[CONTENTID1]Yellow Hyacinth[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]Chapter Nineteen[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]

After the phone call with Chaewon, Yoonhee’s thoughts were all over the place. She was flustered and embarrassed since she had brought up a certain topic countless times, even in front of Yerin and Junmyeon.

However, she also felt hurt that Baekhyun hadn’t told her when she asked him about it. Their bond concerned her as much as it concerned him, and she wasn’t happy about his secrecy. Should she tell him she found out about his secret? And then what? He must have had his reasons for keeping it from her. Maybe he didn’t want to have with her? Maybe she wasn’t desirable enough? She sighed and hid her face behind her hands. Now she regretted asking her friend about it. Living in blissful ignorance would have been better than facing her insecurities like this.

And just when Yoonhee thought she couldn’t get any more upset, the main reason for her inner turmoil sauntered through the door and entered her bedroom. She groaned.

“That’s an interesting greeting,” Baekhyun teased and halted in front of her. “What are you doing?”

She placed her phone on the bed next to her. “Nothing in particular,” she cleared .

“Mhm, sure,” he answered sarcastically. She couldn’t convince him, and he wondered why she seemed so flustered.

“Baekhyun… um… why have we never—” Maybe she shouldn’t ask this. Did she even want to know the answer?

“What is it?”

Her conflicted frown remained, but she didn’t elaborate. Lowering her head, she gazed at the beige carpet in front of her bed. Why didn’t he want to seal the bond? Was there something she needed to change about herself? Sooyoung had always urged her to put on make-up. Maybe he had been right and she really wasn’t pretty enough. Insecurity mounting, she found it hard to look at Baekhyun, and once again wondered if he would have been better off with a different soulmate. Someone who wasn’t as sensitive as her—a vampire.

“You look sad,” Baekhyun said and sat on the edge of the bed next to her. Specks of red gleamed in his eyes. “What’s bothering you, little flower?” His tone was gentle and his hand brushed against hers. “You can tell me everything.”

She nodded, her dark hair falling over her shoulders and veiling her expression. “Baekhyun, do you like me?”

“Of course I do, petal.”

“How much?”

And with this simple question, she rendered the vampire speechless. He looked at her with wide eyes, not at all used to this bluntness, and in his bewilderment, he didn’t know what to say.

“W-Well…” he cleared his throat and avoided her curious eyes. Why in hell did he feel so flustered? “You’re my soulmate, so… I like you a lot.”

“That’s it?”

Baekhyun had no idea as to why his flower would torment him like this. His ears felt hot, and he fought the urge to bite his lip. “No, there’s more to it. You’re gentle and kind, the most beautiful woman in my life. I love it when you smile at me because your smiles are gorgeous. I couldn’t live without you, petal, and I want you to be at my side forever.”

The conflict in her eyes calmed and her features relaxed. He saw the stress draining from her body and while he still didn’t know what had bothered her, she now seemed much happier than before. Her smile returned, brightening her rosy cheeks.

“I like you too, Baekhyun,” she whispered and touched his hand, linking his fingers with hers. “Very much.”

Hours later, after Baekhyun had left the house to meet with a business partner, the warm weather compelled Yoonhee to go outside. She visited the garden where she was by herself and found it easy to relax.

While she had felt insecure after her call with Chaewon, none of these feelings remained after she had spoken to Baekhyun. She wasn’t sure why he didn’t want to seal the bond yet, but it surely wasn’t because he wasn’t interested in her. Maybe he just preferred to do things at a slower pace.

Yoonhee kneeled amidst the flowers and gently removed their wilted leaves, gathering them in a small bucket she kept next to her. The blossoming roses smelled sweet and delightful. Kyungsoo had a talent for growing flowers, even those that were difficult to care for, and she was happy to find new flowers growing near the entrance.

Yoonhee gently cupped a little rosebud and used her magic to make it bloom. It opened up, revealing its gorgeous pink color. However, the peace was abruptly shattered when she sensed something alarming. The aura of a stranger had appeared near the gate of the property. Her vigilant gaze moved in its direction, but it was obscured by the building in front of her. The aura unmistakably belonged to a vampire, one she didn’t recognize. She grew apprehensive since she was alone in the garden, and she had no clue where the others were. Thankfully, her protection spell was in effect, so this vampire wouldn’t know she was a witch.

