One night, Hanmi was sitting at her desk in her room, wrapping up the songs Mr. Woo assigned her to do. She was halfway done with the totality of the 14 songs. Just then, light filled her room to the brim, and she was almost not surprised.

 

“How’s our princess?” asked someone in a voice Hanmi knew too well.

 

She turned and saw her favorite boys dressed in pure and taintless white cloth.

 

“Taemin oppa. What are you guys doing here?” said Hanmi.

 

“We missed you, of course,” said Niel.

 

“Is that legit? If you can come down here any time you wish then why don’t you stay here all the time?” said Hanmi, tilting her head in confusion.

 

“Because we’re dead?” suggested Youngmin.

 

“I think she means there must be some reason why we’re here now,” said Jinyoung, earning a thumbs-up from Hanmi.

 

“Duh, we’re not supposed to come down here unless it was vitally important. I knew that,” scoffed Niel.

 

“What is it? Tell me!” said Hanmi, earning her a pinch on the cheek from Taemin.

 

“How are you?” he asked. Well, that was unexpected.

 

“I’m fine, oppa,” said Hanmi.

 

“I meant, wavering from your promise yet?” said Taemin, bobbing his eyebrows up and down.

 

That was when Hanmi got it. “Oppa,” she said, putting emphasis on the word. “I told you, I will NOT get another boyfriend. Eunmi unnie could continue the family line. I promised you that.”

 

“But we didn’t make you,” whined Youngmin. “Actually, I want you to get a guy!”

 

“Youngmin-ah, please, I don’t want to go through what I did again.”

 

“But you already have complete control over yourself!” said Jinyoung.

 

“You can’t escape the inevitable. It’s bound to happen! You’re a girl!” said Niel.

 

“NO. Now, if you excuse me, I have some work to do,” said Hanmi, feigning a cold attitude. She turned her back to them and went on scribbling in her notebook.

 

The boys were aghast. They stared at her back for a few moments.

 

“Hey, I could tolerate she won’t get a life, that means she’s loyal to us. But turning her back on us?!” said Niel.

 

“Hanmi-yah, you’re soooo mean,” pouted Youngmin.

 

“I’ll see you soon, guys! Come back when I get a boyfriend!” chuckled Hanmi.

 

“That means never for you!” retorted Jinyoung. “What sort of girlfriend are you?”

 

Only Taemin remained calm. “Come on, guys,” he said quietly. “We all know what’s gonna happen.” He gave the boys a wink.

 

Out loud, he said, “Ok, Hanmi-yah. We’ll see you then.”

 

When Hanmi turned abruptly to ask what he meant, they were gone.

 

Time passed and slowly Hanmi began to recognize Sungjong’s attempts, but she remained passive. Every day, Sungjong tried to impress her. But still Hanmi closed her heart and turned her ears to stone.

 

Then, the time of the year came: Hanmi’s 19^th birthday, the first year she gets to be a vampire with full control. Unfortunately, a lot of work was piled on her on that day, and she wasn’t one to complain. So she stayed in Woolim Entertainment (where Mr. Lee and Mr. Woo agreed to let her work) until late at night.

 

Meanwhile, Infinite has just done running through their dance in the practice room. Hanmi had turned in the music for the MV early so they could work on it already. Almost all the lights in the building’s rooms were turned off; only the lights in the corridors and the lobby remained.

 

Sungjong approached the lady in the lobby while the boys waited for their shuttle.

 

“Excuse me? Has Hanmi left the building?” he asked politely.

 

“Oh, I don’t think so. I haven’t seen her pass yet,” smiled the lady.

 

Sungjong bowed and thanked her. Then he turned to his hyungs.

 

“Sunggyu hyung, I think I left something on the practice room. May I go check it out?” he asked sweetly.

 

“Sure, Sungjong-ah, but be quick,” replied Sunggyu.

 

“You want me to accompany you?” asked Woohyung with a note of concern in his voice.

