Night Kiss

by E. T. Malinowski

  “My loves!” LeiChen called out when he turned and saw them walking through the door. He rushed over and hugged them, ignoring any sense of personal space, but LeiChen was their sweetheart, so they allowed it. He was eccentric, but he knew his business, and he never let them go onstage looking anything less than perfect. “Oh, we are working the casual look today, are we? I never have to worry about what you wear off-stage. It is always perfect.”

  “You say that all the time, LeiChen-ssi.” HanYin laughed.

  “That is because it is true,” LeiChen said with a shrug. “Now, clothing, the fashion, we must make sure you look simply fabulous during your concert. Is there a theme?”

  “This is sort of a flashback concert,” Cheongul said as he leaned on one of the armchairs. “Soon-joon-nim began a scholarship program at Jeonjin University. During the first part, the students had to come up with a music video concept for one of the songs we hadn’t made a video for. We’re going to release the remix at the concert, so we decided it would be a good idea to perform a lot of our old songs. The only new thing will be the song that wins the second part of the scholarship.”

  “And you’re doing it right before the spring festival? Brilliant,” LeiChen said. He was practically vibrating with excitement. “Spring is color! I love dressing you three in color!”

  He turned from them to the rack and began pulling clothes, barking orders at his assistants as he went. Ki-tae looked at HanYin and then Cheongul, who just shook his head and took a seat. He had no idea what LeiChen had in mind, but Ki-tae knew it would suit them. That was LeiChen’s talent. He didn’t just go with all the fashion trends. He followed those trends and then made them unique.

  The assistants scrambled around, their arms full of clothing. One of them had brought three empty racks labeled with their names. Then the others were able to unload their burdens. Ki-tae chuckled. It was better to stay out of the way until LeiChen was done selecting clothing. He was a bit… concerned with how bright some of the fabrics were. Ki-tae was not big on bright tones. A few minutes later, the flurry of activity stopped, and LeiChen spun around to face them. He smiled.

  “Ah, Ki-tae-ssi, why such the worried face, my love? Do stop. It will give you wrinkles before your time.”

  HanYin snorted his water.

  “I don’t think I have to worry about wrinkles just yet, LeiChen-ssi.” Ki-tae chuckled.

  “You have such lovely skin, the three of you. I am jealous.” LeiChen sighed. “Now clothing. This is Dano. It must be fun, light, and energetic. You will be under such hot lights, so the fabric must allow your skin to breathe. We must avoid too much white. It glows under the lights. It must not be too tight, just tight enough to tease, I think.”

  LeiChen winked at them, which even got Cheongul to lighten up. His leg had already started to bounce with restless energy.

  “It has to be easy to get in and out of,” HanYin added.

  “Ah, so right, HanYin-ssi, and since this is also about looking back, we shall add touches of tradition,” LeiChen said. Then he turned and raised his hands. “Come, my little peacocks, let us adorn you with feathers of fashion.”

  “We have to get Jin-woo, Min-su dongsaeng, and Jong-in dongsaeng in here,” Ki-tae said as they rose. “I would love to see him try that with Min-su dongsaeng.”

  “Nah, everyone loves LeiChen-ssi.” HanYin chuckled.

  “Dropping honorifics already, Ki-tae?” Cheongul teased.

  “Oh, don’t go there, brother mine,” Ki-tae said, pointing a finger at him before shrugging out of his coat. “I notice there’s a more… intimate air about you and Min-su dongsaeng as well.”

  Before either of them could say another word, LeiChen swept them into a whirlwind of clothing. They spent several hours trying on outfit after outfit, sometimes two or three times with different accessories or shirts. The banter continued. There was no way to be sad in LeiChen’s presence. The man simply wouldn’t allow it. By the end, they each had six different outfits and three backups, should there be a wardrobe malfunction. LeiChen hugged them each in turn, placing a kiss on their cheeks.

  “Ah, my lovely peacocks, you will be fabulous,” LeiChen said, drawing out the word.

  “Thanks to you, LeiChen-ssi,” HanYin said with a bright smile.

  “Well, of course, my dear. That is what you pay me to do: make you magnificent!”

