Ha-Joon arrived home to an empty house. No laughter, no voices—just silence.
He was already annoyed with everyone, so instead of calling out, he decided not to bother. It was too hard to face anyone right now.
Instead, he flicked on the TV and music, feeling the beat pulse through the room.
Without a second thought, he shrugged off his shirt and trousers, leaving himself in just his boxers and socks.
Grabbing a bag of snacks from the table, he started to dance around the room wildly, as if he were on stage performing his own concert.
His carefree, crazy moves filled the space with energy, a temporary escape from his mood.
Meanwhile, outside, Nara was standing in front of Ha-Joon's house. She felt guilty about what had happened yesterday and had come to check on him.
She had planned to give him a tutoring session today, but since he hadn't shown up, she decided to do it at his place instead.
She fixed her hair nervously, took a deep breath, and pressed the doorbell.
No answer.
She could hear music playing from inside, loud enough to hear through the door. She hesitated, then rang again.
This time, the door swung open abruptly.
Ha-Joon was standing there, half-naked, holding a soda can in one hand, music still blaring behind him. His eyes widened in surprise.
''What? What is Nara doing here?" he blurted, gulping nervously. Before she could say anything, he quickly shut the door, as if trying to hide himself.
It then dawned on him. "Oh… I forgot. I didn't go for tutoring," he remembered suddenly.
He took a breath, then opened the door again, this time dressed and fixing his trousers nervously. His cheeks flushed slightly.
"Hi, Nara," he said casually, widening the door to let her in.
Nara looked at him, a mix of confusion and concern. "Ha-Joon, you didn't come today, so I had to come here myself," she explained softly.
He nodded, stepping aside to let her into the house. As she entered, she couldn't help but notice the lively chaos inside—the music still playing, the snacks scattered around, and Ha-Joon's sheepish expression.
Ha-Joon quickly turned off the music and faced Nara, a hint of nervousness flickering in his eyes.
"Ah, yes... ohm... this way," he mumbled, leading her into his room.
As Nara stepped inside, her eyes immediately took in the posters plastered on the walls — images of bands, movies, and some favorite idols.
His bed was unmade, cluttered with books and clothes, and the room felt a little warm, almost cozy in its chaos.
He handed her a bottle of water.
"Do you need anything else?" he asked, voice tentative.
She shook her head, settling herself onto the wooden desk while he sat across from her, leaning back slightly.
"So, today we'll study literature," Nara announced, opening her notebook and textbooks.
Ha-Joon let out a groan. "I hate literature," he complained, grimacing.
Nara giggled softly. "Math then?" she offered casually.
He groaned again, more dramatically this time. "Even worse."
Nara kept her book aside, her fingers interlaced on the desk. She looked at him with a gentle smile. "So, what do you want us to do?"
Ha-Joon smirked, crossing his arms. "Nothing, please. I'm already tired."
She raised an eyebrow. "Okay, so I came all this way just to waste my time? Are you serious?"
He nodded, shrugging. "Yeah."
Nara let out a sigh, a bit exasperated. "Fine…" she muttered sharply. But suddenly, the atmosphere in the room shifted — a chill swept through, and the temperature seemed to drop.
Ha-Joon shivered, pulling his arms around himself. "Why is the room suddenly cold now?" he asked, voice uncertain.
Nara looked around, her voice soft. "Ah... I don't know. It's your room," she replied quietly.
He rubbed his arms, trying to shake off the cold.
"Ah, whatever. Let's just focus," she said, trying to change the mood and bring the attention back to studying.
After they finished studying, Ha-Joon walked Nara to the door. They stood there for a moment, just staring at each other, neither quite ready to part ways.
The silence stretched between them, comfortable yet lingering with unspoken words.
Ha-Joon's eyes drifted to Nara's eyelashes, and he noticed a tiny hair resting on her lash. Carefully, he reached out and gently brushed it away, his fingertips soft against her skin. Nara looked at him and smiled softly, waving goodbye.
"Bye, Ha-Joon," she said gently, turning to walk away.
He watched her go, feeling a strange warmth in his chest as she disappeared down the street. Just then, his phone vibrated in his pocket.
He pulled it out quickly and saw the caller ID — it was Joy.
His face lit up, and he answered eagerly, pressing the phone to his ear as he started to head back inside.
"Ah… Ha-Joon, ohm… it's a video call," Joy's cheerful voice came through.
Ha-Joon's eyes brightened as he held the phone, already walking back into the house. "Oh, hi, Joy… sorry I didn't talk to you today," he said, a bit sheepishly.
Joy giggled on the other end, her freckles bouncing as she smiled brightly. "It's okay. I understand. I knew how you felt."
Ha-Joon looked down, guilt flickering in his eyes. "I know. It's just… you're my best friend, and I don't want to lose my best friend — especially not anyone," he admitted softly.
Joy sighed gently. "You still haven't cleared things up with In-Su, right? Why are you even fighting?"
