A/N: This chapter's theme is Maze in The Mirror, by TXT. It's in the playlist I did for this story, if you haven't checked it out, you can do it here!

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Her eyes slowly opened, and she looked around.

“H-Hyunjin?”

Hyunjin sat up and turned her neck to the source of the voice. “Heejin,” she mumbled, observing the girl curling up in the corner of the room. “Are you okay?”

“Are you okay?”

Hyunjin leaned back against the wall, observing her surroundings. Just another small, white room, but with those cell bars diving the room. And now, she was behind them with Heejin.

“What happened?” Hyunjin asked.

“I don’t know. I was leaving the organization, and a few minutes after, someone jumped on me. When I woke up, I was here.”

“Goddess…” Hyunjin let her head hit the wall with a sigh. “I ed up.”

“You should just have ignored me and kept the-“

“No. I wouldn’t. I have no idea what they’re up to or what they could do to you.”

“Why would you care?”

Hyunjin frowned at her. “What do you mean? Why do you still think I don’t care-”

The door flew open. Both Hyunjin and Heejin snapped their necks to it, and Hyunjin got up on her feet.

“Jungeun.”

“You’re awake,” she stated, closing the door behind her.

“You followed me home yesterday, followed Heejin, you told on us, and now this.”

“You knew?”

Hyunjin approached the bars and grabbed on them, releasing her anger on her fists around the cold iron. “You and Jiwoo said you didn’t like doing whatever you were doing. You were about to turn someone, weren’t you?” she asked, and Jungeun’s eyes went huge. “If you hate it, why were you doing it?”

Jungeun tried to look serious, but she couldn’t even face Hyunjin anymore.

“Whatever, it doesn’t even matter if you tell me what the hell is going on or not, I’m gonna find out and end this,” Hyunjin spat, turning around.

“You’re messing with the wrong people.”

Hyunjin halted, and only her neck moved, her eyes shifting and her fangs growing. She approached the metal bars again, eyes locked on Jungeun’s. “No, you messed with the wrong people.”

Jungeun shook her head. “You really don’t know-”

“And I don’t care,” Hyunjin hissed.

Without fighting back, Jungeun exited the room. Hyunjin spun on her heels, took a couple large steps, and hit the wall with her fists, so hard it made the room shake.

“,” she cursed under her breath, dropping her head and shutting her eyes down.

“H-Hyunjin,” Heejin called, barely a whisper.

“I’m sorry. This is all my fault, you trusted me, and look at where it got you. Be mad at me all you want, curse at me, whatever you want, hit me if you want to.”

“I’m scared.”

Hyunjin snapped her head to face Heejin. Her body was still curled against the corner, her arms around her knees. She focused for a second on her senses, and could now hear how Heejin’s heart beat so fast and strong, and her body trembled.

“You’re a slayer. You fight vampires.” Hyunjin sat down.

“I never fight alone, and I fight with my blades. What am I supposed to feel when I’m stuck in a vampire den, alone, without my blades?”

“You’re not alone.”

“What can you possibly do? Fight who knows how many alone, without your gun?”

Hyunjin clenched her jaw, avoiding looking at Heejin anymore. Because she didn’t want to admit that she was right.

The door opened again, and this time, it was Jinyoung. Hyunjin got on her feet again, anger already prickling under her skin.

“How are you feeling, Hyunjin?” he asked with his charming smile.

“What do you want?”

“Oh, nothing special. Just wanted to check on you since Jungeun warned me you were awake.”

“What do you intend to do with us?”

“You know, I thought you were suspicious right at the beginning. Call it a gut feeling, if you want to. I’m glad I checked on you, but I really have to admit I would never say you were friends with a slayer. How does it feel, to be friends with your mortal enemy?”

“Don’t talk about what you don’t know.”

Jinyoung laughed. “Then explain it to me.”

“I don’t owe you anything.”

“What a shame. I really wanted to understand, why in the world a vampire would even want to get close to the ones that hunt us.”

“Don’t say us. I am not like you.”

“Oh?” He irked an eyebrow. “Why is that?”

“You’ll find out.”

He let out another chuckle. “I’ll be looking forward to that. In the meanwhile, I hope you enjoy your meal.”

“What?”

“I still don’t know how far you went with your lies, but I’m assuming you didn’t feed before coming here, am I right? Either because you wanted to drink here again, or to keep your façade. So, I’m keeping you both there, so you can see for yourself why we can’t be friends with them, as in the end, they’re still humans. Come on, Hyunjin. It’s your turn to prove them they’re right about us. That we really are some evil monsters, right?”

