Third Vampire Shadows (An Urban Paranormal Romance Novel)

by Zhu Hsia

  “Oh! If you’re a vampire… then that means Ji Sun is…?” She left her words hanging, observing his reaction.

  “I SAID STOP CALLING ME A VAMPIRE! I’M NOT A VAMPIRE!” Mun Oh bellowed, his fist clenched tightly.

  “Then WHAT ARE YOU?” Hyeon Jin yelled back.

  “I’m a bloodsucker, dammit!”

  The words instantly flew out of his mouth.

  Hyeon Jin raised an eyebrow.

  “A mosquito?”

  “Wha—?”

  “You said you’re a bloodsucker. Mosquitoes are bloodsuckers,” she explained casually.

  “You’re driving me crazy!” Mun Oh said. He sat on the sidewalk and buried his face in his hands—a gesture that he would’ve never done within sight of his fellow bloodsuckers, for it would definitely suggest weakness, or worse, that he was giving up.

  Hyeon Jin sat beside him.

  “What the heck is a bloodsucker?” she asked. “Are you like a human mosquito?” She giggled.

  “This is not a laughing matter! This is serious!” Mun Oh said.

  His words made Hyeon Jin double up in laughter some more.

  Mun Oh closed his eyes tightly, silently praying for more patience.

  This is hopeless. Of all the people who could’ve found out my secret, why must it be this retard? he thought desperately. He had never been THIS desperate before. And I’ve got bigger problems than this! I still need Ji Sun to do the ritual before I can leave this place forever!

  “Wait. I was wondering,” Hyeon Jin said after finally containing her laughter. “If Ji Sun is also a bloodsucker, then why didn’t Dad and I notice it before? Hmm… Maybe she’s better at hiding it than you—”

  Mun Oh suddenly grabbed her by the shoulders so tightly that she couldn’t move an inch. A fleeting look of terror materialized on her face, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared.

  “What? You’re gonna bite me?”

  “I’m not gonna bite you. That’s disgusting,” Mun Oh replied flatly. “Besides, I have my taste,” he added with conviction, then tried to establish eye contact with her. “I’m only gonna say this once,” he started in a grave tone. “You can do whatever you want—tease me about it for as long as you like. I don’t care.”

  Hyeon Jin raised an eyebrow.

  “I know I couldn’t ask you to keep quiet about this, seeing what a blabbermouth you are. Just… my sister, she’s technically not a bloodsucker anymore… so for the sake of your relationship with her…” He took a moment before saying the last few words. “Leave her out of this.”

  Mun Oh stared into her eyes some more, hoping to let her see the sincerity in his words.

  “Is that it?” Hyeon Jin asked after a while.

  Mun Oh stared at her. “What do you mean, 'is that it'?! I actually talked to you seriously for a minute when I don’t even like you! And all you have to say is 'IS THAT IT'?!"

  “Could you let go now? You’re kinda crushing my shoulder blades,” Hyeon Jin replied calmly.

  Mun Oh blinked and slowly released her. He then stood up.

  “I do hope we’re clear about that,” he said.

  Hyeon Jin stood up, too.

  “About what?” she asked innocently.

  Mun Oh hit his face with his palm. “I said, I hope that tiny little thing inside your head that you call a brain was able to process all the information I just told you, dimwit.”

  Hyeon Jin gave him a wry smile. She just loved teasing this guy. He wasn’t so cold after all, and he sure had a sentimental and soft side, too.

  “Sure,” she said with a shrug.

  Mun Oh started to walk back to the house.

  “I’ll be gone in a matter of days and Shin Erin’s gonna be fine, so no one really needs to know about this, understand?”

  Hyeon Jin caught up to him. “But Shin Erin also knows—”

  “No, she doesn’t,” Mun Oh instantly replied. “We have the ability to modify the memory of our catch.”

  “Then why don’t you just bite me?”

  Mun Oh stopped walking and stared at her in mixed incredulity and disgust.

  “I thought I just told you that I have a certain TASTE. You actually think I just go off biting anyone I meet?! You think I’ll just bite a big-footed retard like you or some random bum on the street? You’re crazy.”

  Hyeon Jin stepped right in front of him. “Okay, you know what? You really need to do something about your attitude.”

