Sunghoon watches him with a terrified gaze, realizing it's him, the monster he's seen in his past life dreams. It circles him, looking like a beast that delights in its prey.
"My friend," he says suddenly, leaning back to his ear. "I've waited so long for this moment. It was fascinating to be able to snatch you away from the eyes of this whole gang of traitors..."
It's strange, but even though he's not tied up, he sits obediently in the chair, unable to move. Could it be that he's been hypnotized by him?
- What do you want from me? Why are you persecuting us? Why do Wonyoung and I have dreams about our past lives? Are you doing this to us?
Jay narrows his eyes as he stands before him.
- I promised you that your next life would be worse than the last one.
He stares intensely at Sunghoon, a smile appearing on his face.
- Is this really revenge for us running away from you, for making you feel betrayed by us? - Sunghoon boldly says the words, feeling that he will not hurt him. Even though they are harassed by him, so far, it has only been intimidation on his part.
Shouldn't one of them have had their heads torn off long ago if he wants them dead? It's like he's playing some kind of game with them, trying to gain something at all costs, which is why he and Wonyoung see their past lives in their dreams.
- So many years have passed, and I still feel hurt by you... - he says these words with contempt.
- Tell us directly what you want from us. You make our lives miserable, you enjoy it, but you don't really want to hurt us physically. You feel attached to us. Furthermore, you were my servant in my previous life... - Sunghoon can't finish his sentence because Jay grabs him by the neck, baring his teeth at him. His grip is so tight that the teenager starts to lose air.
"I saved you! I gave you a second life, and you... you betrayed me!" he shouts, his grip loosening as he sees Sunghoon can't catch his breath. He lets go, and the eighteen-year-old boy coughs violently, trying to catch his breath. "You were the closest to me! You stabbed me in the back, and I would have done anything for you!"
Coughing, Sunghoon looks at him with watery eyes.
- You turned us into monsters. You cared so much about us, protected us, and yet you made our lives' hell. You did a selfish thing, Jay. That much I know from the dreams you've been telling us.
- I protected you! I wanted you to still be with me, to enjoy life, being stronger!
Jay's eyes turn intensely black with anger.
- You did it for yourself because you would rather not exist without us, so we left, leaving you with your worst nightmare. We wanted you to pay the penalty for your selfish act.
The vampire exudes such anger that he looks like he wants to tear out Sunghoon's throat, but he controls himself, knowing that this will be the biggest mistake he will make. He still has a chance to get what he wants.
- And you took Inha from me! She was mine! She was my person!
- We just fell in love, that's why she took my side. You can't fool the heart, Jay.
A mighty scream erupts from the vampire's throat, giving vent to all his emotions. The entire apartment shakes as if under the influence of a weather anomaly.
- That's why in this life I will never let you be happy! - he shouts. - You will never be together! You will never be happy because you got what I have always wanted, a chance to be human!
Sunghoon frowns, finally understanding what he means. He wanders the world, desperately wanting a chance like them — to be human.
- If you like to be reborn as a human, we can help you, but stop taking revenge on us and making our lives harder. You paid the price for your mistake, too, which is why you're left alone, wandering for the next hundred years as a vampire.
Jay narrows his eyes, still looking angry.
- You can't pull the wool over my eyes, Sunghoon. You don't even know what it takes to kill a vampire so that its soul can be reborn.
"I know." His firm voice makes Jay look intrigued. "You need a sword made of real gold. Silver kills you without the possibility of rebirth, gold gives you a chance to be human in a new life."
- That doesn't change anything! The sword is gone, I don't know what that idiot did with it, but she won't remember her previous life!
- She didn't remember herself, but as Inha she showed me in my dreams. We can come to an agreement if you would rather not be a monster anymore, Jay.
Brunet looks at him suspiciously, but sees that he's telling the truth. He can read the lie in his eyes.
"I'm an original vampire, so the sword alone won't work on me. I need something else, something you took with you as Minki when you ran away from me."
Sunghoon frowns.
- What's this? - he asks in a whisper.
- Gold dust from the palace, which is hidden in a wooden box.
The intercom rings. Jay mutters curses under his breath as he walks over to the device and sees the faces of Sunghoon's panicked friends on the screen. With them is Somi, who betrayed his whereabouts.
"I'll kill that blonde tramp," he mutters under his breath, then glances at Sunghoon and smiles out of the corner of his mouth. "Let's all talk, this could get pretty dramatic."
