Warnings: This chapter contains some depictions of blood/violence, it's fairly minor but be careful if you're sensitive!!

The day after the carnival, Baekhyun had decided to take Kyungsoo out for a fun Sunday bonding session at the local shopping centre. They met there with Chanyeol after he had finished his assignment, and even saw Minseok while he was on break from the shoe store he worked at.

There had been plenty to keep the first year’s mind occupied, such as the intense round of bowling with the competitive second year singer, but Kyungsoo couldn’t seem to shake the thoughts that haunted him. The accident. Jongin. There was something strange that the nineteen-year-old couldn’t quite put his finger on, and it wouldn't let him rest.

Though he made it through that Sunday with nothing more than a few distractions, his curiosity finally grew to unbearable levels only the next day.

Kyungsoo hated civil law, with all its pre-filing and tort claims. The musician yawned a total of forty-three times within the span of an hour-long lecture, and only remained awake by trying to distract himself from the content he was actually supposed to be learning (the distraction was counting how many times he yawned).

The first year had been so excited at the prospect of choosing electives in varying fields, increasing his awareness in areas of life he had no prior knowledge about. Chanyeol had insisted that the younger choose a law unit, claiming that the building was the one with the best heating and air conditioning. And while the second year was extremely correct about that, the constantly cozy surroundings did nothing to help with what turned out to be the least interesting subject the usually optimistic singer had ever encountered.

The music student had to admit though, the law building was better than all the others on campus. The floors were carpeted, walls free of posters and graffiti and the ceilings never leaked. There were even student-available coffee machines on every level. The performing arts faculty would never.

Kyungsoo pat his cheeks in an attempt to wake himself up as he began leaving the lecture theatre. He wondered if Minseok knew anything about civil law, and if he’d be willing to attend the exam for the younger. Anyone would get a better mark than Kyungsoo himself, he was sure.

“Yes, I’m still worrying about Junmyeon’s reaction to finding out about Kyungsoo, but I’m going to tell him tonight.” The first year stopped walking suddenly, trying to figure out who had said his name. The corridors were basically deserted, so it had to have been someone around the corner. “It was such a close call on Saturday… They’re really after him, Dae.”

What the singer immediately recognised as Jongin’s voice spoke with a far more fragile tone than he was used to. Someone’s after who? It couldn't be Kyungsoo, could it? Were they talking about the accident at the carnival? Kyungsoo’s interest was piqued, and so he hid around the corner to find out more details. He told himself it wasn’t eavesdropping if they were talking out in an open area, ignoring the fact that they clearly thought they had privacy in the virtually empty hallways.

“Whatever you've chosen to do, is your decision. Jun knows that, he'll help. Maybe he'll even know how the C-Clan got there undetected, if it was even them.” It was Jongdae, Jongin’s adoptive older brother, that was talking with him. But about what exactly? Kyungsoo’s curiosity was growing exponentially.

“Oh, it was definitely them,” Jongin growled, his voice growing louder and more frustrated. “Argh, I really like Kyungsoo, so what? Can’t they just leave us alone?!”

There was a loud metal clanking sound that startled the nineteen-year-old out of his bashful state. It was still novel to hear Jongin admit his feelings, but he also sounded so angry. The first year was confused, and now also worried. Who or what was the ‘C-Clan’, and what had they done to upset the Kim brothers so much?

“We are part of an all-powerful, prestigious clan. Of course there are going to be people who want to take that from us. Don’t worry, Nini, we won’t let them get away with it.” At least Jongdae still sounded calm, but who referred to their family as a clan? That is, if he even was referring to his family. They weren’t in a gang, were they?

“Like hell they will. If they try anything else, I’ll attack them like a half-blood in phase.” Jongin’s voice was less terse, it seemed he’d calmed down some. However, Kyungsoo was more confused than ever: what in the world was a ‘half-blood in phase’?

Knowing he’d quickly forget the phrase, but wanting to keep it documented, the student whipped out his phone and made a new note. He quickly typed out the strange words the second year used, along with ‘C-Clan’, as he heard Jongdae’s soft speech again.

The third year instructed the other to continue the conversation later, saying that the hallway wasn’t the right place for such a discussion. Kyungsoo unconsciously widened his eyes, fearful that the two would come closer and catch him red-handed. The corridors were so clean, there was nowhere to hide. At least that’s something the arts building has on law, Kyungsoo thought dryly, waiting to be seen.

With extreme luck, the footsteps sounded quieter as the seconds past, letting the first year know that the pair walked in the opposite direction to him. A sigh of relief escaped as Kyungsoo stared down at his phone screen - what was he going to do with this?

A decision best left for later, the nineteen-year-old thought as he put his phone away and made sure to leave the building via the side stairs. He didn’t want to run into the duo, knowing he’d immediately admit his wrongdoing of listening-in on their conversation if he faced them.

He’d been excited to see Jongin again, having earlier imagined a lovely reunion hug as official boyfriends, maybe even accompanied by an innocent kiss on the cheek. However, hearing the fragment of the Kim brothers’ exchange quickly turned the fluttering giddiness into something akin to suspicion. Though, of what, Kyungsoo was still unsure.

Shaking off what just happened, Kyungsoo made his way to the outdoor seating area, planning on clearing his head by spending lunch with his friends. Both Minseok and Chanyeol were sharing a plate of nachos at the group’s regular table. Baekhyun would still be in class for the next two hours, so the first year wasn’t surprised by his absence.

“Hey Juliet! Where’s Romeo?” Chanyeol cupped his hands around his mouth as he shouted, having spotted Kyungsoo as he approached them. Other students seated nearby turned at the public announcement and the first year blushed under the attention.

“Stop it! Is it so hard to believe I’m dating someone?” Kyungsoo asked as he smacked the back of the IT student’s head for embarrassing him. His friends were more trouble than they were worth, except for Minseok, so he turned to the third year as he spoke next. “What are you guys talking about, anyway?”

“Oh, just about how Mark showed up while I was on shift.” The business major peeled the cheese off the tortilla chip and ate it plain, flicking the melted blob onto the one Chanyeol was about to eat.

