Empty.

Hollow.

Incomplete.

She made the last twirl as her right foot firmly planted against slippery ice, arms outstretched in a graceful pose of a last waltz.

Tzuyu deeply inhales, the freezing air fills her lungs with pleasurable numbness after a light routine of a dance she knew by heart. Crimson eyes flutter open, only to find herself disappointed again – her arms vacant of the partner she was expecting to see.

Instead, her gaze peered to her surroundings, of vast frozen lake hidden under a veil of fog, surrounded by thickets and tall pine trees. A lone light penetrates through the clouds, the bright moon keeping her company in the presence of her own shadow. The cold seeps through her jacket, but instead of shivering, the sensation merely penetrates her skin with a tingle of chilliness. 

She welcomes it, after all. 

Because everything here was familiar, exactly as she had expected... but none of it was in her memory, no matter how deep she dug into her history. 

Something is missing, even her demon screamed for it, but Tzuyu could do nothing other than let herself be enslaved to this perpetual habit.

She glances up to the moon, now taking cover behind dark clouds, as if showing sympathy to her pitiful self. Her hands drop to her sides, and with a soft exhale, she leaves the frozen lake with an empty thought and a hollow heart…

Just like every other night.

 

//

 

 

"How?"

"What?"

"What do you mean "what"...?"

"Well, it's a "what" to your "how"... Ouch! What the – ow ow OW! YAH ARE YOU CRAZY?!"

"How could you do this to me?!"

Tzuyu calmly leans back on the table with arms crossed, watching the infamous client Yoo Beep Beep conversing with her manager, also the possessed woman she saved from the mansion. Deemed responsible for the case by her two small partners (who obviously ditched her), she was supposed to lay out her arguments to Miss Yoo on the damage cost for almost tearing the place apart. But it seems like the artist is already preoccupied with a heated argument of her own.

"I still can't believe you left me there!"

"Yah, I woke up outside the mansion, wet and baffled, all alone! I thought you had eloped with Jihyo to Hawaii!"

"Hawaii…?” The other woman, Tzuyu knew by now as Nayeon, sighed with sagging shoulders. “Jeong, that was Mina. How the hell did you reach that conclusion in the first place?"

"I searched all over the place for you - I even hired these paranormal freaks... because I was worried sick, Im Nayeon!"

Tzuyu pursed her lips into a straight line, wanting nothing more than to escape the pair that was not so obviously declaring their secret relationship in front of her. She is already awkward with people; these two just brought the awkwardness to a new peak for the socially-inept vampire.

"Then it's you who should be eloping with me in Hawaii!"

"M-Me?"

"Yes, you! Let's go now! We can look for rings online and get Jihyo to officiate our marriage!"

"F-Fine by me!"

Oh, wow. Is that how people propose nowadays? Anticlimactic at its best.

The tall woman scratches a spot under her left ear while muffling a yawn, only to have a blank check smacked on the table, causing her yawn to pause midway in an unsatisfying release.

“Here, everything is sorted out right?”

“Well,” Tzuyu scrutinized the rectangular paper with an eyebrow raised. “This is-”

“Cool. Let’s not see each other again, bye!”

Before Tzuyu could ask for an explanation, Jeongyeon and her injured manager had already scurried out of the door in haste, hand in hand and visibly limping. 

She sighs deeply. 

This is exactly why she loathes handling clients in the first place; their random antics are so hard to comprehend, Tzuyu doesn’t have the patience to deal with them.

As she waves the blank cheque against her open palm absentmindedly, Chaeyoung walks in carrying bags of foods and snacks with a piece of pocky stuck between her lips.

"So what’s the verdict? Are they gonna call a lawyer on us for damage control?"

“No.” Tzuyu motions to the door, "They just left."

"What the hell?!" The pocky breaks in half from Chaeyoung's outburst. "I didn't get to interview her yet - , I gotta catch her!"

"But Chaeng, you don't have to! She gave us-"

And Chaeyoung scurries out the door once again, leaving imaginary trails of dust and leaves behind as Tzuyu defeatedly raises the blank check in the air. She might have an old soul, but Tzuyu knows the sole presence of the rectangular paper already beats the million views Chaeyoung is so adamant to get. 

"My cuss-sensitive ears somehow detect the presence of the sinful tongue. Where is she?"

Dahyun appears from her mini library, carrying along two thick encyclopedias before slamming it over the table beside their dinner.

"She's on the quest to get that exclusive interview with Yoo Beep Beep who, unsuspectingly, gave us a blank check for payment." 

"What the ffff - foolish girl she is!"

Tzuyu snorts, catching the almost slip of her saint friend. "You need to get away from Chaeyoung, her foul mouth is rubbing off on you."

"You're right, it feels like my tongue got caught in a deadly plague." Dahyun grimaced with a click of her tongue as she rummaged through bento boxes and dosirak - the blank check left forgotten in between contract papers and newspapers cutting. "I take it that the extra box is for her ?"

Tzuyu solemnly nods, taking the special sushi platter from Dahyun's hand. "She said she's a little hungry."

"Hmm, fascinating."

"Have you found anything yet?"

Tzuyu carefully asks as Dahyun takes a bite of the rolled omelette, chewing slowly with a creased forehead.

"There's still a lot of ancient literature and folklore to go through, but I might have an inkling what made her invisible to human eyes." Dahyun takes a sip of her chocolate milk before casting Tzuyu a knowing glance, prompting the girl to lean closer. 

"It’s an old tale, or more like a fairytale, of a forbidden love between a saint and a cursed creature from the otherworld. It is said that the two met and fell in love, but they can’t be together since the creature is hunted by humans. In the end, the creature was captured and killed, and the saint was punished for the unforgivable sin; cursed to be invisible to human eyes for the rest of her life."

"Are you saying Sana is…"

"It's plausible, and also impossible. It is , but just a tale."

Tzuyu nods, taking in this new piece of information with deep interest. She racked her brain for any similar cases she had stumbled in the past, but nothing comes close to mind. Or rather, there's a wall that prevents her from digging deeper into her cluttered memories filled with loopholes. 

"But how did she suddenly become… visible?"

"That," Dahyun pops a carrot slice inside before pointing the chopsticks towards her, "was your doing."

"Me?"

