Night Kiss

by E. T. Malinowski

“Ki-tae hyung, no, wait—”

  Ki-tae ended the call. Turning it to silent, he placed it on his nightstand and then rolled to face the other way. It really didn’t surprise him Jin-woo regretted their meeting. He’d not only revealed the demon inside him, but he pretty much assaulted Jin-woo in the process. It seemed his past still stained him with blood no matter how many years passed. No matter how far he ran, he was still the monster. It would be best if he tried to forget how Jin-woo made him feel, forget how much Ki-tae wanted him, because relationships with humans never worked out. It would be safer for Ki-tae if he just forgot everything, safer for Jin-woo too.

  How the hell was he going to get through the next several weeks?

  Jin-woo

  JIN-WOO STARED at his phone. Ki-tae had hung up on him. Jin-woo dialed his number again, but it just rang and rang before going to voicemail. Why wasn’t Ki-tae taking his call? When he got no answer the third time he called, he went to text messages. After the first twenty received no response, a little stone of dread wedged in his belly. Had he said something wrong? Could Ki-tae have misunderstood his silence? His voice had changed at the end of their conversation, as if he were saying more than just goodbye for the night, and Jin-woo didn’t like that idea, not one bit. And why in the hell wouldn’t Ki-tae just talk to him? It wasn’t as if they hadn’t been having a decent conversation up until that point. The more he thought about it, the more annoyed Jin-woo got, but underneath was a small kernel of worry. Ignoring things never made them go away, and for a Vampire that was pretty childish too.

  Finally Jin-woo had to stop. He had to get some modicum of sleep if he wanted to function in school the next day. Yet he couldn’t stop bouncing between annoyance and worry. Did Ki-tae really think he regretted their meeting? While he could have done without the vision of Ki-tae feeding on the tech, he couldn’t regret what happened after. Well, maybe he could have done without the fear that prompted his run into the bowels of the building. He certainly did not regret his experience with Ki-tae.

  Jin-woo wasn’t a virgin, but his experiences were infrequent. What art student, who actually enjoyed his classes, had time to get laid? He didn’t have time to date either, so any knowledge came from hookups and were so brief as to be unmemorable. Ki-tae, no, the encounter with Ki-tae was unforgettable. The frotting had been amazing, messy but amazing. Sex would probably kill him… in the best way possible. No, he didn’t regret meeting Ki-tae. Now he just had to find a way to convince Ki-tae of that, because Jin-woo was pretty sure Ki-tae was as upset by the idea as he was.

  Morning came way too early, and Jin-woo just wasn’t ready for it. He hit Snooze and ended up making himself late. He tried to sneak into a lecture, but Teacher Park wasn’t having it.

  “Nice of you to join us, Jin-woo,” Teacher Park said drily.

  “It is a pleasure to be here, Seonsaengnim,” Jin-woo said with a bow, earning some chuckles from the other students.

  “Perhaps next time you could arrive on time, if it’s such a pleasure,” Teacher Park said. “Hurry up and sit down. We’re waiting on you.”

  “I’m sorry, Seonsaengnim,” Jin-woo said and hurried to his seat next to Jong-in. Jong-in looked at him strangely, raising an eyebrow, and Jin-woo mouthed, “Later.” He didn’t want to get on Teacher Park’s bad side. It was not a nice place to be.

  Jong-in pulled Jin-woo to one side as they left the room after class. He waited until the hall was clear before he spoke.

  “Okay, what is going on?”

  “It’s complicated.” Jin-woo sighed. “And I can’t really talk about it in detail.”

  “You’d better tell me something, Jin-woo-ya,” Jong-in said. “I’ve known you a really long time, and you don’t run this late.”

  “Yes, I know,” Jin-woo said. “Let’s find somewhere a little more private.”

  It took them several moments to find an empty classroom. Jin-woo closed and locked the door so they wouldn’t be disturbed. Then he set his bookbag on a chair and sat on the desk, his feet on the chair. “You remember the concert?”

  “I couldn’t go. Pissed me off,” Jong-in said.

  “Well, I managed to get backstage with the DM club. The area we were in was boring, so I kind of slipped away and wandered around backstage. It was amazing. The videos really can’t capture all the energy. Anyway, I bumped into Ki-tae hyung.”

  “Why are you blushing?”

  “Shut up.”

