my top (kpop) songs of the second half of 2021 ! (first half)
tagged by: @yananswife, @dongkwan, @yutaslaugh, @jaehyukkies, @soppa, @younqjo, and @gyukwans (on my svt side!) thanks besties beloveds mwah!! sorry this took a while lmao </3
in no particular order: maverick - the boyz // tamed-dashed - enhypen // loser=lover - txt // what’s going on - omega x // yellow cab - dpr live // loco - itzy // popping - onf // happy death day - xdinary heroes
honourable mentions: movin’ - mcnd // karma - kingdom // guard you - young k // dimples - woosung // no more x - to1 // veni vidi vici - cravity // a bunch others there was tons of good music this year!!
tagging: no one bc everyone and their great aunt has done this its a week into the new year kdfjkdsjf BUT if you haven’t pls!!!! go for it tag me i wanna see mwah <3
QUOTE: “It means you and I are forever bound to the beasts that worship the moon.” The revelation didn’t stun you as much as Willow. You had long extruded from the norm. The concept of you being a wolf’s mate only adding to your list of oddities.
WARNINGS: Graphic scenes of violence, Blood, Murder, Imprisonment, Starvation, Mentions of drugs
“Fools who know no fear, a nothing but fools.”
You awoke confined to a murky chamber, the air thick with the stench of burning sage and rosemary. You coughed, maneuvering your bruised arm to mask your mouth.
You weren’t alone. Caged alongside you were a number of women, most cradling their knees to make themselves as small as possible. The cramped quarters made it impossible for you to crouch off the ground, your movements restricted to your upper body.
“The more you struggle, the more uncomfortable it gets,” Another whispered.
The moon stood high and full in the night sky, shining down on hordes of undead milling through the ruins of the city. Moonlight would never reach the depths of the underground cement bunker where the loudest of screams remain unheard.
A young man clad in black slowly circled the center of the space, observing his struggling captive. The amount of activity that had occurred in the quarter within the past 24 hours was unprecedented and the fact that it involved the two species he detested the most was even more off-putting.
Pitch black and ice-cold, that was exactly how Jungwon liked it while preoccupied with his usual work.
Tonight was not the usual.
First, word of Jay and Sunghoon encountering a human girl and even going so far as to bring her back to their penthouse had him pondering each of their ulterior motives. Usually, human stragglers were brought to him and he would proceed with his usual treatment. Their use to him only lasted, well, as long as they lived through his intensive process. Annoyingly, he had yet to be filled in on whatever each man was planning behind each other’s backs.
Now, he was dealing with a shapeshifter who had managed to keep up with those two and track them back to the quarter. He reckoned that it must’ve picked up on the human’s scent since the others knew better to conceal themselves. But it intentionally dared to trespass onto their grounds, alone at that?
He had easily detained the Lycan who took on the appearance of a stray wolf. It would never have gotten past him; their stench was just different. Now, his captive took the form of an ordinary man and was bound in chains to the cement floor by its wrist and throat, gagged with a rag.
It knew it wouldn’t be leaving these four walls alive yet it still desired to provoke him, “Where’re our people? If you’ve hurt them you’ll all pay with your lives.”
“Your people?” Jungwon repeated incredulously. It couldn’t possibly be referring to the humans he recently captured. Wolves would never willingly wander into their territory.
“I know you keep them here. We will hunt you down and destroy everyone in your pack! Katashi—” As the name slipped from his mouth, he cursed inwardly.
Despite the young man’s face being covered in shadows, the werewolf could see clear as day that his captor was perplexed. Like he was turning over the name in his head several times. The Vampire appeared to be youthful but for all he knew, the young man could be over a century old. Deceiving damned creatures from hell now had the advantage of knowing Katashi would be onto their trail.
Jungwon collected himself, and raised his eyebrows in response to the shapeshifter’s threat, arms crossing calmly over his chest. He surmised there must’ve been more wolves accompanying this one, although he didn’t sense any in the vicinity while capturing this one.
“Do refrain from using the word ‘pack’ when referring to us as if we’re a group of disgusting mutts. There are few things that I could think of to be more insulting.”
The shapeshifter snarled in response through the rag, baring large canines, its eyes flashing a citrine yellow.
His own eyes narrowed to slits, glowing an unsettling crimson. “Down, dog.”
A screech resounded in the building as the basement doors swung open. Jungwon eyed the three men who filed in, donning dark leather and strapped with weapons. They looked rather unscathed, seeing as they were called back to the quarter early. Depending on how rough the excursion had been, by the time it reached the dawn, they’d appear at the gates looking like they’d emerged from a massacre.
“Jungwon,” Jay acknowledged.
“Oh.” Jake, who had initially been wearing an easy-going expression scrunched his nose in disgust at the creature’s offending scent. “You didn’t catch a rat but a wolf,” he complained, “God. Sunoo, didn't you find some candles the other day?”
The silver-haired young man with sharp eyes paused next to Jake, clearly suffering to breathe as well. “Let’s not waste the precious candles I unearthed to cover up this stench.” He covered his nose with his sleeve. “Honestly, I can’t tell what smells worse, the lurkers or them.”
As Jay approached the center of the room, the red glow of Jungwon’s eyes dimmed to black.
“I think the human girl gave you away. This one’s been sent by Katashi and said he’s out for blood,” he revealed.
Jay stared at the younger man in disbelief. He considered this unexpected implication as the other’s shared looks of uncertainty.
“You’re part of his settlement that houses both humans and werewolves?” Jay turned to the chained shapeshifter who only glowered at him in response.
Before the city fell, the territorial pact with their faction was respected by both sides. Some wolves were known to conduct business with humans, and Jay recalled Katashi was not one of them. Both he and Heeseung avoided dealing with each other at any cost. Now, with the high population of infected in the inner city, for a wolf to traverse the infected streets was one thing but following a Vampire into their territory was a whole different matter.
Currently, Jay knew it was safe to assume the wolf hadn’t followed them alone and worst-case scenario, that his company was currently making its way back to Katashi’s camp to report on their location. The boys have done well to keep their new hideout secret out of precaution, but if Katashi was out to start a war over a few of his humans, that would be an issue. Jay knew he’d have to pay for the consequences to his actions sooner or later, but he couldn’t have anticipated this.
“If you were following us, you could’ve easily pinpointed our location from a distance and have reported back to your pack by now. Jungwon found you just outside our fortress. Why stick around and risk getting caught?”
A heavy silence followed.
“Why follow us? Do you know the girl?” he pressed.
In a split second Jungwon swiftly reappeared behind the kneeling man, ripping the rag from his mouth and effortlessly driving a knee straight into his spine with a crack. The man doubled over with a shout, the sound of chains scraping against the floor.
“Speak,” Jungwon ordered.
Defiant silence followed save for grunts of pain. Jungwon brought down his other hand and plunged it through his shoulder with a bludgeoning twist, rust-red splattering against the floor. The man howled, thrashing in pain.
“You may heal fast but I still never understood the pride in having the same DNA as a mutt. You’ll meet the same fate as your humans regardless,” Jungwon sneered, pulling his bloodied fist from torn flesh.
“What? If you touched them I swear to God—!”
Jay met the hatred burning in the man’s eyes head-on. He watched him grit his teeth and take several heavy breaths before continuing, “You fucking Vampires are all the same. I don’t know the girl but I pitied her when I saw her in your clutches,” the man spat, “If she was brought here there must be more. Three of our people were last seen in the inner city. Are there others?”
Sunoo rolled his eyes and sighed, “We could be using this time for scavenging.”
“I said where are they?” the man demanded once more.
“Goners,” Jake said matter-of-factly, moistening his lips.
Jungwon had always been adept at procuring as many resources as possible from the resources they acquired.
“Those three humans happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, Lycan. That’s all there is to it,” Jay crouched to meet the Lycan at eye level, noting a pang of guilt in his chest, “That aside, Katashi should be well aware our pact stands regardless of the state of the city,”
The man hung his head, a silent sob wracking through his battered body. Jake tilted his head at the Lycan's grieved response, and the others seemed just as mystified. Jay looked off to the side, sighing heavily.
“This is a new age,” he choked out, “The day of reckoning will be upon you all; Lycans and Vampires alike are seeing to it.”
Visible confusion flitted across everyone’s face at the obscure statement. Steel doors slammed open against concrete, the quick pace of footfalls resounding against cement.
“While I’d love to know who shoved that mission statement down your throat,” Sunghoon’s terse voice cut through the silence, “For once in my lifetime, I’ll believe a Lycan's words aren’t complete bullshit.”
Riki followed in suit, wearing dark, fitted outfits similar to the others. Sunghoon appeared to be the only one out of place.
Jay stood, scowling at the two men, “What the hell are you doing down here leaving her unguarded?”
“Sunghoon said—”
“She knows better than to come out of her room anytime soon,” Sunghoon snapped.
Jay held back an admonishment, eyes narrowing at the bloodstain on Sunghoon’s chest and his rather disheveled appearance. The rest were alerted to the scent of Sunghoon’s blood, but even more so curious at the human scent that clung to him. Jay ran a hand over his face. It was apparent that whatever the girl had done riled him up to an extreme extent. Both he and Riki would have some explaining to do.
“Hoon, the night hasn’t even started yet.” Jake shot a curious look at his friend’s state.
“Lycans and Vampires? It can’t mean him...?” Sunoo shook his head.
“Don’t assume he’s part of it just because he’s not standing right here with us,” Jay cautioned, redirecting his attention back to the topic at hand.
“Well it sounds just like it could involve him, doesn’t it?” Sunghoon challenged, “He’s a defector. Idealistic. Desperate.” He wore a look of contempt as he waved at Jungwon to step aside and circled the shapeshifter.
Sunghoon crossed his arms. “You know, I can relate to the latter. And I know I’m not the only one these days. But I’d never stoop so low as to consort with their kind, ever.”
Jungwon tilted his chin a degree in agreement, resigning to keep his mouth shut for the remainder of the night. Jay silently commended him for it, knowing that the younger man stood in the presence of a species he had every right to hate.
It was common knowledge for Heeseung to avoid dealings with wolves, despite being personally unaffected by the age-old animosity. He avoided them not out of fear but prudence. Jay remembers early on that although Heeseung was an immortal, he could sense his envy towards them.
“The wolves never have to bother with this,” He commented bitterly one quiet night, scrutinizing the sweet, deep red liquid swirling slowly in his chilled wine glass.
Jay wondered if the man hated being a Vampire but he never dared to bring up the unspoken topic to Heeseung’s face. As his right hand, it was his job to ensure his businesses went on smoothly, differences in beliefs set aside.
In retrospect the system they’d been a part of had been fragile. Once the infection hit, it spread like wildfire in the city and people abandoned their jobs and houses. Cash was no longer viewed as a currency and humans fought amongst themselves for food; it was no different for their kind. Hospital blood banks that were once abundant with resources have dwindled to nothing within a blink of an eye.
Now they were reduced to their inner circle and Jay felt that he was being driven into a corner even with just a few mouths to feed. Abilities he once withheld from using he relied on to exploit several people just to barely appease the group with some bit of sustenance. It was never enough, and he knew he and the others would have to answer to Heeseung when the time came.
If the time came.
Now he was being presented with rumors that their MIA leader was joining forces with their mortal enemies, by a fucking Lycan at that. Jay balled his fist.
Lee Heeseung hardly left them with a choice. He had to make sure it wasn’t him.
“Give me a name, Lycan.”
“How did they die?” the shapeshifter shot back, eyesight wavering as he struggled to hold himself up.
“Guess this one has a favorite pet,” Sunghoon mused, “Had, rather. Was it either of the men? Or that girl with those stunning eyes?”
He inhaled dramatically upon hearing a growl resound from his target.
“Ah, so it was. If I hadn’t gotten so carried away with her, I would have kept her for myself. Such a fragile thing. You must feed them well, their taste was delectable—”
The werewolf bared its massive fangs and thrashed against the restraints. Sunoo slapped Sunghoon’s arm upon noticing Jay’s jaw clench tight.
“Enough. Whether or not Vampires have allied with your faction, we have no intention of joining forces with your species. The amended pact is this; we now claim all humans and execute all werewolves who trespass into our quarter. Katashi has sent you to your death in search of lives that will never be recovered.”
The others settled down at the finality in Jay’s tone, except Sunghoon. “You’re in denial, Jay.”
The werewolf’s half-lidded citrine eyes bore into his own, he could tell the man had finally come to terms with his death. That he had nothing left to lose but to cause chaos amongst them with his last few breaths because they had already taken everything from him. Jay was prepared for it because he needed the truth above all else.
“Katashi will repay the favor tenfold on our behalf,” the werewolf rasped, almost as if he were trying to convince himself. “Before I left camp, a rumor was going around that a Vampire arrived to make a deal with the devil.”
“Tell me straight. What kind of deal was made and who made it?” Jay urged.
Jay was unable to interpret the rueful smirk that split the Lycan's drained, sallow face.
“What the fuck is it saying? I think it’s gone insane,” Jake laughed.
Sunghoon appeared before the captive, jerking his target up by its chained throat, haunches bolted tight to the floor.
“I’m not done questioning him! Let him go—“
“What more of confirmation do you need? Lee Heeseung. Howl if that traitorous name rings a bell,” Sungoon goaded.
The werewolf spluttered before the bulging veins in his throat burst, spraying across the Vampire’s claws. He let the maimed carcass fall limp to the ground with an unceremonious thud. Sunghoon turned on his heel with a scoff.
Without warning, Jay’s fist slammed into Sunghoon’s cheek. The man dropped to his knee with a grunt, bloodied hand spread on cement to steady himself. The taste of iron filled his mouth for the second time that night, to his annoyance.
“I’ve about had it with your insubordination. If you defy my orders again I’ll have you exiled from the quarter,” he warned.
Sunghoon bit his sore lip as Jay brushed past him, stepping over the shapeshifter's corpse. Everybody wanted to comment on the bizarre claims made by the Lycan, but they remained silent and straightened up as he approached them.
“Jungwon, watchman. As for the four of you, pair up, we have a hell of a night ahead of us,” he assigned to the speechless group. “If you see any wolves in the vicinity, eliminate them on sight.” He didn’t miss how Riki’s eyes fell to the floor at his command.
“Riki,” Jay gripped the young man’s arm, “What’s the condition of the girl?”
His head shot back up. “I fed her. She’s... got a couple of scrapes from a little scuffle,” he glanced over at Sunghoon’s back as he regained himself, “But she’ll be alright. Gave Hoon a taste of his own medicine.”
Jay snorted to Riki’s relief. He was planning to get your side of the story soon.
The night just became ten times more complicated than Jay bargained for since stumbling upon the human girl who now represented some semblance of hope beyond a source of mere sustenance, at least to him. He was aware that some of the others had their reservations, but he knew you would serve your purpose to him in more ways than one.
Fuck the details, whatever deal Heeseung made got them on Katashi’s radar. They all needed to be prepared to meet the opposition head-on and they needed to be in their best condition to even stand a chance.
