SEOUL
2002
The night sky was calm and soothing with the streets of Seoul still busy as though it was daybreak. The entire city was filled with the sounds of car horns, the loud music from the pubs coupled with the laughter, and the sweet aroma of street foods. In short, the city was alive and booming.
But somewhere far in the deep forest; beyond the view of the outside world— laid an expectant mother in what looked like a cave, with the beam of moonlight as the only source of light.
Her voice echoed through the empty cave as a man in his mid-thirties quickly rushed to her side.
"Do Yun na? " he muttered as he kneeled beside her, deftly taking her hand into his. Instantly, she gripped firmly onto him as the agony surged through her face— already drowning in her sweat. She could barely make a word as she tried to speak. "Just hang on a little, help will be here soon." He assured.
Do Yun nodded affirmatively with an uneven breath— drawing in and out air while she tried to fight back the pain. Suddenly, a wind that seemed as cold as the tinkle of icicles rustled through the woods.
The sound of the leaves shifting against each other as the foreboding wind blew made Ji- Woo feel on edge.
From nowhere, an owl hooted in the distance and the sound was so ominous that he almost turned into his true form as his fangs extended— his eyes turning blood red and ready to strike, just to protect his beloved.
He knew they were after them because of the prophecy of the unborn babies. Which he never for once believed in them. They were just some absurd words he disgusts the most.
But just before Ji- Woo could charge any further, a familiar voice— a few steps away broke into his thoughts.
"Wi Gen?" he muttered, returning to his human form as he rushed outside. The help he was waiting for was finally here.
Wi-Gen was the wise one in their clan. The bearer of all the secrets and mysteries of the clan— holding the history and superficial embodiments in her hands.
Though she was thousands of years old, she looked the slightest of her age. Except for her long silky white hair which runs down her shoulders. This was usually the significant look of the oldest women from the clan. Nearing the cave, she quickly rushed past Ji-Woo.
"Where is Do Yun?" Wi-Gen hastily muttered as Ji Woo dashed after her. At that instant, she noticed her laying on the bare floor struggling in agony. Swiftly, she unwrapped her bag which looked like a sack— grabbing a piece of cloth in the process.
She spread it on the cold floor and urged Ji- Woo to put Yun on it. Which he did within a blink of an eye.
Meanwhile, dark clouds had started hovering over the once lifeless and cold forest. Making it stormy with thunderstorms that began to move through the night. Without warning, the rain started pelting down the pathless forest. Soon, the cry of the first baby was heard, overshadowing the sounds of the rain and thunderstorms.
"It's a boy," Wi-Gen announced, handing it over to Ji- Woo as he assisted with cleaning him up while she went back to attending to Yun.
Within a few minutes, the second cry broke through the cave once again. Wi-Gen handed the infant over to his mother after cleaning him up and a sweet smile spread through her sweat-drained face.
There was no time to spare so, Wi-Gen quickly tidied up Yun and did all the necessary clean-ups. Swiftly packing up her things to leave before anyone notices her absence.
At that moment, Ji-Woo sprung up on edge. "They're coming," his eyes turned crimson red with his fangs out and arms in a protective manner.
Wi-Gen deftly glanced at him, "What?" she exclaimed but then her senses also caught on. "Quick, they're almost here," she blurted as the noises of quick and heavy footsteps brushing against the wet bushes, coupled with the heavy rain filled her ears. The entire forest was suddenly thrown into chaos.
"Take Do Yun and the infants with you," she urged.
But this didn't sit well with Ji- Woo. Wi-Gen will be tagged a traitor the moment they get to meet her there and he was not going to let that happen. "No Wi-Gen..." he sounded as urgent as the situation was. Deftly handing over the baby in his arms to her. "You go with Do Yun. I will handle the rest."
Instantly, he created a barrier between them as he made another opening through the cave as an escape route. "No Ji -Woo! " Do Yun exclaimed heartbroken as she rushed to the barrier. But Wi-Gen held onto her— knowing they have less time to escape. Quickly, she dragged her out into the rainy forest as they tried their best to save the infants from the angry pelting rain and their captors.
Do Yun's heart was already stumbling over its own rhythm as she could barely keep up. There were already lots of thoughts running through her head. "We just have to save Hyun Jun," she made a mental note.
Though her vampire senses were low due to loss of strength, she could still hear the faint noises of their captors. With the least chance she got, she took a different route from Wi-Gen's lead through the pathless forest.
Do- Yun knew she was soon going to be found by Wi-Gen and their captors but before that, she needed to find a way to save her son. And it had to be as quick as possible.
Do-Yun stopped suddenly when she heard the cracking forest noises behind her as she tried to escape. She deftly turned and it was one of these forest animals running to safety from the chaos. The rains were by now calming down.
With a sigh of relief, she glanced down at her infant's innocent face. "I'm not going to let anyone harm you," she assured as she dropped her clan chain ornament into its wrapper.
Her eyes deftly scanned the forest as she shivered in bone-chilling darkness, uncertain of which path she should try next so she just made a move. After a long run, she finally saw a road from the distance she stood.
"Humans," words crossed her mind. "He will be safe with humans," she muttered.
Just then, she noticed the headlight of a car approaching from the distance. By now, the rain was not as heavier as earlier on. At this point, Do-Yun had to take her chances.
Min-Su, the young lady in the car Do-Yun had spotted was returning to Seoul from a campsite after receiving an emergency call from home. Fortunately, the rains had calmed down so she could safely set off.
Her mind was running wild behind the wheels, thinking about the worst scenario at home that she could barely focus, though she was driving at top speed.
Suddenly, a figure jumped before her car at the speed of lightning. Intuitively, she pulled to an abrupt stop causing her head to nearly hit the wheels.
Min-Su's body grew tense to the point of shaking as she slowly lifted her head only to see an empty street ahead. Thinking she had hit someone, she quickly glided out of the car with a hard, quick pulse in her throat.
Briskly rushing to the front of the car, she stood rigid with terror, too overwhelmed to move at the sight before her.