by Zhu Hsia
“Wonder what’s happening there…” Shin Erin mumbled, applying some lip gloss.
Hyeon Jin simply rolled her eyes and busied herself with her cell phone.
They were ten steps away from the crowd that had gathered around Mun Oh when he finally saw them. He grinned, causing a few girls right in front of him to shriek, and tried to move toward Hyeon Jin. However, he realized that the girls weren’t just gonna let him go anywhere that easy. Hyeon Jin and Shin Erin were now making their way through the crowd by shoving and nudging anyone who blocked their way, not caring to even glance over at where Mun Oh was—right in the middle of the circle of fan girls.
“Did you see him smile at me? It was so much like Brad Pitt!” one girl up front screamed.
Unable to think of any other way to get out of that damn circle of girls, Mun Oh took in a deep breath and called out to Hyeon Jin.
“Hey, you! Hey!” he hollered at Hyeon Jin. Some of the girls frantically looked behind them, searching for whomever Mun Oh was referring to. Hyeon Jin didn’t seem to hear him, for she and Shin Erin were now almost at the entrance.
His patience running out, the foolish girls around him finally getting on his nerves, he let out a deep and earth-shattering yell.
“HYEON JIN!”
Everyone within the vicinity was left stunned, not moving an inch or even breathing, as though a high-intensity earthquake was felt all throughout the building.
Hyeon Jin slowly turned around, Shin Erin following her lead as Mun Oh took tentative steps toward them. The crowd promptly parted to give way to an irritated Mun Oh, the smiles and smitten looks on the girls’ faces now turned into terrified and dumbstruck expressions. Hyeon Jin almost cursed aloud in surprise as Shin Erin quickly put a hand up to her mouth in shock.
“Are you deaf? I was calling you, you idiot,” Mun Oh yelled at her. Every step he took echoed in the stunned silence.
Luckily, she was able to recover from her astonishment quickly. “What did you say, pest?”
"What seems to be the problem here?" A man's voice said from behind Mun Oh. It was the muscular history teacher from earlier. Mun Oh had been right about him; he was a strong, tough guy. He emerged from the nearest door to their left; the one with the "STAFF ROOM" sign posted on it.
He eyed every single one of them before resting his gaze on a fuming Hyeon Jin.
"Are you wreaking havoc again, Ms. Hyeon Jin?" he asked in a booming voice.
Mun Oh smirked as the crowd exchanged meaningful looks. Hyeon Jin glared at Mun Oh before staring straight into Mr. Muscle's eyes.
"No sir. We were just having fun here," she replied through gritted teeth. She looked around at the gathered crowd. "Right, everyone?" she added in a threatening tone.
Almost everyone, even the guys, fervently nodded at once. Seemingly convinced, Mr. Muscle quietly went back inside.
Shin Erin glared at the crowd. "What are you all waiting for? Get lost! MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS, losers!"
There was a collective muttering and the trampling sound of footsteps returned, as if there was an invisible remote control turning up the volume. Most of them carefully avoided the terrifying duo near the huge doors as they made their way out of the building.
The lobby was almost empty, except for the three of them.
"So this is your school, huh?" Mun Oh said, breaking the ice. He looked around with a hint of disgust on his face. "Kinda small and dingy for a school."
"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be gone by now, pest?" Hyeon Jin snapped, smoke practically coming out of her nose.
Mun Oh stared at her, but then he noticed Shin Erin, who was checking herself out in a small pink mirror, and he diverted his attention to her.
"Hi there, pretty girl," he said suavely.
Shin Erin hastily pocketed the mirror and flashed him her cutest smile.
"Hi!" she answered sweetly.
Hyeon Jin nudged her best friend hard. "Don't 'Hi' him! He's that PEST that I was telling you about!"
Instead of following her best friend's wishes, Shin Erin raised an eyebrow at her. "You told me he was a beast!" she said, her tone accusing. "Well, he is one hell of a sexy beast..." she finished, winking at Mun Oh.
He simply grinned at her and rolled his eyes at Hyeon Jin. He approached them and offered his hand to a blushing Shin Erin.
