Night Kiss

by E. T. Malinowski

  Jong-in, Min-su, and he had brainstormed late into the night. They had come up with a few other ideas for the video, and Jin-woo had sighed with relief. Jong-in managed to figure out the lyrics Jin-woo missed, and he trusted Jong-in’s ear. Had he been able to find the damned CD, it wouldn’t have been an issue, but he’d rearranged his room and now couldn’t find anything he needed. Of course, he’d probably find the stupid thing in the next few days when he didn’t need it anymore. He had, fortunately, come up with another immortal being to use rather than the Vampire. The dokkaebi were a type of goblin. The Chonggak Dokkaebi was known as the bachelor, and it wasn’t inconceivable that he could make himself attractive to humans. It was that whole magic thing. Jin-woo would have to do a little more research before he began his storyboards, but that wasn’t a true hardship. He had an interest in the supernatural… and that was before he knew Vampires existed.

  Vampires. Were. Real.

  If Vampires were real, then what else was real? Werewolves? Goblins? Ghosts? Well, he’d always believed in ghosts, but the other stuff? No, he didn’t want to think about inanimate objects becoming sentient entities capable of hurting people, and he certainly didn’t want to think about demons and devils and evil creatures being real. Nope, not for him, no thank you. Except… were all Vampires as sexy as Ki-tae?

  Jin-woo dropped his head. There he was, his thoughts circling back to Ki-tae yet again. He was getting as bad as any fangirl. At least he wasn’t at the stalker stage. He drew the line there. Still, he was going to have to learn to keep a straight face when the judging began. He was going to have to not giggle like a freaking idiot when he saw Ki-tae again. Of course, that wasn’t the only thing he was going to have to not do. He certainly couldn’t tackle Ki-tae and ride him to the ground, no matter how tempting the idea was. Pulling his thoughts from contriving ways to keep Ki-tae occupied on said floor, Jin-woo headed into his bedroom to get ready for class. He could do this if he forced his mind not to wander back to Ki-tae. It was a case of easier said than done because he’d always been a wee bit obsessed with Ki-tae.

  After several hours of school, extra study, and working on projects, Jin-woo was ready to scream. His brain could no longer fire on all cylinders, and he needed to stop thinking about work. He needed to relax. He needed to cut loose. What it all really boiled down to was Jin-woo needed to go to the club and party. He might even need a little bit of intimacy therapy just to get Ki-tae out of his head. He had to be realistic. Beyond this scholarship program, he would never see Ki-tae anywhere but onstage again.

  Two and a half hours later, Jin-woo was dancing at Club Bound in Gangnam-su. It wasn’t one of his usual choices, but he wanted something different and he’d chosen this place on a random impulse. Bodies pressed close all around him, and the energy was high. He laughed as he moved to the beat. They’d been playing EDM most of the night and it kept everyone moving. Hands clamped onto his hips and pulled him backward. Jin-woo looked over his shoulder to see a man smiling at him and then let his gaze sink toward the floor in a full examination. Tall, ruggedly handsome, muscled, nothing like Ki-tae. Yeah, this is what he needed to get Ki-tae out of his head. Jin-woo smiled and pressed back even as his brain screamed at him for being stupid.

  Twenty minutes later Jin-woo wrapped his arms around the guy’s neck as he was pressed up against a wall in the back hallway. He hadn’t even bothered to get a name. What was the point? Hands groped him in turns too rough and not rough enough, but his cock was not even half-hard. Then the guy was kissing him and Jin-woo’s stomach churned. No. He couldn’t do this. He put his hands on the guy’s shoulders and pushed hard.

  “What?” The guy looked confused, his eyes glazed with more than just lust. Shit, he was on something, and that was so not Jin-woo’s scene.

  “I can’t.”

  “What do you mean you can’t? You were just into it.”

  “No, not really,” Jin-woo said. “Look, I have to go. The dance floor is full of other people. You have a crapload of choices.”

  “I want you.” The guy growled, and it wasn’t even remotely as sexy as Ki-tae’s was.

  “And I’m saying no,” Jin-woo said moving from between the guy and the wall.

  “You don’t get to say no.”

