Third Vampire Shadows (An Urban Paranormal Romance Novel)

by Zhu Hsia

  The spacious room was simply breathtaking with its high ceiling and elegant interior design. The walls were striking shades of mint green and cream blended together perfectly. Everything in the room seemed to be brand new. There was a mini-platform in the middle where a cool-looking band was playing music… just minutes before their arrival. It was as if everyone was frozen in time as they all stared at the pair who just arrived. Contrary to what Hyeon Jin had assumed, there were only a couple dozen guests, including the band members. As she had expected, they were all wearing clothes that humans like her would only wear to really formal parties. The kind of party with a few distinguished and prominent guests, such as politicians or some important celebrities. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she remembered that all of them were bloodsuckers.

  And they’re all looking at me. Oh, shit, she thought, horrified. I am so dead. They’re gonna feast on me and suck all my blood! Where is Mun Oh? I can’t see him anywhere…

  She was starting to think that it was a bad idea to come here. Actually, it was a bad idea to trust this jerk in the first place. She hastily hid her head behind Han Kyung again and stared in horror as he started moving forward, leaving her behind with absolutely no cover. He stopped in the middle of the room and cleared his throat.

  “Where’s the celebrant?” he asked, looking around. Everyone turned their heads to look toward the left side of the room, where the food and drinks were located. And there he was in his usual tuxedo, getting himself a glass of red wine. But it could have been blood, for all Hyeon Jin cared. He seemed engrossed in getting the drink, oblivious to his surroundings.

  “Happy birthday, Lee Mun Oh!” Han Kyung yelled. Mun Oh must have recognized his voice, which was why he had never bothered to even look at him. He simply sipped at his drink. Han Kyung didn’t like being ignored, especially by his self-proclaimed rival. “Don’t you wanna see my GIFT for you?” he yelled, eyeing the human girl at the door. Mun Oh simply gulped down his drink.

  Hyeon Jin thought that now was the best time to run away. She really shouldn’t have come here. But she had to thank Han Kyung for that awesome diversion. Slowly, she turned on the spot and stood on tiptoe, ready to make her great escape.

  “HEY! WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING, HYEON JIN?!” The thunderous voice glued her to the spot. Han Kyung sure knew how to create a diversion.

  That got Mun Oh’s attention. He dropped the wine glass and everyone stared at him as he turned in the direction of the door, surprise written all over his handsome face.

  Before anyone could blink, move a muscle or even breathe, Mun Oh was already beside a stunned Hyeon Jin. In one swift move, they were gone from the party.

  “I told you not to do that, damn—” Hyeon Jin blurted out as she found herself standing inside a luxurious room so big that she could probably fit her own bedroom inside it and still have some free space left. Before she could continue cussing at Mun Oh, however, he grabbed her by the waist and almost squeezed the air out of her with what was supposed to be a warm hug. They stood like that for a minute or so before she spoke in a small voice.

  “Mun Oh…?”

  “Hmm?”

  “You’re kinda… squeezing me to death…” she complained.

  “Oh. Umm, sorry…” he mumbled releasing her at once and taking a step back. As she looked up and stared deep into his eyes, she couldn’t help but feel guilty for some reason. The confusion on his face was too much for her to handle.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  He continued to stare at her with the same expression before exploding. “What are you doing here?!” he said, yelling unnecessarily and making her jump back in surprise. “You’re not supposed to be here!" He looked away before muttering, "You’re just gonna make it worse…”

  “What are you talking about?” Hyeon Jin asked, concerned about him.

  “Did you miss me so much that you had to follow me all the way here? That’s pathetic!” He scoffed at her. “You just ruined our little 'goodbye' moment back there! Damn it. I thought I made it clear that I needed to get away from you! Are you really that stupid?”

  He didn’t care that his words were stabbing at her like knives. All he wanted was Hyeon Jin to realize that what they had was never going to work out. Not in a million years. She wasn’t supposed to show up here, especially not right now. It wasn’t easy for him to look her in the eyes and play it cool when the mere sight of her numbed his mind and took his breath away.

  “Things are complicated enough without you dragging your big feet here,” he added, hoping she’d just leave in total annoyance.

