Another month. Another full moon. 

For a normal person, the night of a full moon means practically nothing, aside from the changing levels of the ocean’s tides and the supposed affects on human behavior such as mood changes. Overall, for the vast majority of people, a full moon is a harmless asset of Mother Nature. 

However, for some people in this world, another night of a full moon means another day of waking up dirty, bloody, and stark against a bright morning sun confused about what happened the previous night. 

That had become the life of Choi Minho. 

Minho was once a happy man with a normal life. He had a loving family, a great job as a male nurse, and he was also engaged to the love of his life, Kwon Yuri. They were high school sweethearts and practically grew up together. By the time college graduation came around, they had  their whole lives planned out even before the proposal — move in together, get married, have kids, and live happily ever after. It was the only reality they could see themselves living in. 

Unfortunately, Minho’s plans came crashing down that fateful night three years ago when he was attacked on a camping trip.  

It only took one night for Minho’s life to be ruined. It only took one night for his reality to cease to exist. There would be no more plans of marriage or a happy family. There would be no more family get-togethers or nights out with the guys. There wouldn’t even be anymore playful sibling rivalries between him and his little sister, Jinri. None of life’s delicacies that normal people got to enjoy were an option for him. Not anymore. Not even when it came down to a full moon. 

Immediately after finding out what he was, Minho ran away from home. He left so abruptly that he wasn’t able to tell anyone goodbye. Not even his little sister or his soon-to-be wife. How would he explain to his family what he was?

Although it pained him, he knew it was for the best. His family and fiancé would’ve tried to make him stay if he gave them a heads up about him leaving, and there was no way he could put them in danger like that. He’d convinced himself that he was a monster, and distance was the only thing that would keep his family safe. 

Now, three years later, Minho found himself lying and bloody on the forest floor again next to the dead carcass of a deer. 

Poor Bambi, he thought. It was a shame that such a beautiful thing had to be sacrificed in order for Minho to live. It didn’t deserve this, but sadly, that’s how minho survived. A life for a life. At least it was Bambi this time instead of a human. 

Minho had grown used to these type of mornings. He had no choice. It was either get used to it, or go insane from the fact that he was the very monster described in fictional novels. Unfortunately, growing used to it didn’t mask the feeling of pure disgust and hatred he had with himself. Hate turned into anger over the fact that he couldn’t do anything about it. He felt vulnerable, hopeless, and like he had no control over his own body. 

The only thing he could do to not go completely insane was live his days as a normal human until another full moon came. He went to work, got groceries, went to the gym, did laundry, he even joined a neighborhood watch awhile ago when he used to live in the city. 

He conversed normally with people, and even gave advice when needed, which humored him since he’s definitely not qualified. 

Sadly, no matter how close to normalcy he thought he was, he couldn’t run away from the truth.  He was a monster, and until he either found a cure or a way to reverse it, he would be stuck like this forever. 

“,” Minho groaned as he slowly sat up, touching his forehead as he felt a headache coming on. He looked over to the deer once again, “Thank you. I’m sorry.”

He felt less guilty about his actions whenever he acknowledged what he did was wrong. Although the deer obviously couldn’t hear him, it was the only coping mechanism Minho had to make himself feel a little more humane and less like an animal. 

He groaned again as he slowly stood up, stretching and popping his bones. He wasn’t sure why, but every morning after changing back into a human, his body always felt like it was weighed down or had been hit by a truck. He would be so sore to the point that even sneezing would cause pain. 

He was hoping that three years of going through this would help get his body used to the pain and discomfort — it didn’t. Probably never would, which was a sad reality that Minho had to deal with. 

Weary that there are often hikers passing through this area of the woods, Minho up all his pain and jogged as quickly as his body would allow him to his camper trailer that was setup somewhere deep in the woods where no one could find him. It was a tiny trailer, but it was enough room for him. 

