Sorry for the late update
Handong sighed, putting away her phone and looking at the pink haired girl that was still peacefully sleeping in her bed. She shook Gahyeon's body softly
"Hey, wake up Gahyeonie" she said with a sweet voice, but when the younger girl turned her back to Handong, the Chinese girl shook her body a little bit stronger. "I let you crash here last night, without asking questions as you said... but Minji is worried for you and I'm pretty sure Siyeon is freaking out" Handong said trying to convince the younger girl to talk. If Minji texted her after what happened between the two of them, it meant she was freaking out as well.
"Just five more minutes... I'm tired" Gahyeon said in her really sleepy voice and covering herself with the blanket. The Chinese woman sighed and started shaking Gahyeon softly again. Something probably happened between her and the two others and she was worried for the young girl.
"Come on, Gahyeon, get up please" she tried again.
Gahyeon sighed and she slowly sat on the bed.
"Fine, I'll tell what happened but..." she said with an angelic expression and a little pout "only if you make me a blood coffee first" Gahyeon said as she pulled down Handong on the bed and started tickling the older girl. They hadn't seen each other a lot lately because Gahyeon was at college most of the time and she really missed the Chinese girl. Gahyeon considered Handong one of the family... just like Siyeon and Minji. But now she felt like things changed in the household, while Handong didn't.
"Stop... tickling me... I can't make... you anything... like this" Handong laughed trying to get away from Gahyeon but the younger girl didn't let her go. She had tears in her eyes because of how hard she laughed when she rolled away from Gahyeon and collected her breath. "I missed you kiddo"
"I missed you too... a lot" Gahyeon said with a sad smile as she started thinking about how she should explain what happened yesterday.
"Okay, let's go downstairs and I'll make you a blood coffee while you explain everything to me" Handong said as she stood up from the bed and walked out of the room. Gahyeon sighed again and followed her downstairs. As Handong walked to the bar Gahyeon smirked and jumped on her back, wrapping her legs around her, almost making the Chinese girl fall over.
"Gahyeon why do you keep doing that? You're anything but a kid, heck you are older than me" Handong laughed, putting her hands under the pink haired girl's legs to keep her up.
"I am indeed a lot older than you, but you are the funniest to annoy! My sister would probably lock me in a room and throw away the keys while you just accept it" Gahyeon laughed, resting her chin on Handong shoulder. "Also... I've known you since you were 16, you accepted us and gave us shelter, you saved my sister and all of us. I will keep bothering you and act like a child with you for the rest of our lives!" Gahyeon said with a chuckle.
"For the rest of MY life, you mean" Handong corrected her with a smile, but it was a sad one. She rarely let it show but the thought of her becoming old while the people she loved stayed the same was painful. She couldn't bare to imagine her 50 year old self, serving coffee to a still young Gahyeon.
"Aww come on Dong Dong" Gahyeon chuckled, pinching the Chinese's cheek and kissing the top of her head. "You're only 23, you have a lot of years ahead of you and I will be right there with you" she added, cheering her up. Hugging the woman even tighter.
"I was sure about that! You never lose an opportunity to bother me!" Handong replied laughing while Gahyeon pouted on her shoulder. "I'm just kidding! I wouldn't forgive you if you suddenly stopped doing that. Keep bothering me forever" Handong said slightly pushing her head on Gahyeon's cheek.
"I will keep doing that, don't worry" Gahyeon laughed, hopping off of her back and sitting on one of the stools in front of the bar.
"So you want a blood coffee or a normal one?" Handong asked, rubbing her back and bending down behind the bar to search for the right pack.
"Blood coffee, please. I really need an extra boost today" Gahyeon said with a weak smile. Handong nodded and started preparing what Gahyeon asked
"So... what happened, kid? Did you have a fight with Siyeon?" Handong asked knowing that when Gahyeon was this down, her sister was probably involved.
"I did, but I had a fight with her because of Minji" Gahyeon sighed, leaning her head on both of her hands. Handong gulped hearing that name. They agreed to not see each other for a bit but every time she hears or see that name, just like earlier with the text, it hurts.
