Rebound
The rebound from the vampire's power didn't end with just one hit.
Her body refused to move.
Even though she had survived five years in Nectar, the backlash hit harder than expected.
Yesterday, when she was helped inside, she caught those suspicious glances.
If anyone suspected her today, it would be truly dangerous.
"Fuck!"
Hardly. The aftereffects were still dragging on.
Thankfully, she had slept early and woke at the same time every morning.
She hadn't expected it to be this bad.
But then again, she had taken down one of the top five vampires among the low-class ones.
"Please... just move..."
She poured every ounce of strength into it, but her fingers barely twitched.
Two hours was the maximum she could afford.
Countless thoughts swirled through her mind.
What if she didn't make it to work on time?
Someone might suspect something was wrong and run tests?
Her body was slick with cold sweat that soaked into the sheets.
How could a life be snuffed out so uselessly?
Still, she held out hope.
'Exactly one hour. Just one more hour.'
Exactly one hour later, the hope was cruelly betrayed.
"Haah... I really fucking hate this..."
After one hour, her hand finally twitched under her elbow.
It was over.
Her body was loosening up, but it was taking forever.
By the time she could sit up, it would be work time.
Damn it.
If she could just use a blood pack...
"Ah!"
A sudden idea sparked, and a burst of energy surged through her.
The blood Lucia had given her as insurance was the only option left.
But she needed someone else's help to use it.
Naturally, her gaze drifted to the wall that separated her room from the next one.
"Ha... it's not great, but..."
When Suyeon had first suggested it, she had refused.
Now that she needed help, she was calling at the last minute?
Plus, Suyeon had promised to help.
She couldn't avoid the blame no matter what.
They alternated shifts, so when Seowoo woke up, Suyeon would just be waking up.
The guilt only piled higher.
"Haa..."
She exhaled once, then knocked on the door.
Knock knock.
"Suyeon-ah, are you there...?"
Knock knock.
"Suyeon-ah...?"
[Hmm... yeah...? Seowoo?]
"...Yeah, it's me. Just got off work, sorry."
[Hehe...! Yawn~ No, I changed my schedule too and started working the same hours as you. Anyway, I had to wake up. Why?]
"R-really? That's good news."
Suyeon showed off a big stretch and yawn combo, her voice still thick with sleep.
"Could you help me for a bit...?"
[Why so cautious?]
"Can't explain it over words. Need to see it in person... Can you come to my room...?"
[What, now?!]
"Yeah."
Suyeon snapped awake at the request to come over.
That cautious human was about to reverse her stance from just a few days ago?
Suyeon sensed something was off.
[Got it. I'll be right there. Password?]
"230403. Really sorry."
[It's fine. If you're selling me out, I'll curse you even in hell. Just don't let any bastards inside.]
"...Really all in, no."
Instead of a verbal reply, she answered with the sound of the door opening.
Click click click click.
Ding—
With a final metallic click, the long-awaited first meeting after three years of silence was finally here.
"Ya! What is this blood smell!"
"...Came?"
"Yeah, your noona's here."
Suyeon came in, pinching her nose with two fingers, and slowly approached.
Black ponytail, eyes as dark as the Milky Way.
Aside from her unnaturally pale skin, she was pure Korean through and through.
The contrast between her lively voice and cold beauty was surprising.
The real person was nothing like the image she had imagined.
"..."
"..."
Three years had passed since they built a solid friendship with just one wall between them.
How many times had they both waited for the day they would finally meet?
In that moment of awkwardness, their eyes met.
"..."
"..."
Friends say you laugh just by looking at each other.
Right before, the air had been awkward, but now it felt strangely funny.
"What are you doing lying there?"
"Why is one of your eyes covered?"
Suyeon asked first, so Seowoo asked back.
She had been covering one eye the whole time.
"What? Asking about looks first, like a guy?"
"Ah, no, not like that."
"Pop! Hahaha. Surprised?"
"H-ha, really... I'm in pain."
"Got it, got it. Eyy~ Anyway, you can't be a bad guy."
Despite her cold expression, she smiled with such warmth.