“Wait, at ‘Shoes for the Sole’? When?” Kyungsoo finally took his normal seat next to Minseok and across from Baekhyun’s empty spot. He dived into the shared snack, not caring who had payed for it.

“After we saw him on his break yesterday.” Chanyeol cut in, chasing a clump of guacamole around the plate. “He pretended it was by accident, but like, he totally knew Min worked there. He’s so obvious.”

“And creepy.” The singer added, nodding his head sympathetically when the third year appended ‘amen to that’.

“In other news, Byun said you two saw Kim Sehun without Krystal yesterday. Was it really as weird as he made it out to be?” Minseok looked judgingly as Kyungsoo scooped a selfish amount of salsa onto one chip.

The first year frowned as he thought about it, the tower of dip falling back on the plate as he stopped focussing on balancing it. Before Chanyeol had arrived on Sunday, both Baekhyun and himself had run into Sehun. Well, seen him from a distance, since the second year had made them hide behind an advertisement screen as they watched. But in their defence, it had been a really strange occurrence. Beyond the fact that ‘Kim Twin Number 1’ was without his matching counterpart, which he never was, he was also not glaring. In fact, he was all smiles, shy laughter and friendly shoulder slaps. He had been outside some kind of spa or salon, talking to another man. A shorter, cuter man, and if the unexpected friend hadn’t been wearing a uniform with the spa’s logo on it, Kyungsoo would have thought the two were on a date. Indeed, all the giggling and skinship kind of reminded the first year about how he had been with Jongin that Saturday, and he just hoped he’d not been as embarrassingly smitten as the usually glaring first year and the mystery man were.

After discussing the Sehun matter far longer than it deserved, considering none of the three had ever even spoken to the guy, the conversation turned to soccer and the first year zoned out.

Kyungsoo scraped the last of the dried cheese off the edge of the empty plate, mourning the loss of food and the distraction it offered, when he felt the vibration of his phone against his thigh. He opened the text, a mixture of excitement and dread flooding his belly when he saw it was from Jongin. ‘we should hang out again sometime soon, i’ve gotta clear my name after the bad ending on Sat’ it read, and Kyungsoo was immediately relieved. He was paranoid that Jongin was going to call him out for his suspicions, or for eavesdropping, but thankfully it was neither of those things.

Another buzz. ‘something more safe, I promise ><’. The emote was a surprise, considering Jongin was the type to take the time to spell out each word properly, and insert correct punctuation, but it was a nice surprise. Kyungsoo almost slapped himself for somehow being enamoured by the way the older typed his texts and giddy that he was getting to know the other better.

Brainstorming his reply, Kyungsoo thought about his schedule, and where he stood with Jongin. He wanted to do some research on the buzzwords in his phone’s notes before facing the elder, definitely. He also had a test coming up, which set a stone of panic deep in his stomach at the mere thought of, so he wasn’t sure when he’d be able to squeeze in another date. Or if, for his personal safety, he even should. What if Jongin really was in some sort of gang?

Focussing on the matter at hand, Kyungsoo typed out a quick message saying he’d love to, but that he had an exam for civil law coming up. Almost immediately (was Jongin just sitting and waiting for his response?), another vibration followed as the words ‘perfect!! I’m a law major after all, I’ll help you study :)’ popped up on his screen. The singer sighed, he could really use all the help he could get - there was no way he was going to refuse that offer.

Kyungsoo confirmed, remembering to say he’d return the older’s denim jacket as well, and couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face. Was it bad that he mightn’t even care if Jongin really was in a gang?

“Ohoho! I bet three back rubs that Kyung is texting lawyer lover boy right now!” Chanyeol’s voice invaded Kyungsoo’s thoughts as he was reminded he wasn’t sitting alone.

“Shut up, was not.” The smile disappeared and Kyungsoo pouted and frowned at the second year. He didn’t even care that he was blatantly lying, he hated seeing the way Chanyeol smirked at him with the self-assured tilt of his head.

“Hah, yeah right! Make sure to dig your fingers into my neck, Min.” Chanyeol gestured rolling his thumbs as if showing the third year the proper technique. “I want deep tissue work done with those massages.”

“ off, I never agreed to that.” Minseok wiped the dollop of sour cream in front of Kyungsoo off the metal table with a napkin, scrunching it up and putting it on the empty paper plate.

“Also, I wasn't even texting him?” The first year's claim went on deaf ears as even Minseok didn't look convinced.

The second year continued to argue that a bet’s a bet while the business major refused, saying that giving Chanyeol back rubs was Baekhyun’s job. Kyungsoo rested his head on his palm, glad for the distraction when his phone buzzed again. He didn't even notice the silence settle over the table as he read the message: ‘haha thanks for remembering! also, text me when you get home safely, yeah? I know you're fully capable but after Sat I just wanna make sure ( ˘ ³˘)♥’

“Huh, that's funny. It sure looks like that contact name says ‘Jongin’.”

Kyungsoo hunched over his phone reflexively and snapped his head to the side in surprise. Minseok was peeking over his shoulder and he smirked his small, rare smirk. Chanyeol roared in laughter, banging the table between them, entirely amused by the caught teen’s wide-eyed expression.

“The emoji’s cute. Unexpected, but sweet.” Minseok’s regular, genuine smile returned and Kyungsoo couldn't hold the nosiness against the older. Instead he looked down at his screen, and let his natural grin return. It really was sweet, wasn't it? The use of emotes was not something that the music student thought he would find so endearing, and yet here he was.

Kyungsoo replied to the message with an embarrassed acceptance, touched that the other wanted to check up on him. Jongin really cared for his safety, and that was probably the thing Kyungsoo liked most about him. Even if he was a complete gentleman, though, there were still things that bounced around the younger’s head. The cuts, the accident. He just couldn't let them go. He needed to look into the phrases he noted. Tonight. The faster he found out if there was something going on or not, the faster he could get back to his carefree college romance. God, how was he so conflicted between being smitten and suspicious?

Sadly, lunch came to an end for the student. He had another two-hour lecture followed by a lab practical to attend, while Minseok had a work shift and Chanyeol was free for the day, going to meet up with Baekhyun after the sandy blond’s last class. The subjects were pretty much a breeze for Kyungsoo, considering they were just first year units, so it wasn't too bad.