Honestly, he was fine with any living conditions as far away from society as possible as long as it meant no one else would get hurt from his carelessness. 

It was always awkward jogging in the woods, unsure of whether not he’d run into someone. Luckily for him, the wolf hadn’t slept too far from the camper this time. It was a quick two-minute jog before his home came in sight. 

As soon as he stepped foot inside, he ran to the bathroom to look at the mirror. He stared back at himself in disappointment when he noticed the dried blood pooling out of his mouth down his chin. His torso was covered in blood as well as his arms. He looked at his nails and nearly cursed, knowing that it was going to take quite the effort to get the blood stains out. He never understood why his wolf had to be so violent. 

He checked the time on the microwave and saw that he only had about two hours to get ready for work. It was plenty of time, but he knew most of it would be spent scrubbing out the blood stains from under his nails. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about doing this again until the next month. 

As expected, Minho used most of his time showering and only had 30 minutes left to get dressed, run into town to make it to the city bus, and to get to work on time. He could do it though. He always did. 

He threw on his scrubs and shoes, almost making it out the door, before catching a glimpse of the two pictures he had hung up on his wall. They were pictures he cherished because they represented the very two things that he loved more than anything — his sister and fiancé, well ex-fiancé. 

He walked over to Jinri’s pinned photo and gave a slight smile like he always did. It was a picture they both took at his sister’s high school graduation. He had an arm wrapped around her shoulders while she had her arms tightly wrapped around his waist, both sporting wide smiles full of pure happiness. He was genuinely proud of his sister in that moment, especially because she struggled so much senior year. The picture warmed his heart every time he looked at it. 

He then looked at the picture hanging next to Jinri’s, a beautiful picture of him and his ex-lover the night of the marriage proposal. Yuri was proudly holding the ring up to the camera smiling as Minho looked at her in amazement and pure love. He always got goosebumps whenever he looked at that photo because it was a constant reminder that he’d never have that kind of love again. He’d never be that happy again. He was sure of it. 

He felt tears welling up in his eyes, which was his cue to leave. He didn’t want to be late for work. 

—

Today was Jinki’s first day working at the new hospital and saying he was nervous would be an understatement. It had been over a year since he practiced medicine, and he was feeling a little uncomfortable, not in his ability to perform well, but in his ability to work around humans again.

Although he was confident in his ability to suppress his urges when it came to blood, he knew it wouldn’t be easy when there would be such a large concentration of humans in one place. It was always a challenge for him, but he was willing to make the sacrifice if it meant he could create a better life for himself and Jonghyun that didn’t depend on The Order. 

After throwing on his scrubs and making sure his hair looked well-put together, Jinki made his way downstairs, finding Taemin sprawled out on the couch while the tv played the news. 

He chuckled as he reached the couch. “You actually watch the news? I thought it was only for old folks like me.”

Taemin answered with his eyes still glued to the tv. “Well, I don’t know how to turn the channel in ghost form. The only thing I can do is turn the tv on or off, and it was on this channel when I turned it on. Besides, the news is the only way I know what’s going on in the real world since I can’t step out there myself. 

“Makes sense.”

“Yeah,” he answered as he finally looked up to see Jinki in full doctor gear. “Oooo. Hey, handsome. I think I’m running a fever. Could you check me, doc?”

Jinki blushed not knowing how to handle Taemin. “Shut up.”

“Your patients are so lucky. I wish my doctor was as good looking as you. Maybe I wouldn’t have missed so many appointments. Instead, I got stuck with a doctor that looked as old as dirt.”

Jinki burst out laughing. Taemin was quite the funny kid. “Trust me, if I weren’t a vampire, I’d be looking as old as dirt too, maybe even worse.”

“Oh please. That’s not possible. I’m surprised you could even style yourself without my help. Aren’t vampires supposed to be, like, invisible in mirrors or something?”

“Well, not quite. That’s one of the many vampire myths that aren’t true.”

