The second day of filming was set in a studio, where they had recreated the interior of the old castle. Ga Eul wandered around and curiously picked up the fake antiques as the camera followed her every move.
She walked to the room where she was supposed to get cursed. The room itself looked a lot more drab than the others. Fake spider webs were draped on the walls like silk curtains and broken mirrors distorted Ga Eul's reflection. She looked at the curious object in the middle of the room, a spinning wheel.
"OK, cut. Let's do the close-up of the finger first, because Yi Jeong isn't ready yet." An assistant placed a red drop on Ga Eul's index finger. The camera zoomed in on her face and then on the red finger. Then, she dropped to the floor. Seemingly cursed.
"Oh, nice!"
The next shot didn't go so well though. Ga Eul had a hard time portraying the curiosity for the spinning wheel, touching it and then pricking her finger. She became more frustrated with every shot. The sixth time she had to touch the sharp needle she pushed her finger a bit too hard on the tip and automatically drew back her hand. She had actually pricked herself!
Because the shooting was now in a hurry, she decided not to say anything. That might have not been the best idea she later found. As she lay on the floor, her boss, So Yi Jeong appeared on the set.
"Perfect, keep on going." The PD encouraged. They did a few takes of Yi Jeong appearing from the dark. He stared at the seemingly lifeless body of his PA before he kneeled down beside her.
Her face was half hidden in the dark green shades of the old castle ruin and he gently wiped away the strands of hair that covered her face. The beating of her heart was quite overwhelming in his ears. He gently took her hand and held it up. Her index finger was stained with a crimson fluid and it wasn't fake blood like they had said. He could smell the iron quite clearly and immediately the processes in his head he had come to know well started taking place.
It wasn't an impulse one could easily fight. It was like trying to stick your finger into a hole in the dyke to stop the water from coming in when there were a hundred more leaking holes.
Ga Eul was frightened to open her eyes as she felt the cold hand enclosing her own. She should stand up and get away from him as quickly as possible, but instead she lay frozen. Her limbs were not listening to her pleas. And those pleas weren't very strong themselves. Something had been taking place inside of her lately. Something that was scaring the shit out of her to be frank.
She didn't like the influence her boss had on her. Yet, on the other hand, she couldn't step away from it either. It was like a novel she had to finish or a race she would have to see until the end. She couldn't stop halfway.
Yi Jeong took the finger in his mouth. It was scripted, so he was not improvising. But he wasn't acting either.
Tasting blood for a vampire was different from a human eating normal food. Vampires did not really experience hunger as humans did. They experienced a craving more like that of addicts and usually, when a vampire started drinking, he wouldn't stop. It took all the discipline in the world to restrain himself from drinking that last drop until the heart would forever cease to beat, because that last drop was the best. It was for that reason that not all vampires could sire new ones. They simply didn't stop drinking on time.
The blood of his PA tasted like she was: unrefined and untainted. It was not his preferred blood type, but it tasted nice. Fresh, like he had just been lying in a grassy field. He gently sucked, letting the taste fill his mouth with delight.
For the first time in a long while he actually felt good now. She made him feel good. It was a bit unnerving to ask himself why it felt so good, so he just pushed that question out of his consciousness.
The sensations of his soothing mouth covering her painful finger drove Ga Eul over the edge and she shot up. An explosion had taken place in her tummy and she felt a bit queasy.
Yi Jeong stared at his victim and let the finger drop out of his mouth. He licked his lips provocatively as he focused on her opened mouth. In a movement undetectable by humans. He pulled her closer and placed a kiss on her mouth. It was chaste, like they were only childhood sweethearts, but the impact on Ga Eul was devastating. She shrieked in surprise and fell backwards when he let loose.
"Ok cut! Great improvising from you guys. This MV is going to really be something. Let's go for the last scene.. Ga Eul-sshi you….."
***
Ga Eul huffed. Why was Yi Jeong driving her home? She had been in too much of a daze to refuse as he had dragged her away after the shooting was done. The MV had been shot and the crew was very enthusiastic. She remembered vaguely how the PD had told her she had great potential. How her gazes and expressions were very intense and how he would recommend her to his friend who was casting for a drama. Ga Eul couldn't be as happy as she should have been though. She knew that most of those "impressive" expressions had not been acted.
Ga Eul looked sideways as Yi Jeong nonchalantly steered his sports car on the road. He hadn't come with the bus today and manager Ma had not been there either.
"Why did you do that?" She asked softly.
