Author’s Note: Hey everybody! Sorry for the late update. I’m sure everyone is caught up with the stress of finals and the holidays. Fighting! Just want to give you guys a heads up that there are only two more chapters left of this fic. I’m aiming to finish it before Christmas. But, I want to convey my gratitude for all the people who have subscribed, commented, and upvoted this story so far. You guys are amazing! ^^

Once Yerin was certain the coast was clear from those hideous bat creatures that Virgo sent, she let her arms fall to her side, releasing the force field of protection she created. Inhaling a breath of fresh, forest air, she turned her head around to check on the rest of the group. SinB, Eunha, Umji, Yuju, and Sowon stood like mannequins, frozen in their place.

There were very few occasions where Yerin used her special power. She didn’t want to rely heavily on it unless the moment called for it. And with a fleet of man-sized, bat monsters flying towards the people she cared for, Yerin had no choice but to draw up her invisible shield and protect her fellow companions from anymore harm.

Looking shyly down, Yerin took a small step forward as she nervously fidgeted with her hands. Her eyes met SinB’s blank orbs and she immediately looked away. It wasn’t until SinB, no longer a frozen morsel, got the courage to inch a step closer that Yerin began to feel less anxious.

Slowly but surely, SinB’s pace quickened with the eagerness to be closer to Yerin. Next thing she knew, she was briskly walking, almost jogging in the direction of her girlfriend.

The two were less than a yard apart, yet they didn’t feel complete until they were both wrapped securely in each other’s arms. Simultaneously, they both extended a hand out, desperately reaching out for some skin to skin contact.

Their fingers brushed ever so delicately…

Whoosh

What felt like a gust of wind disoriented Yerin, forcing her to close her eyes momentarily. When she reopened them, all her fears came into fruition.

There, standing right in front of her, was Virgo. With one arm, he held SinB by the neck, no doubt suffocating the poor human. In his other hand was a dagger. Its silver surface gleamed menacingly in the moonlight.

Yerin’s eyes grew twice its size as rage filled her heart. But, no matter how much she wanted to move, it was as if her legs became immobile. She stood paralyzed from the neck down. The only thing she could do was watch.

“Jung Yerin,” Virgo’s deep voice boomed through the forest. He tightened his hold on SinB, pressing her body closer to his. “It’s been far too long.” He teased the pointed tip of the dagger to SinB’s cheek before looking up and focusing on Yerin.

A petrified SinB had tears streaming down her face. Yerin yearned to scream, to shout, to rip Virgo apart limb by limb. But, she was powerless, no longer in control of her own body.

Virgo grinned. His face contorted to show off his fangs and his merciless, gray eyes. He kept his eyes locked on Yerin, anticipating her reaction. In one fatal swing, Virgo used the dagger to stab right into SinB’s chest, causing her to gasp painfully as her soul left her body.

Yerin’s heart broke. No. Her heart shattered to a million pieces. With so many emotions storming through her mind, she was able to break whatever witchcraft she was previously under. A cry of complete despair erupted out of .

“SINB!!!!!!”

Yerin’s eyes snapped open, releasing her out of her nightmare. Breathing heavily, she sat up in her bed while glancing at the wall clock in her room. 8:45 am. Placing a hand over her chest, she could have swore that she felt her heart beat. Perhaps, it was from the amped up tension that still resonated from her dream. It was the third consecutive nightmare she had in that night alone. They all included Virgo somehow. But, this last one was by far the most frightening.

Yerin glanced over to look at SinB who stirred slightly, probably awoken by her sudden movements. Scanning her girlfriend’s serene, unquestionably beautiful face, Yerin grew calmer by the second. Her attention landed on the younger girl’s lips that were swollen possibly due to all the kissing they did earlier. She silently thanked the heavens for moments like these. Moments where there was only peace and quiet. Slowly, Yerin leaned over and tenderly gave a single kiss on SinB’s lips.

