When Blood Meets Silver

Chapter 18

Hyunjin would be lying if she said she wasn't worried about Heejin. Those slayers were deranged. Who knew if they were still hiding somewhere.

Heejin's scent was so easy to follow. Maybe because Hyunjin had taken a special liking to it. Following it, she already knew where she was – sitting on the small hill, with her eyes ahead at the darkening sky. And as she approached, and her feet rustled the grass, Heejin turned and got on her feet in a mere second.

"It's just me," Hyunjin said, raising her hands.

"What do you want?" Heejin spat, and it hurt.

"Can I sit with you?"

"Don't you want to be alone?"

"No."

Heejin's features softened, and as she sat down again, Hyunjin took that as a yes, and sat next to her.

"I'm sorry," Hyunjin said. "I was an ungrateful ass."

"How the tables have turned."

Hyunjin chuckled. "Yeah. You were right. Hyejoo had to yell at me, put some sense in this head of mine. I just found it easier to blame it all on me and think that you were better without me."

"Better without you? You brought hope to us."

"Hope?"

"Jiwoo and Jungeun were stuck at the Blood Alliance, and Yeojin was saved from it. Me, Hyejoo, and Chaewon are considered traitors and were banned from where we thought our family was. Do you realize how much you did for everyone?"

Hyunjin opened her mouth just to close it again.

"You should give yourself more credit," Heejin said, and a hand rested in her arm. "And I'm also sorry. I know I was right, but I didn't mean to say that last part... I regretted as soon as stepped outside."

"Yeah, that was pretty rude."

Like always, and as Hyunjin wanted to, Heejin threw a fit of punches.

"Fuck," Heejin cursed, as she moved her left arm. "I forgot about it."

"You okay? Does it hurt?" Hyunjin stood up and sat on her left side, carefully holding her arm.

"A bit. And that was not rude, that was badass."

Hyunjin met her eyes and smiled. "Yeah. You were pretty badass. I really needed to hear that, as much as it did hurt."

There was silence, because Heejin's eyes found Hyunjin's new scar again, and the smile on her lips disappeared.

"What is it?" Hyunjin asked.

Without taking her eyes off of it, Heejin reached with her right hand, ghosting over the scar, until her fingertips touched it, light as a feather.

"It really did scar already."

"Yeah. It wasn't a deep cut."

"You don't deserve it."

"It's just a scar."

"It's forever." Heejin's eyes averted to Hyunjin's face, staring at the ones on her left eyebrow, and her hand followed, tracing them. "Like these."

"Don't I look fierce with them?"

"You look pretty nonetheless."

"My scars are pretty?"

"You are."

Hyunjin should have avoided her eyes. Heejin had just called her pretty, it would be the most natural thing to do. Yet, she didn't. The fingers tracing her scars traveled down, outlining Hyunjin's jaw line, and even though Heejin barely touched her skin, she could feel them leaving a trail of fire.