Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Look to the left of you. Across the bar, the one with the black shirt,” Heejin said slowly. Her leg was bouncing under the table, the vibrations making their drinks spill over. 

They were seated at two booths, Heejin sitting against the wall with Jinsoul next to her. Choerry, the youngest, was seated across from Heejin. She craned her neck to see over Jungeun’s head. 

“Don’t make it so obvious! Be subtle!” Jinsoul kicked her under the table. Choerry grumbled, slouching back in her seat. 

Jungeun shook her head at the comment. The four of them stood out like sore thumbs in the small town bar. While all the men at the bar wore flannels and greased-stained jeans, Junguen was dressed in a business casual blazer with a tie. Her entourage was dressed for the club, adorning fishnets, fur, and heavy, dark eyeliner. 

Jinsoul casually scanned the room. “She’s cute. Not my type, though.”

“It’s my turn, anyways,” Junguen scowled. Jinsoul gave a teasing smile in return. 

Jungeun flicked her fork off the table and leaned down to pick it up, nonchalantly glancing up as she did so. There, across the bar standing at the pool table was the girl. Tight black shirt that tied in the front, with a little necklace hanging down her neck. She was short, having to stand on her toes to reach across the pool table with her cue. Jungeun watched her tilt her head to rest her head on her arm to take the shot, her dark hair spilling onto the table. A loud crack rang through the room as the cue made contact with the ball. The people she was playing with cheered, and she did a curtsy in her pleated mini skirt.

“LIP!” Jinsoul snapped in front of her face. “Stop staring, it’s rude.”

“I was not staring, I was just observing.”

“Well? What are your thoughts?” Heejin said with her fingers clasped tightly. She blinked a few times more than necessary. Her silver bangs hung in front of her eyes, and yet Jungeun could still see they were wide with anticipation. 

“I don’t know, don’t you think it’s kind of…unethical to prey on the weak?” She played with the prongs of the fork, bending them easily as she tightened them into the palm of her hand. 

“You think she’s weak?” Choerry raised an eyebrow. She didn’t miss the way Jungeun slid the mangled fork under the napkin when a waiter walked by. 

“She might be drunk, I don’t know,” she whispered, mindful of the waiter still in ear shot. “Wouldn’t it be like taking advantage of her state of mind?” 

“She’s not that intoxicated, I would be able to smell her blood alcohol level from here,” Jinsoul corrected, not nearly as careful about her volume. Heejin peered over the booth to make sure nobody had heard that. 

Jungeun rolled her eyes. Jinsoul was exceptionally smart, to an annoying extent sometimes. 

“You’ve killed people before, why are you questioning the morality of it now?” Jinsoul poured some salt out onto the table and started playing around with it. She dragged her finger around in the salt, making a smiley face.

“It just seems unfair. Why does it have to be someone so young? Why can’t it just be like an old hag that’s going to die anyways?” Jungeun argued. She knew they weren’t going to change their minds, but at least she could buy the girl enough time to finish her pool game. 

“I was turned when I was 17. At least she got more time than me,” Choerry said passive-aggressively. She blew away Jinsoul’s salt drawings. “I’ll never have an 18th birthday.”

“Sorry,” Jinsoul mumbled. “It’s not like we had any say in it, either.”

Heejin checked the booth behind them yet again to make sure it was still empty. The bar wasn’t exactly quiet, but it certainly was still a public place where anyone could be eavesdropping. Her paranoia was reaching a new level, dilating her pupils until they were two black holes where her eyes used to be. 

“It’s cute that you want to pretend to care about humans now, but we don’t have a choice. That’s who I saw in my dream. She’s the one Mother wants,” Heejin pointed to the girl. 

“Heejin, you need to relax,” Choerry patted her hand until she put it down. “Lippie and I are going to go over there and handle it.”

Heejin was too volatile in this state. One misstep and she’d end up on the news. Choerry used to be like that when she was first turned, but with time she got used to it. Years have passed and the girls have become numb to the cruelty of the world because they no longer have to endure it. They walk the streets fearlessly knowing they are stronger than anyone lurking in the alleyways. 

Choerry particularly holds herself with more confidence. She pushed Junguen out of the booth, ignoring her protests. She made her way to the billiards room like it was a runway, her blonde ponytail swinging over her fur coat. Everything from her style to the way she talked had changed once she accepted that this was her new life after death. 

Jungeun conceded and followed behind her, shoving her hands in her pockets and trying not to strangle the men ogling at them. 

“When’s the next round?” Choerry addressed the group of players when they reached the pool table. 

“You’re just in time for a new game,” someone said. Jungeun wasn’t paying attention to any of the other people in the room. Their faces blended together with the trails of cigarette smoke curling throughout the air. The girl stood out like a porcelain doll compared to them. 

“I’ll break,” Jungeun said. Someone handed her their cue and she walked around the table to position herself in front of the white ball. Conveniently, the girl was standing right at the corner watching her. 

Everyone went quiet in an attempt to help her focus. Unbeknownst to them, it only distracted her more now that she could hear the sound of the girl’s heart beat. It was thumping through the wooden floor boards, like a bass playing through a speaker. Now that she was closer, she could single out her scent. She couldn’t help but glance over at her.

To her surprise, she was already looking at her. The girl didn’t look embarrassed being caught staring, instead she just flashed her a small smile, her eyes almost closing as she did so.

CRACK.

The triangle splintered off in three directions, none of the balls making it in the pockets. Choerry booed her loudly, earning her a few laughs from the other players. Jungeun pointed the cue at her chest, pretending to stake her. 

They danced around the table for the next twenty minutes, Jungeun coincidently always taking the shot closest to the girl in the miniskirt. 

When there was nothing but the 8 ball left, Choerry took the cue from Jungeun. She leaned in to whisper, “Take her home.”

Choerry got it on the first try, straight into the center-left pocket. The group of tipsy players erupted into a mix of applause and groans of defeat. She put her fur jacket back on and gave Junguen a nod. Then she left the bar, leaving Jungeun to finish the job by herself.

Jungeun approached her, more nervous than she anticipated.

“Good game,” she smoothly stuck out her hand. 

The girl shook it, her bracelets jingling like tiny bells. 

“Wow! Your hands are so cold!”

