CHAPTER FOUR | Something Is Not Right

There was a hard pounding sound that caused Rowoon to stir. His eyes groggily opened. He tried to squint away the cloudiness that blurred his vision. As his eyesight became clearer, it took him a couple seconds to process where he was.

With a jolt, he sat up and whipped his head around to see he was in his room at home instead of the hospital bed he remembered falling asleep in the night before. He had absolutely no clue how he ended up in his bedroom. Nothing came to mind at all. On top of that, upon further inspection, Rowoon realized his usually pristine room was in shambles. His pillows and blankets had been torn to shreds and his walls and personal items were littered with rips and tears. It was as if someone had broken in and went to town on his stuff. For his parent’s sake, he prayed the rest of the house wasn’t in the same shape.

“Kim Rowoon!! Are you in there?!! Open up!!” The loud pounding grew more vigorous and he could hear the panicked voice of a male screaming his name.

“Dawon?” Rowoon scratched his head and slid to the side of his bed. He felt a sting of pain in his torso as he did, and he looked down at the torn hospital gown that was half hanging off him. The left side of the gown was frayed and pulled down so his arm and chest were exposed. His brows furrowed in confusion and he cringed as another spike of pain jabbed at his midsection. Bitting his lower lip, he slowly drew back the dangling fabric of his gown to see a deep, bloody bite mark surrounded by dark purple webbing in his skin that looked like it could pass as some kind of zombie infection.

“What the hell?” Rowoon gasped and then flinched as the continuous knocking pierced through his eardrums at a frequency of a gunshot at point blank range. The sound shook him to his core and his hands couldn’t block it out. He needed it to stop or he figured his brain was going to melt.

“Rowoon!! I know you’re in there! If you don’t come out now, I’m calling the police! Or an ambulance! Or someone! So help me I will—!” Dawon was beating at the front door of his friend’s home and screaming until his face turned beet red.

“Calm down Dawon, you’re going to attract the attention of everyone in the neighborhood!” Hwiyoung tugged at his shoulder, but Dawon shot him an enraged look and continued to lose his mind hammering at the door.

“Rowoon! Kim Rowoon!” Dawon belted, his voice cracking from the damaged done to his vocal cords. “Come out now or I’ll break this door dow—!” The door suddenly opened an inch and Dawon stopped in surprise, his breaths were heavy from overexertion.

“Please stop. I’m here.” Rowoon’s voice came out raspy as he opened the door just enough so his face and shoulder were showing. He was noticeably sweaty in his black hoodie and gray sweatpants.

“Rowoon.” Dawon whined, his determined energy quickly turning to relief. “What the heck is wrong with you man?!”

Hwiyoung watched Rowoon closely. By his rough appearance and the way he was hiding himself, he could sense something was wrong.

“What do you mean?” Rowoon asked, straining his sensitive eyes against the sunlight.

“You ! Why the hell did you run away from the hospital?!” Dawon snapped. “Do you have a death wish?! You must be hurting right now. Let me—” Dawon tried to pushed the door open further but was immediately rejected by Rowoon who pushed back anxiously.

“No, you can’t.”

Rowoon did his best not to show how exhausted he was as he fought back ridged breaths.

“Rowoon, let us in.” Hwiyoung said in a low, demanding voice.

Rowoon frowned at him and contemplated for a moment. He didn’t know how he was going to explain everything to them. Mostly because he couldn’t remember. Not a single memory of the night before was coming to mind. It was frustrating to say the least.

Before he could say anything else, Dawon shoved the door open and Rowoon stammered back, just barely catching himself on the wall behind him with one hand. He fell to one knee and let out a fit of coughs.

“Rowoon!” Both Dawon and Hwiyoung shockingly dashed to his side and Hwiyoung knelt down to help him back to his feet.

“We should call an ambulance!” Dawon suggested, frantically reaching for his phone and fumbling with the numbers on the screen.

“No!” Hwiyoung shouted and began carrying Rowoon towards the stairs. “Help me get him to his room.”

“Are you kidding me?! But you know how badly injured he is!? He should be brought back to the hospital!” Dawon protested. But by the way Hwiyoung was glaring at him, he knew that he was dead serious.