"Mhmm." The clergy hummed while biting off chicken meat from its bone, "Sana said so herself that she can touch things and make herself be seen, only when you're around. It's a controversial statement as of now, but there's definitely an unexplained connection between you two. But not to fret - that's where I, Kim Dahyun, comes in to solve the case!"

The lengthy explanation doesn't really help answer all of Tzuyu's queries, but it will do for now, knowing she has a part in it. She's not going to lie but she was relieved in a way. Her meeting with Sana was unexpected, but also fated. All these mysteries that relate her to Sana should have made her frustrated at least, but she was feeling none of it.

"Stop thinking too much and just bring the food to her. The poor girl had been starving for ages."

Tzuyu smiled at the irony of it; if she is starving for centuries trying to hold off from feeding on human blood, then Sana is starving for being a 30 something-years old "ghost" cursed in a mansion, if that ever makes sense.

"You're smiling like an idiot." Dahyun stated matter-of-factly, making the tall woman a fumbling fool from getting caught.

"Eh… I-I'm not! I was just t-thinking how delicious this bento is!"

"And your blood packs inside the fridge taste like strawberry jam,” Dahyun slowly nods her head with a knowing look, “Nice safe, Tzu."

"W-Well… I'm eating with her." Tzuyu declares as she gathers her own set of dinner, wanting to escape Dahyun's judging eyes from further scrutinizing her heating face and making fun of it.

"While you're at it, would you do me a favour?"

Tzuyu raised an eyebrow, not the slightest amused to entertain another round of Dahyun's teasing. But she didn't find any mirth in the clergy's eyes, only a glint of concern and curiosity plain to see.

"Ask her what exactly happened in the mansion."

 

 

//

 

 

Tzuyu peeks through the small window of the guest room door, finding Sana idly staring at the adjacent wall from the sofa bed. There’s a small picture of Chaeyoung’s doodle framed on the red bricks and mortar wallpaper, but Tzuyu doubts that’s where Sana’s gaze fell. Her caramel eyes look so distant and unfocused, it’s as if she’s lost in another world that is not Chaeyoung's artwork.

Then again, Sana did skip some timelines of probably thirty years in advance, and it’s a scary thing to go through. Tzuyu understands that feeling fairly well, being an immortal who woke up in a strange world with no recollection of how it happened.

The fragments they lost were not just a moment in time, but a part of themselves as well. 

Tzuyu takes a few deep breaths before making a few raps on the door, her sensitive hearing catches the shuffling noises of slipper-clad feet approaching.

The door swings upon, and Sana's sweet winter scent blows out of the enclosed space, assaulting Tzuyu's nostrils with an overwhelming comfort and calm; a sign Tzuyu understands now that she's always welcomed.

"Hey."

"Hi." Tzuyu timidly replied from Sana's full-blown smile, lifting the containers in her hands. "I brought food."

"Finally! I was dying to taste food again!"

"Glad you're still alive and kicking."

Tzuyu notices Sana's body went rigid and she cursed inwardly, blaming her stupid mouth for blurting out words without thinking. Her lips draw in like a straight line as she rubs a spot under her left ear, warily eyeing the girl’s back for her reaction. Except, it wasn’t what Tzuyu expected as Sana’s shoulders began to shake, a melodious giggling fit filled the room.

"I’m sorry, it’s just - I haven’t heard that for a long time, it sounded funny!"

“Oh.” Tzuyu’s shoulders ease up again, a smile curling up with a sense of pride in her chest. She could get used to this. She puts the dinner sets on the table, ushering Sana to pick her choice. “I hope you’re fine with these.”

Sana beams at the food laid out before her, squealing excitedly to see the colorful and wonderfully smelled food. Cute. Tzuyu hands her a pair of chopsticks and Sana is quick to reach for the sushi platter, but she pauses midway.

There is hesitation as their eyes meet, but Tzuyu shoots Sana an encouraging smile, pushing the plate closer to her. “Try it.”

“Will it work?”

“Well, you’re already drooling.” Sana quickly wipes , earning a small chuckle from the taller. “It wouldn't hurt to try. If anything, I’m here for you.”

Tzuyu doesn't know why she always turns sappy when she’s around Sana, but maybe that’s part of the spell the girl put on her. She doesn’t mind it a bit, if that’s what it takes to see the smile blooming on Sana’s face.

Somehow, something inside Tzuyu's chest blooms as well; she just hoped it is not a cardiac-related disease.

“I heard stories of some century-old vampires being cold and heartless; apparently it didn't apply to you."

“Well, fortunately I'm not just "some" vampires, as claimed.”

Sana chuckles as she deeply inhales, the sushi already in front of . “Well, here it goes.”

The scene looks like a mother watching her baby trying food for the first time, with Tzuyu clenching her fists on the table, her head unknowingly leaning closer with an anxious stare as Sana carefully chews the food, face contorting into different stages of confusion, shock and joy. 

“I can taste it!”

The tension in Tzuyu’s face relaxes into a grin. “You can?” 

“Yes! Oh my god, this is so good!”

Tzuyu watches fondly as Sana starts to shove everything into her pouty mouth, every bite accompanied with a pleasant squeal and crinkled nose. She doesn’t realize she’s been gawking at Sana - with her chin rested on a propped hand - until the girl clears with a flustered smile.

“You’re not eating?” Sana points to the untouched dosirak, but Tzuyu merely shakes her head, pushing it to join the bento box. 

“It’s for you. I don’t really eat this.” 

Sana begins to slow her chewing as her big curious eyes give attention to Tzuyu. “But you still consume food other than blood, right?”

“Sometimes.” She shrugs, “It doesn’t really affect me in a way. I still need to drink blood to survive - exactly how you need food to stay alive.” 

“And how many days would a pint last?”

“A week, at least. It depends on my body’s condition, really.”

“Such as?”

“Well,” Tzuyu straightens her back, head tilting to the side with a soft exhale. “I don’t really exert my energy in normal everyday life. However, in some circumstances where I need to utilize my vampire abilities-”

“Like the ghost hunting.”

“Yes.” She raised a finger from Sana’s correct guess. “Like the ghost hunting, it will use up a lot of energy. If I don’t get blood immediately, I’ll fall sick like a normal human does, except, it’s more like the last stage of cancer than a stomachache.”

Sana grimaced with a puffed out cheek. “That sounds horrible.”

