“Love Spells of the 18th Century,” Eunha read the title of the book to herself.

Upon returning to the headquarters after her black market shopping spree, Eunha noticed that there wasn't a person in sight to keep her company. While she was still out, Yerin called to inform her about SinB living with them at the headquarters for the meantime. Though she wasn’t too keen with the decision, she knew there was no payoff in arguing with her friend who became so much in love with their client. As for Umji, Eunha could sense that the young girl was in a deep sleep in her room after the traditional monthly visit to her parents’ burial.

Bored and with nothing to do, Eunha decided to reorganize the bookcase in the living room while she waited for the sickening sweet couple to come back.

“What is this trash of a spell book doing here?” Eunha said in disgust as she pulled the average-sized, antiquated book from the shelf. Skimming through the book, she stopped when a certain page caught her eye. It was instructions for a do-it-yourself love charm.

Eunha rolled her eyes at the thought of ever making one. She knew that charms like these were absolutely bogus and the effects were only temporary. If Eunha ever wanted to get someone to love her, she would do it with her own intrinsic charms. Sure, she has thought about slipping a love potion in Yerin’s drink plenty of times in the past. But, deep down Eunha knew that there was nothing romantic in gaining one’s love through artificial means.

Oddly enough, her mind then wandered to Sowon. Would that pretty, yet dorky girl honestly return Eunha’s feelings if she ever knew that she was actually a vampire? The Eunha that she displayed during their study session didn't stray too far away from her true personality, but there was still a feeling of doubt.

Maybe trying out that love charm wouldn’t be such a bad idea, Eunha thought.

“Three salamander tails, one strand of unicorn hair, a dash of pixie dust…” Eunha rapidly read the necessary materials under her breath.

“Eunha-unnie.”

Immediately closing the book out of embarrassment, Eunha turned her head towards the living room entrance to see Umji standing there, rubbing the sleep away from her eyes.

“Yes, Umji-ya,” Eunha adoringly addressed the younger girl while casually placing the leather bound book back in its slot. There is no way she was going to be seen with that ridiculous piece of literature.

“Is Yerin-unnie around? There’s something I need to tell her,” Umji said quietly, entering the living room and walking closer to Eunha.

“I'm afraid not,” Eunha replied, gently fixing the younger girl’s hair. “Judging from how the car is no longer in the garage, I surmise that she's helping SinB-ssi gather her things. The human will be staying with us longer than I anticipated.” Umji stayed silent as she looked down with a solemn expression, nodding her head. “If something’s troubling you, Umji-ya, you can always tell me.”

“No, that's alright, Eunha-unnie. I'll just wait until Yerin-unnie returns,” Umji politely declined.

At that moment, Eunha and Umji could hear the front door of the headquarters creak open. But, Eunha could discern that there were two people, other than Yerin and SinB, in their midst.

“Wow! This place is beautiful! Does the chandelier actually contain diamonds?” a voice unfamiliar to Umji, but familiar to Eunha spoke in childlike amazement from the hallway.

“Is it just me, or does this house look bigger inside than it does outside?” another voice unknown to Eunha, but known to Umji spoke with skepticism.

“How convenient,” Eunha whispered as she quirked an eyebrow after recognizing who the first voice belonged to.

Umji’s eyes grew five times larger with the realization that Yuju was also among the group. Not wanting Yuju to see her, Umji scurried behind the couch to hide. Meanwhile, Eunha carefully fixed her blouse and skirt, awaiting her reunion with that model-esque girl.

“Don't touch that, Sowon-unnie! And, put that down, Yuju-ya! Gosh, I was hoping you two would be more respectful,” a voice that was undoubtedly SinB scolded her friends.

“It's alright, SinB-ah. It’s quite endearing to see your friends take an interest in the headquarters,” a voice that obviously belonged to Yerin reassured the younger girl.

“Did you hear that, SinB-ah? Yerin-unnie called us ‘endearing,’’" Yuju annoyed friend.

“Just wait until you see their true colors, Yerin-ah. There is nothing ‘endearing’ about these two,” SinB chided. The sound of Yerin giggling was heard.

“The same goes for SinB. The only thing this kid can cook is rice,” Yuju fired back. A playful slap on the arm from SinB echoed through the hallway.

