‘What?’

            What was this soulmate nonsense that Seokjin was talking about?

            Instead of answering you, Seokjin let himself fall into one of the sofas, running his fingers into his hair before burying his face into his hands. Despite his clear answer, he seemed rather distressed about it. ‘I should’ve known this. I was supposed to sense this. But...’ He started mumbling to himself, and you looked at Namjoon for help.

            ‘Seokjin, explain this to us. What? Soulmate?’ Namjoon questioned, seemingly taken aback. He motioned for both you and Mihee to sit down, to which you complied silently. It was only because your ankle was starting to throb painfully. ‘What does a soulmate mean, for someone like him?’

            Someone like him. Someone like Taehyung.  What exactly is he?

            ‘He’s a vampire,’ Seokjin said as if he heard your question, finally looking at you directly in the eyes. You just stared at him blankly, not expecting the absurd answer. But he looked dead serious, and seeing that neither Namjoon nor Mihee said anything to it proved that it was probably true. ‘And to him, a soulmate can be the reason he could stay alive.’

            ‘Vampires aren’t supposed to be real,’ you murmured, even sounding unconvincing to your ears. Memories flashed through your mind, and you gasped, gripping Mihee’s hands tightly. Pale skin. Constantly shying away from the sunlight. Red eyes. Fangs. Don’t touch me. Blood. More blood.

            The memories made you shudder, and you tugged your hands away from your cousin, covering your ears as the fear consumed you again. ‘No, no… Stop,’ you whimpered, your chest contracting painfully. Mihee immediately pulled you into her arms, and soft sobs came from you as you pinched your eyes closed, trying to will the darkness away. It was too horrible for you; you didn’t want to remember any of these.

            ‘I’m taking her home,’ Mihee announced, and even though you wanted more answers, you couldn’t help but feel relaxed at the word home. She rubbed your back soothingly before helping you to get up, all the while holding you tightly.

            ‘She’s not properly cured yet, she should stay here for at least a few more days,’ Seokjin said, and for the first time, he sounded like a stranger to your ears. ‘The poison is probably still running inside her body. And she needs to learn the truth. If she stays, I’ll help her heal and she can─’

            ‘What? So she can let that monster the blood off her body again?’ And this was also the first time you heard Mihee sounding utterly furious at someone.

            ‘Mihee! He’s not a monster!’ Namjoon exclaimed, seemingly shocked too with Mihee’s sudden outburst.

            ‘Even if he is a monster, he didn’t ask to be born that way,’ Seokjin’s voice sounded pained. You close your eyes further, not wanting to see his face. ‘Mihee, I know how you feel. I know you’re only trying to protect her, but she’s his soulmate; she can’t be separated from him. It’s dangerous for both of them!’

            ‘There’s nothing more dangerous than being close to someone like him,’ Mihee’s reply was spiteful, and you hated yourself for agreeing with her.

            ‘She’s meant to be with him. It’s her fate. You can’t just─’

            ‘Home,’ you said it loud and clear, loud enough to stop Seokjin’s words. Everyone stared at you, silenced by your statement. You pulled yourself away from Mihee’s arms and faced the man. You didn’t even bother to wipe away the tears streaming down your face. ‘I just want to go home, Seokjin. Please.’

            Seokjin’s face crumbled when you said it and you turned away, unable to look at him anymore. Why did it feel like you were breaking his heart? He was always the big brother you never had, and going against his words made you feel horrible.

            ‘Okay. If that’s what you wish.’ His voice was small, and he too had turned away from you. You took it as a sign for you to leave, so you let Mihee guide you to door, holding on to her for support as you walked. Namjoon seemed reluctant to leave his best friend, but Seokjin shook his head, so he offered to send you and Mihee back. Just before you stepped out of the house, you barely heard Seokjin’s last words.

‘Please, come back when you’re ready. Taehyung needs you.’

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

            You just sat on the windowsill, staring down at the city emotionlessly. It had been a week since you last saw Seokjin, and you had not heard from him since. From what Mihee had explained to you, after the attack, Seokjin had instructed for everyone to return back to the city, only allowing Mihee and Namjoon to stay to wait for you in Taehyung’s summer home. Apparently, all the boys knew about the truth of Taehyung’s… real self. Then why? Why did they still let him roam freely when they knew about his inner demon?

            Thinking about all these unanswered question made your head hurt, but what was there to do when you’re cooped up inside this apartment? You wanted to return to your daily life, to be normal again, but Mihee insisted that you took at least a month of leave from work. She claimed it was so that you can heal properly, but you knew better that she was scared that Taehyung might come around again. A small part of you agreed with her, you were scared that you might run into him again. But honestly, another part of you was yearning for him.

            It was confusing. Whenever you were reminded of the attack, the fear always returned and you would find yourself hiding inside your blanket until the panic attacks subsided. But every night, when you were unable to sleep, you could not help but remember his face during the time you were semi-conscious after the attack. You would never forget the look on his face. The guilt. The pained look. What was the meaning of all of that? The gentle touches and the warm lips that kissed the pain away that night, were those from him too? Please forgive me, those whispers were the words that woke you up. Was that his voice?

