again, Mingyu continued to wander around the city, ignoring the stares of passers-by until he came to the university where he'd registered as a new student a few weeks before. If he was going to enjoy this long life of his, Mingyu wanted to get a proper education, not remain a back-country hick all his immortal life. Sighing again, he looked up, only to stand rooted to the spot by someone he could see through the library's window.

"Who the hell is that?" he mumbled to himself, surprised when someone actually heard and answered him.

"Who?" A young man had stopped at Mingyu's question, smiling cheerfully at him. "Who are you looking at?" He looked at Mingyu and bowed to him. "I'm Boo Seungkwan. Nice to meet you. You're new, right?"

"That guy, the one sitting in the library window. The one reading a book," Mingyu replied, a faint dusting of pink on his cheeks. "Do you know who he is? What's his major?" He ignored the rest of it, his gaze focused on the handsome (almost pretty) man in the window.

Looking at the man in question, Seungkwan grinned. "Oh, that's Jeon Wonwoo," he replied, chuckling softly. "He's a bit... strange. I'm not entirely sure he has a major. He does a bit of everything..." He nudged Mingyu. "Did you hear me? Are you new?"

Turning to stare at Seungkwan, Mingyu flushed, then looked away. "Ah, yeah, sorry," he mumbled, his eyes going back to where Wonwoo sat, absorbed in whatever he was reading. "I am new. I'm Kim Mingyu..."

"Nice to meet you, Mingyu," Seungkwan grinned, then gestured to someone, who came over to look at Mingyu in curiosity. "This is Seokmin, but we call him Dokyeom. DK for short."

Blinking at DK, Mingyu nodded to him, starting to feel a little overwhelmed. It seemed ironic that mortals were a lot more welcoming of him than his own kind, and it made him sigh again. Seungkwan was bringing DK up to speed on what was going on, the other man chuckling softly.

"You like Wonwoo?" he teased, bumping Mingyu and making him lose his balance. "He's..." DK looked at the man thoughtfully, then smiled. "He's weird, but he's actually an ok guy once you get to know him. He's just not very easy to get to know, that's all."

Sulking, Mingyu grumbled. "I don't even know you guys and I think you're just as weird as you say he is. How do you know so much about him?" He couldn't help but stare at Wonwoo, his expression going from sulky to longing. The guy was gorgeous and Mingyu felt drawn to him.

"He's in a lot of the same classes with me," DK replied, the smile on his face never wavering. "I've done a few class projects with him. He works hard, gets everything done on time, and is actually quite smart. When he wants to be." He shrugged. "It just takes a lot to get behind that cool exterior of his."

Glancing at Mingyu with a mischievous expression, DK's grin widened. "Up for the challenge, Mingyu?" He shoved Seungkwan, getting shoved back for his pains. "You look like you want to ravish him or something..."

"Who ever says like that nowadays," Seungkwan shook his head at DK, giving a long-suffering sigh. "But he is right," he added to Mingyu, the other man's face bright red. "You look like you wanna do him right here in the quad."

"Don't talk like that," Mingyu pouted, feeling uncomfortably hot. "It's not seemly."

"Not seemly?" Seungkwan was openly laughing at him now. "You're weird too, Mingyu, so I think you'll fit in here just fine." The guy talked weirdly, looked so very lost, and was so much fun to tease. "Let's go introduce you to the university's resident oddball." He grabbed Mingyu's arm and began to pull him towards the library building.

"Hey, wait! What are you doing?" Mingyu protested as Seungkwan and DK began to drag him to the library. "No, stop... why are you like this?"

Staring at him, Seungkwan was confused. "You like the guy, so why don't you meet and get to know him?" he asked, shaking his head in bemusement. "Nothing is gained by just watching him like some kind of creepy stalker."

"I'm not a creepy stalker!" Mingyu grumbled, looking hurt. "I just... I don't know him. What if he doesn't like me?" He bit his lip nervously. He'd never felt like this before and it was nerve-wracking. "He doesn't know me..." Or his secret.