"Lee Mun Oh," he said in a cavalier tone, looking like one of those 16th century Englishmen as he bent into an elegant half-bow, waiting for Shin Erin's hand.
Shin Erin blushed some more and shyly offered her hand, which Mun Oh carefully received in his before planting a gentle, spine-tingling kiss on it.
The blushing Shin Erin let out a suppressed shriek, while Hyeon Jin did a humorous impression of vomiting.
“Oh! I’m Shin Erin… Nice to meet you,” she said, excitedly caressing the hand that Mun Oh kissed.
“I didn’t realize someone as beautiful as you would be studying in this dingy school,” Mun Oh remarked.
Hyeon Jin stepped in between them, sensing where their conversation was going.
“YOU! You slimy pest! Stay away from my best friend.”
Mun Oh acted surprised, swiftly moving Hyeon Jin’s face out of the way to get a glimpse of a giggling Shin Erin before speaking to her.
“You’re actually best of friends with this… ugly, big footed girl?” he asked incredulously.
They shared a hearty laugh as Hyeon Jin got more and more infuriated by the minute.
“Pest,” she muttered angrily. Without any warning, she stomped hard on Mun Oh’s left foot.
Instead of retaliating, Mun Oh simply snaked his way out of her sight and placed himself in front of Shin Erin. There was something happening inside of him. A familiar tingling sensation that could only mean one thing.
He had found his ideal catch.
His insides churning madly, his blood rising, and his heart pounding in his ears, he leaned closer to an amused Shin Erin. Mun Oh was about to whisper something in her ear when he felt a hand grabbing his hair from behind and pulling him away with incredible force.
“Oww!” he groaned aloud, looking over his shoulder. “What the heck is your problem?”
“You were just about to kiss her, weren’t you, you pervert?”
“Hyeon Jin! Stop it.” This time it was Shin Erin who spoke. She looked annoyed now. She turned to Mun Oh and said, “You have to forgive her. She has no concept of hospitality whatsoever.” She giggled nervously as he played with her hair.
Hyeon Jin mouthed wordlessly as Mun Oh arrogantly placed his arm around Shin Erin’s shoulders and led her out of the building.
“HEY! Where do you think you’re going?” Hyeon Jin yelled after them as she followed them outside.
Mun Oh simply smirked at her. “I’m taking this beautiful lady on a date.”
Hyeon Jin ran after them and blocked their way.
“What? You want to come?” Mun Oh asked irately.
Shin Erin seemed to be entirely hypnotized by the young bloodsucker’s charms, for she appeared to be dazed and not herself as she chuckled sweetly.
“Where are you taking Shin Erin?” she demanded.
“None of your freaking’ business, big foot.”
“But—”
“Move out of the way, Hyeon Jin! We’re going on a date, okay?” Shin Erin said. “Just go home and do something fun by yourself.”
Hyeon Jin bit her lip, admitting defeat. “What the hell? Fine! If that pest does something bad to you, don’t come running to me.” With that, she stormed out the school gates and went her way home.
“So…” Mun Oh said, turning to Shin Erin. “Know of a good place to eat?”
Shin Erin grinned. “Of course! I know a place somewhere private.”
The bloodsucker inside of him was fighting to come out. Mun Oh gulped air to control himself.
Not yet… It’s not yet time… I need her to warm up to me first… Otherwise, it’d be disastrous.
Not
long after that, they were walking down a narrow alleyway five blocks from school, toward Hyeon Jin and Shin Erin’s favorite eatery.
•••
A fuming Hyeon Jin was already in front of their house when she admitted to herself that she couldn’t just leave her best friend with that slimy pest. Besides, Kim Junjin and Ji Sun would definitely interrogate her regarding Mun Oh’s whereabouts, so she might as well know what to tell them. Lying would do her no good in this situation.
Leaving her bag and books by the doorstep, she trudged down the street again, trying to think fast of a place where Shin Erin would take that pest. She was just passing the village gates when a particular place flashed before her. She broke into a sprint, 99% sure that Shin Erin and the pest would definitely be in That Place by now. She knew her best friend better than anyone else, and the eatery called "That Place" was their favorite hangout because there was good food and it had a quiet, private atmosphere.
