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Jeonghan sank into the couch, his eyes glued to the television. On the screen were pictures of his neighbors (a couple and two children) and a blurry screenshot of a man wearing a penguin sweatshirt; the victims and the alleged murderer.
The neighbors were not the first victims of the hooded man. There was also a little kid who lived on the other side of town; the old lady who won the most beautiful garden contest every year; and that single mother and her two children.
It was a small, uneventful town, so Jeonghan couldn't understand how and why the serial killer had decided to attack them.
He could only hope that he wouldn't go after them.
The front door opened and he briefly took his eyes off the screen. It was his cousin, Wonwoo and one of their many roommates, Mingyu who he had been shopping with.
"What are you doing? What's going on?" asked Wonwoo as he put away trays of meat in the refrigerator.
He read the news reel that scrolled across the bottom of the screen and his curiosity gave way to a more somber expression. He exchanged a worried look with his cousin and resumed putting things away.
"There are too many of us, he won't attack us," he said simply, raising his shoulders.
"He could isolate one of us..." replied Jeonghan with a reproachful tone he had not meant to use.
Mingyu, oblivious to the danger, continued to put away the groceries, humming. Wonwoo handed him the last tray of meat and ran the few remaining vegetables under water and put them in bowls.
"We'll have to talk about it tonight," the blond added with finality. His cousin simply nodded. Jeonghan didn't want one of them to be attacked so he had to warn everyone.
There were five of them in this apartment and four in the other; the last four (who were more acquaintances than real friends) lived one floor above.
Jeonghan was the oldest in this apartment. He lived with Wonwoo, Mingyu, Wonwoo's best friend, Jihoon and his boyfriend Soonyoung. All of them had recently graduated from college and were looking for stable jobs.
In the next apartment, there were Jeonghan's best friends Jisoo and Seungcheol, and Seungkwan and Hansol. Downstairs, there were the newly arrived foreigners Junhui and Minghao as well as young Chan and Seokmin, the kid whose parents ran the only bar in town.
"I'll send a message to Seungcheol!" warned Mingyu as Wonwoo went to his room. "It's done, hyung!" he exclaimed. He put down the phone and started cooking.
Mingyu was an excellent cook. He could make anything and knew many recipes by heart; he had made Jeonghan's birthday cake and he could say with certainty that it had been his favorite gift ; almost.
Jeonghan turned his attention back to the TV screen.
“ Be careful,” the announcer said, before moving on to another topic.
This wasn’t good, he thought as the little penguin in the commercial promised an incredibly clean bathroom if you used his cleaning product.
“ I just want you to take care of yourself,” Jeonghan finished, picking up his fork again.
Chan, the youngest of their group, pouted. He didn’t like it when Jeonghan did that kind of meeting, he reminded him too much of his father ; that’s what he had told him one day but the blond didn’t care.
“ I don’t see why I should wait for Hansol and Seungkwan after work, they always finish after me. Besides, I’m not weak.”
“That man killed a whole family by himself, Chan ; you won’t be able to do anything against him.” said Jeonghan, ignoring the anxiety that clogged his throat. “That goes for all of you.”
“Jeonghan is right.” interjected Seungcheol “Don’t stay alone.”
All the boys nodded. There was silence until Mingyu returned from the kitchen, an apron tied around his waist and a wooden spatula in his hand.
"Dessert is ready!" he exclaimed.
Jeonghan worked as a waiter at a small fast food restaurant at the entrance to the city. People tended to stop there for a snack before heading back in the direction of their final destination; no one ever stopped by.
He sighed with boredom.
If he were a character in a show, he would probably be the beautiful blonde who worked hard and was very smart but would be stuck in a crappy town if the handsome main character hadn't pulled him out of his monotonous daily life.
The handsome main character would probably be (or at least Jeonghan would have wanted him to be) Seungcheol.
Because Seungcheol was that perfect guy who was both very smart and social, popular in high school and a star player on the basketball team. He was handsome, kind and always concerned about others.
The bell above the front door rang and Jeonghan straightened up, pasting his business smile on his lips. His eyes opened with shock when he realized that Seungcheol was there.
Speak of the devil...
"Hi Hannie." he said as he sat down at the counter. Jeonghan, still a little surprised to see him here, took some time to respond. This amused Seungcheol who laughed softly, hidden by the menu. "I'll have scrambled eggs and fries."