"What?" Pretending he didn't know made her feel even more frustrated.
"Err..you know.." She started.
"No I don't." Still playing dumb eh? She thought.
"Like.. kiss me like that." She finally said with her face flustered.
"It was in the script." He shrugged.
"N..n..no it wasn't. PDnim was talking about you improvising."
"Was he? Ah well.. did Ga Eul-yang enjoy it so much you're still with your head in the clouds?" She noticed his trademark smirk and it made her even more embarrassed.
"What!? It's not like that at.. at all!" Ga Eul cried out, her heart still thumping in her chest.
"Then..was it your first kiss?"
"That's not it either!" She denied, but quite unconvincingly.
"You're a bad liar." He gave her a knowing glance. Why did he always read her so well?
"So are you." She said wearily.
"Maybe." As Ga Eul looked at him and saw his amused face again. She swallowed hard before quickly turning her attention to the road.
"Anyway, I'd appreciate it if you didn't put me on the spot anymore. It makes me very uncomfortable."
"Really?" Was his almost naïve sounding reply.
"And.. and," Ga Eul hesitated. "In the future I would prefer it if you didn't surprise me by not telling me that you were also in the MV."
"It wasn't a pleasant surprise?" Yi Jeong casually remarked.
"It's one thing working for you, but acting with you is quite something else."
"But what could I do? They asked me a long time ago to star in the MV."
"So you knew when you entered me for the audition I would have to play alongside you?"
"Well, yes." He replied casually.
"Does that mean.." Suddenly the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. "I didn't get in because of my own talent, but because you asked them to hire me?"
"Does that make any difference? You got the part didn't you?" Yi Jeong didn't get why she was being so fussy all of a sudden.
"I knew it all went too easy. I should have known.." Anger started building up. "I knew you would do something like this."
"I told you I'd give you the opportunity to act." He defended himself, something he didn't like doing. Admittedly he had many wrongdoings in his un-life, but he didn't consider this one of them. He had done her a favor he knew she had wanted.
"I wanted to get a part because of my own talent and hard work. Not because you like to play around with me, making me uncomfortable whenever you can. " She snapped.
"Such a hypocrite." He muttered, starting to feel mad himself.
"What?" Why would he say something like that?
"The only reason you're still working for me is because you were counting on me doing you this exact favor. And now you're telling me you wanted to do it with your own strength. What a joke." He snorted.
"Listen.." She began.
"That's why girls are such a bother."He interrupted. "They are never satisfied with whatever you do. Whether you live in 1809 or 2009. It's always the same. Next time I won't do you any favors, don't worry." He focused on the road again and they didn't speak for the whole ride home.
***
It was almost morning when Ga Eul was finally ready to go to bed. Thankfully she had the day off, but things still bothered her. Had she been too rash? What had she been expecting when he had sent her that text? Maybe blaming him had not been the right thing to do, as she had never told him not to help her. She scratched her head in agony.
She spent her free day hanging out with Jan Di, who was going to the south for her school trip: it was basically a volunteer project to vaccinate children in foster care.
"We will be so busy, I won't have any time to play." Jan Di sighed. "Why did I ever go to medical school in the first place?"
"Because you were inspired by that mysterious man 4 years ago. The one you met on a rainy night." Ga Eul helped.
"Babo , it was a rhetoric question." Jan Di smiled.
"Jan Di-yah! I didn't think you knew such big words."Ga Eul teased. "Jan Di gave an embarrassed smile.
"Woo Young sunbae taught me last week. Anyway, I was thinking about that man a few days ago. Do you think that maybe.."
"Maybe?" Ga Eul repeated.
"Maybe that mystery guy was a vampire?" Jan Di pondered out loud.
"Why do you think that?" Ga Eul took a bite of her piece of ddukbokki.
"Well, I met him at night and he was so pale and handsome. It just got me thinking that maybe he was one."
"Did he try to kill you?" Ga Eul asked in a straightforward manner.
"No."
"Did he make allusions to killing you? Or give off a perverted vibe?"
"No.. and no. He was the perfect gentleman." Ga Eul snorted.
"Then he can't be a vampire." She said firmly.
"Things aren't going so well between you and your boss?" Jan Di had, for once, cleverly read between the lines. Though the look of disdain on Ga Eul's face was also a telltale sign.
