BULLETPROOF

✂ ── TEQUILA

it’s a strange thing to think about over alcohol with jiwon, but maybe it’s not at all; it’s also over catching up. “hey,” he starts, looking sideways at his friend with an oh-so-typical-jaeyong crooked smile. “i saw your brother the other day. he’s a bartender now. damn, should we have gotten drinks where he works?” jaeyong raises an eyebrow playfully, then laughs. “anyway, i stabbed him in the back. literally. he might be dead. who knows,” and he shrugs, then takes a sip of his drink like it’s nothing.

sometimes, it saddens jiwon that he has to keep a big part of who he is hidden from society. if it were up to him, he’d let the whole world know about his life as a hunter; how he had sworn to protect humanity from the evil that could always be found lurking around the corners. had you asked him, he’d tell you that there is no job more noble and glorious than being a hunter. so although he cannot quite scream his pride from the rooftops, he’s found other ways to grab the world’s attention. just because he has to stay low as a hunter does it mean he has to stay low as kang jiwon the human, too.

it is not at all out of character for him to be showing up at the bar whilst sporting a pair of red-tinted sunglasses--or for him to be loud even before taking the first sip of his drink. the fact that he is accompanied by none other than jaeyong only adds fuel to the fire that had already been lit. if anyone should understand how jiwon felt about everything, it had to be jaeyong. the same views; the same work ethic; hell, even the same loyalty that his biological brother clearly seemed to miss. if it were up to him, he would have exchanged jihoon for jaeyong in a heartbeat. 

he’s sure his parents would, too.

sadly, the world had not granted him such favours--but that didn’t mean he had to stop pretending. after all, he knows their hatred for his brother is mutual, and as much as he’d love for jihoon to cease existing altogether, he apparently has to settle for making his life miserable instead. “i would have gone there just to see his reaction and see him cry, but if he’s as lousy a bartender as he is a hunter, it’s a hard pass from me.” and that’s all jiwon’s got to say about it, really. he doesn’t want to spend more time talking about the waste of space that is his brother--that is, until jaeyong continues his story and jiwon nearly spits out the drink he’d taken just a second ago. out of surprise of the sudden comment, out of disbelief, but mostly out of excitement. had it been anyone else who said it, he would have thought they were just fooling around. but this was jaeyong, and he is absolutely certain his friend is being serious.

jisung hears the mention of jihoon’s name, and gets no other warning before whatever he was shot with takes effect. his vision blurs, and in that moment, the only thing he can think of is jihoon—and how he undoubtedly will be troubling his remaining close friend.

jiwon isn’t sure what exactly he had been expecting. there is a significant lack of reaction from the wolf when their eyes finally lock, and it leaves the elder feeling rather disappointed. where was the fun in toying with someone who didn’t even bother to fight back?  the least he could do was at least try to defend himself.

and so the whole scenario turns into somewhat of an uncomfortable stare down. moving closer to jisung is barely a threat at this point, but he is half expecting him to at least open his mouth and speak up. one second. two seconds. three seconds. nothing. there’s a slight hint of confusion that colors jiwon’s expression, wondering if perhaps he had overlooked something. another wolf nearby? an overdose of wolfsbane? had jisung finally really gone crazy? there is no explanation he can think of, so he finally brushes it off as jisung being his own ridiculous self. 

“ugh. you’re no fun.” no wonder him and jihoon had always been attached at the hip. like attracts like, don’t they say? that’s why jiwon would rather die than to be found anywhere near them. 

but alas, there was work to be done here. maybe he could manage to get a bit more of a reaction out of the younger if he prodded a little longer; pushed a little harder. his feet finally start dragging him forwards, closing in on the distance between him and the other. “cat got your tongue?” he questions, though he grants jisung no time to respond whatsoever. by now, the wolfsbane should have mixed with the wolf’s blood enough to leave him weakened (though in all fairness, he is starting to wonder whether he had needed to sedate jisung in the first place). 