He turned to address the group. “No one’s to compel the prisoner or reveal our nature in any way to her. Translation: have a bit of discretion about the fact that you’re a Vampire. That means no out-of-pocket shows of strength, no more compelling, and above all, no biting.”
He shot a glare in Jake and Sunghoon’s direction out of habit.
“What’s our story then?” Jake toyed with a razor edged blade.
“A few of you have blood-related conditions that require periodical transfusions.”
“Seriously?”
“It might garner more sympathy,” Sunoo pointed out.
“Sunoo, Riki and Jake. Consider yourselves volunteered.” Jay chose the three people he predicted you’d end up warming up to first.
Jake chuckled, “Alright then.”
“After she agrees to my deal, she’ll be your long-term main source of blood. No more bloodlust escapades. I don’t want any more one-off situations, it’s not smart on our end. We need to earn her trust, and no, I don’t care how you feel about that. If you run into any other warm bodies, you know the drill.”
“Sorry, you’re making a deal with a human? I’ve been meaning to ask this but why are you treating this one any different?” Jungwon was unable to hold back his barrage of questions. “She’ll just end up another mouth to feed, why not just compel her to go under so we can siphon her blood as we please? You allowed us to compel those three humans that Lycan lost its head over.”
While serving under Lee Heeseung, Jay never had an interest in illegally leveraging humans for their affairs, choosing to deal with the complications of being a Vampire in a discreet, conservative manner; blood-banks. They were values instilled in him from the man who had helped him on his feet when he first turned.
Heeseung was selective with who he revealed his true nature to, opting to always carry a façade of an ordinary man, befriending humans across eras but never meddling in their affairs with his supernatural powers. If there was anything he was strict about, it was the extortion of humans by their “unnatural gifts”.
This was made clear to Jay when he was chosen to replace Heeseung’s original right-hand. He was dealt with shortly after the man had lost control and claimed several human victims, unsatisfied with the portions of blood bags that were being dealt out. When it came to punishing underlings who violated his rules and expectations, there was no such thing as mercy.
First went the limbs. One by one. Then the heart, and lastly the head. Jay watched Heeseung demonstrate the ruthless process in that very same, frigid basement.
He only spoke when all was finished, “You’ll see that nothing else beats the sensation of handling the body's vital organ with adrenaline pumping wildly through its mass.”
Otherwise, the man was the epitome of self-control and held all of those around him to the highest standard. It was a very unusual lifestyle for their kind, but it sure did keep them out of most trouble. Aside from unassuming steel coolers from the local hospitals filled with blood bags showing up to his penthouse weekly, he was perceived as an everyday man.
Now, the lack of his leader’s presence was beginning to reveal a part of himself he’d been suppressing; he wondered if his own convictions had been empty after all this time. He slipped up the moment Heeseung disappeared when he allowed the others to murder those three humans and use their bodies for all they were worth.
Hearing a living being plead for their life was nothing new to him but he never had to carry the guilt of killing an innocent out of bloodlust since Heeseung took him under his wing.
Jay’s body felt revitalized the moment their blood touched his lips but he couldn’t say the same for his damned soul. That didn’t stop him from finishing every last drop.
Guilt-ridden from that instance, he tried to steer a stubborn Sunghoon off your trail when they spotted you snooping into that Pizza Alvolo that he had forgotten to lock on during their last rounds. But truthfully, he was a bit curious himself about the prey they’d stumbled upon.
It was beyond satisfying to see you let loose on Sunghoon.
Maybe your scrappy appearance was telling but he sure as hell was not expecting to encounter a human with the amount of fight you had in you, and to be so amused by that bold mouth of yours despite being caught by two monsters. Let alone the hilarious fact that you thought they were occultist cannibals, but he couldn’t fault an ordinary human’s deduction skills when it came to accepting the supernatural.
His resolve was weak to start and he debated on staying out of it and letting Sunghoon have his way with you. However, when you broke free from Sunghoon’s grasp, even for just a moment, he suddenly had no desire to see you devoured before him, to be siphoned completely of blood and have your corpse disposed of in one of the many alleyways filled lurkers in their quarter.
The kicker was, he couldn’t fully pinpoint why.
What Jay was certain of was that he’d seen in you that same hunger to survive that he’d known to be in himself while ripping into his first victim as a Vampire. It wasn’t a memory he liked to remember, but that same desire still drove him to this day.
He didn’t care to keep a slave like Sunghoon might, but there was potential to groom you as he pleased. He’d allow you to choose although he also considered your choice predetermined; Jay would show you just how badly you needed them.
Jay shrugged in response to Jungwon’s questioning. “She kicked Sunghoon’s ass.”
“No, she didn’t,” Sunghoon bit out.
Riki’s hand shot up, “I can attest!”
“Oh, that explains it,” Jungwon rolled his eyes.
After getting the group to settle, Jay led them out into the streets, the groaning of undead multitudes filling the air, the first blood of the night shed. He hung back at the entrance of the building, eyeing the pairs that broke out into a sprint towards the far opposite ends of the fortress.
All he wanted to do was provide for them.
Katashi had the same idea, and apparently, it was playing out well for his pack. Jay, on the other hand, had no desire to incite a turf war, nor gain more acreage on the city, let alone control the coast. However, he would do everything in his power to guarantee there would be no more wolves showing up at his doorstep. They were a small collective and their survival was being threatened whilst humans were becoming a rare commodity.
Everything seemed like a nightmare of chain reactions; the snowball effect taking place before his very eyes. Jay would never admit it out loud, but deep down, he knew this had been brewing for some time; the apocalypse only catalyzed it.
The wolves believed the new age would start with an alliance between their two enemy species. Jay thought differently.
He knew it would start with you.
You just gave away your first kiss.
You had also just stabbed a man in the heart.
The realization brought bile up your throat but you forced it back down, heaving over the bathroom sink, wide eyes peering at yourself in the mirror.
Suddenly you were transported back to your childhood, standing in a bathroom with your father who stood behind you, gently wiping away the tears streaming down your face while eyeing you in the mirror.
“Listen to me, ___. Next time a boy tries to bully you, I want you to hit them hard.”
“But dad,” you bawled and shook your head, “I don’t want to h-hurt anyone!”
Your father ran his palms atop your head, soothingly as you leaned back into his touch. “Shhh, I know sweetheart.”
A knot caught in your throat at the bittersweet memory.
Then you saw yourself a few years older sitting on the floor in a bookstore, flipping through books all starry-eyed and squealing each time the main characters would share a heart-stopping scene that caused them to grow closer together. Full of fantasies that you desired to become your reality.
An idealistic part of you had wanted your first kiss to be special, to mean something to not only yourself but the other. Perhaps it was silly to carry such sentiments with you into the apocalypse. It served its purpose as a distraction and allowed you to gain back some semblance of control. You wanted to silence the little girl inside of you that asked why you had given it away so easily.
No, no you wouldn't consider that a kiss. You bit him for christ's sake.
Resentment towards Sunghoon bubbled up in your chest, but at least you acted of your own accord. You hoped you hadn’t killed the man by running a box blade through his chest, but if you had, what would the rest do to you? A tremble wracked your body at the worst that could happen.
“So stupid,” you tore your eyes from your reflection and stripped yourself of your filthy clothing to shower. Red trickled down your arm and you gained enough sense to slowly remove shards that had punctured your skin. You tossed the bits in the sink with a hiss. Shit hurt but there was no chance you’d allow your wound to get infected.
A part of you wanted to speed through a shower in case you got intruded on after the chaos you’d caused, but it had been quiet out there for some time. No one had tried to break in yet and you wondered if anyone was still even in the vicinity. There was no doubt that they had the keys to the room, but the other part of you knew you needed a deep clean and had to take care of that deep cut on your arm.
The bathroom you found yourself in had to have been the nicest one you’ve ever set foot in, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care about the details. There was a massive separate bathtub taking up the wall by the curtain-covered window, though you opted for the glass-encased showerhead in the corner. You ran the water hot, paranoid about disinfecting your cuts and dying for a shower that didn’t consist of you trying to scoop cold sink water over your body while looking wide-eyed over your shoulder.
As you stood under the spray of water, you felt your shoulders gradually drop and steam waft against your skin. Wanting to take advantage of every second you had under a shower with running water, you urged yourself to relax your limbs despite the apprehension that manifested itself in your tense shoulders and stiff neck. The searing hot water had been pouring over your body for a good minute before you even moved to soap down.
Reaching to pump a gel substance into your palm from one of the closest bottles lined up within a nook in the wall, you rubbed it into your shoulder wound then across your throat, creating a lather on your skin.
Immediately, blackberry fragrance infiltrated your senses and with that, your encounter with Jay replayed; him cornering you with glowing eyes, his firm body pinning you in place. He had almost looked inhuman, they both had. Though Sunghoon was clearly a man with how he bled just earlier. And the way they’d subdued you with some sort of hypnosis… your brain wanted to combust trying to reason with reality, almost as if you were still suppressing the fact that these specific events actually happened.
Jay’s touch lingered all over your body, almost like a faint impression. It had been your first physical contact with another human in a long while after all.
You scrubbed every inch of your skin furiously, wounds stinging from the soap and water. You couldn’t go there.
Keep your head on your shoulders, these men are dangerous.
You scolded yourself while watching the dirt slosh off of your skin, but it remained a struggle to empty your mind of everything that could go wrong in your situation. You did not start off on the right foot with these men, and you definitely didn't make your circumstances any better just minutes earlier. Although you still felt far from 100%, staying any longer than you already had was not an option after the shit Sunghoon pulled on you and vice-versa.
Originally, you thought there was the tiniest possibility that if you played your cards right from here on out, you could figure out a way to reap the benefits of living under the same roof as these guys and plan your escape once you’ve recuperated.
Compared to the rest of humanity that was struggling to survive every waking moment, these men were living in luxury by apocalyptic standards. Did they own the building? What could they possibly have been up to in order to attain such a place before the world went up in flames?
It felt like you were standing at a crossroads. Deep down you knew you weren’t really safe, whether you stayed put or tried to survive on your own. It’s not like you were particularly gifted at earning others' trust, let alone giving it in such a hostile environment. How could you possibly trust these people after how they’ve treated you?
Wherever Jay was, you had no desire to run into him again. And if he tried to offer you a deal to get you to stay, he’d have to throw in a lottery’s worth of food to even make you even consider agreeing to it.
Upon seeing a bottle labeled shampoo, you piled heaps of it into your oily hair, attempting to give yourself a scalp massage as if it could help you forget all of the traumatizing events you’ve been through for the past weeks. You rinsed the suds out and couldn't deny that you immediately felt fresher overall, at the very least.
But then the terrible sensation worked its way up to your ribs, restricting your lungs once again. It was your brain reminding you that you were impossibly alone in this world. Not a single soul that truly cared about your well-being was left. A panic rose in your chest and suddenly the steam felt suffocating.
You shoved open the glass door and stepped onto the mat in a flurry, gulping down deep breaths of air. You came face to face with yourself again, except your reflection was fogged over. It was time to leave.
For the better, you thought.
You dragged your hand across the surface of the mirror only to reveal a sliver of your face and a shadowy figure watching you from far back in the bedroom. Breath caught in your chest, you whipped around only to see a dark empty room before you.
—
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Hi there! This was a difficult chapter for me to write but I reworked it several times until I got it somewhere I liked. Being busy and unsatisfied with a story results in it sitting in the drafts for some time.
I developed more of the worldbuilding (bless people who do this for a job) in these past couple months so this chapter is more plot heavy and it takes on a bit of a darker tone compared to the first two chapters. I tried to make every sentence count and so badly wanted to touch on all of the characters in here but I have to save them for later chapters.
Part of me enjoys the stark transition in the middle of the chapter from Jay’s headspace to MC’s headspace because it goes from Vampire/Lycan political tensions and heavy responsibilities to the naive introspection of a girl. Makes you wonder how these two could possibly connect on a personal level because of how different their worlds are. I was also excited to mention K in here, with the Hybe Japan boys making a comeback soon, but I planned for him to play a part in this story from the start! (What’s a Vampire story without Werewolves after all?)
Of course, your messages and encouraging comments mean the world and keep me going. Thank you to all of you who are sticking around to follow the story, this one’s definitely for you guys! Enjoy a look into the dynamics of the Vampire boys, you’ll personally meet them all soon!
↝ 𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: Vampire!Park Sunghoon x Human Fem!reader 𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 the rest of enhypen (there are some Sunoo x reader moments), K and EJ from iland, Shin Ryujin + more to be added
↝ 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐑𝐄 | 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐌𝐄: dark fantasy, vampire and werewolf au, horror, angst, enemies to lovers au, betrayal, slight suggestive
↝ 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒: blood, gore (nothing graphic), minor character death, major character death, a lot of cursing, blood-drinking in a nonsexual way, slightly suggestive (one makeout scene), some sexual jokes
↝ 𝐖𝐂 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐅𝐔𝐋𝐋 𝐅𝐈𝐂: predicted to be at least more than 3k
↝ 𝐖𝐂 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐑 : 0.5k
↝ 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄: TBA
↝ 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐘: Mayhaps Y/N should've listened to her instincts when she sensed something was off but when an invitation to a party of elites lies before her, she can't help but feel tempted to make an appearance at it. if only She knew that once you enter a carnival there's no way out.
↝ 𝐀/𝐍 : hello! It's me rose. This has been sitting in my drafts for a long time so I decided I'll finally post. Even if the teaser doesn't sound that interesting, I promise the main plot of the fic is very interesting. Also I want to make one thing clear is that the fic is sunghoon x reader but there are some sunoo x reader moments. Taglist is open, if you want to be tagged when the fic comes out. That all, have fun reading.
↝ 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 : OPEN !! Send me an ask, dm or comment down to be added
Your heavy eyelids flicker open from deep slumber only to squint close again as the slightest dim light from above blinds you. you stretched out your arms in the air, groaning out loud, your dazed mind trying to process where in the world you are as your drowsy gaze observed the surrounding the roads upfront were empty, not a single vehicle passing by and dark except for a few dimmed streetlights shining.
it took a good 5 solid seconds for you to finally register the fact that you had passed out at the bus stop in wait for your bus to arrive.
you quickly fished out your phone from your pockets, and one glance at the time, your eyes grew wide as a fish'.
"fuck! I missed the bus" you cried out in frustration, angrily stomping your feet and mentally slapping yourself as you wanted to clamp your hands to your ears as can already hear your mom's thunderous voice scolding you for coming home late again.
with a frown pasted on your face, you sighed out, standing up on your feet, picking up your bag laying beside your feet, and hanging it by your shoulder. you run your bare palms over your crinkled grey skirt flattening the creases before running your fingers through your knotted hair, untangling it.
"guess I gotta walk home now" you mumbled to yourself in low voice, as there wasn't a single living thing around here this late or at least you thought so. sighing, You started on your feet, ready to take a walk home along the sidewalk but something caught your attention causing you to stop in your tracks.
