New World | SOOKAI

Goodnight, Sweet Prince (Part 2)

Yeonjun was in the kitchen busying himself with stacking Soobin's refrigerators with the blood they had acquired. I waited in the study with Soobin, beginning to hear the storm slowly die down outside. He was pacing around nervously as I stood there and looked down at the guitar that still lay upon the floor, face down. I was too scared to even touch it. I didn't want it to bring on another episode of.. Whatever the hell happened earlier.

Soobin finally pried himself out of his concern and reached for the guitar to pick it up, his cleanliness getting the better of him. I stepped forward quickly to grab his wrist "No!"

He looked at me, his soft, round eyes searching mine for an explanation. "What's wrong?"

"That guitar, it... it's what brought all this on. It once belonged to Beomgyu. His name is carved into the inside of it."

Soobin's eyes dropped to the red instrument in disbelief. He then picked it up quickly with his other hand and stepped back from me so I couldn't interfere. I let out a small sigh.

Soobin... you're still far too stubborn for your own good, sometimes.

He continued walking away from me back to the instruments and turned the guitar over by the neck in his hand, carefully eyeing up the inside of it through the soundhole. I saw his expression drop as his eyes caught the name written inside.

"What are the odds that this should fall into our hands..." he trailed off and cautiously placed it back upon its stand.

"They're pretty high, actually" Yeonjun now spoke from his leaned posture in the doorway, having overheard the start of the conversation.

Soobin turned to him on the spot "How so?"

The blonde pushed himself away from the door and slowly approached the instrument, running his fingertips over the strings quietly.

"I've heard tales of these occurrences many times over the years when vampires have died. Some of them manage to leave certain parts of their memories attached to items that hold great meaning to them."

He tucked his hands into his pockets and licked his lips before looking up at me directly from underneath a dark, arched eyebrow.

"Beomgyu must have been particularly fond of this piece."

I looked away from Yeonjun's prying eyes. I could tell he was almost trying to address a secondary fact within his words. Yeonjun was even more perceptive than I was. There's a reason Soobin once said he was the most experienced, knowledgeable vampire he's ever known.

"Why has it found us so easily? Surely it's no coincidence?" Soobin asked the other.

"These objects are.. Possessed, in a sense. They have a way of manipulating certain individuals who come into contact with them so that they can make their way to where they.. Want to be.."

I bit the inside of my cheek. Yeonjun was being vague for my sake. But Soobin, with his ever-turning mind, required further answers.

"But why would this want to be here? Does Beomgyu's bloodlust for Kai still exist, even in the afterlife?" Soobin asked, still painfully oblivious.

Yeonjun looked at me again and I shifted my weight upon my feet, feeling more uneasy with every question and answer between the two of them.

"Can we just leave already? The storm's over." I said impatiently.

Yeonjun stopped eyeing me and turned around on the spot to make his way out of the study without another word or glance. Soobin approached me, sliding a comforting arm around my shoulder and gently ushered me away behind Yeonjun.