“Ooo, is this the living room?” Sowon asked. She took one step into the room before freezing in her tracks at the sight of Eunha sitting pristinely on the couch with a book in her hand. “Eunha!” Sowon exclaimed, eyes huge with surprise.

Yuju, SinB, and Yerin quickly entered the room holding bags and boxes of SinB’s belongings to check what the hubbub was about.

“What are you doing here?” Sowon said lively with an eager smile, walking closer to the girl who swept her off her feet before halting again as the realization hit her. “Wait a minute. Are you...a vampire?” She left hanging, waiting for the elegant girl to respond.

“Is that a problem?” Eunha replied with a cute pout as she got up from the couch, placing the random book on the table, and sauntered closer to where the taller girl stood.

“N-no,” Sowon quickly answered, her voice squeaking a bit due to the close proximity of Eunha’s pretty face. Straightening her posture, Sowon tried to act cool around the minx-like girl. “Why would it be a problem? There’s nothing wrong with you being a vampire. And, what are the chances that we would meet each other again like this?”

“Indeed. It’s almost like kismet,” Eunha cooed, eyes sparkling in the golden light of the living room’s chandelier. “Yerin-ah, you failed to tell me that you were bringing more guests,” she glanced over at the older girl who settled the box she was holding down on the coffee table.

“Mianhae, Eunha-ya. Things didn’t go exactly as planned,” Yerin began to explain. “After SinB-ah and I finished packing up her things, we waited for Sowon-ssi and Yuju-ssi to arrive. A knock was heard at the apartment door. But when I opened it, four of Virgo’s minions were there, ready to attack. A few moments later, Sowon-ssi and Yuju-ssi appeared and happened to witness the rumble which understandably caused some distress. To ensure their safety, I offered them to spend the night here.”

With the other girls no longer blocking the hallway and their backs turned away from the couch, Umji tried to carefully crawl her way out of the room undetected. She was mere inches away from the sweet relief of not having to reveal herself to be a vampire to Yuju until...

“Umji-ssi?” Yuju abruptly called out her name, recognizing the younger girl she met a day prior.

“Annyeong, Yuju-unnie,” Umji greeted the older girl, looking up at her with a sheepish smile. She stood up, placing her hands self-consciously behind her back. Glancing at all the people who were staring directly at her, Umji immediately darted her gaze to the ground, nervous from the unwanted attention.

“I guess it’s safe to say that you’re a vampire, as well?” Yuju softly spoke to Umji. The younger girl nodded her head in reply. Deflated, Yuju dropped SinB’s duffle bag she was holding and took a seat on the couch.

“Wait. This is Umji? Your Umji?” Sowon directed her question to Yuju who simply nodded emotionlessly. “Now, I’m starting to believe that this isn’t just coincidence.” Overwhelmed with thoughts, Sowon plopped on the couch next to Yuju.

“Uh, Yerin-ah, I think you should tell them before my friends have a mental breakdown,” SinB said, sitting next to Sowon.

Yerin stood in front of the three girls while Umji and Eunha positioned themselves beside her. Though it was still difficult to believe that this trio of bright, well-rounded, and arguably cute girls were actually vampires, they managed to emit an air of dignity.

“It is true that we deceived you two,” Yerin said in her most professional tone. “But, our intentions were all for the benefit of SinB-ah. There were clearly consequences in her actions involving the selling of unsolicited pictures. But, she was obedient and brave enough to comply to our request of relaying her errors to the two most important people in her life. It only seemed fair that we, the Sisters of the Night, did our part and mend the friendship you three created together. Please forgive us if our deception offended the two of you in anyway.” The three vampires proceeded to bow a full 90 degrees out of respect.

“Yerin-ssi, Eunha-ssi, Umji-ssi, you don’t need to apologize,” Sowon spoke up. “You three helped us appreciate one another more. You saved our friendship. And, Eunha-ssi, that tutor session helped me a lot during my trig midterm. I haven’t got the results yet, but I’m pretty sure I did ten times better compared to my last couple of quizzes.” She looked at Eunha who smirked at the praise.

