“So this is where I have to see you off…” Jessica said as she looked down on the ground. Tiffany smiled at her.

“Ya. Why are you smiling? Are you happy to go?” Jessica said once she noticed Tiffany’s smile.

“No. In fact, I’m going to miss you every time I don’t see you in front of me.” Tiffany said as she put down her bag and held Jessica’s hands. “To think that it was only this morning that…”

When Tiffany didn’t continue, Jessica looked at her expectantly. Tiffany just shook her head and brought Jessica’s hands to her lips. After a light touch, she caressed them tenderly.

“Never mind. I’ll come to visit you.” Tiffany said, staring into Jessica’s eyes. Time passed as they drown in each other’s wordless emotions. Jessica broke the gaze by looking down the floor.

“It’s probably better if you don’t…” Jessica regretfully said, her emotions presented by her sad expression.

“… you’re probably right.” Though Tiffany didn’t want to say that, she did. She felt her chest ache a familiar ache. One that she remembered from when she was still human. She slowly let go of Jessica’s hands. She wanted to feel reluctance through that action. She wanted Jessica to hold her hand. Even with the slightest hint of disapproval, that would have made her stay. But she felt none of the sort.

“I’ll be back. I promise.” She said before turning away from Jessica as she picked her bag up. She looked to the car to see Sunny waiting for her. Tiffany got in the car as did Sunny. In no later, the car drove off, leaving Jessica that night.

There was no tears shed, nor was she frowning. Instead, if one looked close enough, her eyes were full of sadness… one that would have only been seen five years ago.

“Come inside. You’re going to catch a cold.” Jessica turned to see Taeyeon standing behind her. She nodded before heading back in the building. Once she was no longer in sight, Taeyeon sighed.

“Was this a bad decision?” She asked no one in particular.

In the infirmary, three individuals stirred.

“Ugh… What happened? Where are we?” Lay said. He looked around, his hand pressed against his head.

“Do you remember how we got here? All I remember is- Oh no!” Kris suddenly exclaimed. This alerted Lay and Chanyeol

“Guys, we just picked a fight with Ms. Hwang! We’re dead.” Kris said as he covered his face with his hands while shaking his head in disapproval.

“Why would we do that? Ugh… why does my body hurt?” Chanyeol asked as he held himself up. Before the other two could try to answer, the door opened.

“Oh, you guys are awake. Try not to move as much, Chanyeol. Tiffany did a good beating at you.” Sooyoung said. Lay and Kris moved down from the bed.

“May we ask where Ms. Tiffany is?” Lay asked.

“She’s headed back to Gangseo. Why?”

“We have to apologize. We weren’t exactly… I don’t know how to explain our actions.”

“Actually, you guys can go back to the facility. I am the one who will drive you there. But you guys have to wait until tomorrow. I regret to inform you guys that you will be questioned. Your actions from the other day are very worthy of punishment. You guys should be dead already. And the investigation that you will be put under is a way to deem yourselves.” With that, she turned to their charts. Kris and Lay walked beside her as she looked at Chanyeol’s chart.

“Well, I’m glad to inform you that you’re healing at just about the right rate. But you’ll have a scar.”

“A scar? Where did I get it from?”

“… From Tiffany. It’s complicated. Don’t ask her about it.” With that, Sooyoung placed his chart back. She took her beeper off and changed the settings for the patient. She put it back in her pocket and took her phone out.

“… Hey, Hyo. You and Seo can take these guys for questioning. I’ll bring them back to the facility tomorrow. Thanks.” With a few words, she dropped the call. She turned to them.

“My advice, just answer her as truthfully as you can. For me, it is a major offense. However, for Hyo, it is a crime. She might pressure you guys. She can get very intimidating.” With that, she went to her desk. The three looked at each other and back at Sooyoung.

“Can I borrow a phone?” Chanyeol asked. Sooyoung stared at them before opening her drawer and taking a phone out.

“That one’s for company use. Take care of it.” She threw it at them which Kris was able to catch.

“Thanks.” Chanyeol said before slowly getting off his bed and walking outside the room.

After two hours of driving, Tiffany and Sunny saw the facility. They pulled up at the parking lot. Tiffany went up the gate and took out an ID card. With a swipe, the gates opened.