            ‘I’m home,’ Mihee announced as she came in through the door, placing her heels on the shoe rack before plopping herself onto the plush sofa. She gave a soft groan, turning her body so that she was lying on her tummy. ‘How are you feeling today?’

            ‘A lot better,’ you lied, plastering the best smile you could give on your face. If you were to be honest, nothing much changed since the day you woke up in Taehyung’s house. The only thing that was healing would be your ankle, you could walk normally already without the limp. And there seemed to be no scars from the cut on your leg. But the wound on your neck… it was not healing at all. You never mentioned it to Mihee, and you made sure you constantly changed the bandage too as to not make it obvious, but the wound still bleed and ached to this very moment. Was this because of the ‘poison’ that Seokjin mentioned before? What poison was running through your body?

            And those were not the only things that you kept from your cousin. During the times when Mihee was not around, or when she was sleeping, you would experience severe pain on your whole body, especially around the middle of your chest, and every time you felt that you were actually going to lose consciousness, the pain would go away. It came and went as it pleased, and you were scared that your life was hanging on a thin thread that may break at any moment. This meant that you would not have much time to get the answers.

            ‘Mihee, can I go out today? I’m bored.’ You asked nonchalantly, trying to appear as calm as possible.

            ‘Oh?’ Mihee lifted her head from the pillow she was hugging, and looked questioningly at you. ‘Can we go out later tonight? Today had been absolutely hectic, and I’m kind of tired─’

            ‘It’s okay. I can go out alone,’ you said with a small smile, hopping off from the windowsill.

            Immediately, your cousin sat up. ‘But it’s dangerous. What if… Alright, let me take a quick shower first then we’ll─’

            ‘No,’ you said firmly, pushing her gently back on the sofa. When she frowned confusingly at you, you let out a sigh. ‘It’s alright, Mihee. You get your rest. I’m just going to walk around the shops here, I won’t go too far. I’m not a child anymore; I can take care of myself.’

            ‘But you might─’

            ‘I’ll be fine,’ you cut her off, sending her your most cheerful smile. In the end, she finally relented and allowed you to go out by yourself, agreeing that she was too tired to follow you anyway. You were only wearing a thin t-shirt and a pair of jeans shorts, so you grabbed your favourite black long coat and your phone, leaving the apartment.

            Firstly, you need to call Seokjin.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

            ‘The person you are calling is currently unavailable. Please leave a message─’

            You hang up the call with a disappointed sigh. All six calls you made went straight into voicemail, making you feel uneasy. Nothing happened to him, right? You gripped your phone tightly, not knowing what else to do. Seokjin had said that if you were ready, you should come back. You were not sure what ready meant, but you wanted answers. And it seemed that only Seokjin had the answers.

            You thought of seeking help from Namjoon, but it would be too risky. You didn’t want him to tell Mihee, and even if you managed to get him to keep it a secret, you wouldn’t want him to betray his own loved one. You were basically stuck here.

            ‘Oh, it’s really you,’ a familiar voice came, and you turned to your side only to find Yoongi’s girlfriend staring at you, delight in her eyes. She was holding a cup of coffee, and judging from her appearance, she was probably on her way home from work. ‘What are you doing here?’

            Giving her a small smile, you patted the spot next to you, motioning for her to sit next to you on the bench. She offered her coffee, to which you accepted rather graciously, grateful for the warm drink. It was a quite cold spring this year. ‘Nothing much, I was just thinking.’

            ‘Thinking about what?’ She asked, taking her coffee as you handed it back. Her eyes suddenly caught sight of the bandage around your neck, and she peered curiously at it. ‘Was this when…’

            She seemed unable to continue the words, so you nodded, touching the bandage softly with your fingers. ‘Yeah, when Taehyung attacked me.’ Saying his name out loud for the first time since returning home made your heart ache, and you didn’t even know why.

            ‘I’m sorry for that,’ she offered, and you just nodded. She reached out a hand to take one of yours, squeezing your hand softly. ‘How are you feeling? It must have been too much for you.’

            ‘Did you know that he was… what he is?’ You asked, suddenly curious whether Yoongi shared about this with his girlfriend or not.

            The smile that came to her lips answered your question instantly. She knew. ‘That Taehyung is a vampire? Yes, I knew it from the start.’

            ‘And yet, you still become friends with him?’ You asked with a frown. ‘Aren’t you scared that he might attack you?’

            ‘But he didn’t attack me, did he?’ She retorted with a question, making you feel more confused. You nodded slowly, unable to say anything. ‘Well, let’s just say that I’ve dealt with something far worse than his kind, so I was never scared of Taehyung. I haven’t been around him much, you know yourself that he’s rarely hanging out with us, right? But what I saw in him was not a monster, like how people would define a vampire. All I see is just a normal person.’

            ‘I don’t understand…’ You murmured, burying your face into your hands.

            ‘You don’t have to understand,’ she said gently, giving a pat on your shoulder. When you lifted your face at her, she smiled before pointing at your chest. ‘You just have to trust your heart.’