“Dammit…!” Dawon growled and shoved his phone back into his pocket before joining him in the task of taking his giant of a friend up to his room. “Why are you so dang heavy?” Dawon remarked under his breath in annoyance.

“No… guys…” Rowoon faintly insisted they stop, not wanting them to see the state of his bedroom. It would raise a lot of questions that he had no ability to answer.

“What in the world?” Dawon gasped once they reached the room, but Hwiyoung didn’t give him the chance to dwell on it for too long.

“Put him on the bed.” He instructed and they both successfully plopped him down on the ruined bed amongst a pile of fluff and feathers.

Rowoon cringed in pain and rolled his eyes in order to focus on his two friends.

“What is all of this? What did you do?!” Dawon questioned him, baffled by everything. As he spun around to take in the entirety of the room, Hwiyoung took a peek under Rowoon’s dampened sweatshirt. His expression hardened at the sight of the bite mark and he looked the boy up and down, thinking intensely.

“Dawon, get me a rag and some cold water.” Hwiyoung ordered.

“What is that going to do for him? Are you just going to ignore the fact that his room is destroyed? This doesn’t just scream to you that there is something seriously wrong here?!”

“Dawon! Do it now!” Hwiyoung snapped forcefully, causing Dawon to shrink back and speed out of the room in search of the requested items, much to his dissatisfaction. He’d rather be hauling his friend back to the hospital and handcuffing him to the bed if it meant he’d receive the treatment he needed.

“I’m ok. I really am fine!” Rowoon panted unconvincingly as he tried to sit up.

“You’re not.” Hwiyoung pushed him back down and continued to examine the boy with his busy mind racing.

“Here! Cold water and a rag.” Dawon came rushing back into the room, spilling some of the water onto the floor in the process.

Hwiyoung set the bowl of water on the bedside table and wet the rag before dabbing it all along Rowoon’s forehead and face.

“What, are you some kind of doctor now?” Dawon scoffed, propping his hands on his hips. “Look at him! He’s probably bleeding out somewhere! He needs a hospit—”

“Dawon shut up!” Hwiyoung growled with a glare that gave the other boy chills.

His eyes were wide with shock and he lowered his head down in defeat.

“He’s going to be fine. Right now, a hospital is the last place he needs to be. Just trust me.” Hwiyoung softened as he spoke and turned his attention back to Rowoon, who was now unconscious.

“Fine. But I don’t like it.” Dawon grumbled and was about to leave the room when he heard two voices coming from downstairs.

“Why is the door open? The cat could have gotten out.” A woman said. The sound of her heels echoed on the wooden floor.

“He must be home then? Or someone broke in?” The second voice belonged to a man who sounded like he was carrying something heavy.

“Maybe? Rowoon?! Rowoon sweety are you up there? We’re home from our trip!” The woman called out.

Dawon locked eyes with Hwiyoung as if asking him subconsciously what they should do. “It’s his parents!” He whispered and Hwiyoung gestured for him to go. Without him having to say anything, he knew he was being told to stall them in some way.

Sighing deeply, he stepped into the hallway, closed the door behind him, and put on his best “everything is fine, there is nothing going on here” smile, then quickly descended the staircase to greet the two adults.

“You’re home!” Dawon cheered, startling Mrs. Kim in the process. She squeaked at his sudden appearance and held her hand over her beating heart in surprise.

“Lee Dawon, what are you doing here?” Mrs. Kim asked in frustration. She tried to mask her annoyance the best she could.

“Not that we don’t enjoy seeing you Dawon, but what are you doing here, and where is our son?” Mr. Kim joined his wife with his luggage dragging behind him. “Oh! And why was the door left wide open? That cat better still be in here or you’re both going to be in trouble!”

“Forget about the cat—what is this about Rowoon running away from the hospital?! We came back from our businesses trip as fast as we could because he got hurt, but he wasn’t at the hospital! Is he here? Is he ok?” Mrs. Kim questioned Dawon suspiciously.

“You better not have talked him into leaving.” Mr. Kim slipped in sourly.

Dawon laughed nervously and waved his hands in defense “No, no, everything is ok! Rowoon wasn’t comfortable at the hospital so he came home to rest and recover.” He lied, knowing full well that the two of them would never believe him. It wasn’t a secret they didn’t like him. He was always getting their precious child into loads of trouble, so it was understandable.