Their conversation was interrupted abruptly with Jonghyun came barging into the living room. He was about to address Jinki when he noticed Taemin, rudely stating, “Oh. You’re still here.”

Taemin rolled his eyes. “It’s my house.”

“No, it’s ours, as in me and Jinki. You’re just an uninvited house guest that we can’t kick out.”

Before an argument could ensue, Jinki addressed Jonghyun with a raised brow, “You look particularly refreshed.” 

“I hunted last night.” 

Jinki couldn’t tell if Jonghyun was lying or not. He hoped his friend wasn’t because the only way they could successfully transition into society was if they were honest with each other. Plus, they usually went hunting together. “By yourself? You were gone all night. Are you sure that’s all you did?”

Jonghyun rolled his eyes. “Yes, dad. Would you like to give me a curfew while you’re at it?”

Jinki held up his hands in surrender. “I was just asking.”

“Well stop. I’m not in the mood.”

The voice of the news reporter caught all of their attention. 

Now onto other news: 25-year-old female, Kim Taeyeon, has been reported missing. Friends and family of Miss Kim claim that the young woman was last seen around 2am leaving the new nightclub located downtown. Although authorities aren’t yet treating this as a missing person’s case, the family of Miss Kim are taking matters into their own hands. 

The scene cut to a middle-aged woman in tears as she spoke into the reporter’s mic. 

“Taeyeon. My poor, sweet Taeyeon. She’s gone. I know it. We call each other every night, even when she goes out to bars. She’ll usually text me when she gets home to let me know she’s alright because she knows I’ll worry all day and night about her. Around midnight, I got a text from her saying that she was on her way to the bar, but that night, I didn’t get a text or a call on her arrival home.”

The woman broke down, but continued to speak. 

“I know something’s gone horribly wrong. I just know it. I’m just hoping that wherever she is, she’s alive and safe. If any of you out there see her, please send her to me, especially if she’s in danger. Please come home, Taeyeon. Whenever you get the chance, come see momma. I love you so much, baby girl. If any of you out there knows what happened to her, please contact me-”

“Cut that off.” Jinki and Taemin’s heads snapped to Jonghyun who was staring at the wall with his arms crossed.  

Jinki noticed his discomfort. “Why? Did you know her-“

“Just cut it off.” He turned to leave the living room, mumbling, “It’s depressing,” as he disappeared up the stairs. He slammed his room door, leaving Jinki and Taemin to stare at each other in confusion. 

Jinki picked up the remote and cut the tv off. “He’s right. It is depressing. Although I feel sorry for the family, there’s nothing we can do about it.”

“I knew her.”

The room filled with awkward silence and Jinki immediately felt bad for what he said. “I’m sorry-“

“It’s ok. I didn’t know her well, but I knew of her. She dated my brother for a little bit. It wasn’t too serious though. She was a nice lady. I know her family must be devastated. I hope they find her. I would hate for my brother to lose two people he loved in the same year.”

Jinki gave Taemin a sad, but comforting smile, considering he couldn’t actually hug him or hold his hand. “I hope so too.”

“Yeah.”

At that, Jonghyun came back downstairs in a new outfit. Jinki checked his watch and let out a nervous sigh. “I guess I’ll be going now.”

Taemin pouted as he whined, “You’re leaving me with him?” He pointed to Jonghyun who was pacing while staring at his phone. 

He snapped his head up and sneered, “You don’t have to worry about me because I’m not going to be here anyway.” Then he stormed out the front door, as usual. 

Taemin turned to Jinki. “I thought you said he was a nice guy and that he’d warm up to me.”

“He is, and he will. It’s something bothering him that has him acting this way. It has to be. I’ll get to the bottom of it. In the meantime, I have to go to work.”

“For how long?”

“It’s a shorter shift today since it’s my first day, so eight hours.”

“Eight hours?! What am I supposed to do for that long? The news gets boring very quickly.”

