[CONTENTID1]Sunflower[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]Chapter Three[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]

A nightmare held Yoonhee in its grasp. She tossed and turned, seeing flashes of the past, encountering the vampire who had taken her family from her. His face was ingrained in her mind—she would never forget what he had looked like, his features contorted in bloodlust and his eyes glowing with an ominous shade of red. This man was still out there somewhere, and if she ever crossed paths with him, she would be doomed.

She awoke with a scream, her body trembling and covered in sweat. The room was dark, but she recognized it as her home. She wondered if her nightmares would ever end. They had accompanied her for years without ceasing.

“What the is wrong with you?!” Sooyoung snapped, turning his back to her. “I have to get up early tomorrow and I can’t lose sleep because of your pathetic whining.”

Yoonhee stiffened under her cover, pulling up her shoulders. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“Your endless apologies are very annoying, do you know that? How about you stop making mistakes all the time? Then you can keep your mouth shut and don’t have to say sorry,” he growled. He was livid—she sensed the unnatural cold he exuded as his magic began to boil within him.

She was upset and didn’t answer. In order not to disturb him further, she got up and snuck out of their bedroom, closing the door behind her. Her cover was bundled up in her arms. She spread it on the sofa in the living room, leaving the lights on as she lay down. Her cold hands pulled the cover up to her shoulders so she could hide beneath its warmth.

Only here, in the loneliness of the empty living room, did she allow herself to let her feelings out. The contours of the gray coffee table blurred. She sniffled and hiccupped, trying hard to hold the noises in so he wouldn’t hear them again. Within minutes, her nose was clogged up and she felt like she was sick, raw and eyes burning.

She wished Sooyoung was more understanding, but his repellant attitude towards her struggle made everything worse. For the duration of their relationship, she had been forced to hold it all in and to hide it instead of speaking about it. Whenever she brought it up, he would become snappy and annoyed, telling her to stop crying or to leave his sight. Apparently, she was ugly when she cried.

Yoonhee laid awake for a long time and stared at the ceiling, reminiscing about a time that would never return. Her heart ached for her family or anyone who would keep her company. Loneliness was painful. She hated the way it stung her chest and made her eyes water. She hated the headaches it brought along.

In the end, it was her exhaustion that forced her into a dreamless slumber. She managed to sleep for five hours that night, and when she woke up, Sooyoung had already left for work. As she sat alone at the table and ate breakfast in a bland and quiet kitchen, she began to wonder.

Her thoughts traveled in a strange and completely foreign direction. The illusion of bright blue eyes appeared before her, and she remembered Baekhyun, his ebony hair, his lip piercing that he always wore. What would it be like to be his partner instead of Sooyoung’s? Would he also find her ugly when she cried? Would he call her pathetic for being scared all the time?

She would never find out because it would never come to that. If she lived with a vampire and his clan, she would lose her mind. It would be torture, so it wasn’t even an option.

Hours later, she had recovered from the shock of her nightmare. A shower and some make-up had helped to transform her into her usual upbeat self, hiding the redness of her cheeks and the shadows below her eyes. She hummed a melody while she watered the plants in her shop. It was a quiet Thursday morning and so far, she had only had few customers. Since she was alone, this was a perfect opportunity to practice some of the spells she had learned recently.

Yoonhee fetched her old spell book and all the ingredients she needed for what she planned on making. Her parents had taught her most of what she knew today and she still lived by their principles—she wanted to make them proud. The most important rule she abided by was to never use her skills to hurt someone, so she focused on healing potions and protective charms. She knew how to cure certain illnesses and was good at treating injuries too. Her magic was very different from Sooyoung’s, relying mostly on the use of plants to enhance its strength.

Upon finishing what she wanted to make, an herbal tea that was infused with magic and would help with colds, she put her spell book away and hid it in a drawer that she locked. Sometimes she had customers who liked to buy her self-made teas too, so she placed the jar with the herbs on a shelf.

