It was almost daybreak when the alarm I set beforehand rang shrill, breaking me out of my thoughts.

 

Crap.

 

My whole night was occupied by thoughts of a certain mono-lidded vampire, no matter how hard I tried to focus on the book in my hands. Why was this so difficult? How is this any different from other vampires I've dealt with in the past? These thoughts remained in my mind, same as they did for the past few hours, as I rushed about, getting ready for this cumbersome chore named school.

 

What made me ever decide joining school was a great idea?

 

I internally grumbled, angered at my lack of sense when I started out on this plan. I wasn't too eager to meet Seulgi again, not after what happened that night, an incident I have yet found the answer to. I had close to no contacts in the vampire world; I couldn't rely on others to give me insight of what might be happening. My survival instincts was screaming for me to leave, which was the only natural and logical resolution, but-

 

I didn't want to.

 

Why? I had no clue. The survival instincts instilled in me through the centuries screamed leave, but the primal side- the primal side said stay. To stay and claim. Claim the territory? People? Once again, I was at a loss.

 

The sudden rough crowing of a bird jolted me out of my thoughts.

 

Blinking rapidly, I glanced around the room. It would seem that amongst my deep thoughts, I have halted all actions and was just standing in the middle of my barren room. I internally rebuked myself for my foolishness.

 

Not now, not now. You can deal with this matter later.

 

I hurriedly slung my bag over my shoulder and rushed out to the garage, hopping onto my motorcycle and peeled out the driveway, onto the main road to school.

 

Fortunately, I made it to school with time to spare and the day progressed as usual. Bogum was hovering around me as usual, with an addition of Suho by my side. It seems like Taeyeon did something about my situation, or tried to. The first part of the day passed with Bogum sticking by my side and fighting for my attention with Suho. The bickering was getting on my nerves when I was thankfully saved by Yoona, who burst out laughing at my expression when I dragged her away from the bickering duo. She gave me a cheeky smirk and a knowing smile when I rolled my eyes in exasperation.

 

Lunch was over as soon as it began and I started my dreaded walk to Art class. I was in no way ready to see the over-enthusiastic vampire. Stepping into the Art room, I spotted the brunette at the back of the class, waving with such vigour at me that I feared her shoulder would pop out any second. As I approached, Seulgi's face scrunched up, corners of her lips pulled into a beaming smile, and her eyes disappearing into crescents.

 

Cute. Still ridiculously enthusiastic though.

 

“Hey!” She shouted, even though I was standing a mere five feet away from her, causing the rest of the class to turn back in distaste. Seulgi, noticing the additional attention she gathered, scratched the back of her neck and smiled sheepishly at me. “Oops?”

 

“Hello to you too.” I couldn't help but flash her a smile back, her actions were too cute. Who would have thought vampires, graceful and fearsome predators, could act this way?

 

“So, how was your first day?”

 

“It was fine. Everything progressed as expected, and the people are ridiculously nice. Well, with a few exceptions.”

 

“Who dares to be rude to the new girl? I'll hunt them down!” Seulgi’s eyes widened to a comical size and she puffed her chest up, patting it with her hand to emphasise her point.

 

“Try as you might, you wouldn't be what I call ‘intimidating’ to others.”

 

Seulgi deflated, slinking back down into her seat. “I'm a badass,” Seulgi muttered under her breath. I had to suppress my laughter with much difficulty; this vampire was far too entertaining.

 

“No sidetracking! Who mistreated you?”

 

“Well, I suppose Chaeyoung wasn't exactly on the welcoming committee.”

 

Her eyebrows arched in response. “Chaeyoung… isn't usually like this. She needs time to warm up to you, that's all.”

 

“Sure.”

 

“What's with that reaction? Trust me!”

 

“I don't smell that bad, do I?”

 

Seulgi seemed taken aback by this sudden question, and her eyebrows furrowed. The one thing I noticed about the mono-lidded vampire was that she was very expressive, and practically wears her heart on her sleeve; her emotions played out across her face, making her incredibly easy to read.

 

Seulgi leaned forward towards me, and took a deep breath, closing her eyes in pleasure as she took in my scent.

 

“You're far from it. In fact, you smell delicious.”

 

I quirked an eyebrow at her response. She wasn't supposed to be so truthful about it.

 

“Are you saying that you want to eat me?”

 

The vampire seemed to notice her mistake, and hurriedly tried to cover up her slip, stuttering and panic flashing across her face.

