After dinner, the detectives stayed behind a little more since Yewon insisted them to play Just Dance on the new set of Nintendo Switch they just bought. They were all gathering around the living room, sitting in front of the 4K 72 inches television. Yewon and SinB took the first round since they still had some unfinished competition to determine who was the better dancer. While watching the maknae dancing breathlessly, Sojung and Yerin sat on the couch and cheered loudly. On the other end of the couch, Yuna laughed happily whenever the two young girls did a weird pose from the game. As for Eunha, she chopped some fresh apples in the kitchen once she finished with the dishes. When the raven-haired girl went to the living room with a plate full of apple pieces, the two maknae also finished their round, with the winner was SinB who punched her fists into the air victoriously. On the other hand, Yewon lay flatly on the floor, catching her breaths. Still panting, the pink-haired girl turned to look at the tallest girl in the room, pointing her controller at the confused face.

“Sojung-unnie, I challenge you to take my crown.”

The senior detective arced her brow amusingly. “Really? Aren’t you afraid of losing? I have an advantage here.”

“Your height is irrelevant in this game. Only if your sticks can actually dance.”

“Oh bring it on, girl. I’ll make you regret that.”

Sojung took off her vest and tie, rolling up her shirt’s sleeves before taking the controller from Yewon. The young doctor flopped down next to Yuna and cheered loudly for the new round. Sitting next to them, Yerin just grinned happily, staring at the sweaty and flustered face of the pink-haired girl.

Eunha grinned at the lovely scene. It had been a while since her house was filled with laughter and warmth like this. Placing the plate on the coffee table, she quietly took a seat on the armchair, observing the two girls dancing their heart out. Without even looking at the score, she could already tell who was the winner. After all, in one of her past lives, SinB was a professional dancer and later on became a dance teacher. There was no way Sojung could beat her in her best game. Taking a small bite of her apple, Eunha sneakily glanced at her dear cousin. A pain struck her heart as she saw how the older girl looked at the pink-haired girl. She knew those eyes. She understood really well the subtle feelings behind that intense gaze.

Because she knew it too well, it hurt her so much that the guilt slowly consumed her day by day. Seeing how SinB smiled brightly when the girl won again, unconsciously, Eunha looked pleased. Feeling some gazes on her own, SinB turned around to catch both Yerin and Eunha were looking at her. Grinning, she gave them the ‘V’ sign with her fingers. Eunha chuckled. She was never afraid to face any danger, even risking her life to protect the pink-haired girl. She could go through any pain and suffer just to see the girl laughing heartfully. No matter what, she would never stop until the girl got her happiness that she deserved.

After all, SinB was her everything.

More than a cousin.

More than a friend.

She was her only purpose in life.

**************************************

When the game session ended, the two detectives retreated back to their respective apartment after bidding their goodbyes to the residents of the mansion. The Ye sisters went to SinB’s room since the older girl was eager to read more novels that Yewon recommended. With that, Eunha and SinB were left alone in the common area. Sinb cleaned up the living room where books and game controllers were scattered, while Eunha put all the dishes back to the shelf from the dishwasher. The atmosphere was comfortably quiet. But something was definitely strange.

SinB noticed how unusual timid Eunha was. When they were alone, the raven-haired girl would come up with a topic, could be about their days or any information that she found during her research at work. Yet the girl did not say a single work and completely concentrated on the dishes. Without reading minds, SinB could tell something was going on inside her cousin. Done with her task, the pink-haired girl went to the kitchen, leaning on the bar counter.

“Eunha-unnie...” The raven-haired girl hummed quietly as an answer. “Is there something bothering you?”

The arm holding a dish was hung up in the air, as the girl halted all of her action because of the sudden question. After a moment, she went back to her task with a forced smile.

“Not at all. Why do you ask?”

“I don’t know... Because you’re acting like this. You become quiet when you’re worrying about something.”

The raven-haired did not answer. Instead, she quickly finished her task then finally turned around to face her cousin. A heavy sigh escaped her rosy lips.

“I can never hide anything from you, can I?”

“Of course. How long have we been together, unnie?” SinB smiled weakly, closing the gap between them more. “You promised me, didn’t you? That you won’t keep anything from me or anyone else. I was mad about Yuna’s situation but I forgave you since it was complicating at that time.”

The taller girl held on the small soft hands, squeezing them gently as she stared dearly into those crimson orbs. “But now, we’re not alone anymore. Yerin-unnie is finally here with us. Then we have everyone else. You don’t have to shoulder everything by yourself anymore. You have me. You have us.”

The shorter girl was touched by the sincere words. Her reverse charm was no joke. Eunha smiled bitterly. “I know... But not everything can be solved by words.” Escaping from SinB’s grip, she raised one of her hand up, caressing the fluffy cheek of the taller girl. “Especially you, Eunbi-ah.”

