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The moment Yeosang laid eyes on him, he knew he was different. Sure, he looked human, acted human, walked in the sun like a human and Yeosang neither saw nor smelled any hint of an enchantment allowing him to do so… There was just something so different about him.
He smelled of blood.
Not blood in the sense that he’d perhaps cut his finger earlier that day, leaving him with an exposed wound. No, the smell of blood permeated from him. Like a fledgling who hadn’t learnt how to feed cleanly. Yet Yeosang saw no trace of blood on him at all.
Yeosang was equal parts excited and apprehensive when he took the seat beside him, cheerfully introducing himself.
“Hi, I’m Jung Wooyoung,” he beamed. The smell of blood was even stronger and if Yeosang had been a weaker vampire he might have dashed from the room. “I think you’re my lab partner this semester. Kang Yeosang, right? I got a glimpse of the seating plan on the professor’s desk.”
“How observant,” Yeosang stated. He gave Wooyoung a charming smile as he regathered his thoughts. “I look forward to working with you.”
☪
Each time Yeosang saw Wooyoung, he noticed something else about him that absolutely boggled his mind and it was driving him absolutely insane. He always smelled of blood when he arrived at class, some instances more strongly than others, and yet he never had any trace of blood on him. He showed no signs that he was a vampire, nor did he seem to sense Yeosang’s nature either.
Even asking his friends had shed no light on Wooyoung’s nature. San had suggested that Wooyoung could be a serial killer or something, which Yeosang had considered for a moment before dismissing the idea. Hongjoong hadn’t provided much insight either but had assured Yeosang he’d look into it. Hongjoong was the only vampire Yeosang knew who was older than him, so he hoped Hongjoong could find something in all those old tomes he kept.
Such a fruitless conversation left Yeosang with only one option if he wanted to know what Wooyoung’s deal was; he was going to have to find out for himself.
☪
Wooyoung, Yeosang learnt, was overly friendly. He was quite happy to sit there and chatter away as they worked on whatever experiment their professor had assigned them for the day. It seemed like Wooyoung would talk about absolutely nothing at all, he could happily fill the two hours they spent together with the sound of his voice. He rarely stopped to ask much about Yeosang. Though Yeosang got the impression it wasn’t because Wooyoung was being self-centred at all, it seemed like he was just excitable.
If he was being completely honest, Yeosang found it somewhat charming. Especially considering he was much more of a listener than a talker.
However, towards the end of the uni semester, Yeosang found that he was no closer in gaining insight into why Wooyoung seemed to smell so strongly of blood. He’d asked all kinds of gentle, prying questions and yet they all seemed to fly over Wooyoung’s head. It would be frustrating if Yeosang didn’t find Wooyoung so endearing.
Finally, on the last day of the semester, Yeosang decided to just bite the bullet and ask Wooyoung yo hang out outside of class. It seemed like the only way he might gain any insight.
“Have you got any plans for the holidays?” Yeosang asked as casually as he could while they both packed away their notebooks.
“Hm, I don’t think so. I usually just wing it,” Wooyoung shrugged. “My family and I don’t really get along very well, so I won’t be going to see them.” Even though the statement was kind of sad, Wooyoung said it as though it was the most casual thing in the world. Yeosang wondered what had happened, but he didn’t know Wooyoung nearly well enough to ask. “How about you?”
“My family situation is also complicated,” Yeosang stated. He didn’t really know how to tell Wooyoung that his blood relatives had been dead for literal centuries.
Wooyoung giggled and shook his head. “I mean for the holidays.”
“Oh.” Yeosang was taken aback by how cute Wooyoung was when he giggled like that, the way his eyes scrunched up and he raised his shoulders slightly, like he was tucking in on himself. “Um, I’m also not sure. Probably just relax, maybe read some books.”
“We should hang out!” Yeosang had forgotten that it was meant to be him asking Wooyoung to hang out outside class. But he supposed that worked as well.
“Yeah,” Yeosang nodded. “That sounds really nice.”
“Great! What’s your number?”
☪
Yeosang really should have mentioned he wasn’t a beach person.
He didn’t like sand, he didn’t really like swimming and he definitely didn’t like the sun (which was kind of a given for a vampire). Thankfully the sun situation was solved by the ring he’d been wearing for the better part of four and a half centuries. An old friend had given him the enchanted ring so he could better integrate into human life. And he did sometimes enjoy going out in the day time.