  “What?”

  “You see, you are in no position at all to order me around and act like the arrogant pest that you are, since you’re the one who is making a deal with me.”

  Mun Oh appeared confused. “A deal?”

  “Deal—you know, when two people settle something—”

  “Hey, I know what it means!” Mun Oh snapped.

  “Good. Well then, I have three conditions before I agree to this deal.”

  “Three?”

  “Yeah, you know, the number right after two and before—”

  “FINE! Just say them already,” Mun Oh roared at her.

  Hyeon Jin smiled sheepishly. “First,” she said, holding up her index finger, “no more name-calling whatsoever, and you watch your mouth whenever you talk to me, okay?”

  “You gotta be kidding—”

  “SECOND,” Hyeon Jin continued loudly, ignoring his reaction. “You can’t say NO to me. Just do whatever I want you to do and your secret is 100% safe with me. And THIRD… try to stay as FAR away from me as possible. I can’t stand being around you all the time,” she finished, slightly irritated.

  Mun Oh burst out laughing. “First of all, there is no way I could stop with the name calling. Can’t you tell I’m having fun doing that? Second, I’m NOT gonna be your slave. You can kill me before that happens. And third, WHO THE HELL TOLD YOU THAT THIS IS A DEAL? I was merely telling you not to expose my sister, that’s all.”

  “If this is not a deal, then it’s NOTHING,” Hyeon Jin threatened, starting to walk away.

  “Wait.”

  Hyeon Jin glanced at him over her shoulder. “Yes…?”

  A heated debate was taking place inside his head, driving him nuts. Should he take this deal or not? He never made deals with humans. Actually, he never made deals with ANYONE at all, even with his fellow bloodsuckers.

  Hyeon Jin looked like a five-year-old who just got her first taste of ice cream. She was truly enjoying this moment.

  I won’t acquiesce to the demands of a measly human… Mun Oh thought grudgingly. That would make me less of a bloodsucker… NO FREAKING WAY.

  He was just about to open his mouth to say NO when he realized something.

  But if I let her roam around freely with her big mouth and her big feet, she will definitely get Ji Sun in trouble, too. I’m in enough trouble as it is by not biting her immediately to modify her memory.

  Hyeon Jin was now giggling uncontrollably, as if Mun Oh’s indecisiveness was the funniest thing in the world.

  Mun Oh stared blankly at her.

  What an idiot… he thought, shaking his head. I’m not gonna make a deal with this retard. To hell with that secret; no one would believe her anyway.

  He started to walk past her, quite arrogantly.

  “HEY! Where are you going? What about our—” Hyeon Jin hollered in surprise.

  “I ain’t dealing with you. No way. Do whatever you want with that secret. Just remember that it’s not only MY secret… it’s also Ji Sun’s secret. It’s on your conscience,” he replied without looking at her, making sure to emphasize the last few words.

  Hyeon Jin had nothing to say to that, but in the deepest and darkest recesses of her mind, an evil plan was slowly unfolding.

  •••

  Mun Oh opened his eyes. The sunlight coming in from the wide-open windows was burning his forehead as he lay stiffly on the couch.

  He sat up and looked around, confused as to why the windows all around the living room were wide open. Then he saw her. Standing there, wit
h a curious look on her face, at the left side of the living room and near the biggest window, was Hyeon Jin. She was gazing at him as though he was some kind of science specimen inside a glass cage. Mun Oh composed himself before getting to his feet.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” he asked her.

  Hyeon Jin shrugged and started walking toward him. “I was just testing whether you’d get scorched by the sun. Vampires often do. But there’s this one vampire, his name is Blade; well, he’s a vampire and a vampire hunter at the same time. They call him day-walker or something like that, coz he’s the only one who can withstand the sun, and—”

  Without warning, Mun Oh threw the first thing that he touched toward her: the remote control. She probably played dodgeball, for she swiftly moved out of the way to avoid the surprise attack, watching the remote control soar past the open window and land outside.

  “Vampire reflexes, huh?” she said, continuing to badger him. The tone she was using was infuriatingly flat and matter-of-fact, as if she was explaining some kind of mathematical equation.

  “Why, you—!”