The younger girl’s eyes fluttered open, aroused by the early morning display of affection. With Yerin’s cute face hovering over her, SinB grinned back at her girlfriend before stretching her arms over her head. “That’s one way to get a girl to wake up,” SinB mused whilst covering to let out a yawn. The sleepiness quickly escaped her as she noticed something peculiar on Yerin’s forehead. “Yerin-ah, you’re sweating,” SinB pointed out with furrowed brows as she sat up to level with Yerin. “I thought you said that vampires can’t sweat. Did something happen?” It was apparent how concerned SinB was for the older girl.

Yerin touched her forehead to feel the beads of perspiration. Was it another effect of the nightmare, as well? “Um, I had a bad dream. Several, actually,” Yerin replied hesitantly. “All of them had Virgo as the starring role.”

“Well, I guess that’s enough to trigger anyone to sweat in fear,” SinB said, scooting closer to Yerin. “You could have woken me up when you had the first dream. I wouldn’t have mind staying up with you.” She grabbed onto Yerin’s hand and intertwined it with hers. “We could have talked, listen to your record collection...maybe, even kiss some more.” SinB bashfully bit her lip as she used her finger to make random swirls on Yerin’s hand.

Yerin smirked before frowning when she realized that she should tell SinB the other pivotal thing Virgo did to her. “I’ll make sure remember that for another time,” Yerin replied, straightening her sitting posture in preparation. “SinB-ah, I have something to tell you about what happened in the woods last night. Virgo didn’t just impale me. He kissed me on the lips.”

SinB was silent as she looked down to focus on their hands that were tightly locked together. Her expression was unreadable, but Yerin knew the younger girl was feeling disturbed upon hearing this revelation. Yerin hoped that SinB did not misinterpret that godawful kiss.

“He’s dead,” SinB spoke at last, her voice eerily calm. “Virgo’s dead. And, I’m going to kill him,” she said in a matter-of-fact manner.

“SinB-ah, I know that you’re mad about this situation,” Yerin said, trying to relax the younger girl by putting an arm around her. “I am, too. But, we can’t be frantic about this.”

“Yerin-ah, not only did he severely hurt you, but he took advantage of you,” SinB reminded before the older girl could say anything more. “It’s kind of difficult for me to not immediately think bloody murder when a monster had the audacity to kiss you.” Her eyes clouded up with the onset of tears.

Yerin hugged SinB, rocking their bodies side to side. “You want to kill him. I want to kill him. Let’s kill him together,” she whispered jokingly, but with a hint of seriousness. She released the hug to look directly at SinB’s weary, but ever-so lovely face and proceeded to smile adoringly. SinB looked away shyly before meeting Yerin’s eyes and smiled back.

“How’s your wound?” SinB asked, pointing to Yerin’s side.

“It still hurts. Not much change there,” Yerin described. “But, I don’t think it’s bleeding that much.”

“That’s good to hear. At least, there's some progress,” SinB replied, nodding her head. Tucking her hair behind her ear, SinB was deep in thought on another matter she wanted to discuss, or more so, confess. After learning that Virgo tortured Yerin in more than one way, she felt further compelled to get her declaration of love for the older girl off her chest. “So, um, while you were still unconscious, I was talking to you,” SinB began timidly. “Kind of like how you see it play out in the movies. Sometimes, I wonder how my life would be like if I never ran away. If things were any different, I'm pretty sure I'll still be miserable in own way. And, when I saw you on the ground defeated with a wooden stake sticking out from your side, my legs gave out. Because how could I continue to stand when my world was out of orbit? What I'm trying to say is, Jung Yerin, I'm in lo-”

Knock. Knock.

SinB paused mid-sentence from the sudden knock on Yerin’s bedroom door.

“SinB-ah, are you awake?” a voice which sounded like Sowon harshly whispered from the other side of the door.

“But before you open the door,” a voice which certainly belonged to Eunha chimed in, “remember the rules of the house: Pants. Pants on everyone.”

SinB rolled her eyes at the suggestive, snarky comment before looking at Yerin remorsefully. There was a twinkling in the older girl’s eyes as if she wanted SinB to continue on with what she was saying. But, the mood was spoiled and SinB wanted the moment where she said ‘I love you’ to a person and actually meant it to be special.