Jungeun didn’t know how to respond to that, so she just said ‘I know’. She was too focused on the warmth of her hands, and the steady pulse of her blood in her fingertips. She had such nice hands; delicate and dainty. Jungeun didn’t realize she was still holding them, and had to think fast to make a smooth recovery. 

She interlaced their fingers, pulling her closer.

“What are you doing after this?”

The girl blushed immediately, even her shoulders turned pink. It made Jungeun feel angry somehow, like she wanted to squish her to death. She had to let go of her hand and grip the pool table instead.

“Don’t you have a girlfriend to get home to? Or several?” she raised her eyebrow.

“What- oh, Choerry?” she sputtered, “Choerry is not my girlfriend and the others–” she stopped mid sentence and gave her a look. “Were you spying on us?”

“Only because you were staring at me first,” she faked a pout. “Your friend literally pointed at me from across the bar.”

Dammit, Heejin. 

“They are my roommates. They’re stupid around pretty women.”

“And you’re not?”

Jungeun laughed, “I’m the only one who’s talking to you, aren’t I?”

She waved her finger at her. “You’re going to have to take me out on a date first.”

“How old-fashioned. You must be older than me,” she said, knowing that she wouldn’t understand the joke.

“I was born in 1997, and if I were to guess…you are ’99?” 

“Spot on. Are you some sort of psychic?” she said playfully.

She pointed to her forearm. “You literally have it tattooed.”

Jungeun looked down in confusion. Then realized and pulled down her rolled up sleeves to cover her elbows. “Oh right, I didn’t think you could see that.”

What she didn’t see was that it wasn’t two nines, but actually three sixes. But the sacrilegious tattoos usually don’t come out until the fifth date. 

One of the players she was with– a girl probably around her age– waved her over. Jungeun tried not to glare at her with dagger eyes.

“I have to go, our Uber is here. If you’re going to ask for my number, do it now.”

Jungeun was taken aback by her boldness. She looked so shy and sweet from across the room, but up close she was really quick-witted. 

The girl sensed her hesitation and reached into Jungeun’s pocket for her and pulled out her phone. 

Jungeun bit her lip and snatched her phone out of her hand, unlocking it and handing it back to her. She cursed silently to herself, knowing that this wasn’t going to end tonight.

Her acrylic nails tapped as she typed in her number and handed it back to her. Jungeun looked back down at her phone and finally, she had her name. 

Haseul. 

Chapter Text

Jungeun left the bar a little after midnight, only to return home at dusk. She had spent hours dreading the inevitable consequences of her own actions. A part of her longed to run away, leave the city they were born in, and leave everything she’s known behind her. Maybe there was a place in the world where nobody, not even a God, could find her. If she could only find that place.

Still, she dragged her feet to the apartment just in time for the sun to rise.

She climbed up the fire escape, slowly creeping her way up the metal ladder. Everytime it squeaked and shook, she’d go still and peer down to see if any of her roommates had been startled awake by the noise. 

She made it to the window, and gave it a push to see if it was unlocked. The wood frame creaked as she popped it open. Jungeun climbed through ungracefully, hitting her head in the process. 

Unfortunately for her, Jinsoul was waiting for her in the corner, and had watched the whole thing. After she was done laughing, she asked, “What took you so long? Had to be a Good Samaritan and report her missing first?”

Jungeun rubbed her head and grumbled. “Fuck you.”

Jinsoul invited herself into her room, taking a seat in her desk chair. 

“Why are you in my room?” 

Jinsoul shrugged and started spinning in her chair, pushing her desk to gain momentum. “Well, I was just bored. But then you were taking a while so I figured I’d stay up to help you fix whatever mess you made.”

“What?” Jungeun shrieked. “There is no mess, why would you assume that?!”

“For one, you snuck in through the fire exit,” Jinsoul looked her up and down and gestured vaguely. “And by the looks of it you didn’t even attempt to kill her.”

Jungeun scrambled to find an excuse to spit out, but hopelessly failed. Any words that did manage to come out were not helping her case. Jungeun flopped on her bed with a loud groan. 

“It’s not a big deal, I’m just going to take her out on a date so it’s not suspicious—”

“Wouldn’t that be more incriminating? You think she isn’t going to tell her friends, the same ones at the bar who you played pool with?” 

Jungeun smacked her head. “Ugh, you’re right. I didn’t think about that part.” 

“You didn’t think much at all,” Jinsoul snorted. “You let a human bargain with you?!”

“She had a point. It would be rude to not treat her to a meal first before I– you know, kill her.”

“Junguen, we don’t have time to play ‘going-steady-in-the-1950s’. Rent is due in ten days!” she stressed, finally standing up from the chair. 

Jungeun sat up on the bed, looking at the other vampire. She looked frazzled, eyes yellow and alert. Jinsoul is usually very patient with her lesbian antics, but even she has a breaking point. 

“Maybe you should just let me do it,” Jinsoul suggested.

“No, you did it last month,” Junguen sighed, putting her head in her hands. “I’ll do it, I just need you guys to lay low for a bit.”

Jinsoul gave a pitiful sigh. “Okay. I’ll tell Heej’ and Choerry it’s done so they’ll get off your back.” She pet Jungeun’s head. “Get some rest, it’s morning already.”

Jungeun nodded wearily and gave half a smile. But the second she left, she knew she wouldn’t be getting much sleep that day. 

She was up until noon, tossing and turning. The only thing on her mind was how sick she felt at the thought of betraying both her friend’s and the human girl she just met. She had lied to both of them; from every angle Jungeun was a fraud. 

Why is it so hard to just kill one person in exchange for the lives of four? Isn’t this for the greater good? 

It’s not like Jungeun hasn’t killed pretty girls before— it’s what she’s best at. Haseul is just different. 

Normally, people are too afraid to even approach her. Maybe it’s the red eyes that scare them off, or the pale skin. Whatever it may be, girls tend to steer clear of Jungeun. Even as a human, she never had any luck. She was always envious of Choerry and Jinsoul, who could pull people in by their looks alone. Jinsoul didn’t even have to try to get last month’s rent; they practically threw themselves at her feet as a sacrifice. 

But Jungeun insists that everyone contributes to the rent, since it's unfair to burden the other two with the task of murdering 12 people every year. Between the four of them, they each had to only kill three people per year. The system had been working just fine up until this point. 