"He's a creep, a womanizing, haughty, blood sucking , undead.." Handsome, sexy, mysterious, fascinating "..pervert." She spat angrily. He had stolen her first kiss and also drank some of her blood. She should be lucky she was still alive. Ok, so maybe he wasn't pure evil after all. No, he was bad. Bad for her anyway.
"Then quit." Jan Di offered as she stuffed her face with a spicy rice cake.
"I can't! Payday is coming up really soon! And he did get me an acting job."Ga Eul sighed. "And he threatened to bite me if I left." Though that wasn't the whole truth, Ga Eul kept it at that.
"What!?" Jan Di shrieked. "He said that!? Where is that KVC station? I'll go and talk to him." Ga Eul almost choked on the food.
"Jan Di, yah! Jugolle (do you want to die)?" She coughed. "He's like wicked strong and fast."
"Kurom (then), what will you do?"
"Keep working there and just ignore his abuse. I only see him once every week anyway." She shrugged. Though she had been seeing him a lot more with the shooting of the MV, which reminded her again of the kiss he had planted on her lips. She quickly shook her head to get rid of the thoughts.
Jan Di tried to convince her to leave a few more times that day, but Ga Eul knew she couldn't just quit anymore. Somehow she was reminded of a story her mother used to tell her.
"Ga Eul-ah! What are you thinking of?" Jan Di slapped her shoulder. They had been walking around in a mall, but Ga Eul's daydream had brought her to a different world. Someplace dark and alluring, but cold and haunting as well.
"Ah, nothing. Nothing at all." Ga Eul blushed. She had totally forgotten about Jan Di. They spent the rest of the day shopping, eating and going to the movies. All in all, it had been a nice day, but still Ga Eul could never seem to push her boss completely out of her mind.
***
That Saturday, Jan Di had left for her field trip and Ga Eul was once again forced to accompany her boss after they had finished shooting. This time, however, they didn't go to a normal human club, but rather a place only vampires seemed to frequent. Ga Eul was obviously worried about her well-being if she entered that place. Surely, she was surrounded by vampires most of the time on Saturday, but here there were probably a lot of vampires who were on the prowl. Or so she imagined.
Yi Jeong looked sideways at her frustrated facial expression.
"Are you scared?" He whispered.
"No way." Ga Eul retorted quickly. "Why should I? It's just a place to hang out, a vampire hang out." She repeated as a mantra.
"You do know that vampires can smell fear?" He remarked to make her feel more uncomfortable.
"You're kidding right?" Yi Jeong smiled.
"It's their second favorite smell in the world."
"So what's their favorite smell then?" Right after she asked it, Ga Eul wanted to hit herself for asking a question with such an obvious answer. It was blood of course.
"That would be the smell of sex." Ga Eul's eyes widened. He watched her expression with fascination. She was such a prude. Even the word sex made her shiver.
"Does that even smell?" She muttered.
"Want to experience that smell?" He suggested offhandedly .
"What!?" She spat.
"I can just ask around, I'm sure there will be volunteers here." He quipped as Ga Eul grimaced. "Or do you want me to do it?" Her attention shifted from the dazzling fangs to his equally shiny eyes. There seemed to be some amusement in them. It made him look even scarier and also more seductive. Ga Eul's heart was beating as if it was trying to keep up with the speed of light.
"No thank you." She said finally, trying to sound as if she didn't care that much.
Sex with him? God no, but what would it be like? Would it be good? Would she have a great orgasm like those women in those American shows were always bragging about?
She looked at his face and noticed he was watching her intently too. Was he reading her mind now? Omona.. what to do? Talk about something else?
"So, why isn't blood the favorite scent of vampires?" Which probably wasn't the best next thing to talk about. Ga Eul hated her own stupidity.
"Rather than the scent of blood, it's the taste we go for. Though the smell of blood combined with sex might actually be the best." Yi Jeong said bluntly. He thoroughly enjoyed her blushing face.
The vampire hang-out, as Ga Eul now called it in her head didn't fall short of her expectations. With all the chains hanging from the ceiling, the red lighting and leather furniture seemed to come right out of some bondage movie she pretended she had never seen.
Girls dressed in skimpy clothing were dancing on the stage while the men stared at them hungrily –literally and figuratively speaking- and she shook her head disapprovingly. Why would anyone want to be a vampire snack?
Yi Jeong moved away in the crowd and Ga Eul clung to him, feeling too uncomfortable to explore the place. He laughed at her nervous walk and jokingly berated her.
"If you stick this close to me, how will I find a new date for the evening?"
"I would go do something on my own, but those creepy guys keep staring at me." She said, looking jumpy.