A pang shot in Hyunjin’s chest. “You son of a -”

“And then you ask why we hunt you,” Heejin said, her voice trembling, but louder.

“You hunt and kill us, and we are the evil ones for wanting to survive?” Jinyoung asked, shaking his head. “Your sense of what’s right is very twisted.”

“You kill humans!” Hyunjin approached the bars.

“Don’t you?”

“No. Never. Not a single time have I attacked a human.”

“I really won’t believe a single word you say, since everything you told me so far were lies. But even if that was true, then enjoy your first time.” Jinyoung smiled and turned, leaving the room.

The silence was painful. Hyunjin didn’t have the courage to look back at Heejin, and instead, grabbed on the cell bars again, and with everything she had, she tried to move them. But they didn’t even budge.

“What in the world are these made of?!” Hyunjin mumbled, trying again, and again, but to no avail.

She gave up, taking a step back, and looking at her own hands, she never felt so weak, so powerless.

“You drank blood here yesterday, didn’t you?” Heejin asked.

There was silence again, because Hyunjin couldn’t come up with an answer.

“I thought it was weird when you said they offered shelter and blood to vampires here. You were playing a vampire who was hungry, it only made sense if they gave you some. And you drank it.”

Hyunjin’s legs failed her. She dropped to the floor, memories from the day before flooding her mind.

“I couldn’t come up with an excuse not to do it. I didn’t want to give them reasons to suspect me, so I...”

Hands hid her own face as Hyunjin couldn’t hold it anymore. She honestly didn’t remember when was the last time she cried. But this time, she gave up on fighting back the tears, and let them all out.

“I drank it, Heejin. I drank... human blood,” she finally confessed it out loud. “I swore I would never do it. I wanted to throw up, I felt sick when Jiwoo gave me the bottle. But you know the worst part?”

Hyunjin forced herself to turn, to look at Heejin through her fogged eyes. She didn’t know if to try and make her see how distressed she was, or to study her reaction. “I liked it. My body liked it. I couldn’t stop until I drank the whole bottle. And I hate it, I hate myself for that.”

Heejin looked away, leaving Hyunjin puzzled about what she was really thinking. But Hyunjin could take a guess. Disgusted, afraid, now that she was stuck with a monster that drank human blood.

Hyunjin scooted back, resting her back against the wall, and let the silence engulf her, as she brought her knees to her chest and hugged them, burying her face in her arms. There was nothing else she could possibly say or do at that moment. She just had to prepare and embrace what was about to happen soon.

—

Time kept going by, but Hyunjin had lost track of it. She had fallen asleep, thinking of what she could do in that situation, but she was wide awake now, and the hunger was only getting stronger. She eyed Heejin, and she was still in the same place, head leaned back against the wall and eyes closed. If she was sleeping or not, Hyunjin didn’t know, but she wouldn’t ask either.

There was no way Hyunjin could contact Jinsol at that moment, but even if she could, maybe it was better not. She knew she wouldn’t hesitate in showing up to help like a super hero, but there was nothing Jinsol would be able to do as well. And there wasn’t anyone else Hyunjin could ask for help, really. She would have to get herself and Heejin out of that on her own, and she doubted she could ask her for help. She had broken Heejin’s trust before even earning it.

There was just one thing in Hyunjin’s mind. But it had been long since anyone at all entered that room, so how could she get Jungeun to help her if she didn’t show up?

If Hyunjin could feel Jungeun’s scent in the midst of all the smells she could constantly feel, she could scream, pretend something was happening so she was forced to go and check on it.

But the hunger was starting to get to her. Jinyoung was right – she hadn’t fed before going that day, and of course she didn’t bring her emergency blood flask with her. Her mind was starting to fog, her fangs wanted to grow, but she contained them. There was this discomfort in all her body, like a constant but small ache running through her veins.

“Heejin,” she called, even though she knew Heejin didn’t even want to look at her. But it was her only option.

“Hm?” Heejin answered, much to her surprise.

“Talk to me.”

“What?”

“Just talk to me, say whatever you want. I need to keep my conscience.”

There was a small gasp, almost like a yelp. Hyunjin looked at her, and there it was – Heejin's widened, terrified eyes at her.

“Don’t be scared, please. I just need your help. Can you help me?”

Heejin’s gulp was loud, but she still nodded. “What do you want me to say?”

“Anything. Tell me a story, ask me questions if you want to.”

“How old are you?”

