Hoonbi Spinoff: Halloween Edition

Blood.

Everything was covered in blood.

Serin was covered. Hoon was covered. And from what she could ascertain, Soohyun was covered in blood and probably also dead. Hoonbi was gone, as was their hope. Serin took a breath to steady herself. “We need to think of a way out of this mess,” she desperately told Hoon.

“I don’t think there is a way out,” he countered, dejected. “Not without Hoonbi.”

She thought about their situation, desperately trying to figure out how to get out considering how they’d gotten themselves into it…

-

They’d arrived at the apartment together. Soohyun and Hoon had stopped to pick up Serin before going over to Hoonbi and Soohyun’s apartment. They were going to have Halloween party, watching scary movies and seeing who handled it the worst. Serin knew it would be Hoon. She, while not a huge fan of the genre, had seen her fair share thanks to her older brother, Hyunsaeng, who happened to be a horror movie enthusiast.  Of course, that was something she’d never told Hoonmin, never really felt the need to, so she now figured she’d surprise him with her unflinching demeanor while he would cower in fear while making promises to comfort her. The idea of comforting him instead amused her, so she stayed quiet.

They walked in to find Hoonbi missing, probably in the bathroom, with a movie already playing. They paid it no mind, going to grab some snacks before sitting down to start watching the movie. The movie was in English, surprisingly, with no subtitles on, which confused Serin. She reached out for the remote so she could change the settings; she could understand the dialogue, but the others couldn’t. When she did so was when things had gone wrong. The three were pulled into a vortex, landing in a cold icy climate, and Serin cursed. “Dammit, Hoonbi! Stop leaving your out! I didn’t want to go somewhere cold again.”

She started shivering, and Hoon stepped up in front of her and wrapped his arms around her. “Where are we?” Soohyun asked.

“I’m guessing,” Serin said icily, “that damn remote was one of those damn magical items of his, and now we’re stuck in whatever movie was playing.”

Hoon nodded. “That seems like a good guess.”

“Does anyone know what movie we’re in?” Serin asked.

The two men with her shrugged, unsure. “It was a foreign movie. I didn’t recognize it. I mean, we’d just sat down,” Soohyun replied.

“Well…” Hoon offered hopefully, “I can’t tell you where we are, but there’s a big castle that way,” he said pointing behind both Serin and Soohyun, “and it looks like there’s a village between here and there, judging by the smoke.”

Without a word, they agreed to head that direction, knowing that it was cold and that without getting something warmer on, they would have an experience much like their first with Hoonbi’s magical items. Nearly freezing to death.

The trek lasted nearly an hour, and it was fortunate that it was mostly uphill, as the exertion was what kept them warm. When they entered the town they received strange looks from the townsfolk, who were all dressed as though they were from Europe over 100 years ago.  Serin wasn’t surprised considering their modern clothes. They must look strange, indeed.  A second thought occurred to Serin. They were in a movie, and it was highly possible that no one in this desolate village had ever seen anyone from Asia. She quickly and quietly told Hoon and Soohyun, “Let me do the talking. I doubt these people will know Korean.” She approached an elderly lady who was gawking at them and said, “Excuse me.” The woman looked taken aback. Surprised.

“You are human?” she questioned.

Serin made a puzzled face. “Yes. Why wouldn’t we be?”

“An evil haunts the castle. It’s best not to trust strangers.”

“Did someone… come through here earlier? Did he go to the castle?”

The old woman looked puzzled. “Yes. How did you know?”

“Ah,” Serin said, unsure of how to explain. “We’ve followed him here from a faraway land. We can’t go home without him. Do you think you could help us?”

“I need to see your reflection first,” she said. “All of you. So I know you are human.”

Serin, quick on the uptake and somewhat versed in mythological beings, knew without a doubt that the old woman was speaking of vampires. The realization sent a shiver of terror down her spine. “Ma’am,” she said kindly, trying to keep fear from creeping into her voice, “if we were the monsters you fear, we could not be out in the sunlight.”

“I still want to be sure. You are strangers, with strange eyes and strange skin. I must be sure.”

