*𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕤𝕚𝕩𝕥𝕖𝕖𝕟

-나는 그들의 것, 그들은 내 꺼야-

he had a terrifying presence and the aura of a god.

🌷

he waited for everyone to be quiet and pay attention to him before he started speaking.

"today marks another year of my existence!" he said with a broad smile.

he wasn't anything like i imagined; i thought he would be an old western man in his fifties. but no, he was a young, handsome man, that looked like he could rule the world. he had an intimidating aura, but it was different from seungcheol's.

with seungcheol, there is a kind curve to him, even though he looks at everyone with a cold stare, there's still a softness to him, he looked sane. but kai looked unpredictable and emotionless.

it was unnerving to see someone like that.

"today we feast again and celebrate another year of our successful society. we rule the world from the shadows, we are the ones that are truly rewarded by humans vulnerability and weakness!" he said proudly. "now, i implore you to indulge in your vampire nature and feast on the humans who so bravely volunteered to come tonight."

and so he ended his speech, and i looked around the room again, noticing someone already drinking from a human.

the entire time he was speaking, i was clutching onto wonwoo and mingyu's arms. i was honestly afraid, and after kai's last statement i held on even tighter. i'm a weak human girl, how could i possibly protect myself in this situation. so i depended on them.

"we should get out of here, before someone approaches us," wonwoo turned to look at the others and they all nodded in agreement.

mingyu led me to a hallway and we entered the first room we could find, everyone else following a few feet behind.

"he wasn't what i expected at all," i said as i sat down on a couch. the room we entered looked like a study of some sort, it was much bigger and darker than seungcheol's study. the walls were dark green with a matching color roof and the floor was dark mahogany with matching furniture.

it looked grand, but it also looked unused.

almost abandoned.

"what were you expecting?" soonyoung sat down across from me on the other couch. "an old man," i simply responded.

"he is old, that's for sure," jun sat next to me and placed his arm over my shoulder.

all fourteen of us were in that room and there was an uneasy feeling filling the air. kai was a dangerous man, and he seemed to rule over everyone here. we were in his domain, and there wasn't much we could do.

"nonetheless, we should keep our distance. from everyone," seungcheol emphasized, crossing his arms and standing in the corner of the room.

"areum, let me give you my present," myungho suddenly walked towards me and kneeled in front of me.

i furrowed my brows for a moment, "i thought we said no presents this year."

getting presents for six of them was hard enough, and keeping what they were was an even bigger challenge, but with thirteen of them we all agreed would be too much. so we all decided no presents, and it's not like i wanted anything.

"yes, but we need to convince everyone that we are truly married, so i got you a ring," he pulled a black velvet box from his suit, gently placing the delicate ring on my finger.

"myungho, it's beautiful," i gasped as i looked at it, taking in all its delicate details. "i picked it out myself," he said, looking up at me with a bright smile on his face. i jumped from my seat and hugged him, whispering 'thank you' to him multiple times.

but when he pulled away and seated me again on my seat, he looked down at my wrist, and a frown appeared on his face, and i knew why.

before he could comment on it, i pulled away from him, and shook my head no to him, telling him now was not the time.

that smile that was on his face a few mere moments ago was now gone. he had the most worried look on his face, unsure of what he should do, but agreed to not say anything.

he got on his knees and stood up.

and again, nausea and anxiety. but this time for a different reason.

he saw my scars, i thought to myself.

this is bad.

but before i could dwell on it, someone abruptly opened the door, causing a racket. and when i turned my head to see who it was, a cold shiver ran down my spine.

it was the man named kai and taemin by his side.

i quickly stood up from my seat, my knees almost giving up at the sudden movement, my hands shaking in fear. i could feel my heartbeat quickening at the sight.

i grabbed onto myungho's back, tightening my hold around his suit, holding onto it for dear life.

i must stay strong. i must not show fear, i told myself.

"welcome, friends!" he said in a cheerful voice, "it's just wonderful to see all of you in one room again."

he stepped forward. all of them had stood from their seat the moment he burst through the door, their fists clenched, turning white from the force.

"what? no warm hello for an old friend?" he mocked, "it has been almost twenty years since we last saw each other! i deserve more than cold stares," he proceeded to say.