She solemnly nods, “It’s what being immortal does.” 

“Also, the reason why I can enjoy this food!” The cute crinkled smile prompts Tzuyu to do the same, and she revels in the fact of how effortless Sana makes her smile.

She lets the girl enjoy dinner to the fullest, despite her own thirst for a glass of blood. She’s still recuperating from the last fight, but just being here with Sana, enveloped with the strangely warm winter scent gives her demon a sense of peace. 

Being with Sana itself is magical, and Tzuyu has seen, experienced , many magical phenomena in life. But this is, by far, her most favourite moment; even the beast inside of her agrees with a soft purr.

And her head starts to worry again. The endless questions appeared in an accumulated cloud of wonders, but one in particular stood out from the rest - if Tzuyu is not around, what will happen to Sana? 

Will she be able to eat again?

Will she be able to touch, feel, speak?

Will she be alone, once more?

Dahyun’s favour rings in her ears like a reminder, but she doesn’t know how to break the ice without interrupting Sana. She looks comfortable and relaxed with a piece of rice stuck just below her lower lip, Tzuyu doesn’t have the heart to put the happy girl in a tough spot.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Huh?”

“You’re frowning.” Sana giggles as she taps Tzuyu’s forehead, easing the lines with a gentle rub. “Want to tell me about it?”

“This,” Tzuyu reaches out, carefully removing the grain of rice on Sana’s face. “stuck out like a sore thumb.” And she grins at the reddened cheeks. “Now you’re pretty again.”

She can see the rush of heat spreading from Sana’s neck to her ears, the girl quickly ducking, stuffing her face with more food as her cheeks puffed out like a hamster. Tzuyu silently giggles at the endearing sight, elated to cause that effect on Sana.

“You can ask the question.”

Once again, Tzuyu was caught dumbfounded by the hushed murmur, the girl stealing a few glances over stray locks covering her eyes. 

“Sorry, I heard your thoughts just now - which I really shouldn’t, but it was too loud to not listen.”

“Oh.” Tzuyu scratched her cheek from Sana’s guilty look, a part of her is also embarrassed to have been caught. “We can talk after you’re done eating.”

“I’m done.”

Tzuyu blinks at the lunch boxes now void of any traces of food. This girl sure can eat well.

“Should we start now?”

She leans back on her chair, her hand motioning to Sana with a smile. “Since you’ve read my mind earlier, please do the honour.”

A soft giggle, before a silent sigh greets Tzuyu’s ears.

"Well, for starters, everything was actually a big blur for me." Sana started as she stacked the empty containers and pushed them to the side, "But the day the owner arrived at the mansion, everything became crystal clear, as if my brain was already alerted to what’s going to happen…"

 

 

Flashback...

 

Sana woke up in pitch darkness when she heard hush voices in the distance. She kept herself still, trying to determine where it came from, only for her eyes to widen in recognition of the human voices downstairs. She instantly jumps on her feet, running down the dusty staircase with glee. 

It has been years since she saw one, the mansion already abandoned when she first arrived. She still didn’t know how she got there, but she couldn't leave either, an invisible wall prevented her from stepping outside into the world. Now that someone has entered the mansion, maybe it’s possible for her to leave now.

So she stayed crouched behind the wooden railing, peeking at the people conversing by the front door. 

“This is a huge place - it’s going to take a while before you can fully move in.”

“And that’s where you work your charm, Nayeon. You can handle this thing with a snap of your fingers, right?”

“If I’m the Flash - which I’m not, Miss Yoo.” The woman blew her brown bangs with a sigh, only to receive a pair of puppy eyes from the taller girl. “But I’ll try to get the best service in town, just for my favourite “Yoo Beep Beep”.”

“That’s why you’re hired as my manager, Miss Im!” The girl sporting blonde locks happily claps her hands, satisfied to hear that. 

Sana smiled at that, but her attention was suddenly locked on the open front door. Trying her luck, she dashed forward with hurried steps. It was a leap of faith, one she actually dreads to do, but it’s now or never.

Sana didn’t slow down, running with all her might towards the open door of freedom, only to feel a wall of resistance as her body was thrown backwards, accidentally slamming against the visitor.

“ACK!”

“Nayeon? Are you okay?” The blonde girl asked in concern when the other woman stumbled against her, eyes frantically looking around the eerily quiet house. “I think that’s enough for today.”

“Yeah, I agree. Let’s just leave.”

Sana began to panic, screaming for the people to stop, to bring her with them, to help her get out of this cursed house. But it was to no avail; they couldn’t hear her, nor see her. 

She’s invisible to everyone, except herself. 

A few days later, the same visitors came again, but it was for a different purpose. They brought along a few women in similar attires of frilly aprons and white skirts with some cleaning equipment that seemed strange to her eyes. However, her curiousity lies in the two familiar women that came the other day who’s currently sneaking into a big room on the upper floor.

Sana watched curiously as they kneeled on the floor, her head joining in with the huddle. 

“Are you sure this will work?”

“Nayeon, this is google we’re talking about.”

“And how is that supposed to convince me?”

Sana nodded along, but the blonde girl merely grinned with amusement. “Tell me which one’s better - google or yahoo?”

The woman named Nayeon pondered for a moment, before prying out her phone. “Wait, let me google that first.”

“You just answered yourself.” 

Nayeon frowned at Jeongyeon’s deliberate snort and smart answer, but Sana’s frown was deeper because what even is a google or yahoo? Some kind of food?

She really needs to catch up with the new era and to do that, she must escape this place first. Hence, she patiently waits for the right time to get these people’s attention, observing with deep interest as they read a passage from the rectangular device with a glowing surface. 

But the sentences were familiar to her ears, and Sana’s eyes widened. 

No, stop! Don’t read that-!

However, it was already too late. 

A black hole suddenly materialized on the floor, spurting hot steam and fumes of sulphur and decayed bodies. Sana knows this hole, she knows it well enough to instinctively scramble behind a pillar, keeping herself hidden from whatever is about to emerge from the depth.

Just as she suspected, a pair of long, black arms crawled out of the hole, the stench getting stronger. Growls of inhumane sound filled the room, along with sharp crooked horns that reached the ceiling and looked as dark as the night. 

“J-Jeongyeon, what the hell is that?”

