1916

“You know,” she took a piece of rock out of her thick leather coat – that was protecting her from the vigorous blizzard - “You were right about her.” she slowly stood still on the dirty gravel, heavily mixed with snow. She didn’t need to look up to know that the girl on the edge of the cliff is listening intently to every single syllable she’s said. Always attentive, one trait that never seems to fail to go away. She smiled bitterly, faint distaste on the back of ; lingering. How did we end up like this?

“Why are you here, Irene?” the usual warmth was gone from her tone replaced by hostility. Irene’s not going to lie but hearing the distant tone from her, hurts. Deeply. “It’s cold, go back and have fun with your other partners.” she continues, not bothering to hear a word and keeps on looking out towards the starless sky. They stayed there, unmoving for a couple of minutes until Irene decided to put her rock and hands into the pocket of her jacket – her hands started to sting and turn red from the cold. Irene stares longingly at the girl’s back, wanting to speak yet nothing comes out of . She sighed heavily and starts to walk away from the cliff of death. Not knowing, that the girl she left on that cliff alone is silently crying tears of grief. Knowing that she would never have the chance to touch her the way she wants to, to feel her under the warm sun, to make her show that blinding smile of hers, and to simply love her.

I’m sorry, I love you too much to bring you into my life; my ed-up life. I know that someone else is going to love you the way you deserved to be love. I just wished that person was me. She kneeled, the strength in her feet long gone. She looks up and prays to whatever deity out there. I know I deserve all the pain that was brought upon me, but please. I’m begging. Just give me this one thing, give me her. Please. I can’t take it anymore. She closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face, leaving streaks on her face. She bowed down, handclasp together; tight. Waiting and waiting and waiting and for the longest time, she stayed there in the cold, unbothered. Harsh winds blowing to and pass her yet she stayed still. But then, she knew that no matter how hard she tries, it will all be futile. So, she stands up, looks at the tavern that is filled with warmth, laughter, joy, and her. She lingers – for what to seems to be an eternity to her - before she painfully backs away and walks away with ice flowing in her veins and with a heart that seems to never have a pulse.

2016

“Quickly, this way!” as soon as she said those words, an explosion went off. Momentarily, stunning them. The ground shook and the place starts to fall apart. Seulgi ran towards her other companions who were ahead; running. Bricks, dust, walls seem to befall them unceremoniously, strident noises coming on full blast to their ears – leaving faint ringing sounds in their ears. “Wait, wait,” all of them stopped hearing their usual composed member, Jeongyeon, yelling frantically for them to stop. “Where’s Nayeon and Yeri?!!” she shouted trying to get her point across the booming noises of things falling apart. All of them instantly look around trying to find their shortest members but to no avail, they’re not there. “Look we have no time. Where were they seen last?!” her voice automatically increasing tenfold than usual, barely heard in the pandemonium going around them. “That room down the hallway!” Joy pointed towards the door near the end. “Okay you guys get out of here I’ll bring them out.” “Wait how abou-“ “There’s no time, Jeongyeon. Now go!!!” they took off running and Seulgi runs the other way, towards the source of all the downfall of the building.

Dashing through the door, she can smell their scent. Although obscured by an intense smell of blood. She used her abilities to locate them, near the couch stood Yeri trying to push a bookshelf off Nayeon – who was writhing her lower body, screaming hoarsely with her pained laced voice; fusing with the chaos around them. She went swiftly albeit softly, surprising Yeri who was too focused on her ongoing task. “Seulgi!” “Look we have no time, on 3, push,” she instructs her. Yeri nodded with perspirations dripping off the side of her forehead. “1,2,3, push!” as the bookshelf slowly distance itself from them, Nayeon groans painfully accompanied by her labour breaths. “Can you stand?” Yeri asked. “No,” she shakes her head, pain etched on her face. Seulgi kneeled and carefully slipped her arms under Nayeon’s legs; while steering clear of her injuries. She cautiously stood up while holding Nayeon bridal style and told Yeri to guide them out of the building.

Yeri leads them to the path where Seulgi came from, which was the front door. But it was already blocked by parts of the building that fell. So, she rerouted and went to the back door. Thankfully, it leads them straight to the exit. But before they reached the exit, a huge pillar collapse towards them. “Oh, God.” Yeri tried to overrun it but Seulgi knows it was futile. “Yeri! Stop!” words seems to fall on deaf ears as she kept running – faster – towards the inevitable ending that was her end. With incredible speed, faster than any human alive, she went face to face with her and pushed Yeri with her elbow from the falling pillar, which consequently struck Seulgi’s left arm. A full-blown sensation of pain coursed to her arm and spread to her body. Even though vampires can heal that doesn’t necessarily mean they can avoid nor lessen the pain at that moment.