  Hyeon Jin was officially ticked off. “What did you say, PEST?!”

  “Who told you to come here, anyway? You’re not even invited to my party,” Mun Oh said, and he clicked his tongue with an air of irritation.

  “Why, you—”

  “Of course she is invited,” a third voice said.

  She spun around to look for the source of the voice, but Mun Oh already knew whom that voice belonged to. Instinctively, he stepped in front of Hyeon Jin and held out a hand.

  “I invited her,” Ji Hyun said as he stepped out of the shadowy corner of the room.

  “Dad…” Mun Oh said through gritted teeth. “Why are you doing this?”

  “Don’t bother me with such stupid questions, son. You brought this upon yourself.”

  “I told you I made the decision myself. Why can’t you leave her out of this?” Mun Oh’s voice was strong and determined, yet pleading.

  “No way am I gonna allow you to do that, young man.” His tone made it clear that further arguments were not necessary at this point. He shot a wary glance at Hyeon Jin. “Now why don’t you bring your special guest downstairs so that you can properly introduce her to your visitors?” With one last icy look at the pair of them, he disappeared, leaving Mun Oh no choice but to follow his father’s orders.

  That’s when she fully understood what he had been trying to say for the last minute or so. It had been a mistake to come here. A big mistake. That’s why she felt so guilty by merely looking at the confused and worried expression on his face.

  Mun Oh was now starting to walk toward the widely opened door, one hand in his pocket, the other hand scratching his head.

  “Wait!”

  He stopped but didn’t bother looking back. “What?”

  “I just wanted to see you. I’m sorry if... if I caused you any trouble just by being here. I can leave if you—”

  “Too late for that,” he said.

  “But...” She bit her lip as a pang of guilt and fear swept over her. “Are those guys gonna drink my blood? Am I gonna be like... a sacrifice or something?” Her voice trembled with every word.

  Mun Oh turned his head to stare at her as though seeing her for the first time. “You’re one hell of a crazy human being, you know that?” He rolled his eyes. “We’re not bloody monsters! Besides, I wouldn’t even dare bite you. Why would they?” With that, he was back to being Mun Oh, The Pest. He smirked and began to walk away.

  Hyeon Jin gritted her teeth and clenched her fist in fury. That twerp! One minute he was hugging me, getting all emotional, and now he’s making fun of me! I really shouldn’t have come here! She reluctantly followed him out of the room. He was now descending the majestic marble staircase. I am so gonna kill that bastard freak Han Kyung for tricking me into coming here! Oh, he is so gonna get it! I’m gonna mutilate him—

  “Hey! Stop cursing Han Kyung in your mind, stupid. He can hear your thoughts, too,” Mun Oh warned without looking back. “And so can everyone in that room.”

  She froze in mid-step. “R-Really?”

  “Yeah. So, my advice? Stop thinking. Not that it’s gonna be hard to do for someone like you who barely thinks before she does something,” he jeered. “You’re such a waste of brain cells,” he added as they stepped into the hallway leading to the party room.

  “HEY! LEE MUN OH! You have a death wish?! You want me to kick y
our—” Upon seeing the figure standing by the door, she stopped in mid-sentence. It was a stunningly gorgeous woman, probably in her early thirties, wearing an elegant black gown. Her long, silky, dark hair fell beautifully to her waist. She stared at her in mixed awe and astonishment.

  She looks just like...

  “Mun Oh... I just want you to know that I didn’t have a say in this,” she said to him, deliberately ignoring Hyeon Jin. “Your father... I told him not to invite her. But now that she’s here...” She threw a quick wary glance at Hyeon Jin before turning back to Mun Oh. “It’s not too late, Mun Oh. Don’t do this to yourself.”

  Hyeon Jin was getting more and more confused by the minute. Her words were so vague, yet they made her feel curious.

  Ignoring his mother, Mun Oh seized Hyeon Jin’s hand and pushed open the door. “I’m going to deal with this my own way. Don’t tell me what to do,” he snapped at her before entering the room with a perplexed Hyeon Jin in tow.

