SinB entered the spacious room and was greeted by the sleeping body of Yerin. The older girl laid peacefully on her bed with a quilted blanket drawn up to her chest. Unlike the other rooms that SinB has seen in the headquarters, Yerin’s room wasn’t heavily decorated. In fact, it was quite humble. On the left side contained a dresser and closet while the right side was no doubt the older girl’s study space. A large, wooden desk, a shelf filled with a variety of book, and another shelf that displayed picture frames and knick knacks occupied the area. The antique desk lamp flourished the room with its soft, yellow glow, creating a tranquil atmosphere.

Slowly walking closer to the resting beauty, SinB noticed that Yerin was wearing white, silky pajamas and that her hair was no longer up in a top bun, but cascaded around the frame of her face. She looked like an absolute angel.

Settling the mug on the bedside table, SinB grabbed the chair from Yerin’s study desk and brought it closer to the bed near the side where the older girl laid. She took off her coat, draping it on top of the chair before sitting down. SinB stared at her girlfriend’s face and wondered what must be going on in her head. Yerin’s face may have looked calm on the outside, but SinB was fearful of the possible nightmare that could disrupt the older girl’s ability to sleep well. After all that Yerin went through that night, she deserved a moment of peace.

As SinB continued to stare at Yerin’s milky complexion and closed eyes, she wasn’t exactly sure what to do next. But, she felt compelled to say something out loud. To let Yerin know, whether she was able to listen or not, that she was here and that she would wait forever and a day for those precious eyes to smile back at her again.

“Hey, Yerin-ah,” SinB gently spoke, “It’s me, SinB. Please forgive me if I sound awkward right now. It’s just...I don’t know. I’m going through a lot of emotions. I’m happy that you’re still alive, but I’m also sad that you’ve ended up like this. I suppose things could have been worse, though. Gosh, what am I saying?” SinB had to stop herself as her voice hitched and her eyes teared up, obstructing her vision. She took a tissue from the tissue box that was on the nightstand and blotted the corners of her eyes, before clearing her surprisingly dry throat.

“I’m trying to stay strong for you,” she continued, grabbing a hold on Yerin’s hand that stuck out from her blanket, “but you know how much of a blubbering mess I could be when times get difficult. Every now and then I think about what life might be like if I never ran away and complied with my parents’ wishes. I just know that I’ll be miserable. Going about everyday, hiding how I truly feel. No more Destiny Dance Studio. I probably would have to cut ties with Sowon and Yuju because they’ll be a reminder of what my life could have been. A life where I could freely make my own decisions. A life where people would see my dancing abilities as a form of art and expression. Instead, I would be stuck attending classes for a profession that I have zero interest in. But, the worse part of it all is that you won’t be there to save me from of my melancholy. Because we would never had met, and you probably won’t be in this terrible situation.” SinB looked away, trying to prevent her tears from falling.

“Mianhae.” SinB squeezed Yerin’s hand as she dried her eyes with the tissue. She swallowed her saliva to cleanse her parched throat. “I can’t believe how much little time passed, yet so much has happened. All the times I cried. All the kisses we shared. It seems like something seen underwater. Like, all of this is just a wild dream.” She paused to smile at all the various dreams she had over the course of a week. “It's odd to think that I've become so devoted to a person that I just met a little more than a week ago. I’m not the type to throw around these words too often. Heck, the reason why my last relationship went down south was because I could never say it back. But, I feel like my heart might beat out of my chest if I don’t say it out loud.” her lips, SinB stared directly at the older girl’s face and imagined that she was awake and present, “Jung Yerin...I’m in lov…”

SinB’s declaration was cut off short when she felt life springing back into the older girl’s hand and a sharply drawn gasp erupted into her girlfriend’s lungs. As her chest heaved, Yerin’s bewildered eyes snapped open. Her yellow tinted orbs darted around the room, trying to regain focus. Once her attention landed on SinB’s surprised, yet ever so beautiful face, it was as if she got injected with a sedative. All her fears, worries, and troubles were cast aside in knowing that SinB, her SinB was still breathing.

“You’re alive,” Yerin breathed out with an unbreakable smile. Her normal, dark chocolate eyes resurfaced as she sat up to get a better look at SinB.

“Shouldn’t I be the one to say that first?” SinB mused as uncontrollable tears of happiness clouded up her eyes.