  “What happened, Jin-woo-ya?” Jong-in said, trying to catch his eye, but Jin-woo couldn’t look at him.

  “Well, we… sort of….”

  “Did you have sex with Ki-tae hyung?” Jong-in’s voice was a shocked whisper.

  “No!” Jin-woo said hotly. “Well, not full sex, frotting, but still, amazing!”

  “Let me get this straight,” Jong-in said, putting his fingers to his temples and rubbing small circles. “You dry-humped Ki-tae hyung backstage at a Bam Kiseu concert, and you’re just telling me now?”

  “Hey! You know I’m not the kiss-and-tell type!” Jin-woo protested. “Stuff like that is private.”

  “Okay, okay, you’re right. So why and how could that possibly make you late today?”

  “Well, yesterday was really awkward for me. At first I thought Ki-tae hyung would behave differently, and when he didn’t, I thought he didn’t remember, that it wasn’t uncommon for him to do that.”

  “But?”

  “He came over and gave me his personal cell phone number,” Jin-woo whispered. “He said he remembered and wanted me to call him last night.”

  “Holy shit!”

  “You’re telling me?” Jin-woo said. “I mean, it’s a drama come true! Anyway, I texted first and when I didn’t get a response, I called him, but he didn’t pick up, and I thought, well…. I didn’t have good thoughts, but then he called back because HanYin hyung had found his phone in the kitchen and it was on vibrate, so he didn’t hear it ring.”

  “Jin-woo-ya, you’re babbling,” Jong-in said calmly. “Breathe, or you’ll pass out.”

  Jin-woo took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “We got talking, and Ki-tae hyung asked me if I regretted meeting him because of what happened. I didn’t know how to answer, and I think he took my silence to mean I do regret our meeting, but I really, really don’t! He hung up on me, saying goodbye, and it sounded like the permanent goodbye, not the goodbye for just the night. I tried calling and texting for a while afterward, with no luck, which was really fucking annoying and childish of him to ignore me, and so I didn’t go to sleep until really early this morning. I missed my alarm and then my train, and that’s why I’m late. He sounded so sad, Jong-in-a! Like me regretting our meeting really hurt. But I don’t regret it. I don’t!”

  “I get it, Jin-woo-ya,” Jong-in said, resting a hand on his shoulder. “This is just a misunderstanding. Here’s what I recommend. Text him after classes are done for the day. Even if he doesn’t respond, he’ll still see it. He more than likely took your silence as a rejection, and idol he may be, but he’s still a person.”

  “Yeah, you’re right.” Jin-woo took another deep breath. “You can’t tell Min-su-ya. She’ll kill me for not telling her.”

  “You think she’s not going to figure it out eventually? That girl is like a bloodhound when it comes to romance, and if sex is involved, she’s worse.”

  “Well, if I have to tell her, I don’t want to do it anywhere public. She will be so loud!” Jin-woo grumbled.

  “Oh hell yeah, she’s going to scream like a rabid fangirl.” Jong-in chuckled. “We’d better get going. I didn’t grab breakfast, and you probably didn’t either. If we hurry, we can get something at the commissary before our next class.”

  Jin-woo nodded and, grabbing his backpack, hopped off the desk. It was going to be a long day, and he was going to worry about Ki-tae constantly, but what choice did he have? As much as he wanted to call Ki-tae right then and work things out, he knew he couldn’t. Chances were Ki-tae either couldn’t or wouldn�
��t pick up the phone.

  By far, Teacher Kim’s class was Jin-woo’s favorite. With their different focuses, he didn’t get to have class with both Jong-in and Min-su often. He wanted to clarify something with Teacher Kim before class, so Jin-woo headed to the room early. He was fortunate enough to catch Teacher Kim alone.

  “Good morning, Seonsaengnim,” Jin-woo said. “May I speak with you for a moment?”

  “Of course, dongsaeng. How can I help you?” Teacher Kim said with a smile. Jin-woo smiled back and hurried over, taking the seat next to his desk.

  “I wanted to clarify something about part two of the BLE program,” Jin-woo said.

  “You and the others did a wonderful job yesterday. I was very proud to be your teacher.”

  “Gomabseumnida, I am very excited,” Jin-woo said.

  “What did you want to know about part two?”

