"There are darknesses in life and there are lights, and you are one the lights, the light of all lights."

-Bram Stoker, Dracula

The girl bowed violently, sending her hair flying over her face when she stood, her chest puffed out and her smile so bright it could probably kill everyone back where he came from.

“Hello!” she said excitedly, “My name is Geum Hayoung. Nice to meet you. Please take care of me!”

Honestly, do you always talk in such an annoying perky voice?

The teacher looked around the class and squinted through his glasses. “Why don’t you sit over there, in front of Min Yoongi,” he said, before looking at me. “Sorry, Yoongi-yah, but there’s no other place for her.”

She bowed again, with such alacrity that the always morose Mr Kim actually softened. She pushed her hair away from her face. “Ne! Thank you! I won’t be a troublemaker, I promise!” she said in that tone, before walking towards the empty table in front of me. “Hi Yoongi!” she beamed, giving a small wave as she slipped into her chair.

I caught a whiff of something fruity floral, like chocolate coated raspberries. Must be her perfume. Weird. I usually don't notice perfume. Girls tend to soak in it that it turns me off. This time around, it was not that. 

Too bad the warmth of it didn't match its exuberant wearer.

She turned. “I hope we become good neighbours in the future!”

Great. Now to add to my already lame excuse of a college life, I’m going to be hearing Miss Exclamation Mark every single day. Yippee.

I sensed the other girls in the class, how they, from initially being curious and almost in awe of the new girl’s cheerfulness, was now harbouring suspicions and jealousy towards her for sitting near me. Of course, as per my own past requests, I had asked Mr. Kim to never let any girl get within my immediate vicinity, precisely because of the very reason they were such irritating creatures whose frivolous minds were filled with nothing but themselves.

As a special person with acute sensibilities, I was the unfortunate recipient of their thoughts. Their actual thoughts, mind you, and it is moments like this when I hate being who I am. 

What I am.

***

During break, everyone got up from their seats to go for lunch, and I sighed, settling back in my own as I shut my eyes for a moment of silence. It was a frustrating thing to note how the guys were seeing the new girl: like a new creature, to be marvelled at as a customer surveys a piece of meat. They had been ogling her legs and ample cleavage, and I was almost ready to rip off their heads.

Not that I cared about her. I would rather stop hearing their thoughts and be done with the disgusting fantasies of it all. Thank goodness lunch hour was here. I had it all to myself.

Or maybe I spoke too soon.

“You don’t eat lunch, Yoongi?” came that loud voice, startling me. And I was rarely startled, given my nature.

I opened my eye a fraction of an inch, saw her eating some homemade bento or something, and shook my head.

Her eyes widened with disbelief. “But this is the only lunch hour we have! Don’t you feel hungry or-“

“No.”

“But-“

"No."

I couldn’t resist it. Opening my eyes, I trained my gaze on her and, in that moment, I saw right through the façade for the thoughts that were in her mind.

Does he have no friends? Shouldn’t he be hungry? God, I’m starving. But poor Yoongi. I wonder if he minds sharing with me…he looks so sorry at the back.

Or he probably thinks I’m weird for packing homemade food. I’m such a nerd. Of course no one brings homemade food to college!

I smirked. What an insecure person.

She noticed my expression. “Why are you staring at me?” she asked.

This is creepy, she thought, and I almost wanted to laugh out loud.

“I’m not a stalker, if that’s what you think,” I told her.

“That’s not what I meant!”

Yes it was.

I winced. “Will you please stop shouting every sentence you speak?” I said in a low voice.

She picked up a piece of egg with her chopstick and took the whole thing in . “Sorry.”

I rolled my eyes, leaning back and shutting them once more, leaving her staring at me for a couple of seconds before she sighed and turned away. I could still hear her thoughts as clear as day.

Well done in making friends, Hayoung. Just well done.

I didn’t know why I suddenly felt bad all of a sudden. I sighed inwardly. “Oi.”

She continued eating, oblivious.

I cleared my throat. “Oi. New girl.”

She paused. “Hm?” she murmured, turning and looking like a chipmunk all of a sudden.

I suppressed a disgusted expression and looked at my table instead. “It’s not that I don’t have friends,” I said, “I just dislike the insincerity because I see right through it.” I shuddered. “Including yours, because you’re not as confident and happy as you seem.”