She couldn’t understand why she was doing this, running all the way over there just to fetch that pest. She suddenly thought that perhaps she was indeed worried about him, or both of them, for that matter.
No way! she thought. I’m just gonna let him know that he needs to be home by seven, coz that is Dad’s rule. And I need to make sure Shin Erin is okay.
She was covered in sweat, her hair disheveled, and she was almost out of breath when she finally arrived at the eatery thirty minutes later. That Place was a small el-fresco eatery with a few plastic tables and chairs surrounding the long service table where the all the food was displayed. The great thing about it was that it was well hidden beside an abandoned park that now resembled a mini forest. So you could just take a walk right after eating and discover the beauty of nature right in the middle of a busy district. The owner of That Place never bothered trimming the grass or cutting the trees around their eatery after deciding that it would be a refreshing view for their customers.
Hyeon Jin scanned the eatery, looking for Shin Eric and Mun Oh. Only two tables were occupied; one by a couple in their twenties and the other by three noisy students sharing a plate of rice cakes. She headed toward the far end of the eatery, where a gap big enough to accommodate two people separated two wide oak trees. After squeezing her way in, she hastily searched for Shin Erin and Mun Oh. As she walked a little to her left, past the tree with the tire swing, she heard some strange sounds. Soon enough, she caught sight of the clearing where she and Shin Erin liked to lie down and sleep after a delicious meal at That Place. She could barely hear the sound now, so she stepped closer to the clearing, curious to see if anybody was in there. The sky was now getting darker, so it was difficult for her to see clearly.
She hid herself behind a tree, just in case, and craned her neck to scan the clearing. Somebody moaned. A girl. Hyeon Jin listened intently. It was coming from the right side. She edged closer to it and saw the silhouette of two people, their bodies pressed against each other.
Hyeon Jin felt herself blush. Although it wasn’t the first time she had witnessed some couple doing “something” behind the dark recesses of this park-turned-forest, it was still embarrassing for her to see something like this.
She was just about to turn away and go look for Shin Erin and Mun Oh on the other side when she noticed something. There, on the girl’s right wrist, glistening in the dark was a very familiar silver chain bracelet with a dolphin and star pendant. She inched closer as quietly as she could, her heart pounding loudly as a horrible thought overwhelmed her.
Could this girl be…? she thought, appalled as a follow-up question filled her mind. If it is her… then the guy is… Oh. My. God!
She was now only a couple of feet away from them when she noticed another thing. The girl seemed to be unconscious. And they weren’t kissing at all. Mun Oh seemed to be kissing her…
Neck? she thought, perplexed. But why would he kiss her there?
She waited for another minute or so, letting them finish up, but he was still glued to her neck.
Hyeon Jin averted her eyes, obviously revolted.
Is that how they kiss in Ougaagadougoo? She wondered with a disgusted shiver. Come on… wrap it up… It’s not the end of the world… You could go kiss her neck all you want tomorrow—
She halted in the middle of that thought, sensing that something wasn’t right. There was an otherworldly feel to this scenario. Even though she could only see the side of Mun Oh’s face, she still felt a different aura emanating from him.
Just when she was about to deduce something, Mun Oh finally pulled his head away from Shin Erin’s neck. At that very moment, a split second before he closed his mouth, Jin saw something she should never have seen.
Fangs. Long, sharp, pointed fangs. A pair of them.
A chill swept over Hyeon Jin as her suspicions heightened. She didn’t realize that she was slowly backing away from the clearing, her mouth opened as widely her eyes, appalled.
She made sure that she was out of hearing distance from the clearing before taking in a sharp breath.
“He’s a… He’s a… Mun Oh… The Pest… He’s a…” she muttered under her breath like a crazy girl. “VAMPIRE!” she said excitedly, her eyes gleaming with malice and amazement.
« CHAPTER 4 »
Hyeon Jin walked home, her mind still reeling with images of Mun Oh and his pointy fangs.
She was so preoccupied with these thoughts that she almost collided with their front door. She scratched her head, wondering how the hell she had gotten there. With a shrug, she knocked twice and waited, staring blankly at the door.