“You can take the car inside. It’s an automatic lock so just come inside after.” Tiffany said, leaving Sunny. She walked in the front door.

“Finally, you’re back. Don’t you know that I was wo- Ah! Ms. Hwang. Welcome back.”

“Were you expecting someone, Suho?” Tiffany asked with a smile.

“Ah, I- I was-” With the hesitation, Tiffany figured that it was those three that he was waiting for.

“Oh, they’ll come back tomorrow. But they’ll be under detention for a few weeks.” Tiffany said as she walked along the halls as Suho followed.

“…Ms. Hwang. I don’t mean to challenge your final word on the subject but may I request for only a day of detention instead of weeks?” Tiffany stopped walking and Suho just lowered his head.

“… Suho, you’re graduating soon right?” Tiffany asked.

“Huh? Ah, yes. Yes, I am.” Tiffany turned to him.

“What’s the reason you want less days for them in detention?”

“It’s just… they want to be human more than anyone. I mean, I know they can‘t be human. But they want to rejoin society more than anyone in here. Even more than I do.”

“… A week is the last I am to offer. It’s precisely because of that that they should be in detention, Suho. They want to be identified as humans. I understand that. Yet they gave themselves up to chemical possession. They should have been able to control that. Since they couldn’t, this punishment is needed for them.”

“I understand, Ms. Hwang. Thank you very much.” Suho said as he bowed in thanks.

“That’s precisely why you’re graduating early, Suho. You care for their well-being very much. After you graduate, you can always come back to visit them.” With that, Tiffany and Suho continued on with the rooms.

“Tiffany!” The two turned to see Sunny walking towards them.

“You should’ve waited for me in the entrance. I didn’t know where you were.”

“Sorry. I forgot. Haha.” Tiffany laughed. Sunny just smiled.

“Oh, Sunny, this is Suho. He’s graduating this year.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Lee Sunny.”

“I’m Kim Joon Myeon, but please call me Suho. Congratulations, Ms. Lee.”

“Eh?”

“Didn’t the President propose to you?”

“Ah, you mean Taeyeon. Yes, she did. How did you know?”

“Well, the other day, she came to check around the facility and I noticed the ring on her finger. You also have one so I assumed that she proposed.”

“Wow. Well, thank you.” Tiffany smiled at them.

“All right. Do you guys want to accompany me making the rounds? Class starts tomorrow so the students are sleeping in their rooms. It’s just to check if things are okay. I do this every night.”

“I’ll come. But I think Suho should sleep now. He’s been awake since you came right?”

“That’s right. Suho, you can go now. Sleep well.”

“Okay, Ms. Hwang. Ms. Lee. Good night.” He said walking away. Tiffany and Sunny both noticed the smile on their faces.

“You did a good job of teaching him.”

“Not really. He was already like that. I don’t even know how he became a Deohyeo in the first place. I only found him a year ago and he wasn’t very hostile like most Deohyeos.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, he had black eyes and he is very strong like them. But he didn’t do anything wrong. He followed the rules and aced his classes. He was... subservient.”

“That’s why he’s graduating early?” Tiffany nodded.

“Let’s go.”

Yoona was with Hyoyeon and Seohyun as the three Deohyeos were questioned. While Hyoyeon did most of the intimidation, Seohyun did the calm questioning. Yoona watched behind the room through a window and recorded the whole thing. She was going to help write the reports later. She looked at her watch, 10:37. She sighed. She turned her attention back to the questioning.

“Unnie, that’s enough. Intimidating them won’t make something true.” Seohyun said, holding onto Hyoyeon, who was standing, facing away at Chanyeol.

“They did it, Seo. Especially this guy. He threw a knife at Jessica! And now he’s saying he didn’t mean to? That he wasn’t himself.” Hyoyeon shouted. Yoona watched as Chanyeol shrink in his seat. She looked at the other room to see Kris and Lay waiting, their hands clasped in anxiety. She turned her gaze back to the interrogation room and found that Seohyun was giving her the signal. She pressed a button.

“Okay, that’s enough. We’ve got everything we need.” She flinched a bit when Hyoyeon looked at her suddenly, but she found that Hyoyeon had really been upset. She gave her a knowing look, even though she wasn’t sure that she could see her. With a nod, Hyoyeon started packing up.

