chapter three
bleeding clandestinesMinji was awakened from her sleep by the boisterous singing of her younger sister downstairs. Even though Minji isn't a morning person, she has no choice but to get up and leave her room to have her breakfast because her room isn't exactly soundproof and she can hear almost every loud noise that is occurring either within or outside their home. It has always been a part of Bora's daily routine to sing her lungs out while doing her morning workout, and Minji somehow just got used to it.
As she walked downstairs, she could see Bora from the living room, wearing her usual workout clothes and her headphones while singing, which Minji recognized as a Taylor Swift song. She just chuckled at how funny her sister looked doing curl-ups while singing breathlessly.
"Good morning, dear," Minji’s mom said. She was standing next to the kitchen counter, enjoying her morning coffee, and reading arbitrary news updates on her phone at the same time. "How do you find yourself feeling right now? Do you still feel pain from your wound? I was wondering about your ankle's state too."
"I'm fine, mom. Don't worry," was the response she gave. Minji no longer experienced any of the discomfort that she had been feeling as a result of the injury to her knee, and she was also able to walk without any problems. She thought the ice pack really helped the sprain, and she remembered returning it to Yoohyeon and thanking her for the help. "Mom, by the way, can I ask you something?"
"Of course, dear. What is it?"
"Will it be possible for me to go out today? It is important that I find Yoohyeon so that I may hand back the ice pack that she gave me. Also, I need to express my gratitude to her for coming to my rescue back then. If it weren't for her, I'm pretty sure I would've ended up in the grave."
The smile on the face of Minji’s mom slowly disappeared because of her daughter’s request. She let out a deep sigh and turned off her phone before placing it back in her handbag.
"Minji, you can’t leave this house anymore. At least while the issue hasn’t died down yet and your life is still in danger. Everyone knows what you are now, and you’re aware that humans don’t survive this long unless you work or become a slave of another vampire," her mom reminded her. "I’m sure you also know that your real parents died at the hands of a vampire. I promised your other mom that I would protect you and keep you safe for the rest of your life."
"I know, mom. I just want to thank Yoohyeon. You know what she did, right? She kept me away from danger."
"When she brought you back home, we already thanked her a sufficient amount, so there's no need to thank her again. Regarding the ice pack, it is fine for your sister to give it back rather than you. You’re staying here inside the house. Do you understand?"
"Yes, mom," Minji sighed, walking back to the living room and slouching on the couch. Bora had just finished working out and was also sitting on the other side of it.
"Good morning, sis! Why the long face?"
"I feel like I’m grounded because of what happened at the party," she answered.
"Oh, come on, that’s not being grounded. Our parents just want you to be safe because a lot of vampires want to have you as their meal now. Hyunjung told me that your blood smelled really good, and it made some of the guests go wild."
"Yeah, I witnessed how they changed and chased me and Yoohyeon further into the forest."
"See? Therefore, you have no choice but to stay here in our home, where they won't be able to find you. Even if they catch your scent here, vampires could never enter places or homes that they don't have permission from the owner to enter," Bora remarked as she patted her sister's knee in an effort to cheer her up and make her feel better. "To keep you from getting bored, we could simply watch some movies or play some video games together. How about that?"
Bora did everything in her power to keep her sister, Minji, entertained for the entirety of the day, but Minji's thoughts continued to stray off to other places. It was a mystery to her why she felt such a compelling need to reconnect with Yoohyeon once more. Because her thoughts were so preoccupied with the vampire who had saved her life, she was unable to concentrate on the movie that they were viewing at the time. Minji couldn't stop thinking about Yoohyeon. Her eyes, her smell, her short, messy hair—everything about her kept going over and over in her thoughts, and she knew that she wouldn't be able to make it through the day until she was able to see her again.
Was it something like this that Bora had told her about when it came to vampires taking advantage of their powers to draw people in? Minji wasn't really confident about anything, but she was positive that seeing Yoohyeon would put her mind at ease.
