Archive of Our Own ^beta

Gong Yubun way born sick. Born to suffer through life, through sicknesses she could do nothing about.

Ever since she was little, she's been through countless hospital visits, spent nights there, wondering if her suffering would ever end.

The doctors told her parents they shouldn't have high hopes, that her immune system was - albeit slowly - shutting down, and that she wouldn't make it into adulthood.

Those words, combined with the daily coughing, the nausea, the occasional fainting, made her parents very, very protective.

She was diagnosed with immunodeficiency at the ripe age of one and a half, though there were apparently very clear signs pretty much since before she was even born.

Ever since she can remember, she'd never been allowed out without one of them unless it was school time, cursed to stay within the house where they could take care of her and quickly respond to any medical emergency that arose.

Yubin was sick. Sick of everything. Sick of her parents coddling her. Sick of her friends acting like they were walking on eggshells. Sick of hearing her friends talk about plans she could never attend.

That was, until she entered college.

She knew her parents were worried sick about her being out of the house for so long, but she'd convinced them that she could do it. On better days, they even let her take the bus to school.

To others, it wasn't anything revolutionary, being able to get there without her parents hovering around her. But to her? To her, it was a whole new world.

During her bus rides to classes, she listened to people talk, watched the cars drive past them. Sometimes, she even got off the bus earlier than needed just so she could walk the remaining way, pretending to be just another normal college student.

It was nice to be normal for a change.

She'd even made some new friends in her classes. Friends that, despite knowing about her condition, didn't treat her like she was fragile. They treated her like she was just another adult suffering through college rather than the sick, perpetually pale girl that she was.

She would even go as far as to call them her best friends. She didn't have many, but the ones that stayed with her were always there, supporting her through coughing fits while she locked herself in the school bathroom, who helped her get to the school nurse every time she felt light-hearted.

Hsu Nien Tzu and Kim Yooyeon were there for her every step of the way.

While her parents wanted nothing more than to lock her inside the house so they could take care of her until... Well, until they didn't have to, Nien and Yooyeon made sure to give her a sense of normalcy in her life.

Yooyeon, being the senior and oldest of the trio, took care of her and carried any of her medication with her every time they went out. Nien, Yooyeon's girlfriend and the group's sophomore and the resident high energy extrovert, made sure her days were never boring.

They'd take her to coffee shops during lunch time, to shopping centres when their classes got cancelled, and even to rare sleepovers when she managed to talk her parents into letting her go. That usually took hours of convincing, sometimes even days, during which Yubin grew increasingly more desperate, which in turn pulled on her parents's heartstrings until they agreed.

One such day was today. She'd been begging her parents to let her have another sleepover at Yooyeon's house, since her parents were more fond of her than the loud, energetic Nien.

The only difference was that they weren't going to have a sleepover. Nien had managed to convince Yooyeon to take Yubin to a club.

It made her both scared and excited. Scared, because she didn't know if her body could handle such a place, but excited, because through her life, she'd heard people talk about going to clubs and bars, and how fun they were, while she never got to experience them. She'd never even tasted alcohol before.

Yooyeon agreed, but only on the condition that they'd be with her the entire time and watch her alcohol intake like hawks, and would leave at the first sign of anything going wrong.

Once they all agreed on the conditions, they went their separate ways so they could pack their stuff before going to Yooyeon's house, where they would prepare for the night.

Yubin's parents picked her up just like they usually do. The drive was silent, apart from a few questions about classes and the rare attempt at talking her out of the sleepover, which she shut down so quickly her parents didn't bring it up anymore.

Once they got home, she excused herself so she could go pack her things.

What her parents didn't know was that during one of the girls's shopping sprees, they'd bought Yubin a few outfits for situations just like these. It was something she was grateful for, because she didn't think any of her normal clothes were good enough to wear to a club.

She spent an embarrassing amount of time putting an outfit together, but eventually settled on one, stuffing the clothes into her bag along with hygiene products and her meds, even though she knew Yooyeon had bought doubles of all of it for her house.

Once she was finished packing everything she'd need, her mother drove her to Yooyeon's house, the drive taking almost thirty minutes, during which Yubin could barely contain her excitement.

When they got there, Nien was - very unsurprisingly - already there, lounging on Yooyeon's couch while the older girl lead Yubin inside.

It was still early in the day, four in the afternoon to be exact, since their last class was canceled, so they busied themselves.

Yooyeon had ordered some takeout, since they had to eat before going to the club so they wouldn't be drinking on an empty stomach, while Nien picked out a few movies they could watch before getting ready.

They had to leave at eight, meaning they had about three hours to spend before they'd have to start getting ready.

Once the food arrived and was divided between them, Yooyeon and Nien settled next to eachother, Nien's arm around the older girl who's head rested on her shoulder. Yubin took up the L part of the couch, stretching her legs with a plate on her lap.

Nien chose for them to watch Wicked, which, apart from the fact that all of them have seen it multiple times before, none of them complained about.

By the end of the movie, they all concluded that choosing a movie that made all of them cry might not have been the best idea, but at least they'd passed the time somehow.

After they threw away all the tissues they used and put away their plates and any leftovers, they all huddled into Yooyeon's bedroom to get dressed.

Yubin went into the bathroom to change while Yooyeon and Nien changed together.

Once Yubin was done, minus make-up of course, she looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. She'd gone for a short, denim skirt, a black crop top and a cropped, denim jacket over it. She was actually proud of putting something like that together considering she'd never had to do it before.

She made her way back to the bedroom, happy to find her friends already changed into their own clothes.

Yooyeon was already sitting at her table, starting on her makeup. She wore grey denim shorts with a long sleeved, tight red top. It was simple, but it still looked amazing on her.

Nien was on the bed, scroll through her phone with a grin, probably talking to her team about some sport event happening this month. She herself looked very nice with her black pants, white crop top and a grey and white jacket over it.

Overall, Yubin was happy with their collective choice of clothing, happy that it was still warm outside and they didn't have to wear multiple layers just to not be cold.

Next on the list was makeup, which was put solely into Yooyeon's hands as the one most experienced with it.

All of them agreed on a more natural look, so it didn't take such a long time.

Doing their hair wasn't anything special since they just needed to brush it out and straighten it in Yubin's case. She'd let her hair fall down her shoulders freely, brushing just past her ribs.

Yooyeon left her hair wavy, mirroring Yubin's, while Nien put her light pink hair into a lose bun, leaving a few strands out in the front to frame her face.

Finally done with their preparations, they grabbed necessities like their phones, wallets and keys.

While Yooyeon usually drove them around in the car she'd gotten from her parents for being an excellent student, they'd chosen not to drive since they expected getting drunk, instead settling for calling a taxi.

They waited outside for only a little bit before they saw the headlights of their ride, all cramming into the back with grins as they told the driver where to go.

While in the car, they took selfies, watched the outside world fly past them, and talked about the plan for the night.

They'd only get a few drinks between they and the two wouldn't leave her side throughout the night. Then, they'd call a taxi and sleep at Yooyeon's home.

The drive didn't take long at all, the car stopping in front of the club in no time.

The building itself wasn't spectacular. The walls, however, were covered in neon signs, pulling people in as they walked by. The bright lights illuminated the street in reds, blues and greens, while the music from inside filled the air around them.

Outside stood a few people doing various things, from waiting for their rides home, to some smoking, while some stood in a line waiting to be allowed in.

The three of them joined in line, Nien grinning at the face Yooyeon made when the smell of cigarettes hit her nose, mirrored by Yubin's expression at the smell of alcohol.

Despite the overwhelming combination of smells, visual onslaught and loud music, Yubin felt weirdly relaxed, the tension from the week dropping off her shoulders as her body responded to the music.

Yubin didn't even register them moving in line until they entered, the music getting louder, the lights flickering between colours.

The club wasn't extremely packed, but there were still people everywhere she looked.

The three slowly made their way over to the bar, thankful that there were empty chairs there.

While they walked, Yubin felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, almost as if someone was watching her. She turned around, eyes scanning the room, but found nothing out of the ordinary. Deciding to shrug it off for now, she settled into her seat next to Yooyeon while Nien ordered them some drinks.

Before she knew it, a glass was set in front of her, which she began to examine. Next to her, she saw Nien lean over Yooyeon to be closer to her before speaking loud enough to be heard over music.

"It's just soju! Can't have you getting wasted five minutes into being here" she said.

Yubin slowly raised the glass to her nose, giving it a sniff and finding a lack of disgust at the sweet smell. Not wanting to be deceived by the smell alone, she took a tiny sip, cringing at the slight burn in her throat as she swallowed the drink.

It didn't taste horrible, and deffinitely didn't smell as bad as whatever Nien was having, so she set it down with a smile.

She tried to shake off the returning feeling of someone watching her, choosing to turn her focus to her friends instead, just hoping it would go away.

The first hour flew by in an instant, filled with gossiping about school, bitching about teachers and such. Before Yubin knew it, she felt her body warming up, a soft buzz filling her body from the alcohol.

She still felt eyes on her, but being tipsy made her care about it much less than before.

Seeing her glass empty, Nien refilled it with more soju. It was her second drink of the night, but she wasn't used to drinking, plus she was a big lightweight, so she was pacing herself.