Sana turned to the whimpering voice, forgetting the presence of these women in the room. She wanted to warn them to escape as fast as they could, but it seemed like the creature heard the whimper as well as glowing red eyes appeared on the black shadow. 

The creature let out a loud roar, and everything else was black. 

Sana woke up in the same room, but there was no one there. She tried getting up, but it was strangely hard for her, as if a boulder was strapped on her back. She pushed herself anyway, wanting to get out from the overwhelming dark energy surrounding her.

All of a sudden, she heard a loud scream. 

Using the remaining strength in her, she rushed to the voice, only to see Nayeon running on the hallway like a mad man before stumbling down on her own feet. She approached the injured and crying woman, taking in the torn shirt full of creases and dust. Her hand tried to touch Nayeon’s shoulder, wanting to pacify her, but the woman flinched instead. 

The reaction made her stunned, slightly taken aback that her intention to help was regarded as malice. A part of her wants to admit it, but another part doesn’t want to believe the reality that maybe she’s already gone - dead to the world, but alive among the spirits. 

A ghost, they said, a wandering soul stuck on their past regrets.

“Please, no… don’t hurt me…”

She watched sadly at the frightened woman, all alone by herself with a demon on loose. Soon, it will be her time to face the same fate as Sana. But she doesn’t want that - there’s a reason why she’s stuck inside the mansion in the first place. Maybe this is her chance for redemption - to finally free her soul from the world and proceed to the afterlife.

With renewed determination, Sana pushed herself off the floor and stood before the woman. Even if her presence is obscured from human eyes, she can see them fairly well; humans and spirits alike. She takes a deep breath as the growling sound gets closer, the hair on her arms rising with goosebumps. 

She predicted the creature would appear by the corner, but she thought wrong. A pair of glowing orbs appeared on the corner of her eyes, the dark figure showing itself just right by her side, unbothered by her presence.

“NOOO! GET AWAY FROM ME!!!”

The woman started screaming like insane, crawling away with desperate pleas from the looming presence on the hallway. Sana watched helplessly as the woman cried, begged for help, begged to be released, before the dark creature hugged her body. 

Then, it was silent.

Sana slumped on her feet, feeling hopeless and defeated at the sight of the lifeless woman. It was partly Sana’s fault that she died - if only the woman would bring her along too. A tear flowed down her cheek, and that’s the first time after years that she managed to cry. 

She leaned backward on the wall, silently mourning for the woman’s awful fate, but a low giggle caught her ears. Sana’s eyes narrowed at the creaking sound, of crunches and cracking noise like bones breaking, and her breath hitched.

The lifeless woman slowly sat up straight, her head slowly turning around, the bone in her neck popping and cracking as it twisted impossibly inhumane, only for the dazed eyes to suddenly glow bright red.

Sana screamed.

 

 

//

 

 

Sana jolted awake, face distraught as she cradled her bursting head. It has been a habit, blacking out all of a sudden in the middle of nowhere. She didn’t know what caused it, but it’s slowly taking away her sanity. 

Who is she kidding anyway, she’s already losing it, already brain dead as far as she knows. 

A faint crying sound on the hallway made her flinch, her elbow accidentally hitting a small table with a china vase on top, causing it to shatter all over the floor. She winced when she tried to move her shoulder, her hand instinctively rubbing the spot, finding red marks staining her shirt. 

No wonder it hurts. The shards must have caused it to bleed-... eh?

Her forehead creases together at the sight of reddish smudge on her fingers, the realization slowly kicking in.

I’m… bleeding?

Her attention was distracted by the sound of running footsteps approaching the room, and within a blink of an eye, an outline appeared by the dark entrance. Sana began to panic, remembering the terrifying red eyes staring back in the form of the possessed woman. 

“Don’t hurt me!” She put up her arms, cowering away from the figure towering before her. "Please, don't hurt me…"

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m not here to harm you.”

The gentle voice filled her ears, and almost instantly, her guard was dropped. Sana lowered her arms, her eyes slowly adjusting to the presence crouching before her; with sharp features and round pointed nose accompanied by thin lips. But it’s the pair of red crimson irises that caught her attention, gleaming bright with specks of gold in the dark room.

“Y-You can see me?”

The girl shrugged, a dimple barely visible on her left cheek. “I followed the sound of your cries, that’s how I found you here.”

Sana frowned, recalling the crying voice she heard earlier. “But it wasn’t me...”

“What? What do you mean?”

Then she heard it again, the sobbing voice, this time getting closer to their direction. The woman’s face appeared again, crying desperately for her help. Before Sana could succumb to the haunting fear, a hand slid over her trembling one and pulled her up.

She almost gasps from the touch, already forgetting the warmth of a living human. 

“What’s your name?”

It has been a long time since she said her name, it felt awkward to her tongue. “S-Sana.”

"My name’s Tzuyu.” The girl cupped her cheeks, and Sana felt warm all over, relishing in the feeling of being alive as gentle eyes gaze into her own. “Listen, I need you to stay close to me. Can you do that, Sana?”

She was perplexed by the ridiculous request of this girl named Tzuyu. Just recently Sana had come to terms with the possibility that she’s dead, and she is but a lost soul trying to reach for the light. But this girl can see her, talk to her, touch her - does that mean she’s still alive?

If that is so, what is she exactly?

Question after question began to pop in her head, but Sana can’t think about any of it right now. Someone could finally see her, and she’s going to make use of this opportunity for her own benefit.

“Yeah… Yeah, I can do that.”

“Good. Don’t ever leave my side, okay Sana?” 

The dimple on Tzuyu’s cheek deepens and something stir inside her chest, unconsciously tightening her hold on the girl’s hand. She peeks through wisp of fluttering eyelashes, studying the tall back with wide shoulders and tied raven locks, exposing the slender long neck.

Sana quickly composed herself from gawking at the girl, averting her eyes to the ground only to see their joined hands. It seems like a nice fit with how well their hands merged together, like perfect puzzle pieces. 

But Sana is snapped out of her reverie when she feels sinister energy filling the air, followed by the sobbing voice she heard earlier. She wanted to warn Tzuyu, but it looked like the girl was already alerted by the evil presence. 