  “Yeah, actually, I do,” Jin-woo said and then he turned and walked away. This had been a bad idea.

  “You’re a cocktease,” the guy snarled after he grabbed Jin-woo’s shoulder and spun him around, invading his personal space. This really wasn’t a good idea.

  “Maybe I am,” Jin-woo said refusing to back down. “But I’m not doing anything with yours tonight.”

  “You’re going to—”

  “Problem?” His former hookup backed off, eyes wide with fear, and Jin-woo turned to see one of the bouncers standing behind him.

  “No, Jae-woo hyung, none at all,” the guy said. “I’m… going to go dance some more.”

  “No,” Jae-woo said. “You’re going to leave. I told you never to come back here while you’re tripping. You want to fuck yourself up that’s your business, but you don’t bring it here.”

  “Yes, Jae-woo hyung.” The guy practically ran to the door.

  “Thank you.”

  “Look, I couldn’t give a shit who you want to fuck, but most of this crowd is not like-minded,” Jae-woo said as he put his hands on his hips. “Don’t make my job harder.”

  “I didn’t ask him to hit on me,” Jin-woo said.

  “No, but you didn’t stop him either,” Jae-woo said. “I’m just saying there are safer places for you if you want a hookup. Here may not be one of them.”

  Jin-woo walked out without a word. He didn’t need that kind of shit. Yes, this had definitely been a bad idea. He rarely had problems with people taking offense at his sexuality, mainly because he didn’t flaunt it, but sometimes, like tonight, it was brought home that people could be assholes about something that didn’t even concern them.

  Ki-tae

  KI-TAE WAS annoyed. He’d been trying to get Soon-joon to tell him how to break the bond between Jin-woo and himself for the last week. Every time he thought he had his father nailed down, Soon-joon managed to either vanish or talk his way around what Ki-tae had on his mind. It was almost as if Soon-joon was doing it on purpose. It was as if he didn’t want to break the bond, but Ki-tae couldn’t have it remain. He just couldn’t.

  He looked at the clock on the practice room wall and growled in frustration. He still had another hour and a half left of dance practice. His frustration was making him mess up, and that pissed him off even more. Gojira, unaware of the situation or the danger Ki-tae presented when he was in a pissy mood, kept getting on his case about missing steps. He was about ready to tear her fucking throat and watch her bleed out. He walked to the side where he’d thrown his bag and grabbed a water bottle. He felt HanYin come up beside him.

  “What’s the matter, dongsaeng?” HanYin said softly. “Your eyes keep flashing silver, and you’re growling. It’s low, but it keeps getting louder.”

  Ki-tae grumbled, “I don’t want to be here now. I’m this close to ripping her fucking throat out. She gives me that snide look one more time, and I won’t be responsible for my actions.”

  “I can see that,” HanYin said with a smile. “And while my legs would wholeheartedly agree with you at the moment, Soon-joon-nim would be most displeased. Why don’t you head home? I’ll clear it with seonbae here.”

  Ki-tae snickered despite himself. “You’re bad.”

  “You love me anyway.” HanYin grinned.

  “Yeah, I do, you brat.” Ki-tae grabbed HanYin in a headlock and rained kisses on his head. “You’re my brat, though.”

  “Get out of here, cranky bastard.” HanYin slipped free and shoved Ki-tae toward the door. “I’ll take your stuff with me.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yes, get out before you make a mess,” HanYin said with a wink.

  Ki-tae didn’t ask again. He headed straight for the
door, pulling out his phone and then dialing Soon-joon’s number, ignoring Gojira. He needed to get this straightened out as soon as possible. When his call went to voicemail again he almost threw his phone. Was Soon-joon avoiding him? Really? It hurt. He was tempted to head to the corporate offices, but this wasn’t something they could discuss there. Too many nosy people in the entertainment industry. Yes, BL Entertainment was a family, but that didn’t mean they had no curiosity. Instead he headed to the house. He would wait until Soon-joon came home and corner him there.