About half an hour later, she felt movement beside her and watched Yooyeon hop down from her chair, having to hold onto it for balance as she stumbled, much more drunk than Yubin.

Nien's arm found the oldest girl's waist almost instantly, both to keep her close and keep her up.

Yubin watched as Yooyeon peppered Nien's face with drunk kisses and before she knew it, she saw the two of them walking away, to do whatever they were doing.

She sighed and shook her head, feigning disappointment, even though the smile on her face was purely fondness over her friends.

She'd be lying if she said she hadn't expected them to disappear somewhere together once they had a few drinks in them, but she didn't blame them. The atmosphere around them, combined with the drinks, was putting her in a light, relaxed mood.

She nursed her glass for a while, taking small sips at a time.

The thing about soju though, is because of how sweet it is, people forget it's alcohol. It meant that practically in no time, she was getting another drink, downing it quicker than the previous ones.

With the absence of Yooyeon, no one was there to stop her from overdoing it, and she just couldn't stop herself from taking more and more sips, waiting less and less between each.

She ordered another glass - even though her head was spinning, even though her eyes couldn't focus on things, even though she felt like she couldn't form a single cohesive thought - and drank again.

Halfway through the glass, she felt a presence next to her and when she turned, her breath caught in her throat.

The girl was.... gorgeous. She was possibly one of the prettiest people Yubin had ever seen. It felt like an angel appeared next to her.

She was smiling at her curiously as she sat down.

Yubin, free from any manners and restrictions she usually had, extended her hand clumsily.

"'m Gong Yubin, nie to meechu" she slurred, giving her a lopsided smile.

The girl giggled and it was as if Yubin was ascending, the sound filling her head and ringing louder than the music surrounding them.

She took her hand gently, giving it a light shake with an amused look on her face.

"Suhyeon, Ji Suhyeon, though most people just call me Jiyeon." She said, and Yubin really had to make herself focus on what she was saying instead of how she was saying it.

They held hands for longer than people usually would when it came to a handshake, but neither made a move to pull away.

That was until Yubin reached for her glass with her free hand, taking a sip.

Jiyeon nodded towards the drink with a smirk. "I'm guessing you don't go out much, do you?" She said, yet her voice lacked any malice, just curiousity.

Yubin tilted her head - which to Jiyeon looked akin to a confused puppy.

"Whaddya mean?"

"Well..." Jiyeon shrugged, pointing towards the glass. "You're on your.. what, third glass of soju? And you're already barely here with me" she chuckled, watching as Yubin obviously bit the inside of her cheek.

Said girl pouted but nodded anyway, tracing her finger over the top of the glass.

"Ion go out much..." She said, making Jiyeon nod.

Silence passed between them - obviously not silent whatsoever with music blasting and people chatting - but it wasn't awkward by any means.

The girl was just about to ask a question when Yubin slowly stood from her chair, wobbling on her feet.

Jiyeon reached out so quickly Yubin's brain didn't even register it, hands placing firmly on her sides to stabilise her.

"Whoah there... be careful, you could've hit the floor" she said, an uncharacteristic worry in her tone considering the two had never met before.

Yubin grumbled, resigning herself to holding onto Jiyeon's arms. She mumbled something about needing to go to the bathroom.

Despite the loudness around them, it seemed as if Jiyeon heard her loud and clear, leading her over to where the bathrooms were, supporting her body the entire walk there.

The room was empty as they shut the door behind themselves, and Yubin thanked god that the other girl didn't insist on accompanying her into the stall.

Once she was done and her hands were washed, Jiyeon once again helped her walk to their seats, only letting go of her when she was sitting.

They were quiet for a moment before Yubin, seeing her glass empty, made a move to call over the bartender. A move that was quickly stopped by Jiyeon, shooting the girl a disapproving glare.

"No more drinking for you. How are you planning on getting home in this state, huh?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

She groaned, laying her head onto the bar, mumbling something under her breath.

At Jiyeon's noise of confusion, she turned her head towards her, eyes closed, brows furrowed. She spoke louder this time before hiding her face again.

"Wanna go home..."

Jiyeon chuckled at that, nodding slightly.

"Alright then, but I don't want you going alone, especially in this state... I'll call a cab and take you home just to make sure you get there safely." She said, paying for Yubin's drinks before the girl could protest.

She watched as Jiyeon pulled out a card that deffinitely didn't look like an ordinary one. It was fully black, with something engraved into it in soft gold letters, none of which she could read in her state.

Once the drinks were paid for, the two made their way, slowly, outside to wait for their taxi, backs pressed against the wall of the building.

Yubin could see a few men walk past and look them up and down, but none ever approached, their heads snapping away as if they were slapped before continuing on their way.

It wasn't until she looked to her side that she realised it was because of the very present, very angry glare on Jiyeon's face that the girl sent anyone that even breathed too close to them, apparently having taken the role of Yubin's protector for the night very seriously.

By the time their taxi arrived, Yubin's legs felt like jello from standing so long, and she happily melted into the backseat the second she sat down, Jiyeon's soft giggle filling her mind.

Once they closed the door and the driver set off, silence filled the cab, only broken up by the song playing from the radio.

At some point, Yubin's head landed on Jiyeon's shoulder without meaning to, but she thought it would make the atmosphere strange if she removed herself, so she just accepted the position, seeing as the other girl didn't seem to have a problem with it.

The silence stretched until Jiyeon eventually broke it, speaking quietly enough for the driver to not hear, but loudly enough for Yubin to hear.

"You don't go out much, do you? That or you just can't handle alcohol well" she said, giggling to herself at the last part.

Yubin sighed softly, pressing her cheek further against her shoulder before shaking her head.

She looked down at her lap where her hands were playing with her skirt absentmindedly.

Shutting her eyes tightly, she took a deep breath.

She wasn't one to enjoy oversharing, especially avoiding her condition, but the way the alcohol made her mind buzz, combined with the fact that Jiyeon had been nothing but kind, made her drop her defences.

"I'm... sick. Always have been... The doctors say I won't make it to adulthood..." She said, chuckling bitterly, brows furrowing.

"My immune system sucks. I haven't gone out like this before, so no, I'm not used to drinking" she sighed, the tone of her voice more snappy than she intended, but Jiyeon didn't seem insulted by any means.

Yubin didn't want to look at her, but as the silence stretched out, she couldn't stop herself.

She was half expecting to see disgust, or disbelief on her face - courtesy to so many people telling her she's 'too young to be sick' - or even worse, pity. She hated pity the most.

What she was though, was a mix of emotions she couldn't decipher right now.

When Jiyeon eventually spoke, it was after she reached to take her hand, giving it a soft squeeze.

"I'm sorry if the jabs about being a lightweight made you feel bad, I didn't mean them like that, truly" she said, the sincerity in her eyes so strong Yubin had to look away.

Yubin nodded in acknowledgement, but said nothing.

The rest of the drive was spent silent up until they got to Yooyeon's home, where Jiyeon helped the younger out of the car and walked her towards the front door.

They stood awkwardly, Yubin swaying back and forth awkwardly.

"Can I uh... Can I see your phone?" Jiyeon asked quietly, reaching her hand out.

Yubin studied the outstretched hand cautiously but handed her her phone either way, watching as Jiyeon typed away on the screen delicately.

Once she handed it back, Yubin could see the screen open on an 'add contact' screen, along with Jiyeon's number input already.

She felt heat crawl up her neck and had to look away, pocketing her phone quickly.

Jiyeon scratched the back of her neck before crossing her arms.

"I feel like we should redo our first meeting so you can actually remember everything... maybe over some coffee or something?" She asked, looking at Yubin hopefully.

The softness of her voice made Yubin look up at her again. Her heartbeat was deafening in her head as she nodded, watching Jiyeon light up.

She didn't know why her heart was beating so fast, or why she suddenly felt so warm, but she decided she deffinitely didn't mind it.

They eventually had to say goodbye as it was getting late, and Yubin watched from the front porch as Jiyeon walked to the taxi that had been waiting there since they parked.

Before sitting inside, the girl turned around and gave Yubin one last wave and a bright smile, shutting the door behind her.

Yubin watched as the car drove off, her hand lifting to rest over her chest where her heart still beat loudly.

Calming down from whatever reaction that was, she turned on her heel and carefully walked over to the door - and if she stumbled a few times from her vision spinning, at least no one saw it - and unlocked it, stepping inside.

She really wanted to change out of her clothes, but her body felt heavy, and she couldn't fathom walking up a set of stairs to get to the guest room.

That left her with one option, and so, with a huff, she trudged over to the couch, all but collapsing onto it.

She didn't remember falling asleep, just the comfort of being able to lay down on a soft surface.

 

The morning was not kind to Yubin whatsoever.

From the moment she opened her eyes, she felt horrible.

First, her head was pounding. Not like one of her usual migraines, no no no, it was a pain she'd never experienced. Her stomach also felt awful to make the situation worse, and she had to fight her body to not discard yesterday's dinner into a trashcan.

Then, she got an earful from Yooyeon, a conversation that turned into a full blown fight about being left alone, and one that ended in Yubin talking about Jiyeon, which made Nien coo at her.

Once the three of them actually settled down and stopped arguing, she was bombarded with question after question about Jiyeon and what had happened after the two left her.

She did have some holes in her memory, but nothing significant was forgotten, at least that's what Yubin hoped.