“Well, you could practice. Practice on  strengthening your spirit energy because maybe you’ll eventually find a way to leave this house.”

“That would be nice.”

“I know. That’s why I want you to try. Don’t give up. I haven’t given up on you, so please don’t give up on yourself. It may take awhile, but we’re both going to figure out how to get you out of here, ok?”

Taemin gave a genuine smile. “Thank you. I would hug you right now, but we both know how that’ll go. Anyway, I’ve kept you long enough. I hope your first day goes well.”

“Me too. If you need anything, call me. I have a landline hooked up. Since you were able to cut the tv on, maybe you’ll be able to work the phone without touching it.”

Taemin’s eyes widened in excitement. “Really? I didn’t even think about that. Now I can talk your ear off while you’re not even here!”

Jinki winced at the thought. “Yeah, just call me on my lunch break.”

—

Jinki walked into the hospital like a lamb in a field of lions. He was a man of routine, and at the moment, he was feeling out of place because everything was different and new to him — new hospital, new patients, new coworkers, etc. The biggest difference was the fact that he wouldn’t be working at this hospital as a recruiter for The Order. His only agenda was to help patients. 

Even though Jinki’s control over his blood craving’s near perfection, throughout the day, he couldn’t let help but glance at the necks of a few people he passed by or talked to. It was simply a force of habit. 

As the day went on, Jinki became a tad bit more comfortable. The people were nice and very welcoming, and the constant pressure of The Order was gone. This new life didn’t seem so bad. 

After having a lengthy conversation with Taemin, who talked his ear off for his whole lunch break, Jinki got up to leave the cafeteria. However, right as he stood up, he accidentally stepped on the foot of a nurse walking by. 

“Ouch,” the man hissed lowly in pain, looking as if he was trying to keep his cool. 

Jinki quickly panicked because he didn’t want to start off his first day making enemies.  He sat both himself and the stranger down as he apologized. “I’m so so sorry. I didn’t mean to-“

The man’s light chuckle cut him off. “It’s fine. I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

“No, I should’ve looked to see if anyone was coming before standing up.”

During their exchange, Jinki couldn’t help but notice a faint smell coming from this stranger. It smelled like blood of course, but there was a hint of something mixed with it, which wasn’t uncommon. Some humans have either a stronger, sweeter, or spicier scent than others. 

However, this man’s scent was something that Jinki couldn’t quite put his finger on. The smell was very familiar, though. He knew he’d smelled that scent before, maybe years ago, but he was drawing a blank. 

He snapped out of his thoughts when the man stated, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around here before, and I know everyone. Are you a new nurse?”

Jinki shook his head. “No, I’m actually the new doctor.”

The man’s brows lifted in surprise. “Oh, really? You look so young to be a doctor.”

“I get that a lot.”

“Wait, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Minho. What’s your name?” 

“Jinki. I just moved to this town and today’s my first day at the hospital. So that explains why you haven’t seen me.”

“Do you know anyone here in town?”

He knew Taemin, but he didn’t see it fitting to introduce a dead person as his friend. “No, I moved here with a friend and that’s about it.”

Minho sighed and crossed his arms, leaning on the table. “It’s good to have a few friends here because it’s easy and fast to make enemies.”

“What makes you think I can’t handle myself?”

“I’m not saying you can’t handle yourself-“

“Oh, but I need friends like you to keep me safe?”

He stuttered out, “I- that’s not what I meant. I mean-“

Jinki snickered, giving Minho a light pat on the shoulder. “I’m just joking.” That was a human thing to do after all. 

Minho gave a sigh of relief as he nodded in approval. “Good one. You really had me going.”

As Minho continued to talk to him animatedly, Jinki zoned out again as his thoughts began to cloud his mind. He was contemplating whether it would be a good idea to invite Minho over. Although they’d just met each other, it seemed like the right thing to do. 

Coworkers invite each other out all the time, right? He could do this. 