"So cute," DK cooed over him, earning a sulky glare. "Honestly though, Mingyu, man up. Like I said, he's nice once you get past his barriers." He grinned. "Just like I'm sure there's a nice guy buried somewhere in there," he added, poking Mingyu's chest, ignoring the other man's attempts at batting his hand away.

While they were talking, Seungkwan had disappeared, making Mingyu even more nervous. What was he up to now? The question was solved minutes later when he reappeared, a wary and bemused-looking Wonwoo in tow.

"Here he is," Seungkwan announced, coming to a stop with Wonwoo standing in front of Mingyu. They were almost the same height, with Mingyu just a little bit taller than Wonwoo. "Mingyu, this is Wonwoo. Wonwoo, this is Mingyu. He's new here, so look after him for us, ok?"
Grabbing DK, Seungkwan waved. "We have class now, so we'll see you later," he grinned almost evilly as he left the two men staring at each other and then at Seungkwan's retreating back.

"Is he always like that?" Mingyu asked, shaking his head and sighing. This was all a bit much. "I don't even know him..."

"Unfortunately, yes," Wonwoo sighed, a little unnerved by the intensity of Mingyu's stare. "Is something wrong?"

"Your voice..." Mingyu mumbled, his face heating up again. This wasn't happening. "It's..."

Wonwoo sighed and shrugged. "I get that. A lot," he said, turning away. "I don't know what Seungkwan thinks I can do, but it was nice to meet you, Mingyu," he added without looking at the other man. His thoughts were already on the class he had in a few minutes' time. Seungkwan had interrupted his reading time and he wanted to mentally prepare himself for this particular subject. "See you around sometime."

"No, wait," Mingyu said impulsively, grabbing Wonwoo's arm. "Don't go yet, please..."

Looking back at Mingyu, Wonwoo's eyes narrowed. "Let go of me, please," he murmured, tugging on his arm to try and free himself. Mingyu's grip on him was strong and it hurt. "What is wrong with you?"

"Sorry," Mingyu apologised, withdrawing his hand and looking down. "I don't have any friends here, and..." He sighed. "Sorry..."

Wonwoo continued to look at Mingyu, his expression softening as he rubbed his arm to try and lessen the pain. There was something about the other man that drew him in despite his better judgment. Seungkwan might like and trust Mingyu, but Wonwoo didn't trust people he didn't know.

"You really are new around here, aren't you?" he mused, shaking his head. "Seungkwan picks up strays on a regular basis because he's just like that. He likes everyone, and almost everyone likes him... But I'm not like him." He gave an almost bitter-sounding chuckle. "Which is why most people avoid me, I guess."

Mingyu's head shot up and he looked at Wonwoo in confusion. "Why would people avoid you?" he asked artlessly, completely baffled by Wonwoo. "You look perfectly normal to me."

Could Mingyu actually be for real? Wonwoo hadn't met anyone quite like Mingyu, ever. "Surely even Seungkwan has told you I'm..." He shrugged, looking away. "Different."

Waving that away, Mingyu shrugged. "I don't care what other people think," he replied offhandedly. "I want to know for myself rather than relying on others whose judgment might not always be accurate." The intense look was back. "If you're different, I want to know how, and why. But even that doesn't really matter to me, because what is important to me is who you are. Your personality..."

It was his turn to shrug and look away, his expression turning sad. "I've learned the hard way that people are not always what they appear on the outside..." That went just as much for vampires as it did for mortals.

"And yet you wanted to meet me," Wonwoo said wryly, shaking his head in amusement. "Because you think I'm cute. Or so Seungkwan said when he dragged me out here and away from my book."

Mingyu groaned. Seungkwan had a big mouth. "He's not lying," he murmured, his gaze fixed on his feet to avoid seeing Wonwoo's expression. "I do think you're handsome, but I really wanted to meet you, too." He sighed. "And apparently I wasn't moving fast enough for Seungkwan, so he... did what he did."