I saw the features in her face change but pushed on regardless, eager to get this over and done with. “No, I’m not hungry. Not for the kind of food you’re eating. And yes, I mind if I share my food with others…” I paused, frowning. “And don’t pity me because I don’t need your pity.”

Her face turned pink.

“And no, you’re not weird for bringing home food. Cafeteria food anyway,” I finished, “Now, if you would be so kind as to turn away from me and finish your food. Leave me in silence, that’s all I ask.” With that, I placed my head on the table and shut my eyes. “I want to sleep in peace.”

She was silent, chewing thoughtfully after my sudden outburst, but I wonder if she knew the risk I had just done in the name of conversation, and I was satisfied when one thought popped out the most as she pondered on our one-sided exchange.

Did he just…read my mind?

***

It was still quiet when the others entered the class. I was still ‘asleep’, although technically it only looked it. Contrary to popular belief, we do not sleep in coffins in daylight, or I wouldn’t be here. We just…rest, I suppose. Our minds are awake 24/7.

So it was no surprise to hear the shocked remarks of some of the girls when they saw Hayoung already in class. “You didn’t go for break, Hayoung?”

The girl in question piped up. “Nope! I brought some kimbab that my mom made for me!” She gave a glance behind at me, I swear I could feel it. “And Yoongi says that cafeteria food isn’t any good.”

There was a moment of tense silence. 

“Y-Yoongi said it?” came the flabbergasted reply, followed by undecidedly loud whispering. I decided to take a look into their heads. Usually I tried blocking them, but I was genuinely curious this time.

Apparently they thought I was cold, but hot at the same time. How is that possible, when they barely even knew me? Silly girls.

Apparently they also thought I was incapable of speech, and if I were to ever speak, it was because I was in love with the new girl.

And apparently they all hate her now. All in the space of three hours.

Such is the notion of girl logic.

I will never understand the minds of women. And my mother thought that her advice would help me in finding a soulmate.

We’re different from them, Yoongi. In their lives, they can have so many people to love. For us, we only have one, and they will be ours forever. You just haven’t found the right one yet.

I remembered she said something about smelling a soulmate’s scent from a mile away but that was probably because we were having feeding time and the metallic smell of blood was intoxicating her. 

According to the rules, you'd know if someone was your soulmate not by the inner desire to ravish them of their blood, but this scent that calls out to you. Basically it's everything you've never experienced before. To speak in artistic ways, it would be an explosion of color on your blank canvas, a burst of blinding light in a dark tunnel, that sort of thing.

I call bull. 

Hayoung went back to whatever she was doing, but the animosity coming from the other side of the room was heading for her in waves.

I sensed that someone was walking to her desk. Opening my eyes a little, I spotted the class representative, the ever-extroverted Hoseok, who was probably one of the few decent guys in class. He struck up a conversation with her about horses, because he somehow knew she was part of the college equestrian team, which he led to competitions each year.

Hoseok was alright. A bit on the hyperactive side, so any interactions between us were rare. But I was on good enough terms with him, and him with me. If he wasn’t doing stupid girl group dances he was actually a mellow kind of guy, depending on his mood.

“So,” he was saying to her, “We should definitely grab a coffee outside. There’s a small bistro at the other side of campus, it’s run by the Tourism and Hospitality students so it’s all really good and cheap. We could talk more after school.”

Wait, what? I thought, taking a glimpse of his mind. He was…wait, no. There wasn’t any romantic interest in there, but there definitely was a hint of something to come. I had thought he was different, with all the touching and rubbing and grinding he did with his guy friends. But I guess he really was a guy after all.

I spied on Hayoung, who didn’t even think it over. “Sure, Hoseok, I’d love to!”

Well, she didn’t have any romantic interest in him whatsoever. That’s good then.

Wait, why am I happy about that? 

Hoseok did a thumbs up. “Alright then, this afternoon? Oh, and call me Hobi. All my friends do.”

She nodded enthusiastically, and Hoseok practically skipped back to his desk knowing he was the first one to be friends with the new girl.

And I didn’t know why, but suddenly I wanted to wipe that smile on his face.

***

After classes, I stood up, walking past Hayoung’s desk with my hands stuffed inside my pockets, and pretended not to know that I had dropped a pen right next to her table.

“Oh?” I heard her exclaim, as I nodded to Mr. Kim and sauntered outside the door.