Laying on the wooden seats was a perfectly cut rectangular black envelope. You stalked over to it, picking it up. "an invitation to our bloody birthday party?" you furrowed your eyes reading the contents "to y/n?" curiously you slip out the letter hidden inside the envelope. "from Yang Jungwon?" you crumpled your brows as recognized the name as it was someone who went to your school but what made it questionable is why would you get an invitation to his birthday party? as far as your mind could recall, never in the past years have you ever engaged in a conversation with him. You both could walk past each other in a hallway and not steal a glance at each other,. You doubted he even knew your name.
As your eyes are fixated on the letter, what you failed to catch is how from the other side of the road Sunoo death stared at you, his eyes glittering like a cat's as he observed your every move.
"Look, those foolish wolves even followed her up to here" Sunghoon sneered from behind, glaring at boys standing behind you as he pushed his hands inside the pockets of his pants.
"they're her friends, of course they would" Sunoo plainly stated, his eyes still looking into your soul.
Sunghoon ignorantly rolled his eyes at the comment "stupid girl isn't even aware of anything around her" he scoffed, his lips curving up to form a smirk.
"that's good for us" Sunoo plainly replied.
"how much longer do we need to wait for this brainless girl to leave?" Sunghoon complained as Sunoo stayed quiet, a little too used to his common taunts.
He viewed how you unzipped your bag and carefully slipped the letter inside before running down the sidewalk, entirely unaware about how you just set your feet into a trap.
Sunoo drifted his gaze towards sunoo standing behind him with a sneering "We can leave now, now all we need to wait is for her to show to the party" he declared
"are you sure she'll show up?" Sunghoon questioned, his eyebrows rising up.
"certainly" Sunoo simply said, making sunghoon's laugh out.
Sunoo pushed his hands into the pockets of cardigan before turning around, starting on his feet.
"are you coming?" Sunoo turned back, indicating at Sunghoon who was busy still standing behind giving the two wolves a very snooty glare.
"yeah coming" Sunghoon gazed one last time at your figure walking down the sidewalk "stupid girl" he mumbled before catching up with Sunoo.
a/n: this is the sequel to this baby and the last part of the series :)
Three months had passed and you got used to Jay’s absence in your life, although you still frequently see him in the hallways or at the cafeteria. It’s torture, it really is, but thank God there’s this one and only place that you can avoid him.
The library.
Every day, you make sure to check from the small, circular window at the library’s door for any signs of him or his friends. When the coast is clear, you take the time to study or search the shelves for random books.
But unfortunately, he’s been killing his time there lately too— alone. His friends don’t fancy the library that much; not unless the library has playboy magazines, but of course, that would never happen.
Today was supposed to be like the other days after the ghosting incident happened, but you needed to look for the book your history professor assigned. It was exclusively owned by the school and you couldn’t search the internet for it.
Unfortunately, your former friend and your… crush, Jay, was there too, casually sitting with a book under his nose.
Quickly, you took long strides from the door to the shelves and chased your breath. You didn’t know why you were so nervous whenever he was around. You didn’t do anything wrong, so you shouldn’t feel this way. Heck, he’s the one who’s supposed to feel sorry and ashamed, but why does his mere presence make you feel like you’ve done him wrong?
You calmly caressed your fingers through every spine of the books you touched. Your mind couldn’t focus on what to look for, so you kept on doing it for minutes… until you felt a slight touch at the back of your hand.
“Excuse me. I need the book.” You look up only to see Jay, his brows furrowed in confusion.
“The book. I need it. Apparently, your fingers are on ‘em.” You blinked twice before realizing that he was right, your fingers were really on the book. You quickly pulled away and mumbled a quick apology, head ducked in shame. Gently, he pulled it out from the shelf and stood there.
“Are you okay?” You looked up to him, biting your lower lip to stop it from shaking. Clearly, you didn’t know what to say, and he was aware.
You knew you’d get lost in his eyes, so you stared down at your shoelaces instead.
“Last time I checked, you were nagging me from the hallways while I wished you would shut up. But now that I’m here in front of you, you can’t think of anything else other than the floor.” You internally swore at him but you couldn’t tell it to his face. You really wanted to, god knows how much you wanted to slap that pretty face of his, but instead, you kept your lips tight and decided to walk away.
“Do you have any idea how hard it is to chase after you every single day?” You stopped from your tracks. “Of course you don’t,” he whispered to himself with a sad chuckle.
“I knew you’d be here today. The book assigned to you this morning can only be found here, so I skipped our previous class just to wait for you here.”
Finally mustering a fine amount of courage to speak up, you clear your throat to talk, but your back is still facing him. “What do you want?”
You ask, voice monotone and nonetheless cold. But Jay Park is an asshole, and he cares less about how you feel.
“You.”
A scoff escapes your lips and you turn to him with a look of disbelief on your face. “Do you even hear yourself right now? Oh, probably not since you left your ears in your ass.” Turning away, you leave the library and Jay in silence.
You finished your day with the last classㅡ math. Jay was an overachiever in all the subjects, so slacking off didn’t worry him. You had to admit, the class was really boring, so you doodled on the back page of your graphing notebook.
Half of the class were yawning and some were already sleeping on their desks. And Jay? He was writing something on a piece of paper, probably taking some notes. He sat in front of you so you could see what he was doing.
A few minutes later he dropped a crumpled paper over his shoulder, making the object land on top of your doodle.
“Hey, you dropped something on my table. Do you mind?” You half-whispered.
“Yeah, it’s probably my heart. Do you mind opening it?”
You rolled your eyes but opened the crumpled paper anyway.
Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth? ㅡthe note says.
You wrote a reply and slid it over his shoulder.
“Yes, you dingbat! Can you not? We could be called out for detention.”
He didn't write a reply. Instead, he folded the paper and hid it in his pocket. You wondered why. He raised his hand and that’s when you thoughtㅡ this little shit.
“Excuse me, Mr. Kim. Can I go out?” The professor nodded, but Jay remained in his seat.
“Is there a problem, Jay?”
“Yes, Sir. Actually, I need to bring Y/n with me… if that’s okay? We won’t take long, I promise.”
You covered your face with your notebook as all eyes were on you. Apparently, you just witnessed a dumb side of Jay Park, because there’s no way in hell Mr. Kim would buy that.
Seconds later and the universe proves you wrong.
“Well, miss Y/l/n? What are you waiting for?” Mr. Kim said, beady eyes looking pissed behind his big ass glasses.
Jay stood up from his seat and headed towards the door as you(r dumb ass) followed. Not speaking a word and just trailing from behind him, he brought you to the football field and you both sat among the bleachers.
“Aren’t you gonna ask me why I brought you here?” he asked, eyes fixed on you but yours were looking everywhere but him.
You heaved a deep sigh. “What do you want from me, Jay? Weren’t you satisfied with what you did to me?”
He looked down and you could tell he felt bad. “I’m sorry, I was a jerk.”
“Well, you still are.”
“Okay, I’m sorry. I’m a jerk. I shouldn’t have done that. just so you know, I didn’t play you. If that’s what you’re worried about.”
You wanted to deny it, but he was right. It’s what you’ve been worrying about for the past months since he ignored you.
“And what do you call all of that, huh? some real shit?”
“Yes,” he whispered.
You scoffed. “You really are a jerk.”
“I was scared. I didn't want to confront you then. I really shouldn’t have done that.”
“So, you regret what happened?”
“I regret ignoring you. But I didn't regret kissing you.” Silence, and then Jay’s voice turns softer the next time he speaks.
“I miss you,” he muttered under his breath. His words caused a succession of pangs in your chest, and at that moment, you wanted nothing but to cry into his arms and be comforted by his soft hands. But there’s this other part of you that couldn’t take any more of his bullshit, and for once, you decided to listen to it. You stood up. “I can't let you waste any more of my time. So please, stop bothering me from now on.”
You walked away from him while he shouted from his seat. “Let me waste your time for three more days! Then I promise, I will never bother you after that.”
You closed your eyes and heaved a deep sigh as you stopped from your tracks.
This boy is your weakness, but you are also his. And that’s one thing you’ll never know.
“Meet me at the parking lot after class?” he said. You finally turned to him. “Don’t screw this up, Park.” And you ran back to class.
At exactly 5pm when Mr. Kim dismissed the class, you saw Jay rush out the room right after Mr. Kim left and you still stuck around, arranging your things in your bag, the OC that you are.
When you were ready to meet him, you saw him leaning against his car from a distance as he fumbled with his phone. You couldn’t help but feel like it was the old days when he used to wait for you after class just to go fetch his favorite coffee and hide in his car to talk about life.
He waved at you from afar so you shrugged away your thoughts and wiped away your smile.
“So where are you taking me?” You bitterly asked without looking at him. “I thought we could get some dinner and coffee tonight. Would that be okay with you? I'll send you home after.” Before he could even get your answer, you opened the door of his car and sat in the passenger’s seat. He smiled and shrugged his shoulders before following you inside.
“Hey, can we go to my house instead? I'd feel more comfortable there,” you suggested. “Just like old times? Yeah, of course. Anywhere with you.” And he winked at you. Classic Jay, you thought.
You couldn’t resist so you smiled back, finally defeated by his charms. The drive to your house wasn’t awkward, but it wasn’t fun either. You two kept on exchanging plain conversations that led to dead ends until it was quiet again.
“Y/n?”
“Hm?”
“I'm really sorry.” You smiled.
“What?” He asked. “Nothing.” You chuckled off.
“No seriously, what’s wrong?”
“Just stop apologizing already,” you said dismissively in a lighthearted tone. “So... are we cool?” he asked worryingly. “Yeah, we’re good friends after all. Let’s not let that one kiss ruin us.” He smiled shyly as he kept his focus on the road. “But that doesn’t mean you’re not gonna prove yourself worthy of the second chance I gave you for the next three days!”
You both laughed on the way to your humble abode.
-
Jay decided to sleep over on the first day. Since your bedroom was the only one you had in the house, you two slept on the same bed that night you two kissed. You’re so comfortable that you don’t mind sleeping with each other. After all, it’s been a habit since then.
You both ticked the first day by binge-watching your favorite shows on Netflix while having a tub of ice cream in bed. You stayed up late talking about the usual again, but you can’t stop thinking about what life would be if Jay didn’t care about his reputation and what life would be if you never liked him at all.
“Y/n?” You turn to face him and he takes the opportunity to continue. “Do you like me?”
“Why would you ask that? It’s so random.”
“It's honest hours. And I just wanna know.”
“Honest hours?” You scoff, but give in. “Okay, since it’s ‘honest hours’ and I'm not the one to cheat. Yes.” you replied calmly.
“Why does it sound so simple to you?” he asked innocently while looking at your plain cream-colored ceiling.
“Maybe because I'm honest about it. Don’t you find it that easy? To be honest?” It was his turn to face you this time.
“I'm a coward. I thought you knew that by now,” He mumbled.
“You weren’t one when you kissed me that night.” He stayed silent. You thought he was probably recalling that kiss since he looked like he was thinking about something.
“I hope that curiosity of yours calmed you down now. Let's sleep, Park. It's late. Goodnight.” You pulled the blanket over your head and turned away from him because sleep was already knocking at your door and you couldn’t wait to welcome it in.
Jay was still looking at you even if you’re not facing him anymore.
“It didn’t. Because it made me more curious. What do you think would happen if I man up and tell you the same thing?” He muttered.
You dozed off to sleep right away the moment you closed your eyes so you didn’t hear his last words before he decided to sleep.
“Good morning, prince. Only two more days.” You softly said as you see him slowly fluttering his eyes open.
“You don’t have to remind me. It’s kinda sad you know.” You both chuckled.
“I'm pretty sure I'm not drunk, but you’re more beautiful in the morning light.”
“Oh stop it, Park, and let’s go prepare some breakfast.” You laughed while throwing your pillow at him to which he chased you to the kitchen.
[ time skip ]
The third day together was a lot different than the previous ones. You both spent the day at the beach and strolled at the sidewalks while admiring the different stalls and spent the night having a fancy dinner at a rooftop restaurant. He looked fine and expensive with his plain white short-sleeved polo and his black slacks while you wore a tight little black dress.
You two went home after, but you bought a bottle of wine on the way to keep you up tonight. Because as you both agreed to, he’s gonna waste your time for three days and you’re gonna watch him do it.
You stumbled inside your house from exhaustion due to walking in heels all night. Jay wasn’t far off to not notice it, and he was quick enough to sweep you off of your feet, carrying you bridal style to your bedroom while a little squeak escaped your lips.
The second time you let out another squeak was when he slowly placed you down the bed, hovered over you for a quick moment, and distracted you with his glossy eyes before placing a light kiss on your lips.
“What was that for?” You asked in slight confusion. Jay sat down beside you at the edge of the bed and fumbled with your fingers.
“I wish you didn’t agree to those three days.” He softly whispered.
“What was it that you wanted me to say then?”
“I wish you argued like your whiny ass would,” you chuckled. “And tell me, 'three days? Are you nuts, Jay? I missed you for three fucking months and you’re just gonna ask me for three days?!” He half-yelled in a soft manner and you laughed, impressed with how he managed to mimic you.
“I really wished you would say that.” he was serious this time as he looked you in the eyes, and you knew, you’re getting lost in them again. You were the one to kiss him this time, but you made it quick.
“No offense, Park, but I don’t want you to hurt me again. It’s better to spare myself the pain of agreeing to only three days.”
“I'm not who they say I am, Y/n. You know that. I'm not like the other guys.”
“The guys that you hang out with every day? The guys that pressured you into this image you’ve been desperately wanting to keep, even though you know it’ll hurt me? The guys that you chose over me when I needed you? And now you’re here choosing me over them again like we’re just toys you come back to whenever you’re bored? Tell me, Jay. Who's really your friend here?”
The words tasted bitter on your tongue.
He lazily plopped his body on the bed and sighed deeply. “Can’t we just finish this last day together without fighting? Please? I just want to spend more time with you. Fun ones. So can we stop arguing?”
You gave up. You gave up because even though it seemed wrong, you thought it’d be right. You wanted it to be.
“Need a little help with the dress?” He sat up. You gave him another nod and he started unzipping from the back. Now that your back is half bare, he slowly slides down the strap from your shoulders. You tense up from the slight contact of his fingers on your skin.
He holds both of your arms and turns you around to face him.
“Y/n,” He slowly lifted his hand up to your face to caress your blushy cheeks and placed it on your neck as his other hand moved slowly on your waist. He leaned in but stopped as soon as the tips of your noses touched. You feel each other’s breaths fanning against your lips. Your breath hitched from tension because you haven’t prepared yourself. The previous kisses you had with him, you always knew it was gonna come. But tonight caught you off guard.
“Jay, we still haven’t drunk the wine.” You nervously said.