Taken back by the sorrow in Eunha’s voice, SinB said nothing. It had been a long time since Eunha called her by her real name. When that happened, it meant the older girl was being very serious or depressed. Seeing the girl was confused, Eunha chuckled softly, drawing her finger along the jawline of a fascinating beauty, asking with her gentle high-pitched voice.

“Do you still remember the first time we met 10 years ago? At the park in front of the Oh residence?”

“Of course. How can I forget your shocked face when you saw me? It was epic, unnie.”

SinB giggled, causing the other girl to go along with her. But soon later, the laughter died out.

“Yes. It was a really mind-blowing moment. Whenever you reincarnated, your face and voice changed drastically. It took me a lot of effort to find you. However, this time, it was so easy.” The raven-haired girl leaned forward. Their noses almost touched each other when their eyes contact was never broken. “This face. This warmth. This voice. Everything is exactly the same as the Hwang Eunbi I missed so much. The moment I saw you was the moment I knew that something crucial would happen in this lifetime.”

When SinB thought Eunha would move forward more, the shorter girl decided to fall back, leaning on the counter behind her. Leaving the pink-haired feeling a little disappointed. Eunha grinned cheekily when she saw a slight hint of disappointment on the younger girl’s face. At that moment, she understood clearly why Yerin loved to tease the young girl. After all, both of them were like two drops of water.

Eunha and Yerin were really close, even before SinB became a part of her family. Like how Eunha described, they were too close that they even have the same hobbies and like the same thing. Even before all the tragic happened, both of them were struggling with the same problem. The reason why they delayed their maturity. Both of them were attracted to SinB’s blood. Now that Yerin thought about it. Since they were clever people, they knew what was the meaning behind the maturity. For a vampire, when they reached the age of an adult, they would become uncontrollable attracted to an individual’s blood. It could be a human, or even from a fellow vampire. But no matter who, that person was someone special to them. The first taste of non-animal blood was a sacred ritual, since they would only received their full potential ability when they were able to drink from that special individual. At the time the Jung girls knew about their thirst for SinB, they already figured out their feelings. At that time, we were still young so they thought it was because SinB was their beloved sister. But after years of being together and witnessed all the changes happened in their lives, Eunha finally understood her feeling. Her reason why she hesitated on drinking from SinB at first. Her reason why she chose to stay with the pink-haired girl even though she had many chances to leave and live a more peaceful life. She knew that Yerin also felt the same. But the older girl did not spend 600 years together with SinB like she did. Therefore, Yerin was still clouded with her own feeling.

No matter what, Eunha was positive about one thing. Both of them had the same heart for SinB. But with a critical difference between them.

“You know, tonight is the first time I’ve seen you smiling like that. So bright and cheerful. You look so happy, so beautiful that I wish the moment could last forever.” The raven-haired girl bit her lower lip when an urge of crying invaded her mind. “Then the reality hits me. I realized it is because everyone is here. Yewon, Sojung, Yuna. Especially Yerin-unnie. As for me, I only bring you torment and sorrow.”

“Eunha-unnie, you know that isn’t true. You’re the only one who stayed beside me, giving me love and protection in the past 600 years. Without you, I won’t be able to stay alive and laugh together with everyone.” The pink-haired wrapped her arms around the petite shoulders, pulling Eunha into a warm hug. “Without you, I would have surrendered to my fate long ago. And I wouldn’t be able to see Yerin-unnie again.”

Burying her face into the crook of the taller girl’s neck, the raven-haired girl returned the embrace, securing her arms around the slim waist. “Why are you being so kind to me, Eunbi-ah? I killed you. These hands crushed your heart for uncountable times. I burned your body so many times that I already lost count. But yet you always welcome me with a smile on your face. I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve to be by your side.”

Feeling her neck was moist, SinB the shorter girl’s back in slow motion. She planted a soft kiss on the crown of the raven hair, consoling the girl. “You have no idea how grateful I am to have you as my family, my friend. You chose to bear the pain to save me, to keep me alive. To bring the peace into my life, our lives. Never said you’re not worthy for me. It’s me who doesn’t deserve you. Your kindness. Your love. Everything about you.”

Slowly, the raven-haired girl pulled away a little, having enough space for their eyes to meet each other. Using her thumbs, SinB wiped away the remaining tears on those milky chubby cheeks, smiling sweetly.

“Eunbi-unnie. My guardian angel. My salvation. Please, never think lowly about yourself.”