A gust of wind hit Yoonhee’s face. The vampire showed up right in front of her, making her flinch. She gazed at a beautiful woman who looked like a young adult. Her hair was bleached ash blonde, curled and styled perfectly. Everything about her was flawless, even her neatly ironed clothes and the matching jewelry she wore.

Yoonhee looked underdressed compared to her, wearing comfortable clothes with earth stains on them. She pushed herself up and stood in front of the vampire.

“Did Junmyeon hire a new gardener?” the woman giggled and covered her lips with her hand. “That’s interesting, and a human too?”

Yoonhee pressed her lips together and decided she didn’t like this woman. “Who are you?” she asked.

The visitor threw her pretty blonde hair over her shoulder and looked around, not paying attention to Yoonhee which she found incredibly rude.

“Where is Baekhyun? Isn’t he home?”

“That’s none of your business,” Yoonhee countered. Now she was curious about the woman’s identity. How did she know Baekhyun and what did she want from him? The poisonous sensation of jealousy wormed its way into her heart.

“A mere human shouldn’t speak to me like this. Have some respect!” the woman snapped, glaring at her with reddish eyes. She bared her fangs and took a threatening step closer. “Go back to your dirty work. I want to talk to someone else.”

“Don’t treat me like I’m beneath you! I’m here because I belong to the clan,” Yoonhee retorted in a snappy tone. Vampire or not, she refused to let this woman push her around.

The woman’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Why would you belong to a vampire clan?”

Yoonhee was about to answer her but didn’t get a chance since Yerin appeared at her side at this very moment. She had heard the commotion and chose to interfere before something bad happened to her friend.

“Aeri,” Yerin hissed, stepping in front of Yoonhee.

“Hello Yerin, it’s great to see you. Mind telling me where Baekhyun is? This lowly human has been very rude to me.”

“You should treat her with the respect she deserves. She is a member of our clan,” Yerin answered icily. “Unlike you.”

Aeri scrunched her nose, looking Yerin over from top to bottom. “Oh please, I don’t care whether I belong to your clan or not. But this wench certainly has no right to live among vampires.”

Yerin’s patience ran out. “She is Baekhyun’s soulmate!”

The blonde woman faltered. She looked downright shocked before she hid the emotion behind a blank mask, giving an artificial laugh. “His soulmate?! Yerin, you can’t be serious!”

“It’s true,” Yoonhee chimed in, feeling a sense of satisfaction upon seeing Aeri losing her composure.

“Impossible, he wouldn’t have a human soulmate. It’s disgraceful. Baekhyun deserves better,” Aeri went on, fully intending to hurt Yoonhee. Her glare rested on the young witch, mocking and derogatory. “If he’s your soulmate then why don’t you smell like him? Seems like he’s not interested in you.”

Yoonhee didn’t answer. Her hands curled into fists. Now, more than ever, she wished the bond was already sealed.

“You should leave,” Yerin cut in.

“And who are you to tell me that? Baekhyun misses me, I can’t leave without speaking to him,” Aeri said, losing none of her confidence despite Yerin’s attitude. Her spiteful and pitying gaze returned to Yoonhee. “Do you know why he keeps you around? You can’t be stupid enough to believe you mean something to him. It’s obvious he doesn’t care about you. He needs your blood to survive, so it’s natural he lets you live here. That’s the only reason I will tolerate you.”

“Shut up, what would you know about Baekhyun?” Yoonhee hissed.

“Oh, are you upset? I’m so sorry,” Aeri smiled. “Baekhyun and I have quite the history, so I know him well—better than you ever could. We’ve been together for years.”

Yoonhee was stunned into silence. Her eyes burned. It shouldn’t shock her that her soulmate had been in relationships with other women before—he was two centuries older than her and she couldn’t expect someone to stay single for that long while waiting for their soulmate. Nonetheless, this revelation made her heart sting painfully. Why hadn’t Baekhyun told her about Aeri? Why had he kept her existence a secret?

He kept so many secrets. Too many.

She had felt drawn to him lately, and her feelings had grown as well. The attraction she held for him made her disappointment hurt more now. What role did Aeri play in his life?  

“That’s enough, Aeri. Leave!” Yerin thundered, covering Yoonhee with her taller frame.

“Shouldn’t you be nicer to me?” Aeri rolled her eyes. “My clan won’t be happy to hear about your attitude.”

Yerin remained quiet, but she was seething at the obvious threat. Aeri let out another mocking laugh a