“I’m just worried is all.” Mother was on form with her rant today, it seemed. “You’ve done nothing but lock yourself in your room all week. You’ve barely eaten, you’re falling behind with your studying and quite frankly, Yoon-Hana, you look like Hell.”

I ignored her like I had been doing for the last fifteen minutes or so. My head was pounding, my throat dry and my stomach tight with hunger. I was tired and irritable and quite frankly not in the mood for one of her speeches.

“At least look at me when I’m talking to you!” She snapped.

With a huge put-upon sigh I turned to look up at her, my eyes tired and half lidded. I just didn't have the energy for this.

“What’s happened to you?” She asked softly, her face creased with worry. “Did you have an argument with Dara?”

I winced at my ex-best friends name and averted my gaze quickly. 

“No.” 

“I can’t help you if you don’t speak to me.” She whispered. “Just look at yourself Hana! You’re a mess.”

“Gee, thanks mum.” I muttered darkly.

“I don’t say that to be mean.” She quickly backtracked. “ I just… You don’t look like yourself. You’re looking thin, too thin and the bags under your eyes keep getting darker everyday whilst you get paler. When was the last time you bothered to dress in anything other than sweats or your jarmers? When was the last time you even left this apartment? It’s a National holiday! You should be out having fun with your friends!"

I felt my self control snap. “Just drop it!” I told her harshly, climbing to my shaky feet. “I don’t need you to lecture me like this! When are you even home long enough to take notice, eh? Since when did you ever care what I want?”

“What?” She muttered, taken back.

“It was your decision to move to this stupid country where I don’t know anyone! It was your decision to rip me out of school, away from my friends and the place where I love. It was all your choices that made me what I am!”

With my rant over, I stormed to my room, slamming the door hard behind me before locking it. I could hear her knocking, asking me to let her in so we could talk, but I just jammed in my earphones, turning the volume up loud and drowned out the world. Studying my room, I slowly made my way towards my floor length mirror and gazed at myself, my heart thumping.

Mum was right, I was a mess.

My hair looked like a bird nest, a complete clump of knots and tangles from being unbrushed for a week. My skin looked ghastly pale making the dark circles under my puffy eyes stand out giving me a ghostly look. My lips were cracked, skin dry and my bones too prominent under my skin. I must have lost at least 2kg this week alone. My usual chocolate brown eyes stared back at me listlessly, a broken girl.

And it was all his fault. 

What does it mean for me? I asked after his announcement, my voice wavering. “How will this affect me?”

“It means we’re Branded permanently.” He explained, his cheeks tinted red. “It’s like I'm a puzzle and you’re my missing piece. Just how I won’t be able to function properly without you, you won’t be able to function properly without me. We complete one another.”

“I don’t understand.” I shook my head. “What do you mean by ‘function?’”

“Live.” He clarified. “We need each other to survive. I need you to survive, and you’ll need me.”

“ Do we have to stay close or something?” I asked. “What?” I blurted, catching the funny look he was giving me. “Was I right?”

“Hana… EXO, they told you what… What we eat, right”

I felt the blood drain from my face as I fought to get out of his lap. This time, he let me crawl away to the far wall where I sat staring at him, my eyes wide.

“No.” I whispered. “You can’t.”

“I’ll need too!” He exclaimed, leaning towards me, though stopped as I flinched away. “If I don’t, I’ll die and so will you. We’ll both fall apart if we don’t have each others blood. We need each other to survive now. I can’t drink anyone else’s blood anymore and you… You need mine to stay alive or your body will shut down.”

“Why have you done this to me?” I asked, my voice low. “Why did you do it?”

“I… I don’t know.” He admitted, his hand trembling slightly as he ran it through his hair. “I don’t know.”

“Why?” I asked the mirror quietly as I sank to the floor, my legs no longer able to support me. “Why is this happening to me?”

“It’s because you’re ignoring him.”

I turned around to my doorway, my eyes widening at the familiar voice.

“What are you doing in here?” I demanded. “I locked that door…” My voice cut off and I cleared my throat. “You’re not welcome.”

“Look, I didn’t mean to break in.” Dara explained, still standing in the doorway. “I just… Hana, look at you.”

“Go.” I spat, turning away, though realised she could see my reflection.

With effort, I managed to climb to my feet and hobble towards my desk chair, where I sat down with a repressed sigh.

“He looks just as bad as you.” She told me, slowly stepping into my room. “If you don’t agree to see him soon you’ll both… Please Hana, don’t do this.”

“Don’t do what?” I asked bitterly. “Don’t avoid seeing the who’s done this to me? Who’s practically forced me into a life I never asked for, which I never wanted?”

Dara winced at my harsh words and took a deep breath, her chin wobbling slightly.

“I hate seeing him like that… Hate seeing you like this.” She told me, her voice small. “Both of you are idiots. Him for doing what he did and you for making a big deal of this. He Branded you Hana, I know it but your life hasn’t ended. All it means is that your lives are linked – that’s all. You don’t have to date him – you don’t even have to like him. But don’t throw your life away over this.”

Her words hit home harder than I thought they would. I had been thinking the same thoughts for the last seven days, but hearing it from Dara really put things into perspective.

“Come.” Sh