Boys Over Blood: Unfavorable Light
Author's Note:
In this universe….
Bella is not considering becoming a vampire.
Jan-di never dated Jun-pyo.
F4, Jan-di, the Cullen kids and Bella are all high school seniors.
"I'm telling you, Bella, there's this crazy light surrounding them when they walk together." The rumbling thunder on the other side of the cafeteria windows adds dramatic effect to Eric's words.
But Bella just raises an eye brow. Poor Eric.
Rain in Forks seems to wash away people's sensibilities. Rumors at Forks High School are leeches that suck the lifeblood of truth out of stories, leaving a less accurate but far more exciting version of reality.
No one knows much about the five foreign exchange high school seniors from South Korea, but Bella's curiosity is less aroused by mystical lights than it is by the fact that wet, insignificant Forks, Washington, was their destination of choice for spending their last year of high school.
A cold hand grasps her shoulder, and she shivers.
"I need to talk to you," Edward says, appearing in front of them. In his usual rude fashion he barks a dramatic one-liner, lacking the common courtesy of beginning a conversation with a greeting. He completely ignores Eric as usual too.
"Um. Yeah, sure." Bella rises to leave, saying, "Talk to you later, Eric."
Unaffected by either of their melancholic temperaments, he replies in his comfortable upbeat tone. "No problem. See ya, Bella."
Once out of human earshot Bella asks, "What is it?"
Edward's eyes dart around as if someone might be listening.
"F4," he says in a harsh whisper.
"On the keyboard? Yeah, I think it brings up a side screen where you can –"
Edward growls his interruption. "The four male Korean students. Have you heard about their light?"
"Eric just mentioned some blinding glow that surrounds them when they're together. I thought he was exaggerating."
"It's no exaggeration. Alice 'saw' it. She's been keeping us informed as to their whereabouts so we can avoid them."
"Would it really reveal your sparkles?"
"Their light is far more powerful than the sun."
Bella remarks, "The one who dresses in white – I showed him the music room this morning. He seems nice."
"It's not that they aren't nice, Bella. It's that they're dangerous when they're together."
"And the girl?" she asks.
"As far as we know she's harmless."
Eric pushes his chair out, and Jan-di trips over it, sending a plate of spaghetti flying onto Jessica and Angela.
"Awkward but harmless," Edward clarifies, grinning.
The girls squeal in disgust, and Jan-di cries out in apology, "Joesonghamnida!" She scrambles for napkins to help them wipe the warm saucy noodles from their faces.
Bella recalls her own first days at Forks High School. She was the center of attention with the annoyingly bubbly mortals and the object of avoidance and hostile stares from the attractively brooding vampires. "It's awful being the new kid."
Distain of those memories forces her focus back to Jan-di. "She's actually coming over tonight to study."
A smirk slithers across Edward's stony face. "I didn't know you spoke Korean."
"I don't," she retorts. "It's for science class. I'm just going to point to pictures of plants and teach her the English words. I was promised good money by the grumpy Korean guy if I help her."
"I have all the money you could want, Bella. You just have to ask."
Edward inches closer, and Bella places her caressing hands on his icy chest. It doesn't take long for her fingers to numb, and she pulls away for fear of frost bite.
In history class Emmett sits in the back row between Rosalie and Woo-bin, the boys quickly bonding over their mutual distaste for school.
As he hasn't been to Asia in several decades, Emmett's excited for the opportunity to use his Korean.
But Woo-bin would rather show off his English skills. "Yo, yo, what's up, man?!"
Calling him "brother" in return, Emmett responds, "Yo, yo, donglyo!"
Rosalie rolls her eyes. She insisted that it's dangerous to associate with F4 but Emmett tried to reassure her that they'd be fine; he even invited Woo-bin over tonight to shoot pool.
Ji-hoo doesn't trust the Cullens and insists on joining Woo-bin. But watching two competitive guys play pool and talk smack becomes tiresome, and he starts to wander the room in search of anything to hold his interest.
While most of the walls are bare, adjacent to the pool table hang a few famous works of art, including paintings from Monet and Van Gogh. He wonders which Cullens are the collectors and why they would choose to stick these beautiful reflective pieces in the basement's game room.
The door opens and Dr. Cullen walks down the stairs. He greets the Koreans with a bow, saying, "Annyeong hashimnikka."
Ji-hoo bows in return and takes notice of Carlisle's uniform. "Are you a doctor?"
In flawless Korean, Carlisle responds, "Yes, I work at Forks Community Hospital."
"I am aspiring to be a doctor."
"Really? Would you like to see the hospital some time?"
Emmett sinks the eight ball into the corner pocket to win the game. Woo-bin yells, "No way, man!"
Ji-hoo and Carlisle read each other's eyes and move upstairs into the study where they can converse without distractions.
