The Vampire's Cradle

Chapter 1: The Beginning

Woo Bin's POV

In the winter of 1954, the air was heavy with the weight of recent conflict in a small village in North Korea. The scars of the Korean War still lingered, leaving families like mine to navigate a fragile existence. For the past twenty years, we had called this place home—a family of four, struggling to carve out a life amid uncertainty. I had a younger sister, Jae-Eun, just two years my junior. Our days were marked by hardship, our freedom constantly shadowed by fear and the looming threat of violence.

I remember one particular sunny day, a rare glimpse of warmth in our bleak surroundings. Troops roamed the village, their presence a constant reminder of the dangers that encroached upon us. My father urged me to get up and prepare for school, but the dread gnawed at my stomach. Jae-Eun wanted to accompany me, but I couldn't shake the fear that the militias might take an interest in her. I was determined to shield her from their prying eyes, desperate to protect her innocence.

The clock struck three as I stepped out of school, the anticipation of giving Jae-Eun the candies I had bought filling my mind. I checked my pocket repeatedly, ensuring they were safe. But as I approached our home, a knot tightened in my chest. I noticed a gathering of people, their faces twisted with grief, whispers of sorrow hanging heavy in the air.

"Aigoo! What a pity, they are all gone," an old woman lamented, her voice breaking.

"Woo Bin is here..." another woman murmured as she spotted me.

A sense of foreboding washed over me as I broke into a run. An ambulance stood outside our home, and my heart raced. Two stretchers emerged, each draped with a white sheet. I knew instinctively that something was terribly wrong.

Desperation surged within me as I dashed inside, ignoring the police who tried to restrain me. I had to find my sister. The sight that met my eyes was a nightmare. The house lay in disarray, and there, on the floor, was her body—broken and lifeless. Bruises marred her pale skin, and blood stained the floor.

I froze, my voice trapped in my throat. I wanted to scream her name, but I was paralyzed by shock. I rushed to her side, cradling her head in my trembling hands, willing her to wake up. But she lay still, and my world shattered.

They took her away, but I followed the ambulance, gripping her cold hand. I hoped against hope that this was a nightmare I would awaken from, that the day would revert to how it was that morning. Tears streamed down my face as reality crushed me.

At the hospital, the doctor confirmed what I already knew. She was gone.

I screamed, a raw, primal sound that echoed in the sterile halls. I punched the wall in anguish, feeling the sting of pain as blood trickled from my knuckles. It was real. I sank to the floor, unable to stand, my body consumed by grief.

"Omma... Ah-bo-jee... Jae-Eun..." I called out, my voice choked with sorrow. I longed for their comforting presence, for Jae-Eun to tease me, to kiss my forehead and bring laughter back into my world. But today, there was only silence.

I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling the cold seep into my bones. The emptiness enveloped me, and fear crept in, twisting my insides. I hid my face, sobbing uncontrollably.

Someone's POV

Earlier that day, I saw the young man—Woo Bin—walking past the school. I had wanted to stop him, to warn him, but fear held me back. When I saw him running later, tears streaming down his face, I knew the truth: his family had been brutally attacked. I had foreseen this, but I had been too afraid to intervene.

Now, watching him crumble under the weight of his loss, I felt a familiar ache in my chest. I knew his fate would mirror my own trapped in a cycle of suffering that seemed inescapable.

Should I step in? Or should I remain invisible, a silent witness to another tragedy? I had endured a lifetime of solitude, haunted by memories I wished I could forget. The pain of my past still lingered, a ghost that refused to fade.

As I watched Woo Bin, I felt a surge of helplessness. His pain resonated with mine, and I couldn't shake the feeling that he was just the beginning of a long, bloody road ahead.