“So, holy water is also a weakness and the whole ‘vampires bursting in the sunlight’ is just something that writers made up to justify why vampires only attack during the night,” SinB summarized, letting these newfound revelations sink into her brain.

“Exactly. Our powers may weaken if we're under the sun for too long, though. But, combusting into flames is something that movies like to use for dramatic effect,” Yerin casually added.

They were both sitting on the ground next to SinB’s bed. The only source of light was from the dim lampshade emitting from the living room and the street lights that glowed through the closed curtains.

Due to Virgo’s unexpected motives, they both knew it would be best if Yerin spent the night, guarding SinB. After SinB finished taking a shower, she opened the bathroom door and saw Yerin carrying her kitchen table into the living room and positioning it on its side as somewhat of a barrier.

Yerin offered to cook some food for the younger girl, but the only edible thing that was left in SinB’s cupboard was a box of sugary cereal. She did manage to make some tea, though. And with that, they now sat in front of each other, sharing the cereal and taking turns asking questions. Well, SinB did most of the questioning, but Yerin did not mind answering diligently.

“How about vampires transforming into bats?” SinB prodded with another trope.

Starting to feel a bit cold, SinB grabbed the blanket on her bed and draped the warm cloth around her shoulders. She thought about asking Yerin if she wanted to share the blanket, as well. But, the older girl did not seem bothered by the temperature. Plus, she was still wearing her leather jacket that made her look like a rebel with a cause. Plus, SinB wasn't sure if she could handle Yerin being even more closer in proximity.

“Some vampires have the ability to shapeshift into bats. But, that's more of their own special power. For instance, I once met a rambunctious, female vampire in Austria who could turn into a panther,” Yerin explained, popping a handful of cereal into and handing the box over to SinB.

“Do vampires typically sleep in coffins?” SinB pressed on, digging her hand into the box for more crunchy, sugary goodness.

“Another allegory created by the literary giants,” Yerin was starting to grow peeved as she realized how many stereotypes of vampires were false. “The coffin is suppose to represent how we’re the living dead and how some of us yearn to rest in peace.”

“I see,” SinB nodded her head in understanding. “Mianhae, for all these dumb questions I've been asking.”

“It's fine,” Yerin shrugged. “It's important to be curious.” She gave SinB a small reassuring smile.

“Since I've been taking up your time with these ridiculous questions, do have any curiosities about me?” SinB asked out of politeness, but she was a bit fearful. She wasn't much of the type to project her thoughts and insecurities.

Yerin dropped her gaze away from SinB, biting the corner of her lip in thought. “Would you ever want to become a vampire?” Yerin replied jokingly, but there was some seriousness in her tone.

“I guess I would,” SinB played around with the idea. “The prospect of being a vampire doesn't really scare me. You get to live forever and you have all these powers and you get to see the world change while never aging physically. But, the how part is what frightens me. You have to get bitten.”

SinB couldn't look directly at Yerin when she was voicing her opinion, in fear that the older girl would be offended by her simplistic outlook. When she ended her response, SinB carefully met Yerin’s eyes and was a bit relieved to see the older girl attentive, but not judging.

“Do you want to know how I became a vampire?” Yerin asked, her voice slightly raspy.

“Shouldn't that be reserved for when we know each other better?” SinB thoughtfully replied as she remembered how Eunha became unexpectedly upset at the same question.

“It's the proper thing to do, but my story relates to your predicament,” Yerin responded. When she saw SinB nod her head in comprehension, Yerin continued speaking.

“Virgo is responsible for me becoming a vampire. He’s the one who bit me. But, before that, I lived with my Appa, Umma, and Oppa in the countryside. My Appa served in the war, but he unfortunately died in combat. My Umma then became terribly sick. Being the man of the house now, my Oppa decided to find work in the city as I took care of our Umma and tended the house. A couple of days later, he came back with a job along with a huge sum of money that enabled us to buy medicine for our Umma. The cycle continued for about three months. He would go to the city to ‘work’ and return home with his pay that helped us in great ways.

“Around the fourth month, though, I noticed a change in his personality. My Oppa has always been known to be cheerful and energetic, but when he came back home, it was as if the life got drained out of him. Like he was a mindless zombie. One night, he said he had to go back to the city to finish up some work. Having my suspicions, I decided to follow him. I was led deep into a forest where a group of other monotonous people gathered. A gigantic ring of fire appeared and inside the ring stood Virgo, looking proud and devious.

“Apparently, he created somewhat of cult with these helpless individuals. They were to walk through the fire as a display of devotion to him. He would then ‘reward’ them by turning them into a vampire. When I saw my Oppa faithfully walking towards him, I couldn’t stand the thought of him becoming a servant for such a sinister being. So, I ran out of the safety of the shadows and desperately tried to pull him away from the flames. Of course, Virgo was furious that an outsider ruined his plan. He leaped towards me, eyes piercing even in the dark sky, and devoured my neck. I must have fainted afterwards. When I woke up, the ground was scorched and charred bodies laid around me...including my Oppa’s.