“And, Umji-ssi, I also really appreciated the things that you told me,” Yuju chimed in, giving her entire attention to the young girl. “Honestly, I’m not too surprise that you’re actually a vampire. I had a feeling that you had something special in you.” Yuju softened her expression as she directed a swoon-worthy smile at Umji who immediately turned her head away to blush.  

“Before I sprout cavities from this sweet heart to heart,” Eunha interrupted, “I dismissed my duties as a good hostess and forgot to offer you ladies any beverages. Coffee? Tea?”

“Oh, do you guys happen to have hot cocoa?” Sowon beamed, eyes bright and bold like an excited child. Yuju rolled her eyes while SinB swatted Sowon’s arm with the back of her hand.

“Your wish is my command, Sowon-ssi,” Eunha purred with a small smile. “Anything else?” Yuju and SinB simply shook their heads and exchanged polite ‘no thank you’s’ before Eunha traipsed out of the living room.

“SinB-ah, let’s go put your things in your room and then, I'll show Sowon-ssi and Yuju-ssi where they could rest for the night,” Yerin said, picking up the box she left on the table.

“Actually, Yerin-ssi, Yuju and I don’t mind sharing SinB’s room,” Sowon spoke. “It’ll just be for one night, and we still have a lot of catching up to do, anyways. Who knows? We’ll probably won’t even get the chance to sleep.”

“Are you sure?” Yerin mannerfully asked.

“It’s okay, Yerin-ah,” SinB reassured, standing up from the couch and walking towards the older girl. “Don’t worry about them. I could show them the ropes. What you need to do now is relax. After all that fighting with Virgo’s minions, you deserve it.” She smiled brightly at Yerin who gave a small smile back. Yanking the box out of the older girl’s hands, SinB turned towards her friends whose eyebrows were arched in intrigue. “Sowon-ah, Yuju-ya, come on and help me bring my things upstairs.”

Grabbing the remaining bags and boxes, the two friends relayed their gratitude to Yerin with a small bow before following SinB.

“SinB-ah, doesn’t this look like the same uniform we wore in high school,” Yuju pointed out as she took the outfit off the clothes rack in the closet to drape it across her body.

“Yep. But, thankfully there’s more clothes in the dresser that actually fit my style,” SinB said, sitting on the floor to unpacking her things.

“And, that’s...what? Jeans and a t-shirt?” Sowon mused, wandering around the marvelous bedroom.

“I like to think of it as minimalist,” SinB cleverly replied before throwing a balled up t-shirt at Sowon. The older girl tried to dodge it, but ended up getting hit in the head anyway causing SinB to cackle in laughter.

“I know that we were going to talk more about this ‘Virgo’ character. But, let's get to the real manner at hand,” Yuju spoke, putting the uniform back before jumping on the bed. “SinB-ah, are you and Yerin-ssi a couple?”

“A couple? Whatever do you mean?” SinB feigned ignorance on the outside, but was internally fighting the urge to smile.

“Oh, don't be coy with us, Hwang Eunbi,” Sowon called out on her friend in her best motherly tone, placing her hands on her hips.

SinB looked at both of her friends’ curious faces, waiting for an honest answer. The problem was that SinB herself was unsure of where she and Yerin stood on the relationship spectrum. They both like each other, they both confessed of liking each other, and most importantly, they've kissed each other multiple times. The kisses may not have been directly on the lips, but they still were a display of each other's affection. Even after all of that, both SinB and Yerin had a difficult time showing off their relationship status to the rest of their peers. Was this Yerin’s way of “taking things slow.”

“It's...complicated,” SinB finally announced after seconds of consideration.

“What could be complicated with dating a vampire?” Yuju joked, laughing to herself when she saw Sowon’s unsatisfied expression to SinB’s vague answer.

“The fact that Yerin-ah and I aren't even dating should be enough to indicate how obscure things are between us,” SinB admitted.

“But, you two are already calling one another ‘Yerin-ah’ and ‘SinB-ah’ after only a week,” Sowon pointed out. “It took a year for you to stop calling me ‘unnie’ even when I insisted that you addressed me less formally.”

“That’s not true,” SinB retaliated. “I also called you ‘ahjumma’ and ‘halmeoni’ throughout the year.” She smiled smugly at Sowon.

