Red moon
w. Pyeonggang
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Thump_ 2 a.m. Lonely, with no one to comfort me. Even as rain began to fall, one or two drops at a time, a young man stood out, his empty steps unwavering even when someone tapped his shoulder.
What stopped the man's unstoppable steps, his dark, dark eyes empty and dark, was the neon sign that said 'Red moon' that painted the dark street red.Red moon…I stepped into the store, drawn by the mysteriously glowing crimson color that made my mind hazy, as if it was trying to comfort me.
Ddang_
The man, who had regained consciousness in the pitch-black interior, where not even moonlight could penetrate, turned to face outside again when an orange light came on. A faint glow illuminated the interior. However, the darkness still felt alien.
Then came a clanking sound, and the store stopped behind the man as he was leaving. Then came a low, female voice piercing into his ear.
“Welcome, ‘Red moon'no see."
“…”
The man slowly turned towards the woman and stared blankly at her. Short black hair, skin so white it was almost transparent, a small face with sunken eyes, nose, and mouth, red pupils, and captivating lips. It was a face that made one wonder if there was anyone more perfect.However, the man smiled sadly with reddened cheeks and lowered his head.He's a man after all... He muttered words that seemed to criticize himself.
“What do you want?”
“…I don’t have any money. I don’t want anything.”
Then, when asked without any context what he wanted, dry answers that showed no will to live were ripped out of the man's mouth.I don't have any moneyThe irresponsible words of wanting nothing were tantamount to throwing away one's own life. The woman told him to reconsider, gently brushing the wound at the corner of his mouth with her thumb.
The man's hand, which seemed to be telling her to tell him everything, made her frown as it stung, and grabbed her wrist. His hand, which had a cold, almost chilling aura, was warmer than it looked. The woman smiled and asked again, "Is there really nothing you want?"
“ … “
The man couldn't answer the second question. Instead, his eyes began to well up. The intense gazes they'd been locked with might have been burdensome, but no one avoided their gaze.
The man, who had been biting his lip to hold back tears, never averted his gaze from the woman's, held her wrist in his grasp, his grip soothingly. As if she were about to turn her gaze to his wrist, now feeling much more at ease, he abruptly blurted out her name.
"… jungkook jeon."
“Okay, Jeongguk.”
"name…"
“Seol Yeo-ju.”
The woman, who somehow managed to understand my tearful pronunciation and called my name, then even told me my own.Ah, Seol Yeo-ju…Jungkook was quietly mumbling. No one could say anything even though they exchanged words without any context. Despite the cold tone of the woman named Yeoju, Jungkook was...He sat down, tears falling down his face.
Jungkook, who had been holding onto my wrist as if it were a golden rope, would never let go. He opened his mouth and burst into tears when he saw the woman gently stroking his hair with her other hand, not the one he was holding.
“I want to live, I want to live. I really don’t want to die..”
The store was filled with desperate cries. Perhaps, somewhere in her heart, she always harbored a longing to live. Perhaps, looking at the world with those empty eyes, she hoped someone would look into her eyes and fill her empty heart. Perhaps, as she struggled to hide her own cries of wanting to live—desperately wanting to live—she sought someone who would offer her a word of kindness, reassuring her that she had endured well.
Although Jeong-guk was much bigger than Yeo-ju, he was busy burrowing into Yeo-ju's arms and crying like a child. Yeo-ju's mouth was filled with a bitter smile as she stroked Jeong-guk's back.
“Should I save you?”
“Huh… yes, yes…”
“I'm going to take what you love most. Do you still want me to listen?”
“I don’t care, please save me… Please help me, please…”
Jungkook's eyelashes fluttered, soaked with tears. The thing he loved most. The thing Jungkook loved most was none other than himself. The parents he had no memory of abandoning him at birth, the orphanage he lived in until he was 19, treated worse than a dog, and worked like livestock, never receiving proper support. The constant stream of job interview rejection messages… He couldn't love anything in this world.
After escaping the orphanage and being kicked out of the cramped goshiwon he barely managed to find, Jeong-gook had nowhere else to go but death. All he had, crumpled and stuffed in his pocket, was a mere 7,000 won. He couldn't ignore the "Red Moon" sign that stopped him in his tracks, and the woman's promise to let him live. Jeong-gook had a stronger desire to live than anyone else. He was the most stubborn of the bunch, surviving the orphanage, a hell worse than hell. That speaks volumes.
“Even if it hurts, just bear with it for a little longer.”
“You’re in pain…? It hurts a lot, ah…”
Crunch_Jungkook was startled for a moment by the cold breath he felt on his neck, but the pain piercing through his flesh left him unable to even scream, and he simply held his breath. But even holding his breath had its limits. Feeling his throat ache, Jungkook tried to push Yeoju away, but then a chill surged from the tips of his toes to the very tips of his head, causing him to widen his eyes.
“Ugh…”
The female protagonist, who had backed away as if she had had enough of Jeongguk's reaction, only licked her lips as if something was missing. It was a sweet, yet lingering taste. Surprised, Jeongguk couldn't even close his gaping mouth. He let go of the female protagonist's wrist, which he still held, and groped his neck, where her lips had once touched.
“Vampire… Fire…”
Jungkook tried to block the flow with his hand, but the blood wouldn't stop flowing from his neck, dripping onto the floor. A terrified expression appeared on his face as he watched the female protagonist, who was accustomed to such reactions.
While Jeong-guk, immersed in fear, kept his distance from the female protagonist, the burning sensation spreading from his neck seemed too much to bear, and he flinched. Perhaps because the reactions he had seen from others were the same, the female protagonist's expression, previously dry, was beginning to crack. However, that expression began to crack.
“I want to live… Please let me live.”
Thanks to Jungkook's actions, who came right towards him. Jungkook sighed at the fact that he was too close, but he took a step away. As he grabbed his heavy head and took a deep breath, a dizzying scent of perfume rushed in. The strange scent mixing in made him take a step back, but Jungkook was soon unable to do anything and trembled against the wall that was pressing against his back.
Ahhh… ahhh… it hurts, it hurts so much… The woman, who had been quietly watching Jeong-guk endure the pain that had consumed him in an instant, clutching his head, then tightening his neck, and twitching his entire body, whispered as she brought her face closer.
“Ask. Do whatever you want.”
The moment the female protagonist's words interrupted Jeongguk's painful groans, Jeongguk, who had been gasping for breath, clutching his throat as if it were burning with an inexplicable thirst, his eyes turned bloodshot, and he buried his head in the female protagonist's neck before him. The female protagonist simply sighed, unable to get used to the feeling no matter how often she tried.
“…”
“What are you doing, not biting?”
“…If I ask…what happens?”
“I will have you.”
Unlike the heroine's calm face, Jeongguk's expression seemed unstable. His reddened eyes had turned black again. Upon hearing the heroine's answer that she would have him, his mind seemed at ease, and red waves rippled across his eyes, where darkness had settled gently. Jeongguk slowly brought his mouth close to the snow-white neck in front of his eyes, then pulled down and held the hand of the heroine on his shoulder.
“Please don’t abandon me…”
“Don’t throw it away.”
“… Now, you’re the only one I have.”
“Okay, ugh…”
It was from then on, probably. The end of a long and deep relationship that began with Jeongguk's one-sided courtship was lost.
ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ
I don't know when I'll be able to continue using it after doing it this way.
Oh my, it's so wonderful!