Getting to know a vampire might not be that bad after all. Who’d have thought vampires were actually gentler than what had been told in history? Despite the fact that I had just met Donghae a few days ago, I could tell that he wasn’t dangerous at all. It’d be great to have a friend like him, but I was extremely sure that grandpa wouldn’t be so happy to know about this. It wasn’t like he hated vampires, but he didn’t like them either.

“It’s not that I hate vampires, but we have a rule that forbids us from getting close to them.”

I nearly fell off of the couch when I heard grandpa’s voice. I looked around in panic, only to sigh in relief when I realized he was actually talking to the always curious Ryeowook. And here I thought he might have found out that I had actually met a vampire.

Grandpa threw a glance at me, giving me this unreadable look that I had always hated. He was always hard to predict. I couldn’t even tell what was going on in his mind, regardless of the fact that we had been living together for six years.

“Goodnight, kids.”

I heard grandpa said before he climbed up the stairs and disappeared from my sight. I suddenly felt the urge to go out, enjoying the fresh night air, and maybe, I could even meet Donghae again. But just then, my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. I glanced at the digital clock on top of the coffee table in front of me, which clearly read 11.00 pm. Who in the world would come at this hour?

“Coming!” I was half yelling as the doorbell rang once again. And right after I opened the door, my jaw dropped in surprise seeing an unexpected guest outside, or I could even say, uninvited as well. “Donghae?”

“Evening,” Donghae grinned. With one hand holding a box which I had no idea what it was, he placed his other hand on the doorframe, as if trying to prevent me from closing the door. “Is your family at home?”

“Wait, wait a second,” I lowered my voice as I glanced at my back, trying to make sure that Ryeowook wasn’t looking at us. “What are you doing here? And how did you find my house anyway?”

“I have a very good sense of smell, you see,” Donghae replied, “And I really want to see you again. So, yeah, here I am.”

“You followed my scent?”

“Exactly.”

“You sound like a stalker.”

“Ouch, I’m offended, Hyukjae.”

“Look,” I sighed, trying to think of proper words that I could come out with. I wanted to see him so badly too, but coming to my house wasn’t really a good idea, especially when my grandfather was at home. “It’s not that I don’t want to, Donghae, but you know, my grandpa... he’s not very fond of vampires…”

“It’s not a surprising thing.”

“Yeah, I know. So what I’m saying is-“

“I’ll just have to sneak into your room then.”

“No, I mean- wait, what?” I looked at him wide eyed, but he was already gone before I could stop him.

I was silently hoping that he wasn’t being serious, but the sudden loud sound coming from upstairs left me no other choice. I nearly tripped over my own feet as I hastily climbed up the stairs, gaining Ryeowook’s attention who then gave me this questioning look, full of curiosity. This is bad, I thought. If they were to notice a vampire was here, not to mention in MY room, I’d be done for.

“Ouch!”

I heard a groan from inside my room, followed by the sound of something dropping on the floor. I breathed out deeply as I stepped inside, crossing my arms over my chest as I looked at the struggling Donghae who was on the floor, with my books and papers scattering around him.

“Sorry,” Donghae grinned sheepishly, “I knocked down your things. But I didn’t do it on purpose, I swear.”

“You should’ve told me first before coming here,” I bent down, picking up the papers before helping him to stand. “If my grandpa were to see you, I don’t even know what’s going to happen.”

Instead of saying anything, Donghae just smiled at me and sat down on my bed, his eyes wandering around the room. I narrowed my eyes as I noticed a few cuts on his face, which clearly looked like they were still fresh and new.

“What happened to your face?” I sat down beside him, studying his flawless face that was now filled of scars.

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

“Did you get into a fight again?”

“You can tell?” Donghae scratched his head, with an idiotic grin plastered on his face.

Rolling my eyes, I inched closer towards him and cupped his face with my hands, focusing on healing his injuries, again. He still had that surprise look on his face, just like when I healed him for the first time. I could see the sparkling light reflected on his golden eyes, which were staring at me, watching my every movement.

“Stop troubling yourself Donghae, you might end up looking like a zombie at this rate,” I joked, though I was actually trying to break the awkward silence surrounding us. It felt so awkward, that I even found it hard to look at him in the eyes. I cleared my throat as I realized his eyes were still fixated on me.

“I’m done healing you,” I quickly said, pulling my hands back right away.

“Your hands are soft,” Donghae said.

I chuckled. “What does that supposed to mean?”

“It makes me feel calm, I like it. Do that again.”

“Do what?”

“Touch my face with your hands again.”

“You’re the weirdest guy I’ve ever met, Donghae,” I said teasingly, but I did as I was told, or more like, my hands were moving on their own.

I gently touched his head, before slowly moving my hand, patting his hair tenderly just like my late mother would do to me when I was young. For some reason, I felt like Donghae was no different than a lonely lost child, who was looking for comfort that could wash his loneliness away.

“Do you…always do these kinds of thing?” Donghae asked all of a sudden.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, umm, what I’m trying to say is…do you…touch other people too?”

I cocked an eyebrow, trying to figure out what exactly he was trying to imply. “What kind of question is that?”

“It’s nothing, forget it,” Donghae quickly said. He brushed my hands away, avoiding my gaze as he stood up and walked towards the balcony.

“You’re leaving?” I asked.  I felt a sudden feeling of disappointment in me, a strange feeling that I couldn’t really tell what it was.

Donghae turned around and stared at me for what felt like a very long time, his face was emotionless, but somehow, his eyes seemed to be telling something that I could never understand.

“Here, I brought something for you,” he finally said, handing me the small box he was holding earlier. “Strawberry cake.”

“You read my mind, didn’t you?” I said, though I couldn’t hide how happy I was to receive something that I loved from him. I was hiding my smile when I took the box from him, but he seemed to notice it, unfortunately.

“You look like you’re happy,” Donghae smirked. “I did a good job, I guess?”

“What’s with that?”

“Am I allowed to see you again?”

“Well, my grandpa would probably kick you out of the house if he sees you, but I’ll gladly welcome you with open arms.”

“That’s more than enough for me.”

I was startled when he walked towards me, quickly closing the distance between us. And in the blink of an eye, he was already right in front of me, pulling me into his embrace. I swallowed as I felt his warm hands on my back, holding me even tighter as if I would fly away if he were to let go of me.

“Forgive me for being selfish, Hyukjae,” he said, and I could sense a sad tone in his voice, “But you’re right, I’m living alone, and this loneliness is killing me. Just a few more days will do, please let me see you. I don’t want to be alone.”

I was too stunned to speak even a word. I didn’t have the slightest idea of what he had been through in his life, but I couldn’t resist him. However, before I could say yes and tell him that I’d be more than happy