An inexplicable rush of glee filled my being. I was sabotaging her plan with Hoseok and I knew it. This was going to be fun.

“Yoongi!” I heard her call, and, in a second, I had sped to the end of the hallway, lingering at my locker and making sure she saw me and was coming after me.

She was. “Yoongi!” she called again, walking faster through the crowd of students who had also finished class, "Wait!"

I left the huge doors of the school, feeling nothing cold about the heavy winter season. Instead I trudged out, boots making footprints into the snow as I headed for someplace opposite to the warm air of the school bistro.

I suddenly caught that scent of raspberries again, along with a creamy undertone, and it was at that moment that I stopped. 

Smell?

I frowned, remembering my mother’s words. Something about smell, and soulmates.

Soulmate?

Hayoung? You must be joking.

“Yoongi?”

She was not even close, yet I was all too aware of it. Why didn’t I notice it before? 

I heard quick footsteps running towards me, before a hand grabbed onto my arm.

“Yoongi!” Hayoung cried, and I spun around, seeing her in a new light, "What are you doing out here?!"

Red-tipped nose, flushed cheeks, she was clutching her coat as tightly as she could around herself, and she was dragging me back into the school.

“Are you crazy?” she cried, “Do you want to get frostbite? Do you want to die, Min Yoongi?”

I stared down at her face, my eyelids fluttering shut as I revelled in the most nauseating fragrance I have ever smelled in my entire existence. I couldn’t tell what it was, but damn it, it was so lovely, like a blanket of soft feathers to fall into. That fruity note, with the layer of cream, surrounded by something warm and seductive. I could just put my nose against her neck and inhale. Maybe even take a bite...

“Yoongi!” she cried anxiously, shaking me, and I opened my heavy-lidded eyes to stare her down. She was cross. "Do you want to die? Answer me!"

I gave a lazy smile. “I can’t die,” I murmured.

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, sure. Look...you dropped your pen in class. Here, take it,” she said, stuffing it into my hand. She gasped at the contact. “Yoongi are you okay? You’re freezing!”

She wrapped her delicate hands around my own pale ones and I watched, dumbfounded. I had never had a girl hold my hand before. It was altogether a very strange encounter.

She rubbed her hands against mine for warmth, clucking her tongue. “You shouldn’t stand outside the school if you aren’t going anywhere,” she was saying, blowing on his hands, “It’s snowing out there! And now look, your hands are as cold as ice!”

I watched, transfixed. How could this girl, of all people in the world, be my soulmate? She was nothing like me.

“Maybe I don’t care,” I murmured softly.

She looked up, meeting my eyes with an annoyed expression that briefly reminded me of my own. “Then how are you going to take care of your girlfriend, you little-“

“I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“Oh? Most eligible man like you?”

I leaned forwards. “You think I’m eligible?” I echoed, our gazes level with each other’s.

She blinked, looking away, but her thoughts couldn’t lie. I smirked, knowing how ‘good-looking’, ‘irritating’ and ‘cold’ I was, at least in her mind.

“T-that’s what th-the other g-girls s-say,” she managed to choke out, as I pretended to nod in interest. But really, all I wanted to do was take a deep breath. When your senses are just so depleted and everything in the world turns dull and tasteless and boring and grey, you naturally want to immerse yourself into something that renders you senseless. In this case, I admit how much I wanted to be close to her, if it meant I could be near the source of the scent.

But it wasn’t meant to be for long.

“Hayoung!” Hoseok’s voice rang out, “Where are you?”

Hayoung looked up, dropping my hand as he appeared. “I’m here!” she said with a smile, “Yoongi left his pen and I was chasing after him to give it back. Sorry I left you back there.”

Hoseok gave me a glance. “It’s just a pen,” he said aloud.

I held up the blood-red fountain pen in my hands, holding it delicately. “It's not just a pen,” I said with such a solemn expression that he looked slightly embarrassed, “It was fortunate that she returned it to me. It’s very expensive, you know, not your average ballpen.”

Hoseok shrugged, turning to her. His eyes widened as he reached out. “You’re cold as ice!” he yelped, taking her face in hers, “It’s red on your cheeks and pale everywhere else! Let’s go to the bistro, get you something warm to drink.”