"What happened with Minji then? And why did Siyeon get involved?" Handong asked, while she tried to ignore the pain in her chest that was caused by Minji's name escaping her lips.
"Well, Siyeon explained that I'm at the vampire age where I will start challenging the leader of my group or something like that. Minji did something to Siyeon and I couldn't help it... I guess I challenged her and... she almost killed me" Gahyeon explained in a shaky voice.
"She almost killed you?" Handong said and she couldn't help but let out a scoff "That woman wouldn't be able to hurt you, not even if the world depended on it" the Chinese girl said, locking eyes with Gahyeon. The younger girl jumped off of the stool and put a hand on the collar of her shirt, pulling it down enough to let Handong see the huge bruise on her chest.
"She did this to me, Handong" she said angrily.Handong widened her eyes in shock and ran from behind the bar to have a closer look.
"Oh my god... What did she do to you? Why?" Handong panicked, carefully touching the bruise. She couldn't believe Minji would just do this without a reason. "Did you get this treated?" she added, asking yet another question.
"Siyeon let me feed on her, so it will heal soon..." Gahyeon said weakly "I- I attacked Minji. She was...she was saying bad things about Siyeon, she was... she was choking her and I- I just couldn't stand down" Gahyeon said and Handong was even more confused.
"Minji was saying bad things about Siyeon and she was choking her? I'm sorry Gahyeon but that is really hard to believe... I know how close those two are" Handong tried to understand.
"I'm not lying, Handong. They both said that the hierarchy is important in a group of vampires and that the leader always has to be in control. So she couldn't let me or Siyeon challenge her. So she gives us punishments. Apparently Siyeon gets the choking and I get the... whatever this is" Gahyeon tried to explain, pointing at the bruise on her chest. "I really tried to understand. I know I can't challenge her and I know I made a mistake...but this... I was begging her to stop, Handong. I was crying for help and she didn't stop. And my sister... she... she just walked away"
"Okay, look. I don't know anything about this whole hierarchy thing but I've been with vampires long enough to know how they act more or less. Minji wouldn't do anything without a reason, the same goes for your sister. Can I ask how Siyeon reacted when Minji, you know..." Handong asked.
"She didn't. She didn't react at all... she just stood there" Gahyeon said trying to wrap her mind about it.
"She wasn't in pain then?" Handong dared to ask.
"N-No... I don't think so" Gahyeon admitted weakly.
"Have you given her the chance to explain? It seems to me that if Siyeon didn't protest that she knows how important this whole hierarchy thing is. It must've been horrible to experience 'this' " Handong said, pointing at the bruise "but I'm sure there is a reasoning behind it. Are you sure Siyeon never went athrough something like that?"
"She did but... Minji says she's... submissive. So I think Siyeon didn't cause that much trouble to her" Gahyeon said, looking at Handong.
"There is also something else to consider Gahyeon... Minji and Siyeon they..." Handong tried to explain but she couldn't bring herself to say it. The two of them had sex for fun, no strings attached and Handong wanted that too but the Chinese girl hoped that for her, the strings could be attached. "So you know... that's why the punishment might be different for now?"
"I know but... Minji could have explained things to me instead of trying to kill me. Handong it was... it was horrible. I couldn't breathe and my chest hurt so much. I was... I was begging her to stop and she just... she looked at me in the eyes and pushed harder. She... she's a monster" Gahyeon said, yelling the last sentence. Handong shook her head. She wasn't a monster, she was anything but a monster.
"Gahyeon you can call Minji anything but she is not a monster... I have seen her done things, seen how she always desperately tried to protect her group. And all those times she feared she would become a monster. That's why she messed up sometimes" Handong countered, speaking up for the oldest vampire.
"I thought she cared about me too... But after what she did... she definitely doesn't. She doesn't care about the group, she cares about Siyeon" Gahyeon said angrily. How could someone that cares about you do that? How could she look in her eyes and push harder on her chest? Handong shook her head. Why did everything seem to relate to the events of 7 years ago lately?
"I've seen how much she cares about you Gahyeon... I've seen her do things that you didn't"
"What things?" Gahyeon asked, looking confused. She knew Minji had done a lot of things for the group but... they probably were for Siyeon.