"I expected it, but it's a wound from a vampire. When everyone first came here, many resisted. One of them was me."
"...Survived well?"
"Well, that's the gist."
Only someone who knew their personalities could call it luck.
"How about it? Want to see?"
"No, pass."
"Actually, I don't recommend it either."
Suyeon smiled bashfully and stroked the blindfold she was wearing.
It was a shame that the top senior in Nectar could smile like that.
She had gone to a good university, gotten a good job, and could have met a good person and lived happily.
Her next words broke Seowoo's thoughts.
"Seowoo-ya, why did you call me~? Can't hold back the boiling lust...?"
"No, no. If I couldn't, I would have pounced already."
"Oh my."
Suyeon covered her mouth with her hand.
She had wanted to see her fidget, but Seowoo boldly countered.
"...Joke. And there's a blood capsule in the fridge inside. Can you bring it? I got it from Lucia before."
"Capsule? So high vampire blood?"
"Yeah."
"For recovery?"
Suyeon scanned the stiff body from the start.
"Uh, why? Something wrong?"
"Too bad! With that, I could save a person. If it's just for recovery, I'll give you my blood pack."
"You have a blood pack?"
"Of course! We distribute humans too. When we get injured... heup! When wounded... we need to heal."
Suyeon casually handled the situation, then surprised herself like a rabbit and opened and closed her mouth again.
Job hazards were equal for everyone, even the top senior.
While she thought vampires were more hateful than anyone, the long time spent with them made human-hating words slip out unconsciously.
"No need to be surprised. We all know."
"...Right. I'll get a blood pack from the room for a bit."
"Yeah, thanks."
She felt lucky to have at least one good friend.
She hadn't thought 'too bad', but hearing it made sense.
A capsule was easy to carry, and she could use it when needed.
While distracted for a moment, Suyeon went to her room and came back quickly.
"Ta-da~."
"Oh~."
She gently shook the blood pack with very little left.
Suyeon treating a human normally was rare, and she showed a cute side.
She had always felt it...
People were lively by nature.
"With this, you owe me two things?"
"Got it, I'll repay."
Suyeon showed a V sign and wiggled her fingers.
"Good. Then, this weekend go out with me."
"That's enough...?"
It wasn't hard.
Even though it went against the survival principle of 'value more, distance more', she had already called Suyeon to her room.
She had nothing else to say.
Just sincerely repaying her was the best she could do.
Suyeon rubbed her palm with an oil-like motion and started the work.
After a few minutes...
"Oh, luckily the amount is perfect!"
"Yeah, thanks for helping."
Seowoo told her honestly how grateful she was.
The stiff muscles instantly relaxed.
She stood from the bed and did a light stretch.
"Seowoo-ya? Now you need to explain, right?"
"Ah, yes. Sorry for my mind."
"Why was your body so stiff? I heard moans sometimes. Did you go somewhere and do weird things...?"
Suyeon showed clear concern at the obvious symptoms.
She had helped as asked, but something didn't add up.
It was obvious if it was obvious, and she had prepared for it when she called.
A weak excuse would only lose trust.
For someone she had spent so much time with, she needed to tell the truth.
"How it happened... is like this."
Seowoo gave a short, core explanation.
As she added more words, Suyeon’s face grew serious.
"...Seowoo is human."
"Suyeon-ah?"
"..."
"Seowoo-ah...? I'm done talking."
"Ah, ah! Yes. Sorry~ hehe."
She muttered to herself, then tapped Seowoo's shoulder, finally realizing the talk had ended.
It wasn't her business, but she had thought seriously.
Seowoo was glad she had listened to her request.
"Today, thanks for helping, and thanks for listening."
"No, it was hard to hear. Thanks for believing me."
"Ha... Now we both need to prepare for work. See you again on the next rest day."
"Got it. Then, I'll go first~."
Instead of answering, Seowoo waved her hand.
But something felt off.
It felt slower coming in than going out...
"R-really going?"
"...Gonna be late for work. Hurry."
"...Yeah."
The weird feeling was confirmed when Suyeon turned again.
Seowoo could finally send her off.