Hayoung patted her face and shivered. “I guess I should get that,” she conceded, but glanced at me. “You coming?”

Before Hoseok came up with anything, I shook my head. “You two go on. I have to…compose myself for a bit.”

Hayoung reached out, feeling my cheek and I stumbled back at the sudden contact. It was as if I suddenly wanted to take her hand and place it against my nose and inhale myself senseless.

She, of course, was oblivious. “You need something warm too.”

“It wouldn’t work on me. Go.”

“What does that even mean? Yoongi, don't be stupid-“

“Just. Go.”

Hoseok took her hand and placed it in his, before stuffing their intertwined fingers into the pocket of his coat. “Yoongi’s like that, don’t mind him,” I heard him tell her as I walked in the opposite direction alone, away from the single most different person I had just met.

This was the life of the undead I was d

According to the rules, you'd know if someone was your soulmate not by the inner desire to ravish them of their blood, but an inner intuitive feeling. Basically it's everything you've never experienced before. To speak in artistic ways, it would be an explosion of color on your blank canvas, a burst of blinding light in a dark tunnel, that sort of thing.

I call bull.

And why is that, Min Yoongi?

Soulmates? A single person to fall in love with happily ever after? Really? Come on, Professor, you’re better than that.

We’re different from them, Yoongi. In their lives, they can have so many people to love. For us, we only have one, and they will be ours forever. You just haven’t found the right one yet.

I don’t believe in something as stupid as soulmates.

Well, you should. It’s how we are.

***

Great. The middle of the year and we have a new student.

The girl bowed violently, sending her hair flying over her face when she stood, her chest puffed out and her smile so bright and full of sunshine that it could probably kill everyone back where I came from.

“Hello!” she said excitedly, “My name is Geum Hayoung. Nice to meet you. Please take care of me!”

I winced. The annoying and perky voiced ones were the worst; in normal hearing, they’re just loud. To me it’s like someone clanging an empty tin in my ear.

So this is why vampires tend to bite more women than men.

Professor Kim looked around the room and squinted through his glasses. “Why don’t you sit over there,” he said, before looking at me. “Sorry, Yoongi-yah, but there’s no other place for her.”

I shrugged. Professor Kim looked back at the girl, pointing the seat out.

I felt the class dart glances at me, knowing exactly what they were thinking.

The new girl bowed again, beaming so brightly that the always morose Professor Kim actually softened. As in the five-centuries-old Professor Kim, the only other vampire in the school.

She pushed her hair away from her face. “Thank you! I won’t be a troublemaker, I promise!” she said in that tone, before walking towards the empty table in front of me. “Hi Yoongi!” she beamed, giving a small wave as she slipped into her chair.

I caught a whiff of something like chocolate coated raspberries. Weird. I usually didn't notice perfume. Even in girls that soaked in it. This time around, it was not that. I was actually lifting my head up and inhaling it like it was the most delicious thing in the world, only to realize it was from the new girl.

Too bad the sultry warmth of it didn't match its exuberant wearer.

She turned. “I hope we become good neighbours in the future!”

Great. Now to add to my already lame excuse of a college life, I’m going to be hearing Miss Exclamation Mark every single day. Yippee.

I sensed the other girls in the class, how they, from initially being curious and almost in awe of the new girl’s cheerfulness, were now harbouring suspicions and jealousy towards her for sitting near me. Of course, as per my own past requests, I had asked Mr. Kim to never let any girl get within my immediate vicinity, precisely because of the very reason they were such irritating creatures whose frivolous minds were filled with nothing but themselves. I was the unfortunate and unknown spectator of their thoughts – their actual thoughts, mind you – and I wanted out as often as possible.

Why do vampires have such acute senses?

Sometimes I hate being who I am.

What I am.

***

During break, everyone got up from their seats to go for lunch, and I sighed, settling back in my own as I shut my eyes for a moment of silence. It was a frustrating thing to note how the guys were seeing the new girl: like a new creature, to be marvelled at as a customer surveys a piece of meat. They had been ogling her legs and ample cleavage, and I was almost ready to rip off their heads.

Not that I cared about her. I would rather stop hearing their thoughts and be done with the disgusting fantasies of it all. Thank goodness lunch hour was here. I had it all to myself.

Or maybe I spoke too soon.

“You don’t eat lunch, Yoongi?” came that loud voice, startling me. And I was rarely startled, given my nature.