Straight after he clocked out of his audio editing lab at five in the evening, he headed straight over to the Ilsan Library. The bus ride was crowded, but not too long, so Kyungsoo managed to ignore the weird smell for the time being.

As soon as Kyungsoo sat down on one of the individual study desks, he took off his jacket and swapped it for his laptop in his backpack. Opening a web browser, and the note he had made earlier in his phone, Kyungsoo typed in ‘c-clan’ to the search bar. Might as well give it a shot.

A definition of the word clan along with a hip-hop musical artist’s soundcloud appeared. Nothing helpful.

Kyungsoo sighed, disappointed but by no means surprised. ‘half-blood in phase’ was typed next.

The browser asked “did you mean half-blood in phrase?” and the results mostly consisted of discourse about multi-ethnic people. Again, a total bust.

Undiscouraged, Kyungsoo went over to a desktop, and typed the same phrase into the library database. The catalogue showed one result, but gave no exert or description of the book. Wild Flowers Worth Knowing, it was called, and was classified under the genre ‘supernatural fiction’. There were no records of anyone borrowing the book, ever, and the author’s name was documented as ‘but one of many’. Seriously weird.

Kyungsoo was out of ideas, he’d honestly thought that searching through all the archives at the biggest library in Ilsandong-gu would bring up something useful. Like, even a record of gangs listed in the areas? Yeah, he was still on the gang theory.

Sighing, he thought he might as well see what was up with the supernatural fiction book, considering he did actually somewhat enjoy the genre (not that he’d admit that to a soul). So, he left his stuff by the desk and climbed the staircase to the floor where the system said the novel would be kept. Sifting through the shelves, Kyungsoo couldn’t find it. It was definitely unborrowed, and supposed to be there, so where the hell was it?

“Great. I guess I’ll never know if I’m dating a thug or not.” Kyungsoo groaned to himself, crouching on the timber flooring by the last shelve in the genre. Honestly, Wild Flowers Worth Knowing was fiction, and supernatural at that. It wasn’t like it was going to help him anyway.

“Tae, stop.” A feminine voice flitted over the stacks of novels and yellowed pages, a flagrant giggle making Kyungsoo frown at the sound. “Not here, I think there’s someone a couple aisles over.”

“Nobody reads these books, this place is always empty. C’mon, no one’s there.” A deeper voice harmonised with the higher-pitched breathy sounds.

Kyungsoo felt his face brighten, both for having been called out for his reading choices, which he tried not to take personally, and for what he was scared he was about to hear. The woman seemed to be convinced, and so the nineteen-year-old began panicking. A chorus of panting sounds started up, followed by a strange slurping which the crouching boy thought of as the final straw. Before anything could get too explicit, Kyungsoo grabbed the closest book he could reach, and whammed it against the side of the wooden shelf. The whacking noise echoed against the hard-back cover, making it louder than Kyungsoo anticipated.

A faint squeak escaped the woman as her companion swore under his breath.

“Yeah, yeah, we’re going, . C’mon, Suzy, let’s go to the gardening section. We’ll have some privacy there.”

The pair seemed to walk away and the college student sighed in relief. Placing the book back where he’d hastily grabbed it from, his eyes glossed over the curvy letters of the spine: ‘Wild Flowers Worth Knowing ~ by but one of many’.

Kyungsoo frowned. Where had it been? He’d searched this whole shelf already!

Oh well, Kyungsoo calmed himself down, standing up with what he’d just used as a percussive instrument, it’s already helped me out once, maybe it’ll be useful after all.

The student returned to his desk, flipping over the novel to read the blurb on the back. ‘All you will read is true, but will read be all you truly do?’ The book was old, that much was obvious. Beyond the weird wording of the blurb, the red cover was peeling and the gold lettering had long since lost its shine.

Finally opening the book up, there was a dedication page: ‘Weeds will appear for your annoyance, and thereby let themselves be cursed and plucked from the ground. Wild Flowers, however, will only bloom when necessary. The unique petals and leaves will heal the observer, and yet also distract them from reaching for the roots. Welcome, observer, and may your distraction be fruitful.’

Kyungsoo quickly discovered that the novel was, well, strange. However, it did turn out to be exactly as the library database claimed - a fictional story about supernatural beings. The narrative began with a young man who had met the love of his life, only to become cautious around the other when he discovered his lover was a vampire. Most of it was ripped directly out of Twilight, in Kyungsoo’s opinion. Except, every time a new creature was introduced, the story was interrupted by a few fourth-wall-breaking pages describing it (which, again in Kyungsoo’s opinion, was purely due to crappy writing from the author).

Around an hour and a half of reading the novel later, when the dumb protagonist finally does some of his own research on vampires, he read about something called a half-blood. The adjacent information page described them as a terrifying half-breed between vampires and dead humans that rise from graves and ravage on any living animal they see. Kyungsoo thought the description pretty disturbing for something written for teen romance readers, but got over it quickly as he flicked back to the information page on vampires. Regular vampires were said to be warm-bodied creatures of the day that could blend in with humans effortlessly, and they also needed to eat food like normal people. They only drank human blood when they were injured, which gave them a quickened rate of healing. Kyungsoo decided the book’s lore was a little lacklustre, and closed the novel after noting his page.

Thinking back to Jongin and Jongdae’s conversation he had listened to earlier that day, most of their discussion had been about confessing something to a guy named Junmyeon. They had also talked about someone, a “C-Clan”, being after them. Jongin had briefly mentioned attacking someone like a half-blood in phase, but maybe that was also street-talk for something Kyungsoo didn’t know. Maybe a half-blood was someone who had ties to two gangs? Yeah, maybe.

But, on the other hand, while the gang theory could explain the conversation from that morning, it still didn’t change anything about the disappearance of Jongin’s injuries or the way that Kyungsoo had been saved from the falling wall. But what was another possibility? Kyungsoo looked down to the tacky romance novel on his table, the gold typography momentarily catching the light as if winking up at the nineteen-year-old. Pfft maybe Jongin’s a vampire. Yeah, right.