All of a sudden, she was pushed inside a wardrobe with Tzuyu’s hands wrapped all over her. The close proximity makes her feel weird things, and it’s just her luck that her heart suddenly went on frenzy mode, a rush of heat spreading up her face. Sana gulped as she pulled away slightly, her lips almost touching the prominent collar bone, showing how impossibly close they were in that tight space. 

Close your eyes.

A gasp almost escaped Sana’s lips from the voice she heard. She glanced up, thinking it was Tzuyu who spoke to her, only to hear it again loud and clear in her head.

Close your eyes. You’ll know what to do.

Out of instinct, Sana followed and her mind started to drift away. Her eyes snapped open from the smell of dirt, but she wasn’t in the wardrobe anymore, rather in a vast field carpeted with white pure snow. Her eyes observed the surroundings of yellow daffodils peeking out from their frosted leaves, blooming in a magnificent contrast of yellow over pristine white horizon.

Then, her head lifted to the sky, the warm rays of morning sun welcoming her through a thin veil of cirrostratus clouds. Puffs of white breaths escaped , but it wasn’t cold. Not at all, just nice weather to bask in on a winter morning.

She needs you.

Sana spun around to the voice, only to see a figure hunching on the ground. Her feet made crunching noise against the snow, slowly approaching the person buried under a heap of white flurry. The wind gained speed, a sudden blizzard blowing against Sana as she stood by the girl - her silky raven tresses flowing gently against the breeze. 

Her hand reached out to the trembling shoulders, but a low guttural moan made her withdraw out of reflex. 

“Don’t,” The girl hissed, lush stray locks covering her face. “Just - don’t.”

But Sana brazen herself, placing her hand on the trembling shoulder which was scorching hot amidst the cold winter, only for her surroundings to be suddenly darkened. 

Her eyes flutter open, and she’s back in the wardrobe again, noticing the shaking body enveloping her own. She looked up, searching for Tzuyu’s eyes in the darkness.

"What's wrong?" Instead of getting an answer, Sana felt her body being pulled closer, tighter. “Hey-”

That hissing voice appeared again, but this time it wasn’t a pleading growl over a cold blizzard…

It was Tzuyu. 

“Don’t,” She said through clenched teeth, “Just - don’t say anything."

Sana’s intuition told her to do the same to the girl buried in snow, and so she did. She warily planted her hand on the small back of Tzuyu’s body, earning a low moan - a groan of approval. Her hand began to move, rubbing small circles to calm the quivering girl, which resulted with a soft purring at the back of her ear.

The unexpected action caused Sana to giggle, which prompted Tzuyu to pull away in panic. “Sorry, I am a little ticklish.”

The tall girl was flushing red, probably aware of what had taken place between them. But their moments were cut short when a growling breath greeted them outside the wardrobe. Tzuyu covered her ears as the creature shrieked before kicking the wardrobe open and dragged her towards the staircase.

Sana could feel the creature’s cold breath dangerously close to her neck, before she was shoved inside a room. 

“Stay there!”

Sana stood there frozen, watching helplessly at the closed door. No, she can’t stay here. She shouldn’t be a coward and let Tzuyu handle the monster alone - just like what she did to the woman… Sana didn’t want to repeat the same mistake.

She balled her fists tight, determined to get out there and help Tzuyu. But what greeted her when she stepped outside made her stunned. The tall girl single-handedly defeated the creature with her bare hands, shooting out a gust of wind that didn’t seem human at all. 

Sana rushed closer to Tzuyu as she buried the doubt in the back of her mind; she will have to deal with it later. 

“Hey! Are you okay?”

“I’m good, but we need to get you out of here. It’s not safe for you.”

“Wait, what about you?” 

She unconsciously pouted, the thought of needing to be saved didn’t bode well with her. But then she remembered the reason she followed Tzuyu in the first place, and that is to leave this mansion.

It was the one thing she had been desiring for decades. But that time, she didn't feel so sure anymore.

“I’m actually here with my friends. We work as a team so it’s going to be fine.” Sana nodded absentmindedly, still in contemplation with herself, only to jolt in surprise when Tzuyu grabbed her hand.

Somehow, the touch had her startled awake. She can’t leave this mansion, not when the invisible barrier is still there by the door and whoever put it there had a clear reason; they didn’t want Sana to leave, at all. 

“Come on, let’s get you out of here.”

“Actually, about that-” Sana hesitated to tell Tzuyu the truth, but she had to. It’s for their own good. “I don’t think I can leave.”

“Eh? What are you - WHOA!“ 

Her eyes widened in shock when Tzuyu’s leg suddenly went missing, only to appear again when the girl leaped backwards. She watched with jaws hanging as Tzuyu played around with the wall, this time using her own hand.

“W-What’s going on?”

“It’s a fourth dimensional wall. It basically distorts the space inside with another realm, separating whatever within the wall from reality.”

No… it can’t be.

Sana dreads the answer coming out of Tzuyu’s mouth, already knowing what the girl’s about to say. But she asked anyway, “So that means…?”

“We’re trapped.”

Her heart dropped. 

Of course, there’s no way she can leave the mansion. How foolish of Sana to even think for a second that Tzuyu would be the salvation of her curse, now she just dragged the innocent girl along with the mess.

Maybe Sana is the curse; she can’t leave this place, forever… 

You can leave.

Sana almost snorted at the voice, thinking it was just her sick imagination trying to coax herself out of despair. 

Trust me. She can help you.

She wanted to lash out, hit her head on the wall, something to stop the voice from interfering with her thoughts. Amidst the jumbled noises however, one voice stood out the most. It was slightly raspy and soft, a sweet soulful note that drowned the chaotic racket in her head - also the one that brought Sana back to her senses.

“If only I could contact Dahyun, at least I know what we’re dealing with.”

Sana raised an eyebrow, “Dahyun? Is that your friend?”

Suddenly, a force grabbed her hand. Every word leaving Tzuyu’s lips was tuned out as Sana’s attention focused on the string of light slithering against her skin. She should have been alarmed, but she wasn't; the invisible energy felt like a familiar touch, of a mother’s loving caress guiding her newborn child how to hold a hand.

So she let the soothing light control her, thumb along the rhythmic beat of Tzuyu’s radial pulse, fingers tracing the rough lines across palm and fingers, tangling them together in a perfect fit. 

“Uhh, what are you doing?”

“I just thought you needed a hand to hold!”