            Trust your heart. And your heart only wanted one thing. You immediately sat up straight, taking both of her hands into yours. ‘Can you help me?’

            As if fate had really planned this for you, Yoongi’s car stopped in front of you. The window slid open, revealing your friend with a very cheerful smile.

            ‘Need a lift?’

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

            You were sure that Seokjin had told all of your friends to cooperate regarding this matter, because when you asked Yoongi to send you to Taehyung’s summer home, he complied without any questions. Were you doing the right thing?

            ‘Are you sure you’re going to go in there alone?’ Yoongi asked when the three of you arrived at the cottage. Nothing changed in a week, but there seemed to be darkness swirling around the house. It was probably only your imagination. ‘I don’t think anyone’s here. Seokjin’s truck is not around, so he’s definitely not here. I’m not sure about Taehyung though. Haven’t seen him around since that day.’

            ‘It’s okay; I think I prefer to go alone,’ you said, and even though you tried your best to sound confident, you still stammered. Yoongi and his girlfriend exchanged a look, before they turned at you. It was obvious that they looked worried. But you need to do this. You felt like this place was calling out to you, or maybe someone was reaching out for you. With the presence of Seokjin or not, you were determined to face this.

            ‘Alright, but we’ll wait out here, just in case something happens,’ Yoongi said with a sigh. Before you could get out from the vehicle, he called out. ‘Please be careful. Run or scream the moment you sense something bad. Thirty minutes, and you return here again or I’m calling for backup.’

            ‘What? You’re going to call the SWAT team?’ You tried joking to lighten the mood, but your friends didn’t seem to take this too lightly.

            ‘If that’s necessary, then I’d do just that,’ he answered seriously, and you felt grateful that you had friends that cared for you this much. But you still gave him a laugh and told him not to be ridiculous, to which he rather disapproved, rolling his eyes at you. Sending them both a smile, you made your way towards the cottage.

            When you stopped in front of the door, you contemplated whether you should continue this, or return back to the city, back to your protective cousin and safe apartment. You immediately shook away the thoughts—no. You were going to face this on your own. Taking a deep breath, you lifted your hand to knock on the door, but then stopped yourself. You tried on the doorknob, and you gasped softly in surprise when you realised that it was not locked. Was someone here?

            Pushing your way inside, you gulped as you took in the dark interior of the house. All the blinds and curtains were closed, not a single ounce of sunlight available, except from the door where you just came through. You purposely left the door ajar, considering that Yoongi and his girl might panic if you closed it all the way. You were not sure what exactly you were looking for. The house seemed empty.

            A shadow moving above you made you whip your head upwards, but you could not see anything. You squint hard, trying to see through the darkness, and that was when you saw the figure. Someone was hiding behind the wooden pillars connecting to the ceiling. Instead of feeling fear, you were surprised to feel relieved instead. Because you finally found the person you wanted to see. ‘Taehyung?’

            The shadow moved and disappeared as quickly as it appeared, making you feel anxious. You turned into all directions, trying to look for him again, but he was nowhere to be found. ‘Taehyung, please. Please come out. We need to talk.’ Just as you finished your words, the front door closed with a loud bang, making you jump in surprise.

            ‘There was nothing to talk about. Why the hell did you come here?’ His voice was dripping with ice, but you refused to let it get to you. You came here to redeem your answers, you didn’t care how much hatred he had towards you. It took a while for your eyes to adjust to the darkness, and his eyes were the first that you took notice of. But if he really hated you, he could easily throw you out of the house, considering the strength that he had. Or if he wanted to kill you, he could easily attack you the moment you stepped in. These thoughts made you frown. Something doesn’t add up.

            You took a step forward, to see if what you were thinking would be true. Just as you expected, he flinched when you did. ‘Stop! Don’t come anywhere near me!’

            Why?

             As if challenging him, you rushed towards him, and true to your thoughts, he simply disappeared, before appearing somewhere further from you. You turned, sending him a glare. Your eyes were already used to the darkness that it didn’t take you long to find where he was hiding. ‘Why can’t I go near you?’

            ‘You don’t have to know. Just leave now! Leave before─’

            ‘Before what? Before you’d jump on me and my blood again? Why can’t I go near you? Why?’ You demanded, and it was obvious that he was taken aback by your outburst. What, he’d think you would just leave after he told you so? Hell no. ‘Tell me, Taehyung. What is going on?’

            ‘Just…’ He seemed at loss for words, and it must be frustrating for him. ‘God, why won’t you just listen? Don’t let me touch you. I could kill you!’

            ‘You could just kill me now, but you’re not doing it,’ you snapped, now feeling frustrated. ‘Unless you tell me the reason why you’re treating me this way, I’m not leaving. I─’

            Your words were cut short when a sharp pain pierced through your chest, making you double-over. Your throat started to burn, and it was rapidly spreading through your whole body, making you struggle to breathe. From the corner of your eyes, you saw Taehyung trying to rush to you, but stopped halfway, hesitating. Your knees gave out and you fell down in a heap on the floor, curling up into a foetus position. This time the pain was excruciating, to the point you could not even move an inch. Your whole body was being stabbed, and you felt as if all your limbs were being torn apart.