Serin politely agreed. “Okay.” The old woman wandered off to find a mirror. While she waited, Serin called Hoon and Soohyun over and quickly explained the situation to them.

“Hoonbi dragged us into a vampire movie?” Soohyun groaned. “What if we die?”

Hoon frowned. “Something doesn’t seem right about this. I think something’s wrong.”

“We’re in a vampire movie, Hoonmin,” Serin said sternly. “Of course something’s wrong.”

“I mean… I think Hoonbi’s in trouble,” Hoon explained. “There’s something about the whole situation that doesn’t seem like how he usually operates. He probably planned on returning by now. There must be a reason why he didn’t.”

The old lady returned, cutting off their conversation, and held a mirror before them. All three had reflections, easing her apprehensions, and she beckoned them to follow her. The trio trudged along the narrow street, the sweat on their clothes from their hike now making them feel bitterly cold after standing and waiting the 10 minutes it took to convince the old woman of their humanity. They reached her small cottage quickly, and the three were glad to settle inside in front of the fireplace.

“My name is Eva,” the old woman said. Serin nodded, catching sight of a crucifix behind Eva and smiling. It was a second test of their humanity, she was sure. One they would pass without issue.

“I am Serin. My companions are my husband, Hoonmin, and our friend, Soohyun.”

“Those are such unusual names,” she stated. “I don’t think I’ll be able to pronounce them.”

“It’s okay. We’re simply thankful for your help.”

It was a quiet evening for the most part, with Hoon and Soohyun feeling too anxious to chat, and Serin unsure what to ask Eva, who had fed them a garlic heavy meal and brought them suitable clothing for the temperature. It wasn’t until Eva asked who they were trying to rescue that they learned just how desperate their situation was.

“There was a young man who passed through here earlier. He looked like you do. Is he who you seek?”

“He is,” Serin answered. “He is my brother-in-law. He has a special power that will allow us to return home.”

“So he is magic,” she mused. “Perhaps that helped him in his travels.”

“We must find him quickly.”

“You can’t leave now,” she said fearfully. “You’ll die.”

Hoon had understood that particular statement. So had Soohyun. “We’ll die?” Soohyun asked.

Eva looked at them, surprised. They hadn’t spoken to her before. “Yes. It is night now. You will die.”

Serin quickly translated for them, adding, “Of course. We’re dealing with vampires.”

“The creatures of the night have been increasingly active. Many people have died, all the blood from their bodies and left in the cold for us to find in the morning. We are simply their meals.”

“Has anyone tried to kill them?” Serin asked.

“They have tried. All have failed.”

“We need to go to the castle and save my husband’s brother. How can we win if we get into a fight?”

“Go during the day,” Eva said. “They sleep. Do not fight them. They will kill you.”

“How many are there?” she asked, uneasy.

“No one knows for sure,” Eva explained. “But by our estimations, at least seven.”

Serin nodded her understanding, and together she, Hoon and Soohyun started forming a plan while Eva excused herself for bed. Serin turned back to them somberly. “I think you were right, Hoonie. Hoonbi is in big trouble.”

“I don’t think we can wait until morning to go,” Hoon expressed. “He might already be dead.”

“I think you’re probably underestimating him,” Soohyun stated. It was clear from his expression that despite his words, he was still very worried for his roommate.

“I’m in a hurry to find Hoonbi, too, Hoonie, but I don’t think going out at night is the safest bet for us. We’d be sitting ducks, just waiting to die if we go out now. We should wait until day breaks. It’s safe in here. Hoonbi would have been prepared for this. We have no idea what we’re getting into.”

“How do you know it’s safe in here?” Hoon questioned.

“Well, if these vampires act according to proper legend, they can’t enter a home unless they’re invited in. And I doubt Ms. Eva was just throwing around invitations to people she didn’t know.”

Soohyun’s face froze. “Is it possible that she might know one of them? What if one of the vampires was her kid that got turned or something?”

“Calm down,” Serin instructed. “Panicking isn’t going to get us anywhere.”

“Not doing anything isn’t going to get us anywhere either. Hoonbi might need us right now,” Hoon insisted.

Serin put her hand to her temple and rubbed in frustration. “We need a plan of action. Before we do anything.”