Jeonghan nodded and went to the kitchen.
He loved Seungcheol.
He had loved him for a long time now and would have confessed many times if he hadn't been afraid to destroy their friendship.
They had known each other since they were little and had been friends for just as long but it was somehow strange since they were so different from each other.
"Thank you." murmured the brunette as he received his order. "Mr. Jung always does such a good job."
He ate in silence, Jeonghan watching him do.
They were very different. Seungcheol always did things honestly while Jeonghan calculated all his actions and words in advance. Seungcheol was always very happy and lived his life to the fullest; Jeonghan was content to watch others do it. The only thing that really warmed Jeonghan's heart was Seungcheol's dimples; and this one... Everything warmed his heart, from children to spring butterflies, everything was a source of happiness.
Sometimes, Jeonghan thought that it was because they were so different that they could not be anything but friends.
"By the way..." resumed Seungcheol as he pushed his plate towards the blond; his eyes still sparkling. "I'm invited to a Halloween party, do you want to come?"
Huh? Jeonghan began to fidget with his necklace -his favorite gift for his birthday this year; a gift that Seungcheol himself, had given him. He didn't know if he wanted to go. He was never really comfortable around people.
He looked up at Seungcheol. The dark-haired man was watching him expectantly.
"Well... why not?" he resigned himself.
"Great!" Seungcheol stood up, "See you tonight!".
And he left as quickly as he had arrived.
As cousin and best friend, Wonwoo and Jisoo knew about Jeonghan's feelings. That's why when he told them on the way home that Seungcheol had invited him to a party, they made it their mission to make him the most handsome man at the party.
"How about dressing up as the penguin man?" suggested Soonyoung who was watching them from a corner of the room.
Jeonghan glared at him.
"Too soon..." the younger man muttered to himself as he sank into the couch, his cheeks red with shame.
It had been a week since the last murder and many had begun to forget. But not Jeonghan. He knew the man with the penguin hood was just taking a break. That he was doing it to make minds forget and people go back to being inattentive and carefree.
"As a werewolf?" offered Wonwoo and Jeonghan gave him a jaded look.
"Seriously?"
Wonwoo chuckled and the blond man rolled his eyes "You know what?" he clapped his hands "I'm going to dress up as a werewolf.”
“A werewolf... That is really sexy?" Soonyoung winked at him suggestively. Jihoon patted him on the back of the head, not liking the sight of him flirting with someone other than himself.
"No.”
“But—"
“No. I said no."
Even Jihoon looked disappointed.
Sometimes, when Jeonghan worked until late, Mr. Jung would give him all the leftovers from the day so that he could feed all his little friends and himself (as the old man used to say). He always ended up with a little less than a dozen small Styrofoam dishes.
He didn't like to work late, but he liked the smiles on his friends' faces when he put the multitude of plastic bags on the living room table so he didn't mind coming home late.
"Good night, Mr. Jung!" He set the bags on the ground in front of the passenger seat of his car and leaned back. It was a cool night, but his coat kept him warm enough to enjoy the quiet of the night for a moment.
The store was closed, only a street lamp lit up the street and he found that rather pleasant.
He took out of his coat a lighter and a pack of cigarettes.
He watched the smoke rise into the dark sky with fatigue.
He remembered his thought of the other day and realized how ridiculous he had been to imagine that he could leave this city; he was definitely stuck here—
"Who's there?!" he turned his head toward the forest. He had heard it, that branch cracking, and he could hear it, that quiet, controlled breathing - so low he could have thought it was that of a small animal.
He squinted, but it was too dark for him to make out anything. He was sure, however, that someone was there. This person was hidden among the vegetation. They had been spotted and yet remained perfectly calm. It was impossible. And above all, very worrying.
"Who. Are. You? Get out!" barked Jeonghan.
He realized that he was easy prey, there, under the only streetlight in the area and isolated from the rest of the city.
Another branch snapped and he jumped.
He hadn't heard any movement before that, and he hadn't realized anything a little earlier. This was impossible: Jeonghan was a particularly alert person, he would have noticed it immediately under normal circumstances.
Click
His ear twitched at the mechanical noise.
Run.
