Third Vampire Shadows (An Urban Paranormal Romance Novel) (20 page)

Hyeon
Jin
smoothed her hair. “It was a pretty good prank.”

Silence
.

“Just trust me. I’ll never disappoint you again. Just this once. Please
trust me
,” Mun Oh implored, staring deep into her eyes.

“But...”

“Don’t think about the ifs and buts; they will take you nowhere, believe me.” He took her hand and led her towards the backdoor of the manor. “We barely have one day left... you wanna do something fun?” he asked, winking playfully at her.

She thought for a while and grabbed his arm, pulling him away from the backdoor and into the narrow passage to the front yard.

“I want you to meet someone,” she said, her tone back to normal. For once, she didn’t want to be sad or frustrated or angry anymore. She just wanted to spend her last few days with him in a cheerful, light atmosphere.

•••

Bloodsuckers generally have a few more rules and laws that they abide by. Aside from the Rule of Thirds, the law about being subtle around humans, and the rule about modifying the memory of their
catch
, they also have a “Rule of Reawakening” and a “Rule of Neutralization.”

The Rule of Reawakening states that bloodsuckers who have undergone voluntary or involuntary lethargy must only be reawakened at the winter solstice in a year where the blue moon and the red sun manifest simultaneously. Only when this eccentric and special moment occurs can a slumbering bloodsucker be reawakened without endangering his or her life. The Ritual of Reawakening shall be done by offering the bloodsucker a goblet-full of mixed blood from his family and anyone else he might have to remember.

The reawakening is like the starting point of the bloodsucker’s life. The lethargy he underwent might or might not have cleared his mind of thoughts and memories of his life before the deep slumber. It's like reinstalling your computer's OS, causing your files to be lost unless you backed them up.

It is up to the bloodsucker to fight off the lethargy’s bad side effects. The choice is up to him whether he will let himself fall deep into the slumber, hence giving up every vital memory in his mind.

The Rule of Neutralization is the only known solution to most of the bloodsuckers’ law-breaking dilemmas. It is said that the worst punishment for one’s unlawful activity is something that would involve a
sacrifice
on the bloodsucker's part. If the bloodsucker was to do something that would cause him a great deal of pain and inflict sorrow and misery, allowing him to repent would even out whatever wrongdoing the bloodsucker had done. In short, a sacrifice of whatever sort would definitely neutralize any misdemeanors—grave or not.

Mun Oh had originally planned to abstain from drinking blood, knowing full well that a couple of weeks later, he’d definitely fall into an involuntary slumber. That was his solution before he realized he was running out of time. His misdeeds were like ticking time bombs. The moment he had decided not to bite
Hyeon
Jin
to modify her memory, he had unwittingly damned himself. His
sacrifice
was long overdue; he needed to do it now or it would be too late for him.

“Tell me something first...”
Hyeon
Jin
demanded as she carefully clung onto Mun Oh’s back.

“What?”

“Are we really in
Ouagadougou
?” she asked curiously.

He propped her up higher and chuckled to himself. “I can’t tell you that. It’s a secret.”

“But you said you live in
Ouagadougou
!”

He turned to look at her. “We’re not really allowed to say exactly where we live... so, that will forever be a mystery to you.”

“That’s unfair!” she complained. “How will I be able to visit you when...?” She didn’t finish her sentence. Sighing, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her face into his back.

Mun Oh decided to lighten the mood. “Hey, you got '
Ouagadougou
' right this time. Great!” When she remained silent, he decided to just let it go. “Hang on tight.”

The blast of cool air engulfing her as they did the special traveling thing that bloodsuckers do, did help a bit in soothing her nerves. She was able to let go of her worries for a while and enjoyed what would probably be their last ‘ride’ together. Moments later, they were in front of an archway that led to hundreds of tombs. Mun Oh let her down and spun around.

“This is where you wanna go?” he asked incredulously. He had just read her mind and saw that she was thinking of this place, but he had no idea why.

She nodded and took long strides toward the gates, taking the familiar path that led her to the one place where she’d be if she didn’t want anyone to find her. Not wanting to argue, Mun Oh walked behind her, kicking stones every now and then. Just when he thought they were far enough from civilization, she halted right in front of a plain white tomb with the words
“
Jin
Ah, Lived and Died as a valiant mother and a loving wife”
engraved on it.
He noticed the withered flowers on top of the tomb as well as three small candles at the bottom.

“Your mom, huh?” Mun Oh asked quietly.

She nodded, faced him, seized his left hand, and then brought him closer to the tomb. She then closed her eyes and held his hand tightly.

“Hey, Mom...” she started in a shaky voice, her eyes still closed. “I want you to meet
Lee
Mun
Oh
. He’s a very special
person
... to me. Well, I can’t say he’s my friend, because saying that is like saying Dad’s the best cook in the world...” She paused to giggle. “He’s not my boyfriend, either, because technically, we haven’t even dated yet. We just had this mutual understanding that... that we
like
each other… very much.”

She took a deep breath. Mun Oh was motionless beside her as he studied her with sympathy.

“I know you’re probably mad that I didn’t tell you about him before," said
Hyeon
Jin
. "Sorry. I just... I don’t think you’d approve. You see, he’s... Ji Sun’s younger brother... well, sort of. Technically, they’re not related anymore. And he’s not really
human.
” Mun Oh smirked. “I promise I’ll tell you about how we met and explain everything some other time. But for now... I just want you to meet him and tell me what you think... let me
feel
what you think.”

