Danbi stepped back instinctively. brushing her hair over her wound. By the way his eyes didn't flicker from her, she guessed he must've sensed something.
"Ahem." Mr. Park cleared his throat, giving the boy a narrowed look.
"D-do you have reservations?" Haruto shifted his gaze at the notebook in front of him, though he couldn't see the writing clearly.
"Yes, under Park Daewoo." Mr. Park spoke sternly, his judging eyes not leaving the boy.
"Right," Haruto swallowed, bringing himself to look up and smile. "Follow me."
The group followed him with great tension. Mrs. Park glanced back at her daughter, questioning the situation with a look.
"I will bring your menus in a bit." Haruto said. His eyes lingered on Danbi as he walked away.
"He must be working here part-time," Mrs. Park tried to enlighten the atmosphere. Seeing the crooked expressions on everyone persist, she sighed, placing her hands down. "Are you still awkward with him, sweetheart?"
Danbi snapped out of her thinking. "What? Ah, yeah..."
"They haven't spoken since then." Jihoon added, hoping to convince her parents.
"Good." Mr. Park muttered under his breath, managing to get some small smiles from the cousins and Mrs. Park - and a faint one from Danbi.
"If you want to leave, sweetheart-"
Danbi shook her head, gripping onto her sweater. "I'm fine, don't worry." But that statement proved itself to be wrong as an arm stretched from behind her, making her tense up. A menu was placed down in front of her, but Haruto took his time letting go of it. She felt the tip graze her hair momentarily, making all the hair stand up on her. The thought of him having sensed her wound made her stomach twist.
"I'll," Haruto paused, needing to clear his throat. "come back to get your order."
"We'll wait a little longer if that's okay. Some more people are coming."
Jihoon narrowed his eyes at Haruto as he saw him shamelessly staring at Danbi. Haruto pulled himself to nod and leave, clenching his jaw.
—
"You can go home, Ruto. Your old pal will handle the rest." Mr. Watanabe gave his son a glance and a smile, busy cooking.
Haruto wanted to nod, but couldn't get himself to move an inch. He didn't want to leave - not with her here.
"It's okay, Dad," His dilated pupils glistened in the cold light as he raised his stare. "I'll help you."
Mr. Watanabe stopped, fully turning to his son. "You're okay, right? Do you need a pack?
Haruto shook himself slightly, getting out of his trance. "No," He smiled. "I'm fine."
—
"That's amazing, I'm sure they're very happy you could continue your studies." The woman opposite the cousins spoke, having heard about their story.
"Yes, they are. But we do miss them." Jeongwoo spoke, a sad smile overtaking his and Jihoon's lips.
"Yedam also stayed away from us for a while. He stayed abroad with his grandparents. How long, for a year?"
The fourth teenager at the table raised his stare from his phone, disinterest present throughout his expression. "Yeah." He replied, his eyes quickly finding their way back to his screen.
Mr. Bang chuckled, shaking his head. "Don't mind him. He stayed up late to unpacking yesterday, he's tired."
Yedam realized the reason for his dad's comment, swiftly shoving his phone into his back pocket. "Sorry." He whispered, turning his attention to everyone.
"No problem, it's normal. Moving was probably tiring." Mrs. Park smiled.
The adults continued talking, and Yedam wasn't particularly invested as he couldn't focus much. However, something else had caught his attention. The ones around his age kept glancing around, appearing agitated.
The waiter was coming again, now with a tray full of drinks. Yedam's eyes widened in anticipation, having awaited his drink.
"Here are your drinks." The waiter's deep voice sounded from the side with the other kids. Yedam's brows furrowed, realizing the waiter had given his drink to the girl - who already had a drink.
"Um, sorry," Yedam raised his hand, grabbing the waiter's attention. "That's my drink."
All eyes turned to Haruto after Yedam's words. "S-sorry." Haruto shook himself, taking the drink from Danbi's side and bringing it to Yedam. He knew he had to keep control of himself, but his body was not going by that plan.
