The clinking of glasses and the murmur of conversation filled the dimly lit bar. Jihu chuckled at something Fang had said, taking a long sip of his beer. Just then, his phone buzzed. It was Ri.
"Come home soon, I have something to tell you," her voice was light, almost bubbly.
"Something to tell me? What is it?" Jihu asked, curiosity piqued.
"Just come home, I'll tell you later," she avoided the question, a hint of playful mystery in her tone.
He sighed, a fond smile tugging at his lips. "Alright, alright. I'm on my way." He hung up, glancing at Fang. "Gotta head out. Ri wants to tell me something."
Fang raised an eyebrow. "Ooh, mysterious. Good luck, buddy."
Meanwhile, back at their apartment, Ri nervously fiddled with the hem of her dress. Ash sat beside her, radiating calm. Ri had confided in Ash before calling Jihu. The truth was blooming within her, a secret she desperately wanted to share with her closest friends, Shu and Ash, before Jihu. After three years of marriage, she was pregnant.
"Ready?" Ash asked, placing a reassuring hand on Ri's arm.
Ri nodded, a mixture of excitement and trepidation swirling within her. Together, they walked to Shu's house, a familiar route that usually brought comfort. But today, apprehension hung heavy in the air.
As they approached, Ri stopped short. Shu's front door was wide open, a blatant disregard for her usual meticulous nature. A knot of unease tightened in Ri's stomach.
"Shu?" she called out, pushing the door further.
The scene that greeted them was devastating. Shu was slumped on the floor of her living room, sobbing uncontrollably. Her clothes were dishevelled, and the atmosphere was thick with violated intimacy.
Ri rushed to her friend, kneeling and wrapping her arms around her. "Shu! What happened? Tell me!"
Shu's words were choked with tears, barely understandable. "I…I… can't… forgive…"
Ash knelt beside them, her face etched with concern. "Tell us what happened, Shu. Don't cry, just tell us."
Gradually, as the initial shock subsided, Shu managed to speak. "It…it was Raven. He…took control. I…I'll never forgive him." Tears streamed down her face as she recounted how Raven, drunk the night before, had forced himself on her.
Ri felt a wave of nausea and disbelief wash over her. Raven, their friend, the one who had always seemed so protective of Shu?
"Where is Raven?" Ash asked, her voice sharp.
"I…I told him to leave," Shu sobbed. "I told him if he didn't leave, I would. He…he left. I always told him he wasn't good for me and he did this. I never believed it! You always told me he took care of me for three years, but he did this…"
Ash, her eyes flashing with anger, tried to offer a different perspective. "No, Shu, it may not be what you think…"
But Shu, consumed by grief and betrayal, was beyond reasoning.
Seeing Shu's distress, Ri and Ash gently helped her change her clothes and brought her back to Ri and Jihu's apartment.
Back at the bar, Jihu had said his goodbyes and was on his way home. He was looking forward to getting home and hearing what was so important that Ri could not wait to tell him.
As Jihu and Fang approached their apartment, they were surprised to see Ri and Ash practically carrying a distraught Shu.
"Shu? What happened? Why are you crying?" Fang blurted out, his voice filled with alarm.
Ash quickly pulled Fang aside, away from Shu. "Something terrible happened," she whispered, her voice tight with anger. She recounted the events of the previous night, Raven's drunken transgression, and Shu's devastation.
Understanding dawned on Jihu like a thunderclap. He suddenly understood Raven's quiet demeanor, the strange smile he had worn before leaving. It was regret, consuming guilt, that had driven Raven to decide to return to Freedonia, a decision he hadn't even confided in Fang or Jihu.
"Ri," Jihu said, his voice firm. "Take Shu to one of our rooms. Let her calm down. She can stay here for a few days."
Ri, relieved to have a plan, nodded and led Shu away.
Turning to Ash, Jihu said, "Ash, the night has passed and he has left the earth, regretting his decision and returned to Freedonia."
Ash stared at him, disbelief etched on her face. "What do you mean? After doing so much, he has just returned to Freedonia? He doesn't want Shu to even give him a chance to explain and not misunderstand him?"
Fang muttered, "That's why he left. He knows the longer he stays, the more Shu will recoil from him, the deeper the misunderstanding will be. Raven knows he can't fix it. And he also knows that Raven will never set foot on earth again unless absolutely necessary. That's the truth of his nature. I didn't understand it before, but now I do. He hugged us like that…wouldn't it have been better if we'd hugged him a little longer, Jihu? A little tighter?"
Jihu remained silent, his mind replaying the events of the past few days, searching for clues he had missed. "That's why you said, tell me Raven…I told you that I had explained it to you but you still did this thing, so tell me – why are you like this brother? Why didn't you understand when I explained it to you? Look what you did now? What will happen to you now?" The words echoed in his head, a silent lament for his friend's tragic choice .
The weight of Shu's slumber was a heavy blanket on Ri's heart. After what felt like an eternity of soothing, of whispering reassurances to a mind fractured by trauma, Shu finally drifted off. Ri slipped out of the room, the silence amplifying the turmoil within her. She found Jihu waiting, his face etched with worry. Without a word, she launched herself into his arms, clinging to him with a desperation that surprised even herself.
"Ri, what is it, dear?" Jihu asked, his voice thick with emotion. "Everything will be fine. Don't worry, I'm here, right?"
The dam broke. Tears streamed down Ri's face as she choked out the words, "I… I'm going to be a mother, Jihu. You're going to be a father."
She sobbed harder, burying her face in his chest. "I wanted to tell you with so much joy, Jihu. I dreamed of it. But… I couldn't imagine telling you in such a situation."
Suddenly, another presence enveloped them. Ash, eyes red and swollen, wrapped her arms around Ri and Jihu. "Look, sis," Ash said, her voice trembling but firm. "We've faced so many problems like this before, and we're still facing them now. We have to go through moments of joy and sadness together."
She sniffled, forcing a watery smile. "Just as we have this amazing moment of joy, you're going to be a mom… there's also the sadness that Raven has left this earth, gone to Freedonia. Maybe he'll never set foot in this world again. But we can still hope, right? Maybe one day Raven will come back… for Shu, for Shu's love. Maybe one day Shu will remember everything, right?"
Ri clung to Ash's words, a flicker of hope igniting within her. She pulled back slightly, wiping her tears. "Yes," she whispered, her voice stronger. "Yes, we can hope."
Jihu pulled Ri closer, his hand gently stroking her hair. "We're all with you, Ri. All of us. I'm so incredibly happy that you gave me such beautiful news, despite all this pain. I'm so happy, baby. I love you so much. I'm going to be a father… because of you. Thank you."
Time blurred into a strange mixture of joy and grief. Shu, blessedly, seemed to be improving. The volatile rage that had consumed her slowly subsided, replaced by a quiet, almost childlike demeanours. Everyone tiptoed around the subject of Raven. Even a whisper of his name could trigger a violent outburst, harmful to both Shu and the growing life within Ri. Shu, despite her partial recovery, had embraced everyone as her own, except for the memory, the ghost, of Raven. It was like a fragile dawn slowly chasing away a long night.
On the day of Raven's coronation in Freedonia, Jihu and Fang journeyed there as representatives of their family. They witnessed the ceremony, saw Raven crowned as the new Vampire King. But after the pomp and circumstance, both Jihu and Fang were prevented from meeting him privately. It seemed as though Raven had deliberately vanished, melting back into the shadows, a creature of the night guarding himself from any connection to his past.