This was so stupid. She shouldn’t have gotten caught, but one kid had to run his mouth. Hyejoo made her way to the principal’s office, grumbling and stomping the whole time.

She wasn’t expecting to see Heejin outside the office as well, patiently waiting outside the door to the Principal. Her mood lifted slightly, now instead of a frown, a small corner of tugging upwards.

She plopped down next to her without warning as the older girl had been looking the other direction. Heejin didn’t even flinch, she only looked at her curiously. Hyejoo threw her head back and lazily leaned in her seat with her hands in her jacket pockets.

“What are you in for?” Hyejoo asked her first. 

Heejin looked back to the door as she replied. “I just have to get a signed letter of recommendation. You?”

Hyejoo almost laughed out loud at the irony. “Beat up three kids this morning on my way here and one ratted me out. Should’ve punched him in the mouth instead of his eye.”

Heejin shook her head. “You and I lead very different lives.”

The younger girl couldn’t agree more. “They deserved it.”

Heejin shook her head and looked away to hide her smile. She knew those kids must’ve done something really bad to evoke such a strong reaction from Hyejoo. Strong enough for her to get involved in a physical fight and while they were on their way to school.

That’s when Hyejoo decided to change topics, just in case Heejin decided to ask the reason for her getting physical.

“You coming to the party tonight?”

Heejin pursed her lips in thought. “I don’t know. I might be too tired.”

“I’ll make it worth your while,” Hyejoo sent her a wink.

The older girl was too used to the flirty antics to be affected at all. They’ve known each other for so long that nothing Hyejoo ever did made her nervous.

“Is that a date?” Heejin flirted back with a glint in her eyes.

Hyejoo couldn’t fight the smile that made itself known on her face. “Me, asking cheerleader captain, student council president, top of our class, model student Jeon Heejin out on a date? Why, I’m surely not worthy!”

Heejin gave her a light shove on the arm. Hyejoo liked teasing her about her achievements every chance she got, which was basically every time they saw each other.

“Wouldn’t be the first time.”

“Damn. You got me there,” Hyejoo chuckled.

The two let their laughter linger, automatically reminiscing on all the times they’ve gone on dates together without anyone knowing. It was always like this. If they wanted to be together they had to do it behind everyone’s backs. Although they could get away with mingling at school, outside of school was out of the question. 

However, Hyejoo was never good at obeying the rules and Heejin seemed to at least share her rule-breaking habits if she deemed them ridiculous. Them not being able to socialize was probably the dumbest restriction placed on them. They didn’t see what was so wrong about being together.

“I’ll meet you by the Moon Rock at ten?” Hyejoo looked at her hopeful.

Just then the Principal stepped out, opening the door and cutting their conversation short.

“Heejin, please come in,” the old man said with a smile. “And you Hyejoo,” his mood instantly dropping, “don’t you dare run away like last time.” 

“Yeah, yeah.” Hyejoo scoffed.

Before going in, Heejin told her a quiet “okay” as she then got up and followed the principal with a hop in her step. The troublemaker mentally celebrated her victory. She reasoned getting caught this morning hadn’t been so bad after all.

Tonight was the annual homecoming party. And while yes, there was a school organized event, the dance ended at nine, and that left hundreds of students with nothing to do for the rest of Friday night. It was tradition for the real party being an hour later in the middle of the woods, with no teachers to bother them.

Beer kegs, loud music, casual clothes, no nosy adults to nag at you for inappropriate physical contact. This was what a homecoming party should really be like. No one would find them here and no one could complain about how much noise they made. There were campfires strategically placed in various spots so they could still wander and not get lost in the dark.

Hyejoo knew the woods like the back of her hand, though. She didn’t need light to see or a map to tell her where she was. She basically grew up in the woods. She had played and gotten lost as a kid so many times that she knew every corner, every rock, every tree and every secret spot away from other people.

The only other person she decided to share her findings with was with Heejin. She believed Heejin was someone she could always trust. Regardless of what their families said, she knew Heejin would never betray her.

Hyejoo reached the Moon Rock first. It was a secluded creek in the middle of the forest. The reason they called it the Moon Rock was because there was a flat stone in the stream that peaked out from the water in the shape of a crescent moon. If you stepped carefully, you could reach the rock in the middle of the stream and sit, giving the illusion that you were sitting on water.

Hyejoo took a seat and simply stared up at the moon while she waited. The moon was full tonight, big and brightly illuminating her surroundings. The water was glistening like diamonds, and the somber night was making Hyejoo relax. She closed her eyes and simply listened to the sounds.

The gentle running of the stream, the calling of the birds, the aged branches creaking with the wind. Just then she felt it, the air shifting slightly. She wasn’t able to catch any sound but she didn’t have to. Just the sweet fragrance coming from her right was enough indicator that the person she was waiting for had arrived.

When Hyejoo opened her eyes Heejin was sitting beside her, staring at her with twinkling eyes and a gentle smile. She was resting her head on her knees and looking at her like she was the only thing that mattered in this world. Hyejoo felt something in her chest flutter as she returned the smile.

“I wish I could take a picture and it could capture just how dazzling you look under the moonlight,” Heejin spoke her thoughts out loud.

Hyejoo immediately laughed. “And you say I’m the cheesy one that’s always flirting.”

The older girl sat up and looked away from her gaze to admire the moon. “You are. But I just have a better way with words so once is enough. You do it constantly.”

No matter how many times they came here to their own private wooded paradise, Hyejoo’s breath was always taken away with how Heejin’s skin glowed under the moon. The girl had no flaw, everything about her perfect in every way. Hyejoo was someone that wore her heart on her sleeve so Heejin knew. She knew just how much Hyejoo was madly in love with her.

She could feel Hyejoo staring, and it was making the butterflies in her stomach go wild. Only the younger girl could evoke such a strong reaction from her and she was so lucky to have found someone that accepted her just for who she was. But the sudden thought of why they were here made her chest buzz with a dull ache.

She knew their days together were counted. Just how much longer could they keep up their secret meetings until life forcefully tore them apart. Heejin finally looked back with sadness in her gaze, not realizing when her eyes began to water.

“You know I’ll always love you. No one else but you,” Hyejoo seemed to read her mind.

She wanted to reassure her, to make sure Heejin understood. She really didn’t want to be engaged to someone else, but she didn’t have a choice. Or she did... but it was a crazy idea. The sadness in Heejin’s heart, she wouldn’t be able to live with herself knowing she was the cause of it.

“Run away with me.” Hyejoo suddenly proposed.

Heejin didn’t miss a beat. “Sure.”

Hyejoo shook her head. “No, I’m serious.”

She rose to her feet and dragged Heejin along, with her hands tightly grasping Heejin’s and bringing them close to her heart.

“Run away with me. I don’t want to leave you.” 

“You do know that not only my family would quite literally kill you, but also your entire pack would be on the hunt for my head, right?” Heejin tried to get some sense into her.

“What? Think we can’t outrun a few vampires?” Hyejoo tried to lighten the mood.

“No. I just don’t think we can outrun a few vampires and a few wolves at the same time.”

Heejin would love to. Really. She would go to the ends of the earth as long as she was with Hyejoo. But their family wou