However, that didn’t extend to sitting on the sand in the middle of a sunny summer day.
He had accepted Wooyoung’s invitation to hang out without much of a second thought. The main thought at the forefront of his mind had been his continued investigation into the puzzle that was Wooyoung. So he’d said yes without even asking what they were doing. Wooyoung had merely told Yeosang that he and his friends would pick him up and that if he wanted to bring anyone along, he was more than welcome.
So even though Yeosang now had to sit outside on a sunny day, at least he had the pleasure of watching Hongjoong (who hated the sun even more than him) suffer through the same fate.
“Why the fuck am I here?” Hongjoong grumbled as he hunched under the black parasol he’d brought. He also wore a black shawl as well as a large broad brim hat and large dark sunglasses. He looked like a member of the Addams Family. “Why the fuck did you invite me as well?”
“Because,” Yeosang said as he draped a large beach towel over his form. “You’re just as curious about him as I am. Plus, you’ve been my best friend for the better part of 200 years and I need your support on this.”
“My support for digging up shit on Wooyoung or my support in coming to the beach?”
“Yes.” Even though he was wearing sunglasses, Yeosang could still feel Hongjoong’s glare as it burned into the side of his face.
“Have you considered that perhaps Wooyoung is just a guy with a weird hobby?”
Yeosang looked at the man in question. He was currently in the water with one of his friends, pushing him into one of the oncoming waves and laughing loudly when he emerged again looking like a drowned rat.
“I don’t think so,” he said. “I don’t get the vibe from him. I can’t explain it, but there’s just something more to him. Did you really not smell it in the car? Yes, he smells like blood, but it’s something else as well. The scent is a different kind of blood.”
Hongjoong hummed. “Yeah, I smelt it.” He looked out at the pair in the water as well. “I wonder if he has some kind of… heritage or something that he doesn’t even know about?”
“That could explain it. Because he acts completely normal, and he doesn’t seem to have clocked you or I either.” Yeosang and Hongjoong didn’t exactly hide their vampiric nature from other vampires; they were some of the oldest after all so they didn’t really feel like they needed to. “As far as I know, he’s oblivious.”
“Yeosangie!” Yeosang and Hongjoong’s heads whipped in Wooyoung’s direction as he bounded across the sand to them, dripping wanted as he went. “You should come into the water, it’s so nice.”
Yeosang blinked up at him. “I’m not really a beach person…”
Wooyoung pouted at him. He’d seen that pout directed at other people before but never at him and now he understood why Wooyoung basically got whatever he wanted. He was adorable and his puppy dog eyes were absolutely killer.
“Fine…”
Wooyoung cheered happily and reached out to grab Yeosang’s wrist, hauling him up and leaving his town behind. Yeosang tried not to pay too much mind to the way Hongjoong’s eyes drilled into his back as he let Wooyoung drag him down to the water.
Yeosang endured Wooyoung’s playful splashing for a little while, even finding himself enjoying his time a little. Wooyoung had an infectious laugh, if a little silly. But that only made it more enjoyable. After a while though, they ended up just floating there, bobbing up and down as the waves passed over them.
“So, where did you grow up?” Yeosang asked casually in an endeavour to learn more about Wooyoung’s past.
“In Gyeonggi-do, so pretty much around Seoul. I have a younger brother,” he continued, completely unprompted. “And an older brother too. My older brother is serving in the military right now, but I still get to talk to him every now and then. He’s really the only one from my family I still have semi-regular contact with.”
Even though talking about his family seemed to be a somewhat somber topic for Wooyoung, he still chattered about it as if Yeosang had asked him about the weather. He was such an enigma.
The remainder of their trip to the beach was mostly fruitless. Sure, Yeosang learnt more about Wooyoung than he had in class - like his favourite food, his hobbies, and the places he liked to visit when he was bored. But nothing that helped him understand the constant smell of blood. He was determined though. He’d gained a good amount of resilience over the centuries.
