Where Are You
Immortals: Everything They Sacrificed
The whole way back home, Yerin couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. She never took into account that being in the same city they would actually meet. Seoul is a large city and has more citizens than you can count so the chances to meet him seemed small in theory. Well, practice definitely beat that.
Thinking about it was making her feel like a real stalker even if that wasn't the case.
"Agh!" She stopped and groaned loudly. "So annoying," She added before realizing it was dark and silent.
When she got home, she first took a long bath before changing into pajamas and getting in bed. She shifted a few times before she finally fell asleep.
Two red eyes were sparkling in the darkness. They didn't seem evil but more like pitying. They pitied the poor soul lying in the pool of blood.
It was suffocating. At first it was warm, feeling like fire was engulfing the body before adrenaline faded and pain took its place. It hurt so much that it felt like needles were pushed in every part of his body. Blood was slipping out quickly and after a few minutes, it started to feel cold. The pain subsided slowly and the sounds of the heart became muffled by the air. Now that death was near, senses heightened. With tears slipping down his face, he looked at the red eyes, checking if they were still there.
They weren't. He chuckled, knowing everything was just an illusion created by his dying brain. It was going to end soon enough, a minute or two at most.
But right when he thought death grasped his soul, the red eyes appeared again closer than ever.
Dongwook opened his eyes and jolted from his bed, searching all around for the reason of his scare. The room was dark and he was alone.
When Dongwook entered the building, his eyes first met the nurses. They were all avoiding him, avoiding even breathing near him. That was fine, he liked it better if he didn't have to force himself to listen to them speak continuously.
He entered the elevator alone and pushed for the lowest level. The doors were closing when a sudden hand came in between, forcing his whole body through before pushing the same button.
It was silent and none felt like they should say something. Not until Dongwook felt a bit guilty for dumping him last night.
"Are you angry?" He asked, glancing at his work mate from the corner of his eye.
Ji Soo raised an eyebrow, his face not giving any hints of what he was thinking.
"Is there a reason I should be?"
Dongwook turned to his workmate, having the thought that Ji Soo was annoyed and he was acting in order to get a sincere apology.
"Last night, in that bar in Itaewon," He started, surprising Ji Soo.
"There are bars you know about in Itaewon? I am astonished." Ji Soo acted shocked before he started to laugh. "Take me there once, hyung."
Dongwook frowned.
"Haven't you called me there? You were waiting with two women...Hyejin and Hwayoung."
Ji Soo seemed amused before but not anymore. He frowned and leaned in.
"Have you been following me, hyung? How do you know where I was last night and with whom?"
"You called-" He stopped as he remembered the atmosphere he found when he came back from the bathroom.
You are not needed anymore. Those were the words the bartender used and it certainly looked like Ji Soo forgot about him. He forgot he called Dongwook out for a double date and so did the women.
"Interesting," Dongwook mumbled to himself.
When the elevator arrived on their level, Ji Soo walked out while Dongwook stayed back. He pushed the button for the reception to Ji Soo's surprise.
"What are you doing?"
"There's something I'm curious about. I'll leave today's work on you. Don't make any mistakes." Dongwook said hurriedly while the doors closed. He had to go back and have a chat with that dimpled man.
Itaewon was just as crowded during the day as it was during the night. A lot of foreigners were walking around, the coffee shops and stores entertaining them until later on when night clubs open up.
He didn't notice it before but the bar he went to last night was really not all that glamorous by day. The windows were made from smoked glass which meant people could only see their own reflection in it instead of seeing inside the bar. The name wasn't even very visible and the building wasn't on the main street either.
"Are you going to spend the whole day in front of the window?"
Dongwook turned his head to the door and noticed the dimpled man staring at him with a grin. He wasn't in a suit or in anything elegant. He was actually dressed really simple and had a satchel hanging on his shoulder.
"Well?" He asked again, his eyes widening in amusement. "Come on in. No one's inside anyway."
Dongwook nodded and followed him inside the bar, which was definitely not at all empty. The clients by day were a bit different only because they looked more like they were there for a coffee rather than an alcohol drink.