The cousins glanced between each other as they saw Haruto scurrying away, appalled looks on their faces. Yedam frowned, confused.
"So, how is school? Are the teachers exigent?" Mrs. Bang pulled the kids into the discussion.
"It's alright, they are but they are also understanding." Jeongwoo replied.
"He doesn't have my physics teacher." Jihoon pointed out, making the others laugh.
"I'm sure they're not any more absurd than Yedam's previous teacher. We had to leave since he was going around asking students to massage his feet for a higher grade."
"Seriously??" Jihoon commented, open-mouthed as everyone else.
"Mom...!" Yedam gave her a startled look. He didn't want her to reveal the reason they had moved.
"Right." Mrs. Bang excused herself with a giggle. "Anyway, what are you ordering (...)?"
As the adults drifted once more into a separate discussion, Danbi observed her surroundings with a thumping heart. She knew he'd come any minute, and anticipation was making her sick.
"Would you like to order?"
The familiar, deep voice echoed in her mind as she took in his position. He went to the opposite side of the table, to her relief.
"Yes, if everyone's ready." Mrs. Park smiled.
All gave their order, giving Danbi enough time to observe Haruto's state. His skin was paler, making the darkness under his eyes stand out, but he seemed normal other than that. She wondered if he was forcing himself to appear normal given the situation, or if she actually affected him less.
"Danbi?" Jeongwoo gave her a nudge that it was her turn.
She glanced at him and then at the menu, not feeling anything strike her appetite in that situation. "Uh, I'll have some soba. Kakesoba..." Her voice turned to a whisper as she looked back up, meeting Haruto's stare.
His lips twitched to a smirk, remembering their date. "Good choice."
Her brows furrowed at his reaction.
"Yedam, you should get some soba too. You said you were cold earlier." Mrs. Bang shook him lightly.
Yedam glanced between Danbi and Haruto, his lips parted awkwardly. "Um, sure."
Haruto bowed and left with their order, helping Danbi relax a bit.
"I'm excited to taste the food. I've been thinking about it since you called to tell us about it." Mrs. Bang jumped happily in her seat.
"She's hungry because she spent all morning unpacking." Mr. Bang informed the others, getting a nudge and a laugh from his wife.
"My husband and I came here a year ago. They had one single table available, it was full just like now. But I can promise you, the food is amazing." Mrs. Park smiled, placing a hand over the other woman's.
Not much after, their food arrived, and Danbi couldn't have been more grateful to see another waiter appearing instead of Haruto. However, scanning around the place, she noticed he wasn't at another table either. She thought he might be in the kitchen, but not for cooking. A flashback of a pale-looking Haruto, spread out in front of her house, popped into her mind, causing her stomach to turn with an uneasy feeling.
"Let's just eat and leave, coz. Don't think about him." Jihoon nudged her gingerly, bringing her back to reality.
Watching the steaming soba in front of her with a dry throat and a decreasing appetite, she swallowed and nodded. "Sure." She squeezed out, grabbing onto the pair of chopsticks.
—
"Woah, this feels nice." Mr. Park patted his stomach, almost sliding off his chair with how relaxed he was.
"You were right," Mr. Bang laughed, in a similar position, "this has to be some of the best Japanese food I've tasted."
"How was the food, kids?" Mrs. Bang patted Yedam's hair, seeing he had cleaned his bowl.
"Great." Jeongwoo said, following that with an unexpected burp, which got everyone laughing.
"I can tell." Mr. Park joked, aggravating Jeongwoo's embarrassment.
"Should we split the bill? We could (...)"
Danbi felt a bit nauseous, thing which she attributed to how fast she had eaten just to leave the restaurant quicker. She saw Yedam suddenly stand up from the table in the middle of the bill-debate and head towards somewhere. Thinking he must've been going to the bathroom, she grabbed the opportunity to not go alone and rushed after him, earning baffled looks from her cousins.
Coming out of the kitchen and spotting Danbi crossing the restaurant, Haruto's breath got stuck in his throat. He set the tray he was holding aside, his body taking him after her.
