Late one night, a blood-red moon hangs low in the sky as a group of six friends were walking back to their dorms just after they've finished watching a thrilling movie.

"Ugh, how much farther do we have to go?" Yena asked, the group's official duck and mood maker. They were walking for at least 15 minutes now. No sign of them getting anywhere near back into their dorms.

"If I would've known we'd walk this far, I wouldn't have drank too much iced tea." Yena added, complaining. She felt as though her bladder was going to burst any minute now.

Next to her, Yujin let out a groan. "I told you to go before we left but you didn't listen to me. You should've went when I told you to."

Yena could only whine after hearing her friend's comment. Sure, Yujin was right about that but Yena didn't want to admit that it was indeed her fault for feeling this way right now. She can't argue while having the need to pee.

"Okay but seriously, how much farther? I wouldn't mind being safe in my bed right now." Minjoo suddenly says. She was walking right next to Yujin with all of their friends leading in front them.

"Mhm, I would like that too." Yuri says as she looked around the area. "Our usual path towards back the dorm is quite creepy at night." Yuri shivered after observing their surroundings. She went near Yena as she held her arm.

"You guys, I know a shortcut." Chaewon says, stopping right in front of the group. "But I think you'll won't like it"

Yena let out a loud, irritated sigh. "I don't care where it is. As long as we get home faster, I'll be fine with it."

Chaewon smirks, looking at Yena before speaking. "If you say so."

--

Chaewon cuts across a side street and leads them to a shaped-iron gate flanked by statues of coiled gargoyles.

Row upon row of crumbling headstones stretched before them amidst timeworn mausoleums engulfed in mist.

"Please tell me you didn't lead us straight into a gravegard." Minjoo says, a look of discomfort etched on her face. She was clutching on to Yujin's arm the moment they've arrived at Chaewon's so-called "shortcut".

"I think that's exactly what she did." Hitomi tells her. She was walking just behind Chaewon who was leading the way.

It was now time for Yuri to whine. "This make things ten times creepier!" It was obvious that she was scared, but not as scared at the duck behind her who was using Yuri as a shield, holding on for dear life. You couldn't even see Yena's figure as she was hiding behind Yuri.

"Well, you wanted a shortcut." Chaewon shrugs. "Besides, it's much faster this way."

They continued to walk on the poorly lit stone path. There were a few lampposts here and there but other than that, they relied wholly on the moon's light to illuminate the way.

A few moments of silence, they noticed a shadow passing by the moon. Just then, a vampire bat flaps over their heads. A bloodthirsty screech echoed throughout the whole place.

"Oh my goodness! Duck!" Minjoo shouts while trying to duck. She dragged Yujin along with her.

Everyone, including a frightened Yena, ducked. Except for Chaewon who looked at Minjoo confusedly.

"What do you mean duck? That's a bat Min--" Chaewon wasn't able to finish her sentence as the bat dived on her head. She let out an ear-piercing scream as soon as she felt the bat on her head. The bat was flapping its wings wildly, tangling itself on Chaewon's hair.

Chaewon tried her best to shake the bat off her hair. When she knew it was no use, she started screaming for help.

"Yah! Help me! Someone get it off me!" She kept on shouting.

Hitomi, who was the nearest to Chaewon, didn't think twice and grabbed the bat with her hands—trying her best to pull it out of Chaewon's hair.

"Don't move too much! I can't get it off if you keep moving." Hitomi shouts back to Chaewon who keeps on jumping and squeling.

After many screeches, flapping of wings, and their friends adding to the noise without doing anything, Hitomi was able to untangle the bat from Chaewon's hair. The bat flew away from them as soon as it was free.

"Are you okay, unnie?" Yujin asked Chaewon. She was the first one, after Hitomi, who took the initiative to go near Chaewon after the bat incident.

Chaewon nodded her head at the younger. She was also rubbing a spot on her neck. As soon as she did, her eyes suddenly went wide.

"I-I think it bit me!" Says Chaewon in a loud voice.

"Did you get a rabies shot? I'm pretty sure it's not common to have bats attacking humans like that." Yuri says, going near Chaewon to check the bite.

Chaewon looked at Yuri with a sad expression before speaking. "I'm vaccinated. But I should probably head to the clinic tomorrow. You know, just in case."

Hitomi went over to Chaewon's side and slung her arm over Chaewon's shoulder. "Come on, let's get you home."

The rest of the girls followed them, making sure no bat comes near them ever again.

--

As they got back to campus, Chaewon nearly collapses when she enters the dorm.

"Unnie! Are you sure you're feeling alright?" Hitomi asks her, helping Chaewon up and prompting her to sit on the sofa.

Chaewon nodded her head. "I'm fine. I just felt really tired all of the sudden."

"Let's get you to bed. And it seems like you really need to visit the clinic tomorrow." Hitomi once again helped Chaewon to stand, along with Yuri. They've managed to bring her to her room.