Musing over the thought for sport, Kyungsoo admitted that it could explain the lack of cuts on his arms, if vampires drank blood to heal faster. But it still didn’t explain the accident, the book never mentioned vampires being able to move without actually moving. Also, it didn’t explain the clan thing. If Kyungsoo could remember Twilight correctly, they didn’t call themselves a clan, they called themselves a family. They all had the same surname and pretended to be related.

Which, now that he thought about it, did sound a little like the infamous Kim family. But still, absolutely ridiculous.

“Excuse me, young man. It’s already passed eight thirty, the Library will be closing shortly.” A stout woman interrupted Kyungsoo’s thoughts, her plastic nails tapping obnoxiously against the metal trolley she had stationed next to Kyungsoo’s chosen spot. Glancing around, the college student realised they were pretty much alone, the other readers gone, and the windows darkened. He must have really zoned out for some time.

After agreeing to leave, Kyungsoo packed up his belongings as the small wheels of the trolley squeaked into the distance. After his laptop was back in his bag and he had adorned his jacket again, Kyungsoo looked down at the book that stared back up at him. Though it was entirely irrelevant and unhelpful to his cause, it had somehow made an impression on Kyungsoo. He decided that though it was a totally trashy read, he might as well finish it now that he’d started.

Making his way over to the borrowing desk, Kyungsoo saw the figure of a familiar woman speaking with the stationed librarian. As he got closer, the woman turned to leave and caught his eye, and Kyungsoo immediately knew why he recognised her.

“Ah, Kyungsoo, how are you?” Irene had an arm full of textbooks, though she wasn’t struggling with them, and flashed a bright smile over the stack. “I know you’re a dedicated student, but really, you shouldn’t be studying so late.”

Kyungsoo smiled and nodded politely, trying to hide the embarrassing book he carried behind himself.

“You have a plan to get home, yes? If not, I wouldn’t mind driving you back to the dormitories.” Irene repositioned her handbag over her shoulder, and Kyungsoo felt bad for taking her time. The books looked heavy, and he didn’t want to hold her up.

“Yes, I do. Thank you for the offer, though. A-are you alright, or would you like some help carrying those?” Kyungsoo asked awkwardly, thinking it would be the polite thing to do, even though he’d just rejected her offer to drive him home, and therefore wouldn’t be following her to her car.

“No, thank you. It’s good for the arms, they say.” Irene laughed airily, and Kyungsoo tried to join in, but he knew how subpar his fake laugh was. “What have you got there?”

Kyungsoo freaked out for a moment as he registered his lecturer looking down at the dark red book he hadn’t wanted her to see.

“Uh, yeah… It’s a book for school! Another class, that is.” Kyungsoo tried to play it off naturally, and he mustn’t have done a terrible job as Irene merely nodded in understanding.

“Well, I’d best be off. Get home safely, yes? I’ll see you on Thursday.” Irene departed with another bright smile and a flourish of hair as she walked out with purpose.

Kyungsoo sighed in relief, glad he hadn’t been caught reading a sappy book instead of studying, as he should have been. Quickly swallowing his relief, Kyungsoo prepared himself for the impending embarrassment as he walked up to the greying librarian behind the borrowing desk.

She smiled politely and greeted the student, adjusting her thick frames as she looked over the single book Kyungsoo presented her with.

“O-oh, this is not able to be borrowed.” The woman seemed shocked to even see the old book, and she turned it over in her hands a few times before looking back up at Kyungsoo. “It’s not even meant to be on the shelves, my apologies. I don’t know how- Anyway, I’m sorry to rush you along, dear, but we will be closing imminently.”

Kyungsoo accepted her apology with an understanding smile, walking towards the exit as the words sank in. What were the chances that the one random book he wanted to borrow was the only one he couldn’t. It occurred to Kyungsoo how strange it was that the novel wasn’t meant to be on the shelves, and yet the library catalogue had told him exactly where to find it. The college student frowned at the realisation, and turned to look back at the librarian once more as he left through the glass doors. She stood still, staring down at the front cover of the book, as if entranced by it, and Kyungsoo couldn’t ignore the flighty, uneasy feeling that lapped at the base of his stomach.

~Wild Flowers Worth Knowing~

Kyungsoo didn’t enjoy how still the night air was, though was grateful for its fresh fragrance. The music major wasn’t a fan of the dull smell of carpet, stationary and dust that came with any visit to a library, so his steps were casual and unhurried as he walked around the street corner to the bus stop. He checked the schedule before planning on settling on the bench, only to find that on Mondays the last bus of the night came at eight fifteen, which had been a whole thirty minutes beforehand. Kyungsoo groaned out loud, wishing he had accepted Irene’s earlier offer to drive him home, and began trudging in the direction of his college.

The college, and therefore dorms, weren’t more than twenty minutes away, so he wasn’t so upset when he had to walk through the deserted streets. The area was mostly commercial, with real estate offices and long-since closed cafes. There was not a soul about, and Kyungsoo found himself enjoying the peace and quiet.

Only a few minutes into Kyungsoo’s calming walk was the silence broken by a lonely tune. A whistled melody floated by, drowning out the buzz of the overhead streetlights, and Kyungsoo immediately turned to find its origin. A few blocks behind him, walked a shadowy figure. Though the lights on the street weren’t all that bright, and the person was a fair distance away, the singer was still able to make out that the person was a tall male, wearing dark clothes.

The uneasy feeling in Kyungsoo’s stomach from earlier churned faster and was accompanied by a prickle along his skin. Kyungsoo faced forward again and picked up his pace, suddenly feeling vulnerable when no one else was around.

He knew he was just being paranoid, but when the whistling stopped a few minutes later, Kyungsoo was compelled to turn again, and he found that the person had almost caught up to him, now only a block away. Their hands were no longer in their pockets and they stalked with purpose.

Before Kyungsoo knew what he was doing, he turned right at the next street, no longer walking straight to the college. He was still a fair distance from the campus, and so decided to let the other guy walk ahead. Another glance, and the man had followed the smaller around the corner. The light washed over his figure brightly as he passed directly under a bulb and Kyungsoo could only focus on one thing: the man was wearing a balaclava.