  Cheongul shook his head again, but he was smiling. They said their goodbyes and left. There was still a lot to do, and then the real torture began…. Dance practice.

  Jin-woo

  JIN-WOO LEANED his head back after hitting the space bar on the keyboard to pause the playback. He rubbed his face with a sigh. He’d been at this for several hours, and it was starting to show. This one section was giving him fits. Every time he thought he’d gotten the timing the way he wanted for the dancing and the beat, he would review it, and it would be off. It was driving him insane.

  Of course, it would probably have helped if he’d gotten a decent night’s sleep. Last night was the first time he’d slept without Ki-tae beside him, and he had tossed and turned most of the night. Jin-woo tried to convince himself it was the newness of everything, but he knew that wasn’t it. He hadn’t slept well because Ki-tae was not there.

  And then there were the dreams. Jin-woo shuddered just thinking about them. He’d never had such vivid ones before. Yes, he dreamed in color most of the time, and that was cool, in his opinion, but he’d never had dreams like this before. No, they weren’t dreams. They were nightmares. Surrounded by darkness, jerking around, trying to find the source of a myriad of noises, the sound of heavy breathing and the coppery sweet yet musky scent of blood. Grabbed from behind and pinned down, he was helpless. Then that flesh, the weird scent it held, sickly sweet. Jin-woo had tried to turn his face away, to resist, but then a tight painful grip grabbed his hair and yanked his head back so far he thought his neck was going to break. His mouth was forced open, and that flesh pushed against his lips. Thick, syrupy, copper-tasting blood oozed into his mouth, bitter and vile, filling his mouth until he had no choice but to swallow or choke.

  Jin-woo shook his head. He didn’t want to remember that horrible nightmare, had experienced quite enough of it the night before. Every time he closed his eyes, in fact. The worst part about it was, in the dream, he was very, very young. He couldn’t have said how old, but definitely a child, and the idea someone could or would do that to a child made his stomach twist. Jin-woo sighed. He needed more coffee. Then maybe he could get this timing to work. He made sure everything was saved and then locked the computer. As he closed the studio door behind him, he saw Min-su and Jong-in heading his way. He smiled and waved, waiting until they reached him.

  “What are you two up to?” he asked as he joined them.

  “If I don’t get something sweet, I might just murder someone,” Min-su said.

  “I have to head to campus to meet with Seonsaengnim. Cho-ree seonbae cleared it because I haven’t been able to have my progress conference with him, and it’s way overdue,” Jong-in said with a sigh.

  Jin-woo studied him, seeing the dark circles under his eyes and the pallor in his face. “You need sleep.”

  “I don’t have time to sleep.” Jong-in sighed.

  “If you put yourself in the hospital, you won’t have time for anything,” Jin-woo grumbled.

  “You know, I get it. I’m not an idiot, but I have bills that need to be paid and projects that need to get done. That means I have to squeeze every second of time I can out of every day. Sleep isn’t a priority,” Jong-in said, his voice tense and angry as they stopped just outside the commissary.

  “It’s going to be a priority when you pass out in the middle of doing something!” Jin-woo shot back, frustrated and worried and tired of trying to hide it. “You’re going to push yourself into either a hospital bed or a grave!”

  “What do you expect of me, Jin-woo-ya?” Jong-in said softly. “I don’t have the resources you do. I have to work
to stay in school. I barely made tuition last quarter. If I miss it, I’m out. I don’t have a choice. I just don’t.”

  “This isn’t helping, either of you,” Min-su said. They ignored her.

  “You could let me help you, dammit,” Jin-woo said.

  “No, I’m not a charity case,” Jong-in said tightly.

  “Oh my God, so damned stubborn! So I’m just supposed to sit back and watch you work yourself to death? I’m supposed to be okay with the fact you look so pale and drawn right now I’m surprised you’re still upright?” Jin-woo said. “Well, I’m sorry, Jong-in-a, but I can’t watch you do this to yourself. I just can’t.”