  “I wanted to know if we are able to seek advice and brainstorm with other students,” Jin-woo said. “Bounce ideas off each other and such.”

  “Ah, collaboration verses assistance,” Teacher Kim said with a nod. “You must write the song yourself. You must record and edit it as well. It must be your work. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t borrow Jong-in dongsaeng’s ear or ask for Min-su dongsaeng’s input. Your friends are valuable resources and provide an outside point of view for you to work from. You provide the same for them as well. They just cannot help you actually write and produce the song.”

  “Gomabseumnida, Seonsaengnim,” Jin-woo said. “I wanted to make sure I was understanding clearly.”

  “It is better to ask the question than guess the answer,” Teacher Kim said. “Midweek you and the others will be heading to BLE headquarters to go over the essential paperwork, get your badges and work phones, as well as go over everyone’s schedules. Make sure you bring a list of current projects for other classes. This is a wonderful opportunity, but Soon-joon-nim does not want it to be detrimental to your studies.”

  “It is still hard to believe,” Jin-woo said. “I will make sure the others know to bring the list as well. Gomabseumnida, Seonsaengnim.” Jin-woo rose and bowed before heading to his seat and getting his things out for class.

  JUST ONE more edit, one more effect to make the image clear, and it would be done. It hadn’t taken much to get the product just right. The two cameras in the loading bay had caught everything and were of decent quality. Often security cameras tended to be rather grainy, meant only to capture the basic area. But the Seoul Olympic Stadium wasn’t one of those low-grade facilities. It hadn’t taken much to get the footage either, just the big, wide eyes and the slightly pouty lip. People were so easy to manipulate when they cared.

  When the time was right, this video would go viral, and his world would come crashing down. When he was at his lowest, that was the time to let him know the error of his ways. That was the time to show him his folly. Then and only then would forgiveness be granted… if he did what he was told and never, ever showed the least bit of disinterest and rejection again. And if enough money to live comfortably for a very, very long time could be had, so be it.

  HanYin

  WHEN HANYIN was worried or upset, he cooked. The kitchen was his space to regain his balance and find his center. Currently the counters and table were covered with dishes, the island was strewn with ingredients, and he was still worried. Ki-tae was not okay. No matter how many times his little brother told him otherwise, HanYin could see it.

  The biggest problem for HanYin was he could do nothing to help Ki-tae. He knew it had something to do with Jin-woo. Well, he suspected it had something to do with Jin-woo; Ki-tae was unusually reluctant to talk about it… or anything else for that matter. Every day he woke up, dressed in the darkest, most somber colors, choosing baggy clothing and donning dark sunglasses and baseball hats before leaving the house. When he came home, Ki-tae would kick off his shoes and head straight to either his room or the recording studio they had in the house, not even bothering to put on house slippers. HanYin had tried to see what he was working on in the studio, but Ki-tae had password-locked the file—again, uncharacteristic of him.

  So, no, Ki-tae wasn’t “fine,” and if he wasn’t fine, HanYin wasn’t fine. HanYin needed his family to be happy. They were supposed to begin shooting tomorrow. Anyone who knew Ki-tae would know something was wrong. And how was Ki-tae going to react when he saw Jin-woo again? These questions swirled around HanYin’s head as he made dish after dish. Some of them hadn’t been seen for over three hundred years.

  “You worry.” Cheongul’s quiet voice startled HanYin.

  “And you don’t?” he said. “You’ve seen him. He won’t say anything, won’t talk about what’s bothering him, and that mask he wears when he’s out of the house? I hate it.”

  “I do too,” Cheongul said as he moved behind HanYin and hugged him. “We have to be patient with him. In time he’ll tell us what’s wrong.”

  “Will that be before or after we have to save his life again?”

  Ki-tae

  KI-TAE WAS exhausted. He was trying to do the right thing, trying to keep Jin-woo at a distance, but between the voicemails and the texts, which tore at him every time he read them, and the damned dream walking, Ki-tae wasn’t getting any rest. He’d never wanted to scare Jin-woo, to make him afraid, and he cursed himself for feeding at the venue that night. He’d managed never to be alone with Jin-woo these past several days, always having either HanYin, Cheongul, or one of the staff nearby, thus avoiding the conversation Jin-woo clearly wanted to have. When Jin-woo had arrived on set a few minutes ago, Ki-tae had made some excuse to leave and now, he was hiding in a bathroom stall. He’d even gone so far as to maneuver Min-su and Jong-in to be buffers between him and Jin-woo. He couldn’t take the knowledge of Vampires from Jin-woo’s mind, but he could keep the daily reminders to a minimum. After all, Jin-woo knew nothing about Cheongul and HanYin, so they wouldn’t scare him the way Ki-tae did.