The eighteen-year-old boy is alarmed when he sees Jay letting the entire group inside, probably planning something cruel for them. They walk into the lion's mouth without realizing that they are being handed to him on a plate.
- Think about it, Jay. I will remember what I did with the gold dust, I'll get it back at all costs, and I'll help you. Let's bury the hatchet. Let's compromise - Sunghoon says chaotically, worried about his friends.
- I'll think about it while I play.
Jay looks amused as he stands with his arms folded across his chest, watching the crowd of teenagers rush into his apartment.
Wonyoung dramatically runs up to Sunghoon, cupping his face in her hands and looking at him with concern in her eyes.
- Are you okay? Are you feeling okay? He didn't hurt you, did he?
The brunette boy snorts under his breath, thinking it's pathetic. Wonyoung just as hopelessly in love with him as she was in her previous life.
- I'm fine, why did you come here? Don't you know how dangerous it is for you?
Niki looks at him with shock and concern, wondering whether to come closer to him.
He is lost and doesn't know what to think about all this.
Jay notices this and addresses him directly with an amused voice:
- What? Does your heart ache because it turns out you hurt your little brother, whom you missed so much?
Not only Sunghoon, but everyone else shifts a surprised look at Jay.
- What are you talking about? - the eighteen-year-old boy asks in a whisper, still feeling Wonyoung's touch as she holds her hand on his shoulder.
- Friend, don't you remember what happened thirteen years ago? Your older brother remembers that terrible night very well, because all that time he thought you had been torn to pieces by an animal.
Sunghoon and Niki look at each other at the same time, feeling shivers run down their bodies.
- Is that why I don't remember anything from before? Have you erased my memory?
Jay smiles nonchalantly.
- Your poor granny, she's not your real granny. She just found you helpless in the forest and took care of you.
"How... how is that possible?" Niki doesn't take his eyes off Sunghoon, feeling a strange tightening in his heart. "I was presumed dead?"
- I left the mangled body of my grandmother's grandson who was eaten by wolves for dinner, so the driver and your brother thought it was you. Isn't it funny that you lost your wonderful life of luxury with your real family for the sake of my perfect revenge?
- I remember that when we were driving back at night, something jumped out onto the road. The driver reassured us that it was just an animal, but then the door on my brother's side opened and something pulled him out. I heard his panicked cry and the animals growling, pulling. I wanted to get out and help him, but the driver forbade me, claiming that my brother was already dead and that I would die too. He blocked the door, through the window I saw a torn body on the street. That sight is still stuck in my head, it comes back to me every night in nightmares - says Niki, looking as if he were in a trance. Sullyoon grabs his hand, trying to comfort him.
- It's all an illusion, Niki. Your brother is here, alive. That monster has deceived us all.
Jay shoots the girl an angry look.
- What did you call me, my favorite?
A scream escapes the girl's lips as Jay grabs her hand and pulls her towards him. Niki tries to take her away from him, but he puts out a hand, stopping him.
"Calm down, we need to clear something up." He grabs her chin and forces her to look him in the eye. "You may be innocent now, but in your past life you seduced a lover, on my orders. You loved him so madly that you killed him when you found out he didn't have feelings for you," he claims, shifting his gaze to Jake. "Who would have thought that in this life you'd be good friends?"
He lets go of Sullyoon, and she falls straight into Niki's arms. Jay shifts his gaze to Wonyoung.
- And you... my dearest, who stabbed me in the back and left with Sunghoon. - He steps closer to her, not taking his eyes off her face. - You also learned a lesson from me when you partied hard with your fake friend that fateful night... - He shifts his gaze to the blonde girl, who stands scared at the back, right by the door. - You drank my blood in alcohol, that's why you're connected to me through visions. - Wonyoung looks like she wants to throw up. - Who would have expected that on the same night you'd run over Sunghoon and his buddy? It's quite funny - he adds, clapping his hands.
"Since you've hurt us enough and made our lives so twisted and full of drama, why don't you forgive us? We don't have to bear the guilt of our past life's deeds. No human being who is reborn will remember this," Wonyoung states, looking at Jay pityingly. "Let us finally go and live happily ever after."
He snorts under his breath, then appears too quickly behind Somi.
- Live happily? As long as she lives, you won't be happy, Wonyoung. - With one movement, he snaps her neck before their eyes, causing screams of terror to echo through the apartment.
Will this nightmare finally end?