Throughout the entire class, Jake feels an intense gaze on him, as if someone is burning a hole in his back. He glances nervously at Yuna sitting next to him, who is listening to the lecturer, biting a pen in her mouth. She is interested in the subject and doesn't even pay attention to him.
The blond boy turns around and the first person to catch his eye is Somi. The girl stares at him unblinkingly, looking scared. Jake frowns when he notices a young, handsome man next to her, who is definitely not part of their group.
The brunette boy winks at him teasingly, looking delighted.
Jake turns to face the lecturer. Only then does Yuna pay attention to him.
- What's the matter with you? Why are you so pale?
- The man sitting next to Somi seems familiar to me. He's worrying me - he tells her.
The brunette girl turns in that direction and frowns. All she sees is an empty seat next to Somi.
- I think you didn't get enough sleep and are hallucinating - she says sarcastically.
The blond boy looks in that direction again and realizes that there is actually no guy next to Somi. There is only her, and she is still looking at him with sad eyes.
Is he losing his mind yet?
- Do you know why Niki isn't in class today? - Yuna asks, entirely changing the subject.
She looks at him sideways.
- Am I his mother so that I know? Write to him and ask why he didn't come.
The boy looks at her with a hurt look.
- Always sulking and snappish. You can't ask me anything. A horrible woman - he mutters under his breath, taking out his phone and texting a friend. - When you're old, you'll be alone with cats - he adds, and this unsettles the girl.
- And good! I'd rather live with cats than deal with an annoying, worthless guy! - she shouts to the entire room, catching everyone's attention, including the professor.
The blond man opens his eyes wide, looking at her like she's crazy.
- I appreciate you expressing your opinion, but I would prefer it to focus on the topic we are currently discussing - the lecturer says to her.
- I am so sorry - the girl replies with remorse in her voice.
Jake looks back once again and his eyes widen, when he sees the man sitting there again.
Somi watches him, so he makes a questioning face at her, nodding his head at the brunette boy. She just shrugs in response, looking indifferent.
- Will you stop fidgeting so much? Do you have worms? - Yuna says to him in a quiet voice.
"I swear to you, that man is back there. Am I seeing things? What's wrong with me?" Jake asks her in a panicked voice.
- You've lost your mind from flirting with all those women. That's all there is to it - she says aggressively.
The boy ignores her sarcastic remark and just then the end of class comes. He is the first to run out of the bench, heading towards Somi.
- Who is he? - he asks the blonde girl, pointing at the brunette boy. The young man seems dissatisfied with the ill-treatment and frowns in anger.
- I'm sad you don't remember me, Jake - Jay says to him. - We've been through so much together in the past...
- What are you talking about, man? I don't know you, although I won't deny that you seem familiar to me - he claims, glancing at him. - Who is this? - He turns to Somi once again.
"Definitely not human. Someone who hates you. Now me," the girl announces, pushing past them and walking away quickly, as if she wanted no part of this.
Jake notices Yuna standing lower, watching them carefully.
- So will you kindly answer me, who are you? - The blond boy does not give up. The man's face irritates him. He looks as if he thinks he is better than him.
"No, I won't answer you kindly, because you're rude," he says, placing his hand on his shoulder. The blonde boy is pierced by the cold, which he feels especially in that place. "Exactly as unruly as in his previous life," he adds, and then passes him and heads downstairs.
He gives Yuna a killer smile as he walks past her.
- Hello, rebel.
"What are you doing here, you piece of shit?" she says to him boldly, remembering perfectly well that this is the same guy who harassed her youngest sister.
Jay frowns and stops. His face darkens. Now he doesn't look so friendly.
- What kind of unpleasant greeting is that? It is not proper for a young lady to use such language.
The brunette girl snorts under her breath.
- This is just the warm-up. I'd love to tell you what I really think of you, pervert.
The young man pretends to be shocked.
- Pervert? What pervert? If you mean the situation with your pretty sister, then I won't deny that she's always been my favorite. I would never hurt her.
- Yuna, don't provoke him - Jake says as he stands next to her. - I don't know what you're on about, guy, but leave us alone, and above all, leave Sullyoon alone. She's a delicate girl who's afraid of intruders like you.
- Seohyun was also protected by Tan, and how did it end? She sent him to his death - he says with fascination in his voice and then walks away from them, laughing under his breath.