“I returned back home to continue caring for my Umma. It wasn’t long before I discovered my vampiric tendencies, but I only drank the blood of animals. Despite all the medicine, my Umma grew sicker by the day and died within a week. I buried her and abandoned the property. I was on my own for almost a year until I met and joined the Sisters of the Night. They saw my sorrow and promised me vengeance. Now that Virgo has resurfaced, things are more personal.”

Yerin looked up at SinB’s sympathetic eyes and wished she thought twice before telling the younger girl her depressing story.

“Mianhae, SinB-ssi,” Yerin looked down in shame. “After all that happened in the past 24 hours to you, I shouldn’t have drowned you with my tragedies.”

“No, I understand,” SinB quickly responded. “This is your chance to finally make things right. To put an end to the vampire who killed your Oppa.”

“I just wanted you to know early on to show you how determined I am, so we can both move on with our lives,” Yerin spoke with a certain sternness, as if she wanted to say something more meaningful but couldn’t bring herself to voice it out loud.

“I greatly appreciate it, Yerin-unnie,” SinB replied, a bit crestfallen when she heard Yerin’s tone revert to its professional pretense. “Any other questions you want to ask about me?” SinB wanted to return back to the more relaxed atmosphere they had going on earlier.

“Have you ever been in love?” Yerin asked quietly, her eyes were soft and curious in the warm glow of the apartment.

The question caught SinB off guard. Her love life was actually quite tame despite Sowon and Yuju’s amusements. In the past, they liked to tease SinB about her admirers who would come to the studio just to see her dance. She had her typical case of crushes and was not a stranger in the world of dating. Still, SinB can’t recall a time where she felt deeply for someone. None of the feelings that she had in the past compares to how she feels for the girl who is sitting right in front of her.

“Technically, no,” SinB admitted after seconds of deliberation. “I mean, I've been in a couple of relationships where I, initially, really liked the person. And, people thought we looked good together. While I did enjoy the moments we spent together, I'm not totally sure if I was exactly in love with anyone of them.”

“Do you know what you want in a significant other?” Yerin innocently prodded.

Again, SinB wasn't prepared to answer such a personal question. But, she earnestly knew the truth. “I do,” SinB confidently attested, but her eyes avoided to look at Yerin. “I do know what I want. It's a bit difficult to explain, though.”

“It's okay,” Yerin gently spoke up. “You don't have to tell me if you don't want to.”

“But, I do want to tell you,” SinB eagerly revealed, slightly embarrassed at her sudden outburst. She quickly her lips as she tried to express her “ideal type” the best way she could. “I like someone... who can make me feel a variety of emotions all at once. Like, if I'm happy around them, I'm also sad because I don't want them to leave. Or, if I'm mad towards them, I'm also happy because, at the end of the day, I know that our relationship will only grow stronger.” She glanced at Yerin’s stoic face. Humiliated, SinB briskly used her blanket to cover her head. “I know, it's silly and doesn't make any sense. Forget I ever said anything.” SinB stayed under the security of her blanket, unsure why she told Yerin all of that. She never even revealed those things to Yuju or Sowon.

“So, when you're calm around this person...”

Under the blanket, SinB heard Yerin’s tender voice. There was no trace of ridicule or teasing over what she just confessed. SinB then heard movement and felt strong, yet delicate hands carefully remove the blanket away from her head. SinB’s eyes darted up and realized that Yerin’s face was mere inches away from her’s. She held her breath.

“...you're also nervous at the same time because they still managed to have that effect on you,” Yerin finished her sentence in almost a whisper. She looked at the younger girl fondly and understood exactly what she meant. Her hand reached out to tuck a hair behind SinB’s ear.

For a second, SinB thought that Yerin was going to kiss her. But, suddenly, a look of worry flickered in the older girl’s eyes. It was quickly replaced with a polite smile as Yerin scooted away at a friendly distance. SinB released her breath in frustration.

“Right,” SinB said with a tinge of irritation. She gulped at the image of Yerin’s inviting lips just centimeters away from her own. “Well, then, since I shared more than I would have liked about my love life, it's your turn, now. Have you ever been in love, Yerin-unnie?” SinB quipped at the older girl.

Yerin grinned at SinB’s sudden feisty spark. “Once. It was with a fair Sisters of the Night member,” Yerin recalled, looking down to smile.

“Oh,” SinB uttered, fearing that her suspicions may have been correct. Were Yerin and Eunha actually a couple? Have they ever been together in the past, but have broken up and remained good friends?

“It's not Eunha,” Yerin replied, sensing that her relationship with Eunha was what SinB needed some clearing up about.

“Oh,” SinB repeated, sounding a bit more relieved.

