Blood Bound (ENHYPEN) [Jayhoon | Sunghoon Centric]

Chapter 1

Sunghoon remembers the exact moment he was caught.

He's known people went missing at night as much as they did in broad daylight. The creatures of the night were dangling in numbers but the threat they posed for humans was conspicuous.

Living in an orphanage was always hard, especially in a village like Sunghoon's where everybody knew everybody's business. Sunghoon was two moons away from turning eighteenꟷ a matter of time before he got kicked out from the only roof he had over his head. And being labeled the 'freak' or that 'odd kid' who washed up by the river last year with no recollection of who he is or where he came from was a good indication that he was never a part of them if there was any need for one.

"That kid might look harmless, but such grace belongs to no child of God."

Their words always hurt. But knowing how true they were hurt more.

Sunghoon never once felt normal. His body was like a foreign vessel he was forced to possess. When he dreamed he would dream of ghostsꟷ of shadows of people he's never seen, black and white reflections too vivid to be anything but memories of his own. He made the mistake of talking to his warden, months into progressing night terrors that were keeping him awake. Nobody had dared to stand close enough to breathe the same air as him ever since. His existence was lonely. He felt like part of him was missing. Sometimes he would stare at his trembling fingertips, would try to muster up the faint tingles in his veins to something more.

Something more.

It'd been another ordinary evening. Sunghoon was picking up berries for a pie Wonyoung promised to bake that night. Small merciesꟷ their meals were often dry and bland. Sunghoon smiled at the memory of her expectant eyes and cheeky smile coaxing him to her will. No doubt she was going to have him in the palm of her hand when they finally leave the hellhole of an orphanage for college. He thought fondly.

Sunghoon was crouching by the basket of berries, wind ruffling the stubborn strands of hair that were getting too long against his eyes. Then there was a pair of sleek dress shoes in his view, materialized in front of him, swift and soundless in a way no ordinary person would approach another.

He had frozen on the spot, too shocked to do nothing but stare like a spooked animal.

It was an ominous feeling, nostalgic evenꟷ looking up the pressed-down slacks, expensive turtle neck and jacket; a tall frame clad in all black.

It was a young man hardly older than Sunghoon, extraordinarily good-looking and poised to be called human.

It should have been a dead giveaway.

His handsome face was twisted in anger, hatred, sadness, and a myriad of emotions Sunghoon couldn't decipher. He was confused. What could he possibly have done to a stranger to make him look at him like that?

There was a dreadful feeling in his gut he couldn't shake off. The voices in his head were screaming at him to get away but he was rooted to his spot.