Yerin’s gaze traveled down to where her hand rested, entwined with the younger girl’s. Her expression lost its vivacity. Slightly confused, SinB followed to where the older girl was looking and immediately blushed. Right before she got the chance to release her grip out of embarrassment, Yerin rearranged their hands so that their  fingers laced and interlocked with each other. The older girl stared up to meet SinB’s eyes and gave her girlfriend the most endearing and loving eye smile she could.

SinB smiled back, taking another tissue from the box to wipe her tears from existence. The two continued to stare at each other, searching for every freckle and every crease that they previously memorized on one another’s faces. The thumbs of their entwined hands began to caress small patches of skin back and forth. Yerin stared deeply into SinB’s soft, brown eyes with a look that said, “Is it really you?” In full comprehension, SinB nodded her head once and returned a look that replied, “It’s me.” Yerin’s smile grew wider as she used both hands to hold onto the younger girl’s hand.

Lost in the moment, SinB completely forgot about the mug of blood that she was supposed to give to her precious, vampire girlfriend.

“I brought you some blood to renourish on,” SinB said, grabbing the mug off the night stand with her other hand. “It’s Type AB, your favorite as told by Eunha-unnie.” She held out the mug towards Yerin with a lively grin on her face.

Yerin unwillingly released both hands from SinB as she took the mug. Staring at the red liquid, Yerin glanced at SinB and noticed the band aid that was on her arm. “Is this your blood?” she asked in a borderline teasing tone.

“Yes,” SinB shyly admitted. “You guys ran out of it, so I volunteered to give some of my blood up. Was I right in doing so?” She glanced at Yerin who was smiling ever so adoringly.

“Of course, it’s just...I’ve never known a mortal who was so ardent over a vampire drinking their blood,” Yerin joked, earning a gentle push from SinB. “But, gomawo,” she cutely thanked before putting the mug to her lips and sipping on the much needed plasma. With a thirst that needed to be quenched, Yerin continued to gulp down the blood until the very last drop.

“Wow,” SinB uttered as she stared at Yerin in amazement. “You must be really thirsty.”

Placing the empty mug back on the bedside table, Yerin smiled at SinB sheepishly. “Mianhae. Virgo must have done a number on me.” Glazing her tongue over her teeth to get rid of any traces of blood, Yerin side-eyed SinB to see if there were any cuts or bruises that she might not have detected. “Did Virgo show himself to you?” she posed the question ever so gently.

“No,” SinB responded, shaking her head slightly. “As soon as you vanished, we started to look for you. Umji found you first. She and Eunha-unnie used their super speed and took you back to the headquarters to remove the stake.” SinB took another tissue to remove the blood that blemished the corner of the older girl’s mouth.

“How’s the rest of the group doing?” Yerin asked, trying not to blush from SinB’s unexpected act of regard for her. “Is Sowon-ssi’s leg okay?”

“Yeah, Sowon-unnie was able to get her wound patched up,” SinB replied. “Umji and Yuju are fine. No injuries on them. Eunha-unnie, though, was the most upset. She was really worried about you.”

A small smile tugged on a corner of Yerin’s lips. “Eunha-ya may seem cold hearted on the outside, but when it comes to the people she cares about, she can become the biggest softy to ever walk on this planet,” Yerin said as memories of her and her partner in crime surfaced in her mind. “I’m glad that everyone is well.”

“How are you feeling, Yerin-ah?” SinB asked, concerned that her girlfriend was trying to mask her feelings.

“To be honest, it hurts. A lot,” Yerin replied, voice slightly hoarse. She lifted and pushed away the blanket so that the upper half of her body was exposed. “Do you mind…?” Yerin directed her gaze to the buttons of her pajama top, and SinB quickly understood what the older girl wanted her to do.

Starting from the bottom, SinB began to slowly and nervously undo the buttons of the white, silky top, stopping midway. Parting the two flaps of fabric away from each other, SinB frowned and her eyes dampened at the sight of Yerin’s torso that was heavily wrapped with gauze. A big splotch of blood which bled through the layers of bandages indicated that the wound wasn’t closed yet.

“Damn,” Yerin breathed out, significantly disheartened by the fact that her vampire healing abilities were not working.

“Maybe it’ll get better tomorrow,” SinB tried to cheer up the older girl as she got up from her seat to quickly re-button the shirt.

“One can only hope,” Yerin whispered with an overwhelming amount of sadness. “SinB-ah,” she called out to her girlfriend, “you see that vinyl record over there on my desk? Can you play it?”