“Uh, it can wait,” SinB said with aggravation, releasing her hand from Yerin’s. She pushed away the blanket before hopping off the bed.

With sluggish footsteps, SinB walked towards the entrance of the room, a scowl etched on her face, and opened the door slightly. Unaware that Sowon had her ear pressed against the door, the taller girl stumbled forward, almost falling on SinB. Thankfully, Eunha swiftly grabbed onto Sowon’s shoulder before the awkward, yet comical encounter could ensue. By the series of suppressed giggles in the background, SinB noticed that Umji and Yuju were also in their midst.

“Mianhae, SinB-ah,” Sowon sheepishly apologized to her friend.

“Sowon-ah was trying to eavesdrop on you and Yerin-ssi,” Yuju revealed between fits of laughter.

SinB folded her arms and directed a glare at Sowon who looked away innocently. “What do you guys want?” she asked, spite snipping at her tone.

“Eunha-unnie said that Yerin-unnie was awake,” Umji responded in a childlike manner.

“I can detect brain wave activity,” Eunha cooly clarified. “It’s part of the package of my mind reading abilities.”

“It’s okay, SinB-ah,” the group overheard Yerin’s voice, causing everyone’s eyes to shoot up in surprise and relief. “You can let them in.”

Letting go of her stubborn posture, SinB opened the door all the way to let the other four girls into the bedroom. She glanced at Yerin who had a cheerful disposition despite waking up in a cold sweat from a nightmare several minutes prior.

“Yerin-unnie!” Umji excitedly scurried up to the girl who she had come to known as not only a mentor, but also a sister-figure.

“Umji-ya,” Yerin cooed the young girl’s name as she pinched her cheek. “You did great on the battlefield last night. A lot of improvement compared to when we went up against those robot aliens several months ago.” Umji grinned before returning back to Yuju who wrapped her arms around the shorter girl.

Yerin caught the attention of Sowon who was standing next to Eunha at the foot of her bed. “How’s your leg, Sowon-ssi?” she directed her question to the taller girl.

“It’s better, now that I know you’re okay,” Sowon answered charmingly. SinB smacked the taller girl’s arm who just swayed back and forth on her heels with a smug expression.

Yerin, then, noticed that Eunha was avoiding eye contact with her. “Eunha-ya?” she called out softly to her best friend.

“I picked up an increase on your brain wave activity as early as last night,” Eunha spoke up in her typical, refined canter. “I told the rest of the girls, but we decided to wait to greet you until the morning. They didn’t want to interrupt whatever lovey dovey moments you two may have got yourselves in. Of course, I didn’t mind crashing the party and causing a disruption. But, then again, majority rules.” She gave a slight shrug of the shoulders.

“I was worried about you, too, Eunha-ya,” Yerin, looking past Eunha’s apathetic facade, relayed her concern to her friend.

Unable to keep her vulnerability hidden, Eunha hastily climbed up the side of the bed where SinB previously occupied and hugged Yerin with all her might. “Babo Yerin,” she kiddingly addressed the older girl before sniffing back tears. “Always getting yourself into trouble.” A tear rolled off her cheek and Yerin patted her back in comfort. Releasing the hug, Eunha looked at Yerin with sad, teary eyes before punching the older girl’s arm. “Don’t you ever make me worried, again!”

“Ow! Okay, I promise I won’t get stabbed next time!” Yerin yelped, shielding herself from Eunha’s unexpected viciousness.

“Mianhae,” Eunha apologized after calming down. “It’s just that I have a reputation to protect.” She slid off the bed as SinB strided by Yerin’s side. “Anyways, I suppose you’re wondering why you’re not healing as quickly as you should.”

“That’ll be a nice consolation prize after having to put up with your abusement,” Yerin deadpanned as she cradled her arm.

“Well, it’s just as I feared,” Eunha began to bear the bad news. “The wooden stake was laced with a toxin that completely eliminates the powers of a supernatural being once entered into their bloodstream. It took me a while to figure out the diagnosis, but you’ll be surprised what book I ended up finding it: Love Spells of the 18th Century.”