Reaching the bathroom and seeing multiple women there, gaping at her after her abrupt entrance, Danbi exhaled relieved. She could take a few breaths without having to worry Haruto would corner her.
However, exiting the stall after a minute or so, Danbi stumbled upon an empty bathroom. The stalls beside her were also unoccupied, unlike they had been earlier, making her prior paranoia return.
Light noise occurring from the tables gave her the courage she needed to walk out, realizing she just had to hurry back in the mass of people to reach safety.
But a step out of the bathroom, her wrist was yanked. A gasp left her lips as she was pulled over to a wall, getting pushed into it.
"H-Haruto."
The male wasted no time, slapping her hair away and pulling her bandage off. His tongue numbed out at the sight of dried blood around a bite. He felt the weakness from earlier tackle him down at once, which let him know he shouldn't have done that.
The girl's breath hitched as she noticed his pupils dilating almost instantly. She flattened herself to the wall, her eyes shaking as she awaited his next action.
His gaze was now dark and hungry, making her shrink in fright. Haruto's hands found their way to her shoulders, brushing his thumb past her bite. The sting made her throw her head back. "Please, don't." She strained herself to say, her toes curling in her shoes.
But her words didn't reach Haruto's ears. Fixating the bite mark on her neck, he inched closer to her, parting his full lips.
"Uh,"
Danbi's eyes rounded with hope, finding some remains of strength to push Haruto away at the emergence of a third voice. Spotting Yedam, she hurried to him.
There was a breathtaking silence proceeding after that as Haruto kept himself facing the wall, and only Danbi knew the reason for that. Her heart was beating crazily, and her limbs felt stuck, unable to do anything to take Yedam or herself away.
Haruto dashed away, however, leaving the two standing in the middle of the hallway.
"Are you okay?" Yedam turned to her, not sure how to interpret the situation.
Danbi inhaled slowly, trying to maintain her calm. "Y-yeah, he was just helping me put my earring back on." She lied, fearing that Yedam had seen too much.
"Oh," Yedam nodded, despite his expression still holding some disbelief. "Alright." He walked away towards the table, and she followed close by.
Jihoon and Jeongwoo's faces paled as the two reached the table, having read everything off Danbi's face.
"Are you okay? Are you sick?" Her mother interrogated the two.
Noticing the adults were staring at them worriedly, Yedam and Danbi nodded with a smile. "I'm fine, but..." Yedam interrupted himself as he glanced at Danbi, noticing her panicking.
"I just ate too fast. It was too good." Danbi excused herself, looking down.
"Should we go?"
Yedam nodded, grabbing his jacket. Everyone followed and the moment they exited the restaurant, relief washed over Danbi. She peeked back from the corner of her eye, exhaling as she saw no Haruto.
"It was so great seeing you after so long. And seeing the kids together again warmed my heart." Mrs. Bang smiled, playing with Yedam's hair as she sweetly smiled.
"It was our pleasure. When you called me saying you're moving back I was so happy!"
Yedam's eyes wandered to the three once more as the parents conversed, lingering a bit on Danbi as he replayed the moment between her and the waiter. Something seemed off about their interaction.
—
"You're low on blood."
Haruto dropped the bottle in his hands, red splattering all over the marble kitchen floor. "You scared me." He gulped, his eyes flickering to the ground.
"What is happening with you? You've been acting weird, Ruto."
Haruto dropped to his knees, grabbing onto his forehead. "I don't know, Dad. I feel like," he hesitated, shutting his eyes momentarily, "I just turned..."
"W-what? What do you mean?"
"Dad," he turned around, his eyes darker than before. "After you learned to control yourself, did you ever want to...
bite someone again?"
Mr. Watanabe's eyes widened in dismay. "Do you?"
Haruto bit onto his lip, his fists tightening. He nodded.
"Haruto..." His dad crouched next to him, placing a hand on his back. "Have you been supplying yourself less lately? I told you, the donation center will send us enough for us both, you don't need to-!"
"It's not that!"
Haruto's growl managed to disbalance the man from his crouching.
