Seulgi crossed her legs as she waited for her coffee, leaning her chin into her hand as her eyes scanned the crowded café.  She was crammed against a window, placing her sketchbook and bag on the empty seat across from her.  Her other hand drummed absently on the shiny wooden table, giving the illusion to an impatience that was impossible with all of eternity stretched before her.

“Hot caramel coffee?”

Seulgi lifted her head to see the new barista- new since five years ago when she’d last been to the café.  She was a tall woman with her shoulder length hair tied back into a sloppy low pony tail.  Probably young.  A college student maybe.

“Thank you,” she murmured quietly, carefully grasping the warm mug as she glanced at the woman’s name tag. Sooyoung.  She’d have to ask Seungwan about her when she arrived.

“You’re waiting for the boss, right?”

“Seungwan is the boss now?” Seulgi asked with thinly veiled amusement.  When they’d last spoke, Seungwan had been a part-time barista working through her last year of college. 

“Yeah she’s the store manager.  She should be here soon; she just texted me that she was running a little late.”

“No problem.  I’ll just be here. People watching.”

Sooyoung gave her an amused smile and nodded as she walked back to the counter to help the other barista with the mounting orders. 

Seulgi took a sip of her coffee, welcoming the way it numbed her tongue.  She couldn’t taste the sweetness that she knew was in the drink but the sugar made her teeth ache in a way that blood couldn’t.

She quickly checked her phone and saw Byulyi had sent her an email with an attachment of an updated schedule.  She sighed and slid the device a safe distance away from her, face down.  Seulgi didn’t need to see what was most likely just more reminders that her mandatory meeting with Joohyun was approaching.  The thought made her teeth ache until they were sharp, cutting her lower lip in a way that made her stomach churn. 

As soon as she had returned to Seoul, her hunger had been practically insatiable.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

Seulgi raised her head and smiled at the familiar voice.  Their five years of separation had changed the other woman.  Practically imperceptible lines of age framed the corners of her eyes and her hair was a mature black instead of a reddish brown. 

“You look different.”

“And you look exactly the same.”

Seulgi shrugged, spinning her mug of coffee slowly in place as Seungwan got settled, placing the bag of art supplies gingerly on the floor.

“How was Japan?”

“A good bit of respite from work.”

“I didn’t know that you even had to work.”

Seulgi glanced up at Seungwan’s wry mouth, hearing the edge of curiosity coloring her observation.  It was always a delicate song and dance befriending humans.  Acknowledging what she really was would put them in danger, especially with her ties with both the Hunter’s Association and Joohyun.  But Seungwan always was safe. They never openly talked about how Seungwan had grown from high school student to college part-timer to working adult while Seulgi had stayed exactly the same.

Stagnant for all of eternity.

“Sometimes I do.  To help things move in the right direction.”

“You sound like a member of the Illuminati.”

“You’re not totally wrong,” Seulgi said with a small smile, getting a giggle from Wendy.

“It’s good to see you.  You’re… you seem lighter than last time.”

Seulgi paused meeting Seungwan’s steady gaze.  She remembered their last meeting like sifting through shards of broken glass, visible but fragmented behind complete comprehension.

“I think nothing will compare to five years ago.”

“Well, I hope whatever happens doesn’t happen again.”

She closed her eyes, trying to forget that overwhelming scent of blood and the way Joohyun had stood, surprised but not repentant.  Like Seulgi had simply interrupted her watching an embarrassing television show rather than a massacre.

“I don’t think that’s possible,” she replied roughly, reaching for the coffee to coat her suddenly dry throat.

“Right.  You can’t leave me so quickly after you’ve returned. You have to take me to see that exhibit you helped curate for this season.”

“I won’t leave you before then, I promise.”

They shared a smile and Seulgi finished the rest of her coffee.

Seulgi stood in front of Byulyi’s desk, arms behind her back as she wore a formal blazer and slacks.  The other woman was sitting with a hand loosely gripping what smelled like some foreign alcohol.

“It’s a little late to request a meeting from me, Seulgi.”

“It’s important,” she muttered, casting her eyes down to the sleek wood of Chairman Moon’s desk.  It was impeccable mahogany with the only decoration being a crystal name plaque and a picture frame that had been perpetually face down since the very first time Seulgi had entered the other woman’s office. 

“So important that you can’t wait till after our Summit meeting next week?”