She opened her eyes and glanced at him before closing them again. “I know the last time I came here, I was depressed about
you know what.
.. And I told you that no one could replace you in our lives. But you know, Ji Sun…” She smiled thinly. “She loves Dad so much and she cares for me a lot, too. I’m not sure she can take your place in our hearts, but she definitely has a spot inside now. She’s a great lady, Mom; you should’ve met her. So stop worrying now, we’ll be fine with her.”

There was a deafening moment of silence. She didn't make any sound or movement, as if she was waiting for something to happen. Just when Mun Oh felt like it was getting creepy and stupid, a chilly breeze swept by, gently ruffling their hair and leaving both of them shivering. Without another word,
Hyeon
Jin
bowed to her mother’s tomb and trudged away.

“Wait up!” He ran after her, still disoriented. “Is that... is that a
yes
?” he asked.

She raised an eyebrow at him as if sizing him up. “It’s a secret.” She snickered and then started sprinting away.

“Oh yeeaaah... right! You could
really
win in a running contest against ME, you dumb human!” he shouted after her before showing her his evident advantage.

Naturally, Mun Oh reached the gates first, leaning against the archway as he waited for Hyeon Jin, who came five minutes later, huffing and puffing, her face crumpled up and sweaty.

He winked at her and laughed arrogantly. “Hey! Welcome back! I was just getting ready to rescue you! I thought you had died back there or something,” he teased her as she bent over, hands on her knees, catching her breath. She was definitely having a hard time breathing. In one swift move, he was right beside her, whispering to her ear.

“You want me to help you with that?” he asked coyly.

“Wi...th... whhaatt!” she croaked out.

“Breathing... I could transfer my breath into you...” he whispered smoothly.

She looked up at him. “Yoouu... could... do that?”

He nodded mischievously.

“How?”

He puckered up his lips as though waiting for a kiss; she blushed furiously and averted her eyes. Mun Oh started to walk away, guffawing madly.

“HEY! You pest! Come back here!” she bellowed at him.

He looked over his shoulders and smirked at her. “
Catch me... if you can!”

•••

Back at the Lee manor, the meeting with the elders had just been adjourned. Three old gentlemen—two of them bearded—and two middle-aged ladies left the manor whispering among themselves and occasionally nodding or shaking their heads. Everything was set for the day after tomorrow: the day of Mun Oh’s half-voluntary, half-involuntary lethargy. There was no use arguing over it or debating what else there was to do.

Ji
Hyun
had already accepted his son’s fate, although it pained him greatly that he couldn’t do anything about it. In addition, the family name would forever be stigmatized by this disgraceful misfortune. Not that it mattered to him that much anymore; he just wanted his son to be happy. He never wished to turn the situation into something far worse. Min Ah was still inconsolable until this morning when Ji Sun talked to her.

“How are you doing?” she asked her as Min Ah paced her bedroom nervously.

“I’m fine,” she whispered, but Ji Sun knew better than anyone that she was far from being
fine.
She had a habit of pacing her bedroom right before she had a panic attack.

“Sit down, Min Ah. I wanna talk to you,” Ji Sun demanded lightly.

The casualness in her voice and the way she said her name made her stop in mid-step. Ji Sun simply shrugged. “I’m not allowed to call you ‘Mom’ anymore, am I?” she said with a sad smile.

Min Ah was at a loss for words. “I... well… it was... umm... what did you wanna talk about?” She walked to her bed and sat at the edge, staring apprehensively at her estranged daughter.

“Please don’t be too harsh on
Hyeon
Jin
,” Ji Sun began, sitting at the ancient-looking chair in front of the grandiose dresser. “I’ve only known her for less than three years, but I can assure you that she’s a great girl. She’s really nice and funny and witty once you get to know her. Don’t let her being a human decide whether you’d like her or not. It’s not really a crime for our kind to
like
humans, right?”

“It’s not about her being a human,” Min Ah said. “I just can’t believe everything we worked so hard for so that Mun Oh would be able to uphold the family reputation and have a much better future was all thwarted by her mere existence.”

Ji Sun walked over to sit beside her. “Is that the real reason? Or are you just afraid to lose him?” she asked. “You’re afraid that he’ll end up like me—fascinated by the human world and eventually leaving this life for that.”

Min Ah didn’t have an answer to that. They simply gazed at each other for what seemed like an eternity. With a deep sigh, Ji Sun marched to the door. As she was about to turn the knob, Min Ah appeared right beside her, startling her.

“I— I have to remember not to be surprised when you do that,” she joked sheepishly, clutching her chest.

Min Ah gave her a wan smile before hugging her tight. It was a hug full of care and longing, but it only lasted for a second. Before Ji Sun could make another move, Min Ah was back sitting on the bed.

“I’m happy... that you found your happiness,” Min Ah whispered.

Ji Sun grinned nervously. “I was happy with our family, but it just wasn’t enough.” She took a deep breath and pulled the door open. “Don’t worry about Mun Oh. He’s stronger, in every sense of the word, than all of us combined. He’ll be all right.” With that, she was gone from her sight.

•••

“You wanna hear something funny?” Mun Oh asked as they strolled around the small park in front of
Hyeon
Jin
’s school.

It had become more like a silent agreement between the two of them to spend their last day together in familiar and memorable places. It felt like retracing their footsteps and taking the path that led both of them to this very moment.

“I think I’ve seen you before,” Mun Oh went on, placing his hands at the back of his head.

She was chewing on a piece of gum that she had found in her pocket minutes ago. “What?”

“It was my first time to bite someone. I was six. I wandered around trying to familiarize myself with every human smell... trying to find the
perfect catch
for me. That’s when I saw
you
,” he said indifferently.