Eventually she remembered the phone number Jiyeon typed into her phone the day before and reached for her phone, unlocking it.

She first checked all the notifications from her parents, asking her how she is, when she wants to be picked up and whatnot, all of which she ignored in favour of opening a new message thread with Jiyeon.

Yooyeon and Nien watched her fingers fly over the screen as she cycled through typing a message and deleting it.

Eventually, she settled on something.

Yubin:
𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘕𝘌𝘝𝘌𝘙 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯...

She hit send, surprised that the text was read practically instantly, as if Jiyeon had been waiting for a text the whole time.

Barely a few seconds later, a response popped up.

Jiyeon:
𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘩𝘶𝘩? 𝘛𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧.

She smiled at the text, ignoring the way her friends were looking at her.

The two eventually left her be, opting to make breakfast instead, while Yubin got to answering all the texts she'd gotten.

Her parents were, understandably, freaking out a little bit when she didn't answer them the entirety of the last evening, but she'd gotten good at being a convincing enough liar to get away with it.

She'd even scheduled that coffee Jiyeon had mentioned.

Breakfast went by quickly, followed by more lounging around - and Yooyeon pouring glass after glass of water into Yubin to help with her hangover - and before they knew it, it was time for the youngest to go back home.

She asked Yooyeon to drive her there so she wouldn't be stuck in the car with her parents when she still didn't feel fully well, which Yooyeon happily agreed to do.

"I'm sorry for leaving you alone... I shouldn't have gotten distracted by Nien, and I shouldn't have left you there..." Yooyeon spoke while they were waiting at a red light.

Yubin shook her head with an easygoing smile.

"It's fine unnie. It's not like anything bad happened, plus, I wouldn't want you to just sit around and babysit me all night when you could be having fun with your girlfriend" she said, watching Yooyeon's eyebrows furrow.

The older sighed, shaking her head.

"I know nothing happened, but it could have, and it would have been my fault." She said, the tone in her voice making it obvious that she wanted Yubin to stop giving her so much grace.

Having known her for long enough, the younger knew what the tone meant, and resorted to just a sigh before turning to look outside.

The remainder of the ride was filled only with songs blasting from the radio, to which both of them were humming.

Yubin steeled her nerves the moment her eyes caught sight of her home from afar.

She knew the most her parents would do was give her a talk about answering her phone and giving them updates, but she still wasn't happy about it.

Despite the tense atmosphere, once Yooyeon parked her car, she got out to give the younger girl a tight hug, apologising for leaving her one last time, though this time Yubin knew better than to argue.

She could hear the front door opening behind them and let go of Yooyeon, waving the girl a goodbye before dragging herself to the door.

Her mother was already looking at her with a disappointment look, while her father's face was almost stoic.

Mentally, she prepared herself for The Talk and entered the house.

 

Jiyeon decided she liked Yubin.

The moment she saw her and her friends walk into the club, she could feel like something was different about her.

At first, she just thought it was something about her aura, or the way she carried herself, but knowing about her illness out everything in perspective.

That night, as the taxi drove to her residence, she sent off a singular text to the only two people she's ever seen as friends.

Gay2:
𝘞𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘒𝘢𝘦-𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯.

Once sent, she pocketed her phone, eyes tracing the patterns on the headrest of the seat in front of her.

The drive was long, courtesy of living far away from the club she liked to visit often, but she never minded the length of the drive, since it gave her time to think.

She was brought out of her thoughts by the driver telling her they'd arrived.

Once she paid him, she exited, making her way to the big front door.

Most people would call her residence a small mansion. Tall roof, high windows, intricate details along the roof. There were even two gargoyles above the door.

The moment she entered the house and closed the door, her shoulders slumped.

She felt the muscles in her legs relax, not having to hold herself back from walking at her usual speed anymore.

In seconds, she made her way to the living room - a distance that would usually take much longer for anyone else - and sat down in the armchair.

She knew her companions were somewhere in the house, could feel their presence without looking.

Moments later, a short figure entered the room.

Yamada Kaede.

When they first met, Jiyeon had no idea how to feel about the girl. Some days, she can be impossibly sweet and helpful, while others she could be quiet and snappy.

Over the many years of knowing eachother though, she's gotten used to it.

"Jiyeon-ah! I was wondering how long it'd take you to get here."

Today, apparently, was a good day as she shot her a bright smile, practically bouncing over to the couch in front of her.

Not even a minute later, a second figure entered, making a beeline straight for Kaede's side.

Seo Dahyun.

The girl was practically the embodiment of sunshine, constantly smiling, overly positive and affectionate.

Despite looking the oldest out of the three, and often perceived as such, Jiyeon was technically the youngest out of them - there were a couple decades between her and Dahyun, and about a hundred years or more when it came to Kaede.

It took a second, but eventually Jiyeon noticed something in Dahyun's hands, a grin making its way onto her face.

A blood bag, which Dahyun tossed to her. Catching it perfectly, she cut the tube attached to it and brought it to her lips.

Taking a small taste sip, she hummed before continuing.

It felt as if Dahyun always knew that she'd been neglecting feeding, though she never brought it up, only handed her a bag.

The three vampires settled down in a comfortable silence, which was eventually broken by Kaede.

"So... This 'situation'... Did someone see you? Did you hurt someone or something?" She asked, arms crossed, eyebrow raised.

Jiyeon nearly choked, hitting her chest a few times as she coughed.

Quickly, she shook her head, putting the bag down to not spill anything.

"No! I just... I met this girl at the club earlier and something about her felt... Different? It was like she smelled different than the others" she said, earning a smirk from Kaede.

Slapping her girlfriend's arm, Dahyun suppressed a giggle.

Not wanting to be teased, Jiyeon launched into a recount of the night.

Once she was done, she looked back at the two, both of whom were deep in thought.

"I think she felt different because you quite literally smelled something off about her blood?" Dahyun said, shrugging slightly.

Kaede nodded along. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I've had something similar happen whenever I visit hospitals. We can smell when something is wrong with someone's blood." She added.

Jiyeon nodded along, brows furrowed.

She vaguely remembered Kaede telling her about some people's blood smelling differently if they're sick, but that was around the time she got turned, and it has been quite a while since then.

Satisfied enough with the answer, she took the blood bag again and finished it.

Since none of them had any need for sleep, they spend the rest of the day watching movies or reading, though Kaede and Dahyun spent most of the time giggling and whispering.

It hasn't been long since the two got together - not long for their standards as immortal beings, that is - only about eleven years, but the two still acted like lovestruck high school girls when they were together.

Jiyeon would shake her head at them fondly.

Time felt different ever since she was turned. In some ways, it passes quickly, just a millisecond in her long, neverending life. While sometimes, it dragged on. After all, when you've done everything you've ever wanted, what else is there to do but exist?

Before the three knew it, the sun was beginning to come up, rays of light shining through their windows.

Jiyeon was just about to get up to do something productive when her phone buzzed with a message notification from an unknown number.

She was going to ignore it until she saw what the text said

Yubin🍷:
𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘕𝘌𝘝𝘌𝘙 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯...

Jiyeon chuckled, typing out a response. She could practically see it, Yubin in bed or something, sprawled out, feeling shitty.

The smile that formed on her face was nothing if not fond, as if she's seen the girl's antics for years, as if she's known her for a long, long time, rather than meeting her just mere hours before.

Looking over, she saw Dahyun sitting against the armrest of the couch, one hand propped up against the backrest with her chin resting on it, while the other laid on Kaede's hair, playing with it.

Said girl was laying in her lap, a soft smile on her face while she slept.

Contrary to popular belief of many writers and people alike, vampires could sleep. Or at least do something similar to sleep, where they could turn their thoughts off and go into a sort of hibernation state, used mainly to regain energy.

Out of the three, Kaede surprisingly slept the most, if you count small naps through the day as sleep, that is.

For some reason, the lack of need for sleep wasn't strange for Jiyeon.

Even when she was alive, she'd spend late nights and early mornings awake, practicing and training for different ballet tournaments up until The Accident.

She hated thinking about that day. There was so much blood, so much screaming, so much pain.

And then there was silence. For how long, she didn't know, but it was dark. She felt as if she was floating endlessly.

For the first time in her life, she was free. Free from struggles, from late nights spent awake learning, from getting hurt.

She almost wished she'd stayed dead, surrounded by quiet, when she opened her eyes to a dark room, throat dry, stomach hurting from hunger.

Jiyeon absentmindedly looked up. Above her was said dark room.

She'd been placed there after Kaede turned her to save her life, and ever since then it had become her personal room.

She shook her head quickly to get rid of the memory, pushing it far into the back of her mind where it couldn't bother her anymore.

Looking to the side, she noticed Dahyun watching her.

Without even saying anything, Jiyeon knew that the other girl saw her eyes glaze over. Knew that Dahyun knew where her mind went.

The girl just nodded without a word, turning her attention back towards the TV without addressing anything, which Jiyeon was thankful for.

The first few years were rough. On top of having to learn the intricacies of being a vampire, learning to control her speed and strength, she was also struggling mentally.

She obviously wasn't super thrilled about being alive again, but now at least, she didn't get sick, didn't have to go back to her old life.

Eventually, it got easier. With Kaede and Dahyun's help, she got through most obstacles and found a family in the two.

When she felt her throat scratch again, she pushed herself off the couch and walked towards their basement.