"Maybe they have a cataract." Yi Jeong offered.
"Ha ha, very funny. Sir do we really have to stay here?"
"The others will come soon. You'll feel better then." Ga Eul highly doubted that.
She looked around and saw a guy approaching her. When she turned around again, her boss was no longer there. Not able to control her nerves, her heart rate went up with each passing second. The guy smiled at her, showing off his shiny fangs.
"Hey sweety. Wanna be my new FB?" His hair was dyed a light brown and his skin was definitely not as pale as So Yi Jeong's, but it didn't make him look less menacing.
"I don't have FaceBook." She replied, uncertain of what to do next. She looked around, but it was too dark to discriminate the people in the distance.
"You're funny." Ga Eul tried to smile, but got stuck in an awkward grimace.
"Thank you. I.. I have to go, my boss is waiting for me."
"Boss? Your master you mean?" Ga Eul gave him a puzzled look.
"Master as in.. No not my master." She took a few steps backwards until she felt a hand creep over her shoulder. She jumped and tried to run, but the arm kept her firmly in place.
"She's already taken." Woo Bin snarled. Ga Eul turned around and saw the rest of F4 had arrived. Joon Pyo pushed the guy to the floor and kicked him a few times.
"Ya, new boy, didn't I tell you not to come here last time? I can't fucking stand your face with that fake tan." He let out a small laugh and let his entourage carry the injured vampire outside. "They really need to be more selective as to who they let in here or this place will go down the drain." His eye fell on Ga Eul, who was still staring at the scary F4 leader. "Can you get out of my sight!? I don't like human girls glaring at me."
Ga Eul excused herself and ran off, trying to avoid eye contact with everyone until she saw Yi Jeong. He had already met some girls and was charming them. They were pretty looking, mature and probably human. When he looked at them it seemed like there was nobody else in the entire world for him. Somehow, that hurt Ga Eul more than she wanted it to.
What is this? Am I jealous? No way, I don't want to be in their shoes. He's probably going to suck them dry.
Then, Yi Jeong looked at her. As always, he showed her his smile. She couldn't help but feel that that was his wall. By smiling he'd protect his heart, if it still worked that way. Hadn't it stopped beating long ago? Maybe he didn't feel emotions anymore.
***
He had noticed her looking at him a while ago, but had ignored it until now. It was time to see her now though. He excused himself from the ladies, having grown tired of their high voices and vapid personalities. Not that that mattered, seeing how he was never interested in girls for their conversational skills, but tonight it annoyed him.
Within a few steps he had reached his target Ga Eul.
"Care to dance?"
"No." She replied brusquely.
"Well, too bad then." He grabbed her hand and dragged her to the dance floor.
Grabbing her hips and pulling her closer to him, he danced to the beat of the song. Ga Eul stood frozen as she stared at his enticing face. His closed eyes opened again when he noticed she wasn't dancing along.
"What's wrong now?" He asked, looking slightly annoyed.
"I don't want to dance." But already she felt herself wavering as his hands were still placed on her hips. Slowly heat was starting to spread from between her legs. She wasn't able to control it and it felt both unnerving and exciting.
"Fine."And with that, he let go again. Ga Eul opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again.
Now that he was walking away from her, she felt alone again, alone with all these dangerous people surrounding her. Choosing the option that seemed the least worrying, she ran after her boss and grabbed him by the sleeve.
"D..don't leave me alone here." She pleaded.
"You do know I want something in return for escorting you the whole night?" Ga Eul lowered her head.
"Another favor?" Ga Eul unknowingly reminded him of the first one.
"That's right. And I want my first favor now." Ga Eul gazed at his smooth face. "You have to dance with me. I don't often dance, so when I do it's special. Ga Eul-yang wouldn't reject me twice, right?" Ga Eul nodded shyly.
He led her back to the dance floor. The song had changed to something more slow, with luring vocals and a good bass. It was definitely a sexy tune.
Yi Jeong placed his hands on her sides and pulled her closer to him. Ga Eul was at a loss as to where to leave her hands, but finally resolved on leaving them on his upper arms.
Slowly, their bodies came closer, to the point where she could feel his hard abs pushing against her chest. That's how she became aware her breasts were touching his chest. She tried to wiggle away from him, but he kept her firmly in place.
Yi Jeong felt her heaving and struggling. She was still so reluctant to be in close contact with him, but something told him it was more because she knew her body was reacting to it. He knew she wanted to have him. He wanted to tell her to just go with the flow, but seeing this form of gradual realization was interesting too.
