Chapter Text
"Dying is nothing to fear. It can be the most wonderful experience of your life. It all depends on how you've lived." - Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
On what was supposed to be a normal, Winter night, Hyunjin was left to die.
The torrential rain trickled down his face, mixing with the blood seeping from the gash on his neck as the two liquids mixed together on the concrete floor of the alleyway.
Out of all the days he could’ve chosen to take a shortcut home, a vampire waited, lurking in the shadows until the perfect victim showed themselves. Just this time, Hyunjin was the victim. Counting down the seconds before he fell unconscious and eventually bled out. He was curious about why the offender chose not to drain him completely.
Nobody passed through this alleyway. They would’ve had all the time in the world to drain Hyunjin, but they didn’t.
His noise cancelling headphones had rendered Hyunjin mostly defenceless against attackers. He also couldn’t do much to fight back with an open umbrella held tightly in his grip. An unfortunate set of circumstances, considering all he wanted to do was go back to his dorm and paint.
Instead, he lay on the concrete, paralysed from vampire venom, waiting for death to take over. Not like he had anyone to worry about. Nobody would miss him, and he accepted that as he closed his eyes and waited for death as his sense of hearing faded away.
Whoever had drunk from him wouldn’t need to feed from anyone else for a while. Hyunjin was good for that at least.
Well, he didn't know a lot about vampires despite being around them all of his life. They were just there. Like any other human, they just had to drink blood to stay alive, and couldn't go out during the day, and were paler than usual.
Surely that was all.
There was a hospital down the road. Hyunjin had heard vampires could apply to receive blood bags for a small fee from there; could they not even do that?
Apparently not, and Hyunjin had to pay for their thirst with his life. Heat spread throughout his body as his eyes drifted closed.
So this is what death felt like.
As much as he didn't want to die, he felt strangely at peace.
Hyunjin drifted in and out of consciousness, waking up just enough to hear someone speak.
"Wait… Hyung, is that a person?"
Those words being one of the last sentences he heard right before he passed out again.
Day 1
As he slowly drifted back into consciousness for what felt like the tenth time that day, he wasn't lying in the alleyway being drenched by both the rain and his own blood.
Instead, he was lying in someone's lounge room… dorm lounge room. Brown, warm, fluffy blankets bunched up in his lap as he slowly sat up.
The clock on the wall said it was 12:53 right now. He had just missed one of his classes. Though, the realisation didn't matter to Hyunjin.
He was supposed to be dead anyway.
His hand flew up to his neck, expecting to feel a scar, or at least something. Any sign that he had in fact almost died.
All he felt was smooth, completely healed skin — how long was he out for?
Maybe he could find out more if he found out whose dorm this was. It was definitely one dorm meant for two richer people. By size alone, it was massive compared to Hyunjin's shoebox of a dorm.
Granted, his was a one-person dorm. This could qualify as an apartment, hell… Hyunjin could live in a place like this for the rest of his life and be okay.
Large blackout curtains covered the floor-length windows. On one side of the curtains sat the TV on a little wooden console. On the other side of the curtains was a little kitchen, granite bench tops and accents that matched the wooden console.
Hyunjin desperately wanted some light in this otherwise dark room. Though it was easy to see in the dark — he loved natural light.
He needed to get up and stretch his legs. His limbs ached.
Getting up wasn't as painless as Hyunjin thought it was going to be. His arms and legs still hurt, but he was sure if he got them moving around again he'd be okay. He also needed a drink.
His fingers brushed the black curtain before pulling it back in one movement. The sun blinded him, and he blinked quickly — but after a few seconds, he still could barely see.
It hurt.
Hyunjin drew the curtain closed again, hating the way the sun felt on his skin. Which was weird, he loved getting to campus early and sketching in the sun, and even during the hottest of summers, the sun had never felt like that before.
Whatever.
He figured he should just wait until whoever lived in this dorm to get, back, then he could hound them for answers to the many questions the last… however long he was out for… brought up.
Despite the rumble in his stomach, Hyunjin didn't feel comfortable eating food. Instead, he settled on getting a glass from the first cupboard he opened to get a drink of water. They couldn't get mad at him for that, right?
