[CONTENTID1]Yellow Carnation[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]Chapter One[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]

The hot summer sun’s golden rays felt pleasant on Yoonhee’s skin as she made her way through the crowded streets of Gangnam. A glimmer of happiness warmed her heart and the corners of quirked up. She had just left her home and was on the way to her flower shop, a place she cherished very much.

As a green witch, she specialized in the natural magic of herbs and flowers, and thus she felt right at home in her shop where she kept a plethora of plants. While she was fond of her magic, Yoonhee much rather wanted to be a regular human. She longed for a mundane life without dangers, without knowing about the supernatural beings that roamed the earth.

Nowadays, witches and wizards were hard to find. They had been persecuted for centuries, killed mercilessly by people who had feared their powers. Not many had survived the brutal witch hunts of the Middle Ages and those who had come out alive had fled from Europe to other continents. Sadly, no matter where they went, they always encountered new dangers. While witch hunts laid the distant past and humans had forgotten about their existence, threats to their lives had not disappeared. Now, it was vampire clans they needed to be afraid of.

Yoonhee’s own parents had been murdered by such a vampire clan because they had refused to work for them. Her mother and father hadn’t wanted to use their magic for something bad and paid with their lives, leaving Yoonhee behind. She had to endure their loss while fleeing from the vicious clan that had set its sights on her as well. She had only been 19 at the time, barely an adult, and she had quickly learned to maintain a low profile. Even now that she was 24 years old, her fear of being found was alive.

Yoonhee had not forgiven the vampires for murdering her family—and she hated them with every fiber of her being. At least, that was what she liked to tell herself.

The truth was that she was terrified of these beings. They were strong, insanely fast, and could hunt people down for miles with their superior sense of smell. If a vampire chased you down, it was nearly impossible to escape. Whenever she spotted one of them wandering the streets of Seoul, she turned around and walked the other way, praying that her charms and protection spells would be enough to fool them. Vampires could sense the magic of witches, so she needed to use her charms at all times. She never left her home without them and so far, they had not let her down, hiding her magic successfully.

Therefore, Yoonhee wasn’t all too concerned when she sensed the looming presence of a vampire nearby as she navigated through the crowd of humans in Gangnam. She simply changed directions and swerved to the left, entering a different shopping street. As she moved on, she took a glimpse at her phone, checking her most recent chat with her friend Chaewon, a young werewolf who had recently found her soulmate. Her endless daydreaming about him was amusing to Yoonhee. They acted like newlyweds. The last time she had met them, they had held hands nonstop.

She envied them.

They shared a beautiful bond. Mark and Chaewon trusted each other blindly. Yoonhee herself had never had a relationship like theirs. Her boyfriend, Sooyoung, was not the sweet type of person. He hardly showed affection and hand-holding was something he generally didn’t do. Not even when she wanted to.

Yoonhee put her phone back into her purse and walked past several shop windows, absentmindedly glancing at the advertised products. Since it was Sunday afternoon, these shops and her flower shop were closed. Regardless of this, she was on the way to tend to her flowers because she needed to make sure they were fine.  

Yoonhee hummed a quiet tone, dodging people as she moved towards her destination. However, while she walked, she took note of something peculiar.

The presence of the vampire she had sensed two streets ago hadn’t disappeared. It was still there, seemingly following her and getting closer. At this rate, it couldn’t be a coincidence anymore. She had taken a few turns and there was no way this vampire would coincidentally follow the same route. Yoonhee reminded herself not to panic and checked the inside of her purse for her paper charms—they were all there, so how was it possible for this vampire to pursue her? Her scent was no different than that of a human as long she had her charms, so she didn’t stand out in the crowd.

Picking up her pace, she disappeared into the next alleyway that was less crowded. This allowed her to move faster. She took another turn at the next corner and the one after. Her hand clutched the string of her purse, becoming sweaty with nervousness. The frantic beats of her heart were like a call to a vampire, but despite knowing this, she was unable to calm herself. She was terrified of these bloodthirsty beings after years of running and hiding from them. They were the cause of her nightmares and insomnia. Her legs hurt from running, yet she didn’t think of stopping even though it was useless to try to outrun a vampire.

Now she even heard the vampire’s footsteps following her, copying her movements. They walked at a normal pace, proving that they were not in a hurry and fully aware she couldn’t get away. Terror clouded her senses. Yoonhee rounded another corner and her flower shop came into view. Its old wooden door wouldn’t keep a vampire out, and neither would the large shop windows. Frustration, fear, and anger mixed deep within her. She hated living like this, hiding away from the world and always having to adapt in order to survive.