“Sure,” SinB eagerly responded, walking towards the desk. Picking up the album cover, she briskly read the artist and title before taking out the actual vinyl, The Paris Sisters “I Love How You Love Me.”  

SinB has perhaps used a record player only once in her life. Her dad had one that was identical to Yerin’s in his personal office room of their house. Curious to see how it works, a seven-year-old SinB tried to operate it without any supervision. She ended up scratching a record which resulted in a backhanded slap from her dad upon finding out. SinB shuddered slightly from the memory as she carefully placed Yerin’s record on the turntable. She pressed the play button and placed the needle on the groove of the vinyl with much precision.

Soon, the room was filled with the delicate, soothing sounds of a long lost 1960s girl group. With the lyrics being in English, SinB couldn’t exactly make sense of all the words. But, she knew, from the ethereal voices and the slow tempo instrumental that the song contained a lot of meaning, emotion, and heart. She stood by the record player with her back facing Yerin as she let the song enrapture her.

“Back before my Appa went to war, the community held a little party to send away all those who were enlisted and leaving the next day,” Yerin recollected. “This song was playing as the soldiers slow danced with their loved ones. I remember my Appa taking my Umma in his arms as they drifted to the center of the dancefloor. My Umma was in denial about the whole war situation and the draft that came with it. She remained strong, though, and supported my Appa’s decision about joining instead of my Oppa. But, as they danced, swaying side to side, the reality clicked for my Umma and she started to cry on my Appa’s uniformed shoulder. I always considered my parents as the pinnacle of love. This song reminds me of them. It’s comforting to know that such a love could actually exist amongst all the chaos.”

The song came to a close, snapping SinB out of her reverie. She didn’t know why, but she had an impulse to listen to the song a second time around. “I’m going to play the song, again,” SinB alerted before pushing the play button once more. With her back still turned, SinB closed her eyes as she swayed to the beat. She didn’t have to have to understand the lyrics word for word to know that the song was also applicable to the relationship that she and Yerin created.

I love how your eyes close whenever you kiss me

And when I'm away from you I love how you miss me

I love the way you always treat me tenderly

But, darling, most of all I love how you love me

A pair of arms encircled SinB’s waist, taking her by surprise. She felt a chaste kiss placed on the side of her neck and was immediately calmed by the familiarity of those lips. Yerin, fighting the pain she felt as soon as she stood up, brought her body closer to her girlfriend whom she adored so much. SinB turned around to meet Yerin’s eyes that were filled with gentleness. Laying her arms on top of the older girl’s shoulders, SinB brought her face closer to Yerin so that their foreheads were touching. The two continued to rock back in forth in tempo with the music.

I love how your eyes close whenever you kiss me

And when I'm away from you I love how you miss me

I love the way your touch is always heavenly

But, darling, most of all I love how you love me

Hesitantly, SinB grazed her lips with Yerin’s. The older girl parted slightly, giving SinB permission to kiss her. Tilting her head at an angle, SinB connected her lips with Yerin’s. The electric current of emotions swept through their bodies once again.

Unable to contain the passion that coursed with each kiss, Yerin placed her hands on SinB’s waist, guiding the younger girl back to her bed. Without breaking their kiss, Yerin carefully lowered SinB to the mattress as she hovered on top of her.

There was an intense fervor in Yerin’s kisses that SinB had never felt before. It was animalistic and desperate and a bit difficult to keep up with. Still, SinB powered through as she eagerly returned the lustful kisses. Hands explored one another’s bodies. Deviated from the pleasure, SinB absentmindedly put her hand where Yerin’s stab wound was, causing the older girl to stop the hot and heavy make out session as she hissed in pain.

“Omo! Yerin-ah, I’m so sorry! I forgot,” SinB hastily apologized between quick, heavy breaths.

“No, it’s okay. Don’t worry about it,” Yerin reassured, clenching her to teeth to hide her discomfort. Flashing SinB a cute grin to show that she was okay, Yerin proceeded to attack the younger girl’s neck with a frenzy of passionate kisses.

SinB stifled a moan as she felt the older girl’s teeth graze the sensitive part of her neck. Before she could get lost in the romance for the umpteenth time, SinB tried to get Yerin’s attention. “Wait...Wait a minute, Yerin-ah,” SinB addressed her girlfriend, causing the older girl to stop what she was doing and look up. “For the first time in a long time, I think I should be the responsible one here and say that it’s probably best if you got some rest.”

