"What?! Jung Yerin!" Yuju scowled.
"I'm sorry. I told you I'm not used to it and I did apologize to Mrs. Han. They accepted it."
"But you can't just do that. You know they're depending on us now when my mother passed away."
"I'm sorry. It won't happen again, promise." Yerin said while pouting, feeling the guilt with what she did.
"How are they?"
"Ms. Shim is still there. I told her to give the boy some medicines for his fever and I asked Sowon unnie to ask for Jiwon oppa's help. You know he knows something about medicines. Maybe he could help. Ms. Shim couldn't figure out what's keeping his fever high." Yerin said.
She then continued cooking.
"We found bruises all over the boy's body. Ms. Shim said that he ate something in the woods."
"Do you think he got poisoned?" Yuju suddenly mumbles. Yerin looks at her.
"For something he ate? I should check on him, Yennie."
Yerin looks at her and she noticed that Yuju is worried.
"Yuna, Ms. Shim is there. And Jiwon oppa will follow there tomorrow. I told them that I'll get back there with him. You should relax. Your healer is doing everything she could." Yerin said.
"But I should be the one to check on them earlier."
"You're resting, with Umji. That's why I didn't bother to wake you up. Anyway, how is she?"
"She's fine I guess. I've missed her so much.." Yuju pouts.
Then they heard laughters from inside Umji's room and Yuju immediately went inside. Yerin then continued cooking while giggling.
*****
"Yaah~ Unnie.. stop." Umji whines while throwing pillows to Sowon.
Sowon and Eunha are just laughing while Sinb is wiping her tears.
"Oh? Sinb's crying?" Yuju said as she gets inside the room.
"Yeah.. she cried while apologizing to Umji. And she suddenly went cheezy with her. HAHA!" Sowon teases them and laughed with her wife again.
"Aww.. I missed it." Yuju chuckles.
"Aish!" Sinb threw a pillow and hits Sowon's face.
"AHW!" Sowon scowled. All of them laughed when she suddenly fondled Sinb.
Yuju looks at Umji, who's laughing with them. She suddenly becomes quiet and stared at her sister.
"Yah.. Yewon-ah.. Sowon unnie's hurting me.." Sinb whines. Umji just laughed at them. Then Sowon and Eunha started to tease the two again and tickles them. Yuju giggles while watching them.
Then Yerin's head popped up from the door while smiling.
"Dinner's ready." she utters.
"Come on guys." Yuju calls them out, still giggling.
Then they stopped teasing each other and helps Umji to stand up. Sinb holds her hands and they walk to the dining area.
"Hey.. feeling okay?" Yuju caressed Umji's shoulders. The younger nodded at her while smiling.
"Better." She replied and hugs Yuju along her waist.
*****
The girls are eating and gladly chatting with each other.
"By the way.." Yerin wipes her mouth with the cloth. The girls turned to her.
"So, we talked to Heechul oppa about your condition, Umji-yah."
"Yeah.. about that.. what did he say?" Yuju asked.
"He said.. it's something about her core."
"I told you." Eunha butts in.
"I guess, Umji can't control her core yet. That's why she suddenly felt like that." She added. Sowon nodded.
"Her core is crucial too. Werewolves are naturally warm. Her core is fighting the werewolf in her. It's taking her. Umji-yah, if you can't control your core for the next few days, it could kill you."
Yuju choked on her food and looks at Sowon. Then to Umji.
"U-Unnie.." Sinb mumbles.
"I'll call Jiwon oppa tomorrow. I'll let him check on you too." Sowon said.
"But if she could control it, that wouldn't be a problem, right Sowonie?" Eunha utters anxiously. Sowon nodded.
"Jessica unnie's core is ice too, right? Maybe she could help Umji. Unnie, I can't let this slide." Yuju said anxiously.
"Yes. I thought of that. Maybe, those three could help Umji."
"Three?" Eunha looks at Sowon.
"Krystal unnie and Amber unnie have the same core." Sowon utters.
"Oh." Eunha utters.
All of them looks at Yerin when she suddenly chuckles.
"What the hell...?" Yuju furrowed her eyebrows to her wife.
"I-I'm sorry. I just couldn't help it." Yerin said then continued laughing.
"What the hell is wrong with you, Jung Yerin?" Yuju scowled at her.
"Okay. I'm really sorry. It's just.. I'm not surprised when Umji got ice as her core. HAHA!"
Sowon suddenly giggles too. But she stopped it when Eunha glared at her.
"What the hell is wrong with you two?!" Sinb hits the table.
"Y-Yah.." Yerin looks at her shocked.
