Chapter Text
A small town in the countryside, located near the seashore and at just the right distance from the city’s bustling atmosphere and pollution–that’s where Yoo Joonghyuk, along with his little sister Yoo Mia, had moved to.
It was as if the place was right out of Yoo Joonghyuk’s dreams– not that he even had many of those–in the sense that, the people were quieter here.
No yelling in the streets, nor the obnoxious cacophony of vehicles in the street.
It was perfect.
The house he bought with his own money–the money he earns from his job as a gamer–was two storeyed, with 3 bedrooms on each floor and the kitchen, dining room and living room being on the ground floor, just past the entrance. It was themed black, with sleek black furniture and just the right touch of gold at places. The ceilings were high, with glass sliding doors at the back of the house on both of the floors that overlooked the ocean, the one on the upper floor opening onto a balcony with glass railings.
Even Yoo Joonghyuk had to admit the view was spectacular.
Rocks broken down by the aggressive waves crashing against them on the shore, the wind slowly picking up speed as it roared through the land and the sea, making the large trees at a distance sway to their rhythm, looking like they’d topple over any second now–Joonghyuk loved it. He was pretty sure Mia did too, if her awed stare outside towards the shore was anything to go by.
“Oppa, how did you even find this place?” Mia asked with a scrunch of her nose, squinting her eyes at her brother.
Yoo Joonghyuk raised an eyebrow. “Do you not like it?” Maybe he misread his sister’s emotions? After all, it wouldn’t be too surprising of him. Han Sooyoung has always called him ‘socially inept’, for reasons he was only recently starting to see.
“No, I like this place. It’s nice.” Okay, so Han Sooyoung was a liar, guaranteed.
“Besides, it’s peaceful. That’s the biggest advantage here.” Yoo Mia remained as impassive as ever. That was the best you could get from her. She was a lot like Joonghyuk in that regard.
The wind was picking up speed rapidly now, gathering dark clouds overhead. Seems like a storm was brewing.
“I’ll start making dinner,” Yoo Joonghyuk started moving towards the kitchen before he felt a tug on his sleeves. “You should also– Mia?”
Yoo Mia looked at her big brother while holding his hand, opening and closing her mouth, maybe getting ready to say something. Yoo Joonghyuk crouched down to look at her at eye-level, patting her hair.
“Yes?”
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Mia deadpanned, making Joonghyuk furrow his eyebrows. What was he forgetting?
“You didn’t give me a forehead kiss today.” If you squinted, you could almost see Mia pouting.
Yoo Joonghyuk chuckles at his sister’s antics. He admits he’s guilty of forgetting that she’s only 11, 8 years younger than him.
Still sporting a small smile on his face, he gives Mia her daily forehead kiss. She instantly brightens up, tackling him into a quick hug and then running up the stairs to arrange her room and freshen up for dinner.
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By the time Joonghyuk is done with making dinner, Yoo Mia is already seated at the dinner table. He takes off his Hello Kitty themed pink apron–courtesy of Yoo Mia and Han Sooyoung–and sits down with his sister to eat.
His phone rings from the kitchen countertop, and judging by the horrendous ringtone set by the caller herself, Joonghyuk immediately knows who it is.
“It’s Sooyoung-Unnie!”
“I’ll get it.” Begrudgingly, he walks over to the countertop and presses the accept call button, which immediately fills his screen with the pixelated face of Han Sooyoung chewing on her cheap excuse of a dinner that was instant noodles. Joonghyuk is visibly disgusted.
“Hello! How’s every- Yah, you bastard! What’s with that look?! Tch, you still haven’t developed any mannerisms yet. Is this the way to greet someone?” Joonghyuk finger hovered near the end call button until Mia snatched the phone from him.
“Unnie! We’re having dinner. Aren’t you coming over?”
Sooyoung grins, her canines on full display. “I wanted to, but I can’t. My girlfriend is here right now, I can’t just ditch her for your grumpy and very much single brother.”
Joonghyuk raises an eyebrow, feigning disbelief. “So your girlfriend is real? Not just a figment of your imagination? I find that hard to believe.”
“Says the one who’s never had a partner before in his entire lifetime of 19 years.” Sooyoung retorts. “And my girlfriend is very much real. And pretty. And cool. Cooler than you.” She then proceeds to stick out her tongue at him, like a toddler. Joonghyuk might have done it back if only his sister weren’t watching right now.
From the background, a faint voice admonishes Sooyoung for her childish actions, and soon, Sooyoung turns the camera around to face her actually real girlfriend, Joonghyuk realizes.
“Forgive her for her stupidity-” a broken ‘hey!’ resounds in the background– “she’s just being dumb. I’m Yoo Sangah, nice to meet you, uh..”