They were the ones who had dragged his bleeding body back to their dorm and let him sleep on the couch for at least a few days.
Hyunjin nearly dropped the glass on the ground when he heard footsteps from what had to be the hallway, then keys rattling a few metres away from him. They were home.
"—could be out-cold still," someone whisper-shouted as the door opened slowly.
He just stood there, shifting on his feet in the small kitchen as two people walked in, unsure of what else to do.
"Look," a guy with licorice-black hair and noise-cancelling headphones with cat stickers said as he jerked a thumb in the couch's direction. "He's not even here anymore. I told you one of us should've skipped class and stayed in case he woke up."
"There's no way he left. I'd be surprised if he could walk," the other guy said. He dressed in all black, hoodie and jeans—it matched his hair. The headphones around his neck matched his roommate's. "Plus, he'd have questions."
"Maybe he got scared, Chan. I wouldn't blame him." They continued to argue quietly near the door, not even noticing Hyunjin until he took a deep breath, and both of their heads whipped around at the noise.
"I told you he wouldn't die."
"Minho!"
"What? I was the one being op-"
"How am I still alive?" Hyunjin interrupted before the two of them could start bickering all over again. So many questions raced through his head.
Hyunjin didn't care that he didn't know where he was. Being in their dorm didn't bother him. He'd already forgotten about the sun hurting him. He just wanted to know how he had survived despite the gash in his neck that person—no, vampire — made with their kitchen knife. Before they drained him of all his blood.
They just looked at him.
That's not the answer he was looking for, but he had no other choice than to wait for the two people that probably saved him to explain what had happened.
"I was supposed to die," Hyunjin said.
"You were," the same guy who said he wouldn't die said—Minho? The one in all black, Chan maybe, groaned. "You see the fridge behind you? Help yourself."
"Mi-" Chan started but Minho cut him off by holding up his hand, watching Hyunjin expectantly.
Unsure of what else to do, Hyunjin stepped tentatively to the fridge, and swung the door open. It was filled to the brim with meat, energy drinks and half-empty takeaway containers.
The carton of milk in the door was about to go off—Hyunjin could smell it.
He took out a takeaway container, just some kind of beef and rice, and put it on the bench.
"Cutlery's in the drawer to your left," Minho said.
Hyunjin's hand shook as he opened the drawer, pulling out a fork. Whether he was shaking in fear or he really was that hungry, Hyunjin didn't know. Though he was apprehensive about his circumstances, the least he could do was humour his temporary roommates.
His stomach rumbled as he picked up a chunk of meat. Hunger it was then. With Minho and Chan's eyes on him, he put the whole chunk in his mouth.
And spat it out just as quickly.
It tasted horrible.
"What the fuck is that?" Hyunjin spluttered, mortified at the fact he had just spat out these people's food right into their sink.
They probably thought he was crazy. No matter how badly Hyunjin wanted the embarrassment to stay away, he couldn't swallow whatever the hell that was when it tasted like rotten flesh, or what Hyunjin would expect rotten flesh to taste like.
"Bulgogi," Minho said, now sitting on the bar stool, still watching Hyunjin with an intense stare. With tissues in hand, Chan appeared at Hyunjin's side, holding them in offering.
"Look…"
"Hyunjin."
"Look, Hyunjin, there's no easy way to put this—"
"You're a vampire," Minho finished, watching Hyunjin's reaction as everything clicked into place. He didn't know how he'd gone so long without realising, but that didn't make him feel any better as he took a deep breath.
It came back out as a sob, of fear and uncertainty. Here he was, stuck in some random people's dorm, finding out he wasn't entirely human anymore.
"Whoever left you like that in the alleyway either tried to turn you, or was freshly turned themselves. Too much venom was transferred to you," Chan started, still standing next to Hyunjin awkwardly. Hyunjin just stayed silent, unmoving as he leaned over their sink.
"You would've woken up eventually anyway, but we thought we should at least bring you somewhere safer." Minho said.
"We want to help you. That's why we brought you back here," Chan continued. "We're vampires too. We know what we're doing; we've done this before."
That did not surprise Hyunjin one bit. They could tell him anything, and it wouldn't surprise him—his world had already flipped on its head.
He settled on humming, wiping his hands on his… sweatpants? Those definitely weren't his.