Seulgi bit her lip at the question, meeting Byulyi’s eyes in a silent plea.  The other woman sighed and leaned back into her chair, the ice in her drink clinking delicately against the glass tumbler.

“You’re aware of the circumstances of the case from five years ago?”

Byulyi’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. 

“Yes but… why on earth would you of all people want to bring that up with me now?”

Seulgi swallowed as she clenched her fists behind her back, trying to shore her nerves. 

“Well after I requested to leave post the… incident… I was in Japan, as you know, and I was thinking of the circumstances surrounding it all.”

“For five years?” Byulyi observed drolly, bringing her drink to her lips for a sip.

“I couldn’t quite forget about it.”

Seulgi’s jaw clenched as the cloying scent of rotten flesh filled her nose just at the mention. 

“And so?”

“And so… and so I was wondering if I could have the file regarding the investigative report?”

“The one that we both signed off and wrote together?” Byulyi was staring at Seulgi like she was crazy. “Why would you want to look at that again?”

“Because I think we missed something when we were finishing the report.  So, I wanted to recheck some of the photographs.  I wasn’t exactly… in my best state of mind when it was all happening so I wonder if I remember everything properly.”

Byulyi hummed at the admission.

“Since you wrote and signed off on it I suppose you can retrieve it from the archives again.  I’ll let Wheein know that you’ll be stopping by.”

“Thank you.”

“But Seulgi, you know even if you didn’t remember most it all, it still happened.”

Seulgi met Byulyi’s solemn gaze, swallowing at the way she was being studied.  Her eyes were a little amber as the sunset painted the office golden, shadows unfurling like stretching cats.  The ice in the tumbler groaned as it melted, collapsing in on itself.

“I know.  I just needed to confirm something in that file before…”

Byulyi arched an eyebrow with a curiosity tempered with exasperation. 

“Should I be worried? Will I wake up to the news that Bae Joohyun was murdered?”

Almost instantly Seulgi felt her vision blur, the absolute thought of her murdering her sire so physically repulsive that she almost felt ill.  She clenched onto her wrists out of desperation to stay in control as she attempted to center herself.

“Never,” she hissed lowly, “I could never murder her.  Even if I wanted to.”

Byulyi hummed as she placed her drink on her desk.

“You vampires are simple.  Maybe even simpler than humans.  All you want is to have and drink blood.  And yet the ties to your sires complicate everything.”

Seulgi swallowed at the observation, taking it in stride.  Byulyi was the only one she would tolerate speaking to her like that.  Despite the bluntness of the words, she never held any malice.  At least not toward Seulgi.

“We both know if I had gotten what I wanted, I would be dead by now and the only way Joohyun would have any control over me would be maintaining how often I had flowers placed on my gravestone.”

Byulyi blinked owlishly at the statement, cocking her head a little in surprise.

“In the past ten years that I’ve know you, I always appreciated your unparalleled sense of self-loathing.”

Seulgi just gave the other woman a crooked smile, listening to the ice crackle as it caved in on itself one final time before disappearing into nothingness.

Seulgi sat in her desk chair at her apartment, examining the manila case file.  Her desk was strewn with old pictures and hand written notes from over five years ago, filling in blanks that may have not been formal enough to be placed in the actual report on file.

“6:24 PM, Agent Kang received a report from a source that there was an internal conflict with vampires who were gathered for a meeting by the Former Lordship of South Korea, Jung Taewoo.  It involved faction leaders Bae Joohyun, Kim Yongsun, Park Jonghyun, Park Jin, Kim Taeyeon, and Lee Sunmi.”

She swallowed as ached.  Holding the files in one hand, she crossed over to the refrigerator.  Pulling out an opaque metal water bottle, she placed the container next to the sink with a gentle clink.  Seulgi chewed on her lip as she continued.

“Agent Kang was incapacitated by an unnamed factional leader upon arrival.  When she regained consciousness she saw the corpses of several of the faction leaders’ familiars and offspring.  Agent Kang confirms that Bae Joohyun was the one who had committed the murders.  7:13 PM Chariman Moon arrived on the scene and-”

“A bedtime story like that would give you nightmares.”

Seulgi tensed at the familiar voice, hating how her shoulders relaxed.  She ignored the presence of the other woman in favor of taking a hefty swig from her bottle, a little at how good the viscous liquid felt coating her aching throat.

“You don’t feed enough.”