"I would like that very much," Ji-hoo replies.
"Excellent. How about tomorrow?"
"Kamsahamnida," Ji-hoo says in gratitude, bowing and exiting the room.
He catches sight of the straggly blond-haired and exceptionally brooding Cullen kid whose stern eyes are burrowing into Ji-hoo's from across the hall. A strange calm overtakes Ji-hoo, and he no longer feels worried about Woo-bin's safety. He walks downstairs to bid Emmett and his Korean friend a good night, leaving them to their games.
Bella's study session with Jan-di went much better than she anticipated; the language barrier was even less of an obstacle than she thought it would be.
Before meeting again to study tonight, they go out to dinner with Edward, Yi-jung and Joon-pyo. Ji-hoo is at the library studying while Woo-bin is involved in a heated rematch with Emmett.
Edward acts as the interpreter between Bella and the Koreans. The guys can get by in English but Jan-di is reliant on the translations. Jan-di expresses her desire to become a doctor. Bella suggests joining Ji-hoo in shadowing Carlisle, and they both become informal interns at the hospital.
Their close work together stirs up feelings for Ji-hoo that Jan-di's been suppressing so as not to complicate the group dynamic between her and F4. She wants to talk with Bella about her Korean drama but doesn't feel comfortable getting Edward involved as the interpreter of their girl talk. The best she can do is have Alice interpret, which has its drawbacks since Alice wants to jump in and give her own advice before relating the translation to Bella.
One night Jan-di stays late at the Cullens talking to Bella through Alice. Ji-hoo realizes Jan-di left her phone at school, and F4 comes to check up on her. The glass mansion is nestled in a dark forest outside of town. They walk in slow motion up to the front door, their blinding light revealing the Cullens' sparkling skin.
After months of spending time together, the Cullens feel they can trust the Koreans with their secret and admit that they are vampires, also known as the Cold Ones. Many could attribute the same description to F4. Surely Jan-di would have in her early days at Shinhwa High School.
The brooding Korean boys carry themselves very much like vampires; perhaps this is why F4 is not intimidated by their supernatural disposition. Out of the four, Joon-pyo with his savage temper reminds Bella the most of a vampire.
To protect their blood-sucking friends, F4 refrains from hanging out together at school. And thanks to encouragement from Bella and Alice, Jan-di opens her heart to Ji-hoo, and the soulmates begin a loving relationship.
With the newfound friendship blossoming between the Koreans, Bella and the Cullens, F4 and Jan-di decide to stay in the States for another year. They enroll with Bella into the University of Alaska Anchorage for their freshman year of college.
The summer after graduating high school the group moves up to Anchorage, often visiting the Cullens' "vegetarian" relatives in Denali.
Amid Denali's mountains, glaciers and forests F4 can hang out all together without threatening to expose the vampires. It's also a welcome surprise that hunting's become even easier by the presence of F4. Moose, grizzly bears and wolverines are caught off guard by the blinding light of the Korean foursome.
Bella and Jan-di admit that they enjoy when F4 and the Cullens go off to hunt because it gives them the chance to do some exploring on their own. Only Alice knows about it but promises to keep the thought tucked away in Edward's presence.
Their favorite hike in Denali winds around Horseshoe Lake, a place the over-protective males would never allow the girls to go without them.
The spot is a common watering hole for moose, and signs are posted at the beginning of the trail warning of grizzlies. The potential of spotting a grizzly bear or a mama moose is exhilarating to them. They aren't looking to be eaten or attacked but they crave adventures in which they need to look out for themselves.
As Bella breathes in the crisp Denali air, bluebells lining Horseshoe Lake sway gently in the wind. She crouches beside them, closing her eyes and taking in their sweet perfume-like scent. A breeze washes over her, caressing her skin. It's a powerful reminder of why she now prefers the cool air of the north to the dry heat of the south.
Breaking the water's surface, a beaver swims with determination toward his dam on the opposite side of the far-reaching lake.
A faint smile crosses Bella's face as she observes Jan-di's excitement over watching the beaver pass them by. Her eyes move to the infinite stretch of pointy evergreens. Somewhere within are four Koreans and a clan of vampires collaborating for the Cold Ones' dinner.
She considers that if it weren't for her late-night conversation with Jan-di the Koreans and the Cullens might never have come together. As much as she loves her vampire family, F4 and Jan-di have brought life to her existence in a way the immortals never could.
Friends, fangs and flowers.
Boys, blood and blinding lights.
American and Korean.
Human and vampire.
Thanks to an unfavorable light two unlikely worlds merged, enriching Bella's existence more than she ever thought was possible.
Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading this one-shot. I didn't realize how well the characters of the two worlds could complement each other until I started working on this!