It made Jungeun sick with guilt that she— of all people, had to be the one to kill Haseul. It was a fate worse than death; for both of them. 

Chapter Text

Being immortal in the modern world, Jungeun had become well versed in all things technology. Although she preferred to hunt for her victims in person, there have been occasions when she found a prospect on a dating app or social media. It was almost too easy to meet someone online, that Jungeun considers it cheating, in a sense. It’s hard to know who you’re really talking to behind a screen. It isn’t until someone meets Jungeun in person that they notice something is off. Whether it be her skin is discolored, or her eyes always look bloodshot, or the way she doesn’t seem to blink enough– something sets their survival instincts off. The smart ones run away. 

Jungeun was hoping Haseul was smart. 

She didn’t bother with small talk; she didn’t even start with ‘hello, I’m the creepy girl you met in a bar.’ It would be better if Haseul didn’t remember giving out her number at all. 

J: what are you doing tomorrow night? 

She hoped the message would be left unread, and Jungeun would have an excuse to not kill her. She imagined that even if she returned to that local bar, she wouldn’t find her there. Maybe Haseul would disappear altogether, leaving no hints to her whereabouts, leaving her untraceable. 

Her phone buzzed, shaking her from her daydreams. She opened her messages to see Haseul had unfortunately responded. 

H: Depends. Why are you asking? 

Jungeun audibly snorted as she typed out a response. 

J: ha

J: I’d like to take you out to dinner

The three dots bounced and Jungeun paced in anticipation. She hoped in some way this might deter her. Any sane woman wouldn’t go out with someone they just met in a bar the other night, right? If Hasuel turned her down, then the chances of seeing her again were so low she might as well find a new victim. Mother would be understanding, she presumed. 

H: Pick me up at 7 

Jungeun sighed as Haseul sent her full address, along with the name of an Italian restaurant on the other side of town.

“Why do you have to be so stupid?” she hissed at her phone before tossing it on the bed. 

She spent the rest of the night moping around the house, giving short and snappy answers to her housemates. She ended up barricading herself in her room to keep them from prying her open. Jinsoul had given her a few snickers here and there, and it was a reminder to never let this happen again. 

Haseul would be the one exception; after this, Jungeun swore off dating her victims for the rest of time. She’ll find some commuters on a train, or construction workers on site, or security guards sleeping on the job. No more pretty girls in bars, and no more buying them dinner before she dumps them in the woods. Because as much as Jungeun tried to look at it in a positive light, she really couldn’t justify doing all of this to someone she just met. Sure, a restaurant was classier than a bar, and her last meal would be gourmet, plus she’d die in a nice dress; but does any of it matter when she’ll be begging for her life? 

Maybe Jungeun is not a savior for trying to cushion her demise and is only making it more painful for Haseul. It was hard for Jungeun to accept that going on a date with her would be Haseul’s biggest regret, but she knew if it didn’t end tonight, she would have a lot more regrets. 

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

She drove to Haseul’s address with the windows down, catching the summer’s night breeze on her fingertips.The smell of smoke and burning firewood filled her car, and she suddenly felt nostalgic for all the summers ago when she was a human. She contemplated turning the car around, but the thought of Haseul thinking she stood her up made her heart ache. 

She went back and forth on the ethicality of this scenario once again. Finally, she admitted that although it wasn’t right, it was the best outcome for the both of them. Haseul deserved to have one last summer night.

When she arrived in front of her apartment complex, she sent her a message letting her know she was outside. Less than three minutes later, Haseul stepped outside. She was wearing a white sundress that fell just above her knees, and carried a matching white purse. Her hair had a slight curl to the ends, very precisely framing her face. It blew back as she walked down the steps.

Jungeun got out to hold the door open for her. Haseul looked surprised at the gesture, and stood frozen for a moment. It made Jungeun feel a surge of pride ignite in her chest. If Haseul was this easily impressed by basic chivalry, then she will have no trouble falling right into a trap.

The newfound confidence quickly evaporated with Haseul sitting in the passenger seat, alive and fully taking in the not-so-confident vampire. Everything suddenly became more real, and it struck Jungeun that she hadn’t thought of everything to say to her. 

“You look really nice. I like that dress on you,” Jungeun said quickly.

She almost choked on her words when she remembered the blood stains won’t come out of that dress, and she’ll have to die wearing her own suffering. Jungeun always wore dark clothes because she had given up on trying to soak out her sins; there was no point in it anymore. The thought of Haseul’s blood being forever soaked into the threads of clothes made her shiver. 

She flinched to turn on the radio to drown out the thoughts.

“What music do you like?” she said blurted.

Haseul gave her a strange but empathetic look, her smile curling up.

“Anything, really.”

So, Jungeun tuned into a random frequency and started driving, trying to keep her eyes on the road. To her surprise, Haseul actually knew the song and the artist and the album it was from– and rattled off facts about it without stopping. 

“Sorry, am I talking too much?” Haseul stopped abruptly. She sounded half-worried and half-sarcastic. The blush on her ears gave away her true feelings.

“What? God, no. I’m glad you’re talking, it means you’re passionate about something. You know a lot about music, do you play any instruments?”

“Just piano. I sing, too,” she said casually, sticking her arm out the window.

“Really?” Jungeun glanced at her.

“Yeah!”

She could already hear her friends' voices in her head saying, ‘don’t drag this out, just get it over with’. She thought of Jinsoul’s snickering from earlier, and remembered their entire conversation in her bedroom. She fully intended on keeping her word, but there was a part of her that desperately needed to find any reason to prolong Haseul’s life— even just for a few hours. 

“There’s a karaoke bar right near the restaurant. We should go there after,” she said, keeping her eyes glued to the road. But even from the corner of her eye she saw Haseul light up. She tried to play it off, but Jungeun could hear her heart rate; she was ecstatic. 

“Trying to get a free concert on the first date?”

“Who said it’d be free? I’ll pay admission,” Jungeun said, half-serious. 

“A private concert?” Haseul’s voice went up an octave. 

“Well, when you say it like that…” Jungeun shook her head in disbelief.

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding.” Haseul playfully hit her arm. "I'd love to!"

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

Jungeun had rehearsed everything she’d say, everything she’d do, even down to what she’d ordered. Appetizers, entrees, and of course, dessert. All accompanied by a bottle of wine, suited to Haseul’s taste.