The words blurted out with practiced ease as Sana flashed a smile, although she’s inwardly fighting the urge to let her body be controlled by an unknown force because out of nowhere,  unfamiliar faces began to invade her head. It's like flipping through pages of a biography book, before it stopped on a memory with two girls in it.

She heard Tzuyu's voice speaking in her stead, calling this "Dahyun" to grab her attention. A girl with pale complexion turned to Sana, and she instantly felt a rush of energy enveloped her body - a high-pitched ringing buzzed in her ear for a split second before an unfamiliar voice filled her mind.

"Tzuyu? Am I hearing this right - is that your voice, Tzu?!"

Sana felt her head pounding, the voices began pouring into her thoughts like a broken dam, invading her mind in a rush of excitement and bewilderment. She wants to get out, leave the head-splitting thoughts for another peaceful place, but another voice drowned the others, calming the storm in her head.

Breathe. You know how to do this.

Sana instinctively inhaled, and gradually, she managed to discern the clamoring voices. She focused on the distinct mellow tone of Tzuyu’s voice, gathering her thoughts effortlessly as if it was natural all along.

She listened to their conversation, catching bits of the reason Tzuyu and her friend were there in the first place. Tracking a devil - it must have been the one that was summoned by the two visitors. Just the thought of meeting the creature made Sana's body shivered, the glowing red eyes of the woman still fresh in her memory.

It managed to distract Sana from Tzuyu's voice, her concentration began to crumble as her breath became shallow, mouth slightly panting. She forced herself to persevere until Tzuyu ended conversing with her friends, and her head instantly fell on the plane of the taller’s shoulder.

"Sana? Are you okay?"

She let Tzuyu's gentle touch roam over her face, mustering a weak smile at the worried pair of eyes. "Y-Yeah, I guess it was too much after a long time..." 

After a long time - eh? Why did I say that?

Sana’s features contorted in confusion but having a pair of worried eyes staring back made a forceful chuckle to bubble up instead. “I’ll be fine, just need to rest for a bit. You can go look for the devil first.”

“No, I’ll wait for you.”

“Trust me, I’ll only be a burden. You still have a mission to complete, right?”

“You’re never a burden, Sana.”

Those words struck a chord in her heart. She looked up at Tzuyu’s eyes, oh those pair of alluring crimson irises gazing intensely into her own, which caused another buzzing to spread against her lungs, ceasing her breath into a suffocating spell. 

“Give me your hand.”

“Why?” 

“I’m going to perform magic.”

“So you’re a magician now?” Sana’s voice was playful, which earned her a miniscule raise of Tzuyu’s thin lips. 

Maybe her breathlessness was obvious to Tzuyu because just as their hands came in contact, they were encased in a blinding glow. Sana gasped, her heaving chest gradually relaxed as a new sense of comfort drowned her fatigue, rekindling the lost glow in Sana’s eyes.

“You’re good?”

“Yeah, thank you.” Sana nodded as she retracted her hand from Tzuyu’s grasp, at the same time trying to hide her blushing cheeks behind veils of brown locks as she already missed the warmth of their joined hands.

“I can feel that thing upstairs.” Tzuyu stated as she peered up the staircase to the upper level. “Come on, we need to catch the devil.”

The tall woman offered a hand, but Sana was hesitant to take it. She had experienced, seen with her own eyes, how powerful the creature is. If there’s one thing she acknowledged after witnessing Tzuyu’s fight with the banshee and the whole escaping ordeal, is that Tzuyu is better off without her.

“I really think I should stay behind. I’m going to be holding you up and it’s dangerous too so it’s not the best to have me with you when you’re facing the devil later since-”

“Sana.”

“Y-yes?” She almost squeaked when Tzuyu kneeled before her, her thin lips curving up into a gentle smile. 

“We’re already stuck together in this dimensional space, so let’s stay together until then.”

“But-”

“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”

Their fingers touched again, stirring up the weird feeling pounding in Sana’s chest. Tzuyu clasped their hands together in a tight hold, as if afraid Sana would let go, and it managed to do just that; putting Sana under an unknown spell, again , as the girl easily coaxed her to stand by her side. It was scary how Tzuyu made her feel, but it was pleasing as well. Just by staring at the pair of crimson eyes made Sana feel safe and comfortable, like they’ve known each other for eternity.

But her thoughts dissipated when she felt an alarming presence emerging from behind.

Watch your back!

Eh?

Before she could heed the voice, a pair of ghastly-looking arms wrapped around her waist. 

“Tzuyu!”

Sana struggled to grab the girl, clawing her way out of the creature’s death grip but to no avail. Her body had been pulled inside a weird hole and the sight of Tzuyu rapidly diminished as the space warped into pitch darkness, along with her consciousness.

 

 

End of flashbacks…

 

 

“... and then I woke up when the devil screamed. It was cradling its charred hand - must have been the amulet’s effect.” Sana rubs the end of the plastic container as the corner of curves up, brown eyes darting up to the pair of crimson orbs. “Then you found me.”

“Then I found you.” Tzuyu repeated with a raise of her shoulder, her lips mirroring Sana’s single-sided smile. She leans forward, gently exhaling from her nose. “It must have been hard for you to be in that place all alone.”

“Well, “hard” is an understatement… I almost lost my sanity over time.”

Tzuyu’s composed appearance cracked as her penetrating stare softens, eyebrows pinched together. Her long fingers glide across the table, landing gingerly on whitish knuckles unconsciously squeezed tight. She pries the clenched fingers open, a thumb rubbing softly on the crook of Sana’s hand. 

The gesture was natural; as if she had done it before, perhaps many times.

“Everything’s going to be fine. You’re here now… right?”

Sana doesn’t pull back; it was comforting enough for an appreciative smile to take over the small frown on her face. Instead, she lets Tzuyu’s hand do the magical wonders, making her feel secure and reassured to have another presence of a human in close proximity - despite Tzuyu being unnaturally immortal to be merely called a human. 

But their moment was cut short when Chaeyoung smacked the door open, her eyes, nose and mouth magnified in shock.

“Tzuyu, why didn’t you tell me about the blank check?!”

“I did.” She nonchalantly said, “Your ears are just too short to hear it, I guess?”

“The -”

“OH LORD CAN I PLEASE HAVE ONE DAY WITHOUT LISTENING TO THIS SINFUL MIDGET?!”

