KIM'S POV :
Twenty-one years.
That was how long I had been watching him.
Twenty-one years of standing in the shadows, observing a life that had never truly belonged to me.
Twenty-one years of seeing him grow while pretending that I was nothing more than a stranger passing through the same world.
And twenty-one years of reminding myself that I had no right to approach him.
Because the boy I had been waiting for wasn't supposed to remember me.
He wasn't supposed to know that somewhere in this world, there was a vampire who had spent centuries searching for him.
And most importantly, he wasn't supposed to know that before he became Ren, he had once been Aren.
The only person I had ever loved.
The only person I had ever lost.
And the only person I had never managed to forget.
"You're doing it again."
Prapai's voice interrupted my thoughts.
I looked up from the glass of untouched whiskey in my hand.
"Doing what?"
"Staring at your phone like you're waiting for someone to message you."
I gave him a flat look.
"Don't you have a boyfriend to bother?"
Prapai smiled.
Unfortunately, ever since he and Peach had finally sorted out their relationship, his happiness had become everyone else's problem.
Especially mine.
"My boyfriend is sleeping," he replied, leaning back against the sofa. "And unlike certain people, I don't spend my evenings looking at photographs of someone I can't even talk to."
I immediately locked my phone.
Prapai's smile widened.
"Ah. So there really is a photograph."
"Say another word, and I'll throw you out of my house."
"Your house? I thought you preferred sleeping in your office."
I stared at him.
He laughed.
Sometimes I wondered why I had remained friends with him for so long.
Then I remembered that he was one of the few people who knew what I was.
A vampire.
An immortal who had lived long enough to watch the world change around him.
And the only person who knew why a simple photograph could ruin my entire evening.
Prapai's smile gradually faded.
"How is he?"
I looked down at my phone again.
The photograph on the screen showed a young man standing beside Peach, smiling brightly at the camera.
Ren.
Twenty-one years old.
Human.
Alive.
For now, that was enough.
"He's fine," I answered.
"Have you seen him recently?"
"No."
"Kim."
"What?"
"You've been watching over him for twenty-one years. You know where he lives, where he works, what he likes to eat, and probably what time he goes to sleep. Don't tell me you haven't seen him recently."
I gave him a warning look.
Prapai raised both hands.
"Fine. I won't ask how you know all those things."
"Good."
"But I will ask something else."
I already knew I wouldn't like it.
"Have you ever considered talking to him?"
My fingers tightened around the glass.
For a moment, the room became unbearably quiet.
Then I laughed without any humour.
"And say what? Hello, Ren. I'm the vampire who's been watching you since you were born."
Prapai didn't smile this time.
"No," he said quietly. "You don't have to tell him everything."
I looked away.
"Then what am I supposed to tell him?"
"Your name."
I said nothing.
"Start there," Prapai continued. "You don't have to tell hima about your past. Just let him meet you."
I hated how reasonable he sounded.
Perhaps that was why I had never told him to stop giving me advice.
Because, occasionally, he said something that made sense.
And I hated that even more.
"What if he looks at me the way Aren did the last time I saw him?"
Prapai's expression changed.
He knew that story.
He knew about the human who had loved a vampire without understanding how cruel immortality could be.
He knew about the promise I had made.
And he knew that I had never forgiven myself for breaking it.
"You can't change what happened to Aren," Prapai said. "But Ren isn't Aren's unfinished life, Kim. He's his own person."
I looked at him sharply.
"I know that."
"Do you?"
The question struck harder than it should have.
Prapai leaned forward.
"If you love him because you expect him to become the person you lost, then you're going to hurt both of you."
"I don't expect that."
"Then stop treating him like a memory."
I had no answer.
Because the truth was, I had spent twenty-one years convincing myself that staying away was the only way to protect him.
I had watched him grow up from a distance.
I had seen him smile, cry, make friends, and become the person he was today.
I had never asked him to remember me.
I had never demanded that he return a love he couldn't possibly understand.
I had only wanted him to live.
But somewhere along the way, I had forgotten that living meant more than simply being protected.
It meant having choices.
And Ren deserved to make his own.
Prapai stood up and adjusted his jacket.
"Peach and I are having dinner with Ren tomorrow."
My head snapped towards him.
"What?"
He looked far too pleased with himself.
"Peach invited him. Apparently, he has something to tell us."
"And?"
"And I thought you might want to come."
"No."
"Fine."
Prapai started walking towards the door.
I narrowed my eyes.