“Is that…” Seulgi faltered as she saw a pale hand hovering over her arm.  She clenched her jaw as she took another angry gulp, suppressing the urge to push Joohyun against the nearest flat service and beg for a bite.

“Is that any of your concern?” Seulgi asked levelly as she raised her head to meet Joohyun’s eyes.  If her heart still beat she knew it would be thundering in her ears at the sight of the other girl, dark eyes set in a small pale face like the most deadly doll.  Small red lips pulled down in a frown at Seulgi’s stormy tone.

“How could you ask if your well-being is my concern, Seulgi?”

“Don’t… don’t say my name like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like you…”  Seulgi turned away from Joohyun and set her water bottle down into the sink.  She heard the deafening sound of the other woman take a step closer. 

“Like I still care about you?”

Seulgi let out a near whimper, shakily trying to turn on the sink to clean out the inside of the water bottle.  The whoosh of the water filling the sink calmed her, white noise in the cacophony of her scattered thoughts surrounding Joohyun.

“Why did I just find out that you were opening up things you shouldn’t be?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The water filling the sink broke the silence.

“That file from five years ago.  Why are you looking at it again?”

“Is that any of your concern?”

“It is when it has my name on it.”

Seulgi turned to look at the other woman, ignoring how tight felt at Joohyun’s proximity.  She was practically in her space, arms crossed angrily over her chest as she glared up at her.

“I killed all of those humans and vampires on that list except for Kim Yongsun because she swore fealty to me to save herself.”

“And then you nearly killed me to cover it up.”

Joohyun shoulders relaxed and she nodded with a bit of a smile.

“I nearly killed you because you wouldn’t raise a hand to defend yourself.  I was so angry at you for just taking whatever I was throwing at you.  No matter how hard I lectured you about the nature of the world we belong to you always were too gentle.  Couldn’t even pick flowers for me without their damn petals.”

“Stop. Don’t talk about the past anymore.”

Joohyun bared her fangs a little in a challenge.

“You order me?”

“I request it.  I would never order you to do anything.”

“I know you never wanted anything more from me then the one thing I could never give you.  Your humanity.”

Seulgi shut off the water with a jerk of her wrist and the silence stretched between them, filling all the crevices of their past until everything seemed to crumble.

“It’s always the same argument with you, Unnie.  Why did you bother to come here?”

“Because you’re trying to look at that old file.  As the Lord of South Korea, it is not in the best interest of this country’s vampire society for such a report to be reexamined.  Especially with the Summit so close.  I need all Korean vampires to be under me, not swayed by some new tidbits that could bring my downfall.”

Joohyun crossed her arms and leaned against the refrigerator, mouth pulled into an irritated pout.  Seulgi gazed at her, trying to recognize the Joohyun she knew all those years ago who had whispered how wonderful she found the scent of fabric softener with an embarrassed giggle.  All she saw was the hardened expression of an insatiable woman who always wanted more.

“Every time I talk to you…. I feel like I know you even less than the time before.”

Hurt creased Joohyun’s brow for a moment before she let out a small growl of frustration.

“Your feelings aren’t relevant to this discussion, Seulgi.  What matters now is that you stay in line and keep this investigation dead.  All I need from you is stability until the Summit is over with.  Can you promise me this?”

“Just because something happened doesn’t make it true.  I think the contents of this file might prove that.”

Joohyun laughed with teeth.

“Believe what you want.  But if you continue to look into that file,” Joohyun took a step forward and Seulgi no longer could move. “I will take matters into my own hands.  If you thought I was a monster before, you’ve seen nothing yet.”

Seulgi fought to breath as Joohyun nosed the side of .  There was something about feeling the solidness of Joohyun against her chest for the first time in years that made a whine escape her.  Joohyun’s ghosted cool breath against her neck and a wet kiss was placed there.  She trembled, fighting against the warring urges to push Joohyun away and pull her closer.

Suddenly Joohyun took a step back and her eyes were a little reddish, giving away her hint of bloodlust from her actions.

“I will not command you, Seulgi.  But stick to the schedule and itinerary of the Summit and you can go back to travelling the world in your little self-righteous bubble.  I will no longer try to stop you.”

Seulgi felt the thrall on her end and her knees trembled as she was finally freed from Joohyun’s control.  She gripped the edge of the kitchen sink as she panted, looking up at Joohyun’s steady form.

“F-fine,” she choked out, baring her fangs a little in defiance. 

Joohyun stared down at her once before reaching forward and tucking a strand of hair behind Seulgi’s ear, ignoring the other woman’s flinch from her touch.