"And people call me weird," Wonwoo shook his head. "You do realise normal people don't admit stuff like that, right?" He chuckled softly. Mingyu really was unexpectedly different, but not in a bad way. So far. "Or do things like this..."

"I don't know what you mean," Mingyu replied, confused by Wonwoo's comment. "I didn't do anything." Though he really wanted to, Mingyu was well aware that even in his time, stuff like that wasn't appropriate when you didn't know the other party involved, and often even when you did. "We're just talking... aren't we?"

"The grabbing thing," Wonwoo murmured, still rubbing absently at his arm. "Maybe you're not aware of how strong you are, but you hurt me when you did that." Mingyu's extremely apologetic expression at his explanation went some way toward making Wonwoo feel less angry with him for it. "It's going to leave bruises,, I'm sure..." What a way to remember someone by.

"I'm really very sorry," Mingyu apologised profusely, feeling horrible now. "I didn't intend to hurt you. I just didn't want you to leave." He reached out, but didn't touch Wonwoo, biting at his lip. Should he...?

"It'll go away eventually," Wonwoo shrugged, just as confused by Mingyu as he seemed to be by Wonwoo. "I'm not too worried about it now, since you didn't know and won't do it again." An eyebrow rose as he saw Mingyu nod earnestly. "You're just like a big puppy, you know that?" he said randomly, shaking his head and unable to hide the smile. "What am I going to do with you?"

Scratching at the back of his neck in embarrassment, Mingyu didn't know what to say to that. His watch beeped at him a moment later and he glanced down in confusion, then saw the time. .

"I have a class in ten minutes," he said, starting to panic. "I don't know where it is... or even what, but..." He'd dropped his bag when Wonwoo appeared, and he scrambled to retrieve it. "I am so dead..."

Starting to laugh at Mingyu, Wonwoo shook his head, taking the other man's backpack from him, then looked for his schedule. "Interesting," he murmured, blinking at the subjects Mingyu had listed. World History (focusing on the first half of the 20th Century), Politics, Civil Engineering, Engineering Technology, and... Music? What was this guy doing here? "You're a glutton for punishment, aren't you?"

"Eh?" Mingyu didn't know what to say to that either, looking down at the schedule Wonwoo held in his hand. "They're not that hard..." Or they weren't for him, since he had experience in most of these areas already. "Why? Do you know anything about this stuff?"

Wonwoo sighed. "I took this class last term," he replied, pointing to the class on world history, "And this one too," he added, pointing to the class in politics. "And it seems we have a few classes in common." He pursed his lips. "Civil engineering? Isn't that a bit..." Wonwoo looked impressed despite himself. "Well, it's not exactly history or politics, is it?"  

"No, but I have experience in it, so..." Mingyu shrugged, unaware of the look Wonwoo gave him. It wasn't like Wonwoo would know he'd helped build (and then destroy) bridges and various other structures during the war, and wouldn't believe him, even if he told him. "I transferred from my hometown because the program was more involved here." He looked at Wonwoo. "Is that true?"

"Unfortunately," Wonwoo replied with a heartfelt sigh. The one class he was struggling with, and Mingyu happened to be an ace at it. Just his luck. "You're going to have your hands full with it, that's all I can say."

Wonwoo looked at his own watch. "We need to get moving or we'll be late and get in trouble," he added, giving Mingyu his bag back and hefting his own backpack further up on his shoulder. "This particular professor is... well, let's just say he's not particularly nice and leave it at that, ok?"

Nodding, Mingyu took his bag silently, then followed Wonwoo to the lecture theatre, standing nervously outside as Wonwoo went in to talk to the professor about him. A few moments later, he was startled when the professor appeared, his heart sinking. What was he doing here?

"What are you doing here, Kris?" he asked, barely able to keep his tone civil. They were in public. "I wasn't aware any of you..." He gave a sharp laugh. "Had jobs." Though Wonwoo's comments about the professor made sense now. Kris wasn't a nice person at the best of times. "Does Junmyeon know?"