“How is the act of draining one’s superpowers considered a love spell?” Yuju asked incredulously.

“Some people have a twisted definition of love,” Eunha replied with nonchalance.

“Are her powers permanently gone?” SinB questioned as she sat down in the chair next to Yerin.

“Fortunately, no,” Eunha answered. “But, the thing about mixing love and magic is that it’s almost impossible to predict exactly when the spell will wear off. It may take hours, days, even weeks. Yerin is practically human, now, except she’s still vulnerable to the weaknesses of a vampire. I ran some tests on her blood and came across that hapless discovery.”

“Damn,” Yerin and SinB breathed out at the same time, both considerably depressed.

“Why don’t we call one of the elders for help?” Umji meekly suggested. “How about Sandara Park-sunbaenim?”

“Last time I heard, she was re-stationed in the Philippines,” Eunha replied dejectedly.

“Kim Taeyeon-sunbaenim?” Umji offered another Sisters of the Night elder.

“She’s working on a solo mission in New Zealand. Something along the lines of zombie sheep terrorizing a farm,” Eunha stated with a sigh of despair.

“No elders. No backup,” Yerin spoke amidst the gloomy atmosphere. “We were the ones chosen to complete this task. And, we were clearly chosen for a reason. No matter how dire this situation may get, it is our job to fulfill it to the best of our abilities or die trying.” She looked around at each person in the room, ending it on SinB’s puzzled face. “That’s why I'm advocating that we take on Virgo as soon as tonight.”

The room went silent as the five other girls exchanged quizzical expressions, totally against the idea.

“Yerin-ssi,” Sowon addressed the bedridden girl, “don't you think you should wait until the effects of the spell are gone? Or, at least, until you're wound starts to close?”

“I know that my suggestion was insane,” Yerin began to explain herself. “But, I believe that all six of us are capable of taking on Virgo and whatever he throws at us. My vampire abilities may be temporarily defunct, but Eunha and Umji still have their powers. And, I can stand up and move around without my side hurting too much. I'm telling you, if we all work together and put in 110%, we can finally wipe off Virgo from the face of this planet.” Yerin’s eyes were wide and hopefully as they darted to meet each person’s unsure eyes in the room.

SinB didn’t know how to reply to that. Even though Yerin told her that they shouldn't get too crazed about enacting revenge on Virgo, it was clear the older girl was currently eating up her words. SinB could tell that Yerin desperately wanted to finish this problem with Virgo for once and for all. But, there was no way she was going to let her girlfriend fight him with a wounded torso. As much as SinB didn't want to admit it, Virgo proved to be a tougher and vindictive opponent than what she originally gave him credit for.

“I agree with you, Yerin-ah,” SinB spoke up, breaking the unbearable silence. “All six of us can defeat Virgo together.” She heard the other four shifting the weight of their feet in disbelief of what they were hearing. “But, I really don't want you to get even more hurt. I know that you've been waiting for decades to finally put an end to the person who killed your Oppa. But, like you said, we cannot be frantic about this. Let's, at least, wait another day.” With a small, compassionate smile, SinB laid her hand over Yerin’s who looked down apologetically.

“Mianhae,” Yerin said sincerely. “I was being selfish and failed to consider how the rest of you must feel. We should take some time to rest and heal.”

“Speaking of healing,” Eunha perked up, “I should change your bandage and take a gander at how your body's handling the toxin.”

“In the meantime, the rest of us will prepare for the next battle,” SinB stated as confidently as she could. “Sharpen more stakes, get the garlic water ready. Maybe I could teach Sowon-unnie and Yuju-unnie some self defense techniques.”

“I would really appreciate that, SinB-ah,” Yerin replied. “But, I had another plan in mind. After Eunha finishes with my check up, do you want to go out...on a date with me?” Yerin nervously proposed like a shy schoolgirl. “We never had the chance for a proper one, and it only seems fair.”