He cut off Minho’s speech about ugly scrubs by saying, “I have to get back to work now, but I wouldn’t mind you coming over my place after work. We could just hang out if you’d like.”

Something Jinki wasn’t expecting was the moment of hesitation that flashed across Minho’s face. 

He quickly retract, “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to. I realize we just met-“

“No, it’s ok. Of course I’ll come. Besides, it’ll be an honor to become your first new friend in this town.”

Jinki let out a sigh of relief as a victorious smile made its way across his face. This was the most excited he’d been in awhile. Although he was nervous about having someone over, it was a step in the right direction. He also thought it would be interesting getting to know someone who wasn’t dead, no offense to Taemin or Jonghyun. 

He’d finally get to know someone who’s human. 

—

Taemin tried following Jinki’s advice. He really did. 

Right after Jinki left that morning, he walked around the house looking for objects he could possibly use to help build his strength. He believed that if he could build up enough energy to move an object, he could possibly learn how to build up enough energy to walk out the front door. Maybe in the process, he could also learn about his death. 

His first attempt was with a magazine that sat on the coffee table in the living room. He thought it was an easy object start with. It was paper after all. How hard could it be?

Taemin sat on his knees staring at the magazine. “Ok. Let’s go this!” He clapped his hands as an attempt to rile himself up. 

First, he tried moving the magazine with his mind. He was well-aware that he didn’t have telekinetic powers, but it couldn’t hurt to try. 

He stared for what felt like forever. “Oh come on,” he whispered, focusing as hard as he could on the magazine. After a few more moments of the magazine sitting still, he sat back as he let out a disappointed groan. “I bet I look so stupid right now.”

He decided to change tactics. Instead of telekinesis, he decided he should try to physically turn the page. He knew he was probably setting himself up for disappointment, but he had to try. He promised Jinki he would. 

He leaned forward again as he set his hand on the magazine. It was still odd to him how he could feel objects, but he couldn’t move them. It was even more odd that he could feel objects, but not humans. Jinki’s explanation of it was that since humans, and technically vampires, are alive, Taemin’s not allowed to interact or make contact with them. 

However, since objects like a magazine or a couch are inanimate, Taemin could actually feel them. That’s one of the reasons why he doesn’t sink into the couch when he sits on it. 

He was still confused on it a little, but he was thankful that he had Jinki there to make sense of the situation. 

Now, back to the magazine. Although he could touch it, touching it had nothing to do with his ability to move it. 

“Here we go.” He attempted to move his arm so the magazine would slide across the table under his hand. Sadly, the magazine didn’t move at all and Taemin felt like he was trying to move a ton of bricks. 

Sweat started to beam on his forehead as he continued to struggle. This magazine wasn’t goin anywhere, and he wasn’t getting any stronger. 

“Crap!” He yelled in frustration and snatched his hand away from the magazine. 

He couldn’t understand why this was happening to him. Why was he so weak? Why was he so helpless? Why was he in this predicament in the first place?

This was so frustrating. 

What upset Taemin the most wasn’t even the fact that he couldn’t move the magazine or that he was weak. It was the fact that he already felt like giving up. He’d promised Jinki that he’d keep trying, but after almost an hour of trying and getting no results, Taemin was ready to call it quits. 

Tears began to well up in his eyes. “Why did I even bother?” He sniffed as a tear made its way down his cheek, followed by more. 

He felt so pathetic. The only thing he could do was cry, so he did. He balled up on the living room floor and cried endless tears. He wished to be stronger, happier, alive. The sad reality was that he knew you couldn’t always get what you wished for. 

Unbeknownst to Taemin, the house began to change around him as he continued to cry. Jinki’s hypothesis of Taemin’s emotions being connected to the house was completely true. As he sobbed on the floor, the paint started peeling if the wall, the lights kept flickering, the kitchen sink began to fill with murky water, and etc. 

