╸𝕾𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖉 𝕭𝖔𝖓𝖉𝖘 ╸

╸╸╸╸╸╸╸╸╸╸╸╸╸╸╸

ℜ𝔢𝔫𝔧𝔲𝔫'𝔰 𝔭𝔬𝔳

╸╸╸╸╸╸╸╸╸╸╸╸╸╸╸

I ran through the woods and to the convenience store, those two far from my view.

I barged into the store and fell to my knees, as I began sobbing harder.

Mark rushed down from the counter and to my side. He helped me get up, and brought me up to behind the counter.

He had a small mattress in a corner that wasn't visible to other people. He sat me down onto the mattress, and brought me tissues.

He had a small blanket that he wrapped around my shoulders, and he began wiping my eyes with the tissues. He gently shushed me to calm me down, and after a few minutes, I stopped crying and my breathing became steady again. Only a few sniffles could be heard from me.

"Jun, what happened?"

He asked with a soft voice.

I stayed quiet, only responding with another sniffle.

"Did something happen with Jaemin and Jeno?"

I still stayed quiet, but nodded.

"I see..."

"I don't ever want to see them again.."

He seemed a little surprised that I said that, but he didn't bombard me with questions.

"You're welcome to stay with me then. I don't want anything to happen to you if you stay out there alone"

"Thank you hyung..."

He nodded, and went and got me a water bottle.

"I don't want you to get dehydrated. You look like you've been crying a lot"

I took the water, and quietly drank half of it.

He smiled and softly pet my head, then went back to sitting in his chair to wait for more customers.

"I can't leave my shift just yet, so I recommend that you take a nap until it ends. It's hopefully not gonna be long for me today, so you most likely won't have to wait too long"

"Okay..."

I set the water down next to me, and laid down on the mattress, slowly drifting off to sleep.

-

6 Hours Later

-

Mark gently woke me up after he gathered all of his things. I got my water bottle and rubbed my eyes, trying to fully wake myself up.

We walked out of the store after Mark shut everything down, and he made sure to lock the doors.

"Jun, take my hand"

He held out his hand, and I complied and held it.

He smiled and lead me to his place. On the way, I saw a stray cat. It was black, just like Jaemin... But it had green eyes instead of red. When it saw us, it just meowed and walked away.

Soon, we finally made it to Mark's house. He unlocked the door, and led me inside to his living room.

"Follow me"

He ordered, and I followed him up the stairs that were nearby.

He led me to a door at the end of a small hallway, and opened the it, revealing his bedroom.

"I'm gonna go take a shower really quick, and then you can go next. I'll lend you some of my clothes. When you get out, we can talk about what you're going through if you'd like"

I nodded, and he lightly ruffled my hair before exiting the room.

So while I waited, I sat down on his fluffy rug and examined the room around me.

I never thought that Mark would be so chill. He seems so wild and bubbly all the time, but he's actually a very calm and relaxed guy.

His room's layout resembles his personality in a way, seeing that it's so simple and tidy. I would've thought that there'd be stuff sprawled on the floor, and walls littered with band posters and string lights.

But, it actually represents that of a college dorm. Maybe even better than a college dorm.

-

1 Hour Later

-

Thankfully, Mark showed me how to use the shower. It looked very confusing at first, but became easy to use after he demonstrated how to turn it on and off, and how to adjust the temperatures.

After I got out, he sat down on the bed with me, and put on a movie that I didn't recognize. He turned it down a little, so we could talk.

"So, what happened between you guys? If you don't mind me asking"

"...Jeno and Jaemin, are the ones who killed my parents years ago"

"Huh?? I didn't know you lost your parents. But, they don't look like the type to want to kill someone"

"That's because they can't show that part of them during the day..."

"What do you mean??"

I stressfully ran my hand through my hair and sighed.

"Jeno is a werewolf, and Jaemin is a vampire..."

"...What?"

He looked very surprised and confused.

"They weren't always like that. Jeno was bitten by a werewolf, and Jaemin was bitten by a vampire, both while they were still kids. Around that time, I guess they didn't know what was happening to them, and they didn't know how to control their urges"

"..."

Mark stayed silent, and listened to my explanation.

"One night, when I was still a kid, I was out with my parents. I don't remember what we did, but I know that we were happy. I was sitting on my dad's shoulders, but something suddenly attacked him and I fell off, and hit my head. I don't really remember anything from that night, but I do remember that the things that killed my parents both looked like kids around my age"

"How'd you find out it was them though??"

"I asked them about it, without making it too obvious that I was interrogating them. They both remember attacking the same couple, as well as a kid that was bleeding from their head"

"You were that kid..."

I nodded.

"But then, how did you guys end up becoming friends??"

"I took them in. I should've known better though. I was just lonely, and I didn't have anyone, not even a single friend. Jeno saved me from getting caught in a bear trap, that night when you gave me the Cherry Bomb pen. And I had to stop Jaemin from attacking Jeno. When we found him, it was day time, but he's able to shapeshift into a cat so that the sun doesn't burn him. That night, he couldn't control his thirst for blood and tried to attack me, but Jeno saved me. I had to give Jaemin some blood from some raw meat I had, and when I did, he wasn't hostile anymore"

"So, you took them in because you knew how hard it was for them"

I nodded.

"I didn't want to just leave them out there alone for them to get hurt. They got abandoned by their own parents, so I felt like I had to be the one to save them. But..."

"But?"

"...But now, I feel so stupid for taking them in. My life was fine, until they came and ruined it. I probably wouldn't be the way I am now if it wasn't for them. I hate them... I wish I would've just left them alone..."

Mark went silent again.

I don't blame him. This is a lot to process so soon. Maybe I should've told him sooner, then he might understand more.

"You want to cut them off from your life completely then?"

I immediately nodded.

"I mean, I won't stop you, but maybe you should try thinking about this from their point of view"

"What...?"

I glared at him, but he didn't seem to be fazed.

"If they weren't always like that, then it's not their fault"

"I get that, but why did they have to kill my only family? Out of any other living thing, they chose my parents"

"Was it on purpose though?"

I didn't know how to respond to that question.

What did he mean by that...?

"Oh golly! I totally forgot about the movie! You should watch it with me Jun~"

Huh???

Why'd he get so bubbly again all in a sudden??

"Sure...?"

He smiled, and brought me to lay down next to him.

He turned up the movie, and made sure that I was comfortable before we started watching it.

But..., what does he mean?

Was it on purpose...?