out of the blue, the hunter lifts his leg and forcefully plants his feet against the other’s knee. “tell me,” he continues, with that ever-so sickeningly complacent tone of voice, “when did you lose your dignity exactly? was it when you started hanging out with that good-for-nothing brother of mine?” another kick; harder this time. “or when you turned into a disgusting mutt? full offense, but i’d have killed myself a long time ago if i were you.”

precision is key when it comes to being a hunter--but why should that mean that one could not have a little fun every now and then? granted, he knew better than to toy with those who could snap his neck with a simple flick of their wrist; but today’s target posed no direct threat to him. how could he, when him and that loser brother of his were practically two sides of the same coin? a terrible hunter and a pathetic excuse of a werewolf; they truly were a (disgraceful) match made in heaven. 

jiwon doesn’t even bother being cautious as he stalks after jisung. the music that blasts through the wolf’s headphones is almost loud enough for jiwon to enjoy with him. he wonders, scoffing, how on earth it is possible for this person to still be alive when it would take zero effort to bring him down. or perhaps that was exactly why he was still alive: the guy was so stupid, his fellow hunters probably did not even deem him worthy of their time.

but today, jisung is not jiwon’s main target. hell, he isn’t even there to kill him per se (though should he accidentally end up taking his life, so be it). the past week had been boring. his father had continuously been spewing venomous words about his brother, and at some point, jiwon had grown tired of it. disowned or not, jihoon was still related to them by blood; still part of the song clan as well. it was about time he showed him a lesson, and what better way to do so than through his enemies? two birds, one stone. this should be quite the interesting day. 

the longer jiwon chases after the werewolf, the denser the woods seem to get. it is the perfect location for one to go unnoticed and had exactly been the kind of location he had expected jisung to lead him to. where else would this loner boy spend his days contemplating life? it is all just so predictable. 

when the male finally comes to a halt, so does jiwon. he creeps behind a tree that is big enough to cover him entirely as he waits for the other to settle down. few seconds pass, and already he is feeling ridiculous. what is he waiting for, exactly? he’s got his target right where he wants him, there is nobody around, and on top of that he is beyond bored. it’s about time to have some fun. 

“hey, hotshot.” irony-laced words, called out absentmindedly while he prepares one of his wolfsbane infused darts. ready; aim; shoot. enough of the poison to sedate him, but not enough to kill. yet. 

murky shadows || open-starter

“What brings you here in the dark of night, child? Don’t you fear what goes bump in the night?” 

jiwon is not in the mood to play games with her. the graveyard, jiah’s tombstone in particular, has always been somewhat of a sanctuary to him. he does not expect a monster like herself to understand the meaning of that, nor does he desire her to. grave or not, he will take her down right there if he has to; but the fact that she has the audacity not to take him seriously rubs him entirely the wrong way.

don’t let her get into your head, the younger tells himself, because he knows that is exactly what these monsters do. if it is too easy, it isn’t real. the distance between them is small enough for him to step forward and impale her with the silver blade in his hands; it is also close enough for her to overpower him and snap his neck instead. 

but he can’t let jiah down. again. he can’t let his father down, either, nor can he let himself down.

“you want my respect? come, then.” his feet move in small circles; eyes following her movements with the utmost precision. she’s been slithering her way around him like any hunter does its prey; but he is not that. he is not the prey here, he reminds himself, but it is no use making the first move. if he steps closer, his defense might quaver; if he runs, she’ll keep up with him easily. he needs the vampire to come just a little bit closer. 

murky shadows || open-starter

“A graveyard… at this time of night? Really now, do you have a death wish?” She shakes her head briefly, short hair bouncing around her jawline. She’s behind them now, peeking over their shoulder. 