☪
During the break, Yeosang spent at least three days out of seven with Wooyoung. Sometimes more than that. And if they weren’t together, they texted almost constantly. Yeosang had been over to the apartment Wooyoung shared with a couple of his friends, who both seemed completely normal and human. So there had been no bags of blood in the fridge, no source of any enchantment. Nothing.
“I really think you should give up,” Seonghwa said as he flopped down onto the couch and draped his legs over Hongjoong’s lap. “We’ve looked through basically all of Hongjoong’s books and any kind of family record we have, but we haven’t found anything.
Hongjoong grumbled at the extra weight in his lap, but didn’t push Seonghwa’s legs off. Yeosang had known Seonghwa for almost as long as Hongjoong, and he’d been Hongjoong’s life partner for almost as long. He’d never seen Hongjoong deny Seonghwa anything.
“Have you considered that this has gone a little further than just trying to find out what your classmate’s weird hobby is?” Hongjoong suggested. “You’ve been at this for months now and you haven’t found anything. Do you think maybe… you’re just more interested in him ?”
Yeosang let that sink in for a moment.
“Because,” Hongjoong continued. “I’m pretty sure he’s into you. As in, into you.”
Yeosang blinked. “No. That’s not possible. He’s overly friendly to everyone and he playfully flirts with his friends all the time. I think you’re looking too far into it.”
Seonghwa sighed. “I’ve only met him a couple of times, but I agree. He does seem the type to be familiar with people. But he seems different with you. He gets all starry eyed and every time you speak he gives you his rapt attention.”
“His scent changes as well,” Hongjoong added.
Yeosang’s head snapped up. “What do you mean? He always just smells kind of like blood to me.”
“I think that’s the first thing you smelled from him and so that’s become your main focal point for him in terms of smell. It’s like you’ve hyper-fixated on it. Seonghwa and I can smell the blood, yeah. But it doesn’t seem like it’s as intense as how you smell it, so we can smell when his scent is different,” Hongjoong explained. “It’s like how I can smell Seonghwa more intensely than you could, because he’s special to me.”
“Are you sure it’s not just because you’ve been sleeping in the same bed for a century and a half?” Yeosang asked. He didn’t mean for it to come off as snarky, but he felt like it might have.
“It’s partially that,” Seonghwa answered. “It’s partially because we’re just always a little more focused on each other, even if it's not overtly obvious.” Seonghwa sat up properly and leaned over to place a hand on Yeosang’s knee. “It’s not a bad thing to be interested in him like that, you know?”
Yeosang frowned down at his lap. “Yeah except for the fact that I would outlive him indefinitely.” Neither Hongjoong nor Seonghwa said anything to that remark. “I think I need to consider this a little more. Thank you though, for taking so much time to look through your books. I really do appreciate it.”
“Of course,” Hongjoong said, his voice soft. “You know we’d help you however we can.”
☪
Yeosang ignored Wooyoung’s texts for the next few days while he went over everything from the last few months. A good chunk of their time together had been in class during the semester, but for at least a month they’d been spending time together outside of class during the break.
Maybe he had been too focused on the blood smell to notice any other change in Wooyoung’s scent, or maybe it’d been that he was too focused on the blood smell to notice anything else. He knew a lot about Wooyoung now, more than he ever thought he would. And he definitely enjoyed spending time with him, also more than he ever thought he would.
But was he interested in Wooyoung romantically?
The more he thought about it, the more Yeosang realised he very much could be. Wooyoung was touchy and overly friendly and Yeosang could very easily see that becoming romantic. They basically spent all of their free time together anyway. Yeosang wondered if he had subconsciously stopped himself from thinking that way because Wooyoung was human and Yeosang was very much not.
Of course, he’d lost people in his life. Both human and vampire; it was never an easy thing. And so he wondered if he’d denied himself those kinds of feelings. That still left Wooyoung though. Hongjoong and Seonghwa had seemed pretty confident that Wooyoung liked him as more than a friend, but Yeosang found that hard to see.
Had he been too preoccupied though? Had he missed the signs? It was very possible…
☪
Tuesday 8:47pm
From: Wooyoung
Yeosangie? Are you there? I haven’t seen you in like.. A week. Is everything ok?
Wednesday 11:12am
From: Wooyoung
Just let me know you’re ok. I don’t have any of your friends’ numbers, so I can’t check on you… They also don’t have any kind of socials. Please just tell me you’re alright.