“Not a fan of red wine?” Haseul giggled as Jungeun pulled the glass away from her puckered lips. 

Jungeun shook her head. “Haven’t had it in awhile and now I remember why.” She put the glass down and washed it down with water. “You didn’t strike me as someone who liked red wine.”

“I prefer dry over sweet.” Haseul shrugged. “What about you? What do you like?”

Jungeun shrugged, poking her spaghetti around with her fork. Her plate looked untouched, even with her piling everything into a corner. 

“I’m not much of a drinker– I don’t have a big appetite, either. I only go out to eat once every few months.”

“Pickey eater?”

“Yeah, I guess in some ways,” she mumbled. She steered the conversation away from her eating habits. “When did you first start learning how to play piano?”

Haseul shot her a skeptical look, but went along with it. She looked up as she thought about it for a few seconds. The light from the chandeliers reflected in her eyes. 

“Four? Maybe five years old? My mom taught me to play before I could even ride a bike.”

“When did you start singing?” Jungeun tried to keep the conversation going so Haseul wouldn’t notice she wasn’t actually biting anything off her fork. 

“I never took it seriously until I was sixteen. I realized I didn’t have any other hobbies or interests, so I needed to either become a doctor or become a singer.”

“You want to be an idol?” Jungeun would’ve choked on her food if there was any in her mouth.

“Not in the typical sense. I’d like to be a producer; you know, write songs and sell the demos to idols. I could never get on stage and do all…that,” she laughed awkwardly.

“Why not? You’re certainly pretty enough to be the visual of the group.”

Jungeun felt herself cringe from the corny pick-up line. It sounded a lot better in a K-drama than in real life. She had never been the romantic type, even as a human. 

And yet, Haseul seemed flattered by the compliment. 

“Ah, you’re going to make my face turn red,” Haseul fanned herself. “It’s not that it’s just…I don’t think I’m very ‘idol-like’. I’d hate to have to pretend to be happy even when I was upset. I don’t like faking stuff like that.”

“You want to be an authentic artist,” Jungeun hummed.

“Yes, I would like to make music as Haseul, not as whatever persona the company assigns me.”

“Seems to me like you value honesty above anything else. It’s good that you’re not willing to sell out. People like that.”

“I do, too. I don’t like liars and I don’t like wasting time on people who don’t know what they want.” She finished her glass of wine and set it down next to her plate. Haseul glanced at Jungeun’s plate, undoubtedly noticing that she wasn’t going to finish eating. 

Jungeun fixed her eyes on her tentatively. There was something unsettling about the way Haseul sat in front of her so casually. Her words seemed to imply that she knew who Jungeun was, and what she came here to do, but that would be impossible. 

“How about we skip the dessert then and just go to karaoke?” Junguen suggested bluntly. 

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

Jungeun had underestimated Haseul’s potential in every sense of the word. Just 24 hours ago, she had been a mere mortal of flesh and blood. But she was not sure anymore that she could overpower Haseul, not when she had a voice like that hiding in her chest.  

Haseul’s voice was clear and chrystalike, ringing throughout her head as she belted out the notes to a song Jungeun had never heard before. The multicolored lights in the room bounced around in different twirling shapes. They followed them with their feet, finding themselves in an awkward sort of waltz. Haseul became tangled in the microphone cord at one point, and needed Jungeun to untangle her. 

Time stood still in that room. Haseul’s hair fell in slow motion as she’d spin around to bow to the only audience member. Jungeun felt in some way she had been transported to a world where Haseul was the center of it; there was no life outside of these four walls. 

Jungeun had felt so alive that for a moment she forgot she was dead, and soon Haseul would be too. She had thought maybe it would be easier to die to a song she loves, but then she wondered if she would ever be able to hear that song again without thinking of Haseul. Would she ever be able to listen to music again, knowing that it was what she had loved most in the world? It wasn’t fair to her, she thought. 

But even when Jungeun pulled up to her apartment and turned off the radio, it still felt unfair to Haseul. The girl sat patiently in the passenger seat, expectedly waiting for her to open the door for her again and let her out. What kind of monster is Jungeun for trapping her in there, a few feet away from where she sleeps at night. She told herself she’d do it later when she was sleeping, in the comfort of her own bed. That seemed more gentle, soft.

Jungeun opened the passenger door with a shaky hand. The lightheadedness was finally getting to her, and the familiar pangs of hunger began to gnaw away at her stomach. Every second that Haseul spent standing near her became unbearable. Her heartbeat was so loud in her ears that Jungeun barely heard her last words.

“Thanks for listening to me.”

Haseul leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. If it weren’t for her being caught off guard, Jungeun was sure it would’ve sent her over the edge. By the time she had processed the sensation, Haseul was already skipping to her front door.

Jungeun stood there for a while, anchoring herself to the car door. Her entire body felt like it was on fire, slowly eating away at her skin and melting it right off the bone. Before she could become a puddle in front of Haseul’s place, she crawled into her car and drove. She kept driving, waiting for the burning sensation in her chest to disappear. But the blurring lights on the highway only reminded her of the karaoke room, and all she could hear was Haseul’s voice. 

Chapter Text

Jungeun crawled into bed just as the sun began to rise. Her entire body ached from hunger, the room spinning even as she laid still. She could do nothing else but cry herself to sleep, burying herself into a grave of blankets and sheets. 

It had been days now since she had drank blood. Normally, she doesn’t go less than 48 hours out of paranoia. The longer she went without drinking, the worse her symptoms got; nausea, headaches, body aches, auditory and visual hallucinations. The last part is what usually gets Jungeun to cave in to her desires. 

Even in her dreams, Jungeun couldn’t escape the symptoms of starvation. She cried even harder as she imagined being torn limb from limb by Mother and having her body scattered throughout the forest. Vultures with faces of humans picked at her bones and hair until there was nothing remaining of her, every trace of her gone. 

She woke up suffocated by the nest of blankets and flung them off. She checked the clock; 3AM. She had slept for nearly 20 hours, which meant another moon had risen without a sacrifice. Surely, these nightmares were a warning that the clock was ticking.

Jungeun decided to go about the rest of the night as if nothing had happened. She made her bed, took a shower, and tried to be as productive as she could before the sun rose. Jinsoul and Choerry must’ve gone out, because the house was exceptionally quiet. 

