chapter 24

Sunggyu places his hands in his lap, watching Sungjae carefully. "First, let's make a promise so we don't go back on our words, yeah?"

He nods slowly. "Wanna bring in one of your friends to release me? Just one hand will do."

Sunggyu looks up at the ceiling, unsure of where they are but knowing full well they can hear everything. The door opens and Hoya steps through with Taecyeon and Junho in tow. Hoya pulls Sunggyu aside and whispers quietly, "Can Sungjae really be trusted?"

"We need answers. I need answers. All he wants it to be set free."

"But we don't know what he's going to do if we let him out."

"Do we really have a choice, though?"

Hoya's expression is grave but Sunggyu has a point. He sighs and nods, heading back over to Sungjae. Junho nods at Taecyeon and Taecyeon unclasps one shackle. Sungjae rotates his wrist appreciatively before gesturing for Sunggyu to hold out his hand. He gasps slightly when Sungjae stabs a nail into Sunggyu's palm and then his own, watching red ooze out. Sungjae grasps his hand and squeezes their palms together. "I will tell you everything you want to know and you set me free."

Sunggyu makes a small squeak noise in agreement and Sungjae lets go of his hand, letting Sunggyu pull back his own. "So what would you like to know first?" He asks.

"Who I am. What I am."

Sungjae leans back against the stone wall and grins. He glances at the guards and figures they'd hear anyways so there's no point in requesting that they leave. "Do you know what an angel is, Sunggyu?"

"In the bible they are messengers of heaven."

"I guess from a religious point of view that would be correct. But in this world there is no God, no heaven. Just humans who believe in it. Angels are a special race that have long since died out. They are human and yet they are not. Spiritual and physical at the same time. Angels are pure at heart, like you. Their blood is as pure as their soul. They're healers. Beings of light. Call it what you will but that's what you are."

"How do you know I'm an angel?"

"Your blood. The moment I tasted it I knew and I'm sure the prince did too."

"But what about my parents? And if the race is extinct than what about me?"

"Your parents are completely human. They would have given off a certain aura if not but they’re so human it almost hurts. You're the last one left, though. What a coincidence it is that you also are the only one who can find the Key, eh?"

Sunggyu needs a moment to take it all in. There's no way this is really happening, right? It feels as though his whole life has been kind of a lie. He’s always believed he was 100% human, just one who had fallen into the supernatural world with a crash. He takes a deep breath in and Sungjae raises his eyebrows. “Don’t worry too much about it. You’re still human in a sense, just a little bit more. Think of it that way.”

Sunggyu sighs and presses the pads of his thumbs into his temple. Hoya rests a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “And where is the location. Tell me that and you’re free.”

The grin that breaks out on Sungjae’s face makes him look like he’s genuinely excited for this. “There are actually multiple entrances, you know. The closest one to here is at the bottom of the Crystal Lake. The mermaids and water sprites will lead you there. Although, they may not lead the vampires. You could ask, though. I’m sure they’d do anything for you, cutie.”

Sunggyu looks around the vampires who are scowling. “What?”

“The Crystal Lake is a very spiritual place and vampires aren’t often welcomed. There are a few exceptions and no one on the Council is an exception,” Junho answers.

Sungjae shrugs. “I’ve told you everything we agreed on. Now it’s your turn.”

…

Sunggyu refuses to talk to Woohyun as they had to the Crystal Lake. Instead, he sits close to Myungsoo and Hoya and talks to them. "So how's Sungyeol going to deal with this?"

"I don't know honestly. I’m not happy about leaving him by himself but I would never want to bring him here,” Myungsoo leans into the seat and glances up at the ceiling. “You should talk to Woohyun. I know he kept the truth from you but do you know why?”

“He wasn’t telling anything then so why would he tell me now?”

Myungsoo places a soothing hand on Sunggyu’s knee and looks at him. Hoya listens intently. “From your point of view it’s very unfair of Woohyun to keep things from you. Especially because of the bond you share. But try looking at it from Woohyun’s point of view. You know he still feels bad about most of this. I don’t think he regrets loving you - he would never regret that - or you loving him but he never wanted this for you. As creepy as it sounds, he’s been in love with you since you were… seven, I think it was.”

Sunggyu blushes. “How has he been in love with me for that long? We hadn’t met.”

“It isn’t that long for vampires and you had met once. I think Woohyun could tell you that story. But anyway, knowing that he was a vampire, he wanted to stay out of your life and watch over you. Like a guardian angel. You happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and there was no way Woohyun would let you die. He doesn’t regret letting you live but he regrets taking your life away. He doesn’t tell you things because he believes that the less you know, the more human you are and the more you are a part of the human world. He may be mislead and kind of stupid about it but he means well.”

Sunggyu slightly bites his lip and glances up at Woohyun who isn’t listening at all. Is that really how he thinks of it? But Sunggyu doesn’t regret anything at all. He feels Myungsoo nudge him and Sunggyu lets out a deep breath as he starts to move to sit beside Woohyun. Woohyun glances at Sunggyu and then back out the window. “Thought you weren’t talking to me.”

“I’m sorry.”

Woohyun whips his head to look at Sunggyu who is looking up at him through his eyelashes, looking adorable. He hadn’t expected Sunggyu to forgive him. He expected Sunggyu to be the one asking for an apology from Woohyun. “I was selfish and didn’t consider it from your point of view. I’m sorry, Woohyun.”

