Your bite - Kim Junkyu

eighteenth

"Grandma? He said grandma??" Hyunsuk asked, dumbfounded.

With tears in her eyes, she took a step forward and raised her wrinkly hands to his cheeks. Junghwan flinched at the contact, but he couldn't move. He was shaken up by how much she looked like his mother.

"Is it really you?" She questioned, her voice trembling.

Junghwan nodded slowly.

"We brought him to you," Danbi broke the sweet moment they were sharing, her gaze softer than before, "I think we deserve some answers."

The woman's expression straightened slightly as she said that. She retracted her hands, pushing the door to make way. Sighing, she invited them in.

"I think I'll wait here." Hyunsuk announced, getting the chills as the floor creaked under Junghwan. But Doyoung clutched onto his sweater, pulling him in.

"Sit down, kids." The old woman motioned towards the dusty chairs by the entrance.

"Let's not waste time," Danbi said, stepping forward. "Our friend was bitten because of whatever you put in that candy!"

The woman inhaled sharply. Among the many uneasy and somewhat upset expressions, she spotted her nephew's. There was a glint of disappointment in his eyes, which made her chest feel tight.

"You're right," She supported herself on the arms of the chair, standing up. "It... wasn't normal candy."

Though they had been expecting it, finally hearing her agree to it surprised them.

Doyoung and Hyunsuk were not aware of the candy discussion but could tell it was serious.

"It did something to her blood, right? Something to make it more appealing to vampires." Jeongwoo interjected.

The woman's eyebrows twitched up. She hadn't expected them to know. "That candy," she breathed, her eyes momentarily meeting Junghwan's for some courage, "I was told to give you that candy." She pointed at Jihoon, earning gasps from everyone.

"Me??" He remembered the day she handed him the candy sack instead of Jeongwoo, putting the pieces together.

"This boy, from your school I suppose, asked me to. He knew you would come to town, and he knew you would come here."

"From our school?" Doyoung asked.

Junghwan's face enlightened at once, overtaken by realization. He turned to everyone, eyeing Jihoon especially. "Yoshi,"

Everyone showed their surprise at Junghwan's assumption.

"I saw him! Hyunsuk, I saw him when I was out hunting for vampires! He was walking out of here. And-" Junghwan paused, now able to judge everything he had seen with new information. His eyes darted to Jihoon. "He was the vampire I saw that night."

"Yoshi is a vampire?!" Hyunsuk and Doyoung marveled.

"How do you know that? He- he can't be." Danbi shook her head, denying reality.

"He is," Jihoon joined, "Junghwan and I found out at the party."

Danbi let out a laugh of disbelief, her eyes pacing around the room. She could feel a headache creeping up the side of her head.

"I didn't know he was a vampire." The old woman revealed, and her voice managed to get the girl functioning.

"Is there a cure?" Danbi asked, shifting her focus to the woman.

The woman turned silent, looking down.

"There has to be," Junghwan stepped towards her. "right?"

"I'm," His grandma pressed her lips together. "I'm afraid not. Or, a-at least I haven't found one yet. The candy works by changing your blood composition. Your blood works as an antidote for them and thus helps them stay more human. The purpose of them was to make vampires go after you."