“Stay safe, Kang Seulgi.”

When Seulgi blinked again, she was alone in her apartment.   

Rewind.

Seulgi watched Joohyun curiously with wide eyes as the other girl paused, as if contemplating whether she should respond or not.  She had been walking home after dinner with a friend when she noticed her Joohyun’s form in the alleyway across from her apartment.  Without hesitation she had approached her back, calling out.

“Unnie,” she tried again, walking deeper into the dark and narrow alleyway.  Joohyun’s silhouette became more solid the closer she got and she reached out a hand to touch her shoulder.

“Don’t. Don’t touch me,” the other woman warned, back taut with tension like a drawn bowstring.  Seulgi paused, hand awkwardly hanging in the air as Joohyun turned and stared at her with blood red eyes and a mouth smeared copper.  Her heart hammered in her ears as she saw the edge of sharpened fangs just barely peeking from . 

“Unnie? She whispered, watching as Joohyun’s jaw clenched.

“You’re afraid.”

“I’m…”

“I can hear your heartbeat,” Joohyun murmured, angling her body so that Seulgi was pivoting backwards and stepping into the brick wall of the alleyway.  The other girl looked up at her with a feral smile and she couldn’t help the little tremble as she stared into unfamiliar eyes.

“It’s so fast, Seulgi-yah.  It makes me… thirsty.” Joohyun her bottom lip and pressed a little closer into her, almost staining Seulgi’s blouse.  She swallowed and despite how loud her heartbeat was, she stared into Joohyun’s eyes and behind that twisted smile she saw something a little lonely. And a little afraid.

“Unnie, are you hurt?”

“What?”

“I asked if you’re hurt.  Is any of this blood yours?”

Joohyun’s face twitched at the question and she almost took a step back but Seulgi stopped her with a weak grab of the wrist.

“You’re asking if I’m hurt,” she asked incredulously, like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

Seulgi nodded, fighting at the revulsion she felt as she examined the blood on the other girl’s blouse, trying to see injury.  Joohyun on the other hand seemed speechless at the admission, her head dropping to look down at her wrist loosely gripped in Seulgi’s hand.

“You’re scared right now. And yet you… you ask if I’m alright?”

Seulgi bit her lip as she nodded, forcing herself to meet Joohyun’s bloody eyes.    Her brow was knit in consternation and she stared at Seulgi like she was seeing her for the first time.

“Unnie, you didn’t answer my question.”

Joohyun said nothing as she leaned forward a little, so close that Seulgi went a bit cross-eyed at the movement.  They shared a breath between them for a pregnant moment before Joohyun suddenly reeled back like she’d been burned.  And then she blinked and Seulgi was all along in the alleyway, lips tingling with the softness of the almost kiss.

forward.

Joohyun sighed as she took a sip of her wine, gazing out of her apartment’s massive window to stare at the city scape of Seoul.  It was as vibrant as ever with lights glittering in the darkness of night like a million stars.

“Another assassination attempt? These things are getting a bit old.”

“You murdered  your way into this position! You deserve nothing!”

Joohyun glared at her own reflection in the glass, her fangs sharp.  She wondered with each passing day if she was becoming more and more like the former Lord of South Korea.  That bastard.  But wasn’t this exactly what he wanted?

“Your insubordination so close to the Summit meeting puts into jeopardy the very tenuous peace we have with the Hunter Association.  Do you think a leaderless group of vampires could withstand an organization that’s being led by a gumiho? How do you think a bunch of thugs would fare against Moon Byulyi?”

The vampire before her was an old servant of the former Lord.  She had seen him sometimes standing in the back.  Nameless and non-vocal.  Apparently you could be both of those things while trying to murder someone.

“I took what I was given.  You of all people know the former Lord had been grooming me to be his successor the moment he turned me.”

“Then why did you murder him?”

Joohyun turned at the question, observing the man on his knees, his lip bleeding and eyes blindfolded. 

“I killed him because he deserved to die,” she said simply with a smile.  She looked behind the man to the two guards who waited for her order.

“Dispose of him.  And don’t try to suppress the rumors of how he died or who killed him.  The other vampires could do with a lesson every now and again.”

The guards bowed and took the vampire by his arms, pulling him away.

“Murderer! Sire-slayer!”

Joohyun simply raised her glass to him, sipping the deep taste of betrayal until her teeth ached.