Kim Mingyu and his nightlife are his life, literally. He wasn't this much of a party goer and sociable when he was young, but then he thought it must be because he was so busy with school stuff. And now that he is in college, nothing can stop him now. Living independently away from his parents' constant nagging and just basically looking out for him, Mingyu feels freedom at last.

                So back to his nightlife that is his life, he’s suffering a major hangover right now. It’s morning as he checks his phone, the big figures of 10:00 glaring back at him with his phone’s brightness not toned down. Mingyu hisses and buries his face on the pillow as he kicks aimlessly. A sudden knock came to his door and Mingyu manages to let out a grumbled ‘It’s open’.

                “Dude, are you okay? I brought you Advil.” Jisoo’s soft voice soothes Mingyu’s system somehow and he lifts his head to see Jisoo smiling worriedly at him.

                "Thanks, Jisoo hyung. How was I last night? Did I do something stupid?” Mingyu asks as he sits up with the aid of Jisoo.

                “Well, not really. Just that you were eyeing this cute Chinese boy at the bar and then you disappeared by my side the whole night. Probably you were with that Chinese boy, who knows, then you came back home like around 3AM and,” Jisoo pauses a sudden faint pink coloring his cheeks which Mingyu ignored. “That’s it.” Jisoo ends.

                “Did Jeonghan hyung spend the night?” Mingyu tosses the pill on his mouth before downing the glass of water. Jisoo looks away and nods at his question. Mingyu smiles knowingly. “So nothing happened extraordinarily to me last night," Mingyu confirms.

                Jisoo stands up taking the empty glass with him and heads to the door. “Yea. Good for you. By the way, you might want to open your curtains. It’s too dark and it’s already almost afternoon.”

                Mingyu hums before he slumps back to his bed, he hears his door being closed and he sighs. The medicine will take effect later so he’ll have to endure the pain for a while. Just then an itch on his neck disrupts Mingyu from his almost falling asleep state. He reaches over the itch and tries scratching it when it stings.

                “Gah—” he sits up abruptly and touches the itching in his neck when he feels something swelling. He runs to the bathroom and checks his neck and what he sees makes him question, was there really nothing extraordinary happened last night?

                Mingyu washes his neck, specifically the swollen part which at close look is a small wound. Seeming to look like a piercing wound. Mingyu’s frown deepens. He must remember what happened last night. Mingyu stares at his reflection and piece by piece the memories from last night came to him.

                He remembered eyeing a Chinese boy, so Jisoo wasn’t wrong about that. Then he approached the Chinese boy, they had a talk, he recalled the name Junhui or something. Then they had a couple of drinks and exchange numbers along the way before they ended up lip locking and eventually made out outside the bar.

                So okay, that’s it. His recollection stopped right there. Mingyu blinks then he washes his face to wash off the unsettling feeling in his stomach. Junhui must be one aggressive kisser for he managed to wound Mingyu.

                Mingyu goes back to bed suddenly feeling like he needs more sleep. It’s a weekend anyway so he can sleep all day he wants.

                It’s already dark outside when Mingyu wakes up next. His phone vibrates so he reaches for it and finds several messages from his friends. He reads Jisoo’s first which says he won’t be home so he’ll have to cook for himself. Mingyu leaves the other messages un-replied except Jisoo’s as he stands up to cook for dinner.

                While in the kitchen, Mingyu decides he’ll just manage himself a fried rice and as he sauté's the garlic he has to distance himself for a while. The odor stinks which he finds confusing because garlic is supposed to give tasty aroma to food yet why does it sting for him right now? Ignoring it, Mingyu resumes cooking.

                The cooking goes on for a while as Mingyu has to pause to shake away the smell of the garlic. When he’s done, he feels like he just came from a battle. He feels pathetic right now. He picks up his phone and plays with it as he eats.

                Then something stings and it hurts his tongue, Mingyu has to spit out the food. He sees the chewed garlic and gives it an offended look. Mingyu decides he’ll separate the garlic and resumes eating in peace.

                The night comes to midnight. Jisoo has long gone home around 11PM. Mingyu’s in his room blinking wide and awake. He doesn’t feel like sleeping at all. This is something new because Mingyu usually forces himself to sleep between 11 and 12, yet now it’s almost 1AM and he’s still interested at the ceiling just staring at it.

                A movie might make me fall asleep. He thinks as he walks out of his room to steal Jisoo’s laptop. Jisoo has a couple of movies stashed in his laptop, mostly animes, but they will do. He finds anime to his liking as well. He grabs a carton of milk from the fridge then settles himself in the couch choosing from one of the many collections Jisoo has.

                The next morning comes, Jisoo walks out of his room yawning and stops when he sees Mingyu up so early. He checks his wristwatch and frowns at Mingyu’s back. He walks to where Mingyu is and peeks from behind him. He sees the other watching animes on his laptop and is laughing his out. Jisoo pokes Mingyu. The other turns back after pausing the video and pulling out his earphones.

                “Hey, Jisoo hyung!” Mingyu greets cheerfully.

                “You’re up early. That’s rare, it’s a Sunday.” Jisoo comments.

                Mingyu frowns, “Is it morning already? I didn’t notice the time.”

                Jisoo rubs his eyes off the sleepiness. “Wait so you didn’t sleep? Even a wink?”

                Mingyu shakes his head. “I can’t sleep last night. I decided to watch something to summon sleep but guess it didn’t work?”

                Jisoo scoffs and turns around, “You don’t look like you didn’t get enough sleep anyway.” He says as he disappears back in his room.

                Mingyu resumes watching until Jisoo needs his laptop back and Mingyu stops. Boredom is common for his daily life and when it happens he usually goes out or stay inside sleeping. And since the latter doesn't seem favorable, he opts for the former. So Mingyu dresses himself informing Jisoo about his plans on going out and sets foot outside their shared dorm.