“Wait!” a male voice called, deep and alluring as a vampire’s voice should be. A shiver ran down her spine and she slowed to a stop, opting to face her doom instead of dragging the inevitable out. She turned, laying eyes on her relentless pursuer. He didn’t look the way she had expected. His hair was black and his unruly fringe hung over his eyes. Their iris was vibrant blue with a red hue that made her very uneasy. This ruby color could signify many things, but most often, it was a telltale sign of bloodthirst. His pale skin was common for a vampire too.

The leather jacket he wore hugged his form like it had been made for him, and a silver piercing drew her eyes to his lush bottom lip where a ring gleamed in the sunlight. She could see him turning heads with his attractive looks, but beauty in the supernatural world almost always meant danger, so she wasn’t swayed by his appearance. If anything, she was more intimidated now that she had seen him.

“What do you want?” she asked, putting up a strong and unbothered façade while she was panicking on the inside. Instinctively, she clutched her purse with her protective charms and clung to it like it was her lifeline. They couldn’t save her from him, but their presence gave her strength regardless.

“I need to talk to you,” he answered as if it was the most natural thing in the world. His gaze was inquiring, curiously taking in her appearance, her neatly combed black hair and the flowery summer dress she wore.

“Why?”

He came closer. “I think you know why.”

She gulped. He wanted her blood. Her pulse raced and no matter how calm she looked on the outside, she knew he heard the fast beats of her heart.

“You have the wrong idea,” he said as his lips curved down. “I’m not here to hurt you, I just want to talk. My name is Baekhyun.”

She didn’t answer, feeling like a rabbit sitting in front of a snake. What he wanted to achieve with small talk was unfathomable to her. Couldn’t he just get it over with? If she had to die, she wanted it to be quick. It was cruel to make her wait for her end by drawing it out. But vampires were famous for their ruthlessness, so it did not surprise Yoonhee. Her silence prompted him to raise his eyebrow.

“Will you tell me your name? You are a witch, aren’t you?” he continued.

Her eyes widened in realization—and suddenly she understood what was going on. This man hadn’t been following her because he wanted to drink her blood… he was after her magic.

“How did you know?” she lashed out and narrowed her eyes, her despair getting the best of her. “Why did my spell not work on you? It should be impossible for you to sense my magic!”

The past five years of hiding were all for nothing since her true identity had been revealed by one of her enemies. All the measures she had taken to remain hidden and safe were meaningless. It was devastating. Undoubtedly, he would do something terrible to her once she told him that she refused to work for him and his clan. Maybe she would share her parents’ sad fate.

“I was about to tell you,” he answered, and when he took another step forward, she clenched her hands to fists. Her heart was about to jump out of her chest, drumming with unadulterated terror. “You’re very special to me. I’ve been looking for you for many years. Charms and spells can’t hide your presence from me.”

“W-Why not?” she asked, voice cracking. Her terror mounted with every word he spoke, but the worst was yet to come.

“Because you’re my soulmate.”

Her world stopped turning. Indescribable shock crept into her and only a few seconds later, she decided that this had to be a mistake. A leech couldn’t be her soulmate. Fate couldn’t be that cruel to her. These monsters had already taken her parents away forever, and now they would take her too?

“This is a joke, right? You’re joking,” she said, laughing hysterically. “V-Very funny. Now tell me the truth!”

“It is the truth. Your scent is different from that of other people. There’s no mistaking it,” he answered, and obviously, he had expected a different reaction from her. She was close to a panic attack, shaking like a leaf, and she looked like he had proclaimed her death sentence.  

“No,” she whispered. “It can’t be.” Through the glossiness of her eyes, his form blurred. She blinked a few times, holding in the tears that threatened to fall. Sheer desperation choked her and stole her breath.

“I wouldn’t lie about something so important,” he insisted, his tone taking on an edge that she did not like. He was angry with her, annoyed at her strange behavior towards him. Clearly, he had expected her to fall in love with him at first sight or something equally ridiculous. But Yoonhee wasn’t capable of loving a bloodthirsty monster.

“You vampires are leeches. You live off other beings, you terrorize them and murder them for no other reason than to sate your thirst,” she burst out.

“I did not choose to be born a vampire,” he growled.

“And I didn’t choose to be your soulmate. Go look for someone else to feed off.”

A hint of hurt flickered through his eyes, but it was gone so soon, she hardly saw it. He glared daggers at her. “Do you really think I would go away after I finally found my soulmate? It’s been centuries. I waited for an eternity to meet you!”

“So what?” she replied, sensing a change in his aura as his anger rose. Her instincts screamed at her to run. She didn’t want to be close to an enraged vampire. Already, she got a glimpse of his elongated fangs. They were sharper than a knife. He could rip her t