“YOU’RE A MOTHERING DWARF AS WELL, KIM!” She shouted to the hallway before turning back to Tzuyu, “Where’s that ?”

“At the table in front.”

And Chaeyoung zooms as fast as the flash down the hallway, leaving Tzuyu sighing to herself before a snort caught her ears. She sees Sana covering with trembling shoulders, her eyes crinkling up.

“No offence, but you guys are a weird combination for a team.”

“None taken.”

Tzuyu chortles to herself, avoiding Sana’s eyesmile as it stir a weird buzzing in her chest. 

 

 

//

 

 

The gentle breeze of the wind flutters a few messy locks on Tzuyu’s forehead as she walks down the paved pathway along Han river. The orange sky is slowly losing its color as the sun dips over the horizon, blending the clouds in a beautiful hue of purplish red sky. She had always preferred strolling down the street at night, being a creature of the dark. It’s a much needed escape for Tzuyu after a day of hunting as a team of Ghost Be Ghosted.

But to have a companion tonight was never on her agenda, especially in the form of Sana.

 

Tzuyu sneaked in the broken window of the second-floor office, the watch on her wrist just beeped to 6 in the morning. The main room was dark and vacant, which was odd considering how Dahyun likes to station herself on the long rectangular table, burying herself over towers of ancient manuscripts and religious journals. 

She placed the paperbags of donuts and muffins beside an open book, her glowing eyes peering over the dim space for the whereabouts of her friends.  

She knows Chaeyoung is a heavy sleeper, and Dahyun probably has slipped inside the former’s private workshop to accommodate the empty lower bunk bed to keep the small girl company (they saw once how lonely Chaeyoung looked, a thumb while mumbling “mama” in her sleep like a baby but don’t tell that to the cuss champion). 

Wanting to check on Sana, she proceeded down the hallway towards the guest room. She expected the girl to be still asleep, however the muffled voices of her friends were heard instead.

"Are you sure she's here?"

"My devices don't do like lying, bro."

Tzuyu quickly slipped inside and there, on the small square table, were Dahyun and Chaeyoung sitting side by side with tousled bed hair and red-rimmed eyes. The clergy-prodigy is staring down the bewildered Sana with her already small and squinted eyes while Chaeyoung has the ridiculously looking heat-sensor goggles on. 

“What… are you guys doing?”

“Tzuyu! Your ghost girl disappeared!” Chaeyoung exclaimed, the goggles almost covering the girl’s small face. 

Instead of being shocked, Tzuyu merely raised her hand to the chair right across her dumdum friends. “She’s right over there, looking obviously terrified of you both.”

"Mwoh? What are you – oh, oh! I can see her now!"

Sana was clearly taken aback by Dahyun's outburst, quickly lunging herself behind Tzuyu's tall stature.

"Told you this goggle ing works!"

"Oh, I don’t know… It would be better if you make a machine that would keep that sinful tongue of yours in check!"

"This tongue is already science-material, bro. It's capable of doing the impossible. Wanna be my prototype tester?" 

Dahyun visibly grimaced from Chaeyoung's wiggling eyebrows, quickly muttering incoherent prayers as the other let out an evil cackle of Dahyun's distraught state. Tzuyu glances over her shoulder to see Sana still warily watching these two, and that’s when she shooed them both out of the room.

“Did you manage to get some sleep?”

Her question was met with a shrug as Sana walked back to her temporary bed, taking a seat on the brown couch before picking at the end of the folded blanket. It looks untouched, even the state of the pillow seems like it hasn’t been occupied at all. 

Tzuyu might have been the one at fault for Sana’s current state; she had asked her friends to keep a watch on Sana tonight, knowing she can’t skip her habit of visiting the frozen lake. She didn’t want to leave Sana on her own, but she really needed some alone. Her craving for blood had weirdly intensified these few days.

“To be frank, I had actually forgotten how to sleep ever since I was in the mansion.” Sana started,. “I guess it might be a while before I can adapt to everything.”

The tall woman lets out a slow hum, at the same time Dahyun stepped in with two mugs of steaming tea. She offered one to Sana while taking a sip of her own. 

“You should take Sana out.”

Tzuyu shots an incredulous look at her friend, not the least excited with the idea. “Won’t it be risky?”

“Well, it might be. But it will be good for her to try out new things and explore the place... you know, touch some grass? Don’t you agree, Sana?”

Sana wears the same wary look as Tzuyu as she voiced out her concern, “I think so, but like Tzuyu said, won’t it be risky?”

“Of you disappearing in a sea of people and turn back as a ghost again? Pshh, that’s easy!” Dahyun waves her hand with a dismissive laughter, “Just stick together like glue. That solves the problem!”

“Or I can lend my handcuff! That might do the trick!” Chaeyoung shouted from the hallway, causing Dahyun’s jaw to drop in disbelief, cheeks blemished red.

“Trust me - you don’t want to know how she got one, or what she did with that contraption.”

 

And that’s how Tzuyu ends up with Sana that evening, blending in easily with other passersby just like normal people. Not that they need to disguise as one. Their appearance alone already looked human enough, added with Sana’s enthusiasm with everything she sees. Perhaps Dahyun was right; this might be the therapy Sana needs.

A delighted hum greets Tzuyu's ears.

She steals a glance to her side, a smile forming at the glint of amusement she sees from the twinkling caramel eyes and round cheeks filled with sugary goodness. She wonders how much more can Sana stuff the endless pit of her stomach because since they’re walking down the street of the night market, the girl had been shoving all kinds of snacks down .

“Delicious!” She exclaimed, “This is really good!”

Tzuyu has been studying Sana’s side profile as the girl keeps on munching the fish-shaped pastry filled with choux cream, taking in the way her lips jutting out with puffed out cheeks as she gushes about the astoundingly incredible taste of the common looking snack. She found out one thing about Sana; she really resembles a hamster.

“You really like that one?”

“Hm?”

Tzuyu juts her chin to the half-eaten snack. “Those bungeoppang ... it seems to be your favourite.”

“Perhaps, it is? Weirdly enough, this is the only one that tasted familiar to me.”

“Maybe you’ve tried them before?”

Sana merely shrugs, “I might have, and I’m regretting it now… I should have bought a whole bag of them!”

“I don’t think you should.”