            ‘Tae… please…’ You mustered the remaining voice that you had, trying to drag your pained body closer to him but to no avail. Tears streamed down your face, and you had started to cough out horribly, your chest on fire. You didn’t want to die this way. You couldn’t die this way. But…will you die this time? Just as you almost closed your eyes, almost giving up the battle, you felt a pair of warm arms lifting you up.

            Taehyung’s face was the first thing that you saw when you opened your eyes. He was looking at you with a very worried expression, and for a second you forgot all about the pain. The pain came rushing back though, and he almost dropped you when your body convulsed uncontrollably. ‘Don’t close your eyes. Bear the pain, bear it a little. Don’t leave me!’

            You gripped tightly on his shirt, crying on his chest. He swiftly carried you into one of the rooms, pushing the door open with a kick and placed you gently on the bed. Despite the unbearable pain, you recognised the room as the one where you woke up after that night. After placing you on the bed, you thought he was going to leave you, so you gripped his shirt, refusing to let him go as you cried. ‘Don’t leave… Please don’t.’

            He suddenly climbed on top of you, prying away your hands from his shirt before pinning them above your head. With his other hand, he tore open your coat without any effort, and you could not care less that he just ruined your favourite coat. Your eyes widened as you continued to groan in pain─ it was the same as that night. He had you helplessly trapped beneath his grasp again. Except that this time, he was not a monster. He was just… Taehyung.

            ‘I’m sorry that all these happened because of me. I won’t push you away again.’ His voice was shaking, and he looked so broken. ‘This might hurt you more, but it’s the only way. Please hold in the pain for a moment.’

            You could not understand what he was saying, when he suddenly tore the bandage around your neck using his free hand. He didn’t seem surprised by what he saw, but it made him look a lot sadder. ‘Please forgive me,’ he whispered before dipping his head and latching his lips around the wound. At first, you released a sigh, the warmth that came from his mouth felt like a bliss.

            But then the immense pain came. Your heart contracted painfully, to the point that you felt like your body would explode. You screamed aloud, your head thrown aback as you thrashed around, the pain killing you physically and mentally. It was all too much to bear. Taehyung’s grip on your wrists were like vice as you listened to him on your blood, his other hand holding you down on the waist, preventing you from throwing him off of you. Why do you have to bear all these pain?

It could have only been seconds, or it could be hours, but your voice had turned hoarse due to the screams, and you couldn’t bear it any longer. Taehyung hadn’t lifted his head at all, and you wondered just how much blood you had left before he would you clean. You seemed to have become numb towards the pain, and your gaze started to become blurry. The darkness was taking you back in. You released a shaky breath, eyes slowly closing.

            ‘No… No, no! Don’t close your eyes,’ you heard Taehyung’s desperate cries, but he sounded so distant. Had he stopped feeding on you? Was this what he meant by he could kill you? No matter how hard you tried to open yourself, your body refused to cooperate.

            Nothing was able to stop you from drifting back into the dark abyss.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

            ‘Uhh,’ a moan escaped your lips as your eyes softly fluttered open, the brightness blinding you for a moment. The moment you finally realised that you were not dead yet, your body immediately shot up, only for you to topple back down again on the mattress, the sudden movement making you dizzy.

            ‘You’re finally awake,’ a relieved voice came, and you lifted your face from the pillow to see Taehyung smiling radiantly at you. Your heart skipped a beat—this was the first time you saw his smile. But then you were reminded of what had happened, and your eyes widened as a loud gasp escaped your lips. Your hands immediately reached around your neck, to feel the wound, but to your absolute surprise, nothing was there. Not a single trace of scar could be felt. Your eyes went back to Taehyung’s, and you stared at him questioningly. His smile faltered slightly, and he let out a sigh. ‘I guess you want answers now.’

            Before you could say anything, the door burst open, and Mihee came rushing in, tears running down her face as she cried out your name. Taehyung instantly backed away, giving room to your cousin. ‘What were you thinking, coming here alone?’ Mihee sobbed, pulling you into her arms. You let her squeeze the breath out of you, only able to smile at her.

            ‘You wouldn’t have let me come here if I told you,’ you said, gently rubbing her back.

            Mihee pulled away from the hug, giving you a frown. She suddenly turned her face towards Taehyung, possibly sending him her death glare. ‘You! What have you done to her? I thought I’ve made it clear that you’re staying away from her!’

            She looked like she would grab anything to attack him, so you held her arms tightly. ‘Mihee, stop! I came here on my own will. Don’t get mad at him,’ you pleaded, but she seemed to be ignoring your words. When she struggled to get up, you gripped her tighter. ‘Look, Mihee. He probably even saved my life today!’

            ‘What do you mean?’ Mihee’s attention was finally returned back to you, and her eyes caught sight of your neck. She reached out to touch your skin, her face paling. ‘Where… Where’s the wound? Shouldn’t there be at least a scar there?’

            Both you and Mihee turned towards Taehyung for an answer, but it was not his voice that had answered.