 

“N-no! Of course not! T-that would b-be cannibalism! Haha right? Of course I wouldn't want to e-eat you, I definitely wouldn't want to eat you. I used the wrong word, I just meant you smell really good...,” Seulgi awkwardly babbled on, waving her hands around as she tried to backtrack on her words. How did this vampire managed to survive all this while remains a mystery.

Deciding to a little more, I mock-frowned.

 

“So I'm not good enough to eat?”

 

“No! You're- I mean- damn.” Seulgi bit her lower lip, unable to find a suitable response, and looking like she wanted to crawl under a rock and hide for the next century. My eyes, against my will, immediately zoned onto her red lips, entranced by the simple action and mind blanking out.

 

Thankfully, my senses returned as soon as it left and I managed to tear my eyes away. Luck was on my side, so it seemed as Seulgi was still a flustered mess from my statement and did not notice anything out of the ordinary. I feel that she was teased enough, and decided to save the awkward vampire by snorting loudly, a very un-vampire-like action. Seulgi let out a loud burst of laughter at my out of character reaction, evoking dirty stares from the teacher. The rest of the lesson was spent lightly joking and laughing.

 

The days seemed morph together and before I knew It, a week passed in a flash. Within this period of time, I realised a few things.

 

One, Chaeyoung was no longer in my biology class, which came as a short-lived relief. Bogum who realised that the seat beside me was empty once again, shifted over and continued his futile attempts at courting. That dim-witted boy was more persistent than I gave him credit for, and I had more than once came close to finally ending that miserable excuse of a life.

 

Two, I can't seem to say ‘no’ to a certain mono-lidded vampire. And it was apparent that she was aware of that fact; having more than once gone against my wishes. When I casually mentioned in a conversation that I needed to refurbish my house, I didn't think that it'll lead to this; a smiling, bouncing Seulgi outside my house, at this very moment, with her Porsche.

 

I did attempt to reject her suggestion of bringing me to Seoul to shop on Saturday, and even tried to get out of it by using lame excuses like ‘the weather isn't good to shop in’, in which she dismissed by bringing up the fact that we would be in a covered mall, and ‘I prefer to shop alone’, which Seulgi's face instantly turned downcast, looking as though someone just kicked her puppy. It was only natural that I couldn't reject the brunette after that; her puppy eyes were too compelling. At that moment, I realised I couldn't say a flat out ‘no’ to Seulgi, much to my ire. And all of that, leads back to my current situation - stuck shopping with a vampire.

 

Whatever happened to not having contact with vampires and not attracting their attention?

 

Sighing lightly, I resigned myself to the fact that there was nothing I could do to get myself out of this predicament; not with Seulgi and her impatient honks directly outside my door.

 

_________________________________________

 

With Seulgi's speeding (thank god for the lack of police patrol cars) we arrived at the mall within half an hour and started shopping for furniture.

 

Or so I thought.

 

Allow me to elaborate - I am currently in a dressing room, with 26 sets of clothing Seulgi miraculously managed to sneak in, and she won't let me out until I tried them all. Who knew there were so many different types of clothes? What in the world was even a off-the-shoulder crop top? What's the difference between a jacket and a cardigan? Does both not keep you warm?

 

And while I'm trapped in this cramped room overflowing with clothes, Seulgi had her hands filled with bags of clothes and shoes from our visits to other shops; which mind you, was towering over her and I could barely make out her figure under the bags of clothes.

 

Towering.

 

What decent human being, or vampire, needs that much clothes?!

 

It would appear that my mutterings were more vocal than I believed it to be, as Seulgi's muffled voice came from under the pile of clothing.

 

“Clothes are an enjoyment! Stop whining and try them!”

 

After the number 473th outfit I've tried on, and Seulgi's approval (still a mystery how she managed to see under the pile of fabric), we walked out of the 15th store, arms overflowing with bags.

 

“Well, that was fun!” Seulgi chirped as she bounced to the lift, having unloaded her packages into the car while I was changing back to my own clothes. For you, maybe. “Let's go home now.”

 

Not surprisingly, I was taken aback by her statement. “But we haven't bought furniture yet.”

 

“Yes, but we could always come back tomorrow to do that.”

 

I quirked an eyebrow at Seulgi’s reply. Trying to get me to come again with her tomorrow? I don't think so.

 

“The sole purpose of our trip today was to get furniture, which you sidetracked into shopping for clothes.”

 

“Exactly! So, I'll bring you back tomorrow for furniture shopping in the morning. Why, I could help you with refurbishing your house in the afternoon. I'll borrow Lisa's truck to carry the furniture!”

 

So that's her little plan, that devious vampire. She’s trying to trick me into spending more time with her.

