Chapter 4. A Bashful Smile

Wonyoung stood at the back of the classroom along with her other classmates, waiting to be given instructions by her new professor. This was her first lesson for the class ‘Supernatural History.’ The classroom was rather spacious, the desks weren’t separate and instead, there were tall lab-like tables which seated around four people. Wonyoung didn’t read the syllabus in time for the class, and so she went into the course blindly. She assumed from the science-esque equipment dotted around the classroom that it was a practical kind of subject, though. 

The lesson hadn’t even started and Wonyoung groaned when she saw Yujin enter the classroom. She subconsciously crossed her arms and rolled her eyes at the sight of the girl. She was sure that Yujin was going to try and get payback in one way or another. She hadn’t even had one conversation with the girl, but she could already gather by her aura that she is someone too cocky for her own good. It got on Wonyoung’s nerves how she constantly walked around the school like she owned it (technically, she did, but...).

“For the first few lessons, we will be studying the history of werewolves,” the professor explained. 

“They are incredibly interesting creatures, and we will do a lot of research into their background and the features surrounding them. I will put all of you into pairs, and I want you to carry out a research project on wolfsbane. I won’t tell you anything about it, and I will leave it to you guys to experiment yourselves.”

“In order to carry out a sufficient study on wolfsbane, I want all of you in your pairs to take it upon yourselves to go to Germany and collect the special plant.”

The entire class audibly groaned in unison.

“Oh cheer up! Consider it a fun trip.”

“When exactly is this due?” A student voiced.

“You have until Friday to complete the project, I want it in the format of a presentation, and I want physical evidence of the wolfsbane you collected from Germany. I don’t want anyone to skive out of the trip to Germany, as it will be a crucial learning experience for you all.”

Great. Three days to travel to Germany and back, complete the presentation, all while trying to hold my life together, Wonyoung groaned inwardly.

“Right let’s pair you all up,” the professor said.

He began showing the pairs to their tables.

“Jang Wonyoung,” he said, looking around the classroom to pick her partner. 

“And Ahn Yujin.”

Wonyoung’s jaw dropped in dismay and she snapped her head towards Yujin, whom she pointed her finger at. 

“Sir!” She retorted. “I refuse to work with her.” Wonyoung crossed her arms.

Yujin stayed silent, trying to refrain laughter from leaving . She teasingly walked over to Wonyoung with her arms wrapped cheekily behind her back. 

“Let’s go partner,” Yujin smiled brightly.

Wonyoung’s face was still absolutely disgusted. She gave one last glare to the professor before finding the power within her to drag her feet over to the table Yujin was sitting at. 

-

Chaewon finished class five minutes early, and she decided to go over to Yujin’s class to wait for her so they could go to lunch together. While she stood outside of the supernatural history classroom, she leaned her back against the large window sill that looked out over the school grounds. Her thoughts drifted to a certain brunette, and she couldn’t help but smile gently. She remembered how she carried Minju in her arms last night, and how she snuck into the Bloodbounds’ dorm room to tuck her safely into bed. Chaewon dug her feet into the floor when she caught onto how cheesy she was being. 

Her thoughts were scaring her, to say the least. She hasn’t stopped thinking about the girl since last night, and it was as if the image of the girl was ingrained into her mind. She was being so obvious to the extent that her sisters even pointed out that she was acting differently. It was true, in fairness; since this morning, Chaewon felt as though she was seeing colours a lot brighter than usual, and her feet felt lighter too. She had become a lot stronger since she drank Minju’s blood- she was able to levitate and drop Yena in mid-air when she teased Chaewon about her newfound happiness. 

She occasionally found moments when she felt insecure, however. What if Minju wasn’t thinking about her? What if Minju was only nice to her last night because she felt bad that Chaewon lost the duel? She accepted that Minju was her own person, and that she would just have to deal with it if she didn’t feel the same.

Just then, the phenomenon that Chaewon experienced last night reappeared. She could no longer hear the miniscule sounds that she could usually hear, and when she checked her phone camera, she noticed that her eyes had become a dull shade of red. She tried running at an enhanced speed to the end of the corridor but was disappointed when she felt herself running at the speed of a snail. 

She looked around the hallway in confusion, wondering what was wrong with her. 

The sound of footsteps echoed from across the hall, and Chaewon resumed back to her leaning position outside of Yujin’s classroom. She nervously stood up straight when she did a double take on the person who had just turned the corner. 

“M-Minju,” Chaewon stuttered, internally creasing at herself. 

“Hi sunbae,” Minju returned in that angelic voice of hers. 

The two stood beside each other awkwardly, both leaning against the window sill. They were silent for a few moments, and Chaewon took the opportunity to subtly glance over at the girl she had been thinking about all day. It was sunset, and so the evening rays shone against Minju’s face, radiating her honey skin. Chaewon felt like she was staring at a Saint. The way the golden rays of the sun illuminated Minju’s prominent facial features, and how they brightened her eyes to reveal a new shade of chestnut. It was no doubt that she was beautiful. 