            ‘Because Taehyung had removed the poison from her body,’ Seokjin sounded breathless as he appeared in the doorway; it seemed that he had hurried here, from wherever he was before. Behind him, you saw Namjoon discussing something with Hoseok and his girlfriend, and Yoongi was gently comforting his girlfriend who seemed to be crying in his arms. How long were you unconscious? Judging by the way Yoongi was still comforting his girlfriend, it had definitely surpassed the thirty minutes that they gave to you. Was this the backup that Yoongi had mentioned?

            ‘What do you mean?’ You asked.

            Seokjin released a sigh, before he sent you a small smile. ‘I think it’s better if you hear it from Tae. Mihee, can you leave them alone for a moment? I’ll explain it to you and the others myself.’

            ‘No, I’m not leaving my cousin,’ Mihee’s voice was firm, but this time, you were on Seokjin’s side. This time, you’re siding on Taehyung.

            ‘It’s alright, Mihee. I’ll be okay,’ you said gently, giving a pat on her hand. ‘He won’t hurt me.’

            ‘But─’

            ‘That’s enough, Mihee. It’s about time you listen to us,’ Namjoon suddenly barged into the room, and without any warning, lifted his girlfriend swiftly onto his shoulder to drag her out. Mihee screamed and thrashed, but Namjoon was having none of that. He ignored her beatings and carried her out of the room, closing the door behind him.

            You were finally alone with Taehyung. From the corner of your eyes, you saw him making his way towards the bed, and he sat down on the edge of it, toying with the blanket that was covering your body. After the reactions that he gave to you before, it felt weird that he was sitting so close to you, and even had a smile on his face. ‘You’re not going to tell me to not touch you?’

            He even had the grace to actually chuckle at your words. Really, who was this man in front of you? He ran his fingers into his hair—god why did he look so handsome just by doing that? The thought made you blush and you pulled the blanket closer to your face.

            ‘I wasn’t sure if you heard it before you fainted, but I’m not going to push you away again,’ he said, and his voice was deep and mellow, no longer cold as ice. You were not sure how to react by this sudden change, but it was hard to ignore the butterflies running amok inside your belly.

            ‘Why? Why do you have to push me away in the first place?’

            ‘Your scent.’ The smile was no longer on his lips, and you recognised the look on his face almost instantly. It was guilt. ‘I was always in control. Especially when you’re around. I made sure I was more careful when you were around so I would not make any mistake. But that night… I lost control. When your blood spilled, all my sense of judgement disappeared. I could not help it. I could not fight my nature to want a human’s blood… especially your blood. I could have killed you that night.’

            He had his face buried in his hands, and he looked so broken that you wanted to comfort him. The memories must be haunting him too. Before you even realise it, you had pushed yourself towards him and pulled him into an embrace. He froze in your arms, taken aback by the suddenness, and for a moment, you felt him relaxing, but it didn’t happen too for too long. Taking away your hands from around his shoulder, he stood up, stepping away from you. ‘Please don’t think lightly of this situation. I’m not a normal human. I still could─’

            ‘Am I not your soulmate?’ You said it so bluntly, making him flustered. ‘Seokjin said I’m your soulmate. He said that you attacked me because I am your soulmate. What did he mean by that?’

            ‘I—I… I’m not sure,’ he stuttered, and you sent him a frown, making him sigh with a small smile. ‘Fine, I’ll try to explain. Will you stop frowning at me? Ah, how should I say this? We vampires are all born with a soulmate. No one’s sure how soulmates are bonded, it’s really not related to age as one would assume. A soulmate would strengthen our powers, but it was so rare that none of us believed in it anymore. It became a tale to us, some legend that existed long time ago. But the moment I saw you for the first time, I knew it was you. I’m not sure how I should say it, but I just knew.’

            ‘Then why did you push me away?’ You asked softly, pulling your legs against your chest.

            ‘Because you’re a human,’ Taehyung’s voice had become serious. ‘It wouldn’t have been a problem if you were a vampire too, because then we both can become stronger. But when a vampire is bonded with a human, the end was never good. All the tales that I’ve heard from others, when a vampire ended up being bonded with a human, the humans all died. Their scents are too strong for the vampires, so they could not help but kill their own soulmates. Vampires are not meant to be with humans. When I caught your scent for the first time, I was scared. It almost drove me insane, but thankfully Seokjin was always there to prevent anything from happening.

            ‘I don’t think he realised that you and I were bonded. He just thought that I needed more blood, so he never left my side. But that night… I had probably reached my limits. I couldn’t control myself from drinking your blood. He probably only noticed it after I attacked you.’ The more Taehyung explained, the more confused you became.

            ‘Then how did my wound disappear? I don’t think it’s been a day since I came here…’ Your voice trailed, and you tilted you head to the side, looking at him inquiringly.

            ‘I did mention having soulmates makes us become stronger, right? I guess it works even if you’re just a human,’ he said softly, the slightest of frown touching his forehead. ‘You see, when I bit you that night, I also end up injecting my poison through your body. That’s how we kill, the poison. Even if you somehow escaped from being drained of blood and treated the wound, the poison would still slowly kill you.’

