Starlit Bonds

II

Chapter 2: "Cupid Is So Dumb"
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As Minji woke up, her feet dangled off the edge of the bed, and a sigh escaped her lips. She couldn't shake off the reality of the previous night - a vampire had bitten her while she slept. She instinctively checked her wrist, and there it was, the undeniable proof of the event that had changed her life forever. A mix of emotions swirled within her, ranging from fear and confusion to curiosity and a strange fascination.

She got ready, quietly moving around the room as Hanni continued to sleep soundly. Deciding not to disturb her friend, Minji opted to go for an early walk to clear her mind. The morning air greeted her as she stepped outside, and she found solace in the tranquility of the waking world.

Minji wandered around the campus, feeling increasingly overwhelmed by the constant noise and activity surrounding her. The sounds seemed to echo in her head, causing discomfort and fatigue. Eventually, the chill in the air and the clamor pushed her to retreat back inside her house.

As she entered the common room, she was met with a scene of disarray - board games and snacks scattered everywhere, unwashed cups adding to the mess. Sighing, she tried to find a spot on the couch to sit down, but it proved challenging with the clutter. As she shifted, she unexpectedly sat on something hard, and upon picking it up, she realized it was a book.

A spark of realization lit up within Minji. Maybe there was a book that could shed light on her peculiar situation and offer a potential solution to her newfound abilities. Determined to find answers, she stood up and made her way to the bookshelf nearby, eager to search for any relevant literature.

Rummaging through the collection, Minji hoped to stumble upon ancient texts or hidden knowledge that could explain her connection to Haerin and the implications it brought. Her fingers traced the spines of various books, her heart beating faster with each moment, as she sensed that she was on the verge of uncovering something extraordinary.

Amidst the dusty volumes, one particular book caught her eye. Its leather cover was aged, and its title was written in an elegant, ancient script. With trembling hands, she pulled the book off the shelf, feeling an inexplicable connection to it.

As Minji flipped through the book, initially finding the content unremarkable, she decided to skip ahead. Her eyes landed on a particular chapter that instantly caught her attention. She began reading the words that described her new appearance and the mysterious symptoms she had been experiencing. Phrases like "growth in a small period of time" and "sensitivity" intrigued her, as the book seemed to hold insights into the very changes that had altered her life.

As she delved deeper into the pages, her eyes widened in astonishment. The book revealed that she had become a victim of "Shiv in the Night" and that, incredibly, she had a mate. The revelation left her both bewildered and amused. "A mate?" she exclaimed, a playful chuckle escaping her lips. "What is this, some kind of 'Twilight' situation?" she quipped, drawing parallels to popular vampire romance stories.

However, as she continued to read, she couldn't shake off the thought of her mysterious mate. A mix of curiosity and apprehension gnawed at her, wondering who this person could be and how their connection had come to be.

Eventually, she decided to close the book, realizing that the rest of its contents might not be as intriguing as the revelation she had just discovered. She sighed, coming to terms with the idea that her life had taken an extraordinary turn, and she was now connected to someone she had yet to meet.

While she found amusement in the parallels to popular fiction, Minji couldn't deny the weight of the situation. If and when she meets this mysterious "mate," she knew deep down that it would be a meeting of mixed emotions and complex feelings. Uncertainty loomed on the horizon, and she couldn't help but wonder how their paths would intertwine and what the future held for both of them.