He dropped his cigarette. Before it hit the pavement, he had started his car.
He sped down the street, glancing fearfully in his rearview mirror. And that's when he saw him, the penguin man. He was standing where Jeonghan had been just earlier, in the same position as if he wanted to imbibe himself of Jeonghan, his warmth, his smell, his whole being.
That night, Jeonghan ran three red lights and only stopped his car in front of the building.
He went up the stairs four by four and entered the first apartment he recognized: the one shared by Jisoo, Seungcheol, Seungkwan and Hansol. The door was open, so he didn't wait to be invited in.
There was no one in the living room; there was no one anywhere, if his hearing was anything to go by.
No one... except Seungcheol, it would seem.
"...Jeonghan is not like that," he heard so softly that he hesitated for a moment to believe his own ears.
Very quietly, walked towards Seungcheol and Jisoo's room. The door was ajar, the brunette was sitting with his back to it, his flaming red cell phone glued to his ear and his leg jumping with annoyance.
"I love him! And I know who he is. There's nothing you can do about it!" He was silent for a long time. "You're lying!"
Then he hung up and Jeonghan realized that he had just spied on a very private discussion and that if Seungcheol were to find out, he would be very disappointed. So he walked backwards to the front door with his hand over his heart.
He took a deep breath.
"Seungcheol? Are you there?" he said loudly as he pretended to remove his shoes.
The dark-haired man soon appeared.
"Hannie!" his voice was much softer than when he was on the phone.
Who was he talking to? And did Jeonghan really heard what he said? Did he really like him ?!
"Wait, I'll take it off your hands." Seungcheol took the bags and put them on the kitchen counter. "Mister Jung has spoiled you again."
Jeonghan gave an embarrassed laugh.
"He knows that I like meat and he makes the most of it so that he doesn't have leftovers to care of.”
“I pretty sure he knows you're someone who deserves to be spoiled." He made a charming smile and the blond looked down on his empty hands.
He had completely forgotten what had happened earlier.
"Oh. I bought you something this morning. Wait!"
Seungcheol left as quickly as he had arrived and Jeonghan sat on the couch. Seungcheol always had something to give him. It started with a pair of socks and the last one he got were brand new headphones. He wouldn't be surprised if the dark-haired guy came back with a rabbit (Jeonghan had always wanted one) or something like that; anything Jeonghan couldn't afford, Seungcheol would get for him.
"Voila!"
Seungcheol put down a black box in front of Jeonghan. He didn't hesitate to open it. It was...
"A lipstick? Seungcheol, I..."
The dark-haired man laughed. He delicately took the lipstick and removed the cap.
"It's a pepper spray. I know you're afraid of the penguin man so I saw it in the store and thought it would make you feel better to have it with you. And I took this too." he handed the can back to Jeonghan and pulled a penguin stuffed animal from his pocket.
"A stuffed animal? Of a penguin? You're kidding me, right?" There was nothing funny about it, but Jeonghan chuckled anyway (maybe because he was starting to slowly remember what had happened to him earlier and it was better to laugh than to cry).
Seungcheol made a face, looking at Jeonghan's eyes as if he had understood his state very well.
"That was the last model left, sorry." He grabbed the bird's head and pulled on it; it came off the body and revealed a blade.
"Seungcheol!" the blond man exclaimed in outrage. "Where did you get that?! It's super dangerous!”
“I know! I know! But... If anything happens to you, I..."
He sighed and put the stuffed animal down.
He grabbed Jeonghan's hands and rubbed them with his thumbs.
"You are so soft and fragile and I want to protect you. But I can't always do that and it scares me."
Seungcheol was a sweetheart. But Jeonghan didn't need that. He knew how to protect himself; he was strong, tough and tenacious. He had run away earlier in the evening because he knew his opponent was dangerous. But the penguin man wasn’t as dangerous as Jeonghan could be.
He was a human. A mere human.
"Seungcheol...”
“Please, Hanie..."
Seungcheol's eyes? Definitely Jeonghan's weak spot. That's why the stuffed animal found a place on the dashboard of his car and the spray in his glove compartment.
Jeonghan had never had a very bright life. His mother warned him early on.
“Few people will like you. They will distrust you, look at you sideways and avoid talking to you. So the ones who want to be friends with you, who will laugh and eat in your presence… You will have to keep them close to you and in your heart. Because they will be rare.”
