Love Again

62. Mijin

"Elric, stop sticking so close to me..."

"I'm lonely...Who else to walk beside except you? Besides, I was always with Stan. I practically followed him everywhere."

"I told you to leave! I have to go see my parents today..."

"Then I'll go with you!"

"No! You can't. Don't you have a home? Go there!"

Yeon was beginning to become more and more frustrated with Elric's clinginess. He did understand his situation though. It was obvious he craved for his runaway fated and was desperate to find him. Still, it was frustrating having Elric follow him everywhere.

"I'm still not used to this side of you. And why do you still wear a mask?" Taking off his hat to reveal a messy hair, Yeon laughed when Elric complained as he rebelled for it.

"Are you hiding from someone? You appear more disguised which is unlike you..."

"I'm not! The swelling may have subsided but I'm still purple and blue..."

"Then why do you wear contact lenses? Isn't it obvious you're hiding proof of your mark?"

"It's not like that..." Elric spoke as he finally reached for his hat, grabbed it from Yeon and put it on. "I had a reputation and now I'm the one who'd gotten bit. Do you know how many of my past lovers have ridiculed me?"

Yeon laughed at Elric's comment. It was funny seeing this side of him. A former playboy...maybe still is who prided himself and proudly flaunted his reputation was now fated to the ex boyfriend of one of his lovers.

"You can't hide forever Elric. Once Niel comes back, what will you do? He'd be upset if he suspected you were ashamed of him."

Elric stopped in his tracks, forcing Yeon to do the same and look at him. He he gazed ahead in silence as if processing what Yeon had just said.

"I'm not ashamed of my marking. I admit wearing a scarf the first two weeks post the marking but it was because my mother sturbbonly insisted. After the incident involving Stan, she's been having people watch me like a hawk, not to mention, I did return home with my face all swollen up from Niel's beating. She also gave me an earful of being marked and abandoned by my fated...damn! Even now as I listen to myself talk, the idea of being fated to Niel still sounds unfathomable to me. I just wanted to have a little fun with him that's all...find out why Mijin was so crazy about him despite her not liking his scent."

Looking back at Yeon, Elric wondered to himself how Yeon had confidently walked around campus post his attack with bite marks on his neck, his former luminous red eyes and leaving a trail of a strong sweet scent as if he didn't care of his predicament.

"You'll stare a hole through my head you fool." Yeon complained.

"I can't help but wonder what was going through your mind that time nine months ago. Seeing that I'm in a rather similar situation now, I admire your confidence. You had no one beside you to comfort you...alone...completely isolated yet here I am, doing my best to cover up my current status with scent inhibitors and what not."

"That's because I could care less what people think of me. They don't know me and their opinion of me is none of my business."

"My case is different. Having bedded a lot of people in campus and outside, I've accumulated a lot of unfinished business. I had to change my number to avoid people that I'm even surprised how little people knew of me to not see through my disguise."

Yeon scanned Elric from head to toe then shook his head amused. "It's silly really. Just by looking at you, anyone knows it's you Elric. Besides, you are hanging around me, the guy that made the graduation ceremony get delayed, not to mention dating Stan and all. They probably think you're going through a phase and are giving you time to come off it."