When she made her way into the kitchen, she realized she was not alone. Her reclusive roommate was standing in front of the wall, deadly silent. If it weren’t for here already being dead, Jungeun might’ve actually been scared to death. 

“What are you doing?” she exasperated. Jungeun came up behind Heejin, staring at the same wall. 

“You don’t see it?” Heejin said quietly.

“No?” Jungeun whispered back. 

Heejin snapped her head around. She looked tired, but that was how she usually looked. Her hair was tied up in a bun today, uneven strands poking out every which way. 

“You don’t? The wallpaper is literally peeling.” Her eyes scanned the floor as she crinkled her nose up. “And the floorboards are moldy.” 

Jungeun looked around the room. Nothing seemed to be out of place or deteriorating as Heejin had suggested. She figured it must be a sign that Heejin was just as hungry, and was now seeing things that weren’t there. 

“Heejin– ”

The younger girl cut her off. “I dreamed you were being drawn and quartered in the forest.”

Junguen stopped herself from asking a stupid question like ‘how did you know that’. Of course Heejin knew something. That’s the only reason why she would’ve left her bedroom. Jungeun walked over to the window above the sink and peered into the darkness. Thankfully, she didn’t see anything, but she shut the curtains just in case. Not that the privacy would keep their conversation a secret from Mother, but at least her spies wouldn’t be able see anything. 

“I figure there’s a reason I was observing your dream last night, so if I were you I’d just get to the point. What did you do to make Her mad?”

Jungeun debated telling her the truth or not. Telling Jinsoul was a given, because Jinsoul would get the truth out of her one way or another, so it was just easier to cooperate. But telling Heejin anything almost always resulted in hysterics, and a lot of unnecessary worrying.The last thing Jungeun needed was to feel even more anxious right now. But Heejin had this look on her eyes like she was going to freak out even more if she didn’t tell her.   

Being the most recently turned, Heejin is still struggling with feelings of guilt and shame. Every time she tried to sleep, she was plagued with gruesome images of her victims. It even went as far as her believing the victims were haunting her as ghosts. Heejin became agoraphobic, and stopped going out unless it was absolutely necessary. Most of the time the girl had to physically drag her out the front door. 

“I didn’t kill Haseul last night,” she whispered. 

Heejin lurched forward, bracing herself on the marble countertop. She looked like she was about to throw up.

“You…you can’t be serious,” she trembled. 

“Don’t freak out, we still have a couple of days left.” 

“You should be freaking out. This explains why the apartment is starting to rot away. You’re killing our home!”

Jungeun shushed her, threatening to cover her mouth with her hand, but Heejin backed away. 

“I’ll fix this, don’t worry. Just go get a blood bag and calm down!”

Heejin looked at her with a mix of disbelief and horror. Jungeun felt a pang of guilt for stressing her out. The fear in her eyes was not much different than the night they first met. The look in Heejin’s eyes as she realized what exactly Jungeun was. She could pinpoint the exact moment Heejin stopped seeing her as a human, and more like an animal. Heejin has never looked at her the same again, and deep down it will always bother Jungeun.

Maybe that is why Jungeun wasn’t willing to give up Haseul just yet. As a last ditch effort to spare her life, Jungeun prepared to beg for mercy. If she prayed hard enough, maybe there could be an exception to the rules. 

Junguen took the stairs to the basement level of the apartment complex. Deep in the bowls of the boiler room, a neon glow permeated. Hundreds of crucifixes hung on the walls, surrounded by objects from past victims. A graveyard of artifacts collected over the years of sacrifices, surrounding an ancient piece of technology like it was a headstone.

She turned on the old box TV, manipulating the antenna until the screen turned to pure static. Jungeun was no scientist, but she heard from other occultists that electronic frequencies make communication easier between dimensions. The makeshift shrine was one of the only ways to directly communicate with Mother. Prayers weren’t enough to get Her to listen; there needed to be an altar. Most importantly, there needed to be blood. 

She took out the switchblade they kept hidden in the VCR player. Jungeun sliced her finger on the blade to draw out a drop of blood. 

Jungeun watched the static screen, waiting for what felt like hours. Maybe she had done it wrong, maybe she’d mixed up the order of things she needed to do to summon Mother. Or maybe she was just being ignored. 

But just as she was about to shut the TV off, the fuzzy dots started to take the shape of a face. Eyes, nose, lips all coming into focus. She closed her eyes and pressed her forehead to the screen, feeling the warmth it emitted. 

She started to speak, quietly, to the screen. 

“ Mother, I ask for your forgiveness. I have disobeyed your instructions and put others in danger due to my negligence.” Jungeun hesitated. The words seemed to get caught in her throat.  

“Please spare Cho Haseul’s body and soul. In her place I will kill anyone else, as many times as I have to and I will forever be indebted to you.”

She opened her eyes to a black screen.  

It was silent.

Defeated, Jungeun trudged back up three flights of stairs to their apartment. Her whole body felt heavy, as if she was being weighed down with blocks of cement. 

She couldn’t remember a time when Mother had shut her out like that. Somehow, it made Jungeun angry that she didn’t even get an answer– even if the answer was no. What was the point of reaching out in the first place if she was never going to respond? They build a whole shrine in her honor, spill blood for her, sell their souls to her, and she can’t even talk to them. 

Jungeun opened the door to find two of her roommates waiting for her in the common area, backs turned to her in a huddle. They broke away when she entered the room, their whispers fading. 

Jinsoul didn’t even try to hide how annoyed she was; her jaw was clenched so tight she couldn’t open her mouth to speak if she wanted to. 

“Any word from Mother?” Heejin asked. She prepared herself for the worst news possible, and took a seat on the couch. Jungeun sat next to her, leaving enough space between them for Jinsoul. However, the older one refused to even look her way. 

“We’re not on speaking terms.” Jungeun fidgeted with her rings. 

Jinsoul paced back and forth like a caged tiger. She kept her eyes on the floor.

“Right,” Heejin nodded solemnly. “I was afraid that would be the outcome.” 

Jinsoul stopped pacing and plopped down on the arm chair across from them. She rested her elbows on her knees as she laced her fingers together.

Without looking up, she said, “I’ll start it as long as you finish it.”