- He's some kind of madman, a complete psycho - Yuna says, looking at her friend. - I'm distressed about Sullyoon, a lot.
"I think he really has business with all of us. He didn't show up to our classes for no reason," Jake says. "It's not just about Sullyoon ..."
***
The friends meet for a break, occupying the longest bench on the first floor. The only one missing is Niki, who didn't show up for today's class. Although Jake wrote him a message, he still hasn't received a reply.
Sullyoon is worried and ends up texting him herself, asking what's going on. Her concern grows even greater when Yuna and Jake mention Jay, who attended their classes.
- I think the man has a problem with all of us, not just Sullyoon - says the blond boy.
The eighteen-year-old girl closes her eyes, remembering the moment when he appeared in front of the hood of the car.
- We have fifteen minutes, so I'll tell you everything I know, but promise me you won't look at me like I'm crazy - says Wonyoung. - Only Somi and Sullyoon know about it.
- So why don't I know, since I'm your sister? - Yuna asks with indignation in her voice.
- Would you believe me if I told you straight out that Jay is a vampire?
The others burst out laughing, except Sullyoon.
- I guess Niki was right when he said you were crazy after watching that vampire show - says Jake.
- I'm not joking at all. I'm serious, and even though I know it sounds absurd, shut your mouths and listen to what I have to say until the very end - Wonyoung says sharply.
She tells them everything, from the very beginning. She doesn't leave anything out, even talking about her dreams from her past life, ending with her hearing from him that she has his blood in her, which is why they are connected.
- ... and most of all of us, he hates Sunghoon. I suspect that he has appeared to us now, when we are all together. He wants to finish something that he failed to do in his previous life.
- I can confirm that he is not human. He jumped out in front of my car and Niki, said something about his previous life, and then he disappeared into thin air, literally disappeared - Sullyoon chimes in. - It was really shocking.
Yuna looks at her sisters blankly while Jake raises an eyebrow, feeling like he's on hidden camera.
- Are you kidding us?
- Do we look like we're joking? We're completely serious, we're all in danger.
"So you're saying we lived in a time of war, and I was a vampire? And that Niki and Sunghoon were my older brothers?" Jake still looks amused by the story. " Wonyoung, seriously, are you on drugs? Are you killing your sadness because you can't be with the man you like?"
- You're being cheeky, Jake. You better shut up, or I'll punch you in a minute - Wonyoung threatens him.
Sullyoon looks at her phone screen when she sees that she has received a reply from Niki.
"I feel sick, that's why I took some time off. I need to rest and recover. Other than that, I'm fine. Thanks for asking, Sull."
A strange feeling of joy fills her heart because he didn't reply to his best friend, but he did to her.
Despite everything, she worries about him since he's sick. However, she would rather not tell the others about it, so as not to upset Jake, who was ignored by Niki.
The break ends and they go their separate ways. Jake and Yuna are confused as they discuss what they heard from Wonyoung. They both think it's absurd, and the 19-year-old girl is slowly losing her sanity.
Sunghoon, who was standing behind the wall and had gone after Sullyoon because he wanted to talk to her, eavesdropped on his friends throughout the break.
He has mixed feelings, he doesn't know what to think about it. Some voice in his head tells him that they may actually have a history, and their meeting from birth was written in the stars.
Is this a curse? Maybe they are actually cursed from their previous life?
When the girl steps out from behind the wall, he grabs her hand and pulls her towards him. The shocked teenager stares at him, clearly surprised by his behavior.
" Sunghoon, " she says quietly.
- I heard everything. I heard the whole story you told, is it true? Do I really appear in your dreams and see our past lives? - he asks, looking intensely into her eyes. - My life is so strange and miserable that I can believe you that Jay is a vampire who is chasing us. Just tell me, swear to me that it is true.
They look into each other's eyes for a long moment in silence.
"Yes, I swear to you, it's true," she says, her voice breaking. "And what he wants most is to hurt you. I don't know why, what the motive is, but he calls you his enemy."
Sunghoon runs his hand through his hair, looking more nervous than shocked.
- I know what the reason is.
- What? - At this point, Wonyoung looks surprised.
- I just had to convince myself that I wasn't crazy, that this was all real.
- What are you talking about, Sunghoon?
- I also have dreams that are memories from a past life. They are quite similar to what you described, but not identical.
This is the last thing Wonyoung could have expected. She can't even get another word out.
It dies.