“Yoo Joonghyuk.”
Her brown eyes spark with recognition. “Ah, Joonghyuk-ssi. It’s nice to finally put a face to your name.” She chuckles. “Sooyoung talks about you and your sister a lot. She’s been worried about you two moving in all day.” The phone is then snatched from her hands, now displaying a very embarrassed Han Sooyoung.
“That was a lie.” she deadpanned.
“Really?” Joonghyuk teases.
“Really. You shouldn’t believe everything you hear these days.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes.” And now it’s a staring contest.
Thankfully, Yoo Mia takes the phone before anything actually happens.
“Unnie, why don’t you come over with Sangah-unnie? We could eat together. Oppa also made your favourite today.”
Han Sooyoung’s eyes widened dramatically. “MURIM DUMPLINGS?!”
“YES UNNIE.”
“FUCK EVERYTHING. I’M COMING, WAIT.” Sounds of rapid footsteps, some rustling, and a thud. Just before the call ended, Joonghyuk could make out a muffled voice that oddly sounded like something along the lines of ‘it’s free food babe, no time for etiquette right now, come on!’
Joonghyuk sighed, partly with fondness and partly with exhaustion.
At least Mia looked happy.
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The doorbell rang, not even 5 minutes later.
Mia swiftly opened it, and immediately broke out into a large smile.
Yoo Joonghyuk didn’t bother paying any more attention when he was sure it was Han Sooyoung and her girlfriend at the door. He resumed eating, quickly finishing his dinner. He was just about to get up when–
“Yah! Yoo Joonghyuk,” Han Sooyoung yelled. “Thank you so much for inviting us for dinner.” With the stupid grin she was sporting, Joonghyuk knew she was just being annoying again.
Her girlfriend at least had the decency to look slightly shy.
“Excuse her, please.” Yoo Sangah smiled, bowing to him as a sign of polite greeting. Yoo Joonghyuk did the same.
“Don’t worry, we’re used to it.” Joonghyuk replied, voice monotone, as he gathered his own dishes and placed them in the sink. He set down two more plates on the table for his guests. “Besides, Yoo Mia looks happy.”
Yoo Sangah’s eyes followed his line of sight, looking at a cheery Yoo Mia and an equally jumpy Han Sooyoung. Her eyes softened at the sight as she took a glance back to Joonghyuk, who was unknowingly smiling softly.
“You must love her a lot.”
Yoo Joonghyuk looked at her.
“Of course I do.” Turning his back on Yoo Sangah, as he moved towards the kitchen, he softly spoke.
“She’s the only one I have.”
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After dinner round#2 was done with, and Han Sooyoung was finally out of his sight for the day, Yoo Joonghyuk sighed with exhaustion. Beside him on the couch, Yoo Mia was trying to stifle a yawn, but Yoo Joonghyuk noticed.
“Go to bed, Mia.” He looked at the clock on his right side, placed neatly on the beige wall, which displayed a glaring 11:47 PM. ‘So much for a healthy sleep schedule’ he thought.
He half expected Mia to refuse, like the stubborn child she was. Contrary to Yoo Joonghyuk’s expectations–and much to his satisfaction–Mia did nothing but simply nod and walk away. She must have been too tired to fight on it, but Yoo Joonghyuk knew to expect a rebuttal next morning, after she was coherent enough and not delirious with sleepiness.
He stood up, stretching his back muscles, until he heard the satisfying pop! of his joints. He cracks his neck, then checks all the locks on the doors and windows all around the house. On the second floor, one last peek into Yoo Mia’s room assures him she’s sleeping, safe and sound.
Yoo Joonghyuk enters his own room, which is all black with only a few bursts of colour–mainly gold and white. The walls are coated matte black, with swirling patterns of shimmering gold, giving the entire room a touch of elegance. It’s still dark and broody, just the way he likes.
He showers and immediately flops down on the bed–still black–and opens his social media. He spares a momentary glance at his 100+ notifications, knowing there’s way, way more.
His last tweet, the one in which he announced his one-week hiatus for moving apartments, had received over 4 million likes and 2.5 million retweets. He looks at his 17 million follower count, and types another tweet. As soon as he’s pressed ‘tweet’, his phone is off and halfway across his sheets, and he’s buried into his pillow and blanket, fast asleep. He needed rest.
After all, he has a stream tomorrow.
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A block away, a shrill scream echoes in the night, effectively scaring away anyone who is not familiar with this town. It’s nothing special for the townsfolk; another day, another escape.
It’s not any different for Kim Dokja either, as he sinks his fangs into the neck of yet another criminal who escaped from the prison. It’s not a method he likes using, but it’s effective and time-saving –which he really needs right now–since he would really like to get this done with as soon as possible, and just go home to read his webnovels, and maybe pull an all-nighter to finish his due assignments, for his university classes tomorrow.