"sorry for being so weary, but you threatened us. it's not like we had a choice to come here," seungcheol spoke up as he stood in front of myungho.

"true, you have a point." he nodded, "ah- if it isn't the beautiful areum," he leaned to the side, looking at me with a fake smile. his gaze cold, despite the smile on his face.

he is crazy!

"c'mon, all of you came all this way for me to speak with her. let me have a moment alone to speak with her," he tried to persuade.

but seungcheol stood his ground, "you can say what you want with all of us in the room," he refuted.

i leaned my head on myungho's back, letting out a shaky breath as i finally let go of him and stood beside his figure.

finally able to stand up straight.

"if you want, i could kill her right now and that would be the end of it," he narrowed his eyes at them, his voice going dark. "i wish to speak with her alone."

i watched as they all looked towards their leader for guidance. none of them knew what to do at that moment, they were not sure what decision to make, so they looked at him. he finally sighed in defeat after moments of unbearable silence, both glaring daggers at the other.

"on one condition will i let you do that," he looked down at the ground, "let mingyu and wonwoo stay in the room," he said, turning around to look at them.

"w-what?" i stuttered, finally uttering a word. "you're going to allow this!?" i shrieked in fear. i looked up at myungho, then back to seungcheol, then jeonghan, looking at each of them, trying to find the reason behind his decision.

but i knew.

i knew there was nothing they could do.

not one of them could truly stop kai.

and i knew it.

myungho turned around, placing his hands on my shoulders, "it's going to be okay. mingyu and wonwoo are the strongest among us," he reassured me, a kind smile on his face, trying to ease my anxiety.

from behind i felt their presence, mingyu placing a hand on the small of my back, he leaned down and whispered in my ear, "we're going to protect you. nothing is going to happen," he repeated.

i felt an uneasiness wash over me as i watched them one by one as they walked out the door, leaving only wonwoo, mingyu, kai, and me in the room. taemin had stepped out with them, the same cold look in his eyes.

i had butterflies form in my belly, not the ones that make you feel giddy about your crush, these were carnivorous butterflies, eating away at my intestines, an agonizing pain falling over me, slow and painful.

"we'll be in the room the entire time," wonwoo said, leaning down towards me. he and mingyu were standing behind the couch i was told to sit on, meanwhile kai was across from me, pouring tea into small cups.

"you're the infamous areum," he said, still pouring the tea. "i was honestly expecting... more."

he placed a teacup in front of me, urging me to drink. but before i even touched it, i turned to look at mingyu and wonwoo, asking if it was safe to do so.

once i saw them nod, i considered the thought. but because i was so polite, i took the teacup in my hand and drank. if i were any other person, i would have thrown the teacup at him and ran, but i am too much of a coward to do so.

"you're a beautiful young lady," he continued, "you seem very educated and kind," a chuckle left him at the end.

where is this going?

"perhaps, do you know the origins of vampires?" he arched his brow, finally placing down the teapot and looking at me.

i shook my head, looking down at the teacup and finally taking a sip of it; it was green tea, i've never been too fond of it. my face scrunched up at its taste.

"the greeks believed that it was the goddess selene and her lover that gave birth to vampires," he said, "when she was human, she was a maiden at the temple of apollo. the god himself fancied her. but when he saw her lover, ambriogo, he was enraged. he cursed him so that he couldn't step out in the sun, or he would burn."

"to try to fight against apollo, he received a blessing from hades, immortality. the couple later received shelter from the goddess artemis, the goddess of chastity. she told the lovers that while they lived under her protection they weren't allowed to touch. so, when selene took her last breath, ambriogo gave her his blood. she was reborn as a vampire and the goddess of moonlight," he placed down his teacup, narrowing his eyes at me.

"they gave birth to the first vampires," he smirked.

"that's... interesting," i was unsure of what to say.

"it's truly a beautiful and lovely-"

"what do you want with me?" i interrupted him.

he took another sip from his teacup before slamming it on the table, causing me to flinch, and i felt wonwoo and mingyu behind me tense at kai's sudden action.