"Umji's core.. yeah. It's taking her but I believe she can control it in no time with Jessica unnie's help. She's good when it comes to training and we know that, Sinb-yah.. you don't have to worry. Umji is a smart girl. She can learn everything within a day." Sowon said.
"But why are you laughing?" Eunha asked and frowns at Sowon.
Sowon looks at Yerin then they bursted out laughing. Yuju got pissed and hits Yerin's arms.
"Ahw." Yerin stopped while rubbing her arm.
Sowon bursted out laughing again. This time, Eunha hits her arm too.
"Ahw! Yah!"
Eunha just glared at her. Sowon then stopped and gulped.
"Aigooo.." she mumbles.
"It's just.. I told Yerin something about Umji's core and we can't help but really laugh about it." Sowon said.
"The thing is.. remember when Yuna got bitten by Minho?" Yerin started.
The girls looked at her.
"Sowon unnie told me that I should be the one to suck the venom out because he's my cousin. Then Yuna's seizures persisted."
"What does it have to do with us here?" Yuju asked impatiently.
"Since your seizures persisted that time because of the serum he injected you, Heechul oppa injected you some antidotes, right? Which were my venom." Yerin said while looking at Yuju.
"Yerin's venom is the only thing that could save Yuju because Yuju imprinted her. If other venom was used, she'd die immediately because she'd be poisoned."
Umji is just silent because she knows exactly what they are talking about.
"So? What does it have to do with Umji's situation?" Again, Yuju asked.
"Think, love. You imprinted me. My venom is the only thing that you could resist, flowing throughout your body." Yerin looks at Yuju then turns to Umji.
Yuju just frowns at her. Yerin looks at her wife in disbelief and points at Umji. Then to Sinb. Yuju looks at Umji then to Sinb. Sowon just giggling while watching them.
"Eunbi's venom is circulating throughout my body."
Yuju, Eunha and even Sinb gasps and looks at Umji in shocked.
"Ghad! Yewon's is the only one who's smart to.... wait. So you knew? That it would be dangerous to use other venoms?" Yerin turns to Umji in shocked too.
"Of course I know about it. I can't believe Eunha unnie didn't figure it out soon. I've expected more from you, unnie." Umji chuckles while looking at Eunha.
"I m-mean.. wow. My mind is focused on your core and I didn't actually think about the venom." Eunha said. Since she has the sharpest mind among them, Umji really expected that Eunha would know about it sooner. But no.
"S-So.. m-my v-venom... y-you used my venom? H-How?" Umji looks at Sinb and giggles with her expression. Umji nodded.
"When I considered converting myself to vampire.. I know that I can't just use any other venoms. That would kill me. Then I thought of your house." Umji utters and pertaining to the vampires' house.
"I remember me and Eunha unnie saw some bottles-- above the kitchen counter. Those are our venoms, right.." Sowon cuts Umji and said while nodding.
"Yep. I grabbed three bottles with Eunbi's name and I used that. Jackson was the one who injected the venom in me."
The girls looked at her, all flustered.
"Wow. That was... so brave, Yewon-ah.." Eunha utters. Umji just chuckles. Sinb is still staring at her and can't believe what she just heard.
"During the first week of her venom inside me, I was really struggling in pain. Like.. so much pain. I crawled on the bed from where I stayed in during that time.. crawled on my bed to the floor and slowly shifts to full form to fight the pain."
"Why did you even do that, Yewon-ah?" Sinb looks at her anxiously.
"I never once thought of you being a vampire, you know.. I love it when you're so warm.. unlike now. You feel really cold." she mumbles.
"She'll get her temperature back when she learns how to control her core, Sinb-yah.." Sowon said while looking at the maknaes.
"Her core. HAHA!" Yerin suddenly bursted out laughing again.
"Now I get it." Yuju chuckles.
"Sinb's venom is circulating through Umji's body. No wonder her core is ice." Yuju mumbles.
Eunha suddenly chuckles too and covers her mouth. Then the olders teased the maknaes. Even Umji couldn't help but to giggle and looks at Sinb, who's glaring at them already.
"Look. There. Ice princess 2.0.." Yerin teases. Sowon suddenly bursted out laughing while pointing at Yerin.
"I remember that.. when we were young-- you're not young!" Sinb cuts Sowon.
"Yah! Aish!" Sowon motioned she's about to smack Sinb. The younger just stuck her tongue out and glared again.
"I remember when we were young, we used to call Sinb, ice princess 2.0. Even Amber unnie and the others called her 2.0 because the original ice princess is Jessica unnie. Well.. aside from her core, she's treating everybody so cold. Then Sinb came and she does the same cold treatment. That's why those two get along well." Sowon utters and then they laughed.