Come to think of it, I was never startled.

I opened my eye a fraction of an inch, saw her eating some homemade bento or something, and shook my head.

Her eyes widened with disbelief. “But this is the only lunch hour we have! Don’t you feel hungry or-“

“No.”

“But-“

"No."

I couldn’t resist it. Opening my eyes, I saw right through the façade for the thoughts that were in her mind.

God, even I’m starving. But poor Yoongi. Shouldn’t he be hungry? He looks so sorry at the back. Doesn’t he have friends to eat lunch with?

Or he probably thinks I’m weird for packing homemade food. I’m such a nerd. Of course no one brings homemade food to college!

I smirked. Humans. Such insecure creatures.

She noticed my expression. “Why are you staring at me?” she asked.

This is creepy, she thought, what if he’s a stalker?

I almost wanted to laugh. Judging, much?

“I’m not a stalker, if that’s what you think,” I told her.

“That’s not what I meant!” she protested.

I winced. “Will you please stop shouting every sentence you speak?” I muttered in a low voice, “I’m not even across the room.”

She picked up a piece of egg with her chopstick and took the whole thing in . “Sorry.”

I rolled my eyes, leaning back and shutting them once more, leaving her staring at me for a couple of seconds before she sighed and turned away. I could still hear her thoughts as clear as day.

Well done in making friends, Hayoung. Just well done.

It’s alright, he’s not interested anyway.

I must have had too much coffee after yesterday’s overnight shift. That’s why I’m high. Note to self: don’t juggle school and three part-time jobs at once.

Gosh, I’m so tired. Maybe I should take a nap in school before heading to the café for the peak shift.

I didn’t know why I suddenly felt bad all of a sudden. It shouldn’t have bothered me as much as it did, but I rolled my eyes, sighing to myself as I leaned forwards.

I cleared my throat. “Oi.”

She continued eating, oblivious.

I reached out and poked her back. “Oi. New girl.”

She paused. “Hm?” she murmured, turning and looking at me, frowning in confusion.

“I’m not trying to purposefully trying to be a jerk,” he told her.

Her eyebrows furrowed. “Okay.”

“I’ll take a sushi, if you don’t mind.”

When I said that, she stared at me for a second, before the words sank in. Her features lit up and I raised a hand in between us.

“Volume level,” I said warningly.

Hayoung nodded. “Got it,” she said with a sheepish smile, bringing her lunchbox to my table. “Take your pick.”

I reached out and picked up a shrimp sushi, popping it into my mouth. Like all food, it had a dull taste in my mouth, but I did taste some fishy sweetness that made me take one more.

While I did, I began to establish some sort of structure between her and myself.

“Rule number one, no exclaiming, no shouting, no squealing, no fussing,” I told her, “It’s irritating and noisy and it makes me want to poke someone’s eye out.”

Hayoung’s eyes became wide. “Would you, though?”

“Trust me. You don’t want to know,” I said under my breath, “Second rule, I don’t want to be your friend. I don’t have friends, period. I can do everything perfectly well by myself. And no-“ I said, as she opened , “-I don’t want to hear it.”

She rolled her eyes.

“People lie about themselves. They’re insincere, they pretend to be outgoing and happy, and then they get exhausted from three part-time jobs and have to take five espresso shots in the morning just to stay awake in school.”

I saw the features in her face change but pushed on regardless, eager to get this over and done with. “Rule number three, don’t – under any circumstances – disturb me. It’s probably unnecessary and I don’t need it in my life,” I paused, frowning. “And don’t pity me because I don’t need your pity.”

Her face turned pink.

“And no, you’re not weird for bringing home food. Cafeteria food anyway,” I finished, “Now, if you would be so kind as to turn away from me and finish your food. Leave me in silence, that’s all I ask.” With that, I placed my head on the table and shut my eyes.

She was silent, chewing thoughtfully after my sudden outburst, but I wonder if she knew the risk I had just done in the name of conversation, and I was satisfied when one thought popped out the most as she pondered on our one-sided exchange.

Did he just…read my mind?

***

It was still quiet when the others entered the class. I was still ‘asleep’, although technically it only looked it. Contrary to popular belief, we do not sleep in coffins in daylight, or I wouldn’t be here. We just…rest, I suppose. Our minds are awake 24/7.