 

Finally, it would seem that I could finally stand up to her. “No,” I punctuated by sweeping my hands out and to the sides, “We came to buy furniture, and that's what we're going to do. I'm not making another trip when we're already here.”

 

My statement made Seulgi realise I was being serious, and I won't back down on this issue. Hands drooping to the side, Seulgi realised her little plan wouldn't work and reluctantly muttered, “Fine.”

 

However, as soon as we stepped into the furniture store, Seulgi's mood lifted up once again as she pranced around the store, dragging me along to see approximately 26 different types of sofas. Eventually I wandered off by my own, opting to settle for more antique types of furniture.

 

Seulgi caught me lingering around the antiques area and raised an eyebrow in question. Noticing her expression, I gave her a small smile.

 

“I prefer olden types of furniture. It makes me feel… more at home, to be put simply.”

 

Seulgi hummed in agreement. “I understand.”

 

After purchasing the required items, Seulgi and I were bundled up into the car, traveling back to Gangnam. Attempting to make conversation, Seulgi broke the quietness.

 

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

 

I blushed, deciding that it was an appropriate response.

 

“No. Frankly, I've never dated before.”

 

Seulgi's head swirled inhumanly fast towards me, eyes widening.

 

“You're kidding. No way. Someone like you?”

 

I chuckled lightly at Seulgi's reaction.

 

“I just don't feel the need to. What are you trying to insinuate?” I raised my eyebrows in her direction.

 

Turning her head back to the road, Seulgi's expression was the epitome of what vampires would look like if they could blush.

 

“I-I didn't mean anything by that. It's just that y-you're such a catch, not that I'm judging purely on looks, but your outer appearance is really a-appealing so I was very surprised that you haven't y-you know since I'm sure many guys would try to chase you…,”

 

I burst out laughing, and Seulgi seemed to become less tense. One thing I've noticed about this vampire, was that she tended to babble on and on when flustered. A truly adorable trait, if you ask me.

 

___________________________________________________

 

It was dark by the time she pulled up in my driveway.

 

Seulgi gave me a hand with the bags, carrying them to the front porch but knowing her, she's probably going to give an excuse to stay longer if I opened the door for her, which I didn't. Thankfully, she got the hint and gave me a swift hug.

 

“I enjoyed myself today. Thank you.”

 

“Anytime, Irene.”

 

Once the car was out of sight, I moved swiftly, dumping all the ridiculous amount of bags into the house, finishing the job in less than three minutes.

 

I halted by the mirror as I passed it and noticed my fading eye colour. They were now a dull grey colour, instead of black. It was an indication of my low energy levels and if I waited any longer to hunt, I would risk losing control over my illusions.

 

It was foolish of me to not feed for such an extended period of time, and especially with the amount of time I spent with Seulgi, it was almost certain that her vampiric vision would have picked up on the subtle colour change.

 

I decided that this would be a perfect chance to investigate the Kims and their unique eye colour while searching for a meal. Cloaking myself from all senses, I began the run through the forest to a familiar softly lit mansion.

 

Stretching my senses, I silently listened to the movements of the vampires. There were definitely more than five vampires, as I detected two more different scents of a vampire.

 

Flashes of my previous visit appeared before my eyes. I shook my head, hoping to clear my mind.

 

I was here to find out what exactly made the Kims so different from any other vampire I crossed. Why they had that peculiar eye colour. Don't stray from what you cam-

 

Wafts of Seulgi's unique scent drafted into my sense of smell.

 

On impulse, I ran swiftly under her window, grabbing the window sill and silently slipping in.

 

Seulgi was pacing in her room, looking distressed.

 

The moment my feet touched the floor of her room, Seulgi froze her movements, staring directly at me with an expression I couldn't decipher.

 

Impossible.

 

Inching away from the window to the right, I was relieved to find Seulgi's eyes did not follow my movement, but remained trained on my previous spot. As sudden as she stopped, Seulgi resumed pacing and her hand reached up towards her lips as she gnawed on her thumb.

 

A habit I didn't know she had.

 

I surveyed her room carefully, looking for signs of her being a threat. It was a habit I picked up several centuries ago, and it helped me determine if the vampire was to be dispatched of. Seulgi's room was filled with drawings and sketches, nothing out of the ordinary.

 

Seulgi remained pacing around the room, until she flopped onto her bed, eyes staring troubledly at the ceiling. Her action tugged at my heartstrings as I resisted the urge to reach out and provide any form of comfort I could to the female.