“But, kissing you makes the pain go away,” Yerin said with innocence as she looked at SinB affectionately.  

“I’m glad my kisses have the power to do that,” SinB kidded, gently fixing Yerin’s disheveled bangs. She placed a warm hand on the older girl’s cheek before looking deeper into her eyes. “But, you should really rest. Your body needs the time and energy to heal, Yerin-ah.”

“I guess you’re right,” Yerin relayed her disappointment before giving SinB a small smile. She got off of the younger girl and resettled to where she previously laid in bed. SinB hopped off the bed before taking her place on the chair. “If you’re comfortable with it...I would really appreciate it if you could sleep here with me for the night. There’s plenty of space on this bed for the two of us.” Yerin stared hopefully at SinB.

SinB stood up. “Just know that I’m partial to cuddling. And, that I like to be the big spoon,” she mused.

“I don’t think I will mind that at all,” Yerin, smiling ear to ear, responded.

Gingerly removing her shoes, SinB walked to the other side of the bed. Sliding underneath the covers, she laid stiffly until Yerin placed one last kiss on her cheek.

“Goodnight, SinB-ah,” Yerin whispered, laying back in her bed and closing her eyes.

“Sweet dreams, Yerin-ah,” SinB whispered back. Before she could close her eyes to sleep, SinB felt Yerin’s warm hand intertwining with hers. She side-eyed Yerin whose eyes were still shut, yet she bared the cutest smile.

“I love how you love me,” SinB recited the song quietly, amidst succumbing to sleep.

“Eunha-ssi,” Sowon, carrying the mugs of coffee and blood, said excitedly as she entered the lab, “you have got to see this.” She settled the mugs on the nearest table before taking out her phone and tapping several buttons to get to the image she wanted to show.

Stepping away from her microscope, Eunha strutted over to where Sowon stood. The taller girl passed her phone to Eunha enthusiastically. Immediately, the posh girl’s eyebrows shot up when she saw the picture presented on the screen. It was of Umji and Yuju. They were in the living room, sleeping on the couch. Yuju sat in an upright position with an arm draped around Umji whose head rested on the older girl’s shoulder.

“Aren’t they the cutest pair you’ve ever seen?!” Sowon squealed, deeply invested in the blossoming romance between her friend and Eunha’s friend.

“They have certainly gotten close,” Eunha commented. “They’re already at the bosom buddies stage. But, what I can’t fathom is the fact that you actually took a picture of them without their knowing.” She handed the phone back to Sowon.

“Beware, Eunha-ssi,” Sowon quipped, taking one last look at the photo she took of the Yuju/ Umji couple before returning it back in her pocket. “There are many sides of me that I have yet to reveal.” She grabbed the Type A filled mug and gave it to Eunha before taking a sip of the coffee that was in her own mug.

“I’ll bet,” Eunha provocatively said under her breath as she took a satisfying gulp of the blood. “So, you seem fairly supportive of the possibility of my Umji-ya and your Yuju-ssi developing a relationship. Did you have the same reaction when it came to Yerin and SinB-ssi?”

“Are you kidding? I’m practically the reason why they got together in the first place,” Sowon spoke with pride. “I kind of have a knack for making ships sail, if you get my drift.” She gave Eunha a discreet wink before taking another small swig of coffee. “But, honestly, I prefer the innocent chemistry that Yuju and Umji-ssi have going on.”

“I never took you as the type to sought out purity as a quality of interest,” Eunha remarked, pulling up a chair. Hiding behind her mug, Eunha frowned as she second guessed her chances with the taller girl. Eunha may have looked pure, but she was far from it.

“It’s not so much purity that I’m looking for,” Sowon began to explain herself as she felt the atmosphere grow tense. She sat down in the seat opposite of Eunha. “A love that’s filled with innocence just feels more suitable for me. What SinB and Yerin-ssi have seems like something that happens only once in a lifetime. And, truthfully, I don’t think I can wait that long,” Sowon joked, earning a small laugh from the refined girl. “And, with how horrible my last relationship went, I could really use a love that I don’t have to search in the storybooks for. Someone who’s willing to take this journey called life with me one step at a time.” She looked down at her coffee mug, slightly flustered that she just told Eunha that. “But, enough about me. Is there anything that I could help you with?”