“No, that’s unfair. Besides, it probably wouldn’t count,” Jungeun dismissed her with a wave. 

“Then why don’t you just kill her already?” she spit. Jinsoul finally met her gaze and sent a sharp glare that laced with something bitter, unspoken. 

“I’ll do it tomorrow night,” Jungeun said, not entirely sure of how much truth that statement held. 

Jinsoul scoffed, “I don’t believe you. You’re just going to go to her house, watch her sleep, and chicken out at the last minute.” 

“Why are you being such a bitch right now? It’s not like I waited until the very last night before the full moon!” 

“There’s seven days left before the full moon,” Jinsoul pointed out. Her patience was wearing thin, her voice raising with every word. 

“That’s seven more days she could get to live!” Jungeun argued. 

“Mother doesn’t want to hear your excuses and neither do I!”

“Jinsoul!” Heejin gasped.

The words had stung Jungeun, seeping into the fresh wound that she had just gotten from being ignored by Mother earlier. Even her longest friend didn’t want to listen to her anymore. 

Jungeun shut down. She sat perfectly still, hands in her lap with her head down. She stayed that way for awhile, all of her thoughts turned to static like the old TV screen in the basement. If Heejin was talking to her, she couldn’t hear it over the noise. 

The sound of crying had pulled her out of the dissociation pool. She snapped her head up and saw Jinsoul with her head in her hands. Her light ginger hair covered her face entirely. 

Through sobs, Jungeun could her muffled words, “What makes Haseul any different than me?” 

And finally, Jinsoul’s insistance on Haseul’s death made sense. The tale as old as time between a vampire and it’s victim: Why did you have to kill me of all people? It is a question Jungeun has never been able to escape. 

For the longest time, killing was the closest Jungeun could ever get to a girl; the only way to hold another person that closely. She had prayed to Mother to let her have a companion; a single person she could spend the rest of time with. 

Jinsoul was supposed to be that person. But as time passed, she began to resent Jungeun for robbing her of her youth. Or, what Jungeun personally believed; she got bored of Jungeun. So Jinsoul sought out a new addition to freshen up the dynamic: Choerry. 

“Not this again,” Jungeun groaned. “Haseul is different because now I know she has hopes and dreams— ”

“And you assumed I didn’t?” Jinsoul snapped her head up. “You saw me sitting alone on the subway and thought ‘she’s probably got nowhere to go in life, let’s just kill her now!’” She had tried to turn it into a joke, but her voice was brittle. 

“I didn’t get to choose my victims and you know that.”

“That’s not the point; you didn’t hesitate before. What changed?”

“I don’t know! I wish I could tell you but I have no idea why this is so hard for me” Jungeun raised her voice. “Can’t you see I’m trying?!” 

“Stop yelling. You’ll make the neighbors suspicious.” Choerry leaned against the doorway. From the looks of it, their yelling might’ve woken her up from her beauty sleep. She was wearing silk pajamas, and had her hair tied in two ponytails. 

“We don’t have any neighbors— we killed them months ago,” Heejin reminded her. 

“Oh, right,” she nodded. “But anyways, since we’re airing out our grievances…” Choerry took a seat in between Jungeun and Heejin. “Jinsoul, did you hesitate to kill me?” The younger watched her carefully from across the room. 

Jinsoul didn’t even flinch when she said, “No, of course not,” she scoffed. “And I’ll admit that I had selfishly hoped you’d join us. And you did, so I regret nothing.” 

“Do you ever feel bad about it?” Choerry muttered under her breath, “I had hopes and dreams, too, you know.”

Jinsoul sighed deeply, tucking her arms against her chest. “Sometimes I wish I met you when we were both alive. But then again, I don’t think I’d ever want to live in a world where there was a possibility one of us could die without the other.” 

Choerry looked at her through her bangs. She stayed silent, chewing her bottom lip. Silence swept over the room as each of them was hit with a wave of melancholy. Memories of their life on earth turned bittersweet on their tongue.

Jinsoul looked at Jungeun and exchanged silent words of understanding. Suddenly the thought of wanting a human to experience as much as possible before they died didn’t sound so crazy to her. Not when it was a possibility that that human could’ve been their sweet Choerry. 

Jinsoul held her arms open, and in an instant Choerry was curled into her lap. Jungeun could hear a mumbled ‘I’m sorry I killed you’ coming from Jinsoul.

Jungeun left the room before she fell to pieces in front of her friends. It felt unfair for Jungeun to be so emotional when she was the one who caused all of this hurt in the first place. Her friends– and many others – had been hurt by Jungeun’s own selfishness.

She wished she could say those words to everyone she had killed. So many of the sacrifices were young girls, small and weak enough to still need to be held when they cried. 

And Jungeun had watched them all cry in arms, and in a strange way it was like they were looking for comfort in the person who was killing them. As she’d drain their blood they’d be clinging onto her shirt or her shoulders, holding onto her like an embrace. They’s ask her to stop, pleading to be able to say goodbye to their mothers one last time. Sometimes they’d even confess their sins, like Jungeun was some sort of test from God. 

Their fear of her felt like devotion; it was the closest she could get to being loved. 

Chapter Text

It was time to end things with Haseul. Jungeun had dragged this out long enough. The logical part of her knows that this would’ve been easier if she had gotten it done with in the first place, but the illogical side was hoping maybe getting to know Haseul would somehow justify what she had to do to her. 

She’s created an unfortunate scenario wherein Haseul is not a stranger, but a person she once went on a date with. Maybe the difference isn’t significant to others, but to a vampire who hasn’t “dated” in decades, it was a huge difference. Haseul’s life meant something to her now. 

Six days before the full moon, Jungeun texted Haseul.

J: You should come over tonight

H: oh?

H: why should I?

J: Because I asked nicely

H: you didn’t ask anything

H: it was a suggestion

J: Are you nitpicking my grammar?

H: *semantics, but yes

H: in a flirty way

H: is it working ;*

J: If I say yes will you come over? 

H: yes..

J: Then yes. Consider me swooned. 

H: :D

Jungeun woke up early – 5PM for her – and started getting ready for her date with Haseul. She dressed casually and comfortably, avoiding anything that looked like it would stain easily. She tried to not care how she looked, but Jungeun couldn’t stand the thought of looking plain in front of Haseul. She felt empty enough on the inside– without her jewelry and accessories she was a husk. 