 

Turning my attention away from Seulgi, I decided that I have strayed from my mission for too long. I noticed the closed door of Seulgi's room, and gritted my teeth in annoyance. I couldn't open it without her noticing. Slipping back out of the window, I ran around the house, searching for a way to enter without arousing attention. Luck wasn't on my side, so it seemed, as all the other windows were shut tight. The front and back doors were also closed, leaving me with no way of entry into the house.

 

Damn.

 

I decided to abandon my mission in search for a meal, since the attempts to enter the house was futile. If I stayed here any longer, my energy might fade to dangerous levels, and I could lose control of my shield, alerting the family of my presence.

 

I started my journey back to Seoul, since any missing or dead bodies in Gangnam would arouse suspicion. Although today had been a failure to discover anything of relevance about these vampires and their curious eyes, but at least I knew where they lived now and exactly how many members were in their coven, and tonight I would feed. One human would do tonight, since I didn't really want my eyes to change back to red, instead simply 'charging' my power up.

I was stalking a dark alleyway when the irresistible scent captured my senses and I homed in on the unknowing and helpless victim. He was dirty, most likely homeless and therefore wouldn't be missed, lying on top of some filthy cardboard boxes. His hair was ruffled, greasy and caked with filth. My nose scrunched up as his bodily scents assaulted my nose, offending me and nearly covering the underlying smell of his fresh, flowing blood. I let instincts take over as I swooped down, breaking his neck in one fluid motion and neatly sunk my teeth into the carotid artery. My eyes rolled back in pleasure as his still warm blood flooded my mouth and I drank greedily, before letting the dirt caked body fall to the ground.

 

There was a convenient fire burning in a bin not far off. I dragged the lifeless body over and hurled it into the fire, letting the fire melt the body until it's beyond recognition. I watched the process with the usual contentment.

 

Except this time, a twinge of guilt settled at the bottom of my stomach.

 

I furrowed my brows. It can't be helped. I am a vampire, and I am a predator who lives off human blood. There was nothing wrong with what I did, it was just for self-preservation. I had to, I needed to.

 

This mantra echoed in my head continuously as I ran back to Gangnam, enjoying the freedom I felt from the speed.

 

I was made this way, it can't be helped.

 

___________________________________________________

 

I should have never gotten delivery.

 

Regrets flooded my mind as I tore up the piece of paper which had the delivery man's number. The person making the deliveries had an unnaturally high interest in me, and his continuous attempts at getting my number was an annoyance.

 

I had barely just dismissed the delivery man and was about to move my furniture in my garage when I heard a familiar hum of a Porsche. I swore.

 

Of course it was Seulgi. And with her family.

 

Just bring the whole damn coven right to my doorsteps, why don't you?

 

Don't get me wrong. I like Seulgi, I enjoy her company. But her family, her family was a different story. I was supposed to be avoiding the coven; not meeting them, not arousing any doubts about me.

 

Apparently Seulgi had other plans.

 

Sighing heavily, I forced a smile on my face as I turned to greet the vampires piling out of the car.

 

“HEY!”

 

I winced, my supernatural sense of hearing amplifying Seulgi's already loud greeting. As she bounced up to me, I grabbed her hand and pulled her to a corner of my garage.

 

“Hi. Would you mind explaining this situation unfolding right now?”

 

Seulgi had a sheepish look on her face as she rubbed her nape; something she always does when she was caught doing something she wasn't supposed to do. For instance, right now.

 

“Well, I thought you could get some help. You know, moving furniture and all. My mum is also an interior designer so she's also here to help. I'm sorry if you're upset about this decision, I just wanted to help.”

 

The downcast expression on her face melted away all my anger and annoyance. Even though I told her ‘no’ yesterday, it's apparent she wouldn't take it for an answer. After all, she was just trying to help. This unexpected turn of events also presented me with a chance to observe the Kims up close.

 

Ruffling her hair, I tilted Seulgi's face upwards, so her eyes would meet mine. Staring into those curious golden orbs, I hoped to convey my sincerity.

 

“It’s okay. I overreacted, and I would love to get your families help. Besides, that just means I get to spend more time with you, right?”

 

I never knew a person's smile could be so bright. Joy sprang back into Seulgi's eyes as she grabbed my hand and nodded eagerly, before pulling me out to meet her family.

 

A woman with magenta, whom I assume is her adoptive mother and perhaps the coven leader, greeted me warmly.

 

“Hello, I am Kim Jisoo. I am Seulgi’s mother,” She stuck out a hand towards me.

 

I raised a blush, before accepting the hand before me.