  “Morning… you two are up early,” Ji Sun said, coming out from their room, still in her pajamas.

  “We were just… umm… I mean, I was just…” Mun Oh stuttered.

  “We were playing catch, using the remote control,” Hyeon Jin explained, still using that annoying tone.

  Ji Sun studied them.

  “I’ll cook breakfast!" said Hyeon enthusiastically. "How about garlic rice? Or toasted bread with lots of garlic in it? Ooohhh… I love garlic! And some onion rings perhaps?”

  “What’s with the garlic mania? I thought you don’t like garlic and onions,” Ji Sun inquired, raising an eyebrow.

  Drops of sweat were forming on Mun Oh’s forehead as he gritted his teeth.

  “Well, it’s never too late to like something that might be useful to you someday. I mean, garlic is known to be—”

  “I’LL COOK IT!” Mun Oh blurted out, raising his hand and grabbing Hyeon Jin by the elbow. “You help me cook, all right?” he said through gritted teeth, dragging her to the kitchen.

  Kim Junjin found a confused Ji Sun observing Mun Oh and Hyeon Jin as they moved about in the kitchen. He placed his arm around her.

  “What’s the matter?” he asked.

  “There’s something really weird about those two,” she explained without taking her eyes off them.

  “Weird? How so?”

  “Last night, they were so freaking quiet all throughout dinner. They never said a word to each other. And they didn’t bicker regarding the bedroom-sharing thing; it’s like they had this silent agreement or something. And now, they’re cooking breakfast together.” She made a face as the smell of garlic filled the kitchen. “And it’s full of garlic.”

  “You like garlic,” Kim Junjin said nonchalantly, savoring the smell.

  “That’s not the point,” Ji Sun replied, irritated. “I know my brother. He couldn’t have befriended Hyeon Jin even if you paid him. That’s what makes them so similar. If they don’t like someone from the start, it stays that way unless a miracle happens.”

  “Maybe they don’t want to worry us anymore with their bickering. Don’t worry; I know my daughter, too, and she seemed happy to have Mun Oh around. She just doesn’t really know how to express her feelings properly,” Kim Junjin assured her.

  After almost ten minutes, the four of them were already sitting at the dining table, staring at the food the young ones had prepared.

  Kim Junjin decided to make the first move. He reached for the omelet with garlic, tomatoes and onions inside, placed some on his plate, and then put a piece in his mouth.

  “I didn’t know you could cook!” he said to Mun Oh.

  “I learned it from my sister. It’s our favorite dish,” he replied, glancing at Hyeon Jin.

  Hyeon Jin rolled her eyes and stood up. She didn't really eat garlic and onions; she was just trying to expose Mun Oh. Sadly, her clever plan failed. Now she had to think of another way to make him come out of the closet, or coffin, rather.

  “What’s up?” Kim Junjin asked her.

  “I just remembered that I have to meet up with Shin Erin today. We need to study for the finals,” she said, inching away from the table.

  “How about having breakfast first?” Ji Sun offered, taking a sip of her coffee.

  Hyeon Jin smiled. “You know what they say: when you cook something, you lost your appetite for it.”

  “You mean LOSE, not LOST,” Mun Oh corrected, quite loudly.

  “Shut up, mosquito,” she snapped.

  “Be sure to be here before 7 PM, okay? It’s Saturday,” Kim Junjin reminded her, going back to his second helping of garlic toast.

  “Yeah, sure.” She headed outside, cooking up another devious plan to pester the ‘mosquito.’

  •••

  An hour and a half later, she was leaving a video-and-book rental shop just around the corner from That Place, with a bag full of borrowed DVDs in one hand and another bag of pocket books and novels in the other hand. Since this was her last stop, she decided to linger for a while and drop by That Place. Ten minutes ago, she was relieved when Shin Erin replied to her message saying she was okay. Maybe Mun Oh had modified her memory, Hyeon Jin thought.

  She arrived at That Place and ordered the usual: a platter of sweet and spicy rice cakes and some soda. She got so damn hungry after refusing to eat that horrible garlic-themed breakfast. After devouring her late breakfast, she went on her way home.