Soohyun nodded. “Let’s get what rest we can before sunrise. Then we’ll journey to the castle.”

“It’ll take forever by foot. We should see if we can borrow horses,” Serin suggested.

Soohyun and Hoon both eyes her dubiously. “Borrow horses?” Hoon asked.

“Yeah. It’ll be much quicker. We’ll have more time to search while the sun is out that way.”

“But neither of us can ride,” Hoon protested.

Soohyun cleared his throat. “I can actually ride a bit. But I’m not very good.”

“Okay. Hoon can ride with me. Soohyun, your horse will probably just follow mine.”

Hoon shook his head in wonder. “I had no idea you could ride horses,” he said. “That’s so cool.”

Serin laughed off the praise. “I am a spoiled rich kid, after all. And when five-year-old me wanted lessons, she got them. Plus, my cousin and I took a few lessons while we were in college. I’m not great, but I can get us to that castle.”

Soohyun cleared his throat and got the two’s attention. “We’re going to need weapons. And protective measures.”

“The sun is our best protective measure,” Serin noted.

“But what if it’s dark in there, and they can move around. We should at least have something to defend ourselves.”

“Yeah,” Hoon agreed.

Serin nodded. “We’ll ask Eva in the morning.”

Soohyun and Hoon nodded. “Should we try to sleep?” Soohyun asked.

“We probably should,” Hoon stated. “Then we’re as rested as possible for tomorrow.”

The three solemnly headed to bed in the spare room in Eva’s home. It was a cold room, but Soohyun volunteered to sleep on the floor so that Hoon could stay with Serin and keep her warm. The bed was uncomfortable, and sleep did not come easily. But Serin was thankful that, despite the hardship that lay before them, she at least got to spend one more night next to Hoon.

--

The following morning brought daylight creeping in the window. None of them had slept well, nor did they feel refreshed. The uncomfortable accommodations and their worry for Hoonbi’s welfare, spurred them to get an early start.

Eva was awake and fed them bread and a warm broth. They thanked her before Serin asked about where they could get horses and weapons. Eva, concerned for their safety, accompanied them to the blacksmith and explained their situation as best the could. The man laughed at their quest. He’d long since given up hope on ever being rid of the vampire scourge. “Transylvania has problems with the supernatural,” he explained. “If it’s not one thing, it’s another. If the vampires go, something worse will take their place.”

Serin had in her breath at the mention of Transylvania. Once they had received swords and wooden stakes from the man, Hoon asked her what was so bothersome about what the man had said as they trailed behind Eva on their trek to the stable. She shook her head. “Oh, just that we’re in Transylvania. The home of Dracula. And Dr. Frankenstein and his monster. It’s just perfect,” she added sarcastically.

Hoon and Soohyun had paled at the name Dracula. “Does knowing our enemy make things any easier?”

“Well,” Serin said. “I’m going to guess that we’re going to run into one Hugh Jackman soon. This is kind of starting to seem like that movie Van Hellsing or whatever it was called.”

“Okay,” Hoon agreed. “So how does that help us?”

“The plot of this movie centers around Dracula trying to kidnap Frankenstein’s monster to figure out the secret to creating life so his brides’ children can be given life. I think if we sneak into the castle, locate Hoonbi, and use a bomb to blow off the roof of that castle, we’ll probably be okay.”

“We don’t have a bomb, Serin,” Soohyun said.

“I’m kind of counting on Hoonbi to work something out for us,” she stated. “We need to kill those undead babies.”

They arrived at the stables, and allowed Eva to once again explain their situation. The groom simply nodded his understanding and went to fetch their steeds. He brought back two saddled horses, which they promptly mounted. Their preparations had cost them an hour of precious daylight, and they were not keen on waiting around any longer. Eva wished them luck, hoping that perhaps they would be the ones to set them free from the curse.

They trotted off, Hoon sitting behind Serin and holding onto her waist for dear life. Soohyun looked uncomfortable and unbalanced on his horse, but he didn’t protest about the bouncy ride. They were on a mission, and it would likely take about an hour and a half of riding at the pace they were going to get to the castle at the top of the mountain.

