The lights of the town had gone dim. Replaced by beautiful and colorful orange lanterns in the shaped of pumpkins, swaying lightly on the many rows of wires on top of his head. It was the night of 30th of October. His most favorite holiday might have just begun.

In silence he walked around the vacant road, sometimes looking up on the spooky carved lanterns while still keeping himself hidden inside the cloak that obviously was too big for his body. He hasn't ate for days, and tonight might be the best night to hunt, since everyone will be out on the streets even at past 10 PM on this very night. Most nights he would resort to the nearby forest, looking for preys inside the dark (some to have said and he overheard) haunted - forest.

In the old days, there used to be hunters residing inside those forests. Living only by hunting some foxes and wild rabbits that inhabited it. There were carpenters, living by chopping the big chunks of wood and sell them to town. Among these people, there were also people ventured to the forest clearing to have a picnic in daylight. The forest were lovely at daylight, but the same cannot be said in the night. There were those men whose curiosity failed them to listen to their own conscience that there is nothing good about that murky, abandoned pine forest, and go inside when twilight breaks, just because of a dare from a friend. Only to be reported as missing the next day. 

These days, hundreds of years later, that very same forest stood still, cold and unhinged. More and more people have come to realize that the forest bears ill to many, they started to make scary stories to scare people off, the goal is simple, to make as much people stay away from the forest at all costs. To these (some utterly ridiculous) stories, sometimes he chuckled and wondered why do people scared of the dark yet drawn to such horror stories like ants to a candy. He grumbled, remembering that because of these stories, the Mayor of the town had decided to build firm wired fence surrounding the edge of the forest back in 1817. Completely sealing off the forest from prying children and adults. 

Hyukjae, he remembered that was the birth name give by his mother, strolling through the edge of the vines that now well covered the aging wired fence. At times he looked to the long length of the fences to find there were newer woodplates get stuck there. More warnings to not enter the forest especially after 8 PM - 5 AM. He scoffed at that newly painted wooden plate, it must be Mayor Nam's new regulations, because as dull as this town is, many people still don't listen or rather, read those warnings. He thought he really needed to rearrange his mealtime.

The church clock chimed eight times when Hyukjae had finally got back on the town streets, and he could see many children started to emerge from their houses doors, dressing up as ghosts, ghouls, or zombies. Some dressed up as aliens, and astronauts, yes, this is the night where you can really explore and be someone, or something else other than yourself entirely. This was what Hyukjae loved the most from this particular day. 

No one would think or see him differently. Tonight he will be just a man in a silly costume. They are finally equals.

---

"Hello, ahjussi! What are you dressed up as?" 

Suddenly he can feel a little boy perched quite tightly on the leg of his long hooded robes. He turned around, removing the hood from his head. As the kid made contact with Hyukjae's eyes, he whimpered slightly while clutching his little pumpkin basket, he was dressed up as a wizard with a long pointy Merlin hat, frightened as he stepped back. 

From afar, Hyukjae can see a woman ran toward the child, ah, the mother, he thinks, as she approached the little boy closer.

"Donghae!"

---

The clock strikes nine times as he walked, crossing all of the thresholds in the neighborhood. The celebration was just begun as more people gathered, more adults also going out in costumes, he saw Yesung, a man living on the upper story of his own cafe with his family, dressing up as Chucky, looking not so menacing as he ran around chasing kids with his fake knive. At the other end of the lane he saw Kyuhyun emerged, who just dressed as an Red Crewmate from Among Us, walking around with the other crewmates in colours, yellow, purple, blue, green, all laughing out loud walking inside a house with loud music banging inside. 

Watching people are one of Hyukjae's most favorite passtime, he smiled beneath his cloak, being what he is, he had unparalleled senses, he could differentiate human blood from miles away, he could listen to conversations from afar, his eyes are sharp and clear, he could go out in the dark and see everything. All he wanted for tonight was to eat, it has been weeks since he last fed on the wolves inside the forest, yet he tried to bury that thirst aside. He needs to find him first. He searched him through all his senses yet he detected nothing. The autumn breeze blew his hood as he approached the center of the town where a big fountain stood in the middle. He could hear the water sound splashing noisily in his ear, trying to focus on the sound instead of the crowd assembling on the town square for a parade. 

He sat himself on the edge of the fountain stones, closing his eyes and focusing the entirety of his other senses to find him. The one that he could never forget even after years later.

---

"Donghae! How many times have I told you? Don't run away from me like that!" and then realizing Hyukjae was standing there, the woman extend her apology to him. "Please forgive him, he's a very curious kid,"

Hyukjae smiled politely and bowed to the woman. To the little boy, he got on one knee and produce a candy from his long white fingers, putting them inside his little basket. Donghae beamed. He looked at the woman with two eyes filled with excitement, "Mum look! My first candies!" His mother smiled at him lovingly while asking him to say thank you to the stranger. Donghae beamed and bowed as deep as he could, "Thank you ahjussi!" 

That night Hyukjae felt what he had never felt before in hundreds of years he roamed the earth. 

Warmth.

---

"Yes I will be back at 2 AM max, ok? I will be with Yunho all night you don't have to worry, Mum." 

Hyukjae grinned widely as he found the voice he was looking for. He felt all of his senses tried to work as hard as they could instead of his growing hunger. They are weakened yet he could still listen to foot steps as the said boy jogged through the road approaching the townsquare. As he could smell Donghae's unique scent of peach and honey getting closer, he opened his eyes and remove his hood. He could hear Donghae's pant as he ran passed the fountain, to meet with Yunho, a tall man of good looks that apparently Donghae had a crush on since forever. By forever he meant since the first grade of his high school.

"Yunho?" those sweet brown rimmed orbs glittered as he stood before him. Yunho greeted him casually while circling his arm around Donghae and kissing his mop of soft brown hair, while continued talking to his group of friends. 

Seeing the scene unraveled in front of him, Hyukjae scoffed, if only he could let Donghae see how that man is a complete arse. Despite of the efforts of him winning championship on his high school, being a student body president, and even taking hearts everywhere, including Donghae's parents, the man was a complete dickhead and Hyukjae still cannot fathom how does a man as sweet as Donghae fall in love with such a person.