            ‘So that night…’

            He only nodded, his eyes drooping in sadness. ‘I was only stopped when Seokjin found us, and they tied me up to a tree, preventing me from attacking more. That was when I finally realised that I almost killed you. It was my entire fault; I should have stayed away from you. I should have made you hate me more. That way you wouldn’t follow me that night. That way you wouldn’t have to experience a near-death situation. If I had been more careful─’

            ‘Can you stop blaming yourself?’ You cut his words, feeling angered by his words. You were at fault too, for stepping in when it was clearly dangerous for you to go alone. ‘You didn’t ask to be born this way, do you?’

            He merely smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. Shaking his head slowly, he tried picking up where he left off. ‘The poison would have killed a normal human in a short time, but because you were bonded to me, I guess you were much stronger than others. Seokjin had once heard about a vampire out the venom that he gave to his soulmate, but it was risky. More deaths were caused when a vampire tried to save their partners, because they end up too much blood. That was what made me hesitate. I wanted to save you, but I was afraid to kill you instantly.’

            So the warmth that kissed the pain away, and the whispers that you heard, they were all true. You had not imagined it, it was all him.

            ‘I asked for Seokjin’s help to pull me away if I couldn’t control myself, so he and Namjoon did, with a lot of effort. But we didn’t know there were still remnants of the poison circulating your body. I thought that I should stay away from you after that, so that’s why I stayed here. This is the only place that I know where I won’t hurt someone else. And even though you were not supposed to ever come here, I guess… I guess you did the right thing. Because without me, you probably would have died today. When I managed to get the poison out of your body, your wound seemed to start healing on its own.’

            ‘Am I not a normal human?’ You asked with a shock, again feeling weirded out by yourself.

            Taehyung chuckled, and the sound of it made your heart beat faster. ‘Of course you’re not. A normal human doesn’t get bonded with a vampire.’

            ‘Oh.’ This different side of Taehyung was overwhelming you. He simply became more… adorable than before. And you couldn’t help but blush furiously because of this. But a sudden thought flashing into your mind startled you. What if you were the only one feeling this? What if you were the only one falling for him? What if he was only affected towards all these simply because of the bond? Ever since the first time Seokjin introduced him to the group, you always found yourself drawn towards him. His quietness and shyness made everything about him mysterious, and you couldn’t help but want to know him more. You always knew that there was something different about him. And today you realised that, even though he was different, even though he almost caused your death, you still wanted to know more about him. You wanted to have Taehyung all by yourself.

            ‘Taehyung, can I ask you something?’ He stared at you for a moment, before nodding. You chewed on your lower lip, feeling awkward all of sudden. Knowing that it would embarrass you if his answer was not what you were expecting, you pulled the blanket on top of you, covering your whole body so that he would not see you. ‘What do I being your soulmate mean to you?’

            There was only silence. Your heart was hammering wildly against your ribcage, and you waited beneath the blanket, but the silence was slowly killing you. Didn’t he hear the question? You tried taking a peek at him by lifting down the blanket slightly, only to be met with a confused looking Taehyung. Your hands fell to your sides, and you felt the disappointment creeping into your heart.

            ‘I… I don’t know,’ he said, and the way he said it made it clear that you really meant nothing to him at all. ‘I’m sorry, but I really don’t know.’

            Before you could say anything, he turned and walked away, leaving the room.

            As the door closed behind him, you could almost hear your heart shattering.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

            Since you were still on your leave from work, Seokjin had persuaded you to stay at the cottage, thinking that it would be better for you to be near with Taehyung, at least until your body heals completely. Mihee seemed reluctant to leave you here, but with just a look from Namjoon, she kept shut. She would return back tomorrow to bring you fresh clothes. It was a good thing this place was not too far from the city. The others promised to drop by too when they have some time.

            ‘I told you to get some rest, I can handle this alone,’ Seokjin was saying as he stirred the soup, but you were having none of it. It was just making dinner, it’s not like your energy would deplete just because of that.

            ‘I’m just cutting the carrots, Seokjin. Stop babying me, I’ve had enough of being babied by Mihee for a week,’ you retorted with a pout, cutting the carrots into cubes.

            ‘Alright, fine. You’re only allowed to cut the carrots though, no more than that,’ he said strictly, in a joking manner, and you gave him a salute to show that you would do just that. You passed him the carrots before heaving yourself up onto the kitchen counter and watched him cook. Seokjin was a very good cook, and his cooking often reminded you of your dad’s. You let a small smile hang on your lips; you hadn’t gone back to your hometown in a while. Maybe you should ask Mihee about it soon, before you actually die for real.

            ‘Here, have some taste,’ Seokjin suddenly offered a taste of his soup to you, and you took a sip of it, nodding in approval. ‘It’s good, right? Then, dinner’s ready.’

            As you watched him preparing the table, you noticed that he only prepared for two people. ‘Taehyung’s not joining us?’

            He lifted his gaze, actually looking confused for a moment. But then he gave you an apologetic smile, rubbing the back of his neck. ‘He doesn’t really eat… like us. The times that you see him eat at Namjoon’s café; those were all acts just to blend in. He doesn’t really like to eat much. You don’t have to worry, he’s well fed recently with what he’s supposed to consume.’