"Why are you smiling?"
He turned around.
"Because you said no too quickly."
Then he left.
I stared at the closed door for a long moment.
Finally, I picked up my phone again.
Ren was still smiling in the photograph.
And for the first time in twenty-one years, I wondered what would happen if I stopped watching him from a distance.
What would happen if I finally let him see me?
---
THE FOLLOWING EVENING
"Peach, I'm warning you. If this dinner turns out to be another one of your attempts to make me eat vegetables, I'm leaving."
Peach stared at me.
"We're at a restaurant, Ren."
"Exactly. A restaurant with a perfectly good menu, and yet you keep telling me to eat healthy."
"Because you survive on instant noodles and coffee!"
"That's called being a responsible adult."
"That's called destroying your stomach."
I grinned.
He rolled his eyes.
Honestly, I had missed this.
Ever since Prapai and Peach had finally gotten together, my best friend had become unbearably happy.
It was disgusting.
Adorable, but disgusting.
He smiled at his phone every five minutes, talked about Prapai constantly, and somehow managed to turn every conversation into a story about his boyfriend.
I loved him.
But I was beginning to consider blocking his number.
"So," I said, leaning towards him. "Where's your vampire prince?"
Peach immediately blushed.
"Ren!"
"What? I'm asking a simple question."
"He's coming."
"Of course he is. You'd probably cry if he didn't."
"I would not!"
I laughed.
Before he could retaliate, the restaurant entrance opened.
Prapai walked in.
And behind him was a man I recognised immediately.
Kim.
Prapai's manager.
I had seen him a few times before, usually standing beside Prapai with an expression that suggested the entire world was exhausting him.
He was tall, composed, and intimidating in a way that didn't require him to raise his voice.
His dark clothes suited him.
So did his permanent expression of mild irritation.
I had never spoken to him properly.
There had never been a reason to.
Until tonight.
"Sorry we're late," Prapai said, taking the seat beside Peach.
Kim sat opposite me.
For some reason, I suddenly became aware of how untidy my hair probably looked.
Ridiculous.
I straightened in my chair.
Kim glanced at me.
Our eyes met.
And something strange happened.
For one brief second, I forgot what I had been about to say.
His gaze was dark and unreadable, but there was something about the way he looked at me that made my chest feel strangely tight.
It wasn't attraction.
At least, I didn't think it was.
It felt more like standing in front of a familiar door without remembering when I had last opened it.
Kim looked away first.
I released a breath I hadn't realised I was holding.
"Ren," Peach said, drawing my attention back to the table. "This is Kim. You know him, right?"
"Of course. You're Prapai's manager."
Kim lifted an eyebrow.
"That's what people usually call me."
I smiled.
"Should I call you something else?"
"Mr. Kim would be appropriate."
I stared at him.
Then I laughed.
"Oh, you're serious."
"Unfortunately."
Prapai coughed into his hand, suspiciously close to a laugh.
Kim shot him a look.
I decided immediately that I liked this dinner.
"Relax, Mr. Kim," I said. "I'm not going to steal your job."
"I'd appreciate that."
"And here I thought managers were supposed to be friendly."
"Only with people who don't ask unnecessary questions."
I placed a hand over my chest.
"That hurts."
"You'll survive."
Prapai laughed outright.
Peach looked delighted.
And I found myself smiling at Kim despite his attitude.
There was something strangely comforting about arguing with him.
Something that made me want to keep talking just to see what he would say next.
I couldn't explain it.
I had met plenty of rude people before.
None of them had ever made me feel as though I was trying to remember something I'd forgotten.
Dinner continued.
Peach and Prapai were too busy discussing their upcoming plans to notice much else.
I, however, noticed that Kim barely touched his food.
I also noticed that whenever I spoke, his attention shifted towards me.
Not obviously.
Not enough for anyone else to catch.
But I noticed.
Eventually, curiosity won.
"Mr. Kim?"
He looked up.
"Yes?"
"Do you always look this serious?"
"Do you always talk this much?"
I gasped.
Prapai nearly choked on his drink.
Peach covered his mouth, trying not to laugh.
I narrowed my eyes at Kim.
"You're rude."
"So I've been told."
"By everyone?"
"Frequently."
I shook my head.
Then, before I could stop myself, I smiled.
Kim went completely still.
It lasted only a second.
A tiny pause.
A slight change in his expression.
But I saw it.
For a moment, he looked at me as if I had said something without speaking.
As if that smile had reached somewhere inside him that no one had touched in a very long time.
