When Kai and Kyungsoo turned 20 the two left their home country of Korea and left for Europe, each in hopes of reaching their dreams. The similarities stopped there, however, as Kyungsoo left with the consent and full approval of his parents. Kyungsoo dreamed of painting for all his life, discovering beauty as a manner of attaining peace, so he headed to a famous academy in Europe that specialized in art. Kai, since he was a small toddler, dreamed of becoming a wrestler. The wrestling scene in Korea was non-existent, but he knew of famous wrestlers who made their name in Europe. He had trained endlessly to develop a strong and agile body; he studied different martial arts from as many people as he could to incorporate into a new style of wrestling, so when his parents said "No!" to him leaving for a penniless dream, he rebelled and stole away during the night. He met up with an unaware Kyungsoo just before his flight left, and so the two now live in Blackpool. 

The bell rung! In the red corner was Kobra Kai, champion of fledgling promotion, WFW. Opposite him was Mexican phenomena, Violencia. Repeated strikes to his head! Kai is down! Down! What's this?! He's not getting up?! He's...dead?

Kai woke up from the same replaying dream that he had gotten used to, a scene by scene replication of the final match that cost him his career, of the bout that led him to suffer his last concussion and to retire from wrestling.

He sat up and looked around, recalling he was sleeping in Kyungsoo's studio apartment. He rustled his hair a little before lying back down. He tossed and turned, but sleep kept evading him. 20 minutes without sleep passed by, so he gave up on the idea of it. Kai his phone and kept looking through various job listings that might "fit him". He used to be a high-flying wrestler, which meant he often put too much stress on his knees. The damage dealt to his body now caught up with his 29 year old self. As such, he now suffers pain when standing in one place for too long, so his job preference is toward those that constantly keep him moving.

 "Nothing... Maybe I should ask Dio to lend me money for the surgery?" Kai tossed his phone to the side and sat up. Unsure of what to do, he the tv and pressed on the Netflix app. Being as random as he is, he decided to watch "Pumping Iron" with the plan to watch "Toy Story 2" shortly after. A few minutes of watching a young Arnold showing off his herculean physique passed, Kai was now bored. He shut off the monitor and started to walk around the large living room. Standing by the window, he pulled open the curtains slightly. Moonlight pierced through the gap and revealed the sight of some old paintings neatly stacked at the northeasternmost corner. His intrigue was piqued. Kai followed through with his curiosity and carefully looked through the canvasses. He accidentally dropped one, quite loudly.

The noise was enough to wake Kyungsoo up, who ran out of his room and into the living room. The lights were off, with the only sort of luminance being the moonlight that peered through the gap in the curtains.

Kyungsoo tripped and began to go, "Shhh...owwww...shhhh....owww."

 Kai was stunned by the humor unfolding before him. But, he relented and the lights for his friend.

 "You okay?"he asked as he helped Kyungsoo up.

 "Yeah, just stubbed my toe on the sofa."

 Kai snickered, sparking a sense of annoyance in Kyungsoo. "What were you doing? I heard a loud sound!"

 Kai sat on the sofa and pointed back at the group of paintings he had neatly spread on the floor. "I... was just going through your backlog?"

 Kyungsoo was unsure what to make of it, "Okay..."

 "Wanna' know which one caught my attention?" Kai eagerly asked as he went to choose his favorite painting.

 "Sure." Kyungsoo yawned and walked after Kai.

 "This one," Kai said enthusiastically as he pointed at the painting of a duck.
 
The painting portrayed a shot of a duck walking on an empty sidewalk; puddles of water reflecting a mostly clear sky with patches of clouds splayed on. The painting was unusual in that it depicted a first person point of view, one that looked directly at the duck's rear.

 "It's an oil on canvas," Kyungsoo remarked. "Do you think it means anything?"

 Kai crossed his arms, "I think it's a picture of how a child grows up both looking at its parents for guidance, while also being influenced by the society around it. The way the duckling is looking at its parent's rear also demonstrates how it sometimes is defecated on by the one it trusts in. And the reflection of the sky represents a clear hope, one that says 'Heaven is always near for inspiration, for life,' and...that's all I got. Am I right?"

 "Wow. I'm impressed," Kyungsoo answered with a rub of his chin, "but I just painted it because I thought that a duck's is cute because of how plump it is and the way it waddles side to side."