Thursday 4:17pm
From: Wooyoung
I’m really worried about you… If I did anything that upset you, I’m sorry. If Mingi told you anything about me, I’m also sorry. He doesn’t know how to keep a secret. Please, you don’t have to feel weird around me because of how I feel. You can just forget about it. Or if you’d rather not see me anymore that’s fine too…
Just please… text me back.
Yeosang stared down at his phone, gripping it so tight he thought it might crack. He felt bad for making Wooyoung worried, but he just couldn’t figure out what he would say. The last text Wooyoung sent him though… It made his brain short-circuit. Was that Wooyoung’s way of confessing to him? Or did he really think Mingi had said something? Mingi; who Yeosang had only met once and had never spent time alone with even during their one meeting.
It was driving Yeosang insane and he tried to hold off for as long as he could. But by the following evening, after hearing no further texts from Wooyoung, he gave in. It was late when he left his apartment and headed towards Wooyoung’s, but he knew Wooyoung would be awake.
The twenty-minute drive across town felt like it took forever. Upon parking on the street and stepping out of his car, Yeosang froze. The smell of blood was heavy in the air. And it had the same lingering undertone as the scent Wooyoung always had.
Stopping to listen, Yeosang heard nothing out of the ordinary. Just the occasional car as it passed by. There was no sound of a scuffle, no sound of someone fighting to stay alive.
Still, he hastily followed the scent into the side street between Wooyoung’s apartment building and the one next to it. The smell got stronger and stronger as he reached the end of the alley. It made a sharp right turn and as he drew nearer, Yeosang could pick up the sound of ragged breathing along with quiet sobs.
Stealing himself, he peaked around the corner. If he’d had any air in his lungs, he would have gasped.
It was Wooyoung. He was sitting on the ground cradling a body and there was blood all over his hands, down his chin, and the front of his chest. He looked terrified.
“Wooyoung…” Yeosang said as he stepped out into the back alley. He held his hands up as he made a slow approach.
Wooyoung’s head snapped up in his direction and Yeosang caught the faintest glimmer of gold in his eyes before it faded. “Yeosang.” He was trembling. Yeosang caught sight of his nails retracting, his skin taking on a slightly warmer hue as the evidence of his feeding faded.
“Yeosang,” he said again. “I’m scared.”
Yeosang was by his side in less than a second, prying his hands away from the body and pulling Wooyoung against his chest. His trembling intensified as he gripped the front of Yeosang’s shirt, leaving bloody streaks behind.
“I-I don’t know what happened,” he sobbed. “I don’t remember how I got here.” He began hyperventilating as he rushed to explain what was happening. “Wh-why does this keep ha-happening to me?”
Yeosang gripped Wooyoung tightly, hugging him against his chest. He shushed Wooyoung quietly, running his fingers through his hair. “It’s ok, Wooyoung-ah,” he muttered. “I think I can help you. I think I understand now.” Of course, Wooyoung didn’t know what he was talking about but he was in no state to question what Yeosang was talking about.
The focus, for the time being, was to get Wooyoung somewhere safe. Yeosang pulled out his phone and called Hongjoong, telling him Wooyoung’s address and where the body could be found. Unfortunately, there would be no saving the person… Wooyoung had bled them dry. Hongjoong, thankfully, didn’t ask any questions and told Yeosang he’d be there soon and to get Wooyoung away.
Draping his jacket over Wooyoung’s shoulders, Yeosang got him into his car and set a course for his own apartment. The last thing he needed was for Wooyoung’s roommates to see the state he was in.
The drive was quiet save for Wooyoung’s quiet sobs as he came to the realisation of what he’d done. Yeosang wondered how many times this had happened to him. Just how many times had Wooyoung come to only to be surrounded by blood and faced with a body either dead or on death's door? Yeosang didn’t even want to imagine the toll that would take on him.
Upon leading Wooyoung into his apartment, he took him straight to the bathroom where he used careful hands to wipe the blood on Wooyoung’s face and neck. The entire time, Wooyoung refused to meet his eyes. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the edge of his shirt. Yeosang imagined Wooyoung wanted to tear out his own skin.
When he finished wiping as much of the blood off as he could, Yeosang placed the dirty towel down and took Wooyoung’s face in his hands, gently wiping the tears from his cheeks with his thumbs.