  Five hours. Ki-tae waited five hours for Soon-joon to return, and his patience, not something he was necessarily known for, paid off. When he heard his father coming inside, he stood up and headed out into the living room. Soon-joon looked very surprised to see him. Of course, he was still supposed to be working, but Ki-tae didn’t give a damn about that right now.

  “I’ve been trying to get ahold of you for the last few days,” Ki-tae said softly. “You sent my calls to voicemail… why, Abeoji?”

  Soon-joon sighed. “I am sorry, Ki-tae. I am not sure how to approach this subject.”

  “How about ‘We can break the bind by doing this…’ and then explaining,” Ki-tae said. “It doesn’t seem that hard to me.”

  “That’s because you don’t know the answer to your question. It is simple, and yet, it is not.”

  “Please, no riddles. I can’t handle riddles today. I came really close to killing our choreographer, I was so mad.” Ki-tae rubbed his forehead. “I just want to know how I can be free.”

  “Even freedom has a price, Ki-tae,” Soon-joon said as he approached and took Ki-tae by the upper arms. He waited until Ki-tae looked him in the eyes. “To break this bond, you will either have to turn Jin-woo dongsaeng… or kill him.”

  “What?”

  “I’m sorry, Ki-tae. Do you see now why I have been avoiding the conversation? Neither solution is really a solution. One changes a life forever, and the other ends it,” Soon-joon said softly.

  “He didn’t ask for this,” Ki-tae said, his brain still trying to process. “It was my stupid mistake. Why does he have to be punished for it?”

  “This is why I tell you from the right or from the wrist, anywhere else but the left side of the neck,” Soon-joon said.

  “I can’t believe you just gave me a roundabout ‘I told you so,’” Ki-tae muttered as he pulled free to pace back and forth. “This isn’t right. Are you sure there’s no other way?”

  “Not that I am aware of. I could reach out to some who are older than myself, but it will take time,” Soon-joon said as he shrugged out of his suit coat. “They are… reclusive, is the kindest way I can put it.”

  “Take all the time you need. I will deal with this damn bond until we can find a way to break it without hurting Jin-woo in the process.”

  “You care what happens to a light snack?” Soon-joon asked, watching Ki-tae carefully.

  “He’s more than food,” Ki-tae snarled. “He’s a human being. He’s feisty and beautiful and sweet.”

  “All this from one encounter?”

  “It doesn’t matter. We’re not doing either to him!” Ki-tae practically shouted. He felt the pounding in his ears, a clear sign he was losing his shit.

  “You had best check your tone,” Soon-joon warned, his eyes flashing gold. “I am not too old to take down a youngling such as yourself, and you’re dangerously close to crossing the line.”

  Ki-tae forced himself to take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then he did it repeatedly until he felt more in control of himself. He wasn’t going to let his anger make him do something incredibly stupid.

  “Joesonghaeyo, Abeonim,” Ki-tae said softly, hanging his head. He was startled when Soon-joon grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him into a hug.

  “It is all right, nae adeul,” Soon-joon said, pressing a kiss to his temple. “We will get you through this. We will not abandon you.”

  “That’s Cheongul’s issue,” Ki-tae mumbled.

  “Yes, he does not like people to leave him,” Soon-joon said. “And we will not leave him.”

  “I… I don’t want to hurt Jin-woo dongsaeng,” Ki-tae whispered.

  “I know. You are a good man, Ki-tae. You only fight back. You never attack. I will contact my friends and see what we can find. I do not want you to hurt Jin-woo dongsaeng either.”

  “Please don’t tell Cheongul and HanYin,” Ki-tae said. “They would try to spare me, and I don’t want them going after him either.”

  “It wouldn’t do them any good. It has to be you to break the bond,” Soon-joon said.

  “Of course it does.” Ki-tae sighed. “There are times when I wish we could just be normal human beings.”

  “There are times when I still wish that as well, but we are not human beings anymore. We are… other.”

  “And in this case, it sucks,” Ki-tae grumbled.

  “Have you eaten?”

  The sudden change of subject threw Ki-tae off. He stared at his father for a few moments. “I could eat.”

  Soon-joon headed for the kitchen, not waiting to see if he followed or not. Ki-tae shook his head. Soon-joon could be very focused when he wanted to be. Apparently his mind had turned to food, and now he would focus on nothing else.

