The Turning

(Twenty-Six)

Bright and early Thursday morning, Hyungwon sat down with his clan members, ready to share a meal. The conversation at the table was a lighter topic than usual. He pulled his chair closer to the table, a small smile on his face. His clan members deserved a moment of low stress within the uncertainty surrounding their lives. It was nice to hear the happiness in their voices. He focused his attention on the conversation, amused by the topic.

"Wait, am I hearing right?" Wonho asked. "You woke up and a little girl was painting your face?"

Minhyuk nodded, eyes twinkling. "I shouldn't have fallen asleep, but I couldn't help it. That is what I get for staying up late on my phone."

Kihyun shook his head. "You should turn off your phone at night. You'll get more sleep if you do."

Minhyuk rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Ki. But anyway, back to my story. I think my student thought it was the perfect time to paint me. I wasn't mad. I mean I love art. It wasn't a big deal."

"You shouldn't have left the paint out," Shownu said.

"It was art time," Minhyuk said. "She was painting at the right time. Just missed her paper by several feet."

Hyungwon chuckled.

"Well," Kihyun said, looking at his time. "I better go. I have clients coming in an hour. Set up will take at least thirty minutes."

"Wow, the concept must be complicated this time around, Kihyun," Shownu said.

Kihyun picked his camera bag from the floor beside him. "They are newlyweds. They wanted something flashy."

Everyone started to get ready to leave. Hyungwon watched them, a full glass of blood sitting in front of him. He kept thinking about what he needed to do next. He had to wait for his clan members to leave before he did anything.

"Wonnie, is there something you'd like from the café?" Wonho asked, eyes on him.

Hyungwon looked up at him. "Oh, that's okay."

When Hyungwon started to drink blood, he decided to adopt a new goal for himself. His new mission was to build up his strength in a short amount of time. Over a span of four days, he traded in his former diet for one more appropriate for a vampire. He no longer asked for pastries, fruit drinks, and chips. Instead, he made sure to drink blood just like his fellow clan members. Unfortunately, his clan members weren't used to his new diet. Often, he had to remind them he no longer needed human food.

"Really it's no trouble," Wonho said. "There is actually a new item on the menu I think you should try and—"

"It's okay, hyung," he said, raising the blood-filled glass. "I'm fine with this."

Wonho nodded. "Of course, I forgot."

Hyungwon didn't respond. It was clear to him that Wonho was uncomfortable with his knew diet. For some reason, the entire clan wasn't reacting well to his speedy recovery. It was odd. He expected more excitement over his transition from no blood drinking to blood drinking.

"It's 8 a.m.," Shownu stated, pushing his chair back. "We should all start heading out."

The rest of his clan members bid him a farewell as they rushed to the door. Shownu stood to the side, holding the door open for all of them. Their leader waved goodbye and headed out their apartment, closing the door behind him. The sound of the ticking clock in the living room filled his surroundings. Hyungwon wanted to get started with his plan, but he knew he had to wait.

As Hyungwon sat, he looked around the table and spotted several empty glasses. After a few minutes, Hyungwon got to his feet, collecting the glasses from the table. His clan members normally never left their glassware behind. But he didn't mind. They must have been in a real hurry this time around.