Minwoo led the way to the bar before he threw his satchel under it and leaned over the bar cabinet towards his newest entertainment source.
"You said no one's inside." Dongwook mumbled, still scanning the bar for anything strange.
"No one important. This bar is only a bar and nothing else. We're not a danger to humanity." Minwoo added, leaning against the table. "My name is Park Minwoo by the way. Nice to meet you, friend."
Park Minwoo was a peculiar man, human or not. His eyes were glinting continuously and Dongwook wasn't sure he liked it. He wasn't an object that could be used for one's selfish purposes.
"My friend can't remember anything from last night." Dongwook changed the subject.
"Can't he? Or is it only your presence that he forgot about?" Minwoo teased, his dimples deepening as he smiled.
"What did you do?"
"I helped you, haven't I?" Minwoo started nonchalantly, stretching before grabbing a glass and pouring water in it.
Glancing at Dongwook's work attire, which was pretty much a white shirt and black pants, he grabbed a cup and placed it in front of him.
"Missed work just to come here and ask me if I erased your friend's memories?" Minwoo asked, working on making coffee for the special guest.
"The woman from yesterday. She looked a bit out of place,"
Minwoo scoffed and rolled his eyes at the woman but he didn’t get the chance to say anything because someone else walked inside the bar, trotting towards them as if the whole world was bowing at the sight of his face.
"Made a new friend already, Minwoo? You're getting too friendly lately. Are you searching for a drinking buddy again?"
Minwoo chuckled and poured the fresh coffee in Dongwook's cup before placing it aside.
"What if I am? Seojoon doesn't drink and you are too handsome to drag around. I want a drinking buddy not an idol that draws attention."
Minwoo was older than that new guy but Dongwook sensed that age didn't seem to matter between them.
"I'm Liu Wei," The handsome man started, walking to the two men and leaning next to Dongwook. "Do I know you?"
Minwoo raised an eyebrow, trying his best not to interfere when Liu Wei was visibly balancing the pros and cons of Minwoo's new acquaintance.
"You look very familiar. Maybe you came here before or maybe I just saw you somewhere before."
Liu Wei was known as a person with wit and with heightened skills to charm others into telling him what he wanted to know. In this case, Minwoo knew it wouldn't work because Dongwook was too stiff.
"Who's this?" Dongwook asked Minwoo, ignoring Liu Wei completely.
"He's the boss here. It's his bar."
Dongwook frowned. He glanced at Liu Wei's content face before he turned to Minwoo, growing very confused.
"You said that woman from yesterday was the boss."
Liu Wei narrowed his eyes at his bartender, scolding him with his eyes even if Minwoo didn't look like he was acknowledging it.
"She is. She bought this place and gave it to me to manage because she is a hermit." Liu Wei explained, turning his attention on Dongwook. "So then what's your name? Or should I wait a few more days to find that out?"
"Lee Dongwook."
"You smell like death." Liu Wei added, scrunching his nose.
"That's because I am a forensic doctor. I work in the morgue." Dongwook explained, giving off information without thinking twice.
Minwoo and Liu Wei glanced at each other and chuckled bemusedly. Minwoo went to get ready for work and let Liu Wei to gather more information.
"So you are curious about that ugly dressed woman from yesterday? Why? Is that your style?" Liu Wei asked bluntly, sounding very snobbish.
"Her fragrance was familiar." Dongwook combated, not liking the sound of Liu Wei’s tone.
"Do you want me to call her over? She doesn't do much anyway." The Chinese man asked, phone already in hand.
"Why would you? It's my business not yours." Dongwook asked skeptically.
Liu Wei grinned, his eyes sparkling with mischievousness.
"Believe me, it's my pleasure."
"What?!" Yerin exclaimed, jumping on her feet surprising the customers inside her store. "Tell him I'm busy." She hissed, hiding in a corner behind the counter.
Liu Wei knew Dongwook could easily hear her so he didn't see any problem in playing with her.
"But he's already here. Do you really want him to leave after he skipped work only to come and see you?"
