CHAPTER SEVEN: "Hiding in Plain Sight"

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Seonghwa POV:

After a lengthy conversation with Chan about not only ways of going about my current dilemma, but also learning about his own personal experiences, left me feeling somewhat relieved. His openness to share everything that occurred between him and his mate allowed me to see a new perspective on the whole ordeal concerning a certain blue-haired male in my sight.

Chan and I first had met five years after my turning, marking me seventeen while he was turning the prime age of eighteen. Eunwoo had brought me and the four other boys to celebrate his coming-of-age birthday, where the former leader named Moonbin held the reign over their sanctuary. Our friendship was instantaneous, as he held practically the same story as myself in regards of becoming immortal. It was almost as if the meeting, albeit for superficial purposes such as celebrating another year of growth, had been for more deepened reasons between both groups. Eunwoo and Moonbin were two close friends who were held at high standards amongst the vampires, and it only made sense for both of their underlings to get to know each other in the same likeness.

The merging of groups were quick and seamless, as each one of us found a person on the other side to bond with. For starters, Felix and Seungmin blended together without any problem, as both were born in the same birth month. Next were San and Jongho, who both found out that they shared a same last name, making the conversation easier to fall into. Then Hyunjin and Changbin, who had a playful one-sided flirty friendship that both seemed to enjoy. Lastly Wooyoung and Yeosang, who in their own unique way, formed a bond that one could see as mutual protectiveness. It became a normal occurrence to visit each other's sanctuaries for casual moments, strengthening the friendship for years on end.

However, the moment Moonbin had passed away three years after Chan's birthday, things had slightly shifted...

The meetings between us became less, more so due to Chan's impromptu appointment as leader of their court. We all attended the funeral as a sign of respect, but Eunwoo made it clear to us that we needed to focus on our own court afterwards. The friendship was still there, but there was a blatant strain in the bond that held us together.

It wasn't until our own leader Eunwoo had been killed where the friendship started to rebuild itself once again. Five years had passed from Moonbin's death, and with our own court holding a funeral for our fallen leader, Chan and the other made their appearance in silent support. From there, we both vowed to not let anything deter us from being close again.

"So Hwa...did you get the answers you needed?" Hyunjin asked in a hushed whisper as we stepped inside our sanctuary.

I nodded with a soft smile, waving to the others who bowed at our return. "I did..."

"Don't leave us in the dark! Tell us!" San whined, eliciting an eyeroll from Felix.

"I swear you're such a child...leave Hwa alone. It's his business." Felix playfully scolded.

Learning about Chan's relationship with Jeongin was eye-opening. According to him, he met the prior human a few months after Moonbin's passing and similar to the feeling I felt towards Hongjoong, he felt the same towards the male upon noticing him. Although, unlike my brazen confrontation, Chan conducted a different approach.

Per his confession, initially, Chan held back from ever confronting the male. It was clear that Jeongin was human and had a happy life as a nurse, so there was no need to uproot him from normalcy. However, it was almost as if fate had other plans as the two unexpectedly came into contact with one another during Chan's blood runs. Unlike most vampires who obtained their fixes from humans, Chan adapted the lifestyle of blood donation bags. So, in their unplanned encounter, Jeongin caught Chan in the office of his workplace.

One would think that witnessing someone drain a blood bag as if it were juice in the middle of the night would be alarming, but Jeongin was more so intrigued about the male. So much so that Jeongin began leaving out bags for Chan on a weekly basis, knowingly jeopardizing his own job in process. Long story short, after about a year of silent exchanges between the two, they began dating. There was no need of Chan explaining himself to the male, as it was obvious what the answer would be. Jeongin accepted him wholeheartedly, which made Chan only claim him as his mate without question.

It was then, after three years of dating, that Jeongin had been involved in the car accident. His human life, barely hanging by a thread, was slowly fading away each passing minute. It took Chan only seconds to find the male amongst the wreckage, noticing how badly the male was injured. He knew that deep down, in order to save the person who became a sacred part of his entire being, sacrificing the choice by turning the male into the same creature he was only solution. In exchange of losing his humanity, he gained life of immortality.

According the Chan, the reality of Jeongin learning what happened was painful, watching the male he loved resent him for months on end. It was understandable to a sense, as the circumstances of the matter would be hard to digest. Waking up from what you knew to be normal to a newfound body that had no form of imperfections would be overwhelming, especially if you were not able to fully comprehend the concept. However, it didn't take long for Jeongin to adjust to his new reality, and the rest was history.

Walking into my office, the three males followed behind, each taking their own respective spots inside. Wooyoung quickly rushed inside with slight shock evident on his face.  "You're back already? I'm surprised."

San pulled the male onto his lap and buried his face into his neck dotingly. "I missed you honey..."

"Yes we are back, and Yeosang sends his greetings by the way." Hyunjin added nonchalantly, brushing his fingers through Felix's hair as he rested on his lap.

Sighing to myself, I noticed the time on my watch. There was an event for the agency that Hongjoong worked for in a few hours, allowing me another opportunity to see the male once more. Looking up at Wooyoung, I smiled. "Woo, I have a job for you."

Wooyoung's ears perked up and excitement began to radiate off him. "A job?! I'm in! What do you need me to do?"

"No fair...I want a job. I've been doing nothing lately..." San mumbled.

Pulling out a paper, I wrote a note for the male, one where I knew he would understand from the simplicity of the words. Feeling content with the message, I folded the paper and held it out to the eager male in waiting. "Put this on a car for me. The moment you touch it, it'll guide you to the vehicle. By no means, you are to open and read it. Understand?"

Wooyoung ran in a blur and nodded, taking the note with a slight bow. "On it!"

Looking over at San, I smirked. "I have a job for you, mister pouty face."

San grinned brightly, standing up from the chair in earnest energy. "Finally! What are we doing?"

"We have to make a stop somewhere prior to the main event, and we need to change our appearance before doing so. You're going to play a CEO."

Hyunjin raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Hwa...are you sure you should be doing this? There's over a hundred people that's going to be attending this event..."

"I'm sure..it'll only be temporary." I smiled, turning my chair towards the window with a contempt sigh escaping my lips.

"I'm just playing the long game, that's all. It only makes it fun if I'm able to hide in plain sight."

San knowingly smirked. "Alright, it's only four in the afternoon. When do we get this started?"

"In thirty minutes, so get ready. We need to make sure this plays out smoothly."

"This is to find that mystery guy, isn't it?" Felix asked curiously, raising his head up from his partner's lap. "You think he's going to be there?"

I nodded. "Yes, Lixie...I have a good feeling about it."

Hyunjin sighed. "This is too much of a headache, but good luck, I guess."

"I have a good feeling that I don't need luck... as he seems to not believe in luck either."