There, all of their feeding things were placed.

In the corner was a large fridge filled to the brim with blood bags. In the other corner, a table with a 'juicer' of sort was placed, where they could take raw meet and drain it of blood in dire situations.

Sometimes, they even brought out a comfortable chair along with medical equipment for when any human friends of theirs wanted to 'participate' in their feeding time.

She grabbed a bag and headed up to her room.

As she passed a bookshelf, she picked up a book - she didn't look at the title, just knew it was fantasy.

As time has passed, she's stopped caring about the books she read. She just used them as a way to pass time when she had nothing else to do and needed her mind to be distracted.

She spent the next hours reading, mostly skipping over more boring parts since she'd read every book in her room multiple times already and hadn't had the motivation to buy new ones.

Time tends to pass quickly when you have eternity to live, and when she looked away and out of her window, it was dark already.

She pulled out her phone. She'd gotten multiple notifications, though most of them were from social media posts and whatnot.

Amongst them though, a text message popped up.

Yubin🍷:
𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶? 𝘞𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘣 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐'𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥?

Jiyeon🩸:
𝘐'𝘮 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬. 𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘐'𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰! 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦?

Yubin🍷:
𝘕𝘪𝘤𝘦! 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘵?

𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸, 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦?

Jiyeon looked away from the screen and at the book

Jiyeon🩸:
𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 "𝘈 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴", 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘦.

𝘈𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦! 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘵 11:30?

Yubin🍷:
𝘈𝘭𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵! 𝘚𝘦𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 :)

 

Yubin didn't know why she'd been so forward with the coffee invitation, but something about the girl made her want to be bold and shoot her shot.

When she'd gotten back home, her parents drilled her about why she didn't answer her phone, and somehow, she managed to talk her way out of it.

After that, she went up to her room to busy herself. She read for a little, watched some episodes of her favourite show. Throughout all of it, she couldn't stop thinking about Jiyeon, so she ended up sending the message.

She did - to her dismay - squeal when Jiyeon agreed, already planning how she'd get her parents to agree to let her go.

That night, she went to sleep imagining the meet-up... Date? Was it a date? She didn't know, but she knew she wouldn't be mad if it was.

She woke up bright and early at the ripe time of 8 in the morning, and spent about an hour fussing over what she'd wear.

When she went downstairs, she was relieved to see her parents were in a much better mood than the day before.

"Hey mom? I was thinking..." She started as she sat down at the table where her mother was eating breakfast, while her father watched some sport channel on the TV.

Her mother looked up at her with a smile.

She took a breath before putting on her most pleading look. "Could I go out for lunch with Yooyeon unnie today? She found this nice restaurant close by and wanted to go there to see how their food tasted" she said, having practiced the lie perfectly.

"I don't know Yubin-ah, what if you start feeling sick?" Her mother countered, arms folded on the table.

Yubin sighed softly, fiddling with her fingers in her lap. "Unnie can just drive me home if I feel sick. I just really wanted to go with her and Nien unnie... I heard the food is really good... Please?" She said, employing her best puppy eyes.

After a few seconds, her mother chuckled quietly, shaking her head fondly at her daughter.

"Alright, but be careful, don't forget to take your medicine, and tell Yooyeon the moment you feel sick, okay?" She said, earning an eager nod from her.

Then, she made herself breakfast, some pancakes. She ate slowly, not wanting to seem too excited to not raise suspicion.

Once she was done, she made her way to her room again so she could pass time, text her friends and just wait until she'd be leaving.

In all her excitement, time passed quickly, and before she knew it, it was time to get ready.

She went for a casual outfit, just jeans and a hoodie, along with a small bag where she put her medicine, phone and keys.

A few minutes after she was ready, she got the text that Jiyeon was in front of their house.

She all but ran out the door, quickly saying bye to her parents, and walked towards Jiyeon's car.

The girl was already waiting, standing with her back against the car, smiling as she approached. She opened the passenger door for her and closed it once she sat down, before moving to the driver's side and starting the car.

She turned to her with a soft smile. "How did you sleep?" She asked casually as she drove out of their driveway.

Yubin smiled back, watching as her house disappeared behind them. She turned to her and shrugged. "Pretty good, to be honest" she said with a chuckle.

They spent the rest of the drive just idly chatting and getting to know eachother better, and before they knew it, they arrived at a restaurant that Jiyeon picked.

It looked nice as they walked in. The lighting inside was soft and warm, and the room was filled with other people chatting and eating.

It wasn't one of those fancy restaurants, but it was clean and spacious.

Jiyeon walked her towards a table in the corner, right by the window, and pulled out a chair for her.

Yubin felt her face flush slightly at the action as she sat down, hanging her bag from the backrest.

She watched Jiyeon sit down in front of her.

"I hope you like it here. I used to come here with my friends all the time. They seriously have some amazing food here" Jiyeon said, grinning at the younger girl.

Yubin nodded, letting her eyes wander around the restaurant, taking in the decorations and whatnot.

Soon after, a waitress came with menus before leaving again, giving them time to pick what they wanted.

Yubin read through the menu curiously, seeing a few things she never tried, as well as things that piqued her interests.

Jiyeon seemed to have already picked her food while she still read through the menu.

In the end, Yubin settled for a pasta dish, while Jiyeon picked a meatloaf with some 'special gravy', whatever that meant. They both also decided on some coffee.

Once the waitress had their orders, she walked away to get them started, leaving them there alone.

"So, you said you used to come here often, have you lived here your whole life?" Yubin asked casually.

Jiyeon nodded with a smile. "Pretty much, yeah. My family moved here before I was born" she said. She obviously kept back the topic of her turning, or her nature in general.

"Oh that's fun. Me and my parents moved here to be closer to the hospital" Yubin said with a sheepish smile.

She watched Jiyeon nod, a distant sadness in her eyes for a moment before it was replaced by curiousity.

"I know your... Sickness, probably keeps you from doing a lot, but do you have any fun hobbies?" Jiyeon asked, breaking the silence.

Yubin chuckled and nodded, tapping her finger against the desk absentmindedly.

"Yeah! I can't really do sports or anything like that, cause it's a health hazard, but when I'm home I like drawing, crocheting little things, stuff like that" she said with a smile.

"Really? That's so cool! I've always wanted to try crocheting something, but I don't know if I'd be good at it" she said with a soft chuckle. "Though I did used to do ballet a while back" she added, making Yubin gasp.

The younger girl looked at her with wide eyes, grinning. "Honestly you look like you're graceful enough to do that" she giggled quietly, earning a full laugh from Jiyeon.

The conversation continued even after their food was brought out, with them sharing bits of their pasta, their current interests, and things they look forward to in the future.

Yubin was having genuinely some of the most fun she'd had in her whole life. Something about the older girl made her so instantly comfortable and joyful.

Once they were done eating, Jiyeon paid before Yubin could even ask about splitting the bill.

The two ended up taking a walk through the park a few minutes away, continuing to talk about random things and laughing at eachother's stupid jokes.

By the time they decided to split up, it was already 5 in the evening, and a gentle, cold breeze was settling in.

Jiyeon drove Yubin home while the two planned more meet ups and "dates" in the future.

 

Over the next few weeks, they went on many dates - which began being defined as dates after the second one. They were enjoying eachother's company, but neither of them had the guts to pop the question.

It wasn't until a little date at the amusement park, while they were high up in the air, sitting on a ferris wheel, that the topic was brought up.

The two were just watching the sun slowly setting from their viewpoint, a comfortable silence stretching around them.

They were so high in the air that even the sound of music blasting on the ground was nothing but a soft background noise.

The sunset was beautiful, so much so that Yubin couldn't take her eyes off of it. Jiyeon, on the other hand, couldn't take her eyes off of Yubin.

The way the sun hit the girl's face just right, lighting her up in a gorgeous, soft, orange glow. She was smiling, humming alongside a song that was currently playing on the ground.

As the ferris wheel reached its highest point, Jiyeon cleared her throat softly, pulling Yubin's attention to her.

"I uh... I wanted to ask you a question... Something I've been wanting to ask you for so, so fucking long" she started, looking the younger girl in the eyes as she spoke.

"I've been having an amazing time going out with you, exploring places, and just being around you. I don't think I've ever had this much fun, nor have I ever looked forward to seeing someone as much as I do when it comes to you" she continued. Yubin's breath hitched as Jiyeon spoke.

"Unnie...." She mumbled, feeling tears prick at the corners of her eyes.

Jiyeon smiled, feeling her own tears well up. "I guess I should get to the point" she chuckled softly, taking a deep breath. "Gong Yubin... Would you ever consider becoming more than friends? I really... Really like you, and the last thing I want to do is potentially ruin the friendship we built, but I can't hold my feelings in anymore" she said, looking down at her lap as she spoke.

The silence stretched for all of five seconds before the younger girl moved towards her, pulling her into a tight hug.

Jiyeon felt her nod against her shoulder. "Yes, I'd like that a lot..." She heard her mumble. She raised her own arms to wrap around the girl's waist, pulling her closer.

Jiyeon then pulled away, just enough to be able to look at her, before her hands slid up to cup her face.

She leaned closer, giving the younger girl ample time to pull away. Seeing no signs of that happening, she closes the gap.