"i want to know how a simple human girl destroyed a five-hundred-year-old friendship," he scowled, staring me down.

"so, tell me," he laid back on the couch, spreading his arms so they rested on top of the backrest, "how did you do it?" his expression softened, making a 180° from his previous mood.

"i was just a baby, ask them," i looked to the large window, looking out at the night. i let out a shaky breath, trying to control my thumping heart, it felt like it was trying to escape from my body.

"wonwoo, tell me. why did you keep her, and why did you decide to destroy our friendship?" he tilted his head to the left as he looked behind me, to the two men.

"i am not the right person to ask, myungho was the one that wanted to keep her," he looked down at the ground as he spoke.

"bring in myungho," kai said to no one, he said it as a command, but to no one in the room. my eyebrows furrowed as i looked back at him, wondering to whom he spoke. but before i got to ask him, the door slammed open, taemin pushing in myungho.

"why did you keep her?" he narrowed his eyes at the younger, crossing his arms.

myungho looked behind him, confused. it took him a moment to understand what was going on.

he sat down beside me before he spoke, glad that i was still alright. "i kept her because i fell in love with her, at first sight," he looked at me, "at first it was a protective love, i wanted to keep her safe. but that love has changed now," he spoke with wholeheartedly.

"we kept her a secret to protect her, from you," he matched kai's gaze, glaring at each other.

his words warmed my heart, to know that he cared so much about me, and brought butterflies to my stomach again.

his love changed? Does he love me? i questioned myself.

"that's it?" kai deadpanned, unamused or interested in his explanation.

"yes. the moment i picked her up i knew i never wanted to let her go," myungho responded.

"so, you're in love with her?"

my eyes widened at his question, a scoff coming from his mouth.

"how terribly uninteresting," he stood up, flicking his wrist at wonwoo and mingyu, flying to the wall, stuck there.

my body whirled around, gasping to see them struggling to move, myungho pulling me to stand behind him.

it all happened so quickly.

in the next moment, myungho's neck snapped by kai and he was standing before me. his eyes were a deep crimson red with rage. my knees were threatening to falter, my entire body quivering with fear.

"myungho?" i said underneath my breath as i looked down at his limp body, terrified at the sight of seeing him dead. even if he is a vampire and can come back, it was scary. it looked so real.

i couldn't move an inch, too scared to move, to speak, to yell for help, to do anything.

he's going to kill me, i told myself.

"don't touch her!" mingyu screamed as he struggled, "jongin!" the other shouted.

"i'm going to make them watch me feed on you," he told me, turning back to the men on the wall, "you know, if she were a vampire, this wouldn't be a problem. you wouldn't need to protect her or hide her."

"no," i whispered, taking a single step back, my voice weak.

he turned my neck, leaning an inch away from my ear, "i am the father of vampires, ambriogo. i can do whatever i wish," he smirked.

"don't d-do this, please," tears formed in my eyes, too panicked to realize what he had said. "don't hurt me," i begged.

please, please. i haven't lived, my life has been too short for this to happen! please! i screamed in my mind.

"jongin," the rest of them burst through the doors, but he flicked his wrist and all ten of them were stuck to the wall like wonwoo and mingyu.

"don't lay a finger on her!" soonyoung screamed, fighting kai's hold but it was useless.

"don't worry, i won't kill her," he turned to them, "i'll just turn her. this way you'll be with the girl you love for the rest of eternity."

"no! jongin don't do it," chan screamed.

"give me a reason i shouldn't turn her," he suddenly let me go, standing in front of them in an instant.

he's playing with them. he's enjoying this.

he takes pleasure in other people's misery.

jihoon was right, he isn't a good person.

he's a true monster!

i take back what i said about them when i first found out they were vampires! i take it all back.

all of them had the humanity to take in a little girl, even if they didn't know her story. they took care of her with kindness and compassion. but kai was a monster. a creature from the darkest places on earth. he's the embodiment of everything evil.

my knees finally gave up, my body sitting beside myungho. i instinctively grabbed onto him, placing his head on my lap and holding onto him.

i kept reminding myself that he was still alive, that he was going to come back to me.