Chaewon silently gasped at even the slightest movements Minju made- the brunette literally just her lips and Chaewon was melting inside. She swallowed a lump in as she forced herself to turn away from the work of art.

“Who are you waiting for?” Chaewon broke the silence.

“Wonyoungie,” Minju replied. 

Chaewon hummed in response, nodding her head. She then detected Minju’s movements; the girl was fiddling with the cuff of her sleeve. 

“You okay?” Chaewon asked, looking at Minju’s arm.

“O-oh,” Minju shook her head in surprise. She rolled her sleeve up to reveal her swollen forearm which had two prominent dots that looked like they were in the process of scarring.

Chaewon pushed her head forward in disbelief and she carefully took hold of Minju’s hand, bringing her arm closer towards her. 

“Minju…” Chaewon trailed, staring at the scar.

The brunette quickly retracted her arm, rolling the sleeve back down.

She shook her head in reassurance, “it’s okay, sunbae. That’s just what happens.” 

Chaewon grabbed her arm again, gently, worry clearly written on her face. 

“Are you an idiot? You didn’t even bandage it,” she said, acknowledging the redness around the bite. 

“I’ve never had to deal with it before, but it’s okay, I’ll just-” 

“Here,” Chaewon said, opening her bag and taking out a large bandaid. 

She opened it carefully and delicately pasted it onto the bite she had left behind. She failed to notice Minju’s gentle eyes which smiled at her as she focused on aiding her wound. 

She lifted her head back up to face a smiling Minju. It was the first time she was seeing the girl smile, and it was such a pretty one that the corners of Chaewon’s lips naturally tugged upwards. Her smile made Chaewon feel as if the world was moving in slow motion- the way her smile formed, and how she would chuckle slightly when her smile had finally reached her entire face. How her little indian dimples were revealed as her eyes pressed into thin lines. 

“Is this how you flirt with your Bloodbounds,” Minju chuckled slightly, “you carry around these band aids so that you have an excuse to care for them.”

“Ya,” Chaewon chuckled in a jokingly offended tone. She waved the pack of band aids in front of Minju’s face. 

“These are for Yujin. That idiot always hurts herself.” 

“Sure,” Minju continued to give Chaewon a teasing smile.

They leaned back against the window sill.

“Oh and stop calling me sunbae,” Chaewon voiced. “It makes me feel old.”

“Well, what are you… Like five hundred years old?” Minju said with a bright smile. 

“Ya,” Chaewon laughed once more, causing Minju to cover her face with her hand in hysterics. 

“So what should I call you?” 

“...Mine?” Minju said easily. She kept her facial expressions straight and controlled, but her eyes were teasing. 

Chaewon looked away from the girl, revealing her obvious embarrassment. Minju chuckled at Chaewon’s reaction, she seemed so harmless when she was shy.

“I’ll just call you unnie, instead,” Minju settled, and looked straight ahead at the door of the classroom. 

“Okay.” Chaewon replied simply, her head low as her flustered state still hadn’t subsided. 

The school bell rang instantaneously, shocking both girls. Before they knew it, their little moment was over and the hallway started pouring out with students. Minju stood up straight when she saw Wonyoung storm out of the classroom, but was confused when the younger girl walked straight past her. 

Yujin strolled towards the pair with ease, hand in pocket. 

“What happened to Wonyoung?” Minju asked in a concerned voice. 

“We got paired for a project.”

Chaewon let out a laugh.

“We have to go to Germany tonight and collect a sample of wolfsbane,” Yujin rolled her eyes at Chaewon who was now having a laughing fit. 

Yujin knew she shouldn’t have told her sister about her newfound rivalry with Wonyoung. 

“Why do you have to do it tonight, when is it due?” Minju asked.

“Friday.”

“Oh right… That’s pretty tight for time,” Minju said.

Yujin patted Chaewon on the shoulder as she walked past her. 

She turned back around and said, “if I don’t come back alive tomorrow morning, then Wonyoung has killed me.”

“Yujin-ah, do you want me to come with you guys tonight?” Chaewon called out.

Germany is a pretty dangerous place, and with Yujin’s pea of a brain when it came to navigation there was no way that Wonyoung would be able to survive with just the two of them. Chaewon was pretty experienced as well, with the amount of time she spent hunting during those days, she knew how to handle any encounter.

“Yeah, I’ll come too,” Minju added.

Chaewon glanced at her.

Minju glanced back.

“Well Wonyoung will be third wheeling if you go, unnie,” she pointedly defended.

Yujin just shrugged in response. 

“Well okay, then. Pack a small bag because we might end up staying somewhere overnight.”

They dispersed from the hallway, each returning back to their respective dorm. There was going to a long night ahead of them.