Minutes later, the chime of the doorbell sounded through the shop and someone entered. His mere presence made her body feel colder. She stiffened, her heart filling with fear.

“Good morning,” Baekhyun greeted her, causing her to turn around abruptly. His gorgeous blue eyes were crystal-clear, gazing at her with a strange emotion that she could not identify. Was it anticipation?

“Hello,” she said, but her breath got stuck in as she noticed something else. He held a bouquet of sunflowers in his hand. Their vividly golden-yellow color formed a contrast to Baekhyun’s dark clothing and ebony hair. Once he reached the counter, he held the sunflowers out to her, and she took them, feeling bewildered. These flowers were a symbol of dedication and adoration. Undoubtedly, he had picked them on purpose.

“Interesting choice,” she noted and gazed at him inquiringly. “Why sunflowers?”

He gave her a mysterious smile that didn’t answer her question. “Why not? Don’t you like them?”

“I love all plants, no matter what they look like,” she said while she fetched a vase from a shelf and poured water in it so the flowers would feel right at home. She added a spark of magic and put the bouquet on the counter next to where she worked. The flowers’ yellow color reminded her of the summer sun. Their presence was soothing.

“Will you go on a date with me this Saturday?” Baekhyun asked, shocking her with his straightforwardness. She should have been used to it by now, but he still caught her off guard.

“Baekhyun, we talked about this before,” she said, avoiding his strong gaze to glance at the beautiful sunflowers instead. He had upped his game with such a thoughtful gift, she had to admit that, and it proved that she was important to him. Vampires were known to be possessive creatures, but she hadn’t expected one of them so be so… sweet? If it was reasonable to call a vampire sweet…

“I’m not single, and you know this,” she added after a pause.

“I don’t care. Your boyfriend doesn’t matter to me,” he replied. He was unable to hide his annoyance for the man who stood in between them. Shimmering red streaked his gorgeous blue eyes.

“Consider it, Yoonhee. All you need to do is say yes.”

Her gaze wandered to the sunflowers on the counter. They basked in the rays of light that fell through the window.

“I can’t,” she answered quietly. “I’m sorry.”

Baekhyun leaned at the counter and watched her silently. Even though he didn’t do anything at all, his presence made her uneasy. It was hard not to focus on the fact that she was alone with a vampire, and that she wouldn’t be able to do anything if he decided that he got thirsty. Her fingers were shaking and fidgeting with the flowers that laid on the counter. She had serious trouble concentrating on her job.

“Can you please leave? I need to finish this and you are distracting me,” she said hesitantly, fumbling around with the flowers she planned to use for a bouquet. A customer had requested it for his date tonight, and she needed to finish it within the hour so he could pick it up in time. Yoonhee had readied red roses and little hearts she wanted to use as decoration, as well as a pretty foil to wrap the bouquet.

“I’m distracting?” Baekhyun echoed and gave a superior smirk. It made him look attractive, even more so than he already was. “So you admit my presence doesn’t leave you cold. Are you interested in me, finally?”

“You talk too much,” she cut him off and fought the blush that threatened to rise to her cheeks. She did all she could to ignore his burning gaze that followed her every move while she gathered the roses one by one. They smelled delightful.

“And you are not good at hiding your blush,” he teased.

Her hand slipped. “O-Ouch,” she hissed and put the thorny rose stem down. She had cut her finger and drops of blood trickled over her digit. “Damn it, Baekhy—”

Yoonhee stiffened as she realized the danger she was in. Her head snapped up and she stared in his deep red eyes, fearfully taking two steps backward, pressing her body against the wall. He would attack her. It would be horribly painful, just like last time, and if she was unlucky, she might even—

“Yoonhee,” he said. And even though there was a slight strain in his tone, he didn’t approach her, staying on the other side of the counter. His iris was of the same color as the roses in between them, and if she hadn’t been scared out of her mind, she might have called the sight beautiful, but it reminded her too much of the vampire who had ambushed her family.

“Calm down,” h