“And, you still do,” Sowon said with a hint of irritation. “But, that's not the point. The point is whether or not something serious, and I mean star-crossed-lovers-serious, is happening between you and Yerin-ssi.”

SinB sat quietly, fidgeting with the random article of clothing in her hand. Ever since she was a young girl, the concept of destined partners and fated relationships seemed to only be real in fairy tales, movies, and cheesy dramas. But, as SinB thought back to when she first saw Yerin at the dance studio and when she really saw Yerin during the time they talked all night in her apartment, a pleasant smile formed on her face. Was there a chance that she and Yerin were actually meant to be together?

“I don't know!” SinB exclaimed, not wanting to make any premature assumptions. “All I know is that we both like each other...a lot. But, rushing into things isn't our mode of operation. Besides, we still have this whole annoying problem involving my vampire boss to deal with. My love life shouldn’t be the priority here.”

“Seems fair,” Yuju commented with a shrug. “But, I can't deny how cute you two interact with one another. It's a bit awkward, but cute.”

“Yeah, you two need to loosen up more,” Sowon suggested. “Take Eunha-ssi and I, for example…”

“Yah!” SinB yelled in disbelief of what Sowon was insinuating. “You like Eunha-unnie?!”

“Yes. What's the big deal?” Sowon asked, totally surprised that one of her best friends disagreed with her choice of potential romantic partners.

“Well, first of all, she was nothing but mean to me when we first met,” SinB declared. “She would sneer and direct death stares at me. Most of all, she tried to make me jealous of her and Yerin with her sickening use of aegyo and skinship.”

“That's odd. Why would Eunha-ssi try to make you jealous?” Sowon reasoned, oblivious to the underlying factor. “Unless…”

“Unless Eunha-ssi had a crush on Yerin-ssi first and was feeling threatened by SinB,” Yuju finished the older girl’s thought.

“Yerin-ssi, huh?” Sowon, suddenly feeling intimidated, repeated her competition's name. “What does Yerin-ssi have that I don't?”

“A smile that could light up the night sky,” SinB immediately replied in a dreamy state.

“Well-kept bangs,” Yuju responded next.

“I can get bangs,” Sowon eagerly said. “And, are you suggesting my smile isn't attractive enough, SinB-ah? Check out these pearly whites.” She proceeded to show off her teeth with an open-mouth smile.

“Meh,” SinB disagreed. “It doesn't compare to Yerin’s charming eye smile.”

“Yah, SinB-ah! You take that back!” Sowon yelled as she chased after the blatantly honest girl.

Like a kid who knew she was going to get a scolding, SinB hurriedly got up from the floor, running away from her tall friend. Yuju just sat back in the bed laughing, while watching her friends go along with their cat and mouse charade.

“Hot cocoa has been delivered,” Eunha announced as she entered the living room where both Yerin and Umji were situated. “And, just at the right moment. It seemed like Sowon-ssi and SinB-ssi were clawing at each other's throat by the time I entered the door.”

“Are they alright?” Yerin, who was sitting in one of the armchairs reading a book, asked in concern.

“Oh, just a friendly quarrel,” Eunha replied, leaning on Yerin’s armchair. “But, I shall proudly add that Sowon-ssi appeared to have the advantage.” A small smile tugged on the corner of her lips. She glanced at Yerin who shook her head in amusement. “Don’t you wonder what they’re talking about? They must be gossiping like the teenagers they are.”

“Mm-hmm,” Yerin responded with disinterest, keeping her eyes glued to the book.

“Imagine the questions they're asking each other,” Eunha pressed on. “Questions probably concerning ideal types, past relationships, first kisses.”

“If you're trying to get me to make you use your mind reading powers so you won't feel guilty later on, you clearly forgot who you're talking to, Eunha-ya,” Yerin huffed out.

“But, aren't you curious, Yerin-ah?” Eunha calmly spoke, trying to play mind games with her goody-two-shoes of a friend. “The girl who you like and the girl that I like are just a floor above us. Who knows what kind of conversations they're getting themselves into?”

“Are you forgetting that you have the ability to read minds? That isn't the same as super hearing,” Yerin brought up.