So it was no surprise to hear the shocked remarks of some of the girls when they saw Hayoung already in class. “You didn’t go for break, Hayoung?”

The girl in question piped up. “Nope! I brought some sushi I made,” She gave a glance behind at me, I swear I could feel it. “And Yoongi says that cafeteria food isn’t any good.”

There was a moment of tense silence.

“Y-Yoongi said it?” came the flabbergasted reply, followed by undecidedly loud whispering. I decided to take a look into their heads. Usually I tried blocking them, dulling their conversation at best, but I was genuinely curious this time.

Apparently they thought I was some kind of tsundere, like those hard-to-get male leads who have a hot temper behind a cold demeanor. They also thought I was in love with the new girl, given that I spent lunch hour with her even though we had barely talked after the few words we exchanged.

And apparently they all hate her now. All in the space of three hours.

Such is the notion of girl logic.

Hayoung went back to whatever she was doing, oblivious to the animosity coming from the other side of the room that was heading for her in waves.

I sensed that someone was walking to her desk. Opening my eyes a little, I spotted the class representative, the ever-extroverted Hoseok, who was probably one of the few decent guys in class. He struck up a conversation with her about horses, because he somehow knew she was part of the college equestrian team, which he led to competitions each year.

Hoseok was alright. A bit on the hyperactive side, so any interactions between us were rare. But I was on good enough terms with him, and him with me. If he wasn’t doing stupid girl group dances he was actually a mellow kind of guy, depending on his mood.

“So,” he was saying to her, “We should definitely grab a coffee outside. There’s a small bistro at the other side of campus, it’s run by the Tourism and Hospitality students so it’s all really good and cheap. We could talk more after school.”

Wait, what? I thought, taking a glimpse of his mind. He was…wait, no. There wasn’t any romantic interest in there, but there definitely was a hint of something to come. I had thought he was different, with all the touching and rubbing and grinding he did with his guy friends. But I guess he really was a guy after all.

I spied on Hayoung, who didn’t even think it over. “Sure, Hoseok, I’d love to!”

Well, she didn’t have any romantic interest in him whatsoever. That’s good then.

Wait, why am I happy about that?

Hoseok did a thumbs up. “Alright then, this afternoon? Oh, and call me Hobi. All my friends do.”

She nodded enthusiastically, and Hoseok practically skipped back to his desk knowing he was the first one to be friends with the new girl.

And I didn’t know why, but suddenly I wanted to wipe that smile on his face.

***

After classes, I stood up, walking past Hayoung’s desk with my hands stuffed inside my pockets, and pretended not to know that I had dropped a pen right next to her table.

“Oh?” I heard her exclaim, as I nodded to Professor Kim and sauntered outside the door.

An inexplicable rush of glee filled my being. I was sabotaging her plan with Hoseok and I knew it. This was going to be fun.

“Yoongi!” I heard her call, and, in a second, I had sped to the end of the hallway, lingering at my locker and making sure she saw me and was coming after me.

She was. “Yoongi!” she called again, walking faster through the crowd of students who had also finished class, "Wait!"

I left the huge doors of the school, feeling nothing cold about the heavy winter season. Instead I trudged out, boots making footprints into the snow as I headed for someplace opposite to the warm air of the school bistro.

I had no idea why I was suddenly doing this. Was it to irritate her? Draw her away from everyone else? Try to actually make her sort of interested in me?

I scoffed. Like I would do that.

But I was.

Wasn’t I?

I suddenly caught that scent of raspberries again, along with a creamy undertone, and it was at that moment that I stopped, frowning at the empty courtyard with the mountain of snow, wondering what and how I was surrounded by Hayoung’s perfume even as the wind whipped around me.

To a vampire, living for a long time has its disadvantages. One of those things is the unwelcome acute senses. But at the same time, the sensory memories tend to fade quickly. But even as I knew that she was some distance away, her perfume lingered on my like she was right by my side, and it was not normal for me.

There was only one instance of this happening, and I hadn’t expected to fall for it.

Soulmate?

Hayoung?

You must be joking.

“Yoongi?”

She was not even close, yet I was all too aware of it. Why didn’t I notice it before?

I heard quick footsteps running towards me, before a hand grabbed onto my arm.

“Yoongi!” Hayoung cried, and I spun around, seeing her in a new light, "What are you doing out here?!"