After that, the time had frozen around them. SinB closed the gap between their faces, grazing her lips on the top of the elegant nose. Taking her time, her lips roamed around. On the forehead. On the round bright eyes. On the chubby cheeks. On the proud chin. And finally, the small journey ended when those rosy lips landed on the corner of the pedal lips. It was their way to convey their feelings for each other. For a long time, they were family even though they were not blood-related. They were comrades. Best friends. And something more, they were soulmates. Not only connected by SinB’s ability, the Eunbi duo was linked by their hearts. They did not have a label for their love. They were not attracted to each other ually. But yet they could not live without each other. It was the only difference between Eunha and Yerin. Their love for the young girl was different in their own unique way. Eunha loved SinB. Sincerely and innocently. No matter what, their hearts always had a space for each other. The special place inside SinB’s heart that the raven-haired girl could selfishly claim for her own.

Cherishing their moment, SinB was the first one to pull away. Her face was flustered by her own action since she never is the one who would initiate any affection between them. Seeing the blush, Eunha giggled amusingly at the cuteness.

“I guess not only Yerin-unnie and Yewon, you’re also a fan of romantic novels, aren’t you?”

“W-What? Definitely not. I just learned it from you. You’re a flirtatious woman, unnie. I feel sorry for Sojung-unnie for being your prey.”

“Yah! I’m innocent!” Eunha slapped the other girl’s arm playfully, earning a laughter for herself.

“Said the infamous Cassanova.” SinB rolled her eyes. “Because of you, I can’t get married anymore.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. There is someone who would die to walk down the aisle with you.” The raven-haired girl smirked when an image of a certain girl popped into her eyes.

“Please, don’t tell me it’s you.” SinB wore a disgusting face. “I thought we had this conversation already.”

“Don’t get me wrong but I have no intention to court you, SinB-ah. Not in a million years.”

“Yeah, after hundreds of years, you finally found that conclusion.” SinB sighed. “Our relationship will definitely cause misunderstandings to people.”

“And who exactly are you worried about, SinB?”

Eunha arced her brow teasingly. The pink-haired girl realized that she blundered out something unnecessary. Blushing brightly, she whined, refusing to talk more about it. The shorter girl chuckled, giving the girl a break since she already knew everything. Her telepathy ability was not for show apparently. And the two of them were not very subtle about their affections for each other, just being really dense and dumb.

Exhaling in relief, Eunha thought about the whole conversation again. She was being unusual emotional, even letting the younger girl seeing her vulnerable side. Probably she had been too stressed about everything that her mental strength was slowly drained. It was the time for everything to end. No matter what, she would end everything. No more running. No more fear. She would bring the peace that both of them had been always seeking for.

As SinB was pouting, she was startled a little by the sudden embrace of the shorter girl. She heard some whispers, saying that Eunha would end all the pain that SinB had been suffering. The young girl smiled, patting gently on the raven hair.

“Take your time, unnie. And this time, remember that you have everyone here to help you. Don’t go into the danger by yourself anymore.”

Eunha silently answered with a small nod, still burying her face further into SinB’s neck. Eventually, SinB felt the hot breath on her skin became more rapid. As the arms around her waist tightened their grip. She knew what was in the other girl’s mind. Tightening their embrace more, SinB minimized all the gap between them, mumbling sweetly to the shorter girl’s ear.

“Go ahead, unnie. Don’t hold back.”

This time, there was no reply from the petite girl. SinB felt her hair was tugged behind her back, exposing her milky white skin. Then she felt a pair of soft lips trailing up and down on her slender neck, planting kisses everywhere they touched. The pink-haired girl shivered at the contact. She even had to hide her face on the older girl’s shoulder to muffle her moan as she felt the wet flesh soaked a sensitive spot on her neck. Only when her skin was moist enough, two sharp fangs grew out, puncturing the pale skin tenderly. Not too deep to prevent the blood coming out too much. A soft groan came from the younger girl as she gripped tightly on the older girl.

Cursing silently in her mind, she hated it whenever Eunha wanted to drink from her. The older girl had to make it as as possible just to make fun of her flustered face afterward. And she had to choose the most sensitive place on her body to drink from. Yuna was considerate enough to ask for her wrist. But since their first drink, Eunha claimed that it tasted the best when it was from her neck.

However, to be honest, SinB actually enjoyed the feeling. Eunha had always been gentle, trying not to hurt her too much. She always drank enough for her need. Nothing more so SinB had never been in the state of fainting because of anemia. The pink-haired girl had only been allowed two people to drink directly from her, so she did not have enough subjects to make an accurate comparison. But if she followed her mere feeling, Eunha gave her the best experience so far.

Soon later, she realized something was odd. It was already longer than their usual drinking session but the older girl did not show any sign of stopping as SinB could still feel the fangs under her skin. Slightly struggling, the pink-haired girl tried to inform the petite girl.

“Eunha-unnie. I did say not to hold back but...”

The girl did not reply. Instead, her arms on the younger girl’s waist increased their strength. Completely locked the girl inside her embrace.