Then he lowered his eyes.
And the expression disappeared.
I frowned.
Strange.
Very strange.
After dinner, Peach went to the restroom, dragging Prapai along because apparently even that required a boyfriend's assistance.
That left Kim and me alone at the table.
Wonderful.
I looked at him.
He looked at the door.
I looked at him again.
Finally, he sighed.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Then why are you staring at me?"
I grinned.
"Maybe I'm trying to figure out why you look like you've attended your own funeral."
He stared at me.
I burst out laughing.
For the first time that evening, I thought I saw the corner of his mouth lift.
Almost a smile.
Almost.
"You're an unusual person, Ren."
I tilted my head.
"Is that a compliment?"
"I haven't decided yet."
"Take your time. I can wait."
The words left my mouth casually.
I didn't know why they made him look at me so strangely.
His expression softened, but the sadness in his eyes deepened.
For a moment, I felt an inexplicable urge to reach across the table and ask him what was wrong.
Instead, I stayed quiet.
Then Kim spoke.
"Have we met before?"
I blinked.
"What?"
He seemed almost surprised by his own question.
"Nothing. Forget it."
But I couldn't.
Because the question had stirred something inside me.
A strange image flashed through my mind.
Rain.
A voice calling my name.
A pair of cold hands holding mine.
And a man looking at me with eyes that seemed unbearably familiar.
The image disappeared before I could understand it.
I pressed my fingers against my temple.
Kim immediately straightened.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah." I shook my head. "I just remembered something strange."
"What?"
I looked at him.
For some reason, I suddenly felt nervous.
"I think I've seen you somewhere before."
Kim didn't move.
The silence between us grew heavier.
Then he looked away.
"Perhaps."
"Perhaps?"
"Maybe we crossed paths somewhere."
I studied his face.
There was something he wasn't telling me.
I didn't know what it was.
But I knew, with a certainty I couldn't explain, that his answer wasn't the whole truth.
Before I could question him further, Peach and Prapai returned.
The moment was gone.
Kim stood up, adjusted his jacket, and looked towards Prapai.
"I'm leaving."
Prapai raised an eyebrow.
"Already?"
"I have work tomorrow."
"You always have work tomorrow."
"And yet you continue to ask."
Prapai grinned.
Kim ignored him.
Then, just before leaving, he turned towards me.
"Goodnight, Ren."
I smiled.
"Goodnight, Mr. Kim."
He hesitated.
It was barely noticeable.
Then he nodded and walked away.
I watched him disappear through the restaurant entrance.
For reasons I couldn't explain, I felt as though something important had just happened.
Something I would remember for a long time.
---
KIM'S POV
I didn't stop walking until I reached my car.
For several minutes, I stood beside the driver's door without moving.
Have we met before?
The question had escaped before I could stop it.
Twenty-one years of silence, and that was what I had chosen to say.
Pathetic.
I closed my eyes.
For a moment, I could almost hear Aren laughing.
You're thinking too much again, Kim.
I could almost feel his hand slipping into mine.
One day, you're going to worry yourself into an early grave.
I had laughed then.
I hadn't understood that I would eventually become the one left behind.
My phone vibrated.
A message from Prapai appeared on the screen.
Prapai: You spoke to him.
I stared at the message.
Then another appeared.
Prapai: I'm proud of you.
I rolled my eyes.
Kim: If you tell anyone about tonight, I'll ruin your life.
His reply arrived immediately.
Prapai: You love me too much.
I put my phone away.
For the first time in twenty-one years, I had spoken to Ren without hiding behind the excuse of protecting him.
And I had discovered something terrifying.
Ren wasn't Aren.
He didn't have Aren's memories.
He didn't know our promises or the lifetimes that had separated us.
He was simply Ren.
A young man who laughed too easily, asked too many questions, and smiled as though the world hadn't yet taught him all its cruelties.
And I wanted to know him.
Not the person he had been.
The person he was now.
I looked towards the restaurant one last time.
Somewhere inside, Ren was probably teasing Peach or asking Prapai another ridiculous question.
He was alive.
He was happy.
And for tonight, that was enough.
I had waited centuries for fate to bring him back to me.
Perhaps I could wait a little longer before asking it for anything else.
But as I got into my car, a thought settled deep inside my mind.
For the first time in centuries, I wasn't afraid that Ren would forget me.
I was afraid that I would fall in love with him again.
And this time, I had no idea how I would survive losing him.
To be continued...