The boy raised his stare, his eyes stern and glossy. "I can't resist her blood."
Mr. Watanabe paled.
—
Danbi was about to head to her room when her wrist was grabbed. Jihoon and Jeongwoo motioned her with their heads to their room. She sighed, knowing what it was about. "Come to mine, I want to check on my wound."
In the girl's room, they wasted no time to bombard her with questions.
"I knew I should've gone with you." Jihoon scoffed, shaking his head in disappointment.
"But still, I didn't expect he'd do something! It was a freaking public space!"
"With no people." Jeongwoo intervened, arching a brow.
"It was full when I walked in. Maybe he bribed all the women in there to leave, I don't know." Danbi groaned, frustrated.
It's good that Yedam was there. If he wasn't, you would have earned your second vampire bite." Jihoon remarked.
"Well, that's why I went when he did. We need to find out what the hell is happening. There's clearly no stop to this."
The two boys could only watch her pacing figure with pity. "Should we... tell your parents? They could talk to that old-" Jeongwoo zipped his lips at the looks he got from his two cousins.
"No way. Not only might they take me to a psychologist, but rather than solving it, I'd just be sentencing myself to being grounded for life. I'd have to explain so many things to them, which I barely found the courage to tell you two about."
"Okay, so we'll solve this on our own," Jihoon smiled cheekily, making himself comfortable on Danbi's bed. "Do we have a lead?"
Danbi's brows furrowed. She had plenty of theories, but no confirmation. "It's useless if that old woman doesn't admit it. I'm sure that candy did it all, but what do we do with that information if she plays dumb?"
"Right, that's kinda hard. We could try to find something to get her to admit."
"What, like blackmail?" Jihoon snorted at Jeongwoo's idea.
"Yes, though I don't know what."
"Let's go to sleep," Danbi cut their conversation short, shutting the drawer she had been rummaging through. She turned around and puffed, wiggling the bandage in her hand. "I can't really focus on this right now."
The boys looked at each other and exhaled. They stood up and bid her goodnight, walking out.
Alone in her room, Danbi fell flat on her bed, staring up. Her mind was in a haze with everything happening, and it was crazy how even in the most peaceful moments, fear seemed to find a way to crawl through the smallest creaks in her walls. The close calls with Haruto and the bite from Asahi made it clear to her that she'd have to take action, whatever that meant. She had to find a way to turn back to how she was.
She groaned as she drew circles on her bandage, deep in her thoughts. "Did I not turn into a vampire because of my blood?"
—
"Are you feeling alright?"
Danbi's lips curved to a smile. "Yes. Way too good for someone who was bitten by a vampire." She tried to joke, which brought a brief enlightenment to Junkyu's expression.
"So you found nothing from her." He continued their earlier conversation with a pout, at which she sighed.
"Yeah." Jeongwoo puffed.
"She was clearly pretending, so I can only assume she did it. But that doesn't help much. I need to know exactly what that candy did, and if she can do something to make me normal again. I," Danbi sighed, "ran into Haruto yesterday."
Junkyu halted in his steps, stopping the other two as well. "What?? Did he do something to you?"
"He almost did. She was stubborn and went to the toilet on her own." Jeongwoo exposed her, receiving a nudge from her.
"We went out with my parents to meet some family friends, and they chose his restaurant..." Danbi explained with a huff, still in disbelief at the turn of events.
Junkyu kept his mouth open, blinking. "Wow."
"Yeah." Danbi laughed shortly, adjusting her backpack strap as they reached class B6. "You should go to class, Kyu. Thanks for taking us here."
Junkyu gave her a quick smile, not having time to add anything else as the two went inside. His eyes stayed on Danbi with a mixture of emotions swirling in his stomach. No matter how nonchalant he tried to seem, the situation was driving him crazy.
He walked back to class, a certain someone in his mind as he scanned the class thoroughly. There he was, entering. Haruto.