He shook his head, a little tired. "Nothing. It's nothing."
She paused before speaking again, her voice calm. "Then go talk to him. Apologize, and everything will go back to normal."
''But...''
''He's your friend or is there anything else?'' Joy asked teasingly.
''No'' he answered quickly.
''then go and do it just....''
''Ok Joy.''
Ha-Joon nodded to himself, a small smile forming. "Thanks. I'll hang up now," he said softly.
He ended the call and stood there for a moment, contemplating the conversation. Then, with a deep breath, he turned back into the house, feeling a little more hopeful about fixing things.
----------
IN-SU'S POV:
It was a warm, sunny day in the park—the kind that made you wish you had a giant ice cream cone to munch on, or at least a hammock to nap in.
The sky was a bright blue, dotted with fluffy clouds that looked like cotton candy clouds, if cotton candy could be a little lazy and floaty.
I sat on a bench, all dressed in black—black sweater, black pants, black shoes—the kind of outfit that made me look like a ninja who missed his stealth lessons.
My face was covered with my usual black mask, which I really, believed made me look more mysterious but mostly just made people think I was about to rob a bank or hide from the sun.
My red eyes flickered around the park, taking in the cheerful chaos—kids chasing ducks, couples feeding pigeons, and a squirrel that seemed to be plotting world domination.
My arms were crossed tightly, and my legs stretched out in front of me relaxed, like I was trying to turn myself into a human barrier against the warmth.
I let out a deep sigh.
"Is this how my life will end up?" I wondered aloud, frustration flickering inside my eyes as I stared at the distant kite flying high.
"I don't even have a girlfriend, why do I care?" I finally muttered, kicking my legs slightly, which made a little squeaky noise against the bench.
"More talk, less of a love life," I added sarcastically, as if that was a life mantra.
Then I groaned, thinking about my lovely, and always nit perfect friendship with Ha-Joon.
"And now I'm about to lose a friend. That was hard enough to find—like finding a parking spot on a Saturday. Now I gotta keep him? Well, that's like trying to teach a cat to do calculus."
I sighed again, dramatically, then shook my head.
"Nope. I can't let that happen. Ha-Joon's my friend—like a brother from another mother... or a brother from another universe, if you ask my ancestors. I need to explain stuff to him before I turn into a villain in his story even though somehow I am."
I nodded firmly, as if making a lifetime vow.
"Yeah! No more messing around. I'll be the friend he needs—probably the friend who shows up in pajamas and snacks when he's crying over his favorite anime."
In-Su sighed deeply, staring at the bright, cheerful park scene. He adjusted his mask and muttered to himself.
"Am I being too human? Nah. Vampires don't get caught up in rainbow-colored unicorns and puppy love. Get yourself together, In-Su. You're a creature of the night, not a bedtime story. Vampires don't do brunch, they do midnight snacks and eternal darkness."
I nodded seriously, as if I just delivered a life-changing speech, then looked at a squirrel scurrying past.
"That squirrel's probably planning to take over the world. Or maybe it's just hungry. Either way, I need to stay fierce—like a vampire... not like a kid who's lost his Halloween candy. Am talking nonsense again did Ha-Joon rob his disease on me?"
Then my hand went to my chin rubbing it thoughtfully, then I added,
"No more thinking about rainbows. Rainbows are for kids who believe in fairy tales not fantasy. I believe in blood... and maybe a good nap. Nope, scratch that. Vampires don't nap. We just... pause... pretend we do."
And with that, I straightened up like a soldier, trying to look mysterious and intimidating—though secretly, I was pretty sure the squirrel was judging me more then his food.
And with that, I sat up straighter, determined—and maybe a little hungry—to handle my friendship, one awkward step at a time.
END OF POV...
As In-Su strolled deeper into the park, a mischievous thought crossed his mind. What if he showed his true, energetic, lively self to Ha-Joon and the others? Maybe if they saw him without the brooding vampire mask, they'd stop being afraid and actually like him for who he really was.
He imagined himself bouncing around like a puppy—tail wagging, maybe even doing a little dance—something totally out of character for a creature of the night.
He sighed dramatically shoulders slumping.
"Maybe then they'd realize I'm not just some scary vampire, but a fun, cool guy... with a lot of energy... and probably terrible dance moves."
He chuckled inwardly, shaking his head at the idea.
Because, let's be honest, vampires aren't exactly known for their dance skills—unless it's a very slow, very dramatic waltz in a moonlit ballroom.
But still, a tiny part of him wondered if maybe, just maybe, showing a little more of his lively side wouldn't be such a bad idea. After all, even creatures of the night need to have some fun, right?
He took a deep breath.
"Tomorrow's plan: be brave. Or at least, attempt to do the moonwalk. No try explaining to Ha-Joon why you reacted that way the other day. But he is not dumb to ignore what he saw... find another way then"