  Jin-woo turned around and walked back the way he came. He had no desire to be around other people. The best thing was to try to focus on work. He would figure out a way to help Jong-in, even if the bastard didn’t want him to. He wasn’t going to let one of his dearest and only friends work himself into an early grave.

  He walked back into the studio but didn’t turn anything on right away. He just sat staring at the dark screen. Finally Jin-woo got to work. He’d consider ways to help Jong-in when he went home that night. Right now he had a timing issue to work out.

  Ten minutes later there was a knock on the door. Jin-woo sighed. He knew who was on the other side of that door, and he really didn’t want to deal with Min-su getting on his case about Jong-in. The door opened without him saying a word. He kept his attention on the computer screen, shifting between the two monitors and trying to get the timing down. The distinct thunk of a paper coffee cup hitting the desk caught his attention anyway.

  “What’s this for?” he asked warily.

  “You were going to get some coffee, right?” she asked, taking a sip of her own drink.

  “Yeah, doesn’t explain what this is.”

  “I got you a coffee since you left without it,” she said as she took the other seat. She was quiet for a good five minutes before she spoke again. “Jong-in-a was pretty upset when he left.”

  “Don’t.”

  “Jin-woo-ya.”

  “Min-su-ya. I really don’t want to get into it with you too, not today,” he said. “Right now I’m not inclined to be the laid-back Jin-woo most people expect.”

  “You really upset him.”

  “And you think I’m not upset?” he demanded. Then he pulled himself up straight, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. “No, we are not going to discuss this now. You are not going to bulldoze me into it either.”

  “What’s gotten into you today, Jin-woo-ya? Are you twisted?” she said.

  “Maybe I am. What, am I not allowed to be upset or angry?”

  “No, but you’re not allowed to be an ass to me when you are, and you’re certainly not allowed to light into Jong-in-a like that. He’s having a hard time as it is. He doesn’t need us hounding him too,” she said.

  “Says the woman who probably browbeat him into telling her what was going on. Well, that’s fine. Be his friendly ear. In the meantime, I’m going to figure out a way to help him,” Jin-woo said. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do. Thank you for the coffee.”

  “I’m going to pretend you didn’t just talk to me that way,” she said as she rose. “I’m going to get back work, but rest assured, you and I will be sitting down to discuss this like rational people.”

  “No, we won’t,” Jin-woo said firmly. “I love you, Min-su-ya, but this is not something I’m going to waver on, not now, not ever.”

  “And you call Jong-in-a stubborn.” She snorted.

  “I never said I wasn’t. How else am I supposed to deal with my aunt?” Jin-woo shrugged and took a sip of the coffee. It was exactly the way he liked it, which didn’t surprise him.

  He didn’t look when the door closed behind Min-su. When Jin-woo finally stopped for the day, he couldn’t even enjoy the fact he’d resolved his timing issue and was three-quarters of the way done with the video. He’d be able to finish it up tomorrow morning and present it to Hyung-jun for proofing and critique. He just wanted a hot shower, a cool drink, and Ki-tae, not necessarily in that order. And he still had to figure out what to bring to dinner that Sunday. Even though he knew everyone who was going to be there, he was nervous. It was a formal family meeting. What exactly did one bring to a Vampire family dinner?

  HanYin

  IT TOOK another few days of driving Jong-in to work after he was done at BLE before Jong-in showed HanYin where he lived. He walked through the door and immediately liked it. It opened onto a short hallway with a closet to the left. Just where the closet ended opened to a small kitchen on the right, with a short island separating it from the living room. To the right of the archway was a set of narrow stairs leading up to a loft-style bedroom. HanYin had expected dark, muted colors. He was surprised by the bright aqua blue of the living room wall that faced the door. A single shelf lined the back wall and wrapped around to the right. It was filled with books and little knickknacks. In the center was a small table with storage beneath and a Persian rug in an aqua one shade darker than the wall. It was cozy and cheerful, and Jong-in had made the most of the space. It was… perfect.

  “I love it,” HanYin said, turning to look at Jong-in with a bright smile. “It suits you.”

  “I….”