About two-thirds of the way up, Serin slowed their pace to a walk to allow the horses a chance to rest. They were breathing out puffs of steam in the cold air. “We’re nearly there,” Serin stated. Dread was building in her stomach.

Hoon relaxed his grip on her waist as he felt more secure at the slower pace of travel. “We’ll have about seven hours of light once we’re inside. Five hours if we want to try to return before sunset,” Hoon explained.

“Yeah, I know,” Serin said. “We should probably split up and look once we get there.”

“That’ll make us able to search the place more quickly,” Soohyun agreed.

“I’m not leaving you by yourself, Serin.” Hoon was adamant about that.

“We’ll find your brother more quickly if we split up,” Serin protested.

“I can’t lose both of you,” Hoon explained, once again tightening his grip on her waist, though this time for an entirely different reason.

She was done protesting, and it had been decided. She and Hoon would stick together and Soohyun would split off to search for Hoonbi. Serin nudged her horse with her heels after that, and they resumed trotting up the mountain, each step leaving them all feeling more anxious and unnerved.

They quietly tied their horses up upon reaching the castle entrance, loosening the saddles and gathering their things. No one spoke, and they crept into the castle. The main gate opened with a loud creak that echoed through the halls. Soohyun pointed in the direction he was intending on going, and Hoon and Serin nodded and continued straight as he veered off on his own route.

It was dark and minimal light entered the castle. The main hall was only dimly lit, but the two could see how massive the room was from the minimal lighting. They could also see the frozen young vampires, that Dracula was desperately trying to give life too. It sent a shiver of apprehension down Serin’s spine. “Let’s keep going,” she whispered. “Hoonbi is probably locked in a dungeon below the castle or in the tower.” Hoon nodded his agreement.

After what felt like hours of wandering, they finally located the spiral stairs that led to the tower. There were dungeons there, but no prisoners were held. With a sigh of defeat and sweating profusely, the two began the journey back down. “I hope Soohyun was able to find him,” Hoon said.

“Me, too,” Serin agreed. “It’s getting late. We don’t have much time left before we need to head back.”

Hoon sighed.

The two were at the main entrance waiting when they heard footsteps running toward them. They were nervous, ready to fight if necessary, depending on who the footsteps revealed. It was Soohyun, and Serin and Hoon were both instantly relieved. “I found him,” Soohyun blurted out. “I got him out. He’s shaken up but fine.”

“So where is he then?” Hoon asked, irritated.

“He said he couldn’t leave without the heart of Dracula.”

“What?” Serin hissed. “Is he going to go kill him right now?”

“That’s how I understood it. He asked for my wooden spike and ran off on his own.”

“The wives will be pissed when they wake up and their master is dead,” Serin whispered fearfully.

“He’s going to need our help,” Hoon expressed.

Soohyun gestured to them, telling them to follow him, and they did without a word. The day was getting closer and closer to closing. The search of the castle had taken far longer than Serin had expected. Their daylight was slowly beginning to run out, and it was making her nervous.

Suddenly, they heard a shriek of terror from not far away, and they all sprinted to find out what it was. There stood Hoonbi, drenched in blood, standing victoriously over the corpse of Dracula. “Piece of cake,” he said with a smirk, as he looked at them.

“Dammit, Hoonbi, you could have been killed,” Hoon fumed.

“I was never in any real danger,” Hoonbi insisted. “And,” he explained further, reaching down to carve out Dracula’s heart, “I got what’s most important. The Heart of Dracula. My sponsor will pay me handsomely for this.”

Serin was irate over his flippant attitude. “We could have died trying to save you. And you don’t even say thanks!”

“Sorry you got into this,” Hoonbi began. “I should have been back for the party in time, but a little detour in the dungeon held me up a bit. But we’re all good now. Let’s get out of here before the wives wake up.”

“We should really help those poor townsfolk. The vampires are tormenting them,” Soohyun insisted.

“The movie will work itself out as it should without our interference. We just need to find our point of entry so that we can return to our own world,” Hoonbi clarified.

“Well, let’s get out of here then,” Serin hissed. “I don’t think we have a lot of time until those brides start waking up.”

“Let’s go,” Hoonbi agreed.