Eunha really wanted to ask Sowon more about her past relationship, but she could tell that the taller girl didn’t want to go into much detail pertaining it. Reaching into her lab coat’s pocket, Eunha took out the business card that SinB relayed to her and pushed it towards Sowon.

“I’m handling my investigation of the stake quite swell. Perhaps, that dazzling mind of yours can crack the code of Virgo’s whereabouts,” Eunha requested. “The only sense that I could get out of it is that the numbers correspond to the letters of the alphabet, spelling out his name. If you have any premonitions, just let me know.”

“Hmm. 22-9-18-7-15,” Sowon muttered, reading off the numbers. “It could be a phone number. Or, an address, even.”

“All plausible speculations,” Eunha remarked as she stood up to walk back to her work space, bringing her Type A along.

“With all the talk about Virgo, I can’t help but wonder what he looks like,” Sowon said, putting the card up to the light to see if there was a secret message and frowning when there wasn’t. “Have you ever seen Virgo in real life, Eunha-ssi?”

“Other than the stories that Yerin has told about him and the pictures I dug up in the archives, I’m afraid that I haven’t had the pleasure to,” Eunha answered, putting on her safety goggles. “But, what I give to knock the light out of him.”

“It’s a bit strange how he appeared out of the blue,” Sowon noticed. “What has he even been doing after all these years?”

“Strengthening his powers like the cliche, vampire cult leader he aims to be,” Eunha gesticulated, as she wrote down her observations about the stake in her notes. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking over these past few days, though, and I’ve surmised that his reappearance isn’t so sudden as we all believed to be.”

“Really?” Sowon replied incredulously. “Well, don’t leave me hanging on the edge. What made you come to that conclusion?”

“Well, it all started about six months ago when Yerin and I were sent to investigate a particular spot in the woods which neighbored an industrialized area,” Eunha began as she continued her experiment on the stake. “There were reports of an onslaught of what we like to call ‘savage vampires’ terrorizing the woods. A ‘savage vampire’ are those who have given into their monster side. Typically, these vampires come about after being severely starved of blood. But, during our investigation, we stumbled upon Umji. Her parents were brutally attacked and killed by these vicious beings. She was the only survivor who transformed into a vampire. The poor girl was feasting on the blood of a rabbit when we found her.

“Since Yerin and I took Umji in and initiated her as a Sisters of the Night member, we became sidetracked with our original mission. A week later, there were news reports about several of the industrial buildings catching on fire. A ‘freak accident’ as the media put it. But, one of the few things that I remembered in my limited knowledge about Virgo is that he has the power to manipulate and project fire.”

“So, you think the fire might be related to the appearance these savage vamps? And, that Virgo may be a part of it?” Sowon asked, brows furrowed.

“Chances are likely,” Eunha responded before taking a sip of blood. “The problem is that the town that the industrial site was located demolished the buildings and got rid of everything altogether. Yerin and I were even there to witness it. So, I highly doubt that those numbers are actually coordinates or an address to Virgo’s hiding spot.”

“I don’t know, Eunha-ssi. Let’s not throw that idea away entirely,” Sowon suggested, getting up from her seat and limping towards Eunha. “If there’s one thing that I’ve learned about being in this headquarters and meeting you, Umji-ssi, and SinB-ssi, is that not everything is what they appear to be.” She glanced at Eunha who gave her a puzzling look. “Hear me out on this. What if these numbers aren’t telling us where to go, but what to do when we find this place?”

“Are you implying that these numbers are actually an access code?” Eunha pressed on. “Like a locker combination or the password to a safe?” Sowon nodded her head enthusiastically, a big smile on her face. Taking off her goggles, Eunha nodded once back with a serious expression. “That is certainly a reasonable explanation, Sowon-ssi. But, we still aren’t certain where his hideout is located.”

“Well, if Virgo really is connected to the fires and the vampire monstrosities like you hypothesized, maybe all of that was part of his ploy,” Sowon postulated. “He did send an army of half-man, half-bat beasts to fight us. Who knows what other crazy, unimaginable things he’s capable of doing? His evil lair could be hidden underground where the site use to be, for all we know. Again, not everything is what it seems.”

“You’re right, Sowon-ssi,” Eunha said after processing the validity of what the taller girl theorized.  “I couldn’t agree with you more.” She smirked at Sowon who returned the gesture with a bright, toothy grin. Eunha looked down, pretending to refocus back on her experiment when in fact, she was actually trying to hide the heat that was rising in her cheeks.