Chapter Text
"Thank you! Hope to see you again~"
After seeing off the last customer, Taeyi turned off the lights, cleaned up the café, finished tidying everything, and finally locked the door.
Another day of business was over.
He had lived for a very long time.
He had tried all sorts of things to make life feel different from one day to the next.
He had lived in different countries.
Traveled across the world.
Seen things most people never would.
And yet he just kept living.
Because he had already been born.
"It's not like there's an ending waiting for me anyway. Maybe watching everything until the day the world ends wouldn't be so bad."
Thinking that, Jeong Taeyi slowly walked home.
What should I eat?
Do I still have any blood bags left?
How long has it been since I last stole some from the hospital?
...
None.
Looks like I have to go tonight.
Or maybe find some random person?
Nah.
I don't really like doing that.
Ugh...
I'm tired.
I finally got home.
Well, this is my fault for not keeping track of my stock.
With that thought, Taeyi headed back out.
Pulling up the hood of his hoodie and putting on a mask, he made his way toward the hospital.
Following a route he had figured out long ago, he slipped inside unnoticed.
The smell of blood was unusually strong tonight.
But there hadn't been any news about an accident.
It was supposed to be a peaceful day.
Had something happened?
As time kept moving forward, things happened that even he couldn't predict anymore.
Every war disrupted the balance of power.
Had the last conflict not settled down yet?
He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
Whenever something major happened in the world, Taeyi survived the same way he always had—with the wealth he had accumulated over the years.
This time should be the same.
Hopefully.
Eventually, he reached the blood bank.
"Why are there so few blood bags today? No restock?"
No.
It was probably because of the unusually strong scent of blood throughout the hospital.
As he grabbed a few blood bags, he deliberately took less than usual.
The patients still needed them.
Then—
Footsteps.
I need to leave.
Who's coming to a hospital at this hour?
Taeyi quickly disappeared into the darkness.
Thankfully, nobody noticed him.
Looking at the blood bags in his hand, he estimated they would last a few more weeks.
Then a voice echoed down the hallway.
"My instincts are usually pretty accurate."
A pause.
"So... what was that thing?"
---
"Ah... too bright..."
Morning sunlight slipped through a tiny gap in the tightly closed curtains.
"Sigh... I closed them properly. Why is there still sunlight?"
Frowning, Taeyi pulled the curtains shut again.
His skin wasn't burning.
It didn't hurt.
It was just annoying.
Like tiny needles slowly piercing his nerves.
After living this long,
he still hated the sun.
Vampire.
That was just a name.
There was no one else.
No one who could share the boredom of immortality.
The taste of human blood.
The pain of watching the people you love grow old and die.
There was only Taeyi.
Only him.
"Sigh... I suddenly miss my brother."
His eyes drifted toward the back of a cabinet.
The keepsake his brother had left behind sat there quietly.
An emotion he couldn't quite put into words rose in his chest.
Even after living this long,
he still wasn't used to being alone.
The thing his brother left him.
A one-time gift.
The only thing that could erase all loneliness.
...
That box.
Taeyi had sworn he would never use it.
But as the years passed, that promise had slowly begun to lose its meaning.
Lately, he had even started looking forward to whatever gift it might bring.
"I never wanted to use it."
"So why am I starting to hope that day comes?"
After collecting himself, he got ready and headed to the café.
The café had been designed entirely by him.
Dim lighting.
Simple furniture.
The faint scent of coffee drifting through the air.
People could keep their distance from one another while still feeling comfortable.
Taeyi liked it here.
The reason he opened the café was simple.
He wanted to meet his destined person.
And when that happened, he would use the gift his brother left behind and change the rest of his life.
Taeyi liked cute men.
Pretty faces that made people want to protect them.
He had met a few over the years.
None of them were the one.
Either their personalities didn't match their looks,
or they ran away the moment they noticed something strange about him.
"Welcome~"
A scent hit him immediately.
Hm? Blood?
Why does this guy smell like blood?
"One iced Americano, please."
"Ah... right away."
That's weird...
Why does he keep staring at me?
Is there something on my face?
Taeyi touched his cheek with one hand.
Nothing.
Across the counter stood a tall man with silver-white hair.
He was simply watching him with a cold smile.
His smile is actually pretty cute.
"Your Americano is ready."
Taeyi handed him the cup.
As the man accepted it, their fingers brushed briefly.
At this distance, the scent of blood became even stronger.
Not like a normal cut.
More like...
someone who had just come from somewhere soaked in blood.
What does this guy even do for a living?
Taeyi noticed the gloves.
That was where the smell was coming from.
The man took his coffee and sat at the counter, drinking quietly while continuing to watch him.
"...Do I have something on my face?"
Taeyi finally asked.
The man smiled.
"No."
"You just look familiar."
Is he hitting on me?
Taeyi immediately came to a conclusion.
After living this long, he'd heard plenty of opening lines like that.
But for some reason,
he felt uncomfortable hearing it from this man.
Like he was being watched by something.
"Don't your hands get uncomfortable wearing gloves all the time?"
"I'm used to it."
The man glanced at his gloved hand.
"It's like a second skin."
"And besides... who knows when I'll need them?"
Need them for whatever left that much blood on them?
Yeah, this guy definitely doesn't have a normal job.
"Do you own this café?"
"The atmosphere is nice."
"Thank you. I'm glad you like it."
"By the way, what's your name?"
Taeyi frowned.
"Do you always ask that when you're hitting on someone?"
"Hitting on someone?"
The man laughed.
"Not really. I don't usually do this."
"Then why are you doing it now?"
"What do you think?"
...What a pain.
Taeyi frowned again and decided not to answer.
"So?"
"Your name."
"I'm not interested in casual relationships."
A faint smile appeared on the man's face.
"And what would make you believe I'm serious?"
Taeyi crossed his arms.
"When you've come here ten times."
"Then I'll tell you."