--

Soohyun and Hoonbi doubled up for the ride down the mountain. They allowed the horses to move as quickly as they pleased, sometimes trotting, sometimes galloping as the animals knew they were headed home. It was a jarring ride, but no one really cared as they saw it as a race against time. They were watching the sun sink lower into the sky. They finally made it back to the village. “There should be about an hour of light left,” Hoonbi explained. “We’ll return the horses and go the rest of the way on foot.”

Serin protested. “It’ll go much quicker if we just ride the horses.”

The three men glowered at her. “I don’t think we can do any more riding today,” Soohyun said with a grimace.

“Or ever,” Hoon tacked on.

“Okay. We can jog. It should all be downhill anyway,” Serin conceded.

They returned the horses, and Serin thanked him. He seemed to want something else from her, but she had no time to deal with whatever it was. She cut him off, and the four raced out of town on foot. Gravity pulled them down the hill quickly and the journey to their entry point into the world was much quicker than the journey into the town the previous day.

“I need to set up the spell really quick. It’ll probably take a few minutes. Just keep an eye out for any unhappy vampires for me, and I’ll open the gate for us.”

The sun set right as Hoonbi announced that his spell was finished. A portal opened before them, and Hoonbi stepped through. That was when the attack happened. Three female vampires assaulted them from the sky, pulling Serin further down the hill, and leaving Hoon and Soohyun sprawled on the ground. Her head pounded and blood clouded her vision. The vampire that had thrown her, closed in on her. Serin, managing to gather her wits about her, closed her hand around the wooden spike she still carried with her. As the vampire moved in for the kill, she spun over and drove the spike into the vampire’s heart. Blood poured onto her as the vampire screamed. Serin pushed the corpse off, and stood up, stumbling towards Hoon and Soohyun. As she staggered towards them, all she could see was the red of blood.

Everything was covered in blood.

Serin was covered in the blood of the vampire she’d killed as well as her own. Hoon stood over the corpse of the second bride, also covered in blood. And from what she could ascertain in the twilight, Soohyun was also covered in blood. But he hadn’t moved. Hoonbi was gone, and the portal to the real world had seemingly vanished, and so too was their hope. Serin took a breath to steady herself. “We need to think of a way out of this mess,” she desperately told Hoon.

“I don’t think there is a way out,” he countered, dejected. “Not without Hoonbi.”

“Well, we can kill this last vampire, at least,” Serin shouted fiercely, as her temper flared over their given situation. She screamed at the remaining female. The vampire flew at her, and as Serin and Hoon stood prepared for the fight, she female fell, fiery arrow through her heart. There, finally, was the film’s titular character. He nodded his thanks at them, and went to go help Soohyun up. Soohyun had lost consciousness and was bleeding, having knocked his head against a rock during his fall, but he was seemingly alright. Van Hellsing helped Soohyun stumble over to them.

“Thanks for the help, strangers,” he said.

“Just doing what we had to,” Serin replied.

“You did a good job. But you should really be getting home now. I can take it from here.”

“But we can’t get home,” Hoon interjected in Korean. “The portal is gone.”

The man that looked like Hugh Jackman, transferred Soohyun into Hoon’s grasp. “Ya sure about that?” He pointed in the direction of the portal Hoonbi had created.

They turned around and saw a barely visible shimmering border. Serin turned back to thank him, but he had disappeared. Serin looked at Hoon, who gave her a bewildered look and shrugged. Together, the three stepped through the portal. Once again, they were surrounded by light, and then they were back in the apartment.

Hoonbi look at them in concern. They were bloodied and obviously Serin and Soohyun were going to need to go to the hospital for stitched. “What happened?” he questioned.

“We were attacked right after you left,” Hoon explained.

Serin, still trying to figure out exactly what had happened in the last few minutes in the movie. “I think I bumped my head really hard. Hugh Jackman showed up, saved us, and then just… disappeared.”

Hoonbi just laughed then. “Of course he did. That sounds like Hugh.”

Serin looked at him suspiciously. “You know what,” she said, “nevermind. Just take us to the hospital, and we’ll pretend this never happened.”

With a chuckle, Hoonbi said, “As you wish.”