“Wasn’t comfortable at the hospital?!”

“So he’s home right now?” Mrs. Kim interjected before her husband could start yelling like she knew he would. She’d rather they not waste their breath on the problem child and use what energy they had left from their long trip to comfort their ailing son. “Rowoon!” She shouted up the stairs and brushed past Dawon with her heels hurriedly tapping on the floor.

“Wait!” Dawon dove to block the stairwell and stretched his arms out to cut her off. “You two must be starving after such a long flight. How about I treat you guys to a meal, huh? Doesn’t that sound great?”

Mrs. Kim looked at Dawon in disgust and took a deep breath to keep herself from throwing the boy out the window. “Dawon. If you don’t get out of my way right now, I am going to put you in the hospital, ok?” She gritted and turned to push past him, but Dawon persistently blocked her with a nervous grin.

“Damnit Dawon, get out of our way!” Mr. Kim shouted and mercilessly grabbed him and shoved him to the side. “You crazy boy!” He spat and followed his wife up to his child’s room, feeling more suspicious now that something was going awry.

Dawon cursed under his breath and ran after them, frantically yelling excuses and apologies. When he arrived at Rowoon’s bedroom, he was more surprised than either of them to see a clean room and a sleeping Rowoon tucked nicely into his bed—that just a few minutes ago was a mess of torn fabric.

“Hwiyoung!” Mrs. Kim cooed at the bowing boy who greeted them upon arrival.

“Dawon didn’t tell us that you were here!” Mr. Kim said with a hint of venom in his voice. “Is Sooyoung here too? Have you eaten?” They both showered him with questions and compliments, which was expected of them. To them, he was the upright, well behaved friend who they adored. And again, it was no secret. They were always very straight forward about their feelings towards anyone involved with their one and only gem of a son.

Hwiyoung smiled warmly at the two and offered for them to take his place at Rowoon’s bedside. “I’m happy you made it back from your trip safely.”

Mrs. Kim sat down in the chair Hwiyoung had been seated in and she took Rowoon’s hand into her own, worriedly studying every detail of her son’s face with tears beginning to wet her eyes.

“Thank you, son. I’m glad you were here to take good care of our Rowoonie.” Mr. Kim gave him a hardy pat on the back and then joined his wife next to the bed.

Mrs. Kim sniffled and lolled her head back to keep her tears from escaping her eyes. “Ommo, how could this happen to our baby. We’re very sorry honey.” She blubbered while massaging his hand in hers.

When Hwiyoung approached Dawon, the dark-haired boy fixed his glasses on his face and roughly pulled him in close. “What did you do? Where did all the stuff go?!” He whispered, but Hwiyoung only shrugged in response.

“Well, now that you’re both here, I think it’s about time we went home.” Hwiyoung smiled and bowed, forcing Dawon down with him by pressing his hand on his back.

“Oh no! Hwiyoung! Stay! Stay! We’ll make you something to eat, have you had dinner yet?” Mr. Kim was more than happy to offer a meal to him. Notice he left Dawon out. Typical.

“It’s ok, we already ate. Thank you though.” Hwiyoung turned him down and started out the door. “Thank you again. Please take good care of Rowoon!” He bowed slightly and said his goodbyes while tugging Dawon along with him.

On their way out of the house, Dawon stopped and stared Hwiyoung straight in the face. “What on earth is going on. Could you please explain something to me, because I’m having an extremely hard time trying to wrap my brain around all of this.” He pleaded his friend for answers.

Hwiyoung patted Dawon’s shoulder and walked off with his hands tucked into his pockets. “Go home Dawon.” Was all he said, leaving the other boy standing there dumbfounded and feeling lost.

“Oh Rowoon …” he sighed. “What have you gotten yourself into…?”

✦✦✦

Later that night, someone was vigilantly watching the the window of Rowoon’s room from across the street. A boy with snowy white hair was leaning up against the trunk of a tree with his arms crossed over his chest. His leather jacket and jeans seemed light for the chilly, late-fall weather, but he wasn’t cold at all. His eyes were fixed on the lit-up room and he could tell that the two adults were still at his side.