Kai looked at him with an upraised brow, "People are right, artists are weird!"

 Kyungsoo yawned once more.

 "I'm sorry for waking you up. You should go back to sleep. It's already gonna' be 3 soon..."

Kyungsoo's eyes bulged out at Kai's words. He regretted the thought of ever allowing Kai to stay, although he wanted him there to restrain him from hunting if need be. That was the reason Kyungsoo wanted Kai to stay because he thought his presence would magically suppress his urges. He reasoned, "My thirst for blood at night is not stronger than my bond with Kai, my only friend."

 "Listen, Kai..." Kyungsoo muttered.

 "Yeah, you feel okay? You look pale..." Kai reached his hand to gently squeeze Kyungsoo's shoulder, "You okay, bro? I could see that maybe insomnia is the reason you asked me for those anxiety pills."

Kyungsoo twitched his eye a little when he noticed the scab on Kai's knuckle again. Kai was quick to pull his hand away and smiled, "Okay! So I kinda lied. I got fired for hitting this one co-worker who kept bugging me. He knew of my past as a wrestler and thought he could take me on! He was wrong."

 Kyungsoo backed away with slow, heavy steps, "That's not it," he rubbed the side of his neck nervously, "You don't have an open wound with blood or anything, right?"

 "No, I can take care of myself!"

 Kyungsoo breathed a sigh of relief. "If you ever cut yourself while shaving...or whatever, please make sure to use the alcohol I have in the bathroom. Use lots of it, please? To cover it's smell..."

 Kai left his mouth open, bewildered by the sudden request, "sure...but..."

3 am struck. Kyungsoo felt his heart beat strongly in his ears. He coughed, smiled awkwardly and ruffled his hair in a frenzied manner. "I need to take a walk."

 Kai caught wind of the sudden 180° Kyungsoo went through. He held a strange feeling something was wrong. "Are you...on drugs?"
 
Kyungsoo didn't hear him. He was now standing by the window, gazing at the moon with glazed eyes. He seemed to be in a trance. Without a moment's notice, he slammed open the window and poked his head out.

Kai, alarmed, rushed to pull Kyungsoo back in, "What's wrong with you, boy?!" 

Sitting on the living room floor after dragging Kyungsoo back in, Kai observed the unnerving spasms in his friend's abdomen. He was suspicious, fearful even, thinking something was definitely wrong with Kyungsoo after looking at his eyes that held a distant look in them. Kai slapped Kyungsoo twice and then a third time, "Snap out of it!"

 The window behind them was still widely open. The howling of the winter wind played as fitting music with the moon lending it's light to allow Kai to observe the paler than usual skin of his friend. "He must be on drugs!"

Kyungsoo coughed and sat up, "I'm sorry... just! It's not drugs, just wanted some fresh air!"

Kai knew he was lying, so he played along, "Alright, just, why don't you go back to bed? I'll clean this place up for you."

 "Yeah, sure." Kyungsoo shook his head and headed for his room, but the voice in his head kept echoing his hunger, BLOOD.

Kyungsoo, now in his room, clicked his tongue and thought of ways to get Kai to let him leave. He was like an addict that needed his fix. He was, basically. He sat in bed and recoiled at his words, "What am I doing? I can fight this!" But when he stared at his feet below, he saw his shoes were already on. He saw how he was ready to go out in search of "food".

He stepped out the room and clicked his tongue again when he saw Kai watching tv. He quietly walked to the front door, but Kai turned off the tv and asked with an amused tone, "Where are you going at this hour? A club?"

 "No... uh, just want some fresh air is all. I'll be back before the sun rises..." Kyungsoo replied, never turning back to face Kai.

 "But you're all dressed up! Look at you! Wearing a nice, grey, nylon? jacket. Quite spiffy and fitting with those slim jeans of yours you got on," said Kai, already reaching for his own white jacket, preparing to follow after Kyungsoo.

 "Just some air. I need to walk." Kyungsoo answered with a serious tone as his fingers twisted the brass knob.

 "I'll come with! There might be not-so-safe people out at this forsaken hour."

Kyungsoo was annoyed, the lust of his senses still calling out "BLOOD." He cracked his fingers and turned around, "I think I'll stay. I changed my mind."

 "That's good!" 