It was a family thing. Nobody liked them. His grandfather always said that a witch had cursed them long before the Joseon era and that this curse would only end with the disappearance of their family. Unfortunately, they were rather good looking so this was a difficult task.
Anyway, Jeonghan had listened to his mother. So when his Korean teacher gave him a zero because he supposedly disrupted class by picking up his pencil case that had fallen and Seungkwan defended him, he didn’t let go of him. The same for the time when Jihoon had thrown himself in a fight with him even though they didn’t know each other. Or when Mingyu had offered him half of his meal when he had forgotten his own at home.
He had found some golden people, but even so, his daily life continued to be difficult.
“Hello ! Welcome to Jung’s dishes !” exclaimed Jeonghan cheerfully. He placed a menu in front of each member of the family who sat at a table. “Would you like something to drink ?”
No response.
This family was the Lee family and they had hated Jeonghan ever since Jihoon broke the eldest son’s nose to protect him, so there was nothing unusual with them ignoring him.
“I’ll get you some plain water,” he said finally. When the metal decanter landed on the table and he met Mr. Lee’s outraged gaze, he knew that things were not going to end well.
“Jung !” shouted the fifty-year-old man. The owner came running in, looking panicked.
He posted himself next to Jeonghan, all ears.
“Do you know how rude your waiter is ?! He didn’t ask us if we wanted a drink and he serves us tap water ! What are we ? Dogs ?!”
“I… I asked you if—"
Mister Jung puts his hand on the blond man’s shoulder. The latter fell silent instantly.
Feeling the pressure of the grip intensify, Jeonghan bowed to the family. He tried to ignore the shame that was freezing his body and the tears that threatened to fall down his warm cheeks.
“I beg your forgiveness for my behavior,” he said, closing his eyes.
Mr. Jung then sent him to the kitchen ; the last he heard was the older son’s snickering and that was enough for him to start crying.
He was used to this kind of public humiliation but it had not happened for a while and his little bubble of happiness had burst so violently that it had given him a shock.
Because since he knew he was loved he had the impression that the world was less gray.
Pathetic, he thought as he rolled into a ball in the corner of the kitchen.
The door opened and he hid his head even more in his shoulders ; Mr. Jung had already seen him in this state, he would not say anything.
“Jeonghan ?” he called. He took a few steps. “Ah. He’s here.”
“Thank you very much, sir.” A large hand came to rest on the top of Jeonghan’s head and began to pat it. “Hanie…”
It was Seungcheol.
The blond’s crying redoubled. “Oh no… Come on, come here.” the dark-haired man whispered as he held Jeonghan close to him “It’s okay. You’ll see, one day all these people will be gone.”
Jeonghan took a deep breath and focused on Seungcheol’s scent.
One day, one day we’ll go far, far, far away from here.
At the end, Jeonghan had kept it simple.
He had borrowed a red shirt with white dots from Mingyu and a pair of ripped jeans from Jisoo ; he had put on his black boots and to complete the look Wonwoo had gotten his hands on a pair of clips on wolf ears and a tail to tie at the waist.
“Just like a real one !” said Wonwoo, winking at Jeonghan.
“That’s not bad ! I’m sure Seungcheol will love it.” added Seungkwan from the stool he was sitting on. He winked at the blond and then returned to his social media.
“Stop it…” grumbled Jeonghan while blushing. Wonwoo and Seungkwan started to imitate him. He ran away from them as he left his room.
Seungcheol would be here any moment and Jeonghan didn’t want to keep him waiting.
“Makeup !” exclaimed Mingyu as he entered the living room with a black glittery box. “A little bit of lipstick and blush will drive him crazy.”
“You know it’s not a date, right ?”
“He would have invited Jisoo too if it wasn’t a date ! You make his heart flutter and his eyes shine, hyung. He loves you, okay ?”
Jeonghan remembered the indirect confession Seungchol had made to him a few days earlier and his ears began to heat up violently.
“Did you shave your legs ?” asked Wonwoo, placing his hand on his cousin’s uncovered knee. He judged the protruding hair with disdain.
“Yeah, but it’s already grown back.”
“It’s always like that… Why don’t you ever use my essential oils ?”