“Hey! Kim Taehyung, when are we going to nab this kid? Aren’t you worried he’s going to end up ripping his parents to pieces if we just sit here waiting?” A pretty faced girl with rosy cheeks and orange dyed hair hotly stalked up to him, clearly itching to spring into action if given the order to.

Taehyung closed his eyes and mentally tried to drown her out. He didn’t feel like listening to her complaining, but she just had to follow him when he had everything handled. Or at least, he liked to think that.

“Oh, so you’re going to ignore me now? Hey, I’m not the one who let him get away in the first place. If you had grabbed him before the infection started, then we wouldn’t be in this situation now. I can’t believe I have to be your babysitter.” The girl incessantly nagged at Taehyung, making his body heat up with anger. As her words continued to assault his ears, he finally snapped.

“Would you shut the hell up?!” He growled, grabbing the girl by the collar of her sweater, noticeably fuming behind glowing yellow eyes. The girl struggled against his grip and pried his hands off of her with a hiss.

“Don’t get angry at me Taehyung! I’m not the one who messed up here, you are!” She pointed out furiously and fiddled with the ripped cotton of her yellow sweater. “Now look what you did.” She grumbled and clicked her tongue in annoyance.

Taehyung rolled his eyes and breathed deeply to calm himself down. In his defense, it wasn’t an easy feat to sneak a patient like him out of a busy hospital, and it was just his luck that that monster of a wolf came looking for him so early. It was odd, but it didn’t matter now. The infection was spreading through Rowoon’s body, and they needed to take him as soon as possible.

“There is nothing we can do tonight while they are with him.” Taehyung explained, crossing his arms back over his chest.

“So we’re just going to pray he doesn’t hurt them in the process? Are you nuts?” The girl chuckled in a mixture of anger and disbelief. “You can smell it, I can smell it, I’m sure every wolf within miles of here can smell that awful stench. The infection is spreading. I don’t know why he smells so strongly of it, but we both know he’s not safe. He’s going to do something unforgivable at this rate, something that he won’t be able to come back from. We need to take him now while we still have the chance.”

“Everyone’s different, you know.” A deep, male’s voice brought both their attentions up to a boy who was lounging comfortably on the branch of a tree a little white dog in his arms. He had a much different vibe than Taehyung. His aura was warmer, and his broad shoulders and large build gave him the appearance of someone with a great amount strength—though the way he smiled lovingly at the little dog in his hands actually made him seem quite gentle.

“Don’t tell me you agree with him?” The girl sighed and rested her hands on her tiny waist.

The boy shrugged and cocked his head to the side while watching the window of Rowoon’s room. “He isn’t active right now, and as long as that monster stays away from him, I think he’ll last the night.” He slowly the relaxed dog and blinked his yellow eyes. “Besides, we can’t bust in there and steal him in front of his parents. That would do more harm to us than needed.”

“Good to know you’re on my side.” The girl scowled sarcastically and began marching away from them. “I can’t stand here with you two. You both piss me off.”

“Hey! Wait for me!” The boy in the tree hopped down with the dog carefully cradled in his arms and followed behind the girl with a cheeky smile. “Do a good job, eyy~?” He winked at Taehyung and hurried to catch up with the fleeing she-wolf.

Taehyung clenched his fists together and glared at the window once again. He needed to fix this. He wasn’t going to make another mistake. This time he was going to take Rowoon no matter what. It was just a waiting game now.

✦✦✦

The next morning Rowoon tiredly rubbed at his face once he woke up. His body was stiff from sleep and he slowly sat upright against the backboard of his bed. There was still a slight ache in his torso where the bite was, but besides that, he felt relatively healthy.

Peering over at the side of his bed, Rowoon was surprised to see his mother’s sleeping figure hunched over in a chair with her head resting on the bed. He smiled at her, knowing full well that she had probably stayed up the entire night watching over him. She had always been one of those overprotective mothers.

He was about to wake her up when he suddenly heard a pulsing sound, similar to a heartbeat. It was weak at first then became progressively louder. Rowoon searched for the source of the sound and stopped when his eyes fell on his mother’s neck. His sharp gaze became fixed on her veins as they shimmered bright red.