SinB’s cheeks were warming up, and it didn't help that she could hear Sowon and Yuju exchanging “awws” in the background. It didn't help that there was an audience to witness Yerin asking her on a date altogether. But, even though this wasn't the first time she has been asked out, this occasion was the first time that SinB was willing to accept wholeheartedly. And, that made it even more special.

“Y-Yeah. Of course. I'd love to go out with you,” SinB cutely stumbled on her words, earning a huge grin from Yerin.

“Okay, enough already. This is like something seen from a bad romantic comedy,” Eunha sneered, pretending to gag. “Alright Romeo,” she directed the nickname to Yerin, “time to hit the showers if you don't want Juliet waiting.”

After the older girl finished taking a shower, she went directly to the medical bay of the manor where Eunha waited, dressed in her lab coat, to re-bandage her wounds. Yerin gave her a friend a stern look upon hearing the provocative comment, while Eunha just smirked in return. Now, clad in her bra, Yerin felt particularly awkward as the younger guided her to lay down on the examination table.

Yerin involuntarily shivered when she felt Eunha place a hand on top of her stomach, causing the younger girl’s smirk to broaden with amusement.

“It’s cold in here,” Yerin commented in hopes that Eunha wouldn’t get any wrong ideas.

“You don’t have to be nervous around me, Yerin-ah,” Eunha reassured her tensed friend as she put on a pair of rubber gloves. “It’s not like I still have feelings for you or anything. And, it’s not like I don’t know what the female anatomy looks like.” She giggled flirtatiously.

“Can we, please, just focus on getting this gaping hole on my side covered,” Yerin rapidly said, uncomfortable with this entire situation. Eunha nodded her head solemnly, feeling a bit guilty for not taking the matter at hand more seriously.

“I’m going to take a blood sample first. Then, I’ll conduct an x-ray on your torso to see how your inner organs are operating,” Eunha explained in a professional tone. “Luckily, it’s not bleeding as heavily as it did last night. I don’t think stitches will be necessary, but it certainly is a possibility.”

“Kamsahamnida, Eunha-ya,” Yerin politely thanked her best friend.

“So, what do you have in mind for your big date with SinB-ssi later on?” Eunha attempted to lightly engage in conversation to distract Yerin as she tinkered with her wound.

“Honestly, I do not know,” Yerin admitted, eyes concentrated on counting the number of tiles on the ceiling. “I guess we’ll just see where the day takes us.”

“Well, if you’re still clueless, there’s a fair taking place today near the park,” Eunha thoughtfully suggested. “Gorge on cotton candy. Win her a stuffed bear. I’m sure SinB-ssi would enjoy that sort of thing.”

“That’s actually not a bad idea,” Yerin replied, astonished by Eunha’s helpfulness. “How did you even know about that?”

“I like to keep my finger on the pulse of the happenings of this town,” Eunha remarked. “Plus, people have been leaving flyers on our gate the whole week.”

“If you want, maybe you and Sowon-ssi could come along, as well,” Yerin offered. “It could help bring the two of you closer.”

“I'll pass,” Eunha replied as she took a blood sample with a syringe. “Daytime public affairs aren't really my style. And, I’m not sure if I’m ready to take that step with Sowon-ssi, yet. But, why the suggestion when you know fully well that I'm just going to ruin the party with my frankness? Do you happen to be nervous about your date?” Eunha asked, quirking a curious eyebrow.

“Truthfully speaking, yes,” Yerin admitted, turning her head to face Eunha. “It's hard to believe, but this will be my first real date ever.” Eunha shot her a look of skepticism.

“Wait a minute,” Eunha interrupted, placing a hand on her hip. “Are you meaning to tell me that you never even went on a date with your first love?” She has heard stories about the Sisters of the Night member who Yerin previously fell in love with. But, Eunha never had the chance to meet the past holder of Yerin’s heart. She was long gone before Eunha was initiated.

“We were both quite busy with our duties to go on a proper date. And, the relationship I had with my first love was more...physical,” Yerin shyly confessed. Her cheeks blushed madly.