“Thanks for your cooperation. Go back to the Infirmary.” With that, Chanyeol carefully stood up and left the room. Yoona watched Kris and Lay help him walk.

‘They seem like a good group of kids. What made them do so?’ Yoona thought to herself.

“Sorry you had to sit through all that, Yoona.” Hyoyeon apologized as she entered the room.

“No, it’s okay, Unnie.”

“What time is it?”

“It’s 10:45.”

“You better get going. Yuri might get worried. It’s late and there’s some weird guy on the news. Be careful.” Hyoyeon said.

“But what about the reports?”

“Seo and I can handle them. Don’t worry.” With that, Yoona bowed and went out the room. She took out her phone. She dialed a familiar number and waited.

…

…

“Annyeonghaseyo, this is Kwon Yuri. I’m busy spending time with Yoona right now. Please call back later.” Though she was a bit sad that Yuri didn’t answer her call, she smiled at the voicemail.

“I better get home. She’s probably asleep.” She made her way to the elevator and waited to get to the main floor. With about half an hour, she was out of the building.

Her footsteps produced a clicking sound that was accompanied by the sound of cars zooming on the streets.

Two figures ran into each other on top of a high rise. One of them stared at the other. She watched as the girl rubbed her forehead while hissing in discomfort.

“Sorry.” She said as she extended her hand to the girl. The girl seemed dazed.

“Um… Are you okay?” With that, the girl slowly reached over to touch her hand and she pulled her up. Not letting go, they stared at each other, one more apparently captivated than the other.

“I can’t believe it’s been five years…” She smiled to herself, feeling joy well up in her chest. She took a deep breath and watched the city lights and the car lights around. It made the world less painful to live in… to see all these beauty. Then, a figure zoomed by.

“Who’s there?” She looked around but there was no one there. She started walking again but this time, there were audible steps. She turned to an alley and turned around.

“… Oh, it’s just you.” Yoona said.

“Excuse me? Huh… Do you know me?”

“You should be ashamed. You’re all over the news.”

“I have gained a great deal of popularity, haven’t I?”

“And we all thought you had changed. Tiffany thought you changed when you graduated years ago.”

“Well, that’s just sad isn’t it? You guys were too trusting. Do you really think a diploma can change people? Especially one that has been living for over 55 years?”

“Daniel, every other Deohyeo graduated with pride and Tiffany was so proud of you. How can you be such a disappointment?”

“She hasn’t watched the news at all. She’s too busy with her girlfriend.”

“You weren’t like this before. What happened to you? Wait! Did you lie to them?”

“Fortunately for you, I was in my right mind during that time. But something is changing. And I can’t stop it. It’s too strong.” Daniel said as he looked at his eyes on a broken glass nearby.

“What do you mean?” Yoona asked with uncertainty, reaching at her belt.

“It’s probably because of that diploma that it had late effects. The explosion, it started changing me. With that, I really am grateful to Ms. Hwang. But it can’t be delayed for so long. My blood… is merging with the chemical from the explosion. It’s turning my hunger insatiable. It’s taken everything of me to stop it but I’m too weak.”

“Wait, then those three-”

“I can understand why Hyoyeon noona was hard on them but they can’t stop it. Look at me now.”  Yoona stepped away from him.

“Oh, now don’t be like that. I just need a snack.”

“Sorry. But other than the fact that my blood is reserved for someone else, you’ve been committing to many crimes. What were you thinking, killing all those people on the news?”

“It’s simple. I’m not thinking straight.” With that, he charged at Yoona, taking her by surprise. She was pushed back to the wall and she slumped down.

“You better do something quick. I can’t stop. My hunger is taking control.” Yoona watched as his eyes turned black again. She reached along her belt and with a click on a metal rod, her pole materialized in her hand. She pointed the end at him.

“I already told you. This blood, the one that flows in my veins, is for someone else. I can’t even let you smell it. I will have to bring you down.”

“You can’t bring me back to the organization alive. You have to kill me tonight.” He said with a pained expression.

Yoona stood up and charged at him with her pole. She used an end to hit him from above, which he blocked with one arm and using the other to scratch her. She maneuvered her pole so that is what he hits with his hand. With a swift move, she steps on her pole and somersaults to the wall.