 

“Pleasure to meet you, ma’am. I'm Irene.”

 

Yeri, who was leaning on the car, raised an eyebrow and mouthed ‘ma’am?’ to Seulgi, who in turn shrugged.

 

“Please, just call me Jisoo. Ma'am makes me sound old. It's nice to finally meet my daughter's only friend.”

 

I stifled a laugh at that. It was true, since I've yet to see Seulgi, or any of the Kims, associate themself with any of the students at school.

 

Seulgi jabbed my ribs, shooting a glare towards me before shooting one towards Jisoo.

 

“Well, since Yeri and Lisa are unloading the furniture, shall we see the house's layout?” Jisoo pointed in the direction of my garage, where Yeri and Lisa are busy unpacking boxes. They did appear to be struggling from the weight of the boxes, credit to their performance.

 

“Sure.”

 

I ushered Jisoo and Seulgi into my house, where they surveyed the interior of my home. After a moment's observation, Jisoo turned back to me.

 

“The design of this house is not bad, although it is in a sore need for a paint job.”

 

Glancing at the faded walls around me, I nodded in agreement.

 

Seulgi however, had a glint in her eyes.

 

“Well, it's a good thing I brought paint!” She chirped excitedly and bounced outside.

 

I looked at Jisoo, who laughed.

 

“That's Seulgi for you.”

 

I groaned. “Why do I have a feeling that even if I didn't need a paint job, we would be painting either way?”

 

“Because we would be painting either way.” Seulgi gave me a smug look, holding four cans of paint in her hands.

 

“Fine.”

 

Seulgi gave a shout of happiness, jumping up and punching the air, racing around the room and discussing about colours with Jisoo.

 

I sat back on the couch, taking the scene before me. How can a vampire be so adorable?

 

In my distracted state, I failed to notice a blonde standing in front of me, flashing a large grin.

 

“Hi! I'm Yeri!”

 

I quickly stood up to introduce myself, extending my hand in greeting. Yeri ignored the hand and engulfed me in a huge hug. I tensed at the sudden skinship, before lightly patting her shoulder.

 

“Um, Hi.” I huffed out. Who knew that tiny vampire put so much strength into a hug?

 

“Yeri!” Seulgi shouted, and Yeri released her grip, letting me fall unceremoniously on my behind, evoking laughter from the blonde.

 

“Wow, thanks.” I mumbled as Yeri just gwaffed louder at the look on my face.

 

I spotted a can of paint not far from me And a devious plan formed in my head to get back at the blonde. Grabbing the paint, I hurled the contents at the blonde. However, being a vampire, Yeri ducked and the paint landed on a very surprised Seulgi instead.

 

“Why you…”

 

Seulgi charged with her paintbrush in hand, and I staggered away through laughter, ‘tripping’ over my own feet and turning it into a roll, before getting into a sword fighting position, armed with my own paintbrush.

 

“On guard!”

 

Seulgi mirrored my stance, and lunged first. Deftly sidestepping and deflecting the attacking paintbrush with my own, I made a stab towards her. Dancing forwards and backwards, Seulgi and I exchanged blows. Currently, I had a streak of white on my cheek, and several stripes across my waist. Since Seulgi was already drenched with paint, it was hard to see if I did get her or not. Our little duel gathered three audience members watching intently, with Yeri rating and commenting on each like one would in the Olympics, and Lisa taking points for each blow we managed to land on each other.

 

After a while of us going back and forth, I finally succumbed to ‘exhaustion’ and sank to my knees, raising my hands in surrender. I was huffing and my cheeks were flushed red, and I increased the rate of my heartbeat.

 

“You can really sword fight for a clumsy person!” Seulgi flopped on the floor beside me, tracing her eyes on the marks she made on me.

 

I gulped. The way her eyes caressed my face and body stirred up a strange sensation pooling in my stomach. Laughing nervously and avoiding her eyes, I replied, “My parents made me take lessons when I was young, saying there will come one day where it would be useful.”

 

I actually took lessons in sword fighting from the knights of the Round Table, just to relieve boredom. It was interesting to watch the knights parry each other, and it was useful in honing my fighting instincts, not that a flimsy sword would do anything towards a vampire’s skin. It was an interesting art to learn, and it served the purpose of entertaining Seulgi’s family today.

 

(a/n): so this update was late. okay so this update was very late. Sorry!! I had a mental block after the first chapter because I had no idea how to bring the plot forward aka angst so for now yall will enjoy fluff

 

Hope you liked the update and have a great day!! -Yerisblondehair