“Wooyoung-ah,” he called softly, waiting until he looked up before continuing. “It’s going to be ok, I promise. I’m sorry this has been happening to you, I know how scared you must feel but I promise I’m here to help you.” His heart broke at the defeated look in Wooyoung’s eyes. “Have a hot shower, change into some clean clothes and we’ll talk, ok?”
Wooyoung nodded silently and Yeosang reluctantly let him go. He retrieved a set of clean clothes along with a fresh towel and set them down on the toilet seat for Wooyoung to use when he was done. After assuring Wooyoung he would be nearby if he needed anything, Yeosang left the room.
It felt as though Wooyoung was in the shower for hours, but in reality it was probably only around twenty minutes. Yeosang wasn’t normally a fidgety person, in fact a plethora of people over the years had commented on just how statue-like he could be. But waiting for Wooyoung to join him again had him bouncing his knee and picking at his nail beds.
Eventually though, Wooyoung’s quiet footsteps sounded down the hallway and Yeosang was on his feet in an instant. There were a tense few moments where they stared at one another. It seemed like Wooyoung wasn’t sure whether or not he was allowed to approach. But his resolve dissipated when Yeosang held out his arms, inviting him in. Then it was only a matter of moments before Wooyoung collapsed against him, hiding his face in Yeosang’s neck.
Wooyoung was shaking slightly, though he wasn’t crying. Which Yeosang was relieved by, but then he wondered if maybe Wooyoung was just too exhausted to cry. Taking him by the hand, Yeosang led him back to the couch and sat down.
A few more moments of silence stretched between them before Yeosang finally spoke. “I don’t even know where to start.”
Wooyoung let out a pathetic little laugh and leaned against Yeosang’s shoulder. “I know what you mean. I’m sorry you had to see me like that, I didn’t think you’d ever have to…”
Considering the fact that Yeosang had found Wooyoung covered in blood, crouching over a body in an alley, he didn’t seem nearly as worried about what Yeosang thought of him as he would have imagined. Unless…
“Wooyoung,” he started cautiously. “Do you… do you know what I am?”
Yeosang pulled away a little as Wooyoung sat up better, meeting his gaze. “Yeah,” he admitted a little guiltily. “A vampire. And so are Hongjoong, Seonghwa and San. I’ve always known.”
“How…?” Yeosang blinked. “Why didn’t you ever say anything?”
Wooyoung looked down guiltily. “I didn’t know how to,” he shrugged. “I’ve met a vampire before and it didn’t go so well. I don’t remember very much of it, but I know he did something to me. I don’t know what I am now, but I don’t think I’m fully a vampire. I think I’m some kind of in-between.” Wooyoung was starting to get worked up again. “But I know that sometimes I black out and bad shit happens and whenever I come to I’m always covered in blood and I c-can never remember wh-what happened and-”
Yeosang hushed him, pulling him back in for a tighter hug. “I wish you had told me, Wooyoung-ah. I could’ve helped you so much sooner.” Yeosang laid his cheek atop Wooyoung’s head, gently combing his fingers through his slightly damp hair. “But I understand why you didn’t, so I’m not mad at you.”
Wooyoung sniffled quietly as he pulled back again. “Do you know what I am?”
The way he looked at Yeosang nearly broke his heart. It was the face of a hopeless man. His eyes shone with unshed tears and his hands gripped the edge of his borrowed shirt until his knuckles turned white. Yeosang was surprised Wooyoung hadn’t snapped already, the guilt and dread must have been driving him insane.
“You know, it’s kind of funny,” Yeosang started. “Since the day you first walked into our class I’ve been trying to figure out what you are. You always smelled of blood.” Wooyoung winced slightly at that and Yeosang assured him it was alright. “I spent hours with Hongjoong and Seonghwa looking through books that Hongjoong has collected over the years, family records as well. But I couldn’t find anything. Now I think I know though.”
The look Wooyoung gave him made him want to find the vampire who’d done this to him and hurt him in ways he couldn’t even comprehend. Yeosang was not a vengeful person, but in that instant he felt like he could become one.