"They're mine. Don't worry, your clothes are just getting fixed up by a friend of ours." Hyunjin saw the reassuring smile on Chan's face, and he felt a little safer knowing he had two… experienced vampires at his side.
What a mess this was.
"There's a lot to adjust to, but first, you need more rest than you realise," Minho said, getting up from his stool and walking towards a door attached to the lounge that Hyunjin was sleeping in for the past, however long.
"I'll take the couch. You can have my bed," Minho said before he closed the door behind him—cutting off Hyunjin's chance to protest. Next to him, Chan just chuckled, as if this kind of thing happened often.
"We don't need that much sleep anyway. Don't worry. We'll talk about this when you wake up and answer any questions you have."
"Okay." Hyunjin felt himself grow weak and sleepy all over again.
"Do you have any family, or a partner maybe, that you need to text or call and tell them you're okay?" Chan asked. "Your phone was flat by the time we found you, but it should be full—"
"No."
The door swung open again, and Minho held only a single pillow under his arm.
So much for the dramatic exit. There were worse vampires to be info dumped on by in the morning, he figured.
Hyunjin felt a small smile tug at his lips despite the thickness in the air that had appeared in the moments Minho was gone.
"Go crazy," Minho yawned, stretching out on the couch and pulling out his phone. With how sleepy Hyunjin was already, he forced down his million-and-one questions and let sleep guide him into what had to have been Minho's room, taking in nothing but how comfy the bed looked—and promptly fell into it, letting sleep consume him once more.
Hyunjin's eyes flew open.
Hungry.
It had to be night. There was no more light peeking through the gaps in the curtains, but Hyunjin could see just fine.
His stomach rumbling proved this, yet he stayed in bed, looking up at the dark ceiling. The only thing he tried to eat he spat back out again — that was still embarrassing.
Hopefully, Chan and Minho remembered, or at least understood what it was like to turn into a vampire. What it was like to drink blood for the first time, and not being able to even swallow normal food.
A million more questions flooded Hyunjin's mind, and he forced his shaky feet onto the ground, standing up. His vision darkened, and he was lightheaded for a moment before he walked straight back out into the living room area. The two… vampires… sat on the couch, watching something on their TV.
Both of them whipped their heads around as soon as the door started to open. Chan smiled widely.
"You're awake! We weren't sure if you were going to sleep through until morning or not. You must be hungry. Here." Chan pushed Minho's legs off of his lap and stood, making his way to the kitchen.
Hyunjin had no choice but to follow him. He swallowed thickly as Chan rummaged around in the fridge.
"Did you sleep well?" Minho asked.
Hyunjin was sweaty, hungry, no longer human and in the dorm room of two people who might as well be strangers to him, but at least he slept well.
"Yeah." Hyunjin smiled softly, trying to figure out how to smile with his new fangs growing in. They weren't there earlier, that was for sure. As if Minho could hear his thoughts, he continued to talk.
"You'll be able to retract them on command — you're just hungry right now," he explained, and Hyunjin hummed in acknowledgement. At least Hyunjin could retract them… eventually.
Chan sighed, his breath laced with something that sounded a lot like concern as he closed the fridge. There was a flash of something red in his hand that Hyunjin couldn't see, even as he sat on one of the kitchen bar stools, waiting.
Chan reached for a glass from the top cupboard and placed it on the bench in front of him.
After that, he placed a bag of red liquid on the bench. And Hyunjin's stomach sunk at the same time that his fangs ached.
Blood.
"I'm not drinking that." Hyunjin shifted his gaze to the wall. If he concentrated hard enough, he could just disappear, and he wouldn't have to drink it.
"I know this has been a lot to take in, but you have to at least do this."
"You're too weak, you need to drink it," Minho added, Hyunjin jumping slightly at his closeness — he was sitting next to him.
A sob forced its way out of Hyunjin's throat as he felt the cold bench on his cheek. This was too much. He didn't want to be a… monster. Somebody who would need to kill to live.
"Hey… hey…" Chan grabbed Hyunjin's hand that his head rested on, and told Minho to get some tissues before turning back to Hyunjin. As Hyunjin felt Chan's hands on him, he shifted his own, forcing Chan to let go.