"You know that one vampire leader she captured when you first met me?" Handong asked and Gahyeon nodded.
"Yes, but why are you bringing that up all of the sudden?" The younger girl asked drinking from her blood coffee which tasted great like always.
"She was torturing him to get information about the new Nightshade boss. That vampire was her only way to find out something about Nightshades. And she lost that chance... because she cares about you in a way that you can't imagine, Gahyeon" Handong said with a sad smile.
"What do you mean? What do I have to do with her not managing to get info out of that guy? He was probably trained to withstand torture" Gahyeon tried to reason.
"He probably was but that's not the point. I'm sure she would have been able to get out information from him anyway but... he messed with her head, using you... and she... she lost control" Handong tried to explain.
"She lost control? Did she kill him? Why? How was he even able to mess with her head, Minji is strong she can-" the young girl tried to ask but Handong cut her off by taking hold of Gahyeon's shoulders.
"He lied to her, saying that the vampire that bit you earlier that day...he said that he touched you...he was trying to be convincing, he described how it went and he said that that was the reason why your shirt was destroyed and Minji... she just... she started yelling that it wasn't true, that it couldn't have happened and she went totally out of control" Handong explained looking in Gahyeon's eyes.
"But he didn't touch me? He just bit me... why did Minji believe him? She literally saw it all happen. Why would she lose control because of a lie?"
"Because it was a lie that scared her. He put the doubt in her head and the fear did the rest. She was so scared that something like that could happen to you that she... she let him mess up with her head" Handong said cupping Gahyeon's cheek "That's how much she cares about you"
Gahyeon stayed silent after that, thinking she finally understood. Maybe Minji didn't do it just because. Maybe she did have a reason but eve' then she was too rough, or was she?
"I'll... I'll talk with her tonight... I want to hear what she has to say but... can I stay here for another few hours? It's been so long since we hung out..." Gahyeon softly said.
"Of course you can, kid. But I will text Minji and I will tell her that you are here and you are fine... but you want to stay a little longer, okay? She and Siyeon deserve to know you are safe" Handong said softly.
"Okay, I'm fine with that but I don't want them to come over here" Gahyeon sighed.
"I promise you they won't, okay? We will hang out for as long as you want and whenever you feel like you're ready to go home, I'll walk you there myself. How does that sound?" Handong said, pinching Gahyeon's cheek with a smile.
"Thank you Dong Dong" Gahyeon smiled, finishing her blood coffee. "And thanks for talking to me. I know I can always count on you" Gahyeon smiled. Handong felt like a mom even though the Chinese girl was younger than her.
"Of course, I will always be there for you! I really missed you since you started going to college. And now I have to bear with Minji and Siyeon's nonsense in the morning while I make them blood coffees! And none of them can eat pancakes with me like you do!" Handong said pouting. That was just their routine. The two older vampires would drink blood coffees while Gahyeon and Handong had a pretty normal human breakfast.
"Oh my god, pancakes! That's been so long! Can we bake some pancakes together Dong Dong? Please?" Gahyeon pouted and Handong chuckled, rolling her eyes.
"Only because I can't resist your pout. But please don't blow the flour in my hair. It would look disgusting with this new red" The Chinese woman gave in.
"I promise, no flour in your hair this time" Gahyeon said with a bright smile... little did Handong know that she was crossing her fingers behind her back. Flour fights with Handong were too funny and Gahyeon wouldn't miss one for the world.
"Alright, let's go to the kitchen then" Handong cheered, picked Gahyeon up and throwing her over her shoulder before walking to the back with Gahyeon laughing and lightly hitting her back.
As soon as they entered the kitchen, Handong gently dropped Gahyeon down on a chair as she started looking for the ingredients.
"How's school going by the way? I can imagine it's hard being surrounded by all those humans all of a sudden" Handong asked, putting the eggs and the milk on the kitchen counter.
"It really was. I almost had a fight on the very first day of college" Gahyeon said with a chuckle and Handong widened her eyes.
"A fight?" she asked in disbelief.