She was doing her makeup in the bathroom when Jinsoul walked in.

“Why are you up so early?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Jungeun said as she overlined her eyes with a charcoal pencil. 

“I’m hungry. Choerry and I are going hunting.” Jinsoul pushed back the shower curtain and turned the water on. “Are you coming with?”

“The shower or the hunting?” Jungeun scoffed. 

Jinsoul made a face. “Very funny.”

“I’ll pass on both,” she muttered as she applied her mascara. She could see Jinsoul from the corner of her eye. She looked suspicious, but didn’t pry any further. Jungeun finished her makeup while she jumped in the shower.

Choerry came in to do her makeup not too long after. She spread out all of her cosmetics across the sink counter, and held up each one to ask Jungeun’s opinion on it. What color paired well with her skin, which one matched her outfit, which tone looked cooler. Jungeun pulled the answers out of thin air and Choerry seemed to buy it. 

Jungeun had a fleeting moment of heartache when she considered that Choerry would probably get along well with Haseul. They could get their nails done together with fun charms and glitter; all of that girly stuff that Jungeun didn’t have the capacity to understand. 

By the time the girls finished getting ready, it was nearly 7:00. Heejin had just rolled out of bed, looking weary and a bit confused. She looked like she hadn’t slept in days, but it could be the effects of starvation. If no one forces her out of the house, she won’t eat.  

“We’re going hunting, c’mon,” Jinsoul said in a more commanding way. Heejin didn’t have the energy to argue with her, so it must’ve been pretty bad.

Choerry had already picked out an outfit that matched “the vibe” and shoved her into the nearest room to change. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to come? It must be our last supper,” Jinsoul said in a sing-songy voice. 

Jungeun rolled her eyes. “We’re not going to die. Everything will be fine, I am handling things.”

“Next time, can you handle them sooner so we can avoid all of this?”

Jungeun sighed, rolling her head to one side. She thought about it for a moment before reluctantly agreeing. There was no point in defending her actions anymore. 

“Fine. This is the last time I ask the sacrifice on a date.”

“Good.” Jinsoul crossed her arms and turned on her heel. She knocked on the door. “Heejin, hurry up! I’m starving.”

The second her roommates had left, Jungeun sent her address to Haseul. She waited anxiously for her arrival, running around the apartment to tidy it up and try to make it look less abandoned. 

So many of their items are unused. Nobody ever steps foot in the kitchen. The kitchen table is covered in magazines that Choerry has accumulated over the years. It occurred to her that maybe Haseul was expecting dinner to be served, so she started rummaging through the cabinets in search of plates and cutlery. She found mismatched place sets and a few dishes that looked old enough to be in a museum. It was better than nothing. 

The whole time she worried about setting up the table she had forgotten that they don’t actually buy any food. All of this was just showmanship to convince Haseul she was a normal human being before she’d eventually find out the truth.

It was embarrassing in a sense to be this self-conscious, Jungeun thought. Haseul was going to die tonight, and she was worried that her apartment might be too messy. As if by keeping the charade up, she could somehow make Haseul’s death easier, and less embarrassing. 

At 7:41, she got a text from Haseul saying she was outside. Jungeun second guessed bringing her inside, wondering if that would set a bad precedent for the night. Maybe she should just take her to the rooftop and get it over with.

Jungeun went down to the front entrance to walk her in. First thing she noticed is that Haseul had yet to wear a bad outfit. Even in something slightly more casual, she still managed to look elegant and refined. She wore an off-the-shoulder, knit black dress that fell mid-thigh. It almost felt like a sick joke to Jungeun, like Haseul knew what was about to happen and dressed accordingly. 

Haseul looked her up and down and smiled. “You’re looking quite emo today.” 

“I was going for more 80’s goth,” Jungeun held the door open for her. “How do you feel about heights?” 

“Depends. How high are we talking?”

“That’ll ruin the surprise,” Jungeun shook her head, pretending to be upset. 

Haseul had a glimmer of excitement in her eyes, and Jungeun started to feel nauseous again. It was really going to be over tonight. 

“Are you taking me to the roof? Kim Jungeun, are we going to look at the stars together?” She started teasing her relentlessly all the way up the stairs. “I had no idea you were such a romantic, I would’ve bought you flowers!”

Jungeun stopped on the stairwell, a step above Haseul. “You’re never going to let me live this down, are you?”

Haseul went up the steps until she was taller than her– only by about a centimeter. 

“No,” she smiled, hopping up the stairs. 

The sun sank slowly in the horizon. The city skyline looked picturesque at this moment, and Jungeun almost hated herself a little more for being the one to ruin it. 

“Woah,” Haseul awed. Her eyes lit up as she took in the dark red and purple skies. Jungeun watched her, eyes quickly blinking away any tears forming.

“You know, sailors used to think that the color of the sunset could predict the tide the next day,” Jungeun said as she paced around her. 

“Is this your elaborate way of telling me you own a yacht?”

Jungeun snorted. “You wish.”

Haseul let out a laugh as she walked closer to the edge. Her silhouette swallowed the sun, forming a halo of light around her. 

“This apartment is nice, I wouldn’t be surprised if you were secretly rich.”

“My family takes care of me. And splitting the rent with three roommates definitely helps. I wouldn’t be able to afford to live in this city otherwise…” she trailed off when she felt her throat start to burn. “Which is why I had to see you today…”

She felt her chest tighten, but cleared her throat. Standing next to Haseul, she stared directly into the last sliver of sunlight. She didn’t want to have to look at her. 

“Haseul, I have to tell you something.” 

From the corner of her eye she saw Haseul turn her body towards her. Jungeun stood like a statue. 

“My family isn’t very…accepting. My mother doesn’t want me to see you anymore.”

She could feel Haseul’s eyes on her. She couldn’t tell what emotion she was expressing, but it might hurt more to know. 

Jungeun kept talking because anything was better than silence. “I know it sounds weird, I’m a grown woman and should just be able to do whatever, but I can’t. I’m very dependent on my mother, and she’s the whole reason I’m even here— in this city, I mean. If I lose her, me and my friends lose the apartment we live in and we’ll have to go back to where we came from. Back home.” 

It all came out at once, fast and more desperate than she had intended. Her whole body felt like it was on fire. 