The kiss was slow and soft, Yubin hummed into the kiss, her arms moving to wrap around Jiyeon's shoulders.

They honestly both forgot they were high up in the air, until their seats were on the ground and they were being ushered out.

Yubin was a flushed, stammering mess as they walked, Jiyeon's hand now permanently holding hers

The kiss, plus the physical affection, put Yubin in a constant state of happiness.

She prayed upon the stars that nothing would ever change the feelings she had in the moment.

They spent the next few hours just walking around the amusement park, with Jiyeon showing off her various skills in order to get Yubin a plethora of gifts and toys.

By the time they decided to go back, it was dark. Yubin was almost breathless, giggling at a stupid joke Jiyeon said, her hand never leaving the older girl's.

That night, Jiyeon drove her to her house, stepping out of her car to open the door for her with a grin.

Yubin wore a matching grin as she stepped out, lingering by the car door.

Then, Jiyeon leaned down and kissed her, making her breath hitch. Her hand found Yubin's waist, keeping her close while the younger girl's hand moved to Jiyeon's shoulder.

The kiss was almost a promise. A promise for more dates, for more stupid jokes, more laughing, and just more time spent together.

When Jiyeon drove off that night, Yubin stayed out in the dark, watching the car drive away.

 

In the past month, Yubin has had the most amazing time being around Jiyeon and going out.

She still couldn't get used to being able to call the girl her girlfriend, and wanted to be around her constantly.

It was like Jiyeon was her safety. She knew if anything was going on, she could talk to her and the girl would immediately jump to comfort her and give her advice.

The two were at the older girl's manor, talking idly to Kaede and Dahyun, both of whom had become people Yubin could also rely on. Yooyeon and Nien joined her when she visited on some days, and the six would just hang out and talk, or play games and whatnot.

They were in the middle of talking about what Yubin wanted to do after school, when she got the call.

Once she picked it up, her mother's voice came out, but it sounded... Off. Like there was something potentially serious going on but her mother didn't want to make her panic.

"Hi Yubin-ah. The doctors called about your blood results, and wanted to talk to us today. Could you ask your friend to drive you back home so we could go?" Her mother asked, trying to sound calm.

Yubin looked over at the other three, all of whom were already watching her, having heard her mother thanks to their hearing.

Jiyeon nodded softly, already getting up to get her keys so she could drive the girl home.

"Sure mom, we'll be there in ten" she said before hanging up, staring at her phone.

She didn't miss the tiny quiver in her mother's voice as she spoke, or the barely audible ruffling of clothes as her mother gripped her jacket.

The drive was silent as Jiyeon took her home, with the older girl constantly looking over at Yubin, concern filling her face.

When they parked, her mother was already waiting outside, keys and her purse already in her hands.

Yubin got out of the car, saying goodbye to Jiyeon, before going to her mother, who just gestured to her car.

The hospital wasn't far, and they got there even quicker with her mother speeding slightly over the limit, adding to the list of concerning things Yubin saw her do.

At the hospital, they quickly made their way to Yubin's doctor's office, knocking on the door before walking in and sitting down.

The man was reading through papers, which upon closer inspection, were Yubin's lab results.

The two watched him sigh before looking up at them.

Just from his eyes, Yubin could see it. His eyes were sad as he watched the girl. He had been her primary doctor practically since she was born, and watched her battle through her sickness her whole life.

Yubin felt a sinking feeling in her body as the quiet stretched before the doctor sighed softly, eyes dropping back to the papers.

Yubin could hear her heart hammering in her chest as she listened to the doctor talk.

"We've found.... Concerning developments in your body" he started, looking down at the lab results while her and her mother sat there, watching him.

"We ran some tests and it turns out you don't have as much time as we originally thought" he said, eyes flickering up to the two of them.

Yubin felt tears well up in her eyes.

That couldn't be true, right? Just months ago the doctors told her she had time. That she was getting better. How could she suddenly be declining so badly? How come they didn't catch it sooner?

Her head was spinning, her ears buzzing so loudly she almost missed it when her mother spoke up from next to her.

"How.... How long do you think she has?" Her mother asked, voice shaky and quiet, scared.

The doctor sighed, pushing his glasses to the top of his head before looking up at them, hands folded on his desk.

"We cannot say for sure, but if I had to estimate... About a month, two at most."

 

The drive back home was awfully quiet. Yubin had chosen to sit in the backseat, curling up as she held her tears back while her mother drove, doing the same thing.

They didn't talk about the revelation. They didn't need to.

Her mother drove slower than she did when they were driving to the hospital, seemingly in shock as her brain processes everything they heard.

The doctor had told them Yubin had contracted a bacteria known as Acinetobacter Baumannii. He had explained the bacteria was contracted due to her prolonged stays in the hospital due to her immunodeficiency. The bacteria had infected her bloodstream, making treatment practically impossible.

As they drove, Yubin forced herself to stay calm, to not burst into tears, even if it was the hardest thing she'd ever needed to do.

When they got back home, Jiyeon's car was still in the driveway, apparently having been waiting for them to come back.

The moment she saw Yubin's face as she stepped out of the car, Jiyeon knew it was bad.

Without a word, she stepped closer and pulled the girl into her arms, hugging her tightly while Yubin broke down, her tears soaking into Jiyeon's shirt.

The two just stood there, holding eachother for what felt like hours, even if it was probably just a few minutes.

When they finally pulled away, Yubin's mother all but pulled her inside so they could sit down and tell her father, while Jiyeon decided to drive to her own home and break the news to Kaede and Dahyun.

Yujin's father didn't say anything at first, just looked at the ground with a blank expression before standing up and walking out of the house, leaving her and her mother to sit there in silence.

Yubin's mother held her gently, rocking the two of them back and forth while Yubin clutched her shirt.

 

The following days were.... A lot. Yubin had to tell Yooyeon and Nien about the information as the two hugged her tightly, promising to be there the entire time to support her.

She got visits from Kaede and Dahyun, promising the same thing when they brought her little gifts to make her feel better.

It didn't take long for Yubin to start feeling worse. In about a week, she could feel her body grow tired easier, and quiet coughing became almost a regular occurrence in their home.

She began staying home more often, being visited by her friends daily.

Eventually, she got too bad to be kept at home, and had to be moved to the hospital, where they strapped her to all different kinds of tubes and machines to monitor her body.

Every day, after classes, Yooyeon and Nien came to visit her for a few hours through the day, and when it got too dark for them to stay, Jiyeon, Dahyun and Kaede came to keep her company through the dark.

Yubin was grateful for the endless company, happy she never had to be alone thanks to them.

Doctors came and went, checking her vitals, muttering above her as if she wasn't there, they scribbled down things and walked away.

This cycle went on, and on, and on for weeks.

As time dragged on, Yubin felt herself grow weaker and weaker, sometimes sleeping through the entire day and then some, all while her family and friends watched helplessly.

Well, not fully.

 

"You can't do that Jiyeon! There are rules to this kind of thing, you know that!" Kaede said, while Dahyun nodded.

"I know unnie, but.... I can't lose her" Jiyeon said quietly, looking at the ground.

She had pulled the two aside after they left Yubin's room.

"We understand that, but you can't just.... you can't just turn her" she heard them say, making her grunt.

"You did it for me, remember?" She said, finally looking up at her friends.

Kaede sighed, crossing her arms.

"And you know how much trouble we got into because of it." she pointed out, raising an eyebrow.

Jiyeon sighed quietly.

"I know, but I won't let her go... I can't.... Not when I can do something to save her" she said, flames of determination burning in her eyes.

Kaede and Dahyun looked at eachother, realising arguing wouldn't do them any favours.

Eventually, Kaede huffed with a fond smile.

"Fine, fine" she chuckled. "Do it if you're sure, but let us at least inform the councils about it so it doesn't come as a surprise to them, yeah? Soften the blow a little" she said, earning an eager nod from Jiyeon.

The two really adored Jiyeon, they really did, even when the girl was being stubborn about things.

The girls got to work quickly, typing up emails - or letters, depending on how old school certain members of the council were - and sending them off. They weren't asking permission to turn someone, they were announcing it.

Jiyeon, meanwhile, mentally prepared herself.

It was one thing for a vampire to drink human blood, just to feed. It was a completely different thing to turn someone.

The action often times connected the sire and fledgeling forever, tying their lives together, their emotions, their decisions.

She knew something like that would need to be talked about with Yubin. She just hoped the girl would understand.

First, she'd have to reveal her true nature to Yubin, and she didn't even know how she'd react to that. In her time, she's met people who reacted well, but also people who reacted absolutely horribly, if not just fully think she's joking.

But, she had to do it. For Yubin. For her family. For her friends. She had to risk their relationship and the girl's trust if she wanted to save her.

 

The walk back to the girl's room was slow. She wasn't rushing, focusing on running through different scenarios in her head

She gently knocked on the door before entering.

The sight was heartbreaking to her. Yubin, looking so small and fragile in the hospital bed, hooked up to machines that essentially kept her alive and monitored her.

She padded over to the bed, sitting down in one of the chairs that was pulled up next to it.

Yubin looked up at her with a soft smile. "Hi unnie..." She rasped out, reaching out towards her, hand shaking slightly.

Jiyeon immediately took it.

She smiled down at her, her other hand reaching up to run through the girl's hair.

"I... I needed to talk to you about something" she started.