"she hasn't lived kai. she hasn't experienced the good or bad of the world. don't take that away. don't let her walk the world for the rest of eternity in misery," he said.

"chan, it's not like any of us had the chance to live. why is she any different?" he pointed back towards me.

"jongin, we'll do anything. just don't turn her," this time joshua spoke, pleading with him.

"anything?" his interest peaked, chuckling to himself.

"okay, i won't turn her," he backed off. "you truly are fools in love," he laughed by himself.

i was sobbing as i looked down at myungho, not realizing that jongin was walking towards me, a strange determination in his expression.

he pulled me from the ground and looked at me then at the others. "i won't turn her, consider it a favor from an old friend, but i will feed on her."

i shrieked as he sank his teeth onto my neck, my arms flinging in the air, trying to push him away, but it was useless. i screamed and fought against him, but i was too weak.

with every passing moment, i heard them shout at jongin, screaming to let me go and to stop. and in those same moments, i felt my life being sucked out of me. 

-mingyu's pov-

after fighting for what felt like hours, her body went limp, too weak to keep fighting his hold. but when jongin pulled away, there was a look in his eyes, a look i've never seen before on him.

he looked like he had just realized something life-changing.

nonetheless, he let go of her body and she fell to the ground.

i watched and there was nothing i could do. i was tied down to the wall. my endeavors of getting out of this hold were futile.

we were at his mercy.

"areum!" i screamed as i saw her on the ground.

i promised her she wouldn't die tonight!

no!

kai stood there for a few moments, staring down at her, anger appearing on his face. he looked down at her as her blood spread across the dark carpet, as it covered the top half of her dress, slowly, before he walked out of the room. the doors slammed shut and all of us fell to the ground.

and in a moment, i appeared by her side, cradling her body, pulling her as close as i could.

"wake up," i placed her down, sinking my teeth into my wrist and forcing her to feed on my blood.

my blood will heal her, i kept telling myself. "she's going to live," i said out loud.

all eleven of them were at my side, looking down at us with worried eyes. seungkwan and jun going to myungho's side, pulling him off the ground and onto the couch.

"wake up," i repeated.

her eyes suddenly burst open as she gasped for air, her breath shallow and her eyes scanning the room, only to see all of us surrounding her.

her hand went to her neck, trying to cover the wound that he had marked her with, but it was gone.

and i let out a sigh of relief.

"i'm going to kill him," wonwoo stepped back, walking to the door, but before he could even place his hand on the doorknob, seungcheol appeared by his side.

"there's no way we can defeat him, you know that," he narrowed his eyes at the younger.

they were both equally angry, both enraged at their weakness. usually, wonwoo would be levelheaded in the worst of situations and seungcheol would be the one to be more impulsive. but areum changed them.

she caused wonwoo to be reckless when it came to her, and seungcheol always wanted to be better for her, he always took two thoughts before he did something concerning her.

she's changed all of us.

there was nothing we could do in this situation.

i pulled her into a tight embrace as she passed out again, it didn't matter that blood was getting all over me, nothing mattered at that moment, just that she was alive. 

-seungcheol's pov-

i held back wonwoo before he could open the door, telling him there wasn't anything we could do.

we were powerful predators, but we were mere ants compared to kai's power.

"let's just get out of here," i said to him, guilt, regret, and anger flooding my mind at my weakness. my inability to do anything.

mingyu picked her up bridal style and myungho sprang to life again.

"what happened?" he took seungkwan's hand, "she's fine," he reassured him.

"let's go," mingyu walked ahead of us, opening the door and proceeding out the enormous hall.

music and noise flooded our ears as we walked out. the sounds of joyous people irritating me. i couldn't take another second here.

if i stayed any longer, i'm sure i would have shredded people's bodies in half.

as we walked through the great hall, people parted, making way for us to exit. bangchan and jungkook had seen us, running to ask questions about what happened.

this evening she looked so beautiful, so happy as she spoke with wonwoo's friends, but now? her body looked lifeless; her skin was pale- paler than normal, her lips chapped, and unfallen tears in her eyes.

the beautiful dress myungho made for her was covered in her blood.

we were too weak to keep her safe.

areum...

i'm so sorry. 

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