 Kyungsoo took a step forward and waited for Kai to turn around, but he didn't. His plan to make a dash for it failed, so he shoved Kai down and ran as fast as he could out the door.

 "That son of a gun! When he'd get so strong?" Kai mused as he hastened to his feet and then the door.

 Kai caught up with Kyungsoo at the end of the block. He was too late, though. From the relatively short distance that separated them, Kai could see a group of hooded thugs crowded around Kyungsoo, there was around 4 or 5 of them. He complained, "Why, Dio? why on the first time I see you leave the house in over 2 years do you have to get in trouble?" His feet kept moving, but Kai took caution. Even for him, who occasionally had a fight or two, doubted he could take on 5 hoodlums at once.

He felt the tiny hairs on his arms raise, goosebumps, a familiar sense he had gotten used to. It was the only feeling that reminded him of ever being in the ring. It was that tingling sensation that shot up through his spine that caused, perhaps, excitement. But in those short steps that now separated him from his friend, he realized he had to protect Kyungsoo. Unlike Kai who was like an adder that slithered on an open road ready to pounce at any given moment, Kyungsoo more closely resembled a caterpillar that would one day (after living through chrysalis) change into a soaring butterfly, full of color and beauty.

Anticipating the worst, Kai let his hand sneek out the small pocket knife hidden in the interior pocket of his jacket. He clutched it in his right hand that was moist from sweat. Kai waved his hand at the thugs, and then pulled Kyungsoo to his side, "What's wrong fellas?" 

 "This guy! We never seen him around here... He don't belong!" the biggest one of them said.

 Kai tensed his muscles and braced himself for the worst. One of the thugs quickly shot a straight at Kyungsoo, but Kyungsoo dodged it effortlessly.

 "Way to go!" Kai cheered.

 Kyungsoo knocked out his assailant with an uppercut. Kai cheered again, "Hit 'em with a V-trigger!"

 The following made Kai shudder in disbelief. The gentle caterpillar that slowly and doggedly trudged along the ground metamorphosed into a wicked wyvern who feasted on blood. He trembled in fear and felt his heart rate increase when he observed Kyungsoo now mounted on his victim, on the blood that trickled down his neck. Kai was frozen, unsure of what to do. What had happened to his friend? He was no longer a calm painter, afraid of the outside world, but he was now a berserk demon, one culpable of bringing terror to the world.

The thugs around were also stunned, not knowing what to do. Kai took advantage and pulled Kyungsoo away from his meal. He knocked Kyungsoo out with a hard left hook and ran away with him on his shoulders. The thugs were trapped in a fear-laden standstill, "Dracula?" they questioned. One snapped out of it and exclaimed, "Kill them!"

 Kai, not too far away, heard the thunderous sound of running behind him and prayed for the best. The sound of running stopped in the next moment. Kai thought it strange, and so he turned around. He saw no one there...

Now inside their home, Kai dropped Kyungsoo on the sofa while he sat on the floor. "What did I just see?"

 Kai stayed up the whole night just looking at Kyungsoo soundly sleeping.

When morning came, the intense sunlight filled the room, Kyungsoo woke up and shielded his eyes from the blinding rays of light. He slowly sat up and leaned against the armrest of the sofa.

 "Kai," he said, "he fell asleep with his eyes opened again..."

 Kai opened his mouth, "I didn't sleep. Your fault..."

 "What do you mean?"

 "You're a vampire."

 Kyungsoo clenched his eyes shut, "That's my secret..."

 "I..."

 "Can you keep it?"

 "I don't know how to answer. We need a priest here or something."

 Kyungsoo felt relief that he finally had someone to confide in. He laid back down and rubbed the bridge of his nose intensely, "I failed to control myself huh?" he asked himself. His eyes were glued to the ceiling, counting the number of cobwebs he could find, anything to divert his mind from crying.

 "You..."

 "Can I ask you something first?"

 "Yeah, sure" Kai replied, trying his best to extend compassion, "anything."

 "Why does your jacket have 'F. Grand Prix' on it? I didn't know you loved NASCAR, racing cars..."

 "There's lots of things you don't know... Come to know, and you see that a man's pride is thinner than a paper check..." Kai added following a scoff.

 "What do you mean?"

Note: A "V-trigger" is high-jump knee strike, usually aimed at the face of the opposing wrestler.