                It’s already afternoon, Mingyu figures as he approaches the entrance. So once he’s outside, he ignores the stinging pain of the heat on his skin thinking it’s normal for it’s an afternoon and the sun usually stings around this time.

                Mingyu leisurely walks around the neighborhood and buys himself an ice cream. He orders his favorite and frowns at how the ice cream tastes bland and like a sand on his tongue. Wow, so many changes had happened ever since his hangover. Still, Mingyu doesn’t mind. He resumes walking getting accustomed to the stinging heat. His mind drifts off back to the Chinese boy, Junhui. Mingyu thinks back at how awfully attractive the boy was.

                Junhui in his slicked hair that night with an aura Mingyu couldn’t quite name but found himself drawn to him. Junhui talked comically yet sophisticated at the same time, Mingyu remembered. And when they made out, his Adam's apple damn, was killing him.

                Mingyu blinks, his thoughts going further than intended. He decided he’ll go back to the dorm. And just then, Seokmin texts him about an essay to be passed the next day. Great, Mingyu almost forgets.

                The night comes and Mingyu finds sleeping still a problem and it bothers him. Yet he is grateful at the same time for he has an essay to finish.

                Jisoo knocks on his door the next day, Mingyu jerks from his seat. So he has fallen asleep somehow in the middle of his essay or something so he opens his door.

                “Morning hyung,” Mingyu greets and he has to momentarily squint covering his eyes.

                Jisoo doesn't pay attention to his action as he is in a hurry himself. "Grab a toast will you? I woke up late for my first period I'm sorry."

                Mingyu ushers him away saying it’s nothing and Jisoo takes off. Mingyu closes his door as he rubs his hurting eyes from the light. Well, that’s new. Maybe from the lack of sleep.

                Mingyu prepares for his first period and as he is about to go out, he feels cold all of a sudden. So he grabs a jacket from behind his door and slips it in his body as he walks out of the dorm. The brightness of the morning sun glares at him but he forces himself to adjust.

                Walking to the school he meets few of his friends on his way.

                “Whoa, Mingyu you’re shining unusually today.” Wonwoo comments as he glances up at Mingyu then back at the book he’s reading.

                It was a mystery how Wonwoo can maneuver himself as he walks while reading. A mystery to Mingyu.

                “Moisturizer, maybe? I applied some this morning.” Mingyu says.

                Wonwoo just nods at his reply then they separate ways when they get inside the building.

                Seokmin calls him during lunch break saying he wants to meet with Mingyu. Seokmin is so hyper when he sees Mingyu walks in the library and immediately runs to the other and slaps his back. Mingyu winces because damn that hurts.

                They discuss school stuff and other things. Mingyu’s next class won’t be until 2PM that day anyway so he wastes his time.

  "Oh right, the other night while I was cooking, you know how garlic is an essential ingredient right?" Mingyu butts into the argument Seokmin and Soonyoung manage to fight in nonsense. The two nod. “So as I was cooking the garlic, it suddenly gives off an unpleasant smell. Then when I ate, the garlic actually burned my tongue. Mind you, the food isn’t hot enough to burn my tongue or anything.”

                Seokmin and Soonyoung blink. “Are you allergic or something?” it was Soonyoung.

                “I don’t know? Then also that same night, I wasn’t able to catch some sleep even a wink so I binge watch animes from Jisoo hyung’s laptop and the next morning Jisoo found me in the living room. I honestly didn’t even sleep a wink that time.”

                “You must be ill!” Seokmin clamps a hand on his mouth, gasping in the process. Mingyu rolls his eyes while Soonyoung has to slap his head. “Idiot, it doesn’t sound like that to me. So Mingyu,” he turns to Mingyu. “Search it?”

                Mingyu considers the suggestion.

                Later that night as he goes to his bathroom to wash, he notices something peculiar. So he calls out Jisoo to his room.

                “What’s wrong?” Jisoo asks in concern when come in to Mingyu's room.

                “Hyung can a mirror like... stop working Or something?” Mingyu asks, his voice laced with distressed.

                Jisoo is speechless for a moment then pulls Mingyu back inside the bathroom. Make him stand in front of the mirror with Jisoo behind him. And indeed, he sees only himself and no Mingyu in the reflection.

                “Is this some trick?” Jisoo asks.

                Mingyu shakes his head, his eyebrows furrowing deeply. "I'll search this. It's becoming peculiar and weird and I don't know what to do?"

                So Mingyu looks it up on Google. He is crouched in the living room when Jisoo walks to him.

                “What’d you find so far?” Jisoo squats beside him handing the other a glass of milk.

                “This,” Mingyu turns the laptop towards Jisoo. “All of it are just vampire bull. Do they still even exist in this generation?”

                Jisoo blinks and narrows his eyes as he clicks on a blog and skims reading it. “It says here that they’re in hiding during this time. So they do exist?”

                Mingyu’s heart beats fast and suddenly he feels nervous. Panic hits him... and may be realization.

                “Mingyu, you're pale," Jisoo comments and puts a hand over the other’s forehead. “You aren’t sick so…. Are you okay, though?”

                Mingyu shakes his head frantically and stands up excusing himself to Jisoo as he storms into his room. Scrolling through his phone, Mingyu presses a name and it goes straight to dialing the number. Mingyu anxiously waits for the other line to pick up as it suddenly dawns on him. It dawns on what’s happening recently to Mingyu.

                “Hello?” Mingyu says first as soon as he hears the other line picks up.

                A chuckle greets Mingyu before the other line says, “That took you long enough.”

Notes: thoughts, anyone? : )