The olders teased them again and laughed.
"Oh. I remember how cold Umji to us before. Well, she was angry but she was really cold towards us." Yuju said.
"Aigooo.. my tummy hurts.." Yerin mumbles as she caressed her stomach for laughing so hard.
"Anyway.. I'll go to the dhampirs tomorrow. Then I'll talk to Sica unnie." Sowon said as she recovers herself after laughing.
"Can I be the one to talk to her, unnie?" Sinb utters.
"I'm going with her, unnie." Umji said then points at Sinb while looking at Sowon.
"Okay. But you two.. be careful, okay?" Sowon said.
"Uhh.. Umji-yah.. for starters, when I became a hybrid, I couldn't resist myself from blood lust. And Sica unnie is in a hospital.. for human. So, can you handle it?"
Umji looks at Yuju and remember when Jackson let her drink human blood. She really felt thirst and drinks like there's no tomorrow. But she never killed. It was all Jackson and his gang.
"I remember when Jackson gave me a cup of human blood.. was it always like that?" Umji looks at the vampires.
"Like.. when you had a taste of it, like even a small amount.. you'd look for its taste every now and then? I can even smell your scents, unnies. I mean, I have a strong sense of smell even when I'm not a hybrid yet but now, it just gets stronger."
Yuju looks at Yerin anxiously.
"You can't go with me, Yewon-ah.." Sinb utters as she squeezes Umji's hands while shaking her head.
"The hospital is full of human and it's a hospital. You'd smell everything in there. You won't be able to stop yourself.. I mean, for now. We'll help you with that. You have to get used to animal blood." she added.
Umji looks at her and nodded slowly.
"I'll stay here tomorrow then. But when I was in our company, I could resist it. Our employees are mostly humans. Even during the attack, humans helped us." Umji utters.
"But it's different when you go to that hospital, Umji-yah.. I'm telling you. Even Kim Taehyung had a hard time resisting himself when he asked for Jessica unnie's help." Sinb utters.
"And remember when we got there? During those times I wanted to look for my parents.. I bet you saw how I resisted myself."
"Yeah.. I remember that. Even outside the hospital, we could smell them."
"Yeah.. so, you can't come with me.. for now." Sinb said.
"You don't have to worry, Umji. I'll help you. We'll help you with that. We'll hunt down some deers tomorrow." Yerin utters and smiles at her. Umji felt excited and nodded rapidly to Yerin.
*****
Jiwon is in the Haven. He's met by Yuju and the others, except Sinb. She hasn't come back yet. Then they went back to the household near the river to check the boy's condition.
"The queen is here!" one of their people yelled.
Yuju bent her head down and glances at the girls. Yerin just shrugged and smiles at her.
"Mrs. Han.." Yuju utters and smiled to the woman.
"Q-Queen.. my son." The woman utters with shaky voice as she holds Yuju's hands. Yuju nodded.
"We're here with another healer. He knows about medicines too. Please let him check your son." Yuju said. The woman nodded and then nodded to Jiwon.
Jiwon then removes his cloak and settles beside the boy. He placed his hand onto the boy's chest and closes his eyes. Few moments and she grabs his bag.
"He's poisoned." Jiwon utters. The woman started crying while grasping both of her hands as she looks at her son.
Yuju caressed the woman's shoulders while watching Jiwon treating the boy.
"Look at this rashes. Even the bruises. He might have eaten something.. a fruit maybe." Jiwon utters as he puts some tiny needles on the boy's skin.
"This would help to cool down his temperature. I think I know how to make a cure for this kind of food poisoning. It isn't that severe, Mrs. Han. So you don't have to worry." Jiwon utters while writing something down.
"Yuju-ssi, please tell your people to collect these herbs. I'll make the cure in your healing house with Ms. Shim's help." Jiwon utters and gives Yuju the list.
Yuju accepted it and immediately called on somebody to look for the things Jiwon needed. Yerin is just looking at her while smiling as Yuju talked to their people.
"I told you, she's ready." Sowon nudges Yerin slightly.
"The previous queen knew that." Sowon added.
"She knew Yuju is ready to be the next queen. I mean.. look at her. She's doing her best for your people. She's doing how a queen should do right now. Protecting her people and making sure they are healthy."
"Yes.. she's my queen." Yerin mumbles. Sowon just chuckled.
Yerin smiles while watching Yuju. She looks at her softly when she's talking to the children of the Haven. Sowon glances at Yerin and how she watches Yuju talking to those kids. She saw Yerin's gulp and then giggles and shakes her head.
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