“Ugh, spare me the details and say no more,” Eunha cringed at the thought of it. “If you're worried about it being special, then I suggest you shouldn't try too hard. As cliché as it sounds, the best thing you can do is to be yourself.”

“It's a little difficult to be myself when I have this gnawing pain at my side,” Yerin stressed out, placing a hand over her eyes to block the blinding white lights of the lab.

“I’ll tell you what, I'll try to find something in my spell books that can counteract the effects,” Eunha kindly mentioned. She fished out a bottle from her lab coat pocket. “But, since you're more mortal than vampire now, I want you take these for the time being.” She shook the bottle next to Yerin’s ear, causing the older girl to lazily remove her hand away and take the orange medicine canister.

“What are these exactly?” Yerin asked while examining the white pills that the bottle contained.

“Acetaminophen. ‘Painkillers’ as humans affectionately call them,” Eunha clarified. “Take one tablet every four hours and it'll hopefully ease the pain.”

“Eunha-ya, gomawo...for being my best friend,” Yerin quietly said, a small smile tugging on her lips.

“Don't get sappy on me, Jung Yerin,” Eunha tried to sound aloof, turning her back to place the blood sample on the opposite table. Releasing a breath, she faced Yerin again and hugged her tightly. “Just be careful out there,” she whispered, voice quivering with concern for her dear buddy.

“Gomawo for winning me this plush duck again, SinB-ah,” Yerin cooed to her girlfriend as she held the stuffed toy in her arms.

The two were walking away from the fair and were heading towards the playground of the park. Unable to ride the rollercoasters together, the pair settled on trying their luck on carnival games that we were absolutely rigged and filling their tummies up with sweet and savory treats.

“I would have won it on my first throw, but those cans were definitely glued together. Still, it was totally worth it in the end,” SinB said with a huge grin as she patted the fluffy, yellow duck’s head. “Maybe we can call it ‘Quack Quack Jr.’”

“I like it,” Yerin replied, an eye smile lighting up her demeanor. “It’s a nice homage.”

As they approached the surprisingly empty park, an elderly couple were walking in their direction. Yerin and SinB both gave a polite smile and slight bow of the head out of respect. The man tipped his hat while the woman’s eyes shaped into endearing crescents.

“I actually went to highschool with her,” Yerin whispered to SinB once the husband and wife were out of earshot. The younger girl’s eyebrows jumped up in amazement. “Choi Yoojung. She was a freshman when I was a senior. Everyone adored her.” Yerin paused as memories from her teenage years flooded back into her mind. “It was strange when I first came across her after all these years and instantly recognized her face. How time can age a person, yet some qualities remain intact. I’ve spent my life watching the years fly by with eyes that never seemed to deteriorate and with a body that never seemed to ail. And, like you SinB-ah, I can’t help but question the what ifs.”

The two neared the unoccupied swing set and both took a seat, slowly pushing themselves back and forth. Yerin settled the plush duck on her lap, letting her legs dangle off the ground.

“Yerin-ah, remember when you asked me if I ever wanted to become a vampire?” SinB carefully brought up the topic from several nights ago. Yerin nodded in response. “Well, would you ever want to be fully human again?”

“Yes,” Yerin answered without a second thought. “But, as long as I can return to my 20-year-old self and continue to grow old with you.” She looked at SinB fondly, expression borderline serious.

“Good answer,” SinB mildly joked as she focused her attention on the ground to hide her flushed cheeks. “We should ask each other more intimate questions like on the night when you saved me from those jerk-face creeps. Go ahead. Ask me anything.”

Yerin played with the duck’s fur as she thought about a question. “Could you ever forgive your parents for what they did to you?” she relayed it delicately.

“Yes...despite the fact that I know that they could never forgive me for what I did,” SinB replied solemnly, kicking the sand beneath her feet. “Them abandoning me still hurts my heart to think about it. But, they’re my parents. They brought me into this world.”

“That’s quite mature of you. Wise, even,” Yerin complemented, earning a small smile from the younger girl. “Your turn.” She presented the toy duck to SinB who cuddled it lovingly with both arms.