Her tone was serious, unlike her usual joking, fun tone. Still, Yubin nodded with a smile, motioning for her to continue.

"There is something you need to know about me... Something I've... Been keeping from you. And I need to you believe me, okay? As difficult or unreal as it may sound, you need to listen" she said, prompting another nod from the girl, now more serious.

"I'm... Not like you, or your family, or your friends... I'm not sure if you noticed, but I'm not as warm as you guys, physically I mean... I'm constantly cold, I can't stay out in the sun too much, I barely sleep. You've seen me eat food, but that's not exactly what I should be eating..." She said, looking down at their joint hands.

Yubin was watching her carefully, nodding along as she talked. Even through all the beeping of machines and her own dizziness from feeling weak, she paid as much attention as she could.

"I don't know the best way to say this, to be honest... But, I'm a-" "a vampire?" Yubin cut her off quietly.

Jiyeon's head shot up to look at her with wide eyes.

The girl wasn't smiling like she was joking, nor was she looking at her with disgust. She just said it like it was the most obvious, normal thing ever. Like she was just discussing the weather.

"How- when- you-" Jiyeon sputtered.

The younger girl smiled, squeezing her hand weakly.

"I had my suspicions, to be honest" she said softly. "I would see you do, or say things that made me suspect something was off, you'd hear conversations no person with normal hearing should have been able to hear. At first, I thought you were just naturally colder, but the more things I saw, the more I realised" she said.

Jiyeon was floored. She never thought the girl would pick up on things like that.

It's not like she's been super secretive about it, but still.

"I'm... Assuming Kaede and Dahyun are the same?" She asked, prompting a nod out of Jiyeon.

"Kae-chan is the one who turned me..." She said quietly.

After that, a soft silence stretched through the room. It wasn't entirely a comfortable silence, more like each of them just coming coming to terms with what the other was saying.

Eventually, Yubin broke the silence.

"Thank you for telling me... But why? Why now?" She asked, tilting her head slightly.

Jiyeon sighed, closing her eyes.

For a moment, Yubin thought she'd just ignore the question, and was about to just brush it off, or ask again.

"I can't lose you..." Said Jiyeon, so quietly Yubin almost missed it over the beeping of machines.

"What?" She asked softly.

"I can't lose you, Yubin" she said, louder this time.

The confession hung in the air for a moment.

For a second, Yubin was torn between joking, and hammering in her situation.

Then, her eyes widened as she realised what the girl meant.

"Wait, what do you mean?" She asked quietly. Really, she suspected what she meant by her confession, but for the sake of her mind, she needed to hear it from the older girl.

"You're... One of the most important people in my life... I care about you so, so much" Jiyeon started, once again looking at their joint hands. She ran her thumb over Yubin's knuckles, the touch feather light.

"I love you so much, and seeing you like this" she motioned to the bed and machines. "Makes my heart hurt. I can't bear loosing you. Not when I can help" she said, looking up at the girl.

It wasn't often that Yubin saw any form of desperation in the older girl's eyes, but here it was.

It was as if she was silently begging her. To understand. To chose. To trust her.

To live.

Yubin, honestly, didn't know what to do, or say. She knew the decision should have been easy. Most people, on the brink of death, would chose to live.

"If... If I let you help... Will I still be like this? This weak? This sick?" She asked quietly.

Jiyeon shook her head.

"You'd be healthy. No more migraines, no more medication, no more worrying about wether or not your body can stand being outside. You wouldn't have to see a single doctor ever again" she reassured her.

Even quieter this time, "what about my parents.... They've already come to terms with me dying.... Already mentally prepared themselves for a world where I don't exist anymore.... What will they think if I magically recover from literal death?" She said.

Jiyeon sighed. "I... Don't know" she confessed. "But you should decide based on what you want, not them... Do you want to keep living? Be healthy?" She asked, watching her carefully.

Yubin didn't really have to think about it this time. She nodded faintly, though the doubt was still there. Lesser, but still there.

"It will be tough on them, that's for sure. Going from knowing your daughter is dying, to her suddenly being perfectly healthy is a lot... When... When I was dying, everyone thought that would be it... After all, how many people can survive a car crash of that size? But then one day, I was just fine. I was walking and talking as if nothing happened, as if my body wasn't dying moments earlier" she said.

She's never told Yubin about the accident. How could she, when it was the reason she wasn't fully truthful with her?

Yubin nodded softly.

"It took a while for them to come to terms with me just, being back. Honestly, I had to move away, to live with Kae and Dahyun for a while, until they finally accepted that I was alive again. And I'm not saying you have to run away the moment it happens but... If they don't take it well, it won't do you any good staying around" Jiyeon said quietly.

Yubin was silent. Not angry silent, at the mere suggestion of running from problems. Truthfully, she was considering her options.

On one hand, she could just let herself go. Make it easy for everyone, let her parents mourn for a while, while her cold, dead body laid in the ground. She could die knowing there were so many things she could have experienced in life, was it not for her sickness. She knew her parents would eventually come to terms with her death. After all, it wasn't like they haven't known her whole life that she was living on borrowed time. She did, however, know that Yooyeon and Nien wouldn't handle it as well. Sure, they'd only known her for a short period of time, but the two adored her. She knew it would tear them apart on the inside if she left.

On the other hand, she could chose to live. She could go from days away from death, to fully healthy, in a matter of hours. She knew the doctors would ask questions. That her parents would be even more confused. She knew it would take a long time to convince them that what was happening was real. She knew it would be hard to tell people. But she also knew, if she lived, if she was free of her sickness, that she could do everything she's ever dreamed of. She could go out, exploring the city she's lived in her entire life, yet only seen a tiny portion of. She could travel, see all around the world if she so wished. She could watch Yooyeon and Nien graduate, could see them get married, could see them succeed in life. Things she's known she'd miss ever since she met them.

Jiyeon watched her silently. She practically saw the cogs turning in her head as she weighed her options.

The room was silent for a long time as Yubin contemplated her possible future, eyes closed as she imagined it.

At some point, Jiyeon even thought she fell asleep. Then, her eyes opened.

Before, her eyes were mostly empty, void of much emotions as she got ready to leave and sleep forever. Now, though small, there was a fire of determination as she looked at Jiyeon.

"I want to live... So, so much" she confessed, her grip on Jiyeon's hand tightening.

Jiyeon felt like she could fly. She was obviously hoping the girl would say that, but hearing those words come out of her mouth made a heavy weight lift off her shoulders.

She breathed out a breath she technically didn't even need, her shoulders relaxing as she nodded.

"There... There is one more thing, though" she said carefully.

Yubin raised her eyebrow slightly. Of course there would be another catch.

"If I do this, if I turn you, we'll... Be connected. Deeply, emotionally connected..." She said softly, looking at Yubin as if she was searching her face for any changes as she spoke.

"It could alter your decision making, your emotional state... You'd feel a constant pull to be around me... We'd..." She trailed off, sucking in a breath. "... we'd see flashes of memories from eachother.... Important ones, ones that affected us... You'd... Have to see how I got turned... Everything..." She breathed out, looking away from the girl.

Yubin nodded, quiet as she thought about it.

Frankly, the decision was surprisingly easy. She loved Jiyeon, adored her friends. She had no problem being so interwined with her. Sure, she'd be embarrassed by Jiyeon seeing her memories, and she was sure Jiyeon's own memories would be a lot, but at the end of the day, she'd be alive.

Being connected to the older girl and seeing her past was a fair price for living.

"I still want you to do it" she said softly, watching as Jiyeon looked up, studying her face, trying to find any doubt in what she was saying.

Finding none, she nodded.

"Only if you're sure" she said, raising her eyebrow.

Yubin chuckled quietly, squeezing her hand as tightly as he weakened body allowed her to.

"I'm sick of being, well, sick... I'm sick of doctors taking tests, of hospitals, of not knowing if I'll be strong enough to even get out of bed. It's exhausting" she said softly, a small smile on her face.

Jiyeon could feel her turning her hand upwards, wrist facing the ceiling.

She looked down, eyes zeroing on the small veins running under her skin, pumping blood through her body.

She peeled her eyes off of the girl's wrist for a second to look back up at her, searching her face for discomfort, uncertainty, or anything else.

Yubin just nodded, lifting her hand up slightly, bringing her wrist closer to the girl's face.

The silent confirmation was enough, as Jiyeon changed her hold of her wrist.

Slowly, she leaned down, while also bringing her arm up, until her lips gently pressed against the sensitive skin.

She could smell the blood just millimeters away, pulling her in, making her brain buzz softly.

Slowly, she opened her mouth, her fangs elongating - something Yubin watched intently, eyes fixed on the two sharp teeth.

Carefully, she let her fangs graze the skin before letting them sink into the girl's wrist.

There was a soft gasp next to her, but she didn't feel the girl pulling away.

The sensation was, strange, to say the least. Of course, Yubin was used to needles constantly poking her skin, but this was a completely different feeling.

At first, it was a quick, stabbing pain, but the longer the fangs were sunk in her skin, the more the pain turned into comfort, a warm rush spreading through her body.

Jiyeon was gentle as she fed, her hand never leaving Yubin's wrist. The process of turning someone was slow. She's have to drink up all of the blood from her body, before injecting her veins with a sort of toxin that slowly spread through her body and turned her.