“And, you know what I like about reading minds?” Eunha posed the question, staring directly into Yerin’s eyes. “That's where the truth is hidden.” She looked away from the older girl and directed her attention to Umji who was sitting on the couch, writing on a notepad. “What do you think Umji-ya? Don't you want to know what's going through Yuju-ssi’s head?”

“Oh, don't bring Umji into your little plan,” Yerin warned as she got up from her chair to level with Eunha’s fierce eyes. “These girls are our guests who deserve to have respect and privacy, which means that I’m prohibiting you two from using any of your vampiric powers towards them.”

“But, I wanted to give Yuju-unnie a nice dream to help her cope with her post-stress vampire encounter,” Umji innocently revealed, causing Eunha to giggle.

“That's very thoughtful of you, Umji-ya. But, I think it's best if we all refrain from using our powers for the time being,” Yerin proclaimed.

“Fine,” Eunha harrumphed, stubbornly obliging to Yerin’s order. “I suppose I'll just occupy myself in the laboratory.” Eunha was several steps away from exiting the room before Yerin called out to her.

“No love potions, spells, or charms either,” Yerin asserted. Eunha turned around to face her, forcing out a fake smile before frowning and trudging her way out of the living room.

Before Yerin could sit back down and continue on with her reading, Umji stood up from the couch to walk closer to her fellow Sister.

“Is there something wrong, Umji-ya?” Yerin asked the young girl, eyebrows furrowed.

“When I was sleeping this afternoon, I had a dream,” Umji whispered so that only Yerin could hear. “I think it may be about Virgo.”

Yerin’s eyes went wide. Though Umji had the power to infiltrate and create dreams for others, rarely did she have any dreams of her own. The team soon discovered that the dreams that Umji did have were omens, usually containing clues or grievances pertaining a case. If Umji had a dream about Virgo, that meant that their confrontation could happen in a manner of days, probably hours.

Yerin placed a hand on the younger girl’s shoulder. “Let's go talk about this somewhere more private,” she whispered back to Umji, trying to not let the overwhelming sense of worry suffocate her.

SinB woke up around 4:10 in the morning. Though she, Sowon, and Yuju talked for several hours, sleep overcame each of them around the 2:30 mark.

Currently tiptoeing downstairs, there was a feeling that SinB couldn't shake off the whole night. Even as she slept, her mind kept drifting back and forth to the earlier conversation discussed with her friends about whether she and Yerin were in a real relationship. She knew it was a silly thing to get strung up about, but SinB needed confirmation. She needed to speak to Yerin about it face to face.

After checking the empty living room, SinB made her way to the dim kitchen. Low and behold was Yerin sitting on one of the high stools next to the counter, browsing on her phone. The older girl immediately looked up. A mixture of surprise and gladness etched on her face.

“SinB-ah,” Yerin addressed the younger girl with a hint of confusion, “what are you doing awake at this hour?”

“Um, I was...thirsty,” SinB awkwardly made up an excuse on the spot. “I guess I should have taken up on Eunha-unnie’s offer of drinks earlier ago.”

A warm smile appeared on Yerin’s face. “Here, have a seat,” Yerin said, patting the chair next to her. “Do you want anything in particular?” She hopped off her seat, walking to the cupboard to retrieve a glass cup.

“Water will be fine,” SinB replied as she sat herself on the stool.

Yerin opened the refrigerator door to grab a pitcher of filtered water, pouring the liquid into the glass and serving it to the younger girl with a cheerful smile.

“Kamsahamnida,” SinB shyly thanked before taking a sip of the chilled beverage. Letting the coldness of the water wash over , SinB gave herself a mental pep talk before looking directly at Yerin who returned to her seat.

“Actually, Yerin-ah, there's something that I've been wanting to ask you about,” SinB spoke, her eyes darting from the glass of water to Yerin’s attentive eyes. “I know that this is going to sound ridiculous, but Sowon-unnie and Yuju-unnie kept teasing me about it, and the truth is I'm not even certain. But,” SinB paused momentarily, hoping that she doesn’t make a fool out of herself, “...are we a couple? Like, an official couple? Like, if we were to go to a restaurant and a pretty waitress hits on you, I can tell her that you're my girlfriend so she could back off and we could resume our date in peace?”