"Obviously, or I wouldn't be here," Kris replied coldly. "I might ask you the same question, Kim Mingyu. What are you doing here?"

"Trying to get an education." Mingyu's reply was simple and to the point. "Now do you mind? Or do I have to talk to the Dean about you?" The threat was clear, and it seemed Kris was going to take him seriously, for once. "I won't say anything you don't want others to find out, as long as you do the same for me." His eyes were just as cold as his voice. "But if you cause me any trouble..."

"Fine," Kris murmured, standing aside and gesturing for Mingyu to go into the lecture hall. "I won't go any easier on you than anyone else, just so you're aware," he added, smirking at the younger vampire. "I expect you to work even harder, since you seem to want this so much."

"Don't push it," Mingyu shot back before going into the theatre, zooming in on where Wonwoo sat, barely noticed by anyone else at the far side. "Now introduce me nicely, won't you, Professor Wu?" he added, a fake sweetness to his voice. He grinned as he heard Kris grinding his teeth behind him as he introduced Mingyu to the class in a terse voice.

"Hey," Mingyu murmured as he sat next to Wonwoo, ignoring the murmurs of everyone else in the class. "I see what you mean by the professor, but I'm sure things will be fine."

He ignored the annoyed looks Wonwoo sent him, facing the front of the class so he could pay attention to the lectures. He'd taken Kris' threats to heart just as much as Kris had taken his. Mingyu still took a moment to lean over and whisper to him. "I'll even help you with whatever you need..."

"Just pay attention, idiot," Wonwoo murmured back, his notebook open and ready. "Professor Wu is as sharp as they come..."

"Care to share with the rest of the class, Kim Mingyu?" Kris voice was loud and carried through the hall. "What is so interesting that you are paying more attention to your seatmate than to my class?"

"Nothing, sir," Mingyu replied, his expression carefully neutral. Kris was being an and they both knew it.

"Good," Kris replied, baring his teeth before turning back to the lesson. He kept a wary eye on Mingyu, having the feeling that this kid was going to be more trouble than he wanted to deal with. And he was right. Mingyu continued to pester his seatmate, Jeon Wonwoo, ignoring the other man's pointed whispers to pay attention.

The pain of a whiteboard marker smacking him in the face made Mingyu face the front, an outraged expression on his face. "What was that for?" he asked, almost whining, as Kris glared at him.

"Instead of bothering your friend, you could, I don't know, try paying attention?" Kris replied, annoyance clear on his face. "Or if you think you can teach this better than I can, why not come up here and prove it?" (see a/n at the end of the chapter *grins*)

"He's not my friend," Wonwoo muttered under his breath, somewhat relieved Mingyu looked like he was actually going to take the professor up on his offer. Then maybe he'd leave him alone. Mingyu got to his feet and began to head down to the front of the hall, and Wonwoo sighed. He'd warned the kid...

Surprisingly to both Kris and Wonwoo, Mingyu not only knew his subject, but was a captivating teacher, managing to hold the students' interest beyond the initial amusement at getting called out for misbehaviour. Having enough of it, Kris got to his feet.

"Thank you for that," he murmured, nodding at Mingyu to go sit down. "But next time, pay attention. You might actually learn something."

Mingyu just smirked as he sat down beside Wonwoo, knowing he was irritating the older vampire no end. He intended to take advantage of it wherever he could until Kris either lightened up or kicked him out of class. He hoped it would be the former, but given his antagonism toward him... Mingyu wasn't going to hold his breath.

Eventually the bell went for dismissal, and Kris waved a hand to let them all go. Apart from Mingyu.

"Kim Mingyu, please come and see me," he said, staring at the younger vampire. He didn't care what the other students thought; not that they would think anything untoward given their clear animosity towards each other. Once the students had gone and Mingyu was standing in front of him and staring straight ahead, Kris sat on his desk and smirked.