“I don't need any wine to kiss you right now.” He slowly whispered. Jay wasted no more time and connected his lips with yours. He started kissing you sweetly, giving you close-mouthed ones that made you roll your eyes in pleasure and let out soft moans that you tried to suppress.
Fucking hell, you’re that weak for this boy. Jay chuckled halfway from hearing the sounds that leave your lips, but he didn’t stop.
The soft kisses turned aggressive as he worked on your tight dress, making it fall down on the floor. You unbutton his top and soon after, his slacks. He pushes the back of your thighs, making you jump and wrap your legs around his waist. The kissing never stopped.
He carried you to the bed and gently laid you down. That's when you both pulled away to catch your breaths. “I won't go any further unless you give me the green light,” He said in whispers as he rested his forehead on yours.
“Do you trust me?” He asked.
“I do,” he closed his eyes and heaved a sigh. “Well, you shouldn’t.”
“I know.” Silence engulfed the room.
“I just know that I want to be with you. Even if you’ll leave me by tomorrow.”
“You’re the one who said that you won’t let me hurt you anymore.”
“That was after the three-day deal. Right now, I’m gonna let you.”
“Why?”
“Because I want you,” Jay looked at you with concern. He wants you to be his but he’s too much of a coward to do so. He doesn’t want to hurt you any longer. Not when he’s about to touch you and then leave you the next day.
It's not like him at all, but the touch of your fingertips at the back of his neck makes his mind go crazy and he’s afraid that he might obey your plea.
“Please say no,” Jay whispered.
“I want you, Jay. Iㅡ”
“Dammit, Y/n! We’re not supposed to go this far!” Jay half-yelled in frustration. “Please, I don't want to hurt you.”
“And I’m here being the stupid girl that I am, letting you.” The tears finally escape your eyes. You don’t want him to hurt you. It scares you, but you want him tonight. All of him. And he wants you, too. He's not gonna lie, he wants to touch you and make you his forever, but commitment’s just not in his books. Even though he wants to try it with you, he thinks he’ll just mess it up anyway.
Because that’s just what he is. He’s scared, not only of tying himself down but also the thought of him not being able to be the best for youㅡ him trying to change but still isn’t enough to make you stayㅡ he’s scared of those.
He wants to keep you, but he doesn’t know if he can.
You pushed his nape down on you to stop the argument and kissed him harder than before. That way, he wouldn’t have any chance to talk back anymore. He slowly, and easily unclasped your bra, and bit by bit, he went down to your waist to remove your underwear.
Tonight, your bedroom wasn’t occupied with the sound of Netflix shows and laughter. Instead, it emitted soft moans and groans and sloppy kisses of pleasures from the heat of the moment. The night was restless and reckless, but either way to the both of you, it was worth it.
“Good morning, beautiful,” Jay whispered as soon as he saw your eyes flutter open. You smiled at him, and not with the warmest smile, but with bitterness. Today was the end of the deal, and it meant the worst for both of you.
“I thought I wouldn't find you here when I woke up, but here you are.”
“I'm not a one-night stand to leave when the party’s over. I like you.” The last sentence rolled off his tongue so easily like he’s been preparing for it all his life and waited for this moment to come.
“But you’re scared,” You retorted. He held your hand to his lips and he placed a gentle but long kiss. “Last night you were something else, but I didn't know waking up to mornings like these were better,” he said.
“Thank you for the three days, Jay.” You scooted closer to him and placed a quick peck on his pink lips. “Graduation's in a few weeks. College is just around the corner.”
“Yeah, and we won’t be able to see each other anymore.” Jay's tone became a little sullen.
He stood up from the bed and wore his clothes, getting ready to leave. Something that he should have done before you woke up since the deal was already over since dawn. You look at him fixing his clothes and his hair, not even minding to look at you.
He stood by the door frame and turned back to you with a smile. A smile laced with regret and misery. “I’ll get going now.”
“Jay…” you sat up, a blanket covering your bare body. “I…”
A long pause follows, but Jay doesn’t move a muscle. He waits, even though the way your sullen eyes slowly turn glossy makes him know his heart will break at the sound of your next words.
“I hope we won’t see each other again.”
Jay’s breath gets stuck in his throat. You try to gulp your sobs down.
“Or if we do, I hope I won't be able to remember any of this.” Jay walked towards the bed and leaned over to you as he placed his hand on your cheek, savoring the touch for the last time.
“Including me?” he whispered.
“Especially you.”
Jay takes a moment to himself, licking his lips before trying to collect himselfㅡ looking around with lips pursed into a forced smile. Yet, the moment he looks up, he nods, thumb rubbing your cheek before he kisses you for the last time. You kissed him back.
For the last time.
It was quick, but to the both of you, it felt like forever. Jay pulled away immediately and stormed towards the door, dashing out of the room without looking back. You swore you saw a tear on his cheek, but you didn’t get the chance to wipe it away like he would always wipe yours.
“I will always love you,” you whispered, but Jay was too caught up with his emotions that he didn’t even stay for a second or two to hear those words he’s been dying to hear from you.
And just like that, he’s gone. Out of your house and out of your life. You may have lied that you wanted to forget everything about him. Truth hurts, but lies are the worst. You didn’t just hurt yourself with the lie you told, you damaged him more.
That's the thing about pain they say, it demands to be felt. ㅡ
summary - You come across your first primal play party and stumble upon Sunghoon.
Everything was going by so fast. Faster than your feet could carry you. Twigs and leaves crunched under your feet as you ran. Your breaths came out labored. With every step you took, you knew he was right behind. There was no way you could outrun him. Especially through these heavily vegetated forests.
This all began just a couple hours ago. You had signed yourself up for your first primal party, where you would take part in one of your wildest fantasies. You were currently in a cabin in the middle of the woods. There you stood with a group of individuals all dressed for the hunt. Everyone was currently talking amongst themselves, getting to know each other better. Some had come in pairs already while others, like yourself, were alone.
You conversed with a middle-aged woman who had come with her dominant. “I haven’t seen you here before. Would this perhaps be your first time?”
“Yeah, I’m new. A friend of mine recommended this place, so I thought I would check it out.”
“And I see you don’t have anyone accompanying you. That means you’ll get paired up with one of the fine suitors in this place. So lucky.” She whispered the last part, as her dom was within earshot.
You giggled at her statement. “Do you know anything about the ones that come alone?”
She nodded before allowing her eyes to roam the room. Her head tilted in one direction signaling you to look that way. “That man over there is Michael, but he prefers to be called Predator. He started coming a few months ago. From what I’ve been able to gather from the people he’s been with, he’s a wild one.” She then looks elsewhere. “That’s Jack also known as Alpha. He’s very into the whole spirit animal thing. He’s got these silver claw rings that he uses to mark you when he catches you. A lot of girls love him. That woman over there is Alissa. She goes by Huntress. Her nails are acrylics. Super sharp too. You can always hear them scream when she catches them.” You looked over to the woman she was referencing.
After a bit more talking, the host came out. Another hunter, but you already knew about him. “Alright everyone welcome to another wonderful party. All of you should be well acquainted by now, so shall we get started?” He clasped his hands together looking around the room. “First let’s start the pairing process. If you aren’t familiar with the process I’ll explain it-” In that moment, the host was cut off by someone walking through the cabin doors. Before you saw them, you heard the sound of their heavy boots against the floorboards.
“It’s a pleasure to see you back Sunghoon. We were just explaining the pairing process.” He just nodded and seated himself in one of the chairs. “Submissives that are alone have placed a belonging inside the bowl. A dominant will then reach inside and pull out the object. This is who you will be paired up with for tonight. You will have a bit of time to debrief and prepare before we begin. Everyone understand?” A consensus of nods was seen around the room. “Alright then let us begin. Who wants to pick from the bowl first?”
Each dom proceeded to retrieve an item from the bowl before holding it up for everyone to see. You waited patiently for someone to pull yours. Soon enough, you watched as a small moonstone ring was fished from the bowl. The hand that held it belonged to the latecomer, Sunghoon. His eyes shifted around the room, in search of who it belonged to. You slightly raised your hand. Only for a second, but he quickly caught it. His eyes then focused on you. They practically scanned your whole being. After what felt like forever, he looked away from you.
Letting out a breath you didn’t even know you were holding in, you turned to your new lady friend. “Do you know anything about Sunghoon?” You kept your voice low, as not to disturb those around you.
She lightly nodded. “Not much though. He comes once a month and none of the other doms care much for him.”
“Why’s that?”
“Every time he’s here, he drives another sub away? One of the girls I talked to said primal play just wasn’t for her anymore. He’s a charmer, but a bit much to handle. Since this is your first time I’d suggest you leave and come back for the next party.” Her look held nothing but worry for you. It was understandable though. You were young and new to all this. Why throw yourself in too fast?
You cast your eyes back in his direction, studying him a little closer. His structure was magnificent. Almost as if he weren’t even human. Sharp eyes. A jawline that could cut diamonds. A body that was no joke. He could probably outrun you in a heartbeat. His eyes quickly flicked your way, forcing you to turn yours in the other direction.
“Now that everyone’s paired off, you can go talk with your partner for the night. Get a feel for their energy. Then we can kick things off.” Clapping his hands the host walked off.
Cautiously, you made your way over to Sunghoon. He was relaxed in the chair, eyes closely watching every step you took. The way you subconsciously fiddled with your fingers. How your thighs brushed each other with every stride. He caught it all.
Taking your last steps, you were right in front of him. For a second, you just looked at him before he finally spoke. “This is obviously your first time, so I’ll just tell you right now that I will make you cower before me. Not that you aren’t already, but I would hope that you’ll put up a bit of a fight. It won’t be fun if you submit too easily. So what are you not okay with?”
Releasing in audible gulp you reply, “Nothing that has to do with anal, bodily wastes, or extreme lacerations...Sir.”
“Anything else?”
“None that immediately come to mind. Is there anything I should know about you?”
“We will be going off of the traffic light method for a safe word. I will not constantly check for color, so if you ever need to stop just say so. I’ll give you thirty minutes before I come after you. This may be your first time but I won’t go easy on you.” Grabbing your hand, he turns it over before dropping your ring in it. “If you’re going to leave, I suggest you do so now instead of wasting my time.” He takes a swig of his drink before turning his attention elsewhere.
Slipping your ring on your finger you let out a hum of understanding. You had no intention of leaving. Though the sweet lady had warned you about him, the burning sensation in the pit of your stomach wasn’t gonna let you leave. You were too curious. Biting your lip, you walked over to the minibar and ordered a glass of scotch to ease your nerves. You fiddled with the glass for a minute before downing it in one go. Taking a deep breath, you began mentally preparing yourself.
Soon enough the host was back. “Alright everyone. It’s time to take the party outside.” He then opened the doors and proceeded to lead everyone out to his large plot of wooded land. “Get limbered up cause we’re gonna start soon. Everyone submissive has a head start before your doms come running behind you. Be ready and find a good spot.”
While stretching, your friend from earlier approached you. “Last chance to back out. Are you really gonna go through with this?”
Eyes flicking from Sunghoon to her, you sent her a reassuring smile. “I think I’ll be fine. Don’t worry too much about me.”
“I better not lose another friend to him.” She left you with a light pat on the back.
You let out a breathy chuckle before returning your eyes to him. He stood far behind you with his arms crossed. His personality felt so cold. Colder than the crisp midnight air.
“Everybody ready?... Go!” With the loud boom of his voice, every submissive took off.
For some reason it was as if your feet were rooted to the grass. You were frozen.
“You better start running soon.” A light whimper jumped from your throat when you heard his voice. Then your feet started sprinting through the woods.
While you were currently running for dear life, the doms chatted amongst themselves.
Jack chuckled at your meek whimper as you darted off. “Damn Park. Don’t be too tough on her now. She’s new to all this. We don’t need you running off another one.” He playfully nudged the cold man’s arm.
“She’s just a baby. Maybe take it easy on her,” suggested one of the others.
Scoffing he remarked, “If she wanted it easy she would’ve left by now. She heard my conditions and she stayed. Anything that happens in that forest, she agreed to.” Sunghoon then made his way inside towards the minibar.
“He’s gonna kill that poor thing,” stated Michael.
“And before I could even get my hands on her too,” pouted Alissa.
The host chimed in. “Anyone wanna make a wager then?”
“What do you have in mind,” questioned Michael.
“For the girl. If she ends up coming back, whoever is able to guess the most accurate time for when she leaves the forest, will get paired up with her next time. I’ll tell you what item she drops in the bowl when she arrives and you so happen to pick it. What do you say?”
“I’m in.”
“Me too.”
“That’s a pretty big if, but you can count me in as well.”
Having heard the whole conversation through the door, the male rolls his eyes and proceeds to take another shot. At that moment, they had all begun their chase but he stuck back as per usual. It wouldn’t be long before he went after you.
With him away in the cabin, there you were running through the woods in search of the perfect hiding spot. There was no use in climbing a tree as if you got up there, you would be easily trapped when he found you. You couldn’t just keep running as you would eventually get tired. You had to find a good place low to the ground that was out of plain sight.
Frantically your eyes scanned your surroundings looking for anything you could possibly hide in or under. There were a copious amount of trees, but they were too spaced out for you not to be quickly noticed. After searching for what felt like an eternity, you stumbled upon a large bush. One you could easily fit inside and possibly spot him from.
Quietly, you slipped under the rustling bush. The position you held yourself in was uncomfortable but it prevented any part of you from sticking out. However there was no way you would be able to hold this position forever. Your body already was starting to cramp up. You chose to tough it out though.
With the forest completely silent besides the few scattered screams in the distance, you should be able to hear him coming. You could hear the wind swirling loose leaves around the ground. The squirrels scurrying up and down the trees. The crickets chirping endlessly into the night. You could breathe easier knowing you had a good chance of making it out of this alive. Maybe you’d be the first of his victims to ever come back. Maybe.
A bird had landed on the ground near you. You had yet to notice it so when it flew away, making a bit of noise as it took off, you were startled. A small yelp had left your throat as you thrashed around towards the direction of the noise. Eyes flicking around to find the source of your fright, you saw nothing. He was nowhere in sight.
Letting out a shaky sigh, you relaxed. Damn this game was anxiety triggering. If you weren’t alert at all times, he would easily have you in his clutches. You peaked through the bushes for any other sign of life. Nothing.
That was until your legs were pulled from under you and you were dragged from the bushes. Looking up at your captor, you saw Sunghoon. He stood above you with your ankles locked in his hands.
“I thought I told you not to make it too easy. Oh well.” He began lowering himself down to your level. Panicking, you trashed in his grip before kicking out your foot. Hitting him square in the chest, he stumbled backwards. You then scrambled to your feet and ran in the opposite direction. “I guess we can play a little longer then.” He took off right behind you.
Now here you are, running for dear life with a sexy maniac hot on your trail. What made it even worse was that you couldn’t hear him coming earlier. Even with those clunky boots he has on, he still managed to be undetected.