  Nobody seemed to notice their arrival. Everyone was too busy eating, chatting and dancing along to the mellow music provided by the band in the middle of the room. Han Kyung was nowhere in sight, but Hyeon Jin quickly spotted the handsome man who Mun Oh had called “Dad” a while ago. He was in a group of middle-aged people, clearly having a serious conversation.

  Although nobody seemed to pay any attention to them as they made their way across the room, she still felt that strange sensation of being watched by a hundred pairs of eyes. Remembering Mun Oh’s words, she tried her best not to think about the terrifying situation she was in. But it was not easy to free her mind of horrible thoughts when she was surrounded by a whole clan of bloodsuckers.

  “Stop thinking, you big-footed girl. And don’t speak unless I tell you to do so, understand?” he warned her again, squeezing her hand tightly. “If you do anything stupid, they’ll eat you alive.”

  “Oh my god, are you fucking serious?!” she blurted out in utter shock. Her voice came out a little too high-pitched and loud that a few of the bloodsuckers around them stopped dancing and glared at her. She shivered as a spine-chilling air engulfed her body.

  Jesus Christ! Their eyes are red! Shit! She thought, panicking. Now I’m so gonna be dead—for real!

  They reached the little platform in the middle of the room and Mun Oh practically dragged her onto it. The band stopped playing, causing more than half of the room to turn and look in their direction. Like a chain reaction, barely ten seconds passed before all eyes were on them.

  After getting everybody’s attention, Mun Oh grabbed a microphone. Beside him, Hyeon Jin was restless and close to freaking out. She had never felt so intimidated before in her entire life. Usually, she was the one doing the intimidating.

  “Everyone, thanks for coming to my party. I appreciate it,” Mun Oh said casually. He took a deep breath and glanced at someone in the room before continuing. “Unfortunately, I have more important matters to attend to, so I’m ending this little party right now.”

  There was a pause as everybody digested what he just said. After a few seconds, murmuring ensued.

  “He’s ending the party?”

  “How disrespectful!”

  “Still, the arrogant boy that he is—”

  “But isn’t he supposed to hear the Rule of Thirds first?”

  “And who is that lame-looking human girl?”

  “Yeah, what is she doing here?”

  Hyeon Jin bowed her head so low she felt like her neck was bound to snap. She realized how she must’ve looked next to the powerful and refined bloodsuckers. Her school uniform was a bit dirty from all the dust and sweat of the whole day, her dark hair was flying in all directions, her face was probably stained with dried tears and her eyes were a bit puffy.

  Mun Oh cleared his throat loudly over the microphone and the murmuring ceased at once. It amazed Hyeon Jin how a young guy like him could have so much control and power over these bloodsuckers, who were considerably older than him.

  “I suggest you all RESPECT my decision,” he said in an “I’m-not-kidding” tone. “After all, it is MY party, right?”

  Being in one of the oldest and most prominent clans really helped during times like this. The crowd of bloodsuckers gradually dispersed, albeit reluctantly, muttering amongst themselves on the way to the door. Some were already getting ready to leave when a familiar voice yelled at the top of his lungs.

  “WHERE ARE YOU ALL GOING?! The party just started!”

  Everyone turned to look at Han Kyung, who was standing in the far corner of the room. He sipped at a glass of the red liquid that Hyeon Jin assumed was blood, and his Cheshire cat smile was so wide that he looked a bit insane. Nobody moved. They all waited for him to say more, but he simply sipped at his drink and smiled at everyone, particularly at Mun Oh. After a minute of his attention-seeking act, he finally walked over to the platform and grabbed the microphone from Mun Oh’s hand.

  “My good friend, Mun Oh, has a special visitor right here...” he started to say, slurring his words.

  Hyeon Jin wondered if he was drunk. From drinking blood? No way...

  “If you don’t shut your filthy mouth in the next two seconds, I swear I’m gonna do you a favor and shut it for good,” Mun Oh threatened him.

  Just when Hyeon Jin thought he’d finally close his big mouth, Han Kyung did the unthinkable. He laughed like a maniac, that otherworldly laugh that scared the living hell out of her.

  Okay, he’s either drunk or just plain insane... she thought, still staring at her feet.