Kyungsoo was half walking, half jogging as he came across the next corner, turning right again. He was now travelling in the opposite direction to his original course and knew that if the mystery person followed him this far around the block, then they were definitely following him.

The other must have run to catch up, because only a few properties into the street, and Kyungsoo heard heavy footfalls behind him again. At this point, the college student was freaking out, unsure what to do. He wouldn’t be able to outrun the other, and it was unlikely that there was anyone in any of the surrounding closed businesses that would be around to hear him yell. There was also virtually nowhere for him to properly hide.

As he continued to walk with as fast a pace as his legs would allow, Kyungsoo clutched at the phone in his pocket. Who would he call anyway? The police? The guy hadn’t actually done anything to him, at least not yet. Chanyeol, then? He could be tall and intimidating when he wanted to be, but it would still take a lot of time for him to get there, and what if the man who was following him saw him going to use his phone, then jumped him?

His calves burned, and he was properly panting, as he ducked into a small alleyway next to a paint shop. There were no bins, boxes or even piles of trash for Kyungsoo to hide in, so he threw his backpack down and rifled through it in a panic. He grabbed his umbrella and extended it out, gripping it like a baseball bat. If he couldn’t run away, he’d have to stay and fight.

He tried to calm his breathing, listening intently. He heard the flurry of footsteps as the man jogged to catch up to him again. Kyungsoo bit his lip to stop it from quivering. He was shaking, and leant further into the wall of the alley, right by the entrance. He wanted to have the advantage of surprise on his side and held his breath as the footsteps grew impossibly closer.

The man’s shadow pooled on the bluestone underneath, spreading like an inky puddle on the ground and Kyungsoo reeled his arms back in preparation. A body came into view as the man turned the corner. Kyungsoo squeezed his eyes shut as he swung and- WHACK!

A gloved hand wrapped around the metal base of the umbrella with quick reflexes and ripped the instrument out of Kyungsoo’s grip. The blue material and metal bar clattered to the ground as the umbrella was thrown to the side. Kyungsoo watched, petrified, as the figure loomed over him, blocking out the small amount of light that peaked down the narrow lane.

The other hand then shot out and grabbed Kyungsoo by the throat. The grip burned and Kyungsoo felt his throat constrict as his flesh was crushed. A pathetic gagging noise was all he could produce as he felt his lungs burn and his face swell with blood.

“Weakling,” the man taunted. “They won’t get their army.”

The figure’s voice was quiet and rumbling, and Kyungsoo didn’t immediately recognise it. His fingers clawed at the taller’s hand, trying to pry it from around his neck. Something cold rested against the man’s wrist and a glance down showed Kyungsoo the other wore a skull pendant on a bracelet. He looked up again, trying to say something, but still couldn’t get anything out. The blood was rushing to his head and Kyungsoo’s vision was also darkening.

The grip around his throat slackened, as the man’s other hand pulled roughly on Kyungsoo’s hair, forcing his head to the side. Kyungsoo managed a frail and voiceless groan from the blooming pain on his scalp, and momentarily felt deja vu with the actions of Hyunsik less than a week earlier. But the thought was quickly forgotten as pure fear filled Kyungsoo’s veins once more.

The balaclava had a mouth hole, and while Kyungsoo couldn’t make out any discernible feature of the other in the dark, he could see the glint of two long and sharp teeth as they arched out between the attacker’s lips. His hands continued to pull Kyungsoo’s head to the side, even as the smaller kicked and punched every area of the other he could reach. The sturdy man seemed unfazed by these actions, though he hissed in the shorter’s face. The long, fang-like teeth were sleek and extremely pointed and Kyungsoo halted all movements and struggling at the sight of them.

Kyungsoo panted while staring wide-eyed, still trying to regain his breath while his throat ached, and the man took this stillness as an opportunity to dive at the student. Kyungsoo was utterly shocked as he felt the stinging burn of what must have been the attacker’s long teeth embed in the side of his neck. Less than a second later, Kyungsoo let out a blood-curdling scream, his voice scratchy and wavering, but still incredibly loud.

The sound of slurping liquid, as well as Kyungsoo’s shout, immediately halted as a third noise resonated around the alleyway. Another person ran down into the narrow lane, yelling for the attacker to let Kyungsoo go.

The man removed himself from Kyungsoo’s neck, and the student barely registered all the blood around his lips, feeling faint. He grabbed the attacker’s elbows, knowing he’d probably fall if not for the taller holding him up. As the attacker turned to look at the third person who had just come into the scene, he quickly brushed Kyungsoo off him, wiping at his mouth, and disappearing from Kyungsoo’s sight, though the wounded teenager could still hear him as he ran down the alley in the opposite direction.

Kyungsoo crumpled to the ground, not even reflexively holding his hands out to catch himself, instead he reached for the burning and yet somehow still cold area of his neck. His hand came away covered in red, his own blood, and Kyungsoo screamed again.

“Kyungsoo? Kyungsoo, you’re going to be okay, okay?” The voice wasn’t particularly warm and comforting, but the college student still recognised the mop of black hair and pointed cheekbones of Kim Jongdae. He had no clue what the third year was doing there, but all he could think about was the feeling of liquid oozing from his neck. “Apply pressure to it. Yeah, just like that. C’mon, let me get you up.”

With one arm around Kyungsoo’s waist, and the other hand pushing the first year’s over the injury, Jongdae dragged Kyungsoo out of the alleyway and back up the street.

A silver car was parked in the otherwise barren road and Jongdae leant Kyungsoo’s body on the side of the car as he opened the door, before pushing him inside. Kyungsoo heard the door slam behind him and recognized that he was no longer in the dangerous situation with the skull-jewelled man, but he still remained unable to stop the short bursts of whimpers and whines that fell from his mouth.

“It's okay, you're just in shock. Keep applying pressure, there's not much blood, you're okay. Don't faint on me, you hear?” Jongdae kept talking as soon as he got in the driver's side.

“,” he said, spotting the stain of Kyungsoo’s blood on his hand. He hesitated for a second, before wiping it on his pants and starting the engine.