"You are wasted in this class, Mingyu," he said, watching Mingyu carefully. "Just so we're clear, though, I don't want any repeat of your shenanigans today or you'll be out of the class. And one more thing... You will not touch any of my students, or those of any of the others here..." His eyes bored into Mingyu's. "Are we clear?"

"Crystal," Mingyu replied, shrugging. "Not that the warning is even necessary. I'm not a fledgling. I don't make trouble for myself..." He looked back at Kris. "Unlike others."

"Don't talk back," Kris growled, grabbing the front of Mingyu's shirt and pulling him close. "I'm still older than you." His eyes narrowed. "And if you don't make trouble for yourself, what was that little game?"

"But you have no authority over me, or have you forgotten?" Mingyu pulled away from Kris, straightening his clothing back into careless order. "You refused that right not even two hours ago. So be careful, Wu Fan." Smirking at Kris' annoyance, Mingyu chose not to say anything, earning himself a glare.

"I might not have any authority as a vampire, but I am still a professor here, so you have to listen to me." Kris' voice was smug. "I can make life very hard for you if you're not careful." He had noticed Mingyu's fascination with Wonwoo during the class. "And your friends..."

"I don't have any friends," Mingyu shrugged, though he remained wary. "And if you take it out on the students rather than me, both the dean and Junmyeon will hear about it, so it seems we're once again at a stalemate, wouldn't you agree?"

"That Jeon Wonwoo..." Kris murmured, though he recognised the sense in what Mingyu had said. "He's an interesting young man, isn't he?" He was very interested in Mingyu's attempts at getting Wonwoo to talk to him, though he was going to have to warn him about the other man. He was a danger, in more ways than one. "I wouldn't try to get close to him if I were you," he added quietly, hoping that Mingyu would see sense, even if this warning came from him. "He's not who you think he is."

Mingyu's eyebrows rose. "Oh really," he replied, curious at Kris' words. Would this explain his dislike of Wonwoo as well? "Do tell..." He grinned, baring his teeth. "I'd hardly say I'm who anyone thinks I am either..."

Fine, if that was what he wanted... "Your friend is wolf, did you know?" Kris could tell he'd caught Mingyu at the younger vampire's expression of surprise. "But he's like you... an abomination. He may be a wolf, but he can't transform. And it makes him dangerous..."

"He... what?" For once, Mingyu was at a loss for words. Wonwoo was a wolf... who couldn't transform? What did that even mean? "I'm hardly an abomination, so don't even go there..." he added belatedly, angered by the insult.

"He can't transform," Kris repeated as if to a child, earning a sulky look from Mingyu. "Which means that every month at the full moon, he will be in excruciating pain for several days. So much so that eventually, it will either kill him, or send him mad." He shrugged. "And then the wolves will deal with him as they should have done to start with."

Staring at Kris, Mingyu didn't know what to say. The fact that Wonwoo was a wolf didn't bother him as much as perhaps it should have done, but that he couldn't transform and that would result in him suffering... "How can you talk like that about someone who is suffering so much?" he asked softly, appalled at Kris' indifference. "Wonwoo may be a wolf, but even they deserve sympathy..."
"No, they don't," Kris shrugged, turning away. "You are obviously still too human if you think like that. Or maybe it's your strigoi half that makes you weak..."

Clenching his fists, Mingyu had to fight not to punch Kris in the face. "I'm not weak," he murmured, turning to leave. "And if you touch him, you will have to answer to me. Leave him alone."

"I suggest you do the same," Kris said mildly, uninterested in any threats. "You are dismissed." His eyes narrowed. "And remember what I said. No more of this, or you're out of my class."

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A/N: This actually happened in one of my classes at uni, only without as good an outcome as Mingyu had. hehehe (the guy failed miserably and was told off in front of the class... I'm evil, I know, cuz I thought the whole thing was hilarious at the time, and still do...)