"Bora," Minji called out.
She heard her sister sigh, but she was still smiling warmly.
"I’m supposed to keep you safe, but if seeing Yoohyeon again would make you feel okay again, then I guess I have no choice but to accompany you to look for her."
Minji gasped.
"How did you..."
"I have the ability to read minds, Minji. It's one of the gifts I have as an immortal. I just try to avoid using it too much, especially on you, because I value your privacy a lot. It’s just that your thoughts are so loud right now and you’re drowning in them too, so I ended up reading them," she answered truthfully. "Mom and dad won’t be home until tomorrow evening, so we have a lot of time today to search for Yoohyeon. We just have to be back home before sundown because it’s dangerous outside at night."
"I love you so much. Do you know that?"
"Ew, anything but sweetness," Bora uttered in disgust, and Minji just smacked her playfully.
Minji hid her identity by wearing a black mask and a black cap so that she would not be recognized, particularly by the daywalkers that prowled the streets. Bora did the same thing because she was well-known in the area, and it would have been evident who she was strolling with if she had also shown her face to the general public at that time. Minji could remember Yoohyeon bringing her further into the woods to hide from the wild vampires who were after them. The siblings continued their journey deeper into the forest. Even though it was a long walk, Minji had no trouble recalling the route, and they were able to successfully arrive at the same luxurious home where Yoohyeon had brought her before.
"Wow, Yoohyeon is rich!" Bora exclaimed in awe as she stared at every detail of the house’s exterior.
The first time Minji and Yoohyeon went to the vampire's house, they were in such a rush that Minji was unable to pay attention to all of the features of the property. Glass was used for the majority of architectural elements, including the entryway as well as the roof, windows, and windowsills. The front yard included an enormous pool for swimming, and it also featured fountains. Minji couldn't help but chuckle as she saw a giant donut-shaped floatie being carried toward the marble steps by the small waves that were being produced by the pool fountain.
Minji turned and glanced on the other side of the front yard, where there was a timber cottage of about ordinary size. Another thing that made Minji giggle was the enormous sign that was hanging on the door that was closed.
"Don’t come in if you’re not Kim Yoohyeon. Seriously?" She read, which made Bora laugh too.
"Your crush is cute, not gonna lie."
After Minji gave her sister a hard slap on the shoulder, the latter let out a loud shriek.
"What crush are you talking about? She’s not my crush and never will be."
"You can’t fool me, Minji. You won’t exactly go to lengths like disobeying our parents and putting your life in danger just so you can see her again," Bora replied, shrugging. "Anyway, are we even sure she’s home? The place seems awfully quiet. It’s giving me the chills."
"Idiot! I told you I just wanted to thank her for helping m-"
"What are you two doing here?"
Minji came dangerously close to having a heart attack when she heard a deep voice coming from only a few inches behind them. Yoohyeon was just standing there looking at her and her sister with a bewildered expression when they turned around. She appeared to have recently returned from quite a lengthy trip, based on the fact that the attempted bun she put on her short, brown hair looked a little bit messy and the collar of her gray pullover had been drenched in her own sweat from her travels. Even the edges of her white Converse shoes were covered in filth as well.
"Yoohyeon, I-"
"Kim Bora, please don't tell me that your sister came all the way here just to tell me that she misses me," Yoohyeon asked, showing the same grin that annoyed but also amused Minji at the same time.
Minji rolled her eyes and responded, "You wish," as she said this. "I just wanted to come here to thank you for helping me out at the party, healing my wounds, and returning me home in one piece. I also brought back your ice pack for you. I made sure that it was cleaned as well."
"You can just have Bora come here, though," Yoohyeon answered, still smiling. "It’s dangerous for a human like you to be out right now. Everyone’s craving for your blood."
"That’s what I was trying to tell her," Bora said. "But she just really wanted to see..."
"Kim Bora."
"I’m shushed."
Yoohyeon extended an invitation to the siblings to come
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