Taemin wasn’t aware of it though because he hadn’t looked up the whole time he was crying. 

He wasn’t made aware of it until Jinki walked into the house with a confused expression. Taemin overhead him ask, “What happened to the house?”

Upon hearing Jinki’s voice, Taemin instantly perked up and wiped his tears. He got off the floor just as Jinki rounded the corner into the living room. “You’re back!” 

Taemin’s sudden change in mood caused everything in the house to change back to normal right in front of their eyes. 

Jinki was going to comment on how weird that was when he caught the redness of Taemin’s eyes and nose. “I take it the practice didn’t go well.”

Taemin stood there in silence, embarrassed to admit that he’d failed. 

“It’s ok, Taemin. This isn’t going to be an easy thing to go through. So don’t get discouraged if things aren’t happening as fast as you’d like it. You just need to have patience, ok?”

Taemin nodded. “Yeah. I know”

Their conversation was cut short from the sound of the front door opening. 

Taemin groaned, “Here comes Jonghyun.” However, the voice he heard sounded nothing like the shorter male. 

“Your neighborhood has horrible street parking.” 

A handsome dark-haired stranger rounded the corner. Taemin was just about to ask Jinki who the hottie was until the guy surprised Taemin by speaking him. 

He gave a warm smile his direction saying, “Hey, I’m Minho. You must be the roommate Jinki’s told me about.” He ended his greeting with a hand outstretched for him to shake. 

Taemin looked nervously at Jinki who looked just as dumbfounded. “Umm, Jinki? Can I talk to you for a minute?”

They both left the living room quickly, leaving Minho to feel like he’d done something wrong. They walked down to the basement in hurried steps. As soon as they were at the bottom, Taemin freaked out. 

“Omg! Is it, like, vamp fest or something?! Are you bringing your whole clan here for a little vampire reunion?!”

Jinki furrowed his brows as he, too, was puzzled. “He’s not a vampire-”

“But he can see me! What if I was doing some weird ghost thing when he came in?”

“Look, I’m just as shocked as you are-“

“Oh no,” Taemin stated in dread. “Don’t tell me he’s dead. Is he dead? I don’t need another ghost taking up space-“

“No, he’s not dead. I don’t know how he can see you, Taemin. But until I can come up with an explanation, what I need you to do right now is to play along like you’re a human.”

“I am one-“

“An alive one.”

“How am I supposed to do that? I’m as dead as it gets. You saw him try to shake my hand. What am I supposed to do if he tries to touch me again?”

Jinki stalled for awhile then snapped his fingers as a thought came to mind. “I got it! Just say you’re a germaphobe and you don’t like touching people.” Taemin gave him a blank look. “It’s the only thing I can think of right now. I know it’s weird and I’m sorry I’m putting you in such a weird position, but please, Taemin. This is one of my first attempts at trying to live a normal life, at trying you make normal friends. Please help me out.”

Taemin sighed, wishing he could disappear on command. He hadn’t quite mastered that yet. “Ok I’ll do it this once. But you owe me a week of the tv being on Nickelodeon.” 

Jinki raised a brow. “What?”

“Spongebob is usually on and it never gets old.”

It was quite an odd request, but one that Jinki didn’t mind fulfilling. “Deal. Thank you!”

They headed back up to the living room, finding Minho sitting awkwardly on the couch. Jinki sat next to him while Taemin sat on the adjacent chair. 

Taemin slowly spoke. “Sorry about earlier. I’m a germaphobe and I panicked when you tried to shake my hand.” He felt so ridiculous. 

Minho’s eyes widened. “Really? I had no idea. I’m sorry for triggering you.”

Taemin shrugged. “Eh, it’s no big deal.” He looked at Jinki who gave him two thumbs up. 

—

Jonghyun was aware that he’d been acting strange. He tried his best to hide it, but after what he’d just been through for the past day and a half, it’d make anyone go crazy. 