He didn't even need the tissues. No tears were being shed.
He was dehydrated.
"It's okay… we bought this from the hospital. It was given up willingly. You don't have to feel bad about drinking it," Chan said.
"I don't — don't wanna… kill anyone."
"You won't have to. Human blood is human blood. Whether it's from a bag or directly from someone."
"Minho and I hardly ever drink from people."
Minho hummed in agreement, handing the tissues to Hyunjin as he got back up again. A breath rattled its way out of his chest as he opened and closed his mouth, trying to think of what to say.
"It's just that—I… I hate the taste of blood. And now I'm in two strangers' kitchen, being offered a blood bag to drink. Because now I'm a monster cause someone tried to fucking kill m—"
"Do you think Minho and I are monsters?" Chan interrupted.
"Well no. I hardly know you—"
"From the handful of vampires you've ever interacted with in your life, have any of them given you a reason to call them monsters?" Chan asked, cutting Hyunjin off again. His gaze was so intense Hyunjin could barely keep eye contact.
"No…"
"Then why are you considering yourself a monster when you haven't even been a vampire for a day?"
"'Cause I know me, and I don't know you," Hyunjin replied immediately.
A small smile formed on Chan's lips. How he could find this even remotely amusing was beyond Hyunjin. "Well, I'm Bang Chan, or Christopher. I'm five hundred and twelve. I agreed to quit my job and go back to uni with Minho because I was bored. I'm currently studying music production, but before that I was a dentist for like twenty years..? My favourite colour is black. I'm a dog person. And I lived in Australia with my vampire colony for the first two hundred and fifty-ish years of my life before I moved to Korea for something different."
He motioned to Minho for him to ramble off some facts about him before Hyunjin could protest. This is not how he thought this conversation would go.
"I'm Lee Minho. Unlike Channie, I'm only one hundred and ninety-nine—I was turned quite recently, actually. I bugged Chan to go back to uni with me because I was bored with being a physical therapist, even though I only did it for ten years. Now I'm doing dance. I like green, and I prefer cats." Minho said, his fingers drumming the bench top as he rambled off all the information.
"There. Now you can say you do know us." Chan smiled reassuringly at Hyunjin. "If you were to see us around, would you be able to tell we're vampires?"
Other than the slightly paler skin than what society considered normal for a human, Chan and Minho did look like humans. If you touched them, they were noticeably colder than humans would be. Also, if you looked closely, Chan's fangs peeked out, barely visible. As if he realised this as soon as Hyunjin did, he retracted them.
Hyunjin shook his head 'no'.
"I don't bother retracting my fangs at home most of the time; too much effort and I don't have anyone to hide it from, anyway." He shrugged. Easy for him to say — he was… five hundred?
Hyunjin put up a hand to slow Chan down even though he wasn't speaking. "Wait, wait, wait—you said you're five hundred. You look my age, and I'm twenty-one."
"Vampire aging is weird," Chan waved his hand dismissively. "I'm not gonna get into it right now, but we're both technically in our twenties."
So, Hyunjin was going to look like he was twenty-two for the rest of eternity.
There were worse ages to be stuck at, he figured.
Hyunjin's stomach rumbled again, reminding Chan of the whole reason the trio were in the kitchen in the first place.
Dread seeped into every pore of Hyunjin’s body and formed a pit in his stomach as he was forced to look at the blood bag again. No more procrastinating.
What if he went on a blood frenzy? So thirsty he killed people just so he could have their blood? Maybe it wouldn't be like that today because Hyunjin doubted the two vampires before him would ever even get to the point where they had no blood.
But he was a different person. How could he ever walk into a hospital and just ask for blood? Was there a registration process?
Did they need to check if he was a vampire? Would he have to bare his fangs to the poor receptionist just to get the only thing he could eat?
"This isn't a forever thing," Chan started, pushing the glass and the bag towards Hyunjin. "The older you get, the stronger your stomach, but no vampire can just give up blood completely."
Well, there went that dream.
Mouth completely dry, Hyunjin figured he should just get it over with, while he had pleasant company at least.
Fingers shaking, Hyunjin could barely get his fingers on the cap to unscrew it. It looked like some sick bag of custard. Would this ever get any easier?
