CHEN (첸) 'Shall we? (우리 어떻게 할까요)

Seeing how her eyes turned red by reflex, Liu Wei was the first to hurry to his master's side and try to calm her down. Seojoon handed Dongwook a tissue but the older vampire did not seem in a rush to wipe it off.

"You need to drink blood regularly if you want to stand a chance in front of your cousin." He said seriously, surprising even the fussy Chinese man.

Yerin looked up at Dongwook with eyes that could petrify an army and yet he didn't feel threatened. That was the problem. Her stare was strong enough for humans but not for witty young vampires.

"I'm going home. Don't follow me or you die." She said, her sight never once leaving the dark eyes of her first love.

Liu Wei knew not to persuade her during such moments so he waited until she was out of the door before he glared at Dongwook.

"You're dumb if you think she will ever let go of her values. She's not going to drink anyone's blood, especially with Igor so close. That is what makes her a good leader." Liu Wei scolded the elder, scoffing at his blank expression.

"I know her better than you do. She will drink my blood if the situation asks for it."

"Just because she has a soft spot for you doesn't mean she will do whatever you say. She can kill you just as easily as she saved your life."

Liu Wei and Dongwook glared at each other fervently until the latter got up and left. The former general rolled his eyes and poured himself a drink. When he calmed down he realized that Ji Soo was still in the bar.

"Jiwon will take you home. As you can see, we've got some issues that will keep us busy for a while. You don't have to come around anymore," Liu Wei explained recovering his usual bossy self.

Ji Soo could barely mutter a word before he was dragged away by Jiwon. She glanced at Seojoon and they both nodded, a silent agreement taking place between the two.

"I had never seen Dongwook hyung so angry before. The atmosphere around him was chilling." Ji Soo started as soon as they stepped outside. "I guess my vision of vampires was romanticised by movies and books. It seems to be more of a thriller drama rather than a romantic/funny one."

"It usually isn't any type of drama. But maybe it's better they finally found out about her. It's time we get this over with anyway." Jiwon answered as she placed her hands in the pockets of her leather jacket.

A sudden thought zipped through Ji Soo's mind and he stopped. Jiwon glanced at him curiously but she felt like blushing when he grabbed her hand.

"Will you...be alright?" He asked blushing for both of them.

"I'm not worried nor am I afraid." She replied as if the subject itself was innocent.

"I mean, you will not die in this battle, will you? I'd prefer if you came out of it as undead as you are now." He continued placing her hand in his pocket, a gesture he had seen in dramas before. Jiwon was unresponsive for a bit, her mind trying to make a connection between her emotions and her rationality. She had never truly been in love before so this whole scenario was new to her.

"Usually the only ones who care about me are Yerin and Liu Wei. It's nice feeling like there is something I can look forward to, except usual vampire stuff," she said. Jiwon looked left and right and after making sure nobody cared about them, she kissed. It was brief but it was meaningful. "Wait patiently for a bit. If you don't get a bag with my headless corpse in it, then I'm definitely still around." She said with a smile.

Yerin left in a hurry and almost ran back to her apartment. The streets were filled with people thus making it harder for her to concentrate on control. She entered with a loud noise and leaned against the wall in the hallway. She breathed in slowly and breathed out even slower, feeling her back sting as she tried her best to calm her senses enough for her to go take a cold shower. It didn't take much but once the mess in her mind and body stopped she dropped down on her knees and closed her eyes. It was so, so tiring.

She didn't feel any better once she was in her bathtub. The water was just the right temperature, maybe a bit on the colder, but it didn't really matter. Yerin grabbed her knees to her chest and she lied her head on them. She stood like that for a while until she got up and wrapped a towel around her waist. She turned to look into the mirror at her back and caressed the mark softly. It still felt uncomfortable, as if it was a fresh tattoo, but it only annoyed her even more.

Once dressed in pyjama pants, she didn't just yet put a shirt on. With empty eyes, she went into the kitchen, grabbed her sharpest knife and went back into the bathroom. She bit her lip and did what was unthinkable for anyone sane: she stabbed herself and tried to cut the mark off. It was horrible. Blood was everywhere, she was screaming in pain and anger and it did not help one bit. Tears fell down her cheeks as she stopped and with the knife still in her hand, she went into her bedroom and dropped on the bed as if dead. She closed her eyes and calmed down, the pain growing fainter with every minute. If only the mark could be cut off, she would easily forfeit her title to her cousin.

"I am so tired," she moaned pitifully.   

Dongwook couldn't let the love of his life cry by herself unattended (which he knew she must be doing). Since Liu Wei was so sure that nothing could happen to her, Dongwook wasn't so sure. When he arrived at her place nobody opened the door so he invited himself in. He looked around and gasped at the bloody sight in the bathroom. Growing more nervous he approached her bedroom and found her there, lying shirtless on the bed.

"What have you done to yourself?" He asked seeing the blood on her back. "What were you thinking?"

"It healed already." She mumbled.

"That's not the point. You harmed yourself!" He was trying his best not to make a scene but her attitude was pissing him off.

Yerin didn't say anything else. Dongwook was worried but he was also scared of what else she was thinking about. It happened before when she abandoned him and ran away just because she believed that was the best for everyone. She wasn't good at all at making decisions by herself, as proven by the past. He had to stick by her side so firstly, he was going to prepare some tea and clean her up.

The towel was cold and wet and yet Yerin didn't move a muscle when it touched her skin. Indeed, the wounds were already healed and the mark looked brand new as it was done yesterday. Once he was done, he caressed her back softly, going up and down her spine making her tremble. When she looked at him, he was smiling boyishly as if he wasn't aware of her response to his touch.

"What are you doing?" she asked raising an eyebrow. He surprised her by pecking her on the lips.

"Are you better now? You must have lost your mind for a moment," he avoided her question altogether.

"I was really going to kill you and you dry just a few hours ago. What makes you believe you're safe with me?" She asked getting up and grabbing the first shirt she could find. "You're not very smart, are you? There are times when I really ask myself why you're still interested in my person. You said it yourself, I abandoned you with some crazy strangers that tortured you and then every time we were in the same place, I just ran off. And now, with Igor tickling my senses as an immortal, I don't know what will surface. I may transform into a monster and kill you all for all we know!" she said, her eyes widening more and more in trying to make a point.

Dongwook watched her bemusedly and when he was sure she finished he wrapped his arms around her and gave her a nice big hug.

"You're right, I'm not very smart if I'm still here with you. But so are your friends."

"They stick with me because I changed them. In their subconsciousness, I am their saviour or something," she mumbled in his shirt. He smelled really nice, she loved his cologne.

"You underestimate them. They, through some miraculous wizardry, like you." He said in such a serious tone that it made her laugh. Looking into each other's eyes, it felt just like their first meeting. Well, more or less. Back then he was staring in the red eyes of a supposedly hungry monster and she was staring in the dark brown eyes of a man with very limited knowledge of the world. But now they were equals. They were just a man and a woman who loved each other.

"You know, I'm quite proud of myself for choosing you. I have great taste in men," she said chuckling to herself. "I feel like vomiting after saying that."