A loud knocking sound made Liu Wei feel very pleased with himself. She just knocked her head against the counter in surprise; he could imagine it in his head.
"He didn't. Stop teasing me."
"Am I now? Well, should I give him your address then? Your hiding spot will be-"
She hung up making Liu Wei smiling proudly to himself. He turned to Dongwook's curious form and couldn't help but laugh.
"This is so fun. We should have done it sooner!"
Dongwook grew even more confused, especially when Liu Wei patted him on the shoulder on his way to the storage room.
"That idiot. He bragged he was a strict man and now he's making fun of me. I shouldn't have changed him. I should have left him to rot in a cell."
She has been rambling for the whole way to the bar. When she got in front of the door, Yerin took a deep breath before she entered. Her heartbeats were so fast she could feel her blood circulation; it was really intense.
Dongwook raised his head and turned to her. He had heard those heartbeats before, on his way home from work. The same woman with the same big round glasses and orange beanie was standing there but she was dressed in a flowery shirt with a black cardigan over it. But that was all. There was no fragrance, nothing.
Yerin walked towards him and waved nervously. She almost bumped into a stool but quickly regained herself.
"Where is that Liu Wei?" She asked with a bright smile yet she was visibly pissed.
"Have I seen you before?" He asked, fully turning to her.
"No," She answered quickly.
"Yerin, you're here!" Liu Wei exclaimed, followed by Minwoo dressed now in his bartender suit.
Both men had wide grins which immediately made Dongwook realize they loved playing with that woman.
"Isn't this wonderful? Dongwook is here and you are here. You can finally stop stalking him and just talk."
Dongwook frowned while Yerin's eyes widened. It didn't even matter who was around because Liu Wei has already reached a new level of being a prick.
"I'm going to kill you with my own hands." She hissed, hurrying to him and kicking him in the bottom.
But those words and that tone sounded exactly like the woman he met before. The same red eyes appeared in his mind as he remembered the last time he saw her.
"You don't have to leave. I will." He said feeling guilty for all the trouble he caused.
"No. I have been retained here for long enough. You can do whatever you want to but I will leave anyway."
"What if they come after you?"
"Then I'll kill all of them." She hissed angrily.
Coming back to his senses, he got up and walked to her unconsciously. He grabbed her wrist and turned her to face him.
"Erin?" He whispered.
Liu Wei froze but not as dramatically as she did.
"It's you isn't it? I'm not wrong." He reasoned with himself, seeing how he couldn't see her very well with those glasses and the beanie.
"I think you got me confused with someone else."Yerin mumbled before she pushed him away and left as quickly as possible.
Dongwook stayed there, confused if he really made a mistake or not. But her voice sounded a lot like Erin's. Erin...Yerin...that couldn't be a coincidence, could it?
"Hey, when you go home today, take a good look around your neighborhood." Liu Wei advised before he turned to Minwoo with a scorn, "Why didn't you help me? She actually hurt me!"
Minwoo scoffed and didn't even bother answering him.
Yerin's orange beanie haunted Dongwook for the whole day. He arrived at work an hour later and Ji Soo didn't say anything about his workmate's disappearance. Not until they were forced to work on a new corpse with a lot of wounds.
"I hope we won't have to work late again." Ji Soo mumbled while Dongwook took a longer look at the body.
Whoever killed him did a very good job at smashing his skull. Besides, it looked like he had a huge feud with the culprit because he took care to make his face impossible to recognize.
"By the way, hyung. What happened this morning? Where did you go?" Ji Soo asked, smiling when an idea formed in his mind, "It wasn't a woman, was it?"
"No," Dongwook answered, bending next to the victim's face, seeing how tensed was the muscle of his chin. "It wasn't a woman. Now come here and look at this."
Ji Soo nodded and watched his hyung open the mouth of the corpse. His eyes widened when Dongwook took out a little plastic bag that looked a lot like the ones used for drugs.
"Do you think he was involved with some black-market dealer?" Ji Soo asked, hurrying to grab a plate and put the bag on it. "What will happen when we open it?"
"Nothing. They found the body this morning and he doesn't seem to be dead for more than 24 hours. Check his documents and call Jiwook."