As the amount of blood in her body grew lower, Yubin felt her mind grow dizzy, her sight becoming blurry. She felt like she was drowning, the beeping of machines fading into the background.

Her already weak body grew weaker, her hand going limp in Jiyeon's grasp.

Then, there was darkness as her mind shut off, her consciousness slipping. It was cold and quiet, her thoughts dying out and leaving her alone in the dark.

She felt her mind disconnect from her body, the feeling of fangs in her skin fading away slowly.

Before her almost dead body could slip fully, she felt a rush of strength pulse through her. Something almost pulling her out of the deep end and towards the real world again.

Her eyes shot open as she took a deep breath. She was ready to feel her heartbeat hammering against her chest, to hear it in her head. Instead, nothing.

She focused on her surroundings, noticing the absolute lack of beeping from the heart monitor next to her. It was producing a long, continuous beep, signaling her heart had stopped.

Then she started feeling her own body again, the way the hospital gown clung to her, the heavy blanket. Jiyeon's hand still holding her wrist gently.

Her eyes flickered to the girl, whose eyes were already fixed on her, studying her face carefully.

Silence stretched through the room, only interrupted by the steady, long beep of the machine. Though Yubin heard more than that. She heard her own breathing, something she didn't need to do anymore but still did instinctively. She heard the shuffling of nurses and patients in the hallway just outside the room, the sound of her blanket moving against her body as she moved.

It made her brain dizzy, hearing and feeling everything around her.

"We have to leave" was what Jiyeon said after a long beat. Yubin looked at her, half dazed from the sensory overload.

It took Yubin a moment to realise what she meant. Obviously, since her heart stopped beating, the doctors would come. They'd call her family who'd also rush in, and explaining why she was sitting there, very much seemingly alive, would be a hassle, not to mention dangerous.

Yubin didn't trust her voice, so she just nodded, letting Jiyeon help her off the bed.

She didn't feel weak as she stood up. Her body that used to be so frail just minutes ago, now surged with a renowned strength she hadn't felt before.

While she stood, realising that fact, Jiyeon was quickly grabbing her belongings. Her phone, her charger, a stuffed animal her mother brought for her, and stuffed everything into a bag.

Then, she reached out for Yubin's hand, pulling her out of her brain.

They walked out of the room and made their way down the hallways, trying not to attract attention from doctors and nurses that knew Yubin.

They made their way down a flight of stairs before exiting the hospital through the back entrance to minimise the amount of people that saw them.

There, in the parking lot, Dahyun and Kaede sat in Jiyeon's car, waiting for them.

The whole thing felt like a heist to Yubin. Escaping undetected, climbing into a getaway car and driving off before anyone could notice they were gone.

Jiyeon sat in the driver's seat with Kaede in the passenger, leaving Yubin and Dahyun in the back.

The car drove out of the hospital parking lot and into the streets, driving to the vampires's home in silence.

Everything felt too loud. The car's engine, the sound of the wheels driving down the road. Somewhere a car began honking, making her flinch.

She felt Dahyun's hand take hers, making her look at the girl.

"I know it's a lot... Just focus on me, okay?" She said quietly, mindful of her sensitive hearing.

Yubin nodded and did her best to focus on her.

Surprisingly, the more she focused on the touch, on the girl next to her, she felt her mind clear. The noises were still too loud, and from time to time, a particularly loud on would make her flinch, but it became at least bearable.

Luckily the roads weren't as packed, so the drive didn't take too long, and before she knew it, they were parking in front of the house.

Dahyun gently pulled her out of the car and into the front door, closing it behind her.

Jiyeon was at her side not a second later, one arm around her waist while the other held her hand, staying close to ground her.

Jiyeon wordlessly lead her up to her room, closing the door behind her quietly and lowered her onto the bed, helping her lay down comfortably.

"You should rest... The change can take a lot out of you" she said as she sat down next to her, brushing strands of hair from her face.

It was only now that Yubin realised - as she watched Jiyeon's face carefully - that her eyes had a red tint to them from the amount of blood she took from her.

It made her look.... Different, in a very good way.

"One of us will bring you something to drink, but for now, just recharge" she added, smiling down at her.

She then leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead before leaning away and walking out of the room to grab some blood for her, while Yubin laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling.

The room was quiet, purposefully sound proofed from the outside world to keep it as such, and just that made Yubin relax.

With her mind less dizzy from constant sounds though, she was now free to think.

How should she tell her parents? She knew they'd obviously freak out. I mean, who wouldn't freak out if they found out their daughter who had been slowly dying her entire life is now completely healthy?

Should she even tell them? Yes, they'd be confused as hell why she wasn't in the hospital room after 'dying', but it'd blow over eventually. They'd come to terms with her being dead, and move on with their lives.

She groaned, pressing her hands to her eyes.

Then another thought popped into her head.

What about Yooyeon and Nien? Surely she had to tell them she was alive, right? She couldn't just let them believe she was dead when she was less than twenty minutes away from them, could she? She knew for a fact she herself wouldn't be able to hold back from visiting them. From checking in on them at least, and the possibility of them seeing her was too high.

She was brought out of her thoughts by the door opening, revealing Jiyeon, holding a cup with a straw.

The smell hit her next. A strong, metallic scent with a hint of sweetness.

She watched tiredly as Jiyeon walked to the bed and brought the straw to her lips. She looked at the drink with narrowed eyes before taking a cautious sip.

She recognised the taste of blood immediately. Through her life, she'd tasted it multiple times. Now though, it was different. While in the past, the taste made her stomach twist, now the taste was a welcome feeling, spreading soft warmth through her body.

She continued drinking, less cautiously now that she knew it tasted good, and in just a few minutes, the cup was empty

Jiyeon was watching her with a fond smile, taking the cup once it was empty.

She carefully pulled the covers higher over Yubin, smiling. "Now that you won't go into a blood frenzy, go sleep" she said, her tone warm but not leaving any space for disagreement.

Yubin huffed but nodded anyway.

Jiyeon stayed by her side until she felt her body relax and 'fall asleep', sitting there even after, just watching Yubin's peaceful face.

She leaned down to kiss her forehead again before moving to sit in an armchair next to the bed, picking up a random book.

 

It was days later that Yubin finally woke up, feeling more recharged and strong than she had in months.

At first, the unfamiliar room confused her.

Then, the memories flashed back. The talk in the hospital, being turned, driving here, falling asleep.

Looking to her side, Jiyeon was in the armchair, seemingly asleep.

Yubin groaned quietly and pushed herself up in the bed to sit, rubbing at her eyes slightly. Next to her, Jiyeon shuffled, woken up by the noise of her waking up.

Jiyeon smiled at her as she noticed her sitting up.

"Look who finally woke up" she said, her tone dripping with fondness. "How was your sleep?" She asked, moving to sit on the bed next to her.

Yubin leaned onto her the moment she sat down, humming.

"Better than I have in I don't even know how long" she said quietly, reaching over to take one of Jiyeon's hands, playing with her fingers absentmindedly.

Next to her, the older girl smiled, watching her movements.

"And how about hunger? I know you drank before going to sleep, but sleeping for so long can make you hungry" she said after a bit.

Yubin hummed. She did feel a soft, incessant burn in her throat.

"I could feed a little..." She said, the words still unfamiliar in her mouth.

Jiyeon, on the other hand, was more surprised than anything that Yubin was handling being turned so well. Most people, even when turned voluntarily, need time to process. Yubin, however, seemed to be handling the change okay enough.

They sat in silence for a few more minutes, just enjoying eachother's quiet company, before Jiyeon pulled her up, leading her out of the room.

Yubin, now more awake and alert, had time to look around.

Sure, she'd been in the house multiple times since meeting Jiyeon, but she rarely got to see the upstairs, where the girls's rooms were, usually being kept around the living room.

Once they reached said room, Jiyeon sat her down on the couch, quickly going to grab a blood bag to pour into a cup before returning, handing it to Yubin.

The room was empty, Kaede and Dahyun either still asleep or just doing their own thing.

The two sat in comfortable silence as Yubin sipped on the blood, getting used to how good it tasted.

Despite the comfortable silence, Jiyeon seemed... More tense than normal. Outwardly, she looked fine, but thanks to the bond that now connected them, Yubin could practically feel something wrong with her.

She debated wether it was worth asking. Eventually, once she was done drinking, she set the cup down, leaning back and turning to the older girl to look at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Okay, something is wrong" she said, less a question and more a statement.

Jiyeon tensed before sighing, looking down at her lap.

Yubin reached over, taking hold of her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Please, just tell me" she said quietly.

The older girl huffed quietly, looking over at her.

"Nien called yesterday..." She said. Yubin's shoulders tensed.

"What- what did she say?" She asked carefully.

Jiyeon looked away again before whispering; "her and Yooyeon heard about you... dying."

Yubin's breath hitched, her grip on Jiyeon's hand tightening slightly.

"They've been messaging me for two days... Asking if I knew... How I'm doing..." She continued quietly, pulling her phone out to show Yubin the messages.

Yubin took the phone carefully, scrolling through dozens of messages.

The early ones made her heart break, talking about how much it hurt, how they don't know what to do, slowly devolving into dull, bitter acceptance as days passed.

