Chapter Four
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THE minute I was awake, I had the urge to rush to the butcher's and buy the freshest cuts. It was only when I switched on the lights in my bathroom and stared at my seven-and-a-quarter tails, that I realized why.
A week had passed since my birthday and I had not so much as a sniff of the mystery meal. Worse still, my neighbors seemed to avoid me. Even the friendly kid who lived upstairs flinched each time he saw me.
Was it because of my irritable mood swings? Probably, or it could also be that the fellow residents of the building were subjected to my tantrums, thanks to the parchment-thin walls. Unfortunately, that meant I hadn't had a proper feeding for a week.
I scowled. My flawless reflection scowled back at me.
I completed my morning chores and began to cook brunch, as I had taken my own sweet time waking up again. The meal consisted of my last piece of sheep liver (the best substitute after cow liver) fried and tossed in a bowl of glass noodles. As I sat down to eat, my wise-phone dinged. It was my manager, notifying me of something important. I checked it and indeed, it was about a shoot for a clothing line that had recently been launched, which was scheduled for the next day.
What piqued my interest, however, was the mention of the possibility of a co-model. She said the details would be confirmed by night but I was a sure deal.
I licked my dry lips.
Finally.
*
As I walked into the studio, I spotted my co-model before a lighted mirror, getting his makeup done. He was a fine specimen of a twenty-three year old man. I sniffed a little more and was disappointed that there wasn't any hint of pigheadedness, but he certainly had some rich self-love to provide. I guess I could make do with that. At this point, I was willing to take up anything apart from humility and anxiety.
We met eyes as I strutted towards the dressing room. He looked curious, his shaggy locks masking his sharp eyes. I winked.
His cheeks were rose cherubs and his sweet smell of timidity tickled my nose.
"You look pretty happy," droned my manager as she handed me my outfit. "Is it because the clothes you wear for the shoot are going to be complimentary?"
"Something like that," said I, whipping the curtains behind me as I stripped.
"Good for you," she said nonchalantly. "I do hope you're eating well, though. You look a bit pale. I will have to ask the artist to go a bit heavy with your makeup, if that's okay with you."
"Yes, it is- wait, did you say I was looking pale?" I asked, pushing a curtain behind, revealing my exposed shoulders.
My manager didn't look up. "Yes, I did. Are you on a diet?"
I bit my lip. "Something like that."
I closed the curtain, hesitating to give a less ambiguous response. I stood there, ruminating on my mother's words, wondering if the effects that she had warned me about were materializing. I had dismissed it at first, but now I wasn't so sure. It couldn't be; surely, such an outcome would only come after a prolonged period of fasting? I sweated profusely as I remembered that it had been a mere week since I bumped into him.
I scrutinized my bare self; running a hand over my cheeks, my breasts, my waist - my body. I was still my usual beautiful self, albeit a bit off-color.
I pursed my lips; I was hallucinating. Nothing a good meal wouldn't fix.
*
My co-model smiled as the cameras flashed, revealing a set of pearly white, rather sharp teeth. I settled for a more subdued smirk. One of my elbows was propped on his shoulder, my chin lifted up. Both his hands were tucked in his trousers' pockets. Hadn't it been for my heels, I wouldn't have been able to pull off the pose; the man was a giant.
I wore a backless grape dress that reached my calves. My hair was tied in a high, imposing bun. Glittering diamonds rested on my ears, the only accessory I wore. However, my makeup was darker; my lips wore a blanket of dark coral and my contouring accentuated my skin, bringing out its lost glow.
He, on the other hand, donned a cream shirt, unbuttoned enough to give a supple view of his collarbones. His hair was slicked, styled to reveal a smooth forehead. His makeup was comparatively lighter than mine; a light shade of nude lay on his lips and his cheeks evenly toned. He did, however, have eye-makeup that rivalled mine.
"I didn't catch your name," he initiated.
A corner of my mouth quirked.
"Neither did I," I replied, staring at the camera, now playing with a strand of my hair, as he studied his nails.
I could picture him smiling as he said: "It's Kim Mingyu. Can I have the pleasure of knowing yours?"
"No moving of the lips, please!" Our photographer shouted.
"Oops," I whispered through my teeth, flashing an enchanting smile at him. "I guess we were caught."
My eyes hooded, I could see the effect the simple action had on him. I put my plan in action.
With each pose, the distance between our bodies reduced, bit by bit. I flashed many a sweet smile, batting my eyelids. I could tell that he liked taking the first step when it came to courting but I was desperate at this point. Usually, my natural charm worked wonders. However, I had to resort to bewitchment with my eyes, which were layered with seduction.
His Adam's apple bobbed when I leaned against him in our final shot, as we sat on a plush couch. My right hand was draped over my belly while my left hand stretched behind me, its index finger rising to stroke his chin. I did all of this without breaking eye-contact with the camera.
I felt him stiffen. Just before the shutters emitted the familiar snapping sound, his hand grabbed my outstretched one and placed it on his cheek.
How brazen.
I smirked, my eyes shining with victory.
*
Mingyu kissed me urgently as we stumbled into my apartment. His hot breath fanned my skin, sending tingles down my spine. I would be a fool to say that he wasn't a good kisser.
However, his kissing technique wasn't my concern at that moment. It was that I wasn't able to tell whether he had any flavor. I didn't have to resort to such close contact when hunting and it was only when the hunt was particularly difficult. I didn't even have to hold hands to get the energy; I just had to absorb the positive energy they emitted out of fondness for me. I could tell that he was burning to touch every inch on my body; but I wasn't able to taste one bit of that energy.
We were moving closer to my bedroom and I was beginning to panic. At the rate we were going, I would be able to make a fox-bead right that second.
I snapped my fingers. He froze and I stepped away from him. I stifled a giggle as I observed that he didn't look as attractive, his mouth open in mid-action. He wasn't aware of what had just happened to him.
I patted his cheeks and his eyes drooped. He almost collapsed on me but I clapped my hands so that he was suspended mid-air. I pulled him by his (levitating) hand to my bedroom.
After performing a rather tricky spell, I managed to sniff out the location of his house. I made him drop on my bed as I visualized his own bed in my head. Once a fairly clear image of it appeared in mind; I opened my eyes and looked at the sleeping figure of Kim Mingyu. I sighed and bent down. Kissing his forehead, I muttered:
"Never recall this incident, let it vanish from your mind. I was only your co-model, Moon Jiya. You never entered my house, you never kissed me. Now, go to your bed, Kim Mingyu."
I blew softly on his eyelids and stepped away. Blue flames erupted from my bed, circling his body. I knew it was only fox fire that wasn't meant to scorch a hair on him. They engulfed him and dissipated into thin air, leaving no trace of him behind.
I closed my eyes and was relieved to see that he now slept, blissfully unaware, in his own bed.
Exhaling a rather shaky breath of air, I flopped on my own bed without bothering to change out of my clothes. My cheeks were rosy from the action but that wasn't the only reason behind their redness.
It seemed as if my mother's dark predictions were coming true, for I had already lost my sense of taste.
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