“Why not?” 

“That's enough sweets for today, you will get a stomachache soon.” Tzuyu tries to speak in a composed manner while trying to avoid staring at Sana’s pouty lips.

“Oh please, spare me the lecture. I have like, decades of foodfest to catch up!”

Tzuyu raised an eyebrow with a slight mirth in her voice, “I’ve lived for centuries but never have I felt as eager about food as you are.”

“Because you have a different appetite than mine!” Sana chirped with an innocent grin as she popped the last piece of the fish’s tail into . 

Truth to be told, Tzuyu is indeed craving for a different type of delicacy. But never have she met a taste that manages to satisfy her peculiar palate. However, recently, she noticed something odd.

There’s a lingering scent that tingles her senses whenever she’s around Sana. The subtle sweetness of an icy dew already plastered in the back of her head stirs the sleeping demon in her with a flutter of excitement, in a good way. Tzuyu had never felt it before, but her conscience did, because instead of wrecking havoc inside, it merely spurred a familiar buzz in her chest.

What was it, she doesn’t know. 

Tzuyu inhales deeply to shake the thoughts off her head... only it was a wrong move as the scent, once again, fills her nostrils, her heart thumping out of beat. Then, the words escaped out of whim.

“You smell nice.”

The words spew out of like natural, a moment flashes in her head like an old reel…

 

“It smells nice.”

She received a doubtful look.

“Trust me, it’s good.”

Tzuyu took a small bite of the fish’s head, before giving off a delightful hum. The snack was still fresh, steam wafting from the still piping hot bread, the smell of sweet vanilla and azuki invading her nostrils. She glanced at the girl beside her, the latter’s face full of anticipation. Taking a deep breath, the girl closed her eyes and chomped down the same part Tzuyu did… only to have her eyes snapped open in surprise.

“Delicious!” She exclaimed, “This is really good!”

“They called it taiyaki, in case you’re interested.”

“Oh, I definitely am! This is the first time I’ve ever tasted something else other than plain bread, and to know that it tasted this good… I’ve been missing a lot staying in the monastery!”

“That’s right, not everything is bad about the world.”

It was faint, but Tzuyu could discern the blush painted on the girl’s cheeks as she ducked her head, hiding her face behind a veil of grey hair.

“Don’t.” Tzuyu stopped her, gently pushing away the strands blocking her view. “I like seeing your face.”

 

“What?”

“Huh?” Tzuyu blinked a few times, her surroundings now returned to the scenery of Han river… and also a blushing Sana.

“You said you like seeing my face, what was that...” She mumbles, and Tzuyu is quick to find an excuse.

“Well,” Tzuyu clears , “You are pretty.”

Oof, real smooth Tzuyu... real smooth.

She scratches her head awkwardly as Sana averted her eyes to the last piece in the paper bag.

“Want a taste?” 

"It's fine. The taste won't affect me much."

"Come on – just a bite? Trust me, it's going to be a new experience!."

"But–"

"Here."

Tzuyu was taken aback when Sana shoves a new piece of bungeoppang towards her face. She wants to refuse, but those pair of round, twinkling caramel eyes looking like a squirrel asking for a punch made it impossible to turn down the offer.

Hesitantly, Tzuyu relents.

She bites the tip of the head, slowly chewing the crunchy but soft texture. She can feel the sweetness of vanilla and butter, followed by the rich taste of mellow nutty paste. She had eaten this many times before, but somehow, this time managed to tingle her taste bud.

"This is good."

Sana's eyes brighten. "Right? Told you so!”

Tzuyu shouldn’t be watching, but she couldn’t take her eyes off the figure beside her. There seems to be an unknown attraction that draws her closer to Sana, piques her interest of this stranger who strangely feels familiar.

Perhaps, they had met before?

But her thoughts were disturbed when her phone rings.

"Hello?"

"Tzu, still on your date?”

Normally she wouldn’t respond to her friends’ antics, but her neck unconsciously had warmed up on its own, and Sana tilting her head quizzically at her was not helping.

Tzuyu cleared instead, “W-What’s up?”

“Ohohoho what’s with the stutter? She’s ing enjoying her - MMPH!”

There’s commotion on the back (probably Dahyun strangling the cub) before the clergy-prodigy takes over the phone. “We got an emergency call about a possessed dog and looks like you are in the area.”

Tzuyu nods, before her eyebrows furrow together. “How did you know my location?”

“Dahyun ing but a tracker on you because this has attachment issue -"

“Chae, shut your trap or I swear…”

“! You’re gonna swear as well?!”

Tzuyu lets out a breath, catching Sana’s attention as the girl raises her eyebrows from the noise. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, just… give me a moment.”

“What I’m saying is, could you check on the client? They seemed really desperate from the call.”

It was never a problem for her, but she got the whole baggage of a clueless human on her side at the moment. “What about Sana?”

“Oh, she can tag along, no biggie.”

“Sheesh, our leecher got to bring her date on a job… How ing awesome - ack ah owowow OW! WHAT THE !”

“Serves you right... I've sent the location to your phone, Tzuyu. Stay safe!”

Tzuyu lets out a long sigh as the call ends, wary of the pair of eyes scrutinizing her every action with a worried look. Well, looks like there’s no helping it.

“What’s wrong? Is everything alright”

“Say... are you good with dogs?”

 

 

 

 

 

//// NEXT CHAPTER ////

 

 

 

“May I see your dog?”

“She’s not just a dog, okay? She’s my baby Dobby… Noo my poor Dobby! Who did this to you!”

Tzuyu and Sana shared a shrug, "Ookay..."

 

 

 

“Hey, everything’s going to be fine.”

“I don’t know…”

“We’ll work things out. Do you trust me?”

“I trust you.”

“, you two... Are you eyeing?”

“Oh, for god’s sake! Keep your mouth shut if you don’t have anything better to say, Son Chaeyoung!”

 

 

 

"Sana... your hands. It's disappearing."

"It's time."

"What are you - no, don't come closer!"

"Look at me, Tzuyu."

"Stay away...!"

"No, I won't - I want you to do it."

"What...?"

"Drink my blood."

 

 

---

A/N: Next update is next year. Ehek.
If you like this and want it to be complete asap, please spam the UPVOTE button, aye?
Thank you for still waiting patiently OTL