 

“It’s ok, hyung. I’m old enough,” smiled Sungjong as he made a dash towards the stairs.

 

“Trust me, it’s not the practice room he’s gonna go back for,” said Sungyeol, looking after Sungjong’s path.

 

“What?” said Sunggyu.

 

Sungyeol and Myungsoo shared a knowing look and shook their heads. “Hanmi.”

 

Hanmi was busy working on the song she started the night the Four visited her when she felt a painful jolt in her system. Her world started spinning as she tried to get up and her eyes switched from red to brown to red to brown again. Just then, a huge gust of wind threw her curtains back, and the moment she saw the full form of the ivory moon, she started to change.

 

A curious feeling crept inside . She let her fingers touch her incisors as they grew and sharpened. Her skin was showered by the silver light of the moon, turning it pale, cold, and smooth. Her hair darkened from the roots until no trace of brown could be seen. And her eyes, her eyes adapted the color of fresh blood. In all this, Hanmi’s mind remained sane, but she suddenly felt a thirst for human blood.

 

‘Oh crap, I never asked unnie about this,’ she thought. ‘What do I do now?’

 

Then she had to urge to get out into the open. She had to feel the full effect of the full moon on her. She stumbled out of her office and walked along the corridor, using the walls as her guides. As she passed each fluorescent lamp popped its fuse. Her office was only two floors from the ground, and she knew that if she jumped she won’t be harmed. She found a window big enough to let her through and threw it open. She was about to jump when a dreaded voice came from behind her.

 

“Hanmi-yah?”

 

She turned to see Sungjong gaping at her. Minutes of silence and stillness passed until Sungjong broke it.

 

“What’s going on? Were you going to jump?” he asked, still not grasping the unearthly being before him. Then the light of the full moon shone upon her and Hanmi’s eyes glinted menacingly red.

 

“Hanmi-yah, your eyes…” said Sungjong, his eyes getting wider as he took a step back. Hanmi got down from the window and made an attempt to calm Sungjong down. She stretched her arm imploringly, only making Sungjong see how pale it was.

 

“Sungjong-ah, please, don’t be scared,” she whispered, only to find her voice blood-thirsty and evil.

 

“What are you?!” wailed Sungjong.

 

Suddenly, Hanmi felt another painful tug in her system. She crouched down and pressed on her stomach. Sungjong felt the urge to help her, but fear held him in place.

 

“Sungjong-ah, get out of here,” gasped Hanmi. She felt the pain was from stopping herself from attacking the human in front of her and drinking his blood.

 

“Hanmi-yah,” whispered Sungjong. His eyes sprouted tears which he didn’t know where they came from.

 

“GO! Just go! Get out of here! If you ever trusted me, do as I say!” yelled Hanmi, clutching herself tighter.

 

Sungjong felt himself torn apart as he stumbled back and ran through the corridors and down the stairs. His eyes kept letting out springs of tears, and once he saw his hyungs, he ran and tripped in front of Hoya who caught him expertly.

 

“Omo! Sungjong-ah, you ok?” Hoya helped the younger boy up, whose knees were trembling ever so slightly.

 

“Is everything ok, Sungjong-ah? Did the corridors scare you?” asked Dongwoo.

 

“I asked you if you needed company, didn’t I?” said Woohyun, regretful that he didn’t insist on the maknae.

 

Sungyeol and Myungsoo stepped in closer. “Did Hanmi turn you down?” they both asked.

 

All the while, Sungjong kept his face low and turned towards Hoya’s chest. He repeatedly wiped his eyes until they were dry and red. When he looked up, Sunggyu came and checked him.

 

“What’s wrong, Sungjong-ah? Looks like you saw a ghost,” said Sunggyu.

 

“Worse,” said Sungjong.

 

Everyone crowded nearer to hear his night trip within Woolim Entertainment.

 

“Well? What’s up? What did you see?” asked Dongwoo, getting impatient.

 

Sungjong looked at all of them with fearful eyes.

 

“A vampire.”