“I understand, Jungeun. I wish things were different, but I wouldn’t ask you to cut your family off for some girl you met in a bar. That’d be crazy,” she laughed awkwardly. 

She turned around before Haseul could see her cry. Jungeun was both relieved and infuriated. Haseul should’ve walked out on her. She should’ve told her she was pathetic, and needed to grow a backbone. She should’ve put up a fight. 

“Why do you have to be so fucking perfect?” she cursed under her breath. 

She hadn’t realized she said it out loud until Haseul was a giggling mess. Both their faces turned redder than the sunset.

“Seriously, you’re making this a lot harder for me.” Jungeun tried to subtly wipe her cheek in case her makeup was running. 

The night breeze picked up a bit, cooling Jungeun off. She thought to herself that maybe that was gentle encouragement from Mother. She was watching over them, telling Jungeun it was okay. Maybe this was the right thing to do, and she would be forgiven. 

“Look, I won’t make this any harder for you. Keep my number in case you decide to skip town.”

Haseul approached her, surely noticing the black eyeliner start to run down her cheeks. 

She gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “Bye.” 

Such a small gesture shouldn’t have been the thing to break her but it did. Jungeun’s entire world shattered into pieces and she let Haseul walk away, unharmed, for the third time. 

“It wasn’t that bad, it just wasn’t…good,” Choerry explained with her hands waving around. “It’s not even— Haseul?”

The three girls stopped dead in their tracks on the staircase. They stared at her mouth agape, as if she was a ghost. 

“Hey?” She said apprehensively. Once Choerry climbed up to her level, she recognized her face. “Oh! You were at the bar that night!”

“That’s right,” Jinsoul said flatly. She thrummed her fingers on the handrail, looking down at her feet. 

Choerry intervened. “Yeah! We’re Jungeun’s roommates,” she said in a fake, chipper tone. It seemed to disarm Haseul, and she audibly let out a sigh of relief. 

Until she had noticed the girl standing behind the two of them. 

“Heejin?” She squinted at the girl. Heejin took two steps back. 

Haseul hadn’t recognized her from across the bar; and the bleached hair definitely helped her look like a stranger. But up close she recognized the face. Her face was very distinct; her high nose bridge and unique lip shape made it impossible to mistake her for another student. 

“You were on a missing poster-”

“Maybe you’re mistaking her for a different Heejin,” Choerry pulled her along, leaving Haseul on the steps below them.

“No,” Haseul said absolutely. “Jeon Heejin. We went to the same high school. I was on the varsity track team when you joined.”

Heejin’s face somehow became paler. “Sorry, you must be thinking of someone else.” She quickly climbed the stairs, pushing past her friends and disappearing on the next flight of stairs. 

Discouraged and heartbroken, Haseul took a taxi home and planned on never returning to that apartment. She felt like she was going crazy, or maybe going blind. There was something she was missing, or not seeing. 

Her own apartment was quiet, uninhabited at this hour. She had no roommates, and hardly any neighbors who could recognize her from a crowd. She was pretty certain most of them were senior citizens who never left their rooms. At the moment, Haseul didn’t think that was such a bad idea. She’d never have to run into Jungeun or her roommates again. 

Haseul made her way to her bedroom at the end of the hall, eager to cry herself to sleep. But when she reached her door, she was struck with a feeling that something was off. The door to her bedroom was cracked open when Haseul had known she left it shut. 

She told herself she was just being paranoid and overly emotional. It had been a long night, and she was looking for things to distract her from feeling the hurt. 

To her dismay, she pushed the door open and found the source of her uneasiness. In the center of her room stood a shadowy figure. Haseul thought it was her imagination at first, her anxiety getting the better of her. But when she switched the lights on, the shadow didn’t dissipate. It stood there, frozen.

“Heejin?” Her voice stuttered.

“Do not be afraid,” the white haired girl said, “I’m not going to let Jungeun hurt you.”

“How did you get in my room?”

Heejin didn’t respond immediately. She lowered herself onto Haseul’s bed. Her hands traced the embroidered duvet. Small vines of flowers and patterns. 

“I was where you were right now,” she mumbled. “I know it’s confusing and scary at first, but you will thank me later. It’s a lot easier this way.”

Haseul looked over her shoulder, calculating if she had enough time to bolt while she was distracted. But when she turned to look at Heejin, she wasn’t there. 

“Haseul, I have to ask you a favor.” 

Haseul jumped at the sudden voice, sounding a lot louder than before. Heejin was standing beside her now, facing her. 

Heejin’s eyes looked like an ocean to Haseul. She sank into them. “At the end of this, I would really like to be friends.” 

Haseul was at a loss for words, but moved her mouth hoping a sound would come out. Heejin didn’t seem surprised by it, and reached out to Haseul with the back of her hand. When she saw Haseul pull away, she retracted her hand; obviously hurt, but not wanting to be rude. 

She took a step back from Haseul, keeping her at arms length. Heejin’s eyes were scanning her in jittery, short bursts. 

“I always thought you were cool in high school. I wanted to be friends with you, but I thought you’d think I was weird. I promise I was normal back then. I wasn’t always like this.” 

Heejin was standing eye to eye with her now, inches away from her face. Her eyes stopped shaking and locked into hers. The once meek girl turned cold; looking unaffected by Haseul’s fragile eyes. 

A scorching pain shot through her left shoulder. It felt like a bolt of electricity had surged through her. Haseul reached with her right hand to cradle her arm but felt Heejin’s hair instead. 

Her teeth were sunken into the skin and muscle. Haseul tried to push her off, trying to put space between them, but the two were being held together by flesh and bone. Heejin was practically fused to her body now, slowly taking over her senses. Her vision was blurry, her ears were ringing, her body had gone numb due to shock, and all she could smell was Heejin’s shampoo. She smelled like vanilla with a faint hint of chemical bleach. 

As Heejin sucked more and more blood out of her, the less Haseul could feel her own body. The only thing she could feel was the warmth of Heejin’s mouth on her neck. It felt like a stream of sunlight coming in through the window— the kind that makes the dust look like glitter in the air. Warm, concentrated sunlight in the center of the worst pain she’s ever experienced.

Haseul’s second to last intelligible thought was that maybe she was going to die. Her last thought before everything became fuzzy was a much worse fate; she would stay in agony like this for the rest of eternity.