At this point, you had no time to hide so your best bet was to just outrun and lose him. Well that would be easy if you hadn’t lost yourself already. You didn't know how large this land was. The direction of the cabin. Everything looked exactly the same. You were lost and confused. It wouldn’t be long before Sunghoon caught up to you. Your legs were growing very tired very quickly.
Before you could even try to think of a plan, you tackled to the ground. When you went down he made sure to roll to hit the ground before you did. You knew you wouldn’t be able to run anymore. He wouldn’t let you try that again. So all you could do now was fight him off and see how long you could last.
Squirming, you tried to work your way out of his hold to push him off. However it only ended up being a shove that he quickly recovered from and pulled you back in. It went on like this for a while. You, trying to wriggle out of his grasp, and him, constantly dragging you back. A wrestling match, if you could even call it that.
After some time, he gave up on trying to keep you still and went for your clothes. His plan was if you wouldn’t submit willingly, you would when you started to feel vulnerable. Well that was his plan if you would stop pushing and slapping his hands away. He was fed up at this point. One swift movement later, he had both of your wrists captured in one hand. His chest rose and fell as he towered over you. The look in his eyes basically told you to give up; that if you fought any longer, it wouldn’t end well.
“Now that was fun,” he breathed out. “But let’s get serious now.” In no time at all, his other hand had shoved its way into the confines of your bottoms. A gasp ripped from your throat as two of his digits forced their way in your cunt. You whimpered as your thighs tried to clamp shut to prevent anymore stimulation. He wasn’t having it though and quickly wedged his knee between your legs. You were a whiny mess at this point.
“Fuck,” was all you could cry out. His pace had yet to slow down. If anything it got worse with him adding another finger. You tried so hard to free your wrists, but this just led to him digging his nails into your skin. You winced at the pain shooting through your wrists. Between the pleasure you were feeling in your lower region and the pain in your wrists, your mind was fogged. There was only so much you could do at this point.
Your body visibly began to relax under his touch and took quick notice of it. “See how easy that was?” He smirked down at your submissive state, flashing his sharp canines. Licking his lips, he pulled his fingers from your slick folds and took them into his mouth. The taste of your juices on his tongue was like an adrenaline rush, pulling a deep growl from his throat. He then flipped you over and propped your ass up in the air. Your bottoms were soon at your knees while he undid his. You didn’t even try and run anymore. You wanted so badly for Sunghoon to ravish you.
Running his tongue through your folds, you let out a whiny moan. As quick as his tongue was there, he took it away. You tried to back your hips up in hope of gaining some sort of friction. You were only met with his hands. “Easy there. You’ll get what you want soon kitten.” The docile name was just the icing on top. Releasing a small whimper, you lowered your upper half until it was almost touching the ground and rose you ass higher.
Looking at you like this, Sunghoon’s resolve was long gone. He gave no warning before he entered you. You cried out at the immediate penetration. His nails sunk into the skin of your hips as he pounded you from behind. When you felt little trickles of blood glide down your ass, you knew he broke skin. He held no remorse for how wrecked you would be by the end of all this. He wanted to see you broken under his frame.
“Fuck, you look so hot right now kitten.” Seeing you all covered in blood and dirt releasing a mantra of moans only inflated his ego. God, he wanted to fuck you into oblivion. You just took everything he gave you. Every slam of his hips had you seeing stars. Your mouth hung wide open as you shrieked in pleasure, enjoying the way his cock abused your pussy.
It wasn’t long before you felt that tightness in your belly. Only a little bit longer and you’d be cumming. Sunghoon, however, had other plans in mind. He felt the way your walls fluttered around him in anticipation of a release. Instead of rewarding you with that release, he slowed his pace and left you empty. With you sucking him in like that, it took him a bit of willpower and curses to successfully pull out.
Noticing the lack of his presence, you whined before looking back at him. “Not yet.” He then stood you on your feet and pushed you up against one of the nearby trees. The bark was scratchy on you; prickling the skin of your back. Sunghoon took one of your legs around his waist and lined himself up at your entrance. You bit your lip at the initial force as proceeded to fuck you.
Your hands settled on Sunghoon’s shoulders, squeezing them tightly. You knew that if he stopped again he would probably never let you cum.
He quickly returned to his rough pace with you balanced against the tree. The pain from the scratching of the bark was nothing compared to the pleasure that you were currently feeling. It wasn’t as if you would feel it anyways. Your adrenaline was still through the roof and you felt like you were on cloud nine.
Grunts rolled off his tongue as he rutted into you. “I’m surprised you were even able to last this long.” You looked up at him with a questioning glance. “Most girls would have used a safeword by now. Crying how scared they were and how it was too much.” His tongue clicked. “But for some reason you didn’t run. I was so looking forward to breaking you though.”
It was as if his already dark brown orbs had grown shades darker. His lip was tucked in between his teeth as he fucked you. He might as well have consumed you right there with the way he was eyeing you.
Intimidated by his gaze, you lowered your eyes to his chest and whined out. “What do you mean by that?”
A scoff left his lips at your question. That might have been the stupidest question you could ask him. “That innocent aura that surrounds you. You might as well be the virgin Mary” He grimaced in reference to it. “I wanted to sully it. Break you down until you were just a puddle of whimpers and moans.” Intentionally wanting to pull out those sounds, he fucks up into you, making sure that his cock strikes your sensitive g spot.
Your eyes clamp shut, while your head falls back onto the tree. “Just like that.” A sinister grin replaces his previous look of disgust. “These dirty sounds just suit you so much better. Hell, I might even form a contract with you after this.”
With him growling and muttering filth in your ears, you could feel yourself growing closer to your release. “Please please,” you whimper out. Tears were rolling down your flushed face as you begged him not to stop.
Chuckling at how pitiful you looked, he increased his speed. “Take my cum then. I’ll fill that needy cunt of yours.” Feeling himself get closer, Sunghoon bites down on your neck. His sharp canines puncture the delicate skin, catching you by surprise. However this doesn’t last long as your body shook in ecstacy. His ropes of cum flooding your pussy matched with the sharp ache in your neck left you with a feeling of euphoria.
That euphoria quickly faded away with you as well. Your vision grew blurred and you could barely make out the male as you passed out in his arms. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he lifts you onto his back.
---
The next primal party was fast approaching. It had only been a week since the last one. Surprisingly, you had come back. The first of Sunghoon’s victims to successfully return. Of course this led to a bit of eye catching from those around you. Not wanting to feed into the gazes, you kept your head low and just sipped at your drink.
“I’m surprised she came back.”
“Heh you’re telling me. Forget that for now, we have more important things to discuss. The bet.” Michael was an impatient one, wanting to quickly know if his time guess was accurate.
The host only chuckled at his enthusiasm. “Easy there. I checked the cams to see when she got back to the cabin and I can say that you’ll all be pretty shock-”
“I bet she ran out before he could even get to her. Smart girl,” remarked Alissa.
Another just laughed. “I doubt it. He wouldn’t let her escape that easily. She’s probably got a mark on her somewhere.”
“If you wouldn’t cut me off I could tell you. She actually got back later than all of your times, so by default I gotta give it to Jack. He gave the latest time, but still wasn’t clo-.” He was cut off once again by a chorus of disappointed groans that quickly dispersed at the news.
“Looks like I’m the lucky winner.” Feeling an ultimate ego boost, he flashed a cocky smile. “So tell me. What’d she put in the bowl?”
“That’s the thing. She hasn’t put anything in.”
“Well keep me posted when she does.” With that, he makes his way towards you. You, however, had yet to notice his presence so the sound of his voice made you jump a bit. “So how’d you do it?”
“D-do what,” you questioned, confused at what he was asking.
“I mean how’d you escape him. I’m pretty sure you know what happened to the previous ones he was with.” He just nudged your shoulder trying to hint at the stories.
You just laughed it off and shrugged your shoulders. “I don’t know. I just fought back a bit and ran some.”
A small could be heard vibrating at the back of his throat. “So you’re a fighter huh? Nice.” He just bit his lips as his eyes raked over your form. “Was it a struggle fight or an easy submission?” His tongue ran over his lips as he scooted a bit closer.
“I guess a struggle fight. It took him a minute to gain control.”
“Hm. I thought it would’ve been more of an easy fight. Like maybe you would just let him win.” Not really knowing how to respond you just nodded. “So, you ready for today’s game?”
“I think I’m a bit more prepared this time.”
“Well, I look forward to it.”
“Obviously you aren’t prepared enough,” replied a smooth voice. The same voice that could shake you to your very core. His hand wrapped around the glass in your hand before slipping it out of your hands. The brown liquid in the glass was now gone, down the male’s throat with the only thing left in its place being a few melting ice cubes.
Jack, of course, was surprised by his presence along with everyone else in the room. “What’s up Park. You’re never back this early.”
He just nods in his direction before looking back to you. “What did I tell you about drinking before playtime?” The dark-haired boy was obviously annoyed. Not by you, but by the person that was conversing with you.
Your voice trembled as you kept your head low. “Only water,” you muttered out.
Giving a hum of approval he replies. “We don’t want another incident like last time do we?” He sends you a questioning glance awaiting a response.
“No sir.”
“Better,” he remarks. An ice cube is then pulled from the glass and slipped past your lips to melt on your tongue. Jack just watches the whole encounter with bewilderment before making his way back over to the host.
“What the hell man? Why is she with him?”
“If you would have let me finish speaking earlier, you would know that she left with Sunghoon. He carried her out on his back. And she didn’t drop anything in the bowl, which most likely means they’ve formed a contract.” Disappointment was apparent on Jack’s face as he talked to him.
While Jack was speaking with the host, Sunghoon was conversing with you. “So… why were you speaking with Jack?” His voice was low as he dropped another ice cube on tongue. Eyebrow quirked, he awaited your answer.
You cast your eyes down. “He came over to talk to me. Asked me if I was ready for today and stuff?”
“That all?” He pulled your chin up, wanting you to look him in the eyes when you answered. You weren’t telling the whole truth and it was evident to him.
When your eyes met his, you could see that he was serious. His gaze was strong and domineering. The ice cube in your mouth did little to calm the dryness building in your throat. You swallowed what little of the liquid had melted
“He asked how I escaped from you?”
“What’d you tell him?”
“I fought back.”
Chuckling, he replied, “I basically went easy on you.” Sunghoon slipped another ice cube in your mouth, allowing his thumb to rest on your tongue for a second before pulling his hand back. He hummed at the way you happily sucked on the digit. Satisfied, he made his way to the minibar with you trailing behind him.
No words were exchanged between you two as he ordered himself a whiskey and you a water. Raising his drink to his lips, he muttered, “You’re wearing the bell today!”
All you could do was stare at him in shock and fear as he sipped the dark liquid. Glaring, he shoved the cup of water into your hands, watching closely as you took your first sip. You sighed, realizing that his word was final and there was no way for you to get out of this.
A boiling pot of ramen steamed under your nose as you emptied the seasoning into the bubbling water and noodles, the aroma of the spices making your mouth water. Setting the oven timer to three minutes, you tossed the scraps into the trash and turned to check on how many minutes were left for the rice to finish cooking. It wouldn’t be long so you decided to chop some green onions for garnish to be used along with sesame seeds since you were feeling a bit fancy. It was finally Saturday afternoon and you had crawled out of bed to make you and your mother your classic specialty for a lazy day.
The creaking of floorboards made your head perk up, “Hey mom, it’ll just be a couple more minutes.“
A growl ripped through the kitchen, making your heart drop to your stomach. A putrid smell filled your nostrils but your brain was in shock, it could hardly register it. You whipped your head around only to come face to face with a flesh rotten creature who bore a terrible resemblance to the woman who raised you.
Your lone shriek rang through the apartment walls as your mother pounced on you, jaw snapping at your face as you struggled to hold her at bay. Your head smacked against the cabinets and you cried out in pain, your vision blurring.
“Mom, what are you doing?! Stop!” Your mother snarled at you with gnashing teeth, a horrifying sight you would have never thought to imagine. The deteriorating flesh of her skin that hung off of her bones triggered bile to rise in your throat. Her entourage of attacks didn’t let up for a second, causing desperation and dread to flood your entire being.
“Mom! Mom, please stop! It’s me!” You begged through tears. You looked into the sunken eyes of the woman who raised you; they were glazed over with cloudy film, empty and soulless. Acutely aware of the kitchen knife you’d dropped on the counter that, you shook your head in denial. God, you couldn’t. You wouldn’t.
The claws of the creature ripped into the flesh of your shoulder and pain burst across your skin. You let out a scream. Without thinking you reached behind you and found purchase in the hilt of the knife. Holding back the creature with your other hand, you sunk the blade into its neck— again and again. With each stab, blood pounded in your ears as it screeched at you in retaliation. Why won’t it die? Why?
“I’m sorry mom. I’m so sorry—”
You jerked awake, eyes splitting open from a groggy sleep. Startled by the darkness, you threw off the covers in a flurry, searching your memories for how you ended up here. Suddenly you recalled your captives; two psychotic men who were insistent on you joining them.
The way the dark-haired man’s eyes looked before you lost consciousness terrified you to no end. The other swordman’s insane reaction time didn’t make any sense whatsoever. Their desperation to capture you sent alarms off your brain. Goosebumps prickled your skin. Everything that happened right before you passed out almost felt like a hallucination. Those crazy cannibal occultists. To your knowledge, you could be in a slaughterhouse and someone could be waiting for you outside to trap you.
It was safe to assume you were in a very dangerous situation, but you were indeed alive for the time being and all of your organs appeared to be intact. You were half expecting to have awoken to be chained to a chair and blindfolded. Or to not have awoken at all. Still, it was far too early for you to let your guard down.
All you wanted was to just crawl back under the sheets for another ten hours and pretend like the world outside didn’t exist.
Wait, were you in an actual bed?
You’d have thought you were still dreaming if it weren’t for the way your throat and stomach burned. Just a reminder that you were occupying a starving body, was all.
The soft black sheets caressed your calloused palms, and you suddenly felt icky that you haven’t changed clothes while laying in such a clean smelling bed. Oddly enough, the mattress almost felt too soft after curling up on concrete every night.
Startled, you felt something prick at the skin of your arm when you tried to move. Your finger trips tracing what felt like a thin piece of fabric on your inner forearm. It was a bandage adhering a needle against your skin.
You quickly ripped it out in a panic and scurried on your hands and knees to feel along the closest side of the wall until your fingertips found fabric. Afraid of what you would lay eyes upon, you yanked back the thick curtains, letting hazy light filter into the room. Next to the bed stood a portable IV hanger with a bag of clear liquid. Did they drug you?
The evening's sun rays still caused you to squint but you were relieved to see a familiar scene of the city and the clouds floating amongst the dusty orange-hued sky. It appeared a day had nearly passed and while you clearly slept for much longer than you anticipated, you still felt terribly exhausted and on edge.
Tucking a strand of hair behind your ear, you dared to get up and take a look at the state you were in. Locating what looked like a tall mirror propped up in the corner of the bedroom, you slowly padded over in your socks, taking note that your jacket, backpack, and boots lay at the foot on the bed. You wondered if they searched your belongings; you’d check if everything was there later.