"I bumped into a guy and he started yelling at me, nothing too big don't worry" Gahyeon reassured her. "There was also this girl that helped me out so it was all good"
"He yelled at you just because you bumped into him?" Handong said, raising her eyebrows "But I'm glad someone helped you out" she said with a smile.
"I'm glad too... I had some troubles with my fangs. They have been wanting to come out on their own a lot lately. I don't know why that happens" Gahyeon admitted.
"Were you angry when it happened?" Handong asked and Gahyeon just nodded "I think it's normal then... you're being surrounded by humans all the time and you weren't used to it. That must require a good amount of control. So maybe when you get angry you kinda lose control?" Handong said.
"I get that but it's been happening outside of that too. And when they do I can't get them back in for some time"
"Outside of that? When did it happen?" Handong asked curiously. She knew fangs came out when vampires got mad or when they challenged someone. Or when they had to drink from humans but that wouldn't be the case.
"Just sometimes when I'm in my room at night. I haven't told the others yet though. I don't want them to worry, it's probably nothing" the pink haired girl smiled.
"I wish I could help, but I don't know anything about this, kid. What I know is that you need to talk to Siyeon and Minji about this. They will know for sure how to help you" Handong reassured her with a smile. Gahyeon nodded and stood up when Handong had gotten all the ingredients ready.
"Can you hand me the eggs please?" The Chinese woman asked.
Gahyeon took the eggs and she threw one in the air as Handong watched in horror. The pink haired girl started juggling with the eggs before handing them to Handong.
"You know that if you dropped one of those that you were gonna clean my kitchen, right?" Handong teased with a raised eyebrow and Gahyeon just looked at her with a pout. Why did she have to look so angelic and innocent?
The angelic pout shifted into a smirk
"I'm a vampire, I don't drop anything I don't want to drop" she said laughing "I'm way too fast" she added looking really proud.
"Half vampire, kid. You have 50% chance to drop an egg on my floor. So keep the eggs in your hands and not in the air" Handong said laughing.
"You're no fun. I bet you can't juggle eggs in the air. You are just jealous of my ability Dong Dong" Gahyeon challenged, giving Handong a playful shove.
"If I juggle those eggs and I make a mess... Will you clean the kitchen anyway? If not, then it's not worth it!" Handong said glaring at Gahyeon. The young vampire pouted again and pinched Handong's arm.
"You're getting old Dong Dong" she teased.
"Oh am I?" Handong said with a pout as she opened the flour pack. She took a handful of it and she turned around throwing it right on Gahyeon's face. The younger girl didn't expect that at all and she started coughing and waving her hands in the air to try and fight the flying flour.
"Handong! My hair and my beautiful face! You made me promise to not throw flour at you, you old Chinese woman" Gahyeon laughed.
"And you crossed your fingers behind your back! I've known you for 7 years, do you really think I could believe you when you promised that?" Handong laughed as she looked at Gahyeon's white face.
"You evil grandma" Gahyeon yelled reaching for the flour pack and pouring it on Handong's head, almost covering her whole body.
"I hope your craving for pancakes is gone... because that was the only flour pack I had, you little genius!" Handong said, trying to clean her face with her hands, just enough to be able to breath something that wasn't flour.
"I'm sure that if you shake your head above the bowl we will have enough" Gahyeon laughed. "Just like this!" She added with a cheer, swinging her hair around to make the flour fly everywhere.
"Stop! Gahyeon! Look at that...there is flour everywhere now" Handong said with a pout, thinking that when Gahyeon would go home she would have to clean all of that eventually.
"Come on Dong Dong! Don't you remember our usual routine? We fight, we clean a bit and then we wash each other's hair, just like old times" Gahyeon cooed, playfully punching Handong's shoulder.
"Your 'cleaning a bit' means that you put on the music and you dance around pretending to clean, while in reality I'm cleaning everything by myself?" Handong said laughing.
"That's exactly it! So you do remember? Good job old woman! Let's do that okay?! Clean a bit and wash each other's hair" Gahyeon cheered and Handong couldn't help but smile. The two of them had had some pretty fun times together. Maybe Gahyeon was just the distraction she needed right now to not think about Minji.