The two males intersected stares, Junkyu's eyes narrowing instantly. Haruto kept his eyes motionless, evoking a dark aura that almost made Junkyu budge back in his seat. But he couldn't back out - not when Danbi was involved. And things had gone too off the rails for him to coward from a staredown.
—
Feeling the bench shift under his arms, Yoshi inhaled deeply. He scooted over closer to the edge of the chair, tightening his fists.
"Good morning."
He dared glance at the girl next to him, his back tensing as he did so. "Morning," He put on a smile. "Did you sleep well?" He hurried a look around her neck, but he couldn't see anything because of her loose hair.
"Oh, yeah," She stretched, laughing a bit stiffly. "Like a baby after the sleepover. But I should ask you if you are okay. I heard you felt sick?"
Yoshi's eyes twitched wide. He rubbed the nape of his neck, letting out an awkward chuckle. "Yeah. I usually don't eat much junk food, it must've been that."
Danbi nodded, smiling. "I understand. I'm glad you feel better, it's better that you went home to rest."
Yoshi smiled back, ungluing his eyes from her as the teacher walked in. He clutched onto his stomach, the same nausea that had been blending in his everyday routine for the past few days returning a bit stronger.
—
Lunchtime came after an uneventful school day, and things finally turned more animated for the bored students as the new student finally discovered the way to the cafeteria.
Hyunsuk was dragging a startled boy behind him, over to his friends' table. "Guys! Look who I found."
All eyes turned to the new face. "Yedam?"
"Huh?" Hyunsuk let go of Yedam, confusion written over his face as he glanced at the three nonchalant cousins. "Do you three know him?"
"We're family friends. We met yesterday." Jeongwoo explained.
"It's a pleasure meeting you," Doyoung stood up, grabbing Yedam's hand with both hands and shaking it. "Feel free to sit with us. Hyunsuk and I are quite popular among our classmates so we can introduce you to people."
Yedam smiled a bit awkwardly. "Thank you. And it's okay, I'm quite introverted, so..."
"We get that. These two are the definition of introversion." Hyunsuk whispered, pointing at Junkyu and Danbi.
Yedam kept his gaze on Danbi for a second or two, inspecting her. She seemed better than the previous day, so he decided to shrug his thoughts off.
"What class are you in, Yedam?" Jihoon asked.
Yedam looked up, trying to remember. "B7, I think."
"Awh, we're in B6 and B8. But B7 is right next to ours, you can always come visit." Doyoung beamed.
"Mm, thanks." Yedam smiled back, now a bit more comfortable.
Ayeong also appeared mid their conversation, frowning as she didn't spot Junghwan at the table. She gave Jeongwoo a tight-lipped smile, squeezing between him and Jihoon. After introducing Yedam to her as well, the friends were off to grab their trays.
"This is the best, you have to try it!" Hyunsuk exclaimed for the nth time, filling Yedam's tray with yet another thing he praised. Yedam could only nod and endure. "Aren't I right?"
Doyoung and Junkyu, who were somehow dragged into that, nodded slowly, confused.
"Did you talk to him after the party?" Ayeong asked, hopeful. Jeongwoo shook his head, making her sigh.
Danbi was last in line as was unable to find much that struck her appetite - especially since her mind wasn't there.
She peeked through her hair around by instinct, spotting a certain someone approaching the line. She gasped, pushing her tray into the student's in front to go faster. Right as the line moved, her wrist was seized, stopping her from advancing.
Danbi gulped, turning around slowly. As her widened stare reached Haruto's fixed one, she started wiggling her wrist, trying to pull it away.
Haruto tightened his hold, dragging her to the side. "How did you not turn from Asahi's bite?"
Danbi looked to the side, her face morphing with uncomfortableness. "I don't know." She blurted, looking for her friends. From where they were, they couldn't be seen clearly.
Haruto pulled her a little closer, lowering himself beside her ear. "It's because of your blood, right?"
Her back arched, overtaken by a chill. "No..." She knew her denying was of no importance, however. Even she, without her vampire senses, had figured her blood was unusual.