He couldn’t be at the house right now. Not with Jinki who knows him like a book, and definitely not with Taemin who doesn’t give him any privacy. That’s one of the reasons why the boy annoys him so much. People usually go home to get away from stress and to be alone, not be bombarded with a ghost roommate. 

Jonghyun sighed, shaking off his thoughts. He had something more important to think about. 

He stood in the dark alley, waiting for the last person he wanted to see. Just standing there brought back so many negative memories of the times he roamed in the night. At those times, he felt liberated. The Order had a way of brainwashing you into feeling like what you were doing was normal, but it wasn’t. It took leaving and talking to Jinki for Jonghyun to realize that. 

Just the thought of Jinki made him feel bad for what he was about to do. He’d been treating his best friend horribly lately, and it didn’t go unnoticed. He hadn’t been there for him lately. He didn’t  even cheer for him on his first day of work. He knew the day meant a lot to Jinki, but his mind was too clouded with other things at the moment. 

Now, he was disrespecting Jinki again. What would Jinki think of he knew who he was meeting? Jonghyun already knew the answer to that question. 

He could no longer contemplate as he saw a large figure walking down the dark alleyway. Jonghyun visibly tensed because he thought he’d never see this person again, especially after running away. 

As the man got closer to him, Jonghyun noticed the smug smile on his face. “Jonghyun, it’s so nice to see you.”

“Likewise,” he answered in a rigid voice. 

“I must say, I’m surprised you actually reached out to me. I thought that maybe after your dramatic leave with Jinki, I’d never see you again.”

“That was the goal. But-“

“But you came crawling back to daddy when something went wrong. That tends to happen-“

“Look, I came just to say thank you for helping out. I’d really appreciate it if you could make this whole situation disappear.”

“Anything for my favorite-“

“I’m not coming back, Keun-suk. I appreciate all that you and everyone else have done to clear me of this, but it was one mistake, a slip up. Our work together ends here.”

Keun-Suk narrowed his eyes. “Monsters don’t slip up, Jonghyun. It’s in our blood-“

“Well, not anymore-“

“Then what is? Whose to say you won’t slip up again? Those little blood bags at the hospital? Those little animals in the woods? Jonghyun, you’re a killer, an apex preditor. We’re at the top of the food chain. How could you ever hate that?”

“It’s easy to hate when you look at how many people get hurt.”

“Oh please. You were one of my best until Jinki got in your head.”

Jonghyun hissed, “The one that was in my head was you. Now, as I said before, I appreciate you helping me out, but please leave me alone.”

Keun-Suk gave a light chuckle before walking closer to Jonghyun. “You know I can’t do that. Now that I finally know where you are, I’m not going to let you slip from me again. I don’t know why its so hard for you to actually believe that I care about you, but I do-"

“You don’t. You care about power, and I was too blind back then to see that I was only helping you with your agenda, following you on your killing sprees. I’m a different man now-“

“Don’t lie. You’re still the same blood-thirsty animal like the rest of us. Just know that The Order will always be here when you need us.”

At that moment, a car turned into the alleyway and slowly drove up beside Keun-Suk. “My ride’s here. See you around, Jonghyun. It was nice catching up with you.”

Jonghyun watched in bewilderment as the car drove off into the darkness. He couldn’t believe he’d sunk this low. After over a year of leaving, he never knew he would be the one begging them to come back, all because of one mistake. 

However, he knew he had to put an end to it. And as much as it’d kill him, he couldn’t tell Jinki. 

Alright, guys! We’ve been introduced to another key character in this story, Choi Minho. This chapter was more of a teaser for what’s going to happen in the next chapter. It’s going to go back a little and explain what mess Jonghyung gotten himself in. 

As a heads up, I’ll be out of he country for the month of June for a study abroad trip in Bulgaria, so I’m hoping I’ll be able to update as much as I can until then. 

Let me know how you all feel about the chapter ^.~