The red and pink disco lights faded and suddenly the lounge was filled with darkness. Ga Eul let out a small anxious gasp, but relaxed when she felt her bosses' strong arms still surrounding her. As if in a dream she let her head rest on his chest, like she had when he had pulled her out of the hole. Still no heart beat. In his chest there was only eternal silence.
Suddenly the lights went back on and Ga Eul jumped back. Yi Jeong looked at her with his unreadable expression. The song had ended and she pulled away again.
"I need to go to the restroom." Without asking, he escorted her and waited outside the ladies room.
He stuffed his hands in his pockets as Woo Bin approached him.
"Better come outside, Joon Pyo is causing trouble again." Yi Jeong hesitated for a while but followed him anyway. A night out on the town with Joon Pyo always ended with fighting.
They walked out of the red interior into the dark night, where Joon Pyo was thoroughly beating up a tanned vampire.
"I told you to fuck off didn't I? Then why are you still here? Looks like I need to teach you a proper lesson in how to respect your superiors."
Yi Jeong tried to stop Joon Pyo from maiming the vampires face with a shard of glass when something metal was flung against his face. A silver necklace.
Yi Jeong recoiled in agony as a burning sensation went through his skin. Apparently, the ugly vampire had called for some backup. Woo Bin was already fighting with over 5 and Ji Hoo was nowhere to be found, so it was up to Yi Jeong to fight off the rest since Joon Pyo's crew had gone missing. He easily kicked a few out of the way and used his agility to defend himself from some silver numchucks which a vampire with gloves was holding.
Still the vampire managed to hit him a few more times until Woo Bin and Joon Pyo came to his aid. They ran after the fleeing vampires as Yi Jeong crumpled to the ground. He had never been much of a fighter, but this was downright embarrassing. Hit by some newbie vamps. What a joke.
"Sir! Kwenchanayo?" His assistant had apparently found out that he had gone outside. The street outside the club was now abandoned except for the two of them.
"It's nothing, just leave." He ordered. He didn't like it when people saw him weak like this.
She kneeled down beside him, looking worried when she saw the burns on his face.
"But you're hurt."
"Just go away." He snarled again, but she didn't listen.
"I can't do that. I'm your assistant. I have to help you, don't I?"
"Is that so?" He asked and she determinedly nodded.
That moment, he decided to do whatever came to mind. She was there, and whether or not she wanted to, he would take whatever he needed from her.
He pulled her closer to him until his firm lips brushed against her young neck as her knees scraped on the pavement. She could feel his tongue trail up to her earlobe and sucking it into his mouth gently. With all her strength she tried to move away from him -feeling awkward and confused- but his grip on her was like iron. His fingertips pressed into her back with such strength, she was sure it would leave bruises.
After her ear he nibbled the skin of her cheek, moving closer to her lips. Ga Eul wanted to resist, but the feeling was pure ecstasy and her resistance grew weak. She sighed as he suckled on her lower lip and then pried her mouth open with his forceful tongue.
Ga Eul's mouth was hot and wet, just like any other girls. But she tasted sweet and she hadn't been drinking alcohol. He bit on her lip, gently at first, but then puncturing the skin. Ga Eul hardly noticed as her own tongue rebelliously went to explore his eager mouth. It was cold, like he had been sucking on an ice cube, but it still felt nice.
With each second he became warmer and it was so good, until she tasted iron in his mouth and realized it must be her blood. She started protesting their kiss and he finally let go, looking a bit surprised. She could see the red drops on his face. Her own lips were starting to feel sore. She wiped her mouth and looked at the blood on her hands.
"You bit me." She said softly as she touched the little wounds on her lip.
"I guess I did." Sounding more indifferent than he had intended to.
"I helped you." She gave him an accusing look.
"Sorry?" He said unconvincingly.
"Don't say it like it's a question! Why did you bite me?"
"It just happened. It'll heal soon enough. You're pretty face won't be damaged so don't worry." He grinned. Ga Eul stood up quickly and brushed the dirt of her clothes.
"I'm going home."
"I'll take you." He offered as he stood up. His wounds had already started to heal.
"No need." At that moment she'd rather walk than stay with him. Not because she hated him, but because she was afraid of letting herself go and could never return to her former state as a consequence if she did.
___
a/n: Please comment so I know whether to continue this on ^^ Plus I like reading constructive feedback