“The smell is too strong.”
“But it’s effective.”
Jeonghan shrugged and Mingyu sighed in annoyance ; he was moving around too much.
“Finished ! And right on time.” he said as the doorbell rang.
Seungcheol, being the good Seungcheol that he was, had chosen to dress up as a professional basketball player. It was strange because next to each other, they looked like the bully and his victim that you always find in TV shows.
“Good evening everyone !” Soonyoung came over to give him their secret handshake and Jihoon retrieved his boyfriend with an apologetic smile to Jeonghan. “Hey, Hanie… I love your costume.”
And although it was a compliment, he sounded rather disappointed. Jeonghan panicked.
“Yours is pretty good !” he exclaimed in return. Seungcheol was amused by his reaction and laughed.
"Well then... We're going to go.”
“See you all later. Lock the door tight!" said Jeonghan as he closed the door. Seungcheol grabbed his hand and guided him to the lobby.
Jeonghan drove very badly. His father said it was because he wasn't instinctive enough; he thought it was because he was too instinctive. His car always made strange noises and he often stalled; that he had his license was a miracle.
Unlike him, Seungcheol was a great driver. Jeonghan always found himself falling asleep when he was driving. So, this time it didn't fail.
It was a hand on his thigh that woke him up.
"Are we there yet?" he asked immediately.
Seungcheol laughed softly.
"No, I wanted to show you something first." He got out of the car and Jeonghan did the same.
They were in the middle of the forest. There was nothing, not even a streetlight. The only thing that lit them up was the half moon above them.
"Seungcheol?" called Jeonghan, shivering. He didn't like this setting at all. He grabbed the brown-haired man's hand and looked behind him several times.
"What are we doing here?”
“Just relax. I found a nice spot the other day and thought it would probably look great under this moon. I'm sure you'll like it."
They drove deeper into the woods until even the car was hidden by the branch.
"Why didn't you come with someone else?" whispered Jeonghan, tightening his grip on Seungcheol's hand.
Seungcheol stopped and helped the blond man over a large branch. They found themselves in a small clearing in the middle of which sat a young oak tree.
"Because you're the only one I want to come here with," the dark-haired man whispered, hugging Jeonghan around the waist. He began to dance softly and the blonde followed suit.
It was so peaceful. Jeonghan had never felt as good as he did in that moment. Seungcheol's warmth against his body, the beat of his heart against his ear, the softness of his hand on his back... There was nowhere else he'd ever dreamed of being.
"Why me?"
Why did you bring him here? Why did he care for him so much? Why did he love him?
"Because it's you. And I...you're very precious to me, that's all.”
“I see... You are very precious to me too."
Jeonghan found the courage to raise his head and gave Seungcheol a shy smile. Seungcheol did not respond in kind. He looked more sorry.
"We should go back to the car or we'll be really late," he kissed Jeonghan's cheek and then parted ways with him. And when Jeonghan tried to take his hand on the way back, he dodged it.
They got back into the car in silence. The radio automatically started up again, and neither of them said anything.
Jeonghan, who had decided to put his sorrow in a corner of his head, soon dozed off.
BOOM PCHHH
The car jerked and Seungcheol swore. He slammed on the brake and pushed the clutch at the same time. The car swerved into the grass on the side of the road and hit a tree.
"Ouch..." Jeonghan put his hand to his temple. Just a little blood. It wouldn't matter for long. On the other hand...
"Seungcheol, oh my god!"
He hurriedly turned to the brown-haired man who had both hands firmly clasped on the steering wheel and his head resting on it. Motionless.
"Seungcheol!" screamed Jeonghan again, tears obstructing his view.
The dark-haired man grunted and the blond man fell silent. He straightened up and ran a hand over his forehead; as if checking to make sure he didn't have an injury there. He then turned to Jeonghan with the same panic that he had earlier.
"Hanie, are you okay? Your forehead...”
“Don't worry, I'll be fine. We should call an ambulance.”
“No signal here." sighed the brunette as he rested his head on the steering wheel. He sighed heavily. "It's probably a busted wheel. Let's go see."
Seungcheol got out of the car and Jeonghan hurriedly did the same. As much as he was afraid to be in this part of the forest at this time of day, he was even more afraid that Seungcheol would get sick.
"Well?"