Yerin released a slight chuckle, amused with the girl’s frantic state of mind. Noticing how SinB’s hand laid flat on the counter, Yerin proceeded to place her own hand on top her’s, lacing her fingers between the gaps. She stared at SinB contently.

“SinB-ah, how long has it been since your last relationship?” Yerin quietly asked, bringing her face closer to the younger girl's.

“About a year ago,” SinB gesticulated, not exactly sure of the timespan, but knowing that it’s been quite a while.

“It's been about forty-six years for me,” Yerin admitted. SinB’s eyes widened in astoundment. One year definitely pales in comparison to forty-six years of not being in a relationship. “Forgive me for being too vague or sending mixed signals to you. It's just that it's been so long since I have last felt this deeply towards someone.” She tightened her hold on SinB’s hand before continuing. “The truth is SinB-ah, I'm scared that I'll mess everything up. That I won't be able to live up to the ‘heroic vampire’ you believe me to be.”

“A ‘heroic vampire’ isn't the only thing I see in you, Yerin-ah,” SinB attested, moving closer to the older girl. “I see a strong, humble, compassionate girl who deserves to be loved and cherished by someone who loves and cherishes her back. And, frankly speaking, I think I'm the perfect candidate,” SinB unabashedly flirted with a playful smirk. “So, do you consider me as your girlfriend?” The confidence dispersed as a sense of apprehension gleamed in her eyes.

“As long as you think of me as your ‘stupid, y vampire,’ then I shall always regard you as my girlfriend,” Yerin teased before giving the younger girl an eye smile that could light up the universe.

“You heard that?” SinB said sheepishly as she felt the heat rising in her cheeks. “And, here I thought I would take it to my grave.”

Yerin’s smile grew bigger. She took her hand off of SinB’s. With two hands, Yerin tenderly held onto both sides of SinB’s arms. Stretching her neck, Yerin aimed her lips towards the younger girl's forehead. Both of their eyes closed simultaneously. Once Yerin released her kiss, it was as if everything fell into place. For once in both Yerin and SinB’s life, they felt complete. That despite all of these dilemmas, they knew that their love for each other could overcome the grimmest of obstacles.

"Get some rest, SinB-ah," Yerin whispered, caressing her girlfriend’s warm, soft cheeks.”You'll never know what tomorrow may bring.”

Though Yerin wore a soft smile, SinB could sense that there was something ominous in her tone. But, not wanting to spoil the moment, she sneaked a quick kiss to the forehead on Yerin, before quietly retreating to her room.

In the morning, as the three best friends made their way downstairs to greet the trio of vampires, a heavy, foreboding feeling enraptured all of them once they entered the living room.

There, they saw Yerin, Eunha, and Umji surrounding a plastic package, wrapped with a bow like a present, that sat on the coffee table. It was about the size of a shoebox and the color was an ashy gray. Each of the vampires looked at the package suspiciously.

“Yerin-ah, what's going on?” SinB broke the silence as she slowly approached the older girl to stand beside her.

“This package was left on the front porch just a few minutes ago,” Yerin responded gravely, eyes held captive to the unknown contents of the box. “Our security cameras failed to record the person who delivered it.” She gulped. “It reeks of blood.”

“Animal blood,” Eunha specified, her stare never leaving the gray, plastic box.

Unsure of what to say or do, SinB, Yuju, and Sowon stayed quiet and kept still.

Taking a deep breath, Yerin squatted to the floor, matching her level with the shallow table. Carefully, she pulled off the bow. Her hands hovered over the top cover before grasping it and quickly removing the lid.

Everybody peered over to see what the package contained only to immediately step back and gasp at the gruesome sight before them.

Inside the box was a duck. Its throat was slit open. The blood still continued to pool as the poor, innocent animal laid lifelessly.

“Is that…” SinB whispered, voice trembling.

Yerin clenched her jaw, desperately trying to stay composed before solemnly answering SinB’s question. “Mr. Quack Quack.”

Author's Note: Hey everyone! As you can tell from the story, things are gonna get darker as the story progresses. But, trust me, it's all gonna be worth it in the end. Again, I have nothing but gratitude to all the readers out there. May you all have a safe and happy Halloween!