            ‘Ah, you mean my blood?’ You said it so casually that Seokjin’s eyes turned almost as wide as saucers. It was a very rare sight for you because he was always so calm and reserved, so you failed to stop from bursting into laughter. ‘Sorry, it was only meant as a joke. Was that too harsh?’

            Seokjin just smiled, shaking his head slowly. ‘Can you cut some apples for us? You can find them in the fridge.’

            It seemed that he pretended that he didn’t listen to what you just said. Feeling guilty for saying something stupid so nonchalantly, you hopped off the counter to find some apples. Opening the fridge, you were awed for a second due to the sheer amount of food available inside it; you could survive for months with this amount of food stock. Really, for someone who didn’t eat much, Taehyung sure do have a lot of food. You grabbed two red apples that caught your attention, before going to the sink to rinse them.

            ‘You know, Taehyung’s not like what you expect,’ Seokjin said softly when you made the first cut through the apple. ‘He doesn’t drink human blood. He couldn’t. When he accidentally went for your blood, it kills him as much as it almost killed you. After the effort that he gave to be able to feel like a normal human, it killed him when he had to remember his true nature. I’m not blaming you for taking this too lightly; it’s not your fault. There were too many secrets kept away from you. But please. Please don’t take this too lightly.’

            A drop of liquid suddenly fell on your hand, and your eyes widened when you realised that you had teared up. What the hell were you crying for? Mentally scolding yourself, you immediately wiped the tears away and picked up the knife that you had dropped without even realising it. Your hands were shaking so much, and your view was too blurry that you could not even focus where you were cutting. The sharp pain shooting across your finger made you gasp, and you cursed softly when you saw the blood dripping on the counter. ‘Ah, damn it.’

            ‘Are you okay─’

            Before Seokjin could even finish his words, your wounded hand was suddenly snatched by someone, and you were shocked to see Taehyung looming beside you, inspecting the cut. When did he even come in? You were too surprised that you forgot to even wipe the tears away from your face, stuttering when you opened your mouth. ‘T—Taehyung, when did you…?’

            Your eyes widened when he suddenly lifted your hand to his lips, and without a warning, on the open wound. You gasped in surprise by the suddenness, but the sharp pain was replaced by a soothing warmth. He gave your finger a small before releasing your hand. ‘I probably would have been able to smell your blood from miles away. Can you please not do anything reckless anymore and not spill your blood so easily?’

            ‘But I…’ All the words seemed to leave your brain, and you pinched your eyes closed in surprise when he reached out to wipe the strayed tears on your cheeks. When you opened your eyes again, he was already gone. Your eyes widened again, and just when you were going to panic and announce that you were hallucinating about him, you heard Seokjin chuckling. You turned to face him, confused as to why he was so amused. ‘I didn’t imagine Taehyung coming here just now, did I?’

            ‘No, you didn’t. He was there just now, but then he ran away,’ Seokjin said, apparently still amused. ‘He’s probably still shy. Oh well, let’s have our dinner, shall we?’

            Taehyung’s shy, after what he just did? Your cheeks reddened slightly as you brought the apples to the table after cleaning up the mess, remembering what the man just did. How could he just on your finger just like that? You lifted your finger to inspect the cut, only to see that your skin were as good as new. There seemed to be no sign of injury, making you frown slightly. The same thing happened to the wound on your neck, and it all happened after Taehyung your blood. Could it mean that he could heal all your wounds? Was this something that was caused by the bond between you and him?

            ‘The food’s going to get cold if you keep staring at it,’ Seokjin’s comment pulled you back to reality, and you realised that you had spaced out.

            ‘Sorry,’ you said sheepishly, taking a mouthful of rice. As you chewed the food slowly, you couldn’t help but to think about the man again. ‘Seokjin, does he hate me?’

            ‘Hmm?’ Seokjin lifted his head from his food, and for a moment you thought he was annoyed because he was interrupted while eating again. But to your relief, he only chuckled. ‘Taehyung? No way. There’s no way he could ever hate you.’

            ‘How can you be so sure about that?’

            Instead of giving you an answer, he pointed at his eyes instead, making you frown. Was he making fun of you? Your reaction must have amused him, because he started laughing again. It made you feel slightly bitter that you somehow became a laughing stock for Seokjin, but it was good seeing him smile, after how you had hurt him that night.

            ‘If you think that he hates you simply because he’s pushing you away, then you’re wrong,’ he started, and you blinked at him, not quite understanding it. ‘He spent his whole life being alone, only interacting with other people when I’m around him. He’s constantly scared that he would harm someone’s life, so he always stayed away from others. He doesn’t hate you, he’s just scared. And he’s scared because he cares for you.’

            He cares for you. The words made you feel fuzzy and warm all over, and scared that Seokjin might laugh at you again if you showed it too much, you started stuffing your mouth with the food. There were many questions that you wanted to ask, but you didn’t know where to start. After deliberating for a moment, you finally made your choice. ‘Seokjin… This has been on my mind for a while. If you’re cousins with Taehyung, then doesn’t that mean… you’re supposed to be a vampire too?’