During those few crucial seconds, Shin Erin's face suddenly flashed right in front of her eyes, as a sinking thought occurred to her.
"If he's a vampire... and he bit her... then..." She took in a sharp breath as a horrible thought overwhelmed her.
She was... Shin Erin was... DEAD?! She thought frantically, but then scratched her head as another idea came to light.
Or maybe... she turned into a vampire, too!
Feeling an odd mixture of worry and excitement, she turned on her heel. She was just about to run back to check on Shin Erin when someone opened the door.
"You're late. It's past seven," a familiar voice called out.
Hyeon Jin froze on the spot.
That voice...
She spun around and came face-to-face with a bored-looking Mun Oh, who was still wearing his tux.
"YOU!" Hyeon Jin screamed, unable to control herself. She pointed a finger so close to his face that Mun Oh had to jerk his head back. "What did you do to Shin Erin?!"
Mun Oh studied her curiously. "We went on a date. It was fun. Mainly because you didn't come along to spoil it," he answered automatically.
"HA!" Hyeon Jin scoffed at him. "You think I don't know?"
It was Mun Oh's turn to freeze on the spot. A sweat broke on his forehead as he stared at her with mingled astonishment and trepidation.
"I know your secret, pest." Hyeon Jin sneered at him.
Mun Oh tried to contain his astonishment. "I have no idea what you mean by that," he said with a shrug.
"Oh, really?" Hyeon Jin said. "How about biting me... right here?" she said, pointing at her neck.
Mun Oh's jaw dropped, his eyeballs almost popping out of their sockets. For some reason, Hyeon Jin seemed to be taken aback by his reaction. They stared at each other for what seemed like forever until a voice broke the silence.
"Mun Oh? What's taking you so long? Is that Hyeon Jin?" Kim Junjin called out.
In one swift move, Mun Oh grabbed Hyeon Jin by the wrist; within five seconds, they were already three houses away.
"How the hell did you do that?" Hyeon Jin screamed at him, apparently more terrified than surprised.
Mun Oh simply stared at her, unable to think of what to say or do. One thing was for sure, she was NOT lying. She already knew.
But how... how did she find out about it? He thought anxiously. If she saw me biting Shin Erin then I would’ve sensed her prese
nce! Or at least smell her—WAIT! That’s it! She must be bluffing coz I didn’t smell anyone at that time…
He studied her closely. The bloodsucker in him was quite a good lie detector.
Dang. She's not bluffing. Why wasn't I able to smell her earlier? He wondered. Hang on…
He closed his eyes and concentrated.
Nothing…? Why can't I smell this human girl? He thought madly, trying again and again, but to no avail.
Just when he was about to sniff her out again, he felt a hand forcing his mouth open. He opened his eyes, not moving an inch, to find Hyeon Jin examining his mouth with utmost curiosity.
"Whaddayoodooin...?"
"I wanna see your vampire fangs again," Hyeon Jin replied in a curious tone.
Mun Oh slapped her hand away. "What did you say?!"
Hyeon Jin folded her arms across her chest. "You're a vampire, right? So I wanna see your vampire fangs. I've never seen one up close, you know," she explained.
Mun Oh's dark eyes seemed to turn red with fury as he glared at her. "How dare you call me a vampire, you dirty little scumbag!"
Hyeon Jin’s right hand flew right up to his face, delivering a hard smack.
“I’m five months older than you so don’t speak to me that way, you pest,” she said.
Mun Oh appeared to have swallowed his tongue.
“So…” Hyeon Jin went on, rather cheerfully. “Is Shin Erin gonna be all right? Or is she gonna turn into a vampire like you?” She stroked her chin thoughtfully. “She’s not really dead, right? I mean, you might be a pest, but I don't think you're that stupid to kill her when you know she's my best friend. And I don’t really think all that stuff about vampires sucking their victims dry is true at all. So I guess Shin Erin might become one of you, eh?” she babbled on.
Mun Oh stared at her in total disbelief. He had never met anyone who found something like this highly amusing and exciting. She was supposed to at least be terrified, like a normal human. Now Mun Oh was really having doubts about whether she was even normal.