She gasped. The pain momentarily immobilize and shut down her whole body but she withstands it; too afraid she would slip and endanger Nayeon. Yeri grabbed her hand that wasn’t injured and tug her carefully albeit quickly to escape. They navigated through the halls and found a hidden entrance that was obscured by a large cupboard. “Through here, we can fit!” Yeri moved it a little bit so Seulgi and Nayeon could fit in.

After they went through it, they were engulfed with complete darkness, the light coming from the cupboard hardly graze the surface of it. “Do you have anything that would help us see?” Yeri asked while searching her own body within the darkness; coming up with nothing. “I do, on the back pocket of my jeans.” she carefully manoeuvred around Seulgi and searched for the item. “A lighter?” “Yes.” after a couple of minutes full of silence and darkness – except for the constant wheeze and groans coming from the injured woman along with the slight rustling sounds that came from Yeri’s hands that are patting and roaming through her pockets – she finally founds it.

“Ok, I’m going to search around see what this room is all about, you go rest and put Nayeon down somewhere safe since you took a heavy hit to your arm, I’m surprised you still can carry her and stand just fine. Are you sure you can continue?”
“Yeah, I’m sure, you know me I’m a tough guy,” Seulgi joked and tried to flex her uninjured arm muscle by showing her side that is currently carrying Nayeon, trying to prove her statement. “Even in the toughest situations, you somehow can nevertheless make a corny joke. I swear you’re the weirdest person I’ve ever met.” The short girl says while searching around the room. “Hey! That’s a bit rude, I was just trying to lighten up the spirits.” “Yeah, yeah goofy wanna be.” Seulgi lets out a little laugh before silence completely developed them. Seulgi proceeded to put down Nayeon – who is still whining and groaning in pain although the sound lessens - on the most comfortable spot though it’s not much since they’re in a difficult situation but it will do.

Seulgi, who is no longer feeling pain from her arm decided to check on the injured girl. She attempted numerous times to coax the girl on how she’s feeling and which part of her body hurts but it seems futile since the girl is too much in pain to even comprehend a single word from her. So, she sat there next to her and tries to do anything to help to soothe the girl’s pain, she kept on rubbing Nayeon’s hand; it softly, she hummed a lullaby for her and kept on attentively watching for any signs of new pain. Although she’s a vampire – a more superior being than a human – she doesn’t have powers that can heal injuries thus she still felt helpless just like any normal human being.
After searching for a while, Yeri concluded that this room was an abnormal research room not only did it not have the typical goal but the stuff that is used is very concerning. From what she knows it looked like whoever made this room are currently searching for a certain person with the searched person’s objects like old scrunched up photos of them and a ring with an initial attached to it. There was a board filled with places and notes, she quickly went through them and decided there’s no time to search it more thoroughly therefore she kept on searching for any exit even though the things around her are nagging her to examine it.

It was hard for her to stay focused, so she quickly grabbed the photos that are attached to the ring and continue. She’s a detective, after all, there’s no way she can ignore a potential case when given. Soon enough, with careful steps, she found an unlocked door to the outside in the back room. She called for Seulgi and told her that she found an exit while waiting she double-checked to make sure it was safe for them to go outside. After they went outside, they spotted Joy and Jeongyeon waiting and watching the building collapse gracefully to its end.

When Joy and Jeongyeon noticed them, they rushed to them and hugged them out of relief. Seulgi transferred Nayeon to Jeongyeon to bring her to the van to check on her injuries. “Well, I guess this mission was a fail since we didn’t get any of the targets we wanted and we didn’t get any clue too.” Joy runs her hand to her hair, annoyance and disappointment shown through her facial features. “I may have found something. I found it in the hidden or “secret” room at this point. I found some photos with a ring attached to it, there was more information on a board but I had no time to search since the building could wholly collapse at any time.” She explained, she pulled out her founds and showed it to them. While Joy and Yeri examined, Seulgi was in another world, her blood freezes when she saw the ring with the specific initials in them. She almost collapsed due to the shock and fatigue but she holds on and masks her feelings. She knows that ring, she knows who owned it because it was her that gave that ring.