Hitomi made sure to tuck Chaewon in. Yuri was standing next to her, her eyebrows creased with worry.

"I'm gonna make you some tea." She tells Chaewon who was laying on her bed. "If you need anything else, don't be afraid to ask me."

"Thanks Yul, thanks Hii. You guys are the best." She smiled sleepily at the two girls who were looking at her in worry.

As soon as Chaewon finished speaking, she immediately fell into a deep slumber. Hitomi and Yuri exchanged a look.

"Well, it looks like she won't be needing that tea." Yuri says as both Hitomi and her ended up chuckling.

"Let's leave her to sleep for now." Hitomi tells Yuri. Yuri nodded, telling Hitomi that she has to go, and left the room.

Hitomi was left all alone in the room with a sleeping Chaewon beside her. She stared at Chaewon's sleeping figure as she noticed the red mark on her neck.

"I hope you feel better soon." Hitomi muttered under her breath, careful not to wake the sleeping radish who was already in deep slumber.

--

Hitomi's phone started to ring. It was already the start of a brand new day. She rolled to her side and took it. Her other hand was rubbing her eyes to remove sleepiness while the other was holding her phone. She noticed that it was already ten in the morning.

Finally sitting down on her bed, Hitomi let out a yawn. She was already awake though she can't stop but to feel a bit sleepy.

Deciding it was already time to move, she made her way towards the bathroom. She brushed her teeth even with half her eye closed.

As soon as she was done, she went her way to the kitchen and saw Chaewon bending over the stove, cooking omelets in a large skillet before her.

"Morning, Hii. You hungry?" Chaewon asks her.

Hitomi stopped dead in her tracks, seeing Chaewon feeling all better now than she was last night. This was enough to remove the sleepiness left in Hitomi's body.

"Uhm, y-yeah." Hitomi stutters out. There was awfully something different about Chaewon this morning but Hitomi couldn't point out what it was.

"Me too! I woke up absolutely feeling starving. I decided to make some omelets. I'd make you guys some too if you want." Chaewon suggested, now adding more eggs into the bowl.

Hitomi broke out of her trance. She went near the table and sat down. "Anything I can do to help?" She asked Chaewon who was busying herself with cooking.

Chaewon looked at Hitomi and gave her a dazzling smile. She was holding the mixture with her hands as she carefully poures it over the skillet, not even looking at it.

"Just sit there and look pretty." Chaewon says, winking at Hitomi.

Hitomi cleared , her cheeks turning a slight shade of pink. "I-I can do that."

A few minutes in, Yena and Yuri came out of their rooms. They sat down beside Hitomi while Chaewon was still working on their breakfast.

"I guess we can say that Chaewon unnie's feeling a lot better now?" Hitomi tells the two who were staring at Chaewon. Yuri then looked at Hitomi.

"Are you kidding me? She's better than ever. She's practically glowing!" Yuri points out.

"I don't know what that bat did to her but I'm liking it." Yena says, cutting in their conversation. "I mean, she's able to cook now without burning the dorm. Isn't that a good thing?" Yena had an amazed look on her face after she said that.

Yuri slapped Yena's shoulder. "Ow, what was that for?" Yena asked Yuri while rubbing the spot where Yuri hit her.

"This is serious, you know that?" Yuri says, giving Yena a stern look.

"And I was being serious too. You didn't have to hit me like that." Yena pouted. She turned her attention back to Chaewon who was now placing the omelets on a huge plate.

"But you know, Chaewon's been acting weird. There's something about her today. Well, except for the fact that she decided to wear Michelle and even wear a leather jacket on a hot day, but you get the point." Hitomi tells Yuri who was listening intently.

"She became a lot hotter. Didn't she?" Yena suddenly says. Hitomi glared at her along with Yuri. "What? Did I lie though?"

"I mean, she always looks good but there's something about the way she looks now." Hitomi was now looking at Chaewon intently.

"I know. I noticed it too." Yuri says, also looking at Chaewon.

Their conversation was cut short when Minjoo walks in. She was still yawning and stretching. Yujin trailed behind her.

"I am never going to play that game with you again." Minjoo tells Yujin as she sat down beside Yuri.

Yujin chuckled. "I didn't ask you to play. You grabbed the second controller and played the game. It wasn't my fault you liked it."

Minjoo sneered at Yujin as she looked over by the stove. "What's for breakfa-- woah." She stopped, seeing how Chaewon looks. "Unnie, you look different. What happened to you?"

Chaewon looked at her, smiling. "I don't know what you're saying." She shrugged. "Eat up. Breakfast's done." She went near the table and placed a large plate full of omelets.

Everyone's mouth watered at the sight. Sure, there was something different about this Chaewon but it was a perk having her cook amazing breakfast like this. They all started to dig in. Yena's plate looked like it could feed a family for days.

"Oh, Yena unnie. Don't eat too much. Remember the steak you promised to cook tonight." Yuri says with f