Mingi was always unwilling to let Yunho return to that godforsaken house, where he'd have to leave him to Serafia. 

"Why can't he stay with us?" he had asked his mom. "You already know she's a bad person, we can't trust her to not do anything to him!"

"Yunho's not a child anymore, Mingi," Yejin simply replied as she flipped her magazine. "And kidnapping him to our home isn't going to make the situation better. Plus, Yunho seems perfectly content with staying there. If any harm did come to him, you would know and he would tell you,"

Mingi folded his arms begrudingly, "I thought you said you believed me," 

This time Yejin did put her magazine down and settled it on the coffee table of the lounge. "I do believe you, but alerting them by doing something this sudden won't be of any help. Sofia musn't know any of this, so it's better if we keep this under wraps, even from Yunho," she checked her watch and glanced out the window for a brief moment. "The lawyers should be here any moment, I just hope Kanghoon had left any orders for them before..." she trailed off.

Mingi raised a brow, "Is that the reason you're sitting in the living room when you're usually still in the office?" he wondered how close of friends had Chairman Jeong and his mother had been, to the point she'd be in direct contact with his lawyers. "Mom, how close were you with Yunho's dad? I have to know about this at some point right?"

Yejin regarded her son for a moment and clasped her hands together, "We were friends since college, celebrated each other's graduation, attended each other's weddings. I was there for Yunho's mother's funeral," she said wistfully. "She barely knew her son, he was only five."

Mingi's earliest memories came in fragments, and it was no surprise it was with none other than Yunho. Two kids wandering the playground, on the swings, running and laughing. Mingi had always been lonely in school, too much of a slow eater that his classmates would leave the lunch table before him; Yunho then came along, like a ray of sunlight, holding his lunch tray that had been clearly eaten clean just to wait until Mingi finished his own food. He was never mad, always kind and considerate, never losing patience or temper. All the virtues of a good person.

It was all more the reason he didn't deserve his current fate.

"It didn't make sense to me how Kanghoon wanted to marry someone else after that," Yejin said. "He was a widower, but whenever I visited he seemed perfectly happy with his son. He even told me it was all he needed too, he was never going to find someone he loved as much as Yunho's mother,"

"And a few years after when I returned, I found out he had wedded again, with another lady much to my surprise. She wasn't someone I knew, nor had he spoken about her to me. I wanted to ask him, but I stopped myself because that was not my place to intrude; And people can always change their minds, about marriage and love and all that so I chose to not question it. At the time, I saw Sofia as someone people would unquestionably adore,"

Mingi shuddered at the thought.

"She was beautiful, gentle, seemed to shower Yunho with motherly love. She did look a tad bit too young for Kanghoon's usual taste, but I believed she provided the missing affection and support he had always needed. I never suspected anything else," she took a deep breath. "Until that accident, it wasn't the only thing that had happened that night. You see, it was Kanghoon that instructed me to take you away," 

Mingi stared in disbelief. Still, his mother continued, her voice strained. "I was at the hospital, waiting outside the operation room for you; Then these people arrived, telling me that it was Kanghoon who sent them, he warned me that it was not safe for you or me and more damage would come if we stayed. I wanted to protect you, Mingi. But my entire career, the company was based here. I did what I could, I never stayed one place for too long, fearing what Kanghoon said was true. The people he sent had arranged it all, I could take you anywhere in the world and you'd be safe,"

And it was followed by utter silence. "I thought I was too late as well, that whatever happened had traumatised you and you were imagining things, claiming Yunho wasn't dead when everyone thought he was," she fell quiet, Mingi knew it was because that turned out to be false. "I avoided visiting, in case it'd put Kanghoon in danger too. I didn't expect to see him in...that state when we returned," her lips quivered. 

Mingi remembered how miserable Chairman Jeong looked, distraught and unruly like a slug out of mud. "My worst suspicions came true, Sofia had a hand in this all along," he saw his mother's fists clench, like she was genuinely holding down her anger. "I failed my friend,"

For once, Mingi felt a connection with his mom he hadn't felt in so long, something he could relate to beyond mother-and-son surface level regard. He had failed protecting Yunho as a kid, and he's barely holding on now. "You haven't failed the Chairman, mom," he finally answered. "If there's a way you can protect Yunho from that...witch," he didn't hesitate and hoped Yejin only thought of it as an insult. "-then you haven't failed."

More determined than ever, he got up from his seat and returned to his bedroom, leaving his mother staring back at her son.

By the time Yunho went back into the house, something felt different. 

He had done as he always had, waved goodbye at Mingi in the car, an unreadable expression on his face he couldn't quite decipher; And the familiar sight of Letitia standing at the doorway ready to take his coat, a curt nod from her before saying, "Dinner is ready, Master Yunho, would you like me to heat it up for you?"

He usually would nod along and eat whatever that was prepared, but tonight he did not feel particularly hungry. Perhaps it was due to the bite from that woman in the salon from earlier, he still could feel the puncture wounds on his forearm; it barely hurt, like two slight pricks of a needle. "No it's fine, Letitia, I'll be in my room for now," he said.