"Do you want a h—"
"No, I got it." The lid clattered on the bench, resounding.
Heart beating out of his chest, Hyunjin brought the nozzle to his lips and sucked.
His first instinct was to spit it all back out again, but he choked the whole thing down, even if it killed him.
But he was so thirsty.
The liquid flooded through him, and he felt energised, more than he had in a long time — including being human.
He hated how much he liked it.
Hyunjin made sure he sucked every drop of blood from it before slamming the empty bag on the bench.
"That was terrible," he said. Disgust wracked his body. Chan and Minho just looked at him, as if they knew he was lying.
Who was Hyunjin kidding? Of course they knew.
They didn't say any different, and he didn't know if he wanted them to as he cried and cried and cried.
Hours could've passed, days even, before Hyunjin felt like he was going to throw up. And there was no way he was going to drink another one of those bags until he had to.
Sobs choked back down, he lifted his head. Chan stood in exactly the same spot.
"That's enough of that. I'll send you back home with one — until Minho and I show you how to get them from the hospital, or you can just work it out yourself. Whatever you want." Chan threw the bag into the bin and put the untouched glass away.
Right. His home.
"I just live on campus, over in the single dorms," Hyunjin said.
"Oh, even better! Minho and I can walk you over when you're ready to leave," he said as he opened the fridge again. "Did you eat all the eggs?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Minho singsonged, disappearing into what Hyunjin assumed was Chan's room.
"Twelve gone, just like that," Chan whispered, his head still stuck in the fridge. Hyunjin had no idea how he heard him as clearly as he did.
"I heard that!" Minho called. So Hyunjin wasn't the only one, at least.
He had classes to catch up on.
He was ahead — or at least not behind — when he was walking home before he got attacked.
That definitely wasn't the case anymore.
"What day is it?" Hyunjin asked.
"Friday," Chan said. At least it was the weekend, giving Hyunjin the chance to breathe and catch up on everything he needed to after missing his Friday classes.
He had that massive piece due for one class, and another big piece coming up right after that one. Just how he was going to fit in adjusting to being a vampire around classes when the semester ended in two weeks — Hyunjin wasn't sure of that either.
As if Chan could hear Hyunjin spiralling, he spoke up again. "Hey. Breathe. Everything's gonna work out."
"You don't know that."
"Sure I do. I've been on this planet almost five hundred years longer than you have."
Hyunjin stayed silent.
"In my many years on Earth, I cannot recall one instance of something not eventually working itself out. Can you?"
This made Hyunjin think. Maybe Chan had a point.
Everything worked out eventually.
The first time he moved out, he feared for his life, but he was okay. His first class? The first three alarms he set didn't go off, and he woke up twenty-one minutes before his first class started, but again, everything turned out okay.
"No."
Chan smiled in a way that allowed his fangs to be seen. Unapologetically vampiric.
"But I have so many assignments to do. How am I even gonna get to class when one second in the sun will turn me into a puddle?"
Minho reentered the room, handing Hyunjin his phone before he walked towards the door, pulling a large black umbrella from its stand and thrusting it into Hyunjin's hands. "Umbrella."
There was only one lone umbrella that sat in the stand now, and there were two vampires. Hyunjin couldn't possibly—
"Chan doesn't need it, but we'll order another one when we can. Thick protective ones aren't cheap."
"Let me pay you back then," Hyunjin said, already unlocking his phone. Before he could open his bank app, Minho's hand covered his phone screen.
"Don't be ridiculous, we've had many full-time jobs — we can afford one umbrella."
Hyunjin would've protested, but the seriousness hidden under Minho's dismissive gaze told him to drop the subject.
Great. He was going to feel indebted to these vampires for the rest of his life. Which was now a long time considering he was effectively immortal.
"Oh, and also, you should consider going part time for the rest of your degree. We are. There's no reason to rush it because we have all the time in the world to do it, you know?" Chan said over running water, now washing the dishes.
The kitchen blinds were wide open, like you would see if you walked into any normal household on a weekend morning. A mother washing the dishes as she gazed out at the view of the sun beaming down on her garden.