What you saw before you was a disheveled mess of a human being. Not surprising in the slightest but still a bit shocking to witness. Your skin was dry and had obvious layers of dirt caked across your cheeks and hands; a couple of your bandaids that wrapped around your fingers had peeled off. You ripped them off clean to reveal semi-healed scrapes and tossed them into the nearby trash can. A lot of the scrapes were from maneuvering between abandoned buildings and nearly getting crushed by a massive cement slab when you misstepped on unstable debris.
The hair grease was a situation in and of itself and your stained tank top and ripped jeans were in dire need of a laundry cycle. You stared at your reflection in the mirror and a pair of tired eyes stared back, chapped lips pressed in a thin line. You’ve never seen yourself in a worse-off state in your entire life, not even during finals season.
To the left of the mirror stood a rack of clothing consisting of dark oversized jackets and a couple of plaids and solid-colored shirts. Hastily, you shifted through it. Large leather boots and a couple of broken-in sneakers were lined up in a row right under the clothing rack.
It was incredibly tempting to pull a couple of items off the hangers to change into but if there was a possibility that you could shower here it made sense to do that first. After a meal, that is, if you were even to be given one. It was a rather violent altercation that took place between you and the two men, so you figured you might be treated like a prisoner. But even prisoners received meals, right?
Wherever you ended up could've been the den of a small group or an entire community. But it didn't matter, you were still just one girl. What they wanted with you was still a mystery, and you were very much outnumbered.
Even though you had a full night’s sleep, your mind felt far from stabilized. It was imperative that you remained sharp despite your terrible physical condition. You were treading in unknown territory and couldn’t afford to make the wrong move. As much as you wanted to escape, you needed to play it safe and remain as cooperative as you possibly could. Especially if it could earn you some food around here.
Glancing around the room, you noticed a worn, black trunk in the corner with a record player on top and stacks of vinyl records. Did it even work? Your phone and portable battery charger had died weeks ago and it never occurred to you to pack your headphones to listen to music when you ran away from home.
What drew your attention from the opposite end of the room was a huge map of the city that was pinned up on a corkboard, along with red-colored markers and scribbles of notes strategically placed in certain areas. Decoding said notes were the last thing on your mind but you made a mental note to look into them later. These guys seemed to know this part of the city from the inside out.
You anxiously found yourself rubbing at your throat. The sensation of both of those assholes’ hands on your neck lingered unpleasantly. You wouldn't let it slide if they laid a hand on you again. You wondered if it was the one named Jay who had carried you after he choked you out.
Honestly, you never thought you’d come to hate sleep as much as you do now. Your nightmare flashed in your mind's eye and you shook your head. Oh how badly you wanted to forget, but God never allowed you any mercy when you slept…
You swiped at the sudden tears that stained your cheeks only to see out of the corner of your eye someone peeking at you through the crack of the door.
“Hey!” you called out.
The door shut too quickly before you could identify the person behind it and you nearly tripped over your belongings chasing after them. Without a second thought, you snagged a box cutter from a small, messy-looking desk, brandishing the pitifully small blade before stepping out. Something was better than nothing.
It must’ve been providence that the bedroom led into a dark, open kitchen with high concrete ceilings. The aroma of something cooking hit your nose, you swallowed immediately to keep from drooling.
“Hello?”
No response.
“Anyone there?”
You stepped outside of the room, swinging the door wide open so you had at least some light to see. It shone on the black marble counters and reflected off the steel kitchen appliances lined up against the wall.
“I know someone’s here,” you stated aloud.
Feeling fearless, you didn’t hesitate to go straight for the fridge to take inventory.
“And I’m not afraid to shank you,” you muttered under your breath.
The moment you pulled it open, the coolness radiating from the fridge wafted against your face, but it was already quite cold in the building. The people who were lucky enough to live here were fully stocked. It made sense to have that much food if there were at least seven people living here.
If it all belonged to you, you’d easily make it all stretch for months (and you hadn’t even checked the pantry yet). You looked over your shoulder only to see the light from the bedroom spilling across the cement floor before turning back around.
You quickly snatched up a bowl of fresh fruit consisting of the juiciest grapes you’ve ever seen, a handful of strawberries. There was a bag of sourdough bread slices next to a slice of brie cheese that you didn’t hesitate to add to your stash.
You laid all of the food that you gathered out on the counter and stabbed your blade into the bread bag to rip it open. You hid the knife in your waistband and released a deep breath you'd been holding.
“I’m never taking food for granted ever again,” you quietly told yourself. Any sense of decorum was thrown out the window as you proceeded to devour anything and everything you managed to shove into your mouth without choking. All of the fruit was cool to the touch and soothed your dry throat with sweet juices. Eating them in combination with the bold taste of cheese and fresh sourdough was beyond satisfying. Incredible. Life-changing. Suddenly your situation didn’t seem as terrible as you thought it was.
“Boo.”
You spat out a chunk of bread as a lantern on the island counter suddenly flickered to life. A tall boy wearing a mischievous expression stood behind it, his abrupt appearance causing you to swallow the grapes in your mouth whole. His long, duo-toned hair was pulled back in a short ponytail, but strands fell around his face, almost as if he’d just rolled out of bed.
“I thought you knew I was here. You’re making that look good,” he gestured at the mess of bread crumbs, and grape stems. You had even eaten the brie rinds and strawberries whole.
“Who—” you barely managed to swallow your food before he continued talking.
“Sorry,” he smirked, not sounding apologetic at all. “I'd have offered to warm up your fruit but you seemed to be enjoying it just as is.”
Did you hear him right? Microwaved fruit? Eyes narrowing, you slowly took another bite out of the loaf of bread, seeing how he’d react. Would you be able to have a civil conversation or would this break out into a full-blow fight like last night? Would he condemn you for eating their stash without permission?
Your brain struggled to voice your thoughts.
“What time is it exactly?” was all you managed to blurt out.
He glanced over his shoulder into a pitch dark room which must’ve been the open living room space. You didn’t stare in the same direction for long, afraid of looking into the dark.
“About 7:30 PM.”
Your brows furrowed, “How do you know?”
“Uh, clock on the wall?”
“You can see with so little light?” You asked, astonished.
His eyes shifted elsewhere, almost in a slight panic.
“I’ve been hanging out in the living room all this time, that's why,” he insisted.
So he had been watching you.
“In the dark… doing what?”
“Playing darts. Ah, and warming up pizza.” He chuckled at how your eyes nearly popped out of your eye sockets at the mention of pizza. He turned around to open the toaster oven which you hadn’t even realized was on.
“So that’s what I’ve been smelling…” you thought your mind was playing tricks on you, the aroma of sweet dough filling the air.
“Just put it in not too long ago. We have a generator that runs in this building but we like to conserve electricity where we can. Also, we use minimal light sources to keep from giving away our location.”
“I thought electricity wasn’t even a thing anymore,” you said, swallowing a mouthful of saliva.
“We’ve got a guy who takes care of it all. But lanterns and propane grills easily keep things low-key when needed.”
He used a spatula to shimmy two of the most delicious-looking pizza slices with melted cheese and pepperoni toppings onto a ceramic plate. As he set down the platter next to your mess of crumbs, you realized he stood even taller than the two men who captured you. However, his features were rather youthful. The boy shoved his hand into the pockets of his grey sweatpants and pushed up a sleeve of his black shirt, settling comfortably against the counter a few feet to your left. You merely stared at the pizza.
“You can have my slice too if you'd like.”
“Wait really?”
“Sure. What’s your name?”
“___”, you said through a mouthful of pizza. The taste was unparalleled. Hot, cheesy, greasy goodness. Tears nearly sprung to your eyes. “Oh, this is incredible.”
“You can call me Riki,” he smirked, watching you closely.
“Riki, you don’t even know,” you gave him a grateful look while you tore apart the crust and peeling off a piece of pepperoni to ross into your mouth. “Who else lives with you besides those two assholes?”
He snickered, leaning onto his elbows. “Ah. There are… seven of us. The rest just headed out for scavenging and watch duty.”
“Scavenging at night?” You questioned.
“Weren’t you doing the same thing when Jay and Sunghoon found you?” Riki thoughtfully propped his chin on his palm as you started on your second slice of pizza.
You took a large bite of your slice and recalled the altercation and the shock you’d felt upon hearing what they were planning on doing with those blood bags. You would have to go about this topic carefully. Or should you even dare to bring it up? They probably filled the boy in on what went down last night. Assuming he does know that you know something is amiss here, well it’s only a matter of time before the elephant in the room is addressed right?
“Well, It’s not like I had a choice. I was hungry and needed a place to sleep. Why scavenge at night?” You said, attempting to chew your second slice of pizza more thoroughly.
“People are asleep, usually. So we’re at an advantage when it comes to claiming... resources. We only have to worry about avoiding the lurkers.” He explained.
You licked off some crumbs from your thumb. “…Running into me must’ve been a surprise then.”
Riki nodded. “A huge one. This is where it all started after all. People tend to stay away from this part of town since it’s filled to the brim with the infected. Plus, it’s our turf.”
So they’re territorial… They can't be the only group of people occupying this part of the city.
“I guess I’ve always sucked at reading maps; what with our generation usually having the technology to access at our fingertips…” you admitted with a weak chuckle. “I wouldn’t have known in the first place. Intruding on your guy’s property wasn’t my intention at all.”
You didn’t mention how the guy named Sunghoon had gotten all up in your face so suddenly that you had no choice but to act in self-defense. You couldn’t have cared less about trespassing, especially in this new lawless society but you hadn’t realized the consequences that would follow.
Riki’s lips parted into a smile as if to say something, but he refrained. “No worries. We figured as much.”
“I don’t intend to overstay my welcome.” Giving him a pointed look, you asked, “What would you have me do in return for everything you’ve provided me with so far?”
“For now, settling in and getting back to feeling 100%,” he said simply.
At a loss of words, you stared at him. No mention of having to serve as an altar sacrifice or being hung upside down to be drained of blood. But the underlying implications of his words were plain and clear— We dictate when you come and go, and you will stay for as long as we say so.
”We’ll provide for you, and you’ll provide for us.”
Jay’s words echoed in your mind. But you haven’t agreed to jack shit yet.
“That’s your main task for this week,” he continued. “The others will fill you in with our expectations and conditions during your stay with us. I’m sure you have questions for Jay, which you can ask once he returns in the morning. I’m just here to tour you around our amenities.”
When you said nothing more, he straightened up to his full height and tossed an apple over his shoulder from behind his back, holding it before your face.
“Apple?” He offered with a smile.
You took the apple from his grasp cautiously, looking up at him. It almost felt like he was trying to sweeten you up for something down the line. It certainly didn’t hurt to be paranoid in a situation like yours.
He raised his brows. “Got something else to say or are we going to have a cliché conversation about whether or not the apple is poisoned?”
You bit off a large chunk with a crunch, feeling the skin of the apple snap and its crisp flavor spill across your tongue. Delicious.
“Not this girl.”
“I knew I’d like you,” He laughed and swiftly took your plate to place it in the sink before you could protest. “I promise you’ll be able to bombard Jay with questions. Take your time and I’ll find you some clothes so you can wash up for the night.”
“…Thank you.”
He isn’t giving me the time of day about whether or not I even want to stay with their group. But at least he’s not throwing me up against a wall and trying to use brute force. He may just be using a different approach to attempt to convince me, but that guy Sunghoon should take notes.
While Riki moved into the living room to light the lanterns one by one, you noticed an open hallway located in the far right corner where several more doors lined the walls. They could be bedrooms or storage rooms for all you knew. If you actually made it through the night without dying, you’d take a closer look around the space after the shower that you were so looking forward to.
You took the last bites of your apple, cleaning the rind completely of its flesh. A slice nearly got stuck in your windpipe when you noticed a large dartboard on the wall covered completely with knives. You warily regarded the boy who paced around the room, humming an unrecognizable tune. Not even he was to be underestimated. It really was survival of the fittest out here, wasn't it?
“Trash cans under the sink. By the way, whenever we take shifts, we usually have a watchman who stays behind to guard the quarter while the remaining five who pair up for the night are usually out until dawn. Tonight, you’re my charge, and I could probably show you the roof...”
You wondered if they ever slept at least during the day if they were out all night. It was an odd schedule. Were they expecting you to adjust to it?
“Five plus you… But that’s only six. You said seven of you live here.”
“Right. Our seventh has been MIA for some time now and we’re in the process of trying to track him down. He’s been with us even before all of this went down so things are kind of… uncertain without him.”
“That must be difficult for you all,” you said. Cogs turned in your brain as you tried to understand the dynamics and power hierarchy of this group of men.
You recalled snippets of the conversation between Jay and Sunghoon.
“We already had our rations for the week. If Heeseung finds out you’re going behind his back like this--“
“He’ll what? Kill me? Are you gonna tell on me if he even gets back?”
Was this Heeseung their missing guy? You knew by the way Jay and Riki talked about him, that he had a say in how things were run around here. Was he a pushover or was he the sort of person who wouldn’t hesitate to put someone up on the chopping block for sneaking rations behind everyone’s back? Since he was gone, who was next in line?
On the other hand, Sunghoon had a devil may care attitude about said consequences and still managed to force his way despite Jay’s warning. He must really believe that the other guy won’t be showing up again any time soon. But while Sunghoon did as he pleased, Jay exhibited a sense of authority in the way he handled last night's situation, appearing to you as a much more influential type when it came down to attempting to coerce you into joining. Regardless, you despised both of them for the way they treated you.
“When it comes to day-to-day life, we’ve fallen back on our systems which you’ll be taught and shown. But not having him around is doing more harm than good, I think…” he trailed off.
You nodded slowly, taking in his words as if your survival depended on it. This information could be used to your advantage and Riki seemed like the kind of guy to run his mouth a bit too much.
“Well, it’s nothing you need to worry about. You’ll continue staying in his room in the meantime, which is connected to the shared master bathroom. There’s also a second one down the hall so it’s up to you.”
“Your missing guy won’t mind? I’d rather not overstep my boundaries,” you insisted.
“Jay assigned you that room," he gave you a small smile. "Like he said, we’ll take care of you.”
You tilted your head. “Is he your leader?”
“It's up in the air,” a curt voice replied from the entrance of the living room.
“Hoon! I thought you left with Jay earlier?” Riki asked, confused.
Upon Sunghoon’s appearance, your fingers twitched, aching to ram your knuckles into his face as payment for last night. Or perhaps bury your hidden blade into his chest. Or both, the order didn’t matter.
As Sunghoon strolled over, you eyed his pristine outfit; he wore fitted black jeans and a white button-down shirt with his sleeves hiked up to his elbows. His dark thick hair fell to either side of his face, framing his unreadable expression. No sword, but that didn’t make him look any less intimidating.
