Noctura

ten

minho

THE GANG known as the Cobras attacked and killed a mass number of people in the clock tower square last night. AAN members were there and tried to stop the attack, but the number of Nocturas was too great. 27 Cobra members were killed, 18 humans, and 38 AAN members. Director Hamada of the AAN has yet to give any information regarding the attack.

I sigh and remove the article from my phone screen before setting my phone down on the kitchen table. I put my head in my hands and close my eyes.

"Minho?"

I quickly look over my shoulder and see Jinwoo walking out of my bedroom.

"Oh, hey," I say, quickly standing up. "How are you? Did you sleep alright?"

Jinwoo nods. "Y-yeah, I slept fine. Thanks."

He walks over to the couch and sits down, staring down at the floor.

I move over toward him. "Are you sure you're alright?"

He looks up at me. "I... I'm fine."

I sigh. "Jinwoo, you're not okay. You're starving. You need to eat."

"I just need some more human food," he says quickly. "Just some of the stuff in your pantry. It's fine."

"It's not gonna satisfy your hunger," I tell him.

"It does," he lies. "It's fine."

I sigh and shake my head. But I go into the kitchen anyway and grab some crackers out of the pantry. I take them back over to Jinwoo and hand him the box.

He starts eating the crackers, munching on them while staring down at the floor.

"I think... I'm gonna have my friend come over."

Jinwoo stops chewing and looks up at me.

"She's a Noctura, like us," I explain quickly. "She's good at getting food. And I think she might be able to help us in our situation."

"I don't need help," Jinwoo tells me. "Please, Minho. I'm not like you. I don't eat... humans' life essence."

I give him a sad look. "Jinwoo, I'm sorry, but—"

"No." He stares at me with intense eyes. "Please, just drop it. I don't want to talk about it."

I swallow nervously, but I comply.

"Do you work?" Jinwoo asks, starting to munch on some more crackers.

"Yeah," I tell him. "I work at a flower shop, just a couple blocks from here."

"A flower shop?" He thinks for a long moment. "I don't know where I used to work. I can't remember."

I give him a sad look. "Well... do you think that maybe if you went to certain places, it would spark your memory?"

He shrugs. "I don't know. Nothing has sparked my memory yet."

"You could come into work with me," I offer. "Obviously not today, but maybe one day soon? You should really heal first, but after that, you can come in with me if you'd like."

"Yeah," Jinwoo whispers. "I can do that."

"I have to work today," I inform him. "I missed out the last two days. But I won't be gone for very long. Just a five hour shift. You should be okay for that time, right?"

Jinwoo nods.

"You shouldn't... you shouldn't leave. You know that, right?"

Again, he nods.