How To Turn Down The Vampire Ex-Best Friend

Considering that he's eating on an empty stomach, Cedric only ate one serving of hangover soup and no side dishes to not upset his stomach.

However, if he were to be completely honest now, what he wanted to do was to binge as much as he could. 

The stress is real for him these days, and if food is indeed therapeutic, as they said, he wants to shove as much of it into his mouth just to make himself feel a little better.

Fortunately, Cedric Lim is still a reasonable thinker. He didn't give in to his overdramatic side, and he knows that if his brash action impacts him once again, it will be his ass who will be caught in trouble.

And no, he didn't want another stranger to help his ass. He is already apologetic to whoever saved him last night. That's why, as an attempt to ease his worried heart, he grabbed something for his new tenant.

Rice cakes.

Yes, he knows that based on popular tradition, it should be the new neighbor giving out little snacks as housewarming gifts.

However, as a kind landlord who's genuinely remorseful for his mistake, he wants to give some compensation for the trouble he caused.

"I must really put them on the spot when they had to bring me home, right?" Cedric uttered under his breath as he walked his way home. Both hands safely hold the box of rice cakes.

"But is it right for me to just ring their doorbell?"

"How am I going to talk to them? Should I discuss what happened last night? Was that appropriate?"

From time to time, his steps will halt, and he will scratch his head, whispering.

This is the thing about Cedric. It is unclear if this is an occupational disease among writers, but he tends to think a lot. What's worse, Cedric does it anytime, anywhere, in a subtly obvious way.

Cedric's apartment is located near a bustling district of the city.

Cram schools, parks, playgrounds, markets, and other important establishments are nearby, making it always crowded. 

Many people were walking past Cedric. Some of them couldn't help but look at him.

"Poor guy. This is the reason why mental health is important. The people who lose it get younger and younger throughout the years. Too bad this man looks so good-looking."

"Yes, he's cute. I think I can fix him."

"Don't look at him and walk faster."

Their whispers are silent, but even if they are loud enough to be audible to other strangers, Cedric wouldn't care. He's stuck in his own little world.

Even if a falling star came to crush him, he would never get out of his head.

That's how powerful a seasoned writer's focus is. Scary.

Cedric carried on with his expert-level mindless walk, and before he knew it, he passed by the playground. The school hours are already over, and the playground happens to be a popular hangout place for students who would later attend their after-school lectures.

At this moment, a group of students are excitedly conversing with a handsome, tall man over a soccer ball. The man especially stands out because of his exceptional fair skin and celebrity-like features.

"Can I borrow your ball? It's been a long time since I played soccer. I wanted to check if I still have the skills."

"Eh? Who are you?"

"Mister. We don't know you. Why should I lend my ball? This is original and expensive. You might be a thief for all we know."

"Oh, come on. Look at my eyes and tell me, do I look like a thief?

"No…"

"Then I'll try one kick, okay?"

"Okay…"

"Sweet!"

Cedric didn't hear their conversation since they were far from him. 

"Procrastinating and thinking out loud will only lead to nothing! I should get this over and done with! Damn—"

Boooghsh!

Cedric finally dredged up the courage to face his new tenant when something hit him— literally.

"Ahhhh!" He cried in pain. His right cheek feels like it was set ablaze.

Cedric couldn't understand what was happening to him for the first minute, but one thing is for sure, a freaking ball hit squarely in the face!

Was it a rubber ball? A volleyball? Soccer ball? Fuck if he knows! It freaks and hurts so much.

"Oh no! Ahjussi, we are sorry!" Cedric heard a group of young students coming his way.

He turned in that direction and saw they appeared to be in their junior high school uniform. They looked so confused about the incident themselves. They were looking at him and, simultaneously, at the person behind them.

Junior high school students these days are really tall. Cedric was unable to see who they were looking at behind them.

"I'm okay. It's just… painful," Cedric secretly pushed his teeth in the right side with his tongue to check if none of them got knocked over, and gosh, he almost prayed on the spot when they seemed to be in place.

The students looked remorseful, especially the owner of the ball, who quickly picked it up before it rolled on the road.

"Look," Cedric didn't forget to give a rightful lesson to these students. "I know playing around helps you release the pent-up stress from studying, and I wouldn't condone you doing that here in the children's playground."

"However! Playing soccer here is not safe. No metal fence stops the ball from hitting a passerby like me! What would you do if you hurt someone with violent tendencies and they started beating you up?"

"Look around! It's already dark, and you're still playing with balls!"

The students lowered their heads, making Cedric feel pity.

"Be careful next time, okay?"

The students nodded their heads. "But we are not playing, and it is not us who kicked the ball. We don't even know why we are apologizing for this…"

"What?" This time, Cedric is genuinely angry. What do they mean by their latter statement? They hurt an innocent person!

As if answering his question, the students moved and made way for him, and that was when Cedric got a better look at the supposed perpetrator.