“How absolutely clichè…”

he’s never been able to erase her face from his memory. the look in her eyes; that familiar wilderness he had faced many a time before, but never on someone so dear to him. to say that he regretted killing her would be a lie. to pretend that it didn’t leave a mark on him even more so. after all, jiah had been by his side since they were kids. he’d be a monster not to be bothered by it.

that being said, there was no reason for anyone to know that jiwon still came to visit his late friend’s grave every so often. hypocritical, perhaps. she would have never been buried below the ground had it not been for him. then again, he would have never been forced to put her there had it not been for those damned vampires in the first place. for her death, the hunter doesn’t blame himself. what he does blame himself for, however, is not being able to protect her better. her grave serves as a reminder of that; kill them all before they take anyone else. hell, he’d kill himself before he’d let them take him. 

“don’t worry, i won’t rest before i find the one that took you from us.” the words come out in not much more than a murmur. promises instead of flowers, even if they have been empty ones so far. the snapping of a twig between his fingertips sounds louder than intended in the quiet of the night, but jiwon has never been one to be overly cautious. if creatures find him, so be it. he’ll always be ready to fight. ready to kill. he might be reckless, but he knows better than to leave the house unprepared, especially this late at night. 

yet as prepared as he deems himself to be, he still finds himself taken by surprise by the sudden soft voice that rings in his ear. too close. in the blink of an eye, jiwon rises to his feet, the graveyard’s pebbles frantically clattering underneath his shoes as he does so. it doesn’t take a genius to recognise the creature in front of him, the scowl on his face speaking volumes of the disgust that creeps up inside of him.

                                                                                         ( november 29, 2017. )

fear is crucial. any hunter who does not acknowledge their fears and learns to work with them might as well sign themselves up for a suicide mission. fear creates caution in people; prepares them for the worst and guides them through any possible obstacles they might run into. molding your fears into foolproof plans is a very powerful skill to have. 

unfortunately, jiwon has never taken note of this. instead of embracing his fears, the male has learned to laugh at them. ridicule them as if they were nothing but a figment of his imagination rather than actual issues he might come across. the way he sees it, his lack of fear means no holding back, and no holding back means he’ll always get what he wants. or something like that. 

kang jiwon wears his faux sense of invincibility like a magical cloak. there is nothing that can stop him once he sets his mind to it, and nothing is going to stop him from taking down every single monster he can lay his hands on. and tonight, he is ready to start from the very top. 

the first explosion is the loudest. a clear message to all hunters who have gathered in the samgaksan area during the full moon: get in position and be prepared to fight, chaos is about to ensue. the rustling of leaves on the ground; the howling of wolves. another explosion, not too far on his right side. two pairs of footsteps that come running his way. closer, closer, closer. not too close. his dark clothes are able to camouflage him for a bit of delay, but not enough to go completely unnoticed to a creature whose sense of smell could recognise fear from miles away (another reason not to be scared, ever). 

but jiwon doesn’t give the wolf the opportunity to pinpoint his exact location. there is not a shred of hesitation when he aims at his target, pulls the trigger, and fires a silver bullet straight through its leg. a split second is all it takes for the werewolf to stumble and crash to the ground. a split second is also all it takes for the hunter to bury another bullet into his enemy’s body. 

bullseye.

the grin that creeps up on his face is a smug, victorious one. somewhere in the distance another gunshot can be heard, followed by another explosion. it’s enough of a distraction to allow jiwon to get closer to his victim, his initial success leaving him completely unguarded for a good few seconds. ‘not so tough now, are you?’ venomous words that he spews at the wailing creature. better to end this once and for all. ‘back to hell with your kind. hope you burn there forever.’ with those words, he swiftly pulls his blade and aims straight for the heart to finish him off. 

so anyway, this here is kang jiwon, older brother to @feyhoon​, though they are not on good terms. he’s your perfect little daddy’s boy, here to make his family proud. (when it comes to hunting? anything else? meh, maybe not so much). he is by no means a goodie-two-shoes, however. he’s just got an immense hero complex and an ego to boot. had this been hogwarts, he would have been the prototype of a cocky gryffindor. 

quick rundown? here we go! (ps i have a background written over here, but like i said, it is rushed and i need to reread and edit that shit properly still)