Hyunjin chuckled. “Try and guess.”

“Twenty.”

“You’re not wrong, in a way. I was twenty when I was turned. But I was turned forty-seven years ago.”

Heejin’s chin dropped. “You’re... sixty-seven years old?”

“You didn’t expect me to be this old?” Hyunjin asked.

“No. How is it... to live so many years and not age?”

Hyunjin thought for a second. “Boring.”

“Boring?”

“I wonder if people who keep a nine to five all their lives feel this way. I’ve been living for this long, but there’s not a lot I’ve done. I mean, what can I do? I can’t go and enjoy good food, I can’t go and get a normal job and try and live a normal life when I have a mission to fulfill.”

“What is it? That mission?”

Hyunjin looked at Heejin again. “Kill the vampire that turned me.”

Heejin frowned. “I thought you wanted to kill bad vampires and protect people?”

“Of course. That’s what I’ve been doing for years. But, I still need to do that.”

“How do you even know if he’s alive?”

“You do know how vampires are turned, right?” She asked, and Heejin nodded. “Your sire’s blood runs in your veins. When they die, you feel a bit of yourself vanish, like something being ripped off your body.”

Her chin dropped low again. “I didn’t know about that. So you never felt that?”

“No. I know he’s still alive, and I will find him, even if that takes me my whole life.”

“But... even if you do that, then what? What will that bring you? Revenge? Satisfaction?”

“You could say so. I don’t care if it sounds like a poor motivation, or if it’s selfish. If he had just turned me, maybe I wouldn’t keep this grudge for so long. But that wasn’t the only thing he did." Hyunjin could see in Heejin’s eyes that she wanted to ask what else he did, then. “He killed my family. And I saw it happen right before my own eyes.”

Lifeless bodies on the ground, pools of blood, her clothes drained in red, and those terrifying black eyes – the images flooded Hyunjin’s mind, as vivid as she could remember them.

“I’m sorry,” Heejin muttered, dropping her head. “My parents... they were also killed by vampires.”

Hyunjin wanted to answer, but the scent she had been wanting to feel appeared. She jumped on her feet and was about to scream, to do something to call her attention, but she didn’t have to. The door flew open, with Jungeun stepping inside and closing it behind her.

“Jungeun,” Hyunjin called, her voice hurried, as she approached the bars and held on them. “Bring me blood, please.”

Jungeun met her eyes. “Why would I do that?”

Hyunjin’s jaw clenched. “Help me, and I will help you.”

She scoffed. “Help me with what?”

“Taking you and Jiwoo out of here.”

“What are you talking about?” Jungeun frowned. “We’re fine here-”

“No, you’re not. I heard it pretty well, Jiwoo saying she hated doing it, and you hated it too. You’re not fine in here, and you know that. I promise I can help you, if you help me.”

“I just came in to check on you.”

“To see if I had already attacked her?” Hyunjin spat, her fists becoming white as she grasped harder and harder on the metal bars. “That will not happen.”

“Let’s see.”

“Why are you being like that? Are you that scared of them?”

An eyebrow jerked on Jungeun’s forehead. “Scared?”

“What are they gonna do to you if you don’t follow their orders? Kill you? Torture you with silver?”

Jungeun’s heart beat had gotten way faster.

“I am not scared of anything.”

“Then why?!” Hyunjin hit the metal bars with her hands, making the room shake. The anger flowing through her body was so overwhelming she gave up on fighting her fangs from growing. “Are you really going to keep living your life like them? Like a murderer?”

Jungeun took a step back, a vein popping out on her temple, and left the room, shutting the door with a loud bang.

“ing coward!” Hyunjin shouted.

Hyunjin turned, and with a loud, raw growl, she hit the opposite wall again. Her shallow breaths filled in the silence of the room, as she tried to control them, and the anger was like wood thrown to the fire pit of her hunger, worsen it by the second.

Her mind spun and fogged. She shut her eyes, clenching her fists against the wall. Each time she inhaled, the scent only got stronger on her nose.

The scent of Heejin’s blood.

It ran so well in Heejin’s veins, so fast with each of her heart’s thumps. It smelled so good, so tempting. The same pain burned under Hyunjin’s skin, telling her to give up, to surrender to her instincts, to her nature. It was so simple – and the image so clear in her mind. Of her fangs sinking down on Heejin’s skin, of her delicious blood filling .

Her body begged her for the free prey, a mere lunge away from her. It was so loud she couldn’t tell it to stop.