“To say that I never felt something towards Eunha, though,” Yerin continued, “would be a lie. But, I would also be lying if I said that I was ever in love with her.” Yerin glanced at SinB’s attentive eyes and decided to explain herself more. “In all honesty, I fear that her infatuation and jealousy stems from a mild case of Stockholm syndrome. With all the time we spent together, she has mistook it for love. In reality, I think she's just trying to fill a void of loneliness that comes with being a vampire. But, I admire her and I deeply care for her. She's stuck with me through the thick and thin. She deserves to actually find someone who she genuinely loves and who can truly love her back.” A small, pleasant smile formed on her lips as she thought about her partner in crime, her best friend.

SinB was oddly impressed at how much Yerin was aware of Eunha’s one sided love towards her. But, she also felt surprisingly sorry towards Eunha. Maybe she and Eunha had something in common after all. They both craved the need to be loved.

“It’s getting quite late into the night,” Yerin interrupted SinB’s thoughts. “Perhaps, you should get some rest.”

“Rest? Don't be silly. I slept well into three in the afternoon, yesterday. I don't know about you, but I think I can adapt pretty well to the lifestyle of a vampire,” SinB joked around.

“Three in the afternoon? Impressive,” Yerin mused. “But, for now, you shall enjoy the the perks of being a human and sleep without the sun being a bother.” She proceeded to stand up, lending her hand out to SinB to help pull her up.

Cocooned in her blanket, SinB sat on the edge of her bed as she watched Yerin return the half empty box of cereal back into the kitchen. Though SinB was feeling tired, there was one more question that she needed an answer to.

“Yerin-unnie,” SinB called out to the older girl, “there's something that I need to know before I could go to sleep.” She pressed her lips, trying to find the best way to express her question. “That story you told me in park about the monkey bars, was it true?”

Yerin walked over to SinB and sat next to her with their shoulders almost touching. She looked into SinB’s eyes as she spoke. “Yes. Every word. The Yerin you met in the dance studio and played with at the park was how I was before I became a vampire. Before fire could still burn me and knives could still penetrate my skin. I use to scoff at how vampires were portrayed in TV and movies. They were always so reckless and careless. But when each year passes, I understand why. Because those who were born on this planet aren't suppose to live forever. We're suppose to learn, grow, make mistakes, fall in love. But, when you know you're immortal and unable to die like everyone else, life suddenly becomes less precious.”

Yerin continued to stare deeper into SinB’s brown eyes. As uncomfortable SinB felt, she was oddly at ease, tranquil even. But, she saw another look of worry and hesitation in Yerin's eyes. Before the older girl could retreat to her gentlewoman ways, SinB grabbed Yerin’s wrist and courageously kissed her on the cheek. It may have been a quick peck, but that didn't stop SinB from blushing as Yerin’s eyes went wide in astoundment.

“Um, you know how the Europeans kiss others on the cheek as a sign of thanks and appreciation?” SinB awkwardly rambled, making things up to explain her sudden impulse. “So, I thought, ‘why not kiss Yerin-unnie on the cheek to show how much I'm thankful for her protecting me and opening her heart to me?’ So, I did it. I kissed you because I'm grateful for all you've done for me.”

SinB felt like she was drowning in her incoherent reasoning. Her face was heating up by the second. She had no intention of kissing Yerin, but she couldn't help it. She needed to relieve some tension between them. She needed to show Yerin that she was willing to take that chance no matter what odds were against them.

SinB was too caught up in her own thoughts that it took her a moment to realize that a soft pair of lips pressed upon the side of her cheek. She sat stunned as her heart raced when she became aware that those lips belonged to Yerin.

Yerin’s kiss lingered a bit longer. For SinB, it felt as if time stood still just for them. Even as Yerin leaned away, releasing her kiss, SinB couldn’t fathom what was happening, what she was feeling. She was too bashful to look at Yerin, but she could feel Yerin’s eyes focused on her.

“I’m grateful for all you've done for me, as well, SinB-ssi,” Yerin tenderly whispered as her face lifted into an eye smile. “I think that’s enough excitement for one night.” She stood up and helped a dazed SinB get settled in bed. Yerin then went over to the living room. “Do you want the light off?”

“Y-yes, please,” SinB cutely trembled, still a bit taken back. So many emotions coursed through SinB just from that one kiss on her cheek. She, then, wondered what a kiss on the lips from Yerin would feel like.

“I'll stand guard here in the living room while you rest,” Yerin announced before turning the lamp off.

“Good night, Yerin-unnie,” SinB politely said as she laid stiffly in her bed.

“Sweet dreams, SinB-ssi,” Yerin softly replied. Though SinB could no longer see in the darkness of her apartment, she was certain that Yerin had a warm smile on her face.

As she dozed off, SinB knew that sweet dreams awaited her.

Author’s Note: Hey, everyone! I hoped this chapter was enjoyable. The next chapter may take me longer to write, but please anticipate it! Again, thank you to all the people who took a chance with reading this fic.