The Idol's Forgotten Bloodline

Every time I woke up, my chest felt as if it had been ripped open by fangs. Yet whenever I checked, my skin was smooth and unscarred. That morning was no different. I jolted upright, gasping for air. Sweat clung to my skin, and my blanket was twisted around my legs. My dream was already fading, leaving behind flashes of crimson light, the smell of blood, and a woman crying desperately. “Hoon! Please, look at me!” Her voice broke. “Hoon, don't leave me!” I pressed my hands against my temples. “Who are you?” I whispered. “Who am I?” Silence answered me. Ten years ago, I had awakened in a dark alley in Seoul with no identification, no money, and no memories. The police called it severe amnesia, but nobody could tell me who I had been before that night. There was only one thing I remembered. A woman calling me Hoon. I chose that name for myself. Later, I registered myself as Kim Hoonsuk and slowly built a life in a world where nobody knew me. But I had another problem. I hadn't aged. I was twenty-one when I first woke up in that alley. Ten years had passed, yet my face remained exactly the same. Not a wrinkle. Not a single change. Sometimes I wondered if my memories had stopped at twenty-one. Other times, I wondered if I had ever been human at all. I looked away from the cracked mirror. “Not today.” My alarm began screaming. 7:45 AM. “s**t! I'm going to be late!” Today was my last chance to change my life. Star Moon Entertainment was holding auditions for its upcoming boy group. Six members had already been selected, and the company was searching for one final member. I wanted that position more than anything. Not because I dreamed of fame or expensive clothes. I wanted a stable life. I wanted to stop counting coins before buying food and worrying about whether I would have a roof over my head next week. My rent was three months overdue. My landlord had given me until midnight to pay what I owed. If I failed this audition, I had nowhere else to go. I grabbed my audition pass, pulled on a faded black hoodie, and rushed outside. The streets of Seoul were crowded. Cars honked, commuters hurried past, and the smell of coffee drifted from nearby cafés. I heard everything. Shoes tapping half a block away. A man muttering into his phone. A spoon hitting the side of a glass inside a café. My senses had always been strange. I could hear things other people couldn't. I could move faster than seemed possible. Once, I had caught a falling glass before it hit the floor, even though I hadn't been looking at it. I had learned to hide these abilities. Being different was dangerous enough when you didn't know why you were different. At the bus stop, I saw the doors of a departing bus begin to close. “Wait!” I ran. The world seemed to slow for a moment. My legs carried me forward so quickly that the buildings blurred at the edges of my vision. I slipped through the narrowing gap just before the doors shut. The driver stared at me through the mirror. “Trying to get yourself killed, kid?” I gave him an embarrassed smile. “Sorry.” I walked down the aisle, pretending to be out of breath. Then I smelled it. Pine. Wet earth. Something wild and sharp, like lightning before a storm. My smile vanished. A strange pressure settled in my chest. My heartbeat stumbled, and an ache spread through my gums. For one frightening second, I wanted to bare my teeth. I gripped the overhead rail. What was that smell? I scanned the crowded bus. A businessman read the news. A student slept against the window. Two women discussed a shopping sale. Nobody seemed unusual. Yet my instincts screamed that something dangerous was nearby. The scent grew stronger as the bus turned onto another street. My muscles tightened as though I were preparing for a fight. Then, just as suddenly, the smell faded. I released the rail and forced myself to breathe. “Get a grip, Hoonsuk.” I had an audition to survive. Whatever was wrong with me could wait. --- By 8:55 AM, I had reached Star Moon Entertainment. The building rose above the street in shining glass and steel. Inside, young men crowded the lobby, practising dance steps, warming up their voices, and checking their appearances on their phones. Everyone looked confident. Or perhaps they were simply better at pretending than I was. I glanced down at my faded hoodie. I looked like someone who had wandered into the wrong building. “Number 404, Kim Hoonsuk!” A staff member called my name. “Here!” She led me down a corridor lined with posters of famous idols. I tried not to stare at their smiling