Woohyun waits an excruciating moment before pulling Sunggyu into a tight hug, nuzzling his face in Sunggyu’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, Sunggyu. I shouldn’t have kept it from you,” his words are muffled but Sunggyu hears them clearly. Rubbing his back, Sunggyu smiles. “Don’t keep things from me from now on, okay? And don’t regret anything because I don’t.”

Woohyun glances up at Sunggyu weirdly because how did Sunggyu know? But before he can ask, Sunggyu’s already beating him to it. “Tell me about how we first met. I don’t remember.”

Woohyun vaguely wonders how Sunggyu knows all this but he doesn’t question it aloud. “You were seven and you were with your mother. You were at a festival but you got lost and went to the forest where I was hanging around with some spirits…”

    Woohyun sat casually in a tree, leg hanging off the thick branch he was perched on. “I smell a human coming this way,” Yukwon said. Woohyun barely glanced up before dropping his head to rest against the trunk of the tree again.

“Oh I love humans!” Dongwoo squealed, bouncing up and down on his branch. “Should I show myself to them?”

“Do what you want,” Woohyun closed his eyes and begrudgingly wished that he could hide himself so that the human won’t see him. Spirits may be able to hide but vampires can’t. He could hear footsteps approaching by this point, and judging by how little sound they made and how short the strides were, it was a child coming.

“He’s so cute!” Dongwoo gushed. Woohyun opened his eyes and looked down at the boy. Cute was kind of an understatement. The boy had midnight black hair, smiling eyes and chubby cheeks. The boy slowed to a stop, looking around him. The boy looked worried and he gripped the edge of his shirt tightly. “Is he lost? Where’s his mum?” Dongwoo wondered out loud. The boy looked around as if he had heard something and instantly he seemed to relax when his little eyes landed on Woohyun.

“Oh, he noticed you,” Yukwon observed.

“Mister, do you know how to get out of this forest?” the boy asked.

Woohyun narrowed his eyes. “How did you find this forest?” he asked, genuinely curious because if any human could find themselves here, they would never find their way out. But it was unlikely for humans to come by this forest in the first place. This was a forest for the supernatural.

“I… was with my mummy and daddy at the festival but I lost them so I was looking for them and I came here. Do you know where they are?”

Woohyun shook his head. “Why don’t you just tell him the way out, Woohyun? He’s just a kid,” Dongwoo leaned close to Woohyun’s branch. He glanced down at the kid and grumbled something about not being a babysitter. “Just help the kid, Woohyun. He’s too cute and young to get lost forever.”

“It’s only because I’m nice and have nothing better to do,” Woohyun muttered before hopping down and approaching the kid. “I’ll show you the way out, kid. Follow me and don’t get lost because I won’t look for you if you get lost again.”

The smile that broke out on the kid’s face gave Woohyun a weird feeling, warm and different. “Thank you, mister!”

“What’s your name?”

“Kim Sunggyu, seven years old!”

Woohyun chuckled. “Come on, Sunggyu. The sun is setting so stay close.”

Woohyun felt a small hand intertwine with his and he looked down to see Sunggyu smiling up at him. Woohyun shook his head and walked ahead to where he could smell a large group of humans. But there was something about the way Sunggyu smelled, this adorable, lost puppy. Woohyun couldn’t quite put his finger on it. “Do you always sit in trees alone?” the boy asked.

“I wasn’t alone.”

“Oh, right. I couldn’t see them but I could hear them. They seemed nice.”

“You could hear them?”

“Yes. They called you Woohyun. Your name is Woohyun, right? I really like that name. It’s pretty.”

Woohyun was intrigued by how Sunggyu could even hear them. No ordinary human would be able to. But Woohyun assumed Sunggyu was just one of those rare people in touch with the spirit world. Dongwoo had told him about people like that but he’d never met one. “Aren’t you scared? Didn’t your parents ever teach you not to talk to strangers?”

“Are you going to eat me?”

“Eat you?”

“Daddy told me monsters will eat me so I should be careful.”

“Do you think I’m a monster?”

“Daddy says monsters hide in this forest and he told me not to come here but I couldn’t find him.”

“You should listen to your dad and not come here.”

“But even if you are a monster, you’re nice. So please don’t eat me.”

“I won’t eat you.”

Sunggyu giggled and suddenly there was a skip to his step. By the time they reached the edge of the forest and the festival could be seen in the short distance, night had completely fallen and the full moon was high in the sky which meant Woohyun had to stay high in a tree or go home because the werewolves would be out tonight. “This is as far as I’ll go. Can you make it back on your own?”

Sunggyu nodded and gestured for Woohyun to lean down. “Thank you, Woohyun! I hope you won’t eat anyone!” and then he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Woohyun’s cheek before running away, waving behind him. Woohyun watched him go, eyes wide. He felt his cheek and decided this was the best he felt in a long time.

“Wait, really? I don’t remember that at all.”

“I know you don’t remember. I kept an eye on you throughout the rest of your life and never planned to interfere until that night.”

Sunggyu’s face twists slightly because he remembers that night too vividly for his liking but he’s glad Woohyun was there or he’d have died without even remembering Woohyun. A comfortable silence falls until the spacious vehicle is pulling to a stop. “You’ll have to walk the rest of the way,” the driver tells them before getting out to open the door. They shuffle out and Sunggyu looks at his surroundings - a beautiful meadow ending at a forest of green trees and cherry blossoms. A creek cuts through the forest and Sunggyu assumes it leads to the Crystal Lake. “Well, on we go.”

dat flashback.