Blood and Devotion | Woosan (English version)

10 - The beginning of a new life

San had cried himself dry throughout the night. Since he had found out what he had become, what had happened, he still had not been able to get out of Wooyoung's bed. The latter had been standing in the corner of the room the whole time, neither able to approach him nor leave him alone.

"San...do you want to try to get up?" he said after he had stopped crying for a few hours, exhausted. "Do you want to see the others? Take a shower?"

Right. Apparently Wooyoung had washed his face from his blood, but his hair was still encrusted with the blood from when someone had supposedly slammed his head so hard on the wall that he had smashed it. A shower would have made him feel a little bit better.

Then he realized something. "The others?"

"Hongjoong and Yeosang. They are not really my brothers. At least, not by blood. Me and Hongjoong have known each other almost all our lives, then Yeosang started living with us about a hundred years ago. We've been looking out for each other ever since, we're sort of a... clan. Or family. Call it whatever you want. I mean, you're part of it now."

Right. He should have expected that. Those two had always seemed strange to him, had always made him feel uneasy. Now he understood why.

"...I would like to take a shower."

He got out of bed. His body felt different to him. He felt strong, more than usual, but at the same time a burning sensation in his throat haunted him, and looking at the glimmers of light outside the window gave him the impression that he had stuck a needle in his eyes.

Noting his pained expression, Wooyoung hastened to explain. "The light is not very good for us. Don't worry, it's a matter of habit. Soon you'll be able to go out during the day almost normally."

San nodded absently. Of all the things he had heard, this was the least upsetting.

As soon as they left the room, San noticed that the rest of the house was also gloomy, dirty, and battered. He sighed.

"I'll show you around," Wooyoung said, taking him by the arm. San did not know whether to tell him not to touch him or ask him to hold him.

"Those two are the rooms of Hongjoong and Yeosang. Don't go in there if not invited. We all value privacy. That's the bathroom over there. Only the living room is missing, come with me."

"What about the kitchen?"

"...There isn't one. We don't cook."

"Right..."

As soon as they entered the living room, San saw the other two stand up abruptly.

He instinctively took a step back.

"Hi San, has Wooyoung explained everything to you yet? How are you feeling?" asked Hongjoong.

"...I don't know."

"I see...You'll see that everything will become clearer to you as time goes by. It's not as bad as it seems. You can count on all of us, not just Wooyoung. We are a family now."

San nodded, unconvinced.

Yeosang intervened. "Are you thirsty? Usually the first thing you do is go hunting, but Wooyoung told us that you have already drunk-"

"Yeosang-" tried to interrupt Wooyoung.

"Hunting?" said San at the same time.

Yeosang nodded, "To feed."

San's head was spinning. "Excuse me, I'm going to take a shower..."

Wooyoung instinctively made to follow, but San quickly stopped him. "No. I need a moment alone."