“No...” she told herself, and taking her hands to her head, she pulled on her hair, grunting in pain. “It’s... It’s Heejin!”

Her conscience was escaping her, like smoke running through fingers. She couldn’t grasp it, couldn’t keep it in place.

She was going to lose it-

Arms circled around her torso, and a body hit her back. The hold was so strong she stopped breathing.

“H-Hyunjin,” Heejin’s voice, a deep, barely audible whisper screamed louder than the voices in her head. “Hyunjin! Please, stay here.”

Her eyes shot open, and her lungs took in a long, sharp inhale, as if she had been drowning all this time.

“Don’t lose it,” Heejin pleaded with a loud sob.

“I’m h-here. Don’t cry.” Hyunjin grabbed her arms and released the grip around her, so she could turn, let her back hit the wall, and pull Heejin closer with her arms around her shoulders.

Heejin rested her forehead on Hyunjin’s shoulder and threw her arms around her torso again, going back to squeezing her body.

Hyunjin’s breathing had stabilized, and focusing on the moment, her mind cleared, like a fog lifting and letting the sun shine. Even though her mind was filled with whys, Hyunjin didn’t pay them attention, and kept all her attention on how Heejin’s body felt against hers. Her hand came to rest on Heejin’s head, digging her fingers on her soft, brown locks, and inhaling, she took in her scent, instead of her blood’s.

And it smelled so much better.

Heejin’s body trembled from head to toe. Hyunjin caressed her hair and leaned her face on the side of her head.

“I’m sorry for scaring you,” the words flew from Hyunjin’s lips, and the image of Jinsol teasing her for what she just said flashed in her mind.

Heejin didn’t answer, but didn’t let go either. In fact, she only squeezed her more, her fingers digging on her jacket. Hyunjin didn’t mind the small smile that showed up on her lips, and allowed herself to surrender – not to the hunger, but to the way it felt having Heejin so close. And yes, the hunger was still there, but weaker, barely bothering her anymore.

Screams, tons of steps and stomps suddenly came into earshot.

“What’s happening?” Hyunjin mumbled into the air.

She focused more on her hearing and scent. She could feel tons of new scents, and the ground trembled under her feet.

“Can you hear it?” Hyunjin asked.

“Yes.”

It became louder, clearer by the second. Yells of pain, shouts of war.

“We’re under attack!” a voice shouted from the outside.

“ing slayers, how did they find us?!” another voice boomed on the walls.

Hyunjin’s eyes widened, and Heejin pulled away, looking up at her.

“Slayers? Did you call them?!” Hyunjin frowned at her.

“No. Even if I wanted, I didn’t have a way to. They must have tracked me.”

“Tracked you? How?”

“We have a location chip.”

Hyunjin’s chin dropped low. “A chip? What you mean you have a ing chip?!”

“It’s under my skin, on my wrist.”

“Oh, for the love of the moon, and you didn’t tell me?”

“You never asked!”

Hyunjin grunted, letting her head fall back and hit the wall. She took a couple deep breaths, stopping the anger from controlling her again.

The door opened, and both girls turned their heads to it, to find Jungeun standing by it, an eyebrow irked at them. Heejin let go of Hyunjin and took a step back, clearing .

“You said you would help me and Jiwoo if I helped you,” Jungeun said after closing the door.

Hyunjin dashed to the bars. “I did.”

Jungeun was about to take a step closer to her, but still hesitated.

“Please. I’ll take you both out of here,” Hyunjin said, now noticing the bottle in her hands.

At last, Jungeun walked towards the cell and handed Hyunjin the bottle. She stole it from Jungeun's hands, the anticipation making her almost drop the bottle to the floor. She opened it, not giving herself time to get dizzy with the smell, and chunked down the liquid.

Yes, she felt sick, knowing what kind of blood that was. But it still tasted delicious, and she only stopped when she emptied the bottle.

“Thank the Goddess.” Hyunjin breathed, her body relaxing completely the same second. “Thank you, Jungeun.”

Jungeun gave her a short nod, and fetched for a key from her back pocket, hurrying in opening the cell. “Now, follow me.”

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A/N: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I LOVE THAT 2JIN SCENE SO MUCH, I HOPE YOU LOVED IT JUST AS MUCH! I listened to Maze in the Mirror in loop when I wrote it BECAUSE THE LYRICS ARE SO FITTING T^T

A bit more about Hyunjin's past, AND JUNGEUN COMING IN TO SAVE THE DAY!!!!!!!! ALSO, A NEW CHARACTER IS MAKING HER APPEARANCE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!