That was when Rowoon felt a building hunger in the pit of his stomach. His mouth began to water and an overwhelming urge to sink his teeth into something had him leaning in close to the nape of his mother’s neck. He could see the flow of blood coursing just below her skin. His eyes flickered yellow. The scent was so tempting.

“Honey, are you awake? I made breakfast.”

Rowoon’s whole body pulled back at the sudden arrival of his father at the door. His hands were shaking, sweat trickled down his face, and he panted heavily. What had gotten into him?

“Rowoon you’re awake!” His father smiled from ear to ear. “Honey! Wake up! Rowoon is awake!” He hurried over to her and gently shook her awake.

“What? What is it?” She groaned tiredly and took a second to realize her son was looking back at her. “Rowoon!” Like a switch, she shot up from her chair and hugged him tightly.

Rowoon gasped at the contact and was more terrified than happy. He didn’t feel right. In that moment, he had almost completely lost himself. He came just seconds from hurting his mother. If his father hadn’t popped in, then he knew he would have done it. He knew because he wanted to do it. Even now as his mother squeezed him lovingly, the simple touch of her skin sent his taste bunds into a frenzy. The closer he got, the better he could hear the blood. It was irresistible.

“Rowoon? Did you hear me?”

Rowoon snapped back into reality at his father’s voice. “W-what?” He stammered; his voice shaky.

His parents exchanged worried glances and his mother his bangs out of his face.

“Are you feeling alright? You look sick.” His father repeated his question, speaking slowly to make sure his son heard him this time.

“You’re so pale.” His mom whimpered while his cheek.

Rowoon shook his head and pushed her hand away with a smile. “I’m fine. Just tired.” He told them.

“Fine? From what they told us, you should be anything but fine!”

“Guys, I’m serious. It wasn’t as bad as you think! It was just a little bump and scratch, nothing to be too concerned about.” He patted himself down and smiled reassuringly. “I promise, mom.” It was his mother that needed the most convincing.

She still had her doubts, but finally gave in. “Fine, but I still want you to get plenty of rest! I won’t leave your side until I know you’re one hundred percent better!”

Rowoon nodded and his mother his bangs out of his face.

“Are you hungry? I made all of your favorite dishes!” His father offered happily.

“You cooked?” Rowoon laughed at the thought.

“Of course! Your mother is not the only one in this household with a talent for cooking.” He pouted.

“How about we all eat together? It’s been a while since we ate a meal as a family.” Ms. Kim clapped her hand excitedly at the idea.

Rowoon was hesitant but nodded with a nervous smile. Maybe some food in his stomach would set his mind straight?

To his parent’s surprise, Rowoon could get around a lot better than they expected. His mother was especially floored at her son’s health. Just last night he looked as sick as a dog, but looking at him now, he did appear a lot better. It was odd. Being in the medical field herself, it was definitely odd.

Ms. Kim volunteered to help him to the kitchen, but Rowoon insisted on moving on his own. He wasn’t limping or stumbling around, he actually walked normally.

When they all sat down at the kitchen table, Rowoon’s father served their breakfast, giving Rowoon generous portions of food and encouraging his son to eat lots.

“Eat and regain your strength!” Mr. Kim cooed and started eating.

Rowoon nodded and stared down at the food presented to him. He was starving but none of the food looked appetizing. Was he actually sick? It would explain his strange appetite. Then again, back when he was in the hospital the food they gave him didn’t suit his fancy either.

“How was your trip to Africa?” Rowoon began stalling.

Ms. Kim swallowed a spoonful of soup before answering. “It was wonderful! I got to treat a lot of children while we were there.”

“We got to go on a safari ride this time too. I took so many pictures of the lion pride we came across. It was so beautiful. I’ll have to show you everything when we’re finished eating.” Mr. Kim was more than excited to share details about their travels.

Rowoon’s parents often traveled to different countries around the world for their jobs. His mother was a pediatrician who devoted herself to treating children that can’t afford medical care, whereas his father was a professional photographer that documented her work and also took photos for different kinds of magazines.

It was safe to say that his parents were rarely home. They would be gone for months on end, but Rowoon wasn’t bothered by their absences. They often contacted him wherever they were without fail. He had no doubts in their love for him. In fact, they used to be extremely clingy to the point of suffocation. Having them gone for long periods of time was a big change that he quickly got used too. He was just happy to see his parents pursuing and enjoying their passions.