As the sun began to set, SinB glanced at Yerin momentarily. The older girl was enjoying herself on the swings, picking up in speed and height. It reminded her of the first time they visited the park and hanged upside down on the monkey bars. Everything seemed so simple, so pure. SinB has come to terms that developing a relationship with Yerin meant that her life will never be like how it was. And, she didn’t mind. She didn’t mind at all.

“Yerin-ah,” SinB addressed her girlfriend who slowed down her pace on the swings, “if I say that I’m in love with you, would you say it back?” SinB’s eyes stared directly at the toy duck she was holding, too nervous to see the older girl’s reaction.

In a daze, SinB was awoken by the warmest, softest lips that she had the pleasure of being intimate with press upon her cheek. Yerin, still seated in her chair swing, scooted herself closer to SinB’s personal space in order to kiss her.

“I’m in love with you, SinB-ah,” Yerin spoke quietly after releasing the emotion-filled kiss.

“I’m in love with you, Yerin-ah,” SinB replied breathlessly.

Leaning in closer so that their lips could come in full contact, Yerin unexpectedly pulled away when she felt her phone vibrate. Fishing it out of her coat pocket, her eyebrows knitted at the name of the incoming caller.

“It’s Eunha,” Yerin announced, exchanging confused looks with SinB. She pressed the answer button, worried about what the interruption was for. “Eunha-ya, what is it?”

“Yerin-ah, mianhae for bothering you and SinB-ssi on your date,” Eunha spoke hurriedly. “But, you two need to return back to the manor as soon as you can. A large envelope appeared on the doorstep several minutes ago. And, surprise surprise, the security camera failed to record whoever delivered it. In other words, I think Virgo is toying with us again.”

Hand in hand, Yerin and SinB left the park and quickly walked back to the headquarters. An intense, awful feeling was growing in the pit of Yerin’s stomach. Of course, Virgo would be the one to ruin a perfectly good day.

Entering the house, the couple stormed into the living room where the rest of the group waited for them. Eunha and Sowon both sat in their own arm chair while Umji and Yuju occupied the couch. The atmosphere was heavy and dreary.

Yerin’s attention immediately landed on the gray-colored envelope that perched on the coffee table in the middle of the room. The shade of gray was exactly the same color of the suit Virgo wore when he attacked her, causing Yerin to shudder.

Cautiously, Yerin took slow steps towards the table and picked up the light-weighted envelope. Separating the adhesive from the flap, she removed the contents. In her hands were two eight-by-eleven inch pictures. One was of Sowon putting her hair up in a ponytail while wearing only a bra. The other photo had Yuju lifting up her shirt, exposing her bare abdomen. By the looks of it, Yerin could tell that the pictures were taken from the locker room of Destiny Dance Studio.

Knowing that she had no choice but to show the rest of the group what the envelope contained, Yerin threw the pictures on the table, angered and disheartened.

Everyone got up from their seat to get a closer and clearer look of the images. Facial expressions dampened with furrowed brows as they all tried to process the gravity of the situation.

“Um, I need to step out...or leave...or just go upstairs for a bit,” Yuju stuttered and fidgeted to no end before striding out of the living room’s suffocating presence.

“Yuju-unnie!” Umji called out before scurrying out of the room to comfort the distressed girl.

Sowon carefully settled back into her chair as if she suddenly felt dizzy. “That shirt that Yuju was wearing in her photo,” Sowon said monotonously. “These pictures were taken only a few days ago.” She stared blankly at the ground. Eunha stood by the taller girl’s side, her emerald eyes of fury resurfacing.

“Sowon-unnie, I swear that I never installed a camera at Destiny,” SinB pleaded to her friend, hoping that she would believe her.

Yerin grabbed the pictures and ripped them into as many miniscule pieces as she could, throwing them into the fireplace to be burnt out of existence later on.

“Enough is enough,” Yerin declared with a mixture of rage and exasperation. “Virgo dies. Tonight.” She glanced at the remaining faces in the room who all appeared to be going through a series of sorrowful emotions. “If it’s last thing I do.”