By the time she was done combing through all of them, Yubin's hand was shaking, having to put the phone down to keep it from slipping out of her hand, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I... I need to... I should tell them... That I'm not dead..." She said, her voice threatening to crack.

She could feel Jiyeon tense up next to her, and rushed to add; "they need to know... At least the two of them. I can't stand knowing they're breaking apart because of this."

The addition didn't make Jiyeon any less tense, but at least she didn't look like she was going to shut the idea down completely.

A strange silence fell over them, before the older girl sighed.

"...fine..." She muttered quietly. "But we talk to Kae-chan and Dahyun first" she added, tone soft, but firm enough to stop any complaints.

Yubin nodded. She knew she couldn't be reckless about this, especially not when it wasn't just her secret to tell.

Not knowing when the two would return, they settled into a relatively comfortable silence, occasionally broken by some small talk and reassurances that only her friends would find out.

It was hours later than they finally heard the front door open and watched as Kaede and Dahyun entered, apparently having gone out to run some errands.

When the two spotted Yubin and Jiyeon on the couch, they could almost immediately feel something was off.

They wordlessly sat down opposite of them, watching them carefully, as if studying their body language.

Neither of them spoke for a while, before Jiyeon finally broke the silence.

"Yubin wants to tell Yooyeon and Nien."

Almost immediately, Kaede moved to shut the idea down.

"Absolutely not! They think you're dead. We can't just waltz you over to them, very much alive looking. How do you think they'd take that? Are you just going to tell them what you are now? Do you know how dangerous that could be? Not just for us, but for them too! Most vampires don't take kindly to humans knowing about the secret" she said loudly, making Yubin look away.

Next to her, Dahyun took her girlfriend's hand, pulling her attention away from the fledgling.

The room was left in a tense silence after her outburst.

"I just... I know, okay? I know it'd put us, and them in danger..." Yubin started, her grip on Jiyeon's hand tightening. "But I can't just let them think I'm dead when I'm literally alive, so, so close to them. Do you expect me to just keep on living here and never running into them? What would happen if I'm out one day and they run into me? How do you think they'd react if they had to find out years from now from randomly seeing me, rather than me telling them now?" She asked, voice much quieter than Kaede's was earlier, looking over at the older girl with almost pleading eyes.

Said girl sighed, her shoulders dropping.

"I get that you want to tell them, but-"

Yubin cut her off. "They've been some of the only people who treated my like a normal fucking person. They took care of me whenever I couldn't take care of myself! I can't let them believe I'm dead when I'm literally right here." She said.

"But what if they react badly? What if they tell people?" Kaede tried reasoning, though even she could feel that it was useless, that Yubin's mind was already made up on telling the two, and nothing she said could make her stop.

Yubin huffed, playing with the hem of her shirt absentmindedly.

"They won't" she said, voice filled with so much conviction that it was hard to argue against.

The way she said it, so confident, so sure, made Kaede sigh deeply.

"Fine. I see I can't talk you out of it" she said, looking over at her. "But if they spill anything about it, it'll be on you" she added, eyes sharpening just slightly.

Yubin nodded, feeling her shoulders relax just a pinch.

Carefully, she reached for her own phone, unlocking it and moving to her group chat with Yooyeon and Nien.

Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, trying to decide the best way to go about it.

She could call them, but she didn't trust her voice just yet, so a text would have to suffice for now.

She huffed, typing out the first coherent thing she could think of.

Yubam:
𝘏𝘪 𝘨𝘶𝘺𝘴... 𝘞𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬

She hit send, her hands shaking slightly, watching the chat.

Her message was read almost instantly, though it toon a few minutes for her to see the typing bubble pop up. It took another few minutes of watching that bubble appear and disappear before she got a response.

Broccoli:
𝘞𝘩𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴?

Snartass:
𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦?

Yubin almost smiled despite the situation. Her fingers already typing out more messages.

Yubam:
𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘮𝘦
𝘕𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘥𝘸
𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘶𝘺𝘴
𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘧 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦

She fired off text after text, a little habit she developed.

The text bubbles appeared and disappeared again.

Broccoli:
𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦

Smartass:
𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘰.
𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘺.

Yubam:
𝘐'𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘧, 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘑𝘪𝘺𝘦𝘰𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘦'𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦

After that, the responses stopped.

Yubin stared at her phone for a few minutes, while the other three watched her.

Then, she sighed and pocketed her phone. It wasn't worth it staring at an unmoving chat when she could be getting ready.

"I don't know when they'll be here, but we might as well prepare, right?" She said, eyes flickering between them.

Kaede nodded and stood up, pulling Dahyun along as they began tidying up the living room and the rest of the home.

Jiyeon stood up last, walking to Yubin.

Her arms wrapped around her midsection, chin propped up on her shoulder.

"How do you think they'll take it?" She asked quietly.

Yubin shrugged, her own arm coming to wrap around Jiyeon's waist.

"Hopefully well? I don't want to get my hopes up, but I think they'll be happy..." She said, resting against the older girl for a moment.

Jiyeon then pulled her up the stairs and towards her room. Apparently, while she was asleep, and whenever her parents weren't home, Jiyeon sneaked in to transfer some of her clothes here.

They got dressed in silence, giving eachother space until they were ready.

It was strange having to match clothes to her newly paler skin. Sure, she'd always been pale, but the turning made her skin even lighter.

Once they were done, they walked back to the living room, where Kaede and Dahyun were already waiting, also in different clothes.

The wait was long and tense.

About thirty minutes later, the doorbell finally rang.

Yubin all but jumped off the couch and walked to the door, opening it.

Yooyeon and Nien froze when they saw her, eyes wide, mouths hanging open and closing as they tried to say literally anything.

"Hi gu-" Yubin was cut off by the two rushing towards her and hugging her, practically squeezing any air that would've been in her lungs.

The pro of not having to breathe, plus that of her body not being as fragile, meant they could squeeze her as hard as they wanted to.

The hug lasted long, as if the two were scared that if they let go of her, she's disappear.

Yubin didn't complain, her arms wrapping around them just as tightly, remembering to to squeeze too too hard as to not hurt them with her newfound strength.

Eventually, and very reluctantly, the two pulled away, though Yooyeon's hands immediately moved to cup Yubin's face, eyes flickering over her form.

"How- you- when-" she stammered, trying to find the right words.

Next to her, Nien was crying, clutching one of Yubin's hands.

"It's... It's a long story" she replied quietly, looking back at Jiyeon, Dahyun and Kaede.

Her friends followed her gaze, settling on the three who just awkwardly waved at them with hesitant smiles.

Yubin gently dragged them inside, closing the door to cut the outside world off to give them all some privacy so they could explain.

She lead them to the living room, sitting on the couch next to Jiyeon while they took up a separate couch, looking between the four.

That's how an hour of explanations started, about her in the hospital, about the three being vampires, about her and Jiyeon's talk, being turned.

The two often cut them off to ask questions, none of which the others minded answering.

In the end, the two were watching them in stunned silence, eyes fixed on Yubin.

"So..." Yooyeon started, fumbling with her fingers. "So you're what now? A vampire?" She finished, looking at Yubin and her pale complexion.

The girl in question nodded, daring to look up at her friends.

While Yooyeon looked shocked, if not still a little in disbelief, Nien just looked between the four of them dumbly.

Then, she barked out a laugh. Not an unkind one, just one of relief and joy at the ridiculous scene.

"Dude that's so cool!" she exclaimed, the sound, along with her huge grin, surprising everyone.

Kaede's head nearly snapped towards her, eyes wide.

"Cool?" She asked, dumbfounded. She expected denial, anger, accusations, not... this.

Nien nodded. "Yeah! My best friend is a fucking vampire! That's the coolest thing ever" she said.

Next to her, Yooyeon sighed at her girlfriend's over the top reaction.

Her eyes softened as they landed on Yubin, smiling. "I'm not angry, just disappointed that you thought we'd react badly" she said sincerely, making Yubin whine.

"I didn't think you'd react badly! I knew you'd be cool about it" she defended herself.

Nien stood up from her place next to Yooyeon and walked towards her, pulling her onto her legs to hug her again.

"We cried so much, y'know?" She said into her shoulder.

When she pulled away again, she punched her arm, hard enough that would have the old Yubin doubling over and whining about it hurting, though this Yubin just chuckled.

"Don't ever do that again, okay?" She said, reaching up to ruffle her hair.

Yubin nodded softly. "I won't, promise" she mumbled, swatting at her hand with a playful glare.

She took a moment to look around the room.

She looked at Yooyeon and Nien, girls who had seen her go through so much over time, that stuck with her. Though her family wasn't here, and she didn't know if they ever would be, she considered the two family.

Then, at Jiyeon, who brought her so much happiness, and who she could thank for being able to stand there that day. Who made her even consider a life without her sickness, and who made that a reality.

Lastly, at Kaede and Dahyun, two girls that, at first, she wasn't so sure about, but who grew to be as much of a family to her as Yooyeon and Nien.

She knew there was still a long way to go, with her mom and dad, a lot more explaining she'd have to do, not just to them, but to any others that felt it when she got turned.

Still, she smiled widely.

Gong Yubin, a girl who once thought her life would end before it even truly began, now stood there, stronger than ever, ready to start a completely new life. Sure, there was still so much to take care of, but she knew her family, the ones that stuck by her willingly, would be there every step of the way, and she wouldn't have it any other way.