  “I’d gladly shut up for my own good. But, you see, I didn’t just carry a lowly human on my back all the way here for nothing.” There was malice in his eyes as he looked from Mun Oh to Hyeon Jin. “So why don’t you do us all a favor and explain to them why she’s here... why she’s so important to you?”

  As if on cue, everyone turned around and inched closer to the platform again, all thoughts of leaving gone.

  Mun Oh’s grip on Hyeon Jin’s hand was now so tight that she silently whimpered in pain and tried to yank it away from him, but failed.

  “Go on, Lee Mun Oh. Are you scared of something? Don’t you want her to know how a mere human like her managed to make the great Lee Mun Oh’s life so freaking complicated that you were forced to run away and resort to—”

  “SHUT THE HELL UP!”

  In the blink of an eye, she was free from his grip; when she looked up, he already had Han Kyung pinned to the floor. If looks could kill... yeah, Han Kyung would probably be dead by now.

  Not really keen on seeing someone murdered in front of her, she spoke up.

  “Mun Oh! Don’t... please... He’s not worth it,” she said, although she’d probably kill Han Kyung later herself for bringing her into this mess.

  In an instant, the glazed and fiery look in his eyes vanished and he released Han Kyung, who looked as though he might have wet his pants in fear. “You owe your life to this ‘filthy human’ right here, jerk,” Mun Oh said to him before stepping away.

  Han Kyung scrambled to his feet and disappeared into the crowd of bloodsuckers.

  Mun Oh looked at Hyeon Jin, who looked back at him. In his eyes, she was trying to find all the answers to her questions, or at least some sort of enlightenment on the whole situation they were in right now. In her eyes, he was trying to find the strength and courage to reveal the truth—to answer all the questions running through her mind right now.

  It was he who broke their intense eye contact. He took two deep breaths and faced his fellow bloodsuckers, who all looked hungry for information.

  “Fine. I’ll ‘fess up.” Taking one last glance at her, he went on. “It’s now or never.”

  And with that, he began to tell them everything—right from the start, in full and honest detail. Bloodsuckers don’t lie to each other. He told them why he needed to pay Ji Sun a visit, why he got a little detoured and had to stay longer than he planned to. How he and Hyeon Jin got off on the wrong foot. How she had unintentionally
found out about him being a bloodsucker. Why he didn’t bite her upon finding out that she knew his secret.

  All the time that he was talking, she noticed that most of the bloodsuckers edged closer to the platform, not taking their eyes away from him as they listened intently. Some even got themselves drinks and food, as though they were watching a movie or something.

  What the hell?! Hyeon Jin thought, bemused. If only the situation wasn’t as grave as it is, she would’ve died laughing from the absorbed looks on their faces.

  Clearly, Mun Oh wasn’t the most loved bloodsucker here. He was the epitome of someone who was famous but despised. It seemed as though half of his visitors hated his guts and enjoyed tormenting him. They all gloated at the fact that he was confessing to his crimes right in front of them.

  “I... I have my taste for a catch. And it’s not her. I don’t bite just anyone, you all know that.” He paused, feeling lame for explaining such things to them. “Okay, I know I broke the law. I should’ve modified her memory. But believe me when I say how much I wanted just to bite her after seriously realizing the consequences of my actions. Whenever I got the chance to be near her, I tried my best to... do it.”

  Hyeon Jin’s eyes widened in surprise. This was something new to her. Mun Oh shot an apologetic look at her before he continued.

  “She didn’t know it, but I was really itching to bite her at one point. Every time I see her. Especially when she least expects it or when she’s asleep. In my defense, I did have my fair share of attempts.” He sighed. “But I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.”

  There was only silence until someone decided to voice the one question on everybody’s mind.

  “Why?”

  When Mun Oh didn’t answer right away, Han Kyung, who was standing at the back, a good three feet away from Ji Hyun, took the liberty of answering for him.

  “Because he fell in love with her and he didn’t want her to forget him,” he said matter-of-factly.

  The bloodsuckers gasped collectively and then began murmuring. Hyeon Jin swallowed the lump in her throat as she felt heat rushing to her face.

  “Well, it’s not really a crime to fall in love with a human...” a bespectacled lady on the right side of the room said.