Ji Soo nodded but not before he took another long look at his superior. His face seemed a bit funny and Ji Soo knew his every expression with how much he was seeing him every day.
It was almost 10 o'clock at night and Ji Soo was tired. He stretched once he finished writing his report and turned to Dongwook. He was looking at his computer screen without blinking or breathing.
"Are you sure is not a girl?" The youngster asked, getting up and giving up on the white gown for his leather jacket. "You can tell me. You may not be aware but there are still women interested to date you in this building."
Dongwook wasn't sure. He wanted to balance the two women he had in mind but they seemed nothing alike. There was the elegant girl that he met over 900 years ago, the one who was born a leader even if she hated it, the one whose smile could make him believe that everything was going to be alright. Then there was this other woman, dressed in colorful clothes with no style whatsoever, hiding behind glasses and tucking her hair inside an orange beanie. It was hard to believe that both were halves of the same coin.
"Ji Soo, if someone you know runs away and returns in your life, very unexpectedly, looking nothing like before, how would you react?" Dongwook asked, turning his chair so he could face Ji Soo.
"Wh-What?" Ji Soo was speechless, "S-so it's a woman?" His face brightened and any ounce of tiredness he felt before just vanished. "What's her name?"
"Yerin, it seems," Dongwook answered, leaving his gown on the back of his chair and changing into his usual black coat.
"It seems. So she left a while ago and now she returned and has a different name. Did she leave because of you?" Ji Soo asked while waiting for Dongwook to turn off the computers.
"No but I bear half of the fault." He answered, walking out after he turned off the lights.
"And what does she do now? Why did she return?" Ji Soo asked following his senior to the elevator.
"I'm not sure she returned now. She's been here for a while but we didn't-" Dongwook stopped, remembering Liu Wei's line.
You can finally stop stalking him and just talk.
She has been watching him from somewhere.
Ji Soo tilted his head to the side, expecting to hear more but Dongwook had nothing more to say.
"Well, I really want to meet this woman." Ji Soo mumbled.
On his way home, Dongwook could only think about Liu Wei and Minwoo. Those two were strange people, vampires or not. They work with humans and don't seem to bother with honorifics. Their respect for each other is questionable but they have definitely been changed by the same person. Could that person be Yerin? If she was Erin then she was older than 1000 years old and she could easily change a whole army during her runaway.
Almost every store in the neighborhood was closed but she still couldn't go home. It was late and she was tired. It proved to be a good day for business as she welcomed more than ten people inside with a polite smile.
"Maybe I should bother smiling at them," She mumbled to herself while massaging her cheeks.
But looking down at the profit, she couldn't help but feel like it was worth it. Stretching with a loud groan, she walked to her spot in front of the window and sighed. It's been a long, long day.
"Maybe I should close too," She mumbled, glancing at the empty alley.
But then she heard it; he was going home and he was really close. After the unexpected meeting early in the morning, her heart was beating even more powerful than before. Then she saw him walk up the alley, past her store and couldn't help but watch him.
The heartbeats were even faster than before so it was really hard to miss them. Dongwook wouldn't have bothered with it if it wasn't for Liu Wei's advice.
When you go home today take a good look around your neighborhood.
He stopped. Dongwook stopped and glanced at the store. Yerin tilted her head to the side as she watched him turn towards her and look. Her eyes widened and she moved closer to the window.
"Wait, the glass is smoked. He can't see me, can he? Vampires can't see through walls after all." She mumbled to herself but he was right there, looking at her.
Yerin turned her back and slapped her cheeks lightly, feeling like she was going insane.
"Am I making things up?" She wondered before glancing over her shoulder. No one was there. "I'm going crazy."
The doorbell rung and Yerin decided she should just take care of the last client and go home. She needed some good sleep to shrug it off and move forward with her life. Yes, that was a good plan.
Yerin slapped her cheeks two more times, planting that polite smile on her face before she turned to her customer.
"Welc-" She stopped.
Dongwook was there, inside her store and if she wasn't crazy, he looked like he was enjoying every second of her terror.
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