Glancing down at his arm; you were confused at seeing his immaculate pale skin. You were taken aback, having made sure to scratch him hard enough to leave marks.
An itch spread across your throat and you suddenly felt filthy in his presence. You immediately regretted looking at him for as long as you had the moment he caught you, an amused gleam in his eye. At your side, Riki shifted under the heavy tension that settled in the air.
“Jay and the others are regrouping. I came back to check on our new resident princess.”
You frowned at the nickname. Sunghoon leaned over the counter on his elbows, facing you with a smirk.
“You’re already looking better. Just a tad less ravenous.”
“Riki very generously shared your resources with me,” you said, voice tight.
“Of course he did. However, generously sharing one’s food is one thing, while lending you some soap is another pertinent matter entirely.” He had the audacity to give you a once over.
Riki sighed. You leaned over the counter towards Sunghoon if not to spite him with your odor. “You’re an ass.”
“Is that any way to speak with someone who generously invited you into their own home?”
You bit your lip, using every ounce of self-control not to strangle him.
“I think you mean threatened, then forced!”
“I’m not the one who swung to kill first," he shrugged. "If we’d left you behind and let you run out amongst the walking dead you’d have ended up their dinner, princess. We did you a favor. Actually, we’re still doing you a favor.”
Your jaw clenched as you glared at him. So much for planning on being cooperative.
“I haven’t agreed to anything.”
“Seeing as you’ve already partaken,” he gestured around the kitchen, “I don’t think you're in the position to play that card.”
“Why not just think of the resources I’ve partaken of as a parting gift from one apocalypse survivor to another and leave me the hell alone?”
“It was apparent from the start that you lacked solid decision-making skills. I’ve come to realize your negotiation skills aren't any more impressive,” he said.
This bastard.
“What do you want from me so badly?” You raised your voice, hands balling tightly into fists.
Sunghoon clasped his hands together and straightened his back. You met his stare and refused to flinch when he towered over you. Riki fell silent, looking between the two of you.
“Pay attention to what I’m about to say,” he said in a tone that unnerved you. “There are some among us that carries a rare blood disease.”
Your brows furrowed at that and you glanced at Riki. Well, that was not what you were expecting to hear but you let him continue.
He watched your expression carefully before continuing with a lowered voice, “We’ve been struggling with getting clean blood for the transfusions that our people need. Hospitals are shut down and resources are scarce, as you know. Now you should understand how valuable a resource you are to us.”
As realization dawned on you, you saw his eyes flickered to a molten glow then back to normal, so quickly you couldn’t tell the color. A heaviness suddenly overtook your mind, similar to how you felt right before passing out last night. Blinking, you tried to refocus your attention on him, arms shooting out to steady yourself on the counter. You thought back to the night prior and shook your head slowly.
“That’s…”
Suddenly there were blanks in the memory of your encounter with Sunghoon and Jay. Things you knew were important; indicative of what was truly going on here behind the scenes.
“Our timing last night was off. No outsiders were supposed to have access to that building. That’s our mistake. Those blood bags you saw were solely for those of us that need them. You trespassed and fought us over resources that were rightfully ours, then when you panicked, we kept you from running out into those hoards.”
The whole memory you recalled when you woke up now felt segmented. It slowly began fading out of your mind; bits of conversation between Jay and Sunghoon were now indecipherable while your run-in was reduced to blurry images. Why couldn’t you remember properly?
“We even offered you food and shelter, but you obviously weren't in the right state of mind since you refused. I may have been a bit forceful but you were equally insistent. Then you passed out from shock, and maybe even malnourishment." He raised a perfect brow at you. "We took you back to our quarter.”
Riki moved to reach out a hand towards you but Sunghoon stood up and rounded the counter towards you, his sharp eyes never leaving your trembling form. A startling image of your mother clawing at you in her grotesque state flashed before you as though you were experiencing your nightmare in real-time, before disappearing and reappearing like a glitch in your vision. You stumbled backward against the counter, feeling like you could collapse as the room spun.
“Wait. Stop—“
Sunghoon caged you in between his arms against the counter in the center of the kitchen. You gripped his clothed biceps to keep him away at arm's length and to steady yourself. He didn’t miss how your chest rose and fell in uneven, rapid breaths.
“You misheard us when we were talking about consuming blood. It was a joke, obviously.”
No, you overheard them very clearly— right?
His eyes raked over your frozen features. “But what isn’t a joke is the fact that we are in dire need of your blood," he gestured to Riki, "To be clear; you will give us everything that we need. Nothing is without a price...”
Cold sweat beaded at your temples and you could only stare at the base of his neck, the dim candlelight dancing across the sharp curve of his collarbone that disappeared behind crisp, white linen.
“Doesn’t that sound about right?” He punctuated his words with a tone of expectation and concealed threat.
What he was sharing suddenly didn’t feel far off from the truth. Your mind felt open to his claims, yet feelings of disgust and confusion still lingered deep within you. Something was very wrong. You had a feeling he was feeding you complete and utter bullshit, and your mind wanted to give into it. Your mother's shrieks rang in your ears.
It’s not real, you thought to yourself, shutting your eyes. None of it was real.
One, because your mother was gone. Two, because you had a sharp intuition and she would never be caught dead having raised an idiot for a daughter. And three, you never fell for the same trick twice.
“Look at me, love,” he urged.
You shook your head. “I’m gonna vomit—“
“You can vomit all over me,” he said, tilting your chin up towards his face. “Cry on me, scream at me, scratch me—“
You gasped when Sunghoon gripped your thighs to lift you up and shove you down onto the countertop, sending a plate crashing to the floor behind you. Automatically pushing at his shoulders, your legs flailed against his sides, trying to kick at his chest but his weight between your legs kept you down as he bent over you. You locked out your arms and turned your head away from him. He gripped your jaw with his free hand and clamped the other around your wrist.
“— But I’ll still take what I want.”
Despite the fear that knotted in your throat at being unable to see, something told you to keep your eyes shut tight. Otherwise, you would be choosing to forfeit all agency to him. You knew it sounded crazy, had no idea about the logic behind it, but maybe something else was going on behind the scenes that physical laws just couldn’t explain. You winced at the force of his strength but the fog around your brain was already clearing.
The boxcutter you had pocketed earlier pressed into the flesh of your stomach while you struggled against Sunghoon and an even more insane idea popped into your mind. Without hesitating, you curled your grip into the collar of his shirt and jerked him forward.
Right on target, your lips crashed against his, teeth clacking together quite painfully, then everything went still. Quiet even. Your eyes cracked open and you found yourself staring into a wide pair of brown eyes that completely lacked any previously held intensity behind them.
Your right hand quickly slid the blade from the confines of your pants. You shoved it straight up into Sunghoon’s chest— with a vengeance.
He grunted in pain as your teeth scraped harshly against his bottom lip. His dumbfounded expression twisted into one of disbelief. As he shoved your hand away, you slammed your foot into his chest causing you to slide off the counter and hit the floor in an ungraceful heap.
You hissed at the painful sensation of ceramic shards slicing into your skin from the smashed plate but you pulled yourself together and scrambled back into the bedroom, not even sparing Riki a glance since you knew how fast that other motherfucker moved.
You flung the door shut, locking it with a click, and then you were hauling a desk over to block the doorway, stationery supplies clattering onto the floor. You ran into the master bathroom and proceeded to lock yourself in from the door on the farthest side since you remembered it was shared.
Outside, Riki merely stared at the door in shock before he whipped back around to Sunghoon who was leaning against the refrigerator, looking completely disheveled. His shirt was untucked from his pants and a button had gone missing from his collar. A small amount of blood stained the fabric of his shirt, just above his heart.
Sunghoon removed the blade from his chest and hurtled it across the kitchen. It sunk right into the door. Riki knew it probably just felt like getting stabbed by a large needle but it still must’ve stung. His pride, that is.
Sunghoon swiped a thumb at his sore bottom lip, staring down at the red smeared across it in disbelief. You actually bit him. The scent of your blood and his own lingering in the air only fueled his anger.
“Dude, I was already buttering her up with the pizza and it was working! Sort of.”
“Where’s the fucking key?”
“I think Jay has it?”
The two shut up the moment they heard your muffled gagging.
“Fucking disgusting!” They heard you yell even with the concrete walls separating you from them, all thanks to their keen hearing.
Riki bent over and burst into laughter. “Christ, Jay was actually serious about everything! Oh my god, what did I just witness? That human girl is crazy, I can’t believe she snapped out of it that fast, and then she—“
Sunghoon’s expression darkened but Riki merely waved him off. “You seriously deserved all of that!”
Sunghoon ignored his remark. His eyebrows knit together in irritation and he covered his mouth, trying to hide his slight bewilderment at the stunt you pulled. Pieces of ceramic covered in blood crunched under his boot as he made a beeline into the hallway.
“Clean this shit up and regroup with the others in ten.” He ordered Riki. “Jungwon caught a rat in our trenches.”
—
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Let me know what you think about our meanie vampires so far? Anyone you're really looking forward to finally meeting (or avoiding)? Wanna guess who you're sharing a bathroom with? Are you ready for a hot shower or what! My inbox is always open if you have any comments or questions about the characters or story thus far (I'll avoid spoilers but sometimes I can't help myself if you ask the right questions).
It is nearly midnight and I'm literally typing this out with a pair of sunglasses on, I just had to let you know. Also, I actually bought a mug with all of the profanities that Jay wanted on one from the first chapter. It spoke to me. ❤ See you in the next chapter.
summary. despite the hushed whispers in your village about the bordered forest, you’ve always been intrigued by it. it has a charm that seemed to lure you in, closer and closer, as the years passed by. until one year, on a cold night, it drew you in competely—right into the depths of its heart.
or, my interpretation of given-taken. i’ve been holding this in for a while, so strap in. this is going to be quite a wild ride.
genres. angst, thriller, fantasy, horror.
word count. 5.4k.
warnings. an incredibly anxiety-inducing situation, body horror, bodily fluids, bones are crushed, blood (a lot of it), blasphemy (of the fictional gods in this fic, but still blasphemy), consumption of bodily fluids, dark magic (if you’re superstitious, i suggest you don’t read this), gore (a lot of it), enhypen are referred to by they/them pronouns (it makes more sense if you read), major character death, major mentions of death, sacrilegious rhetoric (not of an existing religion in our world, but it’s similar to sacrilegious rhetoric of existing religions), someone is eaten alive (and there are detailed descriptions of it), violence, vomiting (happens about 2-3 times), witch!enhypen (kind of), and anything else these warnings may imply. R-rated.
author’s note. before i say anything, i just want to let you know that reading the warnings is very important for this fic (it’s always important, but it’s especially important for this one)!! if you skipped over the warnings because it just seems like a big block of text, i highly suggest you re-read it carefully and then decide if you’re comfortable reading this fic. writing this made me a bit queasy at certain points, so please do take the warnings seriously!!
however, if you’ve read them and have no problem with what’s stated there, i just want to let you know that this fic is my interpretation of given-taken. it’s wayyyy more dramatised (obviously) to create enough content for a fic, but at its core, this is typically what i imagine when i listen to the song! i enjoyed writing this so much (i just love fantasy), so this was incredibly fun to write! i hope you guys enjoy reading this just as much as i enjoyed writing it!! enjoy ;) and don’t go wondering into creepy forests at night!
It was a normal night. The moon was high in the sky, as round and wide as anything. The stars pranced around the moon in a circle, praises falling from their lips in the form of twinkles and shimmers. While the winds were harsh and cold, biting at anything they could sink their teeth into, they remained a solace as you set out into The Bordered Forest.
Since you were a child, an innocent babe, hushed whispers had flurried around you about the forest bordering your village. The whispers weren’t of ghastly tales of people getting torn apart by a ferocious beast, nor were they warnings of a haggard witch who ate children’s hearts for youthful beauty. The whispers were mere wonderings of what could reside in such an ominous forest. With such a heavy blanket of mist resting upon it, it seemed like even the Gods had turned their backs on it—and everything inside. Everyone in your village knew of it, and was curious of what dwelled inside, but no one had dared to venture within an ear of the place.
Except for you, of course.
The first time you’d neared the forest couldn’t have been more than a few years ago. You’d been playing a friendly game of catch with your friends, until your ball had rolled away. Your eyes and legs had been so set on following the ball’s path that you hadn’t realised it had stopped in the opening of the forest until you got there. By then, it’d been too late to turn back, so you’d marveled at the beauties of such a mysterious place. Fruits you’d never seen before grew from twisted blossoms and tangled vines. Animals, with eyes so big and claws so small, had scurried about. There had been the sound of winds rushing through hollow chimes with every step you had taken. It had been absolutely magical.
So, you’d wanted more.
As you grew older, and less reckless, you’d learned to feed your curiosity in a safer manner. About once a year, you would hover around the edges of the forest with all the charms and crystals you could adorn and pray for a glimpse of a stray creature. Your prayers were never answered—why would the Gods bother with a prayer seeking an abandoned forest?—so your hunger and thirst for more had only grown and grown. They’d grown to the point that one day you had made up your mind to walk all the way to the heart of the forest.
And, here you were. With layers of charms and crystals laid on your neck, potions in your pouch, and memorised spells in your head, you were ready. You were finally ready to discover the secrets of The Bordered Forest.
Desperation clawed at your insides upon spotting a corner street Pizza Alvolo establishment not far from where you stood under the shade of surrounding buildings within the city. Its windows were intact, unlike the surrounding shops. How odd. Perhaps any looters that came before you were polite and just used the front door to avoid drawing the attention of hoards? Regardless, it felt like providence from God.
Your shadow stretched across the pavement, debris crunching under your worn black combat boots. The sun would set soon. You marked on your wrinkled map that there was a hoard you avoided about three blocks down from your current location; this was a part of town on the outskirts that you had yet to venture into.
But you were willing to take your chances for some food and shelter. If the sinks had running water you’d stay the night, it’d been too long since you had a proper shower.
You accepted the low probability of there being any sort of food left that wasn’t already expired or picked through… but at this point, you treated a can of diced tomatoes no differently than the antidote that could cure the virus.
The burning sensation of the hollow pit in your stomach felt sickeningly nauseating as you bitterly recalled late study nights spent stuffing your face with pizza that your mom would graciously on her way home from work.
“___, careful! Chew properly now!”
She’d set down a glass of water beside your plate and firmly pat your back when you got ahead of yourself and choked at the dinner table. “Why do you wait so late in the day to eat? There’s ramen in the pantry for a quick meal. You’re home all day, don’t starve yourself.”
“School,” you’d simply say and clear your throat before diving back into the cardboard box for another hot slice of pizza.
Skipping lunch was just way more time-efficient for your packed student schedule despite attending class remotely— plus you avoided that dreaded post-meal grogginess. It was a luxury you could afford when your priorities in life were surviving university and landing a good internship that could put your mother’s mind at semi-peace.