He was right. It was the wheel. The poor thing was shredded.
Seungcheol activated immediately and for fifteen minutes they became a mechanic and his assistant.
"Hanie?”
“Yes?"
“Why..." Seungcheol sighed, put down the spare wheel and grabbed Jeonghan's hands as he used to do when he wanted to talk about something important. "Tell me the truth.”
“W-what?”
“Can I love you? Because I love you but I'm afraid of getting hurt."
What?
"You... You love me?”
“So much." Despite the dirt on Jeonghan's hands, he kissed them anyway. "But I'm afraid.”
“Of what?”
“Of what you might turn out to be."
Jeonghan closed his eyes. Oh no... Seungcheol knew.
"I love you." he whimpered. "Seungcheol I love you." a tear rolled down his cheek and the brown-haired man plucked it from his finger.
"I love you to..."
Crack
Jeonghan opened his eyes.
He was there.
"S-Seungcheol, get up." he said as he looked around the forest. "Get in the car and don't come out until I tell you to.”
“Wait, wh—"
“NOW."
A hiss pierced Jeonghan's ears and he jumped on Seungcheol to protect him. He glanced over his shoulder. An arrow was stuck in a trunk.
The blond pushed the brown-haired man under the vehicle and stood up.
"Show yourself!" he roared. His eyes turned red and his canines became fangs. His ears grew thin and a dark fuzz grew over them. He had no trouble hearing the next arrow.
He grabbed it and snapped it in half.
A minute passed. Then a second.
"Jeonghan?"
He turned to Seungcheol and knelt beside him to look for his possible injuries.
"Are you okay?" he whispered.
Seungcheol lowered his eyes and stepped away from the blond.
Jeonghan's breathing stopped. Seungcheol was afraid of him.
"Seungcheol... I love you, don't forget it." He placed his clawed hand on the dark-haired man's lap and opened the car door. "Go in and get to safety. I won't let him hurt you."
He cocked his ear and frowned.
Their assailant was running away. He wasn't going to let that happen.
He growled deeply and heard his enemy's heart skip a beat.
It took him only a minute to spot the penguin man between the trees. He skirted around several of them and took the assassin by surprise by leaping at him.
The man tried to stab him, but Jeonghan narrowly avoided the blow. He moved away from the man for safety.
"The man yelled as he pulled a second blade from the inside pocket of his sweatshirt. "I'll kill you."
Jeonghan growled.
"You've killed too many of my people. If I die I take you with me."
Jeonghan's family had been hunted for generations, and although hunters had become increasingly rare, all the children in the family had learned to defend themselves, and Jeonghan was particularly good with his fangs.
That's why he lunged at the penguin man. Their two bodies collided. He clawed through his face and bit down on his throat. The man's scream ended in a guttural sound, his mouth filling with his own blood.
Jeonghan pulled himself away from the wriggling body like a maggot and sat down on the grass.
Was it over? This man who had killed an entire family had given in so easily. It looked almost too easy.
The blond wanted to get up but a strong pain in his right side prevented him from doing so.
He had been stabbed.
"Shit..."
He gritted his teeth and pulled the blade out in one swift motion.
"Ah!"
He had to get back to the car. Seungcheol was alone there.
He staggered back, leaving the body behind.
The car was still lighting the road when he turned back. He realized with a grimace that all the blood on his shirt must be much more visible than in the dark night of the forest.
"Seungcheol?" he called. He saw the dark-haired man's silhouette. He was alive! "Seungcheol!" He walked around the vehicle and opened the door.
"Seung—" Jeonghan looked down at his chest. The head of the stuffed animal Seungcheol had given him was pressed into his heart. "Cheol."
He looked up at the brunette.
Seungcheol didn't look as sweet as before. His big eyes were dark, his lips pursed, his jaw tense; he looked dangerous.
He chuckled.
"I loved you so much. I killed all those people to protect you..."
Jeonghan wanted to grab Seungcheol but his body refused to obey him.
Poison.
Seungcheol pushed him slowly with his fingertips and he fell on his back.
"But you had to be one of them. A monster. If you had told me earlier..."
He sat on Jeonghan's chest who began to cry.
"I... I'm not a monster."
Seungcheol put his lips on Jeonghan's.
"You won't be anything anymore."
CRACK