Red-tipped nose, flushed cheeks, she was clutching her coat as tightly as she could around herself, and she was dragging me back into the school.

“Are you crazy?” she cried, “Do you want to get frostbite, Min Yoongi?”

I stared down at her face, my eyelids fluttering shut as I revelled in the most nauseating fragrance I have ever smelled in my entire existence. I couldn’t tell what it was, but damn it, it was so lovely, like a blanket of soft feathers to fall into. That fruity note, with the layer of cream, surrounded by something warm and seductive. I could just put my nose against her neck and inhale. Maybe even graze her skin, just a bit.

“Yoongi!” she cried anxiously, shaking me, and I opened my heavy-lidded eyes to stare her down. She was cross. "Do you want to die? Answer me!"

I gave a lazy smile. “I can’t die.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, sure. Look...you dropped your pen in class. Here, take it,” she said, stuffing it into my hand. She gasped at the contact. “Yoongi are you okay? You’re freezing!”

Before I knew it, she had wrapped her delicate hands around my own pale ones and I watched, dumbfounded. I had never had a girl hold my hand before. It was altogether a very strange encounter; I wanted to pull away but I also wanted to let myself embrace the idea.

She tsked. “You shouldn’t stand outside the school if you aren’t going anywhere,” she was saying, blowing on his hands, “It’s snowing out there! And now look, your hands are as cold as ice!”

I watched, transfixed. How could this girl, of all people in the world, be my soulmate? She was nothing like me.

“Maybe I don’t give a ,” I murmured softly.

She looked up, meeting my eyes with an annoyed expression that briefly reminded me of my own. “Then how are you going to take care of your girlfriend, you little-“

“I don’t have a girlfriend.”

“Oh? Most eligible man like you?”

I leaned forwards. “You think I’m eligible?” I echoed, our gazes level with each other’s.

She blinked, looking away, but her thoughts couldn’t lie. I smirked, knowing how ‘good-looking’, ‘irritating’ and ‘cold’ I was, at least in her mind.

“T-that’s what th-the other g-girls s-say,” she managed to choke out, as I pretended to nod in interest. But really, all I wanted to do was take a deep breath. When your senses are just so depleted and everything in the world turns dull and tasteless and boring and grey, you naturally want to immerse yourself into something that renders you senseless. In this case, I admit how much I wanted to be close to her, if it meant I could be near the source of the scent.

But it wasn’t meant to be for long.

“Hayoung!” Hoseok’s voice rang out, “Where are you?”

Hayoung looked up, dropping my hand as he appeared. “I’m here!” she said with a smile, “Yoongi left his pen and I was chasing after him to give it back. Sorry I left you back there.”

Hoseok gave me a glance. “It’s just a pen,” he said aloud.

I held up the blood-red fountain pen in my hands, holding it delicately. “It's not just a pen,” I said with such a solemn expression that he looked slightly embarrassed, “It was fortunate that she returned it to me. It’s very expensive, you know, not your average ballpen.”

Hoseok shrugged, turning to her. His eyes widened as he reached out. “Your cheeks are so red,” he pointed out, touching her cheek, “Let’s go to the bistro, get you something warm to drink.”

Hayoung patted her face and shivered. “I guess I should get that,” she conceded, but glanced at me. “You coming?”

Before Hoseok came up with anything, I shook my head. “I’ve got to see Professor Kim.”

Hayoung reached out, patting my arm, and I stumbled back at the sudden contact. It was as if I suddenly wanted to take her hand and place it against my nose and inhale myself senseless.

She, of course, was oblivious. “You need something warm to drink too.”

“It wouldn’t work on me. Go.”

“What does that even mean? Yoongi, don't be stupid-“

“Just. Go.”

Hoseok took her hand and placed it in his, before stuffing their intertwined fingers into the pocket of his coat. “Yoongi’s like that, don’t mind him,” I heard him tell her as I walked in the opposite direction alone, away from the single most different person I had just met.

This was the life of the undead I was destined to lead.

This came completely out of the blue one day when I was coming up with oneshot ideas and a vampire themed one came up. Naturally, it would be given to Yoongi because, you know, he's such a calm, cool guy with skin the color of snow. It's practically the best member allocated for the role and it's very addicting the way he speaks, because he is very deliberate and calm. Unlike me. OTL