“God, I don't know who's gonna be more angry: Jun or Nini. Y’know, you shoulda called or something. Yeah, you didn't know the connection, but still, woulda made my job a hellovalot easier. Instead of me looking up your location on in’ snapmap.” Jongdae ranted on the whole car ride and Kyungsoo tried to drone him out and focus on regulating his breathing. He was so confused, and Jongdae could explain how he'd known to find him later, right now he needed the hospital.

Which was another reason why he freaked out when Jongdae pulled up outside an apartment complex, dragging Kyungsoo to the main entrance while the younger choked on complaints.

“JONGIN!” Jongdae roared as soon as the two entered the spacious and pristine lobby of the building. Kyungsoo swore the inside of the building looked far more expensive than the outside, with marble floors, a crystal chandelier and a large staircase that separated into two before curling around the wall, all framed with ornate banisters.

Jongdae gripped the closest of Kyungsoo’s arms, but it still wasn't enough to keep him on his feet, and he fell to the ground again, the stinging pain in his neck starting to become significantly less bearable. He kept his hand pressed to the wound though, scared blood would spurt out if he didn't. He wasn't sure how much blood he had already lost, but he was feeling extremely lightheaded and dizzy. It wasn't a good sign, and if Jongdae didn't get him to a hospital soon, he assumed he would bleed out.

A large number of footsteps could be heard rampaging down the stairs, but Jongin was at the front of the herd, and Kyungsoo could only watch blurrily as his boyfriend yelled his name in shock and slid onto his knees in front of the shorter.

“Kyungsoo? Who did this to you?” Jongin held Kyungsoo’s face in his hands, his eyes scanning over his entire body before landing on the covered but bloody area of his neck. When Kyungsoo only managed to stutter out the elder’s name, Jongin turned to Jongdae. “What the hell happened?”

“I don't know exactly. I took your phone, traced where he was -- using that stupid app -- then drove there to find him getting snacked-on by someone in an alley. Didn't look like a half-blood either, way too civilised. Threw him in the car and here we are. You guys discuss everything?” Jongdae watched the pair on the ground with a certain degree of nonchalance, before looking to the crowd that had gathered. Sehun, who was amongst the gathered group, nodded casually, crossing his arms and looking back down at Kyungsoo’s weakened state.

“Yixing, please.” Jongin turned his head slightly, but his gaze remained on Kyungsoo as he spoke. Another member of the crowd, one Kyungsoo didn’t recognise, stepped forward and crouched next to the other two. Jongin removed his hands from Kyungsoo’s face but placed one on Kyungsoo’s knee in reassurance.

“Please, hold still,” the new man said, leaning closer to Kyungsoo, and looking at his neck intently. “It will sting for a moment but be over quickly.”

He tried to pry Kyungsoo’s hand off his own neck, but the teenager resisted. He shook his head free of his confused thoughts, and of the stares of the group of people around him. He needed medical attention, and how come no-one but Jongin seemed concerned for his wellbeing?

“N-no.” He coughed, his throat raw both from being crushed and from his earlier screaming. “I need a hospital.”

This didn’t seem to faze anyone around him, and Jongin squeezed Kyungsoo’s knee until the shorter looked at him, and then continued to rub soothing circles on his thigh.

“Yixing knows what he’s doing, please just do what he asks. You’ll be better soon, and I’ll explain everything.” Jongin spoke softly but was cut off when someone from behind him cleared their throat. Kyungsoo wasn’t sure if it was coincidental, or some sort of signal between them.

He turned to look at the unfamiliar man beside him, who smiled politely and looked nice enough. He nodded his head gingerly, assuming the other must be a doctor or something, and let the man peel his hand from the puncture wounds.

Yixing placed his own hand over the wound, smiling reassuringly as a layer of needles pricked Kyungsoo’s skin under the older man’s hand. The sudden stinging feeling increased until Kyungsoo had to squeeze his eyes shut and call out in pain. Jongin rubbed long stripes up and down his leg, and the younger tried to focus on the warmth that glowed from Jongin’s touch, and not the stabbing feeling from the doctor’s.

As the stinging pain reached its crescendo, it soon passed, and a sizzling warmth settled over the area thereafter. It was far more pleasant and Kyungsoo felt himself relax, the shivers that had been racking his body since he engaged with his attacker began to subside, and his headache receded also.

“There, good as new,” Yixing announced, standing up and excusing himself to wash the blood off his hand.

Jongin smiled for the first time, helping Kyungsoo back on his feet. The shorter still felt a little lightheaded, but no longer faint or dizzy, though he still half leant on the older as they stood.

“Did he just rub painkillers on it or something?” Kyungsoo asked no one in particular, surprised again when his throat no longer hurt.

Instead of Jongin answering, as he had expected, another member of the small group that Kyungsoo didn’t recognise stepped forward. In fact, he was the only one he didn’t recognise. Aside from him, Jongdae, Jongin and Sehun, there was Sehun’s twin, Krystal and the girl Kyungsoo had seen her with at the carnival - their cousin, Seulgi.

“No, Yixing administered no medication. Your wound is healed and there is nothing to worry about.” The new man said, with a face devoid of any kind of comfort. He was wearing a suit, and while he wasn’t that much taller than Kyungsoo himself, he held himself impossibly higher and Kyungsoo found even his gaze intimidating. The man turned to look at Jongin, and a frown entered his expression that made the musical major want to cower in fear, and successfully made him shut his mouth, though he wanted to clarify what his previous statement had meant. How could his wound be healed?

“Jongin, while you managed to explain your situation to us, we were interrupted before we could fully discuss the implications of this. Don’t say more than necessary.” The man quickly his heel, calling the rest of the crowd that remained to follow him, leaving Kyungsoo and Jongin standing alone in the middle of the large foyer.

“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.” Jongin directed Kyungsoo away from the staircase with a hand on the younger’s back, over to what appeared to be an elevator, a white potted plant either side of the double doors.

He took them to the eighth floor, where another modern, marble entranceway greeted them. Kyungsoo looked around in astonishment, having only seen such luxurious places in magazines. There was an open doorway directly in front of the pair that continued on to a grand lounge room, with a lush rug and soft-looking cream sofa, a glass coffee table and a large plasma TV. The broke college student gawked.