He digs his sharp, long nails, painted black, into the neck of the criminal, subduing him easily. Eventually, he stops struggling, and Kim Dokja can finally let out a sigh of relief.
His partner comes running after him, panting heavily as he stops near Dokja, the dead body still in his grasp.
Kim Dokja lets go of the body and stands up. There are splatters of blood on his police uniform. He desperately needs a shower.
“Dokja-ssi, won’t you drink the blood?” Lee Hyunsung asks, finally catching his breath. “You look like you’re hungry.”
Lee Hyunsung looked at his partner, noticing his paler than snow complexion visibly shining in the moonlight, his nails looking sharper and his piercing red eyes glow brighter than usual–and he comes to a realization, mouth forming an ‘o’ in the process as it clicks.
“You already–”
“Yeah,” Kim Dokja cuts him off, transforming back into his unassuming human form. “Didn’t realize it until he visibly deflated like a balloon in my hands. Sorry.”
Lee Hyunsung smiled in response. “It’s okay, Dokja-ssi. He wasn’t someone who’d get redemption anyway.”
“So you saw his file too?”
“Actually, I was the one who registered his case.” Lee Hyunsung’s voice turned grim. “He used to abuse his only family; wife and three kids. Thankfully, he was behind bars before anything serious could happen. But what’s happened already is bad enough in itself.”
“Huh, an abuser, you say?” Kim Dokja looked calculative; cold in a way only a select few had ever seen him on rare occasions, and that included Lee Hyunsung too.
Kim Dokja’s now grey eyes flickered towards the body, and in a swift movement, his hand was lodged inside the dead man’s thoracic cavity. Lee Hyunsung swore he could hear the crunch of bones and a squish of the heart, before the hand came out, dripping blood and holding a faintly beating heart.
“Guess he wasn’t dead yet.” Kim Dokja smiled, hatred and deep-seated despair in his eyes, as he licked off the drop of blood threatening to fall to the ground.
He faces Lee Hyunsung, throwing the organ away, with blood smearing his lips. He goes back to his usual demeanor.
“Alright, let’s get this back to Seolhwa-ssi. Make sure to tell her his case details so she just leaves him there in the morgue to rot.”
Lee Hyunsung can’t bring himself to disagree, so he assists his partner in carrying the body into a body bag. They walk the way back to the station, talking like the old friends they are. They submit the body in the lab, change into their civilian clothes and head out the station. Before they part ways, Kim Dokja eventually clears his throat, looking bashful.
“Hyunsung-ssi, are you like, okay? After the stunt I pulled earlier? I might have gone too far; you’re a human, after all.”
Lee Hyunsung laughs. “I’m good, Dokja-ssi. No need to worry about it. I may be human but my wife is a vampire, just like you. Trust me, I’ve seen worse.”
At his response, Kim Dokja’s features seem to lift a bit. “Ah, my bad. I keep forgetting that.” He lets out a chuckle. “Jung Heewon really toughened you up, huh?”
“She really did, I guess. I miss her a lot.”
“Oh come on, she’ll be back next week anyway. Her semester finals are ending in a week.”
“Yeah, I know. But I can’t help missing her.” Lee Hyunsung almost pouted.
Kim Dokja made a mock-disgusted face in return. “Ew, lovebirds. Stay away from me, I might end up affected by this deadly virus.” He rubbed his arms, feigning shivers.
“Don’t worry, Dokja-ssi. You’ll find someone soon, I have an intuition, somehow.” Hyunsung smiled at him gently.
“Really? I doubt that.” Dokja’s voice turned wistful at the end. “No one can put up with me for long enough to do that. Not everyone is as patient as you, Hyunsung-ssi. Jung Heewon is lucky to have you.”
Lee Hyunsung was going to say something to refute his words, but he sounded so sure, so resigned to his fate that he would be alone forever, that the words got stuck in Hyunsung’s throat.
Lee Hyunsung worries about Kim Dokja, especially since he’s learnt of his past.
“Goodbye, Hyunsung-ssi. I’ll see you on Tuesday.” Dokja flashed a smile, and disappeared in the blink of an eye. Lee Hyunsung stood there for a moment, then slowly turned around to walk back home.
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As soon as Kim Dokja enters his house, his phone beeps with a notification from twitter. His eyes sparkle with recognition; there’s only one person he’s allowed notifications from on twitter.
It’s Yoo Joonghyuk.
Kim Dokja reads the tweet. It’s short and concise:
“Just moved in. Stream tomorrow at 9 PM.”
Kim Dokja can’t wait for tomorrow.