"Is there anything else you'd like to request, Master Yunho?"

He looked around the oddly empty house, "Where's Sofia?"

"Out for an errand, she will be back shortly,"

"I see, may I know where has she gone to? It's quite late, will she be back for dinner?"

Something flashed across Letitia's face. "You don't usually ask so many questions, Master Yunho," she noted.

Yunho blinked in surprise. It was true, why hadn't he asked any questions before? 

"Oh, just curious that's all," he quickly deflected. "If there's nothing else, I'll be in my room,"

"Would you still like me to heat up your food in case you're hungry?"

Yunho wanted to insist that he wasn't hungry, but he held back. Instead, "That...would be nice," he blurted.

And gradually he backed away and walked up the stairs, away from Letitia's watchful eye. It was almost robotic, how he walked, as if his body was telling him to be careful to not make a mistake. But what mistake exactly?

When he reached his room, he felt his heart pounding and Yunho looked down at his hands: they were starting to shake and he stared. He could feel beads of sweat dripping on his chin, like his body was telling him that he was nervous. This was all very odd, maybe that bite really did have an effect on him. Yunho made a mental note to tell Serafia about this—

Serafia.

"Argh!" he winced when a creeping pain bloomed in his head. Hastily, he stumbled into the bathroom before his vision blurred. He almost found it hard to breath, whatever thoughts before were now paused abruptly. His hands fumbled for the tap, the gushing water could be heard and he splashed it on his face until it soaked his shirt. 

Yunho's fingers gripped the sink, his eyes firmly shut as he waited for the ringing to subside. He could almost feel everything shifting, even with his heavy breathing, the sounds before seemed muffled, like he had been in a different room the entire time, all his senses somehow had sharpened, the rich scent of honeysuckle perfume in the bathroom; the taste of blood where he had bitten the inside of his cheek to keep himself from blacking out.

And when he opened his eyes, everything had somehow shifted into focus. 

Yunho stared at himself in the mirror, as if he was seeing himself for the first time. The front of his hair had been drenched, his pupils shook: I'm not a ghost. 

"Uh-" he backed away from the sink, his legs unsure of what to do. All this time, it felt like he had been doing and seeing things through a glass wall and now he felt entirely in control. He was alive, he hadn't been before, the reality hit him in a nauseous wave as he staggered out the bathroom. Still, he was shaky and his body accidentally knocked into the floor lamp just outside the door, sending it crashing to the floor. 

He leaned against the wall as he waited for the nausea to go away, all while his mind was still working. How long had he been in this daze? How long had time passed since he was no longer a ghost? Mingi-

Mingi, Yunho's head screamed. 

Ara, there was this name as well. The feeling was odd whenever it came up, and Yunho was unsure why. But every nerve in his body was prickling at the mention of it, as if conveying the same message: Protect her, at all costs. Do not put her in danger.

Quickly, he fumbled for his phone and dialed the number. His pulse was racing, like he was running a marathon against time. Pick up, pick up pick up-

"Hello?..." Mingi's grogy voice could be heard on the other side. 

Yunho almost forgot how to speak, a million words going through his mind. And yet he couldn't say anything.

"Yunho? Hello?"

"Mingi, listen to me!" Yunho finally hissed. "I know what's going on now, I don't know why but I do. Mingi can you hear me?"

There was a short pause, he could hear someone pulling away the cover of a bed, rustling. 

"Yunho, what's going on? Hold on, I'm coming to get you," Mingi answered.

"No!" Yunho blurted out, possibily a bit too loud. At this point his system had gone autopilot and he couldn't control half the words escaping his mouth. "Don't come, I'm fine. Listen I don't know how long I'll stay alert as I am now, I think it was the vampire bite, I don't know for sure,"

"You remember?" Mingi's voice was hopeful.

"Yes, I do. I've always known...I can't explain it. Just-"

And there was a knock on the door.

Yunho whirled around, he had to stop panicking. Still there was one last thing he needed to say.

"Yunho,what was that?"

"Ara, keep her safe!" and just like that he ended the call.

His hands were shaking when he opened the door, and Serafia was standing outside, wearing a surprised expression. Yunho felt like lurching all over again, his insides twisting with hatred.

Serafia's frowned, "Yunho, is everything alright? I heard something fall here when I came to call you down for dinner-"

Don't be suspicious.

Impulsively, he pulled her into a startling hug, his arms wrapping around Serafia's body.

"Oh!" she yelped in surprise. 

"I'm glad you're back," he decided to say cautiously, he hoped the faintness in his voice sounded like relief and not anything else. 

"I-Is something wrong?" the concern on her face was almost believable, but Yunho knew better.

He his lips, "Nono, it's just...I missed you, and it was getting dark," he rambled. "It's not safe at this hour,"

Serafie didn't seem to find it unusual, she chuckled and ruffled his hair affectionately. "I'm in no danger silly, now come, we should have dinner together."

He smiled, "That sounds perfect."

Only as they walked, she didn't see Yunho's knuckles turn white or his jaw set.

He hoped he could continue this charade long enough.