“You live here?”

“Yeah, this level’s mine.” Jongin smiled shyly, continuing to guide Kyungsoo through a hallway. “The bathroom’s in here, so we can wash the... blood off.”

As soon as they walked into the bathroom, Kyungsoo was startled by what he saw. Beyond the inappropriate degree of fanciness for a room that housed a toilet, there was also a pale and dirtied man staring back at him from the mirror. His complexion was ashen, with dark circles under his eyes, and an explosion of red spreading up and around his neck. He couldn’t believe it was him he was looking at.

“Kyungsoo, why don’t you-” But Jongin was cut off again, as Kyungsoo rushed to the mirror, tracing over his reddened neck with fingers crusted in blood, looking for the injury. But there was nothing. There should have been two holes in the side of his neck, made by those teeth belonging to that… man? Monster?

“Jongin, I think I’m losing my mind.” Kyungsoo’s tone was grave and serious as he made eye contact with his boyfriend’s reflection. Tears stung his eyes as he thought about everything that didn’t make sense to him. His injury disappearing, the man’s teeth, the library catalogue, Jongin and Jongdae’s conversation, the accident, Jongin’s wounds, the whole Hyunsik attack. What was happening, was Kyungsoo hallucinating? Was there something seriously wrong with him?

“I’m so sorry.” Jongin looked like the weight of the world was on his shoulders, and he approached Kyungsoo tentatively. “It’s all my fault, I’ll explain. But please, sit first.”

Kyungsoo sat on the toilet seat as Jongin ran a cloth under hot water. He lifted Kyungsoo’s face with his hand and began wiping the dried blood off his skin. Kyungsoo again tried to focus on Jongin’s movement, and not his thoughts about how the only possible explanation for the situation was that he was going crazy.

“They’re not all bad.” Jongin started quietly, as if the defence was as weak as its volume. “But some can be vicious, violent creatures. Barely even human…”

“What are you talking about?”

“Vampires.” Jongin whispered it, a sad smile lifting his lips as he gently traced Kyungsoo’s cheek with his thumb. “I’ve brought you into my world, where you don’t belong. And for that, I can never apologise enough.”

“...What are you talking about?” Kyungsoo repeated, his voice wavering as a boulder lodged inside his chest. He thought back to the book he had read in the Ilsan Library earlier that night, the only result that came up for his search of the phrase “half-blood”. Jongdae had said it again in the foyer of the apartment building. Objectively, it fit. But such things didn't exist in the real world. “W-what-”

“I know it's hard to believe, but you saw it firsthand. Whoever did this to you...” Jongin turned away, grabbing the edge of the porcelain sink with both hands, and hung his head low. “...they were a vampire.”

Kyungsoo traced the skin under his jaw again, still not feeling any puncture marks. The person who had followed him had bitten his neck, he’d had two long fangs and had his blood. The entire thing was hard to believe, Jongin was right, but it really was the only explanation that made sense.

“.”

“Yeah…” Jongin resumed washing the crimson stain off the white washcloth, his face grim and guilty. “I'm so sorry this happened to you.”

“Wait, why did it happen? What connection do you have to vampires? ...No way, are you guys vampire hunters?” Kyungsoo’s eyes widened with the possibilities: was Jongin some kind of badass hunter with stakes and a crossbow?

Jongin knelt in front of Kyungsoo yet again, this time trying to clean the younger’s hands. He gently turned Kyungsoo’s hand over, wiping at his palm when he looked up and caught the other’s eyes.

“No, not exactly. Remember how I said not all vampires are bad?” Jongin gazed into Kyungsoo’s eyes imploringly, and the younger had an inkling where this was going. He nodded nonetheless. “I’m- Our whole family, we're all… We're vampires.”

“You’re not joking?” Kyungsoo steeled himself against the answer. He wasn’t sure what would be worse: Jongin lying about all this and Kyungsoo actually being crazy, or Jongin being… a vampire.

“Not even a little bit, I’m afraid.”

Kyungsoo jerked his hands away from Jongin’s grip instinctually. If every one of the Kims were vampires, then they were all as feral as the skull-jewelled man. They were all capable of ripping through his throat with a single bite. They were seriously dangerous.

“I-I-” Kyungsoo couldn’t maintain eye contact with Jongin, who still knelt before him, as he stuttered. There were a thousand thoughts zooming around in his head, but he found he had nothing to actually say aloud.

“It’s okay, I understand it’s a lot to take in.” Jongin looked away too, busying himself with the cloth in his hands as he spoke dejectedly. “But I just want you to know, we’re not like them. We- I’d never hurt you.”

“So..” Kyungsoo rubbed his face with his hands, trying to process his thoughts and order his questions in terms of relevance. He still smelt the iron on himself, but asides from some dried bits under his nails, Jongin had cleaned off the rest of the blood. “So what -- I only got bitten because you and I are… involved? I don’t get it.”

“Yes, that’s why everything’s happened. That’s why Hyunsik is nice to you: because I’m nice to you. They now know they can get to me and my clan through you.” Jongin threw the pink cloth into the basin, turning around and leaning on it, tilting his head back with eyes closed. Logically, he was stressed because of the “bad” vampires, but Kyungsoo couldn’t help but feel like Jongin was somehow angry at him for getting involved in the vampire’s life.

“Wait a second, Hyunsik? He’s a-? That’s what happened last Tuesday, he was going to bite me…” Kyungsoo almost couldn’t take it. He had been in the middle of a vampire feud that he didn’t even know existed, and it had taken him almost dying twice for Jongin to tell him what was going on. “Why have you only told me this now?”

Jongin whipped his head around to look at Kyungsoo, his eyes wide and brow furrowed. He seemed surprised by the question, which just irked Kyungsoo even more.

“Humans aren’t supposed to find out.”

“Then why did you let us become friends? Why did you ask me out, if you had no plans of telling me?” Kyungsoo held firm eye contact with the elder, knowing his frown verged on the side of a glare.

“I didn’t mean to…” Jongin broke under the gaze, dipping his head in submission as he admitted his thought process, or lack thereof. “I tried not to, but you were so… nice, and bubbly and I couldn’t help but want to spend time with you. God, it’s pathetic, but I… I just really liked you.”