faces. Those people had everything I wanted: a future, a place to belong, and people who knew their names. I had spent ten years trying to discover mine. Maybe today would finally give me something worth remembering. The staff member stopped outside a soundproof room. “Room B. Good luck.” I nodded and stepped inside. Three judges sat behind a long table. The man in the centre wore a fitted black shirt beneath a dark jacket. Silver streaks ran through his neatly combed hair, and his broad shoulders made him look more like a fighter than an entertainment executive. Then I saw his eyes. Golden amber. The strange scent from the bus struck me so suddenly that I almost stepped backward. Pine. Wet earth. Something wild. It was him. The man stopped moving. His expression changed as he stared at me. For a moment, he looked shocked. Then something darker crossed his face, something that resembled pain. He gripped the edge of the table. “Name?” the female judge asked. “Kim Hoonsuk.” The man flinched. His golden eyes searched my face as if he were looking at someone he had lost long ago. “Hoon…” he whispered. My blood turned cold. That name. The same name the woman in my dreams screamed every night. “Sir?” I asked. “Do we know each other?” He stared at me for another second before forcing his expression back to normal. “No. Begin your audition.” The music started before I could ask anything else. I closed my eyes and began to sing. For the first few seconds, everything went smoothly. Music had always been the one thing I understood. Even when I couldn't remember my past, I could sing and dance. When I performed, the emptiness inside me became quieter. I poured everything into the song: my loneliness, my fear, and my desperate hope that I might finally find somewhere to belong. Then I opened my eyes. The director was watching me. His golden eyes seemed brighter than before. The room disappeared. Suddenly, I stood beneath a crimson moon in a dark forest. Rain soaked the ground. Blood stained the leaves. A silver wolf lay at my feet, its body trembling as it struggled to breathe. A man knelt beside it. His hands were covered in blood. His amber eyes were filled with unbearable regret. “I'm sorry,” he whispered. “I'm so sorry…” The wolf lifted its head. Its eyes met mine. Pain exploded through my chest. I gasped and stumbled backward. The music continued playing, but I couldn't hear it anymore. My knees struck the floor, and I clutched my chest, certain something had torn through me. “Stop the music!” someone shouted. The vision vanished. I was back in the audition room, kneeling on the polished floor. There was no blood. No wound. Only the familiar, unbearable pain. The female judge sighed. “Poor breath control. You lost your place and fell. I'm afraid we—” “Put him in.” The director's voice cut through the room. She stared at him. “Director Bangsik, he hasn't even finished his performance.” “I know.” “We have dozens of candidates who performed perfectly.” “Then choose someone who interests you more.” His tone left no room for argument. He turned toward me. “Kim Hoonsuk, you're the final member of the group.” I stared at him. “I'm sorry?” “You heard me.” “But I failed.” “Then prove yourself during practice.” His expression remained cold, but his hands were still trembling. I struggled to my feet. “Thank you, sir.” As I turned toward the door, his voice stopped me. “Hoonsuk.” I looked back. “Whatever happens, don't disappear again.” My heart skipped a beat. “Again?” He said nothing. I left the room with more questions than answers. Why had he called me Hoon? Why had he looked at me as though he had seen a ghost? And what had I seen in that forest? Most importantly, why had the pain felt so real? --- By noon, a staff member named Yuna had handed me my contract, schedule, and dormitory keycard. “Congratulations!” she said brightly. “You're officially the seventh member.” “Thank you.” I looked down at the contract, still struggling to believe what had happened. Yuna smiled. “Director Bangsik personally approved your selection. I've worked here for three years, and I've never seen him make a decision that quickly.” “Maybe he felt sorry for me.” She laughed. “Trust me. That man doesn't feel sorry for anyone.” I wasn't sure whether that was supposed to comfort me. She pointed to the dormitory address. “Room 303. The other members are already settling in. You'll be the last to join, so don't worry if they tease you a little.” “I'll try to survive.” “Good attitude!” For the first time that day, I smiled without forcing myself. I had a contract. I