  Back at home, Mun Oh was finding the right time to talk to his sister without Kim Junjin in the picture, but it almost seemed impossible. The two were inseparable! They did the dishes together, showered together and even took the garbage out together. Now, they sat in front of the television set in the living room, snuggling close to each other.

  Mun Oh irritably looked at them. They were laughing aloud like there was no tomorrow as they watched X-Men. He had no idea how they could find something as crappy as that hilarious. Although he was feeling irritated and disappointed at seeing his sister transform into a fully-fledged human, he couldn’t help feeling a bit happy for her. He had never seen her so happy before.

  “Wait! Pause right there. I need to take a little detour,” Kim Junjin suddenly said, standing up from the couch and running to the bathroom.

  Mun Oh took the chance to sit beside his sister and talk to her about the ritual.

  “Ji Sun, we need to continue our talk,” he began to say.

  Ji Sun glanced at her. “Talk?”

  “What’s with this family and memory gap?” Mun Oh grumbled. “The Ritual of Renunciation! I need you to do it now. I can’t stand being here another second!”

  Ji Sun nodded slowly. “Oh, that…”

  “WHAT DO YOU MEAN ‘Oh, that’? I’m going crazy here and that’s all you have to say?!”

  He stood up and crossed his arms furiously. Ji Sun was about to say something when the door opened with a bang and a jovial-looking Hyeon Jin came in, humming to herself.

  “Ugh. Nice timing,” Mun Oh muttered under his breath. Kim Junjin returned from the bathroom and sat beside Ji Sun again.

  “You’re back early,” Kim Junjin remarked.

  “I have something here,” she said excitedly, placing all the stuff she had borrowed on top of the coffee table.

  One by one, she took out the DVDs and books and then carefully displayed them on the table. Kim Junjin scratched his head, and Ji Sun raised an eyebrow while Mun Oh slightly bent his body to get a closer look.

  “What are all these for?” Kim Junjin inquired, still scratching his head.

  “Just take a look for yourself,” Hyeon Jin replied with a wink.

  The three of them, except for Hyeon Jin, moved closer to the table, kneeling in front of it. They all grabbed different things at once and studied them.

  Kim Junjin was holding a DVD of the old movie “Interview with the Vampire” in his right hand and the "Queen
of the Damned” movie in his other hand. He still had no idea what it was about.

  Ji Sun stared at the book “The Last Vampire” by Christopher Pike along with Anne Rice’s best-selling novel, “The Vampire Lestat.” Her face was unfathomable, as if she was trying to ward off a scary thought.

  Mun Oh’s hands were shaking as he held a DVD collection of all the “Blade” movies.

  Hyeon Jin joined them, savoring the moment of confusion and tension. “You like it? I call it our little 'vampire marathon,'” she said animatedly.

  “Huh?” Kim Junjin and Ji Sun blurted out at the same time.

  Hyeon Jin turned to face a shaking Mun Oh. His expression was dark and sinister as he dropped the DVD with a clatter.

  “What do you think, Mun Oh?” Hyeon Jin asked sweetly.

  Mun Oh glanced at his sister, who looked horrified as she suddenly realized what was going on, and then cast a death glare at Hyeon Jin. He was bursting with fury, disgust, and extreme hatred for this girl, but he knew that opening his mouth might make him say things he would regret later.

  And so it appeared that Hyeon Jin had won this round.

  « CHAPTER 5 »

  The next few days had been nothing but a blur of endless jeers, teases and relentless attacks by Hyeon Jin. She never let a second pass without mocking or pestering Mun Oh with her “vampire jokes,” and even going so far as calling Mun Oh a vampire in front of everyone while they were having dinner.

  Mun Oh, on the other hand, was reaching his limit, as he carefully avoided a deadly confrontation with his sister. Inside his head, a heated debate was seriously going on. One side said: just bite her and get it over with, while the other, which was powered by his ego, strongly advised him against it. He had never been in a tight spot like this before; everything usually worked out fine for him. It was as if some invisible hand had dumped a bucketful of shitty misfortune over his head ever since he had arrived.

  Unable to endure her curiosity anymore, Ji Sun cornered her younger brother minutes before she left for work with Kim Junjin. She took the opportunity after getting Kim Junjin to change his tie, which would take about five minutes.

  “What?” Mun Oh snapped at her as he lazily sat in the couch.