            ‘We’re not actually cousins,’ Seokjin answered it so simply that it took a while for you to register the words.

            ‘What?’ You exclaimed.

            He shook his head again, taking a bite on a piece of meat. ‘Let’s just say those were for cover-up. I have to take care of him, and I don’t want to bother explaining to people about our relationship for obvious reasons, thus we decided on that. Brothers would be hard to believe since our faces don’t resemble each other, so we just went with being cousins. I’m not a vampire, if you’re asking.’

            ‘Then where is his family?’ At this point, you no longer felt like eating.

            ‘Taehyung never had a family. He’s all alone.’

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

            ‘Ah, that’s refreshing,’ you moaned softly, stretching your body as you walked out of the bathroom. You couldn’t sleep a wink that night, so you decided to take a quick shower to clear your head. As you dried your hair, you climbed onto the bed and sat crossed-leg on it, the pyjama shirt hiking up your legs as you did so. Since you still had no clothes here, Seokjin lent you his pyjamas, but the trousers were too big, and since the shirt fell down almost to your knees, you thought it was enough.

            He’s all alone.

            You couldn’t seem to be able to get Seokjin’s words out of your head. You couldn’t imagine how hard it must have been for Taehyung. He was born in a world where he was considered as a monster, and to make things worse, he had no one to rely on. How would it have been if Seokjin was not there to help him?

            Releasing a sigh, you dropped on your back, letting your still wet hair sprawl all over the mattress. You couldn’t get the image of a lonely Taehyung out of your head. You wanted to reach out for him, but how were you supposed to do that when he kept pushing you away? Even though he said he would not push you away anymore, you knew that he was scared to even touch you still. You closed your eyes, another sigh escaping your lips.

            Bam! Crash!

            The sound of something crashing came from out of the room, making you immediately sat up again, eyes widening. What on earth was that? There was only silence then, and for a moment, you wanted to believe that you misheard it. But really, it was like four in the morning, you couldn’t just imagine something that loud, would you. Carefully, you stepped off the bed and tip-toed towards the door, trying not to make any unnecessary sound as you opened the door a fraction to take a peek. For a while, all you could see was complete darkness. But after your eyes had adjusted to the dark, you finally saw it.

            Someone was crouching in the middle of the living room, looking as if he was in pain. You managed to find the light switch and flicked it on, eyes widening in horror at what was finally displayed to you. Taehyung was on his knees, a hand clutched on his chest as he struggled to breathe. There was a bleeding gash on his cheek, and his whole torso was splattered with deep red liquid. Blood.

            ‘Taehyung!’ You exclaimed, rushing to his side, just in time before he was no longer able to support his body, falling directly into your arms. You were panicking, but you were more afraid to injure him more, so you carefully placed his head onto your lap. The amount of blood visible made you shake so hard, and it pained you to look at him being in this state. ‘Tae… Wha—what happened? Why a—are you bleeding so horribly?’

            ‘It’s nothing,’ he said breathlessly, but the grip that he had on one of your arms proved that this was definitely not nothing.

            ‘I—I’ll go and call Seokjin, alright? He might know what to do,’ you stammered, but even as you suggested the idea, you couldn’t even make any movement.

            Taehyung started to shake his head vigorously, and you had to stop him, worried that it would injure him more. ‘No, don’t. Don’t wake him up. It’ll just bother him. Just… Just stay here with me, okay? Please.’

            You nodded slowly, not even thinking of leaving him. You didn’t even bother to wipe the tears falling down your cheeks as you cradled his head, your fingers clutching on his bloodied shirt. Really, was there nothing you could do to ease the pain?

            As if he had heard your question, he suddenly reached out to tug on a few strands of your hair. ‘Can I ask for a favour?’

            ‘Anything,’ you said, your voice still shaking as you nodded. You’d do anything.

            He took a silent breath, a smile on his lips.

            ‘Kiss me.’

A/N: There you go, chapter 2 of Red Rush! I've decided that Red Rush will probably have 3 or 4 chapters, depending on how deep the plot of the story ends up to be.  Really, I didn't plan for it to be this deep or detailed, but there's so many things about Taehyung's character that I want to share with you guys, so I couldn't help it ;; Please do leave some comments, whether you like the story plot or characters or not. It's a bit upsetting when I have 100+ subs but I only get less than 5 comments for my last update :( Your comments are all my motivation, so please don't stay silent!

P.S: Just to clarify this, I purposely did not give any name to Yoongi's girlfriend. Remember cupcake from Twisted Wish? Well, that's her. And yes, the Yoongi in here is the same Yoongi in Twisted Wish. It felt a bit weird to give a name to his girlfriend when I did not even name her in Twisted Wish, so I just left her nameless.

And Hoseok is the same Hoseok from the one featured in Twisted Wish too. He really likes to hug everyone. 

And remember the supposedly gay-for-Jimin Namjoon in Let Me? Yes, that's the same Namjoon in here.

It's probably not obvious, but all my current BTS stories are related after all. I'll probably explain this more in the future ♡