The man has his back on them and is about to run away without apologizing. What's more shocking is that the man looks so tall and lean that no one would mistake him for a junior high school student!

Cedric's heart skipped a beat. The guy with his back turned looked hot.

However, he's still royally pissed at what happened to his cheeks!

"That Mister just suddenly snatched my ball and kicked it your way," The student who owns the ball explained what he believed happened. 

He's confused about why he said okay when he never really meant to lend his ball to the man, but whatever, he just said his truth.

The tall, pale guy snatched his ball from him!

Cedric's slightly upturned eyes turned into slits.

Snatched? A grown-up actually dared to steal a kid's soccer ball.

An adult who lets children take the fall for their mistakes and thieves are Cedric's most hated kind of people, next to the brute Dylan Kim.

"Hey! Mister, don't you think it is your responsibility as an adult to be a children's role model? Why are you running away without admitting your faults?!" Cedric thundered, making everyone jump. "They said you snatched their ball. Did you intend to steal it, huh?!"

So fierce!

But the damned man didn't even look back and instead broke into a sprint! 

"Shit! I didn't want our reunion to be like this!" The man uttered under his breath.

"Yahhh!" Under regular conditions, Cedric wouldn't mind disrespectful retards like this man. He could also turn his back since the notion of attempted theft has also not been confirmed.

However, coupled with stress and a weird feeling of welling anger that he felt upon seeing that almost-familiar posture of the man, Cedric felt that he shouldn't let this disregard pass.

His right cheek is screaming for justice!

Cedric quickly ran after the man, leaving the frightened students behind.

"How frightening! Let's go and hide in the cram school. Adults here had gone crazy!"

And the students ran with their tails tucked in between their legs.

"Stop!" Meanwhile, Cedric felt like his heels grew wings, and it shocked him! He never runs this fast, even when working out. The man really piqued something sinister inside him.

He chased the man into the dark alleys of the vicinity, having only the lights from the lamp post to help him keep track of that muscular back.

However, despite his speed, he failed to reach the man due to the latter's model-like legs.

Did he mess with an actual "Daddy Long Legs," huh?!

"I said stop!" Cedric roared, and in a fit of anger, he threw the box of rice cakes.

"Ugh!" The man groaned exaggeratedly upon the box's impact on the back of his head. He stopped running, so Cedric also stopped chasing.

"Ha! Ha! Ha!" The 29-year-old writer bent forward, gasping for air. "Why do you need to run when all you could do was to say sorry? Don't tell me you really meant to steal the kid's soccer ball! With a huge body like you, why don't you work your ass off to buy your own things!"

But the man continued to hide his face from him. Pissed, Cedric marched and grabbed the man's shoulder before shoving him against the wall.

"Hey. You're too rough, man. Chill."

The place they were in was just a street away from the apartment. It is a residential area with lots of lamp posts illuminating the area. That's why every part of the man's face is now visible.

There were many kinds of handsome faces in this world, and Cedric had seen a fair number of them in his short 29 years of life. However, only one man perfectly wears the rascal charm best, and Cedric feels he's seeing it again after 13 years.

The kind of handsome that spells trouble and yet continuously draws everyone close.

"You—" Cedric ran out of words for the first time. "You… Impossible!"

Dylan flashed an awkward but very charming smile. "Yo! It's been a long time, right? Cedric."

"It never struck me before that you're the type who would run after some stranger. But I guess times have changed, and so have you," Dylan picked up the rice cake box on the ground. "I think I need to replace this."

He looked at Cedric, who remained silent. "Are you okay? Is your cheek hurting? I strongly believed that I controlled the strength of my kick well, but if you're hurt, we can go to the hospital."

Cedric dodged the hand that tried to touch his cheeks. "Why are you— Are you really Dylan Kim?"

Dylan turned stiff for a moment before letting out an awkward laugh. "Well, this is a bit humiliating. I thought you'd be able to recognize me even though I look like this."

Cedric looked at the man ridiculously. Is this jerk for real? None of his facial features changed! The only notable change that Cedric could see was the man's pale skin! 

What happened to his sexy wheat-colored skin? Cedric hated to do it, but he must ask where Dylan's derm clinic was!

Wait! Is this how they reunite after years? 

After disappearing without any word, they are supposed to casually talk with each other like nothing happened? Like they remained friends these past thirteen years?

Yeah, right.

Cedric gritted his teeth, not minding the pain on his cheeks. "Of course I recognized you. You look like time froze for you. You look exactly like when we were in high school."

Dylan visibly froze. "That…" He trailed off, but Cedric didn't pay any attention to him.

Cedric snatched the box of rice cakes. The poor carton is already bent and squished out of shape, but thankfully, the rice cakes inside remain clean and in shape.

"Fancy meeting you here. But I think I'm gonna go," Just like that, Cedric turned around and briskly walked out.

Gosh! Why did he chase after this man again?!

"Wait! Your right cheek! We needed to treat that," Dylan ran after Cedric, a suppressed smile hiding on his lips.