Instead, Chan gazed out into the darkness of midnight as if it were his sun, relishing in the absence of light. The real thing was too much of a hazard otherwise.
"You're right…" Hyunjin trailed off. "I'll change it when I get to my dorm, assuming I'll remember."
"Here, give me your phone and I'll give you mine and Channie's numbers," Minho said, holding out his hand for Hyunjin's phone.
Hyunjin gave it to him without a second thought. He would need all the advice he could get. Light beamed from Hyunjin's phone onto Minho's face as he put in his and Chan's contact information.
Hyunjin took it back once he was done, just standing there awkwardly. According to his phone, it was 12:13. He should probably get back to his dorm now.
Not that he had anyone waiting for him, but he had definitely overstayed his welcome.
"We can walk you over if you'd like," Minho started, but Hyunjin immediately protested.
"I'll be fine. I need time to think anyway." They couldn't argue with that. Still, Minho looked unsure, but didn't push any further.
"We'll check in with you, and we can organise for you to come over for another lesson, and give you your clothes back." A smile toyed at Minho's lips as he took in Hyunjin in Chan's slightly bigger clothes.
Chan probably worked out. He was bigger than Hyunjin—but Hyunjin sunk most of his time into art. He didn't have time for anything else, let alone going to the gym regularly.
Hyunjin hummed noncommittally.
Then Chan quickly dried his hands with a dark blue tea towel and grabbed a small pile of things off of the bench to hand to Hyunjin. Pile was generous. It was three things.
His shoes, his keys and his… blood bag.
"Do you want a bag?" Chan was already at the console, riffling through the overflowing drawers in search of a bag. Hyunjin slipped his shoes on, not bothering to untie and then tie them up again.
He shoved his phone and keys into his pocket, shoving the blood bag into his other pocket before taking the umbrella back off of Minho.
"No, it's okay. Thank you, though."
Hyunjin's lips curled up in what he hoped looked like a smile, unsure of how he looked. At least the sentiment came across, hopefully.
"You gonna be okay walking back on your own?" Chan asked, closing the drawer.
"Mhm, I'll text you two."
The two other vampires took a few more seconds to look at Hyunjin, pity flashing across their faces. Hyunjin knew what that looked like.
He ignored it — calling it out wasn't going to help him. It never did.
They all exchanged goodbyes before Hyunjin was out the door. The resounding click of the door jarred him out of the daze he had been in for the past few hours.
He really had to pretend everything was normal. Life went on.
The walk back to his dorm was easier than it would've been if Hyunjin were a human. He could see everything. It was still obvious it was night, but he could make out the path in front of him — and everything beyond that — without having to squint.
His battered runners crushed bits of gravel as he left the rich people dorm area and entered the poorer, single dorm area. The building loomed over him as he looked up habitually.
Hyunjin forced his gaze to return to his feet as the gravel-littered concrete turned into smoother flooring. Now he began the six-level climb as the elevators were down for repair. Just his luck.
Surprisingly, Hyunjin didn't feel as tired after the climb as he usually did. Barely breaking a sweat as he reached level six. He swung open the door, entering the hallway and walking down the never-ending carpet until he had reached his own dorm.
Again, a lot more dreary and lifeless than Minho and Chan's dorm, but it was home.
Granted, having a roommate probably helped it feel more lived-in and welcoming, but Hyunjin was fine on his own.
He was happy with his tiny dorm, only holding his bed, a makeshift kitchenette Hyunjin had made using Ikea furniture and a mini fridge, and his art supplies. It was all he needed. He didn't need to leave his dorm for anything really except for class.
Hyunjin preferred it that way, honestly.
He threw everything on the bench, and shoved the blood bag in his mini fridge, before he tumbled into bed.
He promptly started crying all over again now that he could. Tears soaked his pillow as they continued to flow. Hyunjin figured at least he would be so tired after he stopped crying that he'd just fall right to sleep.
Hours passed, and Hyunjin still lay there, milling over all the new information.
He'd only cried for about twenty minutes, but now he was stuck, wide awake, forced to continue to struggle with accepting his new reality.
Despite the physical and emotional exhaustion that raked through his body, only when the sun started to rise did sleep finally take mercy on him.
Then, and only then, did closing his eyes provide him with sleep's temporary escape.