  “You thought because of who I am now, I would be disappointed in such a small place.” HanYin took Jong-in into his arms and kissed him slowly, thoroughly. “I have lived out in the wilderness with nothing but a cave to shelter me from the weather and in alleys with no shelter at all. This is just as much heaven to me as my apartment is.”

  “I keep forgetting you’ve lived a lot longer and have a wide variety of experiences I know nothing about,” Jong-in said softly. Although he smiled, there was an aura of sadness about him. “It’s both intriguing and intimidating.”

  “You can ask me anything,” HanYin said as he took the bags Jong-in had been carrying. “While I cook.”

  Jong-in chuckled. “You’re determined to feed me every chance you get.”

  “Just as much as you are set on eating everything I make.” HanYin pointed at him with a bunch of scallions. “Now show me where things are and then sit down and relax for a few moments.”

  They spent the next twenty minutes chatting about little things. Occasionally Jong-in would snatch a piece of food until HanYin caught his hand and nibbled on his fingers until he yanked them back with a breathless laugh. HanYin smirked at him and resumed cooking. He then placed the food on the small island and joined Jong-in on the other side, taking the stool next to him. He gave in to the urge to feed Jong-in by hand and was happy when he gave no protest.

  Later HanYin snuggled up behind Jong-in on his futon, wrapping an arm around his waist. He nuzzled his neck softly, placing little kisses on his skin. He could tell Jong-in was not happy. He didn’t think he was the cause of it, but HanYin wanted to make it go away. Jong-in sighed.

  “I have to go to campus tonight,” he said. “I have a project due in a couple of days, and it’s not finished yet.”

  “That isn’t what is making you sigh, though, is it?” HanYin said and kissed his shoulder.

  “No,” Jong-in said. “I…. Jin-woo-ya and I fought earlier today. I haven’t spoken to him since. The messages I sent didn’t get a response, and when I called, it went straight to voicemail.”

  “What did you fight about?” HanYin asked, making Jong-in roll over and tucking him against his side.

  “How much I work,” Jong-in answered. HanYin didn’t think Jong-in realized he was worrying HanYin’s shirt in his fingers, twisting and clenching and then unclenching them.

  “You do work a lot,” HanYin said. “Jin-woo-ya is worried about you. He wants to help, but he doesn’t know what is going on, so he doesn’t know what to do, and that’s frustrating.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “We talked the other day,” HanYin said. “He mentioned how he was scared you’d work yourself to death. I cannot say that I don’t sh
are his worry. I do see how hard you push yourself, but I also know a little of why that is.”

  “I’m worried.”

  “About?”

  “I don’t know how he’ll react.”

  “Considering he knows about me and Min-su dongsaeng and the others, I can’t see him being any more than fine with it.”

  “The others?”

  “Cheongul and Ki-tae,” HanYin said with a smile. “We’re the same.”

  “You’re the same, but you haven’t told me exactly what you are,” Jong-in said.

  “We’re Vampires,” HanYin said.

  “Well, at least now I know why you all smelled so different than other humans. Honestly, I have no way of knowing what I’m smelling. I could have walked by hundreds of Shifters and Vampires and I wouldn’t have any clue. How do you identify a species by smell?”

  “Exposure mostly,” HanYin said. “The more you encounter wolf Shifters, for example, you’ll realize there’s an… earthy scent to them, an essence that identifies their species. It’s not like each species has the same smell, just there is a common denominator in their scents.”

  “That makes sense. You and Ki-tae hyung, and Cheongul hyung each smell different, but with the same… otherness. It’s not something I can identify specifically, like an earthy smell or a woodsy smell, but there is that common link.”

  “Exactly.”

  “What do I smell like to you?”

  HanYin buried his nose against Jong-in’s neck and inhaled deeply. “Delicious.”

  “HanYin.”

  “All right.” HanYin sighed. “You smell delicious and smoky, like a campfire.”

  “Min-su-ya told me about being a Shifter. I… I couldn’t bring myself to tell her.” Jong-in buried his face in HanYin’s chest. “I’m such a coward.”

  “You’re not a coward.” HanYin made him look up and kissed him. “Jin-woo-ya and Min-su dongsaeng, they matter to you a great deal, and so does their opinion of you.”