“Unnie...W-wait... S-Stop... I...”

SinB struggled more violently. However, her body weakened as her vision became blurry. Soon later, she felt numb. Her arms fell loose as she let the darkness consumed her consciousness. Seeing the motionless body inside her arms relaxed, Eunha put more strength to support the fainted SinB, carefully settling the girl down safely on the floor. Letting the girl body lean back on the kitchen counter, the raven-haired girl her lips, using tissues to clean the left-over blood around and on SinB’s neck. Fishing out a bandage from her pocket that she had already prepared before their conversation, Eunha put it over the bite mark to stop the bleeding.

Running through the girl’s hair, the raven-haired girl tugged away the messy locks of pink hair, not disrupting the beautiful face of a sleeping angel. The warm smile on her face remained for a short moment before bitterness replaced them. Sighing in distress, she slowly stood up as her gaze focused on the silhouette hiding behind the wall. Sensing that they were busted, the eavesdropper moved away from their hiding spot.

“Judging from your face, you have listened to everything, am I correct, unnie?”

Yerin stayed quiet. She just stared at the petite girl with an unreadable facial expression. Eunha chuckled softly. She did not want to read the girl’s mind since she still had some respect for her privacy. But the older girl was a sensitive person. Comparing to the Eunbi duo, she was not good at hiding her true feeling. Her face already spoke for herself. Mixed feelings displayed clearly on the pale mochi-like face.

“Yerin-unnie... do you mind if I ask you a favor?”

Eunha approached the taller girl. The amber orbs stuck on her own ruby ones as if telling her to continue.

“Can you take care of SinB while I’m gone? And please, don’t tell SinB anything about this.”

The question caused the older girl to give out a confusing look. Eunha smiled softly. She already knew that Yerin would do that without her asking. The only reason for her to do it was just for her own satisfaction. She wanted to trust her decision. To trust her cousin.

“Where are you going?” Yerin asked skeptically.

“I happened to find a lead for us, so I’ll be travel for a few days. Maybe we would get a solution for all of this.”

“Do you really need to go?” The older girl asked in a soft voice. “SinB needs you. We all need you, Eunha.”

Eunha nodded slightly. “I can’t stand watching SinB dying over and over again anymore. We need some clues, some hope to move forward, unnie. I have to go.”

“In that case, should you bring someone with you? Me or Yuna? Even Sojung can help you. Or I can go instead of you.”

“No, unnie. It must be me. Alone. They’re coming. I can sense it. I need everyone to stay here and protect SinB. I need you to be by her side. There is no one I can trust more than you.”

The determined gaze was unshaken. Yerin saw how the shorter girl was so serious about her decision. Even her voice was begging for her to accept the favor. The older girl sighed in defeat. She walked past Eunha, kneeling down in front of SinB and scooped the pink-haired girl up in her arms. Holding the sleeping girl securely in her arms, Yerin brought the girl back to the maknae’s room, not before delivering her last words to Eunha.

“Promise me to come back in one piece. You’re still my beloved cousin no matter what. Both I and SinB don’t want to lose you.”

Eunha silently watched the dependable back carrying their treasures girl upstairs until they disappeared behind the wall. Still standing next to the counter, the pair of lips cured up into a bitter smile. Her hand reached into her collar, fishing out a necklace she had been wearing for a long time. It was the black ring engraved a red cross, the symbol of the Jung clan. The same ring that Yerin entrusted to her and SinB before their last moment years ago. The pink-haired girl was supposed to keep it. However, the girl insisted that Eunha should be the better one guarding it. After doing her investigation and listening to the history where Yerin got the ring from, Eunha suspected that the history of their clan held some hidden mysteries related to SinB or any similar cases. Before Yunkyu era, vampires and humans were more friendly towards each other. Therefore, it should be more hybrid people was born in the past.

But yet none of the history books in the Academy recorded anything about this matter. Not even in the documents of the Vampire Council. Just like someone wanted to erase all the traces to hide the secret. And her only clue was the ancient book Yerin found in her old family library. The Vampire Land had become a ruin. There was no clear evidence or hope that the book would be untouched since everything was burned down to the ground. However, Eunha wanted this to end more than anyone. More than SinB who gave up to her fate. Even with a tiny hope left, she would still catch it. And she would do it for the sake of her beloved girl.

Gripping on the ring, Eunha took a deep breath to compose herself, gathering her strength to pursue her plan. After all, she had to keep her promises to two of her dearest people. She had to come back safe and sound no matter what. If SinB knew about her plan, the girl would never let her go. That was why she had to knock the girl out for the first time.

Why?

Because the location where the Jung mansion used to be was now the Headquarter of the Kim Corporation which belonged to Mr. Kim - their greatest enemy.