had a place to stay. I might finally have a future. But I couldn't stop thinking about the director's words. Don't disappear again. How could I disappear when I couldn't even remember where I had come from? --- At 7:30 PM, I packed my entire life into one suitcase. A few clothes. Two pairs of shoes. Some notebooks filled with song lyrics. That was everything I owned. I sent my landlord a message promising to repay him as soon as I received my first salary. He replied with a single question mark. I decided not to argue. By the time I reached the dormitory, the sky had darkened and the city lights were shining. I took the elevator to the third floor and stopped outside Room 303. My new home. I tapped the keycard against the lock and pushed the door open. Four young men were in the living room. The other two members were apparently out. A blond boy sat on the sofa, scrolling through his phone. Another was surrounded by snacks on the floor, while a dark-haired boy leaned against the kitchen counter. The fourth stood near the window, looking at the city. The blond boy looked up first. “Oh, look! The final member has arrived.” All four turned toward me. I suddenly became aware of how awkwardly I was holding my suitcase. “Hi. I'm Kim Hoonsuk, but you can call me Hoon.” The boy sitting on the floor grinned. “Evan. Welcome to the chaos.” “What chaos?” “You'll find out.” The blond boy laughed. “Don't scare him on his first day.” “I'm preparing him,” Evan replied. I smiled despite myself. Maybe living here wouldn't be so bad. The blond boy stood and offered me his hand. “I'm Heesan. Siwoo's by the window, and Zane's pretending he doesn't care about anything.” Zane glanced at him. “I heard that.” “You were supposed to.” Their easy teasing made the room feel warmer. For a moment, I could almost imagine I was an ordinary young man joining an ordinary idol group. Then Siwoo turned away from the window. His gaze settled on me. He had silver-white hair, pale skin, and dark eyes that seemed almost black. His face was so striking that he looked unreal, like someone who belonged in a painting rather than a dormitory. He studied me silently. Then his nose twitched. Once. Twice. His expression changed. “What?” Heesan asked. “Why are you staring at him?” Siwoo looked away. “Nothing.” The blonde boy chuckled. “You look like you've seen a vampire.” “Shut up, Heesan,” Siwoo said coldly. Heesan raised both hands. “Okay, okay. No need to kill the mood.” Siwoo ignored him. His dark eyes remained fixed on me, studying my face with an intensity that made my smile disappear. “What?” I asked. “Nothing.” His answer was flat. He turned away as if I were no longer worth his attention. I let out a quiet breath and reached for my suitcase. Then Siwoo spoke again. “Come here.” I looked at him. “Why?” “Do I need to repeat myself?” His voice was calm, but there was something in it that made arguing feel like a bad idea. I stepped closer. Siwoo waited until the others were distracted before leaning towards me. To anyone watching, it might have looked like he was giving me instructions about the dorm. His voice dropped to a whisper. “Don't make a scene. Just answer my questions.” I frowned. “What questions?” His eyes narrowed. “Who are you?” “I already told you. Kim Hoonsuk.” “That's your name. I asked who you are.” I stared at him, unsure whether he was trying to scare me. “What's your problem?” He didn't react to my tone. Instead, he looked directly into my eyes. “You're not human.” The words struck harder than they should have. For a second, I couldn't speak. Then I forced out a laugh. “Are you serious?” “Do I look like I'm joking?” His expression didn't change. I lowered my voice. “What makes you think that?” “That's none of your concern.” “Then why are you asking me?” Siwoo's gaze sharpened. He stepped closer, leaving barely any space between us. “Because I want to know what I've just allowed into my group.” “Your group?” “Don't twist my words.” His voice remained low and controlled, each word colder than the last. I glanced towards the others. Evan was arguing with Heesan about snacks, while Zane was busy unpacking something near the kitchen. Nobody seemed to notice us. I looked back at Siwoo. “I'm here to become an idol. That's all.” “Then you should have chosen somewhere else.” “Why?” For the first time, his eyes flickered with something dangerous. He leaned closer, his voice barely audible. “What the hell are you doing in a human idol group, half-breed?” And somewhere deep inside my chest, something answered him. A growl. A growl that wasn't human.