  It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for the four of them to make a meal together. They would chitchat, talk about their day, go over new songs, new videos, and public relation ideas. That was the nice thing about Soon-joon. As a manager he valued the input of the bands he managed, and it wasn’t contained to the music. He encouraged them to be creative, to give him input on the things they wanted to do and where they wanted the band to go. He was good at getting bands through quarrels and maintaining cohesion.

  Yet he was most special when he was just being their father. Ki-tae hadn’t known his parents. Honestly, it had been so long, and he had been so young that he could no longer remember their faces. When someone asked about his parents, he thought of Soon-joon. He thought of Cheongul and HanYin as his brothers. Did they fight and argue? Of course they did, but so did any healthy family. If there were no arguments, there would be resentments hidden beneath the surface that festered and caused soul rot.

  Ki-tae and Soon-joon had just finished setting the table when HanYin and Cheongul walked in. They both looked utterly exhausted. Soon-joon simply gave them a gentle smile and gestured to their seats. They trudged over and sort of fell into the chairs, rather than sitting.

  “That bad?” he asked.

  “Gojira seonbae is a monster,” HanYin grumbled. “Or a control freak… or both. I’m going to go with both.”

  “She seemed to take personal offense at you leaving practice early,” Cheongul said. “And decided to take it out on us. I don’t know what her problem is. If she weren’t so good, I would say get rid of her.”

  “Gojira?” Soon-joon asked as he served the rice.

  HanYin blushed and ducked his head. “Rah Goo-ji seonbae, our choreographer, she’s….”

  “Driven, I believe, is the polite word you’re looking for.” Soon-joon chuckled. “She wants you to be successful, and pushes you because she knows you’re capable of everything she throws at you. She pushes you to be the best dancers you can be.”

  “We know, Abeoji. It doesn’t stop us from grumbling when our bodies don’t want to move anymore and complaining vehemently the next morning! She works us so hard we don’t even need to use the gym!” Cheongul said. “All we have to do is attend dance practice, and any bit of fat is seared away!”

  “Oh, come, she cannot be that bad,” Soon-joon said.

  “Come to practice tomorrow and see for yourself,” Ki-tae said. “Just don’t tell anyone, or she’ll be on her best behavior, and that’s just plain creepy.”

  “I think she’s sweet on you, Fùqīn,” HanYin teased. “She blushes every single time she sees you.”

  “Do not be ridiculous,” Soon-joon said.

  “I’m not,” HanYin said. “A lot of the wo
men at the studio giggle and blush when you walk down the hall. You’re a very attractive man, Fùqīn. We can tell when you’re visiting by the way they’re behaving. Some of them giggle around us, but I swear half of them nearly faint from knowing you’re nearby.”

  “You do know they call you the God of K-pop, and it’s not just because you handle the most successful groups in the business.” Ki-tae chuckled. “There isn’t another manager who could take that title from you.”

  “If people admire me, it is because I treat them well and do not abuse my power,” Soon-joon said. “As I have taught you boys to respect people and to understand the responsibility of being what we are. We must live in this world with humans and other beings. If we want respect, we must give it, not because it is the only way, but because it is the right way.”

  “I understand, Abeoji,” Ki-tae and Cheongul said.

  “Wŏ míngbái, Fùqīn,” HanYin said, and then all three bowed to their father.

  Jin-woo

  “OH. MY. God,” Min-su said as she stared at his storyboards. “There’s no doubt about the story. This is something we can really work with.”

  “Good, because I was up all night finishing these,” Jin-woo said with a yawn as he reached for his drink. They were sitting in Hoho Myoli Café about twenty minutes from campus. It was quiet and cozy and one of their favorite places to eat and relax after classes. “I also have the set designs done. There’s four in total: two historic and two modern contemporary. I tried to keep away from too extravagant. We want to keep the cost low and the quality high while being able to shoot quickly.”

  “What?”

  “What do you mean, what?”

  “What you just said.” Min-su slapped his arm. “What did you mean, ‘the cost low while keeping the quality high and being able to do it fast’?”