Kyungsoo didn’t know what to do with that. While it was nice to know the other liked him, he also couldn’t just let the other off the hook for putting him in danger without so much as a warning. Instead of focusing on something he knew wasn’t going to change, he opted to ask another question.

“Who are these “bad” vampires, then? Is Hyunsik one of them? Was it one of them who bit me?” Kyungsoo could see the unease cross Jongin’s face, as he seemed to debate with himself whether he should share more information or not. Eventually he relented, crossing the room and plopping himself on the edge of the bath.

“Hyunsik’s a new-blood, but he’s in with a bad clan. The rogues and the aligned don’t get on, and there’s a bit of a turf war for this area, so it’s likely someone thought you were a recruit for us and wanted to take you out before we could turn you.” Jongin leant his elbows on his knees and looked up at Kyungsoo through his fringe. “I’m sorry, Kyungsoo. I can’t tell you much more.”

“But you’ve barely told me anything!” Kyungsoo stood up immediately. His curiosity was nowhere near satiated, though he was glad to be able to infer from the other’s words that he wasn’t going to turn into a vampire himself. “How did my bite wound heal? What are the rogues and the aligned? Do you seriously expect me to go back out there where I could be attacked again, without so much as asking what the ’s going on first?”

“Kyungsoo, calm down, please.” Jongin sighed, standing as well. He walked up to the human and placed a hand on the shorter’s shoulders. “Some vampires have special powers, and Yixing’s is healing. He used it on me with the scratch marks Hyunsik gave me and he did the same for you, okay? But that’s it, no more. Please Kyungsoo, give me time to talk things through with my clan first.”

Jongin looked at Kyungsoo with sad but determined eyes, imploring the younger to follow his request. And if Jongin had asked Kyungsoo to blindly trust him a month ago, the love-struck first year would have agreed in a heartbeat, but having just found out that the person he admired and adored had not only lied to him, but also knowingly almost gotten him killed… Kyungsoo wasn’t so sure anymore.

“Why was it Jongdae?” Kyungsoo asked with glassy eyes, seeing the person he’d idolised for so long in a new light. “Why was it Jongdae who found me in that alley and not you?”

“When you didn’t text me like you said you would…” Jongin removed his hands from the younger, looking down and away yet again. “If something had happened to you, and you had to be brought back here… I had to tell my clan leader about you.”

Kyungsoo closed his eyes and a searing tear escaped down his cheek, though he didn’t bother wiping it away. Not only had Jongin kept the vampire world a secret from Kyungsoo, he’d also kept the human a secret from his vampire family. Kyungsoo was mentally and physically drained from the events of the past few hours, but in that moment he just felt disappointed.

“I need to leave.” Kyungsoo’s voice broke, and he finally wiped at the gathering of tears in his eyes, not wanting to give them the satisfaction of falling.

“I’ll drive you home.” Jongin offered.

“No.” The college student sniffed loudly, his nose beginning to run too. He felt completely weakened, but he had enough anger left in him to want to refuse Jongin the slight feeling of redemption. “I’ll just get Jongdae to do it.”

~Wild Flowers Worth Knowing~

Kyungsoo didn’t sleep at all that night. Knowing such creatures existed was far worse than the cloud of uncertainty he’d been stuck in the past week. He had his answers, but at what cost?

The college student had been almost killed twice, and he hadn’t even known of this world until a few hours beforehand. Just how much danger had befriending Jongin put himself in?

Even just thinking of the gentlemanly-second-year-law-student-turned-dishonest-vampire made the first year’s heart hurt. To distract himself from the disappointment, Kyungsoo wrapped himself in his blankets and strolled the internet for any other information pertaining to the vampiric world. He had to find out all he could, lest he be attacked again. Third time’s the charm. And if Jongin wouldn’t help him, then maybe some online stranger would.

There wasn’t much that Kyungsoo hadn’t already sifted through on his first attempt earlier that night, but there was a link to a chat room on ImmortalDiscoveries dot com that caught his attention. He ignored the cringey website interface of plain black decorated with red pentagrams and poorly-rendered blood splatters and read through the discussion.

It was primarily a conversation between two users. The initial post by werewolf808 described a situation they found themselves in, in which they encountered what must have been a vampire. The human-looking creature held another person by the jaw and blood from a wound on the innocent’s neck. Werewolf808 described the creature as crazed, with pitch black eyes and pulsating veins protruding from porcelain skin. How they had managed to see those details in the dark alley they cited as the setting was beyond Kyungsoo, but he still made sure to remember them. He couldn’t make out any facial features of his own attacker, so they might be an important thing to remember, lest he be attacked again.

Continuing down the thread, Kyungsoo read as another user responded. WitchFollowerWhoKnows told werewolf808 that what they had seen was actually not a vampire, but a manic “semi-vampire”. They described full vampires as extremely hard to pick out from humans, whereas semi-vampires had many tells and were far less cautious of being seen, as they had far more extreme blood-thirst. It was extremely similar to what Wild Flowers Worth Knowing had said: the user must have been referring to half-bloods.

There were more shared comments between the two, and the most important pieces of information Kyungsoo made sure to note down. Apparently, half-bloods aged like humans, and died like them too, but immortal vampires could only be killed by their head being cut clean off.

After finishing the thread, it was abundantly clear that this WitchFollowerWhoKnows did in fact know their vampire stuff. Kyungsoo needed to see if there was anything else they could tell him, so in a spontaneous move, he created an account.

He skipped all the credit card details asked for a premium account, who would want a premium account on this site anyway, and in an admittedly childish move, named himself asseater69.

The nineteen-year-old searched up WitchFollowerWhoKnows and started a private message thread between them. He quickly explained his situation, though not in much detail, and asked for any other important information that he might need to know.

After waiting for five minutes by staring at the ugly webpage, he clicked on their profile. Kyungsoo looked over the the sparse information and smashed his forehead into his keyboard.

“User last seen 2 years ago.” He was never going to get a reply.

Closing his laptop with a groan, Kyungsoo finally settled back in bed. Too much had happened for a Monday.