“I'm fairly certain you’re a dhampir,” he said. From Wooyoung’s confused expression, he didn’t know what that was. “They’re extremely rare. There’s hardly any record of them, which is why neither my friends nor I could figure it out. Essentially, from what’s known, a dhampir is created when the process of turning a human is not fully completed. There are laws in place now that stop vampires from turning as many people, but occasionally it still happens.”
Wooyoung was silent as he absorbed all of the information presented to him. Yeosang could imagine it was a lot for him. “So… how did I end up like this? Like, yes I was only half… turned, but why isn’t there much information on wh-what I am?”
Yeosang sighed. “Because most humans don’t survive only being half-turned,” he said solemnly.
Silence permeated the air for a good twenty seconds after that as Wooyoung absorbed that information. It was impossible for Yeosang to know what he could have been thinking. But if he had to make a guess, he’d say it was something along the lines of why and how he’s survived.
“So…” Wooyoung finally spoke. “Am I just… supposed to live like this for…?”
Yeosang shook his head. “No, you don’t have to.” He took Wooyoung’s hand, threading their fingers together. “I don’t want to overwhelm you with too much information all at once, so please tell me if you want me to stop.”
“No, I want to know.”
“You have a couple of options. From what we know about dhampir, your ageing is slowed significantly. To the point where you could live a century and still look as though you’re in your twenties. You can mostly survive by eating human food, but the vampiric part of your body will still require blood occasionally. You won’t need any kind of enchanted item to walk in the sun.” Yeosang paused to show Wooyoung his ring. “For the most part you can live as you always have and I’ll be here to help you with anything relating to the vampiric side of you.”
Wooyoung swallowed. “And my other option?”
“I can finish the transformation,” Yeosang stated. “But that choice is completely yours. I would never try to sway you in either direction. Just know that I will be here regardless of which one you choose.”
“Why?” Wooyoung asked after another moment of silence. “Why are you so invested in me?”
Yeosang smiled somewhat forlornly. “I’ve spent a lot of time thinking just that,” he started. “It’s why I’ve been so absent recently, which I apologise sincerely for. You did nothing wrong at all, I just needed time to reflect on myself and I didn’t know how to tell you that.”
“It’s ok,” Wooyoung murmured.
“At first I just wanted to know more about your nature. I wanted to know what kind of strange creature had come into my life. You fascinated me, you still do… just in a different way,” Yeosang smiled, brushing his knuckles against Wooyoung’s cheek. “I don’t know when it changed. Maybe that day at the beach, maybe earlier than that. But it went from wanting to know what you were to just wanting to know more about you.”
Wooyoung laughed quietly and leaned into Yeosang, hiding his face against his neck. “Why didn’t you say anything sooner? I’ve liked you all this time, dummy,” he said. “I can’t believe you didn’t notice. I think Hongjoong and Seonghwa did. Even my friends noticed.”
“You were always so friendly with everyone! I figured that extended to me as well.”
Wooyoung shook his head, his hair tickling Yeosang’s chin. “I think you’re just oblivious.”
“That could be part of it,” he admitted. “Well, no matter what you choose going forward, I’ll be here to help you. I promise.”
Wooyoung sat back again, smiling up at him. “I think I’ll need some time to think. But it seems like I’ve got a pretty long time to do that anyway,” he chuckled. “At least I don’t have many family ties to worry about, that’s a plus!”
Yeosang scoffed, shaking his head. “I suppose you could look at it that way.”
“Hey…” Wooyoung bit his lip, smiling cheekily. When Yeosang hummed in acknowledgement he continued. “I really want to kiss you right now.”
“Then why don’t you?”
Yeosang supposed he shouldn’t have been surprised when Wooyoung practically tackled him into the couch. He’d always been overly enthusiastic about most things. But any complaint he might have had was silenced as when Wooyoung’s lips met his. They were slightly chapped, but still soft. The faint smell of blood lingered, but beneath that, Yeosang could smell Wooyoung’s scent. It was sweet, like walking past a Jasmine plant in spring. It was perfectly Wooyoung.
When they parted, Wooyoung had that same cheeky smile on his lips. “Guess what.”
Yeosang raised his eyebrows in answer.
“Since I’m like… almost immortal now, you’re gonna be stuck with me for a loooong time,” he grinned.
Yeosang chuckled. “Can’t wait.”