Lovers in the Night | Yang Jungwon

VI

Later at 11:56pm, Danah sat on her personal desk, finishing schoolwork. All that lit up her dark room was her study light and the crescent moon that shone from her balcony.

A yawn escapes from Danah's mouth and she stretches in exhaustion. These past couple days, she hasn't been sleeping much. Too many things have been happening at day and at night.

She had already been studying for three hours, so she decides to take a break. She plops her pencil down and grabs her phone, momentarily scrolling through her TikTok foryou page.

She comes across a few videos that make her giggle a bit and some others that traumatize her. TikTok was so overstimulating but entertaining to use.

On one TikTok video, she hears the sound of glass tapping in the audio. It was quite loud and felt real. After hearing more tapping, she pauses the video to write a comment 'does anyone hear that sound or is just me?' But before she could send, she hears the sound of glass tapping again.

But the video was paused?

That sound didn't come from this TikTok?
Okay, now she was freaked out. She closes her phone and follows where the sound was coming from to see a shadow figure villainously standing on her balcony. "WHAT THE FUCK!" she falls off her chair.

"Danah," she could hear his slightly muffled voice from the other side of her balcony sliding door. "Sorry for scaring you. It's me... Sheep," he slowly said as if recalling the nickname he gave her.

"How did you get up here?!" she chokes on her saliva. How do you even know where I live?!

"Uh, bat." Oh right, Vampires like him have the ability to shapeshift into bats.

It was a relief that it was just him... or was it?
Danah rushes to her balcony and closes the curtains, blocking the site of Sheep.

She could hear him deeply sigh from the other side, "Look, I know you're scared of me now... but please, hear me out."

"Why the hell are you here?" It was a good thing Danah was home alone at the moment. She would've gotten in so much trouble for swearing out loud.

Her father typically worked until 2am, but her mother would be home in less than half an hour from now.

"I wanted to clear things up," Sheep states his purpose.

"Okay, first of all, answer this: how do you know my name? I don't remember ever telling you it," Danah asks in a frightened manner.

"That I can't answer..." Sheep hesitates. "...yet."

Danah groans in frustration, "You never answer my questions. All information pertaining to you is always confidential or some shit."

"I'm sorry." Danah sees Sheep's shadow slouch. "I can't say many things. If I do, I may put you in danger."

"What danger? Isn't your kind the danger around here?" Okay, maybe that was a bit too discriminatory, Danah.

"That's like me saying all Humans are equally dumb and reckless." Sheep deadpans. Danah realizes that she should bite her tongue. She had been wanting to see him, so it was counterproductive to start an argument with him.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have said that." Danah felt a bit bad because of her remark. "I take it back."

Then silence overtook the room.

"Uh, do you wanna come in?" Danah tries to have some hospitality to make up for what she said. "It's kinda cold outside." It also gives me the opportunity to see your face since you also have such a familiar voice.

"It's fine, the cold doesn't bother me anyway." Right, he's a Vampire. They obviously tolerate specific things more than humans do.

"Okay," she falls onto her bed. "Go on then." Explain yourself.

"Ah right," Sheep says as if he had forgotten the reason he came. "I just wanted to tell you that what you saw last night is not what you think."

At first, she isn't convinced. She wanted him to assure that she was wrong and that he was completely innocent... However, like Humans, Vampires could never have an innocent past.

"I don't eat Humans," He finally says the words she had been waiting for.

Danah quietly sighs in utter relief. "Thank God," she mumbles underneath her breath.

"None of us do, only the stray Vampires commit such revolting actions." he continues. "Jett, that Vampires that tried killing you, was one of them. They're on the run from imprisonment."

"Understandable," she brushes it off. If there were Human criminals, of course there'd be Vampire criminals. "Can you explain why I saw you drenched in blood last night?"

Sheep cringes at the thought of it. "When you saw me last night, I had barely escaped death."

You're telling me that you almost died, Sheep?

"While I was flying around in my bat form, minding my own business, I was struck down by a Vampire hunter. When I fell to the ground, he came to obtain my body and assumed I passed out, but I didn't. From there, it was... not very pleasant."

Danah could clearly imagine his story. Sheep and the hunter probably got into a very brutal fight, and Sheep won. "At least you're alive," she grins, trying to make light of the moment.

"I'd like to think I'm difficult to kill," he proudly proclaims.

She chuckles, "I'm happy for you."

"Unfortunately, I must now take my leave. I have some important stuff I need to take care of." Homework he missed.

"It's okay, I have a feeling I'll see you tomorrow." Danah assures him.

"How so?"

"I've been seeing you every night since November 30th, I'd like to think that it'll be that way for a long time," she admits.

"So you're saying you enjoy my presence?" he shyly asks.

She thinks for a bit, "I guess you can say that." She felt thankful that he cared enough to visit her all the way home to explain himself to her.

It was a quite peculiar thought. A Human enjoying a Vampire's presence? How preposterous! Still, Danah had fallen victim to Sheep's charms.

"Well, I enjoy your presence too." That makes Danah's heart skip a beat. "I really gotta go now, I'll see you around?"

"Yup, I'll see you again soon." After Danah's assurance, he transforms into bat form and flies away. She immediately gets up, opens the curtains, and watches him leave.

He's so cool.

Wait, I forgot to give him his gift! Danah curses herself at this. She wished that she would stop being so starstruck every time Sheep was around, it really wasn't helping her. I guess I'll give it the next time I see him.