Siyeon didn’t know how much time passed, but she had to be staring at Bora for at least a few minutes.

There was no way she was here right now. She had seen her die, heard the gunshots that still haunted her dreams every night.

She should have moved, walked away because her mind was playing tricks on her. Especially when she looked at Bora’s eyes. They were red.

“It’s me,” Bora said softly. Hesitantly, she laid her hand on Siyeon’s shoulder. She knew how the younger woman was feeling. And it was obvious Siyeon had been suffering the last weeks. She was even skinnier now and her eyebags looked beyond concerning.

“I’m sorry I didn’t come to see you earlier. I had to figure out some stuff,” Bora added when Siyeon still wasn’t speaking.

“What happened?” Siyeon asked. It was so quiet that Bora almost missed it.

“You probably won’t believe me when I tell you,” Bora replied with a sigh. She had a hard time believing it herself. She was a vampire, something she knew from movies and books. She was shocked to learn that they were real and that she was one of them now.

The first days after she had been turned were hard. Bora had this insatiable thirst for blood and she was ready to do everything to get it. Fortunately, the person that turned her was able to teach her how to control her hunger and her new abilities. Bora was a lot stronger now. And she was faster, which she actually liked. But of course, it had its downsides as well. While she could still eat normal food, she would feel incredibly sick after that.

“I want to know. I need to know,” Siyeon said as she stood up. She would believe everything Bora told her. All that mattered to her was that she was here.

Bora sighed and nodded before she began to explain everything to the other woman.

The ground was cold. Bora just hoped it would end soon and that she would die. She got shot twice, but she was still breathing, barely, but breathing.

The men had run away, leaving her alone. Tears rolled down Bora’s cheeks as she thought of her friends. Yoohyeon, who had become like a sister to her over the years. And Siyeon. Siyeon who was always there for her, Siyeon she fell in love with and was too scared to admit it.

Just when she thought it was over, taking her last breaths, two women appeared beside her. She hadn’t even noticed them walking up to her.

The next thing she felt was a piercing pain on her neck before the world faded to black.

When Bora opened her eyes again, the women were still by her side and now she could see them clearly.

“What…” she said as she sat up. She looked down, the bullet wounds on her body gone. She felt weird and she couldn’t describe it.

“It worked,” one of the women said.

“Who are you?” Bora asked. “And what did you do?”

“I’m Jiu,” the other woman replied. “And this is Irene. We helped you.”

It took a while until Jiu finished explaining everything to Bora and even when she was done, Bora was confused and shocked. She wouldn’t have believed her if she didn’t feel the thirst for blood herself.

“Come with us,” Irene said. “We’ll show you everything you need to know.”

“You’re a vampire?” Siyeon asked. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to laugh, cry or run away. It was too much. Bora’s death, then the fact that she wasn’t dead and now she was a vampire.

“Are you scared?” Bora asked softly. Siyeon hadn’t even noticed that her body started to shake slightly. The question made her think. If Bora wanted to, she could kill her in seconds. Those red eyes and fangs would be terrifying for most. But for Siyeon, Bora was still the woman she learned to love and appreciate. The person she felt most comfortable with.

“No,” Siyeon said with a shake of her head. “Should I be scared? Are you going to do something to me?”

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Bora said. “I could never hurt you.”

“Then there’s no need for me to be scared of you,” Siyeon replied and pulled Bora into a tight embrace. It felt different somehow, probably because Bora felt cold and Siyeon couldn’t feel her heartbeat anymore. But as long as Bora was in her arms again, she didn’t care. Maybe she would freak out later. But for now, she just wanted to hold the woman.

“What you said to me that night…did you mean it?” Bora asked, disrupting the silence.

“What do you mean?”

“When you said you loved me. Did you mean it?”

Siyeon hesitated. Of course she meant it. Bora was the most important person in her life.

“I did,” she replied. She wasn’t sure if Bora’s silence was a good or bad sign.

Bora didn’t know how to react either. A few weeks ago, she would have been beyond happy to hear those words from Siyeon. But now it was different. Bora was a vampire. If she dated Siyeon, she would probably only hurt her.

“I still love you,” Siyeon said, as if she could read Bora’s thoughts. “You being a vampire doesn’t change anything. You’re still you.”

“But what if I’m not?” Bora asked. “I changed. I’m a monster.”

“You’re not,” Siyeon denied instantly. There was no way for her to understand how Bora was feeling, but all she knew was that she didn’t want her to hate herself.

“You’re still my best friend, the person who always looked out for me and listened to me. Some things might be different now, but you’re not a monster. So don’t ever say that again.”

Bora didn’t notice she was crying. She wasn’t even sure if she was still able to do that.

“You’re wonderful,” Siyeon whispered, wiping Bora’s tears away with her thumb. “And whatever happens, I’ll always be by your side. I might not understand what you’re going through, but I can promise you that I won’t leave you alone. You have me, and I’m sure Yoohyeon will think the same. I love you Bora, I really do.”

The vampire smiled softly and nodded before she pressed her lips against Siyeon’s gently. If there was one thing she was sure of, it was that Siyeon was the best thing to happen to her and that she was ready for whatever would come as long as they were together.