Modern-Day Vampire

Chapter 53

"Don't you think that's strange? ... why would she want to help you so much, when she didn't even really know you?"

Sungjae wonders if Irene's words were true.

She had never even seen him before, yet the first time they met, she confessed that she liked him.

She was also so forward. Asking him to take off his clothes or her taking off her own clothes...

"For her, dating is just a tool to have access to another person."

Lost in his thoughts: No, Sooyoung would never...Right?...that kind of...

"Earth to Sungjae~" She waves a hand in front of his face, "...Sungjae!" He snaps out of it, "What are you thinking about?" She asks, "Are you okay??"

"...oh." He blurts out.

They're on a date at a café nearby. "Is something the matter? You keep looking preoccupied."

Sungjae smiles, "Oh...no...just...work."

Sooyoung frowns, "I see..." like a cat drooping her ears, "I haven't seen you in so long and yet you aren't listening to me, just thinking about work..."

"S-sorry, there's just...a part I can't quite resolve" He stammers.

Her eyes flash, "Which part?!" Excitedly she asks, "You said it's a thriller, right? You should tell me. I may not seem like it but I've seen a lot of thriller movies and read books, too!"

"Well, uh...um" Sungjae's overwhelmed, he wasn't expecting this type of response from her, "Uh...s-so the main character commits a murder...and when it comes to dealing with the corpse...is a bit...um-"

Sooyoung slams her hands on the table, "Great!" Waving up her pointer finger, "Leave it to me."

"Whaaa????" Sungjae looks at her uneasily.

Grabbing his hand, she drags him out, "Follow me. We have to go before it gets dark."

"Eck! W-w-wait a minute. Sooyoung!"

--

"Why are we here?" Sungjae sweats as he makes his way up the slope.

Sooyoung laughs, "Well, thriller stories are usually set in less-traveled places, like mountains. I read somewhere that creative minds don't work well if they're cooped up at home." She rationalizes that, "by being here, you'll be immersed by the setting and you'll be inspired." Sooyoung had been at this same exact spot for a shoot before, explaining that if they kept going up this hiking trail, there's a place that's less busy. Directing him, "let's go there first!"

He smiles at her efforts, grabbing her hand, "Let's!" As they continue on the path, Sungjae takes in the surroundings, "The foliage is quite vivid,"

"Yeah, October's drawing to a close. We first met in spring, so much time has passed already. Who would've known then we'd be doing this?" Smiling brightly, "I'm so, so happy that we can hold hands like this," swinging them back and forth. "At first, your OCD was so bad that I couldn't even touch you. I guess hard work always does pay off."

That last sentence got to him...hard work?

"To help you so she would be able to touch you. She's dating you because dating allows you to be free with physical contact."

"...Sooyoung-ah, I..."

She tugs at his hand, "Sungjae! Look!!" Running towards something that caught her eye, "there's an old well here!! What do you think!!" She eagerly shouts.

Sungjae is a bit underwhelmed by it, "G-great..."

"It's pretty good, huh?! People don't really come this way since it's pretty creepy at night."

"...I see."

Running and pointing at many things on the path, Sooyoung actively and energetically suggests ideas for Sungjae, "Oh! What about here, Sungjae? The culprit may hide out somewhere like here..."

"Sooyoung...you don't need to..."

"There are bushes here! A perfect hiding place," She struggles to lift a rock, "and under this, they may not be seen—although it's pretty heavy." Jumping up and down, "Or up in this tree!"

She's not listening at all...

Crouching down, "Sungjae! This is great, too. The leaves have piled up here." Zealously, she goes, "you can't really see what's underneath," Suddenly she stops and all he could hear were thumps and an "ACK!" escaping her lips.

Sungjae rushes to her side, "Sooyoung-ah! Are you okay?!" He panics, "Did you slip? Are you hurt-"

"Aha! Jackpot! See! There's a giant hole here that was hidden by the fallen leaves." She's a mess. Dirt all over her clothes, leaves in her hair. "If it's something like this, just a little bit deeper and you'd never know!" She giggles, "See, what did I say?! When you're immersed, the ideas just come!"

Sungjae watches her sincere efforts and laughs. "What in the world are you doing?" He wouldn't stop, she's so silly.

"Eh?? What?? Why are you laughing??"

--

Finding a log to sit on, Sungjae makes Sooyoung sit down. He disinfects her knee. She got a minor cut while digging through the leaves. "Here" he applies on a band-aid. "Be careful, you're a model. Your body is your #1 treasure."

Sooyoung comments, "I always wondered what was in the bag you always carry around, an emergency kit, who would have guessed."

"It's a habit. It came in handy today though. Anyway, this should be good for now. So, let's go down."

"Sorry, I..." She starts to apologize, "I wanted to help what little I could. I wanted to lessen your worries."

Yeah...that's right. She wouldn't.

He smiles. "Hey Sooyoung-ah, do you know the saying that goes something like – you can be of help by just staying put?"

"Eh? What?"

--

Arriving back at the apartment complex, "It was still a lot of fun today." Sungjae tells her, "Thanks to you, my worries have gone away. Thank you." His lips curled upward, "I'm just glad it didn't get more complicated. Rest well, the walking must have made you tired." He starts to reach for the keypad; however, Sooyoung stops his tracks.

"Eh? W-wait, Sungjae." She blocks the pin pad. "We haven't been on a date in so long! You don't need to go home yet. It's n-not even that late...so stay a bit longer." She blushes, "We haven't...finished what we started before. Do you want to...stay with me tonight?"