"I'm stronger than her if you want to go for an arm wrestle,"
Haruto's grip loosened as Jihoon appeared, allowing Danbi to pull her hand away. Jihoon got between the two and placed his tray on the rail. "Needed a few more proteins." He turned to Danbi and smiled, getting some more meat.
Haruto scowled and left.
"What did he want? Was he frustrated that they don't have blood on the menu?" Jihoon asked, pushing her tray as well as his.
"He asked me," She paused and sighed, "why I didn't turn into a vampire." She whispered the last part, peeking at the students nearby.
Jihoon cleared his throat, also doing so. "He knows Asahi bit you? How-?"
"He sensed it yesterday, at the restaurant," she explained. Picking her tray up from the rail, she stopped, looking at the ground. "I'm scared, Jihoon," she raised her stare, "I- don't know how to handle these interactions anymore." She admitted with a hand on her chest. Her heart was about to break free from how hard it was beating.
Jihoon sighed deeply, circling her with his arm. Giving her an encouraging smile, he ruffled her hair with his free hand. "Don't be. Jeongwoo and I will protect you. And," his lips rose to a smirk as he spotted Junkyu at the table, looking around for them. "Junkyu too."
Danbi's eyes landed on the mentioned boy. "Yeah." She smiled. He had protected her plenty.
"Let's go."
But reaching the table didn't ease the girl of much tension as the author of her state remained seated a few tables away from her, burning holes into her with his stare. No matter how much she wanted to push the sensation back into her mind, it was too intense.
She dug her nails into her jeans as the feeling got more obvious. Even Yedam, who was seated opposite her, was glancing behind her awkwardly, giving her the confirmation she needed that Haruto was blatantly surveying her.
Since most trays had been emptied, she gathered her courage to stand up. "Sorry, but I'll head to class sooner. I have some exercises left to do for Mr. Shim's class." Her eyes traveled to Jeongwoo, praying that he joined her.
Jeongwoo got the message, also stretching himself up. "I also didn't do some of that homework," He laughed a bit nervously, rubbing his hands onto his jeans. "Let's go together."
Junkyu, Ayeong, and Jihoon looked around as the two left, realizing the reason for their sudden leave. Yedam's eyes remained on the boy at the other table for a little longer, his instinct telling him something was off about that guy's intentions.
—
The deep focus she was in during class made Danbi unaware of her surroundings. A silhouette rested against the trunk of a naked tree, hands in his pocket as he watched over her through the class window. Asahi tilted his head as he studied her features from afar, a smile of disbelief playing on his lips.
"She's not a vampire."
Knowing how deep he had gone into the bite, it seemed impossible.
"It must be because of what that woman said about her blood." He adjusted his position, his eyes narrowing in interest.
—
"We usually go together, but I told them I'd be giving you the tour so they left." Hyunsuk explained as he and Yedam walked towards the gate. The two had stayed a few minutes behind for a quick tour of the school.
"I see. Would it be alright if I joined you for the first few days since we live next to each other? I'm not used to the way to school yet."
"Of course!" Hyunsuk beamed. "You can walk with us, I'm sure everyone's chill with it."
The other boy smiled. "Thanks."
Almost out of the school perimeters, a particular boy caught Hyunsuk's attention, looking as if sneaking around. Hyunsuk motioned Yedam to wait and crept up from behind, startling the younger boy with a hand on his back.
"Junghwan!"
"Ah!" Junghwan almost stumbled to the ground. He looked up and relaxed upon seeing it was Hyunsuk. "O-oh, Hyunsuk? You guys haven't left?"
Hyunsuk chuckled. "It's just Yedam and I, I stayed back to give him a tour."
"Yedam?" Junghwan crooked an eyebrow, peeking behind Hyunsuk to see who the stranger was. "Ah, the new student?"
"Yes. Come, I'll introduce you!" Junghwan got dragged away by Hyunsuk, who brought the two face to face. Awkwardness settled in as the hyper Hyunsuk's eyes bounced between the two, awaiting their introduction.
"Hi, I'm Bang Yedam." The boy gave a tight-lipped smile, extending his hand.