As you stood amid a city that had fallen after the start of the outbreak, self-preservation was the only thing that was driving every fiber of your being since it all went to hell. Your mother was always busy at work to help provide for you but she cared in her selfless ways. Now, she was—
Your chest ached as you blinked back tears and willed away memories of your not-so-distant past life. If you were honest with yourself, a mental breakdown was imminent with all that you’ve endured until now but survival instincts kept your emotions at bay. It wouldn’t do you any good to shut down in your current state.
You lost track of how long it’s been since you’ve eaten a decent meal that wasn’t canned and cold. How many weeks has it been since you’ve had to sleep inside an abandoned building every night with your back against a cold concrete wall and a knife in your hand? You’ve constantly been on the move with no one to help within a miles radius, just you, the crumbling city, and the ravaging undead.
Finishing off your last ration of canned spam four days ago nearly broke you and your water supply was a constant struggle. You never imagined finding yourself in a situation where you would have to go more than a day without food and the body aches you were experiencing for the past few days was not a good sign. Traversing from the suburban neighborhoods, every liquor store and grocery market you’d passed by on your way to the inner city had been looted completely or overrun by the hoards.
Stopping on your trek for anything aside from sleeping only caused you to panic about staying in one place for too long. Were people aware of your presence while you had no idea they loomed in the area? Would you encounter someone who wanted to steal everything you owned, loot you and leave you for dead?
Running into other people was something you’ve avoided because of their unpredictability, you refused to trust anyone while you were out here. Common sense was a resource you couldn’t afford to lose with hunger and fatigue setting into your body.
The danger of the unknown is always imminent, so you were constantly on the move. It’s not like you were ever trained in the art of survival like those contestants who would show up on those national geographic shows in the wild. No, you were relying on pure instinct at this point.
The grueling pace that you were traveling at had its consequences and you grew hungrier and weaker by the day. You couldn’t catch a break since this all started...
The shifting of a shadow far down the street drew your attention and made your breath catch in your chest. Your eyes darted to the tall buildings and piles of cars in search of whatever it belonged to. Your brain was unable to dismiss the movement so you kept your eyes peeled and began to approach the shop cautiously, fingers unstrapping the velcro at your thigh to unsheath your small, dull kitchen knife.
You wish you were being dramatic but you felt like you could kill anything for food. Maybe it was just a bird flying through the area. Sulkily wishing for a rabbit or game to pop out from the wreckage, you tried peeking into the glass facade of Pizza Alvolo.
The display cases were empty of course, but nothing looked too ravaged in there. Fantasies of food popped your mind and your mouth watered at what the storage room might hold. As the sun slipped under the horizon, the cool night air sent a shiver across your skin, spurring you on to begin rummaging for your dinner, unbeknownst to a pair of eyes locked onto your back from afar.
—
The kitchen doorway was open and allowed the moonlight to shine through part of the room, however, there wasn't enough of it to see further back in the kitchen. You remained quiet in the doorway, trying to detect any movement or sounds. Silence followed once more, so you began your looting process.
Dropping your backpack to the floor, you removed a lantern from it along with a matchbox. After adjusting the tea candle in the center of the lantern, you struck the match and pressed it to the candle wick to aid your vision in the dark, damp kitchen. The pantries were the first thing you tried, and you attempted to rummage as quietly as you possibly could.
After opening one and then another, each cabinet you swung open with a creak was empty save for some kitchen spare kitchen utensils and stacked dishes. Absolutely nothing to eat. Nothing. Feeling hopeless, you slammed the last one shut in frustration.
You would survive this night without food again, you would do it if you had to. Finish searching the place.
Your eyes landed on a pizza cutter on the counter which you pocketed; that then gave you the idea to find a knife sharpener for the dulling kitchen blade that you’d taken from your own house. You found the tool on the far end of the counter and began to sharpen your knife like you’d watched your mom do before starting to cook a rare homemade meal for a special occasion, like your birthday… The memory nearly brought you to your knees; you braced yourself against the counter, your grip on the silverware shaky. You were just so hungry and so very alone.
Just keep moving.
It made no sense to check a fridge with the electricity being out in the whole city, but you spotted it behind you and yanked it open. Then your eyes widened as you felt cool air release from the unit along with a dim light shining across your dirt-stained skin.
On a large silver tray with parchment paper under it sat a whole pizza, toppings, cheese, and all. Your jaw dropped in disbelief. There was an actual whole pizza sitting in front of you.
There was no electricity for nearly three weeks now you calculated, so how was this possible? Was there a backup generator running in this block? You should’ve checked the lights but you just assumed they didn’t work. Doing a double-take you poked at the crust; it was cold to the touch.
“Oh my god,” you nearly sobbed aloud.
The crashing of glass startled you to your core, your knife clattering to the floor. You immediately shut the freezer door, pressing your back against the side of it, hidden from the moonlit entryway of the kitchen.
Thuds of heavy boots and voices began to fill the front of the store and the candlelight across the room still flickered dimly to your horror. You had to blow it out or else risk getting discovered. You scrambled across the tile in a flurry and blew the candle out with a huff. You were barely able to press yourself into the shadows of a small nook in the wall next to janitor supplies out of view from the doorway.
Of course, you had locked the door behind you, but you weren’t counting on a group of psychos breaking in and making this much of a ruckus at night time.
“Was demolishing the windows necessary?” a gruff male voice asked, sounding exasperated. “Now anyone within half a mile's radius who’s too curious for their own good will come running, including lurkers.”
Someone else replied, “Jay. Were you going to sit there and pick the lock? No? I didn’t think so.”
“No, I was going to move on to the next block. Because that’s our plan.”
“Was our plan,” the other man corrected.
Despite your blood pulsing in your ears, you continued to listen as the man named Jay insisted. “We already had our rations for the week. If Heeseung finds out you’re going behind his back like this--”
“He’ll what? Kill me?” The other man chuckled out loud, a carefree lilt to his tone as though he didn’t give a rat's ass that the sound would attract any undead stragglers in the streets. “Are you gonna tell on me if he even gets back?”
Jay sighed lowly and said nothing further. Seems like you weren’t the only one out here who was craving something to eat. At least they had rations; you had nothing, yet.
“I’m starving, I might as well bring that pizza back as well.”
Pressing further into the shadows, heavy footsteps approached ever closer. A man’s silhouette appearing against the wall just a foot from where you hid. His shadow was distorted but his body shape almost looked like it could belong to a model. It shifted across the wall and you stopped breathing altogether, finally able to see who intruded. There was a pause in their conversation that didn’t sit right with you but they just as soon resumed talking.
“Isn’t it the last pizza?”
“Yeah.”
“Wow. And how many of the bags are left?”
You peeked over your shoulder to the fridge, which to your horror, had cracked open, a sliver of light illuminating the floor and a pair of black scuffed boots. The brunette’s short hair was parted down the middle and his profile was rather refined; he was handsome you faintly noticed despite all of the adrenaline pumping through your system. You didn’t like how the few words he had spoken already put you on edge, it had something to do with his cocky demeanor.
“Looks like two weeks worth for all seven of us.”
Jay groaned at the ceiling.
“Shit.”
“Damn.”
“Fuck.”
The two shared a hearty laugh despite their circumstances.
“I need all of that on a mug,” Jay said, momentarily peering over his shoulder.
“At least Jungwon’s nice enough to grow you some corn.”
“You’re right, I have that to look forward to at least.”
As the man pulled open the door, your eyes immediately went to the massive sword strapped to his back; it was over half his height and you could tell he stood at an intimidating height. Your fingers gripped the wooden handle of the pizza cutter, readying yourself.
The other man came into view as well; he wore all black with multiple blades strapped to either of his clothed thighs. He was a bit leaner than the other and nearly the same height. Just as good looking, from the side at least. You took them both in; tall, armed, and dangerous. Your mind raced for what to do next.
Remain hidden and continue watching? Make a bolt for it? Attack? They were going to steal the pizza that you found. Your pizza. You couldn’t let them, and you wanted to believe you stood a chance despite all odds.
The man with the sword bent over to pick up a translucent bag filled with red liquid from the bottom section of the freezer that you hadn’t noticed before. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be in the shape of a… blood bag.
You deduced that they may have more resources at their disposal. Were they staying at a hospital?
The man tossed a bag in the air before catching it and shoving it into a satchel.
“Don’t worry Jay, I’ll share some with you when we get back to the precinct.”
Wait.
“Nope, You’re not gonna drag me into your bloodlust escapades.”
Wait, share?
“You’re already guilty by association, might as well go all the way.”
“No. You better find a way to make it up to the kids. Might as well take back all of the bags. This place will be crawling with lurkers by dawn thanks to you. Now hurry up, I can hear them approaching!”
Were they feeding on human blood? Cannibals? Occultists?
Unable to tear your eyes away you gasped. Both of their heads slowly turned to the dark corner that you couldn’t have shrunk further into.
“By the way, the door wasn’t locked last time we were here,” Sunghoon said, a touch of excitement coloring his voice. He tilted his head back as though to sniff the air.
“I’m well aware,” Jay sighed. “Don’t Sunghoon—.”
The man was suddenly staring down at you, his elegant features half cast in shadow, the other in the moonlight, like he was wearing a cracked porcelain mask. He just.. apparated in front of you.
“Why not?” he gave you a small smile.
Swallowing your scream, you slashed at his chest without hesitation. His reaction time was unlike anything you’ve ever seen, his movements were a blur. Next thing you knew his hands were closed around both your wrists, your back pressed against his chest, but you refused to loosen your grip on the slicer.
“Hello to you too, princess. What were you going to do, pizza slice us to death?”
“Let. Me. Go,” you struggled against him, glaring at his accomplice who merely shook his head while packing away the remaining blood bags into his satchel. Your mouth would’ve watered at the sight of him sliding pizza slices into zip lock bags if your life wasn’t in danger. “That’s mine.”
Jay’s eyebrows rose at your claim. “Oh?”
“You were as quiet as a mouse back here. You’re not staying nearby, are you?” Sunghoon glanced down at your hefty backpack curiously.
“Why don’t you let go of me then we can talk? The way you ask so many questions is so annoying,” you blurted out. Jay was unable to hold back his laughter at your off-handed comment. Sunghoon scoffed drily in amusement and his grip only tightened.
“Well, I’m sure you have a lot of questions yourself—”
“Imagine living with that,” Jay rolled his eyes.
You bit your lip to keep from saying anything else as you tried to control your breathing. Jay studied your frustrated expression and your overall disheveled visage, from your scabbed knuckles to your torn jeans and ripped denim jacket.
In such proximity to you, Sunghoon noted that under that layer of dirt and grime, there was a rather addictively sweet scent on your skin. He gave Jay a knowing look, but you were completely oblivious to the exchange.
“You’ve been on the streets for a while, haven’t you?” Jay asked.
Yes. For too long, you wanted to confide.
But you couldn’t be honest with this stranger, not while your stomach bubbled in anxiety, your heart feeling like it was about to erupt from your chest. Not while you’ve hardly slept a wink in the past weeks. Not when you were already so famished and vulnerable, and at the will of two men who could easily overpower a girl like you.
“What do you want?” You asked, trying to keep your voice steady.
“You.”
Sunghoon felt you stiffen against him at his answer. The sound of lurkers growling and rasping on the streets could be heard. He twirled you around to face him but and reinforced his grip on your trembling wrists. You winced as the pizza slicer fell to the ground with a clatter. “Come back with us to our hideout with us, princess. We’ve got everything you need to survive out here.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you sick freaks!”
With that, you rammed the heel of your boot against the man's shin and snapped your head back against his chin, hard. His grip on you loosened and you took the split-second opportunity to slip out of his grasp, rushing to the door. The man named Jay was to your right, and you were surprised at how he stood rooted to his spot a bit taken aback, but he wore an amused expression as if he were impressed.
To your dismay, you were yanked back by the waist and thrust up hard against the wall by the throat. A mix of pain and anger flared through your body.
“Sunghoon!” Jay shouted.
“You’re testing my patience, princess. In case you’re not aware this is ground zero. There’s a lot of them out there amongst other things and you think rushing out is a smart move right now?”
“I’d rather be eaten by those mindless zombies than become dinner for cannibals like you,” you bit out, gouging your jagged dirt-caked nails into Sunghoon’s forearm. He hissed, but you couldn’t tell if it was in pain or pleasure.
“Especially a freak like you,” you dared to say, raising one of your brows.
The stunned look in his eyes shifted to something you recognized as hunger as he inclined his chin.
“We’re not that uncivilized.”
“Sunghoon,” Jay warned, gripping his partner’s forearm. His eyes were fierce as he glared at the other, then they met yours, rooting you to your spot from the sheer intensity of his expression.
“Listen closely to me. It’s going to be safer with us. I know how it feels to be starving, to not know where you’re going to lay your head at night or have your next meal. To have lost everything. You’re a survivor,” he said and you wouldn’t admit out loud how the word resonated with your whole being. “Let us help you.”
“I don’t trust you! God knows what you do to people. That’s human blood you were talking about consuming for Christ's sake. Nothing was ever for free before all this shit went down, I know that sure as hell hasn’t changed. Now let me go, you bastards.”
Sunghoon’s dark eyes darted to the outside and he unsheathed the large sword from his back with his free hand. The all too familiar noise of the walking undead was even closer than before.
“You’re smart not to,” Jay admitted. “But there’s more to the story.”
“I don’t need to know more. I don’t want to know more,” you gritted your teeth and clawed at Sunghoon’s wrist.
“Enough,” Jay shoved Sunghoon’s arm away and tenderly replaced his hand on your throat, thumb pressing gradually into your pulse, “We will provide for you, and you’ll provide for us.”
You flinched, Jay’s hand nearly wrapped around your entire throat, but you could tell his touch was different. Still, no one got away with threatening you, not for long. His black eyes regarded your struggling form, almost like voids until they shined red in the darkness.
He firmly pressed his body to yours to keep you from thrashing against him. An unexpected scent engulfed you; reminiscent of light musk and fresh blackberries you used to pick in fields as a child. It was the most delicious scent you’ve smelt since finishing the last can of your peaches.
You gasped as your arms slowly slid down to your sides as your veins began to hum. The pressure on your neck made your eyes flutter and you looked up at him, confused. The color of his eyes made you blink twice. Your knees might’ve given out if his other bandaged hand wasn’t gripping your waist. Would this be your last memory before death swallowed you up?
“Are you going to hurt me?”
“...I’ll try not to.”
His words were ambiguous and laced with something dark but you were suddenly so tired of fighting. It wasn’t like you to stop fighting, but at the same time, it was. You’d just been suppressing it. You were exhausted from the never-ending battle you fought after losing everything you cared about.
Your friends, your family, your future that was supposed to be filled with promise, meaningful relationships, and heart-stopping adventure. Not loss, fear, and loneliness.
Deep inside, you wanted to live, but not if you’d be living like how you’ve been for the past month. Still, you swore that in the end, you would never give in for as long as you lived on this damned earth.
“Okay?”
Your brain screamed back in retaliation, but you were unable to say a word before your vision went black.