"I will let you wash my hair but I won't wash yours! I will walk you home looking like that, that's what you deserve!" Handong teased as she started cleaning around. "Put on some music at least" she said chuckling. Gahyeon happily ran to the radio and turned on some electronic dance music as she started jamming out.
"You didn't mean the thing about my hair right? Siyeon was already angry when I dyed my hair pink, I'm not sure she's gonna like it when I come home with white hair" she laughed, jumping around like a ball of energy.
"She got used to your pink hair, I'm sure she would get used to white hair too" Handong said laughing again. Gahyeon kept jumping, almost knocking some stuff over, making Handong fear for her kitchen.
"But Dong Dong ~ I always loved it when you washed my hair. You have nice hands and you braided it, remember?" Gahyeon whined in a cute voice.
"You can wash it yourself and I will braid them. Next time you want me to wash it for you, don't throw flour all over my kitchen" Handong said with a little smirk.
"You big meanie! Then I won't wash yours either!" Gahyeon whined again, hopping on the counter and crossing her arms in front of her chest.
Handong shrugged looking at Gahyeon, knowing that the vampire wouldn't drop that so easily. She would get even more annoyed because Handong showed her she didn't care about Gahyeon not washing her hair.
"I'm telling Minji that you are getting older and that you are no fun anymore. She will come scold you" Gahyeon huffed.
"I-... I'm pretty sure she won't" Handong whispered to herself, but obviously Gahyeon heard her.
"What makes you so sure?" Gahyeon pushed leaning her arm on Handong's strong shoulder.
Handong thought that there was no point in lying to Gahyeon. The younger vampire acted childish just for fun, but she knew how serious and wise Gahyeon could be.
"Minji and I... we... we are not in a good place right now, Gahyeon. So I'm pretty sure she won't come by just to scold me" she said with a sad smile. Gahyeon tilted her head to the side and noticed Handong looked hurt so she turned off the music and gave her a big hug.
"What do you mean? Minji can't shut up about you. She is really grateful for everything you do for us. Why do you say that?" She whispered rubbing the Chinese's back in a soothing manner.
"Gratitude... that's all she feels towards me. Unfortunately it's not the same for me" Handong admitted, looking at Gahyeon, hoping that the girl would understand so she wouldn't need to give further painful explanation. The vampire noticed the look in her eyes and gasped.
"Wait Handong... do you mean that... you like her? As in more than friends like?"
Handong just nodded, not wanting to admit that out loud. Gahyeon gasped again... how come she didn't see this coming at all?
"How long?" She asked, taking Handong's hand.
"7 years... probably" Handong said so faintly that Gahyeon could hear that only because her vampire power.
"How-... why-... why did you not tell her that? How come I didn't notice. How did that happen Handong?" Gahyeon asked, putting her shoulder on that of the bartender.
"I don't know. I don't know how it happened, I don't know why it happened and I don't know why no one noticed but... it happened. I couldn't tell her, it would be useless information for her since she doesn't feel the same. And I was afraid to ruin our relationship and I was right... because look at us now" Handong said weakly.
"Hey Dong Dong, I'm sure it's going to be okay. She texted you earlier right? It's not because she doesn't feel the same that you can't be friends right" the pink haired girl tried to cheer her up.
"She texted me because she was scared for you... we had a fight and she didn't even ask how I was feeling and stuff. She just asked about you. And for what you said... I wish it was that simple Gahyeon, but it's a lot more complicated than that" Handong said trying to keep her voice steady.
"You know Dongie, you are an amazing human being. Even though you and Minji are fighting you... you still defended her when I was saying bad things about her earlier. You... you really do think the world of her don't you?" Gahyeon asked in a soft voice when she realized that.
"I really do. I think she's an amazing person, she is caring, she's-" Handong started to say but then she shut herself up. She shouldn't say those things about Minji, she shouldn't be talking about Minji at all... she was trying to forget her love for the vampire, after all.
"Come on, let's get you upstairs... I'll wash your hair so you can calm down. I really feel for you Handong and I hope you too manage to figure something out" Gahyeon whispered with a sad smile.