“You’re really fit to be a vampire hunter, Yoona noona.” Daniel said as he charged at her again and Yoona used her pole to stop him.

“But…” He said as he held onto the pole, burning his hand a bit.

“The chemical… it has made me stronger than before.” With that, he pulled the pole and when Yoona let it go to prevent herself from being pulled, he used his other hand to hold her by the neck. He watched as Yoona try to remove his hand from her neck.

“Funny, isn’t it? How in books, vampires don’t need air, yet we value it as much as the actual humans do?”

“I’d rather die than to let you have my blood.” Yoona said, her eyes turning a shade of jade green. As it shines, it produced a strong gust of wind. It sends blades of wind at Daniel, wounding him greatly. But he didn’t move from his position, with his hand still on Yoona’s neck.

“Well, I can always heal after drinking your blood.” Yoona’s eyes closed tightly when Daniel moved closer.

Cling!

This stopped Daniel for a bit. Yoona opened her eyes.

“I must be hearing things.” Daniel said before looking back at Yoona.

Cling!

“Okay, stop messing with my head.”

“It’s not me.” Yoona said as she looked around.

“You are really good at buying time. Whatever.” He said, finally disregarding the sound. They were engulfed in darkness as the alley light started flickering. Yoona felt that Daniel was smiling right now. She could feel his breath near her neck and she felt disgusted.

‘Yul!’ She called in her mind.

“Argh!” Yoona opened her eyes right away and she felt Daniel move away. She couldn’t see because it was dark. She tried to move but Daniel’s scream was silenced. She was suddenly frightened.

“Who’s there?” She asked. No voice. She heard clicks of shoes echo in the alley. She made sure to locate her pole in the darkness and hold it at arm’s length.

“Answer me.” She froze when a figure stood over Daniel’s body. It was turned back from her so she couldn’t see who it was.

“Who…” The figure suddenly turned. However, the lights flickered off again. Eyes stared back at her and her eyes widened. But before she could identify them, the lights flickered back and there was no one there. She walked out of the alley with her pole in hand. She clicked a button and it retracted back to its short rod like appearance. She hid it under her clothes and looked back at Daniel. She saw him move.

“Noona… it’s them. They’re controlling her.”

“What?” She moved closer to him. She saw him slowly turning into ashes.

“It’s them… they are behind everything.”

“What are you saying?”

“Take my ashes and don’t give them to anyone. Someone… can’t be trusted…” She saw tears flow down his cheek.

“You can’t die yet.”

“I know… I have so much more information… But… ugh…” Daniel coughed as he disintegrated.

“Go to my house. Take her with you. Be sure it’s at night. She’ll know what to do.”

“Who? Who?” Yoona asked.

“… So…” With that, he vanished, leaving his ashes behind.

A/N: Hey guys. Too many going on right? I know. I actually had no idea what happened myself. This was not in planned but it just came out when I started writing. I’m having a bit of a hard time trying to connect things to one person but hey, the story is getting more and more interesting right? Some questions cannot be answered yet so you guys have to wait but know that I’ll still try to answer everyone’s questions.

Oh, thank you once again for the new subscribers, comments, and the upvotes. I am really thankful. I couldn’t remember where I left off thanking everyone so I’ll just list all those who gave this story an upvote. Thanks to my upvoters: yyyuile, eyelovegg, 3xXAnnaXx3, DandyuJjang, sone_is_love, VLdandyu07, whitney09, dowska, wynstelle, KalakiMae, snsdforeverandmore, Fritter_Away, AdorkableGirl, unitha, Ramy24, tokyogaijin, darkstar839, 61N42320, tinajaque, halostep, JessFany293, sunshiner_here, TotoroLoverForever, DKamii, vLaD1094, rhaedcliffe, idoherlaundry, AsukaEnergetic, Westfeels, shadow14, LeeJuno, and prizzychic1.

Now, I know what some of you guys are thinking. “Why do you go through all the trouble listing everyone again?” I know what it feels like to get special thanks. And sometimes, I have to give it to others as well. It may not be much, but I do hope I make people smile with a few words.

I actually have no classes tomorrow, Monday, since its Columbus Day. But I do have a lot to do. If I finish early, I can work on the next chapter right away. If I don’t keep track of how things are going, I might become just as lost as you guys are in the story right now. Keke. See you guys around. ^-^v