  Ki-tae’s stomach growled. While he’d eaten regular meals, as regular as could be expected with their schedule, he hadn’t been able to feed beyond sips here and there. No one tasted as good as Jin-woo. No one satisfied him as Jin-woo had. In truth, when he tried to feed from someone else, he wanted to puke afterward. Finally, he just stopped trying. He never thought he would miss Jin-woo while still being in the same room with him. He leaned his head against the stall wall, attempting to find some sense of quiet in his own head, his stomach cramping with the need for blood. He had to be in wardrobe in about fifteen minutes, and he was going to use all that time, if necessary.

  The banging of the outer door and angry muttering pulled him from his thoughts. Then Jin-woo’s scent hit him, and Ki-tae cursed silently. His luck had just run out. Then he caught the sound of his name amid the mutterings and paid closer attention.

  “Twice-cursed Vampire, what does he think he’s doing? He can’t avoid me forever. Oh, he makes me so angry,” Jin-woo growled, and Ki-tae clenched his teeth at the sensations it sent through him. “Won’t answer my texts, won’t take my calls, won’t stay in the same room if he can help it, stupid man. And if he thinks I don’t know what he’s doing by always being around people when he can’t fucking run away from me, he’s got another thing coming! Stupid ass won’t let me explain, so stubborn. I want to just punch him!”

  Before he could stop himself, Ki-tae stepped out of the stall. “That would be incredibly unprofessional, don’t you think?”

  He wasn’t prepared for Jin-woo to launch himself at him. Jin-woo moved his hands over him, shoulders, chest, back, thighs, all the while he kept talking rapidly.

  “Oh my God, Ki-tae hyung. You’re okay! Thank God. I was so worried. You wouldn’t respond, and I… I didn’t know what to think and… oh, you jerk!” Jin-woo started pounding on his chest, cursing at him. “You wouldn’t respond! How could you do that to me? So damned stubborn and childish, and immature for a however the fuck old Vampire you are! Oh, you are such an ass!”

  Stu
nned, Ki-tae couldn’t get a word out. Then he was wrapped in the tightest hug he’d been in since HanYin cornered him two days ago.

  “I don’t regret meeting you, not one minute of it. I never will regret it. I won’t ever regret you!”

  “You’re scared of me,” Ki-tae whispered. Jin-woo immediately stepped back and stared at him as if he’d lost his mind.

  “Scared of you? Whatever gave you such a fucked-up idea?” Jin-woo demanded as he crossed his arms.

  “You said you were terrified of the monsters being real, that meeting me scared the crap out of you.”

  “I said having my worldview turned upside down terrified me,” Jin-woo said as he poked Ki-tae in the chest. “There are some scary-ass fairy tales out there and the idea that they might be true does frighten me, but never once did I say you scared me.”

  “But I am one of those monsters.”

  “You’re not a monster, Ki-tae hyung,” Jin-woo said softly. “Monsters don’t care if they scare people.”

  Something broke inside Ki-tae, and he clutched Jin-woo to him. Jin-woo rained kisses on his face, his neck, and finally his mouth, thrusting his tongue hard past Ki-tae’s lips. The aggression was an incredible turn-on. Ki-tae scooped Jin-woo up, and Jin-woo wrapped those lean legs tightly around his waist, aligning their groins. The feel of Jin-woo’s erection against his spurred Ki-tae on.

  With a growl he turned and slammed Jin-woo up against the wall. Jin-woo felt so good pressed against him, so right. Ki-tae never wanted to let him go. He kneaded the firm muscles of Jin-woo’s ass, earning little whimpers and moans of pleasure. Finally they broke apart, and Ki-tae rested his forehead against Jin-woo’s with a breathless chuckle. Jin-woo cupped his face and lifted it, his eyes traveling over Ki-tae’s face.

  “What?”

  “You’re so pale,” Jin-woo whispered. “Just like you were that night. Is… how… dammit, this is awkward.”