Handong nodded, brushing a hand on her shoulder to remove the flour Gahyeon had thrown at her. She looked up at the vampire and she couldn't help but chuckle seeing her nose completely white. She tried to clean that up with her sleeve.
"Let's go clean ourselves up" she smiled, wrapping an arm around Gahyeon's shoulders.
"Yes, but Handong, please if you ever feel down anything, know that you can talk to me. I can't imagine how you must feel because I never experienced love myself but, I'm with you" Gahyeon told the Chinese girl as she opened the door to the bathroom.
"Thank you, kid" Handong said with a smile, but Gahyeon could see it was a really sad one. She could just imagine how hurt the Chinese girl had been in the last 7 years. She kept this hidden for so long, facing everything by herself, even though she was just a kid when everything started.
"Come on, sit down, I'll wash your hair" Gahyeon said with a sweet smile. Handong did just that as she sat on the edge of the bathtub. Gahyeon asked her to let her head hang back a little as she took the shower head in her hand and turned it on. "I think I like you with red hair more than this white" she tried to brighten the mood.
"Are you saying that I can't pull off white hair?" Handong protested, pretending to be hurt by Gahyeon's words. The Chinese girl relaxed her shoulders and let her head hang back a little more when she felt the hot water on it.
"I'm sure you can but red fits you more. You can pull off any hairstyle, Dongie" Gahyeon answered, taking a few strands of Handong's hair in her hands and making sure all the flour got out of it.
"I was thinking to go back to black, actually... I don't really want to 'stand out' lately" Handong said, with her eyes closed. She has always been like this, she wanted to blend in, not to stand out. She was always the 'normal' one. But since she met the three vampires she started to change... she started to feel a little bit special. But now she felt like everything was changing again and she didn't feel so confident anymore.
"Black? Well if you do I will too! Then the four of us can all have the same hair" Gahyeon chuckled but she just tried to cheer Handong up a bit again because she heard that the bartender meant something else with that. She put the shower head back in place and dried Handong's hair with a towel. "But, why do you not want to stand out? You look beautiful"
Handong didn't want to answer. What was she supposed to say anyway? She dyed her hair red because she felt good, she felt confident and she wanted to try something new. But now... she was feeling anything but special or confident. She just wanted to be like everybody else. She smiled at Gahyeon and shrugged, without answering.
"Sit down, I'll wash your hair too. I can't bring you back home looking like that" she said with a weak chuckle.
"You could but I don't think Siyeon would like that too much" Gahyeon laughed as Handong started washing her hair. The Chinese girl felt so down lately. She just wanted to disappear to go hide in the shadows. She messed up her friendship with a woman who meant the world to her. She just hoped she could fix it someday...
-=-
Yoohyeon stood on her feet right in front of the door of the hideout. She and Jiu decided to meet here today at 3 pm, but the vampire didn't show up yet. Yoohyeon kept looking at her watch, annoyed. Was it a good move to collaborate with a vampire without saying anything to the members of her group? She checked the rooftops of the buildings but she didn't see anyone. Of course she couldn't trust a vampire.
"Just what did you expect, Yoohy-" she tried to say when two hands suddenly covered her eyes.
Her hand ran fast to the handle of her gun, when she heard a familiar voice.
"You shouldn't be distracted in a place like this one, you know?" The vampire whispered in her ear. Yoohyeon shook her head and gently pulled the vampire's hands from in front of her eyes. She turned around and saw that she still had a mask on.
"What? How? I was looking all around for you?" She asked.
"I know, I saw you" the vampire said with a smile "I've watched you for the past...15 minutes" she added with a chuckle.
"You were here? Why didn't you show up! I was waiting for you like an idiot" Yoohyeon protested and Minji chuckled again.
"I just wanted to see for how long you were willing to wait for me" she said, lowering her voice a little.
"Ugh... you-... let's just get inside and inspect the place again okay" Yoohyeon groaned, walking past the vampire and entering the building.
"You're cute" Minji yelled after her with a smirk, entering as well and closing the door behind her.
Feel free to let us know your opinion down below. (Don't kill Minji xD)