“Honey, you haven’t touched your food yet.” Ms. Kim stopped and watched as Rowoon pushed his food around with his chopsticks.

“Huh? Oh… oh yeah.” Rowoon smiled sheepishly and hesitantly grabbed a mixture of rice and meat. His parents were observing him with a slight suspicion they both collectively felt.

Rowoon slowly took a mouthful and his taste buds instantly shriveled at the flavor. It was one of the worst things he’d ever tasted, if not the worst.

“It’s delicious.” He choked out, carefully chewing the food without showing any sign of distaste.

“That’s a relief!” His father settled back in his chair and mentally high-fived himself for doing a good job.

His mother, on the other hand, had her suspicious eyes still fixed on her son. “You know what I just noticed?” She said.

“What is that dear?”

“Rowoon isn’t stuttering.” She pointed out.

“Really?”

“He isn’t using his glasses either. Did you get contacts somehow?”

Rowoon was still stuck on the same mouthful of food. Chewing was challenging and as he swallowed, his stomach churned and the unmistakable feeling of impending throw up came hurling at him almost instantly.

His eyes widened and he quickly excused himself from the table with his hand covering his mouth and made a break for the bathroom.

“Rowoon!” His mother yelled behind him.

Rowoon dropped down on the bathroom floor next to the toilet and the contents of his stomach, which wasn’t a lot, spilled out of him with a vengeance.

“Rowoon! Are you ok?! What’s wrong?!” His parents pounded at the bathroom door in a panic.

“Don’t come in!” Rowoon growled painfully. He lifted his head from the toilet with sharp nails grinding against the white porcelain. He coughed and hacked at the taste and weakly heaved himself up to his sink where he looked at himself in the mirror. His chest burned and he could have sworn he had seen his eyes turn yellow. Lifting his sweatshirt, he cringed at the sight of the purple webbing that spread even further across his chest and abdomen. This wasn’t right. “What’s happening to me?” He questioned himself.

“Kim Rowoon you come out here right now!” His mother demanded as she pulled at the locked doorknob.

The door suddenly swung open and his parents inspected him immediately. He was pale and a little sweaty, but other than that he looked normal.

“Come on, you need to go back to the hospital if you’re feeling so sick! Honey, get the car started!” His mother sprung into emergency mode, grabbing her son’s arm for support.

“No. I can’t.” He yanked his arm away, leaving his mother in a state of shock.

“You can’t?”

“I mean…. I think I need to leave.” Rowoon muttered.

“Leave?”

His parents looked at him like he had two heads. They were more than a little confused.

“What do you mean? Yes, you need to leave! You should be heading back to the hospital!” His father chuckled awkwardly.

“Rowoon, did you hit your head that badly?” His mother whimpered and reached out to touch his forehead, but Rowoon avoided her by backing up into the bathroom.

“I can’t explain things now. I just need to go.” He tried to escape but was stopped.

“Hold on! Wait! What do you think you’re doing? What has gotten into you?” His father stepped in his way to block him from leaving. He could tell his temper was coming through by the aggressiveness in his tone.

“You need help Rowoon!” His mother grabbed his arm again, begging him to cooperate. “You were hurt and you’re very sick!”

When he turned to his mother, her entire body faded into an intricate pattern of shimmering red veins. The sight frightened him, and he forcefully tore his arm free.

“Rowoon!?”

Rowoon cringed as the haunting sounds of two heart beats began to stream into his ears. The hunger was still there. It scared him. He needed to get away.

“I’m sorry, I just need to go.” He gave his mother a pat on her shoulder and ducked under his father’s arm so he could run to the front door and exit the house. All awhile his parents yelled for him to come back without any luck.

Rowoon sprinted down the street in hopes of distancing himself from them. Until he could figure out what was wrong with himself, he didn’t want to put his parents in any kind of danger.

 Another chapter? Yeeees! I honestly didn't like this chapter. ONLY becuase, out of all of the chapters I've worked on, this one gave me the most trouble.

And oook! Have any of you seen Extraordinary You yet? I'm in love!! Rowoon is receiving so much love from the show! I hope this helps bring more popularity to SF9! They deserve it soooooooo much!!