"So Junghwan." Junghwan smiled back, shyly accepting his handshake. Noticing Yedam's face turning surprised at that, Junghwan's brows furrowed slightly.
"Weren't we kindergarten classmates?"
Hyunsuk and Junghwan exchanged confused glances. "You two?" Hyunsuk asked, curious.
"I don't remember. Were we?" Junghwan questioned, still puzzled.
"I think so. I used to live here when I was a kid, and I doubt there are many Junghwans in this town." Yedam grinned, now more genuinely. As he had moved from a young age out of the town, the little memories he made there remained embedded in his mind.
"Wow," Hyunsuk marveled, blinking at the two. "This really is a small town."
"Yeah." The boys chuckled.
"Let's talk more on the way home, though. Mom will kill me if I stay for any longer-" Hyunsuk was about to give the two a gentle push towards the exit but stopped as his name was called. All three heads turned in the direction of the voice. Junghwan's eyes squinted slightly as he noticed Yoshi approaching them.
"Oy, Yosh. What's up?"
"Um," Yoshi rubbed his arm. "Sorry to bother. Did you find a thermos at your place, Hyunsuk?"
A line appeared between Hyunsuk's eyebrows. "A thermos? I don't think so. Did you forget it there?"
Yoshi chuckled briefly. "Yeah. If you see it, can you bring it tomorrow? And don't wash it, please," he added eagerly, "I wouldn't want to bother you."
Seeing Yoshi a bit agitated, Junghwan puckered his lips contemplatively.
"Sure, no worries, I'll bring it tomorrow." Hyunsuk made an 'okay' sign, bringing relief to the other guy's face.
"Thank you very much. I'll see you tomorrow!"
"Mm, see you!" He waved at Yoshi, turning back to the other two and leaving along with them. Junghwan's eyes followed Yoshi's figure, still suspicious.
—
"They've gone down to 2." Junghwan groaned, tossing his phone on the bed and swirling in his chair. Ever since the failed lives, he had gone below his original subscriber number, before his whole vampire theory. But that was just the tip of the iceberg; he was trying to think of silly things like that so he wouldn't go mad over Ayeong's words from that night. He wasn't even sure what affected him more - that vampires existed or that his best friends had betrayed him.
He shut his notebook as he realized focusing on homework wasn't going to work, standing up with a sharp exhale. Remembering Yedam's words brought some spark of excitement in him as he could let his mind rest a bit from all the thinking.
He jogged downstairs, where his mom was, engulfing her in a back hug.
"Mom." He sang, wiggling her withing his embrace.
"What, Hwanie? Are you hungry?" She asked in a high-pitch, a smile blooming of her face.
"You know it," he laughed, letting her go and patting his stomach, "but I'm here on a mission. Do you have a photo album from kindergarten? We have a new student and he's sure we were in the same class."
"Oh, really?" Mrs. So giggled, setting her spoon side. "There's one in the third drawer of my nightstand. I keep it for luck." She gave Junghwan's hair a little ruffle.
"Thanks!" He smiled, running off.
He kneeled in front of the said nightstand, opening the drawer and rummaging through it. Finding a petite album with his name on it, he skimmed it with a big smile. But a frown appeared on his face as he realized it wasn't what he needed. "What's this? It only has pictures of me," he put it back, getting up, "I need a class photo."
Junghwan tapped his chin as he looked around the place, thinking of where else could a photo album hide. Peeking under the bed with not much thinking, a red box caught his attention. He pulled it out, scrunching his face at the carpet of dust on it. Giving it a quick blow, he took the lid off.
"Bingo." He smirked, picking up a stack of photos.
As he looked through them, however, something didn't seem right. Apart from two pictures of him, most contained people he didn't know. He concluded it wasn't what he needed, but as he reached the last picture in the stack, he blanked.
A picture of him as a kid, wearing exactly what the boy in that old lady's photo was wearing. And to add to that, there she was - next to him, embracing him.
Junghwan dropped the picture, gasping. "She's my grandma?!"