Waking up in a coffin is bad.
Waking up on a Saturday in a haunted dormitory where your roommate is a bat named Kevin… still bad.
But waking up to a knock on your door and finding Yeonjun leaning against the frame with two cups of something smoking and suspicious?
...Okay, I'll allow it.
"Morning, sunshine," he said, flashing a smile that probably caused centuries of heartache. "No classes today, which means you officially have no excuse to avoid me."
"I can name, like, twelve."
"And I'll ignore all twelve," he said cheerfully, holding out a cup. "Bloodberry latte. No actual blood. Probably."
"You trying to poison me or flirt with me?" I asked, taking the cup with suspicion.
"Yes."
Saturday at Nightshade Academy: No Class, Just Chaos
While the rest of the school was recovering from hex hangovers and failed love spells, Yeonjun decided today was perfect for "showing you around."
Translation: dragging me to places I probably wasn't allowed to be in.
"You're lucky," he said as we walked past a courtyard made entirely of obsidian and haunted ivy. "Most people would kill for a private tour with me."
"Most people haven't met you," I muttered.
Yeonjun stopped walking and turned to me, dramatically placing a hand on his chest.
"Amelia. That hurt. I'm a sensitive, romantic soul."
"You're a menace in tight pants."
He smirked. "You noticed the pants."
I sipped my drink aggressively. "They're hard to miss."
Forbidden Forest of the Mostly Dead
Of course, Yeonjun took me to the one place the student handbook literally said "go here and perish."
A forest just outside the academy grounds, where the trees whispered names you didn't know and shadows had teeth.
"Is this safe?" I asked, eyeing a bush that twitched.
"Not at all," Yeonjun said, hopping over a gravestone and offering his hand. "But I'm here."
I didn't take his hand. I didn't need to. But I kinda wanted to. Just a little.
Still… "If something eats me, I'm haunting you."
"I look forward to it," he said, grinning like he meant it.
The Vibe Shift
Somewhere between dodging carnivorous flowers and almost tripping on a skeleton that might've been twitching, we ended up at a clearing with a broken fountain.
It was surprisingly peaceful. Golden light leaked through the red-black trees. Fireflies that looked like floating eyes drifted around us.
Yeonjun sat on the edge of the fountain. "So. What did they say before you came here?"
I blinked. "Huh?"
"You're not here by accident. Headmistress Morrigan doesn't 'oops' her student list. What did you see before you woke up here?"
I hesitated. "A mirror. In my room. It glitched out. I looked into it, and… I swear I saw something grab me."
He nodded slowly. "Shadow mirrors. Rare magic. Ancient. Something wanted you here."
"Why?"
Yeonjun's voice dropped. "That's what scares me."
Silence. Not creepy. Just… heavy.
Then he looked at me, softer than before.
"You're different from the others."
"Because I'm human?"
"No," he said. "Because you're not scared of me."
I stared at him, heart thumping a little harder. "Should I be?"
His grin returned, slow and wicked.
"Definitely."
The Almost-Flirty Moment That Was Maybe Something More
We stayed in that clearing longer than planned. The sun—or whatever burned in this sky—was starting to dip when Yeonjun finally stood.
He walked over to me, too close again, always too close, and tilted his head.
"Can I try something?" he asked.
My brain screamed, Say no! Say no! This is how horror movies start!
I said, "What?"
His fingers brushed my cheek. Cold. Gentle.
"I'm just checking something," he whispered.
He leaned in, so close I could smell winter and shadows and something sweet, and for half a second I thought—he's going to kiss me.
But instead, he stopped, inches away.
"You're warm," he murmured.
I blinked. "Because I'm human?"
"No," he said, voice low. "Because you make me feel it again."
And just like that, he stepped back.
Like it didn't just happen.
Like my heartbeat wasn't being rude.
Back at the Dorm
Later that evening, back in my coffin—I mean bed—I couldn't sleep.
Kevin was asleep upside down on the curtain rod. Typical.
I stared at the ceiling, wondering what Yeonjun meant. What I meant. Why everything here was both terrifying and… weirdly addicting.
And why that almost-kiss haunted me worse than the whispering shadows outside the window.